Story of a Big Player from Gangnam
Date: 2021-10-28T20:45:53+00:00

Information

Table of Contents URL: https://allnovel.org/story-of-a-big-player-from-gangnam.html

Author:

악중선

Alternative names:

강남 큰손 이야기

Genre:

Action, Drama

Source:

Webnovel

Status:

Completed

This is the story of a poor young man whose poverty even shreds apart their family willing to climb his way through society and into the top. A very realistic novel that moves away from fantasy and sci-fi and focuses solely on the issues of society and life.

Chapter 1 - Prologue

Chapter 1: Chapter 1. Prologue

Park, a financial journalist, was instructed by his editorial director to cover a big player from Gangnam District (“Gangnam”). Park, however, was not sure how to do it. A big player from Gangnam wouldn’t even consider meeting a journalist like Park. Moreover, Park was also not sure where to find a big player or how to contact that person.

After exhausting all the help he could get from his personal connections in financial sectors and even the National Tax Service, Park finally found one person—Gun-Ho Goo. Mr. Goo recently acquired Star building in Gangnam. He had also recently moved to a single house on 300 pyung (over 10,000 sqft) of land; he used to live in T apartment in Dogok Town, Gangnam. Park was told that Mr. Goo was a recluse who was reluctant to meet people.

Park thought that Gun-Ho Goo must be an old man because all those big players in Stock Street from the old days were old people, such as the famous old lady, Madam Baeck, and Mudfish from Apgoojung Town. Well, it makes sense because it takes time to build wealth, doesn’t it?

Park, however, was surprised this time when he met Mr. Goo, a reclusive big player from Gangnam, also known as the king of cash. Mr. Goo was in his 30s looking ten years younger than Park himself. Maybe he inherited money from his wealthy parents, which was Park’s original assumption. However, Park remembered being told that Mr. Goo’s parents used to live in a shabby apartment in Juan Town, Incheon City (“Incheon”). His father was unemployed, and his mother was a caregiver in a nursing home.

Mr. Goo was a college dropout in a small town and eventually graduated from a cyber college. To overcome his inherited poverty and to find a stable job, he came to Noryangjin Town (“Noryangjin”). At first, he tried to be a level-9 government employee, but after he failed the civil service exam several times, he started working in a plastic factory located in Hwaseong City (“Hwaseong”) and then moved from one factory to another in Pocheon City (“Pocheon”), Gyeonggi Province, and Yangju City (“Yangju”) afterward, working in a production line.

Mr. Goo didn’t wake up one day finding himself being rich; he was not reincarnated in a wealthy family nor did he magically become rich. His current success was based on his sheer effort and enormous luck.

Park asked Mr. Goo one last question: “How much cash do you have available right now if you don’t mind me asking?” Park expected to hear tens of millions of dollars.

“Let me see… I am not sure about the exact amount, but probably over a billion dollars.”

“Huck! A billion dollars!” Park’s jaw dropped in amazement.

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Chapter 2 - An Encounter At The Fishing Site (1)

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: An Encounter At The Fishing Site (1)

It was early autumn with Cosmos flowers in full bloom, shaken by the wind along the asphalt-paved mountain path. An old shabby sedan struggled up the hill, carrying two young men. Its muffler was probably broken because it made an odd sound. The paint on its rear plastic bumper was flaked off.

“Korea is the best place to live. Even the road to the fishing site is all asphalt-paved.”

“This fishing site is not a well-known place. It is surprising to see a new Genesis here.”

“That’s right. Is it EQ900 limousine?”

The two young men parked their shabby Avante behind the Genesis.

“Hey, our car with this peeling paint bumper looks even shabbier sitting next to Genesis. Let’s park our car away from here.”

One of two young men reversed while complaining, “It must be a rich dude. Why doesn’t he just go golfing?”

“He probably doesn’t know this is a free fishing site.”

After they parked their car, the two young men took fishing rods out of the trunk. They were lure fishing rods, not bait fishing rods; one had to move to catch fish with lure fishing.

“I prefer lure fishing. I don’t have to touch earthworms or maggots.”

“But you have to move a lot, too busy in catching fish.”

“Lure fishing is really an effective way to lose weight.”

“Well, since you, Gun-Ho and me, we both lost jobs, we will live with hunger and malnourishment, and suffer from cold weather. We won’t have chance to gain any weight.”

“I heard that these days, poor people gain more weight because they don’t have enough resources to watch their diet.”

“Hmmm, I will gain weight again then.”

“Look, Jong-Suk! Our lucky spot is already occupied by two old men.”

“Oh shoot, that’s the whole point of coming here.”

“Let’s try the spot across the reservoir.”

“I don’t like that place, too many underwater branches.”

“Let’s then try up on the bridge side.”

Those two old men fishing in the spot turned their heads to look behind them; they must have heard the talk. One looked about mid-40s, and the other man seemed to be in his 60s. They didn’t appear to be friends or father and son.

‘They must have plenty of time in life like us since they came here fishing on weekdays, not on weekends.’

“Mister, did you catch a lot of fish?”

The man seemingly in his 60s shook his head side to side with a smile on his face. Probably not a productive day of fishing. The mid-40s man then gave Gun-Ho Goo and Jong-Suk Park a menacing look.

“Jong-Suk, let’s keep walking. We seem to make him uncomfortable.”

“For f*ck’s sake, they are the ones who took our lucky spot…”

Gun-Ho chuckled and said, “We’d better mark the spot with our names, Gun-Ho Goo and Jong-Suk Park, showing that it is reserved for our exclusive use.”

“Be quiet! What time is it?”

“It’s 20 to 5. Almost 5 o’clock.”

“The fish will start biting soon. You go that way; I will go this way around the chestnut tree.”

“Catch a big enough fish for spicy fish stew!”

Gun-Ho Goo and Jong-Suk Park were laid off from their jobs in a small factory with less than 20 employees in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. The company lost their contract with the vendors, leading them to start laying off employees. ‘Well, I was going to quit the job anyway; I haven’t been paid in two months now.’

“Once the company gets back on its feet, I will make sure that you receive unpaid wages and severance pay. You know that I am not doing well.” The factory owner implored Gun-Ho Goo to understand his situation.

For the past three days, Gun-Ho Goo went through job search websites such as WorkNet and the classified section in newspapers to find a job. He felt suffocated staying in a small room all day; he used to go out and work in daytime. He pulled his car out of the parking lot in the basement of his tiny studio building and drove around. It then crossed his mind that he didn’t file a complaint with the Provincial Office of Labor about his unpaid wages. When he went to the Provincial Office of Labor to file it, he ran across Jong-Suk Park, his colleague there. They then decided to come fishing together to this fishing site the next day.

“I see the bite!”

Gun-Ho Goo tried to reel in the fish. The fishing line got tight then became loose.

“F*ck! It went off the bite! It was a bass the size of a forearm! I saw it when it jumped out of water.”

“Bro, did you catch it?”

“It went off!”

“Well, at least you are getting bites. I am not getting anything.”

“It’s almost sunset, dinner time for fish. They will start biting.”

While Gun-Ho Goo and Jong-Suk Park were having fun fooling around and talking loudly, those mid-40s and 60s men started packing their fishing rods.

“Bro! They seem to be leaving soon. Let’s move to that spot!”

“Let’s wait until they vacate the spot completely.”

“They are so slow.”

“It appears that they didn’t catch a thing; their fishing net is empty.”

“Huh? That Genesis limousine belongs to them? What? The mid-40s man is sitting in the driver’s seat and the man in his 60s is sitting in the back seat. They are probably a CEO and a chauffeur.” He chuckled.

“Let’s focus on fishing.”

“If he is rich enough to have a personal chauffeur, why Genesis. Why not Bentley.”

“Stay focused!”

The sun went down and it became dark. Gun-Ho Goo and Jong-Suk Park continued fishing. No one else was around, and only the sound of water filled the air. They couldn’t catch anything good. Gun-Ho Goo caught one palm-sized small catfish, but he eventually released it.

“Today is not good. The fishing circumstances are not good.”

“You sound intelligent, bro.”

“Let’s just drink up the soju (Korean distilled liquor) we brought in and let’s call it a night. It’s getting cold out here; I forgot to bring my long sleeve shirts.”

Gun-Ho Goo and Jong-Suk Park laid out a picnic mat on the grass. They took out a roasted chicken and soju they prepared.

“Drink up. To celebrate the fourth day of our unemployment!”

“You can’t straighten your pinky finger.”

“This? It is a glorious wound. I got this injury at work handling factory machine. Well, it’s still attached. You have a lot of burns!”

“I got burned a lot when I handled injection molding machines at work.”

“Try to wear long sleeve shirts when you work. Your future wife won’t think those burns are pretty.”

“You think it didn’t occur to me that I needed to cover my arms at work? It was just too hot to wear long sleeve shirts during summer. I couldn’t even wear arm covers from Daiso. Your future wife won’t like the bent finger.”

“Haha. Who would want to marry a factory worker like me! I am not even a typical factory worker. I am a factory worker who was unpaid and laid off.”

“So am I. Korean girls are all gold diggers. Who would marry me? I have no money; I am a low rank college dropout, a cyber college graduate, not so good looking, pot-bellied, and old.”

“Do you remember Jung-Hoon from logistics team? We used to work in the same factory. He was a chick magnet. Not just girls in the factory, but he also dated Ms. Gang from the quality control department; she was a college graduate. He also dated the girl who played piano. She was the daughter of that Korean buffet restaurant owner across the factory. These days, I heard he is dating a new girl in the accounting department.”

“You think that is normal? He is a con artist. He didn’t even pay me back the 300,000 won he borrowed from me.”

“Anyhow, he is able to do it. Let’s accept the fact, bro. He is a high school graduate working as a truck driver in a factory; he is something.”

“Let’s drop it and drink. Talking about him made me lose my appetite. Drink up!”

“This is fantastic. Drinking soju on the bank of the lake in the moonlight. It’s killing me.”

“I told you. I come here by myself sometimes.”

“I will come with you sometimes, and I will bring soju; you buy a roasted chicken.”

Gun-Ho Goo and Jong-Suk Park devoured the roasted chicken; they must have been very hungry.

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Chapter 3 - An Encounter At The Fishing Site (2)

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: An Encounter At The Fishing Site (2)

After having a chicken leg and wings, Gun-Ho Goo asked Jong-Suk Park.

“Are you actually looking for a job?”

“I’ve been looking for a job online. There are lots of job openings, but it’s not easy to find a good company.”

“Why? Are you worried that you might pick a company that is soon going under?”

“That is one of the things I consider. I also cannot stand management power tripping.”

“Nothing much you can do about it. We are merely a factory worker.”

“You used to work for that kind of manager in a furniture company. And you ended up fighting with the nagging manager, and quit the job.”

“Hmm… that’s right. But it’s my loss. I have no skills for a job; I am just a low ranked college dropout.”

“Hey bro, I registered at the Career Center. I want to learn new work skills.”

“I’ve already done it because once I start working, I won’t have time to learn new skills. But that causes another problem; I won’t be able to make a living if I don’t work while I go to school to learn some skills.”

“The director at the CAD Learning Center told me that if you have the will to learn, then you can do it. Having no time is just an excuse.”

“Damn man! He should put himself in my shoes!”

“Speaking of learning things, you and me, we actually met in an educational institute in Noryangjin. It has been five years already.”

“I was surprised when I saw you there. I didn’t expect to see a bro from the neighborhood I used to live in.”

“I was so surprised as well. I never thought the person next to me having a cupped-rice would be you.”

“Bro, you used to do well in studying, didn’t you?”

“In Korea, if you don’t work for a big company or a government, you are not well respected. Hard to get married as well. At that time, I was running out of money after repeatedly failed the exam for three years.”

“Three years of preparation for that exam is normal.”

“I was not financially supported to keep taking the exam.”

“As you know already, I am not good material for study. It was my father who forced me to study for the civil service exam, so I could get the level-9 government job. That’s why I was in Noryangjin studying. I’ve tried ESL courses and etc., but I am just too dumb to study for the exam.”

“How is your father’s restaurant business doing in Incheon?”

“Not very good, these days. A new restaurant chain opened next to my father’s, and it is seriously affecting his business.”

“I see… I wanted to try that exam one more time if someone could support me for one year… I had to give up on my exam when I ran out of money and almost couldn’t afford food and to pay the rent. My family wasn’t doing well either.”

“I just don’t understand why old people like level-9 government jobs so much.”

“It is actually a good job. You work in a nice office wearing a suit. You don’t have to worry about not being paid. They provide you a good government pension. You don’t need old people to tell you how good it is to recognize the benefits. It is just hard to get it.”

“You must have some money saved up, right?”

“Nada. After I left Noryanjin, I worked in a plastic recycling plant located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. I worked my socks off there for two years; I saved about 10,000,000 won (around $10,000). Around that time, I saw a sunshine loan advertisement and inquired about it. When they told me that as long as I have a job they would approve me for the loan, I quickly applied for it. I submitted proof of employment and tax document; I received the loan right away.”

“You should have 20,000,000 won in total then. Why are you acting as if you are miserably poor, living in a tiny OneRoom?”

“It is OneRoomTel, not OneRoom.”

“OneRoom or OneRoomTel, all same.”

“I was going to buy a new car since my old car started making noises and it got too old. It was a used car on an installment plan. Then before I know it, I was doing stocks.”

“Stocks? I know no one who didn’t lose money by doing stocks.”

“Hear me out. Doing stocks is risky of course, but if you have the right information you can make money. That’s how I started it.”

“Haha. Where does a blue-collar worker like you get such information?”

“Our vendor was a KOSDAQ registered firm. We were told that they were about to apply for a patent and that their stock will go up accordingly, so we all bought their stock.”

“That’s how you blew all the money.”

“Not quite. The stock went up at first. My stock value at that time was 24,000,000 won; I was so happy. I made 4,000,000 won in a month; I invested 20,000,000 won and it went up to 24,000,000 won. Wow. The world looked different. I regretted the choices I made in life. Why did I waste my time and youth in preparing for that civil service exam to get a level-9 job? It’s not even a well-paid job.”

“And then?”

“I was going to sell the stock a few days later since it was on the way up. Five days later, I opened my stock account. Oh my, the stock value was 18,000,000. I thought it would go up again. A week later, it went down to 12,000,000.”

“You lost 8,000,000.”

“I wish. An investment consulting company, called WinWin Fund Investment Club, sent me a text; I am not sure how they got my number. They said I could recover my loss in no time and get a noticeable return if I invest in the stocks they pick for me.”

“Did you believe that?”

“They sent me their past transaction records. It showed that 20,000,000 was invested and it went up to 60,000,000 won within two months. They charge 2,000,000 won for their service. Once I pay the fee, they said they would give me a list of stocks they picked right away.”

“Your glass is empty. Let me fill it up for you. Go on.”

“So I paid 2,000,000 won and invested the remaining 10,000,000 won in the stock they picked for me. The stock had been up and down on a roller-coaster ride.”

“You got rooked again.”

“Don’t even get me started on that. I was left with 4,000,000 won in hand after I put 10,000,000 won a week earlier.”

“You should have complained to the investment consulting company.”

“I did. When I complained to them, they said I should sell the stock at a loss.”

“How could they say that? They are so irresponsible.”

“When I argued with them, they said it was perfectly normal to sell stocks at a loss sometimes and it happened all the time. They laughed at me saying a person like me shouldn’t do stocks.”

“Jerks!”

“The remaining 4,000,000 won is gone. I used it for living expense since I hadn’t been paid for a while after I moved to another company. I am just left with the debt from the sunshine loan.”

“You learned your lesson,” Jong-Suk Park chuckled.

“It would be really nice if it was just a lesson. Now I have to pay interest on the loan, and I am suffering for it. The two-year life in Hwaseong became nothing, and all I have is debt.”

“Phew. I feel suffocated by listening to your story. That is the money you earned by working your socks off.”

“Do you remember Won-Chul? His mother owned a pharmacy in our neighborhood.”

“I know him. He was accepted to one of the universities in Seoul?”

“I’ve heard that Won-Chul is working for a big company after he graduated college. He invested 20,000,000 won in stocks and made 100,000,000 won. F*ck.”

“Huh, Wun-Chul bro was the richest in the neighborhood. The luck is also on his side. God is on the rich, not us at all. F*ck. Let’s drink.”

The two drank soju in the moonlight making slurping sounds. It looks like they drank every drop of booze.

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Chapter 4 - An Encounter At The Fishing Site (3)

Chapter 4: Chapter 4. An Encounter At The Fishing Site (3)

Gun-Ho got up around 10 in the morning. He has been really lazy since he didn’t go to work.

“Should I eat breakfast? Or not?”

The OneRoomTel he was living in provided free rice in a rice cooker, which was located in the laundry room. Cooked rice was always available; the owner prepared for the residents in the OneRoomTel. There was a microwave as well, in the same room.

“If there was a cooktop in the laundry room, I would have been able to cook lomein…”

Licking his lips at the thought of lomein, Gun-Ho opened the refrigerator in his room. Each room in the OneRoomTel had a small refrigerator shorter than a desk.

“Do I have anything to eat?”

Gun-Ho took out a bottle of water from the refrigerator and gulped down water. He further looked in the refrigerator. There were soju, fruit, some left-over pickled radish, and a choco pie.

“I have to have a meal…”

Gun-Ho stepped out of his room with an empty bowl in his hand. He was going to the laundry room to get free rice.

“Eek, why is that guy still here?”

The guy in Room 506 was doing something in the laundry room.

“F*ck, I don’t want him to see me with an empty bowl in my hand; it’s embarrassing. I ran into him with my empty bowl yesterday.”

Gun-Ho closed his door.

“Let’s just go out and have a hangover soup!”

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Gun-Ho went outside. He then got in the car he parked in front of a women’s clothing store around the OneRoomTel.

“The store owner didn’t come to work yet. If he was here and saw my parked car, he would have snapped at me…”

Gun-Ho often parked on the street because the basement parking lot in the OneRoomTel was too small and always full. As long as you could get your car out of the street before the stores open, there was no problem; otherwise, you would have to bicker with the owners. As soon as he got in the driver’s seat, Gun-Ho took a note out of his pocket. A phone number was written on the note; it was the company’s number, which Gun-Ho found from WorkNet. That company was hiring a production worker.

“Was it Dongil Tech? I will visit the company after breakfast.”

Gun-Ho entered the phone number to the smartphone.

“This is the fastest way to contact them. It will take forever for them to contact me if I apply for the job online, especially for the jobs posted on WorkNet.”

“Dongil Tech. How may I help you?”

A lady answered the phone; she sounded a bit old.”

“I saw your job advertisement. I am calling to apply for a production worker position.”

“Do you have any work experience in the injection molding?”

“Yes, I do. About two years.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“I am 31.”

“Do you know where we are located?”

“If you could tell me the address, I can find it using GPS.”

The lady gave the address.

“Please bring your resident registration and resume with your photo attached, when you come. You can submit your resident registration once your employment is confirmed.”

“Is it ok for me to come today?”

“Come by 3 in the afternoon.”

“Thank you. I will see you then.”

Gun-Ho felt better. Small factories with less than 30 employees in the countryside usually hired a worker on the spot. Because of the labor shortage, many of them hired even foreign workers. With Gun-Ho’s work experience and age, it was easy to get that kind of job. People over 50 had a hard time to find a job because the factory managers didn’t want to hire someone older than themselves.

“If I get this job, I will stay until I save enough money as long as they pay me on time. I don’t care about the work environment or whatever.”

Feeling encouraged and happier, Gun-Ho made a phone call to Jong-Suk Park.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Uh, bro, call me later. I am in the middle of an argument with my dad.”

Gun-Ho could hear loud talk through the smartphone.

“Okie.”

Gun-Ho quickly hung up the phone.

“Jong-Suk seems to be not doing well at home, probably because he works at a factory. His dad obviously wants him to prepare for the level-9 government job exam.”

Gun-Ho could picture Jong-Suk’s dad fly into a rage and shake his fingers at Jong-Suk.

“In fact, Jong-Suk has issues. He gave up on the exam even though his dad was more than willing to support him.”

“Are you confident that you could pass the exam if somebody financially supported you?” Gun-Ho felt like he heard Jong-Suk saying that. Looking at himself in the mirror, Gun-Ho saw a man with empty eyes.

“Loser!”

He really felt like he was a loser.

“I studied strenuously for three years but failed the exam. I worked my socks off for several years, but I am broke. What is wrong with me?”

Gun-Ho looked at his hand holding the steering wheel.

“This hand … is not the hand of Midas, but the hand of minus…”

The thought of chopping his hand with an ax passed through his mind.

“D*rn it, let’s just have a pork rib hangover soup!”

Gun-Ho headed to a hangover soup restaurant.

It was a bit after two in the afternoon. Gun-Ho was not hungry since he had had brunch. In order to better present himself at the interview, Gun-Ho went back to his OneRoomTel and brushed his teeth. He changed his shoes; he was wearing flip-flops so he changed into sneakers.

“Where is this? I’ve never heard of this area… the plant is located in Yangju, Gyeongsin Town…”

Gun-Ho drove northwest to Gyeongsin Town.

“If I turn left, that leads to Seoul. I am not meant to live in Seoul. Hew.”

He felt pathetic about himself. Although he went high school in Bucheon City (“Bucheon”), many of his high school friends worked in a big city like Incheon and Suwon City (“Suwon”). On the other hand, Gun-Ho kept moving to further north, away from those big cities.

“F*ck my life!”

While feeling sorry for himself, he thought of his aunt. He remembered her talking about a person’s fate during the family gathering on New Year’s Day.

“There is a famous fortune teller in Gangnam, Seoul. The fortune teller said that my son, Jae-Woong would have a great fortune for the next 20 years.”

His aunt boasted about her son while talking about people’s fate. Jae-Woong was his cousin, two years younger than Gun-Ho.

“Jae-Woong just passed the civil service exam required for the level-9 position in Department of Labor. Just like that fortune teller said, Jae-Woong’s 20-year great fortune must have started.”

His aunt kept boasting about her son to Gun-Ho’s parents. Gun-Ho’s father said with a hollow smile,

“Haha, he surely will be a labor supervisor soon.”

“What about Gun-Ho? What are you doing these days? I heard you gave up on the civil service exam and started working?”

His aunt was smiling as she talked; Gun-Ho felt like she was laughing at him.

“Just… a small company I am working for.”

“Well, as long as they pay, working for a small company is not bad. Where is it situated?”

“It used to be in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and now it moved to Pocheon.”

“What is the nature of their business?”

“They manufacture motor vehicle parts.”

“Vehicle parts? Terrific. I am impressed. Many young men these days are having a hard time to find a job.”

The aunt was snobbish while Gun-Ho’s parents felt small, looking down the floor.

Gun-Ho remembered that he had quietly left the room before his aunt started talking to him again.

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Chapter 5 - Got A Job (1)

Chapter 5: Chapter 5. Got A Job (1)

Does fate exist?

Gun-Ho tried to recall unsuccessfully the name of the philosophy hall which his aunt mentioned the other day. His car entered into Yangu and arrived at a town called Deokjeong. He purchased a bottle of water from a convenience store there.

“D*mn. It is really a long way, and I gotta go even further. Should I stop here and go back?”

Gun-Ho drove over a hill and continued for a while to a winding road in the countryside.

“It is nice to have a GPS navigator. It says 1.5 km further to go.”

“You have arrived at your destination. Ending the service.”

The navigator was ending its routing service. The factory was surrounded by farmlands. It was a mid-sized shabby building.

A lady came out and greeted Gun-Ho with a smile. She introduced herself as a manager.

“It was hard to find the place, wasn’t it?”

She seemed to like the fact that Gun-Ho was a young man.

“Since you are young, you must be on the ball. Our director will come soon, and you will have an interview with him.”

The man who was driving a forklift in the worksite entered the office. He looked arrogant for a forklift driver.

“Mr. Director, this man is here for an interview.”

It turned out that the forklift driver was the director. In this company, a director must be driving a forklift as well. The director asked Gun-Ho to have a seat while he was sitting at the table.

“Let me see your application.”

The director closely looked at Gun-Ho’s resume.

“I see that you have work experience with injection molding. We are using a large injection molding machine. You will have to handle plastic crusher machines as well.”

“Ok.”

“Do you have a Class 2 driver’s license? Or Class 1?”

“I have a Class 1.”

“Here, you will have to drive a 1-ton truck sometimes. Can you drive manual?”

“Manual… I’ve done it when I was in the military… I can do it after one or two days of practice.”

“We don’t have company dormitories here. We do have one, but it is not in a good shape for you; it is mostly used by foreign workers. Since you have injection molding work experience, we’d like to offer a job. You can decide once you look around the work site.”

The director called out to someone through the window.

“Mr. Kim! Mr. Kim!”

A man in a red uniform came out from a container office on the other side. He looked like he was in his 40s.

“This man might join us, so please show him around the work site.”

Mr. Kim, a team leader brought Gun-Ho inside the factory. It was loud, and Gun-Ho could smell strong chemical odors.

“Is it normal to make this much loud noise?”

“No. You are hearing now the noise from the plastic recycling crusher machine.”

“There are a lot of foreign workers here.”

“That’s right. We have 15 of them.”

The foreign workers there glanced up quickly to see Mr. Kim and Gun-Ho. Most foreign workers seemed young while a few Korean workers there looked over 50.

“You work five days a week, right?”

“Basically yes. But most of the time, we work every other Saturday as well.”

“How much do they pay?”

“Didn’t they tell you about it at the office? It really depends on the work experience you have. So it’s not something I can tell you.”

Mr. Kim said. He looked somewhat uncomfortable. Gun-Ho figured that Mr. Kim was not a person that was easy to talk to. Gun-Ho changed the subject.

“I was told that you have a large machine, but they all look small.”

“The big one is in the site, B. The person who handled that machine left the company. If you join us, you probably will have to work with that machine.”

“I hope I could have a chance to learn a lot from you.”

“You have work experiences already… where did you work?”

“I worked at Hwaseong and Pocheon.”

“You moved around a lot.”

Mr. Kim sounded a bit sarcastic, and that made Gun-Ho feel a little offended. Gun-Ho felt an urge to crush his head. But Gun-Ho would have to work with Mr. Kim if he decided to join the company. He’d better get along with Mr. Kim. He bowed and said,

“Thank you for showing me around. It was very helpful.”

The company was not big, with approximately 30 employees. Gun-Ho decided to join them for now. The plant was surrounded by farmlands; he liked this setting better than a busy city. Moreover, plastic factories are all the same everywhere.

Mr. Kim didn’t seem to be a person who was easy to get along with, but having a soju together and calling him bro should do the trick. On the way out of the factory, Gun-Ho asked Mr. Kim,

“Since there is no company dormitory, where can I find a place to stay?”

“The area where the Gwangjeok Town township office is situated is good. If you prefer Main Street, try Deokjeong Town or Deokgye Town.”

After the workplace tour, Gun-Ho came back to the office to see the director. This time, the director gave him a broad smile, and said,

“Did you have a good time? As you see, we are not a big company but we do have a friendly work environment. We have a very low turnover rate. And… for the wages, you will get paid 1,800,000 won per month. We provide free lunch at the temp building over there; Ms. Cook prepares the food every day.”

As soon as he heard the number, 180, Gun-Ho started his calculation.

“A rent will cost me 30, gas will be 20, lunch is free, and I can have dinner at home…”

Well, he could survive, but not much would be left to save up.

“If you work with us for more than a year, we can consider raising your salary. Some of our foreign workers take 300 by working overtime, night shifts.”

“300!”

It was tempting. He no longer tried to be a government employee. He was going to stay as a blue collar worker anyway; then, why not make 300? There are things, of course, he had to give up. He wouldn’t be able to enjoy his after-work life; no dinner time getting-together with friends, no more occasional gatherings for someone’s wedding, funeral, or ancestral rites.

“After one year of working with us, you will get promoted, and then we pay for your gas as well.”

“When can I start?”

“Let me see… today is Thursday…”

The director looked at the calendar on the wall.

“Let’s start on Monday. If you are not from this area, you will need a few days to find a place to stay. Oh, I saw an ad on the way to the work this morning; it was about a rent without security deposit in Gwangjeok Town. You probably want to check it out.”

“Thank you.”

“When you come on Monday, please bring a copy of your resident registration and another copy of your bank statement.”

“I will do that.”

Gun-Ho left the office courteously expressing his appreciation for the opportunity. He got the job. While he was at it, Gun-Ho decided to explore the area around Gwangjeok Town township office.

“Gwangjeok Town, Yangju City… I’ve never heard of this area before, and I will be working here.”

Suddenly his smartphone started ringing. It was from Capital financial institution; his sunshine loan was from them.

“You are behind on your payments. How soon can you make the payment?”

The call just killed Gun-Ho’s happy moment.

“Ok. I will send it right away.”

“If you don’t make a payment by the 5th of this month and your account is still overdue, it could affect your credit.”

The voice of Capital representative sounded like the Grim Reaper.

“Hew…” He sighed.

Gun-Ho deeply regretted ever having done stocks.

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Chapter 6 - Got A Job (2)

Chapter 6: Chapter 6. Got A Job (2)

Receiving a phone call from a Capital representative was a real downer. They never forgot to call to demand the interest overdue.

“After paying my loan interest out of the salary 180, nothing much will be left in my hands. I will probably have to work an additional night shift just like those foreign workers. The night shift is paid 1.5 times more… So that’s what I have to do. I have messed up my life, big time.”

The image of government employees working in a big city hall or county office flashed through Gun-Ho’s mind along with his friend, Won-Chul working in a big firm wearing a white shirt and tie.

“Won-Chul is making 5,000 per year, isn’t he?”

Gun-Ho’s face was distorted by frustration.

“I am and will be living in poverty just like my father has been. F*ck!”

Gun-Ho was heading to Gwangjeok Town (“Gwangjeok”) in his old shabby car, making a clunking noise when the name of the philosophy hall his aunt talked about hit him.

“That’s right! It was Jinyeo Philosophy Hall!”

Gun-Ho felt better once he successfully recalled the name.

“I don’t believe in fate but I can try, don’t I? I am wondering where my life went wrong? And if I will stay as a factory worker for the rest of my life. If the head of the philosophy hall is that good, he must have something to tell me about my life, doesn’t he?”

Gun-Ho shook his head.

“Nah, they don’t know anything. If they do, why are they just running the philosophy hall?”

Gun-Ho indeed disbelieved fortune tellers because he had a bad experience with them. When he was 21 years old right before he joined the military, he went to a fortune-reading cafe in Insa Town. Anything he was told there was not true and he just wasted money paying for it. Consequently, he considered them all con artists.

“Nevertheless, because of all the fuss my aunt made, I am curious about it.”

Gun-Ho finally arrived at Gwangjeok Township Office area. He didn’t expect to see this many commercial stores and restaurants. There were a hospital, pharmacy, bank and supermarket that you don’t often see in a small town. Several new villas were there; he could see lots of ads for rent. Some of them didn’t require a security deposit.

“It’s only 4 o’clock. I will have time to look around.”

Gun-Ho at first visited the rental home without a security deposit requirement. It didn’t come with kitchen appliances. The one asking one month’s rent for a security deposit provided essential kitchen appliances. Gun-Ho liked it; the room was clean since it was in a new building.

“Oooh, this is a palace comparing to those rooms in Noryanjin!”

Those OneRooms in Noryangjin were asking higher rent and they didn’t even have windows; they were in poor condition as well.

“I don’t have many stuff. I can move in tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho left for his current place to Sohol Town in Pocheon. He was listening to a rap song when he received a call from Jong-Suk.

“Bro, what are you doing? Did you find a job?”

“I just had an interview. I am on my way home now.”

“Really? That’s good. What kind of company?”

“Plastic Injection Molding Company, of course since I have work experience with it. I will start this coming Monday.”

“Where is it?”

“Gyeongsin Town in Yangju.”

“Geyongsin Town? Where is that?”

“It is in Yangju.”

“Yangju City? Not Namyangju City?”

“No. It is Yangju located above Uijeongbu City.”

“Let’s go fishing to the same place. You start on Monday so you can go fishing tomorrow.”

“I have to move tomorrow.”

“Haha, bro, you have nothing to move. You only have a few clothes and a laptop. You can move them the day after tomorrow, and let’s go fishing tomorrow. I read online that someone caught a 30cm bass and a 50cm catfish there.”

“You are so into fishing.”

“You are the one who introduced me to fishing in the first place.”

“Ok. Let’s go.”

“Since tomorrow is not Sunday, there won’t be many people fishing.”

“Come to pick me up by 10 AM to my place.”

“Okie.”

Gun-Ho thought that since he got the job, it was ok to have some fun fishing with Jong-Suk tomorrow.

Thinking of having soju with a roasted chicken whet his appetite already.

The next day, Gun-Ho went to the reservoir in Pocheon with Jong-Suk.

“I love this reservoir. Not many people know about here and it’s not crowdy.”

“Right. Not many people coming here; no reservoir custodian who is asking for fees. Bro, once you start your new job at Yangju, let’s come here sometimes when you are off.”

“It’s too far. I have to save gas.”

“Then you find a good fishing site in Yangju.”

“Huh? I didn’t expect anyone here. That Genesis limousine is here today again.”

“Damn. They took our lucky spot again.”

“Look, they are the same folks, one in his 40s and the other in his 60s.”

Those two men turned their heads to look at Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk; they must have heard them talking.

“They must think that why do young men come fishing on weekdays, not going to work.”

“Don’t worry about them. They are here on weekdays as well. They must be a bankrupt business owner or a crook on the run.”

“Their car looks good. It’s new”

“Crooks drive nice cars.”

“Bro, what year is your car?”

“It’s 10 years old. Why?”

“It’s still going? How many km is on your car?”

“200,000. It still works fine. I can cross the entire U.S. nation from the east coast to the west with this car.”

“Aren’t you gonna repair peeling paint on your rear bumper?”

“I don’t have time for that.”

“You don’t have money for that.”

“You, f*cker!”

“Haha. I take it back, take it back.”

Responding to their loud talk, the man in his 40s turned his head looking at them with a scowl.

“He doesn’t look nice at all.”

“He is evil-looking.”

“Shhh, he can hear you. Keep it down.”

Gun-Ho went to the fishing spot where those two men, in his 40s and 60s, were fishing.

“Did you catch any?”

The man in his 60s shook his head side to side with a smile in his eyes.

“Is he a mute?”

Gun-Ho moved to another spot. He put down his bag and fishing rod under the chestnut tree across the reservoir.

“Huh! It’s Gimbap (cooked rice and other ingredients rolled in dried seaweed), not a roasted chicken!”

“I thought you would bring a roasted chicken.”

“I thought you would, bro.”

“I have to save money, until my next payday.”

“Eek! Look over there. A fish the size of a forearm just jumped out of the water. I have a good feeling about fishing today.”

“None for you. Lots of fish for me though.”

“F*ck you.”

That day, Gun-Ho actually caught a bass. He got a job and caught a fish; it was a good day for him. When he was about to release the fish, Jong-Suk ran to him.”

“Wow. It’s huge. It’s a little smaller than the one I just missed, but it is huge.”

“The fish that slipped away always seems bigger.”

“No, it was really huge.”

“Jong-Suk, let’s have Gimbap. If you are not going to take the bass, maybe I should give it to those two men?”

“Them? They are no longer here.”

Gun-Ho looked at the spot where those two men were fishing; they are gone already.

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Chapter 7 - Got A Job (2)

Chapter 7: Chapter 7. Got A Job (3)

It was Saturday. Gun-Ho vacated his room from OneRoomTel and loaded up his car with his belonging.

“Once I took out all my stuff, I certainly do have a lot of stuff. I didn’t know that when they were all in the room.”

Gun-Ho had to travel back and forth three times between his room and the parking lot to load up all his stuff – off-season clothes, a laptop, a blanket, books, etc. There were a lot. He had to throw out a few books and left-over soju from the refrigerator, such a waste. Gun-Ho received a call from his aunt when he was loading the car while panting heavily.

“Gun-Ho? You don’t go to church these days, do you? A person must believe in God.”

While he was busy in loading stuff, his aunt talked to him for a while, trying to convince him to go to church.

“Auntie, I gotta go. I am in the middle of moving. Why don’t you call me later?”

“Oh, oh, are you moving? Where are you moving to? You must be moving to a nice place. God already planned our lives. If you let me know the address, I will stop by. There must be a church in the area. If you believe in God, you will be blessed.”

Gun-Ho desperately wanted to hang up the phone while his aunt kept talking and talking; it drove him crazy. If he responded to any of what she was saying, she probably would add more saying to it. So he just simply answered with yes, yes.

“Are you listening? You have to go to church. Oh, and have you had the chance to go to that philosophy hall that I told you about? You haven’t?”

“I don’t believe any of those.”

His aunt had talked for at least 30 minutes before she finally ended the call.

“I should have ignored the call… well, why does she go to a philosophy hall? She is going to church; she is even a deaconess.”

Gun-Ho laughed. Finally, he finished moving and laid down in his new room. It was hard work, and he felt somewhat relieved. He went out having Jjajangmyeon (noodle dish topped with black bean sauce)and came back, and laid down again.

“Tomorrow is Sunday. Maybe I want to go to Bucheon to see friends. Maybe, I’d better check if the internet is working.”

The new place already had internet working. That was nice. These days, many landlords made the internet service ready to use, in addition to providing a refrigerator, a washer, and an air conditioner; that way, the room was rented out quickly.

“I do like the internet speed here. Let me see. Let me search the philosophy hall in Gangnam, that my aunt talked about. Was it Jinyeo Philosophy Hall?”

Philosophy halls do advertise their service on the internet, showing their addresses and phone numbers. There were a lot of philosophy halls.

“Oh my, we have this many philosophy halls in Korea? Do they even make a living?”

Gun-Ho found Jinyeo Philosophy Hall. Their main number was displayed.

“Let me call them for some fun.”

It rang a few times before an old man picked up the phone in a gruff voice.

“Jinyeo Philosophy Hall. How may I help you?”

“I’d like to talk to the head of the hall.”

“This is he.”

“Oh, hello. Do you by any chance open tomorrow? It’s Sunday.”

“We don’t do consultation on Sunday. I go to the mountains on Sunday.”

“Oh, you do mountain climbing.”

“No, not mountain climbing, but mountain prayer.”

“Mountain prayer? I see, then I will call you again next time.”

After he hung up the phone, Gun-Ho giggled.

“Mountain prayer? My a*s. I am sure he goes mountain climbing, not mountain prayer. He knows how to play his role. Anyhow, I want to hear what he has to say about my f*cked-up life.”

Gun-Ho went to work on Monday.

The director told him to get work instructions from Mr. Kim. The worksite Mr. Kim brought Gun-Ho in was not the plastic injection molding site, but a washing room for plastic drums. He could smell strong chemical odors.

“All of our new workers have to start from here.”

“This is a washing room.”

“We wash plastic drums and also crush plastics here. After you work with the washing team, then with the crushing team, and then you will work with an injection machine.”

Gun-Ho got angry. He wanted to scream that he didn’t come here to wash the damn plastic drums but to operate the injection molding machine. Mr. Kim’s smiling facial expression said it all: take it or leave. He already moved all his stuff here; he is in a hard-pressed situation. He wanted to ask the director for an explanation.

“I joined the company as an injection molding machine operator.”

“I know that. But our company policy requires every new employee to spend 3 months working at the washing site and crushing site.”

“F*ckers!”

Gun-Ho almost said it but suppressed the urge. Washing and crushing plants usually generated bad odors. Especially crushing plants produced loud noise; that’s why they often had a high turnover rate. And probably that’s why Gun-Ho was placed in these plants to fill the empty jobs. Gun-Ho was thinking; maybe it was not a bad thing to work in that site. The work would be a little hard tedious physical labor job, but he would get paid the same salary.

“All right. I will start with the washing job.”

There was another worker already working on the site; he seemed in his 50s. He handed a pair of rubber gloves and a scrub brush to Gun-Ho. He had a blank face and he was quiet.

“You need to pour the chemical residues in the drum here. If the chemical remains got in contact with your skin, they will cause blisters and itchy skin; so please make sure you wear arm covers when you work. Also, you need to be extra careful not to let the chemicals into your eyes.”

“Sh*t!”

Gun-Ho blurted out a curse word. He did as the senior worker instructed. The senior worker proceeded to the cleaning process. He first wiped off the plastic drum with an air suction device, then sprayed some mixed chemicals, and then cleaned with a steamer. The last step was to clean them with water; this was Gun-Ho’s job. After washing 100 drums, he felt dizzy and spinning, while also feeling severe lower back pain.

“Can I have a break?”

The senior worker looked surprised. He probably thought what Gun-Ho had done so far was not hard enough to earn a break.

“Suit yourself. We usually take a break every two hours. You have worked for almost two hours, so why don’t you just keep working until then?”

The senior worker was way older than Gun-Ho, but he kept working without a break and he was strong. He probably had done physical labor work all his life.

“I felt dizzy working the same washing job all day long.”

Gun-Ho passed out once he returned to his room after work.

“I should have passed the exam and taken the level-9 government job…”

Not being able to become a level-9 government employee would be his lasting regret. If he could go back to Noryangjin, he would study so hard like he was ready to die if he didn’t pass the exam.

“I… I… didn’t study hard when I was in school. This is my punishment for that.”

Gun-Ho felt deep sorrow.

“This is how people develop chronic illnesses and depression. Sh*t! Let’s just drink.”

Gun-Ho went out in his comfy sweatpants and bought three bottles of soju from a convenience store.

The next day and the next day, he kept washing the drums at work. All of his body ached, his arms, neck and especially his lower back. He applied pain relief patches on his body.

“I think I have to find a new job.”

Then he thought in desperation that the life of a factory worker would be the same everywhere.

“The work itself was ok when I was in Pocheon. They just didn’t pay…”

When he worked in Pocheon, he had spare time after work; he sometimes went to the PC room in the evening and played computer games. Here in Yangju, it was far from that life. He always passed out after work at home, no more soju or computer games. He received text messages from some of his friends; they asked Gun-Ho to come to the high school reunion, and one of the friends who had a nice job invited Gun-Ho to his wedding.

“I should give up on marrying someone, shouldn’t I?”

Gun-Ho thought hard; it seemed impossible for him to get married. He had no girlfriend; it just seemed impossible for him to start a family for now and also in the future.

“My life will end working in a small factory forever… Hew.” Gun-Ho sighed.

Gun-Ho drank everyday after work in his room. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Gun-Ho thought he looked so old; he hated it. Suddenly, he thought of that philosophy hall which his aunt mentioned the other day.

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Chapter 8 - Master Park, A Fortune Teller From Gangnam (1)

Chapter 8: Chapter 8. Master Park, A Fortune Teller From Gangnam (1)

Gun-Ho’s desperate and distressed life as a factory worker made him want to consult the fortune teller about his life, whom his aunt mentioned.

“I don’t believe in fate, but I am miserable enough to talk to anyone who could tell me about how to fix my life.”

Gun-Ho drank again by himself in his room. He felt like without alcohol he wouldn’t be able to go another day.

Gun-Ho’s work would start at 8 AM. At 10, he could take a 15-minute break time. He made a call to that philosophy hall that his aunt mentioned during the break. This time, a lady answered the phone.

“Our master is with a client right now. What can I do for you?”

“Um… when will you close today?”

“We are fully booked today.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“He won’t be available tomorrow either.”

“Does he give consultations on Saturdays and Sundays as well?”

“On Sundays, our master goes to the mountains to pray. He is available on Saturdays.”

“I will come on Saturday then.”

“I will make a reservation at 11 AM on Saturday for you.”

“Thank you.”

This fortune teller must be very popular; Gun-Ho thought after he hung up the phone. His sessions were already fully booked for the next few days. He must be good at what he was doing. On the other hand, Gun-Ho was skeptical about the reservation thing.

“Maybe it was all an act pretending they had a lot of clients, and in fact they had none.”

Gun-Ho’s new company worked 5 days a week. He had to work on Saturday sometimes, and he made a reservation with the fortune teller on a Saturday, he didn’t have to work. Gun-Ho took the subway heading to Seoul; he enjoyed this relaxing trip. It had been a while since he visited Seoul. While sitting on the subway, an old man got on and stood in front of Gun-Ho; Gun-Ho pretended to be busy with his smartphone not wanting to offer his seat to the old man. At that moment, his phone rang.

“Gun-Ho? It’s me, Won-Chul, your high school classmate.”

“Won-Chul Jo, it has been a while.”

It was Won-Chul; his mom had a pharmacy in the neighborhood and he was working for a big and nice company. It was unexpected to hear from him.

“Can you talk?”

“Sure. How did you get my number?”

“Yeah, I ran into Jong-Suk at a restaurant in Yeouido Island the other day. I heard you are working for a company?”

“Uh, yeah… it is a small company. I was told that you are working for H Group. Did you get promoted already?”

“Yeah, I am just an assistant manager.”

“Big company pays well, right? How much do they pay?”

“Not much. Our company is cheap. I get around 7,000.”

Gun-Ho almost let out a groan. He was being paid a little over 2,000 yearly. The gap between Gun-Ho’s salary and Won-Chul’s was like the gap between land and sky.”

“You get a lot. Our company doesn’t pay much at all since it is a small firm.”

I heard many small companies unexpectedly pay well. Since you have been in the field for several years now, you’re probably getting paid well, right?”

“Our company doesn’t.”

“How much? 6,000?”

‘6,000 my as*, f*ck.’ Gun-Ho thought.

“Don’t let me start. It’s depressing. By the way, is your mom still running the pharmacy in Bucheon?”

“No, she moved to Mok Town, Seoul. My older sister is working in a hospital in Mok Town. The pharmacy is in the same building as her hospital.”

“Oh, really? Since the pharmacy is associated with a hospital, they must be getting lots of customers. How much does she make?”

“I am not so sure. Probably around 2,000 per month.”

Gun-Ho almost let out a groan again. Monthly income was 2,000; that was his yearly salary.

“Actually, I am calling you today for my wedding. I am getting married on the 5th next month. I was going to send you my wedding invitation, and I realized that I didn’t have your address. That’s why I am calling you.”

“Really? Congratulations. Well, you don’t have to mail me the invitation. Why don’t you just take a picture of the invitation letter and text me through KaTalk (a mobile instant messaging application)?”

“I will do that.”

“What does your bride do for a living?”

“She is a pharmacist. I didn’t like a pharmacist because of my mom, but it happened anyway.”

The image of Won-Chul’s classy looking face with fair skin and his pretty bride flashed through Gun-Ho’s mind.

“Ok. I will be there. I am heading somewhere right now.”

“Where? Somewhere nice?”

“Nah. I’m going to a philosophy hall. Someone introduced me to a popular philosophy hall in Gangnam.”

“Haha, you are going there to see your marital compatibility, huh? Where is it?”

“It’s around the Gangnam subway station, called Jinyeo Philosophy Hall. I was told he is good.”

“Jinyeo Philosophy Hall? My mom goes there pretty often. Master Park at Jinyeo Philosophy Hall is very popular among ladies in Gangnam. Well, good luck there.”

“Ok, thank you. I will see you at your wedding. Bye.”

After getting off the phone with Won-Chul, Gun-Ho received a call from his mom.

“Why are you calling me? Aren’t you working at a nursing home right now?”

“I am at home. I got off early from the nursing home today. I am so sick and tired of cleaning old people’s shit.”

“Why did you call me?”

“Oh, what was I thinking. Um, it’s about your dad.”

“What about him?”

“Your dad is now fully recovered from his lower back problem. So he wants to look for a job, maybe a security guard.”

“So? What does it have to do with me?”

“Have you seen your dad’s training certificate for a new security guard? He placed it in your desk drawer. He needs that.”

“I don’t know! Why are you asking me!”

“Why are you yelling at me? You could just say you didn’t know. I’m hanging up.”

“Shit.”

After Gun-Ho received calls from his mom and Won-Chul, he already arrived at the Gangnam station before he was even aware of it.

The Gangnam station was overcrowded with people of course. It was hard to even walk. It was so different from Gwangjeok Town, Yangju City, Gyeonggi Province where Gun-Ho was currently living in.

“These two are different countries. Korea has Gangnam state and a provincial state separately. Oh my, there are a lot of pretty girls here.”

Those girls pouring out of cafes and stores around the area all looked sophisticated and pretty. They seemed to be out of his league; Gun-Ho was just a factory worker in the countryside. Gun-Ho accidentally entered into Samsung Electronics headquarters.

“Oooh, nice building.”

Young people wearing their company ID cards around their neck passed in front of Gun-Ho; they looked arrogant.

“If I was reborn, could I be on the same level as they?”

Gun-Ho envied them. He took out his memo.

“Jinyeo Philosophy Hall must be on the 8th floor in an office-tel around here…”

The name of the office-tel was… what? A light of a city? Go to the Bangbang four-way intersection? Where is the Bangbang four-way intersection?”

Gun-Ho had to walk for quite a while before he found the office-tel. He went up to the 8th floor in the elevator. The sign on the door of Jinyeo Philosophy Hall was so small that he almost missed it.

“This is it.”

Gun-Ho knocked on the door and then entered into the office. An office-tel was usually small, but this one was large, probably around 40 pyung. He could see a few middle-aged women sitting in the chair wearing expensive clothes. There was a desk for a receptionist. The receptionist was wearing glasses, and she seemed to be in her early 30s.

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Chapter 9 - Master Park, A Fortune Teller From Gangnam (2)

Chapter 9: Chapter 9. Master Park, A Fortune Teller From Gangnam (2)

It was Gun-Ho’s first visit to a philosophy hall in an office-tel. He had been in a fortune-reading café and tarot-reading place around an educational institute area, for fun. Those places didn’t charge much, around 5,000 won or 10,000 won.

‘How much do they charge for a consultation?’

Gun-Ho felt small looking at the luxurious office interior and the ladies who were waiting for their turns; they surely looked wealthy. The receptionist talked to him with a smile,

“You have an 11 o’clock reservation, right? The people before you took more time than expected, so you will have your consultation around noon; is that ok with you? Would you like to have green tea?”

“Oh, no thank you. I will wait.”

Gun-Ho was standing awkwardly and then sat on the edge of a sofa. The ladies looked at him at the same time; his cheeks burned with embarrassment. He felt like those ladies were wondering what this young man came here for.

“Hum, hum.”

After Gun-Ho cleared his throat, he thoroughly looked at the office wall. On the wall, it said that the consultation fee was 100,000 won. He patted his pocket. He thought the consultation fee would be around 30,000 won. 100,000 won was too damn expensive.

One person came out of the office after consultation. She looked like she was in her 50s and seemed very classy. She paid 100,000 won to the receptionist and left. One of the ladies mumbled,

“That lady who just left seemed very sophisticated. She was wearing expensive clothes and carrying a designer bag.”

The receptionist responded,

“Do you know who she is? She is the wife of OO secretary.”

“Oh, of course. She looked classy and sophisticated.”

“Don’t tell anyone that she came here.”

“Don’t worry. I have no one to tell. By the way, Miss, how come there are lots of people today. I thought the consultation is given only in the morning on Saturdays.”

“Right. We usually get 15 people on Saturdays and around 30 on weekdays.”

Gun-Ho started calculating in his head.

‘The consultation fee is 100,000. They get 30 people on weekdays… Huck! 3,000,000 won per day!’

Gun-Ho was amazed.

“Oh my goodness! Their daily income is more than what I make in a month!”

When Gun-Ho was living in Bucheon, he had a neighbor, uncle Jae-Sik. He once opened a philosophy hall then closed it because he couldn’t even afford to pay the rent. Here, it is on another level. According to uncle Jae-Sik, except for a few rising fortune tellers, most of them maybe 90% of them made less than 800,000 won per month and couldn’t afford to pay the rent.

“Jinyeo Philosophy Hall is truly popular.”

Gun-Ho seemed to be the last client today. No one else came in after him. There had been some incoming calls for reservations. After one boring hour, it was finally Gun-Ho’s turn.

“You have waited a while. Our master is waiting for you now.”

The receptionist who was wearing glasses gave Gun-Ho a gesture that he could already enter the room. He opened the consultation room door. There was a man in his 60s sitting in a big chair; he was wearing a white shirt and tie.

“You must have waited for quite some time. Come and have a seat.”

Gun-Ho sat on the guest chair in front of a large table. Gun-Ho expected to see a fortune teller wearing at least modernized Korean traditional clothes if not a typical outfit for a fortune teller, but he dressed like a gentleman with a tie. If looked at closely, he looked more like a professor rather than a fortune teller.

“I am Pan-Soo Park, the head of Jinyeo Philosophy Hall. People call me Master Park. Give me your date of birth.”

“Gun-Ho gave him his date of birth.

“Is it according to the lunar calendar? What about the time of birth?”

“I was told that my mother gave birth to me after breakfast, around 9 AM.”

“I believe it is Jin o’clock. You must be working with chemicals right now.”

Gun-Ho’s eyes widened. He was actually working with chemicals everyday washing drums at a plastic factory.

“Quit drinking!”

He unexpectedly started talking to Gun-Ho as if he was talking to someone a lot younger than him. He must’ve known that Gun-Ho drank every day by himself in his room, being distressed about his life. Gun-Ho blushed with embarrassment. Master Park took some time writing something on a paper. He scribbled in Chinese; it was difficult for Gun-Ho to read. Master Park continued writing for another five minutes without a word.

“Hmm…”

Master Park let out a moan looking at the note he just wrote.

“What is it? Are you seeing bad signs?”

Without responding to Gun-Ho’s question, Master Park kept looking at his note. Gun-Ho thought that of course, he had seen bad signs; there was no reason or hope that a factory worker’s life would get better, and that was why Master Park moan, he felt suffocated because of Gun-Ho’s life. At that moment, someone knocked on the door. It was the receptionist.

“Excuse me, Sir, Chairman Lee is here. Do you want me to tell him to wait?”

“Huh? Chairman Lee? Let him in!”

A man in a suit that looked like he was already in his 60s came inside the room and then hesitated to enter when he saw Gun-Ho.

“Is it ok for me to come in? You are with a client.”

“It’s ok. Come and sit with me!”

Chairman Lee didn’t sit on the chair but he stood next to the table.

“Look at the note. This is the fate of this young man who is sitting in front of us.”

“Can I read it? It’s about your client.”

Chairman Lee nodded to Gun-Ho in greeting.

“Look at this. This is the fate of ShinWangJaeWang.

“Hmmm… It really is.”

Chairman Lee said in a low voice looking over his glasses at the note that Master Park handed to him.

“ShinWangJaeWang?”

Gun-Ho thought they were giving him some cock-and-bull story.

“Moreover, he has Yang energy.”

“He is getting enormous fortune too.”

Master Park said looking at Gun-Ho while reclining his seat; he looked grim.

“Young man, you are born to be extremely rich. You will rake in a fortune.”

“Me? I am working in a factory right now.”

“I know. With your current luck, working in a factory is more than what your fate allows. You didn’t get a proper education, did you?”

Master Park smiled craning his neck while locking his eyes with Gun-Ho; he was seemingly teasing Gun-Ho.

“I dropped out of a low-ranked college in the countryside, and then graduated from a cyber college.”

“That is more than you were supposed to get. You could have not attended any school at all.”

“Does that mean my life will get better?”

“Don’t worry. You will be in a position hiring those people who graduated from top universities, a.k.a. SKY! In a position like a president in a big company.”

Gun-Ho felt offended thinking that Master Park was telling him an absurd story just to make that 100,000 won. At that moment, Chairman Lee who was standing next to Master Park said staring at Gun-Ho,

“Wait a minute. You look familiar, young man.”

“Me?”

Gun-Ho looked at Chairman Lee. He surely seemed familiar.

“Ohhh, I saw you at the fishing site in Pocheon.”

Gun-Ho also remembered him. He was the man in his 60s at the fishing site, who came in that Genesis limousine.

“Huh? You have met each other already? At the fishing site in Pocheon? That’s where your vacation home is in, Chairman Lee, right? Haha. You two were probably meant to meet each other.”

Master Park laughed out loud and sipped his green tea. He then said craning his neck again,

“Young man, do you know who Chairman Lee is? He owns several buildings in Cheongdam Town (“Cheongdam”); he is a miser. Even so, Chairman Lee is a millionaire, and you are a billionaire. I feel so good to see a person with ShinWangJaeWang fate attached with a significant fortune; it has been a while since I saw this type of fate. I will remember your name for a long time. Your name is Gun-Ho Goo, isn’t it? Gun means establishing, and Ho means big, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Ok. Even though you feel desperate and distressed in your life right now, don’t worry about it. After five years or so, you will be substantially rich. I will take only 50,000 won for a fee from you, young man.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho bowed deeply low to Master Park. He also bowed courteously to Chairman Lee. Gun-Ho headed to the Gangnam station from the philosophy hall. Even if the story Master Park told him sounded absurd, Gun-Ho felt good thinking of being a rich man someday. For now, he felt like that all those tall buildings and people around him were smiling at him and applauding to bless him.

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Chapter 10 - Master Park, A Fortune Teller From Gangnam (3)

Chapter 10: Chapter 10. Master Park, A Fortune Teller From Gangnam (3)

Gun-Ho went back to reality. Visiting the famous philosophy hall in Gangnam seemed like a dream.

“Master Park could be a first-class con artist. How can a man know another man’s fate? ”

His phone was ringing; it was Jong-Suk.

“Hey, bro! Where did you go last Saturday?”

“I went to a famous philosophy hall in Gangnam.”

“A philosophy hall? That’s superstition.”

“Well, I agree but…”

“What did they tell you?”

“They said I would be very very rich like a billionaire.”

“Puhaha. How can a factory worker like us become rich? With a monthly salary of less than 2,000,000 won. Even if we save doggedly 1,000,000 out of it for ten years, we will have 120,000,000 won in hand. And if you marry, you will have a kid, and raising a kid cost money.”

Gun-Ho, let out a groan.

“If you don’t get married, and keep saving half of your salary for 30 years until you reach 60, you will have 360,000,000 in hand. Do you have any idea how much it cost to buy a condo in Gangnam nowadays? It’s about 1,000,000,000 won. Become rich my ass.”

“Hew… I hear you.” Gun-Ho sighed.

“Don’t waste your time in talking to those people. They are all con artists. I read somewhere that knowing a person’s fate is within God’s domain, not another human’s.”

“I went there because Won-Chul’s mom often goes there too… They are very popular.”

“Oh, I was actually calling you to talk about Won-Chul. He is getting married.”

“I already received a phone call from him.”

“You did? Let’s meet up in front of the City Hall around 12:30. We can go to the wedding together.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

“You need to get married as well, bro.”

“Me, I gave up. We are 3-GivingUp, 5-GivingUp people, aren’t we?”

“You are still doing the self-dissing thing. I gotta go. I have an interview today.”

“Which company?”

“I don’t know, something Tech. It is probably a majjikkoba factory (small factory).”

“Ok. Good luck.”

After he got off the phone with Jong-Suk, Gun-Ho looked at the calendar on the wall. Won-Chul’s wedding was on the day before his payday, of all things.

“Shit, I have to pay the loan’s interest and his wedding… How much should I give for his wedding? Usually, 50,000 won will do; I probably have to give more than that, don’t I? He is from a wealthy family, and he is making good money working for a big company; I should probably give 100,000 won at least. What am I gonna do?”

Gun-Ho just started his new job, and his payday was still too far away. Gun-Ho agonized with a frown on his face.

“I, Gun-Ho Goo, have to feel distressed because of a small amount of money, 100,000 won. F*ck the world! Sh*t!”

Gun-Ho hit the floor with his fist.

“Anyway, what should I wear to Won-Chul’s wedding?”

Gun-Ho took out a soju from the refrigerator without thinking and started drinking with dried seaweed snacks on the table.

“Everyone is getting married except me. I have no hope for it. Ehhyo…”

Gun-Ho seemed like he was pouring soju into his throat rather than drinking it normally.

The director asked Gun-Ho to come to his office.

“Mr. Goo, how is your work going here?”

“I am not really sure. I am just doing my best.”

“You don’t have to wash drums anymore. The lady who used to do the job will come back today. So you can move to the crushing site. She will arrive around 10 AM, so you can hand over to her if there is anything.”

“Alright. I will do that.”

In the crushing site, Gun-Ho would handle crushing machines; but washing site and crushing site, they were the same. The work would probably be easier even though the site produced a loud noise. The good thing was that he didn’t have to see Mr. Kim anymore; he was a pain in the as*.

The washing lady came. Gun-Ho heard that she had to quit the job because of her child; since her child started school, she could come back to work. The lady had a big round face just like a round tray; her eyes looked like date seeds. She had a broad smile on her face when she came. Mr. Kim made a fuss about her return since he used to work with her.

“Oh my goodness. You look even younger.”

“Mr. Kim, you are the one who looks younger. Who is this young man? An intern?”

“No, he is our new employee. He will hand over to you today and move to the crushing site.”

“Oh really? Haha. He is good looking.”

Gun-Ho looked at the lady. She was not good looking, but she sure looked strong; her arms were thicker than Gun-Ho’s.

“You need to stack the chemical-A drums up by the forklift. For chemical-B drums, you can stack them up behind the container. Each of their lids has labels attached. Also, you need to wash well the mouths of chemical-B drums; otherwise, we will receive claims once we deliver the unclean drums.”

“Haha, you don’t have to explain all that to me. I am familiar with it. There are a few drums here; I will move them there. They are obstructing the way of the forklift.”

She rolled up her sleeves and dragged two drums to the stacking place. Gun-Ho usually moved drums one by one; the lady dragged two and stacked those drums 5 level up.

“Wow. She is full of energy!”

Gun-Ho was impressed by her skills and energy.

“I am not even good at a factory job.”

Gun-Ho briefly handed over to her and went to the crushing site. The team leader in the crushing site was tall and in his 50s.

“Hi, I am Gun-Ho Goo. I am assigned to the crushing site today.”

Gun-Ho was expecting a handshake since it was his first time meeting the team leader, but it didn’t happen.

“Hey, do not stand there. You just touched the power cord!”

Gun-Ho realized that he touched the outlet where several power plugs were connected.

“Oops! I am so sorry.”

“Come this way. The forklift is on its way in!”

The forklift loaded with an enormous amount of plastic waste just came in.

There was a foreign worker in the crushing site; he smiled when he saw Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho had seen lots of cute foreigners before, but this guy was dark and looked nasty. That foreigner was wearing a noise-canceling headphone and a mask.

“Did you bring a headphone?”

The team leader asked Gun-Ho.

“Umm, I didn’t receive any instruction about that.”

“You didn’t bring one.”

The team leader looked around, and then picked up a headphone from a broken metal desk and tossed it to Gun-Ho.

“Use mine.”

The headphone looked really dirty; Gun-Ho was standing there looking down at the headphone. As Gun-Ho seemed to hesitate to wear it, the team leader looked at Gun-Ho; Gun-Ho might look pathetic.

“For today, you could just bring some drum waste to that foreign worker.”

“Okay.”

As the team leader turned on a switch, Gun-Ho started hearing a loud noise. The foreign worker poured white chemicals into a small container; Gun-Ho smelled a nasty and strong odor. Gun-Ho almost threw up because of the smell.

After work, Gun-Ho came back to his room. He felt like he could still smell the chemicals from his clothes. He felt pain in his lower back and left wrist; that was probably because Gun-Ho carried a lot of plastic container waste today. Gun-Ho rummaged through the contents of his desk drawer to find pain relief patches.

“These patches are old. I am not sure if they are still effective.”

Gun-Ho applied the patches to his left wrist and lower back. He was too tired to cook dinner; he started preparing lomein. After having lomein, he laid down on the bed; he could smell foot odor from his bed. He played with his smartphone while laying down on his bed, and then he started wondering how Jong-Suk did at the interview. He called Jong-Suk.

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Chapter 11 - Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (1)

Chapter 11: Chapter 11. Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (1)

The phone had rung for a while before someone answered the phone.

“Jong-Suk?”

“Oh, bro!”

“Why didn’t you pick up the phone quickly?”

“I was in the bathroom.”

“How did the interview go?”

“I didn’t go to the interview.”

“Why not?”

“My dad told me not to.”

“Why?”

“He said if I don’t think I have the aptitude for a government job, I should try the police exam.”

“Being a policeman is good. It will be highly competitive though; I am sure there are a lot of people who are preparing for the exam.”

“That’s why I want to first take a qualifying exam.”

“A qualifying exam?”

“Remember? I registered at the Career Center last time. You did it too.”

“Yes, I did.”

“I want to prepare for a qualification test for welders or electricians. Having a skill certificate will add extra points to the police exam score.”

“Hmmm. Do you think you have the aptitude for police work?”

“I can’t say that I don’t or I do, but since my parents want that much, I am willing to try it.”

“Then are you going back to Noryangjin?”

“I have another option, Ingang… but I think I should take the course from Kyungdangi in Noryangjin.”

“That’s a good idea. In fact, there is no hope for a factory worker. The work is hard, and the pay is low. If you know someone who wants to work at a factory, we should talk him out of starting it.”

“Bro, why don’t you study with me?”

“I gave up. I have to work. You have your parents who can financially support you.”

“It would have been really nice if you have some money saved up… I wish you hadn’t lost your money in the stock market…”

“Let’s not talk about that. It makes me sick every time I think about stocks.”

“Haha. Ok.”

“I will let you go. Good night.”

“Bye!”

After getting off the phone with Jong-Suk, Gun-Ho gave some thought to it.

“Should I get a skill certificate? If I learn forklift driving or welding skills, I can get extra pay at work.”

The company which Gun-Ho was working for paid more to workers who had certification for welders, electricians, or environmental technicians.

“I could get off at 6 PM. I will have to find a night class. I need this to survive even though I will be really exhausted.”

Gun-Ho searched the internet to find a useful certification for him.

“I can easily get a certification for forklift or excavator driving, but there are so many drivers out there already… Learning welding skills or getting environmental technician certification does seem to be a good choice for me. Nah, maybe I should learn injection molding skills or CAD.”

He searched the internet for an actual class only to find that there was no class provided at night for those skills.

“Since I registered at a Career Center, I can take free courses sponsored by the government… but they only provide computer web design course or CAD at night. Maybe I should try Seoul even though it is far; they probably have something for me.”

Gun-Ho diligently searched the internet while lying in bed.

“Damn, I can’t find the right course for me. I can make more if I have a skill certificate.”

Gun-Ho fell asleep. He didn’t wash his feet and didn’t turn off the lights.

Saturday came around. Gun-Ho went fishing with Jong-Suk to the reservoir in Pocheon. It was fall; Cosmos flowers were swaying in the breeze. It was a good season for fishing.

“Bro, you look good today.”

“I didn’t before?”

“Uh? That Genesis limousine is here again today.”

Gun-Ho walked down to the reservoir. The same men, one in his 60s and the other in his 40s, were fishing while listening to the radio. Gun-Ho approached them and said,

“Hello? Did you catch any fish?”

“Oh, the young man with ShinWangJaeWang fate. Come closer. We caught two large fish.”

Jong-Suk nudged Gun-Ho and whispered,

“He is not mute.”

“Shhh, watch your language. He is a chairman.”

“A chairman?”

The man in his 60s gestured for Gun-Ho to come closer to where he was; he was smiling.

“Look. They are big, aren’t they?”

He lifted his fishing net; there were two carps that was bigger than the palm of an adult’s hand, flapping.

“They are indeed large. Congratulations.”

“We had met at the philosophy hall the other day, and we met again today. I guess we are truly meant to meet each other. Is he your friend?”

“Well, he is two years younger than me.”

“Is that right? He actually looks younger than you.”

Jong-Suk seemed surprised with his unexpected conversation with the man, and he looked at Gun-Ho. Jong-Suk had no clue what was going on when Gun-Ho and the man talked about the philosophy hall and etc.

“Jong-Suk, I met him by accident at the philosophy hall last week.”

“We must have known each other in our previous lives. That’s why we met again in this life. Come, please have a seat. We ran into each other a few times here; let’s get to know one another. I am Chairman Lee.”

As he introduced himself as Chairman Lee, he gave his business card to Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk. The other man who looked in his 40s smiled a little today; he had been unfriendly.

“What do you guys do for a living?”

“I work at a plastic factory in Yangju, and this guy is currently preparing for the police exam.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho took a closer look at his business card. It said Chairman of Dongil Paper Corp.

“You are a chairman of a paper production company. I thought you owned several buildings in Cheongdam since that’s what Master Park said…”

“Haha. I am a chairman of a paper production company, and also the owner of a few buildings. Oh, let’s introduce ourselves to each other. This is Manager Gweon from Dongil Paper.”

Chairman Lee introduced the man in his 40s to Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk.

“Hi, I am Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Manager Gweon is a bit curt. He was recently discharged from the military; he was a major. He has a sixth-degree black belt in taekwondo, and he is a very earnest person.”

Manager Gweon laughed innocently; his tone of voice was no longer curt.

“My first son actually runs Dongil Paper, and I just go fishing like this. The company is in Ansan. My son is worried about me so he let Manager Gweon stay with me like a bodyguard. Haha.”

“And are you friends with the head of that philosophy hall?”

“Are you talking about Master Park? He is my childhood friend. We grew up together in the same town.”

“Oh, I see.”

“He is a funny man. He was fascinated with religion, and went to church enthusiastically for a while, then moved to a Buddhist temple to become a monk. He was once a bit into Mediumship as well; he used to practice with a medium. And now, he is a fortune teller.”

“I heard he is very good.”

“Well, he could be to some people, and he might not be to some other people.”

“Huh?”

“Well, since he has a lot of clients, he is probably good. Haha.”

Chairman Lee cast his fishing line towards the water vigorously after pulling it.

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Chapter 12 - Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (2)

Chapter 12: Chapter 12. Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (2)

Chairman Lee let the fishing line sit in the water and relaxed while listening to music. Since he was an old man, Gun-Ho expected him to listen to trot, but surprisingly he was listening to classical music. He was a chairman of a paper production company, and he also owned several buildings in Cheongdam; Gun-Ho wanted to get to know him more. Nah, Gun-Ho wanted to flatter him. However, Chairman Lee didn’t give him a chance to talk to him more and focused on fishing; Gun-Ho couldn’t initiate a conversation from that point.

“I can’t disturb this old man. He is truly enjoying the music and fishing right now.”

Gun-Ho stood up from a sitting position.

“Chairman Lee, have a wonderful time. We will leave to the other side for lure fishing.”

“Oh ok. You do that.”

Chairman Lee smiled with his white teeth.

On the other side of the lake, Gun-Ho was reeling up his slack line.

“Bro, that Chairman Lee person, he is the type of person we can’t easily meet. Try to get closer to him.”

“What are you talking about?”

“He owns a paper production company. Ask him to get you a job there.”

“You can’t just get a job like that. You need the right skills for a paper production company.”

“Ask him to get you any position. If it was the chairman of the company who put you there, the middle management won’t be able to nag or harass you.”

“Save it! No one would hire someone who they just met once at a fishing site.”

“Keep trying. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“Hey, stop it. Just focus on fishing. Me, I don’t want to live like that, just yet.”

“You told me some time ago that if someone paid you enough, you would do anything.”

Gun-Ho went to work. The director was making a fuss about something.

“Today, we won’t be working, but we will do a deep cleaning in our factory. Our collaborating company is visiting us today. Check your workwear and safety boots; make sure you wear your safety helmet. You have to look neat.”

“They are coming here, so what? Why should we stop our work?”

The team leader of the injection molding site clapped Gun-Ho on the head and said,

“Hey, do you think they will like the fact that we told them we only use new materials, but in fact, we use some crushed recycled materials?”

The director put up a banner; Gun-Ho was not sure where the director got that banner from.

“The banner says the quality is our priority. That’s why we add some recycled materials?”

The foreign worker from India, Ali laughed; Gun-Ho was not sure if Ali understood what Gun-Ho said.

The people from the collaborating company arrived after 11 AM. They were the major supplier taking our products manufactured in this factory. There were three of them; they all looked about the same age as Gun-Ho.

“This machine looks old. What year is it?”

The director told them in a servile attitude with a smile,

“It is old but it is working perfectly; there is no problem at all in producing goods. Look at this product; it just came out.”

“I see some foreign substances on it. Do you, by any chance, use recycled materials? You do have a crusher machine.”

“Oh my goodness, we use that crusher machine for another company’s products. We rarely use that machine these days.”

After making such a fuss, the personnel from the collaboration company finished the actual condition survey. When they were ready to leave, the director asked them,

“Why don’t you have lunch with us? It is almost lunchtime. Our town is famous for Korean beef.”

They hesitated and looked at their watch.

“Shall we have lunch here then?”

“Alright. Take this car. I will show you the way. Hey, Manager Kim and Assistant Manager Lee, come with me.”

After the director and the collaboration company personnel left the site, Mr. Kim from the washing team shouted,

“Well, the alert has been dismissed. Let’s have lunch.”

Gun-Ho looked back over his life while having lunch at the company cafeteria.

“I am so pathetic.”

Gun-Ho felt pathetic about himself; he had no higher education, no special certificate or skills.

“Hey, Gun-Ho, hurry up. We have a lot to do today since we didn’t work this morning!”

Gun-Ho hastily finished his lunch, picked up his mask, and ran to the work site. The team leader brought plastic waste using the forklift truck. A mountain of plastic waste appeared in no time; they had to be all crushed out.

“Sh*t. I am so sick of this! I will have to work till late at night again.”

Gun-Ho clenched his teeth while working.

“I have to get a skill certificate. I shouldn’t go fishing this Sunday. I will visit educational institutes instead. Since I’ve already decided to get a certificate, I’d better start now.”

When Gun-Ho came back home from work, he felt exhausted. He made a phone call to Jong-Suk.

“Jong-Suk, did you decide what certificate you are going to get?”

“I did. I will learn welding skills.”

“Welding? That’s good. Even without the benefit of the extra point for the police exam, welding skills will be useful.”

“I am not sure about that. If I don’t become a policeman, I will be working at a factory probably as a team leader with welding skills.”

“No no. If you emigrate to Australia or Canada with those welding skills, I heard you can make a lot of money.”

“I have no intention to emigrate anywhere. I am the only child in my family. I can’t leave my country. If you like it, you go ahead. What about you? Did you decide?”

“No, I am still working on it.”

“What’s taking you so long? Just pick anything. Are you thinking about taking the realtor or labor officer exam?”

“A labor officer? Maybe in my next life.”

“Try it. Do you remember my private tutor in Bucheon? He told me that he was studying for the appraiser exam.”

“An appraiser? For gems? A gemologist?”

“No, not that kind of appraiser. It’s valuation appraiser.”

“Anyway, I am visiting several educational institutes this Sunday. I won’t be able to go fishing. Let’s do it next Sunday.”

“No problem. I have to go to see my uncle at a hospital this Sunday anyway.”

Two weeks later, Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk met at the fishing site in Pocheon.

“I love this place. I think I can smell the freshwater fish, don’t you think?”

“I don’t see Chairman Lee today.”

“You are more interested in seeing Chairman Lee who has buildings in Cheongdam and a paper production company, than fishing. You are trying to get closer to him.”

“F*ck man! What am I gonna do with an old person?”

“Doing what? I’ve research Dongil paper Corp. It is a KOSDAQ registered firm.”

“Is it?”

“Bro, the factory you are working for is Dongil Tech, right? They have the same name. That’s weird.”

“You are right. That’s odd.”

“Get involved with him.”

“You said it is a KOSDAQ registered company. Then they can conduct an open recruitment. Having a chance to listen to his life story is good enough for me. Getting involved what? He won’t get involved with me.”

“Uh? The Genesis limousine is coming in.”

“So what? Let’s focus on our fishing.”

Chairman Lee got off the car and walked down to the lake. Manager Gweon followed him while carrying some bags.

“The two young men came here before us today.”

“Hello!”

“Did you catch any?”

“We just got here.”

“I didn’t see you last week. Did you go somewhere else?”

“Yes, I was trying to find a way to get a skill certificate.”

“A skill certificate?”

“Yes, I am thinking of getting an environmental technician certificate or an electrician certificate.”

Chairman Lee stared at Gun-Ho once he heard about his idea to get a certificate, and then shook his head side to side quietly. Gun-Ho thought Chairman Lee was thinking that getting those certificates would be very difficult for a guy like Gun-Ho.

“I know it won’t be easy, but I want to try doggedly.”

“It is nice to have a skill certificate, but why don’t you try something else?”

Chairman Lee started talking to Gun-Ho in an informal way. Gun-Ho felt more comfortable.

“I can’t think of anything else.”

“It’s not that.”

Chairman Lee shook his head again side to side.

“Your fate is ShinWangJaeWang. Do you still remember what Master Park from the Gangnam philosophy hall told you?”

“ShinWangJaeWang? What does it mean?”

“A person who is receiving a lot of fortune should have a body and energy with Wang; that way he can handle the fortune. In reading someone’s fate, ShinWangJaeWang is interpreted as fate becoming extremely wealthy. Since you have ShinWangJaeWang fate, I recommend you to learn Boogi.”

“Boogi? What is Boogi?”

“Hmmm, we don’t use the word Boogi any longer? Probably you can say it is basic accounting. Boogi means keeping a ledger.”

“Oh, Chairman Lee, how can I possibly handle accountancy? I didn’t even go to a commercial college.”

Chairman Lee shook his head again side to side.

“Anyone who received at least an elementary education can learn Boogi. The founder of Samsung, Byung-Chul Lee and the founder of Hyundai Group, Joo-Young Jung, they all learned Boogi when they were young. Didn’t you know that?”

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Chapter 13 - Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (3)

Chapter 13: Chapter 13. Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (3)

While Chairman Lee continued talking, Manager Gweon stood up, poured water into a paper cup, and handed it to Chairman Lee.

“Oh, young men, I think I was told your names, or not.”

“I am Gun-Ho Goo.”

“My name is Jong-Suk Park.”

“Boogi is part of accountancy; there was a word for it…”

“Is it computerized accounting? When I went to the technical training institute the government had sponsored, I saw the course name, Computerized Accounting Level 2.”

Jong-Suk said, “That’s right; that’s it, computerized accounting. Gun-Ho, you should learn that.”

Chairman Lee said slapping his lap, “I heard about computerized accounting. Usually, females study it, hoping to get a job in bookkeeping, don’t they? I am not good with numbers. I am not even good at math.”

“You don’t have to be good at math as long as you know how to do addition and subtraction. You don’t have to be an expert, but you will have to understand accounting systems and know how to read financial statements. Those are essential skills you need to know in order to run a big company and be wealthy.”

“Ehi, thank you for saying that, but how can a man like me possibly run a big company? I was born poor. I barely make ends meet. I understand Samsung chairman Byung-Chul, Lee, and Hyundai Group chairman Joo-Young Jung studied accounting when they were young, but that was a long time ago. I will use your advice to cheer me up though.”

“That’s not it.” Chairman Lee shook his head again from side to side. “ShinWangJaeWang fate! I want to see how you, who was born poor, develop your life with your ShinWangJaeWang fate.”

“To be honest with you, my parents are living in an apartment barely paying their monthly rent. I didn’t go to a decent college, and I have no special skills or certificates I can show off. All I have is good physical health, so I work at a factory with a monthly salary of 1,800,000 won. Master Park from Gangnam philosophy hall and Chairman Lee seem to give young people false hope.”

“That’s not true.” Chairman Lee again shook his head “We will be fishing on the other side of the lake. Since we do lure fishing, we don’t want to disturb you and Manager Gweon’s bait fishing here.”

“Mr. Goo! People say a person born to a poor family cannot rise to the top anymore even though it happened in the past. They say we are living in an era where the economic ladder to climb up is broken for them, but I am intrigued by you and your fate, and I want to see how your life unfolds. Haha.”

“You have a fantastic day, Chairman Lee. We will be on the other side of the lake.”

“I hope you catch a bass the size of a forearm.”

“You too, Chairman Lee. I hope you catch a carp the size of a forearm.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk came to the other side of the lake. Jong-Suk clapped Gun-Ho on the waist.

“Bro, bro! Take a computerized accounting course. Who knows? Chairman Lee might get you a job at Dongil Paper with the skills.”

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

“That’s probably why Chairman Lee took his own time in convincing you to take the course. Try it. You can take the computerized accounting level-2 course for free; it’s sponsored by the government. This is your opportunity. Get the level-2 computerized accounting, and then level-1 computerized accounting and while you are at it, get the accountant license too. Why not?”

“BS!”

“They said you have an amazing fate. Try it!”

“You retard! The accountant license exam is very difficult to pass even for people who graduated from the top commercial college. There are plenty of people who keep failing the exam for several years. Does a factory worker try the same exam? I feel extremely exhausted after work, aching all over my body. Are you asking me to study after work? The very idea is enough to make a cat laugh.”

“Then try computerized accounting level-2. Maybe Chairman Lee is planning to put you at one of Dongil Paper’s subsidiaries.”

“Get real!”

“Chairman Lee is interested in you because of your fate, being a rich man. Why not play along? I would.”

“Long time ago, one of my aunts went to a fortune teller to hear that her son would become a judge or a prosecutor, and her daughter would be a president of a university. Do you have any idea what they are doing now?”

“What are they doing?”

“The son is unemployed. The daughter teaches something at a community center and she is making less than 1,000,000 won per month.”

“Really? Your aunt went to a fake fortune teller; that’s why. You learned about your fate from a famous fortune teller from Gangnam.”

“You are pathetic. You believe that?”

“You traveled all the way to Gangnam to consult the fortune teller because you believe it, didn’t you?”

“Let’s do fishing.”

After Gun-Ho came back home, he started thinking harder.

“Which certificate exam should I prepare for?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t decide between forklift driving and environmental technician skills. Now computerized accounting level-2 was added on the table.

“Should I study computerized accounting level-2? Does Chairman Lee really intend to get me a job somewhere? Nah. That’s not possible because most companies hire females for bookkeeping positions.”

All of the bookkeepers who Gun-Ho knows from the companies he had worked before were female. Even all of the client companies had only female bookkeepers. Of course, big companies hired male workers with a commercial college degree for bookkeeping jobs and for positions at a funding department.

“If I learn skills for forklift driving or welding, I can use the skills right away at the factory I am working for right now, but I am not sure about computerized accounting; it’s uncertain if I can get a job with the skills.”

Gun-Ho had given a lot of thought to it but still couldn’t decide. Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk.

“Bro? Did you decide?”

“Not yet…”

“You haven’t yet? The learning card you have from the Career Center expires after a year. You have to take classes within a year if you want to learn for free!”

“Did you decide?”

“Decide? It has been a few days already since I started a welding skills course. With this welding certificate, if I don’t pass the police exam, I think I will try to go to Australia with a Working Holiday visa.”

Gun-Ho finally decided to learn forklift driving skills he could use at the factory right away. Team leaders at a factory should know how to drive a forklift truck and know welding skills.

It took around 2 weeks to complete forklift driving training if one had a Class 1 driver’s license. The education center issued certificates, so it was convenient. Also, the course was free.

“Is it a heavy equipment education center? Do you provide a course at night for forklift or excavator driving?”

“Of course. We do have night courses. Since it starts on the 15th, you should register now. Do you have a Class 1 driver’s license?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then come quick. Once this course is closed, there will be no more night course this month.”

“Where should I go?”

“We are located in Baekseok Town. I will text you the address. You will be able to find it using GPS navigator.”

“Will someone be there at night for registration?”

“Of course. You should hurry.”

Gun-Ho felt better thinking about learning forklift driving. He actually knew how to drive a forklift, but there was a huge difference between having a license and having none.

“Team leader Kim, Team leader Park, you jerks! You didn’t even let me touch the forklift. I will have a license soon. F*ckers!”

Gun-Ho picked up a free newspaper with a classified section on the way back home from a convenience store after buying cigarettes.

“There are several openings for workers who can drive a forklift. Once I get the certificate, maybe I should get one of these jobs; I don’t have to suffer at this factory. What? Bookkeeping position? Males are welcome?”

Gun-Ho gazed at the job advertisement.

“They do hire men for bookkeeping…”

Gun-Ho was immersed in thought with his arms folded.

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Chapter 14 - Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (3)

Chapter 14: Chapter 14. Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (4)

Won-Chul, Gun-Ho’s high school classmate, sent him the wedding invitation through KaTalk. Gun-Ho received a call about it last time; this time, Won-Chul sent the official wedding invitation.

“Oh, that’s right. Won-Chul is getting married this Saturday!” Gun-Ho zoomed in on the wedding invitation. “Their wedding will take place at a hotel in Gangnam. I can’t even read or remember the name of the hotel and the wedding venue. They are long and in a foreign language. Sh*t.”

Won-Chul included a photo of himself in a tuxedo as the groom and his bride wearing a veil. They were smiling in the photo; they looked glamorous and classy.

“Whew –”

Gun-Ho knew he should be happy for Won-Chul, but he couldn’t help but sigh. There was one more photo; it was a photo of the groom and the bride in a traditional Korean outfit. They were facing each other in the photo. The bride looked so pretty, maybe because of her heavy makeup and her glamorous hair.

“Since his parents are wealthy, they probably bought a small condo for Won-Chul as a wedding gift. Ha. What about me? I am already over 30 and I’ve never dated a girl before. I am truly a 5-GivingUp.”

5-GivingUp referred to a person like Gun-Ho; a person who gave up 5 things: having a romantic relationship, getting married, having a child, having a social life, and owning a house. If 2 more things were added to the list, then it was called 7-GivingUp, which were a dream and hope.

“Will I have a dream and hope if I get a skills certificate?”

Gun-Ho and Won-Chul were not close in high school. They belonged to different social groups. Won-Chul was ranked first or second in his class in high school. He also had a strong physique, and Gun-Ho didn’t even try to challenge him at that time.

During his college years, Gun-Ho came to his hometown, Juan Town, Incheon, to spend his summer and winter break with his parents. His college was far from Incheon in the countryside. One day, when Gun-Ho worked part-time at a 24/7 convenience store, Won-Chul walked in the store to buy something. Won-Chul was a Y University student in Seoul. He was with a pretty girl. Gun-Ho didn’t acknowledge him, neither did Won-Chul even after he saw Gun-Ho standing behind the counter.

“Despite how things were between us, he sent me his wedding invitation; he must have changed over the years.”

One of the ceiling lights in his room started flickering.

“The fluorescent bulb blinked out.”

Gun-Ho stood on a chair and removed one of the ceiling lights. Once he removed one of the two lights, the room became dim. That made Gun-Ho feel more depressed, and he started drinking soju. He then felt a longing for a woman, and for the first time in a long time, he masturbated before heading to bed.

Saturday came around. It was Won-Chul’s wedding day. Gun-Ho was getting ready for the wedding, wearing a suit with a tie.

“Gosh, it has been years since I wore a tie.”

Clothes make the man. Once Gun-Ho wore a suit instead of a factory uniform, he looked fabulous. He took the subway from Yangju station to Gangnam Sinsa station to get to the wedding venue; it was a boring and fatiguing trip.

“A lot of people came.”

Won-Chul was greeting and thanking each and every one of the guests for coming to his wedding. He was wearing a gold metal frame glasses; he looked smart. His mom was standing next to him; she looked young.

“How old is she? She looks at least 10 years younger than my mom who is working as a caregiver in a nursing home.”

A lot of congratulatory flower wreaths formed a line: one from the president of L group Won-Chul was working for, one from a director of a big company Won-Chul’s dad was working for, and one from the president of Pharmacist Association since his mom was a member of the association. On top of that, there were many flower wreaths from CEOs of pharmaceutical companies, congressmen, etc.; probably more than 30 wreaths were there.

“Sh*t. At my wedding, I will probably get one congratulatory flower wreath from the owner of the plastic factory in Gyeongsin Town in Yangju. Even my wedding will look shabby with one flower wreath.”

Gun-Ho went closer to Won-Chul.

“Won-Chul Jo. Congratulations.”

“Oh, Gun-Ho. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho signed the guest book and dropped off 100,000 won as wedding gift money, his precious money he worked his socks off for. After the wedding, it was time for picture-taking with relatives and friends. Gun-Ho posed for the photo with a few friends from high school, who he met at the wedding. Most of Won-Chul’s other friends are from his college or work. Gun-Ho felt as if they were thinking like ‘did Won-Chul had a friend like him?’ while looking at Gun-Ho.

“All friends of the bride looked sophisticated. Are they from the same pharmaceutical college as the bride?”

Gun-Ho thought he wouldn’t be able to find anyone for him among those women.

“A factory working man should meet a factory working woman.”

Gun-Ho smiled cynically and walked down to the banquet hall. After the wedding, Gun-Ho took the subway heading to Yangju station. Since it was Saturday, a lot of people were on the subway, especially old people. He couldn’t get a seat. He was so tired when he got home; he drank soju again.

A week passed like an arrow and Gun-Ho was back to work. He had a hard time sleeping at night maybe because he had drunk too much soju lately; he had a headache. He slept around 2 AM and got up late.

“Uh? Oh God, I’m late for work. The team leader will be bitching.”

It was probably not a lucky day for Gun-Ho. He walked to the place where he parked to find a grey Santa Fe parked in front of his car, blocking his way out. He was already late for work.

“F*ck, who the hell!”

Gun-Ho tried to push the car to make a space so he could drive out; it didn’t move at all. Fortunately, he found a memo on the windshield with a phone number. The phone kept ringing; whoever left the memo didn’t pick up the phone. Gun-Ho spent the next 30 minutes stamping his foot impatiently. He called the number again.

“Are you calling because of the car? I’m on my way.”

A middle-aged woman came running from the building across the OneRoon where Gun-Ho was living in.

“Haha. I am so sorry.”

She didn’t seem to mean it. She seemed to have a lot of nerve.

As soon as the woman drove her car away, Gun-Ho frantically drove to work. When he arrived at work, many people were standing on the site; not just team leaders but an environmental technician who usually worked in the office was there too. There was the 26-ton tank lorry truck that belonged to the environmental company.

“Oh, today is wastewater pickup day!”

The vacuum tanker started sucking the water waste from its storage tank, and it created a loud noise. Raw materials came in as well this busy day; the forklift truck was moving back and forth creating another loud noise. Team leader Kim saw Gun-Ho just arriving.

“Hello, Sir. Did you just come into work?”

Team leader Kim gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho as he did to his superiors.

“Wahahaha.”

Watching the team leader Kim teasing Gun-Ho, all those people standing at the site, including the environmental technician and the forklift driver, laughed along. Gun-Ho blushed with embarrassment. Team leader Kim was a jerk; the environment technician and the forklift driver were no different.

“Fucking job! I have no will to keep on going here!”

Gun-Ho changed to his uniform; he found a job opening flyers in his pocket, which he had collected.

“Opening for an environmental technician, a promising job.”

Gun-Ho tore the flyer. There was another one.

“Getting your forklift license in no time.”

Gun-Ho tore that flyer too.

“Welding course big discount!”

He tore the flyer into pieces. Feeling upset, he thought he was hearing Chairman Lee’s voice, whom he met at the fishing site.

“Learn Boogi. The founder of Samsung, Byung-Chul Lee and the founder of Hyundai Group, Joo-Young Jung, they all learned Boogi when they were young.”

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Chapter 15 - Gun-Ho Goo Started Studying Accounting (1)

Chapter 15: Chapter 15. Gun-Ho Goo Started Studying Accounting (1)

Gun-Ho changed his mind.

“Right. What am I gonna do with the skills certificate? I will have a pay increase about 200,000 or 300,000 won with the environmental technician or welder certificate. I will still work at a factory. Fuck! Why not have an adventure myself? Whatever it is I choose to do, my life won’t get any worse.”

Finally, Gun-Ho decided to study computerized accounting; it was a firm decision. Gun-Ho had a fear of failure, of course, because he knew he was not good with numbers.

“I used to get a zero on my math exam in school. That’s why I chose a college of liberal arts over a college of natural science even though it was a low ranked college in the countryside. Also, I had strived for a passing grade in the civil service exam to become a level-9 government employee because I didn’t have to take a math exam for it. I have been trying to avoid math all my life, and I am wondering if I can handle computerized accounting.”

Still worrying about it, Gun-Ho made a call to a vocational school that offered computerized accounting courses. The school was located in Uijeongbu City; Gun-Ho couldn’t find any vocational school with the course in Yangju.

“Is it a vocational school? Do you provide a level-2 computerized accounting course at night?”

“Are you currently working?”

“Yes, I am.”

“We have two types of programs for students who are currently working: evening program and weekend program. The weekend program is already closed, and the evening program is still open.”

“What time does the evening class start?”

“From 7 to 10 PM.”

“Is it part of government-sponsored program?”

“Yes, if you have the Tomorrow Learning Card, you can take the class.”

“Do you accept male students?”

“Haha, who cares whether you are male or female? Anyone can take the class.”

“Is there any qualification requirement?”

“No there isn’t. It doesn’t matter whether you are a junior high school graduate or college graduate.”

“Ok then. I will come and visit the school soon.”

Gun-Ho checked the distance from home to the school. It was over 40 km round-trip; it was tight but it was still doable if Gun-Ho made some effort into it.

“I will have to spend extra on gas, but why don’t I give it a try?”

Gun-Ho got off his work at 5:30 in the afternoon. He was supposed to get off at 5, but with two 15-minute breaks in the morning and afternoon, he had to add 30 minutes. Production workers couldn’t go on without 15-minute breaks because of high physical work intensity. Companies varied in how they gave breaks during work hours, but usually, they gave a 15-minute break after two hours of intense work from 8 to 10 AM.

During work hours, workers were not even supposed to go pee because they all have to work simultaneously. When one was finished, it passed on to the next, so if one person stopped working to go to pee, then the next person had to stop his work as well until the first person returned. They picked up the work at 10:15 after the first break and at noon, the morning work ended. The afternoon work started at 1. They took a 15-minute break at 3; during this time, they went to the bathroom and ate some snacks like bread and milk. After the break, they worked intensely until 5:30.

“So I get off at 5:30. I then wash my hands, change my clothes, clean up a little, and return to my room at OneRoom. It’s 6:30 then. It will take about 30 minutes to drive to the vocational school, so I can get to the class on time. I won’t have time for dinner though. I will be hungry.”

Gun-Ho registered for the class in the vocational school. There were about 20 students, all females except 3. Gun-Ho was worried he would be the only male in the class. He felt relieved when he saw 2 other men.

“Since today is our first day of class, I will talk about basic accounting principles and fundamental accounting concepts.”

A female instructor started explaining; she looked about the same age as Gun-Ho. The class was somewhat interesting. On the second day, the instructor talked about the accounting cycle; Gun-Ho didn’t fully understand. When she talked about financial statements, and profit and loss statements, Gun-Ho found it difficult to understand not only the terminology but the concept too.

“You all understood the concept of a fixed asset, current asset, fixed liability, and current liability, right?”

“Not so sure.”

“Those who are not sure, please go home and read the handouts one more time.”

Gun-Ho had a hard time understanding the concept even after reading the handouts several times.”

“Gosh, maybe I shouldn’t be here.”

Gun-Ho doubted whether he had the aptitude for accounting. He didn’t even start the practical training, but he was already lost in doing accounting with account titles. He had no idea what debt or credit meant. They would start Recording and Retrieving Business Transaction next week, and maybe he should give up now.

Jong-Suk started giggling while talking with Gun-Ho on the phone.

“You started to learn accounting? You used to study for the level-9 government employee civil service exam. Is it doable?”

“I gave some thought to it. I don’t think I have the right aptitude for accounting.”

Jong-Suk giggled again. “Accounting is not for everyone. Even the commercial college graduates found it difficult.”

“But the women seem good at it. I don’t think they graduated from a commercial college.”

“I guess doing accounting involves meticulous record-keeping. Maybe that’s why women tend to have an aptitude for it.”

“What about you? How are you doing with learning welding skills?”

“Yeah, I am having fun. Now, I can do gas welding and arc welding.”

“Good for you.”

“Bro, you sound a little down. What’s going on? What did you do yesterday? Did you go there?”

“Go where? I was racking my brains all day.”

“Let’s go fishing and get some fresh air. It has been a while.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

“Damn. You sound really down, and now I’m feeling down too.”

“Sorry man.”

Cosmos flowers at the fishing site were falling down. It was chilly and windy.

“The season is changing. It’s cold already.”

“Uh? Cheongdam Chairman Lee is already here.”

“The man is so into fishing too.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk walked down the lake, carrying their fishing gears and bags.

“You are already here. How have you been?”

“Oh, Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk. It has been a while. How come you don’t come here often anymore? I didn’t see you last week.”

“Yes, we have been busy lately. We are going to vocational schools.”

“Vocational school? Good for you. What are you learning?”

“I am taking the level-2 computerized accounting, and Jong-Suk is taking welding skills class.”

“Computerized accounting? Oh, I see. You made the right decision. How’s the class? Do you like it?”

“No, not really. I have no idea what they are talking about, and I don’t think I have the right aptitude for it.”

“Haha. Is that so? Jong-Suk, what about you? How is the welding class?”

“Yes, it’s fun. Now I can do most types of welding.”

“Haha. That’s good for you. Gun-Ho, which part of computerized accounting do you find difficult?”

“The terminology used in Balance Sheet is new to me and it’s very difficult. During the hands-on practice training, journal entries were confusing as well.”

“Balance sheet is difficult… Do you know who created it?”

“Huh? The person who created it? Probably a famous scholar did a long time ago.”

“No.”

Chairman Lee shook his head.

“Neither a prominent scholar nor Ph.Ds from SKY commercial colleges.”

“Then who was it?”

“The balance sheet was created by people from a low class, the slaves.”

“What? Slaves? That’s unbelievable!”

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Chapter 16 - Gun-Ho Goo Started Studying Accounting (2)

Chapter 16: Chapter 16. Gun-Ho Goo Started Studying Accounting (2)

Looking at the reflection of the fishing rod on the water surface, Chairman Lee said, “Balance sheet was created by slaves during the Roman Empire.”

“Is that right?”

“The warriors going to the Crusades needed someone who could take care of their significant number of trophies at home. In other words, they needed someone who could manage their properties. So they picked a smart slave to do the job.”

“Oh, I see.”

“The warriors had to go to war every now and then. Once they returned home after the war had ended, their properties had either grown or reduced. If they saw more properties, they were good, but if they saw less of them, what would have happened?”

“They would have scolded the slave.”

“No. Slaves were not treated as human beings. The warrior actually cut the slave’s throat with his sword, accusing him of mismanaging their properties.”

“But his throat…”

“That was why the slaves came up with the balance sheet, so they would not get killed. The slave grappled to find how he could lay out all activities related to the properties in a sheet so his master could know at a glance what had actually happened to the properties. He recorded debits and credits in a separate column in the same sheet, so it was easy to understand the current state of the properties and relevant activities. By doing this, the slave could save his life. ”

“I see…”

“The terminology, Chabyun (debit) and Daebyun (credit) have been made by Japanese. They just meant one is recorded on the left side and the other is on the right side; that way you can understand easily. Because they are recorded on both sides: left and right, we call it double-entry bookkeeping.”

“That is the double entry bookkeeping.”

Chairman Lee retrieved the fishing rod, attached bait to the hook, and then cast the fishing rod into the water.

“We had a double-entry bookkeeping in Korea.”

“Really? In our country?”

“That’s right. Our Gaesung City merchants used the same system.”

“Those merchants who were famous for ginseng?”

“Yes. We recently discovered the ledgers used by the Gaesung merchants and their business transactions were recorded under the double-entry accounting system.”

“I see… But debits and credits, they are so difficult and confusing.”

“When there is a business transaction, a business document such as a receipt, invoice, voucher, among others is generated. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

“When a business transaction is to be recorded in the book, you have to analyze the transaction to understand whether it is debited or credited.”

“Right. I learned that.”

“That is called Journalizing.”

“That’s right.”

“What you are learning from the vocational school is how to enter the business documents data into the computer program.”

“Yes, if I don’t distinguish between debits and credits, the wrong result will be printed out.”

“Keep it up. You don’t have to know every detail in using the accounting computer program like a bookkeeper, but you should know the big picture.”

“What do you mean?”

“You can let accountants or bookkeepers do the work in detail, you just need to take a look at the big picture. You have ShinWangJaeWang fate, and you will be running a company.”

At that moment, Jong-Suk shouted, “The fishing float is moving! A big fish took the bait!”

Chairman Lee pulled in the fish. It was not big but a palm-sized silver carp flapping.

“Wow. This one is something. I thought it was a really, really big fish.”

Chairman Lee, with a joyful face, removed the hook from the mouth of the fish and placed the fish in the fishing net.

Chairman Lee attached new bait and cast into the water again. He didn’t say a word, but he kept looking at the fishing float on the water surface. There was a long pause. When Gun-Ho was standing up from a seated position to go to his spot for fishing, Chairman Lee started talking.

“It’s hard to understand a balance sheet… Let me tell you an interesting story.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk listened intently to what he would tell.

“Let’s say Gun-Ho wants to open a fishing store because he likes fishing. He found a good location for it, and they are asking 2,000,000 won for a monthly rent with a 30,000,000 won deposit. The inventory cost him 20,000,000 won for fishing rods and other fishing gears. Decorating the interior cost him another 10,000,000 won. Then how much does Gun-Ho need to start?”

“I will need 60,000,000 won.”

“That’s right. You need to invest 60,000,000 won, but, say, Gun-Ho has only 35,000,000 won saved up so far. Then he has to loan the remaining 25,000,000 won, right?”

“Yes, probably so.”

“Here, 35,000,000 is the capital. The debt is 25,000,000.”

“Right.”

“The investment cost for the store is 60,000,000 won; this 60,000,000 won is the assets I can control and manage. Namely, the investment cost plus the debt becomes my assets.”

“So far I think I understand.”

“Then if the debts increase, do the assets increase or decrease?”

“The assets increase.”

“In other words, as the debts increase, the assets increase as well; if the debts decrease then the assets decrease. If you approach the accounting this way, you will understand it easily.”

“Yes… It seems so.”

“Ask your friends whether the increase of debt is the decrease of assets or increase of assets. Surprisingly, many people don’t know.”

“I see…”

“One more thing. You know the difference between the ordinary income and the net income, don’t you?”

“That…”

“Ask the team leader or manager at your factory about the difference between the ordinary income and the net income. Most people don’t know. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, Sir. We will go to the other side of the lake for fishing.”

Chairman Lee said one more thing for the last time before Gun-Ho left, “You don’t have to look at the details in studying accounting. Don’t look at the trees; look at the forest. You just need to know the big picture.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk came to the other side of the reservoir and cast the lure fishing rods into the water. Reeling up his slack-line, Jong-Suk asked, “Bro, what is ordinary income, and what is net income?”

“I recently learned those from the vocational school. Ordinary income is a company’s profit after deducting interest cost and interest income from operating income.

“What about net income?”

“Net income is a company’s earnings remaining after factoring in taxes.”

“You know a lot. I don’t know about the stuff, but you sound different now.”

“What are you talking about? I am just Gun-Ho Goo.”

“No, I smell a bookkeeper from you.”

“Silly. What smell? I didn’t even finish the training. I don’t even have the level-2 computerized accounting certificate yet.”

“No, I can smell it. You will pass the exam in no time.”

“What if I do? Let’s say I get the certificate, then what? Companies hire female bookkeepers. I won’t have a chance to get a position.”

“Who knows? Maybe Chairman Lee from across the lake will find something for you.”

“You say that again! I actually saw a job opening for a male bookkeeper from the classified section in a newspaper…”

“Really? Apply for the position.”

“Man! I don’t have the certificate yet.”

“Oh, that’s right. Let’s keep fishing!”

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Chapter 17 - Getting A Job In Bookkeeping (1)

Chapter 17: Chapter 17. Getting A Job In Bookkeeping (1)

Gun-Ho’s parents are living in Juan Town, Incheon. Gun-Ho used to work in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province and then Pocheon, and now he is working in Yangju.

‘I even gave up the level-9 civil service exam; I don’t care where I live.’

Thinking like this, Gun-Ho has adapted to any place he had to live. The life as a factory worker estranged Gun-Ho from his friends and made him close with only Jong-Suk who was also working at a factory.

“Jong-Suk, did you get the welders certificate?”

“Uh, bro! I took the exam. The results were not released yet, but I think I passed it.”

“That certificate is for a welder or a welding technician?”

“Welders. While welders usually do shielded metal arc welding, special welders do TIG welding.”

“That’s how they are divided? I have no idea. Good luck with it.”

“What about you, bro? Did you take the level-2 computerized accounting exam?”

“I finished the course. I am now preparing for the exam. I don’t think I can pass the level-1 exam, but I think I can easily pass level-2.”

“Bro, you didn’t go fishing lately, did you?”

“I haven’t had time for it.”

“I won’t go fishing either since it had been cold, but I went fishing last week for nothing.”

“Why? Were there no blind fishes?”

“The fishes were not biting. Also, I didn’t see Chairman Lee there. He probably didn’t come because of the cold weather.”

“Yeah, probably so. Cold weather affects the elderly.”

“That old man seemed to like you a lot. He said you had the fate of being a rich man.”

“He probably said so to make me feel better. Stay warm during the winter, and I will see you next spring after we both pass the exam.”

“Sounds good! Once the weather becomes warmer, let’s go fishing and drink soju together.”

Gun-Ho studied really hard that winter. Even though he was exhausted after work, he studied strenuously until late night every day striving to pass the level-2 computerized accounting exam.

“I think I now see the overall picture.”

Gun-Ho had a vague idea about the accounting system. He started reading books related to accounting because they interested him. His knowledge of accounting rapidly progressed.

“This is what the accounting cycle is. Once I know it, it makes sense.”

Gun-Ho dreamed about having his own business, keeping his account book and move forward.

The Small and Big Winter went by, and the Lunar New Year’s Day and the first full moon followed. In Early March, Gun-Ho received the news that Jong-Suk passed the welder exam.

“Bro! I passed the exam!”

“Really? I am happy for you. Congratulations. Let’s celebrate over a drink; you buy it. Will you start preparing for the police exam then?”

“It will be nice to be a policeman, but I want to work in a place like a shipyard. The pay for a policeman or level-9 government employee is not good even though they come with good retirement benefits.”

“Government job is good… Can you get a job in production for a big company?”

“It’s hard to get a job in a big company, and you need luck as well. I am a preferred job candidate since I already served in the military and I am less than 30 years old, but there are a lot of candidates out there with the same qualification.”

“Is that so?”

“Bro, when is your level-2 computerized accounting exam?”

“I have to apply for the exam by March 9th, and the exam date is April 9th.”

“You only have a few weeks left. You will have to take a day off on the exam date.”

“No, I don’t have to. It’s on a Saturday.”

“That’s nice. Since you are interested in accounting and you think you have an aptitude for it, I’m sure you will pass the exam.”

“Thank you.”

That year, in April, Gun-Ho found out that he passed the exam. Once he passed it, he wanted to work in accounting right away. He didn’t have any work experience in the field and he was worried about that, but if there was a job opening for a male bookkeeper, he wanted to go for it. While he was going through the classified section in a newspaper, he saw a job advertisement.

“Hiring a bookkeeper. No experience necessary. Driver’s license preferred”

If work experience was not required, this must be an assistant position, and there must be someone working already. The advertisement didn’t mention anything about female gender requirement. Gun-Ho made a call to the number.

“Hello? Is it AH Tech? I just saw a job opening advertisement for a bookkeeper position.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Can a man apply for the position?”

“Yes.”

“Do I need to visit the site to apply?”

“You can send your resume through fax.”

“Ok. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho’s heart started beating. He was going to send the resume right away.

“I can’t use the fax machine at the office, someone might think it strange. Let’s do it outside.”

Gun-Ho planned to fax it during lunchtime. Without having lunch, Gun-Ho went to the stationary store close to the Township Office and faxed his resume to the company.

“It is good that this company is not far from here; I don’t have to move again.”

Gun-Ho felt excited about the possibility of working in an office and not in a factory anymore. That thought made him enjoy even the factory work.

“Hey, Gun-Ho. Something fun?” The quiet team leader in the crushing site asked.

“No, nothing.”

“You look happy. You got a girlfriend?”

“No. I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“I’ve seen several pretty girls working in the factory next to ours. Go for it.”

“I haven’t seen any.”

“There is a very pretty girl from Vietnam.”

“You seemed to be interested in her.”

“I am not interested in any at all. It is already hard to live with one woman, my wife.”

A few days later, the AH Tech Gun-Ho applied for a bookkeeper position sent a text to him to invite him for an interview.

“I have to miss the work… Let’s tell them I am sick.”

In a small factory like this one, if someone missed work, the others had to work more. Gun-Ho felt sorry for his colleagues, but he had no choice. Gun-Ho started acting.

“I can’t work any longer today. I am not feeling well. I think it has to do with something I ate yesterday.”

“What? You were perfectly fine this morning! You drank yesterday, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t. I don’t know what is wrong with me. Wekwek.”

Gun-Ho pretended he was throwing up. That caused the team leader to raise his eyebrows.

“Go see a doctor.”

Gun-Ho moaned. “I feel like passing out.”

“Go to the company dormitory for foreign workers, and lie down there for a while.”

“My stomach aches.”

“It hurts? Go see a doctor quickly.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the factory telling them he was heading to a hospital.”

“Yippee. I made it. Today will be a hard day for the team leader; he will have to do the work I was supposed to do.”

The company Gun-Ho was having an interview for was a bit bigger than his current factory. He was not sure about the nature of their business but he could smell some chemicals; they were probably manufacturing pharmaceutical related products.

“I came here for an interview.”

“Please have a seat and wait in the conference room over there.”

In the conference room, there were four other candidates waiting. They were all female. As Gun-Ho entered the room, they glanced at him then focused on their smartphones. After a while, a man in his early 50s and a woman in her 40s came into the room, holding a file.

“Thank you all for coming today. I am a director of AH Tech. The lady next to me is a manager.”

“Nice to meet you.”

All candidates simultaneously bowed in a half standing position.

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Chapter 18 - Getting A Job In Bookkeeping (2)

Chapter 18: Chapter 18. Getting A Job In Bookkeeping (2)

The interviewer, looking through the application files said, “After I reviewed your applications, I had to invite you all for an interview to meet with you in person; your applications stood out to us. As you already have noticed, this area is hard to reach via public transit. So we expected an employee to have his or her own car. Do you all have a car?”

“Yes.” Gun-Ho answered vigorously.

Other female candidates answered the same. The job advertisement clearly said the company preferred someone with a car; so only the people with a car would have applied for the job. The director asked, looking at the file.

“Ms. Mi-Young Oh, you have quite a lot of work experience in the field. Do you have the level-1 computerized accounting certificate?”

“Yes, I do.”

Gun-Ho looked at the lady, Mi-Young Oh, who was wearing glasses.

“Eek, I might not get this job. I only have the level-2 certificate. She has the level-1 in addition to work experience.”

Gun-Ho was on pins and needles.

“Ms. Yoo-Mi Shin, you have the level-1 computerized accounting certificate, level-1 computer Word Processor, and ITQ Excel certificate. Oh, you all know how to use Excel, right?”

Everyone said yes except Gun-Ho; he hesitated. Closing his file, the director looked at Gun-Ho.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo? You are the only male here… You have work experience in a factory. Are you good at Excel?”

Gun-Ho added his work experience in the factories to his resume, but he didn’t clearly write that the experience was from the work in a production line. The director seemed to understand Gun-Ho’s work experience as an experience in an office in a factory. Gun-Ho didn’t know how to do Excel; he was sweating.

“I will learn.”

As Gun-Ho said so, everyone in the room looked at him strangely. The director said with a smile.

“As you all know, a bookkeeper should know well how to work with Excel. Our company uses Douzone accounting program. Sometimes, we store backup data in Excel.”

Out of the four applicants, two had the level-1 certificate, and everyone except Gun-Ho knew well how to work with Excel. Gun-Ho felt embarrassed. He thought having the level-2 certificate was enough to apply for this type of job, but it wasn’t.

“The bookkeeper lady in Dongil Tech where I work for right now doesn’t have any certificate. I am so surprised there are so many people with the level-1 certificate.”

Gun-Ho wanted to leave the interviewing site. He didn’t remember how the rest of the interview process went.

“I was a big frog in a small pond!”

After the interview, driving out of the interviewing site, Gun-Ho felt shocked.

“The ladies are younger than me, but they have the level-1 computerized accounting certificate, and good at Word Processor, Excel, and PowerPoint. My life has been a waste.”

Gun-Ho wanted to cry. He felt like his current job as a factory worker in his current factory was meant for him and his true vocation. When he returned to the factory, the team leader gave him a bright smile.

“Did you go to see a doctor? What did they say?”

“I feel better after getting an injection and a pill. They said I would be okay after some rest.”

“Then why did you come back to work? You should have gone home and taken a rest.”

“I’m okay.”

“Man, okay. Good. The truck just came in. Let’s go and help them with the loading.”

A few days later, Gun-Ho received a text message from the AH Tech where he applied for a bookkeeper position.

“We are sorry to inform you that you have not been selected for the bookkeeping position this time. We hope to have an opportunity to work with you next time. We appreciate your interest.”

“They don’t have to show me this type of kindness.”

Gun-Ho deleted the text message right away.

“For a bookkeeping position, Excel is a must. I applied for the position without knowing it… Of course, those people at the interviewing site laughed at me.”

Gun-Ho registered for an Office Automation class at the vocational school in Uijeongbu City. He wanted to acquire a certificate for Word Processor and Excel. He knew how to use Word Processor, so he wanted to get the certificate this time.

“Once I get more certificates, my resume will look good with two to three additional lines.”

Gun-Ho received hands-on training on office computer skills after work at the vocational school, rubbing his sleepy eyes. Excel seemed interesting after Gun-Ho tried a few tables, but creating complex ones was still confusing.

“Do not doze off and pay attention here.” The instructor explained pointing Excel tables on a screen. “Look. You get the total amount automatically, right? Once you put the function, you get the average as well.”

The instructor looked really smart. Gun-Ho almost got the illusion that the instructor knew everything in the world. The instructor was a woman younger than Gun-Ho.

“These days, women seem smarter than men. I don’t know much. I came this far because Master Park from the philosophy hall and Cheongdam Town Chairman Lee put this idea in my head, but I am still not sure if I am meant to do this.”

“Okay, let’s get the total average. Did you all get 76?”

All students except Gun-Ho got the right answer, 76; Gun-Ho got 48.

“You didn’t put the right function. Please do as I explained.”

Every time this sort of things happened, Gun-Ho felt depressed and wondered if he had to continue doing this.

“Am I doing all this for nothing?”

The cost of the commute to the vocational school wasn’t small.

“The classes are free since they are sponsored by the government, but I have to commute a distance of over 40 kilometers. Damn. It’s a lot.”

To make things worse, Gun-Ho couldn’t find a parking spot around the vocational school today; so he parked in a residential area and hit the fence of a house. As a result, his rear bumper was dented; it looked ugly.

“Fuck! It will cost a lot to repair that bumper.”

Time cures all things. After a few months, Gun-Ho got the certificate for Word Processor and Excel. He called Jong-Suk.

“Jong-Suk?”

“Hey, bro. What’s up?”

“Did you have a chance to use your welder certificate?”

“Nah. Holding the certificate is not enough. I need work experience.”

“Then just get a job in any factory to gain work experience.”

“I was thinking about that too, but I have to go Bucheon to my parents.”

“Why?”

“My dad is ill. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer.”

“Oh, really?”

“He is in Korea Cancer Center Hospital in Ilsan District right now. My mom has to run the restaurant by herself, so she needed my help.”

“Oh, I see. I am so sorry to hear that.”

“So I have to go Bucheon to help my mom.”

“Don’t worry too much. I heard stomach cancer at an early stage can be effectively treated.”

“Oh, bro. Did you find any bookkeeping job?”

“I applied for one and failed.”

“Why? Because you don’t have work experience?”

“Not that. Highly qualified chicks applied for the same job, so I didn’t get it.”

Jong-Suk giggled. “So are you currently working on your qualification?”

“I’ve already acquired a few computer related certificates: World Processor and Excel. Once I see another job opening for a bookkeeper, I will immediately apply for it.”

“Wow. You are incredible.”

“What?”

“Comparing you 6 months ago, you are fancy now. You have the certificates for Word Processor and Excel in addition to level-2 computerized accounting certificate.”

“Am I?”

“The magic of Master Park from Gangnam philosophy hall and Cheongdam Town Chairman Lee seem to be working properly.”

“Silly! Go wash and go to bed early. I’ll let you go for the night.”

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Chapter 19 - Getting A Job In Bookkeeping (3)

Chapter 19: Chapter 19. Getting A Job In Bookkeeping (3)

There was a job posting site called WorkNet operated by the Department of Labor. Many people looked for a job on this site, so there were always lots of applicants for the job posted here. Gun-Ho had been watching the job postings closely for a bookkeeper position, but he hadn’t seen anything good yet.

“The statistics say ten people apply for one good open position. I will have no chance to get this kind of job. The employer will hire a woman; why would they hire a man like me over a woman?”

Gun-Ho diligently looked through the classified section in Gyocharo newspaper published twice a week.

“What? Hiring an unmarried and neat looking female bookkeeper?”

It was a job advertisement from a company in an industrial complex located in Uijeongbu City.

“Fuckers! Will live with her? Why are they looking for a neat looking unmarried female?”

There was another advertisement that drew Gun-Ho’s attention.

“Job opening for bookkeeping and managing. No experience necessary. Someone who completed military service is encouraged to apply.”

The posting is in the newspaper. There was an additional sentence in a small font.

“We are looking for someone who can do bookkeeping and handling sales statements using Excel.”

They were kind enough to include their cell phone number. Gun-Ho called the number right away.

“Bangil Gas?”

“Yes.”

“I am calling for the position posted in the newspaper. Is the bookkeeper position still open?”

“We are currently taking the applications. You can visit us with your resume.”

“All right. The address is the one in the posting?”

“Yes. Pass the Eunhyeon Town township office and take the side road next to the Hyundai Oil gas station.”

Gun-Ho got off work early to visit the company in Eunhyeon Town.

“Eunhyeon Town… I’ve never heard of this area.”

It was a small factory with a tent roof. There were a lot of LP gas bottles in the yard. Gun-Ho saw the sign “Office” on the door of a dirty prefabricated building; he entered the office. There were a few desks. The president came and greeted Gun-Ho.

“Did you bring your resume?”

“Yes, here it is.”

The president looked at the resume for a while and then asked Gun-Ho, “Are you currently doing bookkeeping work at Dongil Tech?”

“No. I am with a production support team.”

Gun-Ho didn’t say he was working in a crushing site, but vaguely said he was with a production support team.

“We are not a factory; our company delivers propane gas. Will you take the job? We need someone who handles sales statements by entering the data into Excel and bringing it to the tax accountant office.”

Gun-Ho didn’t like the company; it was too small and dirty.

‘Maybe I’ll just gain my work experience here for a while then move to a good company.’

Gun-Ho thought he could use this job as a stepping stone since he had no work experience in accounting at all.

“This company is a 15-kilometer distance from my room at OneRoom, 30-kilometer round trip. I don’t have to move. Let’s do this.”

Gun-Ho decided to take the job.

“I will do my best.”

“Alright. I will let you know our decision tomorrow. The phone number on your resume is the contact number I can use?”

“Correct.”

The next day, a woman called Gun-Ho.

“Did you submit your resume to Bangil Gas in Eunhyeon Town?”

“Yes, I did.”

“We received three applications, and our president liked you the most. You can start tomorrow at 8 AM. Please bring your resident registration with you.”

“I will do that.”

Gun-Ho finally got a job in bookkeeping. Although the work was half bookkeeping and half handling sales documents, he could still list this job on his resume as ‘Bookkeeper in Bangil Gas Corp.’ when he applies for another company later.

Gun-Ho handed in his letter of resignation. The eyes of the crushing site team leader widened.

“Why are you handing over your resignation letter? Where are you going?”

“I think I’d better move to another company.”

“Which company? Will they pay you more?”

“No, not really, but I’m leaving because I want to try an office job.”

“An office job?”

“Actually, I have the computerized accounting certificate and Excel certificate, and I’ve wanted to work as a bookkeeper, and I just got a job offer.”

“Really? You have those kinds of certificates?”

“I am sorry I had to let you know this last minute.”

“I’m letting you go since you are moving for a better job… But we will miss you. Who will be a good replacement for your work?”

“I think Mr. Go in the washing team would be good.”

“Do you think the washing site team leader will let him go?”

“I’m positive Mr. Go wants to join this crushing team because of the washing team leader’s constant nagging.”

“Okay. I will ask the director. Ehyo, I really liked to work with you.”

Gun-Ho truly felt sorry for the team leader because he was really good to Gun-Ho while the team leader of the washing site had kept nagging him when he worked with him. Gun-Ho was under a lot of stress at that time.

Gun-Ho went to Bangil Gas in Eunhyeon Town, Yangju City with his resident registration.

“I don’t see the lady I spoke with on the phone the other day.”

Bangil Gas had five workers: three truck drivers, the owner, and Gun-Ho in the office. During the daytime, all three truck drivers were on the road for delivery; it was really quiet in the office. It turned out that the lady Gun-Ho talked with on the phone the other day was the owner’s wife; she often came to the office to help her husband do office chores and also to fight with him.

“Oh, this pretty young man will work with us? Are you married?”

The owner’s wife had a louder voice than the owner and she was vibrant. The owner and his wife were boisterous, but they seemed to be good-natured people.

“By the way, I am not sure if this company is a corporation. I want to list this company on my resume as Bangil Gas Corp. so it makes me look like I have work experience in a somewhat big company for my next job.”

Gun-Ho looked at the tax invoices scattered on the desk in the office; the stamp on the provider section showed Bangil Gas Corp.

“Thank God. It is a corporation!”

The owner said to Gun-Ho who was looking at the tax invoice,

“That is your desk, Goo Jooim.”

“Jooim?”

Gun-Ho thought the job title sounded so obsolete it was probably used during the Japanese colonial period.

“After our bookkeeper left the company, I’ve handled those tax invoices myself by handwriting. Since you are here now, we can issue the tax invoices electronically.”

Gun-Ho was perplexed a bit because he hadn’t had any experience with issuing electronic tax invoices. He remembered the things he learned from the vocational school. He could issue tax invoices either from the website of National Tax Service, HomeTax, or using an accounting program. During the practical training in the vocational school, Gun-Ho issued a few tax invoices for practice, but he was still worried if he could do perform well in the practical scene.

“You are not using an accounting program here, are you?”

“We are not. I heard tax invoices can be issued from some National Tax Service website…”

“It’s National Tax Service HomeTax website. Do you know your login ID and password? We need them.”

“ID?”

The owner hurriedly made a phone call to someone.

“Honey, it’s me. Do you know our ID for National Tax Service?”

“Why are you asking me that? You should know.”

“Why should you talk like that? I’m asking you because I can’t remember!”

“Look at the calendar on the wall.”

“Okay.”

The owner leafed through the big number calendar with a delivery company’s name on it on the wall.

“There is no ID here.”

“I see it below the company name. I will take note.”

Gun-Ho clicked his tongue.

“He is the so-called owner of this company! He should have written it down in his diary or something.”

Gun-Ho thought so.

While the owner was away from his desk, Gun-Ho practiced issuing tax invoices. When he made some mistakes in issuing two invoices, he was thinking of tearing them off, but he decided to take them with him home; he shoved them into his pocket.

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Chapter 20 - Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (1)

Chapter 20: Chapter 20. Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (1)

Gun-Ho’s life working in a gas delivery company started.

Once the gas was sold to a customer, Gun-Ho issued an electronic tax invoice and added the record to Excel. If an expense was incurred, Gun-Ho documented it and recorded it in Excel.

“Goo Jooim, you can purchase the form to document business expenses from a stationary store. I had seen the previous bookkeeper attach the receipts to the back of the form to document the expenses.

“Yes, that’s how we document the expenses. We have to write down the amount of the expense along with a brief explanation about its business purpose. We, then, attach the receipt on the back of that form. We keep these records on a monthly basis and bring them to the tax accountant.”

“You do what you have to do. I will be back later.”

The owner sometimes took a short trip to somewhere in his small truck with his tools. Every time he did it, his wife stayed in the office.

“Where does he go with his tools?”

“Wouldn’t you just know it by looking? He is visiting customer sites for gas pipe repair.”

“Oh, I see.”

“He is the best in repairing gas pipes. Hahaha.”

The owner’s wife boasted indirectly of her husband even though they argued a lot when they were together.

“Oh, doesn’t he give you the money he received for gas pipe repairing to deposit?”

“Yes, he does.”

In fact, the owner didn’t deposit the money as often as he received for the repair job. He deposited only the ones that were substantial and required tax invoices.

Gun-Ho could hear the engine sound of a 1-ton truck; the owner must have come back.

“Any news?”

The owner always asked whenever he came back to the office.

“No, nothing special. There were requests from Duksoo store and Shinchun Food for gas. I sent Driver Kim out for delivery.”

“Good. I believe we have to pay value-added tax (VAT) next month. Goo Jooim, don’t forget.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho had never done VAT reporting before. A guideline for VAT report could be found on the National Tax Service HomeTax website, but he hadn’t tried it yet.

“For a VAT, it’s an estimated tax payment this time, right?”

Gun-Ho was perplexed; he remembered he had heard there were two types of payments for VAT: an estimated payment and a final payment. He couldn’t be totally honest by saying he didn’t know about it since it was part of a bookkeeper’s job.

“Yes… that’s correct.”

He just responded for now.

“It will cost me again.”

The owner left the office. Gun-Ho opened the National Tax Service HomeTax website right away. Fortunately, the VAT they had to pay next month was the estimated payment.

“Whew, thank God.” Gun-Ho marked the calendar with the VAT tax deadline. “This is how one learns”

Gun-Ho made a call to the tax accountant office which had been handling tax preparation for Bangil Gas. A lady answered the phone.

“Tax accountant office? I am calling from Bangil Gas.”

“Bangil Gas? Give me one moment, please. I will get you the person who is in charge of Bangil Gas.”

After a while, another clerk picked up the phone.

“This is Bangil Gas. I am the new bookkeeper in Bangil Gas.”

Gun-Ho felt abashed at introducing himself as a bookkeeper because he hadn’t handled any computerized accounting or journalizing yet.

“Oh, Bangil Gas? Hi.”

For the tax accountant office, Bangil Gas was their client, so she was nice on the phone.

“For the VAT reporting next month, what do we have to prepare?”

“We will need a set of tax invoices for each month. Please do not attach them to the expense documents. We also need receipts and simplified tax invoices attached to expense documents.”

“Oh, okay. I will do that.”

“You can group them all by date and bring to us.”

“Then, are you coming to pick up the tax invoices and expense documents?”

“Well… we can do that… but the previous bookkeeper used to bring them to our office…”

“Oh, then I will do that too. Can I have your name please?”

“You can ask for Manager Gang.”

“I am Gun-Ho Goo. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“It will be our pleasure working with you. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho felt encouraged after talking with the lady. When he worked at a factory, he didn’t really have a chance to talk with a young lady at work.

Gun-Ho became better and faster at his job documenting expenses and handling Excel; real-world work experience helped him learn faster as expected. If that was all he had to do at work, Gun-Ho would have been happy. He had to call clients to demand payment, who hadn’t paid a bill on time, and he hated doing it.

“Duksoo store? This is from Bangil Gas. I’m calling to let you know we haven’t received the payment for the gas we delivered last time.”

“I will pay tomorrow.”

Usually, the customers on credit firmly promised to pay within a fixed time, but they didn’t keep their words.

“You said you would pay by today.”

“Hey look, I will pay you, okay? Do you really have to do this in the morning? Let me talk to the owner!”

Some customers raised their voices and Gun-Ho often had to argue with them. For customers who failed to pay for several months, a certification of contents had to be sent to them.

“Goo Jooim, send a certification of contents to Shinchon store. Shitty people!”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho said he would, but he didn’t know how to do it. He searched the internet but he still couldn’t figure it out.

“Haven’t you done a certification of contents before? There is a file in the first drawer of the cabinet over there. It’s the certification of contents file. Leaf through the file; it will help.”

Gun-Ho took out the file from the cabinet.

“I should have taken a look at this file already.”

When Gun-Ho was in Noryangjin, he had written countless self-introduction essays for job applications. After multiple attempts and following failures in level-9 government job exams, he ran out of money; he, then, tried to find a private sector job only to find out there was no company which would invite him for an interview. No company would hire a low ranked college dropout with a cyber college degree for an office job. That was why Gun-Ho started working at a factory. He just didn’t have any other choice.

“I’ve written more than 100 self-introduction essays. Preparing a certification of contents is a piece of cake.”

Gun-Ho typed the certification of contents with excitement.

“Are you done? Then make a quick visit to the post office before they close.”

Gun-Ho headed to the post office close by the Township office carrying the certification of contents. He found himself humming in his car.

“Bookkeeping work is easy.”

Gun-Ho even started singing while driving.

“That is why one has to have brains. If I chose to learn welding or forklift driving instead of computerized accounting from the vocational school, I would have still worked at a factory.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the post office. There was a person in front of him with parcels. Gun-Ho had to wait.

“He has a lot of parcels. Damn it. Why doesn’t he just go to a parcel delivery service company?”

After a while, it was his turn. Gun-Ho handed over the envelope with the certification of contents in it to the clerk lady at the counter of the post office.

“How do you want to mail it?”

“I want the certification of contents.”

The clerk took out the certification from the envelope to take a look and then looked at Gun-Ho.

“Why is this only one page?”

“Excuse me?”

“There have to be three pages for certification of contents.”

The post office clerk gave the envelope back to Gun-Ho, and then called the next person in line.

“Really?”

Gun-Ho headed back to the office scratching his head.

“It is embarrassing. What should I tell him?”

Gun-Ho felt down on the way back to the office while he had felt cheerful enough to sing on the way out of the office earlier.

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Chapter 21 - Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (2)

Chapter 21: Chapter 21. Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (2)

Gun-Ho came back to the office without mailing the certification of contents.

“Did you already mail it out?”

The owner was dozing off and then woke up when Gun-Ho entered the office.

“Um, I came back to pick up my cell phone. I left it in the office.”

“Hmmm…”

The owner looked uncomfortable; he walked out of the office.

“Let’s get the two missing pages of the certification of contents before he comes back.”

Gun-Ho printed out two additional pages of the certification of contents. Gun-Ho hastened to drive to the post office. When he arrived at the post office, this time a foreigner with dark skin was mailing something before Gun-Ho. When it was Gun-Ho’s turn, he handed over three pages of certification of contents to the clerk. The clerk carefully looked through the certification.

“You missed the stamp. The stamp of the sender.”

Gun-Ho thought ‘darn it.’ The sender of the certification of contents was the owner of the company, but his signature or stamp was missing. Gun-Ho should have at least stamped with a wooden stamp. Gun-Ho, as a bookkeeper, had the company owner’s wooden stamp.

“Oh okay. I will be right back.”

The clerk lifted her head again.

“When you stamp the certification, you have to do the covering stamping as well.”

“Okay. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho felt embarrassed while taking those three pages of certification of contents back.

“That clerk lady probably thought I was very stupid.”

When Gun-Ho turned around, the clerk added, “If you are not the sender, you have to prepare the power of attorney. You can find the form over there.”

Gun-Ho felt embarrassed again. He quickly took the power of attorney form and headed outside. He looked back at the post office and said, “Bitch, she should have told me earlier instead of making me come here three times. F*ck!”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the office, the owner stood up from his seat and grabbed his tools; he must have been waiting for Gun-Ho to come back.

“Are you on your way out for gas pipe repairing?”

“Stay in the office.”

Gun-Ho felt relieved when the owner went out of the office. He quickly took out the owner’s wooden stamp from his drawer and stamped on the sender section in the certification of contents. He, then, did the covering stamping, and prepared the power of attorney and stamped on it as well. Gun-Ho made sure the owner’s car had left before he headed to the post office hastily.

“We are just closed for today.”

The post office clerk told Gun-Ho as she was standing up from her seat. Gun-Ho was perplexed.

“Please do this for me. I came here three times already for this today”

The clerk hesitated, and then went back to her seat.

“Bring it to me quickly.”

The clerk took a look at the certification of contents and then stamped on it with a hammer-like stamp. She, then, gave one of three pages back to Gun-Ho.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho bowed to the clerk deeply low as if he wanted to touch the ground with his head. He felt a great sense of relief. Gun-Ho again found himself humming on the way back to the office from the post office.

“This is one of the ways to learn.”

It had been over six months since he started working as a bookkeeper at Bangil Gas.

“Cosmos flowers are in blossom.”

Time didn’t cheat people.

“Come to think of it. It has been exactly one year since I met Chairman Lee.”

The Cosmos flowers just blossomed when Gun-Ho saw Chairman Lee at the Pocheon fishing site for the first time.

“I became proficient at my job here. Maybe I should look for a new job?”

Gun-Ho wanted to work in a bigger company where he could get real work experience in bookkeeping. He opened WorkNet website to see if there was an opening for a bookkeeper position.

“What should I tell the owner and his wife? I feel kind of sorry to them. Well, they can find someone else.”

Thinking about quitting the current job and getting a new job, Gun-Ho gazed at the Cosmos flowers outside the window.

“Oh, maybe I want to go to the Pocheon fishing site this weekend. I am wondering what Chairman Lee would say if I tell him I am working as a bookkeeper.”

Gun-Ho called Jong-Suk. Jong-Suk was working in a freezing machine manufacturing company to gain work experience. Gun-Ho was told that Jong-Suk joined the maintenance team there as an assistant. Jong-Suk’s phone kept ringing for a while with no answer.

“He must be tied up at work. He probably doesn’t even have time to pick up his phone.”

Twenty minutes after Gun-Ho hung up the phone, Jong-Suk called him.

“Uh, bro. Why did you call?”

“Why didn’t you pick up my call?”

“I was repairing a compressor.”

“You can fix a compressor?”

“No. I was just assisting the team leader in repairing it.”

“Hey, you wanna go fishing to Pochun this weekend?”

“This weekend?”

“Yeah. It has been one year since we didn’t go there.”

“I can’t”

“Why not?”

“Our team leader’s daughter is getting married this weekend. I gotta go there. Everyone at the factory goes.”

“Really? Okay, maybe later then.”

After getting off the phone, Gun-Ho wanted to go fishing even more, and he also wondered how Chairman Lee was doing. Gun-Ho wanted to let Chairman Lee know he was working in a bookkeeping job.

“I will go fishing by myself this weekend. I have nothing to do anyway.”

Gun-Ho headed to the Pochun fishing site that weekend. It was a long drive, passing by Sanbuk Town. The fishing site was a reservoir far from Seoul and not very known to people, so not many people came to the site

“Cosmos flowers are in full blossom here too. It had been exactly a year.”

Gun-Ho looked around to see if Chairman Lee was there.

“He used to come here every weekend. I don’t see him today though.”

Gun-Ho attached a plastic fishing float to the fishing line and started lure fishing.

“Fishes are not biting today. Did they all run away knowing I am here?”

Gun-Ho moved halfway around the reservoir, reeling his lure back in and casting into the water repeatedly.

“I’ve got a bite.”

Gun-Ho hoisted the flapping fish to the surface. It was a palm-sized bass.

“It’s small fry.”

Gun-Ho was thinking of letting it go, but he, instead, tossed it to the grass because he remembered bass eat native Korean fish and they could be a threat to the species.

“After one or two hours later, the sun will go down, and the fish will start biting, but I will just go home now.”

It was not fun fishing by himself; Gun-Ho retrieved the fishing rod, and sat on a rock and started looking at his smartphone. He checked if there was any new message, and then opened the WorkNet website. There was one job advertisement that drew his attention.

“Hiring a bookkeeper. No experience necessary. For a male applicant, completed military service is required. Having own car is a plus.”

The advertisement mentioned about the completed military service. This meant they were accepting male applicants. Gun-Ho got goosebumps.

“Where is this place? Wow, it’s far. It is in Asan City (“Asan”), Chungnam Province (“Chungnma”).”

He had to move if he decided to work in Asan, Chungnam. He only paid one month’s rent as a security deposit for the current room, so it was not a big deal.

“They prefer someone who owns a car, meaning their location is not easy to access without a car.”

Most of the factories Gun-Ho had worked for were located in an isolated area. Their locations were hard to reach by public transit. Since many small companies with less than 20 employees did not provide a commuter shuttle, they preferred workers with their own cars. Many factory workers had to possess even a rusty vehicle to go to work.

Some foreign workers owned a car with rattling noise. Vietnamese female workers usually drove a motorcycle to commute.

“It was an excellent decision I made to buy a car when I worked for the factory in Hwaseung. Nowadays, people can buy even a used car on an installment plan, which is nice. It is also nice that even the people with bad credit can buy a car if they have a job.”

Gun-Ho purchased the car when he was working as an injection molding worker in a plastic factory in Hwaseong. He used to miss a bus that came to the bus station once per hour when he didn’t have a car. This is why he purchased a 2006 AventeXD for 3,000,000 won. There were 13,000 kilometers on it at that time. He had several small accidents with that car, in the beginning, so he couldn’t save money because he had to spend fixing the car. However, he didn’t have any car accident afterward.

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Chapter 22 - Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (3)

Chapter 22: Chapter 22. Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (3)

Gun-Ho was lost in thought looking at the WorkNet website.

“I have nothing more to learn at Bangil Gas. Whether it works out or not, I will update my resume when I get home. I can then email my resume to apply for that job.”

Gun-Ho scrolled down further to see the name of the company.

“The company in Asan is YS Tech. YS is the initials of Young-Sam, our former president Young-Sam Kim? This company is related to him? Haha. Probably not. The equity of this company is 300,000,000 won, and it has 80 employees. It is somewhat a large company.”

Gun-Ho loaded his car with his fishing gears.

Once he came back to his room, he updated his resume with additional work experience. ‘Bookkeeping at Bangil Gas Corp.’ It looked gorgeous. He also added the computerized accounting level-2 certificate, Word Processor level 1, and ITQ Excel under the certificate section of his resume.

“I wish I had level-1 computerized accounting certificate. Well, the company said ‘no experience necessary’, so level-2 certificate should be enough. Experienced high-paid people will not apply for this type of job which does not even require any work experience in the field.”

Comforting himself, Gun-Ho emailed his resume to the company. It was already 11 PM, but he didn’t want to head to bed. He felt too great after sending out his resume, and he also was a little hungry. He went to a convenience store in his flip-flops, dragging his feet, and bought a triangle Gimbab, dried squid, and peanuts.

“It is a company with 80 employees; I could learn real bookkeeping work there. A bookkeeper usually works closely with the owner, so even though I am new to this company if I earn the owner’s trust I could get a raise. If I make 40,000,000 won per year, I can have a decent life in a provincial city, having hobbies after work, etc. However, I’ve never lived in Asan even though I’ve passed by it before. Well, all provincial cities should be the same.”

The beer tasted delicious today. Gun-Ho did some physical exercise by going to the fishing site, and he applied for a job today. He felt great, and he enjoyed his beer. Feeling slightly drunk, Gun-Ho soon fell asleep.

Gun-Ho showed consistency at work as a bookkeeper of Bangil Gas in Eunhyeon Town, Yangju City.

“I am so bored doing the same work day after day.”

Gun-Ho usually worked alone at the office after the owner left the office for gas pipe repairing. He had no colleagues, no supervisor, and no subordinate at work.

“My title is a bookkeeper, but I am not really a bookkeeper here. I am more like a bill collector. By the way, when should I expect to hear from the company in Asan? It has been ten days already since I applied for a position there.”

In the past, when Gun-Ho gave up on the level-9 government employee exam and applied for a job in the private sector, he used to submit a self-introduction essay along with his resume. However, this company in Asan didn’t require a self-introduction essay; Gun-Ho submitted only his resume.

“I don’t think I will get the job. Maybe many highly qualified chicks applied for the same job again.”

Gun-Ho almost gave up on getting the job in the company in Asan he applied for earlier. He started worrying about his future.

“If I stay in this tiny company, when would I be able to get married? I get 1,800,000 won per month. I have to pay the rent, car payment, sunshine loan payment, student loan payment for my college, and cell phone bill… almost nothing is left in my hands after deducting all of the above from my monthly salary. Should I marry a foreign girl? They wouldn’t like me either if they know I have no money, would they?”

Gun-Ho felt depressed.

“F*uck, why are my parents so poor!? They shouldn’t have married if they didn’t have money!”

Gun-Ho resented his parents.

Bangil Gas, the company where Gun-Ho worked for, didn’t place a lunch order for employees since there was no one in the office except Gun-Ho and the owner. For lunch, the owner and Gun-Ho took turns going to the Korean restaurant close by the town entrance. Factory workers in uniform from the surrounding area usually crowded this Korean restaurant around noontime.

“Today’s menu is pork!”

Pork was Gun-Ho’s favorite. He heaped the pork dish on his compartment food tray and added lettuce. When Gun-Ho couldn’t find an empty table, he asked to share a table.

“Do you mind if I sit here?”

Two ladies lifted their heads; they seemed to be Southeast Asian.

“Today is my lucky day. I am sitting with ladies.”

It was not easy to find young people in a rural small factory area; most factory workers in uniform were in their 40s or 50s except foreign workers. Many foreign workers were young people. Gun-Ho glanced quietly at the young ladies in front of him.

“They look a bit different from us, and they are slim.”

Gun-Ho was thinking while having his lunch. Those ladies in a factory uniform also shot him a curious look. Gun-Ho was a young man.

Gun-Ho started looking at his smartphone while eating. There was a new message; he opened it.

“What is this? A message demanding the interest overdue?”

Gun-Ho read the message. It was from the YS Tech in Asan to which Gun-Ho sent his job application the other day.

“We appreciate your interest in YS Tech and the bookkeeper position. We would like to invite you for an interview at our office. The interview will be conducted at the conference room next Wednesday at 10 AM.”

“It came!”

Gun-Ho got goosebumps. He could feel his body’s temperature rise and it caused blushing in his face. He felt like maybe this could be a lucky opportunity for him.

“What if highly competitive people applied for this job like the last time I applied for that pharmaceutical company bookkeeper position?”

The trip to Asan for the interview could become a waste of time and labor.

Anyway, Gun-Ho felt great and felt like he could fly. He finished his pleasant lunch and got out of the restaurant. He was humming to himself the melody of IU (a Korean singer) song. When he arrived at the office, the owner’s wife was sitting at the table; the owner was not there.

“Any good news?”

“No, not really.”

“You were singing? I could see on your face something good is going on. You got a girlfriend?”

“No, no.”

“Well, since you came back from your lunch, I will leave. The boss went to the city hall to take care of something.”

“Oh, he did?”

When the owner’s wife left the office, Gun-Ho started thinking of possible excuses he could make to take time off for the interview next Wednesday.

“It takes probably about three hours to Asan by car. There could be a morning traffic jam and I could get lost on the way as well. I should then leave four hours before the interview time; it will be 6 AM to be safe.”

Gun-Ho looked at the clock on the wall.

“If the interview is completed at 11 AM, I can come back to work by 2 PM, assuming I skip my lunch. Should I tell the owner I received a notice for the military reserve force training at my parents’ address, or should I tell him that I am sick?”

Gun-Ho tried to come up with a good excuse; he decided to tell the owner his father was sick and he had to help him on his hospitalization.

“The owner will understand if I tell him I have to take my father from Juan Town to the Gil Hospital in Incheon, and I would be back to work in the afternoon. I have to keep this job; I might not get the job in Asan.”

It was on Wednesday. Gun-Ho dressed up for the job interview. He combed his hair neatly.

“I had a haircut yesterday; I look good.”

Gun-Ho polished his shoes. He left his room heading to Asan. It was early morning and the skies were still pitch black.

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Chapter 23 - Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (4)

Chapter 23: Chapter 23. Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (4)

“I wonder what kind of company this is.”

Gun-Ho was heading to Asan for the job interview, filled with expectations and worries.

“What kind of person is the owner? Would he be a power-trip type of person?”

His car was making loud noises while he was driving because he didn’t get the muffler fixed yet.

He was passing a town called Yuyangg when he stopped to put some gas in his car before continuing his trip.

“It will be a long trip to Asan. I’d better fill up the tank!”

After he filled his car, Gun-Ho opened Ole navigation application on his smartphone.

“So the company is located at Dunpo Town, Asan City. Let me enter the destination to the app. Uh? It’s not that far. It’s close to Cheonan City? I will stop by the rest area; I left home so early this morning I didn’t have a chance to have breakfast. I think I have time to eat a udong (a noodle soup) and drink a cup of coffee.”

Gun-Ho passed Yangju City Hall and entered the automobile-only road.

“It is nice to see not many cars here because it is still early morning.”

Gun-Ho’s old Avante well passed Uijeongbu IC, making a rattling noise and headed to Namyangju City.

“So many toll roads on the way. F*uck!”

Gun-Ho entered Gyeongbu Highway from Pangyo after passing Han River Bridge.

“Is this Pangyo? Byung-Tae Hwang who was ranked number one in my class is working in a research facility somewhere here in Pangyo. That dude graduated from KAIST. Of course, he seems to be doing very well as expected.”

Gun-Ho had a udong at Giheung Rest Area and a coffee from a vending machine. He, then, called into work with the excuse he made up.

“Boss? I’m Goo Jooim. My father in Incheon got sick and I have to take him to a hospital. I will come to work this afternoon.”

“Your father? Is it serious?”

“I am not sure. He has a severe stomach ache and keeps throwing up.”

“Really? Don’t worry about work. Take care of your father.”

“Thank you, boss.”

Gun-Ho felt sorry to the owner. He hung up the phone and continued driving. Following the direction of the navigation application, Gun-Ho got out of the North-Cheonan IC and continued driving on the national highway.

“There is the sign for Dunpo Town!”

Gun-Ho expected a small town in the countryside. However, what he saw was a large industrial park.

“What is this? Asan Techno Valley? Wow. It looks amazing.”

All factories in Asan Techno Valley were either large or at least middle-sized companies. They were huge.

“YS Tech which I am heading to is not far from here. Only 8 kilometers more to go. Uh? Where is this? Oh, this is Dunpo Town. I see a Lotteria; it must be larger than Gwangjeok Town, Yangju City. If I pass the interview successfully today, I will have to find a room in this area, won’t I?”

Gun-Ho found the YS Tech factory which he had a job interview for in Shinbong Town after passing Dunpo Town.

“Hmm… Its appearance is not bad at all. It’s still ten past nine. The interview time is 10, so I have plenty of time before the interview. Should I look around Dunpo Town? Maybe not. I don’t want to risk being late for the interview. I will just take a nap or listen to music in my car.”

Gun-Ho tried to take a nap in his car after parking it in front of a community hall, but he couldn’t sleep. He played with his smartphone and listened to music to pass the time.

“It’s twenty to ten. Let me head out to the interview place.”

Gun-Ho was thinking of driving into the factory, but instead, he parked along the factory wall as he saw lots of cars did the same. There was a security office next to the main entrance, but he didn’t see a security officer there. At that moment, Gun-Ho saw a person in a uniform passing by the road. He asked where he could find a conference room. The man indicated a two-floor red brick building. Gun-Ho walked to the second floor. There was an interview room sign on the door of the conference room.

“Excuse me.”

Gun-Ho entered the room. There were seven to eight people sitting in the room. He could tell by looking at them that they were all there for an interview. When Gun-Ho entered into the room, everyone glanced at him quickly and then kept focusing on their smartphones.

“Is everyone here?”

A lady in her mid-40’s came out to the front and said, “Hello everyone. I am a manager at YS Tech. We will start the interview in a moment. You will have the interview with our president in the next room. Three persons will enter the room at once. Once your name is called, please come forward and sit on one of the front seats.”

Gun-Ho looked around; most of the people were female, and there were two other males. As soon as the clock struck 10, the lady called three people’s names. Gun-Ho was in the second group. It took about twenty minutes for the first group to complete the interview. Gun-Ho went to the interview room with two other candidates.

“Ji-Hae Choi, Hwa-Young Kim, and Gun-Ho Goo, please come with me.”

Gun-Ho and two other candidates entered the room together. There was a man in his late 40’s sitting at the table; the T-shirt under his suit jacket was colorful. The manager lady entered the room along with the candidates and sat next to him.

“This is our president.”

The interviewer was the president. Gun-Ho looked at his face thoroughly.

“Wow, he is amazingly handsome. He looks like a TV celebrity.”

The president was not only handsome, but he was also dressed sophisticated and chic. The president didn’t say anything; he was just looking at the file the manager handed to him. He, then, raised his head and asked the candidate sitting in the first chair.

“Ms. Ji-Hae Choi, are you married?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then how do you take care of your child while you are at work?”

“My mother is living close to mine, and she helps me a lot to take care of my child.”

“Ms. Hwa-Young Kim. You graduated school this year?”

“Yes, I did.”

Gun-Ho turned his head to look at her. She looked younger than 20 years old, but her face was covered with a thick layer of makeup with long eyelashes and red lipstick.

“Did you graduate from Cheonan Women’s Commercial High School?”

“It’s Information Technology High School.”

“Hmmm…”

The president continued looking at the file. He didn’t ask about any certificates or other qualifications at all.

“What does your father do for a living?”

“He is working in an elementary school administration.”

“Hmmm…”

The president glanced at all three candidates, then looked at the file again.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, are you currently working at Bangil Gas?”

“Yes, I have to move to Cheonan for personal reasons, so I will soon resign from the company.”

The president didn’t ask why Gun-Ho had to move to Cheonan.

“Did you complete your military service?”

“Yes, I had fully completed the military service.”

“Hmmm… Ok. This is it. You can all leave the room. Next group.”

The president asked a few simple questions and then called the next group in. Gun-Ho thought the interview was too short and simple.

The next group entered the room. There were eight interviewees in total, so the last group consisted of two candidates. That group took about twenty minutes for the interview as well. After all candidates were interviewed, the manager came out of the interview room and said with a broad smile on her face, “Thank you all for coming today. It would be really nice if we could hire all of you, but we only have one open position. It will be a difficult decision for us. We will contact you by next Tuesday at the 10th. Please take these envelopes with you. These are from our president appreciating your time to come here, hoping to help your transportation expense for today’s interview.”

The manager distributed a white envelope to each candidate.

“I came this far but didn’t do much for the interview. Do they have someone already for the position in their mind?”

Gun-Ho suspected. Giving the money for the transportation cost to the candidates was a sensible move, Gun-Ho thought.

“Whatever.”

Gun-Ho headed back to Yangju City. He opened the white envelope in his car; there was 30,000 won in it.

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Chapter 24 - Moving to Asan, Chungnam (1)

Chapter 24: Chapter 24. Moving to Asan, Chungnam (1)

Gun-Ho came back to Yangju and went back to his work at Bangil Gas again.

Once sales were made, Gun-Ho issued electronic tax invoices and added earnings and expenses to <Daily Earnings and Expenses> table in Excel, and then reported it to the owner.

Gun-Ho made sure to collect all receipts of every business expense incurred and attached them with glue to the back of an expense form he had purchased from a stationary store in order to properly document them. If there was a client with an outstanding balance for LP gas, Gun-Ho would make a collection phone call to that client as well. He also ran errands for the owner.

“Years of my life will go by like this?”

Gun-Ho was barely making a living; he felt anxious about getting old without saving money.

“It’s Wednesday and I don’t hear anything from that company in Asan which I had an interview with.”

Gun-Ho was constantly checking his smartphone to see if there was any text message from the company. He increased the ringtone of his phone to make sure he didn’t miss any calls. There was no phone call, let alone any text message.

“I don’t think I got the job. Let’s just move on; it is a lost cause. So many smart people are out there. I can’t compete with them with my rubbish work experience and qualification. I just have to appreciate the opportunity for having a job interview with them.”

Friday came around after Wednesday and Thursday. Gun-Ho gave up on getting a position in the company in Asan. He once again started looking through the newspaper classified section and WorkNet; however, there was no job advertisement which drew Gun-Ho’s attention.

“The companies posting a bookkeeper job opening in a newspaper classified section will hire a female, not me. If they hire a male for the job, that’s probably because the position is half bookkeeping and half irrelevant chores.”

After work, Gun-Ho usually surfed the internet on his laptop in dim light or he went to the PC room in the neighborhood. He felt like he was falling so much farther behind in life compared to his high school friends, which made him feel depressed.

“Won-Chul Jo who is now married should be doing fine, shouldn’t he? Byung-Tae Hwang who is working in a research facility of a startup company in Pangyo is getting married soon. He posted about his wedding on Facebook but didn’t personally inform me. He could easily find my phone number by contacting Won-Chul or the others.”

Gun-Ho drank soju almost every other day, and that increased his alcohol tolerance.

“I am destined to live in the countryside. My life is f*cked up. I have ShinWangJaeWang fate? ShinWangJaeWang my a*s.”

It had been more than two weeks since Gun-Ho had a job interview with the company in Asan. The memory of the interview was fading away when he received a phone call from that company, a very unexpected one at that.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo? How are you? I am the manager of YS Tech in Asan.”

“Oh, hi. This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“I am sorry that we took a long time to contact you. You have been hired as our bookkeeper. Can you start on the 1st of next month?”

Gun-Ho came to his senses by this unexpected and sudden phone call.

“Oh, of course, sure. I… I can.”

“You have only five days left until the 1st of next month. Can you manage to quit the current job and start a new job with us within five days?”

“Of course, of course. I can certainly do that!”

“Let me tell you then what to bring on your first day of work. You might want to get a pen and a paper.”

“Yes, I am ready.”

Gun-Ho was so perplexed that he dropped his cell phone while looking for a pen and a paper, and stumbled over the computer power cord.

“You should bring a resident registration, a resident registration abstract showing the status of your military service duty, your highest school diploma, Consent to Collect and Use Personal Data, Identity Assurance Statement, and a work experience certificate letter from your current employer. I will send the forms for the Consent to Collect and Use Personal Data and Identity Assurance Statement to the email address indicated on your resume.”

“Okay. I will prepare all those documents and bring them on my first day of work!”

“You can come by 8 AM on the 1st next month. I will see you then.”

“Thank you. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho felt so grateful to be hired by this company that he repeated “thank you” twice.

“I got it! I got the job!”

Gun-Ho clapped. He felt like he could fly.

“By the way, why did they call me just now? They said they would contact me by last Wednesday.”

Gun-Ho sat on the chair and started thinking.

“I guess that the person they hired decided not to work with them, so they hired me instead as a substitute. Of course, I can’t be their first choice. Well, they hired me anyway. Let’s move to Asan.”

Gun-Ho stopped by the Eunhyeon Township Office to get the resident registration and the resident registration abstract on the way to work after collecting bills.

“I can get my college diploma online, but what about the work experience certificate letter? There is no such thing in Bangil Gas. Well, I can find some samples on the internet and make one for me.”

After he returned to the office, Gun-Ho drafted a work experience certificate letter referring to some examples he found on the internet.

“I need the boss’ stamp to officially seal this letter… I have his stamp for the tax invoices stamping purpose; should I just use it?”

Gun-Ho thought he still should ask the owner for it.

“When he comes back from the gas pipe repairing work, I will carefully inform him.”

A little after five o’clock, the owner came back to the office, looking exhausted.

“A*sholes! They tried to bargain for the repairing cost. I should have just left without fixing their pipes. Sh*t!”

The owner slumped down in his chair, looking really tired. Gun-Ho had to tell the owner that he would quit the job, but he couldn’t because the owner seemed very tired.

“Gee, it is already half past five. Goo Jooim, you can go home.”

Gun-Ho hesitated and the owner looked at him with a question mark on his face.

“What’s the matter? Do you have something you want to tell me?”

“Umm… I am so sorry to tell you that I think I have to move to the city where my parents are.”

“Why? Because your father is in the hospital?”

“My parents want me to come, and they are old now…”

“Hmmm…”

The owner looked very uncomfortable.

“I will have to find someone again. I really liked you here.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking, and I think your wife can handle the work. You can save money that way.”

“My wife? She doesn’t even know how to work with a computer.”

“She just needs to get the knack of it. She will become better and faster at the job after one or two months of practice.”

“I know I can save money… But she always tries to argue with me whenever she is here in the office. That is the problem.”

“Haha. That’s because she likes you a lot.”

“Well, I will have to think about it.”

“I will work until the end of this month then.”

“You leave that early?”

“My parents are pressing me.”

“Oh well, what can I do about it.”

“And once I move to the city where my parents live in, I might need a work experience certificate letter from this company.”

“A work experience certificate letter? I’ve never done it before.”

“I already drafted the letter. I just need your stamp. You can use the same stamp we use for tax invoices.”

“Really? Then you do what you have to do.”

“Thank you.”

“Go home before it gets dark.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the office and turned his head to look behind him.

“Bangil Gas. I have so many good memories of this factory. The boss and his wife are good-natured people. Once I become successful, I will come and visit them.”

It was getting dark; Gun-Ho drove to the Gwangjeok Township Office area where his room was located. He called the landlord to give him the notice to vacate his room.

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Chapter 25 - Moving to Asan, Chungnam (2)

Chapter 25: Chapter 25. Moving to Asan, Chungnam (2)

Gun-Ho handed over his job to the next person who would carry out his duties. The new bookkeeper was a woman who was in her 40s. The owner considered working with his wife to save money, however, he eventually decided to hire someone else. He asked Gun-Ho to post the job advertisement on a newspaper classified section.

Once the bookkeeping job opening was posted, eleven people applied for the job. The owner told Gun-Ho to pick someone who was living close to the company, without going through the interview process. The owner’s wife glared at the owner more often and it led to another fight between them.

“Since the boss hired a woman, his wife will be glaring at him more frequently.”

A grin appeared on Gun-Ho’s face.

Two days before he had to leave to Asan, Gun-Ho had already packed all his belongings. All kitchen appliances were not his; they came with the room. Gun-Ho had to pack his blanket, clothes, and books.

“It’s nice that I have already thrown out all the unnecessary stuff when I moved here from Pocheon. This time, the moving will be so much easier and simpler since I have only a few stuff to pack.”

However, Gun-Ho’s Avante trunk and its backseat were fully filled up with his stuff.

Gun-Ho entered the automobile-only road in his Avante from Goeup Town in Yangju; his car was making rattling noise.

“Goodbye, Yangju City.”

Gun-Ho looked at the distant apartment buildings in Yangju; he was choked with emotion. Gun-Ho continued driving for a while until he came to a fork in the road; one of roads was leading to Pocheon.

“Pocheon City, goodbye to you, too.”

Gun-Ho thought about the life he spent in this area. He spent one year in Pocheon as a factory worker, six months at a factory in Yangju, and another 6 months as a bookkeeper. He spent two years of his youth in total in this area; he became filled with emotion.

“If I add my days at Hwaseong working in a factory, I have spent four years of my life as a factory worker. All I have in my hands, as a result, is this old and shabby Avante that makes a loud noise and is not even worth 3,000,000 won. F*ck. What a loser.”

Once Gun-Ho entered Gyeongbu Expressway, he could see a lot of cars there.

“All the cars before me are luxury cars. BMW, Benz, Land Rover, Genesis, Grandeur, K7. Sh*t! But my car makes the loudest noise.”

Gun-Ho didn’t expect to come to this road again. Since the company in Asan took way longer than normal to contact him to let him know that he got the job, Gun-Ho almost gave up on that position. He felt so lucky to the point that it didn’t feel real to get this job.

“Lucky? Well, even so, it is an entry position with probably a 1,800,000 won monthly salary. For the past four years, I have been moving around from Hwaseong to Pocheon and to Yangju without being able to save any money. I am now 32 already, and I am moving to a new city again, Asan. I must be a bohemian.”

Gun-Ho started humming out of boredom; it was Bohemian Rhapsody.

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide. No escape from reality.”

Tears appeared in Gun-Ho’s eyes. He continued humming.

“Open your eyes. Look up to the skies and see.

I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy.

Because I’m easy come, easy go.

A little high, little low.

Anyway the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to me, to me.”

Gun-Ho finally let out hot tears.

Gun-Ho stopped by Anseong Rest Area and rinsed his eyes with water in the rest room. He then purchased a bottle of water and drank it; he felt much better.

“I will probably not be able to find any available OneRoom in Dunpo Town in Asan right now; let’s try Dujeong Town in Cheonan City.”

Gun-Ho decided to go to Dujeong Town in Cheonan City which wasn’t far from the YS Tech where he would start his new job. The town was well-developed commercially and industrially, with stores and various types of residential buildings, so it was easy to find a OneRoom or OneRoomTel where one can move in right away. Gun-Ho had been in Dujeong Town once when he worked as an injection molding worker in a plastic factory in Hwaseong.

Gun-Ho could easily find a OneRoomTel in Dujeong Town as expected.

“OneRoomTel and Jjimjilbang (Korean bathhouse) are my hometown forever, where a bohemian can rest and breathe comfortably.”

Gun-Ho knocked on the rental office door of a OneRoomTel while humming.

A bald man opened the door while rubbing his sleepy eyes.

“Do you have a room available for a one month rental?”

“We do, but you have to wait until tomorrow for the internet connection, though.”

“That’s fine. How much is it?”

“260,000 won!”

When Gun-Ho took out his credit card to pay the price, the OneRoomTel owner’s eyes widened, and he said that he needed to be paid in cash.

“If you have to pay in credit card, it will be 280,000 won instead; there is a VAT for it.”

Gun-Ho didn’t have cash on him.

“I will be back then. I will have to withdraw cash from an ATM.”

Gun-Ho found an ATM close to the OneRoomTel and could pay the first month rent. After moving into his new room, he laid down on the bed.

“Wow, this is just like a prison. It’s so small. The bathroom is so tiny that I won’t even be able to turn around. The room in Yangju is a palace compared to this one. Well, let’s just stay here for a month.”

Gun-Ho went to work, the YS Tech carrying a big envelope of the documents that he was told to bring on his first day of work. The company had eighty employees, the largest factory that Gun-Ho had ever worked for.

“Lots of people are here already.”

“Hey! Where are you going?”

A security guard stopped Gun-Ho.

“I am going to the accounting department on the second floor.”

“You should have let me know first. Go to the second floor then.”

Gun-Ho went up to the second floor. On the second floor, there were an accounting team, sales team, logistics team, etc. They called it a team, but there seemed to be only one or two people working in each team; Gun-Ho could see only a few desks in each team.

“Hello. I was told to come to this office.”

“Oh, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo! Please come here and have a seat.”

Gun-Ho sat on the folding chair which the manager indicated and handed the documents he brought to the manager. The manager looked through the papers carefully.

“The president will come to the office soon. We will see him first, and then I will introduce you to the rest of the team.”

Someone entered the office; everyone in the office stood up and bowed to that person. It was probably the president. The manager grabbed the papers from her desk and stood up.

“Come with me.”

Gun-Ho followed the manager to the president’s office. On the way to the president’s office, Gun-Ho noticed that the manager’s belly was bulging; she must be pregnant. The manager entered the president’s office after knocking on the door.

“This is our new employee in the accounting team.”

The manager introduced Gun-Ho to the president. The president looked still handsome. The president was holding an economic newspaper which he put on the desk before saying,

“Oh, really? Please come and have a seat.”

Gun-Ho carefully sat at the end of the table.

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Chapter 26 - Moving to Asan, Chungnam (3)

Chapter 26: Chapter 26. Moving to Asan, Chungnam (3)

The president looked at the manager and said, “Manager Kim, can we have some tea?”

The manager laid out all the papers that Gun-Ho brought in today in front of the president before standing up.

“I will bring some tea.”

After the manager left for preparing tea, only Gun-Ho and the president were left in the office.

“Where is your home?”

“I am currently staying in Dujeong Town, Cheonan City. I am planning to move to Dunpo Town soon.”

“What about your parents?”

“They are in Incheon.”

“Hmm…”

The manager brought three cups of green tea. The president spoke after having one sip of green tea. He didn’t even bother looking through the Gun-Ho’s application papers.

“You have probably noticed already that our company is not big enough to require two persons in an accounting team. We decided to hire one more person to assist Manager Kim because she is expecting a baby soon. The pay is not high, but it will gradually increase as you work hard.”

“I understand.”

Gun-Ho responded by bending himself to show his respect.

“Oh, Manager Kim! How much do we pay to the new employee in the quality assurance team downstairs?”

“It is 1,800,000 won.”

“Our starting salary is 1,800,000 won. I had looked through your application when we had the interview, and I believe you didn’t have a lot of work experience, Mr. Goo…”

The president couldn’t remember Gun-Ho’s name; he picked up Gun-Ho’s resume from his desk. He found Gun-Ho’s name on top of the resume and said, “We didn’t actually select you, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. The person we initially hired had ten years of work experience in a fodder company, but she decided to stay with her current employer. That’s how we hired you. Since you are male and have work experience in a factory, we thought you could work in other teams later on such as the general affair, logistics, or sales if necessary.”

“I see. I appreciate it.”

“Our company has a very friendly work environment. Many of our workers are long-term employees. Manager Kim also has been working with us for fifteen years probably; isn’t it?”

The president looked at Manager Kim’s face.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Manager Kim will explain you about your work here. If you work hard, you can be promoted to manager and general manager. You do look like a hard working person.”

The president smiled at Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho felt so grateful and he bowed deeply to the president.

Manager Kim introduced the employees on the second floor to Gun-Ho.

“This is Seon-Hong Hwang, our general affairs manager.”

The general affairs manager looked three to four years older than Gun-Ho.

“I am Gun-Ho Goo; I will be working in the accounting team. I look forward to working with you.”

“I am the one who’s look forward to working with you. You will be working in the accounting team that handles money.”

The general affairs manager seemed to be a sarcastic person. Gun-Ho was introduced to the logistics team leader and the sales manager as well. The logistics team leader and sales manager were both in their 50s. They were so busy at the time that they didn’t pay attention to Gun-Ho.

“The logistics team has two more workers, and there is a sales assistant manager as well; they seem to be working away from the office at the moment, so you can meet them later.”

When Manager Kim came back to her desk with Gun-Ho, the general affairs manager came to her.

“You need to give me his papers.”

Manager Kim handed the papers to him. The general affairs manager said to Gun-Ho,

“I will have to give you the employment contract, so stop by my desk later.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Manager Kim showed Gun-Ho’s desk which was next to hers.

“No one is using that desk. You can work there. The computer is not new, but it still works well. I will make a link to the accounting program that I am using so you can use it too.”

“What accounting program does this company use? Is it Douzone?”

“Yes, we are using Douzone.”

Douzone is an accounting software that was developed by Douzone company. Gun-Ho would finally start working with an accounting software.

“As the president told you, I will be on maternity leave after three months from now. As such, you should familiarize yourself with the work during the next three months.”

“I will do my best. I’d love to learn from you and to have you as my mentor and big sister.”

“I saw your resume earlier. I am actually ten years older than you. Haha.”

If so, she was already 42 years old. Being pregnant at this age made it evident that she had married late.

“Is that so? You have extensive work experiences and you are an expert in this field. Me… I have a lot to learn. In my previous company, they didn’t even use any accounting software.”

“You know how to do journalizing, right? While you are journalizing, you just need to record them. I will do the tax return when I come back, you just need to record deposits and withdrawals, and fill in the expense report accordingly.”

Gun-Ho felt really anxious. He felt like he would get lost even in journalizing. Manager Kim seemed to be concerned a bit about Gun-Ho as well.

“Are you done here?”

The general affairs manager came over.

“Not yet. We will need a few more minutes.”

“I have to go to the Department of Labor after processing Mr. Goo’s papers. So please finish up with him as soon as you can. Mr. Goo will have to sign the employment contract and meet with the team leaders and supervisors.”

“Ten minutes will do.”

The general affairs manager didn’t seem comfortable with what Manager Kim said. He went back to his desk while murmuring.

Manager Kim warned Gun-Ho quietly in a low tone, “The general affairs manager has a ferocious temper. You want to be careful with him. He graduated at Dankook University here in Cheonan. He joined our company through some high-ranking official.”

“Oh, really?”

Manager Kim talked more about a few tasks Gun-Ho had to perform. Gun-Ho diligently wrote it down, but he didn’t fully understand what she said.

Gun-Ho went to the general affairs manager.

“This is the employment contract. Let’s start by signing on this paper.”

Gun-Ho had seen the employment contract before when he worked in a production line in a factory. Gun-Ho signed on the contract without any problem. The general affairs manager continued talking while looking through Gun-Ho’s resume.

“You graduated from a cyber college. Is that college accredited?”

“Yes. As far as I know, it is an accredited college.”

“You went to a college in the countryside as well. You need to bring the enrollment certificate for that college. Also, please bring the level-2 computerized accounting certificate. We need to include all of those papers in your file.”

“I, I will do that.”

“Since you will be working in one of the influential teams, accounting team, I hope you will be easy with our general affairs team.”

The general manager extended his hand for a handshake while implying something. Gun-Ho laughed while shaking hands.

“I believe all teams have equal power; there is no such thing as a more influential team.”

“That’s not true. Our team handles the Four Major Public Insurance, but the withholding tax is handled by the accounting team.”

“Is it? Haha. I am not so sure yet.”

“Let’s go to the work site and meet with people. If you don’t meet with them now, they will talk behind your back when they see you in the cafeteria.”

Gun-Ho followed the general affairs manager to the work site. He stopped by the quality assurance team, production team, and maintenance team, and introduced Gun-Ho to the team leaders. They all welcomed Gun-Ho with broad smiles, maybe because it was their first time meeting him. The team leader of the production team talked to the general affairs manager.

“Sir, the paystub for the last month doesn’t seem to be right. The withholding tax was higher than the previous month as well.”

“Oh, that? We have this skillful worker in the accounting team now. He will take care of it from now on.”

Gun-Ho understood that the general affairs manager was a twisted talker.

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Chapter 27 - B2B Electronic Payment (1)

Chapter 27: Chapter 27. B2B Electronic Payment (1)

The next day, Gun-Ho started his new job in the accounting team, sitting at his new desk.

“This is an office job. I am so happy that I don’t have to do physical work.”

Physically demanding job requires strenuous manual labor. Even though the object the manual worker has to lift at work is not so heavy, if he has to lift it repeatedly, it causes physical pain in certain parts of the body. It could be the worker’s waist or wrist, or it could be his neck. When Gun-Ho worked at Dongil Tech in Yangju as a factory worker, he felt pain in his neck during physical work. Gun-Ho didn’t have to suffer anymore.

“Here is the login ID and password for Douzone. Try to log in.”

Manager Kim handed the chart of accounts to Gun-Ho, which she used to keep under the glass top of her desk.

“Are you giving me the chart? What about you? I can just make a copy of it for myself.”

“Nah, that’s okay. I memorized them all.”

“You did?”

Gun-Ho watched Manger Kim working, from his desk next to hers. She was very fast in entering the data. When she was calculating numbers with the electronic calculator, she was so quick that her fingers were invisible.

“Wow, you are so fast. My eyes can’t even follow your fingers.”

“Stop watching me working and start entering this data. It is the detailed statement of deposits and withdrawals for our major banks from yesterday.”

Gun-Ho started entering the data in the accounting software while holding the statement.

“Hmm. Rent? Okay, the rent is supposed to go to the debit column on the left side, and on the right side, the credit column, I need to put the landlord’s name.”

“You shouldn’t say all those things out loud when you work. Whew, when are you going to finish up by fumbling like that? After entering the data, you need to print out the account payable/account receivable and cash payments as well.”

“Okay, I will speed up.”

Manager Kim was verifying the data that Gun-Ho had just entered from her desk. Manager Kim’s computer and Gun-Ho’s computer were sharing the same accounting software and data, so she had access to Gun-Ho’s data within the application.

“You missed the service fee in the rent you just input.”

“A service fee?”

“When you transfer money, a service fee incurs. Even though it is only 500 won, you shouldn’t miss it. In accounting, you must not miss even 1 won.”

“Huh? Oh, I will do it again.”

“Whew, we sure will have tough days.”

Manager Kim seemed to be worried about the days ahead with Gun-Ho.

“When you enter the service fee, don’t forget to add the name of the bank.”

“I, I am so sorry. I will do it right away.”

At that moment, the president stopped by where these two were working.

“How’s it going?”

The president looked at Gun-Ho’s face and said.

“Yes, I am doing my best.”

The president then looked at Manager Kim’s face.

“Manager Kim, did we receive 20,000,000 won through the B2B payment from Namdojeongmill yesterday?

“Yes, we received it.”

Gun-Ho listened to the conversation between the president and Manager Kim.

“B2B?”

Gun-Ho had heard of the terminology, B2B, but he hadn’t directly handled it before.

The president was about to leave when he turned around and talked to Manager Kim again.

“We didn’t apply the early payment discount to that amount, did we?”

“Right, we didn’t.”

“Then please apply the discount to the amount, and send 5,000,000 won out of it to my personal account.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“I have a business trip to Japan for 2 nights and 3 days from tomorrow. Please get 100 of 50,000 won for me.”

The president handed his credit card to Manager Kim and left.

Manager Kim turned off the accounting software and took out the battery-powered device, TIME OTP (a password-generating device), from her desk drawer. She then opened one of the major banks website—Industrial Bank of Korea.

Gun-Ho worked until late at night every day.

“When I worked as a factory worker, if I worked overtime, I received the overtime pay. For an office job, there is no such thing. This is not an easy job, either.”

When Gun-Ho stayed in the office working late, the general affairs manager sometimes came and annoyed Gun-Ho by saying, “Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, are you working overtime to show that you are a diligent and hard worker? Don’t you know that the true hard worker is the one who goes home when it is time to go home?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean that. I just need to finish the report before I go home.”

“Let’s not do that, okay? I’m leaving now.”

Gun-Ho reviewed the past records using the accounting software including the records done by Manager Kim. He practiced input and output of data according to various account titles.

“This is the list of the current credit sales. Our company is dealing with over 40 entities. Mulpasaneop Corp. has gross sales over 500,000,000 won per month. The rest of the companies are just small fry; their gross sales are around 10,000,000 or 20,000,000 won.”

One day, Gun-Ho asked Manager Kim about Mulpasaneop,

“We can say that the Mulpasaneop is feeding our company, right?”

“That’s right. The rest of the companies have around 300,000,000 won in total per month.”

“Their yearly gross sales are around 10,000,000,000 won in total.”

“Sometimes more than that, and sometimes less than that. It changes.”

“We can’t lose Mulpasaneop, right?”

“Haha. You don’t have to worry about it. Mulpasaneop CEO’s wife is our president’s sister.”

“Oh, I see.”

“It has been more than ten years already since they became our client. Mulpasaneop is a big company with more than 300 employees.”

“Is it a KOSDAQ registered firm?”

“They tried last year but failed.”

“I see. Oh, and I thought our company was related to the former president Young-Sam Kim since the name of the company is YS Tech. I didn’t know our president’s name is Young-Sik Park.”

“Haha. Well, we do get that question a lot.”

After a month of working, Gun-Ho became somewhat proficient at his job. It was a very windy day. Gun-Ho heard the president yelling from downstairs.

“Manager Kim, the president is reprimanding the workers in the field.”

“He’s doing it again. It has been quiet for a while.”

“Does the president often reprimand workers like that? He seems to be gentle.”

“He doesn’t do that to us. But for the workers in the field, he sometimes kicks their shins if they make mistakes.”

“Really?”

“But, that’s just how it is. He doesn’t linger on the incidents. Who would stay in the company if a president lingers on every mistake a worker makes?”

“That’s another side of him that I didn’t know…”

Gun-Ho pretended to go to the bathroom to see what was going on downstairs. The president was yelling fiercely at the group of five people: the production team’s supervisors, manager, and team leader. When the president got furious, he spoke a dialect. He seemed to be from Jeolla Province. His handsome face contrasted with his harsh words.

“Are you going to keep working like this? What are you going to do with this mountain of claims? You, production manager! You speak!”

“Oww! Oww!”

The production manager screamed while holding his ankle; the president probably kicked his shin.

“You as*holes! You are doing this because I have been quiet lately? Did you lose your mind? How can you not verify the drawing sheet provided by our supplier before you proceed? You, production team leader! You speak!”

“I am, I am so sorry.”

“F*ck, it makes me go nuts. What am I going to do with all this stuff!”

The president threw the product he was holding to the floor and got in his car.

“Sh*t! What am I going to tell the supplier.”

“We, we are so sorry.”

Those five people all bowed together in apology. Gun-Ho could see the products that seemed to be returned. The president had every reason to be upset.

Gun-Ho went up to the second floor and asked Manager Kim, “What should we do if all those products are returned and claims are filed?”

“The note receivable just needs to be written down. We already issued their tax invoices,”

Manager Kim answered like it was no big deal.

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Chapter 28 - B2B Electronic Payment (2)

Chapter 28: Chapter 28. B2B Electronic Payment (2)

It had been two months since Gun-Ho joined the YS Tech.

Heavy rain was falling in a windy day, and summer heat was fading away.

Gun-Ho was working till late at night.

“Now I know by heart many of the account numbers from the chart of accounts. That allows me to work faster in entering the data.”

At that day, the general affairs manager was working late as well.

“You must be very busy today.”

“Don’t get me started. Tomorrow is payday. I have to calculate the Four Major Public Insurance. There seems to be a lot of overtime work and overtime payment among production line workers, which I have to factor in to calculate their wages.”

“You do have indeed lots of work to do.”

When Gun-Ho almost finished his work, he went to see the general affairs manager.

“Sir, please just let me know if you need a hand.”

“You mean it? Then would you help me with the wage calculation for the office workers? I will do the calculation for the production line workers.”

“Sure. I will do it quick since I won’t get paid until all the wage calculation is done.”

Working together increased work efficiency. It could well take two hours, but they finished it in an hour.

“Thank you Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. With your help, I have finished it faster. Tomorrow you will be busy in distributing wages to every single employee since it’s payday. It will take significant time.”

“Distributing actual wages is handled by Manager Kim.”

“You said you were staying in Dujeong Town, Cheonan City, right?”

“Yes, I haven’t found any room in Dunpo Town yet.”

“There are plenty of rooms in Dunpo Town. For drinking and having fun, Dujeong Town is the place.”

“Don’t you live in Dujeong Town as well?”

“That’s right. I live in Dujeong Town, at the Prugio condo next to the subway station.”

“Oh, that’s a nice place.”

“Would you like to have a beer with me in our town, Dujeong? It’s raining; perfect weather for a drink.”

“I am treating you.”

“Okay, then leave your car at home and come to the Dujeong station intersection. I will see you in front of the Kookmin Bank there.”

“Okay. I will be there right away.”

The general affairs manager Hwang and Gun-Ho met at a bar in Dujeong Town.

“I am sorry. I should already have arranged this kind of occasion to get closer with you.”

“No problem. Let’s drink up first.”

The heavy rain continued outside. The neon lights were shining on the main street in Dujeong Town, Cheonan City even late at night.

“When does Manager Kim begin her maternity leave?”

“Well, I guess it would be next month.”

“I hope that woman go home as soon as possible. I don’t understand why she gives me the work she is supposed to do.”

“Probably because she has a heavy workload in the accounting team. Please understand her.”

“I didn’t like the way she filled the vacant position this time, either. There were many competitive applicants for the bookkeeper position. I am sorry to tell you this, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo.”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“The president wanted to hire the one who had worked as a bookkeeper in a fodder company. She had a level-1 computerized accounting certificate and she studied in Japan; she speaks Japanese. Moreover, she was very pretty.”

“I’ve heard that she decided to stay with her current employer…”

“Staying with the current employer my as*. That Manager Kim b*tch lied in order to keep her position firm.”

“You don’t say…”

“She then recommended the young lady who had just graduated from a commercial high school; she thought she could easily handle that kid. The president rejected the suggestion. He thought that candidate was too young to handle the work by herself during Manager Kim’s absence for the maternity leave.”

“I see.”

“That’s how she came up with you, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. You have some work experience in bookkeeping, and you are way younger than Manager Kim. In addition, once she returns from her maternity leave, you could move to another team such as sales or distribution since you do have work experience in production and you have a Class 1 driver’s license.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“Our president is not a meticulous type of person. He heavily relies on Manager Kim moneywise. Manager Kim manages all bankbooks from our major banks and OTP as well. Usually, business finance is directly handled by a president for a small and mid-sized company. That’s why that b*tch is condescending and looks down on everyone.”

“That’s because the president trusts her, isn’t it?”

“When she has to pay for the credit purchase, she pays quick to the companies she likes, but for her unfavorable companies, she delays the payment for three to four months.”

“That’s unbelievable. The payment is probably processed according to the company’s financial situation.”

“She always delays the payments for the copy machine lease, office supplies, and food supplies for our cafeteria because our team, the general affairs team, handles them. That f*cking b*tch.”

“Haha. You seemed to be drunk, sir.”

“Mr. Goo, when Manager Kim leaves for her maternity leave, you make sure that she properly hands over the finance management access to you. In working in the accounting team, journalizing, filing tax return, and making a financial report on closing accounts are, of course, important. However, the most important thing is that you have to have the control on the finance.”

“Okay, sir. Or brother. I will keep that in mind.”

“Gun-Ho, when you first joined our company, you didn’t like me because you thought I bothered you a lot, did you?”

“No, not at all, brother.”

“You don’t have to lie. I know that.”

“You drank 1500CC already. Your wife must be waiting for you.”

“Nah, she is still at work. She is working a night shift today. That is what I hate about the nurse job at a university hospital.”

“Wow. A nurse working in a university hospital is one of the best jobs. I am envious.”

It has been three months since Gun-Ho joined the company.

Manager Kim’s belly looked like a mountain; it was almost time for her to just rest at home. The president was passing the area where Manager Kim and Gun-Ho were working when he talked to Manager Kim.

“Manager Kim. I do appreciate your hard work, but you need to get some rest. Why don’t you just hand over the work to Mr. Goo and go home?”

“Let me file the VAT return, and then I will begin my maternity leave.”

“I am worried about you, Manager Kim. It seems the baby is coming out anytime soon.”

Manager Kim started handing over the work to Gun-Ho.

“You can continue to enter the accounting transaction in the general journal using the accounting software as you have done so far. In case you have any questions, just send me a text or you can contact Manager Jeong at the accountant office.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Here is the petty cash. It’s a small amount of cash for small expenses, about 1,000,000 won. When you have to use it, make sure that you collect the receipts.”

“Sure, of course.”

“When an employee brings a cash payment statement for even a small amount, tell them to get a signature from their team leaders. If the amount is more than 100,000 won, they need to get the president’s signature. We just give the signed amount; we don’t authorize any expense.”

“I understood.”

“And, as to the B2B payment for the credit sales and the credit purchase of raw materials, I will talk with the president and let you know.”

“Do we apply the early payment discount to a B2B payment as soon as we receive it?”

“No, you don’t have to. There is a service fee, so you can do it right before we have to pay… Let me talk with the president first about it and will let you know.”

“Okay.”

Manager Kim seemed to give a lot of thought to how to handle the finance management access.

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Chapter 29 - B2B Electronic Payment (3)

Chapter 29: Chapter 29. B2B Electronic Payment (3)

An individual uses an OTP (One Time Password) card to generate a single-use password in transferring funds through a bank. An incorporated business uses a battery-powered device, TIME OTP instead, for the same purpose.

Manager Kim in the YS Tech Corporation went to the president’s office carrying the TIME OTP and her maternity leave request form with her; her baby due date was around the corner.

“What is it?”

“This is my maternity leave request form.”

The president took it with a smile.

“I requested 45 days of leave.”

“Is the 45 day for a maternity leave the period guaranteed by labor law? Why don’t you take more?”

“That’s okay. Our grandmothers went back to work in a farm right after giving a birth to a baby; that’s what I heard.”

“That was a long time ago. Anyway, even though the labor law guaranteed only 45 days, you can use more if you need.”

“And, this is…”

“Is that OTP?”

“I think it’s better for you to start handling the finance by yourself, sir”

“Hmmm…”

“A small amount like the petty cash can be handled by Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. However, for a large amount of funds such as B2B discount, payments for raw materials, and wages, I believe it is better that you, the president, handle it.”

“That’s why you brought the OTP of our major banks to me, for me to hold it.”

“Why don’t you keep it and let Mr. Gun-Ho Goo use it whenever it is necessary to make payments. It’s not like I don’t trust him or anything like that; it is just that he’s still new…”

“Hmm… it could be tiresome to me.”

The president didn’t feel comfortable giving full access of the company finance to Gun-Ho; at the same time, he also felt tiresome to do it himself.

“Does Mr. Gun-Ho Goo know the receiving payment dates for each client and how to apply the B2B discount for them?”

“I will make sure that he knows them. It’s not difficult.”

“Hmm…”

The president leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment.

“We are getting B2B payments through the Industrial Bank of Korea. What other banks do we receive B2B payments from?”

“Shinhan Bank, Kookmin Bank, and Woori Bank. We receive B2B from these three additional banks.”

“Okay then, give me the OTP for the Industrial Bank of Korea from which we receive the B2B payments of our major client, Mulpasaneop Corp. For other banks’ OTP, you can give them to Mr. Gun-Ho Goo and let him know that he should keep them only during your absence for maternity leave.”

“I understood. On the 25th, the payday, we need to apply the early payment discount on Mulpasaneup B2B.”

“I got it.”

The president took the OTP of the Industrial Bank of Korea and placed it in his desk drawer.

“And, you take care of yourself, Manager Kim.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Manager Kim bowed to the president and left the president’s office.

When Manager Kim came back to her desk, she asked Gun-Ho to come see her.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, I am leaving today and not coming back tomorrow. I just handed in my maternity leave request to the president.

“Oh, tomorrow? Wow, so I have to handle all these work by myself.”

“I will be on leave for 45 days. That is the minimum I could use under the labor law.”

“For 45 days, I have to manage everything by myself… I am worried since there are things I still have to learn.”

“This is the list of receiving payment dates for each client.”

“The dates are all different for each client. The banks we are receiving the payments through are all different for each client as well.”

“These are the TIME OTP for banks. If you push the button, a password will be produced.”

“There are three of them.”

“The OTP for our major bank, Industrial Bank of Korea, is with the president. These are for Shinhan bank, Kookmin bank, and Woori bank. The name of the bank is written on each OTP.”

“Okay.”

“You haven’t done B2B early payment discount, have you? We just received 15,000,000 won from Seongil Industry today. The Internet Banking Service Certificate is stored in my computer. So when you need to make a payment, use my computer.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Why don’t you come and sit in my chair?”

Gun-Ho sat on her chair. Her seat cushion looked very girly with a colorful floral pattern.

“Open the Shinhan Bank website. It is bookmarked.”

Gun-Ho opened the Shinhan Bank website and logged in by entering the Internet Banking Service Certificate code as instructed by Manager Kim.

“On the top left, you will see B2B Electronic Payment. Click on it.”

“Done.”

“Then click on Sales Company.”

“Done.”

“Then click on Credit Sales and get into the Note Receivable.”

“Done.”

“Set the period for viewing to include today’s date. Do you see the funds from Seongil Industry?”

“Oh, yes, I see it.”

“The expiration date is until three months later, right? Go back and check the current account balance.”

“Yes, for now… the balance is 12,000,000 won.”

“As you did earlier, get into the B2B and view the accounts receivable. Then apply the early payment discount on the funds received by Seongil Industry.”

“Like this? Aha, the discount is applied.”

“Check the balance.”

“It was 12,000,000 won… Ahh, now it is 26,850,000!”

“We received 15,000,000 won from Seongil Industry, but that is the amount we can get if we receive after three months. Since we applied the early payment discount, the bank charged 150,000 won for their service fee. That’s why we actually received only 14,800,000 won.”

“Ahh… I see.”

“Okay, now, this is the list of the credit purchase payment dates for each client. We have to pay to Tier Chemical today. The amount is 18,000,000 won. Send the amount.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho tried to send the amount to Tier Chemical while fumbling.

“That was Woori Bank OTP, not Shinhan OTP.”

“Oh, that’s right!”

“Please be careful.”

“I just sent it.”

“Now, log out from the bank account, turn off the computer, and go back to your desk. Enter the receipt and payment we just made into the accounting program.”

Gun-Ho went back to his desk and log into the Douzone software.

“I actually wrote down in my note what you did last time. So, I put 150,000 won as the discount loss for the note receivable and 14,850,000 won as cash received on the debit column. On the credit column, I put 15,000,000 won as note receivable from Seongil Industry… Like this?”

“That’s correct. And go ahead journalize the credit purchase payment for Tier Chemical and enter it into the accounting program. Don’t forget to include the wire transfer fee.”

“Okay.”

“Then print out the account payable/account receivable, and attach the corresponding bank statement with glue to the back. You take it to the president tomorrow morning and get his approval.”

“I will do that.”

“On the pay day, the 25th, we will have to process a large amount of funds. You need to get the Industrial Bank of Korea OTP from the president before you can actually execute the payments. Once you are done, give the Industrial Bank of Korea OTP back to the president.”

“I understood.”

“Now, it has been three months since you joined our company. You know how to cook lo mein. Hahaha.”

Manager Kim gave Gun-Ho a broad smile.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you, ma’am. Just like a dog that spent three months in a restaurant could cook lo mein. Haha.”

“Okay, then I will leave now. I trust you on the work.”

“I will text you if I have any questions. Take care of yourself.”

Gun-Ho started working alone in the accounting team. He didn’t realize until now how hectic the work in the accounting team could get. There were way more tedious tasks in this job than physical labor job in a factory. Managing the source documents itself took a lot of time. He had to work until late at night every day. He once received a phone call from a company.

“This is Sangwon Trade. The payment due date has passed. Why aren’t you sending the payment yet?”

“Sangwon Trade? Oh, okay. I will send the payment right away.”

“Is this because Manager Kim is not there? This kind of things has never happened before.”

“I am so sorry.”

The president often called Gun-Ho in as well.

“Did we receive the payment from A Tech?”

“Oh, A Tech? Uhh… I will check.”

A frown appeared on the president’s face.

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo! Why did you bring these source documents now? I was supposed to receive them several days ago.”

“I am so sorry.”

Gun-Ho had been sweating over the workload every day. Through accumulation of experience, however, he gradually became proficient at his work.

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Chapter 30 - B2B Electronic Payment (4)

Chapter 30: Chapter 30. B2B Electronic Payment (4)

Ten days had passed since Gun-Ho handled the work by himself in the accounting team.

Time truly cures all things. He didn’t feel any difficulty handling B2B payment discount; he just needed to get the knack of it. However, he had to work till late at night every day because of the heavy workload in managing source documents and data entry into the accounting program.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk; it has been a while.

“Bro, it’s me.”

“Hey, Jong-Suk. How have you been?”

“Bro, how’s your work in accounting? You achieved career advancement since you no longer work in a factory but work in an office.”

“Don’t get me started. I work till late at night every single day.”

“You don’t get paid for overtime because it is an office job.”

“Nothing much I can do about it. I have to stay at work until I finish the work.”

“Did you get a raise?”

“Same. 180.”

Jong-Suk chuckled. “I got a raise because now I do welding and handle some machines, too.”

“How much?”

“2,000,000 won.”

“Really? I should have stayed as a factory worker.”

“No, I am not a factory worker. I am a welder. I do have the nationally recognized certificate for welding.”

“You made a better choice than me. Do your parents still ask you to be a police officer?”

“They don’t anymore. When my dad was in the hospital, I gave my parents 4,000,000 won that I saved. They were very happy.”

“I see. You are a good son.”

“Nah.”

“The manager I’m working with is on her maternity leave right now. So I have to do all the accounting work by myself; it is really a lot of work.”

“An office job looks nice, but maybe it isn’t.”

“An office job is hard. Maybe I shouldn’t have listened to the Cheongdam Town Chairman Lee and studied accounting.”

“You probably can’t go fishing anymore since you live far.”

“Yes, I can. If I take the highway, it only takes two and a half hours to go to the Pocheon fishing site. I will let you know once I become less busy.”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay. I will talk to you later then.”

“Bye.”

Gun-Ho checked the payment status of the entities for credit sales every day to see if they pay on time. It was one of the work Manager Kim handed over to Gun-Ho when she left. If a company didn’t pay on time, Gun-Ho would call a staff in their accounting team to demand the payment. Most of the companies among 40 entities made payments through B2B, and five of them would send the payment via electronic promissory note.

“Manager Kim said that an early payment discount is applicable to an electronic promissory note even in a private loan market. Let me call the hard money lender that Manager Kim mentioned.”

An electronic promissory note, not a B2B, can be transferred to a private money lender. The lenders deduct their fee of the total payment amount promised and the vendor receives the discounted amount after subtracting the fee. The company Gun-Ho was working for didn’t have many electronic promissory notes, and the amount of payments was relatively small. Gun-Ho once received a call from a private money lender.

“Mr. Goo? Hi. I am calling to talk to you about the service we provide. We do take electronic promissory notes and we charge less than other money lenders. Why don’t you sell your notes to us?”

Two of the companies for credit sales were very small companies. They were still issuing paper promissory notes. One of them issued a 2,000,000 won paper promissory note, and the other company issued a 3,000,000 won note.

“Paper promissory notes are troublesome. In order to receive them, I have to go to their office.”

When Gun-Ho had to make payments to client companies, he applied either a B2B discount or an electronic promissory note discount. Sometimes, he even had to ask the president to use the TIME OTP that the president was keeping in his office because he had to pay through the Industrial Bank of Korea. The major client company, Mulpasaneop, was not the only company that used the Industrial Bank of Korea for B2B payment; there were ten other small companies which used the service from the same bank.

Gun-Ho received a phone call from the Korea Electric Power Corporation (“KEPCO”); the payment due date for electricity had passed.

“You have an outstanding balance on your account with us; the amount to be paid is 12,000,000 won. If you don’t pay it by today, there will be a late fee.”

Gun-Ho verified the current balances of all three banks: Shinhan, Kookmin, and Woori. There were not enough funds to pay the electricity bill. He had to use the funds received in the Industrial Bank of Korea after applying the B2B discount.

“Let me ask the president for its OTP.”

Gun-Ho knocked on the president’s office door. The president was dozing off in his chair and the knocking woke him up. It was right after lunchtime.

“What is it?”

“I need to do B2B discount on the funds received in the Industrial Bank of Korea so we could pay the electricity bill.”

The president handed over the OTP to Gun-Ho while smacking his lips. He said while feeling annoyed, “Keep it with you from now on. It’s really annoying to hand it over to you every time you need to use it; it’s too often. Take it!”

The president tossed the TIME OTP of the Industrial Bank of Korea to Gun-Ho.

“Do you really want me to keep it for you?”

“Yeah. So you don’t have to knock on my door that often. It’s annoying for both of us, right?”

“I understood.”

Gun-Ho took the TIME OTP from the president and came back to his desk. He was going to keep it until Manager Kim comes back from her maternity leave.

It has been two weeks since Gun-Ho started working alone in the accounting team. Gun-Ho received a call from his married older sister.

“Gun-Ho? Do you have money by chance?”

“No, why?”

“My landlord asked us to vacate the apartment. I seriously need money. I have to find another apartment to move to, but I can’t find any with the money in my hand around here. Can you lend me 5,000,000 won? I will pay you the interest.”

“I have no money. I am barely making a living.”

“You have been working for over four years. You couldn’t even save 5,000,000 won?”

“My pay is really low. It’s hard to save any.”

“That’s because you spend too much on drinking.”

“If so, why did your husband fail to save enough money?”

“Driving a truck doesn’t pay much. We were barely able to send Jung-Ah to kindergarten. Whew, where should we move to then?”

“I am sorry, I really want to help you, but I really don’t have money.”

“Okay. I am the bad sister who is asking money from a little brother.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I got it. Hang up!”

Gun-Ho’s sister hung up the phone, feeling irritated.

“She must be serious about the money since she called me. But what can I do?”

Gun-Ho felt bad, but there was nothing he could do about it. Three days later, Gun-Ho was about to go home from his work when he received a call from his mom; she sounded troubled.

“Gun-Ho, we need you to come Incheon right away. Your dad collapsed, and the ambulance took him.”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I have no money to pay for his medical bill. What are we going to do?”

Gun-Ho’s mother was about to cry.

“Okay, mom. I am on my way. Sh*t!”

Gun-Ho was annoyed. He headed to Incheon.

Gun-Ho arrived at the Gil Medical Center in Incheon. His mother and sister were already there.

“What happened?”

“Your dad had an X-ray and is getting MRI right now.”

“What did the doctor say?”

“Nothing yet. His doctor is coming.”

“Who is with the patient? Is his son here?”

Gun-Ho went closer to the doctor.

“I am the son.”

“Come with me please.”

“How is he?”

“It’s a heart attack. An artery supplying heart muscle is blocked by a blood clot. His heart muscle is damaged.”

“What’s going to happen then?”

“He has to stay in the hospital. His heart muscle can die any time as it doesn’t get enough oxygen due to low cardiac output. He could get a sudden fall in blood pressure, and it really is dangerous.”

“I understood. I will have him admitted to the hospital.”

Gun-Ho was worried and anxious.

“Once he stays in the hospital, his medical bill will be really high. How much should I expect? I only have 1,200,000 won.”

Gun-Ho went outside of the hospital and started smoking.

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Chapter 31 - B2B Electronic Payment (5)

Chapter 31: Chapter 31. B2B Electronic Payment (5)

Gun-Ho withdrew 1,000,000 won from the ATM inside the hospital.

“Mom, here is 1,000,000 won. Keep it for now.”

“What’s this for?”

“We have to wait and see the test result before we know anything about his treatment like if an operation is needed. However, you might need the money to pay the security deposit for his hospitalization.”

Gun-Ho’s sister said while standing next to her mother,

“1,000,000 won is far from enough. Whew, I spent all my money for my recent moving. What are we going to do?”

Gun-Ho looked up the ceiling in the hospital lobby for a moment and then looked at his mother’s face. He could see the wrinkles on her face; her eyes were filled with tears. He deeply felt sorry for her.

“Mom, I gotta go. I have to go to work tomorrow in Asan. If you need anything, just call me.”

“Okay. Go before it gets too late to leave. Be nice and show your respect to people at work.”

It was already the middle of night. Gun-Ho had mixed feelings on the way home, Cheonan from Incheon.

“I had 1,200,000 won in total, and I gave 1,000,000 out of it to mom. That leaves me with 200,000 won. I have to live with 200,000 for a month.”

Feeling of fear began to seize Gun-Ho.

“I should have gotten a credit card; it would have been useful. I only have a debit card… Can I get a loan from a bank? I already have the sunshine loan and student loan. They won’t lend me any more money because of my pre-existing loans. As my sister said, 1,000,000 won is way far from enough for dad’s medical bill… Ahh! It drives me crazy!”

Gun-Ho screamed like an animal while holding the steering wheel.

Gun-Ho became quiet at work. He just worked without saying a word.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo!”

The president called him. Gun-Ho couldn’t hear the president because he was lost in thought.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo!”

When the president shouted Gun-Ho’s name again, Gun-Ho woke up to it and ran to the president’s office. The president was with a guest in his office.

“What were you doing? I’ve been calling you!”

“I am sorry. I was on the phone and couldn’t hear you.”

“Say hello to him. This is the branch manager of the Industrial Bank of Korea.”

The branch manager offered his hand for a handshake while smiling.

“Hello, I am Gun-Ho Goo. Nice to meet you.”

The president took a sip of green tea and said, “Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, can you bring the financial statements from last year?”

“Financial statements? Sure, I will be right back.”

Gun-Ho went back to his desk and started looking for the financial statements from his shelf. It was a thick book.

“I am sure it was here…”

It was strange that he couldn’t find the financial statements from the place it had always been. There was one from two years ago and one from three years ago, but he couldn’t find the one for the prior year, of all things. Gun-Ho could hear the president yelling.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo! What takes you so long? Please bring it right away!”

“Okay, okay.”

Gun-Ho was flustered, and he finally found the last year’s financial statements after a while. It was placed at the bottom of the shelf; it was weird that Gun-Ho didn’t see it earlier. He ran to the president’s office while carrying the statements with him.

“You should have placed it somewhere you can easily find. You can’t take that long to find this kind of documents.”

“I am so sorry.”

The president said while leafing through the financial statements, “For the last year, our short-term debt didn’t increase, did it?”

“Huh? Oh, no, no, it didn’t”

Gun-Ho didn’t actually know whether the short-term debt increased or decreased. He had gone through the statements once, but he didn’t really pay attention to it. He just answered “no,” and felt worried. The president gestured.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. You can leave us now.”

“Oh, okay, okay.”

Gun-Ho left the president’s office after giving a 90-degree bow to the president and the branch manager.

Gun-Ho took a copy of last year’s financial statements to verify the short-term debt from the storage room. It actually increased compared to two years ago.

“Whew, the president would say something later about this.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the storage room while carrying a copy of the financial statements. He wanted to carefully look through it once he got home.

After he came to his desk Gun-Ho sat in his chair absent-mindedly.

He was not sure about his father’s test result and how much medical bill he had to expect. He was also worried if the president would reprimand him after the branch manager leaves. At that moment, he received a call from Jong-Suk.

“Bro, let’s go fishing the day after tomorrow; it’s Sunday!”

“To Pocheon?”

“You said it only takes two and half hours from your end. I will bring soju and a roasted chicken. You just bring your own body.”

Gun-Ho was stressed a lot these days both at work and at home; he wanted to get some fresh air.

“Okay, let’s go! F*ck.”

“Why do you say ‘f*ck’ in going fishing?”

“There is something you don’t know.”

“Something must be going on. Come and get fresh air. You need to refresh yourself!”

It has been a while since Gun-Ho headed to the Pocheon fishing site.

“Our country, Korea has the great roads even though its people are having a hard time living in it.”

Gun-Ho met Jong-Suk at the fishing site. He was really happy to see Jong-Suk.

“Hey, it has been a while. I am truly happy to see you. Uh? You gained some weight.”

“I ate too much pork belly because factory often has dinner gatherings. You seem to have lost some weight, bro.”

“My life has been hard, I guess.”

“Uh? Look at that. The Cheongdam Town Chairman Lee is here. Wow, I didn’t expect to see him again. That Manager Gweon who is assisting Chairman Lee is here, too.”

“Chairman Lee, how are you?”

“Oh, young men. I am glad to see both of you. How have you been? I come here from time to time. It seems you didn’t come here for quite a while.”

“Yes, I am still working in Yangju, but my bro is now working in Asan.”

“Asan? You are far from here. So do you still work in a plastic factory?”

“He is working in an accounting department. He already acquired the accounting certificate.”

“Oh, really? A ShinWangJaeWang fate actually started being exposed to the accounting. So how is it?”

“I think I should have stayed as a factory worker. I had to often work till late at night, and I didn’t even get a raise.”

“Hahaha. The ShinWangJaeWang fate is well paying its lesson fee to GiShinDaeWoon.”

“Huh?”

“No, I am just talking to myself.”

“A fate thing, that’s a sham. The Master Park from the Jinyeo Philosophy Hall told me that I would be a rich man after five years. Almost two years already passed from that day. I feel like I am financially suffering more.”

“Hahaha, is that right?”

Gun-Ho recalled Master Park’s face; he sure looked like a top con artist. He just pretended to know everything and took people’s pocket money just like that—he seemed to be an evil man.

At that moment, there was a big thumping noise. Chairman Lee and Manager Gweon stood up and looked in the direction of the sound.

“It seems like they are demolishing the barn across the street with an excavator. Whew, I could see the dust even from the distance. It will generate tons of construction waste.”

“Fish will run away because of that noise.”

Chairman Lee said while casting the fishing rod into the water again.

“There are lots of construction wastes these days. Even on the way to this fishing site, I saw a pile of construction waste on the entrance of the asphalt-paved road leading to the site. I had to drive on the edge of the road to avoid it.”

“Hmm… construction waste… there is someone who made money out of that waste.”

“What? That waste has value?”

Manager Gweon’s eyes widened as he looked at the Chairman Lee.

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Chapter 32 - Seed Money Soaked With Tears (1)

Chapter 32: Chapter 32. Seed Money Soaked With Tears (1)

While gazing at the fishing float on the water, Chairman Lee said, “Don’t underestimate construction wastes because they seem useless. There is someone who made big money out of it.”

“Really?”

“It’s a company called InsunENT. The owner is a high school graduate and a very successful man. He grew his company to a KOSDAQ registered firm with construction waste disposal business only; isn’t it amazing?”

“It became a KOSDAQ registered company with a construction waste disposal service? Wow. That waste can be indeed lucrative.”

“Rebuilding a condo or building a new town produces a lot of construction waste. Then, the construction waste management company gets busy.”

“The stocks of InsunENT will go up as well.”

“The prices of stocks fluctuate; so, I don’t know. However, InsunENT is a new KOSDAQ registered company and it is not reached by stock market manipulators yet; so, their stock price will go up, I guess.”

Gun-Ho listened to Chairman Lee with a lot of interest when Chairman Lee talked about stocks. The topic intrigued him because of his experience of losing all of his money saved up in Hwaseong at that time, in addition to his sunshine loan in stocks.

“Do you invest in stocks too?”

Chairman Lee responded to Gun-Ho’s question with a smile.

“No, I don’t because you can’t figure out the other player’s cards. Moreover, if you make money in stocks, the pleasure lasts for three days while the sadness of losing money in stocks lasts for over seven days according to some psychologists. That’s why I don’t do stocks. Oh, I’ve got a bite!”

Chairman Lee lifted his fishing net; there was one flapping carp.

After the fishing, Gun-Ho had a good time with Jong-Suk. They were sitting on the grass beside the lake while having a roasted chicken with soju. He wasn’t jealous of anybody, even for a king at this moment.

“I’d better get going. I have a long way to drive.”

“Will there be heavy traffic since it is Sunday?”

“Usually, traffic is heavy on Saturdays; Sunday should be okay.”

“Safe trip, bro.”

“Okay. I’ve been feeling down lately because of new work in accounting and worries within my family. I feel better now after having a good time with you here. Thank you. I will see you soon.”

Gun-Ho felt much better while driving home. He was listening to IU song when his car engine stopped. He was driving on the expressway just passing by Anseong and almost getting to the North-Cheonan IC.

“Did the drive belt break? I’ve never had this problem with this car before. The engine just stopped. Sh*t!”

After Gun-Ho called his auto insurance company, he moved his car to the side of the road and had waited for over thirty minutes until someone from the insurance company arrived. They opened the car hood.

“It seems to be a long time since you had your car checked.”

“Yes, I’ve been busy…”

“Oh, hmmm. The timing gear failed. The car needs to be towed.”

“What? It has to be towed?”

Gun-Ho was stunned. He only had 200,000 won in hand. His next payday was far away.

A tow truck arrived, and it dragged Gun-Ho’s old Avante to the Seonghwan Town to an auto repair shop there. An auto mechanic came out and started checking on Gun-Ho’s car here and there.

“Hmm. The timing gear failed. You should have changed it already.”

“Timing gear? How much do you think it will cost me?”

“Well, I need to look further to be sure but I would say around 300,000 to 400,000 won.”

“400,000 won?”

Gun-Ho became devastated.

“How long do you think will it take to repair?”

“You can leave the car here today and pick it up tomorrow evening. Give me your business card, then I will call you once the repair is complete.”

“Whew…”

Gun-Ho gave a deep sigh.

“It is really a good thing that this didn’t cause any accident. You don’t have to worry about the repair. I will completely replace it.”

Gun-Ho gave the mechanic his business card and then staggered out of the auto repair shop. He waited for a bus to Dujeong Town at the bus station. The bus didn’t come—it was dark, and it started raining. Gun-Ho became soaking wet and looked like a drowned rat.

“Sh*t! Why hasn’t the bus come yet?”

Unlike Seoul, a bus didn’t run often in provinces. After waiting for thirty minutes, Gun-Ho decided to just grab a taxi.

Fortunately, Dujeong Town in Cheonan from Seonghwan Town, where his room was located was not very distant. Gun-Ho didn’t have to pay a lot for taxi fare as he initially expected. When he entered his tiny room in the OneRoomTel, he found a mail.

“What is this?”

It was a notice of seizure from the City Hall for his car. It said since Gun-Ho didn’t pay his auto tax, the city would seize his car. Gun-Ho collapsed into his chair.

“It’s not just the cost that I’m worried about. How am I going to work tomorrow? I have no idea about bus routes in this area… Will it be easy to find a taxi? How much should I expect to pay for the taxi fare to Dunpo to my work?”

“Aaaaah!”

Gun-Ho pulled out his own hair.

“Tomorrow, we are getting B2B payment from Mulpasaneop. I have to bring the report of deposits and withdrawals to the president.”

Gun-Ho was about to go crazy. He washed his feet, then brushed his teeth, and laid down on his bed; but, he couldn’t sleep. He went out in his flip-flops to buy a soju and Saewookkang (a Korea shrimp-flavored snack).

“I am so hopeless. It seems like the world is against me! For car repairing, let’s spend some of the petty cash from work for now. I can fill it in once I get paid next month.”

When Gun-Ho thought about this, he received a call from his sister. A phone call from a family member at late night was usually about bad news rather than good news. Gun-Ho felt nervous when he answered the phone.

“Gun-Ho? Dad’s surgery date is scheduled. It’s the day after tomorrow.”

“Is it? So it cost, huh?”

“Big problem. The surgery costs about 2,000,000 won. However, his medical insurance doesn’t cover the surgery, and it makes the total medical cost more than 6,000,000 won. What are we gonna do?”

“Why doesn’t his insurance cover the surgery?”

“Mom hadn’t paid for the insurance for a while before she started working in the nursing home; the outstanding balance for the insurance is 2,400,000 won now. Unless we pay that amount, they said they wouldn’t apply the medical insurance to his surgery. What did you do? You should have added them as dependents to your insurance provided at work!”

“How would I know that! I don’t know, okay? I already gave 1,000,000 won to mom. You and mom figure out the rest!”

“Do something. Steal some money from somewhere! If dad doesn’t get the surgery, we will have to pay more for his funeral.”

“What did you do, sister?! You had saved some money before you got married. What did you do with that money?!”

“What about you? What did you do?!”

“F*ck! How come our parents are so poor! I even had to give up on the exam to become a level-9 government employee because of money!”

“They did their best. We both know that mom and dad had done everything they could!”

“All parents do what they could do. Sh*t. Why did they get married in the first place! I don’t even expect to inherit any wealth from them, then they at least shouldn’t ask their children to pay for their medical bill! This is unbelievable!”

“You shouldn’t say that way. You will have to pay for what you said.”

“Pay for what?”

“You, are you drunk? You as*hole!”

“What? F*cker!”

They raised their voices while they are fiercely arguing. The OneRoomTel owner ran to Gun-Ho’s room to warn him.

“Go outside to talk on the phone. I am getting a lot of complaints from other residents here because you are too loud!”

“Okay!”

After getting off the phone with his sister, Gun-Ho drank all night. He kept drinking all night long while his face was all covered with tears and nasal discharge.

“Okay, that’s right, let’s do it!”

Gun-Ho came up with something which even he was surprised with. He bit his lip. He looked determined. He bit his lip so hard that his lip was bleeding out.

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Chapter 33 - Seed Money Soaked With Tears (2)

Chapter 33: Chapter 33. Seed Money Soaked With Tears (2)

Morning came, and Gun-Ho found himself lying down on his bed wearing the same clothes he had worn yesterday.

“I didn’t brush my teeth last night. I didn’t even take my socks off and fell asleep.”

Several empty soju bottles were scattered here and there on his tiny room floor.

“It looks like an alcoholic’s room.”

Gun-Ho looked at the clock. It was half-past five.

“Oh, I don’t have a car. I’d better take a shower now and leave for work early.”

Gun-Ho cleaned his room roughly and took a shower. He went out to take a taxi without having breakfast.

“Dunpo, Shinbong Town!”

Gun-Ho arrived at work at 7 AM. No one was at work that early yet; the office was quiet. Gun-Ho turned on his computer as soon as he sat at his desk while clenching his jaw. He then opened the stock website, PaxNet.

“If I remember correctly, the name of the company Chairman Lee mentioned was InsunENT.”

Sparks appeared in his eyes.

“Hmmm… their gross sales are over 100,000,000,000 won. Their financial statements look good. The founder is a high school graduate? Wow, he is indeed a successful man. Well, why not me!”

When Gun-Ho invested in stocks with the sunshine loan several years ago, he didn’t consult financial statements. His investment in stocks was an investment without knowledge or information. But now, he knew how to read and analyze financial statements; thanks to his work experience in accounting.

“Their stocks are undervalued. Stock market manipulators haven’t touched their stocks yet. Since the number of trades is increasing, the manipulators started buying their stocks lately.”

When Gun-Ho bit his lip, it bled out again; he must have bitten the same area of his lip that he had bitten yesterday.

Gun-Ho drafted the report of deposits and withdrawals. It was a report prepared by the accounting team to be handed out to the president every morning. The report usually included the current status of deposits and withdrawals on the previous day, the balance of each bank, and the status of promissory notes the company had.

“On Friday, we received the B2B payment of 520,000,000 won from our major client, Mulpasaneop Corp. through the Industrial Bank of Korea. We also received the B2B payment of 24,000,000 won from Bochang Industry through the Shinhan Bank.”

Gun-Ho entered all data into Excel proficiently.

B2B (Business to Business) is an electronic commerce transaction between companies. Once a company issues a promissory note, a bank, as a middle man, takes the promissory note and pays the payee company after applying the early payment discount. Many companies often use this B2B system for transactions—dealing with a large amount of money.

The workers in the factory usually came to work at 8 AM. When the clock hits 8, workers started coming to work. The president usually came to work at 7:30 AM and walked around the work site in the factory, and then he walked up to the second floor where all offices were located. Many presidents of mid-size companies were morning persons.

“Good morning!”

When the president came to the office, the office workers stood up and gave a 90-degree bow to the president.

“Hmm, hmm. Uh? Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, you came to work early today.”

Gun-Ho followed the president to his office carrying the report of deposits and withdrawals.

“Here is the report of deposits and withdrawals.”

“You are so fast.”

The president looked at the report thoroughly.

“The total balance from four banks is 6,400,000 won, and we received the B2B from Mulpasaneop of 520,000,000 won, and 24,000,000 won from Bochang Industry…”

“That’s correct. I will get the discounted amount for the Bochang Industry payment and pay for the part of the credit purchase of raw materials with it. And for the Mulpasaneop payment, I will get the discounted payment on the 24th to pay the wages.”

“Okay, we don’t have to get all of the discounted payments right now since we have to pay for the fee accordingly.”

“That’s right. I will proceed then.”

The president signed on the approval section of the report without a problem.

“Gun-Ho Goo! You did a good job!”

“Okay, I will do it.”

Gun-Ho gave a 90-degree bow to the president before he could leave his office. Before Gun-Ho left the office, the president called Gun-Ho again.

“This is a wedding invitation. Please mail 200,000 won to the address shown on that invitation; I mean with my name.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho bowed respectfully to the president again and left his office while carrying the wedding invitation.

Gun-Ho went outside for a moment. He then let out a deep sigh while looking up the sky. He then fastened his belt. He looked resolute and determined just like a general before going to war when he came back to his desk. He opened the Industrial Bank of Korea website.

“I am borrowing the money for a few weeks. I will pay all back to the company!”

His eyes appeared bloodshot. Gun-Ho entered to view the account receivables and applied the early payment discount on Mulpasaneop’s 520,000,000 won. It didn’t take even a second for the 515,000,000 won cash to be transferred to the company bank account; the amount reflected the fee charged by the bank.

“Just for a few weeks.”

Gun-Ho transferred all of 515,000,000 won into his personal bank account. An error message appeared immediately: ‘transfer failure.’

“Oh, that’s right. The outgoing transfer limit for the YS Tech bank account is 500,000,000 won.”

Gun-Ho adjusted the amount to 500,000,000 won and tried the transfer again. This time a success message appeared.

“I will use the money until payday.”

After the transfer, Gun-Ho continued concentrating on working with his computer. He looked around for a second. He then took out Hyundai Securities card from the back of his diary. He had made this card when he invested in stocks with sunshine loan a few years back.

“My bank account has 100,000,000 won outgoing transfer limit. Let’s move 100,000,000 to my stock account in Hyundai Securities.”

Gun-Ho looked around with bloodshot eyes.

“No one is looking. Let’s download the speed online trading.”

Gun-Ho logged in to the Hyundai Securities online stocks trading with the login ID and password he had written down in his diary.

“100,000,000 won just came in!”

Gun-Ho bought the InsunENT stocks with all of 100,000,000 won. In the afternoon that day, he went to the Dunpo post office; the general affairs manager took him to the post office with his car as a favor. Gun-Ho mailed the wedding gift money for the president there and stopped by his bank. He raised the outgoing transfer limit from 100,000,000 to 300,000,000 won.

“I will send 200,000,000 more to my Hyundai Securities stock account.”

Gun-Ho purchased more of InsunENT stocks that day with 200,000,000 won.

“Well, I will see!”

When it was 3:30 in the afternoon, Gun-Ho checked the stock closing price; 1.5% down.

“B2B discount price is 5,000,000 won; stock loss is 4,500,000 won. F*ck! If I add the stock trading fee, I lost 10,000,000 won already. I lost half of my yearly salary in the blink of an eye today!”

It was weird though. Gun-Ho used to get irritated and upset when he had to spend even 100,000 won for his car repairing, but he felt calm now. Half of his yearly salary was gone, but he was calm.

Tuesday came around.

Gun-Ho transferred the remaining 200,000,000 to his stock account and bought more of InsunENT stocks even though its stock price went down, in order to reduce the average cost of stocks he invested. The total cost he invested in this stock was 500,000,000 won. After he purchased later at a lesser price, the estimated loss reduced from -1.5% to -0.65%.

“I have 20 days left until the payday. It is now up to God.”

Gun-Ho would face his fate after 20 days—he could make money or he could go to prison. Gun-Ho quietly closed his eyes. He felt like he could hear something.

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Chapter 34 - Seed Money Soaked With Tears (3)

Chapter 34: Seed Money Soaked With Tears (3)

Gun-Ho invested 500 million won in the InsunENT stock out of the B2B payment of 515 million received from Mulpasaneop Corp. by the company. This was obviously an illegal act. Gun-Ho was suffering severe financial difficulties, and it was an act of deviation driven by his deep despair.

“I will pay right back to the company once I make money out of this investment.”

Gun-Ho withdrew the remaining 15 million won of the Mulpasaneop’s B2B payment in cash.

“It won’t make any difference whether I take 500 million won or 515 million won.”

Gun-Ho sent 4.5 million won from the 15 million cash withdrawal to his sister so she could pay for the father’s surgery and also for the outstanding dues of his medical insurance. Once Gun-Ho sent a text message to his sister to let her know about the money he just sent, she called him right away.

“You, where did you get that money?”

“I stole it.”

“What? Tell me the truth.”

“You are the one who told me that I should even steal money from somewhere to pay for dad’s surgery.”

“It just came out of anger. Did you borrow from your company? Well, thank you, brother. I will let the hospital know so dad can have his surgery as scheduled.”

“Okay. I gotta go; I am busy.”

Gun-Ho used another 500,000 won from that cash withdrawal to fill in the company’s petty cash; he used some of the petty cash to repair his car earlier.

“I have 10 million won left. I will invest all in the InsunENT stock.”

All he could think of was real-time stock quotes. Gun-Ho stayed logged in the online stock trading website to see the current volumes of bid size and ask size of stocks. He kept the one-minute bar chart open on his computer.

“Mr. Goo, let me borrow the company credit card; I have to buy paint.”

The maintenance team leader came to Gun-Ho to ask for the business credit card. Even then Gun-Ho couldn’t take his eyes off the chart.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo! What are you looking at? Are you looking at the bar chart?”

“No, no. What did you just say? Did you say you needed the company credit card? What do you need it for?”

“Wake up. I just told you that I needed to buy paint.”

“Oh, that’s right. Paint. If the amount to spend is more than 100,000 won, you need to get the president’s signature first.”

Gun-Ho’s face was telling that when his mind was somewhere else.

Stocks don’t move in the direction investors wish to move. If you buy a stock, its price goes down. If you sell it, the price goes up. That’s the way stocks work.

“Sh*t, it’s down again 3% today. That makes my net account value 15 million won less. It must be the market manipulators behind the decrease of this stock’s price. They are trying to make small investors sell their stocks.”

InsunENT stock didn’t send a lucky smile to Gun-Ho. Instead, its stock didn’t plunge at least. The stock price moved up and down repeatedly within the -2% frame.

“It looks like the stock is confined in a box.”

Gun-Ho became anxious as time went by. Gun-Ho could manage to empty his mind and relax in the beginning. However, as time went by, he was beginning to feel antsy and have a panic attack. He couldn’t sleep at night and his lips became swollen consequently.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo! What happened to your lips? Did someone bite you?”

The general affairs manager made a joke out of Gun-Ho’s swollen lips. The new female employee in the general affairs team also laughed along while covering her mouth. The president hired this female employee as a general affairs team member after Manager Kim in the accounting team went on maternity leave. The president thought there had to be someone who could serve tea when he had a guest in the company.

It has been five days since Gun-Ho invested in InsunENT stock.

“I’ve invested in this company because Chairman Lee spoke highly of their business. Did I overreact to what he said by investing in this company? Maybe he just said it without meaning anything.”

Gun-Ho was continuously feeling antsy even after he went back to his room after work. He sometimes stayed up all night because he couldn’t sleep. He even took sleeping pills.

“If I have to go to prison, at least my dad could survive because he had undergone surgery… Me, I will probably rot in prison for two years? Once I get out of prison, I will be 34 years old and wouldn’t be able to find a job because of my criminal record. I will probably have to get a day worker job and eventually die as such.”

Gun-Ho thought life was unfair. If there was God, he wanted to ask him why unfortunate things happened to him way more than others.

“What’s done is done. I will empty my mind calmly and wait to see what happens.”

Gun-Ho decided to stop checking stock prices daily.

The president usually read an economic newspaper in his office in the morning and he read two additional daily newspapers. After he finished reading the newspapers, the workers in the office read them in the afternoon. Gun-Ho was reading the economic newspaper that day when he found an article about construction waste.

“Construction waste should be handled by an authorized waste management company.”

The article talked about construction waste and proper handling of the waste due to their adverse impacts on the environment. It said the construction waste should be disposed of by an authorized waste disposal company.

“This is good. Let’s check the InsunENT stock.”

Its stock price went up to 3.5%.

“I’ve recovered from the early losses and I am now back to my original price!”

Gun-Ho’s face was flushed with excitement. Since he came back to his initial price, he felt a bit emotionally stable. On the following day, Gun-Ho could see information and opinions about InsunENT on an online stock-trading community.

“InsunENT stocks are undervalued despite their good business performance. The stocks for investors to pay attention.”

Opinions like this started appearing on the online stock community.

“It seems that rumors from Yeouido stock street began to spread.”

The stock price started going up; 6% up already. 12% up on the following day, and it went down a bit and closed at 8%. Gun-Ho initially purchased the stocks for 510 million won. Now it was worth 580 million won.

“Nice! I made 70 million won. ”

Gun-Ho was excited.

“Let’s place the order to sell the stock!”

Gun-Ho’s hands were shaking.

“No, no, I still have more than ten days until the payday. I have to take big risks in order to win big. Let’s wait for a few more days.”

Bottom-priced stock can bounce hard and once the momentum gets behind the stock, its price goes up rapidly. This time, the InsunENT released an official news announcement.

“InsunENT signed a 15 billion won contract with A Corp. for construction waste disposal.”

The next day, its stock price increased 4% more. Gun-Ho’s net account value also increased to 600 million won.

“I have to sell now. If the stock plunges I could be stuck!”

Gun-Ho was about to place an order to sell the stock when the president called him in.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, the branch manager from the Industrial Bank of Korea is requesting a copy of our financial statements. Will you take it to them now?”

“Right now?”

It spoiled his excitement. Gun-Ho had to go to the Industrial Bank of Korea without being able to place the stock selling order. When he returned to the office, the stock market closed already.

“Whew, I really wanted to sell them today.”

The following day, the stock price dropped by 6%; it was strange. Gun-Ho’s net account value also went down to 560 million won.

“I should have sold them yesterday.”

“I thought I would make 90 million won. Well, I should be happy with this 50 million earnings.”

When Gun-Ho opened the stock trading website to place the selling order, he was stunned by the real-time stock quotes. As the trading volume dramatically increased, the price of the stock moved from -6% to 10%.

Gun-Ho opened tick charts. The size of the bar was growing, penetrating the ceiling.

“Let’s wait until the market closes!”

Gun-Ho stopped doing his accounting work and kept staring at the computer screen until 3 PM. As Gun-Ho didn’t even budge while sitting at his desk, the new female worker from the general affairs team talked to him.

“You are so into your work.”

Gun-Ho still didn’t take his eyes off the computer screen.

“The market closed with the HOD (High of Day)! The closing price is the highest price. There is still a high volume of buyers stacked up with this closing price!”

“My net account value is now 780 million won!”

Gun-Ho initially invested 510 million won and now the stock value was worth 780 million won. He gained 270 million won at a breath.

“I’m going to have an extravagant dinner tonight.”

That day, Gun-Ho had a very expensive dinner in a very expensive Japanese restaurant in Dujeong Town.

The increase in the stock price continued the next day. Gun-Ho’s net account value reached 1 billion won already.

“I heard there was an earthquake in Pohang City today. Will it impact on the stock market?”

Gun-Ho opened the stock discussion forum.

“The earthquake produced more construction waste. It will raise the stock price! Well, the stock is blowing up! Fasten your seatbelt!”

Opinions and comments of forum members were pouring into the forum.

Gun-Ho sold all of his stocks in InsunENT the next morning when there was a red light. It was five days before the payday.

“My net account value is now 1,045 million won. After I return 515 million won to the company, I will still have 530 million won.”

Tears were flowing from Gun-Ho’s eyes.

——————————————————————–

* About Insun Ent Co., Ltd.

InsunENT is a construction waste disposal company. It was KOSDAQ registered in 2002.

Its gross sales were 135.5 billion won, and its headquarter is located in Goyang City in Ilsan District. (The company can be searched on the Internet)

The founder of InsunENT is Jong-Taek Oh. He graduated from Gimje High School in Jeollabuk Province. After graduating high school, he moved to Seoul and worked for a subcontracting company of a construction equipment company. When he was retired, he purchased a heavy equipment with 6 million won and opened the InsunENT.

The price of InsunENT stock actually increased significantly in 2007 from 3,000 won to 9,000 won.

The story of our main character, Gun-Ho Goo buying the InsunENT stock is not based on the true story. It is fiction.

The reason I used the real company, InsunENT in this novel is because of its founder who is a high school graduate, but a very successful man. It was just to add fun to the novel. Thank you.

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Chapter 35 - Seed Money Soaked With Tears (4)

Chapter 35: Seed Money Soaked With Tears (4)

Gun-Ho deposited 515 million won in the company’s bank account, which he borrowed earlier.

“I paid it all back to the company. I didn’t even miss a penny, but I guess I will still have to pay for touching the company’s money.”

Gun-Ho gave a lot of thought on how he would handle the consequences.

“Once an outbound cash flow occurs in a business bank account for any reason, a statement for the activity must be made. The same applies to inbound cash flow as well. What am I gonna do then? Should I hand in my resignation letter and just quit my job? Even after paying all the money back to the company, I still have 530 million won in my personal bank account. It is enough money for myself to live by. Should I do that?”

Gun-Ho thought of confessing to what he did to the president.

“The president will get furious for the fact that I touched the company money. Even if I don’t tell the president, I can get caught during an internal audit or an external CPA audit…”

Gun-Ho had been racking his brains for a while but couldn’t find any good way to handle the situation.

“If I just quit the job and run away, I could be charged with a crime. Let’s start the wage distribution process for now. I will have to keep my 530 million won in my account at all costs…”

Gun-Ho went to the president’s office in order to start the wage distribution process.

“I will distribute paychecks this morning.”

“Hmm… you will? How much will it be in total?”

“It will be 214 million won. I will use the B2B discounted funds received from Mulpasaneop.”

“How much will be left after paying the wages?”

“301 million won will be left. The remaining funds will be used to pay for the raw materials on the 30th. And we will have to pay for the secured loan interest on the 28th.”

“Hmm. Okay.”

The president signed on the wage payment document.

After processing the wage payments, Gun-Ho started to again look for an easy way out.

“Maybe I should make it look like an employee loan, probably not. The amount of loan cannot be that big.”

A company sometimes lent money to its employees in an urgent situation. For example, to assist in an event of natural disaster, medical bills for surgery, etc. However, the amount would usually be a few million won. 500 million won would certainly not be adequate.

“Maybe I should make it look like that the president withdrew the funds temporarily and deposited back.”

Since the president was a top-level managerial decision maker, he could withdraw and deposit funds from and to the business account. However, it requires the president’s signature. Therefore, it was not an option Gun-Ho could take. Gun-Ho had to think deeper. His lip was almost healed from his biting last time; it started bleeding again.

“Hmm, that’s right. Let’s ask the accountant who is assisting our company work.”

Gun-Ho called the accountant office which had been working with the YS Tech. When Gun-Ho told them he was calling from the accounting team of the YS Tech, Manager Jeong who often came to Gun-Ho’s office picked up the phone.

“Manager Jeong? Hi, this is Gun-Ho Goo from YS Tech. May I speak to the accountant?”

“Our accountant? Is something wrong? Why don’t you talk to me?”

“No, I just have a few legal questions for my friend.”

“I am not sure if he is around. Give me a second.”

After a while, a man picked up the phone.

“This is the accountant, Jong-Soo Na.”

“Oh, hi. I am working with the YS accounting team. I am sorry to bother you. I am wondering if I could ask you a few questions if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“My friend… he withdrew some money from his company business account and he deposited the same amount back to the account after a few days. In this case, will he be in trouble even though there is no financial loss on the company’s side?”

“You mean he transferred the money to his personal bank account?”

“I believe so.”

“If he transferred the funds to his personal account, then it is evidently illegal.”

“Is that so? Even though there is no loss to the company?”

“Of course. If he withdrew money and then deposited only a partial amount, then it would constitute to embezzlement. If he deposited all of the money back, then it wouldn’t amount to embezzlement. However, he would still be liable for using the company funds for personal use.”

“Can he be arrested for it?”

“If it is embezzlement, the company will file a report. However, if there is no loss or damage to the company, it would be up to the company.”

“I am not so sure, but as far as I know, my friend used that money to invest in something and made several million won out of it. In that case, can he keep the money he made?”

“Well, a business entity can invest in stocks. In this case, the earning is treated as a capital gain and should be deposited in the business account. However, if the money was transferred to a personal account, and the person made money out of it and the company found it out, then the company could ask that person to return that earning as well. Practically it is hard to find out.”

“Then if the company doesn’t file a report for use of company money, if not embezzlement, then it is possible that my friend wouldn’t be charged with anything.”

“Usually, even though the person didn’t cause any loss to the company, they don’t let him keep the job. Whether they file a report or not is really their call.”

“Thank you so much for your time.”

“You’re welcome. If you have further questions, please let me know any time.”

Gun-Ho made up his mind. He picked a day when the president seemed to be in a good mood. Gun-Ho went to the president’s office with his letter of resignation.

“What is it?”

“I made a mistake. I am terribly sorry.”

When Gun-Ho handed over his resignation letter, the president’s eyes widened.

“What happened?”

“I… I transferred money from the company’s business account to my personal account and put it back to the company account after a few days.”

“What?”

“I am terribly sorry. I didn’t cause any loss to the company but it is still wrong. So I will resign from my position.”

“What? What? What the… what are you talking about?”

The president jumped up from his seat. He started speaking the dialect. That meant he got furious.

“I do apologize. I am so so sorry, sir.”

Gun-Ho gave a 90-degree bow to the president.

“Bring the current bank statement for each bank right now!”

“I just printed them out. Here they are.”

Gun-Ho took out the bank statements from the folder he was carrying.

The president thoroughly looked at the bank statement for each bank, especially the Industrial Bank of Korea’s bank statement.

“I transferred the B2B discounted payment to my account on the 5th and put the same amount back to the company’s account on the 20th.”

The president stared at the bank statements for quite a while, and then he crumbled the papers and threw them to the floor ruthlessly.

“So, you touched the company money, huh?”

“I am terribly sorry.”

“You, f*cking as*hole!”

The president kicked Gun-Ho’s shin.

“Oww!”

“That money is the company money. Even I can’t freely touch it. How dare you take it out and put it back any way you want? Do you think you can do that as long as you don’t cause any financial loss to the company?”

“I am so sorry.”

Gun-Ho kneeled on the floor in the president’s office.

“I considered you as my younger brother so I wanted to support you to grow well in my company, and you did this to me? You moron f*cker!”

The president was breathing heavily in anger. He grabbed the orchid plant from his desk and threw it toward the wall close to Gun-Ho. The plant was smashed into pieces while spattering soil in the air.

“I am terribly sorry.”

Gun-Ho begged for the president’s forgiveness while kneeling on the floor with his head on the floor as well.

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Chapter 36 - Seed Money Soaked With Tears (5)

Chapter 36: Seed Money Soaked With Tears (5)

The president approached Gun-Ho who was kneeling on the floor. He bent and pinched Gun-Ho’s cheek with his thumb and index finger and wagged it.

“You, what did you do with the company money? You invested in stocks, didn’t you?”

“Gun-Ho didn’t answer.

“You put the entire money you took back to the company account because you made some money out of it, huh? How much did you make? Several million won? Or a few ten million won?”

“No, that’s not true. I was thinking of using the money I withdrew, but I got so scared that I didn’t use the money at all. That’s why I put it back to the company’s account.”

“Don’t lie to me you pervert! I can’t look into your personal account, but I can file a report against you. So the police can look into your account to investigate.”

Gun-Ho recoiled from the idea that the police would have access to his bank statement, and the money he made would be revealed.

“You idiot, didn’t you know that you would be held liable for using the company money even though you didn’t cause any loss to the company?”

The president sighed and went back to his chair to sit in it.

“Since you touched the company money, I can’t let you work here.”

“I am so sorry, sir. I indeed wanted to assist you in any way I could, but things happened like this.”

Gun-Ho’s voice was trembling.

“Once you leave this company, do not ever work in the accounting field. You touched the company’s money. You will likely do it again. You will eventually find yourself in big trouble. If you didn’t make any money out of it and rather lost some, our company would have faced a big problem and you… you would have ruined your life.

The president grabbed the bottle of water from his desk and started to gulp down water. He then leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment before he grabbed his cell phone and called someone.

“Manager Kim? It’s me. I am sorry to bother you during your maternity leave.”

Gun-Ho felt relieved when he heard the president talking to Manager Kim; he thought the president was calling the police.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo is leaving us for personal reasons. I was wondering if you could come to work until we find someone else to fill in the position.”

Gun-Ho could hear Manager Kim’s voice over the phone.

“As a matter of fact, I’ve been feeling so bored at home and I was wondering how things are going at work. I will come to work tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to work a lot. Maybe you could come and work in the morning just to handle funds related work. That will be enough.”

“No, that’s fine, sir. My mom is staying with me to help me take care of the baby. I can come to work. It’s totally fine. It has been a month already.”

“A month already? The baby must have grown a lot already and really cute. Then let’s make it a part-time work for mornings only.”

“Sounds good. I will see you tomorrow then.”

After getting off the phone with Manager Kim, the president turned around to look at Gun-Ho.

“Get up. You look hideous f*cking kneeling on the floor.”

“I am so so so sorry, sir.”

The president sat back in his chair. His eyes were closed while he was drinking his water. He looked exhausted. Gun-Ho was still in a kneeling position with his head down. They both stayed that way while being silent for a few minutes. Finally, the president talked slowly in a low voice.

“What’s done is done. We don’t want to make a big fuss about the situation. It won’t do any good for any of us. Since the company didn’t sustain any financial loss, let’s put an end to it. We both don’t want it to become known. Let’s keep this between you and me.”

“I am terribly sorry.”

Gun-Ho lied on his face down on the floor in the president’ office. Tears welled up in his eyes.

The president looked into a blank space. He then closed his eyes before talking again.

“Make the cash withdrawal that you made on the 5th and the 6th look like it was withdrawn by the company’s president. The deposit on the 20th would be the return of the money I withdrew earlier. Gun-Ho Goo leaves the company the day after tomorrow once he hands over the work to Manager Kim when she comes to work tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho was choked with tears by what the president had said.

“Thank you, sir. Thank you. I will never forget your generosity.”

Gun-Ho cried while his face was lying down on the president’s office floor. He felt relieved thinking that he could keep the 530 million won in his bank account while sobbing continuously.

After Gun-Ho handed over the work to Manager Kim, he packed his stuff in his OneRoomTel room. It was a windy day when he headed to Seoul with his belongings loaded in his car. On the way to Seoul, he stopped the car around Seonghwan Town. He then bowed deeply towards the Shingbong Town, Dunpo, Asan where the YS Tech Corp. was located.

“If I ever succeed in life, I will come and visit you.”

Four months ago, Gun-Ho was singing Bohemian Rhapsody when he was on his way to Dunpo, Asan. At that time, he was so excited about getting the job. But now, it felt a bit different. He felt like he was bearing a heavy burden on his shoulders. Gun-Ho took out his bankbook from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“530 million won! This is my money!”

Gun-Ho had never had this amount of money before. He thought of his father and relatives. They had never touched this much money in their lives either.

“Where in Seoul should I head to? Noryangjin is the only town I know in Seoul, where I studied for the level-9 government job exam. Let’s go there for now!”

Gun-Ho arrived at Noryangjin, and he rented a room on the second floor of a townhouse behind the Dongjak District Office. It had a private bathroom and a kitchen.

“I paid ten million won for a security deposit with a monthly rent of 500,000 won. It’s a lousy room for its price.”

The house was old but the room was large.

“The room in Gwangjeok Town in Yangju City was the best. This room is more expensive than that room in Yangju but it is shabby… However, this room should be better than the rooms those people who are preparing for the government job exam have. They can’t afford to have a large room like this.”

The room Gun-Ho rented this time didn’t come with any option. He had to get a refrigerator and a washer on his own. He bought the used ones. He even had to buy a rice cooker and a table; he also purchased used ones. He didn’t have to buy a desk though. The person who used to live there left a desk behind.

“I spent 10 million won out of the 530 million won in my account for the room security deposit. So I have 520 million won left. Let’s start by paying off my debt tomorrow. I have the sunshine loan and student loan.”

Gun-Ho paid off his sunshine loan and student loan. He canceled the Revolving on his credit card debt and paid off the credit card as well. He had 500 million won left after he spent 20 million won for paying off all his debt.

“I shouldn’t waste any more of this money. It is precious money.”

Gun-Ho thought of his future while laying down in his room.

“Should I try the level-9 government job exam again since I am in Noryangjin now? If I study for the next two years, then I will be 34… If I could start working as a government employee from the age of 35, it’s too late to grow in that career. Moreover, there is no guarantee that I will pass the exam this time…”

Gun-Ho then thought about starting his own business.

“What if I move to Incheon where my parents are? Buy a condo there and start a roasted chicken restaurant or a bakery? Maybe I should keep the 500 million won in the bank and work in a factory or get a job again in accounting.”

Gun-Ho thought of all the options he could think of but nothing particular attracted him. Just at that moment, Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk.

“What are you doing? Watching an adult video?”

“No. I came to Seoul. I am in Noryangjin right now.”

“Noryangjin? Really? Are you going to prepare for the government job exam again?”

“No. I am thinking of starting my own business—like a small store.”

“A store? Do you have money for that?”

“I don’t have money but there is someone who wants to invest in my business.”

“It’s really risky to start a business with someone else’s money. You don’t even have any experience in running a business.”

“I don’t know.”

“You have to be really careful in starting your own business. There are tons of people who miserably failed.”

“I know that. So I am still thinking.”

“You should ask your classmate, Suk-Ho then.”

“Suk-Ho? What does he do? How come you know about my classmates more than I do?”

“That’s because you don’t go out a lot. Suk-Ho bro is running a bar at Gyeongridan Street in the Itaewon Town.”

“Really? I believe his father was a soldier in the military.”

“That’s right. I heard he is doing good and making a lot of money. You should go see him.”

“Hmm… Okay.”

Gun-Ho remembered that he had a fight with Suk-Ho when he was in high school. It could be awkward to see him now, but he still decided to meet him.

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Chapter 37 - Preparation for Starting a New Business (1)

Chapter 37: Preparation for Starting a New Business (1)

Gun-Ho was naturally not very extroverted.

Moreover, during his secondary school years, he didn’t do well in school and his family was poor. That made him more shy and timid back then, and he didn’t have many friends accordingly.

After graduating from high school, he went to a college in the countryside before he had to drop out of college because he couldn’t afford to pay for his tuition and living expenses. He later went to a cyber college while planning to transfer to another four-year college. He didn’t transfer to any college afterward though, but instead, he studied for the level-9 government job exam for quite a while. While Gun-Ho was trying all of above, he alienated the friends he had at that time even though there were only a few.

He then started working in a factory while moving around from Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province to Pocheon and to Yangju. At that time Gun-Ho almost had no friend. Jong-Suk who also worked in a factory with Gun-Ho was his only friend.

To make things worse social life wise, Gun-Ho got a sudden windfall of 500 million won when he worked in accounting in a company in Dunpo, Asan. Because Gun-Ho couldn’t say he was blameless for acquiring that money, he developed the tendency to hide things and the thought that earning money was the top priority. This might explain why he became reclusive and reluctant to meet people even after he had made a big fortune and become one of the big players from Gangnam.

Back to the story, Gun-Ho was still going through hard times in his life.

“Suk-Ho Lee is running a bar at Gyeongridan Street? I remember him bragging about going to the Military Academy. Now he is serving alcohol? It’s really hard to predict someone’s future.”

Gun-Ho had a bad memory about Suk-Ho. They had a bad fight when they were in high school; well, actually it was not a fight, but Gun-Ho got beaten up by Suk-Ho.

“I was about to leave for home after school when it suddenly began to rain. At that moment, Suk-Ho claimed that the umbrella I was holding was his and took it from me; I am certain it was mine. So we started fighting, but Suk-Ho was way bigger than me. He beat me up and gave me a pretty bad black eye. All the classmates around us took his side. When I got home afterward, I was all wet because of the rain and I cried so hard because I was upset. It still remains vivid in my memory. I am sure Suk-Ho will be very surprised if I go see him.”

Gun-Ho chuckled while getting on the bus no. 152 from the Noryangjin bus station.

“I will have to get off at the Samgakji Station and take the subway from there. It’s not far from here, and it’s not even noon yet.”

After he changed the subway line, he arrived at Itaewon Town.

“According to my Internet search earlier, this seems to be the way to get to Suk-Ho’s bar. But what is this? A hillside road?”

When he approached the hillside road, there was a sign.’Ministry of National Defense Service Support Corps.’

“Is this the building of the Central Army Corps of the Army? Well, the building doesn’t seem that good, so does the street.”

Once he passed by the building, bizarre business signs began to appear.

“Salon de Earth, The Code, BISTECCA… I have no idea what those words even mean.”

Gun-Ho had to wander the Gyeongridan Street for a while before he could find Suk-Ho’s bar that Jong-Suk indicated.

“Jong-Suk should have told me to look for the Itaewon Community Service Center to find Suk-Ho’s bar. It’s right here.”

The bar had a vague sign and drawing on its front, while Gun-Ho was not sure whether it was a restaurant or a bar. He tried to open the door. It was locked; the bar was not open yet.

“They open late probably because they serve alcohol.”

Gun-Ho decided to go to Itaewon Town and have lunch there and come back, hoping that the bar would be open by then.

“How much would it cost to open a bar like this? It doesn’t seem to be large and its location is a little off the main street. The initial cost to start this type of business wouldn’t be that high… Let’s have lunch first in Itaewon Town.”

Itaewon Town was situated next to Gyeongridan Street. It was a well-developed town with stores, restaurants, bars, etc. It was also crowded; Gun-Ho could find many westerners and African Americans as well.

“How much would these roadside stores cost to open? Probably expensive, huh? If I have a store like them, would I be able to handle it? I’ve never run my own business before. I should be extra careful.”

Gun-Ho had a pork cutlet for lunch. After lunch, he wandered around Itaewon Town while browsing shops there.

“How much would a clothing store like this make per day? All they have to pay is the rent and labor…”

Gun-Ho looked at the clock on his smartphone. It was ten past two.

“I wonder if Suk-Ho came to his bar and open it already.”

Gun-Ho headed back to Gyeongridan Street.

“Comparing to Itaewon Town, there is not much traffic here and the street extends all the way over the hill. I am not sure why this street is so popular.”

Gun-Ho arrived at Suk-Ho’s bar again. The door was open. Someone was organizing trash bags in front of the bar. It was Suk-Ho. He looked a bit different, but it was Suk-Ho for sure.

“Hey, Suk-Ho. Long time no see.”

Hearing someone call his name, Suk-Ho lifted his head and looked at Gun-Ho. He was blinking his eyes slowly and he didn’t seem to recognize Gun-Ho.

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo. Your classmate from high school.”

“Oh, Gun-Ho. I didn’t recognize you. You used to be skinny back then. You gained some weight, man.”

“You gained some weight too. I heard you are running a bar here from Jong-Suk.”

“Jong-Suk? ”

“Yeah, his parents used to have Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup) restaurant in our town.”

“Oh, him! That flippant kid!”

“Yup, that’s him.”

“Do you work here in Gyeoangridan Street too?”

“No. I am planning to start my own business. I am here hoping to get some advice from you.”

“From me? Well, come inside.”

Gun-Ho followed Suk-Ho inside the bar. The bar had about 12 tables. Several chairs were still scattered and they hadn’t finished cleaning yet.

“I was about to clean the bar. It was a bit messy now. Please have a seat here. I will bring some green tea.”

Gun-Ho sat on a chair and looked around. A large picture of a western singer holding a guitar and a picture of an African American singer were hanging on the wall with some other pictures.

“They are so distracting.”

Suk-Ho brought green tea.

“Hey, it has been a long time. The last time I saw you was in high school, and it has been more than ten years since we graduated.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“I heard that you were working in a factory in Pocheon or somewhere.”

“Right. I used to work in a factory in Pocheon and Asan, and I recently quit the job.”

“You did? Do you have something you want to do on your mind?”

“I haven’t decided yet. How large is this bar?”

“It’s 23 pyung. Length should be 11 meters and width should be 7 meters.”

“How is the business?”

“It has been over a year since I opened this bar. I struggled a lot in the beginning, but the business got better lately as the sales have increased.”

“You have 12 tables. It must cost you a lot to start the bar with this size. How much did you spend?”

“It cost me around 150 million won.”

“150 million won? Wow. You had saved a lot of money to start your business.”

“How can possibly someone at our age can have 150 million won? I have partners, my two friends. One has another job, so he just invested money in this bar. The other friend and I run this bar by actually working here, so we don’t have to spend additional money to hire someone.”

“If three people invested in it, then each came with 50 million won?”

“Yeah, that’s correct. I borrowed the money from my parents since I hadn’t had any money saved up at that time.”

“If I remember correctly, your father was a soldier in the army. Did he work here in Gyeongridan Street?”

“No, he served in a unit in the front, so not this area. He is already discharged from the army and he was a colonel.”

“I see.”

“So, what are you planning? How much are you going to invest to start?”

“I am thinking of opening a restaurant. I don’t have much money either, but there is someone who is willing to invest…”

“I had been everywhere before I started this bar. I went to the area around Hongik University, Konkuk University, and Garosugil Road in Sinsa Town, Gangnam.”

“It is expensive to open a business in those areas, right?”

“Don’t get me started. Even if you have 200-300 million won, you can only get a tiny space in an isolated back street. Moreover, there are too many restaurants in our country.”

While Gun-Ho and Suk-Ho were talking, Suk-Ho’s business partner came in the bar.

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Chapter 38 - Preparation for Starting a New Business (2)

Chapter 38: Preparation for Starting a New Business (2)

Suk-Ho’s friend was an extremely obese person with a beard and all tangled hair—he looked more like an artist than a businessman running a bar.

“This is my friend from college.”

Gun-Ho stood up to meet Suk-Ho’s friend/business partner.

“Hi, I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Hello, I am Han-Young Bang.”

He had a high-pitched voice like a woman, which contrasted with his large body. Gun-Ho and Han-Young greeted each other with a handshake. Han-Young’s hand felt very soft. Gun-Ho became self-conscious and felt embarrassed about his rough hand due to his prolonged manual work in a factory.

Once Han-Young went to the kitchen, Gun-Ho resumed talks about his business ideas with Suk-Ho.

“If I open a restaurant, which area do you recommend?”

“You should do a lot of legwork before you could find the right location. Even though we have too many restaurants in this country, there are certainly popular restaurants which are crowded with people all the time. There is a Thai restaurant downstairs in this building. They are doing very well.”

“A Thai restaurant? The owner should know how to cook the food he is selling, right?”

“Recipes are simple. The food should be delicious, of course, but the location is crucial. Where do you live now?”

“I am in Noryangjin.”

“Noryangjin? Noryangjin is good to have a restaurant. That area is filled with people who are preparing for whatever exams, and they all could be potential customers. I’ve seen a Vietnamese restaurant on TV, selling pho in Noryangjin. That restaurant made a huge success there. The owner is a Vietnamese woman married to a Korean man. The restaurant is smaller than my bar and they said they were making 90 million won per month.”

“90 million won per month? Wow!”

“Not every restaurant in Noryangjin made such success. There are restaurants in the same area sold to another person because the previous owner went bust. Well, you should have a lot to think about. You want to take your time and research enough before you actually open your own business.”

“Thank you for your time and advice today, Suk-Ho.”

“I enjoyed talking with you, Gun-Ho. If you start your business and making money more than 15 million won per month, you can survive.”

“15 million won per month, then I should make 500,000 won per day…”

“It is not easy to make 500,000 won daily. If the area is not established for business, many businesses in that area barely make 200,000 won per day. You could easily see the change of ownership of a business overnight.”

“Hmm…”

When Gun-Ho was continuously talking with Suk-Ho, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet entered the bar while carrying a big box.

“Delivery for fresh produce, sir.”

“You can place it on the table over there.”

When Suk-Ho stood up, Gun-Ho stood up along with him.

“You seem to get busy now. I’d better go. Thank you again for today.”

“You are leaving? Come visit me often. Here is my business card.”

Gun-Ho took Suk-Ho’s green-colored business card and walked out of the bar.

Gun-Ho decided to explore the areas in Seoul, where businesses are already established with high traffic of young people.

“Let’s try the area around Hongik University.”

Gun-Ho took the subway and got off at the Hapjeong Station on line 2. He walked toward the Hongik University after making a right turn at Bobo Hotel. While walking down the street, Gun-Ho saw a lot of stores with beautiful interiors, as well as many students passing by.

“This is indeed a nice place. The female students are all pretty.”

Gun-Ho stopped by a café to drink some coffee. He used to hesitate to enter a store like a café, but he now lost his inhibition probably because he had 500 million won in hand.

“The store names are so distracting. They are stranger than the ones in Gyeongridan Street. ThanksBooks, Dorothy, St.Coqs… If I open a restaurant, what should I name it?”

Gun-Ho kept walking down the street while thinking of various things.

“Right. Let’s opt-out the studying option for the level-9 government job exam. With the starting salary of less than two million won, it will take forever to succeed in that career. In this capitalist society, money is ruling.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the three-way junction on the Hongik Club Street.

“I see some of the small bars here. Solo, Gwangdong… Maybe I can start with a small bar. What is that? Lotpongi? Well, a small bar doesn’t require a large space. Let’s ask a realtor about it.”

When Gun-Ho saw a realtor’s office with its door open, he entered there. It was his first time being in a realtor’s office.

“Hello, welcome. What can I do for you?”

A man in his 50s was reading a newspaper in his chair. He stood up when he saw Gun-Ho entering the office. There was a lady in her 40s working at her desk.

“I am interested in a small bar. I’d like to know how much it cost to open one.”

“Well, it depends on the bar you are interested in. Why don’t you have a seat here?”

Gun-Ho hesitated a bit before he sat on a sofa.

“We actually have one that just came on the market. How much should I match?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I need to know how much you want to spend in order for me to find one that is matched to it.”

The realtor scanned Gun-Ho from head to toe while responding.

Gun-Ho had 500 million won in hand but he didn’t want to invest it all now, in case the business wouldn’t go well. In addition, he was concerned that if he spent a large amount of money, people might be wondering about the source of money. Gun-Ho thought 100 million won would be adequate.”

“How much is the one that just came on the market?”

“That one is located on the street across the LohasTower office-tel and its location is really good. That street has heavy traffic of students and residents of the office-tel. Would you like to take a look?”

“What about the price…”

“It is 18 pyung. The price is 150 million won including the premium. If you are interested in it, I can negotiate the price for you.”

Gun-Ho hesitated.

“Let’s go take a look first.”

The realtor didn’t wait for Gun-Ho’s response and prepared to visit the property by wearing his jacket. He talked to the lady at her desk before he headed out of the office.

“I will be right back after showing the property to this customer. You should stay here until I come back. The person who wanted to see the room might call soon.”

Gun-Ho and the realtor headed to the bar that recently came to the market. The realtor said while walking,

“It is impressive to see a young man who could invest 150 million won in a business.”

Gun-Ho blushed and didn’t respond to the realtor.

They entered the street across the office-tel after passing the Far East Broadcasting Company. It was a small bar in an isolated area. It seemed to be the least decorated store among others in the same area. Gun-Ho walked in the bar. The owner and a kitchen worker woman were trimming leeks.

“Hello. I brought someone who wanted to take a look at your store.”

The owner seemed shy. While the owner was just standing there without saying anything, the realtor started a sales pitch passionately as if he owned the store.

“Look at this. It is 18 pyung large, but it looks bigger than its actual size. The owner will leave all kitchen appliances. The building owner is very nice too. He is an elder of a church. You will get warm water constantly, and it comes with a private bathroom. You can’t easily find a property like this one.”

Gun-Ho was baffled. He couldn’t believe that this tiny and shabby bar cost 150 million won. Gun-Ho asked the owner, “Are you moving your business to somewhere?”

Instead of the owner, the realtor answered Gun-Ho’s question.

“The owner here used to run a BBQ restaurant. She is moving to Sinchon Town opening a larger restaurant. This bar is doing well too. We don’t see many people on the street right now but you have to wait and see at night. This area will be filled with people at night. This is part of the famous Hongik University Street after all.”

Gun-Ho pretended to look around the store.

“Thank you for showing. I appreciate it.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the store. The realtor followed Gun-Ho and poked Gun-Ho in the waist. He then whispered into Gun-Ho’s ear in a low voice.

“I will try to make it down to 140 million won for you. I can talk to the owner. If that works, just add small money to the commission for a drink, okay?”

“Huh? Oh, okay, okay.”

Gun-Ho just said it without thinking. The realtor continued talking skillfully.

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Chapter 39 - Preparation for Starting a New Business (3)

Chapter 39: Preparation for Starting a New Business (3)

The realtor was enthusiastic in making a sales pitch for the bar.

“A store priced at 150 million won is very popular among baby boomers. It often gets highly competitive to acquire it these days. The baby boomers—the people who were born around the 6.25 Korean War are retiring now. After having worked for 30 years, their retirement pay is more or less 150 million won. What would they do with that money? The easy business they pick after their retirement is a restaurant business. That’s why a 150 million won store is quick to sell.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho realized again that the 500 million won he was holding was a significant amount of money. He wanted to keep the money and grow it at all costs. However, he didn’t like the store he just visited.

“So, how was it? Do you like the store?”

“I am not so sure. I will have to think about it before I make a decision.”

“You don’t have to think about it. If a person at your age takes over the store, it will succeed 100%. Let’s go back to my office and make a contract.”

“No, no. I will need some time to think about it.”

“Haha. You have a lot of things in your mind for a young person. Then give me your contact number. I will call you right away once I get the final price from the owner.”

Gun-Ho was somewhat in a difficult position. He didn’t want to give the realtor his number but the realtor was tenacious and stubborn. Gun-Ho eventually gave the realtor his cell phone number.

“What about those roadside stores? They are beautiful.”

“They are way more expensive, over 300 million won. In addition, there is no available store for sale.”

Gun-Ho thought just for a moment that maybe he should get one of those 300 million won store, and then changed his mind immediately.

“Quit it. You don’t have any experience at all in running your own business. You could blow the money.” Gun-Ho talked to himself.

After meeting with the realtor, Gun-Ho walked further around the Hongik University Street. All the stores on the street looked the same after he saw so many stores already.

“Well, since I am here, let’s go to the Sinchon Town. It’s not far from here. That area must be well established for a business like here since Yonsei University and Ewha Women’s University are there.”

Gun-Ho slowly walked toward the Yonsei University entrance from Sinchon Hyundai Department Store.

“There are tons of people here too. I see a lot of people and stores everywhere.”

The Sinchon town had a bit different vibe from the Hongik University area. However, the sales price for stores should be as expensive as the ones in the Hongik University area. Gun-Ho almost entered a realtor’s office when he saw one there. Realtors could be very tiresome when they tried to convince a person persistently to buy a property.

“So all these young people pouring into the street are students of either Yonsei University or Ewha Women’s University? When I was in high school in Bucheon, only the ones who were ranked first or second could get into these top universities. But here are a lot of those people.”

As he was walking down the street while enjoying watching people and stores, Gun-Ho arrived at the main entrance of the Ewha Women’s University. He could see some Chinese tourists as well.

“For a restaurant, the selection of food and the location are the key.”

He took pictures of some stores with attractive interior or unique store name.

“I had enough for today. Let’s try Garosugil Road in Gangnam and Konkuk University area tomorrow.”

The following day, Gun-Ho took the subway at the Noryangjin Station heading to Banpo Express Bus Terminal to change to the subway line 3.

“So I need to get off at the Sinsa Subway Station and walk toward Apgujeong Town to get to the Garosugil Road.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the Garosugil Road after crossing the street from Youngdong Hotel. He looked around the Garosugil Road area and went to the Konkuk University area in the afternoon. He felt a bit dizzy and confused; he probably saw too many stores to digest at once.

“Having an expensive store in this area will make me look really nice, but I don’t want to risk that much money. Maybe I should start with Noryangjin; the stores are not so pricey there. The problem there though is low ATV (Average Transaction Value) even though there is high traffic of people.”

Gun-Ho was leaning toward Noryangjin rather than these strange areas; Norayangjin was familiar to him since he spent a few years there when he had studied for the level-9 government job exam.

“The exam preparers in Noryangjin don’t have much money in their pockets, so relatively cheap food like Vietnamese noodle will work. I don’t expect to make 90 million won per month like that pho restaurant Suk-Ho mentioned. The monthly sales of 30 million won will be enough for me… That will allow me to make a 10 million won profit every month.”

Gun-Ho wrapped his head around.

“If I make 10 million won per month, then I would make the same amount an office worker makes in a big company with over 100 million won yearly salary… Okay, let’s focus on the Noryangjin area. It’s close to my home. According to the book I read, it’s better to have a business close to home.”

Gun-Ho came back to Noryangjin.

Noryangjin had certainly very different vibe from the area around the Hongik University or Konkuk University. The street was narrow and people there were exam preparers who suffered from enormous stress on a daily basis, while people in those universities areas were neat and well-dressed. The Noryangjin area was definitely dingy. When it got dark outside, the street was filled with people.

“So all these people are the potential customers who would let me make money.”

Gun-Ho smiled delightedly while watching the people passing by on the street.

“This is it. It has to be Noryangjin. I don’t need complex recipes to please these people. I just need to be generous on the quantity.”

Gun-Ho visited a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant.

“I believe I’ve been here once when I studied for the exam. Oh, they have POS stands (Point-Of-Sale) outside the main entrance. Let me get the number to reserve my turn. Wow! My number is 24! That means all these people standing here are waiting for their table.”

After a while, Gun-Ho could have his noodle soup.

“Hmm, the noodle soup is so so… But with the price of 3,500 won, people would choose this over the Cupbab (Cooked rice with other ingredients served in a paper cup). This noodle soup is simple and fast to eat; you can just slurp it with the soup. It is served in a hot soup, so the exam preparers will like it.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the restaurant. He was smoking in front of the Shinhan Bank when he received a call from Jong-Suk.

“Bro? I heard you met with Suk-Ho bro in Gyeongridan Street.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“How was it? Was it helpful?”

“He said a Thai restaurant hit a jackpot there.”

“A Thai restaurant? Bro, you are staying in Noryangjin, aren’t you? Why don’t you open a Thai restaurant there?”

“Man, I have no idea how to cook Thai food. I’ve never been to that country.”

“You can easily find the recipes on the Internet. In Noryangjin, the food doesn’t have to be authentic. As long as you serve the people there with a large amount of food, it will work since they are exam preparers with small pocket money.”

“I am not sure.”

“If you want to open a restaurant in one of those university areas or Garosugil Road, you have to pay a high price for the store and the food has to be delicious. You didn’t go to school for cooking. You have never worked in a restaurant. Right? Start in Noryangjin. You don’t have much money, bro. Even though there is someone who is willing to invest, it should be less than 100 million won, right?”

Gun-Ho felt an urge to scream, “Kid, I am a person with 500 million won in my hand.”

“I am planning to stop by a realtor’s office tomorrow. How about Kalguksu (a Korean noodle soup) and name it like mother’s Kalguksu or something, or Sujebi (a Korean hand-pulled dough soup)? I heard there is a very popular Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant here.”

“You have to come up with something unique. There are people in Noryangjin, who consider their mealtime as a food trip. I was one of them when I was in Noyrangjin.”

“I see. I will have to look further tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho got up late. He started searching on the Internet.

“Hmm, I can find ingredients for a Vietnamese noodle soup, Thai food, and Philippines food in Ansan. There is a wholesaler there.”

Gun-Ho continued searching on the Internet.

“If I buy these ingredients online, I can easily get scammed. Let’s visit that wholesale store in Ansan. I think I can open a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant behind the gas station even though there is one already in Noryangjin. Let’s not be greedy, but set the goal with 10 million won per month.”

Gun-Ho thought it should be okay to open another Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant behind the gas station even though there was one already in the same area. That one was distant from the location Gun-Ho was considering. He would invest 100 million won for now and hid the remaining 400 million won somewhere safe. Even if he was threatened by a robber for his life, Gun-Ho thought he would never ever let anyone take that money.

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Chapter 40 - Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (1)

Chapter 40: Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (1)

Gun-Ho finally decided to open a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant in Noryangjin; he wanted to serve cheap and delicious pho.

There was a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant in Noryangjin already which was located in a back street across the Noryangjin Station. That street was on the town bus line and there were Shinhan Bank and a private institution for government job exams. That restaurant was so popular that it was even introduced on KBS (one of Korean TV stations). The owner’s wife was a young Vietnamese woman.

“The owner used to sell Cupbab on a tented cart on the street in front of the private prep-institution for government job exams. If he could do it, then I can do it too.”

Gun-Ho believed he could handle a Vietnamese noodle soup well comparing to other dishes. He recalled his mom’s noodle soup he often had from his childhood. She made the soup with anchovy, spring onions and soy sauce. She poured the soup over boiled noodle already prepared.

“Cooking the Vietnamese rice noodle shouldn’t be so different from cooking the Korean wheat noodle.”

Gun-Ho went to the Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant again. He secretly took pictures of their dishes, the interior, and the restaurant sign.

“The best location is probably the street where a lot of students from the private prep-institution for government job exams are passing by every day. However, the traditional market street is not bad either.”

Noryangjin is a mecca for whatever exam preparatory private institutions. Most institutions provide prep-courses for government job exams or the police exam.

“Let’s open the restaurant on the Daiso street passing the gas station across the street. There is no noodle soup restaurant there. The Vietnamese restaurant already here is run by a Vietnamese lady. If I open another Vietnamese restaurant, will people think the food is not authentic but it is fake Vietnamese food? Maybe not. Maybe people will like mine better if I reduce some strong smell from Vietnamese authentic ingredients and add some Korean flavor.”

Gun-Ho continuously researched and collected useful information for his restaurant business. He already printed out the Vietnamese noodle soup recipe found on the Internet.

“I can easily purchase some of the ingredients such as Chili sauce and Sriracha online but let’s visit the wholesale store in Ansan. I have seen the pictures of those ingredients but never actually seen them in person.”

Gun-Ho decided to go to that store in Asan using the subway.

Gun-Ho took the subway line 1 to go to the Geumjeong Station. He, then, changed to line 4.

“I see many foreigners in the subway in this area.”

Foreigners are not new to Gun-Ho. He had seen foreign workers when he worked at the plastic factory in Hwaseong, and other factories in Pocheon and Yangju. However, it appeared that there were way more foreigners found in this particular area.

When he got off at the Ansan Station, his thought about the foreigners was confirmed. Once he crossed the street via underground passage; there were a lot of foreigners sitting on the ground: the ethnic Koreans living in China, Vietnamese, Filipinos, and even people with darker skin from India. Some people had a beard, and some were wearing turbans.

“Wow, I feel like I am in another country. I’ve never expected to see this many foreigners in Korea.”

Many business signs were written in another language— probably Vietnamese or Thai. Some of them were written in Chinese for Chinese people.

“Korea is now a country of multi-culture.”

Gun-Ho enjoyed looking around the market; he even forgot for the moment that he came here to buy Vietnamese food ingredients. He felt his legs got tired when he saw a wholesale store, ‘World Market.’

He entered the store. The small store was filled with foreign products and people. Gun-Ho wedged himself into the crowd all the way to the counter. He then showed the picture saved in his smartphone to the person standing behind the counter.

“This is a Vietnamese sauce. Do you carry it here?”

“It’s on the shelf over there.”

The same red bottle he saw in the picture was placed on the shelf. When he saw the sauce, he got goosebumps and it was strange.

“This is the one!”

He found the rice noodle as well. The dried rice noodle was packaged in a vinyl wrap.

“Sir, how much is this rice noodle?”

“Are you going to sell them?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then, I can give it to you for a discounted price. Is it for Thai restaurant?”

“No. Vietnamese restaurant.”

“The noodle you are holding is Thai noodle made in Thai. It’s 5 millimeters in width.”

“Oh, it’s a Thai noodle? The letters on the package look like Vietnamese—alphabets with some dots on top of them.”

“The one next to it, that is the Vietnamese noodle. Its name is written in Korean too. Do you see that? Banh Pho Kho?”

“Oh, I see it. Thank you. I will take this.”

“It’s 500 grams for each package. How many do you need?”

“Umm… Let me look around for other sauces first. I will let you know by then.”

“Alright.”

The owner was busy with other customers, so he didn’t pay attention to Gun-Ho anymore.

Gun-Ho placed several sauces and a few rice noodles in his basket. He hesitated to take more bottles of sauce because he had to carry them, and they were heavy.

“I think this should be enough to practice at home.”

Gun-Ho wanted to try to cook the rice noodle by himself at home.

“I have to know how to cook the noodle soup so I don’t get swayed by the cooking ladies in my restaurant kitchen.”

Gun-Ho brought his basket with several bottles of sauces and rice noodles to the counter.

“I thought you were going to open a restaurant. Are you sure this is all you need?”

“Yes, for now. I haven’t opened a restaurant yet. I just need some for practice for now.”

“Where are you opening your restaurant?”

“In Noryangjin.”

“There is one in Noryangjin already.”

“I know. Mine will be several blocks away from that restaurant.”

The store owner nodded his head.

“You will be fine with your restaurant since the area is filled with tons of exam preparers. Take our business card with you. We provide delivery as well if you need for later.”

“Thank you. I will come again.”

Gun-Ho went to the subway station with the ingredients he purchased. It felt light when he left the store, but now his arms felt tender after carrying the bags all the way to the subway station.

“Well, this is my first step to succeed in business. Once I become rich and someone comes to interview me for my success, I would say, “I used to carry heavy bags of ingredients by myself from the store in Ansan all the way to Noryangjin. I had to endure the pain on my arms.”

Gun-Ho smiled delightedly thinking of what he would say when he succeeded.

Gun-Ho started cooking the noodle soup. He bought fresh ingredients from a traditional market: beef, bean sprouts, garlic, spring onions, onions, gingers, etc. He purchased hot peppers and cilantro from a supermarket. He didn’t know what cilantro was until this time. It was a vegetable smelled like a bedbug and looked like water parsley. It had to be added to the noodle soup for an authentic taste of Vietnamese noodle soup.

“For beef, I have to soak it in cold water to let the blood out of the meat.”

His room got messy from his cooking practice.

“First time is always hard. It will get easier after a lot of practice. Aw, it’s hot. I should be careful with the soup; it’s really hot.”

His noodle soup looked somewhat similar to the noodle soup sold in a Vietnamese restaurant.

“I can prepare fresh ingredients by washing them and to have them ready to use. The soup is easy. I can just use these sauces I bought from the store. Then all that is left is for me to make money from this. Let me try my noodle soup.”

Gun-Ho tried the noodle soup he just cooked.

“Not bad at all. It doesn’t taste any different than the one that the Vietnamese lady cooked.”

Well, people are usually very generous in evaluating their own dish. Gun-Ho truly enjoyed his own noodle soup. He wanted to serve it to Jong-Suk or his parents if they were here with him.

“Okay, let’s sell it for 3,500 won, and let’s make 300 sales of this noodle soup per day. That makes me earn 31,500,000 won per month. The ingredients won’t cost much. If I add the rent and labor and other stuff necessary, the total expense will be about 20,000,000 won. Then the profit on a monthly basis will be 10,000,000 won. Well, if I can sell 400 noodle soups instead of 300, then I will make 42,000,000 won with 15,000,000 profit per month. If that happens, I can acquire one more restaurant.”

Gun-Ho was dreaming while doing the math of how much he would make, and how further he could get if he succeeded.

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Chapter 41 - Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (2)

Chapter 41: Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (2)

Gun-Ho went to a realtor’s office in Noryangjin.

This time, he knew what to expect there since he had been in realtor’s office in the Hongik University area earlier.

“Hello? I am looking for a store on the street over there. I am thinking of around 20 pyung for the size.”

Gun-Ho sounded like an expert in the field.

“We do have one about 15 pyung large. Would you like to take a look? Its location is good.”

“Sure. I’d like to see it.”

Gun-Ho followed the realtor to visit the store.

“The foot traffic is a bit…”

“If you hang a new store sign and make the entrance bright with more lights, you will get more foot traffic to the store.”

“How much did you say it was?”

“120 million won!”

“It’s pricey for the size.”

Gun-Ho shook his head like he knew a lot about the real estate market.

“Give me your contact number. I will let you know when a good store appears on the market.”

Gun-Ho left his phone number with the realtor and walked out of the office. While Gun-Ho was looking for a property in Noryangjin, the realtor who showed the small bar around Hongik University kept calling him. He said he reduced the price down to 140 million won and asked Gun-Ho to come quickly to his office to finalize the deal.

“I’m not a pushover. I know enough!”

Gun-Ho told that realtor, “Okay,” but he never visited his office again.

Gun-Ho stopped by another realtor’s office in Noryangjin.

“Do you have a good property for a restaurant business?”

“Why don’t you come and have a seat?”

“So, do you have one?”

“We have one for 300 million won. 40 pyung large! They are currently running a chicken feet restaurant. The location is excellent.”

“That’s way over my budget.

“Well, there is a smaller one on the market, but the owner keeps changing his mind… If you are really interested in it, I will talk to the owner.”

“What do you mean by ‘keeps changing his mind’?”

“He said the price was 100 million won yesterday, and says 120 today, and then will say 110 tomorrow; he keeps changing the price like that.”

“How big is the store?”

“It’s 18 pyung large. The owner has run his business in that location for a long time.”

“Can I take a look?”

“Did you bring the earnest money? You have to be serious about this property for me to make an inquiry to the owner.”

“No, I didn’t, but if I like the location, I can make a contract right away.”

“Okay then. Let’s go!”

The store was a deep-fried chicken restaurant. Gun-Ho had to walk a long way away from the main street, but there were many OneRoomTels around that area and the location was not bad at all. The restaurant was old and not very clean though.

“You can freshen up the inside of the restaurant. It will look good.”

“Did you say 100 million won?”

“I don’t like that as* owner. I will smash the price down to 95 million won for you.”

The owner was watching TV that was hung on the wall when Gun-Ho entered the restaurant with the realtor. The owner seemed to be startled by the unexpected visit as he jumped up from his seat when he saw them.

“I brought someone who is looking for a property. Sir, 100 million won is too pricey for this store and no one will pay that much. This buyer said 95 million won was still too high, but I insisted that he had to see it.”

“I heard the store next to us was sold for 120 million won…”

“That store is totally different from this one. You can’t sell this store if you keep on insisting on that price. Let me talk to you for a second.”

The realtor went outside with the restaurant owner while leaving Gun-Ho in the restaurant. After talking in an undertone for a while, the realtor and the owner came back to the restaurant.

“He said he would need time to think about it. I have another property I’d like to show you. Let’s go see that one too.”

As the realtor walked out of the restaurant with Gun-Ho, he whispered into Gun-Ho’s ear in a low voice, “I told him there was another store on the market, 20 pyung large and 95 million won. I made that up to convince him. I think it’s working. If he didn’t trouble me with the price like that, I wouldn’t have done this to him. Well, anyway, I think I can get it for 95 million won. I will let you know tomorrow. You need to bring the earnest money then. If I break down the price for you, the security deposit is 25 million won and the premium is 70 million won. The monthly rent is 1,600,000 won.”

“The earnest money is 10%, right?”

“Is this your first time? I thought you have done this before.”

“Um, I have but it was in a province.”

“If we make the contract tomorrow, you pay 25 million to the building owner and the premium to the restaurant owner.”

“Right. I know that.”

After giving his phone number to the realtor, Gun-Ho went back to the deep-fried chicken restaurant. He wanted to take a close look at the property again.

“Hmm… It’s not bad at all. If I change the interior, it can get a totally different look.”

While Gun-Ho was looking at the outside of the restaurant, the restaurant owner walked out of the restaurant.

“Eek, let’s go before he sees me!”

Gun-Ho thought he would be embarrassed if the restaurant owner saw him coming back to look at his restaurant again. Gun-Ho hid himself quickly by going to another alley.

The following day, Gun-Ho received a call from the realtor and went to the deep fried chicken restaurant with the earnest money. There was no customer since it was morning time.

“95 million won is really a good price for the store.”

The restaurant owner smiled at what the realtor said. After a moment, a man in his 70s entered the restaurant.

“This is the building owner.”

Gun-Ho greeted him by bowing. The realtor and the building owner seemed to be close to each other.

“You seem to be getting younger every day, sir. You look healthier.”

“Thank you.”

The building owner seemed to be satisfied with what the realtor said.

“He is an elder of a church, very nice person. It’s important to have a nice person as your building owner. You are lucky.”

Gun-Ho bowed again to the building owner. Gun-Ho remembered he was told that the building owner of the small bar in the Hongik University area was also an elder of a church. He thought many elders in a church owned a building.

The building owner asked Gun-Ho, “What sort of business did you plan to have here?”

“I will open a Vietnamese restaurant.”

The building owner nodded his head while the restaurant owner looked worried. Gun-Ho signed the contract and paid the full amount of 25 million won to the building owner without going through the earnest money process. To the restaurant owner, Gun-Ho gave 10 million won for now and promised to pay him the remaining 60 million ten days later when the restaurant owner would vacate the store.

Gun-Ho followed the realtor to his office while carrying the contract.

“Did you say this was your first time opening a restaurant?”

“Oh, I have done it before for a short amount of time in a province…”

“If you are new to the restaurant business, you need to get training and register your business. You also have to get a food service license.”

“Huh? A food service license?”

“Haha, well, I knew you were not aware of all these requirements. Oh, please give me the realtor fee now. Also, you need to give me an additional 1 million won since I worked so hard to reduce the price from 100 million won down to 95 million won for you.”

“Huh? Additional 1 million?”

“I could have asked you more.”

Gun-Ho felt compelled to pay the additional fee. He took out one more check of 1 million won from his wallet. He had prepared a few more 1 million checks in case he needed them.

The realtor took the realtor fee plus the 1 million won check from Gun-Ho and put them to the inner pocket of his jacket. He then smiled with his eyes.

“If you have to sell the store in the future, I can help you again. We can help each other, right?”

The realtor took out a bottle of Bacchus (a Korean energy drink) and handed it to Gun-Ho, and said, “Before you can open a restaurant, you need to receive one-day training provided by the Korean Foodservice Industry Association. For the business license, you can register with the Dongjak District Tax Office; you will have to bring the contract we made today. Also, don’t forget to bring your government-issued ID when you visit the Dongjak District Tax Office.”

The realtor knew from the beginning that Gun-Ho was a newbie in the restaurant business.

“What about the food service license? Where can I get it?”

“You know the Jangseungbaegi Subway Station, right? If you walk all the way up from the Noryangjin elementary school to the three-way intersection around that subway station, you will see the Dongjak District Health Center. They will issue the food service license.”

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Chapter 42 - Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (3)

Chapter 42: Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (3)

Gun-Ho went to the Korean Foodservice Industry Association to get his required training. He was told the training would be held in the Yeongang building hall next to the Christian Cultural Center in Jongno 5-ga District.

“Wow, a lot of people are here. Are they all going to open a restaurant?”

Gun-Ho slept half of the time during the training; however, some parts were interesting. He remembered the trainer saying, “Ladies and gentlemen! If we have 500 of you here today, 300 of you will close their business within three years. This is the reality.”

“If so, how many of us would close their business in five years then?” Gun-Ho took a note diligently.

“Do you know how many restaurants we have in our country? What is the ratio of restaurants to population in Korea? The ratio is 1 restaurant to 75 people. Therefore, you have to compete arduously against each other and keep your business differentiated from others in order to survive. In U.S.A and Japan, the ratio of restaurants to population is 1 to over 100.”

“Hmm.., I will have to stay alert for the competition.”

Gun-Ho was not aware of the fact that there were so many restaurants in Korea. He suddenly felt nervous and anxious.

After the training, Gun-Ho stopped by the Dongjak District Tax Office to register his business. That office had jurisdiction over Noryangjin.

“Okay, I have the contract with me. That realtor said I needed to bring this to get the business license.”

There were a lot of people in that district tax office. He pulled off his number and waited for his turn. After quite a while, his number was up. He already filled out the necessary information in the form such as his personal information, mailing address, etc. through a machine in that office; it was convenient.

“Are you registering as a general taxpayer or a simplified taxpayer?”

“Excuse me?”

Gun-Ho had no idea what those words meant. He was perplexed.

“I’m going to open a Vietnamese restaurant.”

“I will issue the business license as a general taxpayer.”

After the officer entered some information into her computer, she issued the business license and handed it to Gun-Ho; it was quick.

“Here you are.”

“Wow! It’s so fast.”

Gun-Ho looked at his business license; it was stamped with the district tax chief officer’s name. The paper was thick like a college diploma. Gun-Ho remembered seeing these kinds of papers in a frame that were hanging on the wall of the restaurants he had visited.

“Now I have my own business with my name.”

Gun-Ho felt happy while holding his business license.

“Oh, I will have to stop by the district health center too!”

In the district health center, Gun-Ho received a physical test in addition to a urine test for sexually transmitted diseases.

“Geez, I am getting all these tests to run a restaurant business… hmm.”

He felt great at the end of the day; he received the training, his own business license, and the health certificate.

The deep fried chicken restaurant owner vacated the store, and Gun-Ho paid the remaining 60 million won to him. Before he started renovating the restaurant, he visited other restaurants right next to him. Both owners were young, about the same age as Gun-Ho. The owner of the restaurant on the left side of Gun-Ho’s looked dandy while the owner of the BBQ restaurant on the right side looked like a yakuza; he shaved his head and had a mustache.

“What are you planning to open, sir?”

“Sir?”

Gun-Ho felt weird when the other restaurant owner called him sir.

“I will open a Vietnamese restaurant.”

“Oh, pho! I think it sounds good.”

The general contractor for renovation arrived on a motorcycle.

“We have to take off all of these and change the ceiling light and floor as well.”

“How much do you think it will cost?”

“Let me get the estimate for you.”

The general manager came up with an estimate of 12 million won.

“Wow! 12 million! Can we lower the price?”

“It is already the lowest price I could get you, sir! Do you want to skip the floor or wallpaper?”

“Hmm… Okay. 12 million won it is.”

The renovation started. The workers carried their tools using a van. The restaurant space was filled with the sound of hammering and grinding. A pile of renovation materials appeared in front of Gun-Ho’s restaurant. Gun-Ho came to the restaurant every single day during the entire renovation period.

“Sir, what do you think of this color for the wallpaper?”

“Sir, is it okay with you to install the wall shelf here?”

The renovation workers always called Gun-Ho sir. While Gun-Ho was overseeing the renovation, people in a related business visited him.

“Are you the owner of the restaurant? We provide fresh produce to restaurants. I’d like to have an opportunity to work with you.”

“Are you opening a new restaurant here? You look really nice, sir. Why don’t you try our rice at your restaurant?”

Gun-Ho was getting used to being called sir as people kept calling him such, and now he realized that he was really opening his own restaurant.

Since smoking was prohibited inside a restaurant, restaurant owners and chefs in the surrounding area came to a restroom in an alley next to Gun-Ho’s to smoke. In front of the restroom was their spot for smoking. When Gun-Ho went to that spot to smoke, he saw there the restaurant owner who had a shaved head already smoking.

“How’s it going with the renovation?”

“They will finish it by tomorrow. I am so sorry for the noise.”

“You will be busy with purchasing kitchen appliances.”

“Which store do you recommend for kitchen appliances? What about Namdaemum Market?”

“Namdaemum? Why don’t you try Sindang Town? You know there is a market street for kitchen stuff.”

“Oh, Sindang Town? I heard there is a good one in Hwanghak Town, but I’m not sure about the exact location though.”

“Is this your first time opening a restaurant? They are the same market street. The market street covers Sindang and Hwanghak Town.”

“Oh, really?”

“Did you used to have an office job before, sir?”

“Yes, I did. I used to work in Asan City, Chungnam Province. Have you been running your restaurant for a long time?”

“Yes, it has been a while. I studied cooking in Japan.”

“Oh, really? You are an expert. You have a very unique hairstyle, by the way.”

“Oh, this?”

The restaurant owner with a shaved head and a mustache said while rubbing his bald head,

“I shaved my head on purpose. I didn’t want any of my hair to fly around in my kitchen.”

Gun-Ho didn’t see that coming.

“Wow, he is a professional!”

Gun-Ho thought he would learn a lot from this restaurant owner.

“The restaurant owner next to ours who is neat and slim, he seems to come to his restaurant during the mornings only.”

“Oh, him? He has three more restaurants other than this one. He is a very busy man.”

“Wow, three more? He seemed to be about our age.”

“He is very skillful in business. He started his restaurant business right after graduating from Chungang Commercial University and he already has four restaurants. You saw him riding a foreign luxury car, right?”

Gun-Ho thought that dandy restaurant owner was talented as well.

“Once you get into a field, there are always skillful men in that field.”

Gun-Ho thought that there were still plenty of things he needed to learn.

When the interior renovation of his restaurant was almost done, Gun-Ho went to the market street in Sindang Town.

“Wow, these are all kitchen stuff!”

Gun-Ho didn’t know that there was a market that was focused on kitchen things.

“I will be able to find any pots I want and any plates I want.”

The market street was a long way. He could find all kitchen gadgets for boiling, simmering, deep frying, etc. They carried furniture for restaurants as well. Gun-Ho started off his purchase by getting tables and chairs; he chose a black and red combination.

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Chapter 43 - Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (4)

Chapter 43: Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (4)

The renovation was finally completed. After placing ten tables with 44 chairs, the restaurant looked good. The restaurant sign hadn’t arrived yet. People said hanging a business sign should be the last thing he had to do before opening the restaurant door. He also prepared kitchen appliances and gadgets; there were a lot.

“I forgot to get kitchen cleaning cloths and I need a gas lighter. Oh, I should buy dish detergents and trash bags. What else? Let’s get aprons for kitchen workers from Daiso. I asked the next door owner if he knew any Korean Chinese woman who could work in my kitchen. I haven’t heard from him yet though.”

Gun-Ho searched the Internet to find an employment placement agency in Dongjak District. He called one of them.

“Hello? Is this the Employment agency? I need a kitchen worker lady.”

“Do you need her for a day?”

“No, I need someone who can work on a regular basis.”

“I don’t have anyone yet. If you leave your number, I will let you know once I find someone for you.”

Gun-Ho had to find a kitchen worker as soon as possible because his restaurant would open the following day. He went to Daerim Town where he was told that there was a lot of Korean-Chinese living there.

“Wow, this area looks like another country too. All those store signs are written in Chinese!”

Gun-Ho could find many employment agencies, and he knocked on the door of every single one of them. But unfortunately, since it was Sunday, they were all closed. Gun-Ho wrote down their numbers and agency names and came back to Noryangjin.

Monday came around.

“I really have to find someone who can work in my kitchen. The restaurant sign will be hung today!”

Once the clock hit 9 AM, Gun-Ho started making calls to the employment agencies in Daerim Town; he wrote down their numbers yesterday when he visited the town.

“Is this the Employment agency? I need someone who can work in a restaurant kitchen.”

“Do you need them for a day?”

“I need someone who could work every day!”

“Where is the restaurant located?”

“It’s in Noryangjin.”

“Where in Noryangjin?”

“It’s hard to give the direction by phone. If they could come to the Noryangjin Station, I will come and pick them up.”

“How many people do you need?”

“I need two people.”

“I don’t have the right people for you yet. I will give you a call later.”

Gun-Ho wanted to call another employment agency. While he was searching for the numbers he stored in his cell phone the other day, the agency he just talked with called him.

“I have two people right now for kitchen work. Can I tell them to go to the Noryangjin Station by 10:30 AM today?”

“Yes. It sounds good.”

“Give me your restaurant name and number. These women kitchen worker’s names are Ok-Lan Choi and Weol-Hwa Bang.”

“Okay.”

As Gun-Ho wrote their names down, he giggled. Their names sounded so outdated.

Gun-Ho arrived at the Noryangjin Station at 10:30 AM. He walked up to the second floor where the waiting area was located. There were two old ladies standing. Gun-Ho thought they looked like Korean-Chinese.

“Are you Weol-Hwa Bang by any chance?”

“Oh, are you the owner of the Vietnamese restaurant?”

The ladies looked like they were in their early 60s. He hoped to see someone younger; their age worried him a bit. However, they seemed nice and he didn’t have time.

“Is the restaurant far from here?”

“It will take about ten minutes. Do you see the gas station across the street? The restaurant is on the back street behind that gas station.”

The women complained about the path leading to the restaurant while following Gun-Ho; it felt like a maze to them.

“I am not sure if I can find the restaurant tomorrow morning when I have to come by myself.”

“We are almost there. You will see the restaurant once you make a turn after the pharmacy over there.”

Gun-Ho saw a truck in front of his restaurant when he arrived with the two ladies.

“They are probably here for the restaurant sign!”

The truck seemed to have just arrived. The workers were unloading things from their truck.

Gun-Ho took the ladies to the kitchen.

“We will open tomorrow, but let’s try to make some noodle soup for practice. Do you know how to cook pho?”

“Of course. We have cooked pho when we were in China. By the way, do you have a hat here?”

“A hat? What hat?”

“You know the hat you wear in a kitchen so your hair won’t fly around.”

“Oh, that hat. I will get you the hat. Let’s cook without a hat for today.”

Gun-Ho didn’t know he had to prepare hats before working in a kitchen. There were tons of tedious things he had to prepare.

“How much do we get paid? And how many hours do we work?”

Gun-Ho had already asked the restaurant owners next to him about the pay and work hours of kitchen worker ladies. Gun-Ho offered about the same deal to the ladies.

“The work starts at 10 AM until 10 PM. Since the restaurant will stay open for those hours I decided the work schedule like that. The subway will be operational during those hours, so it shouldn’t cause any transportation problems for you.”

“Alright. That sounds good. Do we get a day off twice a month?”

“Yes, twice a month. And the monthly payment will be 1,900,000 won.”

“We used to get 2,000,000 won in our previous workplace.”

“Okay then. 2 million per month.”

The ladies were very experienced. They didn’t need to be told what to do in the kitchen. They knew what to prepare and how to prepare it. They cooked the noodles by placing them in the boiling water; they prepared onions and leeks proficiently. The way they prepared the meat was amazing. It seemed like Gun-Ho would be disturbing their work if he stayed in the kitchen.

“There were so many things missing in this kitchen. I will tell you what we need. Can you write them down?”

The ladies made a long list, and most of them were something that Gun-Ho had never thought of. Fortunately, Gun-Ho didn’t have to go to that market in Sindang Town to buy the things on the list. He could find them in Daiso or a local hardware store.

“Sir, could you come over here and take a look at the restaurant sign?”

Gun-Ho ran to the main entrance when he heard the restaurant name was up. The restaurant looked beautiful with its name hanging. Gun-Ho could hear a few pedestrians—probably exam takers—talking, “Uh? It’s a pho restaurant. Let’s come here later for our lunch today.”

Gun-Ho felt delighted.

“Nice. Exam takers seem to like Vietnamese noodles. I guess all I need to do from now on is to collect all the money.”

The neighboring restaurant owners came to see Gun-Ho’s restaurant with the restaurant sign up.

“It looks good. Do you open tomorrow?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I will definitely stop by for my meal.”

“Thank you.”

The standing signboard arrived in the afternoon. It was placed beside the main entrance. A customer entered the restaurant; he probably thought the restaurant was already open.

“I’m sorry. We will open tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho felt confident that he would easily sell 300 pho per day.

“I am going to sell the noodle soup for 3,500 won, so if I could sell 300 of them per day, I will make 1,050,000 won on a daily basis. That allowed me to make 31,500,000 won per month! Let’s not forget to take account of expenses: 10,000,000 won for ingredients, 4,000,000 for labor, 1,600,000 for the rent, and additional 1,000,000 won to cover any miscellaneous expenses. If subtracting all these expenses, the monthly profit will be 14,000,000 won per month!”

Gun-Ho was so excited.

“Maybe I could sell 400 per day.”

Gun-Ho started calculating with the calculator on his smartphone.

“Monthly sales are 42,000,000 won! Then I will make 20,000,000 won profit per month! Wow, I don’t have to be envious of those executives in a big company!”

Gun-Ho felt like he was floating on air.

The following day, Gun-Ho finally opened his restaurant.

The general contractor who renovated Gun-Ho’s restaurant and the store that delivered fresh produce to the restaurant sent congratulatory flower wreaths; they were displayed in front of the restaurant. A moment later, an orchid plant arrived. It was from Jong-Suk from Yangju City.

“Two flower wreaths and one orchid plant in front of the main entrance certainly add a vivid vibe to the restaurant!”

Gun-Ho couldn’t stop smiling. At that moment, he received a call from Jong-Suk.

“Bro! Congratulations! I will stop by after work.”

“You don’t have to. It’s too far from you. I received the orchid plant you sent. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho felt very encouraged. He was now a restaurant owner expecting to make a lot of money.

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Chapter 44 - Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (5)

Chapter 44: Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (5)

On the grand opening day of his restaurant, Gun-Ho shaved neatly and wore clean clothes.

The kitchen worker ladies came to the restaurant at 10 AM and started cooking noodles and preparing seasonings for the soup. At 11 AM everything was ready. Gun-Ho worked at the hall.

At 11:30 AM, customers started coming in. At noon, the restaurant was filled with people and newly coming customers had to wait in line to be seated. It was a very hectic day for Gun-Ho. He processed payments, cleaned the tables after the customers were done eating and etc. He didn’t even have the time to smoke or drink water. The ladies in the kitchen seemed to be having fun on their own; they constantly prepared noodles one after another and simmering the soup.

It became slow at around 2 PM. According to Gun-Ho’s calculation, roughly about 100 customers came until then.

“I should have started this business a long time ago. The BBQ restaurant next door is also teeming with people especially in the evening. However, their table turnover rate is too long. On the other hand, in my restaurant customers eat—more like drink—noodle soup in no time, so our restaurant has a short table turnover rate. I’m not sure who picked the pho for the menu, whoever it is, he is a genius.” Gun-Ho was self-praising.

Around 3 PM, not many customers were in the restaurant. Gun-Ho went to that smoking spot to smoke. There was the next door restaurant owner with shaved head smoking.

“It seems like your restaurant is doing very well.”

“For lunch only, I got 100 customers.”

“That’s great. You will experience another crowd pouring into the restaurant after 5.”

“Do you think there will be as many customers as lunchtime during dinner time?”

“Of course. Since dinner time is longer than lunchtime, you will have more customers.”

“Then, I’d better order more onions and meat now.”

“Congratulations. It will go on like that for a week. That’s the beauty of a new opening. You need to pay attention after a week though.”

“Really?”

“If you raise the sales or maintain the same level as now even after a week, then it is a success. However, if the sales decrease after a week, you will face difficulty in running the restaurant afterward. Well, you will be fine since the Vietnamese pho is an easy and quick stop for customers.”

As the shaved-head restaurant owner predicted, customers poured into Gun-Ho’s restaurant after 5 PM. That evening, Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho who was running a bar in Gyeongridan Street also stopped by Gun-Ho’s restaurant; they brought toilet papers for Gun-Ho’s new place.

“Wow, there are a lot of people here.”

“Bro, congratulations. The restaurant is pretty and you got lots of customers. Let us have pho too. It’s on me.”

“I can’t take your money, bro.”

“What are you talking about? Even though we are close enough to share things, business is business. You have to take my money for your business.”

“Haha, if you insist.”

“Uh? Bro! You seemed to lose a lot of weight.”

“That’s right. You look slimmer than the last time I saw you.”

Suk-Ho added in surprise.

“You lost weight because you had been too busy preparing your new business. I had gone through the same experience when I had opened my bar in Gyeongridan Street.”

Suk-Ho and Jong-Suk had their pho.

“You guys came this far for me. I am sorry that I couldn’t treat you better, like with alcohol.”

“Don’t be silly! We came to congratulate you, not to have a drink.”

“How is it?”

“Well… I am not so sure since this is Vietnamese noodles.”

Gun-Ho approached one of the customers who looked like an exam preparer and asked, “How do you like it? Is it good?”

“Yes, it’s okay.”

The customer responded positively. However, he didn’t even finish half of the noodle soup.

Suk-Ho and Jong-Suk got up from their seats to leave.

“Why are you leaving so early? Stay longer.”

“Nah, you have to take more customers. We can’t hold the seats. We will leave now.”

“I am sorry I couldn’t spend more time with you here.”

“Let’s have a drink when you’re not that busy anymore. Perhaps we can have some soju in this restaurant by then.”

“Sure. Make sure you don’t forget to come, okay? Let me treat you then.”

Suk-Ho was heading out when he turned around and said, “You are getting a lot of customers today because it is a new opening day. You have to remember the days after a week from now is crucial. Give the customers enough yellow pickled radishes, and if a customer wants more cilantro then don’t hesitate to give them more.”

“Okay, I will. Thank you for the tips.”

After 9 PM, it became slow. The restaurants next door were crowded, probably because they were serving alcohols as well.

At 10 PM, the kitchen worker ladies were getting ready to leave for the day.

“Thank you for today.”

“You have been very busy and must be tired, sir. We will see you tomorrow.”

After 10 PM the ladies were already gone; it was time to close the restaurant. Gun-Ho closed the front door, turned off half of the lights, and started calculating how much he made today. Including cash and credit card payments, he made 840,000 won.

“Hmm… so I sold 240 pho today.”

Gun-Ho calculated it again and again.

“If I can maintain the same level of sales as today, I can make 25,200,000 won per month! If I subtract expenses for ingredients and labor, the profit will be 7,000,000 to 8,000,000 won. It’s about an executive’s salary in a big company.”

Gun-Ho cleaned up the restaurant and turned off all the lights. Half of the payments were in cash so he put them in his bag and walked out of the restaurant. He could feel a cool breeze.

“I felt exhausted since it was the first day. Let’s get some beer and snacks on the way home; I deserved it since I made some money today.”

Gun-Ho bought beer, dried squid, and peanuts on the way home and walked towards home while swinging his bag.

The following day was also a hectic day. However, the number of customers decreased a bit. About 200 customers came to Gun-Ho’s restaurant on the second day. On the third day, some jerk posted a bad review on the Internet saying the new Vietnamese restaurant pho sucked. Maybe because of that negative review, Gun-Ho received only 150 customers that day.

“Was I getting lots of customers in the beginning just because it was a newly opened restaurant?”

Gun-Ho was getting worried. The kitchen ladies seemed to be concerned as well. As they were getting fewer customers, the more free time the ladies got; they spent the time joking at each other. On Friday and Saturday, the exam preparers, who made up a customer base in the area, seemed to choose restaurants that served alcohol; Gun-Ho’s restaurant had only a few of them. On the other hand, the dandy-looking restaurant owner next door to Gun-Ho’s was getting tons of customers in those days. The restaurant was teeming with people at night.

“Your restaurant is doing really well.”

Gun-Ho told that to the dandy-looking owner when he saw him on the way back from the restroom. The dandy-looking owner just smiled and went back into his restaurant.

A week after Gun-Ho’s restaurant’s opening, he received around 70 customers per day. Except for bad weather days or weekends. Most of the time about 70 customers visited Gun-Ho’s restaurant constantly.

“With the sales of 70, I will make a little over 7,000,000 won per month, which is not enough. If I deduct the expenses of ingredients of 400, labor, and the rent, I won’t earn anything. I don’t think my pho is any less delicious than the one across the street. I don’t get it.”

Gun-Ho grappled to find a way to improve the situation; he eventually decided to let one of the kitchen ladies go.

“Whew…”

Gun-Ho felt embarrassed. He was embarrassed to see the neighbor restaurant owners, to see the building owner, and to see Suk-Ho, his friend running a bar in Gyeongridan Street, and to see Jong-Suk.

Even though there was only one kitchen lady working in the kitchen, he had to do what he had to do. He cleaned the restaurant every morning before the kitchen lady came, and he ordered and received fresh ingredients; he threw out trash bags and cleaned the restaurant at the end of the day.

“I am okay with all these physical work as long as I make money. The problem is that I work hard all day long for nothing.”

After three months, Gun-Ho finally gave in. He put the restaurant on the market. He smoked more often outside the restaurant. While Gun-Ho was smoking in front of the restroom outside, as usual, he saw the restaurant owner with a shaved head.

“I heard you put your restaurant on the market.”

“That’s right. I couldn’t keep up like this any longer. I don’t get enough customers.”

“Was there anyone interested in your restaurant?”

“Nah. No one has even come to see it yet. Perhaps because my price is too high?”

“How much did you ask?”

“I paid 95 million won and invested an additional 12 million for renovation, so I asked 110 million won to be fair.”

“110,000,000 won? Umm, it won’t sell at that price. The beer bar across the street put their store on the market for 100 million won. Their property is larger than yours.”

Gun-Ho was getting anxious and scared.

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Chapter 45 - Going to China (1)

Chapter 45: Going to China (1)

It had been a month already since Gun-Ho put his restaurant on the market, and no one came to take a look at the property. Gun-Ho went to the realtor’s office to talk to him.

“Why is no one coming to see my restaurant? Stores in Noryangjin are supposed to sell quickly since the area is very well established for business. What’s going on?”

“The market is slow now probably because the New Year’s Day is coming. You have to be patient.”

That was all Gun-Ho could hear from the realtor as a valid explanation. Gun-Ho was anxious. The more time passed by, the more money he was wasting.

“I help the kitchen work and clean the toilet every day for nothing. I am wasting my f*cking life here. When I worked in a factory, even though the work was hard, I got paid every month. What am I doing here? The more days I work here, the more money I waste. Sh*t! F*ck!”

Gun-Ho requested another realtor for selling his restaurant. He was thinking of putting it on the Internet as well. To make the situation worse, the kitchen lady was not helping. Since she was aware that the restaurant would be closed anytime soon, and she would lose her job then. She didn’t work as hard as before. She had even made Gun-Ho work more by asking him to do additional work.

“Please throw this trash out.”

“Please turn on that light.”

Gun-Ho felt like she was ordering him to do things, and it certainly didn’t feel good. Gun-Ho was smoking outside when the shaved-head restaurant owner joined him.

“Did you sell your restaurant?”

“No one was even coming to see it.”

“Try this. Tell the realtor that you will give him some incentive. He will try harder.”

Gun-Ho wondered why he didn’t come up with that idea earlier. The realtor was actually as cunning as a fox.

“Son of a b*tch! He had told me when I made the contract for this restaurant that it was a steal, and now he isn’t even trying to sell.”

Gun-Ho bought a box of juice and went to the realtor’s office, and he told the realtor that he would pay a high incentive in addition to the realtor commission fee. Shortly after Gun-Ho’s visit to the realtor’s office, the realtor started bringing potential buyers to the restaurant.

The realtor suggested to price the restaurant at 95 million won, the same price Gun-Ho had paid when he had bought it. By doing so, Gun-Ho would lose his additional investment of 12 million won that he spent for the renovation.

“Sir, if you don’t sell it for 95 million won now, you will keep losing money every day.”

Gun-Ho at first wanted to wait for someone who was willing to pay the full price that Gun-Ho was asking for to appear, but he was getting sick and tired of that restaurant business. He didn’t want to waste any of his life any longer without getting paid while cleaning the toilet and doing kitchen chores. He eventually decided to sell it for 95 million won. He agreed to vacate the restaurant within a week.

“I ended up losing a lot of money, but let’s try to empty my mind.”

Gun-Ho somewhat felt better after he made a contract to sell his restaurant despite the loss he had to bear. He went to his usual smoking spot and saw the shaved-head owner there.

“I guess we feel the urge to smoke at a similar time.”

“Haha, I guess so. Did you sell the restaurant?”

“Yes, finally I did. I am leaving within a week.”

“That’s nice. You have been suffering a lot.”

“I feel better now.”

“So what are you going to do after you sell the restaurant?”

“I want to take some time off to be recharged.”

“If you don’t have any specific plan yet, can I suggest something? There is a Chinese restaurant available if you are interested.”

“Chinese restaurant like selling Jajangmyeon*?”

“No, I am talking about a restaurant in China.”

“In China? I don’t even speak Chinese.”

“You don’t have to. You can use an interpreter; it’s not a problem at all. That’s actually my uncle’s restaurant. The restaurant is doing fine, but my uncle wants to move back to Korea and he needs to sell that restaurant before he could do so.”

“Where in China?”

“It’s in Hangzhou City next to Shanghai.”

“What kind of restaurant is it?”

“It’s actually a Korean restaurant. My uncle had used to work as a manager in a big company, and he opened that restaurant after his retirement. So, are you interested?”

“I don’t know. I am tired of a restaurant business. I just want to take a rest for now.”

The shaved-hair restaurant owner came into Gun-Ho’s restaurant when Gun-Ho was sitting on a chair in his restaurant while staring at the refrigerator and the water heater thinking how much he could sell them.

“My uncle is coming to Korea the day after tomorrow from China. Would you like to meet him? Why don’t you take a trip to China after you close your restaurant? You can take a rest there. I don’t mean to push you to take over that restaurant in China. I am just telling you this because it is a good opportunity. You can acquire a large restaurant with the same amount of money you spent on this one.”

“Haha. Well, okay. I’ll meet your uncle once he arrives. Why wouldn’t I?”

“My uncle will stop by my restaurant once he comes to Korea. At that time, I will bring him here, so you can meet with him. I don’t want you to feel imposed.”

“Haha, that’s quite alright. I will see your uncle then.”

Gun-Ho was thinking about closing the restaurant right away since he already sold the restaurant, and then he changed his mind.

“I have to pay the rent anyway whether I close it now or later. Let’s keep it open until the last day I promised to vacate it.”

Gun-Ho was gazing outside the window from his restaurant hall. The kitchen lady was talking on her cell phone. As he thought more about his failure in this restaurant business, he felt more embarrassed.

“That dandy-looking owner keeps smiling at me whenever he sees me. I feel like he is laughing at me. I’m offended by that!”

He felt like he disappointed Jong-Suk in Yangju and Suk-Ho in Gyeongridan Street.

“I am so embarrassed. Good thing is, I didn’t tell my parents about this restaurant.”

Gun-Ho grabbed the mini calculator placed on the counter and started calculating.

“Renovation, realtor fee, kitchen appliances, tables, and chairs… F*ck! I threw out 20 million won.”

Gun-Ho, let out a deep sigh.

“If I invested the entire 500 million won I had into this restaurant business, I would have lost probably 100 million won. If a retiring man in his 50s went through the same thing I did, it would have been a huge problem. I don’t have any dependents, but they have children who go to college; they also have to make a living for the family.”

Putting himself in their shoes for a second made him terrified.

Gun-Ho was dozing off in a chair in the restaurant since there was no customer at all when the next door restaurant owner with a shaved head came into the restaurant. He was with someone.

“Sir, this is my uncle I talked to you about the other day.”

The uncle person smiled as he extended his hand for a handshake. He seemed to be in his late 50s and he was tall. He didn’t look like a business person maybe because he spent more of his life working in an office rather than running a business.

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo. Please have a seat.”

“So, you sold your restaurant? If you are, by any chance, interested in running a Korean restaurant in China, please come visit us. In China, you don’t need a large amount of money to buy a restaurant. If you invested about the same amount you spent on this restaurant, you could get a big one in China.”

“How big is your restaurant in China?

“It’s about 100 pyung. It shares the same building with a hotel. You can acquire it for 50 million won.”

“That cheap?”

“In China, security deposit and premium are not required. Instead, you make the whole payment up front for the period you rent.”

“The entire amount?”

“Yes, instead of a security deposit, you pay the one year period rent in a lump sum.”

“Hmmm…”

“Why don’t you just take a vacation in China and come visit us. Take a look and make a decision then. You have to first like it to acquire it, right? Haha.”

“When are you going back to China, sir?”

“I am leaving in three to four days. If you are interested, you can tell my nephew.”

“Sounds good. I will be busy tomorrow in vacating this restaurant, so I will let you know around the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay. No problem. And if you don’t have a passport, you’d better make one now. If you take your passport and the business license before you close your restaurant to a travel agency, they can help you get your business visa to China with one-year duration.”

Note*

Jajangmyeon – Korean style Chinese noodle in black bean sauce

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Chapter 46: Going to China (2)

Gun-Ho decided to make a trip to China once his restaurant was sold.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never been outside of the country.”

Gun-Ho had never had a chance or money to travel abroad because his family and himself hadn’t had money for it while many of his friends took a trip overseas to study English or to do volunteer work abroad.

“I already have my passport. I applied for it with Jong-Suk when I was in Pocheon working in a factory. We, at that time, talked about working in Australia or Canada because we heard that we could make a lot of money doing welding over there. I guess I can make use of it this time.”

Gun-Ho took his passport along with his business license to a travel agency close to the Noryangjin Station. He paid the agency fee, and they told him to come back after three days and pick his passport up.

Gun-Ho left the refrigerator and water heater in the restaurant because the new owner wanted to buy them.

“They were very expensive when I bought them, but when I sold them their prices are like the price of a chewing gum.”

Even so, Gun-Ho thought it was not a bad deal. It was better than nothing after all.

After he handed over his restaurant, he had nothing to do. When he was running the restaurant, he couldn’t even dream about going out to have fun or meet with friends because he just didn’t have the time for it.

“Let’s go see a movie.”

For the first time in a long time, Gun-Ho went to the CGV movie theater close to the Yongsan Station and watched a movie. After that, he stopped by a PC room to play computer games. It only took him a day to feel bored playing computer games.

“Even though I lost 20 million won from the restaurant in Noryangjin, I still have my seed money of 480 million won. What do I want to do now? Oh, I have to let him know whether I would go to China or not. Let me first ask the travel agency if my visa is ready to be picked up.”

The travel agency said his visa was ready when he called them, and he could pick it up in the morning on the following day.

Once he received confirmation about his visa from the travel agency, Gun-Ho made a call to the BBQ restaurant owner with a shaved head in Noryangjin.

“Hi, I’m Gun-Ho Goo, the one who used to run the Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant next door. Could you tell your uncle that I’d like to come and visit his restaurant in China? I already got my visa.”

“Oh, really? I will tell him right away.”

The shaved-head owner’s uncle called Gun-Ho.

“Sir? So are you going to China? You made the right decision. I will make a reservation for your flight. Please text me your name and your name in English as well.”

Gun-Ho sent him a text with his name in Korean and English. Then the uncle called him again.

“Let’s meet at the Gimpo International Airport after two days. The flight leaves at 2 PM. You need to arrive at the airport an hour early. For the flight cost, you can pay in credit card, but I recommend you to prepare 200,000-300,000 won in cash. You might need it in China. Bring your suitcase and wear comfortable clothes. I will see you at the waiting area in front of the currency exchange booth.”

“I will see you then.”

Once he got off the phone with the uncle, Gun-Ho called Jong-Suk.

“Jong-Suk? It’s me. I sold my restaurant.”

“You did? I’m sorry to hear that, bro. I was hoping for you to succeed in the restaurant business. Did you lose a lot?”

“A little. Not an amount I have to terribly worry about. And I am going to China the day after tomorrow.”

“China?”

“There is a restaurant I want to see. So I’m just taking a vacation there.”

“You don’t even speak Chinese, bro. What’s your plan?”

“They said I could use an interpreter and I don’t have to speak Chinese to run a restaurant there. I will tell the details once I come back.”

“Did you say you are leaving the day after tomorrow? Then you are free tomorrow, right? Tomorrow is Sunday. Let’s go fishing. I went to the Pocheon fishing site last week by myself and saw Chairman Lee there.”

“Really? He is still going there.”

“He asked me how you were doing, and why you didn’t come fishing any longer. Why don’t you go there with me tomorrow? Let’s drink soju.”

“I have to buy a travel suitcase.”

“Just get a bag or something. Buy it today!”

“Okay. I will be there tomorrow at 10 AM.”

Gun-Ho went to the fishing site; it had been a while. Seoul was too busy for Gun-Ho. Once he arrived at the quiet Pocheon City, Gun-Ho felt like he could breathe better. It was late fall and Cosmos flowers started falling down; dragonflies were still flying in the sky.

“Very nice. I love the nature in my country.”

Gun-Ho walked down to the reservoir, carrying his fishing rod. Jong-Suk was waving at Gun-Ho at the reservoir; he must have arrived earlier.

“Hey, Jong-Suk! Good to you see you, bro.”

“Bro, I’m happy to see you. Enjoy this day and forget about that Noryangjin restaurant thing.”

“I’m trying, man. I don’t see Chairman Lee.”

“I don’t see him either. There are two men fishing over there. Do you think it’s them?”

“Did they change their fishing spot?”

“Let’s go there to say hi, and come back to our spot.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk walked to the other side to see if Chairman Lee was there. The two men fishing on that side were Chairman Lee and Manager Gweon.

“Hi!”

“Oh, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo and Mr. Jong-Suk Park!”

“You still remember our names.”

“Of course. How can I forget the person with ShinWangJaeWang fate!”

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m just saying it. I heard you moved to Noryangjin from Asan to run a restaurant.”

“I sold it already.”

“Oh, really? You made the right decision. Running a restaurant is supposed to be your last one in your life.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You only run a restaurant business once you’ve failed all other businesses, meaning that running a restaurant requires that much experience. That’s why running a restaurant is very difficult.”

“It was hard. That’s for sure.”

“You only open a restaurant if you can open it in a corporation form with chain restaurants, or with your family. A restaurant business requires a large amount of labor, so you need family members’ support to succeed. It’s really hard to succeed if you run it by yourself. Now, what are you going to do?”

“I haven’t decided on anything yet. Someone wants to show me a restaurant in China so I’m planning to travel to China for a vacation.”

“China…”

Chairman Lee retrieved his fishing rod to change the bait, and he said to himself while gazing at the fishing float that was floating on the water.

“The ShinWangJaeWang fate is leading him there.”

Gun-Ho had no idea what Chairman Lee meant, so he just pretended he didn’t hear anything.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, you said you worked at a company in Asan and worked in accounting. How long did it last?”

“For accounting work, I worked in Yangju for six months and for four months in Asan.”

“Are the companies still using the B2B payment system?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Sons of b*tches!”

“Huh?”

Gun-Ho was frightened because he never expected to hear that sort of cursing word from Chairman Lee; he seemed to be a perfect gentleman. Chairman Lee smiled and looked at Gun-Ho.

“I apologize. I couldn’t suppress the urge!”

“Do you have any particular reason or story for saying that?”

Chairman Lee sighed lightly and started reeling off a story slowly.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, I actually worked as a hard money lender in the Myeongdong area when I was young.”

“Oh, I see…”

“At that time, there was no such thing as a B2B payment system. The accounting staff in each company came to me with their promissory note whenever they needed money. The line was long. We quickly grasped their credit rating; we were quicker than banks. Bank branch managers often asked me about a company’s credit rating. Knowing a company’s credit rating was critical because that was the base to determine the interest rate for that company.

“Oh, I see.”

“The company in Asan, what was the early payment discount rate there?”

“It was 4.5%.”

“A*sholes! They are doing good.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The companies that needed money came to me—I was the big player in Myeongdong’s hard money market—with their promissory note, and just like banks do now, we took our fee and gave them discounted cash. It was called promissory note Warikkang. I made a lot of money doing it. I almost swept money into my pocket. Once the banks realized that we were making a lot of money that way, they made it into a bank service and took it away from us.

“Oh…, I see.”

Gun-Ho learned new facts.

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Chapter 46 - Going to China (2)

Chapter 46: Going to China (2)

Gun-Ho decided to make a trip to China once his restaurant was sold.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never been outside of the country.”

Gun-Ho had never had a chance or money to travel abroad because his family and himself hadn’t had money for it while many of his friends took a trip overseas to study English or to do volunteer work abroad.

“I already have my passport. I applied for it with Jong-Suk when I was in Pocheon working in a factory. We, at that time, talked about working in Australia or Canada because we heard that we could make a lot of money doing welding over there. I guess I can make use of it this time.”

Gun-Ho took his passport along with his business license to a travel agency close to the Noryangjin Station. He paid the agency fee, and they told him to come back after three days and pick his passport up.

Gun-Ho left the refrigerator and water heater in the restaurant because the new owner wanted to buy them.

“They were very expensive when I bought them, but when I sold them their prices are like the price of a chewing gum.”

Even so, Gun-Ho thought it was not a bad deal. It was better than nothing after all.

After he handed over his restaurant, he had nothing to do. When he was running the restaurant, he couldn’t even dream about going out to have fun or meet with friends because he just didn’t have the time for it.

“Let’s go see a movie.”

For the first time in a long time, Gun-Ho went to the CGV movie theater close to the Yongsan Station and watched a movie. After that, he stopped by a PC room to play computer games. It only took him a day to feel bored playing computer games.

“Even though I lost 20 million won from the restaurant in Noryangjin, I still have my seed money of 480 million won. What do I want to do now? Oh, I have to let him know whether I would go to China or not. Let me first ask the travel agency if my visa is ready to be picked up.”

The travel agency said his visa was ready when he called them, and he could pick it up in the morning on the following day.

Once he received confirmation about his visa from the travel agency, Gun-Ho made a call to the BBQ restaurant owner with a shaved head in Noryangjin.

“Hi, I’m Gun-Ho Goo, the one who used to run the Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant next door. Could you tell your uncle that I’d like to come and visit his restaurant in China? I already got my visa.”

“Oh, really? I will tell him right away.”

The shaved-head owner’s uncle called Gun-Ho.

“Sir? So are you going to China? You made the right decision. I will make a reservation for your flight. Please text me your name and your name in English as well.”

Gun-Ho sent him a text with his name in Korean and English. Then the uncle called him again.

“Let’s meet at the Gimpo International Airport after two days. The flight leaves at 2 PM. You need to arrive at the airport an hour early. For the flight cost, you can pay in credit card, but I recommend you to prepare 200,000-300,000 won in cash. You might need it in China. Bring your suitcase and wear comfortable clothes. I will see you at the waiting area in front of the currency exchange booth.”

“I will see you then.”

Once he got off the phone with the uncle, Gun-Ho called Jong-Suk.

“Jong-Suk? It’s me. I sold my restaurant.”

“You did? I’m sorry to hear that, bro. I was hoping for you to succeed in the restaurant business. Did you lose a lot?”

“A little. Not an amount I have to terribly worry about. And I am going to China the day after tomorrow.”

“China?”

“There is a restaurant I want to see. So I’m just taking a vacation there.”

“You don’t even speak Chinese, bro. What’s your plan?”

“They said I could use an interpreter and I don’t have to speak Chinese to run a restaurant there. I will tell the details once I come back.”

“Did you say you are leaving the day after tomorrow? Then you are free tomorrow, right? Tomorrow is Sunday. Let’s go fishing. I went to the Pocheon fishing site last week by myself and saw Chairman Lee there.”

“Really? He is still going there.”

“He asked me how you were doing, and why you didn’t come fishing any longer. Why don’t you go there with me tomorrow? Let’s drink soju.”

“I have to buy a travel suitcase.”

“Just get a bag or something. Buy it today!”

“Okay. I will be there tomorrow at 10 AM.”

Gun-Ho went to the fishing site; it had been a while. Seoul was too busy for Gun-Ho. Once he arrived at the quiet Pocheon City, Gun-Ho felt like he could breathe better. It was late fall and Cosmos flowers started falling down; dragonflies were still flying in the sky.

“Very nice. I love the nature in my country.”

Gun-Ho walked down to the reservoir, carrying his fishing rod. Jong-Suk was waving at Gun-Ho at the reservoir; he must have arrived earlier.

“Hey, Jong-Suk! Good to you see you, bro.”

“Bro, I’m happy to see you. Enjoy this day and forget about that Noryangjin restaurant thing.”

“I’m trying, man. I don’t see Chairman Lee.”

“I don’t see him either. There are two men fishing over there. Do you think it’s them?”

“Did they change their fishing spot?”

“Let’s go there to say hi, and come back to our spot.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk walked to the other side to see if Chairman Lee was there. The two men fishing on that side were Chairman Lee and Manager Gweon.

“Hi!”

“Oh, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo and Mr. Jong-Suk Park!”

“You still remember our names.”

“Of course. How can I forget the person with ShinWangJaeWang fate!”

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m just saying it. I heard you moved to Noryangjin from Asan to run a restaurant.”

“I sold it already.”

“Oh, really? You made the right decision. Running a restaurant is supposed to be your last one in your life.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You only run a restaurant business once you’ve failed all other businesses, meaning that running a restaurant requires that much experience. That’s why running a restaurant is very difficult.”

“It was hard. That’s for sure.”

“You only open a restaurant if you can open it in a corporation form with chain restaurants, or with your family. A restaurant business requires a large amount of labor, so you need family members’ support to succeed. It’s really hard to succeed if you run it by yourself. Now, what are you going to do?”

“I haven’t decided on anything yet. Someone wants to show me a restaurant in China so I’m planning to travel to China for a vacation.”

“China…”

Chairman Lee retrieved his fishing rod to change the bait, and he said to himself while gazing at the fishing float that was floating on the water.

“The ShinWangJaeWang fate is leading him there.”

Gun-Ho had no idea what Chairman Lee meant, so he just pretended he didn’t hear anything.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, you said you worked at a company in Asan and worked in accounting. How long did it last?”

“For accounting work, I worked in Yangju for six months and for four months in Asan.”

“Are the companies still using the B2B payment system?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Sons of b*tches!”

“Huh?”

Gun-Ho was frightened because he never expected to hear that sort of cursing word from Chairman Lee; he seemed to be a perfect gentleman. Chairman Lee smiled and looked at Gun-Ho.

“I apologize. I couldn’t suppress the urge!”

“Do you have any particular reason or story for saying that?”

Chairman Lee sighed lightly and started reeling off a story slowly.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, I actually worked as a hard money lender in the Myeongdong area when I was young.”

“Oh, I see…”

“At that time, there was no such thing as a B2B payment system. The accounting staff in each company came to me with their promissory note whenever they needed money. The line was long. We quickly grasped their credit rating; we were quicker than banks. Bank branch managers often asked me about a company’s credit rating. Knowing a company’s credit rating was critical because that was the base to determine the interest rate for that company.

“Oh, I see.”

“The company in Asan, what was the early payment discount rate there?”

“It was 4.5%.”

“A*sholes! They are doing good.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The companies that needed money came to me—I was the big player in Myeongdong’s hard money market—with their promissory note, and just like banks do now, we took our fee and gave them discounted cash. It was called promissory note Warikkang. I made a lot of money doing it. I almost swept money into my pocket. Once the banks realized that we were making a lot of money that way, they made it into a bank service and took it away from us.

“Oh…, I see.”

Gun-Ho learned new facts.

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Chapter 47 - Going to China (3)

Chapter 47: Going to China (3)

Chairman Lee continued talking.

“The hard money lenders at that time suffered a bitter blow when the banks took the promissory note discount service that they had been providing to companies. That was the reason why I quit the hard money lending business and moved to the real estate investment business. I went to Apgujeong Town, Gangnam District in Seoul and started investing in condos. The condos in Gangnam were already selling at a high price, but I was certain that people would be willing to pay even more for those condos. I was sure about it because I knew that people preferred the convenient location of Gangnam, and they also had a desire to show off that they were living in a nice community—the Gangnam area.”

“You must have made a fortune from that investment.”

“I did. But then the IMF happened.”

“Gosh, you must have lost a lot then.”

“No, actually I didn’t.”

Chairman Lee wagged his head.

“I was actually so excited because it could be a huge opportunity to make big money.”

“Huh? During the IMF crisis?”

“Right before the IMF crisis, the officials in the Ministry of Economy and Finance saw the signs of an upcoming financial crisis in this country. They, however, denied their awareness by stating that our economy was fundamentally strong. I had been in the money market for too long to believe them and I had the opposite view. By that time, I had already liquidated my assets; I sold dozens of condos I owned in Apgujeong Town along with all of the promissory notes I was holding. I believed the only way I could survive was by securing cash.”

“I see.”

“Once the Korean economy began to experience the financial crisis, the building owners who couldn’t handle the interest rate hikes started putting their buildings on the market, and many companies with significant debts went bankrupt. At that time, I acquired the 25 billion won building in Cheongdam Town.

“Oh, I see.”

Manager Gweon and Jong-Suk were listening intently to Chairman Lee’s story while sitting next to him.

“Guess how much that building is worth today.”

“Um, I don’t know. Maybe 30 billion won? 40 billion won?”

“It is now worth 200 billion won.”

“200 billion won!” Gun-Ho gasped in astonishment.

“The rent income from that building was substantial. One day, a branch manager of a bank came to me and offered a loan of 100 billion won since I didn’t have any debt. He then asked me to take over a building that the bank had seized for a defaulted loan; the bank was about to put that building up for sale. I took a 60 billion won of loan out of the 100 billion won loan they initially suggested and took over a paper production company for 40 billion won. With the remaining 20 billion won, I bought the small building.”

“I see.”

“The reason why I acquired the paper production company was that… The delivery business was being developed in Korea at that time and I thought the delivery business would make substantial use of packaging boxes which are made of corrugated cardboard. Additionally, my son was about to return from studying in the U.S. and I wanted to give him a company he could run. I already paid off the loan of 60 billion won. That paper production company continuously grew and now its asset exceeds 100 billion won, and the small building is worth about 70 billion won now.”

Gun-Ho, Jong-Suk and Manager Gweon had gasped in astonishment and admiration.

“Now, I have no desire to amass any more money, and I’m just spending my time fishing like this. Promissory notes or real estate investments are no longer a good way to make money these days. As banks took over the promissory note business with their B2B payment system, the government is taking the profits from the real estate investment by collecting so many taxes by the name of a transfer tax and an excess profits tax. A person born to a poor family might find it impossible to move up the economic ladder because the economic ladder became way steeper than it used to be. It could solidify the economic inequality in our society.”

“Whew.”

The three people let a deep sigh simultaneously as they listened to Chairman Lee’s story.

“Do you know why I am telling you all these stories today? I usually don’t talk much.”

“I don’t know.”

“I am telling you these stories because Mr. Gun-Ho Goo is going to China.”

“Huh? I haven’t decided anything yet. I’m going there just to see how it is.”

“I am not an expert in running a business, but I’ve heard that a lot of Korean companies expanded their business to China and failed. Moreover, many Korean business people became victim of fraud there. There is something very clear though.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“The real estate.”

“Real estate?”

“What is China’s economic growth rate? Almost 10% right? It’s 30% for three years. The real estate market and a country’s economic growth are closely related. If a housing boom occurs in addition to the economic growth, the real estate prices will rise significantly.”

“Then the real estate price in China will keep increasing, right?”

“No.”

Chairman Lee shook his head from side to side.

“If the real estate price goes up continuously, the Chinese government will pull out their sword to intervene, just like our country. The government would want to develop the source of tax revenue and they don’t want the economic inequality to be intensified. Chinese real estate market is going through a golden age right now. You might not hit a jackpot there, but it will cover the economic growth. You want to pay attention to the market.”

Gun-Ho almost said, ‘I don’t have money to invest in a real estate market.’ Chairman Lee seemed like he knew everything. If Gun-Ho said so, Chairman Lee might reply this to him ‘You made your money when you worked in accounting by using inappropriately the company’s funds.’ Gun-Ho was scared to hear that from him.

“Haha. I will keep that in mind. Thank you for telling me your story, sir.”

“I’ve got a bite!”

Chairman Lee reeled in the fish.

The sun was about to set. Chairman Lee and Manager Gweon left for home. Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk laid out a picnic mat on the grass and started drinking. Jong-Suk said as he poured the soju in his paper cup, “Sometimes I don’t understand Chairman Lee. He knows that we both have no money. Why does he keep saying we need to pay attention to the real estate market?”

“Haha. Yeah. Weird.”

As Gun-Ho was responding to Suk-Ho, he talked to himself while he poured the soju in his paper cup.

‘Wow. Chairman Lee is something. He knows everything, I mean literally everything. He is on a whole different level.’

Gun-Ho went to Gimpo International Airport and met the shaved-head restaurant owner’s uncle.

“I already reserved a hotel for you.”

“Oh, the hotel in China? Isn’t it expensive?”

“It’s a three-star hotel. The price is about the same as a motel in Korea.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Oh, and I believe I didn’t give you my name. I’m Hee-Yeol Byeon. I had worked in L Group for a long time before I retired three years ago.”

“Oh, really? How did you start the restaurant in China then?”

“The location of the last branch office of L Group that I worked for is in Shanghai. After retiring, I started my own business and then I blew most of my retirement pay because of some sort of fraud. It left me with 50 million won, so I acquired that restaurant in Hangzhou City with it.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I’ve heard that you used to work in a company before too.”

“Right. Not long though. I used to work at an electronic assembly company in Asan.”

“Oh, so you were not a business person.”

“No. The restaurant in Noyrangjin was my first business experience. You can talk to me in a more informal way; you are way older than me.”

“Well… If you haven’t exchanged your money yet, you can do so here.”

“How much do you think I should exchange?”

“200,000 -300,000 won should be good. It’s up to you. Today’s exchange rate is displayed on the electronic board over there.”

Gun-Ho exchanged 300,000 won with Chinese Yuan. The current exchange rate from Korean Won to Chinese Yuan at that time was 120:1. Gun-Ho received 2,500 Yuan.

Gun-Ho boarded the plane to China. Everything seemed marvelous to him.

“Wow. I am on board. I guess I achieved a certain level of success in my life! Even though I lost 20 million won in Noryangjin!”

The plane took off and Gun-Ho couldn’t take his eyes off from outside the window even though all he could see was the clouds, and they looked like cotton candies. Gun-Ho looked at Hee-Yeol Byun in the next seat and he was dozing off; he must be very tired.

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Chapter 48 - Going to China (4)

Chapter 48: Going to China (4)

The plane Gun-Ho was on landed at Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai, China.

Gun-Ho became busy looking at the surroundings such as buildings and business signs once he got off the plain.

“Is this your first time in China?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, it’s my first time.”

“This airport is an old airport like Gimpo International Airport in our country. There is a new airport in Pudong, just like Incheon International Airport in Korea. That’s why a flight leaving Incheon lands in Pudong, and a flight leaving Gimpo lands in Hongquio.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Since this airport has been here for a long time, you can find Korean restaurants and Korean consulate in this area. The branch offices of many Korean banks such as Industrial Bank of Korea and Kookmin Bank for Shanghai are all located here as well.”

Mr. Byeon showed Gun-Ho the Korean consulate and the Korean bank branch offices.

“I chose this flight route to this location for our trip because you might use this airport frequently in the future. We actually have an airport close to Hangzhou City where my restaurant is located and that would be the fastest route to get to the restaurant. However, I chose this airport for your future convenience.”

Gun-Ho didn’t pay too much attention to what Mr. Byeon had said. He was too busy looking at the people on the street and the buildings in the area.

“We can take an express bus here to Hangzhou City. It takes about two hours.”

Mr. Byeon took Gun-Ho to the express bus terminal. The terminal looked similar to the one in the province in Korea.

“Hangzhou City is like a state capital. You can think of it as a city where a provincial government is located. It could be Daegu City or Gwangju City in Korea.”

The express bus looked the same as the one in Korea. After passing by a huge Canola flower field, they arrived at Hangzhou City; it was already after sunset. Hangzhou was a big city like Shanghai. Gun-Ho and Mr. Byeon took a taxi after getting off the bus. Mr. Byeon was fluent in Chinese. He said something to the taxi driver, and the driver nodded his head.

“I told him we want to go to Mando Hotel located in Haebang road. My restaurant is located on the 8th floor in the same building.”

“8th floor?”

Gun-Ho frowned as soon as he heard 8th floor. Gun-Ho thought the first floor was a better location for high foot traffic. ‘Can they get customers on the 8th floor?’ Gun-Ho thought. Mr. Byeon explained when he sensed Gun-Ho’s disappointment about the location of the restaurant.

“The restaurant has an excellent view from the 8th floor. In addition, it is one of the few Korean restaurants in Hangzhou City, so we do get many customers even if it is on the 8th floor including tourist customers in a group occasionally.”

Gun-Ho thought tourist groups should be very good customers for a restaurant. However, the fact that he couldn’t speak Chinese bothered him. He had to rely on Mr. Byeon for every single thing.

They arrived at Mando Hotel. It was not a huge hotel but looked cozy. Gun-Ho had seen other hotels from their taxi ride on their way here; they were all big, unlike this Mando Hotel. Gun-Ho and Mr. Byeon went up to the 8th floor in the elevator. There was a standing signboard that said ‘Korean Restaurant’ written in Chinese inside the elevator.

As Gun-Ho and Mr. Byeon entered into the restaurant, the restaurant staff greeted them without bowing though. No one even slightly bent their head to greet them. They all said something in Chinese, which Gun-Ho couldn’t understand at all. Gun-Ho looked around and he was amazed.

“The restaurant is very large and clean maybe because it is located in the same building as a hotel. Even the floor was carpeted.”

Gun-Ho had a hard time believing this large and clean restaurant is only 50 million won. He then realized when he was about to leave the restaurant that he wouldn’t get anything since there was no security deposit required.

“That means I have to make a profit and save that profit up during the whole time I’m running the restaurant. If I look at it that way, 50 million won is not cheap.”

The restaurant had about 20 tables, and only two of them were occupied at that time. Mr. Byeon asked Gun-Ho to sit and wait for him in the backside of the restaurant. Mr. Byeon started talking with the staff. It seemed like the restaurant staff was reporting the things that happened during Mr. Byeon’s absence. After a moment, Mr. Byeon came to Gun-Ho with a lady who looked like in her mid-20s.

“She is one of our staff; she is doing interpretation too.”

“I’m Mae-Hyang Kim.” She spoke in Korean.

She extended her hand for a handshake with a smile. She seemed like a Korean living in China.

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

Mr. Byeon then said as Gun-Ho and Mae-Hyang shook their hands,

“We have eight staff in total here. Ms. Mae-Hyang Kim is our serving staff, and she also does the interpreting. I don’t ask her often for interpreting, but if you take over this restaurant, you will probably need her pretty often for interpreting. She is a very good interpreter.”

Gun-Ho looked at Mae-Hyang again.

“Are you a Korean Chinese by any chance?”

“That’s right.”

Mae-Hyang responded with a smile on her round face. She had a bit of an outdated style but she was cute.

“Who is the cashier? Mr. Byeon, are you the one who is handling money?”

“No. We have a local lady from here in Hangzhou City. Do you see the lady over there who is taking payment from a customer?”

“Oh, I see.”

“I’ve reserved your room in this hotel for your convenience. Your room is downstairs, number 706. Here is the room key. I’ve already talked to the hotel manager to give you a discounted price for your room.”

“Haha, I appreciate it.”

“Why don’t you unpack your luggage in your room and change clothes before dinner. I will meet you in the lobby after an hour. Let’s have dinner in the Chinese restaurant across the street.”

“That sounds great.”

The hotel was small but it had everything it needed. The room was as good as a newly constructed motel in a province in Korea. Gun-Ho took a shower and walked out of the bathroom.

“Oh, TV is here.”

Gun-Ho turned on the TV.

A Chinese news anchor was talking in Chinese on TV. Gun-Ho, of course, had no idea what that news anchor was talking about. There was a brochure on the table next to the TV. It was a hotel brochure and a map for tourists.

“They are all written in Chinese letters. I had learned Chinese letters but these look different from what I had learned.”

Gun-Ho studied Chinese writing and reading and obtained a level-3 certificate for it in addition to a certificate for Korean history. It was a part of the preparation process for government and private sector jobs. So he was supposed to be able to read Chinese letters, but he could recognize only a few letters from the brochure.

“I guess this part explains about the emergency exit, but all I can read is the word ‘safety’.”

Gun-Ho laid down on the bed while thinking.

“The restaurant is nice and neat but I’m not sure if I can make money with it.”

At that moment, the phone started to ring.

“Hello?”

Gun-Ho answered the phone in English; ‘hello’ was one of the few English words he knew.

“I’m Hee-Yeol Byeon. It’s almost time. Let’s meet in the lobby downstairs.”

Mr. Byeon took Gun-Ho to the restaurant across the street. There were two huge lights about the size of a desk hanging on the main entrance. The restaurant name was Seohochancheong.

“Wow, it is a very big restaurant.”

The restaurant’s serving staff were standing by at the entrance side like a guard before they assist their customers. One of them brought a menu book to Gun-Ho and Mr. Byeon. While Gun-Ho couldn’t read any of it, Mr. Byeon started placing orders proficiently pointing certain dishes listed on the menu book.

“How long should I stay in China to speak Chinese fluently like you?”

“I don’t speak Chinese fluently at all. I’ve been here for seven years, but you will learn very quickly since you are young.”

“You are so modest, Mr. Byeon. You have spent seven years in China. That’s amazing.”

“I’m not just saying it, but you would be able to speak Chinese probably within two years. Let’s have Chinese alcohol, Baijinwoo, the Kaoliang wine. I will talk to you more about my restaurant while we are eating.”

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Chapter 49 - Going to China (5)

Chapter 49: Going to China (5)

The dishes which Mr. Byeon ordered started coming out.

Gun-Ho’s table was quickly filled with all sorts of dainties: fried pork, deep-fried fish, seasoned vegetables, steamed stuff, and etc.

“All these dishes cost only 30,000 won with which you can have pork belly for two people in my Korean restaurant. These dishes are commonplace here, daily food for Chinese people. On the other hand, Korean food we serve in my restaurant is special food for them.”

After drinking three to four glasses of Kaoliang wine Mr. Byeon ordered, Gun-Ho felt drunk. That wine was 50 percent alcohol by volume. Once Gun-Ho became a bit drunk, Mr. Byeon dragged his chair closer to Gun-Ho and said,

“What do you think? Do you like my Korean restaurant?”

“I do actually like your restaurant. But I am not sure if I could make profits with it.”

“You won’t lose money. Usually, I make over 3,000 Yuan per day. Sometimes I make more than 5,000 Yuan. I will show you the daily sales report tomorrow.”

“3,000 daily sales will make 90,000 Yuan per month. Then how much money does actually fall into your hands?”

“The ingredients cost 30,000, then 15,000 for labor, and 5,000 of maintenance fee, and no rent since we paid all up front.”

“Then 40,000 Yuan is what you actually make?”

“That sounds right. I put aside 25,000 out of 40,000 for the payment of the restaurant for the next period. So I actually take 15,000 Yuan per month.”

“If applying the current exchange rate of 120:1, it would be about 1,800,000 won.”

“That is the least you could make. Our daily sales are often exceeding 5,000 Yuan. So you can assume the monthly profit would be 3,000,000 won per month.”

“Hmm…”

Gun-Ho still thought the maximum profit he could take from this restaurant would be 2 million won per month. 2 million won per month wouldn’t be enough for Mr. Byeon given his personal situation; he must have a family to support.

“How many family members do you have if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I have two children. One of them is studying in the U.S.A.”

“That must be costly.”

“Whew, actually that is my main reason why I want to sell the restaurant. When I had an office job as a manager, I used to make 7 million won per month. After spending 4 million on living expenses, I could still save some money for the future. However, with 2 million income from this restaurant, I can’t even imagine saving money. I am planning to try a new business after returning to Korea.”

“What do you want to do in Korea? Starting a business in Korea will cost you more.”

“I have a condo in Sadang Town in Seoul. It is worth 600 million won now. I bought that condo with my entire career earnings. I think I can loan some money using that condo and want to open a large Japanese restaurant in Noryangjin with my nephew.”

Gun-Ho thought his 480 million won wouldn’t get him a condo in Seoul since Mr. Byeon’s condo in Sadang Town was worth 600 million won.

Mr. Byeon suddenly grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand.

“Mr. Goo! You can succeed in this restaurant business. You are still young.”

“I am not sure how I could make profits here.”

“You can start by targeting travel agencies so they could bring tourists into the restaurant. The staffs in travel agencies are about the same age as you and you can easily get close with them. Since I am an old man, it was not easy to get along with them.”

“I don’t know.”

“China is a land of opportunity. To start a restaurant like mine from scratch, it takes enormous money and time. My restaurant is already established. You can start with this restaurant, and once you get familiar with business here in China you can try some other business.”

“It doesn’t have to be me, isn’t it? You could sell it to a local businessman.”

“The rent is 300,000 Yuan and it is almost 40 million won. There are of course rich Chinese people, but many ordinary people here are poor. It is hard to find a Chinese person who could take over my restaurant.”

“Hmm…”

“Why don’t you give a try? It’s a lot better than the tiny restaurant in Noryangjin.”

“Well, I understood what you are saying. Let me think about it.”

Next morning, Gun-Ho went to Mr. Byeon’s Korean restaurant and took a look at their sales ledger. His work experience in accounting came in very handy. He could grasp the financial state of the restaurant in no time. In addition, the restaurant ledger was done by the single-entry bookkeeping system, rather than the double entry accounting system.

“You listed only revenues and expenses. You did a very good job.”

Mr. Byeon seemed to feel bashful by Gun-Ho’s comments.

“You have to collect all the receipts for the ingredients you purchase. VAT is very high in China.”

“Isn’t it 10%? here?”

“It’s 17% in China.”

“Wow! 17%?”

“That’s why you want to save all the receipts for any expenses.”

That reminded Gun-Ho that he didn’t file his VAT return yet for his Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant in Noryangjin. He decided that he would make the VAT return to be the first thing he would do once he returned to Korea.

“Well, anyway, thank you for showing me the sales ledger and the payroll.”

“Take over this restaurant, Mr. Goo! Haha.”

“Is there a OneRoom here in China?”

“You probably want to rent a small apartment instead of a OneRoom. I’m currently renting a two-bed apartment with a living room for 1,500 Yuan. It’s not bad at all. In case you have a guest from Korea, the two-bed apartment is convenient. You can add your rent when you file the VAT return.”

“Can a foreigner acquire a real estate in China?”

“I’m not so sure about it. I guess you might need an Alien Resident Certificate.”

“You said you used to work in a Shanghai branch office of a big company. Was there anyone who purchased a real estate and lived there during their stay in Shanghai?”

“Well, there might be, but as far as I know most of us rented an apartment. Even my company rented an apartment if they needed to provide accommodation. I haven’t seen anyone who actually purchased one. If you buy a real estate, it cost you a significant amount of money that you can’t use until you sell it.”

“I see.”

That day, Gun-Ho had a Doenjang-jjigae* in Mr. Byeon’s Korean restaurant.

“This doesn’t taste that good. Maybe because the cooks in the kitchen are Chinese.”

After his dinner, Gun-Ho walked to the famous Hangzhou West Lake. West Lake was in a walking distance from Mando Hotel.

“So, this is the famous West Lake.”

Gun-Ho squinted at sunset glow over West Lake. He could see the bank that had been built by Su Shi.

“This is so beautiful. I guess I could live a true well-being life here comparing to the life in busy Noryangjin.”

Gun-Ho kept walking along West Lake. The surroundings of the lake were very well developed with commercial stores since a lot of tourists visited there. It was crowded and Gun-Ho even saw people touting for their business.

Hangzhou City where West Lake is situated was the capital of the Southern Song dynasty. Lin’an which often appears in a martial arts novel is one of the districts of Hangzhou.

“It has a great view and the area has a high traffic of people. Maybe I can sell a Korean-style chicken-and-beer combination menu.”

Gun-Ho looked at the price tags of things on the street as he walked along, and they were very cheap comparing to ones in Korea. He thought the living cost in China should be low and 1 million per month would be enough.

Note*

Doenjang-jjigae – a Korean soybean paste stew

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Chapter 50: Acquiring a Korean Restaurant in China (1)

Gun-Ho came back to his hotel room and gave a lot of thought to whether he should acquire that Korean restaurant or not.

“I think I could make about 10,000 Yuan per month with that restaurant. It is certainly not enough for Mr. Byeon who has a child studying abroad.”

Gun-Ho thought for a second that Mr. Byeon might be a con-artist.

“He is probably not a con artist. He looks rather like an inept businessman due to his prolonged office job career. Moreover, his nephew is running a restaurant in Noryangjin and I know the location. He wouldn’t con me, and I am not the type of person who can easily be deceived.”

Gun-Ho took a cigarette.

“Should I take over that restaurant? Maybe I could get a two-bed apartment here and take a walk along West Lake every day. I can get the restaurant for 50 million won out of my 480 million won, and purchase a real estate with the remaining 400 million won. According to Chairman Lee, the price increase of real estate reflects the economic growth rate. So if China’s economic growth rate is 30% for three years, the real estate price will increase by 30%, right?”

Gun-Ho calculated quickly.

“If I invest 400 million won in real estate and get 30% gain after three years, I can return to Korea with 520 million won in hand. Even assuming I blew the restaurant business here, I could still hold 520 million won. It’s better than placing the money in a bank savings account.”

Gun-Ho was thinking while walking around the hotel room.

“Chairman Lee also said there could be a real estate boom which would raise even more real estate price. If the real estate price goes up by 50% after three years, I could go back to Korea with 600 million won. For the three years, I could learn the Chinese language and make that much money. I think that would be a good deal.”

Gun-Ho drank two cans of Tsingtao beer that was on the table and fell asleep.

It was the day scheduled for Gun-Ho to return to Korea.

Mr. Byeon came to Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai to see Gun-Ho off.

“So, have you thought about it?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“We say, ‘Think Long, Think Wrong.’ Don’t think too deeply or too long. Just make a decision. To be honest with you, you can’t do anything with 50 million won in Korea.”

“Haha. Well…”

“Why don’t we make a provisional contract? You can give me a small amount of money as earnest money.”

“Provisional contract… Let’s just make a contract!”

“Huh? Did you just say you want to make a contract?”

Mr. Byeon was stunned. He didn’t expect this since Gun-Ho had been just thinking without giving him any clear reaction to the restaurant deal.

“Did you bring the contract?”

“Yes, I did.”

Mr. Byeon pulled out the contract from his envelope that he seemed to carry everywhere and always.

“Wow. The decision came slow but once the decision is made, things have proceeded very quickly.”

Gun-Ho and Mr. Byeon made a contract in the waiting area of Hongqiao International Airport.

“The name of the seller is Hee-Yeol Byeon, CEO of Mando Food Co., Ltd.?”

“Right. It was hard to directly run a restaurant as a foreign individual, so I formed a company with a Chinese person just to make it look like the restaurant is being run by a company that is partially owned by Chinese. On the paper, I own 90% and the Chinese person owns 10%, but it is just for the paper.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Umm… What about the earnest money?”

“You said there is a Kookmin Bank here in Hongqiao, right? I will bring the money.”

Mr. Byeon seemed satisfied.

According to the contract, Gun-Ho was supposed to pay off the remaining sales price ten days later.

“The contract is written in Chinese. Once you go back to Korea, have it translated and notarized, and take it to a bank. You will need that translated contract when you send me the money. You can use up to $10,000 without reporting anything for travel, but if you have to send more than $10,000 abroad, you need to file a report.”

“I understood.”

“Oh, take this one too. You might need it.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a copy of the business license. You will need this to make an Alien Resident Certificate as well.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I could receive the money in Korea, but it is better for you to send me to China with all these paperwork. This will prove that you acquire a business in China and you will need it when you have to send money from China to Korea as well.”

“I see. Well, thank you.”

Gun-Ho put the copy of the restaurant business license in his bag.

Once he came back to Korea, Gun-Ho notified the landlord that he would vacate his room. He wouldn’t need room to stay in Korea anymore. He had the sales and purchase agreement of the restaurant and the seller’s business license written in Chinese translated into Korean and notarized. He would need them when he had to send money to China.

“Let’s go to Incheon to see my parents. It has been a while. I wouldn’t be able to see them often once I move to China.”

Gun-Ho took the subway line 1 and got off at Incheon Juan Station. Before he went home, he stopped by a market and bought beef leg bones from a butcher’s shop.

“I want to get something more.”

There was a pharmacy.

“My mom and dad like Bacchus; let’s get two boxes of it.”

Since he already notified the landlord to vacate the room, there might be someone entering his room to take a look while he was not present, so Gun-Ho brought all the important papers with him in his travel bag. It was heavy. By adding the beef leg bones and two boxes of Bacchus, it became even heavier.

“I can leave the bag to the parents’ home when I leave for China.”

Gun-Ho kept walking while passing by Juan North Elementary School and a church, and it was tiring.

“My home is so distant from the station. If I make money, I will move my parents to somewhere closer to the station. This is too exhausting.”

Gun-Ho’s father used to work in a production line for a company in the Juan industrial complex when he was young. After retiring, he opened a small snack restaurant. When it didn’t work very well, he took a job at a subcontracting company as a manual worker. He then injured his waist at work during an underground drainage work, so he couldn’t work any longer and couldn’t make money anymore. That resulted in financial difficulties in the family.

“My dad collapsed once of a heart attack. He was doing better now. Thank God.”

Gun-Ho walked up to the third floor of a townhouse with his heavy bag because there was no elevator. He knocked on the door once he arrived at his home.

“Who is it?”

It was his mother.

“Mom, it’s me.”

The front door opened wide. Gun-Ho’s mother looked happy to see him.

“My son is here! What is all this?”

Gun-Ho could smell Doenjang-jjigae. It seemed they were about to have dinner.

“Gun-Ho is here?”

Gun-Ho’s father came out in his pajamas. He looked better than the last time Gun-Ho saw him.

“We were about to have dinner. Let’s eat together.”

“It smells really good. Here it is.”

“What is this?”

“Beef leg bones.”

“You didn’t have to bring these expensive bones. Oh, you bought us Bacchus too. You must be tired by carrying all these heavy stuff.”

As his mother took what Gun-Ho brought, she smiled.

Mother’s Doenjang-jjigae was really good.

“It is so nice to have homemade food. It has been a while.”

“Eat more. I just cooked the rice too. It should be good.”

Gun-Ho had two bowls of rice with Doenjang-jjigae. His parents looked happy while watching their son eating.

“Why don’t you eat? Why do you keep staring at my face?”

“We are just happy to see our son eating.”

“How are you, dad? How are you feeling?”

“I feel much better because of you, son. I would have died if you didn’t send me the money for my surgery.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Your father is receiving the old-age pension of 200,000 won every month, and he goes to Jongno 3-ga District every single day.”

“Jongno 3-ga? For what?”

“There is Tapgol Park there where old people are gathering together all the time.”

Gun-Ho chuckled while having his dinner.

“By the way, what is that travel bag?”

“My clothes and books. I will leave them here. I’m going to China.”

“China?”

Gun-Ho’s mother and father looked at Gun-Ho in surprise.

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Chapter 50 - Acquiring a Korean Restaurant in China (1)

Chapter 50: Acquiring a Korean Restaurant in China (1)

Gun-Ho came back to his hotel room and gave a lot of thought to whether he should acquire that Korean restaurant or not.

“I think I could make about 10,000 Yuan per month with that restaurant. It is certainly not enough for Mr. Byeon who has a child studying abroad.”

Gun-Ho thought for a second that Mr. Byeon might be a con-artist.

“He is probably not a con artist. He looks rather like an inept businessman due to his prolonged office job career. Moreover, his nephew is running a restaurant in Noryangjin and I know the location. He wouldn’t con me, and I am not the type of person who can easily be deceived.”

Gun-Ho took a cigarette.

“Should I take over that restaurant? Maybe I could get a two-bed apartment here and take a walk along West Lake every day. I can get the restaurant for 50 million won out of my 480 million won, and purchase a real estate with the remaining 400 million won. According to Chairman Lee, the price increase of real estate reflects the economic growth rate. So if China’s economic growth rate is 30% for three years, the real estate price will increase by 30%, right?”

Gun-Ho calculated quickly.

“If I invest 400 million won in real estate and get 30% gain after three years, I can return to Korea with 520 million won in hand. Even assuming I blew the restaurant business here, I could still hold 520 million won. It’s better than placing the money in a bank savings account.”

Gun-Ho was thinking while walking around the hotel room.

“Chairman Lee also said there could be a real estate boom which would raise even more real estate price. If the real estate price goes up by 50% after three years, I could go back to Korea with 600 million won. For the three years, I could learn the Chinese language and make that much money. I think that would be a good deal.”

Gun-Ho drank two cans of Tsingtao beer that was on the table and fell asleep.

It was the day scheduled for Gun-Ho to return to Korea.

Mr. Byeon came to Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai to see Gun-Ho off.

“So, have you thought about it?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“We say, ‘Think Long, Think Wrong.’ Don’t think too deeply or too long. Just make a decision. To be honest with you, you can’t do anything with 50 million won in Korea.”

“Haha. Well…”

“Why don’t we make a provisional contract? You can give me a small amount of money as earnest money.”

“Provisional contract… Let’s just make a contract!”

“Huh? Did you just say you want to make a contract?”

Mr. Byeon was stunned. He didn’t expect this since Gun-Ho had been just thinking without giving him any clear reaction to the restaurant deal.

“Did you bring the contract?”

“Yes, I did.”

Mr. Byeon pulled out the contract from his envelope that he seemed to carry everywhere and always.

“Wow. The decision came slow but once the decision is made, things have proceeded very quickly.”

Gun-Ho and Mr. Byeon made a contract in the waiting area of Hongqiao International Airport.

“The name of the seller is Hee-Yeol Byeon, CEO of Mando Food Co., Ltd.?”

“Right. It was hard to directly run a restaurant as a foreign individual, so I formed a company with a Chinese person just to make it look like the restaurant is being run by a company that is partially owned by Chinese. On the paper, I own 90% and the Chinese person owns 10%, but it is just for the paper.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Umm… What about the earnest money?”

“You said there is a Kookmin Bank here in Hongqiao, right? I will bring the money.”

Mr. Byeon seemed satisfied.

According to the contract, Gun-Ho was supposed to pay off the remaining sales price ten days later.

“The contract is written in Chinese. Once you go back to Korea, have it translated and notarized, and take it to a bank. You will need that translated contract when you send me the money. You can use up to $10,000 without reporting anything for travel, but if you have to send more than $10,000 abroad, you need to file a report.”

“I understood.”

“Oh, take this one too. You might need it.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a copy of the business license. You will need this to make an Alien Resident Certificate as well.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I could receive the money in Korea, but it is better for you to send me to China with all these paperwork. This will prove that you acquire a business in China and you will need it when you have to send money from China to Korea as well.”

“I see. Well, thank you.”

Gun-Ho put the copy of the restaurant business license in his bag.

Once he came back to Korea, Gun-Ho notified the landlord that he would vacate his room. He wouldn’t need room to stay in Korea anymore. He had the sales and purchase agreement of the restaurant and the seller’s business license written in Chinese translated into Korean and notarized. He would need them when he had to send money to China.

“Let’s go to Incheon to see my parents. It has been a while. I wouldn’t be able to see them often once I move to China.”

Gun-Ho took the subway line 1 and got off at Incheon Juan Station. Before he went home, he stopped by a market and bought beef leg bones from a butcher’s shop.

“I want to get something more.”

There was a pharmacy.

“My mom and dad like Bacchus; let’s get two boxes of it.”

Since he already notified the landlord to vacate the room, there might be someone entering his room to take a look while he was not present, so Gun-Ho brought all the important papers with him in his travel bag. It was heavy. By adding the beef leg bones and two boxes of Bacchus, it became even heavier.

“I can leave the bag to the parents’ home when I leave for China.”

Gun-Ho kept walking while passing by Juan North Elementary School and a church, and it was tiring.

“My home is so distant from the station. If I make money, I will move my parents to somewhere closer to the station. This is too exhausting.”

Gun-Ho’s father used to work in a production line for a company in the Juan industrial complex when he was young. After retiring, he opened a small snack restaurant. When it didn’t work very well, he took a job at a subcontracting company as a manual worker. He then injured his waist at work during an underground drainage work, so he couldn’t work any longer and couldn’t make money anymore. That resulted in financial difficulties in the family.

“My dad collapsed once of a heart attack. He was doing better now. Thank God.”

Gun-Ho walked up to the third floor of a townhouse with his heavy bag because there was no elevator. He knocked on the door once he arrived at his home.

“Who is it?”

It was his mother.

“Mom, it’s me.”

The front door opened wide. Gun-Ho’s mother looked happy to see him.

“My son is here! What is all this?”

Gun-Ho could smell Doenjang-jjigae. It seemed they were about to have dinner.

“Gun-Ho is here?”

Gun-Ho’s father came out in his pajamas. He looked better than the last time Gun-Ho saw him.

“We were about to have dinner. Let’s eat together.”

“It smells really good. Here it is.”

“What is this?”

“Beef leg bones.”

“You didn’t have to bring these expensive bones. Oh, you bought us Bacchus too. You must be tired by carrying all these heavy stuff.”

As his mother took what Gun-Ho brought, she smiled.

Mother’s Doenjang-jjigae was really good.

“It is so nice to have homemade food. It has been a while.”

“Eat more. I just cooked the rice too. It should be good.”

Gun-Ho had two bowls of rice with Doenjang-jjigae. His parents looked happy while watching their son eating.

“Why don’t you eat? Why do you keep staring at my face?”

“We are just happy to see our son eating.”

“How are you, dad? How are you feeling?”

“I feel much better because of you, son. I would have died if you didn’t send me the money for my surgery.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Your father is receiving the old-age pension of 200,000 won every month, and he goes to Jongno 3-ga District every single day.”

“Jongno 3-ga? For what?”

“There is Tapgol Park there where old people are gathering together all the time.”

Gun-Ho chuckled while having his dinner.

“By the way, what is that travel bag?”

“My clothes and books. I will leave them here. I’m going to China.”

“China?”

Gun-Ho’s mother and father looked at Gun-Ho in surprise.

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Chapter 51 - Acquiring a Korean Restaurant in China (2)

Chapter 51: Acquiring a Korean Restaurant in China (2)

Today, Gun-Ho was leaving for China.

“I guess I’ve done what I had to do before leaving Korea. Let’s go to China and dream big.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Jong-Suk before he turned on international data roaming on his cell phone.

“Jong-Suk? I guess I won’t be able to see you for a while.”

“Don’t worry about it. Once you get settled in China, I will come and visit you there during my vacation.”

“If you happen to see Chairman Lee at the fishing site, tell him that I am in China.”

“I know we have talked with him several times, but I don’t think a rich man like him wouldn’t be interested in people like us. But, well, yeah I will let him know.”

Gun-Ho went through the phone numbers stored in his cell phone while sitting in the waiting area of the airport.

“Sh*t! I don’t have anyone else to make a call before I leave the country. Am I not a social person? I have no one to call except my parents and Jong-Suk. I do have a very small social network. When I get married, I won’t have anybody to come to my wedding except my parents and Jong-Suk.”

Gun-Ho felt pathetic about himself. He had spare time before the boarding time and he decided to walk around the airport.

“Lounge? It looks cozy. Should I stay here?”

A staff lady with a name tag on her chest blocked him.

“This is a VIP room.”

“VIP? How to become a VIP here?”

“You have to have a first class flight ticket.”

“Poor people are discriminated even here! F*ck!”

It was time to board. There was a long line in front of the gate.

“There were so many f*cking people leaving to Shanghai.”

A man in uniform yelled in front of the crowd.

“People with a first or business class flight ticket, please come forward.”

Several people left the long line and went to the front and made a new line.

“You can enter first.”

Those people with a first or business class flight ticket entered the gate, leaving the long line behind. The people in the line stared at them with a blank face.

Gun-Ho boarded the plane. There were many vacant seats in the front area so Gun-Ho came to the front to sit there.

“This is a first class area.”

A pretty flight attendant blocked him. Gun-Ho looked behind him. The area for the economic class was filled with people, while the first class area was almost empty. The first class seat seemed to have larger space for legs. Even the flight attendants serving in the first class area were prettier.

“I have to have money. I will always take a first-class seat whenever I have to travel abroad from now on! I will make sure of it!”

Gun-Ho came back to the economic class area and squeezed himself in his assigned seat. The lady next to Gun-Ho talked to a man who seemed to be her husband.

“I heard a whisky is served in the first class.”

Mr. Byeon was waiting for Gun-Ho at the Shanghai airport to pick him up.

“You have a lot of luggage.”

“Not really. I just bought a few books to learn the Chinese language.”

Gun-Ho purchased books to prepare Chinese Character Certificate exam for level 1 and 2 in addition to a book for Chinese conversation. He wanted to study more Chinese characters during his stay in China.

“That is a good idea. You can’t take the interpreter everywhere. You will sometimes have to go to a market and pharmacy without an interpreter.”

Gun-Ho went to Hangzhou City and made the payment of the remaining restaurant sales price. Mr. Byeon asked Gun-Ho to pay him for a few things he would leave in the restaurant; such as a picture frame in the hall, a vacuum, and etc. Gun-Ho gave him 2,000 Yuan for them.

“Since I just arrived here and I am not very familiar with the restaurant business in China, could you stay here for a few days?”

“Sure. I was going to help you with running the restaurant for three days. Let’s meet with the staffs first. I already told them that you would take over the restaurant from today. This is Dingming. She is our cashier. She also purchases fresh produce and other supplies. Remember I told you about Mando Food Co., Ltd. that 10% of it is owned by a Chinese person? Dingming owns that 10% of Mando Food. She is a younger sister of the Mando hotel manager.”

“Oh, I see. Very nice meeting you.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

Dingming greeted Gun-Ho in Korean while stammering. She was tall and slim.

“You speak Korean very well.”

Dingming started talking in Chinese and Gun-Ho had no idea what she said so he just smiled. Gun-Ho asked Mr. Byeon, “Does she do the tax return as well?”

“That’s right. The tax return requires the president’s signature before it can be submitted. You can ask Mae-Hyang Kim to translate the tax return. You will catch up quickly after reading the paper maybe about twice.”

Gun-Ho, then, met two serving staff ladies. They looked like in their early 20s and seemed to have just moved to the city from the countryside. Mr. Byeon then took Gun-Ho to the kitchen to introduce him to the kitchen staffs. There were four of them. One of them was off that day, so Gun-Ho met three of the kitchen ladies.

“This is the kitchen manager, Manager Kim.”

“Manager Kim?”

“She is the interpreter Mae-Hyang Kim’s mother.”

“Oh, really? I am so glad to meet you. You should speak Korean fluently.”

“Just a little. Haha.”

Manager Kim said while laughing. She had some accent.

Gun-Ho met with the other two ladies in the kitchen as well. They kept saying ‘G-jjong’ while smiling at Gun-Ho.

“What does ‘G-jjong’ mean? They kept saying that word to me.”

“‘G-jjong’ means President Goo.”

“Haha. So I am ‘G-jjong.’ That sounds weird. ‘G’ sounds like a rat in Korean.”

“Haha, you think so?”

Mr. Byeon laughed along.

“Well, since you are here now, why don’t you go to Industrial and Commercial Bank of China around here and open a bank account? You need to find an apartment as well. You can take the same apartment as mine if you like or you can find somewhere else.”

“Okay. I will stay in this hotel like last time until I find one.”

“Why don’t you look for an apartment tomorrow morning with Mae-Hyang Kim? For today, since you already paid off the sales price and met with staffs, you probably want to replace the name of the tenant with your name at the hotel management office.”

Gun-Ho went to the hotel management office with Mr. Byeon and put his name with the restaurant. The management staff said something in Chinese.

“What is he saying?”

“He said you need to bring a copy of the business license with your name on it, issued by the tax office. Also, he is asking a copy of your passport.”

Gun-Ho verified the fresh produce delivered to the restaurant the following morning. Dingming in the counter showed Gun-Ho the purchase receipts of the ingredients. Gun-Ho couldn’t read Chinese on the receipts, but he could read the numbers there.

“Ms. Mae-Hyang Kim, what does this mean?”

“Hwapiao means a receipt. The receipt is for three boxes of chives and ten cartons of eggs.”

“Hmm…”

Gun-Ho could guess how much fresh produce was coming in and how much food would be cooked. His experience of a restaurant business in Noryangjin was very helpful even though it was a short period of time. Dingming showed Gun-Ho how to use Chinese POS. Gun-Ho took note as he followed her around.

The kitchen ladies started cooking. The hall staffs and counter staff had spare time for now. Mr. Byeon came late to the restaurant.

“I’m sorry that I’m late today.”

“You seem to have a drink last night.”

“Yes. I had a drink with Korean people here since I am leaving soon after selling this restaurant.”

“Are there a lot of Koreans here?”

“Not that many, but there will be, so the restaurant could prosper.”

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Chapter 52 - Alibaba President Marwin’s Condo (1)

Chapter 52: Alibaba President Marwin’s Condo (1)

Mr. Byeon sat on a chair while drinking the water he took from the water purifier.

“Have you verified fresh produce delivered this morning?”

“Yes, I just looked through it. Maybe I should go out to find an apartment now with Ms. Mae-Hyang Kim. What do you think?”

“That sounds good… But why don’t you go to the tax office first? You need to get the business license with your name on it. For the tax office, you’d better go with Dingming. Since she is a local, and she has very good Kkwansi.”

“Kkwansi?”

“Hmm… It’s like a network.”

It seemed Dingming did have good relationships with a lot of people. When they arrived at the tax office, Gun-Ho had to stop frequently for Dingming to say hello and to have a short chat with people there.

After Gun-Ho was done with the tax office, he let Dingming go back to the restaurant. He then went to Industrial and Commercial Bank of China with Mae-Hyang to open a bank account. The bank didn’t require Alien Resident Certificate for a foreigner to open a bank account but having a one-year business visa stamp on his passport was enough.

After he opened the bank account, Mae-Hyang said while walking out of the bank,

“G-jjong now received the business license and has a bank account here in China. You are now a denizen in China. All you have to do from now on is to make money.”

“Ms. Mae-Hyang Kim, since you have worked at the Korean restaurant in Mando hotel, what do you think of it? Are they doing well?”

“I don’t know. The staffs in a position like me, we just do our job there. I guess Dingming can answer your question.”

“Which area or apartment do you recommend?”

“President Byeon is living in Kangluhsinchoo, Wonalu.”

“Let’s try there.”

They took a taxi heading to the apartment complex where Mr. Byeon was living in. It was close to Mando Hotel.

“When President Byeon made a lease contract for his apartment, I was with him. The two-bedroom apartment is 1,500 Yuan and the three-bedroom apartment is 1,800 Yuan.”

“How large is the two-bedroom apartment in pyung?”

“I’m not sure about Korean pyung, but it’s 82㎡.”

The apartment that Mr. Byeon was living in was a low-rise building, and the distance between the apartment buildings on the same complex was distant enough to have privacy and daylight. However, the building was shabby. Gun-Ho could see some people drying their clothes in their veranda using a pole. He also saw ducks hanging in a veranda in bare skin. Their head and feet were still attached. Some apartments hung ten raw duck meats out to dry. This scene terrified Gun-Ho.

“Let’s try somewhere else. How about the apartment over there; it looks neat.”

“We need to take a bus to get there. It’s too far to walk.”

“Let’s take a taxi then.”

Once they got on a taxi, Mae-Hyang and the taxi driver talked in Chinese.”

“What did he say?”

“He said the apartment is in Wonssanlu, and it is expensive.”

“Well, let me take a look.”

The apartment complex in Wonssanlu had large apartments only and Gun-Ho didn’t see a laundry pole or a hanging duck meat in their verandas. It was a gated community with a security guard; the guard was a young man looking like a soldier. The access to the apartment community was controlled by the security guard.

“A young man seemingly in his 30s works as a security guard in China.”

“The young men discharged from People’s Liberation Army can easily get a security guard job.”

“Hmm, really? The guards in uniform seemed to work out a lot.”

“Is it different from Korea?”

“In Korea, an old man over 60 years old usually works as an apartment security guard.”

“How can an old man at that age catch a robber? Haha.”

“There is a banner over there and something is written in red. What does it say?”

“It says a three-bedroom apartment of 120㎡is 2,500 Yuan per month.”

“Hmm, 2,500 Yuan is 300,000 won in Korea. With 300,000 won, I could only get a tiny room in a OneRoomTel in Noryangjin. Here, I can have a three-bedroom apartment.”

“Do you know who used to live in that apartment?”

“A person?”

“President Marwin. The famous Alibaba President Marwin used to live there.”

“Alibaba is a multinational technology conglomerate. Why would its president, Marwin live in an apartment like that?”

“He had lived there a long time ago; he actually started Alibaba when he lived there. He didn’t have money at that time, so he received investment from several different people to start his business. He is one of the richest men in China and in the world too.”

“That’s right. I think I read about him online. So he started his business while he was living in this apartment!?”

“Everyone in Hangzhou knows about it. Marwin’s current assets exceed 250 billion Yuan.”

“250 billion Yuan… is more than 30,000 billion won!”

“He is the richest man in Asia. G-jjong, why don’t you start your business living in this apartment just like Marwin did? Haha.”

“What does it say on the apartment entrance?”

“It says Hobanhwawon.”

“Hobanhwawon where Marwin used to live… Let’s take a look!”

A security guard at the apartment gate blocked them. He looked arrogant. When Mae-Hyang said something to him, he let them in.

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him that a Korean man came to see the apartment, and he opened the gate right away for us.”

The apartment was a low-rise building with 6 floors which was good. However, it looked old. The distance between apartment buildings was spacious and the roads inside the community were large as well. It had a swimming pool in the community which drew Gun-Ho’s attention.

“Wow. They have a swimming pool just like a movie.”

“It gets really hot during summer in China. It could get up to 40 degree Celsius.”

“40 degrees? Wow. Marwin is not living here right now, right?”

“Haha. Of course. Why would he live here? He lives probably in Beijing or Shanghai.”

“Let’s ask how much the rent is here.”

“Let’s go to Bangjisan and ask them.”

“Bangjisan?”

“It’s a realtor’s office.”

The 120㎡apartment (about 36 pyung) is 2,500 Yuan per month according to the realtor they talked with, just like the banner advertisement Gun-Ho saw earlier. The realtor added that there were single houses in the community as well, and it is 5,000 Yuan.

“The community must be huge. They have single houses as well.”

The realtor glanced at Gun-Ho several times when the realtor was told that Gun-Ho was a Korean, and insisted that he should take a single house for rent.

“Can you ask him how much it would be if I buy one?”

Mae-Hyang said something to the realtor.

“What did he say?”

“He said that you’ll need the Alien Resident Certificate to buy a real estate. He is asking what you think about the 150㎡apartment that Marwin used to live.”

“Hmm, so Marwin indeed lived in this community. Ms. Mae-Hyang Kim! Would you ask him which apartment unit Marwin had lived?”

Mae-Hyang said something to the realtor again.

“He said Poonghawan, 16 Dang, 1 Danwon, unit 202 in Hobanhwawon.”

“Please tell him that I will let him know tomorrow, and take his business card.”

The realtor asked for Gun-Ho’s business card as he handed over his. Gun-Ho gave him Mae-Hyang’s phone number instead since he didn’t have a business card yet and he couldn’t communicate in Chinese with him anyway.

Mae-Hyang asked Gun-Ho while following him with short quick steps.

“Do you like Hobanhwawon? It’s a bit far from the restaurant. Will it be okay with you?”

“I’ve seen a lot of people riding a bicycle. Do you think I can commute by bike?”

“It’s dangerous. Too many cars on the road here. Also, it rains a lot in this area.”

“What about a bus?”

“There is a luxurious double-decker bus, but so many people use it. Taxi will cost you a lot. Do you see the bus over there? That’s the double-decker bus. The bus fare is about two Yuan.”

“How about a rental car? Do you know how much it would be?”

“A rental car?”

“You know. A car I can rent.”

“You need a driver’s license. An international driver’s license is not accepted here. You have to get your driver’s license in China, and you have to take a test for it.”

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Chapter 53 - Alibaba President Marwin’s Condo (2)

Chapter 53: Alibaba President Marwin’s Condo (2)

Mae-Hyang seemed to know a lot about the driver’s license exam system in China.

“How can I take a driver’s license exam here? I don’t know the Chinese language.”

“You can bring an interpreter with you when you take the exam. I’ve done it before when I worked in my previous company.”

“Really?”

“But renting a car is pricey.”

“How much is it?”

“The price varies depending on the types of car you rent, but you can say it would be over 3,000 Yuan.”

“Hmm… If I add the rental car payment to the apartment rent, that would be too much for me to pay every month.”

“Why don’t you commute by bus for now and think about renting a car later once you see how the restaurant business goes. President Byeon commuted by bike and he didn’t drive a car. But, the Hobanhwawon apartment is too far and expensive. Do you really want to live there?”

“I’m not sure, but I want to receive Marwin’s energy from there since he used to live in that apartment.”

“Haha. Suit yourself then.”

It was after 9 PM—time to close the restaurant.

The kitchen ladies were changing their clothes to get ready for home, and the two lady hall staffs started cleaning the hall. Mae-Hyang was arranging trash.

Dingming gave Gun-Ho a sales report. Today’s sales were 3,100 Yun including credit card payments. Dingming said she would keep today’s earnings and use it when she purchase fresh produce tomorrow, and she would give the earnings to Gun-Ho from tomorrow. She then added, “That’s how I have done it with President Byeon as well.”

Gun-Ho thought that made sense, so he said okay. He, then, went downstairs to his room.

Gun-Ho turned on the TV in his room. Since he didn’t understand Chinese, the TV sound was a noise to him.

“It is good that I can have Korean food every day since my restaurant is a Korean restaurant. However, it’s very inconvenient handling things without knowing the language.”

Gun-Ho opened the Chinese conversation learning book that he brought from Korea.

“Ni Hao (Hello).”

“Cheu Pan Lo Ma? (Did you eat?)”

“Cheu Pan Lo Ma sounds like ‘Shi Pal No Ma’ (you, f*cker) in Korean.”

He couldn’t concentrate on studying. All he could think of was 3,100 Yuan that he made today.

“The earnings today was 3,100 Yuan. Assuming that I maintain the same level of sales as today, I can make 93,000 Yuan per month. The ingredients cost 30% of the sales which is almost 30,000 Yuan. The labor cost for eight staffs is 15,000 Yuan and maintenance fee is 5,000. If I subtract all these expenses, the profit will be 43,000 Yuan. I have to put aside 25,000 Yuan for the next period of rent, then the amount that falls into my hand is 18,000 Yuan. How much is this in Korean won? It’s 2,160,000 won.”

Gun-Ho calculated it with an electronic calculator several times.

“Wait a minute. I don’t open the restaurant for a full 30 days per month; I have to close it for a few days. If say the restaurant will be open for 25 days each month, the earnings will be less than my earlier calculation. I have to consider the retirement payment for staffs and taxes as well. Then I could take only about 10,000 Yuan per month. It’s 1,200,000 won.”

He realized that if he had a family to support in Korea, he wouldn’t be able to send money to Korea with 1,200,000 won income.

“It wouldn’t even be enough for one person’s living expense. Whew. If I was married, my wife would have left me already. Running my own business is hard everywhere, in Korea and in China. The restaurant looks good since it is situated in the hotel building, but actually, it is not good.”

Gun-Ho kept thinking while rolling around on the bed.

“There is no chance of winning with this restaurant. I guess this is how people failed after having a business in China. If I can’t save for the rent for the next period, I won’t be able to keep the restaurant. I will have to pack my stuff and leave with nothing in my hand.”

Gun-Ho clenched his teeth.

“Let’s bet on real estate. I still have over 400 million won even after having invested in this Korean restaurant!”

Gun-Ho decided to visit the realtor’s office again tomorrow and take a look at the apartment which Marwin had used to live.

“The land of this area is flat which makes it easy to ride a bike, unlike Korea. Let’s just use a bike for commuting until I obtain a driver’s license.”

Gun-Ho calculated again.

“With a monthly income of 10,000 Yuan, I can pay 2,500 for the Hobanhwawon apartment rent. That would leave me 7,500 Yuan. I don’t think I can save any money, but I can survive. I can have meals in my restaurant. What if I rent a car after I get my driver’s license? Then I won’t be able to cover my living expenses. Hmm. My head hurts. Let’s decide later whether I want to rent a car or not.”

Gun-Ho studied Chinese language a bit before he fell asleep.

Gun-Ho changed his usual morning greeting to “Ni Hao.” When he came to work in the morning he always said: “Ni Hao” to each staff at the restaurant. He stuck his head into the kitchen door to say “Ni Hao” to the kitchen ladies. The ladies laughed and responded, “G-jjong, Ni Hao.”

Mr. Byeon came to the restaurant with his luggage; he was going back to Korea.

“I am leaving today. It’s good to see you, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, get used to the restaurant business in China. If you have any questions, just call me to Korea. I wish you prosperity in your business.”

“Where do I get an Alien Resident Certificate?”

“You need to go to Public Security Office to apply for it. You will have a physical exam. They will check if you have any serious disease, especially a communicable disease.”

“Then I will receive something like an ID card?”

“When I applied for it, I did receive an ID card, but these days I was told that they just put a sticker on your passport.”

“What sticker?”

“It should be a sticker showing you have permission to stay in China for a certain period of time.”

Gun-Ho was going to ask if he could acquire a real estate if he brought his passport with the sticker to a realtor’s office, and then he decided not to.

“Thank you for everything, Mr. Byeon. I hope you every success with your business in Korea. I will visit your restaurant when I go to Korea. Please say hello to your nephew in Noryangjin.”

Mr. Byeon looked around the restaurant before he headed out. He seemed to have mixed feelings. From the back, he looked lonely.

“He probably hadn’t been able to support his family in Korea by sending any money.”

Gun-Ho also felt mixed feelings.

Gun-Ho went to the realtor’s office again with Mae-Hyang.

“Is there any apartment in this community smaller than 120㎡? I think it’s a bit too big for me.”

“There isn’t. The smallest one is 120㎡. The one which Marwin used to live was 150㎡. Well, of course, he used the apartment for multipurpose: a residence and an office.”

President Marwin had given a presentation to investors in this apartment. He gave an impassioned speech to attract investors in order to receive 500,000 Yuan (about 60,000,000 won at that time) and establish an e-commerce company. The picture of him giving the presentation can still be found on the Internet.

President Marwin was a great entrepreneur and he didn’t cling to the government job exam. The government job exam was extremely competitive in China, just like in Korea due to high population.

“I will take the 120㎡ apartment.”

Mae-Hyang who was sitting next to Gun-Ho was stunned.

“What? The 120㎡ apartment is so big that you can even play soccer. I was told that you are not married. Do you have a family and you didn’t tell us?”

“No, I think I will have a guest from Korea from time to time. Haha.”

“The unit 305 is 120㎡. Would you like to take a look?”

The realtor talked, Mae-Hyang interpreted, and Gun-Ho nodded.

Once Gun-Ho agreed to see the apartment, the realtor made a call to someone.

“The old lady is at home now. We can go see the apartment.”

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Chapter 54 - Alibaba President Marwin’s Condo (3)

Chapter 54: Alibaba President Marwin’s Condo (3)

Gun-Ho and Mae-Hyang followed the realtor to the apartment to take a look at it. The apartment was really large. There were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The interior was a bit outdated but at least it maintained unity, by placing furniture all in white: a desk and a fitted wardrobe.

“Oh! I love this apartment. It’s large. Oh! There are two bathrooms!”

Mae-Hyang seemed to be more excited than Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho felt like he could smell Chinese food in the apartment and he thought he would have to ventilate the apartment by keeping windows open for maybe a day. The current occupant said they could vacate the apartment within three days.

Gun-Ho decided to take it and made a lease contract. It was 120㎡ large, so 36 pyung in Korea.

“I know this is too big for myself, but I want to receive good energy from Marwin. I had been in church and a Buddhist temple—Doseon temple in Dobong Mountain to pray when I was studying for the level-9 government job exam. That didn’t work! My mom also went to see Gatbawi Buddha sitting in Palgong Mountain which was located in Daegu City to pray for me. That didn’t work either! I failed all of the government job exams I had tried: the level-9 and provincial government job exams. I want to receive Marwin’s energy, who is one of the richest men in the world! It might work this time.”

Gun-Ho asked the realtor as he was walking out of the apartment after finishing his tour.

“Where are the most expensive condos or houses in Hangzhou City?”

“The ones that have the view of West Lake are probably the most expensive properties.”

“How much are they?”

“The newly constructed houses in the Hoobinlu area are over 3,000,000 Yuan.”

3 million Yuan is 360 million won.

“Hmm… That area must be corresponding to Gangnam in Seoul!”

Gun-Ho decided to acquire a real estate in that area someday.

Gun-Ho applied for Alien Resident Certificate.

Once he submitted his business license along with his passport, they scheduled his physical exam. They also confirmed that once he completed the physical exam, he would receive an Alien Resident Certificate. Once he received his Alien Resident Certificate, he could obtain a driver’s license and acquire a real estate.

Three days passed since he visited the apartment that he wanted to move in. It was Gun-Ho’s moving day to the Hobanhwawon apartment.

He wanted to clean the apartment before he actually moved in. As Mae-Hyang suggested, Gun-Ho hired someone to clean the apartment. He also asked someone to change the toilet after he was told by the realtor that the toilet can be easily replaced, as long as he had money for it.

“Whoa, the apartment looks great once I changed the desk and the bed. I am the king in this space. I can practice speaking in Chinese loudly. No one will ask me to keep it down in my apartment.”

It occurred to him that he wanted to bring his parents here and live together in this spacious apartment.

“A condo in this size and condition will cost several hundred million won in Korea. I had been moving around from one tiny room to another. I guess I lived long enough to see a person like me live in a huge apartment like this. Haha.”

Gun-Ho thought he made the right decision in moving into this apartment, even though he had to pay 2,500 Yuan every month.

Gun-Ho went to the 1 Danwon, unit 202 where Marwin had used to live and walked around in front of that apartment.

“This apartment produced the man—one of the world’s richest men. I will come here sometimes and receive the energy.

Gun-Ho closed his eyes while he was still standing in front of the unit 202 and started praying quietly.

“Dear God, our father in heaven, and dear Buddha—and dear gods in the universe, please help this young Korean man, Gun-Ho Goo to become rich just like Mr. Marwin.”

Gun-Ho felt better after he prayed in his heart.

Gun-Ho purchased a fabulous bike.

The bikes in China had a number tag attached behind them. Since the land was flat and the road was wide, it was easy to ride even for a long distance. And since there were tons of people riding a bike, Gun-Ho didn’t feel embarrassed.

“It’s nice that I can go anywhere on this bike. There is a basket attached on the front of the bike. It can carry grocery bags. How convenient.”

As he was getting used to the life in China, Gun-Ho didn’t neglect his study of the Chinese language. As he learned new Chinese letters every day, he could recognize more letters from store signs on the street; he felt delighted.

“Chaos… that is a supermarket. Chanting… is a restaurant…”

He also became familiarized with roads, streets, and places in the area. Gun-Ho deposited every day, the revenue that Dingming handed over at the end of the day. Sometimes the revenue didn’t even reach 3,000 Yuan and that disappointed him. However, that didn’t terrify Gun-Ho since his expectation for making money was somewhere else.

“I just need this restaurant to keep going without loss.”

To attract more customers to his restaurant, Gun-Ho visited several travel agencies with Mae-Hyang, which didn’t result in an increase of foot traffic to the restaurant.

“Why would Korean tourists have Korean food when they flew all the way to China to experience Chinese culture? They would rather try traditional Chinese food.”

The restaurant’s typical customers were Korean employees of Korean companies who had stayed in Hangzhou City for a long time, international students from Japan, and curious Chinese people. The Korean workers came to the Mando Hotel Korean restaurant because they missed Korean food due to their prolonged stay away from Korea. The Japanese international students came to the Korean restaurant because they couldn’t find a Japanese restaurant in the vicinity of the area.

Gun-Ho received his physical exam for Alien Resident Certificate.

The officer in Public Security Office asked Gun-Ho while he was reviewing his application if he was living in the Hobanhwawon apartment. It seemed that they recognized the apartment community with a good reputation.

Korean international students were not often found in Gun-Ho’s Korean restaurant because of the relatively high price. However, the Korean workers came to the restaurant pretty often. Gun-Ho became closer with these Koreans.

“Does this restaurant have a new owner now? You seem to be young.”

“I hope to see you often in my restaurant. I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Since you are the new owner, I’d like to tell you one thing or a suggestion. The food here doesn’t quite taste like authentic Korean food. Have you thought of bringing Korean cook from Korea?”

“I will definitely consider it even though I can’t do it right away because of the labor cost. Once I get enough revenue to bring a cook from Korea, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho had always been polite and kind to customers. The Korean workers sometimes asked Gun-Ho to drink with them.”

“Let’s have a drink together, sir. We are all away from our country and feel lonely, right?”

“Maybe next time since I am at work right now.”

“One drink should be fine. Take it.”

Gun-Ho hadn’t had these types of experience when he ran the Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant in Noryangjin since he didn’t serve alcohol at that time. With alcohol, many customers asked Gun-Ho to drink together or made a joke to him.

“Sir, where do you live?”

“I live in the Hobanhwawon apartment.”

“Oh, that apartment is pricey to rent. You are living in a good place.”

Gun-Ho had never ever heard that he lived in a good place before when he lived in Korea in his entire life. He felt good. ‘Those pricks living in Gangnam must have felt this way all the time,’ Gun-Ho thought.

It had been a month since Gun-Ho came to China.

He still can’t speak Chinese but he can read most of the business signs on the street, and he became more familiarized with the road and direction since he could read. He became healthy as well since he rode a bike every day.

He made a sales statement for the month. After deducting all expenses such as ingredients, labor, maintenance fee, etc., he made 36,000 Yuan in that month. He needed to put aside 25,000 out of it for the next period rent for the restaurant. That left him with 11,000 Yuan which Gun-Ho could use. From 11,000 Yuan, he needed to pay the apartment rent of 2,500 Yuan. After subtracting the rent, Gun-Ho got 8,500 Yuan on his hand. It’s about 1 million won.

“I knew this.”

8,500 Yuan was not much at all to Gun-Ho, however, it was a significant amount of money for most Chinese people. The kitchen ladies took less than 2,000 Yuan per month.

“It’s okay as long as there is no loss.”

Gun-Ho tried to comfort himself.

During the past one month, Gun-Ho already received the Alien Resident Certificate and the driver’s license. He started collecting information for his real estate investment.

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Chapter 55 - The Branch Manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (1)

Chapter 55: The Branch Manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (1)

Gun-Ho usually came to work at his Korean restaurant at 9 AM.

All other staff arrived at the restaurant around 10 AM, and by 11:30 AM the restaurant was already ready to serve customers. When he ran his restaurant in Noryangjin, he had one kitchen lady working for him, so Gun-Ho had to handle various work himself. Here was different. Since the labor cost was low in China, he could hire eight workers. They all had their own role and work, so Gun-Ho didn’t really have to work at all.

“There are four ladies working in the kitchen, and Dingming takes care of the counter. For the hall serving, Mae-Hyang Kim and other two ladies handle it. This is going great so far.”

Gun-Ho usually sat at an unoccupied table and read a Chinese local newspaper. He particularly paid attention to articles about real estate. While he was reading a newspaper, he sometimes asked Mae-Hyang to translate the sentences he couldn’t understand. There was another thing he did in the restaurant. Whenever Korean workers or Korean businessmen who had a business in China came to the restaurant in the evening, Gun-Ho was the one who served them. This job couldn’t be delegated to the staff.

“Let’s look around at West Lake today on a bike. It seems like they are building new luxurious apartments in Baochoolu area around West Lake. I want to see it.”

The West Lake area was filled with tourists when Gun-Ho arrived on a bike. Gun-Ho had fun riding his bike there.

“Whoa, the residential community over there has a lot of luxurious single houses. They look like the houses in Seongbuk Town in Seoul. How much would they cost?”

Gun-Ho sometimes stopped his bike to eat street food. He ate Hotteock*, some other snacks and a bottle of water.

“Haha. The Chinese merchant understood my Chinese when I asked them how much it was.”

After looking around at the West Lake area, Gun-Ho came back to his restaurant around 5 PM. There wasn’t any customer for dinner yet. They would start coming in after one or two hours.

“Where is Mae-Hyang Kim?”

Gun-Ho looked around the hall and found Mae-Hyang having a meal with a lady at the table behind a column.

“Oh, G-jjong, you came back. This is my friend.”

Mae-Hyang stopped eating when she saw Gun-Ho coming into the restaurant and introduced her friend who she was having a meal with to him.

“Hello.”

Mae-Hyang’s lady friend stood up to say hello to Gun-Ho.

“She is my hometown friend. She graduated from Jilin University and came to Hangzhou City to find a job.”

“Oh, really? Enjoy your meal. Don’t mind me, please.”

Gun-Ho sat at another unoccupied table.

“Do we have an evening newspaper?”

Gun-Ho started reading the newspaper. Even though he couldn’t speak Chinese, he could read a newspaper. Well, he at least could understand the big titles in the newspaper. If he saw something he couldn’t understand, he would mark it and ask Mae-Hyang later. He was reading the newspaper when Mae-Hyang came to talk to him.

“Umm, G-jjong. Do you by any chance need Poodao?”

“Poodao?”

“A private tutor. For your Chinese language.”

“Oh, there is a private tutor for the Chinese language?”

“Umm… my friend over there, she is staying with me right now. Once she finds a job, she will find her own place. She majored in Korean language in college. If you—G-jjong—need a private tutor, she can maybe teach you two hours a day. What do you say? She speaks Korean and Chinese very well. You can pay her 600 Yuan (72,000 won).”

“Hmm…”

“She has experience with teaching a Korean when she was in Shanghai. She is very good at it.”

“Let me talk to her.”

Mae-Hyang’s friend came to Gun-Ho; she seemed to be shy.

“What’s your name? I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“I’m Eun-Hwa Jo. I am from Jilin.”

“You are a Korean Chinese. Is it possible to get Poodao in the restaurant? The place could be distracting.”

“That’s totally fine. You can do it anywhere. This restaurant is cozy since it is a hotel restaurant and a perfect place to study.”

“What time would be good for you?”

“I guess the mornings should be good since you won’t have customers in the morning.”

“Let’s do it then. How about from 8 AM to 10 AM? The kitchen ladies will come to work at 10 AM.”

“That sounds good. I agree with you.”

Gun-Ho started having his private lesson from Eun-Hwa Jo on the following day.

Eun-Hwa had a very decent accent since she was from the north. She spoke the standard Chinese language. She also spoke Korean very well. Gun-Ho’s Chinese improved notably.

“Eun-Hwa Jo is playing her role very well as a teacher. She is giving me a lot of homework.”

Gun-Ho did his homework diligently. After completing the conversational Chinese book, Eun-Hwa brought the elementary textbooks used from 1st to 6th grade and started teaching Gun-Ho using them.

“Chinese children know about 3,000 Chinese characters once they graduate from elementary school. If you, G-jjong know the same, you won’t have any problem reading a Chinese newspaper or magazine.”

After two months, Gun-Ho started hearing and understanding simple Chinese.

It had been four months since Gun-Ho came to China.

Gun-Ho was doing well in China. It was summer already. It was really hot especially the southern area of Yangtze River. It felt like being inside an oven. However, Gun-Ho’s restaurant was cool. Its air conditioner worked great since it was in the hotel building. Some of the restaurant staff stayed in the restaurant even after their work hours because the restaurant was cool and pleasant while their homes were really hot.

One day, Dingming came to Gun-Ho from the counter and said there was someone on the phone looking for him.

“Who is it?”

“He said that he is from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and he wants to talk to G-jjong.”

Gun-Ho thought he wouldn’t be able to converse through the phone with a bank with his level of Chinese language fluency. So he called for Mae-Hyang.

“Why don’t you take the call for me?”

Mae-Hyang picked up the phone and told the person on the other side of the phone that she was the interpreter.

“The branch manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China would like to meet with you, G-jjong.”

“Me? For what? Ask him when would it be convenient for us to meet?”

Mae-Hyang got back to Gun-Ho and told him what the branch manager had told her, “He is suggesting 12 PM tomorrow at the Pinghoo Chinese restaurant & bar around the West Lake area.”

“It’s not difficult to meet with him. Tell him that I will be there.”

The following day, Gun-Ho went to the Pinghoo restaurant & bar with his interpreter, Mae-Hyang. He took a taxi instead of his bike because he thought it was not appropriate to show to a bank’s branch manager.

“I guess I will have to rent a car or something when I meet people like this.”

The Pinghoo bar was huge. When they told the bar that they were the guests of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the staff in Qipao led them to the second floor. It was a private room with the West Lake view through the window. The view made Gun-Ho feel cool. The branch manager and others with him were already in the room waiting for Gun-Ho. The branch manager looked like he was in his late 40s. He was with two other female bank staff who both looked like in their 30s.

“I’m sorry that I am late. I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jangbingchao from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.”

Gun-Ho gave him his business card that said, ‘CEO of Mando Food Co., Ltd.’. He also gave it to the two other staff as well. The branch Manager handed over his business card to Gun-Ho. His business card said ‘President’ instead of ‘Branch Manager.’

“President? The president of the bank came here from Beijing headquarters?”

Mae-Hyang took a look at the business card, and said,

“That means a branch manager. In China, we refer to a branch manager as a president.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho smiled bitterly once he understood the meaning of the president.

Note*

Hotteock – A popular street food that is similar to a pancake that has sweet fillings.

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Chapter 56 - The Branch Manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (2)

Chapter 56: The Branch Manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (2)

The branch manager poured the Longjing tea that was already prepared in a teapot and placed it on the table in his cup; he then drank some tea before he started talking, “How’s your restaurant business going? The Mando Hotel Korean restaurant is one of our clients. I should have arranged the meeting like this sooner, and I am sorry about that.”

“Our restaurant hasn’t made substantial sales yet so we haven’t put much money in my bank account as of the moment. Despite that, I do appreciate your concern and meeting with me.”

The branch manager asked one of his staff sitting next to him to place an order for food. The female staff carefully selected and ordered dishes with great ingredients.

The dishes that the female staff ordered started coming out one by one. They looked expensive and fancy. Gun-Ho didn’t even know the name of those dishes. The branch manager continued his small talk while smiling without getting into the real business,

“How do you like here?”

“How do you like Chinese food?”

“Where do you stay?”

“How’s the view of West Lake?”

The branch manager continuously talked about trivial things.

‘I believe this person came to meet with me to talk about something else…’

The branch manager poured beer in Gun-Ho’s glass, and Gun-Ho drank it.

“Chinese beer is Ting Hao*.”

When people in the room started feeling drunk, the branch manager got into his main business.

“As far as I know, you had deposited a significant amount of money in our bank. Are you going to let it sit like that? We do have good programs that you can use with a great interest rate so you can make your money grow effectively.”

Gun-Ho, in fact, transferred his 480 million won to his bank account in China and indicated that the purpose of the transfer was to acquire Mando Food Co., Ltd. He used 50 million won out of his 480 million won when he acquired the Korean restaurant and left the remaining amount in his bank account after exchanging it into Yuan. The funds in his account were about 3,500,000 Yuan.

‘I see. So he wants to use my money that was saved in their bank.’

The branch manager continued what he was saying while having his Longjing tea,

“Our bank—Industrial and Commercial Bank of China—has recently released a new bond. The interest rate is high and the maturity date varies: we have 90 days, 120 days, or more.”

“I see.”

The staff next to the branch manager pulled out a brochure from her bag and gave it to Gun-Ho.

“I do actually have funds in my bank account with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. However, that is not mine. I am keeping the funds in my bank account as a favor from someone.”

“Oh. Are you planning to invest the funds somewhere else? If you are not going to invest your funds yet, we have a short-term program as well.”

“No. The person who entrusted the funds to me wanted to invest in real estate. I can’t possibly have that kind of money at my age.”

When Mae-Hyang heard about the money in Gun-Ho’s bank account, she became curious, but when he said that it was not his, she seemed to say in her mind, ‘That’s more like it.’

The branch manager smiled.

“It’s an apartment, isn’t it? That person who entrusted you with the funds wants to buy an apartment but instead of going through all the hassle of investing as a foreigner, he asked you to buy one for him with your name—G-jjong—because you already have an Alien Resident Certificate. Considering the economic growth rate of this country, the apartment price will go up significantly. Whoever that person is, he does have great insight in business. I believe China has less restriction than Korea in the real estate investment.”

‘Hmm… as expected.’

Gun-Ho was impressed. He thought that the branch manager was a stunning expert in business like Chairman Lee.

“So, I am sorry that I won’t be able to invest in the bond. You have invited me for this great dinner, but there is nothing much I can do for you at this time. I will pay for the dinner.”

“It was my pleasure. As you said I am the one who invited you for dinner, I will pay for the dinner of course. Let’s drink. Let’s get to know each other and be friends even though I am older than you. Haha.”

The branch manager gulped his beer and showed Gun-Ho his empty glass. Gun-Ho also finished his beer and showed his empty glass to the branch manager.

“So, did you find a good property?”

“Not yet. I’m thinking about the apartment in Hubinlu.”

“I recommend the one in Sisilu instead of Hubinlu. The apartments in Hubinlu are fancy but they are old now. You should think about the time when you sell them.”

“How much is the one in Sisilu?”

“Well, the company that is selling the apartments and condos in Sisilu is one of our clients. They are selling right now and you’d better select and take a condo that’s in a good location before someone else take it. The condo is about 2,500,000 Yuan. Take two of them, then you will laugh someday.”

“For two condos, I have to come up with 5,000,000 Yuan. Even the person who entrusted the funds to me wouldn’t have that much money.”

“Don’t hesitate. The area around West Lake is already saturated with condos. There would be no more land available for additional condos. Grab the opportunity while you can.”

“Is there a loan system for purchasing a condo in China?”

Mae-Hyang couldn’t understand one of the words that Gun-Ho said, so she asked Gun-Ho before she tried to interpret what he said,

“What is a loan?”

“I am asking if I can borrow money from the bank when I buy a condo.”

“Oh, Ttaigwan! That’s the loan.”

Mae-Hyang resumed her interpretation.

“Of course, you can take a loan.”

“And a transfer of ownership is allowed, right?”

“China is a socialist country. You don’t get the ownership but you get the right to use. You will have the right to use for 99 years.”

Gun-Ho was stunned.

“What happens after that?”

“The right to use is transferrable so practically you can say you own it.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

“G-jjong, if you are interested, do as I recommend. Buy two condos. Our bank can lend you money if you are short in funds. The interest rate for the loan is not that high. In China, the condos must be completely built before you can purchase it so you can rent it out right away. The rent for condos in that location is 5,000 Yuan.”

“Hmmm…”

“If you want to visit the site, I will contact the president of the Hwaganghwawon so they can facilitate your visit. If you tell them my name, they will assign a good location unit for you.”

“Thank you for the information.”

“We still have beers left. Let’s drink up.”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

All five people in the room stood up and shouted “Cheers!” as they clinked glasses.

Gun-Ho went to the Hwaganghwawon condo community located in Sisilu, accompanied by Mae-Hyang. In China, they didn’t name the condos with weird words like Korea. They didn’t name the condo community as Raemian, E-ComfortableWorld, or HillState. Instead, they name it as Hobanhwawon, Hwaganghwawon, Pyunghaesinchon, etc.

“Whoa, the main entrance to the community is majestic. Why haven’t I seen this before?”

A young security guard was monitoring people who were trying to enter the community. He looked like a military gate guard in Korea.

“Where are you going?”

The security guard asked in an intimidating manner.

“We are here to see a condo.”

Mae-Hyang answered bluntly. She seemed to be offended by the guard.

The security guard scanned Gun-Ho. He didn’t seem to believe what Mae-Hyang said because Gun-Ho looked too young to buy an expensive condo.

“The manager from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China recommended us that we should take a look at some of the condos here. This man is from Korea.”

Gun-Ho smiled as he showed his Korean passport to the guard. The security guard gestured for Mae-Hyang to proceed without looking at the passport that Gun-Ho showed.

“I am treated well because I am a foreigner.”

Gun-Ho met with the president of the Hwaganghwawon condo community. He looked like the leader of a gang.

“Oh, I received a call from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. I was told that someone from Korea will stop by.”

There was a plastic architectural model of the community in the president’s office. The president recommended the unit located close to the main gate. There was a stone lion sculpture in front of it. Gun-Ho liked it too. Gun-Ho made a contract to buy two condos that were priced for 2,600,000 Yuan each. So the total price was 5,200,000 Yuan (624 million won). He would take a loan for the amount short from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The condo was 198㎡ each.

“Hmm… The sales and purchase agreement is called Hapdongseo in China.”

A Chinese staff of Hwaganghwawon who brought necessary papers for the contract seemed surprised. The staff said to Gun-Ho who just bought two very expensive condos seemingly without any difficulty, “Korean people are rich maybe because Korea is a highly developed country.”

Note*

Ting Hao – Very good in Chinese

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Chapter 57 - The Branch Manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (3)

Chapter 57: The Branch Manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (3)

In China, a new condo was sold without finishing the interior so the owner could finish it with their choice of wallpaper, flooring, countertop, etc.

Gun-Ho chose luxurious materials for the interiors of his two condos.

Gun-Ho went to the Hwaganghwawon frequently to see the interior construction of his condos. He felt embarrassed to ride a bike to the community, and taking a taxi every time he visited there was not realistic. So he rented a car, an Audi. He chose the Audi because it was the brand that was most frequently seen in that area.

“Even though this is a used car, this Audi is good. There were only 60,000 kilometers on it. I rented this car under the business name, Mando Food that runs the Korean restaurant so I can get a tax benefit which is good.”

Gun-Ho went to Hwaganghwawon in his Audi. The security guard didn’t block him. As Thanksgiving Day would soon be here, Gun-Ho gave 100 Yuan (12,000 won) to the security guard to thank him for his hard work. The security guard seemed to be astonished.

“Are you the Korean who had a business here?”

“That’s me. Haha.”

The impact of that 100 Yuan was significant. From the moment he gave 100 Yuan to the security guard, the guard always gave Gun-Ho a military salute whenever he saw Gun-Ho.

“You look marvelous. Did you serve the People’s Liberation Army?”

“That’s right. I was recently discharged from it.”

Gun-Ho was living in a condo community with a swimming pool, and his apartment had three bedrooms. He was riding an Audi and running a Korean restaurant in a hotel building. In the Korean community in that area that Gun-Ho was living in, Gun-Ho was known to be a rich young man.

“You pricks, it’s not possible to have this kind of extravagant life by running a Korean restaurant. I can only do this because I will have two condos that will be generating additional income.”

The interior was finally completed for Gun-Ho’s two Hwaganghwawon condos. As soon as he put these condos on the market for rent, they were gone, maybe because they were brand new. The rent was priced for 5,000 Yuan each.

So, Gun-Ho was getting an additional income of 10,000 Yuan from these rental properties. At that time, the usual starting salary for a college graduate in China was less than 3,000 Yuan, so 10,000 Yuan was a substantial income in China.

“One was rented to a hospital director of an international hospital. He is from Hong Kong. The other one was taken by a German who is the president of a pharmaceutical company. I don’t think I have to worry about getting rent from them.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to the branch manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

“The condos were completed and they are already rented out. I’m calling to thank you for everything.”

“Don’t mention it. If you need an additional loan please feel free to come to me. We are friends, right? Haha.”

Gun-Ho did his math.

Even though he was making 10,000 Yuan from two condos, he had to pay for the Audi rent and loan interest. After subtracting these expenses, nothing much was left in his hand. However, he felt good.

“Let’s wait until the price of condos increase. Let’s wait for three years. Money makes money. I had been in Hwaseong, Pocheon, and Yangju to work in a factory, and I had realized that whenever a condo’s price went up by 10 million won in those provincial areas, a condo’s price in Seoul would go up by 100 million won!”

Once he bought the condos, he turned his attention to his study of the Chinese language. He studied strenuously.

“I couldn’t concentrate on my studies when I was in Korea because there were too many things going on in my head at that time. However, I can focus on studying just fine here.”

Once he took a lesson from his private tutor—Eun-Hwa Jo—in the morning, he always reviewed what he learned that day at home in the evening. Since the 120㎡(36 pyung) large space of his apartment was all his, he practiced speaking Chinese out loud freely at home. Several months passed by.

The kitchen ladies were talking about Gun-Ho’s Chinese language fluency.

“G-jjong, you speak Chinese very well now. I think you can now understand everything we’re saying.”

“Now, I have to be careful with what I say when G-jjong is around. He reads a Chinese newspaper too.”

Gun-Ho now talked with Dingming at the counter without a problem and without an interpreter. One day, Eun-Hwa—Gun-Ho’s private tutor—suggested for him to take the Chinese Proficiency Test called HSK.

“Am I qualified to take HSK? I didn’t even study Chinese in college.”

“There was a Korean lady I taught for four months when I was in Shanghai. After four months of studying, she obtained the HSK-level 5. On the other hand, there was a man who studied Chinese for three years, and he couldn’t even pass the HSK-level 2 test. So this is all up to you. I believe with your proficiency, you can pass the HSK level-5 test.”

“If I understand correctly, the highest level of HSK is level 6. And you are asking me to take the level 5 test. I’ve heard that level-5 is hard to pass even for people who majored in the Chinese language in college.”

“G-jjong, you have lived in China. You can do better than them.”

“Do I have to go back to Korean to take the HSK test?” Gun-Ho talked to himself, and when Eun-Hwa heard of what he said, she responded, “You can take it in China. I believe the HSK test is held in Shanghai. I will find it out for you.”

Gun-Ho purchased a preparatory book for the HSK test and started studying it.

“I think I can handle the reading section since I had studied Chinese characters when I was in Korea and I even obtained the level-3 certificate for it. I also continued studying for the level-1 and level-2 certificate even after I came to China. The problem is the listening comprehension section. Maybe I should just take the test so I could gain valuable experience?”

Gun-Ho thought that he was just wasting money and time if he traveled to Shanghai to take the test.

“How long have I been learning the Chinese language from Eun-Hwa? Whoa, it has been six months already. I guess I know better than other Koreans who only studied it in Korea. I’ve been directly exposed to the language on a daily basis. I had to talk with merchants and other Chinese people on the street and in a market. Okay, let’s try it. I want to know my proficiency level in the Chinese language. Let’s take the HSK exam.”

Gun-Ho registered for the test.

Once he registered for the test, he felt more urge to study.

“I have only one week left before the test. Let’s put all of my energy into studying.”

Gun-Ho was not dumb.

He went to a high school in the metropolitan area, and his family couldn’t afford to support his study with a private tutor. So he was admitted to a college in a province. After dropping out of college, he went to a cyber college and graduated from there. The reason why he went to a cyber college was that he wanted to transfer to another college and take a 4-year course later, maybe a college in Seoul or Incheon where his parents lived in. However, he had to make a living at that time. That was why he clung to the level-9 government job exam.

Gun-Ho studied for the HSK test in his spacious apartment, and he lifted his head and looked outside the window.

“I like the fact that I can focus on this HSK exam. When I was studying in Noyrangjin for the government job exam, I had to work the whole day, and study in the evening. I was too exhausted to concentrate on my studies in the evening after work.”

Gun-Ho took out a cigarette and started smoking.

“Well, I guess I have done all kinds of part-time jobs when I was in Noryangjin studying for the exam. I worked at a convenience store, did a chicken delivery, and carried ice in a seafood market. I even worked in a duct construction field. How could I study at that time? I just wasted my life there.”

Gun-Ho thought about his current life.

“I have two fancy condos. I am running a Korean restaurant in a hotel. I am riding an Audi to commute. I am living in a large and luxurious apartment that measured 36 pyung. I am studying the Chinese language, nothing else. In addition, I have a private tutor. With the help of all of this support, why wouldn’t I concentrate on studying?”

Gun-Ho turned on the TV and watched a Chinese soap opera. He couldn’t fully understand it, but he could understand some simple conversation. It was fun.

“After two or three years, I think I can understand over 90% of the Chinese language”

Gun-Ho fell asleep while watching the soap opera. A happy smile appeared on his face.

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Chapter 58 - Transfer to a college in China (1)

Chapter 58: Transfer to a college in China (1)

Gun-Ho took the HSK test and passed level-4.

He was disappointed about the fact that he couldn’t reach the level-5’s passing score since he studied so hard. However, he knew that he could try again next time so it was okay. When he had failed the level-9 government job exam in Korea, he felt devastated. He didn’t feel that way anymore.

“I used to feel like a loser whenever I had failed the government job exam because at the time having a government job was the only way to handle my situation; I didn’t know any other way out. I was so scared of being left out, and not knowing what to do to overcome my financial difficulties. Damn Korea’s level-9 government job exam!”

Eun-Hwa was not sure whether she should congratulate him or comfort him when she heard that Gun-Ho passed the HSK level-4, instead of level-5.

“G-jjong, you did a good job in passing the level-4. It was your first time trying the exam.”

“I actually thought I might pass the level-5, but I missed a lot of questions in the listening comprehension section”

“I heard people who passed the level-5 are the ones who majored in the Chinese language in a 4-year college. You made it to level-4 in just a short period of time, and level-4 is not a low level at all. The admission requirement for most universities in China for international students is HSK level-4.”

“Oh, really?”

An idea flashed across Gun-Ho’s mind when he heard the college admission requirement for international students was HSK level-4.

“Right. That’s it!”

“What’s on your mind?”

“Let’s transfer to a college in China. There is Zhejiang University close to the condo I acquired. I heard Zhejiang University is one of the best universities in China!”

Gun-Ho decided to explore quietly more about transferring to Zhejiang University.

Gun-Ho felt sorry to Eun-Hwa who tried hard in preparing Gun-Ho for the HSK exam.

In appreciating her effort, Gun-Ho took an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and put 300 Yuan without showing it to anyone and then handed it to Eun-Hwa.

“Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo, I appreciate your efforts in preparing me for the HSK exam, and I want you to take this. I was only able to pass level-4 because I had a good teacher like you.”

“Wow. Is this for me?”

Eun-Hwa took the envelope from Gun-Ho; she seemed to have felt shy but delighted.

Korean international students sometimes came to Gun-Ho’s Korean restaurant. They couldn’t come very often because the food’s price there was not cheap. However, they came when they were tired of having Chinese food every single day and missed Korean food. A few Korean students came to the restaurant on a Saturday.

“How’re your studies? It’s not easy to study while being away from your home, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Try this. It’s a Korean pancake.”

“Is it complimentary?”

“Don’t worry. It’s free.”

The Korean students ordered a few bottles of beer. When they almost ran out of beer, Gun-Ho brought one more bottle of beer to their table.”

“What is this? We didn’t order it.”

“This is on me. You are like my younger brothers. Enjoy the beer, on the house.”

“Wow, thank you, sir!”

“Oh, umm, can I ask you something? Do you know anything about transferring to Zhejiang University?”

“A new semester starts in September, so I guess they are accepting applications right now. I heard that a transfer admission is less competitive than admission directly from high school.”

“Do they accept HSK level-4?”

“I believe so. A student with HSK level-4 might face difficulties understanding the lectures in the university, but I believe they can be admitted.”

“What about a cyber college. Do they accept a cyber college diploma for transfer students?”

“I don’t know. I guess as long as it is a bachelor’s degree, they will accept it. Why don’t you ask the admission office?”

“Hmm…”

“Why are you asking all this? Is your younger brother thinking of transferring to Zhejiang University?”

“Huh? Oh, no… someone asked me to find out about the transfer process to that university.”

Gun-Ho wanted to say, ‘Not my younger brother, but I want to transfer to that university, kids!’

Gun-Ho visited the admission office of Zhejiang University and asked about the transfer process with his not so fluent Chinese.

“You need to submit a copy of your passport, HSK test result, college diploma, college transcript, and a financial document showing how you receive your tuition and living expenses, etc.”

“Do you accept a college diploma from a cyber college?”

“A cyber college? Like Dienseutta? (a college with TV lectures) As long as you can provide a college diploma, that’s fine.”

“What kind of majors are there in the business department?”

The staff in the admission office showed Gun-Ho their brochure about programs the university provided.

“Hmm… I guess I should choose the accounting major. I’ve obtained the computerized accounting level-2 certificate in addition to my work experience in the field. I think I can understand better the accounting lectures with my background. Moreover, since accounting majors use more numbers and fewer writings compared to other majors, that could work as an advantage for me.”

Gun-Ho knew he should make a quick trip to Korea soon to prepare all these required documents.

Gun-Ho went to Korea for the documents required to transfer to Zhejiang University.

Gun-Ho’s mother was happy and surprised when Gun-Ho arrived home unexpectedly.

“I knew you told me you would come soon, but I didn’t expect you so soon.”

“I need to prepare some documents for college as soon as possible.”

“A college? What college?”

“I am going to transfer to a college in China this coming semester.”

“Transfering to a college? I thought you went to China to work.”

“I work there. I am running a Korean restaurant. I can do both studying and working.”

“Are you taking night classes? What about the tuition?”

“Mom, stop asking all these questions. I’m handling the situation. I am starving mom. Can I have your Doenjang-jjigae? I love your Doenjang-jjigae. Oh, and this is for you. I bought it at the duty-free shop at the airport. I want you to look younger using this cream.”

“Wow! This is made in another country. It should be expensive!”

“I bought one more for sister. Please give it to her when she visits you. And this is for dad. It’s a fancy Chinese liquor, called Maotai.”

“Oh my gosh! These are all way too expensive.”

“This is a chocolate for Jeong-Ah.”

Jeong-Ah was Gun-Ho’s niece, his sister’s daughter. She was going to kindergarten.

“Wow. This chocolate is huge. You didn’t forget about your niece when preparing all these.”

Gun-Ho’s mother seemed to be happy, and the sound of cooking from the kitchen became vigorous.

Gun-Ho transferred to Zhejiang University at the age of 33 as a third year in the accounting major. He seemed to be the oldest student in the university, and he didn’t have a chance to spend time with other Korean students. He didn’t have time for it either because he had a restaurant he had to run.

“Big brother, we are going to have a gathering for Korean students. Will you join and support us?”

Sometimes the Korean students came to Gun-Ho to ask for something. Some students had a lot of nerve to call him big brother instead of sir.

“I’m afraid that I won’t be able to attend. I am a student here but I also have to work. Instead, I will get you three boxes of beer for the gathering!”

“Whoa, you are the best, big bro!”

Gun-Ho ran the restaurant and also went to college.

“It has been one and a half year already since I came to China. I’ve purchased two condos a year ago, and I have been studying in college for eight months now. I am not sure if I am doing good. I hope I am not missing anything.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the branch manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

“It has been a while since we last met, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. The spring had passed and it’s almost summer. Do you know how to play bowling?”

“Bowling? I am not good at it but I do love watching others playing it. Haha.”

The last time Gun-Ho visited Korea, he purchased Korean cosmetics for the branch manager. He loved it.

‘I don’t know how to play bowling, but I had to tell him that I love to watch others playing it, so he could invite me for bowling. Who knows? Maybe he has some valuable information for me.’

Gun-Ho thought.

When Gun-Ho said he loved to watch others playing bowling, the branch manager continued talking about bowling,

“We are not very good at playing bowling either. Let’s meet at the bowling alley in Wonalu. How about 3 PM tomorrow?”

Gun-Ho didn’t have class tomorrow. The restaurant was being handled by Dingming and Mae-Hyang. Since Eun-Hwa, Gun-Ho’s private tutor hadn’t found any job yet she would probably have time tomorrow. Gun-Ho thought that he should better ask Eun-Hwa to go bowling with him.

“Sounds good!”

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Chapter 59 - Transfer to a college in China (2)

Chapter 59: Transfer to a college in China (2)

The bowling alley was large and nice unexpectedly.

The temperature outside was high. The elders in the area used hand fans to create a breeze in bare torso. People selling stuff, students, and constructions workers—they were sweating in this hot summer. On the other hand, the bowling alley was a totally different world. The air conditioner was working great.

“Hey, G-jjong, here! We are here!”

The branch manager and the female bank staff were already in the bowling alley waiting for Gun-Ho while playing bowling. They got so excited when one of them bowled a strike by shooting a ten pin.

“You are very good.”

Gun-Ho approached the branch manager’s party while praising them. Actually, Gun-Ho had never played bowling before. There were bowling alleys in Korea but they were not very popular. This was Gun-Ho’s first time experience in a bowling alley.

Gun-Ho carefully observed how the bank people moved by playing bowling. They walked three steps before releasing the ball. That didn’t look so difficult.

“G-jjong, why don’t you try it?”

Gun-Ho rented bowling shoes at the counter and played bowling. Once he released his bowl ball, it didn’t roll in the center as it was supposed to be, but it went to the side. The bank staff laughed. The branch manager said while laughing along with them,

“Korean people play golfing a lot rather than bowling, right? Maybe I should learn how to play golf from you, G-jjong.”

“Oh, umm…”

Gun-Ho had never played golf before either. He used to consider people who played golf as people in another world. Gun-Ho felt perplexed when the branch manager asked Gun-Ho to teach him how to play golf, so he quickly changed the subject.

“Since I am not very useful in bowling here, I will go and buy something to drink.”

Gun-Ho bought a few soda and ice creams. While having his ice cream, the branch manager congratulated Gun-Ho.

“Congratulate me for what?”

“I talked with the Hwaganghwawon construction president today on the phone. He said it had been one year from the date that all Hwaganghwawon condos were sold, and the price of the condos already increased a lot.”

“Oh, really? The price increased as much as the economic growth rate in China?”

“That rate is the average rate of entire China. The area where Hwaganghwawon is located is a nice area and the price increased even more. I was told that the price increased by 20% already.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho started calculating.

“I exchanged 400 million won with Chinese Yuan and invested them into these condos. With the increase of 20%, I should gain 80 million won. I knew money makes money.”

The bank staff started talking.

“What are the branch manager and the Korean businessman talking about?”

“They said the price of Hwaganghwawon condos increased significantly.”

“Hmm, the price of the already expensive condo increased again. People like us will never be able to live in a condo like that even with our entire career earnings.”

“The price increase thing in that sort of fancy condos is in a different league from us. Let’s just keep playing bowling!”

The female bank staff seemed to be jealous as they talked about the Hwaganghwawon condo and started smoking. The bowling alley was large and it also had a high ceiling, so smoking was allowed.

“You’d better grab the ball like this before you release it.”

The branch manager taught Gun-Ho how to play it and came closer to him and said,

“G-jjong, are you interested in moving your funds to another real estate?”

Gun-Ho thought it was the branch manager’s agenda for today—upon meeting with him.

“Huh? What kind of real estate?”

“There is a Chodaeso (similar to a motel in Korea) building in Nansanlu; it is partially completed. If you sell your Hwaganghwawon condos, you can acquire it with the proceeds.”

“Did you say the building is partially constructed? If so, I will have to spend more money to complete it after acquiring it.”

“We can lend you the necessary funds.”

“Hmm…”

“Once the building is completed, you can attract a lot of Korean tourists.”

“I don’t know…”

“Would you like to try it?”

“It’s so sudden, and I think I need time to think about it. I will talk to the person who entrusted the funds to me.”

“Alright. Talk to him. You won’t regret it. The building is located right next to the hospital in Nansanlu. It’s on the road to your home so you will see it on the way home.”

Gun-Ho started thinking about it by himself.

“Acquiring the building… hmm… The condos generate income, however, if I acquire this building I won’t get anything until it is fully built. I have to pay the Audi rent every month.”

Gun-Ho felt very good when he was told that the price of his condos went up by 20% and then the branch manager threw this bomb to his face with the suggestion of the building acquisition.

“I want to hear the opinion of others. Who should I talk to? That’s right. I will talk to Dingming’s sister. She is the Mando hotel manager.”

Dingming’s sister disagreed with the idea of acquiring that incomplete building.

“The owner of that specific building has been changed several times already. Even though you could acquire it for 5,000,000 Yuan, you would need additional 3,000,000 Yuan until the completion of the building. If you have that money, that might be okay. But if you have to loan 3,000,000 Yuan, that’s too risky. You will have to pay the interest until the completion, right?”

“You’re right.”

“Moreover, you can’t rely solely on Korean tourists. The number of Korean tourists had been constantly increased three or four years ago, but not anymore. In addition, the tourists don’t often stay in Chodaeso; they prefer a hotel since it is their trip abroad. Also, you should consider that since the building is partially finished, the ownership and the chain of titles must be very complicated.”

Gun-Ho agreed with Dingming’s sister.

“I did the right thing by asking you about this. I think your professional opinion is accurate with your knowledge and insight gained from the work experience in the hotel business.”

Gun-Ho told the branch manager that he would pass his suggestion this time.

“The investor in Seoul who entrusted the funds to me wanted to stay with two condos for now. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to feel sorry about it. If the investor decided, then nothing much we can do about it. Haha. Since the condo price went up by 20%, and if you need additional loan later for another business, just let me know.”

The lending suggestion from the bank branch manager reminded Gun-Ho of the story that Chairman Lee had told him before.

“Chairman Lee acquired a building for 25 billion won during the Korean IMF crisis and when the price of the same building was hiked to 200 billion won, he lent 100 billion won from a bank. Then, he purchased a paper production company and a small building with the loan. This is the magic of money. China is not in the IMF crisis, so the price building was not a steal as Chairman Lee had experience in his old time. Let’s be happy with the 20% price increase with my condos.”

Gun-Ho decided to focus on his study for now.

“I don’t have to physically work in my Korean restaurant since I am the owner. However, going to college is really tiring. There are too much to read and it is really hard to study.”

Gun-Ho barely passed the exams in the university and continued his study. He was in his fourth year in the university when a young professor came to his university to teach from Yale University in the U.S.

“That professor seemed to be about the same age as myself. That professor is the youngest one among the professors here, and I am the oldest one among the students here. Sh*t.”

The young professor taught finance. When he first came to the university, a staff introduced him to the students like this,

“This new professor’s name is Jien Wang. He is from here, Hangzhou City.”

“Jien Wang. If I say his name in Korean, it is Gun Wang; the same name as our first king in Goryeo Dynasty of Korea.”

“Professor Wang had ranked first in the SAT in the entire Hangzhou City. After he graduated from Beijing University, he went to the U.S. to pursue his Ph.D. at Yale University. He taught at Yale before he came to our university.”

“Wow. He has an excellent academic background.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t help comparing himself to this professor who was about the same age as him. This professor was a professor of one of the IVY league universities at this age. Until this time, Gun-Ho had never thought that this professor would be the best friend of himself.

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Chapter 60 - Transfer to a college in China (3)

Chapter 60: Transfer to a college in China (3)

It was summer.

The southern area of Yangtze River was humid and hot. Most people in that area exposed their skin in an effort to fight the heat. Summer vacation started in the university that Gun-Ho was attending and Gun-Ho didn’t have to go to school for a while.

“Whew, I don’t have to go to school for now and I can relax a bit.”

The past several months had been hectic for Gun-Ho. He had to run a Korean restaurant, go to college, and study the Chinese language. It was busy and hard, but also rewarding.

“I have one more semester left before my graduation. I will then have a college diploma from Zhejiang University! I had passed the HSK level-4 before I started college. Let’s try the level-6. Eun-Hwa found a job and she can’t come to teach me as often as before. I should take the level-6 test before she becomes even busier.”

Eun-Hwa had been living with Mae-Hyang for the past year and recently moved out once she found a job in the Jiaxing area. She started working in a joint Chinese-Korean venture that manufactured fabrics. Consequently, Eun-Hwa now came to Gun-Ho’s restaurant twice a week to give him private tutoring in the Chinese language.

Gun-Ho had spare time during his summer vacation in college. He made a call to Jong-Suk.

“Jong-Suk?”

“Hey, bro! I was actually going to call you.”

“Why? Anything interesting?”

“You are expecting too much from a person like me!”

“Why are you saying that? You are the MacGyver Park who can fix anything.”

“Save it! I’m going to take a summer vacation soon.”

“Oh, you are? Then come visit me here.”

“Yeah, I talked with Suk-Ho bro from Gyeongridan Street about it. He wants to visit you in China too.”

“Really? Sure! Come. Did you get the visa?”

“I applied for it already. It’s a visitor visa valid for a month. I think I will receive it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I will let you know once I reserve a flight ticket.”

“Sounds good.”

“We will be arriving at the Shanghai airport; you can come to the airport to pick us up, right?”

“Of course. I will bring a car.”

“You must come, okay? None of us can speak Chinese. We will get lost without you. I can’t be a missing person in China.”

“Don’t worry about it, bro. I will be there even before you arrive.”

“How much should I expect for a hotel room?”

“Don’t worry about the hotel. You can stay in my place.”

“Bro, in your tiny room? Can three of us stay in your tiny room altogether?”

“It’s not a tiny one room, man. It’s an apartment.”

“Really?”

“Just get a flight ticket and come, okay? You don’t have to worry about a place to stay and the food you eat. I will handle them for you.”

Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho arrived in China.

“Hey bro, you seemed to gain some weight.”

“You too, man. Don’t you have to work so hard these days? Hey, Suk-Ho. Good to see you, man.”

“All those store signs look so complex. The Korean language is the best. Sejong, the Great King did a really great job in creating our writing system.”

“Huh? Is this your car, bro? It’s Audi. You are a successful man now. Where is your chauffeur?”

“I’m driving.”

“You drive? You can do that with your Korean driver’s license?”

“I obtained my driver’s license here. You want to see it?”

Gun-Ho showed Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho his Chinese driver’s license.

“Wow, you do have a Chinese driver’s license.”

Gun-Ho drove them around Shanghai City.

“This is the main street in Shanghai, Nanjing Road. That is the Waitan, a waterfront area.”

“Whoa, Shanghai is so beautiful. It’s indeed an international city.”

Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho were busy looking around the city.

They visited Dongfang Mingzhou and Yuyuan Garden in Pudong. They saw the Huangpu River and took a picture in Waitan.

“Aren’t you hungry yet? Let’s eat. We are going to have Chinese traditional food since you are in China.”

Gun-Ho took them to the back side of Nanjing Road. There was a huge Chinese restaurant. It looked fancy and luxurious.

“Whoa, this is huge. It should be larger than 300 pyung. And this huge space is filled with people.”

The restaurant staff in qipao brought a menu book to Gun-Ho’s party.

Gun-Ho placed an order in Chinese. His Chinese was not fluent, but when Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho heard him talking in Chinese, he sounded like a native Chinese.

“Wow, bro. You sound like a native Chinese.”

Suk-Ho seemed to be surprised as well.

“You, when did you learn Chinese? You sound fluent.”

“Nah, I don’t speak Chinese fluently at all. I am attending Zhejiang University right now. I transferred there. I will be graduating after next semester.”

“Really?”

They both were stunned.

“How did you manage to run a Korean restaurant and go to college at the same time?”

“Yeah, I did manage somehow. The restaurant doesn’t require my constant presence since I could hire many staff working in my restaurant. I just have to count money at the end of the day.”

“How many workers do you have in your restaurant?”

“I have eight people.”

“Eight? The restaurant must be sizable.”

“No, not really. Labor costs here are lower than Korea so I could hire more people.”

After sunset, they arrived at Hangzhou City.

“This is a big city too.”

“The population for the entire city is 7,500,000 and 1,700,000 people out of it are living in the main city area.”

“Really? I guess the city is bigger than Daegu City in Korea.”

They arrived at Mando hotel, and Gun-Ho showed them his Korean restaurant in the building.

“Wow, it’s neat and nice. So you are the president of this restaurant, huh? A factory worker made his success.”

Suk-Ho laughed as he heard what Jong-Suk said.

Suk-Ho then looked around.

“Considering the size of this restaurant, the rent must be high. How much do you make per day?”

“It varies. If I receive a lot of tourists, I could make a lot; otherwise, I make 3,000 to 4,000 Yuan in an ordinary day.”

“How much is it in Korean won?”

“It’s about 500,000 won.”

“You said the labor costs are low here. How much do you pay?”

“You can hire eight people with the same amount of money you have to pay for two lady workers in Korea.”

“I see, hmm…”

Suk-Ho seemed to be envious.

“How’s your bar in Gyeongridan Street? Is it going well?”

“Yeah, it’s doing okay. I can make a living with it.”

“Same here. It’s hard to run your own business both in Korea and in China. We are just making money for our own labor.”

Gun-Ho came back to his Hobanhwawon apartment with Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho.

Once Gun-Ho turned on the light, they could see the living room.

“Wow! It’s spacious. It has to be at least 40 pyung large!”

Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho were impressed.

“It’s actually 36 pyung.”

“Why do you need an apartment this big for yourself? Bro, are you living with someone? Like a Chinese lady?”

“Haha, no bro. You, pervert!”

“Wow, you indeed succeeded in your life. I still remember you when you worked in Pocheon and Yangju with your runny nose. I remember it like it was yesterday.”

“You say that again!”

“No, I’m serious. You are a successful man, bro. You are running a large and clean restaurant, living in this huge apartment looking like a castle, and you are riding an Audi. Who wouldn’t say you are successful?”

Gun-Ho just laughed, but what he truly wanted to say was,

“These are all bubbles. None of them are mine. I rented the apartment and the Audi. I don’t make enough money for a living with that restaurant. My hope is sitting at the Chinese real estate market. Do you understand that, kid!?”

Gun-Ho unpacked his grocery bags on the table.

There were beer, dried snacks, fruits, and dried beef, etc. The three men drank all night while talking, and they didn’t realize how many hours passed by while they enjoyed each other’s company.

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Chapter 61 - The Result of The Real Estate Investment (1)

Chapter 61: The Result of The Real Estate Investment (1)

Gun-Ho, Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho got up late at 9 AM next morning, after the long night of having a drink and a lot of talking.

“I got a headache.”

“Here it is. Drink the water.”

After drinking the water, Jong-Suk felt better.

“Go wash yourself. There are two bathrooms. Pick any of them and take a shower.”

“Hmm, it’s nice to stay in a big apartment.”

“Let’s have breakfast in my restaurant. But you have to know that there is no such thing as a hangover soup in China. There is no ox blood soup, Yangpyeong hangover soup, or pork rib hangover soup here.”

“Then what are we going to eat?”

“We have a beansprout soup in my restaurant. We can have it with rice. It’s not as tasty as the one in Korea, but it’s okay to eat.”

The three guys brushed their teeth and took a shower before they walked out of the apartment.

“Huh? There is a swimming pool in this apartment community.”

“Right. It gets so hot during the day here. So some apartment communities provide a swimming pool to their residents.”

“Wow. That’s nice.”

Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho took a picture of the swimming pool.

“Let’s have breakfast first, and we will stop by several tourist spots including West Lake.”

“What about your restaurant? Don’t you have to work?”

“That’s okay. The staff knows what they are doing.”

“We don’t want to interrupt your business or life here, man.”

“That’s fine. No worries!”

After having breakfast in Gun-Ho’s restaurant, the three men went to West Lake, Lingyin Temple and a green tea plantation.

The following day, they visited a silk market and a night market, and they also watched a Chinese traditional performance, etc. They spent three days and four nights, having fun by visiting tourist spots and exploring Chinese cultures. And then it was time to go back to Korea for Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho.

“I’m sorry, Gun-Ho. I guess we took too much time of you.”

“Don’t say that.”

“No, bro. You spent too much time and money for us. I am sorry too.”

“Hey, don’t think that way. You used to feed me with a lot of drinks before.”

“We brought some Pollock roe and dried seaweed for you.”

“Thank you, guys. These are so precious to me. Since you brought me something precious, I will give you guys something in return.”

Gun-Ho handed a bag to each of them.

“What is this?”

“This is a traditional Chinese tea, and this one is traditional liquor, one for each.”

“Traditional Chinese liquor? Whoa, thank you, bro.”

“Thank you, Gun-Ho.”

Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho seemed to be truly grateful for Gun-Ho’s gifts.

After they left, Gun-Ho was back to his routine. He had some spare time before his school started.

“I still have a few more days left before going back to college. Let’s take a bike and go around the town. It will be good exercise.”

Since Gun-Ho now could speak Chinese, he often talked with people on the street.

“How’s your day? Did you sell a lot today? How much rent do you pay for your store? I am running a restaurant over there.”

“Not very good today.”

“Where do you buy the tofu? It’s delicious.”

Gun-Ho enjoyed street food as well, but he had to choose it wisely. Some of them were really good, while some were really bad for Gun-Ho; the bad ones smelled bad and sometimes he wanted to just throw them out.

As Gun-Ho’s Chinese level of fluency improved, he took the HSK test again in Shanghai. The level-6 was probably beyond his current capacity. He passed the level-5 this time.

“Hmm. The level-6 is still difficult for me. Well, but I passed the level-5. My Chinese is improving. Let’s make to the level-6 by the time I graduate from the university.”

Gun-Ho didn’t forget to keep an eye on the real estate market.

“I came to China to make money. Learning the Chinese language and going to college is just a by-product. Let’s make an inquiry about the current price of my Hwaganghwawon condo.”

Gun-Ho asked Dingming at the counter.

“Ding Shaojie! (Ms. Dingming) Would you make a call to this realtor’s office for me and ask them how much the Hwaganghwawon condo cost to purchase. The one with the size of 198㎡.”

“The Hwaganghwawon condo? It is the most expensive condo in Hangzhou City.”

“I know. Someone asked me about this…”

Dingming made a call to the realtor’s office.

“They said they don’t have any Hwaganghwawon condo available on the market for now, but it costs at least 3,200,000 Yuan.”

“Hmm, 3.2 million Yuan… I paid 2.6 million Yuan for it two years ago. Then the price went up by 600,000 Yuan.”

Gun-Ho could feel his body temperature rise.

“I might not hit a jackpot but I surely made a lot of money from this investment. Since I purchased two of them, I made 1.2 million Yuan in total, as long as I could sell them at full price.”

Gun-Ho started calculating with the electronic calculator.

“1.2 million Yuan is 144 million won. I will let them sit there for one more year.”

Gun-Ho smiled in satisfaction. As Dingming saw Gun-Ho smiling, she asked him out of curiosity,

“G-jjong, why are you smiling? Any good news?”

“No, nothing. Haha.”

The hot summer days continued.

Gun-Ho went to the bank to deposit.

“So many people are here in the bank as well. It’s too hot and so annoying.”

The bank was filled with people, not only with the people who had business with the bank but also with those people who just needed a place to stay cool. Many town people seemed to be there.

Gun-Ho pulled his number, sit on a chair, and wait for his number to be called.

“It’s still hot even though the air conditioner keeps running. It’s probably over 40 degrees Celsius today.”

“It’s actually 39 degrees today. I’ve heard the government’s announcement from a TV earlier.”

A man seemingly in his 50s talked to Gun-Ho.

“39 degrees shouldn’t be this hot.”

“I think the government lied and announced it was 39 degrees because factory workers are not supposed to work in this extremely hot weather with over 40 degrees. They are entitled to have their day off, and the government doesn’t want to give them a day off.”

“As*holes!”

“By the way, are you from Beijing? You have a Beijing accent.”

Gun-Ho had different Chinese accent from the locals here. Maybe because he studied standard Chinese.

“No, but I used to live in Beijing.”

“Oh, really? I thought you were from either Beijing or Dongbei (Northeast).”

Gun-Ho liked the fact that Chinese people don’t recognize Gun-Ho as a foreigner.

“He will be surprised if I tell him that I am a Korean. Whether being a Beijinger or whatever, I guess I am becoming one of them.”

Gun-Ho chuckled.

After he deposited money into his bank account, he came back to his restaurant.

“Dingming, here is the deposit receipt! I deposited the revenue from yesterday.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Dingming, I will be back later.”

“G-jjong, can we have some ice cream today?”

“Sure. Also in the future, if the government announces the temperature exceeds 40 degrees, get some ice cream for all of us.”

“Okay, got it.”

Dingming gave him a broad smile.

G-jjong walked out of the restaurant.

“I’ve never used the swimming pool since I came to China even if there is a swimming pool in my apartment community.”

Gun-Ho came back to his apartment and changed his clothes into short pants and went to the swimming pool in his flip-flops.

“Wow, a lot of small kids are here. Their school hasn’t started yet.”

The swimming pool was crowded with children of elementary school and junior high school.

“This swimming pool is still less crowded than the one in Korea since only the residents are allowed to use it here.”

Gun-Ho had fun swimming. In the deeper area of the swimming pool, he could enjoy swimming without children.

“Oh my gosh, this is so good. It’s a paradise.”

Gun-Ho thought for the moment that maybe he wanted to live here forever.

“Nah…, I have to go back to Korea. I have to get married. I don’t think I can marry here unless I find a Chinese lady to marry.”

While thinking a lot of things, Gun-Ho tried all kinds of swimming strokes he knew how: a frog, a dog, and a dead body stroke. After he was done with swimming for the day, he took a shower. A lot of elementary schoolers were at the shower facility as well.

“Let’s just take a quick shower here and go home. I can take a full shower at home.”

When Gun-Ho walked out of the shower facility while holding a black vinyl bag with his wet bathing suit in it, he saw a man walking out of the same shower facility. He was holding a black vinyl bag just like Gun-Ho, and he was wearing short pants and flip-flops, just like Gun-Ho. The man recoiled when he saw Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho also recoiled when he saw the man.

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Chapter 62 - The Result of The Real Estate Investment (2)

Chapter 62: The Result of The Real Estate Investment (2)

The man asked first.

“Are you, by any chance, going to Zhejiang University?”

By looking at him closely, Gun-Ho was able to recognize him right away. He was the new professor at the university, who had a Ph.D. from Yale, and his name was Jien Wang.

“Oh, you are the new professor.”

“Are you living in this apartment?”

“Yes, I am. I’m living in building number 6. Are you living here too?”

“Yes, mine is building number 2.”

“It’s really good to see you here. It’s amazing that you could recognize me since there were tons of students in the university.”

“You actually stood out among the students. So I remember you.”

“Is that because I am an older student?”

“That’s one of the reasons. Also, you have a unique name. Your name didn’t seem to be a Chinese name, so I asked around and figured out that you are an international student.”

“Is it your bathing suit? Inside the bag, you are holding?”

“Oh, this? No, it’s not a bathing suit. It’s actually a coke and a sprite. I just came here to watch people swimming.”

“Oh, really? Since we met here, would you like to have a beer? There is a restaurant in front of our community’s main entrance. I’m craving for a beer after swimming.”

“Haha, why not?”

The restaurant was neat and spacious; it went well with Gun-Ho’s luxurious apartment. All the staff there was wearing a uniform. Gun-Ho placed an order.

“A deep-fried shrimp, a fried eggplant, and some fried pork, …”

“That’s too much. Let’s stop there.”

“That’s okay. I’m treating you as a student to his professor.”

“I think we are about the same age. By the way, you speak Chinese very well. How long have you been here in China?”

“It has been almost two years.”

“Can a student afford to have expensive dishes like those you ordered? Considering that you are living in the Hobanhwawon apartment, your parents must be rich.”

“They are not rich.”

“The rent of this apartment is expensive. I couldn’t afford to live here by myself with my salary from Zhejiang University. Fortunately, my wife is a professor at Zhejiang University as well. That’s how we can afford to live here.”

“I make a living for myself and pay for my rent here.”

“Huh? You are a student… So, you have a job?”

“I am running a Korean restaurant in Mando Hotel. It’s on Haebang road.”

Gun-Ho gave him his business card which said ‘CEO of Mando Food Co., Ltd.’.

“Wow! You are a CEO of Mando Food Co., Ltd.!”

“In fact, I have been working my socks off in running the restaurant and studying in the university. I hope you could take this into account and be generous when you determine my grade. Haha.”

“Wow, you are amazing. You run your business while you study in the university.”

The beer and the food that Gun-Ho ordered earlier came out.

“Whoa, having a beer after swimming tastes really good!”

“I was feeling rough in my throat; I guess I needed a beer. It does actually taste great. The Chinese Tsingtao beer is the best.”

They took turns in pouring beer in each other’s glass, and they became a bit drunk.

“When did you come back to China from the U.S.?”

“It has been a year. I started teaching at Zhejiang University last semester. Actually, this is my home town.”

“Don’t you get paid better at Yale University?”

“The more money you make in the U.S., the more costly your living expenses will be. I was a professor at Yale University, but it’s not easy for foreign professors to be re-appointed after their contract expires. By the time of my reappointment decision, a professor from Zhejiang University who was senior to me contacted me and convinced me to come and teach at Zhejiang University. Moreover, my wife missed her home town as well. So, here we are in my home town. I think I made the right decision coming back here. I feel much better and relaxed.”

“I did actually like your lecture. It’s inspiring.”

“Really. I am just all about theory, and I don’t know much about the practical side of it. So, I do love to hang out with someone like you—G-jjong—who has been in the business for a while.”

“My business card says I am the CEO of a company, but I am just running a small restaurant. I am not an expert in business as you expected.”

“No, I think you are great. You are running your own business and also studying at a university simultaneously. I do admire you. Let’s be friends. We are about the same age anyway. How old are you? What’s your Chinese zodiac sign?”

The professor Jien Wang gave Gun-Ho his business card.

Gun-Ho learned that Chinese people always asked a person’s Chinese zodiac sign whenever they ask someone’s age. When Gun-Ho told him his Chinese zodiac sign, the professor jumped to his feet and clinked his glass to Gun-Ho’s.

“Oh, we are of the same age, friend!”

“Oh, really? Nice to meet you, friend!”

That day, they drank until they almost passed out. Gun-Ho had to carry Professor Wang on his back and took him to his home.

Gun-Ho never missed Professor Wang’s class since he became good friends with him. Professor Wang’s lecture was always concise, precise, and easy to understand.

“Okay, look at this graph. Do you see the point where the total costs line crosses the total sales line? That is the Break Even Point (“BEP”).”

Gun-Ho nodded his head while writing notes. He could quickly understand the lecture because it was directly related to what he was doing at work running his business.

“What do you have to do in order to generate profits in a business? You will have to reduce the fixed costs and lower the variable costs. We will have a quiz after this lecture on the BEP analysis.”

“A quiz?”

The students started buzzing about the unexpected quiz.

Gun-Ho was walking out of the lecture room after his quiz when Professor Wang approached him and said,

“Hey, my friend. I am sorry about the last time.”

“Don’t mention it!”

“I am expecting a friend of mine from Shanghai this evening, and we will come to your Mando hotel Korean restaurant. Why don’t you join us?”

“Sure, why not? I will be at the restaurant anyway. I will see you and your friend then.”

When Gun-Ho came back to his restaurant after the class, a group of Japanese international students came for dinner. Gun-Ho helped the hall staff in serving them. He was arranging chairs when Dingming came to him and said,

“G-jjong, someone is here for you. He said he is your friend.”

Gun-Ho turned his head to the restaurant entrance. Professor Wang and a man in a jacket were standing at the entrance. The man was slim.

“Oh, you came. Come and have a seat!”

“G-jjong. This is my friend from Shanghai.”

“Very nice meeting you.”

Gun-Ho handed over his business card to the man. The man looked at the business card while lifting up his glasses. He was wearing a black plastic rim glasses and looked like an elementary school teacher in the countryside.

“Here, have a seat.”

Gun-Ho pulled out a chair for him. Professor Wang’s friend from Shanghai took out his business card from his pants’ pocket while sitting on the chair. Gun-Ho carefully looked at his business card.

“Vice Director of Shanghai City Construction Bureau!”

Gun-Ho was wondering what level a vice director would be in the government position rank. He felt strange and amazed at the same time to meet a person that had a high rank like him because he couldn’t even pass the level-9 government job exam himself after multiple attempts.

“He looked like about the same age as me. How could he make it all the way to the top? A vice director position, huh?”

Gun-Ho brought the menu book to Professor Wang and his friend.

“I don’t know much about Korean food.”

Professor Wang said, and the vice director from Shanghai ordered a ginseng chicken soup for himself.

“Have you had a Korean ginseng chicken soup before?”

“I went on a business trip to Korea last year. I had a ginseng chicken soup somewhere around Gwanghwamun Gate.”

Gun-Ho looked at his business card again. His name was Seukang Li.

“G-jjong is a friend of mine and we are of the same age. So are you, Director Li.”

Seukang Li laughed. Professor Wang called Seukang Li as Director Li even though his position was vice director. He seemed to feel more comfortable using the word director.

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Chapter 63 - The Result of The Real Estate Investment (3)

Chapter 63: The Result of The Real Estate Investment (3)

Gun-Ho, Professor Wang, and Director Li had ginseng chicken soups with Baiju, a Chinese liquor. Gun-Ho wanted to have a beer because he didn’t have high alcohol tolerance. However, Director Li already ordered Baijiu and Gun-Ho decided to drink it with them.

Once the Japanese international students left the restaurant after their dinner, it became quiet.

“Did you go to the same high school?”

“No, I went to a high school in Hangzhou, and he went to a high school in Shanghai.”

“Then how did you become friends?”

“We went to college together at Peking University. We were very close at that time and we used to have lamb skewers in the Wudaokou area all the time, didn’t we?”

Director Li laughed.

“After having enough lamb skewers, I left to study more in the U.S. and this guy stayed in China and got a government job. This guy’s father used to work as a Hyunjang (corresponding to a county governor in Korea) and his grandfather was in the Eighth Route Army.”

“You, Jien Wang. You are a brilliant man who was born to be intelligent. This guy’s father is a famous scholar.”

“Hey, why don’t you be friends with G-jjong. You are of the same age as well. We are contemporaries who are breathing the same air all these years.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare to be friends with a professor and a director!”

Director Li responded to what Gun-Ho had said,

“There are plenty of stupid people in the government. Business people are way smarter than them, and they have insight into the future of our society. I’ve seen a lot of hard-headed and stubborn people in the Korean government as well when I visited Korea. Of course, there are still exceptional government people in Korea.”

“You two, be friends!”

Professor Wang insisted.

“Okay, friend! You are an amazing person, G-jjong. You are running a restaurant in a foreign country. I admire you. Let me pour Baijiu in your glass, here.”

Director Li seemed to be getting drunk.

“Do you have any idea what my dad suggested to me when I told him that I wanted to work in the government after graduating from college?”

“Your father was still working in the government at the time right?”

“He told me to work in a factory, so I could deeply understand Chinese people and their real life. So I worked in a factory in Suzhou City for two years. It was a hot-rolled carbon steel manufacturer. This is the scars I gained from my factory life there.”

Director Li rolled up his sleeves to show his burn scars on his arm; there were several.

“Hey, my Korean friend, you haven’t worked in a factory before, right?”

“You have no idea. I had worked in plastic factories in Hwaseong, Pocheon, and Yangju in Korea. Look at my arms. I have a lot of burn scars as well.”

Gun-Ho showed his bare arms after rolling up his sleeves.

Professor Wang and Director Li seemed to be stunned by looking at the scars in Gun-Ho’s arms.

“Well, we are friends without a doubt. We need more drink. Let’s have one more bottle.”

The three men drank again like they were eating some very tasty food. Mae-Hyang brought more snacks to them and laughed.

“The liquor must be very delicious.”

They took turns in pouring Baijiu in each other’s glass. Professor Wang said to Gun-Ho after gulping his glass of Baijiu,

“You, my Korean friend. Do you know who Director Li is?”

“You are drunk, man! He is a person, right? He is right here, man.”

“He might look like an elementary school teacher in the countryside, but he was the leader of the Communist Youth League of China. In addition, when he worked in the carbon steel manufacturing factory in Suzhou City, he stood out as an excellent debater supported by his knowledge and belief in socialism. He was at the time the leader of the labor union.”

“Those were the good old times.”

“Let’s have one more drink. I’m treating you today. G-jjong treated me last time.”

Professor Wang said.

That day, Gun-Ho never expected that these two men—Professor Wang and Director Seukang Li—would be a great help when he was about to have a large-scale business in China in the future.

Gun-Ho finally graduated from Zhejiang University.

“Yay! I finally graduated from a four-year college!” A person couldn’t be well respected in Korea, without a four-year college diploma. He couldn’t get a decent job, and it was also really hard to marry. Gun-Ho had always wondered what qualities did a person that graduated from a college in a foreign country had and how rich their family had to be to support them. Now, he graduated from a college in a foreign country himself. He had mixed feelings.

No one came to Gun-Ho’s graduation ceremony because he didn’t tell anybody, even the restaurant staff. Professor Wang was the only one who came and congratulated him.

“Hey, my friend. Congratulations! Why don’t you stay at Zhejiang University to study more and get an MBA degree? You are a businessman. I think you should get an MBA degree.”

“Nah. I’m so exhausted. I will think about it later.”

Gun-Ho didn’t come to China to get academic degrees. He had to make money in China.

He now had free time in his daily life since he didn’t have to go to school anymore.

“Let’s get the HSK level-6.”

Gun-Ho already passed HSK level-5, so he just needed to push a little further in his studies to reach the level-6.

“I think I now can hear and understand Chinese better. I believe the best way to learn a foreign language is to live in that country to be exposed to that language every day.”

Gun-Ho bought a preparatory book for the HSK test level-6 and studied hard.

Gun-Ho eventually received the HSK level-6 certificate. It was a happy day for him. He was as happy as the day he graduated from Zhejiang University.

“Yay! I finally got the level-6. I think I can get a decent job in Korea with this certificate. I have a Zhejiang University diploma and a proven Chinese language skill supported by the HSK certificate with the highest level—6. I believe I can get a job in a mid-size company that has a branch office in China.”

Gun-Ho was thinking of selling his Hwaganghwawon condos and buying a condo in Incheon, Korea, and getting a job there.

“Nah, I guess I am too old to start a new career. I am now in my mid-30s. I have to get married. Should I keep the restaurant? Even though it doesn’t generate enough revenue? Even if I get married in Korea and come back to China, I can’t support my family with the income from this restaurant. I will have a child too.”

Gun-Ho now had a new problem to solve.

The cold winter was almost gone and plum trees were about to have flowers. Gun-Ho received an official notification from Mando Hotel.

“What is this? Is this an official notification from the hotel?”

As he read through the notification, Gun-Ho’s face hardened.

<Dear tenants>

We would like to inform you that the management of this hotel decided to close the building for six months from June to December in order to repair the exterior wall and pipes of the hotel. Alarming cracks were found on the building exterior, and the pipes are decaying, which could cause severe health problems. This is for the safety of you and the guests of our building. The city already warned us twice about the same issues so we won’t be able to delay the repair any longer.

Therefore, we will start with the repairs in June since the lease contract will expire in June. Once the repairs are completed, the current tenants will have the priority to move in first.

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation.

– Mando Hotel

Gun-Ho was baffled.

“Are they saying that I need to close my business for six months during their repair work?”

Gun-Ho showed the notification to his staff including Dingming.

“What about us? What are we going to do?”

“You can take a six-month vacation or you can work somewhere else.”

“G-jjong, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know… I am still in shock. This is so sudden.”

“We will follow whatever decision you make.”

“Well, we still have three months left before the hotel closes. Let’s think about it.”

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Chapter 64 - The Result of The Real Estate Investment (4)

Chapter 64: The Result of The Real Estate Investment (4)

Gun-Ho spent days agonizing over the six-month mandatory closing of his restaurant.

“What am I going to do? Should I look for another place to move the restaurant? If I find a new place, I probably should renovate the place, and it will cost me. I like this hotel building. It’s clean, and easy for a new customer to find the restaurant location. I didn’t have to change a thing here.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t think of any good ideas to break through the situation.

When he was agonizing over the situation while sitting at an unoccupied table, he heard someone arguing loudly from the counter. It was Dingming and Mae-Hyang.

“What’s going on here?”

“That one looked down on me saying I am a Korean Chinese.”

“I didn’t. You are the one who looked down on me.”

Their fight gave Gun-Ho a headache. This was not their first time to fight. These two ladies didn’t get along and had fought each other before, but this time it seemed serious; they shook their fingers at each other and screamed loudly.

“Stop it.”

“G-jjong, you always take that bi*ch’s side.”

Mae-Hyang complained. In fact, Gun-Ho used to ask for Mae-Hyang’s help a lot for an interpretation, but he was not asking for her help anymore recently. That might give more power to Dingming in the restaurant.

The two ladies were nip and tuck in the power game.

Dingming’s older sister was the hotel manager and she had a good network in the area. Mae-Hyang was doing the interpretation for Gun-Ho, and he still relied heavily on her on an important occasion. Also, her mom was the kitchen manager.

“This is putting me in a difficult position.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t take anyone’s side; he had to be neutral.

“Maybe I should wrap things up here and go back to Korea. I’m not making that much money with this restaurant anyway.”

Gun-Ho was put off by the restaurant because of all the problems it was giving him and the fact that he was not having enough income from it.

Gun-Ho read an article about the prices of condos in the West Lake area that evening. It said that the prices of condos were going to go up in the area because it was the season where a lot of people were moving to a new place. It also said that while the prices of the condos in the West Lake area would increase substantially, the prices of ordinary condos for most of the Chinese people would remain the same, just like Gangnam in Seoul.

The TV in the restaurant hall was on and the news anchor was talking about the same topic. Gun-Ho could hear Dingming’s sigh.

“Those people living in fancy condos in the West Lake area are so lucky.”

“Just try to be happy with what you have; otherwise, you will get stressed a lot.”

Dingming pouted when she heard Gun-Ho say that to her.

“My parents are living in a condo in the Yeohang area, and their condo’s price is dropping. The apartment is small about 18 pyung, maybe that’s why. That condo was assigned by the government.”

“Hmmm…”

“My parents’ condo in Northeast is 100 ㎡.”

Mae-Hyang bragged about her parents’ spacious condo in front of Dingming and that made Dingming pout again.

Gun-Ho wanted to find out the current price of his condos.

“My Hwaganghwawon condo was priced 3,200,000 Yuan last year. It should cost more now since a year had already passed.”

He made a call to a realtor’s office.

After ringing a few times, a man in a deep voice picked up the phone.

“Realtor’s office? How much is a Hwaganghwawon condo now? The 198 ㎡ one.”

“198㎡? There is none on the market right now.”

“Are you expecting one to come out on the market anytime soon?

“Give me your phone number, then I will let you know once I see one on the market. It was 3,600,000 Yuan last fall, and now it costs a bit more than that. A lot of people are looking for a condo in that area because it is the moving season.”

Gun-Ho said okay and hung up the phone without giving his number to the realtor.

“Wow. You can’t fail in the real estate investment. He said it’s 3,600,000 Yuan. I guess the price went up as much as the economic growth rate in China.”

Gun-Ho decided to sell his condos and close the restaurant after the lease was up.

Spring rain was drizzling down.

Gun-Ho was looking outside the window in the restaurant hall when Mae-Hyang came to talk to him.

“G-jjong, I decided to quit.”

“Why now? We still have one more month left until the closing.”

“I can’t stand Dingming anymore, and my mom and I decided to go back to our town in Northeast.”

“Did you already talk with your mother?”

“Yes, we talked about it a lot. We want to go back to our town for now, and then we will find a way to move to Korea again. My brother is settling down in Korea right now. He rented a condo in Daerim Town.”

“Really? I guess your brother is doing great.”

“So we decided to move to Korea even though it will cost us.”

“Hmm, if your mother leaves, who’s going to manage the kitchen?”

“That smart Dingming will handle it.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho thought it wouldn’t be practical to hire someone to fill up the kitchen manager spot since the restaurant would close in a month.

“Hmm, I should just close the restaurant.”

Gun-Ho intended to keep the restaurant open until the lease expired, but it didn’t seem to be possible.

“Well, let’s close it a month earlier.”

Gun-Ho was going to visit a realtor’s office to put his condos on the market.

“I’d better put them on the market before Mae-Hyang moves to her home town. I can handle most of my conversations with my Chinese. However, I might need her in case I encounter complicated words during I make the sales contract.”

Gun-Ho called for Mae-Hyang.

“Can you go to a realtor’s office with me? The investor who asked me to buy a condo here two years ago wants to sell it now.”

“You don’t need me anymore. G-jjong, you speak Chinese very well now.”

“There might be legal terminologies and things that I might not understand since it involves legal documents like a sales contract. I need someone who speaks perfect Chinese like you.”

Gun-Ho buttered her up to take her to the realtor’s office with him.

“Are you going to put the two condos on the market?”

The realtor’s eyes widened because the condo owners in the West Lake area at that time didn’t want to put the condos on the market. The price of the condos was on the way up and the owners wanted to wait until the price increased more.

“How much do you think I can get?”

“How much do you want to ask?”

“Well, you are the expert. You tell me.”

“Someone put the condo on the market last month for 3,800,000 Yuan before he pulled it off the market. Let’s price it for 4,000,000 Yuan.”

“What if no one buys it because the price is too high.”

“Then, what about 3,800,000 Yuan?”

“Well, I do like the 4,000,000 Yuan better.”

“Leave your contact number. If I sell them for 4,000,000, you have to give me a small incentive to pay for my cigarette, okay?”

“Of course.”

“Which ones are yours?”

“They are both in building number 2, unit 306 and unit 502.”

“Let me see. Building number 2… they are the ones that are all completed inside, right?”

“You mean the interiors? Right, their interiors are all finished.”

“Oh, then you should price them for 4,300,000 Yuan.”

Gun-Ho forgot about the incomplete interior thing for a second there. The condos in China were sold with incomplete interiors. Gun-Ho’s condos were all finished because he wanted to rent them out!

“Oh, I see. Then let’s put them for 4,300,000 Yuan considering the cost of interiors.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the realtor’s office.

Mae-Hyang asked Gun-Ho while following him with short quick steps.

“G-jjong, the Korean investor who invested in the condos must be rich. That condo is very expensive, and he bought two of them. I am jealous.”

“Me too.”

“You can buy condos like that once your business goes well in the future.”

“That’s not up to me, isn’t it? Huh? There is a new pizza restaurant opened over there. Let me buy two whole pizzas. Why don’t you take them to the restaurant and share with the staff.”

“Thank you, G-jjong. Haha.”

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Chapter 65 - Hit A Jackpot With Foreign Exchange (1)

Chapter 65: Hit A Jackpot With Foreign Exchange (1)

Gun-Ho sold his two condos in the West Lake area.

They sold very quickly because it was moving season. There seemed to be a lot of potential buyers waiting for a luxurious condo with a West Lake view to appear on the market. Even after Gun-Ho’s condos were sold, the price of the condos in the community continued to increase. That upset him a bit.

The buyer who bought Gun-Ho’s condos had offered 4,250,000 Yuan which was less than the listing price because the condo’s interior was more than two years old. Gun-Ho accepted the offer and received 8,500,000 Yuan for two condos.

“I’m going to pay off my loan of 1,900,000 Yuan to Industrial and Commercial Bank of China!”

After paying off his loan, 6,600,000 Yuan was left in his bank account.

“In Korean won, it is 792 million won. I initially had 480 million won when I came to China, so I made more than 300 million won in two years and eight months. Not bad at all. I made about the salary of someone who has a decent office job with several 100 million won of yearly salary!”

He patted his bank book.

“I made more than the economic growth rate of this country as Chairman Lee said. It was the right decision acquiring the condos located in the most expensive area, so the price could increase more than the economic growth rate. If I have a chance to buy a real property in Seoul, I will buy the one located in Gangnam, not in a metropolitan area. It has to be Gangnam. Expensive condos become more expensive just like the prices of stocks that keeps on increasing. Its prices would just keep going up. That’s how the world works!”

Gun-Ho set his restaurant to close on the same day Mae-Hyang would return for her home town. He asked the staff to gather and told them that,

“We have now one month left before the building closes. I wanted to keep the restaurant open until that date. However, I decided to close it earlier since we, including me, all don’t have any desire or passion to serve our customers any longer.”

The staff dropped their eyes while listening to Gun-Ho.

“I haven’t decided yet whether I would re-open the restaurant after six months. If any of you have to work to make a living, you should get another job. I will close the restaurant for now and take some time off. If I decide to re-open the restaurant, I will contact each of you.”

One kitchen lady started sobbing. Many of the staff showed tears in their eyes except Dingming, Mae-Hyang, and two other young hall staff ladies; they just lowered their head without sobbing.

“You are going to give us economic compensation, right?”

The lady who was sobbing asked.

“Economic compensation?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t understand what that was. Dingming explained,

“According to labor law, a company that is partially owned and operated by a foreigner or a foreign entity must provide economic compensation to their workers.”

Gun-Ho looked at Mae-Hyang.

“Economic compensation is similar to a retirement pay or severance pay.”

Gun-Ho realized that he didn’t clarify the severance pay matter with Mr. Byeon. Mr. Byeon should have given a certain amount of severance pay to Gun-Ho when he sold the restaurant to him. Well, at this moment, Gun-Ho could do nothing much about it. Gun-Ho regretted that he was not smarter at that time. Gun-Ho quickly calculated.

‘Half of the staff worked here for three or four years, and the rest of them worked for two years. So, if I assume that their average work period is three years, then I will have to pay 50,000 Yuan in total for their severance pay because I have to pay three months worth of salary to a staff who worked for three years as her severance pay. Now I understand why many Korean businessmen ran away when their business failed. If I refuse to pay it, I will be arrested. Let’s give it to them with a smile, and think positive.’

Gun-Ho acted as if he was aware of the severance pay, but he just didn’t know the word in Chinese.

“Oh, the severance pay! Of course, I will give you all your severance pay.”

When Gun-Ho promised to pay them without any problem, the staff showed a broad smile.

Gun-Ho had 250,000 Yuan worth of restaurant rent saved up. He used that money to give them their severance pay. He put his staff’s severance pay in an envelope and handed it to each one of them.

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho made another envelope for each staff with 500 Yuan. It was a farewell pay from Gun-Ho.

“Oh, wow, thank you so much.”

The staff didn’t expect to be paid more than their severance pay, and they were truly grateful for it. For Dingming and Mae-Hyang, Gun-Ho talked to them in private and gave them 2,000 Yuan worth of farewell pay to each of them.

The following day, Gun-Ho went to the restaurant.

The light was off and all the chairs were placed on the tables. Gun-Ho received a phone call from Mae-Hyang.

“G-jjong, I wanted to thank you again for the farewell pay. I am in a train station right now. I wish you good health. I might see you around in Seoul.”

Mae-Hyang sounded more cheerful than when she worked in the restaurant. It was almost noon when Dingming came to the restaurant.

“G-jjing, when did you arrive here?”

“A minute ago. I already told the hotel that we are closing the restaurant.”

“Umm… What will you do with all of these kitchen appliances?”

“Yeah… I don’t think I can take them with me to Korea.”

Gun-Ho laughed and Dingming laughed along.

“If you’re planning to re-open the restaurant in the future, then you should keep them; otherwise, you should just sell them.”

“Let’s sell them for now.”

“Do you want me to start selling them?”

“Let’s do this. I already notified the tax office that I will close the restaurant, but we have to terminate Mando Food Co., Ltd. as well. Why don’t you take care of it? Once you sell the kitchen appliances, you can have enough proceeds to cover the expenses of terminating Mando Food.”

“Sure, I will do that as long as that’s okay with you.”

Gun-Ho notified the landlord to vacate the apartment.

“I closed the Korean restaurant, sold the Hwaganghwawon condos and placed Hobanhwawon apartment on the market for the next tenant. Now, I am ready to go back to Korea.”

The apartment was rented to another Korean the day after it was placed on the market.

“The new tenant wants to move in after ten days. So I have ten days left here in China. I don’t have to go to school and I don’t have to go to the restaurant to work. Let’s go to Shanghai and exchange the money in my bank account with Korean won, and let’s make a short trip around China.”

Gun-Ho went to Kookmin Bank in Hongqiao, Shanghai to exchange his money from Yuan to Won. He already transferred the money from his bank account with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to his account with Kookmin Bank.

“I’d like to exchange 6,600,000 Yuan to Korean won.”

“Wow, that is a considerable amount of money. Did you close your business here?”

The bank assistant manager seemed to be surprised by looking at the amount of money Gun-Ho wanted to exchange.

“That’s right.”

“For this amount of money, I will have to file a report. Do you have the paperwork that shows the closing of your business?”

“Here is a copy of the certificate of cessation of my business.”

The bank staff who was assisting Gun-Ho looked at his computer screen for a while.

“After exchanging to Korean won, we can just leave the money to the same account, right?”

“Right.”

“You must have succeeded in your business here in China. I’ve seen many business people who failed here since it’s not easy to run a business in China.”

The bank staff said while handing the bank book to him with a smile. Gun-Ho was frightened when he verified his account balance on his bank book. It said 1,174,800,000 won instead of 790,000,000 won, the amount he expected to see on the bank book.

“I think something is not right.”

“What’s the matter? Today’s selling rate is 178 won.” (this was the exchange rate at that time)

“Selling rate!”

Gun-Ho followed the bank staff’s finger to the electronic board he was indicating. The selling rate was clearly 178 won.”

“Wow! 178 won!”

The buying rate applied when Gun-Ho had exchanged Korean won to Chinese Yuan two years ago when Gun-Ho had come to China was 120 won. The selling rate now was 178 won. Gun-Ho shivered.

It could be said that Gun-Ho failed his restaurant business in China. However, he made a fortune in his real estate investment. After failing a restaurant business in Noryangjin, Gun-Ho came to China with 480 million won and he made almost 700 million won with that seed money.

———————————————————————–

* For your reference: As of December 18, 2017, the selling rate of Yuan is 1:156.33.

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Chapter 66 - Hit A Jackpot With Foreign Exchange (2)

Chapter 66: Hit A Jackpot With Foreign Exchange (2)

Gun-Ho felt great; he felt like he could fly.

“Oh, my gosh. Now I have 1,174,800,000 won. Hahaha. In addition to that, I still have 20,000 Yuan that I had saved up in preparation for the restaurant rent for the next period; it is still in my bank account with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. I left it there so I could use it during my stay in China before I return to Korea. I am so happy. Hahaha.”

Gun-Ho laughed and jumped around in his apartment by himself.

“You fool!”

Gun-Ho felt like he heard Chairman Lee’s voice.

“You are jumping around in excitement for only 1.1 billion won? You fool!”

Gun-Ho straightened up his posture.

“That’s right. I shouldn’t be crazily excited about only 1.1 billion won. As Master Park had told me before, I am destined to be awfully rich.”

Gun-Ho was planning to have a tour in China before returning to Korea.

“This is a good opportunity for me to have a tour in China before I leave this country. Let’s travel and broaden my experience!”

Gun-Ho started off his trip by flying to Beijing and visited the Forbidden City.

“This is the palace where Chinese emperors used to live.”

Gun-Ho then went to the Wudaokou area in front of the Peking University, where Professor Wang of Zhejiang University and Director Li of Shanghai City Construction Bureau used to hang out when they were in college. Gun-Ho could see a lot of restaurants serving lamb skewers.

Gun-Ho felt his legs got tired and became exhausted after seeing the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace where Empress Dowager Cixi used to have fun hanging out.

“It began to rain. Let’s have a drink at the lamb skewer restaurant.”

Gun-Ho ordered lamb skewers and a Tsingtao beer.

“I feel like I can drink more than the usual today.”

Gun-Ho looked out of the window while having beer and lamb skewers. People outside were walking with short quick steps in the rain with an umbrella.

“I’ve been in China for almost three years now. I guess my time in China was well spent. I grew my money to 1.170 billion won and graduated from Zhejiang University. Moreover, I’ve always wanted to learn a foreign language and now I can speak Chinese; I obtained the level-6 which is the highest level of HSK. I think my life in China was a success.”

Gun-Ho ordered one more plate of lamb skewers and two bottles of Tsingtao beer. He already reserved a room in a three-star hotel, not an inn or Chodaeso.

“Okay, let’s make more money. Next time I come to Beijing, I will stay in a five-star hotel instead of a three-star hotel.”

Gun-Ho continued drinking his beer slowly while leaning on the window sill and listening to the raindrops.

Gun-Ho flew to Urumqi City where many Uighurs—one of China’s ethnic minorities—were living. They indeed looked totally different from Chinese people. Old Uighurs looked like they were Russians; they were just sitting without doing anything. They glanced at Gun-Ho who was carrying a travel bag.

“There are lots of sheep ranches in this area. I want to taste lamb meat produced from here.”

Gun-Ho went to a traditional market. He found a lamb skewer restaurant while walking in the market. It was shabby but crowded with people and filled with smoke created by grilling lamb meat. The restaurant’s walls and columns were already blackened by the smoke.

“The food in this restaurant must be delicious since a lot of people are eating here.”

Gun-Ho ordered lamb skewers and a beer.

The restaurant owner wearing a traditional white rectangle-figured hat brought a plate of lamb skewers to Gun-Ho. The chunk of lamb meat skewered in a pin was as big as a walnut.

“Wow. This blackened lamb skewers didn’t look delicious, but it is actually very tasty.”

The lamb skewers were not made of frozen meat. They were using fresh meat for the skewers.

“I believe this could sell well in Korea. It can become very popular!”

Gun-Ho thought that lamb skewers could be a good new restaurant menu, and then he shook his head.

“No! no more restaurant business. A restaurant business requires a lot of labor, and I can’t hire that many staff in Korea and expect to generate profits. I have to start a big company.”

Gun-Ho decided that he would never do a small business by renting a space like a restaurant; he was sick and tired of it.

A Uighurs gentleman who was sitting next to Gun-Ho talked to him.

“By looking at your travel bag, I guess you are maybe a Taiwanese, aren’t you?”

“No, I am a Korean.”

“Korean!”

That gentleman seemed to be surprised, and he started asking Gun-Ho a lot of questions about Korea such as its population, number of military soldiers, size of the country, navy power, combat plane, etc.

“Why are you asking me all these?”

“Because I am envious of Korea. If we have the same power as Korea has, we would have achieved our independence from China already, but we have a population of only 7,000,000 people. Whew.”

The Uighurs gentleman let out a deep sigh.

“Isn’t it good to be a part of China? China has been developing a lot and it is one of the most powerful nations. I heard the country provides a lot of affirmative action programs to ethnic minorities, doesn’t it?”

The gentleman smiled cynically while shaking his head from side to side implying a negative answer.

“What’s your occupation?”

“I am a professor at Urumqi University.”

The gentleman continued drinking his liquor; he looked sad.

While staying at Urumqi, Gun-Ho received a full-body massage from a beautiful woman masseur who looked like Russian. It cost him 300 Yuan.

“Having money is good. Someone is willing to wash my smelly feet with warm water as long as I have money.”

After visiting Urumqi, Gun-Ho continued his trip and stopped by Chengdu and the enormous Three Gorges Dam before he returned to Hangzhou City.

When he came back to his home in Hangzhou City, he felt extremely tired and slept all day long.

“What time is it? It’s already 10 AM. How long have I slept then? I don’t remember having dinner last night.”

Gun-Ho wanted to say good-bye to Professor Wang at Zhejiang University before he left China, so he made a call to him.

“Uh? G-jjong? I was going to call you. Aren’t you going to continue your studies to MBA?”

“I closed my Korean restaurant. The hotel will begin its renovation construction soon. I want to see my friend before I return to Korea.”

“Really?”

“Let’s meet at Pinghoo Restaurant & Bar in the West Lake area around 5 PM. I guess you don’t have a lecture at the time?”

“Isn’t it an expensive restaurant? Let’s go somewhere else that is less pricey.”

Pinghoo Restaurant & Bar in the West Lake area was the one where Gun-Ho met the branch manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China for the first time.

“That’s okay. Come to the restaurant. I’m the CEO, remember?”

“Haha. Okay. See you there then.”

Gun-Ho and Professor Wang sat at the window-side table.

A staff lady wearing a Chinese traditional dress—Qipao—poured green tea in their cups.

“Longjing tea of Hangzhou City is the best green tea.”

“I used to drink this tea all the time when I was in the U.S. studying for my Ph.D. This tea clears my mind.”

“I agree with you. I drink this tea whenever I’m trying to figure out something in running my business.”

“Aren’t you going to do any other business in China? Do you have anything on your mind about what kind of business you are going to do once you return to Korea?”

“I am interested in investing in real estate.”

“Real estate? A developing country has highly restrictive policies on real estate, doesn’t it?

“In fact, I didn’t really make that much money in running a Korean restaurant in China.”

“Hmm… of course. You should have had a client base of local people for your restaurant to make money. With Korean workers and students as your only customers, your restaurant would most likely not generate enough revenue.”

“That’s why I had invested in real estate while I was running the restaurant. I had purchased the Hwaganghwawon condos two and a half years ago and recently sold them.”

“Oh, really? The condos there are really expensive. I guess maybe the president of Zhejiang University could afford to live in a condo like that. It’s amazing. So, you must have made a lot of money from it, huh?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“Let me see. You brought Korean Won to China two and a half years ago… Then you must have made a lot of money from the foreign exchange as well, in addition to the proceeds from your real estate investment.”

“You surely are a professor. Do you think the currency’s exchange rate will increase more in the near future?”

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Chapter 67 - Hit A Jackpot With Foreign Exchange (3)

Chapter 67: Hit A Jackpot With Foreign Exchange (3)

Professor Wang answered to Gun-Ho’s question while sipping his Longjing tea, whether the currency’s exchange rate would increase more in the near future.

“Well… How would I possibly know that? I am not the son of Zhuge Liang.”

“You are the professor who is teaching Financial Management in college.”

“Actually, I am also a member of the Financial Service Committee of the province and a member of the Real Estate Development Committee. I believe Chinese Yuan won’t rise anymore because the export to the U.S. will drop otherwise. If Yuan keeps increasing, the government will start suppressing its currency with various policies.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“The real estate market has recently been overheated, so the government thought of pulling out their sword to intervene, and then they decided not to.”

“Why not?”

“They decided to let the market control it for now; so Chinese people can build their wealth and it will attract more foreign companies. In that respect, you were lucky. I didn’t have enough seed money to invest in real estate. I’m envious of you. There are five things you need in order to become rich.”

“Five things to become rich?”

“Someone made it up for fun. I will tell you later. Haha.”

“Silly!”

“So, are you going to do the real estate investment again in Korea?”

“The real estate price in Korea is already too high. I’m not sure if I have enough funds to do that.”

“A developing country government curbs speculative investment in real estate. I guess they will try to take excessive profits from them to control the market. Also, the population cliff will bring negative effect on the real estate price. However, there have to be certain areas where the real estate prices are still rising, just like the Hwaganghwawon condos in the West Lake area. That should be the area you want to focus on for your real estate investment.”

“Hmm, I know where. There is a district in Seoul, called Gangnam. No matter what happens to the real estate market in Korea, the real estate price in Gangnam is always on the rise.”

“That’s the one! Did you say Gangnam? The price in that area will increase even more if there is a lack of supply and the demand is high.”

“You think so?”

“The price will increase in Gangnam. The fundamental reasons are important for the price hike in stocks and real estate, however, you shouldn’t ignore mass psychology. You should research Gangnam. We say Gangnam to indicate the southern area of Yangtze River in China. Korea has Gangnam, as the name of an area. Haha.”

“Right. Actually, it’s the southern area of Han River in Seoul.”

“Really? When are you going back to Korea?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

“That early? Are you ready to go?”

“Yes. I even finished my tours in other areas of China.”

“Call me when you arrive in Korea. It’s really good to have a Korean friend. Let’s drink up.”

“Sure!”

The two men stood up and crossed each other’s right arms and drank their liquor to show their friendship.

Gun-Ho came back to Korea.

He left all his belongings in China except; the Kookmin Bank book showing his 1,174,800,000 won, the bank book from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China with his 20,000 Yuan, the diploma of Zhejiang University, and the HSK level-6 certificate. He decided to stay in his parents’ home in Incheon before he finds his own place. Gun-Ho’s mother welcomed his son.

“Are you back for good?”

“Yes, mom. But I will stay here for one or two days and will move to my own place.”

“Did you already find one?”

“I will find one.”

“How was China? What are you going to do now?”

“I graduated from a four-year college in China, and I saved some money by running a Korean restaurant there as well. I am thinking if I should find a job or start my own business.”

Gun-Ho showed his college diploma to his parents.

“Oh, but it’s all written in Chinese; I’m not sure what it says.”

“It’s a diploma of Zhejiang University, majored in accounting.”

“I’m so proud of you, my son.”

Gun-Ho’s mother patted the college diploma and said,

“Someone wanted to introduce a girl for you but I couldn’t say anything. You should get settled and married soon.”

“My marriage? I don’t want to hear it, mom.”

Gun-Ho got annoyed. Gun-Ho’s mother looked at Gun-Ho’s reaction and wondered if he had a girlfriend already, but didn’t want to tell her yet.

Gun-Ho was already used to a spacious apartment living life. He felt suffocated living in his parents’ shabby 18 pyung townhouse apartment. Moreover, he had to share a tiny bathroom with his parents; he felt very uncomfortable.

“My mom was always envious of people living in the apartment in Guweol Town, Incheon where my aunt is living. She used to talk about how lucky those people are. I can purchase a larger condo than that apartment in Guweol Town close to Incheon City Hall, and start a spacious café or a fast food restaurant like Lotteria. I think I can have a nice life in Incheon with the money I have.”

Gun-Ho was thinking while laying down on the floor in the small room of his parents’ apartment.

“And I can get a luxurious car. People will see me as a rich man in Incheon. No, I guess I have to move to Seoul so I can grow more.”

Gun-Ho repeatedly drew and erased his life’s blueprint in his head before falling asleep.

The townhouse apartment that Gun-Ho’s parents were living in was a rental apartment with monthly rent. It was a shabby twenty-something years old apartment, but he felt stable staying in his parents’ home. He liked the breakfast time, as well with his parents.

“Mom, one more bowl of rice please.”

He had steamed rice with Doenjang-jjigae and Kimchi for his breakfast and burped loudly.

“I love my mom’s food.”

Gun-Ho decided to go out and find a OneRoom after breakfast.

“Let’s go back to Noryangjin!”

Gun-Ho felt comfortable to go back to the area he was familiar with. He went to a realtor’s office behind the Dongjak District Office; he used to live in the area.

The realtor showed him a OneRoom. The room was on the third floor of a shabby low-rise building.

“Hmm… This is not very…”

Gun-Ho didn’t like it.

When he was running a Vietnamese noodle restaurant, a room like this one was more than enough to Gun-Ho. However, he was different now. He already tasted a luxurious life with a spacious apartment in China. He thought he didn’t want to live in a room like that anymore.

“Hmm… Let’s pay more and live in a clean office-tel!”

Gun-Ho headed to the Noryangjin elementary school area to find an office-tel, and then changed his mind.

“Let’s not stay in Noryangjin. The area is dingy and too busy with exam preparers. Let’s try another area. Moreover, Noryangjin has never worked in favor of me! I had studied for years here for the level-9 government job exam to fail, and my Vietnamese restaurant was a failure as well! I don’t think I can get along with Noryangjin. Let’s try somewhere else!”

Gun-Ho thought of moving to Gangnam for a second and then decided to move to Yeongdeungpo District which was closer to Incheon where his parents were living.

“I should wait before I move to Gangnam. I want to grow more before going to Gangnam!”

When he saw a not-so-expensive office-tel behind the Yeongdeungpo traditional market, he made a lease contract right away. The monthly rent was 500,000 won with a security deposit of ten million won. The room was large and it came with a refrigerator, washer, gas oven, air conditioner, etc.

“I just need to call KT for the Internet connection.”

Gun-Ho’s life in Yeongdeungpo District started.

Gun-Ho purchased a nice computer and a small TV. He also bought a new bed and a desk as well.

“I will pursue my dreams here. I already received one of the richest man’s energy—Marwin, from China and I will erect myself here.

Gun-Ho repeated that he would erect himself three times loudly.

“Sh*t, something else down there erected.”

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Chapter 68 - New Start in Korea (1) – PART 1

Chapter 68: New Start in Korea (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho read an economic newspaper every day and surfed on the Internet in his office-tel in Yeongdeungpo District (“Yeongdeungpo”).

“Since I made a lot of money by investing in real estate in China, let’s do that in Korea too. Let’s start by researching the real estate market in Korea.”

Gun-Ho wanted to buy a condo located in Gangnam.

At that time, TowerPalace in Dogok Town was the most popular condo, and RaemianFirstige in Banpo Town was under construction.

“Sh*t! They are too expensive!”

Gun-Ho thought he wanted to buy a condo in Gangnam and run a small business, or get a job just like he did when he was in China. However, the condo price was not affordable.

“I won’t be able to buy even one condo with the money I made from China!”

Gun-Ho was disappointed.

“When I was living in a OneRoomTel in Dujeong Town, Cheonan City, I was jealous of people living in a new condo there. The condo price of Gangnam is five times of that condo in Dujeong Town. The housing price polarization is so extreme! Should I get a loan to buy it? Who’s going to pay for the interest then? I don’t even have a job.”

Gun-Ho had no idea what to do.

He was sure that the price of a condo in Gangnam will increase, but he couldn’t afford to buy one. That made him sigh. He started searching on the Internet again.

“What is this? They are photos of the current Apgujeong Town and the same town 60 years ago where there was a pear tree farm. It’s a black-and-white photo. Who uploaded this kind of comparison photos?”

There was a description of the photos below it.

[Oh my goodness, father. You should have bought the land there at that time.]

Gun-Ho chuckled.

“There still has to be a land like that. We just don’t know which one. If it is easy to find out, everyone will be rich.”

Gun-Ho bought an economic newspaper every day from the convenience store downstairs in his office-tel building. One day, he saw an advertisement there.

[Lecture for auction, you need a skill for auction.]

“There is a private institution for auction. I’ve always wanted to learn it. Maybe I should take the course. Oh, there is a profile of the instructor.”

Gun-Ho read the instructor’s profile.

[He started with only 20 million won and within three years he purchased a building. Bruce Kang is the legend in the auction field. He has the hand of Midas]

“Did he really start with 20 million won and bought a building with the proceeds? What kind of name is it? He has probably been in the U.S., huh? The course fee is 400,000 won per month. Let’s try it. The institution is not far from here; it’s in Yongsan District.”

Gun-Ho registered for the auction course.

Gun-Ho didn’t buy a car yet.

Since he used to ride an Audi in China, he didn’t want to get any car less than that. He used public transportation to go to the private institution in Yongsan District.

“The course starts at 2 PM which is not the usual commuting time for work, so the bus is almost empty.”

There were many housewives and old retired men in the auction class.

The instructor, Bruce Kang came out and started talking about his success.

“I started with 20 million won and bought a villa at an auction. I loaned the amount short from a bank. After acquiring the villa, I repaired and renovated it a bit before putting it back on the market. Once it was sold, I purchased another real estate at an auction with the proceeds. After repeating this process ten times, I finally had significant seed money.”

Someone raised a question.

“Since you repeatedly purchased and sold the real property several times in a short time, shouldn’t transfer tax be a problem?”

“If you worry about transfer tax, you can’t do an auction. There is a way you can avoid transfer tax though.”

“What if a tenant or a creditor refuses to vacate the property?”

The instructor chuckled and said,

“That’s not a problem at all. There is a way to handle it. I will tell you all about it.”

Bruce Kang continued his story about acquiring a building with the proceeds he made out of purchasing and selling a villa repeatedly. He said the price of the building was now exceeding 10 billion won. Gun-Ho looked around.

“The housewives and retired old men were all drooling over his story.”

Finally, the auction class started after Bruce Kang’s introduction.

Another instructor came out and started the class. He brought a copy of a real estate registration and explained about the different sections in the registration: ‘Gab Gu’ and ‘Eul Gu’.

“You can request to receive a copy of a real estate registration from a website of Supreme Court, so you can do it at home.”

“Can anyone do that? It doesn’t have to be the owner of the real property to request it?”

“Of course.”

Gun-Ho thought that he would get a copy of the real estate registration of the townhouse apartment where his parents were living. The instructor continued to explain something about a real estate registration.

“Okay, look at here. This section here is called ‘Gab Gu.’ It shows the ownership of the real property. You can see who actually owns this real property.”

“If there is a loan from a bank, it will show on the ‘Eul Gu’ then.”

“That’s right. Any changes in the rights, other than the ownership right will be recorded in this section. If you loan money from a bank and used this real estate property as a security for the loan, or your credit card company seized the real property because you defaulted in your payment, then those facts will be shown in this ‘Eul Gu’ section.”

Gun-Ho gradually learned about real estate.

“I didn’t know anything about it when I invested in China. I was just lucky.”

Gun-Ho felt a sense of relief.

When Gun-Ho came back home, he opened the Supreme Court website to request a copy of the real estate registration of his parents’ townhouse apartment.

“What is it? Download and install a security program?”

“Okay, I did. It’s now asking the name of the owner.”

Gun-Ho called his father and asked the owner’s name.

“The owner’s name? Why do you need his name?”

“I just need it.”

“Let me look at the lease agreement. Hold on.”

Gun-Ho’s father gave the owner’s name to Gun-Ho.

Once Gun-Ho entered the owner’s name, it allowed Gun-Ho to print out a copy of the real estate registration.

“Hmm, the owner’s name is the same as the name on the registration. It’s convenient.”

Gun-Ho took a close look at the registration.

“What is this? The owner loaned 30 million won from Shinhan Bank and he has another loan of 10 million won from a credit union.”

Gun-Ho started analyzing the real estate registration.

“If this townhouse is sold by auction, can my dad take his security deposit back? I believe he told me that the security deposit was 20 million won. I guess he can get it back since that townhouse is worth 100 million won according to my mom. I believe I heard that the area would be redeveloped soon, but no one talks about it anymore. Is it canceled?”

Gun-Ho took out a cigarette and started smoking.

“Should I buy a condo for my parents? I can use 100 million won out of 1,100 million won I have. Then they don’t have to pay the monthly rent. I can buy a condo under my name.”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes and thought for a second, and then opened his eyes again.

“No, it’s not the time for it. I can do it later. They are fine with the apartment for now.”

Gun-Ho made a call to his mother.

“Mom, are you okay with the apartment you are living in right now?”

“This apartment? I wish this was my own apartment.”

“Just wait for a few years, mom.”

“You became mature, my boy. Thank you for saying it. Haha.”

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Chapter 69 - New Start in Korea (1) – PART 2

Chapter 69: New Start in Korea (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho had nothing to do in the mornings since the auction class started in the afternoon.

All he did was reading an economic newspaper and surfing the web.

“I don’t have to feel pressured. Even though I don’t make money for a year, it will cost me only about 20 million won.”

Gun-Ho sometimes went to a public library to read books he hadn’t have time for. He read some liberal arts books or business books.

“Maybe I should invest some money in stocks. I don’t want to invest a lot because it’s risky. Let’s try 50 million won.”

Gun-Ho studied stock charts.

“By looking at the trading volume and the moving average lines, Daehan Logistics, Lotte Chemical, and QM Steel look good. In addition, Daehan Logistics is on the market for M&A. Once it is sold to a big company, its stock price will hike. Lotte Chemical looks good too. QM Steel produces stainless steel pipes and it has a low debt ratio.”

Gun-Ho had work experience in accounting, in addition to his studies in accounting at Zhejiang University. He could quickly read a company’s financial statements. Gun-Ho selected these three companies and traded them on a daily basis. He sometimes lost and sometimes gained. His eyes hurt after looking at his computer monitor for long hours.

“They said that Daehan Logistics had been on the market but I don’t see any movement related to it. Its stock price doesn’t move and it’s annoying. They said that CJ, Kumho Asiana Group, and Lotte Group are interested in acquiring it, but nothing happened yet.”

Gun-Ho’s expectation toward Daehan Logistics lowered. The volume of Lotte Chemical got low. Many of their products are exported to overseas including China, but the stock trading volume became low. Let’s sell them once the price recovers to the original price I purchased at.”

Gun-Ho didn’t make money from Lotte Chemical either.

“The chart and the trading volume looks good. I’m not sure who is pressing the price.”

Gun-Ho made some money from QM Steel.

“I invested 10 million won into QM Steel and the price went up by 3.5%. Even after I subtract the stock trading fee, I still made 300,000 won.”

Gun-Ho went to an ATM close to his office-tel and withdrew 300,000 won he just made from the QM Steel stock trading.

“It’s not bad at all. I made 300,000 won in two days.”

Gun-Ho went to Gyeongbang Department Store, and bought t-shirts and a jacket with the 300,000 won; he felt like it was free money. He had an extravagant meal in a restaurant located on the top of the department store building.

“Let’s sell some of Daehan Logistics and Lotte Chemical, and put them into QM Steel.”

Gun-Ho invested 300,000 more in QM Steel and had fun doing something else.

QM Steel had potential. On the following day, Gun-Ho closely monitored the stock movement of QM Steel. Its stock price was exceeding the market price, and Gun-Ho sold his stocks at a good price while monitoring the one-minute chart.

“I made 200,000 won today.”

Once Gun-Ho started making money by stock trading with QM Steel, he didn’t want to do anything else but doing stocks in his office-tel.

“It’s time to go to the auction class. Should I skip the class today? Or should I go? The stock market is still open.”

Gun-Ho decided to go to the class.

“I should know about auction and I already paid for the course. It’s hard to take my eyes off the stock chart though.”

The instructor of the auction class explained about how to participate in an auction at a courthouse.

“There are a lot of websites showing the auction items. To have more details on the items, you can register certain websites by paying a small membership fee. If you see one you really like, you will have to go see it yourself.”

The auction was interesting, maybe because it is easily found in daily life.

“Before you go see the item yourself, you should read and understand the information provided by the court website. Once a property is sold at an auction, it releases the financial institution’s debt; however, you have to be careful with the issues with a tenant, right of superficies, and the Imchi right.”

A student raised his hand and asked a question.

“What is Imchi right? I saw a banner on a building on the way to the class today; it said it was exercising its Imchi right.”

“Imchi right is a legal term. It is created when one party entrusted money or objects to another party, and the receiving party promised to keep it safe. Usually, the construction company or renovation company exercise this right when they didn’t get paid for their work.”

Gun-Ho was not sure if he fully understood what the instructor said.

“A legal term is always difficult to understand.”

Gun-Ho spent money more easily than before since he had been making some money from day trading. He now took a taxi instead of a bus or subway when he came home from his auction class in the private institution in Yongsan to his office-tel in Yeongdeungpo.

“A bus doesn’t run often and I don’t get a seat on a bus after the class because the bus is often full during the hours.”

The taxi fare was not a big deal to Gun-Ho anymore.

There was no auction class today.

Gun-Ho felt lazy cooking his breakfast. He went to a porridge house close to his office-tel to have his breakfast; he had a vegetable porridge.

“Let’s do the day trading with QM Steel today unless I see other exceptionally good stocks that exceed the average market price.”

Gun-Ho sat his desk and opened the online stock trading website and logged in by entering his login ID, password, and his authorization certificate.

“Huh? What is this? The price stays the same and the trading volume is zero?”

It was strange. Gun-Ho clicked the official announcement.

“What? The company might be delisted and they are looking into it right now? Its president is accused of embezzlement? I invested 30 million won in QM Steel. Trading of this stock is not allowed until all become clear. F*ck! I can’t touch my money until then.”

Stock investment was difficult. Gun-Ho spent time studying about stocks and analyzing financial statements, and he carefully selected bottom-priced stocks to play with, but still, this sort of things happened to him.

An investigation of delisting of a company occurred when there was; embezzlement, breach of duty, fabricating a sales report or giving inaccurate publicly available information in bad faith, that was material enough to affect an investors’ decision. Gun-Ho entered the stock discussion forum where he could get various information.

“The president took the company’s money and ran away.”

“The majority shareholder entity of QM Steel will start its rehabilitation process.”

“That president committed embezzlement before, and he did it again during his probation period and already flew to another country.”

All sorts of rumors came out.

Gun-Ho felt drained. What if he invested all of his 1,170 million won into the QM Steel stocks? The thought of it terrified him.

“Whoa, it’s not difficult to lose everything in a day.”

What Chairman Lee said crossed Gun-Ho’s mind.

“I don’t do stocks because I can’t figure out the other player’s cards. That’s why I don’t do stocks.”

Gun-Ho could picture Chairman Lee smiling.

“What if they decided to delist the company stock? I will likely lose my shares. They might declare bankruptcy. Sh*t!”

Gun-Ho was so worried that he didn’t even feel hungry for lunch.

“I lose 30 million won from my investment in QM Steel; if I add my living cost and the office-tel rent of 20 million won to it, I will lose 50 million won in total for the year… I can lose all of the money I made from China gradually in this way!”

Gun-Ho felt scared.

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Chapter 70 - New Start in Korea (2) - PART 1

Chapter 70: New Start in Korea (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho had early experience investing in stocks. He invested all of his money that he had saved up during his work in factories and a sunshine loan of 10,000,000 won he received, in stocks.

It took six months to lose everything he had invested in stocks at the time. He was left with the sunshine loan of 10,000,000 won and he spent his early 30s in paying off the debt.

“I shouldn’t repeat my early mistake.”

Gun-Ho, let out a deep sigh.

Afterwards, while he was working at YS Tech in Dunpo, Asan, Gun-Ho used the company’s money to invest in a waste management company’s stocks and made 520 million won.

“I know I shouldn’t have used the company’s money, but the money I made from it became my seed money. Using that seed money I started my first business in Noryangjin—a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant. It didn’t work out well, but I made a significant amount of money from the subsequent investment in real estate in China.”

Gun-Ho reminisced about the stock investment of InsunENT.

“Little people like me can’t possibly have any inside information about a company to determine which company to invest money in. I just heard from Chairman Lee who I met at a fishing site that a waste disposal business would have a bright future, and I subsequently invested in the waste management company believing what Chairman Lee said.”

Gun-Ho blamed himself for the recent failure with his stock investment. He should have focused on the company’s business and its potential, rather than analyzing stock charts and the trading volume to produce profits in a short period of time.

“Whew, I still have a lot to learn to be a big player in the business field. Even Chairman Lee who is loaded with extensive life and business experience doesn’t do stocks without knowing the other player’s cards!”

Well, Gun-Ho missed him.

“I haven’t thanked him yet. I’ve been too busy after I returned from China. As a matter of fact, he sort of guided me in the direction of working in accounting and investing in the InsunENT stocks!”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Jong-Suk.

After a few ringing, Jong-Suk picked up the phone.

“What were you doing? Why aren’t you picking up the phone quickly?”

“Oh, bro. How’s your auction school thing?”

“It’s okay. Are you still going to the fishing site?”

“Nah, I haven’t been there lately. I am going to mountain climbing instead of these days, because of my team leader at work. He loved it, so I follow him to a mountain.”

“You haven’t seen Chairman Lee recently then.”

“Right, I haven’t.”

“Hey, do you want to go fishing this Sunday?”

“This Sunday? I will have to get back to you on that. Our factory is expecting new machine equipment and I have to see how it goes. I will let you know tomorrow.”

“Okay. Make it work, okay? I will buy you lunch, nice one.”

“Bro, did you buy a car?”

“No, not yet. I will rent a car.”

“Take the subway. I will pick you up.”

“I can’t bring my fishing gears to the subway. I will rent a car. I can afford it.”

“Okay. I will talk to you soon.”

Jong-Suk called, and he said that he could go fishing on Sunday.

It was spring. Magnolia flowers were in full blossom. The weather in China was gloomy, but the weather in Korea was bright and mild. Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk met at the Pocheon fishing site.

“Hey, Jong-Suk. Good to see you!”

“Bro, are you done with the auction course?”

“No, not yet.”

“Complete your learning on auction as soon as possible and become a real estate mogul.”

“Save it. You have to have something, to begin with in order to become a mogul.”

“Grab some land here in Pocheon by auction. I heard a lot of factories here are selling at an auction because they are not doing well these days.”

“Haha. I don’t have enough money to buy a factory. I’m thinking of buying a townhouse.”

“It seems that Chairman Lee didn’t come fishing today. I don’t see Manager Gweon either.”

“Does Manager Gweon still assist Chairman Lee? That man who was discharged from the military. He said he was a lieutenant colonel, right?”

“Oh, that man? Yes, he is still with Chairman Lee. Haha. He was actually not a lieutenant colonel, but a major. Chairman Lee was just making a joke about it.”

“Right. That’s more like it. He was too young for a lieutenant colonel. He seemed to be loyal though.”

“Yeah. He doesn’t talk much. When I met them last year, he told me that he was related to Chairman Lee. He said Chairman Lee is his second cousin. Chairman Lee had helped him a lot since he was a student.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk had a lot to catch up while fishing. Jong-Suk was an outgoing person and he seemed to be still in touch with friends from Incheon and Bucheon; he knew how those friends were doing these days.

“You are in the know and nosy!”

“I am different from you, bro. You don’t go out a lot. It has always been that way. When you were in high school, I once went to your home. Do you know what your mom told me at that time?”

“What did she say?”

“She said, her son was a homebody and he always stayed home reading cartoons.”

“Haha, was I? Hey, let’s have sashimi. I’m treating you. I saw a big sashimi restaurant around Millak Town in Uijeongbu City on the way here. They have a spacious parking lot too. Let’s go there.”

“Sounds great. Let’s go!”

Gun-Ho was really hoping to see Chairman Lee that day. Since he didn’t see him, he decided to come to the same fishing site the following Sunday.

On the following Sunday, Gun-Ho decided to go to the fishing site by himself.

“I can’t ask Jong-Suk to come with me every time I want to go fishing. Jong-Suk is now Assistant Manager and he must be busy with his work.”

Gun-Ho rented a car.

“I want to stop by the Kyobo bookstore before going to the fishing site. I want to read the book, ‘Power Shift’ and ‘Source of Wealth.’ I can’t use the money invested in QM Steel anyway to invest in some other stocks. Let’s read books and try to have inner peace.”

Gun-Ho stopped by at Kyobo bookstore on the way to the Pocheon fishing site to buy books. He was heading out when he saw heavy traffic on the road.

“Huh? What’s going on? The road is covered with combat police. There must be a protest march today.”

Gun-Ho craned his neck out of his car window.

“No Four Major Rivers Project!”

“It will kill the environment. We are against the Four Major Rivers Project!”

“No to Myung-Bak Lee!”

The year when Gun-Ho returned to Korea from China was the presidential election year. One of the presidential candidate—Myung-Bak Lee’s campaign promise was the Four Major Rivers Project. The opposing side attacked his campaign vigorously. People from the environmental organization came out on the street with placards showing their opposition to the project.

Protesters ranted with a megaphone, and the combat police were trying to block them with shields.

“I’m not very interested in protesting. Let’s get out of here quickly!”

Gun-Ho didn’t have experience of protesting since he didn’t have a real college campus life. He graduated from a cyber college which evidently provided no campus life and when he went to Zhejiang University in China, he couldn’t fully enjoy his college life because of his age.

“The protest will go on until the presidential election is over.”

Gun-Ho headed to Pocheon by taking a different route from what he originally planned, while passing Donam and Ssangmun Town instead of the riverside road.

“Here is a paradise. It’s so quiet here. Even though the world is noisy, I can have my peace of mind by looking at the quiet river.”

Gun-Ho walked down to the reservoir while carrying his fishing rod.

It was a fine sunny day with some clouds in the sky. This was the Peach Blossom Land.

Gun-Ho saw two men fishing. They looked like Chairman Lee and Manager Gweon. Gun-Ho approached them and it was them.

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Chapter 71 - New Start in Korea (2) - PART 2

Chapter 71: New Start in Korea (2) – PART 2

The two men turned their head when they heard Gun-Ho.

“Oh, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Hi, how are you? Long time no see. How are you, Manager Gweon?”

Manager Gweon stood up and extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake with a smile.

“I heard you went to China. Are you coming back for good?”

“Yes, sir.”

“How was China? If I remember correctly, you ran a Korean restaurant over there.”

“Right. I had a Korean restaurant and also invested some in real estate too.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure about the restaurant, but I believe you probably made some money from your real estate investment.”

“Huh? Oh, yes… a little…”

“Haha, you did? Have you thought of what you want to do in Korea?”

“I haven’ decided yet, but I am taking a course about auction.”

“He had done his investment in real estate in China, and now he wants to know about auction, right? Lieutenant Colonel Gweon?”

Manager Gweon jumped up once he heard Chairman Lee calling him Lieutenant Colonel.

“Uncle, oh no, Chairman Lee, stop calling me like that. People will believe you.”

“If you stayed in the military, you probably would have become a Lieutenant Colonel already.”

“I am discharged as a major. Stop it. You are embarrassing me.”

“Haha. Am I? By the way, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, you came here later than your usual hour. Are you living somewhere far from here?”

“Oh, there was a protest going on and that caused heavy traffic. They are protesting against Four Major Rivers Project.”

“Four Major Rivers Project…”

Chairman Lee retrieved his fishing rod and attached new bait while mumbling.

“There will be people who make money from it.”

“I’m sorry?”

“No, nothing. I’m just talking to myself. What about your friend? Didn’t he come with you?”

“He couldn’t make it. He has been very busy at work lately.”

“That’s right. People who are employed can’t go fishing on weekdays like today.”

Chairman Lee pulled in a fish. There was a carp flapping.

“I like the feeling of pulling in a carp.”

Manager Gweon sitting next to Chairman Lee was pulling in a fish as well. The fish he pulled in looked weird like a catfish.

“Fish is biting today.”

Chairman Lee and Manager Gweon attached new bait.

Gun-Ho didn’t leave to his spot but stayed there because he wanted to learn from Chairman Lee, not about fishing, but about making money. Chairman Lee started talking.

“So, are you going to be a real estate investor while learning auction?”

“I don’t have enough seed money yet. I’m doing stock day trading right now.”

“Stocks? I don’t recommend it. You don’t know the other player’s card. You can’t even trust the rumors from Yeouido stock street. It’s very risky.”

“Haha, you are right. I’m losing right now. The good thing is I haven’t invested much in stocks yet. I just tried a little for fun.”

“I think I mentioned this to you earlier. If you can’t be sure, then do not invest your money in it. You don’t lose just money but you could risk your life.”

“Huh?”

“Manager Gweon here, he lost all he had by investing in stocks. After he was discharged from the military, he started stocks. He lost his home and his health was seriously impaired at the time.”

Manager Gweon scratched his head in embarrassment.

“He was lucky to have a wise wife who could save him, right?”

Manager Gweon nodded his head, implying his agreement with Chairman Lee.

“By the way, Chairman Lee. You mentioned earlier that there would be people who would make money right after I told you about the protest against Four Major Rivers Project. What did you mean by that?”

Chairman Lee turned his head to look at Gun-Ho and he smiled.

“How do I know for sure? I’m just speculating.”

“What sort of speculation?”

Manager Gweon seemed to be curious as well, and he looked at Chairman Lee’s face.

“Do you think Myung-Bak Lee will be elected?”

“I’ve heard he will be more likely elected.”

“If so, would he start the Four Major Rivers Project?”

“Umm… I think he would since it is his campaign promise.”

“If so, who would benefit the most from the project?”

“Well… hmm…”

“The answer is right there. If you can be certain that he would be elected.”

Gun-Ho felt like he has been hit on the head with a hammer. However, he was still skeptical.

“He might not be elected, right? There are a lot of variable factors that play in the election.”

“That’s the thing. The difference between a wise man and a stupid man is whether he could read the other player’s card.”

“Oh, I see.”

“A person who makes money knows how to grab an opportunity even during the confusing and depressing times. Even during a war or during the IMF crisis, there is someone who makes money while most people are going through a difficult time.”

It became quiet for a moment before Gun-Ho got up to leave.

“Thank you for your advice, Chairman Lee. I will go to my spot for fishing now.”

“When you try to catch fish, try to catch your mind as well. Haha”

“Thank you again.”

Gun-Ho learned another wisdom from Chairman Lee that day.

Once Gun-Ho came back home, he started thinking.

“When I decided to invest in QM Steel, I wasn’t sure about their business. I just like things I see on the chart and invested.”

The next day, an official announcement about QM Steel appeared. It said they decided to delist the company. In various stock discussion forums, people were blaming the president and management of QM Steel. Gun-Ho felt somewhat calm.

“Someone who had inside information raised the stock price right before the investigation, and then they abandoned it. I couldn’t possibly know that… because I am one of the little people.”

Gun-Ho smiled bitterly.

“This is the result of my thoughtlessness. I should have seen the real thing that drives the company, not the symptoms of it.”

A week was given to sell stocks of QM Steel. Even during this period, speculators tried everything they could to make money. The price kept going up and down by the manipulators.

“Some people still make money during this final sale period. Wow.”

Since Gun-Ho had no information at all, he just put his stocks at the current market price. He made 3,000,000 won after investing 30,000,000 won.

“There could be someone who would commit suicide if that person borrowed money to invest in QM Steel.”

Gun-Ho stopped monitoring stock charts and wanted to get some fresh air. He went to Gyeongridan Street in Itaewon to see his friend, Suk-Ho.

“Suk-Ho Lee! It has been a while. How are things going with you?”

“Oh, Gun-Ho. You came back from China. Let’s have a drink. Have a seat here.”

“Come over and join me.”

“How are you? Did you start something already?”

“Not yet. I’m just learning the real estate auction thing.”

“Really? Oh, do you remember Min-Ho Kang?”

“Min-Ho Kang? Oh, oh, I remember. He spoke English very well!”

“Right. He used to receive an award in an English oratorical contest. He is coming to the bar later today. Why don’t you meet him with me?”

“What is he doing?”

“After graduating from Chung-Ang University, he joined a civic organization.”

“A civil organization?”

“I think he is interested in politics.”

“Oh, really? He was very smart in high school. I knew he would do something brilliant.”

—————————————————–

< Five things needed in order to become rich, which was mentioned by Professor Wang in Chapter 67 >

1. Being born into a rich family.

2. Marrying someone who is rich.

3. Winning a lottery.

4. Starting a business.

5. Saving money.

Number 1 is not applicable to a person already born to a poor family.

Number 2 is hard to achieve.

The odds to win a lottery as Number 3 indicated is 1/1,000,000.

For Number 4, you need a good business item or money to start and maintain.

Number 5 is applicable to only the people with high salary occupations such as a medical doctor, a lawyer, an executive in a big company, a celebrity, etc.

Therefore, it’s extremely hard for a person born to a poor family to become rich. Poverty is inherited. However, there is always an exception. Sometimes, there is someone who was born to a poor family that becomes rich. Let’s hope for the best.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Chapter 72 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (1) – PART 1

Chapter 72: Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (1) – PART 1

Min-Ho Kang came into Suk-Ho’s bar. He was with a woman who was wearing glasses.

“Hey, Min-Ho. Do you remember Gun-Ho Goo?”

Min-Ho looked at Gun-Ho.

“Oh, Gun-Ho. It has been a while.”

Min-Ho extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake, but he didn’t ask Gun-Ho what he was doing for a living.

Min-Ho was one of the popular kids in high school while Gun-Ho was an invisible boy who was always sitting at the back of the classroom. Gun-Ho in high school was a mediocre student in a poor family.

Whenever the students in the class chipped in to buy a snack or a meal, Gun-Ho would always go outside the classroom quietly because he didn’t have money to contribute. He always felt small because of money.

“This is Eun-Mi Song. She is a magazine journalist.”

Min-Ho introduced the woman he came with to Suk-Ho.

“Are you coming from the protest against the Four Major Rivers Project again?”

“F*ckers! They are trying so hard to spend an astronomical amount of money to damage our environment. I am so worried about this country.”

Suk-Ho brought some beers with snacks made of cabbage and squid which Suk-Ho was so proud of.

After everyone drank their beers at least once, Min-Ho looked at Gun-Ho and said,

“Gun-Ho Goo! Are you still living in that townhouse in Juan Town in Incheon?”

“Yeah, my parents are still there, but I live somewhere else.”

“Our family already left Incheon and moved to Dangsan Town. So, what do you do for a living?”

Suk-Ho who was sitting next to Gun-Ho answered for him.

“Gun-Ho had a Korean restaurant business in China. He came back to Korea not long ago, and he is now learning about auction.”

“Auction? That costs money. Do you have money for it?”

Min-Ho asked with a scornful look on his face.

“I don’t have money but I thought it would be useful to know…”

Suk-Ho responded for Gun-Ho again while handing paper napkins to Min-Ho, Gun-Ho, and the lady whom Min-Ho was with.

“Auction is not just for people who have money for a direct investment. You can also get a job related to it if you know enough about it, right?”

“There are tons of con-artists in the auction field. They attract their victims with real estate development plan.”

Min-Ho said while wiping the beer foam off his mouth with a napkin.

The journalist lady showed her interest when she heard the word—real estate development plan.

“I covered the topic last year. It is true that there are many people just like Seondal* in the field.

“That’s right. There are some as*holes spreading rumors that the land’s price around the four major rivers would go up considerably. They have no idea what kind of disaster we could create and pass on to the next generation with that project. F*ck! Journalist Eun-Mi Song! Let’s drink!”

“Oh, by the way, did you go to college? What did you study?”

“Yeah, I went to a college in China—Zhejiang University.”

“China? Many unqualified kids who failed to be admitted to universities in Korea go to college in China. There was an incident with Korean international students in China not long ago. They rode motorcycles so loudly that Chinese local people complained.”

Gun-Ho smiled bitterly.

“Some do and some don’t. There are way more Korean students who don’t do that kind of things in China. There are very few students who ride a motorcycle there.”

“Really? What do you think of the Four Major Rivers Project?”

“Well, I’m not sure. I don’t know much about it.”

The journalist lady started talking this time.

“We all have to pay attention to it. We have to prevent it from happening. It’s not just damaging our environment; it will be a disaster.”

The journalist gulped her beer. She took out a cigarette and started smoking.

Suk-Ho left the table when customers came into the bar, to serve them. There were now three people at Gun-Ho’s table.

Once they became a bit drunk, Min-Ho and Eun-Mi started singing a song quietly while clenching their fists. It sounded like some sort of a protest song.

“You don’t know this song? Let’s sing it together!”

Min-Ho asked Gun-Ho to sing along, but Gun-Ho just smiled without singing. Gun-Ho didn’t know the song. Gun-Ho didn’t spend time in a college campus and had no idea about a protest song.

When Gun-Ho came back to his office-tel, he thought about the Four Major Rivers Project.

“The answer is up to whether Myung-Bak Lee would be elected or not. A wise man or an expert like Chairman Lee should know about it, but I can’t figure it out. I am so stuck in my own thoughts.”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes.

“If Myung-Bak Lee (“MB”) is elected, he will certainly start the Four Major Rivers Project. Real estate speculators are buying land in Yeoju City, Icheon City, and even in Chungju City. They seemed to bet on MB’s election.”

Gun-Ho walked to the window and looked down the street. The street was busy with cars.

“I don’t know whether the project will help control the flood, secure water resources for farming and industrial use, or if it will damage the environment. I am not an expert in the field. My involvement here is whether I could use this controversial event as my opportunity to make money.”

Gun-Ho decided to make a short trip to Yeoju City and Icheon City to just look around.

“Okay, let’s go!”

Gun-Ho rented a Sonata and drove the Han Riverside road toward Misari from Yeongdeungpo District.

“Han River is quiet. It doesn’t say anything. It’s the people who make a fuss about the Four Major Rivers Project.”

Han River served as a water source for 10,000,000 citizens in Seoul and 12,500,000 citizens in Gyeonggi Province. It was flowing quietly and peacefully.

“This river flowed yesterday, and it will continuously be flowing tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho arrived at Yangsu Town after passing by Misari and going through Paldang Bridge.

“The scenery is amazing. Korea’s nature is truly beautiful.”

Gun-Ho drove down to Yeoju City along the river. There were many realtors’ offices along the road with a banner saying ‘Land.’ There was another banner saying ‘We welcome Four Major Rivers Project,’ and another banner saying ‘Absolutely No to Four Major Rivers Project.’

“I see a lot of luxurious cars parked in front of the realtors’ offices. There are certainly people here who are loaded with funds that wanted to buy land here.”

Gun-Ho parked his car in front of a realtor’s office. As soon as he parked the car, two men wearing a hat ran toward Gun-Ho.

“Did you come to see a land? Come to our office.”

“No, come to our office.”

The two men grabbed each of Gun-Ho’s arms. Gun-Ho laughed and went to the office closest to him. In the realtor’s office, a man in his 50s was explaining something to three women who were sitting on a chair. He was using a large map hanging on the wall; he was pointing at something on the map with a stick.

“Are you here to see a land?”

“Yes, I would just like to know the current price.”

“Why don’t you join us and sit next to the lady over there? I will explain to you.”

One of the ladies moved to the side to give a space for Gun-Ho to sit.

“Have a seat. Manager Kim, please bring a cup of tea for this gentleman.”

Gun-Ho was sort of pushed to the seat and started listening to the man.

“This is the flow of the southern part of Han River. A weir will be built right here. This part is a greenbelt land and a military zone so no one can touch it. However, this part right here just came out on the market.”

The man said in a low voice,

“If you buy this land now, the price will go up twice once MB is elected as our president. In that respect, you people sitting here right now are very lucky. You don’t need to think twice, just grab it. This is indeed the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Note*

Seondal – A famous swindler in Korea.

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Chapter 73 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (1) – PART 2

Chapter 73: Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (1) – PART 2

Once the realtor finished his sales pitch, a lady asked a question.

“How much is it per pyung?”

“It’s 1 million won per pyung. That’s the price if you buy now. After a few days, the price will go up.”

“You said it is a farmland. It’s very expensive for a farmland.”

“Look at the area. The way the land is used can be changed. Do you know what would happen once this land is reclassified? I don’t think you know.”

“What would happen?”

The ladies swallowed their saliva.

“Since it is a riverside area, you can build a motel or a beautiful café. You can rent it out and let it generate income for your retirement.”

The three women blinked their eyes. It seemed like they were picturing a cozy café or a motel on the land inside their heads.

Ordinary people seemed to be very interested in the riverside land.

The realtor’s office was busy answering phone calls.

“Whether there is a land on the market? Not yet. There is one but someone is talking with our realtor about the land right now.”

“A land on the market? Why don’t you come and consult our realtor? I am with a client right now and I gotta go.”

The ladies were discussing about the land.

“Did you see all the phone calls we are receiving right now? The land that’s available today might not be available tomorrow.”

“I am a resident of Seoul. Is it possible for me to buy a farmland here? I was told that in order to buy a farmland, I have to submit some kind of plan for the use of the land.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. If you make a provisional contract for the land today, I will explain everything to you about it.”

“How much do you require for a provisional contract?”

“As you know, for a contract, 10% of the land’s price is required. However, I can’t ask the landowner to come to the office right now to make the contract, so 10 million won will do for now. And the land will be on hold for you.”

“Okay then, we will take all those three lots.”

The ladies were probably wealthy. They looked generous and merciful like Buddha. Moreover, they seemed to be benevolent just like Liu Bei in the Chinese historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms. One lady opened her designer bag and pulled out checks.

The realtor looked at Gun-Ho.

“I can give you a call once another land appears on the market. Leave your business card with me.”

“I don’t have a business card.”

A frown appeared on his forehead when Gun-Ho said he didn’t have a business card. He handed a piece of paper to Gun-Ho and said,

“You can leave your number here.”

Gun-Ho thought he could get a lot of spam calls once he gave his number to him, but he couldn’t tell him he didn’t want to leave his number. After he left his number with the realtor, Gun-Ho walked out of the office.

“Those ladies will eagerly look forward to MB’s election. If their husbands are either a university professor, a pastor or are working in the media, their husbands will try so hard to have MB get elected. Those civic organizations that are opposing the Four Major Rivers Project, Min-Ho Kang and the female journalist, can they beat those people?

Gun-Ho thought about these things while driving back to Seoul.

After his trip to Yeoju City, Gun-Ho thought about the Four Major Rivers Project all day long every single day.

The wallpaper pattern on the ceiling looked like a flowing river. He once dreamed about a field of reeds around the four rivers. Gun-Ho opened an early morning newspaper.

“The Four Major Rivers Project is hitting the news every day. The newspaper is covered with it.”

Gun-Ho read every single news and articles on the newspaper meticulously. After he was done with the newspaper, he started thinking again.

“Those ladies who bought the riverside land in Yeoju City probably have rich husbands, so they can just go around and shop for lands like a hobby or something. But I can’t. Not just yet.”

One of the reasons why Gun-Ho couldn’t easily decide to acquire a land now was that he couldn’t afford to have his money tied up in a land. Unless he had a job or a business that generated income, he wouldn’t be able to use a significant amount of his money into a long-term investment like the ladies did—who bought the land in Yeoju.

“Then what should I do?”

Gun-Ho walked around in his room with his arms crossed.

He couldn’t come up with any good ideas. He thought of the weir that the realtor mentioned. A weir is a barrier built to control the flow of the river’s water.

“Building a weir in a stream should not be so difficult while building a weir in a river with a strong current would involve a large scale construction and it takes a long time to complete.”

Gun-Ho thought of what Chairman Lee told him about the Four Major Rivers Project earlier.

“Do you think MB will be elected? If so, will he do the Four Major Rivers Project? If so, who would benefit the most from the project?”

Gun-Ho walked around again in his room with his arms crossed.

“The first beneficiary must be the landowners around the river, and… Oh, my gosh!”

An idea flashed across Gun-Ho’s mind. A light bulb went on over his head.

“That’s it! It’s dredging construction!”

Gun-Ho went over on what Chairman Lee said about Major Rivers Project once again.

‘Do you think MB will be elected?’

“He will likely be elected. The economy was not doing well right now, so the electorate was leaning toward MB who used to be a CEO of a big company. Their hopes were high. Additionally, his opponent—Dong-Young Jeong—was not very popular.”

‘If so, will he deliver on the Four Major Rivers Project promise?’

“He will certainly do it. He had a good experience with his previous renewal project with Cheonggyecheon. It was a success, so he will definitely do it again without hesitation.”

‘If so, who would benefit the most from the project?’

“It will be the landowner around the four rivers, and the people who will participate in the project—the construction companies. He wouldn’t select Hyundai Construction for the project though because he once worked there so the public will suspect the connection between the two. I should put aside those big construction companies. Mid-sized construction companies will be selected. Which one of those has experience with dredging construction or industrial plant construction?”

He narrowed down the list of construction companies that would be possibly selected to participate in the Four Major Rivers Project to those mid-size companies with experience of dredging or industrial plant construction. Gun-Ho started searching on the Internet.

“Investing in real estate is a good option for me, but investing in stocks related to the project is good as well. The people who have money make more money. I have more than 1.1 billion won. I don’t want my money tied up in a real estate. Stocks can be easily liquidated, so investing in stocks is a better option for me. If I use my 1.1 billion won in investing in stocks, I can easily recover the loss incurred by my earlier QM Steel stock investment.”

Gun-Ho started searching on the Internet enthusiastically.

“I have to find the construction companies who will likely participate in the Four Major Rivers Project!”

He was already late.

Two strong KOSDAQ registered candidates—EE-HWA Construction and Samok-Jeong Company—became popular already among little investors. (Sammok-Jeong Company is now Sammok S-Form)

EE-HWA Construction was an industrial plant construction company, and Sammok-Jeong Company manufactured construction molding.

“Sh*t, these people are so quick. EE-HWA Construction and Sammok-Jeong Company were not this popular before.”

Gun-Ho observed the trading volume of those two companies’ stocks and verified whether foreigners and institutional investors purchased their stocks.

“The trading volume has been increasing, and their stock prices are above the 20-day moving average! Should I get in now? There is still time until the presidential election.”

Gun-Ho sighed and mumbled while closing his eyes. He then looked into a blank space. He could only think of EE-HWA Construction and Samok-Jeong Company right now. He didn’t even hear the delivery man who was ringing the doorbell of his office-tel.

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Chapter 74 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (2) – PART 1

Chapter 74: Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho made his decision.

He transferred his 1.1 billion won from his Kookmin Bank account to his stock account.

“I now see the other player’s cards.”

Gun-Ho started purchasing EE-HWA Construction stocks from 10 AM that day.

“Its stock price was 900 won and now it is over 1,000 won. Only God knows whether the price reached its peak or would increase more. I have six more months until the presidential election. I bet it will keep going up until then.”

Gun-Ho had been sitting in front of the computer monitor and purchasing stocks. Around 3 PM, Gun-Ho verified his stock account to see how many shares he now had and how much their market values were.

“EE-HWA Construction 300 million won, and Samok-Jeong Company 50 million won. Let’s stop right here for today.”

Gun-Ho calculated how much he could earn if he would sell his shares now.

“The stock price hasn’t increased and the selling will incur 1,200,000 won for stock trading fees. So the net result will be -1,200,000 won. It’s not bad.”

Gun-Ho spent 350 million won today in purchasing stocks. If he would sell these stocks, he would have to pay trading fees of 1.2 million won, so it would be a loss for him.

“Hmm, I didn’t have breakfast and lunch today.”

The next day, Gun-Ho skipped his lunch again and logged into the stock trading website and placed offers to buy the same stocks.

“The stock candlestick is showing that the stock price has declined. The loss from the amount I invested yesterday is over 5 million won. I will do ‘averaging down’ to bring down the average cost.”

Gun-Ho invested 400 million won more in stocks that day.

Gun-Ho took a break on the third day.

The stock market became slow.

“I might have to stay invested longer-term with this stock to make money. Did I make a mistake by investing in this stock?”

Gun-Ho believed the price of stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project would keep fluctuating until the presidential election.

Gun-Ho spent one week to invest all his 1.1 billion won in the stocks: 70% of EE-HWA Construction and 30% of Sammok-Jeong Company.

“Let’s not swing between hopes and fears every day because of its constant price fluctuation. The presidential election will be held in December. I will stay in the library reading books by then!”

Gun-Ho looked himself in the mirror. He seemed to age rapidly during the past week. His eyes were sunken and he could see dark circles under his eyes.

“I skipped meals and ate only lomein for a week… that’s why.”

He spent most of his time in the National Assembly Library of Korea reading books. He usually picked the books related to economics or management: Power Shift, Revolutionary Wealth, Currency Wars, and 7 Habits of the Rich. He also enjoyed the books like How to Bid at Auction, Buy Land Even With Debt, Choice China Made, etc.

“Success or failure.”

Gun-Ho was lost in thought while walking in the square in front of the National Assembly Building in Yeouido Island.

“This is certainly a good hand as long as there is no variable.”

Gun-Ho was dying to know whether his stock’s price dived up or down.

“What if it went up or down? So what? If it went down I would feel really bad, and if it went up, I would desperately want to sell. I have to wait until the presidential election day. Those who bought stock on credit or with a loan would get antsy. I am different. I invested in stock with certainty. I should be calm.”

Gun-Ho considered those people a fool, who invested in stock with a loan or on credit, especially those people who invested everything they had.

“I bought the QM Steel stock for 30 million won last time and sold it at 3 million won. What if that 30 million won was all I had and it was also a loan? I would obviously have become a person with bad credit.”

Gun-Ho imagined himself still working in a factory and borrowing 30 million won to invest in the QM Steel stock and losing most of it. He thought he wouldn’t have wanted to continue his life any longer and he might have committed suicide if that happened.

“Investing in the stock market is a very dangerous activity. That’s why Chairman Lee said I shouldn’t invest in the stock market unless I am certain.”

Gun-Ho thought Chairman Lee had wise eyes.

“He might not have a high academic degree, but his attitude toward the society is extraordinary. His eyes resemble Byung-Chul Lee’s eyes—the founder of Samsung that I saw in a picture.”

When he had invested in the stock market while he was working in a factory, he wanted to check the market every single hour, literally. He couldn’t concentrate on his work at the factory and he once hurt his hand while handling an injection molding machine.

He could feel calm this time because he didn’t have any debt and he invested 1.1 billion won. Even if the stock price dived down to half of its price, he would still have 550 million won in hand.

Gun-Ho was still walking in the square in front of the National Assembly Building when someone called his name behind his back.

“Are you Gun-Ho Goo?”

It was Min-Hyeok Kim, Gun-Ho’s hometown friend; Gun-Ho went to the same elementary school with him and he hung out with him until his junior high even though they didn’t go to the same junior high school.

“Oh, Min-Hyeok. What are you doing here?”

“I saw you at the library earlier, but I was not sure if it was really you. You gained some weight but you didn’t change much. What do you do?”

“Nothing. I’m unemployed. What do you do?”

“I used to work in an office, but now I am studying for an exam to get a level-7 government job.”

“Really? Why did you quit your job?”

“Whew, I couldn’t see my future with that job. I think a government job is the best in this country. I used to work in a quality assurance department in a mid-size company. I had to work till late at night all the time and couldn’t see myself growing there.”

“I see. The level-7 exam is hard to pass, right? Why don’t you try the level-9 exam instead?”

“I am actually preparing for both.”

“You should have started earlier. It’s kind of late to start at our age.”

“I know, but if I can get a government job then it’s still good. The problem is that it’s not easy to pass the exam. It’s really stressful. Haha.”

“You will be fine. You went to Kookmin University, didn’t you? I think you will pass.”

“Thank you for saying that. Why do you stay unemployed? I thought I heard you were working somewhere.”

“I had a business in China and came back to Korea not long ago. I am still thinking about what I want to do.”

“Oh, I see. Give me your number. I still live in Bucheon. Here is my number.”

“Thank you. Call me once you pass the exam!”

Gun-Ho gazed at Min-Hyeok’s back blankly.

“I hope he can pass the exam. If I remember correctly, his father is a bus driver. I guess he is trying so hard to get out of the inherited poverty. Going for the government job exam is maybe the right choice for him. People say that if you pass the level-9 government job exam you can be proud of yourself, and if you pass the level-7, then your family will be proud of you. Haha.”

Gun-Ho let out a sigh and smiled bitterly.

Gun-Ho continued walking in the square.

“What if MB is not elected?”

Gun-Ho shook his head thinking he would be elected for sure.

“What if MB dies of an accident? I read from some book that when one of our former presidents, Syngman Rhee was a presidential candidate, the two opposing presidential candidates—Dr. Byeong-Wook Jo and Dr. Ik-Hee Shin died unexpectedly while running for president.”

Gun-Ho found himself staggering at the thought of the possibility of MB’s sudden death.

“I need more training in controlling my mind. It has been only a week since I bought the stocks, and I am already feeling anxious.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t concentrate on books at the library because he was distracted by all sorts of what-if thoughts.

“I can’t go on like this. Let’s go on a trip abroad. I will go to Japan.”

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Chapter 75 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (2) – PART 2

Chapter 75: Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (2) – PART 2

Gun-Ho decided to take a short trip to Tokyo, Japan for three nights and four days.

“I’ve never been in Japan. Let’s visit Tokyo and see how Japanese people make their life and also get some idea about my next business item.”

Gun-Ho stopped by a travel agency. The agency recommended him a trip package that included a Tokyo city tour and a visit to a small city, Nikko which was famous for hot springs.

“Okay, I will take it.”

Gun-Ho wanted to forget about things going on in his head and reserved a flight ticket to Japan right away.

Gun-Ho was still anxious while he was in Japan.

He couldn’t pay attention to the tour guide, but all he could think of was his stock price.

He followed his tour group to Meiji Jingu Gaien in Shibuya, where his hotel was located. He still couldn’t enjoy the tour; he was still thinking about his stocks.

“I invested 1.1 billion won. Am I going to succeed or fail in this investment?”

While he was lost in thought, Gun-Ho realized that an old couple kept glancing at him.

“If I had 10 billion won, I wouldn’t be this nervous about the 1.1 billion won investment. However, 1.1 billion won is all I have right now. Of course, I am anxious. I invested all I have.”

Gun-Ho felt anxious and he looked around. The old man of the old couple came to Gun-Ho with a smile and asked,

“Young man, how come are you traveling by yourself? Don’t you have a girlfriend?

“Haha, no, I don’t.”

“What have you done so far then without getting a girlfriend? In the old times, you could have your own children already at your age.”

A nosy old man, Gun-Ho thought. The old man’s wife seemed to feel sorry for Gun-Ho because she seemed to know how nosy her husband could be. She kept dragging the old man’s arm toward her. There were many old couples in the tour group. Some women’s group was there as well. Gun-Ho was the only young man in the tour group.

“I see several young ladies here. Why don’t you ask one of them out?”

“Haha, I will pass, sir.”

The old man talked to Gun-Ho again when the group went to a shopping mall, Shibuya109.

“You should buy something and distribute it among your female friends. That’s one of the ways to get a girlfriend.”

Gun-Ho thought that while he couldn’t think of anything else but his stocks, this old man’s head is filled with girlfriend thing.

The following day, the group continued to Nikko. Gun-Ho was looking outside the window enjoying the view in the tour bus heading to Nikko when the old man came and sat next to him; he was holding some food.

Gun-Ho thought this old man could be very tiresome.

“Try this. It’s mochi; we bought them on the street in Shibuya. It’s tasty.”

“Thank you. I will try one. Sir, which presidential candidate do you think will be elected?”

“Myung-Bak of course. Dong-Young Jeong is too weak.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Our current president Moo-Hyun Roh hasn’t done anything good for our economy. On the other hand, Myung-Bak Lee used to work as a CEO of a big company. I believe he will make our economy much better. Don’t you think so, young man?”

“I agree with you, sir. Thank you for the mochi.”

Gun-Ho continued to look outside the window; otherwise, he thought the old man would keep talking to him.

The tour group arrived at Nikko Tosho-gu. The tourists were busy taking pictures.

“Oh! Look at that monkey sculpture.”

There was a three-lady group; they seemed to be colleagues in an office. One of them came to Gun-Ho and asked him to take a picture of them.

“Did you come by yourself?”

They asked Gun-Ho and laughed.

Gun-Ho didn’t say anything while feeling embarrassed.

“Is this your rebound trip?”

One of them said, and the three ladies started laughing again.

“Sh*t, I feel so embarrassed that I can’t enjoy my trip anymore.”

Gun-Ho talked to himself.

“Sir, what do you do for a living?”

“Sir?”

Gun-Ho was baffled when those young ladies called him sir. Well, Gun-Ho was already 35 years old, maybe he was old enough to be called sir in those young ladies’ eyes.

“I am a survey researcher. Who do you think will be elected in the presidential election this year?”

“Kyung-Young Huh.”

Those ladies started laughing again.

“Don’t you think the candidate, Dong-Young Jeong would win for the presidential election?”

“Nah… Myung-Bak Lee will win. Girls, let’s go. The tour guide is calling us. Hurry up.”

Gun-Ho felt a sense of relief after hearing people say MB would be elected.

“Okay. I’m betting on the winning side.”

Gun-Ho came back to Korea, and the first thing he did was checking his stock price.

They increased by 5%.

“Little people seemed to constantly buy the stocks, but it’s slow.”

Gun-Ho felt too nervous and bored to wait for the stock price hike. He decided to rent a car and travel around Korea.

“I haven’t been in a lot of places in Korea.”

Gun-Ho came back home after visiting Jeolla Province, Gyeongsang Province, Chungcheong Province, and Gangwon Province. And he checked the stock price. Not much changed.

Gun-Ho thought that maybe he should start working. It was hard to get a decent office job in Korea, but he could easily find a manual labor job. He started working in a distribution center in Deucksan Town. His job was a night job loading and unloading trucks with heavy packages. Time would fly and he would feel too busy to think of his stocks.

The work was hard. He didn’t even have time to go to the bathroom. The workers there looked poor and hungry. Gun-Ho could see himself a few years ago.

“You don’t look like you belong here. Why don’t you learn some skills and get a better job?”

A man in his 50s who was working the same job with Gun-Ho talked to him.

“Every job is equally valuable. This is fine as long as I get paid.”

“If you do this kind of manual work for a long time, it would cause a physical pain here and there in your body.”

The work was indeed hard. Gun-Ho already felt pain in his waist. His arms felt tender.

“You shouldn’t lift a heavy box with your waist like that. You should straighten your waist and use your knee to lift the box.”

Gun-Ho was being paid about 1,500,000 won per month for the manual labor work at night. He sweated heavily every night and he had to apply pain relief patches on his shoulders and waist to make 1.5 million won per month; it was too little for the pain he had to suffer.

“You can’t be rich by doing a manual labor work job. You have to either get a profession after studying a lot, or you have to be born to rich parents so your life starting point is different from most people.”

Since it was a night job, Gun-Ho didn’t have to worry about encountering someone he knew while he was working. Gun-Ho was working there to kill time while waiting for a desirable outcome of his 1.1 billion won stock investment. Gun-Ho thought that the others who were working there to support their family would never get out of their poverty.

“Maybe that’s why many young people these days decided not to have children. They barely make a living for themselves.”

Another good thing about working there was that he could have a good sleep during the day since the work at night exhausted him enough to make him pass out during the day. He continued this life for two months and he didn’t think of stocks during the two months.

Autumn was almost gone and Cosmos flowers were falling down.

One day, Gun-Ho got up around lunchtime after working late at night and he was reading an economic newspaper when he was stunned.

[Warning! EE-HWA Construction stock hike]

It was about EE-Hwa Construction stock. It said that the Korea Exchange (KRX) observed an unusual stock price hike on EE-Hwa Construction and warned investors about the specific stock.

If a stock price goes up by 60% during the past five days, Korea Exchange warns investors and temporarily halts trading for one day in order to prevent damage on investors.

“I made it!”

Gun-Ho immediately opened his stock account.

“If I sell it now, my net account value will be 1.76 billion won!”

By investing 1.1 billion won, Gun-Ho made 660 million won.

“Nicely done. It’s enough. Let’s sell it.”

Gun-Ho decided to sell it the next day once the Korea Exchange’s temporary trading halts on the stock would be lifted.

Gun-Ho, let the distribution center know that he would quit the job.

“We like working with you. Why are you quitting? I was talking with the team leader to raise your pay. We will raise it to 1,700,000 won.”

“Haha, thank you, but I already found another job.”

Gun-Ho wanted to scream to the distribution center staff that ‘Hey, I am a man with 1.76 billion won.’ Actually, Gun-Ho wanted to scream it to the world.

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Chapter 76 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (3) – PART 1

Chapter 76: Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho sat at his desk in front of his computer to sell his stocks.

“Maybe it’s too early. I still have three months until the presidential election. Let’s wait a little bit more.”

“Maybe I should sell now. The stock price might drop soon. Who knows? I’d better sell them now while I could still make money.”

Gun-Ho put his hands on the computer keyboard and retrieved his hands off the keyboard repeatedly.

Once the one-day trading curb on EE-HWA Construction stock was lifted, its price started increasing again without a hitch. Sammok-Jeong Company’s stock received the same warning as EE-HWA Construction from Korea Exchange.

The presidential election campaign was heating up as the election neared. The stock market was fluctuating abnormally. The presidential candidate, Myung-Bak Lee continuously promoted the Four Major Rivers Project drastically while the opposing candidate, Dong-Young Jeong fiercely attacked the project by asserting that it would cause a disaster in this country. The stock price related to the Four Major Rivers Project kept fluctuating in an unusual pattern.

Gun-Ho felt great about his stock’s price which kept increasing, but the abnormal movement of the price scared him as well.

“The stock market is going crazy. The country is going crazy.”

The next day and the following day, the stock price of EE-HWA Construction and Sammok-Jeong Company continued increasing dramatically.

The media covered the abnormal activity of certain stocks including the stocks of EE-HWA Construction and Sammok-Jeong Company. It said that people kept irresponsibly investing in these stocks without knowing the necessary information about the companies. The stock prices kept going up regardless of what they said.

Circuit breakers were triggered in an effort to calm the overheated stock market.

“Whew, let’s take a break.”

Gun-Ho opened his stock account. His stock value exceeded 6 billion won. Gun-Ho shivered, and he was having goosebumps. The stock money didn’t seem to increase much in the beginning, but once it passes a certain amount it goes up exponentially; it was like a snowball.

Gun-Ho received a phone call from Min-Ho who he met at Suk-Ho’s bar in Gyeongridan Street the other day.

“Gun-Ho? How are you doing? Did you find a job?”

“No, not yet.”

“Then come and meet me at Gwanghwamun Gate tomorrow.”

“For what?”

“We are having a large-scale protest tomorrow against the Four Major Rivers Project. Many civic organizations will join us. You should come too.”

“I don’t know…”

“What are you talking about? You should come if you worry about this country! That project will be a disaster. If you are a true Korean, you should come!”

“I think… that project could benefit us. It can help prevent a flood.”

“Ha, you dumb idiot! Because of people like you, a pseudo like MB could get power. Do you know why I am doing all these? I’m not doing this for money because I am not making any by protesting. But I do this for our posterity. Come tomorrow. I won’t take no for an answer!”

“I think I gotta do something tomorrow.”

“Do what? Is it more important than preventing disasters? Why can’t you see it? We are breathing the same air under the same sky. That’s why you don’t have a job yet. We have to stop MB’s election. The candidate, Dong-Young Jeong must win.”

Gun-Ho suppressed his desire to say ‘I want MB to win.’

“Why don’t you say anything? You are coming tomorrow, right?”

“Okay.”

After getting off the phone with Min-Ho, Gun-Ho talked to himself.

“I don’t know whether the Four Major Rivers Project would bring a benefit or a disaster to the country. I don’t know which candidate among Myung-Bak Lee or Dong-Young Jeong has to win for this country. I am just a stock investor. I have to make money. You have no idea how I had lived my life when I had no money. You have no idea how terribly I had to suffer all these years just because I didn’t have money. I must make money. I know you still look down on me from the bottom of your heart.”

Gun-Ho clenched his fist and hit the wall with it.

“I will make money!”

It made a loud noise and Gun-Ho’s fish got swollen right away.

Gun-Ho stayed in his office-tel staring at the computer monitor all day long. He didn’t even go out. Timing was very important in stocks. The stocks that keep going up abnormally in price like the ones Gun-Ho had, could drop in price in any minute if a group of investors who influence the price decided to sell them.

“Unless I get solid red candlestick, I will keep these stocks!”

Gun-Ho purchased one more computer and monitored the stock market using two computers. He kept the one-minute charts, candlestick charts, and tick charts open on his computer screens and kept observing their movements. When his eyes became blurry, Gun-Ho looked at his eyes in the mirror.

“My eyes are very red. I think the blood vessels in my eyes had burst.”

Gun-Ho rubbed his eyes and waited till 3 PM when the stock market closed before he went to see an eye doctor. The eye doctor examined Gun-Ho’s eyes and said,

“You should let your eyes rest. Do not use your computer or read books for a while. All the blood vessels in your eyes had burst.”

While he was receiving an electric thermal eye treatment in the eye doctor’s office, he still thought about his stocks.

“I don’t have time for this. The stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project are still on the rise.”

As soon as he came back to his office-tel, he turned on his computers.

“I know the doctor said I shouldn’t use a computer for a while, but it should be okay. I won’t lose my sight by this.”

Gun-Ho looked at the stocks charts on EE-HWA Construction and Sammok-Jeong Company.

“The price has been rising so steeply. I guess it could go over 20,000 won per share. I wonder how many people who are holding this stock bought them at the bottom price as I did.”

Newspapers warned the investors about the stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project. They said the price of those stocks was already too high, and that buying those stocks right now was suicidal. Despite the warnings from media, the price of those stocks continued to increase for the next several days.

“Those people who invested in these stocks will face the same fate as MB.”

Gun-Ho stayed in his office-tel and didn’t even bother to shop for groceries or go to a restaurant to eat. He just ate what he had in his refrigerator—rice, kimchi, and pickled radish. He couldn’t take his eyes off the stock charts because the price might start going downwards.

“For stocks like this, if some people start to throw out their stocks for some reason, the rest of those people will follow them by selling their stocks without hesitation. So I have to closely watch its movement. A solid red candlestick can appear within five minutes. Once that happens, I will start losing my money rapidly.”

Gun-Ho stared at the computer monitors while putting prescription eye drops in his eyes.

He sometimes laid down on his bed because of the pain in his eyes. He was laying down on his bed to rest his eyes when he heard the news on the TV. He usually kept his TV on even though he didn’t really watch it. There was a big accident in the sea near the Taean coastal town. A ship collided with an oil vessel, and it caused the oil to spill into the sea.

Gun-Ho jumped out of the bed.

“What? Oil spill into the ocean? A big accident? A river can be subject to this type of accident, and oil can be spilled in a river. This will adversely affect the stock price related to the Four Major Rivers Project!”

Gun-Ho was certain that people would start selling their stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project tomorrow morning. The stock price increased a lot, and those people already made money. They wouldn’t risk the money they already made from stocks to make more money.

“They will begin selling their stocks during pre-market trading sessions.”

Gun-Ho believed that the people with the stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project would start selling their stocks before the regular trading hours at 8:30 AM. The regular trading hours started at 9 AM.

Gun-Ho couldn’t sleep worrying that he might oversleep and miss the 8:30 AM pre-market trading hours. If that happened, he would lose all the money he invested in stocks.

“If a lot of people sell their stocks, it will cause a downward price movement, and there will be no buyer for a few days then. I wouldn’t be able to sell my stocks for a few days and the price will continuously drop!”

Gun-Ho didn’t sleep that night and endured the pain in his eyes. It was a long night. He spent the night dozing off in his chair and woke up repeatedly.

In the morning, Gun-Ho turned on his computer.

“It’s 8:30 AM.”

He was right. As soon as the pre-market trading session opened, the stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project poured into the market. It was a heated moment.

Gun-Ho started selling his stocks frantically. He had so many shares and his offering price was going down. The stock price of EE-HWA Construction was once 25,000 won per share and it went down to 24,000 won and then to 23,000 won.

“Sh*t. I pressed the wrong key on the keyboard. I’m modifying the offer!”

Gun-Ho sometimes pressed a wrong key. The speed that other people were selling their stocks was faster than a cooling fan’s speed. Once Gun-Ho was done selling all his stocks of EE-HWA Construction and Sammok-Jeong Company, those stock prices started moving downward.

Gun-Ho screamed in pain. His eyes hurt a lot. He covered his eyes with his palm and opened his net account value window.

“The balance is 19.8 billion won! The number of stocks is 0.”

Gun-Ho invested 1.1 billion won and made 19.8 billion won.

“It’s all done!”

He felt drained, and then he passed out on the floor. His computers were still on, and he was still wearing clothes.

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Chapter 77 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (3) – PART 2

Chapter 77: Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (3) – PART 2

He woke up around 4 PM.

Gun-Ho ran to the bathroom and washed his face. He looked at his eyes in the mirror.

“I still have red eyes, but the pain is almost gone.”

After sleeping for long hours, he didn’t feel any pain in his eyes anymore. Once he started feeling relaxed, he felt hungry.

“I haven’t had anything since yesterday.”

Gun-Ho went to a Japanese restaurant near the Yeongdeungpo traditional market and ordered sushi. He ordered a bottle of liquor as well. It had been a while since he had liquor.

“19.8 billion won! My 19.8 billion won.” He chuckled.

“You never know what would happen in your life. I always felt small because of money and now I have 19.8 billion won. Who would expect this kind of thing would happen to me.”

Gun-Ho poured liquor in his glass.

“How much is 19.8 billion won? Say, I spend 10 million won every month for my living expenses, then I need 120 million won per year. That means I can go on like that for the next 165 years.”

Gun-Ho decided to buy liquor to people he felt grateful to. And he wanted to buy a condo for his parents.

“My dearest friend, Jong-Suk. He hung out with me when I had no friends at all. I will buy him liquor big time. Suk-Ho from Gyeongridan Street. I didn’t like that guy, but I was able to open a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant in Noryangjin and made money from China because of him. I will buy him liquor too. Let’s see… who else… Sh*t! I do have such a small social network.”

Gun-Ho ordered one more bottle of Cheongha*. A chef in a white chef uniform handed Cheongha to Gun-Ho; he looked concerned when he saw Gun-Ho’s eyes and asked him,

“Are you okay, sir? Your left eye is swollen.”

“Would you like to join me?”

Gun-Ho poured the clear-liquid Cheongha in a glass and handed it to the chef.

“Thank you.”

The chef served a piece of tuna sushi to Gun-Ho in return after drinking the glass of Cheongha Gun-Ho handed to him.

Gun-Ho tried to think of anyone else who he felt grateful to while having his second bottle of Cheongha.

“That’s right. Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town. I guess he is the one I should feel grateful the most. I don’t think I should buy him liquor though considering his age. What about Master Park from Gangnam? Should I meet with him so I can thank him? He said I would become rich at the age of 35. I guess I should say he was right. I am 35 years old now and will stay 35 until December 31 which is around the corner. Yeah, I think I want to thank him for it.”

Gun-Ho drank one more glass of Cheongha. He felt like he could drink more than the usual.

“It’s not a good time to buy a condo for my parents since it’s winter. I will tell them to get ready by the Lunar New Year’s Day. The moving season starts right after it.”

Gun-Ho decided to take enough time to think about what he wanted to do with his life.

“Since I am rich now, I should run a big company. I have work experience with factories; should I run a factory?”

Gun-Ho walked around the street in Yeongdeungpo District after leaving the Japanese restaurant. The neon lights were shining on the street and Gun-Ho felt like they were blessing him.

The year changed.

The Small and Big Winter went by and the weather was getting warmer. Gun-Ho went to his parents’ home. His eyes were fully recovered already by then.

“Huh? I thought you were coming for the Lunar New Year’s Day.”

Gun-Ho’s mother welcomed his son. Her left eye was swollen and red like a strawberry. The condition of her eye looked more serious than Gun-Ho’s when he had his blood vessels burst in his eyes. She seemed to have a hard time keeping her eye open.

“What’s wrong with your eye, mom?”

“Oh, this? It’s nothing.”

Gun-Ho’s father was in the bedroom, and he opened the door slightly to see Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho’s niece was there having a meal.

“Gun-Ho? I can’t get up to see you, son, because of the pain I have in my waist. Someone hit your mom’s eye.”

“Somebody hit her?”

“Yeah, while she was working at the nursing home, an old man with dementia hit her.”

“Don’t go there anymore, mom!”

“You can’t blame an old man with dementia. He didn’t know what he was doing.”

“What about sister? Why is Jeong-Ah here without her mom?”

“Your sister is working these days, so she left Jeong-Ah here.”

“Where is she working?”

“It’s a factory producing paper cups. She’s often late in coming home. Whew. Your sister and Jeong-Ah are having a hard time these days because of your brother-in-law.”

“What about him?”

“He doesn’t get enough work with his business, so he is doing some manual labor job lately. He shouldn’t have started his own business. If he continued working at the factory he had used to work, he wouldn’t have had to get a loan either. Whew.”

Gun-Ho’s mother cooked Doenjang-jjigae for Gun-Ho with her one eye open.

Gun-Ho had his meal with his mother’s delicious Doenjang-jjigae, and then he asked his parents to sit with him.

“I have something I want to discuss with you.”

“What is it? Why do you look so serious? Did you get a loan too? My chest feels like it’s about to sink every time someone talked about debt.”

“How far are we until the Lunar New Year’s Day?”

“Twenty days left.”

“After the Lunar New Year’s Day, I will buy a condo for you. You need to put this apartment on the market for the next tenant.”

“What are you talking about?”

Gun-Ho’s parents looked at Gun-Ho; they had a skeptical look on their faces.

“Umm, do you remember I went to China earlier, right? I actually made some money from there. I will buy you a condo, so you don’t have to pay the rent every month.”

“We are happy with this place.”

“I want to buy a condo in Seoul. Why don’t you move to Seoul?”

“I don’t like Seoul. We don’t have friends there, and the people there are cold.”

“What about Guweol Town then? Mom, you always said those people living in a condo in Guweol Town are lucky, and that they had probably lived a good life in their previous life. I can get a condo there close to the city hall. I can give you money to cover for your living expenses as well, so stop working in the nursing home.”

“Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea how much it cost to buy a condo there? It’s 300 million won. Your aunt used to live there in a condo 30 pyung large. She now downsized it and moved to Jugong condo in Mansu Town.”

“What about the new condo—Hillstate next to the city hall?”

“Stop being silly. Why don’t you sleep here today and go home tomorrow?”

Gun-Ho’s parents thought he was joking.

Gun-Ho raised his voice.

“I’m not kidding here. I do have money.”

Gun-Ho’s parents looked at Gun-Ho again with still a suspicious look in their eyes. When Gun-Ho looked at his mother’s half-opened swollen eye again, his eyes welled up with tears.

“You have had a difficult life. Let me buy a condo for you.”

His parents still looked at Gun-Ho without saying a word.

“I will let you know as soon as I’ve bought a condo for you. You can then place this apartment on the market. Since Jeong-Ah is here with you, I will get a 45 pyung large condo.”

“Huh?”

Gun-Ho’s father looked at Gun-Ho with his mouth open, and his mother came back to her senses and said,

“I can’t believe any of this until you show us the title to the condo. Only rich people are living in a 45 pyung condo in Incheon. It will cost well over 400 million won. Moreover, even if you have money to buy a condo like that, we can’t live there. You should cut your coat according to your cloth. The maintenance fee of that large condo will cost you a lot.”

“Haha, okay, mom. Just know that I will buy you a condo. I gotta go now. Thanks for the Doenjang-jjigae, mom.”

As Gun-Ho stood up to leave, his mother and father stood up along with him. His father barely stood up though with his painful waist.

“Oh, mom, did you pay off the loan you had from the credit union?”

“Why are you asking? I am still paying the principal and interest. I guess I have about 6 million won left.”

Gun-Ho pulled out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Before you move to a new place, pay off that loan with this. It’s 10 million won. Use 6 million won to pay off the debt and use the remaining 4 million won to buy some restorative herbal medicine for you.”

“10 million won?”

Gun-Ho’s parents’ eyes widened.

———————————————————

<From the author>

Right before MB got elected in the year 2007, the price of stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project increased dramatically. The price of EE-HWA Construction went up 30 times more, and the price of Sammok-Jeong Company went up over 15 times more. The stock market was overheated, and they became issues at that time.

If you are doing stocks, you can easily search the records of the history of those stocks on the Internet: EE-HWA Construction and Sammok-Jeong Company (it is now Sammok S-Form).

The stock’s price hike at that time is a fact, but Gun-Ho’s investment in those stocks is a fiction.

Note*

Cheongha – one of Korean brand of a clear, refined rice wine.

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Chapter 78 - Secret Bar at Hannam Town (1) – PART 1

Chapter 78: Secret Bar at Hannam Town (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho made a call to Jong-Suk.

“Hey Jong-Suk, how are you doing?”

“Oh, bro, what do you do these days?”

“This and that. I am keeping an eye on the real estate market and the stock market.”

“Aren’t you going to start your own business or get a job?”

“I don’t think I want to work for someone any longer. After working as self-employed, I don’t want to go back to the life punching clock for an employer.”

“But you still should do something. Don’t you think?”

“Oh, and I made some money lately. I want to buy you a drink.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. When are you off from your work?”

“Let me see.”

“Let’s ask Suk-Ho in Gyeongridan Street to join us. You ask him. You are closer to him than I am.”

“Oh, Suk-Ho bro. Sure. Let’s then find out what day his bar is closed and we can have a drink there.”

“That sounds great. You talk with him and let me know, okay?”

After getting off the phone with Jong-Suk, Gun-Ho received a call from someone he didn’t know.

“Are you Mr. Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, this is he.”

“I am calling from the stockbroking company. I am a branch manager. I’d like to invite you for a dinner.”

Gun-Ho thought this could be tiresome. The broking firm that Gun-Ho was currently using was the same firm he had used when he worked at a factory in Hwaseong. He had put his money borrowed from the sunshine loan to that company for stock investment at that time. The branch was located in Suwon City.

“I will be out of country from tomorrow.”

“Oh, you will? Then could we meet once you return to Korea?”

Gun-Ho currently had 19.8 billion won in his stock account with that stockbroking firm. Gun-Ho thought it was natural for them to be interested in him now.

Gun-Ho had used to work in several different factories. He knew how a mid-size firm could be. Even though a company seemed to be decent, many companies in that size had a capital less than 1 billion won. Many of them had their annual sales not exceeding 5 billion won.

Considering the fact above, the 19.8 billion won that Gun-Ho had was a huge amount of money. A branch of a stockbroking company would do everything they could not to lose a client with this much funds.

“I was going to move my account to another branch after I move to another area. It’s going to be difficult to do that.”

Gun-Ho then received a call from Jong-Suk.

“Bro? I just talked with Suk-Ho bro. He said Monday of the third week is good. His bar will be closed that day.”

“Really? But you have to work on Monday, don’t you?”

“It’s okay. I can take that day off. I already told my manager that I would have to take that day off for personal reasons.”

“Really? I will see you then.”

Gun-Ho wanted to buy a drink for his friends in a more luxurious bar than Suk-Ho’s bar.

Gun-Ho called Suk-Ho.

“I just talked with Jong-Suk. So, what time would be good on Monday?”

“Right. I will have to run errands in the morning; I have to go to the district office and tax office here. So, what about 5 PM?”

It was Monday; Gun-Ho, Jong-Suk, and Suk-Ho were supposed to meet for a drink.

Gun-Ho didn’t have a car yet, so he took a taxi heading to Suk-Ho’s bar.

The lights in the Suk-Ho’s bar were off and all the chairs were placed on the tables. The front door was slightly open.

“Hey, bro. Come in!”

Jong-Suk was already there and he was having a beer with Suk-Ho.

“Hey, come and have a seat!”

“Did you guys already start drinking without me?”

“Have a drink, Gun-Ho. Suk-Ho came early so we started early.”

“I was going to take you guys to a good place.”

“Let’s have a drink here first then go to a restaurant. I know a good one close to Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon Town.”

Gun-Ho looked around the bar. The large picture of a musical instrument was still hanging on the wall. That reminded Gun-Ho of Suk-Ho’s business partner who looked like an artist.

“How is your partner doing? Your friend from college. His name was Bang something and he looked like an artist.”

“Oh, Han-Young Bang! He is not coming here anymore. He works at a room salon*.”

“A room salon?”

“Yeah, his sister is a chief hostess there.”

“You mean he is not your business partner of this bar anymore?”

“He is still holding the shares in this bar and I am sending half of the profits from this bar to him. He wants to pull out the funds he invested in this bar but I don’t have money to buy him out.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I want to go to that room salon he is working to contribute to their sales, but I don’t know anyone who could afford to drink there and pay for their expensive service and liquor.”

Jong-Suk asked Suk-Ho while pouring beer in Gun-Ho’s and Suk-Ho’s glasses.

“Bro, you have a lot of friends who seemed to be rich. Many of your friends are riding a luxurious car.”

“They do have luxurious cars; that’s true. But that doesn’t mean they have money to spend at a room salon. It’s not like they are running a big company.”

Gun-Ho gulped the beer and said while putting his empty glass back on the table.

“Let’s go there today!”

“Bro, are you drunk? It’s way more expensive than we could afford.”

Suk-Ho also tried to talk him out of it.

“Jong-Suk is right. It’s not like we are having a special occasion to go to a place like that, such as closing a very important deal or something. It’s a waste of money. You have never been to a room salon before, haven’t you? Just drink your beer.”

Gun-Ho, Suk-Ho, and Jong-Suk walked out of Suk-Ho’s bar after having a few drinks and headed to the restaurant close to Hamilton Hotel. They continued to drink beer in that restaurant. After the three men got drunk, they all couldn’t think straight. Gun-Ho stood up first while staggering.

“Let’s go! Let’s go to the third place, the room salon where the curly hair guy Han-Young Bang is working. Let’s go!”

Jong-Suk stood up next while staggering as well and then he yelled,

“Let’s go! F*ck! Gun-Ho bro made some money. Let’s go!”

“Hey, Suk-Ho! It’s your town. Get a taxi for us!”

“Okay, let’s go! Let’s have that Ballantine’s 17 years old whiskey there!”

They eventually took a taxi and headed to the room salon located in Gangnam close to Samsung Subway Station.

Gun-Ho was so drunk that he didn’t even look at the room salon’s business sign before he walked down to a basement of a building. There were young men wearing a suit at the main entrance; they must be bouncers. They all had the same hair cut that made their head look like a square.

“Welcome our brothers.”

They gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho’s party and then they grabbed Gun-Ho, Suk-Ho and Jong-Suk’s arms and took them inside the room salon.

The room salon was located in the basement of a building and its interior was decorated luxuriously like a palace. There were Ionic style columns in the room. Even though he was so drunk, Gun-Ho touched the column wondering if the column was made of stone or plastic.

One of the bouncers clapped loudly and said,

“Customers here. Serve them well!”

A waiter wearing a white shirt and bow tie came out with a broad smile and led Gun-Ho’s party to a room. The waiter looked like a weasel.

“Hey, bring Manager Bang here!”

“He is not here right now.”

“Where did he go? Bring him here as I said!”

Suk-Ho was so drunk and he started yelling.

Young ladies came into the room with a tray. There were wet wipes and bottles of water on the tray.

The man with a bow tie came back to the room and said while taking Suk-Ho’s jacket and hanging on the wall.

“Manager Bang is coming. Just give him several minutes. Let me take an order for you. What would you like to drink?”

“Let’s have Ballantine’s, bros!”

Jong-Suk’s words started to slur; he must be very drunk already. When Jong-Suk asked for Ballantine’s, Suk-Ho who was sitting in a chair while breathing heavily jumped up from his seat and said,

“Ballantine’s is too expensive! Bring us Chivas Regal instead! The last liquor that our former president, Chung-Hee Park had before he died.”

“Alright. I will bring you a salad and fruits for snacks as well. Also, I will ask three ladies to join you.”

“We came here because we heard there were many pretty girls working here. So do what you have to do, okay? Manager Bang is my best friend! You know that?”

“Oh, okay, brothers, or sirs!”

The man with a bow tie gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho’s party before leaving the room.

After a while, two waitresses came to the room with a cute smile; they brought a bottle of Chivas Regal, cute whiskey glasses, and some snacks and fruits that were beautifully carved.

Note*

Room salon – a type of a bar in Korea where you can drink in a room with bar hostesses.

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Chapter 79 - Secret Bar at Hannam Town (1) – PART 2

Chapter 79: Secret Bar at Hannam Town (1) – PART 2

The waitresses of the room salon set up the table beautifully with the whiskey glasses, snacks and fruits they brought in. They prepared ice cubes for whiskey as well, in case anyone wanted a whiskey on the rocks.

“Bring us three or four bottles of beer too.”

The way Suk-Ho ordered beers was telling that this was not his first time in a room salon. He skillfully opened the Chivas Regal bottle and poured into each person’s whiskey glass. When the waitress brought beers, Suk-Ho asked,

“Do you want a bomb shot?”

Gun-Ho waved his two hands simultaneously showing that he didn’t want a bomb shot. He seemed to be too drunk to say a word.

“You have such low alcohol tolerance. How are you going to manage to run a big business with that?”

The three men started drinking beers and Chiva Regal. After about ten minutes, the same waiter wearing a bow tie came back to their room.

“I’ve brought three ladies for you. If you don’t like any of them, you just let me know, then I will bring a new girl.”

Three young ladies wearing flimsy half nude clothes came into the room. Their faces were covered with a thick layer of makeup.

“Who is the youngest?”

As Suk-Ho asked, a girl who looked young came forward.

“Okay. You sit next to the guy over there. He is the youngest among us.”

Suk-Ho indicated the seat next to Jong-Suk. The girl quickly went to Suk-Ho and sat next to him.

“Let me see who is prettier.”

Suk-Ho asked one of two other ladies to sit next to Gun-Ho; she was shorter than the other girl. Suk-Ho then asked the tall girl to sit next to himself. Gun-Ho thought the girl next to him who was a bit shorter than the other looked prettier.

Gun-Ho was nervous because of the girl who was half naked and sitting next to him. He could smell Chanel perfume from her. Gun-Ho was startled when the lady next to him held his arm. That lady started laughing by Gun-Ho’s reaction.

“Hahaha. I guess this is your first time in a place like this.”

She took a piece of apple from the plate on the table and bit half of it. She then put the remaining half, which of course had her saliva into Gun-Ho’s mouth.

“Um… it’s…um… it’s okay. I will take it myself.”

“Hahaha, he is stuttering.”

All of the three girls there started laughing.

“These two men here are virgin. You girls are very lucky today. You’d better serve them well tonight.”

Suk-Ho said vigorously while pouring Chivas Regal in three glasses and handing it to the three girls. The three ladies gulped liquor and started smoking.

– What happened next will not be described in this novel since it is lewd. (This novel is not rated R) –

Gun-Ho opened his eyes. It was not his home.

“Where am I?”

He remembered that the bouncers helped him walk and placed him in a motel in a building next to the room salon building.

“Oh, this is a motel room. I guess I spent a night here.”

Gun-Ho looked at his watch. It was five in the morning. Gun-Ho thought about whether he should call Suk-Ho and Jong-Suk; he then decided not to.

Gun-Ho walked out of the motel. It was still dark outside. The sun was not up yet. There was a street sweeper cleaning the street.

Gun-Ho walked to the main street to take a taxi and came back to his office-tel in Yeongdeungpo District. As he was having a bad headache, he laid down on his bed again.

When Gun-Ho woke up later that day, he started calculating how much he spent last night.

“The liquor and tips for the ladies cost me more than 1.5 million won. That is the same amount of money as my monthly income when I worked in a factory. Ha! Ordinary people will not go to a room salon spending this much in one night. I don’t think I would go there again, either because I don’t like their liquor. I went there by curiosity but it’s not my type.”

Gun-Ho had money but he didn’t have a job. He didn’t know what to say whenever someone asked him about his occupation. For that reason, he wanted to do something that would generate income.

“What should I do? What about a fast food restaurant like Lotteria? Or a coffee shop like Starbucks? Since Starbucks doesn’t franchise their stores, maybe I should do Tom N Toms or Pascucci. Nah, if I open one of those, I will have to spend my time operating it. My main focus has to be a real estate or financial business.”

After giving a lot of thought to his business item, he came up with an office-tel or OneRoomTel business.

“I can buy several office-tels and rent them out.”

It could be a good business as long as all tenants were nice enough to pay their rent every month without any issue just like Gun-Ho himself had done, otherwise, it could be troublesome.

“What about OneRoomTel? The luxurious one with a monthly rent of over 400,000 won. I had once thought about taking a residential manager position in a OneRoomTel while studying for the level-9 government job exam. Should I run a OneRoomTel?”

Gun-Ho searched any OneRoomTel for sale on the Internet.

“A newly renovated luxurious OneRoomTel costs about 300 million won. Even if I buy three of them, it would cost me less than 1 billion won. According to the sales advertisement, the income from one OneRoomTel would be 6,000,000 won, but I don’t think it would generate that much. Assuming that I make 4,000,000 won from each OneRoomTel, I can make 12,000,000 won per month. I can hire a manager who would handle the business. It seems like a good business for me. The business looks simple and it wouldn’t require my constant presence.”

Gun-Ho wanted to buy his own place as soon as possible and move out of this office-tel he was currently residing. He also wanted to buy a car.

“I want to buy a condo in Gangnam. The condo’s price in Gangnam is always on the rise no matter what. It will be one of my investment property, so I’d better get an expensive one. I’ve done it before when I was in China. I bought an expensive condo there and its price became more expensive.”

Gun-Ho opened an auction website and looked for a condo for sale in Gangnam. One condo drew Gun-Ho’s attention.

“One TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town is on the market. It’s 1.8 billion won. If no one bids on this condo at their first try at auction, the price will drop below 1.5 billion won. I’d better ask someone who knows well about auction before I place my bid. Let’s ask the president of the private institution in Yongsan District. I took an auction course there. The president is giving a consultation as well.”

Gun-Ho calculated again.

“I have 19.8 billion won. I will spend 1 billion for a business like OneRoomTel, 1.5 billion for my own condo, 0.4 billion for my parents’ condo, and for other miscellaneous spending such as a car, furniture, etc. of 0.1 billion. I will then need about 3 billion in total. I will keep the remaining 16.8 billion won until I find a good business or investment opportunity.”

While Gun-Ho was having a happy time planning his future, it occurred to him that he wanted to treat Chairman Lee a dinner.

“Oh, I want to treat Chairman Lee and Master Park a dinner or something. Will it be okay for me to call them? Will they have time for me?”

Gun-Ho looked for the business card that Chairman Lee had given to him before He left for China. There was no cell phone number but only office number was on the business card. He made a call to the number. After ringing twice, a young lady answered the phone—probably his secretary.

“Hello?”

“Dongil Paper Chairman’s office? May I talk to the chairman please?”

“May I tell him who’s calling?”

“Umm, he will know if you tell him Gun-Ho Goo from Pocheon fishing site.”

“He is not available right now. I will let him know that you called.”

Gun-Ho hung up the phone.

“Is she just telling me he was not there even though he was there?”

Gun-Ho was getting ready to go out to have a Jjajangmyeon when he received a call from Chairman Lee.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo? I was told that you called?”

“Chairman Lee? How have you been?”

“I haven’t been in the fishing site lately because of the cold weather. Let’s go fishing once the weather gets warmer.”

“I was calling you because I wanted to buy you a dinner because I got a good result from my recent investment.”

“Me? What does your investment have to do with me?”

“Your advice has helped me a lot in my investment decision. I would really like to buy you a dinner. Please let me know your convenient time. I also like to invite your friend, Master Park for dinner as well.”

“Haha, thank you for the invitation. I will then pick a good date and let you know.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Chairman Lee in that evening.

“How about this coming Friday? In Hannam Town. Master Park said he would join us.”

“I will be there, sir.”

“You probably don’t know the restaurant we picked, so come to the Soonchunhyang Hospital in Hannam Town by 7 PM. Manager Gweon will be waiting for you in front of the hospital.”

“Thank you. Thank you.”

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Chapter 80 - Secret Bar at Hannam Town (2) – PART 1

Chapter 80: Secret Bar at Hannam Town (2) – PART 1

Friday came around.

Gun-Ho wore a suit and went to Hannam Town. The sunset was early these days because it was wintertime. It was dark outside, but the lights from the stores illuminated the street.

“This neighborhood has a romantic vibe.”

There were many single houses in the neighborhood along with several foreign embassies of various countries such as Switzerland, Thailand, Cambodia, etc. That was why the road in front of Soonchunhyang Hospital was called the Embassy Road.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, over here!”

It was Manager Gweon who had been assisting Chairman Lee.

“How have you been, Manager Gweon?”

“Long time no see. I’m so glad to see you again.”

After shaking hands with Manager Gweon, Gun-Ho followed him to a quiet alley in the neighborhood. When they arrived at a single house with a landscaped yard, Manager Gweon asked Gun-Ho to get in there. There was no restaurant sign. Gun-Ho could only see a small acrylic sign on its brick wall next to the front door.

“Pine tree?”

The sign said ‘pine tree,’ and below the word ‘pine tree’, it said ‘restaurant’ in a small font. Gun-Ho thought that no pedestrian would be able to see the small-font restaurant sign and recognize the house as a restaurant.

“Welcome.”

A young man in a suit came out of the house and greeted Gun-Ho. He didn’t let Gun-Ho in the house though; instead, he led Gun-Ho to the back side of the house. There was another door leading to the house next door. The house next door was also a single house with a yard.

“Come this way. Watch your steps. They are stone stairs.”

Following the young man, Gun-Ho passed by the quiet yard which had a big pine tree in it and entered the front door.

“Welcome.”

A lady who looked like in her 50s wearing a traditional Korean dress came out to greet Gun-Ho. Even with her mature age, she was very beautiful. The lady showed Gun-Ho into a room where Chairman Lee and Master Park were. The room was decorated with an embroidered folding screen, and the two old men were sitting at a floor table. Chairman Lee was wearing a vest without a jacket.

“Hello, I am honored to meet you.” The lady said to Gun-Ho.

“Ms. Jang, why don’t you bring a floor cushion for him?”

The lady whose name was Ms. Jang brought a floor cushion embroidered with a crane.

“Have a seat.”

“I initially suggested going to a puffer fish restaurant in the vicinity, but Master Park insisted that we should come here.”

Chairman Lee seemed to be concerned that Gun-Ho might find it uncomfortable being in a rather unique restaurant setting. Master Park stuck his head out to Gun-Ho.

“ShinWangJaeWang young man! You became rich, right? I told you that you would become rich when you reached the age of 35. Am I right?”

“Right, I think you told me that. You have a very good memory, sir.”

“I memorized all about your fate. It’s very unique! Your fate is to become dirty rich!”

Chairman Lee seemed to be embarrassed by his friend, Master Park’s choice of words.

“What is dirty rich? Rich is rich.”

“Young man! I was right, wasn’t I? You made billions!”

“Oh, umm, yes, I… I did make money.”

“Then you can treat us here. Ms. Jang, bring us the table!”

Ms. Jang smiled elegantly and stood up from a sitting position.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, do you recognize this lady?!”

“Umm, I don’t know…”

Gun-Ho looked at Ms. Jang’s face again. She surely looked familiar.

“Probably you are too young to recognize her. She is a famous actress, Mi-Hyang Jang in our old days.”

Gun-Ho now recognized her face. He might have seen her in a magazine.

“Oh, really?”

After a moment, two young men in a white shirt brought a big floor table. The table was already set with all kinds of Korean food and liquor; there was Sinseollo* as well.

Ms. Jang entered into the room and served liquor in a gold-colored pot.

“It seems like you are reversing your age. How come you’re not aging at all and keep a resilient young skin?”

“Hahaha, are you saying I should age with all those wrinkles like you do, Master Park?”

“I don’t have that many wrinkles. I am still a young guy. Listen to what this woman says.”

Master Park didn’t seem to be a gentleman when he was talking with a woman.

The door was opened and two young ladies who were also wearing a traditional Korean dress entered the room. Those women sat next to Chairman Lee and Gun-Ho to serve them.

Gun-Ho looked at the profile of the lady sitting next to him. She looked like in her mid-20s and she had very long eyelashes. She had a different vibe from the girls Gun-Ho saw in the room salon. This lady seemed to be more cultured and refined.

“Hey, you women! Drink it!”

Master Park handed a glass of liquor to those two young ladies. The ladies sipped the liquor while turning their heads slightly to the side and covering their mouth and the glass.

“Ms. Jang, pay attention to this young man right here. He will become very very rich soon.”

“I just heard he made billions already. He is already rich then.”

Ms. Jang said while putting a piece of Galbi-jjim* on Gun-Ho’s plate.

“We don’t call a person with several billion won rich. You have that much money, Ms. Jang. Then you are rich too.”

“I am not rich.”

“You are! When you were younger, you made money by mesmerizing men, and now you are making money by running this secret bar.”

“Don’t say that, Master Park. I am not doing well these days because you haven’t come here as often as before anymore.”

“President Goo, let’s drink.”

Chairman Lee called Gun-Ho President Goo. The lady sitting next to Gun-Ho poured more liquor in his glass.

“So, how did you make the money?”

“I invested in real estate and the stock market. I invested in real estate when I was in China, and this time I invested in the stock market.”

“You probably invested in the stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project.”

Gun-Ho smiled without saying a word.

“The real estate investment is good. However, you shouldn’t cling on stocks for too long. Once you make money from stock investments, you should get out of there right away unless you have some kind of certainty to continue to invest.”

“I will take heed of what you said, sir. I think you are absolutely right.”

“In this country, the insiders share information exclusively within their inner circle. They establish some investment company, issue stock to raise money, and then make a short sale of the stock so they can make more money once the stock prices go down. As long as short-selling is allowed in our stock exchange system, little people can hardly make money by investing in the stock market because they don’t have the necessary information. The recent stock hike involved with Four Major Rivers Project was a special case influenced by politics. You shouldn’t expect to make money again in the stock market like that case. You shouldn’t invest in the stock market without certainty.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Once the stock prices go up, the insiders will issue a CB (convertible bond). Bastards!”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho thought he was getting more than he would have to pay today. The advice that Chairman Lee was giving to Gun-Ho was so valuable that what he had to pay for today’s dinner and liquor seemed nothing.

“The stock market will shrink in the future unless the problem in the stock exchange system that I just mentioned is resolved. If an alternative investment option emerges, the investors will move there rather than the stock market, virtual money for example.”

“Virtual money?”

“Haha. I am just thinking since we are living in the digital age.”

Gun-Ho later was stunned when the Bitcoin storm arrived. When Chairman Lee had mentioned about digital money, no one even thought of the very idea. Gun-Ho thought later that Chairman Lee was indeed an incredibly wise man. He was absolutely different from the old men in the subway, who were raising voices saying the younger passengers must give up their seats to them.

“What’s your plan now?”

“I am thinking of acquiring real estate and rent them out for now, and then I’ll start running a business when I see a good opportunity.”

“Hmm…”

Master Park got annoyed while hearing the boring conversation between Gun-Ho and Chairman Lee.

“Stop talking about money. We are here to have fun, right? Then let’s have fun! Hey, you girls! Sing a song or play a musical instrument or do something.”

Note*

Sinseollo – It is also called the royal hot pot. All sorts of vegetables and meat in a rich broth.

Galbi-jjim – Korean style beef short ribs dish.

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Chapter 81 - Secret Bar at Hannam Town (2) – PART 2

Chapter 81: Secret Bar at Hannam Town (2) – PART 2

The young ladies brought a Gayageum* and the lady who was sitting next to Gun-Ho started playing it. She sounded like a professional. One lady turned off half of the lights in the room and Gun-Ho could see the yard better through the window. The outdoor lighting looked brighter.

It was an amazing night with an alluring vibe. Gun-Ho was listening to the beautiful melody from the Gayageum which was being played by a beautiful woman while looking at the pine tree in the yard outside.

Chairman Lee and Master Park were immersed in the Gayageum melody, and their bodies were swaying in the music.

Once the lady finished playing, Chairman Lee and Master Park clapped.

“Good job. It’s beautiful. Drink this.”

Chairman Lee poured liquor in a glass and handed it to the lady who just played Gayageum.

Once the old men became drunk, they were busy talking about their old days. Gun-Ho felt bored.

“I should have asked Manager Gweon to join us.”

Gun-Ho felt bored and he talked to the lady who played the Gayageum earlier.

“You are very good at playing the Gayageum. Where did you learn it?”

“School.”

When the lady smiled, a dimple appeared on her face; it looked attractive.

“Where did you go to school?”

“I went to a school in Jeonju City.”

While Gun-Ho was talking with the lady, Ms. Jang entered the room, and Master Park complained to her.

“Where have you been? You were supposed to be here with us. Where did you go? Did you hide a new husband in another room?”

“Stop fooling around, Master Park.”

“This young man is still not married. Why don’t you find a girl for him?”

“Really?”

Ms. Jang looked at Gun-Ho’s face and Gun-Ho blushed with embarrassment. He also felt the lady’s eyes on him, the one who played the Gayageum. Gun-Ho’s cheeks were burning.

“Come visit us often. I might get you a really good girl. Who knows?”

“Why don’t you sing a song for us?”

“Pour me a drink first before asking me to sing a song.”

“Damn woman!”

Master Park poured liquor in her glass.

Ms. Jang started singing after gulping the liquor. She was singing an old song that Gun-Ho had never heard before. She probably picked this old song for the two old men, Chairman Lee and Master Park. Gun-Ho was stunned when she started singing; she sounded like a professional.

“That damn woman sings really well!”

Master Park poured liquor in Ms. Jang’s glass again. The beautiful alluring moment with music and all sorts of dainties was fading away deep into the night.

After listening to one more Gayageum play, they walked out of the secret bar in Hannam Town. Before Gun-Ho left the bar, Ms. Jang slipped her business card into his pocket covertly.

Manager Gweon ran to Gun-Ho’s party when he saw them walking out of the bar.

“Manager Gweon? Where have you been? Why didn’t you join us?”

“Nah. I feel more comfortable out here. It’s not my style sitting in a room with old men having dinner and liquor.”

Chairman Lee and Master Park seemed to be drunk a bit and went to the bathroom while staggering slightly.

“I didn’t know there was a place like this.”

“Many politicians and people running a big company comes to this bar. Master Park consults them covertly about their future, fate, and business.”

“Oh, really?”

“Many people with power and money live in this area, Hannam Town and Itaewon Town, and they often come to this bar. Oh, Chairman Lee is coming.”

Manager Gweon ran to Chairman Lee.

Gun-Ho had now been in a room salon and a secret bar with the money he recently made.

“I guess I—an ex-factory worker—am a successful man. I spent several million won but it was worth it. I learned a lot. However, I don’t like the room salon. I’d better avoid going there again.”

Gun-Ho went to the private institution he had used to go for an auction course to see the president. Gun-Ho wanted to consult with him about the TowerPalace condo he saw in an auction website earlier.

The president was reading a newspaper in his office when Gun-Ho went to see him; maybe he didn’t have a class to teach these days.

“Hello, sir?”

“Oh, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. Please come in. So, you want to consult about real property. What do you have in mind?”

“It’s a condo.”

“Oh, it’s not a land, but a condo.”

“Yes, it’s about the TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town.”

“What’s the appraised value?”

“It’s 1.8 billion won. It’s 50 pyung large.”

“Wow! 1.8 billion won! It’s an expensive condo. Are your parents buying the condo?”

“Haha, whatever way you want to think; I’m fine with it. I’m not buying just to live there, but I consider it as an investment as well.”

“The TowerPalace is a high-rise residential building and since the area is very popular you won’t incur any loss with the condo even in the future.”

“Right, so I do want to buy that condo, but since I don’t have any experience with an auction sale, I’d like to have some help from an expert like you, sir.”

“Let me see. For the auction in Dogok Town, I know someone who’s right for you. He is a good friend of mine and he offers consultation on auction in Gangnam District. He is very good and professional. My class starts this coming Monday so I will be busy then, so my good friend will help you.”

The president made a call to his friend right away.

“Manager Oh? It’s me.”

“Oh, bro, what’s up?”

“I have someone here who wants to buy a condo at an auction in Dogok Town. Would you like to meet with him?”

“I will be available after 2 PM today. I have to go to the court in the morning; I have to attend an auction there.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho went to the consulting firm with the address and map that the president of the private institution of auction gave to him. The firm was located in a small building in the vicinity of Seoul National University of Education in Seocho Town.

Gun-Ho walked up to the third floor to their office. There was two staff working there and one man wearing a sports cap sitting on a sofa while looking at his cell phone.

“Is Manager Oh here?”

“It’s me.”

“The president of an auction institution referred me to this firm.”

“Oh, sure. Have a seat.”

“I want to acquire a condo in Dogok Town at an auction.”

“Do you know the case number?”

“Huh? No, but it’s a TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town.”

The man—Manager Oh—sat at his desk and started searching for something with his computer.

“Is it the 50 pyung large condo?”

“That’s the one.”

“This condo just came to the auction. Come again after the first auction fails. Since the condo is situated in a popular area, the second auction will surely not fail.”

“What should I do now?”

“Just observe the first auction. The second auction will be held on the 24th after the Lunar New Year’s Day. Bring the bid deposit when you come for the second auction.”

“How much should I prepare?”

Manager Oh calculated the amount with his electronic calculator.

“It’s going to be 144 million won. You need to bring your ID and your registered stamp. Why don’t we make the consulting contract now?”

“Do you take care of transferring the real property as well?”

“Of course. Once you get the condo by auction, we will handle everything from letting the current occupant move out from the condo to handing over the condo key to you.”

That sounded like they were not going to do much for the fee they would charge, Gun-Ho thought.

“It might look not much of work if you just think about it; however, letting the current occupant move out from the condo itself is hard work. If you do it by yourself, you could get yourself in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“If the occupant refused to vacate the condo, what would you do? Are you going to drag that person out of the condo? Say, you explain to that person that you bought the condo by auction so he or she has to leave. What do you think they would say? They will probably ask you a high moving expense. You can try if you want.”

“I see.”

“You are going to live in that condo, right? If you get involved in a physical altercation with the current occupant and kick them out, what would the neighbors in the very same building think of you? They are the residents you will encounter on a daily basis after you move into the condo.”

That made sense. Gun-Ho made a consulting contract with Manager Oh.

Note*

Gayageums – A traditional musical instrument of Korea.

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Chapter 82 - Moving to Gangnam (1) – PART 1

Chapter 82: Moving to Gangnam (1) – PART 1

It was after the Lunar New Year’s Day when Gun-Ho went to Guweol Town near the city hall in Incheon to look for a condo for his parents. When he got off from the subway at Seokcheon’s Four-Way Intersection, the first thing he could see was a majestic high-rise residential complex—Hillstate.

“I would buy a 25 or 30 pyung large condo for my parents; however, since Jeong-Ah would stay with them most of the time, I’d better buy a bit larger condo than that.”

When he saw a realtor’s office at a commercial building, he entered the office. The realtor was a female who looked like in her late 40s.

“Hello, I came to see a condo.”

“Are you selling or buying?”

“I want to buy one. Around 50 pyung large.”

The realtor lady took out her note and looked for a condo that was currently on the market.

“We have one on the fourth floor. Would you like to take a look?”

“How much is it?”

“It’s 420 million won.” (It costs more these days.)

“It’s expensive. Is there anything else that came out for a quick sale?”

“I don’t see any quick sale, but there is another condo with a tenant.”

“When will the lease expire?”

“It says it will expire this fall, so I would say about six more months left.”

“That’s too late for me. Let me leave my number here. Would you give me a call if you see any good condos on the higher floors come on the market?”

“Hold on a second. I might be able to find a condo for a quick sale.”

The realtor made a call to another realtor’s office.

“Dongwoo realtor’s office? You have a 50 pyung large condo for a quick sale, right?”

“I don’t have a 50 pyung, but I do have a 45 pyung condo in building number 511.”

“How much is it?”

“The owner said they won’t sell it below 400 million won.”

Gun-Ho was thinking that maybe the 45 pyung was better for his parents and the 50 pyung condo was too big to maintain—like cleaning it. Just three people would be living there after all.

“I will take the 45 pyung condo.”

The realtor lady called the other realtor again to request a tour to that condo. It seemed that realtors were all connected to each other and shared information.

“He said the condo is vacant right now. Would you like to see it now?”

Gun-Ho followed the realtor to see the 45 pyung large condo. Since it was a newly constructed condo, it was clean, and he didn’t have to do anything before moving in.

“You don’t even have to redo the wall and floor.”

The realtor’s sales pitch continued.

“As you see, the kitchen and bathroom are brand new. They have never been used. Moreover, look outside the window. The view from here is magnificent.”

Gun-Ho bought the condo and took the purchase contract that day. The owner was living in the vicinity of the condo and came right away when he was told there was a buyer waiting for him. The owner looked like he was in his 60s.

“Since the condo is vacant, you can move in any day you want after paying the remaining sale price.”

“I will pay the remainder after a week.”

The owner handed to Gun-Ho, the real estate registration and the receipt of the last HOA payment of that condo.

After completing the sales contract, Gun-Ho walked out of the realtor’s office and looked at the majestic condominium complex again.

“Whew. If I lived in a condo like this when I was in high school, I wouldn’t have had to suffer because of money and my poor family.”

Gun-Ho felt mixed feelings.

Gun-Ho headed to his parents’ home. On the way there, he saw his brother-in-law buying something in a supermarket close to his parents’ townhouse apartment.

“Gun-Ho? What are you doing here? Jeong-Ah, your uncle is here. Say hello to him.”

“Hi.”

Jeong-Ah said hello to Gun-Ho while hugging her snack; she was cute. Gun-Ho smiled and gave 10,000 won to Jeong-Ah.

“I just made a sales contract for the condo in Guweol Town. I will ask my parents to put their apartment on the market.”

“You already made a contract? That early? I will talk to your mom about placing their apartment on the market.”

“Umm, I gotta go now. Please tell my mom that I had to go because I’m really busy. Jeong-Ah, bye, bye.”

Gun-Ho made the payment of the remaining condo sales price. He was thinking of buying the condo under his name, but he placed his parents’ name instead because if he successfully acquired the TowerPalace condo at the auction it would make him own two residential properties which would cause tax issues.

“I will ask them to throw out all the furniture and stuff they have been using in that townhouse apartment before moving to their new place.”

Gun-Ho filled the new condo with new furniture and household appliances: refrigerator, sofa, washer, dining table, gas oven, big screen TV, etc. They were all new and expensive ones. He even purchased a desk for Jeong-Ah. The condo looked wonderful with new furniture in it. The spacious 45 pyung condo went elegantly well with the luxurious furniture Gun-Ho purchased.

He didn’t buy an air conditioner yet since summer wouldn’t begin anytime soon.

It was a moving day. Gun-Ho went to his parents’ old apartment in Juan, Incheon. It was Sunday, so his sister was there helping his parents to pack up without having to go to work.

“Just throw those refrigerator, dining table, TV and all. There is a new gas oven in the new condo so toss out the old one.”

“It’s still working fine. I can clean it and it is still usable.”

Gun-Ho’s parents were loading the moving truck with all the old refrigerator, gas oven, table, and stuff when Gun-Ho raised his voice asking to unload them. Their old stuff was being unloaded, and his parents stared at their old furniture and stuff get dumped on the ground for quite a while.

After throwing out most of his parents’ old stuff, the moving became easier. Gun-Ho didn’t even need to rent an aerial ladder truck to move the stuff up to the condo.

“Mom, dad, this is the home you will be living in.”

Gun-Ho’s parents were stunned once they looked around the condo. Their jaws dropped in amazement. Gun-Ho remembered when his mom compared her life with his aunt’s after she visited his aunt’s 30 pyung large condo; she had always been envious of her. This 45 pyung large condo had a two-door refrigerator, a sofa, and a dining table.

“Oh my God! Oh my God!”

Gun-Ho’s mother couldn’t hide her excitement and amazement.

“Live happily ever after in this home, mom… dad.”

“Oh, my goodness. Look at the floor.”

After stroking the floor a few times, Gun-Ho’s mother sank to the floor and shed tears.

“Thank you, my son. I guess I lived this long to have this luxurious life because of you.”

Gun-Ho’s mother blinked her eyes which had become small like date seeds with her age in her wrinkled face; tears ran from her eyes. She then held Gun-Ho’s hands. Gun-Ho could feel his mother’s rough and wrinkled hands and he felt sad. At that moment, Jeong-Ah ran to Gun-Ho’s mother.

“Grandma, is this our home?”

“No, Jeong-Ah!”

Gun-Ho’s sister quickly dragged Jeong-Ah’s hand toward her.

“Yes, it is our home, Jeong-Ah. Your uncle bought a desk for you too, over there.”

Gun-Ho’s mother said to her granddaughter.

“Whoa, it’s my desk.”

Jeong-Ah ran to the room where her desk was placed.

After finishing a cursory unpacking, Gun-Ho explained to his parents how to use the new home appliances which were already placed in the condo. Gun-Ho then called a Chinese restaurant and ordered Jajangmyeon and Tangsuyuk* for delivery.

The movers already left without having their meal. Gun-Ho’s family sat at the new dining table after the food Gun-Ho ordered had arrived. It had been a while since Gun-Ho’s whole family had a meal together. It reminded Gun-Ho of the old days when he was little.

Gun-Ho was smoking in the veranda after the meal when his sister came to talk to him.

“Gun-Ho, I’m sorry that I had to leave Jeong-Ah with our parents here. I’m so worried that she might scratch something in this new condo.”

“This is not my condo. It’s our parents’ home.”

“Is it okay with you to leave Jeong-Ah here for a while? Your brother-in-law and I, we are trying hard to improve our financial situation.”

“Huh? You don’t have to ask me, sister. It’s our parents’ home, so as long as they are okay with it then it is okay. It seems our parents like to be with Jeong-Ah. She is entertaining them.”

“Thank you, Gun-Ho. I didn’t want to impose.”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Gun-Ho was getting ready to leave for Seoul.

“Why don’t you stay here and spend the night? There are many rooms you can use. And I am cooking for dinner.”

“Mom… dad, you’re probably really tired already. Take a good rest now. I will send you the living expenses to your bank account, mom. Don’t forget to pay the HOA on time. I’m leaving now. Bye, Jeong-Ah!”

Gun-Ho walked out of the condo. He felt good while heading to the subway station. Gun-Ho turned around to see the condo complex again.

“Don’t worry about your parents anymore!”

The majestic high-rise residential complex seemed to say that to him.

Note*

Tangsuyuk – Korean Chinese deep-fried pork dish with sweet and sour sauce.

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Chapter 83 - Moving to Gangnam (1) – PART 2

Chapter 83: Moving to Gangnam (1) – PART 2

Several days passed by after Gun-Ho’s parents moved into the new condo.

Gun-Ho received a phone call from the consulting firm in Seocho Town.

“The first auction for the TowerPalace condo you are interested in has failed as expected, and the next auction is scheduled the day after tomorrow. Are you aware of it?”

“Yes, I already prepared the bid deposit.”

“The day before yesterday, I verified the auction documents of that condo and visited the condo as well. Its location is very nice.”

“Oh, really? Thank you for your work.”

“You don’t have to worry about the secured creditors listed in the real estate registration after you buy the property at the auction; they will be all released. I already checked the statements on the property, tenancy document, and the appraisal report. I didn’t see any problem.”

“Oh, good to know.”

“There is no tenant who could exercise any right on the property. The condo is actually occupied by the owner.”

“Oh, I see.”

“On the auction day, I will arrive at the court earlier. When you come, don’t forget to bring your ID and your stamp. Also, bring more money than the bid deposit in case there is a competitor we have to beat.”

“How much more do you think I should prepare?”

“I recommend bringing 20 million won. You possibly will not use all of them if there are not many competitors.”

“Okay, I will prepare them.”

“I will guide you through the process. I will see you then.”

“Okay, thank you.”

On the auction day, Gun-Ho went to Seoul Central District Court in Seocho Town. There were a lot of people at the court. Some people were distributing information sheet about the auction at the court entrance.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, I’m here.”

Manager Oh from the consulting firm was already there waiting for Gun-Ho. He was wearing the same sports cap, and he was chewing a gum.

“Since the TowerPalace condo is an expensive property, I don’t expect many people bidding on it. Why don’t you take the bidder’s ticket and envelope over there?”

Manager Oh seemed to have another client he had to assist that day; he was waiting for someone.

“The bailiff of the court will conduct the auction. When you write your offer price, you must be very careful. If you write the wrong number, you could lose your bid deposit. Verify the case number closely.”

Manager Oh was greeting someone who he had been waiting for. It was a middle-aged woman.

“Ma’am, I think there will be quite a lot of competitors for the property you are interested in because that commercial building is making money.”

“Then what should I do? I really want that building.”

“Add two more to the price.”

A man who was passing stopped to say hi to Manager Oh.

“Hey, are you participating in the auction for this lady as well? Why don’t you skip this one?”

That man glanced at the lady and smiled.

Someone asked to be quiet and get ready for the auction. It seemed like the auction would start soon. Gun-Ho sat on a chair. The courtroom was filled with people and some people were standing at the back of the room because there was no empty seat in the room.

At the ring of the bell, the bailiff announced that the auction had started. He started off with a short introduction of guiding the participants what to expect during the auction.

Gun-Ho wrote his offer price of 1,512 million won as instructed by Manager Oh earlier, and included the bid deposit of 151.20 million won in the envelope. The bid deposit was 10% of the offer price.

“Our father in heaven, please allow me to win this time!”

Gun-Ho submitted the envelope while praying to God. It seemed like there were three people including Gun-Ho competing for the same condo.

Gun-Ho looked around.

There was no gentleman wearing a suit or a fashionable lady at the courtroom; only men and women wearing a jacket or a coat, who could ordinarily be seen in the subway station. There were some properties with a starting price of several billion won like a commercial building or a condo in Gangnam. Gun-Ho thought some of these people must have that much money to pay for those properties.

After everyone in the courtroom submitted their offer price, the bailiff announced that the bidding was over. A staff standing next to the bailiff opened each envelope for a specific real property, and he let the bailiff know who won the auction. The bailiff then announced the case number, the successful bidder’s name, and the auction price.

“Case number 000, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo who offered 1,512 million won the auction.”

“I got it!”

Gun-Ho jumped up from his seat, walked to the bailiff, showed his ID to him, and then received the successful bidder’s ticket.

After Gun-Ho walked out of the courtroom, Manager Oh was waiting for him while still chewing a gum.

“Congratulations.”

“How do you know already?”

“I heard it outside the door.”

“Then are you going to start the process?”

“No, we need to wait until the due date of the filing of the appeal. During that period, the owner or anyone who has an interest in this condo can make an appeal for the sales decision. I don’t think anything will happen, but we have to wait by then.”

“Oh, really? For how long should we wait?”

“If nothing happens in ten days, then prepare the remaining funds for the condo price.”

After ten days, Gun-Ho received a call from Manager Oh of the consulting firm.

“Ten days is up. I will start negotiating with the owner who is occupying the condo. If you want to make the process smooth, you need to pay him the moving cost. You have heard of paying the moving cost, right?”

“I learned about it during training. How much do you think would be adequate?”

“It depends on the person. Some could ask 10 million won. We never know.”

“Is it legally required?”

“No, but the occupant could refuse to move out really hard. They usually have nothing to lose at this stage, so it is really hard if they decided to resist.”

“What do we do if that happens?”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s our job. We sometimes threaten them or convince them. If they refuse to move out even after the unlawful detainer suit, we will drag them out with their belongings.”

“Oh, wow…”

Gun-Ho thought the auction sale for a residential property where a person was still living in could be really harsh to the occupants, unlike a building or a land.

“Well, do what you have to do. Please negotiate to reach a good price but do not raise your voice during the process.”

“Okay. I will let you know after I meet with the owner.”

Gun-Ho thought he made the right decision to let a consulting firm handle the whole process rather than handling it himself.

“I hope I could move in within a month.”

Gun-Ho had to withdraw money from his stock account to prepare the remaining price of his condo. He could just withdraw using an ATM if the amount was small, but he had to visit the office for a large amount of money. The branch office that was holding Gun-Ho’s account was located in Suwon City. He had to go that far.

“I have to go that far. Once I move to the TowerPalace condo, I will move my account. I went there last time when I had to pay for my parent’s condo in Guweon Town. I have to go there again. Let’s transfer around 3 billion won to my bank account this time; I might need the money later to open my own business.

When Gun-Ho requested the transfer of the funds, the staff lady at the stock branch office was astonished.

“3 billion won?!”

Gun-Ho was sitting on a chair when a middle-aged man wearing glasses came to him urgently.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo? Hi, I am the manager of this branch office.”

The branch manager bowed respectfully to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho came here for his parents’ condo last time, but the branch manager was not here.

“Why don’t you come to my office and have a cup of tea?”

Gun-Ho thought it could be tiresome, but he stood up from his seat and followed the branch manager to his office.

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Chapter 84 - Moving to Gangnam (2) – PART 1

Chapter 84: Moving to Gangnam (2) – PART 1

The branch manager of the stock brokerage firm in Suwon City gave his business card to Gun-Ho.

“I don’t have my business card with me.”

“That’s fine, sir. I wanted to meet with you. We take care of our VIP clients separately.”

Gun-Ho firmly said,

“I will have to withdraw my funds next month because of my business.”

“All of the funds?”

The branch manager’s face hardened.

“I’m moving from Incheon to Seoul soon, so I have to move my account to the branch over there anyway.”

“Why don’t you leave some of your funds with us? We provide a text message service to our VIP clients with useful stock-related information. It’s not a spam message but it’s information from a reliable source.”

“I will take it into account.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t harshly decline the branch manager’s kind offer, so he just told him that he would consider it. While he was walking out of the stockbroking firm, Gun-Ho thought of his past experience with the same firm.

“When I placed my 10 million won that I borrowed from the sunshine loan program to the firm years ago, they didn’t care about me at all. Now, even the branch manager greeted me and served me a cup of tea in his office. As my mom said, a person should live a long life to see various and unexpected things in life.”

Gun-Ho stopped by a massage shop in Suwon after having his lunch in a Japanese restaurant. He felt sleepy while he was getting foot massages, probably because he just had his lunch.

“At this hour, the factory workers in the factory I used to work at must be working so hard. Money is good.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the consulting company.

“I talked with the TowerPalace condo owner, and he agreed to move out if you pay 5 million won for the moving cost.”

“That’s good. Thank you for your work.”

Gun-Ho told Manager Oh that he would send him the 5 million won moving expense for the current occupant in addition to the consultation fee.

Fifteen days later, Gun-Ho received the keys for the condo from Manager Oh. Manager Oh also handed the receipts of the last HOA payment and gas service payment paid by the previous owner.

“5 million won is not a bad deal at all. I believe I handled it very well. If someone else talked with the previous owner, he wouldn’t agree to the price.”

Manager Oh, still wearing his sports cap and chewing his gum, said to Gun-Ho.

“I know you would make it work. Thank you for your great work.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand for a handshake.

“If you need my help any time in the future, just let me know. I will do my best for you.”

Manager Oh gave Gun-Ho a military salute in a comical gesture.

“Hahaha. I will definitely do so. Thank you again.”

Gun-Ho went to his TowerPalace condo that evening.

“There are a lot of luxurious cars parked here.”

When Gun-Ho opened the condo door, a huge vacant space met his eyes.

“50 pyung is indeed large. The vacant space makes it look even larger.”

Gun-Ho thought he would have to do the wallpaper since someone had been living here for several years and left some normal wear and tear on the wall.

“I will have to do the wallpaper and renovate the bathroom.”

The next day, Gun-Ho asked a remodeling contractor to come to his condo.

“I want to change the wallpaper and renovate this bathroom.”

“Is there any particular wallpaper you like?”

The contractor asked while laying out wallpaper samples he brought on the floor.

“Hmm, it’s hard to choose; there are so many of them. I just want something bright.”

“What about this one then? This one is popular among young female homeowners these days.”

“Umm, okay. Let’s do that then.”

The remodeling contractor checked each room of the condo.

“Sir, why don’t you renovate the kitchen too?”

“The kitchen looks okay as it is.”

“Sir, once you change the wallpaper, the kitchen will look dingy. You don’t want that in a luxurious condo like this one. I can get you a good price. You should change the ceiling lights as well. There are so many well-designed ceiling lights out there. You need to replace them all. All these updates will change the price of the condo.”

Once Gun-Ho heard the change of the condo’s price, he decided to update the condo as the remodeling contractor suggested.

After the condo renovation was completed, Gun-Ho went to the condo.

“Oh, gosh. Money is good. The renovation was worth every penny. They made the condo as if it was a brand new condo. They are certainly good at what they do.”

Gun-Ho started filling the condo with necessary furniture and home appliances. He bought a sofa, a dining set, a refrigerator, a washer, etc. They were all luxurious and expensive. Gun-Ho also bought a luxurious high-end designer bed frame, a wooden desk, and a bookshelf.

“This condo is too big for me; however, after three years I expect its price to go up by 100 million won. That means I would make over 30 million every year just by living here.”

Gun-Ho finally moved to Gangnam; his long-lasting dream came true. He liked the fact that he didn’t go through a realtor to purchase a real property but bought it instead through an auction at a low price. Gun-Ho now wanted to buy a car.

“Should I buy a BMW? Since I go fishing sometimes, maybe I should by an SUV. Let’s get a Land Rover.”

Gun-Ho purchased a Land Rover Discovery for 100 million won.

“Let me see how much I have spent for the TowerPalace condo, the condo in Guweol Town, the Land Rover, and the condo renovation.”

Gun-Ho calculated how much he spent so far.

“It’s a little over 2 billion won. I can recover the money I spent on buying the condo later once I resell it, so it’s okay. The cash that I have available now is a bit more than 17.7 billion won. Let’s take out some of it and start looking for a business I can run.”

Gun-Ho’s day in Gangnam started with waking up in the morning in a luxurious 50 pyung large condo in the TowerPalace community. He then went to a fitness center in his Land Rover and after working out there, he stopped by a café inside the Education Community Center building in Yangjae Town. When he was enjoying his coffee in this café as usual, he received a call from his friend—Min-Hyeok whom he ran across in front of the National Assembly Library of Korea the other day.

“Hey, Min-Hyeok. How have you been? Did you pass the government job exam?”

“No. I think I am not smart enough.”

“Come on, cheer up! I heard many people passed the exam after several attempts.”

“What about you, Gun-Ho? What are you doing these days? You are still in Yeongdeungpo, right?”

“No, I moved to another town.”

Gun-Ho decided not to tell him that he was living in a TowerPalace condo after considering telling him for a second.

“Oh, really? I was going to ask you if you would like to have soju with me if you’re in Yeongdeunpo because I took a position of a residential manager in a OneRoom in Yeongdeungpo, so I can continue to study for the exam while making some money.

“I will buy you a soju.”

“I have to stay in this area close to the OneRoom that I am working at as a residential manager. I can’t lose this job now. The same position at a luxurious OneRoom in Gangnam is extremely competitive.”

“I see.”

“If you happen to be in the area, just let me know, okay?”

“Yeah, I will. Thank you for calling me, friend.”

“OneRoom…”

Gun-Ho thought of his old days in a OneRoom. He used to live in one of those when he studied for the level-9 government job exam.

“There was no window in my room. It was tiny, and that room didn’t have a private bathroom either. Those days were indeed painful.”

Gun-Ho didn’t even want to think of those days; he shook his head as if he wanted to shake off the memory, but he went on.

“I kept failing the exam, and I had to save money. So, I ate cooked rice and kimchi for every meal in a day because they were free; the OneRoom provided cooked rice and kimchi for its residents for free. I don’t want to go back to that life ever again.”

Gun-Ho felt sorry for Min-Hyeok.

“Min-Hyeok is the same age as me, 36 years old since New Year’s Day already passed. If he could pass the level-9 government job exam, he would start making about 2 million won per month. I’m not sure if he could plan his future—marrying someone and buying a house—with that salary.”

Gun-Ho recalled his time with Min-Hyeok when they were still in junior high school together.

“He was a good friend. He must be having a difficult life now. His father used to drive a bus, but he’s probably retired already. Whew.”

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Chapter 85 - Moving to Gangnam (2) – PART 2

Chapter 85: Moving to Gangnam (2) – PART 2

Gun-Ho reminisced about his childhood while having his coffee.

“When I lived in Juan, Bupyeong District if one of my classmates lived in a condo that was worth 300 million, everyone in the class would be envious of him. Probably that is still true nowadays. I still don’t understand why we all were so sensitive about who was poor and who was rich. If one has a poor family, he would often be bullied. In that sort of environment, how would I have had a good life during my childhood?”

Gun-Ho thought of his current self.

“Now I live in a condo that is 50 pyung large and located in Gangnam. I drive a luxurious car, and I go to a fitness center to work out. For people from my childhood, my current life would be something they are still dreaming about.”

Gun-Ho pondered over the meaning of money.

He recalled the popular saying of Chinese people that he heard when he was in China,

“Money can control even ghosts.”

Chinese people loved money. They placed a statue of the god of wealth at their house’ entrance, and whenever they went out of and came in their house, they prayed with their hands pressed together to the god.

There was a saying in the Western world, “Money talks everything.”

It was money that talked, not a person. Money also represented the person with the money. Without money, a person was considered as having low value and a shallow philosophy of life while a person who had lots of money was considered elegant and highly respected.

Mencius in the Spring and Autumn period in Chinese history said this.

“Poverty takes down manners.”

It sounded like without money a person was considered as rude while with money a person was considered as polite.

Gun-Ho was still hungry for money.

Gu Kim, a respected politician during the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea stated that the thing he wanted to have the most was ‘the highest culture.’ The most wanted thing for Gun-Ho was money. He wanted it more and more.

Gun-Ho still wanted a job or a business that would generate income and that would cover his living expenses.

“Should I invest 5% of the 17.7 billion won that I have?”

After giving thought to it, Gun-Ho was leaning toward the OneRoom business idea, where Min-Hyeok was working at.

“OneRoom could be dingy. Maybe I should get a OneRoomTel instead, that is clean and luxurious, the one close to my home in Gangnam.”

Gun-Ho remembered that he saw a OneRoomTel for sale on the Internet that was located in Gangnam and cost about 300 million won.

“I am loaded with cash. Should I get three of those? If I do, I would have to pay high individual income tax. Maybe I should open a company that would operate OneRoomTels.”

Gun-Ho was aware that the owner of the factories, which he had worked at before, established a company and ran the factory through that company once their annual sales exceeded 100 million won.

“If I open a company and run three OneRoomTels through it, I can place the cost of my Land Rover’s maintenance and fitness center membership fee under the company’s name.”

Gun-Ho used to work in accounting at YS Tech in Asan, Chungnam Province. At that time he sometimes visited a certified legal consultant’s office when there were some changes in the structure of management of the company. Then the certified legal consultant’s office took care of it and charged a fee for the work.

“Let’s establish a company.”

Gun-Ho wanted to open a company and get a business card with a position title of CEO.

“The tax bracket for my company would not be high; it should be about 20% for the business income. I can classify my salary and some petty money I would use as a company expense. Moreover, I would look better if I’m going to run a business rather than just hanging around in a fitness center because I didn’t have to make money. I will have a business card that says CEO, which would be really nice. Okay, let’s open a company.”

Gun-Ho decided to visit a certified legal consultant’s office nearby and form a company.

“How much capital should I invest?”

Gun-Ho decided to invest 300 million won initially.

“I will need about 1 billion won to acquire three OneRoomTels. It exceeds the initial investment of 300 million won. Let’s make the remaining necessary funds I would use to buy the OneRoomTels a loan to the company.”

Gun-Ho now had to decide the name of his company. Even after giving some thought to it, Gun-Ho couldn’t come up with a good one.

“Should I ask Master Park for the name? It seems that he makes names for a newborn baby as well. Nah… he is an old man. He won’t be able to think of a sophisticated name.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk.

“Bro. I got promoted. I am a manager now.”

“Oh, wow. Congratulations.”

“Bro, did you buy anything at the auction yet?”

“I did.”

“What did you buy?”

“I bought a TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town.”

“TowerPalace? Isn’t it the expensive condo where only rich people are living in? You have money for that?”

“You don’t use only your money at an auction.”

“Wow, you are doing well, bro. Are you going to sell it then?”

“I will eventually have to sell it, but I am not rushing.”

“Why not?”

“I’m going to form a company first.”

“A company? Whoa, bro, you are doing really well.”

“I want to open a business entity that operates OneRoomTels, and also sells and buys properties at auction. Do you have any good name I can use for the company?”

“Umm…, what about GH Development?”

“GH Development Company?”

“Yeah, that’s your initials. Just use your name, bro.”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea.”

Gun-Ho decided to open a company with the name of ‘GH Development Company.’

Gun-Ho searched on the Internet what he had to prepare in order to form a company.

“I will need articles of corporation, a director or an internal auditor.”

Gun-Ho was thinking who would be a good candidate for the director or internal auditor position.

“Should I ask Jong-Suk? I need to get his certificate of a registered seal and the formal consent of taking the position too. Will it not cause any problem later?”

Gun-Ho thought of the people around him.

“What about Suk-Ho or Min-Hyeok?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t trust them.

“What about my sister or brother-in-law?”

That could cause a problem later too.

“Maybe my father.”

Gun-Ho thought his father would be a good candidate because he could trust him, and he knew his father wouldn’t be interested in participating in managing the company. However, he was not sure if a family member could take the position. Gun-Ho called a certified legal consultant’s office.

“Father is okay.”

Gun-Ho was ready to establish a company—GH Development Company with 300 million capital. He would appoint his father and himself as directors. For the company’s office, he purchased an office-tel close to the Gangnam Station. It was not a small office-tel like the one in Yeongdeungpo District that he used to live, but it was a 30 pyung large office-tel with two rooms.

“The office-tel is purchased under my name, and the company will rent it from me.”

Gun-Ho called his father in Incheon.

“Dad, I need a copy of your resident registration and certificate of a registered seal.”

“Why do you need them?”

“I am going to open a company—GH Development.”

“GH what?”

“Dad, I am opening a company, and you will be listed as a director of that company. I will be the CEO.”

“You are opening a company? Oh, really? What kind of company?”

“It’s a real estate development company. I will do real estate leasing as well.”

“That sounds like it will cost a lot of money to run. I don’t know. You do what you have to do, son. I will prepare the documents by tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho went to a certified legal consultant’s office in Seocho Town to request the company formation. After handing them the business name, business address, bank statements, the directors’ certificate of a registered seal and registered stamp, they told Gun-Ho that they would contact him once all the work was completed.

Gun-Ho purchased a fax machine, a computer and two more desks for his office-tel even though he didn’t have any staff yet; he just bought those things to fill the space. He also had an Internet connection.

“Let’s hang the business sign.”

Gun-Ho put an acrylic sign on the office door; it said ‘GH Development Company.’ This office-tel building had only large office-tels and maybe that was why most of the office-tels were used as an office rather than a residential unit. Gun-Ho looked at the other office’s sign. The office on Gun-Ho’s right had an office sign—’Real Estate Development,’ and on the left side was some sort of a design company.

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Chapter 86 - Starting a Company (1) – PART 1

Chapter 86: Starting a Company (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho’s request to establish a company had been approved.

As instructed by the certified legal consultant’s office, Gun-Ho brought all the documents necessary in order to register his company to the tax office such as the certificate of business formation, the articles of incorporation, the share certificates, and the lease agreement for the office.

“Is the office-tel owner the same person as the company CEO?”

“Correct. The company will lease the office-tel from an individual, which is owned by myself.”

“I see.”

The tax office staff quickly registered Gun-Ho’s new company.

“It was very quick.”

Before coming back to his home, Gun-Ho placed an order for his business card with his job title—CEO after verifying the design of the card displayed on the computer screen, and also had the company stamp made, that would be registered later.

“Even a small tiny deli that is newly opened gets congratulatory flowers and stuff. Should I tell everyone that I opened a company? Nah, let’s not. I don’t do that kind of stuff.”

Everything was ready for Gun-Ho to run the company.

“I received my business card and business registration. The Internet and fax are working now. So, everything is all set. I just need a business item.”

Gun-Ho took a nap in his comfy executive office chair. Gun-Ho’s office looked really nice; Gun-Ho spent some money on decorating his office.

Gun-Ho finally purchased a OneRoomTel in Seocho Town under the company’s name. It was 320 million won.

“This OneRoomTel has 50 rooms with a shower facility, fire-fighting system, and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning). And it’s clean.”

The rent for a room here was 400,000 won per month. Most residents were office workers working in the vicinity of the OneRoomTel. Gun-Ho was told there was no person like a derelict living in the building, who was often found in a cheap OneRoom.

The current owner was a retired government worker.

“Most of the rooms here are already occupied. The current occupancy rate is 90%. This OneRoomTel is popular among office workers who have to stay in the area because of their work and if their home is in a province. It is preferable compared to other OneRoomTels in the area because of good amenities.”

Gun-Ho started calculating.

‘The monthly rent per room is 400,000 won. There are 50 rooms, so the monthly income would be 20 million won if fully rented out. Currently, 90% of the rooms are occupied, so that would be 90% of 20 million won which is 18 million won. If I subtract my rent and the pay to the residential manager and other expenses, I would make about 13 million won. Assuming the owner exaggerated a bit about the occupancy rate then I would probably make at least 10 million won per month.’

Guessing that Gun-Ho was calculating the expected monthly income from this OneRoomTel, the owner tried to be chatty.

“I used to have 100% occupancy rate here before when there were many female workers living in this area who worked at a bar during night time.”

“Female workers working in a bar?”

“Yes. There used to be a lot of those people in this area, but not anymore though because of the crackdown on those types of business. But still, this OneRoomTel has very high occupancy rate. You can ask the residential manager.”

Gun-Ho talked with the residential manager.

He was a second-year law school student; he looked about five years younger than Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho was actually considering asking Min-Hyeok to work with him at the OneRoomTel, but he now thought that maybe he should keep the same residential manager who had already been working here.

“Where did you go to college?”

“A national university in a province.”

“Hmm, I can’t come here often so please take good care of the business.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the residential manager. The residential manager humbly took his card with his two hands.

Gun-Ho kept searching on the Internet to buy another OneRoomTel.

“Once I acquire three OneRoomTels, I’d better hire a worker who can manage the OneRoomTel business. I shouldn’t waste my time visiting the OneRoomTels regularly and taking care of tedious matter there. I’d better spend my time looking for another good business opportunity. I can bear the cost of hiring one or two workers.”

Gun-Ho posted a job advertisement for two positions on WorkNet: one for a position related to real estate, and the other one was for someone who could handle bookkeeping and the Four Major Public Insurance. He didn’t add any requirement on age, academic degree, gender or work experience.

After the due date for submitting the applications, Gun-Ho checked the resumes he received through his email, and he was surprised by the number of applications he received.

“Wow, all these people want to work here.”

The economy was truly not doing well. There were over 50 resumes that arrived at Gun-Ho’s email inbox.

Gun-Ho at first reviewed the applications for the real estate related position. Most of the applicants had a real estate license with work experience in real estate planning and development, or real estate sales.

“I prefer to work with someone who’s earnest and has no ethical issue, rather than someone who has extensive work experience in the field.”

Gun-Ho selected one applicant for an interview. That applicant used to work in a bank as a deputy general manager, and he then opened his own realtor’s office after obtaining the realtor license.

“He retired at the age of 48 which seemed to be a bit early. It has been a year since he opened his realtor’s office. That means he is not doing anything now. He looks nice in the picture.”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to him inviting him for an interview.

As to the bookkeeping position, one candidate, who had one-year of work experience in bookkeeping and handling the Four Major Public Insurance at an exam preparatory private institution, drew Gun-Ho’s attention.

“I might think differently if I see this candidate in person, but she looks nice and stable in the picture. She is living in Bongcheon Town which is a good distance to commute to my office. She can take the subway line 2 and get off at Gangnam Station; it’s a convenient ride. She is 27 years old, but she wouldn’t probably marry soon since these days people tend to marry at a later age. She has a certificate of computerized accounting with several computer-related certificates. Oh, she listed an award she received from high school.” Gun-Ho chuckled.

It was the interview day. Gun-Ho planned to have an interview with the candidate for the real estate position first, and on the following day, he would meet with the bookkeeper position candidate for her interview.

The candidate who used to work in a bank arrived for an interview.

“I see that you used to work in a bank as a deputy general manager. Did you retire from banking work or quit the job because of your business?”

“I retired.”

“Did you open the realtor’s office right after you retired?”

“Correct.”

“And, it didn’t work out?”

“I actually obtained my realtor license when I was still working in the bank. I thought I wouldn’t have any problem making money after my retirement since I had the realtor’s license. But that was not the case. I eventually closed my realtor’s office after paying the office rent for two years without making any money.”

“So, after you closed the realtor’s office, you didn’t get another job?”

“I tried to get a job, but I couldn’t find any office work. If you give me an opportunity to work here, I would work hard and do my best.”

“How many family members do you have if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I am married, and I have a daughter who is a senior in high school.”

“As you already know, this is a startup company; I just opened it. So, I can’t pay you much now. How much do you require working here?”

“I will be fine with about 2 million won per month.”

“Hmm, you seem to be a very nice person, and you have many computer related certificates as well. I will have to think about it and will let you know about my decision through a text message.”

“Thank you, sir, for your time.”

The candidate gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho before he left the office.

The next day, a female candidate came to Gun-Ho’s office for an interview for the bookkeeper position.

“Is this GH Development?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I am here for an interview.”

The lady handed papers to Gun-Ho after pulling them out form a large envelope she carried.

“What is this?”

“These are copies of my various certificates.”

“They are a lot. Please have a seat.”

“What kind of software application did you use when you worked in accounting at the exam preparatory institution?”

“I didn’t use any accounting program there. It was a small private institution.”

Her response reminded Gun-Ho of his old days working at Bangil Gas. He worked in accounting at that time, but all the work was done manually. That company was small as well.

“Hmm, have you handled the Four Major Public Insurance?”

“Yes, I am actually very good at that work.”

“How much did you get paid at your previous work?”

“My monthly pay was 1.8 million won. I worked five days a week and also worked every Saturdays.”

“From your home in Bongcheon Town, you only need to take the subway once, right?”

“Right. It’s very convenient to commute for me.”

The lady smiled broadly. Gun-Ho liked her smile.

“By the way, what kind of business does this company do?”

“We do various things such as OneRoomTel leasing service and real estate auction.”

“Oh, I see. Are there… many people applying for the job?”

“Yes, there are quite a lot.”

The female applicant looked worried when Gun-Ho told her there were many applicants for the same position.

“Okay, thank you for coming. I will let you know through a text message.”

The applicant gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho and walked out of the office quietly.

Gun-Ho decided to hire both candidates: the one who used to work in a bank and this female candidate.

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Chapter 87 - Starting a Company (1) – PART 2

Chapter 87: Starting a Company (1) – PART 2

It was the first day of work for Gun-Ho’s new employees.

The name of the man who used to work in a bank, and who would work in the real estate planning and development was Seong-Il Kang; the female bookkeeper’s name was Ji-Young Jeong.

Gun-Ho decided to give Seong-Il a job title of manager with a monthly salary of 2.2 million won.

“Your pay will gradually increase as you work hard.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho decided to pay 1.85 million for the female bookkeeper.

“Same rules apply to you, Ms. Ji-Young Jeong. Your pay will increase as you work hard.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho’s office looked like a real company once three people were sitting at their desk and working.

“I love my desk and computer.”

Ji-Young seemed to be excited about working at a new desk with a new computer.

“Could you file the Four Major Public Insurance for three of us here? Also, here is the Shinhan Bank bankbook; you can use the funds there for the operating expenses. Take this OTP card as well. Please apply for the Internet Banking Service Certificate. I will keep the major bank bankbook with me.”

Ji-Young already placed a copy of business registration under the glass top of her desk. She definitely had work experience in the field.

“I have the major bank business card with me, so if you need to use a large amount of money, just let me know.”

“Okay.”

“This business card from Shinhan Bank has a balance of only 500,000 won. I will buy office supplies with it, such as A4 copy papers, cash payment recording forms, etc. I will also get us coffee.”

“Sounds good.”

Seong-Il who was listening to the conversation between Gun-Ho and Ji-Young asked,

“What should I do?”

“You need to come with me, Manager Kang. We have a OneRoomTel that was acquired under the company’s name around here, let me show you where, and then you can visit the other OneRoomtTels nearby that came on the market for sale.”

“Whew,” Manager Kang sighed.

“What’s the matter?”

“I knew this company does real estate planning and development and operates a few OneRoomTels. So I believed it is a financially strong company. I will work hard, sir.”

Gun-Ho took Manager Kang to the OneRoomTel in Seocho Town.

The residential manager was taking a nap at the counter and woke up in surprise when Gun-Ho and Manager Kang entered the OneRoomTel.

“You must be very tired.”

The residential manager scratched his head in embarrassment.

“This is Manager Kang from our company. He will come by here once a day. If you have any questions or concerns, you can talk to him.”

“Okay. And here is…”

“What is this?”

“We have a new resident from yesterday. This is his one month rent in cash, 400,000 won. He didn’t use his credit card.”

“Please deposit it to the company’s bank account.”

“And…, we need to buy trash bags.”

“Get the trash bags, keep the receipt, and give it to Manager Kang next time when he visits here”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho then came back to the office with Manager Kang.

“Manager Kang, after lunch, why don’t you go visit other OneRoomTels on the market? Since you have to go to the OneRoomTel to manage it every day, start from the area close to our office; Seocho District and Gangnam District would be good. Also, I saw two OneRoomTels on the market; one in Yangjae Town and one in Yeoksam Town. Please go see those too.”

“What’s the price range that we’re looking for?”

“I won’t set a limit on price. As long as it is a good property, we will take it.”

“Okay. I had bought a OneRoomTel for one of my clients before when I had my realtor’s office, so I know what to look for.”

“Oh, really? I’m counting on you then.”

Gun-Ho, Manager Kang and Jin-Young walked out of the office for lunch. They went to a restaurant close to the office. It was crowded since it was lunchtime.

They ordered a seafood soup.

“Since this is our first day, let’s eat together. However, from tomorrow we might not be able to get together every lunch, so I will provide the lunch pay—120,000 won per month. You can take the amount from the bank account where the monthly rent of the OneRoomTel is deposited.”

“Thank you.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young looked satisfied as this was their first job in a long time.

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, did you bring the Shinhan Bank business card?”

“Yes.”

“Then pay for lunch with it today.”

“Okay, sir.”

Since two employees joined the company, Gun-Ho felt relaxed; it was comfortable and convenient.

Gun-Ho’s daily routine was now reading a daily newspaper and an economic newspaper in the morning, and then he went to a fitness center in the afternoon. Manager Kang stayed in the office in the morning and went out in the afternoon to visit OneRoomTels placed on the market for sale.

“You don’t have to rush, Manager Kang. When you see a good OneRoomTel, find one with good resale value. Also, check if it has a proper fire-fighting system.”

“Okay, I will keep that in mind.”

Gun-Ho felt good when he came to the office in the morning. Ji-Young always kept the office clean and organized. She already made friends with other female workers next door—the design company. Gun-Ho saw her having fun talking and laughing with the neighbor female workers. She also seemed to be having lunch with them all the time.

Manager Kang gave a report to Gun-Ho on the OneRoomTels he visited so far.

“Hmm, you made a chart for it. You already visited five OneRoomTels?”

“Yes, I’ve taken pictures of the inside and outside of those OneRoomTels as well.”

“Did you find a good one?”

“The one in Yangjae Town is too old and shabby, but the Bangbae Town OneRoomTel seemed to be a good one. It came on the market for a quick sale so the price is low enough, and it was recently renovated.”

“How much do they ask?”

“They were asking 300 million, and I negotiated down to 280 million won. Why don’t we go see it tomorrow?”

“Anything else?”

“There is another good one in Daechi Town. That one is mostly occupied by office workers working in either Samsung Town or Teheran Road, rather than students.”

“Okay, let’s visit the one in Bangbae Town and the one in Daechi Town tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho called for Ji-Young.

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, here is my business card. Place an order for a business card for yourself and Manager Kang with the same design.”

Ji-Young stared at the business card for quite a while before saying something,

“Umm… Sir, is it okay if I pick a new design?”

“Why? Is this not good?”

“Yes, a little…”

“Haha, do what you want to do with it.”

Gun-Ho and Manager Kang walked out of the office to see the OneRoomTels that Manager Kang recommended.

“Manager Kang, why don’t you wait for me at the office-tel’s main entrance? I will bring my car there; it’s in the underground parking lot.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho brought his Land Rover Discovery to the main entrance, and Manager Kang seemed to be surprised to see an expensive car.

“Let’s go to Bangbae Town first.”

“Sir, this car is very expensive, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I paid about 100 million won for it.”

“Whoa! 100 million!”

Gun-Ho liked the OneRoomTel in Bangbae Town, and he made a purchase and sales contract for it under the company name.

The seller was an overweight woman in her 50s.

“We didn’t use residential managers in running this OneRoomTel. My husband and I directly operated it. So, you probably want to look for a residential manager because someone has to manage the residents and clean the trash and etc.”

“Manager Kang, why don’t you look for a residential manager? Oh, hold on. I might have someone for the position.”

Gun-Ho thought of Min-Hyeok he ran across in front of the National Assembly Library the other day.

He made a call to Min-Hyeok.

“Hey, it’s me, Gun-Ho.”

“Hey, Gun-Ho! Good to hear from you, but I am not in Yeongdeungpo any longer. I quit the residential manager position after having a bad argument with the owner.”

“Oh, really?”

“I couldn’t stand his constant nagging on every small thing. Moreover, weird old men and perverts were living there since it was a cheap OneRoom. I am currently with my parents in Incheon. This is another kind of hell, man.”

“Are you still interested in a residential manager position in OneRoomTel?”

“I am of course, but I haven’t seen any opening position lately.”

“I know one. It’s located in Bangbae Town. Why don’t you come to the Bangbae subway station by noon tomorrow?”

“Are you serious? I will, I will be there. Thank you, man.”

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Chapter 88 - Starting a Company (2) – PART 1

Chapter 88: Starting a Company (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho went to Daechi Town accompanied by Manager Kang to visit the OneRoomTel that Manager Kang recommended earlier.

“Hmm, it’s clean. But there are many rooms that are still vacant, maybe because it was opened not long ago.”

“Actually it was opened two months ago and back on the market for sale again.”

“Two months? Why would the owner put it back on the market that quick? Is the owner a professional flipper who purchases a real property at a discounted price and quickly resells it at a higher price after fixing and renovating a few things?”

“Haha, if that was the case I wouldn’t have taken the work selling it on behalf of the owner. The owner is actually a high-ranking government official’s wife. Her husband disapproved of her doing business like this.”

“I see.”

The owner came to the OneRoomTel to make the sales contract. The owner was a female who looked like in her late 40s; she was wearing glasses.

“I talked with Manager Kang yesterday and agreed to the price of 260 million won; however, that is way too low. I spent tons of money on renovating this OneRoomTel. I feel like I am losing too much money here.”

Manager Kang became chatty.

“You are making money by selling it when there is someone who wants to buy it. Ma’am, let’s make the contract now.”

“I will sign on the contract at the realtor’s office across the street.”

The lady owner sounded cold. In responding to the lady’s grievance, Gun-Ho suggested slowly.

“I will pay for your realtor fee since you are not very happy in selling the property.”

The lady looked over her glasses at Gun-Ho and smiled slightly.

After returning to his office, Gun-Ho did the math.

“I spent 320 million won in acquiring the OneRoomTel in Seocho Town, and another 280 million won for the one in Bangbae Town. The OneRoomTel in Daechi cost me an additional 260 million won. So I spent a total of 860 million won and acquire three OneRoomTels so far.”

Gun-Ho asked for Ji-Young.

“We incurred 860 million won in acquiring three OneRoomTels. Our company’s capital is 300 million won. For the source of the 560 million won, just record it as a fund that came from the company CEO.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“I will get you an accounting software and install it on your computer so you could use it. I already placed an order. Do you think you can handle it?”

“I learned it from an accounting private institution, but I haven’t actually used one yet. I think I can learn quickly though.”

“If you have any question while you are using the software, you can ask the tax accountant office we work with, or you can ask me if the question is a simple one.”

“Huh? You, sir?”

“It had been quite a while, but I’ve done accounting work for a manufacturing company before. I used one of their accounting programs as well, of course.”

“Oh, I see. Okay.”

Manager Kang and the bookkeeper, Ji-Young was talking about Gun-Ho while Gun-Ho was not in the office and was going to the bathroom.

“Did you see his car? I saw his car yesterday. He is riding a Land Rover that is over 100 million won.”

“I think our CEO is rich. I saw his residential address while making a file for the Four Major Public Insurance. He is living in a TowerPalace condo. I heard a condo there costs over 2 billion won.”

“TowerPalace? Wow, he is probably very rich. His parents must be quite wealthy.”

They stopped the conversation when Gun-Ho returned to the office.

“Oh, sir, I just received our new business card.”

“That was quick. Oh, I like the new design. I see a colorful logo there.”

“It’s our company, GH Development’s logo which geometricized the initials—GH.”

“Oh, that’s right. I see the letters, GH. Wow, it looks like a big company’s business card. So did you design all this? Maybe your friend in the design company helped you?”

“Yes, I designed it, and my friend modified it a little.”

Ji-Young smiled as she explained.

“Hmm, I appreciate your friend’s help. Why don’t you buy her lunch? Use our business credit card and treat her lunch.”

“Thank you.”

Ji-Young handed the business card to Manager Kang as well. Manager Kang seemed to be excited about having his own business card.

Gun-Ho went to Bangbae Town with Manager Kang to meet Min-Hyeok.

Min-Hyeok was looking at his cell phone while standing at the subway station. He was wearing a shabby jacket.

“Hey, Min-Hyeok. Good to see you.”

“Oh, Gun-Ho.”

Min-Hyeok glanced at Manager Kang and looked at Gun-Ho as if he was asking who this guy was without saying anything.

“This is Manager Kang. He’s the one managing the OneRoomTel where you will be working at.”

“Oh, then is he the owner?”

“No, he is not the owner, but he is managing it. The OneRoomTel is owned by a company.”

Manager Kang gave his business card to Min-Hyeok. Gun-Ho also handed his business card to Min-Hyeok. Min-Hyeok seemed to be surprised by looking at Gun-Ho’s business card. It said Gun-Ho was a CEO and Manager Kang was working for the same company as a manager.

“Get in. I brought a car today. Let’s go have lunch together.”

Min-Hyeock was stunned. The car Gun-Ho brought was an expensive foreign-made car. Min-Hyeok was lost for words.

“I know you have been under a lot of stress because of the exam. Let’s go have pork. I know a good place that makes tasty Sooyook*.”

Once Min-Hyeok looked around the OneRoomTel in Bangbae Town, he seemed to be satisfied.

“Whoa, the OneRoomTel in Gangnam District is really good.”

“Manager Kang here will come by the OneRoomTel maybe once or twice per week. However, you will be the one who’ll actually manage this OneRoomTel. There is no resident who would make any trouble here so you should be good. There are only 45 rooms so you won’t have heavy traffic either. The place will be quiet and clean. You just need to take out trash bags in the morning, prepare cooked rice and kimchi for the residents, and clean the building from time to time. The work won’t disturb your studies that much.”

“Thank you, Gun-Ho for everything.”

Manager Kang showed Min-Hyeok where to toss out a trash bag and how to use the credit card processing device. Manager Kang added while handing a business card of a Kimchi producing company to Min-Hyeok.

“Your monthly salary will be 800,000 won. You can purchase rice at the supermarket across the street. For Kimchi, you can call the number on this business card and place an order; they will deliver it here.”

“Thank you.”

Min-Hyeok bowed deeply low to Manager Kang.

“Min-Hyeok, we are leaving now. Good luck.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the OneRoomTel after patting Min-Hyeok’s back. Min-Hyeok had mixed feelings and felt confused. He, of course, was grateful to Gun-Ho for getting him a job, but Gun-Ho looked like a totally different person.

Gun-Ho’s company was now operating three OneRoomTels. Money was coming in on a daily basis from those three OneRoomTels; sometimes it was over 2 million won and sometimes it was only 400,000 won. Usually, they were getting about 1.5 million won on average.

The bookkeeper, Ji-Young verified the company account every morning.

“Sir, we have received over 10 million won so far. What do you want me to do with it? Do you want me to transfer it to the major company bank account with Kookmin Bank that you are holding?”

“Make payments to each residential manager first at the OneRoomTels and also pay the rent. Once you send the payments, print out the statements and attach them to the cash payment record and make a report to me.”

“I will do that.”

Ji-Young printed out all the transaction statements for incoming and outgoing and attach them to the transaction record and report to Gun-Ho every day. There were not much to report since the company was not doing many transactions yet, it was about in the range from three to twenty pages. Ji-Young and Manager Kang put the report inside a folder and handed it to Gun-Ho respectfully. Gun-Ho usually signed on it without raising any problem.

“Umm, sir, I will have to pay the wage next week for Manager Kang and myself. How much should I do for your wage?”

“Me? Hmmm.., let me see… Since the company is still small, let’s make it 4 million won.”

“Are you sure, sir?”

“Yes, that’s fine. And don’t forget to pay rent for this office-tel. I, personally, purchased this office-tel for 500 million won. I, as an individual, leased this office-tel to GH Development. So please send the rent to my personal bank account.”

“How much should I send?”

“Hmm… 2 million won per month will be good.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho received 6 million won to his personal bank account every month: 4 million for his wage and 2 million for the office-tel rent. He listed any cost incurred for his automobile and meals under the company’s expenses.

Note*

Sooyook – boiled pork meat.

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Chapter 89 - Starting a Company (2) – PART 2

Chapter 89: Starting a Company (2) – PART 2

Gun-Ho verified his available cash.

“I have 16.4 billion won left. I started from 19.8 billion won that I made from the stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project. I purchased two condos and an automobile, formed a company, and acquired three OneRoomTels. They cost me about 3.4 billion won.”

As soon as Gun-Ho found out that the branch manager of the stockbroking company in Suwon moved to another branch, he moved his stock account to the branch in Gangnam. He put 6.4 billion won in his personal bank account and left the remaining 10 billion won in his stock account.

Even in Gangnam District where there were many rich people residing in, the cash amount of 10 billion seemed to be significant. When Gun-Ho visited the Gangnam branch office of the stockbroking firm in order to move his account there, the branch manager of Gangnam office ran to Gun-Ho and took him to his office.

The staff in that branch was whispering.

“Do you know the man who just entered the branch manager’s office?”

“It looks like someone with substantial funds came to open an account with us.”

“But he looked young.”

When the branch manager in Gangnam handed his business card to Gun-Ho, Gun-Ho also gave his business card to him.

“You are the CEO of GH Development. Probably a real estate development, I suppose?”

“Haha, that’s right.”

The branch manager of the Gangnam office told Gun-Ho exactly the same thing as the branch manager in the Suwon office did.

“We provide a text message service to our VIP clients only.”

A pretty lady staff entered the office with coffee.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, do you play golf?”

“I don’t.”

“According to your business card, your GH Development office is around here. Would you like to join me and play a round?”

“Haha, I don’t know. I will have to leave now. I have something I have to take care of.”

The branch manager walked Gun-Ho out to the main entrance and gave him a 90-degree bow.

Gun-Ho started receiving a text message from the stockbroking company about information related to stocks every day. The message was usually about the stock market trend and stock recommendation. They didn’t forget to add their reasons for the recommendation.

“The stocks they recommend are all blue-chip stocks. An investor with only several ten million won wouldn’t make money by investing in this type of stock.”

The stock brokerage firm didn’t recommend stocks that were too risky to invest in such as stocks that were being manipulated or stocks that were being influenced by politics. They only recommended blue-chip stocks that had stable earnings.

“The stockbroking firm doesn’t want to be blamed in the future by recommending a risky stock.”

Gun-Ho invested 3 billion won in the stocks that the stock brokerage firm recommended.

Gun-Ho received a phone call from the president of the auction private institution.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo? How are you?”

“Oh, sir, how have you been?”

“I’m calling to invite you for a gathering. I’m inviting everyone who graduated from my auction school.”

“Oh, really?”

“There are about 20 graduates, but since many of them are busy and live too far from here in a province, I guess about 10 graduates will be able to attend. I really hope that you could come to the gathering.”

“When is it going to happen?”

“It will be next Friday in the afternoon at Namyeong Town, Yongsan. I will send you a text with the address and time.”

“Okay. I will be there unless something comes up.”

Gun-Ho went to the gathering for the auction course graduates on Friday. It was held at a Galbi-tang* restaurant. There were 11 graduates attending the gathering. Half of those people were licensed realtors.

Gun-Ho said hi to everyone. Some looked familiar and some looked like he had never seen before. The president gave a speech.

“Umm, I asked you all to come to the gathering hoping that you could get to know each other and share information about the auction.”

People clapped and poured soju to each other’s glass. People there started sharing various information.

“I almost bought a townhouse apartment in Jeongreung Town, and I had to give up when I realized there were so many tenants living there.”

“There are several ways you could evict them.”

“I tried to buy a commercial building once, and then I gave up because it was too expensive for me. It was 500 million won. I was thinking of buying it with a business partner or something.”

“I earned a consultation fee by guiding two persons at an auction.”

The place was filled with the clamor of people who were talking about their experiences related to the auction. The president of the institution clapped to make them quiet.

“Attention here. Mr. Gun-Ho Goo sitting next to me, he bought a TowerPalace condo at an auction.”

“TowerPalace?”

People looked at Gun-Ho all together.

“TowerPalace is located in a very popular area. Its appraised value was 1.8 billion won, and he bought it for 1.5 billion won at the auction. Its current market price is 1.9 billion won. Let’s give him a big round of applause for his successful auction experience.”

“Whoa, 1.9 billion won! That’s awesome.”

People clapped. Gun-Ho stood up and thanked them.

“Are you living there?”

“Yes, I live there. I didn’t buy it for investment purposes. I bought it to live there.”

“Oh, I see.”

What Gun-Ho said implied that he had enough money. Everyone in the gathering seemed to be envious of him; especially a woman who looked like in her late 30s and was living in Gwangmyeong City. She was looking at Gun-Ho as if she was admiring him.

The president continued to talk.

“You can participate in an auction whether you have a lot of money, or you have a small amount of money. There are people who started with only several tens of million won and ended up growing it to several billion or several tens of billion won. Let’s drink to our success! For the auction!”

“For the auction!”

Gun-Ho had never heard of the saying ‘drink for the auction’ before. It was funny. A realtor from Junggye Town sitting next to Gun-Ho started talking after gulping his soju.

“I love soju. If I have enough funds I would get that vacant lot in Gangdong District, that just came out on the auction market!”

The president seemed to be aware of that land.

“That one is too big. The appraised value is 4.5 billion won. Moreover, it is held in tenancy in common!”

“The tenant in common is an old man, 80 years old. It is a very attractive parcel of land. But I don’t have money for it. Sh*t!”

“It’s doable as long as you have enough funds. Not many people would go for it since it is held in a tenancy in common. So the auction would fail at its first and second attempts. That would make the price drop to about 2 something billion won.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Whew. Who would have that kind of money? Moreover, once you buy that land, you will need more money to buy the other ownership interests in the land.”

“Maybe a business entity would buy it. That lot is very useful. A 15-floor office-tel building or a hotel could be built in the lot.”

“I don’t know… A company would face a lot of restriction if it tries to buy the lot. In addition, if the land acquisition is not directly related to the company’s business, they would have to pay a lot of tax.”

“Well, that’s a shame. We know its true value, but we can’t get it.”

Gun-Ho listened intently to the conversation between the realtor from Junggye Town and the auction institution president.

When Gun-Ho returned to his office, he gave a new project to Manager Kang.

“Search a vacant lot on the auction market. The lot is located in Gangdong District. Its appraised value is 4.5 billion won, and it is held in tenancy in common.”

“Gangdong District… Then the Seoul Eastern District Court would handle the case. Okay, I’m on it.”

After spending quite some time, Manager Kang printed out the related information and brought them to Gun-Ho.

“The land is 200 pyung. It is on the main road; it is understandable that many investors are interested in it. However, it is held in tenancy in common, so it won’t sell at the first or second try at an auction. Here is the statement about the current status of the land and its cadastral map for your reference.”

“Could you bring the real estate registration and the cadaster of that land? And go visit the land.”

“Okay. I will take pictures of them, and will check if there is any tenant.”

“It is a vacant lot. How could there be a tenant; nothing is on the land.”

“It’s possible. Some people would bring a tent and sell stuff there or some people would pile up their belongings on the land. As I see on the cadastral map, the land is on the main road; its location is very good. So there’s a possibility that there are people currently using the land.”

“Hmm, I see. Please investigate thoroughly.”

Note*

Galbi-tang – Korean short rib soup

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Chapter 90 - Land Auction – PART 1

Chapter 90: Land Auction – PART 1

Gun-Ho received a call from Suk-Ho who was running a bar in Gyeongridan Street.

“Gun-Ho? It’s me, Suk-Ho.”

“Suk-Ho? What’s up?”

“Did you open a new business? I heard from Min-Hyeok.”

“Yeah, it’s a small real estate company. It’s in a small office-tel with two employees.”

“That’s awesome, man. So you do buy or sell a real estate for a client? According to Min-Hyeok, you acquired a OneRoomTel and you are operating it.”

“Yeah, we do run a OneRoomTel, but it is really a small company.”

“Jong-Suk is coming to my bar tomorrow, and I will come by your office with him.”

“Isn’t he going to work tomorrow? It’s not even Sunday.”

“Oh, he is working tomorrow. He just needs to come to Seoul around lunchtime to buy a motor at a hardware store in Euljiro 3-ga, so I asked him to have lunch with me since he is coming all the way to Seoul.

“Why don’t you then come to my office? I will buy you guys lunch.”

The following day, Suk-Ho and Jong-Suk came to Gun-Ho’s office.

They expected to see a small office, but Gun-Ho’s office was 30 pyung large. They were surprised. In addition, Manager Kang and Ji-Young were working seriously at their desks, that made them enter the office quietly.

“Have a seat. I’m sorry that the office is a bit small.”

“It is nice.”

Suk-Ho and Jong-Suk looked around the office.

Ji-Young brought them green tea.

“Thank… thank you.”

Suk-Ho and Jong-Suk were usually noisy laughing and shouting at each other when they were together, but they were very quiet and calm that day, maybe because there were serious workers working in the office: Manager Kang and Ji-Young.

“You haven’t had lunch yet, right? Let’s get out of here!”

They went to a Chinese restaurant, ‘Sin Tai Fung’ close to the Gangnam Subway Station.

The restaurant looked expensive. Jong-Suk suggested going somewhere else for lunch.

“Let’s just eat here. It’s okay. I will order less pricey dishes.”

“Please get us a course-A.”

Gun-Ho ordered.

Xiaolongbao,* shrimp and vegetables, and spring rolls were being put on the table.

“Let’s have some beer too.”

Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho were eating without a word.

“What’s wrong with you guys? Jong-Suk, don’t act funny. You are supposed to be talkative.”

“Huh? Okay, bro. But these days, you are moving forward too quickly. You seemed to be someone else, not my bro. I feel kind of difficult around you.”

“Haha. What are you talking about? I haven’t changed. I’m still the same Gun-Ho Goo, man.”

Suk-Ho asked while having a Xiaolongbao.

“Isn’t the OneRoomTel in the Gangnam area expensive? Min-Hyeok said you have more than one OneRoomTel in the area. You are rich, man.”

“Nah, there were tons of really rich people in Gangnam.”

“Maybe I should sell my bar business and start running a OneRoomTel. How much is the one where Min-Hyeok is working as a residential manager?”

“It’s about 300 million won. I have three OneRoomTels: one in Bangbae Town, another one in Seocho Town, and the last one in Daechi Town. They cost me almost 900 million won.”

“What? 900 million won?”

Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho were astonished. Gun-Ho thought in mind,

‘If you knew I have 16.4 billion won in cash, you would faint.’

“Man, I think you are the most successful man among our friends from high school.”

“Nah, I don’t think so. There is Won-Chul Jo who graduated from Yonsei University, and he is working in a big company. Also, how about Byung-Tae Hwang? He graduated from KAIST and he is working in a research facility in Pangyo. I can’t compete with them.”

“No, they are just an employee who is getting a fixed salary from a company.”

“Haha. Stop your nonsense. Drink your beer.”

Gun-Ho poured beer in Suk-Ho’s glass.

“Bro, are you still living in Yeongdeungpo? It’s kind of far to commute from there.”

“No, I already moved.”

“To where? Around here?”

“Yeah, in Dogok Town. I bought a condo.”

“You bought a condo? Which one?”

“TowerPalace in Dogok Town. I bought it at an auction.”

“What? TowerPalace?”

Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho looked at each other in surprise.

“That condo is extremely expensive. What about your parents? Are they still living in Juan, Incheon?”

“No, I bought a condo for them too. They are now living in a HillState condo in Guweol Town. It’s 50 pyung large.”

“Really?”

Jong-Suk spilled his beer while listening to Gun-Ho.

Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho kept eating with their hardened faces.

After lunch, Gun-Ho came back to his office and started reading a newspaper until he fell asleep. He woke up when his phone began ringing. The call was from a very long number; it was probably an international call.

“Voice phishing?”

Gun-Ho ignored and clicked the hang-up button.

The phone started ringing again from the same number.

“Who the hell? Hello!”

“Oh! Gjien Hao?” (Gun-Ho Goo in Chinese)

It had been a while since Gun-Ho heard his name in Chinese.

“Ni Shi Naweia?” (Who is calling?)

“Oh, it’s me, Jien Wang. The professor at Zhejiang University.” (No more Chinese translation from here)

“Oh, wow. Professor Wang. It has been a while. How have you been?”

“Hey, I’m coming to Seoul soon. I’ve been invited by the famous C Media. I will attend a forum on economics held by the C Media.”

“Oh, really? That’s nice. Come, let’s meet and catch up. I want to see you, friend.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young were looking at Gun-Ho in surprise while Gun-Ho was talking on the phone in his fluent Chinese.

“Whoa, our CEO speaks Chinese fluently!”

They were amazed by Gun-Ho’s fluency in Chinese.

Gun-Ho continued talking with Professor Wang.

“I’m coming to Korea with Seukang Li.”

“Oh, the vice director guy in Shanghai City Construction Bureau.”

“Yeah, except he is now a deputy mayor in a small city close to Shanghai.”

“Really? That’s good. Come quick, friend. I will buy you a drink.”

“I won’t have much time since I have to attend some meetings and a forum, but I will have one free day. I will let you know once the schedule is set.”

“Okay. Talk to you later.”

After Gun-Ho hung up the phone, Manager Kang said in amazement.

“Sir, you speak Chinese very very well.”

“Not really. If someone who studied Chinese in college saw me speaking in Chinese, they will know I am not that fluent.”

Ji-Young said,

“Sir, did you go to a college in China?”

“Yes, in fact, I did. I went to college there.”

“I knew it. The call was from one of your classmates in college then?”

“He is not my classmate in college, but my good friends are coming to Korea soon.”

“Oh, then your friends are businessmen.”

“No, actually, one is a professor at Zhejiang University, and the other is a deputy mayor in a small city close to Shanghai. They are coming to attend an economic forum held by C Media.”

“A professor and a deputy mayor?”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young looked at each other in surprise.

Gun-Ho hadn’t thought about China until then.

“That’s right. Let’s grow GH Development and go to China which has a larger market.”

Gun-Ho was filled with aspiration.

“I am currently doing leasing service of a small real estate, but this is just a start. I will diversify my business and get into various fields like automobile, tourism, transportation, chemicals, etc. and make GH Development Company the GH Group.”

Gun-Ho wanted to relax his body and take a sauna, so he drove outside Gangnam. He wanted to get out of the busy Gangnam area for a while. He went to a sauna that was located inside the Education Community Center building. He washed his body with soap slowly while thinking.

‘Let’s erase my past self. I am born again. There are so many things I have to learn. Let’s keep in touch with Professor Wang who is an intellectual and read more books.’

After having a sauna, Gun-Ho walked along the river in Yangjae Town. He aspired to enter the bigger market abroad someday.

Note*

Xiaolongbao – Chinese steamed bun

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Chapter 91 - Land Auction – PART 2

Chapter 91: Land Auction – PART 2

Manager Kang gave a report to Gun-Ho on the vacant lot in Gangdong District after he had visited the land.

“There are two people who have ownership interests in the property. One of them defaulted on a debt, and that’s why the property appeared on the auction market.”

“Do you think it is possible that they might cancel the auction?”

“There are many creditors including secured creditors, and there is a lawsuit against one of the owners to seize the land to pay the debt. So, I believe it would be very difficult to cancel the auction.”

“Hmm, I see. Oh, I forgot to tell you that the owner of the land is a 80 years old man.”

“Do you want me to find and meet him?”

“No, not yet. We can contact him after we get the property by the auction, well if we could get the property.”

“Okay.”

“Is there a tenant?”

“Yes. There is one who is running a parking lot there. Running a parking lot is understandable because if the owner leaves a good location land on the main road for example without use, the owner has to pay a high tax, called the Idle Land Tax. So, many vacant lots in a city are being used as a parking lot. That’s common and recommended by the government.”

“I see. Is there any other tenant?”

“Yes, there are some people who built a temporary building on the lot and operate a fruit store, and there is another one who is running a tented cart, serving food. But those people can easily be evicted once we get the land.”

“When is the first auction date?”

“It would be next Thursday.”

“Okay. Let me know the result of the first auction.”

Manager Kang was about to sit at his desk when he asked Gun-Ho.

“Umm, sir.”

“Yes, is there anything else you want to tell me?”

“Our company, GH Development has 300 million capital, and it has assets of three OneRoomTels. Since the OneRoomTels are running in the leased buildings, we can’t get a loan from a bank with these OneRoomTels because a bank doesn’t consider the premium our company is holding on a OneRoomTel as collateral for a loan.”

“Are you worried about how we are going to participate in the auction to acquire that expensive land without being able to lend money from a bank?”

“That’s right. I’m just concerned.”

“Haha. You don’t have to worry about money, Manager Kang. You just need to do your best in your work.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho received a call from his mother.

“Gun-Ho? Is it a good time to talk or are you busy?”

“It’s okay. How are you, mom?”

“I think you need to start thinking about your marriage. Someone wanted to introduce a very nice lady to you. That’s why I’m calling you.”

“No, mom. I am not interested in marrying anyone yet.”

“You have to have children. You are getting old, son. Your dad wants to have grandkids.”

“You have Jeong-Ah.”

“Jeong-Ah is your sister’s daughter. It’s different. We want a grandchild from you, son. The girl I was talking about is the daughter of an elder of a church I’m attending. She is a nurse. I saw her picture. She looks cultured and classy. She is 32 years old.”

“Mom, I’m busy now. I will talk to you later, okay?”

“Gun-Ho, hold on a second! Whew, did he already hang up?”

Gun-Ho received another phone call. This time, it was from his aunt.

“Gun-Ho? I heard you are doing very well these days.”

“I’m doing okay. How’s Jae-Woong? Is he doing fine with his government job?”

Jae-Woong was Gun-Ho’s cousin who was two years younger than Gun-Ho. He got a level-9 government job a few years ago at the Department of Labor. Gun-Ho’s aunt was so proud of him.

“Yeah, he is doing fine. He has a girlfriend, and he will marry her next year. She is working in the same department as him.”

“Really? That’s nice.”

“Speaking of which, you need to get married too, Gun-Ho. There is a really nice girl I want to introduce to you. She’s the niece of someone I know. She works at a credit union. Why don’t you meet her?”

“No, aunt. I’m not interested.”

“You will lose your opportunity to meet a nice girl, Gun-Ho. This girl is a bit old; she is 38 years old. She said she would take care of all house chores once she gets married.”

“Aunt, I gotta go. I have a client waiting for me. I will talk to you later.”

Gun-Ho hung up the phone and sighed.

Professor Wang called Gun-Ho. He said he would attend a northeast Asia economic forum on coming Tuesday, held in Intercontinental Hotel located in Samgsung Town, Gangnam.

“Why don’t you come to the forum as a guest? It will be at Diamond Hall in the hotel. You will see and meet a lot of journalists and business people there.”

Gun-Ho thought it would be boring for him.

“Let’s meet once your schedule is free so we can have fun, okay? When would that be?”

“According to the schedule sent by the forum organizer, I have no schedule on Thursday. I will do a quick shopping in the morning that day, so let’s meet in the afternoon on Thursday.”

“Sounds good. I really want to see you, friend.”

Gun-Ho received another call. It was his sister.

“I hope it’s not about marriage again.”

Gun-Ho was reluctant to take the call but he did anyway.

“Gun-Ho? I’m sorry if I’m bothering you.”

Gun-Ho’s sister sounded down. Her voice was feeble.”

“It’s okay, sister. What’s up?”

“I will have to move.”

“Again? You just moved to a new place not long ago.”

“I know. The landlord is asking us to vacate the apartment. Their son recently got married and their son wanted to move to the apartment we are renting.”

“I see.”

“So, umm… I’m not sure if I can ask you this…”

“Just say it, sister.”

“Whew…”

“Just say it, sister! I’m busy.”

“The apartment I’m renting right now, its monthly rent is 500,000 won with 10 million security deposit. It’s really hard to find an apartment with the same price.”

“Hmm.”

“I can find an apartment with 500,000 won monthly rent, but they all are asking the security deposit of 20 million won.”

Gun-Ho thought that her sister was telling him all these details to ask him to lend her money.

Gun-Ho’s sister continued talking.

“So, since Jeong-Ah is living with our parents right now, is it okay with you if we move into our parents’ condo in Guweol Town just for a while? The condo has four bedrooms and some of them are not being used. I think it is better for Jeong-Ah as well to live with her parents.”

“What is your husband doing these days?”

“He is still driving a truck.”

“I told you this before. That condo is our parents’ home. You need to ask them.”

“I asked them already, and they are okay with us moving in with them. But they told me that I need to discuss it with you because you are the owner of the condo.”

“I’m okay as long as our parents are okay.”

“Thank you, brother. As soon as we recover our financial situation, we will find our own place.”

“I don’t mind sister. You can stay there as long as our parents are okay with it. I gotta go now.”

Gun-Ho thought over his sister’s situation for a moment.

“Well, maybe it’s better that way. The condo was too big for three people. My parents are getting old and they could be sick anytime soon. So, if my sister is living with them, she can take care of them. That’s nice. I can now focus on my business.”

Manager Kang told Gun-Ho that the first auction for the vacant lot in Gangdong District had failed as expected.

“What is the starting price for the second auction?”

“The price drops by 20%, so that would be 3.6 billion won.”

“Keep an eye on it.”

“And, sir…”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been visiting and checking the three OneRoomTels. I think we need to get fire insurance for them.”

“Oh, I haven’t thought of it. I heard the news that there was a major fire accident in a sauna and many people died.”

“That’s right.”

Someone crossed Gun-Ho’s mind when he was thinking about fire insurance. Gun-Ho’s sister had a friend named Seung-Hee Park. She used to come to Gun-Ho’s home to spend time with his sister and eat together sometimes. She was neat and cheerful.

“I heard she was divorced, and she was doing insurance sales.”

Gun-Ho called his sister.

“Sister, does your friend, Seung-Hee still doing the insurance thing?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Ask her to come to my office tomorrow. If I am not in the office, she can talk with Ji-Young Jeong here. I will buy fire insurance from her.”

“Thank you. She will be very excited. I will call her right away.”

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Chapter 92 - Professor Jien Wang (1) – PART 1

Chapter 92: Professor Jien Wang (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho was thinking of what he would do if he successfully bought the vacant lot in Gangdong District at an auction.

“Should I build a hotel?”

Even if he successfully acquired the land by an auction, his property interest in the land would be only 50% since the land was held in tenancy in common and there was another owner who had the equal property interest in the land.

Say, he could persuade the other owner to sell his or her interest to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho would have to pay that owner an additional 600 million or 700 million won to buy his or her property interest.

It would not be just the price of the land Gun-Ho had to bear. If he wanted to do something with the land, he would have to build a building or a hotel, or whatever he wanted to build, and that would cost him additional money.

“How much more should I expect to spend with the land?”

Gun-Ho was drawing his plan with the land on a blank canvas in his head.

“The land is 200 pyung. If I assume the building will use 100 pyung out of it and the price of construction is 5 million won per pyung, then the total construction cost would be 500 million won. If I build a 10-floor building, sh*t! It would cost me 5 billion won. For a 15-floor building, 7.5 billion won would incur. Then how much in total would I spend for the land price and construction cost altogether? I guess it would cost me all of my money.”

Gun-Ho wanted to ask Manager Kang more details on it, such as how many pyung would be allowed to use to build a building and exactly how much it would cost per pyung to build it. Then he decided not to ask him.

“It’s too early to go into the details. Let’s wait and see how things turn out at the second auction.”

The idea of developing the vacant lot still lingered on Gun-Ho.

“Maybe I should put all of my money into this by building a hotel once I purchase the land, and become the president of a hotel. Even though the hotel wouldn’t be located in the center of Seoul but a bit distant from the center, I can decorate the hotel really pretty and elegantly. I would be respected as the owner of a hotel who is running his own hotel.”

Gun-Ho then thought of running an office-tel.

“I could build an office-tel there, a large one and I directly operate it. Assuming the number of rooms would be 150 and a monthly rent for each room would be 600,000 won, the monthly income from the office-tel would be 90 million won then. Maybe building an office-tel is better.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t decide which building he wanted to build and he repeatedly drew and erased a hotel or an office-tel on the land in his head.

Gun-Ho opened a newspaper published by C Media.

There was a big picture of the northeast Asia economic forum held in Intercontinental Hotel, that Professor Wang would attend.

“Economic diagnosis by scholars from all over the world? They are making it sound like a huge deal. Oh, here is the picture of Professor Wang.” Gun-Ho chuckled.

“What? China and South Korea needs to take each other’s hands and move forward as a partner? Well, that sounds nice.” Gun-Ho chuckled again.

Gun-Ho was expecting a call from Professor Wang around tomorrow after he finished the official event.

“Gun-Ho? It’s me! Professor Wang.”

“Oh, I was waiting for your call.”

“Come to the hotel I am staying. I don’t have any schedule after 4 PM tomorrow.”

“Okay. I will be there by 4 tomorrow then. Where do we meet?”

“Why don’t you come up to my room? It’s 12XX.”

“Okay! See you there then.”

Gun-Ho planned to take them to a restaurant in the Starfield COEX Mall for dinner, and then he wanted to go somewhere really nice.

“Should I take them to the room salon that the sister of Suk-Ho’s friend is operating? It’s close from here.”

Gun-Ho shook his head.

“We don’t have to go to a place that expensive. I am happy to see them but that room salon is way too expensive; it’s not like we are meeting to close an important deal or something.”

Gun-Ho then thought of that secret bar in Hannam Town.

“That place is pricey too. I do love the vibe and atmosphere the bar is creating, but Professor Wang and his friend might feel uncomfortable in a too luxurious bar like that.”

Gun-Ho kept thinking about how to find a good place to have fun with them, tomorrow after dinner.

“Whew. I can’t think of any good place. I should have often eaten in good places in my daily life, so I know where to go whenever I have a visitor in town.”

Gun-Ho thought of Suk-Ho from Gyeongridan Street. He probably knew a lot of good places. Gun-Ho called him.

“Suk-Ho? It’s me, Gun-Ho.”

“Oh, President Goo, how come are you calling to a humble person like me?”

Suk-Ho sometimes talked in a twisted way. Gun-Ho was not sure whether Suk-Ho remembered what he did when they were in high school, but Gun-Ho still clearly remembered that Suk-Ho took Gun-Ho’s umbrella. Gun-Ho tried to let it go since it happened a long time ago.

“I have friends who came from China and I want to take them to a nice place after dinner to have fun. Do you happen to know any good bar we could go?”

“Itaewon is the right place for it! There are tons of places like that.”

“So, which one do you recommend?”

“How many people are going?”

“Two. Well, it will be three people including me.”

“What are their occupations?”

“One is a college professor and the other is a deputy mayor.”

“A college professor and a deputy mayor? Then you should choose a place classy and refined.”

“That doesn’t matter actually. They are my friends and we are all at the same age.”

“Really? How did you meet people like that? Well, let me see… There is one good place. Its name is ‘ArariYo.’ It’s a bar where you can see a traditional Korean musical and dance performance while you drink.”

“Oh, they do traditional Korean drum dance too? That sounds awesome. Give me the direction to that bar.”

A lady entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Umm, is Ms. Ji-Young Jeong here?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

Ji-Young stood up and showed the lady to the meeting table.

Gun-Ho looked at the lady carefully; it was her, his sister’s friend, Seung-Hee Park. Gun-Ho stood up from his seat.

“Are you Seung-Hee sister?”

“Oh my gosh! Gun-Ho?!”

The lady seemed to be surprised to see Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho was also surprised because she had changed a lot. She used to be a very neat and proud young lady. Now she looked shabby and old. Also, Gun-Ho remembered that she was tall but the lady in front of him right now seemed to be short.

“Long time no see. Have a seat.”

“I barely recognize you, Gun-Ho. You have grown to be a dashing gentleman. I wouldn’t have recognized you if I just passed by you on the street.”

Ji-Young brought them green tea.

“Where do you live, Seung-Hee sister?”

“I am still living in Bucheon. Your office looks clean and cozy.”

Seung-Hee looked around the office while sipping her green tea.

“My sister told me that you are selling insurance.”

“Yeah, I happened to work in this field. It’s sort of a rewarding job.”

“Our company is operating three OneRoomTels right now and I’d like to buy fire insurance for those three. You can talk with Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, regarding more details about it because I have to leave now. I have an appointment with clients from China.”

Ji-Young nodded her head at Seung-Hee.

“Oh, you are leaving? Sure, I will talk with this lady then. It was really nice seeing you again Gun-Ho. You looked more handsome than you were when you were little.”

Seung-Hee looked at Gun-Ho as if she admired him.

In fact, Gun-Ho became neat and dashing lately.

He had been wearing only brand-name shirts and suits, and even for t-shirts and shoes. Clothes make the man. Moreover, Gun-Ho had regularly been receiving skin care from a skin care shop. He certainly looked better. His complexion had been brightened and he looked like someone who had never experienced hard work in his life because he was born to a rich family. No one could imagine that he had once been a factory worker—doing manual labor job in a small factory.

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Chapter 93 - Professor Jien Wang (1) – PART 2

Chapter 93: Professor Jien Wang (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho went to the Intercontinental Hotel to see Professor Wang.

Professor Wang’s room door was slightly opened, showing that he had been expecting Gun-Ho.

“Jien Wang! Long time no see!”

“Oh, Gjien Hao (Gun-Ho Goo)! It’s really good to see you again!”

They hugged each other.

“Hey, President Goo, you seemed to gain some weight. You are probably doing well back in Korea.”

“You look great too. So, you are done with all the official events scheduled?

“I have one more day left.”

“Whoa, what are these?”

There were tons of shopping bags on Professor Wang’s room floor.

“Yeah, I did some shopping this morning for my family and friends in China. Korean products are indeed high-quality products.”

Professor Wang put his thumb up.

“Where is Deputy Mayor Seukang Li?”

“Oh, he is staying next room. He is arranging his shopping bags right now, I guess.”

“Really? I’m so glad to see you both. Let’s go have dinner. It’s almost dinnertime. There are many good restaurants in Starfield COEX Mall around here.”

“Sure. But let’s wait for a moment. I’m expecting someone else.”

“Who is it?”

“He is a friend of mine. I went to Yale University with him. He is Korean. He is on his way here.”

“Really? What is he doing for a living?”

“He is a lawyer. He practices international law mostly. He is also the same age as us.”

Gun-Ho and Professor Wang spent some time in Professor Wang’s room while waiting for the man who Professor Wang was expecting.

Gun-Ho walked to the window and looked down; he could see Bongeunsa.

Professor Wang came to Gun-Ho and asked.

“President Goo, what is that building? It looks like a traditional Korean house. Is it one of the cultural assets?”

Professor Wang was pointing to Bongeunsa.

“No, it’s a Buddhist temple.”

“Buddhist temple?”

“Yes, it is called Bongeunsa. You can visit there when you go jogging in the morning.”

“Oh, can anyone enter?”

“Of course, anyone can enter. It’s free.”

While Gun-Ho and Professor Wang were conversing about the Buddhist temple, a man entered the room. He was a tall and slim good-looking man.

“Hey, Attorney Kim!”

Professor Wang hugged his guest who just came into the room.

“Oh, this is President Goo I told you about on the phone.”

“I’m Young-Jin Kim. Nice to meet you.”

Gun-Ho gave him a handshake. Young-Jin pulled out his business card from the inner pocket of his jacket and gave it to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho handed his business card to him as well.

“Attorney at Kim&Jeong Law Office?”

Gun-Ho thought that this guy was an attorney working in that famous Kim&Jeong, but he was wondering why Kim&Jeong was a law office, rather than a law company.

“Isn’t Kim&Jeong a law company?”

“Actually, we are more like a partnership.”

Attorney Kim grinned. He looked like someone who grew up in a good affluent family. Attorney Kim looked at Gun-Ho’s business card again.

“I like your business card design. It’s pretty. GH Development Company… is it then a real estate development company?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a small company with only two employees. Haha.”

“You are the CEO of the company.”

Professor Wang cut in on Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim’s conversation.

“Hey, give me your business card to me too. Both of you!”

While Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim were handing their business cards to Professor Wang, Deputy Mayor Seukang Li came into the room.

“Hey, Seukang Li!”

“Oh, Gun-Ho Goo! Good to see you, man.”

They hugged each other.

“I heard you quit your director position and now you are working as a deputy mayor in some city!?”

“Yeah, it’s right next to Shanghai. What about you? How have you been?”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to Seukang Li. Gun-Ho’s business card was written in Korean on the front page and in English on the back of the page.

“Is it a real estate development company? GH Development?”

“That’s right. Bangjisan (a realtor’s office)!”

It seemed that Seukang Li and Attorney Kim had never met each other before. Professor Wang introduced them to each other.

“This man went to Yale University with me, and this guy is the deputy mayor in Kunshan City right next to Shanghai. He is my hometown friend.”

They bowed to each other.

“Let’s go downstairs! We can continue to talk while having dinner.”

The four men walked to the Starfield COEX Mall.

Professor Wang seemed to be envious of Korea’s economic growth. He commented while looking at the commercial stores in the Starfield COEX Mall.

“I’m impressed by Korea’s economic growth. All these commercial stores are sophisticated. I think we, Asia can surely compete with Western countries.”

“China has developed remarkably. China is G-2.”

“China is large in size, but we still have a long way to go to improve ordinary Chinese people’s life. All those Korean people walking on the street right now, they looked wealthy.”

“Oh! There is a restaurant.”

“Its name is weird. It says ‘Porchetta.’

“It sounds like an Italian restaurant. Let’s just have dinner here. We don’t need to go further to look for another one. This one looks good.”

“Italy? Haha. So, I will have an Italian food in Korea, huh?”

Those four men entered the restaurant.

Gun-Ho ordered chicken, knowing it is Chinese people’s favorite meat.

He also ordered Buttered Chicken Rice, Vongole Bread, and Crème Pasta, etc.

“Let’s have some wine.”

“It’s tasty!”

The four men started eating. Professor Wang and Attorney Kim talked to each other in English. Gun-Ho was just listening to them while being impressed by their fluent English even he couldn’t understand a thing. Attorney Kim raised his voice showing off his fluent English knowing that Gun-Ho didn’t speak English. Deputy Mayor Li seemed that he didn’t understand English either.

Attorney Kim then asked some cliché questions to Gun-Ho; he might feel sorry for Gun-Ho.

“So, where do you live, President Goo?”

“I’m living in Dogok Town.”

“Oh, I live close to Dogok Town, in Daechi Town. My parents are living in the same town in a Mido condo. You live in Dogok Town… then do you live in TowerPalace?”

“That’s right. I live in TowerPalace building A.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho felt that Attorney Kim was showing a bit more respect to Gun-Ho when he heard that Gun-Ho was a resident of TowerPalace.

While Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim were talking in Korean, Professor Wang felt bored and cut in on their conversation.

“Hey, Gun-Ho! Deputy Mayor Li has no schedule tomorrow. He only attended the event on the first day and he won’t attend the academic conference that is scheduled tomorrow.”

“Oh, really? Then he has his own agenda coming to Korea?”

“He wants to visit a few industrial complexes. So, I was wondering if you know anyone who could help him tomorrow.”

“I can do that.”

“That would be great, but do you have time for it?”

“I will make time for a friend! My friend came all the way to Korea!”

“Thank you, Gun-Ho. I really appreciate that.”

While Gun-Ho and Professor Wang were talking in Chinese, Attorney Kim became quiet. He then talked to Gun-Ho while feeling envious.

“Oh, President Goo, you sound like a native Chinese. When did you learn your Chinese?”

“I just had to learn to survive. Haha. Let’s drink.”

Three different languages were all mixed together at Gun-Ho’s table: Korean, Chinese, and English.

Once they started drinking, Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li began to talk in Chinese. When they talked to each other, they spoke a Chinese dialect of the southern area. It was hard for Gun-Ho to understand.

Gun-Ho talked to Attorney Kim in Korean.

“I heard it is hard to get a job in Kim&Jeong, but once you get in, you get a significantly high salary.”

“Whew. Don’t get me started. The work is extremely hard. I usually work until 11 PM or even midnight every single day. That’s normal and expected.”

“Really? There is no easy job, huh?”

“I have a pile of work in my car trunk right now.”

“What kind of work do you do?”

“I have a law license from the USA, so I usually handle international finances and M&A.”

“Oh, I see. Did you go to high school in the U.S.?”

“No, not at all. I was born and raised here in Korea, in Apgujeong Town, Seoul specifically. I went to Seoul National University. I actually went to the U.S. after graduating from college.”

“So you get your master’s degree and Ph.D. from Yale University.”

“I went to Yale Law School and came back to Korea after getting my law license. I sometimes feel difficult to get along with attorneys who studied law in Korea. Haha.”

Attorney Kim lifted up his shiny gold metal frame glasses with his finger and smiled with his white teeth.

Gun-Ho thought that this guy looked like the typical guy who was born and raised in a wealthy family in the famous school district, Gangnam District-8. On top of that, he was smart and good-looking. He was the UmChinAh*.

Note*

UmChinAh – A Korean word. If directly translating it, it is ‘my mother’s friend’s son.’

It indicates a person who seemed to be so perfect that my mom always talks about him who is her friend’s son. And she doesn’t stop there usually, but she compares that guy with me and that makes me feel really bad and stressed.

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Chapter 94 - Professor Jien Wang (2) – PART 1

Chapter 94: Professor Jien Wang (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho, Professor Wang, Deputy Mayor Li, and Attorney Kim started their second wine bottle at the Italian food restaurant, Porchetta. Gun-Ho ordered additional seafood salad and snacks that went well with the wine. Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim didn’t drink more than one glass of wine since they had to drive. Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li enjoyed the wine mostly.

While Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li were talking to each other in Chinese southern area dialect, Gun-Ho conversed with Attorney Kim in the Korean language.

“How do you usually spend your time on Sundays then? Do you go mountain climbing maybe?”

“I don’t do mountain climbing. I sometimes play golf through the field. Why don’t you join me in golf, President Goo? Do you like playing golf?”

“Golf? Umm, I… I am not good at golf.”

Gun-Ho had never played golf before. He just didn’t have the opportunity, time and money to play it. He had been busy in making money by working at a factory or running a restaurant.

Attorney Kim asked Professor Wang.

“Hey, Professor Wang. Do you play golf in China?”

“I don’t have anyone to go with to play golf.”

“Let’s play golf together in China someday. It would be nice to play with you guys.”

“Deputy Mayor Li is not a good golf player. I’m sure President Goo is playing very well.”

“Huh? Me? I’m… I’m not good at it either.”

Gun-Ho remembered that the branch manager of the stockbroking firm once suggested Gun-Ho a round of golf. Once again, these friends are talking about golf. Gun-Ho thought he would have to learn it.

“So, are we done here? Let’s move to another place. I know a good place in Itaewon Town.”

“Itaewon? It sounds familiar. I think I saw that word in a tour guide book. I’m in!”

At that moment, Attorney Kim grabbed the restaurant bill and headed to the counter.

“No. I will pay for dinner.”

“No, I want to treat you. I will have to say bye here though because I have to get up early tomorrow morning for work. I won’t be able to join you for the second round this evening. Instead, I will pay for this bill.”

Attorney Kim insisted on paying the bill for the dinner.

“Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li, I’m sorry that I have to go now. I have an important meeting tomorrow early morning, so I have to work till late tonight.”

“It’s okay. We understand. I will see you again later.”

“Okay, then. I’m leaving. I will come to China when I get less busy. Let’s have a round of golf.”

“Sure. I will have Deputy Mayor Li practice golf until then.”

Gun-Ho went down to the underground parking lot with Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li, where his car was parked at.

“Get in. It’s my car.”

“Oh, Land Rover! Nice car!”

Gun-Ho’s party headed to Itaewon Town.

“Thank you, Gun-Ho. And thank you for volunteering to take me to industrial complexes tomorrow.”

“Why are you going there, by the way?”

“We are developing an industrial complex in Jinxi Town, Kunshan City where I work as a deputy mayor. So, we want to use Korean industrial complex as the benchmark for determining the design, improvement, etc.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head showing that he understood.

Gun-Ho found the bar in Itaewon Town, that Suk-Ho recommended, named ‘ArariYo’.

“This area is very popular among foreigners. Look at the pedestrians passing by over there. They are Westerners and African Americans.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Welcome to ArariYo!”

The waiters who were standing at the main entrance of the bar greeted Gun-Ho’s party with a loud voice. One of them led Gun-Ho’s party to the basement. They passed a long hallway decorated with mirrors on the wall before reaching to the main hall.

They could hear the sound of traditional Korean drums. Gun-Ho looked around; the tables were almost full. In the center of the hall, there was a stage, and a dancer was dancing there. People at the tables around the stage were drinking while watching the performance.

“Kirei! Kirei!” (‘beautiful’ in Japanese)

Gun-Ho could hear the Japanese language. There might be many Japanese customers here.

Gun-Ho’s party sat at a table that the waiter showed. The lighting of the stage was bright while the lighting in the seating area was dim, so people could see the performance on the stage better.

“That’s the traditional Korean dance.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho’s table was being set up with fruits, snacks and bottles of beer and the party were enjoying the performance while having beer and snacks. The dancer’s dance became intense. She started spinning while dancing with a traditional Korean drum.

“Kirei! Kirei!”

The Japanese people there seemed to enjoy the performance a lot; they were clapping as the dancer was spinning. Professor Wang looked around the hall.

“I don’t see any Chinese tourist here. I only see a lot of Japanese tourists.”

As the sound of the traditional Korean drum became slow, the dancer took off her top. That left her with white underwear. She continued dancing.

“She probably feels hot with all those dancing.”

Deputy Mayor Li said without taking his eyes off the dancing.

The dancer this time took off the underwear and kept dancing naked on top. After a moment, she took off her skirt as well while dancing.

Silence filled the air. Everyone including the Japanese tourists, Professor Wang, and Deputy Mayor Li craned their necks to get a better view of the stage. Gun-Ho could hear swallowing sounds from here and there.

‘Hmm, this is why Suk-Ho recommended this bar. It is certainly unique; I give him that. But this is too lewd.’ Gun-Ho thought.

People there were watching the “unique” performance intently without saying a word.

(I am leaving out the description for the rest of the performance.)

Gun-Ho thought he wouldn’t be able to drive tonight since he drank a few beers.

“I think I will have to call a paid designated driver.”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s someone who could drive us to our home for a fee.”

“We could be stopped for a sobriety test on the way at this hour, right?”

“Yeah. If you get caught, the fine is extremely high and you could lose your driver’s license.”

“I see. We should be very careful.”

Gun-Ho called for a designated paid driver and after a while, the driver was driving Gun-Ho’s car heading to Intercontinental hotel to drop off Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li.

“Thank you, Gun-Ho for today. We have a wonderful time.”

“I will come to your hotel by 10 am tomorrow to pick up Deputy Mayor Li. Good night.”

The paid designated driver continued to drive heading to Gun-Ho’s TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town.

The next day, Gun-Ho and Deputy Mayor Li were driving to go to an industrial complex.

Gun-Ho asked Deputy Mayor Li who was sitting in the front passenger seat.

“Do you want to go to Asan City or Pyeongtaek City where the national industrial complex is?”

“A national industrial complex? No, I want to see an industrial complex in a small city in the province.”

“Really? How big is your city planning to build an industrial complex?”

“About 1,000 moo.”

“1,000 moo?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t quickly understand the size when Deputy Mayor Li gave the size in a Chinese measuring unit.

“How big would that be?”

“It’s a bit less than 700,000 ㎡.

“What? 700,000 ㎡? Then I guess it’s well larger than 200,000 pyung.”

Gun-Ho thought that the Asan Techno Valley in Asan City would be a good one to show Deputy Mayor Li. The YS Tech that Gun-Ho had worked before was located close to that industrial park.

“Let’s go to Asan City! After visiting the Asan Techno Valley we can stop by Cheonan Industrial Park too.”

They arrived at the Asan Techno Valley.

“Whoa, this is nice. It’s sizable. Korea is not a large country in size but their industrial complex that is located even in a province is huge. How large is this?”

Gun-Ho picked up a pamphlet from the management office.

“Wow! 2,980,000 ㎡!”

Deputy Mayor Li was astonished.

Gun-Ho was surprised by its size too. 2,980,000 ㎡ is over 900,000 pyung.

“According to the pamphlet, this complex includes a place to work, a place to live, and a place to relax. So, I guess there are not only factories here but also a residential community and commercial buildings. That’s why it is so big.”

“Hmm.”

Seukang Li seemed to be impressed by looking at the factories and the condo community there.

“This is really nice. Very well planned and built.”

Seunkang Li took out a note and wrote down something on it before taking pictures of the complex.

Gun-Ho, next, took Deputy Mayor Li to the Cheonan Industrial Park.

“Gun-Ho, where did you say you worked before?”

“I worked in a plastic factory as an injection molding worker. Did you say you had worked at a hot-rolled carbon steel manufacturer?”

“Yes, but not for a long time though. After about three years of working at the factory, I became the leader of a labor union. So the plastic factory you worked before is around here?”

“No, I had moved location from one factory to another.”

Gun-Ho showed Deputy Mayor Li the third and fourth subdivision within the Cheonan Industrial Park. He then took him to the subdivision for foreign entities.

“Hmm, there is a separate area for foreign entities.”

Seungkang Li diligently wrote something down and took pictures.

“The sign over there says ‘Baeksuk Agricultural Industrial Park.'”

“An agricultural industrial park? Let’s go see it!”

Deputy Mayor Li seemed to be excited to see an agricultural industrial park. He seemed to think that he could find something useful there, that he could apply to the industrial park that his small city—Kunshan was planning to build.

Once they arrived at Baeksuk Agricultural Industrial Park, Deputy Mayor Li got off the car and looked around it.

“Is there a management office for this agricultural industrial park?”

“A management office?”

Gun-Ho and Deputy Mayor Li went to the management office after Gun-Ho asked someone who was passing by, about the location of it. Luckily, there was a manager in the office at that time.

“How large is this agricultural industrial park?”

“It’s 360,000 ㎡”

Gun-Ho was interpreting for Deputy Major Li.

“President Goo, could you ask him how many entities are occupying the park currently?”

“It started with 50 entities, but now there are about 100 entities already in the park. Some of the occupants share the factory building.”

“I guess the land here should be expensive since it is close to the city.”

Deputy Mayor Li talked to himself.

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Chapter 95 - Professor Jien Wang (2) – PART 2

Chapter 95: Professor Jien Wang (2) – PART 2

After visiting the industrial complex in Cheonan, they headed back to Seoul.

While they were still driving toward Seoul, Deputy Mayor Li was lost in thought for quite a while with his arms crossed.

“Hey, Gun-Ho. How much capital did you invest in your real estate development company?”

“Not much, 300 million won. It’s about 300,000 U.S. dollar.”

“How much gross sales do you make?”

“It’s not much either. Probably it’s about 500 million Korean won per month.”

“Can I take a look at your company’s financial statements?”

“What for?”

“I’d like to set up a joint venture with you.”

“A joint venture?”

“Yeah, if we want to enter into a joint venture, you need to prepare your company’s financial statements.”

“Umm, I just started my company. It hasn’t even a year yet.”

“December is around the corner. You will soon make a financial report on closing accounts. How much debt do you have?”

“There is none.”

“Even a penny?”

“Correct.”

“Really?”

Deputy Mayor Li smiled slightly.

Seukang Li continued to talk while looking outside the window.

“As a matter of fact, I am planning to build an industrial Park in my city. I am the one who came up with the idea, planning and leading the project. I want to invite foreign companies to take part in that industrial complex and I’m so worried if we could attract enough foreign firms.”

“Are you worried about not attracting enough foreign firms?”

“If I can’t bring enough foreign companies to join us, I, as the person who is in charge of the project, will be in trouble.”

“What if you succeeded in attracting enough foreign companies?”

“The government will recognize my ability to handle projects, and I might be promoted and go back to Shanghai. So, I was thinking of setting up a joint venture with a foreign company that can bring more foreign investors, build factories, do landscaping and managing them in the future.”

“Whew, I don’t think I can handle all those work; that’s too much for me. In addition, it sounds like it will cost a fortune.”

“We will start with 3,000,000 U.S. dollars.”

“See? 3 million dollars is a lot. I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Since it is a joint venture, China will contribute 50% and we expect a Korean company to contribute the other 50%. I already talked with several foreign companies yesterday and they all seemed to be interested. However, I prefer to work with you, President Goo because I know I can trust you. But if you are not interested, that’s a shame.”

Gun-Ho thought about it for a moment.

‘The joint venture will start with 3 million dollars of capital and 50% of 3 million dollars is 1.5 billion Korean won…’

Gun-Ho actually could handle 1.5 billion won with his personal money since he currently had 16.4 billion won in his bank and stock accounts.

“Professor Jien Wang will join us for the joint venture as a shareholder. We are not setting up the joint venture because we don’t have 3 million dollars. We want to have a co-venturer who could facilitate bringing more foreign companies to join the industrial complex. If you could be our co-venturer and attract more Korean companies to join our industrial complex, that would be really great.”

“How much will Professor Wang be involved in the project?”

“He hasn’t decided yet. I am hoping that he could bring U.S. companies into the industrial park but that probably wouldn’t be easy. I expect that many Korean companies would be more interested in joining us since we are neighboring countries.”

“Hmm… When do you plan to set up the joint venture?”

“Around April when 3-Flow work is completed.”

“What is 3-Flow work?”

“Oh, it’s about very basic infrastructure construction. We need to first build power generation plant for the electricity, then setup the water supply as the second work, and then for the third work we will have to pave the road. So the 3-Flow work is about electricity flow, water flow, and road flow. We still have time, so just think about it, okay?”

“That’s an interesting way to put it. So the Chinese co-venturer would be Kunshan City?”

“The city itself cannot directly participate. Instead, there is a construction company being run by the city’s funds and its name is Jinxi Construction Company. It’s a government-owned company and you will set up a joint venture with this company. Since it is a government-owned company, it’s safe to work with and it’s guaranteed to be able to send profits you made in China to your country.”

“Hmm.”

“Your company is not exactly the perfect candidate for a co-venturer; however since the company has no debt, it’s very doable to have your company picked up as our co-venturer. Moreover, by the time when we would complete the 3-Flow work, you will have your first-year financial statements. Jinxi Construction Company could handle building factories and doing landscaping; they have professionals and experts in the fields.”

“Hmm.”

It was a tempting offer to Gun-Ho.

It was the day when Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor would return to China.

Gun-Ho didn’t have to take them to the airport since a shuttle bus was provided by the event organizer to the group who was invited for the forum.

Gun-Ho still came to Intercontinental Hotel to say good-bye.

Professor Wang extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“Thank you for everything, Gun-Ho. I’ve had such a pleasant stay because of you, my friend. Come visit me to China, okay?”

“Sure. I will come after Korean Thanksgiving Day. I want to see the Jinxi Industrial Park as well.”

“There is nothing there yet. Are you interested?”

“I need to see it first. I was told that you would participate in the joint venture for building that industrial complex.”

“I haven’t decided yet but that is my current intention. If you are interested in, let’s talk more once you come to China.”

“Okay. Bye Professor Wang. Bye Seukang Li.”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with Deputy Mayor Li as well.

Gun-Ho turned on his computer to check the stocks he invested money in earlier, which was recommended by the stockbroking firm.

“3% up in price within a month.”

The stockbroking company didn’t recommend stocks that fluctuated severely in price. They always recommended blue-chip stocks that didn’t produce a price hike but instead, had steady earnings.

“But still, I made 90 million won in a month because I invested 300 million won!”

Money indeed made money. When Gun-Ho had invested 10 million won that he borrowed from the sunshine loan program and if there was a 3% increase in price, the profit would be only 300,000 won. He used that 300,000 won to pay his OneRoom rent or to repair his shabby vehicle, or buy a drink for himself. Moreover, he had to pay the interest for the loan, that would make the small profits even less. That was the case if his stock’s price went up. If his stock’s price went down, he would incur a loss in stocks; the loan interest would make the loss even bigger. He had to rob Peter to pay Paul if that happened.

“Even with only a 3% price increase with the blue-chip stocks, I made 90 million won. That’s the annual salary of the workers in a big company. Won-Chul Jo who graduated from one of the top universities and is proudly working in a big company—and my classmates’ admirer would faint if he knew this.”

Gun-Ho checked his personal bank account.

He received his wage of 4 million won plus 2 million won for the office-tel lease to his company.

“It seems like Ms. Ji-Young Jeong tried hard to send me exactly 4 million won for my wage after the tax. So she actually made my wage slightly over 4 million won.”

Gun-Ho was making money without doing much.

When he worked in a factory—he always had to spend more than he made, even just to breathe. Now, he was making a lot of money by just breathing.

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Chapter 96 - Flavors of Life (1) – PART 1

Chapter 96: Flavors of Life (1) – PART 1

Korean Thanksgiving Day came around.

Gun-Ho went to his parents’ home in Guweol Town, Incheon to have a memorial service for ancestors. When he entered the condo, he could smell his mother’s cooking prepared for the memorial service.

“Gun-Ho, you came. The table is already set for the memorial service.”

Gun-Ho looked at his mother and father. They looked good. Their skin complexion looked bright and neat, and also they seem to gain some weight, maybe because they had been doing well in a better environment in this new condo. They were wearing nice new clothes as well.

“What do you think about my outfit? Your sister bought this for me.”

Gun-Ho’s sister, her husband and Jeong-Ah ran out of their room.

“My uncle is here!”

Jeong-Ah was wearing a colorful Korean traditional dress. She looked like a fairy.

“My princess, you are getting prettier every time I see you.”

Gun-Ho hugged his niece. Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband were standing awkwardly. They seemed not to know how to act around Gun-Ho because they were living in a condo that Gun-Ho bought for his parents. However, they looked good and healthy.

After finishing the memorial service for ancestors, they started having their breakfast together on the same table, eating the same food that was served for their ancestors.

Gun-Ho could hear his mother’s laughing sound and his sister laughed along with her. Whenever Gun-Ho had visited his parents’ home before, he always had to hear his mother’s grievances. Now, she looked happy. Gun-Ho felt good too.

“Right. This is the flavors of life.”

Gun-Ho drank Jeongjong* placed on the table.

“Mom, can I do the New Year’s greeting full bow to the uncle?”

Jeong-Ah was badgering her mother to let her do the New Year’s greeting to Gun-Ho while sitting on her mother’s lap.

“No, Jeong-Ah. Today is not New Year’s Day, but it is Korean Thanksgiving Day.”

Gun-Ho laughed while spreading his arms wide open.

“That’s okay, Jeong-Ah. If you want, I will take your New Year’s full bow greeting from you.”

Jeong-Ah quickly gave Gun-Ho a full bow.

“You started going to school, right? Use this to buy your school supplies. Enjoy your school life.”

Gun-Ho was about to hand 50,000 won to Jeong-Ah when his sister stopped him.

“Just give her 10,000 won. 50,000 won is too much for her. She is too young for that money.”

Jeong-Ah grabbed the money and quickly went to her room.

Gun-Ho asked his mother.

“Mom, does the aunt visit you here sometimes?”

“Yeah, she came here once. She almost fainted in surprise. She said she thought we were making a joke when we told her that you bought us a 50 pyung condo.”

Gun-Ho’s father was smiling while listening to her wife talking about the episode with his sister.

“Oh, did your aunt call you to introduce a girl to you?”

“She did.”

“She was going to introduce you to a 38 years-old girl who is working in a credit union, right? Damn woman. How dare did she try to introduce a girl who was a lot older than you? She always thinks her son is better than you and she is trying to keep it that way.”

Gun-Ho’s mother complained.

“Stop it.”

“Why should I stop? I’m telling the truth. That woman would never try that kind of nonsense again since she saw us living in this nice condo.”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law poured Jeongjong in Gun-Ho’s glass.

“Take this drink.”

“Oh, I should have poured in your glass first.”

Gun-Ho tried to take the bottle of Jeongjong from his brother-in-law, but his brother-in-law insisted on pouring it in his glass first.

“What do you do these days?”

“I’m still driving a truck. I am delivering fabrics to vendors.”

“Are you getting enough work?”

“Well, it’s okay.”

Gun-Ho wanted to ask him how much he was making, but he didn’t. Gun-Ho’s sister said while eating a Korean pancake.

“Since we live in this condo, we don’t have to pay rent any longer. So, I think we can save up and buy our own truck to do a transportation work, maybe after five years or so.”

“What do you mean by getting your own truck and doing a transportation work with it?”

Gun-Ho’s father answered for his son-in-law.

“That means you do someone else’s business with your own truck.”

“That’s right.”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law said while pouring more Jeongjong in his father-in-law’s glass.

“Could anyone elaborate?” Gun-Ho wasn’t fully following it.

“I could get a job in a transportation company and do their transportation work with my own truck. So, even though the truck is mine, it would be registered and run under the name of that transportation company. So, I just drive my truck without worrying about getting enough transportation work.”

“Hmm, because a truck is expensive, a small transportation company hires truck drivers with their own trucks, huh?”

“Not necessarily. Even a big transportation company hires truck drivers with their own trucks because they need several tens of trucks. Also, it is easier for them to handle the car accidents and insurance.”

“That makes sense. So the trucks are owned by individual truck drivers.”

“That’s right. Those truck drivers are self-employed.”

Gun-Ho’s sister cut in on the conversation.

“So your brother-in-law wanted to buy a 100 million won truck and get a job in a big company; that’s his dream. He could get in a big company like Nongshim, Lotte, or Hite Jinro or other big companies. There are a lot of big companies that hires a truck driver with the right truck.”

“A 100 million won truck? How much can you make per month with it then?”

Gun-Ho’s sister answered for her husband while having a bracken dish.

“About 5 million won I guess.”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law waved his hand in perplexity, gesturing that’s not exactly true.

“I can’t make that much. I have to take all the expenses I have to bare into account, such as gas and insurance. Maybe about 3 million won, I would say after subtracting all the expenses.”

“Hmmm… 100 million won.”

As Gun-Ho was thinking, his brother-in-law said after gulping his drink.

“It won’t cost 100 million won. A 4 or 5-ton wing body truck would cost about 80 or 90 million won. I can get a job in a big company with those types of truck.

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho thought.

‘If my brother-in-law could make 3 million won per month with the truck and my sister makes another 1.6 million by working at a paper cup manufacturer, their monthly total income would be 4.6 million won. I guess that’s enough income for three people.’

“Do you have any debt?”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law let out a deep sigh before answering Gun-Ho’s question.

“I made a mistake in running my business three years ago. I have a bad credit score now; however, I’m trying to pay the debt off gradually. I’ve already filed personal bankruptcy and I am paying 500,000 won to the court every month to pay off my debt.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho assumed that his brother-in-law was currently making more or less 2 million won. He knew that because he used to work in a factory before. So, before his sister’s family moved into the parents’ condo, they had to pay 500,000 won to the court and pay another 500,000 won for rent, and that left the family with almost nothing in hand. So his sister had to work at a factory.

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law gulped another glass of Jeongjong.

“I am so grateful that we could live in this condo because of you, Gun-Ho.”

He smiled while pouring Jeongjong in Gun-Ho’s glass.

Gun-Ho made 90 million won this month by investing 3 billion won in blue-chip stocks. Gun-Ho thought for a while before making his decision.

‘Let’s buy him a truck with the 90 million won I made from the stock. It’s better than opening a restaurant or café for him to operate because he doesn’t have any experience in that field, which is too risky. With a restaurant or café, he would have to work so hard till late at night to eventually close the business someday.’

“Let’s do this.”

Everyone looked at Gun-Ho.

“You said the 4-ton wing body truck costs 90 million won, right? Buy the truck; I will send you 90 million won and you give my parents a certain amount of money regularly.”

Everyone’s eyes widened while looking at Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho was thinking while driving on the Gyeongin Expressway.

‘If my sister and her husband take good care of my parents, then I will give that HillState condo in Guweol Town where they are living in right now to them after my parents passed away.’

This way, Gun-Ho thought he wouldn’t need to worry about their family anymore. He felt like the burden was being lifted off his shoulders. He felt good and started humming while driving.

Note*

Jeongjong – a clear and refined rice wine.

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Chapter 97 - Flavors of Life (1) – PART 2

Chapter 97: Flavors of Life (1) – PART 2

The second auction for the vacant lot in Gangdong District failed as expected. Gun-Ho was keeping an eye on the land while waiting for the right moment to purchase it at a low price.

Manager Kang suggested Gun-Ho to participate in the third auction for the land. After having Manager Kang’s report on the vacant lot, Gun-Ho asked him while looking at the calendar.

“What’s the starting price for the third auction?”

“The price was 3.6 billion won at the second auction, so it will drop to 2.88 billion won for the third try of the auction.”

“Do you think I should offer 3 billion won?”

“Well, since the land is held in tenancy in common and the property interest for sale at the auction is only for 50% of the full property interest, it is possible that you would be the only one bidding on the land. If that happens, I guess we can offer the same amount as the starting price.”

“Let’s go to the Seoul Eastern District Court together at the third auction day.”

“Okay, I will.”

“And, sir…”

“Yes?”

“You mentioned last time that you would participate in the auction with our company name instead of your name individually.”

“Oh, you are concerned about the bid deposit. I will transfer 300 million won to the business bank account.”

“300 million won should be enough since a bid deposit is 10% of the offer price.”

“Manager Kang, prepare the company’s certificate of a registered seal.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the branch manager of the stockbroking firm.

“Hello, President Goo. How have you been? This is the branch manager of the stock brokerage company.”

“Oh, hi. How are you?”

“Is it a good time to talk?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

“I’m calling to recommend you the stock of Samsung Electronics. That stock seems to be not moving much lately, but the price will surely increase soon in the future because the semiconductor business is still booming.”

“Samsung stock is a large-cap stock that moves so slowly… What about the stocks of pharmaceutical companies?”

“Pharmaceutical company stocks are often manipulated by some groups of little people, so I don’t recommend it to a big gentle player like you. Haha.”

“Hmm, Samsung Electronics…”

“You won’t regret it. You will be able to smile after about three months once you buy their stock.”

“Okay. Their price per share is about 2,400,000 won. I will buy 1,000 shares then.”

“Thank you, sir. By the way, why don’t you join me in playing golf in the field?”

“Thank you for asking, but I am not good at playing golf. Have a wonderful day.”

Gun-Ho purchased 2,000 shares of Samsung Electronics stock, instead of 1,000 shares.

“I am investing about 5 billion won in this stock. Assuming its stock price increases by only 1% after three months, how much will I make? Haha. It’s still about 50 million won.”

Gun-Ho transferred the 90 million won to his sister’s bank account, that he made from stock investment earlier.

“Sister? I just sent you 90 million won to your account. Have your husband buy the truck.”

“You did already? Thank you, Gun-Ho. Thank you. Don’t worry about mom and dad. I will take good care of them.”

Gun-Ho hung up the phone before she would start crying.

Gun-Ho decided to learn to play golf, so he could expand his social network through it.

“There were so many people who enjoy playing golf and they become closer to each other by playing it together. The branch manager of the stock brokerage company and Attorney Kim from Kim&Jeong, they all play golf. I think I should know how to play it.”

Gun-Ho remembered that he saw a comprehensive sports center at the Yangjae four-way intersection; its name was ‘Sportime.’ Sportime was popular among the middle-aged ladies living in the Gangnam area because they provided a hot spring bath to its members.

“How much do they charge for a membership?”

Gun-Ho called Sportime.

“Sportime? I’m interested in buying a golf membership. How much is it?”

“If you buy a comprehensive membership, you can use all the facilities we provide in our sports center.”

“What types of facilities do you have then?”

“We, of course, have an indoor practice facility for golf, and we have a fitness center, swimming pool, and facilities for bowling and table-tennis. We also offer yoga and dance classes.”

“How much is it?”

“Is it for an individual membership or business membership?”

“I’d like to know the price for both.”

“Are you going to take a gold membership?”

“Huh? Umm, how much is that?”

“For a business membership, it’s 250 million won and for an individual membership, it’s 83 million won.”

Gun-Ho was astonished by its ridiculously high membership prices.

“Hmm, I see. I will stop by the center soon.”

Gun-Ho grumbled after getting off the phone with the sports center.

“It’s unreasonably expensive. I don’t have money to spend there. Well, I do have money and I can get their membership if I want, but I don’t want to spend my money there.”

Gun-Ho decided to go somewhere less pricey than Sportime. He bought a three-month membership at the golf indoor facility inside the Education Community Center building. It was a bit far to drive but it was okay.

After spending his mornings at his office, Gun-Ho started going to the indoor practice facility for golf in his Land Rover. He already purchased a set of golf clubs, golf gloves, and golf shoes. Gun-Ho requested a private lesson from a golf coach. The coach who would teach Gun-Ho was a female in her 20s. Gun-Ho was told that the coach had once been a pro golfer. She certainly had a pro golfer’s strong arms and physique.

“Is this your first time, sir?”

“Yes, this is my very first time.”

“What have you done so far without learning to play golf?”

“I was busy making a living…”

The female coach smiled with her white teeth upon responding to what Gun-Ho was saying. She then opened Gun-Ho’s golf bag and pulled out one club from the center of the various clubs in the bag.

“Let’s start with this 7-iron.”

“Okay.”

“Spread your legs shoulder width and relax your wrists.”

For the next several days, Gun-Ho practiced golf swing diligently with his 7-iron. However, he didn’t see any improvement. He kept missing the golf ball whenever he swung. The coach tried to improve Gun-Ho’s posture.

“Don’t take your eyes off the ball and move your waist only before hitting the ball. Relax your wrists!”

Gun-Ho hit the golf ball while trying to keep the right posture as the coach instructed.

However, the ball went less than 80 yards.

“Look at how I hit the ball and see the difference between your posture and mine.”

The lady coach hit the ball with her hair blowing; her swing was beautiful.

The golf ball that the coach hit flew and reached to the point more than 150 yards far.

“Whoa. That was nice!”

Gun-Ho kept practicing while trying to listen carefully to the coach’s instruction and put a lot of efforts to make a nice swing just like the coach did. However, it didn’t happen.

“F*ck! I guess I just don’t have an aptitude for golf.”

Gun-Ho decided to visit China after ending this ridiculous golf lesson.

Gun-Ho called Professor Wang. The phone kept ringing but no one answered it. Maybe professor Wang was in a lecture. After one hour or so, Gun-Ho received a call from Professor Wang.

“President Goo? I’m sorry that I missed your call. I was in the middle of a lecture.”

“I’m coming to China to see the industrial complex in Kunshan City. When do you have time?”

“This week is not good, but I am good next week from Wednesday. Come, friend.”

“Okay, I will arrive at Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport next Wednesday then. You don’t have to come to pick me up at the airport.”

“Sounds good. Call me when you get here.”

“Okay, I will see you then.”

Gun-Ho arrived at Incheon International Airport.

“How come there are so many people here? It’s like a traditional market.”

The airports in Korea had become busier and busier every year and now it became so crowded, which was different from the time when Gun-Ho had gone to China for the first time.

Gun-Ho arrived at the Xiaoshan Airport in Hangzhou City. It was a newly constructed airport.

“I can smell China in the air already.”

Gun-Ho gave a call to Professor Wang in a taxi. Professor Wang picked up the phone and he sounded sleepy.

“Hey, it’s me. Are you at the university? Or home?”

“I’m home right now. Did you arrive? I can get ready quickly. Where are you?”

“Come to Shangri-La Hotel. I will be at the café inside the hotel. Let’s have lunch together.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the café in Shangri-La Hotel, Professor Wang was already there waving his hand at Gun-Ho.

“Hey, over here!”

“How did you get here so early?”

“I just arrived.”

“You want to go have lunch?”

“Well, it’s a bit early for lunch. Let’s have a cup of tea here for now.”

They had tea while listening to a live saxophone play. The saxophone player was an old gentleman. He was playing an old pop song with his saxophone.

“Nothing much is in the Jinxi Industrial Park right now. They are still in the process of completing 3-Flow work.”

“They have a floor plan, right?”

“Yeah, they do have a floor plan for the industrial park. I just talked with Deputy Mayor Li on the phone. He will be at the Business Hotel in Kunshan City tomorrow at 11 AM waiting for us in the lobby. The president of Jinxi Construction Company will join us there as well.”

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Chapter 98 - Flavors of Life (2) – PART 1

Chapter 98: Flavors of Life (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho started his day early morning with Professor Wang, heading to Shanghai.

Gun-Ho wanted to rent a car and drive all the way to Shanghai, but Professor Wang talked him out of it and suggested to take an express bus to Shanghai and then take a taxi there to go to Kunshan City.

“Renting a car is too expensive. Let’s take an express bus instead, even though it could be a bit uncomfortable.”

When they arrived in Shanghai, they took a taxi heading to their final destination, Kunshan City. The taxi was driving on the G2 Jinghu Expressway and they talked about the joint venture.

“Professor Wang, you said you would participate in the joint venture, right?”

“I did, but I am not so sure yet. It might be difficult for me to participate.”

Professor Wang sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I still do want to participate. I intended to take 5% of the share, so Jinxi Construction Company of Kunshan City would take 50%, and a Korean company would take 45%. That was the initial plan.”

“Hmm.”

“In fact, China usually doesn’t divide the share 50:50 when they set up an international joint venture with another country because of the management right. We usually do 51:49. I supposed it’s not just China, but other countries are doing the same thing.”

“Are they trying to prevent any possible intervention in managing the joint venture from the foreign co-venturer?”

“That’s right.”

“What is the 5% share about?”

“That was something my friends and I wanted to do for Seukang Li. We wanted to have some shares in the joint venture with the funds we all would contribute and once we make money from it, we would help and support Seukang Li.”

“What kind of help or support does Seukang Li need?”

“Seukang Li is a smart and promising man with a bright future. He is an upright person who couldn’t easily be corrupted like many other politicians. His grandfather was in the Eighth Route Army and he also participated in the war, and his father used to work as a Hyunjang (corresponding to a county governor in Korea). He is a righteous and respected man.”

“What does it have to do with supporting him?”

“We want him to stay as he currently is. While he is working as a high-ranking official, he could encounter a lot of temptation because of money. So, my friends and I wanted to make money by participating in the joint venture and support Seukang Li with the money we would make from it. So he doesn’t have to take bribes and stay as a righteous politician as he is now. We are hoping that he grows in the government and becomes a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China in the future. He will be our pride and his family’s pride, and our town’s pride.”

“Hmm.”

“We have this good intention, but we don’t have money. The joint venture will start with 3,000,000 U.S. dollars capital. 5% of 3 million dollars is 150,000 dollars. We have been trying to collect the money but it’s not easy to reach that amount.”

“Hmm.”

“Seukang Li has no idea about our plan. He will get upset if he finds it out. He is stricter than he looks. He was the leader of the Communist Youth League of China. He is a man of great self-respect. He grew up in a highly respected family and graduated from Beijing University. Even so, he started his career from working in a factory.”

“Hmm.”

“150,000 dollars is a substantial amount of money in China. Even Alibaba President Marwin—one of the richest men in the world gave an impassioned speech to attract investors because he didn’t have 500,000 Yuan.”

“So, are you giving up on participating in the joint venture?”

“I think I have to. I am sure that the industrial park will be profitable with even only 50 foreign business entities moving into the industrial park. But it’s not easy to make it happen.”

“It’s easier said than done. It will be truly hard to attract 50 foreign companies. Even in Korea, people say it’s hard to succeed in having a business in China.”

“We are aware of it. However, the location of this industrial park is really good. The Kunshan City is situated between two major cities: Shanghai and Suzhou. In addition, The City of Kunshan will offer excellent benefits to the foreign companies such as low corporate tax.”

“Hmm.”

“I believe they will do a presentation in Korea and Japan to attract foreign investors by introducing and explaining the project. However, in my opinion, the foreign companies that are already in China will be very interested. They might be currently facing some difficulties in running their business in China like a ridiculously expensive rent or unreasonable product transportation. So those foreign companies will move their location to Kunshan City.”

“Hmm.”

“You will see. If the new coming foreign companies are 30% of the entire foreign entities that would move into the industrial park, the remaining 70% will be the ones that were already running a business in China. We are almost there.”

When Gun-Ho and Professor Wang entered the Business Hotel lobby, Deputy Mayor Li who was sitting in a chair stood up.

“Hey! Gun-Ho Goo!”

“Hey, Seukang Li. How have you been?”

They greeted each other with a handshake.

“Oh, let me introduce him. This is the president of Jinxi Construction Company of Kunshan City.”

The president of the construction company was an overweight man who was wearing glasses. He looked like in his early 50s.

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“I’m Chinkkweo Seon.”

Professor Wang also had a handshake with the man and exchanged their business cards.

“Gun-Ho! President Seon will show you the Jinxi Industrial Park today. I have an important meeting that I have to attend. After you go see the industrial park, join me for dinner, okay? The dinner tonight will be treated by the City of Kunshan as an official dinner for our guest.”

President Seon brought his car. A chauffeur was driving the car. They said it was Buick Excelle; it didn’t look very luxurious though.

In Kunshan City, there were many small canals. President Seon explained about it.

“In the past, these canals were used for transportation. This area has a lot of lakes and historic sites. Jinxi Town in Kunshan City where we are heading to is a small town about 90㎢. It’s very close to Shanghai City and Suzhou City. Therefore, companies sitting on the Jinxi Industrial Park would save logistics costs. Moreover, its excellent location would allow them to have easy access to the rich labor market.”

They arrived at the industrial park. It was almost a vacant land. Red flags were placed here and there on the land and heavy equipment was scooping up soils.

President Seon had the chauffeur stop the car in front of a standing signboard. Once they got off the car, Gun-Ho could see two workers who were wearing yellow construction hats. They were standing in front of the standing signboard with a long stick. The standing signboard turned out to be the bird’s eye view of the construction site.

Once President Seon asked the workers to give a briefing, one of the workers started explaining about the construction while pointing things on the standing signboard with his stick.

“Our Jinxi Industrial Park has a size of 695,000 ㎡. We are expecting to complete the 3-Flow work by April, 20xx. The total construction cost would be…”

The aerial view of the industrial park looked like a shrimp with a bent back. President Seon took the stick from the worker who was giving a briefing and added more details to their briefing.

“A sewage treatment plant will be built in this part, where wastewater would be disposed of. A management office will be placed in this middle part.”

In Gun-Ho’s eyes, it would take forever to complete the sewage treatment plant and the road paving.

“The road and the sewage treatment plant will have to be completed before bringing business entities.”

As Gun-Ho said this, President Seon of Jinxi Construction Company gave a forced smile.

There was still a lot of time left until the dinnertime that Seukang Li reserved for Gun-Ho. As Gun-Ho looked at his watch on purpose, Professor Wang suggested visiting some tourist places.

“Sure.”

President Seon who heard Professor Wang’s suggestion volunteered to show them around.

President Seon took them to a water town called Zhouzhuang where Gun-Ho could see ancient canal side residential houses. It was very exotic.

“Whoa, it’s beautiful!”

Gun-Ho was impressed by the scenic view. The canal water didn’t look so clean but the town seemed to show an ancient Chinese town.

“This is really awesome!”

As Gun-Ho seemed to be very excited, President Seon felt good and asked Gun-Ho.

“Is there a town like this in Korea?”

“We don’t really have canals like this in Korea, but we do have many places with beautiful nature and scenic view.”

“I know Korea is a highly developed country. I really like to visit the country someday.”

Professor Wang said to President Seon while giving him a gentle nudge in the ribs.

“If the joint venture works out well, President Goo will invite you to Korea and show you around.”

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Chapter 99 - Flavors of Life (2) – PART 2

Chapter 99: Flavors of Life (2) – PART 2

Deputy Mayor Li took Gun-Ho to a restaurant called ‘Hwadongchancehong.’

The restaurant was dazzling. In its huge hall, the tables covered with white table clothes were placed in a very organized way. The tables and chairs looked like Chinese antique furniture. On the ceiling, traditional Chinese paper lanterns decorated with embroidery floss were hanging.

“Whoa, this restaurant is marvelous.”

Deputy Mayor Li was not alone. He was with two more persons. He introduced them to Gun-Ho.

“I’m the construction director of Kunshan City.”

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

Gun-Ho and the construction director exchanged their business cards.

Deputy Mayor Li introduced him to Professor Wang as well.

“President Goo and Professor Wang are my friends.”

Deputy Mayor Li introduced the other person to Gun-Ho as well. This man was wearing black sunglasses even if they were inside the building and he looked like in his 30s.

“I am a chauffeur.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to him for a handshake. It looked like he was the chauffeur who was assisting Deputy Mayor Li. There were seven men who would have dinner together at the same table including President Seon of Jinxi Construction Company and his chauffeur.

Chinese food started being set up on Gun-Ho’s table. There were deep-fried freshwater crabs, shrimps, etc.

“President Goo, I really had a great time in Korea because of you. The Italian food in Korea was excellent and I also enjoyed the place in Itaewon something.”

Professor Wang who was sitting next to him added.

“I’m sure it was Seukang’s first time experience in a place like that. Haha.”

“What about you, Jien? You didn’t have a chance to go to that kind of place since you were so busy studying in the U.S. It should be your first time too.”

“Haha. As a matter of fact, it was my first time. I heard there are a lot of good places like it in China too, but I haven’t tried them yet.”

Deputy Mayor Li collected all the glasses placed on the table in front of him and poured clear liquor in each glass. It was Baijiu that was 50 percent alcohol by volume.

While distributing a glass of Baijiu to everyone at the table, Deputy Mayor Li said,

“In China, we serve three glasses of liquor consecutively to a friend who came a long way to visit. That’s our traditional etiquette. So, President Goo has to drink three glasses of liquor consecutively.”

Everyone at the table clapped as Deputy Mayor Li said.

After drinking some more of Baijiu, everyone felt good.

“President Goo, what do you think about the industrial park after you went to visit there? We are expecting to complete the road accessing the site by March.”

“It looks like it will take longer to pave the road.”

“Right, the road pavement might take longer, especially when we will have Lunar New Year’s Day before March. However, I will press them to finish the construction as soon as they can.”

“We will have to prepare very well the presentation to attract more investors, with enough information and supporting documents. I believe we will have to bring the pictures of the completed sewage treatment plant and paved roads.”

“You’re absolutely right. We will finish the construction as soon as possible.”

Deputy Mayor Li told the city construction director and President Seon of the construction company.

“Did you hear what President Goo from Korea just said? As we planned earlier, let’s complete the construction for the 3-Flow work and sewage treatment plant as soon as possible.”

The city construction director and President Seon of the construction company nodded their heads, showing their agreement.

Professor Wang poured liquor in Gun-Ho’s empty glass. Gun-Ho took his glass and asked,

“Deputy Mayor Li, I have one more question. I’m sorry that I am asking too many questions.”

“No, you should ask all the questions you have. A businessman should do that.”

“As to the capital of 3 million dollars for the industrial park, will China invest in cash as well?”

“No, China will invest in kind.”

“Hmm.”

Professor Wang added more explanation on behalf of Deputy Mayor Li.

“Do you remember the management office to be built in the middle area of the industrial park? That’s the investment from China.”

“Will that cost half of 3 million dollars? 1.5 million dollars?”

“Of course. The size of the land is about 5 moo (about 1,000 pyung) and they will build an office there, which will be used as a management office.”

“Hmm.”

“We will finish the business plan before Lunar New Year’s Day.”

The president of the construction company chipped in,

“Our company is actually working on the business plan.”

“Hey, Gun-Ho! Let’s talk more about the joint venture once the business plan is completed. Now, let’s have a drink and have a good time together.”

Deputy Mayor Li lifted his glass and clinked to everyone’s glass.

It was the returning day to Korea for Gun-Ho after he spent two nights and three days in China. Gun-Ho purchased Chinese liquor, cigarette and other things at the duty-free shop at the Pudong airport before he boarded the Asiana flight. The passengers consisted of mostly Korean businessmen who were doing business in China and Korean company employees who were working in a branch office in China. There were some international students and Chinese people as well. There were also old tourists in the backside of the flight; they were noisy. Gun-Ho leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes and thought about whether he should participate in the joint venture.

‘Since China will invest in kind, all the expenses such as wages of the workers in the joint venture will be paid with the funds invested by a Korean company who would invest money. And once companies start coming in, they will use that money, which those companies would pay to run the business.’

Gun-Ho fastened his safety belt when he heard the in-flight announcement that instructed him to do so, and continued thinking.

‘This type of joint venture does not require huge funds to start and to run. So they don’t really need a co-venturer for the funds. However, if they set up a joint venture with a Korean company, it will be easier to attract more Korean companies into their industrial park.

The payments from the companies who are coming into the industrial park will be taken by Jinxi Construction Company. So, the Korean company co-venturer is more like an agency to sell the lots and factories, and it would also do the management in the future. If so, I can’t make a lot of money from participating in this joint venture. Professor Wang said that this is not hitting a jackpot, but it is definitely a Cash Cow business.’

The flight started running on the runway.

‘For a joint venture, the capital to invest is kind of low. I can have 50% of share with only 1.5 billion won. Seukang Li will keep growing in his career in the Chinese government. Should I stay in business with him and have a good relationship with him? So I might receive a big help from him someday in the future?’

Gun-Ho made up his mind. He decided to invest in the joint venture not for money but for Kkwansi, a close network with Seukang Li. However, he didn’t want to lose money either. He would thoroughly review the plan and make it successful.

Gun-Ho was elegantly thinking of his business and friendship when the Korean men in their 50s who were sitting next to Gun-Ho started talking loudly. Gun-Ho wanted to tell them to be quiet but he didn’t because he didn’t want to make a scene. They were a group of Korean men who looked nasty and talked nasty.

“Sh*t! It’s f*cking hard to make money in China. I couldn’t send even a penny to my family in Korea for the past year.”

“I received all kinds of inspections to my small factory like an environmental inspection, a fire system inspection, and hygiene inspection. There were f*cking too much.”

“The salary I am receiving from the Korean company in Korea, the Chinese people tried to take some income tax from it. F*ck!”

“Mine too.”

“Sh*t, people like us who work f*cking hard in China don’t make money, and this Asiana air makes money because of us.”

“Maybe we should have taken China Eastern Airline. It’s cheap.”

“China Eastern Airline is not comfortable.”

“This f*cking Asiana should lower their fare.”

“I heard the president of Asiana is fighting with his brother. Maybe it’s about who will take over the company.”

“That’s the f*cking problem of rich people.”

Those men talked a lot in a loud voice for a while before they fell asleep after having an in-flight meal.

Gun-Ho looked at the white clouds outside the window.

“Money… Money is good, of course. If I become extremely rich, would I get into a fight to take more money? How much money do they need to stop fighting between brothers? There were fights between family members in an extremely rich family such as Lotte and Kumho Asiana, and also Samsung and Hyundai had a nasty fight some time ago too.”

Gun-Ho had mixed feelings and kept staring at the clouds outside the window.

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Chapter 100 - Conversation with a Wise Man (1) – PART 1

Chapter 100: Conversation with a Wise Man (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho decided to raise the capital of GH Development by issuing new stock; otherwise, his company would look too small with its currently small capital and annual sales. He would raise the initial capital of 300 million won to 1 billion won. That way, Gun-Ho’s company would look better when joining the joint venture.

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember that time when we acquired three OneRoomTels, I added my personal funds to the company’s capital of 300 million in order to make enough funds to buy them? And you recorded it as a fund that came from the company CEO, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“We are going to raise our company’s capital to 1 billion won. I’ve already deposited an additional 300 million won to our major business bank account. So use the 300 million I just deposited and some of the funds that were previously added when we acquired the OneRoomTels to raise our capital to 1 billion won. Why don’t you go to the certified legal consultant’s office this afternoon?”

“Sure, I will do that.”

“They will draft the board minutes to issue shares. That office helped me establish this company so they are aware of our business. Ask them what documents we need to prepare.”

“Okay.”

Manager Kang asked,

“Umm, sir. You are raising the capital because of that vacant lot in Gangdong District, right?”

“No, I’ve been thinking about it and decided to purchase that land under my name rather than using the company name. If the company retains 50% of the property interest, the other property owner would possibly try to sell to us at a higher price.”

“Hmm, that’s true. Then why do you raise the capital?”

“Let’s acquire one more OneRoomTel. We will set up a joint venture with China, and our company’s capital and annual sales are too small to be the co-venturer.”

“A joint venture with China?”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young looked at each other in surprise.

After talking on the phone with the certified legal consultant’s office, Ji-Young made a report to Gun-Ho.

“They said they need the company directors’ certificate of a registered seal and registered stamp, that would include yours, sir.”

“I will prepare them. They might need the stamp for power of attorney or a consent statement. I will bring them.”

“They said they already have the articles of incorporation, and a list of directors in their office.”

“Of course.”

“I will prepare bank statements and the company’s certificate of a registered seal.”

“Okay, please do so.”

Gun-Ho had listed his father and himself as directors of GH Development when he formed the company. Gun-Ho called his father.

“Dad? I need two copies of your certificate of a registered seal. I need them to issue new shares of the company.”

“I need to go to the township office to get those documents. I’m at the Tapgol Park in Jongno 3-ga District right now.”

“Tapgol Park? Then you can get them tomorrow then.”

“I can mail it to you tomorrow.”

“That’s okay. I need your stamp as well, so I will come by home tomorrow to pick them up.”

“You don’t have to waste your time on the trip; you are a busy person. I will bring them to your office tomorrow.”

“Okay, then. You need to take the subway line 1 in Incheon then change to line 2 at Sindorim Station and get off at Gangnam Subway Station.”

“Get off where?”

“Gangnam Subway Station, dad. I will see you at the exit 8.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s have lunch together. Come by noon. I will see you tomorrow, dad.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Jong-Suk. It had been a while since he talked with him.

Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho in Gyeongridan Street hadn’t called Gun-Ho lately. They seemed to feel distant from Gun-Ho.

“Jong-Suk? It’s me.”

“Bro! What’s up? I know you are busy.”

“Why haven’t you called me lately since you got promoted to a manager?”

“I didn’t want to bother you, bro. I know you are busy.”

“You, jacka*s, you should be calling your bro sometimes. I thought you passed away.”

“I’m very much alive. I’m doing fine even though I have to work with all these machine lubricant oils.”

“Do you still go to the fishing site?”

“Yeah, sometimes.”

“Does Chairman Lee come to the fishing site as well?”

“Yeah, he still does.”

“Do you want to go fishing with me this Sunday?”

“Don’t you have to play golf?”

“Who would play golf every single day? And I don’t play golf well at all!”

“Okay. I will be there at 11 AM this Sunday then.”

It was almost noon and Gun-Ho went to the exit 8 at Gangnam Subway Station.

“Huh? It started raining!”

Gun-Ho ran to Gangnam Subway Station. Gun-Ho’s father was hunkering down at the exit 8 in the rain.

“Dad! What are you doing here? Why are you in the rain? Come here.”

“I was worried that you might not see me if I wait inside, son.”

“I can find you, dad. Don’t stay in the rain. Did you bring the documents?”

Gun-Ho’s father pulled out the certificate of a registered seal and his registered stamp.

“This is good. You haven’t had lunch yet, right? Let’s go and have lunch together.”

“Are you not busy? I ate my breakfast late so I don’t have to eat now. You can go back to your office and work. I’m okay.”

“Dad, let’s go!”

Gun-Ho took his father to a Japanese restaurant.

“This restaurant looks so expensive. Let’s go somewhere else.”

“Dad, it’s okay. Have a seat. What would you like to have?”

“Huh? I will just have a buckwheat noodle.”

“Have something delicious, dad. Don’t worry about the price.”

“No, I’m good. I do like buckwheat noodle. It digests easily.”

Gun-Ho ordered buckwheat noodles and Sushi.

“Dad, since it’s raining, why don’t you have a drink? Since I have to go back to the office, I will have half a glass of liquor.”

The buckwheat noodles and Sushi came out. The noodles looked too much for Gun-Ho’s father, but he ate them all. His father finished a bottle of Cheongha as well. Gun-Ho’s father looked happy, and he kept smiling while looking at Gun-Ho.

“How are my sister and her husband?”

“They are doing fine. Your brother-in-law bought the 4-ton truck and already started working at Hite Jinro. You know the truck with wings.”

“That’s good.”

“Your sister changed her work since your brother-in-law is already making money.”

“To where?”

“They do some kind of selection of clothes or something somewhere. She’s working part-time, and she started studying since she has spare time now.”

“Study? Study what?”

“She said she wants to obtain a level-2 certificate of a social worker.”

“Hmm, really? I guess a social worker is in high demand.”

“I was going to Tapgol Park after seeing you here, but I think I’d better go home since it’s raining.”

Gun-Ho and his father walked out of the restaurant after finishing their lunch with a coffee.

“Dad, be careful on your way home, and have a drink with your friends with this.”

“Huh? What is this!? I can’t take it.”

Gun-Ho slipped an envelope with money in it into his father’s pocket and ran to his office.

Ji-Young brought the company’s newly issued certificate of formation to Gun-Ho, which reflected the new changes with capital and shares.

“It’s done, and here is the new certificate of formation of the company.”

“Hmm. Thank you.”

Ji-Young placed the two directors’ certificate of registered seals and registered stamps on Gun-Ho’s desk as well.

“Since the company’s capital has officially been raised, Manager Kang, please look for another OneRoomTel to acquire.”

“Yes, sir. Actually, I saw one in Yeoksam Town that is on the market, and it seems good. I will go and visit it.”

“How are the residential managers doing?”

“They are doing good. A new residential manager is working now at the Daechi town location because the resident manager quit it.”

“Was it easy to find a new residential manager?”

“Yes, I am sure we would receive a lot of applications if we placed a job advertisement on a job posting site such as Albamon because the economy is still not doing well. However, for the Daechi Town location, we hired the person who the previous residential manager recommended; he said that person was his friend.”

“How do you handle when a residential manager needs a vacation or a few days off?”

“They handled the situation by themselves. They ask someone to do the job while they were not present, such as their family members or friends.”

“Hmm.”

“I think we should consider hiring one more residential manager once we acquire the fourth OneRoomTel. So, we will have five residential managers for our four OneRoomTels.”

“Hmm.”

“I know we have to pay for the additional residential manager, but that would take care of a situation where a residential manager would need a few days off or so.”

“Hmm, let’s think about it. For now, let’s focus on buying the fourth OneRoomTel. Let me know once you visit the OneRoomTel in Yeoksam Town.”

“Okay, sir.”

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Chapter 101 - Conversation with a Wise Man (1) – PART 2

Chapter 101: Conversation with a Wise Man (1) – PART 2

It was a Sunday.

Gun-Ho headed to the Pocheon fishing site with his fishing gears. It had been a long time.

“I will take Dongbu Expressway which will have less traffic since it is Sunday.”

Gun-Ho drove on the expressway and passed Sohol Town and Pocheon City.

“I like the view in this area. It’s different from the one in the southern part of Gyeonggi Province.”

Gun-Ho finally arrived at the fishing site he often used to come, after passing Yeongjung Town.

There were several cars that were parked.

“That’s Jong-Suk’s car. Oh, that Genesis is probably Chairman Lee’s car, I guess.”

Gun-Ho walked down to the lake while looking around.

He could see Chairman Lee in the distance; he was casting the fishing rod into the water.

“Chairman Lee, how are you?”

“Oh, President Goo!”

Chairman Lee stood up while extending his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“How have you been, sir? You look well.”

“It has been a while. What made you come all the way here today? Your friend is doing lure fishing across the lake.”

“I see him from here. Oh, he looks like he saw me too. He is waving at me. Haha.”

“It seems like he came here early. He already caught two basses.”

“Really? Is Manager Gweon here with you? I don’t see him.”

“There he is.”

Manager Gweon was walking toward Gun-Ho and Chairman Lee. He seemed to be on his way back from the bathroom; he was arranging his belt while walking.

“Oh, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. How have you been? I heard you opened a company?”

“Yes, I did. It’s a small real estate company.”

Chairman Lee didn’t chip into the conversation, but he just smiled.

“Since I do lure fishing, I will join my friend over there on the other side of the lake.”

“Sure. Enjoy your fishing.”

Gun-Ho was about to leave the spot when he turned around and said,

“I bought some Gimbab and Jokbal* on the way here. I will come here after an hour or so with the food.”

Manager Gweon said while attaching bait to the hook,

“You can’t fully enjoy Jokbal without soju.”

“I brought soju as well.”

Chairman Lee just kept smiling.

“Bro, come here. That area is wet.”

“Hey, you came early today?”

“Yeah, about an hour ago. I already caught two huge fish.”

“Whoa, fish is biting today, huh? Since you already caught two within the first hour.”

“This fishing site is far from your place, isn’t it? When you lived around here, it was easy to come here. Now you have to make up your mind to come here.”

“That’s okay. It’s simple driving on a nice road.”

“Did you see Chairman Lee?”

“Yeah. He looks the same. I know he lives in Cheongdam Town, but he comes all the way here to fish.”

“Yeah, I already asked him about that, why he would come here because there have to be other good fishing sites close to his home.”

“And?”

“He said that he has a vacation home in Pocheon. Moreover, he said his fate is made of fire so he needs to come to the places near water, something like that. I have no idea what he is talking about.”

“I guess he is an old man so he believes things like that.”

“How’s your company, bro?”

“I’m not even sure if I can call it a company because it is a tiny office with only two employees.”

“Bro, Suk-Ho bro told me that you own three OneRoomTels. Besides, you purchased a condo in Gangnam at your age. You are moving up so fast. My dad already knew that you bought a condo for your parents.”

“Huh? How does he know? I don’t think your father has ever met my parents before. They don’t know each other.”

“My father knows I am close to you.”

“Even so, how does he know?”

“I don’t know. My father is running a restaurant, and I know he is nosy.”

“Hahaha.”

“Hey, bro. Isn’t there any place for me to squeeze in at your company?”

“F*ck off, man.”

“I am a manager in my current company, but the job is not secure. The company is so small, and I think they are having a financial problem.”

“Why do you say so? Don’t they pay you on time?”

“They have been paying me on time so far, but the president is often borrowing money from a bank.”

“A bank doesn’t lend money to anyone without eligibility. If your president could borrow money from a bank, that means his company is doing okay enough to pay the loan back in the future. How much do you get paid?”

“Not much even after I got promoted to a manager. It’s less than 3 million won. It’s 2.6.”

“What about the bonus?”

“400%”

“Hey, then you are getting way more than 40 million won per year. Manager Kang who is working at my company is being paid less than you, man.”

“I’ve been in the field for six years already. And people call me ‘MacGyver Park,’ you know that.”

“There is no easy job. Let’s go to the spot across the lake and have Jokbal. I brought Gimbab and Jokbal.”

“Jokbal? I love you, bro. That is the sweetest word you have said today.”

Jong-Suk smiled with his white healthy teeth.

“Jong-Suk, lay out the picnic mat on the grass here. I brought some newspapers too. Place them first before setting up the food.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk prepared the place to eat.

“Chairman Lee, please come and have a seat here.”

Chairman Lee said while standing up,

“Do you have enough food for us too? We are four people now.”

“Don’t worry about it. I brought a lot. There is Korean pancake with spring onions and Gimbab too.”

Four people had a picnic that day. It was late autumn, and Gun-Ho could feel a cool breeze on his cheeks. They started to eat their food and drink their soju while sitting on the grass beside the lake. Chairman Lee ate only one Jokbal with half a cup of soju; he said he was feeling a bit uncomfortable in the stomach.

“This Gimbab is so tasty.”

Chairman Lee ate Gimbab though. The other three men devoured the Jokbal and soju.

They gulped down the soju that was in a paper cup. Chairman Lee was smiling quietly.

Reeds were swaying in the breeze. A combat plane was passing by in the blue sky.

“Since this area is close to North Korea, we could see a lot of combat planes here.”

Manager Gweon said while looking up the sky. Gun-Ho followed his gaze and asked him.

“When I climbed up Gwanak Mountain, I saw many commercial planes passing by. There is no commercial plane around here, right?”

“I don’t think so. The flight path for commercial planes is leading them toward Gwanak Mountain, Gimpo City or Yeongjong Island.”

“Bro, when you went to China last time, which airline did you take? Is it Korean Air that goes to China?”

“No, there are several different airlines you can take for China. There are Asiana Air, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, etc.”

“I do like Asiana Air. It’s clean, and their stewardesses are pretty.”

Everyone laughed together when Jong-Suk said it.

“Oh, I heard Asiana Air’s owner brothers are having a fight. People sitting next to me talked about it in the flight from Shanghai to Korea.”

Manager Gweon looked surprised when he heard Gun-Ho talking about Asiana Air.

“Really? I have their stock. I will have to sell it right away!”

Jong-Suk chipped in while chewing the Jokbal.

“If the owner brothers fight each other, the employees cannot focus on their work. I’ve worked as an employee for a long time, I know that by experience.”

“You’re right. I will sell the stock tomorrow.”

Chairman Lee clicked his tongue after listening to their conversation quietly.

Manager Gweon looked at Chairman Lee.

“Look, why would you sell your stock when the company owner brothers are fighting each other?”

“Because if the owner or upper management can’t manage the company with stability, the ship goes to a mountain, doesn’t it?”

Chairman Lee clicked his tongue again.

Gun-Ho and Jong Suk looked at Chairman Lee. They couldn’t understand why he was doing it.

“Oh, that is it!”

Gun-Ho slapped his lap. Something flashed through Gun-Ho’s mind.

“That’s right. I guess President Goo figured it out.”

Chairman Lee smiled quietly.

Note*

Jokbal – Korean dish made of pig’s trotters with soy sauce.

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Chapter 102 - Conversation with a Wise Man (2) – PART 1

Chapter 102: Conversation with a Wise Man (2) – PART 1

Manager Gweon and Jong-Suk didn’t understand why Manager Gweon shouldn’t sell his Asiana stock. They were just looking at Chairman Lee and Gun-Ho one after the other.

“President Goo, why don’t you explain to them? You seemed to know the reason.”

Manager Gweon and Jong-Suk looked at Gun-Ho.

“Okay, this is what I think. When two brothers are fighting over a company, each of them would try to gather the company’s shares as many as he could so he could gain more power. More shares he retains, more power he could gain in controlling the company. If that happens, that company’s stock would be in high demand, and the price will increase.”

“Hmm.”

Manager Gweon nodded his head while Jong-Suk had a puzzled look on his face.

Once Manager Gweon digested Gun-Ho’s explanation, he asked Chairman Lee.

“Sir, I heard that Kumho Asiana Group is divided into two for operating-wise, and the older brother manages Kumho Construction and Asiana Air, and the younger brother manages Kumho Chemical. In this case, I’d better buy the older brother’s company stock, don’t I? Because the older brother should have more shares now.”

“You think so?”

“The stock I have is Asiana Air. I have 20 million won worth of Asiana Air’s stock. Do you think I should buy more of the same stock?”

“That was just a theory. We never know what would actually happen in the stock market.”

“I think you are right and it makes sense to me.”

Instead of answering Manager Gweon’s question, Chairman Lee asked the question to Gun-Ho.

“What do you think, President Goo? Would you bet on the older brother? Or the younger brother?”

“Well, I would also bet on the older brother. What do you think?”

“Hmm, really?”

Chairman Lee drank water instead of soju in a paper cup.

“As I said, we just don’t know what would happen in the stock market. The brothers might reconcile tomorrow, or there could be another group of interest who would try to influence the stock’s price or the power competition. However, when I was little, the elders in my town used to say this.”

Everyone looked at Chairman Lee with all ears.

“Inherently, an older brother has greed and a younger brother has ambition. Whom you would bet on is up to you. However, stay away from the stock market if you could. Hahaha.”

Chairman Lee laughed loudly while looking at the lake.

Gun-Ho’s eyes widened and looked at Chairman Lee.

‘He is truly a wise man.’

Jong-Suk chuckled while pouring soju in each person’s paper cup.

“Well, I don’t do stocks anyway! I don’t have to worry about any of these. Having no stock gives me a better life! Let’s just drink.”

Chairman Lee smiled at what Jong-Suk said.

Gun-Ho opened the stock trading website when he came to work in the morning.

“I will bet on the younger brother. I will invest 3 billion won in Kumho Chemical today.”

Gun-Ho had always been quick in making a decision. He was quicker than others. If he determined something that he was certain about, he just went for it without hesitation or without giving a second thought. That differentiated him from others. Jong-Suk didn’t pay attention when Chairman Lee was talking in the fishing site, but Gun-Ho was different. He picked up what he needed to hear, used it during his decision-making process, and quickly put his decision into action.

“I have certainty.”

Gun-Ho thought it was okay to invest a substantial amount of money in a large-cap stock like Kumho Chemical as long as there was a certainty. It was a lot safer than putting money in penny stocks or garbage stocks.

Gun-Ho had invested 7 billion won in Kumho Chemical over the one week period. Whenever he saw a red candlestick, he purchased the stock some now and some later at a different price. Gun-Ho quickly decided and made it happen.

“I have the Samsung Electronics stock that I put 3 billion won in it. Should I sell it and invest the proceeds in the Kumho Chemical stock?”

Gun-Ho pondered over whether he should keep the Samsung Electronics stock or sell it to invest more in Kumho Chemical.

“I know I shouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket. I could lose everything.”

Gun-Ho felt suffocated.

“A human being still feels anxious and nervous even though he has a lot of money.”

Gun-Ho walked out of his office and went to a sauna. He closed his eyes with a towel on his head and got lost in thought.

“Should I sell the Samsung Electronics stock?”

Gun-Ho stayed there for quite a while and then suddenly jumped to his feet. The steam came out through his body.

“I will sell the Samsung Electronics stock and put the proceeds in Kumho Chemical!”

Gun-Ho sold all his shares of Samsung Electronics and purchased more shares of Kumho Chemical. The total amount of money he invested in Kumho Chemical was 10 billion won.

“I will leave it there for a year.”

Gun-Ho went to Yeoksam Town with Manager Kang to see the OneRoomTel that was on the market for sale. The OneRoomTel had 45 furnished rooms with a shower facility. The room was being rented out for 450,000 won per room. According to the current residential manager, its vacancy rate was less than 10%. The rent that was being paid to the building owner was high but other than that, it looked good.

“I will take it.”

“Okay, sir.”

Manager Kang handled the sales and purchase agreement and paid the premium to the previous OneRoomTel owner.

When the residential manager was packing his belongings, Manager Kang said to him.

“Where do you think you’re going? Aren’t you going to continue working here?”

The residential manager dropped his bag right away; he looked delighted.

“I will work hard, sir.”

“This OneRoomTel will be operated by a company, not by an individual, so we will need your resume and resident registration. Can you send them to us by tomorrow?”

“Sure. I will prepare the paperwork right away.”

Manager Kang became busy in managing four OneRoomTels in Gangnam because he was the point of contact for the residential managers from four different OneRoomTels for any requests, concerns, and questions.

“Manager Kang? We have three bulbs that were burned out. We need to replace them with new bulbs.”

“Manager Kang? The credit card processing machine stopped working for some reason.”

“Manager Kang? The building owner wants to talk to you.”

“Manager Kang? I need to take a day off tomorrow. I have an exam tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho called for Manager Kang.

“Manager Kang. Let’s hire one more residential manager who could work whenever one of our residential managers has to take some time off and also assist your work.”

“Okay, sir. Umm, sir… Is it okay with you if I hire someone who’s a bit old rather than a young man for the new residential manager position?”

“Why?”

“I have a relative who has been living by herself since her husband passed away. She is 55 years old. She will of course work at one of our OneRoomTels whenever necessary, and also I want her to clean the OneRoomTels regularly.”

“Don’t our current residential managers do the cleaning job?”

“They do, but they are not doing a very good job. They don’t sort waste in the right way and their floor cleaning work is not satisfying. Young people, these days are not very good at those works.”

“Shouldn’t we pay her a lot? She will sometimes have to work at night. If she is a homemaker, do you think she can handle the work?”

“She has one son who is in the military right now. I believe she can do it. And you can pay her the same amount you pay to our current residential managers.”

“Hmm, you do so then. You will have to manage her as well.”

“Okay, sir. Oh, one more thing. The third auction day for the vacant lot in Gangdong District is the day after tomorrow.”

It was the third auction day for the vacant lot in Gangdong District.

Gun-Ho went to the Seoul Eastern District Court accompanied by Manager Kang. The court parking lot was full, maybe because a lot of people were participating in auctions today.

Some people were handing out informational flyers at the court entrance, and some people were distributing advertisement flyers that said ‘Loan for auction.’

“You said, the starting price is 2.88 billion won, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“For the bid deposit, I prepared a check of 28.8 million won, which is 10% of the starting price. Also, I brought two of 10 million and ten of 1 million won.”

“That’s good.”

“I guess we are the only one bidding on this land. We can then offer 2.985 billion won. What do you think?”

“If there is no competitor at all, I think we can go with 2.981 billion won.”

“Hmm.”

“I will go and see if there is anyone who is putting a hand on that vacant lot.”

“Okay.”

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Chapter 103 - Conversation with a Wise Man (2) – PART 2

Chapter 103: Conversation with a Wise Man (2) – PART 2

All offers had been submitted. The bailiff was announcing the auction result.

“Case number 000, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo who offered 2,981 million won the auction. Please come forward with your photo ID.”

“Whoa, 2.9 billion won?”

People who were sitting in the front area whispered about the high price that Gun-Ho offered and that he had to pay.

Gun-Ho now owned 50% of the 200 pyung land in Gangdong District, which had been used as a parking lot.

After the mandatory period of the filing of the appeal passed, Gun-Ho wanted to meet the other owner who owned the equal property interest in the land.

“Where can I find him? Should I ask that realtor who was talking about this vacant lot during the auction school gathering?”

Gun-Ho wanted to call the auction private institution and ask that realtor’s contact number when Manager Kang walked into the office.

“Manager Kang, do you know how we can find the other owner of that land in Gangdong District? The address shown on the real estate registration is Sampung condo in Seocho Town.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean the owner is actually living there. I will go to the realtor’s office in front of that vacant lot. Since there are tenants there, the owner probably used the same realtor’s office that is close to the land for the lease agreements.

“Okay, then let me know if you find anything.”

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

Manager Kang returned to the office after visiting the land area.

“I talked with the realtor and with the parking lot owner. They said the landowner is actually residing at the Sampung condo in Seocho Town.”

“The Sampung condo is the one close to our office, next to the subway station of Seoul National University of Education, right?”

“That’s right. The owner and his wife are living in that condo, and their son is living in Mapo Town. Their son is a theatre actor as well.”

“A play?”

“Why don’t you meet with him?”

Gun-Ho and Manager Kang headed to the Sampung condo to meet the other owner of the land while carrying a box of healthy organic juice.

“Sir, even if this condo looks old, it is still quite expensive because of the location. It’s right in the center of Gangnam.”

“Really?”

When they arrived at the door of the land owner’s condo, they rang the doorbell. No one came out. They tried again. It was still quiet.

“Probably no one is home. Should we just go and come back later? We don’t even have his phone number.”

They were about to leave when the door was open.

“Who is it?”

An old man who looked like in his 80s came out. He had age spots on his face, and he was wearing pajamas.

“Hello, sir. Are you Mr. Hak-Chul Jang?”

“Yes, I am. Who are you?”

“I am the one who just purchased the land in Gangdong District at the auction. I’d like to talk to you for just a moment.”

“Hmm, really? Come on inside.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho and Manager Kang entered the condo and sat in the living room. There were an old wall clock and an old oriental painting hanging on the wall. It indeed looked like a place where only old people lived in.

“I’m sorry for the mess. I didn’t expect anyone so…”

“Please don’t mind us. We are good.”

“My wife is in a hospital right now, so I am here alone, and I just woke up. What can I get you for a drink?”

“We are good. Thank you, sir. Actually, we brought some drink for you.”

The old man went to his kitchen and brought hot green tea.

“So, do you have something you want to do with the land?”

“I’m thinking of building an office-tel. I was wondering if you would sell your property interest to me.”

“I’m not selling it.”

Manager Kang put his cup of green tea on the coffee table and said.

“Sir, you probably have children and grandchildren and so. Why don’t you sell your interest in land and give some of the proceeds to your descendants and enjoy the rest of your life with your wife?”

“I’m not selling. Just have a cup of green tea and go home. Haha.”

It seemed like the old man did not need money. He seemed to have enough money and didn’t have any reason to sell the land now.

“How many children do you have, sir? I guess they are probably about our age.”

“I have a son and two daughters. They do make their living just fine.”

“I heard your son is acting at a theatre.”

“That’s right.”

The old man said bluntly. He might not like what his son was doing.

“Are your daughters living around here?”

“No, one is living in Incheon City, and the other one is living in Banpo Town.”

“Did you say Incheon? My parents are in Incheon.”

The old man didn’t seem to be glad to hear it.

Gun-Ho thought the old man seemed to disapprove of things that their children were doing.

“I’m sorry, sir if this sounds offensive, but you don’t take the land when your time comes, right? Why don’t you sell it when there is someone who wants to buy it? You can’t really utilize the land with your 50% interest either.”

“The half of the rent from the tenants there is coming to my bank account.”

“It’s not much, you know that. Please sell it to me.”

“I’m not selling it. I won’t change my mind, so please leave once you’ve finished your tea.”

“Okay, sir, if you insist. Let me at least have your phone number, sir.”

The owner gave his number to Gun-Ho.

“I will leave Manager Kang’s business card with you.”

Gun-Ho didn’t give his business card to the old man. The old man stared at Manager Kang’s business card for a while.

“Manager Kang, let’s do this. We won’t be able to fully use this land since we have half of the property interest in it, so let’s use it as collateral when we need to borrow money from a bank.”

“Okay, since it has the appraised value, a bank will certainly lend money with this land.”

“Okay, then. Sir, have a wonderful day. If you happen to change your mind, please let us know any time.”

The old man seemed to be thinking about something.

Gun-Ho and Manager Kang walked out of the condo and went to a soft tofu stew restaurant around the Sampung condo.

Manager Kang talked first while having his soft tofu stew.

“The old man doesn’t want to sell the land.”

“I think he will sell it. One of his children would face some financial difficulties in his or her life and also he knows he couldn’t take the land with him to his grave. He was just trying to raise the price.”

“Then, should we contact him after one or two weeks?”

“What about… we meet his son who is acting at a theater?”

“I think that’s a good idea. Do you want me to find him?”

Gun-Ho received an unexpected call from Attorney Kim who was working at Kim&Jeong.

“How have you been? I talked with Professor Wang at Zhejiang University the other day, and he has some spare time these days since the exam period at the university is over. I am calling to ask you if you would like to join me in playing golf in China. I haven’t played golf in China before. I heard their golf field is really nice.”

“Haha. Actually, I am not a good golf player. I’m learning it these days though.”

“Oh, are you?”

Attorney Kim sounded disappointed a bit.

“Where do you go for golf practice?”

“I’m taking lessons at the indoor facility inside the Education Community Center building.”

“I see. Good luck then. I will go with you when you go to the field for the first time.”

“Haha, thank you.”

Gun-Ho hadn’t played golf for the past several days.

“I will have to practice diligently. I have a golf buddy now who would share my first experience at a golf field.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the office and headed to the golf practice facility.

He was practicing with his 7-iron when the coach lady approached him.

“Sir, why didn’t you come to your lesson last time? You have to keep practicing; otherwise, you won’t improve.”

“I won’t miss it again.”

Gun-Ho stopped his swing and smiled broadly.

“Do your arms like this, and grab the grip this way with your hand.”

The coach held Gun-Ho’s arm to correct his posture. Gun-Ho could smell her lotion.

“Let’s practice today until a blister starts appearing on your hand.”

“Okay!”

After a while, Gun-Ho started sweating.

“Hmm, this small golf swing movement makes me sweat.”

The coach came back to Gun-Ho.

“When you address the ball, stretch your left arm lightly and bend your right arm.”

“It’s more difficult than it sounds.”

Gun-Ho hit the golf ball.

“At impact, don’t lift your head.”

“Okay.”

“Your weight should be on your left foot. Hit the ball again.”

Gun-Ho hit the ball again and the ball flew.

“It’s getting better.”

The ball flew farther than last time. Gun-Ho felt good. From that day, Gun-Ho came to the indoor golf facility every day to practice his swing.

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Chapter 104 - Buying Out The Other Tenant in Common – PART 1

Chapter 104: Buying Out The Other Tenant in Common – PART 1

Gun-Ho waited two weeks before he called the co-tenant of that vacant lot he purchased at the auction, that was being held in tenancy in common. That co-tenant was holding 50% of the property interest in the land.

“Sir, I am the person who met with you the other day at your home, the one who purchased the other half of the property interest in the land that is located in Gangdong District. Have you thought about selling your interest?”

“I’m not selling.”

“Sir, you can give a better life to your children with the proceeds you could make by selling it. Why don’t you sell it to us at a reasonable price?”

“I said I’m not selling it.”

“Then, let’s do this. Why don’t you buy my property interest then? To raise the value of the land and to fully utilize the land, we need to terminate the tenancy in common. That’s another way to work out if you don’t want to sell your interest.”

“I don’t have money to buy out.”

“You are saying that you don’t want to sell and you don’t want to buy either. You seem to have no intention to make it work. You are just stubbornly holding the land.”

The old man didn’t say anything. Gun-Ho could only hear him breathing over the phone.

“Sir, let me buy you lunch tomorrow. I know a restaurant close to your Sampung condo. A soft tofu stew is really tasty there. I’d like to see you there at 1 pm tomorrow. What do you say?”

“Suit yourself.”

Manager Kang was listening to the phone conversation between Gun-Ho and the co-owner of the land. When Gun-Ho got off the phone with the old man, he asked Gun-Ho.

“What did he say?”

“I asked him to have lunch with me tomorrow and he told me to suit myself and hung up the phone.”

“That’s good. He meant okay about having lunch tomorrow.”

“Do you think he would come tomorrow?”

“I’m sure he will. I will go with you tomorrow.”

A mailman walked in the office.

“Is Mr. Gun-Ho Goo here?”

“It’s me.”

“We have an international express mail for you. Please sign here.”

The mailman handed an electronic signature device to Gun-Ho.

It was from President Chinkkweo Seon of Jinxi Construction Company in Kunshan City, China.

“What did he send to me?”

Gun-Ho opened the mail and found 7-pages of A4 papers. It was the business plan of Jinxi Industrial Park.

“Business Plan!”

Gun-Ho started reading it until he realized that he had to refer it to a Chinese-Korean dictionary because there were so many Chinese words he didn’t understand. Gun-Ho placed the business plan on his desk and Manager Kang asked after he looked at the document.

“What is this?”

“It’s a business plan.”

Gun-Ho tried to translate the business plan referring to the dictionary and then decided to ask someone to do the job for him; he didn’t want to spend time in translation work. He then placed a job posting on a translation web community online.

Gun-Ho and Manager Kang went to the soft tofu stew restaurant close to the Sampung condo in order to meet the co-owner of the vacant lot in Gangdong District in the afternoon.

“He is not here yet, I guess.”

Gun-Ho and Manager Kang sat at a table and drank a cup of water when the old man entered the restaurant. There was a man of sturdy build who looked like in his 40s, behind the old man. The man had a curly hair and beard, and he looked just like Ou-Joon Kim who was a film producer and the founder of the online newspaper—Ddanzi.

“Hello, sir?”

Gun-Ho and Manager Kang stood up and greeted the old man with respect by giving a 90-degree bow.

“This is my son.”

Gun-Ho thought that he was the son who was acting at a theatre, and Gun-Ho and Manager Kang gave the son a 90-degree bow as well.

“We haven’t ordered food yet.”

“The popular menu of this restaurant is a soybean stew.”

“Oh, really? Then would you like to have a soybean stew, a pork & soft tofu, and a mung bean pancake?”

“Suit yourself.”

The dishes that Gun-Ho ordered came out; it was neat and nicely presented.

“Sir, would you like to have a glass of liquor?”

“No, thank you. I’m good.”

Gun-Ho still ordered a bottle of soju.

“Why don’t you have just one glass of soju?”

Manager Kang placed one glass of soju in front of the old man while offering just one glass of soju. The old man spoke while eating the food.

“This restaurant—Giwajip Soft Tofu is a family-owned restaurant and the current owner is the fourth-generation owner.

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho and Manager Kang simultaneously reacted with surprise to the old man’s explanation. They both purposefully a bit overreacted. The old man seemed to like it and gulped the glass of soju that Manager Kang placed in front of him earlier.

“So, why did you want to meet with me today?”

“I came here to ask you again to either buy my property interest or sell your property interest to me.”

“If I sell it, how much would you pay for it?”

“I purchased my interest in the land at 2981 million won. You can easily verify it with the court. So, I will give you 3 billion won.”

“That’s nonsense!”

The old man shook his head.

This time his son spoke.

“The previous co-owner was going to buy it for 4 billion won.”

“4 billion is way too high. We don’t have 4 billion won.”

The old man raised his voice.

“I can’t sell it below that price. Everything has its current market price!”

“Since you have retained the land for a long time, your tax for the capital gains won’t be a lot. Once we buy your property interest at the price you suggested, the price of the entire land becomes 7 billion won.”

“That land is worth the price. You can do anything with the land.”

“If the price of the land becomes 7 billion and I have to spend an additional substantial amount of money to build a building there, then there is no payability for me. I will just have to assume that you have no intention to sell the land.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the son. And the son handed his to Gun-Ho. The son’s business card said he was the president of a production agency and a theater company.

“You are an artist. I am envious of you. Businessmen like us admire artists.”

As Manager Kang said, the son cleared his throat by having a dry cough and the old man kept eating his tofu with a disapproval look on his face.

“Then, we will have to let you go here. If you happen to change your mind, you know where to contact me. Oh, there is one more thing. I already talked to the parking lot owner so he could send the half of the rent to us. As to the tented cart on the land, we will have to evict them because that doesn’t look good on our land.”

“You shouldn’t evict them. They have been running that cart while serving food for a long time now.”

“If you say so, I will let them stay. I’ve heard one of them is your nephew. Is it true?”

“No, he is just my distant relative.”

The old man stood up to leave after he said it bluntly.

Once Gun-Ho returned to his office, he opened his email inbox.

“Wow, I have 30 applications waiting for me for the translation work.”

Those applications were sent to Gun-Ho in response to his job posting to translate the business plan done by Jinxi Construction Company, which was mailed to him.

“They won’t make a lot of money by translating this 7-page A4 paper, but still this many people applied for the job.”

The applicants had a variety of background and work experiences. Some were college students majoring in Chinese and another applicant was a college teacher with a Ph.D. Some were Chinese Korean, and one was a Chinese Korean student who was studying in Korea.

“Okay, I will ask the applicant who received his Ph.D. in China and is currently teaching in college.”

Gun-Ho sent the business plan that was to be translated to the college teacher.

The business plan for Jinxi Industrial Park looked good. They included an income statement in the financial section, which showed that the business would become profitable after three years. It also stated that an increase of capital stock without consideration would be possible.

“Increase of capital stock without consideration…”

Gun-Ho liked the idea.

“About whether the business would be profitable or not within three years, I will have to wait and see for three years; however, if they could increase capital stock without consideration, then I will make money. Maybe I should participate in the joint investor?”

Gun-Ho received a call from Professor Wang.

“Did you receive the business plan sent by the president of Jinxi Construction Company?”

“Yes, I did.”

“If you are still interested in it, let’s sign on the letter of intent. Oh, and the staff of the City of Kunshan and the staff of Jinxi Construction Company will visit Korea soon to see the industrial complexes in the province of Korea.”

“Should I give them a tour?”

“No, we already talked with the government in the province and they will arrange a tour for them.”

“When will they come?”

“Next week. The group consists of five people and will stay in Korea for two nights and three days. Once they complete their visit, why don’t you come to China?”

“Okay. I will make my schedule to work it out.”

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Chapter 105 - Buying Out The Other Tenant in Common – PART 2

Chapter 105: Buying Out The Other Tenant in Common – PART 2

Gun-Ho received a phone call from the son of the co-owner of the land in Gangdong District.

“Oh, you are the son of the co-owner? How are you?”

“I tried to convince my father. I told him several times already that 4 billion won is way too high for the property interest he is holding since there is a market price that says otherwise.”

“Did your father change his mind?”

“He is worried about the capital gains tax after he sells his property interest.”

“Your father has been retaining the land for an extended period of time, so he won’t have to worry about the tax. It won’t be much at all.”

“Right. I talked with a friend of mine who is working as a tax accountant. He said the same thing that the tax my father has to pay won’t be much.”

“I think so.”

“Let’s just make it 3.5 billion won! My father still insists on his price, but I think I can persuade him with 3.5 billion won.”

“3.5 billion won? For that price, I will have to borrow an additional amount of money from a bank. And I will have to pay more of the loan interest.”

“I can’t successfully convince my father with the price any lower than that. My father’s stubbornness is in his genes. He has been like that since I can remember.”

“Let me think about it and will let you know.”

Manager Kang who was standing next to Gun-Ho asked him.

“What did he say?”

“It’s from the old man’s son. He said his father won’t go below 3.5 billion won.”

“What are you going to do, sir?”

“I’m not sure. It’s a lot of money, but I do want that land.”

“Once you buy the old man’s property interest, you will own the land with full ownership, and the land would be 6.5 billion won land… It is expensive, but you can hardly find a vacant lot like that in Seoul City these days.”

“What do you think I should do, Manager Kang?”

“If I had money to pay for the land, I would buy it.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho wanted to have fresh air. He drove his car to Cheonggye Mountain and arrived at the entrance.

“I feel so nice whenever I stay in a place, I could be surrounded by this green nature while getting away from the busy city.”

Gun-Ho parked his car and walked in Yetgol Village where a lot of tourists often visit.

‘I purchased my property interest for 2981 million won by the auction. If I purchase the other interest at 3500 million won, how much exactly would I spend for the land?”

Gun-Ho started calculating with his calculator while sitting on a rock.

“The price for the land only is 6481 million won.”

Gun-Ho had his 10 billion won in his stock account and 6.4 billion won in his bank account. He started with 19.8 billion won that he made from the stock investment related to Four Major Rivers Project, and spent 3.4 billion won in purchasing condos, a vehicle and in filling his office with furniture and stuff.

After that, he divided the remaining money into two different accounts: stock and bank.

“The money in my stock account is all tied up in the stock—Kumho Chemical.”

Gun-Ho felt a bit anxious.

“I used 300 million won out of 6.4 billion won in my bank account to issue additional shares of my company to raise its capital. I spent another 3 billion won to purchase the 50% of the property interest of the land in Gangdong District at the auction. So I currently have 3.1 billion in cash in my bank account. What am I going to do? I have to come up with 3.5 billion won in cash to buy out the co-tenant. Okay, will have to sell some of the Kumho Chemical stock to make 400 million won.

While he was lost in thought, someone called him.

It was the branch manager of the stockbroking company.

“Sir, how are you?”

“I’m well, thank you.”

“I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to have a round of golf with you, but you seem to have been very busy.”

“Yes, well…”

“Are you, by any chance, interested in a corporate bond?”

“A corporate bond?”

“If you get a corporate bond issued by a large corporation and keep it until its expiration date, the interest you make from it is not bad at all.”

“I’m not interested in it for now. Moreover, the money market rate is about to increase, right?”

“Right, once the money market rate increases, the bond price decreases; however, 2.8% is guaranteed for three-year bonds.”

“I’m sorry. I am not interested.”

“I just wanted to let you know since it is a very good bond. You can check the fact on Bondmall.or.kr.”

“I don’t know.”

“Since you can get your principal and interest back, it is safer than investing in the stock market.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“Well, by the way, give me a chance to go and play golf with you, sir. Hahaha.”

Gun-Ho got off the phone with the branch manager.

“I’m handling so many things right now. I can’t put my hand on a corporate bond.”

Gun-Ho paid 3.5 billion won to the old man and now he was the sole owner of the 200 pyung large vacant lot located on the main road in Gangdong District in Seoul. He spent 6.482 billion won in total.

Manager Kang seemed to be more excited than Gun-Ho.

“Um, sir, that land… do you have any plan to develop that vacant lot?”

“Why?”

“Do you want me to ask those tenants who are running a parking lot and tented cart to pay more for their rent?”

“Let’s just leave it as it is for now.”

“Since you spent so much on acquiring that land, will we have any financial issues?”

“I don’t think we will, but I won’t have much money to spend now.”

“Are you planning to borrow money with the land?”

“Let me ask you a question, Manager Kang since you had worked in a bank before. If I want to borrow money from a bank with that land, how much do you think I can borrow?”

“It depends on the appraised value of the land. The appraised value we had last time from the court was 4.5 billion won for the 50% of property interest.”

“Didn’t they raise the value a bit higher than the actual value in order to raise the starting auction price?”

“Even so, it shouldn’t be much different.”

“Then since I have full ownership now, the appraised value should be 9 billion won.”

“That’s about right.”

“So, if I borrow money 60% of the appraised value of the land, then it would be 5.4 billion won.”

“If you have an excellent credit score, a bank will lend you up to 80% which would be 7.4 billion won.”

“That would be more than I actually pay for the land. Haha.”

“You will need an appraisal statement first before you could apply for a loan. It will cost you some money though to get an appraisal statement.”

“Haha. I’m not going to borrow money from a bank. I was just saying it. Let’s talk more about it once I return from my trip to China.”

Gun-Ho called for the bookkeeper—Ji-Young Jeong.

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong! Could you buy a flight ticket to Shanghai, China for next Wednesday?”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho was standing up to leave the office to practice golf when Manager Kang talked to him.

“Um, sir. One more thing I need to talk to you…”

“What is it?”

“Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim who is working as a residential manager in the Bangbae location.”

“What about him? Did something happen? Did he quit?”

“No, it seems that he drinks way too often during his work hours.”

“He shouldn’t have drunk while he is working.”

“Since he is your friend, I think you’d better talk to him rather than I do.”

“I believe he is under a lot of stress after he failed the government job exam again this time.”

“I understand that he would be stressed; however, I’m just telling you because he drinks way too frequently.”

“Really? I will talk to him.”

On the way to the office after practicing golf, Gun-Ho called Min-Hyeok.

“Min-Hyeok? It’s me, Gun-Ho. How’s work at the OneRoomTel?”

“Oh, Gun-Ho. I mean President Goo. It’s okay.”

Min-Hyeok sounded down.

“I have something I have to do in the area, Bangbae Town today. I will stop by the OneRoomTel around 7 pm after work. Let’s have dinner together.”

“Today? Okay. I will be here.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the OneRoomTel, Min-Hyeok was sitting on his chair while looking into a blank space.

There was Min-Hyeok’s room on the fourth floor near the exit. The room was assigned to a residential manager to use as an office and the manager’s room. Gun-Ho, who had lived in a tiny room in a OneRoom for a long time, could understand how Min-Hyeok would feel right now. He felt sorry for Min-Hyeok.

“Hey, Min-Hyeok. How’s it going?”

Gun-Ho said in a cheerful voice while extending his hand to Min-Hyeok for a handshake.

“It has been a while, Gun-Ho.”

“How are you? Are you okay?”

“It’s good. I like here.”

“You look down, man. How did you do on the exam?”

“I failed again.”

“Oh, was the result already released? You will pass someday if you keep trying.”

“Whew.”

Min-Hyeok let out a deep sigh.

“Let’s go and have dinner.”

Min-Hyeok hung a sign at the door which said the residential manager was not available and it had a contact number as well.

“No one would be here if I go out for dinner.”

“It’s okay. If anyone needs you, they will call you. Let’s go.”

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Chapter 106 - Letter of Intent (1) – PART 1

Chapter 106: Letter of Intent (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok went to a restaurant that specialized in spicy stir-fried octopus dishes.

“We could just have a simple meal.”

“No, I want to buy you something delicious. Let’s have what this restaurant specializes in—a spicy stir-fried octopus dish.”

“It should be expensive.”

Gun-Ho placed an order for a stir-fried octopus dish without responding to Min-Hyeok’s concern.

When the dish came out, Gun-Ho suggested having liquor along with the octopus dish.

“But it’s still my work hours.”

“It’s okay. Let’s just have one glass of liquor.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok ate the food without saying a word for a while. While Gun-Ho was thinking of what he would tell him, Min-Hyeok started talking.

“Aren’t you comfortable in having a friend working at your OneRoomTel as a residential manager?”

“Why are you saying that nonsense?!”

Gun-Ho placed side dishes close to Min-Hyeok.

“When is your next exam?”

“I think I will have to give it up.”

“Why?”

“I am not smart enough to pass the exam and I have complicated family issues. I think I will have to find a job.”

“Do you have somewhere you can work at?”

“As a matter of fact, I applied for several jobs already, but it didn’t work out. I guess I am too old to start a new career. I am already in my mid-30s.”

As Min-Hyeok’s eyes welled with tears, he poured liquor in his own glass.

“You have work experience, right? You said you used to work at a quality assurance department. How many years did you work there?”

“Not for a long time. It was about 1 and a half years.”

“Aren’t you considered as an experienced worker with that work experience? In addition, you graduated from a 4-year college in Seoul.”

“I have relatively short work experience with not many certificates of skills in addition to my old age; I guess I am not a preferred job candidate for employers. Moreover, I graduated from a college of liberal arts which is not very popular among employers. I sent my resume to many companies already and they didn’t even invite me for an interview.”

Min-Hyeok drank his beer. He initially hesitated to drink because he had to work, but now he just kept drinking.

“Are you okay? You said you have to work.”

“This will be my last beer. I’m sorry I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

“Cheer up, man. We are still young.”

“Manager Kang who is working at your company said he graduated from a good college and he used to work in a bank as a deputy general manager. However, he said he couldn’t find a job for a few years after he quit the bank. He is way more qualified than me and even that person couldn’t find a job. What would be the odds for a person like me to find a job then?”

“He was in his 40s.”

“I guess I could get a job in a production field at a factory. But what would that job do good to me? I will make 1.8 million won per month without hope for a better future. I would suffer from hard physical labor work every day and no one would respect me. In addition, the managers in that field had issues. They are arrogant and most of them are on a serious power trip.”

“I am aware of it. I had worked in a factory before, so I know that by experience. They do that because they are not educated.”

“Moreover, if you work in a production field rather than in a management, there is no promotion. So you just work there every day knowing you wouldn’t have a better position in the future.”

Min-Hyeok grabbed his empty glass; it seemed that he wanted to drink more beer.

“Just try until next year. I’m sure you will pass next year.”

“I’m giving up.”

“Why?”

“It’s hard to get a government job, but not just that. I think I don’t have the aptitude for that either.”

“What do you think you have the aptitude for?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“I guess you need more beer. Let’s have one more bottle.”

Min-Hyeok smiled when Gun-Ho said he would order one more bottle of beer.

“Did you come here to talk to me today because you were told something about me?”

“Like what?”

“Did Manager Kang tell you that I drank too often?”

“Why do you say that? Did you get caught by him while you were drinking?”

“Several times actually. When I get caught, I felt so sorry to you rather than to Manager Kang.”

“You can drink less from now on. It’s okay.”

Min-Hyeok lowered his head without saying anything.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing. Just something got in my eyes.”

“Here, here is a tissue. You can use it.”

Gun-Ho thought he could understand how Min-Hyeok was feeling right now.

When Gun-Ho studied for the same exam several years back, he didn’t have money either. He once wanted to commit suicide because of the feeling of desperation and depression. He confronted his parents out of anger and despair to say why they had to have him in the first place without being able to give him an affluent and good life.

Gun-Ho spent three years of his youth in working at a factory knowing he had no hope to have a better life by working there. He couldn’t even think about saving money because he was barely making a living. Everyone including his aunt kept asking him why he didn’t marry anyone, but at that time, marriage was not an option for him. He was scared of getting stuck in that life for the rest of his life and he believed that once he got married, he would be stuck there. He could totally understand the word of Gamophobia and why some people had a fear of marriage. He believed having a child after marriage would make the situation even worse and his life would be ruined forever.

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok started drinking the additional bottle of beer they had ordered.

Gun-Ho began to talk a while after he thought of something while closing his eyes with his arms crossed.

“Min-Hyeok, would you be interested in going to China?”

“China?”

“I am planning to have a joint venture with China. I am not 100% sure whether I would actually do it or not at this point; however, once I decide to do it, I will need someone who would stay in China for the joint venture business.”

Min-Hyeok grinned.

“Listen to yourself, Gun-Ho. You are asking someone who doesn’t speak Chinese and who hasn’t done any management work in his life.”

“You can learn Chinese as you work and you could use a Korean-Chinese interpreter; not knowing the Chinese language will not affect your work in China. It is rather all about whether you have the will to do the work. When I went to China for the first time to run my restaurant there, I couldn’t speak even a word in Chinese.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I heard you went to China and made good money. Did you really not speak Chinese at all at that time? Hadn’t you have even gone to a private institution to learn the Chinese language before you went to China?”

“No, I didn’t. I just went there without that sort of preparation.”

“Wow. You indeed banged your head against a brick wall, and you made it.”

“I’m going to China next week to sign the letter of intent, and I want you to come with me. Why don’t you come and see the place before you decide if you could live there for a while.”

“What about my work here?

“Quit it!”

Min-Hyeok looked at Gun-Ho in surprise. He seemed to sober up already.

“Why? You don’t like to work at my company?”

“No, I don’t mean that…”

“Then what?”

“To be honest with you, I am not sure if it is a good idea for me to work at your company. It could be uncomfortable for both of us. I have to work under you, and you could sometimes feel that you would have to take care of me.”

“You wouldn’t work under me. Why do you say that? We will work together as a partner, okay?”

“Whew.”

Min-Hyeok let out a deep sigh. Gun-Ho suddenly grabbed Min-Hyeok’s hands, that made him recoil.

“You have to help me. I need you. I need someone I can trust and share the same value to work together!”

“I am not sure if I can be of any help to you.”

While saying it, Min-Hyeok seemed to think about something.

Gun-Ho firmly said,

“I will find someone else to take your residential manager position. I will ask Manager Kang to place a job posting right away.”

Min-Hyeok lowered his head and didn’t say a word for a while

“I understood what you meant.”

“Thank you.”

“Can I recommend someone to take the residential manager position then?”

“Do you know someone good for the position?”

“Yes. I know this guy from my study group. He went to the same high school as us and he is three years younger than us. He is studying for the government job exam as well and he is a hard worker. I’m sure he would be happy and grateful if he could work as a residential manager at your OneRoomTel.”

“Okay, then. I will talk to Manager Kang about it. By the way, do you have your passport?”

“I actually do. I obtained my passport a few years ago when I went abroad for volunteer work. I believe it is still valid.”

“That’s good. You will need to apply for the visa then. Once you applied for the visa, send the receipt for the visa processing fee to Ms. Ji-Young Jeong at my office, then she will take care of it.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho saw a gleam of hope in Min-Hyeok’s eyes.

Gun-Ho talked with Manager Kang about Min-Hyeok.

“I met with Min-Hyeok yesterday.”

Manager Kang asked while smiling,

“Did you tell him to stop drinking?”

“I guess he was under a lot of pressure and stress because of his constant failure on the exam.”

“I totally understand. When I was still looking for a job after retiring from banking work, I was just like him.”

“So, I am thinking about sending him to China.”

“China? So you decided to participate in the joint venture?”

“I haven’t signed the letter of intent yet. I want to bring him with me on the trip to China this time.”

“What about the OneRoomTel in Bangbae Town. We will need a new residential manager then.”

“He recommended someone he knows.”

“That’s nice.”

“Since you are in charge of hiring a residential manager, I let you know that in advance.”

“You are the president. If you decide something, I follow. I will ask Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim to bring that person as soon as possible.”

Manager Kang made a call to Min-Hyeok.

“Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim? It’s me! I talked with the president. Could you send the person who would take the residential manager position as soon as you can? And you need to hand over the work to him as well.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Also, please tell that person to prepare his resident registration and resume.”

“Okay, Manager Kang.”

Manager Kang made a report to Gun-Ho while smiling after getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok.

“Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim sounded cheerful this time, sir.”

“Is it right?”

Gun-Ho smiled.

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Chapter 107 - Letter of Intent (1) – PART 2

Chapter 107: Letter of Intent (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok boarded the plane to Shanghai, China after meeting at the Incheon International Airport.

“Keep this with you.”

“What is this?”

“It’s your business card. You will meet with a lot of people once you arrive in China. You will need it when you do. So I made 100 of them.”

“Team leader of foreign market development in GH Development Company? Gun-Ho, I can’t even speak any foreign language. I don’t speak English or Chinese. That’s a too big title for me.”

“Do you think I know things so I become the president?”

“Well, I do like my business card though. It looks so nice. I like the logo especially.”

“That logo was designed by our staff, Ms. Ji-Young Jeong.”

“Really? She is good at it.”

When they arrived at Pudong Airport in Shanghai, he received a call from Professor Wang.

“Gun-Ho? Where are you?”

“I just got off the plane.”

“Really? Then you will arrive here around 2 pm. I can wait for you in the lobby in Shangri-La Hotel.”

“Don’t stay in the lobby, but have a coffee in the café there while waiting for me.”

“Okay. Hurry up.”

Gun-Ho took Min-Hyeok to the Waitan.

“Wow, it’s awesome! This is the famous Waitan. It was the extraterritorial area of the international settlement.”

“You know a lot about history. I know you loved reading historical novels and cartoons even when we were in high school.”

“It looks amazing.”

“If we decide to do the joint venture, you will have many chances to visit historical sites and tourist spots because the joint venture would be located in Kunshan City which is close to Shanghai.”

“Do you think that a joint venture will be profitable?”

“As long as companies are moving to the industrial park, there shouldn’t be any problem. The real problem is the registration of the land.”

“Don’t they do that?”

“Chinese people don’t usually clearly register the land for us. It shouldn’t be a problem for a house or condo that is owned by an individual for a residential purpose; however, for a large lot like for a factory, they don’t usually clearly register.”

“Why do they do that?”

“That’s the problem of having a business here. Korean companies have problems as well.”

“What about them?”

“Many Korean companies make money by investing money in the real estate where their company is built on, rather than by their business activity. So they expect the same return when they come to China to have their business.”

“Does that mean it’s difficult to borrow money from a bank with the land where a factory would be built on?”

“That’s right. It’s possible in some areas, but it’s really hard to borrow money with the land that would be used for an industrial park.”

“I see.”

Min-Hyeok looked worried.

“Don’t worry about it. Companies will move into the industrial park as long as we provide good price and benefit.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok took an express bus from Shanghai to Hangzhou City. Min-Hyeok was writing down something diligently in the bus.

“What are you writing?”

“I’m just taking a note about the signs of destination and the street view and stuff.”

“It’s a good habit to write things down. Well, I will take a nap now.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok arrived at Shangri-La Hotel in Hangzhou City and met with Professor Wang who was sitting at the café.

“Hey, Professor Wang.”

“Hey, Gun-Ho. How are you?”

They greeted each other with a handshake and a hug.

“This is Min-Hyeok Kim. He is a friend of mine.”

Min-Hyeok gave Professor Wang his business card that Gun-Ho gave to him earlier.

“Oh, Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim. Nice to meet you. My friend’s friend is my friend. Don’t you think, Mr. Kim?”

“That’s right. We are all friends. Let’s have a cup of coffee.”

A young lady in qipao brought a menu book to Gun-Ho’s party, and they ordered a cup of coffee.

“Did you have a chance to review the business plan?”

“I did. You said you wanted to participate in the joint venture by acquiring some shares to support Deputy Mayor Seukang Li. Did you decide to give up?”

“Yeah, I gave up. I think we’d better not participate. That way the joint venture would look better. So, as you saw in the business plan already, China and the Korean company will equally take 50:50. Seukang Li agreed to it as well.”

“If I make enough money from this, I will support Seukang Li for you, Professor Wang.”

“Thank you for saying it, friend.”

Min-Hyeok listened to the conversation between Gun-Ho and Professor Wang, with an envious look on his face. He couldn’t understand their conversation at all because they were talking in Chinese, so he was just sitting there while fiddling with his cup.

Gun-Ho and Professor Wang started discussing about the joint venture with the business plan on the table.

“Since China invest in kind, all the expenses incurred for the presentation and wages for the staff of Jinxi Construction Company will be paid with the funds invested by a Korean company.”

“In the beginning, yes, probably so.”

“What would happen after we would spend all the money that a Korean company would invest?”

“1,500,000 dollars is a significant amount of money in China. It can’t be all spent within several months. As you see in the business plan, the number of workers sent to the joint venture from Jinxi Construction Company is about 30. There are a few high paid engineers but most of them are regular workers. The total wage shouldn’t be more than 100,000 dollars per month.”

“We will do at least one presentation in Korea to attract Korean companies into the industrial park. We will have to then place advertisements in a daily newspaper and the presentation will be held in a hotel. That will cost a lot.”

“We did some research about it. It won’t cost much to place an advertisement in a Chinese newspaper. The problem is the cost for Korean newspaper advertisements and the presentation room to rent in a Korean hotel. We are guessing that we would need about 30,000 dollars for them; what do you think? The workers of Jinxi Construction Company said so as well.”

“I’m not sure.”

Gun-Ho looked at Min-Hyeok and asked.

“Do you think it would cost about 10 million won to place an advertisement in a daily newspaper in Korea—the size of about 17 centimeters by 37 centimeters?”

“I’m not so sure, but an ad in an economic newspaper should be less pricey.”

“Since we are leasing the lot to companies, we can’t register the lot under those companies’ names, right? Korean companies prefer to move in a lot where they could register the land because they want to borrow money from a bank with the land they are using for their business. Is there anything you can do about it?”

“That’s hard to be done. The entire land of the industrial park is registered under Jinxi Construction Company and the land is divided into pieces to lease to companies. Some Chinese people misled Korean companies that they could borrow money with the land. Seking Li doesn’t do that kind of things. That’s why the required security deposit is not high.”

“The security deposit is 100 Yuan with a monthly rent of 1.0 Yuan per ㎡. How much would it be then for a factory with 3,000 pyung?”

“I will calculate for you.”

“Oh, Min-Hyeok. Thank you.”

Min-Hyeok calculated with his electronic calculator.

“For the 3,000 pyung, it would be approximately 175 million won for a security deposit with a monthly rent of 1,750,000 won.”

“Hmmm.”

Gun-Ho thought for a while with his arms crossed.

Professor Wang pulled out something from a large envelope he brought in.

“What is this?”

“It’s a drawing and specification of a standard factory. There are three types: A, B, and C.

“So a factory can be one of these types. Building a factory will cost a lot as well.”

“A factory will be built within a budget of a security deposit. This is a prefabricated factory building.”

“I see. Let’s have dinner now. Why don’t we go to Louwailou where we can have traditional Chinese food.”

Min-Hyeok was amazed by the dishes.

“Wow, I see all sorts of dainties.”

“Hey, Mr. Kim. Drink this.”

Professor Wang poured liquor in Min-Hyeok’s glass. He then asked Gun-Ho,

“If the joint venture starts, who are you going to send as a president?”

“According to the business plan, China will assign someone for the chairman of the board while Korea will send someone for the president position, for the first term. For the second term, they will do the other way around.”

“That’s very common. Since you, President Goo, have your business to run in Korea so I assume you wouldn’t come to China to manage the joint venture.”

“Min-Hyeok here, he will do it.”

“Oh, really? That’s what I thought.”

Professor Wang extended his hand to Min-Hyeok for a handshake.

“I was told that the president of Jinxi Construction Company will take the chairman of the board position, and for the vice president, the planning director who wrote the business plan would take the position.”

“Really? I guess the vice president will be very busy.”

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Chapter 108 - Letter of Intent (2) – PART 1

Chapter 108: Letter of Intent (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho, Min-Hyeok and Professor Wang headed to Kunshan City.

The Deputy Mayor of the City of Kunshan—Seukang Li—called for the president of Jinxi Construction Company, Chinkkweo Seon. Jinxi Construction Company was a government-owned company and its president—Chinkkeo Seon—used to work for Kunshan City as a construction deputy director.

“Long time no see.”

Gun-Ho and Chinkkeo Seon greeted each other with a handshake. Seukang Li told Gun-Ho.

“Most of the work is done in the industrial park now. The road accessing the park is paved, the management office is completed, and the 3-Flow work is of course done.”

“What do you mean by the management office is completed? Does that mean the phone and the internet are working?”

The president of Jinxi Construction Company responded instead.

“The phone is not working yet. It will take a few more days. Other than that, the office is all set up with furniture and necessary supplies.”

“Oh, really?”

“However, China’s investment in the industrial park is the land only. So, Jinxi Construction Company will send a bill to the joint venture for the cost incurred in constructing the management office and filling the office with furniture and things.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho thought that Chinese people were very accurate in dividing the cost.

When Gun-Ho visited Jinxi Industrial Park later, he was astonished. It looked totally different from the time when he had visited it before. The road was neatly paved and small trees were planted on the borders between factories. Tall trees were planted along the street as well.

“Do you see a building over there? That’s the management office.”

“Oh, wow. It looks great. Is it a prefabricated building?”

“Yes, it is. The management office and a restaurant are located on the first floor, and on the second floor, you can find an administrative office, a president’s office, and a vice president’s office. Restrooms are situated at the backside of the building.”

When they arrived at the main entrance of the management building, a neatly dressed man who looked like in his 50s and a lady in her early 30s greeted Gun-Ho’s party.

“This is Kkangsin Kkao. He will be working as a vice president in the joint venture. This lady will handle general affairs. Her name is Dingpun.”

Kkangsin Kkao and Dingpun gave their business cards to Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok. Since the joint venture was not yet formed, their business cards still indicated their current position with Jinxi Construction Company which were a planning director and staff in the planning department.

Seukang Li gave Gun-Ho a tap on the shoulder before saying,

“What do you think? Did Professor Wang explain to you about the joint venture? You won’t regret it. Don’t worry about it. It looks like you brought someone who would take the president position for our joint venture. I guess we are ready to sign the letter of intent.”

“Will the letter of intent be signed by Jinxi Construction Company of Kunshan City and GH Development Company?”

“Right. I had a hard time persuading my superiors in Kunshan City to select GH Development Company as our co-venturer because the company is small. However, since GH Development has no debt, and it will invest in cash, I pushed them hard to do it.”

“You said the joint venture will possibly increase capital stock without consideration, right?”

“Oh, I guess if a company is doing well, it increases its capital stock, and it expands its business and so on, right? Our role in Kunshan City is up to the completion of 3-Flow work. We will leave the rest of the business matters to the joint venture. What you would do from now on is up to the joint venture.”

Professor Wang chipped in.

“Seukang, you will have to join them when they give a presentation in Korea. They will need someone who is a high-ranking official in the Chinese government to effectively attract Korean companies, don’t you think?”

“Of course, I will come to Korea for the presentation. If I can’t make it, I will send the construction director of the city.”

“Did you hear that, Gun-Ho? Seunkang Li will be there.”

“Also, you said companies won’t have to pay corporate tax for three years, right?”

“We are going in that direction. I shouldn’t tell you everything today though. Haha.”

The planning director of Jinxi Construction Company gave a tour to Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok around the management building. They looked around the offices, the restaurant, and the restrooms on the first floor.

“Hmm. It looks really nice. It’s neat and clean since it’s a newly constructed building.”

Min-Hyeok seemed to be impressed as well.

“It is indeed very well built.”

Gun-Ho’s group then moved to the second floor to continue their tour.

“There are desks and chairs already placed in these offices.”

“The computers are all in working condition as well.”

“Hmm.”

“This is the office for the president.”

There were a large L-shaped desk and an executive swivel office chair. Behind the desk, there was a wooden bookshelf. A large sofa set for a guest was there as well.

“Hmm. It is nice. The room is carpeted. Min-Hyeok, if we decide to participate in the joint venture, this will be your room.”

Min-Hyeok blushed when Gun-Ho told him that this would be his office. He then asked Gun-Ho.

“What about the chairman of the board? Is he not working here?”

“He will not. He will come whenever necessary though. Instead, the vice president will assist you.”

Min-Hyeok wrote down something.

“Min-Hyeok, if you work here as a president, you will have to manage all the staff working in this building. There will be more than 30 workers.”

Min-Hyeok blushed again, and then his face became filled with worries. Maybe the idea of working as a president was too much to digest in a few days for him.

Seukang Li talked to Gun-Ho.

“Gun-Ho, let’s sign the letter of intent tomorrow morning around 11 am. What do you say? If you say yes, I will ask journalists to come and join us.”

Gun-Ho, let out a deep sigh before answering it.

“Okay, let’s do it. Since you, Deputy Mayor Seukang Li and Professor Wang guaranteed that I would make money from this, I will do it.”

Seukang Li and Jien Wang held Gun-Ho’s hand while smiling.

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok arrived at Crown Plaza Hotel in Kunshan City to sign the letter of intent.

There was a small flag of China and a flag of Korea placed on the table which was covered with a white tablecloth, and a banner was hanging on the wall.

“Gun-Ho, journalists are here. I’ve never been to an event like this. I’ve only seen this kind of thing on TV.”

“Haha. You don’t have to be nervous, Min-Hyeok. I will be the one who will sign the letter of intent with the president of Jinxi Construction Company.”

“What about the deputy mayor of Kunshan City?”

“He can’t do it because he is a government official. However, he will later join us for a photograph, and you should come as well.”

The planning director from Jinxi Construction Company was talking on the microphone. The staff in the planning department showed Gun-Ho a table to sit while smiling.

Gun-Ho and Chinkkweo Seon— the president of Jinxi Construction Company—sat on a table while facing each other. Behind them, Deputy Mayor Seukang Li, the construction director of Kunshan City, the planning director of Jinxi Construction Company, and Min-Hyeok were standing.

Gun-Ho and Chinkkweo Seon signed the letter of intent and shook hands. The journalists were taking pictures of the moment. Some people were video recording it.

There were about seven to eight journalists, and one of them asked a question to Gun-Ho.

“Do you think Jinxi Industrial Park will succeed?”

Surprisingly, the journalist who asked the question to Gun-Ho was Korean.

“Are you from Korea?”

When Gun-Ho asked the journalist in surprise, he said he was from the Korean Economic Newspaper, and he was currently working at the Shanghai location.

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho offered his hand to the journalist for a handshake.

“I believe Jinxi Industrial Park has a bright future. It is located in Kunshan City that is close to the two big cities which are Shanghai and Suzhou, which will give great benefit to the companies in doing business there. Moreover, the companies in Jinxi Industrial Park will enjoy the corporate tax-free for three years in addition to the low rental price. This is certainly a rare opportunity for companies, and I am sure that many Korean companies will be interested. Especially if they were planning to expand their business to China.”

There was a person who was diligently interpreting what Gun-Ho said for Chinese journalists. The interpreter gave his business card to Gun-Ho when he realized that Gun-Ho looked at him several times.

“Haha. I’m an interpreter from the city’s foreign affairs office. I studied in Korea.”

“Oh, I see. You speak Korean very well.”

The Korean journalist asked another question.

“According to the brochure provided for the journalists, you are the president of GH Development, Gun-Ho Goo. Is that right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Can I ask you how old you are?”

“I’m 35 years old.”

“Is it Korean age?”

“Yes.”

“We won’t take any more questions. Please have a seat and enjoy the food.”

The president of Jinxi Construction Company had the journalists go sit on their tables.

That evening, Jinxi Construction Company hosted a dinner at a restaurant called Hwadongchancheong. It was the same restaurant that Gun-Ho was once invited at last time he visited China. The restaurant was still marvelous.

That night, Seukang Li, Professor Wang, Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok drank a lot until they were overly drunk. They were the four people who would take the lead of northeast Asia economy in the future.

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Chapter 109 - Letter of Intent (2) – PART 2

Chapter 109: Letter of Intent (2) – PART 2

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok headed to Pudong Airport in Shanghai to go back to Korea.

“I have two to three months left before signing the actual contract. I will have to prepare 1.5 billion won, and I don’t think I have enough cash in my bank account.”

Gun-Ho had spent 6.5 billion won earlier to acquire the vacant lot in Gangdong District. At that time he had to sell some of the Kumho Chemical stock for 300 million won to prepare enough funds. The price of the Kumho Chemical stock had increased, but it was still a bit early to sell it.

“Should I sell the stock again? I shouldn’t sell it little by little like this.”

While Gun-Ho was thinking about the funds he had to prepare, Min-Hyeok seemed to have his own things to think about.

“There are two to three months left before the contract signing. What should I do during those months? I can’t go back to being a residential manager again.”

Gun-Ho talked to Min-Hyeok while smiling.

“You will be very busy before the contract signing. You have to learn the Chinese language at a private institution. Also, learn some computer skills as well. You know how to do PowerPoint, right?”

“I know. I used to work with PowerPoint and Excel when I worked at a quality assurance department.”

“That’s good. When we give a presentation in a hotel while promoting the industrial park, we will have to use PowerPoint.”

“I was thinking about it too. I think you give me the contents of the presentation since you know better than me, then I will make the presentation material using PowerPoint.”

“Okay, I was going to do it.”

“Let’s buy some liquor and cosmetics at the duty-free shop over there.”

Gun-Ho purchased two bottles of liquor and cosmetics then handed them to Min-Hyeok.

“Why are you giving these to me?”

“Your father is at home, right? He doesn’t drive a bus anymore. Bring those liquor to your father and give your mother the cosmetics.”

“Wow. Thank you, Gun-Ho.”

“Also, until you actually go to China, I will give you a basic monthly salary. Ms. Ji-Young Jeong at our office will send you a monthly salary of 1.5 million won to your bank account.”

“Whoa! You are giving me a monthly salary already?”

“For the cost to learn the Chinese language, bring the receipts to our office. Our company will pay for your education as a training fee.”

“Thank you Gun-Ho. I hope I don’t impose.”

“Don’t say that. You will work hard for our GH Development Company to make a lot of money.”

“Haha. I hope we make a lot of money.”

“We will.”

Gun-Ho gave Min-Hyeok a tap on the shoulder while saying it.

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok were working to make this 1.5 million dollars small joint venture work out without knowing how valuable this experience would be for them.

When Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok came back to Korea, everyone seemed to know about the joint venture already.

Manager Kang and Ji-Young brought the economic newspaper to Gun-Ho and made a fuss about it.

“Sir! Look at this!”

There was a big picture of Gun-Ho and the president of Jinxi Construction Company signing the letter of intent, on the economic newspaper. It said,

“A Korean company, GH Development will participate in developing Jinxi Industrial Park in Jiangsu Province, China. The industrial park will be located between Shanghai City and Suzhou Town in Jiangsu Province, which is known to be an excellent location for business. The president of GH Development, Gun-Ho Goo (34) stated that in addition to the great location of the industrial park, they will offer an exceptionally low rental price and excellent benefits such as corporate tax-free, and he expected many Korean companies to be interested in moving to the industrial park.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk.

“Bro, I saw you in a newspaper. I’m so envious of you. If you start the joint venture, give me a position there.”

“F*ck off, man. Those stupid journalists are writing fiction.”

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister as well.

“Gun-Ho, are you in a newspaper? I heard it from Seung-Hee who was doing the insurance sales. You are doing great.”

“No, no, it’s nothing.”

“I told our mom and dad. Dad bought the newspaper from a convenience store and made a newspaper clipping.”

“He didn’t have to do that.”

“I will let you go, brother since you are probably very busy.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the Attorney, Young-Jin Kim who was working at Kim&Jeong.

“President Goo? I saw the newspaper. Good job. I’m sure you made the right decision. The business will surely go well since you are doing it with Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li. Congratulations.”

“It’s just the beginning. I’m worried. I’m not so sure if I made the right decision.”

“I talked with Jien Wang on the phone. He said it is a Cash Cow business so you won’t lose money in the worst case scenario. Also, he said that if Seukang Li gets promoted in the government, you will have better days with him in the future.”

“I hope so.”

“You will.”

Gun-Ho received another call. This time it was from a lady.

“Are you President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, I am. Who’s calling please?”

“You don’t remember me? It’s at Hannam Town.”

“Hannam Town?”

“I am so disappointed. You already forgot about me. It’s Mi-Hyang Jang from the Pine in Hannam Town.”

“Oh, I see. How did you get my number?”

“I saw the newspaper that you are doing a joint venture with China. Congratulations. Why don’t you stop by our restaurant; I’d like to give you a congratulatory drink.”

“Than… Thank you.”

It was from the hostess of the secret bar in Hannam Town.

Ji-Young received a call to the company phone and looked at Gun-Ho.

“What? It’s for me?”

“Yes, this person wants to talk to you.”

“Me? Maybe because of the newspaper?”

“He said he is calling from Yangji Construction Company.”

“I’ve never heard of that company before.”

Gun-Ho took the phone while thinking it was weird.

“Hello, President Gun-Ho Goo. This is Gwang-Ho Yoo, the president of Yangji Construction.”

“How can I help you?”

“I am calling to talk about the land you own in Gangdong District.”

“The land? What about it?”

“I’d like to talk to you in person. Are you available right now?”

“Yes, I am in the office.”

A man in his late 50s came to Gun-Ho’s office. He was with another man who looked like in his 40s and was neat looking.

“I’m Gwangho Yoo, the president of Yangji Construction.”

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

Three men greeted each other and sat on a table. Jin-Young brought green tea.

“You acquired the vacant lot in Gangdong District. As a matter of fact, we were very interested in that land and we missed it.”

Gun-Ho was wondering why these people came to him while giving them a wary look.

“First, congratulations on acquiring a very good real estate property. As you already know, that land is situated in an excellent location for an office-tel. If you plan to build a building there, I’d like to work with you. We have brought our portfolio that shows our work so far.”

The president of Yangji Construction handed Gun-Ho a pamphlet.

Gun-Ho slowly talked to them after looking at the pamphlet.

“I have no plans to build anything yet. I don’t have money for it.”

“No one builds a building these days with their own cash.”

“Then how do they build a building without money?”

“I’ve looked at the real estate registration of the land, and there was no lien or anything attached to the land. So, you can borrow money from a bank with the land. Once you build an office-tel, you won’t have to worry about lease or sell because of the location.”

“Building a property there will take around one or two years. Then how do I pay the loan interest during that period?”

“Say, you borrow 5 billion won. The interest will be about 300 million won, then you can build a building with the remaining 4.7 billion won.”

“If I wanted to build a 15-floor building, the cost will be twice more than that. I don’t think I can handle the cost and the loan interest.”

“Sir, you don’t have to wait until the building is completed to sell it. You can sell it before the completion. You can pay off the loan before the building is even completed.”

“Well, I will have to think about it. I’ve spent too much money already on acquiring the land.”

“You will have to pay a lot of property tax on a land like that. It’s 200 pyung large and located on the main road of Seoul City. It’s better to build an office-tel and sell them off.”

“I don’t know.”

“Once you build the building, you can just give the sales work to an agency. You don’t have to do anything. You can just sit there and collect money.”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, just give us a call any time. We will be waiting for your call.”

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Chapter 110 - Selling the Land (1) – PART 1

Chapter 110: Selling the Land (1) – PART 1

When the president of Yangji Construction left the office, Manager Kang came to Gun-Ho.

“Sir, you have to be careful about their usual scheme. Many landowners lost their land by listening to a construction company that told them that they could build a building on their land without spending their own money.”

“I think I heard about it before.”

“A construction company doesn’t care whether a landowner builds a building with his own money or borrowed money. Once a building is completed and it doesn’t sell, it is the landowner who has to bear all the consequences. Many landowners ended up selling the land because they couldn’t pay the loan.”

“He said I would have to pay a high property tax.”

“You can use the rent you receive from the parking lot tenant and the tented cart tenant.”

“Well, anyway, we will have to think about this eventually.”

Gun-Ho opened his stock account for the first time in a long time.

He had purchased the Kumho Chemical stock for 10 billion won and sold 300 million won stock when he acquired the land in Gangdong District. So, he was supposed to have about 9.7 billion won worth of stocks in his account. However, the stock price had increased.

“Haha. The price of Kumho Chemical increased by 3.5%. So my net account value is now back to 10 billion won.”

If Gun-Ho sold all of his stock right now, he would have 10 billion won in cash.

Gun-Ho stretched himself before wearing his jacket that was hanging on the wall.

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, is Manager Kang out to visit the OneRoomTels?”

“Yes, he is.”

“How much did we receive from the OneRoomTels yesterday?”

“We received 1.8 million won from four OneRoomTels.”

“Hmm.”

“Did you file the Four Major Public Insurance for the new residential manager?”

“No, I didn’t because he didn’t want it.”

“Then how do we classify him?”

“I listed him as a day laborer.”

“I see. I will be back later.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho went to the indoor golf practice facility. The coach came while Gun-Ho was practicing his swing by himself.

“You look prettier than the last time I saw you.”

“Don’t be silly. I heard you went to China.”

“How did you know?”

“You didn’t bring anything for me?”

“Oh, I forgot.”

“I’m just kidding. Keep practicing your swing. Don’t lower your head.”

Gun-Ho spent about an hour in golf practicing before he sat at the café in the Education Community Center building to drink a fruit juice.

“I still have a lot of time before having to go back to the office. I want to get some fresh air. Maybe I should visit a golf field in Yongin City or Anseong City. I’ve never been in a golf field before. I’ve always practiced golf in an indoor facility.”

Gun-Ho visited two golf fields in Yongin City, and he liked them.

“Nice. The green field looks so beautiful.”

Gun-Ho then headed to Anseong City.

“I want to see a golf field in Anseong City as well. The membership fee should be less pricey than the one in Yongin City. Gee, I gotta go to a bathroom. I’d better stop by the rest area. Oh, I see the Anseong rest area over there.”

After finishing his business in a restroom, he bought some snacks like walnut cookies and banana-flavored milk. When he was having his snack in the rest area, he heard someone calling his name.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo?”

Gun-Ho lifted his head to look at the person.

“Oh, General affairs manager at YS Tech—Seon-Hong Hwang?”

“Mr. Goo, you look great. You seem to be doing very well. What do you do these days?”

“I’m running a small real estate development company. How’s the president of YS Tech—Young-Sik Park?”

“They are all doing fine.”

The General affair manager looked a bit older than before. He lost some more hair and some new wrinkles appeared under his eyes.

“How’s the company?”

“It’s not doing well these days.”

“They are not selling well?”

“Don’t get me started. Since our major client, Mulpasaneop is not doing well, our work reduced a lot accordingly.”

“What happened to Mulpasaneop?”

“The president of Mulpasaneop’s son started a business in China, and it didn’t seem to work out. Our company used to sell products worth 500 million won to Mulpasaneop every month. Now, it was reduced to 300 million won.”

“Oh, I see. The company probably had to let go of many employees then.”

“Right. We used to have over 100 employees. Now we have only 70 employees. My job is not secured either. By the way, you look really great. You seemed to make a lot of money these days.”

“Haha. What are you talking about? Thank you anyway for saying it.”

Gun-Ho wanted to meet the president of YS Tech—Young-Sik Park.

“I wouldn’t be able to come this far without him. I’ve forgotten about the person I should feel grateful for a long time.”

However, Gun-Ho didn’t have enough sources to help his current financial situation. He couldn’t just go see him carrying a pack of beef ribs as a present or give him some money to help him out. Any of those wouldn’t help his current situation.

“Let’s see how things go. I can go see him when he really really needs my help.”

The reason why YS Tech was having a financial difficulty was because of Mulpasaneop. Its major client, Mulpasaneop’s financial problems affected YS Tech’s business. The only way for YS Tech to survive, in Gun-Ho’s view, was to diversify its clients. However, it was not easy for a vendor to attract more clients just by providing good quality products.

“It’s all about connection. There is not much difference in the quality of products among vendors. The key is the network.”

The next day, when Gun-Ho came to his office in the morning, he assigned new work to Ji-Young.

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, do you know that you can see a company’s information on the Financial Supervisory Service website? Through their Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System (DART)?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Here are the names of two companies you need to monitor sometimes. Pay attention to their official announcements. You don’t have to look at their old announcements; I need to know their official announcements from now. They are YS Tech and Mulpasaneop.”

“Okay, sir.”

“If you see any changes, let me know. Also, check their credit on a paid-website for more information.”

“Okay.”

While Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper after signing the daily report, Ji-Young came to Gun-Ho.

“I checked the two companies you gave me earlier on DART, but I can only find Mulpasaneop. YS Tech can’t be found on their website.”

“Really? Then just keep an eye on the information of Mulpasaneop.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho talked to himself with his eyes closed.

“YS Tech cannot be found on DART… I guess YS Tech was removed from the company list that is required to post their announcements because its sales revenue reduced significantly.”

Ji-Young printed out the financial statements of Mulpasaneop from the paid-website that provided companies information. Gun-Ho knew how to read and analyze financial statements to see a company’s financial situation. He studied accounting when he worked at a factory, and he worked in accounting afterward in Asan. Moreover, as he ran his own business so far, he had been exposed more to accounting as a business owner. That added more depth to his accounting knowledge and understanding.

“The short-term debt is increasing.”

Gun-Ho paid attention to Mulpasaneop’s debt which kept increasing.

“Their account payable and accrued expenses payable keep increasing. Their current financial status is very dangerous.”

The company seemed to be groaning with pain.

“This company has a lot of investment assets abroad.”

Gun-Ho started analyzing their profit and loss statement.

“Their sales reduced compared to last year, and their net income is negative.”

Gun-Ho could imagine that YS Tech would suffer with Mulpasaneop since it was YS Tech’s major client. Mulpasaneop was not a KOSDAQ registered firm; however, it was a large and stable company. When Gun-Ho worked at YS Tech, the annual gross sales of Mulpasaneop was over 70 billion won.

“At that time, the company wanted to become a KOSDAQ registered firm; I guess it didn’t work out. What went wrong? Their credit score is negative C.”

Gun-Ho decided to wait and see how things went with Mulpasaneop.

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Chapter 111 - Selling the Land (1) – PART 2

Chapter 111: Selling the Land (1) – PART 2

The president of Yangji Construction—Gwang-Ho Yoo—came to Gun-Ho’s office again.

“President Goo, have you thought about it?”

“I don’t think I can build a building now because I don’t have enough money to do it.”

“That’s a shame. What about selling the land to us?”

“Do you mean selling the vacant lot to you?”

“Yes, we will develop the land.”

“How much would you pay for it?”

“How much did you pay for the other 50% of property interest?”

“If I give the price we paid, would you believe it?”

“I understand that you paid a bit more than the price you paid at the auction.”

Gun-Ho liked the conversation he was having with the president of Yangji Construction; it was fun.

“The old man who had 50% of the property interest was very stubborn.”

“I know him very well. He used to sell products that were made in the USA at Namdaemun Market. His son is a well-known theatre actor.”

“You know about them a lot.”

“I know a lot more about them. His son and daughter have a different mother.”

“Really?”

“By the way, I will pay you 6.5 billion won for the land.”

The offer price was about the same as the price Gun-Ho paid for the land. Gun-Ho spent 2.98 billion won at the auction and paid another 3.5 billion won to the old man. So he paid a total of 6.48 billion for the entire land.

Gun-Ho looked at the president of Yangji Construction. His face was shiny.

‘This guy is crafty.’

“Haha. You are asking me to sell the land for a price that is less than what I paid. You are kidding me, right?”

“How much did you pay?”

“I paid a total of 8 billion won.”

“That’s nonsense! I will cut my wrist if you paid more than 7 billion won for that land.”

“It seems like you will lose your wrist.”

“Let’s not continue this silly conversation. I know you have spent your time and energy in acquiring the land. Also, you probably had a hard time persuading that old man. I will give you 7 billion won.”

“I have no intention to sell the land.”

“Did you receive an appraisal on the land?”

“I didn’t have to because I didn’t need it since I don’t need to borrow money using the land as collateral.”

As Gun-Ho said it, the president of Yangji Construction smiled slightly.

The next day, the president of Yangji Construction—Gwang-Ho Yoo—came to Gun-Ho’s office again.

“You are coming to my office very often.”

“I know. I feel like I am working in this office.”

Gwang-Ho Yoo laughed.

“Sell the land to me for 7 billion won.”

“President Yoo, let’s stop this. We are both getting tired. Give it up.”

“You want to become like that old man? Listen to yourself. You are saying that you don’t want to sell the land, and you are not developing the land either.”

Gun-Ho recoiled from the idea of being like the old man. He actually sounded just like him.

‘That’s right. I should either develop the land or sell the land. I shouldn’t just hold on it without doing anything just like what the old man did.’

“President Goo, come with me!”

“Where to?”

“It’s lunchtime. I will buy you lunch.”

“I’m not sure if I can have a meal comfortably with you.”

“Just stay at the main entrance. I will bring my car; it’s parked in the underground parking lot.”

Gun-Ho was waiting for President Gwang-Ho Yoo in front of the main entrance of his office-tel building. After a moment, President Yoo showed up. Surprisingly, President Yoo was sitting in a shiny Mercedes-Benz 600. His chauffeur was driving the car.

“Get in, let’s go to Yeoksam Town. It’s not far from here.”

“Okay.”

“I know a good sushi restaurant. It’s a small restaurant but always crowded with customers. It shouldn’t be busy this hour though.”

Gun-Ho and President Yoo of Yangji Construction went to an alley in Yeoksam Town. The restaurant’s name was Minado.

“Would you like to have liquor?”

“Suit yourself!”

“Chef! We’d like to have sushi for three persons with three glasses of Hiro Sake.”

A grilled fin of blowfish was floating on the hot sake. The chef was preparing sushi for Gun-Ho’s party, and he then looked at Gun-Ho.

“Umm… Are you Mr. Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Huh?”

Gun-Ho looked at the chef closely. It was the restaurant owner with a shaved head in Noryangjin.

“Oh my. How are you?”

Gun-Ho stood up and extended his hand to him for a handshake.

The chef yelled at someone at the counter.

“Uncle! Uncle!”

A man who was sitting at the counter turned around. The man was President Hee-Yeol Byeon who had sold his restaurant in China to Gun-Ho.

“President Gun-Ho Goo from China is here.”

“Oh, President Goo!”

“Oh my gosh, how are you? You opened a restaurant here.”

President Yoo of Yangji Construction was laughing.

“It seems you know each other. I guess I picked the right place. Haha.”

Gun-Ho asked President Hee-Yeol Byeon,

“How’s the business? You seem to be doing fine.”

“Yes, it’s okay. My nephew is a good cook.”

“I heard your nephew studied cooking in Japan.”

“That’s right. What about you, President Goo? Did you sell the restaurant in China?”

“Yes. I’m back in Korea and I’m working in the real estate development field now.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to President Hee-Yeol Byeon.

“Your office is just around here. Come visit us often.”

“Haha. Sure, I will do that.”

President Hee-Yeol Byeon had to go to another table when a group of customers came into the restaurant.

President Gwang-Ho Yoo said while sipping his Hiro Sake.

“So, you used to run a restaurant in China. You made money by selling the restaurant rather than serving the food, didn’t you?”

“I actually made money by investing in real estate there. How did you start your construction company, President Yoo?”

“I used to work in a big construction company. I was a construction field manager, and I once went abroad to oversee the construction field there as well. Then, I inherited my father’s small construction business and made it big.”

“I see.”

After lunch, Gun-Ho and President Yoo walked out of the sushi restaurant; their faces were all red because of the liquor they drank with their lunch. Gun-Ho didn’t forget to tell the chef with a shaved head and President Hee-Yeol Byeon that he would come again.

President Yoo held Gun-Ho’s arm.

“Let’s go to my office and have one more drink.”

“Where is your office?”

“It’s around Yeongdong Traditional Market.”

Gun-Ho wanted to know more about this President Yoo person because he couldn’t trust the man yet. So he was more than willing to see his office.

President Yoo’s office was located on the 6th floor in a seven-floor building. There were more employees than Gun-Ho expected; there were probably about 30 workers there. They were all wearing a white shirt.

The staff stood up and greeted when they saw President Yoo coming into the office. President Yoo took Gun-Ho to his office. There was a desk in front of the office door, and a female staff was sitting there. She stood up and greeted when she saw President Yoo.

“Did anyone call me?”

“President Oh from Southern Tile and President Park from Dongwon Construction called.”

“Really? Please bring us some tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho sat on a large sofa in the president’s office.

“The office is bigger than I expected. Are you getting a lot of work?”

“Not in Seoul though. We have some work in the provincial areas.”

“Comparing to your company, GH Construction is a tiny tiny office.”

“Don’t say that. You are truly a rich person.”

“Nah!”

“I’m serious. You seem to be about ten years younger than me, and you already acquired a 7 billion won land. You are a true businessman in this field where a lot of con-artists are found.”

Gun-Ho knew President Yoo was buttering him up, but he liked it. However, Gun-Ho had to focus on the business here with him.

“I have to tell you again. First, I can’t sell the land for less than 8 billion won. If you insist on a price lower than that, I won’t see you again. Second, the sales price on the sales contract should state 6.5 billion won.”

“You want to make the contract with a price lower than the actual sales price.”

“I want to avoid paying a high tax.”

“A contract with a lower price…”

President Yoo sat on the sofa and thought about it for a while.

Silence filled the air.

President Yoo who was thinking with his eyes closed suddenly shouted loudly.

“Okay! I will take it for 8 billion won!”

Gun-Ho clapped while laughing.

“You are the true businessman, President Yoo. You should be firmly decisive when you see the certainty in either real estate or stock. The construction business is not my area of expertise. You are the expert in that field. If you could get an appraised value of 10 billion won, you can borrow 8 billion won from a bank. I know you are the type of person who could sell with the aerial view of your construction site. I can tell by looking at the photos hanging on the wall.”

Gun-Ho finally sold the land that he had purchased at around 6.5 billion won for 8 billion won. Also, he could avoid paying a capital gains tax by making the sales contract with the same price he paid for rather than the actual price he sold it for.

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Chapter 112 - Selling the Land (2) – PART 1

Chapter 112: Selling the Land (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho received 8 billion won to his bank account. It was from Yangji Construction Company for the land.

Manager Kang let Gun-Ho know that the proceeds of the land sales were received.

“We received the full amount of the sales price of the land.”

“Sir, you made 1.5 billion won from this one-time transaction. It’s about the same amount of a condo in Gangnam.”

“Is it?”

“You are awesome, sir.”

“Even though I made 1.5 billion won, the sales contract says I sold the land for about the same price that I paid when I had purchased it. So, I won’t have to pay the capital gains tax for this transaction. I will put all of 1.5 billion won to GH Development.”

“To our company?”

Manager Kang seemed to be surprised.

Gun-Ho called for Ji-Young.

“Ms. Ji-Young, once you verify the 1.5 billion won is deposited in the business account, just record it as a fund that came from the company president.”

“Okay, sir.”

“We will use this money as our investment in the joint venture.”

Manager Kang said while nodding his head.

“I see. Because we need to invest 1.5 billion won in the joint venture.”

“Right. And I will send Min-Hyeok who used to work as a residential manager in our Bangbae OneRoomTel to China to oversee the joint venture business.”

“I thought you would do so. Does that mean Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim no longer prepares for the government job exam?”

“Yes, he gave up. He said he didn’t want it anymore and that he didn’t have the aptitude for it.”

“That’s a shame. I’m sure he studied a lot for it.”

Gun-Ho called for Ji-Young again.

“Starting from this month, send 1.5 million won to Min-Hyeok Kim’s bank account as his monthly salary.”

“Is he our employee then? Is he okay with 1.5 million won salary?”

“That’s okay. Once he starts his work in the joint venture in China, he will receive an additional salary from the joint venture.”

“So, he is getting his salary from two companies.”

“That’s right. However, the salary he would receive from the joint venture in China would be a lot lower. We have to pay the workers in the joint venture about the same salary that Chinese people get paid in China. So, I wanted to pay an additional salary to Min-Hyeok from our company.”

“I see. I will do the necessary paperwork for a new employee right away.”

“Please file the Four Major Public Insurance for him as well.”

“Okay.”

“Also, he will begin his class in a private institution to learn the Chinese language before leaving for China. When he brings the receipt for his course fee, please list it as our company expense.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho then talked to Manager Kang.

“How much is our sales revenue this month?”

Manager Kang opened his file while scratching his head; he might not remember the exact amount.

“It’s 72,500,000 won.”

“Hmm, our company is still a small firm; its annual sales are not even 1 billion won.”

“That’s not true, sir. There are a lot of companies with a large amount of annual sales, but also with a large amount of debt and business expenses. The tax accountant office we work with, also said our company was exceptional. You heard that too, right, Ms. Ji-Young Jeong?”

“Yes, I heard that too.”

“Haha. Is it right? Anyway, our sales revenue has increased because of your hard work. Let’s have lunch together. Since I made some money by selling a vacant lot in Gangdong District, let’s go somewhere far from here for lunch today.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young looked at each other while smiling.

“Umm, sir.”

Manager Kang seemed to have something to tell to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho looked at Manager Kang.

“We still have one more hour before lunchtime.”

“Then let’s work one more hour before lunch.”

“I mean… Since Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim is now our employee, why don’t we ask him to join us for lunch today?”

“Min-Hyeok? Maybe he is in a class already. Why don’t you call him?”

“Okay.”

Manager Kang made a call to Min-Hyeok.

“Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim? It’s me, Manager Kang.”

“Oh, Manager Kang. I am in the middle of class. I will give you a call back right away.”

“He said he is in a class right now.”

After ten minutes, Min-Hyeok called.

“It’s me, Manager Kang. I’m sorry I couldn’t take your call right away. I was in the middle of class. Now, I’m off the class.”

“That’s okay. We are having lunch together. Why don’t you come to the office and join us?”

“Okay. I’m on my way. I think it will take about ten minutes from here to the office.”

“Okay. Hurry up.”

Four people got into Gun-Ho’s Land Rover and headed to Cheonggye Mountain after passing the Yangjae four-way intersection. Gun-Ho’s party arrived at Yetgol Village. Ji-Young seemed to love the place.

“Wow. This place looks like the countryside. Whoa, look at that pumpkin over there!”

Gun-Ho took his employees to a restaurant called ‘YetgolToseong.’ The restaurant specialized in a grilled pork dish. This restaurant became more famous a few years later after the actor— Il-Gook Song had a meal there with his triplets.

Ji-Young screamed again.

“Whoa, this restaurant looks like a traditional Korean house. The food here will be very delicious!”

The restaurant was large, and thankfully it was not crowded since it was a weekday.

“Since we have to get back to work after lunch, let’s just have one glass of Makgeolli*.

“I guess Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim can drink more.”

Everyone laughed at what Manager Kang said.

“Okay, then let’s have one glass of Makgeolli and Min-Hyeok will finish the remaining Makgeolli.”

They laughed again when Gun-Ho said it.

“We welcome you, Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim. Let’s drink for our company.”

“Cheers! For the prosperity of GH Development!”

“For the prosperity of GH Development!”

They enjoyed the pork dish with the scenic view of Cheonggye Mountain.

Manager Kang teased Min-Hyeok.

“Mr. Min-Hyeo Kim, once you go to China, you can have liquor as much as you want, right?”

“I will have to abstain from alcohol. I’m sorry, Manager Kang. I know you have been worried about me because of my drinking habit.”

“Oh, no. Don’t say that.”

“I’m sorry, Manager Kang. Let me pour Makgeolli in your glass.”

Manager Kang took the glass that Min-Hyeok handed to him while smiling.

“Don’t give me too much liquor. I will have to work after lunch. By the way, if I go on a trip to China, I guess I will have Chinese liquor because of you, Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim.”

Ji-Young chipped in.

“I want to go to China too.”

Gun-Ho smiled and said,

“Haven’t you been in China, Ms. Ji-Young Jeong?”

“I went to Osaka, Japan once with my friends, but I’ve never been to China.”

“If things go well with the joint venture, we will all have a chance to go to China at least once. Since GH Development invested in the joint venture, we will have to make consolidated financial statements as well.”

“Consolidated financial statements?”

“You don’t have to worry about it. The tax accountant office we work with will guide us on how to do it. By the way, why don’t you drink your glass of liquor, Ms. Ji-Young Jeong? Your glass of liquor has been sitting there for a while now.”

As Gun-Ho said it, Ji-Young sipped her glass of liquor.

“I blush even with a sip of liquor.”

Manager Kang teased her.

“You will look prettier with a blush.”

They all laughed along.

Note*

Makgeolli – Korean rice wine.

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Chapter 113 - Selling the Land (2) – PART 2

Chapter 113: Selling the Land (2) – PART 2

“I have something to tell you since we are all here together.”

Everyone looked at Gun-Ho.

“Once we made an actual contract for the joint venture next month, we will have a presentation in Seoul to attract Korean companies into the industrial park.”

“Where will it be held?”

“We haven’t decided the exact location yet; however, I am thinking of the Koreana Hotel since its location is easy to access.”

“Koreana Hotel? The one close to Gwanghwamun Gate?”

“Yes. When Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim and I go to China next month we will discuss more details with our co-venturers. Once we decide the location, I will let you know. Then you will have to make a reservation right away. Manager Kang, I want you to make a reservation for the hotel.”

“Okay.”

“There is a large hall called Gloria Hall in Koreana Hotel. I was told it could hold about 200 people. I want you to make a reservation of that hall.”

“Okay, sir.”

“Also, check the price of advertisement of the size of about 17 centimeters by 37 centimeters. I am considering newspapers of Economics and Jojoongdong for the ad.”

Gun-Ho continued to talk about the roles that everyone needed to take for a successful presentation.

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, please prepare drinks and take care of the reception.”

“Should I prepare for 200 people?”

“We might not have 200 people that day; however, we should prepare for 200 people. Let’s have green tea and coffee. We will also have to distribute pamphlets that will be prepared by China. We will prepare a guest book as well.”

“Okay.”

“And, Min-Hyeok, make 200 copies of the pamphlet. We will need to translate the pamphlet into the Korean language. I know someone who can do the translation; he is a Chinese language instructor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. I will ask him. We will also have an individual interview with the participants after the presentation. I will take Group A, and you take Group B. You will have to study and memorize about the industrial park when we visit China next month.”

“Okay. I will visit the site in China again and will memorize the contents of the pamphlet.”

“Also, make the presentation material with PowerPoint and if you incur any cost by doing so, just let Ms. Ji-Young Jeong know.”

“Okay.”

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, for all the expenses incurred in preparing the presentation, we will send a bill to the joint venture, so make sure not to mix with the receipts of GH Development.”

“Okay, sir.”

“I am sorry if I talked too much about work. We are here to enjoy our lunch, don’t we?”

“That’s okay, sir. We really liked the lunch. Thank you.”

Manager Kang said. Min-Hyeok also added to it; his face was already red because of the liquor he drank.

“I’ve been stressed about what I would have to do in preparation for the presentation. But since you clearly assign the work to each of us, I feel relieved. I think I can handle my part.”

While Gun-Ho was paying for lunch at the counter, Manager Kang, Ji-Young, and Min-Hyeok were making a joke to each other and laughing together. His employees looked happy.

After dropping them off at the office, Gun-Ho wanted to take a rest. He felt sleepy, probably because of the glass of liquor he had during the lunch.

“Let’s go somewhere to take a rest. I don’t want my employees to see me take a nap in the office. It would look ugly and not appropriate.”

Gun-Ho headed to Novotel Ambassador Hotel which was close to his office. He sat at a café in the lobby and fell asleep. He had a dream.

In his dream, he was still working at the plastic factory in Hwaseong City as an injection molding worker. It was the time when he first started working at the factory. The factory manager was yelling at the production team leader.

“This product, R-1640. Who did this? The new worker, Gun-Ho Goo did this? What did you do when he was making a mess like this?”

The factory manager kicked the team leader’s shin.

“I’m… I’m sorry, sir.”

“Your saying sorry doesn’t help the situation at all! What are you going to do with all these 6,000 products?”

“What’s wrong with Gun-Ho Goo? He is a college graduate, right? Then how come he can’t do a better job than the other workers who didn’t even finish high school? It has been a year already since he joined our factory!”

“I’m so sorry, sir. I will let him go.”

“We will have to take all our products back. You go to the client site and take care of it! And take Gun-Ho Goo with you!”

“I will do that, sir.”

Gun-Ho got slapped in the face by the team leader.

“You stupid a*shole! I can do better work than you even when I am drunk. Get in the truck! We will have to go to the client site to take our products back!”

The truck was heading to somewhere else instead of their client site.

“Shouldn’t we go to Wonil Tech in Bongdam Town?”

“You, idiot f*cker! We take parts from Wonil Tech to assemble and send the product to JoyangMobis. You don’t f*cking know that yet?”

“I… I see.”

“JoyangMobis claimed for defective products to Wonil Tech, so Wonil Tech asked us to take them back! You stupid f*cking as*hole!”

JoyangMobis was located in Namyang Town, Hwaseong City. It was a huge company with all sorts of modern technology. At the entrance, a guard asked them to write down their name and address on the visitor book and to hand a photo ID to him before they could get in.

“Whoa, it is huge.”

“You, f*cker, you are not here to have a tour! Put the visitor’s pass on your chest and follow me!”

The production team leader took Gun-Ho to a storage. The sign on the storage was written in English.

Inside the storage, there was a pile of products with company names that delivered the products to them. At the storage entrance, a staff in a uniform let people in, only those who had an authorized ticket to take products back.

“We are from Hwaseong Industry. We came to pick up R-1640 that was returned to Wonil Tech.”

The production team leader told the staff at the entrance in a servile attitude with a smile.

“What about Wonil Tech? Are they not coming?”

“They will. We are their subcontractor and we came to pick up their products for them. Here is the ticket.”

A forklift truck started loading the 2.5-ton truck that the team leader drove, with the products that were returned.

Gun-Ho looked around the factory. It was so big that it looked several times larger than a playground in high school. There were a lot of workers as well.

“Sir, they probably have more than 1,000 workers here, right?”

“Why do you want to know about it? You, son of b*tch. They said they have over 3,000 workers.”

“Wow. I wonder what kind of person owns this large factory.”

“There is a rumor that the president here is a relative of H-Group’s daughter-in-law. You f*cker.”

Gun-Ho felt said and thought,

‘A person can’t succeed in Korea without the right family, academic education and network. Then what should a person like me do? I want to work at a company like this. That is probably impossible in this life, huh?’

“Whew.”

“You son of b*tch, don’t just stay there and sigh. Get ready to go back to our factory!”

“I’m sorry, sir. You had to come here because of me…”

“You know that huh? You can just get fired and find another factory to work at. But what am I going to do?”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Do you see all the products that were returned there? It’s a waste, don’t you think?”

“Can’t we recycle it?”

“Recycle my as*. You son of b*tch! Not everything can be recycled. Those products cannot be recycled, you stupid f*cker!”

“All of them?”

“Disposing of those products cost money too, and those are industrial garbage. You help create more industrial garbage, you human trash!”

Gun-Ho eventually got fired. The work experience at the factory left him a missing nail and burn scars on his left arm. He had to go through this harsh life just because he couldn’t pass the level-9 government job exam.

In the dream, Gun-Ho was in someplace else. He was in a farmland somewhere in Hwaseong. He was sitting on the farmland while crying. Someone was walking toward him. It was Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town.

“Chairman Lee.”

“Oh, Gun-Ho Goo. Why are you crying here? I heard you built a huge factory on a 10,000 pyung land this time, and your factory is bigger than JoyangMobis. Congratulations.”

Chairman Lee was extending his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake when Gun-Ho woke up from his dream.

That was the dream Gun-Ho had while he was dozing off at the café in Novotel Ambassador Hotel. Gun-Ho drank his coffee that was placed on the table. The coffee became already cold.

Gun-Ho bit his lips.

“That’s right. My goal is not just to invest in some real estate or stocks. I want to have an enormous factory with several thousands of employees.”

Gun-Ho gulped down the cold coffee as if it was cold water.

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Chapter 114 - Presentation to Attract Companies into the Industrial Park – PART 1

Chapter 114: Presentation to Attract Companies into the Industrial Park – PART 1

After taking a short nap at the café, Gun-Ho felt much better and he seemed to recover from fatigue. He was about to leave the café when his phone started ringing.

“It’s Attorney Young-Jin Kim. Is he calling to ask me to play golf again?”

“It’s me, Young-Jin Kim.”

“Hey, how are you?”

“When are you going to China to sign the contract for the joint venture?”

“I’m leaving after a month.”

“When you get there, say hello to Professor Wang and Seukang Li for me. And I’m actually calling to ask you if you know any good traditional Korean restaurant. I thought you probably know good ones since you should have a lot of chances to go to those places for your business.”

“There are a lot in Insa Town, aren’t there?”

“The restaurants in Insa Town are good places to eat, not for drinking though. A friend of mine came from the U.S. and I want to treat him in a special place.”

“He must be an important client for you.”

“Yeah, kind of. He is my client and also a friend. Jien Wang knows him too. He went to Yale University with us as well.”

“What is he doing for a living?”

“He is working at Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Lymondell Dyeon? It’s a very famous chemical company, isn’t it?”

“Oh, you know of that company. Not many people know about the company unless they work in that field. How do you know about the company?”

“I used to work at a plastic factory, remember? We used their products.”

“Really? That’s good. Why don’t you join us, Gun-Ho? He is a friend of Jien Wang; we are then all friends, right? He is the same age as us.”

“Well, I don’t speak English. I don’t want to make the meeting uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine. I will be there interpreting for you.”

“But still… You will be uncomfortable too if I join you there.”

“I insist. Join us and tell me a good place to go with him.”

“I know one place.”

“Where? Reserve the restaurant for tonight then. I will treat you; I mean our law firm will treat us.”

“Really? I guess I will have fun tonight.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Ms. Jang at Hannam Town.

“President Goo? How have you been?”

“I’d like to make a reservation for three people for dinner tonight.”

“What time are you coming?”

“Umm, let’s make it around 7 pm.”

“Is your party all young people like you, President Goo?”

“That’s right. One of them is American.”

“Oh, then I will prepare our young ladies who can speak English.”

“You have ladies who can speak English?”

“Hahaha. Of course. We can cover Japanese and English.”

“Wow. Your restaurant is an international business.”

“Hahaha. President Goo, you do international business as well. I heard you will participate in a joint venture.”

“My business is with China.”

“China is doing very well these days. One of our clients who is a government official brought a Chinese person last week. Our client said he is a very important person.”

“Who was it?”

“We are a secret bar, President Goo. We don’t share any information about our guests. Hahaha.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“Let’s meet up at the main entrance of Soonchunhyang Hospital in Hannam Town. I will send someone there by 7 pm to pick you up.”

“You don’t have to send anyone. I can find the restaurant if you send me the address.”

“The restaurant has no business sign; you wouldn’t be able to find it even with their address.”

“A restaurant without a business sign? How do they bring their customers then?”

“Right. There is a weird restaurant like that. You will see once you come.”

“Okay. Let’s go there then. Hannam Town is good. Easy to access from my home at Daechi Town and the hotel where my American friend is staying.”

Gun-Ho had a haircut and he was getting ready for dinner in Hannam Town. He wore a suit with a dazzlingly white shirt and a tie. He even applied perfume lightly that he purchased at a duty-free shop on the way home from China. Gun-Ho drove his Land Rover heading to Hannam Town while humming.

Gun-Ho arrived at the secret restaurant and bar, ‘Pine.’

“Pine, it has been a while.”

There were two bouncers standing at the entrance; they looked like in their late 20s or early 30s. They were wearing a black suit and stood there with good posture. They respectively asked Gun-Ho.

“Did you make a reservation with us, sir?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Are you by any chance President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“That’s me.”

“I will show you the way. Please follow me.”

When Gun-Ho entered through the door, Ms. Jang who was wearing a beautiful Korean traditional dress ran to Gun-Ho.

“President Goo! Welcome to Pine. You always look like a groom whenever I see you. Hahaha.”

Ms. Jang led Gun-Ho to a room that was decorated with a folding screen bearing folk painting. There was a floor table covered with white paper and six-floor cushions embroidered with a crane, placed on the floor.

Ms. Jang took Gun-Ho’s jacket and hung it on a hanger.

“You look different, President Goo. Last time I saw you, you looked like someone who just came to the city from the countryside. Now, you look like a sophisticated businessman. Hahaha.”

“Really? Haha. People change with time, I guess.”

“Where are you supposed to meet with your party?”

“Could you send one of you waiters to the main entrance of Soonchunhyang Hospital? They would be easy to be found; one is Korean and the other is American.”

“Sure, I will send someone there.”

“The Korean man’s name is Young-Jin Kim. He is an attorney at Kim&Jeong.”

“Oh, Kim&Jeong? Several senior attorneys from there come to our bar often.”

“And you can’t tell me their names.”

“Now you know.”

Ms. Mi-Hyang Jang pinched Gun-Ho’s arm lightly. Gun-Ho could smell her perfume.

When Gun-Ho was having warm tea, he heard people talking outside.

“I guess they arrived.”

The room door was opened; Young-Jin Kim and his American friend entered the room. Gun-Ho stood up to greet them.

“Hey, Gun-Ho. Good to see you, man. I never expected to see a place like this inside Seoul City. My American friend couldn’t stop saying ‘wonderful.'”

“Really? I was hoping you liked the place.”

“This is Richard Amiel from Lymondell Dyeon.”

Gun-Ho and Amiel greeted each other and exchanged their business cards. Gun-Ho always carried two versions of his business cards. One was written in Korean and Chinese, and the other one was written in Korean and English.

“A real estate development company?”

Amiel stared at Gun-Ho’s business card for a while.

“Let’s have a seat.”

Gun-Ho showed the floor cushion to sit.

“I’m not sure if your American friend could sit on the floor.”

“He is fine. He is living in Tokyo right now. He doesn’t have any problem with sitting on the floor.”

Amiel looked around the room.

“This place is wonderful!”

Amiel showed his interest—particularly in the folk painting on the folding screen.

“Attorney Kim, can you tell him that the folding screen he is staring at right now is antique, about 500 years old, and the price is 1 billion won.”

Attorney Kim interpreted what Gun-Ho said to Amiel while laughing.

“What?”

Amiel’s eyes widened in surprise.

Gun-Ho and Young-Jin laughed loud by looking at Amiel’s facial expression.

Ms. Jang entered the room.

“Are you having fun here? What’s so funny?”

“Oh, this is Mi-Hyang Jang. She is a famous actress in the old days.”

“Oh, really? I’m Young-Jin Kim.”

“This guy is an attorney at Kim&Jeong.”

“We have several clients from Kim&Jeong, senior attorneys. But don’t ask me who, because I can’t tell. Hahaha.”

“Oh, really? I love the atmosphere of this place. My friend here from the U.S. loves the place as well.”

While they were talking, the waiters brought a big floor table that was already set with all sorts of Korean food and liquor. Amiel looked at the food on the table with a curious look on his face. He started trying and tasting each dish.

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Chapter 115 - Presentation to Attract Companies into the Industrial Park – PART 2

Chapter 115: Presentation to Attract Companies into the Industrial Park – PART 2

Gun-Ho, Attorney Kim, and Amiel started drinking at the restaurant & bar—Pine in Hannam Town. Their room door was opened and three beautiful young ladies in their 20s entered the room. They were wearing a traditional Korean dress.

“Oh, wonderful!”

“This guy looks so happy to see the young ladies.”

“Who wouldn’t?”

Another young lady entered the room. She was carrying a Geomungo*. She was the same girl who had joined Gun-Ho’s party when he had come to the bar with Chairman Lee. She seemed to recognize Gun-Ho as well; she nodded her head to Gun-Ho.

Richard Amiel from Lymondell Dyeon craned his neck to get a better view of the girl with a musical instrument.

She started playing music; it was beautiful.

Gun-Ho couldn’t tell which music she was playing, but it was touching his heart. It sounded sad and also fantastical.

Amiel was listening to the music with his eyes closed. Knowing Amiel couldn’t see what Gun-Ho was doing, Gun-Ho looked at Amiel’s business card again closely.

His business card said that he was the president of the exclusive distributor in Japan for Lymondell Dyeon and the president of a subsidiary company in Asia. The other side of the business card was written in Japanese.

“So, their products in Korea were from Japan?”

Gun-Ho was thinking about it when Attorney Kim tapped his arm.

“Why aren’t you drinking, President Goo? These pretty ladies poured liquor in your glass already.”

“Sure. I’ll drink.”

When the lady finished playing the Geomungo, Amiel clapped loudly and shouted ‘wonderful.’

The lady sitting next to Amiel told him to drink one more glass of liquor in English. Amiel seemed to be satisfied with the fact that he could communicate with the lady in English. He started talking with the lady.

Amiel also talked with the ladies who were sitting next to Gun-Ho and who was sitting next to Attorney Kim. They all could speak English, and they all talked in English except Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho couldn’t say anything in English, so he just sat there and kept drinking.

“I’m the only one here who can’t speak English. It’s embarrassing.”

“Oh, you look upset, sir. You just keep drinking without saying anything.”

The lady sitting next to Gun-Ho put a crab meat into Gun-Ho’s mouth.

Gun-Ho asked Attorney Kim to drink one more glass of liquor.

“Hey, Attorney Kim. Tell your friend that I used to work in a plastic factory and the factory used the products made by Lymondell Dyeon.”

Attorney Kim told Amiel that Gun-Ho used to work in a big company where they used the Lymondell Dyeon products and he was now about to start a joint venture with the Chinese provincial government. He added that Gun-Ho and the Chinese government already signed the letter of intent. Attorney Kim seemed to exaggerate a bit, Gun-Ho thought.

“Oh, really?”

Amiel’s eyes widened and he took out Gun-Ho’s business card from his pocket and looked at it again.

“It’s a real estate development company.”

“Yeah. This company is known to be a company without debt.”

“Really?”

Amiel looked at Gun-Ho with his arms crossed.

Attorney Kim tried to add fun to the conversation.

“Hey, President Goo. Tell Amiel that you want to operate an exclusive distribution agency of Lymondell Dyeon for the Korean Market.”

Attorney Kim didn’t wait for Gun-Ho’s response and asked Amiel right away.

Amiel seemed to think about it.

Gun-Ho said while giving a glass of liquor to Attorney Kim.

“That’s not my intention.”

“Then what? This could be your opportunity. Lymondell Dyeon doesn’t give the exclusive distribution right to just anyone.”

“There should be a company that imports Lymondell Dyeon products from the distribution agency in Japan. That’s not what I want.”

“What do you want then?”

“I want to produce their products in Korea.”

“What? You want to manufacture their products here?”

“I understand that they won’t share critical technology with us, but I guess I can still operate a chemical plant that produces chemical compounds.”

When Attorney Kim tried to interpret what Gun-Ho said to Amiel, Gun-Ho stopped him.

“Don’t. If they want to open a plant in Korea, they would select the one that already has experience and ability to do it.”

“What do you mean by ability?”

“A company that already has a factory to produce chemical compounds, for example.”

“I see.”

While Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim talked to each other, fortunately, Amiel was also busy in talking with the lady sitting next to him.

“Could you elaborate on the production of chemical compounds?”

“I meant that we could bring basic materials from Lymondell Dyeon and process them. For example, we add plasticizer, filler, or pigments to the materials and produce the final products.”

“In order to do that, you will need the right equipment and plant, I see.”

“Right.”

“Hmm.”

“However, if you open a factory like that in Korea, you won’t succeed.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the Korean market is too small. You have to target China and Asia market to succeed.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho went on while pouring liquor in Attorney Kim’s glass.

“Do you know what I really want to do? I used to work in a factory. I was a factory worker in a small factory.”

“Hmm.”

“The reason why I run a real estate development company, invest in the stock market, and participate in a joint venture with China to build an industrial park is because I want to open a huge international manufacturing company in the future.”

“Hmm.”

“I will acquire a manufacturing company someday. When I do that, please set up a meeting again with Amiel for me.”

“If you open a sizable manufacturing company, you will have several thousands of employees. Wouldn’t it hard to manage them?”

“I don’t want to manage the company or employees. I will hire a CEO to do the job and I want to sit back and control the company behind the scene.”

“Hmm.”

“I believe a chemical plant has to be operated by someone who studied chemicals, and a construction company needs to be run by someone who studied civil engineering or architecture. That is a necessary setting in order to maintain a good quality of products or services. I just want to let them do their job and sit back while watching them working and encourage them. I don’t mean to be a big player in a private loan market or anything like that. I want to be a big player who controls big companies behind the scene.”

“Just like Howard Hughes—the reclusive billionaire?”

“Well, I’m not sure if I can be as successful as he was.”

“I do admire you, Gun-Ho and I respect you. I’m sure you will be the number one big player in Gangnam someday. Let’s drink to it.”

The night grew late at the secret bar.

The bar was filled with the melody of Gayageum and the sound of people’s laughing. They all had a good time.

It was time to call it a night. Amiel held Gun-Ho’s hand and said,

“Can you meet me sometimes? I want to get to know you and be friends with you. It seems that we can be good friends. You seem to know a lot about the chemical field in addition to the real estate.”

“Sure. Let’s be friends.”

“Come visit me in Tokyo. There are secret bars like this in Tokyo as well. They do play music and dance.”

Attorney Kim clapped and said,

“That sounds great. You two seem to get along fine.”

The three men walked out of the bar while staggering. I guess I will have to call for a designated paid driver again.

Gun-Ho went to work the next morning. His head hurt.

It seemed that he drank too much last night.

Gun-Ho walked out of his office after reviewing and signing the daily report. After he ate a blowfish hangover soup, he went to a sauna. While sitting in a sauna, he thought of a lot of things.

“I currently have 10 billion won worth of Kumho Chemical stock. Should I buy more?”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes while enjoying the relaxing feeling in the sauna.

“After I set aside 1.5 billion won for the joint venture from the amount of 8 billion won of the sales proceeds of the land in Gangdong District, I have 6.5 billion won in my bank account. Should I invest all of them in the Kumho Chemical stock?”

Gun-Ho splashed warm water on his body.

“When there was a sign that the two owner brothers of Kumho Asiana Group were about to fight each other over the company, many people speculated that the company’s stock price would go up. Little people in the stock market started purchasing their stock accordingly, just like honey bees that are gathered around flowers. However, after two months when they realized the stock’s price didn’t go up much, many little people sold their stock.”

Gun-Ho made his decision.

“I have 6.5 billion won in my bank account. I will use 5 billion out of it and invest all in the Kumho chemical.”

When Gun-Ho came back to his office, he purchased more stock of Kumho chemical with his 5 billion won.

“Okay, I have now 15 billion won worth of the Kumho Chemical stock. Maybe I can become the major shareholder of Kumho Chemical.”

Gun-Ho decided to give enough time to the stock and enjoy running his business while waiting for the stock price to increase.

“Two brothers will not easily reconcile.”

Gun-Ho smiled.

Note*

Geomungo – A traditional musical instrument of Korea

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Chapter 116 - Joint Venture (1) – PART 1

Chapter 116: Joint Venture (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho received a call from Jien Wang.

“Gun-Ho, can you come to China on the 15th of this month for the joint venture contract? I just talked with Seukang Li. I don’t have a lecture on the 15th so I can come as well.”

“15th? Give me one second; let me check my schedule.”

Gun-Ho had no schedule that day.

“Okay. Let’s do that on the 15th of this month. I will come to Shanghai directly this time without stopping by Hangzhou City and come to Kunshan City.”

“Jinxi Construction Company will send a car to Shanghai Airport to pick you up.”

“That sounds good.”

“Okay, see you then.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok.

“Min-Hyeok, we are going to China on the 15th of this month. We will sign the joint venture contract then.”

“That early? I had only two months to learn Chinese.”

“You can continue learning it once you get to China.”

“I think I prepared everything I had to. Let me know if there is anything else I need to prepare or take with me.”

“You can find all you need in China. They even sell Korean red chili paste. Well, if you want, bring an electric blanket and dry seaweed.”

“Dry seaweed?”

“Yeah, if you miss Korean food, that will help.”

“Haha. Got it.”

Once he got off the phone with Min-Hyeok, Gun-Ho got concerned about Min-Hyeok’s Chinese fluency.

“Should I find an interpreter in Shanghai? I guess it will be hard to find an interpreter in Kunshan City. Maybe I can find one in Suzhou City that is close to Kunshan City.”

Gun-Ho leaned back in his seat while thinking about finding an interpreter when an idea flashed through his mind.

“Why didn’t I come up with the thought earlier?”

Gun-Ho thought about Mae-Hyang Kim, the Korean Chinese who he had worked with when he was running his restaurant in China. He opened his old notebook to find her phone number. He made an international call to the number he found.

“Who is calling?”

“I’m President Goo. The restaurant owner of the hotel in Hangzhou.”

“Oh, my goodness! President Goo? How have you been?”

“I’m doing well. What are you doing these days, Ms. Mae-Hyang Kim?”

“I’m in Qingdao. Do you remember that I went back to my hometown? Things didn’t work out there. So now I’m in Quindao working at a Korean food company.”

“Really?”

“Is something going on, sir?”

“I’m calling because a friend of mine needs an interpreter. He is working in Kunshan City close to Suzhou City. I guess you are not available for the job since you are already working at a company.”

“Hahaha, right, I don’t think I can help you with it.”

“What about Eun-Hwa Jo? Where is she currently working?”

“She is in Jiaxing City next to Shanghai. I haven’t talked to her for a while. Why don’t you call her?”

“Okay. I will call her.”

Gun-Ho got off the phone with Mae-Hyang and thought that something was not right between the two ladies.

“Hmmm. I guess they fought each other or something. Otherwise, why would she ask me to call Eun-Hwa Jo directly?”

Gun-Ho made a call to Eun-Hwa. The phone kept ringing for a while before someone picked it up.

“Hello? May I talk to Eun-Hwa Jo?”

“Who is it?”

“I’m President Goo.”

“Huh? Who is President Goo?”

“Remember the restaurant in a hotel in Hangzhou City?”

“Are you President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Oh, my gosh. It’s President Goo. It’s really good to hear from you, sir.”

“Are you in Jiaxing City now?”

“Yes, I am. How did you know?”

“I just talked with Ms. Mae-Hyang Kim.”

“Oh, well, I don’t talk to her anymore.”

“What happened? You two were very close friends.”

“Well, there was a man whom Mae-Hyang really liked, but that man liked me. That’s what happened.”

Gun-Ho now understood why these two didn’t talk to each other any longer.

“Haha, really?”

“I am in Jiaxing City right now, but I’m thinking of moving to either Shanghai or Ningbo City.”

“Why?”

“The Korean company I am working for right now in Jiaxing went broke. The president ran away to Korea and it seems that he’s not coming back.”

“Geez.”

“A company in Ningbo City offered me a position with a monthly salary of 2,000 Yuan; I think I will take that job.”

“Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo, I’m actually calling you because of my friend. He is starting a joint venture with China in Kunshan City, and he is looking for an interpreter.”

“How much will he pay for an interpreter?”

“I’m not sure, but I guess he will pay at least 2,000 Yuan.”

“What about a place to stay?”

“You mean rent? I believe they provide the rent in a current market price in that city.”

“If he can give me 500 Yuan for the rent, I will take the job. I think he will have a hard time finding an interpreter in Kunshan City because it’s not a big city.”

“I’m coming to Kunshan City on the 15th. Why don’t you come then? I will be staying in the Crown Plaza Hotel.”

“Give me your phone number, sir.”

“You can use my old number. I’m still using the same number.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“Can we talk? Is it a good time?”

“It’s good. What’s up?”

“When starting a joint venture, how much should I pay to the person or the business entity who introduced me to the co-venturer?”

“You mean the broker commission? Well, it depends on the contract you made with them.”

“What if there was no such contract?”

“Well, maybe about 1% of the investment funds? I can find out the exact number if you want.”

“That’s not necessary. That’s good enough. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho wanted to give the commission fee to Jien Wang who had been helping Gun-Ho until now to make the joint venture work out. He just wanted to know the usual practice in the field in order to properly pay him.

“The total investment fund is 3,000,000 dollars. 1% of it would be 30,000 dollars, and it is a bit more than 30 million won. I think I can handle the amount.”

Gun-Ho didn’t know that both parties of the joint venture could split up in paying the 30,000 dollars.

“Wait a minute. 1% of the investment amount is not a small amount. In my case, it is just 3 million dollars joint venture, but if the joint venture was a 100 million or even a 1 billion won project, 1% of it would either be 1,000,000 or 10,000,000 dollars.”

Gun-Ho thought he would have to be careful when he would do another joint venture in the future because he had to think of the commission fee he had to pay in addition to his investment fund.

On the 15th, Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok went to China.

At the lobby in Crown Plaza Hotel in Kunshan City, Eun-Hwa was waiting for Gun-Ho.

“Oh, Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo! You seemed to lose weight a bit. You look great. This is Min-Hyeok Kim. He will work as the president of the joint venture.”

“I’m Eun-Hwa Jo. I look forward to working with you, sir.”

“I’m the one who looks forward to working with you. It’s really nice to meet you.”

Gun-Ho handed a pamphlet of the joint venture to Eun-Hwa. It had a brief description of the joint venture business. Eun-Hwa seemed to be satisfied since the company she would be working for was a joint venture with the government rather than a small and financially unstable company. Eun-Hwa extended her hand to Min-Hyeok for a handshake.

“I will call you Jin-jjong (President Kim) from now on.”

“Jin-jjong?”

Gun-Ho laughed because it reminded him of those days when she called him G-jjong.

“Jin-jjong sounds better. She used to call me G-jjong before.”

Min-Hyeok laughed along.

“There will be a contract signing in the afternoon. Deputy Mayor Seukang Li, the construction director of Kunshan City, the president, and the planning director of Jinxi Construction Company and some other people will be attending the contract signing. Oh, Jien Wang—the professor at Zhejiang University—will be here too.”

“Okay, sir.”

Eun-Hwa responded with her shiny eyes.

“I will introduce them to you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Where are you staying right now?”

“I’m in a Chodaeso*. The daily rent there is 20 Yuan.”

“Jin-jjong, why don’t you pay for her rent until she finds her own place?”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Eun-Hwa smiled broadly.

People started coming into the hotel in the afternoon. Seukang Li, Jien Wang, and people from Jinxi Construction Company arrived. They greeted Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok with a smile.

“Ni Hao!”

“Ni Hao!”

They were effusive in greeting each other by loudly saying ‘Ni Hao’ to every single person. Seukang Li and Jien Wang knew that Eun-Hwa was the interpreter right away when they saw her.

“You already found an interpreter. She seems to be good at interpreting. Where did you go to school?”

“I graduated from Jilin University and I studied Language.”

“That’s good. You have a decent north accent.”

Seukang Li and Jien Wang liked her. People from Jinxi Construction Company exchanged a handshake with Eun-Hwa as well. Eun-Hwa especially quickly got close with Dingpun from Jinxi Construction Company, maybe because Dingpun was a female worker like herself.

Note*

Chodaeso – Similar to a motel in Korea

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Chapter 117 - Joint Venture (1) – PART 2

Chapter 117: Joint Venture (1) – PART 2

People entered the event hall for the contract signing of the joint venture.

There were journalists present as well.

The event hall looked just like the one when they had signed the letter of intent. They added a big flower basket on the table this time.

The president of Jinxi Construction Company signed on the contract and the journalists started taking pictures of the moment. Everything looked about the same at the time when they signed the letter of intent except there was one more person standing behind Gun-Ho—the interpreter, Eun-Hwa Jo, and she would appear on the picture this time.

Gun-Ho hadn’t transferred all of his investment money of 1,500,000 dollars to the joint venture yet. He sent 150,000 dollars for now as a start. The money was sent through Kukmin Bank in the Shanghai location to Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Kunshan City.

“The business will start with this money.”

The vice president of the joint venture—Kkangsin Kkao who used to be the planning director of Jinxi Construction Company was called Kkao-jjong—President Goh—by Chinese people.

Kkao-jjong was looking for Min-Hyeok.

“Jin-jjong—President Kim—! We received funds from Korea. 30 workers from Jinxi Construction Company will join the joint venture. Let’s talk about our organizational structure.”

“Okay.”

Min-Hyeok and Kkangsin Kkao discussed what departments they want to have, and how to assign the workers to each department and so on. In fact, most of the work was done by Kkao-jjong. He was in his 50s, and he had twenty years of work experience. He used to be a planning director in a construction company. He made the organizational structure, and Min-Hyeok added some idea to it.

“I will closely monitor the joint venture business so they don’t waste the precious money that was sent from Korea. That’s my role in the joint venture. President Goo told me the same thing before he went back to Korea.”

On the plane back to Korea, Gun-Ho thought that Seukang Li was a smart government official.

“He developed the vacant lot in Kunshan City and set up the electricity and water system to build an industrial complex there. That will be recorded as one of his major successful projects. It costs a lot of course, but if we can successfully attract enough companies, then it is a success.”

Gun-Ho smiled.

“He wanted me to join the joint venture in order to attract Korean companies into the industrial complex. They didn’t ask me to be their co-venturer because of the investment fund. I’m sure they will let me go once they have enough companies in the industrial park. If the business goes well, and they become financially affluent, they will increase capital stock without consideration and ask me to leave. Even if I stay, the duration of the joint venture is set for twenty years, so I will leave the business then anyway.”

Gun-Ho calculated how much he would make if they increase the capital stock by 30%.

“My shares will be worth 1.95 billion won. I invested 1.5 billion won, so I would make 450 million won. That’s not bad. However, it’s not just money I could make from this joint venture. I will learn about Chinese companies, and their business environment, rules, and customs so when I am ready to make an M&A of a Chinese company, I can do it effectively and efficiently. Hahaha.”

A flight attendant brought the inflight meal to Gun-Ho.

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho thanked the flight attendant, and she nodded her head to Gun-Ho in return.

“The female flight attendants of Asiana Air are always so pretty. Anyway, how was the fight going between the two owner brothers of Kumho Asiana Group?”

Gun-Ho wanted to check his Kumho stock once he arrived in Korea.

Ji-Young placed a fax they received on Gun-Ho’s desk.

“What is this?”

It was a weekly report that Min-Hyeok sent to him from China.

“Hmm, where did he download this report form? It looks alright. I guess his 1 and a half years of work experience at a quality assurance department is being utilized after all. I do like his paperwork.”

Gun-Ho reviewed the weekly report.

“They finished organizing departments and personnel placement. They found a house to rent for the president and determined the amount of wage for each worker. They also implemented the company policy. The organizational structure and the status of current expenses are attached. Okay, this is good. Min-Hyeok seems to be doing a good job. Since I put my precious 1,500,000 dollars in this business, I, of course, have to have someone there to monitor how my money is spent. That way they will be careful with spending the money.”

Gun-Ho signed on the report.

“I will prepare a separate folder for the reports sent from the joint venture.”

“Sounds good.”

Manager Kang was craning his neck to look at the weekly report of the joint venture.

“Sir, do you want me to ask him to send a daily report instead of a weekly report?”

“It’s okay. They should be very busy doing business especially in the beginning.”

Gun-Ho smiled while reading an economic newspaper.

“The younger brother of Kumho Asiana Group is pressing his older brother to fulfill the joint management agreement?”

Gun-Ho was not sure what the joint management agreement was about, but he thought the owner brothers’ fight would start soon again.

“I’ve purchased an additional 5 billion won worth of the Kumho Chemical stock a month ago. They already tried to get rid of little investors once. Let me see how much the price had increased.”

The price of Kumho Chemical stock had increased twice.

“Hahaha. Of course. My 15 billion won became 30 billion won.”

Gun-Ho was smiling broadly while looking at his stock account when Ji-young asked him,

“Sir, you have any good news? I’ve noticed that you have been smiling for quite a while. Any funny news articles you found online?”

“No, nothing. I was just thinking about something that happened a long time ago.”

Gun-Ho was thinking whether he would sell all of the Kumho Chemical stock now since he made 15 billion won already.

“Nah. The real fight between the brothers starts now. New little investors will begin to purchase the stock. They will once more try to get rid of them soon. This time I will do the work with my money. I will leave the stock for one year and wait for the price to increase again substantially. Hahaha.”

Min-Hyeo stated on the weekly report that they placed an advertisement in the newspapers in the Shanghai and Suzhou City area. He sent the actual newspaper with the advertisement to Gun-Ho two days later.

“The advertisement looks good. I guess the company has someone who knows how to design.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok.

“How’s it going? You must be very busy there. I just received the newspaper advertisement. Have you received any inquiries yet?”

“We have received inquiries from over ten companies. I guess we would make a contract with two of them. Ten companies were Korean companies that were already doing business in China. I explained to them what the industrial park is about. Kkao-jjong has been talking with several Chinese companies, and one of them would make a contract soon.”

“Really? You did a good job.”

“We think we will need more companies who show interest. So we are working on an advertisement we could place in a Korean newspaper.”

“Really? There should be advertisement firms there who could help you with the advertisement design. I mean Korean advertisement firm.”

“Okay, I will find one. But we will still have to work on the contents first. Once we are done with a draft, I will send it to you. Well, I mean I will send you a report.”

Min-Hyeok sent Gun-Ho a draft of the advertisement that would be placed on the Korean newspaper.

Gun-Ho called for Manager Kang and Ji-Young.

“Look at this draft.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young carefully looked at the draft.

“Is this done in China? I guess there are many design professionals in China.”

“No. It was designed by a Korean company there. The contents and words are done by Min-Hyeok.”

“I guess he is good at it. It looks good.”

“I can show it to my friend next door—the design company—for her opinion.”

“Sure.”

Ji-Young took the advertisement draft and went to the office next door.

Jin-Young came back to the office while smiling.

“She said it looks really good, and she confirmed that it was done by a professional.”

“Really? Okay then. Manager Kang can start calling newspapers and get a price quote, and also discuss with Min-Hyeok when we should make a reservation at the Koreana hotel for the presentation.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho headed to the Japanese restaurant that was run by President Hee-Yeol Byeon in Yuksam Town for lunch. It was after lunchtime, and there were not many people in the restaurant.

“How’s business, sir?”

“Hey, President Goo. You didn’t bring your car today?”

“I walked all the way here from the office. It is a good exercise.”

The chef with a shaved head came out from the kitchen to greet Gun-Ho while laughing.

“President Byeon, your business seems to be doing very well. President Gwang-Ho Yoo of Yangji Construction said last time that this restaurant is always crowded with customers.”

“Yes, we do have many customers coming in, I guess because my nephew is a very good cook. The problem is our debt.”

“What about it?”

“Since the restaurant is located in Gangnam, we had to pay high premium and rent.”

“How much did you pay?”

“We paid 300 million won for the premium and the rent altogether. We borrowed money from a bank using my condo as collateral, so we have to pay the loan interest every month, and it is a lot. So even though we are having a lot of customers, we don’t make much money.”

“I guess the bank who lent you the money is making money instead.”

“I guess so. Oh, a customer just came in. Welcome to Minado!”

President Byeon greeted loudly and ran to the new customer while carrying the menu book.

“Hmmm. They have debt… and it is holding them back.”

Gun-Ho talked to himself.

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Chapter 118 - Joint Venture (2) – PART 1

Chapter 118: Joint Venture (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok to ask Min-Hyeok’s bank account number in China.

“Why?”

“I’m going to send 30,000 dollars to your account. Can you take it out and give it to Professor Jien Wang? And don’t ask me why.”

“Okay.”

“You have a car allocated to you by the company, right?”

“They excessively gave me an Audi. I have a chauffeur too. The Chinese people here told me that the president of a company should ride a luxurious car with a chauffeur because the president represents the company. It is explained in the last week’s report. Did you review it?”

“Yes, I did. Actually, I am the one who told them to get you an Audi. Why don’t you go to Professor Wang with the interpreter, Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo in your Audi? If he asks you what the money is for, you just tell him you have no idea, and President Goo told you to give it to Professor Wang.”

“Okay.”

The next day, Gun-Ho received a call from Jien Wang.

“Hey, President Goo. Why did you send me that much money?”

“That’s your commission for introducing me to the joint venture. The investment amount is 3,000,000 dollars, so I gave you 1% of that amount.”

“If you wanted to send me the commission, you should have sent me 1% of your investment fund, not 1% of the capital of the company. I will take 15,000 dollars since that’s how it works according to the international business practice, and I will send it to Seukang Li to support his political activity. Thank you, President Goo.”

“Then assume that I send the other 15,000 dollars to support his political activity as well.”

“No, you shouldn’t. If you do, we can’t keep our good relationship for a long time. Also, it’s not a good idea to take the money from a foreigner for that purpose. We three will have another bigger project to do together in the future; let’s not mix up funds like this at this time. I will return the 15,000 dollars to the president of the joint venture—Jin-jjong.”

“Well, if you insist, Jien.”

After a few days, Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok.

“Professor Wang came to the office and placed an envelope on my desk and told me to give it to you. It’s money, 15,000 dollars.”

“Whew. Okay. Keep it with you for now.”

Gun-Ho received another call from Seukang Li as well. His voice was always calm, maybe because he was a government official.

“Gun-Ho? You shouldn’t have done that.”

“I was just complying with the international business practice.”

After a moment of silence, Seukang Li continued to talk.

“Okay, then. Thank you.”

It was probably for security reasons but, Seukang Li didn’t talk much and hung up the phone after a short conversation.

It was the day of the presentation in order to attract Korean companies into Jinxi Industrial Park.

Seukang Li, Jien Wang and the construction director of Kunshan City came from China to participate in the presentation. The joint venture’s president, Min-Hyeok and the vice president, Kkao-jjong joined them.

Gun-Ho asked the college instructor to interpret for him at the presentation; he was the one who had translated the joint venture’s business plan for Gun-Ho before. Manager Kang and Ji-Young came to participate as well; they both were wearing a suit neatly.

They placed a reception table at the entrance of the Gloria Hall in Koreana Hotel, and Manager Kang, Min-Hyeok and Ji-Young greeted the guests there.

“Please take a pamphlet with you.”

“Could you sign on the guest book, please?”

“We have prepared a drink over here.”

It was almost time to start the presentation. Min-Hyeok entered the hall to set up the PowerPoint he prepared, and Manager Kang grabbed the microphone to proceed with the presentation.

The total guest who came to the presentation was about 100 people. They were businessmen who saw the advertisements in the newspaper. The large Gloria hall was not fully filled with people but enough people came. On the platform, Seukang Li, the construction director of Kunshan City, Jien Wang, Kkao-jjong, and Gun-Ho was sitting on a chair. Manager Kang smoothly led the presentation. He was doing good; it seemed like he practiced a lot.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming today. We are going to start our presentation about the industrial park located in Kunshan City, China. After the presentation, we will have an individual consultation time where you can meet with one of our staff to talk about your opportunity with us. First, let me introduce to you the personnel from China. I will start with the front row. This is Deputy Mayor of Kunshan City—Seukang Li.”

Seukang Li stood up and bowed respectfully.

Manager Kang introduced all of the five people on the platform and then introduced Min-Hyeok as well.

“Deputy Mayor of Kunshan City—Seukang Li will explain about the industrial park.”

Seukang Li explained about the industrial park in his city in Chinese, and then the college teacher interpreted for the Korean guests. It seemed that this was not his first time interpreting; he did very well.

After Seukang Li’s explanation, Manager Kang introduced the next speaker—Gun-Ho.

“President Gun-Ho Goo from GH Development will explain further about the industrial park. GH Development is a Korean company and the co-venturer of this joint venture.”

Gun-Ho held the microphone, and Min-Hyeok opened the PowerPoint. Gun-Ho started explaining while pointing things on the PowerPoint with a stick.

“If you want a factory in Korea right now, about the size of 3,000 pyung, it would cost you 2 billion won. And the monthly rent would be anywhere from 5 million won to 10 million won. The Jinxi Industrial Park in Kunshan City can provide you a factory about the same size for half the price. The monthly rent is 2 million won, and the security deposit is only 1 billion won. As you can see in these pictures, these are newly constructed buildings; they are neat and clean. Please look at the sewage treatment plant here. China has developed significantly, and their technology is highly advanced now. The road here is large enough for a 40-ft container truck to use. You can also enjoy corporate tax-free for the first three years.”

Someone in the middle area shouted, “I have a question.”

“We will give you plenty of time to ask questions after the presentation.”

Gun-Ho was better at explaining about the industrial park and factories rather than Seukang-Li since he knew practical things in the field because of his previous work experiences at factories.

During the Q&A session, people started asking tons of questions.

“How much should we expect to pay for the electricity per kilowatt?”

“What is the maximum power capacity they can provide?”

“What is the duration of the contract?”

“Can we register the factory with the Chinese government under our name?”

“Is it possible to lend money using the factory?”

“How far is the industrial park from the port of Shanghai?”

“What’s the average monthly salary for a Chinese worker?”

Gun-Ho answered all of the questions smoothly and clearly.

Some of the participants wanted to visit the site before making their decisions. So, Gun-Ho asked who else wanted to visit the site, and 17 companies hoped to make a visit.

After the presentation, they had an individual consultation time. Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok talked with each company. By that time, about 50 companies were left in the hall hoping to talk about the opportunity.

That day, Gun-Ho made a contract with four companies, and Min-Hyeok did it too with two companies.

After the consultation time, Gun-Ho told Seukang Li how many companies actually made a contract.

“Six contracts? That’s what I expected.”

“Don’t be disappointed yet. There are 17 companies that wanted to visit the site first before they would make a decision. I guess we will make at least two or three contracts from that group after the tour.”

Seukang Li assigned work to the joint venture vice president—Kkao-jjong.

“Once we receive the security deposit from those companies that made a contract today, build a prefabricated factory as soon as you can, according to the factory type they selected. Once we have a few factories built on the site, other companies will come to look at them. That will help them decide quickly.”

“Okay, sir. Building a factory is our area of expertise.”

Gun-Ho smiled.

“Once they receive the security deposit, they will use it to build a factory. If they start receiving the rent from the companies, they will spend less money that I invested. If ten companies move into the industrial park, they will make 20 million won per month, and it will cover the wages of the workers in the joint venture. Well, it’s about the same amount I make from the OneRoomTels.” Gun-Ho chuckled.

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Chapter 119 - Joint Venture (2) – PART 2

Chapter 119: Joint Venture (2) – PART 2

The presentation was not bad; it was somewhat successful. Gun-Ho was not satisfied though, but Seukang Li and the president of Jinxi Construction Company evaluated it as a success.

“Sh*t!”

“What’s wrong?”

“We had 100 companies that came to see our presentation. And only 6 of them made a contract. That’s not enough at all.”

“Don’t worry about it. If we add two companies that already made a contract in China, we have eight companies so far.”

“Our goal is 50 companies. How long will it take to have all 50 companies in the industrial park?”

“Having eight companies is a good start. Once we build eight factories in the industrial park, other companies will notice it, and they will ask about their opportunity with us.”

“You think so?”

“Also, you said 17 companies want to visit the site, right? Some of them will make a contract after seeing the industrial park.”

“But we have nothing really there yet. Will they make a contract without seeing an actual factory?”

“Actually, we are currently building a factory to show to the visitors. It’s like a model home for residential houses. It will be completed on the 25th of this month. So you just make sure to schedule the tour after the 25th.”

Manager Kang made a suggestion.

“I will send a letter to the 17 companies who wanted a tour of the industrial park. We can make a schedule, send a letter, and ask them to pay 100,000 won for the tour application fee. Those companies that pay 100,000 won will not cancel their tour.”

“Hmm.

“That’s how travel agencies do it for tours abroad.”

“Okay, then Min-Hyeok can make the tour schedule, and Manager Kang can write the letters.”

“Okay, sir. I will assume that they would leave for China at the end of this month.”

Gun-Ho took the people who came from China, and the company staff to Jongro Tower located in Jongro 2-Ga. It was close to the Koreana Hotel so they all could walk there.

“You have done great work today. Let’s have dinner. There is a nice buffet restaurant in Jongro Tower; its name is Top Cloud. They have a very nice view.”

Chinese people loved the buffet restaurant.

“Heun Hao (Good)! Heun Hao!”

They shouted ‘Heun Hao.’

The presentation was done, and Gun-Ho now had spare time. GH Development Company was doing good since it just had to collect rent from OneRoomTels.

Manager Kang brought the paperwork to Gun-Ho.

“It’s the letter for the tour of the industrial park.”

“Really?”

“And I’ve attached the program schedule written by Mr. Min-Hyeok Kim, I mean President Kim on the backside of the letter.”

“Hmm, it’s a two nights and three days tour.”

“I thought that is adequate.”

“Is this the price for the tour? Isn’t it too expensive?”

“According to the travel agency, it is okay to make a high price for the travel expenses if the trip is for the company employees. That’s because usually the travel expenses were paid by the company rather than by an individual.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho signed on the paperwork that Manager Kang brought to him.

15 out of 17 companies sent the tour application fee of 100,000 won to Gun-Ho’s office. Two companies seemed to decide not to participate.

“Those 15 companies will not cancel the tour since they already paid the tour application fee.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, the travel agency said, if the group has 15 or more than 15 people, we can add one more person for free. If you have someone who you want to send with the tour group, please recommend one.”

“Really? Haha. That’s how it works, huh? Then, why don’t you go with them, Manager Kang? You haven’t seen the industrial park in China yet. This is your opportunity to do so.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok who was working in China.

“How’s it going?”

“It’s going well.”

“Really?”

“The factory that we will show to our guets is almost done. Why don’t you come and see it?”

“I will come there when there is a board meeting. On the joint venture company’s articles of incorporation, who is listed as the board of directors? Is it the president of Jinxi Construction Company, me, Jin-jjong, and kkao-jjong?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I believe we have two board meetings per year. I will see you at the next board meeting then. Oh, also tell them that I will send the remaining 1,350,000 dollars of my investment fund today since I previously sent 150,000 dollars already.”

“Today?”

“Yeah.”

“They actually kept asking me when you would send the 1,350,000 dollars to them. I think they need money to build the factory to show to the guests.”

Manager Kang told Gun-Ho that they received the travel expenses from the 15 companies. They charged 1,100,000 won for each person and they received 16,500,000 won.

“Before the trip, we will have a meeting so we can explain to them about the tour.”

“A meeting?”

“Yes. We will talk about the program schedule, and the place we will meet at the airport, and we will also verify their passports and visas. Also, I thought it was a good idea for them to meet each other before the trip.”

“Where will you have the meeting?”

“For the convenience of the people who are in the province, I want to reserve the KTX train station office in Yongsan Station for three hours.”

“Do they have that kind of space at Yongsan Station?”

“Yes, they do.”

“I will ask Min-Hyeok to give the tour group special treatment and kindness.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho opened the stock chart of the Kumho Chemical.

“Hmm, after the stock price went up twice, its trendline is about to change to downward. Maybe I should help the trend by selling some of my stock, about 3 billion won worth of stock.”

Gun-Ho had 30 billion won worth of stock of Kumho Chemical, and decided to sell 10% of it, and keep an eye on the chart.

“Once it becomes a downward trendline, the little investors will roar.”

The departure date of the tour to the industrial park in China came around.

“You are leaving tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Min-Hyeok already reported that the factory to show to the guests is completed. And they are building two additional factories right now.”

“Right, I heard of it too. It seems that there are two Korean companies that want to move into the industrial park as soon as possible. One is a Korean company in Korea and the other one is a Korean company currently doing business in China. They already paid their security deposit.”

“The tour group will be able to see the construction site of the factory.”

“I think so.”

“Ms. Ji-young Jeong! Do we have any company policy about the business trip expenses?”

“We don’t.”

“Then, give Manager Kang 1,000,000 won for the trip now.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok in China.

“15 people, oh I mean 16 people including Manager Kang will arrive there tomorrow. Treat them well, okay?”

“Don’t worry about it. I already reserved the best hotel and the best restaurant for them. The factory is completed, and I was impressed by their skills and technology. It was really quick.”

“Really? I believe Jinxi Construction Company is one of the best companies in the construction field in China. They have a lot of skillful engineers.”

“They already hung a banner that says they are welcoming the Korean companies’ tour group.”

“Oh, really?”

“And, they placed a large stone tower at the main entrance of the industrial park. It says ‘Jinxi Industrial Park.’ You haven’t seen it yet, right? I will take a picture of it and send it to you.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Also, we prepared karaoke for the tour group. Manager Kang said, he would collect the karaoke fee from the people who would participate in it.”

“I see. Well, good luck and I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry about it!”

“Min-Hyeok, is your monthly salary from the joint venture 5,000 Yuan?”

“Yes.”

“I know it’s too little. Just wait until the board meeting. I will raise it then.”

“It’s okay. The company pays for my rent, so it’s not bad. I send my mom the monthly salary I received in Korea.”

“Really? Let’s just do our best here. We will have a bright future.”

“Thank you.

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Chapter 120 - Requital (1) – PART 1

Chapter 120: Requital (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho made a call to the general affairs manager—Seon-Hong Hwang whom he used to work with when he was in Asan City.

“Director Hwang? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, Gun-Ho! How have you been? By the way, I am not a director; I am a manager.”

“You are still a manager? I guess the company doesn’t recognize your hard work. You have been working so hard for the company for a long time.”

“The company cannot afford to promote anybody because of its financial situation.”

“You are getting paid on time, right?”

“I haven’t received the last month’s salary yet. However, fortunately, our company quickly let some workers go to handle the situation, but Mulpasaneop is in trouble.”

“Is it that serious?”

“Mulpasaneop hasn’t paid to its employees for the past three months, and some employees already filed a lawsuit for unpaid wages against the company.”

“Wow. It is serious.”

“You seem to be doing very well, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. Do you happen to have any position I can take?”

“Haha! I’m not doing that well.”

“I’m having a hard time every single day these days.”

“Do you have time today? Would you like to have a beer with me at Dujeong Town since it’s Friday?”

“Today? You no longer live in this area. Are you going to come to Cheonan?”

“I will, of course, go there to have a drink with you. I want to see you too.”

“Really? Haha. Okay then. I will see you at 7 pm.”

For the first time in a long time, Gun-Ho was heading to Cheonan in his Land Rover. He had mixed feelings.

“I drove this road when I went to YS Tech for a job interview in Dunpo Town, Asan City. I was, at that time, working in a gas delivery company. That was already several years ago.”

Gun-Ho remembered he sang Bohemian Rhapsody in his shabby car on the way to YS Tech at that time. He started humming the same song again.

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide. No escape from reality.”

“I cried a lot while singing this song then. Whew. I suffered all those years because of money.”

Gun-Ho compared his current self with his past self at that time.

“I have two condos now: one is for my parents, and the other is the one that I’m living in, which is worth 1.5 billion won. I have cash of another 1.5 billion won in my bank account and I also have 3 billion won worth of stocks. The capital of my company—GH Development is 900 million won, and the office-tel for the company is 500 million won. Additionally, I have 1.5 billion won put in the joint venture with China as well. So, the total asset is 35.9 billion won. But I still feel hungry.”

Gun-Ho parked his car at Dujeong Station. He then headed to the Izakaya pub after meeting with General affairs manager Hwang at the station.

“We didn’t have to come to this nice place. We could have just gone to a deep-fried chicken restaurant where we can have some beer as well.”

“No, I want to buy you a drink in a nice place.”

Gun-Ho ordered flatfish sashimi and deep-fried shrimp. For a drink, he ordered Cheongha as General affairs manager Hwang suggested.

“This will cost you a lot.”

“Enjoy it.”

Gun-Ho placed the sashimi in front of General affairs manager Hwang.

After drinking several glasses of Cheongha, General affairs manager took out his cigarette.

“Is smoking allowed here?”

General affairs manager looked around. When he found no one who was smoking in the pub, he put his cigarette back to his jacket.

“Let’s order one more bottle of Cheongha.”

Gun-Ho ordered one more bottle.

The company was doing very well when you were working there. It was good days.

“Was it?”

“At that time, we often went out for dinner all together. Now, we are all working quietly.”

“President Young-Sik Park must have a hard time to find a way out of that situation. How’s he doing? I know he is hot tempered, but I also know that he cares about the people around him.”

“The president is not like before; he seems to lose confidence in himself. Mulpasaneop is his brother-in-law’s company and it is almost going under after all.”

“YS Tech should have diversified its clientele. It shouldn’t have heavily relied on one client—Mulpasaneop.”

“It’s easier said than done. You need connections to be able to diversify the clientele.”

“What about Manager Kim in the accounting team? How is she doing? She had just delivered her baby at that time. The baby must have grown a lot.”

“She left the company.”

“Why?”

“She got scared when the creditors came to the office and yelled at her. Her husband told her to quit the job.”

“She then moved to another company?”

“I heard she is working in an accountant office.”

“Does YS Tech still work with the same tax accountant office? The one that is located across the street from the tax office.”

“Right, we are still working with the same accountant office. I heard we owe some payment to that office as well.”

General affairs manager Hwang drank a lot that day. He was having the third bottle.

“Are you okay? You brought your car, right?”

“It’s okay. I can still drive. I know the exact location where the police stop cars for a sobriety test.”

“I think you should call for a paid designated driver.”

“That’s okay. Here. Let me pour liquor in your glass.”

“I think I drank a lot already.”

“Have some more. You only had one bottle.”

“Do you know which accountant office has been working with Mulpasaneop?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know that much about Mulpasaneop; it’s not like I have someone close to me, who is working there. Oh, I think I saw Mulpasaneop’s financial statements in the president’s office. I guess I can find out the name of the accountant office by looking at those financial statements.”

Gun-Ho wanted to ask him to find out the name of the accountant office, but he didn’t ask him. He once caused a money related problem with YS Tech president—Young-Sik Park and he didn’t want to do anything that could make him look suspicious again.

“Mulpasaneop must have let go of a lot of workers by now. I remember their factory was huge.”

“Their factory is indeed large. More than 300 workers used to work in that factory, and now only half of them are still there.”

“You said they couldn’t pay their workers for the past several months, right?”

“Mulpasaneop still pays our company for the products we deliver to them. Our president told him he wouldn’t be able to send our products to them without getting paid. If we don’t provide the products to them, their factory would have to stop working.”

Gun-Ho dragged his chair close to General affairs manager Hwang and talked to him quietly.

“By the way, I heard that the president of Mulpasaneop and his son who was also working at the same company were not getting along. Is that true?”

“It is true. They don’t share the same value in running a company. His son fired several employees who were loyal to the president and filled with his own people. He also recklessly expanded the business to China and blew a lot of money.”

“How is the business in China?”

“I don’t know about it.”

“That’s a shame. It’s a 1.5 vendor.”

“That’s right. It is a 1.5 vendor.”

The first vendor is the companies that deliver products directly to a big company like Hyundai and Samsung. The second vendor is the companies that deliver their products to those first vendors. There were the third vendors that deliver products to the second vendor, and so on.

For example, DAS Corporation that people now say it is owned by MB delivers products to Hyundai; that means DAS Corporation is the first vendor. Any companies that deliver products to DAS Corporation are the second vendors. The first vendors are large companies with money and technology. Many of them have gross sales revenue of 1,000 billion won.

“So Mulpasaneop is going under because of money.”

“I think so. It was not like the first vendor didn’t deliver their products to Mulpasaneop or anything like that.”

“In order to build another factory in China, they probably used their main factory in Korea as collateral.”

“That sounds better than their actual situation. I heard they borrowed money from Korea Credit Guarantee Fund.”

“Does the president of Mulpasaneop still go to work these days?”

“You expect me to know too much. How would I know whether their president goes to work or not? I don’t work there. Why are you so interested in Mulpasaneop anyway? Are you thinking of getting a job there? Don’t. There are a lot of companies way better than that company.”

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Chapter 121 - Requital (1) – PART 2

Chapter 121: Requital (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho and General affairs manager walked out of the Izakaya pub.

“General affairs manager Hwang, you can’t even stand straight. I will call a paid designated driver for you.”

Gun-Ho asked the Izakaya pub owner to call a paid designated driver for him.

Gun-Ho walked to a motel close to Dujeong Station where he had parked his car earlier. He decided to spend a night in a motel rather than driving all the way to Seoul that night.

“Let’s stop by Mulpasaneop’s factory on the way to Seoul tomorrow morning.”

Mulpasaneop’s factory was located in Yeongin Town, Asan City.

Even though the factory was not manufacturing products as many as before, the 5,000 pyung large factory still looked majestic. A security guard was still working at the main entrance and there are many trucks in the parking lot. There were just not many people seen outside the factory.

“Let’s get the real estate registration of this factory.”

As soon as Gun-Ho arrived at his office, he turned on his computer and searched Mulpasaneop on the Internet. He could easily find its address and a location map.

He then opened the court website to request the real estate registration of that factory.

“The provisional seizure has already been issued.”

Gun-Ho continued to read the section of the real estate registration where the provisional seizure and the mortgage loans are listed in.

“Sh*t, there are many provisional seizures for unpaid wages. The company seems to be in big trouble.”

Gun-Ho was wondering how much the Mulpasaneop factory would be worth.

“The land is over 5,000 pyung, so it would be more than 5 billion won, without adding the price of the factory building since the building is already too old to price.”

Gun-Ho wanted to acquire this factory.

“Can I handle their situation? They seem to have a lot of debt.”

Gun-Ho started thinking about acquiring the Mulpasaneop’s factory.

Manager Kang came back from his business trip to China.

“Jinxi Industrial Park in China is awesome. The land is huge and the newly constructed factory is so big as well. I admire you, sir. You are the co-venturer of that industrial park.”

Gun-Ho smiled.

“What did other people say about it?”

“They seemed to fall in love with the industrial park after having a tour of the factory and the industrial park. The required security deposit of 200 million won is not much for the people who run a big factory. I guess many of them will make a contract soon.”

“The factory is a prefabricated building. Have you seen any part of it leaking?”

“I… don’t know.”

“When I worked in a factory before, a prefabricated building had leaking issues. Especially, it rains a lot in the area where the industrial park is located…”

“I haven’t heard of the leaking building issue. It is a newly constructed building.”

“How’s Min-Hyeok? Is he doing well?”

“I didn’t know what he was capable of when he was working as a residential manager in the OneRoomTel. He is really doing great as a president of the joint venture in China.”

“How great is he there?”

“He is managing workers effectively and he already speaks simple Chinese. And he knows a lot about a factory.”

“He used to work in a quality assurance department in a factory. He knows well about ISO too.”

“You have good eyes in selecting good workers, sir. President Min-Hyeok Kim looked really different from the time he was working as a residential manager.”

“Haha, really?”

“He was a great host for the tour group. He seemed to know how to make their visit pleasant and offer food in a friendly and appropriate way and so on. When we all participated in karaoke, the visitors absolutely loved him.”

“That sounds great. I hope that led them to make an actual contract.”

“Two companies already made a contract. You will see more details about it in the next weekly report. We could make a contract right away for those two companies because the companies’ owners were there, who are the decision makers.”

“Haha, really?”

“And, this…”

“What is it?”

“I bought a tie for you at the duty-free shop.”

“Haha, really?”

“And this is for Ms. Ji-Young Jeong.”

Ji-Young’s eyes widened.

“For me?”

“I purchased cosmetics for you.”

“Oh, thank you so much.”

Ji-Young looked happy and satisfied.

Gun-Ho got lost in thought while looking outside the window.

“They can now build eight factories. The monthly rent from those companies will be about 15,000,000 won. That is enough to pay those 30 workers’ wages in China. My friend, Min-Hyeok, I guess you can stay as a president of the company at least for a few years while riding the Audi.”

After the joint venture had been established, it became fall after summer.

Gun-Ho received a call from Manager Hwang of YS Tech.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo? How are you? I am calling to ask you if you happen to know any short-term hard money lender.”

“Why? Do you personally need money?”

“No, YS Tech needs to borrow money. The president asked me to look for a hard money lender.”

“Did they ask a non-bank financial institution to borrow money?”

“We already borrowed too much money using the factory as collateral, so they refused to lend money to us.”

“Didn’t Mulpasaneop pay YS Tech for the products yet?”

“They haven’t paid for this month yet. It’s getting late. We need to pay to our employees soon. We just need 200 million won sharp.”

“Hmm.”

“Mulpasaneop is currently considering the court receivership.”

“Really? You should get the payment for the products delivered to Mulpasaneop as soon as possible. Once they start the court receivership, you might not be able to get the account receivable.”

“Nothing much we can do if they just don’t pay.”

“The president of Mulpasaneop is the YS Tech president’s brother-in-law. He should insist on getting his payment.”

“I will tell him.”

“As to a hard money lender, you can easily find a list of them on the Internet. Just call them.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho wanted to help the YS Tech president since he owed the president big time.

“He doesn’t have any asset to use as collateral. If I lend money to him without collateral and if he couldn’t pay me back, the relationship between him and me could be broken forever. I should find a way that I can constantly help him, rather than giving him just one-time help.”

Gun-Ho was thinking deeply. He could lend 200 million won to him; that was not a problem at all. However, he was worried about the possibility that could hurt the relationship if something went wrong.

After two days, Gun-Ho gave a call to Manager Hwang at YS Tech.

“Did you borrow money from a hard money lender?”

“They said they couldn’t lend any money without collateral. After reviewing our financial statements and credit score, they just declined our loan request. F*ck.”

“How about the wages you had to pay?”

“We couldn’t pay the workers yet, and they are certainly concerned.”

“What’s the total amount of wage you need to pay for the month?”

“We don’t have many employees anymore. We have about 65 workers and 200 million won will suffice.”

“Hmm.”

“I have to pay my credit card bill this month. I am worried about my payment too.”

“Could you tell the president that I will come by tomorrow to talk with him?”

“You are going to meet the president? Why?”

“I think I can get him some money to borrow.”

“Really? You shouldn’t lend your personal funds to the company. I can see that you are making good money lately but don’t use it like this. You could lose all of them.”

“No, I just want to talk with him.”

“It’s 200 million won. You could blow it. You shouldn’t lend your personal money. The company should borrow money from a bank or from another company. You are just so naïve.”

“I don’t have that much money. I just want to introduce a hard money lender that I know.”

“Oh, really? In that case, I will let the president know that you are coming tomorrow.”

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Chapter 122 - Requital (2) – PART 1

Chapter 122: Requital (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho received a phone call from Manager Hwang from YS Tech.

“I talked to the president. He said he would be available any time in the afternoon tomorrow.”

“Okay. I will then come by around 3 pm.”

The next day, Gun-Ho started getting ready for the short trip to Asan City to meet with the president of YS Tech, by filling up the tank of his car.

“I told them I would come by around 3 pm, so I guess I’d better have lunch before leaving to Asan City. Which restaurant do I want to go for lunch today? Hmm, let’s just eat at home.”

Gun-Ho went back to his home. The feeling of loneliness filled the air in his home.

“I bought this spacious condo at the auction as one of my investments. Come to think of it, it is indeed too big for one person to live. Sometimes, I feel scared at night while staying in this 50 pyung large space by myself.”

Gun-Ho pulled out some food from the refrigerator such as kimchi, salted fermented oyster, balloon flower root salad, and dried seaweed. The balloon flower root salad was prepared and stored in the refrigerator by the housekeeper who came to Gun-Ho’s home to clean the condo and to prepare food for him two or three times per week. Gun-Ho also put some left-over deep fried chicken in the microwave.

“Maybe I should start a family. But I am so dumb in that field. I have never dated a girl before; I was too busy making money. What should I do? It won’t be easy for me to start dating a girl at this age. In addition, all the good and decent girls must be already taken.”

Gun-Ho had a cup of coffee after his meal.

The only room Gun-Ho was using in this large condo was the master bedroom. In the master bedroom, there were a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf. All sorts of books about management were placed in the bookshelf. Gun-Ho was once thinking of having a dog out of loneliness and then he decided not to because he realized that he would have to take care of the dog and he was not sure if he could live with all those hairs that a dog would shed.

After brushing his teeth, Gun-Ho headed to Asan City. He drove on the expressway singing Bohemian Rhapsody. He was enjoying the moment.

Gun-Ho entered Dunpo Town in Asan City after getting out of the North Cheonan IC and passing Seonghwan Town. He was passing by the Asan Techno Valley when he decided that,

“I will someday have a huge factory just like one of those in this Techno Valley. I will have an enormous manufacturing factory without fail!”

Gun-Ho could see the YS Tech factory building when he entered into the Shinbong town in Dunpo.

“I’m back here again, and it makes me so emotional.”

Gun-Ho’s Land Rover slowly entered into the factory yard.

Gun-Ho could see that there were not many factory workers in the factory. There were some workers in uniform but he couldn’t recognize any of them.

“It’s hard to find a worker who would work for a long time in a small or mid-size company. This company has a high turnover rate and I don’t see anyone who I can recognize.”

Gun-Ho walked up to the second floor and opened the office door.

“Manager Hwang, I’m here.”

“Oh! You came!”

“Is it Mr. Gun-Ho Goo?”

There was another manager in the sales department that recognized Gun-Ho and extended his hand for a handshake. There was a new lady who was sitting at the desk that was used to be used by Manager Kim in the accounting department.

Manager Hwang was about to go to the president’s office to let him know that Gun-Ho was here when Gun-Ho grabbed his arm.

“I will go to see the president by myself.”

Gun-Ho knocked on the president’s office before he entered the office. The president was looking at his smartphone.

“Sir, I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo!”

The president stood up.

Gun-Ho knelt down on the floor and said,

“Sir, let me make a deep bow to you.”

“No, Mr. Goo. What are you doing? Get up.”

“I’ve never forgotten the generosity you had shown me.”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t really done anything for you!”

“That’s not true. You forgave me when I put my hand on the company money. How would I forget that?”

“Don’t say that. You didn’t even cause any financial loss to the company. I rather feel sorry that I let you go at that time just because you touched the company money. I was too harsh on you. Come and have a seat with me.”

The president walked towards the conference table and sit there. Gun-Ho sat at the other side of the table so he could see and talk to the president face-to-face.

Gun-Ho looked at President Young-Sik Park closely. He seemed to lose more hair and gained a lot of wrinkles around his eyes. He was certainly a good looking man like a movie star, but he couldn’t seem to help with aging.

“You seem to be doing very well, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. What do you do these days for a living?”

“I do a rental property business. I do have OneRoomTels.”

“Hmm, a OneRoomTel business must cost a lot to start. You must have saved a lot of money.”

“I did make some money in China.”

“What did you do in China?”

“I ran a restaurant there, and I made some money by selling a condo I had bought there.”

“I see. That’s nice.”

Gun-Ho didn’t mention about stocks, the real property he purchased at the auction, and the investment in the joint venture with China.

“I was told that you know someone in the hard money business.”

“I think it wouldn’t be easy to borrow money from them. They usually require strong collateral to lend money.”

“I thought so.”

“So, I was thinking that since I have money saved up to acquire another OneRoomTel, you could borrow that money from me.”

“From you? Personally? I see that you are trying to help me, but I don’t have any property I can offer you as collateral. All the properties I have are already being used by a non-bank financial institution to borrow money.”

“I am aware of the situation. The money I would lend you wouldn’t solve the problem you have.”

“Then why do you want to lend me the money?”

“I just want to be of help to you since you had been generous to me.”

“You are silly.”

Gun-Ho pulled out an envelope from his pocket.

“What is this?”

“It’s 200 million won.”

“Are you serious about this? This is the amount with which you could purchase a condo in Asan City.”

“I know that.”

“Hmm.”

The president closed his eyes for a moment and then said,

“All the real properties are already secured with other loans so I won’t be able to use it as collateral for the money you are lending me. Instead, I will write a statement that I would transfer all the equipment in the factory to you for the money. They are old equipment but they are still worth the amount you are lending me.”

“Well, if that’s what you want, I am fine with it.”

“I can’t pay you high interest for the loan though. I will give you 7%.”

“Do what you want to do, sir.”

“Thank you, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. You are saving me big time.”

The president grabbed Gun-Ho’s hands.

“I have a question to ask you, sir.”

“Okay.”

“Will Mulpasaneop start the court receivership?”

“They actually want to start it but they need money to apply for it. I heard the Small and Medium Business Promotion Center is helping them to start the court receivership now.”

“Since there is no court in Asan City, the court of Cheonan District Court will handle the court receivership?”

“No, the court receivership can only be handled by a higher court, so Daejeon District Court will take the case, I suppose.”

“Oh, I see.”

“What happened to the Mulpasaneop, by the way? I heard the president’s son excessively invested in the company in China.”

“His son invested about 10 billion won in the factory located in Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province.”

“Huh? Did you say Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province?”

Suzhou City was very close to Kunshan City where Gun-Ho’s joint venture was located. Suzhou City was a huge city compared to Kunshan City.

“That’s right. His son spent way too much money in that factory and caused Mulpasaneop’s financial crisis. Besides, that factory didn’t do well; it couldn’t sell enough products and it produced so many defective products. That made the situation even worse. It eventually resulted in family discord between the president and his son.”

Gun-Ho decided to keep an eye on Mulpasaneop quietly.

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Chapter 123 - Requital (2) – PART 2

Chapter 123: Requital (2) – PART 2

Gun-Ho lent 200 million won to President Park of YS Tech.

President Park deeply appreciated Gun-Ho’s help.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. You are lending me the money with a bank interest. I do really appreciate it.”

“I am sorry that I couldn’t get you a better deal for this.”

“Don’t say that. This is the best offer I could receive. I’m sure that my employees will be very happy. Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, I feel much happier when I see my employees being pleased rather than when my personal assets increase.”

“I do respect you, sir, with your noble mindset.”

“Thank you. Oh, give me your bank account number where I can send the loan interest.”

“This is a copy of my bank account. You can use this account to pay the monthly interest.”

“Here is my statement saying I transfer you all of my factory equipment if I can’t pay you back.”

Even though Gun-Ho lent his money to the president of YS Tech, he knew the company’s business wouldn’t get better.

“YS Tech won’t be able to survive without Mulpasaneop. If Mulpasaneop doesn’t stabilize its business and financial situation, YS Tech will continuously suffer, and I won’t get repaid for the money by them.”

Gun-Ho thought about the value of the YS Tech factory equipment in case the president couldn’t pay him back.

“It’s not going to be even 20 million won. However, I feel like the burden was being lifted off my shoulders. I sort of paid off the generosity the president gave me years ago.”

Gun-Ho felt good, and he hummed while driving back to Seoul.

Gun-Ho noticed that many shares of Kumho Chemical started appearing on the market for sale.

“Hmm, they started moving.”

The stock manipulators put some of their stocks on the market for sale and the price of stock began to fluctuate.

“F*ckers! Why don’t they leave it alone?”

Gun-Ho joined the movement and put his stocks worth of 3 billion won on the market for sale. The price of the stock started going down. The little investors were clamoring.

“Why is the f*cking company not doing anything about it? Are they not monitoring their stock?”

“I will go to their next board meeting and make a complaint!”

The little investors were having a heated discussion about the stock in the online stock discussion website.

The next day, the manipulators continued to sell their stocks.

“I guess these manipulators don’t have enough fund to wait anymore. Once the price became double, they started selling their stocks. They should have kept them until the price went up more.”

Gun-Ho sold his 5 billion won worth of the stock, and the price went down even more.

The little people clamored fiercely.

“What’s the bottom of this?”

“Is the company on fire? What’s going on? How come does the stock price go down rapidly?”

Once the price of the stock went up a little bit, many little investors decided to sell the stocks bearing the loss.

Gun-Ho kept monitoring the stock.

“As soon as the stock market opened, people started selling the stocks. Okay, then I’m selling mine too.”

Gun-Ho put his stock worth of 3 billion won on the market. The price of the stock went down steeply. The little investors panicked. The representative of the Kumho Chemical was having a hard time explaining the situation.

“Nothing special is going on with the company. The stock price fluctuation is just a temporary situation due to the demand and supply.”

Gun-Ho felt sorry for the little investors, but he sold all of his stocks of Kumho Chemical that day. He participated in the stock manipulators’ work.

Most of the little investors sold their stocks in fear even though they had to bear the loss.

Gun-Ho opened his stock account.

“The estimated value of the stock was 30 billion won, and I actually made only 28 billion won by selling the stock because I participated in selling the stocks even when the price was going down.”

Gun-Ho lost 2 billion won but it was okay because he was going to buy the same stock again at a lower price. Once Gun-Ho started buying the stock after the stock price went down low enough, the manipulator began to buy the stock as well. The trading volume indicated the fact.

Once Gun-Ho purchased back the stock worth of 28 billion won, the price of the stock increased. An article in an economic newspaper talked about it.

[After the steep price drop of the Kumho Chemical stock, the price of the stock went up again and stabilized. The company was doing well and its international sales have been growing. The world petrochemical industry is optimistic.]

After the positive news articles on Kumho Chemical, Gun-Ho’s estimated value of the stock became 30 billion won again. However, since he purchased the shares at a lower price, the number of shares he owned now was higher than before.

“The price of this stock will stay about the same for a while. The remaining little investors will gradually sell their stocks. Their average price per share of the stock is higher than mine.”

Gun-Ho closed the stock trading website.

“All I need to do now is to wait. The price won’t change much for at least several months from now. The people who purchased the stock on credit or with a loan will have to sell their stock sooner or later even though they would lose money by doing so. Money always takes the rich’s side.”

Gun-Ho received a text message from Attorney Young-Sik Kim at Kim&Jeong; he wanted Gun-Ho to call him.

“It’s about lunchtime. I guess it is a good time to talk with him.”

Attorney Kim’s phone rang and he answered the phone.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“What’s up?”

“Do you remember Richard from Lymondell Dyeon, who you met last time? He is visiting Korea soon.”

“Does he want to have a drink again?”

“No. This time he is visiting an automobile parts manufacturing company in Pyeongtaek City.”

“Really?”

“It seems that he is coming to visit that company to discuss the possibility of establishing a factory for Lymondell Dyeon.”

“I hope it goes well.”

“He actually wants you to come with him when he visits that company.”

“Me? Why? I have nothing to do with automobile parts stuff. I am doing a rental property business.”

“He likes the fact that you used to work at a plastic factory as a mechanic.”

“Haha. I was just a factory worker. Why is he interested in my humble factory experience? He would be able to meet with lots of engineers with Ph.D. in that company’s research center.”

“Richard has good eyes in recognizing the right people. Why don’t you join him? You will learn a lot of new stuff.”

“I can accompany him, of course; it is no problem at all. However, I’m afraid that I might not be of any help to him.”

“What about next Wednesday?”

“Okay, Wednesday sounds good.”

“By the way, aren’t you going to the golf field yet? You have been practicing golf for a year now.”

“Sure. I guess it is about the time. I will purchase a golf membership for the field.”

“A golf membership? That is very expensive. The price of the membership is in the range from several tens of millions to several hundreds of millions of won. I use the business membership of Kim&Jeong whenever I need to go to the field.”

“Is that so?”

“Let’s have a round of golf with my law firm’s membership when President Amiel comes to Korea.”

“I don’t want to impose.”

“Don’t worry about it. Amiel is a bad golf player. You can purchase your own golf membership later.”

“Okay then. Let’s do that.”

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Chapter 124 - Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (1) – PART 1

Chapter 124: Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (1) – PART 1

Wednesday came around.

Gun-Ho went to Palace Hotel that was located next to Gangnam Express Bus Terminal, where Amiel was staying for his visit to Korea. Attorney Young-Jin Kim was already in the hotel lobby when Gun-Ho arrived at the hotel.

“We don’t have to take two cars. I will drive.”

“Sounds good.”

“Where is Amiel?”

“He will come down soon.”

“What was the company name in Pyeongtaek City, where we are heading to?”

“It’s Egnopak. Have you heard of it?”

“I have. It’s quite a big company and a KOSDAQ registered firm.”

“They have 3,000 employees.”

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

Amiel came down to the first floor through an elevator and lifted his arm when he saw Gun-Ho waiting for him in the lobby.

“Oh, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, how are you?!”

Gun-Ho took President Amiel and Attorney Young-Jin Kim in his Land Rover and drove to Egnopak Corporation that was situated in Jinwi Town in Pyeongtaek City.

A guard stopped Gun-Ho’s car at the main gate.

“We are here to meet the president.”

“May I tell him who’s here to see him?”

“Please tell him that the president of Japan location of Lymondell Dyeon is here.”

The guard quickly made a call to somewhere before he came back to Gun-Ho’s party.

“You can proceed. Please park over there and go to the second floor through the main entrance.”

Their large factory was very well organized and extremely clean. The workers seemed to be neat and well disciplined. The front yard of the factory was nicely landscaped with trees such as pine trees and juniper trees.

“I want to have a factory like this! A factory that has over 3,000 employees with the sales revenue of one trillion won.”

Gun-Ho bit his lips as he firmly made up his mind.

After Gun-Ho parked his car, the three men walked towards the main entrance. There was a man who looked like in his 50s waiting for Gun-Ho’s party.

“Welcome to Egnopak. I am the director of the sales department here. You must be President Amiel. We received a call that you would be here. Please come with me; I will show you to the president’s office.”

At the entrance, several complete automobile parts were displayed under a spotlight. They were professionally displayed for showcasing.

The sales director led Gun-Ho’s party to the second floor. The president’s office was spacious. It was carpeted green, and a young lady who looked like in her 20s was sitting at a desk. She was wearing a suit. She must be a secretary. When she saw Gun-Ho’s party entering the office, she stood up.

“Are you Mr. Amiel by any chance?”

The secretary asked; her English sounded perfect.

“Yes, I am.”

The secretary brought Gun-Ho’s party to another office inside a large office where they were standing.

The office was large. The president was sitting at a conference table that was situated in the middle of the office. He stood up when he saw Gun-Ho’s party entering the office. The president was an overweight man in his 60s; he looked like a toad.

“Welcome, President Amiel.”

Amiel pleasantly extended his hand to the president for a handshake.

“Let’s all have a seat.”

Once everyone was seated, the president took out his business card from a Korean traditional mother-of-pearl mini storage box and handed one to each of Gun-Ho’s party. President Amiel gave his business card to the president and so did Attorney Kim. The president looked at Attorney Kim’s business card closely with his reading glasses.

“Oh, you are an attorney from Kim&Jeong. But we don’t need any legal consultation yet since we haven’t started anything.”

The president said to Attorney Kim while smiling. He had a large round face like a wheel of a vehicle with small eyes.

“I am here to interpret for President Amiel.”

Gun-Ho pulled out his business card as well, but he hesitated to give it to the president; he felt somewhat embarrassed to hand it to him. However, he was here and felt compelled to give it to him. The president once again wore his reading glasses to look at Gun-Ho’s business card.

“President of GH Development?”

“Yes, I am.”

“What does GH stand for?”

Gun-Ho didn’t know what to say. He felt embarrassed to tell him that GH was his initials. When the president noticed that Gun-Ho was hesitating to respond, he laughed and said,

“They must be your name initials. Many people use their initials for their company names these days. Is it a real estate development company?”

“I mostly do rental property business rather than developing.”

The president didn’t wait until Gun-Ho finished his sentence, but he started talking to Amiel.

“I was amazed when I went to the U.S. last month to see Lymondell Dyeon. I was very impressed by their research center and equipment. It was indeed a global enterprise.”

Attorney Kim interpreted for Amiel as the president was talking. Once Amiel understood what the president said, he smiled broadly.

“I had a chance to glance at Egnopak on the way here. I was impressed as well. The factory seemed to be extremely clean.”

Attorney Kim interpreted what Amiel just said.

“Our factory complies with 3 Right 5 S. I guess the workers were doing well since you found our factory extremely clean.”

Attorney Kim whispered to Gun-Ho,

“President Goo, what is 3 Right 5 S?”

“It’s a clean-up activity to enhance productivity efficiently in a factory. 3 Right stands for Right Goods, Right Quantity, and Right Place and 5 S stands for Sorting, Straightening, Shining, Standardizing, and Sustaining. I used to do it when I worked at a factory.”

“Really? I see.”

The female secretary brought tea and placed a cup of tea in front of each person in the office. Gun-Ho could smell the scent of tea.

“Let’s have some tea. Why don’t you join us, Ms. Oh?”

The secretary hesitated a bit before she sat at the edge of the table.

“Ms. Oh went to high school and college in the U.S. She speaks English very well. She will be helpful in communicating with President Amiel.”

“Oh, really?”

Attorney Kim gave his business card to Ms. Oh. She looked at Attorney Kim’s business card. Gun-Ho didn’t give his to her.

After having a few sips of tea, the president continued to talk.

“It won’t be easy for the joint venture of Lymondell Dyeon with Japan to get into the Chinese market. There is an emotional issue between Japan and China due to their history, and also labor cost in Japan is too high. However, if you can have a joint venture with Korea, then it will be much easier to enter the Chinese market. Ms. Oh, why don’t you interpret for President Amiel?”

The secretary fluently interpreted what the president just said with her pleasant voice. Amiel and Attorney Kim seemed to be impressed.

“She spoke just like a native American.”

Attorney Kim said in amazement.

Amiel said,

“We acknowledged the advanced technology of Egnopak. The reason we don’t do joint venture with China is because of their technology that is behind Japan and Korea. Moreover, it’s hard to find good quality compound pigment in a market in China.”

This time, Attorney Kim interpreted for the president.

The president continued to talk. He seemed to be very experienced in this sort of discussion.

“We will prepare the land to build a factory and an extruder for compounds machine. All Lymondell Dyeon needs to bring in is their technology. We will also handle the marketing for the Chinese market; we already have our branch office in China. So, I want to suggest,”

The president dragged his chair towards Amiel and said in a low tone,

“Let’s make it 51:49. We are 51 and Lymondell Dyeon takes 49. We need this to maintain our management control. Also, we want the technology transfer at the end of the joint venture.”

Amiel was listening intently to what the president said, and then he smiled and said,

“I understood what you said. However, I am not in a position to discuss the joint venture’s terms. I will talk with the headquarters. It has been a very productive meeting, sir.”

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Chapter 125 - Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (1) – PART 2

Chapter 125: Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (1) – PART 2

The president of Egnopak called for the sales director.

“Why don’t you show President Amiel of Japan where Lymondell Dyeon is located around our factory, including our research center and production line before they leave?”

“Of course, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho’s party visited Egnopak’s research center. The chief research officer came out and greeted Gun-Ho’s party; he was wearing a white lab coat.

“Our research center has more than 100 researchers with a Ph.D. in Engineering.”

Gun-Ho was astonished by the company’s high-end research equipment and its great number of highly educated employees.

“What I have is nothing compared to this company. I have only a few OneRoomTels and some stocks.”

Gun-Ho felt a bit depressed. The face of the Egnopak’s president who looked like a toad and who had a company with sales revenue of over a trillion won kept popping up in his head.

As Attorney Young-Jin Kim suggested, Gun-Ho and Amiel decided to go to the golf field altogether.

“Since this is your first time in the field, we will accompany you to the field, and in return, you need to buy us a drink.”

“I will do that with pleasure!”

“By the way, are you okay with playing golf during your work hours? It’s a weekday.”

“I’m working right now. This is part of my job.”

“I see. Something related to Lymondell Dyeon?”

“Right. Once the multinational corporation—Lymondell Dyeon successfully starts a joint venture with a Korean firm, our law firm will get paid.”

“Oh, I see. Okay, then I will join your business today.”

“And you go to the field for the first time with us today.”

Attorney Kim insisted that they would have to have an 18 hole round of golf instead of 36 hole round because 36 hole round would be too much for a beginner like Gun-Ho. So they headed to Pine Creek Country Club that was located in Anseong City because it had an 18-hole public golf course. The weather was sunny and bright that day.

“This is so nice.”

Gun-Ho felt good being in a large green golf course.

“Wonderful.”

Amiel seemed to like it too.

“Okay, Gun-Ho. Hit the ball!”

Gun-Ho felt nervous. He grabbed a 1-wood and postured to address the ball, and he hit the ball. Gun-Ho’s ball became unplayable. Gun-Ho felt sorry and embarrassed. He even blushed in embarrassment.

“I have no idea why I play golf. This is too difficult. Sh*t, I want to throw my driver and go home.”

Gun-Ho was a mess in playing golf.

“At impact, do not lift your head. Put your weight on your left foot!”

Gun-Ho was getting better after the round’s first half.

“You are doing good.”

People around Gun-Ho clapped, and he felt encouraged.

“This might be fun.”

Gun-Ho gradually gained confidence and had fun playing golf. He made less and less double bogey or triple bogey.

“Hmm, now I see why people play golf!”

Gun-Ho played golf that day following Attorney Kim’s instruction all the time, but he felt good.

“Congratulations, Gun-Ho. You are no longer a beginner in the field.”

“I feel like I didn’t play golf today, but you did for me.”

After playing golf, Gun-Ho took Attorney Kim and Amiel to a restaurant in Pyeongtaek, which specialized in Galbi*. The name of the restaurant was Nonsense and they were using only Korean beef ribs.

“This is a very famous beef rib restaurant. Enjoy it.”

Amiel loved the dish, and raised his thumb and kept saying “tastes good.”

It was the day when Amiel was leaving Korea. Gun-Ho went to the Palace Hotel to say goodbye to him. Attorney Kim was already there when Gun-Ho arrived at the hotel. Gun-Ho quietly asked Attorney Kim,

“Do you think they will start a joint venture with Egnopak?”

“Negative. They both are sophisticated business experts. It seems that it won’t be easy to reach an agreement with satisfying terms to both parties.”

“Hmm, really?”

Amiel came to the lobby while dragging his luggage.

“I will see you soon.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Amiel for a handshake.

“You know what? I am more interested in you, Gun-Ho, rather than the president of Egnopak.”

“Me? Why? I don’t have money or technology to do a joint venture.”

“Well, I just like you a lot, like a friend.”

“Haha. Thank you for saying that.”

“Why don’t you visit me in Japan with Attorney Kim. I know a good golf course there.”

“Do Japanese people play golf a lot as well?”

“I often go to Yonehara Golf Club close to Tokyo where my company is located.”

“I see.”

“It takes about 50 minutes in a vehicle from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to get there. It’s in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture. You don’t even need a car to go there; you can use a shuttle bus. Come to Japan in the near future. I will show you around.”

“Really? Okay, I will do that. You’d better go now. You don’t want to miss your flight. Let’s go.”

Gun-Ho came back to his office after seeing Amiel leaving the country. He felt so sleepy. When he had a cup of coffee to try to stay awake, he received a call from Suk-Ho Lee who was running a bar in Gyeongridan Street.

“Hey, Suk-Ho. What’s up?”

“Are you busy? Can we talk?”

“Sure, I’m good. How’s your bar?”

“It’s doing okay. I’m calling to let you know that I’m getting married next month.”

“Wow, really? Congratulations, man. Where will you hold your wedding?”

“At the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan Town.”

“War Memorial of Korea? Do they have a wedding hall there?”

“Yes, it’s big. So many couples are having their weddings in that location these days. It was hard to reserve an available date for ours.”

“I will certainly be there. Congratulations again. I am envious of you, man. What’s your bride doing for a living by the way?”

“She has her own business, a clothing store.”

“That’s nice. I’m so envious. I will tell Min-Hyeok in China about your wedding.”

“Thanks. Oh, give me your home address. I want to send you my wedding invitation.”

“You don’t have to mail the wedding invitation. You can just text me.”

“No, I want to do it in the right way. Give me your address, man.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t remember his home address so he pulled out his resident registration card to see his own address.

“TowerPalace, Eonju-ro 30-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul…”

Gun-Ho gave his address to Suk-Ho.

After getting off the phone with Suk-Ho, Gun-Ho called Min-Hyeok who was in China right away.

“Hey, Suk-Ho is getting married. He just called me.”

“Really? So he is getting married before us. Jackas*.

“What’s wrong? Something happened between you and him?”

“Do you know what he told me when I was studying for the government job exam during the gathering with our friends?”

“What did he say?”

“He said why it took so long for me to pass the exam. He was tapping my head while saying it, and he laughed at me. I so wanted to hit him.”

“Haha, forget about it.”

“He was so mean when we were in high school too. He used to tap my head whenever he felt like it in those days.”

Gun-Ho wanted to tell Min-Hyeok about the incident when Suk-Ho took his umbrella in high school, but he didn’t.

“Yeah, he can sometimes be mean. But, he is getting married now. Let’s congratulate him. His wedding will be held on the 6th of next month at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan Town.”

“Can you give him 50,000 won under my name? I will send the money to Ms. Jin-Young Jeong. I don’t think I can attend his wedding.”

“Haha. I will send congratulatory money as a business expense, so don’t worry about sending me the money. I will take care of it.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m letting you go now then. Talk to you soon.”

Note *

Galbi — Korean grilled beef ribs.

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Chapter 126 - Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (2) – PART 1

Chapter 126: Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (2) – PART 1

When Gun-Ho got off the phone with Min-Hyeok, he received another call from President Young-Sik Park of YS Tech.

“President Goo? It’s me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I just deposited the loan interest for the 200 million won that you lent me the other day to your bank account; it’s 1,170,000 won. Because of the money, the company is still staying strong.”

“That’s really good to hear.”

“You saved my company.”

“Don’t mention it, sir. Has Mulpasaneop applied for court receivership?”

“They are in the process of preparing for it. They already received funds from the Small and Medium Business Promotion Center, and they are preparing the application now.”

“Do you happen to know the name of the accountant who has been handling Mulpasaneop’s financial matter? If you have their financial statements, you can find the name of the accountant on it.”

“Hold on one second. Let me check.”

“Okay, sir.”

President Young-Sik Park found the name of the accountant in the Mulpasaneop’s financial statements and gave it to Gun-Ho.

“It’s Accountant Nak-Jong Lee from Anchang Accountant Office.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

“Why do you want his name?”

“I know a hard money lender. He used to make a lot of money as a hard money lender in Myeong Town when he was young. I was thinking that there might be something I can do to help Mulpasaneop.”

“Hmm, really? I see.”

After getting off the phone with President Park from YS Tech, Gun-Ho thought of the accountant—Nak-Jong Lee.”

“Nak-Jong Lee… I guess I will have to see him.”

Gun-Ho collected information on Mulpasaneop such as financial statements from DART and the company’s current state from a paid-website. He wanted to bring all this information to Chairman Lee of Cheongdam Town.

“I believe that Chairman Lee should have some valuable advice on what needs to be done. I feel like I always ask him to meet me only when I need something from him. I think I’d better get him a present or something this time.”

Gun-Ho was at first thinking of getting expensive liquor and then he decided not to; Chairman Lee didn’t often enjoy having a drink anyway.

“Then what should I get him? He has everything he needs. I just want to get him something to show him my appreciation.”

After giving a lot of thought to it, a king-sized persimmon crossed his mind.

“I guess dried persimmons should be good. Considering his age, he would like the tenderness that a semi-dried persimmon offers.”

Gun-Ho purchased a box of king-sized semi-dried persimmons from a department store and went to Chairman Lee’s building in Cheongdam Town.

“The location of this building is excellent. When would I be able to buy a building in this kind of place?”

When Gun-Ho entered Chairman Lee’s office, his secretary jumped up from her seat.

“Hi, is Chairman Lee in the office?”

“Yes, are you President Gun-Ho Goo?”

Chairman Lee’s secretary must have had a very good memory. She remembered Gun-Ho after she had seen him only once last time he visited here.

“Wow. She remembers my name!”

Gun-Ho thought he should have brought something for the secretary as well, like a sweet cake or something.

The secretary went inside Chairman Lee’s office and let him know that Gun-Ho was here.

“President Goo is here?! Let him in.”

Gun-Ho entered Chairman Lee’s office and gave him a 90-degree bow.

“How have you been, sir?”

“What made you come all the way here today?”

“I’m sorry. I should have come to see you more often.”

“You must be very busy these days. I haven’t seen you at the fishing site for a long while. What are you carrying?”

“Oh, I saw this dried king-size persimmon on the way here. It looked so delicious so I had to get them for you.”

“Hand it over to me.”

Chairman Lee opened the box that was wrapped with a golden wrapping cloth.

“They are semi-dried persimmon. They look tasty.”

Chairman Lee tried one persimmon.

“It is tasty. The taste reminds me of my home town. Why don’t you try one?”

“Thank you.”

When Gun-Ho picked up one semi-dried persimmon, Chairman Lee called for the secretary.

“Ms. Park, Ms. Park!”

“Yes, sir.”

The secretary entered the office hastily.

“Take some of these dried persimmons for yourself!”

“Oh, thank you, sir.”

Chairman Lee looked at Gun-Ho’s face closely after drinking a cup of water.

“How’s your business? I can tell by looking at your face that it is going very well.”

“Yes, it’s doing fine.”

“Well, the rental property business is usually stable. I’ve heard you are doing a joint venture with China. How is it?”

“That is doing okay as well.”

“If a company is doing okay, that means it is successful.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho took some moment before bringing up the Mulpasaneop matter. Gun-Ho took out a big envelope with documents related to Mulpasaneop in it.

“What is that?”

“Actually I came to hear your advice on something.”

“I won’t do that.”

“Sir?”

“You have never paid for my advice.”

“Sir?”

“Haha, I’m just kidding. Since you brought me the dried persimmons, that should be my fee. So what do you want to know?”

“Well, there is a company named Mulpasaneop in Asan City. Please take a look at these documents. According to their balance sheet, their annual sales revenue was 70 billion won the year before last year. Since last year, it shrank to 50 billion won.”

“Hmm.”

“They used to have 400 employees, and now they have only about 250 workers. The company is in the process of preparing for the court receivership.”

“Do you want to buy this company?”

“Yes. I used to work in a factory before. I really want to run a factory myself. My desire and hope to have a factory are like a religion to me.”

“What is this 10 billion won foreign investment here?”

“The president’s son opened a factory in China.”

“Since that is not shown on the consolidated financial statements, that factory must have gone under.”

“I suppose so.”

“Why do you want to buy a company that is going broke?”

“I want to make it stable and run it successfully.”

“I understand your desire since you used to work in a factory. Your desire must be different from the one of a person like me who used to work as a hard money lender.”

“Do you think they will sell the company?”

“I don’t know. However, they should be sick and tired of the company by now since they must have suffered enough with creditors.”

“If someone wants to make an M&A of this company, how much would they ask?”

“I’m not sure since I am not the one who owns that company. However, if the president of the company has been running that company since he was young, the company must have meant so much to him like his own child. In that case, the president will resist selling his company until it eventually needs to be broken into pieces and sold. That’s a different mindset from a person like me—a hard money lender.”

“That means, he would want a high price for his company.”

“If he decides to sell it, he would ask for the amount he could have a good retired life with.”

“How much would that be?”

“How much do you think is needed to have a good retired life?”

“About 3 billion won?”

Chairman Lee didn’t say anything.

“Then, 5 billion won?”

Chairman Lee still didn’t say anything before he finally gave what he thought.

“That… I can’t tell. You have to be in the situation to call a price.”

“I think 5 billion won should be enough.”

“How much do you have right now?”

Gun-Ho had about 30 billion won in stock, but he told Chairman Lee that he had about 10 billion won.

“I have about 10 billion won.”

“So you have enough money to buy that company if it costs you 5 billion won.”

“That’s right.”

Chairman Lee clicked his tongue.

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Chapter 127 - Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (2) – PART 2

Chapter 127: Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (2) – PART 2

When he heard Chairman Lee clicking his tongue, Gun-Ho suddenly came to his senses.

“Let’s say, you acquired that company for 5 billion won. Then what?”

“I believe I could gradually pay off the debt as I make money by running the company.”

“Creditors have no mercy. They will fiercely come and attack you.”

“That’s possible. However, creditors are human as well. I guess maybe I can negotiate with them about the repayment plan.”

“Creditors are greedy. Every single one of them will come to you to get his money first. All these account receivables in these financial statements are not true; you know that right? Since you had worked in an accounting department before.”

“That’s right, but…”

“This company’s credit purchase and the payable amounts are over 50 billion won. They can’t pay off the debt even after disposing of all of their assets. If you have 50 billion won, then go ahead and buy the company.”

“Whew.”

“Moreover, they could have hidden debt that didn’t show on their financial statements.”

“So, there could be unexpected debt that would be popping up anytime. I see.”

“Exactly.”

“If they sell the assets they invested in another country, that could be helpful, right?”

“There is none. They invested 10 billion won in another country, but you should assume that there is nothing left there. The fund they invested must be the cost to build their factory there and to buy equipment. A piece of equipment that cost 100 million won at that time now costs almost nothing.”

Gun-Ho realized that Chairman Lee pointed out all the concerns he was worried about himself.

“I know that you are worried about the same things. You just came here to confirm.”

“Whew. That’s right.”

“So, what do you think? Did you get what you came for? Was your dried persimmon worth your money?”

“Haha, yes, more than enough. Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho laughed along with Chairman Lee.

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat and said goodbye to Chairman Lee. Chairman Lee gave Gun-Ho his last advice for the day,

“You can get the answer that you are looking for by carefully reviewing the types of creditors, characters of debt, and their lawsuit and the court judgment. If you want to catch a tiger, you have to get into its mouth.”

“Thank you for the advice, sir.”

Gun-Ho went down to the parking lot in Chairman Lee’s building and started his car. While he was inside his car, he repeated to himself what he heard from Chairman Lee.

“I have to get into the tiger’s mouth.”

Tomorrow was Suk-Ho’s wedding, who was running a bar at Gyeongridan Street.

Gun-Ho asked Ms. Ji-Young Jeong to prepare two congratulatory envelopes.

“Put 100,000 won in each envelope. Write my name on one of the envelopes, and the other one is for President Min-Hyeok Kim.”

“Understood, sir. I will ask Manager Kang to write the names on the envelopes. He has beautiful handwriting. He will come back soon to the office after checking the OneRoomTel.”

“Okay.”

“Sir, if you received the wedding invitation, please give it to me. I will make a copy of it and give it back to you.”

She needed to attach the copy of the wedding invitation to the business expense form in order to categorize it as a business expense.

“Okay. I have it at home. I will bring it to you tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho thought of Won-Chul Jo’s wedding that he attended years back.

‘At that time, I was so worried about the wedding gift money for him. I guess I will see many high school classmates at Suk-Ho’s wedding tomorrow. Won-Chul and Suk-Ho were popular in high school since they both had a middle-class family. They did better in school than me. Min-Hyeok and I were like invisible at that time. Min-Hyeok’s father was a bus driver, and my father was a labor worker in a subcontracting company.’

Gun-Ho was thinking of sending a congratulatory flower wreath to Suk-Ho’s wedding with his name on it.

‘Do I want to send a congratulatory flower wreath to his wedding? What do I want to achieve by doing it?’

Well, Gun-Ho decided to send it anyway. His friends probably already heard that Gun-Ho was making a lot of money, by now. If he gave only 100,000 won for Suk-Ho’s wedding, his friends would think he was cheap. In addition, Suk-Ho might not get a lot of flower wreaths because he hadn’t really worked in a company or belonged to some kind of group, but he had rather been self-employed all these years.

Gun-Ho called for Ms. Ji-Young Jeong again.

“Do we have a flower shop we usually use on occasion?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Can you send two congratulatory wedding flower wreaths to the wedding?”

“What name should I place on the wreaths?”

“One is for President Gun-Ho Goo from GH Development, and the other one is for President Min-Hyeok Kim from Jinxi Industrial Park in China.”

“I’m sorry, sir. Jinxi what?”

Ms. Ji-Young Jeong couldn’t catch everything that Gun-Ho just told her. So Gun-Ho wrote the exact names down on a piece of paper and gave it to Ji-Young.

“Here we go.”

“Got it, sir.”

The next day, Gun-Ho went to a beauty salon to get his hair done, and he wore new clothes as well.

“Wow, sir. You look like a groom.”

Gun-Ho laughed.

“This tie here is the one that Manager Kang bought for me from China.”

“It looks good on you. It looks expensive.”

There were a lot of people at Suk-Ho’s wedding. Some of them changed a lot over the years and Gun-Ho couldn’t even recognize them.

“Gun-Ho? Good to see you, man. I heard you are running your own business. Give me your business card.”

“Hey, Gun-Ho? You look great. I smell rich from you.”

After chatting with several friends from high school, Gun-Ho went to the groom.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. I saw the flower wreath you sent to me. Oh, this is my mom.”

Suk-Ho introduced his mom to Gun-Ho.

“Mom, this is my friend, Gun-Ho.”

“Oh, this is the guy who is running a big company. Thank you for coming.”

Gun-Ho looked around the wedding hall. There were four flower wreaths; two of them were from Gun-Ho. His flower wreaths were standing confidently with his and Min-Hyeok’s name on them.

Gun-Ho’s classmates from high school approached him again.

“Gun-Ho, I heard Min-Hyeok is working with you.”

“Yeah, he is working in China for the joint venture.”

They looked at the flower wreath that has Min-Hyeok’s name on it.

“President Min-Hyeok from Jinxi Industrial Park? Is he a president?”

“That’s right. He is the president of our joint venture. He is having a hard time there now since the company just started.”

“Really? Hey, do you need anything from my company?”

“Haha, my company is a rental property business.”

“Can I stop by your office sometime?”

“Haha, you could but I usually don’t stay in the office, and it is a small company with only two employees. You will have a hard time finding a place to sit there.”

Won-Chul Jo who was working at a big company came to Gun-Ho and asked for his business card. Won-Chul handed his business card to Gun-Ho as well. Won-Chul was now a manager.

“Wow, you are a manager now. Congratulations.”

“You are making good money these days, huh?”

“Working in a big company is better. They pay you a high salary there. Running a company is not easy at all.”

“Let’s get together more often.”

Gun-Ho thought that things changed a lot. Won-Chul used to treat Gun-Ho like an invisible man, and now he was suggesting meeting Gun-Ho more often.

“I’m living in Mok Town right now. Where do you live?”

“I’m living in Dogok Town in Gangnam District.”

“Do they have an office-tel there?”

“I purchased a condo there.”

“Which one?”

“TowerPalace.”

“Really?”

Won-Chul looked sulky at that moment.

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Chapter 128 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (1) – PART 1

Chapter 128: Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (1) – PART 1

Byung-Tae Hwang who graduated from KAIST came to Suk-Ho’s wedding as well. He was ranked number one in the class in high school, and he was known as a genius at that time.

“I heard you are working in Pangyo. Which research facility are you working for?”

Byung-Tae who was wearing thick glasses handed his business card to Gun-Ho instead of answering Gun-Ho’s question. His business card said he was a senior researcher in some research center and he had a Ph.D. in engineering.

“You must be living in Pangyo as well then.”

“No, I live in Suji.”

“You haven’t married yet, have you?”

“I will next year. I have a fiancée.”

“Really? I will be at your wedding.”

“Thank you. I will let you know once I know the exact date and place for my wedding.”

“Hello? Bro? I’m here too.”

Gun-Ho turned his head around to see a person who just talked. It was Jong-Suk.

“Hey, Jong-Suk. How come you are here? Oh, that’s right. You are close to Suk-Ho as well.”

“I used to be way closer to you than Suk-Ho bro. You just became distant lately.”

“No, I didn’t. Hey, you look great in a suit. You look even handsome. You can marry too.”

“We need to marry in order of age. You have to get married first.”

Gun-Ho was thinking.

‘If I still worked in a factory in Pocheon or Yangju, would I have come here for Suk-Ho’s wedding and talked with old friends with confidence?’

It had been a week since Suk-Ho’s wedding and Gun-Ho received a call from Suk-Ho.

“Hey, Gun-Ho. I’m just calling to thank you. You have been very helpful at my wedding.”

“I haven’t done much. How’s your honeymoon trip?”

“It was good.”

“Where are you settling in?”

“I purchased an 18 pyung townhouse in Bogwang Town. My parents helped me to buy it.”

“Really? Bogwang Town is close to Gyeongridan Street where your bar is, which is nice.”

“Oh, I talked with several friends from high school and we decided to have some gathering.”

“Really?”

“I will let you know once the date is fixed. Won-Chul actually suggested having a gathering at my wedding day.”

“Sounds good. Just let me know.”

The board meeting of the joint venture came close. At the board meeting, board members and management officers discuss important policies and matters of the company and also appoint executive officers including CEO.

Gun-Ho left for China to attend the board meeting of his joint venture.

The president of the joint venture—Min-Hyeok Kim was at the airport to pick up Gun-Ho. He came in his Audi with his chauffeur. The joint venture insisted that Min-Hyeok must have a chauffeur because he was a foreigner.

“At the board meeting, the president of Jinxi Construction Company—Chinkkweo Seon and the vice president of the joint venture— Kkangsin Kkao will be there.”

“In addition to those two, there will be a secretary who will take board meeting minutes during the meeting.”

“I see. There will be five people then, including us.”

“Oh, there will be another person—an interpreter. So, six people will attend the meeting.”

“Oh, Suk-Ho from Gyeongridan Street called me.”

“What did he say?”

“He wanted to thank me for sending him the flower wreath and gift money.”

“Really? He could sometimes be mean but he will probably pay you back if you do good to him.”

Gun-Ho was amazed when he saw the Jinxi Industrial Park.

“Wow, it looks majestic!”

“They are not done yet. They are still building more factories. Seven companies stopped by the industrial park when they noticed the park from the road and made a contract with us. They are all Korean companies.”

“That’s right. I read it from the weekly report you had sent to me.”

“They are building factories so fast, right?’

“Yes, they indeed are, and they are very skillful too.”

“Yeah, of course, they are. They are the ones who built the Great Wall of China, several thousand years ago.”

The president of Jinxi Construction Company—Chinkkweo Seon conducted the board meeting as the chairman of the board for the joint venture. He started the meeting.

“We are now starting our first boarding meeting of the Korean Chinese joint venture—Jinxi Industrial Park.”

Everyone at the meeting looked at the chairman.

“The Korean co-venturer, President Gun-Ho Goo from GH Development is here with us today. And this is President Min-Hyeok Kim of our joint venture.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok stood up from their seats and bowed respectively.

“For the Chinese co-venturer, I, myself, Chinkkweo Seon and Kkangsin Kkao are present.”

Chinkkweo Seon and Kkangsin Kkao bowed.

In front of each board member and officer, a ceramic cup of tea, that was decorated with a dragon figure, was placed. The secretary walked around the table with a pot and filled up each cup with hot tea.

“Next, the vice president of the joint venture— Kkangsin Kkao will present the report.”

Kkangsin Kkao started his presentation with a report that he prepared.

“Since we opened our joint venture, we have made 5,200,000 Yuan from deposits that were received by the companies who decided to move into our industrial park. We incurred 8,400,000 Yuan to construct factories so far, and additional 1,200,000 Yuan was spent for other expenses.”

Listening to the report was a bit boring.

Gun-Ho asked a question.

“So, how much is left after spending all the expenses so far?”

“We have currently 3,500,000 Yuan.”

The president of Jinxi Construction Company— Chinkkweo Seon added to Kkangsin Kkao’s response.

“Umm, we started receiving rents from seven companies that already settled in the industrial park since last month. From that time, we haven’t used our joint venture’s fund any longer.”

Gun-Ho anticipated that once the industrial park was fully filled with companies, the joint venture’s fund would increase substantially.

“Since this is a rental business as well, as Professor Jien Wang stated, it is a Cash Cow business (Cash Cow: a profitable business that generates a steady flow of income as if milking a cow.)”

Kkangsin Kkao continued his presentation of the report.

“We will continuously put our untiring effort to be productive and efficient.”

There was nothing special or important after Kkangsin Kkao’s report, but it took unexpectedly a lot of time because of the process of interpreting. The meeting started at 10 am and it was still on, even at noon.

At the end of the meeting, Gun-Ho made a proposal to raise Min-Hyeok’s salary to 6,000 Yuan.

The Chinese co-venturer opposed.

“I object.”

“What is your reason to oppose?”

The Chinese co-venturer stated that once they raised the president’s salary, they would have to raise all other employee’s salary as well.

“If we raise everyone’s salary, then the payability will be weakened.”

Min-Hyeok talked to Gun-Ho in a low voice,

“You don’t have to do this. I am okay. Let’s try this later after we observe how the company develops.”

Gun-Ho then suggested raising the president’s salary according to the business performance.

“We consent to it.”

The Chinese co-venturer stated they all agreed with Gun-Ho’s last suggestion.

Gun-Ho thought those Chinese people who previously had worked for Jinxi Construction Company were not quick but practical.

“They are somewhat reasonable, maybe because they used to work for a government-owned company.”

The board meeting was over after 12:30 pm.

“Good work everyone. Let’s have lunch somewhere really nice.”

The board members and officers went to a restaurant called Jujangchangwan.

The president of Jinxi Construction Company— Chinkkweo Seon had Gun-Ho sit at the head of the table in the restaurant.

“You are the chairman of the board, so you are the one who has to sit here.”

“Don’t say that. You will be the next chairman of the board, and you came all the way here from Korea. You are our special guest.”

After spending some time in suggesting each other sitting at the head of the table, Gun-Ho finally sits there.

They ordered a lot of food and Chinese liquor, Baiju.

“Let’s drink for the company.”

When they clinked their first glasses of Baiju to each other’s, the president of Jinxi Construction Company received a call.

“President Goo, Deputy Mayor Seukang Li is on his way here. Let’s eat slowly.”

“Really? Deputy Mayor is coming?”

When they finished about half of the food they ordered, Deputy Mayor Seukang Li arrived at the restaurant with his chauffeur.

“Hey, President Goo. Good to see you!”

“Good to see you, Seukang Li. You didn’t have to come; we understand that you must be very busy in the city hall.”

“I intended to join you earlier, but the meeting took more time than I expected. I came here as soon as the meeting was over.”

“Have a seat here.”

“Nah. You should stay at the head of the table.”

When Gun-Ho and Seukang Li asked each other to sit at the head of the table, the president of Jinxi Construction Company yielded his seat to them.

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Chapter 129 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (1) – PART 2

Chapter 129: Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (1) – PART 2

In a luxurious restaurant in China, round tables are usually placed in the restaurant, and the head of this round table is the seat that is facing the entrance door.

“This is your seat, Gun-Ho. You sit here.”

Seukang Li pressed Gun-Ho’s shoulder down to the seat, and Gun-Ho was lightly forced to sit at the head of the table again.

“You must be thirsty, Seukang Li after hastily running to the restaurant to join us; drink this liquor. Mr. Chauffeur, have this coke; it will ease your thirst.”

The chauffeur laughed while sitting at the lowest seat; he was still wearing his black sunglasses just like the last time Gun-Ho saw him. Seukang Li continued to talk while drinking a cup of tea instead of liquor.

“How was the board meeting? Did you get the report?”

“Yes, it was very good. I am satisfied.”

“That’s good. As a matter of fact, it cost us a lot to complete the 3-Flow work in the beginning. ”

“I can see that. During the SOC (Social Overhead Capital) creation, it is expected to incur significant cost. How much did it cost your government for the industrial park?”

“I can’t tell you the amount since it is the expense that the government has to bear, but just know that it did cost us a lot. Our goal is to create more jobs for the city by building the industrial park and invite more businesses.”

“You are a very good government official; I can tell you that. Hey, President Min-Hyeok Kim, don’t you agree?”

“I absolutely agree with you. I’ve met with a lot of Chinese government officials since I came to China, and I am impressed by their sheer effort to enhance their people’s life.”

“President Goo, let’s drink. Confucius once said, ‘don’t you feel delighted when you have a friend from far away.’ That’s exactly what I feel.”

Seukang Li then grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand.

“My friend, I truly thank you. Usually, if we start a joint venture with a Korean company, the Korean company would demand a lot of things and they would intervene in our management. However, your GH Development doesn’t do that. I do recognize your trust and appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. You just take care of President Min-Hyeok Kim for me, who is out here alone working for the joint venture.”

“President Min-Hyeok Kim is doing very well here; I can tell you that. Don’t worry about him.”

While he was saying that, Seukang Li clinked his glass of liquor to Min-Hyeok’s.

They continued to drink.

“President Goo, my industrial park project has been highly praised within the government. I think I will possibly be promoted and be able to move back to Shanghai.”

“Really? That’s great.”

“It hasn’t been confirmed yet. However, once the industrial park is fully occupied with companies, and it creates more jobs that leads a rise in the employment rate, most likely, I will be able to move back to Shanghai.”

“You have all your family in Shanghai, right?”

“Yes, I want to move back in with my wife and kids in Shanghai. However, I do love Kunshan City as well. They have so many beautiful things to offer including—natural environment. My wife is currently working as an official at the customs in Shanghai; if not for her job, I would really want to settle down in Kunshan City with my family. The people here are very nice as well.”

Everyone that day drank a lot including Seukang Li and Gun-Ho. The people from Jinxi Construction Company and Min-Hyeok enjoyed drinking as well.

After having a nice dinner and drink, Gun-Ho’s party walked out of the restaurant. Gun-Ho wanted to sober up, so he asked Min-Hyeok to go to the canal with him.

“Why don’t we go to a lake instead? The canal is not very clean.”

“Either one is fine with me. Let’s go to the lake then.”

Min-Hyeok asked his chauffeur to drive to Yangcheng Lake.

The water of the Yangcheng Lake looked very clean blue.

The light breeze on the lake was shaking reeds.

“This is so nice. I like the lake in China. It is way bigger than a lake in Korea. Min-Hyeok, let’s get off the car and take a walk.”

“Sounds good.”

“I guess there should be a huge poi living in this lake, and it must be tall about our height.”

“China has enormously huge land and lakes; I like it. However, the weather could be nasty.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok walked along the lake while enjoying the nice breeze from the lake without saying anything. After a while, Gun-Ho grabbed Min-Hyeok’s hand.

“Min-Hyeok, I know you are having a hard time here by yourself.”

“No, it’s okay. I work as a president here because of you, and people respect me.”

“How’s your learning the Chinese language going?”

“It doesn’t improve as fast as I want it to. I study with the interpreter—Eun-Hwa Jo every day, but I guess it will take time.”

“You don’t have any problem going to a restaurant or buying food by yourself, right?”

“Yeah, I can do that. I actually took the Chinese Proficiency Test—HSK last time as Eun-Hwa Jo suggested, and I passed the level 4.”

“Oh, really? Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?”

“I wanted to pass the level 6 before telling you. Level 4 is not high enough to show off.”

“Level 4 is high enough; you should be proud of yourself, given the fact that you haven’t been in China for not that long.”

Gun-Ho held Min-Hyeok’s hand tightly.

“I sometimes feel so sorry to you that maybe I shouldn’t have sent you to China. Let’s endure for some more time. We will see a bright day someday.”

“Thank you, Gun-Ho. I’m not sure if I can be of help here. I just don’t impose.”

“Min-Hyeok, I absolutely need you. You, the son of a bus driver, and I, the son of a manual labor worker, we both were born to a poor family. And we both have been through a lot. Moreover, you had worked in a quality assurance department. So, I was thinking you were the perfect person for the position that you are in right now.”

“I am still not sure if I am good enough for the position.”

“Min-Hyeok, you will be actually doing way bigger work in the near future with me. Even though you are currently managing the rental business in this industrial park, you and I will move forward and work in a bigger world.”

“Do you think I can handle it?”

“Min-Hyeok, my dream is to own a manufacturing company. I don’t have money and I am not very smart, so, I don’t think I can compete with smart or talented people in the IT field or in the entertainment business. However, I want to have a gigantic manufacturing company.”

“I see. That’s your dream.”

“And I want to have the same-sized factory in China too. So I do absolutely need you.”

Min-Hyeok quietly let go of Gun-Ho’s hand and looked at his face closely.

“Gun-Ho, my friend, I do admire you. I don’t understand how you made that much money and started your own company at your age. Our friends told me that you made money in a real estate investment in China, but that doesn’t make sense to me either. In order to invest in real estate, you need seed money in the first place. Well, I think you are great and I admire you.”

Gun-Ho recoiled when Min-Hyeok mentioned about the seed money, and wanted to tell him that,

‘My friend, Min-Hyeok, I made my seed money in a way that I am not proud of. Min-Hyeok, since you are in China, you might want to invest in real estate as well just like I did; however, the difference between you and me is that you don’t have seed money to start with. The gap between the rich and the poor starts with the existence of the seed money. In this harsh reality, that seed money I made, as a person who was born to a poor family, is soaked with my bloody tears. Min-Hyeok who has a pure and clean heart just like the water of Yangcheng, don’t follow in my footsteps.’

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Chapter 130 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (2) – PART 1

Chapter 130: Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho’s face hardened for a second and then he smiled.

“Min-Hyeok, it just happened that way.”

“No, you are different from us, Gun-Ho. You are becoming a legend among our friends.”

“Let’s take a picture together. There is a student riding a bike over there. Let’s ask him to take a picture of us.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok posed for a picture while putting arms around each other’s shoulders. The Yangcheng Lake appeared in the background of the picture.

Gun-Ho was going to return to Korea right after the board meeting, but then he decided to meet Professor Jien Wang before leaving China. He wanted to see his friend and have a drink with him. He made a call to Professor Wang.

“Gun-Ho? Are you in China? Where are you? Are you in Kunshan City?”

“Yeah, I came to Kunshan City to attend the board meeting. I just wanted to see you before going back to Korea. I’m thinking of going to Zhejiang University in Hangzhou City to see you.”

“Really? Come! I want to see you, friend.”

Gun-Ho headed to the express bus terminal in Shanghai to take a bus to Hangzhou City. Min-Hyeok came along with Gun-Ho to see him off.

“I’m sorry, Min-Hyeok. I really wanted to get the approval to raise your salary at the board meeting.”

“Don’t worry about it. 5,000 Yuan I’m receiving now here is enough for me. I can’t get a raise without other employees getting their raise too.”

“Take this. You probably need this. As you work in a position as a president, you will face an unexpected situation where you need to spend extra money.”

Gun-Ho slipped an envelope with 1,000 cash in into Min-Hyeok’s pants pocket.

“Don’t do this. I can’t take it, Gun-Ho.”

Min-Hyeok pulled out the envelope from his pocket and gave it back to Gun-Ho, and Gun-Ho tossed it back to Min-Hyeok after he got on the bus.

“Bye, Min-Hyeok! I will see you later!”

“Gun-Ho, this is not… hmm…”

The bus that Gun-Ho was on slowly left the express bus terminal and headed to Hangzhou City when Min-Hyeok picked up the envelope from the ground, that Gun-Ho tossed towards him. Gun-Ho could see Min-Hyeok through the window; he was standing still while looking into a blank space.

“Min-Hyeok seemed to lose a lot of weight. Just hang in there, my friend. You will have good days soon.”

Once he arrived at Hangzhou City, Gun-Ho made a call to Professor Jien Wang. However, the phone kept ringing without being answered.

“He is probably in a lecture.”

Gun-Ho had stopped trying to call him, and he started walking around West Lake instead when he received a call from Professor Wang.

“You are already here? I have to give a special lecture to MBA students right now. Can we meet at the lobby of Mangho Hotel after an hour?”

Gun-Ho decided to stay around the West Lake area for a while before heading to Mangho Hotel since he had one-hour spare time before meeting Professor Wang. When he continued to walk along the West Lake, he saw a farmer who was wearing a triangle straw hat; he was selling lotus seed. It was not something he could easily find in Korea.

“How much is it?”

“It’s two Yuan per bag.”

Gun-Ho walked toward Mangho Hotel while eating the lotus seed piece by piece.

Professor Wang arrived at the lobby of Mangho Hotel with a huge briefcase; he probably came straight from his lecture.

“Hey, Gun-Ho! Good to see you, my friend.”

“Hey, Jien. Let’s have a drink.”

“Of course. Having a drink with a good friend always makes me happy.”

The two men headed to a restaurant called Punghaechancheong which Professor Wang recently marked as a good restaurant while putting arms around each other’s shoulders.

“Give us one bottle of Jian Nan Chun, please!”

The two friends drank while having a lot of fun talking to each other.

“How’s Attorney Young-Jin Kim doing? He is really a good friend. I heard he is busy these days in working on the joint venture case for Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Yeah. I’ve met the president of Lymondell Dyeon’s Japan branch as well. They haven’t yet made a contract or anything official.”

“When two parties try to have a joint venture together, they shouldn’t keep on insisting on their own terms. Having a joint venture together is like having a marriage; the two parties should understand each other’s position and interest, and try to work it out. Don’t you think?”

“Well, it’s easier said than done. It’s all about money.”

“I actually recommended President Amiel of Lymondell Dyeon’s Japan branch to have a joint venture with China. But he said no. He said that China doesn’t have advanced enough compound mixing technologies and he couldn’t rely on the quality of China’s chemicals and molding techniques.”

“China has many global companies.”

“However, after giving some thought to it, I sort of agree with President Amiel’s view now.”

“Why is that so?”

“The problem that China has is not about the technologies or resources, but it’s more about the ethics of people who are running the companies.”

“I believe there are a lot of well-respected businessmen in China.”

“Of course there are many. However, there are way more unethical businessmen in China than in Japan or Korea. That is a big problem. I am embarrassed to tell you this but some Chinese people even make a fake egg and sell it. What would happen if they use pigments for their compounds, which were sold by an unethical seller? They would have to export those products too.”

“Hmm.”

“I could see it in a different angle because of Amiel. I think a person like you should do a manufacturing business rather than a rental property business. Manufacturing business can create a lot of jobs, so it could serve well for the welfare of the country.”

“Jien, I am not that smart and I don’t have that much money to start a manufacturing business. I’d better cut my coat according to my cloth.”

Professor Jien Wang ordered one more bottle of Jian Nan Chun.

“President Goo, why don’t you start a manufacturing business? It is not necessarily a doomed business. I know that everyone these days wants to get into an IT business, entertainment business or game industry. However, the basic industry which supports a country’s economy strongly is a manufacturing business.”

“I see what you mean, Professor Wang. I will think about it when I see an opportunity.”

“Oh, by the way, Seukang Li will more likely move back to Shanghai soon. His industrial park project is highly recognized as a success.”

“If he moves back to Shanghai, which position he would take?”

“He is a deputy mayor of a small city right now. If he could move to Shanghai, I believe he will probably take the position of a director of the bureau. That’s a high ranked position because Shanghai is a big city.”

“Of course. Shanghai is a big city with probably more than 10,000,000 populations.”

That day, Gun-Ho and Jien Wang drank a lot and went to karaoke to continue their fun night.

The karaoke was surprisingly crowded by a lot of pretty girls.

“How come there are tons of pretty girls here today?”

They asked the owner of the karaoke.

“Oh, there was a model contest sponsored by a cosmetic company in the area. These girls are participants of the model contest from other regions, and they are here to make some extra money.

“Are you saying that these model contest participants came to the karaoke to make money?”

“That’s right. Our karaoke is an expensive high-end karaoke with a lot of foreign customers. So these girls all came here expecting to make good money by working here tonight. There are many students among them. Choose any girl you want to have fun with.”

“Hmm.”

Professor Wang clicked his tongue.

“President Goo, let’s get out of here.”

“Why? I like here. It’s getting fun.”

“There are too many people here who could see us. Let’s go somewhere quiet.”

Professor Wang walked out of the karaoke while carrying his big briefcase. Gun-Ho thought it was a shame to miss the fun opportunity and followed Professor Wang out of the karaoke.

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Chapter 131 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (2) – PART 2

Chapter 131: Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (2) – PART 2

Professor Wang took Gun-Ho to a beer bar in the West Lake area, which was on the second floor of a commercial building. The view from the bar that was overlooking West Lake was magnificent. Having a beer while looking down the night streets of the West Lake area was a fantastic experience; they enjoyed their beer and the moment.

Until, late at night, the two friends talked about the topic that they both were interested—business management. Professor Wang passionately talked about the theory of it, and Gun-Ho focused on the practical side of it.

Professor Jien Wang was very knowledgeable about business management as a college professor.

He was a brilliant kid when he was young, and he used to teach at Yale University in the U.S. after completing his Ph.D. degree at the same university.

“Very impressive, Professor Wang. You sometimes amaze me with your knowledge… You seem to know everything about business management in theory.”

“Theory is just theory. President Goo, you are the expert on the practical side of business management. Also, you are outstanding in making money.”

“By the way, what’s inside the huge briefcase that you are carrying around? There is more knowledge that you need an extra storage to put into, than what’s in your head?”

“Hahaha. This is just survey documentation that my MBA students submitted after taking my special lecture today.”

“What kind of lecture was it?”

“We just talked about cases. I didn’t really give any lecture to them today, but I let them discuss and debate on certain cases. The students seemed to have fun doing it, and there are new things to learn about for me as well.”

“What kind of cases did you talk about?”

“The first case that we talked about was about Target Marketing. I gave them a fact pattern and a relevant question on that topic.”

“What was the question?”

“The question was that… there were five women in a flight and they had an accident. One of the five women was a female president of a country, one was a scientist who received a Nobel Prize, one was a very rich woman, and one of them was an extremely popular actress which is an airhead but she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The last passenger of the flight was a female religious leader who was highly respected worldwide.”

“Hmm.”

“When the plane that those five women were on had an accident, the pilot had to throw out four of these five women to make the plane light enough to safely land on the ground. And the question that was given to the students based on this fact pattern was who the pilot should let go as a first victim.”

“Hmm, who should the pilot throw out first?”

“You want to know? I gave a lecture when I was teaching in the U.S. with exactly the same scenario and the question.”

“Hmm.”

“There is actually no right answer to it. However, the pattern of the answers that different age group shows in selecting the first victim in the scenario is the thing that we need to pay attention to; it is very interesting and you will be surprised. The young students tend to abandon the actress and insist on saving the scientist. On the other hand, the group of older students insists on saving the actress.”

“Really?”

“It is explained that the group of older people is trying to save the actress in an effort to preserve the human species.”

“You said that a beautiful actress is an airhead. Then why do they want to preserve the human species with a stupid woman? If you marry the stupid woman, you will likely to have a stupid child.”

“That is common sense, right? However, many old people believe that stupid people can have a smart descendant as time goes by.”

“What does it have to do with target marketing though?”

“Say, you have a company that produces products meant for teens. What if your company uses a beautiful model who is known to be an airhead and who had no historical consciousness for their products that were specifically targeted at teenagers? It won’t work, right?”

“Hmm.”

“Do you want to hear another fact pattern?”

“Yes, I am curious. This is fun. What was the other one?”

“It’s about the process of building wealth.”

“Hmm.”

“Here we go. A poor factory worker wanted to be rich like Hu Xueyan (One of the richest businessmen in Chinese history).”

“How in the world could a factory worker possibly become a rich man?”

“That factory worker started working at a pharmaceutical company and he bought certain medicines; he carefully selected the medicines whose price is likely to increase. He bought them using the pharmaceutical company’s money without telling anyone.”

“You mean that the factory worker misappropriated the company funds?”

“That’s right.”

“The factory worker left the company after making a fortune and he didn’t forget to fill up the company account with the same amount that he previously misappropriated to make sure he didn’t cause any financial loss to the company. That factory worker used the money that he made in this way to open a business in a traditional market. As he ran his own business, he also invested in various places and he started building wealth from there.”

“Hmm.”

“The question for the class discussion was what we should do about the factory worker’s misappropriation of the company’s funds.”

Gun-Ho suddenly became sober. The fact pattern seemed to be describing his own story.

Gun-Ho drank more liquor hastily.

“Re, really? So what was the outcome of the discussion?”

“The answers that people gave show again different patterns with different age groups. They differ as to the degree of the punishment that the factory worker should receive. Teenagers become furious with anger and kept on insisting that they have to report the factory worker to the authority. On the other hand, the older people tend to let the factory worker go since he paid back the company without causing any financial loss.”

“Forgiving him?”

“Many of these people want to fire him though rather than totally forgiving him by letting him keep the job. It shows that in reality, a poor factory worker without special talent cannot become wealthy unless a miracle happens to him.”

“Hmm.”

“Of course the offense that the factory worker committed requires the victim’s complaint, so without the company’s complaint, the factory worker can get away from his wrongdoing without being punished. However, I don’t believe it is the right way to handle the situation.”

“Hmm.”

“I get mixed feelings when I give this kind of questions during my lecture. The economic ladder to climb up in China is collapsing. On the other hand, I heard that in Korea there are still opportunities for the poor to build their wealth since it is a developed country. I am envious of Korea.”

Gun-Ho kept on drinking without saying a word.

“Hey, man, easy on your drinking. You had enough liquor today.”

“Let’s have one more bottle of liquor. The f*cking world.”

“Haha. Let’s call it a night. I will take you to your hotel. What was the room number again?”

Professor Wang helped Gun-Ho to walk by holding his arms and headed to the hotel that Gun-Ho was staying.

When Gun-Ho returned to Korea from the trip to China, he felt exhausted.

He went to a massage shop to relax and recover from his travel fatigue.

“I feel much better after having two hours of massage and dry sauna. Traveling makes me really tired.”

When Gun-Ho got back to his office, he made a call to the branch manager of the stock brokerage company.

“Wow! President Goo? I am extremely glad that you called me.”

“Let’s have lunch together.”

“Of course. I’m honored to have lunch with you.”

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Chapter 132 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (3) – PART 1

Chapter 132: Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho had lunch with the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm at a Japanese sushi restaurant.

“Sir, which stocks do you currently invested in these days? Even though I am a branch manager, I can’t look into a client’s account without their consent.”

“I have Kumho Chemical stock.”

“I see. It is a very good choice. You must have some sort of insight into selecting the right stock as a big player.”

“Do you have any information on Kumho Chemical?”

“The older brother of Kumho Asiana Group recently tried to make an M&A of Daewoo Construction Company and failed to do so. That resulted in deeper discord between the two brothers.”

“He tried to get something he couldn’t get. Daewoo Construction Company is too big for him to acquire. I guess the people around the older brother didn’t assist him right.”

“The brothers of Kumho family were supposed to equally share Kumho Chemical stock as 10.1% for each. However, they failed to maintain this state as the younger brother is trying to increase his share; that’s what I heard.”

“Hmm.”

“If that is what’s really happening, the price of the stock will go up again.”

“I currently have 30 billion won worth of stocks through your stock brokerage firm.

“Wow. Did you say 30 billion won?”

“I suppose your company must have clients who are bigger players than me in the stock market; especially your firm is located in Gangnam.”

“Oh my goodness, sir. Even in Gangnam, there is no one who places tens of billions of won in their stock account. As far as I know, you are the biggest player in the stock market.”

“If I want to sell some stocks and invest more in Kumho Chemical, how much do you think I should buy?”

“If I were you, I would invest 30% of the total funds in the stock account, in Kumho Chemical.”

“Which stock should I buy with the remaining funds then?”

“What do you think of Macquarie Korea Infrastructure Fund (MKIF)?” Their stock price doesn’t fluctuate significantly and also you can expect to receive a dividend.”

“It’s a joint venture of Macquarie Group and Shinhan Group, right?”

“That’s right. You know about that company?”

“Actually I have a joint venture myself with China as well.”

“Oh, you do?”

“Infra companies rarely go under.”

“I am a risk taker and a winner. I don’t like stable stocks.”

“But you want to invest in the stock market within some sort of safety zone.”

“Thank you for meeting with me and giving me information today.”

“Anytime, sir. I enjoyed meeting with you. We learn a lot from big player investors like you as well.”

When he got back to his office, Gun-Ho thought of what the branch manager of the stock brokerage company said.

“The brothers of Kumho family no longer maintain the same number of shares on Kumho Chemical stock.”

Gun-Ho smiled.

After three months, when Gun-Ho opened his stock account, his eyes widened. He could feel that his body temperature was rising. He then thought that he shouldn’t show his current emotion to anyone.

“Oh my goodness. The price of Kumho Chemical stock increased three times. My shares of Kumho Chemical are worth 90 billion won now.”

Gun-Ho wanted to scream in excitement and laugh loudly, so he ran to the underground parking lot where he parked his Land Rover. Once he got into his car, he started the engine and began to laugh like a crazy man.

“Hahahahaha.”

There was no one in the parking lot, and because of the sound of his car engine, no one would be able to hear his laughter.

Gun-Ho was actually going to sell all of the Kumho Chemical stock earlier.

“It’s stupid to sell the stock knowing that the Kumho brothers are still fighting each other.”

Gun-Ho felt a sense of relief.

‘Good opportunity doesn’t often come in a lifetime. Chairman Lee told me not to invest in the stock market since the other player’s cards are unknown. However, this was a special case. I could see the other player’s cards, and it is a rare opportunity that I encounter maybe once in a lifetime. I shouldn’t sell the stock just yet.’

Gun-Ho felt the urge to sell the stock and grab the cash of 90 billion won, so he could acquire Mulpasaneop with the fund.

‘No! No! This is an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime. I see the other player’s cards!’

Gun-Ho needed help to suppress his urge to sell the stock; maybe he should go on a trip abroad.

However, if he traveled more than a week, the trip would probably bore him; he would probably think of going home immediately.

“I should at least wait for six months before I sell the stock. What should I do during those six months? Should I go to a private institution and learn something? Just like how I learned about the auction?”

Gun-Ho registered for an English course in the Gangnam area. He also registered for a Japanese course that he could take in the afternoon. He actually didn’t care much about learning foreign languages; he just needed something to distract himself from thinking of stock.

“Let’s just learn the basic English and Japanese, so I can at least say hi in those languages.”

Gun-Ho was well aware of the fact that it took time to learn a foreign language, and it was impossible to speak a foreign language in a day or two.

“It took me three years to speak Chinese, and I wasn’t even fluent at that time. I will be satisfied if I could say hi in English and read Katakana and Hiragana in Japanese.”

Gun-Ho didn’t expect much at all while he was attending the language classes to learn English and Japanese.

Gun-Ho was having his usual day.

He went to his office in the morning and listened to Manager Kang and Ms. Ji-Young Jeong’s report; he then signed on their reports. He read three different newspapers: an economic newspaper, a conservative-inclined daily newspaper, and a progressive daily newspaper.

“I need to know the view from both sides: conservative and progressive groups, so I don’t lose my sense of balance.”

After reading those three different newspapers, it was usually lunchtime.

Gun-Ho usually went to a luxurious restaurant and had tasty food for his lunch since he had more than enough money to ignore the lunch cost.

In the afternoon, he attended two different language classes to learn English and Japanese. Once the classes ended, he practiced golf or worked out in a gym.

The instructors of the language classes were young female native speakers. Many housewives from Gangnam came to Gun-Ho’s language classes as well. They were not really studying hard, but it seemed that they just came to the class for fun.

GH Development Company was doing fine. Even though it was a small company with a small office, which was running four OneRoomTels, the office was big enough to give space to two employees and Gun-Ho. The company was also financially doing good enough to pay two employees too. Gun-Ho also liked the fact that he could always ask either Manager Kang or Ms. Ji-Young Jeong for any necessary work or errands.

Manager Kang and Ms. Ji-Young Jeong trusted Gun-Ho since he was treating them well, and they knew Gun-Ho was a wealthy man even though his company was a small-sized company.

The joint venture that Gun-Ho was participating in was doing fine as well. He invested his 1.5 billion won to this joint venture, and the company didn’t have to spend those funds any longer because it could run with the rent they were receiving from companies in the industrial park. So, at this point, Gun-Ho didn’t have to invest an additional fund to the joint venture.

“It usually takes way more than 1.5 billion won to start a joint venture.”

Gun-Ho’s joint venture wouldn’t make a significant amount of money in a short period of time; it was not that kind of business. However, it could bring in steady income. Gun-Ho was especially content with the fact that he could use the experience and connection he gained by participating in the joint venture as a stepping stone when it became the right time to get into the Chinese market with his own future business.

Gun-Ho also placed the right person in the joint venture for him in China. Min-Hyeok who went to high school together with Gun-Ho was also born to a poor family as Gun-Ho, so they shared similar life experiences and understood each other better. Min-Hyeok was by nature a hard worker and an earnest person. Gun-Ho was sure that he was the perfect person to oversee the business activities in China.

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Chapter 133 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (3) – PART 2

Chapter 133: Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (3) – PART 2

All of Gun-Ho’s attention was being paid to the Kumho Chemical stock right now. Its price hiked three times up, and it made Gun-Ho’s currently retaining stock value over 90 billion won.

Gun-Ho was holding on to the stock without selling it just yet. He decided to keep it for now because he didn’t hear anything about the reconciliation of the two brothers of Kumho family.

“I am certain this stock’s price will go up higher. I just have to suppress my urge to sell it!”

Gun-Ho wanted to tie his hands somewhere so he wouldn’t be able to sell the stock. He didn’t even open the stock trading website on his computer for some time now.

He eagerly wanted to acquire Mulpasaneop. The price of the acquisition was not a problem for Gun-Ho. The real problem would come along after he purchased the company. He would have to take over all debt that the company had, and he was not sure if he could handle it.

“Their debt is definitely more than 50 billion won, and there is possibly more to it that is hidden somewhere.”

Gun-Ho just kept an eye on the company for now.

He could acquire the company right away once he sold all of his stocks. However, that was not what he wanted to do because it was too risky. If something went wrong after he acquired the company, then he would lose all he had.

“I have to look before I leap.”

Gun-Ho was being extremely careful. He knew what his life would be like without money by experience, so he didn’t do anything reckless or careless with his money. When he wanted to invest in something, he always thought about it twice or three times before doing it.

It seemed that the joint venture between Lymondell Dyeon and the Korean company—Egnolak—didn’t work out.

Gun-Ho made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim to ask about it.

“Attorney Kim? How’s the joint venture of Lymondell Dyeon going?”

“It’s not going anywhere. I guess it won’t work.”

“I see.”

“The president of Egnopak is demanding too much.”

Egnopak was well known as extremely particular about hiring their employees among job seekers as well. The company posted a job advertisement for an entry position every year, and the competition was over 100:1. They demanded extremely high qualification on the job candidates as well.

“I remember that it was impossible to get into this company with a college degree from a province.”

Gun-Ho had heard about it from people who were studying in Noryangjin.

“My older brother graduated to a mid-ranked college in Seoul, and he scored 950 in TOEIC. However, Egnopak rejected him based on his papers; they didn’t even bother inviting him for an interview.”

“That company also requires many specific things to be included in a personal essay that needs to be attached to the job application.”

“Instead, they pay very well. Even an entry position receives 50 million won per year.”

Gun-Ho should have felt honored to be with the owner-president of this famously particular company in the same space and to have a cup of tea with him. The president who had a large round face like a car wheel with small eyes was often seen in the media.

Gun-Ho remembered a news article he read years back about the president.

“Our company is looking for a new employee who had a sense of ownership about the company he is working for. I came this far after overcoming all sorts of management crisis.”

Gun-Ho chuckled.

“His father acquired a factory that Japanese people left behind before returning to Japan. It was right after Korea gained its independence from Japan. That was how the Egnopak president’s father built his wealth. His father was a pro-Japanese person; he had even contributed a plane to Japan, and his daughter is a professor at a good university in Seoul. She must be doing very well in school, huh?”

Gun-Ho made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim again.

“Hey, it’s me again. How much did you say was the total investment fund that Lymondell Dyeon and Egnopak agreed on for the joint venture?”

“It’s 20 million dollars.”

“Hmm. Then each company will have to come up with 10 million dollars. 10 million dollars is a lot of money.”

Gun-Ho thought that Egnopack would invest in kind by contributing land to build a factory on and construction of a factory and preparing the necessary equipment.

‘With 10 million dollars, they can build a factory in a province with all kinds of advanced technology in it. They would be able to bring ten extruders by purchasing them instead of leasing them. However, it’s funny that Lymondell Dyeon had to invest 10 million dollars. They will need to bring raw materials, but it won’t cost them much. Their intangible asset—goodwill—must be worth substantially. It’s like the premium I had to pay for the restaurant I purchased in Noryangjin. Well, if I can make a lot of money, then I am willing to pay for a high premium.’

Attorney Young-Jin Kim was representing Lymondell Dyeon, and he was on their side, of course.

“Lymondell Dyeon is a global company. Why would they go through all these hassles to work with Egnopak?”

“Then, is Amiel looking for another Korean company to do the joint venture with?”

“He is not rushing. The joint venture with Japan is selling a significant number of products right now anyway.”

“I see. The Japanese market is large. That makes sense.”

“Oh, by the way, Amiel is asking for you to come to Japan to visit him with me. Would you like to go?”

“That sounds good.”

“I am currently working on a case about the issuance of foreign convertible bonds for a big company. So I don’t have time for the trip this week. How about next week?”

“Convertible bonds? Isn’t it handled by a stock company?”

“Companies want to consult us because of legal issues around it, and the papers are all in English. That’s how a person like me makes a living. Overseas convertible bonds are handled by Morgan Stanley or Goldman Sachs. Korean stock companies handle it as well.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I think the work will be completed by the end of this week. So, let’s go to Tokyo next week.”

“Okay. Just let me know.”

Gun-Ho decided to take a trip to Japan and have fun there in order to distract himself from feeling an urge to sell his stock.

Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim&Jeong completed his overseas convertible bond work and took a vacation. He was ready to go on a trip to Tokyo with Gun-Ho.

Since it was not a business trip for a legal work assigned to him by the law firm but it was purely his personal trip, Attorney Kim had to pay for his own travel expenses this time.

“President Goo? I will make a reservation for a hotel. We’d better save money, right?”

“Which hotel are you going to reserve?”

“I know a less pricey hotel around Minami-Senju Station. Amiel’s office is close to the station as well. Nihonbashi is around there too.”

“We don’t often go to Tokyo. Let’s stay in a good and decent hotel. I will pay for it.”

“Whoever pays for a hotel, we don’t have to waste our money, right?”

“I will make a reservation for a hotel. New Ontani Hotel in Akasaka looked good. I saw the hotel last time I went to Japan for a tour.”

Gun-Ho had once been to Japan before. He went there for a tour after he had come back from China. At that time he couldn’t afford to stay in an expensive hotel like New Ontani. However, he was different now. He had 90 billion won worth of stock in his account.”

“I won’t be able to buy your flight ticket, but I can pay for the hotel we will be staying in. It will be just for three nights or so.”

“But still…”

“Don’t worry about it. I will take care of it. I will talk to you later.”

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Chapter 134 - Geisha Mori Aikko (1) – PART 1

Chapter 134: Geisha Mori Aikko (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho made a call to a travel agency that he had always been using for his previous travels.

“Hi, I need two flight tickets to Tokyo. Also, could you make a reservation for a hotel? I like New Ontani Hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo. Please ask them to include breakfast as well.”

Gun-Ho changed a lot over the years.

He was now proactive and no longer hesitated when he worked. He used to be indecisive, and he always felt inferior to others in most situations. He even stuttered sometimes when he felt nervous or pressured. However, he was no longer that person. In the Western world, people say, “Money talks” as a person gains power if he has a lot of money, to say what he wants, and people would listen and pay attention to him. Gun-Ho proved that saying was true. Gun-Ho felt confident all the time.

Attorney Young-Jin Kim felt sorry, and he felt somewhat owed to Gun-Ho when he found out that Gun-Ho reserved the luxurious 5-star hotel for him.

“President Goo? I found a Japanese-Korean interpreter for us. He will help us while we stay in Japan.”

“Really? That’s awesome.”

“He is one of my colleague’s younger brother who is a Ph.D. student in Japan.”

“I will pay him per day.”

“No, you don’t have to. I will take care of it.”

“By the way, do we take a limousine bus from Haneda Airport to Akasaka?”

“No, we don’t have to. Amiel will send a car to pick us up at the airport.”

“Really? That’s very nice of him.”

“Okay, then. See you at the Incheon International Airport tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim arrived at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. It was a beautiful April where Sakura flowers were in full blossom. When Gun-Ho walked out to the waiting area at the airport, he saw two people who were waving a white paper with Young-Jin Kim’s name on. Attorney Young-Jin Kim walked toward those two men.

One of them was the chauffeur who Amiel sent to pick up Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim, and the other person was Jeong-Rok Han who was a Ph.D. student at Tokyo University.

“Hi. I’m Jeong-Rok Han. Jeong-Ryeul Han is my older brother.”

“Oh? That’s right. You look just like your brother. I work with Attorney Han.”

“My brother told me a lot about you. Please talk to me in a casual way; I am younger than you, and you work with my older brother.”

“This is President Gun-Ho Goo. He is with me.”

Jeong-Rok Han gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho. The young man was wearing glasses.

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

Gun-Ho didn’t even twitch his head when he introduced himself to this young man. Gun-Ho now knew how to behave like an important and superior person.

“Oh, this is a chauffeur from Lymondell Dyeon. I just met him here too.”

The chauffeur looked like in his 50s. He greeted Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim with a broad smile. Since Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim both didn’t speak Japanese, they just said hi in Japanese and let Jeong-Rok Han take care of the rest of the parts.

During the ride from Haneda Airport to Akasaka, Jeong-Rok Han did all the talking; he seemed to be having a lot of fun.

“New Ontani Hotel is a great hotel. I did some interpretation work there last winter when two congressmen from Korea came to Japan. They stayed at New Ontani Hotel as well. The hotel has a beautiful garden that had been there for 400 years. It is a traditional Japanese style garden and it is very famous for its beauty.”

Gun-Ho asked,

“How old are you, Mr. Jeong-Rok Han?”

“I’m 31 years old. Please consider me like your younger brother.”

Jeong-Rok Han slightly nodded his head when he talked. With that gesture, he looked more like a Japanese man.

When Gun-Ho arrived at the hotel, he quietly asked for Jeong-Rok Han.

“We will stay in Japan for the next three days. I guess you will have to help us a lot, and I appreciate it.”

Gun-Ho gave 100 dollars in cash to Jeong-Rok Han.

“Wow! 100 dollars! Thank… thank you, sir.”

Jeong-Rok Han grabbed Gun-Ho’s luggage right away and carried it for him. Gun-Ho was amazed at how much things had changed.

“I was nothing but a factory worker who graduated from a low-ranked college in the countryside, a few years back. And now, a Ph.D. student at Tokyo University is carrying my luggage for me.”

Gun-Ho smiled bitterly.

At the lobby, Gun-Ho saw Amiel; he was already there to greet Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim.

“Hey, Gun-Ho and Young-Jin, good to see you guys here!”

The three men shook the hands of each other pleasantly.

Young-Jin and Amiel talked to each other in English, and the Korean-Japanese interpreter—Jeong-Rok Han seemed to be astonished by Young-Jin’s fluent English. Because of the Language difference and capacity, Amiel talked with Young-Jin most of the time in English, and Gun-Ho usually talked with Jeong-Rok in Korean.

“Mr. Jeong-Rok Han, is there any good restaurant that you want to recommend around here?”

“There are many bars outside the hotel that you might like. For food, you can either eat at one of the restaurants at the hotel or if you’d like to have Korean food, there are Korean restaurants around here too. I know a good Korean restaurant that specializes in Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup).

“Really?”

Gun-Ho took his party to a restaurant at the hotel, called Suksimjeong.

“I’ve googled a good place to eat here, and this restaurant is good at grilled food on a hot plate. Let’s have dinner here for today and then have a desert outside the hotel. I will treat you all with dinner.”

Gun-Ho’s party enjoyed grilled food at the restaurant; it had a nice atmosphere.

“Wagyu (Japanese beef) is really tasty just like people said. It has the right tenderness, and it is very delicious.”

Amiel suggested that,

“Let’s do this. Let’s first visit the Dyeon Japan factory in Yokohama City. Since President Goo is here, I want to hear his opinion about the factory.”

“My opinion? What do I know to give such an opinion?”

“You’ll probably tell us some of your insight once you see the factory. You used to work in a plastic factory, right?”

“Well, I’m not sure about it. However, since we are here, let’s have a tour of the factory. Is that okay, Attorney Kim?”

“Sure. I’ve never had a tour at a factory before. It should be interesting.”

“And the day after tomorrow, we’ll go play golf in a golf field that is located in Inchihara City. What do you think?”

“Sounds good. Let’s do that, and we’ll be going back to Korea on the third day.”

“Also let’s have a drink after playing golf, and the person who lost at the golf game will buy us drinks; I mean a lot of drinks.”

“Sure.”

Gun-Ho’s party went to Yokohama City to see the Dyeon Japan factory. The factory was not big unlike Gun-Ho expected, maybe because it was located in an area close to a city, and the price of the land must be expensive. However, the interior of the factory was very clean. Every single worker at the factory was wearing a grey-colored uniform and a hat. The extruders were making a loud noise.

“Our factory is located close to a residential area, so we tried to lower the noise level but we failed to do so. Whenever the factory makes a loud noise, we get complaints right away.”

“Really? How many products do they produce per day? And what about sales?”

Gun-Ho thoroughly checked things and made a note.

Young-Jin asked Gun-Ho with a smile,

“Hey, you are not starting a joint venture with them, right? What are you writing all those for?”

“I’m just interested in it. It could be useful someday, right?”

At the unit where chemical compounds were made, the workers were wearing a mask. Young-Jin Kim and Jeong-Rok Han stopped at the unit entrance, probably because of the chemical smell and powders that were flying in the air. Gun-Ho looked closely at the ingredients listed on the vinyl bag of chemical compounds.

“Amiel, is it okay if I take pictures of the factory’s interior?”

“Pictures? Hmm… Well, we don’t usually allow photographing the factory; however, I will let you do it, President Goo. Just keep them to yourself.”

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Chapter 135 - Geisha Mori Aikko (1) – PART 2

Chapter 135: Geisha Mori Aikko (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho took pictures of products sized of a red bean, which were exiting the extruder. The products were coming out in different colors which indicate their different uses. Some were to be used for home appliances and some were meant to be used for automobile parts. In a plastic factory, these products were used to produce plastic plates or various sorts of parts or tools after they melt them again and molded them into the desired shape.

“Did you say you don’t export any of these products outside Japan?”

“All of the products that we produce at this factory are used in Japan.”

“Hmm…”

Gun-Ho nodded.

On the second day of Gun-Ho’s trip to Japan, Amiel took Gun-Ho’s party to Yonehara Golf Club. They took a shuttle bus and arrived at the golf club after an hour. The golf course was located at a 400,000 pyung hill.

“Wow. This is so beautiful.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim who had been in many different golf courses before was amazed.

“I feel like I can breathe better here.”

The clubhouse was pretty as well. The building was constructed in a western style.

“If Jien Wang was here, he would have said that this was built in Seobanah (Espana in Chinese pronunciation) style.”

Gun-Ho was talking to himself, and Attorney Young-Jin Kim seemed to have heard him.

“Seobanah? What is Seobanah? This is a Spanish style building!”

“Seobanah means Spain. Chinese people call Spain—Seobanah.”

“Oh, really?”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim laughed.

Just in time, Gun-Ho’s phone rung.

“Huh? It’s from Korea. Maybe it’s from my office; did something happen?”

The phone call was actually from Gun-Ho’s high school classmate—Won-Chul Jo who was working in a big company as a manager.

“Gun-Ho? It’s me, Won-Chul Jo.”

“Yes, hey, what’s up?”

“Did Suk-Ho call you about the gathering? We are trying to have a gathering with friends from high school.”

“Yes, I heard it from Suk-Ho.”

“I want to talk to you about the gathering. Do you have time tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is not good for me. I am in Japan right now. I’m taking this call in roaming.”

“Really? What are you doing there?”

“I’m playing golf with friends here.”

“Really?”

Won-Chul didn’t say anything for a second then continued to talk.

“Are you playing golf with some of our friends from high school? I can’t think of anyone from our friends who would go to Japan to play golf.”

“I’m with other friends you don’t know.”

“Who are they?”

Gun-Ho was wondering why Won-Chul wanted to know who he was playing golf with. Won-Chul was being nosy, Gun-Ho thought.

“An attorney friend from Kim&Jeong and a president of the Japan branch office of Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Kim&Jeong law firm? Wow. You are living large.”

“I’m coming back to Korea the day after tomorrow. I will call you then. I gotta go. It’s my turn to tee off.”

“Okay. I’m sorry. I will let you go.”

“This is my first time being in a golf field.”

Jeong-Rok Han who came along with Gun-Ho’s party to the golf field to interpret for Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim said. He was watching them play golf with a curious look on his face.

“Hmm, then watch how badly I play golf.”

“What?”

Jeong-Rok Han laughed.

A good golf player—Attorney Young-Jin Kim and Amiel—continued to make a birdie while Gun-Ho keeps making a bogey. Even with a lot of bogeys, Gun-Ho was doing not bad at all; he played along with Attorney Kim and Amiel. His ball was once dropped into the bunker at the 8th hole. Except that, he was doing fine. They finally finished 18 holes.

“My ball was moving by itself against my intention.”

“President Goo, you lost the game no matter how you look at it. You’ll be buying us a drink.”

After Gun-Ho’s party left Yonehara Golf Club, Amiel took them to a bar in Shinjuku City.

The bar was luxuriously decorated. Its yard was very well landscaped with flowers, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

Amiel teased Gun-Ho.

“Hey, President Goo. This bar is so special that not many Korean has been here before. Even a minister of Korean government wouldn’t be able to come here just because they want to. It is very expensive here.”

“How much do they charge? I think I can handle it. Let’s get in!”

Amiel chuckled.

“Why are you laughing?”

“You can’t just go in there and expect to be served with liquor. They selectively accept their own customers, and you have to make a reservation in advance; it is a must.”

“Really? Are you saying you already made a reservation with them?”

“I actually did. I told them that I will bring a very rich Korean man, who has a joint venture with China. I also told the chief hostess that this man is an important figure so they’d better serve him well.”

Amiel kept smiling while he was saying it.

“Irasshaimase (Welcome in Japanese)”

Two young women who were wearing Yukata came out and greeted Gun-Ho’s party.

“Amiel-san desu ka? (Are you Mr. Amiel?)”

“Hai (Yes).”

Once Gun-Ho’s party get on the floor, a middle-aged woman who was also wearing a Yukata came out and greeted them.

“Oh, Amiel-san. It has been a while.”

“How are you Mama-san?”

The floor in the room where Gun-Ho’s party was shown to was neatly covered with tatami, and in the middle of the room, there was a floor table. The four men sat at the table: Gun-Ho, Young-Jin Kim, Amiel, and the interpreter—Jeong-Rok Han. Jeong-Rok was busily looking around the room; it seemed that he had never been to a place like this before. Gun-Ho recently gained a bit of weight, and he was not skinny anymore, probably because he had been well fed lately. He now had a fine presence. Mama-san recognized Gun-Ho at a glance.

“Oh, this must be the Goo-sama (Mr. Goo) who is running a big business.”

Mama-san placed her head on the floor to show Gun-Ho her respect and to give a bow.

“I am Segawa Joonkko. I’m very pleased to meet you, sir.”

Mama-san did the same thing to Attorney Young-Jim Kim and also gave a slight bow to Jeong-Rok.

Fancy and neat Japanese dishes started coming out.

Some tasted just like Korean sashimi so Gun-Ho could comfortably eat them. Gun-Ho couldn’t digest some spices since those spices tasted strange. The liquor they brought along the food was a type of sake; the liquor had a tender and clean taste.

After Mama-sang left the room, two women entered the room with a Japanese traditional musical instrument—Shamisen. They both looked like in their 30s. They kneeled on the floor gently and started playing Shamisen.

It was a new and pleasant experience for Gun-Ho to drink liquor while listening to Shamisen. Gun-Ho felt like he became some sort of a lord in ancient Japan.

Once they had a good time drinking with music, Amiel called for Mama-san. He seemed to ask something very special to Mama-san.

“Joonkko-sang, I brought a very special guest here today. Please bring the most beautiful dancing geisha—Mori Aikko—who used to be very famous in Gion (Kyoto’s famous geisha district).”

“Hahaha. You can’t just call for Mori Aikko like that.”

“Please tell her that a billionaire from Korea is here.”

Gun-Ho was startled and said,

“Hey, what are you talking about? I am not a billionaire!”

Mama-san made a comment to what Gun-Ho’s said,

“Hahaha. I can tell he is a billionaire. I’ve been seeing a lot of people because of the nature of my business. I know how to read people’s face and know what kind of people they are. I know you are a billionaire.”

Everyone in the room laughed. Gun-Ho was the only one who felt a bit uncomfortable.

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Chapter 136 - Geisha Mori Aikko (2) – PART 1

Chapter 136: Geisha Mori Aikko (2) – PART 1

The four men continued to drink.

Gun-Ho felt like he could drink more than usual that day, maybe because he did a good exercise earlier by playing golf.

Once the beautiful melody from the Shamisen stopped, a young lady in Kimono entered the room. Her face was covered with a geisha make-up; she was probably Mori Aikko girl that Amiel was talking about. She was a dancing geisha. The lady placed a hand fan she was carrying on the floor and kneeled, and then she placed her head on the floor and bowed to Gun-Ho’s party.

“I am pleased to meet you. My name is Mori Aikko.”

When Mori Aikko lifted her head slowly, Gun-Ho’s party was all shocked.

“Wow! She is so beautiful!”

This woman had a peerless beauty.

The eyes of all three Asian men—Gun-Ho, Young-Jin, and Jeong-Rok—except Amiel widened. Amiel probably couldn’t fully appreciate this girl’s beauty because he might not know about the Asian beauty as much as the other men in the room. Jeong-Rok was especially lost in admiration of her beauty.

The two other girls who were holding Shamisen started playing music again.

And Mori Aikko who was kneeling on the floor picked up the hand fan from the floor and slowly stood up. She started dancing along with the melody from Shamisen.

“Wow!”

She looked like a fairy from heaven. Attorney Young-Jin Kim swallowed his saliva and Gun-Ho felt itchy somewhere on his body. Jeong-Rok couldn’t close his mouth while watching her dancing.

The melody from Shamisen sounded sad. Many old melodies tend to sound sad compared to music these days. Aikko, this time, started singing along with the melody of Shamisen. She sounded sad.

“Sadameno Mijjiwa Gadenagoomo…”

Gun-Ho clapped Jeong-Rok on the waist, who still kept his mouth open.

“Could you translate the lyrics?”

“Oh, it says that even though the path of your destiny is a long way, you need to conceive scent.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho thought that the singing Mori Aikko seemed to be somewhat pitiful. Maybe it was the melody that she was singing made him feel that way, but it practically made him choke up.

“Of course, the path of destiny must be a long way.”

The lyrics made him think of his life. Gun-Ho came this far putting all his energy and time into an effort only to make money, and he was not sure if it was the right way to live his life. Mori Aikko folded the hand fan and kneeled on the floor again, and she placed her head on the floor and bowed.

“Thank you for watching my humble dance.”

The three Korean men were just sitting there without saying a word, and Amiel clapped and laughed broadly.

“Wonderful!”

The three Korean men finally woke up by Amiel’s clapping sound and started clapping along with Amiel. Mama-sang who was sitting next to Gun-Ho’s party said,

“Did you enjoy her dancing? Mori Aikko is the most beautiful and the most popular girl among the dancing geishas in Tokyo.”

“It was fantastic.”

“Mori Aikko doesn’t dance for any person, but she does only for special people. I asked her to come to dance for you because Amiel-san brought a special guest—President Goo.”

Aikko stepped backward towards the door and walked out of the room after bowing again.

Amiel talked to Mama-sang pleasantly.

“Aikko looked prettier than the last time I saw her. In my American guy’s eyes, she is very pretty.”

“She is pretty and extremely popular; however, I’m worried about her because she hasn’t put her hair up yet. She became already twenty years old this year.”

“She didn’t put her hair up yet?”

Gun-Ho remembered people saying that expression in golf when a person hadn’t been in a golf field yet. He thought maybe Mori Aikko was practicing golf these days. He asked Mama-sang,

“Mama-sang, what do you mean by that she hadn’t put her hair up yet? Is she playing golf in an indoor practice facility?”

“Hahaha, it has nothing to do with playing golf. Not putting her hair up means she is still a virgin.”

“Really? She can date a man then.”

“I meant that she couldn’t find any man to put her hair up yet. Because she is a geisha, we are looking for a man who could put her hair up for her among our guests.”

“Among the guests?”

“Yes, the guest who would put her hair up must be a gentleman who has a good manner and discipline. That man will become a sponsor to her forever. A geisha gets a reliable and stable sponsor and she usually doesn’t get married. A geisha chooses her own sponsor who is the best gentleman among gentlemen.”

“Hmm.”

The geisha’s customs intrigued Gun-Ho.

“There must be tons of men who would put her hair up since she is such a beauty.”

“Of course; however, Aikko is very picky. She said she wouldn’t choose anyone if not the best man in the world.”

Gun-Ho wanted to ask if it is possible for a foreigner to put her hair up, and then he decided not to. However, the interpreter—Jeong-Rok was asking the same question to Mama-sang already.

“Does she mind having a foreigner as her sponsor? Like a British or American guy?”

“Hahaha. Are you thinking of Amiel-san? Amiel-san is already married. Aikko wouldn’t even consider a married man as her sponsor. The thing is that it’s hard to find a single man who could afford to come to our bar since it is very costly.”

“There are single young men who have a wealthy father.”

“Aikko hates those types of men. She said those guys must be spoiled.”

“Hmm.”

“Aikko has her own sad life story. She lost her parents in a car accident when she was little. Her parents were teachers in an elementary school in Sapporo City. As an orphan, she moved from one relative’s home to another until she came to Gion (Kyoto’s famous geisha district). She was 14 at that time. Hahaha, by the way, you all are more interested in Aikko rather than your drink.”

“Oh, we will have another bottle of sake, please.”

Even after Gun-Ho came back to New Ontani Hotel, he couldn’t stop thinking about Aikko. Her thick eyelashes, shiny eyes, and full lips… Gun-Ho couldn’t help thinking about her. Especially, thinking of her shiny skin made his heart flutter.

“Mori Aikko, I want to see her dancing again. Can I go that bar again on my own? But I can’t speak Japanese.”

Gun-Ho felt extreme thirst; he took out a bottle of water from the refrigerator in the hotel room and gulped down water. Gun-Ho decided to return to Korea for now, promising himself that he would come back again in the near future. He couldn’t stay in Japan any longer this time even though he desperately wanted to, because Attorney Young-Jin Kim had to go back to Korea to work; his vacation was almost over.

When Gun-Ho came back to Korea, he received a phone call from Won-Chul Jo again.

“Gun-Ho? How was your trip to Japan?”

“It was okay. Thank you for asking.”

“We will have the gathering with high school friends the day after tomorrow at Suk-Ho’s bar.”

“Suk-Ho from Gyeongridan Street?”

“Yeah, he said he would close the bar that day and lease the place to us for our gathering.”

“Really? Okay. I will be there.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at Suk-Ho’s bar, there were about ten high school classmates. They already started drinking.

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo! It’s hard to recognize you. You changed a lot. You look like a real business owner now.”

Won-Chul Jo stood up when he saw Gun-Ho entering the bar.

“How was Japan? You went there to play golf?”

“Hey, Gun-Ho, you are having a nice life. You went to Japan just to play golf, huh?”

Suk-Ho showed a seat to Gun-Ho.

“I save a spot for you, Gun-Ho. Was the traffic heavy on the way here from Gangnam?”

Gun-Ho looked around the room. Half of the friends were wearing a suit with a tie and the other half was wearing a jacket. The ones who were wearing a suit and a tie must be employees of some companies.

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Chapter 137 - Geisha Mori Aikko (2) – PART 2

Chapter 137: Geisha Mori Aikko (2) – PART 2

At Suk-Ho’s bar, the friends from Gun-Ho’s high school continued to drink and eat food. Dishes were prepared and a box of soju was placed; however, those seemed to be not enough. The bar was filled with clamor.

“Hey, you, Suk-Ho, f*cker! Why don’t you drink? You don’t drink because you own this place?”

“You drink, you f*cker!”

“Hey, Byung-Chul Hwang! Why are you being so arrogant? Is it your tie that makes your neck stiff? Remember when I went to your research center to see you? You hurt my feelings when you said you couldn’t come out and meet me just because you were in a meeting or something. Take this drink; it is the penalty you have to pay for treating your friend that way.”

“Hey, you are wasting soju. Don’t over pour it.”

“You, f*cker. Sh*t up and just eat this!”

The bar was full of noise and also cigarette smoke. These people were in their mid-30s and they were supposed to know how to well behave with other people in a public place by now. However, they seemed to go back to the old days when they were still in high school, and they certainly seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

Gun-Ho didn’t enjoy it though. He didn’t like the noise, smoke, and his high school friends’ rudeness.

Won-Chul who was sitting next to Gun-Ho kept asking him to drink more, so Gun-Ho drank a few glasses of soju; however, his mind was somewhere else. He was thinking about the secret bar at Hannam Town and the quiet bar in Shinjuku City in Japan. Gun-Ho became acclimatized to the lifestyle for the rich.

“I don’t see Jae-Sik Moon here, who used to sit in front of me in high school.”

Jae-Sik Moon just crossed Gun-Ho’s mind and he asked the friend who was sitting next to him. Jae-Sik was living with her grandmother at that time. He had a poor family too.

“Jae-Sik? He is delivering packages for a living. He lost all his earnings in the stock market; I told him he shouldn’t invest in the stock market. He now has a bad credit score, and he can’t come and enjoy this type of gathering now.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho felt uncomfortable.

“Maybe the money I made from the stock market included Jack-Sik’s money that he lost in the stock market.”

Suk-Ho suddenly started screaming.

“Hey, stop talking for a moment, and listen to me. Won-Chul Jo who arranged this gathering for us has something to say.”

The room became quiet and Won-Chul stood up from his seat.

“Umm, it has been already 15 years since we graduated from high school.”

“Hey, just cut to the chase!”

“I’d like to make this gathering as our regular meeting so we could continuously share our friendship. I brought some flyers for it. Take a look at it.”

“The name of our social gathering is WestFacing Club? Does the name mean something?”

“Many of us used to live in Juan Town in Incheon City or Bucheon. Our high school is located there too. So, to remember the area that we once lived in, I named our gathering WestFacing.”

“It sounds like WaspFacing.”

People chuckled.

Won-Chul Jo read the flyer he brought in to the friends at the bar. It was about starting a social gathering with friends from high school. Everyone agreed with starting a gathering so they could meet each other on a regular basis. And then they started disputing over the amount of the membership fee, whether it should be 30,000 won or 50,000 won. The dispute lasted 30 minutes. Gun-Ho wanted to leave the bar after paying whatever amount of money they were asking.

“What do you think, Gun-Ho?”

“I’m good either way. I will just follow what is decided.”

After determining the amount of the membership fee, they started spending another time on electing the president of the club. They all nominated Gun-Ho for the position because he was rich. Gun-Ho jumped up from his seat. The idea of taking charge of this club and constantly getting together closely with these people horrified him.

“I think Won-Chul Jo should take the president position since it was his idea to get together regularly in the first place. I am not good for the position. I will pay some money to support our meeting though.”

Gun-Ho adamantly refused to take the position. Won-Chul, on the other hand, seemed to be interested in taking the position. Two very different types of people contrasted clearly; Gun-Ho was more like a recluse, while Won-Chul was a political person.

Gun-Ho took proactive action to confirm Won-Chul’s election as the president of the WestFacing Club.

“Everyone, let’s clap to congratulate Won-Chul on becoming our club’s president.”

One or two started clapping and then everyone clapped. Gun-Ho then stood up from his seat.

“I went to Japan last week and I have some left-over trip money. Let’s move to another place; I will buy you all a drink with the money to celebrate the formation of the club. Where are we right now? We are in Itaewon Town, right? The famous Itaewon Town! It would be a shame if we don’t drink more in Itaewon Town. Don’t you think?”

“Yeah! You are absolutely right. You are good at speech, Gun-Ho. You were not like this when we were in high school. Anyway, let’s have more drink as Gun-Ho suggested!”

“Let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

More than ten people as a group walked towards Itaewon Town.

As soon as Gun-Ho came to his office, he made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“Attorney Kim? Is this a good time to talk?”

“Yeah, it’s good. You spent too much on our last trip to Japan, Gun-Ho. I am sorry.”

“Nah, don’t mention it. It was not much at all.”

“That bar in Shinjuku City cost you a fortune, right? That place is famous for its high price.”

“It’s okay. We all had fun, right?”

“By the way, what made you call me in this early morning?”

“Oh, I’m calling to ask you about an accountant. I’m looking for an accountant. Your firm has a lot of accountants, right?”

“That’s right.”

“If you have an accountant close to you, would you ask him to look for an account with a name, Nak-Jong Lee? From Anchang Accountant Office. I am sorry to call you to ask a favor in the early morning like this.”

“An account’s information can easily be found at the Accountant Association or something. Why don’t you ask the accountant your company is working with?”

“I didn’t want to involve the accountant who I am working with. He would want to take the job for him. It could be troubling.”

“What are you up to, man?”

“I will tell you later.”

“Okay, I will see what I can do. There are so many accountants. It will take me some time.”

After lunchtime, Gun-Ho received a call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“No one at our firm knows the accountant, Nak-Jong Lee personally; however, one of my attorney colleagues knows the president of Anchang Accountant Office.”

“Oh, then he can find out about that accountant, right?”

“Yeah, he said Accountant Nak-Jong Lee is in Cheonan City.”

“That’s about right! I think that’s him!”

“Let me give you a phone number. It’s not his personal cell phone number but it’s his office number.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Accountant, Nak-Jong Lee is the one who had been handling Mulpasaneop’s financial matters.

Gun-Ho lost in thought for a moment.

“Should I ask him how Mulpasaneop is doing right now?”

Gun-Ho then shook his head.

“He won’t tell me like that. I am a stranger to him, and he won’t reveal any information about his client to a stranger. He is not supposed to talk about his client’s information to anyone. How should I approach him then?”

Gun-Ho started thinking with his arms crossed.

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Chapter 138 - Company in Rehabilitation (1) – PART 1

Chapter 138: Company in Rehabilitation (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho at first wanted to give Accountant Nak-Jong Lee the impression that he was referred to him by someone he knew, and then he changed his mind.

“Maybe he would feel uncomfortable being referred by someone. Let’s just go see him on my own. An accountant usually welcomes any person who needs his consultation.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Anchang Accountant Office in Cheonan. Given the fact that the office had been handling a big company’s financial matters like Mulpasaneop, it must be a decent accountant office.

“May I talk to Accountant Nak-Jong Lee?”

“He is not in the office right now. May I tell him who called?”

“I just would like to consult him. When do you expect him to come to the office?”

“He will be here after 2 pm.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho slowly headed to Cheonan City in his Land Rover while humming Bohemian Rhapsody.

“Attorney Kim said the tax office of Cheonan City is located in Cheongsu Town.”

“I am an artist who hunts companies. The founder of Hanjin Group—Jung-Hun Jo said that running a company is an art. That’s right. I am an artist—a takeover artist.”

Gun-Ho parked his car in front of the Cheonan tax office and looked around. Usually, an accountant office or tax accountant office was located close to the tax office in the area.

“There we go. It’s right over there on the fifth floor. Considering it is a province, I think there will be only two or three accountants working in that office.”

“Hi. How may I help you?”

A female worker stood up and asked Gun-Ho who just entered their accountant office.

“Hi. I am here to see Accountant Nak-Jong Lee to consult about my financial situation.”

“Have you made an appointment with him?”

“No, I haven’t. I just came from Seoul.”

The female worker went to an office and let the accountant know that someone from Seoul was here for a consultation.

“Let him in.”

Gun-Ho entered the office and bowed to the accountant respectfully. The accountant looked like in his 50s and looked very experienced in the field.

“How can I help you?”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the accountant and said,

“I do a rental property business in Seoul. I also have a joint venture with China in Jiangsu Province, China.”

Accountant Nak-Jong Lee looked at Gun-Ho’s business card and then looked at Gun-Ho’s face; he had a suspicious look on his face.

“I actually came here to know about Mulpasaneop in Asan City.”

“Are you a creditor to Mulpasaneop?”

“No, I’m not. I used to work at a company that was one of Mulpasaneop’s vendors. I want to help the company.”

“How do you think you can help the company?”

“I do a hard money business as well. I think I can lend some money.”

Accountant Nak-Jong Lee said with a sneering look on his face.

“You have looked at their financial statements, haven’t you?”

“I have a rough idea about their financial situation.”

“If so, why would you lend money to them?”

“Even though they have no real properties that could be used as collateral for a loan, I think there should be some other way to get a loan; they should have other assets like equipment or something.”

Accountant Nak-Jong Lee shook his head from side to side.

“That’s nonsense!”

The female worker came into the room and left hot green tea on the table.

“I used to work at a factory before. A factory should have something valuable enough to use as collateral.”

“I’ve never heard of using a lump of scrap metal as collateral for a loan. I don’t think I can help you with the Mulpasaneop matter. Please leave.”

“Let me ask you one thing, then I will leave. If I offer to lend money to Mulpasaneop with the interest of 20%, do you think the president of Mulpasaneop would take my money?”

“He would take your money, of course, because he has been suffering a lot with creditors. Are you aware that they already started the court receivership?”

Gun-Ho was a bit surprised but tried not to show his emotions to the accountant.

“I actually came here to ask you about it. I’d like to know their case number.”

“You can ask the female worker outside the office. I will just get back to work now. I have so much work that I have to finish.”

Gun-Ho bowed to the accountant respectfully before leaving his office.

“We might see each other again in the near future. Oh, I’d like to pay for the consultation fee; I guess I have to pay for your time.”

“You don’t need to pay the fee. Just go, please.”

Gun-Ho walked towards the female worker with a smile.

“Thank you for the tea, Miss. I was told that I could ask you about the case number of Mulpasaneop.”

The female worker searched a pile of documents for a while, and then she wrote down a case number on a yellow post-it before giving it to Gun-Ho.

“Daejeon District Court 20xx Court Receivership 000.”

Gun-Ho took the memo and walked out of the office.

“I wanted to ask him about the number of Mulpasantop’s creditors as well, but I guess that’s not so important right now. Well, that company ended up being like this. I drove this far to get the case number; I guess I didn’t at least waste the gas.”

Gun-Ho was about to leave when he decided to get them something before leaving for Seoul. He purchased a box of fruit drinks and a box of walnut cookies.

“I’d better get along with the accountant office in case I need them again in the future.”

Gun-Ho went back to the accountant office while carrying a box of drinks and a box of walnut cookies. The accountant was talking with the female worker in his office.

“Why did you come back?”

“I just wanted to give you these. You didn’t even charge me for a consultation fee.”

The female worker took the drinks and cookies from Gun-Ho with a smile.

“Thank you.”

The accountant seemed to be relaxed a bit this time.

“You didn’t have to bring me anything. I am no longer Mulpasaneop’s accountant. Once a company starts its court receivership, they take care of the company, and their accountant is automatically released from the duty.”

“I’m aware of it. I’m leaving now. Thank you for your time today.”

Gun-Ho actually didn’t know anything about it; he just pretended that he was aware of all that.

“I guess I will have to learn more about the court receivership.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim. He didn’t go straight to the topic that he wanted to talk about with him. Instead, he started some small talk.

“Hey, we have to do the golf thing again in China too. With Professor Jien Wang, right?”

“Sure. But not any time soon though. I have so much work piled up these days.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s too much.”

“Oh, do you happen to know an attorney who knows well about the court receivership? A company that I know started their court receivership.”

“Why do you want to know about it? You want to make an M&A of that company?”

“Oh, is M&A the next step after a company starts the court receivership?”

“If they can’t get back to the business on their own, an M&A is a good option for them. If you look at an economic newspaper, you will easily see an advertisement from an agency about M&A of a company.”

“An agency?”

“Yes, they connect between a company and a buyer. It could be another firm like a law firm. Which company are you talking about, by the way?”

“I just want to know about the court receivership system.”

“I know someone who is an expert in the court receivership. He is working in Seocho Town. And his office manager is also very experienced in that field as well.”

“Will you introduce the office manager to me then?”

“Sure. I will make a call to that office. The attorney over there is my senior and he is a very good person. His office is in Seocho Town and it must be close to your office.”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. What are friends for?”

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Chapter 139 - Company in Rehabilitation (1) – PART 2

Chapter 139: Company in Rehabilitation (1) – PART 2

It was around evening time when Gun-Ho received a text message from Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“The office manager’s name is Se-Gil Lee, and his phone number is 010-2485-0000.”

Gun-Ho made a call to the number right away.

“Office Manager Se-Gil Lee? I am referred to you by Kim&Jeong law firm. I’d like to have a consultation about the court receivership.”

“Are you planning to apply for the court receivership for your company?”

“No, it’s about a company that already started their court receivership process. I just like to know about the system.”

“Do you have their case number?”

Gun-Ho gave the office manager the case number that he received from the accountant’s office.

“Give me a moment.”

It took less than a minute before the office manager got back to Gun-Ho, and he said,

“It doesn’t look good. It’s about Mulpasaneop, right? The company has more than 300 creditors. The company incurs a lot of expenses as well after the court receivership started.”

“Umm, would you have lunch with me today? I know your office is in Seocho Town. I’m at Gangnam Station.”

“Oh, I am not in Seoul right now. I am in Anseong City.”

“Anseong City? I thought your office is in Seocho Town.”

“Oh, we took a case yesterday of a company that is about to start their court receivership. I have to work here until 10 pm and I won’t be in Seoul for a while.”

“Oh, I see.”

“If you need to see me anytime soon, why don’t you come to Anseong City? I’m at the company’s warehouse by myself.”

“A warehouse?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t understand why the office manager was at the company’s warehouse by himself.

“Sure. I can come to Anseong City.”

“I will be here. The company name is BC Teucksoogang.”

Gun-Ho wanted to see this office manager as soon as he could. He wanted to know about Mulpasaneop’s situation and also he had to learn more about the court receivership.

He entered BC Teucksoogang’s address into the GPS navigator before heading to Anseong City. Even with the help of GPS navigator, Gun-Ho got lost once and wandered a lot before he could finally find the BC Teucksoogang’s factory.

“F*ck! It was right under my nose.”

Gun-Ho drove into the company yard. There was a security guard office without a security guard. A few workers in uniform were walking around here and there as well. Gun-Ho made a call to the office manager.

“Where are you? I’m in front of the factory right now.”

“From the main entrance to the factory, do you see a small storage building behind the main factory?”

“Yes, I see it.”

“I am inside that building. Once you enter the storage building, you will see a place with a divider screen. I’m there.”

Gun-Ho grumbled,

“What in the world is he doing in that storage?”

Gun-Ho entered the warehouse building. He couldn’t see anybody there though at first, and then he saw a light at the backside of the building.

“Hmm. That should be him.”

Someone craned his neck out of the divider screen.

“Hey, it’s right here.”

“Are you the office manager—Mr. Se-Gil Lee?”

“That’s me. Please come over here. Be careful with the pile of pipes there.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Here?”

“This is the usual spot for my work. We don’t want the company workers or creditors to know that we are working on the court receivership. And because of the nature of my work, I have to quickly finish the work before anyone finds out. I just need a space where I can work with my computer. So this is good.”

“Oh, let me introduce myself to you. I am Gun-Ho Goo.”

“I am the office manager of Hanbit law office—Se-Gil, Lee.”

The two men exchanged their business cards to each other.

After exchanging business cards, they were about to sit on a chair when a man in his 30s came to the storage building. He was wearing a uniform; he was probably an employee of this company.

“Did you bring the vehicle registrations?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Seven of them? Including the forklift truck?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Why don’t you put the papers on the desk? I will take a look at them later since I have a guest here now.”

“Okay.”

The worker walked out of the storage building after placing the papers on the desk. He looked exhausted.

“He looked very tired.”

“That’s probably because he hasn’t been paid for a while now.”

“They are not being paid?”

“Most companies start their court receivership when they couldn’t pay their workers at least more than three months. They apply for the court receivership because they couldn’t handle the situation.”

“I’d like to know more about the system like how the court receivership works.”

“You can easily find the information from a book, or on the Internet.”

“I’d like to learn from the expert.”

“The expert?”

The office manager chuckled for a while.

“The court receivership is like an individual rehabilitation.”

“Individual rehabilitation?”

“If a person can’t pay for his debt any longer, the court helps him to pay off the debt gradually without being bothered by creditors, right? While he is paying off the debt, the court lets him keep a certain amount of money for his living expenses. That’s why they call the process as rehabilitation so the person can live a normal life again after paying off the debt.”

“Right.”

“The same thing applies to companies. The court protects the company from creditors while they could pay off the debt. They are the companies in rehabilitation.”

“Oh, I see. A worker came here earlier to give you the vehicle registrations. What is that for?”

“Those papers will be used when we apply for the court receivership.”

“Why do they need them?”

“In applying for the court receivership, the company needs to explain what made them be in this financial crisis and how much assets and how much debt they currently have.”

“To the court?”

“That’s right. To the bankruptcy department of Daejeon District Court.”

“A bankruptcy department?”

“Yes. The rehabilitation process is handled by the bankruptcy department of the court.”

“Oh, I see.”

“In order to show how much assets this company has, we need to show the court the company’s real estate registration and vehicle registration, etc., right?”

“I see. That’s why the worker brought the vehicle registrations to me.”

“Once the application is accepted by the court, an accountant who is appointed by the court will come to the company and verify all the papers and stuff. And then, they determine whether they would start the court receivership or not.”

“Hmm.”

“When I checked the Mulpasaneop’s case earlier on the court website, I saw that their creditors are over 300. The court will protect Mulpasaneop from those 300 creditors and let it pay off the debt gradually according to a plan they both agree on.”

“Do you think the court will let Mulpasaneop start the court receivership?”

“The accountant who is appointed by the court will determine it. He will determine if it is better to let the company continue their business and pay off the debt, or if it is better to close the business and let their employees go. The judge will then make a final decision based on the accountant’s investigated facts and professional opinion.”

“If someone wants to make an M&A of Mulpasaneop, that person must take over the entire debts of 300 creditors, right?”

“That’s right.”

“How much do you think that would be?”

“I have no idea. You will have to find the information at the court.”

Gun-Ho nodded. He thought he had a rough idea of how it worked now.

He then remembered what Chairman Lee told him the other day.

“If you want to catch a tiger, you must get into its mouth.”

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Chapter 140 - Company in Rehabilitation (2) – PART 1

Chapter 140: Company in Rehabilitation (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho thanked Office Manager Se-Gil Lee and told him that he wanted to buy him lunch.

“I can’t. I need to prepare the application for the court receivership. The paperwork is like several hundreds of pages because I need to document the company’s entire assets. This company is not a big company with only 50 employees, but the number of its creditors is over 150.

“That many?”

“Yes, because we need to include even a supermarket owner where the company bought a bottle of soy sauce on credit that hasn’t been paid yet.”

“I see.”

Gun-Ho, instead of buying him lunch, put 20 dollars in a white envelope and gave it to him so he could use it for his meal later.

“You don’t have to do this.”

As the office manager said it, he took the envelope quickly with a smile.

“If you happen to have any further questions, just come and see me here. We, an office manager of a law firm, know better the practical side of the court receivership than a lawyer. If you go to a certified legal consultant’s office to apply for court receivership, that consultant wouldn’t actually work on the case, but his assistant would do all the work. That’s how it works.”

“Oh, really? Well, that kind of makes sense since the actual work of collecting necessary information, filling in the forms, filing the application, etc. would be done by a worker like you.”

“Since I have to complete this application as soon as possible, I sometimes work here all night. The application for the court receivership needs to be filed before we could apply for a receivership stay order.”

“A receivership stay order?”

“We can file the court receivership and a receivership stay order simultaneously. Once a court’s receivership stay order becomes effective, creditors can no longer bother the company to get paid for the debt. The court protects the company from being bothered by creditors temporarily. This needs to be done as soon as possible.”

“Oh, I see. Well, I guess I shouldn’t take too much of your time. I will leave now.”

“According to your business card, your office seems to be around Gangnam station; so, it’s close to our office. Let’s have lunch or dinner together in the near future.”

“Sounds good. Thank you.”

When Gun-Ho came back to Seoul, he was again lost in thought.

“What am I going to do with Mulpasaneop?”

While he was thinking about Mulpasaneop, he received an unexpected call from Chairman Lee.

“I know you have been busy, but do you not go fishing anymore?”

“Oh, no, sir. I will go fishing whenever you come to the fishing site.”

“I’ve seen Mr. Jong-Suk Lee come to the fishing site and do fishing by himself. He looked lonely.”

“I will come fishing this Sunday, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Chairman Lee, it occurred to Gun-Ho that he had been so distant from Jong-Suk even though he didn’t intend to.

“He had been a friend to me when I worked at a factory and when I needed a friend. However, I guess I left him alone for too long. I haven’t really talked to him lately.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Jong-Suk right away.

“Huh? Bro! I feel like it is the first time in years that I heard your voice.”

“How have you been?”

“I am doing fine. I’ve heard you went to Japan to play golf recently.”

“I went there once. It was sort of for business.”

“I thought you forgot about me completely.”

“How can I possibly forget you, man? I’m going fishing this Sunday. Why don’t you come with me if you don’t have any prior engagement?”

“Even though I have a schedule set up already, I will go fishing with you.”

“Chairman Lee will come fishing as well.”

“Okay. Just bring me a roasted chicken and soju.”

Sunday came around.

Gun-Ho loaded his Land Rover with his fishing gears and headed to Pocheon City. Gun-Ho was going to Pocheon because he wanted to see Chairman Lee; he didn’t really care much about fishing.

“He is a surprisingly wise man. With his extensive life experience and natural wit, he has a remarkable insight about business and even about life in general.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at Pocheon City, he stopped by a restaurant to pick up two roasted chickens, Gimbab and soju before heading to the fishing site.

Gun-Ho then arrived at the fishing site that he used to come very often.

It was May. Trees started budding under the sun.

Chairman Lee, Manager Gweon and Jong-Suk were already at the fishing site.

“Bro! Long-time no see. You seem to have gained some weight.”

“Hey, I brought roasted chickens and soju that you ordered, man. They are in my trunk.”

Chairman Lee who was fishing turned around and laughed.

“Hello, Chairman Lee. How have you been? Hi, Manager Gweon. It has been a while.”

“Good to see you. You must have driven a long way from Seoul to here.”

“I took the Dongbu Expressway. It didn’t take long to get here from Seoul. The traffic was light since it is Sunday. There should be very heavy traffic on Saturday.”

“Let’s see how many fish you could catch today. Manager Jong-Suk Park seemed to be excited since President Gun-Ho Goo is here today. You look happy.”

“Wasn’t I happy before?”

Jong-Suk responded sulkily.

“You are always happy, of course. You just look happier today with President Goo’s presence.”

“We will be on the other side of the lake for our lure fishing as always.”

“Sounds good.”

“Manager Gweon, we will come here after an hour. I brought roasted chickens.”

“Oh, you did? That’s nice.”

Manager Gweon smiled broadly.

Once Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk sat on the other side of the lake, they just did fishing without saying a word for a while.

“Are you getting any bite? I don’t get anything today.”

“Me too. Just keep trying. You will catch a big fish today. Huh? I got a bite!”

Jong-Suk pulled in a fish. It was a bass the size of a soju bottle. It was vigorously flapping.

“This fish came out from the water to say hello to you, bro.”

An hour passed by. Gun-Ho still hadn’t caught any fish. Jong-Suk, on the other hand, caught two fish already.

“I guess you have practiced fishing a lot during my absence.”

“It’s just luck. Luck helps make money too.”

“You are right. Luck is one of the critical ingredients for a lot of things. I guess I was lucky too in making money.”

“Bro, how come that luck thing doesn’t come to me?”

“Haha. A person will get a very important opportunity three times in his lifetime. Just hang in there; you will have the opportunity to make money.”

“That opportunity thing worked very well with you. It was an excellent decision that you gave up taking the government job exam.”

“I didn’t choose to give up on it. I was just not smart enough to keep trying.”

“You wouldn’t have been able to buy a condo if you worked as a government employee; it would take you forever to buy one with a government employee’s salary unless you take some bribe or commit embezzlement. Your condo in TowerPalace, that’s not going to happen to a government employee.”

“Let’s not talk about condos anymore. Let’s just focus on fishing.”

“Bro, didn’t you tell Manager Gweon that you would come to their side after an hour?”

“It has been an hour already? Let’s go then.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk went to the side where Chairman Lee and Manager Gweon were fishing, and they placed roasted chickens and Gimbab on the grass.

“Chairman Lee, please try this chicken.”

“I am not a big fan of roasted chicken. I will just have some Gimbab.”

The three men except Chairman Lee started devouring the roasted chicken with soju.

“Please take only one glass of soju since we all have to drive when we go home. One glass of soju will go away after two hours of fishing, so it should be okay.”

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Chapter 141 - Company in Rehabilitation (2) – PART 2

Chapter 141: Company in Rehabilitation (2) – PART 2

Chairman Lee stood up after taking a piece of Gimbab.

“How come you aren’t having more, sir?”

“Oh, I just need to go to the bathroom. I might have a minor prostate problem since I’m aging. I need to go to the bathroom pretty often these days.”

Chairman Lee went into the forest towards the mountain to pee. Manager Gweon said while looking at Chairman Lee disappearing into the forest.

“I was actually hitting on him when I saw his vacation home that is located not far from here.”

“Is it large?”

“Yes, it is. The land is probably over 1,000 pyung. I started admiring him when I saw that vacation home.”

“1,000 pyung? That large?”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk pictured a large luxurious house like a castle on a 1,000 pyung land.

They couldn’t ask Manager Gweon more about the vacation home because Chairman Lee came back.

“I can’t satisfactorily pee anymore, maybe because of my old age. Why didn’t you finish the chicken yet? You still have some left.”

“We are working on it, sir.”

“When I was young, I used to finish two chickens at once without any problem.”

Chairman Lee picked up one piece of Gimbab and put it in his mouth.

Gun-Ho was thinking of bringing up the topic about Mulpasaneop to Chairman Lee when Chairman Lee asked him first about it.

“President Goo, you said you wanted to acquire a company that went broke. Any update on it?”

“Actually, I was going to talk to you about it. That company started its court receivership.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Once the court protects the company from creditors so the company could continue their business, they might be able to get the business back on its feet again, right?”

“Do you think they will be able to do that?”

“With the court’s help, they would be able to breathe and focus on their business again.”

“You are reading an economic newspaper, right?”

“Yes, I read it every day.”

“Then you see the advertisements about an M&A of a company that was doing the court receivership, right?”

“Yes, I saw those too.”

“How come those companies want an M&A even though the court was protecting them from creditors?”

“Maybe its president is sick and tired of being harassed by creditors, or he probably wants to retire and have a relaxed life without running a company.”

“No, that’s not what’s happening.”

Chairman Lee shook his head.

“That’s because selling the company is worth more than keeping the company.”

Jong-Suk who was eating a chicken wing with a pinch of salt asked,

“What does that mean, sir”?

“President Gun-Ho Goo, why don’t you explain to him?”

Gun-Ho was thinking of how he could put it in a way that Jong-Suk could easily understand when Chairman continued to talk.

“What was the name of the company that went broke?”

“It is Mulpasaneop, sir.”

“That’s right. Did you carefully look at their sales revenue? The company doesn’t generate revenue any longer.”

“I thought that was because of their debt.”

Chairman Lee clicked his tongue.

“I told you to study accounting five years ago when we had met at this fishing site. What did you see on their financial statements? Mulpasaneop wouldn’t be able to generate revenue even without paying for their debt. Their raw materials cost them too much. Their profitability is way too low.”

“That means that even if I could acquire that company, I have to do something innovative to radically change the way they conduct their business.”

“That’s right. If you can’t raise the sales, you have to lower the labor cost or find alternative raw materials to be competitive in the market.”

“But that company has high accounts receivable. Doesn’t that mean that they are still selling a lot of products but that they just haven’t been paid for those products by their customers yet? So those accounts receivable is their asset, aren’t they?

“You are stupid! Don’t you see those accounts receivable are not a real asset?”

“Ohhh, since they couldn’t reduce their debt, they just let the accounts receivable sit there too, and they just accumulated over a period of time because debits must equal credits.”

“Now you are talking.”

Jong-Suk said sulkily,

“I absolutely have no idea what you are talking about. I will just keep eating the chicken.”

Manager Gweon added to what Jong-Suk said,

“Haha. I’m with you, Mr. Jong-Suk Lee. Let’s just eat.”

Chairman Lee smiled.

“That’s one of the ways to live a happy life too. Sometimes, you just let things go that cause you a headache; that way, you could avoid painful matters in your life.”

“Whew.”

Gun-Ho, let out a deep sigh.

After having a cup of water, Chairman Lee asked Gun-Ho,

“What’s the matter? You seriously want to acquire that company?”

“Even though I desperately want that company, if the president doesn’t want to sell it, I wouldn’t be able to have it, right?”

“You can make him sell the company then.”

“I can do that?”

“You have to give him a reality check.”

“A reality check?”

“Let him realize that the longer he owns the company the more he will lose.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t fully understand what Chairman Lee said.

“Listen, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo.”

Chairman Lee called him Mr. Gun-Ho Good instead of President Goo this time. That sounded strangely friendlier.

“In order to make money, you have to be harsh sometimes. If you are soft-hearted, you can’t make money.”

“Where are you getting at?”

Jong-Juk was yawning; the conversation between Gun-Ho and Chairman Lee must have bored him. He then went to another fishing spot carrying his fishing gears. Manager Gweon also left the spot heading to his Genesis car. He said he wanted to take a nap there.

At the lake, Gun-Ho and Chairman Lee were left by themselves.

Chairman Lee continued to talk with a placid smile.

“When I was young, people used to tell me that I was a cruel man. I worked as a hard money lender at that time in Myeongdong Town. Whenever the merchants at Namdaemum Market couldn’t pay me the loan interest on time, do you know what I did?”

“Did you scold them?”

“I once went to one of the merchants’ home that was located on the top of a mountain in the Miari area, and took his household goods like a rice cooking pot.”

“Ha.”

“They all told me that I was a cold-blooded man. However, you have to remember this. When you desperately need money, there would be no one who would lend you money. Think of the days when you worked as a factory worker. When you really needed even just 100,000 won, you probably wouldn’t have found anyone who you could borrow that money from.”

“That… that’s very true.”

“When I heard that you made good money in investing in real estate in China, I smiled, because real estate investment requires seed money. And how could seed money be made in a short period of time? Especially when it was made by a person who was born to a poor family.”

“Umm… that… that was…”

“You don’t have to tell me. I know it wasn’t made in a way that you feel proud of. I did that too.”

Gun-Ho blushed. He was caught off guard.

“The economic ladder to climb up almost collapsed in Korea. If you are remorseful for the action you took in order to make the seed money, you can pay it back to society by helping others and doing the right thing as you live your life. I’ve tried it all my life even though I couldn’t really live that way. I regret the way I’ve lived.”

Gun-Ho swallowed his saliva without saying a word.

“You said you want to acquire Mulpasaneop, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then get into that company as an employee.”

“Get a job at that company? I don’t think they would hire me.”

“They will. Ask them to give you a position like a vice president or managing director.”

“What?”

“Don’t talk with a bank or an accountant that handles the company’s work.”

Gun-Ho blushed again. He actually went and talked with Accountant Nak-Jong Lee who had been handling Mulpasaneop’s financial matters.

“I… I actually met with their accountant once. I learned the fact that the company was in the process of court receivership from him.”

“You don’t have to ask for help from the attorneys, accountants, or bank branch managers around the company. In a capitalist society, the person who has money is the person who is ruling society. You don’t ask those people for help, but you ask them to work for you like you rule over them.”

“I haven’t reached that level yet, sir.”

“Don’t be silly! You already have enough money to do it. That gives you great power to rule over them. You just don’t realize it yet.”

“What about getting a job in Mulpasaneop, which you mentioned earlier? What should I do to make it happen?”

“Go talk to the owner-president on your own.”

“Would he meet with me? He doesn’t even know me.”

“He is cornered already. Once a company starts its court receivership, its president is not treated respectfully as he used to be. He is probably feeling lonely and depressed. If you go tell him that you are a hard money lender with substantial funds, he would welcome you.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I’m certain. Do you know who will actually handle the company during the court receivership?”

“I saw two names on the court website.”

Chairman Lee smiled again.

“One must be someone who was appointed by the court, and the other must be the owner-president. That’s good. The power is currently moving from the court to the person who is appointed by the court. The power shift is happening right now. The president must be extremely lonely. Go talk to him directly; do not go through some third party to talk with him, but go directly to him by yourself.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho bit his lips as he made up his mind about his next move to acquire Mulpasaneop.

“I feel sorry for him.”

“Huh? Who are you talking about?”

“The owner-president. He lost control over his own company, and he is facing capital reduction. That would make him feel extremely lonely.”

“What do you mean by facing capital reduction?”

“Once a company starts the court receivership, the court protects the company from creditors, and also the court reduces the owner-president’s shares of the company like a penalty.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho thought that the world could be very cruel.

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Chapter 142 - Company in Rehabilitation (3) – PART 1

Chapter 142: Company in Rehabilitation (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho decided to meet the president of Mulpasaneop on his own as Chairman Lee suggested. The name of Mulpasaneop’s president was Se-young Oh. His name could be found on the Internet and also on the documents that Gun-Ho issued from a paid website that provided a company’s information. His father worked as a factory manager in a big company in the old days when Korea had Chung-Hee Park as the president of the country, and then he opened his own business and ran it until he passed it on to his son, the Mulpasaneop’s president.

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Mulpasaneop. He picked lunchtime to make a call to them around noon when most of their employees were out for lunch.

“Hi, I am calling from Daejeon District Court, may I talk to the accounting manager?”

“Our accounting manager is out for lunch right now.”

“When do you expect him to come back to the office?”

“It will be around 1 pm.”

“Oh, and what is the name of the accounting manager?”

“It’s Min-Hwa Kim.”

“Okay, thank you. I will call him later.”

“Stupid folks! They tell everything if someone claims he is from the court.”

Once it was 1 pm, Gun-Ho called Mulpasaneop again, and he asked for the accounting manager.

( AllNovel )     “I’d like to talk to Accounting Manager Min-Hwa Kim, please.”

“This is her.”

The accounting manager was a woman. She hadn’t answered phone calls at the office until recently because the call could be from a creditor; however, now she knew the creditors wouldn’t be able to call to press them to pay the debt because of the court order, so she answered the phone right away with her mind at ease.

“Hi. I am the president of GH non-bank financial institution. I’d like to meet with President Se-Young Oh. When would be a good time for me to come?”

“Excuse me? Are you asking to meet our president? Which non-bank financial institution did you just say?”

“It’s GH non-bank financial institution.”

“Give me one moment, please.”

The accounting manager seemed to be a smart woman. Once she realized that the caller was a president of some non-bank financial institution, she went straight to the president to let him know.

After a while, the accounting manager came back, and asked,

“May I ask what this is in regards to?”

“I’d like to discuss something with the president.”

The accounting manager went again to the president to let him know, and she came back after a while.

“The president said he would be in his office until 5 pm today.”

“Thank you. I will be there by 3 pm then.”

Gun-Ho drove his Land Rover heading to Asan City while singing Bohemian Rhapsody.

“It will take me about two hours to Yeongin Town, Asan City; that’s where Mulpasaneop is located.”

Once he arrived at Mulpasaneop’s factory, Gun-Ho asked for the accounting manager.

( AllNovel )    “Are you the accounting manager? I’m the president of a non-bank financial institution; we just spoke on the phone earlier today.”

The accounting manager seemed to be in her 40s. Gun-Ho looked like a rich man in her eyes because he was wearing a neat suit with an expensive tie. Gun-Ho usually didn’t wear a watch, but he started wearing one—an expensive one—recently. Moreover, Gun-Ho had good manners and that gave a favorable first impression to the accounting manager.

“The president is expecting you. Please come with me.”

When Gun-Ho entered the president’s office, the president was reading a newspaper; it was a large office.

“Hello. I’m the president of GH non-bank institution. Nice to meet you.”

“Please have a seat over here.”

President Se-Young Oh was a bold man in his 60s.

The president showed Gun-Ho a seat at a conference table in his office.

“What made you come to my company today? Our company already started the process of court receivership.”

“I am aware of that, sir. Even with the court receivership, I believe that you might still need funds, so I came to visit you quietly.”

Gun-Ho gave the president his business card which said GH Development.

After looking at Gun-Ho’s business card using his reading glasses, the president said,

“The business card said it is a real estate development company, not a non-bank financial institution.”

“Our clients are companies who need a substantial amount of money in a short period of time and the transaction has to be done quietly. We don’t advertise our business publicly. That’s why I carry a business card like this. I hope you understand.”

“Hmm. I see, but I can’t borrow money from anyone now. Our company is not capable of paying a loan interest, and we are under the court’s control right now.”

“I know that.”

“If you know that, then what are you suggesting?”

“I understand you borrowed money mostly from banks, but I am sure you also borrowed some money from people you know personally and used hard money as well.”

“That’s true.”

“Since the court receivership started, you must not be able to pay the interest to those people.”

The accounting manager came into the office with two cups of green tea.

“Let’s have some tea first. So, you are saying that if I used hard money, you would lend me some funds? Without collateral?”

“Yes, I can, depending on the circumstances though.”

“May I ask you the source of the money you would lend me? Please don’t get me wrong, but you seem to be a bit too young to handle that sort of significant amount of money…”

“I am working for my boss, of course.”

“Oh, I see. It would have been really nice if I met you before our company started the court receivership.”

“It’s still not too late.”

“To be honest with you, I borrowed 300 million won from my younger sister before the court receivership started. I haven’t been able to pay her the loan’s interest. She saved that money to buy a home. She is asking for the principal, but the court isn’t letting me.”

“I can lend you money as it is your personal loan not to your business. I can take your personal asset as collateral.”

“Haha. I wish I have any personal assets left that I could use for a loan as collateral, but my home in Bangbae Town is already taken as collateral two times already.”

“Did you say two times?”

“It was first secured for the loan from Kukmin Bank, and it was subsequently used three times more by our vendor when I couldn’t pay for the raw materials we used.”

“I admire you, sir. You used your personal property for the company’s debt. Not many people would do that.”

When Gun-Ho recognized the president’s selfless action and said it to him, the president seemed to feel good about himself. Someone appreciated his care and sacrifice for his company after all.

“In running a company, I don’t work for my personal interest.”

“You are a true businessman, sir. I wish there was more businessman like you in this world.”

The president who was feeling good and relaxed now became more cooperative in providing information to Gun-Ho with pleasure. Gun-Ho thought that sometimes reasonable buttering up was necessary and useful.

“How much is your home in Bangbae Town worth?”

“As far as I know, it’s about 1.8 billion won since the real estate prices went up a lot recently. It’s a 50 pyung condo. I raised all of my children in that condo.”

“How much in total did you use to secure your current loan with the condo?”

The president asked for the accounting manager urgently, hoping he might be able to borrow additional money using the same condo as collateral.

“Manager Kim, You know the address of my condo in Bangbae Town, right? Do you have the real estate registration of that property? If you don’t, please get one. You can get it through the Internet in no time, right?”

“Okay, sir. I will do that.”

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Chapter 143 - Company in Rehabilitation (3) – PART 2

Chapter 143: Company in Rehabilitation (3) – PART 2

The accounting manager came back to the president’s office after a while. She was carrying the real estate registration of the president’s condo in Bangbae Town with her.

“Manager Kim, how much did we use for the loans with this condo? We already calculated that a few days ago.”

“It’s 1.2 billion won, sir.”

The president handed the real estate registration to Gun-Ho hoping it would help Gun-Ho make a favorable decision for him.

“Look at this. The total amount secured for the loans with this condo is 1.2 billion won. Since the current market value of the condo is 1.8 billion won, there still is 400 million won left.”

Gun-Ho closely looked at the real estate registration that the president just handed to him.

“If I lend you money, will you be able to pay the corresponding interest?”

“Whew”

The president let out a deep sigh in response to Gun-Ho’s question.

“Since it would be my personal loan, I would have to pay the interest myself, but the court reduced my salary significantly.”

“Also, you need to consider what you would do in the case where one of the secured creditors decided to put your condo for sale.”

The president recoiled from the idea that he might lose his home.

“And what if unfortunate things happened and the condo would be sold for less than 1.2 billion won at the auction?”

“That’s not possible. There is a current fair market value.”

Gun-Ho sipped his cup of green tea with a smile.

‘As Chairman Lee mentioned, the person with money gets the power and controls the situation. When I worked for YS Tech in Dunpo Town years ago, Mulpasaneop was so great that I couldn’t even think of getting close to it. And now, the president of Mulpasaneop is waiting for my favorable decision. This is happening not because I have highly respectful knowledge or character, but it is because I have money.’

As Gun-Ho kept smiling, the Mulpasaneop president was just looking up at the ceiling.

“This is all happening because of my son. If he didn’t expand the business recklessly, none of these would have happened.”

“Umm, sir, have you ever thought of selling your company?”

“I will have to if the court decides that selling the company is worth more than keeping it.”

“Have you received the decision from the court yet?”

“I don’t know. The accountant who was appointed by the court and other people from the court was doing something now, but they don’t report to me. Maybe they are doing something behind my back. Who knows? Jackas*!”

“As far as I know the initial paperwork about whether the company should stay in business is done by the company. The documentation is about a plan on how a company could pay off its debt so it is included there how much the company would make next year, after three years, after five years and so on. The management in the sales department must have done all the work.”

The president asked for the accounting manager again.

“Manager Kim, please see if Director Kim in the sales department is in his office. Tell him I need to see him now.”

“Yes, sir.”

After quite a while, the accounting manager came back to the president’s office.

“Director Kim in the sales department is talking with the officer from the court right now.”

“What the… I don’t care who he is talking with. Just tell him to come and see me right now!”

The president seemed to be upset and yelled at the accounting manager.

After a moment, Director Kim entered the president’s office. He was a tall man in his 50s.

“You are working on the documentation about whether the company should continue its business or whatever, right? Is it done?”

“I am working on making some changes on it per the court officer’s request.”

“What do they know about my company? Do they have any idea how a factory like this is conducting its business? F*ckers! Okay, you can go!”

Gun-Ho thought that many businessmen who were running a company seemed to be short-tempered.

After Director Kim from the sales department left the president’s office, Gun-Ho continued to talk to the president.

“Even though the court determines that it is worth keeping the company’s business, you can’t use the company’s money as you previously had done, before you pay off the debt.”

“Hmm.”

The president seemed to be displeased at the idea that Gun-Ho just said.

“Moreover, if the court determines it is better to sell the company rather than keeping it, your company will have to be sold. My boss buys companies that are under court receivership as well. If you are interested in selling your company, please let me know any time. As to the loan to be secured by your condo, I will think about it and will let you know.”

“Whew. Okay.”

“I will take this real estate registration with me.”

Gun-Ho went to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel close to Mulpasaneop, instead of heading to Seoul.

“Maybe I should stay here and enjoy the hot spring bath and spend the night here today.”

Gun-Ho had a meal at a restaurant inside the hotel and soaked in a hot spring.

“I think it’s important to be extremely careful about running a company. I learned my lesson today by looking at President Se-Young Oh. Who would even imagine that Mulpasaneop would end up like this? By the way, should I lend him 300 million won? Since he can’t borrow money from anyone else but me, he will contact me sooner or later. Let’s see what happens.”

After bathing in the hot spring, Gun-Ho felt exhausted and fell asleep in the hotel.

The next morning, Gun-Ho called his office to Manager Kang from Onyang Hot Spring Hotel.

“I am in Onyang Town right now for business. I will return to Seoul this afternoon. If you need me until then, just give me a call.”

“Okay, sir. I will let Ms. Ji-Young Jeong know as well.”

Gun-Ho was driving to Seoul while humming when his phone started ringing. It was from a number he didn’t recognize, so he was not going to take it. However, since it was a call to his personal cell phone, he answered the phone.

“Gun-Ho Goo? I’m Jae-Sik Moon. Remember me?”

“Jae-Sik Moon?”

“Yeah, we went to high school together.”

“Oh, of course. How did you get my phone number?”

“Suk-Ho Lee gave it to me. I heard you are running a big business.”

“Nah! It’s just a small company. What about you? What are you doing for a living?”

“I used to do package delivery service and now I’m just unemployed. I’m calling to let you know that I made a book of the alumni directory of our high school. It includes all other year graduates as well.”

“Oh, really? Nice work.”

“However, it cost me a lot so I can’t just send it to everyone for free, but I will have to charge 50,000 won for each person. I will send you my bank account number so you could send me the fee, and I will send you the directory book.”

“Oh, sure. I will do that.”

“Thank you. There are some friends who don’t want to buy it. I will mail it to your home. Send me your home address when you are ready.”

“Can you send it to my office instead? You did a good job.”

“Thank you.”

“You used to participate in the literature club in high school, right? And you were involved in making our high school newspapers as well.”

“Yeah, it was fun. Well, thank you, Gun-Ho. I’m sorry if I bothered you in your busy time.”

Gun-Ho thought of Jae-Sik Moon after getting off the phone with him.

“I can’t clearly remember his face. He used to be a very active participant in the literature club when we were in high school, and he was doing a package delivery job? Of course, he wouldn’t enjoy his job.”

Gun-Ho received a text message from Jae-Sik Moon with his bank account number. He also sent another message asking if Gun-Ho could help him send the directory book to their teacher from high school. He said that their teacher was just staying at home after his retirement, and it was hard to reach him to get the 50,000 won so it would be really nice if one of his high school friends could help him send the book to their teacher.

“I included the money for our teacher as well. Good Job, Jae-Sik. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho sent Jae-Sik 100,000 won for himself and for their teacher.

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Chapter 144 - Preparation for M&A (1) – PART 1

Chapter 144: Preparation for M&A (1) – PART 1

Byung-Chul Jo’s father passed away, who was one of Gun-Ho’s high school classmates. Won-Chul Jo—the president of WestFacing Club which was organized the last time when Gun-Ho’s high school friends got altogether, contacted every member of the club to let them know the news. Won-Chul contacted Gun-Ho as well.

“The funeral hall is at the Gil Hospital in Incheon since Byung-Chul’s parents were still living in that area.”

“I see. I will come by tomorrow evening.”

“I will be there tomorrow evening as well. I sent a text message to all of our friends to be there between 7 pm and 8 pm tomorrow. I will see you then.”

“Okay. Byung-Chul’s father was still young.”

“I know. I was told that he had liver cancer. He was a retired high school teacher and was receiving good retirement pay. He was not even 70 years old when he passed away.”

Gun-Ho sent a funeral flower wreath to the funeral hall with his company’s name on—President of GH Development.

When Gun-Ho arrived at the funeral hall the next day, he saw several friends who were already drunk.

“Hey, Gun-Ho. Come on in.”  ( AllNovel )

Gun-Ho’s friends now treated him with respect. They made a vulgar joke or talk to each other, but they didn’t do it to Gun-Ho. Some friends even tried to butter Gun-Ho up.

“Did you send money to Jae-Sik too?”

“Jae-Sik? Jae-Sik Moon?”

“That as*hole swindled us. He told us that bullsh*t that he made an alumni directory book.”

“What? That was a lie? So he didn’t make an alumni directory book at all?”

“I knew he was lying, so I didn’t send him any money.”

“Ha.”

“Gun-Ho Goo, you sent him money too, right?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“How much did you send him?”

“100,000 won.”

“What? Why 100,000 won?”

“He told me that he wanted to send one alumni book to our teacher too.”

“Sh*t. That f*cker took our money and ran away.”

“Do you know where he went?”

“How do I know? If I knew where he is, I would go twist his neck badly.”

Gun-Ho felt somewhat sad about all these while drinking a glass of soju with a piece of Korean spring onion pancake. Gun-Ho thought that Jae-Sik must have desperately needed the money and it reminded him of his old days when he was having a hard time paying the interest of the sunshine loan and credit card bill.

“The friends he could successful deceive and take money from were about 30 to 40 people. The total money he took should be less than 2 million won. I hope that eased his hard life a bit.”

Gun-Ho didn’t blame Jae-Sik Moon. Gun-Ho thought he could understand the despair that Jae-Sik must have been feeling right now.

A few friends who arrived a bit late bowed to the deceased and then gathered around Gun-Ho.

“Hey, Gun-Ho.”

“Good to see you, Gun-Ho.”

Gun-Ho just kept drinking while thinking of Jae-Sik Moon’s situation.

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat to go home and told his friends that he’d better leave now because he had to drive a long way to his home. Byung-Chul who lost his father came and talked to Gun-Ho before he was about to leave.

“Thank you, Gun-Ho for coming today.”

Gun-Ho looked at Byung-Chul’s face; he was wearing thick glasses. He seemed to be so slim; the work at the research center must be hard. His brother who looked just like Byung-Chul looked skinny as well.

Gun-Ho remembered Byung-Chul as the most brilliant student in high school. The principal used to praise him a lot for his good work in school and said he had a promising future. Byung-Chul was even ranked number one in the national mathematics competition at that time. However, Byung-Chul today looked shabby and insignificant; Gun-Ho couldn’t figure out why.

Gun-Ho received a call from Mulpasaneop’s president—Se-Young Oh.

“Can we meet?”

“Sure, I will come there as early as I can. I often go to the area because of business with other companies anyway.”

“Oh, really? That’s good. I will be waiting for you then.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at Mulpasaneop, the accounting manager—Min-Hwa Kim greeted Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho gave her a box of cookies.

“Oh, what’s this?”  ( AllNovel )

“It’s walnut cookies. I bought it on the way here.”

“Haha. Thank you very much. The president is expecting you in his office.”

When Gun-Ho opened the president’s office door and entered, the president was sitting in a chair with his head tilted to one side. He must have been dozing off. When he saw Gun-Ho, he greeted him with delight.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, I should come.”

“My younger sister is blaming me and said that I am holding her life back. Can I borrow 200 million won from you? You can use my condo in Bangbae Town as collateral.”

“With interest?”

“Yes, but I can’t pay high interest though because I don’t get paid much now. After the court receivership started, the court let me take only 3 million won per month for my living expenses.”

“Okay, then I will lend you the money with bank interest, with one condition.”

“One condition? What would that be?”

“Hire me as an employee at this company. I will be working only during the court receivership period.”

“That…, that’s not…”

“The officers appointed by the court will decide the fate of the company. Once they decide it is better to sell the company, they will revoke the court receivership.”

“Hmm.”

“If that happens, the company will possibly be sold off in pieces.”

“Hey, look. This company is more than 30 years old. It won’t collapse that easily.”

“It’s not just creditors that you have to worry about. Once the court receivership is revoked, all of the employees will leave the company because they know they will not get paid at all. The secured creditor will then start the sales process.”

“Hmm.”

“Once I start coming to this company as an employee, I want to begin to collect information to know about the character of debt, the state of current debt like outstanding balance, the assets, etc. That way, when you have to sell the company through an M&A, the process will be quick.”

“Hmm.”

The president was in a difficult position; he was just staring at the ceiling. If he said he wouldn’t let Gun-Ho in the company then Gun-Ho would probably just leave. If that happens, then his sister won’t get her 200 million won anytime soon.

“I will have to talk with the officers sent from the court about hiring you.”

“Of course. I understand. I will meet with the officer on my own, and I assume that you agreed to hire me.”

“I am not getting along with those officers, so I won’t introduce you to them myself. If you join our company as an employee, I will welcome you. I have no reason to oppose to hire you. You will rather be helpful to me since you are very knowledgeable about monetary issues.”

Gun-Ho knocked on the door of the officer’s room, who was placed in Mulpasaneop by the court.

“Please come in.”

Gun-Ho sat on a chair placed in front of the officer’s desk.

“I am Gun-Ho Goo. I am running a non-bank financial institution.”

As he introduced himself to the officer, he handed his business card to the officer.

“I’ve seen you coming in and out of the president’s office lately. This company is in the process of the court receivership and it won’t be able to borrow any money.”

“I am not here to lend money. I am more interested in M&A.”

“The examiners appointed by the court haven’t finished the investigation yet.”

“I believe they will eventually determine that it’s not worth keeping the company since it doesn’t generate enough sales revenue.”

“We don’t know yet. As I said, the investigation hasn’t completed yet.”

“You are aware that once it is decided that the company shouldn’t continue the business, you need to start the sales process to a third party, right?”

“I am. I have worked as a court officer for a number of companies that applied for court receivership, and I also worked as a bank branch manager before.”

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Chapter 145 - Preparation for M&A (1) – PART 2

Chapter 145: Preparation for M&A (1) – PART 2

“The reason I talked with the president here is to ask him to hire me as an employee. I wanted to start my investigation early in collecting information to know the exact situation of the company, like how much debt it really has.”

“Hmm. So you are interested in acquiring this company.”

“That’s right. I believe you probably want to sell the company to a third party as early as you can. That’s what the court promotes too, right? If the company is sold even before the court receivership actually starts, you might get an incentive too, I believe.”

“That’s not a bad idea. What concerns me is that you need to take a position with a real task. We actually have a vacancy in a position that handles lawsuit related work. The person who used to work in the position quit the job; he said the work was too hard for him. Why don’t you take the position and do your own investigation about the company and its debt while handling the company’s lawsuit?”

“That’s fine with me. I am willing to take any work that you give to me. I hope I could take though a position to a level as a managing director.”

“That’s not possible. In order to hire a person at a director level, we will need approval from the court.”

“I see. Then, let’s do this. Let’s tell people within the company that the company hired a new managing director, and tell the court that the company hired a manager who would handle the lawsuit related work.”

“Hmm.”

The officer seemed to take some time to think about it, and said,

“Did the president agree to it? I mean about hiring you, President Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, he said okay.”

“Well, let’s do that then since the president agreed to it. Let me first talk with the president, and I will contact you.”

Gun-Ho lent 200 million won to the Mulpasaneop’s president and secured the loan with his condo in Bangbae Town. The president seemed to be satisfied when he received the money.

“My sister will be very happy. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho came back to Seoul and had waited until he heard something from Mulpasaneop.

“Once I get into the company, I will have to handle their lawsuit job, but I have no idea what the work is about. What should I do? Oh, the officer manager—Se-Gil Lee from a law firm. I think I can ask him about the work.”

The reason why Gun-Ho wanted to get into the Mulpasaneop as an employee was to grasp the actual state and condition of the company such as their actual current assets and debts; that way, he would be able to smoothly acquire the company without making a mistake when it came to the time for the M&A. Also, Gun-Ho wanted to make himself busy working at Mulpasaneop, so he could suppress his urge to sell his Kumho Chemical stock.

“I will be too busy to think about selling the Kumho Chemical stock. Let the stock sit there for quite a while, maybe until the coming winter.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the court officer at Mulpasaneop.

“You can start your work here next Monday. As I previously promised, we will report to the court that we hired you as a manager who would hand the company’s lawsuit related work. However, inside the company, we will announce that we hired a managing director, but that has to be done by the president, not me. Since I am the appointed officer by the court, I can’t do it.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

“Since the company is officially hiring you, you will have to bring some papers like your resume, your resident registration, and your highest school diploma.”

“No problem. I will do that.”

“And the duration of the employment will be 6 months.”

“That sounds good. I believe everything will be done by then.”

Gun-Ho urgently called for Manager Kang and Ms. Ji-Young Jeong.

“I won’t be in the office from tomorrow. I will be working as a managing director at a manufacturing company in Asan City.”

“Huh? What about our company then?”

Gun-Ho’s two employees’ eyes widened.

“I could take the position in Asan City and work there for a while because I know you two will be in this office. You just keep working as you have done, and let me know when there is an important thing you think you need to report to me.”

“What is going on, sir?”

“The company in Asan City is Mulpasaneop. They manufacture automobile parts. I actually want to make an M&A of that company, so I want to be inside the company in advance to find out more about the company.”

“Are you acquiring a company? How big is that company? If it is a manufacturing company, their employees should be at least more than ten people.”

“Their current employees are actually 250.”

“250 people?”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young looked at each other in surprise.

Gun-Ho at first thought of finding a place to stay within the Asan City, and then he decided to lease a condo close to Cheonan-Asan Station for KTX (Korea Train Express); it was a 25 pyung condo.

“This is a newly constructed condo; it looks good. Since the KTX station is right there, it will take me only 30 minutes to go to Seoul, which is nice.”

Gun-Ho went to Mulpasaneop to work on the following Monday.

There were 48 workers from the management department who were gathered for the morning meeting. Since it was a manufacturing company, the number of workers in the production was way higher than the number of the workers in the management. The president introduced Gun-Ho to the workers from the management.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo. He joined us today and he will be working as a managing director of our company. He will handle mostly lawsuit related jobs.”

Gun-Ho came forward and gave a 90-degree bow to the workers. The workers clapped with a blank face. The president continued to talk,

“Managing Director Gun-Ho Goo graduated from Zhejiang University in China majoring in accounting, and he worked as the president of GH Development Company. Please welcome him as our team.”

Gun-Ho bowed to the workers again.

Gun-Ho asked the accounting manager to give him the lawsuit files. There were 54 ongoing lawsuits. Gun-Ho quickly looked through the files.

“16 of them are about unpaid wages, and the rest of them are from creditors for unpaid loans.”

Gun-Ho made a call to the office manager—Se-Gil Lee.

“Oh, President Gun-Ho Goo? I am back to my office in Seocho Town. Why don’t we have lunch together today? I can get to the Gangnam station in 15 minutes on my slow foot.”

“I am actually in Asan City today. I took a temporary position in a company that I want to make an M&A of.”

“Oh, really?”

“If you have time today, can we meet at Seoul Station instead? I will buy you a tasty lunch. I have something to consult you about.”

“That sounds good. I don’t have any other schedule today anyway.”

Gun-Ho put all the Mulpasaneop’s lawsuit files into a briefcase and took a KTX train heading to Seoul. Once Gun-Ho arrived at the Seoul Station, he met with the office manager at the Café Pascucci that was located inside the train station.

“What are these?”

“These are lawsuit documents.”

Gun-Ho put all the documents on the table and showed it to the office manager—Se-Gil Lee.

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Chapter 146 - Preparation for M&A (2) – PART 1

Chapter 146: Preparation for M&A (2) – PART 1

The office manager from Hanbit Law Office—Se-Gil Lee seemed to be surprised when he looked at the papers that Gun-Ho showed him.

“Wow. These are a lot of papers. How many lawsuits do they currently have?”

“I believe it’s 65 in total.”

“This doesn’t look good. They have way too many lawsuits.”

He said while looking through the papers.

Gun-Ho looked at the office manager who was wearing a red t-shirt; his outfit for today was in a bright color overall. He seemed to be selective in choosing his outfit, but he didn’t look elegant.

“Most of these are from the vendors who didn’t receive the payments for their products, and 17 lawsuits are for unpaid wages.”

“How many of them are issued payment order from the court?”

“There are 16.”

“Once the court determines to revoke the court receivership, those companies with the court’s payment order will start exercising their rights by bringing a sheriff’s deputy.”

“Really?”    ( AllNovel )

“You probably want to negotiate with them before that happens. You both can agree on an installment payment plan. However, it wouldn’t be easy though, because those companies must be pretty upset by now going through the process to get the payment order from the court.”

“What happens if a sheriff’s deputy gets involved?”

“They will start putting stickers on the properties that were to be seized. If they put those stickers on the equipment in the factory and on the computers in the office, then the company would be forced to stop their business.”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t have to act right away though since they can’t do anything yet during the court receivership period. Until then, the companies with the court’s payment order will closely monitor the company’s move.”

“Hmm.”

“The rest of the papers are about the court decision on performance recommendation on wage claims and lawsuits on requesting the payment for the goods delivered. You need to submit an application for an objection to the court for these cases.”

“What should I say on the application?”

“Tell them that the company is not doing well so you will pay in installments or something like that. Once you do that, the court will realize that the company and the claimant are in dispute so they will start court proceedings. Even though you wouldn’t win the lawsuit, you will be able to buy some time. That way, you can pay later.”

“Hmm.”

“How do I do the objection thing?”

“I will email you, President Goo with a sample format for it.”

“I am President Goo in Seoul; however, I am a managing director in the company that is in the process of the court receivership.”

“A managing director? They can’t hire anyone at a director level during the court receivership period.”

“We told the court that they hired a manager instead of a managing director, and within the company, they address me as a managing director.”

Office Manager Se-Gil Lee smiled.

“Good luck to you.”

“How many lawsuits did we say earlier the company currently has on an unpaid wage?”

“It’s 17 cases.”

“If you can, later on, pay the wages to the workers first. The company didn’t pay to its employees who already provided their labors to the company. That doesn’t look good to the public, and the court doesn’t like it either. Moreover, wage claims could cause a criminal case.”

“Hmm.”

“The president of Mulpasaneop could be prosecuted, separate from the civil lawsuit.”

“Hmm.”

Officer Manager Se-Gil Lee closed the file as if he no longer needed to look at the file.

“Do you happen to know the total amount of claims? The amount that is already reported to the court?”

“It seems to be a bit more than 70 billion won. According to their financial statements, they used to have about 50 billion won debt last year. It increased dramatically lately.”

“So you want to acquire this company knowing that you will have to take over the debt as well?”

“Haha, I don’t have that kind of money.”

“If that company has a bright future, why don’t you form a consortium with another company in acquiring Mulpasaneop?”

“I don’t think Mulpasaneop has a bright future. I’m just in a phase reviewing their business right now.”

“I see. Oh, by the way, I have to leave you earlier today; I have things I need to take care of at the Incheon District Court. I will have to take a rain check for the lunch you offered for today.”

Office Manager Se-Gil Lee was standing up from his seat to leave. Gun-Ho quickly took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“I wanted to buy you lunch today, but since you are so busy I won’t hold you. Please take this instead; it’s not much.”

“Hahaha. You don’t have to do this, but thank you.”

The office manager didn’t even try to pretend to refuse to take the money for even a second, but he quickly took it and put it in his pocket.

Once Gun-Ho came back to Mulpasaneop, he categorized the lawsuit files and reported it to the court officer.

“There are currently 65 lawsuits, and the litigation value is 12 billion won.”

“Hmm.”

“17 of them are for unpaid wage claims. Once we receive payments from our customers for the products we delivered, I will pay for these wage claims first.”

“Of course, you should do that.”

Gun-Ho approached the accounting manager, took out a chocolate from his pocket, and gave it to her. The accounting manager who was working at her desk lifted her head and laughed.

“It seems like you are the busiest person in this company. You must be extremely busy preparing all the documents that we need to submit to the court.”    ( AllNovel )

“Whew. Don’t get me started. I can’t even ask someone for help because I have to do it by myself. It’s killing me. I should have quit this job when the previous managing director had quit.”

“You stayed here till late at night at 10 pm yesterday, right?”

“I think I will have to do it again today too.”

“You have that numerous works you have to complete today too?”

“I need to make a report for the court on the company’s cash flow and I have to attach the corresponding details in statements. Also, I will have to prepare the application to request payments for our wage since the day after tomorrow is our payday.”

“Do you need to get approval from those two officers appointed by the court for any papers that will be submitted to the court?”

“That is really painful work too because they are not in their offices all the time. Sometimes I could get approval from the court officer, and then I figured the president was not in his office or the other way around. If that happens, I have to wait for one of them all day long. This is very inefficient. I don’t understand why they had to appoint two court officers.”

“I feel your pain.”

“And the selfish sales director asked me to make some changes to our company’s payment plan of the debts, which we will submit to the court.”

“Did he tell you why he can’t do it?”

“Well, he said he is not good with numbers.”

“Hmm.”

“The sales director must be very busy with other work. I heard that the court officer asked him to modify the payment plan because the anticipated revenue is way too low.”

“Hmm.”

“I was told that the anticipated revenue needs to be high, in order for the court examiner to determine that the company is worth being saved.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

“I am so glad that you joined our company.”

“What is it so?”

“Since you take over the lawsuit matters, I don’t have to worry about that part.”

“I haven’t done anything really yet.”

“There is a rumor saying that you joined our company because of an M&A.”

“Haha. There is a rumor like that?”

“Yeah, also, since you are so young, people say there has to be someone else—a big player—and you are here on behalf of that big player.”

“Haha, really?”

“I hope someone very wealthy to buy this company. I am so sick and tired of this situation.”

“How long have you been working for this company?”

“It has been exactly 18 years. I aged with this company and I feel like I didn’t really achieve anything.”

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Chapter 147 - Preparation for M&A (2) – PART 2

Chapter 147: Preparation for M&A (2) – PART 2

There were four more workers in the accounting department in addition to the accounting manager, but they couldn’t handle the work that the accounting manager was doing. They were not knowledgeable or experienced enough in the field to handle the work. The accounting manager was a smart woman who was good with numbers. Whenever she was asked a question about her work by the president or the court officer, she answered as if she was a computer.

Gun-Ho asked the accounting manager one more question.

“The total amount of claims that are reported to the court is 70 billion won, right?”

“Yes, it is 71,247,200,000 to be exact. The amount claimed for public interest among them is 12,264,000,000 won.”

“The claims for public interest are something like tax?”

“Yes, it includes tax, unpaid Four Major Public Insurance, unpaid wages, etc.”

“It is indeed a substantial amount of money.”

“That’s right. That’s why we had suffered a lot by the creditors before the court receivership started.”

When Gun-Ho came back to his desk, he started agonizing over whether it was a good idea to acquire this company because the company had a significant amount of debt which Gun-Ho was not sure if he could handle.

“It’s 71.2 billion won. And the amount claimed for the public interest is 12.2 billion won.”

Gun-Ho felt very exhausted, so he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

After a moment, Gun-Ho heard a yelling sound from the court officer’s room.

Gun-Ho and the accounting manager ran to the room. The court officer and President Se-Young Oh were yelling at each other at the court officer’s room.

“You listen to me very carefully. I understand that you are here because the court-appointed you. But, this is my company that I grew for 30 years.”

“This company is not your personal asset, sir. The company has been maintained by the creditors’ funds and their efforts as well; you can’t just control the company in whatever way you like. You might be able to do it before, but you can’t do that anymore. This company is under the court’s control; it’s under the court receivership. You need to look at reality.”

“If I knew you would interfere with my business like this, I wouldn’t even have applied for the court receivership. Everyone knows that the company invested in China, but you don’t allow the business trip to China? That doesn’t make any sense at all.”

“The company in China is not part of this company. Then, we can’t allow you to use this company’s money to travel to China for that company’s matter.”

“What do you know about the factory business? You have worked in a small office like in a bank, doing some office job.”

“Whatever you say, we can’t allow you to use the company’s funds as business expenses for the trip to China.”

The president was trembling in anger.

Managing directors, directors, and managers came to the court officer’s room when they heard the yelling sound, but none of them said a word. They couldn’t take anyone’s side.

At that moment, Gun-Ho stepped in. He talked to the president first.

“President Oh, let’s go back to your office. Please calm down.”

When the president came back to his office and sat at his desk, Gun-Ho quickly brought a cup of cold water to him.

“That as*hole came to my company and interfered with my business. He does that because he thinks the court has his back. Son of b*tch!”

“Haha, sir, I think he is a play-by-the-book kind of guy. Many government workers and bank workers are like that.”

“You saw what he was doing, right? That young kid acted so rudely. He had no respect toward me and he doesn’t give a sh*t to my 30 years work for this company. Sh*t!”

Once Gun-Ho made the president calm, he went to the court officer’s room.

“How are you?”

“Sh*t! He is out of control.”

The officer gulped down the water.

“You handled the situation very well.”

“You think about it, Managing Director Goo. What did I do wrong? It doesn’t matter what the president said, but the company in China is a legally totally different and separate company from this one.”

“The president is an old man. I guess things were played differently in the old days.”

“He wants to go to the company in China, which his son established. So what? He can’t use this company’s money to go to his son’s company. I’m telling you this because I trust you, Managing Director Goo. I could see why this company had to come this far and start the court receivership.”

Gun-Ho came back to his desk and leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed.

“This company is a mess. Maybe I should take my hands off this company. I have more than enough money to live my life without working. Why would I want to take this trouble?”

However, Gun-Ho really wanted this company. The company’s sales revenue was over 70 billion won and it had 250 workers. It was a desirable company.”

“The problem is their debt. They have the same amount of debt as its sales revenue—70 billion won.”

When he was thinking about it, he received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“Hey, what’s going on? I heard you are working at a company in Asan City as a managing director.”

“Yeah, it happened like that.”

“According to Manager Kang, you want to make an M&A of that company? And that’s why you got inside the company to grasp their situation?”

“That’s right.”

“You must be very busy.”

“Oh, since you are there, let me ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“There is a company called Mulpa Automotive in Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province.”

“Automotive? It’s an auto parts company?”

“That’s right. It’s not far from where you are. Can you go there and see if the company is still doing business or closed already.”

“Is it related to the company you are working at as a managing director right now?”

“This company president’s son used to run that company, and I heard it went broke already. I am not sure what really happened to that company.”

“Okay. I will visit that company and will let you know.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok around the time when he was about to leave to his home.

“Gun-Ho, I just came back from that company you told me earlier. They closed the door already.”

“Really? What about the equipment? They still have all the machines inside?”

“Yes, the factory seemed to have full equipment. They all look in a good and new condition, and big too. The problem is that the machines shouldn’t be in a stopping position for a long time like that.”

“What about people? No workers there?”

“I didn’t see anybody. I talked with their caretaker though. He said the company hasn’t paid the rent for the past 6 months and they haven’t paid to the workers for a long while either. So the workers took over the factory.”

“Hmm.”

“The electricity is out because they didn’t pay the bill. He said the representative of the workers comes to the factory about twice per week. I will meet him. I left my contact number with the caretaker for now.”

“I want to know how much debt they have and how much payment to be paid by their customers. Do you think that a representative of the workers might know?”

“Well, let me talk with him first.”

“How large is the factory roughly?”

“It seems to be about 2,500 pyung large. The factory is new too. It’s a shame that that new factory is not working anymore.”

“Okay, Min-Hyeok. Thank you. Just let me know after you meet with that representative.”

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Chapter 148 - Preparation for M&A (3) – PART 1

Chapter 148: Preparation for M&A (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho decided to meet the Mulpasaneop’s creditors who were not a financial institution but vendors or subcontractors. He selected five of them that had the highest amount of money to receive from Mulpasaneop. The total amount of debt owed to these five creditors accounted for over 50% of the company’s total debt.

“Two of them are vendors just like YS Tech and the other three companies are suppliers of raw materials.”

Gun-Ho smiled at the fact that YS Tech was not one of the top five Mulpasaneop’s creditors.

“I guess the Mulpasaneop’s president paid YS Tech on time mostly since YS Tech’s president is his brother-in-law. Mulpasaneop currently owed YS Tech only 300 million won.”

Gun-Ho decided to meet with these three raw material suppliers first.

“This supplier is a huge company. Its president probably won’t want to meet a person like me. I guess I’d better contact a person in an executive or management level.”

Gun-Ho contacted a director of one of the raw material supplier companies.

“Hello, Mr. Director of H Group. I am a managing director of Mulpasaneop. Can we talk today?”

“Mulpasaneop? How things are going with the court receivership?”

“I will talk to you about it once I see you in person.”

Gun-Ho went to H Group Chemical in Dangjin City. Its factory was enormously big. The company was known to be hard to get in. Getting a job there was extremely competitive. The competition to get a position as a college graduate was 100:1.

When Gun-Ho arrived at the main gate, he left his ID with the security guard and sign on the guest book so they could let him in. The staff showed Gun-Ho to a small meeting room in the building. Even though Mulpasaneop was a small company, compared to H Group Chemical, Gun-Ho was its managing director; the staff treated him with respect.

“Of course it is important to have a high position title in a company.”

After quite a while, the director came to the meeting room with a manager.

“I sent too many raw materials to Mulpasaneop on credit, and that put me in a difficult position in this company.”

The director who was short and obese started complaining as soon as he saw Gun-Ho in the meeting room.

“I apologize for that.”

“I haven’t seen you in Mulpasaneop before. When did you join the company?”

“Not long ago, but I’ve heard a lot about you. I am aware that you have been favorable to Mulpasaneop and helped us a lot.”

“Well, as a matter of fact, I made my personal effort to supply raw materials to Mulpasaneop on credit. Since we don’t get paid for the materials yet, I am in a very difficult position in this company. So, has the court receivership been approved?”

“They haven’t decided it yet. I’d like to ask you a question, Mr. Director. If a company took over Mulpasaneop, will H Group Chemical still supply raw materials to them as it has always done before? It seems that your company has provided 2 billion won worth of materials to Mulpasaneop on a monthly basis.”

“If they could pay us the 5 billion won they owed to us first, then yes, we would keep supplying materials to them.”

“If they could pay you the 5 billion won in an installment payment, would you agree to the payment plan?”

“No, we can’t take that deal.”

“If you can’t accept the installment payment plan, the potential buyer of Mulpasaneop would give up on acquiring the company. If that happens, do you think you can still receive the 5 billion won overdue payment from Mulpasaneop?”

“If the company is to be sold, they should have money to pay off their debts, right?”

Gun-Ho shook his head from side to side.

“Mulpasaneop’s debt that was reported to the court is over 70 billion won.”

“What? 70 billion won?”

“Even if the company is sold off in pieces, they wouldn’t be able to pay even half of their debt. H Chemical would even hardly receive partial payment.”

“Hmm.”

“The best way to resolve it for both H Group and Mulpasaneop is that someone acquires Mulpasaneop and pays off the debt in an installment plan.”

“And we are supposed to continuously supply raw materials to them?”

“That’s right. For the overdue payment, the company will pay in installments; however, for the new raw materials supplied, we will pay right away the following month.”

“Hmm.”

“I came here today to ask you to withdraw the lawsuit you filed for the overdue payments because the buyer of Mulpasaneop will pay them in installments once he acquires the company.”

“Hmm.”

“The potential buyer wants to hear H Group’s confirmation on it so he could make his decision to acquire the company.”

“I can’t withdraw the lawsuit. I am an employee of H Group, and I have to show my superiors that I am making an effort to get the payments from Mulpasaneop. I think you should file an application for an objection to it. If you do so, the court will not issue a payment order for us right away.”

“I see. Thank you.”

“So are you saying there is someone who wants to acquire Mulpasaneop?”

“Well, you will see some changes to Mulpasaneop in the near future. I will talk to you then.”

Gun-Ho visited all three raw material supplier companies and suggested them with the same deal. All of them hoped that the buyer would pay them the overdue payments in installments, and they would continuously supply the materials to Mulpasaneop. Next, Gun-Ho went to see the other creditors—the vendors. One of them was located in Yesan Town, Chungcheongnam Province.

“Yuseung Tech? Hi, May I talk to the president? I am the managing director of Mulpasaneop.”

“Oh, you are the new managing director of Mulpasaneop, right? I actually was going to contact you. When are you going to pay us?”

“Are you aware that Mulpasaneop is in the court receivership process and all of the overdue payments are on hold pursuant to the court order?”

“I know that. But we are not a big company, and we need that money to conduct our business.”

“I am on my way to your company. I will talk to you when I get there.”

Yuseung Tech in Chungcheongnam Province didn’t look that small. The factory was probably over 3,000 pyung large.

The president was waiting for Gun-Ho at the main entrance.

He looked like a meticulous man in his 50s. His factory was very neat in its own way.

“Our company barely functions without 1 billion won that was supposed to be paid by Mulpasaneop.”

Gun-Ho told him that once the new buyer decided to acquire Mulpasaneop, they would make the overdue payments according to an installment plan.

“How many workers do you have here?”

“We have 90 workers. Our sales revenue is a little over 12 billion won. We currently provide our products to two companies: Mulpasaneop and another one called Jaewon.

When Gun-Ho worked in a factory years ago, he couldn’t even get a job in a company this big that had 90 workers. The factory that he used to work for was a small company with about 20 to 30 employees. The last company—YS Tech that he worked for was about the same size as Yuseung Tech.

“Okay, it’s all done.”

The meeting with the five major creditors of Mulpasaneop was successful.

“If I acquire Mulpasaneop, I wouldn’t have to pay their debts all at once. I can pay them in installments.”

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Chapter 149 - Preparation for M&A (3) – PART 2

Chapter 149: Preparation for M&A (3) – PART 2

After meeting with the creditors, it was time to talk with major personnel inside Mulpasaneop. Gun-Ho made a call to the sales director, the production director, and the chief of the research center respectively to invite them for dinner.

“Hi, I am the new managing director—Gun-Ho Goo. I’d like to invite you to dinner. How about today?”

The sales manager was in his early 50s and both of the production director and the chief of the research center was in their late 50s. They gathered in a sashimi restaurant specialized in blowfish located at the downtown in Asan City.

Those three men were all trying to read Gun-Ho’s face when they saw him in the restaurant. Even though Gun-Ho was a lot younger than them as he was in his 30s, they knew he was a very wealthy man. Being wealthy gave more power to a person than having a high education or being an older person.

“I know you are practically the major leading figures in Mulpasaneop. I should have made an occasion like this earlier.”

“We heard a rumor that you might acquire Mulpasaneop, sir. Have you made a decision about it yet?”

“I have a question for you before I could answer your question. The court examiners requested to change the sales revenue plan in our payment plan. Is the high sales revenue achievable given to the Mulpasaneop’s current situation?”

“It’s possible if we develop A Motors’ new product.”

“Are we capable of doing that? Is our research center equipped with necessary personnel and technology?”

The chief research officer, the sales director, and the production director all laughed in response to Gun-Ho’s question.

“We could just wish for it. Even though we are provided with the right researchers and equipment, it will take at least one year to develop the new product. Also, once the product is developed, we will have to test it and that takes time too.”

“Hmm.”

“In order for the court to determine that it is worth to keep the company, our payment plan will need to include a well-designed sales plan that’s based on the production development.”

“So, you are saying it is possible that the court would approve the court receivership.”

“Not necessarily. Those court examiners are very experienced in reviewing a company’s payment plan and investigating relevant facts. There is no guarantee that they would approve the plan.”

“The court examiners are DAS Accounting Firm in Daejeon City, right? Should I talk to them?”

“They won’t talk to you, sir. During the investigation period, they can’t meet with an individual from the company that they are examining.”

“Is it illegal?”

“I am not sure whether there is a law prohibiting it; however, that’s how they do things.”

“Hmm.”

“Our president’s son was so careless and even reckless. He used to work as a vice president in Mulpasaneop for two years. He was a highly motivated and driven man. Maybe he picked the wrong time to expand the business. His factory in China produced too many defective products.”

After they drank some liquor, the three major employees seemed to feel less nervous and more relaxed in being with the new managing director—Gun-Ho. The production director asked Gun-Ho,

“I’m not sure if it is okay to ask you this, sir…, but can I ask you who you are helping?”

“What do you mean by who am I helping?”

“I mean the person who actually wants to acquire the company?”

The sales director added to it.

“Right. I’m curious about it too.”

“That…, I don’t know yet. I know a few big players from Gangnam who are interested in acquiring a company. I don’t see any specific sign from them yet.”

“Is it an individual or a company?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t answer that question right now.”

After having another glass of liquor, Gun-Ho asked them,

“Where is the president’s son now?”

“We don’t know. We heard he took off after having a nasty argument with the president. Maybe he is in China. I’m not sure.”

The production director said,

“I used to do some maintenance work for the equipments in that factory in China. I’m not sure what happened to those machines.”

“Well, I’d like to tell you that please hang in there even though the company is going through a difficult time. We will hear good news in the near future.”

The three major officers of Mulpasaneop looked more comfortable once they heard what Gun-Ho said.

Gun-Ho received a call from his mother.

“Are you already in bed?”

“No, I just came back from work. I was going to take a shower before going to bed.”

“Your aunt’s son—Jae-Woong—is getting married next Sunday.”

“Really? Good for him.”

“His wedding will be held at Cottium or Cottaum or whatever Wedding Hall close to Ganseogogeori Station at noon. The name of the wedding hall is very strange.”

“Okay, mom. I will be there.”

“The bride is working at a post office. Is it a government job?”

“Yes, it is, mom.”

“Your aunt keeps asking me why you don’t get married. She said that you have money and you are old, so you shouldn’t have any problem with getting married. Your aunt thinks his son is better than you.”

“Did he find a home to start a family?”

“He rented a townhouse in Gyesan Town. Your aunt is so proud that her son saved 50 million won by working for the government in order to pay for the security deposit of that townhouse by himself.”

“He saved a lot. He is a steady person.”

“Maybe he is steady, but he surely doesn’t know how to respect his elders. He doesn’t even say hello to me whenever he sees me.”

“Haha. He is just shy, mom.”

“You are not dating anyone yet, son?”

“No, mom.”

“If you can’t find a girl on your own, I can find you one. You are getting old, son.”

“Don’t worry about me. I will take care of it.”

“Whew. Okay, if you say so.”

After getting off the phone with his mom, Gun-Ho gazed vacantly into space while lying down on his bed. He was thinking of the dancing geisha—Mori Aikko.

“I should stop thinking about her. I don’t know why I want to see her again so much.”

He couldn’t forget about Mori Aikko’s clear eyes, her fair skin, and her full lips. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could see Mori Aikko smiling at him.

“I thought geishas always paint their faces with white makeup, but she was wearing light makeup that night, maybe because she was in the bar not in a stage. She looked like a true fairy.”

Gun-Ho kept thinking about Mori Aikko and finally fell asleep after 2 am.

The next day, Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim.

“I met with the representative of Mulpa Automotive’s workers.”

“What did he say?”

“He said they haven’t gotten paid for five months. The company used to have more than 100 workers, and now only twenty of them are left. And those twenty people work at someplace else right now because they have to make a living; they just come back occasionally for Mulpa Automotive’s meetings.”

“Really?”

“The machines are all seized for their unpaid wages, and he said that the workers keep the metal molds right now. Once they get paid, they will leave the factory. Leaving those machines without using them is certainly a waste.”

“Hmm.”

“Oh, and there was a Korean company next door, so I went there to talk to them. They said the young president of Mulpa Automotive comes to the factory from time to time.”

“That means, he is in China, huh?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay, Min-Hyeok. Thank you. When will you go back to Korea to visit?”

“I can’t come right now. There are two contracts to finalize for Jinxi Industrial Park. Maybe I will come next month.”

“With the two contracts that you are working on, how many companies moved in already?”

“Half full. The industrial park looks nice now.”

“Okay. Keep up the good work, Min-Hyeok.”

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Chapter 150 - Business Acquisition (1) – PART 1

Chapter 150: Business Acquisition (1) – PART 1

Fortunately, the claimed amount for unpaid wages had reduced since Gun-Ho joined Mulpasaneop. That was because the court officer made paying the unpaid wages the priority whenever the company’s revenue was recognized. The court officer became very popular among the workers consequently.

“The court officer is the best. If the president was in charge of expenditure, he wouldn’t have done the same. He would probably have paid for the overdue payment to those supplier companies.”

“Well, we still need to get paid for the past three months though. However, at least I can pay some of my credit card bills, and my wife will not kick me out of our house.”

“By the way, the new managing director… have you heard anything about him? He seems to be a rich guy. Did you see the car he is driving? He only wears high-end designer clothes.”

“Is he from a wealthy family?”

“No, it seems like he is working with some big players from Gangnam.”

“Someone told me that he used to work for YS Tech—one of our vendors.”

“Maybe he is a crook. Don’t you think?”

“Who knows? Maybe he is a corporate raider.”

“His salary from our company is 2 million won, but he always goes out to have an expensive lunch every day. I’ve never seen him eating at our company cafeteria.”

Gun-Ho thought that it was time to cast his fishing line.

He knocked on the president’s office door and entered the office.

“One of my employees in China visited your son’s factory the other day. The one that is located in Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province.”

“China? How are they doing?”

“The workers took over the factory and seized all equipment.”

“I knew they would. F*ck!”

“Where is your son?”

“I have no idea.”

“Are you going to sell the factory in China?”

“Who would want to buy that factory? That factory only has machines without workers.”

“You can make money by selling that factory in China so we can use the proceeds to pay off some of our debts.”

“I know that. It’s just… there would be no one who would want to buy that factory.”

“The payment we received this month from our customers was all used up to pay our workers for their overdue wages.”

“Hmm. I still owe some hard money lenders, and they are still harassing me. That’s urgent money that I need to pay. Whew.”

“The workers now really like the court officer since he made the workers’ overdue wages the priority.”

“Don’t talk to me about that sh*tty guy. I hate him.”

“Why don’t you go with me to China?”

“That court officer man wouldn’t allow me to use my company’s money to go to China.”

“I will use my personal funds for the visit. I have a joint venture with China too.”

“You have a joint venture there?”

“Yes. It’s not a manufacturing company though. It’s doing selling and managing an industrial park.”

“Oh, really?”

“We can take Friday off and visit China during the weekend. We don’t even have to tell the court about the trip.”

“Hmm, okay then. Let’s do that. I don’t even want to look at that court officer’s face to tell him about the trip.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok.

“I’m coming to Suzhou City this Friday with the president of Mulpasaneop. Can you come to Pudong Airport in Shanghai to pick us up?”

“Oh, really? Of course. Why don’t you stop by our industrial park to see the current development then?”

Gun-Ho met the president of Mulpasaneop at Incheon International Airport for their short trip to China. He was wearing a fedora hat. He was exuding the distinct vibe as the president of a company. His 30 something years of time as an owner of a company was somewhat reflected on him.

The flight landed on Pudong Airport.

The president looked up at the sky of Shanghai.

“It has been a while since I came here. When my company was doing well, I used to see managers and directors here who came to greet me and pick me up from the factory in Suzhou City. I don’t see anyone here anymore.”

Gun-Ho looked at the president’s profile as he talked. He looked older than when he was in his office. His wrinkles seemed to be more noticeable.

“President Goo, over here!”

“Min-Hyeok, hey. This is the president of Mulpasaneop.”

“Nice to meet you, sir. I am Min-Hyeok Kim.”

Min-Hyeok showed his respect by bowing and handed him his business card. The president frowned while trying to read the business card. He probably needed reading glasses at his age.

“Nice to meet you, too.”

“I brought a car to pick you up over there. Please come with me.”

“Oh, you already reserved a taxi?”

“No, I brought my own car, sir.”

Min-Hyeok took the president to his Audi that was freshly washed for this occasion.

Min-Hyeok then headed to Jinxi Industrial Park in Kunshan City.

A lot of huge factories were already settled in the industrial park.

“Oh, the industrial park is already filled with many factories.”

“With the contracts made recently, the industrial park will be two-thirds full by the end of this year.”

The president seemed to be impressed.

“So this industrial park is the joint venture that you, Managing Director Goo invested in, right?”

Min-Hyeok answered for Gun-Ho.

“That’s right. President Gun-Ho Goo owns 50% of the joint venture. I am just an employee who is working for him.”

“Hey, don’t say that you work for me. We are business partners.”

“Wow, I am impressed.”

Min-Hyeok took Gun-Ho and the Mulpasaneop president to his office, and they had Dragon Well tea. The president could see the workers and the heavy equipment moving busily here and there. He then nodded his head.

After walking out of Min-Hyeok’s office, they headed to Mulpa Automotive. The president kept letting out a deep sigh in the car.

“You have been to your son’s factory before, haven’t you?”

“Of course. I’ve been there a few times.”

The president cringed a bit when he saw the factory’s door was closed and locked. They asked for the caretaker and asked him to open the door.

“You can’t get in. You will need permission from the representative of the factory workers.”

When the caretaker refused to open the door for them, Min-Hyeok raised his voice.

“Hey, look. I am running an industrial park in your neighboring city—Kunshan City. We just want to take a quick look at the inside of the factory. That’s all.”

When Min-Hyeok gave his business card to the factory caretaker, he hesitated.

Gun-Ho quickly slipped 100 Yuan into the caretaker’s pocket.

“It won’t take long.”

Gun-Ho’s 100 Yuan was way more effective than Min-Hyeok’s business card. The caretaker opened the door to them right away.

“Please make it quick.”

The president went into the factory and checked the machines that were all in a stopping position. He seemed to have mixed feelings as he petted the machines with his hand. Gun-Ho who was standing next to the president thought his hand looked sad.

Tears eventually welled up in the president’s eyes. Gun-Ho wanted to cry too; he turned his head instead so he wouldn’t look at the president’s tears.

“My stupid son!”

“My stupid son!”

The president kept petting the machines as he cried. He seemed to think of his son as he was petting the son’s machines.

In an effort to change the mood, Min-Hyeok said with a smile.

“You know, Chinkkweo Seon—the president of Jinxi Construction Company and the business partner invited us for dinner when he realized President Goo is here. He already reserved the restaurant—Hwadongchancheong.”

“Oh, really? Let’s go then! The president will like the food there too.”

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Chapter 151 - Business Acquisition (1) – PART 2

Chapter 151: Business Acquisition (1) – PART 2

When Gun-Ho, the Mulpasaneop president, and Min-Hyeok arrived at the restaurant—Hwadongchancheong for the dinner invitation from Chinkkweo Seon—the president of Jinxi Construction Company, the Mulpasaneop president seemed to be astonished by the splendid and luxurious interior of the restaurant.

“Wow. Even though this is a restaurant in a province, its decoration is very impressive.”

Gun-Ho asked the office manager who came with Min-Hyeok to order dishes that were appropriate for the elders, like seafood, for example, considering the president’s age.

“Hey, President Goo!”

The president of Jinxi Construction Company— Chinkkweo Seon and the vice president of the joint venture— Kkangsin Kkao arrived at the restaurant. Gun-Ho introduced the Mulpasaneop president to them.

The Mulpasaneop president seemed to drink a lot that day in distress.

“Are you okay, sir? You seem to drink too much.”

“I’m okay. I used to drink way more than this when I was young.”

When they all drank enough liquor, Deputy Mayor Seukang Li came to the restaurant. He seemed to have drunk already somewhere else before he joined Gun-Ho.

“Hey, President Goo. Good to see you. I just came back from a meeting in Suzhou City; otherwise, I could have joined you earlier.”

“Seukang Li, this is President Se-Young Oh. He is the president of a parts manufacturing company in Korea.”

“Really?”

“Sir, this is Deputy Mayor of Kunshan City. He ran to the restaurant when he heard I was here. He is a good friend of mine.”

“Deputy Mayor!?”

Once Deputy Mayor Li joined Gun-Ho’s party, they ordered more liquor and the restaurant was again filled with the sound of their talking. Gun-Ho was laughing and talking with Deputy Mayor without help from an interpreter, and the Mulpasaneop president was looking at Gun-Ho enviously. Min-Hyeok was also talking with the president of Jinxi Construction Company on his own; his Chinese had improved a lot to the level that he no longer needed an interpreter to talk with a Chinese native speaker.

Gun-Ho interpreted for the Mulpasaneop president from time to time while talking with Deputy Mayor, out of concern that he might feel isolated because of the language barrier.

“I guess in order to have a business in China, speaking the Chinese language like you is a must. I was reckless in expanding my business to China without knowing the local language. I shouldn’t blame my son for the failure I experienced here. I was the one who had suggested my son in the first place to go to China and do business.”

The president drank more in regret.

“I guess it’s time to let the next generation pick up things that my generation was doing. My generation is already old-fashioned in the business field. We need young people who could move with the times.”

The next morning, Gun-Ho and the Mulpasaneop president got up late because of the heavy drinking they did last night. When Gun-Ho went down to the hotel lobby, Min-Hyeok was already there waiting for him.

“I guess I drank too much last night. Geez, it’s already 8 o’clock. When did you arrive?”

“I arrived here an hour ago.”

“An hour ago? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I didn’t want to. You overslept because your body needed it. Sleep is the best way to get your energy back.”

“Oh, the president is coming. He seemed to just get up as well.”

“Let’s go to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.”

“Are they still serving breakfast at this hour?”

“Breakfast is served until 9 am. I asked them about it already.”

“Okay, then. You haven’t had your breakfast yet right, Min-Hyeok?”

“No, I haven’t yet.”

The hotel restaurant still had some food left for breakfast. The food there was okay. All three men chose to eat porridge over rice.

When they arrived at Pudong Airport, Gun-Ho let Min-Hyeok go back to work. There was still plenty of time before boarding. Gun-Ho took the president to a lounge at the airport.

“Can we have the Chinese tea that we had yesterday? I really liked that tea.”

Gun-Ho ordered Dragon Well tea.

The two men enjoyed the hot tea without saying a word. When Gun-Ho finished half a cup of his tea, he said,

“Umm, sir. I heard that the court examiners don’t trust the sales director for the payment plan he submitted to them with the anticipated revenue of the company.”

“I am actually with them.”

“If so, the court receivership would be revoked, and those 16 creditors with the court payment order would start the sales process.”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, the company currently has an outstanding balance of over 300 million won with Korea Electric Power Corporation (“KEPCO”). Once the court receivership is revoked, they would cut off the electricity supply to the company.”

“Hmm.”

“According to the factory caretaker, he had seen several companies’ court receivership revocation, and once the revocation is decided, the workers would usually quit the job right away.”

“Whew.”

“Why don’t you sell your company? Enjoy the rest of your life with your family, away from all these worries. Spend more time with your grandchildren and go on a trip with them.”

“Who would want this company? Nothing much left here.”

“Sir, you also need to think about the gravity of the unpaid wage claim. Too many workers haven’t been paid for a long time. If you can’t resolve it any time soon, you could be prosecuted.”

“Do you think my employees would file a criminal complaint against me?”

“The department of labor would.”

“Hmm.”

“The workers actually would too. They wouldn’t stay unpaid just for you, sir. They would turn their backs on you.”

“Hmm.”

“I will be frank with you, sir. I would give you 2 billion won for your retired life.”

“2 billion won…”

The president looked up at the ceiling.

“2 billion is way too low. Even though the company’s current assets appears to be minimal, it has steady business and customers. I thought I could receive at least 5 billion won. The price gap between you and me seems to be too big.”

“If you insist on your price, there is nothing I can do but giving up on Mulpasaneop. The reported debt to the court is over 70 billion won. In addition to 2 billion won I would give to you, I would have to spend a substantial amount of money on the company.”

“This company is equipped with a quality management system; it has TS16949 and SQ (quality management system approved by Hyundai Automobile). Hyundai Automobile doesn’t easily approve the system unless a company has a perfect quality management system.”

“That’s why I offered 2 billion won.”

“That’s way too low.”

Silence filled the air for a moment.

“To be honest with you, sir, the investors who would invest in my business don’t agree on acquiring Mulpasaneop. They all said there is nothing much left with this company.”

“Hmm.”

“Sir, sell your company when there is a buyer. Even though you post an advertisement for an M&A, investors wouldn’t buy a company that has so many unpaid wage claims. If the company is KOSDAQ registered, then they might think about acquiring it because they could increase capital stock without consideration or issue convertible bonds; however, Mulpasaneop is not a KOSDAQ registered company, isn’t it?”

“Hmm.”

“If you can’t do M&A, you would be criminally charged. Moreover, both of you and your son would become a person with a bad credit score.”

“What do you mean by getting a bad credit score? The company is a separate entity from me as an individual, and the debt is the company’s debt.”

“It doesn’t work that way in your case, sir. According to the record filed with the court, you and your son are the joint surety for Mulpasaneop for the amount of 3 billion won with Korea Credit Guarantee Fund. Do you think you can pay off 3 billion won?”

“That son of a b*tch Korea Credit Guarantee Fund!”

“Korea Credit Guarantee Fund is a sort of quasi-public entity, but they had to claim their money with the court to cover their as*. Your son is still young. You want to give your son another opportunity to stand on his feet again, don’t you?”

“Hmm.”

“When I was younger, I once couldn’t pay off 12 million won. I didn’t go through the individual rehabilitation process, but I went through the process to recover my credit score. I know what it’s like to live with a bad credit score and live without money. The most valuable asset I have is such an experience, and the lesson I learned from it. Please set aside your emotions, and think about the future and the reality.”

“I am so exhausted today. Let’s talk more about it later.”

The president stood up and walked toward the gate to board the plane; he was staggering.

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Chapter 152 - Business Acquisition (2) – PART 1

Chapter 152: Business Acquisition (2) – PART 1

The accounting manager of Mulpasaneop was having another hectic day in preparing documents to submit to the court.

Gun-Ho approached her with a smile.

“Manager Kim, is there anything I can help you with?”

“No, I’m good. Thank you.”

“I can do a data entry job to the accounting program.”

“What? You know how to use the accounting application?”

“I know how to use Douzone.”

“Really?”

The accounting manager looked at Gun-Ho in surprise.

“I once used to work in the accounting department of a company.”

“I see.”

Manager Kim hesitated to ask Gun-Ho to do some work for her though.

“It’s okay. I can handle them on my own for now. I will let you know if I need help.”

“By the way, do you happen to know the president’s son’s phone number? I heard he used to work here as a vice president before he left for China.”

The accounting manager was hesitant for a second, and then she looked at her note. She probably didn’t save his number in her cell phone.

“Here it is. If he is using the same number, this has to be the one. But please don’t tell anyone that you got this number from me.”

Gun-Ho made a call to the president’s son. Someone answered the phone after the phone was ringing for quite a while.

“Hak-Seon Oh?”

“Yes, this is he.”

“My name is Gun-Ho Goo. I am working with President Se-Young Oh of Mulpasaneop. Is this a good time to talk?”

“Are you the new managing director by any chance?”

“Yes, I am.”

“What is this in regards to?”

“I’d like to meet you in person. Where are you located now?”

“I am in Samsung Town. I’m helping my friend with his business now.”

“I will come to Seoul then.”

“Can you come to Bundang District instead? I am staying there. I can meet you there this evening. It’s easier to drive from Asan City as well.”

“No problem. I will come to Jeongja Town in Bundang then. Can we meet at Jeongja Station at 7 pm then?”

“Okay. I will see you there.”

Gun-Ho met with Mulpasaneop president’s son at a café in Jeongja Town, Bundang District.

The president’s son seemed to be about two years younger than Gun-Ho. He looked like someone who had spent his childhood in an affluent family without any hardship in his life. They greeted each other.

“I’ve heard a new managing director joined Mulpasaneop. I expected to see someone a bit older than you though.”

“You look very young yourself as well.”

“How is the company?”

“The court examiners are still reviewing the company. We will soon see the outcome of their investigation.”

“I see.”

“I wanted to talk to you about the factory in China. I’d like to know how you want to handle it. Mulpasaneop invested over 10 billion won outside Korea and hasn’t received anything in return yet.”

“Whew.”

The son let out a deep sigh before he responded to Gun-Ho’s question.

“We should have sold the factory in China already so Mulpasaneop could get something out of it, but that didn’t happen. Have you ever tried to sell it?”

“I did try to sell it, but the potential buyers all offered a ridiculously low price. I couldn’t sell it for that price.”

“I’ve visited the factory in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province myself. The factory is now taken over by the workers. Are the machines the only assets of the company?”

“We have also some moulds and testing machines like a compressor.”

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but the current assets of the company in China wouldn’t be worth over 300 million won. Since the company is leasing the place, the company’s actual assets would be the security deposit, machines, and some left-over raw materials.”

The president’s son seemed to feel thirsty; he ordered a coke and gulped it down.

“People are wondering what I did with Mulpasaneop’s fund of 10 billion won. I didn’t use all of it to buy machines. I had to pay for the raw materials to produce products as well.”

“If you produced products with raw materials, you should have some sales revenue.”

“We manufactured so many defective products, and some of our customers filed bankruptcy so we couldn’t get paid from them.”

“How much accounts receivable do you have?”

“About 100 million won. It has been seized because of the worker’s unpaid wage claims.”

“What about accounts payable? How much do you have then?

“About 800 million won. The 400 million won of it is owed to our suppliers like the raw material supplier. The remaining 300 million won is for overdue wages. Once we pay and receive all these, we will be left with negative 700 million won.”

“If someone wants to buy the factory, they will have to value the moulds and your customers. Your customers are all big companies.”

“What if the customers want to change their vendors?”

“They wouldn’t. Our customers are currently importing goods because our factory couldn’t supply their necessary products. They would be happy to see them if we could produce products again.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho was thinking with his arms crossed and then asked,

“How much do you want to sell the factory for? Assuming there is a buyer who is interested in buying your factory.”

“I’m thinking of 300 million won.”

“If that potential buyer buys your company for 300 million won, he would have to take over negative 700 million won. So, that buyer would end up paying 1 billion won to buy your factory.”

“Umm… Yes.”

“If someone has 1 billion won, do you think that person would buy your company with that money? Don’t you think that person would do something more fun and lucrative rather than buying your troubling company that has a lot of issues?”

“Whew.”

The president’s son let out another deep sigh.

“You also need to consider this as well. If Mulpasaneop is sold off in pieces, it would put this factory at high risk. This factory has been receiving help and support from Mulpasaneop so far for free. You wouldn’t even be able to ask for someone in Mulpasaneop to repair or maintain the machines in your factory. You sometimes used Mulpasaneop’s raw materials when you had to, but that wouldn’t be possible any longer.”

The son drank up his glass of coke again.

The son said quietly,

“People think I wasted 10 billion recklessly on the business in China, but that was not what really happened. I’ve received raw materials from Mulpasaneop, and Mulpasaneop recorded the price of materials higher than their actual value. All of our machines in the factory were assembled with Mulpasaneop’s used machines, but we recorded it like we purchased brand new machines.”

“What do you think was the reason for Mulpasaneop’s collapse?”

“They were not zealous enough to effectively conduct the business. There were way too many employees who were not necessary, but the company kept them all without restructuring the departments or personnel. Also, there were so many unnecessary high ranked executives who were receiving a high salary. They didn’t re-evaluate the price of products for too long. The luck was not on their side either.”

“It seems like someone wants to buy Mulpasaneop for 2 billion won.”

The son laughed hollowly.

“A company with 70 billion won sales revenue is collapsing too easily.”

“If your father doesn’t sell the company now when there is a buyer, and if the court receivership is not approved, you and your father will become a person with a bad credit score.”

“A person with a bad credit score?”

“You borrowed 3 billion won from Korea Credit Guarantee Fund with the company’s name, right?”

“Yes, I remember that.”

“You and your father are the joint surety for Mulpasaneop for that amount of 3 billion won personally with Korea Credit Guarantee Fund. If Mulpasaneop can’t pay for it, Korea Credit Guarantee Fund will seize your personal assets and file a lawsuit against you.”

The son screamed while grabbing his hair with his hands in despair.

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Chapter 153 - Business Acquisition (2) – PART 2

Chapter 153: Business Acquisition (2) – PART 2

“Once you become a person with a bad credit score, your life will become harder and very inconvenient. The government and our society recommend young people to start their own business, but they would become cruel to you once you earn a bad credit score.”

“F*ckers! I didn’t want to get involved in personally guaranteeing the repayment of Mulpasaneop’s loan at that time, but they told me that I, as the son of the president and the vice president of Mulpasaneop had to jointly guarantee the loan with my father, so they could lend money to the company. It was a trap. F*ck!”

“Right. You shouldn’t have done it. Joint surety is a very serious matter. If it goes wrong, your life could be ruined.”

“What should I do?”

“Help your father to make the right decision. Tell him the price of 2 billion won is not a bad offer to sell the company.”

“What about the factory in China?”

“I don’t think you would be able to find anyone who would buy that factory. The company has way more to pay than to receive. You will have to give it to someone or close the factory.”

“If I close the factory, the unpaid wage claims wouldn’t cause any problems?”

“The overdue wages are treated seriously in China too as in Korea. If someone reports you, you wouldn’t be able to step on the Chinese soil anymore. You can talk to the buyer who wants to buy Mulpasaneop to take the factory with Mulpasaneop as a package deal.”

“You think that will work?”

“The factory in China could be used for Mulpasaneop’s business, so the buyer of Mulpasaneop would probably be interested in taking it as well.”

“I think you are the only person in Mulpasaneop with a practical perspective and insight into the reality that Mulpasaneop is now facing. There were many sons of b*tches at the management and executive level in Mulpasaneop. They are no longer with the company though. They always said yes to whatever my father said and didn’t care about the company, and didn’t really work. However, they all received a high salary of more than 100s of million won with a luxurious car that was allocated to them by the company. That was ridiculous and unacceptable.”

“Are you living in a condo in Bundang District right now?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Do you own that condo?”

“It’s under my wife’s name. I was worried about the creditors coming after my personal assets, so I put my wife’s name instead of me, as the owner of the condo.”

“That’s good. Does your wife work?”

“She is running an English language institute. We went to the same college—Y University.”

“Oh, I see. Well, I’d better get going now. I have to drive all the way down to Asan City.”

Gun-Ho was preparing the application for an objection to submit to the court when he received a call from Min-Hyeok in China.

“I talked with the workers’ representative of Mulpa Automotive yesterday. We had a drink together. He is a nice guy.”

“Really? Did you learn anything new?”

“He said that most of the workers had already found another job, but ten workers are still there without work. These ten people are just waiting for the sales of the factory.”

“That representative even had a product drawing of a product that was requested by the Korean B company that has a branch office in China.”

“B Company? That’s a big company.”

“The product that B Company requested was a gasket. He said B Company would need the gaskets worth of 100 million won every month.”

“Do you know how to read a product drawing?”

“Of course. I learned CAD before.”

“Haha, really?”

“It’s a shame if that factory has to close the business. Their machines are all in new condition. If someone acquires it and operates it well, it could be a very lucrative business.”

“I see. Okay, Min-Hyeok. I will have to talk to you later. I have to prepare some documents that I need to submit to the court now.”

“Okay. I will talk to you later then.”

It was Gun-Ho’s cousin—Jae-Woong’s wedding day. Gun-Ho wore a suit neatly to attend his wedding.

“Let’s not send him a congratulatory flower wreath this time. It won’t look good to have a flower wreath at the wedding sent from a cousin who are not even married yet.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the wedding place. His aunt was standing next to the groom—Jae-Woong. She was wearing a fancy traditional Korean dress with heavy make-up. Gun-Ho had never seen his aunt dressed up like this before. His overweight aunt and her also overweight son looked very alike.

“Oh, Gun-Ho! Oh, my gosh, I can’t even recognize you. I heard you are making good money these days, and you look like a totally different person now. Money is good, huh? You should marry soon too.”

“You must be very happy today since Jae-Woong is getting married.”

Jae-Woong who was standing next to his mother had a shiny face; he probably put too much facial crème or something on his face.

“Jae-Woong, congratulations.”

“Thank you, brother.”

Gun-Ho was just going to stay there for a moment and was going to leave quickly after meeting the groom and his uncle.

“Let’s skip the wedding reception. If I see other relatives, they would all ask me about my plan to marry or some other stuff. It could be very tiresome.”

When Gun-Ho was thinking about how to avoid running into his other relatives, one of his relatives already saw him and said hello to him.

“Gun-Ho?”

It was a distant uncle who was about 60 years old. He was wearing a jacket and his face was red; he probably already started drinking.

“Hi, how are you?”

“Hey, why haven’t you married yet? You are older than Jae-Wong, right?”

“Right.”

“How old are you now?”

Gun-Ho thought that it would be an unfortunate day for him.

“35 years old.”

“You are old enough to have a grandkid in the old days!”

Gun-Ho left his wedding gift money with the person at the reception desk, and then he quickly left the wedding hall.

Gun-Ho’s sister called him.

“Hey, where are you? I don’t see you anywhere.”

“I just left. I have something I need to take care of right now.”

“Really? Aunt said she saw you here, so mom and dad are looking for you.”

“Can you tell them that I had to leave?”

“Okay. I actually expected to see you here, brother. It has been a while. Well, I will see you later then. Jeong-Ah misses you too.”

“She must be big now.”

“She actually received an award. She was selected for a children’s choir. She will go to Seoul soon to sing with them. She brought a pamphlet of their performance in Seoul to give to you.”

“Haha. Please tell her I congratulate her and I am proud of her. I will buy her a piano and send it home. It’s a gift for Jeong-Ah.”

“A piano?”

“I knew she is musically talented and I was going to buy her a piano anyway.”

“You don’t have to, Gun-Ho. You have done so many things for us already. I don’t want to impose anymore.”

“Don’t say that, sister. Well, I have to go. I will talk to you later.”

After getting off the phone with his sister, Gun-Ho thought,

‘She is taking care of my parents, so I don’t have to worry about them. She deserves everything I give to her.’

Gun-Ho felt good and drove his Land Rover to Asan City while humming.

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Chapter 154 - Business Acquisition (3) – PART 1

Chapter 154: Business Acquisition (3) – PART 1

The president of Mulpasaneop was very upset when he received an order to appear by the prosecution.

“Managing Director Goo, I received this letter; can you take a look? Why does the prosecution want to see me?”

“I suppose it’s because of the overdue wage claims.”

“Overdue wage claims? Are you saying one of my workers filed a complaint against me for the wage?”

“The local office of the Department of Labor probably did so. They have the right to do it.”

“What would happen if I don’t appear?”

“If you don’t appear intentionally knowing that you received the appearance notice, you could get arrested. I recommend you going there voluntarily.”

“They could arrest me once I go there, right?”

“Haha. They wouldn’t do that right away. They would probably ask you to settle.”

“Settle?”

“Yes, they want you to settle with the overdue wage claimants.”

“What if we don’t reach an agreement? It takes money to settle.”

“If you can’t settle, they would start the court proceedings.”

“I will get arrested then?”

“Haha. I don’t know. Whether to arrest you or not is up to the court, I guess.”

The president eventually went to the prosecutor’s office; he certainly didn’t look happy.

The court officer was looking outside the window when the president went out heading to the prosecutor’s office. He asked Gun-Ho,

“Where is the president going?”

“He received an order to appear in the prosecutor’s office.”

“It must be for the overdue wages. Stubborn old man!”

The court officer was quietly sneering.

“Managing Director Goo, what did I tell you earlier? I told you that we should pay off the overdue wages first among everything else, right? The president was furious when he saw me planning to pay for the overdue wages first; he insisted that we had to pay to the raw material supplier first. Look at how his life turned out at his old age.”

The president came back to the company after 4 pm that day. He looked very exhausted, and he tossed a document in front of Gun-Ho.

“Sons of b*tches! They used to work for me, and I am the one who gave them the jobs so they could make their living. And this is how they pay me. Just because they haven’t gotten paid for a few months, they filed a criminal complaint against me?! Sons of b*tches!”

Gun-Ho picked up the document that the president tossed and read it. About 20 workers filed the complaint together against the president.

“I don’t know what to say, sir.”

Gun-Ho felt like it was almost time to acquire Mulpasaneop.

“I hope that this doesn’t become anyone’s misfortune.”

Gun-Ho was thinking with his eyes closed.

‘The capital of this company has become about only 500 million won due to the punitive reduction. The president practically has no funds to take out from the company. The price of 2 billion won that I suggested him is actually a good offer. He is just being very stubborn. Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town told me that business owners think differently from a person like him who has played with money. A company is like a child to those business owners so it means more than money to them. I guess President Se-Young Oh needs more time to let his company go. It seems that he is in the process of changing his mind. Let’s give him some more time.’

Gun-Ho went to the court officer.

“I offered 2 billion won for the company to the president.”

The court officer was surprised and asked Gun-Ho,

“What did he say?”

“He said he would think about it.”

“I think it is a generous offer. I would take it if I were him. He has no idea what it’s like to live with a bad credit score.”

“If I pay 2 billion won, do I get the company right away?”

“No, since this company is under court receivership, the acquisition is done by increasing capital stock. The capital stock of this company is 500 million won, and you add 2 billion won to it—and then you become the controlling shareholder right away.”

“Hmm.”

“If the payment plan submitted by the company is determined to be difficult to achieve, I will have to start sales proceeding to a third party with the court’s approval.”

“Hmm.”

“The acquisition applicant—you, Managing Director Goo needs to give me your application to acquire this company. Then, I will select another examiner.”

“An examiner?”

“Yes, someone who will review the accounting records and legal matters because the procedure has to be fair to everyone.”

“Who is going to be the examiner?”

“I know someone who is running an accounting firm, but I don’t want people to be suspicious about the selection of the examiner. I think the accounting firm that has been handling this company’s financial matters is good too. The firm’s name is Anchang Accountant Office.”

“Hmm, there could be multiple acquisition applicants.”

“That’s possible. However, one of the important factors in selecting the final acquiror is the acquiror’s business experience and will to take over the company, so I believe you are the right person for it. Moreover, I don’t think there would be anyone who would pay that much to buy this company. You will have to show that you have the cash to acquire the company though. Be loaded with cash.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho decided to sell all of his Kumho Chemical stock in order to get the necessary cash to buy Mulpasaneop.

“I’ve been so busy that I didn’t even have the chance to open my stock account. It was worth 90 billion won two months ago.”

When Gun-Ho opened his stock account, he was shocked by the number he saw.

“225 billion won!”

Gun-Ho couldn’t breathe. The price of Kumho Chemical stock increased by 2.5 times and Gun-Ho’s stock was now worth 225 billion won.

Gun-Ho still couldn’t believe it.

“God is helping me!”

Gun-Ho went outside to get some fresh air. He took a deep breath.

“I will not waste even a single penny of this money that was given to me by God!”

Because of the enormous amount of money that his stock was worth, it took him more than a month to sell off his stock.

While Gun-Ho was selling his stock, the branch manager of the stock brokerage company called Gun-Ho several times, but he didn’t pick up the phone. Gun-Ho, at first, transferred 10 billion won to his bank account, which he would use when he acquires Mulpasaneop. With 225 billion won in hand, he could easily acquire a larger company than Mulpasaneop, but he didn’t.

“I’m going to buy Mulpasaneop, and then I will grow it and make it a large KOSDAQ registered firm.”

This was Gun-Ho’s intention with Mulpasaneop.

During the month when Gun-Ho was selling his Kumho Chemical stock, the court examiners were almost done with their investigation and review. The court officer often came to Gun-Ho and told him how things went.

“It seems like the court examiners will determine that the company is not capable of achieving their payment goal as they indicated in their payment plan. I’d like to know about your next move, Managing Director Goo. You haven’t talked to me about your plan or intention lately.”

The president seemed to be anxious about his company’s future and also his future as well.

“Is your offer of 2 billion won acquisition still valid? The investors behind you haven’t changed their minds, right?”

Gun-Ho didn’t pay attention to them and focused on selling his stock.

The court officer called for Gun-Ho again.

“The court examiners will submit their opinion with their investigation records to the court soon. The court will revoke the court receivership right away. We don’t have much time.”

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Chapter 155 - Business Acquisition (3) – PART 2

Chapter 155: Business Acquisition (3) – PART 2

The upper-level management of Mulpasaneop was anxious as well.

“Managing Director Goo wants to acquire the company with his investors’ funds, but I heard that the president is not cooperative. If the company is sold off in pieces, he will lose everything. Why is he making things difficult?”

“Maybe the president wants to sink with his company. If he wants to do that, he’d better do it by himself. He is now dragging everyone down with him.”

The head of the labor union went to the president and tried to persuade him too.

Gun-Ho determined that it was time.

He went to the president.

“Do you have any good news, Managing Director Goo?”

The president seemed anxious.

“I will submit my application to acquire the company to the court officer today.”

“What is your offer?”

“I offer 2 billion won in a method of increasing capital stock. Since the company is still under court receivership, the court officer will use the money to pay the company’s debts in the order of priority.”

“They will have to pay for my hard money loan first.”

“The court officer will pay for the amount claimed for public interest.”

“What about me? I won’t get anything then?”

“I will take your capital shares of 500 million won and will give you additional funds so you could get 2 billion won.”

“Thank you, Managing Director Goo. I have one more favor to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“My condo in Bangbae Town is being used as collateral to secure several loans that were used for the company’s debts, mostly to the raw material suppliers. Can you pay for these loans first?”

“Hmm.”

“I know there is a priority order in distributing to creditors; however, this is my personal asset. I could get evicted from my home.”

“I admire you, sir. Not everyone would use their personal assets to pay for their company’s debts. I will do what I can do to make those loans the priority in paying off the debts.”

“Thank you so much, Managing Director Goo.”

Gun-Ho gave a call to the president’s son as well.

“My application to acquire Mulpasaneop has been submitted to the court by the court officer.”

“I see. Thank you for your work and effort, sir.”

“I think you did a great job.”

“Huh? Me? I didn’t really do anything.”

“You played a major role in getting the product drawing from B Company when you were in China.”

“Oh, that. Yes. I even kneeled down to my friend who was my senior when we were in college and he was working for B Company, in order to get that product drawing. However, it became useless now. All of the product drawing and machines are seized by the workers.”

“I will give you 100 million won, and I will take over Mulpa Automotive in China.”

“Huh? 100 million won?”

The Mulpasaneop president’s son didn’t expect an offer of 100 million won. It seemed that he suffered enough to let go of his factory as soon as he could.

“If you give me 100 million won, I will hand it over to you without any issue. The company’s business is very simple with only a few major customers and vendors, so the process to take over the company should be very simple.”

“Can you go to China? If you get there, a person with the name, Min-Hyeok Kim will come and see you. He is the president of Jinxi Industrial Park in Kunshan City. You can start the process to sell your company with him.”

“With the industrial park?”

“That industrial park is my joint venture. I invested in that joint venture and their Korean co-venturer is me.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho could see the president’s son’s surprising face even over the phone.

The court officer selected Anchang Accountant Office as the examiner to proceed with the sales of Mulpasaneop to a third party. Anchang Accountant Office had been handling Mulpasaneop’s financial matters until the court receivership. Accountant Nak-Jong Lee from Anchang Accountant Office came to the company.

“I’m Nak-Jong Lee. I’ve been handling financial matters of Mulpasaneop for a long time.”

“The court receivership will end soon and there is an applicant who wants to acquire Mulpasaneop. Once that person acquires the company, can you come again to Mulpasaneop?”

“Of course. I will do my best to perform my duty.”

“We have a strong candidate to acquire the company, but we want the acquisition process to be performed through the neutral examiner, to look fair. We selected Anchang Accountant Office where you work for and already made a contract with its headquarters in Seoul.”

“Oh, I see. Who is the strong candidate to buy this company?”

“He is coming over here. He is the managing director of this company now; however, once he acquires the company he would become the owner-president.”

“Hi, I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

Accountant Nak-Jong Lee stared at Gun-Ho.

“You look familiar, sir.”

“I actually went to your office for consultation the other day. And you didn’t like to talk to me at that time.”

“Oh, I remember now. It was not like that, sir.”

“Haha, I’m just joking. I look forward to working with you.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Accountant Nak-Jong Lee for a handshake, and the accountant gave him a 90-degree bow.

The court officer added with a smile.

“This man is supported with more than enough funds. I was astonished when I saw the acquisition application. His bank statement shows an enormous amount of cash.”

Gun-Ho thought,

‘He is surprised by looking at only 10 billion won in my bank account. They will faint once they learn that I have 210 billion won in cash.’

After Accountant Nak-Jong Lee left the company, Gun-Ho and the court officer had a tea.

“Once the court receivership ends here, what are you going to do?”

“I will apply to the court again for another work as a court officer.”

“Is it easy to get the work that way?”

“I have extensive experience in this field, so the court trusts me. However, so many people want to do this job lately.”

“The court officer work is usually done by a person who used to work as a branch manager of a bank?”

“Not necessarily. People who used to work as an auditor of a company, or an accountant, or a tax accountant do this job as well. I’ve seen people who used to run an insurance company or some financial institution too.”

“Hmm.”

“Why are you asking those?”

“Don’t you want to stay in a company, rather than moving from one company to another as a court officer? I want you to work as an auditor here.”

“Huh? An auditor in Mulpasaneop?”

“You now know well about Mulpasaneop, and I do like the way you handle things.”

“If you offer me the job, I will take it with my pleasure.”

“I can’t pay you much though. However, I will give you more than you are currently making.”

“Thank you.”

“I decided to acquire Mulpa Automotive in China too.”

“Huh? The factory in China?”

“Yes, I offered 100 million won for that company.”

“Do you have anyone in mind to run that company?”

“Yes, I do.”

“That’s good.”

“Please record the Mulpasaneop’s investment funds of 10 billion won that was invested in China as a loss on disposal of investment assets.”

“Okay. That will make the Mulpasaneop’s financial statements less complicated.”

For some time, the court officer who was in his 50s—and used to be a branch manager of a bank, treated Gun-Ho with respect. The power was shifting towards Gun-Ho slowly.

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Chapter 156 - Business Acquisition (4) – PART 1

Chapter 156: Business Acquisition (4) – PART 1

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok in China.

“Min-Hyeok, I am taking over Mulpa Automotive in China.”

“What? Mulpa Automotive?”

“Yes. Why don’t you run that company?”

“What about the industrial park here?”

“Let’s take our hands off the industrial park. Managing the industrial park is no fun.”

“That’s true, but this is just so sudden. I’ve never expected this.”

“You said that the industrial park is almost half full, right?”

“As of today, two-thirds of the park is full.”

“The security deposit we have received from the companies so far must accumulate a lot.”

“I believe it must be more than 1.7 billion won.”

“Why don’t you meet with the president of Jinxi Construction Company?”

“And what do I tell him?”

“Tell him that we are acquiring a company in Suzhou City and that we are thinking of leaving the joint venture.”

“What if he said no? Then what should we do about Mulpa Automotive?”

“Well, we will then have to find someone else who could run Mulpa Automotive; maybe post a job opening on WorkNet.”

“That factory… I want to run it.”

“Why? Are you bored with the joint venture?”

“In fact, even though I have a job title as the president and driving an Audi here, I feel like I’m just a puppet here.”

“Haha, you think so?”

“All those Chinese people do the actual running of the company. All I do is just sign the report they show to me.”

“I see.”

“But I learned a lot by working here. I now understand the business system in China, and how they operate. That’s nice.”

“Really? Well, since you are the president, you must oversee the entire system and had the chance to observe their conducting business at that level. That makes sense.”

“Okay. I will talk to the president of Jinxi Construction Company, and will let you know how it goes.”

“Sounds good.”

Two days later, Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok.

“I talked to the president of Jinxi Construction. I mentioned our intention to leave the joint venture. It seems that he liked it. He seemed to be really glad to hear it.”

“Really?”

“I guess they don’t feel comfortable running the company while I am there.”

“That’s understandable.”

“They actually applied to increase their capital stock without consideration to the department of construction of the city.”

“They did? How much will they increase?”

“He said 20 %”

“Hmm, that’s not much.”

“Why do they increase the capital stock? They don’t have any plan to invest anywhere.”

“They want to justify their asking for us to leave.”

“It is for a justification?”

“The joint venture’s capital is 3 million dollars, right?”

“That’s right.”

“How much will the capital be after they increase it by 20%? It will be 3.6 million dollars, right?”

“Right.”

“With 3.6 million dollars, how much can they give to us? 1.8 million dollars, right? Our initial amount of investment was 1.5 million dollars, and they need to let us make some money through the investment in the joint venture, right? I thought they would increase the capital stock by at least 30%.”

“Oh, I got it!”

“They will contact us soon. Let’s wait and hear what they say.”

“What about Mulpa Automotive?”

“We don’t have to run the factory right after we acquire it. Let’s take some time. You said you had dinner with the representative of the workers, right? Get along with him, and ask him to gather the workers who used to work for Mulpa Automotive.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t forget that we get not only the machines but also the moulds. Some of the moulds are not owned by Mulpa Automotive but by some vendors.”

“Got it.”

“Don’t rush. We need to quit the joint venture first before we could actually run the Mulpa Automotive factory.”

Anchang Accountant Office started the sales process of Mulpasaneop; however, there was no one but Gun-Ho who wanted to acquire Mulpasaneop. The sales price of the company was relatively low; however, the acquirer had to take over the enormous amount of debt as well. Two companies made some inquiries about buying the company and then gave up once they learned the exact amount of the company’s debt. Once the president received 2 billion won from Gun-Ho, he stopped coming to the company anymore. The court issued a decision that it was ending the court receivership because Mulpasaneop was sold to a third party.

“Congratulations. You are now the president of Mulpasaneop.”

The auditor who used to be the court officer during the court receivership came to Gun-Ho’s office with a draft of the first board meeting minutes.

Gun-Ho read the draft of the board meeting minutes and chuckled.

“The entire board directors attended and elected Gun-Ho Goo unanimously as the president of Mulpasaneop.”

Gun-Ho was using the president’s office. He changed the office’s entire interior with bright color and replaced everything with luxurious items.

When the accounting manager entered the office, she was surprised.

“Wow. This room used to be very depressing. Now it’s so bright and fresh.”

Gun-Ho replaced the frame that had old Chinese characters with a vibrant oil painting. Gun-Ho’s tastes in decorating were reflected through his office.

The auditor insisted that they had to have an inauguration ceremony for the new president—Gun-Ho. So the entire workers gathered in the assembly hall and started the ceremony.

On the day of the inauguration, Gun-Ho became deeply emotional. He wanted to have a factory like this for a long time. Gun-Ho finally made his dream come true. He now had a large factory with 250 employees and with sales revenue of 70 billion won.

“They placed a banner there too.”

In the assembly hall, a banner was hanging; it said, “The inauguration of our new president.” Gun-Ho was aware that he took over this company with an enormous amount of debt, but he decided to pay it off gradually as he ran the company. He once thought about paying off the debt all at once with his cash—210 billion won in his stock account.

“Why do we have this many flower wreaths here?”

The factory manager ran to Gun-Ho and explained,

“These are from our vendors and customers. Twenty of them are from raw material suppliers.”

“It’s such a waste.”

When Gun-Ho stepped in the assembly hall, every single one of the 250 workers stood up and clapped.

Gun-Ho was about to start his inauguration speech.

The old lady workers from the production department started whispering.

“I didn’t know that our new president is such a young man.”

“He acquired this company with the funds from the investors behind him.”

“That’s more like it. He is way too young to have such money.”

“I don’t care who runs this company. I just need to get paid on time.”

“We received three-month overdue wage because of the court officer. We have three more months of unpaid wage left.”

“That court officer decided to stay with our company; he is now our auditor.”

“What does an auditor do?”

Gun-Ho started talking,

“I know you have been through a hard time with Mulpasaneop because of the company’s financial crisis. You will never experience such hardship with this company anymore. I value talented and hard workers. I will absolutely compensate any of you who contribute to our company. On the other hand, I won’t tolerate anyone who discourages our hard work, and who spends time without working at this company.”

Someone started clapping and it eventually made everyone in the hall clap. Gun-Ho didn’t want to make a long speech at his inauguration.

“I will provide a better work environment for you, and if the company makes more money, I will share it with you all. Please forget about how you have worked so far. We will now start a more effective and more efficient way of working to increase our productivity.”

The workers were clapping, and the upper management level personnel started introducing themselves. The only new person there was the auditor and all other personnel was the same people who had been working for Mulpasaneop for years.

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Chapter 157 - Business Acquisition (4) – PART 2

Chapter 157: Business Acquisition (4) – PART 2

After the inauguration ceremony ended, Gun-Ho visited all of the Mulpasaneop’s vendors accompanied by the sales director. There were not many vendors though; there were about ten of them. Four of the vendors were big companies, and Gun-Ho couldn’t directly meet with their presidents; he instead, met with someone in charge.

The president of one of the Mulpasaneop’s customers was President Se-Young Oh’s friend. Even though that company was a big company, the president wanted to meet with Gun-Ho; it was very unusual. Usually, the president of a big company didn’t directly meet with its vendors or customers’ president if they were not from a big company.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from President Se-Young Oh. He highly spoke about you, so I wanted to see you in person.”

“Thank you, sir. I am new in this field, and I don’t know much about the business yet.”

“No, no. Don’t say that. That’s not true. Even though I am running this big company as the president, I am just an employee who gets paid a salary on a monthly basis, but you are the owner-president of your company. I look forward to working with you.”

“I will do my best, sir.”

“As long as you produce quality products without a defect, we will definitely place orders for your new products.”

As soon as the president said that he was interested in ordering, the sales director told the president right away.

“Sir, the last time you told us that you would order BH5604 from us, that didn’t happen. You actually ordered it from somewhere else. It seems like you will be ordering more of the same product; can you make the order from us?”

“Really? Director Park has been with Mulpasaneop for a long time, right? You will have to assist well the new president—Gun-Ho Goo. As to the product, why don’t you send me a sample? I will review it.”

Once they returned to the car, the sales director started making complaints.

“The factory manager has a lot of issues. He doesn’t effectively handle the workers in the production department. Our factory is making so many defective products. That factory manager has been working with our previous president for 40 years, and I guess he is too old. He sometimes does things I don’t understand at all.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Gun-Ho decided to observe the factory manager for a while.

When it came to the factory matters, Gun-Ho thought of his friend, Jong-Suk Park who was working at a factory. He made a call to him.

“Hey, MacGyver Park! What are you doing now?”

“Hey, bro! I was about to leave to do some welding.”

“Really? How much do you get paid from your current employer?”

“You suddenly called me now, and you are asking about my salary? Well, since I am the team leader, I get paid almost 3 million won.”

“Jong-Suk, come to Asan City. I will provide you with OneRoomTel too.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I just acquired a company. I will give you a managerial position. A manager in this company gets paid more than 4 million won.”

“Get out of here, man.”

“You, jackas* don’t believe me, huh? You said your company has 40 employees, right?”

“It’s actually 45 workers.”

“Whatever. My company has 250 employees. Pack your stuff and move here!”

“I don’t know.”

“Have I ever lied to you before? And the factory manager here is an old man who will have to retire soon. So you will have a promising future with this company.”

“The machines I am using here and the machines in your factory might not be the same since they probably have different specification. I’m not sure if I know how to operate those machines in your company.”

“You are a quick learner, bro. You will learn how to operate the machines in the blink of an eye. Come and join me!”

“I will get off work early tomorrow and will stop by there. I will have to see it first before making any decision.”

“Sounds good. I will buy you a tasty dinner.”

Min-Hyeok called Gun-Ho and told him that the joint venture would increase their capital stock.

“The city’s construction department approved it. They approved for the joint venture to increase the capital stock by 15% without consideration. Once it is done, the joint venture will then return our investment funds of 1,725,000 dollars.”

“So we are being paid 225,000 dollars for our hard work so far. That’s not much.”

“Do you want me to talk to them about it?”

“That’s okay. Leave it. I started that joint venture because of my friend—Deputy Mayor Seukang Li. He will hook us up with another good business opportunity later. At least we didn’t lose any money, which is good. We made 225,000 dollars after all.”

“They said that they will send the funds to your bank account.”

“Okay. Once we receive that fund, move to Ohyeon, Suzhou City right away. Get a condo there; as long as the rent does not exceed 5,000 Yuan, you can get any condo you want.”

“Okay. I will call you once I move to Suzhou City.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Deputy Mayor Seukang Li.

“I heard you are leaving the joint venture.”

“Yeah, it happened that way. From now on, the work that the joint venture will have to focus on is to manage the industrial park, so it would be more efficient for one company to manage it rather than two companies doing it together through a joint venture.”

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t increase more of your capital stock without consideration. I couldn’t be flexible there because the government could only get involved in a limited way.”

“That’s okay. At least I made money and didn’t lose money, so that’s okay.”

“I’ve heard you will have a business in Ohyeon.”

“That’s right. Ohyeon is within your city—Suzhou City so I might need your help later for my new business.”

“I heard from President Min-Hyeok Kim that you are taking over an auto parts company.”

“Right. It’s manufacturing auto parts and selling to car manufacturers.”

Seukang Li told Gun-Ho how sorry he was several times before he hung up the phone. It seemed that he was conscious about the 15,000 dollars he received from Jien Wang last time as a commission. Gun-Ho was getting 225,000 dollars as he quit the joint venture, and if he subtracted the 15,000 dollars then he would still end up making 210,000 dollars. Gun-Ho didn’t make much by participating in this joint venture.

However, Gun-Ho didn’t take it that way.

“It was an absolute success.”

At first, he didn’t lose any money and Seukang Li now felt that he owed Gun-Ho, which was really good. Gun-Ho knew Seukang Li would do something very helpful to him in return in the future. Second, Gun-Ho now had a valuable friend and worker—Min-Hyeok Kim. He had grown a lot while he was working in China. So he was more than capable of running Mulpa Automotive on his own.

“Min-Hyeok, I helped you to fly by putting wings under your arms. How much further you could fly is totally up to you now. Fly further and higher, my friend.”

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Chapter 158 - Business Expansion (1) – PART 1

Chapter 158: Business Expansion (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho invested an additional amount of 3 billion won to Mulpasaneop after acquiring the company. It was not for increasing capital stock, but it was more like the company borrowed money from its president for a short period of time. Once the company got back on track, Gun-Ho would be able to get his money back easily.

‘I gave 2 billion won to the president when I acquired this company, and I put an additional 3 billion won as I lent it to the company. So I used a total of 5 billion won to Mulpasaneop so far, and I won’t spend any more money even a penny to this company. I will pay the existing debt with the company’s revenue as I run the company.’

Gun-Ho called for the auditor.

“Let’s pay off the overdue wages first, and use the remaining funds to pay the raw material suppliers.”

“Yes, sir.”

“As to the raw materials, don’t pay for the outstanding balance to the suppliers just yet, but pay for the new materials we are getting from them now. And pay them on time.”

“Yes, sir. As long as they receive the payments for the materials they currently supply, they won’t ask to be paid for the overdue payments right away.”

“Mulpasaneop pays on time to suppliers ever since its new president joined the company.”

The rumors started spreading in the field.

Jong-Suk Park came to Asan City from Yangju City, Gyeonggi Province to visit Gun-Ho’s factory. When he looked at the factory, he was astonished.

“Wow, it is a big factory.”

Jong-Suk had to sign on the visitor book at the main gate and receive a visitor’s pass in order to enter the factory.

“I can’t believe this is Gun-Ho bro’s. This is huge.”

Once Jong-Suk arrived at the management department, he could see a lot of office workers in uniform.

“Hi, I came here to see the president.”

“May I tell who’s here?”

“I am his close friend.”

“Did you make an appointment with him?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Okay, please give me one moment.”

After quite a while, the staff came back and took Jong-Suk to the president’s office. Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper at the conference table that was situated in the middle of the large president’s office.

“Hey, Jong-Suk. Come and have a seat here with me.”

“Bro, congratulations. It feels kind of difficult to even call you bro.”

“What? I have to be your brother because I can’t be your sister, man.”

“No, I mean… We seem to have a big gap in our social positions now.”

“Don’t be silly. Do you want coffee? Or green tea?”

Gun-Ho picked up the interphone and asked for tea.

“Please bring us two cups of green tea.”

“Okay, sir.”

Jong-Suk could hear a friendly voice of a woman over the phone.

Jong-Suk was thinking what to say, and then he just drank his green tea.

“Did you bring your luggage?”

“My luggage? Oh, no bro. I just came here today to see the factory.”

“What do you think?”

“It’s way more awesome than I expected. You are a mysterious man, bro.”

“You kept silly talking today. What’s the matter with you?”

Gun-Ho picked up the interphone again.

“Please let the general affairs manager in.”

After a moment, a middle-aged man entered the room. He looked like he was in his mid-40s and he was wearing a tie.

“Why don’t you show this man here around the factory and introduce him to the factory manager. He will be working with us starting tomorrow as a production manager.”

“Yes, sir.”

The general affairs manager gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho who was a lot younger than him.

“Umm…”

When Jong-Suk hesitated, Gun-Ho frowned.

“Just go see the factory!”

When Jong-Suk went to the factory, he could see injection molding machines and extruder machines that were running vigorously while making loud noises.

Jong-Suk’s eyes widened as he saw the production field.

“Wow. This is amazing. There were lots of machines I’ve never handled before. Are they all hydraulic press machines?”

Jong-Suk was intrigued by the machines and the production field. He checked the machines and observed the workers closely in the field.

The factory manager was outside the factory talking with an electrical inspector. The general affairs manager approached the factory manager and bowed to him. The factory manager was at the managing director level, and he was in his late 50s.

“Sir, this is Mr. Jong-Suk Park. He will join us as a production manager.”

Jong-Suk bowed to the factory manager.

“Production manager? Did you bring your resume?”

“I didn’t bring it today, sir, but I will bring it tomorrow.”

“Where did you work before coming to our company?”

Jong-Suk hesitated for a moment. The factory he was working for was a small factory; he was just a team leader there. However, he would now be taking a production manager position in Mulpasaneop.

“I am in Yangju City right now. I have been working with a repair and maintenance team rather than in a production team.”

“You will be good at fixing the machines then. Do you know how to read drawings? What about calculating production cost?”

Jong-Suk was hesitant. As the factory manager mentioned about some kind of production cost thing, Jong-Suk thought this wouldn’t be an easy job for him.

“I will learn.”

“You also need to know how to read a recipe and a simple chemical equation. By the way, you look very young. How old are you?”

“I am 33.”

“Can you handle the work as a production manager? Well, you should be capable since the president recommended you. I look forward to working with you.”

The factory manager extended his hand for a handshake.

After the factory tour, Jong-Suk came back to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Did you see the factory? Did you talk to the factory manager?”

“I did. Whew. I am worried. I’m not sure if I can handle this job. All those production assistant managers and team leaders look a lot older than me.”

“Don’t worry! It’s okay. Do you think I am the president because I am older than all of them?”

“They know you recommended me to this position. If I screw up, they will blame you. I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”

“Believe in yourself, bro. You are the MacGyver Park. I know you will do great. That factory manager will have to retire soon. While he is here, learn from him as much as you can.”

“I can’t call you brother here, right?”

“Huh? You can still call me brother when we are alone, and you can address me as President when we go outside this office. If you didn’t bring your luggage today, pack your stuff and move here tomorrow. Get a OneRoomTel in the Asan City area. For the employment papers, ask the general affairs manager on your way out.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok in China.

“I heard Jong-Suk just joined Mulpasaneop.”

“Yeah. He is having a hard time now while learning new things in the production field.”

“I’m sure he will do just fine. He was not good at studying, but he is very observant and a really smart guy.”

“I know he will do well. He doesn’t have much experience in the production field, but I know he is very good at maintaining and fixing stuff.”

“Jong-Suk… oh, maybe I should address him as Manager Park from now. Once Manager Park gets familiar with his work there, I will ask him to look at the machines at our factory in China. I see some problems with some machines here since they were sitting here for too long.”

“Okay. I will send him there soon.”

“Oh, and I was told by the Jinxi Construction Company that they are done with the paperwork to end the joint venture, and they will send our fund tomorrow. So, please check your bank account after 3 pm tomorrow.”

“Okay. I won’t touch that fund though. Min-Hyeok, see how much you would need to operate Mulpa Automotive. I need to know the number so I could prepare the money.”

“Okay, I will. Once the fund for the joint venture is verified, I will move to Ohyeon where our Mulpa Automotive factory is at right away. I already found a condo there; it’s 17 pyung large and big enough for myself.”

“17 pyung? Why didn’t you get one with 25 pyung? You are the president of that company, remember?”

“Nah. It’s not necessary. It would be a waste. That condo is a luxurious one, so its monthly rent is 3,500 Yuan.”

“You will have to return your Audi to the joint venture, right? Once you get to Ohyeon, get a long-term rental car—Audi, okay?”

“Thank you.”

“And don’t forget to hire a chauffeur. Don’t drive on your own. If you as a foreigner get involved in a car accident in China, they will rip you off.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

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Chapter 159 - Business Expansion (1) – PART 2

Chapter 159: Business Expansion (1) – PART 2

“When you work in the joint venture, we had to talk with the Chinese co-venturer to determine your salary. Since our Mulpa Automotive is an independent company, we will have to determine the amount of your salary. How much do you want to get?”

“My salary? I’m good with the same amount as I earn with the joint venture.”

“How much are you making now with the joint venture? You are getting 1.5 million won from Seoul, and 6,000 something Yuan in China, right?”

“I think it’s more than enough for me since I haven’t really done anything in the joint venture.”

“Once you start working at Mulpa Automotive in China, I can no longer pay you 1.5 million won from Seoul. Instead, I will pay you 20,000 Yuan in China (about 3.6 million won) and will add a stock option.”

“Stock option?”

“If you as the president work hard, and the factory is doing well, you will have the option to buy the company shares.”

“Hmm.”

“The stock option would be 5% of the capital.”

“What does that mean?”

“Say, the company generated a profit of 1 billion won at the end of the year. Then, you can either get the right to purchase the stock or get a profit-sharing. 5% of 1 billion won would be 50 million won. If the profit is 2 billion won, you will get 100 million won. What do you think?”

“That would be great.”

“Many startups offer it to their employees like this.”

“Hmm.”

“I will send you the annual salary agreement with stock option. Just send it back to me with your signature on.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Min-Hyeok’s voice was shaking; he seemed to be deeply moved by Gun-Ho’s thoughtfulness and care.

Gun-Ho received a call from Manager Kang from GH Development in Seoul.

“Sir, it’s Manager Kang. I just wanted to let you know that everything is good here. The company is doing well too.”

“I appreciate that, Manager Kang. I can focus on business here because of you, Manager Kang. Having you there gives me real comfort.”

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong often asks me when you will come to the office. We start worrying since you have been away from our office for a long time now.”

“Haha, there is nothing to worry about. We talk like this pretty often. I regularly check the company bank account to see if the rent is coming in without any problem from OneRoomTels. So, don’t worry about anything. I am monitoring the business of GH Development as well.”

“When are you coming back to Seoul, sir?”

“It won’t be soon. If you miss me that much, let’s have lunch together today.”

“Huh? Lunch today?”

“If you don’t have any schedule today, why don’t you come to Asan City with Ms. Ji-Young Jeong? You can take the express bus at Nambu Terminal heading to Asan City. It will take about 1.5 hours to get here. I will come to the express bus terminal to pick you up.”

“Umm, sure, sir. We will do that. We can have a tour of the factory too.”

Gun-Ho sent the general affairs manager to the express bus terminal to pick up his employees of GH Development, instead of going there himself because one of Mulpasaneop’s major clients wanted to see Gun-Ho. It was a big company—S Company, and their new vice president was visiting their subcontractors including Mulpasaneop.

The general affairs manager arrived at the express bus terminal, and he could easily recognize Manager Kang and Ji-Young. Most people at the express bus terminal in Asan City were old people and young students, so Manager Kang and Ji-Young certainly stood out.

“Are you Manager Kang?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m the general affairs manager of Mulpasaneop.”

“Oh, I see. Where is the president?”

“He couldn’t make it. He had to meet with a client, and he sent me here instead.”

The general affairs manager gave his business card to Manager Kang and Ji-Young. Manager Kang and Ji-Young also handed their business card to the general affairs manager.

“I like your business card. It’s very pretty. Is GH Development a real estate development company?”

“Yes, it is. We mostly do rental property business.”

“How are you related to the president?”

“I’m sorry? Oh, President Goo is the president of GH Development.”

“Oh, really?”

The general affairs manager didn’t seem to know about that, and he looked surprised.

When Manager Kang and Ji-Young saw the factory, they couldn’t close their mouths.

“So President Gun-Ho Goo owns this factory?”

“It seems like it.”

“Wow. It’s amazing. There is a huge building, and I see so many workers in uniform. I guess it is really a big company.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young were surprised. They talked to each other quietly as if they were mosquitos.

The general affairs manager took Manager Kang and Ji-Young to a meeting room. It seemed that Gun-Ho was still with the client. They could hear laughing from the president’s office.

Gun-Ho was overly chatty with the vice president of S Company.

“Even the smart people who graduated from top universities cannot easily get a job in your S Company. I sincerely appreciate our previous president—Se-Young Oh for doing business with S Company. Considering that Mulpasaneop is a small company, it is a great opportunity for us to work with S Company.”

“I’ve known President Se-Young Oh since I was a manager. His stubbornness is very well known. He sometimes refused to provide the products to us just because the production cost was not right. Once they increase the number of products and supply to us, it would have been good, right?”

“It seems like we both started working with our new position at the same date. I guess this meant something. Can I call you brother?”

“Brother? I think I am old enough to be your uncle.”

Everyone in the room laughed.

“No way. You even look like a younger brother.”

Everyone in the room laughed again. Gun-Ho was surprised by his own joke; he knew he was reclusive, but he didn’t know he could be chatty like that.

“Sir, what do you think about our factory? We are well equipped with facilities and good labor force. We can produce more products. Why don’t you give us a present since you are here.”

The vice president of S Company asked their director.

“Who is going to supply AM083 assembly products?”

“We haven’t placed the order for the product yet, sir. They all said the production cost is too high, and they will have to import some ingredients from Japan. We talked with Silwon Company and ChemiTech.”

“Hmm, they said they can’t get the raw material from Japan, right?”

“Yes, sir. That raw material is all used up within Japan, and they don’t have more to export.”

“It’s a urethane-related product, and it has to be a Dyeon product.”

Gun-Ho was surprised when he heard the name—Dyeon.

“Give it to us. I know the president of Lymondell Dyeon’s Japan office. Richard Amiel is my friend.”

Everyone in the room was all astonished; especially the Mulpasaneop’s sales director’s jaw dropped in amazement.

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Chapter 160 - Business Expansion (2) – PART 1

Chapter 160: Business Expansion (2) – PART 1

The vice president of S Company laughed loudly and said,

“Okay, we will send you the product drawing. Send us a sample product accordingly. Please make sure that the test report must show the name of Lymondell Dyeon’s product for raw materials.”

“Of course, I will make sure of it. What about the moulds?”

“It is an extrusion mould. You can make it here while referring to the product drawing; it won’t cost you much.”

“How many do you think you will need?”

“Once we decide to place an order from your company, we will make orders worth more than 1 billion won per month since they will be used for our new product. Am I right, Director Park?”

The vice president asked the director who came with him.

“Yes, it is, sir.”

Gun-Ho was thinking,

‘Oh, my gosh. This is going to be great. We can increase our sales revenue significantly. If we sell our products to them, which is worth 1 billion won on a monthly basis, it would add 12 billion won to our annual sales revenue. Mulpasaneop currently generates 70 billion won per year, and we will make 82 billion won if we get that contract with S Company. If we get this business from them, let’s try to manufacture the product without hiring more workers. I believe we can handle it with our current workforce. ‘

The vice president stood up from his seat to leave.

“Well, we’d better get going now. We have other companies that we need to visit today. I believe you, President Goo will be a good business partner with our S Company. You are young, passionate and driven. I like that, and I look forward to working with you.”

The vice president offered his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“It’s almost lunchtime, sir. Why don’t you join us for lunch today?”

“Thank you for asking, President Goo; however, we have a rather very busy schedule today. We need to stop by Pyeongtaek City and Ansan City. I’ll take a rain check.”

The S Company’s vice president patted Gun-Ho’s back with a smile.

Once the president of S Company left Gun-Ho’s office, the general affairs manager entered the room.

“Umm, sir. The employees from GH Development arrived here from Seoul. They are waiting for you in the meeting room.”

“Oh, that’s right! Please let them in.”

“Hello, sir.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young greeted Gun-Ho respectfully by giving a bow to him.

“It has been a while.”

Gun-Ho smiled broadly.

“What’s in your briefcase. It’s huge.”

“I’ve brought all the reports and forms that require your signature, sir.”

“Oh, Manager Kang. You didn’t have to bring all those here. You could have reviewed and signed on them with your authority as a manager.”

“I suppose we’d better have your signature on them, sir. I am sure that the accountant office prefers to have your signature on this paperwork.”

“Well, since you are here, let’s have lunch together after having a tour of the factory.”

Gun-Ho picked up the interphone and asked for the general affairs manager.

“Can you show these two around the factory? Just a cursory tour should be good since it’s almost lunchtime.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young followed the general affairs manager to the factory.

Hydraulic press machines were standing along with the wall and they were making loud noises.

“It’s scary.”

Ji-Young peeked inside the factory and hesitated to enter.

“Wow, it’s amazing.”

Manager Kang couldn’t close his mouth while looking inside the factory. The general affairs manager laughed while looking at their reaction.

“I was told that President Gun-Ho Goo worked at a factory in Pyeongtaek City with a machine like these for a year or so in manufacturing some products.”

“President Gun-Ho Goo is still young but he is an amazing person.”

Manager Kang sincerely admired Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho took Manager Kang and Ji-Young to a sashimi restaurant that was located in the Asan Bay area close to Asan City.

“Oh, my goodness. I see the ocean.”

Ji-Young seemed to be excited to see the ocean.

While they were having lunch, Manager Kang asked Gun-Ho and he looked worried.

“Umm, sir. Can I ask you something?”

“Of course. What is it?”

“Since you acquired that big factory, you will continuously stay here, right?”

“Well, I am not so sure about it. I will have to see how things go here first before I know it.”

“What is your plan with GH Development in Seoul then? GH Development is a small company compared to Mulpasaneop. I am wondering if you intend to sell or close GH Development. If you do so, we will become unemployed. I have a hard time sleeping these days worrying about my job.”

“Haha, you don’t have to worry about it at all, Manager Kang. I will keep GH Development, of course. And I have a plan to grow it to a bigger company.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young felt a sense of relief as Gun-Ho made sure that they would be able to continue to work at GH Development. They then could enjoy the food.

After she is done eating, Ji-Young said she wanted to suggest something while wiping off her hands with a wet tissue.

“Can I suggest something, sir?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Have you thought of CIP (Corporate Identity Program) before?”

“CIP?”

“It’s a program to build a strong corporate identity that creates a public image of a company.”

“Hmm.”

“So, I was thinking that you might want to consider changing the name of Mulpasaneop.”

“Change the name of Mulpasaneop? To what?”

“You can name it as GH Tech, for example, or GH Motors or something. The factory in China can be called GH China. That way, people can see some sort of unity in the names of the companies you are running, and it creates the corporate identity.”

“Haha. That’s what big companies do. I just have small companies. Moreover, Mulpasaneop has its customers and vendors that they have worked together for years under their current name. So, it won’t be easy to change Mulpasaneop’s name right away.”

“I don’t think Mulpasaneop is a good name, sir. Ordinary people like me wouldn’t recognize what Mulpasaneop does by looking at its name, and the name reminds people of Mulpaseu*.”

Manager Kang laughed when Ji-Young said Mulpasaneop sounded like Mulpaseu.

“Hmm. Actually, you are right on it. I have no idea what Mulpasaneop means, either.”

“CIP is not just for big companies, sir. Since you are planning to continuously expand your business, you can integrate all of your companies under the name of GH. That way, you can earn your customers’ trust. I read it somewhere about it.”

“Hmm. I think you are good at not only accounting but also the design area, Ms. Ji-Young Jeong.”

“Hahaha. I learned the design from a friend next door—the design company.”

“How are they doing? That design company next to our GH Development office?”

“They are not doing well.”

“Ms. Jeong, I heard what you said about CIP. I will seriously think about it.”

One month later after Gun-Ho acquired Mulpasaneop, Gun-Ho changed its name.

“We will change our company’s name from Mulpasaneop to GH Mobile.”

Gun-Ho had a design company that made a new logo for the company and changed the company’s official envelopes and notes, and so on accordingly.

He also changed the name of his factory in China to GH Parts Company.

Note*

Mulpaseu – a Korean liquid medicine for temporary relief of muscle pain

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Chapter 161 - Business Expansion (2) – PART 2

Chapter 161: Business Expansion (2) – PART 2

“President Min-Hyeok Kim? It’s me, Gun-Ho. How is the factory going?”

“I’ve paid all of the overdue wages and rents with 3 billion won that you had sent earlier for the factory operation cost. All of the machines in the factory are working fine except for two.”

“Is the factory generating revenue?”

“Of course. Even though we haven’t earned any new business, we are working with all of the customers that the company previously had worked with. We didn’t lose any old customers.”

“That’s nice. It’s really good to continue to work with existing customers.”

“Well, they should prefer to work with us because we have the specific moulds customized for their products.”

“Tell them that we apologize for our temporary suspension of the production for the past months. I believe they will understand our situation. Nothing much the factory could have done because its parent company was suffering from a financial crisis.”

“Oh, I was going to ask you. Can you send Jong-Suk to us for three days?”

“Jong-Suk Park? He is very busy now in the production field. He still has a lot to learn.”

“Well, I just need him for three days.”

“Hmm. Okay. I will talk to the factory manager and will let you know.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho asked for the factory manager.

“How is Manager Jong-Suk Park doing in the field?”

“He certainly has a lot to learn in the production field; however, he is doing very well since he has extensive experience in the maintenance and repair in a factory.”

“Please train him as much as you could. I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“By the way, I will need to send Manager Jong-Suk Park to China for maybe about three days. Is it okay with you?”

“We need him here. We have a lot of maintenance work here.”

“Let’s send him just for three days. We have many other workers here too, compared to the factory in China.”

“Okay then.”

Gun-Ho asked for Jong-Suk.

“I was told that you wanted to talk to me, sir.”

“Cut it out, man. Call me brother when we are alone.”

“I was worried that maybe someone could hear us. Haha.”

“How do you like the work here?”

“The factory manager is very strict, but he is extremely experienced in this field. There is a lot to learn from him.”

“You need to go to China for three days.”

“To Min-Hyeok bro?”

“Yes. He needs your help there. Go and help him.”

“Haha. I haven’t seen him for a while.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager.

“The general affairs manager is not in his office right now. He went to the city hall.”

“Then please ask the assistant general affairs manager to come to my office.”

The assistant general affairs manager entered the president’s office. He was wearing a suit with a tie neatly.

“Manager Jong-Suk Park here needs to go on a business trip to the factory in China. Please get him the Chinese visa and a flight ticket to China.”

“Yes, sir.”

The assistant general affairs manager gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho before leaving the office. He was about the same age as Gun-Ho and he was a good looking man.

“Bro, I feel sort of embarrassed whenever I see the assistant general affairs manager.”

“Like what?”

“He is at the same age as you, right? And I am two years younger than him. But I am a manager and he is an assistant manager.”

“You don’t have to think that way.”

“Moreover, he was born and raised here in Asan City, and he graduated from Dankook University in Cheonan City as an honor student.”

“You have skills, Jong-Suk. You deserve the position you have now. Did you receive your salary this month?”

“Yes, I did. It’s 4 million won. I could save some money now.”

“That’s good. All of the departments are currently full, but once the factory manager retires, I guess we will have many positions available in the production department. Let’s see which position you want to take then.”

“No, no. I am getting more than enough now.”

Gun-Ho asked for the sales director—Director Kim.

“How is the new production development going for S Company that we met the other day?”

“The research center is working on it. They reviewed the product drawing that they sent to us and started making the moulds referring to the product drawing. We will need about two bags of the raw materials from Lymondell Dyeon though, so we could produce samples.”

“Can we just call Lymondell Dyeon and ask them to mail the materials to us?”

“It won’t work that way. It’s not like they have the raw materials ready for us. They will need to make specific compounds for us. But the real problem is that they won’t take an order from us.”

“Let’s go to Japan then. Let’s go to Lymondell Dyeon’s Japan office to see the president with me.”

“People say that the president of Lymondell Dyeon’s Japan branch doesn’t like to meet with people from Korean companies. I once went to Japan to see him with the previous president of Mulpasaneop, but he refused to meet us at that time.”

“Really?”

“Sir, I am sorry to ask you this, but are you really a friend of the president of Lymondell Dyeon’s Japan office?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I thought you were bluffing when we talked with the vice president of S Company last time, to get their business.”

“Let’s just go to Japan with me and see for yourself.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I will need to ask for another friend of mine to help me talk with the president of Lymondell Dyeon’s Japan branch office since I don’t speak English. This friend is fluent in English. He is an attorney of Kim&Jeong Law Office and he is also a very good friend of Amiel.”

“Kim&Jeong Law Office?”

Director Kim didn’t seem to fully believe what Gun-Ho said. Gun-Ho made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim while Director Kim was still at his office.

“Attorney Young-Jin Kim? Are you busy now?”

“Hey, President Goo. It has been a while. I heard you acquired a business in Asan City. Are you still there?”

“Hey, I need to go to Japan to see President Amiel from Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Why do you need him?”

“It’s about business. Can you tell him that I will visit him next week?”

“Sure. I will call him. Can I go with you? I want to play golf again at Yonehara Golf Club.”

“Of course. Let’s go together then.”

“Oh, shoot. I can’t go next week. I have a patent case I need to work on. When you get there, say hello to Amiel for me.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

After getting off the phone with Attorney Young-Jin Kim, Gun-Ho asked the sales director.

“Do you speak English? President Amiel from Lymondell Dyeon is American.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t speak English.”

“What about Japanese then? President Amiel has lived in Japan for a long time and he speaks Japanese.”

“I don’t speak Japanese either, sir.”

“Same as me.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

The sales director smiled while scratching his head in embarrassment.

“Umm, I know someone who can interpret for us though.”

“Who is it?”

“A friend of mine has a nephew who is studying in Japan now. This nephew went to Japan when he was little, so he speaks Japanese very well. He used to interpret for us and our previous president—Se-Young Oh when we went to Japan.”

Once the sales director left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho sat at his desk by himself. He moved to the sofa in the office and leaned back on the sofa, and then he closed his eyes. He thought about Mori Aikko. She had a gorgeous face.

“I want to see you, Mori Aikko. I will put your hair up. Me, Gun-Ho Goo will do it.”

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Chapter 162 - Business Expansion (3) – PART 1

Chapter 162: Business Expansion (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho asked for the auditor.

A company auditor executes an audit within the company and makes an independent report. However, in GH Mobile—formerly known as Mulpasaneop, the auditor was also doing the general director’s work since the general director’s position was currently vacant, in addition to his original work duty as an internal company auditor.

“I will be going on a business trip to Japan with the sales director next week.”

“I was already told about the trip, sir. You are going to an American company’s Japan branch office, called Lymondell Dyeon, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Have a safe trip, sir. There is really nothing I can help with for your trip since I don’t have any knowledge of sales or technology. Haha.”

“I asked you to come to my office because I want you to take care of the business and our employees during my absence. You will be in charge when I am not here.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir. Before you leave for the trip, why don’t you have a meeting with our vendors?”

“With vendors?”

“The vendors are as important as our customers, sir. We need to have a good relationship with them in order to conduct our business smoothly.”

“We have about 30 vendors, right?”

“Yes, we currently have 36 vendors to be exact. Let’s invite 15 major vendors among them.”

“Hmm.”

“I believe it is important to effectively communicate with them. We convey clearly our request to them, and also we hear what they really need.”

“I was actually thinking of having a meeting with our vendors as well.”

“We still have an outstanding balance with the vendors, also with the service supplying agencies. If you remember the claimed amount of debt that was reported to the court, we owe some of those vendors more than 1 billion won.”

“Hmm.”

“I think we’d better have a meeting with them as soon as we can.”

“Let’s then have a meeting the day after tomorrow at Onyang Hot Spring Hotel. Contact them to invite them to the meeting; we will explain how we acquired the company and how we have operated it so far with new policies, and also our company’s current state after the court receivership.”

“Okay, sir. I will prepare the necessary materials and documents.”

The auditor was about to leave the office when he came back to ask something to Gun-Ho.

“Umm, sir. Why don’t you change your car?”

“My car? What’s wrong with my car?”

“You are the president of a big company. Once our sales revenue exceeds 100 billion won, you will become a public figure. You shouldn’t take any risk to get injured or anything. I think it’s better that you get a new car with a chauffeur.”

“Are you saying I’d better sell my Land Rover?”

“No, I mean you keep your Land Rover as your car for personal use, but while you are working, you’d better use a company car with a chauffeur.”

“I think that could be a waste of money.”

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“Our employees are highly motivated now. We are getting more and more product orders from our customers, and we started generating revenue since last month. We don’t make much profit just yet because of the payment we had to make to the court; however, we have enough revenue to cover an additional company car for you and wage for a chauffeur.”

“Hmm. Okay. I will think about it.”

The auditor seemed to have more to say.

“I have one more thing I’d like to talk to you about, sir.”

“What is it?”

“This company is registered to the government with two directors and one internal auditor.”

“That’s right.”

“I am the internal auditor, and you are one of the directors, and your father is the other director.”

“That’s correct.”

“Among these three people, you—the president of this company and I—the internal auditor receive a salary. The other director is not working at this company, so he is an outside director.

“Okay, so?”

“Even though he is an outside director, he must be paid by our company since he is a member of our company’s board of directors. He could get paid less than an employee who is actually working here, but he must be paid. Please determine the amount of his salary.”

“How much should it be?”

“That’s not what I can decide, sir. That decision is within your authority.”

“I am currently paid 15 million won per month, and you get paid 8 million won on a monthly basis.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then, what about us pay the outside director 10% of my salary?”

“That’s too low. Some companies pay 30% or some pay 50%.”

“Let’s do 20% then. I will pay him 3 million won per month. My father is an old man and he doesn’t spend much money at all in his daily life. He is different from the previous president of Mulpasnaeop—President Se-Young Oh who knew how to spend money.”

“Okay, sir. I will inform the general affairs department to take care of the outside director’s salary with the amount of 3 million won, and his Four Major Public Insurance.”

Once the internal auditor left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho made a phone call to his father.

“Dad?”

“Gun-Ho? Do you need my certificate of a registered seal again, son?”

“No, dad. Dad, our company will pay you a salary.”

“What salary?”

“You are registered as an outside director of our company so we will pay you a salary. You will receive 3 million won per month. Get some delicious food with the money with mom.”

“I don’t need money. You must need the money more than me, son. Keep that money and use it when necessary.”

“I am paid a high salary already, dad. I know your bank account number with Shinhan Bank. I will send your salary to that account.”

“I don’t understand what you are talking about.”

Gun-Ho’s father didn’t seem to be thrilled by receiving a salary, but he murmured instead by himself.

After getting off the phone with his father, Gun-Ho received a call from his mother about 20 minutes later.

“Gun-Ho, did you tell your dad that you will send him 3 million won per month?”

“Yes, mom.”

“Is that really okay with you?”

“Yes, mom. Dad is registered as the company’s non-executive director so the company is paying him a salary.”

“Really? That’s great. I am getting acupuncture regularly these days; I guess I can use that money to pay for it. Can I split that money half-half with your dad?”

“Haha. Mom, talk with dad about it.”

“Thank you, my son. You are the best son anyone ever has.”

Gun-Ho’s mom seemed to be excited about her additional income.

The factory manager, the chief of the research center, the sales director and other people at the executive level attended the meeting for vendors, in addition to Gun-Ho and the internal auditor. The meeting was held at Onyang Hot Spring Hotel.

The presidents of the vendor companies started appearing at the meeting. Gun-Ho and others from GH Mobile stood up and greeted them. Gun-Ho could see President Young-Sik Park from YS Tech among them. Before starting the meeting, Gun-Ho talked with President Young-Sik Park in private outside the meeting room.

“Sir. I’m sorry that I couldn’t contact you earlier before the meeting.”

“I actually heard that you acquired Mulpasaneop. I should have contacted you earlier, but I didn’t want to bother you since you must have been very busy with the acquisition of a new company and all that. So, is the business stable now?”

“Yes, I believe it is doing okay now.”

“I really look forward to working with you. My brother-in-law often talks about you.”

“President Se-Young Oh?”

“Yes. He said that you are a very distinctive person.”

“How is President Se-Young Oh doing these days?”

“He bought a small building and leased it out, so he could use the rent from the building for his living expenses. He is still living at his condo in Bangbae Town and he does mountain climbing a lot lately.”

“I am so glad to hear that he is doing well.”

“He actually looks great. He looks a lot better than he used to look when he worked as a president of Mulpasaneop.”

“I see.”

“And his son already got a job in a big company.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. He graduated from one of the top universities. With his high qualification, it must not be difficult to get a job in a big company in such a short period of time.”

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Chapter 163 - Business Expansion (3) – PART 2

Chapter 163: Business Expansion (3) – PART 2

When most of the vendor companies’ presidents arrived at the meeting, President Young-Sik Park went back to his seat among them as the president of one of the GH Mobile’s vendors.

All of 15 vendor companies’ presidents attended the meeting that GH Mobile hosted.

Gun-Ho looked at every single face of theirs.

“All of them have a type of face that attracts money. They all have a company with about 50 employees and their sales revenue is in the range between 7 and 8 billion won.”

Five years ago when he worked at a factory as a factory worker, Gun-Ho couldn’t even get close to these people.

The meeting started with the internal auditor’s report on the process from the acquisition of Mulpasaneop and the current state of GH Mobile after the company changed its name to GH Mobile. Gun-Ho then continued the meeting with his introduction speech.

“GH Mobile exists because of you all. GH Mobile has a new policy now. We pay the vendors in cash on time without delay. We expect you, in return, to provide us with quality products and services.”

When Gun-Ho finished his short introduction speech, they all clapped.

Lunch was already prepared and served at the same place where the meeting was held. Steak and wine was the lunch menu. They were placed on each round table where the vendor companies’ presidents sat at.

“Let’s drink to the prosperity of GH Mobile.”

“Drink to GH Mobile!”

“Drink to GH Mobile!”

Someone stood up and said,

“I am so happy to be here with you all, especially because it is not easy for us to get together like this. So I want to suggest you all something. Why don’t we make this a regular meeting? Like GH club or something. What do you think?”

“I’m in! Let’s elect a president of the club today too. I think President Young-Sik Park of YS Tech should take the position since his company supplies the largest amount of products to GH Mobile among us.”

“I agree. Let’s applaud President Young-Sik Park.”

YS Tech’s president—Young-Sik Park came forward and bowed.

“Thank you for your support, all. Let’s make this club pleasant and productive. We can go playing golf together and also go on a trip abroad too sometimes.”

“Sounds good! I like that.”

“Can I come with you?”

When Gun-Ho tried to join them, they all laughed.

Jong-Suk Park headed to China.

When he arrived at the airport in Suzhou City, Min-Hyeok was already there waiting for him with his Audi.

“Hey, Jong-Suk!”

“Hey, Min-Hyeok bro!”

“It has been a long time. I think it has already been several years since I saw you last time.”

“You seemed to gain some weight, bro.”

“I think I am getting old; that’s why. So, how do you like working at GH Mobile so far? Are you having fun there?”

“I’ve been so busy learning stuff. The work in the production department is sort of new to me, even though I’ve worked at a factory setting for a long time. As you know, my specialty is on maintenance and repair.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Do you have many machines at the factory here?”

“We have 10 injection molding machines. They are for rubbers though, not for plastics. We don’t have extruder machines yet.”

“Are they all hydraulic press machines?”

“Six of them are.”

As soon as Jong-Suk arrived at the factory, he started working on the machines right away; he dismantled the machines first and repaired them.

As Jong-Suk dismantled and assembled machines, Chinese workers all came to the place where Jong-Suk was working, to watch him repair the machines.

“Korean people’s skills are the best.”

They shouted with conviction.

Jong-Suk repaired the machines at the factory one by one every day.

The machines that had been in a stopping position started working while making a loud noise, appreciating Jong-Suk’s touch on them.

“Hey, Jong-Suk. Don’t go back to Korea, but stay here with me. The machines seem to like you a lot.”

“How much can you pay me?”

“Man, it’s about you and me. We don’t talk about money between us, right? Haha. By the way, where did you learn all those skills?”

“Do you have any idea how many years I’ve been doing this?”

“How many years?”

“I started working at a factory with machines right after I had completed my military service, so that makes me work in the field for 7 years so far.”

“Hmm. It’s a long time.”

“How many workers are here?”

“We have 40 employees. I believe we will possibly have more in the near future. Since I got the stock option, I have been working my as* off.”

“What is a stock option?”

“Simply put, it’s like a commission or incentive based on your work performance.”

“Really? I hate anything complicated, and that stock option thing sounds very complicated. My dream is to become the factory manager at GH Mobile.”

“Gun-Ho said, GH Mobile’s current factory manager is about to retire because he is old.”

“Yeah. He will probably retire by the end of this year.”

“You will become their factory manager soon, right?”

“It’s not a good idea to take the position so fast, and I’m too young to be a factory manager. GH Mobile has 250 employees. If I take that position at my age, they will all hate me and talk bad about me behind my back.”

“But you have the skills to be the factory manager.”

“It seems there are many skillful people there.”

“Well, Gun-Ho told me that you are the most reliable and trustworthy person he could put in that position.”

“By the way, Gun-Ho bro is really something.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“He is the most successful person in our hometown—Incheon City.”

“Speaking of which, Gun-Ho once told me that he spent his adolescence there very lonely. He was depressed, and he didn’t go to college like everyone else but through a bit different route. So, he said that he doesn’t really have close friends there.”

“I know Gun-Ho bro doesn’t have many friends. I can tell because I am the only fishing buddy to him.”

“Jong-Suk, let’s do this.”

“Do what?”

“I’m absolutely certain that Gun-Ho will be one of the richest men in Korea. His extreme smartness and brilliant judgment will make him become like one. Let’s be his right-hand man and left-hand man.”

“That makes us the major supporters of the GH Group founder, huh?”

“I suppose.”

“By the way, bro. I brought 5,000 Yuan. I exchanged some of my Korean money at the airport. Let’s have a drink somewhere really cool.”

“I can use the company credit card to buy you a drink; it’s within my authority as the president of the factory. You came all the way to China to help me. I should buy you a drink. You have been extremely helpful.”

“Then, let’s do this.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“You buy a drink, and I treat us karaoke.”

“Sounds great.”

“Let’s go somewhere where I can see many beautiful girls.”

“Sure. You and me, we are still single, right?”

The two men headed downtown where they could find restaurants, bars, and karaoke or other entertainments while putting arms around each other’s shoulders.

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Chapter 164- PART 1 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (1)

Chapter 164: Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho arrived at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, accompanied by the sales director.

The interpreter whom the sales director asked for was waiting for Gun-Ho’s party at the airport. He seemed to be in his late 20s and he was wearing thick glasses and shabby clothes, and his hair was disheveled.

“This is actually my nephew. He is an international student here in Japan. He is currently taking some time off from school and working part-time.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to the sales director’s nephew for a handshake.

Gun-Ho now looked like the president of a company. Anyone who saw Gun-Ho these days would guess that he would be a rich businessman. He had a nice skin tone that had been well maintained by a skincare shop. He was always wearing expensive high-end clothes. There was no one who would ignore or disrespect him as he had been treated in the past when he was a factory worker.

The interpreter respectfully gave Gun-Ho a 90-degree bow.

When they were greeting each other, Gun-Ho heard a familiar voice.

“Ohisasi Burideseu! (Long time no see)”

Gun-Ho turned his head around and saw the chauffeur from Lymondell Dyeon.

“Oh, hi. How are you?”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to the chauffeur, and the chauffeur bowed to Gun-Ho very politely in a Japanese style.

Gun-Ho introduced the chauffeur to the sales director.

“Director Kim, this is the chauffeur sent by President Amiel from Lymondell Dyeon. He sent him and a car to pick us up.”

“What? Lymondell Dyeon sent a car to the airport for us?”

The sales director was astonished because the last time when he had come to Japan with the previous president—Se-Young Oh of Mulpasaneop to meet the president of Lymondell Dyeon’s Japan branch (“Dyeon Japan”), they simply ignored them. He couldn’t believe that the same Dyeon Japan’s president sent a car to Gun-Ho at the airport to pick him up.

“Let’s go to Nihonbashi first.”

Gun-Ho asked the chauffeur from Dyeon Japan to go to Nihonbashi before going to the hotel, where Amiel’s office was located. Dyeon Japan’s office was situated in Nihonbashi while its factory was in Yokohama.

When Gun-Ho entered Amiel’s office, Amiel was looking at some kind of product drawing. Amiel, who was overweight, was wearing overall pants.

“Mr. Amiel!”

“Oh, Gun-Ho Goo!”

Gun-Ho and Amiel greeted each other by hugging.

The sales director was looking at these two men in amazement.

Once Gun-Ho’s party sat at a table, a Japanese lady secretary—who looked neat—brought tea to them.

“Let’s have some tea. How have you been?”

“I have been doing good. Attorney Young-Jin Park said hello to you, Amiel.”

“I wish he was here with you.”

“Me too.”

“So you are here to play golf, President Goo? Or you came here to go to that bar again in Shinjuku City?”

“No, Amiel. I am here for business.”

“Business?”

“I acquired an auto parts manufacturing company recently.”

“A factory?”

“Yeah. It’s a plastic and rubber factory. The parts we manufacture are usually used for a chassis and engine.”

“Really? Where is the factory located at?”

“It’s in Asan City, Chungnam in Korea. We currently have 250 employees.”

“250? It’s a large company then. Is the company well established and old?”

“Yes, the company has been in the business for a long time. They were suffering from a financial crisis when I acquired it.”

“Oh, I see. Running a factory shouldn’t be an easy job. Well, you used to be a mechanic, right? I guess you should be fine then. You will succeed.”

“Oh, this is the sales director of our company, and this is our interpreter. Since you, Amiel speak Japanese fluently, I came with the interpreter who can speak Japanese.”

“I see.”

Amiel offered his hand to Director Kim and the interpreter for a handshake.

After the handshake, Gun-Ho and Amiel drank their tea without saying a word for a moment.

Gun-Ho talked to the sales director while wiping the tea off his mouth with a napkin.

“Director Kim, please take out the product drawing that we received from S Company. The one with their new product—AM083.”

The sales director took out the product drawing.

“This is a product drawing from one of the biggest companies in Korea—S Company—sent to us. They want us to make this product for them, and it requires raw materials made by Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Hmm.”

“Not just raw materials. We need you to mix some ingredients and make a customized compound for us. We have a specific color, durability, and hardness that we need.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s a special urethane-related product that we need, so it has to be a Dyeon product. Can you make the compound for us here? I want to make a sample. We already have the necessary mould for it.”

“Hmm. I think I remember this product drawing. A Korean company came and showed me this drawing before. I believe it was Egnopak.”

“Oh, really?”

“There is a problem though.”

“What is it?”

“In order to make this for you, we need to stop producing one of our products temporarily. As you know, President Goo, our factory in Yokohama is situated inside a city, so we can’t increase the factory’s capacity to produce more products. We can’t expand the factory because it is located in a residential area.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head. What Amiel said made sense to him.

“How is it going with your joint venture plan with Egnopak? If Egnopak will produce your products, maybe I can ask them to produce ours.”

“It’s not going anywhere. Egnopak demands too much, and that is stalling our joint venture plan.”

“You can find another company then.”

“You don’t understand, President Goo. It’s not that simple. We have certain requirements for selecting our co-venturer. We consider the potential co-venturer’s amount of capital, sales networks, and so on. We even take into account the company’s president’s strong will to participate in the joint venture and aptitude for it as well. Egnopak satisfied all of our requirements, but its president is just too greedy.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho seemed to make up his mind and dragged his chair towards Amiel and said,

“What about me? I can participate in a joint venture.”

“You? President Goo? Hahaha. It’s not that simple.”

“I have money too.”

“It would take a substantial amount of money to start a joint venture with us. You will have to purchase extruder machines from the U.S. or Germany as well. You also need a large yard at your factory to allow a 40-foot container to rotate there.”

“If I have to, I will make it happen.”

“You recently purchased a company in Asan City; you must have exhausted your funds by doing so.”

“I’ve made things happen, that many people said it would be impossible, in my life. Let’s do it.”

“I like the fact that you are highly driven.”

At that moment, the interpreter excused himself to go to the bathroom, and the conversation between Gun-Ho and Amiel had to stop temporarily.

After quite a while, the interpreter came back to the office.

The sales director scolded his nephew—the interpreter—for causing an important business conversation stalled.

“Do you really have to go to the bathroom now that our president is having an important discussion with President Amiel?”

“I’m so sorry, but I had to go; believe me.”

Gun-Ho smiled and defended the interpreter.

“He couldn’t help it. We can’t ask him to hold it in, Director Kim. Okay, let’s continue.”

“Yes, sir.”

The interpreter placed his note and a pen in front of him to get ready for the interpretation.

Gun-Ho started talking.

“President Amiel, why don’t you come and visit our company in Asan City?”

“Your factory in Asan City?”

“Yes. You have to see it yourself before you determine whether our company is qualified to be Dyeon’s co-venturer or not, right?”

“Hmm.”

The sales director added,

“I’ve once come here with the president of Mulpasaneop to meet with you, President Amiel.”

“Mulpasaneop?”

“Yes, the company that President Gun-Ho Goo acquired is Mulpasaneop.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho gave a little push to Amiel again.

“Come visit us. You have to see it before you decide. I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything; just come and visit me at my company. We can have another good time at the bar in Hannam Town and enjoy the melody of Gayageum once again.”

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Chapter 165- PART 2 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (1) – PART 2

Chapter 165: Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (1) – PART 2

“Gayageum? I love to hear that again. I truly enjoy Asian melody. Hahaha. Since you are here, President Goo, we should go listening to Shamisen.”

“I actually want to see the dancing geisha.”

“Oh, that geisha who looked like a fairy.”

“I’ll treat you guys this time since I’m here for business.”

“Haha. Sounds good then.”

Gun-Ho came back to the hotel to take a short rest before his evening schedule started. He would meet Amiel again in the evening at 7 pm. They would go to the bar that they went to the last time Gun-Ho visited Japan. The interpreter followed Gun-Ho to New Otani Hotel where Gun-Ho was staying.

Gun-Ho asked for the interpreter.

“How long have you been living in Japan?”

“I’ve been here for about 7 years.”

“Are you a graduate student?”

“No, I am a college student.”

“You have been here for 7 years, but you are still in college?”

“Yes. I often took the time off from college to work part-time.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Gun-Ho took out a white envelope from the pocket of his jacket and handed it to the interpreter.

“Have some food or drink with this and spend some time somewhere and meet me at 6:30 pm here. I will need your interpretation during dinner time.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The interpreter gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho sat at a café inside the hotel and had a cup of coffee, and he was thinking.

He was not sure if it was the right way to live a life to spend several years at another country to study like the interpreter, or to spend several years studying for the government job exam while living in a tiny OneRoom like himself or many other Korean young people.

When it was 6:30 pm, the chauffeur arrived at the hotel, who was sent by Amiel. The interpreter came to the hotel as well. Gun-Ho wore bright-colored shirts inside his jacket, that he purchased earlier at a store inside New Otani Hotel.

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Are we really going to a bar?”

“Yes. Since you have worked in a company for a long time, you must have been at a bar, right?”

“Actually, no. Not that kind of bar where girls accompany customers while drinking. I have heard that there are places like that.”

The sales director looked at Gun-Ho’s back as he walked behind Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho looked big like a giant that night. The sales director once thought that Gun-Ho—a young man— made money purely by luck by investing in real estate and acquired Mulpasaneop with the proceeds, and he was displeased with all that. However, that was not how Gun-Ho acquired the company. Moreover, he was 15 years older than Gun-Ho, and he grew up in a somewhat wealthy family where his father worked at an executive level in a big company. He didn’t have to work when he was in high school so he could only focus on studying. He graduated from a decent college—Hanyang University in Seoul—and had worked at several different companies before he finally joined Mulpasaneop.

“I have a 40 pyung large condo in newly developed Asan City, and I am a director in a mid-size company. I was so proud of what I have achieved so far. However, President Goo made me realize what I have is not much. I’ve never been to a bar like that before. President Goo is just on another level. Moreover, he is very knowledgeable about the work as well. The previous Mulpasaneop President Se-Young Oh’s son— Hak-Seon Oh—of course, cannot compete with President Goo.”

Gun-Ho who was walking in front of the sales director turned around, and gestured to the sales director to come quickly; he was smiling at him. The sales director suddenly got shivers up his spine.

“President Goo seemed to be generous and tender; however, he could be very cold and brutal if necessary. Even if he is smiling now, we never know what he is hiding behind that smile. I have to be very careful.”

The sales director pulled himself together and quickly walked towards Gun-Ho.

The bamboo trees at the bar’s yard looked greener than the last time Gun-Ho had seen them.

Gun-Ho told the sales director that,

“Even in Japan, you can’t just come to a bar like this because you want to. They accept our reservation because President Amiel made the reservation.”

“Oh, I see.”

The sales manager and the interpreter were looking around the bar in amazement.

Gun-Ho’s party sat on the floor that was covered with tatami. The room door was open and a middle-aged lady entered the room; she was wearing kimono. She kneeled on the floor and bowed.

“President Goo, it has been a long time since the last time you visited us. I am the hostess of this bar— Segawa Joonkko.”

“You are getting younger every day, Joonkko-san.”

Amiel made a joke to her.

“President Amiel is good at making jokes in Japanese style. Hahaha.”

The hostess laughed while covering her mouth with her hand. Gun-Ho thought that the way the lady laughed looked very Japanese, and that made him laugh.

“How have you been, Mama-san?”

“Your presence makes our bar shinier, President Goo. Your shirt inside your suit looks fabulous. Hahaha.”

The lady laughed with her hand covering her mouth again.

Amiel told the lady.

“Since President Goo is here, please bring the best dishes you could prepare tonight.”

“What about liquor? Would you like to have western liquor or Japanese sake?”

Gun-Ho responded for Amiel while taking off his jacket,

“Well, since we are in Japan, let’s have Japanese sake.”

“Yes, sir. I will prepare Kubota Manjyu (name of liquor).”

While she was saying it, she hastily stood up and took Gun-Ho’s jacket and hung it on the wall.

The dishes started coming out.

Gun-Ho and Amiel were having a good time while drinking and talking and enjoying each other’s company. The sales director couldn’t even think of chipping in.

“Have some food. I guess you’re too busy to even eat since you’re interpreting for me. Haha. Director Kim, have some food.”

“Yes, sir.”

Amiel called for the hostess.

“Let us hear Shamisen now.”

“Sure. I will be right back.”

Three young women who were wearing Yukata entered the room and started playing Shamisen. Amiel seemed to be fully enjoying Shamisen with his eyes closed. He seemed to truly like Asian melody. When the ladies played three music with Shamisen, Mama-san came in the room again.

“Is there anything else you need, sir?”

“We do need one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“We want to see Mori Aikko’s dance.”

“Hahaha. I knew you would say that.”

Mama-san clapped and a young lady who was wearing colorful Kimono entered the room.

It was Mori Aikko who was the most famous dancing geisha in Gion (Kyoto’s famous geisha district).

Mori Aikko kneeled on the floor and placed a hand fan that she carried with her, in front of her.

“I am Mori Aikko.”

Mori Aikko placed her head on the floor deep enough that her nose almost touched the floor.

“Good to see you again, Mori Aikko!”

When Gun-Ho said her name, Mori Aikko lifted her head and looked at Gun-Ho. She then smiled at Gun-Ho; it seemed that she recognized him.

The sales director’s and the interpreter’s jaws dropped.

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Chapter 166 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (2) – PART 1

Chapter 166: Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (2) – PART 1

Geisha Mori Aikko started dancing along with the sad melody from Shamisen.

‘Mori Aikko, I missed you so much. I am crazy about you.’

Gun-Ho picked up a glass of sake that was placed on the table in front of him and gulped it down.

The sales manager and the interpreter were lost for words; they couldn’t take their eyes off Mori Aikko’s dancing. The interpreter seemed to forget why he was there in the first place. Even though Amiel said something, he didn’t interpret for Gun-Ho, but he was just watching Mori Aikko dancing with his mouth open.

Once the dance ended, Amiel clapped passionately.

“Oh, wonderful!”

Gun-Ho clapped along with Amiel. The sales manager and the interpreter seemed to forget to clap.

Gun-Ho could hear Mama-san’s laughing.

“Hahaha. Goo-Sajjo-san, did you like Mori Aikko’s dance?”

“Of course. I loved it. Mori Aikko, I will pour liquor in your glass to show my appreciation; please take it.”

Mama-san answered on behalf of Mori Aikko.

“A dancing geisha is not supposed to take any client’s offer of drink. Please understand and forgive us.”

“Then why don’t you pour the liquor in my glass instead?”

“Hahaha. Actually, she is not supposed to do that either; however, since You, Goo-Sajjo-san is our special guest, I will let her. Aikko, fill in President Goo’s glass with liquor.”

Mori Aikko approached the table where Gun-Ho was sitting at. She went down on her knees and picked up the bottle of liquor. Gun-Ho felt like he could hear Mori Aikko’s breathing when she came close to him. He felt dizzy, and his hand that was holding his glass was shaking.

“Hahaha. Goo-Sajjo-san, you seemed to be drunk already.”

Gun-Ho gulped down the liquor that Mori Aikko poured for him.

After drinking the liquor, Gun-Ho picked up a flower from a decoration piece placed on the table and handed it to Mori Aikko.

Mori Aikko hesitated to take it.

“You can take it.”

As Mama-san allowed her to take the flower, Mori Aikko took it from Gun-Ho with two hands.

“Arigatto Gojaimasseu (Thank you in Japanese).”

After drinking another glass of liquor that he filled in by himself, Gun-Ho said firmly.

“Mori Aikko, I want to put your hair up.”

The interpreter couldn’t understand what Gun-Ho just said.

“Sir, what do you mean by putting her hair up? Are you saying to lift her head up?”

The sales director was also looking at Gun-Ho with a puzzled look on his face.

“You can just interpret it as you hear, literally. Tell her that I want to put her hair up.”

The interpreter interpreted what Gun-Ho said without understanding what that meant. Once the interpreter told Mori Aikko what Gun-Ho said in Japanese, Mama-san’s face hardened. Mori Aikko was sitting on the floor with her face down, but she seemed to be surprised as well.

Mama-san soon pulled herself together and smiled. She was an experienced and skilled hostess after all.

“Hahaha, you often make me laugh with your joke, Goo-Sajjo-san.”

“I was not joking. I really meant it.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Mori Aikko, why don’t you give us a moment?”

“Hai (Yes in Japanese).”

Mori Aikko left the room after giving a bow.

“There is a certain procedure in putting a geisha’s hair up. Moreover, you are a foreigner, Goo-Sajjo-san. Mori Aikko is a maiko, (an apprentice geisha) and she is a dancing geisha; she is different from the usual geishas.”

At that moment, the interpreter and the sales director seemed to understand what putting her hair up meant.

“I am dead serious, Mama-san.”

“If you really meant it, why don’t you talk with one of my friends—Ji-Yeon Choi? Since you and I have a language barrier to discuss deeper about it.”

“Who is Ji-Yeon Choi?”

“She is a restaurant owner in Akasaka district in Tokyo. She is a friend of mine. Hahaha.”

“Wasn’t she a famous actress from Korea?”

“Do you know her, Mr. Interpreter?”

“I don’t know her personally, but I used to work part-time at that restaurant, and I’ve heard that she was a very famous actress in Korea.”

“Hmm.”

The sales director seemed to know of her and said,

“Ji-Yeon Choi was a very famous actress in the old days. So, she is running a restaurant here, I see. You probably don’t know of her, President Goo. You were very little when she was still active in the entertainment field.”

“Hmm.”

Amiel suddenly chipped in the conversation to complain.

“Don’t you have fun without me by talking in Korean between you three.”

Gun-Ho smiled and clinked his glass to Amiel’s.

“Thank you, Mama-san. I will certainly talk to your restaurant owner friend. Let me fill your glass for you, Mama-san.”

Mama-san took the glass of liquor and clinked it to Gun-Ho’s glass.

“Hahaha. Goo-Sajjo-san, thank you for your understanding. You are broad-minded and manly.”

It was the day Gun-Ho was scheduled to return to Korea. Gun-Ho instead decided to let the sales director go back to Korea first.

“Director Kim, why don’t you return to Korea first? I will stay here for a few more days and talk Amiel into visiting our factory in Korea.”

“Sir, even though Amiel let us take their raw materials, we are not capable of making the compound with those by ourselves.”

“What if I can bring an engineer from Lymondell Dyeon headquarters in the U.S.?”

“That could be considered as revealing their technology to us. If so, they might ask us to pay them a royalty for using their technology. Amiel wouldn’t ask you for it because he is a friend of yours; however, Lymondell Dyeon headquarters could ask for it.”

“Hmm. I see your point.”

Gun-Ho thought of meeting with Amiel again in person, and then he decided not to.

He instead decided to make a phone call to Amiel because he didn’t want to lower his bargaining position by looking desperate to Amiel.

“Amiel? How are you doing? Did you drink too much last night?”

“No, I didn’t. I think you drank too much last night.”

“Why don’t you come to my factory in Asan city during the weekends? We can have a round of golf and listen to Gayageum together.”

“Golf and Gayageum? Those two words make me feel so happy. I can’t go there this weekend though because I will have a guest coming from headquarters this weekend, but maybe I can go next weekend.”

Gun-Ho sent the interpreter home too. Gun-Ho’s stay in Japan could become very uncomfortable without an interpreter since he could speak neither English nor Japanese. However, he didn’t care because there was no important matter he had to take care of in Japan for that moment.

Gun-Ho was sitting at a café inside New Otani Hotel while looking into a blank space when the Korean restaurant in Akasaka crossed his mind.

“The owner’s name was Ji-Yeon Choi.”

Akasaka District where the restaurant was located was not far from the New Otani Hotel where Gun-Ho was staying. He could walk there from the hotel. He slowly walked towards the restaurant. The restaurant was a luxurious and sizable Korean restaurant with a neat interior.

It was after 1 pm when Gun-Ho arrived at the restaurant. There were not many customers inside the restaurant since it was slightly after lunchtime.

Gun-Ho asked one of the staff that he wanted to talk with the owner.

“She is not here right now.”

“When is she coming back then?”

“She usually stops by the restaurant after 8 pm to check the sales.”

“Can you leave a message to her for me then? Please tell her that a person from Seoul really needs to meet with her.”

“Which name should I tell her?”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the staff instead of telling his name.

Gun-Ho did some sightseeing to Roppongi Hills and Meiji Jingu until the evening that day before he went back to the restaurant in Akasaka. When Gun-Ho entered the restaurant, the same staff who he talked to earlier greeted him and told him that the owner was there.

The owner was talking with a female customer. She was wearing an expensive coat, and she was stylish; her outfit and appearance seemed to tell that she was once a famous actress.

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Chapter 167 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (2) – PART 2

Chapter 167: Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (2) – PART 2

“Excuse me, Ms. Are you Ji-Yeon Choi?”

“Yes, that’s me. Are you the man who stopped by here earlier today?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Please have a seat.”

The owner showed Gun-Ho a seat.

“Thank you.”

“Do you know well the bar hostess in Shinjuku City—Segawa Joonkko?”

“How did you know that?”

“I received a call from her. She asked me if President Goo of GH Mobile came by.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho felt uncomfortable to continue to talk further since there was another lady who was present at the same table. That lady was staring at Gun-Ho before she talked to him.

“Sir, do you maybe recognize me?”

Gun-Ho looked at the lady customer. She looked familiar.

“I believe I met you once somewhere… Oh, Hannam Town…”

“That’s right. I’m Mi-Hyang Jang from the secret bar at Hannam Town. Ji-Yeon Choi here is my sister. I came to Japan for shopping and wanted to see my sister before I go back to Korea. Don’t you think we look alike?”

“Since you say so, yes, you two do look alike, but you two have different last names: Choi and Jang… Are you related as cousins?”

The two ladies laughed.

“We are sisters. Our names—Mi-Hyang Jang and Ji-Yeon Choi—are our nicknames. We both used those names when we were actresses.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Oh, that’s right. I remember you now. You came with Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town. I always remember the people who came with Chairman Lee to my bar because usually, they all are very important people.”

“Oh, this Mister came to your bar as well? Wow. So you know Mi-Hyang Jang and Segawa Joonkko from Shinjuku.”

“I went to those places for reasons. I don’t usually go to places like that.”

“Of course. Since you are a businessman, you went there for your business.”

“That’s right.”

“By the way, how come did Segawa Joonkko call me? She is a snobbish lady. She doesn’t care if you are not a billionaire or a powerful man like a government high-ranked official or someone like that.”

Before Gun-Ho could answer to Ji-Yeon Choi, Mi-Hyang Jang stood up to leave.

“Sister, I’d better go now. I have someone waiting for me at the hotel. I will have to leave you two. Sir, when you come back to Korea, you should stop by my bar, okay?”

“I will. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho stood up to see her leaving.

After Mi-Hyang Jang left the restaurant, the restaurant owner—Ji-Yeon Choi—took Gun-Ho to a room in the restaurant. The room was decorated with an embroidered folding screen in Korean style.

“It’s cozy.”

A staff brought apples on a plate.

“So what do you want to talk about with me?”

“I want to be the sponsor of Mori Aikko—the dancing geisha in Shinjuku.

Ji-Yeon Choi looked at Gun-Ho with an astonished look on her face.

After a moment, Ji-Yeon Choi pulled herself together and smiled.

“I actually haven’t seen Mori Aikko in person. However, I’ve heard that the bar is getting more and more customers because of Mori Aikko.”

Gun-Ho picked up a piece of apple from the plate.

“Do you know about the qualification required to be a sponsor of a geisha? I am not sure if you have watched the movie—Geisha—directed by Zhang Yimou. That movie talked about a geisha’s sponsor as well. To be a sponsor of a geisha, you have to be extremely wealthy and also you have to be someone who the geisha falls in love with.”

“Hmm.”

“Your wealth shouldn’t be temporary though. You will have to be financially responsible for the geisha for her entire life. Moreover, you need to be loved by the geisha. I’ve heard a story of a geisha falling in love with a western man sponsor; however, I’ve never heard of a Korean man who a geisha fell in love with.”

“Hmm.”

“Japanese people usually look down on Korean people; maybe that’s why it is hard for a geisha—Japanese girl to fall in love with a Korean man. Since you hang out with Chairman Lee, I can tell that you are a very wealthy man. However, it is still extremely difficult to take a responsibility to take care of a geisha financially forever. I recommend you give it up.”

“I know what I am signing up for.”

“Can you purchase her a 20 pyung condo that is located in Tokyo?”

“If that’s what she wants, yes, of course.”

“Hmm. I guess you are serious about this. A condo in Chiyoda, Tokyo costs more than 50 million Korean Won per pyung. Also, the geisha must fall in love with you, and that’s not something others can determine; it is up to the geisha.”

“Hmm.”

“If the geisha chooses you, can you take care of her and give her affection forever?”

“I am ready to risk my life for her.”

“You are a wonderful man. I have a feeling that maybe Mori Aikko will choose you, sir.”

“Thank you.”

Ji-Yeon Choi made a call to Segawa Joonkko.

Ji-Yeon Choi started talking in her fluent Japanese language on the phone. Her voice was so clear and pleasant that Gun-Ho thought she sounded like a news anchor. Ji-Yeon Choi paused her phone conversation for a moment, and asked Gun-Ho,

“Which hotel are you staying, sir?”

“It’s the New Otani Hotel.”

Ji-Yeon Choi continued to talk on the phone for about three minutes more before she hung up.

“Tomorrow is Saturday. They will send Mori Aikko to the café at New Otani Hotel by noon tomorrow. However, whether Mori Aikko would actually show up or not is totally up to her.”

“That’s more than enough.”

Ji-Yeon Choi smiled at Gun-Ho.

“President Goo, you are one of the best men.”

Gun-Ho asked Ji-Yeon Choi whether she had his business card.

“Yes, one of my staff handed it to me earlier. What is your company—GH Mobile—is doing?”

“It’s an auto parts manufacturing company. It’s a small company with only 250 employees, just yet.”

Ji-Yeon Choi laughed loudly.

“If a company with 250 employees is a small company, what would that make my restaurant with 12 workers then?”

Gun-Ho laughed along with her.

“President Goo, once you go back to Korea, please take care of my sister too.”

“I believe she is doing very well. Her bar in Hannam Town is doing good.”

“Well, she is still paying for her husband’s debt.”

“Oh, she is married. I thought she was single.”

“Her husband is Seong-Hoon Shin. He was a famous actor.”

Gun-Ho knew of Seong-Hoon Shin. He saw the actor in several historical tv dramas before.

“That Seong-Hoon Shin guy started a film company only to go broke. Then they divorced, and then they suffered because of his debt. The person who saved her from that situation was Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town. He gladly spent a significant amount of money for her, so she could open that bar in Hannam Town. The building owner is Chairman Lee. My sister is renting the building from him to run the bar.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Chairman Lee used to stop by my bar from time to time whenever he visited Japan, but I haven’t seen him for a while now. Maybe he is getting old, and it is hard for him to stop by here.”

“Actually, I owe Chairman Lee a lot too. I didn’t borrow any money from him, but he has been like a mentor to me. He often gives me great advice.”

“I hope you are not offended by this, but when I saw you earlier, I saw the shadow of Chairman Lee. Moreover, I was so impressed when you said you were ready to risk your life to protect the geisha.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ve been in Tokyo running my business for over 20 years now. I’ve seen so many disgraceful Korean men. However, you—President Goo—you are a great man. I do envy the girl—Mori Aikko.”

“Thank you for saying that, Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi.”

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Chapter 168 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (3) – PART 1

Chapter 168: Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho was sitting at the café inside New Otani Hotel. He kept checking the hour by looking at his Omega watch. He felt like time goes very slowly today.

“It’s already several minutes past noon. Why is she not here yet?”

Gun-Ho was waiting for Mori Aikko and she hadn’t showed up yet.

“Maybe I am not an appropriate sponsor for her since I am a foreigner and I can’t even properly communicate with her in any language. It was my fault insisting on being her sponsor just because I have money. She is the most famous geisha in Japan after all. I was being thoughtless.”

Gun-Ho regretted to suggest Mori Aikko and Mama-san that he wanted to be Mori Aikko’s sponsor.

Gun-Ho felt sorry to Mama-san Segawa Joonkko from the bar and the Korean restaurant owner—Ji-Yeon Choi from Akasaka who tried to help Gun-Ho to become Mori Aikko’s sponsor.

“I acted just like a nouveau riche. I used to hate the nouveau riche from Gangnam when I was in Noryangjin studying for the government job exam while working as a factory worker.”

Gun-Ho kept thinking that he shouldn’t have asked to be Mori Aikko’s sponsor in the first place. He felt like an idiot.

Gun-Ho looked around the café in the hotel.

He could see a few men in the café, who looked like businessmen wearing suits. He also saw a young lady who was wearing jeans with a blue silk blouse. She looked like a college student, and she entered the café.

“A college student who could afford to have a coffee in a café, located in this expensive hotel… Her parents must be very wealthy.”

That college student-looking young lady was looking around the café with her hair blowing. She seemed to be looking for someone.

“She is a very pretty student. She has a gorgeous face, maybe because she is from a wealthy Japanese family.”

When that young lady saw Gun-Ho, she smiled and walked towards him.

“Koko ni suwatte mo īdesu ka? (Can I sit here)?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t understand why this student was talking to him. He looked at her closely.

“Oh! Mori Aikko!”

Gun-Ho had only seen her in Kimono before. He had never expected to see her in jeans with her long hair down like that. He almost couldn’t recognize her.

“Hai!”

Gun-Ho gestured for her to sit on a chair at the other side of the table by pointing the chair.

“Okuretesumimasen (I’m sorry that I’m late).”

Mori Aikko bowed to Gun-Ho politely before sitting on the chair. Mori Aikko smiled slightly at Gun-Ho.

“She is absolutely gorgeous and bottomlessly cute.”

While appreciating Mori Aikko’s youth and her beauty, Gun-Ho suddenly became self-conscious about his own appearance. He felt like he was fat and being out of shape. He looked down at his belly while holding a cup of coffee. His belly seemed to have bulged a bit.

“Oh my gosh, what am I doing here? She is only 20 years old and I am a 35 years old man!”

Gun-Ho felt sorry for Mori Aikko.

Gun-Ho started talking with Mori Aikko by writing. They both knew how to read and write Chinese characters. Gun-Ho studied in China and Mori Aikko was born and raised in Japan. Chinese characters became the medium for them to communicate with each other.

“Did you have lunch?”

“Imadani (Not yet), Madadesu (Not yet).”

This time, Mori Aikko wrote a Chinese character on a piece of blank paper. When Gun-Ho understood what she wrote, she became so excited and clapped silently. Whenever she laughed, Gun-Ho could see her snaggletooth that was commonly seen among Japanese women. Her snaggletooth was slightly covered by her lips, which only added to her charm. She was very cute with her snaggletooth.

Gun-Ho looked at Mori Aikko’s neck, who was laughing. Her fair skin was dazzling.

Gun-Ho took her to a steak restaurant located inside the hotel and ordered steak and wine.

Mori Aikko was not good at cutting up the steak.

“I will cut them for you.”

Gun-Ho cut her steak into small pieces so she could easily eat.

“Here we go.”

Gun-Ho speared a piece of steak with a fork and handed it to Mori Aikko. She chewed the piece of steak that Gun-Ho cut for her. She looked extremely cute.

After lunch, they walked out of the hotel building and took a walk at Yoyogi Park.

“Mori Aikko, I will protect you and take care of you for the rest of my life.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho held Mori Aikko’s hand; it took Gun-Ho a lot of courage to do so. Gun-Ho’s hand was rough with calluses—caused by his previous and prolonged manual work in a factory. On the other hand, Mori Aikko’s hand was very tender and silky.

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom in Yoyogi Park. Gun-Ho was walking while holding Mori Aikko’s wrist when he thought that the flower would look good on her. Gun-Ho plucked a cherry blossom and put it in her hair.

“Hold on, Gū daitōryō-san (President Goo).”

Mori Aikko pulled out a small hand mirror from her purse and looking at herself in the mirror to see the flower on her hair.

“You don’t have to check it. You look beautiful.”

Mori Aikko smiled at what Gun-Ho said. Gun-Ho was not sure whether Mori Aikko understood his Korean or not. Mori Aikko was a bit different from other young people of her age. It seemed that she didn’t have a chance to properly socialize and learn about society in general since she had stayed mostly in Gion and spent most of her time learning dancing there. She didn’t go to school and that made her more pure and innocent. She seemed extremely pure to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko sat by the pond in Yoyogi Park.

“Are you okay? Aren’t your legs tired yet?”

Mori Aikko shook her head from side to side while laughing.

They started talking by writing again.

“Mori Aikko, I love you.”

“I do like you as well, Gū daitōryō-san. I like the fact that you are a self-made successful man.”

Gun-Ho put his arm around her shoulders.

“Can you write down the lyrics of the song you sang last time at the bar?”

Mori Aikko started writing the lyrics. Gun-Ho looked at Mori Aikko who was sitting by the pond while writing something on a paper. He thought that she looked more like a college freshman who was sitting on a college campus, rather than a geisha.

‘Whew. She could be a college student at her age. Why did her destiny lead her to the life of a geisha and let her dance until late at night in a bar.’

Mori Aikko handed the piece of paper to Gun-Ho. It seemed that she was done writing the lyrics.

Gun-Ho read the lyrics. Gun-Ho could read Katakana and Hiragana in Japanese. He might not fully understand what it means but he could read.”

“Can you sing it like the last time you sang?”

Mori Aikko stared at the pond for a moment, and she started singing softly. It was a sad melody just like her sad fate.

“Anata no unmei ni meikakuna owari wa arimasenga, anata no kaori o sōzō shite kudasai… (There is no definite end to your destiny, but conceive your scent…).”

Gun-Ho started singing along with Mori Aikko while looking at the lyrics that she wrote down for him. Before they realized, they were singing together. Mori Aikko quietly held Gun-Ho’s arm.

“It’s about to rain. Let’s get out of here.”

Mori Aikko nodded.

The couple walked out of Yoyogi Park and headed to Shibuya. They bought an umbrella on the way and kept walking towards Shibuya.

They felt a bit cold as it was raining. They held each other as they shared one umbrella. Gun-Ho thought he could hear Mori Aikko’s heart beating.

“Are you feeling cold?”

“I’m fine.”

“Do you want to go somewhere and get some warm food?”

“It’s okay. Let’s just walk to Koendori.”

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Chapter 169 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (3) – PART 2

Chapter 169: Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (3) – PART 2

There were tons of restaurants in Koendori; the area was popular among young people and the restaurants there was serving food that was tailored to young people’s taste.

“Do you come here often?”

“No, only once.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko entered a restaurant in Koendori.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Ochazuke.”

Ochazuke is a Japanese dish with cooked rice and fish—it is served with hot green tea poured on top of them.

“Do you want to drink too? Since we are wet with the rain, maybe we want a glass of sake?”

“No, I prefer Bīru (beer). Hayashi Bīru please.”

“Haha, really? Sure. I will have Bīru as well.”

Gun-Ho looked around the restaurant. The restaurant was filled with young people. He could see lots of people at Mori Aikko’s age—they were talking and laughing with their friends while enjoying the food.

‘I’m sorry, Mori Aikko.’

It was getting warm inside the restaurant. Gun-Ho thought it was a good idea to order a beer.

Gun-Ho placed a piece of blank paper on the table and started communicating with Mori Aikko by writing again. Gun-Ho started talking about his past life such as his time with military service and working at a factory in Hwaseong and Pocheon City.

“I used to be on the guard and I had to hold my rifle like this.”

Gun-Ho described his life to her by writing. He even drew some pictures to help her understand his story. Mori Aikko was all her ears while resting chin in her hand.

“Oh, it’s already 9 o’clock. Let’s go home.”

The rain was continuously pouring down.

Gun-Ho tried to grab a taxi but it wasn’t easy at this hour in the rain. After spending some time trying it, he finally grabbed a taxi.

“Let’s go to the New Otani Hotel, please.”

“Geez, you are so wet with the rain.”

The kind and old taxi driver turned on the heat for them.

The couple arrived at the hotel.

“Why don’t we go to my room first to dry you up before you go home?”

Mori Aikko seemed to hesitate.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to bite you. Let’s go.”

Gun-Ho grabbed Mori Aikko’s wrist and led her to his room. She followed him while staggering; she seemed to be a bit drunk.

Gun-Ho had her sit on a chair in his hotel room.

“You are feeling cold, right? I will get you some hot tea.”

Gun-Ho quickly pushed the button of his electric kettle to start making boiling water.

Gun-Ho helped Mori Aikko sit straight before handing her a cup of hot tea.

Gun-Ho stared at Mori Aikko who was having the tea. Her silk blouse was wet with the rain and revealed her curvy body line. Her hair was wet and some of those hairs were stuck on her face. Gun-Ho swept those hairs up over the top of her head. He was standing so close to her that he could hear her breathing. He couldn’t resist his urge anymore and abruptly hugged her tight.

“Mori Aikko, I love you. I will protect you as long as I could breathe.”

Gun-Ho pressed his lips against Mori Aikko’s red lips. She didn’t resist but closed her eyes instead.

“I will protect you forever.”

Mori Aikko was lying down on the bed; she seemed to be exhausted. Gun-Ho started undressing her slowly, one piece by another. Finally, they spent the night together.

Mori Aikko was actually a virgin.

Gun-Ho’s bed in the New Otani Hotel room got stained in red.

It was about 3 or 4 am when Gun-Ho woke up and heard Mori Aikko weeping.

Gun-Ho brought a towel and wiped the tears off her face.

“Don’t cry, you silly girl. I told you that I will protect you forever. Don’t worry about anything.”

Gun-Ho clasped her again and kissed her hotly and for a long time.

The next morning, Gun-Ho heard Mori Aikko taking a shower.

Gun-Ho was getting dressed with Yukata while listening to her taking a shower. He thought for a moment that he wanted to marry her and live with her for the rest of his life.

Mori Aikko came out of the shower while wiping her face with a towel. She was wearing a Yukata. She smiled brightly at Gun-Ho as if she had never cried in the middle of the night earlier.

“You look prettier after the shower.”

Gun-Ho said while smiling.

Gun-Ho took a shower as well. He felt refreshed once he washed.

Once he got out of the shower, he found his room cleaned up.

“Huh? How come the room is so clean?”

It seemed that Mori Aikko cleaned Gun-Ho’s room while he was in the shower. The room was cleaned neatly and the bed was well arranged.

“You are like a Japanese woman from the Edo period.”

Gun-Ho hugged her tightly.

Gun-Ho went down to the restaurant inside the hotel with Mori Aikko to have breakfast. The breakfast was served in a buffet style.

Gun-Ho was wearing a white shirt. He sat face-to-face with Mori Aikko at the restaurant table. Mori Aikko quickly stood up, then brought a juice and a napkin for him.

“Thank you.”

As Gun-Ho smiled at Mori Aikko, she smiled back at him broadly.

Gun-Ho felt like he was a married man and was having breakfast with his wife.

“This is how I would feel like once I get married.”

Gun-Ho was wondering if he could marry someone else while leaving this little and poor bird alone.

After having breakfast and a cup of coffee, Gun-Ho sent Mori Aikko off at the hotel lobby. Mori Aikko’s hair was well arranged and she was already wearing light makeup. People at the lobby glanced at her while noticing her shiny beauty.

“I will let you know what we would do about your future through Mama-san Segawa Joonkko. This is my business card with my number on. Don’t lose it. And give me your number here.”

Mori Aikko wrote down her phone number and gave it to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho kissed on the paper where she wrote her number down. She laughed while covering her mouth.

“I will call you.”

Gun-Ho waved his hand to her. Mori Aikko turned around before she entered the revolving door and waved back to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho stood there while waving at her until she disappeared.

Gun-Ho went back to his room and packed his stuff to get ready to leave. He then walked out of the hotel and headed to the airport, and while doing so, he made a phone call to the Korean restaurant owner—Ji-Yeon Choi in Akasaka.

“Hi, this is Gun-Ho Goo. I met Mori Aikko yesterday, and I put her hair up.”

“Oh, really? Congratulations. You are very good, President Goo.”

“I want you to discuss the sponsorship matter of Mori Aikko with Segawa Joonkko for me.”

“People say in Korea that if you did a good job of making a good match for a couple, you would get a new suit from them.”

“Haha. Of course. I won’t forget how hard you tried to help me.”

“Haha. I’m just kidding, President Goo. I do wish you prosperity with your business. If you get Mori Aikko a place to stay, I guess you will be able to see her more often. Remember, only a hero could have a beautiful woman. Congratulations, again. Hahaha.”

On the plane back to Korea, Gun-Ho felt great. He felt like he could fly. Everything would be fine, he thought.

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Chapter 170 - Company Restructuring (1) – PART 1

Chapter 170: Company Restructuring (1) – PART 1

The internal auditor was giving a report to Gun-Ho on monthly profit and loss at Gun-Ho’s office.

“The sales and the operating income have increased; however, because of our high-interest cost, we can’t expect the ordinary income. The funds you put into this company when you acquired it, we used them to pay for the unpaid wages and some of the outstanding balance of credit purchase and accrued expenses payable that needed to be urgently paid.”

“Hmm.”

“However, we haven’t been able to pay for the loans from financial institutions yet.”

Gun-Ho hadn’t paid off the loan from financial institutions when he acquired the company; otherwise, he would have spent additional tens of billions of won to pay for them. He actually could have paid off the loan with his cash—210 billion won in his stock account, but he didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to touch the money that he made by selling his Kumho Chemical stock and he hadn’t.

“I will protect my personal assets even though my business goes broke. Look at President Se-Young Oh. His personal assets became at risk when his business went broke.”

“Can I see the current status of the loans for each financial institution?”

The internal auditor called for the accounting manager and asked her,

“Please bring the current status of the loans for each financial institution.”

“Yes, sir.”

The accounting manager came back to Gun-Ho’s office. It didn’t take her even 5 minutes.

The internal auditor said to Gun-Ho while sipping his green tea.

“Since we are paying the financial institutions on the loan interests on a regular basis, they don’t pressure us to pay off the principal right away.”

“Hmm.”

“The problem is with the loan from non-bank financial institutions. President Se-Young Oh borrowed money from several non-bank financial institutions when he urgently needed money.”

“Hmm.”

“Among those non-bank financial institutions, we are paying high loan interest to Capital and Savings Bank. I feel like we are paying too much to them.”

‘Maybe I should pay off the loan from those non-bank financial institutions with my personal funds.’

Gun-Ho grinned then thought,

‘Nah, I shouldn’t.’

While Gun-Ho was thinking about the loans with high interests, the thing that President Se-Young Oh had said earlier crossed his mind. He said ‘Son of a b*tch Korea Credit Guarantee Fund.’

“Oh, have you heard anything from Korea Credit Guarantee Fund?”

“We actually received a call from them the other day.”

“What did they say?”

“They said they would need to get your signature to extend the loan period since the company president’s personal joint surety is expiring.”

“Hmm.”

“I told them you are on a business trip to Japan right now and you would come back several days later.”

Gun-Ho thought he would have to do something about this loan of 3 billion won. All these debts came with the company, including the previous president—Se-Young Oh’s personal joint surety when Gun-Ho acquired the company. They were the company’s debt and Gun-Ho would have to pay for them since he was the owner of the company now.

‘I will never personally guarantee the loan for my business.’

Gun-Ho was firmly determined on this matter.

At that moment, the general affairs manager entered Gun-Ho’s office with a report. When he felt the serious vibe in the room where Gun-Ho and the internal auditor were sitting in, he hesitated to stay, and then he eventually left the room quietly.

After finishing discussing financial matters with Gun-Ho, the internal auditor left Gun-Ho’s office. Gun-Ho stared at the current status of the loans for each financial institution that the accounting manager brought to him earlier.

“There are a lot of financial institutions that President Se-Young Oh borrowed money from.”

Gun-Ho pulled out an electronic calculator and started calculating the loans.

“With about 9 billion won, I can get rid of those dirty loans from non-bank financial institutions.”

Gun-Ho had about 10 billion won in his bank account in Gangnam, Seoul. He made a call to the branch office of that bank.

“Oh, President Gun-Ho Goo? How have you been? I’m so glad that you called us.”

The bank branch manager made a fuss about getting a call from Gun-Ho.

“Will you be available this afternoon?”

“Yes, I will be here. I wanted to meet you as well, sir.”

Gun-Ho drove to Seoul. It had been a while.

“Seoul is still so busy and that gives me a headache. I guess I am better off staying in Asan City.”

When Gun-Ho entered the bank, the branch manager was talking with a client. Gun-Ho sat on a chair and waited for a moment. After 15 minutes or so, the branch manager walked out of his office with the client. When he saw Gun-Ho waiting outside his office, he was surprised.

“President Goo, when did you arrive? Why didn’t you enter my office then?”

The branch manager led Gun-Ho to his office while making a fuss.

“Sir, you have funds in our bank that are just sitting there. It’s such a waste. We have a very good program that you might be interested in investing your funds in.”

“I actually came here to borrow some money.”

“Borrow money?”

The branch manager was pulling out a pamphlet of the program he was about to show Gun-Ho, and he looked at Gun-Ho over his glasses when he heard that Gun-Ho wanted to borrow money instead of using his money to invest somewhere.

Gun-Ho handed his GH Mobile business card to the branch manager, and said,

“Actually I acquired a factory not long ago. The company has some loans from non-bank financial institutions and I want to get rid of them. I hope you could help me with this.”

“Did you bring the company’s financial statements?”

Gun-Ho gave a document to the branch manager.

The branch manager took quite some time and looked through the document carefully, that Gun-Ho brought in. When he was done with reviewing the paper, he smacked his lips.

“This company borrowed money as much as it could. No one will lend any additional money to this company.”

“I don’t think I want to use my personal money to pay for the company’s loan.”

“Of course not, sir. You definitely should not.”

The branch manager looked at the document again.

“It’s not getting enough sales revenue. I think you need business restructuring.”

“Exactly.”

Gun-Ho leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs. The branch manager was in his early 50s and Gun-Ho was in his mid-30s. However, Gun-Ho was changing in his attitude since he possessed a lot of money. He now acted as a big player from Gangnam. No one could see any clue about his past life as a factory worker from his current appearance.

Gun-Ho said to the branch manager with his legs crossed; he made it like a joke though.

“If you can’t help me with this, I will take out all of my funds from this bank.”

The branch manager didn’t show any reaction to Gun-Ho’s saying, but he seemed to think about something with his head tilted to one side. He then said something to himself.

“There might be a way out of this…”

“Did you find a good way?”

“When did you get the appraisal on the factory land?”

“I acquired the company when it was under the court receivership, so I would say the appraisal was done last year because they had to report it to the court.”

“The money was borrowed from the non-bank financial institutions about three to four years ago. I guess the previous president had a really hard time running the company at that time.”

“Hmm.”

“That means that he borrowed the money at that time with the old appraisal.”

“Hmm.”

“This is good. President Goo, when you go back to the company, please have the original appraisal ready. I will visit the factory next week.”

“To Asan City?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

“And don’t ever say that you would pull out all your personal funds from our bank. That really freaks me out.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to the branch manager for a handshake and smiled.

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Chapter 171 - Company Restructuring (1) – PART 2

Chapter 171: Company Restructuring (1) – PART 2

Once he came back to Asan City, Gun-Ho called for the internal auditor.

“We will have a visitor next week from Seoul. He is a bank branch manager who I have been working with.”

“Oh, really?”

“Please prepare the original appraisal of this factory and a copy of it.”

“Yes, sir. We have an old appraisal as well, four years old. I will have that ready as well.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head with a smile.

The auditor bowed to Gun-Ho before he left the office. Gun-Ho saw his smile then. The auditor had worked in a bank for a long time before he changed his career. It seemed that he already got an inkling of what Gun-Ho was trying to do with the bank branch manager who would visit the company next week.

“Ha, he caught it very quickly.”

Gun-Ho grabbed an economic newspaper.

While Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee, he received a call from Japan. It was the Korean restaurant owner in Akasaka—Ji-Yeon Choi.

“President Goo, it’s me, Ji-Yeon Choi from Akasaka.”

“Oh, Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi. Did you have a chance to talk to Mama-san Segawa Joonkko?”

“Yes, I did.”

“What did she say?”

“She said Mori Aikko found a good sponsor.”

“There are a lot of respectful businessmen in Japan, right?”

“Right, but most of those Japanese businessmen who are coming to the bar are old. I guess Mori Aikko liked you because you are young, in your 30s.”

“Really? Haha.”

“Mama-san said that a nice condo in Shibuya came out on the market and she recommended it for you. It is a condo located in Daikanyama, Shibuya, Tokyo. It’s close to a subway station too.”

“How much is it?”

“Well…, I think Mama-san got greedy and she wants a 85㎡ large condo. I told her to find one with 50㎡ but she kept on insisting 85㎡”

“Is it 25 pyung in Korea?

“Yes, that’s correct. They said, they have a grandmother in Sapporo City and they want to bring her here.”

“Hmm.”

“You have to let me know how you want to handle it.”

“How much did you say it is?”

“The condos in Tokyo are expensive. They call a condo as a mansion, and it’s about the same price of a condo in Gangnam, Seoul.”

“Hmm.”

“Well, you will have to see the condo for yourself first before you buy it. Why don’t you come to Japan?”

“Okay. I will come to Japan soon.”

After getting off the phone with the restaurant owner, Gun-Ho said to himself.

“Wow, putting her hair up will cost me a fortune. I guess I will have to spend about 1 billion won.”

Gun-Ho was about to spend 1 billion won. However, Mori Aikko who was the most famous geisha in Japan would help him make tens of billions of won in the future. They both couldn’t even imagine that kind of things would happen to them.

Min-Hyeok called Gun-Ho from China. He said he found a new customer.

“Wow, you are good, Min-Hyeok. How did you get the customer?”

“It’s all about network, I guess. One of my friends who was a senior to me when we were in college, took a position in a Chinese branch office. He is working for a big company.”

“Oh, your friend from college?”

“Yes, from Myongji University. We had a different major but I met him in an activity club in college.”

“I see. Did you also get a product drawing from him?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then make a mould for them first. Did they say they would pay for the mould?”

“Yeah, he said once we complete the mould, send the invoice to them.”

“That’s good. A big company is usually a gentleman. How much order would they place?”

“50 million won per month.”

“Then, it would be 600 million won per year.”

“I want to send the product drawing to GH Mobile though.”

“Why here?”

“I don’t think I can rely on the workers here. I don’t want to make a defective product. So I want to ask the research center in GH Mobile to make the mould for us.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m sorry to ask you this, but can you make a call to the chief officer of the research center? And tell him to make a mould for GH Parts Company in China referring to the product drawing they would send, and also ask them to find out what kind of raw materials needed to be used for the product.”

“Hmm, it’s not difficult to ask him. I will make a phone call. You can talk to Jong-Suk for details though.”

“How is Jong-Suk doing there?”

“He is building a firm presence in this factory. He is very social and he gets along with everyone here. Moreover, he is very good at what he does.”

“Haha. I knew he would be fine there. When he first started working there, he complained a lot about his work there to me.”

“Oh, he did? Like what?”

“He said people in the production department were ignoring him just because he joined the company because you let him in.”

“Really? I didn’t know about it. He didn’t mention anything about it to me.”

“So, I told him to stay there for just three months since there is no place he cannot be adapted to. You will see. He will be ruling the factory soon. He is social and royal. He will soon earn a lot of followers.”

Gun-Ho felt proud of Jong-Suk like his real brother.

After getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok, Gun-Ho thought of Min-Hyeok.

“He went to a good college in Seoul, and that is helping the business. I made a right decision to give him a stock option. That’s why he is trying so hard to get more business for the company.”

Gun-Ho didn’t even graduate a low-ranked college in a province, but graduated a cyber college. And he couldn’t find an office job with his college degree. Many companies didn’t recognize the degree from a cyber college as a bachelor’s degree. So, he had to work in a production field as a factory worker. However, Min-Hyeok Kim had a different path from Gun-Ho.

“Min-Hyeok was good when we were in high school. He was in a high rank in my class.”

When they were in high school, Min-Hyeok did well. He wasn’t in the highest rank like Won-Chul Jo who graduated from KAIST or Byung-Chul Hwang who went to one of the top universities, but Min-Hyeok was a smart kid with a good grade. He could have been admitted to a better university than Myongji University that he graduated from, if it was not for his father. When he was a senior in high school, his father had a car accident. His father was a bus driver then. Min-Hyeok at that time couldn’t fully focus on studying for SAT because his family had a hard time then. So he applied for Myongji University to be safely admitted to.

After graduating college, Min-Hyeok tried to get a job in a big company for a while. When he couldn’t find any office job in a big company, he took a position in a quality assurance at a factory located in a province. He then spent about a year there before he quit the job; he said he didn’t have the right aptitude for the job. Once he quit his job in a quality assurance department, he started studying for the government job exam. He was getting old already by that time, and he continuously failed the exam multiple times, he then joined Gun-Ho’s company.

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Chapter 172 - Company Restructuring (2) – PART 1

Chapter 172: Company Restructuring (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho could smell money very well; that was one of the strengths that Gun-Ho had. He also had good judgment, and he grabbed an opportunity without hesitation once he saw one.

People tend to look for someone to blame when things don’t go well in their lives.

Gun-Ho wasn’t an exception to it. He used to blame his parents when he was suffering from debt during his factory worker life. His parents couldn’t provide an affluent childhood to him. Now he was enjoying massive success because luck was on his side.

Gun-Ho was a mediocre student in high school with a grade of a bit above average. Given the fact that his high school was not located in Seoul but in a province, no one could say that he was a good grade student.

The grade of a student tended to be proportional to their home environment. If Gun-Ho was raised in a wealthy family and went to school in Gangnam District-8 accordingly, he would have been admitted to a decent college in Seoul and would have gotten a nice office job in a big company or become a professional. However, Gun-Ho developed skills and learned important things in life through his harsh life as a factory worker; he just hadn’t realized it yet. Gun-Ho was also not aware that he was a risk-taker and naturally knew which side he needed to bet on because he recognized the winning side by grasping the flow of money. He had a unique talent.

Gun-Ho received a call from the bank branch manager from Gangnam; he said that he would visit Gun-Ho’s factory today. Gun-Ho called for the internal auditor.

“The bank branch manager is coming today at 2 pm from Gangnam.”

“I will have the workers clean the factory and will also have those appraisals ready for him.”

“Since you used to work at a bank, you probably know what the branch manager is looking for. Why don’t you stay with me and assist me in dealing with him? If we could move the loans from a non-bank financial institution to a bank, we can enjoy the ordinary income, right?”

“Of course, sir.”

Gun-Ho called for the plant manager, chief officer of the research center, and the sales director.

“We will have a visitor soon today. Please make the factory clean and arrange the semi-manufactured products in an organized way.”

“Yes, sir.”

The managers and executives who were in their 50s or 60s responded to Gun-Ho’s request altogether in one voice.

The bank branch manager arrived. He was accompanied by another bank staff who was handsome. They were driving a black vehicle.

“Welcome.”

“Your factory is larger than I expected.”

“Please come in.”

Gun-Ho took the bank branch manager and his staff to the president’s office. He then took out the original appraisal and handed it to the branch manager.

“The appraised value of the main factory at the time when they borrowed money from the non-bank financial institutions was 5 billion won. Our second factory where the research center is located was appraised for 4 billion won. The storage was 2.5 billion won and the company dormitory was 1.2 billion won. So, the total appraised value of the company at that time was 12.7 billion won. The loan from a bank is 3 billion won while the loan from 4 different non-bank financial institutions is 9 billion won. We are currently paying 60 million won per month for the loan interest only to those non-bank financial institutions.”

“What is the current appraised value?”

“The main factory is 6.2 billion won and the second factory is 5 billion won. We haven’t had the storage and the dormitory appraised.”

The internal auditor entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“This is our internal auditor.”

“Huh?”

The internal auditor and the bank branch manager seemed to be surprised when they saw each other.

“Sir, you are working here?”

“Oh, so you are the bank branch manager from Gangnam.”

Gun-Ho was surprised by their reactions as well.

“So, you two know each other?”

“When I was a manager at the bank, he was the branch manager. I didn’t know he is working here.”

“I worked as a court officer for a while and then decided to join this company to work for President Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, I see. It is indeed a small world.”

“I hope you are making a favorable decision for us.”

“Haha. Of course, sir, as long as all the requirements are met.”

“Let’s take a tour around the factory since you are here today. You can review the papers later.”

“Shall we?”

Gun-Ho, the internal auditor, the bank branch manager and his staff headed to the factory. The factory was clean and neat. The factory workers’ cleaning job in the morning seemed to be paid off. The workers at the factory seemed to work harder than usual when they saw Gun-Ho and bank personnel came to the factory and looked around.

“Hi, I am the plant manager. Nice to meet you.”

The bank branch manager asked a few questions to the plant manager.

“How many products do you manufacture every day?”

“Who are your customers?”

The customers of GH Mobile were mostly big companies. When the factory manager named three customers, the bank branch manager seemed to recognize that they were all big companies.

“Hmm, they are all A+ companies.”

The bank branch manager could tell right away the credit ratings of each company by hearing the name of the companies, whether it had A+ or B-.

After having the tour, Gun-Ho and the others went back to the president’s office.

The internal auditor said to the bank branch manager,

“The factory is working vigorously. If you could take the loan from non-bank financial institutions to the bank, I would really appreciate it. Think of the time we had worked together.”

“Of course, sir. I know you and I do trust you, sir. Moreover, President Gun-Ho Goo is our VIP client at our branch. I will do it. However, the papers should indicate the right stuff since I have to make a report to my superiors as well.”

“Is there something wrong with the papers?”

“No, I think it will all work out. If we take an appraisal of the storage and the dormitory, the value will go up by 20%, so it will work. However, I have one request.”

“What is it?”

Gun-Ho and the internal auditor were desperately waiting for the bank branch manager’s response.

“Please make our bank your major bank.”

“The branch in Gangnam?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho looked at the internal auditor’s face.

“It doesn’t matter, sir. We can have our major bank in Gangnam, and we can still use the same bank in Asan City for our daily transactions. However, we need to inform all of our vendors and customers about the change.”

“Hmm.”

The bank branch manager said while adjusting his glasses.

“Once you move all the loans with non-bank financial institutions to a bank, the loan interest you need to pay on a monthly basis will decrease by 20 million won. The company’s public image will become better as well.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho thought of it for a moment, and then he said to the internal auditor.

“Let’s take an appraisal for the storage and the dormitory. Also, please inform our vendors and customers with our new bank information.”

“Yes, sir.”

The bank branch manager also wanted to see the company’s organizational chart.

The general affairs manager brought the chart to Gun-Ho’s office.

“There are 12 departments and 1 research center, hmm… You are running a big company at your young age, President Goo. I admire you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“And I hope you know the value of your internal auditor here. I have worked with him before, and I know he is a decent person.”

“I am aware of that. He has been helping me a lot in running the company.”

The internal auditor blushed at Gun-Ho’s compliment about him.

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Chapter 173 - Company Restructuring (2) – PART 2

Chapter 173: Company Restructuring (2) – PART 2

After the bank branch manager left, Gun-Ho was sitting in his office by himself.

He looked at his company’s organizational chart that was placed on the table.

“Should I restructure the company?”

He thought for a second and then put the chart back to the table.

“Let’s do it after Amiel from Lymondell Dyeon visits the company.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim&Jeong.

“How are you doing these days? Are you still busy?”

“I’m doing well, and I am not that busy now.”

“Amiel from Lymondell Dyeon told me that he would visit my factory soon, and I haven’t heard from him yet.”

“Really?”

“I told him to come and see my factory and have a round of golf together.”

“Right. I heard that too. You also said we should go to that bar in Hannam Town and listen to that Gayageum again.”

“Do you think he forgot about it?”

“I will call and ask him.”

“Thank you. Please do so. I would do it myself if I could speak English.”

Gun-Ho received a call that Amiel was arriving at Gimpo International Airport.

“It’s good that he didn’t come to Incheon International Airport.”

Gun-Ho looked for an interpreter for the occasion since he didn’t want to ask Attorney Young-Jin Kim every time he needed an interpreter. He called for the general affairs manager.

“Do you speak English?”

“No, sir, but Assistant Manager Park from the research center speaks English very well.”

Gun-Ho called for Assistant Manager Park, and after a while, he knocked on Gun-Ho’s office. He was about the same age as Gun-Ho, and he was slim and was wearing glasses.

“Do you speak English well?”

“Not fluently, but I can speak English at a conversational level.”

“I was told that you majored in engineering so you work at the research center. Where did you learn English?”

“I served my military service in Korean Augmentation To the United States Army (KATUSA), and I also spent a year in the U.S. as an exchange student.”

“Hmm. We are expecting to have a visitor today. He is an American and the president of Lymondell Dyeon’s Japan office. Can you interpret for me?”

“Of course, sir.”

Assistant Manager Park was flushed with nervousness. He seemed to think that this was his opportunity to get closer to the president of the company that he was working for. However, it also could go the other way if he screwed up. He felt anxious.

Gun-Ho drove himself heading to Gimpo International Airport, accompanied by Assistant Manager Park from the research center.

The two men didn’t talk much on the way to the airport. Gun-Ho had nothing to ask him about, and Assistant Manager Park felt difficult to talk to the president. He wanted to ask Gun-Ho how he could have possibly acquired this company at his young age, but he didn’t dare ask Gun-Ho.

“The weather is really nice today.”

“That’s right, sir. According to the weather forecast, it will be sunny until this weekend.”

They simply talked about the weather until they arrived at the airport.

Amiel was walking out of the exit at the airport, and Gun-Ho could easily recognize him. The flight from Tokyo mostly had Asian passengers, especially Japanese, so the American man—Amiel—was standing out.

“Amiel!”

“Hey, President Goo.”

Before he could talk further, Gun-Ho introduced the interpreter—Assistant Manager Park—to Amiel.

“This is Assistant Manager Park; he is working at my company. He is here to interpret for us.”

“Really? How do you do?”

Amiel extended his hand to Assistant Manager Park for a handshake.

“This is the president of Lymondell Dyeon’s Japan branch.”

“Oh, really?”

“Since we have plenty of time, let’s take a brief tour of our factory in Asan City first before we go to his hotel—Palace Hotel in Gangnam. Please interpret for me.”

Assistant Manager said in English what Gun-Ho just said. He didn’t seem to be doing a very good job in interpreting though. Amiel seemed to try hard to understand what Assistant Manager Park said; maybe his pronunciation wasn’t easy to understand to native English speakers. Attorney Young-Jin Kim was more natural and relaxed when he talked with Amiel in English. However, Gun-Ho was okay with it as long as he could communicate with Amiel.

Amiel looked around the factory in Asan City.

“Hmm.”

Amiel nodded his head.

The chief officer of the research center came out and greeted Amiel. He had a Ph.D. from Germany, and he could speak English. However, it was about the same level as Assistant Manager Park. Gun-Ho thought he would have to hire three more people who could each speak English, Japanese, and Chinese.

When talking about work and technology, fluent English wasn’t necessary because they mostly used technical terms and jargon. The chief officer of the research center and Amiel were communicating fine. When the chief officer was explaining things, Amiel kept nodding his head. When Amiel asked something, the chief officer quickly understood what Amiel wanted to know. Amiel closely looked at the products and sometimes took a picture with his smartphone.

“Good.”

“Wonderful.”

Amiel seemed to be satisfied mostly.

Gun-Ho drove to Seoul with Amiel and Assistant Manager Park in his car. He reserved the Palace Hotel for Amiel, which was located close to Gangnam Express Bus Terminal.

“Please tell Amiel to leave his luggage in his room and come down to the lobby. Attorney Young-Jin Kim will be here soon.”

Assistant Manager Park interpreted for Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho was waiting for Amiel at the hotel lobby when Attorney Young-Jin Kim arrived.

“Gun-Ho Goo!”

“It has been a while. I heard you were so busy because of a patent infringement lawsuit.”

“You must be very busy yourself in acquiring the company. I wanted to visit your factory, but I just couldn’t make time for it.”

“No problem. Take your time. Our company is always open to you.”

Gun-Ho introduced Assistant Manager Park to Attorney Young-Jin Park.

“This is Young-Jin Park. He is an attorney at Kim&Jeong. He is a friend of mine.”

Assistant Manager Park gave a deep bow to Attorney Kim.

“Who is this?”

Attorney Kim looked at Gun-Ho with a question mark on his face.

“Oh, he is our employee. He came here with me to interpret for me.”

“Oh, I see.”

Attorney Kim offered his hand to Assistant Manager Park for a handshake.

Amiel came down to the lobby. He dressed casually.

“Hey, Young-Jin Kim!”

“Amiel!”

They hugged each other with a smile.

Young-Jin Kim and Amiel spent some time catching up at the lobby, and Young-Jin told Gun-Ho in Korean from time to time what he just talked with Amiel.

Assistant Manager Park seemed to be lost in admiration of Attorney Kim’s fluent English, and he was just staring at Attorney Kim. Attorney Kim looked like a native English speaker in Assistant Manager Park’s eyes; his pronunciation and gestures when he talked were so natural and so American. Assistant Manager Park shouldn’t have said that he could speak English well.

Gun-Ho said to Assistant Manager Park,

“Since Attorney Kim is here, you don’t have to interpret for me anymore. You did a good job today. You can take a bus to Asan City at the express bus station across the street.”

“Yes, sir. I will get going then.”

Assistant Manager Park gave a bow to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“I do appreciate your work today. Here, use that to pay for the express bus to Asan City and for your dinner today.”

Assistant Manager Park took the envelope politely that Gun-Ho handed to him with his two hands.

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Chapter 174 - ConferenceCompany Restructuring (3) – PART 1

Chapter 174: Company Restructuring (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho, Amiel and Attorney Young-Jin Kim went to a Korean restaurant in Seocho Town for dinner. They ordered Bulgogi* hot pot.

“Amiel, what do you think of my company?”

“It was good. It was larger than I expected.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“How much did you say your annual sales revenue was?”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim was carefully listening to the conversation; he seemed to be curious about Gun-Ho’s company’s annual sales revenue.

“It was 70 billion won when I acquired that company, and it will soon be 80 billion won. My goal is to make it 100 billion won by next year.”

“Wow! 100 billion won!?”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim was astonished while Amiel was just nodding his head.

“The land itself should be twice larger than Dyeon Japan’s factory land in Yokohama.”

“I’m actually thinking of moving the factory to somewhere else.”

“Why?”

“I need to restructure the company, and also I have another reason.”

“What are you up to?”

“I’m thinking of using that factory for a joint venture with Dyeon.”

“What?”

Amiel and Attorney Young-Jin Kim looked at each other in surprise.

Gun-Ho pushed himself closer to the two men and said,

“What do you think, Amiel? We can start a joint venture in that factory that you visited today. I have enough workers; there are 250 of them. We can select several tens of workers from them to work for the joint venture.”

“Hmm.”

Amiel didn’t give any response to it. He was just sitting there with his arms crossed.

It was Attorney Young-Jin Kim who broke the silence.

“Hey, I think it is a good idea.”

As Amiel unwrapped his arms, he said,

“There are a lot of things we need to get through before we can decide to do a joint venture. We need to analyze the potential co-venturer’s financial status, technology, and skilled workers. We also take into consideration the president’s personality and strong will to participate in the joint venture.”

“Hmm.”

“The headquarters from the U.S. has a list of requirements to evaluate the potential co-venturer, and you need to pass it.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim said while pouring a beer to Amiel’s glass.

“We have you, Amiel. Can you do something about it?”

“Haha. No way. It’s not just a checklist he needs to pass, but they will make an actual visit to his company.”

“Hmm.”

“The land that I saw today is big enough; however, the company’s debt ratio should be low too.”

“Hmm.”

The three men ate the food without saying a word for a while.

“I will restructure the company as soon as possible and will lower the debt ratio.”

“The credit rating is important too. They will issue the company’s credit rating from the credit bureau.”

“Hmm.”

“Once your company passed all the requirements, you will need to send some skilled workers to the U.S. and get them trained before you receive the necessary equipment by ship.”

“Do I have to purchase machines? Or can I lease them?”

“As long as you satisfy all the requirements, you can lease the machines.”

“Hmm.”

“The joint venture in Korea will have to consider the market overseas such as China and Southeast Asia. The headquarters in the U.S. will probably want that.”

“Does the president have to speak English?”

“Haha, no, you don’t have to. They want you to run the business well; they don’t ask you to learn English. You can hire someone who speaks English.”

Gun-Ho scheduled to go play golf the next day with Amiel and Attorney Young-Jin Kim in Yongin City. After dinner, he decided to stay in Seoul since he needed to come to the area again the next day for golf anyway. So, he went to his TowerPalace condo.

“It has been a while since I slept at this condo.”

There were tons of mail piled up in the mailbox.

The large condo looked so quiet and lonely. Gun-Ho went into the master bedroom and lied down on his bed.

“I want to start a family. Should I ask Mori Aikko to come here and live with me?”

Gun-Ho grabbed a pillow and conceived it until he fell asleep.

The next day, the three men started an 18 hole round of golf in Asiana Country Club.

This time, Gun-Ho didn’t make many mistakes. He wasn’t a disturbance in playing golf for Amiel and Attorney Young-Jin Kim like the last time they played golf together. Attorney Young-Jin Kim made a joke.

“President Goo, did you play golf all day long in Asan City instead of working, huh?”

Amiel added with his eyes widened.

“Oh, President Goo, you improved a lot. I think you can go to Pebble Beach Golf Links in California now.”

“Pebble Beach?”

“Yeah, they have the most beautiful golf course in the world. PGA Tour Champions play annual events there.”

“Really?”

Once they walked out of the golf country club, they went to Miranda Hotel in Icheon City. They enjoyed the hot spring bath there.

“Wow, the water here is so nice.”

“Hot spring is not just famous in Japan. We have a good one in Asan City where I stay right now, and the hot spring here in Icheon City is very popular as well.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim who was playing with water said,

“That’s right. The Onyang hot spring in Asan City has been around for a long time and very famous. According to the historical record, Sejong, the Great King came to Onyang to wash his eyes with the hot spring in Onyang when he had eye trouble.”

“Really?”

After taking the hot spring bath, they went to a steak restaurant inside the Miranda hotel. Their table was on the terrace that was connected to an outdoor water park. They enjoyed the steak with wine.

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo! I will treat you guys here; instead, you pay for the Hannam bar. Let’s go there tonight, Ms. Jang’s bar.”

“The bar in Hannam Town? I was going to go there with you guys anyway. Amiel wanted to listen to Gayageum again.”

Gun-Ho made a call to the hostess—Mi-Hyang Jang.

“Oh, President Gun-Ho Goo, I thought you forgot about us.”

“I will bring one American and one more Korean today.”

“An American will join you? Sure. I will have a girl ready, who can speak English.”

“We will be there at 8 pm. We want to listen to Gayageum as well.”

“Of course, sir.”

At 8 pm that night, Gun-Ho’s party arrived at ‘Pine’—the bar in Hannam Town.

The bouncers who were wearing black suits came out and led them inside the bar. They treated Gun-Ho as if he was the boss of a Mafia or something.

“Is Ms. Jang here?”

“Please come in. She is expecting you.”

Ms. Mi-Hyang Jang greeted Gun-Ho’s party; she was wearing a Korean traditional dress.

“Welcome, President Goo. It has been several years already since you visited us?”

“What are you talking about? I feel like I came here a few months ago.”

“You often go to a bar in Japan. You should visit us more often here in Korea too.”

“I went there only once.”

“Well, I can’t compete with Segawa Joonkko.”

“I think you can beat her.”

Ms. Jang said while she was taking Gun-Ho’s jacket and hanging it on the wall.

“I heard something from Japan.”

“Like what?”

“I heard that you put the most famous geisha’s hair up.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim and Amiel looked puzzled.

“Haha. Stop your nonsense, and bring us food. We will have Ballantine’s for liquor.”

“Chairman Lee always visited us at least twice per week when he was young.”

Note*

Bulgogi – Grilled beef which was marinated with all sorts of vegetables and soy sauce

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Chapter 175 - Company Restructuring (3) – PART 2

Chapter 175: Company Restructuring (3) – PART 2

Gun-Ho showed a seat to Amiel with a floor cushion on the floor and an embroidered folding screen behind. A large floor table with all sorts of Korean food with Sinseollo* and liquor was brought in. There were so many Korean dishes on the table that the legs of the table looked a bit bent.

Gun-Ho’s party was talking about their playing golf earlier that day when two girls in a Korean traditional dress came into the room with Gayageum. They gave a slight nod of greeting to Gun-Ho’s party and started playing Gayageum.

Amiel closed his eyes to fully enjoy the music. When the girls finished playing, he clapped passionately.

“Excellent!”

Amiel asked them to play one more music.

“I like the vibration of Gayageum better than Japan’s Shamisen. It gives deeper sound.”

After they played three songs with Gayageum, another three young girls entered the room. They would serve Gun-Ho’s party in enjoying their time there with food and liquor. One of the girls could speak English very well.

Amiel seemed to feel good. It was his happy and lucky day. He played golf, took a hot spring bath, and now he enjoyed Gayageum music; moreover, the pretty girls were sitting with him to serve him.

Amiel looked at Gun-Ho with a smile and said,

“President Goo, to be honest with you, I was a bit surprised when I saw your factory in Asan City.”

“Why?”

“I thought you were just doing a rental property business, and I’ve never thought that you would run a big factory like that. Well, I know you used to work as a mechanic, but still… it surprised me.”

“Thank you, Amiel.”

“Do you really really want to do a joint venture with Dyeon?”

“Of course, I do.”

The girls served meat and fish to Amiel after removing its bones and cut into pieces so he could easily eat them. They filled Amiel’s glass with liquor as well.

“Thank you. It tastes good!”

Amiel said while having his fish dish,

“Once you are done with restructuring your company, make nice financial statements.”

“Hmm. Okay, I will do that.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim added to help Gun-Ho.

“President Goo has another factory in China. He already established a sales network in the Chinese market.”

“Hmm. That’s nice. I will help you, President Goo. For now, finish restructuring your company and make a business plan for a joint venture. You will need to include anticipated sales revenue from overseas markets as well, such as China and Southeast Asia.”

“Hmm.”

“I will send you basic information about Dyeon once I go back to Japan. It will be useful to know things like types of raw materials, prices of supplies, compound costs and etc.”

“Okay. Let’s make it happen.”

The three men clinked their glasses to each other’s.

“Girls, please join us and drink!”

The girls joined the three men in clinking the glasses while laughing.

Gun-Ho came back to Asan City, and he was sitting at his office. He felt good since Amiel was positive about Gun-Ho’s participating in the joint venture with his company. He was thinking,

‘Let’s not restructure the company forcefully, but let’s do it smoothly and naturally. It shouldn’t have to be a painful process.”

Gun-Ho decided to move the factory somewhere else. He wanted to quietly look for a good factory that he would move to. He called for the internal auditor.

“I think we should move our factory.”

“Our factory? To where?”

“Can you look for a good one on an auction website? Once you see any large factory that was selling for less than half price of its original price, then let me know.”

“Yes, sir. What about the location?”

“Anywhere around Northside of Asan City should be good. If you could, I prefer a factory that is larger than 5,000 pyung.”

“Yes, sir. Are we then selling the factory in Asan City?”

“No, we will keep the main factory. However, we will sell the second factory where the research center, the storage, and the dormitory is located.”

“I agree with you on selling the storage building and dormitory in restructuring our company. However, if we sell the second factory, where do we conduct our research?”

“Do you think it’s worth keeping our research center? Is it being productive?”

“Umm, yes, I think so.”

“The research center hasn’t produced anything for the past three years, not even one patent. It seems that we’d better buy a patent, rather than get a patent with our own technology. Moreover, the workers in the research centers are mostly old people. The chief officer has a Ph.D. from Germany, but he is already 60 years old.”

“That… doesn’t mean we need to let them all go…”

“I won’t lay them off. I will send all of the 30 workers in research centers to other departments.”

The internal auditor nodded his head.

“I think that is a good idea, sir. Once they are reallocated to other departments, some will continue to work there and some will quit the job voluntarily.”

“Also we have so many old lady workers over 50 years old in the production department, who have a family.”

“Once we move the factory, many of them will quit the job as well.”

“That’s right. Their homes are in Asan City. Those ladies won’t be able to move with their jobs because of their family. So, we get rid of inefficient departments and keep good ones with the remaining workers.”

“Haha. You are so good, President Goo. You mostly have the workers make their own decision whether to quit or keep the job with the changes in the company.”

“The problem is with the management people.”

“You are right. We have way too many people in management. So I was thinking of two options.”

“What are they?”

“The previous president—Se-Young Oh—usually embraced his employees even though they made some mistakes and tolerated them. He didn’t fire people because of their mistakes or faults.”

“Hmm.”

“So I looked through their employment files and found some people who forged their resume and other papers in getting a job in this company.”

“Really?”

“Most of them are the previous president’s relatives or someone who has a personal relationship with him, or their children. So, we can ask them to re-submit their papers when we move to a new factory and tell them that we need those for the record, papers like college diploma and identification card. If they can’t provide those papers, then we can let them go.”

“What’s the second option?”

“This company had hired people based on an interview; it didn’t conduct any written test. So, I would require all workers in the management to take a written test on something like computer skills or language.”

“But they are already here and working for the company. We can’t fire them just because they failed a written test.”

“I know it would be difficult. However, their test results will be reflected in their performance evaluation. We can apply the test score in their next promotion or salary raise decision.”

“Hmm. So some of them might feel embarrassed with their test results and decide to quit the job.”

“That’s right. We shouldn’t keep the people who forged their papers, and those who would get really bad test result. It’s better that we hire new people then keep them if necessary.”

“Hmm.”

“Once we move our factory, at least 50 out of 250 workers will leave the company. We can start fresh then.”

The next day, Gun-Ho called for the internal auditor again.

“Spread the word that we will move our factory. So the workers wouldn’t be shocked when they receive the official announcement. They will resist less that way.”

“Yes, sir.”

The internal auditor was thinking about Gun-Ho on the way out of his office.

“He is young, but he could be so brutal.”

Note*

Sinseollo – It is also called the royal hot pot. All sorts of vegetables and meat in a rich broth.

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Chapter 176 - Company Restructuring (4) – PART 1

Chapter 176: Company Restructuring (4) – PART 1

The internal auditor placed the storage building and the dormitory on the market for sale. The products piled up in the storage building were mostly returned products. Gun-Ho threw them all out without a second thought.

The internal auditor came to Gun-Ho’s office and gave a report to him on a new location of their factory.

“A 5,000 pyung large factory came out on the market; it is located in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City. It was at first priced for 7 billion won, and after failing two attempts of sale at the auction, the price dropped to 3.4 billion won. Since the economy is currently not doing well, there are not many bidders at the auction. I looked into the current status of that factory; the building is a bit old but it has high electric power capacity.”

“Okay. Let’s buy the factory at the auction then.”

“What about the funds to buy it with?”

“Sell the storage and the dormitory as soon as you can, so we can use the proceeds to buy the new factory. If we can’t sell them in a short period of time, we will think of something else, then to find the funds to buy that factory with.”

“Understood, sir.”

Fortunately, the dormitory was quickly sold.

The workers from the management and the production department, who were living in the dormitory had to vacate their rooms; however, they received extra pay added to their salary as compensation.

“Find a place to stay on your own. You can rent a OneRoom nearby the company or move in with a relative or anything that works for you.”

Some workers rented a OneRoom with the extra payment they received from the company and some moved into a OneRoomTel by adding their personal funds for the rent. However, there was no worker who would quit the job because of it.

The storage building was sold as well. The offer price was less than its appraised value, but Gun-Ho decided to sell it when there was a buyer who wanted the storage. The storage was sold for 2.4 billion won, and the dormitory was sold for 1.1 billion won. Gun-Ho bought the 5,000 pyung large factory in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City at the auction with the sales proceeds of these two buildings, which was 3.5 billion won in total.

The internal auditor entered Gun-Ho’s office and asked,

“Shall we make a plan to move the factory?”

“No, we will build a new factory there before our moving; that factory building is over 20 years old and we will need a new building. It won’t take much time.”

“Are we building a new factory? But we don’t have money to do it. We spent all of the proceeds we made by selling the storage and the dormitory in buying that factory.”

“We can borrow money.”

“Borrow money? From whom? We have more than enough debt, sir. No bank will lend us money.”

“I will lend the money.”

“Huh? You are lending the money to the company?”

“I will lend the amount of 2 billion won. However, once the main factory and the second factory where the research facility is located are sold, the company will have to pay me back.”

The internal auditor looked at Gun-Ho with his mouth open.

‘How much money does President Gun-Ho Goo have? 2 billion is a substantial amount of money, but he is talking like it was just pocket money.’

In the internal auditor’s eyes, Gun-Ho looked like a mysterious man.

A few days later, Gun-Ho called for the internal auditor again to his office

“How much do you think it would cost to construct a new factory in the new location in Jiksan Town, Cheonan, which we purchased at the auction?”

“That factory is still usable. It would be a shame if we just demolish that factory building.”

“Let’s just make a plan to build a new factory and see what happens.”

“The new factory would be nice but it will cost a lot. I was told that it would cost about 2 million won per pyung to build a decent factory.”

“The land is 5,000 pyung large. Say, the new factory’s ground floor area is 1,000 pyung large and we make it a two-story building, then the gross floor area will be 2,000 pyung. So if the construction cost per pyung is 2 million won, then we will need 4 billion won to build the two-story factory.”

“That’s right. It’s too expensive. A big company might handle the cost, but we can’t.”

“Hmm.”

“2,000 pyung factory is too expensive for us, sir. Why don’t we make a one-story building? We can build another small building later for an office or a research center. We can also buy a shipping container building for an office later.”

Gun-Ho was lost in thought for a moment, without responding to the internal auditor’s suggestion.

“Umm, sir…”

“Yes?”

“To be honest with you…, building a factory is not my area of expertise. My area of expertise is a bank or money related matter. I think we need someone who knows about the construction of a factory.”

“Hmm.”

“I think it’s time to hire a general director. The position has been vacant for too long.”

“Hmm.”

“I once worked on a case as a court officer for a construction company before. That company was eventually sold off in pieces, but I remember that the general director of that company was very good at what he was doing.”

“He must be working in another company by now, right?”

“I am still in contact with him and he sometimes sent me a text message. I don’t think he found a new job yet. He graduated from a good college, but since he is a bit old now, he seems to be having a hard time finding a new job.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho was thinking with his arms closed, and asked the internal auditor,

“How old is he?”

“He is in his mid-50s. He is very competent and talented in his field.”

“Hmm.”

“He actually graduated from Seoul National University majoring in architecture, and he had worked in a big company. He usually worked at a construction field overseas for that company for a long time before he was laid off when the company was acquired by another company. He subsequently encountered a natural turf battle in the newly combined company and couldn’t survive. He also didn’t play the power game right either. So he moved to a small company with a position at an executive level.”

“It was that small company that started the court receivership because they were inundated with debt.”

“That’s right. The company started building a large commercial building and borrowed way too much funds from banks in the process, which they later couldn’t handle when they couldn’t sell enough units. So the company went broke. One little misstep could result in a quick collapse of a construction company.”

“He studied architecture and had worked in the construction field, but that is not really management work experience, right? Do you think he can handle the work of a general director? They are different fields.”

“He worked as a general director in that small construction company. Because the company was so small, he practically took care of almost everything in general.”

“Hmm… Okay, I’d like to meet with him.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And also, I will add an additional 2 billion won to the company account for a new construction project of the factory in Jiksan Town.”

“Huh? Another 2 billion won? Then, 4 billion won in total?”

The internal auditor was astonished by Gun-Ho’s wealth.

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Chapter 177 - Company Restructuring (4) – PART 2

Chapter 177: Company Restructuring (4) – PART 2

The internal auditor asked the sales director to have a tea together after lunch. The sales director seemed to have a lot of questions he wanted to ask the internal auditor.

“I heard our company purchased a factory in Jiksan Town. It must be a really large factory; I heard it is 5,000 pyung large. Are we moving to the new location?”

“I am not so sure, but I think that’s the president’s plan.”

“What about the factory here then?”

“I guess we will have to sell it.”

“We will sell the second factory where the research facility is located as well?”

“That factory is on the market for sale already.”

“So the new factory in Jiksan Town has a research center inside the factory building?”

“No, there is no research center there.”

“Then what are we going to do with the research center?”

“Do you think we absolutely need a research center?”

“Of course. Our company is a manufacturing company. We need a research center to enhance our products and analyze the specific requirements of our customers.”

“There are 30 workers working at the research center right now. Do you have any record to show that the research center has done something so beneficial to the company so we need to keep it?”

“Well… not really…”

“The research center workers are too old. You are also aware of the fact that they haven’t really done anything for the past three years and they have been paid for nothing.”

“But you have to consider the company’s image. Having a research center and no research center makes a big difference when we represent our company to a potential customer.”

“The company is currently spending several hundreds of millions of won to pay those 30 workers every month.”

“That’s a lot of money.”

“The president will make a final decision on whether to keep the research center or not, but I have nothing to justify keeping the research center.”

“Do you think the president is leaning towards getting rid of the research center?”

The internal auditor gave a big nod in responding to the sales director’s question.

“It is very possible. If you were the president, wouldn’t you make the same decision?”

“Hmm.”

The sales director ran to the research center as soon as he parted from the internal auditor.

The chief officer of the research center was taking a nap after his lunch.

“Bro.”

“Oh, hey.”

“You can’t just take a nap here right now. Haven’t you heard about moving to the factory? If they do, we are not sure whether this research center would move along with them or not.”

“Why? Did you hear something?”

“They are talking about the research center’s performance. They say the center hasn’t really done anything recently. Also, there is no research center building in the new location.”

“Hmmm.”

“And the monthly salary for the 30 workers in the research center currently cost the company several hundreds of millions of won.”

“Hmm.”

“They talk about what to do with the research center and you are taking a nap here. What are you going to do?”

“I guess I have worked in the field long enough so I can maybe retire soon. However, I am worried about other workers.”

“You should have worked harder and produced some new products or ideas and get them patented or something. You have been focusing too much on the position title like a senior researcher or managing researcher or whatever. That’s all useless things.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

Once the sales director started talking about the factory’s moving, everyone in the company became aware of the news by two days later. They heard about the possibility of getting rid of the research center as well. The workers in the research center started worrying about their job.

Gun-Ho didn’t pay attention to the things the workers talked about in the factory, and he flew to Japan. He wanted to meet with the Korean restaurant owner in Akasaka—Ji-Yeon Choi.

Ji-Yeon Choi greeted Gun-Ho with a big smile.

“You look good, President Goo.”

“Thank you.”

“I guess Mori Aikko is giving you good energy.”

“You think so? Haha.”

“Let’s go to Daikanyama in Shibuya. Mama-san Segawa Joonkko will be there to meet with us.”

“I haven’t brought any down payment and I also have to consider the foreign exchange law. It’s not like I’m investing in business here or anything like that.”

“Hahaha. Don’t worry about it. I have an idea.”

“What do you suggest?”

“I have some money that I have saved up in my whole life. It’s around 100 Yen (about 1 billion won). It’s about the price of a condo in Daikanyama.”

“Are you saying you can lend me the money?”

“Hahaha. I don’t even lend my money to my family.”

“Then, what are you saying?”

“I want to spend the rest of my life in Korea after I retire. As I am aging, I miss my country a lot.”

“Hmm.”

“So, we can do this. I buy a condo with my money for Mori Aikko, and you, President Goo transfer the corresponding money to my bank account in Korea in Korean Won, not in Japanese Yen.”

“Hmm, I see what you mean.”

“You will have to pay me the currency exchange fee though.”

“Haha, sure, I will pay you.”

“Since the amount of money to exchange is substantial, the fee must be a lot.”

“Haha. Don’t worry about it.”

Gun-Ho went to Daikanyama, Shibuya with the restaurant owner—Ji-Yeon Choi to see a condo for Mori Aikko. The condo complex that Mama-san picked was smaller than the ones in Korea but larger than a townhouse complex in Korea. It was a newly constructed condo; it was clean and luxurious. The surrounding area was cozy like many Japanese towns were.

“I like it. The area seems to be clean and safe too.”

“Mama-san Segawa Joonkko picked the condo. She has really good eyes.”

Gun-Ho entered the condo. It was large and clean. A lot of natural light coming through the window and it made the condo look bright. It had a nice view from the living room as well. It was a vacant space without furniture, and maybe that made the condo look even larger.

“Oh, it is too big for one person living.”

Ji-Yeon Choi seemed to be impressed.

“Oh, did Mori Aikko already see the condo?”

“Not just once, but she already came here twice to see the condo. I heard she was so happy that she jumped around in excitement.”

“Really?”

“Think about it. It is really hard to buy an expensive condo like this one even for a geisha who is so popular and even assuming she would save up all of her earnings in her entire life. It’s like a condo in Gangnam. Most people in Korea can’t buy a condo there even though they work so hard.”

Ji-Yeon Choi’s phone started ringing.

“It’s Mama-san. She is coming up with a real estate agency staff.”

“Umm, I didn’t bring my down payment.”

“You have it here.”

Ji-Yeon Choi was waving her high-end designer handbag that was worth 10 million won.

The agency staff and Mama-san entered the condo.

Gun-Ho almost said Mama-san to call Sagawa Joonkko, then he stopped—because it was really not appropriate to call her Mama-san outside the bar.

“It has been a long time.”

“Good to see you.”

Mama-san extended her hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“We will make a sales contract with Mori Aikko’s name today. I have a power of attorney ready for the transaction with her photo ID.”

Mama-san waved the power of attorney.

The real estate agency staff seemed to be impressed by the beauty of Ji-Yeon Choi and Mama-san, and he said,

“I think I am with the most beautiful two clients here today. The gentleman here seemed to be a very important person as well.”

Gun-Ho looked at Mama-san and Ji-Yeon Choi.

They both were wearing an expensive coat and carrying a fancy designer handbag. They both looked gorgeous and looked like noblewomen.

“You are right. They are so beautiful.”

“Stop it, President Goo.”

The two women laughed while covering their mouths.

They all headed to the real estate sales office and made a contract there.

The condo was purchased under Mori Aikko’s name, and Gun-Ho paid for it with the money that Ji-Yeon Choi lent to him; Gun-Ho wrote a promissory note to her in return.

Mama-san said while holding the sales contract in her arms,

“I guess Mori Aikko is so lucky. She now owns a condo that not many people would have in their lives. She will now be able to focus on her artistic life and polish her talent in art because of his sponsor.”

Gun-Ho and Ji-Yeon Choi were sending Mama-san off outside the real estate sales office.

Mama-san’s black Toyota was waiting for her outside. After she got in the car, she opened the window to say something to Gun-Ho.

“President Goo, you came here all the way from Korea. Why don’t you meet Mori Aikko before leaving for Korea? She will get off at 9 pm today, and I will send her to the New Otani Hotel lobby by 10 pm.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho gave a bow to Mama-san who was sitting in his car.

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Chapter 178 - Company Restructuring (5) – PART 1

Chapter 178: Company Restructuring (5) – PART 1

Gun-Ho met Mori Aikko at the New Otani Hotel.

“Aikko.”

“Daitōryō-san (President).”

Mori Aikko was wearing jeans again. It seemed that she came to the hotel straight from the bar; her face was still covered with a thick layer of makeup. She looked tired. Gun-Ho could smell her sweat. He liked the smell of her sweat; it was sweet and ironically fresh.

“You must be very tired.”

“I’m fine.”

Mori Aikko smiled while flipping her hair.

“Did you have dinner already?”

“Yes, I ate it in Shinjuku.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko sat at a bar inside the hotel and Gun-Ho was having a beer. Mori Aikko kept yawning; she must be very tired.

Gun-Ho took her to his hotel room and said,

“You seemed exhausted. Why don’t you sleep here tonight?”

Mori Aikko smiled slightly and shook her head from side to side. The way she was sitting on a chair looked so adorable and lovely that Gun-Ho abruptly hugged her tight.

“You are tired. Stay here tonight.”

As he tried to convince her to stay with him that night, Gun-Ho pressed his lips against Mori Aikko’s. Gun-Ho could hear her soft breathing.

“I missed you.”

Mori Aikko closed her eyes and she was ready to give Gun-Ho whatever he wanted to her.

“I made a sales contract today for your condo.”

“I heard it from Mama-san. I will never forget what you did for me.”

“I will protect you forever.”

“Thank you.”

Mori Aikko stretched and wrapped her arms around Gun-Ho’s neck.

They had their second night.

As soon as Gun-Ho came back to his office in Asan City, he sent 100 million won to the Korean restaurant owner—Ji-Yeon Choi’s bank account. It was the down payment for Mori Aikko’s condo in Shibuya, Japan.

“I sent you the down payment to your account.”

“Did you already?”

“As to the currency exchange fee, I will give to you when the transaction is complete.”

“Haha. Sounds good. I will give your promissory note back to you the next time you come to Japan.”

“Thank you.”

After the trip to Japan, Gun-Ho felt exhausted. He was dozing off by himself in his office when someone knocked on the door.

“Please come in.”

The internal auditor entered the office.

“The person I talked to you about the other day for the general director position, he is here. Would you like to see him?”

“Okay, please let him in.”

The internal auditor left the office for a moment and came back with a man who looked like he was in his 50s.

“I’m Hyeong-Sik Yoon. A pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“Please have a seat. I’ve heard a lot about you from the internal auditor.”

The internal auditor placed some papers on the table.

“I asked him to bring his resume.”

“Oh, you did?”

Gun-Ho looked through his resume. It was long and fancy. He had extensive work experience in the construction field abroad. The work experience that caught Gun-Ho’s eyes was the experience with his previous company. He worked as a general director there.

“What types of work had you done in your previous position as a general director?”

“I managed various types of work, such as general affairs, legal matters, managing and repairing facilities, managing workers, etc. I took care of everything that was left out by other departments.”

A female worker brought hot tea to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Please have some tea, and let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thank you.”

The man, called Hyeong-Sik Yoon carefully picked up the cup of tea. This man graduated from the top university in Korea—Seoul National University and worked at an executive level in big and mid-sized companies, and he seemed to be nervous with Gun-Ho; he was even breathing very carefully. On the other hand, Gun-Ho seemed relaxed. He was leaning half back in his chair with his legs crossed while having his tea. The 35 years old man who used to work as a factory worker looked so arrogant in front of the 50 something-year-old man who graduated from the top university and who used to be a director in a big company.

Gun-Ho thought of the thing that the fortune teller from Gangnam–Master Park had told him years ago.

“You will be extremely rich before you turn 35 years old and you will rule the world. You will be in a position of hiring the people who graduated from top universities, in a position like the president of a big company.”

Gun-Ho sipped his tea and then said while relaxing his legs.

“I recently acquired this company, so it is not very organized yet. The system is not stable and we are in the process of implementing policies and stuff. We can’t pay you much either.”

“If you give me an opportunity to work here, I will work hard and do my best, sir.”

“Our internal auditor here insisted that we have to have you in our company.”

“Thank you.”

Hyeong-Sik Yoon bowed low to show his appreciation.

“Once you join our company, I want you to take over 5 departments which are general affairs, facility management, treasury, management, and legal. Your position title will be a general director.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You will have tons of opportunities to promote with our company.”

“Thank you.”

“Okay. Then, why don’t you, Mr. Internal Auditor introduce our new general director to other managers and directors?”

“Yes, sir.”

The internal auditor smiled and held the General Director’s arms and walked out of Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho received a call from the bank branch manager from the Gangnam branch.

“We just received the decision from our head office. We will move all of your loans to our bank, specifically to our Gangnam branch. You will see a dramatic reduction in your monthly loan interest starting next month.”

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

“We usually don’t take this much loan for one company. Our branch will have to make a report about any changes in your company to our head office on a regular basis, so you will have to send us your company’s quarterly financial reports.”

“Understood. We will do that.”

“Also, the head office will send someone to your company to verify a few things. You will have to be smart in answering any questions that they will ask you.”

“Okay.”

“We left out the loan from Korea Credit Guarantee Fund though. If we take over that loan, the loan we are currently giving you will exceed the appraised value of your company’s real estate assets.”

“Hmm.”

“I understand that you want to get rid of that loan because there was joint surety involved. But you will have to find another way to take care of it.”

“Okay.”

“Also, since you sold the storage building and the dormitory, we used the new factory in Jiksan Town, Cheonan that you recently purchased as collateral. Please verify the real estate registration of that factory.”

“I see.”

“Also, if you could give me a chance to have a round of golf with you in Asan City or Cheonan, I will be there.”

“Haha, sure.”

Gun-Ho called for the internal auditor.

“I just received a call from the bank in Gangnam. The loan with them is approved. So our entire loan is now with that bank.”

“Really? Congratulations, sir.”

The internal auditor smiled broadly.

“Starting next month, our monthly loan interest will be much less than before. So we can expect to have ordinary income, even though it won’t be much.”

“Well, at least we won’t lose money. You did a really good job in this matter, Mr. Internal Auditor.”

“Thank you so much, sir. I guess it was teamwork—you and me.”

“Today is a good day; we received good news and we have a new general director. Why don’t we have lunch together with all directors?”

“Yes, sir. I will let them all know.”

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Chapter 179 - Company Restructuring (5) – PART 2

Chapter 179: Company Restructuring (5) – PART 2

GH Mobile had 5 directors. They all got together and went to a Korean Galbi* restaurant in downtown, Asan City.

Gun-Ho, the chief officer of the research center, internal auditor, plant manager, sales director, and the new general director sat at the restaurant and had Galbi. They were all in their 50s or 60s except Gun-Ho.

“Why don’t we have soju?”

“It will turn our faces red.”

“We can stop by the Asan Bay area and get some fresh air after lunch before going back to work. That will sober us up.”

“Since our president allowed it, let’s have a drink.”

The sales director showed the highest alcohol tolerance among the party. Having a drink was actually part of his job in selling the products to potential customers. He also had excellent conversational skills. On the other hand, the two executives in their 60s—the chief officer of the research center and the plant manager didn’t seem to enjoy the meeting. The research center’s chief officer eventually asked Gun-Ho after finishing a glass of soju.

“I have a question I’d like to ask President Goo.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“There was a rumor that once we move to a new location, the research center will be closed. Is that true?”

“We don’t have a specific plan like that; however, we will consider the possibility.”

“I suggest you reconsider your decision on dissolving the research center.”

“Can you show that the research center is producing any beneficial outcome for the company, so it is absolutely worth keeping the center?”

“That’s… umm…”

“Well, nothing hasn’t been decided yet. We will have to review all the possibilities. Let’s continue to enjoy our drink for now. Haha.”

“I know I can’t just ask you to keep the research center without showing anything. However, even though you decide to dissolve the center after your review, I’d like you to take care of the workers there.”

“What do you suggest in ‘taking care of them?’”

“I can retire since I almost reached the age, but there are many young workers in the research center, who still need to support their family.”

“Hmm.”

“I believe they deserve the second change by being reallocated to other new departments instead of just being laid off. It would be fair that way.”

“Hmm. I do admire your care towards the workers, Mr. Chief Officer. I understood your concern. Even though the decision is not made favorably towards the research center, I will not just lay the workers off.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The chief officer of the research center seemed to feel a sense of relief.

“Why don’t you have more Galbi, Mr. Plant Manager? How’re your teeth?”

“I still do have good teeth.”

The sales director made a joke.

“Big brother, if you still have good teeth, then you should be good down there too.”

Everyone at the table laughed.

The plant manager handed an empty glass to Gun-Ho, and said,

“I guess I won’t be able to assist you for more than a couple of months, sir. I really wanted to stay here and worked for you for a long time; however, I am getting old and it’s my time to retire soon.”

“You are already reaching the age of retirement?”

“Yes. I will be with the company until the month after next month. It’s already time to retire.”

“Hmm.”

The sales director tried to make the plant manager feel better by saying,

“Brother, be cheerful. Life after retirement is a new real life. Your new life starts soon.”

“Have you thought about what you want to do after retirement?”

“No, nothing. I guess I will have to stay with my wife all day long.”

“Hmm.”

The plant manager looked like he was withering. Gun-Ho felt bad about it; however, that didn’t mean he wanted to let him stay in the company for additional years. Gun-Ho couldn’t put his company at risk by holding old workers who no longer could efficiently perform their duties.

Gun-Ho said slowly with his arms crossed.

“What if we do this?”

“What, sir?”

“After you retire, you can go to the factory in China and work there for one more year like a temporary work.”

“To China?”

“Our newly acquired factory in China doesn’t have enough skilled workers yet. Why don’t you stay there for about a year and give them technical advice and also educate the workers there?”

“That sounds great. Thank you.”

The plant manager’s face became brightened.

Min-Hyeok called Gun-Ho to let him know that the factory in China received the certifications for both their quality management system and environmental management system.

“Our factory in China received ISO 90001 and ISO 14000.”

“Aren’t they the certifications for the quality management system and environmental management system?”

“That’s right. We just have them certified.”

“It must have cost money to get them certified, and also we need to maintain the system at a certain level and that will cost money too, right?”

“I’ve been trying to earn more business with local automobile manufacturing companies. They told me that in order to register as their vendors, we need to receive ISO 90001 and ISO 14000. That’s why I applied and have them certified.”

“Haha. You are the expert in that field. You used to work at a quality assurance department in a company in Korea. That work experience came in handy.”

“However, there is something troubling.”

“What is it?”

“The Chinese workers here, they handle the machines so carelessly. That really upsets me.”

“How serious is it?”

“They are producing so many defective products, and the machines got broken down way too often.”

“Hmmm, that is troubling.”

“It drives me crazy.”

“You know what? Our factory manager here will retire soon. So I was thinking that maybe he could work at the factory in China for a year or so temporarily.”

“The plant manager?”

“He has been with the machines in his entire life. He will be very helpful there in managing the factory and also managing the workers there. He can educate the factory workers.”

“That sounds really great. Please send him here as soon as you can.”

“Okay. I will send him there as soon as he retires.”

“I will talk to you again later, once I make a contract with local companies.”

“Sounds good. Keep up the good work, Min-Hyeok.”

Gun-Ho called for the new general director—Director Yoon.

“We have a new factory in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City, which we recently purchased at the auction. Have you visited there?”

“I’ve heard of it, but I haven’t had a chance to visit the factory.”

“Why don’t you go there with me today?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho headed to Jiksan Town, Cheonan City with Director Yoon.

An old security guard of the factory ran towards Gun-Ho to greet him when he saw Gun-Ho came to the factory. He had been guarding the empty factory.

“Sir.”

“How are you? Would you open the factory for us please?”

The security guard unlocked the factory door so Gun-Ho’s car could enter the factory yard.

“Wow. It is huge.”

“It’s about 5,000 pyung large. There are weeds growing here already. Hmm.”

“The location is excellent. It’s on the main road.”

“That’s why I grabbed this factory when I saw it.”

“It must cost you a fortune to buy this.”

Director Yoon looked around the factory thoroughly.

“The overhead crane is getting rusty. That’s a shame.”

“I want to build a new factory here, about 2,000 pyung large factory.”

“Did you say 2,000 pyung? Wow. That will cost you a lot.”

“According to the internal auditor, I will have to expect the construction costs of about 2 million won per pyung.”

“Hmm, that’s about right.”

“You, Director Yoon has extensive experience in building a factory, right? You used to work in a construction company.”

“That’s right.”

“Can you take over the work here to oversee the construction of our new factory?”

“Oh, me?”

“We will have to demolish the existing factory first. You can find a subcontractor to do the work.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, you will need to find a construction design company.”

“I know many people in that field.”

“I want a highly advanced factory that can effectively manage dust, temperature, and humidity.”

Note *

Galbi — Korean grilled beef ribs.

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Chapter 180 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (1) – PART 1

Chapter 180: State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (1) – PART 1

As Gun-Ho instructed, Director Yoon started demolishing the existing factory in Jiksan Town.

One day, Gun-Ho came to the factory to see the progress of his new factory. When Gun-Ho arrived at the factory, Director Yoon quickly came out of the container office to greet Gun-Ho.

“You shouldn’t come here, sir. During the demolition, it’s not safe for you to be here, not to mention the dust it creates.”

Despite Director Yoon’s warning, Gun-Ho wanted to see the construction field, and he went there again a few days later.

“Huh? The factory is gone.”

There was nothing on the land.

“The design drawing for the new factory is complete. The factory is divided into three sections. Two of them will be used for production. It will have a high ceiling over 5 meters high”

“Hmm.”

“The management will be located on the second floor, and the company cafeteria will be on the first floor underneath the management office.”

“Hmm.”

“There will be a pine tree planted in front of the management office as part of the landscaping. A power transformer will be located above the management office. A waste disposal site will be placed behind the production department.”

“Hmm.”

“We also made a pond outside the back door. We will landscape that area with natural stones and water plants.”

“Why are we putting the pond outside the back door? We should place it in front of the management department so we all can enjoy the pond view, shouldn’t we?”

“Haha. The pond is placed there for the purpose of water quality certification.”

“We need to get a certification?”

“We will let our industrial wastewater flow into the pond. Since we will have fish in the pond, it will show that our wastewater is treated to the level safe enough for fish to live in.”

“Hmm.”

“If you approve the plan, please sign on the first page of the design drawing. I will then have the construction get started right away.”

Gun-Ho signed on the paper vigorously in front of several people.

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“Gun-Ho, how are you? I know you are very busy running your business. I just wanted to let you know that next Saturday is our father’s 70th birthday. I know I am not a good cook, but I want to invite some relatives to our house and have a birthday party for our father.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t realize his 70th birthday is coming this quick. Thank you, sister, for letting me know and for taking care of it.”

“So come home to Incheon City on Saturday, okay? I don’t even remember your face anymore.”

“Of course. I don’t go to work on Saturday anyway. I will be there. I guess I can pay for our parents’ travel expenses so they can go on a trip to celebrate father’s 70th birthday.”

“That sounds great.”

Gun-Ho gave a call to his office in Seoul—GH Development. Ms. Ji-Young Jeong picked up the phone.

“Oh, sir!”

“How have you been?”

“It’s going well here… Since Manager Kang posted our advertisements on blogs about our OneRoomTels, the vacancy rate has reduced a lot.”

“Really? Haha.”

“When are you coming back to Seoul, sir? We miss you.”

“I am actually calling today to ask you to do something for me. My parents will go on a trip to Europe; my father will turn 70 in a few days. So can you find a cruise travel package for my parents to Europe? They can depart two weeks after next Saturday.”

“Yes, sir. I will find a good one to Europe in that time frame.”

Since Manager Kang and Ms. Ji-Young Jeong didn’t have much work at the office, whenever Gun-Ho asked them to do something, they got so excited. Just a moment later after getting off the phone with Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, she called Gun-Ho.

“I talked to a travel agency.”

Ji-Young gave the departure date and price to Gun-Ho for the cruise travel to Europe.

“Looks good. Please get two tickets for that trip. We have enough money in our company account to pay for the tickets, right?”

“Yes, all the rents from OneRoomTels are accumulating in our business bank account.”

“Once you get the tickets, please mail it to me at Asan City by express mail.”

“Yes, sir.”

There was a meeting held by the city at Onyang Hotel. It was for the business owners and presidents.

“If you are building a cleanroom for your factory, Small and Medium Enterprise Support Center will provide a support fund. Also, for those of you who are trying to get an international certification for advanced technology or get a patent, our city has a support program.”

Gun-Ho was listening to the presentation of a staff from the city while dozing off. He, then, received a call from an unknown number. He didn’t answer the phone because it probably would be a spam call.

When he was on his way to the bathroom during his break time, he received a call again.

“The caller is calling from a cell phone. Who is this?”

He answered the phone this time,

“Hello?”

The caller took a moment before beginning to talk. He sounded gloomy and depressed.

“Gun-Ho? It’s me, Jae-Sik Moon.”

He was that guy who swindled 100,000 won out of Gun-Ho. He deceived Gun-Ho that he needed that money to make a high school alumni directory book. Gun-Ho didn’t ask him about it.

“Oh, Jae-Sik Moon? What’s up?”

“I’m sorry, Gun-Ho. I shouldn’t have done that to you.”

“What are you talking about?”

Jae-Sik let out a deep sigh before he continued to talk,

“I know our classmates from high school must have been talking about me by now.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“I couldn’t make the alumni directory book I told you about the other day. I was actually going to make it, but I couldn’t because of my situation. I hope you understand.”

“Really? If you say so, then okay.”

Jae-Sik Moon let out another deep sigh.

“What’s wrong with you? You used to be really talented when we were in high school. You were the best in the literature club in high school.”

“As a matter of fact, I am a person with a bad credit score, and I can’t find a job. So, I was wondering if you have any residential manager position available in one of your OneRoomTels. I’ve heard that you have several of them.”

“A residential manager position?”

“Yes. I just need a place to stay. I know I shouldn’t ask you for another favor after the alumni directory book incident. I heard you are doing very well among our high school friends. I am just so desperate right now, so I am calling you to ask if you could help me. I’ve been thinking a lot and hesitated to call you…”

“Are you studying for the government exam right now?”

“No, I don’t. I just have no place to go.”

Gun-Ho could hear Jae-Sik sobbing over the phone. Gun-Ho had mixed feelings.

“I heard you worked in a delivery company.”

“Right. I used to work there before I get fired because I made some mistakes there. And then, I started selling stuff and eventually went broke. I got divorced as well.”

Jae-Sik seemed to become emotional as he was telling his life story, and he sounded like he would start crying anytime soon.

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Chapter 181 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (1) – PART 2

Chapter 181: State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (1) – PART 2

“Are your parents still in Incheon City?”

“Yes, they are. My father became a person with a bad credit score as well. He hadn’t done well with his work either.”

“Hmm.”

When Gun-Ho was thinking for a moment, Jae-Sik started talking again.

“I’m sorry, Gun-Ho. I understand you can’t really say anything to me. I guess I asked you too much. All my other friends I called earlier, they just hung up on me as soon as they heard my voice. But you listened to me. I appreciate that. Thank you. I will let you go then.”

Jae-Sik was about to hang up the phone when Gun-Ho quickly said,

“Hold on!”

Gun-Ho didn’t let Jae-Sik hang up the phone.

“Come down to Asan City… I mean, to Jiksan Town, in Cheonan City.”

“Jiksan Town?”

“Yeah, Jiksan Town in Cheonan City.”

“Whew. I don’t even have money for bus fare. Why do you want me there?”

“Take a subway to Jiksan Town. You might find a place to work there.”

“Nah, I don’t think so. Since I have a bad credit score, no one would hire me. Even though someone hires me, my salary will be seized.”

“Just trust me on this, okay? Come to Jiksan Town.”

“You have something like OneRoomTel there?”

“Just come, okay? I will see you at the Jiksan station at noon tomorrow.”

“Okay… Thank you.”

The next morning, when he arrived at his office, Gun-Ho called for the accounting manager.

“If a person with a bad score got a job, will all of his salary be seized?”

“Not exactly. They will seize his wage after subtracting his basic living expenses.”

“How much would the basic living expenses?”

“It would be probably 1 million won or 1.2 million won. I don’t have the exact figures. It should be around that amount.”

“So, if a person with a bad credit score is being paid 2 million won per month, and if that person’s basic living expenses are 1.2 million won, then 800,000 won will be seized.”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm.”

“We used to have a lady worker here in the production department, whose salary is being seized.”

“Really?”

“She at first asked us to pay the salary with her mother’s name to her mother’s bank. However, we didn’t do it. That is illegal.”

“Hmm.”

“That worker eventually quit the job.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Gun-Ho did a cursory review of the report in the morning before he headed to Jiksan Town. When he entered into the construction site of his factory in Jiksan Town, Director Yoon who was wearing a safety helmet and boots ran to Gun-Ho.

“Sir.”

“They dug up deep.”

“Yes, they are going to put reinforcement steel there.”

“Are those workers over there on a salary?”

“Some of them are paid on a salary, but many of them are paid daily by the subcontracting company.”

“Hmm.”

“Do you have something you want to tell me, sir?”

“No, never mind.”

Gun-Ho met Jae-Sik Moon at the Jiksan Station.

Gun-Ho almost couldn’t recognize Jae-Sik and so did Jae-Sik.

Jae-Sik looked shabby and old; he looked like he was in his 40s. Moreover, he probably lost some weight; he looked small.

Jae-Sik couldn’t recognize Gun-Ho at a glance. In his memory, Gun-Ho was a poor and shy kid from a poor family. He couldn’t belong to any group in high school. However, Gun-Ho now looked totally different. He looked confident and did indeed look like a president of some company.

“It has been a really long time, Gun-Ho. I almost couldn’t recognize you.”

Jae-Sik smiled but he looked sad.

“So do I. You changed a lot, Jae-Sik.”

“How’s your business with OneRoomTels?”

“It’s going well. Jae-Sik, are you interested in working at a factory?”

“A factory? No one would hire me, and all of my salary will be seized.”

“I actually have a factory, so I can give you a position. Also, I think I can do something about your salary seizure problem.”

“Really?”

Jae-Sik seemed to be very interested now.

Gun-Ho took Jae-Sik in his car and went to an ox bone soup restaurant in Jiksan Town, close to Dong Seoul University.

“Let’s have lunch first before we go to the factory.”

Jae-Sik seemed to enjoy the ox bone soup a lot.

“Can I order one more bowl of cooked rice?”

“Of course. Eat as much as you want. I just need one bowl of cooked rice.”

Gun-Ho looked closely at Jae-Sik who was having the ox bone soup. His jacket and shoes were old and shabby. Gun-Ho could see Jae-Sik’s harsh life through his appearance.

‘I can’t believe this is that Jae-Sik Moon who was so talented and passionately participated in the literature club in high school. He was the best student in that club.’

After lunch, Gun-Ho headed to Asan City with Jae-Sik.

Jae-Sik didn’t say anything on the way, and Gun-Ho also didn’t say anything because he couldn’t think of anything to talk about. Gun-Ho was thinking about what he should do with Jae-Sik; he could be troubling.

When they arrived at Gun-Ho’s factory in Asan City, Jae-Sik was shocked. There were so many people working there with so many heavy equipments. He looked around the factory with his mouth open. Gun-Ho didn’t take Jae-Sik to his office, but instead, he took him to a small meeting room. He then asked for the production manager—Jong-Suk Park.

“Jong-Suk, do you remember Jae-Sik Moon? He used to live in a house with a blue-colored front door. This is him.”

“Well, I think I saw him once, but I don’t remember much about him.”

Jong-Suk couldn’t really remember Jae-Sik. Jong-Suk used to hang out with outgoing people like Suk-Ho Lee who was now running a bar in Gyeongridan Street. Jae-Sik used to spend a lot of time at home.

“Are you the son of the restaurant owner in Bupyeong District?”

Jae-Sik seemed to remember Jong-Suk.

Gun-Ho asked Jong-Suk,

“Is there any position that Jae-Sik could work in the production department?”

“There are plenty of positions available, but the question is whether this bro can handle the work.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager.

“This is someone I know well, and he wants to work at our factory. Do you know any good position he could take?”

The general affairs manager asked Jae-Sik,

“Do you have any particular skills certificate?”

“No, I don’t.”

“You do have a driver’s license, right?”

“It’s suspended after I got involved in a car accident.”

The general affairs manager suggested Gun-Ho,

“We have one open position for a security guard for the night shift. I think he can handle that work.”

“Okay. Why don’t you give him a list of papers he needs to prepare? Jong-Suk, find a place to stay for Jae-Sik. A OneRoomTel is good as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

The general affairs manager and Jong-Suk answered at once.

Jae-Sik seemed to feel better when he heard Gun-Ho asking Jong-Suk to find a place to stay for him.

Jae-Sik walked out of the meeting room with the general affairs manager.

Once Gun-Ho sent Jae-Sik to the general affairs manager’s office, he came back to his office.

There was a missed call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim&Jeong Law Office on his cell phone.

Gun-Ho made a call to Attorney Kim.

“I’m sorry that I missed your call.”

“You must be very busy, huh?”

“I’m good now. What’s up?”

“I just received a call from Amiel in Tokyo.”

“Really?”

“He was asking if you already develop the new product—AM083. He said you showed him the product drawing last time.”

“How can we develop the product already? Dyeon didn’t even give us an opportunity to make a sample product.”

“Amiel said he has someone he wanted to recommend you meet with in order to resolve that problem.”

“Recommending someone? Who is it?”

“He is a Japanese engineer who used to work for Dyeon in the U.S. He is now retired. He used to be the best engineer in Dyeon.”

“Oh, really?”

“Amiel was asking if you want to get some advice from that engineer.”

“Of course. I really need any help now.”

“Okay, then. I will let Amiel know that you want that engineer.”

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Chapter 182 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (2) – PART 1

Chapter 182: State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho received a fax from Dyeon Japan.

It was about the Japanese engineer who Amiel was recommending, and also about his consultation price.

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is a Japanese engineer who had worked for Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle, USA for thirty years. He is one of the best experts in the urethane-related compound field in the world.”

Gun-Ho leaned back in his chair in his office and read the fax that was sent by Dyeon Japan.

“He must be very good at his work with his extensive 30 years of work experience in this field. However, it’s sort of expensive to invite him for consultation.”

Gun-Ho read the fax further about the consultation fee.

“He will provide the consultation service for one month at 5,000 dollars. You will have to bear the travel expenses for him as well, such as the hotel, a flight ticket, food, rental car, etc.”

There was one more requirement.

“You will provide Mr. Sakata Ikuzo an extruding machine for his use at least three hours per day. The raw materials for tests will be provided at your expense.”

After reading the fax, Gun-Ho called for a meeting.

All of the five directors of GH Mobile attended the meeting: the internal auditor, the chief officer of the research center, the plant manager, the sales director, and Director Yoon who was in Jiksan to oversee the new factory construction. Gun-Ho placed the fax on the table and started explaining the situation calmly.

“As you all remember, the vice president of S Company promised us last time when he visited us that if we could develop the new product—AM083—assembly according to their product drawing, they will buy the product from us. S Company is one of the biggest companies in Korea. Once we start manufacturing this product and selling them, our sales revenue will increase by 15% to 20%.”

The plant manager chipped in.

“Of course it would be great if we are able to develop that product. However, we are not capable of developing that product. Well, I would say, with the current technology, any company in Korea wouldn’t be able to develop it yet. Don’t you think, Mr. Research Chief Officer?”

The chief officer of the research center responded.

“That… that’s true.”

The sales director was with Gun-Ho.

“If we could develop that product, it’s not just going to be about increasing our sales revenue by 15% or 20% anymore. We will prove our technology and our ability to develop that sort of products to the field. It would make it a lot easier for me to sell our products.”

The plant manager opposed the sales director.

“Don’t you think we don’t know that? The problem is we are not capable of making it.”

“You didn’t even try it yet.”

The two men raised their voices.

The internal auditor was quiet since he didn’t know much about the production field. The new general director—Director Yoon—also didn’t even try to chip in because the product development or manufacturing was not his area of expertise; he would have had a lot to say about it if it was about construction.

This time, the chief officer of the research center attacked the sales director—Director Kim.

“Hey, Director Kim. You can’t just develop a product overnight just because you want it.”

When Director Kim was about to fly into a rage and argue, Gun-Ho stepped in.

“I understand what you all meant. That’s why I was thinking of inviting an engineer from Lymondell Dyeon to our factory. He is coming from Seattle in the U.S.”

“An engineer from Lymondell Dyeon?”

“He is not an American, but he is Japanese. I was told that he is one of the best engineers in the chemical compound field. I think we can have him here for a month. My friend, Amiel—the president of Dyeon Japan—recommended him.”

“It will probably cost a lot.”

“The consultation fee for a month is 5,000 dollars. Since he is a retired engineer, his fee is not that expensive anymore.”

“Don’t we have to pay for his flight and hotel?”

“Right. Since we are developing a new product, I think we can bear some cost at this stage.”

“Once a new product is developed, who will take ownership of that product?”

“I haven’t discussed that part with them yet; however, the AM083 assembly is specifically designed for S Company’s products so it won’t sell to other companies. Therefore, we are more likely to own the product.”

The sales director said to the chief officer of the research center.

“I guess you can provide consultation service to other companies too, once you retire. Maybe you can make 5,000 dollars per month by doing that.”

The chief officer of the research center didn’t say anything back to the sales director, but he certainly looked pretty uncomfortable.

The chief officer of the research center then said,

“If that Japanese engineer comes here and runs some tests, we will have to provide him an extruding machine. If so, it will put our production temporarily on hold.”

“That’s right.”

The plant manager confirmed the chief officer’s concern.

The new general director—Director Yoon—carefully chipped in.

“Is it possible that we manufacture our products during the day, and do the tests at night?”

The plant manager seemed to get upset.

“Do you know what you are talking about? We turn off the extruding machine at the end of the day, and if we have to turn it on again, we will have to warm it up first, and there has to be someone who can assist in handling the machine. Who’s going to stay at night to do that? Are you going to do it yourself?”

Gun-Ho said while releasing his arms from a crossing position.

“I’ve heard well from all of your opinions. We can talk further in detail about how we handle the use of the extruding machine after the consultant arrives. For today, let’s focus on the issue of whether we want to invite the Japanese engineer or not.”

“That should be decided by you, President Goo.”

“We will follow whatever decision you make, sir.”

“Okay, then.”

Gun-Ho was having a cup of coffee after the meeting when he received a call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“Amiel told me that he sent you a fax. Did you receive it?”

“Yes, I received it, and I just had a meeting with my directors about it.”

“Really? So are you going to invite that engineer for a consultation?”

“Yes, we will.”

“Oh, you will? Then I will ask him to send you another fax of the consultation contract. You don’t have to worry about the engineer. Amiel told me that he is the best. That engineer’s brother is a professor of engineering at Tokyo University. He even received a Nobel Prize in physics. I guess the two brothers are very smart.”

“Really?”

“Amiel said you will need an interpreter though, either Japanese or English. The engineer can speak English, but since he is a native Japanese speaker, you’d better find an interpreter who can speak Japanese.”

“I see. I will find someone who can speak Japanese then.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs director.

“We will soon receive another fax from Dyeon Japan for the consultation contract. Once it arrives, seal the contract with our company stamp and send it back to them.”

“Yes, sir. I will bring it to you so you can review it before I send it back to them.”

“Also, find someone who can speak Japanese on WorkNet. We will need an interpreter for the Japanese engineer. We might need the interpreter at night, so find a male interpreter.”

“How much do we want to pay him? And for how long do we need him?”

“Umm… let’s have him for a month and tell him that we will pay him 3 million won.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 183 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (2) – PART 2

Chapter 183: State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (2) – PART 2

Gun-Ho called for Jong-Suk.

“I found a room for Jae-Sik bro to stay into, sir.”

“Don’t sir me, dude. Stop playing when we are alone, okay?”

“But, sir. We are at work.”

“I told you not to do that when we are alone.”

“Someone might hear us talking…”

“Did you get him a room instead of a OneRoomTel?”

“The area is filled with factories, so it’s hard to find a OneRoomTel in this area. There was someone who built a house like a OneRoomTel though and rent an individual room. The room is a bit smaller than a OneRoomTel, but it has all the necessary basic things in the room. The rent is 200,000 won per month. So we decided to rent it.”

“Did Jae-Sik like it?”

“Yes, he likes it a lot. He wanted to say sorry to you.”

“Really? Okay.”

“It’s close to the factory; he can even walk to work. He can have his meals at the company cafeteria, so he won’t have to spend much on his living expenses.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“Well, I’d better go now. We shouldn’t talk alone like this too often. People might not like it. You are the president, and I am just a manager.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, we should be careful. There are 250 people working here. I already heard something from the head of the labor union.”

“What did he say?”

“I shouldn’t tell that to the president.”

Jong-Suk bowed to Gun-Ho before he left the office.

Gun-Ho came out of the factory yard to get some fresh air. The workers in uniform who were passing by bowed to Gun-Ho when they saw him. The plant manager and Director Yoon were talking at the corner of the yard.

“Director Yoon, you haven’t left the Jiksan construction field yet?”

“I was discussing the power transformer installation with the plant manager. I’m leaving now.”

“I will go with you.”

“Would you like me to take my car?”

“No, I will drive.”

Gun-Ho and Director Yoon arrived at the construction site in Jiksan Town.

The workers in the construction field gave a bow to Gun-Ho. They sounded a bit different.

“Are there many Chinese people among the workers here?”

“The construction field is already dominated by Korean-Chinese. Many team leaders are Korean-Chinese as well.”

“Are there no Koreans then?”

“The subcontracting company prefers young Chinese workers in their 30s or 40s rather than 60 years old Korean workers.”

“What about Korean workers in their 30s and 40s?”

“The young Korean workers in their 30s and 40s don’t work in the construction field. Most Koreans in the field are in their 60s or late 50s. The work is not always available for them either.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Gun-Ho thought that the men in their late 50s and 60s in Korea were having a hard time supporting their family.

Gun-Ho looked at the ground that was excavated.

“The concrete work is drying out. The reinforcement steel looks sturdy. What is that thing covered by a wood board?”

“It’s mould. Once the concrete has dried out completely, they will be removed.”

“Then they will construct a building on top of it?”

“That’s right. It won’t take much time to construct a building since we don’t stack up bricks to build a wall, but we will use a pre-fabricated piece for the wall; we just assemble them.”

“The president of the construction company wants to meet you to thank you, sir.”

“He must be very busy. He doesn’t have to come to see me. I just want him to build a strong factory for us.”

“I will let him know.”

When Gun-Ho drove out of the construction field, it was almost time to go home. So he didn’t go back to the office, but instead, he went to a condo close to the KTX train station. He was staying there while he was in Asan City.

After having dinner in a restaurant in the vicinity of the area, he came back home and played a computer game. When it was around 8 pm, he felt a bit hungry. He was thinking of going to a pub in front of the train station when Jae-Sik crossed his mind.

“He must be working as a security guard right now. I think I haven’t really talked to him much. Maybe I should go to him now and see how he is doing with his new job.”

Gun-Ho stopped by a convenience store to buy some beers and snacks such as dried squid and peanuts before heading to the factory where Jae-Sik was working at.

It was dark at the factory. The lights were all off except the security guard office and one small part of the factory where a few people were still working for the night work. Jae-Sik was sitting at the desk in the security office, and he was writing down something. He was wearing a uniform with a corresponding hat.

“Jae-Sik Moon!”

“Huh? President Goo? What are you doing here?”

Jae-Sik quickly stood up.

“Hey, how’s work?”

“It’s good. Thank you for the room too. It’s a really nice room.”

“I brought some beers and snacks to have a drink with you.”

“I can’t. I am on duty now.”

“It’s okay to drink with me; I am the president, remember? We won’t have a lot of chances to drink like this.”

“Then let’s drink after the night shift workers go home. They will all leave work after about 20 minutes.”

“And then you will be left here alone?”

“Yes. I work by myself after that hour.”

“Aren’t you scared of being alone out here?”

“Nah. I have all sorts of things I can use to protect myself. I have a flashlight, a stick, and a whistle. I have an emergency phone number to police as well.”

“You haven’t done this kind of work before, right? It must be hard for you.”

“It’s fine. I don’t do much here. I just sit here most of the time and make patrols sometimes. That is good exercise.”

While they were talking to each other, the light of the factory started being turned off.

“I guess the night shift workers are going home.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

The night shift workers were passing the gate to go home, and they were surprised when they saw Gun-Ho in the security office.

“Sir?”

“I appreciate you all for your hard work.”

They all gave a bow to Gun-Ho before heading to the parking lot.

“Okay, let’s have a drink.”

“I shouldn’t drink while on duty…”

“It’s okay. I just brought two cans of beer. One can of beer won’t make you drunk. You should be fine.”

“But still…”

“A long time ago, there was a meeting called ‘Can Meeting’ at the SK Group.”

“What is it?”

“It was a meeting with colleagues. They sometimes got together with a can of beer and had a talk. With some alcohol, they tend to feel comfortable to talk about anything. The meeting started in order to have better communication, so they could get along better.”

“Hmm.”

“We don’t have any problems between you and me. I just wanted to talk to you. So I brought some beer.”

Jae-Sik felt emotional about Gun-Ho’s care and thoughtfulness. Gun-Ho was driven and had good judgment, but he also tended to make other people feel comfortable.

“You must be very busy running this big company. You don’t have to care about a security guard like me.”

“That’s not true. Being a president or a security guard is just a job title and the work you do.”

Gun-Ho opened his beer can; it was foaming over with a sound.

“Let’s drink.”

Jae-Sik looked at Gun-Ho’s face while drinking his beer.

“I feel like it is so mysterious that… how you could make that much money in a short period of time and acquire a company this big, and also purchase several OneRoomTels in Seoul.”

“I was just lucky.”

“Even I factor in the luck, I still don’t understand. You are just incredible.”

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Chapter 184 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (3) – PART 1

Chapter 184: State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho was having a beer with Jae-Sik at the security office in his company. It was all dark outside.

“You used to be very active in the literature club when we were in high school, and if I remember correctly, you also participated in making our school newspapers.”

“Yeah, I did. After graduating from high school, I went to college in Seoul and majored in creative writing. It was not one of the top universities, but I had a good life at that time because I could do what I enjoy doing.”

“That’s right. I think I heard that you studied creative writing.”

“I even won the annual spring literature contest after graduating from college, which was held by a newspaper company in a province. At that time I felt like I could rule the world. I wanted to get a job in a newspaper company, but I found a job at a publishing company instead.”

“So you got a job where you can use what you learned in college and that was also what you liked to do with your life.”

“As you know, a publisher is different from a factory like here. It was a small publisher with only three or four employees and it wasn’t doing very well.”

“Hmm.”

“However, that publisher was publishing a few bestseller books at that time, so they could pay me even though it was not much. I met my ex-wife there too.”

Jae-Sik’s voice started shaking when he talked about his wife.

“Have some more beer.”

“Sure.”

Jae-Sik sipped his can of beer before he continued to talk.

“Did your wife work at the same publisher?”

“My wife was a poet. In order to make our livings, we both worked at the publisher as a freelancer doing proofreading and editing.”

“Hmm.”

“So we hit it off when we met. I was a chief editor at the publisher at that time. Unfortunately, the company could no longer find a good book that would generate enough revenue. Any subsequent books we published were sold less than 500 books at a maximum.”

“Does it cost a substantial amount of money to publish a book?”

“Our company usually published foreign books. So it cost more than 10 million won to do the translation, editing, design and printing work.”

“Wow, it does cost a lot.”

“That company eventually had to close its business. I couldn’t find a job in the field afterward because the publishing industry wasn’t doing well at that time. So I made a living by doing editing. However, I don’t know what happened to me; I guess I had to stay in the field doing editing even though I wasn’t making much. But, instead, I opened a deep-fried chicken restaurant with a loan.”

“Hmm.”

“I put about 100 million won in that restaurant business including its premium. However, the restaurant strangely suffered from the beginning. Moreover, my wife became testy because of the customers who were rude and loud, and sometimes they harassed my wife, those low-lives.”

“Hmm.”

“She would have been able to take some stress that arose from the business if we were making good money. However, the business was suffering, and we were pressured by the creditors to repay the loan, on top of those abusive customers. My wife couldn’t take it anymore. You know people who write like a poem, they are more sensitive than average people.”

“Did your wife invest her money in the restaurant too?”

“She did. She took out the money from her credit cards here and there and invested 20 million won in the business. I also used my credit cards in addition to loan from a bank and put about 40 million won in the business.”

“So, you started the business with your own cash of 30 million won.”

“I had a severance pay of 5 million won that I received from the publishing company’s president. He literally cried when he gave it to me. And I borrowed 10 million won from my mother. I used those 15 million won in addition to my own cash—another 15 million won.”

“The debt was too high compared to your own investment fund.”

“The debt grew like a snowball and we were behind our rent. It was that time when my wife eventually suffered a miscarriage of a baby; she asked me to divorce her.”

“Whew. I had similar life experiences. You had a harsh time.”

“I haven’t heard from my wife for a while. She must still be suffering financially because of her credit card debt. She is probably having a hard life doing editing work.”

“Hmm.”

“When I eventually closed the deep-fried chicken restaurant, I was left with a debt of over 50 million won. I suffered for quite a while by the creditors before I became a person with a bad credit score.”

“Why didn’t you apply for rehabilitation?”

“I did. With rehabilitation program, I was supposed to pay off debts according to a payment plan provided by the court. I was paying a certain amount of money to the court every month for several months until the accident happened.”

“An accident?”

“I was doing the editing work, but when I couldn’t get enough work to make a living, I got a job in a delivery company. I think I worked there for about half a year until the accident. I was delivering a package and I had to make a quick delivery, so I made a U-turn where I was not supposed to do and then I hit a car that was coming from the opposite direction. I crossed the yellow line to make a U-turn. I guess something happened to me that day to cloud my judgment.”

“Hmm.”

“I am not good at physical work since I have always done office work like writing and editing. Moreover, I had a bad credit score. So it was really hard to find a job. I saw Jong-Suk working with machines and doing welding. He looks great. I know I can’t do that kind of work.”

“So, you have 50 million won debt in total?”

“I have been paying for the debt until now. I think I have 30 million won left by now. Oh, I talked with the general affairs manager the other day about it. He said I would get paid 1.6 million won per month, and I can take the amount of basic living expenses out of it before it is seized. I think I can save some money then.”

“Saving money?”

“Yeah. My rent is paid by the company, and I can have my meals at the company. So, I think I can pay off the debt after ten years working here.”

“Right. The biggest expense that the people who don’t make enough money is the cost of the rent. The people who don’t have money have to pay for rent, and the people who have money receive that rent from them. That’s the current economic system we are living in. Consequently, the gap between the rich and poor is getting bigger. Ten years are too long for you.”

“Well, it is still hope. It’s a good thing that the debt is shrinking instead of growing. There is one thing that bothers me a lot though. I collected some funds from our friends from high school to make an alumni directory book. I couldn’t make it happen even though I really was going to make it.”

“People don’t make those types of directory book nowadays, do they? Many people don’t want to expose their real address.”

“I know. So I was going to enter their e-mail address instead of physical addresses with phone numbers. I started collecting the necessary information and writing some stuff already like the history and path that our school took so far and news from our friends, etc. I still have the writings with me. It will cost 2-3 million won to complete it but I used that money to pay my rent because I was about to be evicted. I became an animal to our friends.”

Jae-Sik eventually burst into tears.

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Chapter 185 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (3) – PART 2

Chapter 185: State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (3) – PART 2

Gun-Ho felt mixed feelings and sadness.

Gun-Ho could understand how Jae-Sik had felt and the harsh situation that led to him here.

Other people who hadn’t experienced extreme hardship like this wouldn’t have understood Jae-Sik. Won-Chul Jo who was working in a big company and Suk-Ho Lee who was running a bar at Gyeongridan Street wouldn’t have understood him.

“President Gun-Ho Goo!”

“Yeah?”

“Tell me about yourself, like how you accumulate your wealth. I just can’t understand how it happened with my shallow common sense.”

“Let’s talk about my story next time. It’s getting late.”

“According to Jong-Suk, you used to work at a factory with him in Pocheon and Yangju.”

“I did, with all my passion.”

“You looked healthier and stronger too. You used to let Suk-Ho take your umbrella.”

“You remember that?”

“I saw that. I was right there when Suk-Ho took your umbrella. Suk-Ho Lee, Won-Chul Jo, Byeong-Chul Hwang… those people were hanging out together when we were in high school. But you and me, we were loners. And we were poor.”

“Haha. That’s right.”

“I also remember you getting beaten up by Won-Chul Jo. It’s still vivid in my memory.”

“I got beat up by Won-Chul?”

“Yeah, he beat you up because you talked bad about him behind his back. The thing he told you at that time hurt my feelings too.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that ‘you can never beat me with anything; you can’t win in a competition for studying or a physical fight or anything.’ He said that while beating you up. When he said it, he looked at me as well. That crept me out. That day, when I went back home, I resented God for the first time in my life.”

“We were all young at that time. It happened during our adolescence. I don’t even remember any of those.”

“Yeah, we are better off with forgetting all those unpleasant things happened in our past. However, Won-Chul Jo and Suk-Ho Lee still ignore me and treat me like I am invisible. That hurts me. And now I made a mistake with the alumni directory book thing. I kind of gave them justification to treat me unfairly bad. I hate myself.”

The beer that Gun-Ho brought was almost gone.

“Thank you for hearing me out today.”

“I like the fact that you came this far even though you have suffered a lot. You will be fine.”

Gun-Ho tapped Jae-Sik’s shoulder.

“You are the most humane person among our friends from high school. Gun-Ho Goo, I knew you are a special person. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to go home now?”

“No, it’s okay. The beer tastes really good today.”

“I enjoyed the time with you too. I feel much better after telling my life story to you.”

“I saw you writing down something at your desk earlier. What was it? Can I see it?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Jae-Sik quickly put the paper inside the desk drawer and grinned. It was the first time in a long time when Gun-Ho saw him smile.

“Let’s do this.”

“What?”

“You just stay home during the day, right? Why don’t you complete the alumni directory book? Since you already started writing things that would go in the directory book, it won’t take you long to finish it, right? I will pay for the cost. I will pay you as a donation or a contribution to the work. Make a beautiful high school alumni directory book for us and send it to all of our high school friends.”

“Umm, that…”

“Once you do it, they won’t be able to say anything bad about you ever again.”

“But…”

“And you said you have a debt of 30 million won left, right? I will pay for it, and I will take 500,000 won from your monthly salary. You can have a better life that way. You are being paid

1.6 million won per month and I will take 500,000 won out of it and you don’t have to spend anything for the rent and for food. You should get out of that life as a person with a bad credit score. That holds you back in a lot of things in life; your salary is being seized, for example, right?”

“That’s too much…”

“Don’t say anything. Your life will be better and better. Just get me the current status of your debt tomorrow. Okay? I’d better get going now. Keep up the good work. Bye.”

“Thank… Thank you, Gun-Ho. I will never forget this.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the Korean restaurant owner in Akasaka, Japan—Ji-Yeon Choi. She said that the second payment day for the condo would be after three days.

“I will send you the amount of the second payment tomorrow.”

“Oh, that early? But you might not be able to see Mori Aikko this time. She is in Kyoto.”

“Kyoto?”

“Yes, there will be a festival there. Mori Aikko will do a performance in the shrine. She will perform Kitano Odori there.”

“Really?”

“Mori Aikko is extremely popular these days. Because she now has a sponsor, she doesn’t work in a bar as much as before. She now focuses more on dance performance at an outdoor stage.”

“Hmm.”

“I guess you can see her when you pay for the remaining payment of the condo. Hahaha.”

“I need to see President Amiel from Dyeon Japan this time anyway when I go to Tokyo. I can see Mori Aikko later.”

Gun-Ho wanted to see someone when he went to Tokyo. He wanted to see the retired Japanese engineer who President Amiel recommended—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim from China. He said that he made a new contract with a customer.

‘He is working so hard since I told him that he would get a stock option. He is doing very well. I still remember him studying in a tiny room for the government job exam, like it was yesterday. He has changed a lot. Haha.’

“Deputy Mayor Seukang Li helped me a lot to get this contract this time.”

“Seukang Li?”

“Remember that we received the certifications for the quality management system and environmental management system? Seukang Li requested that a window manufacturing company has to use products from a company that is certified with a quality management system.”

“A window manufacturing company? Like the window for a condo?”

“Yeah.”

“Do they use our products?”

“Yes. I didn’t know that either. The price they offered was good, and it’s not difficult to make the products they need. We already made the mould specifically designed for that product.”

“Did you already make a sample product?”

“Yes. They approved the product. The workers here are so excited.”

“I see. That’s really great. At the end of the year, have a Chinese accountant do the year-end financial statement.”

Min-Hyeok was being paid 20,000 Yuan per month, and he spent 10,000 Yuan for his living expenses in China and saved the remaining 10,000 Yuan. It was about 1.8 million won.

“We might make a profit of 10 million yuan this year. Then I can get 500,000 Yuan as a stock option.”

Min-Hyeok took out an electronic calculator to calculate the exact amount.

“It will be about 90 million in Korean Won. Hahaha. I will have an additional 90 million won. Yippee! I make an extra 90 million won in addition to my annual salary. It was the right decision that I quit trying to get the government job.”

Min-Hyeok felt more motivated once he knew how much he could make more.

Gun-Ho called for the general affairs manager.

“Mr. General Affairs Manager is away from his office right now.”

“Who am I speaking with right now? Are you the assistant general affairs manager?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Please come to my office.”

The good-looking assistant general affairs manager entered Gun-Ho’s office. He was the same age as Gun-Ho and he graduated from Dankook University in Cheonan City.

“I will go on a business trip to Japan three days later. Please get a flight ticket for me.”

“Yes, sir.

The assistant general affairs manager didn’t leave but he seemed to have something to say.

“Umm, sir.”

“Yes? Do you have something you want to tell me?”

The assistant general affairs manager pulled out a wedding invitation from his pocket.

“I am getting married next month.”

“Oh, really? Congratulations.”

Gun-Ho quickly stood up and offered his hand to him for a handshake.

“I will ask all the management and executives to attend your wedding.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The assistant general affairs manager gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho.

After the assistant general affairs manager left the office, Gun-Ho looked at the calendar and he was frightened.

“Shoot! My father’s 70th birthday is tomorrow. I almost forgot!”

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Chapter 186 - World-Renowned Engineer (1) – PART 1

Chapter 186: World-Renowned Engineer (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho went to the condo in Guweol Town, Incheon City, where his parents were living.

There were already a lot of people in the condo when he arrived there. He could know that by looking at the significant number of shoes at the entrance.

“Gun-Ho is here!”

“Gun-Ho is here!”

The people who were sitting in the living room all stood up to see Gun-Ho.

“Hello.”

Gun-Ho gave a deep bow to the relatives. His parents were smiling at Gun-Ho; they were wearing a traditional Korean dress. Gun-Ho thought it was an outdated idea to wear traditional Korean dress at his own birthday party.

“The real head of the household is here!”

It was Gun-Ho’s aunt who said that in a loud voice. She looked older than the last time he saw her.

As the relatives guided, Gun-Ho poured liquor to his parents’ glasses and gave them a full bow.

“Gun-Ho has grown up so great. I am envious of them to have such a great son.”

“You should get married soon, Gun-Ho. You are making good money now. The only missing thing in your life is your wife and children.”

After Gun-Ho’s full bow to his parents, his sister and her husband and their daughter—Jeong-Ah, gave a full bow to the parents. Jeong-Ah looked prettier than the last he saw her. She seemed to be shy to say hello to her uncle.

“I heard that you won a piano contest, Jeong-Ah.”

“Yes, I did.”

Jeong-Ah was calmer than before.

They started having food. Gun-Ho’s uncles poured liquor to his glass.

“Are you dating anyone?”

“Yes.”

Gun-Ho answered without thinking carefully. Gun-Ho was thinking of Mori Aikko who was then doing a dance performance for Gion Matsuri in Kyoto.

“You are running a big business, right?”

“Yes, I have a parts manufacturing company in Asan City.”

“You remember your cousin—Jae-Choon, right?”

“Of course, I know Jae-Choon.”

“He is currently unemployed. Get him a job at your factory.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Gun-Ho’s aunt shouted when she heard the conversation.

“Big brother, you are not supposed to ask some favor to Gun-Ho today. Today, we are here to congratulate his father’s 70th birthday.”

“This is a good day to talk about it with Gun-Ho. You are saying that because your son has a stable job in the government, huh?”

“What are you talking about? Are you drunk, brother?”

Since the aunt’s voice was louder than the uncle’s, the uncle stopped saying anything back to her and kept drinking his liquor.

Gun-Ho asked his aunt in a quiet voice,

“Jae-Woong is doing good, with his work at the Department of Labor, right?”

“Yeah, he is doing great.”

As she talked about his son, for some reason, her lips were set in a pout of annoyance. Gun-Ho’s sister who was sitting next to him tapped his arms and said,

“The aunt is not getting along with her daughter-in-law.”

“Oh, with Jae-Woong’s wife?”

“Yeah, I heard she is arguing with her daughter-in-law all the time.”

Gun-Ho was not surprised. He thought that made sense considering her personality. His aunt had a strong character different from his mother.

“Gun-Ho, you didn’t come to your father’s 70th birthday party empty-handed, right?”

The aunt shouted again with her loud voice.

“Oh, sure. I brought a present for my parents.”

Gun-Ho pulled out an envelope with two tickets of cruise travel and handed it to his father.

“What is this, son?”

His parents opened the envelope.

“What is it? Is it a gift card for shoes or something?”

Gun-Ho’s aunt asked.

“No, they are tickets for my parents’ cruise travel.”

“Cruise travel?”

When one of the uncles who were drinking liquor asked out of curiosity, the aunt shouted again.

“Big brother, you don’t know what cruise travel is? It’s a trip by a huge ship. If you don’t know about it, just keep drinking your liquor. Don’t chip in.”

Gun-Ho’s aunt seemed to be very uncomfortable about something that day. She looked sulky.

“Wow, cruise travel? I am so envious.”

A young aunt said while clapping. The other people at the birthday party all laughed and clapped with that aunt.

“Thank you, son.”

Gun-Ho’s mother held Gun-Ho’s hand.

Gun-Ho headed to Japan to make the second payment of Mori Aikko’s condo. He went to the real estate office with Ji-Yeon Choi in her car and made the payment.

“I will get you the receipt.”

The sales agent gave the receipt to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho was impressed by the agent’s handwriting. He was writing quickly from the top to bottom on a paper to complete the receipt form, but the writing was very straight without any single letter stuck out.

Ji-Yeon Choi also gave to Gun-Ho the promissory note that Gun-Ho had handed to her when she paid for the condo’s down payment on behalf of him. Gun-Ho smiled and tore it out—that promissory note of the amount of 10 million Japanese Yen.

“I wish Mori Aikko was here, but she is at the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto.”

“It’s fine. I like it better that she is honing her dancing skills and spends time there for her personal self-development.”

“Mama-san Segawa Joonkko told me that Mori Aikko is making rapid progress in her dancing every day. She said Mori Aikko could do so because she has a good sponsor now.”

“Haha. I think she makes it happen with her sheer effort.”

“Are you heading to the Nihonbashi area where President Amiel’s office is located?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Do you have an interpreter?”

“Yes, our sales director’s nephew is studying in Japan. He will do the interpretation for me. He will be waiting in front of the Nihonbashi office for me.”

Gun-Ho met the retired engineer—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo who used to work for Dyeon, at the Dyeon office in Nihonbashi. He was wearing thick glasses and he was skinny; he looked stubborn. Right, he looked like a stubborn engineer. He looked about 65 years old and he smelled like a metal powder. Amiel introduced Mr. Sakata Ikuzo to Gun-Ho.

“President Goo, this is Mr. Sakata Ikuzo who used to be the best engineer in Dyeon.”

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo. Very nice meeting you.”

“I’m Ikuzo.”

“Did you have a chance to look at the product drawing?”

“Yes, I did. Don’t build a mould for that product. I will make it manually.”

“With your hands? Moulds are all built by machines these days.”

“I always do it manually.”

“If you make a mould manually, would it be precise enough? Isn’t it an outdated way to make a mould?”

“The mould I made with my hands is still being used to manufacture products that are supplied to the world-known Boeing Company.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo closed his mouth after mentioning his mould for Boeing Company and didn’t say anything anymore.

Amiel tried to change the mood.

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is a very well-known engineer to Dyeon and Boeing as well. His younger brother is a world-renowned physicist who received the Nobel Prize.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho understood that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was a highly talented and respected engineer, but he seemed to cling to old ways.

“Do you think it is possible to develop the product shown on this product drawing?”

“Yes, it seems to be doable.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“When I make something, I Isshokenmei.”

“Isshokenmei?”

The interpreter explained the meaning of it.

“Isshokenmei means the person risks his life. In other words, he meant he put everything into developing a product, to the extent that he risks his life.”

“Risking his life?”

Gun-Ho was very impressed by the engineer’s attitude towards his work. Gun-Ho also risked his life when he invested in the stock market! Gun-Ho laughed out loud.

“Hahaha. You are indeed the world-renowned engineer. Okay. I am inviting you to Korea. I will provide you everything you need.”

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Chapter 187 - World-Renowned Engineer (1) – PART 2

Chapter 187: World-Renowned Engineer (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho stayed in New Otani Hotel in Akasaka. Tomorrow, he had to go back to Korea. He suddenly missed Mori Aikko so much. Gun-Ho gave a call to the general affairs manager in Korea.

“I want to extend my trip for one more day. I will return to Korea the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay, sir.”

The next day, Gun-Ho didn’t return to Korea but instead, he went to Kyoto without telling anyone. The emperors of Japan used to live in Kyoto. Gun-Ho headed to Okazaki Park where the festival was held in. There were posters here and there about the festival. A pretty geisha in colorful Kimonos posed with a traditional Japanese oil-paper umbrella in her hand on the poster. When Gun-Ho looked at the festival poster closely, he was astonished. It was Mori Aikko on the poster.

“Wow. It is indeed Mori Aikko.”

Gun-Ho smiled.

There were so many people at Heian Shrine in Okazaki Park. They all seemed to be there for the festival. Many photographers were standing in front of the shrine with their cameras ready. Behind the group of photographers, there was a huge crowd of general spectators, and Gun-Ho was inside the crowd.

With the sound of a drum, the festival started. Music started and a group of dancers in a white outfit came out to the stage. They were dancing geishas.

“Kirei na (Pretty)!”

“Kirei na (Pretty)!”

People kept shouting ‘Kirei na.’ The dancer in the center of the group was Mori Aikko.

“That’s her!”

The photographers started shooting pictures of Mori Aikko. Mori Aikko was wearing thick geisha makeup; she didn’t wear that makeup when she danced in the bar. The spectators participated in taking pictures of Mori Aikko with their smartphones. So did Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho took Mori Aikko’s pictures with his cell phone.

The geishas were dancing along with the music that was played with some musical instruments that Gun-Ho didn’t really recognize. Her dance was different from the one she performed at the bar. It was a really beautiful artistic dancing. People there were so busy taking pictures of Mori Aikko’s every move.

‘That girl is my Mori Aikko!’

Gun-Ho felt like he was willing to give her everything he had. He would have given the world to Mori Aikko if he could.

Gun-Ho quietly walked out of Heian Shrine; he wanted Mori Aikko to enjoy her moment and didn’t want to interrupt her activity. He, then, headed straight to the airport to take a flight to Korea.

A few days after Gun-Ho came back to Korea, he was told that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is soon arriving at the Gimpo International Airport.

Gun-Ho called for the general affairs manager.

“Did you find an interpreter?”

“Yes, I had him on standby.”

“Why don’t you bring him here?”

The general affairs manager brought a young man to Gun-Ho’s office. The young man looked like three or four years younger than Gun-Ho.

“He will be interpreting for us. This is his resume.”

The general affairs manager handed the resume to Gun-Ho.

“You went to college and graduate school in Japan. Since the person who is coming is an engineer, you will encounter many technical terms to interpret. I hope you are ready for it.”

Since the interpreter would work temporarily for only a month, Gun-Ho didn’t talk long with him.

“Mr. General Affairs Manager, let’s send the assistant general affairs manager to the airport to pick up Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. It seems he has a nice car; he can bring that car to the airport.”

“I think he is an adequate person for the work. He is good-looking and he has good conversational skills as well. He also has a sophisticated etiquette.”

Gun-Ho asked for the assistant general affairs manager.

“Was your car Kia K7? It looked like a new car.”

“It’s actually a used car. It is less than 2 years old though.”

“I want you to go to Gimpo International Airport to pick up someone. I will ask the general affairs manager to provide you enough gas. A very famous Japanese engineer is coming to our company for a consultation. His name is Sakata Ikuzo. Please take the interpreter with you. The person standing next to you is our interpreter.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Mr. General Affairs Manager, please reserve a room at Onyang Hot Spring Hotel for Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.”

“It will be a long term stay, isn’t it?”

“We expect him to stay here for a month, but it can change depending on how fast we can develop the product.”

“Understood, sir.”

In the afternoon that day, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo arrived at the factory in Asan City. Gun-Ho called for the directors to his office.

“This is Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. He will help us develop a new product. He used to work for Dyeon in the U.S. as the head of the engineering department.”

The directors greeted Mr. Sakata Ikuzo and exchanged their business cards with him. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s business card showed only his name without any company or organization’s name he worked for, maybe because he was a retired engineer.

Gun-Ho started assigning work to each director.

“Mr. Plant Manager, please give him a tour of our factory.”

“Yes, sir.”

“After the tour of the factory, please show him our research center as well. Mr. Chief Officer of the research center, you can show him around.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And find out whether he prefers to do his development work at the production field in the factory or in the research center.”

“Okay.”

The plant manager was walking out of Gun-Ho’s office with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo when he asked Mr. Sakata Ikuzo his age in Japanese. The plant manager seemed to speak Japanese a little bit.

“How old are you?”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo answered while looking at the plant manager’s business card.

“I’m 65 years old.”

“You are three years older than me. I’m 62 years old.”

The two 60-something years old men looked at each other and laughed.

After having a tour both to the factory and the research center, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo decided to do his work at the factory where he could easily have access to the extruding machine.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo brought two big bags with him. He took out several vinyl bags of raw materials from one of his bags; the raw materials seemed to be about 5 kilograms.

“Do you have a team leader in the maintenance and repair department?”

“We have a production manager here, and he is very good at maintenance work as well.”

The plant manager introduced Jong-Suk to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo unexpectedly smiled and offered his hand to Jong-Suk for a handshake.

“Can you set up a mould and things, so I can manually carve a mould.”

“Sure.”

Jong-Suk installed things for Mr. Sakata Ikuzo so he could easily start his mould work right away.

Gun-Ho received a call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim&Jeong Law Office.

“I heard the Japanese engineer arrived already.”

“Yeah, he is here.”

“Amiel called me and said that if the Japanese engineer succeeds in developing the new product, you would need to give him an incentive fee.”

“Incentive fee?”

“His consultation fee is 5,000 dollars, but his incentive fee is 20,000 dollars. He won’t claim any ownership of the new product then. He will give the full ownership of the new product to GH Mobile.”

“Hmm.”

“Amiel asked our law firm to notarize the statement.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho took some moment before giving his answer.

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

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Chapter 188 - World-Renowned Engineer (2) – PART 1

Chapter 188: World-Renowned Engineer (2) – PART 1

The plant manager came to Gun-Ho’s office to give a report.

“DongHwa Electricity has reduced the product order dramatically. I think we’d better stop making those products for them.”

“We are still selling the products to DongHwa Electricity, right? And that generates income even though it is not much.”

“That’s right; however, I think we need to reserve the extruding machine that has been used to manufacture those products to use exclusively for somewhere else.”

“Is that because of the Japanese engineer—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo?”

“Yes. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo has been doing his work with an extruding machine at night because all of our extruding machines are fully occupied during the day. The workers who have assisted Mr. Sakata Ikuzo at night became very exhausted as well.”

“Manager Jong-Suk Park has been assisting Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, right?”

“Yes, and there are two other workers who have been assisting him too.”

“So, three workers have been assisting Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.”

“They are not working with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo all day long though. They usually perform their job duties, and they only assist Mr. Sakata Ikuzo when he needs them.”

“I see.”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo likes to work with Manager Jong-Suk Park. I think that’s because Manager Jong-Suk Park is agile, and he is extremely good at the maintenance and repair work.”

“I know he is good at the maintenance and repair work, but how is he doing in the production field? Isn’t he inept at production?”

“Haha. No, not at all. Usually, skillful people quickly adjust to other areas even though that area requires different skills. He is very sociable as well. He calls anyone big brother if that person is older than him.”

“Haha, really?”

“As to the extruding machine, I’m suggesting to reserve one extruding machine for Mr. Sakata Ikuzo exclusively.”

“They don’t have to work at night that away.”

“Not exactly. Once they start developing products and getting busy, they will have to work without a break. So they will have to work at night too.”

“I don’t know much about how things work in the production field. I will let you decide on that matter.”

“Okay, sir. Thank you.”

After the plant manager left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho thought about Jong-Suk Park. Jong-Suk was like his little brother; they had been together for a long time in good days and bad days in life. He was like a comrade in life to Gun-Ho.

“Jong-Suk is almost perfect. The only problem is that he didn’t finish his college education.”

Gun-Ho was thinking that he would send Jong-Suk to college after Mr. Sakata Ikuzo completed developing the new product. Jong-Suk could take night classes so he could still work at Gun-Ho’s company during the day.

“I am not sure if Polytechnics College offers night classes.”

Gun-Ho searched on the Internet to see the programs that Polytechnics College offered.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was staying at Onyang Hot Spring Hotel, and Jong-Suk gave him a ride for his commute to work. They went to work at a certain hour every day, but they often stayed at work till late at night. Sometimes they had to work all night. The interpreter also stayed with them according to their erratic work schedule. The interpreter was staying in a OneRoom close to the factory, but he had to use public transportation to commute.

The plant manager called for Jong-Suk.

“Manager Park, starting today, you can just focus on assisting Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. You don’t have to work in the production or maintenance for now.”

“But there is so much work in the production and maintenance.”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo wants your full assistance. Just do as he wants.”

“Hmm. Does he think he can boss me around?”

“We can cover production and maintenance work with other personnel; we have team leaders and managers in those departments. It’s not that bad to have a world-renowned engineer as your boss.”

“It’s strange. I don’t understand why it has to be me who should assist him.”

“That’s because you are very good at work.”

“Even though I work till late at night, I don’t get paid for overtime because I am a manager. On the other hand, I heard Mr. Sakata Ikuzo will receive an incentive if he successfully develops the new product in addition to his consultation fee.”

“If he could successfully develop our new product, all those money paid to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo would be worth it. It would bring substantial benefit to the company. You should think of the company’s interest more. You are close to the president, right?”

“I’m concerned about the company’s interest, of course. I just don’t like the way Mr. Sakata Ikuzo works with the mould.”

“What’s wrong with his mould work?”

“It just looks shoddy.”

“His mould is being used for Boeing’s products.”

“That’s hmmm.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo called for Jong-Suk.

“Please do some welding work on the handle of this tool and fill the joint with rubber.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I will insert the mould that I just finished into the extruding machine, and you raise the temperature. Why don’t you put these raw materials into the hopper? 5 grams of the black pigment, 4 grams of carbon power, and 1 gram of vulcanization accelerator,…”

“Sh*t, so many stuff go into the hopper. Hey, Mr. Interpreter, don’t touch that thing. Step away from that machine!”

It seemed that the interpreter touched something out of curiosity. The machine made a loud noise before the pointer needle of the pressure gauge moved upward. The interpreter was frightened and quickly ran away from the machine.

Jong-Suk ran to the machine and pressed a few buttons to stop the machine.

“I’m… I’m so sorry.”

The interpreter’s face turned blue.

“You just do your job, okay? Just do the interpretation.”

“Okay.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo called for Jong-Suk again.

“Fu*k! He is calling for me like every ten minutes. Don’t interpret this to him.”

The interpreter smiled.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo handed a strange-looking piece of metal to Jong-Suk.

“I just carve this out, but the surface is too rough. Can you smooth it out with sandpaper?”

“Okay.”

Jong-Suk started working on the piece of metal while murmuring. The interpreter came close to Jong-Suk to watch him work.

“Stay away from me. This work creates tiny particles in the air.”

In the afternoon that day, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo wanted to make a sample product for testing. He inserted the mould he had been carving out into the machine with the mixed raw materials that Jong-Suk made according to his instruction.

“Please check the temperature, coolant, compression speed, and expansion. Do not touch the machine or the mixed raw materials except Jong-Suk.”

The sample product came out. It had white and yellow color on it. The yellow part was solid.

“The sample product is coming out!”

The workers in the factory all gathered in front of the machine to see the first sample product. The plant manager and the chief officer of the research center were there too.

“The mould looked so shoddy, but the product made out of that mould looked so nice.”

“Look at this. This part is hard while the other part with a wing is soft.”

The workers stared at the sample product in amazement.

“Don’t touch it. It hasn’t hardened yet.”

Products made of plastic were soft when they did not solidify yet.

When the product solidified enough to be tested, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo measured its hardness with a durometer and measured its tensile strength.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo shouted at Jong-Suk,

“Manager Park, stop the machine!”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo let out a deep sigh.

“There is a problem with its degree of clearness. I think the mixture of magnesium carbonate caused it.”

“It looks just fine.”

The workers who were watching the product testing then said simultaneously,

“Soredewa Nai (It doesn’t)!”

“I will have to taste it to be sure. I can’t rely solely on the measuring device.”

“Taste it?”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo cut the product with a scissor and took a piece of the product which was still a bit soft and put it in his mouth.

“Wow. He is really eating it. He can’t swallow it. It’s plastic. He is not supposed to eat it.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo kept chewing the product with his eyes closed. He looked like he was enjoying a piece of sushi or something. After chewing the piece of the sample product for a while, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo spit it out and said,

“We will have to add more magnesium carbonate and less oil to the mixture. Throw out all of the sample products we just made!”

“All of them? That’s such a waste.”

“Throw them all out!”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo flopped down on the floor; he looked exhausted.

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Chapter 189 - World-Renowned Engineer (2) – PART 2

Chapter 189: World-Renowned Engineer (2) – PART 2

The next day, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo didn’t do any work.

“We will resume the work after two days. I will have to get inspired first.”

After that day, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo just sat in his chair and read a book; the way he sat quietly reminded Jong-Suk of a Buddha. Jong-Suk was wondering what kind of book Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was so into, but he couldn’t figure it out since it was all written in Japanese and Chinese characters.

The plant manager called for Jong-Suk.

“Hey, why aren’t you testing the product?”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is just reading a book for hours now.”

“What book?”

“I don’t know. He said he needs to be inspired or something before he could continue the work.”

“Inspiration?”

“Yes, he said he needs inspiration.”

“Ha. He is something!”

“Right. Japanese people are weird.”

“Hmm, let me go and check what kind of book he is reading.”

The plant manager went to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s desk.

“What are you reading, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo? Is it fun?”

“Oh, no… I just have to figure out something.”

The plant manager seemed to know how to read some Chinese characters. He looked at the cover of the book to see the book title.

“The Book of Five Rings.”

“That’s right. It’s the book of five rings.”

“I think I heard of it from somewhere.”

The plant manager tilted his head while thinking of the book. He then went to the chief officer of the research center.

“Do you know of a book called The Book of Five Rings?”

“Oh, umm… I think I’ve heard of it somewhere. Isn’t it a martial arts novel?”

“He is reading a martial arts novel to figure out something at work.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo kept reading the book, and sometimes he stopped reading the book and seemingly thought about something with his eyes closed. And he resumed his reading after he was done thinking.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s reading and thinking process looked so weird to Jong-Suk.

“Is he reading Buddhist texts?”

Jong-Suk thought the reading might be part of his meditation, or it was some sort of religious practice.

The next day, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo continued reading the book without work until late at night.

“Fu*k! I want to go home. Should I wait until he finishes his reading for the day? I have to take him to his hotel. Sh*t.”

“Me too.”

The interpreter complained as well while standing next to Jong-Suk.

“At least your OneRoom is close to the factory. I have to drive all the way to my house. Fu*k.”

Jae-Sik who was working night shift saw Jong-Suk grumbling.

“What’s wrong?”

“That bossy Japanese guy doesn’t want to go home yet. He is just reading a book, and I have to wait until he finishes his reading.”

“Really?”

Jae-Sik started patrolling the factory. He checked every office with his flashlight. He was checking if an office’s light was still on even though no one was working in that office. Jae-Sik stopped by the area where Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was reading his book. The interpreter was sitting a bit distant from Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, and he was playing a game with his smartphone.”

“You are reading a book, sir. Oh, it’s The Book of Five Rings.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo looked at Jae-Sik who was wearing a security guard uniform.

“It’s The Book of Five Rings written by Miyamoto Musashi.”

The interpreter suddenly hit his forehead.

“That’s right! The Book of Five Rings is a book written by Miyamoto Musashi! I remember it now!”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo lifted his head and looked at Jae-Sik again.

“Do you know of Miyamoto Musashi?”

“Of course. He was the best swordsman in Japan. He was a legendary samurai who had never lost in his 60 fights.”

“Hmmm. You do know of him.”

“The Book of Five Rings was written in his final years. It has been the best-selling book for the longest period in online bookstores and amazon.com in the U.S. as a book for management. He was the master of Niten Ichi-ryu. I like him a lot.”

“Oh, I see.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo scanned Jae-Sik from head to toe.

“It’s a shame that he works as a security guard of a factory.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo murmured to himself.

Gun-Ho went to the construction field in Jiksan Town. When he entered the factory yard, Director Yoon ran to him.

“Wow. The building is almost complete.”

“That’s right. It’s really quick to complete the building. It takes time to finish the interior though.”

“Really?”

“This is the area where the production field will be; it will be divided into section A and section B. This area is the management office area. And, this is for a conference room, and that will be a company cafeteria and resting area. Please come with me. We haven’t installed the guardrail for the stairs yet. You have to be careful when you use the stairs to walk upstairs.”

Gun-Ho walked up to the second floor; he was wearing a suit and a safety helmet that Director Yoon gave to him.

“This is the management office area. That one will be your office, President Goo. There will be small and large meeting rooms. That will be the restroom.”

Gun-Ho closely looked around the building. A pine tree was once planted in the front yard as part of the landscaping. The factory would look really nice once the construction was completed.

“Once we successfully develop our new product, one by one, we can take 1,000 employees in this factory, right?”

“Of course, sir. We would have enough space in this factory to take 1,000 workers. Moreover, we have a vacant lot over there, so we can always add more buildings at any time.”

“What about the power and water supply? Are we getting enough of them?”

“Yes. The previous factory had high electric power capacity anyway, so we can continuously use it. As to the water, we are getting the water supply service, but we are planning to use underground water as well.”

“Underground water?”

“Yes. There are tons of underground water in this area. So, we are thinking of utilizing underground water for our cooling facilities.”

“Hmmm.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

“Are we going to use cement for the floor?”

“The entrance area and the factory yard will be paved with asphalt.”

When Gun-Ho came back to his office in Asan City, he called for his secretary.

“Please ask Mr. Sakata Ikuzo to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“How’s work? I just wanted to have a cup of tea with you.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve heard that you are reading a book these days.”

“Oh, yes, I’ve been reading the Book of Five Rings, which is written by an old Japanese swordsman. The book is very popular as a book for management nowadays.”

“Really?”

“The Book of Five Rings is translated into English and is being sold on amazon.com. I recommend you read the book. I’d like to give my book to you, but it is written in Japanese, so it won’t be very useful to you.”

“I will read the book when I have the chance. Thank you.”

“I get inspired by reading that book. The swordsman had 60 fights, and he had never lost in even a single fight. I also wanted to develop 60 new products, but it’s not easy to achieve it.”

“How many new products have you developed so far?”

“I’ve developed 20 products. It’s not even close to 60.”

“Haha. It must be very challenging.”

“I’ve done reading the book, and I got the inspiration I need. I will start again developing the product tomorrow. I will succeed this time and will make you happy, President Goo.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, you are a very lucky man, President Goo.”

“Why do you say so?”

“You have two very good workers close to you.”

“Are you talking about the plant manager and the chief officer of the research center? Or are you referring to the sales director?”

“No, I meant the production manager—Jong-Suk Park—and the security guard—Jae-Sik Moon.”

“Huh? Those people?”

“I am not sure about their mindset on management, but I know that they are very good workers and professionals. They will assist you and will be a big help to you in the future, President Goo.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho thought about it while rubbing his nose.

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Chapter 190 - World-Renowned Engineer (3) – PART 1

Chapter 190: World-Renowned Engineer (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho was reading an economic newspaper in his office when he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“What’s up?”

“I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“Why are you calling? You could just come to my office to see me.”

“I didn’t want others to see me—a security guard—to enter the president’s office. That could look inappropriate to other workers. So, I decided to give you a call instead.”

“You don’t have to worry about that kind of thing. So, what’s up?”

“The high school alumni directory book is almost completed. I’ve already done proofreading and editing. The design for the cover is finished as well. It’s ready to be printed out.”

“Okay, that’s good.”

“I want to show it before I print it out.”

“Haha. I don’t have to see it. Just have a printing service company print it out. I am busy with my own work.”

“I received the fund for the alumni directory book, which you sent to me. I will give you a report on the expenses’ details later. I also received the amount of 30 million won that you sent me for me to pay off my debt. I did pay off all of my debt with that money.”

“That’s good.”

“I will set aside 500,000 won from my monthly salary and send it to your bank account that you gave me the other, every month.”

“Sounds good.”

“I am no longer a person with a bad credit score. I can freely get a service from a bank, and I don’t have to worry about my salary being seized anymore.”

“That’s good, but will you be okay with your current salary? You won’t have much left once you send me 500,000 won from your monthly salary.”

“I am planning to look for an editing work that I can do during the day. Oh, maybe I shouldn’t say that to my current employer. You might not like the idea that I have another work that I have to commit to.”

“Haha. I don’t mind at all as long as that doesn’t affect your work with the company.”

“Thank you. As to the alumni directory book, I will send one to you as soon as the printing work is completed.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho was thinking of Jae-Sik; the security guard position that he was currently working in didn’t seem to fit his talent or interest.

“He can do better than a security guard work, but he is not an employee type either.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t yet figure out the perfect work position for Jae-Sik that could fully utilize and develop his natural talent.

Gun-Ho flew to Japan to pay for the remaining condo price for Mori Aikko’s condo. He didn’t visit Amiel’s office in Nihonbashi this time. Once he fully paid off the condo price, the real estate sales agent handed the condo’s key to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho then gave the key and the condo registration document to Mama-san Segawa Joonkko.

“Mori Aikko is coming back in town the day after tomorrow; she is still in a province for her dance performance. Since this is a newly constructed condo, we don’t have to do the wall; I guess I will buy some basic household stuff for her.”

“I can pay for furniture.”

Mama-san laughed.

“We can’t ask the sponsor to pay for furniture. You purchased this expensive condo for her after all. Mori Aikko saved up some money by working at the bar; she can get the furniture on her own. She will be able to buy a refrigerator, a washer, and other things with her money that she saved up so far.”

Gun-Ho stayed two more nights at New Otani Hotel and went to Chiba Prefecture to see the auto parts exhibition held in Makuhari Messe—a convention center outside of Tokyo. It took him two full days to see them all thoroughly. On the second day in the convention center, when he was collecting some useful pamphlets, he received a text message in English.

“This is Mori Aikko. I just returned to Tokyo. Please come to the condo in Daikanyama, Shibuya at 6 pm today.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the condo that he purchased for Mori Aikko. He was carrying a fruit basket. The condo had a keyless entry-lock system and Gun-Ho knew the access code, but he rang the doorbell, instead of entering the condo on his own.

Mori Aikko ran to the door and opened it. She was wearing a pink apron. Gun-Ho could smell the food; it seemed that Mori Aikko was in the middle of cooking for him.

“Oppa*!”

Gun-Ho was wondering where she learned the Korean word, “Oppa.” Mori Aikko jumped into Gun-Ho holding his neck and kissed his cheek several times.

“Haha. Let me take off my tie first before us doing this.”

Gun-Ho put the fruit basket down on the floor and hugged Mori Aikko.

Gun-Ho then looked around.

Mama-san Segawa Joonkko seemed to have an excellent taste. The furniture in the condo looked sophisticated and very well placed in an organized way even though they were not expensive. The sofa, the dining table, the bed, and other furniture, they all looked cozy. There was a huge picture hanging on the wall in the living room; it was Mori Aikko wearing a Kimono, and she was smiling broadly in the picture.

“That’s the poster from the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto!”

Gun-Ho was enjoying looking at Mori Aikko on the poster when Mori Aikko called for him.

“Yushoku no junbi ga dekimashita (dinner is ready).”

“I think she is saying the dinner is ready. Nice. Idesu (good).”

Gun-Ho went to the dining table while smiling.

On the table, there was warm cooked rice, a piece of fish, Kimchi, dried seaweed, Miso soup, etc. It seemed that Mori Aikko cooked them all by herself. She also didn’t forget to prepare sake.

“O meshiagari Kudasai (Please eat.)”

Gun-Ho felt happy. Mori Aikko seemed to feel the same way; she often looked at Gun-Ho and smiled.

After dinner, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko watched TV in the living room while having some fruit. They talked a lot using the mixed languages of English, Japanese and Korean for a while before they both fell asleep on the sofa. Gun-Ho woke up a moment later and looked at Mori Aikko who was sleeping next to him; she looked happy. When Gun-Ho kissed her cheek, Mori Aikko opened her eyes.

“Come here.”

Gun-Ho pulled her close to him and Mori Aikko completely came into Gun-Ho’s arms. Gun-Ho could feel her warm body temperature.

“I don’t want to go back to Korea. I want to stay here with her forever.”

Gun-Ho turned off the light and hugged her tight.

When Gun-Ho returned to Korea, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo who used to be the best engineer in Dyeon already entered the second phase of the product development. He was kneeling in front of the extruding machine; he already took a bath and shaved neatly, and he pulled his hair back in a ponytail. He surely looked resolute and determined.

“What the he*l is he doing?”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo looked certainly strange to Jong-Suk.

“What the fu*k is he doing while kneeling in front of a machine? I just don’t understand many Japanese people who act really strange.”

However, Jong-Suk didn’t laugh at Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s behavior. His eyes looked so serious and determined.

Note*

Oppa – the word is used by a female to a male who is older than her. It is often used between people in a romantic relationship as well.

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Chapter 191 - World-Renowned Engineer (3) – PART 2

Chapter 191: World-Renowned Engineer (3) – PART 2

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo said,

“My true enemy is that extruding machine. When Miyamoto Musashi pulled out his sword, he attained a state of perfect self-effacement. I will pull my sword and attack that extruding machine.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo stood up slowly.

His mouth was shut tight and something flared in his eyes. He had the eyes of a Samurai for a moment.

“I will check the temperature of the extruding machine’s cylinder and the rotating screw, along with the temperature during pressing and the expansion. Manager Park, why don’t you look inside of the hopper and check the carbon black and the vulcanization accelerator again? And see if the exact amount of the zinc oxide is there according to the recipe and also check the quality of the oil. Attack! I press the switch!”

The extruding machine started moving with a loud noise. The coolant came out in order to make the product cool.”

“It’s coming out!”

The new sample products started coming out. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo took a piece of the new product that just came out and put it into his mouth. It was a plastic piece and looked like a jelly. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo then said while chewing the piece,

“Wow, this is aromatic.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo kept chewing the piece of the plastic with his eyes closed.

Jong-Suk was staring at Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. He looked nervous.

“He is not going to swallow it, isn’t he?”

The way Mr. Sakata Ikuzo handled his work looked very strange to Jong-Suk, but he was in awe of Mr. Sakata Ikuzo at the same time.

“Even though he doesn’t swallow the piece, some portion of plastic and oil or carbon will get into his body through his throat.”

Jong-Suk now felt scared of Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.

“Japanese people… I certainly admit their high craftsmanship.”

Jong-Suk collected the new sample products in order to measure their hardness and tensile strength.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was still chewing the plastic.

“Good. I see my enemy is slowly collapsing while bleeding.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo smiled.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, the plant manager, Jong-Suk and the interpreter headed to Gun-Ho’s office with the new sample product.

“President Goo, please take a look at the new product.”

Gun-Ho examined the product. The product would be used as part of a car or an electronic device. It was extruded twice, and that made one part of the product hard and another part soft, which was folded. The degree of clearness was excellent. It seemed that they added some perfume to the product; it smelled really good.

“Good job all of you. Before we could celebrate our new product, we will have to pass the S Group’s test.”

“Of course, sir.”

Gun-Ho asked for the sales director—Director Kim.

“Why don’t you take the sample product and visit S Group? And meet with the vice president and tell him that we have successfully developed this new product.”

“Yes, sir. You need to keep in mind though that there are tons of researchers at the S Group’s research center and most of them have Ph.D. Their testing will be extremely thorough and really hard to pass. I will take our testing result and 20 sample products with me. I will also take Manager Jong-Suk Park as well in case they ask some technical questions.”

“Sure. Manager Jong-Suk Park! Go with the sales director to S Group.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jong-Suk answered in a very respectful way.

Gun-Ho was looking at his smartphone when he received a call from the vice president of S Group.

“President Goo? I received the new sample product. Is this really made by your company?”

“Yes, we developed it.”

“Where did you get the raw materials for this product?”

“The raw materials are from Dyeon Japan.”

“Did they sell them to you without raising any issues?”

“They just sent us a few bags of the materials since we just need them to do some tests and make sample products.”

“It would be nice to use the raw materials provided by Dyeon America from the U.S.; however, it will cost shipping. Anyway, we are in the process of testing the product.”

“Okay, sir.”

“The product looks good, but we will have to analyze to be sure. It will take about one week to complete our test. We say, ‘small head, big ideas.’ I guess that is true. I can’t believe your company developed that product.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho felt great.

S Group was one of the biggest companies in Korea. The company had been in the position for a long time. People must have an academic degree from the top universities in Korea in order to get a job in that company. The company also required a personality test to all job applicants in addition to the right education and work experience. After the job candidates passed all those tests, they then would be invited for an interview. It was extremely hard to get into that company; however, the salary was really good.

Gun-Ho felt great because his company developed the product which those researchers who had the proven best education, personality and experience couldn’t.

It was the end of the day; Gun-Ho was ready to go home when Jae-Sik Moon in a security guard uniform came into his office.

“Hello, sir.”

Jae-Sik gave a military salute to Gun-Ho to show his respect toward his employer. Gun-Ho smiled.

“What is it under your arm?”

“It’s our high school alumni directory book.”

“Really?”

Jae-Sik placed the directory book on Gun-Ho’s desk. It was about 250 pages thick.

Gun-Ho smelled the book.

“It smells really good; I can smell the new book.”

Gun-Ho opened the cover of the book and looked at the table of contents. The contents were divided into three sections. The first part was about the email addresses, phone numbers and current jobs of the alumni. The second part of the book was about how each of the alumni was doing these days. The part that talked about Gun-Ho drew Gun-Ho’s attention. It said,

“Gun-Ho Goo: Acquired GH Mobile located in Asan City, Chungnam Province. Its sales revenue is 70 billion won, and it has 250 employees. He also invested in GH Parts Company in Suzhou City, China, which is currently being run by Min-Hyeok Kim. He also owns a real estate development company called GH Development in Seoul. He contributed to the fund for the entire printing expenses to have this alumni directory book completed.”

Jae-Sik originally wrote that Gun-Ho contributed the fund for the entire expenses to make the alumni directory book, but Gun-Ho asked him to limit it to the entire printing expenses.

The third part of the alumni book was about the high school they all went together. It included news of their teachers, some of whom have already passed away.

“Thank you, President Goo.”

“Stop saying that!”

“I will send this alumni book to all of our high school friends tomorrow. They won’t talk about me like I swindled them anymore. It’s because of you, Gun-Ho. I do truly appreciate it.”

When the alumni book arrived at each of their high school friends, they were surprised.

“Wow. Gun-Ho Goo is the president of a huge company. It’s a big company if they have 250 employees, right?”

“Gun-Ho Goo? That small guy who used to wear shabby sweatshirt all the time? How could this happen? Did he win a lottery or something?”

“You can’t acquire that kind of company even though you win the lottery ten times.”

“You can never know about someone’s life or future.”

The members of WestFacing Club, where Won-Chul Jo was actively involved as the president of the club, were astonished as well.

“I heard that Gun-Ho Goo made some good money, but I didn’t know he made this much. We can’t compete with him anymore.”

The members felt half envy and half jealousy.

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Chapter 192 - Establishing GH Chemical (1) – PART 1

Chapter 192: Establishing GH Chemical (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho had 200 billion won in his stock account. No one knew about this money except Gun-Ho himself and God. He initially had 210 billion won after selling his stocks, but he transferred 10 billion won to his bank account so he could use it in acquiring the company and in sponsoring the famous geisha—Mori Aikko. He was thinking about what he was going to do with his 200 billion won.

“Well, let’s take some time to figure it out. I’m not going to put my entire money into my business. I’ve seen too many people who ended up losing all they got by doing it.”

Gun-Ho thought of investing in real estate.

“There are so many restrictions in the real estate field. Moreover, I have to pay high taxes once I sell them. It’s not easy to liquidate them when I need either. I shouldn’t invest in real estate unless I know for certain that such property would bring substantial profit.”

He thought then of investing in the stock market.

“In order to generate profits in the stock market, I have to be quick in buying and selling stocks. However, with a substantial amount of money, I can’t quickly buy or sell them. There is no guarantee that the stocks I purchase would increase in price. Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town used to say that I shouldn’t invest in the stock market because I can’t know the other player’s cards. I could lose everything that I have by investing in the stock market. I have to be very careful.”

Gun-Ho suddenly missed Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town.

“Jong-Suk and I haven’t been to the fishing site for quite a while now. Chairman Lee must be fishing there by himself. Maybe I should go fishing this Sunday with Jong-Suk. But Pocheon City where the fishing site is located is too far from here in Asan City. I didn’t really think of the distance to the fishing site when I lived in Seoul. It’s hard to go there and it’s hard to come back from there too.”

Gun-Ho instead decided to give him a call to see how he was doing. He dialed Chairman Lee’s office number instead of his personal cell phone.

“Hello? Is it Cheongdam Town? Is the president available?”

“May I tell him who’s calling?”

A lady picked up the phone. She seemed to be the secretary who Gun-Ho saw before.

“I am President Gun-Ho Goo of GH Mobile.”

“Oh, hi, sir. How have you been?”

“Thank you for remembering me.”

“How could I not remember you, sir? I really enjoyed the dried persimmons that you brought last time.”

“Haha. I am glad you liked it. Is the president in the office?”

“Yes, he is here. Give me one second. I will transfer your call to him.”

After a moment, an old man picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Sir? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, President Goo. It has been a while.”

“How are you? Are you still going to Pocheon City for fishing?”

“Of course. I have my vacation home there.”

At that moment, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s face just crossed Gun-Ho’s mind. The Japanese engineer’s face overlapped Chairman Lee’s face who was staring at the water at the fishing site.

“I should have gone to see you more often, sir. I am so sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. I know you are busy these days. You said you are in Asan City right now, right?”

“That’s right, sir.”

“How’s your business doing?”

“It’s doing fine. We just developed a new product. If everything goes well with the product, I think our sales revenue will increase a lot.”

“How much is the current sales revenue?”

“It’s 70 billion won annually. There are 250 employees.”

“That’s good. You can grow it bigger and go public.”

“Thank you.”

“I know you will do just fine since you are Tataki A Gari.”

“Tataki A Gari?”

“It means someone successfully moved up the economic ladder from the bottom without any significant academic degree or wealthy family behind or anything like that.”

“And I’m also constructing a new factory in Jiksan Town so I could move the current factory there.”

“Jiksan Town? Are you talking about the town in Cheonan City?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hmm. I can see you have been really busy.”

“Once the factory in Jiksan Town is completed, we will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Why don’t you come and join us, sir?”

“Sure. Just let me know when you have the exact date. I will stop by Jiksan Town then; I can also go and enjoy the hot spring bath in Onyang.”

“Thank you, sir. I will then give you a call later.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the vice president of S Group.

“President Goo, congratulations. Your product passed our test that was conducted in our research center. I have one requirement though before we make a contract. You must use the Dyeon’s raw materials in manufacturing the product.”

“Umm, sir. Dyeon Japan has quite limited raw materials in their location. We will have to get the materials from Dyeon America then.”

“Why don’t you send us the product cost statement, assuming you are using the raw materials provided by Dyeon America? Also, include the shipping fee.”

“Okay. I will send the product cost statement right away.”

“You can send the product cost statement to one of our staff here tomorrow via email. Once we approve the cost, you can verify the exact quantity of our initial order in our ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I thank you, President Goo, for developing that product.”

Gun-Ho called for the sales director.

“I just received a call from the vice president of S Group. Our new product passed its test.”

“Oh, really? That’s great.”

The sales director smiled broadly.

“They are asking us to send them the product cost statement.”

“Okay, sir. I will send it to them right away. What about the raw materials?”

“Since we can’t get enough raw materials from Dyeon Japan, we will have to get them from Dyeon America.”

“But it will cost a lot for shipping.”

“Nothing much we can do about it. They insisted on using the raw materials from Dyeon only. My question is whether it is easy to get the raw materials from Dyeon America.”

“I heard Lymondell Dyeon had an enormously huge factory in Seattle, U.S.A., and they are selling their raw materials world-wide. So, I don’t think we will have any problem getting the materials from them. The problem is the shipping cost.”

“The vice president of S Group told me to include the shipping cost in the product cost statement.”

“Okay, sir. We will include the CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) price for them then.”

“Sounds good.”

“And as to the labor cost, we will use the projected labor cost for next year instead of using this years’ minimum wages.”

“Okay.”

“I will bring you the product cost statement once it is ready to be sent, so you can take a look before we send it to S Group.”

“Please let the plant manager review it as well.”

“I will do that, sir.”

An extraordinary event happened to Jae-Sik Moon who was working as a security guard at Gun-Ho’s factory. He won a prize for his novel. He had been writing a novel every day during his night shift at the factory. He used a nickname when he submitted his novel; so, no one didn’t know that he was the one who wrote the award-winning fiction.

Jong-Suk ran into the president’s office.

“Bro, something huge happened.”

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Chapter 193 - Establishing GH Chemical (1) – PART 2

Chapter 193: Establishing GH Chemical (1) – PART 2

“What is it?”

“Jae-Sik bro!”

“What about him? Close the door first before you continue to talk. Everyone will be able to hear you otherwise.”

“Jae-Sik bro won a prize with his novel.”

“Really? Haha. He did a very good job there. I knew he is good at writing!”

“The award is 50 million won.”

“50 million won? Haha. That’s a lot. Did he come to work already?”

“No, not yet. He just called me.”

“When is he off?”

“He is off on Sundays.”

“You are not planning to go to Incheon City to see your parents this Sunday, right?”

“No, I am not. I have to assist that Japanese engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo here. I can’t go.”

“Then, call Jae-Sik and tell him that I will throw a pork belly party for him this Sunday.”

“Wow. I’ve never expected to hear it from you, bro. I didn’t know you can throw a party for someone.”

“Did I hurt your feelings?”

“I just felt distant from you since you became the president of a company.”

“Stupid! I have never tried to put a distance with you. I have been just too busy.”

“Anyway, so you want to buy him pork belly, huh? But usually, the novel prize winner buys his friends pork belly, no?”

“I will buy it. I am the president; I am supposed to buy you guys a good dinner.”

Gun-Ho, Jae-Sik, and Jong-Suk met at a pork belly restaurant downtown in Asan City.

“Oh, wow. This restaurant used to be an old house for someone. It looks great and cozy as a restaurant.”

“That’s right. I do like a restaurant with this kind of vibe.”

“Jong-Suk, you didn’t bring your car, did you?”

“I intentionally didn’t bring my car today, so I can drink as much as I want to without worrying about driving.”

“Good.”

“It has been a while. When was the last time I had pork belly?”

They poured soju in each other’s glass.

“Congratulations, Jae-Sik.”

Three men clinked their glasses of soju to each other’s and started drinking.

“Since you won the prize for your novel, you proved yourself as an author. So what are you going to do now? Are you moving back to Seoul?”

“What are you talking about? I am not going anywhere. I am staying here and work the same job at your company.”

Jong-Suk said while pouring soju in Jae-Sik’s glass.

“Bro, with your novel prize-winning, are you getting lots of requests to write something?”

“Not necessarily. I won the prize, but after the tax, it’s not enough to live in Seoul.”

“That’s true. Even the rent for a OneRoom is really expensive in Seoul.”

“Yeah. I have a rent-free room here, and I can have my meals at the company. My monthly salary is coming into my bank account on time every month. This is so great. Think of moving back to Seoul for a moment. You have to pay at least 100,000 won per month for rent. With the editing work, I can’t make much, and it’s not even coming in regularly. I can’t have a better life there at all.”

“That’s right, Jae-Sik Bro. If you move back to Seoul, your cute bro—Jong-Suk is not there. Gun-Ho bro is not there either. You will feel really lonely.”

“Yeah, I like here and I feel grateful to both of you, Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk for helping me when I need it the most.”

“I didn’t really do anything for you. You don’t have to feel that way.”

“I am even grateful for your presence standing next to me, Jong-Suk. If I get into a fight, you will stand on my side at least, right?”

“Nah. I will pretend that I’ve never seen you in my life.”

“You, fu*ker!”

The three men were drinking, talking and laughing together until late night that day. They drank until they all became drunk.

“Bro, the yard with this big tree looks really nice, right? The tree adds a special vibe to the restaurant.”

“That’s true. What kind of tree is this?”

“We are like those people in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, having a drink in a place where there is a yard with a big tree. It’s like we are doing that Oath of the Peach Garden thing.”

“If so, you must be Zhang Fei since you are the youngest among us. You actually do act like Zhang Fei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

The three men laughed altogether.

“Okay. If I am Zhang Fei, then Gun-Ho bro is Liu Bei, and Jae-Sik bro is Guan Yu without a beard.”

“Then, which role should we give to Min-Hyeok in China?”

“Maybe Zhuge Liang? Or Zhao Yun?”

“Hmm. I don’t know…”

“Well, it is hard to place people in the right position. Now I understand why Gun-Ho bro always thinks hard to find the right position for workers.”

Those three men walked out of the restaurant while putting arms around each other’s shoulders, and they were singing together. They walked around the entire Onyang Town in Asan City.

The second factory where the research center was located was sold for 4 billion won.

Gun-Ho used the sales proceeds to pay for the loan to Korea Credit Guarantee Fund in order to lower the debt ratio of the company. The loan from Korea Credit Guarantee Fund had kept bothering him for quite a while because there was a joint surety involved. Gun-Ho now felt like the debt ratio of GH Mobile decreased substantially.

Gun-Ho asked for the accounting manager.

“When do we expect to have the semi-annual financial statements report?”

“We will have it ready by next week. Since it’s a semi-annual report, it will be just several pages of papers, not a booklet.”

“You will have to bring several copies of it. I will have to send it to our major bank and to Financial Supervisory Service as well. I think our major customers will ask for it too.”

“We usually get 20 of them. If we need more, we can always make copies of it.”

“Can you ask the accountant office to make one in English?”

“In English?”

“Yes. I will have to send it to Dyeon Japan as well, and it has to be written in English.”

“Did you say Dyeon Japan?”

“Yes. Just ask them to make one in English.”

“Yes, sir.”

“One more thing. You have the phone number to GH Parts Company in China, right?”

“Yes, I have their number.”

“Make a call to them and ask President Min-Hyeok Kim to make their semi-annual financial statements report in English as well. Hmm, never mind. I will call him myself.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Min-Hyeok right away.

“How are you?”

“Good. It’s going well so far.”

“You are expecting to receive GH Parts Company’s semi-annual financial statements report soon, right?”

“Yeah. I actually asked the accountant here to make more copies so I can send it to you.”

“When the report is ready, ask the accountant to make another one in English.”

“Okay, I will ask him. Why do we need an English version of the financial report? Do we have good news?”

“Well, it’s too early to tell. I will let you know once I know for sure.”

Once the second factory where the research center was located was sold, the workers started worrying about their current job security.

The chief officer of the research center came to the president’s office to see Gun-Ho.

“The workers in the research center heard that the factory was sold, and they lost their motivation to work.”

“How many workers are there in the research center?”

“We have 30 workers.”

“Why don’t you bring them all to the meeting room? I will talk to them.”

“Yes, sir.”

The workers from the research center started coming into the meeting room. They seemed to be all nervous when they heard the president wanted to talk to them.

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Chapter 194 - Establishing GH Chemical (2) – PART 1

Chapter 194: Establishing GH Chemical (2) – PART 1

In the research center, there was no position such as a manager or a supervisor. Instead, they had a senior researcher or a managing researcher as a position. Most workers in the research center had an excellent academic degree and a lot of them were creative, compared to workers in other fields; however, some of them were not good at socializing. They were mostly in their late 30s or 40s except for a few workers who were the same age as Gun-Ho. The entire research center workers were sitting in the first row in the meeting room.

Gun-Ho stood up in front of them and bowed before he started talking.

“I know all of you must be very busy to perform your work duties, but I had to ask you all to come to the meeting room. As you all know, this company has experienced a severe financial crisis and it was once under court receivership. I don’t think any individual should be responsible for the crisis but the entire company is responsible for it. The research center is also responsible for the past financial crisis as it is part of the company.”

While Gun-Ho was talking, everyone in the meeting room stayed silent.

“The company spends annually more than 4 billion won for the research center’s R&D including the wages. It is 5.7 % of our company’s annual sales revenue.”

The workers started talking among themselves.

“Is it that much?”

“He said that the expense includes our wages.”

“It is still a substantial amount of money.”

Gun-Ho picked up a habit of talking with numbers while he had worked in the accounting department.

“The research center hasn’t produced any outcome corresponding to the expense the company spends for it—the amount of 4 billion won.”

Gun-Ho could hear a dry cough from here and there.

“Since I joined the company, we paid off some urgent debt to our vendors and suppliers, and also we paid for the unpaid wages. However, we still have a significant loan from banks, and our company’s debt ratio is still high. So, we had to sell our second factory where the research center is located to reduce our debts.”

A cell phone from the seat in the back started ringing and the cell phone owner quickly turned it off.

“The chief officer of the research center who is sitting right in front of me has kept on insisting that the company shouldn’t lay off any of the research center workers.”

The chief officer of the research center moved a bit from his seat when Gun-Ho talked about him. The workers at the research center at least wouldn’t blame him after Gun-Ho’s speech.

“I promise all of you here as the president of this company. Even though we sell any part of the company, we will not lay anyone off.”

They all seemed to feel a sense of relief.

“However, we can’t keep the same way we have done so far; it has to change, especially with the research center. We will ask another company to do the research work for us, and you will all be reallocated to another department within the company. I hope you understand my decision.”

“Hmm. Hmm.”

Gun-Ho could hear dry cough sound again.

Gun-Ho was a smooth speaker. He wouldn’t have imagined speaking in front of people when he had no money; he definitely wasn’t a good speaker then at all. However, he changed. He was now a big player from Gangnam. He didn’t feel shy or feel a little any longer. This company was not all he had. He had more than 200 billion won in cash. He was in his mid-30s, but he didn’t feel little in front of the research center workers or the executives who were older than him. However, he was not arrogant. He was understanding and generous because he once lived a very poor life.

The workers in the meeting room thought that Gun-Ho was a great speaker. The research center workers were good at studying and researching, but many of them were shy in speaking in front of people. However, Gun-Ho was confident in speaking.

The western saying, “Money talks everything” seemed to be true.

Gun-Ho continued to talk,

“For now, please think about which department you want to work in, write it down, and submit your preferred department to the chief officer of the research center. We will take that into account when we determine your next department you will be working in. Thank you for your hard work and cooperation.”

The research center workers at the meeting room lowered their heads as Gun-Ho talked.

“If you have any questions, this is your opportunity to ask.”

A worker sitting in the middle raised his hand.

“Will our salary change once we are reallocated to another department?”

“You will receive the same salary as you do now.”

“Since we move within the company, we don’t get severance pay, right?”

“Right. However, if you want to receive your severance pay in advance, we can arrange it as well, even though I do not recommend it.”

“Will we be discriminated in promotion?”

The workers in the room all laughed. Gun-Ho laughed intentionally along with them to make them feel easy.

“There will never be discrimination in promotion against anyone. I rather believe that the research center workers should receive preferential treatment.”

The chief officer of the research center suddenly stood up from his seat.

“Did you all hear what the president said? We just need to comply with the company policy, okay?”

Gun-Ho stood up as well.

“Thank you all for coming. You can all go now.”

Gun-Ho gave a deep bow to the workers, and the workers bowed to Gun-Ho as well in their sitting position.

Gun-Ho was checking his personal bank account online in his office when he was alone. He was then surprised by some extra money deposited in his account.

“Huh? Where did this 30 million won come from?”

It was from Jae-Sik Moon.

“Ha. This dude! He sent me 30 million won I lent him the other day to pay off his debt. It was quick. I guess he used the prize money that he won for his novel.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik.

“Hey, you were supposed to pay me 500,000 won every month, but you quickly paid it off all at once.”

“Yeah. Since I have the money, I decided to pay off the debt. I might have spent them all if I keep the money with me. So, I wanted to pay the money I borrowed from you first. I really appreciate your help.”

“You say that again!”

“I already sent the alumni directory book to all of our high school friends. Some called me to thank me, and some said they were sorry that they misunderstood me.

“Oh, really? That’s nice. You recovered your reputation.”

“Not just my reputation. I recovered my credit score as well.”

“Oh, that’s true. Haha.”

“I will let you go, Gun-Ho. You must be very busy talking with a lot of people as a president. Thank you again for your help.”

Once he got off the phone with Jae-Sik, Gun-Ho smiled.

“That dude! He can’t stand owing to someone. With his personality, he must have a really hard time when he became a person with a bad score and his friends thought he was a swindler. He suffered because he is too naive and honest because he doesn’t know how to deceive other people. He is the type of person who just feels happy when he writes.”

When he thought about Jae-Sik, it occurred to him that he once committed embezzlement when he worked for YS Tech. Gun-Ho would never be free from that incident and the feeling of guilt would stay with him for the rest of his life. Gun-Ho made a call to President Young-Sik Park.

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Chapter 195 - Establishing GH Chemical (2) – PART 2

Chapter 195: Establishing GH Chemical (2) – PART 2

“Hi, brother. It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, oh, my little brother, how have you been? What makes you call me this time?”

President Young-Sik Park started speaking a dialect again. He did that when he was caught off guard.

“It has been a while since I saw you. How about we have lunch together today? Do you have any prior engagement for lunch today?”

“Even though I have a prior engagement, you are always my priority.”

“There is a good Bibimbap* restaurant close to Yeongin Mountain. I will see you there at 1 pm. I will send you a text on the way there.”

Before heading to the restaurant for lunch, Gun-Ho took one of the new product samples— AM083 Assembly and put it in his pocket.

There were not many people at the restaurant. The restaurant’s main customers were the people who did mountain climbing to Yeongin Mountain, so the restaurant became really busy during the weekend. President Young-Sik Park was already at the restaurant waiting for Gun-Ho.

“Brother!”

“I just arrived too. Please have a seat over there. It’s a seat for an important person.”

“You should sit there, brother.”

“Don’t say that. You are the president of a big company; you should take that seat.”

President Young-Sik Park pushed Gun-Ho to the seat.

An overweight woman came to the table where Gun-Ho’s party was sitting at. She seemed to be the owner of the restaurant.

“We specialize in Bibimbap here. We have boiled pork too if you like. You will have seasoned pollack with your Bibimbap.”

“Okay. We will have Bibimbap with boiled port meat then.”

Gun-Ho asked President Young-Sik Park after sipping his water.

“How is President Se-Young Oh—the previous president of Mulpasaneop?”

“He is doing way better than the time when he was the Mulpasaneop’s president because of you. His son is doing good with his new job in a big company. Oh, his son is assigned to a new project in China. He will work at a branch office in China.”

“Since he is an experienced worker, he will be the branch manager in China branch office?”

“Well, even if he had previous work experience, I don’t think he could get the branch manager position just yet. I guess he will be maybe an assistant branch manager.”

“That’s nice.”

“I heard GH Mobile is currently developing a new product. How is it going? People said that you invited the world-best engineer in the field for consultation. I am so curious about how it is going.”

“We already made a sample product and sent to the S Group, and we passed their test. They will soon visit our company to see the factory themselves.”

“Oh, really? That’s great. If you are doing well, I feel so happy as if I am doing good.”

“Wow, this boiled pork meat tastes really good. Would you like to have Dongdongju* with the meat?”

“I can’t drink much. I even blush with one glass of liquor. Do you have high alcohol tolerance? Let’s just have one drink then.”

They both drank only one glass of Dongdongju.

“This is so good. Drinking Dongdongju in nature with my favorite brother… I am having one of the best times.”

“Brother, how is your company doing lately? Your YS Tech?”

“YS Tech? Since you helped us last time, it is still going. When Mulpasaneop was about to start the court receivership, I thought our company would go broke with them. It was one of the difficult times in my entire life. You are my savior.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Gun-Ho took the new sample product out of his pocket and showed it to President Young-Sik Park.

“Please take a look at this.”

“What is this?”

“This is the sample product we recently developed with the help of the Japanese engineer.”

“It came out from one extruding machine? Wow. It’s so distinctive. This is highly precise. It has several different parts in one product. Some parts are tender, some are solid and some are transparent. This is magnificent.”

President Young-Sik Park of YS tech checked the sample product thoroughly. He rubbed it and he smelled it.

“It’s not a complete form though. We will insert an aluminum ring for a handle.”

“A ring?”

“According to the Japanese engineer, we can’t just attach the ring to the product. It is more complicated than that. Attaching a ring to the product involves some chemical work as well.”

“Hmmm.”

“So, since we have a lot of work to do already, I am thinking of giving this job to another company.”

“Really?”

President Young-Sik Park sat close to Gun-Ho.

“Are you going to receive a lot of product orders from S Group?”

“Yes, they will order a significant amount of the products.”

“Give that work to our company. We have die casting machines too.”

“The Japanese engineer said the work will be more complicated and difficult than expected. I actually brought the sample product for you, so you can figure out if your company can handle the work. I will send you the product drawing via email as well.”

“Thank you, little brother. If everything goes well with this new work, I think I can repay you 200 million won that I borrowed the other day.”

President Young-Sik Park carefully wrapped the sample product that Gun-Ho handed to him with his handkerchief and slipped it into his pocket.

Gun-Ho received a phone call from Professor Jien Wang from China. It had been a while since Gun-Ho talked to him.

“Hey, Gun-Ho. You don’t give me a call ever if I don’t call you?”

“Hey, Jien Wang. It has been a while. How are you?”

“How’s your company doing? Attorney Young-Jin Kim told me that you acquired a huge company in Asan City, Chungnam Province in Korea. You must be very busy.”

“It’s not that big. You can’t think of a big company in China to compare with a company in Korea. We have a different scale.”

“How much is the sales revenue?”

“It’s 70 billion Korean Won, so it’s about 70 million U.S. Dollars.”

“Wow. That’s substantial. A company with 70 million dollar sales revenue is considered a big company in China too. You can have about 7,000 workers then.”

“We can’t do that in Korea. We have only 250 workers now.”

“Yeah, because the company is in Korea. If the company is located in China, you would have had to hire more workers. In China, we had way too high unemployment rate. Labor workers are having a hard time. Deputy Mayor Seukang Li and I are worried about our country’s current economy.”

“That should be worried about by the government, shouldn’t it?”

“I am involved in the government work. I am a member of the employment promotion committee in a municipal government. Hey, why don’t you invest some money in China?”

“Haha. I don’t have any money. And I already have an auto parts factory in Suzhou City, China.”

“How is the business going with that factory?”

“It’s going okay. We are not losing money at least. Since Deputy Mayor Seukang Li introduced a window manufacturing company to us, our sales revenue has increased.”

“Really? That’s nice. It seems that Seukang Li will come back to Shanghai soon.”

“He is coming back to Shanghai? With what position?”

“He will be assigned with the position of a director of the bureau.”

“So, his position changes from a deputy mayor to a director of some kind of bureau. Is he then being demoted?”

“No, it’s definitely a promotion. You can’t compare a deputy mayor in a small city with a director of the bureau in Shanghai.”

“What is the exact position he will get?”

“I am not so sure, but he said he probably will get a director of the bureau in cultural affairs.”

“What is that position about?”

“That department handles the media like TV, music, fine arts, entertainment, etc.”

“Oh, I see.”

“The position is not yet confirmed though. He will have to go through the committee’s review and ratification first.”

“Well, I hope all goes well with him.”

“Oh, you know what? I published a new book.”

“What kind of book?”

“It has to be an economic book, right? Since I am an economist. The book title is “Economy Trend in China for the 21st Century. I am thinking of writing about the US-China trade war for my next book.”

“Will your book be published in Korea too?”

“Not yet. My book is academic, so no one has suggested me to publish it in Korea yet.”

“Haha, really?”

“I will send you a copy of my book to your office, even though it is written in Chinese. Read it. It’s an assignment from a professor to a student.”

“Haha. Okay.”

Note*

Bibimbap – A Korean rice dish with various ingredients such as vegetables and meat with hot sauce and sesame oil.

Dongdongju – Korean liquor made of rice

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Chapter 196 - Establishing GH Chemical (3) – PART 1

Chapter 196: Establishing GH Chemical (3) – PART 1

The semi-annual financial statements report arrived. Accountant Nak-Jong Lee from Anchang Accountant Office brought it to Gun-Ho’s company himself.

“Oh, you brought it yourself. You could have just sent one of your staff for it.”

“I have to bring it myself. I give a report directly to a company’s owner for this kind of report.”

“Let’s have some tea while we talk about our semi-annual financial statements.”

“Sure. The company’s sales revenue is gradually increasing. That is very encouraging. When the company was still Mulpasaneop, it had a really hard time keeping up the positive net income. Everything is different now.”

“We still need to reduce the cost of products, right?”

“The debt ratio has decreased a lot since the second factory was sold. However, the company is bearing a significant amount of construction cost for the new factory in Jiksan Town. So, reducing the product cost won’t make any impact much.”

“Once the factory in Jiksan Town is completely constructed, we will move to that location, and we will sell the main factory here then.”

“If you sell the main factory here, the company’s assets will be reduced and the company’s debt will be reduced as well accordingly.”

“What if we don’t sell the main factory, but we run another company here?”

“Are you saying you will acquire another business? That’s up to you, President Goo. You can either invest personally or have GH Mobile invest in a new factory.”

“If GH Mobile invests in a new factory and if the new factory doesn’t do well, then it will affect GH Mobile, right?”

“Of course, it will.”

“Hmm.”

“This company has an advantage though.”

“What is it?”

“First, this company is 100% owned by one person—you, President Goo, and there is no other shareholder. Also, there are no expenses used by the owner family.”

“Why would an owner family use a company’s money?”

“There are a lot of companies like that. A president’s wife buys an expensive designer handbag with a business credit card, or they use the company money to pay for their son’s study abroad, for example. Those kinds of things commonly happen.”

“They shouldn’t do that.”

“There are a lot of company owner families like that. It is a big problem. Some people born to a wealthy family just don’t know what they can do and what they cannot do.”

“Thank you for your analysis and advice today.”

“I am so glad to see the company is doing well.”

Gun-Ho left for Japan carrying the English version of the semi-annual financial statements report, company organizational chart, and other documents with him. When he arrived in Japan, he headed to Amiel’s office in Nihonbashi. Gun-Ho was with the interpreter who Kim&Jeong Law Office recommended.

“Amiel, what do you think? Do you see an improvement in our company’s financial statements report?”

“I do see it doing better…”

“We do have workers, technologies, and a factory that can start working right away with a large land.”

“I know you are driven and highly motivated; however, we need to verify the qualifications of the workers and also we need to secure sales network in Asia markets.”

“Well, the largest market in Asia is China. I have a company there in Suzhou City specifically. I’ve attached that company’s semi-annual financial statements report as well to the document I just gave to you. We can develop the China market and sell products there using that company.”

Amiel thoroughly looked through the documents that Gun-Ho brought in.

“Oh, I was told that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo succeeded in developing a new product for you. Is it true?”

“Yes. We are already talking with the customer about the product, and the product passed their test. We are waiting for their personnel to visit our company to look around our factory. They will order the products more than 100 tons per year.”

“100 tons? That is a lot for a single product order. However, that’s not good enough.”

“The S Group is one of the biggest companies in Korea. Once they start using our product, more companies will request to buy our products soon. You will see.”

“Well, since you are extremely motivated, I will talk with the headquarters. The co-venturer’s president’s personality weighed heavily with the headquarters, so President Goo, Give me your resume—an English version—with your picture on. I need a copy of your passport as well.”

Gun-Ho printed out his resume in Amiel’s office. He saved his resume in his email account in case he needed it.

“Where is the headquarters of Lymondell Dyeon located?”

“It’s in the area 30 mile north from Seattle. Since they supply lots of products to Boeing, it is located close to the Boeing company.”

“I heard Boeing has an enormous factory.”

“Don’t get me started. You can’t even finish a tour of their factory in one day.”

“Wow. Really?”

“I have your papers with me, so you can go back to Korea for now. Once I heard from the headquarters, I will let you know. Or, you could possibly receive the response to your office directly from the headquarters. Starting a joint venture involves legal matters. Talk with Attorney Young-Jin Kim about it since he is the expert in the legal area and also he speaks English very well.”

“Okay, I will. Thank you.”

“You want to go to that bar in Shinjuku?”

“Not this time. Let’s go there when we have good news from headquarters.”

“Sure.”

“There is a rumor that you put Mori Aikko’s hair up—the dancing geisha in Shinjuku. Is it true?”

“No comment there, man. I can’t talk about my romantic life.”

“Oh, shoot. So that’s true. You made it. I am so envious of you. You got the most beautiful woman in Japan. You are indeed a man who can achieve anything. I guess you will grab the joint venture opportunity too.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho came back to Korea. Before he headed to Asan City, he stopped by his TowerPalace condo in Seoul. There were tons of mails in the mailbox waiting for him, such as utility bills.

“Well, I will have to take care of these before I go to Asan City. These mails are all about asking me for money.”

When Gun-Ho was taking his mail from his mailbox, an old man came into the mailbox area. He was a resident of the same building as Gun-Ho, and he was the representative of the residents.

“Are you the young man who is living in #18XX, by any chance?”

“Yes, I am.”

“We keep receiving the notice to ask you to attend the Civil Defense Training because you haven’t showed up. Please go to the training, so I don’t have to keep going up to your condo to remind you of it.”

“Oh. I am so sorry.”

Gun-Ho saw the notification for the Civil Defense Training along with other letters he received.

Gun-Ho slept in his TowerPalace condo by himself that night.

“Maybe I should sell this condo. The 20 pyung large condo next to the Asan KTX training station would be perfect for me. This condo is too expensive to keep. The tax is high, not good.”

Gun-Ho, however, thought that he should have a place to take a rest in Seoul since he comes to Seoul from time to time. Moreover, his resident status was registered with this condo.

“Should I ask Mori Aikko to move in with me in this condo?”

Gun-Ho fell asleep while thinking about living together with Mori Aikko in his TowerPalace condo.

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Chapter 197 - Establishing GH Chemical (3) – PART 2

Chapter 197: Establishing GH Chemical (3) – PART 2

The next day, Gun-Ho went to his GH Development office in Gangnam. Manager Kang was dozing off in his chair, and Ms. Ji-Young Jeong was playing with his smartphone chatting with her friends. They used to work hard when Gun-Ho—the president of the company was in the office with them.

“Hi. How have you all been?”

“Oh, sir.”

The two employees were frightened and stood up quickly from their seats when they saw Gun-Ho entering the office. Ji-Young became fussy and brought green tea for Gun-Ho while Manager Kang took out papers he had to get Gun-Ho’s review and approval. Gun-Ho laughed.

“Easy, people. You can sometimes doze off in the office if you are so tired. I understand.”

The OneRoomTel business was doing well. It seemed that Manager Kang had been doing a good job managing them. Ji-Young gave a report to Gun-Ho on the current financial status of the company and showed him the ledger.

“Hmm. I see the office get-together expense has reduced. Why don’t you go out more often and have dinner together even though I am not here?”

“Thank… thank you, sir.”

“I saw the design office next door on the way here. Their office lights are off. Did they move to somewhere else?”

“They closed the office temporarily. Their business was suffering before they closed the office. They are several months behind their rent.”

“Why don’t they vacate the office then? It seems all their furniture and stuff are still in the office.”

“I think they placed the office on the market, but no one has shown any interest yet.”

“Manager Kang, what do you think about it? Even though they don’t use the office, since they haven’t completely vacated the office yet, the landlord will ask them to pay the rent, right?”

“That’s right, sir. If they want to move out before the contract expires, they will have to pay the rent. If they don’t pay the rent, the owner will deduct the amount from their security deposit.”

“That means there would be not much left for them to take when they move out, from their security deposit.”

“Right. It only takes a few months to go broke.”

“That shouldn’t be true, Manager Kang.”

Ji-Young seemed to be upset because she was close with the workers in that design office.

“That’s how it works, Ms. Ji-Young Jeong. The owner will ask them to pay the rent even though they don’t really use the office because otherwise, the owner will have to bear the cost for the office. Moreover, if the owner purchased the office with a loan, then he will have to pay the loan interest without making any money from the office.”

“So they haven’t found any new tenant yet, huh?”

“Right. Even though they put the office on the market, if they can’t find any new tenant who would take over their rent, they will have to pay for it. That’s sad.”

“When we move into our office, I think there were seven workers in their office.”

“There are only three of them left. The office manager quit, and the lady worker who helped us to make our company logo is staying home these days because there is no work for her.”

“Did you say they do a design work for a publishing company?”

“They do publishing work and also various design works, too. She is really good at what she does.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho rubbed his chin.

Gun-Ho headed to Asan City. He was away from his company in Asan for about four days. He was away for a business trip to Japan and for visiting his office in Seoul.

He called for a meeting in the morning.

“Any news while I was away?”

“Nothing special, sir. The S Group notified us that they will visit our factory next Tuesday to verify our production capacity.”

“We will have to present our factory very well to them. Please be prepared for it. This is really important for our company.”

“Yes, sir. We already checked the extruding machines and prepared half a ton of the Dyeon’s raw materials.”

“The raw materials seem to have arrived early. I thought it would take longer since they are coming from the U.S.”

“It doesn’t take a long time these days. We just make an order through a phone call, and the customs office quickly does their job.”

“Really? Haha. Did you get a product recipe from Mr. Sakata Ikuzo?”

“We have received the mould, but he hasn’t handed the recipe to us yet. He said he would give it to us once he gets paid for his incentive.”

“Of course, he wants his money.”

Once the managers and directors left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho saw a mail at his desk.

It was the book that Jien Wang sent to him—Economy Trend in China for the 21st Century.”

“Well, even though I studied in China, this should still be difficult for me to read. I will need a dictionary and time to translate.”

Gun-Ho asked for Jae-Sik Moon.

“Me? Did you ask for me?”

“Yes, I did. Why don’t you have a seat there? Let’s have some tea.”

“Someone could see us together, which is not good. They would say that a security guard presumptuously is having tea with the president. People are already talking about me behind my back.”

“What do they say?”

“They said the company provides a place to stay to a security guard.”

“Oh, hmm. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“How can I not be concerned? They will eventually talk bad about you behind your back.”

“Hmm. You think so?”

Gun-Ho felt a headache. What Jae-Sik was concerned about made sense to him. The president was supposed to be fair to all his employees.

“By the way, how much do you think it would cost to publish this kind of book in Korea?”

“Let me see, oh, this is a Chinese book, a book published by Zhejiang University Publisher. Hmm. The author graduated from Yale University. Oh, he used to be a college professor in the U.S.”

“He is a friend of mine.”

“Your friend?”

“Yeah. We became friends when I was in China. He is the same age as us.”

“Really? He must be a good friend.”

Jae-Sik scanned through the book.

“Assuming we publish this book, 2,000 of them will cost about 12 million won.”

“It does cost a lot. What if we publish 1,000 of them?”

“It doesn’t really matter how many you publish. It will make a difference only in the printing cost.”

“Then what sort of costs are we talking about?”

“I think I talked to you about this before. The cost before the printing-out will be about 3,000 dollars. It’s 3 million won. The translation cost will be another 3 million won. This book is 300 pages. Even though we assume the translation cost is 10,000 won per page, the translation costs about 3 million won. The remaining 6 million won is for design, proofreading, editing, printing, etc.”

“Hmm.”

“Publishing business is all about money as well. The person with more money would win. The more they publish, the higher chance they will have to get a best-selling book.”

Gun-Ho was thinking for a moment, and then he suggested to Jae-Sik,

“Would you like to try to run a publishing company in Seoul? Then you don’t have to worry about all those people here who are talking about you behind your back.”

“A publishing company? I am not capable of running a business like that. In order to run a publishing company, you have to have some sense in selecting books, and you need to be good at sales. I can handle the publishing work itself though. I know I can do very well in that work.”

“Hmm. Really?”

“I read the news yesterday online. The lady president of the famous publishing company—KimBooks—left the company. She is very famous in the field. She is known as the hand of Midas in the publishing industry. If you could find someone like her, that would be great.”

“Why would a person like her leave the company then?”

“She seemed to not get along with the owner.”

“Hey, can you find out her phone number for me?”

“Are you seriously considering having a publishing company? Running this factory should make you busy enough. A publishing work is very different from running a company. You don’t make much money. You can’t think it could be very similar to this factory business.”

“Find out her phone number. Let’s see how things turn out.”

Jae-Sik looked at Gun-Ho in a suspicious way before he left Gun-Ho’s office.

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Chapter 198 - Establishing GH Media (1) – PART 1

Chapter 198: Establishing GH Media (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho received a letter from Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle, U.S.A.

“Shoot. This is all written in English.”

Gun-Ho decided to bring the letter to Attorney Young-Jin Kim who studied in America. He called Attorney Kim to check if he was available to meet.

“Attorney Kim? It’s me. I will come to Seoul soon to see you. Will you be available this afternoon?”

“Yes, I will be in the office. What’s up?”

“I submitted my application to participate in a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon, and I just received a letter from them. I think I’d better discuss it with an attorney.”

“Really? So you are going to do a joint venture with them.”

“GH Mobile will soon move to a new location, and I will keep the current factory in Asan City. I want to start Dyeon Korea there.”

“Okay. Come quick. I am really curious about what the letter says.”

Gun-Ho took a KTX train heading to Seoul and went to Kim & Jeong Law Office located in the Gwanghwa Gate area.

“Gun-Ho Goo? You are so quick. Let me see the letter.”

Gun-Ho handed the letter which was sent by Dyeon to Attorney Kim, and Attorney Kim thoroughly read the letter.

“Well, they said your company’s financial statements report that you sent to them was not quite satisfactory to their qualification requirements.”

“Really? I lowered the company’s debt ratio a lot, but still, it is not sufficient for them?”

“However, they said, they highly recognize the president’s drive, work experience, and character, so they decided to invite you for an interview.”

“Haha, really?”

“You can come for an interview in the first week of next month. And they said, before you come, they want you to contact their personnel—Angelina Rein—to arrange the specific date for the interview.”

“Angelina Rein? Is it a lady?”

“Yes, it’s a female name. They gave you her phone number as well.”

“They said that you need to bring some photos of the factory’s exterior and interior. Also, if you could bring some product samples that your factory manufactured, that would be great.”

“That’s it?”

“They are also asking you to bring a business plan written in English.”

“Hmm. There are a lot of things I need to prepare for the interview…”

“Why don’t you ask a professional to do the business plan?”

“A professional?”

“Yes, there are people who are good at it, especially the ones that mostly worked for international companies. Those people usually have an MBA degree and speak fluent English. They can make a beautiful business plan.”

“Hmm. Really? They will have to come to my factory then before they start writing our business plan.”

“They should. Even though they are the ones who will write your business plan, GH Mobile needs to provide them with basic information about the company.”

“Do they charge a lot for their service?”

“Not really. They have their fixed man-day rate.”

“Can you then tell them to visit our factory?”

“Okay, I will ask them. Why don’t you make a contract with our law firm for your joint venture matter? You will need some legal review of a contract with Dyeon later, anyway.”

“Kim & Jeong is notorious for their high legal fees, right?”

“We won’t charge you a lot. When you go to Seattle for your interview with Dyeon, you’d better go with us too.”

“Hmmm. That’s right. Okay, then let’s make a contract.”

Gun-Ho thought it was a good idea to get help from a law firm since he was about to work with a global company—Dyeon. He was willing to pay for the legal fees.

Two days after Gun-Ho came back to Asan City, two young men visited Gun-Ho’s company. They looked distinctive. They were wearing a blinding white shirt with overalls. Their hairstyle was unique as well. They definitely seemed to be people who were heavily influenced by American culture.

“Are you President Gun-Ho Goo? I’ve heard a lot about you, sir. We are referred by Attorney Young-Jin Kim. I am the planning director of Moor Investment.”

“Are you here for a business plan?”

“Yes, we are. The most important thing in writing a business plan is to grasp the gist of it. We will start by having a tour of the factory.”

Gun-Ho asked for the plant manager, but he was out of the office for the moment. Gun-Ho instead asked for Jong-Suk.

“These gentlemen came here to help us write a business plan. Please guide them to the factory tour.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho introduced the sales director to those people and told them that the sales director was the best person to ask about the company if they had any questions. The sales director could explain very well about the company’s value to them since he was once involved in figuring out the company’s value with accountants during the past court receivership. They could also have a tour to the research center as well since the research center hadn’t dissolved yet. They also visited the new factory in Jiksan Town and took photos.

“Do you think you can make an excellent business plan for our company?”

“Yes, we can. However, I think we need to exaggerate a bit of the sales plan. We will take care of it.”

“We are counting on you, people. Thank you for your work.”

“We’d like to visit GH Parts Company that is situated in Suzhou City, China, that you have invested in.”

“Oh, you do want to visit the factory in China too? It’s a small factory though.”

“Yes, actually we need to see that factory too. The important key to the business plan is to establish the sales and business network overseas. GH Parts Company in China will be the base camp of the Dyeon Korea for China’s market, right?”

“Yes. Okay.”

“We will need two flight tickets to Suzhou City, China and a hotel reservation.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager.

“Mr. General Affairs Manager, these two gentlemen need to see our factory in China too. Please prepare two flight tickets to Suzhou City and a hotel reservation for them.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Min-Hyeok in China.

“Min-Hyeok? It’s me, Gun-Ho. We will send two gentlemen to your factory. They are from a company called Moore Investment. Please take care of them. They will need a tour of the factory.”

“What is it regards to?”

“I am trying to do a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon, and we need a business plan for it. So I asked a company to do the job. These two gentlemen are professionals from that company. Please show them around.”

“Oh, I see. Sure, I will take care of it.”

“If we successfully start a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon, we will sell the Dyeon’s products that would be produced from the factory here to China’s market.”

“Don’t they want to produce it at a factory in China?”

“It seems that they don’t want to have a factory in China.”

“Really? Then the base camp for sales will be here, huh?”

“I think so. I will give you a stock option for those sales as well.”

“Haha, really? I guess I will have to work really hard! I will have the factory ready for their visit.”

Gun-Ho thought that Min-Hyeok would do a very good job in selling Dyeon Korea’s products rather than sitting in the office at the factory and manufacturing products.

“Once Dyeon Korea succeeded in selling a lot of products, Min-Hyeok will become rich.”

Gun-Ho smiled.

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Chapter 199 - Establishing GH Media (1) – PART 2

Chapter 199: Establishing GH Media (1) – PART 2

Jae-Sik hesitated in front of Gun-Ho’s office before he entered the office.

“Hey, Jae-Sik, please come in. The guests already left.”

Jae-Sik entered the office and sat carefully at the conference table in Gun-Ho’s office.

“I talked with the lady president who used to work for KimBooks.”

“That’s good. So you found her phone number.”

“My college friend who was my junior at that time happened to work for KimBooks at their editorial department. He also majored in creative writing like me. He made me promise to him that I wouldn’t tell anyone that I got her number from him.”

“Really? So what does that lady president say?”

“She said she wanted to have some time off from her work at first. And then, once she found out that the person who wanted to talk with her is the president of a big auto parts company, she seems to be interested suddenly.”

“So is she willing to meet with me?”

“She said she would visit the company. It seems that she has already been contacted by so many swindlers who said they would want to start a publishing company with her. So, she wants to make sure that you are really the person who is running a big company.”

“Haha, really? So when is she coming here?”

“She said she will be here by 2 pm tomorrow.”

“That’s good. You should be here by 2 pm tomorrow too, okay?”

“Okay, I will.”

“Do you have any information on her? Like how old she is?”

“I don’t know much about her, but as far as I know, she graduated from Ewha Woman’s University; she should be in her late 40s. She has an extensive sales network in the publishing industry, and she has incisive eyes in selecting good books to publish.”

“Haha. I see. Okay, I will see you tomorrow at my office.”

Gun-Ho was dozing off in his office after lunch when Jae-Sik came with a lady. She was that lady president who was known to have the hand of Midas in the publishing field; her name was Jeong-Sook Shin. She looked proud and intelligent. She walked into the office with a long white scarf around her neck. Jae-Sik introduced her to Gun-Ho.

“She is the previous president of KimBooks. This is President Gun-Ho Goo of GH Mobile here.”

She offered first her hands to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“I’m Jeong-Sook Shin. Very nice to meet you.”

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo. Please have a seat.”

Jeong-Sook sat on a chair.

“I was surprised twice since I came to this company. At first, I was surprised by the size of the company. I was actually expecting to see a factory with several tens of workers, but there are 250 workers in this company. Second, I was surprised because the president of this big company is so young. When I heard that the president of a manufacturing company is interested in starting a publishing company, I expected to see an old man.”

Gun-Ho picked up the book written by Professor Jien Wang—Economy Trend in China for the 21st Century and showed it to Jeong-Sook.

“A friend of mine in China wrote this book. I want to publish this book in Korea.”

The lady was wondering.

“Are you saying that you just want to publish this book, rather than starting a publishing company?”

“Of course not. I want to publish books that are best-selling books on Amazon.com, starting from this book here. I heard you have discerning eyes for recognizing good books.”

“Since you are running a big company, I suppose you have enough funds to invest. How much do you intend to invest in a publishing company?”

“How much do you think would be enough?”

“It will take a few months to publish a book, and you need to pay for the expenses including labor until then. You can assume that it will take at least 300 million won until a publishing company starts generating enough income to be self-sufficient.”

“300 million won. Okay. With how much salary would you be happy to work with me in running a publishing company?”

“I don’t remember telling you that I would work with you in running a publishing business. I just came here out of curiosity since I am taking my time off from work, and I heard someone in the manufacturing industry was interested in the publishing industry.”

“I don’t know anything about publishing business, but you have been in the publishing field for a long time, and you have extensive experience and discernment in selecting books. I will take care of the necessary funds. Would you work with me and start a publishing company?”

“I have a few conditions.”

“What are they?”

“First, I don’t want to be interfered in running the publishing company.”

“That I can do. I can’t interfere with something I don’t know about. Moreover, I don’t have time or energy to do so since I have another company that I need to run.”

“Hahaha. That’s the thing I like about. That’s why I have declined many offers to work together in running a publishing company. I knew you wouldn’t interfere in the publishing business since you have your manufacturing company to run.”

“Is there a second condition?”

“I’d like to have a stock option in addition to a salary. The major reason why I quit KimBooks was that I couldn’t reach an agreement with its president on a stock option. I want 10%.”

Gun-Ho shook his head.

“I have a company in China, and I give a stock option of 5%. I can’t give you more than that. I need to keep balance and fairness within my companies. Moreover, a publishing business requires me to take a high risk of failure, and the business is not a type of business that would generate substantial revenue.”

“Okay, then I will take a salary plus 5% stock option.”

“Okay, I will give you that. However, I have a few conditions as well.”

“I am listening.”

“I want you to let Mr. Jae-Sik Moon manage the editorial department.”

“Mr. Jae-Sik Moon? Of course, I would love to work with him. He used to work in the publishing industry, and he is an award-winning author of a full-length novel as well. He has extensive work experience in editing as well.”

“Secondarily, I know three people in a design company in Seoul. I want you to hire them.”

“I can give them an opportunity to have an interview with me. I need to see them first before I can tell you whether I would hire them or not. However, since you recommend them, I will see their qualification favorably.”

“I will provide you an office-tel that is located close to the Gangnam station in Seoul.”

“Sure. An office-tel would be enough until the company becomes stable.”

“Okay then. We will contact you as soon as we complete any administration work on our side. The capital of the company is 300 million won, and the company’s name will be GH Media. We will register Gun-Ho Goo and Jeong-Sook Shin as the directors of the company. For any paperwork we need from you in order to register your name as the director of the company, you will be contacted by Manger Seong-Il Kang from GH Development in Seoul.”

“Sounds good.”

When Jeong-Sook and Jae-Sik walked out of Gun-Ho’s office, Jeong-Sook asked,

“What does President Goo’s father do?”

“President Goo is a self-made successful man.”

“Wow! He is so young though.”

“He has another factory being built right now; they will soon move to that location. The new factory is in Jiksan Town; he is building a highly advanced factory in a 5,000 pyung large land there.”

“5,000 pyung? Wow, he is an amazing person. I don’t understand why he wants to have a small publishing company though.”

“Why not? He probably likes it a lot.”

Gun-Ho made a call to his office in Seoul—GH Development. Ji-Young Jeong picked up the phone.

“How is the design company next door doing?”

“Nothing has changed yet, sir. The office is still closed temporarily.”

“You said that you know well the person who worked for that company, right?”

“Yes, the person I am close to is the team leader of their design team.”

“Can you tell her to come to the office? Tell her that I will acquire that design company.”

“Sir? Are you going to buy that design company?”

“Yes. I will be there by noon today. Tell her that I want to meet with her at noon if she doesn’t have any prior engagement.”

“Sure, I will let her know.”

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Chapter 200 - Establishing GH Media (2) – PART 1

Chapter 200: Establishing GH Media (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho went to his office in Gangnam, Seoul—GH Development. The lights in the office next door were on. It seemed that the workers of the design company came to the office.

Gun-Ho entered the design company next door with Ji-Young. Three people who were sitting on a chair stood up when they saw Gun-Ho coming into the office. Ji-Young indicated the woman who seemed to be the oldest among three people.

“This is the team leader of the design team.”

“I am Gun-Ho Goo.”

“I am Min-Sook Oh. I’ve heard a lot about you, sir.”

Min-Sook seemed to be a shy person.

“Who was the president of this company?”

“Our company is not a registered company. The manager who quit the job registered the business as a sole proprietorship. And we just worked together with her.”

“What was the nature of the business?”

“We design for books mostly. We also do design work for various things such as business cards, pamphlets, banners, signs, and etc.”

“All three of you work at the design team?”

“No, the lady over there, she handled administration work.”

A lady who was wearing glasses nodded her head at Gun-Ho.

“How much was the security deposit for this office-tel?”

“The security deposit was 20 million won with a monthly rent of 1.6 million won. We are three months behind our rent. We were 7 when we started this business and we all contributed to the security deposit, and when the manager quit the job, she took her portion from it.”

“So, the business is now registered with your name, Ms. Min-Sook Oh?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I will buy this business, and I will open a publishing company here. Why don’t you all join the new publishing company?”

“A publishing company? We would love to work for you, sir.”

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, can you ask Manager Kang to come to this office?”

Manager Kang came to the office from next door.

“Manager Kang, I am planning to establish a publishing company. How much do we have in our GH Development bank account?”

“We currently have 340 million won.”

“Manager Kang, please prepare all the paperwork to form a publishing company. Its capital will be 300 million won. The company directors will be Gun-Ho Goo, myself and another person whose name is Jeong-Sook Shin. The sole shareholder who owns 100% of the company is Gun-Ho Goo, and the president will be Jeong-Sook Shin.”

Everyone in the office was wondering who Jeong-Sook Shin was.

“Jeong-Sook Shin? Who is Jeong-Sook Shin?”

“She is known to have the hand of Midas in the publishing industry. She is the former president of KimBooks.”

“Ohhh, I know of her!”

The three ladies of the design company were astonished all at once.

“So once you open a publishing company at this office-tel, Jeong-Sook Shin will join you as the president?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Wow.”

The three ladies clapped together.

The design team leader— Min-Sook Oh suddenly looked worried.

“There are tons of highly competent designers in the publishing field. Will Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin be willing to work with us?”

“It was one of my conditions required when I negotiate with Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin in forming a publishing company. I asked her to hire all of you. She will still talk to every one of you as an interview; however, she will most likely hire all of you unless something unexpected happens.”

“Thank you.”

“Was that desk over there used by the manager who left the company?”

“Yes.”

“Once Jeong-Sook Shin arrived, let her use that desk then. Also, a chief editor will join you ask well.”

“A chief editor?”

“Yes. He is the award-winning author of a full-length novel. He will join us in our publishing company. Oh, you know what? Let the chief editor use that desk; his name is Jae-Sik Moon by the way. We will buy a new desk for Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin. Manager Kang, please get her the most luxurious wood desk.”

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Kang answered while writing down one more item to be added to his to-do list.”

Gun-Ho asked the design team leader— Min-Sook Oh.

“Will the office have enough space to work even with an additional desk?”

“It should be okay. There used to be seven people working here altogether.”

Gun-Ho took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Manager Kang.

“This is the phone number of Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin who will join us as the president of the publishing company. You can contact her on this number for the company registration and other necessary paperwork.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And once the publishing company is established, pay the security deposit and the outstanding balance for rent. You can hand over the company bank account and all the receipts for the expenses you would spend until then for that company to Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The people here might not be familiar with starting and running a registered company. You can help them if they have any questions or concerns.”

“Haha. Don’t worry about it, sir.”

Manager Kang said while slipping the piece of paper with Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin’s phone number into his pocket.

The three workers of the design company had been sort of saved by Gun-Ho; they almost lost their jobs because of their company’s financial situation. In addition, they would have their funds back, which they had contributed to pay for the security deposit of their office. The most surprising thing was that they would be working with the legendary figure in the publishing industry— Jeong-Sook Shin.

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok in China.

“The people from Moore Investment arrived here. They are having a tour of the factory right now.

“Really? Please take good care of them.”

“They are more thorough than I expected, and they asked a lot of questions. Especially, they seemed to be very interested in our customers.”

“It seems they know what they are doing.”

“Oh, I talked with the president of the window manufacturing company yesterday. He said that Deputy Mayor Seukang Li has been assigned to Shanghai.”

“Really? Did he tell you what position he is taking?”

“He will be working as a director of the bureau in cultural affairs.”

“Oh, I see. It seems you now don’t have any language problem talking with Chinese people.”

“I can’t compete with you, Gun-Ho who went to college in China.”

Gun-Ho slightly smiled when he learned that Seukang Li had been promoted and assigned to Shanghai.

“Jien Wang was right about it.”

When Gun-Ho came back to Asan City, he called for Jae-Sik.

“Pack your stuff.”

“I do like here…”

“People are supposed to work in a position that they can utilize their talent the most. You don’t belong to the security guard position. You can do way better than that.”

“I don’t have any place to stay in Seoul.”

“I will get you a OneRoomTel there. The office you will work at is located in Gangnam. It’s a convenient location, close to the Gangnam station. Once you get there, you will work with three design workers. Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin will soon join you as the president, once the company formation process is completed.”

“Thank you for getting me a place to stay in Seoul.”

“So, you will be working with four ladies; you will be the only male worker there. I am envious of you.”

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Chapter 201 - Establishing GH Media (2) – PART 2

Chapter 201: Establishing GH Media (2) – PART 2

“Haha. That’s true. I don’t have to worry about sales, right?”

“Of course not. You just focus on writing and editing. Your salary will be determined by President Jeong-Sook Shin. I determine her salary, but she will handle the salaries of the other workers in that company. Enjoy working with her.”

Manager Kang from GH Development called Gun-Ho to let him know that he had completed any legal and administrative process to form GH Media. Therefore, GH Media officially had been established.

“Good work, Min-Hyeok.”

“I completed registering the company with the tax office as well.”

“What about President Jeong-Sook Shin’s new desk?”

“A new desk and a chair for her arrived already. I also bought a table for a guest.”

“That’s good. There is one more thing I need you to take care of. Please prepare one vacant room in our OneRoomTel. The chief editor will stay there.”

“Which OneRoomTel would be good for him?”

“Since the office is located close to the Gangnam Station, let’s place him in the OneRoomTel in Yeoksam Town. They have a vacant room, right?”

“Yes, they do. It’s not a busy season for a OneRoomTel business right now, so we do have vacant rooms there.”

“Don’t take rent from him though, at least until the publishing company becomes financially stable.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then made a phone call to President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“It seems that everything is ready. The company has formally been established and the relevant paperwork is all done. The office is ready and the workers are there already. You just need to go to the office to join them. When do you plan to start?”

“Thank you, President Goo. I will start working on Monday.”

“Sounds good. Then on Monday, why don’t you come to my real estate development office first? It’s near Gangnam Station. I will introduce you to the workers.”

“I am a bit nervous about all these since it is a start-up company. I don’t want to disappoint you, President Goo. I’ve selected five books based on the list provided by an agency that introduces foreign books. With the book—Economy Trend in China for the 21st Century which you want to publish, we will have six books we want to publish.”

“Haha. I totally trust you in that area.”

“Oh, since I have you on the phone, I want to ask you to confirm one thing.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about my salary.”

“Until the publishing company starts generating enough revenue to be self-sufficient, what about I pay you 5 million won per month?”

“5 million won? Okay, sounds good for now. I, instead, want you to renegotiate my salary with me twice per year.”

“Okay, I can do that. We will have to take the financial status of the company into account anyway in determining your salary.”

“What about the salaries of other workers in the company including the chief editor?”

“Well, you will have to decide on that. You are the best person who would be able to evaluate each worker’s qualifications and contribution to the company. So, it should be your call. I will delegate that authority to you.”

“Okay. Thank you, sir. I will then see you on Monday at your office in Gangnam.”

After getting off the phone with President Jeong-Sook Shin, Gun-Ho calculated with his electronic calculator.

“If we don’t successfully find any best-selling book within a year, we won’t be able to sell even 20 books and I will lose my entire investment fund of 300 million won for this publishing company. A publishing business seems to be highly risky. It is easy to get into the field, but it is extremely hard to succeed. Well, I will have to rely on President Jeong-Sook Shin’s competence. It’s up to her now.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“I was told that the business plan is almost done. They are currently modifying the estimated demand in the China market.”

“Really?”

“They are working on the estimated demand of the eastern coastal area of China.”

“Can they make that sort of estimation by visiting China for just a few days?”

“Moore Investment has a highly extensive information network. They already grasped the current market of China’s eastern coast area, especially on the auto parts and home appliances field. The area includes Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. They are also getting help from a local institution. They have ties to the research team of the social science academy there.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“They also grasped the present status of the competitors’ products. The U.S. is highly competitive in the chemical field, but they wanted to see if other countries such as Germany, France, and the UK are trying to expand their market to China.”

“There seems to be a lot more work than I thought.”

“You have to be thorough on this matter. You have to keep in mind that you are trying to start a joint venture with a global manufacturing company— Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Do you think they can finish the business plan by the end of this week?”

“That’s not possible. After they are done with figuring out the market status, they will start working on the estimation of projected profit. They will also translate everything into English. Let’s give them ten more days; they will bring a beautiful business plan for you then. Once they complete the business plan, you will have to decide if you want to use that business plan to submit it to Lymondell Dyeon. They will bring the Korean version of the business plan for you as well.”

“I hope I can take a look at it as soon as possible.”

On Monday, Gun-Ho headed to his office of GH Development in Gangnam, Seoul. He was having a cup of morning coffee at his desk when President Jeong-Sook Shin came into the office.

“I didn’t know you have another office here. GH Development is a real estate development company?”

“Yes, it is.”

Ms. Ji-Young Jeong brought a green tea for President Jeong-Sook Shin and placed it on the table.

“Thank you.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin looked at Ji-Young’s face.

“Is she the person who does design work?”

“Haha. No. She is GH Development’s employee. She is handling accounting here.”

“Oh, really? I’m sorry.”

Gun-Ho introduced Manager Seong-Il Kang to President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“Oh, he is Manager Kang. I spoke with him on the phone several times for paperwork. Hi, I finally meet you in person.”

Jeong-Sook extended her hands to Manager Kang for a handshake. Manager Kang seemed to be shy.

“Your office will be our office’s next door. So if you need any help, just let us know; we are just a door away. We are all family now— GH Development and GH Media, don’t we?”

“Thank you for saying that. I look forward to working with you.”

Gun-Ho and Jeong-Sook were having a conversation when Jae-Sik Moon entered the GH Development office.

“Oh, Chief Editor Moon, how are you?”

President Jeong-Sook Shin stood up when she saw Jae-Sik coming into the office.

“I looked around our office next door before coming here. It’s very nice and cozy.”

“Really? Let me take a look.”

Ji-Young came to Gun-Ho and said,

“The design workers are all in the office. They are wondering if they can come to this office now.”

“No, that wouldn’t be necessary. We will come to that office now.”

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Chapter 202 - Establishing GH Media (3) – PART 1

Chapter 202: Establishing GH Media (3) – PART 1

When Gun-Ho entered the office next door, the design workers stood up altogether.

“Hi. I came with President Jeong-Sook Shin here. She will join you starting today.”

“Hi. I’ve heard a lot about you. My name is Min-Sook Oh.”

“You look familiar. Have we met before?”

“I’ve done some contracting work for KimBooks before.”

“Oh, I see. That’s why you look so familiar. Nice to meet you. I’m Jeong-Sook Shin.”

Min-Sook introduced the other two workers to her.

“This lady here worked in the design team with me. And the lady here, she handled administrative work for our previous company.”

“Oh, is that right? Have you worked with a publishing application before?”

“No, not yet.”

“We will start using a publishing application at work. The daily orders from Kyobo Book Center and Yes24 for example or some other companies will be all handled using the software. We will use the publishing application for our shipping request as well.”

When Jeong-Sook started talking with her employees about the work at the publishing company, Gun-Ho stood up to leave.

“Alright. I will leave you all here so you could comfortably talk about the work. I have an important meeting I need to attend anyway.”

President Shin quickly handed a piece of paper to Gun-Ho.

“What is this?”

“It’s a list of the books we will publish.”

“Haha. If you are okay with the book selection, then I am okay with it. I totally leave the decision up to you to use your discretion. Manager Kang, why don’t you hand over the company bank account and credit card to President Shin?”

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Kang handed the new publishing company’s bank book and business credit card to Jeong-Sook. Gun-Ho then walked out of the office. They will talk further about the details of the tasks and things of their publishing company.

The workers came to the front door of the office to see Gun-Ho leaving.

“Today is the first day of the company. Why don’t you celebrate by having lunch in a nice restaurant all together today?”

Gun-Ho then headed to Asan City.

Gun-Ho was having a cup of coffee in the morning with several directors and managers when the plant manager brought up the topic about Jae-Sik Moon.

“The security guard who used to work night shift here quit the job. I heard he is someone you know, sir.”

“I recently established a publishing company named GH Media. He will be working for that company as a chief editor.”

“A chief editor?”

“Yes. He used to work in the publishing field, and his novel has recently been selected for an award. The prize was 50 million won.”

“Oh, I see. I didn’t know he was a writer. Well, I think I saw him writing something in his security guard office. I guess he was writing a novel.”

The people in the office all laughed together.

“That’s good for him. He didn’t seem to fit in here anyway. He was inept at the work, and I was thinking of letting you know about it. Well, he found a job that fits in with his talent. I am happy for him.”

Gun-Ho was picturing Jae-Sik sitting at a desk writing and working with books that he loved. Gun-Ho felt happy for Jae-Sik.

After having a morning meeting with managers and directors, Gun-Ho checked his email. There was an email from President Jeong-Sook Shin; it said,

“President Goo, I understand that I don’t have to give you a daily report; however, I believe I need to let you know the decision on the books which we will be publishing, and the salaries of the workers. Here is the list of books we plan to publish.”

President Shin listed six books. The book list showed mostly the books about self-development that could be easily read by readers, except ‘Economy Trend in China for the 21st Century’ authored by Professor Jien Wang. Three of them were written by Japanese writers, and two of them were authored by famous Korean columnist.

“The book titles of these books are very provocative.”

Gun-Ho then looked at the workers’ salaries.

“President Shin 3.5 million won, Chief Editor Jae-Sik Moon 2.5 million won, Min-Sook Oh 2.2 million won, Assistant designer and administrative staff 1.9 million won.”

“I told her that I would pay her 5 million won, but she lowered it to 3.5 million won for herself. I guess she was concerned about what other workers would think about her receiving a high salary now when the company even haven’t started generating revenue. However, I know she will ask me to raise it once a book starts selling. She seems to be a sensitive person about money.”

Gun-Ho was reading an economic newspaper when the sales director entered his office.

“Sir, this is the product cost that we will bring to S Group.”

“How much is the product cost per unit?”

“It’s 4,800 won.”

“The labor cost is 860 won, huh?”

“Yes. The labor cost is divided into three different labors: handling the extruding machine and mixing the chemicals, and cutting work, and lastly quality assurance and wrapping.”

“Is this based on the next year’s projected labor cost?”

“No. We used this year’s labor cost. We need to base this year’s labor cost for the products that will be manufactured this year.”

“The product unit cost seems to be very high. What costs are included?”

“It includes electricity and rent for the factory.”

“A rent for the factory?”

“Yes. Even though we own the factory, I included the rental cost. Also, various supplies expenses and depreciation are reflected in the production cost.”

“The manufacturing cost per unit itself already exceeds 3,500 won.”

“The cost of wrapping and shipping have reflected that cost.”

“How much did you list for sales and management?”

“15% of the product cost.”

“Do you think the S Group will raise the issue on it?”

“They will try to lower that cost. However, I will convince them to approve our estimated product cost.”

“Okay.”

“Please sign on the production cost sheet. We will need your signature on it so we can use it outside the company, sir.”

Gun-Ho signed on the production cost.

Gun-Ho asked with a smile,

“How much do you think they will ask in their first order?”

“I am not so sure, but I am expecting that they will ask us to produce about 50,000 units.”

“50,000… It’s 240 million won then.”

The sales director was surprised by that, Gun-Ho calculated the revenue without using a calculator.

‘He has an excellent number of sense and high capacity for mental computation. Wow. No wonder he succeeded at his young age.’

“Have we received enough raw materials from Dyeon America already for those first 50,000 product unit?”

“We received 3 tons of raw materials so far. We are unloading it right now using a forklift truck.”

“Are you visiting S Group tomorrow with the production cost document?”

“Yes. I will go with the assistant manager who was in charge of that estimation.”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay, sir. Please let me know if you need anything.”

The sales director was walking towards the office door to leave when he turned back and came to Gun-Ho to say,

“Sir, I have something I’d like to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Can we have two workers from the research center assigned to our sales department once the research center is dissolved?”

“I will send you one worker.”

“We need two of them, sir. We need at least two more people in order to strengthen our sales capacity.”

“Let’s talk about it later then.”

“Okay, sir. I will leave now.”

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Chapter 203 - Establishing GH Media (3) – PART 2

Chapter 203: Establishing GH Media (3) – PART 2

Gun-Ho thought that if the company would actually receive the first order of the new product of 50,000 units, the 20,000 dollars incentive to be paid for Mr. Sakata Ikuzo would be worth it. “Oh, I’m wondering how Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is doing now. I think I need some exercise too. I’d better do some walking. I stayed in the office for too long. Let’s walk to the production field and see how he is doing.”

Gun-Ho went to the research lab where Mr. Sakata Ikuzo had been working at. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was doing some experiments. The interpreter was dozing off while sitting behind him; his head was tilted to one side. When Gun-Ho entered the research lab, the interpreter quickly stood up.

“I thought we were done with developing the new product? What are you doing?”

“I was experimenting with TPU.”

“What is TPU?”

“TPU is thermoplastic polyurethane. It’s a major raw material of the new product.”

“What are you working on? We already have our new product completed.”

“Urethane changes color after a year. It’s one of the drawbacks it has. I want to find a way to prevent that color change.”

“You don’t waste your time, sir. I will give you a three-day paid vacation. Why don’t you take a rest and have fun?”

The interpreter looked so excited and happier than Mr. Sakata Ikuzo when he heard they were given a paid vacation.

When Gun-Ho asked for Manager Jong-Suk Park, he ran to Gun-Ho.

“Why don’t you take Mr. Sakata Ikuzo to Seoul for a tour? Mr. Sakata Ikuzo needs to stay with us until we receive the initial product order from S Group and start manufacturing our new product without any problem. This is a good time for him to look around Seoul just like a tourist. Show him Gyeongbug Palace, Namsan Tower, and etc.”

“Sure. I will take him to Seoul tomorrow. I am off tomorrow anyway. It’s on Saturday.”

“Oh, tomorrow is Saturday?”

“Bro, you don’t know what day is today?”

The next day, Jong-Suk and Mr. Sakata Ikuzo went to Gyeongbug Palace together. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo seemed to be impressed by the beauty of Gyeongbug Palace, particularly, he showed a strong interest in the palace’s architectural style. Jong-Suk and Mr. Sakata Ikuzo were at the Namsan Tower which was the next tour destination after visiting Gyeongbug Palace when he received a phone call from Gun-Ho.

“Jong-Suk, where are you?”

“We are at the Namsan Tower.”

“When are you going to have for dinner?”

“We decided to have dinner at around 6 pm at Myeong Town.”

“After dinner, come to Hannam Town around 8 pm. I am on my way to Seoul. I will meet you there.”

“What are we going to do in Hannam Town?”

“I want to buy you a drink. I know a good place to drink there.”

“Do you mean that you want to buy Mr. Sakata Ikuzo a drink? Or buy me a drink?”

“I will buy both of you a drink.”

“Alrighty. Where in Hannam Town am I supposed to go?”

“Come to the Soonchunhyang Hospital. I will meet you there.”

“Okay. Thank you, bro.”

Gun-Ho made a call to the bar hostess in Hannam Town—Ms. Jang for the first time in a long time.

“Oh, President Goo? It has been a while. To what do I owe the pleasure of the call?”

“I will be there at 8 pm today. I will bring two more people. One of them is Japanese. So if you could find a girl who can speak Japanese, that would be great.”

“Don’t worry about it. I told you that our girls can speak either English or Japanese.”

Jong-Suk was complaining while standing in front of the Soonchunhyang Hospital entrance.

“There are tons of bars in Itaewon Town, which is closer to where we were. Where does he want to take us to? He said we can just wait in front of Soonchunhyang Hospital and he will pick us up. Are we going to walk to the bar from here?”

While waiting for Gun-Ho in front of the hospital, Jong-Suk felt sorry to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo who was standing next to him. The interpreter already went home, so he couldn’t even tell Mr. Sakata Ikuzo that he was sorry.

At that moment, two sturdy men in black suits approached Jong-Suk out of nowhere.

“Are they gangsters?”

Jong-Suk felt nervous and he tried to get his body ready to fight.

“Sir, are you Mr. Jong-Suk Park?”

Jong-Suk was frightened by the fact that they knew his name.

“Huh? How in the world do they know my name?”

The tough guys seemed to know Mr. Sakata Ikuzo as well.

“Is that gentleman Mr. Sakata Ikuzo?”

“Yes, we are. Who are you?”

“We will show you the way. Please come with us.”

‘The way? to where?’

Jong-Suk was thinking that maybe he’d better run; however, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was with him. Jong-Suk didn’t know how to say ‘run’ in Japanese, and he couldn’t leave the Japanese engineer behind; he was an important guest for the company after all.

Jong-Suk and Mr. Sakata Ikuzo followed those strangers who looked dangerous. The two men took Jong-Suk and Mr. Sakata Ikuzo to a house.

“Hmm. The house looks nice. It is residential?”

Once they went through an entrance door, there was another door waiting for them. It was another house with a nicely-carved pine tree. The yard was well landscaped with stones and lanterns.

“Welcome to Pine.”

A middle-aged woman in a Korean traditional dress greeted Jong-Suk. It was Ms. Jang. Jong-Suk recoiled.

“Where are we? I have to meet Gun-Ho bro. He is probably looking for us at the hospital.”

“President Goo is waiting for you inside.”

“President Goo?”

Jong-Suk was wondering if that President Goo is the President Gun-Ho Goo. He followed that lady inside the house. The lady talked to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo as well with a smile.

“Kochira ni irassharudeshou (please come this way).”

The middle-aged woman seemed to know how to speak Japanese.

“Oh, Kirei desu ne (pretty).”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was impressed by the beauty of the interior of the house and the lady herself.

When the traditional Korean door that was made of timber frame and paper was opened, a large room appeared. The room was decorated with an embroidered folding screen. Gun-Ho was sitting at a floor table in the middle.

“Please have a seat!”

“Huh? Bro!”

Ms. Jang brought floor cushions that were embroidered with a crane.

“Please have a seat. Here is Himitsu no yosei (a secret bar).”

“Oh, sodesu ka (is that so)?”

Galbi-jjim* and Sinseollo* came out along with liquor.

Three young ladies in a Korean traditional dress entered the room. Jong-Suk seemed to have a crush on them; he just didn’t know how to act around beautiful ladies. He had been in a bar and he had a relatively tough life, but he had never been to a secret bar like this one. Moreover, one of the ladies was fluent in Japanese. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s jaw dropped; he seemed to be extremely satisfied and happy.

Gun-Ho lifted a bottle of liquor and said,

“I wanted to buy you a drink in a nice place. I hope you like here.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo took the glass of liquor that Gun-Ho handed to him in two hands in a very respectful way.

“Please sit comfortably, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. In Korea, the older person is supposed to take a glass of liquor from the younger person with one hand.”

One of the ladies who could speak Japanese interpreted for Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. She was speaking fluent Japanese.

Gun-Ho told that lady who could speak Japanese.

“Please take good care of him. He is an important guest to me. He is the world-renowned engineer.”

Gun-Ho now knew how to make a request to girls in a bar. He felt comfortable doing it. The time made him be able to do so, and his money made him do it as well.

Note*

Galbi-jjim – Korean style beef short ribs dish.

Sinseollo – It is also called the royal hot pot. All sorts of vegetables and meat in a rich broth.

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Chapter 204 - New Product (1) – PART 1

Chapter 204: New Product (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo and Jong-Suk Park drank a lot that night.

Gun-Ho asked for Ms. Jang—the hostess of the secret bar, Pine.

“We’d like to listen to Gayageum.”

Two young ladies in a traditional Korean dress entered the room with Gayageum. Once they started playing it, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo closed his eyes to fully enjoy the music. The ladies played two more songs before they left the room.

Gun-Ho said while filling in Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s glass.

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, you have been a great help to our company. I truly appreciate it. The new product passed S Group’s test, and we have already submitted our estimated product cost to them. We are expecting to receive the first product order from them soon.”

“Manager Jong-Suk Park helped me a lot in developing the product.”

“Since you are retired, I believe you don’t have work that you need to start right away after you finish this job with us, do you? What about you work with us for six more months?”

“Are you offering to extend my contract for the next six months?”

“Yes. Manager Park here has a lot to learn from you. I am hoping that you could teach and guide him.”

“Manager Park is a very smart man, and he picks up things very quickly in the industrial field. He seems to be able to make anything he wants. While he is excellent in making things by tightening a screw and welding and so on, he still needs more practice in mixing chemicals and carving moulds.”

“That’s why I am asking you to stay with us for six more months. We would love to have you here with us for an extended period of time.”

“I will give the product recipe to Manager Park one by one starting tomorrow. Please share the recipe between you and Manager Park and do not disclose it to anyone else.”

“Don’t the engineers in the company have to know the recipe?”

“Not really. Competitor companies will always try to find out the recipe.”

“What if we file a patent for your product recipe?”

“I am not sure if it is eligible for patent protection, and I don’t think it is necessary to patent it. Moreover, I don’t know how to do the paperwork to apply for a patent, and I don’t think I can prepare all those necessary documents to explain and support the theory of the product to get it patented. What I have is my skills to make the mould and recipe, with my two hands, and I don’t think those are patentable. It’s like Kimchi. You use the same ingredients for Kimchi, but every family has different taste of Kimchi in their home.”

“I see.”

“If you need a patented product, you can talk to my brother. He is a Nobel-prize doctor at Tokyo University.”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, you are an engineer, but I am a businessman. I don’t need an excellent patented item. What I need is a patented item that will bring me profit.”

“Of course.”

“Well, we can talk more about patent later. For now, can you teach Manager Park your skills and knowledge so he could produce our new product—AM083 Assembly—when you are not here.”

“Okay, I will do that. Someone has to do it once I am not with the company, anyway.”

“I have one more favor to ask you, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. As you know, we need to attach an aluminum ring to the new product. I’m going to ask another company to do the job. The company’s name is YS Tech. I will ask them to send several skilled workers to our factory for training. Can you teach them?”

“Okay. I will do that.”

“Let me fill in your glass, sir.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo seemed to be drunk; he was talking gibberish. When the Gayageum was being played again, he performed Japanese dance along with fast-tempo Gayageum music.

Jong-Suk drank a lot that evening as well. He took every single glass of liquor that a pretty lady in a traditional Korean dress who was sitting next to him handed to him. Jong-Suk couldn’t even stand up by himself. Gun-Ho called a paid designated driver and took Jong-Suk and Mr. Sakata Ikuzo to his TowerPalace condo.

When they arrived at Gun-Ho’s condo in Gangnam, Jong-Suk woke up for a second and asked,

“Bro! Where are we?”

“We’re at my place.”

“Wow. How come is it so big?”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was still sleeping in another room.

The next morning, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was frightened when he woke up.

“Where am I?”

“Good morning, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. It’s my home.”

Gun-Ho responded with a bright smile.

“Oh, this is so big.”

Most Japanese people lived in a small home, usually about 20 pyung large. It seemed that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo hadn’t seen a home this big before.

“I’ve never been to a large home like this before. The view is magnificent. This must be a very high floor.”

Jong-Suk asked while looking out the window.

“Bro, how much is this condo?”

“Hey, stop talking about the home, and let’s go out to have a hangover soup. I know a good place; they specialize in a blowfish hangover soup.”

“Blowfish? I like Korean sausage hangover soup better.”

“We can’t just go and eat something we like. We need to think about our guest. He is Japanese; he must like fish.”

“Oh, you are right. Let’s go to that blowfish hangover soup place.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo seemed to like blowfish hangover soup.

He thanked Gun-Ho several times for allowing him to experience delicious Korean food.

“Thank you, Shacho-san (president). Because of you, I had a great time in a secret bar and spent a night at your house; I had a very good sleep there. And today, I am having tasty Bokuoguku (blowfish soup).”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo seemed to be emotional.

Once they returned to Asan City, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo started teaching Jong-Suk passionately.

“Raise the temperature and wrap the extruder’s head with three layers of nets. Let the cooling water flow until it goes about 1 meter before placing the product there…”

Jong-Suk learned enthusiastically. The products on the first day came out distorted. However, from the third day, since Jong-Suk started learning from Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, the products came out really pretty.

“They look good.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo nodded his head, showing that he was satisfied with the outcome.

On the fifth day, the S Group personnel arrived at Gun-Ho’s factory to conduct due diligence. They were young researchers of S Group, about the same age as Gun-Ho or Jong-Suk.

“Please give us the test report of the raw materials.”

Jong-Suk handed Dyeon America’s test report to them. It indicated hardness, tensile strength, and so on. They took out Dyeon America’s product themselves and took a picture, and then they performed a quick test like burning it with a lighter.

Jong-Suk demonstrated the product manufacturing in front of them. Once Jong-Suk turned on the switch to raise the temperature, the machine started spouting the cooling water with a loud noise. Vivid-colored products started coming out. The products moved about 1 meter before they got into the cooling water. Steam rose from the products with a sound.

“Wow. They are so pretty.”

The researchers from S Group took pictures of it.

“What raw materials did you use for the mixture that goes into the hopper?”

Gun-Ho who was standing next to Jong-Suk answered the question,

“I’m sorry. We can’t disclose it. It’s the recipe we used to manufacture this product.”

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Chapter 205 - New Product (1) – PART 2

Chapter 205: New Product (1) – PART 2

“Wouldn’t you have any problem manufacturing the same products once the Japanese engineer returns to his country?”

“That’s why Manager Park demonstrated the product manufacturing himself. He has the recipe and skills to produce it by himself. You just saw him doing it, right?”

“Does that mean he doesn’t need the Japanese engineer’s help at all to manufacture the products?”

“Manager Park can produce the products with his eyes closed by himself.”

The researchers from S Group took notes as they asked questions and had responses from Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho looked at their hands with which they were writing down something. Their hands that were holding a pen were pale like scholars who never had done labor work before in their entire lives. Gun-Ho then looked at Jong-Suk’s hands. Jong-Suk had used those hands in tightening screws, coating a machine with oil, etc. for seven to eight years. They were rough, and Gun-Ho was proud of Jong-Suk’s rough hands.

“Jong-Suk, I am so proud of you. I respect your life and experience in it.”

The researchers eventually left the factory, and Gun-Ho subsequently received the first order of the new products—50,000 of them from S Group. The product cost that the sales director brought to S Group the other day was approved by them without any problem.

The plant manager had to often step out of his office in Asan City because he had to be at the new factory in Jiksan Town. The new factory was almost completed, and his presence was required for electric work. A power transformer needed to be installed, and the overhead crane had to be completed, but Director Yoon was not very familiar with these kinds of works. His area of expertise was with the construction. On the other hand, the plant manager was an expert in the technology field. Director Yoon needed his advice in completing the factory.

“Manager Jong-Suk Park, take care of the production field while I am away.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The second production line conveyor belt sometimes moves strangely. Keep an eye on it. The belt number five often causes problems with screws.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir.”

“Please repair the cutting machine.”

“Why don’t you ask the maintenance team to repair it?”

“They don’t know much about it. I want you to repair it, Manager Park.”

“It’s easy. They just need to weld the parts.”

“They know. They are just not good at it. Please do it for me.”

“Sh*t. I am fu*king busy here too.”

“You are the next plant manager, Manager Park. You will have to take care of everything in the factory anyway once you become a plant manager.”

Gun-Ho overheard the conversation between Jong-Suk and the plant manager.

“Jong-Suk, please come to my office.”

Jong-Suk entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Hey, you are a manager. Don’t use a cursing word like f*ck at work. Are you aware of how many workers you are currently managing?”

“I’m sorry, bro.”

“Go to Polytechnics College. Take their night classes.”

“A college?”

“Yes. Polytechnics College is located in Sinchang Town. Get an associate degree first from there. I will pay for your education.”

“I have tons of work to do even at night.”

“Just study there. You can study an Automated Facility there.”

“I can’t speak English.”

“You don’t have to speak English. They won’t ask you to talk with Americans.”

“I don’t know.”

“If you don’t finish your college degree, you will be working as a manager until you reach the age of retirement.”

“I always feel so sleepy whenever I try to read a book.”

“It should be different now from the time when you were in high school. You will feel easy since they will teach you something that you are working with already.”

“I need time to think about it.”

“You don’t have to think about it. Just go and study and get your degree. Start next semester.”

Jong-Suk walked out of Gun-Ho’s office while scratching his head.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik.

“Hey, how is it going?”

“I am doing very well. Thank you. I like the OneRoomTel in Yeoksam Town where I am staying. It’s very close to work. Most of all, I love the work I do now. I think I am getting paid too much though.”

Gun-Ho already knew how much Jae-Sik was being paid, but he pretended that he didn’t.

“Really? How much do you get paid?”

“It’s 2.5 million won.”

“I guess President Jeong-Sook Shin highly valued you.”

“Well, it’s still too much.”

“Hey, Min-Hyeok. Do you know how much Jong-Suk is getting paid? He is making over 5 million won.”

“I can’t compare with him. He is a skilled worker.”

“You have skills, too. You have the skills of proofreading and editing.”

“Are they considered skills? I am truly grateful that I work for GH Media with a high salary and a room in a OneRoomTel. I feel sorry for you, too.”

“Don’t be. You just work hard. Don’t say that again.”

“Our office is relaxing right now. The books that President Shin made had a contract with an agency so we could publish, they are being translated right now. President Shin told us to do some market research until the translation is completed.”

“I see. The market research is probably necessary.”

“So, I am at the Youngpoong Bookstore now.”

“Okay. Keep up the good work.”

“I will be extremely busy starting next month once the translation is completed. I hope the books hit the jackpot.”

“I think it will.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the president of YS Tech.

“I heard you received the initial product order.”

“Yes, we did.”

“Shoot, then we have to start producing the aluminum rings right away.”

“Right. We don’t have much time.”

“We actually tried once, but the size wasn’t right. So we are making them again now.”

“Have you tried attaching the ring to the product?”

“We have. The ring we made at our first try didn’t really fit. That’s why we are producing it again. I just came back from the production field and kicked the workers’ shin.”

“I will send Mr. Sakata Ikuzo there after lunch today.”

“Oh, you can do that? Thank you so much.”

“Please have the workers ready by then.”

“Of course. We will be waiting for him.”

Gun-Ho headed to YS Tech with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo and the interpreter.

He became emotional when he saw the YS Tech building.

“When I came here for the first time to have a job interview, this factory looked so large. I remember it like it was yesterday.”

Gun-Ho walked up to the second floor and went to the president’s office to introduce Mr. Sakata Ikuzo to President Young-Sik Park.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo examined the ring carefully that YS Tech manufactured.

“There seems to be a problem with the die casting mould.”

“That’s right. I agree with you.”

“Check the cooling water. Lower the temperature and place the rings in the cooling water earlier.”

The workers at YS Tech checked the controller of the coolant temperature.

“Lower the temperature, and you need to let them cool quickly. Let’s try again. Oh, the interlock transmitter seems to be not working properly.”

As Mr. Sakata Ikuzo instructed, they fixed the interlock transmitter and lower the cooling water temperature. The aluminum rings then came out beautifully.

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Chapter 206 - New Product (2) – PART 1

Chapter 206: New Product (2) – PART 1

The Japanese engineer—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo—trained the skilled workers at YS Tech for the next two days in attaching the aluminum ring to the new product. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo initially planned to train them for three days, but two days was enough for the workers to be familiarized with the task; it was a simple task after all.

Subsequently, YS Tech sent 50,000 pieces of aluminum rings that were ready to be attached, to GH Mobile. Gun-Ho then went to see President Young-Sik Park of YS Tech.

“President Park, according to your estimated product cost of the rings, the cost per unit is 640 won. We will have to adjust the price. I am personally close to you like a brother, but business is business, right?”

“Haha. Don’t be too harsh on it. We need to make our livings too.”

“I reviewed the product cost that you sent to us. The labor cost and manufacturing expenses were estimated way too high.”

“To be honest with you, yes, that’s true. I exaggerated a bit those expenses because I want to repay the money I borrowed from you. Can we just leave it like that?”

“I am not the only one who reviews the product cost. Our sales department will be reviewing it as well, and they will find out.”

“I understand that. I just want to repay you the money I borrowed as soon as possible. Whew.”

“How were you going to repay it?”

“If we sell you those 50,000 pieces of rings, we get 32 million won per month. I was going to send you 10 million won out of that 32 million won. Is there any way you could just approve our estimated product cost?”

“Let’s do this then. I will need some sort of justification for my approval, which I can tell to the sales department. Let’s make it 600 won instead of 640 won. That way, I can tell my sales department to take the price as it is since I already negotiated with you. With 600 won per unit, you can still make 30 million won on a monthly basis. That way, you can still send me 10 million every month.”

“Well, it’s going to be tight for us, but okay, let’s do it. I really want to repay you as soon as I can.”

“It will take only 20 months. You will be off the debt then.”

“Thank you, President Goo. You are indeed my savior.”

President Young-Sik Park held Gun-Ho’s hand with his thick hand. Gun-Ho would soon collect the money that he lent to President Park. Nothing was free in Gun-Ho’s world. If Gun-Ho helped a person to survive, then he would collect what he spent in saving that person.

GH Mobile’s new product—AM803 Assembly—had been sent to the big company—S Group—with a ring that was manufactured by YS Tech, attached to it. S Group highly evaluated the quality of Gun-Ho’s factory product. The consumer reviews on the S Group’s products that used AM803 Assembly were really good. Accordingly, S Group increased its order from 50,000 to 100,000 units on a monthly basis.

“The unit price is 4800 won, so it’s going to be 480 million won for 100,000 pieces. Our annual sales revenue will increase by 5,760 million won.”

Jong-Suk came to Gun-Ho’s office to talk.

“Bro, we need one more extruding machine from Germany.”

“Are we experiencing a shortage of capacity in the factory?”

“Even with overtime work at night, we can’t produce enough products to satisfy S Group’s order.”

“Okay. We will have to order the machine as soon as possible then. It will take time for them to ship the machine. I will request it to our International Business Development team.”

“It’s going to cost a lot, right?”

“Don’t worry about the cost. I will place an order for two extruding machines.”

“Two of them? It’s going to cost you really a lot.”

Jong-Suk was leaving the office with his head tilted when Gun-Ho called him.

“Hey, Manager Park!”

Jong-Suk turned around.

“How is the Polytechnics College?”

“It’s going okay. I have time to go to college for a night class since I just do the chemical mixing at work. The other workers in the production field do the rest of the task.”

“Keep it up. Once you get your associate degree from there, you will have to transfer to a 4-year college.”

“Do I really have to do that?”

“You will be managing more and more workers soon. You have to finish your studies when you are still young. Look at the plant manager. He graduated from Inha University, College of Engineering.”

“Well, I actually learn new things in college.”

“You sh*tty man. I knew you would be good in college.”

Gun-Ho tapped Jong-Suk’s back.

Once Jong-Suk left the office, Gun-Ho called for the team leader of the International Business Development Team. The team didn’t actually involve themselves with work, such as developing a market overseas or doing import or export goods. Many consumers of GH Mobile were big companies that had a factory abroad, and GH Mobile’s International Business Development Team undertook the task of sending GH Mobile’s products directly to those factories. It was a small team with simple work. They didn’t even have a worker who could speak English fluently in that team.

“Sir, did you ask for me?”

“We are currently using extruding machines made in Germany, right?”

“That… that’s correct.”

“We need two more extruding machines. Place an order for the exact same machine from Germany.”

“Can I have the address of the German company where we should place an order from?”

“The plant manager probably has the German company’s pamphlet. You will find their address there.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We have a customs agent that we have been working with, right?”

“Yes, there is one.”

“They do the customs compliance service as well as receiving our products on behalf of us. Is it correct?”

“Yes, sir. They do.”

“Make a call to H Capital and tell them that we are getting two extruding machines from Germany and ask them if they can make those machines as a lease.”

“Huh? A lease?”

“That way, H Capital owns the extruding machines, and our company leases the machines from them. We don’t have to pay for the machines in a lump sum, right? We already have too much debt that we haven’t paid yet.”

“Yes, sir.”

“After using the machines by lease for a while and once the machines’ value depreciates, we can acquire them by paying the remaining balance of their price.”

“Huh?”

The International Business Development Team’s leader seemed to have a hard time understanding the monetary side of the business.

“We will deal with the acquisition of the machines later. Talk with Capital H and find out if they can work it out, leasing the machines to us, for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho didn’t want to make an unnecessary expenditure even though he had enough money.

When Gun-Ho checked his cell phone, there was a missed call from President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media.

“Why did she call me?”

Gun-Ho called President Shin.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo. I think I missed your call.”

“Yes, I called you earlier to talk about Professor Jien Wang’s book—Economy Trend in China for the 21st Century.”

“The translation hasn’t started yet for the book?”

“We have to make a contract for publishing the book, and I was not sure if we need to make it with Zhejiang University Publisher or the individual Professor Jien Wang.”

“Hmm. I don’t know about those things. Which one is better?”

“If we make a contract with the publisher, they will charge their fees. However, if we do it with Professor Jien Wang personally, there will be no fee, and it’s better for him.”

“Well, let’s do that then.”

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Chapter 207 - New Product (2) – PART 2

Chapter 207: New Product (2) – PART 2

“Okay, then we will directly contact Professor Wang. I have a translator with me here right now, who is very good at translating Chinese into Korean. I will ask him to translate this book.”

“Is that translator good at the Chinese language?”

“Not only the Chinese language. He speaks Korean fluently too.”

“Korean language?”

“The translator studied in China. He is also a writer. His novel was once selected for an award as well. He is currently teaching the Chinese language in a college. For the translation work from Chinese into Korean, a translator needs to know not just the Chinese language but also the Korean language.”

“Hmm. I see. All other books started being translated already? Since you made a contract with an agency for those books.”

“That’s right. The process of publishing a book is quicker if we do it through an agency. They proceed with all the necessary steps on behalf of us. However, as to the Professor Jien Wang’s book, we have to take care of everything; we will even have to go to a bank to send the money to be paid in advance to Professor Jien Wang to China.”

“I see.”

“The Japanese books that we are publishing with the help of an agency are light read books with small pages, which are easy to read. The translation for those books won’t take long.”

“What about Professor Wang’s book? Will it take long to translate?”

“That book is more like a scholarly book. The translation will take about two months.”

“I see. Well, I am not familiar with the publishing business, so I am heavily counting on you, President Shin.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho was sitting on his chair in his office, and he was thinking quietly with his eyes closed.

‘I formed a publishing company—GH Media—sort of on impulse because I had adequate workers for that business: Jae-Sik and the workers from the design company. I am not sure if the company will generate enough revenue though. I invested 300 million won in that company, and I wonder if that money will vanish in a short period of time. Seukang Li is now the director of the bureau of cultural affairs in Shanghai, China, and he has the power in the field, including publishing books and media. I wonder if there will be an opportunity for me to do something using my connection with him.’

Gun-Ho couldn’t think of anything for now, that would bring him some profit using his connection with Seukang Li.

“Well, there is nothing much I can do other than to rely on President Jeong-Sook Shin, who is known to have the hand of Midas in the publishing industry.”

Gun-Ho then chuckled.

“The hand of Midas? The real hand of Midas should be my hand, I suppose.”

Gun-Ho then thought of the joint venture opportunity with Dyeon.

‘I am moving my current factory in Asan City to Jiksan Town and establish Dyeon Korea at the current location by investing in kind. Once I form a new company—Dyeon Korea—I will have to invest funds in it again. Would 3 million dollars be enough? Dyeon America probably invested in kind with old equipment and valued it at a high price.’

Gun-Ho continued to think while having a cup of coffee.

‘I will tell them that we shouldn’t name the company Dyeon Korea. The company will target the entire Asian market. If other companies which buy our products name their company as Dyeon China, Dyeon Indonesia, or Dyeon Taiwan, that would be overwhelming. I will name the company GH Chemical instead. Its products are a sort of synthetic resins; I guess I can add the word ‘Chemical’ to the company name. The problem is whether those Americans would approve the name—GH Chemical?’

Gun-Ho started having a headache. He wanted to get some fresh air and get some rest. He headed to Dujeong Town in Cheonan City and went into a massage shop behind the Lotte Mart.

“This is so good. I feel so relaxed.”

After having a massage and while he was walking out of the massage shop, Gun-Ho gave a call to Director Yoon who had been working at the new factory construction site in Jiksan Town.

“Why don’t we have lunch together today?”

The two men went to a Galbi* restaurant called Gyeongbuk Palace. Money was good. Gun-Ho had nice food all the time, and he could get a massage whenever he felt like it. He was living large.

Gun-Ho received a call from Suk-Ho Lee from Geyongridan Street. It was the first time in a long time.

“You have been busy, right? I am just calling you to hear your voice.”

“How’s your honeymoon life? Aren’t you having a baby yet?”

“Speaking of which, I decided to expand my business.”

“Expanding to where?”

“I saw a nice place in Itaewon Town.”

“Oh, really? You will do fine since you are good at business.”

“But I am a bit short on funds to expand my bar. Are you willing to invest about 200 million won in my business?”

“Haha. I don’t invest in anything; especially between friends. If things go well, that would be great, but if things don’t go well, I might lose a friend. I don’t risk that.”

“Umm… If you say so…”

“Also, I don’t handle funds myself. My company’s accounting department handles all financial related matters.”

“What about you personally invest in my business?”

“I don’t have personal money. I put everything I had into the company when I bought the company. I am on a payroll just like any other employees.”

“Really? I thought you would invest some in my bar business.”

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t. I know it wasn’t easy for you to ask me for it. Why don’t we have a drink or something?”

“Actually, Won-Chul Jo called me and suggested having a gathering sometime soon.”

“Sure. Let’s get together. It has been a while since I saw you guys.”

Once Gun-Ho got off the phone with Suk-Ho, he talked to himself decisively.

“I have more than 200 billion won in my stock account. However, I will never be involved in a personal monetary dealing with anybody. I am sorry but I can’t spend my money on anyone even though someone is dying. When I worked at a factory, no one lent me even 100,000 won. Whenever I asked someone to borrow money, they would ask me how come I couldn’t even borrow 100,000 won from somewhere else. I will never spend my money on anyone, never ever.”

Gun-Ho then yelled loudly while looking up at the sky,

“I won’t spend even a penny to anyone! Never! Ever!”

Several days passed when Gun-Ho received another call from Suk-Ho Lee from Gyeongridan Street again.

“Gun-Ho? I talked with Won-Chul. We will meet at Gangnam Station next Saturday. You are coming, right?”

“Gangnam Station?”

“Yeah. I actually wanted to meet in Itaewon Town, but some of them complained that it wasn’t a convenient place for them to come. I think they are all the same: Itaewon Town and Gangnam Station. Don’t you think?”

“Oh, that’s good. Jae-Sik is working in a publishing company close to Gangnam Station. I will ask him to find a good place for us all to meet around the area.”

“Jae-Sik is working for a publishing company?”

“Yeah. It’s a start-up company. He is working as a chief editor there.”

“Really? Well, I received the high school alumni directory book, so does everyone else. I guess he is not a swindler after all.”

“No, he is not at all. He is a very earnest man. You guys just don’t know.”

Gun-Ho thought that his high school friends didn’t have someone to bully anymore, and they might feel bored by now.

Note*

Galbi — Korean grilled beef ribs.

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Chapter 208 - New Product (3) – PART 1

Chapter 208: New Product (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho received a call from Professor Jien Wang.

“President Goo? Are you publishing my book in Korea?”

“Yes, I am working on it.”

“I received a call from a young man who speaks fluent Chinese. He said once I approve publishing my book, he will work on translating my book into the Korean language.”

“That’s good.”

“I was told that there is a president who is running the publishing company, but the actual owner is you— President Goo. Is it true?”

“Think about it, Professor Wang. What was the name of that publishing company?”

“GH Media? Oh, that’s right! It’s your company. GH is your name initials.”

“So, did you approve publishing your book in Korea?”

“Of course I did. As soon as I heard that they will give me 7% royalty plus 3,000 dollars in advance, I approve it right away. I need money. Moreover, I am honored to have my book published in Korea. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I thank you, Professor Wang, for allowing us to publish your book.”

“I have one concern though.”

“What is it?”

“The book is more like a scholarly book; it was not written for fun reading. I’m not sure if it will sell.”

“Of course it will because the book was written by the famous Professor Jien Wang.”

“Hey, cut it out, man.”

“How is Seukang Li doing?”

“He has been extremely busy since he moved to Shanghai. He will be like that until he gets familiar with the new job.”

“Of course.”

“Oh, since Seukang Li’s bureau oversees publishing books and media stuff, I can ask him to introduce a good Chinese publishing company to you. What do you think?”

“For what?”

“If your company has a good book that was published in Korea, you can publish it in China too.”

“We handle foreign books mostly, so it won’t be necessary. However, if we happen to have a book written by a Korean author, I will ask them.”

“It would be nice if we can do a joint venture with you for a publishing company, but China doesn’t open its door in that field.”

“Really?”

“Well, books can greatly influence the thoughts of people in China. I guess that’s why they don’t want to open the door to the world in that particular field.”

“My publishing company is a start-up company. I don’t really get involved in the operation. I invited a lady president and she is running the company.”

“I think women would probably do a better job in the publishing industry since they are more delicate and sensitive than men.”

“I was told that many book readers are women as well.”

“By the way, I’ve already sent the publishing contract to GH Media. I will send the original contract by EMS.”

“I hope your book will hit a jackpot, so we both can make money, and you can become famous.”

“Haha. Let’s have our fingers crossed.”

Moore Investment brought two versions of the business plan: English version and Korean version.

“Thank you very much.”

Gun-Ho picked up the Korean version of the business plan.

“It’s pretty thick.”

“It’s 50 pages thick.”

“What about the English version?”

Gun-Ho looked at the English version; it said ‘Joint Venture Company’s Business Plan.’

“It’s about the same.”

Gun-Ho opened the Korean version.

“Business Outline, Products, Estimated Demands, Sales and Production Plan, Investment Plan…”

“Please take a close look at the plan for the raw materials’ supply and demand, and estimated financial statements.”

“Okay, I will. Let me take some time to go through this, and I will give you a call.”

“We’ve consulted with the plant manager and the chief officer of the research center before completing the plot plan for the factory.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“As indicated in the conclusion at the end, if you target China and other Asian markets, the company will grow larger than GH Mobile.”

“You mean the new joint venture company?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s add one more thing to the conclusion.”

“Sure.”

The two staff from Moore Investment pulled out a pen and paper to write down what Gun-Ho would say. The watches that they were wearing and half-covered by their white shirts looked like high-end expensive watches.

“If we will target the Asian market including China, we will have to change the joint venture’s name to something else. I suggest GH Chemical rather than Dyeon Korea.”

“Yes, sir. I will make the modification right away.”

“Do you have extra copies of the business plan?”

“Of course. We always prepare extra copies in case our client needs more.”

“When you return to Seoul, could you send one copy to Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim & Jeong Law Office? One English version and one Korean version, please.”

“Sure, we will.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok. He said he would visit Korea soon.

“My grandmother passed away. I need to come to Korea to see my family for a few days.”

“Really? I am so sorry to hear that, Min-Hyeok. Once you arrive in Korea, come to see me in Asan City. Why don’t you make your return to China on Sunday? We will have a high school reunion in the Gangnam Station area on Saturday.”

“Meeting our high school classmates? I don’t want to see them.”

“Why not?”

“They are a bunch of condescending jerks. When I worked for a small company and when I studied for the government job exam, they looked down on me. Especially, Won-Chul Jo and Suk-Ho Lee, they treated me like I was invisible.”

“Just come, and you buy the second round at the union. They are our friends who will come to your future wedding.”

“Oh, that reminds me of my mom. My mom will start nagging again. She wants to set up a meeting with girls so I can marry soon.”

“That’s nice, right? You and I, we will have to get married soon before we get older.”

“Well, actually, I have someone. But don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Really? That’s great. Who is it? Is it someone I know?”

“She is an English teacher in Shanghai International School. It just happened like that.”

“Oh, nice. Congratulations. I am envious of you!”

“Thank you.”

“Did you meet her when you were in college?”

“No, she is Chinese.”

“Chinese?”

“She is actually a Korean Chinese. She studied in the U.S. though.”

“Really? You can settle down in China once you marry the Chinese lady. That’s good.”

“I don’t know. I am not sure if it is okay…”

“No, it’s good. We are living in a globalized world. International marriage is good.”

Gun-Ho wanted to tell Min-Hyeok that he was also dating someone who was Japanese.

After getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok, Gun-Ho felt uneasy.

“I think Min-Hyeok will get married soon. Am I the only one who will be left as a single at my age?”

Gun-Ho missed Mori Aikko. He felt like Mori Aikko would run towards him anytime soon with a bright smile.

“I am wondering what Mori Aikko is doing now. Is she on a trip for her dance performance in other provinces? Or is she working at the bar in Shinjuku City?”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Mori Aikko. Texting in English was actually the best way to communicate with her since they didn’t speak the same language.

“Mori Aikko, I love you. I am missing you right now.”

Mori Aikko replied to Gun-Ho’s text message right away.

“I love you, Shacho-san. I miss you too. I am in Nara, Kinki right now. There is an event I participate in Yoshiki-en. I will be back in Tokyo next week.”

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Chapter 209 - New Product (3) – PART 2

Chapter 209: New Product (3) – PART 2

Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik to make a reservation for a good restaurant around the Gangnam Station area.

“How many seats do I need to reserve?”

“Around fifteen people will be coming. I guess the same number of people showed up when we had a gathering at Gyeongridan Street last time.”

“Who are coming?”

“Those friends who talked bad behind you, that you were a swindler.”

“Our classmates from high school?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t want to see those people.”

“You sound just like Min-Hyeok.”

“Is Min-Hyeok coming too?”

“Yeah. He is visiting Korea soon because his grandmother passed away. He will come to our gathering as well.”

“If Min-Hyeok is coming, I will join the gathering too.”

“Okay. Pick a quiet place.”

“I know a good place in the area. I will make a reservation.”

Gun-Ho’s cell phone started ringing; it was a call form Won-Chul Jo who was working as a manager in a big company.

“Shoot. I feel like I am being surrounded by all the friends from high school these days.”

Gun-Ho murmured before picking up the phone.

“Gun-Ho Goo? It’s me, Won-Chul. Did Suk-Ho call you about our high school reunion?”

“Yeah, I spoke with him already.”

“We are going to meet at Gangnam Station. Do you happen to know any good restaurant around the area?”

“Actually, I already asked Jae-Sik Moon to find one and make a reservation for our gathering.”

“Jae-Sik Moon? Where is he?”

“He is working for a publishing company these days. He is a chief editor.”

“Really? Isn’t he the swindler who tried to deceive some of our friends from high school?”

“What makes you think he is a swindler? He didn’t deceive anybody. He sent our high school’s alumni directory book to everyone as he promised.”

“That’s true, but there is a rumor like that.”

“I don’t hear any rumor like that at all. He is working as a chief editor, and he won an award for his novel lately.”

“Really?”

“Jae-Sik Moon will join us at our gathering this time and Min-Hyeok is coming too, from China.”

“Min-Hyeok Kim is coming too? I guess we will have a big high school reunion this time. Min-Ho Kang said he will be coming as well.”

“Min-Ho Kang?”

“Don’t you remember him? He used to actively participate in a civic organization and did a lot of protests.”

“What is he doing now?”

“He just came back from the big house. He is unemployed right now.”

“The big house?”

“Yeah, he has just been released from the prison in Yeoju City. He violated some regulation in protesting, so he was sent to prison.”

“Really? I think I heard he was involved in some civic group. I see.”

Min-Hyeok arrived in Korea and he came to GH Mobile factory in Asan City.

“Wow. The factory is huge. It’s several times bigger than the factory in China.”

Jong-Suk ran to the area where Min-Hyeok was having a tour in the factory, to see him.”

“Bro, good to see you.”

Min-Hyeok and Jong-Suk hugged each other.

“Jong-Suk, you seem to lose some weight. You look slimmer than the last time you came to China.”

“Don’t get me started, bro. I have been working with a hectic schedule. I worked to develop a new product during the day, and took a night class after work at Polytechnics College.”

“You are going to college now? Good job, Jong-Suk. You made the right choice. I am thinking of getting an MBA degree once things go easy at work. We need to develop ourselves to grow with President Gun-Ho Goo, don’t you think?”

“Gun-Ho bro actually forced me into the Polytechnics College.”

“It’s good for you.”

Gun-Ho introduced Min-Hyeok to the major directors and managers of GH Mobile.

“This is President Min-Hyeok Kim. He is running our factory in China.”

The plant manager extended his hand to Min-Hyeok with a bright smile.

“Nice to meet you.”

“I am retiring soon, and President Goo suggested me to work at the factory in China for a year after I retire and give some technical advice and educate the workers there. I guess I will join you at the factory in China soon. I look forward to working with you, President Kim.”

“I heard of it too. We are expecting you there, sir. We actually need you there as soon as possible. The factory is producing way too many defective products right now, and we are getting a lot of claims from our customers. It is a war zone with defective products. We are welcoming you.”

Min-Hyeok also met with the sales director, the chief officer of the research center, Director Yoon from the new factory in Jiksan Town, and the general affairs manager.

“This is my business card.”

Min-Hyeok gave his business card to everyone whom he was introduced to. His business card had the same company logo as GH Mobile in Asan City.

As Gun-Ho instructed, Jong-Suk took Min-Hyeok to the new product’s production line.

“Bro, this is the new product that we recently developed. Do you see the man over there, who is carving something while sitting on a chair? He is a Japanese engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo who successfully developed the product for us.”

“Hmm, it looks great. The product looks like it was extruded twice, and the material is something related to urethane.”

“Your time in the factory seems to be well paid off, bro. You sound like an expert now.”

“Hey, Manager Park, give me one of the new products like a sample. I want to take it with me to China.”

“Why? You want to try to make it?”

“There is no way our factory in China would be able to make a product like this one. I just want to show it to our customers in China to show off that our parent company in Korea manufactures a product like this.”

“Why don’t you take 100 of them then?”

“Sure. Please pack those products in a bag before I leave.”

Gun-Ho, Min-Hyeok and Jong-Suk headed to Asan Bay. They wanted to have sashimi with soju while looking at the ocean. It was actually Min-Hyeok’s idea to go there.

“You know what? When I was in China, I desperately craved for sashimi.”

“Why didn’t you eat it then? Isn’t there sashimi in China?”

“There is, but I wasn’t sure if it is safe to eat raw fish in China. Since Chinese people usually cook everything and they don’t really eat raw food.”

“I see.”

“So I planned to eat a lot of sashimi once I arrived in Korea.”

“Eat a lot, bro. You can have mine too.”

They arrived at a beachfront restaurant.

“Jong-Suk, order the food as much as you want. I will pay for it. My monthly salary is 20,000 Yuan.”

“20,000 Yuan? How much is it in Korean Won? Is it 3.6 million won? Bro, I’m sorry to tell you that I beat you on the salary. I am being paid more than 5 million won. I used to get paid 3 million won when I worked at a factory in Yangju City, but when I joined Gun-Ho bro’s company, I got a huge raise. Thanks to Gun-Ho bro.”

“Still, I will pay for it today. I am getting a stock option too.”

“Stock option? You have to produce a good outcome to receive it. If you don’t reach a certain level of sales revenue, getting a stock option becomes meaningless, right?”

“You will see. I am sure I will earn a lot this year.”

“Keep up the good job, bro, and buy me a drink too once you successfully get that stock option thing.”

Jong-Suk ordered all sorts of sashimi: flatfish, flounder, sea cucumber, sea squirt, and so on. They drank soju with sashimi in the moonlight while looking out at the ocean. They talked about their old days when they were younger and when they were still living in Incheon City, until late at night. They laughed together and had a good time. They came back home after 11 pm that night.

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Chapter 210 - Business Plan (1) – PART 1

Chapter 210: Business Plan (1) – PART 1

Attorney Young-Jin Kim called Gun-Ho after reviewing the business plan about the joint venture with Dyeon America.

“I reviewed it, but I am not sure if I am the right person to review and give any comments on it. I don’t know much about factory business.”

“I sent you the business plan because you will accompany me to the U.S. when I go on a business trip for an interview with Dyeon America.”

“The business plan looks professionally done though, even if we can’t guarantee that the company will achieve the goal as stated in the business plan.”

“When do you think we can go to the U.S.?”

“GH Mobile is contracted with the Kim & Jeong law firm for the joint venture matter with Dyeon America. We will soon have to schedule for the trip. It will be a business trip; we need to keep in mind that we are not going there for fun.”

“Why don’t you schedule a date with Angelina who is in charge of scheduling the interview?”

“My week is already quite full. What about next week?”

“Next week works for me.”

Gun-Ho looked at the calendar with his smartphone.

“I guess I can go to Japan after attending the high school reunion since the business trip to the U.S. will be scheduled for next week.”

Gun-Ho looked at a picture of Mori Aikko that was saved in his smartphone.

“You always look cute!”

Gun-Ho kissed her on his smartphone.

Gun-Ho made a reservation for the flight to Japan.

He didn’t ask the general affairs department to arrange for this trip, but he personally handled the preparation for the trip, including purchasing a flight ticket to Japan.

“We just sent you your flight reservation to Japan via email. Please bring the print-out of the electronic reservation when you check-in at the airport and make sure you receive the boarding pass after check-in.”

The travel agency agent kindly gave the check-in and boarding instructions to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho worked only in the morning that day and headed to Gimpo International Airport. He purchased a gift for Mori Aikko at the duty-free shop at the airport.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never bought Mori Aikko any present before, even though I purchased a condo for her.”

Gun-Ho shopped at the duty-free shop and got cosmetics and perfume for Mori Aikko and western liquor for himself. Once he arrived at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, he took a taxi and went straight to the condo in Daikanyama, Shibuya.

While he was in the taxi, Gun-Ho sent a text message to Mori Aikko.

“I just arrived at Haneda Airport and on my way to Shibuya.

Mori Aikko replied,

“The passcode for the condo has been changed to your phone number. :)”

Gun-Ho smiled.

Gun-Ho arrived at the condo and he entered his phone number to the keyless entry lock system. It worked. Gun-Ho rang the doorbell rather than just entering the condo because he didn’t want to frighten her.

Mori Aikko who was cooking for Gun-Ho ran to the door. She looked cuter than the last time Gun-Ho saw her.

“Oppa!”

“Aikko!”

The two young couple hugged and kissed each other for a while without saying a word. Gun-Ho could hear Mori Aikko’s breathing and he clasped her small waist.

“Oppa, did you miss me?”

Mori Aikko surprisingly spoke in Korean even though she stuttered a bit.

“Of course, I missed you.”

“How much did you miss me?”

“Like the size of the sky.”

“You are lying.”

“I’m dead serious.”

Gun-Ho fiercely kissed Mori-Aikko again. Gun-Ho could feel Mori Aikko’s tongue on his lips.

“Oppa, I am cooking Sukiyaki for dinner.”

“When did you learn Korean?”

“I am taking a Korean language class. I’m studying it while watching Korean videos as well.”

“That’s nice. I am so proud of you, my Mori Aikko.”

Gun-Ho hugged Mori Aikko again.

“I have to go back to the kitchen to check Sukiyaki.”

Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish of meat and vegetables which is simmered at the table.

“Where did you learn how to cook it?”

“I learned it from my grandmother.”

“Doesn’t your grandmother visit you here?”

“She came to visit me from Sapporo once, but she went back home. She wants to meet you, Shacho-san.”

“Why didn’t she stay with you here longer?”

“She said she didn’t feel comfortable here.”

“I see. Oh, you know what? I got you something. I hope you like it.”

Gun-Ho gave Mori Aikko the cosmetics and perfume he purchased at the duty-free shop at the airport.

“Wow. Saikodawa (You are the best)!”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko sat at the dining table face-to-face and enjoyed Sukiyaki together. They looked like a married couple who were having dinner at home after work.

At that moment, Gun-Ho thought of Min-Hyeok Kim.

“He said he wanted to marry the Korean Chinese girl. He would probably feel the same way I do right now when he is having dinner with a girl like this.”

Gun-Ho, let out a sigh unwittingly.

“What’s wrong, Oppa? Are you feeling tired?”

“No, I’m okay.”

“Why don’t you go to the room and lay down in bed? I prepared comfortable clothes for you. I will wash your feet for you.”

Gun-Ho felt asleep while Mori Aikko was washing his feet. When he woke up a while later, he found Mori Aikko sleeping in his arms.

Mori Aikko lost her parents when she was a little girl. It seemed like she considered Gun-Ho as her parents and her lover at the same time. It seemed she wanted to depend on Gun-Ho just like a child depended on her parents. The word, ‘sponsor’ had partially included that sort of meaning.

Gun-Ho once again had a dream-like night in Tokyo and came back to Korea the following day.

Attorney Young-Jin Kim called Gun-Ho after talking with Angelina Rein and scheduling the interview date with her.

“Our interview date is scheduled for next Thursday at 2 pm. It will be held in their second meeting room. We will be meeting with Ms. Angelina Rein and the vice president of the International Business Development Department of Dyeon.”

“That’s good. Maybe we’d better arrive at Seattle a day before the interview day?”

“Sounds good. We can take a flight that will arrive in the morning. If we leave at night on Tuesday we will arrive the next day in the morning. It will take more than 10 hours to get to Seattle even we take a non-stop Korean Air.”

“It’s really far.”

The team leader of Gun-Ho’s company’s International Business Development Team entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, I talked with H capital. They said they can make a lease of the equipment to us. They even sent us a price chart for reference. The chart is made based on equipment that is worth 100 million won.”

“That’s nice.”

“The manager of H Capital wanted to pay a visit to our factory. They will need your approval in addition to the company’s certificate of a registered seal, certificate of formation, registered stamp, and etc.”

“You can check with the general affairs department for all the relevant documents.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you also talk with the customs agent for importing machines?”

“Yes, they said we can. However, we might not need to import them.”

“Why is that?”

“I found an authorized dealer that is selling the same machines in Korea. I already checked with them. They confirmed that they currently have several of them in their warehouse. They said we could visit their warehouse to verify. Would you like to pay a visit to their store?”

“Will you call for Manager Park from the production department for me?”

Manager Jong-Suk Park entered Gun-Ho’s office. Jong-Suk was careful in selecting words when he talked to Gun-Ho since the International Business Development Team’s leader was with them in the office.

“Did you call for me, sir?”

“An authorized dealer for machines in Korea claimed that they have several extruding machines from Germany, which we want to purchase. Will you visit their store and verify it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“When you go there, take the team leader of the International Business Development with you. And check all the necessary information about the machines; such as their price, manufacture year, A/S, etc.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, once you bring the machines, do not install them here, but install them to our new factory in Jiksan Town. We will have to move to that location soon anyway.”

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Jong-Suk Park and the International Business Development Team leader answered at the same time.

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Chapter 211 - Business Plan (1) – PART 2

Chapter 211: Business Plan (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho’s high school reunion was held in a Korean food restaurant called Baek-Hwa that was situated in the Gangnam Station area. There were about 21 people attending the high school reunion. All those friends were busy talking to each other and the restaurant became noisy. The president of the high school reunion—Won-Chul Jo stood up.

“It seems we have everyone here. Let’s say ‘Bravo’ to all of us who made this far in our lives since we are all here together. Bravo!”

“Bravo!”

They then drank a glass of liquor.

“Let me introduce our friends who came far from here. At first, this is Min-Hyeok Kim who is running an auto parts company in Jiangsu Province, China.”

“Hello, everyone. I’m Min-Hyeok Kim.”

Min-Hyeok stood up from his seat and gave a deep bow to the crowd.

“Hey, Min-Hyeok! Give me your business card before you leave today. I am in China too, in Qingdao City!”

Min-Hyeok actually came prepared and brought a bundle of his business cards. He walked around the crowd and gave his business card to everyone there.

“The president of GH Parts Company? You are the president?”

“Yeah.”

“GH is Gun-Ho’s company, no?”

“That’s right.”

Gun-Ho stood up at that moment.

“Min-Hyeok is actually running the company independently. He is receiving a stock option. It’s more like a business partnership.”

“So you two work together as a business partner?”

“You can say that.”

Won-Chul continued to talk,

“And, we have one of our friends who came to our gathering for the first time. He is the one who made our beautiful high school directory book and sent it to all of us earlier. Jae-Sik Moon! He is now working as a chief editor in a publishing company.”

Jae-Sik stood up and gave a bow.

“Umm, I am not a swindler.”

Everyone in the room laughed out loud when they heard Jae-Sik’s rather blunt statement without introduction.

“Our friend, Jae-Sik Moon won an award for his novel recently. The prize was 50 million won.”

“Wow. Is Jae-Sik buying us a drink today?”

“Our dinner will be paid with our membership fee. And after dinner, we go to a bar and will have a drink. Min-Hyeok Kim will treat us for the drink. It seems like Min-Hyeok is making good money in China.”

“Really? Yeah, it looks that way.”

They all clapped for Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Are we having something more after a drink? And Jae-Sik Moon will treat us there?”

Jae-Sik didn’t respond to that question; he was just sitting on his chair and smiled.

Won-Chul Jo continued to talk.

“For the last but not the least, we have a friend here today with us, who couldn’t have attended our meeting so far because of his activities with a civic group. Min-Ho Kang!”

Min-Ho Kang stood up and the crowd clapped for him.

Someone in the middle of the crowd shouted.

“Hey, Min-Ho! Did you go to the big house?”

People laughed.

“Yeah, I had fun there.”

“You should only eat Tofu today then.”

Won-Chul was going to say something, and then he decided not to. There were 21 people there and it was really noisy. Won-Chul had a hard time making them listen to him.

People gathered close to Gun-Ho.

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo. Let me fill in your glass with liquor.”

“I will have just a little. I am not a good drinker.”

Gun-Ho let everyone fill in his glass with liquor but he drank a little bit of them. People didn’t push Gun-Ho to drink more though. Gun-Ho who was the wealthiest among the friends gradually became their idol.

Min-Ho Kang, who was just released from prison for his activities with a civic group filled Gun-Ho’s glass with liquor.

“I will have just a bit.”

Unlike other friends, Min-Ho kept pouring liquor even after Gun-Ho’s glass overflowed with it.

“Stop it.”

“Why? You don’t want to take the glass of liquor that I filled in for you?”

“Haha. What are you talking about? I just don’t have a high alcohol tolerance. I can’t drink much.”

“I hate people like you. You are one of those people who accumulate their wealth by exploiting manual laborers.”

“I’ve never done it. As you already know, I wasn’t born into a wealthy family. I was born poor.”

“Not anymore. What were you doing when the labor workers at your factory worked so hard with all those machines and machine oils? You probably were drinking with girls.”

“Hey, what are you doing there? Someone stop Min-Ho. He seems to be drunk already.”

“What were you doing when I was fighting for the poor’s right on the street? Gun-Ho Goo? Min-Hyeok Kim? You two are just businessmen who make money no matter how, without caring about the society and people.”

Min-Ho’s statement seemed to upset Min-Hyeok.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? Are you drunk?”

“Yeah, I’m drunk. So what? I can’t face this fu*king society without drinking. I can’t stay sober.”

“Just keep drinking then and stop your BS.”

Min-Ho Kang turned his attention to Jae-Sik Moon this time.

“Jae-Sik Moon! You are writing a novel, huh? Don’t write a funny story or useless stuff, but write about the problems of this society!”

“I actually write pure literature.”

Once Min-Ho started talking gibberish, a few friends left the gathering earlier; most of them had a home far from the area.

“I will be leaving.”

“I gotta go too.”

After five to six friends left the restaurant, Gun-Ho tried to calm Min-Ho Kang with a smile.

“Maybe you are right. I think you need to become a politician, not a businessman for sure. Our society needs people like you.”

“You think so, right? Gun-Ho Goo, I’m so glad that you understand me.”

“Yeah, your body seems to refuse to take more alcohol. Stop drinking for today. You are probably exhausted after having time in the big house.”

“So, you became a businessman, huh? When you were in high school, you were so poor. That’s why you decided to become a businessman who is extorting money and labor from the poor? Stop doing it. Our people can find happiness once those wealthy business people like Samsung and Hyundai disappears.”

One of the friends finally yelled at Min-Ho.

“Hey, you dumb knucklehead! We do need Samsung and Hyundai to compete with other countries. You stupid moron!”

“What did you just call me? A moron?”

The room was heated by those people with different opinions. Some friends dragged Min-Ho out of the restaurant. Gun-Ho followed them outside.

“Min-Ho, let’s have a talk.”

Gun-Ho took Min-Ho to a quiet place in an alley.

“To be honest with you, I was very surprised when I heard what happened to you. I’m sorry I didn’t visit you in the prison. I heard that people become weakened once they spend some time in prison. Get something good for your body with this.”

Gun-Ho quickly slipped an envelope into Min-Ho’s pocket.

“What the fu*k is this?”

Min-Ho took out the envelope from his pocket. However, when he opened it and realized there were a lot of cash in it, he slowly put it back to his pocket.

“You are drunk and must be tired today. Why don’t you go home now? I will let our other friends that you went home earlier. I know you are the one who truly worries about our society.”

Gun-Ho quickly grabbed a taxi and sent Min-Ho to his home.

Gun-Ho could calm Min-Ho Kang down and convince him to leave the meeting early, with his money. It was not for his skillful talk or physical force, but it was his money that gave Gun-Ho the power to do it. Gun-Ho became a powerful man.

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Chapter 212 - Business Plan (2) – PART 1

Chapter 212: Business Plan (2) – PART 1

The next morning after Gun-Ho had the high school reunion, Gun-Ho called Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Did you have a good time last night?”

“Don’t get me started. After everyone left for home except seven of us, we had a second and third round last night.”

“Oh, you did? I had to leave early yesterday. I took Min-Ho outside the restaurant since he was too drunk and started talking gibberish. After sending him home by taxi, I came home as well. I couldn’t stay longer to join another round; I was so drunk myself too.”

“What’s wrong with Min-Ho? I think I will have to have a serious talk with him.”

“Don’t do anything stupid! He was just too drunk to talk straight. He must have probably regretted by now what he did last night once he sobered up.”

“Other friends also agreed with me that we have to do something about Min-Ho.”

“Who were those seven people whom you stayed with till late last night?”

“They were Suk-Ho Lee, Won-Chul Jo, Byeong-Chul Hwang, and Jae-Sik Moon. I paid for the second round, and Jae-Sik paid for the third round.”

“That’s good.”

“I am going back to China tomorrow. I will have to get back to my work.”

“Oh, I was going to ask you. We received 1.5 billion won when we terminated the joint venture with Kunshan City. How much funds do we have left now?”

“We spent 500 million won out of that fund to handle the equipment situation of the factory. Some of the machines had stopped working because they were not in use for too long. We also used some of the funds to pay for the unpaid wages of the workers and for the outstanding balance of the factory rent.”

“So how much do we have left now?”

“After we resume the business of the factory, we made some profits, and those are saved in your bank account. So, we have about 1.3 billion won now.”

“1.3 billion won… Let’s then buy a storage with that money.”

“A storage? Our factory is large enough to store more stuff. We don’t need an additional storage.”

“The storage is not for the use of GH Parts Company. It will be used for the business of the future joint venture with Dyeon.”

“Oh, I see. We will need a space to pile up Dyeon Korea’s products that will be sold in the China market.”

“That’s right.”

“How large do you think we will need for the storage?”

“I am thinking of a space in the range between 300 pyung and 1,000 pyung. Since the space is for storage purpose, not to be used as a factory, we won’t need a high electricity capacity.”

“I will look for one and will let you know how it goes.”

“When you look for a storage, you also have to make sure if we can buy the land with our name.”

“If we buy land, we will get the ownership of the land.”

“As you may know already, China has a different system. There are some lands that we can acquire with our own name, and also there are some lands where a landowner would lease the land to us and would say we would be able to still register as our own land, which is a total lie.”

“Hmmm. I will keep that in mind and take a good look at it.”

“You want to look at the location as well. It needs to be convenient to come and go. Also, we want a land that has the potential to increase in price in the future.”

“So we want a land that will be used for storage but also that could be a good investment property.”

“Yeah. That way, we can borrow money from a bank using the land as collateral in the future if necessary.”

It was early fall. People started wearing long sleeves.

Gun-Ho was meeting with Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Incheon International Airport to go to Seattle together.

“Hey, you are wearing long sleeves, so am I. It’s chilly these days.”

“You brought a huge bag. What is that for? Are you planning to bring a pretty blond girl in that bag?”

“It’s almost empty. I am just taking some clothes and a few books; that’s all.”

“I brought some books too. I guess I need them for my over 10-hour flight.”

“What book are you carrying? What’s the title?”

“Oh, this? I just brought this hoping it would help me with my long hour trip.”

“What’s the book title? Business Model Design Compass? Is it an American book?”

“Haha. Let me read it first, and I will tell you everything about the book.”

“I brought only some magazines.”

“Magazines are good.”

“I’ve reserved Korean Air business class for us.”

“We could have taken the economic class. That’s good enough.”

“It’s going to be a long flight. We need some space to stretch our legs out.”

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Seattle was a city located in the Pacific Northwest. The Boeing company was situated in Seattle. Also, other large companies such as Starbucks and Amazon.com had headquarters in Seattle. Amazon was founded in this city. Lymondell Dyeon which Gun-Ho was heading to was located there as well.

“We can rent a car at the airport, but let’s take the subway instead. It will take us to downtown.”

“I’m good either way.”

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim arrived at their hotel—Sheraton—when the sun started going down.

“President Goo, we will have a long day tomorrow. Let’s take a good rest today. We can go to the town for a tour tomorrow.”

“Sure. I think I need to stay at the hotel today, anyway. I think something went wrong with the food that I had during the flight.”

“Do you want me to get you some medicine?”

“Nah. I brought all kinds of medicines in preparation for all sorts of cases I could think of; I came prepared for diarrhea, cold, skin cuts, etc. I always carry these around when I go on a trip.”

“Wow. You are indeed well prepared. I guess I have to learn from you.”

“Are we renting a car tomorrow? We will have to go to Dyeon America.”

“The hotel will prepare that for us. I wanted to have a field trip to the Boeing company since we are in Seattle; however, I am not sure if we have time for that.”

“We can do it later. I was told that it would take more than a day to have a tour of their factory. They have an enormously large factory.”

“Yeah, probably we should do it later. We will have to have at least dinner today, right?”

“Of course. Let’s meet at the lobby after unpacking in our rooms.”

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim had dinner in a restaurant that was attached to the hotel. Attorney Young-Jin Kim ordered a wine for himself; however, Gun-Ho couldn’t drink that night because of his diarrhea symptom.

“The food is not bad here, right?”

“Yeah, it’s good. The hotel doesn’t look super luxurious, but I like its downtown location. I can easily go out and walk around downtown.”

“Since you are not feeling well, why don’t you go up to your room and take a rest?”

“Nah, it’s okay. I think I want to take a walk downtown after having dinner by myself. It will help me digest food.”

“That sounds good too. You probably want to walk around after a long hour flight.”

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Chapter 213 - Business Plan (2) – PART 2

Chapter 213: Business Plan (2) – PART 2

Gun-Ho walked around the town in Seattle.

The city looked certainly exotic to Gun-Ho. All the business signs were written in English, and even the lights on the street looked different from the ones in Korea as well.

“This is a beautiful city”

Gun-Ho enjoyed walking on the street while window shopping in the roadside stores.

“Chicken Valley? That reminds me of the Korean combination menu of a deep-fried chicken with beer. I miss it. Oh, shoot. I shouldn’t think of food; that makes me sick to my stomach again.”

Gun-Ho continued to walk while hearing American people talking on the street.

“Well, I have no idea what those people are talking about.”

At that moment, an old American lady approached Gun-Ho and said something to him. She was probably asking for directions to somewhere.

“I don’t speak English.”

Gun-Ho quickly walked away after telling her that he couldn’t speak English.

After a long walk, Gun-Ho felt much better in his stomach.

“Good exercise is indeed the best medicine. I feel like I already digested all of the food I had for dinner earlier at the hotel.”

When Gun-Ho came back to his room at the hotel, he took a traditional Korean medicine before heading to bed.

Angelina Rein was an overweight woman in her 40s.

“Hahaha. I guess you expected to see a beautiful blond woman when you heard of my name. Well, welcome to America. You have come a long way. Please have a seat.”

Ms. Rein seemed to be an optimist. When she talked with other workers, she always had a smile on her face. Gun-Ho could also observe other workers showing their respect to her when they addressed her; she was probably in a high-ranked position in the company.

“Mr. Goo and Mr. Kim, I’m so glad to finally meet you. Mr. Brandon Burke who is in charge of international business development will be here to meet with you this afternoon. In the meantime, I was instructed by him to give you a tour of our factory.”

“Thank you.”

“Mr. Richard Amiel from Dyeon Japan called me the other day and asked me to take good care of you two.”

“Thank you.”

“We respect the request from Mr. Brandon Burke and Ms. Richard Amiel.”

Angelina Rein then made a call to ask for someone.

Before that someone, who Ms. Rein requested for, arrived, Ms. Rein asked a few questions to Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim.

“What is the population of South Korea?”

“We have about 51.47 million.”

“What about GDP per capita in South Korea?”

“It’s about 30,000 dollars.”

Angelina Rein continued her small talk with the guests; it seemed that she didn’t want her guests to feel bored. Her eyes over her glasses looked bright. While she was having a conversation with Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim, she didn’t lose her smile even for a second.

A young man in uniform entered the room. He had a dark skin.

“These two gentlemen are businessmen from South Korea. We might do a joint venture with them. Why don’t you show them around our factory? Give them a tour of the production line five and six and make sure that we don’t allow them to take pictures.”

“Yes, Chief!”

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim followed the man to have a tour of the factory.

The production field was on the first floor, and they could watch it from the second-floor aisle. They were not allowed to be in the production field.

“Wow, it’s huge!”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim seemed to be surprised by the size of the factory.

“I’ve never seen a factory like this. This is so great. I feel like I am in the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market.”

“Haha. I thought of the exact same thing. When I studied for the government job exam in Noryangjin, I went to that market from time to time. I used to look down at the market from the bridge near the subway station.”

“The products came out and was placed on the conveyor belt, and they automatically fell into a basket.”

“Hmm, everything is done by an automatic system.”

“Wow. It really is a factory of a world-renowned company.”

“I want a factory like this.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim turned around to look at Gun-Ho; he was smiling.

“Pray for success.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim tapped Gun-Ho’s shoulder as he said it.

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim met with Mr. Brandon Burke for the interview, who was the vice president and in charge of the international business development department.

The table in the small meeting room that Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim were invited in was decorated with the national flag of South Korea and the star-spangled banner.

“Nice to meet you. I am the vice president of Lymondell Dyeon. My name is Brandon Burke.”

Brandon Burke was a tall man; he was probably in his late 50s. He was bold but a good-looking man.

“Hi. I am the president of GH Mobile in Korea.”

“I am Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim & Jeong Law Firm in Korea.”

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim handed their business cards to Mr. Burke.

There were three people who were attending the interview from Lymondell Dyeon: the vice president—Mr. Burke—Angelina Rein, and an African American lady who was wearing glasses; she seemed to be there to record the interview.

The interview started.

Mr. Burke had Gun-Ho’s business plan in front of him with Gun-Ho’s business card next to it.

“We have reviewed GH Mobile’s financial statements. They didn’t quite satisfy our requirements though. The debt ratio is too high. Do you have a plan to reduce the debt ratio?”

Angelina Rein who was sitting next to Mr. Burke added to Mr. Burke’s question.

“We are talking about a plan such as capital increase, for example.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim talked to Gun-Ho in a low voice.

“They are asking if you plan to increase the capital of the company.”

Gun-Ho firmly responded.

“We have no plans to increase our capital. However, our sales revenue has recently increased by 15% due to our successful new product development, and it is continuously growing. We are going to lower our debt ratio by increasing our sales revenue occurred from our new product sales.”

Gun-Ho took out GH Mobile’s new product—AM083 Assembly—from his bag; it was the product that was developed by Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.

“This is our new product. It was extruded twice.”

Mr. Burke and Ms. Rein looked carefully at the product that Gun-Ho handed to them.

“Was it really manufactured by GH Mobile in Korea?”

“Yes, we produced it in our factory.”

Mr. Burke examined the product thoroughly; he touched it, folded it, and smelled it.

“Which company’s raw materials did you use to manufacture this product?”

“We used Dyeon America’s materials.”

Mr. Burke smiled slightly.

“Good. Next question. GH Mobile’s credit rating is B-. This is one of the reasons why we are reluctant to do a joint venture with GH Mobile. We don’t require an A+ credit rating, but we want at least an A-. I’d like to hear what you think about this.”

“We consolidated the company’s debt. We now have a loan from one bank. We just paid off the loan from Korea Credit Guarantee Fund as well. These are not yet reflected on the financial statements that you previously received from us. You will be able to see these changes on our next financial statements in December. I believe, our company’s credit rating will become A-.”

“I see. The interview is being recorded by our staff here. Moreover, we take all your responses as true especially because you are here with an attorney from a Korean law firm.”

“Thank you.”

“Here is the last question for you.”

“Sure.”

“This is one of the things we like the most when we review the documents you have submitted to us. According to those documents, you graduated from Zhejiang University, majoring in accounting. Is it true?”

“Yes, it is.”

“And you have HSK level-6, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“There is a company called GH Parts Company in China. This company was established five years ago, and you recently acquired it. Is it true?”

“That’s right. That was Mulpasaneop’s factory in China and I bought it.”

“Even though you acquired a company in China, you haven’t lent any money in China. Even though your company is a small company, we highly recognize this fact.”

“Thank you.”

“According to your business plan, you can sell more than 300 tons on a monthly basis by using your network and connections within China and also by targeting Korean auto manufacturers that are located in China.”

“Yes, I am very confident about it.”

“Great. This is all we have for you today. We will discuss it with our foreign investment committee and will let you know our decision through Manager Angelina Rein here. Also, our staff will visit your company—GH Mobile—in Korea in the near future.”

“We are more than welcome to have anyone from Dyeon America.”

Vice President Brandon Burke quickly stood up and extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake. Gun-Ho thought Mr. Burke’s hand felt very warm.

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Chapter 214 - Business Plan (3) – PART 1

Chapter 214: Business Plan (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho came back to downtown Seattle after completing the interview with Lymondell Dyeon.

“You must be very tired.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim said with a smile.

“I’m okay.”

“How’s your stomach? Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I feel fine today. I guess that walking around downtown yesterday helped.”

“That’s good.”

“Is there any good place we can visit around the area?”

“Let’s go to the observation tower—Space Needle—before we fly back to Korea tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho enjoyed the view of Seattle from Space Needle while Attorney Young-Jin Kim was busy with his cell phone.

“You are not looking down at the downtown view? How come you are so busy playing with your cell phone without enjoying the beautiful scenery?”

“I need to talk with someone since I am here in Seattle.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim made a phone call to someone, and then he talked in Korean on the phone for a while; he probably talked with someone in Korea.

“Did you just call someone in Korea?”

“No, this guy is in Seattle right now. He is a friend of mine. He is a professor at the University of Washington.”

“Your friend?”

“Yeah. I went to Yale University with him. He is a very smart guy. He said he would come to see me to Sheraton Hotel. Since I came here all the way from Korea, I thought I should at least gave him a call.”

“I see.”

After having the city tour of Seattle, Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim came back to the hotel. Gun-Ho said to Young-Jin,

“You said you are meeting with your friend here, right? You go ahead and have dinner with him. I think I will just have a hamburger or something for dinner today since I am still not feeling perfectly well in my stomach.”

“No, you should come with us. Your friend’s friend is also your friend. Don’t you think?”

“I just wanted you to enjoy the time with your friend. I don’t know your friend, and I don’t want to ruin your time with him.”

“Don’t be silly. He is a very pleasant person to be with, and he is easygoing. You will like him. Why don’t you go up to your room and take a rest until he gets here? He said he would come here around 7 pm. I will give you a call once he arrives.”

“Okay. I will be in my room then.”

Once he came back to his room, Gun-Ho washed his hands and laid down on the bed. He felt exhausted after the city tour.

He was dozing off when his phone started ringing.

“President Goo? It’s me, Young-Jin Kim. My friend is here with me; why don’t you come down to the lobby?”

Gun-Ho wiped his face with a wet towel before he went down to the lobby. There was a man standing next to Young-Jin, who was wearing a gold metal frame glasses. He was smiling at Gun-Ho.

“Hey, this is my friend—Soo-Young Han. He is a professor at the University of Washington.”

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“I’m Soo-Young Han. I’ve heard a lot about you from Young-Jin.”

“I’m just a person who is selling stuff.”

“I’m just a person who has a good academic degree; that’s all I have.”

Young-Jin added to it.

“This is so nice, a meeting with a person who is selling things, and a person with an education degree only. Let’s go out and have dinner together.”

“Sounds good. I know a good place where we can have delicious food at a good price.”

“Where is it?”

“It’s actually close from here. We can even walk to that place. It’s a restaurant specialized in seafood.”

Young-Jin and Soo-Young seemed to be having a good time talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It had been a while since those two friends got together after all. Gun-Ho just walked heading to the restaurant while following them behind.

The seafood restaurant was large, and it was already filled with a lot of people. It wasn’t difficult to figure out how popular that restaurant was.

“Wow. The food must be very good here. Their business seems to be doing great.”

As Young-Jin commented about the restaurant business, Professor Soo-Young Han added,

“We will have to ask President Goo who is standing next to us. He is an expert in selling stuff.”

Professor Soo-Young Han ordered king crabs and wine.

“King crab? It must be very pricey.”

Professor Soo-Young Han smiled in response to Gun-Ho.

“It’s not expensive at all. King crabs are rare in Korea but not in this area. It will cost about the same price as Galbi* in Korea.”

“Really?”

“Young-Jin and I are the people with good academic degrees without money. Since you are selling stuff, you must have more money than us. Would you pay for our dinner?”

“Hey, your father was the prime minister of our country. Behave like one who has a politician as a father.”

“Exactly. My father was a prime minister, not me. Moreover, he has retired already. Once a prime minister retired, he is just an old man.”

“He must have made a lot of money already.”

“Nah. He was just a politician without a sense of making money. I asked him once to financially support me because I was living in a tiny apartment with so many roaches. He declined without hesitation.”

Professor Soo-Young Han was a good talker and a good drinker.

Gun-Ho had a lot of king crabs and wine because of Professor Soo-Young Han.

“Isn’t running a business hard these days in Korea? The U.S. is asking to renegotiate FTA.”

“The industry I am in is a manufacturing business rather than trading business, so it doesn’t really get affected by FTA.”

Professor Soo-Young Han continued to talk; he looked at Attorney Young-Jin Kim this time.

“It’s not just about Korea. We will see the enormous US-China trade war soon. The book title that I am reading these days is ‘Tactics of two groups.”

“Two groups refer to the U.S. and China, huh?”

“Of course.”

Professor Soo-Young Han took out the book from his bag and handed it to Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“Is it fun to read?”

“It is. The book was written by a professor at Chicago University. The author used to teach at Fudan University as an exchange professor in Shanghai, China. He explains and describes things in a very realistic way in the book.”

“Oh, it sounds interesting. I will have to read that book too.”

“Let me take a look at it.”

Gun-Ho wanted to see the book. It was all written in English, and Gun-Ho couldn’t even read its cover. Gun-Ho took a picture of the book cover instead.

“Why are you taking a picture of the book?”

“I have a publishing company, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right. Of course, you are interested in good books for your publishing business. You indeed have a sense of business.”

While drinking a few glasses of wine, Professor Soo-Young Han kept saying ‘nice.’

“This is so nice. Nice to have good friends with me, and nice to have good food as well. Young-Jin, have more king crabs. Once you go back to Korea, it’s not going to be easy to eat king crabs again. Eat as much as you want while you can.”

“The book you just showed me reminded me of Professor Jien Wang at Zhejiang University.”

“Chinese people are good at playing Korean chess too. If the U.S. attacks the king by moving a general, China would defend the king by moving a gun.”

“Of course, there are smart people in China. Look at Jien Wang. He is a very smart guy.”

“Hahaha. Jien Wang. Of course, he is smart. He is a member of the Financial Service Committee of a province, and a member of the Real Estate Development Committee or something. We need to try harder to establish a stronger economy for our country too.”

“Why don’t you come back to Korea? And get involved in all sorts of committees related to our economic development, like the Financial Service Committee and the Real Estate Development Committee.”

“Hahaha. It’s not like I can do all those just because I want to. The politicians who used to participate in a civic group will be heavily involved in those areas.”

That reminded Gun-Ho of one of his friends from high school—Min-Ho Kang—who participated in a civic group.

Note*

Galbi — Korean grilled beef ribs.

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Chapter 215 - ConferenceBusiness Plan (3) – PART 2

Chapter 215: Business Plan (3) – PART 2

The next day, Gun-Ho returned to Korea with Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

As soon as he arrived in Korea, Gun-Ho headed straight to the construction field of his new factory in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City. Director Yoon and Jong-Suk were there already.

“Jong-Suk, I didn’t know you are here.”

“We were testing the extruding machines from Germany. We are producing our new product—AM083 Assembly—using this new machine.”

“So, how is it?”

“It’s really good. It’s fast too. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo adjusted the duration of the production time with this machine.”

Director Yoon who was standing quietly said,

“The factory is completed. Once you give us the date for the building dedication ceremony, we will prepare for it, sir. After the building dedication ceremony, we can move our factory from Asan City to here at any time. The plant manager said that any day would be good for the ceremony as long as there is no guest.”

“What does he mean by a day without a guest?”

“You know, when people move to a new place, they pick a date without a guest like a ghost guest.”

“You are an educated man who graduated from Seoul National University, Director Yoon. Do you believe in such superstition?”

“Haha. I don’t believe in that. However, there are people who believe in it and consider those things very important.”

“I see. I will let you know once I decide the exact date for the ceremony. I should pick a good day where we won’t have rain.”

“I guess that’s why people are trying to find a day without a guest.”

It was the day of meeting for GH Mobile directors and managers.

They usually get together in the morning every Monday, so Gun-Ho didn’t have to ask for it.

“When do we want to have a building dedication ceremony for our new factory in Jiksan Town?”

“Sir, why don’t you pick any good day for the ceremony when there is no guest? However, we want a Saturday for our moving day.”

“Why does it have to be on Saturday?”

“We don’t work on Saturdays and Sundays, so if we move to the new location on Saturday, it won’t affect our production line.”

“I will have to pay for those two days.”

“We don’t need everyone to be present for our moving. We just need a few essential workers. There are some agencies that professionally move factories too. Even though we use their service, we will still need essential workers present on the moving day since we will have to install our machines and equipment and make sure they work fine.”

“Who should we ask to attend the ceremony?”

“Let’s send out the invitation to our major customers and government officials in the area, and also anyone you want to ask to come, sir.”

After the meeting, Gun-Ho was sitting on his chair while looking at the calendar on the wall to determine a good day for the building dedication ceremony.

“A day without a guest? Sh*t, how in the world do I possibly know which day would have no ghost guest? Should I just pick any Wednesday or Thursday?”

Gun-Ho thought of picking the following Wednesday or Thursday, and then he decided not to.

“Maybe I shouldn’t just pick any day. Oh, maybe I should ask Chairman Lee about this.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Chairman Lee. It had been a while.

“Sir, it’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, President Goo. To what do I owe the pleasure of the call?”

“How are you, sir?”

“I am well. How’s your business with the factory in Asan City?”

“It’s going well, sir. And the new factory in Jiksan Town is finally completed. We will have a building dedication ceremony next week. I’d like you to come to the ceremony, sir.”

“Oh, the factory is already fully constructed? It’s so fast. I believe I told you that I would come to your building dedication ceremony so I could stop by Onyang and have a hot spring bath there. I will, of course come. Let me see… which day would be good for the ceremony. We need to pick a day without a guest.”

“Which day would be a day without a guest?”

“I believe it’s Wednesday, but let’s ask Master Park to be sure. What was your date of birth, President Goo?”

Gun-Ho gave his date of birth to Chairman Lee while wondering why his date of birth was needed to pick the day.

Chairman Lee called Gun-Ho after about 30 minutes.

“I just talked with Master Park. He said 11 am on Wednesday would be good. You are a person who is supposed to use fire and soil, and Wednesday is the best day for you without a guest.”

“Fire and soil?”

Gun-Ho had no idea what Chairman Lee was talking about.

“I will attend the ceremony. I don’t have any prior engagement that day, anyway.”

“Yes, sir. I will see you on Wednesday then.”

After getting off the phone with Chairman Lee, Gun-Ho asked for general affairs manager.

“We will have the building dedication ceremony for the factory in Jiksan Town next Wednesday at 11 am. Please prepare our invitation letter that we can send out to the government officials in the area. Also, please help Director Yoon in preparing the ceremony.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We will have guests who are coming from somewhere far from Jiksan Town, so we want to serve some food for them. Oh, there seems to be an agency that can handle the preparation of food for a ceremony like ours; you can find one for us.”

“I know one good agency for it. They usually send a chef to a ceremony and prepare food in a buffet style.”

“Please send out the invitation letters to not only government officials but also to our major customers and vendors.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then picked up the interphone and talked to the plant manager as well.

“Our building dedication ceremony will be held on next Wednesday at 11 am. Once the ceremony ends, we will move our factory right away. Please be prepared for it.”

“Yes, sir. I was so waiting for our moving day. We have several problems with our current factory like a leaking roof.”

Gun-Ho then sent an email to President Jeong-Sook Shin at GH Media.

“I came across a good book during my business trip to the U.S., so I wanted to talk to you about it. A professor at the University of Washington—Professor Soo-Young Han—was reading that book, and he said it was an interesting book. The book’s title is ‘Tactics of two groups.’ It is being published in the U.S. Also, there is a book called ‘Business Model Design Compass.’ Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim & Jeong Law Firm was reading that book. I was thinking that maybe we should publish these two books in Korea. I’d like to hear what you think. I haven’t read these books; I have attached their pictures to this email. Please take a look at them and let me know what you think. Also, GH Mobile’s new factory in Jiksan Town has been completely constructed, and we will have a building dedication ceremony on this coming Wednesday at 11 am. I’d like you to come to the ceremony. One of our staff will pick you up at Jiksan Station.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin replied to Gun-Ho’s email right away.

“I will take a look at those two books that you recommended and will give you my opinion on it on the day of the building dedication ceremony.”

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Chapter 216 - Moving to the New Location (1) – PART 1

Chapter 216: Moving to the New Location (1) – PART 1

It was the day of the GH Mobile’s building dedication ceremony for its new factory in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City.

There were about 100 plastic chairs placed in the factory yard and a stage in the front for the speakers. In the back of those seats, food was being prepared in a buffet style. Several chefs in a white chef uniform with a chef hat were busy preparing food. They were from a professional catering service provider. They brought a huge truck with folding tables and green table cloths.

GH Mobile’s major customers attended the opening ceremony including the vice president of S Group and some other directors and managers from other companies. Vendors also sent their personnel to the building dedication ceremony. President Young-Sik Park from YS Tech was seen at the ceremony with several tens of other vendors. The branch manager of the major bank was there too, and government officials from Small and Medium Business Promotion Center and Chamber of commerce & Industry, and other business-related departments’ officers in the Chungnam province attended the opening. The invitation letters were sent to the city mayor of Cheonan City and the town mayor of Jiksan Town, but they couldn’t come because of their prior engagement; they instead sent a manager to the ceremony. GH Mobile also invited the chief of police; however, they sent a patrol car instead and they performed traffic control one hour before the ceremony started. The chairman of the Senior Citizen Association also came to the ceremony, even though no one invited him.

The general affairs manager who was leading the building dedication ceremony announced that the ceremony would soon start.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we will now start our building dedication ceremony. We will start with GH Mobile’s President, Gun-Ho Goo’s introduction.”

Gun-Ho came forward to the stage for his speech. He was wearing a suit with a flower in his breast pocket. Gun-Ho took out a piece of paper that he prepared for the speech and read it.

“Next, our Director Hyeong-Sik Yoon who has been in charge of the construction will give the report about the Jiksan factory.”

Director Yoon was wearing a GH Mobile uniform. He made a report on the size of the factory, the duration of the construction, and the cost incurred, and etc.

They then had a tape cutting ceremony. Gun-Ho was standing in the middle wearing white gloves with a flower on his chest. The vice president of S Group participated in the tape cutting ceremony as the representative of the customer companies. President Young-Sik Park from YS Tech also joined the ceremony representing vendors. Then Chairman Lee and President Jeong-Sook Shin from GH Media joined them. The plant manager and Director Yoon were standing at the end of the line.

The general affairs manager distributed white gloves and scissors to them who would be participating in the tape cutting ceremony. Once the general affairs manager gave a sign, they cut the table with a smile. Journalists from local newspapers started taking pictures. The general affairs manager also took pictures.

After the tape cutting ceremony, the vice president of S Group approached Gun-Ho and extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“President Goo, congratulations. I am very delighted that our new products’ parts will be manufactured in this marvelous factory.”

“I appreciate your help and support, sir.”

Chairman Lee also quietly offered his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake. Manager Kang who came with Chairman Lee was smiling while standing behind Chairman Lee.

“You did a great job, President Goo.”

“Thank you, sir. Thank you for coming. It’s really good to see you too, Manager Kang.”

YS Tech’s president—Young-Sik Park also came to Gun-Ho to congratulate him.

“You have done a great job. I am so proud of you.”

“Thank you, sir. I appreciate your support.”

President Jeong-Soo Shin of GH Media came to Gun-Ho as well; she was carrying flowers. She was the only female at this grand opening ceremony.

“Congratulations.”

“Haha, you brought me flowers.”

“Not just flowers, but I’ve reviewed those two books that you recommended the other day. One of those two books looks good. ‘Tactics of two groups’ will do the work.”

“What do you mean?”

“Its first edition can possibly be sold out. It won’t hit a jackpot though, but we will be able to sell the second and third round.”

“Haha, really? I will follow your decision on it.”

“This factory is enormous and majestic. I feel so proud that GH Media is a part of GH Mobile. Hahaha.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho was so busy with greeting, thanking, and talking with a lot of people that day.

The general affairs manager who was leading the ceremony spoke on the microphone,

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have food and beverage prepared for you behind the seating area. Also, all doors of the factory are now open to you; you can go ahead and have a tour after having your food.”

Some people enjoyed the food while some people entered the factory to see the inside before having their food.

“Oh, this area is going to be a company cafeteria. It’s huge. It will be really nice to work at a company like this.”

“Did you see the bathroom? It’s so clean and luxurious. It has a granite countertop like a hotel’s.”

The moving to the new factory hadn’t completed yet, but there were two extruding machines from Germany already installed at the new factory; they were producing new products.

“Look at that. Those machines are manufacturing products.”

“Two machines are working now. I guess they placed those machines here to show the guests of the opening ceremony.”

“That’s right. It’s so interesting to see the products being manufactured in front of me.”

People watched products coming out of the machines and some of them took pictures with their smartphones.

Gun-Ho was sitting at a table to have food; he was surrounded by a lot of people. They were talking and laughing while having food. Even on this occasion, people didn’t forget to do their business. Some made new connections and expanded their business network at the table while having their meal. They exchanged business cards to each other.

Gun-Ho saw Chairman Lee taking phone calls constantly. He asked Chairman Lee.

“Sir, why don’t you come over here and sit with me? And have some fruits. Oh, Manager Kang, please come and join me.”

When Chairman Lee got off the phone, he came to Gun-Ho.

“I guess you are busy today since you constantly have to take calls. Please have some food and enjoy the time with me.”

Gun-Ho took a fruit plate to Chairman Lee and placed on the table in front of him.

At that moment, Chairman Lee’s phone started ringing again.

“Oh, I have to take this.”

Chairman picked up the phone.

“Well, I can’t find anyone who can buy a building that big. Haha.”

Chairman picked up a piece of apple and then put it back down on the plate as he continued to talk on the phone.

“I used to be a big player, you are right. But I am not anymore. My son is running the factory in Ansan City, and I don’t get involved in that business anymore. Chairman Park, you kept that huge building for too long. You quit drinking, right? And that probably makes your life boring. Since you can’t freely walk, you can’t go fishing like I do either.”

Gun-Ho who was sitting next to Chairman Lee couldn’t avoid overhearing the phone conversation that Chairman Lee was having. Chairman Lee continued to talk on the phone.

“Stop thinking about what others would think about you, and just put that building on the market. What? Your children will then find out? Hmm. Having so many children is sometimes burdensome. I am in a building dedication ceremony right now; I will talk to you later once I go back to Seoul.”

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Chapter 217 - Moving to the New Location (1) – PART 2

Chapter 217: Moving to the New Location (1) – PART 2

Once Chairman Lee got off the phone, he said sorry to Gun-Ho and picked up the piece of apple that he tried to have earlier and ate it.

Gun-Ho handed a can of juice to Chairman Lee with a smile.

“Someone wants to sell a building?”

“Oh, you heard that? Yeah, I have a friend; our friends call him Chairman Park. He was once very popular. He wants to sell his building.”

“Can’t he just put the building on the market?”

“That building is not for everyone. It’s a 200 billion won worth building that is located in Sinsa Town, Seoul. Not many people would afford to buy that building. Putting on the market won’t help; maybe he should post an advertisement in a newspaper or something.”

“Then why doesn’t he place an ad in a newspaper?”

“He doesn’t want to do it. He doesn’t want people who know him to find out that he was selling his building. Moreover, he doesn’t want it to cause any dispute between his children.”

“Why would it cause a dispute between his children?”

“He has a lot of children. Some are from his first marriage, and some are from his second wife. It’s really complicated. You’d better be careful with women too while doing your business, President Goo.”

“Huh? Oh, sure. I will keep that in mind, sir.”

Gun-Ho thought of Mori Aikko in Japan at that moment.

“What if Mori Aikko is pregnant with my child?”

Gun-Ho suddenly got goosebumps.

President Jeong-Sook Shin walked towards Chairman Lee and said hello.

“Umm… Are you, by any chance, the father of Professor Hye-Sook Lee at Sejong University?”

“Yes, I am. Who am I talking to?”

“Hello, sir. I am a friend of Hye-Sook. I am working as the president of GH Media now.”

“Did you say GH Media?”

Gun-Ho added some explanation to it so Chairman Lee could understand the situation.

“I recently opened a small publishing company, sir. It is called GH Media. President Shin here is working there and running the company.”

“Oh, really? You have a publishing company. I see.”

“When I saw you, sir, at the tape cutting ceremony, I was not so sure if you are Hye-Sook’s father.”

“How is Hye-Sook doing these days?”

“She is doing fine, sir.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t quite understand the conversation between Chairman Lee and President Shin. Who would ask someone whether his own daughter was doing okay?

“A lot of confusing things are happening today.”

When Gun-Ho was wondering about things, the vice president of S Group said loudly.

“President Goo! I am leaving early. It was really nice to see the factory today.”

“I am heading back to Seoul too, sir.”

It was the branch manager of the major bank.

The guests at the building dedication ceremony started leaving the scene one by one after having food and having a tour of the factory. The police patrol that was parked at the entrance of the factory had left as well. They came to help facilitate the traffic for the ceremony and once most guests left the scene, they left too.

Once the entire guest left the factory, the workers of GH Mobile started having food. They seemed to be hungry after a long day of the ceremony.

Gun-Ho called for the general affairs manager.

“Our workers did such a great job today and they need to be rewarded. Why don’t you take them to a restaurant, have dinner with them and pay with the company credit card?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho came back to his office in Asan City. He was dozing off on his chair in his office with the door closed after the long day when someone knocked on the president’s office door.

“Please come in.”

Gun-Ho woke up and sat straight on his chair. It was the team leader of the product quality assurance team.

“Sir, I’ve brought the evaluation result of the environmental management system.”

Gun-Ho signed on the paper without even reviewing it.

‘Sh*t! that stupid man woke me up. It’s not even an urgent matter. It could be done later. I was having a really nice dream.’

The product quality assurance team leader passionately explained about something using his hands, and Gun-Ho nodded his head without really listening to it.

The team leader thought he was doing good with the report to the president since Gun-Ho wasn’t saying anything. He then said loudly, “Thank you!” before leaving the room.

After the product quality assurance team leader left the office, Gun-Ho laid down on the sofa and tried to have a nap, but he couldn’t fall asleep this time. He, instead, was thinking about the conversation that Chairman Lee had on the phone.

“A huge building in Sinsa Town, Seoul… Its price is 200 billion won. How big would that building be? How much rent would it bring in?”

He couldn’t imagine a building that was worth 200 billion won.

“It would be really nice to have a building like that in Gangnam, Seoul. Should I use all of my cash saved in my stock account to purchase that building? I have about 200 billion won.”

Gun-Ho then firmly shook his head.

“Nah. I should never use my entire funds at once. I could have a high vacancy rate with that building. That could be big trouble. I have GH Mobile and I am now forming a new company— GH Chemical. I shouldn’t risk them. I have a publishing company that I have to take care of too, even though it is a small company. If they can’t sell a book, I will have to close it and that would be embarrassing. Won-Chul Jo, Suk-Ho Lee and Byeong-Chul Hwang will laugh at me.”

Gun-Ho continued to think.

“If I go down, Min-Hyeok in China will go down with me. Jae-Sik Moon will have to vacate his room at OneRoomTel. I won’t be able to see Mori Aikko ever again… No! Those things shouldn’t happen. I shouldn’t touch my funds in my stock account. Money is like a religion to me!”

Gun-Ho still couldn’t forget about the building that was worth 200 billion won.

“How big would it be? 15 floors? 20 floors? It should be at least 10 floors high. Where in Sinsa Town that building would be located at? Maybe at Garosugil Road in Sinsa Town? Nah…, the buildings on that road are all small buildings. None of them shouldn’t be worth 200 billion won.”

Gun-Ho felt a strong desire to visit that building; he wanted to see it in person.

“I should be with my workers when we move our factory to Jiksan Town on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe I should go and visit that building after moving. I just want to see it. I am not going there to buy that building. Okay, then once the moving is complete, let’s go to see Chairman Lee. I can have a good time with him like the old days. He would give me good advice about life as always. Maybe I should go to Ms. Jang’s bar at Hannam town with him. Maybe I should ask Master Park to join us too since he is a friend of Chairman Lee.”

Once Gun-Ho figured out what to do, he felt better.

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Chapter 218 - Moving to the New Location (2) – PART 1 !

Chapter 218: Moving to the New Location (2) – PART 1 !

Gun-Ho’s sister wanted to introduce a girl to Gun-Ho so he could possibly marry her. She was an elementary school teacher, where his sister’s daughter— Jeong-Ah was attending. Gun-Ho’s sister insisted on him meeting her.

Gun-Ho’s sister obtained a level-1 certificate of a social worker after finishing the level-2 certificate. Her husband was doing a transportation work with his own truck, and he was making at least 5 million won per month. Gun-Ho’s sister was having a good life; she was driving Hyundai Sonata and she was actively participating in a school parent association at the elementary school which Jeong-Ah was going to. Jeong-Ah was a popular kid at her school; she was in a good class rank and she had a pretty face.

“Jeong-Ah is nominated for a class president. People think her family is affluent since she is living in a 50 pyung large condo. She is so popular at her school.”

Gun-Ho remembered her mother mentioning about it. Jeong-Ah was loved and cared for by not only her parents but also by her grandparents. She was having a good life.

“When she was living in a rented old townhouse in Juan Town, she was bullied by her classmates. Now, she is a leader among friends.”

Gun-Ho’s mother was laughing while she talked about how well Jeong-Ah was doing in school.

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

When he was in high school, he used to get beaten up by his classmates too. He was bullied and he even lost his umbrella to his classmate on a rainy day. He couldn’t even look at a pretty girl when she was passing by him. He couldn’t be admitted to a decent college and couldn’t enjoy a romantic college campus life because his family was poor. The good life that Jeong-Ah was having now was all possible because of money.

“Human beings are greedy and calculating. They quickly recognize who is poor and who is rich even when they were little, and they rank people in that order. They bully their peers who had a poor family too.”

People judge a person by their appearance, such as what kind of car they drive and where they live. Teachers were not an exception to this tendency.

Jeong-Ah’s homeroom teacher was a married woman and she recommended another teacher she was working with to meet with Gun-Ho.

“He is one of my student’s uncle. He is running a big company. He graduated from a college in China and his parents are living in a 50 pyung condo in Guweol Town. Why don’t you meet with him? You might like him. I was told that he is a good-looking man.”

“Which university did he graduated in China?”

Jeong-Ah’s homeroom teacher called Jeong-Ah’s mother to find out which college Gun-Ho graduated from.

“Which college in China did you say your brother graduate from?”

“It’s from Zhejiang University. He majored in accounting.”

Gun-Ho started getting calls from everyone for the meeting with the elementary teacher in Jeong-Ah’s school. His father called, and his sister called and even his sister’s friend who was selling insurance called too. Gun-Ho’s father even threatened him.

“Son, you have to get married soon. Money is not that important in life. You need to make a grandchild for me. I am getting old and I might not have much time left. I want to see my grandchild before I die.”

“Dad, you have Jeong-Ah.”

“She is a girl. I need a grandson, so he could take care of the ancestral rites of our family!”

“We don’t discriminate grandchild based on their gender anymore, dad. Moreover, there is no guarantee that I would have a son after I get married.”

Gun-Ho’s mother kept calling him too.

“You have to have a wife who can take care of your family. And the girl whom your sister recommended is an elementary school teacher, which is great. She graduated from Gyeongin National University of Education. She must have studied very hard and well, better than you. Additionally, since she is a public school teacher, she should have an excellent pension, meaning that she is prepared for her retired life. You won’t have this kind of opportunity once you get older.”

“Okay, mom. I will have to move my factory to a new location first. I will call you next week.”

Gun-Ho thought a family could be tiresome sometimes, even though they could give a comfort and protection at the same time.

It was Saturday— the moving day for Gun-Ho’s factory.

Gun-Ho was wearing his company’s uniform; he headed to the factory. Large trucks of a moving company were already parked in line. He could hear the noise from a forklift truck. The plant manager was standing with his arms crossed while Jong-Suk was running here and there to supervise the moving.

“Hey, hey. Be careful with that box. You need to put that in a wooden box!”

“Hey, you, the truck number 3! Move your truck to the back!”

“You stupid! Move the crane to your left side before walking there!”

Gun-Ho smiled when he saw Jong-Suk moving around busily. The Japanese engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo seemed to be busy as well. He was putting his stuff in a plastic box.

The moving was hard work for the employees.

Moving a residential home was hard enough, and moving a factory was much harder; they had to load and unload large heavy equipment and machines to a huge moving truck. They weighed several hundred and thousand tons. It was certainly not an easy job. The safety was an issue in moving a factory too. Some of the equipment required welding work.

“Manager Park, I can’t take this out. Please come and take a look at it.”

“You idiot! You shouldn’t do the welding like that. Give it to me.”

Jong-Suk Park did welding work himself while wearing a welding cap. After a moment, the machine could be removed from its place and a forklift truck lifted it and moved it away.

Gun-Ho hadn’t seen those forklift trucks before; they probably lent them from somewhere.

The moving started early in the morning. After the big fuss about the moving, all of the machines and equipment were moved to the new factory in Jiksan Town. Unloading them was another hard work though. Machines were stacked up in the factory yard, and the workers had to move one by one to an exact location specified for each machine in the production field. The plant manager was testing machines that were already moved to their new spot.

The general affairs manager came to Gun-Ho.

“Sir, why don’t you go inside the building? It’s too noisy out here.”

“It’s okay. I can’t go inside the building when other workers are working so hard in moving things around.”

“We will set up the office with computers and other office machines tomorrow, so we can start working on Monday.”

“Did you already request for the phone service?”

“Of course. The workers from Korea Telecom (KT) are already here getting ready to start, along with engineers from a computer company, and electricians.”

“Hmm.”

“As you instructed, the cafeteria is ready to serve today. The kitchen lady workers are all here and preparing food for us. Since it’s our moving day, they are cooking special food.”

“That’s nice.”

The moving continued until 5 pm that day. The machines start working while making a loud noise. The conveyor belt began to move, compressors were making a noise, and coolants started circulating.

Manager Jong-Suk Park shouted himself hoarse during the moving.

“You did a great job, Jong-Suk. It has been a long day.”

“Bro, you have to buy me a drink, okay?”

“Of course. You sound like you did all the moving by yourself.”

Manager Jong-Suk Park smiled with his white teeth. He was sweating heavily.

Gun-Ho went to work on Sunday too. It was the second day of the moving.

The office workers were already at the company in Jiksan Town; they were testing their office machines and computers. The workers from the research center were arranging their lab equipment.

“Sir, your office is ready.”

The general affairs manager came to Gun-Ho to let him know his office was ready to use.

“Really?”

Gun-Ho entered his new office. It was a large office with a lot of natural light. He could see a big tree from his window. Some of the books in the bookshelf were not standing straight. Other than that, his office was reproduced and looked exactly the same as his previous office in Asan City. His desk, chair, sofa, and the conference table and chairs were very well arranged. He was not sure who cleaned the office, but it was super clean.

“I smell something. Oh, it’s a scent from the pot of orchids.”

The vendors sent ten pots of orchids to Gun-Ho’s office with a card that says, “Congratulations on your moving to your new factory.” Gun-Ho selected two pots that he liked the most out of the ten and placed one of them on his desk and put the other one on the conference table.

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Chapter 219 - Moving to the New Location (2) – PART 2 !

Chapter 219: Moving to the New Location (2) – PART 2 !

It was Monday.

The office workers seemed to be satisfied with their new office. It was clean and luxurious. They walked around the office carefully not to damage anything. The production field looked good too. It was organized better than the one in the Asan factory.

Gun-Ho had the first meeting with managers and directors at the new building in Jiksan Town.

“How many employees did we lose due to the moving? I understand that there are some workers who said they wouldn’t be able to commute to our new location.”

“We have all of the office workers, but many of lady workers in the production field quit the job. We lost about 30 workers from the production field only.”

“It shouldn’t cause any problem to the production. Please post a job advertisement to fill the vacant positions immediately. We will have to encourage younger people to apply for the jobs, so please list the benefits we could provide them with the job posting.”

“Yes, sir. We will state that we provide lunch, commuter shuttle, a bonus of 400%, and financial aid for their children, etc.”

“Director Yoon, you can start demolishing the factory in Asan City.”

“The factory in Asan City?”

“Yes.”

“The Asan factory is old, but it still can be used. We don’t have to demolish it. Why don’t we just remodel it instead?”

“No, tear it down please.”

“Umm, okay, sir.”

“In Asan City, we will build a new factory that would look exactly the same as the factory here. That factory will be used for a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon once it is confirmed.”

“Did you say a joint venture, sir?”

“It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Lymondell Dyeon is reviewing our application to do a joint venture with them.”

When the meeting was over, Gun-Ho received a call again from his family. They said they set up the meeting with that elementary school teacher for this coming Saturday. Gun-Ho’s mother added,

“I decided to make you marry someone by the end of this year.”

After mother, Gun-Ho’s sister called. She gave Gun-Ho the place where Gun-Ho was supposed to meet with the girl.

“You will have to come to the café at Ramada Songdo Hotel this Saturday at 2 pm. The school teacher lady will be there. You should come without question, okay?”

Gun-Ho didn’t know what to say, but he felt curious at the same time.

“Who knows? Maybe I will meet a lady who I’ve always dreamt about.”

Gun-Ho didn’t want to upset his family, so he said yes that he would come to see the girl. Gun-Ho thought that he would have to meet Chairman Lee after he met with the elementary school teacher.

Two books written by Japanese authors were published by GH Media. These books were about self-development. President Jeong-Sook Shin sent these two books to Gun-Ho’s office.

They were thin books with about 250 pages.

“Who would read a book like this?”

Gun-Ho called for an accounting manager; she was a lady who Gun-Ho thought might be interested in reading a book like this.

“We just published this book by GH Media. Who do you think would buy this kind of book to read?”

“Wow, it’s a new book. It’s still warm.”

The accounting manager smelled the book.

“People prefer to read a thin book like this these days. If a book is thick, they don’t want to even pick it up from a bookshelf.”

“Really?”

“Can I try it first?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

The accounting manager seemed to be excited to take the book with her.

It was Saturday.

Gun-Ho drove to Ramada Songdo Hotel in Incheon. There were three ladies sitting at the café while waiting for Gun-Ho.

“Hey, Gun-Ho, over here.”

Gun-Ho’s sister recognized Gun-Ho first. There were two other ladies sitting with his sister; one was in her 40s and the other one was in her late 20s or early 30s. Gun-Ho could know intuitively that the lady in her 40s was Jeong-Ah’s homeroom teacher and the other younger lady was the one who Gun-Ho was supposed to meet with.

“Hello.”

“How’s traffic? Please have a seat here. This is the lady I was talking about.”

The older lady made such a fuss.

“Oh, you look so handsome. I was wondering who would be that good-looking man entering the café, and it was the person we were supposed to meet here.”

Gun-Ho’s sister seemed to get her hair done for today, and she was wearing a very colorful outfit. She certainly looked different than those days when she worked at a factory with depressed face. She looked more like a lady from a loyal family. Money did some magic.

The young lady in her early 30s looked up to Gun-Ho quietly. Gun-Ho was looking down at her while still standing. She didn’t look very attractive to him.

Gun-Ho’s sister introduced two ladies to Gun-Ho.

“This is Jeong-Ah’s homeroom teacher, and this lady here is the one who I talked to you about. She graduated from Gyeongin National University of Education. She is very popular in school. Students love her.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Gun-Ho said placidly.

Jeong-Ah’s homeroom teacher said,

“Your brother looks different from you. I thought he was a movie star. Sir, you are running your own business, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“What sort of business do you have? I’ve heard from your sister that you have an auto parts factory.”

Gun-Ho’s sister stopped her there.

“Let’s stop here. We’d better let them talk to each other alone.”

“Oh, that’s right. Haha. I just wanted to get to know him. He is so handsome.”

Jeong-Ah’s homeroom teacher stood up to leave along with Gun-Ho’s sister.

“Okay, we will leave you two here then. Good luck to you two.”

After two ladies left the scene, Gun-Ho was sitting with the lady who was in her 30s. Gun-Ho couldn’t think of anything to talk about with her.

“Please have some tea.”

“Okay.”

The lady seemed that she didn’t know what to say either because she was just fiddling with her cup of coffee.

“Did you study the Chinese language in college?”

“No, I majored in accounting.”

“I was told that you went to a college in China.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Gun-Ho felt like people sitting at the next table were glancing at them. Gun-Ho wanted to leave the café. Gun-Ho started fiddling his cup of coffee as well without saying a word.

Gun-Ho thought he had to say something because otherwise, he could look so rude to her.

“Is Incheon City your hometown?”

“No, my hometown is Suwon City.”

“Do you commute from Suwon then?”

“I stay in a OneRoomTel during weekdays in Incheon and go back to my home in Suwon on weekends.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t find any other question to make a conversation with her, and he let out a slight sigh.

‘I wish the lady who is sitting in front of me was Mori Aikko.’

Gun-Ho thought of Mori Aikko who was smiling at him.

Gun-Ho felt pressured that he had to say something to the lady.

“How long have you worked as a teacher?”

“It has been five years.”

“You get used to teaching children by now then.”

The lady lifted her head and laughed. It was the first time Gun-Ho saw her laughing. Gun-Ho didn’t think his wife had to be pretty, but he really didn’t like this lady who was sitting in front of him. It seemed that the lady knew Gun-Ho wasn’t attracted to her.

“Maybe we should be going now.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho stood up and then the lady stood up to leave. She was surprisingly short. Mori Aikko was short, but this lady was way shorter than Mori Aikko.

“It must be hard to teach children, right?”

“No, it’s okay. It’s doable.”

The lady seemed to be disappointed. She expected Gun-Ho to ask her to have dinner or take a walk or something, but he didn’t suggest anything. Gun-Ho felt sorry for her because all he could think of was Mori Aikko.

“Maybe I am too into a geisha. I might lose my opportunity to meet a great girl because of a geisha.”

Gun-Ho then thought,

“Nah. I want a girl who is at least average looking and a bit taller than her.”

Gun-Ho asked the lady.

“Where are you heading to after this meeting?”

“I need to meet with my friend. I am heading to Bupyeong District.”

“Oh, you do? I am supposed to meet with my friends in Seoul too.”

Gun-Ho laughed and the lady laughed along with him.

That was the end of Gun-Ho’s first meeting with a girl, set up by his family, and that didn’t go well.

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Chapter 220 - Moving to the New Location (3) – PART 1

Chapter 220: Moving to the New Location (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho was driving on a highway; he was heading home after the meeting with the elementary school teacher, which was set up by his sister. He was feeling depressed after meeting with the lady. Gun-Ho was passing by Seohae Bridge when he received a call from his sister.

“How was it? Did you like her? She is a bit short, but she seems to be really smart.”

“I don’t think she is a good match for me.”

“Why not? I really like her.”

“Just know that I am not attracted to her. I am hanging up the phone now.”

Gun-Ho hung up the phone when his sister was about to say something.

Gun-Ho received a call from his mother a few minutes later.

“How did the meeting go? Your sister told me the girl looked smart.”

“Yes, mom. She looked smart, but I don’t think I would meet with her again.”

“Don’t be too picky, son. There is no perfect girl. People say the first girl you meet with is the best girl for you.”

“No, mom. I won’t meet with her again.”

“Your dad and I are desperate for your marriage. Your dad is expecting that you will marry a school teacher.”

“I marry a person, not a teacher, mom.”

“It would be really nice if you marry a person who is a school teacher.”

“I’m not marrying the school teacher I just met. She probably would agree with me. I am driving right now. I will talk to you later, mom.”

“Gun-Ho.”

Gun-Ho hung up the phone before his mother could say anything more.

Gun-Ho let out a deep sigh while holding the steering wheel.

GH Mobile placed a job posting on the WorkNet website looking for workers in their production field at the new factory location.

Once the opening jobs were posted on WorkNet with salary and benefits, a lot of people applied for the position. The company had 30 vacant positions to fill in, and more than 600 people applied for the job. The positions especially attracted many job applicants because they were employees positions rather than contractors position.

The general affairs manager gave a report to Gun-Ho about hiring workers.

“I was thinking that we select candidates based on papers, and then the managers and directors will give them an interview. And then you sir, will interview each selected candidate as a final hiring step.”

“You don’t have to go through three steps to hire workers in the production field. Just hire them with two screening processes.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Who’s going to do the interview with the applicants?”

“We haven’t specifically decided yet, but I guess the plant manager and the internal auditor will do it.”

“Have the plant manager, the internal auditor, you— general affairs manager—and Manager Jong-Suk Park at the production department do the interview.”

“Yes, sir.”

“For the first screening process, why don’t you review the papers with Manager Jong-Suk Park? Since you are in charge of human resource matters and Manager Park will directly work with the new workers at the factory. It makes more sense that you two get heavily involved in the hiring process.”

“Yes, sir.”

When the general affairs manager was walking toward the door to leave the office carrying the approval sheet with him, Gun-Ho called for him.

“Don’t we need to place an order for our winter uniform?”

“That’s right. We distribute the uniforms to our workers every other year, and this is the year we are supposed to hand out the uniforms to the workers.”

“The current uniform design is outdated and depressing. We have been using the same designed uniforms which Mulpasaneop had used, and we just changed the company name on them. Let’s get a new design for our uniforms.”

“Yes, sir. I will find a good design company for our new uniform.”

“Actually, why don’t you talk to the design team leader at GH Media? Here is their phone number.”

“Who should I talk to?”

“Talk with Team Leader Min-Sook Oh. Mr. Jae-Sik Moon, who used to work at our security office, is working for GH Media too.”

“Oh, I remember that. The lady who came to our building dedication ceremony is the president of GH Media, isn’t she?”

“That’s right.”

“I will call them right away and discuss our uniform design with them.”

“Since it is still a business between the two companies, ask them to issue a tax invoice for the design work.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the general affairs manager left the office, Gun-Ho thought that it was a good idea that he didn’t take the president position of GH Media.

“Well, let’s see. If the joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon is established, I will be the president of the joint venture company—GH Chemical. I am also the president of GH Mobile, where GH Chemical’s raw materials will be used to manufacture products.”

It could cause some sort of conflict of interest.

“I have to think about the problems that could be raised because I own several companies. I shouldn’t cause any conflict of interest. It doesn’t look good to the public either. My companies haven’t gone public yet so there wouldn’t be any problems for now, but I will have to figure out how I handle this issue.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Chairman Lee at Cheongdam Town.

“Thank you, sir, for coming to my building dedication ceremony the other day.”

“Don’t mention it. The factory looked really nice.”

“Well, I only came this far because of you, sir. You guided me to learn accounting when I worked as a factory worker.”

“Haha, I did, didn’t I?”

“Speaking of which, I’d like to invite you for dinner. Will you be available next week? We can go to Ms. Jang’s bar—Pine.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I insist, sir. I’d really like to have dinner with you. Why don’t you come with your friend—Master Park—from Philosophy Hall in Gangnam?”

“Master Park? Hmm. Let’s do this then. Master Park is retiring from his work with Philosophy Hall. We can celebrate his retirement together next week at Pine.”

“Oh, is he retiring already? He is so popular in the field, and he is making good money, right?”

“He wants to build some sort of temple in his hometown—Goesan Town in Chungcheong province—and he wants to spend the rest of life enjoying nature, music, poems and those sorts of things.”

“Haha, that sounds like him. Once you decide on a good day for the celebration, just let me know; I will make a reservation at Pine.”

“Sounds good. I will let you know after discussing with Master Park.”

Lymondell Dyeon sent a letter to Gun-Ho through Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim & Jeong Law Firm.

“President Goo? It came in.”

“What came in?”

“We finally received a response from Lymondell Dyeon via fax.”

“Oh, they sent a fax instead of email?”

“Yeah, they faxed us. They mailed the original letter to GH Mobile.”

“Really? What are they saying?”

“Let me read it for you. I’ve already translated the letter.”

[The idea of starting a joint venture which was initially suggested by GH Mobile in Korea highly intrigued us. We subsequently performed an interview with GH Mobile’s president—Mr. Gun-Ho Goo—last month. We highly recognize his desire and will to do a joint venture with us.

Lymondell Dyeon’s foreign investment committee reviewed GH Mobile’s business plan and the interview record with its president, and they rendered a very positive decision. We are pleased to inform you that our committee gave a pass to GH Mobile based on their business plan and the interview record with its president.

Therefore, our staff of Lymondell Dyeon will visit GH mobile in Korea for business survey early next month. The vice president of the international business development department—Mr. Brandon Burke—will lead the team for the visit.]

Gun-Ho was delighted when he heard the familiar name—Mr. Brandon Burke.

“Mr. Brandon Burke is coming, huh?”

“That’s really good. We’ve already met with him.”

“When they come to our company, you will have to help us, Attorney Kim.”

“Of course. Our law firm is contracted with GH Mobile for this specific matter.”

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Chapter 221 - Moving to the New Location (3) – PART 2

Chapter 221: Moving to the New Location (3) – PART 2

Gun-Ho received the original letter from Lymondell Dyeon the following day by mail. It was written in English and clearly had Lymondell Dyeon’s president’s signature on it. Gun-Ho called for a staff from the general affairs department and had him type what Attorney Young-Jin Kim said on the phone yesterday.

“Make a document in Word and print out ten of them. We will hand it out to the managers and directors during the meeting.”

“Yes, sir.”

The meeting started. GH Mobile’s managers and directors were sitting in Gun-Ho’s office.

The meeting lasted longer than usual because the monthly loss and profit report came out about.

The conference table was situated in Gun-Ho’s office. Gun-Ho was sitting in the middle of the table, and the internal auditor who used to work at a bank as a branch manager and managing director was sitting on Gun-Ho’s left side. Gun-Ho met the internal auditor for the first time when he was working as a court officer during the Mulpasaneop’s court receivership. Director Yoon was sitting next to the internal auditor; he graduated from Seoul National University majoring in Architecture. On the right side of Gun-Ho, the chief officer of the research center was sitting; he had a Ph.D. from Germany. The plant manager who graduated from Inha University, College of Engineering, was sitting next to him. The managers and directors in their 50s or 60s were looking at Gun-Ho’s face, who was in his 30s.

“Mr. Internal Auditor, please proceed.”

“Okay. I will start with the report on the loss and profit of last month. Our sales revenue increased significantly once we started supplying our new product—AM083 Assembly—to S Group. Our sales revenue for last month was 7.2 billion won. It’s still short of our goal that our president had set, which is 10 billion won as monthly sales revenue. I suppose we will soon be able to achieve the goal since we are all working so hard.”

“Hmm. What about the cost?”

“The cost of sales also increased a bit. It was caused by our recent moving to our new location. Our usual maintenance expenses stayed the same; however, our profit on sales is 600 million won due to the increase in Public Charge and Tax Profit.”

“600 million won… Once we make a payment for our financial loan, we won’t be left with much.”

“For now, that’s true. However, we are still hopeful since our loan payment has decreased. We are expecting to see an increase in our ordinary income by the end of this year.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho was listening to the report with his arms crossed. Once it was done, he placed the letter from Lymondell Dyeon on the table.

“What is this?”

“I applied for doing a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon. And this is their response to my application. They will send their staff to our company early next month.”

Gun-Ho handed out a copy of the letter to each person in the room.

“I will read it for you all.”

Once Gun-Ho finished reading the letter, some of them groaned lightly.

“Hmm, a joint venture…”

The GH Mobile’s manager and directors nodded their heads.

Once the meeting was over, the general affairs manager entered the room.

“Sir, Team Leader Min-Sook Oh from GH Media will be here with our uniform’s new design today.”

“She is coming here?”

“Yes. She said she would be here by noon. Would you like to meet her?”

“Sure, I will be here all morning, anyway.”

“She said she didn’t want any payment for the uniform design, so I told her we have to pay her; otherwise we will get scolded by our president.”

“Right. Tell her to issue a tax invoice for that.”

“I already sent our business registration to her so she could issue a tax invoice to us.”

“That’s good.”

When Team Leader Min-Sook Oh arrived at the factory in Jiksan Town, she was astonished. She knew Gun-Ho was a rich man, but she didn’t imagine that he would run a company this big. Well, she actually had never seen a factory before that was as enormous as what she was seeing now.

“I’ve been jealous of the workers working in a big publishing company in the publishing complex in Paju City; however, this company is even way larger than that.”

Team Leader Min-Sook Oh was walking around the factory out of curiosity; she had a visitor pass hanging around her neck. When a team leader at the production field saw her wandering around the factory, he yelled at her,

“Who are you? You shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe. You can get injured here!”

Team Leader Min-Sook Oh was frightened and quickly walked up to the second floor where all the offices were located. She saw workers moving busily in their office in uniforms, and she felt envious of them. She had always been working in a small office, and when she was standing in this large building, she felt like she was in a government building or something.

The workers in the office area seemed to be so busy that they didn’t even realize Min-Sook was there.

“Hello, I came here to see the general affairs manager.”

The workers indicated a desk surrounded by partitions.

When Min-Sook approached the desk, she could see the general affairs manager drawing a chart with his computer.

“Hi.”

“Oh, hi. Are you Team Leader Min-Sook Oh from GH Media?”

The general affairs manager easily recognized her.

When Min-Sook took out her design drawing from her bag to show him, the general affairs manager suggested,

“Hold on to it. The president is in his office right now. We will hear your explanation about your design there. The general affairs manager took Min-Sook to the president’s office. When they entered Gun-Ho’s office, a president from a vendor company was about to leave.”

“Sir, we have Team Leader Min-Sook Oh from GH Media here.”

“Please send her in.”

Min-Sook entered the president’s office; it was a 30 something pyung large room. Gun-Ho was sitting at the conference table. He was wearing a white shirt with a tie.

“Oh, Team Leader Min-Sook Oh, please come and have a seat.”

Gun-Ho showed her a seat.

To Min-Sook’s eyes, Gun-Ho looked powerful. It must be hard to get a job in a company this big, but Gun-Ho owned the company. She couldn’t believe Gun-Ho was the same man who she had met in the office close to Gangnam Station.

“Hello, sir.”

Min-Sook sat carefully on the chair that Gun-Ho showed. She felt proud that she was working for GH Media, which was a part of GH “group.”

Min-Sook started explaining her design drawing to Gun-Ho; her voice was shaking slightly. She had done presentations to many presidents of many companies before; however, Gun-Ho’s company was the biggest among them.

Once she finished her explanation about her design, Gun-Ho smiled at her.

“That’s good. I like the design. It’s fresh and sophisticated. What do you think, Mr. General Affairs Manager?”

“I agree with you, sir. It will make the workers feel energetic and encouraged.”

“Let’s use this design for our uniform then.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How’s the publishing company doing? When do we expect Professor Jien Wang’s book to be released?”

“The translation for that book is already completed. Our chief editor—Mr. Jae-Sik Moon—is working on proofreading and editing. Once he is done with editing, I will start the design work.”

“I see.”

“President Jeong-Sook Shin likes the fact that design and editing work can be done within the company, so we don’t have to outsource those works.”

“Haha. That’s true. How are the Japanese books that were published last time? Are they selling well?”

“Yes. The first editions are sold out already, and they are printing the second edition. The media talked good about those books, and that helped our sales.”

“That’s nice.”

“Well, I’d better get going then.”

“We can’t just let you go like this, Ms. Oh; you came all the way from Seoul. Mr. General Affairs Manager, why don’t we buy her lunch?”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

The general affairs manager said with a smile.

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Chapter 222 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 1

Chapter 222: RiverStar Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 1

The general affairs manager took Team Leader Min-Sook Oh from GH Media to a plum farm close to the GH Mobile factory. Surprisingly, there was a restaurant on the farm that looked like a restaurant in a fairy tale book.

“Wow. I never expected to see a restaurant in this location.”

Team Leader Min-Sook Oh was impressed by the unusual restaurant that was situated inside a plum farm. It certainly gave exotic feeling to Min-Sook who was staying most of the time in a busy city—Gangnam, Seoul. Moreover, there was a pond in front of the restaurant with all sorts of various flowers that were blooming.

“This restaurant specializes in Korean food.”

The general affairs manager ordered the Korean table d’hote for two, which included more than 20 side dishes. Team Leader Min-Sook Oh thought she was having an extravagant lunch that day. The general affairs manager asked a few questions to Min-Sook, which he had been wondering about.

“Does President Gun-Ho Goo own 100% of the GH Media?”

“As far as I know, yes he does.”

“How many employees are there?”

“Just a few. We have our chief editor—Mr. Jae-Sik Moon—two design workers and one administrative worker. Oh, and President Jeong-Sook Shin, who is known as the hand of Midas in the publishing industry.”

“You said that the company is located in Gangnam, Seoul City, right?”

“Yes, it is very close to the Gangnam subway station.”

“How much is their sales revenue?”

“It is a startup company, so we have no sales revenue yet. GH Development is generating revenue though.”

“GH Development?”

“Oh, you didn’t know about it? There is another company called GH Development. It is a real estate development company doing mostly rental property business, and its office is right next to ours.”

“Really?”

“President Gun-Ho Goo started his business with rental property. I believe he owns a few OneRoomTels.”

“OneRoomTels?”

“Manager Kang and Ms. Ji-Young Jeong are working for that company. Ji-Young is my friend, and she is doing bookkeeping there. I’ve heard them talking the other day; they said there is a rumor saying President Gun-Ho Goo is one of the big players in Gangnam.”

“A big player in Gangnam?”

“I wish I could live in Gangnam. He is probably super-rich since he is a big player in Gangnam. They said they heard that rumor from a bank staff, which they have been using for the company business.”

“Hmm. Really?”

To the general affairs manager’s eyes, Gun-Ho looked mysterious. He heard that Gun-Ho once worked for YS Tech doing accounting work, and then he acquired the company, and now Min-Sook told him that Gun-Ho was a big player from Gangnam. The general affairs manager was confused; he just couldn’t figure out what kind of man Gun-Ho was.

‘He did seem to be highly experienced in business, but still… How had he accumulated that much wealth at his young age?’

The general affairs manager kept wondering while having his lunch with Min-Sook.

It was fall. The chirping sound of crickets could be easily heard everywhere.

Gun-Ho went back to his TowerPalace home in Dogok Town, Seoul after completing his morning work in Jiksan Town.

“I am meeting with Chairman Lee at Ms. Jang’s bar in Hannam Town today. Let’s see. The meeting hour is 7 pm. I can have a nap before getting ready for the evening.”

Gun-Ho woke up around 5 pm; he had a sweet dream.

“I feel hungry. Maybe I should have a bite.”

Gun-Ho then looked at the clock on the wall.

“It’s five o’clock. I will have dinner after 2 hours when I get to the bar in Hannam Town. I’d better wait until then.”

Gun-Ho changed his clothes and made a call to book a taxi. He decided to leave his Land Rover at home and go to Hannam Town by taxi.

It took quite a long drive from Dogok Town to Hannam Town. It was dark and people’s rush to home after work created a slow-moving traffic. Since Gun-Ho left home early, he could arrive at the bar on time. When Gun-Ho entered the bar—Pine—several bouncers in black suits came out. Some of them recognized Gun-Ho.

“Hello, sir. It’s good to see you again.”

The bouncers gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho.

“Hi, how have you been?”

Gun-Ho tapped their shoulders. He seemed to be relaxed with the bouncers now.

“Is Ms. Jang here?”

“Yes, she is inside. Let me show you the way in.”

“Oh, my gosh. President Goo. How have you been? Hahaha.”

Ms. Jang laughed charmingly.

“You seem to become younger and younger every time I see you, Ms. Jang.”

“Hahaha. President Goo, are you making a joke to me? You seem to be relaxed these days. Well, I guess that having a romantic relationship on a global scale makes you relaxed.”

“A romantic relationship on an international scale? Don’t say that. I don’t want to be misunderstood by others.”

“It’s not a misunderstanding.”

Ms. Jang pinched Gun-Ho’s hand lightly.

“Are they here already?”

“No, they haven’t arrived yet. I’ve already prepared the table in the room. Please go inside.”

Gun-Ho entered a large room that was decorated with an embroidered folding screen. There was a big table in the middle and some snacks and tea were prepared on the table for now.

Gun-Ho saved a good seat for Chairman Lee, and he started playing with his smartphone to pass the time.

After a while, he heard a coughing sound with Ms. Jang’s voice.

“Chairman Lee, please come in.”

“Is he here already?”

“Of course, sir. A younger person is supposed to come early and wait for the elders. Hahaha.”

“What about Master Park? Is he already here too?”

“No, he hasn’t come yet. He will arrive soon.”

When Chairman Lee entered the room, Gun-Ho stood up quickly.

“Please have a seat. You don’t have to stand up for me.”

Gun-Ho showed the seat to Chairman Lee, which he saved for him. Chairman Lee sat with the folding screen behind him. Ms. Jang quickly followed Chairman Lee and took his jacket and hung on the wall.

“How’s business?”

“It’s doing okay.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho heard a loud voice outside the room.

“Hey, I am here. Why don’t you, girls come out and greet me?”

Gun-Ho could hear girls’ voices too.

“Why do I see only little girls here? Where is Ms. Jang?”

“Hahaha. I’m coming.”

Ms. Jang quickly went outside the room and returned to the room with Master Park. Master Park was carrying a briefcase in his hand.

“You only greet people who have a lot of money, huh? Damn woman!”

Chairman Lee smiled.

“That man still talks harshly to people. Hey, friend, come here and have a seat.”

Gun-Ho quickly stood up and bowed to Master Park.

“Hmm. The young man with ShinWangJaeWang fate is here too.”

Master Park sat on the floor cushion that Ms. Jang prepared for him. Chairman Lee said while wiping his hands with a wet tissue.

“So, when are you planning to go back to your hometown?”

“I think I’d better leave as soon as possible. Maybe tomorrow is good. So many people come to see me. I’m tired.”

Ms. Jang chipped in.

“Those people who come to see you are paying money for the consultation.”

“This damn woman is so greedy.”

“You referred a lot of customers to our bar. I don’t want to lose that flow of customers coming from your business.”

“It’s time for old people like us to leave the field. This young man with ShinWangJaeWang fate will send you new customers, Ms. Jang.”

“Are you talking about President Gun-Ho Goo? He came to our bar only three times so far.”

“He will soon start sending a lot of customers to your bar. Don’t worry about it.”

Chairman Lee ordered the liquor and dishes to Ms. Jang.

“Please bring in food and liquor. I’d like to have the ginseng liquor you made, Ms. Jang.”

“Sure, sir.”

Ms. Jang stood up and left the room.

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Chapter 223 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 2

Chapter 223: RiverStar Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 2

Chairman Lee filled Master Park’s glass with liquor.

“Did you finish building the temple-like home in your hometown?”

“Yes, it is completed. I think I spent all of the money I have earned so far while I worked in Gangnam, Seoul to build that temple.”

“Aren’t you going to feel lonely once you go there? I won’t be there with you, friend.”

“I will have moonlight and liquor with me; that will be enough for me not to feel lonely. Even though you and I have lived in Gangnam, we don’t often meet, anyway.”

“That’s true.”

“Come and visit me often to my hometown—Geosan. If you take a highway, it won’t take too long to get there.”

“Of course, I will visit you.”

“You will probably feel that this is unfair.”

“Why?”

“I guess I will go to heaven as I meditate and go through travail; however, you awfully have played with money in your life, and you will go to hell.”

“Well, people say that hell is a good place to live in these days.”

Gun-Ho had his drink while listening to the conversation between two old men. He couldn’t chip in since the elders were talking with their terms and topics.

“Oh, guess what? I brought a present for President Gun-Ho Goo.”

“I appreciate that you remember my name, sir.”

“Of course I remember your name. You are the man with ShinWangJaeWang fate.”

Master Park took out a piece of hanji* out of his briefcase and handed it to Gun-Ho.

It was a wording written in Chinese calligraphy. It was so artistically written that it looked more like a drawing; Gun-Ho wasn’t able to read it.

“It’s a wording that the founder of Samsung Group—Byung-Chul Lee—liked the most.”

Chairman Lee, who was sitting next to Master Park, smiled when he saw the wording. It seemed that Chairman Lee knew about the wording. Master Park then said to Gun-Ho with a serious look on his face,

“You will no longer be able to make money.”

“Huh? I can’t make money anymore?”

“The luck that allowed you to make money already passed by.”

“That’s not fair. I didn’t even get a publicly-traded company yet.”

“Don’t worry about it. You will have more and more money.”

“You just said I won’t be able to make money anymore.”

“You won’t, but the people who work for you will make money for you.”

“Huh?”

“The days when you had to make money by yourself are gone, and the days when your workers will make money for you are coming.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Do you know what you will have to do from now?”

“What should I do?”

“You have to manage people. You have to be smart in selecting people and allocating them in the right place.”

“I see…”

“The president of Samsung Group doesn’t know how to make a semiconductor or a refrigerator, and the president of Hyundai Group doesn’t even know how to make a car window shield. However, they have smart people who are working for them, and they know how to manage them. Those people are making money for them.”

“That’s true…”

“That’s why I am giving this wording to you. It says ‘EuInMakYong, YongInMoolEu.’ This wording used to be hung on the wall in President Byung-Chul Lee’s office. ”

“‘EuInMakYong, YongInMoolEu.’ What does that mean?”

“‘EuInMakYong’ means that you shouldn’t use a person who you think is suspicious. ‘YongInMoolEu’ means that once you decide to use that person, do not suspect him.”

“Oh, I see…”

Gun-Ho nodded his head. It totally made sense to him why President Byung-Chul Lee would have hung that wording in his office. Samsung Group trusted its employees once they hired them and took care of their future with the company, and that led to Samsung’s success, and it eventually became one of the biggest and wealthiest companies in Korea. On the other hand, President Tae-Soo Jeong of Hanbo Group led his company to its collapse as he treated his employees as dispensable.

‘It is definitely true. If I doubt Jong-Suk Park, and looked suspiciously at Min-Hyeok Kim, and suspect Jae-Sik Moon, they will question me too. If I decided to embrace them, I have to trust them.’

Gun-Ho carefully folded the hanji* that Master Park offered to him and slipped into the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Thank you for the invaluable gift, sir. Let me fill your glass with liquor.”

“It’s really nice to take a glass of liquor from a billionaire. Hahaha.”

“We need to celebrate our moment with music.”

Chairman Lee called for Ms. Jang.

“Please bring in Geomungo*.”

Young ladies in a traditional Korean dress came into the room with Geomungo.

Chairman Lee, Master Park, and Gun-Ho enjoyed their drink for a long time that night while listening to Geomungo. They didn’t mind their age gap at all and truly enjoyed the drink and the music together. Chairman Lee and Master Park seemed to have a lot of fun that day; they danced along with the Geomungo sound. Master Park called for Ms. Jang to dance with him. Gun-Ho was astonished by Ms. Jang’s dance; she danced like a professional dancer.

Gun-Ho didn’t mention the Sinsa Town building that he wanted to ask about to Chairman Lee. He just wanted to enjoy the night with them as it was. He later asked about it when they were walking out of the bar.

“Sir, can I take a look at the building in Sinsa Town?”

“A building in Sinsa Town? You mean the building that President Park wants to sell?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, if you want to take a look at it, why don’t you come to my office tomorrow? You will be staying in Seoul, right? You are not going back to Jiksan Town tonight, right?”

“Yes, sir. I will be in Seoul tomorrow.”

“I can’t talk for long tonight because I drank too much. Let’s have a hangover soup together tomorrow morning. A blowfish hangover soup should be good.”

“Sure. I will come to your office tomorrow morning then.”

Gun-Ho asked Ms. Jang to call a taxi for himself.

“President Goo, I will prepare better transportation for you. I will ask one of my bouncers to give you a ride to your home.”

Gun-Ho saw off Chairman Lee and Master Park. He was watching the car that Chairman Lee was in, leaving the bar when a BMW X5 stopped in front of him. A bouncer opened the door for Gun-Ho.

“Please get in, sir.”

Ms. Jang asked one of her bouncers to give a ride to Gun-Ho in the BMW instead of calling a taxi for him.

“It’s Ms. Jang’s car, isn’t it?”

The bouncer who was driving answered,

“No, this is not her car. This car is for the use of our guests only.”

“Oh, I see.”

When Gun-Ho got in the car, the bouncer asked about the destination.

“Where should I take you, sir?”

“Let’s go to Dogok Town. I’m heading to TowerPalace.”

The bouncer drove the car without saying a word. The car was driving on the third Han River Bridge when the bouncer talked to Gun-Ho while looking at him through the rear-view mirror.

“We are very interested in you, sir.”

“In me? For what?”

“You are the youngest customer in our bar. We have been wondering who you are, and we often talked about you, sir.”

“Oh, you did?”

“There are customers who have a rich father. But we heard that you are a self-made, successful man. The customers from a wealthy family usually don’t behave. Some of us got slapped in the face by them, and some of us were hit in the face with a drink. But you are always quiet and calm.”

“Haha, you think so?”

“I feel like you are an older brother because of your young age.”

“How old are you?”

“I am 31.”

“Hmmm, you are four years younger than me.”

“Can I call you big brother?”

“Suit yourself.”

The bouncer gave his business card to Gun-Ho.

“We are actually not the employees of Ms. Jang’s Pine, but we are the employees of a security company. We usually take a job of protecting important people. We have been dispatched to Pine and worked there for more than three years now. Ms. Jang is like a big sister to us and takes care of us like a mom, so we have worked there for that long.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho looked at the business card that the bouncer handed to him.

The business card said Security Instructor, Tae-Young Im.

“A security instructor?”

“Yes. I am the team leader. I am the only one who has a license for security work. However, our team is all black-belt holders.”

“What sorts of martial arts can you do, Mr. Tae-Young Im?”

“I have a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo and Judo. I can do a little bit of Hapkido too, brother.”

Gun-Ho felt weird when the bouncer called him brother.

“You should be good at real fights too, huh?”

“I don’t fight. However, when I was in high school in Gangnam, I was number one in fighting.”

“Haha, really?”

“Brother, can I have your business card as well?”

“My business card?”

Gun-Ho was not sure if it was a good idea to give him his business card, but he handed it to the bouncer.

“You are in a manufacturing business, brother. If you give us an opportunity to work for you, we will do our best.”

They arrived at TowerPalace. Gun-Ho took out an envelope and gave it to the bouncer. The bouncer got off the car, opened the car door for Gun-Ho, and gave a 90-degree bow to him.

“Brother, have a good night.”

Note*

Hanji – Korean traditional handmade paper

Geomungo – A traditional musical instrument of Korea

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Chapter 224 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 1

Chapter 224: RiverStar Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 1

In the morning, Gun-Ho went to Cheongdam Town to see Chairman Lee for the breakfast appointment he made with him yesterday.

“I was waiting for you.”

Chairman Lee looked haggard, maybe because of the liquor he consumed last night.

“I know a good place for a blowfish hangover soup. They are really good.”

Chairman Lee brought Gun-Ho to a roadside restaurant in Cheongdam Town. The restaurant was already filled with a lot of people even though it was early morning time. It was a large and busy restaurant. The blowfish hangover soup that Chairman Lee ordered came out. Frankly, it looked unsavory, but once Gun-Ho tried it, he was surprised. The taste was actually very good.

“Do you come to this restaurant often, sir?”

“I do come here from time to time. How is it? Is it good?”

“Yes, it’s very good.”

“I always like their blowfish soup every time I come here.”

Manager Kang who came along with Chairman Lee seemed to enjoy the soup as well.

“So, you said you are interested in the building in Sinsa Town, right?”

“Well, yes. I am more likely curious about a building in that size for now.”

“The land is 240 pyung, and the total floor space of the building is 4,200 pyung. It’s a 19-floor building. It is a newly constructed building.”

“What about its location?”

“You want to visit that location? I will draw a map for you if you want to go there. It’s on the main road and hard to miss it. There are a bank and a large coffee shop chain occupied on its ground floor. The building brings good profit.”

“There must be a garage too.”

“Of course. The building has up to basement 4.”

“How much money would be required to acquire a building like that?”

“It depends on how much money you can borrow from a bank. The building is worth 200 billion won, so if you can get a loan 80% of its value, you would need 40 billion won.”

Before Gun-Ho responded to the amount of money that Chairman Lee suggested, Manager Kang who was having his blowfish soup next to Gun-Ho was frightened.

“Huh? 40 billion won?”

“It’s hard to find an individual who has 40 billion won in cash. A large company probably has that much fund; however, a company has to be careful in purchasing a building. It will draw the media’s and the government tax office’s attention; they would want to know whether the building would be used for business.”

“I just want to take a look at the building.”

“You have 40 billion won? I guess you do have 40 billion won. You made a lot of money so far.”

Manager Kang’s jaw dropped and he looked at Gun-Ho.

“I don’t have that much cash. If I gather everything from here and there, I might though.”

“I can introduce the building owner— President Park to you. He is a Scrooge though.”

“No, no, sir. I don’t have that much money now. I hope I could save that kind of fund in the near future.”

“Okay, here is the map I just drew. It’s really easy to find the building. There are two elevators in the building. You can have your own little tour by yourself from the first floor to the 18th floor. There are more than 50 businesses currently running in that building.”

“I will stop by the building before I drive down to Jiksan Town, Cheonan today. I have to get back to work.”

“Of course. You built a new factory and you have to work harder in the new building.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the building in Sinsa Town.

“Hmmm. The curb appeal is magnificent. They must renovate the building not long ago.”

Gun-Ho entered the building. A security guard was sitting at the entrance. There is a building directory board that was listing every current business occupied in the building.

“All kinds of businesses are here. There is a construction company and a travel agency. Oh, an entertainment company is here too. There is an accountant’s office…”

Gun-Ho took a cursory look at the inside building from the basement garage to the 18th floor.

Gun-Ho came back to his office in Jiksan Town after his brief trip to the building in Sinsa Town.

“Seoul is too busy for me.”

Gun-Ho stretched himself while sitting at a large president’s office on the second floor of the new factory.

The general affairs manager entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“We have completed the hiring process to fill the vacancies in the production field. All of the new employees are in their 20s or 30s. We didn’t place an age limit for the positions during the hiring process, but most of the applicants were young people.”

“Hmm. Really?”

“We also tried to hire people who live close to our factory. Since our factory is located nearby the Jiksan subway station, many people from the area such as Pyeongtaek City, Osan City, and Suwon City applied for the job.”

“The placement has been completed as well?”

“Yes. We are done with the placement, and they will all be here today for orientation. We will distribute uniforms to the new workers and will give them safety instructions and other necessary information regarding the production field today.”

“Hmm.”

“Why don’t we schedule your meeting with them tomorrow morning around 9 am? Since today is their first day, I expect it to be disorderly and they will be mentally busy too. We can have a welcoming ceremony tomorrow and you can meet with them there, sir. I will arrange for our directors and manager to be there too. It will be the new workers’ official first day of work.”

“That sounds good.”

“I heard our previous lady workers who decided to quit the job because of the distance to commute after we moved to the new location, they are regretting their decision.”

“Why?”

“First, it’s hard to find another job, and also once they saw our new factory, they loved our advanced factory. And they figured that the distance to our new location wasn’t that bad as they initially thought since we have a subway station nearby and we provide a commuter shuttle service.”

“Well, they made their decision and they left our company. They can’t come back now. The company shouldn’t allow them to take back their old jobs just because they changed their mind.”

“Right. I told them they can’t revoke their resignation now. Moreover, we already hired new workers.”

“What is the retirement age for the workers in the production field?”

“It’s the same age as office workers. It’s the age of 58.”

“You have to make sure we comply with the policy. There is a reason why those policies were implemented in the first place.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s try not to lay our workers off just because our company needs to go through the restructuring process in the future until they reach their retirement age. That’s how we give them the feeling of job security and it will boost their loyalty to the company and strongly devote to our company.”

“You are absolutely right, sir.”

After the general affairs manager left the office, Gun-Ho took out his electronic calculator and started calculating something.

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Chapter 225 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 2

Chapter 225: RiverStar Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 2

“The total floor space of the building in Sinsa Town is about 5,000 pyung. How much rent do they charge per pyung? Let’s assume the rate of revenue as 6% of the investment amount. Since the building is located on the main road, it should be about that amount.”

“Say, the investment amount is 200 billion won. 6% of it is 12 billion won. If I take a loan for 80%, I can use only 40 billion of my own cash won instead of 200 billion won. How much would I be paying for the loan interest then, assuming I borrow 160 billion won? If the interest rate is 3.5%, it’s 5.6 billion won. If I subtract that amount from the potential annual revenue of 12 billion won, I will be left with 6.4 billion won.”

“Out of 6.4 billion won annual revenue, I need to subtract business expenses, taxes and labor fees and stuff. Given the size of the building, I will need a lot of people to maintain that building, like security guards, mechanics to repair and maintain furnace and electricity. Oh, I will need a cleaning crew as well, about 10 people. How much would be the profit then? 2 billion won? 3 billion won? It’s still lucrative. Well, I have to consider the fact that my 40 billion won investment fund would be tied up in that building. It will still bring in profits.”

“Oh, shoot. I forgot to take into account the depreciation cost of the building. If I assume half of the building price, and if the depreciable life is 20 years, hmmm, I will end up losing money.”

Gun-Ho calculated based on several different scenarios around that building, and he figured that buying that building wouldn’t bring that much profit to him at the end.

“Well, a person should use their own cash to make more money. If I take a loan from a bank, the bank will make a lot of money, not me. I will easily see this fact if I assume to borrow 50% or 30% of the building price rather than 80% of it.”

Gun-Ho felt a headache and wanted to get some fresh air. He tossed the papers he used for the calculation into a trash can and walked out of his office.

“Let’s go to Asan Spavis and take a hot spring bath.”

Gun-Ho drove heading to Asan City.

It was the first day of work for the new 30 workers in the production field. Most of them were in their 30s and they were all wearing a fresh and newly designed company uniform. They gathered in an auditorium with an ID card hanging around their necks. Most directors and managers were there already, including Manager Jong-Suk Park in the Production Department.

There was a large banner hanging on the wall in the auditorium.

It said, “Welcoming our new employees of 20xx to GH Mobile.”

The assistant manager of the general affairs department led the welcoming ceremony for new employees. After the Pledge of Allegiance, President Gun-Ho Goo’s welcome speech ensued.

“Our company has recently moved to our current location from Asan City to Jiksan Town. Our factory in Jiksan Town is a newly constructed factory. We are highly delighted to have you all as our new family. If you devote your time and energy to the company and increase our productivity as a result, you will absolutely be rewarded.”

Gun-Ho tried to make the speech short. After Gun-Ho’s welcoming speech, the representative of the new employees, who looked to be in his 30s came forward and took an oath in front of Gun-Ho.

After the oath, the managers and directors were introduced to the new workers. Gun-Ho then offered his hand to each of the 30 new workers for a handshake. He sometimes clapped their backs. There were 6 female workers among 30.

Once the new workers were placed in their position, the production field seemed to exude different vibe. The young new workers were fast, dynamic and vibrant. The seasoned workers who came from Asan factory seemed to move faster than before to keep pace with the new workers.

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“The elementary school teacher you met the other day, she seemed to be interested in you. Would you like to meet with her one more time?”

“No, thank you.”

“Why don’t you give one more chance to it? She is really a decent lady.”

“I am a decent man as well.”

“Well, yeah you got the point. You are more decent than her.”

“I am in a meeting right now. I’m busy. I will talk to you later.”

“Okay, Gun-Ho. If you happen to change your mind, just let me know any time, okay?”

The factory policy had been intensified after they moved to the new factory in Jiksan Town. It just happened that way. When Gun-Ho had acquired the factory in the first place, the total number of employees was 250, and now there were about 240 people working there, including the new 30 workers. The production output had increased while the number of workers stayed about the same. It made the labor cost lower in the production cost.

“Here is the current status of our labor cost.”

The general affairs manager brought a chart to Gun-Ho to give him a report.

“The labor-to-revenue ratio has reduced to below 25%.”

“Hmm.”

The chart that the general affairs manager brought to Gun-Ho was about labor-to-revenue ratio and labor productivity. The chart wasn’t of course made by the general affairs manager himself, but it was prepared by the staff in the general affairs department.

“It’s getting better and better. Let’s try to work harder.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was lunchtime, and Gun-Ho went down to the company cafeteria with the internal auditor. There was a long line of workers waiting for their turn to receive their meal, but Gun-Ho and the internal auditor could get their meal right away as the general affairs manager guided them. The meal provided by the company was Korean food with cooked rice and several various dishes.

“You are having lunch here today, sir.”

The plant manager came a bit late and joined Gun-Ho. Other workers who spotted Gun-Ho having lunch there tried to sit at a table as distant as possible.

Gun-Ho calculated the cost of the meal.

‘240 workers are having lunch here every day. If adding the night shift workers, there will be more than 300 people eat here on a daily basis. If I assume a meal for one person cost 4,000 won, the daily cost of the meal will be 1.2 million won. There will be no rent for the place. So if I give this business to someone outside the company, they will make their living with it. Should I ask my sister and her husband to do this business? Nah. It’s not a good idea to bring my own family or relatives into the company. Let’s just directly manage the cafeteria for now.’

While Gun-Ho was thinking about the cafeteria business in his factory, someone came to the table where Gun-Ho was having lunch with the internal auditor and plant manager as he gave a cup of water to each person. That dispersed his thoughts.

Gun-Ho was taking a break in his office when he received a phone call from the branch manager of the major bank in Gangnam.

“President Goo, do you play golf?”

“I haven’t been in the field for a while. Why are you asking?”

“We just received a ticket from our bank headquarters. They instructed us to meet with the presidents of the major companies that our bank is working with and have a round of golf. I’d like to invite you for it.”

“As you know already, we have recently moved to our new location, and I’ve been hectic since the first day of moving. I won’t have time for golf. Instead, I’d like to meet with you.”

“Something happened?”

“I need to talk with you about a real estate matter. When will you be available?”

“You can come any time. We are always at the office.”

Gun-Ho made a document using Excel in his office by himself.

He made a chart about RiverStar building in Gangnam. It was about its land, the size, and the lien, etc.

He also attached the real estate registration and the cadaster of the building and the land to the excel chart. He also included the pictures of the building’s exterior and interior that he took with his smartphone when he had visited the location.

“I should bring all these documents when I go see the bank branch manager tomorrow. I can’t just go and talk with my mouth alone.”

Gun-Ho smiled as he stapled the document altogether.

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Chapter 226 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 1

Chapter 226: RiverStar Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho received an email from Jae-Sik Moon who was working at GH Media as a chief editor. He sent to Gun-Ho the translated manuscript of Professor Jien Wang’s book— Economy Trend in China for the 21st Century. It was the final version with all necessary editing work and ready to be published. The book became even thicker after being translated into Korean and it was 400 pages.

Jae-Sik Moon changed the book title from ‘Economy Trend in China for the 21st Century’ to ‘Economy Prospect in China for the 21st Century.’ He modified some parts of the translated version to make it smoother while giving more flavor to it.

“Is this really done by Jae-Sik? Wow. I knew he was good, but I didn’t know he was this good.”

Gun-Ho started reading the translated manuscript of Jien Wang’s book. He thought he should read it before giving Jae-Sik any comment or response. However, it was too much.

“Whew. It will take forever to finish this book. It hurts my eyes too.”

Gun-Ho replied to Jae-Sik’s email after finishing only the first ten pages.

“I received the manuscript. It looks good. I think it is ready to be published.”

Gun-Ho received a phone call from Min-Hyeok Kim who was working at Suzhou City, China. He said he found a good storage building.

“The building is 300 pyung, but the land is huge. It’s 1,000 pyung. With the yard this big, it would be easy for vehicles to make turns.”

“I guess we can build an additional building there in the future if necessary.”

“Of course, there is plenty of space for an additional building.”

“So, is the owner selling the land?”

“He said he would. He said the land is not Hua fa land, but it is Zhuanrang land, so it is transferable.”

Gun-Ho was somewhat knowledgeable about real estate in China.

“Zhuanrang?”

“Correct. Zhuanrang land is transferable and can be used as collateral for a loan while Hua fa land is not since it was leased by the government for free. It cannot be transferred, leased, or used as collateral.”

“Sometimes they said it is Zhuanrang land, but later we might find out it is not. Many Korean companies fell into that trap when they did business in China. Is the seller an individual?”

“No, it’s a clothing manufacturing company.”

“What about the location?”

“Its location is not bad at all. It’s close to our factory and Suzhou Industrial Park.”

Suzhou Industrial Park is an industrial park located in Suzhou City, which was jointly developed by China and Singapore. Many large Korean companies are located in this industrial park including Samsung Group.

“Even though we might later find out it is not Zhuanrang land, it is still attractive since it is located close to the industrial park.”

“Why don’t you come and visit the storage building to make sure you like it?”

“Well, Suzhou City is a good location anyway. Not just Suzhou Industrial Park, but Hyundai and Posco are there too. Volvo, Mazda, Nissan, and other global companies are there as well. Let’s get the storage building in that area. It would be even better if that land is really Zhuanrang.”

“You know what? I took a position as a general manager in our elementary school alumni association here in China.”

“Oh, for the classmates from elementary school who are in China right now?”

“Yeah. I didn’t know there were so many of us here. We did once gather in Shanghai. 20 people came, which is a lot. Most of them are employees in a branch office of a company in Korea. They are team leaders or assistant managers in their companies. That is the usual position in a company at our age.”

“Really? I guess it will help your sales, huh?”

“Yeah. They actually helped me a lot already.”

“When you meet with them, you can use our company credit card to have liquor or food with them.”

“I’m not going to use the company credit card for everyone from that association, but I will if I meet some of them who are working for a company which could possibly make a contract with us.”

“How’s it going with the girl who you have been dating? You said she is teaching English in Shanghai International School.”

“I think I will marry her next spring. I guess I will have to have a wedding twice.”

“Why?”

“Since she is a Korean Chinese, we will have to do the wedding once in China and once in Korea.”

“Oh, hahaha. So you get married two times, huh?”

“My mom asked a fortune teller about my fate, and she said I am destined to marry twice.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Hahaha.”

“As to the storage building, I will come to China sometime next week. I will talk to you later then.”

Gun-Ho went to the bank in Gangnam to meet with the branch manager.

“There is a real property that I am interested in. It is located at the entrance of G Garosugil Road in Sinsa Town. It’s a 19-floor building with a 370 pyung land, and its total floor space is 4,200 pyung.”

“It must be very expensive.”

“I was told that its current fair market price is 200 billion won.”

“Wow. It is expensive.”

“If I purchase this building, how much can you support me?”

“I will lend the money as much as you want; however, if you buy the building personally, not with the company’s name, DTI (Debt to Income) will apply. Moreover, Sinsa Town is a restricted area for speculation, so we might not be allowed to lend you a significant amount.”

“What if I buy it with my real estate development company’s name?”

“If you buy it for business purposes, it would be a different story; however, since the building is very expensive, I will still have to discuss it with our head office.”

“How much cash do you think I have to bring in at a minimum?”

“I would say that you would need at least 40% of the price. Well, it might work with less than 40% of the price since we can use the security deposit. How much cash are you thinking of investing in?”

“I intend to use 20%.”

“Even 20% of the price will be 40 billion won. Do you have that much cash?”

“I came here to discuss with you because I have it.”

“Really? You have 40 billion won in cash. Wow. You are indeed a big player in the field.”

The branch manager was astonished, and the assistant manager of the bank who was sitting outside the office turned his head to the office when he heard the sound of the branch manager.

“Either you buy that building or not, why don’t you store your 40 billion won in our bank?”

“I have it stored in my stock account.”

“We do stock trading too. Why don’t you move to our bank? We are very good at stock trading.”

Gun-Ho didn’t respond to the branch manager’s suggestion, and the branch manager started thoroughly looking at the documents that Gun-Ho brought. He might have felt embarrassed.

“The building owner has a lot of debt, and some of them are from our bank. You can take it over once you buy the building.”

“Maybe I should contact the owner.”

“The owner with this expensive building must be rich. Why does he want to sell the building?”

“He has children who have different mothers and that gives him a headache.”

The branch manager grinned.

“That makes sense. Once the building owner dies, the children from the current wife will inherit more than the children from prior spouse. And those children won’t stay quiet.”

“What if the first wife is still alive?”

“Well, in that case, we will have to see who is recorded as his legal spouse.”

“Mr. Branch Manager, you probably want to be very careful with women too.”

“Haha. I am not capable of doing anything complicated like that. The only asset I have is a condo that I am living in. President Goo, you haven’t been in any complicated situation like that?”

“I don’t do that.”

Well, Gun-Ho had a beautiful woman already—Mori Aikko. He had no reason to look for another woman.

“President Goo, why don’t you leave the documents with me, which you brought? I will examine and analyze it. I am anticipating having another good business with you, sir.”

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Chapter 227 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 2

Chapter 227: RiverStar Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 2

Gun-Ho received a book from Jae-Sik Moon.

“Hmm. Finally, Professor Jien Wang’s book has been published. It’s thick.”

Gun-Ho opened the book. On the other side of the cover page, Professor Jien Wang’s profile was listed. It said that he obtained his Ph.D. from Yale University and taught at Yale. He is currently teaching at Zhejiang University in China. There was a brief profile about the translator who translated this book into Korean too. He was an instructor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Gun-Ho turned the first page over. There, he could see the name of the publishing company and publisher, etc. The publishing company was GH Media, and the publisher was Jeong-Sook Shin; the chief editor was Jae-Sik Moon. The name of the design team’s leader—Jeong-Sook Oh was shown there too. The price of the book was 15,000 won. Maybe given the thickness of the book, it was priced high.

“Let me see if there is any book review on this book in a newspaper.”

Gun-Ho searched the Internet. The three major newspapers: Chosun, Joongang, and Donga Ilbo were making an issue of the book. Even a small newspaper in a province was talking about the book. Maybe because the author was a college professor in China, who used to teach at Yale University. Moreover, the economy prospect in China for the 21st century as the book title indicated is closely related to people in Korea.

“I hope it sells very well.”

Gun-Ho opened the book while saying that. There were many charts and diagrams, it certainly looked not a fun book, unlike a novel.

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager.

“How many workers do we have, who is above team leader?”

“We have 62, sir.”

“Then, please buy this book, 62 of them from online and hand it to all of them.”

“It’s Economy Trend in China for the 21st Century.”

“Tell them to read it and make a book report. The one who submits the best book report will be awarded.”

“Yes, sir.”

The general affairs manager made a note about the name and the publisher of the book while standing in front of Gun-Ho.”

“GH Media? It’s one of our companies?”

The general affairs manager seemed to be delighted.

Gun-Ho went on a business trip to China. He was carrying the book that Professor Wang authored. He was carrying several Korean versions of the book. Once a book was published, the publisher usually sent the book to the author by mail. Gun-Ho wanted to bring it to Professor Wang himself.

Once he arrived in China, he didn’t go to Suzhou City where Min-Hyeok was, but he went to Hangzhou Jien Wang was living in.

Gun-Ho was thinking of calling Jien Wang and asking him to come to the hotel where he was staying, but he decided to visit him to his workplace instead, which was his research office at Zhejiang University.

“Professor Wang? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo. I just arrived in China and I am on my way to your research office.”

“What? You are coming to my office? I am in the office by myself and writing a paper. I will be here waiting for you.”

When Gun-Ho and Jien Wang met, they hugged each other.

“It has been a while.”

“Guess what? I brought you the book you wrote. It’s a Korean version that has just been published in Korea. The publishing company will send it to you soon by mail, but I wanted to give it to you myself. I brought two of them.”

“You could just send them by mail. It is kind of heavy to carry.”

Jien Wang looked delighted, he was smiling.

“The Korean language is so beautiful. It is a phonetic language. I am envious of it.”

“The Chinese language contains profound meaning.”

“The Chinese characters are not easy to use on the Internet, and it is hard to write a foreign language in Chinese. If we want to write a foreign name such as Obama or Trump, we have to make it with Chinese characters. That’s difficult.”

“We have 24 letters in the Korean language.”

“Exactly. I am so jealous. It’s so easy to learn. You know what? There are three things that Chinese people will never know in their entire lives.”

“What are they?”

“First, since the land of China is so big that they won’t be able to visit them all before they die.”

“That makes sense.”

“Secondly, we have so many different cuisines in each province that they won’t be able to taste them all before they die.”

“Hahaha. Really?”

“Can you guess the third one?”

“I don’t know.”

“Chinese people die without knowing all of the Chinese characters. Even I sometimes encounter a Chinese character that I don’t recognize because it is rarely used.”

“Hmm. That’s a bit sad.”

“Well, I have my good friend here who came all the way from Korea. I will have to have a drink. I will buy you a drink today. I received a royalty from GH Media.”

“That was already several months ago.”

“Well, I at least want to buy you a drink, President Goo. You helped me to publish my book in Korea. Let’s go and have Shaoxing wine.”

Professor Jien Wang took Gun-Ho to a shabby bar at Hubin Lu.

“I come to this bar sometimes after work. I enjoy drinking by myself. My favorite menu here is a bottle of Shaoxing wine with a seasoned eggplant.”

“This seasoned eggplant and water parsley taste similar to a Korean dish. I like them.”

Gun-Ho ate a lot because he really liked those seasoned vegetables. They sautéed the vegetables with a little bit of oil, and they were really good. A pork dish came out.

“This pork dish is a special order for you, my friend. You eat pork, right?”

“Sure. It’s good.”

The port was sautéed with sliced onions.

Gun-Ho thought that the bar was a type of bars where a professor with not much money would come just like Jien Wang.

“I once wrote something while I was drinking at this bar. I sent it to a newspaper. The title is ‘thinking of my friend.’”

Jien Wang took out a newspaper from his bag, it looked a bit dated. Jien Wang’s writing was in the newspaper.

Gun-Ho started reading it. In the writing, Jien Wang talked about his Korean friend—Gun-Ho as well. It talked about how he met Gun-Ho for the first time, and how Gun-Ho was developed into a successful businessman. He also talked about how kind Gun-Ho was to him when he attended a conference in Korea along with Korean people’s sense of public order and cleanliness.

“Thank you, my friend. You talked good about me.”

“I really meant it.”

Gun-Ho truly appreciated it.

“Let’s keep our friendship forever.”

“Sure. We will be friends until we die.”

Gun-Ho was feeling good and enjoyed his drink with Jien Wang that night.

Gun-Ho headed to Suzhou City to see Min-Hyeok. Min-Hyeok seemed to gain some weight.

“You gained some weight. Maybe because Chinese food here is a bit oily.”

“I think that’s because I ate too many dish when I drink with customers as part of my sales activities. My fiancée already nagged me.”

“What did she say?”

“She said I need to lose weight. She even gave me some kind of pills that would help me lose weight.”

Min-Hyeok showed a bottle of pills to Gun-Ho, which said Jianfei.

The factory in China was doing great, it was vibrant. Min-Hyeok gave a brief report to Gun-Ho on the company’s current loss and profit status. Gun-Ho could see how hard Min-Hyeok had been working because of the stock option.

“You have been working so hard.”

“Yeah. I actually need some extra money, so I worked as much as I could. I am expecting to get some extra income from the stock option at the end of this year.”

“Is it because of your wedding?”

“I will have to find a place to live with my fiancée. The rent is too high, so I am thinking to buy a home in Suzhou City. I will live with my wife right after we marry next spring.”

“Do you think you would get a good dividend this year?”

“If things go well as expected, the ordinary income will be 2 billion Korean Won. My stock option is 5% of it, so I will receive an extra 100 million won. There is a condo complex in Suzhou City and it is called Cui Yuan Huayuan. It is close to our factory. I think I can buy a 25 pyung condo there with a loan. It costs 150 million won.”

“The price of the condo will increase in the future?”

“I think so.”

“Did your fiancée see that condo already?”

“No, she hasn’t yet. Her name is Dingding. She will quit her job at school in Shanghai once we marry.”

“Dingding? The teaching job in Shanghai International School is hard to get, isn’t it?”

“Since she studied in the U.S., she can easily find another job here too. She was already offered a position from Suzhou International School.”

“Really? That’s great.”

Gun-Ho thought Min-Hyeok was doing really good with his life.

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Chapter 228 - Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (1) – PART 1

Chapter 228: Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho went to China and headed to Suzhou Industrial Park with Min-Hyeok Kim to see the storage building on the market for sale. He was told that the owner was running a clothing factory in the vicinity of the area. Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok headed to the clothing factory to meet with the owner.

The factory was not very clean. A lot of people were working there, and tons of products were piled up in the corner. The owner looked to be in his 60s, and he had dark skin.

“I bought that storage to store our products manufactured in this factory, but the business has shrunk, so I want to sell that storage.”

“The land is owned by the government, isn’t it?”

“Of course. All land in China is owned by the government, and we just get the right to use the land.”

“But you still call it ‘Zhuanrang land’ to indicate that it is transferable.”

“That’s right.”

“How much are you asking to transfer the storage?”

“Is your company buying it? The buyer company must have a business license registered with the Administration for Industry and Commerce.”

“We have it.”

“The land is 5 Mu, which is 3,300 m2. You have to give me at least 500 Yuan per m2.”

“How much would the entire land price be if the price per m2 is 500 Yuan?”

While Min-Hyeok was pulling out his electronic calculator, Gun-Ho just quickly calculated the price mentally.

“It’s 1,650,000 Yuan. So it would be 297 million won. We can just assume it’s about 300 million won.”

Gun-Ho surely had a distinctive sense in numbers, which differentiated him from other people.

“I am not sure if it is a fair price for that storage. It is located in the wilderness.”

“Maybe we should contact the president of Jinxi Construction Company with whom we used to run a joint venture together. We can ask for his advice.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok went to see Chinkkweo Seon— the president of Jinxi Construction Company. They carried the cosmetics that Gun-Ho purchased at the duty-free shop at the airport as a gift.

“Oh, G-jjong (President Goo)!”

It had been a long time since Gun-Ho heard someone calling him G-jjong.

“How is your business?”

“It’s going okay. How is your auto parts factory in Suzhou City?”

“We are doing okay too.”

When Min-Hyeok said that, everyone laughed.

A lady staff in the office brought Longjing tea.

“Please have some Longjing tea. The leaf was harvested during the spring.”

Gun-Ho continued to talk while having his tea.

“I want to buy a storage that is located in Suzhou Industrial Park. They are asking 500 Yuan per m2, and I am not sure if it is a fair price in that area. We are here to hear your advice.”

“The industrial park is so large that prices vary depending on the area. A real property is selling in some areas in the same industrial park for 700 Yuan or 800 Yuan per m2 while some are selling lower like less than 100 Yuan per m2. The size of the industrial park itself is 288 km2.”

“288 km2? It’s larger than Gimpo City in Korea.”

The president of Jinxi Construction Company suggested that he would see the storage himself.

“Why don’t we go there together? I can take a look at it for you. If you need to build an additional building in that land, I can help you with that too.”

When the president of Jinxi Construction Company saw the storage, he shook his head from side to side.

“3-Flow (electricity, water and sewer, and road) is good. I don’t see any leakage on the roof either. However, its location is like in a wilderness. There is nothing around the storage. You will certainly need a security guard. You will need two of them to guard the storage for 24 hours.”

It seemed that the president of Jinxi Construction Company met the seller before.

“You came to our construction company to get a price quote for your additional factory, didn’t you?”

“Oh, you are the president of Jinxi Construction Company.”

“Aren’t you building an additional factory yet?”

“I don’t think I need it anymore. The business is not doing well. I even put my storage on the market for sale.”

“500 Yuan is too expensive given the location. I feel like it is located in the middle of nowhere. These two presidents are my friends from Korea.”

“Well, I need that money. I can’t lower the price.”

“President Goo, let’s go. I will find a better storage for you.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok walked out of the storage following the president of Jinxi Construction Company when the landowner grabbed Jinxi Construction Company president’s arm.

“Come on. Okay. I will sell it for 480 Yuan.”

Gun-Ho made a purchase contract for the storage at 480 Yuan per m2, and he let Min-Hyeok Kim sign the contract as he gave Min-Hyeok a power of attorney.

Gun-Ho stopped by Shanghai and went to see Seukang Li with a carton of cigarettes that he purchased at the airport duty-free shop. Seukang Li was a smoker. When Gun-Ho arrived at his office, he was in a meeting, so Gun-Ho waited for him in a waiting area.

In the waiting area, there was another person waiting to see Seukang Li. He looked dandy and seemed to be two or three years older than Gun-Ho. At that moment, Gun-Ho received a call from the internal auditor from GH Mobile. The dandy man in the waiting area heard Gun-Ho talking on the phone in Korean, and he asked Gun-Ho after Gun-Ho got off the phone.

“Are you Korean?”

Gun-Ho was surprised when he heard the man speaking Korean to him.

“Oh, you are Korean. Are you here to meet Director Seukang Li?”

“Yes, I am.”

Gun-Ho then continued to wait for Seukang Li with his eyes closed; it was boring. The dandy man talked to Gun-Ho.

“Are you, by any chance, in the entertainment field?”

“No, I am in the manufacturing industry.”

“If you are in a manufacturing field, why do you want to meet the director of the bureau of cultural affairs and radio broadcasting, film, and television?”

“Oh, Director Seukang Li? He is a friend of mine. I just wanted to see him since I was in the area.”

“Your friend?”

The dandy man’s eyes widened.

It seemed to be hard to believe that Gun-Ho was a friend of a high ranked government official in Shanghai.

“I work in an entertainment management company.”

The dandy man gave his business card to Gun-Ho.

“A manager in BM Entertainment Management?”

“That’s right.”

“The famous singer Honey Jeong and other girl groups are with BM Entertainment, right?”

“That’s correct.”

The dandy manager started acting arrogant.

“If you have your business card with you, please give it to me.”

The entertainment agency manager said as he was crossing his legs.

Gun-Ho had to give his business card to the dandy manager since he gave Gun-Ho his business card already. The entertainment agency manager closely looked at Gun-Ho’s business card. It had three position titles on it: President of GH Mobile, President of GH Development, and Co-President of GH Parts Company in Suzhou City.

The dandy man quickly sat straight when he realized Gun-Ho was not just an employee of some company but actually a company owner. He then carefully looked at Gun-Ho’s face again.

‘He looks young. Maybe he has a rich daddy.’

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Chapter 229 - Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (1) – PART 2

Chapter 229: Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (1) – PART 2

The entertainment agency manager was wondering about Gun-Ho when Director Seukang Li came to the waiting area.

“Oh, Gun-Ho Goo!”

“Hey, Seukang Li.”

The two men hugged each other; they were so glad to see each other. The dandy man was just watching them hugging.

“Did you wait for long? I am so sorry. Party secretary was in the meeting, so it took longer than usual.”

“No problem. I hope I am not interrupting your day at work.”

“I’m good. I am not busy anymore.”

“I brought Professor Jien Wang’s book for you. It’s a Korean version.”

“I didn’t know he published his book in Korea. Wow. It’s written in Korean; I can’t read it.”

“Don’t try to read it. You just keep it as a souvenir.”

“Haha. I will keep it. Hey, why don’t we go to my office?”

When Seukang Li grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand and tried to leave the waiting area, the entertainment agency manager came to him.

“Sir, could you reconsider our request for the performance?”

“Oh, that? I already told you that we can’t allow it. We already sent you our decision. Why are you still here?”

“Please reconsider the decision. If you allow it once this time, I will never ask for it again.”

“That’s not possible. It will cause heavy traffic and raise a safety issue; we can’t allow it.”

Seukant Li acted cold to the entertainment company manager.

Seukang Li looked at Gun-Ho and smiled.

“Let’s go to my office!”

Gun-Ho followed Seukang Li to his office, and the dandy manager looked devastated.

“Sir! Sir!”

The entertainment agency manager kept calling Seukang Li, but Seukang Li didn’t respond to him.

Gun-Ho and Seukang Li entered his office. It was a large office with the Red Flag with Five Stars. There was a big wooden desk with a nameplate; it said ‘Director Seukang Li.’ The room certainly looked like a high ranked government officer’s room.

“What is that entertainment agency manager asking for?”

“He wanted to rent a gym and do a massive entertainment performance there. He planned to bring popular Korean group singers. Their Chinese business partner came this morning to request our approval again, and I had to send him away.”

“That will cause some traffic problem?”

“Well, yes, kind of. We actually have other important reason. We have to protect our own entertainment business here in China. K-pop is way too popular in China among young people. Chinese entertainment needs an opportunity to grow too. You would have done the same thing if you were in my shoes.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head; he thought Seukang Li made sense.

“Oh, how is your auto parts factory business in Suzhou City?”

“We are doing good. I know you have been helping us a lot. I was told that you introduced the president of a window manufacturing company to Min-Hyeok.”

“Did it help the business? I just told him that there is a company like that.”

“Min-Hyeok often told me that our sales revenue increased because of you.”

“President Min-Hyeok Kim is working so hard, and he is enthusiastic. I wish the company presidents in China work like him. There are a few government-owned companies that our bureau manages, and I wish those companies’ president work as hard as President Min-Hyeok Kim.”

“Thank you for saying that. Oh, you know what? I brought you something. Since you love smoking, I brought you a carton of cigarettes.”

“Haha. Thank you. I quit smoking, but it’s not easy. During the meeting earlier, the party secretary told me that he could smell smoke from me. I guess I will have to quit smoking in order to succeed in my career.”

Gun-Ho initially wanted to have dinner with Seukang Li, but he didn’t ask him for it. Seukang Li looked so busy and exhausted already.

Gun-Ho came back to Korea and presided over a meeting. The meeting with directors and managers was held once a week on Mondays in the morning. Another meeting, with everyone above an assistant manager, was held once a month in an auditorium.

“How are the 30 new workers doing?”

“They are good. Most of them are experienced workers, and I think they would do a really good job even if they were placed in an office. They are working in a production field, but many of them have very good qualifications.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“They are exceptionally good at producing more products in a short period of time. Our seasoned workers work faster than before; I think they are sensing that they might lose their job to younger workers.”

The sales director made a report.

“The major customers of our new products—S Group—will likely experience some changes in their company structure.”

“Did you hear anything specific?”

“People say that the vice president of S Group will resign soon.”

“He is still too young to retire, isn’t he?”

“His colleague who is younger than him is joining the company as a president. So he submitted his letter of resignation voluntarily.”

“Really? He was good to us and our business. That’s a shame.”

The plant manager and the chief officer of the research center who were both older than the vice president of S Group looked depressed.

After the meeting, Gun-Ho was sitting at his office by himself when the chief officer of the research center entered the office.

“Please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho showed a seat to him.

“As you decided to close the research center, 24 research center workers out of 30 have been reallocated to other departments.”

“Are they happy there? Or are they complaining?”

“They seemed to be doing fine. To be honest with you, sir, those workers in our research center were not really researchers.”

“Then why did you hire those people to work in the research center?”

“When we were filling in the positions in the research center, the previous president of Mulpasaneop instructed to find necessary workers from other departments within the company, rather than hire new people. Some of them now went back to their old positions, and they might be happier there.”

“So, there are only 6 people in the research center right now?”

“Yes. We still need them to keep the research center’s equipment working.”

“Did you say, those six workers left in the research center are superior to other workers who previously worked at the research center?”

“That’s right. These six workers are really smart.”

“Once we start a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon in the U.S., we will need skilled workers. We will have to send them to U.S. for training. I was previously told that we would need about three skilled workers to send to U.S, so they can receive training from Lymondell Dyeon.”

“I will select three young workers if you need them.”

“I will let you know once things become clear.”

“I’d like to talk about my job, sir.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Even after I retire at the end of this year, the research center has to be here. A company this large requires a research center. I understand you want to make a change; however, getting rid of the research center won’t do any good for the company.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I suggest to bring a new chief officer for the research center and keep at least 15 workers there.”

“We used to have 30 workers there.”

“We essentially need 15 workers; that should be enough.”

“Hmm…”

“I have someone I’d like to recommend for the chief officer position.”

“Who is that?”

“I have a friend who also received a Ph.D. from Germany. He is young. He just became 51.”

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Chapter 230 - Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (2) – PART 1

Chapter 230: Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (2) – PART 1

The chief officer of the research center recommended an engineer with his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany as his successor at GH Mobile.

Gun-Ho wanted to know more about that person.

“Where is he working right now?”

“He is working in a research center in Pangyo City. It’s a research center in a small company.”

“Given the fact that you are recommending him as your successor, he must be very good and competent. Why is he working in a small company research center then?”

The chief officer let out a slight sigh.

“He received his Ph.D. in Munich. As you know, the German automobile industry produces the most competitive cars in the world, like Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen… They are all German companies. After getting his Ph.D. degree, he started his career at the BMW research center. He was being paid a significant amount of salary.”

“Then what happened?”

“He missed his home country, and he received a job offer from one of the Korean big auto companies—G Auto.”

“He should be doing good there too.”

“He was sort of bullied by other workers who were jealous of what he had achieved, and they were highly territorial too. Moreover, G Auto’s company culture didn’t suit him. So he moved to a small company’s research center, and he is currently working there; however, the work environment including necessary research equipment doesn’t seem to fully support his research. He is now over 50, and it’s not easy for him to move to another better company.”

“Our company is probably no better than the one he is currently working for right now. And we don’t pay much.”

“He once came and visited me here and took a look around the research center. He said he couldn’t compare it with the one in a big company, but it is certainly better than the one in Pangyo City, where he is working at.”

“Hmm.”

“He was a promising young man when he was at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. The diesel engine was invented by an engineer who studied at Munich, Germany. Munich is a city which is recognized for its highly developed automotive industry.”

“Okay. Let’s find out more about him then. Please have him send his resume to us.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, I have something that I want to discuss with you, Mr. Chief Officer of the research center.”

“Okay.”

“Director Yoon is working on the demolition of our factory in Asan City. Once the joint venture business with Dyeon is confirmed, we will build a new factory there, and it will be used to process raw materials for urethane-related products.”

“I had a rough idea about it.”

“After you retire your current position at the end of this year, I’d like you to work at that factory in Asan City as a company advisor maybe for a year or so.”

“Really? That sounds great.”

The chief officer of the research center gave a bright smile.

Gun-Ho visited the factory in Asan City where the building was being torn down.

Director Yoon was supervising the construction site with his safety helmet on his head. The site was filled with dust.

“I am sorry, Director Yoon. I seemed to place you in a construction site all the time.”

“It’s my job, sir.”

“You used to lead a large project in a construction site overseas, and I am sorry that I put you in a place where a small factory is being demolished.”

“No problem. I feel so good when I think of building a marvelous factory at this very site after everything gets cleared out. People who are working on a construction site like me feel rewarded when we think of a new building that will be constructed.”

“Right. We will have a new, highly advanced factory here for our joint venture business. Once you are done with the demolishing work, come back to the office in Jiksan Town.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Lymondell Dyeon will send their personnel here soon, and we will show them the land only.”

“Oh, really?”

A food delivery truck arrived at the construction site; it was from a restaurant nearby.

“Oh, it’s your lunchtime.”

“Why don’t you join us, sir?”

“Haha. I have a lunch appointment in Onyang City. Enjoy your lunch.”

A 1-ton truck that was modified for a food delivery business was loaded with large plastic containers with food inside. They started unloading those plastic boxes.

Gun-Ho attended a meeting held for business owners, which was sponsored by Chungnam Province’s business council committee. Since it only allowed business owners to attend—no vice president, no director, or anyone but business owners—there were only 7 people who attended the meeting. They were owners of small or medium-sized companies, and most of them had a loud voice and looked tough. They were at least 10 or 20 years older than Gun-Ho.

“President Goo, you don’t play golf at all?”

“No, I don’t often play it.”

The business owners in the meeting talked about golf from the start of the meeting. They sometimes talked about female workers in their companies and their romantic relationship with those female employees.

Gun-Ho was wondering whether anyone here had ever been accused of sexual harassment.

There was a female business owner in her 50s at the meeting, and she left the meeting early saying that she had another appointment.

Those business owners also talked about how they kicked their workers’ shin while they were reprimanding the workers.

Gun-Ho was thinking,

‘They seem to be on a serious power trip.’

Gun-Ho left the meeting after having his meal.

Gun-Ho was dozing off while taking a hot spring bath in Onyang City when he received a text message. It was written in English.

“Oppa, how have you been doing? Are you busy these days? You haven’t talked to me for a while.”

It was from Mori Aikko.

Gun-Ho quickly replied to it,

“Are you in Tokyo right now?”

“Yes. I am in the condo in Daikanyama, Shibuya. I am off until this weekend.”

“I will be busy all this week. I can go to Tokyo next week.”

“I won’t be in Tokyo next week. I have to go to Arashiyama Park, Kyoto for a photoshoot next week.”

“Is it for a pictorial book?”

“Not really…”

They both took some time before continuing to talk. They sometimes took a long pause to refer to a dictionary through their smartphones when they saw an English word they could not understand.

“I have been invited by the professional photographer association of Kyoto for a photoshoot. More than 100 professional photographers will be there.”

“You will probably wear Kimonos, right?”

“Right, I will have the photoshoot on Togetsu-kyo Bridge; I will be holding a Wa-ritsu (a traditional Japanese oil-paper umbrella).”

“You will be so pretty.”

“Haha. Thank you, Oppa. Arigato Gozaimashita.”

Gun-Ho pictured Mori Aikko in vibrant colored Kimonos with a traditional Japanese oil-Paper umbrella in her hand. She would look extremely gorgeous.

“The day after tomorrow is Saturday, right? I will be at the condo in Daikanyama, Shibuya on Saturday afternoon.”

“I will be waiting for you.”

In the afternoon that day, Gun-Ho went back to his office in Jiksan Town.

When Gun-Ho entered the company, the office staff stood up to greet him.

“Is everything fine here?”

“Yes, sir. Everything is going well as usual.”

Gun-Ho entered his office and made a phone call to China to Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Did you make the second payment for the storage building that we are buying at the entrance of Suzhou Industrial Park? If I remember correctly, today is the payment day.”

“Yes. I just made the second payment. President Goo, can we talk later? I am on my way to the Council of People’s Commissars in this area.”

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Chapter 231 - Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (2) – PART 2

Chapter 231: Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (2) – PART 2

“Council of People’s Commissars? I believe it is something like a township office in Korea.”

“That’s right. A clerk there wants to see me.”

“A clerk of Council of People’s Commissars? Why would he want to see you?”

“I have no idea. I will give you a call after I meet with the clerk.”

“Okay.”

“Before you go, I have something to ask you about.”

“What is it?”

“I am concerned about the storage building we purchased. The joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon hasn’t been finalized yet, and we are not sure we will actually start the joint venture with them or not. However, we purchased storage for the business already.”

“Don’t worry about it. We will soon receive the confirmation for the joint venture. Otherwise, we can resell the storage.”

“If we resell the storage, we will have to pay for fees and taxes.”

“We will get the joint venture business from them. They said they would send their personnel to visit our factory. That means that they want to do a joint venture with us. Okay, I really have to go now. I will talk to you once I get back from the Council of People’s Commissars.”

“Sounds good.”

Min-Hyeok called Gun-Ho when Gun-Ho was almost ready to call it a day.

“Did you meet with him? The clerk of Council of People’s Commissars.”

“Yes, I did. He is the head of the town and a party secretary at the same time. He looked like a farmer in the countryside though.”

“A party secretary is a sort of powerful position. In China, any place that has an organization, there is a party secretary; it could be a party secretary of a small town, or province, or the state.”

“It was about nothing important. He asked me why I want to transfer the land to our company’s name, and he also wanted to know how much investment fund we are putting into the business.”

“He is a silly man.”

“He said that we might need two security guards for our new storage, and he wants to recommend two people he knows. He said he would send someone in the vicinity of the area.”

“It seems that the Chinese government is very proactive in resolving an unemployment issue. Just do what you have to do, Min-Hyeok.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, he sent a text message to Mori Aikko before heading to the condo in Daikanyama, Shibuya.

“Aikko, do not prepare dinner for us. Let’s dine out.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the condo where Mori Aikko was living in. Daikanyama was regarded as Cheongdam Town in Tokyo because there were so many sophisticated stores and restaurants. Mori Aikko’s condo was located a bit off the main street.

When Gun-Ho arrived in front of the condo’s front door, he entered the passcode to the keyless entry lock system. The passcode was Gun-Ho’s phone number. That was what Mori Aikko set up.

“Aikko.”

“Oppa!”

Aikko still looked like a teenager in Gun-Ho’s eyes. She was like a cute rabbit.

“I missed you so much, Aikko.”

“Me, too.”

Gun-Ho bombarded Mori Aikko with his endless kisses on her cheek with a loud kissing sound.

“You haven’t had dinner yet, right? Let’s go out.”

“We shouldn’t just leave like this. Let’s have at least a cup of tea here first.”

Mori Aikko said in Korean.

“Your Korean improved a lot.”

Gun-Ho sat at the dining table, and he heard a rattling sound from the kitchen. It seemed Mori Aikko was preparing a cup of tea in the kitchen. Gun-Ho felt like he was at home. He felt relaxed and cozy.

Aikko brought some tea with some snacks.

“What kind of tea is this?”

“It’s Guro Mame tea.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko took a walk on the Daikanyama street. While they were walking, Mori Aikko sometimes grabbed Gun-Ho’s arm and jumped up and down in excitement.

“You are wearing the same clothes as the last time I saw you. I will buy you new clothes.”

“No, it’s okay. This is my favorite clothes.”

“Let me buy one for you.”

“Okay, then let’s go to that store.”

Mori Aikko was pointing the Green Field Outlet mall. It didn’t cost Gun-Ho much to buy her clothes. He bought pants and a jacket for Mori Aikko. Gun-Ho felt like he was buying cheap stuff for her, so he went to RedLabel and got a suit for her too.

“Don’t waste your money.”

Aikko told Gun-Ho that he shouldn’t buy anything more, and she bought Gun-Ho a wallet and a handkerchief and told him that they were her gift to him.

Gun-Ho and Aikko had a good time while walking on a street and having a waffle and an ice cream.

After having a beer at an open-air café in Daikanyama, they walked back to the condo. Aikko’s condo was located in a very expensive area, and an average Japanese person in Tokyo couldn’t afford to buy it.

Aikko prepared Gun-Ho’s toiletries and Yukata. The bedsheet was fresh and crispy.

Gun-Ho hugged Mori Aikko’s waist tightly and kissed her.

The next morning, it was a bit chilly. Mori Aikko was in Gun-Ho’s arms.

“Oppa, do you have to go back to Korea today? Can’t you live here?”

“I have a business to run there.”

“I do love the condo, but I sometimes feel it is too empty and quiet here.”

Gun-Ho let out a slight sigh. He thought he would have to let her go someday.

“Oppa, I want to visit Korea.”

“Korea?”

“Yeah. I want to walk on the street in Bukchon and also Insa Town. I want to see your company too.”

“Sure. I welcome you to Korea at any time.”

“Really?”

Mori Aikko put her arms around Gun-Ho’s neck and pressed her lips against Gun-Ho’s.

Gun-Ho came back to Korea after spending fantastic nights in Tokyo. He felt like he was recharged. When he went to work in the morning, he parked his car and walked to the front door. There, he bumped into Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro, you looked very good these days. I can tell by looking at your nose; it’s shiny.”

“My nose?”

Gun-Ho rubbed his nose with his right hand.

“The plant manager told me that you don’t miss a class at Polytechnics College.”

“Yeah. I didn’t like to go to college at first, but now I like it.”

“That’s good to hear. Keep it up.”

Jong-Suk Park walked towards his office in the production field. He was humming.

Gun-Ho then encountered the plant manager this time. He was on his way to his office after he parked his car.

“I am so glad to know that Manager Jong-Suk Park is doing well at Polytechnics College.”

“He has his reason for it, sir.”

“He has his own reason? What is it?”

“Oh, you don’t know? He met someone there. He is dating a girl.”

“A girl?”

“Yes, she is an office worker in another company and came to college to study. It seems they hit it off well. Manager Jong-Suk Park goes straight to school after he gets off at work.”

“Haha, really?”

Gun-Ho had never expected to hear Jong-Suk having a girl.

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Chapter 232 - Lymondell Dyeon’s visit (1) – PART 1

Chapter 232: Lymondell Dyeon’s visit (1) – PART 1

The chief officer of the research center entered Gun-Ho’s office with a resume in his hand.

“Sir, I brought the resume of the person whom I recommended as my successor, earlier.”

Gun-Ho reviewed the resume of the person who might be the next chief officer of Gun-Ho’s company research center. His picture was attached to the resume. According to his resume, he graduated from Yonsei University majoring in Mechanics before he went to Germany to obtain his graduate degree and Ph.D.

“His hometown is Incheon City.”

“Haha. Sir, you are from Incheon City too.”

Gun-Ho closely looked at the resume.

“So he joined BMW research center right after he received his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Additionally, he used to work for G Auto in Korea. His resume looks great.”

“Sir, if you look at the bottom of the resume, he listed the development projects he participated in during his employment with BMW.”

“Hmm.”

“Most of all, he is still young so he will be able to assist you, sir, for a long time.”

“I heard you, Mr. Chief Officer. Please tell him to come and visit us here when he has time. I need to see him in person first, don’t I?”

“Of course, sir. I will let him know.”

Gun-Ho usually read a book by himself in his office after he signed reports in the morning. He usually enjoyed reading books that were about business management; however, he also read books on various subjects to expand his knowledge, such as history, politics, society, philosophy, etc. Many people found themselves too busy in life to read a book, but Gun-Ho had time for book reading because he was the boss in the company. As he read more and more books during his spare time, he became clever and gained insight. He also expanded his knowledge simultaneously.

“I will travel overseas more and more often. Speaking English will come in very handy. Even though I speak Chinese as a second language, I will have to learn English too. I am able to at least communicate with Mori Aikko because I know English a bit.”

Gun-Ho installed a TV in his office and frequently watched American soap opera and other TV programs in English, in an effort to improve his English.

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager.

“Can you find an English instructor? I am thinking of beginning an English conversation class every morning for the management of our company. Once we start the joint venture with Dyeon, we will have to be able to speak English.”

“I was actually going to make a suggestion about learning English. I will look for an English tutor right away.”

Gun-Ho then asked for the accounting manager.

“Please get me a report on education and training expenses that we have spent for this year.”

The accounting manager printed out the report from the accounting software and brought it to Gun-Ho as soon as possible.

“This is it? The only education and training expense is for the compulsory education? I only see the fire safety education, quality control education, sexual misconduct prevention education, Four Major Public Insurance education, and electrical safety education… These are the minimum that we have to provide for employees’ training.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“We will increase our education and training expenses by adding English training to it. If you find any necessary training in the accounting department on tax or anything else, make a request to the general affairs manager.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

The general affairs manager came back to Gun-Ho’s office around lunchtime.

“Umm, sir, I found an English tutor.”

“Really? That’s good.”

“He is a native English speaker who is currently teaching English at Hoseo University. He will come to our company every morning for a one-hour English class.”

“We will compensate him more than reasonable for his English teaching to our employees. Please place a posting right away, saying that we will start a daily English class in the morning. Also, send an official announcement to each department to let them know that the company will provide our employees with tuition assistance for work-related education from Polytechnics College or any other educational institution.”

“Will do, sir.”

Gun-Ho thought that he would attend the English class in the morning too himself.

After having lunch at the company cafeteria, Gun-Ho started dozing off in his office. After taking a brief nap, he watched a soap opera in English. While watching American TV drama, Gun-Ho thought of Jong-Suk Park.

Gun-Ho picked up the interphone and asked for Manager Jong-Suk Park.

When Manager Jong-Suk Park entered Gun-Ho’s office, he was carrying safety work gloves in his hands. He probably took them off before he entered the office.

“Were you in the middle of work?”

“No. I just completed the work that I was working on.”

“Please have a seat.”

Jong-Suk Park sat at the conference table.

“You want some tea? Let’s have a cup of coffee.”

Gun-Ho asked his secretary via the interphone to bring two cups of coffee to his office.

Manager Jong-Suk Park seemed to be wondering why Gun-Ho wanted to talk with him.

The secretary brought coffee.

“Let’s have coffee.”

“Do you… have something that you want to tell me?”

“I heard rumors about you, Jong-Suk. A good one.”

“What did you hear?”

Jong-Suk Park’s eyes widened while holding his cup.

“You are dating a girl, aren’t you?”

Jong-Suk put his cup back to the table and scratched the back of his head as he laughed awkwardly.

“Who told you that?”

“Hey. I, as the president of this company, have to know everything that is going on here. If you have good news like that, you should have told me first.”

“I thought it was too early to tell.”

“I heard she is working at a company around here in Cheonan City. Is that right?”

“Yeah. She is working at an electronics company. She is working in their research center.”

“If she is working in a research center, she must have a bachelor’s degree. Why is she taking classes at Polytechnics College?”

“Right. She graduated from Hanseo University in Dangjin City. She didn’t major in Engineering in college so her company let her take some engineering classes at Polytechnics College. Her company supports her educational tuition just like myself.”

“I guess you will marry before I do.”

“You have to marry before me, bro.”

“I was born before you, but you don’t have to wait for me to marry before you. If you found a decent girl, you marry first.”

“We are not that serious yet. I haven’t really talked about marriage with her.”

“Does the girl like you too?”

“I think so.”

“Then marry her, man. What are you waiting for?”

“I’m trying.”

“How about her parents? Are they from here?”

“Yeah. Her father is a real estate agent, and her mom runs a hair shop. She is living in Jugong condo in Baekseok Town in Cheonan City.”

“I’m so happy for you, Jong-Suk. When you have a chance, set up a meeting with her. I want to see her.”

“Haha. Okay, bro.”

Manager Jong-Suk Park smiled naively.

Lymondell Dyeon sent a message to GH Mobile that they would soon send their personnel to GH Mobile to conduct their due diligence. Gun-Ho immediately contacted Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“Attorney Kim? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo. We just received a message from Lymondell Dyeon, they are sending their people here soon.”

“When did they say they would arrive?”

“It’s the 20th of this month. They will send three people including Vice President Brandon Burke.”

“So, Mr. Brandon Burke is coming too, right? That’s really nice. Moreover, they are coming to your factory in Jiksan Town, not the factory in Asan City. Since it is a new advanced factory, I’m sure that they will be impressed.”

“Why don’t you come here too?”

“I will go to Incheon International Airport on the first day to greet them and I will come to your factory in Jiksan Town on the last day of their visit.”

“Why? Can’t you come here every day during their visit?”

“I have other work to do. My presence during their investigation won’t help anything since I have no knowledge about the field. Did you find an interpreter?”

“Not yet. I will find one.”

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Chapter 233 - Lymondell Dyeon’s visit (1) – PART 2

Chapter 233: Lymondell Dyeon’s visit (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho was thinking of who he should ask for the interpreting work.

“Maybe I should ask President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media if she knows any good interpreter. She probably has good connections to people who can speak English fluently since she has given translation work to those people.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“Oh, President Gun-Ho Goo. This is Jeong-Sook Shin speaking.”

“How are things going there?”

“Everything is fine. I sent you our profit and loss statement for this quarter via email already…”

“I’m not calling you for that. Do you have anyone you want to recommend for an interpretation job?”

“English interpretation?”

“Yes. There is a company in the U.S. called Lymondell Dyeon, and it’s a multinational chemical company. I am trying to have a joint venture with them and I need an interpreter for three days.”

“When do you need one?”

“They will send their personnel to us on the 20th of this month to Incheon International Airport. I will need an interpreter from that day for the following three days, so it will be in a total of four days if I include the days when they arrive and depart.”

“I do know someone for the job. He is doing a translation job for us, usually for a business-related book. He used to work in the U.S. for a long time as a branch manager. He also studied in the U.S.

He started his translation work after he retired. You probably want him for the interpretation job for the work with Lymondell Dyeon, than getting a young English instructor in college for the same job.”

“He used to work as a branch manager in the U.S.? That sounds very good. Can you send him to Incheon International Airport on the 20th of this month at 11 am? We will pick him up from there.”

“Sure, I will let him know right away.”

Gun-Ho let the managers and directors know that Lymondell Dyeon was sending their personnel to the company soon, during the meeting.

“They are finally coming.”

“Mr. Plant Manager, please have the workers in the production field to clean up the machines and equipment.”

“Yes, sir. I will also ask them to do some paint touch-ups on machines where its paint is peeled off.”

“Also, please check the lab equipment as well.”

“Yes, sir. We will check all the equipment in the research center, including the ones that we rarely use.”

“Mr. Director Yoon, you said the demolition of the factory in Asan City is completed, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It rained last week. Can you check the land if there are any holes or anything because of the rain? They will visit the land in Asan City.”

“Yes, sir. I will have our workers to flatten the land with a roller.”

Gun-Ho called for the general affairs manager after the meeting ended.

“We will have Lymondell Dyeon’s personnel on 20th.”

“I just heard it from the sales director, sir.”

“I think you should go to Incheon International Airport that day to pick them up.”

“No problem, sir.”

“Our interpreter will be there too. Why don’t you rent a van so you can take them all in one car? Please make sure that you get a new model and a clean one.”

“Yes, sir.”

“When you go to the airport to greet them, take Hee-Jeong Park with you. She will assist you.”

“Okay, sir. Am I driving then?”

“Haha. No, you shouldn’t. You should focus on Lymondell Dyeon’s personnel. I will ask to send a chauffeur along with the rental car.”

“What about I take the assistant manager of general affairs? He and I can drive in turn.”

“Would the general affairs department be okay without you and the assistant manager?”

“It should be okay. They can give us a call if they need us, and we have the team leaders too.”

“Okay then. The assistant manager and Hee-Jeong Park are good-looking people. They are appropriate to greet our guests.”

“I look okay too, sir.”

“Haha. Okay. You are dismissed.”

“I will then find a nice rental van now.”

The general affairs manager bowed to Gun-Ho before he left the office.

It was the day when people from Lymondell Dyeon arrived.

The general affairs manager of GH Mobile headed to Incheon International Airport with the assistant manager and the secretary. Attorney Young-Jin Kim and the interpreter who used to work as a branch manager in the U.S. for a big company were in the waiting area.

“Attorney Kim, I think we have met at the building dedication ceremony.”

“Right. You led the ceremony, didn’t you? How is President Goo doing?”

“He is doing fine.”

“I will have to leave the airport right after we meet with the people from Lymondell Dyeon. Once their investigation is completed, I will come to the factory in Jiksan Town on the last day. I already talked with President Goo about this.”

“Oh, really?”

The general affairs manager looked at the man who looked like in his 50s with grey hair, who was standing next to Attorney Kim.

“Are you the interpreter, sir?”

“Yes, I am. President Jeong-Sook Shin from GH Media. GH Media then referred me to this job. I look forward to working with you for the next four days.”

“We welcome you, sir. I am the general affairs manager of GH Mobile.”

The general affairs manager gave his business card to the interpreter.

Travelers started coming out from the exit gate at the airport. There were many Americans among them. Attorney Kim waved his hand when he saw Vice President Brandon Burke of Lymondell Dyeon. Attorney Kim could easily recognize Mr. Brandon Burke.

The general affairs manager, assistant manager, Secretary Jeong-Hee Park, Mr. Brandon Burke and other people from Lymondell Dyeon exchanged their business cards with each other. The interpreter also introduced himself to them.

“It will take about two and a half hours from here to our factory in Jiksan Town, Incheon City. We were instructed by President Gun-Ho Goo to show you around Seoul City before coming to Jiksan Town. We will take you to Gyeongbokgung Palace and Namsan Tower.”

“No.”

Mr. Brandon Burke declined the offer.

“We will visit Seoul for a tour on the last day after our investigation is complete.”

“If we return our factory without showing you around, we will get reprimanded by our president.”

“Okay, then let’s just have a brief drive around Seoul City before we head to Jiksan Town. This is my second visit in Seoul, but these two gentlemen have never been here.”

The Starex van with everyone in it departed Incheon International Airport and headed to Seoul. They passed by Yeouido Island and arrived at Gwanghwamun Gate. Attorney Young-Jin Park got off the van and said,

“That is Gyeongbokgung Palace. Our king used to live there during the Joseon dynasty.”

“Who is the statue?”

“He is Naval Commander Yi Sun-sin. He is a war hero during the war against Japan about 400 years ago.”

One of the staff from Lymondell Dyeon was enthusiastically taking pictures.

The Starex van took a highway after taking a short trip to Teheran-ro in Gangnam. They arrived at Jiksan Town after 4 pm. There was a banner hanging at the factory entrance and it said ‘Welcoming Lymondell Dyeon.’

When the people from Lymondell Dyeon arrived, the GH Mobile’s managers and directors came out and greeted them.

“Vice President Brandon Burke, thank you for coming.”

“Oh, President Gun-Ho Goo. Good to see you again.”

They exchanged handshakes.

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Chapter 234 - Lymondell Dyeon’s Visit (2) – PART 1

Chapter 234: Lymondell Dyeon’s Visit (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho greeted the person who came for the interpretation job.

The interpreter was surprised by the fact that Gun-Ho was a very young president. Gun-Ho’s employees who were standing next to Gun-Ho including the plant manager and the chief officer of the research center were old men who would soon retire. However, Gun-Ho looked young about the same age as Kim Jong-un—Supreme Leader of North Korea.

“He must inherit the company from his father.”

The interpreter just assumed it.

Gun-Ho extended his hand to the interpreter for a handshake and said,

“I’ve heard a lot about you from President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media. I was told that you used to work in the U.S. as a branch manager of a big company and that you speak English fluently.”

“Thank you. I’ve been working with President Jeong-Sook Shin for several years. I like your factory. It’s humongous and beautiful at the same time.”

Mr. Brandon Burke’s party was having a tour of the production field at the factory in Jiksan Town, the plant manager was guiding them. Mr. Brandon Burke kept nodding his head while looking around the factory, he must be impressed by the extremely clean facility and shiny machines.

“The factory looked old in the picture, but it is actually very large and well organized.”

The picture that Mr. Brandon Burke mentioned was the picture of the factory in Asan City, which Gun-Ho submitted along with his application for a co-venturer opportunity to Lymondell Dyeon.

“It’s getting late. Why don’t you take a rest at the hotel for the rest of today and start your investigation tomorrow? We have reserved your room in Onyang Hot Spring Hotel and it’s close to the factory. Our interpreter will stay in the same hotel.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho said to Mr. Brandon Burke,

“The city which we are in right now is a small city, so the hotel you will stay in is not big. However, this city of Onyang is famous for its hot springs. It is radium hot springs. You will enjoy the hot spring bath.”

“Oh, hot spring?”

Mr. Brandon Burke seemed to be excited when he heard of the word ‘hot spring.’

“Since this is your first day in Korea with us, we will throw a welcoming party for you. Our managers and directors will join us as well. We will also have an opportunity to get to know each other a bit.”

Gun-Ho took Mr. Brandon Burke’s party to Seungjiwon; it is a Korean traditional full course meal restaurant which was located in Baekseok Town, Cheonan City. Seungjiwon was still in business now.

The internal auditor, the plant manager, the chief officer of the research center, and Director Yoon attended the party. The sales manager couldn’t join them because one of his family members passed away and he left for home early that day. There were 12 people at the party, including three personnel from Lymondell Dyeon and a few staff from the general affairs department of GH Mobile.

Mr. Brandon Burke looked around the restaurant with a smile.

A Korean traditional full course meal came out as ordered. Mr. Brandon Burke carefully tasted the food and shouted, “Good.”

Lymondell Dyeon’s examiners’ investigation started; it was extremely thorough and they were meticulous. They walked around the factory with a checklist in their hands.

They checked the efficiency and effectiveness of the machines and the production rate per second. They also retrieved data of labor costs and the number of units produced per person. They calculated the depreciation cost of the new extruding machines which were made in Germany. They reviewed the maintenance record of the equipment in the factory. They even checked the date of wastewater disposal and pointed out that it was overdue. The plant manager and Manager Jong-Suk Park were sweating while walking around in the factory with them.

“Who is in charge for this production line?”

“I am. I am the team leader of the production department.”

“Which company made the mold that this extruding machine is using for these products?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure our plant manager can answer your question.”

“What would you do when the plant manager is not present in the factory?”

“Well…”

“You just lost one point.”

Another examiner asked for Manager Jong-Suk Park.

“I’ve noticed that the internal audit was conducted for the ISO140001 management system and the audit report indicated that there was a problem in the system. This is your signature on the report, isn’t it, Manager Jong-Suk Park?”

“That’s right.”

“Please show me how you corrected the problem.”

“That… umm…”

“You lost one point.”

Most workers in the factory were sweating and feeling depressed while the investigation of Lymondell Dyeon was being performed, as it didn’t seem to be going well.

“How much is the electricity cost per KW?”

“How much is the water cost per 1 liter?”

“These fire extinguishers haven’t been charged for too long.”

The Lymondell Dyeon’s investigators overwhelmed even the electrical safety manager and the fire-fighting system manager.

Gun-Ho smiled when he received the interim report about the investigation.

“It is good to have this kind of investigation once in a while. It would awaken my workers to the realization that they have to be more careful and thorough in their work.”

The investigators conducted their examination not only on the production field but also on the office area as well. They checked every single department in the company. They checked the accounting department, the general affairs department, the planning department, the sales department and the research center as well. They even came to Gun-Ho’s office and checked the management system.

When they entered Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho showed them the picture of the vacant lot in Asan City. The picture was taken after the factory in Asan was completely demolished.

“If it is decided that we will have a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon, we are going to build a factory on the land in Asan City, as shown in the picture. The new factory will be large and advanced just like the factory here in Jiksan Town.”

The land on the picture looked neat. The land was already flattened with a roller. Director Yoon planted small red flags to mark the borderline.

“Let me tell you why this land’s location is ideal for a factory. First, it is located in the center of our country, so it is an optimum location to get various raw materials and chemicals necessary for a compound. Secondly, it is close to big cities such as Asan City and Cheonan City, so it’s easy to find quality labor force constantly. There are several colleges nearby as well.”

Mr. Brandon Burke nodded his head as he listened to Gun-Ho’s explanation.

“Thirdly, there is Pyeongtaek Port International Passenger Terminal, not far from here. It is geographically close to China and it is in a perfect location to be used as a forward operating base to export products to the countries in East Asia.”

“Did you say there is a port nearby? How long does it take to get there from here?”

“It will take only 20 minutes.”

“What? 20 minutes? That’s it?”

Gun-Ho drove Mr. Brandon Burke’s party to the Pyeongtaek Port International Passenger Terminal.

“If you go up to that lookout point over there, you can get the best view of the entire port. It is called Marine Center.”

Gun-Ho walked up to the Marine Center with Mr. Brandon Burke’s party. It was a clear day, and they could see the entire port sharply. They also could see a great many exporting vehicles being loaded to a large ship.

“Do you see the cars over there? A significant number of vehicles are being exported world-wide through this port. If Lymondell Dyeon does a joint venture with GH Mobile, our products will be exported to China and other countries in East Asia via this port.”

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Chapter 235 - Lymondell Dyeon’s Visit (2) – PART 2

Chapter 235: Lymondell Dyeon’s Visit (2) – PART 2

Mr. Brandon Burke had other personnel to take an English version pamphlet about Pyeongtaek Port International Passenger Terminal, and take several pictures of the port himself.

Gun-Ho continued to talk to Mr. Brandon Burke.

“I understand that you have found several issues during the investigation of our factory; however, those issues can easily be corrected and we will correct them gradually. But it’s not easy to find a factory that is located 20 minutes from an international port like this. If we start a joint venture together in this location, both of Lymondell Dyeon and GH Mobile will achieve what they want. It will be a win-win situation for both companies.”

“You said you have the appraisal report on the land, right?”

“Yes, it was appraised by Korea Appraisal Board. I will give you a translated version of the appraisal report. In addition, I will give you the pictures and floor plan of the storage in Suzhou Industrial Park in China.”

On the final day of the Lymondell Dyeon’s investigation, Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim & Jeong Law Firm came to Gun-Ho’s factory in Jiksan Town. Attorney Kim asked Mr. Brandon Burke with a broad smile.

“Has your investigation completed? How was it? The factory’s location is excellent and President Goo is loaded with funds. They have quality workers with advanced technology. You wouldn’t be able to find a better partner than this. Why don’t you make a letter of intent before you leave today?”

Mr. Brandon Burke smiled.

“A letter of intent? It’s too early to do that.”

Gun-Ho added,

“A letter of intent is just a letter to show our intention to do business together. It’s not a contract. It will serve though as deterrence, so other companies can’t try to compete now to be a partner for this specific matter. You and I, we both have the authority to make a decision on the joint venture matter. We can do it if we want.”

“Well, it is still too early for it.”

“Let’s have lunch first and make a letter of intent before you leave for Seoul at 3 pm. I will ask the press to join us.”

“Let us have some time to discuss.”

Gun-Ho showed Mr. Brandon Burke’s party a small meeting room, so they can discuss comfortably in private.

After heated discussion among them, Mr. Brandon Burke’s party walked out of the meeting room. Attorney Young-Jin Kim approached them with a smile.

“Have you made a decision?”

“Well… We haven’t yet…”

“It shouldn’t take that long.”

“Egnopak also showed their interest in doing the joint venture with us, and we need to compare the pros and cons of two companies…”

Gun-Ho said,

“I understand that Egnopak is an attractive company which is located in Jinwi Town. They have more than 3,000 employees and it is a KOSDAQ registered firm. I believe they have more than 100 workers in their research center alone. However, they don’t have what we have. Also, they want the joint venture to be 51:49.”

“That’s true.”

“A joint venture must start equally between co-venturers, that’s what I believe. When they demanded 51:49, they were saying that they want to control the joint venture without being interrupted by Lymondell Dyeon. To be honest with you, Mr. Brandon Burke, I have more funds than the president of Egnopak.”

Mr. Brandon Burke was thinking while rubbing his chin.

Attorney Young-Jin Kim pushed him a little bit.

“Let’s sign a letter of intent. If we do it, Egnopak will give up.”

The interpreter added to it,

“I used to work for M Mobis and I retired from that company. I also once worked in New York as their branch manager. And we had a chance to work with the Egnopak’s president at that time, and I remember that the president had a very bad disposition. I was told that his family was on a serious power trip against the employees of Egnopak. There was also a rumor about his sexual harassment.”

“Sexual misconduct?”

Mr. Brandon Burke frowned.

At that moment, Attorney Young-Jin Kim asked Gun-Ho with a loud voice,

“President Goo, how much funds are you planning to invest in the joint venture?”

“Authorized capital of 20,000,000 dollars!”

Mr. Brandon Burke jumped up from his seat.

“Let’s do it!”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager.

“Ask journalists to come and join us when we sign a letter of intent. Call the newspaper in the area and the three major newspapers: Chosun, Joongang, and Donga Ilbo. Also, call the branch manager of the economic newspaper in Cheonan City. Tell them GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City will sign a letter of intent to start a joint venture with the multinational company— Lymondell Dyeon at 3 pm today.”

“Yes, sir. But I think we need to give them some token of gratitude if they come.”

“Give them transportation expenses. We will show them our respect that way.”

“Yes, sir. I will contact them right away.”

Gun-Ho drafted a letter of intent and let the interpreter translate it into English. The interpreter seemed to have drafted this kind of papers when he previously worked for a big company, it didn’t take him even 10 minutes to finish the translation. Gun-Ho handed it over to his secretary to type.

At 3 pm, a journalist from a local newspaper and a branch manager of a newspaper publisher arrived. Gun-Ho asked the general affairs manager to prepare a camera.

Gun-Ho showed the English version of the letter of intent to Mr. Brandon Burke. Mr. Burke grinned as he reviewed the draft of the letter.

“We can make changes if we want at any time.”

Gun-Ho and Mr. Brandon Burke signed on the letter of intent. In order to make it formal, Gun-Ho asked GH Mobile’s directors and managers to stand behind along with the other two personnel from Lymondell Dyeon. The journalist from a local newspaper took pictures, and the general affairs manager of GH Mobile took pictures too. The branch manager of the daily newspaper didn’t bring a camera; he just asked the general affairs manager to send the pictures to him and gave his phone number.

Gun-Ho sent out the picture to every single newspaper publisher in Korea via fax.

The following day, an economic newspaper and a daily newspaper talked about GH Mobile’s possible joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon. They said that GH Mobile located in Cheonan City would build a chemical factory in Asan City, Chungnam province with the multinational company—Lymondell Dyeon. Even though Gun-Ho didn’t even start building a factory in Asan City yet, the newspapers put a picture of GH Mobile’s factory in Jiksan Town and made it sound like it was the joint venture factory in Asan City.

The president of Egnopak read the newspaper and he became furious.

“What is GH Mobile? Who is the f*cking President Gun-Ho Goo of GH Mobile?”

The Egnopak’s president threw a cup of water against his office wall and screamed in outrage.

“That f*cking Lymondell Dyeon made us believe that they would do a joint venture with us and then they signed the letter of intent with another company. That son of bi*ch. I won’t let it go easily. The company’s name is GH Mobile. I will remember the name.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager.

Please take Mr. Brandon Burke’s party to Seoul safely. Let them stay in Ritz Carlton Hotel in Gangnam, Seoul City and give them a tour in Seoul tomorrow. You can show them Gyeongbokgung Palace and Namsan Tower. Have lunch in a decent restaurant too. They are scheduled to fly to the U.S. in the evening tomorrow, so they should have plenty of time to have a tour. Ask the accounting manager for a company credit card. I will call her and ask her to prepare the credit card for you.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 236 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (1) – PART 1

Chapter 236: Egnopak’s President is Furious (1) – PART 1

The daily temperature range became great. People started wearing long sleeve shirts.

GH Mobile’s employees were now wearing a new uniform that was made for spring and autumn. The refreshing uniform was newly designed by GH Media’s design team leader—Ms. Min-Sook Oh.

GH Mobile’s company culture was gradually changing. The change was not planned by anyone, but it was made by GH Mobile’s workers themselves. They were working in an environmentally friendly and newly constructed factory in a new uniform. More and more workers voluntarily attended the English class every morning. It was all part of the recent changes at the factory.

Korean Thanksgiving Day came around the corner.

The general affairs manager came to Gun-Ho’s office with pamphlets of shopping stores such as E-Mart and NH Market. These pamphlets were introducing various gift options for Korean Thanksgiving Day.

“It is time to decide our Thanksgiving Day gifts for our workers. When the company was Mulpasaneop, we always gave gifts to our employees every year, so I think we’d better keep the same practice this year too.”

“What was the budget of a gift per worker during the Mulpasaneop days?”

“We usually gave a gift worth 30,000 won.”

“What sorts of gifts did they select?”

“A gift was determined during the joint meeting of staff and team leaders from each department. They usually selected a box of tuna cans or a box of sesame oils or kitchen utensils.”

“Since our company is doing better and better, let’s select a gift with a value of 60,000 won, twice more than what they used to receive when they worked for Mulpasaneop. They can choose gifts during a joint meeting as they have done so far.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The general affairs manager smiled broadly before he left Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho asked for the internal auditor.

“The creditors have been quiet lately. I guess that’s because the order of priority to repay our debt to creditors became clear because of you, Mr. Internal Auditor.”

“We started with paying off small debt first. As for the creditors with a large amount of our debt, we convinced them to wait for full repayment as we still do business with them.”

“Good job, Mr. Internal Auditor.”

“There are no more unpaid wages. The creditors for their wages have already dropped the seizure against our company’s assets.”

“So we just need to focus on our work now.”

“Yes, sir. Some of our customers that are usually big companies sometimes request our trial balance that shows accounts receivable or accounts payable. Now, we can proudly show them our trial balance without hesitation.”

“I feel so confident by having you on my side.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho’s secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—passed on a message to Gun-Ho through the interphone,

“Sir, I have a call on hold for you. It’s from Egnopak’s secretary’s office. They want to talk to you, sir.”

“Egnopak? What do they want to talk to me about?”

Gun-Ho picked up the phone. A lady was on the other line. She then said with a nice voice, “Our president is on the phone. He’d like to talk with you, sir.”

Then, Gun-Ho heard a man’s deep voice.

“Are you President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, this is he.”

“You once came to my company, right? With President Richard Amiel—Dyeon Japan’s president.”

“That’s correct. I visited you once before.”

“So you came to spy on me that time, huh? So you are actually running an auto parts company called GH Mobile, huh? But you said you were doing rental property business, didn’t you? And you gave me your business card that said GH Development.”

“That’s correct.”

“So you made me put my guard down by telling me that you were just a rental property businessman, and you fooled me. You knew I was talking with Lymondell Dyeon to do a joint venture with them! You stole information from me and fooled me behind my back?!”

“Please lower your voice. That was before I acquired GH Mobile.”

“I don’t f*cking care! Shame on you. Don’t call yourself a businessman, you crook! GH Mobile must be a tiny company. I will see how much longer your GH Development would last. I can make it close its business. You arrogant jerk!”

The president of Egnopak was furious and yelled at Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho remembered his toad-like face.

“You are crossing the line, sir.”

“What line? Who do you think you are? How old are you?”

Gun-Ho knew the nature of the presidents or the business owners who were born into a wealthy family. Gun-Ho had met a lot of those people on various occasions like a meeting or a gathering after he became a business owner himself. They were condescending and arrogant, and they thought they were better than anyone. The ones who had inherited their company rather than building it themselves tend to have a horrible attitude. Workers tend to accept and endure the abuse toward them made by their employers whether it was verbal or even physical abuse. Many of them acted as if they were a king, and many of them were immature and far from decent.

Many business owners and company presidents were surprisingly bad people; they were mean but weak. They were susceptible to stress and vulnerable in general. They were arrogant and cruel with the weak, and they were nice and modest with the strong. The president of Egnopak was born into an affluent family, and he inherited his company from his father. Gun-Ho thought that he had to make sure that Egnopak’s president wouldn’t see him as a weak person, so he firmly said in a low voice.

“Sir, are you ill?”

“What? What did you say?”

“If you want to keep your company in the current size, you’d better maintain your calmness. You could lose your entire company with nothing left to pass on to your next generation.”

“What the he*l are you talking about?”

“I used to work at a factory as a factory worker, and I came this far without anyone’s help. I have lived a tough life, and you don’t want to mess with me. So, just be quiet and stay calm for your own good, and you’d better not provoke me.”

And then, Gun-Ho hung up the phone.

“Crazy son of a b*tch! He is on a serious power trip, and he thinks it will work on me.”

Gun-Ho smiled. He realized that he had changed a lot.

“I used to feel extremely envious of the workers of Egnopak when I saw the company’s job posting on Job Korea a few years back. I wondered what kind of people would get a position in that big company. The qualification that Egnopak required to get a job there was unbelievably high. Their competition rate was 100:1. It is a KOSDAQ registered company, and I just had a big fight with its owner president. Now, I am in that sort of level. Hahaha.”

It was Korean Thanksgiving Day.

Gun-Ho headed to his home where his parents were living in with his sister’s family while carrying Korean Ginseng Corporation’s ginseng and a bundle of dried yellow corvine. Gun-Ho’s niece—Jeong-Ah—grew tall while her parents seemed to shrink in height. Gun-Ho could see more wrinkles in their faces. They were having a comfortable life because of Gun-Ho’s help, but they couldn’t stop their aging process. After the memorial service, Gun-Ho’s family sat at a table altogether.

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Chapter 237 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (1) – PART 2

Chapter 237: Egnopak’s President is Furious (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law asked Gun-Ho.

“I read it from a newspaper not long ago that GH Mobile and an American company will start a joint venture soon, and they will build a new chemical factory. So are you building the factory now?”

“We just signed a letter of intent, and we haven’t made an actual contract yet.”

“Doesn’t that company need a transportation service for their products?”

“We haven’t gone that far yet.”

“If they need the service, I can do it.”

Gun-Ho’s sister who was sitting next to her husband told her husband, “We have received so much help from Gun-Ho already. Don’t ask him more.”

“I was just reminding him that he has an option to give that job to me since I am in that business. I didn’t say that he had to give me the job.”

“Gun-Ho doesn’t involve the family in his business. We might not be very helpful for his business, but we shouldn’t at least be an obstruction to him when he runs his business.”

“That… that’s true.”

Gun-Ho’s mother asked Gun-Ho while she was having a soup, “What did you say GH stands for?”

“It’s my name initials in English. I told you that last time, mom.”

“Why don’t you name it like Gun-Ho Business or Gun-Ho Industry or something like that? It’s easier to remember the company name that way. GH is hard to remember.”

Gun-Ho’s sister explained to her mother.

“It’s a trend, mom. A company should have an English name, especially if they do business with other countries like exporting or trading goods. If we name a company like Gun-Ho Business or Gun-Ho Industry, people from other countries wouldn’t remember the name of his company. It’s outdated too.”

Gun-Ho’s father filled Gun-Ho’s glass with liquor.

“Have a glass of liquor, son. You, my son-in-law, drink liquor too.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho and his brother-in-law responded simultaneously.

Gun-Ho drank a glass of Cheongju*.

“How come my aunt didn’t come today? We would have more fun together if she was here.”

Gun-Ho’s sister answered Gun-Ho’s wondering.

“She is not in a situation where she can visit us to spend Korean Thanksgiving Day together. She is having a serious problem with her daughter-in-law. I heard she even got into a physical altercation with her daughter-in-law last time. Her son—Jae-Woong—must have had a hard time being squeezed between those two women.”

“Jae-Woong is doing well at his work, right?”

“He was born to be a government worker, I guess. He is so indecisive on everything. He should pick a side either his mom’s side or his wife’s side and be firm. Those two women kept fighting all the time because Jae-Woong doesn’t do anything.”

Gun-Ho’s father talked quietly.

“Your aunt and her daughter-in-law are tough and stubborn. Well, your mom is too.”

“What did you just say?”

When Gun-Ho’s mother raised her voice, his father went into his room quietly.

A few days after the Korean Thanksgiving Day, the chief officer of the research center brought a man, who looked like he was in his early 50s, to the company.

The man was wearing a gold metal frame glasses, and he looked pale. He looked like a typical intellectual.

The research center’s chief officer asked Gun-Ho’s secretary, “Is President Goo in the office?”

“Yes, he is. He is watching an American soap opera.”

The chief officer of the research center entered Gun-Ho’s office and introduced the man to him.

“Sir, this is the person whom I talked to you about. He is the man with a Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany.”

“A pleasure to meet you, sir. I am Won-Il Lee.”

Gun-Ho stood up and offered his hand to the man for a handshake.

“Very nice to meet you. I am Gun-Ho Goo. I’ve heard a lot about you from our research center’s chief officer.”

“Thank you.”

“Our research chief officer strongly recommended you as his successor for our research center. I’ve looked at your resume.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I just had to see you in person before I decide to hire you, so I asked our research chief officer to bring you to our company.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho asked a few questions to this Won-Il Lee person, just to verify if he understood things correctly that were written on his resume.

“As we move to this new location, we reallocated some of the research center workers to other departments.”

“I am aware of that.”

“If you join our company, you will have to hire new workers for the research center.”

“Yes, sir.”

“As you can see, we are not a big company. Our research equipment might not be enough.”

“I’ve looked around the research center earlier. It actually looks better than when the company was still Mulpasaneop. I’ve already verified that some of the equipments are still here. Also, I’ve noticed that the workers in the research center handle the research equipment better than before.”

“We still have time until our current chief officer of the research center retires; he will retire at the end of this year. We will review your file and will let you know our decision.”

“Yes, sir.”

The interviewee and the chief officer of the research center left the office, and after a while, the research chief officer came back to Gun-Ho’s office.

“What do you think of him, sir?”

“He looks decent, and he looks honest too.”

“I am not saying this because I recommended him to you, but he is a really smart man, and he is the right person for our research center. He is really passionate about his research, and I highly evaluate his performance in the research center. He is different from people like me who is old.”

“What sort of performance are you talking about?”

“He has several patents from BMW, G Auto, and the research center in Pangyo City where he is currently working at.”

“Are those patents commercialized?”

“He has one or two patents that were commercialized. He also made a presentation about his research outcome at the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology. He is a promising researcher, but the research center he is currently working for can’t fully support him.”

“I heard what you said, Mr. Chief Officer. I will review his file favorably since you recommended him.”

“If he joins our company, he won’t come by himself, but he probably will come with two or three other researchers. Research is a teamwork, so he probably has his own team.”

“Hmm.”

“So, if they come, I think we need to provide them a OneRoomTel or something.”

“I will take that into account.”

Gun-Ho received an email from President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media.

It was an annual sales report. The books that GH Media published so far were Professor Jien Wang’s book—Economy Prospect in China for the 21st Century, and three Japanese books about self-development, and one American business management book.

[The first edition of Professor Jien Wang’s book is sold out; there were 1,500 of them. We will print more of them. However, given the current sales speed, we won’t print more than its second edition.

Two of the three Japanese books haven’t sold much, so we won’t print more, but one Japanese book—The person who wakes up in the morning’s first and second edition—is sold out. We are printing its third edition. It could possibly be our best-selling book. Our current balance in the company account is 190 million won.]

“Hmmm. So she is saying that Professor Jien Wang’s book and the American business management book didn’t generate profits, but we didn’t lose money by publishing those books either. Two Japanese books incurred a loss, and one Japanese book is making profits. The publishing business is indeed a risky business. It is a business venture.”

Note*

Cheongju – a clear and refined rice wine.

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Chapter 238 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (2) – PART 1

Chapter 238: Egnopak’s President is Furious (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho asked for Director Yoon who supervised the demolition of the factory in Asan City.

“Let’s get the new factory started being built. Do you happen to know an architect who is working in the U.S.? We need to make a request to build our new factory.”

“I do know a few people in the field. A friend of mine who is junior to me is working in LA. Or, we can ask the architectural design company which I had previously worked with.”

“Then ask the person who is currently working in the U.S.”

“There are a lot of good architects in Korea too, who would do a great job of building our factory.”

“No, we need a person who is working in the U.S., and before they start designing the factory, they will have to visit Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle.”

“Lymondell Dyeon is the company that sent their personnel to investigate our factory last time, right?”

“Usually, big companies allow the public to have a tour of their factories. I want the architects who will build our factory to take a close look at Lymondell Dyeon’s factory in Seattle first and use their factory as the benchmark for designing our new factory. They will have to pay attention to Lymondell Dyeon’s factory’s production line’s length and width.”

“I understood what you meant, sir. I will contact the person in LA.”

“However, you will have to handle all the necessary things in Korea, such as getting approval from the government to build our factory.”

“Of course. I will handle them, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Chairman Lee in Cheongdam Town.

“Sir, it’s me Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Hey, President Goo. I heard you are doing very well with your business these days.”

“Did Master Park already leave for his hometown—Goesan Town?”

“Yes, he did. He has been staying in his temple-like home and spending most of his time reading books.”

“Haha, is that so?”

“Even though he is in Goesan Town and is far away from Gangnam, Seoul, the middle-aged ladies from Gangnam come all the way to his home to bother him. These days, it doesn’t take long to travel from Seoul to Goesan, and Master Park can’t hide himself anywhere these days.”

“Haha, I see.”

“What made you call me today, President Goo?”

“I’d like to meet with President Park—the owner of the RiverStar building in Sinsa Town.”

“You want to meet with President Park?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You really want to buy that building?”

“If President Park is willing to sell his building, I do want to acquire that building, sir.”

“How come you are so obsessed with that building? It is not generating much profit.”

“I need a place to sit on when I go back to Seoul.”

“Hahahaha.”

“Why are you laughing, sir?”

“You sound just like me when I was at your age!”

“Really?”

“You are planning to put someone else in charge of the factories in Asan City and Jiksan Town, right?”

“I can’t hide anything from you, sir. I am not sure how it will turn out, but that’s my current intention.”

“Okay. I will introduce you to President Park, but you will have to keep in mind that he is a very experienced and cunning old man. You have to be careful when you deal with him.”

“Thank you, sir.”

It was getting chilly.

October passed by and November came around. Frost started forming on a car windshield in the morning.

Director Yoon entered Gun-Ho’s office to give a report.

“I talked to my architect friend in LA. He is willing to work on a design drawing for our new factory in Asan City.”

“Did he already visit Lymondell Dyeon’s factory in Seattle?”

“He did. He said he studied every corner of their factory. He even found the architectural design company which designed their factory in Seattle and consulted them.”

“Really?”

“He is coming to visit our factory next week.”

“When he comes here, please give him a thorough tour of our factory.”

“If we request a building design to a company or a person overseas, we need a formal request in writing with your signature on it. We will also need a translated document that is notarized, such as the company registration.”

“Okay.”

A moment after Director Yoon left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho received a phone call from Chairman Lee.

“President Goo, you asked me the other day that you want to meet with President Park who owns the RiverStar building, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I forgot about it for the past few days, and I just talked with him today.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him that there is a young man who’s going to eat him alive.”

“Huh?”

“Guess what he said.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that he is aware that he had reached the age to be eaten alive. He used to be an energetic and tough guy, but I guess he is getting old now.”

“I thank you for everything, sir. When can I meet him then?”

“Why don’t you go see him tomorrow? We never know if he would still be alive after a few days.”

“Haha. Don’t say that, sir. I will visit him tomorrow then.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to the branch manager of the stockbroking company.

“I will need to withdraw some of my funds.”

“How much are you planning to withdraw?”

“About 40 billion won.”

“What? Did you say 40 billion won?”

“Yes. I will transfer the funds to a bank in Gangnam tomorrow. Please get the funds ready by then for me.”

“I was actually going to meet with you soon, sir. I have a very good investment product you might be interested in.”

“The funds will be used to acquire real estate. I just wanted to give you a heads up since it is a significant amount of money, and you might need time to prepare the amount.”

“President Goo, please help me out with my business too.”

“I will help you out next time, Mr. Branch Manager.”

Gun-Ho dialed the phone number that Chairman Lee gave to him.

A lady picked up the phone; she must be President Park’s secretary. She didn’t sound like a young lady though.

“May I talk to President Park, please?”

“May I tell him who is calling?”

“My name is Gun-Ho Goo. I am the president of GH Mobile in Cheonan City, Chungnam Province.”

“Please hold.”

After a while, an old man who had a clear and high-pitched voice picked up the phone.

“Who do you want to talk with?”

“I am President Gun-Ho Goo of GH Mobile.”

“Oh, you are the person whom Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town talked to me about.”

“That’s right. I’d like to visit your office tomorrow if that’s okay with you?”

“Can you come by after 2 pm? I have an appointment with a Korean traditional medicine doctor in the morning to get acupuncture.”

“Sure, sir. I will be there after 2 pm tomorrow.”

“Do you know where I am located?”

“I know where it is, sir.”

“Come up to the 18th floor tomorrow. You will see an office with a sign, ‘Haseong Company.'”

“Yes, sir. I will see you tomorrow then.”

After getting off the phone with President Park—the owner of the RiverStar building—Gun-Ho thought about the conversation that he just had with President Park.

“Haseong Company? Haseong means river star if it’s written in Chinese character, right?”

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Chapter 239 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (2) – PART 2

Chapter 239: Egnopak’s President is Furious (2) – PART 2

The next day, Gun-Ho headed out for Sinsa Town in Seoul from his office in Jiksan Town to meet with President Park who was the owner of the RiverStar building. It was a simple drive to get there from his office. He just needed to take a highway from North Cheoan IC all the way to Sinsa Town.

“There might be heavy traffic from Yangjae Town to Banpo IC. I’d better leave early.”

Gun-Ho had his lunch on the way to Sinsa Town at the rest area; he had Udong.

Gun-Ho arrived at the RiverStar building. He entered the building, and he was looking at the building directory board when a security guard approached Gun-Ho.

“Which company are you visiting?”

“I am here to meet with President Park of Haseong Company.”

The security guard seemed to be frightened when he heard of the name President Park, and he said,

“You will have to go up to the 18th floor.”

He even pushed the elevator button and let Gun-Ho get into the elevator.

Gun-Ho didn’t see any workers inside the Haseong Company’s office except a secretary lady who looked like in her 50s. The building management office was probably located somewhere else. The secretary stood up from her desk chair when she saw Gun-Ho entering the office.

“I am here to see President Park.”

“Umm, are you President Gun-Ho Goo of GH Mobile?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Please come with me.”

The secretary led Gun-Ho to the president’s office. The office was unexpectedly large. Its floor was covered with a grey carpet. There was a frame hanging on the wall, and it said something in Chinese character. Also, an enormous taxidermied turtle was attached to the wall.

“I am Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile.”

Gun-Ho gave the old man a 90-degree bow respectfully.

President Park didn’t even bother standing up to greet Gun-Ho. He just pointed to an empty seat on a sofa while sitting on the other side of the sofa.

“Have you reviewed the real estate registration of this building?”

“Yes, I have, both for the land and the building.”

“This building is located in the center of a commercial area; however, the government didn’t apply 90% maximum Building Coverage Ratio to this building, so it is spacious.”

“I haven’t fully checked the entire building yet, but I have noticed that the emergency exit and the basement look old.”

“Those things can easily be fixed. Do you have enough funds to acquire the building? I do trust Chairman Lee, but you look so young. So I have to make sure that you have funds to buy the building.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“How do you know Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town? Are you a friend of his son?”

“I met him at a fishing site. I’ve known him for five years now. He is one of the people I admire greatly.”

“You admire him? You know that he used to work as a hard money lender, right? He is not someone who should be admired. He was the worst person among the worst. He seemed to be a better person now since he is old.”

The lady who was sitting outside the president’s office entered the room with green tea.

President Park said to her,

“Manager Kim, please bring me the report on last month’s rental revenue and last year’s balance sheet.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the lady left the office, Gun-Ho asked President Park,

“I thought she was a secretary. Is she in charge of accounting here?”

“She does both. She has been working for my company—Haseong Company—for over 30 years now. She joined us right after she graduated from a commercial high school.”

“Did you say 30 years? Wow.”

When he heard of 30 years, Gun-Ho thought the turtle that was attached to the wall might have lived that long. The lady came back to the office with the documents that President Park asked.

“As you see in this chart, the monthly rental income is about 900 million won.”

“What about its vacancy rate?”

President Park didn’t answer Gun-Ho’s question; instead, he asked for someone via the interphone.

“Director Yoo? Please come to my office.”

After a moment, a man who looked like he was in his late 50s entered the office. Gun-Ho was not sure where this man came from because he didn’t really see anyone in the company except the lady at the front desk.

“What’s our vacancy rate?”

“You can safely assume that it is zero since we are in the center of Gangnam.”

President Park turned his head and looked at Gun-Ho and smiled.

“Did you hear that?”

When the Director Yoon person didn’t leave the office but wondered if he could leave or if he had to stay, President Park gestured for him to leave the office.

“How much total debt does this company have?”

“It’s 60% of the appraised value.”

“What was the appraised value?”

“It was 230 billion won including the land and the building altogether.”

“When did you get the appraisal?”

“It was issued last year by Korea Appraisal Board.”

“Can I have a copy of the appraisal?”

“I knew you would ask for it. I’ve already prepared a copy for you.”

“So, both of the land and the building were appraised at the time, right?”

“Of course. Take a good look at the appraisal and analyze it; you will find all the information you need in that paper.”

The appraisal contained pictures of the building’s exterior, entrance, and basement parking lot, etc.”

“You are paying more than 400 million won per month for just the loan interest by keeping this building.”

“Unbelievable.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Your capacity for mental computation is incredible. Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town was right.”

“What are you talking about?”

“He told me that a young man who would eat me alive would come to see me.”

After President Park’s strange statement, there was an awkward silence that filled the air for a while.

Gun-Ho continued to talk while sipping his cup of green tea.

“You are making 900 million won by leasing the offices in this building, and you pay 400 million won for your loan interest out of the 900 million won. You also have to pay for expenses like labor and other costs. You will also have to consider the depreciation cost of the building. Are you getting enough income from this building?”

“I am still alive, aren’t I?”

“How much do you want to sell it for?”

“Well, I need to know first who is buying it. Is it an individual or a business entity that is purchasing my building?”

“A company will purchase it.”

“Then, I will have to receive 90% of the building’s appraised value.”

“So, you want to sell the building for 207 billion won.”

“I still can’t believe you calculated that without a calculator. You are more than qualified to be Chairman Lee’s apprentice.”

“Pardon me?”

“Never mind. I’m just talking to myself. Go on.”

“What is the total security deposit?”

“I believe it’s about 40 billion won.”

President Park was about to call for someone to get the exact amount, but Gun-Ho stopped him.

“It’s okay. That’s enough. I roughly grasped the financial status with this building.”

“So, are you still interested in buying this building?”

“I will send my employees to you the day after tomorrow. Please have the accounting manager lady and the Director Yoon person ready, so my employees could talk with them. They will talk in more detail about how to proceed with the sales and purchase.”

“Let’s make it quiet. I don’t want my workers to be worried.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to President Park before he left the office. He also gave it to the accounting manager lady on his way out.

When he came back to his office in Jiksan Town, Gun-Ho called for Director Yoon.

“Have you heard from the architects in the U.S.?”

“They said they would come here next Monday.”

“That’s good.”

“What is good, sir?”

“Director Yoon, you will need to make a short trip to Seoul the day after tomorrow.”

“To Seoul, sir?”

“I will explain to you. Oh, why don’t we ask the internal auditor and Manager Jong-Suk Park to come to the office, so I can explain to you all?”

Gun-Ho picked up the interphone and asked the secretary,

“Have the internal auditor and Manager Jong-Suk Park from the production department to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, the internal auditor and Manager Jong-Suk Park came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Why don’t we sit here?”

The three men sat at the conference table while wondering what this meeting was about.

Gun-Ho started explaining the situation.

“There is a building in Sinsa Town, Gangnam District, Seoul. It is called RiverStar. It is located at the entrance of Garosugil Road on the main street. The total floor space is 4,200 pyung with the land of 270 pyung; it is a 19-floor building. Its appraised value is 230 billion won, and I want to buy it.”

“Huh? Did you just say 230 billion won?”

The three men’s jaws dropped and looked at each other in surprise with their mouths still open.

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Chapter 240 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (3) – PART 1

Chapter 240: Egnopak’s President is Furious (3) – PART 1

Gun-Ho laughed and said,

“I don’t have 230 billion won. That’s not why I want to buy that building. I will lend some money from a bank to acquire that building.”

The internal auditor looked at Gun-Ho with a skeptical look on his face.

“Still, you need a significant amount of money to start a loan processing to acquire that expensive building…”

The internal auditor who used to work for a bank couldn’t figure out at all how much money Gun-Ho had and the level of capacity Gun-Ho could bring into his business.

‘I know this young man is rich, but I can’t figure out how rich he is though. When did he make that much money? He is only 30 something years old.’

The internal auditor couldn’t understand how Gun-Ho possibly accumulated that much wealth at his young age.

Gun-Ho continued to talk,

“You three need to go to Seoul the day after tomorrow and pay a visit to President Park who is the owner of the RiverStar building in Sinsa Town. His office is located on the 18th floor. Tell him that President Gun-Ho Goo of GH Mobile sent you there. He is actually expecting you.”

“Are you going to give him a call before we arrive there?”

“Of course, I will.”

“What do you want us to do there?”

“Mr. Internal Auditor, you will have to check the building’s liens, the status of their security deposits, rental income, the depreciation cost, and their building maintenance reserve, and also find out if they have any unpaid taxes. You can take one of our accounting staff if it is necessary.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Once you get there, talk with the accounting manager. Their accounting manager is a 50 something years old lady, and she has been working for President Park for 30 years.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Director Yoon, I want you to meet with a person there, and they call him Director Yoo.”

“Director Yoo? Okay, sir.”

“Check the building’s design drawing and see if there are any defects, cracks or damage of the building.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Manager Jong-Suk Park, when you get there, check the building’s piping and boiler, and their elevator, electricity, and drainage system. And also see if their automated parking system is in a working condition.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t hover around at work but leave in the early morning of the day after tomorrow.”

“Which car are we taking?”

“Don’t bring several cars to get there. I think Manager Jong-Suk Park can drive and take you all in his car. Manager Park, why don’t you go to the accounting department and ask for prepaid expenses for the trip? You will need it to pay the toll fee and lunch expenses and stuff.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

After three men left Gun-Ho’s office, the sales director entered the office.

“One of our customer companies—Mandong Company wants to talk with you. They want you to come to their office.”

“Mandong Company? Why they want to see me?”

“I don’t know, sir. Their managing director wants to talk with you.”

Mandong Company was one of KOSPI*-listed companies. The company had been doing its business in the field for a long time and it had several subsidiaries and branches; it was a big company.

“How much do we supply to that company?”

“It’s our second-largest customer after S Group. We supply our products to them worth 1 billion won per month.”

“Can you meet with them on behalf of me?”

“I already suggested to them that I would come by, but they insisted on meeting with you, sir. They seemed to be upset when I asked them if I could meet with them.”

“They haven’t filed any claim with us about our products, right?”

“No, there is none.”

“Hmmm. I can’t think of any reason why they want to see me. Let’s visit them tomorrow afternoon, and you come with me.”

“Yes, sir.”

In the afternoon of the following day, Gun-Ho headed to Mandong Company, accompanied by the sales director. It was located in the industrial area in Poseung Town, Pyeongtaek City.

Gun-Ho and the sales director had to leave their ID with the security office at the entrance and sign on their guest book in order to enter the company. It was the usual process for a big company.

“They must export a lot of their products overseas since they are manufacturing home appliances.”

“That’s why they are located in the vicinity of Pyeongtaek Port. Their second factory is situated in the Changwon Industrial Complex which is close to Masan Port.”

The sales director smiled.

“It’s nice that their managing director who wants to see me is in their Pyeongtaek location, rather than in Changwon. It would take us half a day to get Changwon.”

Gun-Ho and the sales director waited in a waiting area for a while before Mandong Company’s managing director came in with their manager who was in charge of purchasing of necessary products.

“We have once met during the last meeting for the suppliers and vendors, haven’t we?”

“We actually met once when the president of Mandong Company held a friendship golf tournament.”

“Oh, did we?”

The managing director dragged his chair to sit close to Gun-Ho and leaned toward him.

“President Goo, do you know the president of Egnopak?”

“Yes, I do.”

The sales director wondered when the managing director mentioned the company name—Egnopak out of nowhere.

“We haven’t done any business with Egnopak.”

“Why don’t you stay quiet, Mr. Sales Director?”

The sales director couldn’t say anything when Mandong’s managing director told him to stay quiet since Mandong was a major customer of GH Mobile.

While the sales director suppressed his desire to say something back to the managing director, Gun-Ho smiled. Gun-Ho thought that even though this man was a managing director of a big company that happened to be GH Mobile’s major client, he was just an employee who was working for the company on a salary.

“Is there something I need to know about?”

“Our president is close to the president of Egnopak. Egnopak’s president recently pressured our president not to have business with GH Mobile. He even said that GH Mobile’s president is a jerk and shouldn’t get involved with him for anything.”

“He is a cowardly man.”

“What?”

The sales director had no idea what these two men were talking about and he was curious. He didn’t know something was going on with Egnopak’s president.

Gun-Ho was calm and he said,

“Mr. Managing Director, you do know the American company called Lymondell Dyeon, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do. It is a global manufacturing company of chemicals.”

“The president of Egnopak planned to do a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon and wanted to have a factory in Korea for that business.”

“Hmm. I wasn’t aware of that.”

“And he demanded Lymondell Dyeon 51:49 and they declined Egnopak’s offer for a joint venture.”

“Hmm.”

The managing director was listening to Gun-Ho with his arms crossed, and he seemed to be enjoying the story that Gun-Ho was telling him.

“So, Lymondell Dyeon picked our company instead, as their co-venturer.”

“Huh? What? With GH Mobile?”

“That’s right. We will build a factory for the joint venture on the land in Asan City where we used to have our factory. Lymondell Dyeon and GH Mobile agreed on 50:50.”

“That sounds right. You have to do 50:50 for an international joint venture.”

Note*

KOSPI – Korean Composite Stock Price Indexes

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Chapter 241 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (3) – PART 2

Chapter 241: Egnopak’s President is Furious (3) – PART 2

“That’s why Egnopak’s president is furious because he lost the opportunity to do a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon after all. He even called me and screamed with cursing words on the phone, then he said I was an arrogant jerk. If he wanted to vent his anger in the deal break with Lymondell Dyeon, he’d better do that with Lymondell Dyeon and not me. He was very rude and unreasonable to me first, and now he is telling people that I am the one who is arrogant and not a decent person. That’s preposterous.”

“Is that all true?”

“You can do your own investigation by quietly meeting with the workers from Egnopak and GH Mobile, and see which president is really a bad person. There is even a rumor about Egnopak’s president’s sexual misconduct.”

“Sexual misconduct?”

“I heard that when I attended the meeting for business owners in Chungnam Province the other day, held at Onyang Hot Spring Hotel. I heard his sexual misconduct was committed against a female secretary.”

“I heard you, President Goo. I will summarize what I just heard from you and make a report to our president. By the way, so you really will have a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon? With GH Mobile?”

“We haven’t signed on a formal contract yet. We signed a letter of intent last time. They already visited our factory in Korea.”

“So, they already visited your factory and the land for a new factory is ready. I guess you will make a contract soon. GH Mobile is awesome. It is not even a big company. It is incredible that you will start a joint venture with a global enterprise like Lymondell Dyeon.”

“The economic newspaper already covered about our joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Really? I haven’t read a newspaper for a while. Well, I do congratulate you on the joint venture. And I will give a report to our president.”

“Mandong Company and our previous company— Mulpasaneop have worked together for a long time. We do want to keep our relationship as such in the future as well. I hope you and the president of Mandong Company understand the situation fairly.”

“I heard what you said, President Goo.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim and he said he made a contract with a new customer— another window manufacturing company.

“Did Seukang Li introduce the company again?”

“No, actually, the president of Jinxi Construction Company— Chinkkweo Seon introduced this company to us this time. I guess the cosmetics gift you gave to him last time was effective.”

“Haha. I doubt he would do that for a gift.”

“So, I asked my mom and dad to buy some cosmetics at the airport duty-free shop when they come to China.”

“Oh, your parents are visiting you in China soon?”

“They will meet with my fiancée’s parents in Shanghai.”

“Oh, I see. That’s nice.”

“My mom and dad are studying Chinese in a learning center these days.”

“Haha. Really?”

“Oh, I was going to let you know. We already paid all the remaining balance for the storage we purchased. I haven’t hired any security guard yet since the storage is currently empty.”

“Okay. Keep up the good job.”

The internal auditor, Director Yoon, and Jong-Suk Park came back from their short trip to Seoul.

The internal auditor made a report to Gun-Ho first.

“I’ve met with President Park of RiverStart Building and also with their accounting manager. She organized all the necessary information in Excel including the liens, security deposits, rental income, etc. She said she was expecting us and prepared the file for us.”

“Given all the new information you acquired, how much do you think we need to make an offer of?”

“If we can buy that building for under 200 billion won, it is a good price. If we can do that, we will need 40 billion won in cash, since we have security deposits that we need to consider.”

“Do you think there won’t be any problem in running that building if we purchase that building for below 200 billion won?”

“The building requires loan interest, labor cost, operating cost, depreciation cost, and maintenance reserve. If we consider all of the above, the building owner will make the profit in the range of 80 and 100 million won on a monthly basis. Since you will have to use your cash of 40 billion won, it’s more like an interest income from a bank if you save that 40 billion won with a bank. It’s a bit higher than a time deposit rate with a bank.”

“So I would make more money if I run a factory that would cost me 40 billion won.”

“Well, you need to consider the value of the building and its price will increase. Also you can raise the rent next year. It’s really hard to compare with a factory considering only a few factors.”

“How much do you think the building owner will make from this sale?”

“That is the problem, sir. The seller would ask at least 210 billion won, so he could make 10 billion won.”

“What if I decline that high price?”

“Then, he wouldn’t sell it since he wouldn’t make much money out of the sale. Even though he currently doesn’t make much by running the building, he is not losing money either by keeping it.”

“Hmm.”

“I will give you a report about what I found from yesterday’s trip.”

Director Yoon said while holding a piece of paper.

“Okay, go ahead.”

“I verified the building’s design drawing with the Director Yoo person. I couldn’t take that drawing with me since the building is still theirs.”

“That makes sense.”

“I found cracks in several places. If we acquire that building, we will have to fix those areas. We also need to replace the guardrail at the emergency exit on the 4th floor. Water is leaking in the basement, and that should be addressed as well. Other than that, I haven’t seen any other problems.”

It was Jong-Suk-Park’s turn to make a report.

“The boiler room was fine. Some of alarm bells are out of order though. The machine in the basement parking lot is not working. The elevator works well and it seems that they recently fixed it. I didn’t see any other area to be fixed.”

“Okay. Thank you all.”

Gun-Ho started thinking while sitting at his office by himself after the three workers left the office.

“Should I acquire that building with my 40 billion won?”

Gun-Ho calculated with his electronic calculator.

He still couldn’t decide whether he should or he should not buy that building. He made a phone call to the bank branch manager in Gangnam.

“If I decide to acquire a building in Sinsa Town, which is priced for 200 billion won, can you support me 65% of the price?”

“I will have to discuss it with our head office first before I could give you the answer.”

“Why don’t you talk with your head office and get back to me?”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to the building owner— President Park.

“I will give you 90% of the appraised value.”

“I can’t sell you the building for that price. I have to make something out of the sale, right?”

“I can’t bring more funds on the table.”

“Then we have no deal.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho hung up the phone, and he hadn’t made a phone call anymore to President Park for a while. President Park hadn’t called Gun-Ho either.

Gun-Ho received a call from the bank branch manager in Gangnam.

“I talked with our head office. We can lend you 60% of the appraised value of the building.”

“That means I can’t buy that building.”

“Instead, Gangnam Capital which is one of our group will support you the other 5%. That will make 65% loan that you initially requested.”

“Capital gives a loan at a high-interest rate.”

“That… nothing much I can do about it.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Chairman Lee in Cheongdam Town.

“Have you met with President Park?”

“Yes. I offered him 90% of the building’s appraised value, and he rejected the offer.”

“90% should be enough. He shouldn’t ask more than that. He probably wants to take the building with him when he dies.”

“He said, he won’t make any money if he sells his building for that price.”

“Hmm, really? Let me talk with him.”

Chairman Lee hung up the phone.

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Chapter 242 - GH Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 1

Chapter 242: GH Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho drove to Seoul to meet with the bank branch manager in Gangnam.

“I have 40 billion won in my account. Please transfer all of them to the GH company bank account.”

“Are you going to purchase the building with the company’s name?”

“I think that would be better.”

“Once you make a sales and purchase contract for the building, please let me know right away. I will contact the branch manager of the Capital.”

“Thank you.”

Once he walked out of the bank in Gangnam, Gun-Ho headed to his office in the same area— GH Development. He felt that his office of GH Development was small after he spent many days in a large office in Jiksan Town. The workers of GH Media came to the office from their office next door to say hello to Gun-Ho.

“How are you all?”

“We are printing the third and the fourth edition of the Japanese book— the person who wakes up in the morning. The book is selling really well.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“The business management book that you recommended and Professor Jien Wang’s book are doing okay. One Japanese book is doing great while the other two are not good.”

“The sales income from the book that you are publishing 3rd and 4th edition will recover the loss we incurred from other books?”

“We are not just recovering our loss from that book, but it will bring enough income to sustain GH Media at least for a year. You will get the investment return from it too, sir.”

“Haha. Everyone did a good job. You can go back to your office and keep up with your great work. I am here for an important meeting with GH Development.”

Manager Kang and Ms. Ji-Young Jeong felt nervous when Gun-Ho said he had important things to talk about with GH Development. Once all of the workers of GH Media were dismissed, Gun-Ho asked Manager Kang and Ji-Young to sit at a table. Manager Kang and Ji-Young felt more difficult to be with Gun-Ho than before.

Gun-Ho continued to talk while smiling and he wanted to ease his workers of GH Development.

“Let’s have some tea while we are having our meeting.”

Ji-Young quickly brought green tea.

“I have the bank book of our major bank with me for the GH Development while the bank book for the company operation expenses is here with you.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young were all ears.

“I just deposited 40 billion won into the GH Development bank account.”

“40 billion won!?”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young were frightened when they heard the amount of 40 billion won. They had never seen that kind of money in their entire lives.

“I brought the account balance sheet with me. Manager Kang, please take this with you and increase the capital stock of GH Development as such.”

“Huh? Did you just say 40 billion won, sir?”

“We will acquire a 19-floor building in Sinsa Town. Its appraised value is 230 billion won and I am currently negotiating the price with the seller. We will buy the building under the GH Development’s name with this 40 billion won, and we will loan the remaining balance from a bank. For now, increase GH Development’s capital stock for an additional 40 billion won after you talk with the certified legal consultant.”

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young found themselves shaking.

“Let’s sell our OneRoomTels.”

“Selling the OneRoomTels?”

“Yes, and deposit the sales proceeds into our company’s major bank account.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, that’s all I needed to talk about with you today. I am leaving for Jiksan Town in Cheonan City now.”

When Gun-Ho had acquired Mulpasaneop, he bought the company with their debts as well. Since Gun-Ho had enough cash in his bank account, he could have bought the company and paid off their debts, but he chose not to.

“It’s not bad to have some debt for a company because the government treats the loan interest as a business expense.”

GH Mobile paid off all of Mulpasaneop’s small debts but they still had large debts from raw material suppliers. Gun-Ho convinced these companies that GH Mobile would gradually pay the debts while still doing business with them. The creditor companies understood the situation since they were aware that Mulpasaneop was once under court receivership.

However, one of the creditor companies suddenly filed a lawsuit against GH Mobile and it was Seongil Polymer. It was a company which usually bought raw materials from a large company and sold them to other businesses, it was more like a sales agency company.

The internal officer brought the lawsuit document for an unpaid bill filed by Seongil Polymer and the provisional seizure of the new factory in Jiksan Town.

“How much do we owe to Seongil Polymer?”

“It’s 300 million won.”

“Have you called them to talk about this?”

“I have, and I asked them why they filed a lawsuit against us given our current relationship. They said they are currently experiencing financial difficulty with the business.”

“This is getting serious since they seized our new factory.”

“The sales director has a close relationship with the president of Seongil Polymer and he talked with him too. Our sales director told him that we are gradually paying off the debt and we are still doing business together, and he doesn’t understand why Seongil Polymer filed a lawsuit in this situation.”

“What was his response?”

“They said that they are not doing well financially and they haven’t paid their workers for a while, so they need the money right now.”

“Can we pay off their 300 million won now?”

“We can, but we will have to delay our worker’s payment. Even though we are doing better, we still don’t have enough funds yet.”

“Hmm.”

“We can’t borrow additional money from a bank either. Our loan with a bank reached the maximum amount they allow. The only way I can think of is getting hard money for quick temporary use, but it’s very risky.”

“We just have to pay a bit higher interest rate for the hard money use, don’t we?”

“That’s not the only consequence we need to concern. Once we pay off Seongil Polymer’s debt, other creditor companies will ask the same. They will ask us to treat them equally with Seongil Polymer.”

“What if we just let it sit?”

“If the plaintiff wins, the court will make a payment order, then they will force us to pay.”

“Does it mean that they will seize our company’s machines or automobiles?”

“They will probably seize the accounts receivable such as the payment we are expecting to receive from our major customers—S Group or Mandong Company, rather than our equipment or cars. Moreover, since they already seized our factory, they can request to put it up for sale.”

“Because of 300 million won, our factory can be put up for sale which is worth 7 billion won.”

“That’s right. Considering the price of the land and construction cost of our new building, it will be worth at least 7 billion won. Many companies go bankrupt because of a small amount of money that they can’t pay at a certain time.”

“What do you suggest, Mr. Internal Auditor?”

“I will buy some time for now.”

“What’s your plan to do that?”

“I will file an objection to the court, and tell them that Seongil Polymer and our company—

GH Mobile already agreed on an installment payment plan for the existing debt, but now they are unreasonably asking us to pay the entire amount of debt by filing a lawsuit. That’s not fair.”

“If we do so, the judge will determine that there is something to dispute and he will order a trial.”

“Exactly. While we proceed with the trial and buy some time accordingly, we will keep trying to convince the president of Seongil Polymer.”

“I see. I will talk with Seongil Polymer’s president first.”

“That’s a good idea, sir. I think it will be more effective if you, as the owner president talk with him directly, rather than one of the directors meets him.”

“I see what you mean. I will visit Seongil Polymer with our manager in the purchasing team.”

“Since we need to file the objection with the court within two weeks, I will start preparing necessary documents.”

“Sounds good.”

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Chapter 243 - GH Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 2

Chapter 243: GH Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho thought of Seongil Polymer and its president. Their president had a round face.

“He looked like an earnest man. I don’t understand why he would do such a thing.”

Gun-Ho thought that there had to be a reason for this.

Gun-Ho asked for the manager in the purchasing team.

“How long have we been doing business with Seongil Polymer?”

“If we count the days of Mulpasantop, it has been more than ten years since we started working with them. I’ve been very close with Seongil Polymer’s president, and we called each other as big brother and younger brother. When I heard about their lawsuit against our company, I told him I wouldn’t continue our close relationship with him and I was so upset.”

“What did he say?”

“He said there is nothing much he can do about it.”

“If they need money, they could have come to us and tried to work out, but they instead filed a lawsuit against us.”

“Right. I don’t understand why he did that. That’s not like him at all. I was surprised by his action this time. Well, I guess you can’t truly know a person.”

“How large is that company?”

“The president of Seongil Polymer is the brother-in-law of the Hanyoung Group’s vice president. Seongil Polymer takes Hanyoung Chemical’s raw materials and sells them. Their annual sales revenue is about 8 billion won. They have 30 employees.”

“They are actually a sizable company.”

“Their customer companies are usually small companies except for us and Egnopak.”

Gun-Ho was frightened.

“Did you just say Egnopak?”

“Yes, it’s a KOSDAQ registered firm which is located in Jinwi Town, Pyeongtaek City. Seongil Polymer sells its products to Egnopak about 300 million won, and to our company, about 100 million won.”

Gun-Ho bit his lip.

‘It was the Egnopak’s president.’

It was highly probable that the Egnopak’s president promised Seongil Polymer that they would buy more of their products and asked them to file a lawsuit against GH Mobile in return.

“He is absolutely cowardly!”

The purchasing team’s manager thought Gun-Ho was calling the Seongil Polymer’s president as cowardly, and he agreed with Gun-Ho.

“The president of Seongil Polymer is definitely cowardly. He plays dirty.”

“Let’s set up a meeting with Seongil Polymer’s president in the near future and you will come with me to meet with him.”

“Yes, sir.”

The purchase team’s manager bowed to Gun-Ho and left his office.

Gun-Ho received a call from Chairman Lee of Cheongdam Town.

“Will you be available tomorrow? I made an appointment with President Park tomorrow evening.”

“Where should I go to?”

“Come to the bar in Hannam Town. You will have to treat us though.”

“Of course, sir. I will be there tomorrow.”

“Don’t be late.”

“Yes, sir. Can I bring a friend with me?”

“Your friend? Who? Manager Jong-Suk Park? That’s not a good idea…”

“No, sir. Not Jong-Suk, but I will come with an attorney from Kim & Jeong.”

“Oh, an attorney? That sounds good. We might have to talk about some legal stuff before we make a contract. Sure, bring him with you.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“Hey, it’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“You haven’t called me for a while. It seems you are doing well in Jiksan Town.”

“It’s all the same whether it is Seoul or Jiksan Town. I think it will take the same time from your office in the Gwanghwamum Gate area to Gangnam Station and from my place in Jiksan Town to Gangnam Station.”

“Is that so?”

“Do you have time tomorrow? Let’s meet in Hannam Town tomorrow. Well, since Hannam Town is more distant than Gangnam Station, it will take more time from my place.”

“Why? Do you have any good news?”

“I am buying a building. It’s a 19-floor building on the main road in Sinsa Town.”

“Acquiring a building? Wow. You are so rich.”

“I will need you in Hannam Town tomorrow. I want you to review a contract and examine any possible legal issues. I need your consultation.”

“Are you requesting an attorney? Or a friend?”

“Of course, I am asking you as an attorney. I will pay you legal fees.”

“Sure. I will definitely be there.”

“The appointment is at 7 pm. We will meet with old men, so you will have to arrive there at least 10 minutes earlier.”

The following day, Gun-Ho left his car at his TowerPalace in Dogok Town and took a taxi heading to Hannam Town. When he arrived at the bar’s front door, the bouncers came out and greeted Gun-Ho. The one in the middle gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho.

“Brother, welcome to Pine.”

“Oh, Security Team Leader Tae-Young Im! How have you been?”

Gun-Ho tapped his back and the bouncer lowered his head.

“Thank you for remembering my name, brother.”

“Did they arrive?”

“Not yet.”

“Really?”

When they heard other customers coming into the bar, the bouncers ran to the front door.

It was not Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town or President Park—the owner of the building in Sinsa Town. It was other several middle-aged men.

“Mr. Minister, welcome to Pine.”

“Mr. Congressman, it has been a while. Please come in.”

Gun-Ho could guess that they were high ranked government officials by listening to the bouncers talking to those customers.

The minister and congressmen glanced at Gun-Ho before they entered the bar.

Ms. Jang came out and started making a fuss.

“President Goo. Welcome. Attorney Kim is here already waiting for you. President Park and Chairman Lee will arrive soon. Please come this way.”

“Thank you, Ms. Jang. You don’t have to worry about me, but take your time with other guests. It seems you are having high ranked officials today.”

“Hahaha, the highest-ranked client to our bar is you, President Goo. You are buying more than anyone in our bar among other customers.”

Gun-Ho entered the room that Ms. Jang showed.

Attorney Kim was watching TV in the room, and he stood up when he saw Gun-Ho entering the room.

“You came early?”

“No, I just arrived.”

“Let’s have a seat.”

“How big is the building you are trying to acquire?”

“Its total floor space is 4,200 pyung and the land it 270 pyung. I brought the real estate registration.”

“The building coverage ratio is 80%? I am not sure if that includes the basement. Well, it doesn’t really matter. What is its appraised value?”

“It’s 230 billion won.”

“Wow. So, you are buying that enormous building?”

“Yeah, with a loan.”

“I am so envious of you, Mr. Billionaire.”

“Can you draft a sales & purchase agreement and conduct any due diligence beforehand?”

At that moment, Gun-Ho heard a dry cough outside the room.

“I think they arrived.”

Ms. Jang’s laughing sound filled the air.

“President Park! You came. It is the first time in a decade.”

“Why? I shouldn’t come here?”

“I thought you passed away since you haven’t come here for too long.”

“I’m here alive!”

“Please come up to the floor. Hold my hand. You look healthy.”

“Your hand is still warm just like the old days.”

“That’s because I have a warm heart.”

Once the two old men entered the room, Gun-Ho showed them a seat.

“Please have a seat over here, sir.”

“Is this young man an attorney?”

“Yes, I am, sir. I’m Young-Jin Kim.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim gave his business card to Chairman Lee and President Park.

They had a drink while listening to Gayageum.

Chairman Lee and President Park were talking about their old days without saying a word about the building.

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin played along and talked about soccer, movies, and other trivial things.

Ms. Jang entered the room and clicked her tongue.

“You should blend in, rather than dividing up into the old man’s group and young man’s group. Why don’t you listen to the music of the 70s or 80s? And stop listening to Gayageum? The music in the 70s and 80s is old songs for President Goo and Attorney Kim, but they are new songs to Chairman Lee and President Park.”

Young ladies entered the room. They were not wearing traditional Korean dresses, but instead, they were wearing very short pants with a blouse.

One of the ladies carried an acoustic guitar. The ladies started singing songs that were popular in the 70s and 80s while playing the guitar. They were probably would-be singers because they sound like professionals.

Gun-Ho gave 100,000 won to each girl and told them to use it for their transportation expenses.

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Chapter 244 - GH Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 1

Chapter 244: GH Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 1

Once the young ladies with a guitar left the room, Chairman Lee finally talked about the building.

“President Park, why don’t you just sell your building to the person who really wants to buy it? You never know if you will find another person who would want your building. Let’s make it 200 billion won.”

“If I sell it for that price, nothing much would be left in my hand. Once I sell the building, I want to share the sales proceeds with my children. Moreover, I am not losing money by keeping that building even though I’m not making much money from it, either.”

“Then you’d better keep that building.”

“I want to sell that building because of my children. They try to financially rely on me just because I have that big building. I want them to become more independent.”

“What about your second daughter? She is doing well, right? Her husband is running a hospital.”

“Same thing. Even though you have enough money, you want more. That’s money.”

“How much do you want to sell that building for then?”

“210 billion won.”

“What about you, President Goo? How much are you willing to pay for that building?”

“My offer is 200 billion won, sir.”

“Hmm. Let’s do this then. What about you both meet halfway like 205 billion won? Let’s close the deal with that price. Don’t say anything more. Attorney Kim! Pull out the contract.”

“Yes, sir.”

“No, no, that’s… Well… Okay! Let’s do it!”

“Good. My friend, let’s sell that building and have fun traveling to Goesan Town to see Master Park.”

Gun-Ho acquired the building in Sinsa Town, Gangnam District for 205 billion won.

It seemed that President Park wanted to let his children and others find out that his building was sold because he leaked the sale of his building to the press. Not just the economic newspaper but even a daily newspaper talked about President Park’s building’s sale.

[RiverStar Building in Sinsa Town, Gangnam District has sold for 205 billion won. The building is located at the entrance of Garosugil Road on the main street. It has been a landmark in the area. The building is also a popular place to meet someone since they have a huge coffee shop. The buyer of the building is Mr. Gun-Ho Goo (35) who is known as a big player of Gangnam. Mr. Gun-Ho Goo is known as a successful and wealthy businessman in the area of OneRoomTel rental property business and also auto parts manufacturing.]

Once the news article was published, people who knew Gun-Ho Goo were astonished.

“I knew he had some money, but I didn’t know he is that rich.”

People seemed to assume that Gun-Ho had 205 billion won in cash. Gun-Ho’s high school friends couldn’t even give a call to Gun-Ho to congratulate him on acquiring the building because Gun-Ho didn’t seem to be living in the same world as they were.

The president of Egnopak read the news article as well.

“Hmm. This young man is doing very well. Maybe he has someone behind him, someone who is really rich. According to my investigation, he has no connection with any politician, but he is doing too well. I think I will have to step on him before he grows too big.”

Egnopak’s president called for his son who was in the US and also the in-house attorney in the company, in order to discuss what they were going to do about Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho went to Seongil Polymer with GH Mobile’s purchasing team’s manager to Suwon.

The president of Seongil Polymer looked nervous when he saw Gun-Ho.

“Our company is so small that you might not feel very comfortable. Please sit at the middle of the table, sir.”

“It’s not small. The building is new. Do you have storage in a separate building?”

“Our storage is located in the building next door. This building is being used for just office work.”

“Forgive me if I am too blunt. Why did you do that?”

“We are currently experiencing great financial difficulty. We have 30 employees, and it’s really hard to pay them all the time these days. We can’t lower the product cost that we supply to your company—GH Mobile. I couldn’t think of any other way to sustain my company.”

“You could have come and talked to me about the situation. You could have asked us to raise the product cost. You shouldn’t have just filed a lawsuit without trying to work it out with us first.”

“That was… umm…”

“We filed our objection to the court for now. I guess we will have a trial soon.”

“Is there any way that you could just pay off the debt?”

“You mean the entire 300 million won all at once?”

“Well… umm…”

“Let’s be honest. What was the deal with the president of Egnopak?”

“Egnopak’s president? What are you talking about?”

“I already figured out the situation. What did he promise you?”

“I think you misunderstood me, President Goo. This has nothing to do with Egnopak’s president.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Seongil Polymer has been a good business partner even when GH Mobile was still Mulpasaneop; you have provided us with raw materials for more than ten years. You are very well aware of our company’s situation, and additionally, you agreed on our installment payment plan. We were so overwhelmed when we found out that you filed a lawsuit against us.”

“I am so sorry.”

“I am very disappointed with Seongil Polymer. The way how Seongil Polymer handled the situation was really disappointing. Don’t blame us later for any consequences regarding your lawsuit against us.”

“What do you mean, sir?”

“I will keep an eye on your business with Egnopak and see if they’re buying more products from your company.”

“You keep saying Egnopak, but this has nothing to do with them.”

“Well, it is pointless to talk with you any further since you refuse to be honest with me. Mr. Purchasing Manager, let’s go back to our company.”

On the way to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, Gun-Ho said to the manager, “Stop the business with Seongil Polymer starting tomorrow. We can find another company for the raw materials we are buying from Seongil Polymer, right?”

“Yes, but we will have to let our customer companies know that we are changing the supplier who provides the raw materials for our products.”

“Then tell them that we changed our raw material supplier—Seongil Polymer—to another company because we found some foreign substances from their raw materials.”

“Yes, sir. I have a question, sir. What do we have to do with Egnopak?”

“They were the competitor for the joint venture project that I am trying to build in Asan City.”

Gun-Ho went to Seoul to pay President Park for the building he was buying. He used his cash, a loan from a bank, and a loan from Capital.”

Gun-Ho then sent Manager Kang and Ji-Young to the building to grasp the current state of tenants in the building. Manager Kim, the lady who was the secretary and also the person in charge of the accounting, handed a chart over to Manager Kang. The chart was very well organized with information about the entire tenants of the building.

“I guess the tenants will all stay, and we just need to vacate this office.”

Gun-Ho was thinking of sending Director Yoon, Manager Jong-Suk Park and the general affairs manager to the building in Sinsa town. He wanted them to retrieve the building’s design drawings and the information about the current workers, and he also wanted them to check the facility.

Gun-Ho made a call to Manager Kang of GH Development.

“Manager Kang, I am sending GH Mobile’s director who is in charge of construction, technical manager, and general affairs manager to the building. They are the experts in the building construction and system. Let them use President Park’s office for now. And once the acquisition process is complete, discuss with Director Yoon who is in charge of construction and do the interior work. I will need my office there. Let go of some of the tenants whose lease contract expires soon and who are occupying 19th or 18th floor and use that space to make my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Kang was so worried when Gun-Ho first told him that he would acquire the building in Sinsa Town. It was enormous in size, and he was overwhelmed about the work he might have to handle. There were security guards, a cleaning crew, boiler technician, automatic parking system handlers, and so on, and Manager Kang couldn’t decide where he should start his work. When Gun-Ho told him that he would send the experts in the field, he felt a sense of relief. He let out a deep sigh of relief.

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Chapter 245 - GH Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 2

Chapter 245: GH Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 2

Gun-Ho received a phone call from President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media.

“President Goo, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor?”

“I understand that you are moving your GH Mobile’s office to the building in Sinsa Town. We have enjoyed the company of GH Mobile that was our next-door neighbor, and we received a lot of help from them.”

“Oh, would you like to move your office to the building in Sinsa Town with us? I will have to check if there is any vacant office though.”

“The rent in that building is too high for our business. So I was thinking of moving our publishing office somewhere else.”

“Where do you want to move to?”

“The publishing complex in Paju City would be a great choice to move our office. It has a very clean and neat environment, and the rent is pretty reasonable; however, it’s too far from our current location and our workers are reluctant to move there. So, I am thinking of moving to Hapjeong Town or Mangwon Town in Mapo District.”

“Hmm, Mangwon Town…”

“We can get an office there with twice bigger size than the current one with the same amount of rent.”

“I will let you decide on that.”

“Okay, sir. I will move our office to that location then, assuming you approved our moving.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Manager Kang of GH Mobile.

“Please place our current office-tel of GH Mobile on the market for sale.”

“Our office-tel, sir?”

“Yes, I purchased that office-tel with my name, not with the company’s name. So once the office-tel is sold, please put the sales proceeds to my personal bank account.”

“Yes, sir. And… umm…”

“Do you have something you want to tell me?”

“I’ve already placed all of our four OneRoomTels on the market for sale. They will sell easily. However…”

“What is it?”

“The chief editor of GH Media is living in one of our OneRoomTels. What should I do about it?”

“Oh, you mean Jae-Sik Moon?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, we will have to tell him to vacate his room. I will talk to him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho called Jae-Sik Moon.

“Jae-Sik?”

“Hey, President Goo.”

“How is your work?”

“It’s fun. I like here a lot. President Shin appreciates my work too.”

“That’s nice. I am calling you to tell you that I will have to sell the OneRoomTels. As you know, I am buying a large building in Sinsa Town, and I need money. You’ll be on your own in finding your place to stay from now on.”

“Oh, that? Don’t worry about it. Once our GH Media moves to Mapo Town, I will find a room there. I used to live in Mangwon Town which is very close to Mapo Town when I worked for another publishing company. I love the area. Many people in the publishing field are living there.”

“Really?”

“Don’t worry about my rent. I am making a lot of money now, and I can handle my rent.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. The translated book of ‘the person who wakes up in the morning’ is selling very well. It is the best-selling book that I’ve ever done editing work on.”

“Did President Shin find an office there already?”

“We have looked at two offices in Hapjeong Town. They are so spacious, and they are asking the same rent that we are paying right now. Oh, I was going to ask you about this. Can you make a president’s office in our new office? I think President Shin should have her own office. She often meets with clients, and it would be nice if she has her own office.”

“What about the chief editor’s office?”

“Oh, my own office? Haha. A chief editor doesn’t usually get his own office. It’s not necessary. Usually, we get a cubicle office.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Manager Jong-Suk Park who was currently working out at the building in Sinsa Town.

“Bro? There is nothing here for me to work on anymore. I want to go back to Jiksan Town.”

“Have you met with the security guards and boiler technicians? They are all good workers, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve already made a good connection with everyone here in the field. They are not very skillful though, so I fixed everything for them like the boiler, automatic parking system, and even the toilet. They were very satisfied, and they asked me to stay there with them. But I really have to go back to Jiksan. I need to know if things are going well there.”

“MacGyver Park is always popular wherever he goes.”

“I think we need to have a team leader here. The person who is in charge of the automatic parking system has an electrician license and building management license. He is very good too. I think he is a good candidate for the team leader position. What do you think? He seemed to be not happy to receive the same treatment as other workers.”

“Really? Why don’t you talk to Manager Kang of GH Mobile?”

“Well, Manager Kang is good at administrative work, but he doesn’t know much about the work in the worksite.”

“Did they already start the interior work?”

“It’s almost done. They are building a large president’s office too. It’s located on the 19th floor, and it has a very nice view. You would be able to see the entire Sinsa Town in Gangnam District. You are going to stay in that office from time to time, right?”

“How old is the man who is in charge of the automatic parking system?”

“He is about 50. He is physically strong. He completed his military service at the airborne forces. Well, I won over him in the arm wrestling though.”

“Who would be able to beat you at arm wrestling?”

“There is one person who I really want to fight at an arm wrestling match.”

“Who?”

“The weightlifter—Mi-Ran Jang.”

“You crazy. Okay, come back to Jiksan Town. Make sure you tell Director Yoon and Manager Kang before you head to Jiksan, okay?”

GH Media’s president—Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin—gave a report to Gun-Ho on the phone about their office moving.

“We made a lease contract with an office in Hangjeong Town. It’s 40 pyung. The rent is the same as the rent of our office in Gangnam. But they asked a bit higher security deposit, so we spent an additional 20 million won for it.”

“Why don’t you do some interior work and make your office there too?”

“A president’s office…?”

“Yes. Clients are often coming over to the office to meet with you, so I guess it’s better that you have your own office even though it’s not big.”

“Thank you.”

“The new office is close to your home, right?”

“Yes. I can take the Subway Line 2 from my house—Mullae Town—then I can get to the new office in no time. Our chief editor found his room in Mangwon Town.”

“Really? That’s nice.”

“We will be working harder. I’ve already chosen a fourth book that we will publish. I will send you the book title.”

“You don’t have to do that, President Shin. I don’t have time to read a book now. Why don’t you just make a report to me about the loss and profit?”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

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Chapter 246 - GH Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 1

Chapter 246: GH Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 1

The interior work had been completed for the building in Sinsa Town, and Gun-Ho headed for Seoul. The new office on the 19th floor looked fabulous.

“As you requested, sir, this office is 70 pyung large in total. 30 pyung out of 70 is decorated for the office space, 10 pyung is used for a meeting room, and the remaining 30 pyung is your office, sir.”

The office space was covered with a carpet, and a window curtain was already installed. The desk and bookshelf in the office were the best quality furniture in Korea. A sofa and a conference table were placed as well.

“As you instructed, all furnitures and necessary office supplies were already put in the office.”

“You did a very good job.”

Gun-Ho sat at his new desk for a while and then looked out the window.

“Nice view.”

“That’s right. The workers who came for the interior work were all amazed by the view from the window.”

“Manager Kang, you must have been working so hard. Your lips are swollen.”

“As a matter of fact, I lost 5 kilograms, which is good because I wanted to lose some weight, anyway.”

“Do we have ten workers in total for this building?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Who is supervising them?”

“Manager Jong-Suk Park has been supervising them. I wish he could stay here. We will have to find someone like him as a supervisor.”

“Manager Jong-Suk Park can’t work here. We need him at the factory in Jiksan Town. He has to continue his work maintaining our factory there.”

“Manager Jong-Suk Park seems to be able to fix anything with just a screwdriver.”

“Do we have employees’ file that contains the current worker’s resume?”

“Yes, we do.”

Manager Kang brought a file for Gun-Ho.

“Can you ask the person who is now handling the automated parking system to come to my office? He seems to have several skill certificates.”

“Yes, sir.”

A man who looked like he was in his early 50s entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Are you Mr. Soo-Nam Jeong?”

“Yes, I am, sir.”

“You have a building management license. You also have a security instructor license, an electrical safety license, and a fire safety license. Have you previously worked in managing a building? What was your occupation before you join here?”

“I used to manage a small 10-floor building before.”

“How long have you worked here?”

“I have been working here for about two years now.”

“Manager Kang, please place him in the field as a team leader.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, change their uniforms to the ones of GH Mobile. Their uniforms are too shabby. You can just change the company logo from GH Mobile to GH Development on the uniforms. You can ask the general affairs department in GH Mobile to place orders for the new uniforms.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, your daily work is about to become complex since you’ll be managing this building. Get an accounting software. We are now managing a large building, which is different from managing a few OneRoomTels as we did before.”

“Umm, sir. I haven’t used an accounting program before.”

Ji-Young Jeong suddenly started crying after saying that. Gun-Ho was baffled.

“Okay, let’s do this. We will have to hire additional workers, anyway.”

Manager Kang had a pen and paper ready.

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong takes the position as a general manager in managing the Four Major Public Insurance. You will have to manage the tenants in this building as well in addition to the Four Major Public Insurance.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Post a job opening for accounting staff who will be handling the accounting program and for a secretary position who can speak English.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I have one more task for you, Manager Kang. Send an official announcement to the tenants and let them know the recent changes. Tell them that the name of the building would be changed from RiverStar Building to GH Building and that the building owner is changed as well. We will have to issue tax invoices to these tenants with our company’s name—GH Development.”

“I am on it, sir.”

Once everyone left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho closed his office door. His office on the 19th floor was very quiet. The Gangnam district, which Gun-Ho was looking over from his office, looked so small that people looked like ants. Gun-Ho was now the new owner of the building in Gangnam.

Gun-Ho looked down the city from his office window.

“My future GH Holdings will be based in this building!”

While Gun-Ho was thinking of his future plans with the building, someone knocked on the door. It was Manager Kang.

“I have everyone here to meet with you, sir.”

Mr. Soo-Nam Jeong, who was just promoted to a team leader, had the other workers make a line and shouted at them.

“Attention! And bow to our president!”

The workers were cleaning workers and security guards, and they were old men and ladies, mostly.

Gun-Ho offered his hand to each worker for a handshake and encouraged them to work hard before dismissing them.

Gun-Ho bought a few books from Youngpoong Bookstore that was located at the Gangnam Express Bus Terminal. They were economics and business management books. He then read the books in the comfortable sofa in his new office. It was nice, and Gun-Ho enjoyed spending time in his new office. Gun-Ho didn’t go to the factory in Jiksan Town for the next few days.

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Yoon.

“The architect from U.S. is coming tomorrow.”

“Really? Someone has to pick him up at the airport.”

“I will do it, sir.”

“Sure. You speak English very well, so you should be good. I am wrapping up things here, and I will come back to the factory in Jiksan Town tomorrow.”

Once Gun-Ho came back to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, the directors and managers started giving him a report, which they would have done if Gun-Ho was there for the past several days.

“You can give a report to the internal auditor for trivial matters and get approval from him.”

Gun-Ho delegated a lot of work to the directors and managers. He asked the general affairs manager to implement a policy about the delegation of his authority to the directors or managers, so they could review and approve certain things on his behalf.

After Gun-Ho acquired the building in Sinsa Town, the workers of GH Mobile acted differently around Gun-Ho. They became more respectful and gave him a deeper bow than before, and Gun-Ho began to exude charisma.

After receiving reports from the directors, Gun-Ho asked for the manager in the purchasing team.

“Have you heard anything from the Seongil Polymer’s president?”

“They are making an outcry for the unilateral termination of our business relationship with them. Their president wanted to get your cell phone number, sir. Of course, I refused to give it to him. He even came to our company yesterday to meet with you in person.”

“Check if they are recently getting more product orders from Egnopak.”

“I actually asked one of their female staff about it, and she said they are definitely having more product orders from Egnopak lately.”

“I knew it.”

“What do you want me to tell him if the Seongil Polymer’s president comes to our company again?”

“Ask him to show us their monthly total sales revenue of the products that were sold and issued tax invoice to Egnopak. Well, it would be better if we could get their general ledger specifically, where we can see all of their dealings with Egnopak, retrieved from their accounting program. Then we will consider restarting the business with them.”

“Yes, sir. And… the internal auditor said that the trial with Seongil Polymer will soon start.”

“We will figure out once a trial is ordered”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 247 - GH Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 2

Chapter 247: GH Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 2

Gun-Ho asked for the internal auditor.

“I’ve heard that the trial with Seongil Polymer will start soon. How are we going to defend our case?”

“We will convince the court about our current financial situation and the installment payment plan. Since the court is well aware of the fact that we were once under court receivership, it will approve our installment payment plan.”

“You really think so?”

“The judge is a human being. He will be reasonable.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Yoon, who was at the airport.

“The architects arrived at 4 pm from the U.S. If we head to Asan City now, we will arrive at around 6 pm.”

“He must be exhausted from the long flight from the U.S. Why don’t you take him to the hotel in Asan City and let him take a good rest for today, and he can come to our office in Jiksan Town tomorrow before he heads to Asan City.”

“Yes, sir.”

The next morning, Director Yoon came to Gun-Ho’s office with one American and one Korean man. They both were architects from the U.S.

Gun-Ho greeted them.

“Welcome to Korea and to our company. Director Yoon will show you the place where our new factory will be built on.”

“Director Yoon invited us to a Korean restaurant for dinner yesterday. It was really nice, and we appreciate it. We also had the hot spring bath as well.”

“You have been to Lymondell Dyeon, right?”

“Yes, we have, and we took a good look at their production line. The cooling line after the extrusion is longer than we initially thought, so I think we will have to build the production space long enough to accommodate those.”

“Can you make the exterior of the factory similar to the one of Lymondell Dyeon?”

“Sure. We can do that.”

“By the way, Director Yoon. The design drawing will be made in English. Do you think our government people in the city hall will be able to read it?”

“Haha. That’s why they require having a Korean architect to sign on the design drawing if the drawing is made by a foreign architect, so we will have two signatures on the paper from the foreign architect and Korean architect. I mean the approval document for constructing a building.”

“Is it legally required?”

“Of course, sir. It is clearly written in the Building Act.”

“I see.”

“I will take care of it. Well, we will be then heading to Asan City now if you don’t have anything else, sir.”

Director Yoon showed the land in Asan City where a new factory would be built on, to the architects from the U.S. The architects collected some necessary information from there by taking some pictures and reviewing the land survey. Once they completed their examination of the land, they headed back to Seoul.

Gun-Ho received a call from Chairman Lee in Cheongdam Town.

“President Goo, do you want to have lunch with me today since you are close to my office now? I know a good place for cold noodles.”

“Umm, sir. I am not in Seoul right now. I am in Jiksan Town.”

“Oh, really? I thought you were staying in Seoul.”

“Have you heard anything from President Park who sold his building to me? I’m wondering if there are any complaints from him.”

“You know what? He is a very scary person.”

“Huh? Why do you say so?”

“He told his children that he had 9 billion won left after selling the building and paying off the loan and security deposit.”

“As far as I know, that sounds correct.”

“He gave 2 billion won to each of his two daughters from his first wife.”

“That made him spend 4 billion won out of 9 billion won of sales proceeds.”

“And then, he gave another 2 billion won to each of his sons from his second wife.”

“Okay, then he is left with 1 billion won. Did he give it to his second wife?”

“That’s right. The condo which he is living in with his second wife is worth 2 billion won, and he gave that condo with the cash of 1 billion won to his second wife.”

“So, President Park didn’t take any for himself. He hasn’t even passed away yet.”

“You have to hear the full story to say anything further. President Park actually had paid off some of the loans even before he sold the building. He had paid off a 5 billion won loan to Kukmin Bank. So he took 5 billion won from the building’s sales proceeds without letting anyone know about it. Moreover, he had reduced some of the tenants’ security deposit by raising their monthly rent, but when he told his children about the security deposits, he gave them the original amount of security deposits before the change took place. Consequently, he took some money from there too without letting his children know about it. Therefore, he took a total of 7 billion won to his pocket from the building sale, and no one including his children knows about this.”

“Really?”

“Do you know what he told his children after distributing the building’s sales proceeds?”

“What did he say?”

“He said, ‘I gave you all I have and I have nothing left in my hand. So you will have to give me an allowance money like on a monthly basis.’ He is cunning like a snake.”

“He is incredible.”

“I think we lost this game, President Goo.”

“No, don’t say that. Even though I paid a little bit high for the price of this building, I don’t think I can easily find a building like this. I can see the entire Sinsa Town in Gangnam District from my office on the 19th floor. I am satisfied with the building.”

“Someone who knows how to feel satisfied is a truly rich man. So you are indeed a rich man.”

“Haha. Thank you, sir.”

Suwon District Court sent a notification to GH Mobile about the trial with the date of the trial. The internal auditor brought the notice to Gun-Ho.

“We have the date of trial now. We will have to be at the court next Thursday at 11 am. They asked us to come to Suwon District Court no. 205.”

“Can someone else attend the court on behalf of me?”

“Yes, but it would look better if you, as the president of GH Mobile show up to the court. It would make you look reasonable, and they would think you’re taking this seriously.”

“Hmm…”

“I will send our response to the court within the date given to us. The judge will take a look at it and take it into consideration.”

“What does our response say?”

“We will include the fact about our court receivership during Mulpasaneop and about the new owner’s takeover of the company and also the fact that we paid off the unpaid wages and some loans. Also, we will talk about us consistently making payments towards our debt according to our installment payment plan, which was agreed with our creditors.”

“Then, the court will dismiss the plaintiff’s request?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What outcome are you expecting from the trial?”

“I don’t know, sir. It’s up to the judge, right?”

“What if we don’t like the court’s decision?”

“We will have to appeal to the higher court.”

Gun-Ho thought about it for a second.

‘If we appeal to the higher court, then Seongil Polymer wouldn’t be able to do anything to our company until we get the decision from that higher court.’

Gun-Ho had enough cash in his bank account to pay off the 300 million won debt to Seongil Polymer, but he didn’t want to do that.

‘Well, this can be a very useful experience for me. I can learn some legal stuff.’

It was the day of trial. Gun-Ho went to Suwon District Court himself. It was located in Woncheon Town, Youngtong District in Suwon City.

On the door of the no. 205 courtroom, there was a list of case numbers along with the names of the plaintiff and defendant by the order of time scheduled.

Gun-Ho went into the courtroom when it was his scheduled time. While he was sitting at the courtroom, the judge called his name and Seongil Polymer’s president’s name.

“Plaintiff, Seongil Polymer’s president Sang-Gi Kim.”

The judge called his name twice, but he didn’t appear at the courtroom. The judge then called Gun-Ho’s name.

“Defendant, GH Mobile’s president Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes.”

The court staff verified Gun-Ho’s ID to see if Gun-Ho was the person who he claimed to be.

The judge said, “The plaintiff didn’t show up, so we will postpone the trial.”

That was it.

“Why did Seongil Polymer’s president didn’t show up? Did he forget the trial date?”

Gun-Ho walked around the Gwanggyo area and thought about where he wanted to head to.

“Do I want to go to my GH Building in Sinsa Town, Seoul? Or to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City?”

After thinking for a while, Gun-Ho decided to drive to Jiksan Town in Cheonan City.

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Chapter 248 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (1) – PART 1

Chapter 248: Hiring New Workers for GH Development (1) – PART 1

The Seongil Polymer’s president started agonizing.

“It is certainly nice to be able to sell more products to Egnopak. We are now selling 400 million won worth of products to Egnopak rather than 300 million won. But I will lose another major customer—GH Mobile for this.”

The president of Seongil Polymer went to see the Egnopak’s president.

“I filed a lawsuit against GH Mobile as you asked. You will have to order an additional 100 million won worth of products from us as you promised.”

“Okay, I will do that. But I will do that when you receive the payment order from the court.”

“I will lose one of our major customers—GH Mobile because I am helping you, sir.”

“Don’t worry about it. The amount of the products you are selling to GH Mobile is only 100 million won, right? Our company will cover it for you.”

“The problem is that President Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile is spreading a bad rumor about our company as they terminated the business relationship with us.”

“What kind of rumor?”

“They are saying that they terminated the business with us because our products were defective and they are saying that they found foreign substances in our products. Also, they say that our product cost is unreasonably high.”

“He is indeed vicious.”

The president of Egnopak called for the company’s in-house attorney. Because Egnopak was a large company, they had an in-house legal department and an attorney. The in-house attorney was leading the in-house legal department of Egnopak.

“I asked the Seongil Polymer’s president to let us know right away once he receives a court order for the payment from GH Mobile.”

“That’s good.”

“But the thing is… what if that Gun-Ho Goo person pays off the 300 million won debt as soon as they receive the payment order from the court? He seems to have a lot of money in cash, and he recently purchased a high-rise huge building in Gangnam.”

“Well, if President Gun-Ho Goo pays off the debt to Seongil Polymer, then Seongil Polymer’s president should tell that to everybody.”

“Tell it to everyone?”

“Yes, he should.”

“What for? Ohhh, so other creditor companies become aware of that fact.”

“That’s right. GH Mobile still has several creditor companies. Once they learn about GH Mobile’s paying off the debt to Seongil Polymer, all of the other creditors will ask GH Mobile to pay off their debts too.”

“Well, the people who graduate from law school are indeed smart people, just like you.”

“If GH Mobile can’t pay the debt after the court ordered the payment, Seongil Polymer will have to start collecting process immediately.”

“So, they can seize GH Mobile’s equipment or automobile, right?”

“Well, we want to focus on their accounts receivable from their major customers like S Group. That way, we can damage GH Mobile’s reputation. It will also plant some bad images to S Group about GH Mobile.”

“So we can reduce GH Mobile’s business.”

“That’s right. Their customer companies would think GH Mobile has some problems with their financial system and would want to reduce their business with GH Mobile.”

“You are so smart. Your LEET (Legal Education Eligibility Test) score when you were admitted to the law school was 130, right?”

“It was actually 140, sir.”

“Oh, was it? Hahaha.”

“Well, we still have to consider that GH will respond to all things that would happen around them with a smart move.”

“What would they do?”

“They have highly educated and smart workers too and President Gun-Ho Goo is a self-made successful man. He won’t be easy to defeat. I’ve reviewed a copy of their response to the court. I believe they are trying to buy some time.”

“Hmm.”

“I think they will drag this case to the higher court.”

The president of Egnopak seemed to feel very uncomfortable knowing that Gun-Ho probably had a good tactic.

“Okay. You are dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.”

The in-house attorney who graduated from a law school gave a deep bow to the Egnopak’s president before leaving his office.

When Egnopak’s president was looking for all the ways that he could think of to distress Gun-Ho, he received a call from the U.S. It was from his son who was running Egnopak’s factory in California.

“Is that Gun-Ho something person from GH Mobile still bothering you, dad?”

“I had set up everything to start a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon, and that son of b*tch appeared from nowhere and intercepted it. I am so still upset about it.”

“Did you ask that Seongil Polymer company to file a lawsuit against them? I told you that when I was in Korea last time. What happened?”

“They did, but it seems like it would take a long time.”

“I think I’d better come to Korea to teach him a lesson.”

“I want to kick him in his belly if I could.”

“Don’t worry about it, dad. Even though I graduated from USC (University of Southern California), I still have a lot of friends in Gangnam, Seoul.”

“We should refrain from using any physical violence. That could backfire.”

“Don’t worry about it, dad.”

“You think about it, son. Don’t you remember the time when I wielded my baseball bat at a bar? I wielded it because you were being insulted there.”

“I was too young at that time, but now I am in control of those people. They will lick my feet if I ask them to do so.”

“Well, just don’t do it. We will have to think about it another way, something smart.”

“I am coming to Korea next week. I will see you then, dad.”

Gun-Ho went to work at the GH Building in Sinsa Town, Seoul two times per week and went to GH Mobile’s factory in Jiksan Town, three days per week.

Gun-Ho was having a cup of coffee at his office in Jiksan Town while reviewing papers that he had to approve when he received a call from Manager Kang of GH Development.

“Sir, umm… We received the applications for the jobs of a secretary and a staff in the accounting team. There are so many of them.”

“How many applications did you receive?”

“I actually posted on WorkNet only, but other job posting websites and job exam websites posted it without asking us. We received 750 applications for the secretary position alone and 320 applications for the accounting staff position even though we stated work experience in a related field as a requirement.”

“Did you post the job opening with GH Development Company’s name only?”

“Well… that was…”

“Did you put GH Mobile or GH Media in the job posting?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I think I misunderstood your intention. I actually listed all three companies’ names.”

The job posting that Manager Kang placed on WorkNet was like this,

[We are hiring for staff due to our company’s expansion.

Secretary — 0

(A four-year college graduate who can speak English fluently)

Accounting Staff — 0

(A four-year college graduate who has more than five years of work experience in the related field.)

Documents to be submitted—Resume, Self-Introduction Essay, Language Skill Proof (for
those who are applying for a secretary position), Accounting Related Qualification Proof (for those who are applying for an accounting staff position)

Address to send the application package—GH Development, 19th Floor at GH Building,

Sinsa Town, Gangnam District, Seoul City

Attn: Ji-Young Jeong (General Affairs Dept.)

By GH Development Company

GH Mobile Company

GH Media Company

GH Parts Company Suzhou City in China ]

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Chapter 249 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (1) – PART 2

Chapter 249: Hiring New Workers for GH Development (1) – PART 2

Gun-Ho felt annoyed. But those applications couldn’t just be ignored.

“I don’t have time to review all those applications. I will send the general affairs manager of GH Mobile there, instead. You and the GH Mobile’s general affairs manager will have to review all of the applications and select three people among them.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager.

“Mr. General Affairs Manager, you will have to go on a short trip to Seoul the day after tomorrow.”

“Huh? Where to Seoul?”

“Go to GH Building that is located in Sinsa Town, Gangnam. Once you get there, go up to the 19th floor, then you will see an office—GH Development. And talk to Manager Kang there.”

“Yes, sir. What do you want me to do there?”

“We are hiring a secretary and an accounting staff for GH Development, but our job posting listed all of our four companies’ names including our factory in China by mistake. As a result, we have received way too many applications for those two openings. So, I want you to review the applications we received and do the first interview. Conduct the hiring process with Manager Kang at GH Development.”

“How many people applied for the positions?”

“We have 750 for the secretary position, and 320 for the accounting staff position.”

“Wow. We did actually received a lot. Manager Kang and I will be the first to select twenty candidates based on papers, and then select five for each position for a final interview. I will prepare the final interview for you to conduct, sir.”

“Five people are still too many. Make three for the final interview.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho didn’t work on Saturdays and Sundays.

Many organizations where Gun-Ho belonged to, such as local organizations or some economic organizations for businessmen often held a friendship golf tournament. Gun-Ho didn’t attend any of them though because he didn’t see himself fitting in those groups. At first, the members of those groups were too noisy. They often raised their voices and they also seemed to be shameless. They didn’t even try to restrain themselves from stating inappropriate words that could be considered even as sexual harassment. Some of them were self-made business owners, but most of them were born into a wealthy family and inherited their businesses from their families.

“We’d love to have you at our golf tournament. We need more members who are young like you, President Goo.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just not a good golf player.”

“You don’t just play golf here. This is also all about business and friendship. We make connections for our business, and you can learn important information too. We do find customer and vendor companies here too, not to mention that this is a very good exercise for your health.”

“I totally understand, but I have an important appointment today…”

“It seems that President Goo has other good organizations he is attending to. By the way, I’ve passed by President Goo’s factory the other day, and it looked really nice.”

Gun-Ho sometimes went to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel and enjoyed their food and took the hot spring bath there. It became a bit more distant to drive there since his company moved to Jiksan Town from Asan City, but he still went there pretty often.

Gun-Ho was thinking that day that he wanted to go to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel again as usual to have his lunch and enjoy the hot spring bath, and then he had a second thought.

“Maybe I don’t have to eat inside the hotel. Maybe I want to eat somewhere else today. What about Bibimbap* in the Youngiksan area?”

Gun-Ho was walking towards his car in the parking lot while thinking of where to have his lunch that day, when he saw a young couple who were having a conversation while standing at the parking lot.

“Huh? Jong-Suk?”

“Huh? Bro!”

“I thought you went to Incheon City today since it is Sunday. What are you doing here?”

Gun-Ho glanced at the girl who was standing next to Jong-Suk while talking to him.

“Oh, umm. This is our company’s president.”

“Hello, sir.”

The girl had a fair skin and she was wearing glasses. She looked elegant, and she was pretty when she smiled.

“Who is she? Oh, this is the girl who is attending Polytechnics College with you…”

“Haha. Yeah, this is she.”

“Oh, I see. I heard you have someone close to you at school, but what a surprise. It is really good to see you here with the girl.”

The girl seemed to be a bit shy. Gun-Ho thought that the girl looked to be a very nice person.

‘She seems to be calm and stable. She is a perfect fit for Jong-Suk who is a bit tough.’

“You two haven’t had lunch yet, right? Why don’t you join me for lunch today? I will treat you.”

“Oh, umm…”

“Don’t say anything. Just come with me!”

Gun-Ho took the couple to a Korean restaurant in a hotel, where they could enjoy the Korean table d’hote. Gun-Ho ordered all kinds of Korean food in addition to beer.

“Oh, bro! Don’t order too much.”

“It’s okay. I want to. This is the first meal I’m having with my future sister-in-law.”

The girl seemed to be frightened when she heard Gun-Ho mentioning her as his sister-in-law, while Jong-Suk seemed to be happy with Gun-Ho’s choice of words because he was smiling.

The girl placed pieces of delicious food on the plate in front of Gun-Ho whenever a new delicious dish came out to their table.

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to do it. I will take care of myself. You can do that to the man who is sitting next to you.”

Jong-Suk asked the girl while chewing the meat.

“My boss is a really good person, don’t you think?”

“Yes, I think so. By the way, why do you talk to your boss in an informal way sometimes, Jong-Suk?”

Gun-Ho smiled and said,

“Manager Park and I, we are like real brothers. We grew up in the same town and worked together at a facto…”

At the very moment, Jong-Suk Park kicked Gun-Ho’s shin under the table when Gun-Ho was about to tell the girl about the days they were worked at a factory together.

“I was so surprised when I saw you, sir. I was actually expecting to see an old man when I heard of you as the president of the company where Jong-Suk is working at. The president of the company where I am working is actually 60 something years old.”

“Oh, that’s right. I heard you are working at a factory in an industrial complex. How’s your company doing?”

“It’s doing well.”

“I heard that you are working at a research center. Did I hear right?”

“Yes, that’s true. I actually used to work in a product quality control team before I joined the research center. Since I majored in a field that is totally unrelated to the product we are manufacturing, I am having a hard time learning new things at work.”

The girl laughed as she talked about her work. She looked really pretty when she laughed.

Gun-Ho looked at the couple who was sitting in front of him. They looked really nice together.

Note*

Bibimbap – Cooked rice with various vegetables and meat mixed together with Korean red chili paste.

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Chapter 250 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (2) – PART 1

Chapter 250: Hiring New Workers for GH Development (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho received an email from President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media.

She sent a list of five books to be published. She included in the list—the book titles, the number of pages of each book—the name of authors, etc. She also mentioned that two translators were working on translating these books into the Korean language because the work would be too much for one translator to handle.

At the end of her email, she added,

“There is a series of cartoons about world history which is very popular in amazon.com in the U.S. It is composed of thirty books. I’d like to publish this series in Korea, and I’d like to know what you think.

We are using the initial investment funds of 300 million won in publishing our first five books and another five books that we will publish, and also in operating our publishing company.

If we decide to publish the series of world history cartoons that I just mentioned, we will need an additional 300 million won. We will have to use over 3-degree color for these cartoon books and there are thirty of them. Of course, it’s not like we have to publish this series, but I believe it is a good series of books.

I want to start working on this cartoon series as soon as possible before another publishing company takes it. Since this is cartoon books, it’s hard to fail and to sell. I’m sure it will succeed.

From President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media.”

Gun-Ho replied to the email,

“Dear President Jeong-Sook Shin, I will send you an additional investment fund of 300 million won as you requested. However, I will not increase capital. Instead, record it as I am working at your publishing company as a managing director. You can determine my salary in the range between your salary and the chief editor’s salary. Once Four Major Public Insurance is filed for me, I will send 300 million won. You can record the money as you received it from GH Media’s Managing Director, Gun-Ho Goo.”

Gun-Ho was receiving his salary from three different companies. He was receiving 3 million won from GH Media, 15 million won from GH Development, and another 15 million won from GH Mobile. His monthly salary in total was 33 million won. Gun-Ho was subject to the aggregate income tax. But, since he was the sole owner of all three companies, as long as those companies were doing good, he was getting his dividends for 100%.

Gun-Ho sent 300 million won to GH Media, and President Jeong-Sook Shin made a contract with a publishing company in the U.S. for the cartoon series. The news traveled fast among the people in the publishing industry, and people started talking about GH Media.

“I heard there is a huge company behind, which is supporting President Jeong-Sook Shin.”

“We shouldn’t compete with President Jeong-Sook Shin. We can’t win because we can’t find that much investment funds.”

“How did she get connected with that kind of big company?”

“That’s why she was known as the hand of Midas in the publishing industry.”

The architect office in the U.S. sent the design drawing to GH Mobile’s office, along with the aerial view of the new factory. Gun-Ho was not an expert in this area, but the aerial view of his new factory that he would build looked so great.

“Director Yoon, can you make a clean copy of this?”

“Of course.”

“Can you then make a copy of this and send it to the vice president of Lymondell Dyeon—Mr. Brandon Burke?”

“Oh, this? Sure. I will do that.”

“We will have to include a letter with a copy of the design drawing and aerial view. Do you remember the interpreter who worked for us when Mr. Brandon Burke visited us last time?”

“Oh, yes, I remember him. The one who used to work as a branch manager in the U.S. Mr. Lee, I believe.”

“Contact him and have him write a letter to Mr. Brandon Burke, saying that we are sending a copy of our new factory’s design drawings and its aerial view, and we are ready to build a factory. Also, tell him that we’d like to make an official contract in the near future.”

“Yes, sir. I will contact the interpreter immediately.”

Director Yoon who was in charge of construction in GH Mobile sent a letter along with a copy of the factory’s design drawings and aerial view to Mr. Brandon Burke who was the vice president of Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle, via EMS.

Gun-Ho received a phone call from Manager Seong-il Kang at GH Development. He said that they narrowed down to three final candidates for each position of a secretary and accounting staff, so they were ready for Gun-Ho to conduct the final interview.

“Sir, will you be available next Tuesday for the final interview?”

“Tuesday is not good. I have a meeting with the vendors and customers held in S Group. What about Wednesday?”

“I will set up the interview on Wednesday at 11 am then.”

“Sounds good.”

S Group hosted a meeting with vendors and customers in their headquarters in Samsung Town, Seoul. Many first vendor companies attended the meeting and many of them were big companies. Gun-Ho was one of them. When the meeting was almost over, someone came to the S Group’s president and whispered into his ear,

“What? Our chairman is here?”

There were about 20 presidents of the vendor companies in the meeting, and the S Group’s president said to them,

“Our chairman is here and he wants to talk with you all. Please stand up and clap when our chairman enters the meeting room, to welcome him.”

The chairman of S Group was the owner of the S Group and he was an extremely wealthy man. Gun-Ho had never met him before.

“Our chairman is coming.”

A man who seemed to be a secretary announced with a loud voice and the S Group’s president quickly stood up. All of the 20 vendor companies’ presidents stood up along with him.

The S Group’s chairman entered the meeting room. He looked like he was in his 70s. He looked much younger in a picture on a newspaper though, Gun-Ho thought. But in person, he looked really old with a lot of age spots on his face. He certainly looked like a 70-something years old man.

“I am pleased to meet you all. As a matter of fact, without you all, our S Group will have to close our business. Don’t you think? Mr. President?”

The S Group’s chairman said to S Group’s president. The president responded quickly and with a loud voice,

“Of course, sir.”

“All we need from you is manufacturing good products. You just need to manufacture better products than the ones made in Japan or in the U.S. People say in Japan that they do ‘Isshokenmei.’”

Gun-Ho was surprised by hearing it again because that’s what the Japanese Engineer Mr. Sakata Ikuzo said before.

‘Mr. Sakata Ikuzo even chewed a piece of plastic in order to taste the product that he was developing. The plastic contains carbon and sulfur, and he still put it into his mouth knowing the fact.’

The S Group’s chairman seemed to be amused for some reason; he was smiling.

“Anyone of you knows what ‘Isshokenmei’ means?”

No one responded, and the Gun-Ho answered,

“That means a person risks his life to do something.”

“That’s correct. Let me see… You seem to be very young. Which company are you representing?”

“It’s GH Mobile.”

“Oh, I see. So, as the president of GH Mobile just said, I want you all to work so hard in developing good products to the extent that you risk your life. I believe that GH Mobile’s president is doing so in developing their own products.”

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Chapter 251 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (2) – PART 2

Chapter 251: Hiring New Workers for GH Development (2) – PART 2

The chairman then spent some time to hear some other companies’ president; they mostly commented or suggested something they found necessary in doing business together.

“This is a rare opportunity for us all to get together like this. Let’s have lunch together.”

The chairman took the participating presidents to a ginseng chicken soup restaurant that was situated near the S Group.

The chairman was a bit overweight and he seemed to know how to enjoy food. Even with his age of 70, he ate chicken bone too by chewing it with his teeth. The chairman filled the presidents’ glasses with liquor. They were drinking soju which was inexpensive and popular in Korea. The S Group’s chairman was one of the top five richest men in Korea and he was surprisingly easygoing. Gun-Ho was told that the chairman’s favorite food was Jajjangmyeon* and he sometimes enjoyed a ginseng chicken soup on a special occasion.

“He is indeed a tycoon.”

The chairman looked at Gun-Ho. It seemed that he remembered Gun-Ho by Gun-Ho’s answering his question earlier.

“What did you say your company name was? It was GH something.”

“It’s GH Mobile, sir.”

“Since you are a very young president, you are probably working so hard in expanding your company. Please let me fill up your glass with liquor.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho held his glass with two hands to show his respect.

The S Group’s president who was following around the chairman while carrying a bottle of soju said to the chairman,

“He is the one who acquired Mulpasaneop recently. His company developed our new product as well.”

“Oh, really?”

The chairman tapped Gun-Ho’s back with his thick hand.

After the meeting held by the S Group, Gun-Ho headed back to his TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town. Tomorrow was the interview day for the new employees of GH Development, so he decided not to return to Jiksan Town, Cheonan City but he would stay in Seoul. Gun-Ho was having a fruit while watching TV when he received a call from an unknown number.

“Is it a spam call or an advertisement?”

He answered the call,

“Hello?”

“Umm, are you President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, I am. Who am I speaking with?”

“Umm… I am the manager of BM Entertainment Management.”

“BM Entertainment Management?”

“Yes. We actually have met in Shanghai before, when we were waiting for the director of the bureau of cultural affairs and radio broadcasting, film, and television.”

“Oh, oh, I think I remember that. What made you call me though?”

“I’d like to meet with you, sir. You gave me your business card back then, and your company address is Jiksan Town in Cheonan City…”

“Why don’t you tell me on the phone instead?”

“No, I really like to meet you in person, sir.”

“Then, can you come to Sinsa Town in Gangnam District tomorrow? I will be in Seoul tomorrow.”

“Sinsa Town? Where should I go in Sinsa Town?”

“You can come to GH Building on the 19th floor. It’s GH Development. You will find the building at the entrance of Garosugil Road.”

“GH Building? Okay, I will be there tomorrow.”

The next morning, Gun-Ho went to GH Building in Sinsa Town. It seemed that his office was just cleaned up, maybe because the cleaning crew heard that their president was coming that day. Gun-Ho could see some moisture on the sofa.

When Gun-Ho arrived at the building, the security guard in a uniform ran to the entrance and greeted Gun-Ho. He held the elevator for him as well. When Gun-Ho entered his office, there were Manager Seong-il Kang and Team Leader Soo-Nam Jeong waiting for him.

“Team Leader Jeong is here too.”

“Yes. I heard you are coming to the office today and I had to come to say hello to you, sir.”

Gun-Ho received a brief report from Manager Kang.

“The interview will be held at 11 am today, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Am I expecting to see three candidates for each position?”

“That’s right, sir.”

“Manager Kang, please prepare an envelope with 50,000 won in it for each interviewee who will be coming today, so they can use it for their transportation expense.”

“Okay, sir. Will do that.”

Gun-Ho was sitting at his office by himself and reviewing the application packets of the final six candidates. They were all highly qualified people.

“If I was one of the candidates for the position, I wouldn’t have been able to compete with these people.”

Gun-Ho first thoroughly reviewed the application packets of the three candidates for the accounting staff position. They all had the computerized accounting level-1 certificate, not to mention all sorts of finance-related certificates. One of them had a tax accountant license. And one of them used to work in a foreign branch office of a financial institution and could speak English fluently.

Gun-Ho then looked at the three candidate’s job applications for the secretary position. They all had TOEIC (Test Of English for International Communication) scores exceeding 950. By looking at their pictures on the job application form, they were all very good looking people. One of them graduated from college abroad.

“All of them are better qualified than me. Who am I going to select?”

Gun-Ho gave a hollow smile.

“We have only one open position for the secretary job, and 750 people applied for it. The person we will hire will win in a competition 750:1. It’s much harder than becoming an actor or actress, I guess. Is it really that hard to get a job in Korea right now?”

Gun-Ho leaned back in his chair.

“749 people who wouldn’t get a job today with my company will apply for another job somewhere. They all had a very good qualification at a similar level. They will be very disappointed and they would feel nervous and anxious about getting old without having a job for a while. Egnopak’s president’s son would know what it feels like? Mulpasaneop’s president— Se-Young Oh’s son would have had this sort of experience in his life?”

Gun-Ho looked at clouds outside the window. The clouds were flowing in the direction of the wind.

“However, these people who are applying for a job in Sinsa Dong, Gangnam are in a better situation than the one I used to be in. I mostly looked for a job in a province and had a job interview here and there for a small factory job. And I lived in a tiny OneRoom.”

Gun-Ho closed the job application file.

“Our government is encouraging young people to start their own business. However, I think they’d better stay unemployed rather than starting a business even though that will worry their parents. Starting and running their own business is not easy at all, and if they fail and go bankrupt, they would become a person with a bad credit score. Once they stay that way with a bad credit score, there wouldn’t be many things that they can do. At first, a bank will ignore them. Look at the Jae-Sik Moon’s case. He is an intelligent man but once he became a person with a bad score, people considered him as he was a swindler who deceived his friends from high school. That’s our current society.”

Gun-Ho sipped his cup of green tea.

“If I hadn’t touched the YS Tech company’s money for a few days, what would I have been doing now? If Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town was not cruel enough to take the debtor’s pot when he was young and still working as a hard money lender, he wouldn’t have become the current Chairman Lee as he is now.”

Gun-Ho’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

“Okay. Throw your stone to me—Gun-Ho Goo or Chairman Lee in Cheongdam Town if you want. I would yell that this was the only way I could go as a person who was born into a poor family.”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes.

Note*

Jajjangmyeon – Korean-style Chinese noodle dish with black bean sauce, vegetables, and diced pork.

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Chapter 252 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (3) – PART 1

Chapter 252: Hiring New Workers for GH Development (3) – PART 1

The final interview for the accounting staff position had begun.

Gun-Ho asked all three candidates to come to the meeting room altogether. Three job applicants seemed to be quite nervous. They sat at the table facing Gun-Ho.

“I’ve reviewed your applications. You are all highly qualified, and I am in a very difficult position because I have to select only one of you.”

Gun-Ho tried to make the applicants feel comfortable and ease their tension. He didn’t even ask about their certificates or academics degree because those things were already shown in their resumes.

“How long have you worked for your previous employer?”

“What was the nature of your job?”

Gun-Ho asked the candidates mostly about their work experience. Since the job posting required work experience to be able to apply for the position, the applicants with work experience were not very young people.

After the interview was over, Manager Kang handed out an envelope to each interviewee with 50,000 won in it to help with their transportation expense. This was their final interview. After the first interview was done, they were given an envelope with 30,000 won in it.

A lady applicant in a black two-piece business suit said,

“The president is very young. He seems to be easygoing as well.”

Manager Kang smiled in response to her comment.

Another final interview ensued for the secretary position. Three lady candidates entered the interview room. They were all younger and prettier than the ones for the accounting staff position. Gun-Ho began to talk with a smile,

“All of you have a high score in TOEIC; they were exceeding 950. Two of you graduated at Daewon Foreign Language High School and studied further abroad. One of you went to high school in another country. I am in a very difficult position to select only one of you since you are all highly qualified people.”

The three candidates looked at Gun-Ho’s face; they all looked nervous and anxious.

“Can each of you say this in English? ‘Our company is manufacturing extruded products with urethane synthetic rubber.’”

Each candidate spoke the same sentence that Gun-Ho gave in English. They all had a nice voice.

Gun-Ho looked at each of the candidates to see who had a positive facial expression when they spoke in English.

“Thank you for coming today. I hope I can see you soon.”

Gun-Ho said with a smile. The ladies gave him a 90-degree bow before leaving the office. Manager Seong-Il Kang distributed the envelope with 50,000 won in it to these interviewees as well.

Gun-Ho asked for Manager Seong-Il Kang.

“I’ve made my decision. Please send the job offer letter to them.”

“Who did you select, sir?”

“For the accounting staff position, we will offer the job to the second candidate who had a six-year work experience at an electronics company and who also had a tax accountant license.”

“You made an excellent choice, sir. I think that person will fit the position as well.”

“For the secretary position, we will hire the first candidate who graduated from Daewon Foreign Language High School and who studied abroad. She is living in the Hyundai condo in Apgujeong Town, which is close to our company. I like her voice; it’s very sweet.”

“Yes, sir. I will send out the offer letter to those two people.”

“Today is Wednesday, right? Ask them to start working next Monday. Give the accounting staff a manager position. That person has six years of work experience with a tax accountant license, and his position with his previous employer was a manager as well.”

“Yes, sir. Do you think this will bother Ms. Ji-Young Jeong? She might think it’s not fair if we give the manager position to the new employee?”

“She should be fine. The new employee is four years older than her. Moreover, that person has a tax accountant license. She will understand.”

“Okay, sir. I will proceed as you instructed.”

Gun-Ho had lunch with Manager Kang, Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, and Team Leader Jeong-Soo Nam that day.

“I was told that you have two children, Mr. Jeong-Soo Nam.”

“That’s right. I have two daughters. My first kid is in junior high, and the second is a sixth-grader in elementary school.”

“They are three years apart? They probably get along fine then.”

“Well, not really. They fight all the time. It’s their routine.”

“What about your spouse? Is she working as well?”

“She used to. Since my second child was injured, she stays at home now and spends more time with her.”

“Oh, sorry to hear that. Was it serious?”

“She fell while playing somewhere high. It took several months to completely heal. My wife used to work at an insurance company, and she didn’t like her job. She said she doesn’t have the right aptitude for it. She is now actively participating in our residential community. She is working as a managing member of the community.”

“Managing member of the community?”

Manager Kang responded to Gun-Ho’s surprise instead.

“Many women now take the position as a managing member of their residential community these days. It is sort of competitive to get the position.”

“Really? I thought a senior male member of the community usually takes that kind of position.”

“It used to be, but not anymore.”

“Oh, by the way, how is Manager Jong-Suk Park doing?”

“He is doing great. He has a girlfriend now. He is very busy.”

“Oh, I see. What is his girlfriend doing for a living?”

Ms. Ji-Young Jeong asked; she looked curious.

“She is working at a research center in an electronics company in Cheonan City. They met at the Polytechnics College. They are both taking evening classes provided to working adults.”

Team Leader Jeong said,

“Manager Park is manly and easygoing. When I was doing military service at Army Special Warfare Command, I had never lost to anybody in an arm wrestling, but Manager Park beat me. I’ve never seen a man with that strong arm, not to mention his skills.”

“That’s why he is the manager of the technical department.”

“Oh, that’s why… hahaha.”

After lunch and after he came back to his office, Gun-Ho had the coffee that Ms. Ji-Young Jeong prepared for him. He was dozing off in his office when he heard someone knocking on the door.

“Umm, sir. Someone is here to see you.”

“Who is it?”

“He said he is from BM Entertainment Management.”

“Oh, that’s right. Please let him through.”

The dandy looking man—the manager of BM Entertainment Management—came into Gun-Ho’s office. He was not alone, but he was with a man who looked like he was in his late 20s, and he had his hair dyed in yellow. The new guy was tall, and he was wearing an earring on his left ear.

“Hello, it’s really good to see you again, sir, since we met in Shanghai.”

“Please have a seat. What brought you here to see me?”

“Oh, this man here is the leader of the popular group, Bomb. His name is Seong-Hoon.”

BM Entertainment’s manager introduced the man with yellow hair to Gun-Ho.

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho looked at this Seong-Hoon person. He seemed that he was wearing a subtle make-up. He had a very pretty face like a girl, but he was not Gun-Ho’s type.

‘That sh*tty man is wearing a makeup.’

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Chapter 253 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (3) – PART 2

Chapter 253: Hiring New Workers for GH Development (3) – PART 2

Gun-Ho was thinking about how he disliked the fact that a man wore make-up; that entertainment company’s manager continued to talk,

“I thought you were running a manufacturing company, sir. That’s what I read from your business card. Did I misunderstand?”

“You are correct. I spend half of my week in the manufacturing company in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City, and I stay here in this building for the remaining half of the week.”

“I saw the sign on the office door on our way here. It says GH Development. Is it the management company of this building?”

“You can say that. Let’s not talk about me anymore. Let’s talk about why you are here to see me.”

“We couldn’t do our performance in the fall of last year in Shanghai. Our management company planned the event. It was a shame.”

“I see.”

“So I want to try it again in the spring of this year in Shanghai. You and the director of the bureau of cultural affairs and art—Seukang Li—are close. I am here to ask you to help us get permission to do the performance there.”

“China has its own policy and regulation. It’s not something I can help you with. I have nothing further to talk with you about.”

“China values personal connections, and they are very powerful since they make things work. We will pay you for it, sir. It is for the benefits of our country too.”

“Director Li is not those types of person, who would do something because he gets paid.”

“Sir, please help us.”

“I already told you it’s not something I can help you with.”

Gun-Ho sounded annoyed, and the entertainment company’s manager couldn’t ask a favor again.

“If you happen to have a chance to talk to him, please consider talking about our situation. It’s like an exporting service to China. We will make money there, and that gives benefits to our country.”

The entertainment company’s manager and the young man with one earring walked out of Gun-Ho’s office.

When Gun-Ho came back to the factory in Jiksan Town, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo entered Gun-Ho’s office with the interpreter.

“It’s almost time for me to go back to my country. I wanted to say goodbye to you yesterday, sir, but you were not here.”

“Oh, time flies.”

“Manager Park now can handle the product manufacturing and simple machine repairing work on his own.”

“I was feeling confident when you were here with us, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. We will miss you. The internal auditor will give you your incentive tomorrow for the successful new product development. We truly appreciate your hard work here.”

“Thank you.”

“Once you reserve your flight, please let me know. I want to have dinner with you and with the workers here who worked with you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho received a letter from Mr. Brandon Burke—the vice president of Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle. Gun-Ho asked the new secretary who he hired a few days ago to translate the letter. The secretary translated the letter immediately and sent it to Gun-Ho via Kakaotalk.

[Our company’s foreign investment committee decided to start a joint venture with GH Mobile in Korea. We will arrange a meeting with GH Mobile to sign the official contract on the 26th of this month. Please have the GH Mobile’s president and the person in charge come to our company in Seattle.]

“She is so quick. It’s very convenient to have a secretary who can speak English.”

Gun-Ho gave a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim & Jeong Law Office.

“Hey, we received the letter.”

“What letter?”

“The letter from Lymondell Dyeon. They said they will start a joint venture with us, and they are asking us to come to Seattle to make a contract.”

“Really? Congratulations.”

Gun-Ho convened a provisional meeting to share the news with the directors and managers of GH Mobile.

“We finally received a letter from Lymondell Dyeon to make a contract for a joint venture.”

“Wow. So we are really doing it.”

They all seemed delighted.

Gun-Ho showed the letter that was written in English to them. Director Yoon started reading the letter thoroughly.

“Director Yoon, let’s get the infrastructure construction work on our land in Asan City started. We will have to find a construction company to build our factory too.”

“One second, sir.”

The internal auditor stopped Gun-Ho.

“Before we sign on the actual contract, we shouldn’t start building the factory. The cost for the infrastructure construction work has to be borne by the joint venture once it is established. If we start the construction now, GH Mobile will have to bear the cost.”

“Hmm. That makes sense. Okay, then, Director Yoon, why don’t you get some price quotes for the construction? I will go to a bank and see if I can get a loan for the factory construction.”

“Maybe we should talk with our major bank—Gangnam bank in Seoul?”

“We already have a huge loan with Gangnam Bank. I will talk with a local bank in Asan City if they are willing to lend some funds to us.”

“Sounds good, sir.”

“Also, I think maybe we want to get a new appraisal for our factory in Jiksan Town.”

“We already have it, sir.”

“That’s not for our new factory though. I believe the appraised value should be different now since we built a new factory here.”

“Oh, so you want to get a higher appraisal and get a loan based on the new appraised value.”

“Exactly.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“We will start a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Really? So it is confirmed.”

“They want to make a contract on the 26th of this month.”

“That’s nice. Our storage is empty now. I want to pile up our products there as soon as possible and sell them in China, nationwide.”

“Haha. You will soon be able to do that.”

“Did your parents visit you in China already?”

“Yeah. They went back to Korea last week.”

“How was the meeting with your fiancée’s parents?”

“It was good. We had the meeting at a hotel. If we were in Korea, we would have to meet in a restaurant, but I managed to do it in a hotel because we are in China.”

“Were your parents satisfied?”

“Both parents were happy. My wife studied in the U.S., and her parents are artists. My parents loved them. My father was a bus driver. I wouldn’t be able to meet someone like her if I was in Korea.”

“Right. People in Korea prefer for their child to meet someone with a similar family background. Well, congratulations, Min-Hyeok. It’s really nice that both parents were content.”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

It was Saturday. Gun-Ho didn’t go to Seoul, but he stayed in Onyang Town and enjoyed a hot spring bath in Onyang Hot Spring Hotel. After the hot spring bath, he wanted to have some cold beer.

“I want a company to enjoy beer today. Maybe I should call Jong-Suk. Even though it’s Saturday, he is probably at work. He usually stays there on Saturday morning.”

Gun-Ho called Manager Jong-Suk Park.

“Jong-Suk? It’s me. When are you going to Seoul?”

“Tomorrow. I am still in Jiksan Town. I have to repair the extruding machine in no. 4 line.”

“Okay. When you are done, come to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel. Let’s have some beer together.”

Jong-Suk Park came to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel around 5 pm. He was still wearing the company uniform. He probably came straight from work.

“Did you repair the machine?”

“Yeah.”

“You are not going to Incheon City to see your parents?”

“The traffic is so heavy on Saturdays. I will probably leave for Incheon City tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I’m going to have a cigarette. I will be back.”

“Let’s go together. Let me have one too.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk walked out of Onyang Hot Spring Hotel. When Jong-Suk took out a pack of cigarettes, several men that looked like gangsters surrounded Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk.

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Chapter 254 - Lynch (1) – PART 1

Chapter 254: Lynch (1) – PART 1

The gangsters were about seven to eight people. Some of them were carrying a club. One man came forward in front of Gun-Ho. He looked like the leader of the gangster.

“Are you President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, I am. Do I know you?”

“You are creating too much noise these days.”

“What? Who are you?”

“The one in a business suit is Gun-Ho Goo. Beat him up!”

The group of men started beating Gun-Ho with a club.

Gun-Ho was hit and staggered.

“You, f*ckers! Who the hell are you?”

Jong-Suk stood up in front of Gun-Ho to prevent any further beating while yelling at them.

And then, he punched one of the gangsters, who was standing close to him, with his fist.

The man who was just hit by Jong-Suk on his face screamed in pain and collapsed on the ground. Another man attacked Jong-Suk, but Jong-Suk was faster than him. The second man got hit in his stomach and was knocked down.

“You, f*ckers! Are you still here? Are you waiting for another blow? I’ve been in this field before. F*ck away, you small fries!”

The group’s leader took out a sashimi knife, and the others also took out their knives.

“He is wishing for his death! Kill him!”

Jong-Suk took out his screwdriver that he was always carrying around with him.

The gangsters attacked Jong-Suk and Gun-Ho with knives and clubs.

Four of them started fighting with Jong-Suk, and three of them attacked Gun-Ho with clubs and sashimi knives. Gun-Ho quickly blocked himself with a freestanding ashtray; it was more like a reflex which fortunately slowed down the attackers. The ashes from the ashtray scattered around, and the attackers couldn’t open their eyes.

Gun-Ho could avoid the man with a knife, but he was hit in his head by a club. He was now bleeding from his head. Jong-Suk ran toward Gun-Ho and landed a blow on the attacker who just hit Gun-Ho with a club. The attacker’s mouth became filled with his blood.

“Bro! Run! Go to a place where you see lots of people!”

Jong-Suk was fighting alone with four gangsters, but it was beyond his capacity. At that moment, one of the attackers successfully cut Jong-Suk’s arm with a sashimi knife.

Jong-Suk and Gun-Ho started running toward the hotel.

“Don’t let them slip out!”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the hotel lobby, he grabbed a plant that was placed inside the lobby and threw it toward the gangster group. It spattered soil in the air.

The customers inside the hotel lobby started screaming. The hotel staff ran toward Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho was blocking one of the gangsters using a chair while bleeding from his head. Jong-Suk Park was actively fighting with several gangsters; he was agile and skillful. The hotel was in chaos.

The police arrived. Someone must have called 911.

Gun-Ho could hear a police car siren. When policemen in uniforms were pouring out from the car, the gangsters quickly left the scene. The police arrested one gangster who was hit in his stomach by Jong-Suk and who was lying down on the ground along with Jong-Suk Park and Gun-Ho.

“Show me your ID. Are you injured?”

The gangster acted as if he was in severe pain and said,

“I am the victim here.”

“You, son of a bi*ch. He is not the victim.”

Jong-Suk screamed.

“Be quiet. Give me your ID.”

The policeman was trying to control the situation.

The police took the three men, who were involved in the fight and found at the scene, in the police vehicle and headed to a hospital. The gangster grabbed his stomach while he was in the process of seeing a doctor; he looked like in a lot of pain.

“Are you okay?”

The gangster didn’t even respond to the policeman. In Jong-Suk’s eyes, he was acting as if he was seriously injured. Jong-Suk quickly pressed the gangster’s neck with his uninjured right hand and yelled at him,

“You, son of a bi*ch! Who sent you? Who is behind you?”

The policeman quickly separated Jong-Suk from the gangster and shouted at him,

“He seemed to be severely injured because you beat him up. And that was not enough for you? You are still trying to beat him more in the hospital? It seemed to be obvious that you are the assailant!”

“What are you talking about? They are the ones who attacked us first.”

“We will see who is telling the truth. If you don’t stay quiet, you will end up in jail soon!”

Gun-Ho talked Jong-Suk out of it,

“Just stay put, Jong-Suk. Let’s get medical treatment first. Your left arm doesn’t look good.”

Fortunately, Gun-Ho was not seriously injured. His forehead needed some stitches; other than that, he was fine. Jong-Suk, on the other hand, was cut in his left forearm by one of the gangsters’ sashimi knife. His cut required 16 stitches. The gangster made all the fuss about his pain and injury, but he was fine. After going through all sorts of medical examination including x-rays, the doctor concluded that he was totally fine except a small cut on his face which required 2 stitches. Jong-Suk kicked his face while fighting and that probably made that cut on his face.

Gun-Ho was lying down on the hospital bed while his forehead was being stitched. It was painful. While he received medical treatment, Gun-Ho thought.

‘Who sent those gangsters to me? I didn’t do anything that would incur someone’s grudge against me. Maybe the workers who quit when we moved our factory’s location? Nah. They are little people; they don’t have that kind of money to buy those gangsters. What about… the BM Entertainment’s manager who came to see me the other day? Well, he doesn’t have enough motive to do this egregious act. He wouldn’t get any benefit from this because it’s not something I could make work. Then… who else? Oh, Egnopak? He is from a wealthy family and has enough money to do that. But he is an old man, and he should know better. Then who did this? I can’t think of anyone who would do this to me.’

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk didn’t have to stay in the hospital. They were immediately released from the hospital once they were treated. Before they could leave, the doctor told them,

“You should avoid any contact with water, and you should be careful when you wash your face. If you do that and take these pills as instructed, you should be fine. And don’t forget to come to us every other day so we can check your wound and disinfect it until we could remove the stitches.”

Gun-Ho was sitting on the hospital bed while getting an IV injection when the policeman entered the room with some paperwork.

“We need to talk with you about the fight you were involved earlier. Do you want to do it here or do you want to come to the police station with us?”

“I prefer to do it here.”

Gun-Ho looked at the paper that the policeman took out. It was the statement of the gangster.

“We are the victims.”

“He said that they were the victims.”

“They attacked us with sashimi knives without any apparent reason.”

“He told us a different story. He said, the Jong-Suk Park person attacked them with a screwdriver and threatened them that he would kill them. So one of his friends who was working in a restaurant brought a knife. Does it sound right?”

“No, not even close.”

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo! You seem to be a gentleman. You must be honest with us.”

“They attacked us as a group. And they were all prepared with a club and sashimi knives. It was a planned attack.”

“According to the other party’s statement, they didn’t bring a knife at first. But as the fight became serious, one of his friends brought a knife from his workplace. And he picked up a club to protect himself. He said Jong-Suk Park attacked him first with a screwdriver. Does he carry his screwdriver all the time?”

“He is an engineer at a factory, so it’s not strange at all to carry a screwdriver. It could be just a habit of his.”

“So you are saying that he carries a screwdriver even if he was off duty. Well, let’s move on.”

The policeman seemed to think Gun-Ho’s explanation about Jong-Suk’s screwdriver was ridiculous. Gun-Ho was baffled, but he couldn’t think of any way to convince the policeman in the very situation.

“We will find out who is the victim or the attacker later. For now, I will just take your statement, your side of the story. Just tell me what happened in your own words.”

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Chapter 255 - Lynch (1) – PART 2

Chapter 255: Lynch (1) – PART 2

Once Gun-Ho was done giving his statement, the policeman asked him,

“Do you want to press charges against him?”

“I definitely do.”

“The other party said he doesn’t want to press charges. He doesn’t seem to be a bad person. If you want to press charges, you should get your injury certificate issued by the hospital and file a complaint. The other party said, if you file a complaint against him, he would do the same thing.”

Gun-Ho thought about it for a second. He had a lot of things going on in his life and business right now. He had to go to the U.S. in a few days to make an official contract for the joint venture. He didn’t want to create any noise.

“Well, on second thought, I don’t want to press charges. We were not severely injured. Their acts cannot be justified, but I won’t press charges against them.”

“Good decision, Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. The man said he didn’t deserve to be beaten up like that, but since his injury was not that serious, he didn’t want to press charges either. The fight seemed to be just accidental. I think this is good that both of you don’t want to press charges against each other.”

Jong-Suk entered the room where Gun-Ho was staying for now. He still seemed to be very upset about the whole thing.

“Bro, let’s get to the bottom of this. We need to know who did this and punish him.”

“That’s enough. I have to prepare for my trip to the U.S. Let’s just let it go this time.”

“What? Are you serious? I will go crazy!”

Jong-Suk beat his own chest with his fist.

The policeman came back with an ink pad.

“Please sign with your thumbprint here.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk signed with their thumbprints with a stiff look on their faces.

The policeman took the paper back and put it in an envelope. Before he left the room, he said,

“Sometimes we just step on shit without a reason. It happens sometimes. I wish your quick recovery.”

Egnopak’s president—Seung-Gak Kim—was having liquor in a bar in Samsung Town, Gangnam with his son—Dong-Hwan Kim.

“Big brother, they did it. It was successful. Gun-Ho Goo’s forehead was cut.”

“I heard one of your people got caught by the police.”

“He gave a statement to the police that he was attacked by Gun-Ho Goo’s party. That guy is almost a genius actor. He can play the victim very well. He would be able to get some money from his victim after he beat him up.”

“So everyone is released?”

“Yes. Gun-Ho Goo gave up on pressing charges.”

“A cut on his forehead is probably not enough. We should have broken his leg or something.”

“I am thinking of attacking him one more time.”

“What’s your plan?”

“We can hit his head from behind in a dark alley or in an underground parking lot.”

“There should be CCTV.”

“We can find some spots without CCTV. If you make your order, I am on it. And we would appreciate it if you could give us some small bonus.”

Gun-Ho went to work with a bandage on his forehead. The directors asked him,

“What happened, sir?”

“Oh, this? It’s nothing. I just tripped and fell.”

“You must have drunk too much, sir.”

“Hahaha. No, I didn’t drink. I was just being preoccupied and tripped.”

Jong-Suk had a bigger cut, but since the cut was on his forearm, no one recognized it because he was wearing long sleeves. He just felt pain whenever he had to use his left arm while working.

Gun-Ho asked for the sales director.

“Do you know what the former vice president of S Group is doing now?”

“Well, as far as I know, he is staying home. I remember how passionate he was in developing a new product.”

“He couldn’t stay with S Group because his friend who is a lot younger than him joined the company as his boss.”

“He actually has 2 to 3 more years left before he retires, but he decided to quit the job earlier. I think he doesn’t have enough base or personal connections in Korea since he worked abroad most of the time. And the new president has been in Korea in his entire career.”

“What do you mean?”

“S Group has several branches and subsidiaries overseas, and he worked in those locations during his time with S Group. So he didn’t have a chance to establish connections here in Korea. That’s why he wasn’t promoted to the president position, but his friend who is younger and less experienced got the position.”

“Some politics are going on there, huh?”

“I guess every single organization has at least a little bit of politics within it, whether it is a big or small organization.”

“Why don’t you go see him in the near future? He will be happy to see you when you go see him while he is staying at home.”

“Right. I was actually thinking of it too. I just couldn’t find the right time yet. I talked with him on the phone once though. At that time, he was planning a trip to Europe with his wife. Since he has spare time now, he is using it to spend more time with his wife and traveling.”

It was almost the contract day with Lymondell Dyeon.

Gun-Ho headed to the Incheon International Airport and met with Attorney Young-Jin Kim to go on a trip to Seattle in the U.S.

“Hey, you are wearing jeans. You look so young in it. I would believe it if you said you are a graduate schoolboy.”

“I have my business suit in my luggage. Hey, what’s up with your forehead? What happened?”

“I got beat up.”

“What? By whom?”

“I will tell you the story once we arrive in Seattle. Let’s have some beer or something. I need to tell you how I got beat up on the street.”

“Well, if you got beat up by a girl, that’s a badge of honor, right?”

“I would be happy if that’s what it is. I got beat up by a bunch of gangsters.”

“Gangsters?”

Once they arrived in Seattle, they took a subway from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to downtown. Gun-Ho was dozing off in the subway. He felt exhausted after the long flight.

Even after he arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown, he still felt so sleepy. He had a fever and a headache.

“Attorney Kim! I think you should have dinner by yourself. I am not feeling well, and I think I’d better take some rest in my hotel room.”

“Okay, no problem. You don’t look so good. I will hear your beating-up story next time.”

Gun-Ho laid down on the bed in his hotel room and covered himself with two layers of blankets. He still felt cold. Attorney Young-Jin Kim brought some medicine to Gun-Ho’s room. The worry could obviously be seen on his face.

“I brought you a cold medicine. I will place it on the table. Take it later when you can get up. You are probably exhausted because of the long-hour flight and the time difference.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho took the cold medicine that Attorney Kim dropped off and fell asleep.

The next morning, Gun-Ho felt better after taking a shower. The phone in the room started ringing. It was Attorney Kim.

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel much better now. I think the medicine you gave me worked.”

“That’s good. Can you come down to have breakfast?”

“Yes. I will be there soon.”

Gun-Ho had porridge at the restaurant in the hotel. Attorney Kim looked relieved and said,

“I was worried about you. I thought you might not be able to attend the meeting to sign the contract.”

“Even if I am sick, I will sign the contract before going back to Korea.”

“You and I… we can’t be sick even though we are sick, and we can’t die even though we want to die.”

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim went to Lymondell Dyeon. Angelina Rein and the vice president—Mr. Brandon Burke—greeted them with pleasure.

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Chapter 256 - Lynch (2) – PART 1

Chapter 256: Lynch (2) – PART 1

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim followed Ms. Angelina Rein to a small meeting room. Gun-Ho sat at the table facing the vice president—Mr. Brandon Burke while Attorney Kim was sitting at the opposite side of Ms. Angelina Rein facing her.

Mr. Brandon Burke talked first while looking at Gun-Ho.

“We came this far Mr. Gun-Ho Goo. We are so pleased to have a good business partner.”

“I am very delighted as well to have a chance to work with a global company like Lymondell Dyeon.”

“We have constantly talked about the terms of the joint venture, so I guess we have only a few things left to discuss. We already prepared the necessary paperwork here. Here is the gist of its content for you to read.”

The vice president— Mr. Brandon Burke showed the contract along with a summary of the contract content to Gun-Ho.

<Main Contents>

1. The joint venture’s authorized capital will be 20 million dollars and the paid-in capital will be 10 million dollars. Investment in kind is allowed.

2. The initial investment fund is 1 million dollars. Once the contract is signed by both parties, each party will contribute 50,000 dollars in cash within a week from the date of the contract.

3. The duration of the joint venture is 20 years. If both parties agree, a patent license agreement can be made after the duration of the joint venture expires, by a written agreement.

4. A director’s term is 2 years. The president of the joint venture can be appointed by either party.

5. Material matters must be determined by the board of directors.

Gun-Ho requested to name the joint venture as GH Chemical so they could effectively appeal to the Asia markets such as China and Southeast Asia, but, Lymondell Dyeon didn’t accept it. They were adamant about naming the joint venture differently. Accordingly, they wanted to make an addendum to the contract stating that the joint venture’s name would be Dyeon Korea. It would also state that they could change the name of the company when they would make a patent license agreement.

Gun-Ho was also having second thoughts about the name of the joint venture.

‘Dyeon Korea is okay. Maybe it is better that way. Dyeon is a highly known name in the world, so maybe that would help our sales. Okay, Dyeon Korea, as it is.’

“So, do you agree to name the joint venture as Dyeon Korea?”

“I agree. However, I want to add a statement saying that during the joint venture period, Dyeon will not make another joint venture in the East Asia area.”

“What about this? We say, there will not be another joint venture in the East Asia area unless two parties agree to it, rather than saying it is impossible at all.”

Gun-Ho smiled and said,

“Sounds good.”

At that very moment, Attorney Young-Jin Kim who was sitting next to Gun-Ho kicked Gun-Ho’s shin under the table and said in Korean,

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo. Are you sure is it what we want?”

“Don’t worry about it. If we determine later that an additional joint venture is necessary, Dyeon and GH Mobile can do it together.”

“Oh, I see… Well, you are indeed a businessman. A businessman has indeed had a different mindset from people like me. You are unbelievable.”

Gun-Ho continued to read the addendum, and then he said,

“According to the addendum, GH Mobile needs to select three workers and send them for one-month training within 10 days from the date of the contract.”

“Right. It is impossible for a worker to learn the know-how of our chemical compounds within a month. Therefore, after one month of training, Dyeon will send our engineers to the joint venture for a three-month period.”

“Okay.”

Mr. Brandon Burke nominated Ms. Angelina Rein and himself as the directors of the joint venture for the Dyeon side. Gun-Ho gave his name and GH Mobile’s sales director’s name as the directors representing the GH Mobile side. He hadn’t talked about this to the sales director though.

‘The joint venture is a start-up company. The technology and know-how about products are important; however, sales are very important as well. So, I think I’d better place our sales director in the joint venture.’

The signing ceremony was held while Dyeon’s foreign investment committee and other directors attended. Gun-Ho and Mr. Brandon Burke sat at a table where the national flag of South Korea and the star-spangled banner were placed on, and they signed on the contract. Attorney Young-Jin Kim was standing behind Gun-Ho and Mr. Brandon Burke, along with Ms. Angelina Rein and three directors from the factory. Attorney Young-Jin Kim asked the photographer to transfer the pictures that he just took of the signing ceremony to him. Attorney Kim then sent those pictures to his Kim & Jeong Law Firm before calling them.

“This is Attorney Young-Jin Kim from the U.S. Our client, GH Mobile just signed the contract with Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle for the joint venture. I just sent the pictures to the office. Please send them out to the press.”

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim attended a dinner party that was hosted by Mr. Brandon Burke in that evening. Mr. Brandon Burke introduced a man to Gun-Ho; the man looked like he was in his late 30s and he had thick eyebrows.

“This is Adam Castler. He is the vice president of Dyeon’s joint venture in Mexico. Once Dyeon Korea is established, he will work there as the vice president.”

“Oh, really? Nice to meet you.”

Gun-Ho offered his hand to this Adam Castler person for a handshake. Attorney Young-Jin Kim also had a handshake with him. Gun-Ho now could speak English well for a simple conversation or greeting. He had been learning English from the morning English class in GH Mobile by the instructor who was also teaching at Hoseo University. Gun-Ho’s English was improving as time went on.

Gun-Ho and Mr. Castler exchanged their business cards.

After the big event of the signing ceremony, people from Dyeon and Gun-Ho’s party celebrated it at the dinner party, and everyone drank a lot that evening. Ms. Angelina Rein even sang a song after a few glasses of liquor. She had a beautiful soprano voice.

Gun-Ho and Attorney Young-Jin Kim came back to the hotel on foot. The place where a dinner party was held was not far from their hotel, so they decided to walk, so they could get some fresh air on the way. They thought walking to the hotel would sober them up as well.

“How are you doing? Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah. It is nice walking in the evening.”

“Would you like to have a cup of tea before we go up to our rooms?”

“Sure. I want to hear your getting-beat-up story.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Jin went to a café inside the hotel and ordered a black tea.

After Gun-Ho told the entire story about him being beaten up by a gangster, Young-Jin nodded his head and said,

“Yeah. It seems like there has to be someone behind it. If we don’t find out who sent those people to you, another attack could ensue.”

“I agree with you. I told the police that I don’t want to press charges because I had other urgent things I had to take care of. But, once I go back to Korea, I want to request a reinvestigation.”

“Hmm.”

“I didn’t want to press charges at that time because I had to come to Seattle for the contract signing. I didn’t want to make unnecessary noises by filing a complaint, and also by being sued by those people. The police would have asked me to come to the police station all the time for their investigation. Moreover, the guy who got beat up by Manager Jong-Suk Park was injured more than me or Jong-Suk. Once we make it a big deal, it would have become more troublesome to us. Of course, we would be able to prove that they were the ones who attacked us first since there is CCTV in the hotel.”

“It’s surprising.”

“What is?”

“You. You are so calm and patient even in this situation.”

“Don’t be silly!”

“No, I’m serious. There are several clients in our law firm, who are really rich. Do you know what they have in common? It’s self-control just like you do. They don’t burst with anger. They even talk slowly.”

“Cut it out, man. Just focus on the incident that I just told you.”

“You don’t even need an attorney for this case. An attorney is required when there is a dispute, but in your case, there is nothing to dispute. It is an obvious criminal case. Congratulations. You will make a lot of money in exchange for a few stitches on your forehead. Well, you do have special luck in your life to make money.”

“I don’t care about being beaten up by small fish. I want to know who sent them to me.”

“So, you want to let them lower their guard thinking that it was a successful attack without being accused, and then you want to surprise them by attacking.”

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Chapter 257 - Lynch (2) – PART 2

Chapter 257: Lynch (2) – PART 2

“I have a favor to ask you, Attorney Kim.”

“What is it?”

“I’m going to make a request to Asan Police to reinvestigate my case. I will then give you a call.”

“They will find out what really happened if they reinvestigate. What do you need me for?”

“You don’t know how things work in the police system. I don’t want to prolong the reinvestigation process. The police are not loyal to the citizens, but they are loyal to their boss.”

“Wow. You are incredible. I thought you accumulated your wealth by sheer luck, but I guess I was wrong. So, you are asking me if I know any high ranked officer in the police, am I right?”

“If the wirepuller has enough power and right connections, he could have some controls within the police as well. So, I want to give him Omni-directional pressure.”

“How are you are going to do that?”

“I won’t give him enough time to defend himself. I will make him kneel down on the ground in front of me.”

“Hmm.”

“I don’t intend to put a few gangsters behind bars. I want some gains in my business.”

“You are suspecting Egnopak.”

Gun-Ho didn’t say anything but he smiled in response to Attorney Kim’s speculation.

“A businessman usually wants practical benefits rather than justification, I can see that.”

Gun-Ho said while wiping his mouth with a paper napkin after having a sip of his black tea.

“There should be someone in Kim & Jeong Law Firm, who used to work as a policeman, isn’t there?”

“Of course, there is. One of the advisors used to work as a police commissioner.”

“Once I file my request to reinvestigate my case with the Asan police station, will you ask him to give a call to their chief police officer at the Asan police station?”

“What do you want him to say to them?”

“He can just tell them to reinvestigate it thoroughly and find out what really happened. He doesn’t have to ask them to work in favor of a victim or an attacker.”

“That’s it?”

“I will take care of the press afterward.”

Gun-Ho came back to Korea. Once he returned to his office, he showed the contract with Lymondell Dyeon to the GH Mobile’s directors and managers. He also sent the contract to GH Development’s office in GH Building in Sinsa Town, Seoul, and asked the new secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh to translate it into the Korean language.

The secretary from GH Development asked Gun-Ho over the phone with a sweet voice,

“Is that okay for me to send you the translated contract via email, sir?”

“No, please make five copies of it and mail them to me to my office in Jiksan Town by express mail.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho then asked for Director Yoon who was in charge of construction.

“Director Yoon, we finally have the contract signed. Prepare to start the infrastructure construction work.”

“Yes, sir. I’ve already selected a construction company. We can get it started right away.”

“Just get ready to start it for now. I will have to let you know the right time to start it.”

“What do you mean, sir?”

“Just be prepared until you hear further notice from me.”

Gun-Ho went to the police station in Asan City and made a formal request to re-investigate his case. He attached to his request, the injury certificates of himself and Jong-Suk, which were issued by the hospital. The injury certificates stated that both Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk required 2 weeks to fully recover from the injuries, even though Gun-Ho had 4 stitches and Jong-Suk had 16 stitches. This was because healing would take about the same time once the stitches were done. Gun-Ho, therefore, added Jong-Suk’s additional injury in other body parts to the certificate so he could get 3 weeks’ recovery time indicated on his injury certificate.

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“I just submitted my request for re-investigation.”

“Okay. I will ask our advising attorney to call them right away.”

“Thank you.”

“Did they already start their investigation per your request?”

“I’m not sure. I just received one phone call from a policeman for it. He just wanted to verify if I requested the re-investigation.”

“Haha. Okay. I guess we will have to make them expedite your case.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager.

“We have a few journalists attended at our building dedication ceremony last time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Can you contact them and thank them for coming to our earlier building dedication ceremony, and also tell them that we want to invite them for dinner. And ask them to bring more journalists who couldn’t attend our ceremony last time.”

Four journalists came to GH Mobile. Journalists usually came to meet business owners gladly when their presence was requested. One of the journalists talked to Gun-Ho. He attended GH Mobile’s building dedication ceremony before.

“Our newspaper covered your joint venture contract with a big American company.”

This journalist worked for an economic newspaper, and it was sometimes fed by Kim & Jeong Law Firm as their source.

Another journalist chipped in.

“I read that news. Our community is so proud of GH Mobile.”

Gun-Ho responded with a worried look on his face,

“I initially planned to build a factory for our new joint venture business in the Northern area of Chungnam province, but, I think I have to move it to another area.”

“Why? Is there any reason for the change in your plan?”

“Security. The area is not safe. I was once beaten up on the street near a hotel without any reason. Lymondell Dyeon wouldn’t want to invest in a provincial area where the safety issue is apparent. So I am seriously considering moving our factory to Gyeonggi Province.”

“What the hell the local police are doing?”

The journalists started raising their voices.

“I think we can talk about the incident on the newspapers, so the local community becomes aware of the safety issue and the police would improve the security in the area.”

“You are absolutely right. If that’s what happened, it is a big problem.”

“Hey, Mr. Park, why don’t you cover the story? I will send it to my head office too.”

The chief police officer in Asan City received a phone call from the former commissioner police. Once he got off the phone, he called for the police officer who was in charge of Gun-Ho’s case.

“Detective Kim. The assault case you are working on to reinvestigate. The one that occurred near the Onyang Hot Spring Hotel.”

“What about it, sir?”

“How is the re-investigation going?”

“I am working on it, sir.”

“Make it quick. An important person is paying attention to that case.”

“Yes, sir. I am analyzing the CCTV records right now.”

Newspapers covered public safety issues in Asan City. The news articles stated that the safety issue was hindering foreign investment to the area. The government officials in Asan City started raising their voices on the issue.

“It is already hard to attract foreign investment to our community, but the ones that were planned to be established in our area will be taken away because of our community’s security issue? What the hell the police is doing?!”

Asan City’s police station started getting calls.

“I am the president of the Chamber of Commerce. Did you read the newspaper? We are actively promoting the business in our area. But you are killing it because you don’t do your work right.”

“I’ve read the newspaper. We are reinvestigating the incident.”

“Are you the chief police officer? I am the president of the Small and Mid-size Business Committee. Did you read the newspaper today?

“Yes, I have. I am so sorry. We will arrest those people who were involved in the assault.”

The chief police officer was vastly upset.

“Have the chief criminal investigator, the head of the police investigator, and the detective in charge of this case come to my office right now!”

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Chapter 258 - Lynch (3) – PART 1

Chapter 258: Lynch (3) – PART 1

Detectives in the criminal investigation department at the police station in Asan City were summoned to the chief police officer’s office. The chief police officer was vastly upset and said,

“What’s going on with the assault case that occurred near Onyang Hot Spring Hotel? The entire city is paying attention to it. You all read the newspaper, right? I can’t do my work because of this. Calls kept coming into my office regarding that case!”

“We are done with analyzing, sir, and we are in the process of arresting the guys who were involved in it.”

“I saw the CCTV record. They are obviously gangsters! Arrest them all. Oh, and check if there is a wirepuller and arrest him too!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Detective Kim! Do you remember the three things that would show what really happened? I told you about it before. Tell me those three things!”

“They are CCTV analysis, phone logs, and bank statements, sir.”

“Did you look at all three of them or not? Did you send a letter to KT (Korea Telecom) asking for their cooperation? Did you?”

“Umm, yes, sir. We did.”

“Expedite the investigation and give me a report quickly. I will need the report by the day after tomorrow. I will be questioned about the case during the meeting for local government officials. Don’t make me feel embarrassed in that meeting, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Detective Kim, go and see the victim and apologize to him. And tell him we will do everything we could in order to arrest the attackers. I think we are dealing with a powerful person here. Do you have any idea who the victim is? He is the one who acquired RiverStar building in Gangnam, Seoul!”

The detective knew intuitively,

‘This is not a simple assault. I smell something fishy about this case.’

Once they walked out of the chief officer’s office, the lead detective called for the lead investigator and the detective in charge of the case, and told them,

“The assault was committed to a businessman. This case must be handled with care. We might be audited for it as well. Moreover, it’s already in our local newspapers, and it could appear soon in other national newspapers. For the moment, you two go meet the victim and apologize to him. After you meet with the victim, arrest all of those attackers.”

The lead investigator and Detective Kim arrived at Gun-Ho’s GH Mobile factory. The detective was surprised after learning that the victim was the owner of the factory.

“I thought the victim was just working for this company like a manager or something because he is so young. I didn’t expect to find out he was the owner of this company.”

“The victim is in his mid-30s, right? Yeah… he must have a rich daddy, that’s how he can run a big company like this. The small people like us, we have to work our asses off and go around catching gangsters without getting enough sleep at night.”

The lead police investigator and the detective headed to the general affairs department.

“Excuse me. We are from the criminal investigation department at the police station in Asan City. We’d like to talk with President Gun-Ho Goo.”

A staff at the general affairs department showed them to Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper when they entered the office. Gun-Ho lifted his head to look at those two sturdy men whom a staff of the general affairs department brought to his office.

“Are you President Gun-Ho Goo? I am the lead investigator at the Asan City’s police station.”

“Oh, I see. Please have a seat.”

A female staff from the general affairs department brought green tea to them.

“We are so sorry that you have been attacked within our precinct.”

“Oh, okay.”

“We have the list of the assailants who attacked you, sir. There are eight. Four of them are the gangsters from the Cheonan City area, and four of them are from Seoul. We will arrest all of them within the next two days.”

“I am more interested in the person behind this incident, who hired those gangsters to attack me.”

“Once we arrest and started interrogating them, we will find out the wirepuller soon. Usually, their bank statements and the call logs will tell who paid them to do this.”

“Hmm.”

“Our chief police officer is paying close attention to this case. You don’t have to worry about it. We apologize to you again, sir, for this unfortunate incident that happened in our precinct.”

Once the detective and the lead investigator left Gun-Ho’s office, the lady staff from the general affairs department brought a mail to Gun-Ho. It was from the U.S.

“Oh, it’s from Lymondell Dyeon. We are sending the power of attorney along with the resolution of the Board of Directors, so please register for foreign investment. Well, they know what has to be done next. They do have a lot of experience with foreign investment.”

Gun-Ho called for the same lady staff of the general affairs department.

“Can you scan these documents and send them to Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh at GH Development? And ask her to translate it into Korean and send it back to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then made a phone call to the general affairs manager.

“Mr. General Affairs Manager? Is the assistant manager available? I have something that I want him to work on. Please send him to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, the good-looking assistant manager of the general affairs department entered Gun-Ho’s office. He was of the same age as Gun-Ho and he was from Cheonan City.

Gun-Ho said with a smile,

“Please have a seat.”

“Yes, sir.”

The assistant manager carefully sat at the table. The assistant manager felt difficult around Gun-Ho even though Gun-Ho was of the same age as him because Gun-Ho was the company owner president and he also owns several other companies.

“How’s your work? Do you like what you do here?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Manager Jong-Suk Park from the production team. He said that you are a hard worker.”

“Oh, ummm. Thank you, sir.”

“You have heard that we will soon start a joint venture, haven’t you?”

“Yes, sir. I am well aware of it. We are building a new factory for the joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon on the land where we used to have an old factory in Asan City.”

“We need someone who takes charge of the registration work for that joint venture. We will need to register the foreign investment. Will you undertake the work?”

“Oh, the registration work? I haven’t done it before though…”

“No one has experience with the foreign investment registration in our company. You graduated from a college in this area with high grades, and I highly evaluate your work here as well. I believe you can do this.”

“But…”

“We all have the first time for everything, and we learn as we do. And we become experienced like that. Here are the documents from Lymondell Dyeon. They are all written in English. They are the power of attorney and the resolution of their board of directors, and they are all notarized. GH Development in Seoul is working on the translation of these documents into Korean. Once we receive the translated version, make a report for the foreign investment first.”

“Where do I make a report to?”

“You can do it to Korea Exchange Bank. I believe most banks such as Kukmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, and Woori Bank will handle it these days. They all handle foreign exchange work with their international business networks.”

“Okay, sir. I will do it.”

The assistant manager from the general affairs department took the documents that Gun-Ho handed to him and walked out of Gun-Ho’s office.

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Chapter 259 - Lynch (3) – PART 2

Chapter 259: Lynch (3) – PART 2

Gun-Ho opened the website of Financial Supervisory Service—DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System).

“Egnopak is a KOSDAQ registered company, so I will be able to retrieve the name list of their executives here.”

Gun-Ho took a look at Egnopak’s audit report and business report.

“They have 2,900 employees and the average salary of a worker there is 72 million won… Well, they pay their employees good money. I’ll give you that.”

Gun-Ho then checked their status of shares and the list of the executives of that company.

“The president is Seung-Gak Kim, 64 years old… the managing director is Dong-Hwan Kim, 33 years old… This guy is probably his son. Maybe this guy paid the gangsters to attack me…”

Gun-Ho looked at Dong-Hwan Kim’s work experience and the status of his employment with Egnopak.

[Dong-Hwan Kim / Registered director / Part-time / USC bachelor’s degree | USC master’s degree in business / Managing director of Egnopak in LA.]

“He has a typical profile as a person who was born into a wealthy family.”

Gun-Ho then searched Dong-Hwan Kim on the Internet. He had a three-years-old criminal record. He assaulted a worker in a bar and he subsequently was arrested.

“He seems to be a compulsive guy. He is just garbage that I don’t have to worry about.”

Gun-Ho smiled while closing the DART.

Gun-Ho received a phone call from the detective who came to see Gun-Ho earlier.

“Hi. This is Detective Kim from Asan Police. We have arrested six of eight assailants and we are currently interrogating them.”

“Oh, really? Thank you for your good work.”

“They all initially denied the fact that they attacked you, but, once we showed them the CCTV records, they confessed what they did. We are still trying to find the remaining two attackers.”

“I am so proud of our country’s police officers, not to mention their great ability and superior skills in investigating.”

“We will soon arrest the other two attackers.”

“Do we know who paid them to do that?”

“We do have an idea who would that be, but they are refusing to say anything about it.”

“Who are you suspecting?”

“We are still investigating, sir. We can’t tell you that before we are sure of it.”

Gun-Ho was so curious about the wirepuller, and he bluntly said,

“Did any of the attackers mention the name—Dong-Hwan Kim? The son of Egnopak’s president?”

“That… As a matter of fact, yes, the name came out during the interrogation, but he said he just borrowed 3 million won from him. He said he borrowed the money at Queen Bar in Samsung Town, Seoul for his OneRoomTel’s security deposit.”

“Okay. Well, thank you for letting me know.”

Once he got off the phone with the detective, Gun-Ho wrote down the name of the bar on a piece of paper, which was located in Samsung Town.

“What am I going to do with them?”

Gun-Ho was thinking of the gangsters who attacked him, and that reminded him of the bouncers at the secret bar in Hannam Town.

“The leader of the bouncers gave me his business card…”

Gun-Ho looked for the business card.

“Security Instructor, Tae-Young Im. This is it.”

Gun-Ho dialed the numbers shown on the business card. After the phone rang twice, someone picked up the phone.

“Oh, big brother. It’s me.”

It seemed that Tae-Young Im stored Gun-Ho’s number on his cell phone, so he could recognize Gun-Ho’s number right away. He called Gun-Ho ‘big brother.’

“How have you been?”

“Brother, you can talk to me in a more informal way.”

“What are you doing these days?”

“Nothing much actually. The bar in Hannam Town is re-doing their interior right now, so I am off these days.”

“If I remember correctly, you said you went to school in Gangnam, right? Do you happen to know a bar with a name, ‘Queen?’”

“Queen? The one that is located behind the Hyundai Department Store?”

“I am not sure about its location. So, there is a bar called Queen, huh?”

“Yes. That bar is not bad. Pretty people and rich people often go there. The rich kids who used to study abroad gather there frequently. Are you interested in visiting the bar?”

“Someone recommended me to that bar.”

“I know people there. I have some friends who are junior to me there.”

“That’s good. Can you then ask them if they know the Egnopak president’s son? His name is Dong-Hwan Kim. Ask them if they see him often at the bar. He went to college overseas, so maybe he goes there often too.”

“Sure. Will do.”

“Well, please do so quietly. I don’t want a rumor going around that I am looking for him or anything like that.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

After a while, Gun-Ho received a call from Tae-Young Im.

“Brother, I talked to my friends at Queen. The police are looking for him, so it wasn’t easy to get in touch with him. He said, that the Dong-Hwan Kim person likes one of the girls who are working there, so he often comes to the bar. He comes pretty much once every three days. Since he didn’t come for the last two days, he will probably come to the bar tomorrow.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“Is that it? Is there anything else you want to ask me?”

“Do you want to have some drinks with me?”

“Oh, that sounds really great. I was so thirsty for liquor.”

“Okay. Then come to Queen tomorrow at 8 pm.”

“Can I bring some of my friends too?”

“Of course. You can bring all of the bouncers who are working for the bar in Hannam Town.”

“Will do, brother! Thank you.”

The next day, Gun-Ho asked for Manager Jong-Suk Park.

“Hey, why don’t you go to Seoul with me tonight?”

“Seoul? What for?”

“I want to show you something interesting.”

“Interesting thing? Like what?”

“You will see once you get there.”

“Tell me, bro. I am busy.”

“We will see the person who paid the gangsters who cut your forearm.”

“Did you find him?”

“Finish your work by 5 pm, and come to my office.”

Gun-Ho drove to Samsung Town in Gangnam, Seoul with Jong-Suk. There was heavy traffic in Yangjae Town, so they arrived at the bar a little after 8 pm.

The Queen Bar was located in the basement, maybe because it would make a lot of noise given their nature of the business. When Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk arrived at the bar, good-looking young men came out to greet them. A lady clerk at the front desk asked them,

“Did you make a reservation with us, sir?”

“Well, I am not so sure about it. Can you check if you have a reservation under the name, ‘GH?’”

“Did you say GH, sir? People are waiting for you, sir.”

A young man in a black suit showed Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk to a room. The bar’s interior was luxurious with synthetic marbles. Gun-Ho felt like he was in the Sheraton Hotel in Seattle.

In the room where Gun-Ho was led to, seven bouncers were having a beer. They quickly stood up when they saw Gun-Ho coming into the room.

“Brother!”

The bouncers gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk.

“Hi, how have you all been doing?”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with each bouncer in the room.

“I hope you don’t mind us starting drinking earlier. We were thirsty, brother.”

“That’s good. Let’s have a seat.”

Tae-Young Im quickly filled two glasses with beer and gave to Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk.

“Team Leader Im! Can you check if the Egnopak’s Dong-Hwan Kim is here today?”

“Yes, brother.”

Tae-Young Im pressed a button on the table, and a young staff came to the room fast.

“Hey, the man I told you about earlier. Is he here now?”

“Yes, brother. He is here. He is in another room across the hall.”

“Whom is he with?”

“There are three men and three women in that room. The girls are our girls.”

“Who are those two men?”

“We don’t know them. I guess they are his friends.”

“Are they in the same field as us?”

“It doesn’t seem that way.”

“Okay. That will be all.”

“Okay, brother.”

The young man gave a bow to Tae-Young Im before walking out of the room.

Everyone looked at Gun-Ho’s face. They seemed to be asking him ‘what do you want us to do next?’ Gun-Ho said slowly,

“We will teach the guy a lesson today. The one, Dong-Hwan Kim who is sitting in the other room.”

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Chapter 260 - Lynch (4) – PART 1

Chapter 260: Lynch (4) – PART 1

When Gun-Ho announced that he wanted to teach the guy a lesson, Tae-Young Im quickly came forward.

“Big brother. We will be on it. We need some exercise anyway.”

“I don’t want to give him a lesson in a physical way. But I want to educate him with words.”

When Jong-Suk realized that Gun-Ho didn’t intend to beat that guy up, he burst with anger.

“They attacked us physically. If you don’t want to beat them up, I will do it. You just watch me do it, bro.”

Gun-Ho shook his head slowly.

“We are mature people. We don’t do that. We are not gangsters like them.”

“Bro, you are too nice, you shouldn’t be especially to them.”

“Well, just leave it to me for now. Dong-Hwan Kim is not my target. I want his father—Seung-Gak Kim—to submit himself to me. The reason I want you all to be here today is that I want to show you how Dong-Hwan Kim would surrender to me. I want you to witness it. Just stay next to me and watch it.”

Gun-Ho headed to the room, where Dong-Hwan Kim was enjoying his time with his friends, accompanied by Jong-Suk, Tae-Young Im, and other bouncers.

Dong-Hwan Kim was having his liquor while hugging a girl who was half-naked. When he saw the group of nine sturdy men entering the room, he seemed to be frightened.

“Who are you? This is my room!”

Gun-Ho said slowly, “Are you Dong-Hwan Kim?”

“Who are you?!”

Dong-Hwan Kim hadn’t seen Gun-Ho before. He asked someone to take a picture of Gun-Ho in order to show the gangster who they should attack, but he hadn’t actually seen him in person.

“Me, I am Gun-Ho Goo!”

“Gun… Ho Goo?!”

Gun-Ho looked at the girls in the room.

“Why don’t you give us some privacy here?”

The female workers grabbed their clothes and purses and left the room hastily.

Gun-Ho then talked to the other two men in the room, who was drinking with Dong-Hwan Kim.

“We have some business to take care of with Mr. Dong-Hwan Kim. Why don’t you give us a moment and continue having fun in the next room? Tae-Young Im! Show these two gentlemen to the room next door!”

“Yes, brother!”

The two men, who were having a drink with Dong-Hwan Kim, picked up their jackets and followed Tae-Young to the room next door. They seemed to be scared.

Once Dong-Hwan’s friends left the room, Gun-Ho came forward to the table where Dong-Hwan was sitting at. Gun-Ho then put his right foot on the table and grabbed Dong-Hwan by his hair. Dong-Hwan was frightened. Gun-Ho asked,

“Why did you do that?”

“What are you talking about? Let go of my hair and let’s talk.”

“The gangsters, who were arrested, confessed everything at the Asan police station. The police already verified the payment of 3 million won you sent to those gangsters.”

Gun-Ho shook Dong-Hwan’s hair twice and Dong-Hwan screamed in pain and also in fear.

“Please let go of my hair. Let’s talk face-to-face.”

At that moment, Jong-Suk suddenly took out a sashimi knife. Jong-Suk didn’t tell Gun-Ho that he would bring a knife, but he carried it with him.

“Do you recognize this knife?”

Jong-Suk held the knife close to Dong-Hwan’s eyes.

“The men you sent to us cut my forearm with this knife.”

Jong-Suk rolled up his sleeve and showed Dong-Hwan his wound. There was an ugly scar on his forearm, which looked like a centipede.

“I’m going to give you exactly the same scar.”

Jong-Suk then held his knife to Dong-Hwan’s neck.

“Pl… please don’t kill me.”

Dong-Hwan was terrified in extreme fear, and he even peed his pants. He was shaking. Dong-Hwan had beaten up a lot of people so far, but he had probably never experienced the fear of being beaten up or killed by others. That was the life he had until now as a man who was born into a wealthy family.

“Stop it.”

Jong-Suk retrieved his knife as Gun-Ho asked him to, but he kicked Dong-Hwan’s shin before he retreated.

Dong-Hwan screamed. He grabbed his shin while frowning in pain.

“Kneel! You son of a bi*ch!”

Dong-Hwan was rubbing his shin pretending he didn’t hear that Jong-Suk asked him to kneel.

“I said kneel! I guess you need something else other than my words to hear what I say.”

Jong-Suk pulled out his sashimi knife again.

“You son of a bi*ch, I will give you a mark on your face!”

Jong-Suk gestured as if he would really cut Dong-Hwan’s face. Dong-Hwan was terrified.

“I… I will do it.”

Dong-Hwan finally kneeled, and he was shaking in fear.

Gun-Ho pinched Dong-Hwan’s cheek with his thumb and finger; he then shook it. Dong-Hwan screamed in pain.

Gun-Ho kept pinching and shaking Dong-Hwan’s cheek despite his scream. Gun-Ho then said,

“You jerk. You have a pretty face, but what you did to us was not pretty at all.”

Gun-Ho then pulled out a piece of blank paper from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Write down that you paid the gangsters 3 million won and asked them to assault Gun-Ho Goo, and as a result, they attacked Gun-Ho Goo near the Onyang Hot Spring Hotel. And also, write down that you are the wire puller of the Onyang Hot Spring Hotel assault case.”

Dong-Hwan wrote a confession statement as instructed by Gun-Ho. His hand was shaking while writing the statement. The statement was then signed by himself with his thumbprint.

“If you are arrested by the police, it will work unfavorably to your case. If you want to have less time in prison, go to Asan City tomorrow and turn yourself in.”

Dong-Hwan started shedding tears.

“Okay. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho then turned around and said to Jong-Suk Park and Tae-Young’s party,

“Thank you for coming today. Let’s go. I guess we are done here.”

Jong-Suk protested,

“Bro? Are we done? Are we just going to leave that son of bi*ch like that? No, bro. I need to beat him up today.”

“That’s enough!”

Jong-Suk Park had the last words for Dong-Hwan before he left the room. He pulled out the sashimi knife again and walked toward Dong-Hwan, and said,

“You, if you try anything stupid again, I will poke your belly with this knife.”

While saying that, Jong-Suk simulated poking Dong-Hwan’s belly with his knife. Dong-Hwan was surprised, and he covered his belly with his hand. Jong-Suk then grabbed Dong-Hwan’s hair and shook it. A few strands of Dong-Hwan’s hair fell to the ground.

“You, as*hole, I was a member of the gangster in Incheon City. It’s a piece of cake to make a jerk like you disappear! Just know how lucky you are. If Gun-Ho brother was not here today, you would have been dead already! You got that?”

Tae-Young Im, who was in a black suit, came forward and talked to Dong-Hwan,

“If I see you around our big brother again, I will bury you alive. Be very careful about walking on the street.”

Dong-Hwan was just kneeling on the ground while his body shook because of fear. He had probably never been treated like this by others in his entire life. He was born rich and raised in the same environment, and he had acted as if he was above all others.

The following day, Dong-Hwan went to Asan City and turned himself in.

Gun-Ho was having a cup of coffee in his office when he received a call from the detective who was in charge of Gun-Ho’s case.

“The wire puller turned himself in. We also arrested the other two attackers, and they are on their way to our police station now. Once the investigation is completed, we will send them to a prosecutor’s office.”

“Thank you for your hard work, detective.”

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Chapter 261 - Lynch (4) – PART 2

Chapter 261: Lynch (4) – PART 2

Gun-Ho then asked for Director Yoon.

“Let’s get the infrastructure construction work started.”

“Yes, sir. We will build a splendid factory, and you will be pleased, sir.”

While Gun-Ho was talking with Director Yoon, the accounting manager entered the office.

“Sir, we have just received the initial operating fund of 50,000 dollars from Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Really? The assistant manager of the general affairs department is currently working on the registration of the joint venture so give him the receipt slip of that fund.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then called for the general affairs assistant manager.

“Did you bring the form to report the foreign investment from a bank?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you receive the translated version of the Lymondell Dyeon’s power of attorney and board of director’s resolution from GH Development’s secretary?”

“Yes, sir. I just received them.”

“Then go see an attorney and take those documents with you. They will help you register foreign-invested company. If they ask you to bring the company’s certificate of a registered seal or my personal certificate of a registered seal, just let me know.”

“Yes, sir.”

The preparation to start a joint venture was going well.

Jong-Suk Park came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“Don’t you think we should have beaten Dong-Hwan Kim up the other day?”

“That was enough. We don’t use violence.”

“We should show them why they shouldn’t have attacked us in the first place and show them what would happen if they try it again.”

“We don’t have to. You will see. Egnopak’s president will come to see me soon.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course. I am 100% certain. He has always settled any problem with money so far, but he knows that won’t work with me. So he will come to see me.”

“What are you going to do if he comes?”

“I will elicit practical benefits from him. That’s the path I chose as a businessman.”

“Well, I don’t know what you are talking about. You do what you have to do, bro.”

Gun-Ho went to Asan City to visit the construction site, where infrastructure construction work was being conducted for his new factory for the joint venture.

Director Yoon walked out of a container office and ran toward Gun-Ho when he saw Gun-Ho. He was wearing a safety helmet.

“I see the soil excavation is in progress. They have done a lot of work already.”

“They are driving piles into the ground right now. The soil is softer than the one in Jiksan Town, so they need to drive the piles deeper.”

“Really? This still cannot be compared to the ones in China. When the Jinxi Industrial Park was constructed in China, the piles were driven really deep into the ground.”

“Haha. Of course. The elevation of the east coast side of China is below 5 meters.”

“Once the infrastructure construction work is completed, constructing a building on the flat land shouldn’t take long, right?”

“That’s right. It will take about the same time as the time taken for the factory in Jiksan Town.”

“We are constructing the factory according to the design drawing made in the U.S. Will it make building a factory more difficult?”

“It could, but I don’t see much of a difference.”

“Well, I hope everything goes well.”

Two dandy men in a business suit came to see Gun-Ho. The secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—entered Gun-Ho’s office to let him know.

“Sir, there are two men who want to see you.”

“Who are they?”

“They said they are from Egnopak’s legal department.”

Gun-Ho smiled and said,

“Tell them that I won’t see them and ask them to leave.”

Ms. Hee-Jeong Park conveyed what Gun-Ho just said to them. The two men from Egnopak’s legal department waited for Gun-Ho outside his office for a while before they eventually left.

Gun-Ho then received a call from the detective.

“We are done with our investigation. We will send the offenders to the prosecutor’s office tomorrow. You haven’t made any settlement with the assailants yet, have you?”

“I don’t intend to make any settlement with them. The Dong-Hwan Kim person must pay for what he did.”

“Dong-Hwan Kim is on probation right now. Once he is sent to the prosecutor’s office, he won’t be able to avoid prison time.”

“He should have been more careful if he was on probation.”

“Right. Haha. Well, we will just handle the case as the law dictates.”

Gun-Ho called for Jong-Suk Park.

“People from the Egnopak’s legal department just came to see me because of Dong-Hwan Kim.”

“Bro, are you going to settle? You should not!”

“I won’t, but I think you should settle with them though.”

“I don’t want to.”

“If they offer good settlement money, you should take it.”

“No, I won’t. My injury certificate indicates that my injury requires only three weeks for recovery. I don’t think I can get a lot of money for it.”

“Just take it. And then, you will have to leave for the U.S. soon.”

“To the U.S.?”

“According to the joint venture contract, we will have to send three engineers to Dyeon for a month. They will train them. I am thinking of selecting two people from the research center, and I want you to join them.”

“I can’t even speak English.”

“It’s okay. If you need to communicate in English, you can hire someone who can, in Seattle.”

“I don’t know, bro. I’ve never been to the U.S., and I’ve been wanting to visit there someday actually…”

“That’s good. Go with them to the U.S. and get trained. You do that after you accept their settlement offer.”

“You do whatever that looks suitable for me and for us. I don’t know what you are planning with the incident, and you are always two or three steps ahead of any of us.”

The secretary, Hee-Jeong Park, entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, umm… Someone from Egnopak’s legal department is here to see you again.”

“Did they send the same men who came here before?”

“No. The man who is waiting for you now is not the same man who came before. He really wanted to see you, and he gave his business card.”

Gun-Ho looked at the business card that Ms. Hee-Jeong Park handed to him.

“Attorney? This is the attorney who is leading the Egnopak’s legal department. Should I ask him to leave? Or maybe I should hear what he would say?”

While Gun-Ho was thinking, he asked Ms. Hee-Jeong Park to let him in.

A man who was wearing glasses came into Gun-Ho’s office. He looked two or three years older than Gun-Ho.

“I am the team leader of Egnopak’s legal department.”

“What brought you here to see me? Why don’t you have a seat first?”

The legal team’s leader said while sitting on a chair,

“I came here to talk about Mr. Dong-Hwan Kim’s case. I hope you could just let it go.”

“That Dong-Hwan Kim guy should pay for what he did.”

“He has been through a lot by now. I am hoping you could just forgive him.”

“I can’t do that. Please leave.”

“Mr. Dong-Hwan Kim is on probation. If he can’t settle this, he will be arrested. Please show him mercy. He must know by now what he did was wrong.”

“He should have been more cautious given his situation. Well, I can’t just let it go.”

“Our president sent you a settlement offer. This is not a huge amount of money, but please accept it and sign the settlement agreement.”

“Are you kidding me? I don’t need money.”

“I know. As a matter of fact, I told our president that offering money wouldn’t be a good idea, but our president wanted to show you his effort to make this work.”

“Why money? It would make more sense if he came here with a baseball bat instead. I read in a newspaper that he once did that when Dong-Hwan Kim was involved in an assault at a bar. They are so immature.”

Gun-Ho clicked his tongue, and the attorney scratched his head. He must have felt embarrassed.

Gun-Ho then asked the attorney.

“So how much did your great president send me as a settlement offer?”

“It’s 10 million won.”

“Well, since I am rich already and I don’t need any more money, you can give it to another victim, Jong-Suk Park. I can ask him to come here to accept that settlement offer.”

“No, umm… This settlement offer was intended for you, President Goo…”

“I don’t have time to hear any more BS. Just leave my office! I will call security if you don’t leave now.”

“Sir, putting him behind bars is not the best solution. He is probably regretting what he had done by now.”

“You go tell your Egnopak president. I won’t accept anything until he comes to me and beg for mercy. And you should leave now.”

Egnopak’s attorney was blushing while he was sitting in the office.

“You should leave!”

Gun-Ho yelled at him.

The attorney had no other choice but to leave Gun-Ho’s office.

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Chapter 262 - Job Appointment (1) – PART 1

Chapter 262: Job Appointment (1) – PART 1

Gun-Ho asked for the chief officer of the research center.

“Please select two smart engineers at the research center. We will send them to Dyeon to receive training on chemical compounds.”

“Can I select someone who is currently working in another department?”

“Sure. It doesn’t matter. We just need people who have great potential to be one of the top engineers.”

“I suppose we also need to consider whether the person would stay with us for the long-term. We don’t want to train someone who would leave the company soon.”

“Hmm.”

“If the person left for one of our competitor companies either in Korea or in China after he receives necessary training from Dyeon and gains relevant work experience after he returns to our company, then that could incur a tremendous loss to our company.”

“You’re right. We will need to take that into account as well in selecting the engineers for the training.”

“The new chief officer is coming to work next Monday. I will consider this task as my last work here as a research center’s chief officer before I hand over my work to the new chief officer.”

Gun-Ho received a report from the assistant manager of the general affairs department that he completed registration work for the new joint venture.

Gun-Ho started carrying out a large-scale job appointment within GH Mobile. At first, Gun-Ho appointed the plant manager and the research center’s chief officer to a one-year advisory position since they both reached their retirement age. The chief officer of the research center would work with the newly formed joint venture—Deyon Korea; he would provide technical advice within the company. The plant manager would join Min-Hyeok Kim in China, and he would work at GH Parts Company in Suzhou City, China for a year.

There were a few employees who received their promotions: the sales director, the general affairs manager, production manager, construction director, etc. The letter of appointment was delivered to each department, and it was posted on the announcement board as well.

<Notice of Appointment>

Advisory Position

Plant Manager, Man-Soo Li — Advisory position (1 year) GH Parts Company in Suzhou City, China

Research Center’s Chief Officer, Gil-Hoon Bang — Advisory position (1 year) Dyeon Korea

Promotion

Sales Director, Dong-Chan Kim — Managing Director (Relocation to Dyeon Korea)

Construction Director, Hee-Byeong Yoon — Managing Director

General Affairs Manager, Joon-Young Choi — Director (General Affairs Team)

Production Manager, Jong-Suk Park — Director (Production Team)

Assistant Manager of General Affairs, Chang-Hoon Seo — Manager (Relocation to Sales Team)

New Hire

Chief Officer of Research Center, Joon-Soo Oh — Director Level

Gun-Ho proceeded the job appointment within GH Development in Seoul as well.

Manager, Seong-Il Kang — Director

General Affairs, Ji-Young Jeong — Assistant Manager

March 1, 201x. President, Gun-Ho Goo.

The ones who were promoted were extremely happy because the promotion would make a significant change in their benefits. First of all, their salary would be raised dramatically.

They were requested to come to Gun-Ho’s office, and the general affairs director—Joon-Young Choi—led them to the president’s office.

Gun-Ho had a handshake with every single one of them and congratulated them for their job promotion.

“I should actually have promoted all of you earlier. All I want from you is to work hard as you have always done.”

“We will do our best, sir.”

“And I want to introduce you to our new chief officer at the research center. He obtained his Ph.D. in Munich, Germany, and he worked at the research center with BMW, Hyundai and other companies, as a lead researcher.”

“Hello, everyone. My name is Joon-Soo Oh.”

After the new chief officer of the research center was introduced, Gun-Ho looked at the plant manager and the former research center’s chief officer and said,

“Mr. Plant Manager, why don’t you start working in China after a month? Director Jong-Suk Park will have to take a leave for a month in order to receive training in the U.S. I think you should stay here until he comes back.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, the new building of the joint venture is still under construction. It will take another three months to complete the building. For those of you who are relocated to work there, you can stay here until the new factory is ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, I congratulate all of you once again.”

“Thank you.”

The workers who were just promoted gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho before they left the president’s office.

The news about the recent job appointment within GH Mobile and GH Development traveled quickly and reached Min-Hyeok Kim in China and GH Media. It seemed that the general affairs management department sent the announcement to them as well.

Min-Hyeok Kim gave a call to Gun-Ho right away.

“I’ve read the announcement about the job appointment, and I just gave a call to Jong-Suk to congratulate him on his promotion.”

“What did he say? Is he happy?”

“Well, he said he feels a heavy burden on his shoulders because he thinks he is too young to be a director. Oh, and he said he is leaving for the U.S. soon.”

“Yeah. He will receive training from Dyeon.”

“I am sure he will do great. He is very loyal; he will assist you for a long time as your right-hand man, President Goo.”

“Thank you.”

“Is the plant manager coming here soon?”

“He will join you a month later because Jong-Suk won’t be here for a month for his training, so we need the plant manager during Jong-Suk’s absence.”

“I am hoping to have him here as soon as possible. We have many machines and equipment that require his attention and care.”

“Once the plant manager joins you, make sure the workers in China learn a lot of things from him.”

“I know. I already told them to get ready.”

“Once Dyeon Korea’s factory is completed, you will need to form a separate entity to handle the sales of Dyeon Korea’s products. Well, I think you’d better start preparing now. You will have a stock option of 5% for the new sales company, of course.”

“Thank you.”

“We don’t say that between friends.”

“Oh, I am getting married next month in Shanghai in a Chinese style. If you could come, I would really appreciate it.”

“And you will have another wedding in Korea, too?”

“Yes, we will have a wedding in Incheon, too. I have relatives and my parents’ friends to invite to our wedding.”

“You are lucky enough to have two weddings. I am so envious of you.”

“You don’t have to. It is a very tiring process.”

“That is happy tiring. Well, I gotta go.”

As Gun-Ho anticipated, Egnopak’s president came to see him in person. He brought four people with him, including the in-house attorney who was leading Egnopak’s legal team.

Egnopak’s president—Seung-Gak Kim—looked around Gun-Ho’s new factory in Jiksan Town, and he said,

“The factory is larger than I expected, and it is very neat. Well, it’s not bad at all.”

Egnopak’s president entered the company with his personnel. The general affairs department and the sales team were informed by the security office that Egnopak’s president just arrived.

The newly promoted managing director, Mr. Kim, ran to the front entrance. He had known the Egnopak’s president for quite a long time. He had met him several times for Mulpasaneop’s business.

“President Kim, sir.”

“Oh, you are Director Kim from Mulpasaneop.”

Someone poked Director Kim.

“I am the managing director now of GH Mobile.”

“Oh, I see.”

Egnopak’s president extended his thick hand to Director Kim for a handshake.

“Is President Gun-Ho Goo in the office?”

“Yes, he is. We received a call from Egnopak’s secretary’s office that you will be visiting us, so President Gun-Ho Goo is expecting you.”

Egnopak’s president entered Gun-Ho’s office as Director Kim showed him to. Gun-Ho quickly stood up when he saw Egnopak’s president coming into his office.

“I’m the president of Egnopak.”

“Good to see you, sir. And thank you for visiting our small and humble factory.”

Egnopak’s president sat on a chair.

“Why don’t you all have a seat, too.”

Egnopak’s president told his four workers who accompanied him. He acted as if he owned the company.

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Chapter 263 - Job Appointment (1) – PART 2

Chapter 263: Job Appointment (1) – PART 2

“I came to apologize to you for my son’s behavior. You should understand that I am a father. Even though my son did something wrong, I can’t see him going to prison as his father.”

“We have plenty of time to talk about it, sir. I’d like to serve you a cup of tea first; you are a guest to my company.”

Gun-Ho asked his secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—to bring green tea. Gun-Ho also called for Director Jong-Suk Park at that moment.

Egnopak’s president continued to talk.

“I was told a two-week injury certificate was issued. Since you are not seriously injured, let’s finalize the incident.”

“How do you want to finalize it?”

“I know you have enough money, President Goo. But money is still a valid means to settle this sort of thing.”

At that moment, Director Jong-Suk Park entered Gun-Ho’s office. Gun-Ho said to him,

“Director Park, roll up your left-arm sleeve.”

Jong-Suk rolled up his sleeve. The injury on his forearm appeared. It was almost healed, but it left a big and ugly scar.

“He was cut with a sashimi knife. If we didn’t successfully escape, the gangsters, who your son sent to us, would have poked either our belly or our eyes, and that would make both of us disabled for the rest of our lives.”

“Hmm.”

Egnopak’s president seemed to feel uncomfortable while looking at Jong-Suk’s scar. He turned his head to the other side, so he didn’t have to look at the scar again.

“How come you didn’t bring your baseball bat today, sir?”

“Hey, President Goo! Are you being sarcastic with me here?”

“You said earlier that you wanted to settle for some money. How much are you offering?”

“Since two people were injured, I am offering 10 million won for each person. So, it will be 20 million won in total.”

Egnopak’s in-house attorney chipped in.

“This offer price is more than usual given the customary practice in settling this kind of incident with a two-week injury certificate. If you don’t accept our president’s offer, we will have to deposit the settlement offer with a court.”

Without responding to the attorney’s elaboration, Gun-Ho looked at Jong-Suk and said,

“Director Park, you take their offer. The president is showing his effort to make it work, anyway. But I won’t accept this offer for my own injury.”

“Look, President Goo. I have already apologized to you earlier. I know that you don’t need this money, but this is the only thing we can offer. This is the first time in my entire 60-year life, apologizing to someone.”

“Why don’t you show us the settlement agreement? And give 10 million won to Director Park. Jong-Suk, you should sign the settlement agreement.”

Jong-Suk signed the settlement agreement that the attorney handed to him, and Jong-Suk took the envelope with 10 million won in it.

“Good. President Goo, let’s settle your case too.”

“I don’t want to, sir. There is no guarantee that you wouldn’t do it again. Maybe you will obstruct my business for the joint venture or attempt to lynch me again.”

“I guarantee there won’t be anything like this ever again.”

“No. The 10 million won that you are offering to me is the amount of money that will not do anything to me. I know you are richer than me, but I have several 100 billion won. I don’t need 10 million won.”

“Come on. I am desperately asking you to settle for it.”

“I can’t.”

The attorney, who was leading Egnopak’s legal team, chipped in again.

“Then, we will have to deposit this offer with a court. Once we do, a prosecutor or a court will review the case in favor of our side.”

“Then you do what you have to do.”

Silence filled the air for a while.

It was Egnopak’s president who broke the silence.

“You tell me what you want from me.”

“You will need to show me something that will make me willing to sign the settlement agreement.”

“I already apologized to you when I first came into your office today.”

“I accept your apology, of course.”

“Hmm.”

Egnopak’s president closed his mouth for a while with his arms crossed. He looked so upset. He was frowning.

No one in the office said even a word for a while, including the three personnel who accompanied Egnopak’s president, GH Mobile’s managing director, and Director Jong-Suk Park. It was a deafening silence with only some coughing sound from time to time.

“Let’s do this.”

Egnopak’s president broke the silence.

Everyone in the room looked at Egnopak’s president.

“All these things happened because of the formation of the joint venture, so I will give you some support for your joint venture.”

The president then took a sip of his green tea. The tea was already cold.

“Considering another incident with Mandong Company, our company can buy raw materials from your new joint venture—Dyeon Korea—instead of buying them from Mandong Company.”

The director, Dong-Chan Kim, looked at Egnopak’s president with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Egnopak uses BASF products (BASF: a German chemical company and one of the largest chemical producers in the world) for their raw materials, which are supplied by Mandong Company. Are you saying you can change the materials with Dyeon Korea’s products?”

“That’s right.”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes with his arms crossed.

“We are currently purchasing BASF products worth 500 million won on a monthly basis from Mandong Company. It’s 6 billion won per year. What do you think, President Goo? Is that good enough?”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t need to think about it, President Goo. This is a really good offer. Mr. Legal Team Leader, take out the settlement agreement.”

The attorney pulled out the settlement agreement and placed it on the table in front of Gun-Ho.

“Come on! Please sign the settlement.”

Egnopak’s president acted friendly with Gun-Ho. He grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand and led to the agreement.

“Okay, sir. Since you insist, I think I should accept your offer. I don’t want to be rude to you, sir.”

Gun-Ho finally signed the settlement agreement.

The managing director smiled broadly and went to Egnopak’s president.

“You made the right decision, sir. Dyeon Korea’s products will be very competitive, especially in price compared to BASF’s products. You will be pleased.”

And then, the sales director went out quickly and came back with a purchase agreement.

“Sir, please sign this.”

Egnopak’s president signed the purchase agreement without hesitation.

Egnopak’s president was highly experienced. Even though he took over his family’s business, he spent tens of years to run the business until now. He was gaining a lot from this settlement as well business-wise, such as that he wouldn’t have to purchase expensive BASF products anymore because he could replace their necessary raw materials with Dyeon Korea’s products. Also, by disconnecting his business relation with Mandong Company, he wouldn’t have to deal with the fact that he previously pressured Mandong Company to file a lawsuit against GH Mobile.

Gun-Ho also took a very smart move. Even though he was beaten up by a gangster and had four stitches on his face, he gained something very valuable for his business. The new joint venture already established a major client even before the company would open its business.

The managing director, who was recently promoted from the sales director position, entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Your settlement with Egnopak was one of the best moves I’ve ever seen, sir.”

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Chapter 264 - Job Appointment (2) – PART 1

Chapter 264: Job Appointment (2) – PART 1

The president of GH Media—Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin gave a call to Gun-Ho after she received the announcement of GH Mobile’s recent job appointment.

“How do you want me to handle the job appointment of GH Media, sir?”

“President Shin, you handle GH Media’s job appointment. I won’t get involved in it.”

“GH Media is a startup company. It’s way too early for us to do any job appointment or relocation at this point. I am thinking of adjusting our employees’ salaries by reflecting inflation and pay increase.”

“It’s your decision, President Shin.”

“I am planning to raise GH Media’s employees’ salaries by 7%. Fortunately, the Japanese translated book—’the person who wakes up in the morning’ is selling very well now. It maintains steady sales.”

“Haha. Well, again, it is totally up to you, President Shin.”

“And we made a contract for the sale of the world history cartoon series of thirty books which is very popular in Amazon.com. The people in the publishing industry are astonished by the contract because of the amount we invested in it. But I am certain that we will succeed in selling this cartoon series. We already started translating the first and second books of the series.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Also, your salary was being sent to you starting this month as a managing director of GH Media. I am not sure if you verified it.”

“Really? I will check it later.”

“Once we raise our employees’ salaries by 7%, your pay will increase accordingly as well. Haha.”

“Haha. That sounds right. Well, keep up the good work.”

When Gun-Ho got off the phone with President Shin, Director Jong-Suk Park entered the office.

“What’s up?”

“Haha. This 10 million won is a windfall for me. I never expected to get this kind of money.”

“Oh, you mean the settlement money from Egnopak’s president?”

“Yeah. Well, if I can make 10 million won by getting 16 stitches on my body, I want to be beaten up once again.”

“You are crazy.”

“Half of this is yours, bro. You didn’t get any money for your injury. Here, take it.”

“You are indeed a crazy man. Take it back to your pocket.”

“You spent a lot of money when we went to Seoul last time to see Egnopak’s president’s son. You bought a drink to Tae-Young Im and others and you also gave them some money too.”

“It’s nothing. I just bought them some drinks, that’s it. That 10 million won is yours, you deserve to take it all. Get some good food with that money so you can recover quickly. It will also be useful when you get to the U.S.”

Gun-Ho headed to Asan City to the construction site of Dyeon Korea’s factory. He used to drive to Jiksan Town from Asan City to visit the construction site when the current GH Mobile’s factory was being constructed in Jiksan Town, but now he was driving to Asan City from Jiksan Town to see another new factory being built up in Asan City.

At the construction site, Managing Director Dong-Chan Kim was there. Director Dong-Chan Kim was recently promoted from a sales director position and he was appointed to the Dyeon Korea location as a managing director.

“Sir, you came.”

“Oh, you are here too. I guess you were wondering how the construction is going since you will be working here soon.”

“Right. I am now focusing on Dyeon Korea.”

“Dyeon Korea’s business is important, of course, however, we still need to focus on GH Mobile. I was told that the sales manager quit GH Mobile because he was not happy with our recent job appointment.”

“He won’t do well even if he gets another job in another company.”

“What about Mr. Chang-Hoon Seo? He is now working in the sales department as a manager.”

Manager Chang-Hoon Seo was recently promoted to a manager position in sales. He used to work in the general affairs department as an assistant manager.

“He is doing very well. He should have joined the sales team earlier. He wouldn’t have been able to fully use his skills in the general affairs department. He is good-looking and he is very good at communicating with others. He is already very popular among our vendors and customers. He told me that he seemed to have an aptitude for sales.”

“Ha, really? That’s good to hear.”

“Oh, I met with the former vice president of S Group the other day as you asked me to. We had lunch together.”

“Where is he living now?”

“He is living in Bundang District now, but he said he will move to Suji in Yongin City soon. It seems that he bought a new house there.”

“I see.”

“His youngest son is in the first year of high school, and his new house is located in a very good school district.”

“School district?”

Gun-Ho smiled bitterly. He thought that since the parents consider a school district as one of the important factors in choosing their residence, the son would be able to get an admission from a decent college within Seoul.

Gun-Ho thought of his high school years for a moment. He didn’t want to go to school because he felt so embarrassed by his shabby sneakers. His high school was not even in a nice area.

Gun-Ho then thought of Egnopak’s president’s son—Dong-Hwan Kim. He didn’t look very smart or decent, but he graduated from USC and he was working as a managing director of Egnopak in LA. What about Egnopak’s president’s daughter? She was a college professor in Suwon City. When Egnopak president’s daughter was having an expensive private tutoring when she was in high school, Gun-Ho was working part-time at a convenience store to make money to buy new sneakers. They had a different starting point in life, and the gap in either social status or wealth became bigger and bigger as life went on.

However, Gun-Ho was dealing with Egnopak’s president in an equal position. Egnopak’s president was someone who Gun-Ho couldn’t even talk to, years ago. That was because Gun-Ho had accumulated substantial wealth now.

“You seemed to be lost in thought, sir.”

Gun-Ho just woke up when Director Dong-Chan Kim talked to him.

“Oh, I was just thinking of my old days…”

“Sir, I will have to go see a client now.”

“Oh, so the S Group’s former vice president is still using the same cell phone number, right?”

“Yes, he is keeping the same number.”

The three selected workers of GH Mobile came to Gun-Ho’s office before they would leave for the U.S. for the training. They flushed with excitement and also anxiety.

Two workers whom the former chief officer of the research center selected were the lead researcher and senior researcher.

“Dyeon requested us to send our three best workers for training. Accordingly, you have been selected by our directors and managers including the research center’s former chief officer.”

The three chosen workers were listening to Gun-Ho courteously. Gun-Ho read the personal data of the three workers. Director Jong-Suk Park was 33 years old while the lead researcher was five years older than Jong-Suk, and the senior researcher was one year younger than Jong-Suk. Jong-Suk had extensive hands-on experience in the field, but the other two researchers had way better qualifications based on papers and they were highly knowledgeable in theory.

“Dyeon is a global enterprise. I hope you use this experience wisely to learn their advanced technology and make this opportunity a valuable experience in your life. Well, it seems that the senior researcher studied in the U.S. as an exchange student and he had a TOEIC score of over 900. Mr. Senior Researcher, you probably speak English very well, so please help the lead researcher and the production director during the stay in the U.S.”

The young senior researcher rubbed his nose; he seemed to feel shy.

“Well, that will be all. You probably need to start packing. You can go now. Oh, Director Choi, did you already prepare the travel expenses for these workers?”

“Yes. They will calculate the expenses in detail after they return.”

“It is good that Dyeon offered to provide an interpreter for our workers. They will communicate with us through GH Development’s secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh since she speaks English fluently. Ms. Angelina Rein from Dyeon will be the one who usually contacts us. So, if you need anything, Director Choi, please talk to Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh.”

“Understood, sir.”

The three workers left Gun-Ho’s office after giving him a 90-degree bow.

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Chapter 265 - Job Appointment (2) – PART 2

Chapter 265: Job Appointment (2) – PART 2

Gun-Ho was a bit concerned.

‘I am sending three of our workers to the U.S. for training. One of them is our lead researcher at our research center and he is 38 years old. Another one is the senior researcher who is 32 years old. Jong-Suk is going with them for training and he is 33 years old. Jong-Suk is our production director. The two researchers are in a lower-ranked position than Jong-Suk. The thing is that the two researchers are highly educated, on the other hand, Jong-Suk didn’t even finish his college education. I am concerned that they might be jealous of Jong-Suk or feel unfair that Jong-Suk is in a higher position than them, given the fact that he is young and doesn’t have a high education degree.’

However, it turned out that Gun-Ho was worrying unnecessarily. The two researchers viewed this trip as an opportunity to get close with Jong-Suk who was very close to their company’s president.

‘The rumor says that Director Jong-Suk Park is like a brother to our president, he is even closer to the president than his own siblings by blood. Maybe I can get close to Director Jong-Suk Park during this training period. I will have to take every opportunity to stay close to him and do things together with him.’

The workers in the company talked down on Jong-Suk behind his back even though he was a director in the company because he was young in age. However, the same workers acted very friendly with Jong-Suk when they were with him. People tend to act by self-serving when it came to money or power.

Sales Director Kim came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“The president of Seongil Polymer is here. He is hoping that he could talk with you, sir.”

“Seongil Polymer? The one who filed a lawsuit against us?”

“That’s right. He said he wants to withdraw the suit.”

“So I guess he changed his mind, huh? Please let him in.”

Seongil Polymer’s president entered the office.

“Sir, I am so sorry. I made a huge mistake with you.”

The president of Seongil Polymer quickly kneeled down on the floor in front of Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho was surprised. The president was in his 50s while Gun-Ho was in his mid-30s.

“Don’t do this. Please get up. If you have something you want to talk to me about, please have a seat.”

After Director Kim helped the Seongil Polymer’s president stand up, Gun-Ho smiled and said,

“Seongil Polymer is a creditor company of GH Mobile. You don’t do this to your debtor.”

“I already withdrew the lawsuit. I didn’t think straight when I filed a lawsuit against your company, sir, just because the Egnopak’s president asked me to do so. Please forgive me.”

“Did you make some sort of deals with Egnopak for the lawsuit?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. Egnopak promised me that they would buy more products from our company if we file a lawsuit against GH Mobile for the debt that GH Mobile owe to us. Our company was recently going through some difficult times, so I thought it would be really nice if I could get cash in a lump sum once we get the payment from GH Mobile, and also if we could sell more products to Egnopak.”

“I see. That’s why you filed a lawsuit against us, even after you signed the agreement about our payment plan.”

“To be honest with you, I figured that you were paying us in installments not because you have no money to pay us at once. I realized that when I learned that you acquired RiverStar Building in Gangnam. Moreover, there is a limited amount of products that Egnopak could buy from us realistically.”

“I see.”

“Additionally, the president of Egnopak told me that they are getting along with GH Mobile these days, so there is no point for us to be hostile with GH Mobile.”

“Sir, you are way older than me and way more experienced than me. You shouldn’t act based on shallow decision. I can continue to do business with your company, but the damage is done already.”

“I was so stupid. You are indeed a man of generosity.”

The Seongil Polymer’s president’s eyes filled with tears. Gun-Ho looked at Director Kim.

“Director Kim, please help Seongil Polymer’s president walk out of the office, and get him some warm tea.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

Director Kim helped Seongil Polymer’s president who was staggering, by holding his arm and walked him out of Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho was having a green tea in his office while taking some rest when the S Group’s vice president crossed his mind. He was taking some time off at home without trying to get a job yet.

Gun-Ho made a call to him.

A man picked up the phone; he sounded sleepy.

“Hello?”

“Hi. This is Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile.”

“Oh, President Goo. Good to hear from you.”

“How have you been doing, sir?”

“I started feeling bored while staying home. So, I was thinking of contacting a headhunter. Some vendor and customer companies of S Group offered me a job but I don’t want to work for them.”

“Since you have extensive job experience in the field, once you contact a headhunter, a lot of companies will start offering you a job.”

“Well, I doubt. I am already 56 years old. Many people might consider I am too old to be employed.”

“I heard you moved to Suji in Yongin City.”

“That’s right. My family and I moved here three days ago. We just finished unpacking.”

“You must have a lot of stuff since it took three days to unpack.”

“We threw out a lot of things during the moving, but there seem to be still tons of stuff once we unpacked our boxes. This apartment that we just moved in is 60 pyung large and it looked really big when we first saw it. But now it doesn’t look that large at all with all our furniture and stuff in it.”

“I believe it takes only 30 minutes if you take a highway from Suji, Yongin City to be here in Jiksan Town. Since you finished moving, what do you say if I ask you to have lunch with me? What about tomorrow? I’ve found a really nice restaurant in this area. Many people come by that restaurant after playing golf.”

“Tomorrow… I’m good, but you must be busy, President Goo.”

“I’m good too. Why don’t you come to the area and have lunch with me? I want to show you our new factory in Jiksan Town too.”

“Sure. Sounds good. I will get there by noon tomorrow.”

“Haha. I will be waiting for you, sir.”

Gun-Ho went to a bar after work to have some beer. The bar was located next to the KTX Station of Asan City, Cheonan. It was close to his home. He received a call from Jong-Suk while he was having a beer there.

“Bro? It’s me. We just arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.”

“Did you already meet with the interpreter who Dyeon sent?”

“Yes. We are on our way to the downtown altogether.”

“I hope you have a valuable time there. You will learn some advanced technology of Dyeon there.”

“I can’t believe I am in the U.S. Because of you, I could come this far, bro. I guess I can consider myself as a successful man.”

“Enjoy while you can, and teach yourself well while you can.”

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Chapter 266 - Tokyo Planning (1) – Part 1

Chapter 266: Tokyo Planning (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was heading to his work when his Land Rover was running out of gas. Gun-Ho stopped by at a gas station in Baekseok Town, Cheonan City to fill up the tank of his car. He was heading out when he received a call from S Group’s former vice president.

“President Goo? I’m afraid that I will have to take a rain check for our lunch appointment today.”

“Something happened?”

“One of my close relatives just passed away. He was in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Since he didn’t have any children, I will have to handle everything for him.”

“I am so sorry to hear it. We can have our lunch at any time, sir.”

“Me too. I know that you are a busy man, and I know you make time today for me.”

“No, it’s okay, really. When everything gets settled, just let me know, so we can have our lunch then.”

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office when the directors and managers started pouring into his office.

“Oh, that’s right. Today is a meeting day.”

The managers and directors in uniform were all carrying a note with them for the meeting. It was the first meeting for the new chief officer of the research center; he joined the meeting instead of the former chief officer. Without the former chief officer and former plant manager, the members of the executive group looked more vibrant and young overall.

A total of five members attended the meeting today: Sales Director Dong-Chan Kim, Construction Director Hee-Byeong Yoon, General Affairs Director Joon-Young Choi, the new research center’s chief officer— Joon-Soo Oh, and Internal Auditor Hee-Suk Goh. Director Jong-Suk Park couldn’t attend the meeting since he was in the U.S. for training.

“Let’s get started with the sales report. We will hear the report from the general affairs department later.”

As Gun-Ho instructed, the sales director started giving a report.

“We are ordering raw materials from Seongil Polymer once again for the products, T-Cap that we provide to H Mobis. We have sold 50,000 of them last week, and the total sales revenue is…”

Gun-Ho looked at his watch and the sales director took it as a sign that he was making Gun-Ho feel bored. The sales director started wrapping up his report. After the sales report was done, the construction director and the chief officer of the research center gave their reports by turns as well. Receiving reports by itself took about an hour. Gun-Ho made some comments on them from time to time.

“The plant manager in the production department is now in an advisory position and the production director, Jong-Suk Park is in the US for training. So, please visit the production department in turns while their director and manager are absent.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I had worked at a production department as an apprentice years ago, and I know, from my personal experience, that the production field could become slow when there is no one supervising it.”

“We will take turns in supervising the production field until Director Park comes back.”

Once the meeting was over, a bunch of reports piled up on Gun-Ho’s desk waiting for his approval. Gun-Ho didn’t review all of them thoroughly but he sometimes read just the title of a report before he signed it.

Around 10 AM, Gun-Ho usually started reading an economic newspaper or watching the news on his smartphone, after reviewing the reports and signing them. That day, Gun-Ho was watching the news with his smartphone when he received a call from Tokyo. It was Ji-Yeon Choi— the restaurant owner in Akasaka, Tokyo.

“President Goo? It’s really hard to get in touch with you these days. It seems that you haven’t come to Tokyo recently.”

“I’ve been really busy with my factory work. I know I should visit Tokyo soon.”

“I can tell that you have been really busy there since I am reading a Korean newspaper from here too. I am aware that you will soon start a joint venture with the American company, Dyeon and also you acquired RiverStar Building in Gangnam.”

“I see.”

“But you have Mori Aikko here who you have to take care of. You can’t just let her be here by herself all the time.”

“Haha. I will make time to visit her soon.”

“I received a call this morning from Mama-san Segawa Joonkko of the bar in Shinjuku.”

“What did she say?”

“She said Mori Aikko is in a hospital right now.”

“What? Is she okay? Is it serious?”

“She got a kidney stone or something. I forgot the exact word already. President Goo, if you can’t come to visit her to the hospital, call her at least.”

“I will go see her right away. Thank you for letting me know.”

Gun-Ho called for his secretary, Hee-Jeong Park immediately.

“I will need a flight ticket to Tokyo, Japan. I will leave tomorrow. I don’t need a travel visa, so just reserve a flight ticket leaving tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho arrived in Japan, he first stopped by New Otani Hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo and reserved a room for himself. He wanted to leave his luggage at the hotel before going to see Mori Aikko at a hospital. Gun-Ho first went to the restaurant in Akasaka which Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi was running; he was carrying cosmetics that he purchased at the duty-free shop at the airport. But Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi was not there. Gun-Ho left the cosmetics with a staff at the restaurant and made a call to her.

“President Choi? I just came to your restaurant and you are not here. Do you have the name of the hospital where Mori Aikko is at?”

“Hahaha. You came so fast because your lover is sick. Give me one moment; I will find it out for you.”

After a moment, Gun-Ho received a call from President Choi.

“It’s Tokyo Women’s Medical University Hospital. She is in the room no. 1206. Her examination was done, and she will have an operation today.”

“Where is Tokyo Women’s Medical University Hospital?”

“It’s in Kawadacho, Shinjuku. Why don’t you take a taxi? All taxi drivers should know where that hospital is.”

“Sounds good. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho arrived at Tokyo Women’s Medical University Hospital, and he headed to the patient’s room no. 1206. When Gun-Ho entered the room, Mori Aikko was reading a cartoon book on a bed in a half-sitting position. Mama-san Segawa Joonkko was there too. She was looking at her smartphone while sitting next to Mori Aikko.

“Mori Aikko!”

“Oppa?!”

Mama-san stood up and greeted Gun-Ho as well.

“You came.”

“I must look so ugly now. I didn’t even wash my face today.”

“Don’t worry about it. You are always pretty.”

Mama-san chipped in,

“Her surgery is scheduled at 3 pm today. After the doctor who has been taking care of Mori Aikko completes his ambulatory care duty, he will start her surgery.”

“Is she seriously ill?”

Mama-san said some words describing Mori Aikko’s illness, but Gun-Ho couldn’t understand the word. When Mama-san realized Gun-Ho couldn’t understand the Japanese word of that illness, she wrote corresponding Chinese characters on the cartoon book which Mori Aikko was reading. It said kidney stones.

“Oh, kidney stones!”

Gun-Ho nodded his head showing he now understood.

Gun-Ho looked around the hospital room where Mori Aikko was staying at. She was sharing the room with several other patients and the room didn’t seem to help Mori Aikko take a good rest.

“Let’s move her to a first-class hospital room.”

Mama-san nodded her head.

Once Mama-san left the room, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko left alone. Gun-Ho held Mori Aikko’s small hand.

“You will be fine.”

“I know.”

“They just need to take out stones from your kidney. No big deal.”

Aikko nodded her head.

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Chapter 267 - Tokyo Planning (1) – Part 2

Chapter 267: Tokyo Planning (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho felt like other patients in the room kept staring at him and Mori Aikko, so he closed the curtains to have some privacy. Mori Aikko handed an album to him.

Gun-Ho opened the album to find the pictures of Mori Aikko in Kimono. She was posing for pictures on a bridge and in a bamboo grove. In one of the photos, she was looking up to the sky with an umbrella in her hand.

“It’s a pictorial book made to attract more visitors to the park. The pictures were taken in Arashiyama, Kyoto.”

“Really? You look so beautiful.”

Gun-Ho kissed on the pictures of the photo album.

After having lunch, Aikko fell asleep, and Gun-Ho left the room quietly and took a walk on the street. After visiting the Gekkoji temple nearby, Gun-Ho hurriedly came back to the hospital. It was almost 3 pm when Mori Aikko’s surgery would start. Aikko was still sleeping in the room.

Her surgery didn’t take long. It was simple, short and painless. It was laparoscopic surgery performed under anesthesia. Once the surgery was completed, the nurses moved Mori Aikko to a first-class room as Gun-Ho previously requested. Gun-Ho kept watching Mori Aikko’s face while sitting next to her bed before he eventually fell asleep.

How long did he sleep? Gun-Ho opened his eyes and looked at Mori Aikko. She was still asleep. She looked pale. She looked like the sleeping Snow White in a children’s storybook. Gun-Ho lightly pressed his lips against hers. At that very moment, someone knocked on the door. Gun-Ho was frightened and jumped out of his chair.

“I brought the patient’s meal.”

Aikko opened her eyes when she heard someone talking. Her meal was clear-colored porridge prepared by the hospital.

“How are you feeling? Are you feeling any pain?”

“No, I’m okay.”

“Get some of this porridge. You have to eat something.”

Gun-Ho spoon-fed Aikko, and Aikko ate her porridge as if she was a baby bird being fed by her mother.

The next morning, Gun-Ho woke up in his New Otani Hotel room in Akasaka. It was already after 9 am.

“It’s already 9 am. What time did I come back to the hotel last night?”

Gun-Ho quickly put some clothes on and headed to the restaurant in the hotel.

“I must have been really exhausted yesterday.”

Gun-Ho had some white-rice porridge and some fruits before walking out of the restaurant.

The hotel already started being crowded. Gun-Ho could see a lot of men in a business suit in the lobby. There was a sign right next to the stairs; it said ‘conference room,’ and those men in a suit followed the sign and went upstairs.

“Tsuru? Maybe it is the name of the conference room.”

There was a room with a sign—Tsuru (a crane) on it, and the door was slightly open. Gun-Ho looked inside the room. There was a huge banner hanging on the wall. It said,

[Year 201x OO Group’s New Executives’ Orientation]

“Hmm. This company is doing an orientation for their new executives here. Well, I heard that the founder of Samsung, Byung-Chul Lee used to have a meeting for his branch offices’ presidents here in Tokyo pretty often.”

Gun-Ho came back to his room and had a cup of coffee while looking out the window. He could see Japan’s State Guest House.

“The founder of Samsung, Byung-Chul Lee used to come to Tokyo at the end of every year and make a plan for the next year. People call it Tokyo Planning. I read it from some newspaper.”

Gun-Ho was lost in thought while having a cup of coffee.

‘GH Mobile, GH Development, Dyeon Korea, and GH Media… How am I going to operate all of these companies?

Once Dyeon Korea opens its door, I will have to hire at least 100 workers for it. It will add another huge group of people to my employees. What am I going to do with them… As GH Mobile brings more and more sales revenues, each department started demanding more workers. The number of employees of my companies keeps increasing.

However, none of my companies have a unique product or invented product. Can a company survive for 10 or 20 years without its own patented product?’

Gun-Ho took out a cigarette and started smoking, then cast his stare out of the window again. He looked just like President Byung-Chul Lee when he was planning for his companies for the next year.

Gun-Ho was deeply lost in thought; he even forgot to smoke but he was just holding a cigarette. After a while, he nodded his head as if he made up his mind.

No one knew what Gun-Ho planned for his companies while he stayed in Tokyo.

Gun-Ho headed to Kawadacho, Shinjuku where Tokyo Women’s Medical University Hospital was located in. When he entered Mori Aikko’s hospital room, he saw Aikko reading a cartoon book in her bed just like she had been yesterday. Mama-san Segawa Joonkko was looking at her smartphone sitting next to Aikko, just like yesterday.

“Oppa.”

Aikko greeted Gun-Ho when she saw him entering the room.

“I just talked with the nurses on the way here. They said your surgery was successful.”

Mama-san said while standing up from her seat.

“If we get cooked rice instead of porridge for Aikko’s meal after three days, then that is the time we can go home.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho came close to Aikko and held her hand, and said,

“I have to go now. I have too much work waiting for me in Korea. I will come to see you again soon after I finish those work.”

Aikko looked sad but she nodded her head.

Gun-Ho then took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“I want you to use this for Aikko’s medical bills.”

Mama-san was frightened when she looked inside the envelope.

“This is way more than her medical bills.”

“Well, once she is released from the hospital, she will need to have a lot of good food to fully recover and to be recharged.”

“You are leaving now like that? Give her a kiss at least. You can’t just leave her after only holding her hand.”

Gun-Ho gave Aikko a kiss on her cheek.

When Gun-Ho arrived at Gimpo International Airport, he headed to his GH Building in Sinsa Town. The security guard in the building quickly ran out of his desk and greeted Gun-Ho, and pressed the elevator’s button for Gun-Ho.

There seemed to be heavy traffic in the building. When some of the building’s occupants tried to get into the elevator which Gun-Ho was in, the security guard chased them out, by saying,

“We are currently testing this elevator. Please take another one.”

Gun-Ho and the security guard were the only ones who took that elevator. While they were inside the elevator, Gun-Ho told him,

“Next time, don’t do it. Let others take the elevator with me. It’s okay. Because of those people, our company can go on.”

“I will keep that in mind, sir.”

When Gun-Ho appeared at the GH Development’s office, the workers ran towards Gun-Ho to greet him. Gun-Ho came to his large office and sat on his chair when his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh followed him to his office.

“Could you get me a cup of warm green tea?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and please call Dyeon and ask Ms. Angelina Rein how our workers are doing there. Tell her that I asked you to ask her about it.”

“Okay, sir.”

At that moment, Director Kang hastily came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, you came.”

“Yes, I was on my way from Japan. How’s everything going here?”

“All good, sir. Nothing special.”

Director Kang left Gun-Ho’s office shortly and came back with a pile of documents.

“What are those?”

“These are the reports for your review, sir.”

“I am so tired today. I will take a look at them tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Director Kang left Gun-Ho’s office and when Gun-Ho was in his office by himself, he started thinking quietly about how he was going to execute his plan that he made during his stay in Tokyo

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Chapter 268 - Tokyo Planning (2) – Part 1

Chapter 268: Tokyo Planning (2) – Part 1

GH Development had the largest invested fund among Gun-Ho’s companies by acquiring RiverStar Building in Sinsa Town.

Its capital was 40 billion won and the loan from a bank was 165 billion won. However, this company was generating revenue based on its real estate investment, unlike other companies which require labor as an important part of resources to generate money. Therefore, it was a less risky business.

“Well, this company is just self-sufficient. We get rents from our tenants in the building, and we pay our workers with that income and also pay to the bank for the loan interest.”

The good thing by keeping this building is that Gun-Ho appeared to be a wealthy man who owned a very expensive building, and also the value of the land would keep increasing as time goes on.

What about GH Media? Gun-Ho invested 300 million won in this company. It was a small start-up. Well, Gun-Ho recently invested an additional 300 million won in order to allow them to publish a cartoon series on world history, which was very popular in Amazon.com. However, 600 million won was not a substantial amount of money to Gun-Ho, and he wouldn’t lose much even if this company would go bankrupt someday. He established this company in case he might have an opportunity to do some entertainment business with China.

The companies that Gun-Ho focused on the most were GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea.

GH Mobile was formerly known as Mulpasaneop. Gun-Ho changed its name to GH Mobile once he acquired the company. Gun-Ho invested approximately 7 billion won into it. Gun-Ho purchased this company from the previous owner—President Se-Young Oh—for 2 billion won and assumed the company’s substantial business debt. He later added an additional 3 billion won to pay off some urgent debts. Additionally, he put another 2 billion won when he decided to build a new factory in Jiksan Town.

For accounting purposes, the additional 3 billion won was recorded as a loan from Gun-Ho to the company, and another 2 billion won was recorded as Gun-Ho put the fund into the company as the president of the entity. So once the company got back on track, Gun-Ho would be able to get those 5 billion won back.

Dyeon Korea was an investment of GH Mobile.

The paid-in capital was 10 million dollars. However, GH Mobile could put 1 million dollars into the joint venture in cash and would invest the rest of the dues in kind by contributing the factory which was being built in Asan City. Dyeon would send in cash worth 500,000 dollars to the joint venture and would provide raw materials and their old equipment as their investment-in-kind. To Dyeon, it wasn’t even a huge investment at all. They would record the value of their old equipment higher than they actually were.

The first goal of Gun-Ho’s Tokyo planning was that he wanted to register GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea with KOSDAQ.

Even though he probably had to reduce his shares by doing so, making those two companies a KOSDAQ registered company was the only breakthrough he could think of. He, of course, had a lot of cash in hand; he had 170 billion won in his stock account and an additional 4 billion won in his bank account in Gangnam. However, he determined that he would never ever put all he got into his business. That was what he learned bitterly while he was acquiring his company. Putting all he got into a business was the most stupid thing a man could do.

Gun-Ho once asked a few questions to himself and answered those questions by himself.

‘Say, an armed robber is asking me to give him my 170 billion won stored in my stock account. Would I give it to him, or would I rather let him kill me? I would let him take my life instead of taking my 170 billion won.’

Gun-Ho then yelled looking up at the sky.

“If someone asks me whether money is more important or a person is more important, I would say that money is more important than a person. And if someone asks me whether my reputation is more important or my money is more important, I would say my money is more important.”

He continued to yell while looking up at the sky,

“If someone reminded me that I wouldn’t be able to take my money with me when I die, I would say without hesitation that I will keep my money until the moment I stop breathing.”

Gun-Ho remembered what Chairman Lee of Cheongdam Town said when Gun-Ho brought some Jokbal to share with him at the fishing site in Pocheon City.

“These Jokbal look so delicious.”

“I bought them from a local restaurant in downtown, Pocheon City. The restaurant is small, but its location is very convenient. You can dine in, and they have a very convenient parking lot for a vehicle or motorcycle. Since the location is excellent, I guess they won’t sell the restaurant to anyone, but they will probably pass it on to their children.”

Chairman Lee smiled and shook his head.

“You are wrong.”

“Huh?”

“The correct answer is… the restaurant owner wouldn’t even pass on the restaurant to his children.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t understand the meaning of it at that moment, but what Chairman Lee said that day had resonated in his mind for a long time.

Speaking of the devil, Gun-Ho received a call from Chairman Lee of Cheongdam Town at that very moment.

“President Goo? Are you in Seoul right now? Or are you in Jiksan Town?”

“I am in Seoul, sir.”

“I am actually passing by your GH Building where you are at right now. I am on my way to the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, St. Mary’s Hospital, and you crossed my mind when I saw your building.”

“Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, St. Mary’s Hospital? Are you ill, sir?”

“No no. Not me. Master Park is in that hospital, who was staying in Goesan Town.”

“Master Park, sir?”

“Yes, he is diagnosed with gastric cancer. It’s early-stage cancer. It’s not even considered serious these days.”

“I should visit him at the hospital as well then.”

“You don’t have to. You are not that close to him, anyway. How’s your business?”

“It’s doing well, sir.”

“That’s good to hear. Well, then I guess I have to let you go.”

Chairman Lee then hung up the phone.

Gun-Ho went back to his thoughts on how to execute his Tokyo plan.

“In order to register my companies with KOSDAQ, I have to fulfill their requirements such as keeping a certain level of debt ratio and sales revenues and things like that. I had done some accounting work before, but I have never experienced any KOSDAQ registration work.”

Gun-Ho thought of GH Mobile’s internal auditor, Mr. Hee-Suk Goh. He first came to GH Mobile to oversee the court receivership, and then he decided to stay and work for GH Mobile as Gun-Ho offered him a position.

“He had handled the court receivership of many companies, and he also used to work for a bank as a branch manager. He might have some experience with KOSDAQ registration work. Or maybe not. Should I hire someone who is well familiar with the work?”

At that moment, Gun-Ho recoiled from the thought that S Group’s former vice president probably knew well how to do it. Gun-Ho would soon have lunch with him.

“That’s right. He used to work as a CEO of a mid-sized firm and a vice president for a large company. He probably has experience with KOSDAQ registration. I will ask him during our next lunch appointment.”

Note*

Jokbal – Korean dish made of pig’s trotters with soy sauce.

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Chapter 269 - Tokyo Planning (2) – Part 2

Chapter 269: Tokyo Planning (2) – Part 2

It was getting dark outside, and it started raining.

“Oh, I didn’t bring my car to work today since I came here straight from the airport. I should ask Director Kang to drop me off at my house. I believe that Director Kang is living in Bongcheon Town. If I ask him to give me a ride to my TowerPalace home, he will probably have to make a detour.”

Gun-Ho suddenly grabbed his cell phone and made a call to Manager Gweon. Manager Gweon was the one who accompanied Chairman Lee wherever he went to assist him.

“Manager Gweon, how have you been?”

“Oh, President Goo? To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

“You are in the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, St. Mary’s Hospital with Chairman Lee, aren’t you? What is the room number that Master Park is staying in?”

“It’s Building No. 5, Room No. 902. The hospital is located across the street from Gangnam Express Bus Terminal. It’s not the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, St. Mary’s Hospital in the Yeouido location.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

“Are you coming?”

“Maybe.”

Gun-Ho called for Director Kang.

“Why didn’t you leave for today already?”

“I have some work left for today, sir. I will get off after you leave, sir.”

“I didn’t bring my car today; I came to work straight from the airport. My car is in Cheonan City.”

“I can give you a ride in my car, sir. It’s an old car, but it’s still running.”

“That would be great. I need to go to the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, St. Mary’s Hospital.”

“Oh, someone is in the hospital?”

“Yes, someone I know.”

“I live in Bongcheon Town. The hospital is on the way to my home. The traffic will be heavy though since it’s raining, and it’s the after-work rush-hour. We’d better leave now to avoid the worst rush-hour of the day. The traffic around the Gangnam Express Bus Terminal area should be terrible.”

“Let’s go then.”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat.

Gun-Ho and Manager Kang got into the elevator together and pressed the button for the ground floor for parking. It was the time when people started getting off work, and the elevator stopped at almost every single floor on the way down. Many people greeted Manager Kang while no one did to Gun-Ho since Gun-Ho didn’t know anyone in the building except his office workers.

The elevator arrived at the ground floor—B1. Manager Kang’s car was parked at the most convenient parking stall. At that moment, Team Leader Soo-Nam Jeong ran to Manager Kang when he saw Manager Kang at the parking lot, and then he was surprised when he found Gun-Ho standing next to Manager Kang.

“Sir… sir.”

“How have you been?”

Gun-Ho offered his hand to him for a handshake and Team Leader Soo-Nam Jeong held Gun-Ho’s hand with his two hands and bowed to him. When Gun-Ho was about to get into the Manager’s Kang’s car, Team Leader Soo-Nam Jeong opened the door for him.

Manager Kang’s car was heading out of GH Building’s parking lot when Gun-Ho noticed that Manager Kang’s car looked new.

“Did you get a new car? If I remember correctly, you were driving a Sonata. This is a Grandeur.”

“Oh, when my old Sonata’s timing gear broke, I just sold it and purchased this car. It’s a used car with only 60,000 kilometers on it.”

“It looks like a brand new car.”

“I just thought I’d better drive a good car to maintain the class as a person who is managing a huge building. I am paying for this car in installments.”

“You made a good call.”

“Sir, have you noticed all those luxurious cars being parked in our building’s parking lot? Many of them belong to young people who are working for a company in our building, and they are driving a luxurious car. That’s the trend these days. Many young people want to have a luxurious car even though they can’t afford to even pay rent.”

“Haha. Really?”

The traffic in front of the Gangnam Express Bus Terminal was indeed terrible. Manager Kang’s car was just stuck there and moved really slowly. Gun-Ho dozed off in the car until they finally arrived at the hospital.

“Sir! We’ve arrived.”

Gun-Ho stopped by a convenience store inside the hospital before heading to the patient’s room where Master Park was staying. He wanted to buy some drinks and fruits.

Master Park was staying in a first-class hospital room. Master Park was with a couple of guests—Chairman Lee of Cheongdam Town and President Park, who sold the building in Sinsa Town to Gun-Ho.

“It’s raining outside. You didn’t have to come.”

Chairman Lee said while standing up from his seat when he saw Gun-Ho entering the room.

“Hi. How are you?”

“Oh, good to see you again.”

President Park extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

Master Park was in a half-sitting position in the bed, and he was wearing a patient gown. It seemed like they were having a good time while talking about the old days since they were all at a similar age.

“Okay, now we have one more person who is exuding rotting money smell.”

When Master Park blurted out, Chairman Lee said to him,

“Don’t say it like that. He came all the way here to see you on this rainy day with a fruit basket.”

“You have been bragging too much about money. That’s why…”

“You can’t brag about having no money, can you?”

President Park, who was sitting next to Chairman Lee, chipped in.

“The one with money is a true patriot. Look at President Goo. He is paying high taxes, and he is creating so many jobs for the people of this country.”

Chairman Lee said to Master Park again,

“You are staying at a first-class hospital room because you made a lot of money on people who wanted to consult you about their lives and fates. President Goo will make more and more money in the future.”

“Ha! YangJeonManGyeon is IlSikYeeSeung, you guys.”

“You are saying that even though you have a farm that is as large as ManGyeong, you can only have two meals per day? Having a meal is not all that people do these days. I make money not just to buy a meal but to achieve something in my life.”

“That’s why your life is so busy for nothing.”

Chairman Lee turned around to see Gun-Ho and said,

“Are you still there? You’d better go home now. You need to go to work tomorrow morning.”

“Haha. I was having fun by listening to you, sirs.”

“You don’t have to listen to that old man.”

“I don’t know… Whew… How can I enlighten these silly people.”

“At our age, what we can do is share our life experience and wisdom to young people. Don’t say anything depressing or nonsense.”

“Wisdom? Well… then… I recommend reading a lot of books.”

“I’ve been reading many books related to business management.”

“Reading a book is the foundation to restore a family.”

“Master Park looks so ugly and dumb, but he always has something good to say when sharing the wisdom of life.”

“Hello? I’m right here.”

Gun-Ho looked at his watch. It was getting late.

“Haha. Well, I guess I’d better go now. I had a great time with you all, sirs. I hope you feel better soon, sir.”

Master Park said to Gun-Ho before he left the room,

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, work hard and remember that you are the one who is making your own destiny.”

“Understood, sir. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the room after giving the three old men a 90-degree bow. When he walked out of the hospital, the rain had already stopped.

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Chapter 270 - Recruit (1) – Part 1

Chapter 270: Recruit (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho wanted to discuss the formation of the sales company in China with Min-Hyeok Kim.

Once Dyeon Korea—the joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon—started producing products, they would have to sell them in China.

“Min-Hyeok? Is this a good time to talk?”

“Yes, it’s good.”

“Once Dyeon Korea starts its business, it will produce products right away. If so, don’t you think it would look proper if we sell the products in China with the name GH Parts Company?”

“Well, I suppose… If we form a sales company for it, it would be like we are operating two separate business entities.”

“That’s right.”

“What if we make a distribution center in China for Dyeon Korea?”

“That will diminish the credibility, not to mention the complication with the tax report.”

“If we establish a new entity in China, then how about naming it Dyeon China?”

“When we pack our products for sale, we put them in a bag, and each bag weighs about 20 kilograms. And on each bag of the products, we write the weight and the manufacturing company’s name just like a rice sack. So it won’t be accurate if we put Dyeon China on the product bag since the products are not manufactured in China.”

“Let’s take some more time in deciding what name the sales company will have. What about the capital? How much are you thinking of investing in that sales company?”

“How much did we invest in GH Parts Company in Suzhou City when we started that company? I don’t recall the exact number since it has been a while already.”

“It was 300 million won. We initially started that company with 100 million won, and then you added 200 million won to it. And that 200 million won was used to pay for the company debts and unpaid wages.”

“Was it enough?”

“Once the company started its business, we began to make money, so it was good. The company is currently selling products for about 300 million won per month. We have 17 customers now.”

“Did you say the company has 40 workers right now?”

“It’s 42 to be accurate.”

“Hmm. We can afford to have that many workers because the business is located in China. If we have to run the same company in Korea and assuming we will make the same sales revenue, we wouldn’t be able to have more than 20 workers.”

“Of course. Our sales revenue is increasing steadily. I believe the sales revenue will reach 500 million won by the end of this year because we will start selling our new product—AM083 Assembly—to S Group’s factory in China starting this month. Also, we will receive the payments from our new customer starting this month; it’s a Chinese company, and we are selling them our gaskets. Those payments will count toward our sales revenue.”

“Was it 1.7 million dollars that we received from Jinxi Construction Company when we terminated the joint venture with them?”

“It was 1.725 million dollars to be exact.”

“So it’s about 1.81 billion in Korean won.”

“We used 300 million won out of that fund when we opened GH Parts Company. Also, we used 285 million won to purchase the storage for Dyeon Korea. We have about 1.2 billion won left in our bank account.”

“Hmm.”

“I will think about the name of the company.”

“Okay. Let’s take some time to think about it.”

Gun-Ho received a report on GH Building’s profit and loss from Director Kang, and he had the new accounting manager and Ms. Ji-Young Jeong join the meeting.

After receiving the report, Gun-Ho sighed slightly because after paying the loan interest and salary to the workers, not enough funds would be left for the building maintenance reserve and the depreciation cost.

“Let’s think about a revenue model. We will need to accumulate enough funds for the building maintenance reserve. Otherwise, we will have to lend money if we encounter unexpected major repair of the building, and that will increase our debt.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That doesn’t mean we are going to raise rents to our current building occupants without any good reason though.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Director Kang, please keep a close relationship with the realtors in the area. Have lunch with them sometimes.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then headed to Jiksan Town where GH Mobile was located.

He received the reports again from managers and directors for the GH Mobile matters. Once the reporting was completed, Gun-Ho went to Asan City to visit the construction site of Dyeon Korea.

The soil excavation was already completed, and the workers were building the factory. Director Yoon was talking with the construction company’s president when he saw Gun-Ho coming into the construction site. He quickly ran to Gun-Ho to greet him.

“The building started being constructed.”

“Yes, it won’t take long to complete the building. The finishing work will take some time though.”

When Gun-Ho was walking around the construction site, GH Development’s secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—called Gun-Ho.

“Sir, this is Yeon-Soo Oh.”

“Oh, hi. Go on.”

“We just received a call from Ms. Angelina Rein from Dyeon. She said that they will send the vice president next week, who will work at Dyeon Korea.”

“Oh, really?”

“The vice president’s name is Mr. Adam Castler. She said you have met with him before.”

Gun-Ho remembered Mr. Adam Castler. He met him during the dinner party in Seattle. He was introduced to Gun-Ho by the vice president of Dyeon—Mr. Brandon Burke. The man had thick eyebrows, and he was in his 30s. Gun-Ho was told that Mr. Adam Castler used to work for another Dyeon’s joint venture in Mexico.

When Gun-Ho returned to his GH Mobile factory in Jiksan Town, the secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—brought him today’s economic newspaper with a cup of green tea.

“Will you check if the sales director is available now? If so, please ask him to come to my office now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ten minutes after Ms. Hee-Jeong Park left Gun-Ho’s office, Director Dong-Chan Kim entered the office. Director Dong-Chan Kim was recently promoted to a managing director position from being the sales director, and he was relocated to the newly formed company—Dyeon Korea. He had been with GH Mobile for a long time since the days when it was still Mulpasaneop. He graduated from Chungang University majoring in English Literature, and he was in his mid-50s. He served his military service in Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA). Even though he majored in English literature in college and served KATUSA, he couldn’t speak English very well. Maybe because he hadn’t had a chance to practice it for a long time. He was very good at communicating with other people and he had thick skin, so he had the right aptitude for sales. He developed his career in the sales area in his entire life.

“You sent for me?”

“Please have a seat.”

“I am thinking of visiting our current customers once Dyeon Korea produced the sample products.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“I am also working on the pamphlet design right now, so we can carry them with the sample products.”

“Hmm, I see. I have always admired your energy to work hard.”

“Haha. I’m just doing my job, sir.”

“And… the reason I asked you to come to my office is that we were just informed that Dyeon will send the vice president to Dyeon Korea next week.”

“The vice president, sir?”

“You have already read the joint venture contract, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I have, sir.”

“If you read the contract carefully, it says that at the beginning of Dyeon Korea, I will be the president of Dyeon Korea, but Dyeon will send one of their workers as a vice president. They can send more workers for various positions with Dyeon Korea, but considering the cost of labor, they are sending the vice president only for this time. A few engineers will be here too, and they will stay with us for several months. They will help us operate the equipment.”

“I am aware of it, sir.”

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Chapter 271 - Recruit (1) – Part 2

Chapter 271: Recruit (1) – Part 2

“The vice president who Dyeon is sending to us is Mr. Adam Castler. He is in his late 30s, and he is single. He is in a one-step higher position than you, Director Yoon. I hope you could get along with him well.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir. I will get along with him. I guess maybe it’s a good opportunity for me to practice my English.”

“I know you will do fine with him since you know well how to attract people in sales. But since he is younger than you, I was concerned. Your president is younger than you, and the new vice president is younger than you. It might be an uncomfortable situation for you.”

“Oh, no, not necessarily, sir. I actually prefer to have a young person as my boss. Many old people don’t respect the workers who have a lower-ranked position than him, and they tend to talk bad about the person behind his back. I definitely like a young person better for my boss.”

“Haha. That’s good to know.”

“So you have nothing to worry about, sir.”

“Can you find a house where the new vice president—Mr. Adam Castler—could stay in? I am thinking of providing him a rental condo in Asan City with a monthly payment. He is coming from the U.S., and I don’t want to ask him to stay in a OneRoomTel.”

“How large are you thinking?”

“Hmm… Maybe 18 pyung or 25 pyung large. That should be enough since he will be staying by himself.”

“Yes, sir. I will find one for him.”

“Please find one that was built within ten years and redo the wallpaper.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We will have to provide him a vehicle as well. I am not sure if he will need a chauffeur.”

“If we provide him a chauffeur, we will have to hire an additional worker, and that will cost us. For now, I can share my car with him, and then if he can drive, maybe we can rent a car for him.”

“Hmm… Let’s talk about it again once he arrives here.”

“Yes, sir. I will look for a rental condo for him for now.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon from GH Media.

“President Goo, are you busy? Can we talk?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I was informed that we will have a high school reunion.”

“Why didn’t they call me directly?”

“According to Suk-Ho Lee from Gyeongridan Street, he tried to reach you by calling your office number, but your secretary’s office refused to transfer his call to you.”

“We don’t have a secretary’s office here.”

“It seems that our friends find it difficult to give you a call. I was actually hesitant too before I make a call to you today. I didn’t want to disrupt your work since I know you are a busy man.”

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

“So we are getting together this Saturday at Gangnam Station. They all said they want to see you at our meeting.”

“Well, you can have fun without me; it’s not like I have some special skills to amuse you, guys. Well, I will make time for Saturday.”

“Thank you.”

“How’s the publishing company going?”

“Since President Shin made the contract for the cartoon series, we have been really busy. Since it is a cartoon, we need to be thorough in our editing work after they are fully translated into Korean.”

“That’s good, right? Being busy at work is good.”

“The first two books will soon be printed. Once they come out, I believe President Shin will send them to you.”

“Well, since it is a cartoon, I will read them. I’m not sure if that cartoon bookstore is still there in Juan Town, Incheon City. I used to rent lots of Japanese cartoon books before.”

“I am still renting those cartoons and reading them.”

“Haha, really? Well, keep up the good work. I gotta go now. Someone is asking for my presence.”

“Okay. I will tell our high school friends that you will join us this Saturday.”

While Gun-Ho was talking with Jae-Sik Moon on the phone, the general affairs director entered the office with the payroll documents to be signed.

Gun-Ho signed it with pleasure.

Gun-Ho received a call from the former vice president of S Group.

“Can we meet today? I think I want to get some fresh air and go to Jiksan Town.”

“Today? Sure. I will be waiting for you here.”

“Do you want me to come to your factory?”

“Sure. Come by 11:40 am. The workers will take lunch at noon, so if you want to see the production line working, you have to come before noon.”

“Okay. I will see you then.”

S Group was a part of the H Group, which was one of the largest companies in Korea like Samsung. There was a rumor saying that the owner of the S Group was related to H Group’s owner. S Group had several factories worldwide including the U.S., China, India, and Europe. Egnopak was doing business with S Group and so was GH Mobile.

The former vice president of S Group, Mr. Jang-Hwan Song, graduated from Korea University majoring in Business and worked for S Group. He had worked as a branch manager within Korea and overseas as well. He had spent most of his time abroad, so he didn’t have time to build his own network in Korea, and that worked adversely in a recent job appointment within S Group. So he quit his job, and he was taking a break at home.

Mr. Jang-Hwan Song arrived at GH Mobile at 11:40 sharp.

“Oh, Mr. Vice President, it’s really good to see you again.”

The former vice president extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake while smiling.

“I do like your building.”

“It’s soon lunchtime. Let’s have a tour at the production site first.”

“Sounds good.”

When Gun-Ho and the S Group’s former vice president entered the production site, the workers at the site seemed to work harder than usual. They tried to sit tight and work really hard. The forklift truck seemed to come and go more often than usual and made a louder noise.

“This area is for extruding, and that area is for molding. We do cutting in the building next door.”

“Hmm… the arrangement for the moving line is a bit…”

“Pardon me?”

“No, never mind. It looks awesome. I feel like I am looking at the S Group’s factory in Tianjin, China.”

“Oh, that’s right. You worked in Tianjin too, right?”

“Yes, when I was in a director position, I worked there, managing the factory.”

“Was it a joint venture?”

“No, it was an independent company. Oh, speaking of which, how is the GH Mobile’s company in China doing? I heard it is located in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province.”

“It’s barely making a living.”

“S Group has four factories in China. If you can make a contract with just one of them, that could be a lucrative business for GH Mobile.”

“Please make some connection for us.”

“Oh, haha. I no longer work for S Group. I have no such power. You will have to go and see the person in charge frequently and talk to him often.”

Gun-Ho thought it was too much for Min-Hyeok to do the sales work and develop new customers by himself.

When Gun-Ho and the former vice president of S Group were walking in the factory yard, music resounded through the yard. That meant their lunchtime started. 250 workers in uniform started pouring into the yard; they were heading out to the company restaurant.

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Chapter 272 - Recruit (2) – Part 1

Chapter 272: Recruit (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to a restaurant that specialized in Soy Sauce Gejang* with the former vice president of S Group—Mr. Jang-Hwan Song for lunch that day. Mr. Song said he used to come to this restaurant pretty often when he enjoyed golfing before. The restaurant was located on the road that led to Jincheon County in Chungcheongbukdo Province. It was not very crowded and Gun-Ho liked it. The crab dish came with lots of various side dishes.

“Sir, since you don’t work today, why don’t you have some rice wine?”

“Maybe I should. Haha. But I blush whenever I drink liquor…”

Former Vice President Song drank a glass of rice wine anyway. He seemed to be feeling good that day.

During lunch, Gun-Ho and Mr. Song just exchanged superficial small talk. Since they were having marinated raw crabs, they talked about crabs in general. They talked about the crabs caught in Yeongpyeongdo Island and they also discussed the taste of the crabs in Imjin River. After they were done talking about crabs, they started talking about golf. Mr. Song seemed to enjoy golfing a lot. Since he stayed overseas for an extensive period of time in his entire career, he knew lots of popular golf courses abroad.

After lunch, Mr. Song tried to get a cup of coffee from a vending machine inside the restaurant when Gun-Ho suggested something else.

“Why don’t we have a cup of coffee in a nice café instead of having it here?”

Gun-Ho took Mr. Song to Cheonho Reservoir in Cheonan City where they could have the view of Dankook University. There were many nice cafés in the area.

Gun-Ho and Mr. Song were sitting at a café while looking at the lake. Gun-Ho asked him,

“I know there are more than twenty large companies which supply their products to S Group, like Egnopak. Have you been offered any position by any of those companies?”

“Yes. I have actually received a job offer from two companies, but I decided to decline their offer. They are small companies compared to S Group, and I know they can’t offer me a president position and they will give me a vice president position. I didn’t want to work for a small company as a vice president. Moreover, if I join them, I am sure they will ask me to use my connection with S Group to demand them to buy more products. I didn’t want to do that.”

“But you can do that, right?”

“Not necessarily. S Group wouldn’t increase their purchase unless the manufacturing company doesn’t produce defective products and it can provide the products on time.”

“That makes sense. They won’t increase the volume of product purchase if they can’t rely on the manufacturer.”

“Right. You probably know well, President Goo. Manufacturing business is all about producing good products without any defect. A large company like S Group doesn’t accept products from a company that is consistently producing defective products just because someone who has a connection with them is asking for it.”

“Hmm.”

“Your company, President Goo, GH Mobile is producing some defective products as well. You might not have received any report specifically about the defective products, but your company has probably recalled several products already. The department which is in charge of it should be aware of it.”

“I believe you have been working mostly for a company that is registered with KOSDAQ. Have you ever worked for a company that was a private company but became a public company while you were working there?”

“Of course. After I helped one company go public, they let me go instead of promoting me.”

“Who did that?”

“What do you think? Obviously, the company owner’s family did that.”

“They are so bad.”

“The large company’s owners, especially the founder’s children or grandchildren have very different and unique mindset and approach in handling things in life.”

“Could you elaborate?”

“I would say it is like elitism. They think they are the dominant group in the society, and most people are the workers for them or slaves. I had participated in a civil rights protest when I was in college before I entered into S Group, but I am not saying this because I am biased.”

Mr. Song looked at the lake nostalgically while having a cup of coffee.

“It has been already 24 years since I began my career with S Group. I’ve had a good life while I was working there, so I don’t have any resentment toward them now.”

“Sir, why don’t you join us to GH Mobile? Let’s work together.”

Mr. Song’s eyes widened.

“I do appreciate your offer and thank you for highly recognizing my ability at work. I actually do like you, President Goo. I was told that you started your career as a factory worker. At first, I didn’t believe that, but I realized later that it was true. It must have not been easy for you to come this far and I admire you for it. And I highly recognize your success at a young age. I was intrigued by your unique career path and it was interesting for me to see how you grow your company.”

“Thank you.”

“However, I don’t think there is much I can do for GH Mobile.”

“I just want you to be there. We were able to successfully develop our new product—AM083 Assembly because of you, sir.”

“Don’t say that. GH Mobile developed that product with its technology and system.”

“Do you remember I told you before that I consider you like my older brother? Please join me at GH Mobile, I need your help, brother.”

“Well, I don’t know. If I join you, I want to be productive at least as much as I get paid.”

“Join us and help us go public.”

Mr. Song finished his coffee. He turned his head to Gun-Ho; he looked serious.

“If I successfully help GH Mobile go public, what would you give to me in return?”

Gun-Ho didn’t expect the question, and he couldn’t quickly respond to him.

Mr. Song continued,

“Even though I like you personally, President Goo, business is business. I don’t want to make the same mistake. I don’t want to be kicked out once I help a company go public.”

Gun-Ho made a serious face and asked,

“What do you want in return, sir?”

It was getting dark and several college students started coming into the café.

Silence filled the air.

Mr. Song broke the silence and said,

“Once GH Mobile is successfully registered with KOSDAQ, the price of the shares will increase ten or twenty times the current price. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I know that.”

“Well, since GH Mobile is not a pharmaceutical company or an IT company that often produces a new product, but it is a manufacturing company, the price of the share won’t increase that dramatically, but at least it will increase five times the current price.”

“I am aware of it, too”

“Then you know what I want.”

Gun-Ho laughed.

“So, you want company shares.”

“Before I left home to meet with you today, I read GH Mobile’s financial statements. There are lots of things to be done in order to fulfill the requirement of KOSDAQ registration. I can make GH Mobile be registered with KOSDAQ within three years. Give me the company shares. I want 3% of what you are currently holding, President Goo.”

“3%…”

“I am not asking that I want to participate constantly in managing GH Mobile. I am getting old so I can’t hold it for a long time anyway, and I will let my power in managing the company go when the time comes.”

“Okay. I will give you 3% of the GH Mobile shares. Also, since you used to work as a vice president for a large company, I will give you a co-president position at GH Mobile.”

Mr. Song extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake. Gun-Ho grabbed it. The female college students of Dankook University, who were sitting at a table across the hall, looked at Gun-Ho and Mr. Song and laughed. They were probably thinking that these two middle-aged men were acting weird in a café.

Note*

Gejang – Fresh raw crab dish, which is marinated in soy sauce

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Chapter 273 - Recruit (2) – Part 2

Chapter 273: Recruit (2) – Part 2

Min-Hyeok Kim’s wedding was around the corner.

The wedding will be held in China first, and Gun-Ho knew Min-Hyeok didn’t have many friends in China who could attend his wedding.

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Jae-Sik Moon who worked as a chief editor at GH Media.

“Jae-Sik? It’s me, Gun-Ho.”

“Oh, President Goo.”

“You heard that Min-Hyeok is getting married soon, right?”

“Yes. His wedding will be held on the 16th of this month in Shanghai, right?”

“I will attend his wedding in Shanghai, and you will have to come with me to China.”

“Me?”

“Yes. We don’t want to make Min-Hyeok feel lonely at his wedding without friends. You and me must go there and celebrate with him. I will pay for the trip.”

“Okay then. I’ve never been to China before.”

“He will have another wedding in Korea after the one in China, so we don’t have to make too much money as a gift this time.”

“Haha. He is a lucky man with two weddings.”

“Well, speaking of which, Min-Hyeok is getting married soon, and you already did that once, and I am the only one who has never been married.”

“I was married but I didn’t have a wedding ceremony.”

“Why not?”

“We couldn’t afford to have one at that time. We just lived together without a wedding ceremony. We registered our marriage though.”

“Oh, are you seeing your ex-wife again?”

“Since my life became stable as I am working for GH Media, I started seeing my ex-wife from time to time.”

“Why don’t you live together then?”

“I guess we still need some time alone before that.”

“It shouldn’t be that complicated. Just live together. What’s the problem?”

“We have our own reasons. Let’s talk about something else.”

“Okay. We will have a high school reunion tomorrow, and we can leave for China the day after tomorrow then.”

“You are coming to the high school reunion, right? Everyone is asking me if you are coming. They seem to be interested in you.”

“I think I will go unless something unexpected happens.”

Director Dong-Chan Kim came to Gun-Ho’s office to let him know how the accommodation arrangement went for Mr. Adam Castler who would soon come to join Dyeon Korea as a vice president.

“There are tons of good condos for rent. I looked at Purgio Condo. They are asking 500,000 won per month with a security deposit of 10,000,000 won. That’s for a 25 large pyung condo.”

“If you like that one, let’s take it.”

“But we will have to hang new wallpaper for that condo, and we need to buy a refrigerator and washer and other home appliances. It will cost additional money. So, I was thinking what if we lease a two-room villa for him?”

“A villa?”

“I saw a good villa in the rental market. It’s close to our company. It is a newly constructed building and it is clean. The villa comes with full option including a refrigerator, washer, and other essential home appliances. So, we won’t have to spend additional money other than the rent. Additionally, it is within walking distance from our company.”

“It’s not in a city. Do you think he would be okay with it?”

“I’ve been with Americans before when I served KATUSA so I know them. Americans usually prefer to live in a single house rather than a high-rise condo.”

“How much do they ask?”

“They are asking 450,000 won per month with 5,000,000 won security deposit. We need to pay tax for it though.”

“Let’s have Mr. Adam Castler stay in a hotel for one or two days when he arrives here, and then show him the condo and the villa. And give him all the information we have, such as the rental price and the options that each property provides. We will let him choose.”

“Sounds good, sir.”

“Since you served KATUSA and majored English literature in college, I think you will get along with Mr. Adam Castler just fine.”

“I served KATUSA 25 years ago. I forgot a lot of things, especially in English. If I worked for a company that required me to speak English like a trading company, I would have probably been able to speak English fine.”

“Do the American soldiers really like a single house better?”

“Yes, they do. I served my military service in Dongducheon City with American soldiers. At least those people there prefer a single house. Americans are the descendants of the pioneers who settled in the West, so it makes sense.”

Gun-Ho headed to Gangnam Station to join the high school reunion. He arrived after seven o’clock in the evening. He arrived a bit late because he left his car at the parking lot in TowerPalace; he purposefully left his car at home because he thought he would drink some liquor that evening.

The high school friends assumed that Gun-Ho wouldn’t come to the reunion when he didn’t show up until 7 pm. They already started drinking.

“Oh, Gun-Ho is here.”

“Hey, Gun-Ho.”

“You should probably be very busy. Come and have a seat here.”

Won-Chul Jo stood up from his seat and asked Gun-Ho to sit next to him.

It was not just Won-Chul Jo who stood up to greet Gun-Ho, but almost everyone stood up when they saw Gun-Ho coming into the room to join them. No one seemed to be jealous of Gun-Ho who was making lots of money. Instead, they all seemed to be part of Gun-Ho’s business or inner circle to receive some benefits from Gun-Ho’s success.

“So are we all here?”

“We don’t get together regularly, but we thought we’d better get together today since we haven’t seen each other for a long time. Moreover, Min-Hyeok is getting married soon, so we wanted to talk about it too.”

“We don’t have to go to Shanghai in China to attend Min-Hyeok’s wedding this time. He will have another wedding soon in Korea. We all can attend that wedding.”

“Right. We were talking about collecting money gifts for Min-Hyeok’s wedding in China since Jae-Sik will attend his wedding in China.”

“You don’t have to because you can give it to him when he has his wedding in Korea. If you are so close with Min-Hyeok and wants to give him a gift money twice, then it’s up to you.”

“Maybe we should.”

“Oh, let me fill up your glass with liquor. You didn’t bring your car today, right?”

“Yeah. I left it at home. I knew I wanted to drink today since I would be with friends.”

“Hey, order one more bottle of liquor since Gun-Ho is here. We will need more liquor.”

The room became noisy again.

“What is Won-Chul Jo is doing now?”

“Me? I am the assistant manager in the general affairs department.”

“What about Byeong-Chul Hwang? Is he still a staff researcher?”

“No, I am a senior researcher now. You said, your company has a research center, right?”

“Yeah, we have one. You used to be ranked number one in class when we were in high school. I think you should be the lead researcher by next year. You deserve it.”

“Your company’s chief officer of the research center, which university did he graduate from?”

“Our chief officer has a Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Oh, maybe you know him. He used to work in a research center located in Pangyo City.”

“How old is he?”

“He is in his early 50s.”

“Maybe I know him. Does he have the last name—Oh?”

“That’s right. His name is Joon-Soo Oh.”

Byeong-Chul Hwang just nodded his head without saying a word.

Min-Ho Kang who was sitting across the table chipped in. He was working for a civic group.

“What position does your chief officer of the research center have? What’s the name of the research center?”

“We don’t have a name for our research center. Our chief officer has a director position.”

“Well, all those people are working for you, Gun-Ho, right? You are on the highest position.”

Gun-Ho just smiled.

“Wow. You, Gun-Ho, you are really something. We are so proud of you. Let me fill up your glass with liquor.”

Min-Ho Kang didn’t try to be sarcastic anymore with Gun-Ho as he always had been with everyone.

Many high school friends didn’t come to the gathering that evening, compared to the last time. Some of them were too busy in mind with the burden of life.

Gun-Ho said while drinking the liquor that Min-Ho Kang handed to him,

“I came late today, so I will buy a drink for all. Enjoy it.”

“Gun-Ho Goo, you should come late on our meeting every time from now on, okay? So you can buy us a drink all the time.”

As Min-Ho said it, everyone laughed.

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Chapter 274 - Recruit (3) – Part 1

Chapter 274: Recruit (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon left for Shanghai, China in order to attend Min-Hyeok’s wedding.

Gun-Ho who was still worried about not having many friends at Min-Hyeok’s wedding made a phone call to Professor Jien Wang and Director Seukang Li. The wedding was held at a restaurant called JangGang in Shanghai. Gun-Ho at first thought, when he heard the name of the restaurant, that it was a restaurant serving some Chinese noodles; however, it turned out that the restaurant was located in Changjiang Hotel and the wedding would be held at the hotel.

The wedding ceremony overall was similar to the one in Korea, except that they used red color extensively in decorating the wedding hall. Jae-Sik was carrying his camera with him all the time during his stay in Shanghai, and he brought it with him to the wedding as well, and he was busy taking pictures with it.

“Hey, you seem to be so busy there in taking pictures, huh?”

“Yeah, I just want to keep all these in record.”

“Enjoy the view and the moment. You might miss things by keeping yourself busy in taking pictures.”

“Don’t ask me later to show you these pictures to remember the moment here.”

The wedding was performed in a Western-style. Just like a wedding in Korea, the tables were covered with tablecloths; liquor and beverage were placed on them, along with a lucky bag with some chocolate in it.

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik sat at a table where its table nameplate said Xin Lang Pengyou. Jae-Sik took a picture of that table nameplate as well because it looked exotic with Chinese characters on it.

“It seems that Chinese people call a friend Pengyou.”

After a while, Jien Wang and Seukang Li arrived. When they saw Gun-Ho, they seemed to be very happy.

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo!”

“Thank you for coming, friend.”

“Why are you saying that? Of course, we should come to congratulate Min-Hyeok.”

“Oh, Jae-Sik, these are my Chinese friends.”

“This is Jien Wang; he is a college professor in the business department at Zhejiang University. And this is Seukang Li; he is a director of a bureau in Shanghai City.”

The three men exchanged their business cards to each other. Jae-Sik Moon stared at Jien Wang’s and Seukang Li’s business cards for a while.

“Are you going to take a picture of those business cards too?”

Jae-Sik scratched his head in embarrassment.

After looking at Jae-Sik’s business card, Seu-Kang Li asked Gun-Ho,

“What’s his position?”

“He is a chief editor in a publishing company.”

“Oh, I see.”

Jae-Sik felt envious of Gun-Ho who was speaking Chinese fluently while talking with Jien Wang and Seukang Li.

“I knew Gun-Ho made a fortune and became a rich man, but I didn’t know he could speak Chinese fluently.”

Jae-Sik Moon was amazed by Gun-Ho’s ability in communicating freely with Chinese people in their native tongue, which he newly found.

Right before the wedding started, the president and the vice president of Jinxi Construction Company arrived. They came all the way to the wedding venue to congratulate Min-Hyeok.

“Hey, Chinkkeo Seon! You, Kkangsin Kkao came too!”

“Gun-Ho Goo, good to see you again.”

“Thank you so much for coming.”

“Of course we should come. We are Pengyou (friend), right?”

Once the wedding ceremony began, all sorts of dishes started coming out as well. The duration of the ceremony was a lot longer than the Korean one. The guests started drinking the strong Chinese alcohol—Baijiu with oily Chinese food. A lot of them smoked too, and it made the room filled with smoke.

It was time for picture-taking with friends. Five people attended the wedding as Min-Hyeok’s friends, and that was enough number of friends to make Min-Hyeok feel supported and cared.

Jien Wang whispered into Gun-Ho’s ear in a low voice,

“The bride looks exotic.”

“She is Korean-Chinese. And she studied in the U.S. Now she is teaching at the international school in Shanghai.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho looked at the bride. She was tall and she was a beauty.

Once Gun-Ho returned to Korea after attending Min-Hyeok’s wedding in China, he called for a meeting.

“Since we acquired Mulpasaneop, our sales revenue has steadily increased because of your hard work. The capital of this company is 3 billion won, but I spent an additional 5 billion won in order to pay off urgent debts and to build a new factory.”

The directors and managers made notes while Gun-Ho was talking.

“We don’t have urgent debts anymore and we don’t have a creditor who is pressing us hard to repay them. We don’t have unpaid wages any longer. So, our company is doing okay now. However, we have to keep in mind that we still have debt which is about the same amount as our sales revenue. Since we have to make a payment to the bank for the loan interest, we can’t raise your or other employees’ salaries yet. Our internal auditor here should know better since he is the one who has been handling all financial matters.”

The internal auditor was listening to Gun-Ho, and the other executives kept taking notes. Gun-Ho was in his mid-30s and he used to work as a factory worker while the managers and directors in the meeting had a high academic degree and work experience, and most of them were in their 50s. Gun-Ho continued to talk,

“Mr. Internal Auditor, how much debt do we currently have in total?”

“As of today, we have about 70 billion won debt including accounts payable, short-term and long-term debt.”

“Let me then ask you, Director Dong-Chan Kim, who is in charge of sales. Is it possible that we can pay all these debt off by selling our products?”

“It will be really difficult to do so for now.”

“Listen up. I am planning to go public in the near future. We keep increasing our sales revenue and reducing our debt, and then we register our company with KOSDAQ. There are certain things required in order to be registered with KOSDAQ. And a certain percentage of the company’s shares must be owned by a certain number of people. So, once we go public, our employees will have an opportunity to own the company’s shares. Once they own a piece of our company, it will grow their sense of ownership toward the company and hopefully, that would lead to high productivity.”

The executives kept writing quickly on their notes as Gun-Ho continued to talk.

“My goal is growing this company as a KOSDAQ registered firm.”

The internal auditor chipped in.

“That sounds great, sir. I do believe this company needs to go public. We can bring in more funds and it will improve our employees’ work environment. Once we become a public company, we don’t have to borrow money from a bank, but we can issue stocks instead to raise funds.”

Gun-Ho continued,

“So I want to strengthen our sales, and also bring in a person who has extensive work experience in the field.”

Once Gun-Ho announced that he wanted to bring a new person in, the manager and directors stopped taking notes at once and looked at Gun-Ho.

“Starting the first day of the next month, we will be working with Mr. Jang-Hwan Song who used to work for S Group as a vice president. Since he has extensive work experience with a large company, I am thinking of giving him a position of a co-president.”

The executives looked at each other in surprise.

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Chapter 275 - Recruit (3) – Part 2

Chapter 275: Recruit (3) – Part 2

“The reason I want to bring him into our company as a co-president is that I will be really busy once Dyeon Korea starts its business, and I won’t be able to manage every business activity of GH Mobile. I will, of course, be involved with important decision making such as on a new investment, for example, but for daily work management, our new president—President Song will help you.”

Director Dong-Chan Kim commented on the news that Gun-Ho just broke. Maybe he felt more comfortable and liberal to talk about GH Mobile’s new co-president because he would soon start working for Dyeon Korea.

“S Group has several branch offices, and President Song is highly respected in the field. I don’t know much about registering a company with KOSDAQ, but I can tell that President Song will be extremely helpful in increasing our sales revenue.”

Gun-Ho wanted to hear from the new chief officer of the research center and Director Yoon who was in charge of construction. They both usually didn’t make any comment on things that were not directly related to their departments.

“What do you think? Director Oh and Director Yoon? Anything you would like to add?”

“We will follow your decision, sir.”

“Director Choi from the general affairs department, would you like to make any comment on it?”

The director of the general affairs department didn’t know much about the fields other than his own department, just like the research center’s chief officer and the construction director, so he responded,

“I have nothing to add, sir.”

Once the meeting was over, Gun-Ho asked the general affairs director to stay.

“This is President Jang-Hwan Song’s phone number. You probably need to talk with him to prepare the necessary paperwork before he starts working with us.”

“Yes, sir. I will need his job acceptance letter and his certificate of a registered seal. I will talk to him.”

“Oh, and get a job application papers from him too.”

“Yes, sir. I will ask him to send us his resume and resident registration.”

“Sounds good. You are dismissed.”

The general affairs director didn’t leave the office right away; he seemed to have something to ask Gun-Ho.

“Umm… Sir, how much salary are we offering to him?”

“Oh, his wage? Hmm… Let’s give him 90% of what I currently receive.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, one more thing. Do we need to make a modification on the business registration?”

“Since we are having a co-president, yes, we will have to file for the change. Also, you will need to let our vendors and customer companies know about it too. I will have to put them on notice about the major changes in our company.”

“A lot of work to do.”

“For our major customer companies, we need to send an official letter to them in informing that we now have a new co-president. For other customer and vendor companies, we can just send our new business registration reflecting the change. And don’t forget to register the new co-president’s certificate of the registered seal. I guess you are about to be very busy.”

“Sir, I am on it.”

The director of the general affairs department left Gun-Ho’s office after giving him a bow.

The secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park brought Gun-Ho newspapers and mails.

Many of them were spam mails. Gun-Ho had no idea how all these people learned his name, but he received tons of mails from all sorts of organizations such as business owner’s golf clubs, overseas travel clubs, health improvement for business owners’ clubs, and etc.

Gun-Ho didn’t even bother to open those mails, but he just threw them out into a trashcan.

Gun-Ho opened the newspaper. He loved his newspaper reading time during his working day when he read a newspaper while having a cup of coffee. Gun-Ho could read news through the Internet, but he preferred to read paper news. That way, he didn’t feel very tired with his eyes.

When he was enjoying his time reading a newspaper, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park entered the office.

“We have someone here, sir. He’d like to talk with you.”

“Who is he?”

“He said, he is from Egnopak.”

“Egnopak? Hmmm. Their president came and talked with me not long ago.”

“This man is younger.”

“Probably, Egnopak’s president sent someone. Let him in.”

Surprisingly, it was Egnopak’s president’s son—Dong-Hwan Kim. He didn’t come alone, but he was with three men who looked like a bouncer.

“Hello.”

“President Dong-Hwan Kim? You came to see me with bouncers or are they your bodyguards? You are not supposed to visit another person’s company with bouncers.”

“I came to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

At that moment, the general affairs director came into Gun-Ho’s office with several other male employees. Gun-Ho was wondering what the general affairs director was doing there, so he asked,

“What are you doing, Director Kim?”

“Oh, umm… I was told that several strangers went into your office, sir.”

“Hahaha. Nothing to worry about, Director Kim. This is Egnopak’s president’s son.”

The director of the general affairs left Gun-Ho’s office with the male employees he brought with.

Dong-Hwan Kim lowered his head in front of Gun-Ho and said,

“I am so sorry, sir. I have just been released from jail. My father told me to come and see you and apologize for my earlier behavior.”

“Let bygones be bygones. We can get along fine from now on.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Mr. Dong-Hwan Kim for a handshake.

“We apologize to you too, sir.”

The three bouncers stood up from their seats and kneeled on the floor.

“What are you guys doing? Please get up! This is a business entity. I don’t want anyone to misunderstand what’s going on here. Get up!”

“We didn’t know you are the big brother of our Tae-Young bro.”

“Tae-Young?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t quickly recall who Tae-Young was at first, and then he realized they were talking about Mr. Tae-Young Im.

“Oh, Tae-Young Im!”

Gun-Ho smiled.

“I am so busy today, so let’s just have a cup of tea before you leave.”

Gun-Ho asked his secretary, Ms. Hee-Jeong Park to bring some green tea.

While having a cup of green tea, Gun-Ho said,

“We shouldn’t use violence. It doesn’t just prevent you from harming others, but you can get hurt too.”

“We will keep that in mind, sir.”

“Also, Mr. Dong-Hwan Kim. You will inherit your father’s company, and it is wise for you to act with discretion and caution.”

“I will keep it in mind.”

One bouncer chipped in.

“I don’t see the person who was with you, sir. The man who attacked us with a screwdriver.”

“Oh, Jong-Suk Park?”

“He has really fast kicks. I’ve been in this field for a long time, but I’ve never seen a person with that kind of kicks before.”

Dong-Hwan Kim added,

“I thought he was the leader of a gangster.”

Gun-Ho laughed, and he asked the bouncers,

“Were there anyone who got injured?”

“Of course there were. Our people got injured too. One of us lost several teeth after having hit by that person with a screwdriver.”

“Oh, really?”

As a matter of fact, I believe more people were injured in our party than yours, sir.”

“Anyhow, using violence only produces more harm to both parties. I accept your apology. You can leave now. I have work to do. My employees are probably waiting for me with reports to be reviewed and signed by now.”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with the bouncers and tapped their shoulders.

Dong-Hwan Kim and the bouncers gave Gun-Ho a 90-degree bow before they left Gun-Ho’s office.

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Chapter 276 - Vice President Adam Castler (1) – Part 1

Chapter 276: Vice President Adam Castler (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok. He wanted to thank Gun-Ho again for coming to China to congratulate him on his wedding.

“Thank you, friend, for coming to my wedding. The money you gifted me is a lot. Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it. It was not much at all.”

“I didn’t expect to see Jae-Sik coming to my wedding. I do really appreciate it. Also, I was surprised when I saw Seukang Li and Jien Wang.”

“I knew you didn’t have many friends in China, so I called them all to come and join me in congratulating on your wedding.”

“I actually expected to not see any friends at my wedding in China. But because of you, I suddenly had six friends at my wedding. I was so happy.”

“Haha.”

“And you know what? When my father-in-law saw Seukang Li coming to my wedding, he was impressed by my social connections.”

“How come? Does he know Seukang Li?”

“My father-in-law is an artist. I told you about it before, right? He is not a very well-known painter, but he made enough money by selling his artwork to support his daughters who are studying in the U.S.”

“Really?”

“Seukang Li is the director of the bureau of cultural affairs, radio broadcasting, film, television, and arts. I think they know each other; you know, the artists and the director of that bureau. When I told my father-in-law that Seukang Li is one of my friends, he seemed to be surprised.”

“Haha. Really? I guess I’ll get one of your father-in-law’s paintings someday.”

“He sometimes has his own art exhibition. You can come then. To be honest with you, I’ve never been to his art exhibition before.”

“Did you buy a home to start a family?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I think you told me that before. You said you were going to buy a condo that was about 150 million Korean won.”

“Yes, it’s a condo located close to our factory in Suzhou City. It is one of the luxurious condos in the area. My wife, Dingding loves it. Fang Di Chan (Real estate) agency also told me that I could expect its price to go up.”

“How large is it?”

“It’s 84㎡. It’s about 25 pyung in Korea. The name of the condo complex is Chiwonhwawon. If you say you are living in Chiwonhwawon, people will automatically think you are wealthy. It has three bedrooms, enough room to have guests sometimes. My parents-in-law spent the night with us yesterday.”

“Did your wife find a job there?”

“Yes, she did. The international school here offered her a job right away.”

“That’s really good. Your wife is really pretty.”

“Not really. She looks really pretty when you see her from 20 meters away. I call her the ’20 meter beauty.’ If you get a closer look at her, you would know what I’m talking about.”

“Haha. What are you talking about? Your wife is pretty regardless of how far you are looking at her from.”

“Haha. Thank you for saying that.”

“How much did you borrow money from the bank when you bought your home?”

“It’s 100 million won.”

“The monthly payment for the interest should be high.”

“Since we are both working, I guess we can handle it.”

“Let’s do this. If you spend too much on paying for the loan interest, that will slow you down in moving forward with your life. I will lend you 100 million won without interest, and once you get your stock option at the end of the year, you can pay me back.”

“No no, Gun-Ho. I don’t want to impose.”

“Just do it. I am insisting.”

“How about we do this?”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot if I can ask you for a favor…”

“Just spit it out, man.”

“I have actually been agonizing over this…”

“What?”

“I will have another wedding in Korea next month. It will be held in Incheon City.”

“Of course. That’s where your parents are.”

“And my bride wanted to visit my home there. My home in Juan Town in Incheon City is an old and small townhouse with only two bedrooms. The entrance to the townhouse complex is not very clean, and the building is more than 20 years old. It would be really embarrassing if my wife sees it.”

“Hmm.”

“When my father was still working as a bus driver, he had two big car accidents. At that time we had to spend a substantial amount of money from our savings to handle the situation, so our family couldn’t save enough money to find a better home. My parents are living there with a security deposit of 85 million won. If you could lend me 100 million won, I think I can help my parents buy a new home. For my home in China, I’ve already borrowed money from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. I think I can handle the payment here.”

“So, you are saying that your parents can buy a home with their security deposit of 85 million won and the 100 million won I would lend you.”

“Right. As you know well, there is a nice condo complex close to Juan Station. It’s the Hyundai HomeTown Condo. It’s my mom’s dream to live there.”

“Isn’t it expensive?”

“I can get a 30 pyung large condo there for 250 million won if I find an urgent sale property.”

“Then you are still short of 65 million won.”

“So, I think I can borrow that amount from a bank in Incheon. My father and my younger brother can make the payment for that loan. My father is making 1 million per month by driving a school bus, and my younger brother just got a job.”

“Where is your brother working?”

“The company’s name is Ilsin Electricity. They are doing subcontracting work at the Korea Electric Power Corporation. He has a level-1 license as an electrician.”

“Okay. I will lend you 100 million won.”

“Thank you and I’m sorry, Gun-Ho. I’ve been asking you so many favors. If you send the money and I get it from here in China, it’s going to be complicated for me to bring it to Korea, right? I have to make a report to the government too.”

“Don’t worry about it. I will prepare it in Korea. I will send 100 million won to your bank account in Korea. But remember that you should pay me back at the end of this year.”

“Thank you. I really really appreciate it. I don’t think I will ever be able to forget how you have helped me with my life. I will then tell my mom to put the townhome on the market. You are saving my whole family, Gun-Ho. Thank you so much.”

“Don’t say that. It’s not free, you know? I’m just lending you money for a short period of time. The president of GH Parts Company shouldn’t spend his precious time agonizing over a house matter.”

Lymondell Dyeon sent a fax from Seattle to GH Mobile. It said that Mr. Adam Castler who would join Dyeon Korea as a vice president would arrive within two days. When Gun-Ho was reading the fax, he received a call from the GH Development’s secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh from Seoul.

“Sir, I just received a call from Ms. Angelina Rein from Dyeon.”

“Was it about Mr. Adam Caster coming here soon?”

“You knew about this already, sir?”

“You will have to go to the airport to greet him, Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh, the day after tomorrow.”

“By myself, sir? I don’t even have a car to pick him up.”

“Let me see… Who should I send there with you? Oh, go with Director Kang. Let me talk to him now.”

After a while, Director Kang picked up the phone.

“It’s me, sir.”

“The vice president of Dyeon Korea is arriving here the day after tomorrow. He is an American.”

“Oh, really?”

“I want you to go to Incheon International Airport to greet him. Will you be available the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes, sir. We have the new accounting manager and Ms. Ji-Young Jeong here. They can take care of things around here during my absence.”

“You will need someone who can speak English fluently. Bring Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh with you. Once you pick up the vice president from the airport, bring him here to our factory in Jiksan Town.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I am asking you this because your Grandeur looks good.”

“Haha. It’s a used car, sir.”

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Chapter 277 - Vice President Adam Castler (1) – Part 2

Chapter 277: Vice President Adam Castler (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho called for Director Dong-Chan Kim.

“Mr. Adam Castler is coming the day after tomorrow.”

“Oh, really?”

“Is the villa with two rooms that you told me about earlier still available?”

“Yes, it is still available.”

“We will have him stay in a hotel for the first few days. Do you know any good hotels around here? Onyang Hot Spring Hotel is a bit far from here.”

“There is a hotel called Central Hotel. It’s in Seongjeong town. It’s not bad.”

“Okay. Let him stay there and tell him that since this is a small town, there are no large hotel chains.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Once Dyeon Korea’s factory starts working, we will need to hire workers by placing an official job posting. Until then, why don’t you find one or two people for now who can take care of trivial work? I’m not comfortable asking you to do the work like reserving a hotel room, Director Kim.”

“I’m totally okay with it, sir. If we hire a person now for no specific job to assign, we could just waste our money.”

“Once Mr. Adam Castler arrives, discuss with him the company’s organizational structure and hiring workers and things like that.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

“The three workers who went to the U.S. for training are coming back next week, including Jong-Suk Park. Also, we will have three engineers from Dyeon soon once we receive their equipment, and they will stay here for three months. We will need to find a place for them to stay too.”

“In that case, I strongly suggest the villa I told you about. The building has various sizes of units. Some have one room and some have two rooms. Mr. Castler can take the villa unit with two rooms and three engineers can stay in the unit with one room.”

Gun-Ho wire-transferred 100 million won from his personal bank account to Min-Hyeok’s account. Right after lunchtime that day, Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok.

“I received the 100 million won you sent. Thank you very much. I know it’s a significant amount of money and thank you for lending it to me. I told my mom that I borrowed it from the company and asked her to place the townhome on the market. Well, thank you again.”

“The townhome will easily be sold, right?”

“I was worried about that too, but I was told that it is moving season, so they will be able to find someone quickly who would want to take it.”

“You will have to find a condo for sale in the Hyundai HomeTown too, right?”

“I already talked with a real estate agent, and he said there are a few available on the market. So I asked my mom to check it out.”

“That’s nice.”

“And I attended a meeting for Korean businessmen here this morning. There was a person who was involved in Dandong Economic Development Zone in the border region between North Korea and China. He suggested that we should export our products to North Korea.”

“Dandong? Isn’t that the area around Amrok River?”

“That’s right. It’s facing Sinuiju City in North Korea across the international border of Amrok River.”

“Who was the person?”

“He is an executive officer of China Merchants Holdings International. He invited us to visit them in Dandong City.”

“Dandong…”

“So, I told him that I will need to talk with our board of directors first.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“How is GH Mobile?”

“Oh, a new co-president will join us soon at GH Mobile.”

“Really? Who is it?”

“It’s Mr. Jang-Hwan Song who used to work for S Group as a vice president.”

“S Group has tons of branch offices everywhere. There is one in Tianjin and another one is here in Suzhou City. I don’t know the exact locations, but there are several more in China.”

“How is their factory in Suzhou City? Is it big?”

“It is big. I believe they have more than 1,000 workers. I hope we can get a business with one of S Group’s branch offices here once the new co-president joins us. He can visit our factory here in China.”

“I will talk to him about it when he starts working with us.”

“I can’t wait to work with him. All of our equipment and machines are fully working right now. Thanks to the former GH Mobile’s plant manager who is working with us now here in GH Parts Company. He helped us fix all the equipment. We are ready to work more. I hope we can get some work from S Group.”

“How is he doing? Is he doing okay there in China?”

“He is doing great. He loves Chinese food here, and he often goes to Karaoke to enjoy his spare time.”

“Haha. Isn’t he a bit old to spend time in Karaoke?”

“That means he is still young, doesn’t it? I am thinking of hiring him as a part-time employee once his one-year work as an advisory position expires.”

“Well, that’s your call.”

“He is getting along very well with Chinese workers here.”

“That’s good to know. I think you need to consider hiring a Korean worker who can stay in the office while you are out for sales.”

“Well, then we will have to pay that person…”

“That way, you can focus on sales and generating more revenue.”

“Actually, there is one person who would fit right in.”

“Then hire that person.”

“He worked for a Korean company here, which closed its business and moved back to Korea. He worked as an assistant manager there. He is three years younger than us, but he has an extensive work experience at a factory. Moreover, he speaks Chinese fluently. Well, I will take care of it.”

“Sounds good.”

Mr. Adam Castler arrived at Incheon International Airport. Director Kang and Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh were there to greet him.

“Oh, Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh, it’s very nice meeting you finally in person.”

“Sir, this is our Director.”

“Oh, hi Mr. Director.”

“How do you do!”

“What?”

“How do you do?”

When Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh repeated what Director Kang said in English with better pronunciation, Mr. Adam Castler grabbed Director Kang’s hand and shook it.

Director Kang was wondering:

‘I said ‘how do you do’ exactly the same way as Ms. Yeong-Soo Oh did. How come he doesn’t understand what I said while perfectly understanding what Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh said? What’s wrong? This is going to be very stressful.’

Director Kang drove the car heading to Jiksan Town while Mr. Adam Castler and Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh were having a good time in conversing with each other. Director Kang couldn’t understand their conversation because they seemed to talk too fast. Director Kang didn’t like the feeling of being excluded from the conversation and being just a chauffeur.

It was the second time when Gun-Ho and Mr. Adam Castler met each other since the dinner party in Seattle.

“Oh, Mr. Goo!”

“Adam Castler!”

The two men hugged each other.

“Thank you for coming to join us all the way from the U.S.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh was interpreting simultaneously while they were talking to each other in their own native tongue.

Gun-Ho called for the executives and introduced them to Mr. Adam Castler; especially, Gun-Ho introduced Director Dong-Chan Kim as he would be the one who would be working closely with him at Dyeon Korea. Since Director Kim used to speak English during his military service with KATUSA, he could somewhat communicate with Mr. Adam Castler, and Mr. Castler was a very patient man.

“Why don’t you take a good rest in the hotel today and start working tomorrow. You can come to this place tomorrow. Director Dong-Chan Kim will give you a ride to your hotel.”

Mr. Adam Castler wanted to take a quick tour of the factory before he went to the hotel.

“Director Kim, why don’t you give him a tour?”

Director Kim showed Mr. Adam Castler around the factory, and Ms. Yeon-Soo followed them to interpret.

When they entered the production field where a loud machine noise filled the air, the workers glanced at Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler. They were wondering who the foreigner was.

“Is he a new buyer?”

The workers whispered to each other.

It was Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh’s first time to visit a production field at a factory. Heavy machines were laid out in an organized way, and the workers in the same uniform were moving quickly while manufacturing the products. It was interesting. While interpreting for Director Kang and for Mr. Adam Castler, Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh sometimes had a hard time coming up with the right word for a technical term about machines and factory matters.

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Chapter 278 - Vice President Adam Castler (2) – Part 1

Chapter 278: Vice President Adam Castler (2) – Part 1

After spending the first night in Korea, Mr. Adam Castler came to work the following morning.

“Good morning.”

Gun-Ho could say only the morning greeting to Mr. Adam Castler without an interpreter. Gun-Ho regretted to let Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh go back to Seoul to GH Development. Gun-Ho needed an interpreter, and Mr. Lee crossed his mind, who once interpreted for Gun-Ho when Dyeon sent their investigators to visit Gun-Ho’s factory. Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs director.

“Do you remember Mr. Lee who did the interpretation work for us when Dyeon’s examiners were here?”

“Yes, sir. I remember him. He was a retiree from a big company, and he used to work as a branch manager overseas.”

“Do you have his contact number?”

“Yes, I have it.”

“Call him and ask him to come to our company as soon as he could if he doesn’t have any prior engagement. He can take KTX; it’s the fastest way to get here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mr. Lee arrived at the factory in Jiksan Town before noon that day. He drove his Sonata instead of taking KTX.

“We need an interpreter for the next few days starting today.”

“Did you say a few days? Then, I guess I can stay in a motel just like I did last time.”

“That sounds good.”

Mr. Adam Castler was sitting at a desk in a small meeting room. It was his office for now, which was temporarily set for him. He looked happy when he saw an interpreter joining him.

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho took Mr. Adam Castler to the construction site in Asan City where the new factory for the joint venture was being built. Mr. Lee accompanied them, of course, to interpret for them. The factory was half-finished.

“Mr. Adam Castler, this is Director Yoon. He is in charge of the construction.”

Director Yoon could speak English; it might be because he used to work often abroad in overseeing construction. But he relied on the interpreter when he had to talk about important matters. Mr. Adam Castler seemed to have lots of things to point out.

“Once we receive a compressor, the electric switchboard needs to be placed here since the cooler box is long. We can’t place the compressor here. Place the compressor at the back and cover it to reduce the noise.”

Mr. Adam Caslter thoroughly examined the construction site while pointing out things that needed to be corrected.

While walking around the construction site with Mr. Adam Castler, Director Dong-Chan Kim decided to hire a worker who could speak English. Not just because of Mr. Adam Castler, but Dyeon would send three more workers who were Americans. He didn’t think that having an interpreter would be enough to work with them on a daily basis. He thought it would be better to have someone who could stay next to him all the time at work.

Director Dong-Chan Kim came to Gun-Ho and said,

“I’ve placed a job posting on WorkNet after you suggested hiring a worker now.”

“Good, but I’m not sure if we could find a good worker here in Asan City. Most competent workers prefer to work in Seoul.”

“We will close the job application submission the day after tomorrow. We will see then.”

Despite Gun-Ho’s concern, there were so many competent workers who were looking for a job. The position that Director Kim posted required only one-year work experience overseas, but thirty people applied for the job even though the job posting clearly stated the location of the work would be Asan City.

“Who’s going to interview them?”

“I was thinking that I would do the first interview, and you do the final interview, sir.”

“The new worker will be working with you, Director Kim, not me. So I don’t think I need to interview the candidates. You decide who to hire. You know what? Why don’t you bring Mr. Adam Castler to the interview? So you can test the candidates’ English ability as well.”

“Sounds good, sir.”

When Gun-Ho came to work in the morning, Mr. Adam Castler entered Gun-Ho’s office with the interpreter—Mr. Lee.

“Mr. Adam Castler wants to ask you something, sir.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

Mr. Adam Castler started talking in English with colorful body gestures.

“What is he saying?”

“He wants to move his desk to the construction site in Asan City.”

“We don’t even have an enclosed office space there yet.”

“He said he would be fine working in a container office.”

“Hmm, sure, if that’s what he wants.”

After Mr. Adam Castler left Gun-Ho’s office, Director Kim came into the office.

“Sir, I want to move to the container office in Asan City.”

“Won’t you be uncomfortable there? It’s really small. You will feel cramped.”

“It’s okay. The building will be completed within a month. It shouldn’t be a problem working in a container office for only a month. I will feel more comfortable working in a container office in Asan City rather than staying here since I now work for Dyeon Korea. Allow me to move there, sir.”

“Okay, if you insist. But I am not sure if we have enough container office.”

“We don’t have to buy an additional container office. We can just rent one.”

“Okay. Do what you need to do, Director Kim. Oh, Mr. Adam Castler is moving to the location as well. Show him the villa with two rooms, which we talked about the other day.”

“Yes, sir. I was going to do that, anyway.”

Director Dong-Chan Kim and Mr. Adam Castler started packing their stuff. Once they loaded the 1-ton truck which belonged to GH Mobile’s logistics team with their belongings and desks, they headed to Jiksan Town.

It was the day when the former S Group’s vice president—Mr. Jang-Hwan Song—finally joined GH Mobile as a co-president.

Gun-Ho called for the managers and executives to his office in order to welcome President Jang-Hwan Song.

“As of today, President Jang-Hwan Song will join us at GH Mobile as our co-president. I don’t think I need to introduce him to you since you all know him already. As you all know, he was the vice president of our major customer company—S Group. Let’s welcome him on board.”

Everyone in the room clapped with a smile.

President Jang-Hwan Song stood up from his seat.

“I appreciate you all welcoming me into your team. It’s really good to be here. It’s my pleasure and honor to join GH Mobile that is steadily growing. I’ve been briefed on the general status of GH Mobile. Thanks to President Goo. It is true that GH Mobile’s sales revenue is low considering your motivation and drive to work hard. I want to focus on increasing the company’s sales revenue. We will spend a lot of time discussing the reasons and ways to improve our situation. Starting this afternoon, I will visit each department and hear a report on the current status of each department. Thank you for your cooperation.”

After the meeting was over, President Song and Gun-Ho went to the worksite to meet with other employees. There, President Song was introduced to the assistant managers, supervisors, team leaders, and etc.

The workers kept glancing at Gun-Ho and the new president while working.

They whispered,

“The man over there, he is the new co-president of our company.”

“Are we having a second mother-in-law now?”

“Well, he will be mostly nagging the executives, not us.”

“Do you think that President Gun-Ho Goo wants to take a step back from the front lines? He has several companies, so maybe he wants to take a chairman position and let the president of each company handle the everyday work.”

“You think so? He is way too young to be a chairman. I can’t imagine a 30 something years old taking a step back from the daily operations of his companies and let others run them.”

The employees in the worksite talked and wondered about what was really going on with their company.

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Chapter 279 - Vice President Adam Castler (2) – Part 2

Chapter 279: Vice President Adam Castler (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“Gun-Ho, you haven’t heard anything about our aunt, have you?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“She fell on the stairs in her condo. She has been admitted to a hospital. She can’t even stand up by herself.”

“Is it that serious? She can’t even walk?”

“Yeah, because she is old, and it was a bad fall which gave her a lower back injury.”

“Shoot.”

“I went to see her at the hospital yesterday. She grabbed my arm and cried hard. She said having children meant nothing.”

“Why is she saying that? Jae-Woong did or didn’t do something?”

“Every time she had a bad fight with her daughter-in-law, her son became alienated from her. She said she was disappointed in me too.”

“You? For what?”

“I told her to stop talking bad about her daughter-in-law and try to get along with her and try to think and talk positive about her. She was very upset when I told her that.”

“What did she say?”

“She said there was nothing positive to talk about her daughter-in-law, and she got furious.”

“Hmm.”

“Well, she is in Gil Hospital, room no. 706. If you happen to be in Incheon area, just stop by. If you are too busy, then you don’t have to visit her.”

“Okay.”

After getting off the phone with his sister, Gun-Ho thought about his aunt.

‘She was so proud of her son—Jae-Woong—when he passed the level-9 government job exam. But her life after her precious son’s marriage is not very pretty. I wonder how Min-Hyeok Kim is doing between his parents and his wife. He married a Chinese woman. It could go either way, either good or bad as far as the conflict between her and Min-Hyeok’s mother is concerned.’

As he was thinking about family issues in general, he realized that he hadn’t visited his parents for quite some time.

‘I know my dad is receiving a 3 million won monthly salary from GH Mobile as a non-executive director. Is that enough? I wonder how they are doing.’

In the past when Gun-Ho was working as a factory worker after flunking the government job exam multiple times, he was also losing money by investing in the stock market. At that time, he was having an extremely hard time in his life, and he resented his parents for it. He even yelled at his father once.

‘I yelled at him and asked him why have me in the first place knowing they didn’t have enough money to support a child. My dad must have felt very sad. Without money, a family can’t avoid serious discord, and it eventually falls apart.’

Gun-Ho headed to Incheon City to his parents’ home. He stopped by a store to get some dried yellow corvina, which was Gun-Ho’s father’s favorite food, and a box of ginseng extract. He first went to see his aunt to the hospital before heading to his parents’ home. He parked his car at the hospital parking lot and purchased a basket of fruits.

“My sister said she is staying in a patient room no. 706.”

Gun-Ho was passing by a waiting area in the hospital when he saw Jae-Woong—his aunt’s son—sitting on a chair.

“Huh? Jae-Woong? What are you doing here?”

“Huh? Gun-Ho bro?”

“Why are you sitting at the waiting area?”

“Oh, I came down after seeing my mom upstairs. It’s mealtime for patients.”

“I see. How’s your work at the department of labor?”

“I’m doing fine. I actually wanted to see you, brother.”

“Me? Why?”

“Do you know any company I can work for? Your company or a company you know.”

“Why? You have a job already in the government.”

“I want to quit that job. The government doesn’t pay good money, and that causes a lot of troubles in my family.”

“Don’t say that. A government job is the most stable and desirable work that everyone wants to get in.”

“You made a lot of money already by running your own company, and you purchased a 50 pyung condo for your parents and also bought a huge building.”

“I was just lucky, and I am one of the unique cases. Your life will become harder if you don’t have good employment in this country. Working in the private sector is not a very good idea if you consider job security. Even though you might get a higher salary there, you have to be prepared to be laid off at any time, not to mention that the work itself is more stressful. Working for the government is the best job anyone could ever have.”

“I shouldn’t have taken my parents’ money to buy my home. I should have just rented a condo or something. Whew.”

“Why? Your mom helped you a lot when you buy your home?”

“My parents sold their condo in Guweol Town for 180 million won and helped me buy my current home in Gyesan Town. I paid 120 million won for my 17 pyung large condo, and they moved to a rental villa.”

“Oh, they did?”

“I had 20 million won in my savings that I saved by working as a government employee at that time, and my parents gave me 100 million won, so I could purchase the condo in Gyesan Town. I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have accepted their help…”

“What happened?”

“After my parents gave me 100 million won, my mom asked me to send her some allowance money every month. My wife couldn’t take the request well. So the conflict between my mom and my wife started from there.”

“You don’t have any debt, right?”

“No, I don’t.”

“That’s good. You have your own house without debt. That’s good enough. Don’t quit your government job. Once you are out from the government, you will realize that you are standing in hell.”

Gun-Ho knew Jae-Woong well from his childhood. Jae-Woong was two years younger than Gun-Ho, and he was a good student in school. He was a quiet boy, and he was not a very adventurous or proactive type. He didn’t have an aptitude to do sales or developing technology in a company. Jae-Woong seemed to be having a hard time in life, but in Gun-Ho’s view, Jae-Woong would do better as time went by; he would get promoted inside the government and that would raise his salary, and his parents would pass away.

“I will go upstairs to see my aunt.”

“Okay. I guess she must have finished her meal by now.”

Gun-Ho went to the patient room where his aunt was staying in with a basket of fruits in his hand. His aunt was having a conversation with an old lady patient who was lying down on the bed next to hers.

“Aunt!”

“Huh? Oh, Gun-Ho!”

Gun-Ho’s aunt seemed to be surprised. She probably didn’t expect Gun-Ho to visit her at the hospital at all.

“You didn’t have to come, Gun-Ho. I know you are very busy. What is this? You didn’t have to bring anything.”

Gun-Ho’s aunt smiled broadly when she saw the fruit basket that Gun-Ho brought her.

“How are you? Are you in pain?”

“Don’t get me started. I can’t even go to the bathroom by myself.”

“You will get better. The medical technology these days is very well advanced. The doctors will take good care of you.”

“Oh, did you see Jae-Woong on the way here? He went down not long ago.”

“Yes, I met him. He will come up soon; he wanted to get some fresh air.”

“I’ve raised him for nothing. I gave birth to him, but he is acting like a stranger.”

“Haha, don’t say that, aunt. You don’t mean that.”

“A son becomes a stranger once he marries. They always take the side of their wives. Gun-Ho, don’t do that to your mom.”

The old lady patient on the bed next to Gun-Ho’s aunt asked her,

“Who is this young man? He is tall and handsome. Very good looking.”

“He is my nephew, my older brother’s son. He is the one who is making a lot of money and recently bought a building.”

“A building? I see. He looks rich.”

Gun-Ho laughed.

“Thank you, ma’am. I wish you good health for a long time.”

Gun-Ho then stood up from his seat to leave.

“Go, Gun-Ho. You must be very busy.”

Gun-Ho took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Aunt, get something to drink with this.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that!”

Gun-Ho’s aunt didn’t refuse to take the envelope; she took it and hid it under the mattress quickly.

“I will tell Jae-Woong to come up to stay with you on my way out.”

“Okay. Bye, Gun-Ho. Thank you for coming.”

Gun-Ho went down to the waiting area, but he couldn’t find Jae-Woong. He thought for a second if he would look for him, but then he decided to just leave, and he headed to Guweol Town where his parents were living.

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Chapter 280 - Vice President Adam Castler (3) – Part 1

Chapter 280: Vice President Adam Castler (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho arrived at the HillState Condo in Guweol Town where his parents were living in. He entered the access code and got into the condo. There seemed to be no one at home because no one came out to see who just entered the home. Then Gun-Ho found her mother sleeping in the living room. Her mouth was open; she seemed to be having a deep sleep.

“She wouldn’t even wake up even if a robber broke into the house.”

Gun-Ho walked to his mother and tried to close her mouth, and that woke her up. She seemed to be surprised to see Gun-Ho.

“Huh? Who is this? Gun-Ho is here!”

“No one is home?”

“No. Everyone is out. Your father is probably having a drink with the neighbors. Jeong-Ah is in school, and her parents are at work.”

Everything at home looked so peaceful.

“I am on my way from Gil Hospital.”

“Gil Hospital? Oh, did you see your aunt?”

“Yes, I did. She said that she felt so much pain in her lower back that she can’t even go to the bathroom by herself.”

“She had acted as if she could live forever before she got injured in her lower back.”

“I bought her something to drink.”

“That’s good. Did you eat?”

“Yes, I did, mom. How’s everyone?”

“Everything is good here, except your dad is drinking too often.”

“Does he still go to Jongno 3-ga District?”

“No, he doesn’t go there anymore, but he found other places to go regularly. He goes to Oido Island and other islands with his friends.”

“Do you think he needs a car?”

“A car? Don’t even say the word when your dad is present. He drinks so often. That’s worrisome enough for me. I don’t want to worry about his driving while being drunk. He actually said he didn’t want to drive anymore. He even revoked his driver’s license voluntarily.”

“Really?”

“When you get old, it’s better for your health to walk rather than drive.”

“Oh, here, mom. I brought some dried yellow corvina for you and dad.”

“Oh, my. This must be very expensive. We are having truly a wonderful life at our ages because of our son.”

“And this is a box of KGC (Korean Ginseng Corporation) ginseng extract.”

“Oh, ginseng from KGC. Thank you, Gun-Ho.”

“And, this is for your travel. I want you and dad to go travel sometimes.”

“This is money? We have money…?”

“Just keep it and use it later.”

“Some friends asked me to join them to travel to China. They want to go to Zhangjiajie in China. Maybe I can join them.”

“Sounds good, mom. Have some fun.”

After visiting his parents, Gun-Ho was going to drive back to Cheongan City, and then he changed his mind and headed to Sinsa Town to his GH Building. He thought he had to stop by there often enough to make sure it was running fine. When he entered the office, Director Kang was arguing with someone on the phone.

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh was looking at her smartphone and quickly stood up from her seat when she saw Gun-Ho coming into the office.

“Can I get some tea, please?”

“Would you like to have a green tea?”

“I’d like to have a cup of coffee.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought Gun-Ho a cup of coffee, and a while after, Director Kang entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, you are here.”

“I heard you were arguing with somebody on the phone.”

“Oh, it was the president of Myeongjin System.”

Myeongjin System?”

“You know the staffing company where we use their professionals. We use our own people for parking and cleaning, but for professional works we use their people, especially for the work in the machinery and electricity rooms.”

“Hmm, that’s right.”

“They are asking us to raise those workers’ wages because the labor cost increased generally according to them. I told them we could raise the wages starting next year, and they are asking us to raise them starting next month.”

“Hmm.”

“There are tons of staffing companies we can use. If they keep insisting on it, I’m thinking of changing the staffing company.”

The accounting manager entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, since you are here, would you like to hear the monthly report on profit and loss?”

“Well, not right now. I feel so tired today. Why don’t you send the report to me through email instead?”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho made a tour around the building with Director Kang. By a quick glance, the building looked so marvelous and gorgeous; however, if looked at the building closely, a lot of places showed cracks and stains which required repair jobs.

“I will send Director Yoon from our office in Asan City. You two then make a list of the areas to repair after inspecting the building. We don’t have enough funds in our building maintenance reserve yet, so let’s just repair the area that we must fix right now, and we can fix other areas later.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho drove back to Jiksan Town.

Once Gun-Ho came back to his office, the co-president—President Jang-Hwan Song and the research center’s chief officer—Director Joon-Soo Oh followed Gun-Ho to his office. Gun-Ho wanted to take some rest since he drove a lot that day, but it seemed that his attention was required on too many areas in his business.

“I have something to report to you, sir.”

“Okay, have a seat.”

Gun-Ho’s voice sounded exhausted.

President Song took out some design drawings and said,

“For the first time since I joined GH Mobile, I went and took a look at S Group’s factories that I used to work at.”

“There are four factories of S Group in Korea, right?”

“There are actually five of them if we include the one in Ulsan City.”

“Oh, I see.”

“The S Group’s executives welcomed my visit and I guess they gave me some privilege since I was once their boss. I made a contract with them for selling them a product. These design drawings are for the product they want to buy from us.”

“Haha, really? You did a good job.”

“If we manufacture this product as shown in these drawings, I believe we can expect our monthly sales revenue to increase by 1 billion won.”

“Oh, really?”

“There is one problem though. In order to successfully produce this product, we first need to do some experiments. This company previously went through the reduction in size and number of workers with the research center, and many research workers had been relocated to another department. We can’t ask those people who are already working with another department to come back to the research center and they are sort of old for the research work anyway.”

“You are suggesting hiring new workers for the research center?”

“Yes. I’d like to make a team with young and smart researchers.”

“How many do you need?”

The new chief officer of the research center chipped in.

“We will need five for now, and we can hire more people as we get more work and as we generate more revenue.”

“Will we need an additional production line because of the new order from S Group?”

“Maybe later, but not now. We can use the existing production line at night if necessary for now.”

“I do agree with hiring additional workers for the research center. From now on, I won’t get involved in hiring workers except for the executives. So, please start the hiring process without me, including the first and second interview or final interview.”

“But…”

Gun-Ho smiled.

“It’s okay. I do trust you two. You don’t need me in selecting decent workers. You are more knowledgeable than me in the field.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The research center’s chief officer and President Song left Gun-Ho’s office after giving him a bow.

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Chapter 281 - Vice President Adam Castler (3) – Part 2

Chapter 281: Vice President Adam Castler (3) – Part 2

President Song had been treating Gun-Ho as his younger brother when he worked as a vice president of S Group. Gun-Ho used to refer to him as his older brother as well. However, after he joined GH Mobile, President Song changed his attitude toward Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho was the owner of the company after all, and he had to respect that. President Song seemed to be submissive and gentle with Gun-Ho now. Just like the internal auditor, who used to work as a branch manager of a bank and a vice president of Capital before joining GH, became submissive with Gun-Ho, President Song was becoming submissive as well.

Gun-Ho stretched himself in his office when he was left by himself. He felt like his head and mind became clear and fresh again.

‘I am really hoping that President Song helps GH Mobile to increase its sales revenue dramatically. It will incur higher expenses in the process, of course, but I will be able to make a significant amount of money as the sales revenue gets substantial.’

Gun-Ho then thought.

‘Once GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea started making a substantial amount of money, I will probably let either company acquire GH Building in Seoul. The loan for the building is too much. If one of my companies with a significant amount of revenue acquires that building, I believe I can recover my 40 billion won that I invested in that building. No matter which company, either GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea, purchases the building, the building is mine anyway.’

He then thought.

‘Let me see. Lymondell Dyeon owns 50% of Dyeon Korea. Even though I want Dyeon Korea to acquire the building, Lymondell Dyeon will probably reject the suggestion. Even though I successfully let Dyeon Korea acquire the building, I will have to discuss everything with Lymondell Dyeon, and it will intervene in managing the building too. Let’s opt out of that option then. It’s not wise for me to let Dyeon Korea purchase the building and bring Lymondell Dyeon into the building management business. What about GH Media? Well, it’s a tiny company, I don’t even need to consider it. Hmm. Then I am left with the option of GH Mobile acquiring the building. President Song has 3% of GH Mobile. The question is whether he would voice the building matter with his 3% share. I guess I can just ignore it since I have a 97% ownership of GH Mobile.’

Gun-Ho was thinking of all the options he could think of with GH Building, he received a call from China. It was Professor Jien Wang.

“President Goo? It’s me, Jien Wang.”

“Oh, Jien Wang!”

“I’m going to Seoul next week.”

“Really? You sound exciting, Jien. Any good news?”

“There will be a symposium in Seoul National University, and I will be taking part in it. Why don’t you come? Oh, you said you are not in Seoul, but in a province, right?”

“How long are you staying? I can make a reservation at a hotel for you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I will be staying for four days, and Seoul National University will find a room for me to stay. I think I will stay in one of their dormitories designed for professors.”

“Really? That sounds good.”

“I will have one day off during the fourth day of my stay. Let’s play golf with Attorney Young-Jin Kim.”

“Sure. Just give me the date when you know it for sure. I will make a reservation for the three of us.”

“According to Attorney Kim, there are lots of nice golf courses in Cheonan City where you are right now.”

“That’s right. Come to Cheonan City then. I want to show you my factory too.”

“That sounds great.”

When Gun-Ho got off the phone with Professor Jien Wang, Director Dong-Chan Kim entered the office.

“I have something to report to you, sir.”

“You could have just given me a call for a report. You didn’t have to come all the way from Asan City to Jiksan Town for a report.”

“We moved into the container office already. It looks nicer than I expected.”

“Good work.”

“And I showed Mr. Adam Castler the villa with two rooms. He seemed to be content. He said he liked it. He also said the villa looks much better than the one he stayed when he worked in Mexico.”

“Really? That’s good.”

“And forming a Dyeon Korea’s operating committee was an excellent idea, sir.”

“That’s nice. I knew it would turn out great because our executive committee here in GH Mobile is working great. I knew the same system would apply well to Dyeon Korea too.”

“Dyeon Korea’s operating committee is currently composed of five members: myself, Mr. Adam Castler, GH Mobile’s general affairs director and accounting manager, and Director Yoon. We all know well and we are familiar with the work we are doing, so we were able to answer any questions Mr. Adam Castler asked so far.”

“Are you having the operating committee’s meeting once a week?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Once a week should be enough. If you have the meeting too often, that could disturb a daily work of everyone. And by having a meeting regularly, you can all learn things from each other.”

“That’s right. And having the accounting manager as a member of the committee was a good decision as well.”

“Really?”

“The accounting manager is extremely meticulous, maybe because the manager is female. She keeps records of two companies’ initial investment funds of 50,000 dollars from each party, and gives us a report on the expenses during each meeting.”

“Hmm.”

“What we spent on Mr. Adam Castler’s staying takes a significant part of our current expenses, including his hotel, car rental, meals, and etc. When Mr. Adam Castler realizes that, he told me that he wanted to move to the villa as soon as possible. We are using the joint venture’s funds for everything except the construction cost.”

“We don’t want Mr. Adam Castler to spend too much money, but don’t give him too much pressure for it.”

“Understood, sir. I will ask the accounting manager to send the weekly expense report to you, sir.”

“Don’t do that. You get the report and review it. I don’t have to review it.”

“But…”

“I have so many things I have to think about right now. Just do as I say.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How did the hiring process go?”

“We just completed the first interview. We will have the second interview tomorrow. Mr. Adam Castler will join us for tomorrow’s interview. We will have the interview in the small meeting room here in this building. I don’t think it’s a good idea having a job interview in a container office.”

“Okay. Sounds good.”

“And, umm… about the interpreter—Mr. Lee.”

“What about him? Something happened to him?”

“He is still young and he is 53 years old. I think he can still work vigorously.”

“I think so.”

“He has an extensive work experience as an employee and he had worked abroad before. I think he can be an asset to our company—the joint venture. I haven’t talked to him about this. I wanted to talk with you first. It’s just my personal opinion.”

“Hmm.”

“When we sell Dyeon Korea’s products to China and Southeast Asia, President Min-Hyeok Kim can handle the China market. I think Mr. Lee can take charge of the Southeast Asia market.”

“Well… You are right. He speaks English fluently and he used to run a branch office abroad… His qualification fits the job.”

“Since he has been working with us as an interpreter for our joint venture matters, he is now very familiar with our operating system.”

“I know that…The thing that bothers me is that I heard if someone had quit his employer previously, then he wouldn’t be very loyal to the next employer.”

“I don’t think that applies to him…”

“Well, I will discuss this with President Jeong-Sook Shin in GH Media. She was the one who recommended him to us. I do like him too. Let’s think about it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Director Dong-Chan Kim gave a bow to Gun-Ho and left the office.

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Chapter 282 - Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (1) – Part 1

Chapter 282: Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (1) – Part 1

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Those three workers of GH Mobile, who went to the U.S. to receive training from Lymondell Dyeon, finally came back. Every single worker in GH Mobile greeted them and they were happy to have them back after the long one month of their absence.

The three workers went to Gun-Ho’s office to give him a report.

“Welcome back. We missed you all.”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with each of the three workers and tapped their backs.

“Director Jong-Suk Park, you now look a bit like American. Did you add too much butter in your diet during your stay in the U.S.?”

Everyone in the office laughed.

After the three workers left the office, Director Dong-Chan Kim came in.

“Sir, two workers out of the three who just came back from the training in the U.S. are researchers. Please relocate them to Dyeon Korea.”

“We don’t even have any equipment in Dyeon Korea yet. What about we send them after we install the necessary equipment and machines there?”

“That sounds good, but even before we get the equipment, we have a preparation that we have to make, so I think it’s better to have them in Dyeon Korea once the building is completed.”

“Hmm. Okay then.”

“And what about Director Jong-Suk Park? The position of the plant manager with GH Mobile is vacant since our plant manager retired and took an advisory position. Director Jong-Suk Park had been temporarily filling the work. If we send him to Dyeon Korea, no one will be here to do the work.”

“Hmm. Director Park will stay here with GH Mobile then.”

“That sounds good, sir. Director Jong-Suk Park had an extensive work experience in the production field rather than in a research center, he is really good with machines and equipment.”

“Do you think so?”

“One of our extruding machines had a broken screw once, and Director Park dismantled the machine immediately and changed the screw. When I worked for Mulpasaneop, we usually requested a service to an outside company to do the repair like that.”

“Haha, really?”

“Even though Director Park stays with GH Mobile, I guess we can ask him to come to Dyeon Korea sometimes if we need his help there.”

“Of course.”

“Okay then, sir. I will be leaving for the factory in Asan City.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim; he said he would soon visit Korea for a few days.

“My parents purchased the condo in Hyundai HomeTown in Juan Town. Thanks to you. I applied for a loan to Kookmin Bank for the amount short to the purchasing price. The bank asked me to visit their office in Korea to sign the loan documents, so I will be coming to Korea tomorrow.”

“I see. Why don’t you stop by here in Jiksan Town? It has been a while since I saw you.”

“Sure. After I sign the loan documents, I will go to Jiksan Town right away. I can take the subway. Once I arrive at the Jiksan Station, I guess I can take a taxi to get to the factory, right?”

“Why don’t you just give me a call when you pass Osan Station, then I will leave to Jiksan Station to pick you up.”

“You shouldn’t drive to pick me up. You are the president. Just send someone.”

“A president is the person with the most flexible schedule. So I guess I am the right person to do the job.”

“Well, if you insist. I will see you tomorrow then.”

Gun-Ho was reading a cartoon book in his office after having a sauna when Director Jong-Suk Park entered the office. Director Park recently came back from the U.S. after receiving training from Lymondell Dyeon. Director Park was holding a small wrapped box.

“Bro, this is for you…”

“What is it?”

“It’s a handkerchief.”

“A handkerchief?”

“Since you have everything you need, I just bought you a handkerchief.”

“Thank you. I was actually going to get a handkerchief. I needed one. Did you get something for your girlfriend?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Did you buy her pricey cosmetics maybe?”

Jong-Suk didn’t say what he actually bought for her girlfriend, but he just smiled.

“Oh, you know what? Egnopak’s president’s son—Dong-Hwan Kim came here once with three bouncers or his bodyguards. I don’t know who they are, but you know what I mean.”

“Did you kick them out? He is cocky that he thinks he can just visit someone’s company just like that.”

“He actually came to apologize to me. I couldn’t kick him out.”

“If I was here, I would certainly have beaten him up before kicking him out.”

“One of the bouncers said that they were beaten up hard by you. One of them lost a few teeth.”

“I should have aimed their ribs to break, not their teeth.”

“By the way, I have been wondering if what you said is true. When we were attacked, you shouted that you used to be a gang member, and you say that again whenever you encounter those gangsters. Did you really involve yourself in that field?”

“Yes, bro. You probably don’t know because you were serving in the military at that time. I really had a very tough life back then.”

“Really?”

“I was arrested a few times and spent a few nights in the police station.”

“Did you also serve time in prison?”

“I did until one of my relatives got me released. He was a high ranked officer in the police.”

“Haha. That’s why you keep talking about those days whenever you have a chance.”

“I was actually very famous in the field in the Incheon City area.”

“Really?”

“You know, the bouncer— Tae-Young Im, he is now calling me big brother after I talked to him about a few of my friends in the field.”

“Really?”

“To be honest with you, I have only two persons I am scared of in this world.”

“Two persons? Who are they?”

“My father and you, Gun-Ho bro!”

“Me? What did I do? Do you think I’m going to bite you?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes you just scare me.”

“You are silly.”

“I gotta go now. I need to turn off the extruder switch.”

“Okay.”

Jong-Suk was walking toward the office door to leave when he saw a cartoon book placed on Gun-Ho’s desk.

“Haha. Isn’t it for a kid, Mr. President? Are you seriously reading a cartoon book?”

“Oh, this? It’s a cartoon series about world history. It has been published by GH Media. Jae-Sik Moon actually edited it.”

“Really? I will get one for myself to read.”

Gun-Ho flashed back to the day when he first saw Jong-Suk.

Gun-Ho was a fifth-grader at that time and he was on his way home from school. Jong-Suk was surrounded by several boys and he was being beaten up by them. They were in a neighbor’s town.

“Huh? I know him. That boy is from my town. Hey, you sons of b*tches!”

Gun-Ho ran toward the group of boys who were beating Jong-Suk and chased them out. When kids are little, the one-year age gap makes a huge difference in size of their bodies. Gun-Ho was two years older than Jong-Suk and he was about 1 foot taller than the boys at Jong-Suk’s age. The boys quickly ran away when they saw Gun-Ho who was taller than them running toward them.

Jong-Suk was crying. Jong-Suk was bleeding from his forehead. It seemed one of the boys hit Jong-Suk’s head with a stone or something.

“You are bleeding a lot. Let me get you home quickly!”

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Chapter 283 - Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (1) – Part 2

Chapter 283: Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho took Jong-Suk who was bleeding from his forehead to his home. Jong-Suk’s parents were running a Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup) restaurant at the entrance of the town. When Jong-Suk entered the restaurant with his forehead bleeding, his parents were surprised.

“What is this? Who did this to you!?”

“I found him fighting with the kids from our neighbor town.”

“Who are they?! I will kick their as*es!”

Jong-Suk’s mother looked very upset.

“They are all gone already.”

Jong-Suk’s mother returned to Jong-Suk to check his wound.

“It’s not that serious, son. You don’t need any stitches. Let me get some ointment and I will take care of it. You will be fine.”

Jong-Suk’s mother went to the pharmacy across the street and bought some ointment and band-aids. After treating Jong-Suk with ointment and band-aids, Jong-Suk’s mother turned her head to Gun-Ho and thanked him.

“You are the boy from the house up there, right? Thank you for bringing my boy home.”

Gun-Ho was about to leave after giving a bow to Jong-Suk’s mother when she offered food.

“You haven’t eaten yet, right? Come here, boy. Let me get you a Seolleongtang.”

It was Gun-Ho’s first Seolleongtang ever in his entire life. It was so good. Gun-Ho ate it all in no time.

After the incident, Jong-Suk and Gun-Ho became best friends. Jong-Suk was very social and he liked Gun-Ho a lot. Jong-Suk followed Gun-Ho everywhere like a small puppy.

Gun-Ho received a phone call from Director Dong-Chan Kim who was in the factory in Asan City.

“Sir, I am calling to let you know something. I should have gone to Jiksan Town to talk to you in person, and I am sorry about it, sir.”

“No, no need to. As long as it’s not something urgent, you don’t have to come all the way to Jiksan Town just to talk to me. What is it that you want to talk to me about?”

“We are having a Dyeon Korea’s operating committee meeting the day after tomorrow. You know, the regular meeting that we have once a week.”

“Why don’t you have the meeting here in GH Mobile’s building? You don’t have a spacious office there yet.”

“Yes, we are actually planning to do that, sir. And for our next meeting, we’d like to invite those three workers who recently came back from the training in the U.S.”

“Sure. We can certainly arrange that.”

“I think we need to hear their experience at the training before we receive our equipment. So that we can be better prepared and hit the ground running.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“I will let the general affairs director know that you approved the meeting, sir. Thank you.”

After getting off the phone with Director Kim from Dyeon Korea, Gun-Ho received another phone call from Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Hi, Gun-Ho, I arrived in Korea yesterday. I am in Kookmin Bank right now, and I don’t think I can go to Jiksan Town before lunchtime.”

“Why not?”

“I need to get a document from the community service center. The bank people here are so particular that they refused to process the loan without full documentation in hand.”

“Why don’t you come to the office here early tomorrow morning then? We will have a meeting with the executives, and I want you to join us to the meeting. If you have something to ask, it’s a good opportunity to talk about it.”

“Sounds good. I heard Jong-Suk came back to Korea, didn’t he?”

“Yeah. He is here. You will see him tomorrow.”

“Okay. I will see you tomorrow then.”

Min-Hyeok Kim arrived at GH Mobile in the following morning around 8 am.

“Bro! Min-Hyeok bro!”

“Hey, Jong-Suk! Good to see you, man.”

“I came to pick you up. Gun-Ho bro sent me and he is very busy now.”

“Of course. A president of the company shouldn’t drive around just to pick up someone. I am very honored that Director Jong-Suk Park is here to pick me up. You look sophisticated, Jong-Suk. Is it because you stayed in the U.S. for long enough?”

“You look great yourself, bro. Is it because you are married?”

“Haha. Give me a hug. I am so happy to see you again, man.”

“Sure. Why not? Come here. Haha.”

Jong-Suk and Min-Hyeok arrived at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. And they went upstairs straight to Gun-Ho’s office. Gun-Ho was talking with President Jang-Hwan Song.

“Hey, President Min-Hyeok Kim. It’s good to see you. You are right on time. This is President Jang-Hwan Song. He is our new co-president.”

“Hello, sir. Nice to meet you. I’m Min-Hyeok Kim. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Nice to meet you, too. I’m Jang-Hwan Song.”

After having a handshake, Min-Hyeok and President Song sat at the table.

Gun-Ho was about to say something when the general affairs director entered the office.

“Sir, we are ready to start the meeting. Everyone is in the meeting room waiting for you.”

“Really? Let’s go and join them in the meeting room.”

When Gun-Ho entered the meeting room, everyone in the room stood up from their seats, and they noticed Min-Hyeok Kim behind Gun-Ho.

“Hey, President Kim! When did you come to Korea?”

“Hello.”

“Are we going to have President Kim in our meeting from now on?”

“No. This is just a one-time thing. Since I am here today, Mr. President asked me to join you at the meeting. I’m so glad to see you all. You all look great.”

“Okay. Let’s have a seat.”

The table in this small meeting room was a long and square conference table which could accommodate more than twenty people. Gun-Ho sat in the middle, and on his right and left side, all the executive officers were sitting. During the last meeting, Gun-Ho asked President Song to sit next to him since he is the co-president, but he insisted on sitting on Gun-Ho’s left side and on the first seat. On the first seat of Gun-Ho’s right side, the internal auditor was sitting on. Jong-Suk and President Min-Hyeok Kim sat on the last seats of the right and left sides. Dyeon Korea’s director Kim and Director Yoon attended the meeting that day per Gun-Ho’s special request. Everyone in the meeting room was wearing a company uniform with an ID card hanging around their necks. They also all carried a notebook with the company logo on.

The general affairs director stood up.

“We now begin the GH Mobile’s executive meeting. We have today President Gun-Ho Goo, President Jang-Hwan Song, Internal Auditor Hee-Suk Goh, Dyeon Korea’s Director Dong-Chan Kim, Dyeon Korea’s Director Hee-Byeong Yoon, Chief Officer Joon-Soo at the research center, President Min-Hyeok Kim from China, Director Jong-Suk Park from the production department, and myself from the general affairs department. A total of 9 people are attending today’s meeting. We have a special guest from China, President Min-Hyeok Kim. Please welcome him with a round of applause.”

After the general affairs director mentioned Min-Hyeok, Min-Heyok stood up from his seat and bowed to everyone.

“Thank you.”

“Let’s start the meeting. We will start with the report on the production and sales, and then we will hear from the maintenance and support department. Today’s meeting will end after our president’s comment.”

Once the general affairs director sat on his chair, President Jang-Hwan Song started talking about the current status of GH Mobile’s sales.

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Chapter 284 - Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (2) – Part 1

Chapter 284: Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (2) – Part 1

President Song talked about the new product order received by S Group during the meeting.

“I’ve already talked about this with President Gun-Ho Goo. We made a contract with S Group, and their three factories in Suwon City, Changweon City, Ulsan City placed five product orders from us. This contract will increase our monthly sales revenue by 1 billion won, but they will increase the volume of their orders as we prove that our products are of high quality.”

Gun-Ho asked the internal auditor,

“If we include this new contract in our total sales revenue, how much will it be?”

“When you acquired Mulpasaneop, the annual sales revenue was 70 billion won, and it increased to 84 billion won as we developed our new product—AM083. If we add the new product order which President Song brought in, our total sales revenue will be about 96 billion won.”

Dyeon Korea’s Director Dong-Chan Kim chipped in.

“The new order from S Group requires us to develop new products. As our new chief officer at the research center is well aware, developing a new product is not an easy task at all. It will cost us multiple attempts until we finally develop a new product. To be honest, AM083 was not technically developed by us, but it was developed by the Japanese engineer—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo—at our research center for us.”

After Director Kim’s reality check, everyone in the room lowered their heads and stared at their notebook without saying a word.

Director Kim continued to talk. He could be very convincing when he talked as he was when he convinced the potential buyers to sell the products.

“Also, we are currently relying heavily on S Group for our sales. We will have to diversify our customer companies. Focusing on one customer company could lead our company to being dependent on one customer, which could be dangerous in the long-term. I am not saying we should stop receiving product orders from S Group. I just want to emphasize the gravity of being self-sufficient without becoming dependent on one specific buyer company.”

Min-Hyeok Kim, who was sitting at the end of the conference table, was envious of Director Dong-Chan Kim’s communication skills.

‘He is indeed a great salesperson with a very convincing sales pitch. Even his voice is really good and his voice is very smooth and comfortable to listen to, not to mention it is very persuading. I will have to learn from him if I want to seriously increase the sales revenue for the company in China.’

“Please allow me to add to it.”

Everyone at the table turned their heads to see the person who just chipped in. It was the new chief officer at the research center. He received his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany, and he used to work at H Auto’s research center in Korea.

“As to the two products out of five that S Group wants to buy from us, our researchers already started producing a sample product. If we succeed in making the mold for those products, we will be able to manufacture the products in no time. However, in developing and making some experiments in the process for the other three products, we need more workers at our research center. So, we are in the process of hiring five new researchers. The first interview is completed and we have 30 candidates to interview for the second time. We will select the best five from them.”

Director Kim chipped in.

“The two researchers who just came back from training in the U.S. need to be relocated to Dyeon Korea.”

The research center’s chief officer seemed to be upset when he heard that he might lose his two researchers.

“We can’t lose those two researchers. As I just mentioned, we are seriously in need of more researchers. They should stay with GH Mobile.”

Director Kim didn’t back off. He blushed and said,

“If they would stay in GH Mobile, then why were they sent to the U.S. for the training by Lymondell Dyeon in the first place?”

“Excuse me? Are you seriously asking that?”

Min-Hyeok was amazed at the passion of the executives in the meeting, and the heat they created in debating.

“Wow. They are truly enthusiastic about their work.”

Director Jong-Suk Park was quiet. He couldn’t chip in with his short work experience in the management field.

Gun-Ho finally intervened.

“Okay. That’s enough. Listen all. I understand why some of you had to raise your voice. I know you are worried about our company, and I appreciate that. You said we have 30 candidates who passed the first interview. Why don’t you select seven workers instead of five out of 30 during the second interview? It would be better to have enough workers at this phase of our company.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

Director Kim and the research center’s chief officer stopped debating once Gun-Ho gave a final word to the issue.

Gun-Ho then looked at Min-Hyeok.

“President Min-Hyeok Kim, it has been a while since we had you here last time in our meeting. Do you have anything to add?”

“Umm…”

Min-Hyeok seemed to be baffled when he was asked unexpectedly, and Gun-Ho smiled.

“Take your time.”

“Well, the sales revenue of GH Parts Company in China has increased somewhat; however, there is no dramatic change yet. S Group currently has four factories in China: Beijing, Chongjin, Cheongdo and Suzhou City. I would really appreciate it if President Song, who used to work for S Group, could visit us in China and visit those factories with me.”

“Sure thing. Once things settle here, I will go and join you in China for the tour.”

Gun-Ho then turned his attention to the other directors.

“Mr. Director Yoon of construction and Mr. Director Choi from the general affairs department, do you have anything to add?”

“Nothing, sir.”

“What about Director Park from the production department?”

“I have nothing to add, sir.”

“I do.”

The new co-president—President Song—raised his hand.

“Once we produce a sample product and once the product is approved, the buyer company will send their inspectors to our company to check our manufacturing environment. I know Director Park will handle the situation very well, but we need to keep in mind that the factory has to maintain a clean environment including machines and equipment. We need to give the inspectors a good impression. I am requesting to start My Machine.”

“Huh? My Machine?”

“Yes. It is a program where we assign one machine to each worker at the production site, so each worker can take good care of the machine he was assigned to. That way, we can make sure all the machines in our factory are always well taken care of and in a clean condition.”

Director Kim chipped in.

“I support the suggestion. I do believe it is necessary that we start the My Machine program in our factory. Mr. Director Jong-Suk Park, why don’t you ask the managers in the production department to implement the program during your next meeting within the production department?”

“Okay. I will do that.”

“Okay. I guess that’s all for today. If anyone of you wants to add anything, it’s time to do so. Otherwise, we will end the meeting now. Thank you all for your good work.”

Once Gun-Ho said the final word, everyone in the room stood up to get ready to leave the room.

Min-Hyeok Kim followed Gun-Ho to the president’s office.

“Have a seat. Let’s have some coffee.”

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Chapter 285 - Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (2) – Part 2

Chapter 285: Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (2) – Part 2

“I was so amazed by the executives’ passion and insight. It’s not something you can learn overnight, but I could see that they have been in the field for a long time. I guess they deserve to be in an executive position in the company.”

“You think so?”

“They are amazing, but you are incredible as well, President Goo. You are leading those people. I was extremely impressed today by those executives and you—their leader.”

“Me… I am just trying to keep the balance between them.”

“By the way, Jong-Suk will have a hard time doing things to satisfy those knowledgeable executives. What did they say? My Machine program? Hahaha.”

“Are you having fun? Why don’t you introduce that program to the factory in China, so you can continuously have fun there?”

Min-Hyeok’s face suddenly hardened when Gun-Ho suggested him to start the My Machine program in China.

“Is there anything you want to talk to me about? Anything I can help with the factory in China?”

“I just need President Song in China, so I can visit S Group’s factories there with him. His presence will be very helpful in selling our products to S Group. If we could make a contract with S Group, our sales revenue will go up dramatically.”

“If you could get orders from S Group, can you handle the volume of the products they would order?”

“That’s… I am thinking of making a request to the research center here for our products in China. We don’t have enough workers there to handle it.”

“I will ask President Song to visit China as soon as we finalize things here.”

“I really appreciate it.”

“By the way, Professor Jien Wang is coming to Korea today.”

“To Korea?”

“Yes, Seoul National University is hosting a symposium, and Professor Wang will do a presentation there.”

“Is he coming here too?”

“He will, and we will play golf together, and Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim & Jeong Law Firm will join us.”

“Really?”

“When you have time, learn how to play golf. It’s useful to know. You will need it someday.”

“Actually, the president of the window manufacturing company asked me to play golf with him the other day, and I couldn’t because I don’t know how to play golf. I’ve never even touched golf clubs before.”

“I strongly recommend you to learn it. Take some lessons and pay for it with the company credit card.”

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought two cups of coffee to Gun-Ho’s office.

When are your parents moving to the new condo in Seoul?”

“They will move on the fifth of this month. We paid off the remaining balance yesterday.”

“They must be very happy.”

“Don’t get me started. We went to the new condo yesterday, and when my mom saw the empty condo, she was so excited. She kept asking me if it is really ours, and she even danced in the living room.”

“Haha. Really?”

“My mom didn’t even want to redo the wallpaper; she said it still looks really clean. But I insisted on doing the wallpaper and redoing the bathroom. I already selected the interior design company and scheduled for the work. My younger brother joined us to the condo after work, and he was so excited too.”

“Really?”

“My younger brother said that since our parents will live in a condo like that, he thinks he can find someone to marry more quickly.”

“I must have met your brother before, but I don’t really remember him.”

“He was not a very good student when he was in school. He studied in a community college and obtained a level-1 license as an electrician. He entered a good company though, and the company owner values him and recognizes his competence at work.”

“You said he is working for a company that is doing subcontracting work for Korea Electric Power Corporation, right?”

“Yeah. The company’s name is Ilsin Electricity. The company has been around for a long time, according to my brother. Do you know what my brother said about me?”

“What did he say?”

“He said, I became successful in my career because I have a good friend.”

“Haha. He is silly.”

“He said that just because I have a good friend, I was able to become a president of a company in China, and I could get married and live in a luxurious condo in China, and also, we could purchase a 30 pyung large condo in Incheon City. He said that he wouldn’t be able to do the same if it was him.”

“Haha. Your brother is funny.”

“Actually, what he said was all true. I do have a good friend. After the wedding in Incheon City, I am going to focus all my energy on making GH Parts Company in China grow. I was so worried about my parents, but now they are settled, and I am very happy.”

“Did those people from Dandong Economic Development Zone contact you again?”

“Yes, once. They were asking if I had a chance to discuss their suggestion with you. They invited us at Dandong Economic Development Zone.”

“You are going back to China today, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. I’m taking the five o’clock flight.”

“Well, you’d better hurry up then. You should get ready. I guess you won’t be able to have lunch with our executives today before you leave.”

“Right. I am leaving, friend. I will talk to Jong-Suk downstairs before I head out.”

“Okay. Keep up the good work. I will see you at your wedding in Incheon after a month.”

It was five o’clock and Gun-Ho was getting ready to go home. Gun-Ho always tried to get off work at five to make other workers feel more comfortable. If he stayed late at work, other employees felt very uncomfortable leaving the work until Gun-Ho left for home.

Gun-Ho was heading to the parking lot when he saw Jong-Suk nearby the company restaurant. Jong-Suk looked exhausted.

“Bro, are you going home?”

“You look so tired.”

“I have to stay up late today. Why don’t you join me for dinner before going home?”

“You have so much work to do?”

“Yeah. I had to take care of that My Machine thing. I implemented the plan in detail with the production department’s managers and team leaders and placed the tags on every machine. It took a lot of time.”

“Really? You are doing fine.”

“Well, now I think it is a good program. The problem is whether we can maintain it as a system for a long time.”

“Okay, keep up the good work. You are the plant manager; you should be able to handle all sorts of situations.”

“My life became so exhausting after the previous plant manager retired.”

“Because you work so hard, people don’t talk bad behind your back like you are too young to be a plant manager or something.”

“That’s because you are behind my back, bro.”

“Oh, Min-Hyeok said he wanted to talk to you before he left for China. Did you have a chance to see him earlier?”

“Yes.”

“Did you guys talk about something fun?”

“Nah. He wanted to know more about the My Machine program. He made a note and observed us have a discussion about the program.”

“Really?”

“He said he wanted to apply the My Machine program to the factory in China too. He asked me to take some pictures of machine tags and our daily journal once we actually start the program.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho didn’t say anything further and just smiled.

“Okay. Good work, Jong-Suk. I am going home now.”

“Okay. Safe drive, bro.”

Gun-Ho was watching TV in his home in Buldang Town, Cheonan City after work when he received a phone call from Jien Wang.

“Hey, Jien Wang. Are you at the Incheon International Airport?”

“No. I arrived earlier. I am in the dormitory at Seoul National University.”

“You sound like you already had a drink, huh?”

“Yeah. I had a few drinks with the professors here at Seoul National University.”

“You know Seoul National University is the top university in Korea, right? So those professors are the most intelligent and the most knowledgeable people in this country.”

“Intelligent my as*. They are not special at all. They are all the same.”

“Well, the professors at Seoul National University are one of the most respected people in Korea.”

“They are just scholars. Professors don’t make much money, and they don’t have any political power or anything like that.”

“Professors are not supposed to go after money or power.”

“They shouldn’t, right? But there are always people who do what they are not supposed to do whether in China or in Korea.”

“Haha. I think you drank too much, friend. Go to sleep. You are coming here the day after tomorrow, right? I’ve already made an arrangement for our golf appointment.”

“You said the golf course is close to your factory, right?”

“Yes, it is. It’s called Sangrok Country Club. I reserved for 27 holes for us. It is operated by the National Pension Service of Korea, and their green fee is not expensive at all.”

“Pension? Is it like Yanglao Jin in China?”

“That’s right.”

“Okay, Gun-Ho. Thank you. You are indeed my friend, and I am so proud of you.”

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Chapter 286 - Plant Manager — Director Jong-Suk Park (3) – Part 1

Chapter 286: Plant Manager — Director Jong-Suk Park (3) – Part 1

Every morning, the accounting manager brought a daily financial report to the president’s office for Gun-Ho to review. The report was already reviewed and signed by the internal auditor. It usually included detailed statements of deposits and withdrawals, electronic promissory notes, and B2B payments of the previous day.

“Please take the report to President Song as well.”

“I tried, sir, but he refused to review it. He said he wants to focus only on sales and production.”

“Hmm. He said so?”

It seemed that President Song was a very careful man. He didn’t want to give Gun-Ho the impression that he was trying to involve himself in managing the company too much and too deeply even though Gun-Ho was the one who offered a co-president position to him in the first place.

After the accounting manager left the office, the sales department’s manager—Chang-Hoon Seo—entered the office. He was one of those people who were recently promoted.

“Did Director Dong-Chan Kim hand over all the work in the sales department to you before he left for Dyeon Korea?”

“Yes, he did. I sometimes give him a call when I have something to ask him.”

“That’s good. A sale is very important to our business. It’s not an overstatement when we say a company’s business is dependent on its sales activities.”

“We are doing our best, sir. We received a new order from Seongchang Corp. of 50,000 sealants. This is probably a one-time order, so it won’t be very helpful in the long-term though.”

“Really?”

“Yes, sir. Director Jong-Suk Park said he would use the Production Line 4 to produce the sealants. He said the machines in Line 4 are not doing anything right now.”

“Well, it can be a good start. They might place more orders of the same products or even other products. We will have to make the best products we could on every order.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Any other thing you want to make a report to me?”

“Umm… Sangweon Industry’s president’s son is getting married soon. I was not sure how much money gift do we need to make for it.”

“Sangweon Industry is one of our major customer companies. We are selling our products to them for 200 million won per month. Where is the wedding venue?”

“It’s at the Hilton Hotel in Seoul. It’s on next Saturday, sir.”

“I will attend his wedding. It’s Sangweon Industry; I’d better go there and congratulate him on his son’s wedding. They are an important customer to us. Tell the general affairs department to prepare a congratulatory flower wreath with my name on it and send it to them on the wedding day.”

“Yes, sir. I will leave his wedding invitation letter here.”

When Sales Manager Chang-Hwan Seo was walking toward the door to leave, Gun-Ho called him.

“Oh, Manager Seo. I knew you recently had your own wedding. I was in Japan at that time, and I am sorry that I couldn’t attend your wedding.”

“No, sir. Don’t say that. I received your wedding money gift. It was a lot, and I really appreciate it. I also know that you instructed all of the executives to come to my wedding. I had lots of people at my wedding to congratulate me. Thank you, sir.”

“Where are you living right now?”

“I am living in Ssangyong Town, Cheonan City, sir.”

After reviewing the daily report, Gun-Ho went to the construction site in Asan City. There were three container offices placed at the entrance of the construction site. One was for Director Yoon, and one was shared by Mr. Adam Castler and Director Dong-Chan Kim. Also, the interpreter—Mr. Lee—was there too, so a small desk was added. The office was certainly not spacious; they were actually very small to be shared by three people. The other one was used by the construction workers for their break time. There was only one portable toilet for their use. The setting was very uncomfortable for all the people who were working there, but they didn’t complain because their state-of-the-art factory was being built, and it was almost done. They were just hoping that the building would be built more quickly.

“How are you all?”

When Gun-Ho entered the construction site, Director Kim and the interpreter stood up and greeted him. Mr. Adam Castler stood up from his seat and shouted, “Good morning.”

Gun-Ho looked at the interpreter and said,

“Can you ask Mr. Adam Castler if he is comfortable working here?”

After the interpreter asked Mr. Castler in English, Mr. Castler smiled broadly and said,

“No problem.”

Director Yoon was at the construction site and ran to the container office when he heard that Gun-Ho was here.

“Sir, you are here?”

“How are you, Director Yoon?”

“The building is completed. We are working on the electric wires right now.”

“Really?”

“Would you like to have a cup of coffee, sir? We do have a vending machine in the resting area.”

“Haha. No, thank you. I’ve already had my morning coffee, but thank you for offering.”

Gun-Ho entered the container office, which was being used by Director Yoon. There was a small round table that was probably good for three or four people, and it enabled them to have a meeting there. Director Dong-Chan Kim followed Gun-Ho to the container office.

“I guess we need to start preparing for the building dedication ceremony again.”

“We can make it very similar to the building dedication ceremony we had for the factory in Jiksan Town. Will it be okay?”

“Sure. But this time we will have to invite all the officials from the local government in Asan City. You can ask the general affairs director—Director Choi—for it. This factory construction has drawn a lot of attention when it was mentioned in the local newspaper because of the assault incident nearby Onyang Hot Spring Hotel last time.”

“Understood, sir.”

“How is it going with hiring an employee for Dyeon Korea?”

“I have the two best candidates, and I haven’t decided who I should select yet.”

“Both candidates speak English well?”

“Yes, they do. Would you like to take a look at their resumes, sir?”

“No, it’s okay. If you can’t select only one person because you like them both, you can hire them all.”

“Thank you, sir. That’s a relief. I guess I will take them both.”

Director Kim looked excited and smiled broadly.

When Gun-Ho came back to his office in Jiksan Town after visiting the construction site in Asan City, it was 11:30 am. Director Jong-Suk Park was hovering around Gun-Ho’s office door.

“What’s up?”

“This…”

“An early leave request for the day? What’s wrong? Are you ill? Do you need to see a doctor?”

“My parents are here. I gotta go.”

“Your parents? Here in Cheonan City?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, really? For what occasion?”

“My parents will meet my girlfriend’s parents today.”

“Really? That’s why you look so neat today. You had a new haircut, huh?”

“Haha. Right.”

“Where are they going to meet?”

“Seungjiwon restaurant in Baekseok Town.”

“Where are your parents right now?”

“They will arrive soon at the Express Bus Terminal. If I leave now, I can arrive there on time.”

“Let’s go together.”

“With you, bro?”

“Yes. Your parents came all the way to Cheonan City. I want to see them.”

“You don’t have to, bro.”

“I still remember your mom’s warm and fantastic Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup). Let’s go.”

“Really… you don’t have to do that.”

“Just follow me with your car. I will drive before you. Let’s meet at the waiting area in the bus terminal.”

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Chapter 287 - Plant Manager — Director Jong-Suk Park (3) – Part 2

Chapter 287: Plant Manager — Director Jong-Suk Park (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho arrived at the express bus terminal in Sinbu Town, Cheonan City.

There were so many people around the bus terminal, and it took some time to find an available parking spot, so Gun-Ho came a bit late.

When Gun-Ho went to the waiting area in the basement of the bus terminal building, Jong-Suk was already there standing beside the sitting area. An old couple was sitting on the chairs next to Jong-Suk. Gun-Ho went there and greeted them.

“Hi. How are you?”

It seemed that Jong-Suk didn’t tell his parents that Gun-Ho would be here. Jong-Suk’s mother looked surprised and looked at Jong-Suk.

“Who is this young man?”

“He is the president of the company I am working for. He is Gun-Ho bro.”

“Gun-Ho? That Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, ma’am. I am Gun-Ho.”

“Oh, my goodness. I can’t believe it.”

Jong-Suk’s mother stood up and grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand in delight.

“You grew up very well, son. You look like a gentleman. I can’t believe you are Gun-Ho. You look very different from when you were little. Well, you still have the same eyes and nose. Oh, my gosh.”

Jong-Suk’s mother was a tough woman; well, at least that was how Gun-Ho remembered her. Her nickname between the kids in the town was the tiger lady. But she didn’t look so tough anymore. She looked shorter than before, and she had a lot of wrinkles on her face.

“Aren’t you having a hard time because of Jong-Suk?”

“No, no. He is actually helping me a lot at work.”

“Are your parents still in Incheon City?”

“Yes, ma’am. My parents are in Guweol Town.”

“Are they in good health?”

“Yes, they are. I heard you are meeting Jong-Suk’s girlfriend’s parents today. Are you excited?”

“Well, I do like her except that she is wearing glasses.”

“Here we go again. Stop it, mom!”

It seemed that Jong-Suk heard the same complaints over and over from his mother so far.

“I actually saw her in person. She looked very pretty and very smart. She also seemed to have a very good temper.”

“How many kids do you have, Gun-Ho?”

“I am still single, but I have someone I am seeing right now.”

Gun-Ho just said that so Jong-Suk’s parents didn’t think he was available. Otherwise, they would try to introduce someone to him. That was how old people were.

“Your parents must be worried about you. If you have someone, you’d better marry her as soon as possible. You will regret it if you get married late.”

“Haha. I will keep that in mind. I guess you will have to leave for the appointment now, so you wouldn’t be late. I will leave for my workplace too.”

Gun-Ho then took an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and quickly slipped it in Jong-Suk’s mother’s outwear pocket.

“Huh? What is this? No, I can’t take this.”

“Well, I hope you stay very healthy!”

Gun-Ho quickly walked toward the parking lot after waving his hand to them.

Gun-Ho had his lunch before going back to the office. After lunch, he took a walk around Cheonho Lake nearby Dankook University for a while. When he arrived at his office in Jiksan Town, it was 2 pm. When Gun-Ho’s car arrived at the factory gate, the security officer opened the gate and gave a bow to Gun-Ho.

As soon as Gun-Ho entered his office, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought a cup of coffee.

“Any call for me during my absence?”

“The manager of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry called and also the president of the Business Promotion Committee in Chungnam Province called too.”

“Hmm. I see.”

A while later, the research center’s chief officer entered Gun-Ho’s office. He usually didn’t come to the president’s office very often.

“Sir, we have completed the hiring process, and we will have an orientation for the new employees today. I’d like to introduce them to you first.”

“How many did you select?”

“Seven workers, sir. You told me to hire two more workers than we originally planned, so we hired seven.”

“After the building dedication ceremony of the factory in Asan City, we will send those two researchers who had training in the U.S., to Dyeon Korea, okay?”

“Okay, sir. We have enough workers at the research center now.”

“Are those seven workers here already?”

“Yes, they are waiting outside the door.”

“Oh, really? Let them in then.”

The seven new employees gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho as they walked into Gun-Ho’s office. They all had a nametag on their chests, and they all looked nervous.

“Let’s have a seat at the table over there.”

The new workers carefully sat at the table.

“I welcome you all on board. According to the chief officer, he initially planned to hire five people, but there were so many competent and smart applicants, so he ended up hiring two more. Now I see you all in person, and I totally understand how the chief officer felt. You all look smart and hard workers.”

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought green tea in a paper cup and distributed it to each new employee.

“Our company was previously known as Mulpasaneop. As I joined this company, I changed the name to GH Mobile. So, you are officially the first new employees who GH Mobile hired.”

While talking, Gun-Ho looked at the new employees. They all looked like in their 30s, mostly. There were about two people who looked older than Gun-Ho, but the others were younger than him.

“Our chief officer of the research center here studied at a school that’s famous worldwide—the Technical University of Munich in Germany. He received his Ph.D. from there and worked at the research center of BMW for a long time. You are the people who will take charge of our research center with our chief officer here for the future of our company. I hope you stay with GH Mobile for a long time.”

Gun-Ho then stood up from his seat and made a tour around the new workers and had a handshake with each of them. The workers looked like they were feeling grateful by having a handshake with the president of the company that they would be working for.

“Thank you.”

The new workers were about the same age as Gun-Ho. They graduated from top universities, but there was a gap in the social status already between Gun-Ho and them.

Gun-Ho looked at the chief officer of the research center and said,

“We now have a full house at the research center. Why don’t you throw a welcoming party to them?”

“Yes, sir.”

Once the new workers left the office, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park came in to clean the table.

“Ms. Hee-Jeong Park!”

“Yes, sir?”

As Gun-Ho called her name, Ms. Hee-Jeong Park, who was picking up the empty paper cups, lifted her head and looked at Gun-Ho.

“It seems that we hired good workers for the research center.”

“I agree with you, sir.”

“Why don’t you pick one from them or someone within the company? You don’t have to look for your husband somewhere far.”

“You are embarrassing me, sir.”

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park blushed and left the office.

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Chapter 288 - Conversation at Shade House in a country club (1) – Part 1

Chapter 288: Conversation at Shade House in a country club (1) – Part 1

Professor Jien Wang came to Korea to participate in a symposium. After he completed his schedule, he came straight to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town with Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim & Jeong Law Firm. They didn’t even stop by a rest area on the way.

“I like this factory. It looks very well built.”

After they looked around at the factory yard, they walked up to the second floor where the president’s office was located. Gun-Ho was so happy to see them.

“Hey, Jien Wang!”

“Gun-Ho Goo! It’s really good to see you, friend.”

“Long time no see, Attorney Kim. Have a seat.”

After having a handshake, the three men finally sat on chairs.

“So, you are done with the symposium?”

“Yes, I came straight here to see you, Gun-Ho, after the symposium.”

“I know Attorney Kim came here once when we had the building dedication ceremony, but this must be your first time here, right, Jien Wang?”

“I took a quick glance of the factory on the way up to your office. I know I came here before, but the factory looks different somehow.”

“You haven’t been to the production field yet, have you?”

“No, I haven’t yet.”

“Maybe you can have a tour of the factory first before we leave to play golf.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Jong-Suk Park and asked him to come to his office.

Jong-Suk Park soon came to Gun-Ho’s office. He was wearing the GH Mobile uniform.

“This is our plant manager.”

“Oh, Chang Zhang (factory manager)!”

Jien Wang extended his hand to Jong-Suk for a handshake.

“I think I have seen this person before.”

“Probably so, since he is a very good friend of mine. He is like a brother to me. Jong-Suk, please give my two friends here on a tour of our factory.”

Jong-Suk took Professor Jien Wang and Attorney Young-Jin Kim to his daily workplace—the production field.

When the workers in the production field saw two men in a business suit coming to the worksite while following their plant manager, they thought Professor Wang and Attorney Kim were the investigators from a buyer company to check their factory. And they got busy cleaning the worksite by organizing incomplete products and moving the defective products somewhere that wasn’t so obvious.

After observing the products pouring out of extruding machines and molding machines, Jien Wang nodded his head.

“Gun-Ho Goo is indeed an incredible man.”

The machines in the factory were being maintained extremely clean; thanks to My Machine program. The machines were placed in a very well organized way, and the factory overall was neat and clean.

“I can’t believe this factory maintains the cleanliness to this level. I haven’t seen a factory this clean in China.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim was interpreting for Professor Jien Wang. Whenever Jong-Suk Park explained about the production system, Attorney Kim interpreted it into Chinese for Professor Wang. The production workers, who were paying attention to the visitors, were wondering as they saw them speaking in English.

“They are speaking in English. They are not the investigators from our customer companies then. Are they Korean Americans?”

“It seems like.”

The workers were interested in the visitors to their worksite.

Jien Wang took out his smartphone to take some pictures of the factory when Jong-Suk stopped him.

“Taking a picture is not allowed in our factory. I am sorry about it. If you really need to do so, you need to get permission from President Goo first.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”

Professor Jien Wang put his smartphone back to his pocket.

After taking a tour of the production field, they went back to the second floor to Gun-Ho’s office.

“How was it?”

“Wow. I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was so clean. I think I need to send some of the Chinese factory owners here to learn.”

“I am sure Chinese factories are clean enough too.”

“I’m serious. I was very impressed. The business owners in China should learn from you.”

“Shall we head to the country club now?”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho took Jien Wang and Young-Jin Kim to Sangrok Country Club. It was located very close to his GH Mobile factory in Jiksan Town.

“So, this is the country club that is operated by the National Pension Service of Korea, huh?”

When Jien Wang recalled what he heard from Gun-Ho about Sangrok Country Club, Attorney Young-Jin Kim was surprised.

“Jien Wang! You seem to know more about things in Korea than me.”

“Nah. Gun-Ho Goo told me the other day.”

While Gun-Ho and Young-Jin brought their own golf clubs, Jien Wang had to borrow a full set of golf gear including golf gloves and golf shoes. Gun-Ho paid for everything with a credit card, including a golf cart and golf caddies.

“Gun-Ho Goo, you are spending money again for us.”

“That’s okay. I’m using my company credit card.”

Gun-Ho waved the credit card as he said so.

“This is what I like about a businessman. Many professors are not so cool when it comes to payment for anything.”

The golf course was not busy at all since it was a weekday.

Attorney Young-Jin Kim was very good at golfing as expected while Gun-Ho Goo and Jien-Wang made frequent mistakes in hitting the golf ball. They often made over par.

“Let’s take a break. It has been a while since the last time I played golf. I feel tired already. Why don’t we take a rest at the Shade House over there?”

“Sure.”

The Shade House in the forest had a great view of the golf course. The three men had fruit beverages while looking at the view.

“Attorney Kim, are you playing golf like everyday? You can’t be this good otherwise.”

“Haha. I just started playing golf at an early age when I was in school. I used to play golf with my dad when I was little.”

“I see. No wonder why people from a wealthy family usually play golf very well.”

“Aren’t you from a wealthy family too, Jien Wang? You studied in the U.S. at Yale University. It must cost a lot to travel from China to the U.S. and study there. I thought you could do so because of your family’s stable financial support.”

“Not necessarily. My father is a college professor just like me. I could study abroad because the Zhejiang government granted me a scholarship. We shouldn’t talk about who has more money in front of Gun-Ho Goo. He is the richest among us. The god of wealth seems to be attached to Gun-Ho only.”

Gun-Ho was thinking while having his beverage.

‘That’s right. I am the man with ShinWangJaeWang fate.’

“I wish Seukang Li is here with us today.”

“Yeah. Oh, Seukang Li asked me how you are doing. He said he wants to meet you, Gun-Ho.”

“Me? Why?”

“As you know, Seukang Li is in charge of the bureau of cultural affairs and media. His office is hosting a book exhibition in Shanghai, and he said a lot of publishing companies from other countries participated in it, and that helped his work a lot. He heard that you, President Goo, have a publishing company called GH Media. He wants you to come and join him in the book exhibition.”

“GH Media usually publishes American or Japanese books after translating into the Korean language. I don’t think we have any books we can participate in the book exhibition in Shanghai with.”

“What about you publishing Chinese books?”

“President Jeong-Sook Park of GH Media said she doesn’t do Chinese books because they are not very popular.”

“I see. That makes sense. I was told that they stopped printing out my book after the second edition. Chinese books are not very fun to read, even for me. But I want to help Seukang Li in some way…”

Gun-Ho recalled the fact that Seukang Li helped GH Parts Company’s business by introducing a window manufacturing company to Min-Hyeok Kim. And that increased the company’s sales revenue. Gun-Ho wanted to help Seukang Li as well.

“Well, I guess I can still participate in his book exhibition.”

“Seukang Li will be very happy if you can just participate.”

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Chapter 289 - Conversation at Shade House in a country club (1) – Part 2

Chapter 289: Conversation at Shade House in a country club (1) – Part 2

Another group of people came into the Shade House where Gun-Ho’s party was taking a break in. The other team was making so much noise by talking loudly that Gun-Ho felt like the shade house was about to collapse.

“Hahaha. President Kim, I guess you have to buy us a drink today since you made a bogey.”

“I haven’t been myself today. I am so tired because of that b*tch I met yesterday. It was all her fault.”

“Hahaha.”

Those people were ill-mannered and totally ignored the fact that they were not alone in the Shade House. Jien Wang and Young-Jin Kim seemed to feel very uncomfortable by those people’s presence. One man from that group was talking on the phone and he was extremely loud.

“Hey, Byeong-Tae died today. Are you asking me who Byeong-Tae is? You know that one who graduated from Seoul National University majoring in Economics. Yeah, that’s right. That’s him.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t know who Byeong-Tae was, of course, but he could see that which college a person graduate from was following that person until the day he died.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Gun-Ho, Jien, and Young-Jin walked out of the Shade House. They just couldn’t stand the other party.

Jien Wang asked,

“What was that guy talking about on the phone? He was very loud.”

“Well, he said someone who studied Economics at Seoul National University passed away.”

“What does his college have to do with his death?”

“I am wondering about it too.”

“Well, it is called the resemblance theory.”

“Resemblance theory?”

“People are trying to find the same quality as them on things or on other people. They then evaluate the other person or the thing, and they ultimately want to feel that they are better than others or his thing is better than the other thing.”

“Jien, you are very knowledgeable. You are indeed a professor.”

“That is usually caused by a person’s unstable and insecure mind. You will see. As long as people have that sort of mentality, we won’t be able to be free from overvaluing the importance of graduating from a top university, whether it is in Korea or China.”

“Hmm…”

Gun-Ho thought he could understand about half of what Jien Wang just said.

“People talk about someone who graduated from Seoul National University like he is very close to that person, even though that is not true. It could be found in a political campaign as well. Since Korea is a democratic country with numerous elections per year, you probably want to observe it with this theory in mind.”

“Like what? Give me some examples.”

“If a very good-looking man runs as a congressional candidate, the people who value the appearance greatly with a shallow mind and knowledge will vote for that man. It’s the resemblance theory.”

“Da*n it, an ugly person can’t even run for an election, according to what you just said.”

The three men continued to talk as they walked on the golf course.

“You already experienced some benefits from the resemblance theory.”

“Me? What benefits?”

“You made a lot of money by purchasing a condo around West Lake in Hangzhou City, where only rich people live in.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim who was listening to the conversation seemed to be surprised.

“Gun-Ho Goo, did you invest in the real estate in China?”

Professor Jien Wang and Gun-Ho Goo continued to talk without responding to Attorney Kim’s question.

“I heard the price of the real properties in Gangnam District, Seoul City kept going higher and higher these days. The same theory applies there too. The citizens in Hangzhou City want to live in a wealthy area around West Lake, as the citizens in Seoul want to live in Gangnam. Once they live in the area, they start showing off. They show off that they live in the same area as other wealthy people, implying that they are part of it.”

“Wow. I’m just so impressed by your vast knowledge.”

“Well, many rich people who accumulated their wealth at an early age know this already. I learned it from reading books. The rich people know this like an instinct and they apply it to their life.”

What Jien Wang just said reminded Gun-Ho of Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town. Chairman Lee accumulated his wealth at an early age by multiple transactions of the condos in Gangnam District, Seoul City, specifically Apgujeong Town.

Professor Jien Wang turned his head to look at Gun-Ho, and said,

“Do you know what we call these wealthy people? We call them a sage. A professor at Seoul National University is not a sage. They are just scholars with high pride. A sage is a different kind.”

Gun-Ho definitely thought that Chairman Lee was a sage. Gun-Ho nodded his head.

After playing golf, Gun-Ho took Jien Wang and Young-Jin Kim to a restaurant that specialized in Galbi (Korean grilled beef ribs). Gun-Ho selected this restaurant because he knew that Chinese people were usually meat lovers. The three men had Galbi with beer, and then they enjoyed the hot spring bath afterward.

“Thank you, Gun-Ho. Because of a good friend like you, I had a wonderful day; I played golf with my dear friends, had Galbi, and took a hot spring bath. This will be one of the memorable days for me.”

Jien Wang grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand and shook it vigorously.

“Don’t mention it, friend. I always find something I can learn whenever I meet you, Jien Wang. What you tell me helps me a lot with my business. We say that people self-develop within a group of other people. Now I see the meaning of it. I do appreciate it.”

Gun-Ho grabbed Jien Wang’s hand and shook it too.

Attorney Young-Jin Kim chipped in. He extended his hand to Gun-Ho.

“I thank you too, Gun-Ho. I had a marvelous day because of you.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand and shook it hard.

After seeing off Jien Wang and Attorney Young-Jin Kim, Gun-Ho came to his condo in Buldang Town. After taking a shower, Gun-Ho opened his refrigerator. There was dried food and beer. Gun-Ho usually dined out and he didn’t really store food in his refrigerator; however, he always had a beer and dried food in it.

A sip of beer after shower tasted great. While having a bottle of beer, Gun-Ho thought of Jong-Suk Park.

“I am wondering if the meeting between his parents and his girlfriend’s parents went well.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Jong-Suk Park.

“Jong-Suk? Are you home already?”

“Yeah. I’m home.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m reading a book.”

“A book? What’s wrong with you? I’ve never seen you reading a book before.”

“I gotta graduate Polytechnics College, don’t I?”

“Ha, I guess you are finally growing up since you have a girlfriend. Did your parents go back to their home already?”

“Yes. By the way, bro, why did you put that much money in the envelope for my parents?”

“Don’t say that. Your mom is my mom. Moreover, the Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup) your mom gave to me when I was little is priceless.”

“Well, still it’s too much.”

“How was the meeting? I wanted to ask you when I saw you this morning, but I couldn’t because I was so preoccupied with the visit of Professor Jien Wang and stuff.”

“It went well.”

“What did they say?”

“You know what? It turned out that my father and Eun-Sook’s father grew up in the same town.”

“Eun-Sook? That’s your girlfriend’s name?”

“Yeah, she is Eun-Sook Bang.”

“It’s a pretty name. So her parents are from Incheon too, huh?”

“No no. My father is originally from Dangjin City in Chungcheong Province and so is my mom. They are not from Incheon City.”

“Oh, I see. So they just settled in Incheon City after they moved from Dangjin City.”

“Since they grew up in the same town, they seemed to enjoy talking with each other, especially by talking about the old days in that town. So, it was good.”

“Really? Congratulations man. I guess you will marry soon.”

“Eun-Sook’s father suggested my parents to move to Cheonan City once we marry.”

“Really? Why so?”

“Eun-Sook is the only child and I am the only child in the family, so once we marry, both parents will feel lonely without a child in their home.”

“Really? What did your parents say?”

“They were just smiling without saying a word about it, but it seems they are considering it.”

“I think it’s a good idea. Since your parents’ hometown is Dangjin City, it is closer to Cheonan than Incheon. Your parents no longer run a restaurant anyway. They don’t have to stay in Incheon, I guess.”

“Oh, bro. I bought a condo.”

“Really? Which one?”

“It’s Purgio Condo next to Dujeong Station.”

“Really? How much did you pay?”

“It’s 32 pyung large. I paid 230 million won.”

“Did you buy it with a mortgage?”

“No. I didn’t have to. I saved up some money for my entire 7 years of career at a factory. That was about 80 million won. And my parents helped me with 150 million won.”

“Really?”

“My parents actually had saved some money for me for all these years, so they wanted to spend it when I get married. So I bought the condo without any debt.”

Jong-Suk’s parents were not rich but they had run a restaurant for a long time; it seemed they saved up good money for Jong-Suk. Jong-Suk was their only child after all. Because Jong-Suk had no siblings, he considered Gun-Ho like his real brother.

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Chapter 290 - Conversation at Shade House in a country club (2) – Part 1

Chapter 290: Conversation at Shade House in a country club (2) – Part 1

A mail arrived from China. It was an official invitation signed by Seukang Li for the international book exhibition that he was hosting in Shanghai. He sent the invitation for two. In addition to the invitation letter, Seukang Li sent an email to Gun-Ho separately. The email was written in Chinese and Gun-Ho, who had studied in China, had no problem reading it.

『To: My friend, Gun-Ho Goo

I met Jien Wang yesterday. He seemed to have a great time in Korea. He said it was because of you. And, he told me that he talked to you about the international book exhibition that I am hosting in Shanghai.

I am not sure about Korea, but here in China, Newspaper Guangdian Zongju manages publication in the Beijing area, and Guangbo Yingshi Ju which is the bureau of cultural affairs and media where I work manages publication in the Shanghai area.

Since I am the one who is in charge of this bureau in Shanghai, I am hoping to have as many publishing companies participate in the book exhibition, but I am not sure how many publishing companies will actually join us. I was told that you have a publishing company—

GH Media. If GH Media’s president and the owner could come to join our book exhibition, I would greatly appreciate it.

I feel like I always ask you for a favor without being of much help to you and I am sorry about it. If you could make it to my book exhibition, I would owe you big time.

From: Seukang Li from Shanghai』

After reading the email from Seukang Li, Gun-Ho made a phone call to President Jeong-Sook Shin in GH Media.

“Yes, sir. This is Jeong-Sook Shin.”

“President Shin, I’ve received the first and the second book of the cartoon series that you sent to me earlier.”

“We have the third and fourth books that are ready, and we sent those to you already. They will arrive at your office by tomorrow.”

“Are they selling well?”

“We are already printing out the third editions of the first and second books of world history cartoon series. These books are an already-proved bestseller by Amazon.com. I knew it will be successful, but they are actually selling more than I expected.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“The workers here were worried about it when we put them on the bookstores for the first time. Now they are very satisfied with the sales performance.”

“Really? That’s really nice. Umm, have you heard of an international book exhibition held in Shanghai, China?”

“Yes, I have. I know some of the publishing companies which are selling Korean books that already applied to participate in the book exhibition.”

“Can’t we participate in it?”

“No, sir. We are selling Japanese or American books after translating it into the Korean language. So, we don’t really have our own books to promote there.”

“What if we go there and import Chinese books?”

“Our market is Korea, and Chinese books are not so popular in Korea.”

“I’ve received two invitations for that book exhibition. Would you like to go there with me?”

“Well, I don’t know. I think we will probably just waste time and money by traveling to China.”

“To be honest with you, the person who is hosting the book exhibition in Shanghai is my friend. He is Chinese, of course.”

“Oh, really?”

“He is the director of the bureau of cultural affairs, radio broadcasting, film, television, media, and arts of Shanghai. And that bureau is hosting the international book exhibition. He sent me the invitation with an email saying I have to be there.”

“Well, you should go there then, sir.”

“I won’t be very helpful to him if I go there by myself. I don’t know much about the book publishing business. He sent me two invitations, so I was wondering if you would go there with you, President Shin.”

“Well… Okay. I will go with you, sir. But the travel expenses…”

“Don’t worry about the expenses for the trip. I can have GH Mobile pay for our travel expenses or I can personally bear the entire cost.”

Gun-Ho had been receiving his monthly salaries from three separate companies, and he hadn’t really spent much so far. Those salaries were just being accumulated in his personal bank account.

“I am in then. As a matter of fact, everyone in the publishing business wishes to participate in an international book exhibition.”

“We don’t have to make a contract for a Chinese book if we don’t meet any good one. I just want to be there for my friend.”

“Understood, sir.”

“I will let you know once the trip itinerary is confirmed.”

“Okay, sir.”

After getting off the phone with GH Media’s President Shin, Gun-Ho replied to Seukang Li’s email.

『I guess you might feel a heavy burden on your shoulders for the book exhibition. Since I have a publishing company, I will participate in the exhibition with the publishing company’s president. I am gladly taking this opportunity to see my dear friend.

Wishing our forever friendship, Gun-Ho Goo from Korea』

Gun-Ho was stretching himself in his office after sending out the email reply to Seukang Li when Director Dong-Chan Lee entered the office. He was with two young men.

“Sir, these are the new hires of Dyeon Korea.”

“Oh, really? Please have a seat.”

Director Kim and the new employees sat on a chair.

Director Kim handed over their resumes to Gun-Ho.

Both of the new employees graduated from Seoul National University and they had some experience abroad either as an exchange student or for a voluntary work. They were about 30 years old, which made them at least five years younger than Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho looked at Director Kim and said,

“What are their job positions?”

“One person will do import and export work, and the other will do sales.”

“For the accounting and general affairs positions, you said you wanted to take a few employees from the current GH Mobile’s employees, right?”

“That’s right, sir. We will need people with work experience for the accounting and general affairs positions, so I’m planning to take a team leader or assistant manager in those departments in GH Mobile. And we will hire two more employees for each department.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho then looked at the new hires and said,

“Welcome aboard. You will feel a bit uncomfortable at the beginning of your work since the Dyeon Korea’s building is not yet completed.”

“That’s okay, sir.”

The two men responded simultaneously.

“Are you two from this area?”

“Yes, our parents are in Asan City.”

Gun-Ho said,

“I am so happy to have decent new employees in Dyeon Korea. You will learn a lot from Director Kim here. If you work hard, you will have an opportunity to promote within the company as well. Since you start working with us even before the company’s building is completed, you are one of our very first employees. I look forward to working with you two.”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with each of the new employees and tapped their backs.

The new hires gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho before leaving the office.

While having a cup of tea in his office, Gun-Ho thought about the two young men who just joined Dyeon Korea. They looked young and innocent. He then touched his own face.

“I just turned 36 years old. If those two young men saw me on the street, would they consider me like an older brother? Or an uncle? Do I look already that old?”

Gun-Ho looked at himself in the mirror.

“I am indeed getting old. I came this far without a break and without realizing that I am aging. Mori Aikko is only 21 years old. Is she with me because she really likes me? Or because of my money?”

As Gun-Ho suddenly became self-conscious about his aged appearance, he decided to get a skin care, and he headed to downtown in Cheonan City.

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Chapter 291 - Conversation at Shade House in a country club (2) – Part 2

Chapter 291: Conversation at Shade House in a country club (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was supposed to go back to work after having a skincare and eating his lunch, but he didn’t feel like going to work that afternoon.

“I have money, but I’m not sure if I am going in the right direction with my life. My life is all about the company. I have to figure out all sorts of problems that occurred within the company and I have to make a judgment and decision on issues raised in the company. That’s all I do every day. I am not certain whether dedicating all my time and energy to running the company is the life I want to live in.”

Gun-Ho was wondering who other business owners consult these kinds of issues, probably none. Gun-Ho then thought of Master Park from Gangnam, who predicted five years ago that Gun-Ho would become vastly rich.

“Maybe I should talk to him. He had been released from the hospital already and I heard he went back to Goesan Town. Goesan Town is far from Seoul City, but it only takes about an hour if I leave from Cheonan City.”

Gun-Ho turned his car in the direction toward Geosan Town, instead of his office. He didn’t forget to pick up some gifts on the way to his home; he bought a gift set of ginseng extract.

Once he arrived in Goesan Town, he asked the locals he encountered on the way where he could find Cheonghakjeongsa which was the name of Master Park’s temple-like home.

Gun-Ho was told that Cheonghakjeongsa was built by Master Park, and he seemed to have done a very good job. It was not a large building. It had a Korean traditional roof which made it look very elegant. Its interior was quite small. It looked way smaller than Gun-Ho’s office. Behind Cheonghakjeongsa, there was an additional small house made of wood. It was probably the house where Master Park was actually living in.

At the entrance of Cheonghakjeongsa, there was a large stone where people left their shoes before entering inside. On the day Gun-Ho visited Cheonghakjeongsa, there were several shoes on that stone. It seemed that Master Park had other visitors that day. Gun-Ho could take a peek at the inside of Cheonghakjeongsa through a small gap between the door and the wall. Master Park was doing what he had been doing when he was in Gangnam; he was telling the visitors about their fates and future. They were sitting at a floor table on a floor cushion.

“Ha. He is still running the same business even here.”

When Gun-Ho looked around the yard, there were two vehicles parked, probably the visitors’ cars. Gun-Ho waited there for about 30 minutes.

“What takes him so long? It’s just a fortune-telling, is it?”

When Gun-Ho was checking the time by looking at his watch, the visitors walked out of the room. Gun-Ho waited until those guests left the room completely before he finally entered the room.

“Hello, sir.”

“Oh, President Goo? I’ve noticed that a magpie sang this morning. I guess the magpie was telling me that I will have an important visitor today.”

Gun-Ho quietly placed the gift—KGC ginseng extract on the floor next to the table.

“Oh, you brought me a precious gift.”

“I’ve wanted to visit you in Goesan Town. The air is very clean and fresh here.”

“Please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho sat on a floor cushion.

“You are wondering about something, right? People encounter some questions they can’t find the answer to while they are living their lives. That’s natural. I forgot your birth year, date, and time. Would you give me those information again?”

Gun-Ho told him what he asked.

Master Park took his time to figure out Gun-Ho’s fate according to his birth year, date, and time. He made some notes on paper then said while putting the paper away,

“Well, I don’t even have to go deep. You have the fate of ShinWangJaeWang! You will enjoy your wealthy life.”

“I am 36 years old already and I am still single.”

“Don’t worry about it. You will have several wives. That’s your fate.”

“How can I possibly have several wives? A person can legally have one spouse at a time.”

“These days, we call one of those women as your spouse, and for the other women, we call them your lovers. You will have many lovers, and they will be your secret lovers.”

“I did make good money, that’s true, but I don’t even have one woman I am seeing right now.”

Master Park craned his neck toward Gun-Ho’s face and asked,

“Are you sure? Are you being truthful here? Don’t you even have someone you haven’t told anyone yet?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t respond right away because Mori Aikko just crossed his mind.

“See? I take that as you do have someone already. You will have another one, and you will have your wife too.”

“What am I going to do with all those women?”

Master Park smiled.

“That’s your fate. Enjoy it. You certainly have a better life than mine. In case you haven’t noticed, I am staying in the countryside by myself.”

“Well… umm…”

“Your fate is not just about making a lot of money, but it applies to your love life too. You will be rich in the sense that you will have a lot of women in your life.”

“I see.”

“Have you read a book called The Cloud Dream of the Nine?”

“Are you talking about the Korean novel written by Mangjung Gim during the Joseon Dynasty?”

“That’s right. You probably learned it in high school. It’s a frequent test topic in school as well. I see that you know the book and even its author, but have you read it?”

“No, I haven’t”

“If you read the book, you will see the main character. His name is So-Yoo Yang. Do you know how many women including his wife and other lovers whom he had?”

“I don’t know.”

“In the novel, he had two wives and six lovers. He lived with all of them. He was very rich and he was a top-ranked official in the government.”

“Ha. Really?”

“In his later years of life, he realized the transience of life and eventually entered into Buddhism, and he went to heaven after his death. His life was a dream life of the scholars in that era.”

“Haha. Are you serious?”

“He had two wives and six lovers. He had a wealthy life, and he went to heaven after he died. Isn’t it a good life? It’s a very opposite life from mine.”

“What about your life? Your life doesn’t look bad at all.”

“I don’t have a wife and I don’t have much money. And I guess I will fall into hell after I die.”

“Haha. Why are you saying that? You are joking, right?”

“Well, I don’t even have to search deep with your fate. You won’t have as many lovers as the main character in The Cloud Dream of the Nine, but you will have a wife, one lover in Japan and another one in China. That’s your destiny.”

“Haha. I’m not sure if that would become true, but I feel good to hear it.”

Gun-Ho walked out of Cheonghakjeongsa after leaving substantial fees behind.

Master Park told Gun-Ho before he left,

“If you see Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town when you go to Seoul City, please say hi for me. He is a very good friend than he looks.”

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Chapter 292 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (1) – Part 1

Chapter 292: Top Star—Seol-Bing (1) – Part 1

President Jang-Hwan Song who was the co-president of GH Mobile came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“We developed two products at our research center out of five orders that S Group placed. We are currently producing sample products. We will manufacture 5,000 for each product and send it to our logistics team today.”

“Good work.”

“I was impressed by the ability of our new chief officer of the research center. I was told that BMW’s research center didn’t want to let him go, and I now totally understand why. He is a bit sensitive but other than that, he is the best research chief officer I’ve ever seen.”

“Is he that sensitive?”

“It’s a very common disposition among high-level engineers. That sensitivity enables them to produce accurate and precise products.”

“I guess they will soon start developing the other three products, too.”

“I think we need help from Mr. Sakata Ikuzo who returned to Japan for one of the products, which S Group’s factory in Changweon location requested. The order quantity for that product is the highest.”

“Do you think we are not capable of developing it on our own?”

“We need to carve a metal for it, and that requires a person to have extensive experience. Even though the researchers in our research center have the perfect theory to develop the product, we don’t have that sort of proficiency. We can still develop the product; however, it will take a long time. Given the time and other resources that are required in developing a particular product, it would save a lot of cost and labor if we get help from Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.”

“Hmm, I see what you mean.”

“I will go to Japan and talk to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo myself. I will bring the design drawing to him.”

“Are you planning to go by yourself?”

“Well, I prefer to bring one more person with me, but that will cost us…”

“The trip could give a very good experience. Why don’t you go with the research chief officer? I understand that the chief officer is more on the theoretical side while Mr. Sakata Ikuzo has extensive hands-on skills, but I think our chief officer will learn a lot from this trip.”

“Okay. I will do that.”

“Do you have Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s contact information?”

“Director Jong-Suk Park had Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s business card, and it had his email address. I already sent an email to him, and he replied to us right away. He said that he is willing to help us any time.”

“Really? I suppose you know the Japanese language.”

“Not fluently, but I can speak a little bit. When I was in my mid-40s, I had worked in Japan for three years as a branch manager.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho thought for a second to go to Japan with them, so he could see Mori Aikko, but he then thought it was not a good idea. He didn’t want to give any impression to President Song or the research chief officer that he was having too much fun traveling around.

Instead, Gun-Ho decided to go to China. Gun-Ho announced his trip to China when he had a meeting with the executives.

“I will have to go to Shanghai. Currently, President Song and our research chief officer are on a trip to Japan, so we have several absences. I hope you all stay put at your position until we come back.”

The internal auditor who was sitting next to Gun-Ho asked,

“May I ask what the occasion of your trip to Shanghai is, sir?”

“Oh, as you all know I have several companies that I am running. I will have to participate in an international book exhibition in Shanghai for the GH Media matter. So I am going to China with GH Media’s president.”

“Oh, I see. Hope you have a safe trip, sir.”

The executive officers were careful in choosing their words when they addressed Gun-Ho to show their respect even though Gun-Ho was a lot younger than them. It didn’t start off as such in the beginning, but they gradually found themselves doing so since they were working for the company that Gun-Ho owned after all.

Gun-Ho Goo and President Jeong-Sook Shin arrived at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, and they went to Hilton Hotel that was in the vicinity of the airport. Gun-Ho and President Shin had more than 10 years of an age gap, so they didn’t appear to be a married couple to the people who didn’t know them. Hilton Hotel at that location was a preferred hotel among Koreans since it was close to the airport and also close to the Korean town.

“It’s kind of early for lunch. Why don’t you take a break in your room and come to the lobby for lunch later?”

President Song responded while rubbing her belly.

“Sir, I think I will have to skip lunch today. I think I have an upset stomach since I had the in-flight meal. I think I’d better just take a rest at the room for the rest of the day.”

“I can get you medicine.”

“I brought some medicine with me. Thank you, sir.”

“Hmm. Really? Don’t worry about me. Just take a rest and get better.”

After President Shin left for her room, Gun-Ho sat on a sofa in the hotel lobby. He then made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Hey, it’s me. I just arrived in Shanghai.”

“You did? I can come to Shanghai tomorrow. I am in Tsingtao right now at one of our customer companies.”

“Oh, really? Sure. You don’t have to rush to come here. I can see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, let’s go to the art exhibition.”

“Art exhibition?”

“Yeah. Remember that my father-in-law is a painter? He is having his art exhibition somewhere around People’s Park in Shanghai. If you have time, I want to go there with you.”

“Sounds great. Let’s go.”

After getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok, Gun-Ho called Seukang Li.

“Director Li? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, Gun-Ho Goo. Are you in Shanghai right now?”

“Yeah, I just arrived. I am at Hilton Hotel near Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Tomorrow is the opening ceremony for your book exhibition, right? I will be there on time.”

“Hey, if you haven’t had your lunch yet, why don’t you come and join me for lunch? There is a Korean restaurant that specializes in ginseng chicken soup. The owner is Korean. It is a very popular restaurant in this area. If you are with GH Media’s president, bring her with you.”

“She is actually in her room taking a rest. She is having a minor stomach ache.”

“Oh, I guess her body is adjusting to a different environment. Well, why don’t you come by yourself then?”

Gun-Ho took a taxi and headed to City Hall. In China, they didn’t call it City Hall, but they called it People’s Government for the City.

Gun-Ho went straight to the bureau director’s office. A female worker asked Gun-Ho who he was, and Gun-Ho told her that he was President Gun-Ho Goo from Korea. He spoke in Chinese, of course. The worker let Gun-Ho in right away. Gun-Ho entered the office after knocking on the door. Seukang Li was talking with his guests in the office. He stood up and waved his hand when he saw Gun-Ho entering the office.

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo!”

“Seukang Li!”

“Have a seat, my friend.”

“I can come later. It seems you have guests here.”

There were a man and a woman sitting on a sofa. The female looked sophisticated, and she was wearing dark sunglasses. She looked arrogant, Gun-Ho thought. She didn’t wear the sunglasses when Gun-Ho came into the office, but when he entered the office, she picked up her sunglasses and wore them.

The man was skinny, and he stood up and greeted Gun-Ho.

“President Gun-Ho Goo?”

Gun-Ho was surprised when he heard the man speak in Korean. When Gun-Ho looked at the man closely, he realized that he knew the man. He was the manager of BM Entertainment Management Company that he met before. The BM Entertainment manager gave a bow to Gun-Ho respectfully.

“It’s really good to see you again, sir.”

“Oh, you are the person in the entertainment field.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand for a handshake, but he wasn’t really thrilled to see him here again.

Director Li asked all of them to have a seat.

“Well, why don’t we all have a seat? I guess everyone here except me is Korean.”

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Chapter 293 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (1) – Part 2

Chapter 293: Top Star—Seol-Bing (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho looked at another man who was sitting next to the BM Entertainment manager while sitting on a sofa. The man had a sturdy build, and he looked like he was in his late 50s. He was exuding some sort of charisma. He could be a celebrity, or he could be a leader of a gang. Gun-Ho couldn’t tell the woman’s age though since she was wearing sunglasses.

Seukang Li said,

“Why don’t you introduce yourselves to each other.”

The entertainment company’s manager smiled and introduced the man sitting next to him.

“This is the president of BM Entertainment.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho said without showing any interest. Gun-Ho who was running a manufacturing company was not really interested in the entertainment field. The president person then said with his thick voice.

“I am Hyeon-Man Yee.”

His name sounded familiar. Gun-Ho heard that name before. He looked at the man again closely. He was actually the famous person who appeared on TV sometimes. He had a famous girl group and a very popular boy group in his entertainment management company.

Hyeon-Man Yee gave his business card to Gun-Ho.

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

Gun-Ho handed his business card to Hyeon-Man as well. Hyeon-man looked at Gun-Ho’s business card carefully. Gun-Ho introduced himself to him with more details.

“I am running a manufacturing company in a small city. We are manufacturing automobile parts.”

The entertainment manager smiled and added,

“President Goo is the one who acquired RiverStar Building in Sinsa Town, Gangnam.”

“Oh, really? My friend has his office in that building on the seventh floor. He is running an entertainment management company there.”

“We changed the name of the building to GH Building.”

“Why don’t you introduce the lady to him too?”

Seukang Li indicated the female who was wearing sunglasses.

“This is the actress—Seol-Bing.”

As Hyeon-Man introduced her, the lady took off her sunglasses and smiled at Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho was surprised by her beautiful face. Seol-Bing was a member of a girl group, and she was acting as well. She was cast as a leading character of a very popular TV series recently. Gun-Ho stuttered a bit when he talked to the female celebrity.

“Umm… I… I am very happy to meet a famous star here.”

When he gave his business card to her, she took it with a broad smile.

The manager of BM Entertainment said with a smile,

“President Goo is the person I talked to you about. He was the one I asked a favor the other day because I knew he was friends with Director Li.”

“Oh, I see.”

As the manager explained further, Hyeon-Man took out Gun-Ho’s business card from his pocket and looked at it again. Gun-Ho was listed as the president of four companies. Hyeon-Man slowly said,

“We came here to get permission for our performance in Shanghai Sports Complex. Even though I came here in person and asked for it, Director Li refused to issue the permit. I brought Seol-Bing with me hoping Director Li recognizes her and changes his mind.”

The BM manager slowly spoke to Director Li in his humble Chinese.

“Our president came all the way from Seoul. Would you reconsider your decision? We have already talked to TV stations for the performance.”

“The decision has been already made. I can’t just change it. Please leave. There is nothing much I can do about it now.”

“You are the person who is in charge of the media and press. Please reconsider it.”

Seol-Bing chipped in with her small voice.

The TV series that Seol-Bing was in had been broadcasted throughout China. If she could have a performance at the Shanghai Sports Center, more people would see her on TV and recognize her talents. That would make her even more famous in Korea, Seol-Bing thought.

Seukang Li shook his head from side to side with his mouth firmly shut. Silence filled the air for a while.

The BM manager talked to Gun-Ho this time.

“Sir, please help us. We brought this beautiful actress here, but it doesn’t seem to be helpful. I don’t know what else I could do to make it work.”

As the BM manager asked Gun-Ho’s help, Hyeon-Man Yee and Seol-Bing looked at Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho was baffled. He came to Seukang Li’s office to have ginseng chicken soup for his lunch with him. But the situation was going in a weird direction.

Gun-Ho finally opened his mouth and spoke in Chinese.

“Director Li, why don’t you give them the performance permit? Maybe we can find a way to promote your book exhibition with their performance at the sports complex.”

“How could that be possible? The performance dates and the exhibition dates are different.”

“I believe these people have already started preparing their performance pamphlet. Maybe you can distribute it to your book exhibition. That way, more people will come to the book exhibition.”

“Hmm. The book exhibition starts tomorrow. I don’t think we have enough time to prepare pamphlets.”

Hyeon-Man Yee and Seol-Bing seemed to be wondering what Gun-Ho and Director Li were talking about since they couldn’t understand Chinese. The BM manager, on the other hand, seemed to understand the conversation. He sometimes nodded his head.

Gun-Ho asked the BM manager,

“Do you already have your performance pamphlet?”

“The pamphlet is almost done. Once we get the permit, we were going to finish it by putting the exact performance date on it.”

“If you get the exact date now, can you complete the pamphlet and make them ready to be placed at the international book exhibition venue tomorrow?”

“Let me make a quick phone call to make sure.”

The BM manager called somewhere and came back with a gloomy face.

“They said they would need at least three days to make them ready to be used.”

Gun-Ho thought for a second with his arms crossed before saying,

“Let’s advertise on TV and the Internet that the pamphlet will be distributed after three days at the book exhibition. If people come to the book exhibition and ask for the pamphlet, we can give them a ticket instead, so they can exchange it after three days with the pamphlet.”

“Hmm.”

Seukang Li was thinking and Gun-Ho was pressing him.

“If the performance permit was declined in order to protect the Chinese entertainment business and not because it would cause some traffic problems, then maybe you can use it to promote the Chinese entertainment business by letting the Chinese celebrities participate in their performance.”

“Hmm.”

Seukang Li thought of it for quite a while before lifting his head and saying,

“Okay. I will issue the permit. But there are three conditions.”

“I’m listening.”

“First, Chinese celebrities have to participate in the performance, and they will comprise one-third of the entire participating celebrities.”

The BM manager was interpreting what Seukang Li said for Hyeon-Man Yee, and Hyeon-Man Yee was nodding his head.

“Second, the pamphlet will be distributed at the book exhibition free of charge. And since the pamphlet will be ready after three days, they will have to distribute a ticket to exchange with the pamphlet to people who come to the book exhibition in the earlier days.”

Hyeon-Man Yee nodded his head as he heard the second condition.

“Third, put the wording on the pamphlet that the performance is sponsored by the bureau of cultural affairs and radio broadcasting, film, and television of Shanghai.”

Hyeon-Man Yee nodded his head again to the third condition.

Seukang Li then called for a staff and asked her to make a word document with what he just said.

A female staff came into the office and gave the people in the office a glass of water.

Hyeon-Man Yee extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake and said,

“Thank you for helping us.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“I will come to visit you at your building in Sinsa Town.”

“I usually don’t stay in Sinsa Town. I’ve recently invested 20 million dollars into a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon, and we are currently building a factory in Asan City for it right now. So I usually stay there and come to Seoul from time to time.”

“Oh, really? Then please let me know when you come to Seoul.”

BM Entertainment’s manager stood up and gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho.

“Thank you, sir.”

The individuals who were dreaming to be a celebrity wanted to be picked by a manager in an entertainment management company, so the manager in the entertainment company was not someone who those individuals could talk to easily. And that manager was giving a deep bow to Gun-Ho.

The staff came back to the office with the word document that listed three conditions that Seukang Li suggested. It was an agreement written in Chinese. Seukang Li and Hyeon-Man Yee signed the agreement.

Seukang Li called for the staff again.

“Please bring me BM Entertainment’s performance application and the permit.”

When the staff brought the said document, Seukang Li signed it.

Hyeon-Man Yee said to Director Li,

“Please allow me to treat you lunch or dinner.”

“I’m sorry. I already have pre-engagement.”

“President Goo, would you join us for lunch?”

“I have pre-engagement as well.”

“Oh, you both are busy today. Well, please give me an opportunity to treat you someday.”

Hyeon-Man Yee then extended his hand to Gun-Ho again for a handshake. Seol-Bing who looked arrogant with sunglasses on also offered her hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake with a smile. Gun-Ho held Seol-Bing’s hand; he thought her hand was very warm.

“Thank you.”

As Seol-Bing expressed her appreciation, Gun-Ho said while still holding her hand,

“Don’t mention it. I am honored to meet a famous celebrity like you, ma’am.”

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Chapter 294 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (2) – Part 1

Chapter 294: Top Star—Seol-Bing (2) – Part 1

The opening ceremony of the international book exhibition in Shanghai would be held at 10 o’clock in the morning.

Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin walked out of Hilton Hotel and took a taxi heading to Nanjing Lu where the book exhibition would be held. The opening ceremony was to be held in the exhibition hall. When they arrived at their destination, Gun-Ho could see the banner on the platform saying ‘Shanghai International Book Exhibition’.

Gun-Ho wrote his name on the guestbook in Korean before entering the exhibition; he wrote it as ‘the owner of GH Media in Korea—Gun-Ho Goo’. When the female staff at the registration desk saw Gun-Ho’s name on the guestbook, they laughed while looking at each other. Everyone wrote their names in Chinese, so maybe Gun-Ho’s name in Korean seemed interesting and fun to look at.

The opening ceremony started with Shanghai City’s deputy mayor’s congratulatory message. After the deputy mayor delivered the message, people applauded. Seukang Li was sitting on a chair at the platform. Gun-Ho was sitting in an area where all other participants were found.

Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin slowly walked around the exhibition; they were wearing a flower on their chest, which were given by the staff. The book exhibition was carrying all types of books from children’s story books to cryptic philosophy books.

“Gun-Ho Goo.”

Someone called Gun-Ho’s name and Gun-Ho turned around. It was Seukang Li.

“Hey, I’ve been looking for you.”

Gun-Ho introduced Seukang Li to President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“This is the director of the Shanghai’s Bureau of cultural affairs, radio broadcasting, film, television, media, and arts.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin extended her hand to Seukang Li for a handshake with a smile.

“Oh, you must be President Jeong-Sook Shin from GH Media. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“How did you know her name?”

Gun-Ho asked,

“I just saw it on the guestbook.”

Seukang Li introduced other Chinese publishing companies’ business owners to President Jeong-Sook Shin. China had a very stringent policy in approving the publishing business license, so most of the publishing companies in China were large companies. That contrasted with Korea’s environment where there were many small publishing companies with only one or two employees. President Shin received tens of business cards from the Chinese business owners of publishing companies.

Seukang Li said to Gun-Ho in a low voice,

“Thank you, Gun-Ho. I told the publishing companies’ owners that GH Media is a very popular publishing company in Korea. That’s why they are pouring their business cards into President Shin. They want to make a connection with President Shin hoping that they can publish their book in the Korean market.”

“I see.”

“Guess what I told them.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I told that the owner of that famous GH Media publishing company is my best friend.”

“Haha. You didn’t lie to them.”

“Thank you so much, Gun-Ho. You and President Shin’s presence means a lot to me and to this book exhibition.”

“You’re very welcome, Seukang Li. You must be very busy. You don’t have to stay with us. I will look more around the exhibition with President Shin before we leave.”

As Gun-Ho looked at the books displayed at the exhibition, he asked President Shin.

“There are tons of books here. Are you sure there is not even a single book you want to publish in Korea?”

“Well, there are several history books that are intriguing to me.”

Gun-Ho then said,

“If you think we can sell even only their first edition, let’s make a contract. If necessary, I will invest more funds in GH Media to give support.”

“That won’t be necessary, sir. GH Media has enough funds to handle those contracts now. I will make a contract for three history books then.”

“When you do that, please tell them that Director Seukang Li of the Bureau of cultural affairs and media recommended those books to you and that that’s why you decided to publish them in Korea.”

“Haha. Understood, sir.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin made a contract right away with the corresponding publishing company’s staff, and she didn’t forget to tell them that Seukang Li recommended the books.

“I am signing the contract because Shanghai City’s Director Seukang Li strongly recommended it. I didn’t even read the books yet.”

“Oh, Shi Ma (Is it)?”

President Shin gave them a small amount of deposit as she signed the book contract and promised them to wire-transfer the remaining balance once she returned to Korea. Since President Shin couldn’t speak Chinese, Gun-Ho interpreted for her during the contract signing. President Shin smiled and said,

“Hahaha. I feel like I am the owner of the business, and you are my employee since you are interpreting for me during my contract signing.”

“Haha.” Gun-Ho laughed.

Gun-Ho and President Shin were having a beverage while sitting on a chair when Min-Hyeok arrived at the book exhibition.

“Hey, Min-Hyeok!”

“I am sorry I am late.”

“You have already met GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin, right?”

“Of course, I have. How are you, President Shin?”

As Min-Hyeok said hi to President Shin, President Shin gave him a slight nod of greeting with a smile.

“President Shin, you haven’t been to our GH factory in China, have you?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Why don’t you visit us then? We are located in Suzhou City.”

“Sure. I will.”

“Oh, how did your visit to Qingdao City go?”

“It went well. I went there because of a product claim we received.”

“A product claim?”

“Yes. One of our customer companies made a product claim. They said they received defective products from us, 10,000 of them. I was terrified, so I immediately visited their site to verify the defective products myself.”

“Really? How is that possible? I can’t believe that our factory manufactured 10,000 defective products. Our GH Mobile’s former plant manager is there working in the factory with an advisory position. He wouldn’t have let anything like that happen under his supervision.”

“Right. I went there and confirmed that those defective products were not ours. Those products look exactly the same as ours, but I could tell that those are not ours by looking at the product identification mark.”

“What a relief.”

“The president of that customer company apologized to me, and he promised to increase the number of products they will order from us after returning all those defective products.”

“That’s very good.”

“That’s why I came late today. I came straight from the customer company.”

“Really? Oh, I’m sorry, President Shin. We didn’t forget your presence here with us. We didn’t mean to exclude you from our conversation.”

“No, no. Please don’t mind me. It seems like you have a very important business to attend to.”

“Min-Hyeok, you haven’t looked around the book exhibition yet, right? Why don’t you make a quick tour of the exhibition? We will be waiting for you here.”

“Well… I’m not very interested in the book exhibition. I don’t need to see it. Let’s just go.”

“But since you are here, why don’t you just look at them quickly? It’s a bit early for lunch anyway so we still have time.”

“Nah. Maybe later. Let’s just go out for lunch.”

“Where is your father-in-law’s art exhibition being held?”

“It’s not far from here at all. It’s around People’s Park. I believe we can walk from here.”

Gun-Ho Goo, Min-Hyeok Kim, and Jeong-Sook Shin, the three people went to the art exhibition. Since it was still morning, there were not many people.

At the entrance of the art exhibition, there was a banner saying ‘Mr. Ding Feng’s Landscapes Art Exhibition.’

When the three people entered the exhibition, the person who was sitting at the entrance stood up quickly. He might be wondering who these people were since Gun-Ho’s party looked different from Chinese people. They dressed a bit more sophisticated and looked wealthy.

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Chapter 295 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (2) – Part 2

Chapter 295: Top Star—Seol-Bing (2) – Part 2

Min-Hyeok’s father-in-law was a good painter. His paintings were more beautiful and skillfully done than Gun-Ho had expected. His paintings were traditional landscapes painting with mountains, clouds, lake, and a small boat.

“Hey, Min-Hyeok. Your father-in-law is a real artist.”

“I was told that he has been painting his entire life. So I’m not surprised.”

President Shin, who had profound knowledge in paintings, nodded her head from time to time while looking at the paintings displayed in the exhibition.

“I like them.”

There were not many paintings displayed. There were about 20 of them. Gun-Ho felt the pressure that he should buy at least one painting since he was there in person. He asked the staff there,

“Are these paintings for sale as well?”

“Yes, they are.”

“How much is the painting over there with a mountain and a lake? The sixth one from the left.”

“Do you like that one?”

The staff gave a broad smile and showed Gun-Ho the price of the painting from the price list. The price list showed the name, size, and price of each painting.

The name of the painting that Gun-Ho picked was Drunken in the Mountains. It cost 3,000 Yuan (about 550,000 Korean won).

Min-Hyeok made a comment while looking at the painting that Gun-Ho was about to buy.

“Drunken in the Mountains? So the painting is about a hermit who is living in a mountain and who happens to be drunk. I can’t really see the hermit in the painting though. It’s too small. Moreover, the mountain looks rough.”

When Gun-Ho filled in the purchasing application with his name and address, the staff’s eyes widened.

“Oh, you are Korean? I thought you were from Taiwan since your Chinese was so good.”

Gun-Ho gave cash to the staff, and the staff put it in the drawer of the desk while smiling.

“The painting will be available to pick up or be mailed after the art exhibition is over.”

“Can you get rid of the picture mounting and mail me only the painting to the address shown in my purchasing application?”

While giving the staff an instruction to mail the painting, Gun-Ho handed an additional 200 Yuan to the staff.

“Please send me by EMS.”

“Oh. Umm, of course. Thank you, sir.”

The staff then walked to the painting which Gun-Ho just purchased and marked the painting’s name tag red. It was a notification to other visitors saying that the painting was already sold.

When Gun-Ho was about to walk out of the exhibition, the staff called him urgently.

“Sir, just a moment, please.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Why don’t you take a picture with the painter since you purchased one of his paintings? You can take a picture with him in front of the painting that you just bought.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mr. Painter is on the third floor right now. He will come down soon.”

“Hmm. It’s interesting that they allow the buyer to take a picture with the painter in front of the painting he or she purchased.”

The staff made a call to the third floor, and after a while, the artist, who was Min-Hyeok’s father-in-law, showed up. He looked like he was in his 60s. He had his grey hair pulled back and tied to make a ponytail, and he had a beard. He did look like an artist.

“Sir, this gentleman purchased one of the paintings.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok’s father-in-law greeted each other.

When the painter noticed his son-in-law was standing there, he said,

“Oh, you came too.”

“Father, the buyer is actually a friend of mine.”

“Oh, really? Are you from Korea?”

“Yes, I am, sir.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok’s father-in-law then took a picture in front of the no.6 painting.

President Shin suddenly approached Min-Hyeok’s father-in-law and said,

“Hello, sir. I came with this gentleman from Korea. I really like your paintings, sir.”

“Thank you.”

“I am in the publishing business in Korea.”

President Shin gave her business card to the painter—Mr. Ding Feng—as she introduced herself to him.

When he received President Shin’s business card, he looked at the other side of the card since he couldn’t read Korean and checked if there was an English version on the back of the business card.

“You probably came here for the international book exhibition.”

“Yes. Sir, have you had your painting exhibition in Korea before?”

“No, I haven’t had a chance to do so yet. I had it in Japan and Hong Kong though.”

“I do love your paintings. Can I have your business card, sir?”

“Of course.”

Mr. Ding Feng pulled out his business card from his white pants’ pocket and handed it to President Jeong-Sook Shin. He also gave one to Gun-Ho.

Once the three people walked out of the exhibition, they headed to Hongqiao International Airport to take a flight back to Korea.

At the airport, Gun-Ho extended his hand to Min-Hyeok for a handshake, who came along to see Gun-Ho and President Shin off.

“I wanted to visit our factory in Suzhou City, but I guess I had to do that on another day. The building dedication ceremony of the factory in Asan City is around the corner, and I’d better go back quickly.”

“No problem. Next time you visit China, let’s visit Dandong as well.”

“Sounds good.”

Min-Hyeok Kim went back to Suzhou City after having a handshake with Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin.

While waiting to board at the gate, Gun-Ho asked President Shin,

“Why did you ask to have Mr. Ding Feng’s business card at his art exhibition?”

“Oh, I surprisingly like his paintings a lot. So I was thinking maybe I might see him again later.”

“Those paintings of actual landscapes are not popular in Korea anymore, aren’t they?”

“You are right. Western paintings are more popular these days, and non-figurative paintings are the current trend. But, Mr. Ding Feng’s northern school literati paintings are so refreshing to me.”

Gun-Ho wanted to ask what northern school literati painting mean, and then he decided not to ask. He didn’t want President Shin to think he was so ignorant of arts that he didn’t even have the basic knowledge.

Flight attendants were busy moving around in the flight while serving the passengers.

While Gun-Ho was looking at the female flight attendants who were walking around, the actress—Seol-Bing—crossed his mind, who he met in Director Li’s office the other day. He couldn’t stop thinking of her after laying down on his seat.

“Seol-Bing? It sounds like some kind of PatBingsu (Korean shaved ice), but her name is easy to call for Chinese people. The Chinese pronunciation of her name is Xue Bing. It is indeed easy to call and easy to remember. It’s a good name for an actress.”

Gun-Ho thought of Mori Aikko, and he compared her with Seol-Bing. Mori Aikko was a cute type. She was like a cute rabbit while Seol-Bing was more like a grown-up who was beautiful and sophisticated.

Gun-Ho turned his head to look at President Song, and asked her,

“President Song. Do you by any chance know of the actress—Seol-Bing?”

“Did you say Seol-Bing, sir? You must be a fan of Seol-Bing.”

President Shin said while smiling.

“No. I ‘m not a fan of Seol-Bing. I just met her yesterday when I went to see Director Li. She was in his office.”

“Oh, what? Seol-Bing was in Shanghai? I heard that the soap opera that Seol-Bing is on is gaining popularity more and more in China. She is also a singer and a member of a girl group. She sings very well too.”

“Is she famous? I don’t really watch TV.”

“There is a soap opera called Shade of Desire. It’s very popular right now in Korea. She is the main character in that TV series. Seol-Bing is a top star in Korea. You can see her on tons of commercials like soju and cosmetics.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes pretending he fell asleep, but he couldn’t sleep because he couldn’t stop thinking of Seol-Bing.

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Chapter 296 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (3) – Part 1

Chapter 296: Top Star—Seol-Bing (3) – Part 1

As soon as Gun-Ho came back to his office in Jiksan Town, the executives followed him to the office to make a report about the matters happened during his absence.

After the executives left Gun-Ho’s office once the reporting was completed, President Jang-Hwan Song entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“I met with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo in Japan, and he gave this to me to convey it to you.”

“Oh, this is a samurai statue made of metal.”

“That’s right. He asked me to say hi to you, sir.”

“I guess he carved this himself. This is very well made.”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo said he made it out of boredom.”

“He is indeed the best craftsman in the metal carving field.”

“He is an incredible engineer.”

“How is he doing? Is he well?”

“Yes. He looked healthy and well.”

“Is he living downtown in Tokyo?”

“No, he is living in Motomachi, Yokohama City. He has a small storage attached to his house, where he does carving work with all his equipment. It seems that he is running his own business there like taking an order and sell his carved product.”

“So, he is still working at his age. Does he have any apprentice of his own?”

“He said he wants to have an apprentice so he could pass on his skills, but young people in Japan these days, they don’t want to learn that sort of hands-on skills. He complained a lot about it.”

“Hmm. That’s a shame. His skills are amazing.”

“He said it will take about a week for him to make the mold we requested, and he will mail it to us. I think it was a good idea that I went to Japan to talk with him in person, rather than communicating with him through an email. I could understand better his explanation about the product.”

“You went there with the research center’s chief officer, right? What did he say?”

“He said there is an engineer just like Mr. Sakata Ikuzo in Germany. He is an old man too.”

“Really?”

“He also said, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s product is so pretty even though he wasn’t exactly following the design drawing in carving the product.”

“I see.”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo has a calligraphy wall hanging in his storage workshop and it says, ‘Isshokenmei’ (a person risks his life).”

“He used that wording a lot when he was here working with us. So he has a calligraphy wall hanging with the same wording. That’s interesting.”

“He said he applies that mindset every time he makes a product.”

“Well, he is really an eccentric old man. I hope he makes a great product for us.”

When the secretary— Ms. Hee-Jeong Park noticed that President Song would stay in Gun-Ho’s office for a while to talk with Gun-Ho, she prepared warm green tea and brought it to the office.

“Please have some tea.”

“Thank you.”

“How are you doing here, President Song? Are you feeling comfortable working here?”

“Yes. Everyone here is so kind and I appreciate it. I’m just concerned that since I had been with one company—S Group— for a long time, it might take time for me to make a business with other companies.”

“That’s okay. Take your time as you need.”

“Thank you for understanding. We will have to press harder on growing and stabilizing our company in order to go public.”

“Hmm.”

“We will have to strengthen the company fundamentals before applying for KOSDAQ registration.”

“Are you saying that we need to lower our debt ratio?”

“At first, we need to focus on generating continuous ordinary income. This company incurred a substantial extraordinary loss while paying off the debts caused by Mulpasaneop’s failed investment in China. The internal auditor did a great job in doing so. Because the company removed the loss inherited from Mulpasaneop early, it could start generating income starting this year.”

“So, are we now qualified to apply for the KOSDAQ registration?”

“No. We will need to generate ordinary income at least for three years, so we could knock the door to the Korea Securities Dealers Association. We still have debt, and once we generate income constantly, we can gradually lower the debt. One of the requirements to apply for the KOSDAQ registration is that the debt ratio must be at least 1.5 times lower than the average debt ratio of the companies in the same industry.”

“Hmm.”

“What we can do right now is to increase the sales. As you are well aware, networking is critical in increasing the sales in this particular industry in addition to the ability to produce good products. So every employee needs to act as a salesperson to some extent. Of course, we will need technology, skills, and equipment to manufacture quality products. And then, we will need to adopt an efficient and effective management system.”

“Management?”

“Through the effective management, we will need to block any area that is leaking. Especially, we have to focus on the production site.”

“We will have to give a special education to Director Jong-Suk Park then.”

“I’ve pointed out several things that he had to correct, but he is doing fine. He works hard. It was an excellent decision to place him in the production site, especially because he is so close to you like a real brother, and everyone knows it. Director Park, who is in a close relationship with the company president, works so hard, and that gives other workers some sort of tacit pressure to work hard along with him. It’s not uncommon to see many plant managers or directors spending their time at work without really working. Director Park is not that type at all, so I do highly value him.”

“I see.”

“The CEO of the Hyundai Motor Group—Mong-Koo Chung once fired a plant manager of his manufacturing factory during his visit there, when he saw the plant manager not even being able to open a bonnet of a car.”

“Really? I haven’t heard that story. It’s interesting.”

“Well, I should take off now. I have an appointment with a customer company. Thank you for the tea.”

When it was lunchtime, Gun-Ho went to the company cafeteria. There was a long line already. When the workers saw Gun-Ho in line, they gave a bow to him. Gun-Ho was thinking of standing in line with other workers for a second, and then he decided to eat somewhere else. He didn’t want the employees to feel uncomfortable standing in line with their company’s president.

When he was walking out of the cafeteria, he ran into the general affairs director.

“Sir, do you have already had your lunch?”

“No, I just decided to eat somewhere else. The line is too long. If you haven’t had your lunch yet, why don’t you join me?”

“Sure, sir. I will bring my car.”

Gun-Ho and the general affairs director headed to Seonggeo Town around a reservoir. There was a Korean restaurant that specialized in soft tofu stew. While having lunch, Director Choi made a report.

“We’ve sent out the invitation letters for the Dyeon Korea’s building dedication ceremony. We sent it to the local government officials in Asan City as well.”

“But we are not sure how many of them will actually come, right? If we don’t see any local official in our ceremony, that could be a problem, but if we have so many of them, that could also be a problem.”

“Even though they don’t want to come, we still have to send the invitation to them. Otherwise, they would consider that we ignored them.”

“Haha. Really?”

“It’s true. People say that government officials cannot help your business, but they can certainly ruin your business.”

“Haha. You are so funny, Director Choi.”

“I’m serious.”

“The soft tofu stew is really good here.”

“That’s why I brought you here, sir.”

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Chapter 297 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (3) – Part 2

Chapter 297: Top Star—Seol-Bing (3) – Part 2

“The building dedication ceremony is just around the corner. We will have to select the workers who will participate in the ceremony.”

“It’s already done. We have already experienced trial and error while we prepared for the building ceremony of the factory in Jiksan Town. This is our second time of the ceremony. We know what to do. The two researchers who received the training in the U.S. asked me to let them participate in the ceremony. They already know that they would be reallocated to Dyeon Korea.”

“Hmm, really?”

There were three blue-collar workers across the hall. They were having lunch with liquor. It seemed that they had already finished three bottles of soju. One of them shouted,

“Give us one more bottle of soju.”

Gun-Ho said to the general affairs director,

“They already had three bottles of soju and it’s still work hours. And they ordered another bottle.”

“People say that the labor workers take energy from liquor. The soju that they ordered is the popular brand these days, maybe because a pretty actress advertises it, and her picture is on the soju bottle. Oh, there is a poster of her on the wall.”

When Gun-Ho turned his head to look at the poster which was hanging on the wall, his eyes widened. An actress was smiling with a glass of soju in her hand.

‘It’s Seol-Bing!’

When Gun-Ho recognized Seol-Bing in the poster, his heart started beating really fast.

“She is so pretty, isn’t she? Her name is Seol-Bing. She is so popular these days.”

“Hmm…”

“You don’t know of her, sir? She is the main actress in the soap opera—Shade of Desire. My wife is so into that soap opera. She watches it every day.”

“That Seol-Bing woman is that popular?”

“She is on the top these days. You seem to be not very interested in the entertainment field, sir. Haha.”

Without responding to the general affairs director’s comment, Gun-Ho just focused on finishing his lunch.

After lunch, Gun-Ho usually felt drowsy.

After he came back to his office that day, Gun-Ho couldn’t stop thinking of Seol-Bing. His phone started ringing at that moment.

“This is the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm. Sir, how have you been?”

“Huh? Oh, hi.”

“I was just wondering how you are doing, sir. We can get busy when the wealthy people like you do something with your funds. I’ve noticed that you, President Goo who is the big player of Gangnam have been so quiet these days, so I just decided to give you a call.”

“There must be many other big players.”

“No, sir. You are the real big player. Other investors are not that big.”

“What made you give me a call today?”

“Are you still in a provincial city? I’ve heard you are actively growing your business there.”

“Well, I’m just running a small business.”

“It seems you haven’t done much with your funds in your stock account after you sold all of your stocks last time. You still have a substantial amount of funds in your account, just sitting there, and I’d like to recommend you to invest it somewhere very safe.”

“I don’t know.”

“The U.S. raised their interest rate and that will affect us, and we expect our country’s interest rate to increase soon.”

“The funds will be diverted from the stock market then.”

“That’s why we are debating with ourselves, and we are trying to find somewhere else for our major customers to invest in other than the stock market. Are you, by any chance, interested in investing in mutual funds, especially for investing in the foreign stock market?”

“No, I’m not. Why are you recommending investing in the foreign stock market? You just said the interest rate will go up.”

“There are some very good stocks in some developing countries.”

“I don’t invest in the stock market anymore.”

“Sir, you are losing money by just storing your funds in the account. There are so many programs that guarantee a 2.5% increase in your fund. Think about it. 2.5% might seem small, but if you invest 10 billion won, the annual return would be 250 million won. If you invest 100 billion won, you get 2.5 billion won per year. Will you just let these opportunities pass?”

“Hmm. What sorts of programs do you have that guarantee 2.5%?”

“There is a private equity fund and foreign currency investment. Or, you can invest in municipal or national bonds.”

“Okay. Can you make a customized portfolio of the programs that will fit my needs?”

“Of course, sir. I will have the portfolio ready. Can we then maybe have lunch together once the portfolio is completed? Are you often coming to Seoul? I read the newspaper saying that you acquired RiverStar Building in Sinsa Town. When you come to Seoul for business, please just give me a call.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho agreed with the stock brokerage company’s branch manager that simply storing the funds in the account was a waste. By putting the funds in another place, he could easily make 2.5% of his funds. It didn’t sound bad at all. With 100 billion won, he could make 2.5 billion won which was a significant amount of money. Currently, Gun-Ho had 170 billion won in his stock account.

It was May.

Min-Hyeok’s wedding in Korea was finally scheduled. Because of his parents’ moving to Hyundai HomeTown Condo in Juan Town, the wedding was scheduled a bit later than initially expected. It was after Dyeon Korea’s building dedication ceremony.

“It is nice that his wedding was not scheduled on the same day as our building dedication ceremony.”

Gun-Ho gave a call to Jae-Sik Moon in GH Media.

“Chief Editor Moon? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo!”

“Oh, President Goo!”

“Are you aware of Min-Hyeok’s wedding in Korea? The date is fixed now.”

“Yeah. I received a call for it.”

“Can you make calls to other friends from high school?”

“I am actually doing it. I guess everyone will be at his wedding.”

“Really? I suppose Min-Hyeok is popular among high school friends.”

Jae-Sik didn’t say anything in responding to Gun-Ho’s comment, but he was thinking that,

‘I’m sure everyone will appear at Min-Hyeok’s wedding. That’s not because they like Min-Hyeok so much, but because they know Gun-Ho will be there too. They want to get close to Gun-Ho. They are very clever and calculating. They are the people who called me a swindler when I couldn’t deliver the high school alumni directory book on time because of my personal situation. They didn’t even hesitate to use cursing words towards me and they spread words that I deceived them and extorted their money. It was not even a huge amount that they thought I took from them. It was 30,000 or 50,000 won. Come to think of it, Gun-Ho is a nice person, maybe because he has a colorful life experience. He had suffered from debts before, and he used to work as a factory worker too.’

Jae-Sik continued to think about Gun-Ho.

‘What if Gun-Ho was not a rich man? If he was not rich, would he have treated me the way he had? He told me once that when he was extremely suffering financially, he still give 100,000 won to Won-Chul to congratulate him on his wedding as his wedding gift. At that time, I didn’t even go to his wedding. I think I was doing better than Gun-Ho back then. Well, I guess Gun-Ho was just a decent man no matter how much money he has.’

Jae-Sik suddenly heard Gun-Ho’s voice.

“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything. Can you hear me?”

Jae-Sik forgot for a second that he was talking with Gun-Ho on the phone.

“Yeah, I can hear you. I guess I just had a bad cell phone reception for a second. I hear you fine now. Well, anyway, don’t worry about contacting other friends. I will take care of it.”

“Really? That’s good. Okay then. I will talk to you later.”

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Chapter 298 - Art Exhibition (1) – Part 1

Chapter 298: Art Exhibition (1) – Part 1

Right after Gun-Ho got off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, he received another call from President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“Sir, this is Jeong-Sook Shin. I’ve heard that President Min-Hyeok Kim is having a wedding in Korea soon.”

“That’s right. What about it?”

“So, his father-in-law and mother-in-law will come to Korea to attend the wedding, right?”

“Of course. Why don’t you come to the wedding too?”

“Absolutely. I will be there. I just want to talk to his father-in-law who is a painter.”

“Mr. Ding Feng? Why do you want to see him?”

“I am thinking of having his solo art exhibition in Korea. I am talking about the art exhibition of the master of northern school literati paintings—Mr. Ding Feng with GH Media’s name.”

“His solo art exhibition? That could make money?”

“I believe so, and that’s why I am suggesting this to you, sir. Mr. Ding Feng’s paintings are so great that people will like them a lot. You paid 550,000 won for his painting yourself too. We can have his solo art exhibition in Korea, and we sell his painting about the same size for 1,500,000 won. That could be a very lucrative business. I believe we can at least cover the rent for the venue and the fees we charge.”

“I was told that the oriental paintings are not so popular these days. Do you really think people will pay that much for his paintings?”

“It is true that we will have to take some risk. But that’s how we make money in business, isn’t it?”

“Haha. You sound more businessman than I am who is currently running an actual business. Well, I will support you on this. Do what you have to do.”

“Thank you, sir. I think it’s better that you talk to President Min-Hyeok Kim about this first. So he is aware that I want to have his father-in-law’s art exhibition in Korea.”

“No problem. I will do that.”

After getting off the phone with President Shin, Gun-Ho grumbled about President Shin’s art exhibition idea.

“I doubt it will be lucrative at all. She is trying to do all those work for small money. Say, we bring his paintings, about 30 of them, and we sell each for 1,500,000 won. Assuming we could sell all of the 30 paintings, we would make only 45 million won. We will have to give half of the sales revenue to the painter, and we are bearing the rent for the exhibition venue and marketing cost. We won’t be left with much in the end. Hmm. It’s a waste of our labor and time. Let me think about how I can turn this into a lucrative business… Maybe I can make some connection with Seukang Li.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Min-Hyeok Kim first.

“Hey, President Shin of GH Media wants to meet with your father-in-law after your wedding.”

“President Jeong-Sook Shin? For what?”

“She wants to have Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition in Korea with his oriental paintings.”

“Really? I will talk to my father-in-law.”

“Can we tell him that Seukang Li recommended this to us?”

“Well, why not? By the way, the international book exhibition in Shanghai is a success. I read a newspaper article about it and it says that so many young people came to the book exhibition to get the pamphlet for the performance to be held at the sports complex.”

“Really? That’s good to know.”

“Young people are so crazy about the Korean top star—Seol-Bing—and Chinese top star—Ye Long. They both will do the performance there. The news about the performance is everywhere on the Internet.”

“If it’s a sports complex, it can accommodate a vast number of people, right?”

“I believe they can accommodate more than 10,000 people. The ticket for that kind of performance is very expensive too. If they could get 10,000 people, how much money would they make? Wow. Moreover, it’s not a one-day performance, right? They will do it for a few days.”

“Hmmm. The entertainment business can be highly lucrative.”

“Oh, and there is a news article about President Jeong-Sook Shin in the Shanghai newspaper. I made a newspaper clipping.”

“Really? What does it say about her?”

“Let me read this for you.”

“Yeah. Read it to me.”

“Shanghai’s international book exhibition had a grand opening at the People’s Park exhibition hall. Twenty-six national and international publishing companies participated in it. The book exhibition had drawn a lot of attention from people even before it opened its door to the public. The book exhibition was successful even from the opening day by making sales contracts. The French publishing company—Nantes purchased publication right of a children’s storybook, and the Italian publishing company—Verona purchased a novel. Additionally, a Korean publishing company—GH Media made a contract for its publishing right of history books.

GH Media’s president—Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin stated that she was certain that the Chinese history books will be very popular in Korea because of the close historical relationship between the two countries: China and Korea. GH Media purchased three Chinese history books.”

“Haha. As far as I know, President Shin didn’t even talk to any journalist while we were in Shanghai. I can’t believe they just made up things like that and put it in the newspaper.”

“Do you want me to go on reading it further?”

“Nah. That’s enough.”

“Well, then, I will talk to my father-in-law about his art exhibition and will let you know.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Seukang Li.

“Hey, I heard so many people came to the book exhibition.”

“That’s right. I was so worried that we wouldn’t have enough traffic there. But you can say it was a success. I do appreciate you, President Goo. Distributing the performance pamphlet at the book exhibition was an excellent idea.”

“You’re very welcome, friend. It’s actually a return of your hard work.”

“So many young people came. I didn’t know Korean celebrities are so popular among Chinese youths. It helped our sales too. Chinese cartoon books and romance books were sold substantially.”

“Those books’ publishing companies must be very happy.”

“Of course.”

“Oh, you know what? After visiting the book exhibition, we went to see Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition that was being held around the same area. He was having an art exhibition with his oriental paintings.”

“Oh, he did? I do like his paintings. My father knows him personally. I believe I have his painting at home. Oh, isn’t he President Min-Hyeok’s father-in-law?”

“That’s right. You must have seen him at Min-Hyeok’s wedding. By the way, President Shin of GH Media really likes his paintings, and she wants to have his solo art exhibition in Korea.”

“Really?”

“We could get connected with the painter this way because of you, Seukang Li. If it wasn’t for your book exhibition, I wouldn’t have visited his art exhibition.”

“If Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition succeeds in Korea, can you let me know? Since I am in charge of the art field in Shanghai, I’d really like to know how it goes.”

“Sure, will do.”

“If his art exhibition is successful, I want to try an art exhibition of Chinese young painters with their modern paintings.”

“Really? That sounds really good too.”

“And also, if Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition is confirmed to be held in Korea, please let me know. I will inform the press here that the famous Korean publishing company which participated in our international book exhibition will hold a solo art exhibition in Korea with the Chinese painter—Mr. Ding Feng. And also saying that they discovered Mr. Ding Feng’s fascinating paintings when they visited his exhibition in Shanghai after visiting our book exhibition.”

“Sounds good. I will let you know.”

After getting off the phone with Seukang Li, Gun-Ho was thinking,

‘If we do an art exhibition with Chinese young painters’ modern paintings, that can turn into a lucrative business in Korea. Is President Jeong-Sook Shin aiming it? Because she knows that I have a personal and close relationship with Director Li of the bureau of cultural affairs and arts in Shanghai. If so, she is a very smart businesswoman. Oh, that’s right. I was told that she worked as a curator in an art museum when she was in her 30s.”

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Chapter 299 - Art Exhibition (1) – Part 2

Chapter 299: Art Exhibition (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho received a call from the stock brokerage firm. Its branch manager wanted to show the customized investment portfolio which Gun-Ho requested the other day.

“Where are you, sir?”

“I am in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City right now.”

“Jiksan Town is close to North Cheonan City’s IC. Well, I will come to your place then. I want to see your factory too.”

“It will take a long time.”

“That’s okay. I will be there around lunchtime.”

President Jang-Hwan Song came to Gun-Ho’s office and talked about business matters for a while. Before he left the office, he asked Gun-Ho to have lunch with him.

“The president of our vendor company—Oriental Tech— is coming here today. Why don’t you join us for lunch? Mr. Internal Auditor will join too. Oriental Tech’s president wants to buy us lunch.”

“I actually have pre-engagement for lunch today.”

“Oh, you will have a guest today?”

“A branch manager from a stock brokerage firm is visiting me today from Seoul. I won’t be able to join you for lunch.”

“A brokerage firm’s branch manager? Is he coming for the preliminary examination on our KOSDAQ registration application? We are not ready for it yet. We don’t have to rush it.”

“No no. He is coming for my personal matters, not for our business. By the way, does the KOSDAQ registration matter have something to do with a stock brokerage firm?”

“Yes. The registration is done through a stock brokerage firm.”

“Hmm. I see. Well, tell the Oriental Tech’s president that I’m sorry that I couldn’t join him for lunch today.”

“Okay, sir. I will do that.”

The Korean restaurant owner in Akasaka, Japan called Gun-Ho.

“President Goo, how have you been?”

“Oh, it’s good to hear from you, Ms. Choi.”

“You remember my voice. Haha. I thought you forgot about me.”

“Of course, I remember you and your name, President Choi.”

“Do you then remember a woman with the name—Mori Aikko?”

“Haha. I guess you are upset about something.”

“That poor girl, Mori Aikko.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I told Mori Aikko to get another boyfriend if President Goo doesn’t show up like this.”

“I’ve been so busy with the business in China.”

“Do you have another girl who is wearing Qipao by any chance?”

“Haha. No, not at all. The only girl I have is Mori Aikko. Believe me.”

“I talked with Ms. Jang from the bar in Hannam Town. She said that she was completely done with the interior of her bar a long time ago, but you had never appeared at the bar.”

“Well, true… I just didn’t have a chance to go there. I am not staying in Seoul, but I am in Cheonan City.”

“Why don’t you at least give a call to Mori Aikko? She is a young and beautiful girl. She can get a boyfriend in no time if she wants to. She is just a naive girl who grew up in an excluded area— Gion (Kyoto’s famous geisha district) only learning Odori.”

“I know that.”

“Don’t tell her that I called you if you see her. I just heard things from Mama-san Segawa Joonkko.”

“Thank you for your call. I will go to Japan this Friday and stay there until Sunday. I really miss Mori Aikko too.”

The branch manager of the stock brokerage firm arrived.

“Wow. Your factory is amazing. It looks better than the building in Gangnam District, Seoul.”

“Was it easy to find the way here?”

“It was easy enough. The factory is located on the main road. I just followed Bong-Joo Yi Road and it led me right here. Why do they name the road after Bong-Joo Yi?”

“The athlete—Bong-Joo Yi is from the area here.”

“Oh, I see. That’s why they named the road after his.”

“Well, why don’t you have a seat?”

“Thank you.”

The branch manager sat on a sofa while placing his briefcase on the coffee table.

“Well, since it’s lunchtime, everyone is out for lunch at the company cafeteria. Even my secretary is out for lunch, leaving me with no one who could prepare tea for us.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ve had my tea on the way at the resting area.”

The branch manager started pulling out papers from his briefcase. The weather was hot and the branch manager was wearing a business suit with a tie. He was sweating.

“I’ve prepared three portfolios for your asset management. The first one is a plan with 70% of risk and 30% of safety. The second one is 50 and 50, and the third one is 70% of safety and 30% of risk.”

Gun-Ho read the portfolio carefully. Each program listed the duration, estimated returns and description of the program. They were not a printed pamphlet or anything like that, but it was typed in Excel. He probably made it just for Gun-Ho.

It seemed that the secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park came back from her lunch. She brought green tea to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Are you already done with your lunch, Ms. Park?”

“Someone told me that you have a guest in your office, sir. So I finished my lunch as fast as I could.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch. I shouldn’t have come at lunchtime.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park gave a slight nod to the branch manager and left the office.

After reviewing the document that the branch manager brought, Gun-Ho said,

“I will go with the plan no. 3. The safest one.”

“I knew you would pick that one. The big players with substantial cash, they usually picked the safest one.”

“Really?”

“Sir, I feel bad that I used your lunchtime. I’d like to buy you some lunch today.”

“Oh, no. I should treat you. You came all the way here from Seoul to see me after all.”

“No. I will treat you, sir. I insist. You are a very important client to us. I brought my company’s business credit card.”

The branch manager waved the credit card.

“You are not just an important client but you are the most important client to us.”

“You are the branch manager in the Gangnam area. You must have other clients with a substantial amount of cash.”

“Even in Gangnam District, we call the people with several tens of billions as a big player. You have hundreds of billions won, sir. You are the biggest player, sir.”

“Well, let’s just go to have lunch.”

Gun-Ho took the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm to a Korean restaurant that specialized in a set menu with seasoned wild vegetables, which was nearby Seonggeo Mountain.

“Wow. I like this place. It has fresh air and pleasant breeze. I guess the big players usually live in a city with nature like here, not in a busy city like Gangnam.”

“I didn’t choose this area to live in. My factory just happened to be located here, that’s all.”

“Oh, have you applied for the KOSDAQ registration? Your company is registered with DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System), but I believe it’s not with KOSDAQ. Am I right?”

“I’m thinking of going public maybe after three years. I will first have to increase our sales revenue and reduce debts.”

“President Goo, if you could let us do your KOSDAQ registration, I will do my best to make it successful.”

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Chapter 300 - Art Exhibition (2) – Part 1

Chapter 300: Art Exhibition (2) – Part 1

Dyeon Korea’s vice president—Mr. Adam Castler—and Director Dong-Chan Kim came to GH Mobile to see Gun-Ho. The interpreter was following them to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Please have a seat. I do appreciate your hard work for Dyeon Korea, starting off in the small container office. I am so glad the building will soon be completed.”

Mr. Adam Castler said,

“I came to let you know that we want to ask Dyeon America to ship the equipment now. If we wait until the building dedication ceremony is over, it would be too late. Once the equipment is shipped from Seattle, they will arrive in Busan after a few weeks. They will then have to be passed through customs at the Busan port before they could finally be sent to Asan City. So, I strongly suggest having the equipment be shipped as soon as possible.”

“Can we receive the equipment to Pyeongtaek Port instead of Busan? It’s closer to Asan City.”

“All international shipments are supposed to arrive at Busan Port.”

“Hmm.”

“The equipment we will receive is the first batch of investment in kind from Dyeon America.”

“We haven’t even received the initial operating funds yet. You do know how much each co-venturer is supposed to contribute to Dyeon Korea’s initial operating funds, right?”

“Yes, I am aware of it. Dyeon America and GH Mobile, each party is supposed to send 450,000 dollars to Dyeon Korea.”

“That’s correct. Pursuant to our joint venture agreement, the authorized capital is 20 million dollars while the paid-in capital is 10 million dollars. The initial operating cost is 1 million dollars, so each party needs to contribute 500,000 dollars in cash. Last time, each party already put 50,000 dollars, so we need to put an additional 450,000 dollars (about 450 million Korean won). Once Dyeon America shows us the deposit slip of their portion of 450,000 dollars, we will deposit our portion right away. We have the cash ready.”

“Sounds good. I actually just requested Dyeon America to send 450,000 dollars to us before heading to your office. They will send the money from Bank of America, and we already gave the bank the necessary information for the wire-transfer including the recipient’s bank’s SWIFT code.”

“Since the paid-in capital is 10 million dollars, we split it in half, so each party contributes 5 million dollars. Out of 5 million dollars, 500,000 dollars must be in cash, and the remaining 4.5 million dollars can be invested in kind. GH Mobile paid it by contributing the land where the factory is being built on, and this is it, while Dyeon America wants to contribute the equipment and they will have to ship the equipment several times until the value of the total equipment reaches 4.5 million dollars.”

Gun-Ho wrote it down to help with the accuracy of the interpretation, so the interpreter wouldn’t get confused with all the numbers.

Authorized capital – $20,000,000 (will receive gradually)

Paid-in capital – $10,000,000 (GH Mobile $5,000,000; Dyeon America $5,000,000)

< Method to satisfy the said funds >

Dyeon America:

$50,000 in cash + $450,000 in cash + $4.5 million in-kind (Equipment) = $5 million

GH Mobile:

$50,000 in cash + $450,000 in cash + $4.5 million in-kind (Factory Land) = $5 million

(The factory building is not included.)

Gun-Ho then showed his agreement to the immediate equipment shipping.

The following day, Gun-Ho received the deposit slip from Dyeon America via fax. After verifying the actual fund deposited in Dyeon Korea’s bank account, Gun-Ho transferred GH Mobile’s portion of the funds to Dyeon Korea’s bank account and gave the deposit slip to Mr. Adam Castler.

It was the day of the building dedication ceremony.

The new factory building looked majestic, and a great pine tree was planted in its yard along with a crepe myrtle tree. The landscape was nicely done.

In the yard, about 200 plastic chairs were placed. A billboard was showing the aerial view of the new factory. Director Yoon, who was wearing a construction uniform, was standing next to the billboard with a stick, which was longer than a cue stick, in his hand. The general affairs director would proceed with the ceremony just like the last building dedication ceremony for the factory in Jiksan Town.

Gun-Ho arrived early at the ceremony venue. The employees, who the general affairs director selected to participate in the ceremony, were leading the guests to their seats. They were wearing their company uniforms with white gloves.

“Our president is here.”

“Our president is here.”

The employees opened the car door as Gun-Ho parked his car. They showed him to the temporary waiting area in the building. In the waiting area, the female workers were distributing a cup of coffee to the guests.

The general affairs director ran to Gun-Ho and said,

“Sir, you can stay here, and you can just join us once we begin the ceremony.”

A female worker at the sales department came to Gun-Ho and put a flower on his chest.

A lot of people started arriving when the ceremony was about to begin. It seemed that there were way more people coming than GH Mobile’s building dedication ceremony.

Director Dong-Chan Kim was in the waiting area with Gun-Ho. He said while sipping his coffee,

“I expect to see a lot of government officials and politicians coming today since this is a building dedication ceremony for a joint venture with an American company. They can use the picture they would take here to show the public that they have been making an enormous effort to bring more foreign capital in the community.”

Gun-Ho just smiled without saying a word in response to Director Kim’s comment.

Director Kim said while looking outside the window,

“Oh, my gosh. I guess we have a tycoon coming to our ceremony. The parking lot is almost full. Sir, I think you’d better go out and see who just came.”

Gun-Ho slowly walked out to the factory yard while smiling. The general affairs director introduced Gun-Ho to the visitors.

“This is our president.”

“Congratulations. I’m Gil-Do Yi. I’m a congressman.”

“Congratulations. I’m the chairman of the Asan City’s Business Association.”

“Congratulations. I am the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Chungnam Province.”

“Congratulations. I’m the Chair of the city council of Asan City.”

“Congratulations. I’m the manager of the local economic department of Asan City Hall.”

“Congratulations. I’m the branch manager of Asan Bank.”

Gun-Ho met with a great number of people that day. He didn’t think he would remember all who he had met that day. Everyone who Gun-Ho met with gave their business cards to him. A high-ranking police officer came too.

“Hi, Mr. Chief of Police. Thank you for coming.”

Gun-Ho greeted the chief of police of Asan City.

The ceremony started with the general affairs director’s voice on the microphone.

“We will now start the joint venture—Dyeon Korea’s building dedication ceremony. Ladies and Gentlemen, please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho’s congratulatory message ensued. He tried to make it short for the sake of the government officials who usually had a very busy schedule. When Gun-Ho wrapped up his speech by stating that he would contribute to the local economy by achieving his exporting goals of 100 million dollars, everyone at the ceremony applauded. Vice President—Mr. Adam Castler—gave his speech as well as he represented Dyeon America. He made it short too. The same interpreter—Mr. Lee—interpreted for the guests. As Mr. Adam Castler made his speech in English, people felt it was really the ceremony for a joint venture with a foreign company.

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Chapter 301 - Art Exhibition (2) – Part 2

Chapter 301: Art Exhibition (2) – Part 2

After Director Yoon’s brief description of the factory construction and the layout of the building, the ribbon-cutting ceremony ensued.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Gun-Ho stood in the middle with Mr. Adam Castler standing next to him. Some of the guests were invited to join them such as a local congressman, city official, chief police officer, President Jang-Hwan Song, and GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony looked decent as some conspicuous guests were participating like a foreigner, a man in a police uniform and other neat people in a business suit.

As they were cutting the ribbon, Jong-Suk Park set off the fireworks. Gun-Ho was wondering where he bought those fireworks from. Gun-Ho could hear camera flashes along with the fireworks noise. The local newspaper journalists were taking pictures of the ceremony.

Even after the ceremony was over, the local government officials were busy taking pictures with Gun-Ho in front of the banner showing it was the building dedication ceremony for a joint venture with an American company. After they were done with photo shooting, they left without joining other people at the reception. They didn’t even bother looking around inside the newly constructed factory building.

“Ha. Damn. They seemed to have come here to take pictures. They are leaving without even attending the reception.”

“Well, maybe that’s good for everyone.”

The snacks and beverages that were prepared for the reception were all enjoyed by the employees.

“Sir, I have something that I’d like to ask you.”

Gun-Ho turned around to see who was talking to him. It was Director Dong-Chan Kim.

“At the congratulatory speech, I’ve heard you saying that GH Mobile contributed the land as a co-venturer of Dyeon Korea, but not the factory building. I’m not sure if that was intended or if you just forgot to mention the building.”

“I intentionally didn’t include the factory building in our investment in-kind for this joint venture.”

“Why is that so?”

“We can use the building when we increase the company capital later.”

“Increasing capital?”

“Yes. For example, let’s say we generate ordinary income of 5 billion in the first year. We leave 1 billion out of 5 as retention money, and we use the remaining 4 billion as dividends.”

“In that case, GH Mobile and Dyeon America would receive 2 billion each.”

“Right. Even though GH Mobile would take 2 billion of dividends, we wouldn’t send the other 2 billion to Dyeon America, but instead, we would re-invest it into Dyeon Korea.”

“Ohhh. So at that point, we value the factory building for 2 billion, and we use it to match Dyeon America’s additional 2 billion investments?”

“That’s right, Director Kim. You are so quick in understanding my intention.”

“Did you already talk about this with Dyeon America?”

“It’s about the company capital. The building will be appraised later. Additionally, once the company goes public…”

“Oh, I see, I see. Then the value of the company share will go up dramatically. The people in Dyeon America must have already calculated that possibility. They must be very smart.”

“Director Kim, did you use an expensive shampoo this morning in washing your hair? Your brain seems to work great today.”

“All the necessary furniture and stuff will arrive this afternoon. Until then, This is not a good place to stay, sir. Why don’t you take a rest at the office in Jiksan Town?”

“You did a good job today, Director Kim.”

“I don’t think I did a lot of work, but thank you, sir.”

“Well, why don’t we have lunch altogether? Let’s meet at Onyang Hot Spring Hotel for lunch. Come with Mr. Adam Castler and Mr. Interpreter Lee to the hotel. I will meet you there.”

“It’s only 11 am now. Are you going to stop by the office in Jiksan Town before lunch?”

“No. I will take President Jeong-Sook Shin to the train station before heading to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel. She is having a tour of the factory right now.”

“She could join us for lunch.”

“She told me earlier that she wanted to go back to Seoul before lunch. I will ask her again.”

“Maybe we can have lunch early. We will have to come back here once the furniture and stuff arrive this afternoon anyway.”

“Sounds good. Then, let’s meet at the hotel around 11:50 am.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin said she would just go to KTX station without having lunch, but Gun-Ho insisted strongly and took her to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel for lunch. They decided to stay at the café inside the hotel while waiting for the other party.

“You have something urgent you need to attend to in Seoul?”

“No, not really. I just didn’t want to impose. I feel bad, especially our small company—GH Media—isn’t generating much money yet, and I know you are so busy and occupied in running a huge company here.”

“Don’t say that. A company starts small, and they grow big later. We usually don’t start a business on a large scale right away.”

“At the ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier today, I was thinking if I’m actually qualified to attend the ceremony like that. There were government officials and politicians.”

“That’s a silly thing to say. Just have lunch with us before going back to Seoul. I insist. I will be very happy if you join us for lunch. Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler will be here soon. You remember the interpreter—Mr. Lee? You are the one who introduced him to me. He will be here too.”

“They are all from Dyeon Korea. I don’t want to interrupt you in doing your business.”

“No no. Oh, you know what? I talked to Seukang Li earlier about your suggestion on Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition in Korea. He was very interested in it.”

“Oh, you already talked with him over the phone?”

“He said that since he is in charge of cultural affairs and arts, he knows a lot of painters and artists. He was suggesting having an art exhibition for Chinese young painters. He is more than willing to introduce good artists and an art gallery.”

“Really?”

President Shin looked a bit down that day until she heard Gun-Ho talking about the art exhibition.

“I don’t know much about paintings, but I read from a newspaper the other day that in China, there are a lot of good young painters with non-figurative paintings.”

“That’s right. There are many Chinese young painters who are well known worldwide. What I like about that is that they are not afraid of challenging new areas.”

“Min-Hyeok will soon have his wedding in Korea. Once Mr. Ding Feng comes to Korea, you will have your chance to discuss it with him. Seukang Li is very interested in Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition in Korea.”

President Shin smiled.

While Gun-Ho and President Shin were conversing, Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler arrived.

“Let me make an official introduction. Mr. Adam Castler, this is GH Media’s president—Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin.”

Jeong-Sook Shin offered her hand to Mr. Adam Castler for a handshake with a smile.

“Oh, a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

Mr. Adam Castler actually spoke in Korean. He already started picking up a few Korean words.

As Jeong-Sook Shin gave him her business card, Mr. Adam Castler looked at the English version on the back of the business card.

“Oh, it’s a publishing company!”

Mr. Adam Castler extended his hand to President Jeong-Sook Shin for another handshake.

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Chapter 302 - Meeting in Tokyo – Part 1

Chapter 302: Meeting in Tokyo – Part 1

The day after the building dedication ceremony was Friday.

Gun-Ho went to Asan City to Dyeon Korea’s factory again to see how things were going there. All the furniture and other supplies were already placed, and the workers were busy arranging things around the factory and the offices. Once Gun-Ho saw the workers working busy, he decided to go back to Jiksan Town to his GH Mobile office. He didn’t want to interrupt their work there.

Once he arrived in his office in Jiksan Town, he called for the general affairs director.

“Where are those researchers who received the training from Lymondell Dyeon in U.S.?

“They participated in the building dedication ceremony yesterday in Asan City, and now they are back here working at the research center. I can call them if you have something you want to talk about with them.”

“No, that’s okay. Please prepare the papers to relocate them to the factory in Asan City. They will be working in the production department of Dyeon Korea.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho then made a phone call to Dyeon Korea to talk with Director Dong-Chan Kim.

“I stopped by the factory in Asan City this morning, and I just came back to Jiksan Town since everyone there seemed very busy today.”

“Oh, really? I actually have something to talk about with you, sir, and I was waiting for you to come.”

“What do you want to talk to me about?”

“It’s about those two researchers who received training in U.S. Since Dyeon Korea is ready to open our business since we are done with the building dedication ceremony, we’d like to have them here in Dyeon Korea. I’ve already talked to Mr. Adam Castler here and the researcher center’s chief officer at GH Mobile about it.”

“Of course. I will send them to Dyeon Korea.”

“If they start working here in Dyeon Korea, can we make their severance pay successive? So the amount of their current severance pay with GH Mobile is continuously being accumulated with Dyeon Korea?”

“No, I don’t think that’s possible. First of all, Dyeon America will not agree to that. That would obligate Dyeon Korea to give severance pay to Mr. Adam Castler if he decided to quit now, which doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s true. I was asking about it because those two researchers were wondering about their severance pay with GH Mobile, and they were hoping that they can continue to accumulate the amount even after they start working for Dyeon Korea.”

“I will think about changing their salary step then.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to the research center for the chief officer.

“We will move the two researchers to Dyeon Korea.”

“Yes, sir. Our research center has five new workers now, so we should be good without them.”

“Would you tell those two researchers to come to my office now?”

“Sure. Will do, sir.”

The general affairs director came into Gun-Ho’s office with a report.

“Sir, I brought the notice of relocation for those two researchers as you instructed.”

“I will take a look at the report later; I have to take care of something that requires my immediate attention. Please leave the report on my desk.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once the general affairs director left Gun-Ho’s office, the two researchers entered the office.

“Both of you started working here as an experienced researcher. How many years have you been working here?”

“I’ve been here for four years now, sir.”

“For me, it has been two years, sir.”

“I’m relocating both of you to Dyeon Korea as of today. Since you are equipped with special training from Lymondell Dyeon in U.S., I’m sure you will do great in Dyeon Korea. You have to know that the National Pension is successive, but the company’s severance pay is not. You will get your severance pay from GH Mobile before you leave for Dyeon Korea, and you will start another severance pay with Dyeon Korea once you start working for them.”

“…….”

The two researchers didn’t say a word while lowering their heads.

“Well, instead, I will move your salary step.”

The two researchers lifted their heads and looked at Gun-Ho with hope in their eyes.

“I will gladly work for Dyeon Korea, sir,”

The younger researcher with two years of work experience with GH Mobile said.

The senior researcher who had been working for GH Mobile for four years took some time before agreeing.

“I will work for Dyeon Korea as well. So, can I assume that I will receive the severance pay for my past four years of working here now in cash?”

“Yes, you will.”

“Thank you, sir. I will do my best working for Dyeon Korea.”

Gun-Ho opened the notice of relocation, which the general affairs director left on his desk earlier. The two researchers’ employment records were attached to the notice.

“They have been with their current position for four years and two years. I think they will be more excited with a promotion in their positions instead of just raising their salary.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs director.

“You sent for me, sir?”

“Yes. We will have to make some changes on their notice of relocation.”

“What changes are you referring to, sir?”

“Make a position promotion for both researchers with one step up and give their severance pay. Also, make a severance pay to Director Dong-Chan Kim as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I believe that the amount of Director Dong-Chan Kim’s severance pay should be substantial.”

“I don’t think so. We paid his severance pay when he was promoted to an executive. Also, he took his severance pay when he bought his house.”

“Hmm, really? Okay, sir. I will do that, and I will take this report with me if you have already reviewed them.”

“Also, can you talk with the assistant manager in the accounting team and the general affairs team? Ask them if they are willing to be relocated to Dyeon Korea.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the general affairs director left his office, Gun-Ho also quietly walked out of the office, and he told the secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—on the way out,

“I will be gone for the day. I’m not coming back today. You have a wonderful weekend.”

“You too, sir.”

Gun-Ho then drove to Gimpo International Airport. He was going to Japan.

It was getting dark when he boarded the flight to Japan, but once the flight took off and reached above the clouds, it was sunny. Gun-Ho was looking down at the clouds and thinking about Mori Aikko. His heart started beating fast.

“Aikko. Hang on there. Your oppa is coming to you!”

Gun-Ho had sent a text message when he was still in his office to make sure of Mori Aikko’s whereabouts. Thankfully, Mori Aikko was still in Tokyo.

The plane was full except for the business class area where Gun-Ho was sitting at. There were plenty of empty seats, and it was very comfortable. Gun-Ho stretched his legs. The flight attendants serving the business-class area were very nice.

“Would you like to have a drink, sir?”

Gun-Ho asked her to bring him a whiskey.

“I’d love to have a glass of whiskey, please.”

While sipping his whiskey, Gun-Ho was looking out the window. The construction of the building in Asan City was completed, and its building dedication ceremony was over. Gun-Ho felt like he needed a break, and he loved the fact that he was on the way to see Mori Aikko.

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Chapter 303 - Meeting in Tokyo – Part 2

Chapter 303: Meeting in Tokyo – Part 2

It was after 7 pm, when Gun-Ho arrived in Daikanyama, Shibuya, Tokyo where Mori Aikko’s condo was located. Mori Aikko kept the same entry code for the condo as Gun-Ho’s phone number. The inside of her home was very well organized and clean.

No one was home and when Gun-Ho laid down on the bed, he received a text message from Mori Aikko.

“I am at the bar in Akasaka. We are having the Chief Cabinet Secretary today as our guest. I will be a bit late. I will be home around 10 pm. I love you, oppa.”

Gun-Ho felt bored staying in an empty home by himself. He left the condo and took a walk on the street in Shibuya. Many roadside commercial stores with pretty interiors were luring him into their stores. Gun-Ho entered one of those stores and purchased a huge teddy bear for Mori Aikko. Carrying the teddy bear, Gun-Ho walked slowly toward Mori Aikko’s home. It was still only 9 pm when he arrived there. He watched TV until he fell asleep.

After a while, Gun-Ho woke up to the sound of the door opening. It was Mori Aikko. She was carrying a huge plastic bag in her hand.

“Aikko!”

“Oppa!”

Gun-Ho abruptly hugged her tight. Gun-Ho could smell her perfume along with her sweat and a little bit of alcohol.

“Did you drink?”

“Yes. After watching my dance performance, the Chief Cabinet Secretary poured me a glass of liquor.”

Gun-Ho started kissing her and couldn’t stop.

“Oppa. Enough! I can’t breathe.”

“What’s in your huge plastic bag?”

“It’s a stage outfit. Mama-san gave it to me.”

“I brought a bag too.”

Gun-Ho lifted the plastic bag with the teddy bear in it.”

“Oh, it’s a teddy bear. Hahaha. It looks just like you, oppa.”

“You want to see what a teddy bear is capable of?”

Gun-Ho pushed Mori Aikko to the bed.

“I have to take a shower first.”

“That’s okay. I don’t mind.”

Neither Gun-Ho nor Mori Aikko took a shower that night, and they stayed in bed for quite a while.

Gun-Ho had a Japanese lomein on the following day for breakfast. Mori Aikko prepared it for him. Gun-Ho didn’t like it much, but he felt better after having a piece of apple as a dessert.

“I was told that Roppongi Hills is close from here. Let’s go and have fun there today.”

“Sounds good. I actually once prayed for having a decent man in my life at the Tokyo CityView on its 52nd floor in Roppongi Hills.”

“Why did you pray there? Isn’t it better to do your prayer in a temple?”

“You can see Mount Fuji from Roppongi Hills. I prayed while looking at the mountain. I went there with Mama-san at that time, and I prayed to meet a decent man as I was gazing at Mount Fuji. I guess that’s how I got to meet you.”

Mori Aikko laughed.

Gun-Ho went to Roppongi with Mori Aikko that day. Gun-Ho encountered foreigners there occasionally, maybe because there were so many foreign embassies in the area. Gun-Ho walked fast as that was how he walked, and Mori Aikko had to walk faster than her usual pace to walk beside him. After having a meal at the restaurant inside Roppongi Hills, they went up to the Tokyo CityView. Mori Aikko prayed for something again while looking at Mount Fuji.

After sunset, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko went into a popular nightclub in Roppongi. The music was very loud. Young men and women were dancing on the stage, which looked like a hip-hop dance, Gun-Ho thought.

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko were having a beer while looking at the stage when Gun-Ho said,

“Look at them. They are not good dancers at all. Their moves are cheesy.”

Mori Aikko closely observed those people, who were dancing on the stage.

“Well, Mori Aikko, I guess you’d better show them how to dance. Go up the stage.”

“Haha, oppa! I don’t think my dance would go well with the music here.”

Mori Aikko lightly hit Gun-Ho’s chest with her small fist.

It was Sunday morning.

Mori Aikko prepared rice porridge for breakfast, and they ate it together.

“Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah. I wanted to see you off when you take your flight to Korea today, but I have to leave now for Nagoya. I have a dance performance there. That’s why Mama-san gave me the stage outfit that I brought home. I have to return it to her once I’m done with the performance today.”

“Why didn’t you just buy one for you. It’s too heavy to carry it around in borrowing and returning it.”

Mori Aikko laughed and said,

“You can’t find an outfit like this in a regular store.”

After Mori Aikko left her condo in Daikanyama, Gun-Ho stayed there and took a nap. He felt exhausted after spending a full day in Roppongi yesterday. He snored.

It was lunchtime when he woke up. He felt hungry and wanted to have Korean food.

“I can have Korean food at Ms. Choi’s Korean restaurant in Akasaka!”

Gun-Ho arrived in Akasaka, Tokyo.

The restaurant was full since it was lunchtime. The restaurant owner—Ms. Choi—was sitting at the cashier counter. It seemed that she stayed in her restaurant during a busy time.

“Oh my gosh! President Goo! You are here.”

“Your restaurant business is doing very well.”

“Did you see Mori Aikko?”

“Of course. We had fun at Roppongi Hills yesterday.”

“That’s good to hear. Mori Aikko must have been very happy.”

“I came here to have Korean food. I miss it already after having only Japanese food. I will just have a Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup).”

Gun-Ho couldn’t make a long conversation with Ms. Choi since she was so busy during her business hours. He sat at the corner of the restaurant while having his Seolleongtang and walked out of there quickly after finishing it.

“I want a cup of coffee. I always have my coffee after lunch. Where do I want to have my coffee today?”

Gun-Ho walked around the area in search of a nice café, and he arrived at New Otani Hotel.

“Well, the hotel has a nice café. Even though it’s pricey, I like their café. Let’s go and have my lunch coffee there.”

While sitting at the café and having his coffee, Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“Maybe I’d better leave for the airport even though I still have plenty of time before boarding.”

After finishing his coffee, Gun-Ho walked down to the hotel lobby. There were so many tourists at the front desks waiting for their turn to check-in. When he was passing by the front desk, someone called him.

“President Goo?”

Gun-Ho turned around and saw a man, who was looking at him with a smile. It was BM Entertainment’s manager.

“Sir, it’s good to see you here. I want to thank you again for your help in Shanghai the other day. You come to visit Japan pretty often?”

“I come here for business sometimes. Do you have a performance here too?”

“No. I actually came here for a photo-shoot with my staff. Oh, Seol-Bing is here too.”

Seol-Bing was standing with a group of staff. She was still wearing her dark sunglasses.

“Oh, Ms. Seol-Bing, good to see you.”

Gun-Ho walked toward Seol-Bing and extended his hand to her for a handshake. All of the staff looked at Gun-Ho.

Seol-Bing smiled as she took off her sunglasses.

“GH…?”

“Oh, you remember the name of my company. Yes, I’m Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile. It’s really good to see you here in Japan after seeing you in Shanghai.”

“Do you often come to Tokyo?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, I do come to Tokyo pretty often, especially when I do my Tokyo Planning.”

“Tokyo… planning?”

“Right. I come here to spend some time in making some important decisions for my business.”

Seol-Bing wore her sunglasses again while smiling.

“Well, it was good to see you too. I appreciate your help in Shanghai the other day.”

Seol-Bing made a slight nod before leaving with the group of staff.

Gun-Ho was still standing there even after Seol-Bing took off. He mumbled,

“Did I just talk with the goddess—Venus?”

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Chapter 304 - Joint Venture (1) – Part 1

Chapter 304: Joint Venture (1) – Part 1

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho went to work at the factory in Jiksan Town.

The secretary— Ms. Hee-Jeong Park brought a folder to Gun-Ho.

“What is this?”

“I made some newspaper clippings while you were not in the office.”

“Newspaper clippings?”

“Yes, sir. It’s about the building dedication ceremony of the factory in Asan City.”

“Oh, It seemed that many newspapers talked about our building dedication ceremony.”

Gun-Ho said while scanning through the newspaper clippings.

“The economic newspaper and all local newspapers placed articles about it.”

“Can you show this to Director Dong-Chan Kim when he comes here?”

“Of course, sir. I will do that.”

The general affairs director entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“I’ve talked to the assistant managers with the accounting team and the general affairs team, and asked if they are interested in working for Dyeon Korea?”

“What did they say?”

“The accounting team’s assistant manager is willing to be relocated to Dyeon Korea while the general affairs team’s assistant manager seemed to be baffled when he heard my suggestion since he is living in Dujeong Town. Moreover, the accounting assistant manager can expect to be promoted as she moves to the newly opened joint venture while the general affairs assistant manager couldn’t because he was already promoted not long ago. What do you think of the team leader in the general affairs team? He is competent and he wants to work in Asan City since he is living in a town nearby— Baebang Town. He has been in the same position for four years now, so I think it would be good for us to send him to Dyeon Korea as we promote him.”

“Please bring me the employee records of the accounting assistant manager and the team leader of the general affairs team.”

“Yes, sir.”

The general affairs director brought the employee records of the two workers.

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho didn’t find anything that could be a red flag by sending them to Dyeon Korea.

“Okay. Let’s relocate them to Dyeon Korea and promote them with one position up.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once the general affairs director left the office, Gun-Ho made a call to President Jeong-Sook Shin in GH Media.

“Do you currently have a lot of translation work?”

“Not really. The translation work for all thirty books of world history cartoon has been completed.”

“Mr. Lee, who is doing the interpreting work for us right now, didn’t work on those books, right?”

“No. These are cartoon books which are easy to translate. I had several graduate students work with cartoons.”

“I’m thinking of hiring Mr. Lee as a contractor to continue to do the interpreting work for Dyeon Korea. He seems to be a good fit for the job. I just want to make sure that you are okay with it since he is one of your translators with GH Media.”

“Mr. Lee would love to do the job. Translation work with GH Media is not a stable job. We can’t provide him a constant workload.”

“If you happen to need a person who could talk with agencies in other countries for you, you can ask Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh in GH Building, Sinsa Town. I’m sure she has spare time to help you with the work since I haven’t been to the office there for a while now.”

“Understood, sir. If you could let her know in advance that she needs to work with me sometimes, that will be very helpful. I actually have several letters which I need to send to Amazon.com. They, of course, need to be translated into English.”

“Okay, will do.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh.

“It’s me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“President Jeong-Sook Shin from GH Media will give you a call soon. I want you to help her with her work.”

“Of course, sir.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea in Asan City.

Gun-Ho’s office was already finished with high-end furniture and supplies. It looked more luxurious than the office in Jiksan Town.

“Sir, you are here.”

Director Dong-Chan Kim brought a report to Gun-Ho’s office.

“I need your approval on a cash advance request for the trip to Busan City.”

“Did we already receive all the equipment to the Busan port?”

“Yes, I just received a call from the customs office. Also, the agent from the customs compliance service provider contacted me for it as well. I will go to Busan City with Mr. Adam Castler tomorrow. I’d also like to take Director Jong-Suk Park with me.”

“Director Jong-Suk Park? You have two researchers who just joined you from GH Mobile. Why don’t you take them with you instead of Director Park?”

“We will need to load the equipment and we might have to dismantle some of them, so we will need Director Park. The researchers are good at working in a research center. We need someone who has been handling machines in a production field.”

“Okay. Do what you need to do.”

Gun-Ho opened the file that Director Kim handed to him. There was a request form for the cash advance on the travel expenses.”

“Oh, you are using the GH Mobile’s request form.”

“Yes, sir. We are currently using GH Mobile’s forms for now. Once we have enough employees, we will change them to Dyeon Korea’s forms.”

“Are you carrying the business credit card with you?”

“Yes, sir. I have the company credit card with me. I am requesting for cash advance in case we need to use cash and that I wouldn’t be able to withdraw cash from the credit card. It happened before.”

Gun-Ho said while signing the request form,

“Two more workers from GH Mobile will join Dyeon Korea soon. They are the assistant manager from the accounting team and the team leader from the general affairs team.”

“That’s really good to hear it, sir. We need more workers as soon as possible. If they could join us tomorrow, that will be great.”

“I will ask the general affairs director in GH Mobile if he could send them tomorrow.”

“And about Director Yoon who has been in charge of the construction. Since the construction is completed, I think he can permanently take a position with Dyeon Korea rather than going back to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. He can do management work here. Since I won’t be around a lot in the office because of the nature of my sales work, I think we need an executive who can stay in the office and do a management job. He does have corresponding work experience. I think he will do great in managing accounting and general affairs. In addition, since he can speak English, Mr. Adam Castler will be happy to have him around.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ve been talking to Mr. Castler about our need to have someone who would do the management work, especially in accounting and general affairs. Since Mr. Castler had previously worked for another joint venture, he agreed to my concern.”

“Hmm. Well, I will talk with President Jang-Hwan Song about it.”

“I will be leaving for Busan tomorrow, sir. I will inform Director Park about the trip. I will tell him that you approved this trip to Busan.”

“Oh, I was going to talk to you about our interpreter— Mr. Lee. What do you think about having him here as a contractor for now? And if we like him then we can convert his position to an employee.”

“That sounds great. What position are you thinking about, sir?”

“What about a manager?”

“That’s a good idea, sir. Thank you.”

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Chapter 305 - Joint Venture (1) – Part 2

Chapter 305: Joint Venture (1) – Part 2

The three workers were standing at the Busan port the next day. They verified two machines and 50 tons of raw materials which Dyeon America shipped from Seattle in the U.S. When they received the machines and the raw materials which pass muster at customs, Mr. Adam Castler received a call from Dyeon America. The call was about three of Dyeon America’s engineers who were coming to join Dyeon Korea for a period of three months. Director Dong-Chan Kim made a call to Gun-Ho.

“Sir, it’s Director Kim.”

“Oh, yes. How are things going there?”

“We received the machines and raw materials without any problem. We are trying to load the truck with them. The machines are too long to be loaded to a truck, so Director Park is dismantling the machines right now.”

“Oh, really?”

“And, Mr. Adam Castler just received a call from Seattle. They sent their three engineers to Korea and the engineers will arrive at Incheon International Airport tomorrow morning. They are asking if we can send someone to pick them up at the airport.”

“I will ask Director Kang in Seoul to pick them up.”

“Thank you, sir. We will be heading to Asan City as soon as we load things here.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs assistant manager who was just promoted to that position,

“We will have three engineers from Dyeon America tomorrow. They will arrive at the Incheon International Airport. Since they will arrive here in Asan City tomorrow afternoon, please make a room reservation at a hotel for them, and once Director Kim comes back from Busan, discuss with him about the American engineers’ OneRooms where they will stay for three months.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then called GH Development to talk to Director Kang.

“Director Kang?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Three of Dyeon’s engineers will arrive at Incheon International Airport tomorrow from the U.S.”

“Oh, I see. I can pick them at the airport just like I did last time.”

“Please take Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh with you. Let me see… Your car is probably too small to accommodate five people; especially the American engineers must have large body frames. Why don’t you call a car rental company and ask if they have a van like Starex?”

“Okay, sir.”

“You know how to drive a van, right?”

“Of course, sir. I can handle a van.”

“Well, then get a van before you leave to pick them up.”

“Yes, sir.”

GH Media sent the third and fourth books of the cartoon series of world history to Gun-Ho.

“Well, once I receive all of their thirty books, my bookshelf here will be filled with cartoon books. Hmm. I’m not sure if I want to display cartoon books in my office since this is the president’s office. Maybe I’d better send them to someone once I finish reading them. Who would be a good person to send them to? Oh, yeah. I can send the cartoon books to Jeong-Ah to Incheon City.”

Jae-Sik Moon crossed his mind while Gun-Ho was reading the cartoon, and he gave him a call.

“Jae-Sik? I received the third and fourth books of the cartoon. Are they selling well?”

“Yes, they are doing very well. We are already selling the third edition of the first and second books. And we sell more than 100 books per day for the third and fourth ones.”

“I guess you can make enough living with it.”

“The Japanese book, ‘the person who wakes up in the morning’ is doing very well too. We sell at least 200 of them per day. You know, Korean people are sensitive to trends. I guess that book is trendy now.”

“200 books per day? Let me think. Assuming the book costs 10,000 won, then the book brings 2 million won per day. It’s 60 million won per month. Well, since GH Media has only five workers, I guess you can’t just have meals with it but you can also get some drinks with it.”

“Not really. You need to take account of the necessary expenses. We are paying fees to the large bookstores like Kyobo Book Center and Youngpoong Bookstore. Also, we are paying to the author, and we are bearing the shipping costs. So nothing much left for us in the end. But according to President Shin, if we maintain the current level for one year, we would be able to get your investment fund back to you.”

“Hey, Min-Hyeok’s wedding is this Saturday. Maybe we can get together after his wedding for another round of drink or something.”

“Why not? I’m sure everyone will join us, especially, we will be in Incheon, our hometown.”

“You said, you are seeing your ex-wife, right?”

“Yes. She actually moved into my home already.”

“Really? Congratulations. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, it’s not something I’m proud of.”

“Why don’t you have a wedding too? Min-Hyeok is having his second wedding. You can have your first wedding now.”

“Nah. It’s okay. We can just live together as we have before.”

“Do you talk with your parents sometimes?”

“It has been a while actually. I think I will need to go see them.”

“Do you know where they are living?”

“Yes, I do.”

“They will be happy to see you, man. I understand you should have your own reasons why you haven’t seen your parents, but they are your parents.”

“I know.”

“Okay then. I will see you at Min-Hyeok’s wedding.”

Gun-Ho talked with President Jang-Hwan Song about Director Yoon who had been in charge of the construction of Dyeon Korea.

“I think we’d better give a permanent position to Director Yoon with Dyeon Korea.”

“Director Yoon?”

“Yes.”

“Actually I was thinking that we have way too many executives here in GH Mobile. We had construction work going on, so we needed them. But, with our current sales revenue, I think we can afford to have only five executives in GH Mobile.”

“If we send Director Yoon to Dyeon Korea, we still have six executives with GH Mobile.”

“The average annual salary for our executives is 150 million won. So if we let one person go, we can save 150 million won per year, assuming we are maintaining the same level of our sales revenue. I’m saying we can reduce our debt by 150 million won. I know I am the last executive who joined GH Mobile. If our sales revenue didn’t increase, I would have had to be the one who gets laid off first.”

“Haha. I can’t let you go, President Song.”

“You shouldn’t involve your emotion in the business. You need to see the person’s work performance.”

“Haha. I see your point.”

“This company is generating more and more revenue and in the process of reducing debts. After three years, we can possibly go public too. However, you shouldn’t expect to make money with Dyeon Korea in its first year.”

“Hmmm.”

“But you will have your fun with Dyeon Korea. While GH Mobile is slowly but gradually increasing its sales revenue, Dyeon Korea can increase the sale revenue dramatically. There is a distinctive difference between a company that is manufacturing products and the company that is producing raw materials.”

“Are you saying that if we are lucky enough, maybe we will make money even in our first year?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm. I see. Well, I will relocate Director Yoon to Dyeon Korea for now.”

“Sounds good. Oh, I will have to get off from work early today.”

“Are you going to Seoul?”

“The new minister who is just appointed is my friend. I have a party with my friends to congratulate him.”

“Oh, the minister who used to work as a congressman?”

“Yes. When we were in college at Korea University, we used to do protest together.”

“You probably want to keep a close relationship with him. It seems that he will gain a lot of political power in our current administration.”

“With all due respect, I beg to differ. I believe that a businessman shouldn’t have a close or distant relationship with politicians and high-ranking government officials. I will keep an adequate and proper distance from them.”

“Hmm. I will keep that in mind.”

“Thank you.”

President Jang-Hwang Song gave a bow to Gun-Ho respectfully and left the office.

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Chapter 306 - Joint Venture (2) – Part 1

Chapter 306: Joint Venture (2) – Part 1

After receiving a call that the eighteen-wheeler with the machines and raw materials in it just passed Chupungyeong (a mountain pass), Gun-Ho called for Director Yoon.

“The eighteen-wheeler just passed Chupungyeong.”

“Okay, sir. I will prepare immediately a 30-ton forklift, a jib crane and a freight lift elevator.”

Director Yoon was now working for Dyeon Korea as a director who was in charge of general management. Since he was an executive officer, he had his own office. Gun-Ho wanted to make sure that everything was ready to handle the necessary moving and installation when the machines arrived, so he asked Director Yoon again,

“The eighteen-wheeler that left Busan City will arrive here around 12 o’clock. You sure we will have everything including the forklift truck ready by then, right?”

“Yes, don’t worry about it, sir. Once the machines arrive, we will move them to the production worksite with the forklift truck.”

“Hmm.”

“Once we put the machines in their place that we prepared for them, we will need to connect them to the power and cooling system before we could test them.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, we are expecting to receive 50 tons of raw materials. In order to efficiently store them in our storage, I think we need to install maybe a three-tier shelf in metal. I believe that Director Jong-Suk Park is the best person who I can discuss it in details. I will talk to him about it.”

“Are you saying that you want to store the raw materials on a shelf?”

“I think that’s the best way to store them. We might need more shelves later once we pick up speed in our business. We now start with 50 tons of raw materials, but later we will possibly handle hundreds of tons of raw materials constantly.”

“Does that mean we will have to pick up the raw materials at the customs in Busan City every time we receive the shipment?”

“No, sir. We sent our three employees to Busan City this time because we will have to move the equipment, but for raw materials only, the customs compliance service provider can handle them for us.”

“Busan City is too far from our factory. Can we receive the shipment at Pyeongtaek Port instead?”

“I believe we can receive raw materials at Pyeongtaek Port, if not for the machines. I think Mr. Adam Castler will have to talk with Dyeon America to arrange the location though.”

“Hmm…”

“It’s windy and the level of Asian Dust is high today. I think you’d better stay in the office, sir. Once the shipment arrives, we will take care of it.”

“Hmm. Hmm.”

Gun-Ho cleared his throat and went back to his office in Dyeon Korea, and started reading the cartoon book which GH Media had sent to him the other day. His office was cozy even on a windy day. A lot of natural light was coming into the office. The office was filled with the orchid plants that GH Mobile’s customer and vendor companies sent to congratulate on the new factory construction, and the flowers were giving off pleasant scents. Gun-Ho enjoyed the moment where he was reading a cartoon book in his large office that was filled with orchid flower scents.

Gun-Ho fell asleep while reading the cartoon book, and he woke up to some loud noise. When Gun-Ho heard people yelling, he walked to the window and looked down. An eighteen-wheeler was in the factory yard and a huge forklift truck was moving busily with Jong-Suk’s scream.

“Hey, Mr. Driver! More to your left! More and more. Sh*t! You almost hit the wall! Manager Park! Don’t touch that!”

They were making a lot of noise. Gun-Ho could hear all sorts of sound from the forklift truck, freight lift elevator and some other noise from machines and tools.

Gun-Ho walked down to the factory. When the three workers who just came back from Busan saw Gun-Ho entering the area, they walked towards Gun-Ho to greet him,

“Welcome back, folks. The equipment looks great.”

Gun-Ho looked at his watch. It was after lunchtime, around 1 pm already.

“Why don’t you have lunch first?”

“We will eat our lunch after unloading the shipment, sir.”

Director Kim asked for the assistant manager.

“Hey, Mr. Park, let’s place an order of our lunch for delivery. I think Jajjangmyeon* will do fine.”

“For everyone here, sir? I think we have about twenty people.”

“Let them choose from Jajjangmyeon*, Jjamppong*, and fried rice. If you go to the container office, you will find the phone number of a restaurant that you can order those foods from. The number is attached to the wall.”

“Yes, sir.”

The assistant manager moved around quickly among the twenty workers to take their lunch orders.

“Mr. Park, I will have Jajjangmyeon*.”

Gun-Ho shouted to the assistant manager,

“Are you having lunch with us here, sir?”

“Of course.”

Gun-Ho sat with his employees, together with the truck drivers and had his Jajjangmyeon*.

When the workers had almost finished their lunch, the assistant manager distributed coffee in a paper cup to everyone there. The coffees were from the vending machine in the container office.

The assistant manager seemed to be feeling good and excited since he was recently promoted to his current position. He was three years younger than Gun-Ho, and Gun-Ho sometimes found himself treating the assistant manager in an informal and comfortable way.

“Sir, why don’t you go back to your office and take a rest. The worksite is too noisy and not very organized yet.”

As Director Kim suggested Gun-Ho, Gun-Ho went back to his office on the second floor after lunch, and he continued to read the cartoon book for a while. Once he finished the book, he came back to the worksite to see how things were going.

“The forklift truck driver already left?”

“Yes, sir. He left at about 3 pm. The driver for the freight lift elevator left right after he finished his Jajjangmyeon*.”

Dyeon Korea hadn’t purchased its own forklift truck yet. If they had to buy one, a 5-ton forklift truck should be large enough to handle their raw materials. This time, they leased the huge 30-ton forklift truck to move the machines they received from Dyeon America.

When Gun-Ho looked around, he saw Jong-Suk who was taking a break. He was holding a paper cup of coffee and he was smoking a cigarette while standing near the fence.

“Director Park, you did a great work today.”

“It’s part of my job.”

“Are you coming back here to work tomorrow?”

“Director Kim asked me to come here tomorrow. The people in our factory in Jiksan Town wouldn’t like it though.”

“Why don’t you work in the Jiksan location in the morning and come to this Asan location in the afternoon? That’s what I do these days.”

“I don’t know.”

While Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk were conversing about the work arrangement, a Starex van entered the factory gate, and three American men got off from the van. They were the engineers from Dyeon America. Manager Kang picked them up at the airport that morning. Once they got off from the van, they went straight into the office building without noticing that Gun-Ho was standing in the yard.

“Bro, I guess you’d better go back to your office. The American engineers have arrived.”

“It’s okay. Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler are in the office.”

“I want to talk to them before we start installing the equipment.”

“Do it tomorrow. Those engineers must feel very exhausted after the long-hour flight.”

Note*

Jajjangmyeon– Korean-style Chinese noodle dish with black bean sauce, vegetables, and diced pork.

Jjamppong– Korean spicy noodle soup with seafood, pork, and vegetables.

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Chapter 307 - Joint Venture (2) – Part 2

Chapter 307: Joint Venture (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was walking up to the second floor heading to his office when he ran into the assistant manager from the general affairs team.

“Mr. Park, can you come to my office now?”

“Yes, sir.”

The assistant manager followed Gun-Ho to the president’s office.

“I saw you running around earlier to serve coffee to the workers. I think we need to hire a new worker for that sort of job. Since you have been working in the general affairs department, you probably handled Four Major Public Insurance before. Am I right?”

“Yes, sir. I was actually in charge of handling Four Major Public Insurance.”

“Great. Why don’t you then file Four Major Public Insurance for the workers here in Dyeon Korea?”

“We’ve already done it, sir, while we were still in the Jiksan location, right before we moved to Dyeon Korea.”

“Hmm. That’s good. Then, create an account with WorkNet with the name of Dyeon Korea and hire one female worker.”

“What position are we posting?”

“We need an office assistant for the general affairs team who can provide support to other workers in the team with word processing skills. We prefer someone who is from this area—

Asan City, and I want her to take care of the coffee vending machine as well.”

“Director Kim mentioned the other day that a government officer who attended our building dedication ceremony left a resume with him. He said it was for his sister-in-law who is looking for a job.”

“Really? Then bring me her resume; I will review it.”

While Gun-Ho was talking with the assistant manager, Mr. Adam Castler entered Gun-Ho’s office with three American engineers. The interpreter was following them to the office.

“These are the engineers from Dyeon America. They will work with us for the next three months.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat and offered his hand to each engineer for a handshake.

“We look forward to working with you all. I’m hoping that you could teach our engineers your advanced technology during your stay with us, so we could produce the same quality of products here in this location as the ones from Dyeon America. Mr. Lee, please interpret this for me.”

The interpreter— Mr. Lee immediately interpreted what Gun-Ho just said to the three Dyeon American engineers.

“Okay.”

The engineers kept nodding their heads and saying “okay” as they were listening to the interpretation.

“I understand that you might encounter some difficulties during your stay in Korea due to the cultural difference, language barrier, different food, and weather. We are here to help you, so please do not hesitate to let us know if you need any help.”

The three American engineers were standing there with no facial expression on their faces while Gun-Ho was speaking in Korean, and once the interpreter started relaying the message in English, they nodded their heads and said “okay” several times.

Once the engineers from Dyeon American left the office, Director Kim and the assistant manager from the general affairs team came into the office. Director Kim was carrying a resume in his left hand.

“Sir, this is the resume that one of the government officers left with me on the day of our building dedication ceremony. I was going to show it to you after the shipment arrived safely.”

“Do you think she will be a good fit for our company?”

“She doesn’t have any work experience, but her qualification is not bad. She graduated from a decent college as well. She is good-looking too. I can tell by looking at her picture attached to her resume.”

“Which government officer asked you for it?”

Director Kim came close to Gun-Ho and whispered into his ear.

“She is xxx officer’s wife’s sister.”

“Hmm… Even though he asked for this, if she is not qualified, we don’t have to hire her, but as long as she has the right qualifications, we will employ her.”

“Understood, sir. I think we can establish a good connection with the local community through this government officer by doing him a favor. His sister-in-law is a decent candidate for the job. She studied English in the U.S. for a year and she retains a high TOEIC score.”

“Okay. Director Kim, why don’t you give her an interview? And hire her if you think she is the right person for the job.”

“Understood, sir.

“Okay. You can go back to work then.”

“I have one more thing to talk to you about, sir.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about the English class we are having every morning in GH Mobile.”

“Oh, the class held by the native English speaker from Hoseo University?”

“Yes, sir. When we started the class, we had about 50 workers who attended the class every morning since you strongly encouraged them to take the class.”

“That sounds right.”

“And the number of participants had gradually reduced as time went. It became 30 people, and then dropped to 20, and now we have about only two or three people attending the class. I think the workers don’t keep up with the English class because we don’t really feel a need to use English at work.”

“Hmm.”

“However, it’s different in Dyeon Korea. Since we are a joint venture company with an American company, we can’t avoid being exposed to the English language at work.”

“That’s why you—Director Kim joined Dyeon Korea. You served your military service in Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA).”

“Oh, that was thirty years ago, sir. Speaking of which, I was thinking that maybe it is a good idea to bring that native English speaking teacher to Dyeon Korea and teach the English class here.”

“Hmmm. I see your point. I will think about it.”

“It’s a waste to pay the teacher to teach only two or three people in GH Mobile. If that English native speaking teacher from Hoseo University teaches English here, I am willing to attend the class every morning myself.”

“I heard you, Director Kim. I will think about it.”

The next morning, after giving a cursory review of the reports in GH Mobile, Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea.

“GH Mobile should be doing fine without me. President Song is a meticulous man and I’m sure he will take good care of it.”

When Gun-Ho entered the production worksite of Dyeon Korea, he saw Jong-Suk doing oxygen-acetylene welding. He was wearing black welding goggles. The welding was producing visible smoke and flames. Jong-Suk was surrounded by the three engineers from Dyeon America, the interpreter, and two researchers who joined from GH Mobile. They were watching Jong-Suk doing the welding. Jong-Suk was mumbling while working,

“Sh*t. I’m the only one working here!”

No one said a word in response to Jong-Suk’s mumble. When they saw Gun-Ho coming into the area, they all greeted him, except Jong-Suk. Jong-Suk didn’t notice Gun-Ho and continued to do the welding.

“Sh*t. Sh*t. Those men were sent here to do the engineering work, and I am the only one who was doing all the work here while they just watch me working. Something doesn’t feel right. I am the one who is supposed to watch them working. Sh*t.”

The interpreter—Mr. Lee who understood what Jong-Suk said laughed but he didn’t interpret what Jong-Suk said. Gun-Ho responded to Jong-Suk’s mumble instead,

“Hey, these engineers are the engineers in the chemical field for compound products. They are not mechanics like you.”

Jong-Suk took off the safety goggles when he heard Gun-Ho’s voice.

“Huh? Bro! Oh, I mean sir. You are here!”

“Why are you cutting it?”

“We are installing the machines here, and this part is too long, so we need to cut this part off.”

“I see. Well, keep up the good work. It seems you are the only one who could do the work.”

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Chapter 308 - Joint Venture (3) – Part 1

Chapter 308: Joint Venture (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Kang from GH Development.

“Sir, it’s Director Kang.”

“Oh, Director Kang. Thank you for picking up those American engineers at the airport and driving them to Asan City yesterday.”

“Sure thing, sir. I should, of course, give any support that I could to any GH companies. I called because I have something that I need to discuss with you, sir. We have received a letter from Seoul City Hall. They said if we make our building’s rooftop green like a garden or something, they will subsidize the cost by about 50%. Also, they are willing to pay for the service fee charged by the county office for their security inspection. I’m wondering if we want to apply for it.”

“Have the papers ready. I’m coming to Seoul for another business anyway. I will stop by the office.”

“Sounds good, sir. I will be here.”

It had been a while since Gun-Ho went to his building in Sinsa Town. It seemed that a new security guard was working on the day Gun-Ho visited the building. The security guard didn’t recognize Gun-Ho.

“I like this way better. Since he doesn’t recognize me, I don’t need to be bothered in taking the elevator to my office.”

Gun-Ho headed to his office on the eighteenth floor. When he opened the door, the workers in the office were all surprised and quickly stood up from their seats.

When he entered his office, some fund transfer slips were piled up on his desk waiting for his review and signature. Gun-Ho spent about an hour to review and sign the papers.

“Director Kang, please bring me the letter you received from the city hall the other day.”

Director Kang brought the letter to Gun-Ho.

“Hmm. Is it necessary to build a garden on our rooftop?”

“Well, the tenants in our building will definitely like it. It will provide a pleasant resting area, and it can also deter some undesirable activities going on in the building. For example, many young people in the building smoke around the emergency exit. We can’t prevent them from doing so since they are free to do so, but the problem is that many of them just tossed the cigarette butts on the ground after smoking.”

“Hmm.”

“Many of those cigarette butts are not properly extinguished, and they could cause a fire. Some of those people even toss the cigarette butts in the air and let them land on the street. We need something to restrain those activities.”

“So we want to make a garden or even a small park on the rooftop, so the smokers would smoke cigarettes there instead of somewhere inside the building.”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s go see the rooftop now.”

“Sure, sir.”

Director Kang picked up the key to the rooftop and started walking in front of Gun-Ho.

The metal door leading to the rooftop was locked and there was a sign on the door, saying, “Staff Only.” Once Director Kang opened the door, Gun-Ho could see a huge ventilator with all sorts of junk. Most of them were the leftover materials from the building renovation, such as pieces of timber and Styrofoam.

“I think we can move the ventilator and the power system up, in order to secure more space for the park project. One of the project managers of a construction company visited here the other day, and he said we can have about 150 pyung large park here without getting rid of that ventilator and power system.”

“150 pyung…”

“We can even build a small space for business here like 30 pyung large and rent it out for a small bar business or something. We can still have a 120 pyung large park.”

“Did we get a price quote for the work?”

“Making a building rooftop green usually costs from 500,000 to 600,000 won per pyung. If we want to make it more luxurious with a nice tree or by raising the wall to block the strong wind, then it will cost more.”

“If so, let’s say that it costs 100 million won to make the green rooftop that we want, then Seoul City will subsidize 50 million won since that’s the 50% of what we spend, right?”

“That’s correct. The subsidy includes the safety inspection fee and cost to waterproof.”

“Hmmm. Well, we still have to spend half of the construction price.”

“I think that building a small space on the rooftop for a small bar and renting it out is a good idea. After about three years of renting it, I believe we will be able to recover the cost of the entire rooftop construction.”

“What is the floor space here?”

“It’s 270 pyung, sir. And the building to land ratio applicable to our building is 80%.”

“Hmm. I see. I will review it.”

Gun-Ho had lunch with Director Kang at a restaurant nearby Garosugil Road that day, and he came back to Asan City.

Gun-Ho went to the joint venture company in Asan City to see how things were going there.

All machines and equipment were installed, and Director Park was connecting the power and cooling system to them. The production manager stood up and greeted Gun-Ho when he saw Gun-Ho coming into the production field.

“The machines seem to be all in place.”

“We will test the entire production line tomorrow.”

“I know we received the raw materials already. What about chemical materials? Are they ready?”

“Yes, sir. We now have 50 different chemicals in our storage.”

“Once the American engineers from Dyeon America start working on the compound, you will have to take a very good look at them. That’s the key to our business.”

“I will keep that in mind, sir.”

“Especially, make sure that you take note of the ratio of the compounds.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then walked up to the second floor where his office was located.

When Director Yoon was told that Gun-Ho was in his office, he came to Gun-Ho’s office, carrying the report and papers to be signed with him.

“How are you doing, Director Yoon? I know you used to work outside in the construction field. How is the work in the office?”

“I like it. It’s fun.”

“That’s good to hear. Are those engineers from Dyeon America still staying in a hotel?”

“No, sir. They already moved to a OneRoom. They are staying in the same building as Mr. Adam Castler.”

“Was the owner okay with the short-term lease? They will only stay there for three months.”

“Yes, since those OneRooms were vacant anyway, he didn’t mind renting them for a few months. Moreover, he liked the fact that the tenants are high-level engineers from U.S., rather than blue-collar foreign labor workers.”

“I see. Well, please make sure to pay the rent on time. A landlord’s worst nightmare is receiving the rent not on time.”

“Understood, sir. And, I have something to suggest, sir.”

“What is it?”

“Director Kim is currently giving a ride to the vice president—Mr. Adam Castler—in commuting. Also, the other three engineers are commuting with the general affairs assistant manager. Our company provides them with the cost of gas, but once we get busy, this current commuting setting will become burdensome. I think that we’d better purchase a company car and hire a chauffeur.”

“Hmm.”

“Once we have a chauffeur working for our company, he can be very helpful for you, sir. We all think you drive too much, sir. You are coming back and forth between the factory in Jiksan Town and here in Asan City, and we think you need a chauffeur to drive for you. Since you are young, sir, you might not think it’s necessary, but many business owners who have smaller companies than yours have a chauffeur, so they could conserve their energy for the actual business operation work.”

“Hmm.”

“Sometimes, Director Kim comes to work to only pick up Mr. Adam Castler after meeting with a client somewhere else. If he didn’t have to give a ride to Mr. Castler, he would have just gone home for the day after the meeting. So, I sometimes give a ride to Mr. Adam Castler for Director Kim.”

“Let’s think about hiring a chauffeur. For now, let’s rent a car for three months. Let’s ask the car rental company to send us a chauffeur as well, who can speak English if possible. As to the car, ask Mr. Adam Castler to choose from Grandeur K7 or SM7.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 309 - Joint Venture (3) – Part 2

Chapter 309: Joint Venture (3) – Part 2

“I will make an arrangement to use one rental car for Mr. Adam Castler and three other engineers from Dyeon America for the commute. Also, I will make sure that the car won’t be used by anyone else other than you or the Americans from Dyeon America.”

“Sounds good.”

“And about the researchers, who are now working in the production field in Dyeon Korea, they have received training from Dyeon America in U.S., but since they are accustomed to a research center setting, they are having some difficulties in working in the production field. So, Director Jong-Suk Park often comes to our factory, and he is helping them a lot. The problem is that I was told that GH Mobile hates this arrangement. They are bluntly expressing their concern and disapproval of it.”

“Hmm.”

“So, I was thinking that maybe we can hire a factory worker who can do maintenance work with the machines in the production field and also hire one more worker who has work experience to a certain level to have as the team leader.”

“Okay. Post those two job postings on WorkNet.”

“Thank you, sir. I will try to select young workers with competence at work.”

“And…”

“You have more things to suggest, Director Yoon? I guess you came all prepared today, huh?”

“Director Kim and I had an interview with the female candidate who Director Kim talked to you about the other day. You know, the one who was recommended by the government official.”

“Oh, yes, I remember that. How is she?”

“I was actually skeptical at first since she was a relative of a government official, and she didn’t apply for the position through our regular hiring process. However, it turns out that she is not bad at all. She is good-looking, and she speaks English as well.”

“That’s good. Then let’s hire her.”

“I thought it would be better if you see her before we finalize her employment, so I asked her to come here again today. I think she is probably in my office already.”

“Do I have to see her? Because you, Director Yoon and Director Kim found her a good fit for the position, then she should be good.”

“Well, still, she will work closely with you in serving you with tea and stuff. I think you’d better meet her to make sure we all like her.”

“Hmm.”

“You will find her a good fit because she is calm and quiet. It seems that she was raised in a good family. Her sister is the wife of a government official, and her father is now retired, but he used to work as a high-ranking government official as well. They are locals from Asan City.”

“Hmm. Her sister is the spouse of a government official, and that makes her not very young. I guess there must be a big age gap between the two sisters.”

“According to Director Kim, her parents wanted to have a son. Their first child was a girl, so they tried again but ended up having another daughter.”

“I see. Her parents must be old people with old beliefs.”

“I will check to see if she is here, and I will bring her here.”

“Sounds good.”

After a while, a young female who looked like in her mid-20s came into Gun-Ho’s office. Her hands were folded in front of her, which showed her respect for Gun-Ho and also her nervousness.

“What is your name?”

“I’m Seon-Hye Yee, sir.”

“Are you living in Asan City?”

“Yes, sir. I’m living with my parents.”

Gun-Ho didn’t even bother asking her about her academic degree or previous work experience.

“This is a start-up company of a joint venture. We are still in the process of arranging things before we could open our business. We don’t have many female workers and the location is not very convenient to commute. Do you think you can handle all these?”

“I will do my best, sir.”

Gun-Ho looked at her carefully. She was definitely the calm and stable type, and she was also elegant.

“Well, I look forward to working with you.”

Gun-Ho said with a smile.

“Thank you, sir.”

Ms. Seon-Hye Yee gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho before walking out of the office.

After the new female worker left the office, Gun-Ho made a call to President Jeong-Sook Shin at GH Media.

“Yes, sir. This is Jeong-Sook Shin.”

“Is a book café a good business nowadays?”

“A book café, sir?”

“Yes, I’ve seen a lot of articles and news about it these days, especially on the Internet. There are many uniquely decorated book cafes.”

“Well, I’m not sure, sir. It’s one of the trendy businesses, and I’m not sure if it will bring good money. I guess the specific business requires the owner to really like books. Those sorts of business are not just about making money.”

“Have you visited GH Building before?”

“Yes, I went there once. The location is really good.”

“I’m going to make its rooftop green like a good resting area. The one on the twentieth floor.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Do you think it would be a good idea to open a book café there? With the name of GH Media?”

“A book café in GH Building?”

“Right.”

“If the book café uses our name—GH Media—then do we operate the café?”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t know. I can’t really tell anything at this point. I think I need to see it first.”

“When you have time, please visit the building and go to the rooftop. I will let Director Kang know that you will come by to visit soon. He will open the door to the rooftop for you.”

“Is Director Kang managing the building now?”

“Yes. We have our GH Development office on the eighteenth floor.”

“I see. I will go there tomorrow.”

The new female worker—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee—entered Gun-Ho’s office. She brought a cup of hot green tea. When she placed the tea on the table she slipped and spilled the tea. She must have been very nervous on her first day of work. Some of the green tea spattered on Gun-Ho’s face.

“Holy sh*t!”

Gun-Ho jumped out of his chair in surprise.

Ms. Seon-Hye Yee seemed to be mortified and started wiping out the tea on the table with her silk handkerchief.

Gun-Ho said with a smile,

“It’s okay. Don’t use your handkerchief. We have a towel in the office.”

“I’m so sorry, sir.”

“It’s okay. Today is your first day of work. You must be nervous. You will talk about this day as one of the fun days in your life in the future.”

Ms. Seon-Hye seemed to be still terrified and quickly walked out of the office, and she came back with a towel. She started wiping out the table with the towel.

“It’s clean enough, Ms. Yee. The rest of the tea will be dried out as time goes. Why don’t you bring me another cup of hot green tea?”

Ms. Seon-Hye Yee prepared another green tea and came back to the office. This time, she was extremely careful while putting down the cup of green tea on Gun-Ho’s table.

Gun-Ho laughed, and Ms. Seon-Hye Yee laughed along with him.

Once Ms. Seon-Hye Yee left the office, Gun-Ho mumbled to himself.

“Well, I guess it is indeed her very first day of work in her entire life. She seems very innocent and naïve.”

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Chapter 310 - Joint Venture (4) – Part 1

Chapter 310: Joint Venture (4) – Part 1

President Jeong-Sook Shin from GH Media called Gun-Ho after she had visited the GH Building in Sinsa Town.

“So, what do you think?”

“I love the view from the rooftop. I could see the entire Sinsa Town and Apgujeong Town in Gangnam District. But I’m not sure if we can make a successful book café there.”

“Then what business do you think I should open there?”

“I think a small bar will do. But I don’t think it is a good idea to open a bar with GH’s name.”

“Maybe I should rent it out to someone, or just use it for a resting area for the tenants.”

“I am rather interested in the space in the first basement level.”

“The basement level? There used to be a sauna before they closed the business. It is now vacant.”

“That’s right. Your building occupies the basement from level two to level five as a parking space, and the first basement was used as a sauna before, and they opened it 24 hours.”

“That’s correct.”

“The 24-hour sauna was a trend for a while, and now it is no longer popular at all. That’s why the previous sauna business that used the basement space closed their doors. They had probably not been able to pay the rent with their low and reduced revenues.”

“What’s on your mind? What business do you think would be good to use in that space? I was told by Director Kang that someone had inquired about the rent price for that space the other day. He wanted to open a huge restaurant.”

“Well, I think opening a restaurant there is not a bad idea. But I was thinking about opening a year-round art gallery.”

“A year-round art gallery?”

“Yes. Once we redo the interior neatly and display arts, the building will start gaining a more luxurious and elegant image. Moreover, the building will draw more attention from the press and media since whenever we hold an art exhibition, they will write some articles about it. If things go well, the building can become a landmark of Sinsa Town.”

“Hmm.”

“However, you have to note that I am not a business person. I am just someone who loves books and who is selling books. It’s just an idea since you asked.”

“Well, I think that idea is certainly worth serious consideration. Let’s revisit that idea after Min-Hyeok’s wedding.”

“Okay, sir.”

Min-Hyeok’s wedding day came.

It was held in a wedding hall located in Ramada Songdo Hotel, Incheon City. Min-Hyeok was standing at the entrance along with his parents and greeting the guests.

There were tons of guests coming for Min-Hyeok’s wedding, maybe because they knew that Gun-Ho would come too. There were not many people on the bride’s side, but because of the bride’s exotic look, she drew enough attention from the guests.

“Look at her. The bride’s mother is wearing a traditional Chinese dress—qipao.”

“You’re right. The bride’s father looks like an artist. He has long hair pulled back in a ponytail. He also has a beard.”

“I heard the bride is Chinese. Pity for the groom. I heard that in China, men do all the kitchen chores like washing dishes and cooking food.”

The guests looked at the congratulatory flower wreaths that were standing along the wall near the entrance while talking about the bride and the groom.

There were so many of them and from so many people, such as GH Mobile’s president—Gun-Ho Goo; Dyeon Korea’s vice president—Adam Castler; GH Media’s president—Jeong-Sook Shin; Jinxi Construction Company’s president—Chinkkweo Seon from Kunshan City, China; the employees of GH Parts Company from Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, and other vendor and customer companies. There were more than twenty congratulatory flower wreaths.

Gun-Ho was standing behind the column in the lobby after having a handshake with the groom—Min-Hyeok. Gun-Ho brought Mr. Adam Castler with him, who expressed his interest in watching a Korean wedding. He came along with President Jang-Hwan Song, Director Dong-Chan Kim, and Director Jong-Suk Park.

“Did you see Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Where is he?”

Gun-Ho’s high school friends were looking for Gun-Ho. They wanted to use this occasion to get closer to Gun-Ho.

Jae-Sik Moon walked toward Gun-Ho.

“President Goo, are you joining us for a drink after the wedding?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“Maybe today is not a good day to get together because many of us live too far from here, Incheon City.”

“Did you tell everyone that we will have a drink after the wedding?”

“No, I didn’t yet.”

“We can get together later then. We can meet somewhere in Seoul.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin came to Gun-Ho as well. Gun-Ho asked her,

“Have you met Mr. Ding Feng?”

“No, I haven’t yet.”

“Then come with me. Let’s go and talk to Mr. Ding Feng. He probably feels lonely here. His relatives and friends are all in China and couldn’t attend the wedding in Korea today. Jae-Sik, why don’t you come with us, too?”

As Gun-Ho expected, when they walked to Mr. Ding Feng, he looked extremely happy to see them, who were not strangers to him like most of the guests there. Moreover, he could communicate with Gun-Ho in Chinese without any problem.

“Congratulations, sir.”

“Thank you so much for coming today. I know it was too much to ask you to come to the same wedding twice. Honey, come and meet President Goo. He is the one who our son-in-law is working with.”

Ding Feng’s wife was wearing a qipao. She offered her hand to Gun-Ho with a broad smile.

“Congratulations, ma’am.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin and the GH Media’s chief editor—Jae-Sik Moon—also shook hands with Ding Feng and his wife.

“President Jeong-Sook Shin wants to discuss something with you, sir. When are you leaving for China?”

“We are planning to have a tour in Seoul before we leave the country. We are going to Namsan Tower and Gyeongbug Palace tomorrow. We will then leave for China the following day.”

Gun-Ho interpreted what Mr. Ding Feng said for President Shin.

“Please tell him that I’d like to meet with him tomorrow at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. It’s located close to Gyeongbug Palace.”

When Gun-Ho interpreted for Mr. Ding Feng, he looked very intrigued by the museum that President Song selected for a place to meet with him.

“Oh, there is an art museum of modern and contemporary art there? I will definitely be there.”

Mr. Ding Feng, who was an artist, seemed to be extremely interested in seeing Korean arts.

The following day, Gun-Ho got up later than usual.

“I must have been tired after traveling to Incheon City for Min-Hyeok’s wedding.”

Gun-Ho looked at his watch. It was almost 9 am.

“I would have been more exhausted if I drove myself. It was a good decision to ride with Mr. Castler in the rental car.”

Gun-Ho headed to his GH Mobile office without having breakfast.

There were not many papers piled up at his desk, which were waiting for his review and signature. That was because most of his daily work were now handled by President Jang-Hwan Song. Even the fund transfer slips were already reviewed and signed by President Song. Gun-Ho just needed to review the daily fund flow statements.

“I think I should delegate this daily fund flow statement review to President Song as well.”

In order to let President Song take care of monitoring the daily fund flow, Gun-Ho had to hand over the OTP (One Time Password) card to him. Gun-Ho asked for President Song.

After a while, President Song came into Gun-Ho’s office. He was carrying something that was wrapped in some newspapers.

“What is that?”

“It’s the mold that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo made and sent to us from Japan.”

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Chapter 311 - Joint Venture (4) – Part 2

Chapter 311: Joint Venture (4) – Part 2

As President Song showed the mold that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo sent from Japan, Gun-Ho said,

“I wouldn’t be able to tell whether it’s well made or not even though it’s in front of me.”

“I think Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is an incredible engineer. His mold is carved roughly, but the products made with the mold are so perfect. Look at these.”

President Song showed Gun-Ho an automobile part—a soft protector.

“Well, even in my layperson’s eyes, the product looks beautiful.”

“We are going to make 5,000 of these and send them to Changwon City tomorrow.”

“Don’t we need to send someone along with the products to Changwon City?”

“That wouldn’t be necessary. We can just mail them through Kyoungdong Express. We just need to include our test results of the products.”

“But this is the very first shipment to them. Wouldn’t they mind? Maybe they would think we don’t show enough care for the business with them.”

“It’s okay. I have known their sales manager, and their research center’s chief officers for a long time. I had worked with them before.”

President Song continued to talk,

“This is a new product to be used for the S Group’s new model of a vehicle. They made the product order from us and also from Egnopak. That’s how auto manufacturing companies do. They usually make product orders from two different companies for the same auto part.”

“I am aware of that.”

“They are doing so to prepare a situation where one of the supplying companies couldn’t or refused to supply the auto parts. That way, they can continuously manufacture their cars without being affected by a supplying company’s status.”

“Do those kinds of situation really happen?”

“Actually, it happens a lot. Many auto parts supplying companies produce defective products, or they find their workers on strike. In those situations, the auto manufacturing companies cannot receive their necessary auto parts. If things go wrong, they wouldn’t be able to produce their cars, and it could place them such as Hyundai or Kia in a very difficult and embarrassing position in the international market.”

“Hmm.”

“For this protector, S Group ordered 30% of their necessary quantities from us, and 70% of them went to Egnopak. If we do a good job and the situation helps us, maybe we would be able to take the current Egnopak’s current position with 70% of the S Group’s product quantities someday.”

“How come did S Group order only 30% from us? And ordered 70% from Egnopak?”

“Well, 30% is a huge amount of products for us. Look at our factory. Egnopak has 3,000 employees while we have only 250. When their examiners visited our factory, they verified the factory’s production capacity, including the number of workers, the number and the status of our machines, and the statistics on our previous year’s defective products, and etc. So, given all this information, giving us 30% of their necessary quantity is very generous. As their needs increase and we hire more workers and expand our factory, the number of quantities of their order from us will increase accordingly.”

“Hmm. I see. And here is the…”

“What is this?”

“It’s an OTP card. You will need it when you deposit and withdraw funds to or from our major banks. I want you to handle it.”

“Oh, no no. I don’t want to yet. I will take it when this company is successfully registered with KOSDAQ.”

“President Song, you are a stubborn man.”

“I was actually famous to be stubborn when I worked for S Group as a vice president. They called me Mr. Stubborn Song.”

“Really? Haha. I guess then I have to lose this time.”

“Well, if you don’t have anything else, I will go back to work.”

Gun-Ho then received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Hey, it’s me. I just wanted to thank you for coming to my wedding twice, also for helping me to smoothly go through them.”

“They were your weddings; what are you thanking me for? It’s not like I paid for the expenses of your wedding ceremony.”

“Well, you actually helped me a lot even financially. I wouldn’t have been able to buy the condo in Juan Town for my parents without your help. We did the wallpaper of the condo and purchased some new furniture before my bride arrived. My wife and her parents were satisfied with what they saw.”

“It was not even an expensive condo.”

“They have no idea about various condo prices in different areas in Korea. They think our condo in Incheon City costs about the same as the condo in Mok Town, Seoul. What they see in a condo is its size and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. They seemed to be happy when they learned our parents’ home is 108 in Chinese measurement, and it has two bathrooms. My father-in-law actually disapproved of our marriage at first because he heard a lot of horrible stories about international marriage fraud. Now, he likes me better than his daughter according to my wife.”

“Really?”

“Why wouldn’t he? His son-in-law has a nice condo in Korea, and he has another luxurious condo in Chiwonhwawon condo complex in Suzhou City. He said he wouldn’t have to worry about her daughter any longer.”

“Haha. That must be a big relief.”

“So, I am grateful for your help, Gun-Ho. Once I go back to work in China, I will put all my energy working for the company.”

“Well, sounds good. Let’s do our best.”

After getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok, Gun-Ho walked out of the office and had his lunch. After having a meat soup, Gun-Ho headed to the office in Dyeon Korea.

When he arrived at Dyeon Korea in Asan City, Gun-Ho walked around the production worksite. All the machines seemed to be placed and installed, but they were not working yet. It seemed that Director Jong-Suk Park didn’t come to Dyeon Korea that day.

“Where is everybody?”

At that moment, Gun-Ho heard some people talking in the compound room. When he approached the room, he saw a red sign on the door. It said “restricted area.” Gun-Ho entered the room anyway. There were three American engineers, the production manager, the assistant manager working on mixing the materials. They were wearing some sort of gas mask.

“You are all here.”

Those five workers greeted Gun-Ho when they saw him entering the room.

“We will produce our very first product tomorrow.”

“So, we are adding this to the raw materials, huh?”

“That’s right, sir.”

Gun-Ho looked at the raw materials under the table. They were small white pieces of substances, size of rice grain.

“Once we add the mixed chemicals to this raw material, it will produce another raw material which is heat resistant and cold resistant with stronger durability.”

“Hmm.”

“You shouldn’t stay here any longer, sir. You shouldn’t breathe the air here without a mask.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head and walked out of the compound room.

In the evening that day, Gun-Ho received a call from President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“I’ve met with Mr. Ding Feng at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art today.”

“Really? How did it go? Any good news?”

“There was an art exhibition going on at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art earlier today, so Mr. Ding Feng and I looked at the arts together. He said Korean paintings are so advanced and beautiful.”

“Who did the interpretation for you?”

“We have a person here in GH Media who is doing the translation work for the Chinese books that we bought from the international book exhibition in Shanghai the other day. He came with me and interpreted it for me. He graduated from Beijing University, and he is now teaching at a college.”

“If I remember correctly, you made a contract for three history books. Which one are you going to publish first?”

“We are currently translating the book with a title, ‘Is Cao Cao a hero or a villain?’”

“Have you talked to Mr. Ding Feng about your plan to hold his solo art exhibition in Korea?”

“Yes. Actually, he liked the idea a lot. He has always wanted to have his own art exhibition in Korea, and he just couldn’t figure out where to start to make it happen.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Then he will do it.”

“I told him that we will need at least 30 paintings of his without a frame. He said he would need some time to prepare. He said he had a shy of 30 pieces of his paintings. I will need time also anyway in finding a good place to hold his art exhibition.”

“Hmm.”

“Mr. Ding Feng wants to come to Korea again to see the place for his art exhibition.”

“That sounds good.”

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Chapter 312 - Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 312: Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (1) – Part 1

GH Mobile was doing very well. Since the new co-president—Jang-Hwan Song joined GH Mobile, its sales revenue was on the rise, and the newly developed product—AM083 Assembly was selling well. The employment was stable too. GH Mobile’s turnover rate was almost zero. Moreover, the company’s debts were continuously being reduced.

During the meeting with the internal auditor, the internal auditor was speaking about the company’s profit and loss.

“According to our semi-annual financial report, our sales revenue was 10% and our ordinary income was 3%. If we assume that we will have about the same performance for the rest of the year, our annual sales revenue would be approximately 80 billion won. If we apply 3% of the ordinary income, our yearly profit would be 2.4 billion won.”

“Hmm.”

“We can, of course, will be able to distribute dividends to the major shareholder of this company—President Goo after we reserve some ‌retention‌ money.”

“The possible amount of the dividend would be about 2 billion won then.”

“Theoretically yes, that’s correct. However, we have debts to pay off. We can gradually pay off the loans from the bank, but we will have to pay the creditor companies who we had or are still having a business with. If they find out that we distribute the dividend to the shareholder out of the company’s profit without paying their money, it’s evident that they will get very upset.”

“So, you are suggesting we will have to use the company’s profits to pay the debts first.”

“The company’s debts also belong to the major shareholder. If we reduce the company’s debts, that also means the major shareholder’s debt is reduced.”

“Our next balance sheet will look very pretty.”

“That’s right, sir. Your monthly salary is 15 million won. I think it would be a wise choice to be content with the salary for now until we pay off our debts. That’s what President Jang-Hwan Song is hoping as well.”

“I understand what you mean. Let’s pay off the debts first.”

“Thank you, sir.”

A while after the internal auditor left Gun-Ho’s office, President Jang-Hwan Song came into the office.

“I just talked with the internal auditor. I think you made a good call on using our company’s profit to pay off debts first because our debt ratio is still higher than the average debt ratio in the industry. In order to successfully register with KOSDAQ, our debt ratio needs to be 1.5 times lower than the industrial average debt ratio.”

“I know that.”

“When I talked with the internal auditor earlier about the profit and paying off the debts with it, we also talked about raising your salary, sir. Since we are generating profits, as the owner of this company, you probably want something in return. So, we are thinking to raise your monthly salary to 20 million won. What do you think, sir?”

“That’s not necessary. We will soon have to negotiate the workers’ wages with the labor union. I don’t think this is the right time to raise the president’s salary.”

“What about changing your car then if you don’t want to raise your salary? You are operating several companies now, and we think you shouldn’t drive the car on your own all the time. So we are thinking of getting you a new car with a chauffeur.”

“A new car? I do like my Land Rover and it runs very well. It wouldn’t make me look any good if I drive around with a chauffeur at my age. Don’t ever mention it to me again. I think you will need a new car since you are the one who is doing sales, and you drive a lot to meet a client.”

“My Genesis is still new. It was the car I had since I worked for S Group. They let me keep it when I resigned from the position. The company provides me with gas costs and auto insurance. I don’t think I will need a new car until we successfully go public.”

“Hmm.”

“I think maybe we should get a new car to Director Jong-Suk Park. He is now traveling a lot between the two factories in Jiksan Town and Asan City. He also often attends meetings for the plant managers with our customer companies. I saw his car the other day, and it looked a bit old.”

“You’re right. His Santa Fe is old. I know that because he was driving the same car when I used to go fishing with him to Pocheon City, which was years ago. It was not even a new car when he bought it at that time. I do believe he needs to change his car.”

“You go all the way to Pocheon City just for fishing?”

“It was a long time ago.”

“Since Director Park is a director, we can get him any car less than 2000 CC without any problem.”

“You know what? Let me take care of this.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho called for Director Jong-Suk Park,

“Hey, you are not that busy these days, right?”

“Yeah, I can finally have some time to breathe. When we received the equipment from the U.S. to Dyeon Korea, it was crazy. But now, I’m good. Additionally, I have all these good and competent workers in my team, such as the plant manager, assistant manager, and team leaders. These days, I just give them some instructions in the morning and I just monitor their work, that’s it.”

“Well, if you don’t do much at work, I guess I will have to let you go, man. The company can save money by letting you go and not paying your salary.”

“It’s not just me, bro. Everyone at the management level is like that. The general affairs team and the accounting team don’t work crazily like the old days. The sales department is not so busy either since we have a lot of recurring customer companies.”

“Is that right?”

“The workers said they were having very peaceful days at work since there is no boss who is crazily nagging them all the time. President Jang-Hwan Song is the only one who visits the production field from time to time to point out things, but that’s nothing.”

“Hey, which car are you driving these days?”

“The same car you know. The Hyundai Santa Fe. It’s ten years old with over 20,000 kilometers on it. I need to replace the tires soon, but it works very well.”

“What did you do with the 10 million won that you received from the Egnopak’s president? Why didn’t you get a new car with it?”

“I used that money when I purchased my Purgio condo; I bought new furniture, refrigerator, and washer and stuff.”

“Did you already move in there?”

“Yes, I did.”

“It’s 30 pyung large. It must be very spacious for one person living. Did you say you are planning to get married this fall?”

“Actually, I am living with my girlfriend there.”

“Without getting married yet?”

Jong-Suk grinned and said,

“Yeah, it just happened that way. I was actually thinking of getting a new car. It’s kind of embarrassing to drive that old car, and my girlfriend doesn’t seem to like it either.”

“I can get you one.”

“Haha. You are kidding me, right?”

“President Song actually asked me to get you a new car, under 2000 CC.”

“Are you serious?”

“Since you are a director, he said it’s totally fine for the company to get you a new car.”

“I will ask President Song and see if he is serious about it.”

“Man, I am the owner of this company. I will get you a new Santa Fe 2.0, and it is owned by the company but you will be the one who is using it. When you see President Song, just thank him.”

“Thank you, bro.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s my early wedding gift for you.”

“I do really appreciate it, bro. I haven’t done much for you yet.”

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Chapter 313 - Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 313: Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho had lunch with GH Mobile’s executive officers that day.

They went to a Korean restaurant that specialized in a set menu with seasoned wild vegetables. The restaurant was located inside an orchard.

A total of six people went there including President Jang-Hwan Song, the internal auditor— Hee-Suk Goh, the chief officer of the research center—Joon-Soo Oh, the general affairs manager—Joon-Young Choi, and Production Director Jong-Suk Park.

“Since President Song joined us, our sales revenue has increased. I wanted to have a get-together.”

“Thank you.”

“Mr. Chief Research Officer, how’s your work? Is there anything I can improve to make you feel more comfortable working with us?”

“Everything is good, sir. Thank you.”

“Does our former chief research officer come to visit us sometimes? He is now working in an advisory position.”

“Yes, he does. He comes to our research center from time to time and guides us in the right direction.”

“How are the new researchers doing?”

“They are doing fine too.”

President Jang-Hwan Song asked the research center’s chief officer,

“Oh, I was going to ask you about this. You said you personally developed something when you worked for your previous company, which you wanted to apply for a patent but you haven’t yet, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Let’s apply for a patent with GH Mobile’s name. Even though it might not be a product that is lucrative, let’s just do it.”

“I don’t think it will bring good money.”

“That’s okay. We just need some patented products to show that we are a decent and competent company. It will work favorably for us when we apply for the KOSDAQ registration.”

“Well, since you brought it up, I actually have one more item to be patented. I even once made a presentation about this item at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade.”

“Is it related to an automobile?”

“That’s right. It is about the suspension system.”

“Let’s then apply for two items. We can have them patented with GH Mobile’s name.”

“But I doubt that this item would bring a good business. Moreover, it will cost us to have them patented and once they are patented we will pay some fees to maintain them.”

“Those fees are nominal. You don’t have to worry about it.”

President Song looked at Gun-Ho and said,

“President Goo, let’s do this. Our company can pay for the fees and get two patented items.”

“Okay. That sounds good.”

Food came out. There were so many side dishes. Gun-Ho ordered two bottles of beer as well.

As Gun-Ho filled up each person’s glass, he said,

“Let’s just have one glass of beer for lunch since we need to get back to work.”

The research center’s chief officer said as he was taking his glass from Gun-Ho,

“It’s nice that we don’t drink a bomb shot here. In my previous company, they always made a bomb shot and we had to drink it. I tried everything I could to avoid it.”

“Hahaha.”

As the business was going well, the executive officers looked happy and relaxed.

Director Jong-Suk Park, who was sitting on the last seat at the table, said,

“I want to thank you, President Song. I was told that you are the one who suggested getting me a new car.”

“I suggested President Goo getting you a new car because you are traveling a lot between Dyeon Korea and GH Mobile, and also you often go to a meeting with our client or vendor companies. You need a good car for your work. Also, your current car is too old. You don’t have to thank me, Director Park. But keep in mind that you have to choose a car that is less than 2000 CC.”

The general affairs director raised his hand.

“I have something to suggest too.”

“Sure. Go on.”

“Our wage negotiation with the labor union starts next month. We all have to attend the meeting on behalf of GH Media, except President Goo.”

“We know that.”

“President Jang-Hwan Song will lead our representation there. So, I was thinking to suggest to you, President Song, to consider the welfare of our workers. We don’t have to spend much money for it. We can give them some bonus vacation days for those who have been working with us for an extensive period of time, or we can rent a vacation home to an exemplary worker or something like that.”

Gun-Ho looked at President Song, and said,

“That doesn’t sound bad at all. What do you think?”

“Sure. Why not?”

President Song said while nodding his head.

The internal auditor chipped in while having a tofu dish.

“We can purchase two condos as a vacation home under GH Mobile’s name, so our workers can use it when necessary. Also, anyone from the management team can use it too.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

The internal auditor continued to talk,

“It’s also a good idea to have a business membership to a golf country club with the company’s name. It will be very useful for President Song in trying to bring more new clients. He can use it, and also the executive officers can use it too when we take some time off. I know that President Goo, President Song, and the research center’s chief officer do play golf. I also know how to play golf. I guess that the general affairs director and Director Jong-Suk Park are the only ones who don’t know how to play golf, but they can learn it easily.”

President Song looked at Gun-Ho this time, and said,

“I think it’s a good idea. The golf membership fee doesn’t exceed 100 million won in this area. I will work harder, President Goo as we need more revenue to spend in buying the membership.”

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

They all had a pleasant and relaxing time during lunch.

After lunch, Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea.

The production worksite was filled with loud noises. It seemed that the machines were working.

When Gun-Ho entered the worksite, everyone was standing in front of a machine.

“Are they coming out?”

“Yes, they are.”

Director Kim brought a small and yellow piece of substance on his palm. It looked like a bean.

“So we are wrapping these materials up and sell them, huh?”

“That’s right. It’s an elastomer plastic material. We call it EP. We pack them in 20 kilograms. We have already ordered the wrapping bags and boxes, and they will arrive tomorrow.”

“We will at first target the companies that are currently using the materials purchased from Monsanto Company in the U.S. or German Company—BASF. I hope GH Mobile uses more of our Dyeon Korea’s materials too.”

“Hmm.”

“One thing that bothers me now is that these materials that we just produced look a bit different from the samples that the American engineers bought from the U.S. Their colors and the degree of gloss are a little different. I want Director Jong-Suk Park to come here tomorrow and help us with the machines.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho then noticed that there was a man who was standing by the machine. Gun-Ho had never seen that man before. Director Kim said,

“Oh. This is the candidate who we just had an interview with, for the position of a manager in the maintenance team. This is our president.”

The man who looked like he was in his late 30s gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho.

“I’m Yong-Duk An, sir.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“He used to work as a manager in the maintenance team at the industrial complex in Cheonan City. Sir, would you like to interview him before we finalize his employment?”

“It wouldn’t be necessary. If you, Director Kim and Director Yoon are okay with it, then I’m okay.”

“Okay, then, I will let him know that he can start working from tomorrow.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to the man for a handshake. The newly hired maintenance team’s manager gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho while holding Gun-Ho’s hand with both hands.

After having a handshake, the new manager grabbed work gloves and walked towards the machines and laid down under it, even though no one asked to do so. He started working right away.

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Chapter 314 - Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 314: Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (2) – Part 1

Director Dong-Chan Kim at Dyeon Korea didn’t like the sample product that they just produced.

“I can’t send these to the companies that have been using Dyeon’s products. They wouldn’t consider these as authentic Dyeon products. With the help of those American engineers who came directly from Dyeon America, we still couldn’t produce exactly the same products as Dyeon’s.”

Director Dong-Chan Kim made a call to President Jang-Hwan Song in GH Mobile.

“We have produced Dyeon Korea’s sample products.”

“That’s nice. Congratulations.”

“But we might have some problems…”

“Are you asking me to send Director Jong-Suk Park there?”

“Does the former chief research officer come to work to GH Mobile these days, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, he does. He usually comes in the morning and leaves early. Why are you asking?”

“I am hoping that you could send us the former chief research officer along with Director Jong-Suk Park to us, maybe for one or two days. We seriously need help.”

“You can’t keep asking us to send our workers there. We have our own work to do here too.”

“You have tons of other workers. We just need them for one or two days.”

“Okay. I will send them, just for two days. That’s all I can offer.”

“I am working for Dyeon Korea now, but GH Mobile is home to me. We need to provide help and support to each other. In doing the sales work for Dyeon Korea’s products, I will also keep looking for a good sales opportunity for GH Mobile’s products as well.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho was wondering how the product manufacturing was going in Dyeon Korea, and he went into its production worksite. Dyeon Korea didn’t have a separate research center yet, so they used the production field for researching and also product producing.

“Huh? Mr. Former Research Chief Officer, you are here today. Oh, Director Park, I didn’t expect to see you here either.”

Director Kim came to Gun-Ho and said,

“I asked for them, sir. The sample products show different degrees of gloss and a high degree of hardness compared to Dyeon America’s products.”

We failed on our first and second tries in the morning, but on our third try in the afternoon, we finally produce the products which are very similar to the ones from Dyeon America.”

Gun-Ho asked Director Park,

“What went wrong during the first and second tries?”

“It was about the accuracy of the temperature and the duration of cooling. The former research chief officer figured it out. I guess his extensive experience in the field tells something.”

“Can we begin our mass production then?”

“Yes after we receive production orders. Director Dong-Chan Kim took some sample products and left to meet with potential buyers to show them the samples. He said that he would first meet with the current GH Mobile’s client companies.”

While Gun-Ho was talking with Director Park, Director Kim came in.

“Director Park! Give me ten more boxes of our sample products.”

“What happened to the products you took this morning, brother? You already distributed them all?”

“Yes, they are all gone already. I need more.”

“We haven’t produced more yet. The production manager—Manager Yoo and Assistant Manager Seong are working on it right now. Well, I’d better get back to my work at GH Mobile. Brother, don’t ask me to come here too often.”

“Come on. Stay longer. We need you here.”

Director Park always called anyone who was older than him as a brother, no matter what position they were in, except GH Mobile’s President Jang-Hwan Song, the internal auditor, and the chief research officer. That was probably because they were way older than Jong-Suk to be a brother.

Director Kim came closer to Director Park and grabbed his arm, with a smile.

“If you really have to go, then build us a shelf before you leave. We need them to store the products.”

“You have a new manager in the maintenance team. Ask him to do it.”

“It’s a two-person job, man. Someone has to hold the shelf piece tight in the process, right?”

Director Yoon brought a forklift truck and other equipment to move the products. Jong-Suk did some testing drive with the forklift truck. The assistant manager of the general affairs team brought a lady who would work in the company restaurant.

Jong-Suk and the new manager in the maintenance team started building a shelf. The two proficient workers built a beautiful three-tier metal shelf in no time.

Dyeon Korea’s vice president—Mr. Adam Castler, who was watching them building a shelf, raised his thumb when they finished it, and winked at them.

Gun-Ho received a call from President Jang-Hwan Song at that moment.

“Our former chief officer of the research center and Director Park went to Dyeon Korea for support.”

“Yes, I am there with them. They said they would return to GH Mobile tomorrow.”

“I think we can let the former research chief officer stay with Dyeon Korea since they desperately need someone proficient in the field.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Since we have our chief officer in the research center, maybe it’s not a good idea to have two chief officers here.”

“I believe that they are very close to each other, and they used to study together when they were at the Technical University of Munich in Germany.”

“That’s true. They were good friends to each other, but one used to work at our research center as a chief officer and the other one is currently working in the same position. They could face some conflict in their opinions and other things, and the workers might feel like they have two bosses.”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, if he stays with Dyeon Korea, it could appear that Dyeon Korea has a research center, even though he is holding an advisory position for only one year. He probably has more work to do there. He can teach the young workers there too.”

“Do you think he will accept our proposition?”

“I’m sure he will like it. He is probably feeling uncomfortable working here at the research center with the new chief officer.”

“Okay then. As long as he is willing to take the relocation proposition, I’m good with it.”

Gun-Ho asked for Director Kim and Director Yoon,

“Is the GH Mobile’s former research chief officer still here?”

“Yes, he is.”

“He is in an advisory position with a one-year contract with GH Mobile, and he will stay with us until the end of this year. I’m thinking of having him move to this location. He will be very helpful here. We can give him an office, and he can read books there and give some guides to the workers in the production field whenever necessary.”

Director Kim chipped in.

“I absolutely agree with you, sir. I was thinking that we need someone who has an extensive work experience in the field just like him.”

“Do you think Mr. Adam Castler wouldn’t like the idea?”

“We have a regular meeting for the joint venture tomorrow. I will make a former request during the meeting, and you, sir, show your agreement and support for my request, then I don’t think Mr. Castler will refuse it.”

“Hmm. Okay.”

It was the very first meeting of Dyeon Korea since the joint venture company was established. It was a long and boring meeting because anything that anyone said during the meeting had to be interpreted by an interpreter.

The general affairs manager led the meeting.

“This is our first meeting since Dyeon Korea was formed. We have President Gun-Ho Goo, Vice President Adam Castler, Director Dong-Chan Kim, Production Manager Hee-Yeol, Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong, Accounting Assistant Manager Myeong-Sook Jo, Assistant Manager Yong-Duk An from the maintenance team, Assistant Manager Seon-Hong Park from the general affairs team, Staff Seon-Hye Yee, and the three engineers from Dyeon America along with Manager Joo-Young Yee who is interpreting for us today. We have one more worker from the company restaurant but she couldn’t join us today for personal reasons. We currently have fifteen employees in Dyeon Korea.”

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Chapter 315 - Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 315: Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (2) – Part 2

After the general affairs manager listed all the employees who attended the meeting, Interpreter Yee was preparing to interpret what he just heard. At that moment, Gun-Ho told him,

“Please make it short.”

“Okay, sir.”

The interpreter listed everyone at the meeting with their positions only and he didn’t list their names, to make it short.

Gun-Ho then said,

“Thank you for joining us today. We could successfully establish our joint venture because of your hard work. Now, we began producing our sample products, and this is the time when we focus all of our time and energy on sale. In order to efficiently support the sale, we first have to produce quality products.”

Gun-Ho gave time to the interpreter to interpret what he just said before continuing his speech. He made his statement short enough so the interpreter could easily interpret it. Once he finished a fragment of his speech, he turned his head and looked at the interpreter and let him interpret before he continued to talk.

“Also, in order to produce quality products, the production team needs support from the maintenance team. To make all of these work smoothly, the support from the accounting and general affairs team is essential.”

It was Mr. Adam Castler’s turn.

“The American company and the Korean company are in the same boat now. Both companies invested 500,000 dollars in cash into this joint venture company, not to mention any investment in kind. We started with 1 million dollars to operate the company, and we have already spent a lot on the wages, equipment, etc, and we will be continuously spending the money as we operate the company. Since we now started producing products, we will have to focus on selling them.”

Director Kim also made his speech.

“I made a tour of our potential buyer companies yesterday with our sample products. At first, they all seemed to be satisfied with our products since they look the same as Lymondell Dyeon’s products. We will have to re-calculate our product cost though. I had a rough product cost because I didn’t have enough time to make it precise. After this meeting, we will make an official product cost statement.”

Mr. Adam Castler raised his hand.

“I have the cost accounting of Lymondell Dyeon with me. I will give it to you so you could use it as a reference.”

The new female worker—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee from the general affairs team walked out of the meeting room and came back with green tea. She distributed to each attendee of the meeting.

Gun-Ho started speaking again,

“Our target market is not just Korea. Our products are not made for the purpose of the national sale only, but we are mainly targeting the China and Southeast Asia market. That’s why Lymondell Dyeon sent us Mr. Adam Castler who has rich experience with the multinational market.”

Mr. Adam Castler was paying great attention to what Gun-Ho was saying at that time because he heard his name. After he heard the interpretation, he said,

“Once we stabilize the national market, I will make my tour to Southeast Asia for sales work.”

“Well, I guess it’s almost time to wrap up our meeting today. Anyone has anything to add?”

It was quiet until Director Kim raised his hand.

“The most important thing at this phase is producing quality products. So, I’d like to make a request to take one more person from GH Mobile. He came here yesterday to help with producing the sample products. He used to work for GH Mobile as a research chief officer, and he is now working in an advisory position. I’m requesting to have him with us for a limited period of time.”

Gun-Ho added as he had discussed with Director Kim before the meeting started,

“His contract with GH Mobile expires at the end of this year, so we don’t have to worry about keeping him as an employee. He received his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany, and he has been working at a research center for a long time. Mr. Adam Castler, what do you think? I think it is a great idea to have him here with us.”

“Did you say that he obtained his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany?”

“That’s correct.”

“Okay! I agree with you.”

The first meeting of the joint venture ended.

After the meeting, Gun-Ho was reading an economic newspaper that Ms. Seon-Hye Yee brought to him, in his office, when he received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“I heard Dyeon Korea already started producing its sample products.”

“That’s right.”

“I just talked with Jong-Suk on the phone, and he said the sample products looked exactly the same as the products from Dyeon America.”

“Well, they certainly appear to be, but we are not sure yet. Our clients will have to use them before we know for sure.”

“Maybe we can store some of them in China.”

“Let’s give it some time. I want to see first if our clients in Korea are satisfied with the products after their use. We currently have only two machines. We will have to get more.”

“Oh, you know what? I went to see Seukang Li yesterday. He asked me to see him.”

“For what?”

“He gave me a pamphlet. He said you would know if you see it.”

“What kind of pamphlet is it?”

“It’s about an art exhibition for Chinese young painters, Chinese avant-garde art, and for the world-renowned artist—Mr. Chao Chin’s relics, etc. There was a lot.”

“Okay. Send it to me.”

“And I received a call from Suk-Ho Lee. He said he would stop by my office tomorrow.”

“Suk-Ho Lee? The one who is running a bar in Gyeongridan Street?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“I don’t know. I don’t really want to see him though. He was not a nice person to me when we were in high school.”

“I think you should meet him since he wants to come to see you there. You can buy him a lunch or something. I’m wondering why he wants to go all the way to China to see you.”

“We will find out once he gets here.”

Gun-Ho talked to President Jang-Hwan Song about sending the former research chief officer to Dyeon Korea.

“The vice president—Mr. Adam Castler agreed to have him in Dyeon Korea. Why don’t you inform him? So he can go to work at Dyeon Korea starting tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“We probably won’t be able to extend his contract for the advisory position, but I want him to work in a comfortable environment while he is working with us. Please assign him an office.”

“Thank you.”

“Have you heard anything from the S Group’s factory in Changwon City? We sent our products there the other day.”

“I haven’t heard anything from them yet, but they ordered more products. I guess they are satisfied with our products.”

“Really?”

“I went into S Group’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system this morning and verified their additional order. They want 10,000 more by December.”

“Really? Haha.”

“And Director Kim is here now.”

“Director Kim?”

“Yes, he brought Dyeon Korea’s sample products to us as part of his sales effort for Dyeon Korea. I’m giving it a passing grade for their appearance. Director Kim asked me to mention Dyeon Korea’s products to our client companies when I visit them. In return, he will do the same.”

“That sounds great. We can help each other.”

“Out of five orders from S Group, we are already sending products for three of them, and we are still working on developing products for the other two orders. Once they are ready, I will see if we can use Dyeon Korea’s material to produce the products.”

“Sounds good.”

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Chapter 316 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (1) – Part 1

Chapter 316: Seukang Li’s Suggestion (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho received a lot of mail that day, not just the mails to GH Mobile, including spam, but also the mails addressed to Dyeon Korea.

Gun-Ho went through the mails before throwing out everything except the mail from China sent by Min-Hyeok Kim, and the world-history cartoon books from GH Media for the fifth and sixth books.

“There are several pages of the pamphlet in the mail from Min-Hyeok. An art exhibition for Chinese young painters? I don’t know much about paintings, but these look like the watercolor paintings painted by elementary schoolers.”

Gun-Ho then moved to the next pamphlet.

“Oh, this is about the art exhibition for the world-renowned artist—Mr. Chao Chin’s relics. So, I guess this painter passed away already. Well, his paintings are strange, and they are too Chinese. What’s the next one? Chinese avant-garde art? This art exhibition is still going on in Shanghai.”

Since Gun-Ho didn’t know much about art, he wanted to hear some professional opinions about it. Gun-Ho made a call to President Jeong-Sook Shin in GH Media, who used to work as a curator in an art museum before.

“President Shin?”

“Yes, sir, this is Jeong-Sook Shin.”

“I’ve just received the cartoon books you sent to me. How are things going there?”

“We have published up to the sixth book of these cartoon series, and they are selling very well.”

“Director Seukang Li sent me several pamphlets through Min-Hyeok Kim from Shanghai. These are art exhibition pamphlets. I will send these to you by mail. I think you should look at them.”

“Can you tell me what sort of art exhibitions are they?”

“These are about art exhibitions for Chinese young painters and for the world-renowned artist—Mr. Chao Chin’s relics, etc.”

“I see.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin didn’t sound very excited.

“Oh, there is one more. It’s the Chinese avant-garde art exhibition.”

“Oh, really? You have their pamphlet too? Please mail them to me. I’ve read about that avant-garde art exhibition on the Internet.”

“These paintings look strange to me, but I guess you like them.”

“Chinese young artists’ avant-garde arts are highly recognized in other countries. For example, there is a painter named Zhang Xiaogang. His painting, ‘forever love’ was sold at 11 billion won.”

“Is that true?”

“I really wanted to see the avant-garde art pamphlet. Lucky me.”

After getting off the phone with President Jeong-Sook Shin, Gun-Ho fell into thought.

‘One painting could be sold for 11 billion won… One can make huge enough money by selling one nice painting, which could change his life.’

Gun-Ho hadn’t been very interested in art before he learned that there were paintings that could be sold for billions or tens of billions of won. Until then, Mr. Ding Feng’s paintings were all the art he knew.

‘If I can hold an art exhibition with the paintings that could be sold for 11 billion won, then how much commission can I have? I’m supposed to be enjoying art as they give me inspiration or some sort of emotional comfort or whatever. But I can’t. All I can think of when I look at them is the business and the money that could be brought by selling a piece of art. I guess I can never be an artist. Min-Hyeok’s mother was so excited when he bought her a condo that cost 200 million won. It was her first large home in her entire life, and she even danced in joy. With 11 billion won, she can buy 55 of them.’

Gun-Ho wanted to make sure that President Jeong-Sook Shin gave him accurate information. Maybe she was exaggerating a bit. Gun-Ho searched the artist’s name, Zhang Xiaogang on the Internet. What President Shin told him was true.

Gun-Ho asked Ms. Seon-Hye Yee to mail the pamphlets to GH Media to President Shin, and he made a call to Director Kang,

“Was there anyone who showed interest in our basement space?”

“No, sir. I guess because the space is so large, it will take some time to rent it out.”

“Do you remember how much rent the previous sauna business used to pay when they occupied the space?”

“They paid 10 million won per month with the security deposit of 100 million won. We currently put it on the market with a monthly rent of 5 million won and 50 million won for the security deposit. But no one hasn’t come to take a look at it yet. Since the space had been used for a sauna business, if someone wants to run a restaurant there, they would have to redo the entire interior and that would cost a lot. So the potential tenants seem to be hesitant, I guess.”

“Can you get a price quote for redoing the interior of that space for an art gallery business?”

“An art gallery, sir?”

“Right, a gallery where we can host an art exhibition.”

“I’m not sure if the space is right for an art gallery. Well, I don’t know much about that field. I will get a price quote and will let you know, sir.”

Gun-Ho took a flight to Shanghai. He wanted to visit the avant-garde art exhibition that Seukang Li’s pamphlet introduced even though he found the name was strange. These days, Gun-Ho always took either the first class or at least business class when he traveled abroad. He went straight to Shanghai without stopping by at his auto parts company in Suzhou City.

The Chinese avant-garde art exhibition was held at a contemporary art gallery located on Nanjing Road. Gun-Ho noticed that there were more people there than Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition, also many of the visitors were young people.

“These paintings are creepy.”

The paintings were really weird. One of the paintings depicted a human face, but the face line was twisted, and the person’s eyes, mouth, and fingers were all out of place. The mouth was on one eye’s place, and the mouth’s place was occupied by a finger, and Gun-Ho couldn’t figure out why. However, the overall vibe coming out of the painting was somewhat artistic.

“I don’t know what the author’s intention is, but I think there should be something that the painter tried to express.”

Gun-Ho looked at the label placed under the painting. The author’s name and the title of the painting were written.

“Desire of May?”

In the painting, there was the burning sun with a weird human face. The person’s eyes were strange, but Gun-Ho could see a desire in them.

“If we display these paintings in a gallery in the basement of GH Building, would it be successful? These are so artistic that maybe a big exhibition hall such as Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Cultural Center, or the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art should handle. Should I still try it?”

Gun-Ho made a call to Seukang Li.

“Hey, it’s me, Gun-Ho Goo. I am at the Chinese avant-garde art exhibition right now.”

“Oh, really? I sent you the pamphlet a few days ago, and you are already here.”

“Let’s meet. I want to see you, friend.”

“I have an important meeting that I have to attend right now. Let’s meet after the meeting. I haven’t even had lunch yet. We can meet at McDonald’s which is located across the street from the exhibition hall. Let’s have a hamburger.”

“Hamburger? Sounds good. I wanted to have some food other than Chinese oily food today.”

Gun-Ho was sitting at a table in McDonald’s near the exhibition hall when Seukang Li ran into the fast-food restaurant. He was wearing a jacket.

“Hey, Seukang Li! Over here! I’m here.”

“Oh, Gun-Ho Goo!”

“You seemed to be very busy today. I hope I’m not interrupting any of your work schedules.”

“No, no. Don’t worry about it. Today is a bit busier than other days, but I’m handling it fine. My current position requires a lot of work, as a matter of fact, because I have to handle the media and the press.”

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Chapter 317 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (1) – Part 2

Chapter 317: Seukang Li’s Suggestion (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Seukang Li were conversing at the McDonald’s near the art exhibition hall.

“The Chinese avant-garde art exhibition was actually very interesting. The young Chinese painters are amazing. I don’t know much about art, but I can still tell how talented they are.”

“I totally agree with you. Many Chinese artists are highly talented. I sent you those art pamphlets because I think it’s a good idea to have those art exhibitions in Korea too.”

“Oh, before we continue to talk, let’s order some food first. What do you want?”

“Umm, I will have the chicken burger combo meal!”

“Okay. I will have the same.”

Gun-Ho then placed the order for two combo meals with chicken burgers.

They continued to talk while having their chicken burgers.

“So, you are saying, if I want to host an art exhibition in Korea, you will connect me with the art galleries here, right?”

“Of course. I can certainly do that.”

“I’m not sure if you know this. I actually started a joint venture company in Korea with the American chemical company called Lymondell Dyeon.”

“I am aware of that. Jien Wang told me the other day.”

“So, I am extremely busy with that joint venture right now. It’s hard for me to focus on the art business. However, I am interested in it, and I want to start collecting the necessary information.”

“I see. It’s a smart move to collect information before you actually execute your plan. By the way, you are an amazing businessman.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Jien Wang told me that he stopped by your factory in Cheonan City when he visited Korea last time for the symposium hosted by Seoul National University. He showed me a few pictures he took of the factory. It looked amazing, and I was told that you are the major shareholder with 100% of the company’s shares.”

“Right. I don’t actually spend much time there any longer though. I have another person handling the daily operation of that factory. I stay at the joint venture company in Asan City for most of the time these days.”

“How many shares are you holding for that joint venture?”

“Dyeon America owns 50%, and I own the other 50%.”

“What about the investment funds?”

“The authorized capital is 20 million dollars and the paid-in-capital is 10 million dollars.”

“Wow! 20 million and 10 million dollars? Wow. It’s incredible. 10 million dollars is a huge amount of funds in China.”

“If we go back to the art exhibition matter, GH Media’s female president actually started showing her interest in the art exhibition and that made me look into the matter.”

“Is that the female president who came to the book exhibition?”

“That’s right. That’s her.”

“She sure seemed to have very elegant taste.”

“Haha. You think so?”

“Also, Gun-Ho, I want you to think of expanding your business into a new field.”

Seukang Li dragged his chair toward Gun-Ho to sit closer to him, and said,

“It’s about the production of soap operas.”

“Soap opera production? I almost have zero knowledge on that subject.”

“I’m talking about Chinese soap operas, not Korean ones.”

“Chinese soap operas?”

“Jien Wang and I, we have been trying to acquire a production company of soap operas, but we are short on funds. Why don’t you join us in investing in this field? Maybe you can take half of the shares. I believe this business has a bright future.”

“Are you sure? The Chinese soap operas could bring good revenue?”

“You shouldn’t take it lightly. One of the Chinese production companies called Huace Media (Huace Yingshi: the company which imported the popular Korean soap opera, Descendants of the Sun) is valued for more than 20 billion Yuan (approximately 3.6 trillion won).”

“What? 20 billion Yuan!?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t close his mouth at the shocking number.

“Wow. That amount makes me feel like the money I’ve been making so far is so small that I could only buy chewing gum or something.”

“That’s not all. Once our new production company becomes stable, we can even register it with KOSDAQ. I believe Korea is open to it.”

“That… is true.”

Gun-Ho was dumbfounded with astonishment.

“I initially thought your GH Media handles all sorts of media contents, and then when I learned that it was a book publication company, I was a bit disappointed. Then I had an opportunity to meet with GH Media’s female president at the book exhibition. She was a very elegant and intelligent lady, and she also had broad knowledge in art, especially paintings. So I started paying attention to GH Media.”

“Hmm.”

“Of course, Jien Wang and myself can’t directly involve in running a company because of our current position as a college professor and a government official. We just want to invest in a soap opera production company. If there is a soap opera production company that is suffering financially despite their competence in the field, we want to help them and share the profits.”

“I understood your intention. Before I make my decision, I want to see how Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition, that GH Media will host, goes in Korea. Also, I need to have Dyeon Korea stabilized.”

“That sounds great. I do admire your prudence and carefulness in business and the fact that once you make your decision, you move forward without any hesitation in the process. It’s not just me who recognized these invaluable characteristics of yours, but Jien Wang had also talked to me about it too.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Seukang Li.”

“Well, I think I have to take off. I have another meeting that I need to attend. Why don’t we have a drink in the evening?”

“I will have a rain check for the drink. I’d better head out Suzhou City to visit my factory there.”

“Oh, that company where Min-Hyeok Kim is working at? Of course, you should go there. I will see you later then. Thank you for the burger.”

“Okay. Talk to you later.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Hey, I am in Shanghai right now. I am on my way to the express bus terminal. Can you meet me this evening?”

“You are in Shanghai?! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I would have picked you up at the airport.”

“No, that was not necessary. I know you are busy, and you don’t have to waste gas by driving all the way to the airport in Shanghai just to pick me up. It’s a quick and easy ride with the express bus to Suzhou City.”

“I will then wait for you at the express bus terminal in Suzhou City.”

“Sounds good. Can you get me a hotel room?”

Gun-Ho arrived in Suzhou City. The sun was down. The sky became reddish. It was a pleasant trip with the bus except for one thing. A Chinese lady was sitting next to Gun-Ho on the bus, and Gun-Ho had to suffer from the weird smell that she was constantly exuding, all the way from Shanghai to Suzhou City.

“President Goo!”

“Hey, Min-Hyeok Kim!”

“Was it comfortable riding a bus?”

“It was okay except the lady next to me. It was really hard to sit there with all those strange smells coming from her.”

“It happens here sometimes. I told you that I would pick you up with my car.”

“Did you reserve a hotel room for me?”

“Yeah. It’s the Pacific Hotel. It’s located in downtown, a convenient location. You can easily find some tourist spots from there too. They have a pool too.”

“Let’s have dinner at the hotel and have something other than Chinese food. I don’t feel like having Chinese food today. It’s strange.”

“Maybe because of the lady sitting next to you on the bus. Haha, let’s have some steak with a glass of wine at the hotel.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the hotel and did the check-in and received the room key. After he changed his clothes, he walked down to the lobby.

They had their dinner at a restaurant in the hotel. Gun-Ho ordered a steak with a glass of French wine.

“I hope I’m not taking your precious time with your wife.”

“No, don’t worry about it. My wife comes home late too.”

“I thought teachers get off work early.”

“Oh, she has another job after school. She teaches at an academic institution.”

“Really? I think you will save a lot of money soon.”

“Well, I doubt that because as you know, in China, we don’t get a high salary. But I feel good because I have my own home. My wife is so proud of me too. We are living in a luxurious condo, I drive an Audi, and I run a company as a president.”

“That’s right. Oh, by the way, did you meet Suk-Ho Lee from Gyeonridan Street?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Why did he want to see you?”

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Chapter 318 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (2) – Part 1

Chapter 318: Seukang Li’s Suggestion (2) – Part 1

Min-Hyeok was telling the story to Gun-Ho about Suk-Ho’s visit to Suzhou City.

“Suk-Ho closed his bar business at Gyeongridan Street.”

“What is he doing for a living now?”

“He said he wants to open a business in China.”

“A business in China? What kind of business is he talking about?”

“He said he purchased three commercial stores in Shenyang City. Those stores were not expensive at all, and he could cover the costs of the three stores with the sales proceeds he earned when he sold his bar. He seemed to be so excited.”

“So, he purchased commercial stores, not residential property… Maybe he wants to make money by leasing them out?”

“Well, he said he wants to open a restaurant or a clothing store there.”

“A clothing store? Is he going to sell Korean clothes?”

“His wife used to run a clothing store in Itaewon Town before. I heard that the market around Itaewon Town is not doing well these days after the U.S. military base moved from Yongsan City to Pyeongtaek City.”

“What is he doing in Suzhou City then? His business is in Shenyang City.”

“He was trying to gather some information about business registration and tax stuff. Also, he wants to travel to other areas of China.”

“So he is running his business as a sole proprietor. The business registration and taxes for a sole proprietorship are handled differently from the ones of a company. An individual business owner must be very careful in doing business in China. China is not an easy place to run a business. I once had my restaurant in China several years ago, but I didn’t really make any money from that business. I made my money by buying and selling real properties. By the way, can he speak Chinese?”

“Not at all. He uses an interpretation service by a Korean Chinese in Shenyang City.”

“Hmm. He really has to take every precaution here.”

“He asked me to come and visit him at Shenyang City.”

“What’s your schedule tomorrow? Can you go somewhere with me?”

“Sure. I have nothing special scheduled for tomorrow.”

“Then, let’s go to Dandong City that you mentioned before. We can take a train from Shenyang to Dandong. We can meet Suk-Ho and see how he is doing before going to Dandong City. And we can meet the deputy director of Dandong Economic Development Zone.”

“That sounds good. I will reserve two flight tickets heading to Shenyang for tomorrow’s trip. Tomorrow, let’s make a quick stop to the company to hear the current status of the company’s profits and losses in the morning, and then we can leave in the afternoon. I will make a call to Suk-Ho and the deputy director of the Dandong Economic Development Zone today, and let them know that we are coming.”

The next morning, Gun-Ho went to GH Parts Company which Min-Hyeok was running.

GH Mobile’s former plant manager was there. He started working with Min-Hyeok after he retired from GH Mobile.

“How are you, sir? How’s your life here?”

“I’m doing great. President Min-Hyeok Kim has been very nice and understanding to me.”

The former GH Mobile’s plant manager looked healthy and seemed to be doing well. Gun-Ho felt relieved.

“After the plant manager joined us, our machines are 100% in a working condition all the time.”

The factory was working vigorously. Min-Hyeok started My Machine program after he learned it from GH Mobile, and the factory became extremely clean ever since. Moreover, the workers’ attitude at work had been substantially improved as well. Min-Hyeok introduced the managers and team leaders to Gun-Ho.

“This is the owner of this company. He came from Korea.”

“Ni Hao!”

“Ni Hao!”

The workers said hello to Gun-Ho simultaneously.

Min-Hyeok gave a report to Gun-Ho on GH Parts Company’s profits and losses. Min-Hyeok had the employee, who was in charge of the accounting, stay in the office while giving the financial report to Gun-Ho, and he verified some numbers with that employee to make sure the numbers he was giving to Gun-Ho were accurate. By listening to the conversation between Min-Hyeok and the accounting staff, Gun-Ho noticed that Min-Hyeok’s Chinese had improved significantly.

“Hey, you speak Chinese fluently now.”

“Nah, I need to practice more, or maybe because I live with a Chinese woman now.”

Min-Hyeok grinned.

“I’m serious. Your Chinese sound great.”

“As you can see on the chart, our annual sales revenue was about 300 million won until last month. It increased to 350 million won. That’s when we started selling GH Mobile’s new product—AM083 Assembly. I made a new contract with a new buyer company recently, so our annual sales revenue will be about 400 million won starting next month.”

“I think you need to hire more workers.”

“We are maintaining the same number of workers; we have 42. Instead of hiring more workers, I told them that I will raise their salaries. They like it better. People say our company requires hard work, but it pays very well in the industry.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho took out his bankbook and stamp, and said,

“I didn’t have a chance to exchange currency. Can you withdraw 10,000 Yuan from my bank account for me?”

Gun-Ho handed to Min-Hyeok his bankbook with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and his personal stamp. Gun-Ho had about 7 million Yuan (about 1.2 billion Korean won) in his bank account in China. That was the payment from Jinxi Construction Company when they terminated the joint venture.

Min-Hyeok asked for the staff from the accounting team. Min-Hyeok filled out the bank’s withdrawal slip and stamped on two papers and then gave them to the staff and said,

“Please withdraw 10,000 Yuan from this account with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.”

“Hao La (Okay).”

When the accounting staff left the office, Gun-Ho said with a smile,

“So, here, you stamp twice on the bank withdrawal slip, huh?”

“Oh, one of the papers is a power of attorney. If the owner of the bank account sends someone else to the bank on behalf of him, they require a power of attorney.”

Once the staff brought 10,000 Yuan, Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok headed out to the airport. They were headed to Shenyang City.

Shenyang City’s old name was Fengtian. It was the capital city and the center of politics, economics, and culture of China’s northeast Liaoning province. Nurhaci claimed Shenyang as the new capital city during the Qing dynasty. Hong Taiji’s grave and the palace were located in Shengyang as well.

When Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok arrived at the airport in Shenyang City, Suk-Ho Lee was waiting for them at the airport.

“Hey, Suk-Ho Lee!”

“Gun-Ho Goo! Min-Hyeok Kim! It’s really good to see you guys. Thank you for coming to see me.”

Suk-Ho looked tired.

“I didn’t rent a car since you stay here only for one night. We can just take a taxi.”

“We don’t have to go straight to the hotel now since we don’t even have any luggage with us. Let us see your new business first. We’d better leave now, so we can get there before sundown.”

“Sure. Let’s walk to the taxi station.”

“Where did you say you are staying?”

“The area is called Xita. A lot of Korean Chinese live there. We don’t even need to speak Chinese.”

There were really a lot of native ethnic Korean people in Xita. They had their own school, and Gun-Ho could easily hear the Korean language on the street. The children, who seemed to be on their way going home after school, spoke Korean, but their accents were strange. It was more like a North Korean accent.

“Haha. This place is really interesting.”

It was certainly an unusual place for Gun-Ho. He looked around the street. The street was filled with a lot of people, and it was crowded. The buildings there were old and shabby, and they were giving off a gloomy feeling.

Suk-Ho’s store was located in a building that was located a bit off the Xita area. He bought three stores in that area. Two of them were closed with a shutter door, and one was open with some clothes hanging inside. It seemed that the area didn’t have high foot traffic at all. Gun-Ho was wondering if Suk-Ho would make any money with his business at this location.

“Are you getting enough foot traffic in this area?”

“The area will soon be developed dramatically. They have a big plan for it already. It was just like this when I started my bar at Gyeonridan Street. This area will soon be vitalized.”

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Chapter 319 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (2) – Part 2

Chapter 319: Seukang Li’s Suggestion (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked more about Suk-Ho’s stores and the area,

“The area at Gyeonridan Street was located close to Itaewon Town where the business was already developed, but here…”

Gun-Ho then stopped right there. He didn’t want to say anything negative at this point. Maybe what Suk-Ho needed now was encouragement and hope.

“Well, since you bought three stores, once this area is developed, you will be able to sell them for a much higher price than your purchasing price.”

“Yeah, maybe I will sell them once the price goes up, but for now, I’m thinking of operating the stores myself.”

“So you have some clothes in the store already. Did you bring them from Korea?”

“Right. I bought them from Dongdaemum Market. They are selling well.”

“Did you already register for the business?”

“Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to receive the residence visa.”

“What about the stores themselves? Did you register your ownership of them?”

“Not the ownership, but I do have the contract for the lease.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho became a bit worried for Suk-Ho. The big problem was that Suk-Ho couldn’t understand the Chinese language at all. He was heavily relying on the interpreter who was Korean Chinese. Since he was living in Xita where he could freely communicate in Korean, he wouldn’t need to learn the Chinese language. He wouldn’t really feel uncomfortable without knowing the Chinese language.

“Well, it’s good to see you here and your stores. Just like your bar at Gyeonridan Street, I hope your stores here do very well. Since I came here to see a friend, I will buy you a drink.”

“Shall we go to Xita where we can find the Korean town?”

“I… don’t usually go to Korean town.”

“I have a friend who is running a Karaoke there. I want to help his business. Let’s go to his Karaoke, please?”

“Haha. Sure, why not? Let’s go to Xita.”

The Karaoke that Suk-Ho brought Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok to was located in the basement level. Its building was old, and it had many rooms. Gun-Ho saw several half-naked women in the hall, who seemed to work there. The Karaoke was selling liquor and maybe it was providing some other services by those women.

Once they sat in a room, Suk-Ho called for a female worker in a loud voice and said,

“Ask the owner to come to this room. I’ve brought a very important client here. Ask him to come quickly.”

A moment later, Suk-Ho’s friend came into the room. He was wearing a red shirt.

“Hey, you are here.”

“Hey, I came with my friends. This is the person who is running a big factory in Cheonan City and who also owns a huge building in Gangnam District.”

“Hello. Thank you for coming.”

“How’s your business?”

“It’s so so. The market is not very good these days.”

Suk-Ho placed his order grandly,

“Hey, Mr. Owner! Bring us a bottle of western liquor and three girls who are the most beautiful in this store.”

“Okay. What kind of western liquor is on your mind?”

Suk-Ho looked at Gun-Ho’s face.

“What would you like to drink, President Goo?”

“You choose one, anything you like, Suk-Ho.”

“How do you like Chivas Regal?”

“Sure. That’s good.”

“Hey, bring us a Chivas Regal and girls.”

“No problem!”

A moment later, a staff brought Chivas Regal along with small dishes such as fruits and dried food. Three girls came into the room as well. They were half-naked.

“Come on girls. Have a seat here with us!”

The three girls sat next to Gun-Ho, Min-Hyeok, and Suk-Ho. Gun-Ho couldn’t say the girls were pretty. They were short and not good-looking at all, and their faces were covered with a thick layer of makeup. Their perfume was strong. They were Korean Chinese. Gun-Ho wanted to finish this “gathering” as soon as he could.

After taking a few glasses of liquor, Suk-Ho started slow dancing with one of the girls while embracing the girl. He must be very drunk already.

“You girls, have you heard of Itaewon Town in Seoul City? I made huge money there.”

“Is that true, oppa?”

“Of course! Ask these gentlemen sitting right there. I’m telling the truth!”

Gun-Ho looked at Min-Hyeok’s face, who was sitting next to him. Min-Hyeok was talking in a low voice with the girl next to him. The girl was holding his arm.

“Oppa, you don’t like me? Why don’t you show me some interest? Look at me, and talk to me, oppa.”

The girl next to Gun-Ho sat close to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho just kept drinking his glass of liquor without saying a word.

When they almost finished the bottle of liquor, Gun-Ho thought it was the time he had to say he wanted to leave before Suk-Ho could even suggest having one more bottle of liquor. He didn’t want to stay even one more second there.

“Hey, I guess it’s time to go. I feel so tired today since I came all the way from Suzhou to Shenyang. Let’s call it a night.”

“You are leaving already? I just started, man.”

“We can have more later.”

Gun-Ho turned on the light of the room. Once the room became bright, Gun-Ho could see the girls more clearly. They were really really not pretty at all. Gun-Ho couldn’t understand why these girls chose to work in this field. They could work in a factory which was a healthier job than this. Gun-Ho took out his wallet from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Thank you for today. Please take this.”

Gun-Ho placed two 200 Yuan on the table for the girls.

“Oppa, you are awesome.”

The girls gave a kiss on Gun-Ho’s cheek before leaving the room. Gun-Ho could hear the girls laughing outside the door.

Suk-Ho pouted.

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo! I just started having fun. I liked the girl who was sitting next to me.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m so exhausted today, and I have to get up early tomorrow morning to go to Dandong City to Economic Development Zone. Where do we stay tonight?”

“It’s at the Crown Plaza Hotel on Taishan Road. It’s close to Beiling (where Hong Taiji’s tomb is located) Park. You can take a tour there before you leave tomorrow.”

“I don’t know if we will have time for a tour tomorrow.”

Three men walked out of the Karaoke building. Many people were still on the street, and they seemed to be having fun.

“Well, Suk-Ho, I guess I will see you when I see you. We are heading to the hotel now. You don’t have to come to the hotel tomorrow. We will go to the airport on our own.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I wish you success in your new business. Thank you for today.”

The following day, Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok arrived at Dandong Economic Development Zone. It was after 1 pm. The deputy director person greeted them with excitement.

“It’s really nice to meet you. We do welcome Korean businessmen fervently.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the deputy director.

“This development zone is located on the riverside of Amrok River facing Sinuiju City in North Korea. That’s why we also call this area Dandong Border Economic Cooperation Zone.”

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Chapter 320 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (3) – Part 1

Chapter 320: Seukang Li’s Suggestion (3) – Part 1

The deputy director of Dandong Border Economic Corporation Zone asked a question to Gun-Ho after looking at Gun-Ho’s business card,

“I see you are running an auto parts company in Korea. What is the annual sales revenue of your company?”

“GH Mobile’s yearly sales revenue is about 70 to 80 million U.S. dollars. We have another factory in Suzhou City called GH Parts Company, and it is currently generating 4 million dollars per year.”

After verifying the size of the company that Gun-Ho owned, the deputy director immediately called for a manager. The manager was a Korean Chinese lady who looked like in her 40s.

“We will give a tour of the economic corporation zone to these gentlemen. Please prepare a vehicle for us.”

“Yes, sir.”

A moment later, a van that looked like Starex was standing in front of the entrance door.

Gun-Ho, Min-Hyeok, the deputy director, and the manager got in the car. Once they all sat in the car, the deputy director’s sales pitch started.

“Dandong Border Economic Corporation Zone is a national-level development zone. In other words, it is a national industrial complex. Its total size is 117 square kilometers, and 30 ㎢is currently being developed.”

Gun-Ho asked Min-Hyeok in a low voice,

“How large is 30 ㎢?”

“I’m not sure, maybe about the size of Gwacheon City.”

Several factories were scattered sparsely in the development zone along the Amrok River.

“If GH Mobile decides to open your business here, we will provide you with tax benefits for more than three years. Everything is affordable here compared to Korea, including labor costs, material costs, and land prices.”

“Hmm.”

“Port of Dandong is a trading port which is located on the northwest shore of the Amrok River and bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is situated in a very convenient location for transportation and international export business.”

“Hmm. Its location is excellent for a business for sure.”

This time, the Korean Chinese manager spoke Korean in adding more explanation, with a smile.

“Do you see an island over there? It’s Wihwa Island.”

“Wihwa Island?”

Gun-Ho asked the driver to stop the car. He wanted to take a closer look at Wihwa Island.

From the bank of Amrok River, Gun-Ho looked at Wihwa Island. It was a river island, and there seemed to be no one living there. It was green with plants and trees.

“Oh… This is the Wihwa Island where the first king of our Joseon dynasty—Yi, Seong-Gye— made his decision to ‘turning back the army from Wihwa island.’”

“Damn it. If he didn’t turn back the army but crossed the river instead, this Dandong Border Economic Corporation Zone would have been part of Korea. That’s a shame.”

“Haha. Min-Hyeok, we can’t play ‘what if’ with historical events.”

The Korean Chinese manager asked,

“Have you thought of what kind of business you want to open in this area?”

“No, we haven’t decided anything yet. We wanted to visit this economic development zone before making any decision.”

“Have you thought of doing business with North Korea, by any chance?”

“We haven’t thought of it…”

“You have to be extra careful in doing business with North Korea. If you are interested in it, I can introduce some people who are currently doing business with North Korea.”

Gun-Ho’s eyes widened and he looked at Min-Hyeok’s face.

“I recommend you to hear the experiences from the current businessmen who have done business with North Korea before you start your own.”

“Min-Hyeok, what do you think? Should we meet with them? I am so curious.”

“Will it be okay and safe? The idea of doing something with North Korea gives me the shivers already.”

“Let’s do it”

Gun-Ho looked at the Korean Chinese manager and said,

“We are going back to South Korea tomorrow. Is it possible to meet with them this evening?”

“Give me one second. Let me make some calls and see what I can do.”

The manager called someone.

Min-Hyeok looked worried, and he said,

“Are you sure we want to do this?”

“These people are government workers. They wouldn’t deceive us.”

The manager came back and said with a smile,

“I’ve contacted three people, and one of them is in Pyongyang right now. I can arrange a meeting with the other two people. Are you still interested in meeting them? If you are, I will make a reservation with a restaurant.”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay, then why don’t you have fun around the railroad bridge nearby Amrok River? You can take a cruise ship there. We will meet you at Goolyeon Restaurant in Dandong City at 6 pm. Just take a taxi and tell the driver that you want to go to Goolyeon Restaurant, they will take you there.”

“Okay.”

At the conclusion of the tour, Gun-Ho extended his hand to the deputy director for a handshake.

“Thank you for showing us around. We will think about opening a business here in Dandong development zone and will let you know once we decide.”

“You won’t regret once you start your business here. Many Korean companies that are currently doing their business here were hesitant at first, but now they are doing great and they are all happy.”

“Well, thank you for today.”

Gun-Ho gave three nail clipper sets that he purchased from Korea as a gift, to the deputy director.

While waiting for the dinner meeting, Gun-Ho visited a historical site. He looked at the broken Amrok River Bridge which was destroyed during the Korean War. There was a new bridge next to it, and Gun-Ho was told that the new bridge connected China and North Korea. There seemed not much traffic on the bridge that day.

“During the Korean War, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army crossed that bridge, huh?”

“That’s what I read from a book.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok took a cruise ship. When the ship approached close to Sinuiju City in North Korea, the North Korean people waved their hands. They looked a bit outdated including their clothes and hairstyles, but they looked innocent.

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok arrived at Goolyeon Restaurant that evening. The Korean Chinese manager was there already waiting for Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok. She was with two business traders. They were Korean Chinese as well, and they both looked like in their 50s. One of them was an overweight lady. The manager introduced them to Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok.

“This is the president of Samchully Company, and this lady is running a company called Azalea Trading Company. Well, I have to take off now. I have something I need to take care of at home. Have a good time.”

The manager left the restaurant after a brief introduction to the people who were doing business with North Korea.

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok gave their business cards to two other business persons and they gave theirs to Gun-Ho’s party as well.

The food came out, including a deep-fried carp which was huge, and Amrok River beer.

Min-Hyeok took the bottle of Amrok River beer and looked at the label closely.

“Wow. This beer is called Amrok River beer.”

The president of Samchully Company said while smiling,

“It’s your first time to see Yalujiang (Amrok River) beer?”

“Yes, I’ve never seen this before.”

The lady president of Azalea Trading Company opened the beer bottle.

“Hahaha. Try some. It’s good.”

The beer tasted good and it was cool.

“So, you want to do some trading business with North Korea?”

These people were Korean Chinese, but their Korean accents were more like North Korean’s, maybe because they often visited North Korea.

“We haven’t done it before, but if it could bring good money, I am interested.”

“You should take every precaution you could think of in doing so. The people of North Korea can be very deceitful, especially with South Koreans.”

“Really?”

“You should use an agent instead of dealing with them directly. If you want to do a joint venture or other business, you probably want to work with them through people like us as your agent. Once the North Korean co-venturer learn that their business partner is from South Korea, it would become really hard to make them pay their portion of the investment. They think it is okay to take some money from South Koreans since South Koreans are wealthy.”

“Hmm. Is that right?”

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Chapter 321 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (3) – Part 2

Chapter 321: Seukang Li’s Suggestion (3) – Part 2

Min-Hyeok Kim who was drinking his glass of beer asked,

“We are in the auto parts manufacturing industry. Is it one of the items we can trade with North Korea?”

“If it is an auto part of Chinese vehicles, then yes. But it’s for a part for Korean cars, then no. Currently, there is no Korean car in North Korea.”

“Hmmm… What sorts of business items will be good then?”

“Construction materials are good. The last stage materials, I think you call them interior materials in Korea, right? North Korea is short of these materials. Their demands are high. I made good money last year by selling the interior materials to North Korea. I have a condo in Pyongyang and two housemaids are working for me.”

“Hmmm, construction materials… What about construction heavy equipment?”

The Samchully Company’s president waved his hand showing his strong opposition to the idea while having his fish dish.

“North Korea is now suffering a severe gas shortage. So, they wouldn’t be able to use equipment anyway, even though they have one.”

“Hmm.”

“Retired tires are okay since oils can be derived from old tires.”

“What about minerals? Like coal, iron, etc?”

“Minerals are good. Farm produces or fish products are good too. One thing you need to note is that these products should be exported from Nampo Port in North Korea. If you move those products to Dandong before exporting them to South Korea, then those products would become produces of China, not produces of North Korea.”

“I see. So, we can get a certificate of origin with North Korea’s name as long as the products leave from Nampo Port before reaching South Korea.”

“That’s right. Once you bring them to Dandong, you can’t have your certificate of origin issued.”

Gun-Ho felt full after having a beer with several dishes.

“Thank you for today. I’ve learned a lot.”

“If you decide to work together, just let me know. I am highly knowledgeable about the trade with North Korea, and I know every path from Sinuiju City to Pyongyang. Also, I have a broad connection with a lot of important people in Pyongyang.”

“Thank you again for staying with us until late at night.”

Gun-Ho gave them the nail clipper sets he brought from Seoul, as a gift.

He was in a taxi heading to the hotel when he received a call from Seukang Li.

“I was wondering if you safely arrived in Korea.”

“Oh, I haven’t left for Korea yet. I’m in Dandong City right now.”

“Dandong?”

“Yes. The deputy director of Dandong Border Economic Corporation Zone invited me to visit their development zone. So, I am on the way to the hotel after visiting him.”

“Dandong Border Economic Corporation Zone is a national industrial complex.”

“They are saying that if I open a business there, they will give me lots of benefits like taxes.”

“Their prices for the land and labor are very reasonable; however, I’m not sure if it is the right location for an auto parts business. Auto manufacturers are all located on the east coast.”

“You’re right. That’s why I gathered some information about a trade business with North Korea.”

“A trade business?”

“That doesn’t sound so promising, does it?”

“Well, I am not a businessman, but a government worker, so I don’t know much about business. However, it reminded me of what the economics professor—Jien Wang said the other day.”

“What did he say?”

“He said, if you want to make money, you’d better start your business in an area where money and people are driven to.”

“The area where money and people are driven to… That sounds right.”

Gun-Ho then thought that the Dandong area was not that kind of area.

‘For now, I will have to do my business in the area where a lot of people and money are staying. I’m okay with setting my mind that I came all the way to Dandong City for a pleasure trip.’

The following day, Gun-Ho came back to Korea via Shenyang City from Dandong City, and Min-Hyeok took a direct flight from Dandong City to Shanghai.

When he arrived at Incheon International Airport, Gun-Ho made a call to President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media.

“President Shin, I just came back from China. I’m at the Incheon International Airport.”

“Oh, really?”

“I asked Director Kang to get a price quote for the interior renovation of the basement space in GH Building in Sinsa Town.”

“Oh, someone is moving in there? It’s already rented out?”

“No. I’m thinking of opening an art gallery there as you suggested the other day.”

“That’s great.”

“I’m planning to redo the entire interior. But since this is an art gallery, I believe the lighting is very important. I’d like to have your professional opinion on it.”

“Where do we meet? I can come right now.”

“If you are not busy, please come to GH Building in Sinsa Town. I think I can get there within two hours.”

“Okay. I’m on my way.”

Gun-Ho arrived at his office of GH Development in Sinsa Town.

“How are you? Is everything good here?”

“Yes, sir. Here is a price quote for the basement interior renovation. We usually get several price quotes from multiple remodeling companies, but for now, I got one from one company. So you can get a rough idea about how much it would cost to remodel that space.”

“President Shin from GH Media will be here soon. She used to work in an art gallery before. I think she can give us some professional opinion and advice.”

“Oh, really? She used to work at an art gallery. No wonder why she looked so sophisticated. By the way, sir, you look so tired today.”

“I actually came here straight from the airport after visiting Dandong and Shengyang City in China. I guess I drank too much Chinese liquor.”

The secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh brought a cup of hot green tea to Gun-Ho. After having the tea, Gun-Ho felt better.

While looking at the price quote that Director Kang brought to him, Gun-Ho commented,

“It’s quite pricey.”

“That’s right. Because the place was used for a sauna business, there are lots of demolition works to do, according to the contractors.”

While having a conversation with Director Kang, President Shin came into the office.

“Sir, you must feel very tired. You just came back from China. We could have met maybe tomorrow after you take your rest.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought another cup of green tea for President Shin and placed it on the table next to her.

“Is this lady Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Yeon-Soo responded since she was standing there,

“I’m GH Media’s President Shin. We spoke on the phone several times for the letters that I had to send to Amazon.com. You translated the letters into English for me. It’s really nice to finally meet you in person.”

“Nice to meet you, too, ma’am.”

“You are not just fluent in English, but you are so pretty.”

“Thank you.”

“You have a nice boss, right? President Goo is a decent person.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Yeon-Soo Oh smiled and left the office after giving her a deep bow.

I went to the Chinese avant-garde art exhibition in Shanghai.”

“Oh, you did? I really wanted to go there.”

“I also talked with Director Seukang Li.”

“What did the two of you talked about?”

“He suggested me to host an art exhibition in Korea, on the Chinese avant-garde art with the name of GH Media.”

“What? Avant-garde art exhibition here?”

President Shin’s eyes widened in surprise and looked at Gun-Ho.

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Chapter 322 - Meeting with Top Star – Part 1

Chapter 322: Meeting with Top Star – Part 1

Gun-Ho called for Director Kang to his office again, while President Jeong-Sook Shin was still in his office.

“I have something that I’d like to talk to you both.”

“Okay, sir.”

The two people prepared a pen and a paper to take notes as Gun-Ho continued to talk,

“Let’s start the renovation work in the basement. We will open an art gallery there. Even though we work with a general contractor for the overall basement renovation, you probably will need to work with other interior companies that specialize in specific fields, such as lighting. Some parts of the interior will require specific professional skills. To cover the cost of the renovation, we will use the reserve for depreciation of the building. We will replenish the reserve once the art gallery starts generating revenue.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Once the new interior is completed, GH Development will lease the space to GH Media, and GH Media will operate the art gallery.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We will make a formal lease contract for it. The security deposit will be 20 million won and the monthly rent will be 2 million won. The rent will be adjusted later as the gallery would gradually increase its revenue.”

“Yes, sir.”

“For the art gallery’s security deposit, I will lend it to GH Media as its owner.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho rubbed his eyes before he continued to talk. He looked tired.

“Director Kang.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please submit the application to the Seoul city hall for our rooftop renovation. We will make it green.”

“Yes, sir.”

“50% of the renovation cost will be subsidized by the city hall, and we will use the building reserve for depreciation to pay the remaining 50%. Leave the space, about 30 pyung as we will make a small space for a business.”

“Oh, we are building a small space there? Okay, will do, sir.”

“The water tank is currently on the ninth floor, right?”

“Yes. It’s not on the rooftop, but on the ninth floor.”

“If so, we will make the business space a bit larger. Make it 40 pyung instead of 30 pyung then.”

“Okay, sir.”

“Do we need to get a permit for the construction even though it would be a temporary small building on the rooftop?”

“Yes, we have to. Unless we are building a tent, we need to get a permit.”

“Okay. Then please apply for the permit right after the rooftop garden is completed.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Once the small building is completed, we will then decide what we want to do with that space. We can either open a book café or a pub. We will discuss it later.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you have any questions?”

President Jeong-Sook Shin spoke while placing her pen and note on the table,

“I’ve already reserved a gallery for Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition. It would be really nice if we could host the exhibition in our new future gallery, but I guess we won’t be able to.”

“That’s okay. It will take time to finish the interior anyway. Which gallery did you pick for Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition?”

“We chose Sotdae Gallery in Insa Town. Once we receive the paintings from Mr. Ding Feng, I will then send out the information to the press.”

“What about the painting frames? Are we doing it here in Korea?”

“Yes. We found a frame service provider in the Samgakji area. The last time when Mr. Ding Feng visited here, I went to see that service provider with him.”

“I see.”

“The Sotdae Gallery is not a large gallery size-wise, but they have an excellent control system on humidity and lightning. Before we start the interior renovation of our art gallery, I do recommend Director Kang to visit the Sotdae Gallery. It can be a very good example.”

“Oh, me? Sure… I will do that.”

“What if we wouldn’t be able to sell all of Mr. Ding Feng’s paintings that we would display at the exhibition?”

“I strongly doubt it, but if that happens, we can do a traveling art exhibition in other cities like Gwangju City or Daegu City.”

“Hmm.”

“The translation work on the history book that we brought from China is completed. Chief Editor Jae-Sik Moon is currently editing and refining the translated version.”

“Oh, the book with the title of ‘Is Cao Cao a hero or a villain?’ or something?”

“That’s the book.”

Director Kang laughed, who was listening to the conversation while standing next to them.

“The book’s title is ‘Is Cao Cao a hero or a villain?’ It sounds like a very interesting book.”

“President Shin, once the book is published, please send one to Director Kang, too.”

“Sure, will do, sir. Hahaha.”

“It would be nice if I could have lunch with you today since President Shin came all the way to our office in Sinsa Town to visit us, but I feel so tired because of the trip to China.”

“Don’t mind us, sir. You do look exhausted and you need a good rest.”

Gun-Ho bought a bottle of Ssanghwa-Tang* before heading to his home—TowerPalace.

The next morning, Gun-Ho went to work at the factory in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City. The first thing that he did that morning was to preside over a meeting for the executives.

President Song, the internal auditor, the research chief officer, the general affairs director, and Director Jong-Suk Park attended the meeting.

The research center’s chief officer started his report.

“We have applied for a patent for those two items with GH Mobile’s name. The process will take some time until we get patent approval.”

President Song added with a smile,

“Getting a product patented usually affects the price of a KOSDAQ registered company’s stock. It would go up.”

The internal auditor started his report on the status of the company’s debt. Some of the debts were paid with the company’s recent sales profit.

“How much debt do we currently have in total?”

“It’s 65 billion won, sir.”

“Do you think we can reduce our debt ratio to the level above the industrial average?”

“It would be difficult to do so by the end of this year, but we can possibly achieve that goal by next year.”

It was the general affairs director’s turn to make a report.

“We have a meeting for the small and medium-sized business owners today. It’s for the business owners in the North Chungnam Province.”

“Mr. General Affairs Director, you attend the meeting for me. You can just tell them that the president is out on a business trip abroad. Director Jong-Suk Park, do you have anything to add before we end this meeting?”

“No, sir.”

“We are still doing the My Machine program in the production field, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Everyone did a good job. Our company is doing a lot better than before, but we still have lots of work we need to achieve. I hope that all of you will do your best in doing your job. Okay, this is all for today. Thank you all.”

GH Mobile had many mid-level management employees such as managers and assistant managers, and there was another regular meeting including those mid-level managers. But, Gun-Ho hadn’t attended the meeting. President Song usually presided that meeting.

Note.

*Ssanghwa-tang—A traditional Korean tea which is known to help recover from fatigue

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Chapter 323 - Meeting with Top Star – Part 2

Chapter 323: Meeting with Top Star – Part 2

After having lunch with the GH Mobile’s executives, Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea. Gun-Ho’s Land Rover was entering Eumbong Town in Asan City after passing Baekseok Town in Cheonan City. This was the necessary path to take, in order to reach his factory in Asan City.

“I feel so sleepy after lunch.”

Gun-Ho parked his car around Embong Lake. There was a very attractive café near the lake.

“I think I need to have a cup of coffee before I continue to drive.”

Gun-Ho went into the café and had his coffee while looking out at the lake.

“This is a nice lake view. I feel so refreshed.”

There was a person in distant, who was fishing at the lake.

“I thought that fishing is prohibited in this area. Is he local?”

While looking at the fisherman, Gun-Ho thought of the fishing site in Pocheon City, which he often used to go in the past.

“Is Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town still going to the Pocheon fishing site by himself? If he is, he would probably feel very lonely by now. Well, he actually started his fishing at that fishing site way before Jong-Suk and I joined him there.”

Gun-Ho missed Chairman Lee. Chairman Lee was a very important figure to Gun-Ho, who greatly influenced him in finding his path of life.

“Maybe I should ask Jong-Suk to go fishing with me to Pocheon fishing site. It has been forever. Or, not. He is not alone anymore. He has his fiancée living with him and I shouldn’t interrupt their happy moment.”

Gun-Ho looked at his calendar.

“Today is Monday. I can go to the fishing site this Sunday. I’d better go there by myself without Jong-Suk.”

Once Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea, he presided over a meeting. Since there were not many workers in Dyeon Korea, everyone attended the meeting.

Director Dong-Chan Kim started his report first.

“We determined the price of Dyeon Korea’s product. Our price is 4,800 won per kilogram. This price reflects both direct costs and indirect costs.”

“So, it’s 96,000 won per bag.”

“Correct. It’s a bit more expensive than rice.”

The workers at the meeting all laughed as Director Kim brought in the price of rice out of nowhere as a comparative price with their product price.

“So, it’s 4,800,000 won per pallet.”

“Right. It’s before VAT though.”

“Once we add VAT, then it would be more than 5 million won… We will need to reduce our product cost in order to drop our product price below 5 million won after we include VAT. That would attract more buyers. Don’t you think?”

Mr. Adam Castler chipped in.

“Not necessarily. From my experience in other countries including Mexico and Spain, if the product price is low, people think the product is probably low in quality as well.”

“Hmm.”

“We will then price the product as 4.8 million per ton for now, and we will adjust it as we observe the market reaction.”

Mr. Adam Castler added,

“We currently have two machines. Dyeon America will ship two more next week.”

“Are they coming in through Busan Port again like last time?”

“I suppose so.”

“I guess we will handle the shipment better this time since this is our second time dealing with it. How is the sale?”

“We have sold about ten tons so far. We will receive the payment by the end of this month through B2B.”

“Hmm. Anyone has anything to add?”

Once he made sure no one had anything to add, Gun-Ho ended the meeting.

Once he came back to his office, Gun-Ho fell into thought.

‘Since I have several companies that I need to run, I am traveling between the companies to get reports for each company. This is not efficient. I think I should set up a system where I can receive all the reports in one place. Once I get married and start a family, this current arrangement won’t work.’

‘I can let President Song run GH Mobile. For Dyeon Korea, once the company becomes stable, Director Dong-Chan Kim can handle the daily operation without me. I can then move back to Seoul and take care of the building in Sinsa Town. What if everything gets messed up during my absence? I do trust President Song and Director Kim, but I guess this is not good timing for the change. Okay, let’s wait until the company goes public. Once the company is registered with KOSDAQ, I can have professional CEOs run the companies, and I can move back to Seoul.’

‘If I move back to Seoul, I will run GH Development, but its size is currently too small with a few employees. Maybe I should expand GH Media as a multimedia company. But the problem is that I don’t know anything about the field since all of my work experience is with factories. Do I need to hire a professional CEO for the multimedia company? Well, I don’t want to spend my personal money there. I’d better use any profits being generated from the companies for any further investment.’

After a lot of thoughts about his business, he turned on the TV.

There was a commercial on TV.

“Too many commercials. Let me try another channel.”

Gun-Ho was scanning through different TV channels when he suddenly stopped it. It was a cosmetics commercial, and Seol-Bing was there. Seol-Bing was saying,

“My skin is hydrated all the time.”

Gun-Ho looked at the commercial closely. Seol-Bing was indeed beautiful.

Gun-Ho turned off the TV and closed his eyes. He could see Seol-Bing.

‘I want to see her again. How can I possibly make an occasion to meet with her? She is a top star. She won’t meet with me just because I call her and ask for the meeting. I guess there must be a lot of rich young dudes who have rich daddies, who are trying to approach her.’

Gun-Ho thought of the BM Entertainment’s planning manager, and he looked for his business card.

“I don’t really like this guy. He smiles with his eyes like a girl. But, well, what other choices do I have? Let me just call him.”

Gun-Ho dialed the number shown on the business card.

“Hello?”

“This is BM Entertainment’s planning manager. How can I help you?”

“Hi. This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Gun-Ho Goo? I’m sorry I can’t recall your name. Who is this?”

It seemed that he had forgotten Gun-Ho’s name.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile.”

“Huh? GH Mobile? Oh, hi, sir! It’s really good to hear from you, sir.”

“Are you still traveling to China these days too?”

“Yes, I do from time to time. The performance we did last time in China was a success. Our president really appreciates your help for it.”

“That’s nice.”

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your call, sir?”

“I was wondering if you have Ms. Seol-Bing’s phone number.”

“Seol-Bing? Can I ask you why you need her phone number?”

“Oh, I just have something to ask her.”

“Could you ask me instead of her? I will deliver your message to her.”

“Well, I prefer to talk to her directly.”

“I’m sorry, sir. Our company policy doesn’t allow me to give out our celebrities’ phone numbers. If you need to talk about GH Mobile’s commercial, you can talk to me, sir.”

Gun-Ho thought that if this entertainment manager was sitting next to him, he would probably have hit the back of his head.

“It’s not about a commercial. I’m opening an art gallery in my building in Sinsa Town, and I’m inviting high profile people and celebrities to the opening ceremony. And I’m wondering if Ms. Seol-Bing could come to the opening ceremony.”

“That’s… umm… there is a risk to be exposed to paparazzi…”

“Even though paparazzi take photos of Seol-Bing at an art gallery, that wouldn’t work adversely for her. It would rather help her build an elegant image. Well, if you don’t like the idea, that’s fine.”

“No, sir. I can’t give out our celebrities’ phone numbers. If I do, they get really upset with me. But, I think I can give her number to you, sir, only you. Please don’t tell her that you have received her number from me.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Seol-Bing’s phone number is 010-xx-xxxx.”

“Thank you. Why don’t you come to my art gallery’s opening ceremony as well?”

“Thank you.”

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Chapter 324 - Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (1) – Part 1

Chapter 324: Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (1) – Part 1

After receiving Seol-Bing’s phone number from the entertainment company’s planning manager, Gun-Ho thought of whether he wanted to make a call to her or not. He thought inviting her to his art gallery’s opening ceremony seemed to be a lame excuse to make a personal call to her; especially, he didn’t get her number from her directly but from someone else. Moreover, she might be at work doing a film shoot or something. If so, she wouldn’t be able to take his call anyway. Gun-Ho finally decided to send her a text message instead of calling her.

[Are you still in Japan for your photoshoot? I will be in Japan on the 22nd of this month. I have something that I’d like to ask you. Can we meet at a café in New Otani Hotel in Tokyo at 5 pm that day? I can adjust my schedule if you prefer another time. I will be waiting for your response. – Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile –]

After sending the text message to Seol-Bing, he regretted it for a second; he felt somewhat embarrassed. And then he realized he wouldn’t be able to cancel the text message because it was already after he pressed the send button.

Gun-Ho looked at the calendar.

‘I gave her the day of the 22nd of this month. I can’t leave now, but I can go to Tokyo next week. She might not show up, but it’s okay. I would understand if she wouldn’t want to go all the way to Japan just to meet with me. I asked her to meet me in Japan instead of Korea because I know celebs don’t want to be exposed to the public. Not a whole lot of people would recognize her if we meet in Japan. But many Korean tourists stay in the New Otani Hotel. Hmm. Maybe I should have picked a different hotel.’

‘Well, I feel sorry for Mori Aikko at this point. New Otani Hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo is a special place for her and myself. Should I worry about running into her at the hotel? Well, since Mori Aikko travels a lot to provinces for her dance performance, I don’t think she would be at the New Otani Hotel.’

Gun-Ho felt great for some reason. He just felt happy even with the thoughts of Seol-Bing and Mori Aikko.

‘Is it okay for me to be like this? People say, if a man has a fate that tells that he would make a lot of money in his life, then he would have lots of women as well. On the contrary, a man with a fate of no money would have no woman in his life either. Since I now have some money, am I trying to get more than one woman? Well, but technically, I can’t say I have my woman now. Min-Hyeok Kim and Jon-Suk Park, they all have their women. Jae-Sik also has someone who he is living with. Other highschool friends of mine such as Won-Chul, Byeong-Chul Hwang, and even Suk-Ho Lee are all married, and they even have kids. I’m the only one with no woman. How come?’

While Gun-Ho was deep in thought, Director Yoon, who was in charge of general management, entered his office, dispersing all of Gun-Ho’s thoughts.

“Sir, I have something that I need to report to you.”

Director Yoon said as he pulled out a paper from his folder.

“Go ahead.”

“We are expecting to receive the machine no. 3 and no.4.”

“That’s right.”

“I’d like to get 100 tons of raw materials when we get our machines.”

“Did you say 100 tons? Do we have enough space to store them?”

“We do have more than enough space. We can store up to 300 tons of raw materials in the three-tier metal shelf that Director Jong-Suk Park and the new manager built last time.”

“Have you talked with Mr. Adam Castler already?”

“Yes, sir. I got Mr. Adam Castler’s approval already, along with Director Dong-Chan Kim’s signature.”

“Okay, then. Who’s going to handle the import?”

“We need to pass muster at customs in Busan location, so we requested the service to the same customs compliance service provider we worked with last time. After we receive all the necessary machines, we can use Pyeongtaek Port instead of Busan location to receive the shipment of the raw materials.”

Gun-Ho looked at the paper again.

“It’s not a nominal amount. It’s FOB price, right?”

“Right. Once we start getting payments from our customers for the products we already sent to them, our financial situation will look better. The first payment will start next month.”

“How are the American engineers doing? Do they have any requests or complaints?”

“The general affairs manager is planning to take them to Seoul this Sunday for a tour with his car. His English has improved a lot. I guess because he is young, he learns quickly.”

“Provide him with the gas and meal cost for the tour on Sunday.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was Sunday.

Gun-Ho headed to Pocheon City with his fishing gear. He didn’t tell anyone that he was going to the fishing site in Pocheon City.

“I wonder if Chairman Lee would be there.”

Gun-Ho picked up some Gimbab with a beverage for himself on the way to the fishing site.

Chairman Lee was not found anywhere at the fishing site.

Gun-Ho started fishing by himself.

Gun-Ho prefers lure fishing rather than bait fishing. After throwing out his lure in the water, he started walking along the lake holding his fishing rod.

“Where are all the fishes? Is it their nap time?”

Gun-Ho went around the lake, and he didn’t see any single fish. Maybe because it was lunchtime.

“This is exhausting and makes me sweat. Let’s just have lunch over there under the tree.”

Gun-Ho retrieved his fishing rod and started walking towards the tree. At that moment, Gun-Ho saw two men who were wearing a straw hat. They were walking toward the lake.

“Oh, that’s Chairman Lee.”

Gun-Ho felt so happy to see him, and he yelled at him in delight,

“Mr. Chairman Lee!”

Chairman Lee seemed to recognize Gun-Ho even in a distance. He started waving his hand to Gun-Ho. Chairman Lee had his own fishing spot that he had always used. He put his fishing gears in that spot, and said,

“You came this far from Cheonan City!”

“Hello, sir. How have you been? Mr. Manager Gweon, how are you?”

“How come you came this far? There must be other good fishing sites around Cheonan City. If you go to Gong-Ju or Buyeo Town, there are tons of nice fishing sites that are not very crowded.”

“This is my favorite fishing site since I can see you and Chairman Lee here.”

“How’s your business?”

“It’s going well.”

“Sir, are you coming here every week?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Since it’s close to my vacation home, I come here very often.”

“Oh, that’s right. Your vacation home is around here.”

“Right. It’s about 2 or 3 kilometers away from here.”

“I remember Manager Gweon talked to me about your vacation home. I was told it is huge. How large is it?”

“Well, I think it’s about 1,000 pyung.”

“Huh? 1,000 pyung, sir?”

Gun-Ho felt disappointed in Chairman Lee for a second.

‘I know he is rich, but he shouldn’t occupy 1,000 pyung for himself just for his vacation home. It’s three times larger than GH Building. I didn’t know he was an extravagant type.’

“What about the floor space?”

“It’s about 200 pyung.”

“Huh? 200 pyung?”

“Why don’t you come and visit me there? After I’m done fishing here today, I will stop by my vacation home. You can come with me.”

Gun-Ho remembered what Manager Gweon told him the other day.

He had said, “The reason why I accompany Chairman Lee even on Sundays is because of his vacation home. I started admiring him when I saw his vacation home.”

Gun-Ho thought that maybe Manager Gweon was extravagant too.

‘He used to serve in the military. But he admires someone because of that person’s huge vacation home?’

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Chapter 325 - Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (1) – Part 2

Chapter 325: Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho pictured a vacation home where Chairman Lee was drinking a glass of champagne while looking at his beautifully landscaped garden. He must have a custodian who stayed in his vacation home 24/7 to handle all the work there since it was a huge vacation home that was 1,000 pyung large.

“I envy you, Chairman Lee. I’m sure that not many people have an opportunity to own a large vacation home like that, especially in this area with clean air.”

“You think so? Hahaha. I don’t have anything much to do at my age. I do like to have fun in my vacation home.

Chairman Lee said he brought Gimbab that was enough for two people, and he wanted to share it with Gun-Ho.

“Oh, I brought my own Gimbab too. Let’s eat together.”

Gun-Ho went to his Land Rover and took out a picnic mat from the trunk. After a moment, three people were sitting on the picnic mat, and they were having Gimbab with a beverage.

“President Goo, do you like this?”

“Do you mean here, this place?”

“Yes. I feel so calm and peaceful whenever I come to this place.”

“Right. It is a very serene and nice place.”

“Whenever I get a headache at work, I come here and I get inspired. I do often visit this place not just because my vacation home is nearby, but I come here to give a deep thought on my business. Sometimes, I get a brilliant idea for my business while I’m trying to catch some fish here.”

“Oh, I see.”

“President Goo, why don’t you catch an enormous idea while you are aiming to catch a bass today? Well, maybe it would be difficult since you do lure fishing. You might not be able to focus on your thoughts while walking around to do lure fishing.”

While having Gimbab, Gun-Ho and Chairman Lee talked about things going on in their lives. Gun-Ho told him that he was planning to open an art gallery in his building in Sinsa Town, and Chairman Lee seemed to find it very interesting.

“Sir, I will take a walk for my lure fishing. I hope you catch a huge fish today. I mean a fish for your business.”

Chairman Lee grinned.

“I will try.”

At the end of the day, Gun-Ho caught a bass, and Chairman Lee caught four carps.

“Let’s call it a day. My hip and waist start hurting.”

Chairman Lee began to retrieve his fishing gear. Since he had only four carps, Gun-Ho thought he would just let them go, but Chairman Lee put those carps in a plastic container that he brought.

“Are you going to make a spicy fish soup with those carps tonight? Why don’t you take my bass and add to it?”

As Gun-Ho said it, he put his bass in Chairman Lee’s plastic container.

“I am actually going to have carp porridge tonight. A carp has lots of fishbones, but if you let them simmer for a long time, their fishbones melt. That makes a very good porridge.”

Gun-Ho thought Chairman Lee was so cheap. Even though he was so rich, he caught fish himself and made porridge with them.

‘Chairman Lee probably has bad teeth now, given his age. That’s why he enjoys porridge.’

Gun-Ho started retrieving his fishing tools as well.

“Sir, are you going straight back to Cheongdam Town?”

“No, I will have to stop by my vacation home here, so I can release these fish into my pond.”

“Oh, you have a pond in your vacation home?”

“Of course. It’s about 300 to 400 pyung large. I landscaped around the pond with water plants. It looks really nice.”

Gun-Ho thought,

‘Wow. It would be really nice to have a drink in a vacation home which is 1,000 pyung large while looking out at a beautifully landscaped pond. That’s a really great life.’

“If you are heading to your vacation home, I’d like to take a look at it too. The land is 1,000 pyung, and the house is 200 pyung, with a pond that is 300 to 400 pyung large. I really want to see them. I’m sure the beauty of your vacation home will refresh my mind.”

“Sure. Come with me. I don’t really invite people over my vacation home, but you are like my family now. Of course, you are more than welcome to come with me.”

Gun-Ho drove while following Chairman Lee’s Genesis. After going through some narrow concrete roads, his Genesis stopped in front of a majestic house in a forest. Gun-Ho could see the yard through the gaps between the front door panels. There were several trees like pine trees and maple trees. They looked really nice.

“It is indeed a huge vacation home.”

Gun-Ho followed Chairman Lee and Manager Gweon to the front yard.

Once he was inside the vacation home, a lot of children started pouring out into the yard.

“Grandpa is here!”

“Hello, my children!”

Gun-Ho was dumbfounded by the unexpected scene.

Many of those children were kids with some disabilities, either physically or intellectually.

“Oh, my gosh. I totally misunderstood Chairman Lee.”

It was obviously not his personal vacation home. It was a home for children with special needs.

“This place… Are you running this, sir?”

“Of course. I am personally operating this. It has been about twenty years.”

“How many children are there?”

“About thirty. The maximum number of kids I had was fifty. Do you remember that GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin recognized me as the father of Professor Hye-Sook Lee at Sejong University?”

“Yes, I remember that.”

Professor Hye-Sook Lee grew up here too. She was an orphan. She was a very smart kid. When Hye-Sook was growing up here, the kids used to call me father, but now these kids call me grandfather. Hahaha.”

Gun-Ho didn’t know what to say. He was extremely impressed and became emotional.

‘Oh, my… Chairman Lee is more than a person who I can just admire for his business success. He is such a great person that I can’t even stand next to him.’

Gun-Ho remembered what Master Park, who was in Goesan Town, said the other day.

He said, “If you see chairman Lee, please say hi to him for me. He is a very good friend than he looks.”

“Grandpa, this is smaller than the ones you caught last time.”

“I will get a bigger one next time; I promise, like this big!”

As Chairman Lee talked with one of the children, he gave a kiss to the child’s cheek. The child talked weird. He probably had a speaking disability.

“What is that fish? It looks funny.”

“Oh, that one is called a bass. Do you see the mister standing over there? He caught it.”

“This one is huge.”

The children seemed to be having a lot of fun looking at the fish.

“Let’s release these fish into the pond until our cooking lady comes back from the supermarket. She will make a nice carp porridge for us.”

“I like pizza better than carp porridge.”

“If you want to grow taller, you need to eat carp porridge. You can’t have pizza all the time.”

“Do you promise?”

“Has your grandpa ever lied to you?”

While watching Chairman Lee and the children and listing to their conversation, Gun-Ho’s eyes started welling with tears for some reason.

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Chapter 326 - Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (2) – Part 1

Chapter 326: Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (2) – Part 1

On the way home from the fishing site in Pocheon City, Gun-Ho fell into various thoughts.

‘I’ve been focusing on making money until now without thinking of other values in life. I need to be a good person like Chairman Lee, not just a rich man.’

‘I think I need to do some rewarding work, too. Chairman Lee had been raising children with special needs for twenty years, but he had never mentioned it before.’

Even after he lied down in his bed in his apartment in Buldang Town, Cheonan City, Gun-Ho couldn’t fall asleep.

The next morning, after spending his time at the fishing site the day before, Gun-Ho felt refreshed.

Gun-Ho stopped by GH Mobile to quickly review the reports before heading to Dyeon Korea in Asan City. Once he arrived at Dyeon Korea, Gun-Ho, at first, looked around the production worksite.

The workers who were working with the machines at the production site greeted Gun-Ho. The white-colored raw materials, which were brought in from the U.S., were being reborn after being processed at this production site to other yellow or grey raw materials.

Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo of the production team, who had received the special training by Lymondell Dyeon, explained to Gun-Ho,

“These white-colored raw materials were derived from petroleum. They have no value as a product by themselves. They have very low durability, cold resistance, thermal resistance, and elasticity. We reprocess them by mixing them with 36 other chemicals and make a new raw material which has merchantable quality.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho picked up the yellow raw materials with his hand and looked at them carefully. They are a bit bigger than a rice grain and smaller than a bean.

“What does this number indicate? The one on the bag?”

“It’s a product serial number, sir. The first two letters—DK—stands for Dyeon Korea, the first group of numbers shows the shipment date, and the following numbers are the route number and serial number.”

“I see.”

“So, if we find a defective product, we can trace when this product was made, and who made it, and how it was processed.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho took a walk around the entire production site before going to his office.

Gun-Ho wanted to have a facility for the children with special needs in Incheon City which was Gun-Ho’s hometown.

‘Let’s plan to establish a foundation for my charity work, which I will start maybe a few years later. I will need to buy a land of about 1,000 pyung just like what Chairman Lee did. It will be difficult to buy land later since the land price keeps going up. I’d better buy a land right now, somewhere around Incheon City. I can keep the land until I am ready to start it. I will build a building after I successfully register GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea with KOSDAQ. I can have my company own the foundation.’

Gun-Ho made a call to the realtor who helped him buy the condo in Guweol Town where his parents were living in.

“Do you handle other real properties, not just condos? I’m interested in purchasing land.”

“Yes, I do. What’s the purpose of the land that you’d like to purchase? There are lands for commercial buildings and lands for just investment.”

“Lands for just investment? Do you mean, if I buy that land, the price of the land will go up?”

“If you buy a farmland close to main roads, the price of that land most likely will go up in the future.”

“Someone asked me to look for a land to make it into a facility for people with disabilities.”

“Many people find it very unpleasant to have a facility for the disabled near their residence. So if you try to build one in a residential area, you will face vigorous protest. You will need to get a farmland distant from a residential area. However, farmland is supposed to be used for farming only, so, you will need to get a permit to change the purpose, in order to build that sort of facility there.”

“Is it hard to get a permit like that?”

“Not really. You just need to pay taxes in addition to other fees.”

“Do you have anything on the market, in Incheon?”

“Yes, I do. I actually have a good one in Gyeyang District and another one in Namdong District.”

“How large is the one in Namdong District?”

“If you want to build a facility for welfare, I do recommend the one in Namdong District. It’s a farmland in Namchon town. It’s 1,000 pyung large. It’s not close to the main road though, but it’s not too distant either. The location is not bad at all. There is a small stream as well. I believe that once the area is developed, the price of the land will easily go up.”

“How much is it?”

“Why don’t you visit my office; we can discuss it in person. There are so many people who just talk to me on the phone to get all the information they need and never contact me again. I prefer to talk with you in person if you are serious about purchasing it.”

“Sure. I will visit your office in the near future. What’s your work hours?”

“I stay in my office until 9 pm since I live nearby. I believe, if you want to build a facility like that, the local government will provide the subsidy. I think you’d better do it quickly while they still have funds for it.”

“Thank you for letting me know. I will come by your office soon.”

Gun-Ho headed to the realtor’s office in Guweol Town. He didn’t tell his parents that he would be in the area.

“Hello. I spoke with you on the phone yesterday about the farmland in Namchon Town.”

“Oh, hi. Thank you for coming, and I’m sorry that I asked you to come all the way to my office. I’m just fed up with all those people who just take information from me through the phone.”

“Are you showing me the land too? I think Namchon Town is pretty distant from here.”

“Oh, no. A realtor from Namchon Town will show you the land. Realtors’ offices are all connected, so I just arrange the showing with another realtor for you.”

The realtor picked up the phone and dialed some numbers.

“Hello? Is it Seungil Realtor’s Office in Namchon Town? Hi, this is from Guweol Town realtor’s office. Do you still have the farmland in Namchon Town? You know the land that was put on the market by the old man with a lump.”

“I still have it. Why? Do you have someone who is interested in it?”

“Yes, I have a gentleman here, who is interested in visiting the land. I will send him over to your office. Can you show him the land today?”

“Of course. Send him here. I will show him around.”

Gun-Ho went to Seungil Realtor’s Office.

A short man, who looked like he was in his late 50s, was waiting for him. He recognized Gun-Ho as the person who came to see the land right away.

“Are you the person who Guweol Realtor’s Office sent?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Nice to meet you. Shall we go to see the land now? You can ride with me.”

Gun-Ho left his Land Rover parked in front of the realtor’s office and got in the realtor’s car. It was an old Santa Fe. It took about ten minutes to arrive at the land. The area was not developed. Gun-Ho could see vinyl greenhouses here and there. There were farms with peppers and sesames growing on them. The realtor stopped in front of the land where chili peppers were growing.

“This is it. Do you see the borderline there? The land is 1,000 pyung up to the borderline. It’s actually 1,020 pyung to be exact. It’s not on the main road, but it’s on the six-meter wide local road. The location is really nice. You have a small natural stream. There is a bus station about 200 meters from here.”

“Hmm.”

“If you have money to let sit, this is a good investment property. Its price will go up. It is highly possible that this area will soon be developed.”

“How much is it priced?”

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Chapter 327 - Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (2) – Part 2

Chapter 327: Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (2) – Part 2

“Those lands that are surrounded by other lands cost about 600,000 won per pyung while the lands like this location are 1.2 million won per pyung.”

“That makes this land 1.2 billion won.”

“Correct. The landowner already affirmed that he would not negotiate the price. So I guess the land price is firm. Why don’t you think about it, and let me know if you decide to take it.”

“Okay, will do. I will actually need to think about it.”

The realtor gave his business card to Gun-Ho with his phone number on it.

Gun-Ho liked the land.

‘The land is in a simple square figure. It’s on the six-meter wide road, so it’s very accessible with a car. Moreover, the bus station is close. But the price is too high. If the land is really 120 billion won, that means all those farmers in this area are very rich. When I lived here in Incheon City, my family rented a small townhouse just because we didn’t have 100 million won at that time. So do Min-Hyeok’s and Jae-Sik’s families. With 120 billion won, I can purchase five of the Hyundai HomeTown condos that Min-Hyeok recently bought for his parents.’

‘Once I purchase this land, I can ask my mom and dad to watch it for me. I don’t want someone to cultivate some grains in my land. Also, I need to deter anyone from dumping trash or some construction wastes on the land. After a few years, once the area gets developed, I can build a facility. Even though I own the foundation to run the facility, I can have my sister to actually run it. She has a level-1 certificate of a social worker. I guess she will fit right in the job. Her husband can stop driving a truck doing transportation work for other companies and work with my sister here instead. That would look really nice.’

The following day, Gun-Ho made a purchase contract for the land. He took his parents to the land to show it.

“I bought this land as an investment. The previous owner is cultivating some chili peppers here. I told him that once he harvests the current peppers, he shouldn’t continue to do it any longer. Why don’t you come to this land from time to time and see if anyone uses the land.”

“I think I want to grow something here, maybe some chives. I heard I can easily sell them.”

“Mom, that’s hard labor work.”

“No, it’s okay. I want to use the land. I think I will cultivate some garlic or spring onions with your dad.”

Gun-Ho’s mother looked excited.

Gun-Ho was driving back to Cheonan City when he received a call from President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media.

“Sir, Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition is finally scheduled. I already sent out the information to the press. You will see the news about his art exhibition in most of the newspapers starting today.”

“Did you prepare the information to be on the news?”

“Yes, we prepared them. Actually, the chief editor—Mr. Jae-Sik Moon—wrote the article to be on the newspaper. His writing is so good that I believe they will post it without any problem. While we prepare the article on our own, sending it out to the press was handled by a service provider.”

“Good work, President Shin. I will stop by the art exhibition.”

“Sir, please send us an orchid plant to the art exhibition venue on the first day of the exhibition with your name on it.”

“Well, I will send three of them, not just one, with three different company names: GH Mobile, Dyeon Korea, and GH Development.”

“That sounds great. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho spent his time in GH Mobile that afternoon. He was reading a newspaper. While Dyeon Korea subscribed to only one economic newspaper since it was a newly opened company, GH mobile received three different newspapers. There was a news article about Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition with one of his oriental paintings.

“So, this was written by Jae-Sik.”

[The great artist of the oriental painting from China—Mr. Ding Feng—will host his art exhibition at Sotdae Gallery in Insa Town for the next two weeks starting today. Artist Ding Feng is highly known as the master of northern school literati paintings in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc. His paintings are highly recognized worldwide. This is his very first art exhibition in Korea.

Northern school literati paintings that use a lot of colors are more popular in China while southern school literati paintings are prevalent in Korea. Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition will give an excellent opportunity for art lovers to enjoy northern school literati paintings.]

“Man, Jae-Sik is good.”

Jae-Sik’s father was a blue-collar labor worker, but he loved writing a poem. Yes, he was a poet. He was not a financially savvy person, and Jae-Sik’s family had suffered from poverty. Jae-Sik was bullied during his school years, and his only happy time during those days was when he read cartoon books by himself. Once he entered high school, he read novels all the time, which he borrowed from the school library.

“Well, I guess Jae-Sik was somewhat influenced by his father who used to write a poem. Jae-Sik is doing great as a chief editor.”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes and reminisced about his days in his middle school and high school.

Won-Chul Jon was living in a nice condo at that time, and he hung out with Byeong-Chul Hwang and Suk-Ho Lee. Gun-Ho was living in a shabby townhouse, and he was friends with Min-Hyeok and Jae-Sik who had about the same home environment, and Jae-Sik’s family lived in a basement of a townhouse. Gun-Ho sometimes spent time with Jong-Suk who was two years younger than him as well since he liked Jong-Suk’s mother’s Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup).

Min-Hyeok and Jae-Sik were often beaten up by Won-Chul and Suk-Ho in those days, and they didn’t even try to fight back, maybe because of their sense of inferiority which came from the different financial situation of their families. Fortunately, Gun-Ho had a larger frame at that time, maybe because of Jong-Suk’s mother’s Seolleongtang, and he wasn’t often targeted for bullying.

The children at that time didn’t call Jae-Sik with his name, but instead, they just called him like, “Hey, basement.”

And they often asked Jae-Sik,

“Hey, you, basement! Carry my school bag for me!”

Whenever someone mentioned the word “basement,” Jae-Sik lowered his head with his slumped shoulders.

Won-Chul Jo’s family lived in a nice condo. His mother was a pharmacist, and she ran her own pharmacy in the town. Byeong-Chul Hwang’s parents were both school teachers, and Suk-Ho Lee’s father owned a lumber mill. These three people lived in the same condo, and they all went to college in Seoul. Currently, Won-Chul Jo was a manager in a big company; Byeong-Chul Hwang graduated from KAIST and worked as a researcher in a research center in Pangyo. As his parents were both school teachers, Byeong-Chul had the highest grade in high school. Suk-Ho Lee, whose father was running a timber mill at that time, owned a bar at Gyeongridan Street until recently with his parents’ financial support, and he was now doing some business in China. Min-Ho Kang, who joined a civic organization, had lived in a different condo. His father was a politician; he was a member of the city council at that time.

Gun-Ho’s father was a labor worker in an industrial complex, and then he later worked as a security guard. Min-Hyeok’s father was a bus driver, and after he retired, he now drove an art academy shuttle for children. Jae-Sik’s father was a labor worker who always wrote a poem, and Jae-Sik hadn’t contacted his parents for a while now. His father had a bad credit score and that affected Jae-Sik’s life badly.

It seemed like the life of the father and his son looked alike. The son seemed to follow his father’s footprints in some way. Surprisingly though, Gun-Ho was the most successful among these high school friends, and he was running his own companies.

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Chapter 328 - Tokyo Sonata (1) – Part 1

Chapter 328: Tokyo Sonata (1) – Part 1

It was the day that Gun-Ho asked Seol-Bing to meet him in Tokyo.

It was on Saturday, and he didn’t have to tell anyone about his unilateral appointment with Seol-Bing. He could just leave for Tokyo on Friday night and come back on Sunday night.

Fortunately, Mori Aikko had a schedule that day for her concerted dance performance at National Bunraku Theatre in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, so she wouldn’t be in Tokyo.

Gun-Ho waited for Seol-Bing at the café in New Otani Hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo, but Seol-Bing didn’t show up. Gun-Ho waited until late at night before he gave up.

It was a lonely night in Tokyo for Gun-Ho without Seol-Bing and without Mori Aikko.

Gun-Ho had his wine at the sweet room in New Otani Hotel by himself while looking out of the window at Japan’s State Guest House.

Once he came back to Korea, he sent a text message to Seol-Bing.

[I waited for you at the café in New Otani Hotel until late at night. I assume you are very busy. I’d like to set up another appointment with you. I will be in Japan on the 2nd of the next month. If you find it uncomfortable to meet me in public like a café, we can meet on the 18th floor in the New Otani Hotel that day. There is a small meeting room—Gekkyu. I’d like to see you there at 6 pm.]

“I will see if she would appear this time. If she stood me up again this time, I won’t be interested in her ever again either.”

Gun-Ho stopped by Sotdae Gallery in Insa Town that day.

There was a huge banner hanging at the entrance. It said, “the great artist of northern school literati paintings—Mr. Ding Feng’s solo art exhibition.”

At the gallery, Mr. Ding Feng was there with a lady who was probably his interpreter. President Jeong-Sook Shin was there too. Gun-Ho could see three orchid plants which he sent, on the floor. There were many other plants that President Jeong-Sook Shin’s friends sent as well.

“Congratulations.”

Gun-Ho approached Mr. Ding Feng and congratulated him on his solo art exhibition. Mr. Ding Feng seemed to be happy to see Gun-Ho there, and he offered his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake with a broad smile.

Gun-Ho asked President Jeong-Sook Shin,

“Are you having lots of visitors?”

“Yes, we are. There were tons of people who came to see Mr. Ding Feng’s paintings. We sold 10 of his paintings already.”

“Wow, really?”

“I think the price is affordable to ordinary people.”

Gun-Ho started thinking,

‘I guess the profits will at least cover Mr. Ding Feng’s travel expenses and the rent of this gallery.’

After visiting Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition, Gun-Ho took KTX (Korea Train Express) at Seoul Station, heading to Cheonan City. The first-class seats had a reclining chair, so Gun-Ho could lean back in his seat and stretch his legs comfortably.

The apartment where Gun-Ho was staying in Cheonan City was situated right across the street from the KTX station.

While heading to his home in Cheonan City, Gun-Ho received a text message. It was from Seol-Bing.

[If you want to talk about an advertisement work, please contact my agency. Its number is 010-xxx-xxxx.]

“Hmm. I guess the entertainment agency manager gave me the correct number of Seol-Bing’s phone.”

Gun-Ho replied to the text message immediately.

[It’s not about an advertisement. I have something that I’d like to ask you personally. As stated in my previous text message, I will be waiting for you at the New Otani Hotel’s small meeting room—Gekkyu.]

Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile.

President Jang-Hwan Song came to Gun-Ho’s office with a smile. He was carrying a small bottle in his hand, which looked like a medicine bottle.

“What is that?”

“It’s a bottle of medicine manufactured by a pharmaceutical company. This is not an over-the-counter medicine but this is a medicine used by a hospital.”

“The bottle looks a bit strange.”

“This is a foreign medicine, from Germany. Our company made a contract to manufacture this bottle.”

“Really? Isn’t it made of glass?”

“No. This is actually plastic. We already received the product drawing, and our research center’s chief officer—Dr. Joon-Soo Oh will start developing this product soon.”

“Really?”

“They are paying good money too. Also, once we successfully develop this product, we can export them to other countries too.”

“Will there be enough demand for that product?”

“Yes. This is a single-dose vial for injection. It is used once and tossed out after each use. So, the demand for this kind of bottle is very high. Once we successfully develop this product, we can increase our monthly sales revenue by 1 billion won.”

“It would be 12 billion won per year. GH Mobile started with the annual sales revenue of 70 billion won. Once we developed our new product—AM083 Assembly, we added an additional 10 billion won to it. And, if we add another 10 billion won that you, President Song brought into this company by contracting with S Group’s factories, and also add this medical bottle of 10 billion won, our company’s total yearly revenue will be exceeding 100 billion won.”

“That’s right. We will reduce our debt significantly as well. So, if we succeed in developing this product, would you give a vacation to the workers at the research center as a reward?”

“Of course. They will be compensated for their effort and successful outcome, so please tell them to focus on developing the product for now.”

The machine no. 3 and no. 4 arrived at Busan Port.

“Who is going to Busan for those machines this time?”

“Last time I went there and Director Jong-Suk Park came with me to give me his professional support, but this time, I don’t think that would be necessary. Director Yoon, Manager Yoo from the production team, and also our new manager at the maintenance team will take care of it.”

“How is the new manager of the maintenance team doing? Is he good?”

“Yes, he is very good. Director Jong-Suk Park praised his proficiency as well. He is taking care of everything that is related to machines these days. Manager Yoo and those three American engineers are the experts in the chemicals, not machines.”

“Once we bring two more machines, do you think the maintenance team’s manager can handle them by himself?”

“I think we need to hire one more person. I actually think we will need two more workers, but for now, we will hire one.”

“Are you thinking of hiring another manager?”

“Since we have the maintenance team’s manager, we can hire someone at a lower level like a team leader.”

“Sounds good.”

“Also, we need three more workers to the production team. The American engineers are going back to the U.S. next month. We have two researchers—Hee-Yeol Yoo and Il-Gi who received the special training from Dyeon America in the U.S., but we need an additional three workers who can assist their work.”

“Are you thinking of hiring three workers at a team lead level?”

“Not really. Just a staff level is good too. We just need people who have more than one year of work experience with a chemical company.”

“Have you already talked with Mr. Adam Castler about this?”

“Yes, sir. I already discussed it with him.”

“Okay, then. Hire workers as you find necessary.”

“Thank you.”

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Chapter 329 - Tokyo Sonata (1) – Part 2

Chapter 329: Tokyo Sonata (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was informed that the art gallery’s interior work in his building in Sinsa Town was completed. He headed to Seoul to see it. When he arrived at the building, President Jeong-Sook Shin was already at the site. The stairs leading down to the basement were built out of wood and it looked elegant. The business sign was placed on the spot where people could easily see from the main road.

“GH Gallery…”

The business sign was artistically designed but it clearly showed the name of the gallery, which was ‘GH Gallery’. President Jeong-Sook Shin took Gun-Ho to the inside of the gallery. When Gun-Ho entered the gallery, Director Kang turned on the lights.

“These are all indirect lighting. President Shin often came to the gallery during the renovation and gave us advice on the interior work.”

“It looks great. It seemed the interior design company did a very good job here. I do like the lighting and the layout of the interior, but the gallery hall seems a bit small.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin responded to Gun-Ho’s comment with a smile,

“It’s not a small space, sir, for an art gallery. This is twice larger than the Sotdae Art Gallery in Insa Town. Unless there are so many paintings to display, this is actually a good sized art gallery.”

“Oh, I heard that you have sold all of Mr. Ding Feng’s paintings already.”

“Actually, we have two paintings left. Those two paintings are hard to sell in Korea because of the cultural differences. However, the art exhibition itself was a big success. Mr. Ding Feng was very satisfied with how his art exhibition turned out.”

While Gun-Ho was having a conversation with President Jeong-Sook Shin, he received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“President Goo? My father-in-law seems to be very happy. He is constantly bragging about his art exhibition in Korea to everyone he sees. He said that he made a bigger success in Korea than Japan or Hong Kong, with his art exhibition. He asked me to tell you that he appreciates you and President Shin’s help and he is really grateful.”

“Well, we made money with his art exhibition too.”

“He sent two of his paintings by mail for you and President Shin as a token of his appreciation. Those are a gift from him.”

“He didn’t have to, but I thank him for the paintings. I will hang it on the wall in my office of the building in Sinsa Town.”

Gun-Ho and President Shin followed Director Kang to the rooftop.

The rooftop was neatly cleaned, and new grass was growing there with other plants and trees. There were a small gazebo and wooden benches as well.

“Wow. The space looks totally different.”

President Shin seemed to be impressed.

“Do you see the empty space over there? That’s the space where we will build a small construction for business use.”

President Shin seemed to be excited about the space, and said,

“Sir, I think we can run a book café there. We can connect it with the art gallery in the basement. This rooftop space looks amazing. The office workers in this building can take a break here. It can be a nice place for the old ladies from Gangnam District to meet with their friends too.”

“Once I rent the spaces for the art gallery and the book café to GH Media, you will have to pay the rent on time. Are you confident that you can handle it?”

“Can we start with a low rent in the beginning? I want to give a try.”

“Sure. Director Kang, make a design request to the construction company and apply for the building permit. I will send Director Yoon from Dyeon Korea here; he is the expert in the construction field. He will be of great help. I believe, you and Director Yoon together will make a nice book café space in this rooftop.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to Seukang Li to Shanghai.

“Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition in Korea was a success.”

“Really? Congratulations.”

“Do you know the art gallery which handled the Chinese young painters’ avant-garde art exhibition?”

“Of course, I do.”

“I will visit Shanghai soon with President Jeong-Sook Shin. Can you introduce the gallery to us?”

“Sure. It’s my job to promote Chinese artists’ art exhibitions abroad. Come quick.”

“Okay. I will be there next week.”

“I hope that GH Media expands its business to other fields like art, music, soap opera, and movie, not just publishing books.”

On Friday, Gun-Ho went to Japan. His passport became shabby with a lot of stamps from the immigration office, because of his frequent trips to Japan and China.

Once he arrived at the New Otani Hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo, he looked for the hotel manager.

“Hi. I made a reservation to use the small meeting room—Gekkyu.”

“Oh, hi. You reserved it for four houses of use, right?”

“Yes, I did. I’m not sure if I’m going to have a meal or not, but even though I decide not to have a meal, I will pay the basic cost for it.”

“Hai, Wakarimashita (I understood).”

Gekkyu was located on the 18th floor. It had the full view of the forest around Japan’s State Guest House. Once the sun went down, the lights on the streets and the surrounding buildings were turned on one by one. Gun-Ho looked out of the window while sitting on a chair in Gekkyu. Gun-Ho looked at his watch. The appointment time he gave to Seol-Bing was 6 pm and it was already twenty minutes past six. Gun-Ho thought Seong-Bing wouldn’t show up again. The hotel staff came into the room and filled up Gun-Ho’s empty glass with water. Gun-Ho ordered a glass of wine, and he continued to look out of the window while having the wine. It was dark outside, and he saw Seol-Bing’s reflection in the window.

‘Oh, my gosh. Did I see a ghost just now? Am I that desperate to see her?’

Gun-Ho continued to drink his wine while thinking it was just an image his desperate mind created. But he then felt like someone was standing behind him.

“Oh, Seol-Bing!”

Seol-Bing came into the room quietly and she was standing behind Gun-Ho. She was still wearing her dark sunglasses and she was wearing a coat.

“I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it. Thank you for coming. Please have a seat.”

Seol-Bing sat on a chair. She didn’t take off her sunglasses.

“Why did you want to see me?”

“Do you, by any chance, know of a Chinese production company called Huace Media?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I have a company named GH Media, and I am seriously reviewing the possibility of acquiring a Chinese entertainment company.”

Seol-Bing didn’t say a word but she was listening to Gun-Ho quietly.

“It’s not a Korean company but it is a Chinese company that I’m thinking of acquiring. If that company produces a movie, can you help us?”

“It’s not something I can decide. My agency makes a decision for all of my work.”

“Does your agency decide whether you can see someone or not?”

Seol-Bing smiled slightly.

“Would you like to have a glass of wine?”

“I’m good, but thank you.”

Even though Seol-Bing expressed her unwillingness of having a glass of wine, Gun-Ho ordered one more glass and filled up the glass with the wine.

“That’s all you wanted to ask me?”

Gun-Ho placed the glass of wine in front of Seol-Bing in response to her question. Seol-Bing didn’t even lay her eyes on the glass of wine and said,

“To be honest with you, it was really hard for me to come here to meet with you. I’m supposed to make a report to my agency about every single move I make.”

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Chapter 330 - Tokyo Sonata (2) – Part 1

Chapter 330: Tokyo Sonata (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho walked towards the window while holding his glass of wine.

“You live like an Avatar of your agency company. Come to think of it, a businessman seems to have a more creative and liberal life, even though we need to take more risk.”

Seol-Bing was sitting on a chair without saying a word. Gun-Ho continued to talk,

“Even a top star needs a room to breathe. A celebrity should be able to make his or her own decision on dating someone or marrying someone. Well, I guess I don’t get to say anything on that subject. Even though I do make all of the decisions and choices in my life, I haven’t married yet; I’ve been so busy to fulfill the plans and schedules I made.”

Seol-Bing lifted her head slightly, and asked,

“Are you… single?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I know you have several companies, but I didn’t know you are still single.”

Gun-Ho placed his glass of wine on the table and said,

“Do you have anyone you can introduce to me? Anyone who looks like you would be good for me.”

A faint smile appeared on Seol-Bing’s face. She then took her glass of wine and took a sip of it. After she put the glass of wine back to the table, she took off her dark sunglasses. Her beautiful face was revealed.

“You have a beautiful face.”

“President Goo, you look younger than the last time when I saw you in Shanghai.”

“I’m not that young. I’m 36 in Korean age.”

It was raining outside the window after a cold wind blowing.

“Why don’t you have some more wine? It’s okay. There is no one here except us. You must be very tired by coming all the way here from Korea. Take a sip of the wine; it will help you with fatigue.”

Seol-Big said after taking a small sip of the wine,

“Actually, I came here for an event in Tokyo Dome in Suidobashi. Some of my staff already returned to Korea after the event, and I told them that I would stay here a bit longer because I didn’t feel well.”

“I see. I hope I didn’t take too much of the top star’s time.”

Silence filled the air for a while.

“Ms. Seol-Bing, You are probably contemplating your marriage these days since it’s about the age to get married for you. You probably have a lot of nice people around you to choose from for your marriage, given your position as a top star.”

“Not necessarily.”

“Maybe I can introduce someone to you.”

Seol-Bing lifted her head and looked at Gun-Ho. Her eyes were shining with excitement.

“The person I want to introduce to you is an earnest and loyal man. He knows how to be kind and generous to his woman. He also knows when to sacrifice himself, and he has a sense of serving the public with compassion. He has a very good manner as well. You can say that he is a wealthy man. He didn’t inherit the wealth from his family but he is a self-made successful man. He is currently running several companies. He is from Incheon City and he is now living in Gangnam District, Seoul. He is 36 years old and his name is Gun-Ho Goo.”

Seol-Bing giggled a bit and took another sip of her wine.

“Oh, that’s good. Take some more wine.”

Gun-Ho applauded in encouraging her to have more wine and filled up Seol-Bing’s glass with more wine.

While Seol-Bing had one glass of wine, Gun-Ho had three glasses. He was not drunk but he surely felt the heat in his body.

Gun-Ho suddenly grabbed Seol-Bing’s hand.

“Ms. Seol-Bing, even though you are a top star right now, you need to think of your future. Your position as a top star won’t last forever. I think it’s time for you to start your family. I will protect you.”

Seol-Bing let Gun-Ho hold her hand.

“I’d like to continue this sort of meeting with you more frequently. I know you have a hectic schedule that was set up by your agency. I do also have my own busy schedule that I put myself in. I strongly believe we can help and comfort each other in this busy world, and we can design our future together.”

Seol-Bing smiled and took her hand back from Gun-Ho’s. She grabbed her glass of wine instead. It was Seol-Bing’s second glass of wine that night.

The two people turned their chairs around so they could face the window, and looked out the window. It was dark outside. They could only see the lights from the street lights and stores. Seol-Bing said,

“It’s raining hard, isn’t it?”

“It looks like. Where is your agency located at?”

“It’s in Cheongdam Town.”

“It’s not far from my office. My office is in Sinsa Town.”

“I think I heard that you own a building in Sinsa Town.”

“Who told you that?”

“I heard BM Entertainment’s president and Manager Byeon talking.”

“Manager Byeon? The dandy looking guy who smiles with his eyes all the time?”

“Hahaha. That’s right.”

For the first time, Gun-Ho saw Seol-Bing laughing loudly.

In the building in Sinsa Town, I made an art gallery in the basement. It’s called ‘GH Gallery.’ The interior renovation is completed and it will open soon. For the very first art exhibition there, I’m planning to exhibit the Chinese young artists’ avant-garde.”

“Avant-garde?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you were just a businessman. I didn’t know you are also into the arts.”

“I want to officially invite you to the opening ceremony, Ms. Seol-Bing.”

“My schedule…”

“If you can make it, please come.”

Seol-Bing just smiled.

A waiter of the New Otani Hotel entered the room.

“Would you like to order for your dinner?”

Gun-Ho looked at Seol-Bing’s face, and she nodded her head.

“We will have two Gekkyu set menus.”

“Are you expecting anyone else joining you, sir?”

“No.”

“Hai, Shibaraku Omachikudasai. (Okay. Please wait.)”

The Japanese dinner came with lots of fish dishes, such as slices of raw tuna and grilled salmon.

“I feel like we have known each other for a long time. It’s like two old friends are having dinner together.”

Seol-Bing just smiled in response to Gun-Ho’s comment.

After the main meal, they had fruits as a dessert. When they finished the dinner, Seol-Bing said,

“Thank you for inviting me to dinner. I think I’d better go back to my hotel.”

“It would have been really nice if we had more time to talk today. Why don’t we meet again here later? I do like this place. It’s quiet and not so busy.”

When Seol-Bing stood up from her seat and grabbed her coat, Gun-Ho quickly stood up and helped her to wear her coat. He then said,

“Let’s fix the date for our next meeting. What about two weeks on Sunday? Here at this place?”

“Two weeks after next Sunday is not good for me. I need to attend the award ceremony of the Japanese broadcasting station—NHK. It’s on the 16th. I have been invited to it as a guest.”

“Then, let’s meet the day after the award ceremony.”

“This place is too pricey though. This meeting room is too big for only the two of us.”

“I don’t know many places in Tokyo. It is true that this place is pricey to rent, but I still think it is a good place for us to meet for now. It’s quiet. Let’s meet here next time. Thank you for joining me today.”

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Chapter 331 - Tokyo Sonata (2) – Part 2

Chapter 331: Tokyo Sonata (2) – Part 2

Once Gun-Ho came back from Japan, he headed straight to Dyeon Korea.

“Did we receive the no. 3 and no. 4 machines?”

All the machines were in place. With the huge machines from no. 1 to no. 4, the factory looked like a really large factory.

“Hey, Jong-Suk, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Oh, bro! When did you come?”

“How’s the installation going? Is it done?”

“We are working on connecting the machines to the power. The work became a lot easier since we have the new maintenance team’s manager. We can finish the work quickly.”

“How is the new manager of the maintenance team?”

“He is good.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk heard someone tapping something.

Jong-Suk quickly turned his head to the source of the noise, and shouted,

“Mr. Assistant Manager, you shouldn’t beat a metal, but you have to appease it.”

Gun-Ho giggled as Jong-Suk instructed the assistant manager about how to treat a metal.

“What? Appease the metal? Man, you sound like a whiz.”

Gun-Ho had lunch with Jong-Suk that day. Gun-Ho asked him,

“Hey, Director Park! Where did you learn about how to treat a meal? Like not to beat the metal but appease the metal?”

“Oh, that? I heard that from Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. He said we shouldn’t hit a metal with a hammer but we should appease it nicely.”

“Oh, I see. He is indeed a good teacher.”

“Bro, did you go someplace nice last Sunday? You look good. You look totally recharged.”

“Really? That’s good.”

Gun-Ho felt good.

The companies he was running were all doing very well, and the meeting with Seol-Bing seemed to be successful as well. Gun-Ho felt like he could fly.

‘I did have dinner with Seol-Bing, the top star. That’s not all. I will meet with her again. I hope the date to come quickly.”

Gun-Ho was hearing the report from Director Yoon. Director Yoon was talking about the meeting with Director Kang in Seoul.

“I’ve reviewed the plan of constructing a small building on the rooftop, with Director Kang. We don’t need to do public works since we are building it on a building’s rooftop. And we just need to assemble the prefabricated small building there. It’s a simple work.”

“I guess it won’t take much time then?”

“Since we are opening a book café there, we expanded the existing window to the full-size window. So from the front window of the book café, we can see the rooftop garden, and we will also have the view of Sinsa Town and Apgujeong Town from the window of the back of the book café.”

“You did a good job.”

Gun-Ho asked for Director Dong-Chan Kim.

“Once the new machines, no. 3 and no. 4 started working, our productivity will be dramatically increased, right?”

“I think we have to do more sales work then. We are currently targeting the client companies of GH Mobile as a start. I know all of their supplier companies where they buy their raw materials. The thing is that usually, a company is reluctant to change their supplier companies unless there is a problem. Because it is critical for them to receive raw materials steadily, they prefer to deal with the same suppliers that they have been dealing with. Unless we can provide them with substantially high-quality raw materials or at a very low price, they won’t change their suppliers.”

“Hmm. It will take time to find more client companies then.”

“That’s why we need to focus on the buyer companies’ new products. The S Group’s factory in Changweon City uses our Dyeon Korea’s raw materials in manufacturing their new products. You know the S Group’s Changweon factory that President Song signed the contract with. The quantity that they are ordering from us is steadily increasing. President Song brought in another product order for the single-dose vials for injection. They decided to use Dyeon Korea’s raw materials as well. Sometimes companies place their orders by looking at the supplier companies’ website. So, I think we need to build our own website.”

“Oh, we don’t have our website yet?”

“GH Mobile has one, but Dyeon Korea doesn’t.”

“You can contact the GH Media for it. Talk with the team lead of their design team. I heard she used to do some design work for a website before.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. I will contact them. Maybe I should ask the design team lead to come and visit us here. So we can discuss the design of our factory’s website.”

“You have their contact number, right?”

“I do, sir. I have President Jeong-Sook Shin’s business card.”

“Their design team lead’s name is Min-Sook Oh. We will have to pay them for the work though.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Don’t we need to do some advertisements in a newspaper or media in order to enhance our sales?”

“Dyeon Korea’s customers are not individuals, but companies in a specific field, which are manufacturing plastic products with injection molding machines and extruders. So, an advertisement through media won’t be necessary.”

“Oh, I was going to tell you. Please go visit Egnopak.”

“Egnopak, sir?”

“Yes. Try Egnopak. Don’t meet with anyone else there, but meet with President Seung-Gak Kim. Tell him that I sent you, and give him our product brochure.”

“That’s all I need to say, sir? Egnopak is a competitor with GH Mobile.”

“He made his promise to use Dyeon Korea’s products. You don’t need to know all the details, but just tell him that I sent you.”

“Understood, sir.”

Director Dong-Chan Kim headed to Jinwi Town in Pyeongtaek City to visit Egnopak’s factory. He was carrying Dyeon Korea’s product brochure with some sample products. When he arrived at the factory, he walked straight up to the president’s office. When he entered the president’s office after a brief knocking, the secretary quickly stood up from her seat.

“Is President Seung-Gak Kim in the office?”

“Can I have your name, sir?”

“I’m Director Dong-Chan Kim from Dyeon Korea.”

“Please have a seat. I will let our president know that you are here.”

The secretary went into the president’s office and came out.

“Please follow me.”

“Hello, Mr. President.”

Director Dong-Chan Kim gave a 90-degree bow to the Egnopak’s president.

“Manager Kim, oh, I mean Director Kim. Please have a seat.”

Director Dong-Chan Kim’s sales pitch started.

“Sir, you don’t age even a bit. You look the same as the old days when we were Mulpasaneop with our previous president Se-Young Oh. Former President Se-Young Oh still talked about you, sir. He said he wanted to pay back for your help but he had to retire before he could do so.”

“Haha. Did he say so? How is he doing?”

“Well, he has a small building in Suwon City. He said he feels peaceful these days.”

“Time indeed flies. I still remember those days when I and President Se-Young Oh went golfing together. At that time, you, Manager Kim, oh, I mean Director Kim, used to come with us to assist. You were in your 30s at that time. Now you have some grey hairs.”

Director Dong-Chan Kim was a professional salesperson. He didn’t go straight into the sales business as Gun-Ho told him to do so, but instead, he started with letting the potential buyer feel nostalgia for a while. That usually worked great with old people.

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Chapter 332 - GH Gallery (1) – Part 1

Chapter 332: GH Gallery (1) – Part 1

Dyeon Korea’s Director Dong-Chan Kim’s flattery for the Egnopak’s president continued.

“I still remember your hole-in-one when we played in Taekwang Country Club in Yongin City. It still remains vivid in my memory, sir.”

“Oh, you were there, too? And you remember that?”

“Of course, sir. It was my first time witnessing a hole-in-one in my entire life.”

“Haha. You know what? That was actually my last hole-in-one. I’ve never succeeded in it since then.”

“Since you are still healthy, sir, you will have your chance to do it again.”

“You really think so? Haha. By the way, what made you come to see me today? The joint company with Lymondell Dyeon started producing their products already?”

“Yes, sir. We just started producing our products.”

Director Kim pulled out the sample products and showed them to the Egnopak’s president with the product brochure.

The Egnopak’s president looked at the sample products that Director Kim brought in with a frown. He seemed uncomfortable.

“President Goo asked me to show you these product samples.”

Director Kim was aware of the assault incident caused by Egnopak’s president’s son nearby Onyang Hot Spring Hotel. He was there when Gun-Ho and the Egnopak reached an agreement about how to settle the matter. However, Director Kim didn’t bring it up to pressure the Egnopak’s president in this business matter. At that time, the Egnopak’s president clearly agreed to change their raw materials from BAFT products to Dyeon Korea’s, which they purchased from Mandong Company.

“Did Gun-Ho Goo say anything else?”

“Nothing further, sir. He simply asked me to visit you with the sample products.”

“That Gun-Ho Goo, as*hole. That kid is really smart and manipulative.”

“You seem to have some old hard feelings toward him, sir.”

“That son of bi*ch stole my opportunity to do a joint venture with that American company. And he uses the incident with my son in order to gain his business benefit from me.”

“Haha. Is that what happened?”

“He is a meticulous young man. That kid frightens me sometimes. He is very smart.”

The Egnopak’s president let out a deep sigh.

“Okay. As I promised before, I will change the raw materials from BASF to Dyeon Korea’s. However, we will start with a monthly order of 10 million won. As your company proves the quality of your products, we will increase the quantity of our order.”

“Sir, let’s increase the initial order a bit higher. I came all the way here for this. I won’t look good if I go back to my company with this deal—10 million won per month.”

“If it’s only for you, Director Kim, I do want to start with a good quantity, but I so hate that Gun-Ho Goo.”

The Egnopak’s president called for his purchasing manager through the interphone.

“Mr. Purchasing Manager? Come to my office now.”

After a moment, the purchasing manager came to the president’s office.

Director Kim quickly stood up from his seat to greet him.

“Hello, Mr. Manager. It has been a long time.”

“Oh, hi, Mr. Director.”

Since Director Kim had been in the sales field for a long time, he had met the purchasing manager before.

The Egnopak’s president said to the purchasing manager,

“As to the BASF’s raw materials for Mandong Company, we will replace them with Dyeon Korea’s raw materials. We start the change with the amount of the materials worth of 10 million won per month for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Sir, can we increase it to 20 million won per month?”

“No. I’ve already made my decision. 10 million won as it is.”

Once he received the report about the deal with Egnopak from Director Dong-Chan Kim, Gun-Ho made a phone call to the Egnopak’s president right away. Gun-Ho had never lost his control when he encountered a problem to solve. He talked in a calm voice,

“Sir, I’m calling to remind you of our previous deal that we clearly made. I just received a report from Director Kim, and that’s not what we agreed on.”

“I don’t understand what you are talking about.”

“When we previously made the agreement, you said you would purchase our products worth 500 million won to replace BASF products that go into Mandong Company. Do you remember that? The ink on our agreement hasn’t even dried yet.”

“So what? What are you going to do about it?”

“I had 4 stitches, and my company’s plant manager had 16 stitches. It’s 20 stitches in total. I can give 20 stitches to your son’s face, to be fair if that’s how you want to settle.”

“What, what?”

“As you know, I have more competent men than the ones your son has in this field to do this sort of job.”

“We already settled for the plant manager’s case. I paid 10 million won for it already.”

“I can give your 10 million won back to you. A settlement doesn’t seem to mean anything to you anyway. You have no intention to honor the agreement at all.”

“Hmm.”

“I don’t want to bring up the old incident and make my relationship with you uncomfortable again.”

“Do what you have to do then!”

“Okay. I will do what I need to do.”

Gun-Ho thought of what he would do with the Egnopak’s president, and he clicked his tongue.

“He hasn’t changed a thing ever after experiencing the big incident in his life. He didn’t want to let his son stay behind bars, but he doesn’t want to purchase products from his competitor—Dyeon Korea. I’m not sure if he would be able to handle the consequences. He has to realize that he can’t have all.”

The Egnopak president didn’t feel comfortable after talking with Gun-Ho on the phone.

“Is he serious about hurting my son? He is running a company now, but he used to work as a factory man without having any money or family background. He crawled up the economic ladder from the bottom as he used to live like a bottom feeder. He is surely capable of doing such an awful act. I signed the settlement agreement, and he has the original copy of it. He can always make an issue out of it at any time if he wants to. That son of bi*ch makes my late-life so hard and causes a lot of stress for me.”

The Egnopak’s president didn’t want to think that his son was the one who made all these troubles in the first place. The people who think they were superior to others didn’t seem to accept the possibility that they might be at fault under any circumstances. However, the possibility that Gun-Ho might hurt his son seemed to affect the Egnopak’s president’s decision.

“I guess I will have to make a truce with him for now.”

The Egnopak’s president made a phone call to Director Dong-Chan Kim of Dyeon Korea.

“Director Kim, our company will buy Dyeon Korea’s products that are worth 10 million won per month for now, but you have to note that it is just a start. We will definitely increase the amount of our product order as you prove your product quality.”

“Thank you, sir. We will surely send you high-quality products.”

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Chapter 333 - GH Gallery (1) – Part 2

Chapter 333: GH Gallery (1) – Part 2

Director Kim came into Gun-Ho’s office and said,

“Sir, I just received a call from Egnopak’s president. He assured that he would increase the quality of their order once our product is proved with good quality.”

“We don’t have to rush in dealing with Egnopak.”

“What are you planning, sir?”

“At first, we can file a lawsuit. They breached the contract after all. Second, we can financially damage Egnopak by taking their and also Mandong Company’s clients.”

“I’m actually on the second plan already. The big companies like Hyundai Auto or Hyundai Mobis always get their necessary products from more than two supplier companies. They are getting the products from Egnopak and another company named InSharp Corporation. InSharp Corporation also manufactures automobile chassis as Egnopak, and they are also using BASF products. I’m currently in contact with InSharp Corporation without letting anyone else know.”

“I see.”

“Mandong Company buys these products to manufacture rings and supplies them to Hyundai Auto. Mandong Company also supplies these rings to Egnopak, and Egnopak uses them in manufacturing protectors. These protectors go to Hyundai Mobis. They are in a win-win relationship by helping each other.”

“So, Mandong Company and Egnopak are the first vendors.”

“That’s right. We are the second vendor.”

“Hmm.”

“We have to make GH Mobile the first vendor, too, sir. Dyeon Korea is producing raw materials, so its product itself wouldn’t make it the first vendor anyway. However, GH Mobile is an automobile parts manufacturing company. We have to be the first vendor to succeed in this industry. We officially say that we are the 1.5 vendor, but we are actually the second vendor.”

“Is it that hard to be the first vendor…?”

“That’s why President Song kept insisting that we need to have a patented product in order to successfully register with KOSDAQ because we are not the first vendor company. The products that we applied for a patent, which were brought in by our new research chief officer, don’t seem to be lucrative, but President Song still wanted them to be patented with GH Mobile’s name because he thinks it will help us successfully go public.”

“Well, GH Mobile will be registered with KOSDAQ sooner or later as President Song is working so hard to achieve it. The third thing that we could do about Egnopak is using his son.”

“You want to beat him up? No, sir. I can’t agree with that. It’s so childish and shallow approach to resolve a problem.”

“Haha. Don’t worry. I’m not suggesting that we need to beat him up because we don’t have to. Egnopak’s president’s son is a troublemaker. Given his propensity, he will make another trouble someday. He has been raised by Egnopak’s president without proper discipline. It is very possible that he will cause trouble soon.”

“I agree with you, sir.”

“When that happens, we just aggravate the situation.”

“Understood, sir. We can reveal the true faces of those two men by publishing the settlement agreement with us, which he refused to honor, for example.”

Director Kim and Gun-Ho laughed while looking at each other.

Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media arrived in Shanghai. They came to Shanghai to meet with an art gallery’s director there.

“Have you contacted Director Seukang Li about the meeting?”

“Yes, sir. He said he would be waiting for us in the art gallery director’s office.”

“Did you say the gallery director is a lady?”

“Yes, sir. She used to be an art professor in college. The recent modern art exhibition was handled by this gallery director.”

“Director Seukang Li did a great job by promoting that modern art exhibition overseas.”

“Well, I think so.”

Gun-Ho and President Shin arrived at the art gallery building. It was a red brick building. They walked up to the third floor where the gallery director’s office was situated. The office had a high ceiling and that made Gun-Ho feel like he was in a government building in Korea. The gallery staff showed them to the director’s office. Seukang Li was there already, and he was having a cup of tea with the gallery director at a round table.

“Hey! Gun-Ho Goo!”

Seukang Li and the art gallery director stood up from their seats when they saw Gun-Ho and President Shin entering the office.

“Gun-Ho, this is the gallery director.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Jeong-Sook Shin.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Director Seukang Li. He said you are very interested in arts and cultures. I’m the director of this art gallery. My name is Deng Jufen.”

Deng Jufen was a lady who was in her 50s. She was a very friendly lady.

“China’s avant-garde is currently drawing a lot of attention from art lovers worldwide. I am so delighted that Korea shows their interest in it as well.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin responded,

“When I first saw the paintings of Zhang Xiaogang and Zeng Fanzhi, I was so shocked. I do highly recognize their liberty in their arts and their experimental spirits.”

Deng Jufen and President Jeong-Sook Shin seemed to hit it off right away.

While the two ladies were having fun conversing about arts, Gun-Ho felt bored. He couldn’t even understand what they were talking about.

Gun-Ho said to the art gallery director,

“Ma’am, we are opening a new gallery in Korea. It’s called GH Gallery. For our first art exhibition, we’d like to invite Chinese contemporary young artists’ paintings.”

“The art exhibition for young artists started in Shanghai. We did one in Beijing already, and the one in Wuhan is ongoing. It will end by the end of this week, so we can send their paintings to another location starting next week. I can add additional paintings that were not displayed this time if you want.”

“Do they all come with their frames?”

“Of course. Chinese avant-garde art exhibition has been held in many other countries so far. We have a transportation company that has been handling the transportation of those paintings. You can use the same service.”

“I see.”

“Packaging companies have their own system to make transportation safe and easy. They usually use a metal frame that looks like a bookshelf, so they can place framed paintings in it efficiently. They then place the metal frame in a special container for transportation by air. Each airline such as Korean Air or Asiana Air has its own special container where they can maintain a certain temperature and humidity.”

“I see.”

“The paintings we will send to you for the art exhibition in Korea are not from well-known artists such as Zhang Xiaogang or Zeng Fanzhi, but they will be the paintings of the promising young painters in China. Their paintings are still worth more than 100,000 dollars per piece. Five artists will participate in the art exhibition in Korea, and we will send to you thirty paintings in total.”

Gun-Ho started doing his math in his head.

‘Did she just say 100,000 dollars per painting? Wow! She is sending thirty of them to us, and they are worth 3 billion dollars then? Wow. Unbelievable. They surely have to use a special transportation company who knows how to handle those expensive paintings. The transportation insurance probably costs a lot too.’

Gun-Ho said while swallowing his saliva,

“If those young painters’ paintings value more than 100,000 dollars per piece, then the paintings of Zhang Xiaogang or Zeng Fanzhi must be worth more than 1 million dollars.”

The art gallery director responded while smiling.

“The paintings of the great artists such as Zhang Xiaogang or Zeng Fanzhi are selling for more than 10 million dollars at the auction in Hong Kong or London.”

“Wow. Did you say 10 million dollars?”

Dyeon Korea’s paid-in capital was 10 million dollars. A single painting from those great artists was worth the same amount. Gun-Ho couldn’t close his mouth in shock.

‘Maybe I should get into this field. Maybe this is a gold mine.’

Gun-Ho swallowed his saliva again as he saw the new opportunity to make more money.

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Chapter 334 - GH Gallery (2) – Part 1

Chapter 334: GH Gallery (2) – Part 1

The art gallery director in Shanghai—Deng Jufen—brought a tea. She said it was an exclusive tea, which was called Longjing Tea.

“This tea was harvested during the Ching Ming Festival, and it’s hard to find in the market. Please enjoy.”

The Longjing Tea was served in a traditional Chinese teacup with a blue dragon painting on it.

“It tastes really good.”

Gun-Ho knew how to enjoy Chinese teas because he used to drink a lot of tea when he stayed in China years ago. Deng Jufen filled up Gun-Ho’s tea again with a smile. She continued to talk while having her tea,

“Have you brought your art exhibition plan by any chance?”

“Of course, we have.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin pulled out her art exhibition plan from her bag. It was written in English. President Shin initially prepared the plan in Korean, and then Gun-Ho’s secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—translated it in English. President Shin actually had sent the draft of this plan to Gun-Ho earlier, but Gun-Ho didn’t even bother reading it until now.

“This art exhibition plan is written in English. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course. I used to give a lecture to students in English when I stayed in the U.S. as an exchange professor. I have no problem with reading a document in English.”

Deng Jufen smiled as she lifted up her glasses. Since the art gallery director’s last name was Deng, Gun-Ho was wondering if she was related to Deng Xiaoping. Deng Xiaoping was the politician who had opened China to the global market.

“Good.”

The first word that Deng Jufen blurted out after scanning President Shin’s art exhibition plan was, “Good.”

“For your art exhibition on Chinese young artists’ avant-garde arts, GH Media doesn’t have to contact each artist. I will liaise between the artists and GH Media. Our Shanghai Contemporary Art Gallery has an artist exhibition agreement for those five artists already. Also, we have the power of attorney signed by them in order to act on their behalf in their art exhibition abroad.”

“Oh, really?”

Deng Jufen stood up from the round table and walked toward her desk. She then opened one of her desk drawers and pulled out a paper.

“This is the artist exhibition agreement.”

The contract was written in English.

President Jeong-Sook Shin took the agreement and handed it to Gun-Ho and said,

“Please take a look at it first.”

Gun-Ho was not very knowledgeable on the subject of arts, and for that reason, he would have a hard time understanding the contract even if it was written in Korean. But this contract was written in English. He was baffled. He gave the agreement back to President Jeong-Sook Shin with a smile.

“I don’t have to review it. Why don’t you look at it? You are the expert in this field after all.”

Gun-Ho was not sure whether President Jeong-Sook Shin could read the contract in English, but she was carefully reading the contract.

“What does it say?”

“It specifies the exhibition date and duration, and also, it states the fees and how to transport and return the artworks. A dispute resolution and guarantee are also stipulated.”

“It sounds like a standard contract with general terms.”

“Can we sign the contract now?”

“You decide, President Shin. It’s GH Media’s work. I won’t directly get involved in it.”

Deng Jufen and President Shin signed the contract for the art exhibition that would be held in Korea for the young Chinese avant-garde artists’ artworks.

While the two parties signed the contract, Gun-Ho and Seukang Li clapped, standing behind them. As Deng Jufen finished signing the contract, she put the pen on the table and said to President Shin,

“It’s my pleasure to work with you, President Shin. I indeed look forward to working with GH Media. We’ve heard that there are a lot of great young artists in Korea as well. If I could get an opportunity, I’d like to host an art exhibition of their paintings in Shanghai in the near future.”

“I will definitely send you some art pamphlets if I see a good art exhibition in Korea.”

“Thank you. Well, I can’t just let you go with your empty stomach. You came all the way from Korea after all. We’ve prepared a small dinner party for you. I would appreciate it if you could join us for dinner. I also invited two artists who are living in Shanghai. It would have been really nice if all those five artists, who will participate in the art exhibition in Korea, could join us this evening, but since they live far from here like Beijing and Tianjin City, I couldn’t ask them to come.”

That evening, Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin went to Nanjing Road in order to attend the dinner party that Deng Jufen invited them for. The party venue was located in a busy building complex on Nanjing Road. The restaurant was situated on the first floor of a building. After they entered the restaurant, they had to pass another entrance door. Once they were in the grand hall in the restaurant, they could see many small private rooms there. In front of each room, a female staff in a uniform was standing. They were probably in charge of the rooms that they were standing at.

Once they entered one of those rooms, they found Deng Jufen and Seukang Li waiting for them. They showed Gun-Ho and President Shin two seats which were considered as reserved for the most important figures in the room. Gun-Ho asked Deng Jufen and Seukang Li to sit on those seats, but they insisted that Gun-Ho and President Shin should sit there. Even though President Shin was running GH Media, Deng Jufen and Seukang Li perceived Gun-Ho as the actual decision-maker of GH Media.

“We are sorry that we came a bit late.”

The two young artists soon joined them. They looked like they were about the same age as Gun-Ho. One of them had a beard, and he was wearing shabby jeans with a necklace. The other artist had permed hair like a girl. Gun-Ho could clearly tell that they were artists.

“Why didn’t you shave?”

As Seukang Li commented on one of the artists’ beard, the artist responded while rubbing his beard,

“Many artists choose to have a beard. It looks cool, but the main reason we keep our beard is because it makes our lives easier that way. We just let it grow because we are usually so concentrated on working on our art and forget to shave.”

Everyone that evening drank a lot. The business deal was successful for both parties, and they were all hopeful about the upcoming art exhibition. They eventually emptied three bottles of Maotai.

Seukang Li, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, asked him,

“Have you thought of acquiring a production company of soap operas?”

“I’ve given some thought to it, but I haven’t decided yet since I have so many things going on right now.”

“No rush, friend. Some competent young people in China, who used to work in a broadcasting station, open their own production company, and it is common that they encounter acute financial difficulties at the beginning of their new business. One of the reasons is China’s high labor cost. I want to help them in a way where an investor makes money and I…”

“You what?”

“I want the Chinese soap operas field to develop greatly just like Korea’s, so we can export them to other countries too. Our country has a 5000-year history, and I want the world to learn about it through Chinese soap operas. However, since we are a socialist country, it’s not easy to find a soap opera writer who has a liberal mind to write a fun and easy-watching soap opera.”

And then Seukang Li burped.

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Chapter 335 - GH Gallery (2) – Part 2

Chapter 335: GH Gallery (2) – Part 2

“You are drunk, my friend.”

“I am the head of the office that oversees the activities of the soap opera production companies and broadcasting stations, and I also give guidelines to them in the right direction in the field. But I always think that it’s a shame that we fall behind Korea in the field all the time, for soap operas and pop music for example. I believe that it’s because of Lingdao (leadership) of this country, who are dogmatic and who are obsessed with the rules they set.”

Seukang Li burped again.

“Shoot. You dropped your chopsticks on the floor.”

“I let my investors make all the money they want. I’m not interested in making money. All I want is to disseminate our 5000-year history and culture throughout the world…”

Seukang Li was not the only person who was drunk already. The two young artists were drunk, and Deng Jufen and President Shin also seemed to drink more than they could handle. The only person who was not drunk that night was the staff of the art gallery who accompanied Deng Jufen. The staff, who stayed sober all night, paid for the dinner with the art gallery’s business card, and he helped the two artists get in a taxi heading to their home. For the art gallery director and Seukang Li, their chauffeurs were waiting for them outside the restaurant.

“We will grab a taxi for our guests from Korea.”

“That’s okay. We are staying in a hotel not far from here. We will walk there.”

Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin walked to the hotel while staggering a bit from drinking the Baiju that night.

Once he came back to Korea the next morning, Gun-Ho went to his building in Sinsa Town, Seoul. Director Kang came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“The construction on the rooftop is completed, sir. They are working on the lighting right now.”

Gun-Ho wanted to see how things turned out on the rooftop, and he headed there with Director Kang. The small business construction looked magnificent. Its entire wall was made of glass, which created a great view from the inside of the unit. If a book café was open in the space, it would give customers a feeling that they were reading a book in the air surrounded by clouds.

“So, we just need to fill out the space with furniture and stuff, huh?”

“We will have a carpenter build customized furniture for our book café, such as bookshelves, desks, chairs, etc., instead of buying furniture from a store.”

“Really?”

“President Jeong-Sook Shin finished designing the furniture already. A carpenter will just need to build them according to her design. All the remaining work including the furniture will be done by tomorrow. I will give you a report on the construction cost tomorrow.

“Sounds good.”

After looking around the rooftop, Gun-Ho went down to the basement where GH Gallery would soon be open. It was on the first level of the basement, but it was actually a semi-basement where its business sign and its wall could be seen from the ground floor. Gun-Ho felt great seeing his gloomy building being revitalized. The team leader—Mr. Soo-Nam Jeong—and the new security guard of GH Building ran toward Gun-Ho when they saw him in the basement.

“You don’t have to come to me just to greet me. Just keep your good work in your position.”

Gun-Ho waved his hand to them as a gesture to let them go back to their work. He then went into the art gallery.

“I think it was a great idea to make this space for an art gallery, rather than renting it out for a restaurant business or something similar. The basement looks great with it.”

When he looked around the interior of the art gallery, Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“Are you in the factory in Asan City right now?”

“No. I’m in Seoul. I’m in the GH Building in Sinsa Town.”

“That’s good. I will be there soon.”

“Are you coming here? For what?”

“I have something to talk about with you in private.”

“What’s the matter?”

“I will rather talk to you face-to-face.”

“You can tell me over the phone. It’s okay.”

“I prefer to talk to you in person.”

Gun-Ho found it strange that Jae-Sik Moon insisted on talking with him in person.

“Is there a problem between him and President Jeong-Sook Shin?”

Gun-Ho walked outside the building and took a walk on Garosugil Street, next to his building. The street was usually filled with people in the evening. It was not busy yet when Gun-Ho was walking there.

“So this is the street that is so popular among young people. The commercial stores on the street are very pretty and neat.”

It was actually the first time for Gun-Ho to walk around his building. When he came back to his office after a short walk on Garosugil Street, he found Jae-Sik waiting for him outside his office.

“Hey, Jae-Sik. Why didn’t you wait for me inside the office? No one is there.”

“I can’t just get in and stay in your office during your absence.”

“Who cares? You are my friend. It’s okay.”

“Nah, that’s not a good idea. This is your business office. People talk, you know.”

“Well, take a seat.”

Gun-Ho asked his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—to bring two cups of tea for them.

“Tell me why you wanted to see me in person?”

“It’s about the book café you are about to open on the rooftop of this building. I heard it from President Shin.”

“What about it?”

“Someone will have to work there full-time to run the book café once it is open, right?”

“Likely so.”

“Do you have anyone specific in your mind for the position?”

“I don’t know. President Jeong-Sook Shin will take care of it.”

“Running a book café is a different work from working in an office. I don’t think it’s a good idea to put one of your employees for the work since they will have to serve coffee and stuff. I have someone I’d like to recommend for the job.”

“You need to talk to President Shin about it. I don’t actually care who would do the job.”

“I already talked with President Shin. She redirected me to you.”

“Really? Hmm. Well, who is the person that you want to recommend?”

“I don’t want to impose, but I want to recommend the person I’m living with for the position.”

“Your wife?”

“I know this is a personal favor I am asking you right now. She just doesn’t have enough work to do these days.”

“I thought she was working for a publishing company doing some editing job.”

“Right. But she is not getting enough work.”

“Why don’t you share the workload of GH Media with her?”

“The GH Media workers wouldn’t consider it fair if I take some workload for my wife. So, I think if she could work in the book café here once it is open, it would be great.”

“I’m not sure if the book café would do well. The success of the business is not guaranteed at all.”

“According to President Shin, she wants to run the book café directly under GH Media. If she does so, my wife will get a monthly salary, and she wants to try it.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho gave a call to President Shin right away.

“President Shin, are you going to let GH Media run the book café directly?”

“Yes, sir. That’s what I’m thinking right now.”

“Did you find anyone to work there?”

“No, I didn’t yet, sir.”

“I have someone I want to recommend for the position. What about your chief editor’s—Jae-Sik Moon—spouse? She is still in her early 30s, and I think she will be the right fit for it.”

“Hahaha. If you say so, I don’t mind.”

“President Shin, it’s about the book café that GH Media will run. And you are the head of GH Media.”

“As long as you are okay with it, sir, I will follow your decision.”

“Okay, then. We will hire his spouse. Can you come to the building tomorrow? You will need to sign the lease agreement with GH Building. Director Kang will prepare the contract. We will give you the first three months free for the rent.”

“Thank you.”

After getting off the phone with President Shin, Gun-Ho looked at Jae-Sik, who was looking at Gun-Ho.

“President Shin welcomes your wife to the position. Since GH Media operates the book café directly, your wife will be able to receive the benefit of Four Major Public Insurance. Does your wife have any work experience in running a café or anything similar? The work can be hard.”

“She hasn’t run it before, but she once worked in a book café in the Hongik University area.”

“Really? That’s nice. You could have just asked me about this over the phone. You didn’t have to come all the way here to talk to me in person.”

“Thank you. I do really appreciate it.”

Jae-Sik left the office. He looked happy.

After Jae-Sik left the office, Gun-Ho sat on a sofa in his office and thought,

‘Jae-Sik still has financial difficulties because of his debts. I want to help him more. Even though his wife will start working in the book café, her monthly salary will only be around 2 million won. It will take forever for him to pay off his debt and purchase a home and settle down.’

Gun-Ho thought that he would have to get Jae-Sik out of GH Media someday.

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Chapter 336 - Book Café (1) – Part 1

Chapter 336: Book Café (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City. It has been a few days since the last time he went there. When he arrived there, he encountered several workers who greeted Gun-Ho respectfully. Once he entered his office, the executives came into the office to give him a report. Gun-Ho usually reviewed the report from the executives while all the reports from the mid-level managers were exclusively handled by President Song.

“Why don’t we all have a cup of tea?”

Gun-Ho asked his secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park to bring them some warm teas. The secretary soon brought six cups of tea to his office. President Song started his report.

“The five products which were newly ordered by S Group have been successfully developed and we already started supplying them to S Group. S Group’s factories in Changwon City and Ulsan City are the two biggest buyers among the five factories, and they issued the approval that we can use Dyeon Korea’s raw materials in manufacturing our products for them.”

“How much raw materials of Dyeon Korea are we using?”

“We are using about 35 tons per month.”

“I believe that Dyeon Korea’s price per ton is 4.8 million won. So, Dyeon Korea is providing their raw materials worth around 168 million won on a monthly basis.”

“That… that’s correct.”

No one seemed to do the math more quickly than Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho used to work as an accountant before, but that wouldn’t fully explain why Gun-Ho was so good with numbers. Gun-Ho seemed to be gifted naturally in the field. He was not an outstanding student with high grades in high school and he wasn’t admitted to a top university either, but he was highly talented with computation. In hindsight, that seemed to play a decisive role in his life in helping him to become a substantially rich man now.

After President Song’s report, the internal auditor’s report on the current status of debts ensued. The general affairs director then suggested hiring ten more workers for the production field.

“Director Jong-Suk Park, do we need ten more people in the production site?”

“Yes, we do. We are currently experiencing an acute shortage of labor in the production department. The workers in the production field have been working till late at night to fulfill our current production demand.”

The research center’s chief officer announced that he would do a presentation in Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade.

“Is the presentation about the products we applied for a patent earlier?”

“That’s correct. It will be an excellent opportunity for us to hear professional opinions from the experts in various fields. Also, Gyoda Company from Japan sent us a product design drawing. They are asking if we could develop a product for them, which will be used as a part of their motorcycles. We are reviewing the request right now.”

“Gyoda Company? How did they contact us?”

“Dyeon Korea’s vice president—Mr. Adam Castler introduced them to us.”

“Mr. Adam Castler? I didn’t know he could reach to the companies in Japan. He used to work as a managing director for Dyeon America’s joint venture in Mexico.”

President Song smiled and corrected,

“Actually, Mr. Richard Amiel—Dyeon Japan’s president— introduced that company to Mr. Adam Castler. Japan is not far from our country geographically. I think it’s doable, even though the quantity of their order won’t be much.”

“Even though we start with a small order, it can connect us to another business deal later.”

“I totally agree with you, sir.”

“Okay, if anyone has anything further to add, we will end our today’s meeting here. Mr. General Affairs Director, please stay after the meeting. I have something I need to discuss with you.”

After all the other executives left the office, Gun-Ho and the general affairs director were in the office.

“Have you purchased the business membership for a golf country club and the condos under our company’s name?”

“We have purchased three condos, and we are still working on the business golf membership. The internal auditor is holding the approval request for that purchase.”

“He must have a reason for holding it without giving his approval.”

“President Song is saying that we need it to facilitate our sales work while the internal auditor insists that we have to pay off our short-term debt first. They are still debating on it.”

“Hmm.”

“I would say it seemed to have reached an impasse. Some say that we have to let you decide, and some say that since you are so busy running several companies, we shouldn’t give you another problem to solve.”

“The condos we have purchased will be used by our long-term employees as an award.”

“Understood, sir. I will prepare the approval request form.”

“You don’t have to wait for my approval. Once President Song signs the approval, you can carry it out.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How’s the wage negotiation going with the labor union?”

“The representatives of the company and the labor union have met. They will soon start the second negotiation.”

“I see. Keep up the good work.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea.

Director Yoon came to Gun-Ho’s office to give a report.

“We have hired two workers in the production field and one for the maintenance team. They already started working. Do you want to meet them, sir?”

“That wouldn’t be necessary. If you—Director Yoon with Director Kim approved the hire, it’s good enough with me.”

“And, we will need to purchase a freight truck.”

“A freight truck?”

“Yes. As we sell more and more products, it’s not efficient to use delivery service in sending our products to our client companies.”

“We will need a truck driver as well, right?”

“That’s right. We will need to form a distribution team anyway. We start with one freight truck for now, and buy the second and the third freight truck if we see necessary.”

“I don’t see Director Kim today. Where is he?”

“He went to Mandong Company. He seemed to have a meeting set up with Mandong Company’s executives of their purchasing department. He took our product samples and testing results. I guess he went there for his usual sales work.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Director Kim came back to Dyeon Korea when it was almost time to go home.

“Sir, I didn’t know you would be here today.”

“How did it go with Mandong Company?”

“Yes, I went there because I was told that they have a new protector product order to request.”

“It’s not about raw materials then. They will need custom-molded products then.”

“Right. So I had them in contact with GH Mobile’s President Song.”

“Did President Song want to take their product order?”

“He wants to outsource the work since the producing process is complex and the product quantity of their order is not much anyway. But he wants to sell to them under GH Mobile’s name.”

“How much did they order?”

“It’s about 20 million won per month. GH Mobile will ask YS Tech for the work.”

“YS Tech?”

“Yes, and YS Tech will use our raw materials in manufacturing those products.”

“I see. Do we have a company website now?”

“We are currently developing it. GH Media’s design team leader—Ms. Min-Sook Oh visited our factory the other day and took a full tour. She took a lot of pictures of our factory. She already sent the initial draft of the website design, and we are modifying it right now to add something missing.”

“Hmm. I see.”

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Chapter 337 - Book Café (1) – Part 2

Chapter 337: Book Café (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was in his car on the way home when he received a phone call from YS Tech’s president—Mr. Young-Sik Park.

“President Goo? It’s Young-Sik Park.”

Gun-Ho used to work at YS Tech in their accounting department years ago. However, the relationship between Gun-Ho and YS Tech’s president had been clearly reestablished. Gun-Ho was no longer YS Tech’s employee, but rather YS Tech was working for Gun-Ho’s company in producing some products for it. In this new relationship, YS Tech’s president showed his utmost respect for Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho didn’t forget how he made his seed money in the first place to accumulate his current wealth. The seed money was made when he was working for YS Tech. Gun-Ho always felt grateful for that opportunity and YS Tech’s president’s generosity in handling the aftermath. That was why Gun-Ho always tried to give YS Tech enough work, and he called YS Tech’s president as a brother to show his feeling of closeness and friendliness.

“Oh, brother. It’s good to hear from you. How are you?”

“We got another work from GH Mobile in manufacturing a protector for Mandong Company. I do appreciate it. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Don’t say it. It’s not me who decided to outsource the work, but President Song decided to give YS Tech the work.”

“If it was not for you, President Song wouldn’t have made such a decision. He knows you and I are close.”

“How’s YS Tech doing these days?”

“We are doing well. Thanks to you. We will be soon reaching 10 billion won for our monthly sales revenue. I feel so happy these days. Let’s have lunch or something.”

“Haha. Sure.”

Gun-Ho thought of those old days when he went to YS Tech for the first time in attending a job interview.

“At that time, I was working in a tiny company—Bangil Gas in Yangju City. I was extremely excited when I was informed of a job interview with YS Tech. I still remember the day when I received a call from the YS Tech’s accounting manager saying I was hired and asked me to bring the necessary documents to the company. It was one of the happiest days of my life. The accounting manager’s child must be four or five years old by now since she took a maternity leave when I was still there.”

Gun-Ho suddenly wanted to visit Bangil Gas.

“Are they still in business? Its owner and his wife were running the company together at that time. I’m not sure if they would still be there. I will stop by Bangil Gas tomorrow after my work in the morning. Yangju City is now conveniently connected to Pangyo and Guri City. I can take that road.”

The next day, Gun-Ho headed to Yangju City after a quick stop at work. It took him more than two hours to get there, but he felt so excited to see the place again where he used to work several years ago.

“Here is Uijeongbu City. I used to study computerized accounting in a private institution over there until late at night. I still see the institution’s business sign. I guess they are still offering classes. The courses were sponsored by the government at that time.”

Passing the Yanju City Hall, Gun-Ho headed to Baekseok Town.

“Oh, I see the sign to Gwangjeok Town.”

The OneRoom building which Gun-Ho had lived in was still there. It was a newly constructed building at that time. Now, the same building looked old and shabby.

“The convenience store is still there. I used to buy snacks and soju, and drank alone in my small room and cried a lot too. I was devastated. I still remember the feeling of hopelessness in those days.”

Gun-Ho’s eyes became filled with tears.

Gun-Ho stopped by Dongil Tech. He worked at their factory by washing plastic drums and crushing plastics. A significant number of drums were still accumulated there and forklift trucks were busily moving around while making a loud noise.

“I used to wash at least 150 of those plastic drums every day with toxic chemicals. Am I able to do the same work even now? I had to apply pain relief patches all over my body including my wrist and shoulders every single day. I wonder if Won-Chul Jo or Suk-Ho Lee have ever worked with that kind of job before. What about GH Mobile’s executives or Dyeon Korea’s executives? Has anyone of them ever done work like that before?”

Gun-Ho had mixed feelings.

He felt like he heard the voice of Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town.

‘Those hard days in your life shaped you today.’

Gun-Ho thought of going inside the factory for a second and then decided not to. He came back to Gwangjeok Town. Before heading to Bangil Gas, he purchased some cosmetic gift sets for women and men at a store around the township office. He then went to Bangil Gas.

When he arrived in the area where he thought Bangil Gas was located, he couldn’t see anything. Bangil Gas vanished.

“Here was a container office where I used to do the accounting work for them. It’s gone.”

When he saw local people who were working in a chili pepper farm, he asked them,

“What happened to Bangil Gas?”

“They closed their business. The owner is doing another business across the main street. He is running a hardware store there.”

“What’s the name of the hardware store?”

“It’s Eunhyeon Hardware. A dandy gentleman is looking for Bangil Gas. That’s interesting.”

Gun-Ho parked in front of Eunhyeon Hardware and looked inside the store. There was a lady on a chair and she was dozing off. Gun-Ho could recognize her. She was the Bangil Gas’ owner’s wife.

“She aged a lot.”

When Gun-Ho entered the store, the lady jumped out of her chair in surprise.

“How may I help you?”

She thought Gun-Ho was just a customer.

“Ma’am, how have you been?”

“Huh? Do I know you?”

The owner’s wife seemed not to recognize Gun-Ho.

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo. I used to work for Bangil Gas.”

The lady stared at Gun-Ho closely for a while before her eyes became widened.

“Oh, my gosh! Oh my goodness! Are you Goo Jooim?”

It had been so long since he heard that position title—Goo Jooim. He couldn’t help but smile.

The lady shouted toward the underground inside the store.

“Honey! Honey! Come quick!”

“What! Why are you fu*king yelling at me? I’m so busy here in repairing this crap!”

“Goo Jooim is here! Goo Jooim!”

“Who is Goo Jooim?”

The owner came out to the counter. He was wearing work gloves.

“Hello, sir.”

Gun-Ho said hi to the owner. The owner blinked his eyes slowly a few times while looking at Gun-Ho.

“Honey, you don’t recognize him? He is Goo Jooim, Goo Jooim!”

“Oh, Goo Jooim! Oh my, I almost didn’t recognize you. You look great. You must make some good money, huh? Where are you working now?”

“I was in the area and wanted to stop by to see you both. You both look healthy. I’m so glad to see you.”

“Did you move back to Incheon City? I remember you said your father was ill at that time and you had to move in with your parents in Incheon City.”

“I’m in another city now. It seems you close your Bangil Gas business.”

“Yeah, not many people buy gas these days so I decided to close it. We are barely making a living by running this hardware store now.”

“Are you two getting along these days?”

“This woman is still bothering me a lot. She is a major stressor.”

“Ha! It’s funny to hear that from you, Mr. Stressor. You should feel lucky to live with me. If it wasn’t me, you wouldn’t have a wife at all!”

“Haha, you haven’t changed a thing. Well, I brought you something. I purchased these at a store in Gwangjeok Town. I sometimes thought of you. You had been very kind to me.”

“Wow! These are expensive stuff. I’ve been living with this guy for thirty years now and I’ve never received a gift like this from this man. And you brought this expensive gift for us.”

“Haha. I hope you stay healthy and have a happy life together for a long time!”

Gun-Ho walked out of the store while waving his hand to them. He could hear them behind his back,

“Goo Jooim, thank you!”

“Thank you, Goo Jooim!”

While driving back home, Gun-Ho felt great.

“They are good people, even though they argue with each other too often.”

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Chapter 338 - Book Café (2) – Part 1

Chapter 338: Book Café (2) – Part 1

Newspapers covered the Chinese young artists’ avant-garde art exhibition to be held in Korea. The three major newspapers: Chosun, Joongang, and Donga Ilbo were making an issue out of the exhibition, as well as other daily newspapers, and economic and local newspapers.

[Korea’s art lovers will have a chance to meet the great artworks of the Chinese young avant-garde artists who are currently receiving a lot of attention worldwide. Their art exhibition will be held at GH Gallery in Sinsa Town, Gangnam District from September 10 for the two weeks of the period. Their artworks have been highly recognized for their experimental spirits and artistic values.]

Newspapers posted an art critic’s comments along with one of the artworks which would be presented in the upcoming art exhibition. The painting on the newspaper looked strange to Gun-Ho. The newspaper said that the specific painting depicted the historical incident of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests figuratively.

Gun-Ho made a phone call to GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“I just read about the art exhibition in a newspaper. They were making an issue out of it.”

“I’m actually expecting to see another news article about the art exhibition once again during the exhibition.”

“Really?”

“Art critics or journalists in the art field will possibly talk about it after they see the paintings themselves.”

“If you need more hands in getting the artworks, just let me know. I can send the workers from GH Mobile.”

“That’s okay, sir. The art gallery which I used to work for offered me help.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“The book café will open the door tomorrow as we are done with displaying books today. We also installed a coffee machine. If you have time, please visit us there.”

“Haha. Of course. I will be there tomorrow.”

The following day, Gun-Ho went to Seoul to visit the book café in his building. He went to the rooftop with Director Kang. There were already customers in the book café. Some of them were smoking a cigarette and some of them were having a cup of coffee. They seemed to be the workers of the companies in the building.

“Haha. How did these people learn about the opening of the book café?”

“We placed some advertisements for the book café in the building elevators. I guess that’s how these workers of the building found out and came to check out the place. Also, the rooftop is a good area for smoking.”

“Really? I didn’t notice any flyer in the elevator when I took it on the way here. I guess I didn’t pay enough attention to notice it. I was preoccupied with another thought. Oh, my gosh. It seems there are more females than males who smoke here.”

“I guess people will not toss the cigarette butts on the ground any longer.”

Gun-Ho and Director Kang entered the book café. Director Kang asked for the female worker.

“This is the president.”

The lady gave a bow to Gun-Ho, but she didn’t lift her head after the bow. She acted as if she was guilty of something.

‘I think this lady is the one who is living with Jae-Sik Moon. She doesn’t even want to make eye contact with me.’

Gun-Ho thought that she was just a shy person, and he wanted to make her feel at ease.

“This could be a hard work. If you encounter any difficulty while you are working here, please don’t hesitate to let Director Kang know.”

“Thank you.”

The lady responded while still lowering her head.

At that moment, Director Kang said loudly while looking down on the rooftop.

“Huh? The workers just arrived to hang the banner.”

“What banner?”

“We are hanging a banner for the art exhibition for the Chinese young avant-garde artists. It’s huge. President Shin wrote the wording. They will also hang a banner for the book café.”

“Really?”

“I will have to get down to check it out.”

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office when he saw the banner hanging. The enormous banner was refreshing and neat. He could hear people talking about,

“GH Gallery? They open an art gallery here. I guess I can spend some spare time here during lunchtime. That would be really nice.”

“Oh, this is the gallery where the avant-garde art exhibition will be held.”

Gun-Ho felt good. Many people seemed to be interested in the art exhibition that would be held in his building.

When Gun-Ho was standing near the window while looking out of the window with a smile, he received a call. The life seemed to make a balance by giving Gun-Ho bad news when he was enjoying good news.

“Sir, this is GH Mobile’s general affairs director.”

“Mr. General Affairs Director? What’s the matter?”

“I think you should come to Jiksan Town quickly, sir.”

“Me? Why? What happened?”

“The third attempt of the wage negotiation with the labor union has fallen through, and the workers started sitting in.”

“You have President Song and other executives there, who could handle the situation.”

“The workers are demanding to talk with the company owner. If this sit-in escalates into a work strike in the factory, it could be a big problem.”

“What do they want?”

“They are saying that their wages were frozen during the court receivership for three years, and they want their wages to be raised retroactively.”

“That’s all they want?”

“They want a 16.5% increase for the current raise.”

“Okay. I am on my way.”

When Gun-Ho was in a hurry, walking out of the office, Director Kang followed him quickly.

“What’s going on, sir?”

“We will possibly be facing a strike at the factory in Jiksan Town.”

“Dumb as*es! There must be people there who have a hidden agenda and who are connected to some external influences. You will need to find them and have them arrested.”

Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

The general affairs director was waiting for Gun-Ho at the entrance.

“They congregated in the main auditorium. They said they won’t move even an inch until they see you, sir.”

When Gun-Ho approached close to the building entrance door, he could hear loud noises from the main auditorium. He could hear rallying cry and loud singing of some labor songs.

The internal auditor ran towards Gun-Ho when he saw him.

“We can call the police for this.”

“Don’t call the police. Where is President Song?”

“He is caught at the auditorium.”

Once Gun-Ho entered the main auditorium, all the noises were stopped at once for a second.

“He is here!”

“President Goo is here!”

“The owner president is here.”

Gun-Ho sat on the platform seating facing the workers. The people were wearing red headbands across their foreheads. It said ‘Fight.’ Gun-Ho wondered where they bought those hideous headbands. President Song walked up to the platform and sat next to Gun-Ho. He looked exhausted.

Gun-Ho grabbed the microphone.

“I came here as soon as I heard about the negotiation. I was in Seoul attending an event. I’m sorry that I came late. I am the major shareholder of GH Mobile, but President Jang-Hwan Song here runs the company on a daily basis. If there is a problem, we should resolve it by talking to each other. This is not the right way to find a solution.”

The leader of the labor union grabbed his microphone.

“President Jang-Hwan Song doesn’t seem to have enough power since he refused to accept our demands. We want to talk with the owner president.”

People started shouting ‘That’s right!’ in the background.

“I can accept any demand that President Song agreed to accept, and I cannot accept any demand that he refused to accept. But since I’m here, let me hear you out. Mr. General Affairs Director, please write down their demands.”

The members of the labor union started listing what they wanted. They were making endless demands from A to Z. Many of the demands didn’t even make any sense. They were simply asking too much.

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Chapter 339 - Book Café (2) – Part 2

Chapter 339: Book Café (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho finally grabbed the microphone again in an effort to end the nonsense demands.

“This company could survive the court receivership because of your hard work. I do recognize the hard work of every single one of you and I deeply appreciate it. However, if the company raises your salary retroactively for the period of the court receivership where the salary raise was frozen, the rate of increase in total will be more than 30%. It is true that our company’s sales revenue has recently increased a lot since our new co-president—President Song brought in new product orders. But, if we increase your salary by 30%, we will fall into a financial crisis again and will have to start the court receivership once again.”

The labor union’s leader grabbed his microphone to respond,

“The pay gap between us and the workers in our competitor companies is 30% already.”

“If the sales revenue is on the rise by 30%, I can raise your salary by 30%. However, our rate of sales revenue increase is less than 10% right now. I can’t increase your salary more than we make, but I will adjust your salary according to our sales revenue’s growth. Also, I’ve been discussing with President Song and our internal auditor earlier that maybe we should distribute the company shares to our employees.”

“Our company’s shares?”

The member of the labor union started talking noisily.

Gun-Ho continued to talk,

“Our company has been experiencing the growth in the sales work and productivity. If we continue to do so, we are expecting to successfully go public. Right before we go public, we are thinking of distributing the company shares to our workers according to the number of years you have been working with us. The main reason that President Song joined us in the first place was to help our company to go public. He is the expert in that field.”

A member of the labor union grabbed the microphone.

“A company’s stock can become worthless. Owning a company’s stock can’t guarantee anything.”

“Making the company’s shares worthless or valuable is up to you. It’s not me who decides the value of the company. If we continue to grow and increase our productivity and sales revenue, then the value of our company’s shares will increase accordingly. Otherwise, it could become worthless as you just said.”

Silence filled the air for a moment.

Gun-Ho continued to talk,

“We say, ‘look before you leap.’ Our company just got out of the court receivership. It is clearly too much to ask such a company to raise your wage by 30%. I’m sure that some of you agree with me. For this year, I can apply the minimum required increase rate of the salary. The company will gradually compensate for your work according to the growth rate of the company. If the company is doing well, its stock value will increase as well, and that will help with your family’s financial situation dramatically. I hope we all do good work together in growing our company.”

Gun-Ho stepped down from the platform and offered his hand to the labor union’s members for a handshake. Some grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand and some refused to do so.

The leader of the labor union took the microphone and asked the company’s representatives to leave the room.

“We will need to discuss it in private. Please give us a moment.”

Gun-Ho, President Song and other executives walked out of the auditorium. On the way out, President Song said to Gun-Ho in a low voice,

“That was a nice speech. There is a requirement when a company goes public anyway. The company shares need to be dispersed among minority shareholders.”

“What percentage is legally required?”

“It’s 30%. If the shares are to be dispersed among more than 500 minority shareholders, then it would be 10%.”

“Hmm. I guess we will have to grow our company with more than 500 workers then. A lot of work to do until then.”

Gun-Ho grinned at President Song.

“Why don’t we all go to my office and have a cup of coffee?”

The executives congregated in Gun-Ho’s office.

“Do you think they will take your offer, sir?”

“I’m not sure. I guess they have some members who are more radical than the others, and some must be soft. They are probably vigorously debating right now. Are there any external influences on them?”

“I haven’t noticed any yet.”

“Mr. General Affairs Director, ask one of your workers in your team to go to the auditorium and see if he can find out anything.”

“Yes, sir.”

The general affairs director came back to the office after a while and said,

“One of my staff went to the auditorium. He said they are fiercely arguing with each other right now.”

“That means there are some members of the labor union who want to end the sit-in and take my offer. This can be considered as the fourth attempt of the wage negotiation. They must be very tired. You all must be extremely exhausted as well.”

“We haven’t achieved anything though. We should have reached an agreement with them already without requesting your presence, sir.”

“If we reach an agreement today, why don’t you all go to Onyang City and take a good rest and release the tension by taking a sauna there?”

The staff from the general affairs department came into the office and said,

“The labor union wants to talk with President Goo.”

“Let’s all go in there together.”

Once Gun-Ho entered the main auditorium, he said with a smile,

“Did you take enough time to think about my offer?”

“We all agreed that it was too much for us to ask to retroactively raise our salary by taking into account the court receivership period when the salary was frozen.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“We want to make sure on one thing though before we agree to the minimum increase in our salary for this year. If our company achieves more growth in the sales revenue in the future than the minimum salary increase rate that is required by the government, will you increase our salary more than the minimum rate required by the government?”

“Of course.”

“Please note that we will record your response, sir.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“What percentage of the company shares are you contemplating to distribute to the employees?”

“I will distribute the maximum number of company shares that the registration regulation with KOSDAQ allows. However, we are not going to distribute the shares equally among the workers. We will have to consider each worker’s level of contribution to the company, which is greatly different between the workers who have been with us for several years and the one who just joined us. That will be the major factor that we take into account in determining the number of company shares to distribute among the employees.”

“What about the job positions? For example, are you giving 100 to the manager and 50 to the assistant manager?”

“We won’t make any difference according to the job positions.”

“Okay. We will sign the agreement then.”

Gun-Ho stood up from the seat and extended his hand to the executives of the labor union. He also tapped their backs.

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Chapter 340 - Matchmaking (1) – Part 1

Chapter 340: Matchmaking (1) – Part 1

The next morning, Gun-Ho asked for President Song privately.

“I want to discuss further on the requirement of the company’s shares dispersion in order to go public.

“We currently have less than 500 employees. So, with our company’s current state, the required percentage on the stock dispersion is 30% which will result in a reduction of the major shareholder’s cut.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, if we try too hard to fulfill the 30% of the distribution requirement to our current employees of 260, forfeited shares could occur.”

“That makes sense. Some workers might not have enough money to acquire his or her rightful shares, and they could fail to meet the purchase requirement. Their shares will be forfeited then.”

“That’s right. The ideal scenario is that we grow this company to accommodate more than 500 employees before we register with KOSDAQ. That way, we are required to distribute only 10%.”

Pursuant to the KOSDAQ registration prerequisite, an applicant company must distribute 10% of the company shares if the company had more than 500 employees. Otherwise, 30% of the distribution was required.

“It wouldn’t be a very preferable situation for the employees either.”

“That’s right.”

“We narrowed our options down to two then. We either grow GH Mobile to hire 250 more workers, or we acquire or merge with another company that has 250 workers.”

“It seems like it, sir. The stock brokerage company that will help us register with KOSDAQ can also help us during our stock distribution stage. However, the most desirable way to handle the requirement is to distribute the required portion of our stock to our own employees.”

“I see. President Song, so your job will be to grow this company large enough to have more than 500 employees until we are ready to go public. Or, you can find a good company we can merge with.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho asked for the internal auditor.

“Mr. Internal Auditor, from now on, cease your effort in paying for our company’s debt until you hear further notice from me.”

“What do you mean by stop paying for our debt?”

“We already paid off most of our bad debts. So, now, we focus on accumulating our payments from our clients in the company’s bank account.”

“We need to continue to pay for our debts as we get our payments from our clients, so we can reduce the interest on the debts. We still have so many debts.”

“Even though we have to pay for the interest, leave our revenue in the bank account for a while. If we can’t get our company ready to fulfill the initial share distribution requirement until the time we need to register with KOSDAQ, we will probably have to make an M&A of a company that is in the same field as us. If that happens, we have to be loaded with enough funds to make it work.”

The internal auditor had been in the financial field for a long time. He quickly understood what Gun-Ho intended to do.

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho visited Dyeon Korea that afternoon.

Dyeon Korea was doing well. Its sales revenue was gradually increasing along with its production. When Director Kim and Director Yoon heard that Gun-Ho was in his office, they went to the president’s office

“The machine no. 3 and no. 4 are actively manufacturing our products. We requested Mr. Adam Castler to make a request to Dyeon America to ship the machine no. 5 and no. 6 to us.”

“Machine no. 7 and no. 8 are the last machines that Dyeon America is supposed to provide?”

“Yes, sir. Eight machines are their investment-in-kind into this joint venture. If we need more equipment later, we will have to pay for them.”

“If we place all of those eight machines in place and make them 100% productive, what would be the maximum sales revenue we could possibly generate?”

“Well, I would say about 400 billion won.”

“With the first six machines, our entire production will cover the national demand. Once we get more machines and started producing more, we will have to expand our market to Southeast Asia.”

“I see. As to the hiring of workers who are not at a management level, you don’t have to inform me. Just discuss with Mr. Adam Castler before you hire them.”

“Understood, sir.”

After Director Kim and Director Yoon left Gun-Ho’s office, Mr. Adam Castler came in with the interpreter—Mr. Lee.

“The three engineers who had been sent by Dyeon America are going back to Seattle next week.”

“Time flies, huh?”

“They were supposed to stay with us for three months, but they have been here for more than three months now.”

“I do appreciate their work and dedication here.”

“They are grateful for the tour in Seoul, provided by the general affairs team’s manager the other day. They were very happy when they visited Gyeongbug Palace and Namsan Tower last time.”

“Haha. I’m so glad to hear that.”

“I have one more favor to ask of you.”

“Please feel free to speak.”

“I want to take them to dinner like a farewell dinner.”

“Of course, we can do that.”

“I’d like to take them to a traditional Korean restaurant where they can experience traditional Korean culture and food, rather than a modernized expensive restaurant or a Korean bar.”

“I will have someone to find one like that in this area—Asan City, Cheonan.”

“I actually talked with President Richard Amiel from Dyeon Japan before I came to your office. He said there is a very special place around here, where he was so impressed the last time he went there. He said you know the place, President Goo.”

“Do I?”

“He said that we can listen to a person playing a traditional musical instrument called Gayageum while we eat. It’s in Seoul.”

“Oh, I think he is talking about the bar/restaurant in Hannam Town.”

“That sounds right. That’s it.”

“Well, that restaurant is pretty expensive. I can introduce you to that place though if we pay for the dinner there with this joint venture’s funds.”

“Sure. We can pay for the dinner as the joint venture’s business expense.”

“Okay, then.”

“Their flight is scheduled for next Monday. Can we go there this coming Saturday?”

“Sounds good.”

“Why don’t you make a reservation for us? I hope you could come with us, sir.”

Gun-Ho asked for the accounting team’s manager. She used to work at GH Mobile as an assistant manager, and she had been reallocated to Dyeon Korea with a position promotion.

“You have our company’s business credit card, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do, sir.”

“Give it to Mr. Adam Castler on Friday evening. He will need it to treat our guests.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho then made a phone call to Ms. Jang in Hannam Town.

“Oh, my. President Goo, it has been a while since the last time I heard your voice.”

“I’ve been in another city to establish a joint venture company. I couldn’t often go to Seoul.”

“I’ve been hoping for you to come to my bar since our bar’s interior has been redecorated. I’ve read about GH Gallery’s art exhibition in a newspaper. I was wondering if GH is the GH I knew, and I was right; the art gallery is located in your building in Sinsa Town.”

“Oh, you learned about our art exhibition in a newspaper.”

“I thought you were just in the manufacturing industry. I didn’t know you were interested in art as well. You are a very interesting man, President Goo. Haha.”

“Would you make a reservation for six people for this Saturday? Four of them are Americans. I want to show them the beauty of Korea.”

“Understood. Haha.”

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Chapter 341 - Matchmaking (1) – Part 2

Chapter 341: Matchmaking (1) – Part 2

Saturday came around.

Gun-Ho had Dyeon Korea rent a van to accommodate six people—Gun-Ho, Mr. Interpreter Lee, Mr. Adam Castler and three American engineers. The van came with a chauffeur.

Before heading to Hannam Town, Gun-Ho showed them around Insan Town and Bukchon Hanok Village. They arrived at the Pine in Hannam Town in the evening. They parked the rental car at a paid parking lot near Soonchunhyang Hospital and walked to the Pine.

“Mr. Chauffeur, we will come back by 9 pm. Please take this. I want to pay for your dinner. You will find plenty of restaurants in this area.”

“Thank you, sir. This is more than a dinner’s cost. I appreciate it.”

When Gun-Ho brought the Americans and the interpreter to the Pine, the interpreter looked perplexed. The Pine looked like a residential house without a business sign. A moment later, the bouncers poured out to the front entrance door.

“Big brother, welcome to the Pine. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Oh, Tae-Young Im! How have you been?”

“The little brother didn’t come with you today, did he?”

“The little brother? Oh, are you talking about Jong-Suk Park? He has some work he needs to take care of, so he couldn’t make it today.”

“I will show you inside.”

The Pine had its interior completely redone. It looked neat and elegant. The inside was decorated in a traditional Korean style. The American engineers were busy taking pictures.

“Oh, my. President Goo. It has been a while. It’s really good to see you again.”

Ms. Jang came out to greet Gun-Ho’s party. She was wearing a gorgeous traditional Korean dress.

“We decorated a room for our foreign guests. Please come with me. Our previous Korean-style heated floor is not very comfortable for foreigners.”

The room that Ms. Jang took them to looked similar to the room Gun-Ho used to have dinner with Chairman Lee before, with an embroidered folding screen. They just lowered the seating area so people could sit like they were sitting at a standard-height table. Gun-Ho used to sit on the floor with the previous setting. Mr. Adam Castler showed his interest in every decoration and furniture in the room, such as the embroidered folding screen, a chest inlaid with mother-of-pearl, a white porcelain vase, etc. He closely looked at them, and he pointed at a candlestick and wondered what it was for.

The interpreter used to work as a manager in a large company before his retirement, and he also worked as a managing director of a branch office abroad. But it seemed that he hadn’t had a chance to come to a place like this. The interpreter asked,

“Sir, you seem to come here pretty often.”

“Not very often though.”

The food started coming out.

The ladies in a traditional Korean dress brought a large floor table and started bringing food. The American engineers became once again busy taking pictures of the exotic Korean food. They looked neat and delicious.

“Good!”

Mr. Adam Castler exclaimed over the good taste of the food. He tried Bulgogi* and Sooyook*. After having a few glasses of Korean traditional liquor, the ladies with Geomumgo* came into the room and started playing it. Mr. Adam Castler closed his eyes and enjoyed the music.

After they finished playing the Geomumgo, other pretty ladies in a traditional Korean dress came into the room and started serving the food. Surprisingly, these ladies spoke English very well. Mr. Adam Castler and the three American engineers seemed to be extremely satisfied with the service and the music.

After the meal, a dessert was served. Nectar and fruits were served. While they were enjoying the dessert, Ms. Jang entered the room and sat next to Mr. Adam Castler.

Gun-Ho introduced her to Mr. Adam Castler.

“This is the owner of this bar/restaurant.”

Once the interpreter interpreted what Gun-Ho said for Adam Castler, Adam Castler grabbed Ms. Jang’s hand and shook it.

Ms. Jang said,

“This gentleman has very nice sideburns.”

When the interpreter interpreted for Adam Caslter, Adam Castler grabbed Ms. Jang’s hand again and shook it one more time.

“Ms. Jang, this gentleman will pay for our dinner here. He is the one who you need to focus on tonight.”

Ms. Jang put a piece of fruit into Ms. Adam Castler’s mouth.

Ms. Jang came close to Gun-Ho.

“President Goo, please fill up my glass with liquor for me.”

“Oh, are you sure, Ms. Jang?”

Gun-Ho filled up a glass with traditional Korean liquor and handed it to Ms. Jang.

After finishing it, Ms. Jang gave the empty glass back to Gun-Ho, and she said,

“President Goo, do you mind if I introduce a nice girl to you?”

“Do you have someone in your mind?”

“You know of an actress named Mi-Lyeong Lee, don’t you?”

“Oh, I think I know of her. She usually takes the role of a mother in a soap opera these days.”

“She is a friend of mine. We used to have a scene together in a movie and TV series before. She is still acting, and she has a pretty large social network. When I talked to her about you the other day, President Goo, she wanted to introduce someone to you.”

“Really? I appreciate it. Let me fill up your glass again.”

Gun-Ho filled up Ms. Jang’s glass with liquor again to show his acceptance of her offer.

Adam Caslter and other American engineers seemed to be highly satisfied with the food and service that night. They were humming while they were walking out of the bar.

“Boss! This is the best day of our entire stay in Korea!”

The American engineers called Gun-Ho as their boss. They raised their thumb. Mr. Adam Castler paid for the dinner including the services provided by the ladies, with the company credit card.

When they walked out to the restaurant’s yard, Gun-Ho felt the fresh air on his face.

One of the American engineers wanted to go to a men’s room before leaving the restaurant. Gun-Ho sat under the maple tree in the yard while waiting for him. At that moment, Tae-Young Im came to Gun-Ho.

“Big brother, do you by any chance hire a chauffeur for you? I’ve noticed that you drive your own car. Egnopak’s president’s son is younger than you, but he has his own chauffeur.”

“Do you have someone you want to recommend?”

“I actually do. He is a few years younger than me. He has a firm body, and he can speak English too. He was a junior to me when we were in the college of physical education in Yongin City.”

“Really?”

“Hey, Chan-Ho, come here!”

A bouncer came and gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho.

“I’m Chan-Ho Eom.”

Tae-Young Im introduced Chan-Ho Eom to Gun-Ho,

“This is the man whom I was talking to you about. He has a three-degree black belt in Taekwondo and four-degree in Judo. You don’t have to hire him directly, but I can send him to you for the chauffeur work from my security staffing company.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Chan-Ho Eom for a handshake.

“The thing is that I am not in Seoul these days. I stay most of the time in a provincial city, but when I move back to Seoul, I will contact you. I think I like you.”

“Thank you, big brother.”

Once the American engineer came back from the men’s room, Gun-Ho’s party began to walk toward the parking lot. Tae-Young Im followed Gun-Ho.

“You seemed to have drunk a lot tonight. I will drive you to your house.”

“No, it’s okay. I rented a car since I have guests here with me. Did you say the man’s name is Chan-Ho Eom?”

“Yes, big brother.”

“Hmm. I will remember his name.”

Gun-Ho waved his hand to Tae-Young Im before leaving.

Note*

Bulgogi – Grilled beef which was marinated with all sorts of vegetables and soy sauce

Sooyook – Boiled pork meat

Geomumgo – A traditional musical instrument of Korea

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Chapter 342 - Matchmaking (2) – Part 1

Chapter 342: Matchmaking (2) – Part 1

Dyeon Korea received machines no. 5 and no. 6 from Dyeon America as part of their investment-in-kind.

Its website was almost completed, and as they posted a bold advertisement in an economic newspaper and monthly magazine of Plastic Korea, the potential buyers started learning about Dyeon Korea.

“Did you know that? Lymondell Dyeon’s products can be purchased through this company. They are the joint venture company with Lymondell Dyeon, not its distribution center. They are actually producing the raw materials in their location.”

The companies in the manufacturing industry, which used plastics and synthetic rubbers in producing their products, started realizing their options in purchasing Lymondell Dyeon’s raw materials in Korea.

Gun-Ho was walking around the office area in Dyeon Korea to see if the workers were doing good when he heard some workers talking over the phone.

“I beg your pardon? Oh, you are asking about our location? We are located in Yeongin Town, Asan City. If you can, just follow the direction shown on our website. Of course. Do not enter the downtown of Asan City, but you need to make a left turn.”

Gun-Ho thought that the company needed a mid-level manager who could support Director Kim in the sales department.

Gun-Ho asked for Director Kim.

“Director Kim, you often work away from your office, and it seems that we now started receiving phone calls inquiring about our products, and they also visit our office. I think we need someone who can deal with those potential buyers in the office. What do you think about hinging a mid-level manager?”

“I think it’s a good idea, sir. But is it okay if I can find someone within the company rather than hiring someone from outside?”

“Do you have someone in your mind?”

“We are selling highly specialized products to certain clients in the specialized industry. The sales work of our company is very different from other companies’ general sales work. We need someone who is knowledgeable in chemicals, raw materials, and custom-molded products. We need someone who has the people skills with technical expertise, so he can explain our products effectively to our clients, and who can also give technical advice to our potential buyers.”

“I see your point.”

“I am actually thinking of our production team’s assistant manager—Il-Gi Seong.”

“Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong who received the training from Dyeon America in the U.S.?”

“Yes, sir. He is surely highly knowledgeable in our products, and he seems to be getting along with people too.”

“We just added additional machines of no. 5 and no. 6 to the production field. If we send the production team’s assistant manager to the sales department, wouldn’t it cause a labor shortage in the production team? I’m sure Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong is playing an important role in that team. Moreover, the three American engineers just returned to their country.”

“The production team recently hired two experienced workers. They should be good without Mr. Il-Gi Seong. They have Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo who also received the same training from Dyeon America, and he can cover the highly technical part. Also, Manager Yoo is planning to hire additional workers in the near future.”

“I see. I will talk to Director Yoon about moving Assistant Manager Seong to the sales department.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho then asked Director Kim,

“How much annual revenue do you think we would make this year?”

“After we began to operate machines no. 5 and no. 6, we produced about 20 tons per day. I believe we would generate 30 billion won per year.”

“Once we add two more machines later—machines no. 7 and no. 8—then we will make a bit more annually, huh?”

“If we add those two machines and work overnight, we will be able to generate 60 billion won yearly.”

“It seems that running a factory that produces raw materials is more lucrative than running the factory that manufactures products using those raw materials.”

“That’s true. That’s why Egnopak’s president wanted so desperately run a raw material producing factory. He wanted to start a joint venture, but that didn’t work out for him because he was too greedy to have a business partner.”

“Does Egnopak still maintain the same low quantity of their product order from our company, worth 10 million won?”

“They increased it to 30 million won. I don’t think they can resist buying more raw materials from us because it’s a lot cheaper than the Germany products—BASF—or U.S. products— Monsanto.”

“Do you think they will keep increasing the volume of their product order from us?”

“Egnopak’s president is a very greedy man, but he is still a businessman who is quick at calculating his gains and losses. He will have to buy more and more raw materials from our company because of our good price.”

After Director Kim left Gun-Ho’s office, Director Yoon and the production team’s manager—Manager Yoo—came into his office.

“We have something to discuss with you, sir.”

“What is it?”

“We now have two additional machines—no. 5 and no. 6. We need more workers in the production team.”

“How many additional workers do you need?”

“I think four more workers will do.”

“We will soon receive two more machines—no. 7 and no. 8—right?”

“We will need six workers then.”

“I’ve heard the overnight work is required to fulfill our current production demand.”

“That… then… we will need twelve more workers.”

“The production team is currently composed of Manager Yoo, Assistant Manager Seong, and two new workers, right?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Let’s hire ten more people with five experienced workers and five workers without requiring any work experience. They all need to be majoring in engineering in college though. In the job posting, say that we prefer someone who can speak English.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, send Assistant Manager Seong to the sales department.”

“Pardon me, sir? To the sales team?”

“Yes. The sales team needs someone who can support Director Kim.”

“Okay, sir.”

“When you hire new people, don’t forget to get Mr. Adam Castler’s approval. He wouldn’t reject our suggestion, but we need his official approval because we are a joint venture company.”

“Of course, sir. I will make sure of that.”

“Does Mr. Adam Castler send a weekly report to Dyeon America regularly?”

“Yes, he does. I had a chance to look at it the other day. He did a meticulous job there; especially, he recorded our sales revenue and expenses accurately.”

“Since the three American engineers went back to the U.S., the interpreter must be the only person who Mr. Castler can comfortably talk with in English. Go to him sometimes and talk with him, and don’t let him feel isolated within the company.”

“Director Kim speaks English a bit, and I can speak English too. We talk with him sometimes. Also, the secretary—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee—speaks English very well. She is getting along very well with Mr. Adam Castler. They are like a chatting buddy. You know what, sir? Mr. Adam Castler is seeing the English teacher from Hoseo University, who comes here to teach English every morning.”

“Is he dating the English instructor?”

“Yes. I guess you didn’t know, huh? Many employees saw them dating downtown in Asan City.”

“Haha, really?”

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Chapter 343 - Matchmaking (2) – Part 2

Chapter 343: Matchmaking (2) – Part 2

After Director Yoon and Manager Yoo left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho thought of Mr. Adam Castler.

“It seems that Mr. Adam Castler found his way to be happy in Korea since he is dating the native English speaker teacher.”

Thinking of Mr. Adam Castler’s love life reminded Gun-Ho of Seol-Bing.

“Seol-Bing… She seems a bit snooty and cold, but she is truly gorgeous. She has charisma as a top star, and she has good manners. I want to make her my woman. Many wealthy families are probably interested in bringing her into their family by marriage.”

While thinking of Seol-Bing, Gun-Ho looked at his calendar.

“Oh, I’m supposed to meet Seol-Bing the day after tomorrow. I gave her this date and didn’t actually get her confirmation. She said she would be in Japan that day since she has to attend an award ceremony or something of the Japanese broadcasting station—NHK.”

Gun-Ho asked for his secretary—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee.

“This is the phone number of the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo. Since you speak English very well, can you make a reservation for their small meeting room called Gekkyu? I need the room from 6 for four hours in the evening.”

“So you want to reserve a meeting room, not a hotel guest room. Am I correct, sir?”

“Yes, I will have a meeting there.”

Gun-Ho made a reservation for a flight to Tokyo by himself through the Internet. The flights to Tokyo were mostly full, but most airlines usually had a few available seats in the first class. So Gun-Ho could easily purchase a flight ticket to Tokyo.

The small meeting room in the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo—Gekkyu—was reserved for Gun-Ho for four hours. The room was large enough to accommodate ten to fifteen people. The meeting room was usually used for a business meeting with the executive officers of a large company or for a meeting between two wealthy families before their children’s marriage.

The rental price for the room was the same amount as the price of the meals for ten people. It was expensive, but Gun-Ho couldn’t think of any other good place for a meeting with Seol-Bing—a top star—since she was reluctant to be seen by the public for her private affair.

Gun-Ho waited for Seol-Bing in Gekkyu, but she didn’t show up.

“I told her to come to meet me at 6 pm.”

Gun-Ho constantly checked his watch. It was after 7 pm already, but Seol-Bing didn’t come.

Gun-Ho ordered a glass of wine for himself. When he was having his second glass of wine, he received a text message.

[I am caught up in a party right now. The party will not end until 9 pm. I think we need to reschedule our meeting. I’m sorry about it.]

Gun-Ho replied to her right away.

[I will be here until 9 pm. Well, I will be here waiting for you until tomorrow morning.]

Gun-Ho told the waiter that he wanted to extend his room reservation for an additional two hours.

Gun-Ho spent his time walking around the hotel’s garden and lobby until 9 pm. He was sitting on a chair feeling exhausted when he felt like someone was standing behind him. It was Seol-Bing.

“I’m sorry that I came late.”

Seol-Bing was not wearing her dark sunglasses that night. She was wearing a sky-blue dress. Her face was wreathed in smiles.

“I was going to wait for you until tomorrow morning. Seriously…”

Seol-Bing sat at the table with a smile.

“Did you eat? I’ve already had my dinner.”

“Please have a bit more for me.”

Gun-Ho asked for the waiter and placed an order for dinner for two with wine.

“The Minister of Education and President of NHK was there at the party. I couldn’t just leave before the party was over. I could only get out of there once they left the party.”

“You must be a very happy woman since you have a man who is willing to wait for you for three hours.”

Seol-Bing laughed. Seol-Bing’s face blushed a bit. She probably had a few glasses of liquor at the party already.

“Where are you staying?”

“I’m staying at the Shinjuku Prince Hotel. All my staff is staying there too.”

The food came out.

Gun-Ho was hungry, and he quickly started putting the food into his mouth while Seol-Bing took a few deep-fried shrimps. She didn’t touch any other food.

“Let’s have some wine.”

“Okay.”

Seol-Bing took a few sips of wine just like the last time she was there.

“Ms. Seol-Bing. Why don’t you get married?”

“I think you need to get married too, President Goo.”

“I have someone who I’m waiting for.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. I’ve waited for her for three hours today.”

Seol-Bing laughed brightly and took another sip of wine. Gun-Ho filled up Seol-Bing’s glass with wine.

“To be honest with you, I’m not sure if I’m good enough for you. You are a top star, and I’m sure that many wealthy families have already approached you to arrange a marriage.”

“Yes, there have been some.”

“I think I read a rumor on the Internet about something like that.”

“You mean my relationship with the son of E Group’s owner president? It’s just a novel written by some journalists.”

“Many journalists are not very trustworthy these days.”

“Actually, E Group’s president’s wife was interested in me in arranging a marriage with her son. But, her son is not my type. He has a square face and a huge belly.”

“But he is enormously rich.”

“I do have money too. Also, E Group’s president’s wife doesn’t seem to be a very nice person. I would possibly be suffocated once I join her family.”

“Hmm. You think so?”

“Let’s drop that subject. It’s no fun.”

“Has anyone else tried to introduce you to someone else? Like the newspaper publisher—Chosun Ilbo—or Korean Air?”

Seol-Bing drank her wine while laughing.

“You are an unexpectedly funny man, President Goo. I like that. Someone actually asked me to meet someone a few days ago.”

“Really?”

“I’m the main character in a TV series called Shade of Desire. There is this actress named Mi-Lyeong Lee who plays a mother in the soap opera. She wants to introduce someone to me. She is famous for matchmaking in the entertainment field.”

“Mi-Lyeong Lee? I think I heard of that name from somewhere… Where did I hear that name?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t recall where he heard of that name.

“She said that the man she wants to introduce to me is somewhat wealthy. He doesn’t have a wealthy family background, but he has a building in Gangnam District, and he is running several companies. According to her, that man is a self-made successful man.”

“He must be old.”

“He is 36 years old.”

“Same age as me.”

“She wants me to meet him because he is good-looking, and he is very nice. He had experienced difficulties in life when he was younger, so he is a very understanding person, she said.”

“Hmm.”

“She actually gave me his name. His name is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Huh?”

Gun-Ho now remembered where he heard of that name—Mi-Lyeong Lee. Ms. Jang from the bar in Hannam Town mentioned her name to Gun-Ho.

“But I refused her offer to introduce that man to me. I told her that I am seeing someone else.”

“Are… you seeing someone?”

“Yes. I’m seeing the person in front of me.”

Gun-Ho grabbed Seol-Bing’s hand. He then kneeled on the floor.

“Ms. Seol-Bing, I will make you happy. I will protect you for the rest of my life.”

Seol-Bing pulled her hand out slowly and said,

“I heard that the New Otani Hotel has a beautiful garden. Let’s take a walk there.”

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Chapter 344 - Matchmaking (3) – Part 1

Chapter 344: Matchmaking (3) – Part 1

The New Otani Hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo was famous for its 400-year-old garden. Gun-Ho and Seol-Bing were looking down at the koi pond from a bridge in the garden. It was night but because of the street light, they could easily see koi fish swimming there.

“This is indeed a beautiful garden.”

“Let’s go over there.”

Gun-Ho held Seol-Bing’s hand. He was not sure if it was an actress thing but her hand was small considering her height. Seol-Bing didn’t pull out her hand this time.

Seol-Bing seemed to be more open to Gun-Ho, maybe because he was the one who Ms. Mi-Lyeong Lee wanted to introduce to her for a marriage proposal. She still remembered every word that Ms. Mi-Lyeong Lee used in describing Gun-Ho.

‘You’d better find a decent man and marry him while you are still popular. You can’t maintain the top star position forever. It won’t last long. What? Marry a guy who has a wealthy family? You won’t even able to breathe there. I have no doubt that you will get suffocated. Money? We have it too. But that Gun-Ho Goo person is different. He is amazing actually. He is a self-made successful man. He has a good temper and manners. He is at a good age to marry as well. He will let you keep your career. That’s a big plus.’

When Seol-Bing first met Gun-Ho, she didn’t really believe everything he said, especially about his wealth. However, since another actress who had been in the entertainment field for a long time—Ms. Mi-Lyeong Lee—spoke highly of Gun-Ho, Seol-Bing started feeling interested in him. Moreover, Gun-Ho was somewhat a good-looking man. He looked much better than the E Group’s president’s son.

Seol-Bing took out her dark sunglasses from her purse.

“No one would recognize you in this dark…”

“I’d better take every precaution I could. Once words get out, the damage would be really painful.”

Gun-Ho and Seol-Bing went to Satsuki passing by Sekishin-Tei while holding each other’s hand.

“Sekishin-Tei is probably a restaurant, and Satsuki looks like a coffee shop.”

“I think so. I smelled food when I passed Sekishin-Tei. I don’t smell it here.”

Gun-Ho and Seol-Bing took a seat at a vacant table at Satsuki. It was late at night and the lighting at the café was off. Seol-Bing took off her dark sunglasses.

“It’s a shame that you have to cover your beautiful face with those dark sunglasses.”

Seol-Bing laughed.

Gun-Ho and Seol-Bing were sitting at a table in the garden area of the café. The table was decorated with a flower vase. The vase was long and narrow and there was one chrysanthemum in it. Gun-Ho took the flower out.

“I love you now and I will love you forever.”

Gun-Ho handed the flower to Seol-Bing while making the statement.

Seol-Bing laughed loudly and accepted the flower that Gun-Ho gave to her.

“You are such a funny man, which cannot usually be seen in a typical businessman.”

“You accepted the flower. That means you accepted my heart toward you.”

Gun-Ho then hugged Seol-Bing and kissed her on her cheek.

“Oh!”

Seol-Bing didn’t expect it and she looked at him with widened eyes in surprise.

Seol-Bing placed the flower back into the vase quietly and she stood up from her seat.

“It’s getting late. I’d better take off now.”

“The night in Tokyo seemed to just start.”

“I have a morning schedule with my staff tomorrow.”

“Stay a bit longer with me. Let’s have a seat on the bench over there. I will get you a taxi to the Shinjuku Prince Hotel.”

Gun-Ho and Seol-Bing sat on a bench looking over a koi pond.

Gun-Ho slowly hugged Seol-Bing again. Seol-Bing leaned against Gun-Ho. She looked tired.

“Ms. Seol-Bing, do you live with your parents?”

“My parents live in Bangbae Town and I live in Cheongdam Town.”

“Bangbae Town? Is that where you grew up?”

“Yes. I went to Suhmoon Girls’ High School in Bangbae Town.”

“Hmm. That’s right. I read your profile on the Internet. According to your profile, after graduating from Suhmoom Girls’ High School, you went to Chungang University majoring in drama and cinema.”

“I did very well in high school and I applied for Seoul National University with a political science major but I was denied admission to it. I was going to spend another year preparing for SAT once again, so I started studying in Daechi Town, but the study was hard and people around me kept telling me that I’d better get into another university with the drama and cinema major. That’s how I ended up at Chungang University.”

“You gave it up so easily.”

“Some of my friends told me that even though I successfully became a diplomat after studying political science, I might be sent to one of the third world countries, and my life wouldn’t be that beautiful. My parents were actually happy when I told them that I decided to apply for a university with the drama and cinema major. My uncle actually convinced me to do so as well.”

“What did your parents do for a living at that time?”

“My father was a TV station PD. Enough about me. Why don’t you talk about you, President Goo?”

“My hometown is Incheon City, and I went to school in Bucheon City. I graduated from Zhejiang University; I think I told you that before.”

“So you went to China to study right after you graduated high school?”

“Umm, yes…”

Gun-Ho didn’t tell her that he actually went to a low-ranked college in a provincial city because his high school grade was not high enough to get him admitted to a college within Seoul City and that he then graduated from a cyber college.”

“So, your parents are in Incheon City right now.”

“Right. My parents retired and they continue to live in the same city. They are living in a condo in Guwol Town, Incheon City. I live in TowerPalace in Dogok Town.”

“Did you say TowerPalace? A friend of mine is living there too.”

Once Seol-Bing started opening her mind and talking, she didn’t stop talking. She looked somewhat arrogant at first, but once she became close to Gun-Ho, she acted just like any other girl at her age. At that moment, an old couple walked passing by the bench that Gun-Ho and Seol-Bing were sitting on. Seol-Bing quickly put her dark sunglasses back on.

The old couple looked like Korean tourists. The wife glanced at Seol-Bing and said to her husband,

“Japanese women wear sunglasses even at night, huh?”

Seol-Bing covered her mouth and started laughing, and Gun-Ho laughed along with her.

Gun-Ho hugged Seol-Bing tight. He could smell her perfume.

“Let’s meet in Korea more often rather than in Japan from now on.”

Seol-Bing smiled without giving any response.

“I will send you a text. We can meet at a book café on the rooftop of my building. It’s a really nice place. Or, we can meet at my office in Sinsa Town. Or, I can come to Cheongdam Town where you live if you like.”

Seol-Bing looked at her watch.

“Oh, it’s after midnight. I gotta go.”

Gun-Ho talked to the hotel’s front desk to get a taxi for Seol-Bing.

As Seol-Bing got in the taxi and she was about to leave, Gun-Ho waved his hand. Seol-Bing opened the window half down and waved her hand too.

Gun-Ho thought that he could have done better that night.

“I should have bought something for her, something that she will remember the moment with me with.

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Chapter 345 - Matchmaking (3) – Part 2

Chapter 345: Matchmaking (3) – Part 2

After laying down on the bed in his hotel room, Gun-Ho sent a text to Seol-Bing.

[I have a great time today. Sweet dream.]

Seol-Bing replied to him right away.

[Likewise. You have a sweet dream as well, President Goo.]

Seol-Bing added an emoticon with a sleeping face. Gun-Ho sent a text message back to her while smiling,

[Don’t call me President Goo. Instead, please call me oppa.]

Seol-Bing’s next message arrived.

[Oppa, sweet dream.]

Gun-Ho screamed in joy in his hotel room. Things seemed to be going well with Seol-Bing.

Well, Gun-Ho felt a bit sorry to Mori Aikko though.

After having a great time in Tokyo, Gun-Ho came back to Korea.

GH Gallery finally opened its doors for the first time for the art exhibition with the Chinese young avant-garde artists’ artworks. President Jeong-Sook Shin had indeed a wide social network. Tons of congratulatory flower wreaths arrived from people in the art field and even from the people in the media field. A university president sent a flower wreath as well. Many visitors to the art exhibition found it unusual to see the flower wreaths in Chinese from Professor Jien Wang of Zhejiang University and Director Seukang Li of Shanghai City’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs and Art.

Several ladies from Gangnam District, who came to look at the arts, took pictures of the Chinese wordings that were written on the congratulatory flower wreaths from China while giggling.

Hosting the art exhibition helped the rooftop book café’s business as well.

“Ten of the paintings here are already sold. Many people think these artworks of the young avant-garde artists are worth investing in.”

Gun-Ho was surprised when President Jeong-Sook Shin told him that ten paintings were sold already.

“Didn’t you say the paintings here are priced for at least 100 million won per piece?”

“There are some ladies from Gangnam District, who invest in artworks. If they decide to collect some artworks, tens of billions of won are usually and easily spent.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho had hundreds of billions of won in his account, but he wouldn’t have been able to easily spend 100 million won for a painting. Gun-Ho was astonished by those lady buyers’ spending scale.

“A condo in Incheon City or in Asan City can be bought with 100 million won…”

Gun-Ho’s parents and his friend, Min-Hyeok Kim’s parents couldn’t afford a condo that was worth 100 million won when Gun-Ho grew up. They had never lived in a condo at that price until their children started making money and bought one for them recently. 100 million won was a huge amount of money for them. In Korea, wealth was unequally distributed. It seemed severe. Well, it was probably one of the common phenomena that were found globally.

President Shin continued to talk to Gun-Ho,

“President Goo, you said the monthly rent for this art gallery is 5 million won, right? I think I don’t have to worry about the rent for at least the next six months. Hahaha.”

People continued to pour into the art gallery. It almost seemed that Korean people felt some sort of pressure to visit this art exhibition in order to be considered as a sophisticated person who had this elegant hobby of enjoying artworks. The secretary of GH Development—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh was in the support team that was organized as part of a team effort for this art exhibition. She was distributing the pamphlet to the visitors at the entrance. This pamphlet was not given for free. It was 5,000 won, but most visitors were still willing to pay for it.

Gun-Ho received a phone call from Min-Hyeon Kim in China.

“President Goo? Did you receive the congratulatory flower wreaths from Seukang Li and Jien Wang?”

“Yeah, I did. How did they send them here?”

“They actually sent me money and asked me to arrange it for them. So, I contacted Jae-Sik Moon for it.”

“Oh, I see. Seukang Li’s flower wreath is very popular among the visitors.”

“Why is that so? Is it a special flower wreath that is different from others?”

“People just didn’t expect to see one sent from China. They think it is interesting to see the wording in Chinese from Shanghai City’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs and Art.”

“Oh, I see. Maybe I should have changed the Chinese wording a little bit so Korean people can understand better.”

“No, this is good. It’s very Chinese. I like that.”

“I heard you are getting lots of people there.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s really good to know. When I learned that the art exhibition was about the avant-garde arts which I’m not familiar with, I thought not many people would come. I guess President Jeong-Sook Shin definitely has some sense in that field.”

“She has been in this art and in the cultural affairs field for a long time. Her way of thinking is different from people like us.”

Min-Hyeok continued to talk,

“I heard that Dyeon Korea is vigorously producing raw materials now. Aren’t you going to send some to us to China?”

“Give me some more time.”

“The storage here that we purchased has been empty for a long time. I only see rats occupying the place.”

“We have six machines right now. Let’s see when we receive machine no. 8.”

When it was lunchtime, Gun-Ho asked Director Kang to come down to the art gallery.

“President Shin, let’s go have lunch together. I asked Director Kang to join us.”

“I’m good, sir.”

“You need to eat. Maybe we can ask Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh to come with us as well.”

“We need someone to stay here. Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh and I can take turns to have lunch.”

Director Kang came down to the art gallery. He suggested going to a Korean restaurant that specialized in Budae Jjigae*. He said he knew a good place for it. Gun-Ho was tempted. President Shin though suggested having crispy pork cutlets instead. She explained,

“Budae Jjigae is delicious, but after we have that dish, our clothes will smell like that food. We can’t receive our guests smelling like Budae Jjigae.”

That made sense.

While having lunch, Gun-Ho suggested President Shin moving her GH Media’s office to GH Building.

“You will have to operate the art gallery from now on. It would be a lot more convenient if your office is in the same building as the gallery. Otherwise, you will have to continuously drive back and forth between here in Sinsa Town and your office in Mapo Town.”

“GH Media can’t afford to pay the rent for an office in Gangnam District. We don’t generate enough revenue just yet by only publishing books. The art exhibition with Chinese young avant-garde artists’ artworks seems to be a success, but there is no guarantee that our next and the following exhibition would result in the same outcome. I will think about moving the office to the GH Building once the next art exhibition succeeds.”

“I intend to grow GH Media to a multimedia company.”

“A multimedia company, sir?”

“Seukang Li keeps asking me to acquire a Chinese soap opera production company.”

“A soap opera?”

President Jeong-Sook Shin seemed to have a lot to think about. While having lunch, Gun-Ho received a text message.

[I will stop by briefly at your art gallery tomorrow. It will be around the time when the gallery closes for the day. I won’t be able to see you though since I will just take a quick look around. From Seol-Bing.]

“Do we open the gallery until 7 pm, don’t we?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Around 7 pm tomorrow, the actress—Seol-Bing will visit our gallery.”

“Huh? Really? How do you know Seol-Bing, sir? Do you know someone in her agency?”

“Yes, I do. Seol-Bing is very careful with being exposed to the public. She will be wearing dark sunglasses. You don’t have to greet her.”

“Understood, sir.”

Note*

Budae Jjigae– A spicy stew with all sorts of vegetables, sausage, and spam ham.

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Chapter 346 - Hiring a Chauffeur (1) – Part 1

Chapter 346: Hiring a Chauffeur (1) – Part 1

After lunch, Gun-Ho went up to his office on the eighteenth floor.

Since the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—was helping the art gallery’s exhibition, the accounting manager brought a cup of coffee for Gun-Ho. While he was having his afternoon coffee, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Yoon in Dyeon Korea.

“You are in Seoul right now, aren’t you, sir?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I just wanted to let you know how the new hiring is going.”

“Please go on.”

“For the five positions with work experience, 120 people applied for the job. For the position requiring no work experience, 820 people applied for them.”

“It will take time to select the people we need. How come are we getting so many applications for the jobs?”

“I think many people recognized the name—Dyeon Korea because Lymondell Dyeon is a global company.”

“Even though the work location is in Asan City rather than in Seoul, many people are still willing to work there.”

“Since we receive so many job applications, do you think it is necessary for us to conduct an aptitude test?”

“If you think it is necessary, then go ahead.”

“We will first go through the applicants’ applications, and then we will give a test to those who passed based on papers. We can rent a college auditorium to hold the test. Maybe we can test their IQ using the IQ test specifically designed for those who studied engineering.”

“Sounds good.”

“Sir, aren’t you going to be at the final interview this time either?”

“No, I won’t. Director Kim and you—Director Yoon will have to select the final ten people. Oh, and don’t forget to let Mr. Adam Castler participate in the hiring process.”

“Okay, sir.”

“How are the machines doing?”

“They are working great. We made a request to Lymondell Dyeon to ship us machines no. 7 and no. 8.”

“Once we receive those two additional machines, their investment requirements will be fulfilled.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“Once we have all eight machines, we will have to contact the appraisal and assessment institute and request them to issue an appraisal on those machines.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Also, we will have to submit the conclusion of investment in-kind along with the certificate of importation for all those eight machines.”

“Where do we submit the conclusion of investment in-kind?”

“We submit it to the Korea Customs Service. Director Yoon, you just ask the general affairs manager to do the job. You don’t have to do it yourself.”

“Okay, sir.”

“If you need documents like a foreign investment report, contact Manager Chang-Hoon Seo in GH Mobile. He took care of the foreign investment registration work when he worked as an assistant manager in the general affairs department there.”

“We have already received all the documents from Manager Seo.”

“Oh, really? That’s good.”

Whenever Gun-Ho stayed in Seoul, he didn’t feel like going to his other companies in Jiksan Town or Asan City. Also, whenever he was in one of those two factories, he felt lazy driving back to Seoul.

“I think it’s time for me to have a chauffeur.”

Gun-Ho thought of Chan-Ho Eom who Tae-Young Im recommended him to hire for a chauffeur position.

“That guy seems agile and diligent, maybe because he has a fit body which has been trained by the years’ of physical exercise. He looks decent as well. But I’m still not 100% sure that it is okay to let him work for me. He has been working as a bouncer. If he causes any trouble with the occupants in this building, that could be a hassle.”

It seemed that Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim & Jeong Law Firm read about the art exhibition held in Gun-Ho’s building. He called Gun-Ho,

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Haha. I’m sorry.”

“Where are you right now? Are you in Asan City?”

“No, I’m in Seoul.”

“Really? When are you going back to Asan City?”

“I don’t know. I feel like I don’t want to go back to Asan City. I will feel the same once I am in Asan City.”

“Haha. I guess you are getting old, my friend, even though you are not even married yet. Since you are in Seoul, let’s meet up. What about lunch tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

Jong-Suk’s wedding was scheduled. He contacted Gun-Ho to inform it,

“My wedding will be on the 25th of this month.”

“Where?”

“We decided to do it in Cheonan City. My bride feels more comfortable there, and I want her to feel at ease and comfortable. It will be in the Cheonan Convention Center’s wedding hall to be specific.”

“Congratulations.”

“By the way, bro. I don’t see you around often these days. I think I haven’t seen you since the wage negotiation with the labor union.”

“I’ve been staying in Seoul. I had to take care of the art exhibition here and other stuff, but my heart is always there.”

“I will rent a tour bus from Incheon City, so all the guests from Incheon City like my parents’ friends and relatives can take the bus to Cheonan City.”

“Of course. Your parents must have lots of friends in Incheon City, who are eager to attend your wedding to congratulate you.”

“Oh, and my parents are going to place their house on the market after the wedding. They want to move close to me.”

“Really? That’s nice.”

“They said that people in Incheon City still call them Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup) since my parents had run the restaurant for a long time there, and they don’t like it. Their original hometown was around here anyway and they want to move here. Also, they said Dujeong Town looks cleaner than the town in Incheon City where they live right now.”

“Haha. You will need to send out your wedding invitation to our client companies and vendors as well.”

“I don’t have their contact information.”

“Just give 100 of your wedding invitation to the general affairs director. I will talk to him.”

“That many?”

“If he doesn’t need 100, he will give you back the unused wedding invitation.”

“Thank you, bro.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin informed Gun-Ho that Seol-Bing stopped by the art exhibition yesterday.

“When we were about to close the gallery, a lady who looked like a model came in. She was wearing dark sunglasses. It was Seol-Bing just as you told me. I couldn’t believe it was actually Seol-Bing, the Seol-Bing.”

“Did she keep her sunglasses on while looking at the arts?”

“Haha. Of course not, sir. She took off her sunglasses. She was truly gorgeous in person. No wonder she is a top star. I am so envious of her clean and transparent skin. You haven’t seen her in person, have you, sir?”

“Well, in person… no…”

‘I held her hand. I even kissed her on her cheek.’

Gun-Ho wanted to tell her the truth.

President Jeong-Sook Shin said that she actually took pictures of Seol-Bing secretly while Seol-Bing was enjoying the displayed art pieces at the gallery.

“I couldn’t help it. She was so beautiful and elegant. I’m not sure if it is okay to upload these pictures on the Internet. Once we upload these pictures with the subject ‘Seol-Bing who was enjoying the Chinese avant-garde artists’ paintings in GH Gallery,’ it could work as a noisy marketing for our gallery.”

“I don’t know.”

“There might be a problem with her right of publicity, but it was just her profile which I took a picture of. Additionally, it could be used for her own benefit. Since it was a picture of her enjoying artworks, she can build a good image of her out of it.”

“Well, do what you have to do.”

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Chapter 347 - Hiring a Chauffeur (1) – Part 2

Chapter 347: Hiring a Chauffeur (1) – Part 2

Seol-Bing’s pictures that were taken by President Shin were uploaded on the Internet, and netizens started writing tons of comments to the posting.

“Seol-Bing, sister, you look gorgeous.”

“You are such a beauty.”

“I could have accompanied you there…

“I love you, Seol-Bing.”

“I went to GH Gallery too.”

“Is Seol-Bing smart enough to understand the avant-garde arts?”

“The one above, you just shut up!”

“Seol-Bing, you are the best.”

Most comments were overwhelmingly positive.

Seol-Bing’s visit to GH Gallery worked favorably to both Seol-Bing and GH Gallery.

Attorney Young-Jin Kim called Gun-Ho to say that he wouldn’t be able to make the lunch appointment with Gun-Ho.

“I just took an urgent lawsuit case. I will have to take a rain check for our lunch.”

“No problem. We can meet at any time later.”

It has been several days already since Gun-Ho went to GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea. Gun-Ho was thinking that he had to go there, maybe today, even though he didn’t feel like driving. He made a call to Tae-Young Im.

“Oh, big brother. It’s Tae-Young Im.”

Tae-Young probably saved Gun-Ho’s number in his cell phone. He knew it was Gun-Ho calling him.

“I’m calling you about the person you recommended for the chauffeur work.”

“Oh, Chan-Ho Eom?”

“Yes. Can you bring it to my office, his papers; like his resume and resident registration?”

“Do you want me to come today? I have his resume that he gave to me when he applied for a job at my security staffing company.”

“I will need his picture on the resume too.”

“Of course. I will bring them to you right away.”

Gun-Ho was reading an economic newspaper when he heard people arguing outside his office. Gun-Ho opened his office door slightly to see what was going. Any visitors to Gun-Ho’s office had to walk through the general office in order to access the president’s office.

Director Kang was arguing with Tae-Young Im.

“Our president is not in the office right now. You need to talk with me.”

“I made an appointment with the president. I just got off the phone with him. He asked me to come to his office.”

“Just talk to me! If you keep on insisting on going to the president’s office without telling me your business, I will have to call the police!”

Gun-Ho had a hard time suppressing a laugh. Director Kang probably thought these men came to bother Gun-Ho, by looking at their appearance. They did look like a bouncer with a firm and big body. They surely looked intimidating.

There was a reason why Director Kang reacted this way. Sometimes, some strange people visited the office. Some claimed that they were war veterans with some badges inside their jackets. There were some gangsters who came to visit the office as well. They all requested something like wanted to sell some cleaning tools or health supplements. Gun-Ho couldn’t blame Director Kang for mistaking Tae-Young Im for one of those people.

Gun-Ho fully opened his office door and shouted,

“Director Kang! They are my guests. Please let them through.”

Tae-Young Im walked into Gun-Ho’s office with Chan-Ho Eom.

“We do often receive some strange people in our office. Director Kang mistook you for those. Please understand him. Let’s have some tea.”

Gun-Ho asked the accounting manager to bring some tea since the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh was working at the art gallery for the moment.

“Did you bring your resume?”

“Yes, sir. Here it is.”

Gun-Ho scanned through Chan-Ho Eom’s resume. According to his resume, Chan-Ho graduated high school in Gangnam District and he went to the college of physical education afterward. He had won several times in some Taekwondo competitions and Judo competitions. The usual thing that drew Gun-Ho’s attention was that he went to junior high school in the U.S.

“You went to junior high in the U.S.?”

“Yes. My family moved to the U.S. at that time, and when my father passed away, we had to move back to Korea.”

“Hmm. Are you living with your mother then?”

Chan-Ho hesitated to answer to Gun-Ho’s question.

“Did you run away from home?”

“No. My mom married to someone else. I just didn’t want to stay with my mom and her new husband, so I’m staying with Tae-Young brother right now.”

“I see. Did your father have a business in the U.S.?”

For this question, Tae-Young answered for Chan-Ho.

“His father was a policeman when he was in Korea. And he quit his job and moved to the U.S. with his family, and then he passed away from liver cancer.”

“Hmm, really? You did your military service as combat police, huh?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I do stay in this building, but I often travel to Jiksan Town in Cheonan City and also to Asan City. I have manufacturing plants there. So, you will have to drive a lot. I can’t pay you much either. And I sometimes go out in the evening to meet with someone. So, you will have to work in the evening as well. Do you think you can handle the job?”

“I will do my best, sir.”

The accounting manager brought three cups of tea to Gun-Ho’s office.

The accounting manager glanced at Tae-Young and Chan-Ho several times while she was in the office. They certainly didn’t look like typical office workers who the accounting manager was familiar with.

“Please have some tea.”

“Thank you.”

Tae-Young pulled out some papers from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“This is the business registration for my security staffing company. Chan-Ho is employed by our company and our company places him to work for you. The pay is 3 million won per month. My company pays him 2.5 million won for this work. The office or manufacturing workers usually work eight hours per day, but the workers in our staffing company works ten hours per day.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I brought the work contract as well, big brother.”

“I think the contract needs to be made with my company in Jiksan Town rather than the one here. Chan-Ho, do you have time in the afternoon?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then, after lunch, let’s go to Jiksan Town together.”

“Big brother, can I go with you? I want to see your factory there.”

“Sure. You can come with us.”

Gun-Ho asked for Director Kang,

“Director Kang, this man will drive for me starting today. The man next to him is the owner president of the security staffing company.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry about the earlier incident.”

“This is Director Kang of GH Development.”

“I’m Seong-Il Kang.”

“I’m Chang-Ho Eom.”

“My name is Tae-Young Im.”

Tae-Young Im and Chan-Ho Eum had a tough life involving physical fights, but they had good manners in greeting people.

Director Kang gave his business card to the two men.

Gun-Ho took Tae-Young and Chan-Ho to the first level of the basement in the building where the maintenance office was located. When Gun-Ho entered the office, the team leader—Mr. Soo-Nam Jeong quickly stood up from his seat.

“This man will drive my car from now on.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Please add one more desk in this office for him. I will ask Director Kang to purchase a desk. We will need a desk and a chair.”

“Yes, sir.”

Chan-Ho grinned and said,

“I actually don’t need a desk.”

“You will need one. There will be some days that I don’t go out. You will then spend your time here reading cartoon books and surfing the web. Also, you will find some exercise equipment over there, which Mr. Jeong uses most of the time.”

“Thank you, big bro…”

“Well, at work, call me Mr. President.”

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Chapter 348 - Hiring a Chauffeur (2) – Part 1

Chapter 348: Hiring a Chauffeur (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho took Tae-Young Im and Chan-Ho Eum to the parking lot where he parked his Land Rover.

“My car is a Land Rover. I’m thinking of getting a new car, but this is good for now. It’s working very well.”

“It has only 40,000 kilometers on it. I don’t think you want to get a new car. This is a really nice car.”

“We are heading to Jiksan Town now. I can drive to Jiksan Town. When we come back to Seoul, you can drive, Mr. Chan-Ho Eom.”

“Please call me Chan-Ho.”

“You are 29 years old, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hmm. You are seven years younger than me.”

“I would feel a lot more comfortable if you call me by my first name—Chan-Ho.”

“Haha. Okay. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho, Chan-Ho, and Tae-Young headed to Jiksan Town, Cheonan City. Gun-Ho drove.

On the way to Jiksan Town, they stopped by Pyeongtaek City for lunch. Tae-Young and Chan-Ho wanted to have a Korean sausage dish for lunch, which seemed to be Chan-Ho’s favorite food because he devoured the dish within the blink of an eye. As they seemed to really enjoy the food, Gun-Ho ordered another dish—Sooyook*—which went well with the Korean sausage dish. Chan-Ho and Tae-Young finished the dish quickly as well.

“You guys eat a lot and very quickly. That’s good. That means you are very healthy.”

They arrived at Gun-Ho’s company in Jiksan Town. The workers in a uniform were spotted here and there at the manufacturing facility. A forklift truck was passing by them while making a loud noise. The workers, who saw Gun-Ho, greeted Gun-Ho in a respectful way.

Gun-Ho told Tae-Young and Chan-Ho,

“Don’t call me brother at work, okay?”

“Understood.”

Tae-Young and Chan-Ho looked around the factory.

“I was expecting a messy worksite since it is a factory after all, but this factory is very organized and clean. It looks like a normal building in a big city. The walls are made of glass.”

Gun-Ho took them to his office—the president’s office.

The secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—brought warm green teas for them. Mr. Hee-Jeong Park seemed to find it interesting to see two young men in Gun-Ho’s office.

“Ms. Park, please ask the general affairs director to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

President Song was out of the office at that time. He was at a client site. The internal auditor came into Gun-Ho’s office when he heard Gun-Ho was here. The internal auditor slowly blinked his eyes several times when he saw Tae-Young and Chan-Ho sitting in the president’s office.

“Who are these gentlemen, sir?”

“This is the man I’m going to hire as my chauffeur, and the man next to him is from the security staffing company.”

“Really? They are two good looking young men. Their hairstyle tells me though that they were gangsters or something similar?”

“Similar. They are bouncers.”

“Really?”

“This is our internal auditor.”

“Hello, sir. I’m Tae-Young Im.”

“Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Chan-Ho Eom.”

“Oh, very nice meeting you both. You two young men, you seem to be very cheerful. Well, I will leave now and give you some privacy.”

Once the internal auditor left Gun-Ho’s office, the general affairs director came in.

“I’m going to hire this man for my chauffeur position. I guess it’s time for me to have a chauffeur. It’s getting harder to drive back and forth between the companies in Seoul and here.”

“You made the right decision, sir. You should have had a chauffeur earlier.”

“We are not going to directly hire him though, but a staffing company is placing this man at our company for the job.”

“That sounds good too. So we don’t have to worry about his Four Major Public Insurance. It will be filed by the staffing company. Also, the staffing company will take care of his severance pay as well. Did you bring a work placement contract?”

“Yes, I did. I also brought my security staffing company’s business registration.”

“How much do you charge for this particular job placement per month?”

“It’s 3 million won on a monthly basis.”

“Hmm, that’s higher than I expected. Can we lower it a little bit?”

“That… that’s…”

“How much do you pay for this worker?”

“Our company pays him 2.5 million won per month.”

“It is net pay or gross pay?”

“Huh?”

Tae-Young Im seemed that he didn’t understand the difference between net pay and gross pay.

Gun-Ho said to the general affairs director with a smile,

“I know these men personally. Let’s just pay the amount that he is asking.”

“Okay, sir. Well, Mr. Tae-Young Im and Mr. Chan-Ho Eom, please come with me to the general affairs department. We will have to sign the contract and take care of some other paperwork. Also, I have some specific instructions and policies that I need to give to you.”

Tae-Young and Chan-Ho walked out of Gun-Ho’s office following the general affairs director.

Gun-Ho told Tae-Young and Chan-Ho to their backs while they were walking out of the office,

“Once the paperwork is done with the general affairs director, come directly to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

About twenty minutes later, Tae-Young and Chan-Ho came back to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Are you done? Did you sign the contract?”

“Yes, we did. He agreed on the 3 million won monthly wage. It seems there are lots of paperwork to do for this simple hiring, maybe because this is a big company.”

“Since you are here, I guess you want to see Jong-Suk Park before you leave, right?”

“Oh, the little brother?”

Gun-Ho asked for Director Jong-Suk Park.

Jong-Suk entered Gun-Ho’s office after a moment.

“Brother!”

“Oh, Tae-Young Im! What are you doing here?”

Jong-Suk Park and Tae-Young Im had a handshake.

“Brother, you look different here with the company’s uniform. You don’t look like someone from our ‘tough field.’”

“I’m not in that field at all. I’m an exemplary law-abiding citizen.”

Gun-Ho introduced Chan-Ho Eom to Director Jong-Suk Park.

“This man will drive my car from now on. He is not our employee though, but Tae-Young’s security staffing company will place him here for the work.”

“Really? Tae-Young, how many workers does your company have?”

“I currently have seven people.”

“Do you make enough money to feed them all?”

“I don’t know. I just started the business. If you could connect me to other potential customers, that would be really nice.”

“Director Park! Why don’t you give them a tour of our factory.”

Jong-Suk Park took Tae-Young Im and Chan-Ho Eom to the production worksite where they could hear a loud noise from heavy machines.

“Wow, this is amazing.”

“Are you impressed?

“Very. You said you are in charge of this production site, right? Then can you operate all those machines?”

“Of course. I can dismantle them and assemble them with my eyes closed.”

“Whoa.”

Gun-Ho took Tae-Young Im and Chan-Ho Eom to Dyeon Korea’s office area to introduce them to the managers and directors including Mr. Adam Castler.

Director Kim came to Gun-Ho’s office after visiting a client’s site.

“Who are these young men, sir?”

“I decided to have a chauffeur.”

“Oh, really? Good decision, sir.”

After having a handshake with Tae-Young Im and Chan-Ho Eom, Director Kim started giving Gun-Ho a work report. Director Kim didn’t seem to mind Tae-Youn and Chan-Ho’s presence while he was giving the report.

Note*

Sooyook – Boiled port meat

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Chapter 349 - Hiring a Chauffeur (2) – Part 2

Chapter 349: Hiring a Chauffeur (2) – Part 2

Director Kim started speaking,

“I just heard this from Mr. Adam Castler. Do you remember that Gyoda Company from Japan asked GH Mobile to make a part for their motorcycles?”

“I believe that GH Mobile is already supplying that product to Gyoda Company.”

“Right. I was going to say that Gyoda Company is highly satisfied with the product that they are receiving from GH Mobile, and they are asking another product to develop. They want GH Mobile to develop an industrial tool. Mr. Adam Castler received this request from Gyoda Company through Mr. Richard Amiel just like last time.”

“That’s really nice.”

“But the problem is that GH Mobile is not capable of manufacturing that sort of tools. The size is too big for our machines to handle.”

“Hmm.”

“The quantities they are requesting are very high.”

“Well, if our factory can’t handle, then we can’t handle, right?”

“Egnopak has machines that can handle the product order since they have heavy equipment to handle various ranges of products.”

“So you are suggesting that we let Egnopak manufacture the product and ask them to use Dyeon Korea’s raw materials to do so in return.”

“That’s right. The problem is that the Egnopak’s president is hard to deal with.”

“He will probably promise to use our raw materials in manufacturing the products and once he is connected with Gyoda Company, then he will change the raw materials from ours to German materials of BASF or American materials of Monsanto without even bothering to tell us.”

“That would be a better scenario than I’m thinking right now. I think he will get the necessary raw materials from one of our national suppliers, such as Hyundai, Hanwha, and Kumho. They all have chemical companies. Oh, there is Hwaseung as well.”

“We can have him sign a statement or contract, but he would breach it in a blink of an eye. What should we do? We can find another company which is capable of manufacturing the product for Gyoto Company.”

“We don’t have time for it, sir. They gave me a week to decide. If we don’t give them our answer by the end of this week, they said they would contact a company in China or some other countries.”

“Hmm.”

“Do you want to me let them contact companies in other countries?”

“You and I, let’s pay a visit to Egnopak tomorrow.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho forgot that Tae-Young Im and Chan-Ho Eom were still sitting in his office while he was talking with Director Kim.

“Oh, I need to get you guys to Seoul.”

“Don’t worry about us. We can go to Seoul later today. We will wait until you finish your work here.”

“No, no. We need to leave for Seoul now. I’m done here. Chan-Ho Eom! Where are you living in Seoul?”

“I’m living with Tae-Yong bro in Sadang Town.”

“You all finished looking around the factory, right? Let’s go then. Chan-Ho, do you want to try to drive?”

“Sure. I will drive.”

Chan-Ho sat in the driver’s seat while Tae-Young sat in the front passenger seat. Gun-Ho sat in the rear seat. Once the car started moving, Gun-Ho also started dozing off.

“Sir, we arrived.”

“Huh? Where are we?”

“We are at TowerPalace.”

“Huh? Really? We are already here?”

“We can leave your car at the parking and take a taxi from here.”

“Do you have a place to park a car around your house in the Sadang Town?”

“We don’t have our own parking space, but there is a paid parking lot nearby.”

“Then take the car with you and come back here tomorrow morning by 8:30. For the parking fees, collect the receipts for a month and take it to the general affairs department.”

“Okay, sir. We will take this car then. Have a nice evening.”

Gun-Ho loved the fact that he could take a nap on the way home, but he felt somewhat empty after Chan-Ho took his car.

“What if I need to use my car later?”

Gun-Ho decided to buy another car with the company’s name.

The next day, Chan-Ho came to Gun-Ho’s TowerPalace condo with his Land Rover, but he came at 9 am.

“Why did you come late?”

“Whew, the traffic was really bad from Sandang Town to Yangjae Town. I didn’t expect it since it is my first time trying. I won’t make the same mistake again, sir.”

“I guess everyone is trying to get to work at this hour.”

“Where would you like to go today?”

“Let’s go to Jiksan Town.”

Chan-Ho Eom drove Gun-Ho’s Land Rover and entered the highway.

“It is nice to be on the highway without any traffic light.”

“If you look at the left side of the sun visor, you will see a highway pass card. You can use the card to pay toll fees. You can recharge it at a rest area in a highway and bring the receipt to the general affairs department. They will take care of it for you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho had his morning coffee in the rest area on the way to Jiksan Town with Chan-Ho. He enjoyed the moment without any pressure. Since he was the owner of the company, he could get to work at any time.

Once they arrived at work in Jiksan Town, Gun-Ho headed to his office and Chan-Ho went to the general affairs department. The general affairs manager handed an ID card to Chan-Ho along with a company uniform. With the ID card, Chan-Ho would be able to access the company cafeteria to have a meal.

“Change to this uniform and put this ID card around your neck. As long as you hang it around your neck, no one here will question you about who you are or why you are here.”

“Thank you.”

“And, we don’t have any specific waiting area for a chauffeur. You can either stay with the truck drivers at the distribution team or you can stay in the security office. In the security office, there is a small resting area where you can take a nap.”

“Okay.”

“We already have your cell phone number and the president’s secretary has your number as well. Mr. President will call you directly or his secretary will contact you if he needs your assistance.”

“Sounds good.”

“Now, why don’t you go to the resting area in the security office and put this uniform on. You can introduce yourself to people you meet on the way. If you tell them that you are the president’s new chauffeur, they will welcome you.”

Chan-Ho Eom went to the security office and changed his clothes to the company uniform. Once he put his ID around his neck, he started taking a walk inside the factory.

He first headed to the distribution department and talked with the truck drivers.

“Hello. I will be driving the president’s car starting today. I’m Chan-Ho Eom.”

“You are his chauffeur? I didn’t know he hired a chauffeur. Since you will spend a lot of time with the president, you will get close to him easily. If you need anything, just let us know. And you can help us if we need your help.”

“Hi, I drive a forklift truck here. I look forward to working with you.”

Chan-Ho Eom walked around the company and met with the security officer and also with the cooking lady in the company restaurant. Once he introduced himself as the president’s new chauffeur, everyone indeed welcomed him, and they were all kind to him. One worker even told him that,

“Mr. Chan-Ho Eom, you will see how nicely people treat you around here. Even the executive officers will try to get along with you.”

Chan-Ho had no idea what they were talking about, but he felt good.

The internal officer was walking into Gun-Ho’s office carrying some papers.

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Chapter 350 - Strategic Change (1) – Part 1

Chapter 350: Strategic Change (1) – Part 1

The internal auditor came into Gun-Ho’s office and placed some documents on his desk, and then he said,

“GH Mobile achieved the highest sales revenue of more than 7 billion won last month. The exact amount is 7.2 billion won.”

“It would make its annual sales revenue 86.4 billion won then.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Even with the new product orders from the five factories of S Group which President Song brought in and our newly developed product of AM083 Assembly, we couldn’t reach 90 billion won.”

“The new product orders from S Group’s factories are gradually on the rise.”

“What about the product cost? How much profit do we make out of 7.2 billion won last month?”

“If we subtract the product cost and general administrative expenses, we are left with 800 million won. We used 200 million won out of it in order to pay for the interest on our debt. So our profit left is 600 million won.”

“We currently have about 65 billion won of debt in total, don’t we?”

“That’s correct, sir. If I may break it down, our accounts payable is 25 billion won and our debt to the financial institution is 40 billion won.”

“The interest in the financial institution for our loan amount of 40 billion won should be a bit more than 200 million won.”

“That’s right. We gained a profit of 800 million won last month, and we used 200 million won out of it to pay the interest. And as you instructed previously, we didn’t pay anything for our debt and saved that 600 million won to our bank account. The company currently has accumulated funds worth 1.2 billion won.”

“If we continue to make the same profit every month, we would be able to save 7.2 billion won yearly.”

“Right. We can pay off our short-term debt with 7.2 billion won, or we can use it to acquire another company within the same industry.”

“Let’s leave it in the bank account for now.”

“Okay, sir.”

The internal auditor said while putting the report documents back to his folder,

“Sir, if you are thinking of getting a new car, what about we lease it instead of purchasing it? If we buy a car, we will have to spend a large amount of money at once while we can use a small amount of money every month if we lease a car. We can still include the monthly lease payment at our business expense. So we get a tax benefit from it.”

“It will increase our general administrative cost though.”

“It won’t affect our 600 million won of monthly profit. President Song also thinks that you need to get a new car, sir. He said that the wages for our workers have increased pursuant to the negotiation with the labor union, and we now have a chauffeur for you. So it is natural to get you a new car with our company’s name.”

“I will think about it.”

“The choice of a car is wide. You can lease a foreign-made car too.”

“Really? Can I lease a Bentley as well?”

“Yes, sir. You can lease any foreign-made car of your choice. Bentley or Mercedes-Benz is good. After three years of use, you can even purchase it if you want.”

“I see. If you have an automobile-catalogue by any chance, please bring it to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho leased a Bentley for the long term under GH Mobile’s name. The car was worth 300 million won. Gun-Ho would leave his Land Rover at his apartment parking lot during weekdays, and he would use it when he wanted to go golfing or fishing on weekends.

Gun-Ho put his condo in Buldang Town, Cheonan City on the market. Since he had his driver now, he didn’t have to stay in Cheonan City. The price of the condo in Buldang Town increased by 20 million won.

During the next regular meeting at GH Mobile, Gun-Ho announced that he would come to GH Mobile on certain days only.

“I will come here in Jiksan Town to work on Mondays and Thursdays only. You can give me reports on those days. It’s more efficient and effective that President Song runs this company without too much interruption from me.”

The executives seemed to be satisfied with the announcement.

“We like this way better, sir. So we know when to expect you to come and when you won’t be in the office, and we will be able to plan our work around that schedule.”

As Gun-Ho gave the same announcement to Dyeon Korea, they liked it too.

“So, every Monday and Thursday, you will be in GH Mobile during the morning and come to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon.”

“Correct. I will hear your report on those two days. Mr. Adam Castler and Director Dong-Chan Kim will operate the company on a daily basis. However, I will evaluate the work performance of you all based on your work’s output.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho then told Director Kang in GH Development and President Jeong-Sook Shin in GH Media that he would be in Seoul and at work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He would be in his office on those three days in the building in Sinsa Town.

Director Kang and President Jeong-Sook Shin liked the idea as well.

“We can make our schedule more efficiently since we know when you will be in the office.”

Gun-Ho gave his schedule to Chan-Ho Eom,

“I will stay in the building in Sinsa Town, Seoul except for Monday and Thursday. I’ll go to Jiksan Town and Asan City on those two days every week. So make your schedule according to it and get ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If the weather doesn’t allow us to drive back to Seoul after I work here or if I have to work till late at night on Mondays or Thursdays, we don’t have to try hard to go back to Seoul. We can spend the night in Onyang Hot Spring Hotel in the area.”

“Okay.”

“And you can use the company credit card to pay for the hotel and bring the receipt to the general affairs department in GH Mobile.”

“Understood, sir.”

“How do you like the work so far?”

“I like it. I do like to drive you around, sir.”

Chan-Ho liked the fact that Gun-Ho was not arrogant and didn’t boss him around. He worked for Gun-Ho with his sincere mind and considered him as his big brother.

Gun-Ho headed to Egnopak that day with Director Kim in his new Bentley. When he arrived there in his Bentley driven by a chauffeur, the security guard at Egnopak’s front gate treated him very nicely and with respect.

“Chan-Ho, come with us to the president’s office. Do you remember Dong-Hwan Kim who we gave a lesson to the other day in a bar? We are here to meet with his father.”

When Gun-Ho’s party arrived at the president’s office, the pretty secretary who was sitting at her desk asked them,

“Do you have an appointment with our president, sir?”

“I’m the president of GH Mobile. Is the president in the office?”

Gun-Ho and Director Kim didn’t wait for the secretary’s response, but they just walked into the president’s office.

Egnopak’s president was clipping his nails on his chair. He was surprised when he saw Gun-Ho coming into his office.

“Hello, sir.”

“What brought you here today?”

“I came to thank you for using my Dyeon Korea’s raw materials.”

“Hmm.”

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Chapter 351 - Strategic Change (1) – Part 2

Chapter 351: Strategic Change (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued to talk in Egnopak’s president’s office,

“You have agreed to use Dyeon Korea’s raw materials worth 1 billion won per month in manufacturing the products that go to Mandong Company. That was agreed upon during the previous settlement between us, and it is clearly stipulated in the agreement. However, Egnopak is currently purchasing Dyeon Korea’s raw materials for the amount of 20 million won per month, and Director Kim who is sitting next to me told me that the current quantity of your product order is just a start, and you will increase the volume of the order gradually every month.”

“Hmm.”

“Tomorrow, Hyundai Motor Company is hosting a meeting with their vendors. I know that you will attend the meeting and so will I. Many of the business owners who will attend tomorrow’s meeting are aware of the incident of your son beating me up near the Onyang Hot Spring Hotel. If any of our peer business owners asks me how I settled the incident with you, I will tell them that you handled it extremely favorable for me so I really appreciate you.”

“Hmm.”

“So, I actually came here to show you my appreciation. I want to give you a business with Gyoda Company in Japan. They placed a high volume of product order.”

“What? Did you say Gyoda Company?”

At that moment, Director Kim took out the product drawing that Gyoda Company sent to GH Mobile.

“President Goo wants to give this to Egnopak. I know a few other companies which can handle this product order; however, President Goo wants Egnopak to take this under one condition. As long as Egnopak uses Dyeon Korea’s raw materials, this is yours.”

“Let me take a look at it.”

Egnopak’s president took out his reading glasses and started scanning through Gyoda Company’s product drawing. And then he asked for his secretary through the interphone. He then said to his secretary,

“Ask the research center’s chief officer to come to my office now. And, bring four cups of tea for us.”

Egnopak’s research chief officer came into the office. His hair was covered with grey hair. He was supervising tens of researchers in Egnopak’s research center, who all had a Ph.D.

“Come here and take a look at this product drawing, and see if we can manufacture this in our factory.”

“Yes, sir. It doesn’t seem to be complicated. We can surely handle it.”

“Oh, and let me introduce someone to you. This is the president of Dyeon Korea and this is its director.”

“Oh, really? I’ve heard about you, sir, that Dyeon Korea’s president is young and that he acquired GH Mobile. Also, I heard that you are interested in art too.”

“I’m so glad to meet you, Mr. Research Chief Officer. I was told that Egnopak’s research center is highly recognized among the automobile manufacturing companies.”

“I believe I’ve met you several times before, Mr. Director. You worked for Mulpasaneop, didn’t you?”

“That’s correct. Since the days with Mulpasaneop, the Egnopak president has been very nice to me. He still is. I do admire him for his generous mind.”

“Don’t say that. I haven’t done much for you.”

Egnopak’s president seemed to feel good by Director Kim’s flattering comment.

“Mr. Research Chief Officer, this product order from Gyoda Company is a really good deal. The volume of the order is high. We were talking with the president about using Dyeon Korea’s raw materials in manufacturing these products.”

“Right. Let’s use their raw materials. They brought us the business after all.”

Egnopak’s president was feeling great by Director Kim’s flattery and smooth-talking, so he asked the research center’s chief officer to use Dyeon Korea’s raw materials. The research chief officer said while smiling,

“Will do, sir. Director Kim, please send us a copy of the testing results on Dyeon Korea’s raw materials.”

Once the research center’s chief officer left the office, Gun-Ho took out a paper from the inner pocket of his jacket, and he said,

“I have one more present that I’d like to give to you.”

“What is it?”

“This is the agreement about your promise on using our raw materials worth 1 billion won in manufacturing the products that you supply to Mandong Company.”

“Oh, that settlement agreement we signed before?”

“As long as this agreement exists, the relationship between you, sir and me could remain uncomfortable. I want to give this back to you.”

“Are… you serious?”

“My little brothers who always want to protect me were extremely upset when they heard that I was beaten up. They wanted to take revenge on the people who beat me up, and they said that whoever cut a billionaire’s face deserved it. They subsequently went to the bar in a group, where your son was and had him kneel on the floor. When they almost cut your son’s face, I stepped in and stopped them. I didn’t want to put any scar on your son’s good-looking face. This man standing next to me was there at that time.”

Egnopak’s president looked at Chan-Ho Eom. His eyes then landed on Chan-Ho’s hair. Chan-Ho’s hairstyle was a very typical style among the people in the “tough field.”

“As I gave the unpleasant agreement back to you, sir, we are good now.”

“Hahaha.”

The Egnopak’s president started laughing loudly. And then, he extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“You won. I lost to you, young man. This should be the most miserable moment in my 60 years of life.”

As Egnopak’s president held Gun-Ho’s hand, he shook it hard.

On the way back to Dyeon Korea, Director Kim said to Gun-Ho while smiling,

“Your strategic change worked, sir.”

Director Kim received a call from Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong who was recently reassigned to Dyeon Korea’s sales team from GH Mobile’s production team.

“Sir, we just received a new product order from Egnopak. This time, the quantity of their product order is very high. I believe it would worth about a billion won per month.”

“Are we done testing machine no. 5 and no. 6?”

“Yes, sir. The machines are ready to work.”

“Let the machines produce our raw materials starting today then.”

“Yes, sir. But, we are still short of workers. I know we are in the process of hiring more workers now, but for the moment, we don’t have enough workers who could be placed to work with those two additional machines.”

“We will have to work till late at night until we hire new workers. I will talk to the president about overtime pay.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho was wondering how the new hiring was going.

“When will we have the new workers?”

“We just completed the screening based on the papers, and we conducted the test. The interview process is the only step left. The interview is scheduled the day after tomorrow.”

“Who will be interviewing the candidates?”

“Mr. Adam Castler, Director Yoon and me will be at the interview. Mr. Adam Castler will lead the interview process.”

“You said that we would hire ten workers, right?”

“That’s correct, but if we see good candidates with great potential, I think we should hire two more workers with previous work experience.”

“That sounds good. And once the new workers started working with us, send them to Dyeon America for a tour by turns if the situation permits.”

“I want to visit Dyeon America as well, sir.”

“Sure. Once Dyeon Korea becomes stable, go take a tour.”

“Thank you, sir.”

When Gun-Ho came back to his office, he asked for Chan-Ho Eom.

“Hey, you did a great job today in convincing Egnopak’s president.”

“Huh? I didn’t do anything. I was just standing there.”

“That is it. Your presence with your tough look made your part in the deal. At your next visit to Seoul, why don’t you have a drink or something with Tae-Young?”

As Gun-Ho suggested Chan-Ho to have a drink with Tae-Young in the near future, he gave a white envelope to Chan-Ho. Chan-Ho was surprised as he hadn’t expected to receive additional money other than his salary. He gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho.

“Thank you, sir.”

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Chapter 352 - Strategic Change (2) – Part 1

Chapter 352: Strategic Change (2) – Part 1

It was Tuesday. Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work at the office in his building in Sinsa Town, Seoul City.

When he arrived at GH Building in Seoul, he went straight up to the 18th floor where his office with GH Development was located. On the contrary, Chan-Ho Eom went down to the basement level-1. His desk was located in the maintenance office in the basement. Chan-Ho spent time there while standing by. He played some games with his smartphone and he also recorded his daily travel with Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho was having a cup of tea that his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh brought to him.

Director Kang was giving a report to Gun-Ho on the building’s loss and profit. When it was almost over, Gun-Ho was informed that President Jeong-Sook Shin would visit the office that day. Gun-Ho told her that,

“You don’t have to come to the office. If you have anything you want to report to me, you can do so through email.”

“No, sir. I want to make a report to you face-to-face.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin arrived at the office in GH Building.

“The art exhibition of the Chinese young artists’ avant-garde arts was a success even though I’m not 100% satisfied. The profit for us is exceeding 30 million won, won’t you?”

“You will be busy planning another exhibition for the art gallery.”

“I am actually planning to host an art exhibition of watercolor paintings of Korean painters. It won’t be a solo art exhibition, but four painters will participate in it. These artists are not very well-known though. But I see their potentials and I want to provide them a space where they get their chance to communicate with the public through their artworks.”

“Hmm.”

“Let me give you the report on GH Media’s profit and loss of last month first before I continue to explain about the plan with the art gallery.”

“Sure. I’m all ears.”

“As to our publishing business, GH Media just released the tenth book of the world-history cartoon series. It is true that the market for paper books has shrunk but children’s books are still selling well. We have published five business management books, two Chinese history books, six Japanese essay books, and two other books. So if we add the cartoon books, we have published twenty-five books so far and we made 45 million won last month.”

“Well, it’s actually more than I expected.”

“The profit is 10 million won after we deduct the labor cost and other expenses of 35 million won. We will use that 10 million won to publish our next books.”

“Hmm.”

“Fortunately, we made extra revenue by hosting an art exhibition last month. We made 34 million won in hosting Mr. Ding Feng’s art exhibition and we spent 4 million won as an expense. So the profit of last month from the art gallery alone is 30 million won.”

“So the total revenue of GH Media including publishing work and art gallery income would be 79 million won in total.”

“Right. We can’t compare GH media’s revenue with your other companies such as GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea though.”

“You did a great job, especially given the fact that you only have several workers.”

“What is the monthly sales revenue of GH Mobile, sir?”

“They made 7.2 billion won last month alone.”

“Wow. Hahaha. It’s 100 times of the GH Media’s revenue.”

“Well, you have to consider that I invested significantly more to GH Mobile than to GH Media. So, don’t worry about it. You don’t compete with them.”

“I expect that we will do better next month. All of the profits we made from the art gallery will be reinvested in the publishing work. Also, the book café started generating income as well.”

“How is the book café doing?”

“During the art exhibition period, its daily sales revenue went up to 700,000 won. Its usual daily revenue is 500,000 won though. That makes its monthly sales revenue of about 15 million won. After subtracting the rent, labor costs, and other expenses, it will leave us with seven to eight million won.”

“As long as we don’t lose money, then it’s good.”

“Let me talk to you about next month’s plan, sir.”

“Please go on.”

“Next month, I’m planning to host an art exhibition of the French master of color aesthetics. The artist’s name is Marion Kinsky.”

“Is that person famous?”

“Yes, she is. Art lovers certainly know her.”

“How did you get in contact with that artist?”

“I touch-based with a French art gallery that I worked with before when I was a curator in an art museum. I want to go on a trip to France next week.”

“Sure if that’s necessary.”

“This art exhibition will work greatly as another marketing effort for the GH Art Gallery.”

“That sounds great. I will support you.”

“During the Chinese young artists’ art exhibition, the artist—Yue Zhihong’s artworks sold the most. He donated one of his artworks to us. It will cost more than 20 million won. I will leave it with you.”

“Why are you giving it to me? Doesn’t it belong to you?”

“Hahaha. I am not the owner of GH Media, sir. You own the company 100%. That artist donated his artwork to GH Art Gallery and it surely is not mine.”

“Well, I’m not sure if I have an appropriate space to keep it.”

“It’s framed. You can take it to your home, or you can hang it on the entrance wall of GH Mobile. Or you can display it in your office or a conference room at the company. The longer you keep the artwork, the higher its value will possibly go up.”

“Hmm, are you saying the price of that artwork will go up from 20 million won to 30 million won someday?”

“That’s right. That’s why many wealthy people purchase artworks of a very famous artist for that purpose. They see it as an investment.”

“Really?”

“A painting is often used as collateral for a loan as well.”

“Really?”

“I heard that Jeong-Hui Kim’s painting from the Joseon dynasty was recognized as collateral for the loan of hundreds of million won from a bank.”

It intrigued Gun-Ho.

‘Hmm, this is a very interesting field.’

“Let me ask you this. What was the name of that French artist you talked about earlier?”

“It’s Marion Kinsky, sir.”

“That Mr. Marion Kinsky person…”

“Actually, it’s a female artist.”

“Oh, I see. My question is… Can I buy one of those Ms. Marion Kinsky’s paintings on the first day of the art exhibition with us, and then I resell it on the last day of the exhibition at a higher price?”

“Theoretically, yes, it is possible. However, that wouldn’t make our art gallery look good though.”

“Well, I’m not saying I will do it, but I’m just asking if it’s possible.”

“And, we might have another good news waiting for us next month.”

“What is it?”

“We began to print out the Japanese book—The person who wakes up in the morning’s fifth edition. There is some indication telling me that this book will be a bestseller. Once a book gets selling very well, it tends to continue to sell very well. There are some signs of it.”

“I didn’t really like that book… I found Professor Jien Wang’s book more valuable and helpful for readers.”

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Chapter 353 - Strategic Change (2) – Part 2

Chapter 353: Strategic Change (2) – Part 2

President Jeong-Sook Shin smiled at Gun-Ho’s comment.

“We need to read a trend in a book publishing business. Once a book gains its popularity, people started buying it blindly. Many people don’t want to be excluded from a conversation with a group of people. So they want to read popular books so they could participate in a conversation.”

“Hmm. I hope everything turns out good as we expect.”

“Once the French artist—Ms. Marion Kinsky’s art exhibition becomes successful or the Japanese book—The person who wakes up in the morning becomes a bestseller book, I will consider moving GH Media’s office to the GH Building.”

“Sounds good. Thank you for your great work today.”

Right after President Jeong-Sook Shin walked out of Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho sent a text message to Seol-Bing.

[Thank you for coming to the Chinese young avant-garde artists’ art exhibition last time. Our art gallery is planning to host another art exhibition. A French artist—the master of color aesthetics –Ms. Marion Kinsky’s artworks will be displayed in our art gallery if everything goes smoothly.]

Seol-Bing replied.

[I think you are a very knowledgeable man, oppa in a wide range of fields.]

Gun-Ho sent another text message to Seol-Bing.

[Please visit our art gallery once again to enjoy Ms. Marion Kinsky’s artworks. French art will give you different pleasure and inspiration from Chinese art.]

Seol-Bing texted,

[I’m afraid that someone might take a picture of me again without my knowledge if I go to your art gallery.]

Gun-Ho replied,

[I don’t think it will happen again. I will let you know once the date of the exhibition is scheduled.]

Seol-Bing sent an emoticon with a smiley face.

It was Jong-Suk Park’s wedding day.

Jong-Suk was a popular type among people and maybe that was why there was a substantial number of people who came to his wedding to congratulate him. Literally, half of the employees of GH Mobile attended his wedding as well.

Two tour buses were rented to accommodate the guests from Incheon City and the buses arrived at the wedding hall. Jong-Suk’s mother was a very active woman with a wide social network and she had lots of friends who wanted to attend her son’s wedding accordingly. The guests from the bride’s side were a lot too. The bride’s parents were running businesses in Cheonan City; a real estate office and a hair salon. They certainly seemed to have a large social network as well.

“Wow. So many people came. Look at the congratulatory flower wreaths that were lined up here. They even reached the entrance of the wedding hall.”

Most of the flower wreaths were from GH Mobile’s vendors and client companies such as some chemical companies or Tech companies selling raw materials and etc.

“The groom is a plant manager of a large company.”

“He is still young and he is already a plant manager? He must be very smart.”

Every single one of the executive officers from GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea came. President Jeong-Sook Shin, Jae-Sik Moon, and Director Kang were there too. Even Tae-Young Im came to congratulate Jong-Suk on his wedding.

The staff at the wedding was surprised by the number of guests who came to attend the wedding. He said,

“I’ve never seen this many people here at once since the Cheonan Convention Center opened its door.”

The bride was not wearing her usual glasses at her wedding. Without glasses and in her wedding dress, she looked so different and so pretty. The president of the company where the bride was working for came and he met with Gun-Ho.

“You must be running a company in the Cheonan industrial complex. My company is in Jiksan Town. It’s nice to meet you. I’m very close to the groom. He is like my little brother.”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you as well. Everyone in the research center of my company loves the bride. GH Mobile’s man is now taking her. Hahaha.”

After the wedding, Jong-Suk planned to go on a honeymoon trip to Bali in Indonesia. A Bentley was waiting for Jong-Suk and his bride in front of the wedding hall. Chan-Ho Eom was in the driver’s seat. The Bentley was decorated with colorful ribbons. Gun-Ho provided his Bentley with his chauffeur to give a ride to the groom and the bride to the airport for their honeymoon trip.

“Hey, Mr. Groom. Close your mouth. I know you are the happiest man in the world today. But keep your mouth closed, man. You are drooling.”

People teased Jong-Suk.

Gun-Ho couldn’t go back to Seoul that day because he gave his car to Jong-Suk for the day. Director Kim gave Gun-Ho a ride to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel. Gun-Ho was going to spend the night there.

Gun-Ho was having a bottle of beer in his hotel room while watching the news on TV. Gun-Ho wanted to see Seol-Bing so much, maybe because he felt so envious of the new groom and the bride earlier that day.

“I miss Seol-Bing so much.”

Gun-Ho decided to send a text message to Seol-Bing.

[Hi, Ms. Seol-Bing!]

→ [Hi!]

→ [I went to a wedding at Cheonan Convention Center today. It was a wedding of one of my employees. I sent my car to them so my driver can give them a ride to the airport for their honeymoon. So I couldn’t go back to Seoul today. I’m staying in Onyang Hot Spring Hotel.]

→ [hhh. You are a good employer.]

→ [I want to see you. I can’t help thinking of you.]

→ [Go sleep. I have a photoshoot tonight.]

Gun-Ho concluded his chat with Seol-Bing by sending her an emoticon with a sleeping face.

When Jong-Suk came back from the honeymoon, he seemed to become a different person. He went straight home after work and he didn’t drink much. He worked harder too.

“That’s good for him.”

Gun-Ho perceived this change as one of the courses that Jong-Suk was going through in his life as he became mature.

One day, Gun-Ho asked Jong-Suk Park to stay in his office after finishing the regular meeting with GH Mobile’s executive officers.

“Hey, Jong-Suk. You act differently these days. What’s up?”

“I don’t think so. I feel the same.”

“You look better. Your complexion is even brighter.”

“Hahaha. Maybe.”

“You like your bride that much, huh?”

“Bro, let’s talk about it after you get married too. I can’t explain with words.”

Jong-Suk purchased a Purgio condo nearby the Dujeong subway station to start his family. His parents helped him financially but Gun-Ho was proud of Jong-Suk that he purchased the condo without a loan from a bank but used his money from his savings account.

Gun-Ho bought a new car for Jong-Suk with GH Mobile’s name. It was Gun-Ho’s wedding gift to Jong-Suk. Jong-Suk was making more than 100 million won yearly since his position was a director level. Gun-Ho’s high school friends—Won-Chul Jo who was a manager in a large company and Byeong-Chul Hwang who worked as a researcher in a research center in Pangyo— weren’t making more than Jong-Suk.

Moreover, Jong-Suk’s parents and his parents-in-law had their own condo. They were not rich but they had enough money to have a comfortable life. Additionally, Jong-Suk and his bride were both the only child to their own parents, so they would inherit whatever their parents owned, all to themselves. Once they had a baby, the two parents would probably fight over who would spend more time with their grandchild.

‘Jong-Suk, I want you to have lots of children, maybe three of them. That’s the best way you make your parents happy. I feel so lucky that I have you on my side at my company.’

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Chapter 354 - Strategic Change (3) – Part 1

Chapter 354: Strategic Change (3) – Part 1

On Monday, as soon as Gun-Ho arrived at work in Dyeon Korea, Mr. Adam Castler came into Gun-Ho’s office accompanied by the interpreter—Mr. Lee.

“You must have something you want to talk to me about. Please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho asked the secretary—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee to bring some tea for them.

“How do you like living in Korea so far?”

“It’s good. Everyone including you has been very kind to me.”

“What would you like to talk to me about today?”

“I’ve just received a call from Dyeon America that they will send an audit team here.”

“An audit?”

“Upon the completion of their investment-in-kind, Dyeon America sends its people to verify their investment. Their investment-in-kind will be completed when they send machine no. 7 and no.8 which will be shipped to Busan Port soon. They will check the machines from no. 1 to no. 6 and see if they are all in a good working condition.”

“Hmm. I think it is a good policy that they have.”

“In addition to checking the status of the machines, they will also look at the quality of the products that were being produced here. They will evaluate the adequacy of the current number of employees given the current sales revenue. Handling of the revenues and expenses will also be looked at. Oh, they will also check if taxes are properly being paid.”

“Hmm. How many people should we expect to see?”

“There will be two people.”

“How long will they stay?”

“Considering the size of the investment in Dyeon Korea, I suppose that the audit will take about two days.”

“Okay. I will talk to Director Yoon so we can take good care of the audit team with food and accommodation while they stay here in Korea.”

“Thank you.”

“Sure thing.”

“Dyeon America will bear the cost of the auditors’ flight, but they expect Dyeon Korea takes care of the cost of their stay here.”

“Of course. Will do.”

“Thank you.”

After Mr. Adam Castler left the office, Director Kim came in.

“I just saw Mr. Adam Castler walking out of your office. What was it about?”

“He said that the auditors will be here.”

“The auditors?”

“Lymondell Dyeon is sending their auditors here.”

“I guess they want to check how things go here since their portion of the investment is almost complete. I just received a fax from them that they shipped machine no. 7 and no. 8.”

“We will need to cooperate with them once they get here. They are our business partners. They are doing it because they want Dyeon Korea to succeed.”

“Yes, sir. Once the machine no. 7 and no. 8 arrive, Director Yoon will go to Busan Port with the production manager and the maintenance manager, just like last time.”

“Since Egnopak is buying more raw materials from us, our sales revenue must be going up by now.”

“Yes. Our sales revenue was about 2 billion won, and now it exceeded 2.5 billion won.”

“That will make our annual sales revenue 30 billion won.”

“As a matter of fact, Mr. Adam Castler was surprised by our sales revenue. According to him, we are the first joint venture with Dyeon America, which made 30,000,000 dollars in the first year. He was amazed by the power of the Korean market.”

“Really?”

“So, I told him that it’s not about the Korean market but it’s about our company’s sales tactics and ability. I told him the story about how you met with Egnopak’s president and negotiated with him to bring more business to our company. He said that this is again the first joint venture where its president does sales work himself. And he recorded all in his weekly report.”

“Haha, really? Actually, Director Kim, you did a great job. I didn’t actually do much…”

“Maybe Dyeon Korea will go public before GH Mobile does.”

“Maybe. That seems to be possible.”

“We hired twelve workers. The orientation will be held tomorrow. Since you are going to Seoul tomorrow, I guess the new hires won’t meet you at their orientation.”

“Let them start working. I can meet them on Thursday.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are we getting the company uniform from the same store where GH Mobile is getting theirs?”

“Yes, sir. We just change the company logo on it.”

“Do you think the cooking lady can handle the cafeteria by herself? We will have more workers joining us soon.”

“I think she will handle fine for now. But, I think we will need to hire one more security guard. We have tons of raw materials stored in the facility. Director Yoon will bring you the approval request for it.”

“Sounds good.”

Since Gun-Ho was commuting from Seoul, he got off work early, around 4 pm on the days when he worked in Dyeon Korea. If he left for his home in Seoul later than 4 pm, he would be stuck in heavy traffic around Yangjae Town even though he took a highway. When it was 4 pm, Gun-Ho walked out of his office carrying a newspaper with him, that he didn’t finish that day.

“I will read it in the car. It’s really nice that I can read a newspaper on the way home since Chan-Ho is now driving for me. Where is he by the way?”

Gun-Ho looked around. He couldn’t find Chan-Ho Eom. Gun-Ho asked the general affairs manager who was passing by Gun-Ho’s office.

“Have you seen Chan-Ho Eom? He doesn’t even pick up his phone.”

“I saw him at the production team.”

When Gun-Ho went to the production team, he saw Chan-Ho staring at a machine while crouching down on the floor.

“Chan-Ho, what are you doing there?”

“Oh, Mr. President!”

Chan-Ho stood up quickly from his crouching position and ran to the Bentley. He quickly brought the car in front of the building entrance.

When the car was passing by the seawalls in Asan City, Gun-Ho asked Chan-Ho,

“Chan-Ho Eom! Are you interested in working in the production worksite?”

“Oh, no, no. I was just watching it. It was interesting. I don’t think I can work at the production site. I will have to stay in one place all day long, right? I don’t think I can handle it. I love driving. While I drive, I can look at a lot of things like seawalls over there. And, when you don’t use your car, I can even take a nap.”

“Are you sure? I guess you like driving then. Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Nah, I don’t. Tae-Young bro doesn’t have one either.”

“Is Tae-Young’s security staffing company doing well?”

“He seems to have difficulty in running the company. People like me and Tae-Young bro don’t know anything much other than using our body since we have been exercising in our entire life. It’s really hard to change our career even if we want to.”

“Hmm, really? How much do you get paid by working at the bar in Hannam Town?”

“I don’t know. Tae-Young bro takes care of any monetary matter for us. Four of us work for that bar in Hannam Town. The work itself is easy and comfortable. We go to work at 6 pm and stay there showing customers the way to their room, and we get off work at 10 pm. We sometimes have to drive customers’ cars if they are too drunk to drive. But usually, we are off work at 10 pm. The bar provides us dinner too. You know the aunt is very nice.”

“Aunt? You mean Ms. Jang?”

“Yes, Ms. Jang. We call her aunt.”

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Chapter 355 - Strategic Change (3) – Part 2

Chapter 355: Strategic Change (3) – Part 2

Chan-Ho continued to talk about his work at the bar in Hannam Town.

“Ms. Jang’s bar is different from other bars. It is decent and their customers are gentle and act property. Nothing much to do there. I had worked for other bars before and I often had to be involved in a physical altercation there, and that doesn’t happen in Ms. Jang’s bar.”

“I see.”

“Sir. I want to clarify this. Even though I’ve been involved in a physical altercation several times, I have never been charged with a crime. GH Mobile’s general affairs director checked my criminal record after he saw my tattoo. He was so glad when he found no criminal record on me.”

“Oh, you have a tattoo?”

“Yes, I have a small tattoo on my arm. Many American soldiers have tattoos too. Theirs are usually huge.”

“Really? Don’t add any more tattoos on your body.”

“Okay, sir. We are almost at Pyeongtaek Interchange. I will now take the Gyeonbu Line.”

The next day, Gun-Ho went to work at his building in Sinsa Town.

Gun-Ho was receiving a report from President Jeong-Sook Shin. She said she just finalized the contract for the next art exhibition with the French master of color aesthetics—Ms. Marion Kinsky.

“The terms and provisions are similar to the contract for our previous art exhibition of Chinese young artists’ artworks.”

“You will need to work on the articles to give to the press.”

“Haha. It’s done already. If any office’s lease contract in this building expires soon, please let me know.”

“Oh, have you made up your mind to move into this building?”

“If GH Media handles only publishing work, we can stay in our current location. But I think our company will expand to handle various work. We’d better move to this location. I already talked to Director Kang to negotiate the security deposit with him, but he was firm with the price. Director Kang said he wouldn’t be able to lower the security deposit for us. He said that GH Media will have to pay the same amount of the security deposit that the current tenant is paying for whatever office that would be available for us to take.”

“He said that? Hahaha.”

“Once we finish the next art exhibition of Ms. Marion Kinsky, it won’t be a problem for us to pay the security deposit for an office with the size of 30 pyung in this building.”

“I have a question.”

“I’m listening, sir.”

“I’ve seen an entertainment company called BM Entertainment take Korean singers to Shanghai for a large performance.”

“Oh, I remember that. They had a huge performance event at the sports complex in Shanghai. At that time, they distributed the event pamphlet at the international book exhibition.”

“I understand that that sort of event is handled by a big entertainment company in taking Korean singers and entertainers to China for a performance. What if we want to bring Chinese entertainers to Korea for their performance? Do you think our company can handle it?”

“We will need someone who has a rich knowledge and experience in performance art. I’m sure you can hire those types of people in no time with your money, especially people who studied performance art. It’s not a problem. However, it’s hard to make the event successful with Chinese entertainers in Korea.”

“Well, I’m just asking. I’m not sure if I would try it yet.”

“A play or traditional music performance might work though. There was an opera—Turandot performed by Chinese actors in Korea. That was successful. Also, a Chinese music band called CrossOver came to Korea and did their performance successfully as well.”

“Hmm, really? I thought I knew a lot of things connected to China, but it seems you know much more than me.”

“That’s because I am in that cultural field. Hahaha.”

After President Shin left the office, Gun-Ho went up to the rooftop. He wanted to get some fresh air.

There were a few workers in a business suit on the rooftop. They were smoking.

Gun-Ho looked inside the book café. Three lady customers were having coffee. Gun-Ho entered the book café.

“Hi, please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho sat at a table.

“What can I get you…?”

The lady who tried to take Gun-Ho’s order recognized him and she seemed to be surprised. She was Jae-Sik Moon’s wife.

“I will have an Americano. Thank you.”

The lady brought a cup of coffee to Gun-Ho. Her hand was shaking.

“Do you receive lots of customers here?”

“Yes.”

The lady maintained her head low.

“Is Jae-Sik coming here sometimes?”

“He came once.”

“You know that I am a friend of Jae-Sik’s, right? We are very close and very good friends.”

The lady didn’t say anything.

Gun-Ho didn’t want to make Jae-Sik’s wife feel uncomfortable. He grabbed his coffee and stood up from his seat.

“The coffee is very good. I will have it outside.”

Gun-Ho took his coffee and walked out of the book café.

Gun-Ho wanted to help Jae-Sik and his wife. They seemed to still have financial difficulties. But he couldn’t think of any good position that he could place them into his companies.

“Jae-Sik is a writer and he has been writing in his entire life and nothing else. If I could place him in GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea, he will get paid with a high salary. But, with his current skills and work experience, there is no good position for him there.”

Jae-Sik had a different life from Min-Hyeok Kim or Jong-Suk Park. His skills were not very useful in the manufacturing industry where skills in producing products or controlling the quality were required. Jae-Sik wouldn’t perform well with sales activities either. Gun-Ho couldn’t trust Jae-Sik in managing workers either.

“Well, Jae-Sik reminds me of the old days in high school.”

Gun-Ho reminisced about his high school days while drinking his Americano.

‘It was Won-Chul’s birthday. He invited everyone from our class to his condo. His mom threw a pizza party for him. But he left out only three people out of the entire class: Jae-Sik, Min-Hyeok and me. Won-Chul didn’t invite us just because we were the poor kids living in a poor area.’

‘There was one kid. He was on the way to Won-Chul’s home for his birthday party. When he saw Jae-Sik on the way, he threw a rock to him and said, ‘you Mr. Basement, get lost!’ Jae-Sik cried hard that day. I heard Jae-Sik is living in a small rental townhouse in Mapo District. Is it impossible for him to live a better life than those mean kids who threw a rock to him, in this life?’

Gun-Ho sat on a bench in the rooftop garden and looked up at the sky.

‘Jae-Sik is a decent man. He just likes to read books. He doesn’t cause any harm to anybody. I guess life is not fair.’

When Gun-Ho came back to his office, he made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“Jae-Sik? It’s me.”

“Hey! President Goo.”

“Are you busy with editing work these days?”

“Yeah, I’m working on several books now. The work is busy. I want to thank you again for letting my wife work at the book café.”

“I actually just came back from the book café. Your wife seemed to have a lot of work to do there. Doesn’t she say the work is hard?”

“No, she didn’t say anything. She just said she felt sorry for you, President Goo. Well, one thing is that we live a bit far from work. I guess commuting is the only thing she feels hard. But, that’s not a big deal. A lot of people commute long distances.”

“Do you have a driver’s license?”

“A driver’s license? Yes, of course.”

“Is it Class 1 or Class 2?”

“Mine is Class 1. I once drove a taxi when I didn’t have enough editing work.”

“You drove a taxi before? I didn’t know that.”

“It was hard work and it was embarrassing for me too. When I drove a taxi, I was worried that I might run across one of the high school friends. I didn’t want to hear them say Mr. Basement is now driving a taxi. I know there is no low or high class in occupation but I still didn’t want my classmates from high school to see me driving a taxi. As soon as I found more work in the editing field, I quit it.”

“I didn’t know.”

“I’m happy with my current work. I make 3 million won per month working as a chief editor and my wife is making 2 million won. I think I can pay for my debt.”

“You need to buy a home…”

“I don’t even dream about owning a home. I’m just so grateful that I don’t have to live in a basement anymore.”

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Chapter 356 - GH Logistics (1) – Part 1

Chapter 356: GH Logistics (1) – Part 1

The weather was getting cold, especially at night.

Gun-Ho’s companies were doing well. They were all generating revenues without loss. GH Mobile was the only one that hadn’t generated profits though because it had a debt to pay off. But still, Gun-Ho was the big player in Gangnam District in the public’s eyes; he owned a tall building which was a 20 story building including the rooftop. The building was situated in the center of the Gangnam District.

Moreover, Gun-Ho had 170 billion won in his stock account that was growing on a daily basis. No one knew about Gun-Ho’s money in that account though. Gun-Ho was making more than 4 billion won yearly using that money. Typically, the funds were invested in a safe program provided by the stock brokerage company. In addition, Gun-Ho was receiving his monthly salary of 35 million won in total from his four companies. Gun-Ho didn’t even spend much of this money since he usually used his company’s business credit card. That didn’t mean Gun-Ho spent money without care though.

Gun-Ho had also invested in several companies, but since many of them were startup companies, he hadn’t received any dividends yet from them. Once these companies started distributing dividends, Gun-Ho’s income would increase even more.

Two of the four companies that Gun-Ho owned were big enough to register with KOSDAQ, which were GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea. Once these two companies successfully became publicly traded companies, Gun-Ho’s wealth would grow dramatically.

Gun-Ho was in his office in Jiksan Town when he received a call from Mr. Adam Castler.

“How are you, boss. Please hold one second. I will put you on speakerphone so the interpreter can hear our conversation and interpret for us.”

The interpreter—Mr. Lee—was there and said,

“The vice president—Mr. Adam Castler—wants to leave for Incheon International Airport now. The audit team from Dyeon America is arriving soon.”

“Really? Sure.”

“Okay, sir. But I’m not going with Mr. Adam Castler this time.”

“Why not? Oh, the car doesn’t have enough space?”

“If I go with him, three people will have to sit in the rear seat.”

“Do you think he can handle it by himself? Do you think he won’t get lost on the way?”

“Vice President Adam Castler has been in Korea for several months already. I think he will be okay.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea. Director Yoon brought twelve new employees to Gun-Ho’s office. The employees with work experience seemed to be about the same age as Gun-Ho while the others looked like they were in their early 30s or late 20s.

“So these people are the official first new hires of Dyeon Korea.”

“That’s right, sir.”

It was the second day of work for these new hires. They were already assigned to a department and started working. Gun-Ho gave a short speech to them to encourage them to work hard before letting them go back to their work.

“How many employees do we have now?”

“It’s 25 workers, sir.”

“Did we hire another security guard for the night shift?”

“We didn’t yet.”

“Why don’t you hire one more person for the day shift as well? We handle a significant amount of raw materials here. When someone needs to take materials out of the facility, they will have to submit the sign-out form to the security office before they pass the gate.”

“Understood, sir.”

“You know what? Let’s not directly hire security guards as our employees, but ask a staffing company to send someone here. For a position with a high turnover rate such as a security guard, we’d better use a labor service company’s service.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, you know what? I will ask the security staff company which dispatched my chauffeur here.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Tae-Young Im right away.

“Tae-Young?”

“Yes, big brother. This is Tae-Young.”

“We are looking for two security guards for the day shift and the night shift to work in my factory in Asan City. There is no age restriction. People in their 60s are fine too. Can you find someone for me?”

“Of course, big brother. I’m on it.”

Director Kim came back to the office after visiting a client site.

“Mr. Adam Castler left for the airport. The audit team seemed to have arrived.”

“I’ve been already informed about it, sir. I need to talk to you about getting freight trucks. We can’t handle the shipment of the raw materials to our clients any longer. There are just too many of them to handle by shipment. We will need to buy two freight trucks and hire two truck drivers.”

“Workers like drivers, security guards, cleaning crew, and restaurant workers can easily be provided by a staffing company. Maybe we should do that.”

“You are right. If we directly hire miscellaneous workers as our employees, they could create a lot of noise. They might demand a better work environment or higher salary, and it’s hard to manage them as well. If we think of raising their wages every year and using our resources to manage them, it’s more desirable to use a labor service company.”

“I know one staffing company. I will make a request to them.”

“Okay, sir. I will leave that to you then.”

After Director Kim left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon immediately.

“What’s up?”

“How is your editing work going?”

“It’s going fine. Since I have to read a lot, my eyes hurt a bit, but everything is good here.”

“Hey, are you interested in running a transportation company?”

“Running a transportation company? What are you talking about?”

“I’m thinking about forming GH transportation company. I will be in my office in Sinsa Town for work tomorrow. Come to my office. Meet me there tomorrow. You can see your wife at work too.”

“I don’t know what to say. I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Well, just come by my office in Sinsa Town tomorrow. Morning time is good. I will talk to you about it.”

“Okay. I will be there.”

In the afternoon, Mr. Adam Castler came back from the airport. He was with two Americans.

Mr. Adam Castler introduced these two Americans to Gun-Ho and the executive officers. One of the Americans said through the interpreter—Mr. Lee,

“The scope of our audit is limited to verifying the status of the machines that had been sent by us as part of our investment-in-kind and Mr. Adam Castler’s work. We are not here to audit any part of the Korean coventurer’s work. So please don’t mind us and focus on your work.”

“Hmm, really?”

“We just need a place to work. I saw a small meeting room on the way here. If it’s okay, we’d like to use that room for the next two days.”

“Sure. No problem. If you need anything else, please feel free to talk to Director Yoon here. He will help you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The next day, Gun-Ho headed to his building in Sinsa Town. Jae-Sik came to see him.

“Please have a seat. You want some coffee?”

Gun-Ho asked the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—to bring two cups of coffee.

“Have you walked up to the rooftop?”

“Not yet. I will go there later.”

“How do you like your job as a chief editor in GH Media?”

“Whether I like it or not is not important to me. That’s the only job I have that pays my bills.”

“You said you drove a taxi before.”

“You don’t make enough money by driving a taxi. You have to give a certain amount of money to the company, which is a lot. So, you have to drive from early morning till late at night. Old people drive a taxi because they can’t find any other job, but I don’t recommend it to young people.”

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Chapter 357 - GH Logistics (1) – Part 2

Chapter 357: GH Logistics (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik,

“You said you are living somewhere in Mapo District, right?”

“Mangwon Town in Mapo District to be exact.”

“Did you lease it with a monthly rent?”

“Yeah. It has two rooms. The security deposit is 10 million won with 500,000 won of monthly rent.”

“You are paid 3 million won per month, right?”

“Right. After tax, I’m taking about 2.7 million won home.”

“You said you are still paying for your debt. With the payment for the debt and for the rent, nothing much would be left.”

“Well, my wife is making money now. We are doing okay.”

“I went to the book café the other day to have coffee, and I met your wife. She looked calm and stable.”

“Calm? Well, she is moody. She used to write poetry; maybe that’s why she is so moody. We both were working as an editor when we first met. We started living together without a formal wedding ceremony.”

“Hmm, yeah, I think you told me about it before.”

“We were separated for a while, and I didn’t want to restart our relationship like this. But we were both suffering from financial difficulties, and we decided to live together again and relied on each other. I once asked her what her dream is. She said that she wants to wear a wedding dress.”

“Ha, really?”

“Anyway, so what did you want to talk to me about? What is GH transportation?”

“Well, I want to establish a transportation company that handles certain freight.”

“Transportation? Like delivery or shipping service?”

“Not for any goods though. I want a company that handles freight only for companies not for individuals. I’m planning to grow that company gradually.”

“You will need a good connection with companies that require freight service then maintain a steady stream of clientele.”

“As a start, the company will have two freight trucks. It will handle Dyeon Korea’s shipment work. The company will grow as it adds more clients.”

“I see. So the company already has a client. And Dyeon Korea is the only client for now.”

“The founder of Hanjin Group—Joong-Hoon Cho—started his company with two trucks as well, even though his granddaughters are ruining his company now.”

“Passenger transportation is safer than freight transportation as far as revenue is concerned, I guess. I’ve never seen an express bus company go bankrupt, have you? Intra-city bus companies are getting a subsidy from the government. That’s why there is no passenger transportation company on the market for sale. On the contrary, the market for freight transportation is very competitive. Well, as long as you have clients, you should be fine though.”

“I’m actually thinking of expanding the service to other countries too if I can’t find enough clients nationally.”

“International shipment?”

“Yeah. Dyeon Korea’s market is not limited to Korea. It can sell its products to Southeast Asia as well. The transportation company will expand its market as Dyeon Korea will.”

“Hmm.”

Jae-Sik seemed to have a lot to think about.

“Let’s have some coffee before it gets cold.”

“Why don’t you acquire an already-established transportation company? Rather than forming a new one? Many transportation companies are owned by an individual, so I don’t think it’s expensive to acquire.”

“Is there any company on the market for sale?”

“There is a company that our publishing company has worked with. The owner hasn’t officially registered the company as a business entity, but he is just an individual running the service. I heard he said the other day that he wanted to sell his company.”

“Really? Where is that company located?”

“It’s in Paju City. But since that company handles the shipment of books, they must have a storage space. If he is renting the storage, then that’s good. But if he owns it, it will cost more to buy it from him. Shipping companies that handle a publishing company’s books usually are not making much. So, my guess is that he is probably renting the storage. It only takes one storage space, one forklift truck, and two freight trucks. Some owners drive the truck themselves.”

“Can you get more information on that company? You don’t have to worry about the acquisition cost.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I’m serious. We don’t have much time though. The executive officers already started talking about getting a freight truck for Dyeon Korea. That transportation company already has clients in the publishing industry. If we add Dyeon Korea to its list of clients, I believe you can make your salary by running it.”

“By the way, people usually don’t say ‘transportation service’ when it comes to handling work for companies like Dyeon Korea.”

“What do you say then? GH Transportation Company doesn’t sound good?”

“We say ‘logistics’ instead. I guess that’s because it focuses on the overall service that they provide, not just shipment. We used to call it ‘express’ in the past, but now we call it ‘logistics’.”

“Hmm, then we call our transportation company ‘GH Logistics’, huh?”

“That’s right. That sounds more like it.”

“GH Logistics… I like it.”

“Okay, then I will talk to the owner of that transportation company in Paju City.”

“Don’t forget to see your wife before you leave.”

“You know I live with her, right? I see her every day at home.”

Jae-Sik Moon walked out of Gun-Ho’s office. He seemed excited.

In the evening, Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“It’s me, Jae-Sik.”

“Did you have a chance to talk to the owner?”

“Yes. That company in Paju City has two employees, and it’s a sole proprietorship. The storage is rented. He currently has two freight trucks and one forklift truck. Since he stores books mostly in the storage, a thermo hygrostat is installed there.”

“Did you ask him about the price?”

“He said he wants 150 million won. It’s obviously a rip-off.”

“I guess he will include the list of his clients.”

“It seems that he has only fifteen clients. The books he has in his storage are owned by publishing companies, not him.”

“He is storing them for his clients, I guess.”

“Yes. He charges the clients with some small fees to store their books in his storage.”

“I will go meet him tomorrow.”

“Can you come in the afternoon? I have some editing work that I have to finish in the morning.”

“Sure. I will see you tomorrow afternoon then. Let the owner know that we are coming to see him tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho wanted to register the transportation company as a business entity after acquiring it from the owner. And it would provide exclusive transportation service to Dyeon Korea. GH Mobile had its own transportation department with truck drivers and they were employees. So, it wouldn’t be able to include GH Mobile as its client, at least for now.

“Jae-Sik Moon might not be able to handle manufacturing work, but I guess he can handle a transportation business.”

Gun-Ho made a phone call to President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“Chief Editor—Jae-Sik Moon—will have to leave GH Media soon.”

“Sir? Why?”

“I’m opening a transportation company, and I want him to work there. You might have felt a bit uncomfortable working with my friend in GH Media.”

“Not at all, sir. He has been very helpful.”

“Well, I’m letting you know this now, so you can prepare to fill up his position.”

“Okay… I will do that.”

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Chapter 358 - GH Logistics (2) – Part 1

Chapter 358: GH Logistics (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho established a transportation company with investment funds of 300 million won which was part of the sales proceeds that he made by selling his condo in Buldang Town, Cheonan City. He had sold that condo since he didn’t have to live in Cheonan City anymore; now he was staying in Seoul.

The full name of the business was GH Logistics Corporation.

He spent 120 million won in acquiring the existing transportation company in Paju City after negotiating the price with its owner. The price included two freight trucks and one forklift truck. They were all old and shabby. These trucks wouldn’t worth even 5 million won. The forklift truck seemed to be more than ten years old.

The owner was renting a storage space with a security deposit of 30 million won, but he installed metal-framed bookshelves inside the storage in order to effectively store books. The owner wanted Gun-Ho to pay for the bookshelves along with the list of his current clients. So, Gun-Ho paid 120 million for everything that the owner listed.

The landowner where the storage was situated was a farmer in the area. The workers there were from the same area as well. There was a small office inside the storage.

“GH Media’s design team leader—Ms. Min-Sook Oh—made your business card for this logistics company. And the business card came out really nice. But I feel sorry for you that you have to work in this shabby office for now.”

“It’s okay. This is just a start, right? I will be the president of this company. I can’t believe it. I actually like this place better than the office in GH Media in Mapo District. Here, the air is fresh and I’m surrounded by nature instead of buildings. I guess I will have to drive the truck myself for a while until we make enough money to hire someone.”

“You can hire one truck driver now.”

“I don’t think we can afford to hire a worker yet.”

“You can’t expect to make money in the first year when you start a business. Just hire one worker who can assist you. You will start this business with some investment funds, and you can take your salary from there for a while.”

“Are you sure I can do that…?”

“Sure. And, because this is a registered business entity, you will have some paperwork to do to file with the government regularly, such as taxes and Four Major Public Insurance. If you need help in doing so, you can contact GH Media at any time.”

“Sure, I will do that.”

“Get two freight trucks, one for 1-ton and one for 4-ton. Post a job opening for a truck driver who is currently residing in the Asan City area. Once you get them all, send the trucks and the driver to Dyeon Korea. Director Yoon there is managing those kinds of things. He will help you make a work contract.”

“How much should I ask in making the contract?”

“Do the math. Add the truck driver’s labor cost, any expenses related to maintaining the trucks, and also some profits. You probably want to conduct some research on a logistics company’s business. You might want to talk with this company’s previous owner as well about the reasonable profit you can expect given the current situation and etc.”

“I see. You’re right. I can start by contacting the previous owner and learn more about the business.”

“I will leave the company’s bank book and stamp with you. The shareholders of this company are you and I. I own 100% of the company shares now, but I will give you the stock option of 5% based on your work performance. That’s what Min-Hyeok Kim is getting for the company in China as well.”

“You are giving me the stock option of 5%?”

“Min-Hyeok Kim has been working so hard this year. I expect him to receive about 100 million won from it at the end of this year.”

“Wow! 100 million won!”

“That’s how Min-Hyeok Kim purchased his condo in Juan Town—Hyundai HomeTown—with a loan from a bank. I believe it’s a 32 pyung large condo. His parents are living there right now.”

“Really?”

“President Jeong-Sook Shin in GH Media where you used to work is getting her 5% stock option as well. She is working so hard as well. I’m sure that her next art exhibition with the French artist—Marion Kinsky—will succeed.”

“Hmm.”

Jae-Sik seemed to be lost in thought for a second while rubbing his chin.

“Min-Hyeok Kim, President Jeong-Sook Shin, and GH Mobile’s President Song, they all have the stock option, so they don’t really work for me. Technically, they are my business partners. So, what do you think, Jae-Sik?! You can work as my business partner as well.”

Jae-Sik didn’t say anything, but he certainly looked excited.

“President Song in GH Mobile has spent tens of years of his life in the management of a company. He knows what and how to get things that he wants. I believe that once GH Mobile goes public, he will make several billions of won.”

“Several billions!”

Jae-Sik’s eyes were shining with excitement.

The news about the solo art exhibition of French artist—Ms. Marion Kinsky—was placed in several newspapers. Newspapers usually talked positively about any cultural events. Newspapers including the three major newspapers—Chosun, Joongang, and Donga Ilbo—placed a very nice article in their newspapers about the art exhibition.

“The art exhibition will be held in GH Gallery. Where is GH Gallery? Is it in Insa Town?”

“No, it’s in Gangnam District. You will see the gallery at the entrance of Garosugil Road.”

People seemed to believe that if they know and enjoy French arts, then they would be considered as intelligent and elegant. It seemed that more people came to see French artworks than the last time with Chinese young avant-garde artworks. After making his round at the art gallery, Gun-Ho came back to his car and he said,

“I don’t know about others, but for me, those paintings are so confusing, and they even make me feel dizzy. It’s like someone spilled a bunch of paint on a canvas, and they say the artist expressed some human desire by it or something. But I don’t see at all what the artist is trying to say by those paintings.”

“Me too, sir.”

Chan-Ho Eom who was sitting in the driver’s seat totally agreed with Gun-Ho.

One week after the French art exhibition opened its door, Gun-Ho received a text message from Seol-Bing.

[I’m going to stop by the art gallery tonight around 8 pm.]

→ [Really? I will be at the gallery waiting for you then. I will be holding the gallery key.]

The art gallery closed the door at 7 pm. The secretary—Ms. Yeong-Soo Oh—turned off all the lights at 7 pm. At that moment, Gun-Ho told her,

“I will take the gallery’s key. I’m waiting for a special guest who wants to see the artworks at 8 pm today.”

“No problem, sir. Here is the key. I will be off then.”

After everyone left the gallery, Gun-Ho stayed in his office reading the world-history cartoon book.

When it was almost 8 pm, Gun-Ho went down to the basement where the art gallery was located.

The lights from the stores around GH Building illuminated the street outside. The bank on the first floor of GH Building and the art gallery in the basement were the only ones without lights. Other stores outside including restaurants were vigorously doing their business at this hour. Gun-Ho felt like he asked Seol-Bing to come to a place that was the only dark place in the area at the moment while everywhere else were so bright. Gun-Ho felt sorry for her. Once he entered the art gallery, he turned on only the emergency light, and he kept the door open slightly.

A text message arrived.

[Is it okay for me to enter the art gallery now?]

→ [I am actually in the gallery.]

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Chapter 359 - GH Logistics (2) – Part 2

Chapter 359: GH Logistics (2) – Part 2

Seol-Bing came into the art gallery. She was wearing a mask.

“Seol-Bing!”

“Oppa?”

Gun-Ho turned on the light inside the gallery. Seol-Bing took off her mask and smiled at Gun-Ho.

“Thank you for coming.”

After Gun-Ho made sure that Seol-Bing came into the gallery, he walked to the door and locked it.

“There are only two of us here. Enjoy the artworks as much as you pleased.”

Seol-Bing started walking slowly around the gallery hall. She seemed to really enjoy the art there. Gun-Ho started regurgitating whatever he had heard from President Shin about the artworks there.

“The artist—Marion Kinsky—is considered as a magician with colors. This red color depicts human’s endless desire while this blue color shows people’s craving for peace.”

Seol-Bing nodded her head as Gun-Ho explained to her about each painting that was displayed in the gallery. Seol-Bing’s smile while looking at an artwork was so beautiful. The gallery was quiet and only Seol-Bing’s heels made some noise as she walked around.

Maybe about fifteen minutes or so passed. Seol-Bing had made a complete round of the art gallery.

“I did really enjoy it even though these paintings are so difficult to understand.”

“You looked so gorgeous when you were into the paintings. I had to suppress my urge to take your pictures. I know you don’t like to be taken a picture without your knowledge.”

“Please don’t.”

Seol-Bing said with a smile.

“This is our first time meeting in Seoul since our last meeting in Tokyo.”

“I came here before when the art exhibition of Chinese paintings was here.”

“But I didn’t see you then. Did you eat? Let’s go out and have dinner together. There are plenty of nice restaurants on Garosugil Road.”

“Maybe next time. I feel tired today. My mom is coming to visit me at my home in Cheongdam Town today.”

“What about a cup of tea?”

“I’m good. Thank you though.”

“Well, then what about a kiss?”

Gun-Ho hugged Seol-Bing abruptly and kissed her on her lips, not on her cheek. Seol-Bing didn’t resist.

“I love you, Seol-Bing!”

“Okay, this is enough!”

Seol-Bing ran toward the front door of the gallery and waved her hand toward Gun-Ho.

“I will see you later.”

Gun-Ho waved back to Seol-Bing.

“I will text you.”

Gun-Ho actually planned to have dinner with Seol-Bing and maybe have some wine. The night with Seol-Bing didn’t go as he planned but he kissed her. That was good.

“Well, I will see her again. Our relationship developed this far!”

Jae-Sik Moon went to work in Paju City. His new work location was far from his home. He drove the truck to commute.

Gun-Ho was worried about Jae-Sik’s commute. He called Jae-Sik that day,

“President Moon? It’s me. How’s your first day at work? It’s far from your home, right?”

“It’s doable. I drove the company’s truck to commute.”

“You have some place to park the truck around your house?”

“Yes, there is one. I have to walk about 300 meters to get to the parking lot though. But it’s good.”

“Okay. That’s nice then”

“Can we buy the freight trucks with installment payment, which we will be using in transporting Dyeon Korea’s goods?”

“The thing is that those trucks will be purchased with the company’s name. And, since the company was just established, it’s really hard to buy things in an installment. You will have to buy those trucks with cash.”

“I posted a job opening on WorkNet looking for a truck driver who will be driving trucks to transport Dyeon Korea’s materials. For the transportation work of books for the current publishing company clients and retail stores, I will hire the driver who the previous owner recommended.”

“That sounds good.”

“I will have an interview tomorrow for truck drivers who will be working for Dyeon Korea’s work.”

“Are they coming to the Paju location? It’s far, huh?”

“No. I arranged a place in Yongsan Station. I rented an office there for three hours. I will meet them there.”

“Did you receive many applications for the job?”

“I did receive a lot of calls inquiring about the job. Many of them asked if they have to bring their own trucks. Once I told them we would provide trucks, they all applied for the position.”

“Really?”

“Also I told them that we will purchase new trucks. I guess they liked it a lot.”

“I see. Once you get the trucks, ask them to deliver the trucks to Dyeon Korea’s factory’s front yard.”

“I will have to receive the trucks at the Paju location because since these trucks will be used for special transportation, I will have to customize it a bit.”

Jae-Sik Moon visited Dyeon Korea. He would have to sign a contract with Dyeon Korea to do get the work from it. He brought two new trucks with him. He drove one and the driver who usually drove to deliver books drove the other truck.

“Wasn’t it tiring to drive the truck all the way from Paju City?”

“It was okay. The newly hired drivers will be here soon. I asked him to come to this location. The two truck drivers are all from Asan City.”

The truck drivers arrived and Jae-Sik had them sign the work contract with Director Yoon.

“Your work will start at 8 in the morning. You will have to be here by 8 am sharp. When you arrive in the morning, Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong will give you an instruction about the day’s delivery work.”

Director Yoon introduced Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong. Jae-Sik handed the keys of the new trucks to the drivers.

“Please be careful with driving. These are new vehicles.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir.”

At that moment, Director Kim came into the office. And Jae-Sik greeted him,

“Hello.”

“Oh, Mr. Jae-Sik Moon from GH Media? How’s your work as a chief editor there?”

“I’m actually working for a transportation company now. President Goo asked me to work there. I guess I will see you around more often.”

Jae-Sik handed his business card to Director Kim.

“Oh, GH Logistics! It’s very nice. I’m sure GH Logistics will prosper.”

Gun-Ho just came back to his office from the restroom when Director Kim and Jae-Sik Moon were conversing about GH Logistics.

“Director Kim, please be mindful that we have another company now called GH Logistics while you do your sales activities.”

“Transportation business is very interesting. There are lots of large transportation companies. You know, Hansol Logistics is a publicly-traded company.”

“Is that so?”

“Dyeon Korea is making international shipping for our clients abroad as well. Why don’t you take over that work for us as well, President Moon? If you want to expand your clientele, you should visit the customs office in Pyeongtaek Port with the company’s pamphlet and your business card. Also, you probably want to make the company website too.”

“Thank you for the tips.”

“Your business card says that your office is located in Paju City. I think the ideal location of GH Logistics’ transport hub is around Pyeongtaek or Osan City. Why did you open it in Paju City?”

“Oh, the company is transporting books for publishing companies as well.”

“Publishing companies? So you are transporting their books to bookstores such as Kyobo Book Center and Yoingpoong Bookstore?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, I don’t think you will make enough money by doing it. You need to change your target market. I recommend doing transportation work of artworks or frozen goods or something like that, or picking up or dropping off goods from and to the port.”

“I will surely give it consideration.”

“I’ve just found out that one of our client companies—Oyoung Tech—is having trouble with their workers, and their shipment department is on strike. You probably want to stop by that sort of companies as well. You might see an opportunity there.”

“Well, we now have a few trucks and drivers. I think I will have to do it later.”

“If you do it later, that would be too late. You have to be ready all the time, so whenever someone has work for you, you could just take the job on the spot.”

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Chapter 360 - GH Logistics (3) – Part 1

Chapter 360: GH Logistics (3) – Part 1

The machines, no. 7 and no. 8 had finally arrived at Busan Port. Dyeon America’s investment-in-kind had completed now. Dyeon Korea was doing very well. Thanks to its successful sales activities and the power of Lymondell Dyeon’s global brand name.

Dyeon Korea’s vice president—Mr. Adam Castler came into Gun-Ho’s office with the interpreter—Mr. Lee.

“Lymondell Dyeon’s investment-in-kind has been completed as of today.”

“I am aware of it. Everyone did a great job so far. We are now focusing on our sales work.”

“Since both parties completed their investment into this joint venture, Dyeon America now wants to have our first board meeting.”

“Of course. That’s stipulated in the contract for this joint venture.”

“The chairman of the board and one executive officer will visit Korea soon for the board meeting.”

“Is Mr. Brandon Burke coming too?”

“Mr. Brandon Burke—the vice president of Dyeon America is coming as the chairman of the board. One board director will accompany him. It could be either Ms. Angelina Rein who is in charge of International Business Development or Mr. Richard Amiel from Tokyo, who is the president of Dyeon Japan.”

“I will be at the board meeting with Director Kim and Director Yoon.”

“Sounds good. I will arrange the schedule of the meeting with Dyeon America and will let you know.”

When Mr. Adam Castler mentioned about Mr. Richard Amiel in Tokyo, it reminded Gun-Ho of Mori Aikko who was also in Japan. He suddenly missed her a lot.

“It has been a while since the last time I saw her. I guess my mind has been fully occupied with Seol-Bing lately. I wonder if Mori Aikko is doing okay.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho received a call from GH Mobile. It was the secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park.

“Sir, this is Hee-Jeong Park.”

“Oh, Ms. Hee-Jeong Park? Did something happen?”

“Sir, we have received a foreign mail addressed to you. I know you wouldn’t come to GH Mobile today but you would stay in Dyeon Korea all day. I just wanted to let you know that you have a mail waiting for you here.”

“Is it from China?”

“No. It’s actually from Japan.”

“Japan? Who is the sender?”

“Please give me one second. I remember the sender’s name was written in English. Oh, here it is. It says ‘Aikko.’”

“Aikko?”

Gun-Ho intuitively knew that it was from Mori Aikko.

“I will send Mr. Chan-Ho Eom to GH Mobile right now. Give it to him so he could bring it to me.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho called Chan-Ho Eom.

“Chan-Ho?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You will need to go to the factory in Jiksan Town. Ms. Hee-Jeong Park will give you a mail. Bring it to me.”

“I’m on my way, sir.”

‘What did she possibly send to me?’

Gun-Ho slowly opened the mail from Mori Aikko.

It was an invitation letter for a traditional dance performance that would be held in a concert hall in Tokyo.

On the back page of the invitation letter, there was a brief description of the event and the performance. It said that the popular geisha—Mori Aikko would participate in the performance.

“Popular geisha’s dance performance?”

Gun-Ho thought that Mori Aikko would be wearing heavy makeup for the dance with a very colorful outfit. For some reason, a geisha in Japan looked sadder as they wore heavier makeup.

“She sent me two invitation letters. What does this mean? Is Mori Aikko asking me to bring someone to her performance? Does she think I have someone I want to marry and she wants me to bring her with me?”

Gun-Ho looked at the calendar. The performance would be held from this Friday until Sunday.

“I want to see Mori Aikko. I want to see her dancing too.”

The French artist—Marion Kinsky’s art exhibition was finally over. GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin was making her report on the art exhibition.

“We received so many visitors and we sold a significant number of pamphlets as well. However, the artworks themselves didn’t sell well.”

“It is because the paintings were too difficult to understand for most of the people?”

“I think it’s because of the cultural difference. Her paintings didn’t appeal to Koreans.”

“I guess the paintings’ colors were too bold for Koreans.”

“Since we sold all of the pamphlets, it covered the cost for printing. Some of the paintings were sold to an institution like a college. Even though the paintings were not very popular for personal use, some organizations find them attractive. Also, some old ladies from Gangnam District purchased several of it. I guess they saw the potential value of the paintings.”

“Really?”

“There is one lady who we call Lady Kim. I have known her since I worked as a curator. She is from Apgujeong Town. She purchased two pieces of paintings without hesitation. She makes several hundreds of millions won annually from her investment in the art only.”

“Oh, so she resells the paintings that she purchased, huh?”

“That’s right. She does have good eyes in picking up valuable artworks with high resale value and she also has skills to resell them.”

“Her husband must have lots of money to support her.”

“Her husband used to work as the president of a government-owned company. He is now retired. I heard that his family has passed wealth down from generation to the next, and it started from his grandfather.”

“It will be very useful to know that kind of people in doing business.”

“From this Marion Kinsky’s art exhibition, GH Media made 15 million won. If I add the profits that we gained from the Chinese young artists’ art exhibition, the profits from the gallery are about the same as the profit from our publishing work. Haha.”

“Are you planning the next exhibition already?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. I want to host an art exhibition with a Korean painter. He specializes in watercolor paintings in Yangpyeong County.”

“Is he well-known as well?”

“Not very widely, but he is an excellent painter. I have no doubt about the quality and the artistic value of his paintings. GH Gallery doesn’t have to host an art exhibition all the time only for those artists who are internationally renowned. We can discover a very good artist with great potential, who is undervalued or not widely known yet.”

“I do agree with you. I think it’s a good idea.”

“Also, we can provide this art gallery to new artists at a low price, who are currently experiencing financial difficulties. It will be a good opportunity for them to show their artworks to the public and the gallery could gain a good reputation by doing so. You will gain a good reputation as well as the owner of the gallery, President Goo.”

“Haha… Me… well…”

“Oh, and, just like the last time, Ms. Marion Kinsky left a piece of her paintings for GH Media. You are the owner of GH Media and I don’t have any authority to do anything with this painting. So I will leave this with you again.”

“Take it, President Shin. Put it in your home.”

“No, sir. I can’t take it. I do insist.”

“Well, where can I put this bold painting then?”

“Keep it somewhere even though you don’t display it. Someday when you have a lot of paintings like that, you can host your own art exhibition with the artworks that you own.”

“You mean, like ‘Mr. Gun-Ho Goo’s art collection exhibition’ or something like that, huh?”

“That’s right.”

“Haha. I like that.”

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Chapter 361 - GH Logistics (3) – Part 2

Chapter 361: GH Logistics (3) – Part 2

GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin continued to talk to Gun-Ho,

“Oh, umm, how is Chief Editor Jae-Sik Moon doing with the transportation company?”

“He is very driven. You can ask him to transport the artworks for your art exhibition from now on.”

“Oh, he does that too?”

“He wants to grow the company to handle a wide range of transportation work.”

“Wow, that’s nice.”

“Did you find a new chief editor to fill up Jae-Sik’s position?”

“I haven’t posted any job openings, but I have someone I want. I used to work with this person before. He is really good at editing work. He is currently working for another company and I’m trying to persuade him to work with me. If he decides to join us, I will bring him to you.”

“No, you don’t have to. If you like the person, you work with him.”

It was Friday.

Gun-Ho took a flight heading to Tokyo.

“I believe that the concert hall is located across the street from Ueno Park.”

Once he arrived in Tokyo, he took the subway and came to downtown Tokyo.

The concert hall was situated right in front of Ueno Station.

“Its location is very convenient. With this easy accessibility, they must have lots of visitors at every event that they host.”

The event that Mori Aikko invited Gun-Ho to would have not only the dance performance of geishas but also a Japanese traditional play. When Gun-Ho realized that he still had some time left before the event started, he decided to spend some time by taking a tour of Ueno Park. When he arrived at the entrance of the park, he saw a statue of a samurai.

“Huh? Who is that supposed to be?”

Gun-Ho went closer to the statue to find it out. It was the statue of Saigo Takamori.

“Ha! It’s Saigo Takamori!”

Gun-Ho didn’t like the statue. Well, he didn’t like the person who the statue represented. Saigo Takamori was the person who had insisted strongly that Japan should start a war with Korea in order for Japan to develop further.

Gun-Ho entered the part by passing the statue. He continued to walk inside Ueno Park. There were hundreds of cherry trees there even though they were not in blossom. They would be in full blossom during spring time. All he could see at that time were fallen leaves and flowers on the ground. The cherry trees reminded him of Mori Aikko and the first day when he saw her. Gun-Ho saw Mori Aikko for the first time at the bar where she worked for. She was wearing a hair accessory that had a cherry flower figure. Mori Aikko danced in front of Gun-Ho and he was mesmerized by her and her dancing at that time. She looked like a fairy to Gun-Ho. He sent a text message to her.

[It’s me. I’m here in Tokyo to see your performance.]

Mori Aikko didn’t respond to Gun-Ho’s text right away. She was probably busy in preparing the event. Gun-Ho walked for a while before he received the reply from Mori Aikko.

[Huh? It’s oppa!]

Gun-Ho smiled and then he texted her again,

[After the event, I will be waiting for you at the condo in Daikanyama.]

→ [I will be home late. Make sure that you eat your dinner before coming to the condo.]

→ [Don’t worry about me. You don’t have to rush in coming home. Take your time.]

Gun-Ho was watching the traditional Japanese play at the concert hall–Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. He didn’t understand the Japanese language, so it was boring and he felt sleepy. Other people, on the contrary, seemed to have a lot of fun. They were laughing and clapping sometimes. Gun-Ho clapped along with them even though he didn’t understand why they were clapping.

After a while, there was an announcement. It came out in English. It said that the dance performance of geishas from Gion would soon start. After the announcement in English, they repeated the same announcement in Japanese. As soon as the announcement about the geishas’ dance performance was made in Japanese, many of the audience there started pulling out their smartphones and was getting ready to take pictures of the performance.

The geishas would perform Odori. It would be a group dance, not Mori Aikko’s solo dance performance. Mori Aikko would be on the stage with other geishas for the dance.

It started with some strange sound from a traditional musical instrument. Tens of geishas poured into the stage under the bright lighting. They were all wearing a very heavy makeup in Japanese traditional dresses—Kimonos. Mori Aikko was standing in the center of the group. Mori Aikko was placed at the center position probably because she was the most beautiful geisha among others.

The sound of a Japanese traditional musical instrument—Shamisen resonated in the hall, and the group dance started.

“Mori Aikko Kirei!”

“Kirei! (pretty)”

“Kirei!”

People at the audience area started pressing their camera buttons while aiming at Mori Aikko who was at the center of the group. Gun-Ho took pictures of Mori Aikko as well.

When Gun-Ho arrived at the condo in Daikanyama, it was already after ten. The passcode to the front door of the condo was still set up with Gun-Ho’s phone number. Once he entered the condo, Gun-Ho put some drinks, bottles of water, and fruits in the refrigerator, which he purchased on the way to the condo.

“It seems Mori Aikko doesn’t often eat at home. Her refrigerator is almost empty.”

Gun-Ho went to the bedroom. The teddy bear that Gun-Ho bought for her was sitting on Mori Aikko’s bed. She probably held the teddy bear when she slept.

“I guess she is holding this when she sleeps.”

Gun-Ho somewhat felt sad. If he would describe Seol-Bing as a rose that was standing arrogantly, Mori Aikko should be compared to a shy four o’clock flower after the rain.

Gun-Ho fell asleep in Mori Aikko’s bed. The bed was full of Mori Aikko’s perfume scent.

Gun-Ho woke up to the sound of the front door opening.

It was Mori Aikko. She was holding a huge bag of fruits.

“Aikko!”

“Oppa!”

Mori Aikko quickly put the bag of fruits on the dining table and jumped into Gun-Ho holding his neck. She then started kissing Gun-Ho all over his face as she always did whenever she was with him.

“Did you see me dancing?”

“Of course I did.”

“How was it? Did you like it?”

“You looked gorgeous and amazing”

“Really? Do you mean it?”

“I took pictures of you too.”

Gun-Ho showed the pictures to Mori Aikko that he took during Mori Aikko’s dance performance earlier.

“It’s really me.”

Mori Aikko jumped into Gun-Ho again and held his neck.

The two sat at the dining table and ate the fruits that Mori Aikko just brought in.

“You bought exactly the same fruits that I did.”

Mori Aikko ran to the refrigerator and opened its door.

“Wow. You are right. I guess we both wanted the same fruits.”

After they finished the fruits, Mori Aikko said,

“Oppa, why don’t you go take a shower first?”

“I will do it later, maybe after you.”

“At least brush your teeth and wash your feet then.”

Mori Aikko said so while handing a new toothbrush to Gun-Ho.

After Gun-Ho brushed his teeth and washed his feet, Mori Aikko went into the bathroom and took a shower.

Gun-Ho looked at his watch. It was almost midnight.

Mori Aikko applied lotions to her face and her body before she came to the bed where Gun-Ho was sitting on.

“Do you hold this teddy bear whenever you go to bed?”

“Yeah. You bought it for me.”

She said with a bright smile.

Gun-Ho kissed Mori Aikko’s cheek. He just couldn’t resist. She looked so cute and gorgeous when she smiled like that. He put her on the bed. Her skin was smooth and tight after the shower. Gun-Ho turned off the light and embraced Mori Aikko vigorously.

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Chapter 362 - Meant to Be Together (1) – Part 1

Chapter 362: Meant to Be Together (1) – Part 1

The next morning, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko ate a Japanese Lo Mein for breakfast.

Mori Aikko couldn’t stay with Gun-Ho that day; she had to prepare for the performance. The event that Mori Aikko was participating in was a rather big event held in Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. According to Mori Aikko, it was a very important event for her to strengthen her position in the field.”

“I’m sorry that I can’t visit you more often. I’m just so busy with my business.”

“It’s okay, oppa. As long as your heart is with me, I’m fine.”

“Of course my heart is always with you. And this is my gift for you in congratulating on your performance. Take it.”

Mori Aikko took the envelope that Gun-Ho handed to her with a lonely smile and put it in her purse.

“I have to take off now. You said you are leaving today, right?”

“Yeah. I guess I will see you next time.”

Gun-Ho kissed Mori Aikko on the cheek.

“Oppa, stay healthy, okay?”

“I will try. You too!”

“When you leave, please make sure you turn off all the lights here.”

“No problem.”

Gun-Ho waved at Mori Aikko and she waved back at Gun-Ho.

After Mori Aikko left the condo, Gun-Ho felt too lazy to get up. His flight was scheduled to leave in the evening anyway. Gun-Ho continued to sleep in Mori Aikko’s bed.

He woke up around noon when he heard his phone ringing.

It was from the Korean restaurant owner in Akasaka—Ji-Yeon Choi.

“President Goo, I heard you are in Tokyo right now.”

“Yes, I’m here. I came to see Mori Aikko’s performance.”

“Did you watch it already?”

“Yes, I did.”

“She is very good, right? Mori Aikko is the youngest geisha there. Doing a performance at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan is everyone’s dream in the field.”

“Is that right?”

“Of course. If you tell any Japanese person that you had your performance at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, they will highly value your competency.”

“Haha, really?”

“And, I received a phone call from Segawa Joonkko the other day.”

“Segawa Joonkko? The hostess of the bar in Shinjuku City—Mama-san?”

“Yes. She wanted to say thank you. She could give you a call but since she can’t speak Korean and you can’t speak Japanese, she called me instead to let you know how grateful she is.”

“I haven’t done much.”

“Well, because of you, Mori Aikko has been able to focus on her dance without feeling the pressure to make money.”

“I feel like I haven’t been of much help to Mori Aikko even financially. Haha.”

“President Goo, you are not stopping by my restaurant anymore? I’ve read about art exhibitions at your GH Gallery, from newspapers. Are you not planning to host an art exhibition in Japan?”

“I don’t have any good connection for that business in Japan.”

“Sir, come on. Remember me? I am your connection in Japan. I guess you don’t know what I am capable of when it comes to social connections.”

“I know you have a wide range of social networks, Ms. Choi, but it’s about the fine arts.”

“Oh, you don’t know that I know people in that particular field. I will send someone to you.”

“Well, if you could do so, I would greatly appreciate it.”

“Are you going back to Korea today?”

“Yes, I’m taking a 5 o’clock flight.”

“Oh, you’d better head out to the airport now. Have a safe trip.”

“Thank you. I will see you next time.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the Gimpo International Airport, he received a call from Chan-Ho Eom.

“Sir? Are you at the airport?”

“Yeah, I just arrived at Gimpo International Airport.”

“I’m in the airport parking lot right now. I am on my way to the arrival area to pick you up.”

“Did you bring the car?”

“Yes, sir. I’m on the way.”

It seemed that Chan-Ho figured that Gun-Ho reserved a two-way flight ticket to Japan, and he drove to the airport to pick up Gun-Ho.

“I didn’t even tell him to pick me up at the airport, but he is here. That’s nice.”

When Gun-Ho walked to the arrival area, a shiny Bentley was there waiting for him. Gun-Ho got into the car.

“It’s Sunday, Chan-Ho. You didn’t have to come to pick me up.”

“You came back from your business trip, sir. Of course, I should come to pick you up.”

Gun-Ho felt a little bit of guilt when Chan-Ho said business trip since he went to Japan to have fun with Mori Aikko and watch her dance performance.

“Where should I take you to, sir?”

“Let’s go to TowerPalace.”

It was very convenient to have a chauffeur. Gun-Ho felt exhausted after the trip and it was really nice to have someone who could drive him to his home. Gun-Ho’s home—TowerPalace was a bit far from Gimpo International Airport. Driving home could make him more tired and it took time too. If he chose to take Limousine Bus, he would have to wait for the bus for quite a while at the airport.

Gun-Ho went to work at his building in Sinsa Town. After he reviewed the reports, he went down to the art gallery. There was the art exhibition going on, of a Korean painter. Gun-Ho could see a lot of watercolor paintings being displayed there. There were several people standing while having a cup of tea. They were probably the artist and his relatives. Not many people were in the gallery since it was still morning time.

Those people didn’t recognize Gun-Ho.

“Hmm, nice paintings.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t understand the paintings of the French artist—Marion Kinsky, but this not-so-widely-known painter’s paintings seemed to be relatively easy to understand for him. However, the newspapers that wrote very favorable articles about the art exhibition of the French painter didn’t mention even a word about this Korean painter’s art exhibition in any newspaper.

Gun-Ho wanted to purchase one painting from this Korean artist. One painting drew his attention. It depicted the golden field where the rice was ripening at sundown.

“Is this painting already taken?”

A lady who was having a cup of tea quickly came to Gun-Ho.

“No, sir. It’s available.”

“I’d like to buy this painting. How much is it?”

“It’s a small-size painting. It’s 600,000 won.”

Gun-Ho filled out the purchase request form with the address where the painting should be sent to.

“The painting will be mailed to this address after the art exhibition is over.”

“I will actually send someone on the last day of this art exhibition. You can hand the painting to him.”

Since the size of the painting was small, it would fit into the car. Gun-Ho was going to send Chan-Ho Eom to pick up the painting.

Gun-Ho went up to his office. He was reading a newspaper when he received a call from his sister.

“Gun-Ho, mom is in a hospital.”

“Mom is sick? What’s wrong?”

“She fell on the floor. She can’t get up. I think she hurt her back.”

“Really?”

“She is in Seoul National University Hospital now.”

“Seoul National University Hospital? Not Gil Hospital in Incheon City?”

“There is a doctor who specializes in spinal fractures at Seoul National University Hospital.”

“Spinal fractures?”

“Yeah. Mom knows someone there who works as a chief nurse. The chief nurse helped her stay in a nice patient room at a reasonable price.”

“Hmm. Is that the hospital near Daehakro?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Stop by the hospital on the way home.”

“I heard that spinal fractures take a long time to heal.”

“I was told that mom has severe osteoporosis.”

“Really?”

“Mom is aging, you know?”

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Chapter 363 - Meant to Be Together (1) – Part 2

Chapter 363: Meant to Be Together (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho wrapped up his work quickly and headed to Seoul National University Hospital that day. His mom was staying in a large patient room with five other patients. Gun-Ho thought that he’d better move her to another room that would be more quiet and private. He entered the room and looked at his mother. While other patients seemed to have a good time by talking with other people and watching TV, his mother looked like she was in pain.

“Mom. Are you in pain?”

“Oh, Gun-Ho? You didn’t have to come. You are so busy.”

“Mom, how’s your back?”

“Not just about my back. I need to have an enema.”

“Enema?”

“Yeah. I haven’t gone to the bathroom for three days now. I can’t let them out and I can’t eat.”

At that moment, a nurse came into the room to check IV injection.

“My mom needs an enema.”

“We can’t do that. We need a doctor for it.”

“Did you inform the doctor about it then?”

“Yes, I did.”

Gun-Ho’s mother yelled,

“I should have asked the doctor when the doctor did the patient rounds this morning.”

Gun-Ho’s mother seemed to be in a lot of pain. Gun-Ho thought that he had to do something quick. He wanted to talk to the doctor.

When he asked the nurses that he wanted to see the doctor, they just told him that there was nothing much they could do at this moment.

“The doctor is still doing patient rounds right now.”

The nurse went back to her work looking at her computer monitor after briefly responding to Gun-Ho’s request.

Gun-Ho’s mother was still in a lot of pain. She let out a low moan of pain constantly and Gun-Ho felt like he was in pain. Eventually, Gun-Ho’s mother screamed in pain and two nurses ran into the room.

“Ma’am, just hold one moment. The doctor is coming soon.”

Gun-Ho held her mother’s hand. His mother started shaking. Gun-Ho imagined that stool tried to come out but the path was blocked. It would surely be very painful.

The doctor finally came.

Surprisingly, the doctor was a young lady. Maybe she was in her late 20s, and she had a fair complexion. The lady doctor took out a small flashlight from the pocket of her white coat. She then looked at Gun-Ho’s mother’s eyes and inside her mouth.

“You don’t have the lower part of abdominal pain, do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“What about a feeling of nausea? Do you feel like throwing up?”

“No.”

The two nurses were standing next to the doctor with their faces frowned.

The young lady doctor said to the nurses with a calm and stable voice,

“Please prepare enema cleanse.”

The two nurses came back after a moment. One nurse was carrying something that looked like a plastic wash basin. The other nurse brought a bottle of medicine. The lady doctor came back to the room and wore medical gloves. She said to Gun-Ho who was standing next to his mother,

“Please make a room for us. You probably want to stay away from here. The smell wouldn’t be very pleasant. Something could spatter on your clothes too.”

The lady doctor wore a mask as well. The nurses dropped the curtain and undressed Gun-Ho’s mother’s pants. The doctor injected the enema. Gun-Ho could hear his mother’s scream. Gun-Ho craned his neck to see what was going on inside the curtain out of curiosity and watched what they were doing.

Gun-Ho’s mother’s scream continued.

“Hang in there!”

The doctor was poking Gun-Ho’s mother’s anus with her finger. She was wearing her medical gloves. That was shocking to Gun-Ho. His mother screamed more loudly. Her feces started pouring into the plastic wash basin along with the enema. The smell was really bad.

Gun-Ho was frightened by the scene.

“Oh my goodness. This is part of doctors’ job…”

Gun-Ho had never imagined that medical doctors did such work like putting his or her finger into someone’s anus.

“Oh, boy. I’m so relieved now!”

Gun-Ho heard his mother’s voice.

The lady doctor with the two nurses washed Gun-Ho’s mother’s problem area with sanitized cotton balls. She then took off her mask and said,

“Your mother had been in bed for a long time without moving much and that made her stool hard. It’s good now.”

The lady doctor smiled and Gun-Ho was standing there frozen.

“Than… Thank you, ma’am.”

Gun-Ho gave a 90-degree bow to the doctor. Gun-Ho hadn’t had a chance to give a 90-degree bow to anyone recently. He had been the one who received that kind of bow from others.

The doctor composedly said with a smile,

“Your mother will have spinal surgery tomorrow. Another doctor will perform it. We were worried about your mother’s osteoporosis, but after we tested it, we figured it’s not bad at all. Once the surgery is done, she just needs to take prescribed medicine for a while, and then she will fully recover.”

The young lady doctor then turned her back and walked toward the door. She was carrying her dirty medicine gloves. She looked extremely calm.

Gun-Ho’s mother was devouring an apple.

A nurse brought a medicine.

“The doctor said that you can have anything for dinner but you must not eat anything after 10 pm. That’s because you will have surgery tomorrow.”

“Thank you, young lady. You did such a good job.”

“Mom, they said you don’t have to worry about your osteoporosis. You just need to receive the surgery tomorrow, and then you should be okay.”

“Thank you, Gun-Ho. You don’t have to stay here with me. You must feel tired. Go home.”

“I will go downstairs and make a request to move you to another room.”

“This room is fine.”

“I will get you a lot nicer room. Just take a deep rest like you are on a vacation.”

Gun-Ho requested to move his mother to another patient room where his mother didn’t have to share the room with other patients.

They said that they would move her tomorrow morning.

Gun-Ho came back to her mother to say goodbye for the day.

“Mom, they will move you to another room. You will stay there by yourself.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Mom, your son is driving a Bentley that cost 300 million won. I can’t let you stay in a room with five other patients.”

“I just don’t want to impose, son.”

“How are you feeling now?”

“I feel good. That young doctor is amazing. She is always nice to patients, all the time. She has a kind mind that goes well with her good-looking face.”

On the way home, Gun-Ho thought of that young lady doctor. She was an admirable lady.

For a second, Gun-Ho thought of marrying someone like her and then he shook off the thought.

“She is a medical doctor in Seoul National University Hospital. That means that she probably graduated from the medical school of the top university—Seoul National University. She won’t meet a person who graduated from a low-ranked college in the countryside like me, even though I have money.”

Gun-Ho let out a slight sigh while sitting in the rear seat of his Bentley. Chan-Ho was driving the Bentley heading to TowerPalace.

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Chapter 364 - Meant to Be Together (2) – Part 1

Chapter 364: Meant to Be Together (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was in his office in the building in Sinsa Town reading an economic newspaper.

Things seemed to be always complicated in the political sphere. There were always some issues going on there on a daily basis.

“It’s a shame that the politicians are not of much help in developing the country’s economy by helping business people to properly do their job. If large companies start moving to other countries that provide a better business environment, this country will suffer from high unemployment. That would be a disaster.”

Gun-Ho continued to read the newspaper while having a cup of coffee that the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—brought to him. At the moment, his phone rang. He didn’t recognize the caller’s name.

“Is this President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, this is he.”

“Hello, sir. President Ji-Yeon Choi of the restaurant in Akasaka, Tokyo gave me this number.”

“Oh, hi.”

The caller was speaking the Korean language, but his accent was a bit strange.

“I would like to have a meeting with you, sir. Will you be available today?”

“Yes, I will be in my office, but why do you want to see me?”

“I’d like to discuss Japanese modern art with you.”

“Japanese modern art?”

“Yes. I will come to your office before noon.”

The man who called to see Gun-Ho came to Gun-Ho’s office. He looked like he was in his 50s, and he had curly hair with a beard. He looked peculiar.

“Hello, sir. We spoke on the phone earlier.”

“Oh, are you the person who President Ji-Yeon Choi sent?”

“That’s right.”

“Please have a seat.”

The man took out his business card from the inner pocket of his jacket and gave it to Gun-Ho.

“My name is Yoshitake Matsuda.”

“Oh, you are Japanese.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the man as well. He then asked the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—to bring some tea for them.

“You speak Korean very well.”

“I used to work in Korea as a correspondent for a Japanese newspaper for seven years.”

“Oh, that’s why you speak Korean fluently. You don’t work for a newspaper anymore?”

“No, I don’t. I work as an art dealer now. I sell Korean artworks to Japan and also sell Japanese artworks to Korea. I also deal with cultural assets sometimes.”

“I see. You told me earlier on the phone that you wanted to discuss Japanese modern art with me…”

“Right. I said Japanese modern art, but it’s actually about Japanese cartoon pictures.”

“Cartoon pictures?”

“Japanese cartoons are very popular in Korea as well, and many Korean children have their favorite cartoonist.”

“I’m aware of it.”

“What do you think of hosting an art exhibition in your GH Gallery with Japanese original cartoon paintings?”

“Original paintings?”

“Yes, with the original paintings that were drawn and painted by Japanese cartoonists.”

“GH Gallery handles only the artworks that were accepted as an art in the field in a traditional sense.”

“Cartoon paintings are also arts as sculptures are. You need to view the arts more broadly.”

Gun-Ho felt a bit offended by this man’s suggestion. Gun-Ho wanted to keep his gallery at a high level by hosting only fine arts of well-known artists.

“GH Gallery is actually operated by another company called GH Media. I don’t get directly involved in their business. I will need to talk to them first and will get back to you.”

“Understood. I hope that they consider my suggestion favorably. Thank you for the tea.”

After the man left Gun-Ho’s office, he mumbled to himself, “What the… I can’t believe that man came to me and suggest to host an exhibition with cartoons.”

In the afternoon, GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin came to Gun-Ho’s office. She came to visit the building in Sinsa Town pretty often these days because she had to manage GH Gallery in the basement and also the book café in the rooftop.

“Are we having the watercolor painting exhibition until next week?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Someone visited me this morning. It was weird though. He suggested that we host an exhibition with cartoon paintings.”

“Cartoon paintings?”

“Yes, he asked me to think about hosting a cartoon exhibition with Japanese original cartoon paintings. I told him that we only handle fine arts.”

“Umm, do you have his contact number, sir?”

“I do. He left his business card with me. He is a Japanese man who speaks Korean fluently.”

Once President Jeong-Sook Shin received the man’s business card, she quickly wrote down his phone number.

“Why do you want his contact number?”

“Hosting an art exhibition with the original cartoon paintings of Japanese cartoonists can be lucrative. It’s much better than doing an exhibition with some mediocre fine arts.”

“Really?”

“Especially, Japanese cartoonists are very popular among the students in the Gangnam District area. Moreover, the price of a cartoon painting is low enough for students to afford to buy. Cartoon paintings are also one of the arts that we want to focus on for our business. You need to view the arts more broadly, sir.”

“You are saying exactly what that Japanese man said.”

“Pardon me, sir?”

“He told me that cartoon paintings are an art just like sculptures are an art, and he said I needed to view the arts more broadly.”

President Jeong-Soon Shin smiled.

“He is right, sir.”

Gun-Ho felt embarrassed about not knowing much about art. So, he quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, you know what? Ms. Seol-Bing came to visit our gallery when we were hosting French artists—Marion Kinsky’s art exhibition.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t see her.”

“She actually came after our operation hours, around 8 pm as a special guest.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin closely looked at Gun-Ho’s face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Sir… Do you by any chance like Seol-Bing?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that I like her, but I am a fan of Seol-Bing. Haha”

“I was going to introduce someone very good to you, but I guess it’s not a good time.”

“Oh, really?”

“If you want to be involved with Seol-Bing, I suggest you take some time to get to know her better before becoming serious with her.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know about Seol-Bing, but her mother…”

“What about her mother?”

“Well, never mind. I hope you are happy with her.”

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister. She said she was with their mom at the hospital.

“Mom will have surgery soon.”

“Really? I will be there as soon as I can.”

“You don’t have to come now. Why don’t you come in the evening today?

“We need to hire a caregiver for mom.”

“It will cost a lot.”

“Don’t worry about money. Just get a caregiver for her.”

“Okay. When you come and visit mom today, come to room no. xxx. She moved to another room.”

“Is it a one-person room?”

“Yes, it is. Mom said she doesn’t need a luxurious room like this because it is unnecessarily too expensive. I told her to take a deep rest before she gets released from the hospital.”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

When Gun-Ho came by the hospital to see his mother, there was a lady who he had never met before. She must be the caregiver. His mother was having dinner.

“Gun-Ho? You don’t have to come when you are busy, son.”

“Mom, it’s nice that you can eat something since the surgery is over.”

“Yeah. I was so hungry when I was not allowed to eat anything. I feel much better now.”

“You don’t need another enema, do you?”

“Well, I haven’t eaten much yet to worry about it. I don’t know. Son, I want to move to the room where I share with other patients.”

“Just stay here, mom. Here is Bacchus (a Korean energy drink). Take one.”

“No, I don’t want it. I want some apple juice instead. I can’t sleep after I drink a Bacchus.”

“You can’t go to the bathroom by yourself, can you?”

“No, I can’t. The caregiver lady is helping me to do that. I feel much more comfortable now.”

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Chapter 365 - Meant to Be Together (2) – Part 2

Chapter 365: Meant to Be Together (2) – Part 2

A group of doctors and nurses came into the patient room where Gun-Ho’s mother was staying in. It seems that the doctor was doing patient rounds. This doctor was a man who looked like he was in his late 40s. The lady doctor who performed the enema yesterday was standing behind this male doctor. He must be the one who was in charge of Gun-Ho’s mother.

“How are you feeling, ma’am?”

“I’m feeling alright.”

“Your surgery was successful. You will be able to go home in a few days. While you are in the hospital, you need to eat well and take a good rest. Once you can start walking, you can go home. Ma’am, can you lie face down?”

Once Gun-Ho’s mother lay with her face down, the nurses undressed Gun-Ho’s mother’s clothes. The male doctor pressed Gun-Ho’s mother’s waist.

“How do you feel here?”

“I’m feeling alright.”

“What about this part?”

Gun-Ho’s mother screamed. “It’s painful!”

“Okay. What about here?”

“It’s okay.”

“Okay. Make sure you eat well, okay?”

After briefly examining Gun-Ho’s mother, the male doctor looked at Gun-Ho who was standing beside the bed.

“Is he your son?”

“Yes, he is.”

The doctor then talked to Gun-Ho.

“Your mother’s surgery went well. You don’t have to worry about her osteoporosis. It’s not very serious. After a few days, she will be able to walk by herself. You don’t have to worry about her condition.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho thanked the male doctor respectfully and then gave a nod to the lady doctor. Gun-Ho might have misunderstood her, but he felt like that lady doctor smiled at him.

Once Gun-Ho walked out of Seoul National University Hospital, he got into the rear seat of his Bentley. Chan-Ho Eom was sitting in the driver’s seat. Gun-Ho looked at his smartphone. He then opened a picture of Mori Aikko. It was the picture of her dancing in the concert hall in Tokyo.

“She is always cute.”

Gun-Ho closed the picture and opened a search box. He then entered Seol-Bing’s name. Since she was a top star, so many pictures of her started being displayed right away.

“She is of course gorgeous.”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes.

But it was not Seol-Bing or Mori Aikko who popped up in his head. It was actually the lady doctor who Gun-Ho exchanged a brief greeting with that evening that Gun-Ho was thinking about. Gun-Ho rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t help thinking of her though.

“Oh, my gosh. Am I a philanderer? Maybe I am not a big player of Gangnam, but I am the Casanova of Gangnam.”

Actually, Mori Aikko was the only woman who Gun-Ho slept with among those three women.

Gun-Ho remembered that President Shin briefly mentioned about Seol-Bing’s mother. Gun-Ho looked at Chan-Ho who was driving. Chan-Ho was seven years younger than Gun-Ho. He probably had much more information about the entertainment field than Gun-Ho.

“Chan-Ho, you know the actress Seol-Bing, right?”

“Of course, sir. She is one of the most popular actresses these days.”

“Do you like her?”

“Of course. She is so pretty.”

“She came to our art gallery once.”

“Really? Seol-Bing is gorgeous, but her mother is a bit…”

Chan-Ho Eom seemed to know what President Jeong-Soon knew about Seol-Bing’s mother.

“What about her mother?”

“Her mother is bossing around too much. I heard that she gives orders to Seol-Bing’s managers to do this and that.”

“Really?”

“She talked to the media too. She said she wouldn’t let her daughter marry anyone but an extremely wealthy man.”

“I see. She doesn’t seem to be seeing anyone.”

“Who knows? There was a rumor that she dated the second son of N Group.”

“Where did you hear that rumor?”

“What do you think? Those stories are all over the internet.”

“I heard she is very smart. She did very well in high school. She graduated from Suhmoon Girls’ High School.”

“Hahahaha.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“It is true that she graduated at Suhmoon Girls’ High School, and she also graduated from Chungang University with a drama and cinema major.”

“Then why did you laugh?”

“You didn’t see that TV program? The broadcaster in the program showed Seol-Bing a picture of Kim Gu and asked her if she could recognize the person. She said it was Ye Wanyong. Hahaha”

“Oh, well. That happens sometimes.”

“No. Everyone knows Kim Gu. Seol-Bing just doesn’t read books at all.”

“She was admitted to Chungang University for the drama and cinema major. That implies she is smart, and she studied well, no?”

“Who knows? Maybe she was admitted for other reasons like for her talent or other connections. Her father used to work in a TV station with a high-level position.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Anyhow, I don’t want to see her mother on TV. She makes me feel like throwing up.”

“Hmm…”

Gun-Ho didn’t feel good.

‘What Chan-Ho knows about Seol-Bing is maybe not true. It could be just a rumor.’

It was Monday. Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

President Jang-Hwan Song came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“How’s everything here?”

“Things are going well. Our sales revenue is steadily on the rise.”

“I don’t worry about GH Mobile since you are here, President Song.”

“I have to ask you this, sir. Did you instruct not to pay for our debts using our profits for a while?”

“Yes. I think we need to save up some funds in case we see a good company to acquire. We will need to disperse the company shares as part of a prerequisite in registering with KOSDAQ.”

“It is true that we don’t currently have 500 minority shareholders, and we don’t have 50 billion won of investment funds. We can’t satisfy the prerequisite requirement for going public right now.”

“So, it is good if we could acquire another company, right?”

“Not absolutely though. One of the other ways to satisfy that requirement is that the stock brokerage company that will help us register with KOSDAQ can collect more minority shareholders to fulfill the 500, but I prefer to increase our capital.”

“Capital increase? Are you suggesting me to invest more money?”

“No, sir. We can distribute the dividends at the end of this year and put them back to the company to increase our capital.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“This fiscal year, we are expecting to have a net profit of about 2.5 or 3 billion won after taxes. We distribute this profit to the shareholder. President Goo, you are the sole shareholder of this company, and the dividend will be distributed to you only.”

“And then?”

“Once you receive your dividend, you can reinvest those funds back in the company to increase its capital. So you are using the company’s profit to increase its capital. You won’t be able to use the dividend for your personal use, but your asset will still grow.”

“Hmm.”

“The current capital of this company is 3 billion won. Assuming you will receive your dividend of 2 billion won by the end of this year, the capital can increase from 3 billion won to 5 billion won by investing your dividend back to the company. That means the company will have 2 billion won of additional funds. We can pay the debts with this fund.”

“Hmm.”

“Once the company goes public, getting funds will become easier. That’s the whole purpose of going public; we get more funds to expand the business or invest more money to develop our products. We can acquire another company then if we want to.”

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Chapter 366 - Meant to Be Together (3) – Part 1

Chapter 366: Meant to Be Together (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was talking with President Jang-Hwan Song when the internal auditor entered the office.

“Sir, I came here because I heard you are in the office today.”

The internal auditor sat on a chair and President Song said to him, “I was talking to President Goo about the dividend. I am making a recommendation to him that we probably want to increase our company’s capital with the dividend rather than just holding off paying for the debt.”

“If we are about to register with KOSDAQ in the imminent future, then we should do that.”

Gun-Ho chipped in the conversation between President Song and the internal auditor.

“I read a news article about a small company that successfully registered with KOSDAQ. That company didn’t have many employees and had relatively small sales revenue.”

“I guess that company must be a start-up business, but we are not a start-up company.”

“What’s the definition of a start-up company?”

President Song smiled and explained, “A start-up company to which a different rule applies in registering with KOSDAQ is a research company that devotes mainly to develop some technologies or patented products, etc. You need to get an official determination from the Small and Medium Business Administration that your company satisfies all the requirements to be deemed as a ‘start-up company’. We are in a smokestack industry, so we don’t qualify for it.”

“But our factory doesn’t have a smokestack.”

“In the old days, we used coal to produce heat in manufacturing products while we use electricity instead these days. We manufacture our products by using extruders and injection molding machines that use heat. So we are in the smokestack industry.”

President Song asked a question to the internal auditor while sipping his tea, “What if we increase our capital stock without consideration, rather than increase our capital stock after distributing the dividend?”

“Well, I think there must be some restrictions in increasing capital stock by reinvesting net profits before applying for the KOSDAQ registration because the government can collect taxes on dividends after they are distributed.”

“I think you are right, Mr. Internal Auditor. By the way, the position of an internal auditor exists in a large company only, doesn’t it? It is more appropriate to place you to a position as an executive officer in the finance department.”

Gun-Ho quickly chipped in.

“I didn’t know much about position titles in a company when I took over this company. Since he has been working with the title— Internal Auditor— maybe we can just keep it that way.”

“Haha. I’m just saying it, sir. We can grow this company as a large company if we have to correct job titles.”

“What’s the definition of a large company?”

The internal auditor explained, “According to the Korea Fair Trade Commission, the size of a company’s assets determines whether a particular company is large or small. To be considered as a large company, it has to have at least 10 trillion won of assets. If it’s too hard to become a large company, we can just get into the mid-size company category.”

“Mid-size company?”

This time, President Song explained further, “As long as we generate 150 billion won of sales revenue on average annually, we can be considered as a mid-size company, or we can hire more than 1,000 employees, or the value of the company’s assets needs to be more than 500 billion won. I will strive to make our company a mid-size company in three years.”

“I do rely on you both.”

“If you need anything further to tell us, sir, we will go back to work now.”

After President Song, who was in his mid-50s, and the internal auditor, who was in his late 50s, left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho let out a sigh.

‘They both have been in the business field for years, and they are highly knowledgeable. Well, I guess there are a lot of things that I’ll have to learn from them.’

Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea in Asan City in his Bentley.

“Hey, Chan-Ho. Aren’t you hungry? Let’s have lunch before we go to Dyeon Korea.”

Chan-Ho, who was driving, looked at Gun-Ho’s face through the rear-view mirror.

“I’m good either way, sir.”

“What do you want to eat today?”

“I will eat what you eat, sir.”

“Well, I want to eat what you want to eat for today.”

“Then, I want to eat meat.”

“Let’s have grilled beef sirloin then.”

“Beef sirloin? That’s expensive.”

“I can afford it. Let’s go eat beef sirloin.”

“I will head to the hot spring spa area. We will find a good restaurant there.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eom went to a Korean restaurant that specialized in grilled beef sirloin.

“It’s very easy and convenient to park a car here unlike Seoul.”

“Do you feel not wanting to go back to Seoul once you are here in Asan City? Also when you are in Seoul, you don’t feel like going to Asan City, huh?”

“Yes, sometimes I feel that way.”

“I do value your honesty, Chan-Ho. Order anything you want, beef sirloin or beef ribs or anything.”

“Guess what Tae-Young bro told me the other day.”

“What did he say?”

“He said, my mouth must be happy since I often indulge in food with you, sir.”

“Haha. Really? But I haven’t fed you that often.”

“You have. When I’m with Tae-Young bro, sometimes we can’t even afford to have a pork belly dish.”

“When we go back to Seoul, let’s get together with Tae-Young and have beef sirloin.”

“That sounds great.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho ate grilled beef sirloin as much as they could and took a short nap in the car before heading to Dyeon Korea. When Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea, Jae-Sik Moon was waiting for him. It was an unexpected visit.

“Hey, President Moon? What’s up? Did you come here to see me?”

“Yes. I wanted to see you and also Director Kim.”

“Director Kim? For what?”

“He said he has another work for me.”

“Really? Let’s go into my office.”

Jae-Sik followed Gun-Ho to his office.

“Did you eat?”

“Yes, I did. I actually had my lunch here in the company restaurant.”

“Have you met Director Kim yet?”

“I was told that Director Kim is at a client’s site. He is not in his office now, but he is on his way here.”

“What sort of work does he have for you?”

“It’s transportation work for another company that used to work with GH Mobile before.”

“Really?

Jae-Sik looked concerned. He said, “I need three 4-ton freight trucks to do the work though.”

“And? Is there a problem?”

“The thing is that I want to buy those trucks in installments, but I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Even though a company is newly established, we can purchase things in installments with its president’s personal guarantee. But, since I don’t have a good credit score, they denied our application for it.”

“What level of credit score do you have?”

“Mine is 9.”

“Just buy the trucks with cash.”

“I do have some money left from the initial investment funds of 300 million won, but if I use them to buy trucks, I might not have enough funds for operating the company.”

“Just get those trucks with cash now. If you need more money, I will send you more.”

“I just feel sorry…”

“Don’t be. If you keep feeling sorry for things like this and try not to ask for help, you won’t succeed in running your business. People will recognize you as a good person, but not a good businessman.”

“Okay. I will get three freight trucks with cash then. I already posted a job opening for a truck driver.”

“And, get another truck that can be used to transport artworks. Have that truck customized to serve a special purpose—to safely transport artworks. You will need some metal shelves and hangers. If you are not sure what to do, just hire a truck driver who has work experience in that field.”

“Got it.”

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Chapter 367 - Meant to Be Together (3) – Part 2

Chapter 367: Meant to Be Together (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon continued to talk about the business of GH Logistics.

“Since you are worried about the funds, I will send an additional 300 million won to GH Logistics.”

“Another 300 million won!?”

“It’s not a part of the investment funds that go into the company’s capital, but I’m just lending the money to you. You will need to pay it back to me once you start generating enough revenue.”

“Su… Sure. Thank you.”

“And buy land in Pyeongtaek City or Osan City, about a 2,000 pyung large one. So it can be used as a transport hub later.”

“2,000 pyung? It must cost a lot.”

Jae-Sik looked at Gun-Ho with his widened eyes.

“Just look for land there. See if there is anything on the market. Also, check if the land is large enough for a 40-feet container truck to make a complete turn. You also want to check the entrance road. Once you find a good one, I will send GH Development’s Director Kang. He will negotiate for the price.”

“Oh, okay.”

The secretary—Ms. Seon-Hye Lee—came into Gun-Ho’s office and said, “Sir, Director Kim came back to his office just now.”

“Jae-Sik, go see Director Kim. At this stage, it’s important to have as much work as you can handle, so take any work that Director Kim introduces to you. As to the land for the transport hub, talk with the truck drivers, who you hired, about it. They might have good opinions on it. Have a drink with them and talk with them in an informal setting, I’m sure you will get some very good ideas from them.”

“Okay.”

After a while, Jae-Sik Moon came back to Gun-Ho’s office.

“I will visit the company tomorrow that Director Kim just introduced to me. It’s located in Eumseong Town.”

“Eumseong? You mean Eumseong town in North Chungcheong Province?”

“Yeah. I’ve never been there. They want us to transport things between their company and Pyeongtaek Port. Two trucks will be enough to handle the items that they want to transport, but the work requires a long waiting time, so they need three trucks to do the work.”

“Really?”

“According to Director Kim, I don’t have to show them the actual trucks right now, but I can just bring them a catalog showing the trucks that we will have soon.”

“It seems like your work requires frequent travels from one city to another. I guess you will need your own vehicle.”

“I can use the truck that came with the company.”

“You mean the truck that is parked outside?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“It looks very old…”

“That’s okay.”

“Why don’t you get yourself a used sedan? You can buy it in installments. I heard you can buy a used sedan in installments even though you have a low credit score.”

Gun-Ho thought for a second that Jae-Sik’s bad credit score might make the business harder.

“Jae-Sik, how much debt do you currently have?”

“I have a loan from the Korea Federation of Community Credit Cooperative for an amount of 30 million won.”

“You have a loan from Korea Federation of Community Credit Cooperative? Not from a bank?”

“Yeah. No banks wanted to lend me money at that time, so I had to borrow from the Korea Federation of Community Credit Cooperative. I paid for all the outstanding interest. I’m expecting my credit score to go up next year. Once it becomes level 6, I might be able to buy even a new car in installments.”

“If you can buy a used car with your low credit score, maybe you can buy a used truck with your credit score as well. You don’t have to get a brand new truck, do you? A truck that is less than 6 months old is just like a brand new truck.”

“Hmm… Okay! I will get used trucks then. Hold on to the additional 300 million won that you said you would send to me. I might not need it after all.”

“I will send it to you anyway. Don’t limit your business with trucks. Expand it by having heavy equipment like an excavator or a loader. Let the potential customers know that they could find any trucks or equipment in GH Logistics.”

“Hmm.”

“By the time you get all those equipment, the current storage in Paju City won’t be enough. You will have to find someone to stay in the Paju location, and you will have to operate the new location where the transport hub will be. You might want to hire someone who has work experience in the cargo business. That will be helpful.”

“Hmm, it will cost money.”

“Hey, Jae-Sik Moon! It takes money to make money in a transportation business or in a publishing business. A lot of publishing businesses end up closing their business but think about it. If you put 1 billion won and print out 100 books. You won’t have to close the business. Unless it is a research start-up company, it takes money to succeed.”

It was about time to go home for the day when Gun-Ho received a call from President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“I had a meeting with the Japanese man—Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda.”

“Are you going to host an art exhibition with the original cartoon paintings of Japanese cartoonists?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you already sign the contract with him?”

“Not yet. I will go to Japan first with Ms. Jeong-Soon Choi.”

“Who is Ms. Jeong-Soon Choi?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you about her? Jeong-Soon Choi is the painter who is having a watercolor painting exhibition at our gallery right now. She is a friend of mine.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda wants to arrange an art exhibition for her in Japan.”

“Oh, really?”

“So Jeong-Soon and I, we both will have some business to do in Japan. I want to meet with several cartoonists there.”

“Are you planning to get the original paintings directly from the cartoonists?”

“I don’t think they will deceive me, but I have to be careful, right? I want to make sure that we get the original paintings, not fake ones. Also, I want to see if I can publish some Japanese cartoon books in Korea as well.”

“Hmm. That sounds like a good idea.”

“Sir, you are coming to your office in Seoul tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Jeong-Soon Choi wants to treat you lunch. She wants to thank you.”

“Oh, really? I haven’t done much for her.”

“There is. You let her have her art exhibition at your art gallery for a very reasonable price. She sold ten paintings of hers so far. Also, because of this exhibition, she got the chance to meet with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, and she might have her art exhibition in Japan soon. She is so happy with all these opportunities and success.”

“Haha, really?”

“You know, she is still single. She missed the golden time to marry someone because she has been so busy doing her artwork. I will introduce her to you tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe you might find your significant other.”

“Umm, you said she is your friend. She is probably in her late 40s, right?”

“Hahaha. I’m not talking about her, but she has a daughter. Remember I told you the other day that I had someone who I want to introduce to you? That’s her.”

“Hmm… Well, why not…”

After getting off the phone with President Shin, Gun-Ho looked out the window. There was a blue truck that was leaving the company parking lot.

“That must be Jae-Sik. I don’t think he can drive fast with that shabby truck. It will take a long time for him to get to Seoul.”

Gun-Ho stared at Jae-Sik’s truck for quite a while with his arms crossed.

‘Jae-Sik is going through a lot of things right now in starting his business. He is making mistakes too. That’s totally normal. I’ve been there. The difference between him and me is that I had money when I started my business. Jae-Sik is using someone else’s money to do his business. It’s natural that he worries a lot. Well, let’s trust him. Let’s believe in him. As the founder of Samsung Group did, I need to let my suspicion in before I spend my money, but once I decided to invest, I have to trust my decision and the person who I invested my money to. Jae-Sik is a decent man. He won’t betray me ever.’

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Chapter 368 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 1

Chapter 368: Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to the restaurant where he was supposed to meet with President Jeong-Sook Shin that day. The restaurant was located right behind the Starbucks across Gun-Ho’s building. It was a Japanese food restaurant named Gimsusa and they were serving sushi. When Gun-Ho arrived at the restaurant, there were President Shin and another lady and also the Japanese man— Yoshitake Matsuda waiting for him.

President Shin introduced the lady to Gun-Ho.

“This is Jeong-Soon Choi—an artist of the western-style painting.”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you. I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

The painter glanced at Gun-Ho’s face for a while and said,

“Are you the gentleman who bought a painting on the first day of my art exhibition?”

“Yes. I reserved one painting for me because I liked your paintings.”

President Shin’s eyes widened.

“Oh my, I didn’t know that you buy paintings, President Goo. You haven’t shown much of your interest in paintings, so I have tried not to talk much about artworks when I’m with you. You are an art lover.”

Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda laughed and said, “It’s very nice to love paintings.”

It was the lunch rush and the restaurant was crowded with people. But the restaurant provided a comfortable environment to converse without being disturbed.

“Where in Japan are you planning to have your art exhibition?”

“It will be in Yokohama City.”

Talking about Japan always reminded Gun-Ho of Mori Aikko.

“I often travel to Japan. I will stop by your art exhibition in Japan if I’m in the area.”

“Thank you, President Goo.”

Gun-Ho ordered a bottle of beer and filled up a glass with it and handed it to Ms. Jeong-Soon Choi.

“Please take one glass of beer to celebrate our meeting.”

Jeong-Soon Choi lifted her glass and clinked it to Gun-Ho’s glass, and then she said, “I do appreciate the opportunity to have an art exhibition at GH Gallery. I know you provided your gallery for me at a very reasonable price and I really liked the pamphlet as well. I wanted to thank you, President Goo.”

“I haven’t done much. President Jeong-Sook Shin here did all those work for you. I don’t really get involved in the gallery business.”

“I’m still grateful for your help, President Goo. If you didn’t allow it, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity. By the way, I was actually expecting to see a tough and wild man when I made this lunch appointment with you since you are running several businesses. You are actually a young man with tenderhearted eyes.”

Gun-Ho felt embarrassed when Jeong-Soon Choi praised his appearance, so he tried to quickly change the subject. Gun-Ho said while clinking his glass of beer to Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda’s.

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, I thank you for recommending me to host an art exhibition with Japanese original cartoon paintings.”

“Haha. I do appreciate the opportunity for doing it.”

President Shin said to Gun-Ho, “Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda used to work as a journalist and he has connections in the field. He promised that he would send the art exhibition news to Japanese media for Jeong-Soon Choi’s art exhibition in Japan.”

This time, Jeong-Soon Choi thanked Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda for helping her and she clinked her glass to Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda’s.

At that moment, President Shin received a call and she went outside the restaurant to take the call after excusing herself. When she came back to the restaurant, she said, “I’m so sorry. I had to take that call. It was from President Jae-Sik Moon. He asked where they need to deliver Jeong-Soon Choi’s paintings to.”

Jeong-Soon Choi asked President Shin, “Did you tell him to bring them to Yangpyeong County?”

“Yeah. I told him to bring it to Yangpyeong.”

Gun-Ho said while dipping a piece of sushi into the soy sauce with wasabi,

“So you are living in Yangpyeong.”

President Shin answered it on behalf of Jeong-Soon Choi.

“She is living in Yangpyeong, in a nice single house with a garden. She is living there by herself doing her artworks. I really think she should get married.”

“Haha. I’ve heard that many artists live in a single house with a garden distant from a busy city.”

“Her house is not very big though. She chose a small house because she thinks she might feel scared of living in a large house alone. Her garden is full of plants and trees like a jujube tree and a Cornus. She is actually living with a dog.”

“Haha, really? It sounds like a fun place.”

“Why don’t you visit her house when you have time? She is a very good cook. Her specialty is cold noodles in soybean soup. I’m sure she will offer you a nice soybean soup noodle.”

“Haha. That sounds really delicious.”

“Oh, and her niece sometimes comes to visit her there. She is the one…”

When President Shin didn’t finish her sentence, Gun-Ho asked her with a smile, “Why did you stop there?”

“I was not sure if it’s okay to say it. Actually, she is the niece who I wanted to introduce to you.”

“Haha, really? What is she doing for a living?”

“She is a medical doctor. She works for Seoul National University Hospital.”

Gun-Ho’s face suddenly hardened.

After lunch, Gun-Ho came back to his office.

The secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh brought a cup of coffee to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho thought about the niece who President Shin talked about while having his afternoon coffee.

‘There must be tons of female doctors in Seoul National University Hospital. I don’t think she is that niece.’

Gun-Ho was sitting on his sofa and he was deep in thought when he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“President Goo? I just wanted to let you know how things are going with GH Logistics. The business that I went to Eumseong Town yesterday went well. I signed the work contract with them. Three freight trucks will be fully used for this work.”

“Good job.”

“The thing is that one of the three trucks will be used for the transportation work to Incheon International Airport, not Pyeongtaek Port. When I got there, I distributed my business cards to everyone.”

“Nice. When are you planning to get those trucks?”

“I decided not to buy new trucks. I will have to customize the top part on my own if I buy new trucks. Instead, I bought used trucks in installments. They all came with already-customized top parts. It’s more convenient that way. They are all less than 50,000 kilometers on them.”

“Oh, really?”

“Since I saved some money by getting used trucks, I was able to get another truck for the artworks delivery work. That truck is a used one too. All the necessary stuffs are already built inside the truck like hangers and metal-framed shelves. Many people applied for the truck driver position in responding to the job posting I placed the other day. I guess they liked the fact that they would be provided with a truck and they didn’t have to bring their own trucks. There was one applicant who used to transport artworks, so I hired that driver right away.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I’ve already done one artwork transportation work today. It was from Gwangju City to Seoul. I have another artwork delivery waiting for me next week. It’s for the artist who is currently doing her art exhibition at GH Gallery. The work is busy but it doesn’t seem to generate much income.”

“For now, you will need to show people that GH Logistics handles various transportation work.”

“I know. On the company website, it is stated that GH Logistics provides a total transportation service. And I listed all sorts of items we handle such as products from manufacturing companies and artworks, including sculptures. Also, I stated there that we cover the transport not only ground transport but also air and sea transport. I didn’t forget to mention that we also lease heavy equipment.”

“Man, I think the company will grow big soon.”

“Oh, and I found that it is possible to purchase a brand new car in installments. Even though the company’s president has a bad credit score, as long as the company has another person who could provide his personal guarantee, then it is possible.”

“I’m so happy to see you work hard, friend.”

“I have no other choice. This is the only work I have.”

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Chapter 369 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 2

Chapter 369: Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho felt relieved when he saw Jae-Sik doing well with the business.

‘I guess I will have to search for the appropriate land for the transport hub on my own. The base camp should be around Osan City or Pyeongtaek City.’

Dyeon Korea’s Director Yoon was making a report to Gun-Ho over the phone. He said the machine no. 7 and no.8 started producing products.

“Is everything good? There is no defect that you see, right?”

“They look all good, sir.”

“Good job.”

“We have submitted the conclusion of investment in-kind to the Korea Customs Service as well.”

“Please keep a copy or two of it, and have the interpreter—Mr. Lee translates it into English. We will need it when Dyeon America’s executives visit us to attend the board meeting.”

“Yes, sir.”

Right after getting off the phone with Director Yoon, Gun-Ho received another call. It was from the interpreter—Mr. Lee. He was delivering the message from Mr. Adam Castler.

“The board meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday.”

“I see. Someone will have to go to the Incheon International Airport on the day before the board meeting, on Monday. So do we know who is coming?”

“The vice president—Mr. Brandon Burke and Ms. Angelina Rein will be here.”

“Since we have a lady visitor, we will have to be careful in making a reservation for a hotel room. Ask Director Yoon to make a hotel reservation with Onyang Hot Spring Hotel.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, tell Director Kim and Director Yoon to prepare documents for the board meeting. They both will have to attend the meeting.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho asked for the secretary—Ms. Yeong-Soo Oh.

“Ms. Oh, you will need to go to Asan City with me next Tuesday.”

“Asan City, sir? Asan City in Chungnam Province?”

“Yes. There will be held a board meeting for the joint venture company. You will need to do some interpretation there.”

“No problem, sir.”

“We have an interpreter there, but you will do the interpretation for the people from the U.S. Since a board meeting takes a long time, it will be more efficient to have two interpreters.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho had a previous experience with a board meeting for a joint venture company; that was with the Chinese co-venturer. A board meeting was called ‘Dongshihui’ in Chinese. For an international joint venture, it is very common to have an interpreter during a board meeting. Because of the interpretation, the meeting lasted for a long time and it was usually boring. If the interpreter at a boarding meeting had to take a break to go to the bathroom, for example, the other attendees had to wait without doing anything until the interpreter came back. That’s why Gun-Ho wanted to bring an additional interpreter—Ms. Yeong-Soon Oh.

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“Mom will be released from the hospital today.”

“Already? She could stay longer in the hospital to take a deep break.”

Gun-Ho was actually going to the hospital to see his mother that evening. Well, Gun-Ho wanted to see that lady doctor one more time before his mother would leave the hospital.

“I told her to stay a few days more until she feels really really better, but she wants to go home. She thinks it’s a waste to pay for the hospital room and the caregiver lady. She wants to stay in her home, not in the hospital, which is understandable.”

“Is she able to go to the bathroom by herself?”

“Yes. She is using a cane.”

“That’s good.”

“I will pay for the hospital bill with the credit card that you left with me.”

“Sure.”

It was the day when Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work to GH Mobile. Gun-Ho wanted to stop by a few realtors’ offices to see some land in Osan City and Pyeongtaek City before going to work. When he arrived in Pyeongtaek City, there was a realtor’s office with a huge sign saying ‘Land.’ Gun-Ho decided to go inside and talk to the realtor there.

“Do you have land on the main road for a factory?”

“How large are you looking for?”

“Around 2,000 pyeong will do.”

“If you want a factory, why do you want it to be on the main road? Any land on the main road is expensive.”

“Actually, it doesn’t have to be on the main road, but I need land where a 4-feet container truck can make a complete turn.”

“Leave your contact number with me. I think I have a good one for a commercial building on the main road.”

“I don’t want a commercial building.”

Gun-Ho had thought about buying land by auction.

‘I could purchase good land by auction but it will take time. Also, there is no guarantee that I would find a nice one that is fit for the purpose.’

That’s why Gun-Ho wanted to talk with a realtor.

Gun-Ho didn’t give his business card to the realtor but he instead wrote his phone number on a piece of paper and gave it to him.

Gun-Ho went further in Pyeongtaek City.

“This is the road leading to American Air Force Base.”

There was another realtor’s office with a sign, ‘land.’ It also said that they specialized in land for a factory.

“Chan-Ho, park the car in front of that realtor’s office.”

Gun-Ho went inside and asked, “Do you have land on the main road for a factory?”

“On the main road? What kind of factory are you going to build? I actually have one, but since it’s located on the main road, it’s expensive.”

“I’m aware of the high price.”

“Did you see the sign ‘Pengseong’ on the way here?”

“Yes, I did.”

“That land is for sale. It’s about 3,000 pyeong large.”

“Really? How much is it?”

“You are not just asking, right? You are serious about buying it, huh?”

“I’m currently running a factory. I am a serious buyer.”

The realtor looked outside the window to see what kind of vehicle that Gun-Ho drove here. Chan-Ho was dusting the Bentley in front of the office. The realtor realized that Bentley was Gun-Ho’s car and his chauffeur drove him here.

“The lowest price I can give to you is 300 per pyeong.”

“The land looked like it is zoned for a farmland…”

“No, it’s land for general purpose.”

“The land is priced for 9 billion won then.”

“That’s correct.”

Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘Whoever owns that land will make fortune once he sells the land. It must have been a very cheap farmland.’

When the realtor saw Gun-Ho hesitating after hearing the price, he started his sales pitch,

“The land’s location is very good. You can run a factory there, or you can do a commercial building or anything else. Since the land is large enough, you can even divide it into several pieces and sell them separately. When you buy land, you should keep in mind that you want to buy land with its value that would go up. Think about it. If you buy a condo in Seoul, say, the price is going up by 200 million won. The same size condo in another location would go up by less than 20 million won.”

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Chapter 370 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 1

Chapter 370: Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 1

GH Media’s President Jeong-Soon Shin stopped by Gun-Ho’s office before leaving for the airport for her trip to Japan. She was with a man who looked like he was about three or four years older than Gun-Ho. His hairstyle was too liberal to be an office worker; he had a ponytail.

“I’m leaving for Japan today, sir. I came with our new chief editor of GH Media to introduce him to you.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat and offered his hand to the man for a handshake.

“He joined our team after Chief Editor Jae-Sik Moon left our company. He had been working as a chief editor in a magazine publishing company for a long time. He is also an award-winning author. He has published several published books of his own.”

“I’m Cheon-Young Pi. It’s a pleasure meeting you, sir.”

The man introduced himself to Gun-Ho.

His last name—Pi was not a very common name in Korea. His last name reminded Gun-Ho of the famous essayist—Chun-Deuk Pi. Gun-Ho had a silly thought for a second that maybe people with the last name of Pi were all good writers.

“Please have a seat.”

“Thank you, sir, but we have to leave now. I just wanted to tell you that you don’t have to worry about GH Media during my absence. The team leads—Ms. Min-Sook Oh and our new chief editor—Mr. Pi will take care of the business just fine.”

“Oh, you have to leave now? Maybe we should have some tea or something together next time.”

“I believe Ms. Jeong-Soon Choi and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda will be waiting for me at Gimpo International Airport. After finishing her art exhibition in Japan, Jeong-Soon Choi wants to invite you to her house in Yangpyeong County. She will cook cold noodles in soybean soup for you.”

“Haha. It will be very nice.”

Gun-Ho headed to his factory in Jiksan Town with his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh who could speak English fluently. The Dyeon Korea’s board meeting was scheduled in the afternoon that day, so he wanted to stop by GH Mobile in Jiksan Town before heading to Dyeon Korea.

When Gun-Ho’s Bentley arrived at the front gate of GH Mobile, the security guard opened the gate right away after raising his hand for a salute.

When Gun-Ho and the secretary got off the car at the building’s entrance, several workers who were passing by the area greeted Gun-Ho. They also glanced at the young lady who got off the car with their president. They didn’t know that she was his secretary in one of his companies.

Gun-Ho took Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh to his office. GH Mobile’s secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park prepared some tea right away and brought them to the office.

“Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh, this is GH Mobile’s secretary.”

“Hi. I’m Yeon-Soo Oh. Nice to meet you.”

“Ms. Park, Ms. Oh is GH Development’s secretary. She came with me from Seoul because we will have a board meeting in Dyeon Korea this afternoon.”

“Oh, I see. It’s very nice meeting you. Please let me know if you need anything.”

President Jang-Hwan Song came into Gun-Ho’s office. He glanced at Yeon-Soo Oh and asked, “Who is this lady, sir?”

“She came with me to interpret for me. We have a board meeting in Dyeon Korea this afternoon.”

“Oh, that’s right. It’s the first board meeting since Dyeon Korean opened the business, is it? You must be very busy, sir. I guess this lady speaks English very well.”

The secretary Yeon-Soo Oh looked uncomfortable since President Song kept referring her as a lady. She wanted to be treated as a part of the team since she was one of the employees of Gun-Ho’s companies after all, just like any other workers there. President Song sat next to Gun-Ho and said, “I heard that Mandong Company gave up on their plan to expand their market to Chennai, India. If we could get into that market, that will be really nice.”

“Chennai in India?”

“Hyundai Motor Company has its factory no. 2 in Chennai. Many of Hyundai Motor’s first and second vendor companies have their branches in Chennai too.”

“Where exactly is Chennai located?”

“It’s in the southern part of India. Hyundai Motor has its first factory in Delhi and the second factory in Chennai.”

“Doesn’t Mandong Company have their factory in Delhi?”

“Even though they have one in Delhi, Delhi is extremely far from Chennai. You can’t just assume that the distance between Delhi and Chennai is about the same distance between Seoul and Busan. It should be about the distance between Dongbei in China and the southern part of China.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s usually not recommended to form a subsidiary company right before applying for a preliminary examination of the KOSDAQ registration, but we need to check out the market in India.”

“India…”

“If you have a chance, I do recommend you to visit India. Once you get into the China market, the next one should be India. Hyundai Accent is selling extremely well in India, which were manufactured in their factory in Chennai. They call it Verna in India. I think it is wise that you should focus on the India market rather than the China market.”

“So, Accent is called Verna in India and they are the same model.”

“That’s right. India can be our production base not only for the India market but for other countries like Africa, Central, and South America.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head to show that he understood President Song’s point.

Director Jong-Suk Park came to Gun-Ho’s office. It had been a while since he visited his office. Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh who was in the office with Gun-Ho quickly greeted Jong-Suk when he saw him coming in the office even before Gun-Ho had a chance to do so.

“Hello, Mr. Director Park.”

“Oh, oh. You are the Ms. Secretary in Seoul. I guess you came here because of the board meeting.”

Gun-Ho said while smiling, “You two know each other very well?”

“Of course. When Vice President Adam Castler came to join Dyeon Korea for the first time, I met her in Dyeon Korea.”

“How are you doing these days?”

“I’m doing fine.”

“How’s your wife doing? Is she happy with her work?”

“She will take a leave from her work soon. She is having a baby.”

“What? Is she pregnant? Wow. Congratulations. I hope your baby would look after your wife, not you. It has to be.”

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh laughed.

“I’ve heard that you are close with Manager Seo. Is it true?”

Manager Seo worked as an assistant manager in the general affairs team and he was then promoted to the sales team’s manager. He used to work with Director Kim, but since Director Kim moved to Dyeon Korea, now he was working with President Song.

“Yeah. His position is lower than mine, but since he is the same as age you, bro, I call him big brother just like I do to you. He likes that a lot. When he was promoted to a manager position, he bought me a drink. He thinks that I contributed to his promotion for some reason. I actually haven’t said a word to you, that would affect his promotion.”

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Chapter 371 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 2

Chapter 371: Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk continued to talk, “How is Manager Seo doing in the sales department? Is he good?”

“As you know, it’s not an easy job. We don’t sell our product to individuals, but we have to appeal to a highly specialized market. So it’s really hard to earn a new order. People who have been in the field for a long time like President Song have an already-established network in the field and they can get some new orders from the companies that they used to work before. But, Manager Seo is new to the field. It’s really hard for him to bring a new client.”

“Hmm.”

“But he is very diligent and persistent with our current clients. Even though he hasn’t brought any new client yet, he highly contributed to raising the quantity of the product orders from our current clients.”

“I like the fact that you are getting along very well with Manager Seo and also with the head of the labor union. Keep it that way. I know that many of the members of the labor union are working with you in the production field. Get closer to them. Buy them a drink sometimes. I will raise the limit of your allowable expenses.”

“How’s Jae-Sik bro doing? Is his transportation company doing well?”

“I don’t know yet. It’s too early to say anything. He just started the business.”

“He needs to be more outgoing and proactive. If they handle heavy equipment, I can introduce some potential customers for him.”

“Heavy equipment? Jae-Sik does that too.”

“Oh, really? Then I will give him a call. The factory that I used to work for uses a lot of heavy equipment. They should need some transportation services. I have all the driver licenses of all kinds of heavy equipment.”

“That’s nice. Your help will be greatly appreciated, Jong-Suk.”

“Bro, about Dyeon Korea’s Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo…”

“Oh, are you talking about Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo who received the special training in the U.S.? What about him?”

“Manager Yoo is the only person who knows the recipe and skills for the chemical compounds. Director Kim and Director Yoon are not engineers or researchers but they only do management. Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong who went to the U.S. with Manager Yoo for the training is now working in the sales team with Director Kim. I understand that sales work is critical to our company given the nature of our business, but we have to think about this.”

“What are you saying? Is there any problem with Manager Yoo?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Jong-Suk suddenly stopped talking, realizing they were not alone in the office. Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh was there in the office with them. Yeon-Soo Oh was a smart woman. She quickly thought that she should give them some privacy to talk about their business.

“I will be outside. Maybe I can converse with Ms. Hee-Jeong Park.”

“Sounds good.”

Once Yeon-Soo Oh left the office, Jong-Suk continued to talk, “If Manager Yoo decides to leave our company, that could be a problem to us. We hired twelve people last time including workers with experience, but they need some time to learn what Manager Yoo knows.”

“Hmm.”

“So, I think you’d better have them enter all the data relevant to any chemical compounds recipes that are highly advanced into the president’s computer.”

“You mean all of them?”

“Yes. Enter everything now, and then the data has to be updated every time they develop new products.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m not saying that I don’t trust Manager Yoo, but we have to be careful given the gravity of the possible damage to the company.”

“Jong-Suk, I always try to trust the people who I decided to work with. Leave it as it is. I don’t think Manager Yoo would ever do such a thing.”

“If you can’t, bro, I will do it.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“I will talk to Director Kim and I will ask him to make an official suggestion during the meeting. Oh, since Manager Yoo is not an executive officer, he won’t attend our meeting. Then, we can talk about it during the general meeting that occurs once a month.”

“I will take care of it.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Just leave it to me.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, I heard you are very close to Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim. You call him brother, huh?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Haha. You know that Director Kim is twenty years older than you, right? He can’t possibly be your brother, man.”

“I don’t know. He asked me to call him brother and he likes it a lot whenever I call him brother.”

“Haha. Is that right?”

“Yeah. Director Kim saw me calling Manager Seo brother the other day, and he complained to me why I don’t call him brother too, just like I do to Manager Seo. So I started calling Director Kim brother ever since. He said that he feels like being younger again since twenty-years younger man calls him brother.”

“Haha. I see.”

“But President Song is different.”

“How different?”

“He is a bit cold. He doesn’t even laugh at my jokes at all.”

“Really? Well, we can’t be all the same. Hey, I guess it’s time for you to go home. You will have to give an extra care to your wife, huh? Since she is pregnant.”

“Thank you, bro.”

Mr. Brandon Burke and Ms. Angelina Rein arrived at Dyeon Korea.

“Hey! President Goo!”

“Hey, Brandon Burke!”

The two men hugged each other happily when they saw each other.

“Hello, Ms. Angelina Rein!”

“Hi, Gun-Ho Goo!”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with Ms. Angelina Rein. Gun-Ho felt it inappropriate to give a hug to a lady for a greeting.

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh greeted Angelina Rein.

“Oh, Ms. Oh. I’ve spoken with you over the phone several times. It’s really good to see you in person. You are so young and pretty!”

Director Yoon led them to a meeting room. There was the national flag of South Korea and the star-spangled banner placed on the table in the meeting room. The representatives of both parties sat at the table facing each other. In the American co-venturer’s side, Mr. Brandon Burke sat in the middle with Ms. Angelina Rein and the vice president of the joint venture—Mr. Adam Castler on his left and right. Mr. Brandon Burke’s bald head looked particularly shiny that day. The interpreter—Mr. Lee sat next to Mr. Adam Castler.

On the other side, Gun-Ho was sitting in the middle with Director Kim and Director Yoon on each of his sides. Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh who came to do the interpretation work sat next to Director Yoon. Assistant Manager Seon-Hong Park from the general affairs team also attended the board meeting. His job was to record the meeting.

A banner saying that Dyeon Korea’s first board meeting was hanging on the wall. Once everyone sat at the table, Mr. Lee—the interpreter took a picture of all the attendees. Gun-Ho looked around.

‘Shoot. I’m the only one who can’t speak English!’

Director Kim majored in English literature from college and he served his military service in Korean Augmentation To the United States Army (KATUSA). Even though He didn’t have a chance to use his English, he still could understand it. Director Yoon had worked abroad before. He studied engineering from Seoul National University but he learned English while working overseas. Interpreter Lee and Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh both studied abroad, so they surely spoke English very well. Gun-Ho was the only one who didn’t understand English. However, he was sitting in the middle at the meeting table as the president of the joint venture.

The board meeting finally began with Assistant Manager Seon-Hong Park’s declaration,

“We now begin the first board meeting of Dyeon Korea.”

Interpreter Lee who was standing next to the assistant manager interpreted what the assistant manager just said, “I’d like to get things started.”

The assistant manager continued to speak, “We will start with the earnings report. Mr. Adam Castler will present the report.”

Mr. Adam Castler started handing out a booklet to each attendee; a bunch of A4 papers was stapled together. Gun-Ho looked at the title of the document. It said, “Business Results Report.”

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Chapter 372 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 1

Chapter 372: Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 1

Mr. Brandon Burke objected and said,

“The vice president—Mr. Adam Castler—of this joint venture company was just asked to give an earnings report. This is not fair. I object to it as the chairman of the board.”

Everyone in the meeting room looked at Mr. Brandon Burke, and Mr. Burke explained his objection further,

“The earnings report needs to be presented by the president of the joint venture; that would be President Gun-Ho Goo. The person who is responsible for managing the joint venture is the president, not the vice president.”

‘Is he asking me to give the report?’

Gun-Ho was dumbfounded. All the documents prepared for the report were written in English.

Mr. Burke continued to speak, “The global company—Lymondell Dyeon—has several joint venture companies all over the world. There has been no single precedent that a vice president gives an earnings report during a board meeting. According to the contract, President Goo will take the position of the chairman of the board. I’m sure that President Goo will ask the same when he is in my seat.”

Gun-Ho thought about what Mr. Burke just said. He was right. Gun-Ho couldn’t think of any argument to refute his statement. Gun-Ho looked at the report documents again. Most of them were numbers, and Gun-Ho was good with numbers. He could easily understand what those numbers represented.

Gun-Ho couldn’t understand English while most of the attendees in the meeting could. However, he was amazing with numbers. That trait of his played a critical role in making the current Gun-Ho.

“You are absolutely right.”

Gun-Ho decided to give the earnings report.

“Please take a look at the documents placed in front of each of you.”

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh interpreted what Gun-Ho said. Her clear and refreshing voice resonated in the meeting room,

“Let me show you what we have here.”

“It has been six months since the joint venture company was established. The monthly sales revenue for the first month was 300 million won, and it steadily increased, and our monthly sales revenue of the last month was at a record high of 2.5 billion won. That makes the total sales revenue of the first six months 12.2 billion won. That was the result of the hard work of all of our workers including the vice president—Mr. Adam Castler. If you compare this with other joint venture companies of Lymondell Dyeon, you will see that this is a usually high amount.”

When Yeon-Soo Oh finished her interpretation, Ms. Angelina Rein started clapping with a broad smile. Mr. Brandon Burke’s applause ensued and all of the other attendees followed.

“I truly appreciate all of your hard work.” The chairman of the board—Mr. Brandon Burke—said while clapping.

Gun-Ho continued his report, “The sales revenue of the first six months was 12.2 billion won, and we are anticipating to achieve 30 billion won in total for the sales revenue by the end of this year without any difficulty.”

“Hmm.”

Mr. Brandon Burke wrote down the numbers that Gun-Ho mentioned.

“I will talk about the product cost. The cost of raw materials is 5.9 billion won which takes 48% of our total sales revenue.”

Everyone in the meeting room was looking at the documents except Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho could recall all the relevant numbers without referring to any document.

“This shows that we are getting necessary raw materials from Lymondell Dyeon for high prices. With all due respect, Mr. Burke, I’m requesting to adjust the price of the raw materials that Lymondell Dyeon sent to our joint venture.”

Gun-Ho didn’t forget to make a necessary request even while giving his report.

Mr. Brandon Burke responded to Gun-Ho’s request, “I will discuss the price with Lymondell Dyeon once I go back there.”

“Next, I’d like to talk about our labor cost.”

The joint venture’s board meeting with the help of interpreters was long and boring as expected.

Gun-Ho’s report alone took two hours. It was finally break time. Most of the attendees of the meeting went outside the meeting room to take a break. Some of them used that time for smoking.

“Oh, my gosh, it’s already 3 o’clock. We started the meeting at 1 pm, right?”

“Did you realize that President Goo didn’t even look at the documents while he was giving the earnings report? And he gave exact numbers as stated in the document. That was unbelievable.”

“He is the president, right? There must be reasons when a person takes a position like that.”

“We have a lot more to cover after this break. I guess the meeting will go several hours longer.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

It was almost 5 pm. Mr. Brandon Burke and Ms. Angelina Rein were meticulous. They closely looked at the business expenses part. Fortunately, Mr. Adam Castler was meticulous as well in preparing the pertinent document.

“I thought Mr. Adam Castler didn’t do much at work, but he is well prepared.”

Director Kim and Director Yoon seemed to be impressed by Mr. Adam Castler’s work.

However, the board meeting didn’t seem to be ending pleasantly. Around 5 pm, Gun-Ho and Mr. Brandon Burke were arguing loudly. They had different opinions about the investment in-kind. They even mentioned that the joint venture might have to be terminated.

“Hey! Mr. Brandon Burke! As an investment in-kind, I contributed the land where this factory is sitting on. The value of this land was appraised by Korea Appraisal Board which is a certified government company. The appraised value is exceeding the amount of funds that I was supposed to contribute. However, what about Lymondell Dyeon? You sent a few used equipment, and you just declared that the total value of those machines is 4,450,000 dollars. Do you think that makes any sense!?”

“We’ve attached the appraised values of those machines when we sent them here. If you don’t trust what we claimed, that means you don’t want to continue to do the joint venture with us.”

“Your appraisal is not reliable. It was a piece of paper with the value, and it was done by some private accounting company. It’s not even a government-certified appraisal firm.”

“Lymondell Dyeon already paid 5 million dollars which is half of the joint venture’s paid-in capital—10 million dollars. We initially sent 50,000 dollars when we established this company, and subsequently, we sent an additional amount of 450,000 dollars for the operation.”

“The amount of the cash that Lymondell Dyeon sent is correct.”

“The remaining amount of 4.5 million dollars out of the promised 5 million dollars is fulfilled by the equipment and raw materials that we had sent. The value of the raw materials is clearly shown on the copy of the export documents submitted to the U.S. Customs & Border Protection. Also, we have the appraisal for the machines. All these documents are valid and reliable, so your country’s customs office accepted them and issued the conclusion of investment in-kind.”

“Do you think I’m a fool? Why don’t you go downstairs and take a look at the machines that you sent to us yourself? And tell me if you truly believe those machines are worth 4.5 million dollars. You, Mr. Adam Castler, why don’t you tell us about the value of those machines? Tell me what year are those machines?!”

Mr. Brandon Burke bawled out at that moment.

“If you don’t trust us, we will take those machines back!”

Gun-Ho bawled at him as well.

“Take them! Do you think I’m desperate to keep the joint venture even after all this nonsense?!”

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Chapter 373 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 2

Chapter 373: Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 2

While Gun-Ho and Mr. Brandon Burke argued vigorously and loudly, no one in the meeting room tried to chip in. They just looked at Gun-Ho’s and Mr. Brandon Burke’s face. Finally, Mr. Burke threw some documents on the floor out of anger, and Gun-Ho threw an empty bottle of water on the floor in response to show he was mad as well.

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh couldn’t continue to interpret for Gun-Ho any longer, and she burst into tears. She seemed to be scared and overwhelmed. Other employees, who were working in other offices, came to the meeting room when they heard loud voices.

Ms. Angelina Rein tried to ease the tension in the room by saying with a smile, “I think we need to take a ten-minute break to calm down. We will resume the meeting in ten minutes.”

Everyone agreed to take a break except Gun-Ho and Mr. Brandon Burke. The board meeting would be resumed after ten minutes. All of the Korean attendees walked out of the meeting room for a break while all of the American attendees stayed in the room to discuss further by themselves.

During the ten-minute break, Director Kim and Director Yoon came to Gun-Ho.

“Sir, I’ve never seen you that upset before.”

“I couldn’t even breathe when you told Mr. Burke to take the machines back.”

Gun-Ho smiled and said, “I did that on purpose. It was my tactical move.”

The board meeting was resumed when it was almost six o’clock.

Ms. Angelina Rein spoke first, “A joint venture is like a marriage. Sometimes, its partners are in conflict with different opinions just like a married couple. However, if the partners could step back for a second and see the situation more objectively and more favorable for the other partner, they will find a place that they can agree to. That’s how we all can get along and maintain the agreeable business relationship for a long time in order to achieve our common goal.”

Ms. Rein’s saying eased the tension in the meeting room. People seemed to feel relaxed a bit.

Mr. Burke said after drinking his water, “I shouldn’t have raised my voice. I apologize.”

Since Mr. Burke apologized, Gun-Ho couldn’t just keep on insisting on his point of view.

“Well, I’m sorry for raising my voice as well. However, I still think that the equipment that was sent by Lymondell Dyeon as their investment in-kind was overvalued. Also, I felt offended when Lymondell Dyeon sent their auditors to our company the other day.”

“Did something happen?”

“During the audit, the auditors made a copy of my vehicle’s registration. My car is a Bentley which is worth 300 million won. I know that it is an expensive car. However, that car was purchased and maintained by GH Mobile, not Dyeon Korea. The car has nothing to do with the joint venture. I haven’t spent even a dime of the joint venture’s money except my salary paid by it.”

Mr. Brandon Burke smiled while Mr. Adam Castler looked puzzled. Mr. Adam Castler wasn’t aware of the accident. Mr. Burke said, “I’m sorry about their behavior of making a copy of your car’s registration. I apologize to you on behalf of Lymondell Dyeon as their official representative. Please accept my apology.”

“Since you made an apology about it, I won’t bring up the incident ever again. I do accept your apology.”

The joint venture’s secretary—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee—brought some fruits to the meeting room with additional bottles of water.

Mr. Brandon Burke said again while taking a piece of apple, “I heard what you said, President Goo, but the investment in-kind is already made and completed, and we can’t redo it even though I understand your point because Lymondell Dyeon is not my personal company. However, I can give you two things within my power. As you stated earlier, this joint venture’s annual sales goal of the first year is 30 billion. Lymondell Dyeon highly recognizes this joint venture as it is the most successful business partner of theirs among other joint ventures. I hope we can continue this partnership as you accept two things I could offer to you.”

“I am listening.”

“First, Dyeon Korea’s exclusive right to sell the products is limited to China and Southeast Asia market. I can expand this to include the entire Asia.”

Director Yoon who was sitting next to Gun-Ho said in a small voice, “Well, that’s not much at all.”

However, Gun-Ho thought differently, and he saw an opportunity there.

“The entire Asia market includes India, the Middle East, and Central Asia, doesn’t it?”

Gun-Ho talked about the India market with President Jang-Hwan Song this morning. President Song insisted that Gun-Ho should pay attention to the India market. He told Gun-Ho this morning that, “Look at Chennai in India. Look at the selling rate of Verna there. India is an emerging star. It can be our base to reach Africa, and Central and South America.”

Gun-Ho swallowed his saliva and said, “What is the second one that you are offering?”

“We will lower the price of the raw materials that we are sending to the joint venture. I will have to discuss this in more detail with the officers of Lymondell Dyeon once I get back to the states, but I’m thinking of lowering the price by 3%.”

Gun-Ho took some time to think about it and everyone in the room looked at Gun-Ho’s face waiting for his reaction to Mr. Burke’s offer.

Finally, Gun-Ho said, “Okay! I accept your offer.”

Mr. Brandon Burked quickly stood up from his seat and extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake. Gun-Ho also stood up and held Mr. Burke’s hand. Once they had a handshake, everyone clapped. The interpreter—Mr. Lee—quickly stood up and took a picture of Gun-Ho and Mr. Burke having a handshake.

The first board meeting of the joint venture ended somewhat contently.

Mr. Adam Castler held out the document that he prepared for the earnings report to Gun-Ho and Mr. Burke. He wanted them to sign it. Mr. Brandon Burke signed the document with his pen and then he said, “Good job, Mr. Castler.”

Gun-Ho tapped Mr. Castler’s shoulder and said, “Thank you, Mr. Adam Castler.”

“What’s our schedule tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow morning, you will sign the agreement that we made during the board meeting today. Mr. Interpreter Lee will prepare the agreement in two languages by tomorrow morning. You will then take a tour of the factory here before heading to GH Mobile. You will be meeting with the executive officers of GH Mobile when you visit them. In the afternoon, President Goo invited us for lunch.”

Gun-Ho made a call to President Jang-Hwan Song.

“Lymondell Dyeon’s personnel who came to attend the board meeting here in Dyeon Korea will visit GH Mobile around 11 am tomorrow.”

“I’m well aware of it, sir.”

“President Song, please have Director Jong-Suk Park clean the production site.”

“Understood.”

“And, they will have a meeting with GH Mobile’s executive officers. After the meeting, we will have lunch together. GH Mobile officially invites them for lunch. Please make a reservation in a nice restaurant around the factory in Jiksan Town.”

“Okay.”

Director Kim spoke to all of the attendees of the board meeting, “Thank you for attending the meeting and your patience today. The joint venture invites you all to dinner. Please come to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel by 7 pm.”

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Chapter 374 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (4) – Part 1

Chapter 374: Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (4) – Part 1

Everyone gathered at the Onyang Hot Spring Hotel for dinner. They felt relieved after the board meeting, and they enjoyed dinner with wine.

Gun-Ho said to Mr. Brandon Burke while clinking his glass of wine to Mr. Burke’s, “Since Lymondell Dyeon completed its investment in-kind now, if the joint venture company needs additional machines, we will have to purchase them. Do you provide a lease for machines?”

“A lease? Sure. You can certainly lease machines from us.”

“Then I will need two more machines—no. 9 and no. 10.”

“Why don’t you send us a formal request? You can ask Mr. Adam Castler to do it, or you can purchase them on credit and pay us when you send us our portion of the profit.”

“I guess we will soon need additional machines to manufacture enough products to cover the China and Southeast Asia market.”

“Of course, you will.”

Gun-Ho and Mr. Burke continued to drink their wine.

Mr. Burke said to Gun-Ho in a low voice, “If everything goes well, the joint venture will be able to register with KOSDAQ within three years. When you need to expand the business and extend the factory or purchase more equipment, think about issuing overseas convertible bonds (CB).”

“Overseas convertible bonds?”

“Public offering is common in the Korean stock market, but for overseas convertible bonds, a private placement is common. I recommend you use a global investment banking company such as Morgan Stanley or Goldman Sachs for issuing convertible bonds.”

“Hmm.”

“When the economy is not doing well just like these days, issuing domestic convertible bonds often fails. The U.S. is penetrating the Korean stock market.”

“Of course, it can fail. I know that from personal experience.”

“Overseas convertible bonds are, on the other hand, relatively safe unless there is an obvious default risk such as sovereign default.”

“Thank you for your advice, Mr. Burke.”

“As a matter of fact, 50% of Dyeon Korea is owned by the shareholders of Lymondell Dyeon, not by me personally. However, the other 50% of it is solely owned by you, President Goo. With the procured foreign funds by issuing overseas convertible bonds, you can expand the business by establishing branch offices or subsidiary companies that generate income.”

Other people at the table were wondering what Gun-Ho and Mr. Brandon Burke were talking about in a low voice. Director Kim asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh, “Can you hear what they are talking about?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t interpret things that I overheard. It would be considered as a violation of professional conduct for an interpreter.”

The dinner was over around 9:30 pm.

When Gun-Ho said good-bye to Mr. Burke in front of the hotel, he added, “Take a deep rest until late tomorrow morning by enjoying a hot spring bath here. You can come to GH Mobile by 11 am.”

“Okay, President Goo. I guess Mr. Castler will give me a ride.”

“Thank you for today, Mr. Brandon Burke and Ms. Angelina Rein!”

“You too, President Goo.”

Gun-Ho walked toward the parking lot with Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh, where Chan-Ho Eom was waiting for him in a Bentley.

“Chan-Ho, did you eat?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you want to spend the night here and leave for Seoul tomorrow? Or do you want to drive to Seoul now?”

“It’s up to you, sir.”

Yeon-Soo looked worried. She said, “I have to go home today. My mom worries about me a lot. If you can give me a ride to KTX station, I can go home from there by myself.”

“Well, let’s just leave for Seoul now.”

Gun-Ho and Yeon-Soo Oh fell asleep right away after getting into the car. They must have been very tired. The Bentley that Chan-Ho Eum was driving was heading to Seoul. It was night, and there were not many cars on the highway. Within less than an hour, the car arrived at the tollgate to Seoul.

“Huh? Where are we?”

When the car stopped at the tollgate, Gun-Ho woke up.

“It’s the tollgate to Seoul, sir.”

“Oh, we are already in Seoul, huh?”

“Yes, sir. Do you want me to drop you off first at your place?”

“No, let’s drop Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh first. Her mother is worried about her. Let’s go to Apgujeong Town first. That’s where she lives.”

“Okay.”

Yeon-Soo Oh seemed to wake up as well. She started talking, “I was so scared when you argued with Mr. Brandon Burke during the meeting. I thought it would escalate into some serious altercation.”

“That’s why you cried? You are the interpreter. You were supposed to interpret even while I was arguing with Mr. Burke.”

“I was scared, sir. Mr. Brandon Burke threw out some papers on the floor furiously and you, sir, threw a bottle of water. I thought I would see a big fight. Moreover, Mr. Burke is a big man with a bald head. He sometimes looks like the head of the Mafia.”

“Mafia? Hahaha.”

“I’ve never seen you so angry, sir.”

“Okay, I won’t do that again.”

When the Bentley arrived in Seocho Town after passing Yangjae Town, Gun-Ho said, “Chan-Ho, you must be very tired. You drove all the way to Seoul at this hour.”

“It’s okay, sir. I took a nap while you were in the board meeting. Director Kim had told me before he went to the meeting room that the meeting would be a long one. So I took some sleep in the resting area.”

“Really? That’s good. Because of you, I could now enjoy some drinks with my dinner. I used to call a paid designated driver to get home after having a meeting with people.”

“Haha. You did?”

“You know what? You will see Tae-Young tomorrow evening.”

“Tae-Young bro?”

“We are going to Hannam Town with the Americans tomorrow.”

After dropping off Yeon-Soo Oh, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho headed to Dogok Town where Gun-Ho’s TowerPalace condo was located. Chan-Ho asked, “Sir.”

“Yeah?”

“I waited until we dropped off Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh. I have a suggestion to make to you. Would you consider working with Tae-Young bro?”

“For what?”

“You said that President Moon of GH Logistics handles heavy equipment as well, right?”

“That’s right.”

“We were sometimes called to the construction site for work.”

“What kind of work?”

“When a large building is about to be demolished, sometimes a physical fight occurs, and we are called to the scene.”

“So you guys go there and beat the other party up?”

“No, no. We shouldn’t do that. We could end up being in prison if we do so. We just stand there and smile.”

“Smile?”

“We just scare them off. Protesters against the building demolition usually become calm when they see a group of us with scary looks and tattoos.”

“So you guys just stand there and the protesters give in because they feel scared by your appearance, huh?”

“Most likely, yes.”

“What does it have to do with President Moon of GH Logistics?”

“What would be the next step after a building demolition? Heavy equipment would be called in, right?”

“Hmm.”

“With some Ppojji, they will do a great job.”

“Ppojji?”

“It’s a small amount of money, like an allowance money.”

“That doesn’t sound very fair though. That means you bring some work for President Moon by pressing someone.”

“That’s not what it is. We just introduce GH Logistics to a building owner or construction contractor and get some referral fees. It is justifiable earning. It’s like what realtors do; they charge fees for a client referred.”

“Well, I got what you mean. I will discuss it with President Moon.”

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Chapter 375 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (4) – Part 2

Chapter 375: Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (4) – Part 2

The next day, Gun-Ho and Yeon-Soo Oh went to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. Right after Gun-Ho sat at his desk in his office, Mr. Brandon Burke’s party arrived at GH Mobile. The general affairs director, who was waiting for them at the building entrance, led them to a small meeting room after greeting them. The executive officers of GH Mobile came to Gun-Ho’s office before heading to the small meeting room.

“Mr. Brandon Burke’s party is in the small meeting room right now. Maybe we can greet them and give them a tour of the factory?”

“They actually don’t need a factory tour. Mr. Brandon Burke had already visited here once before we started the joint venture. For most of you, this is the second time to meet with him. Just thank them for visiting us, and then we will have lunch together.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho walked to the small meeting room accompanied by the executive officers.

Once they entered the meeting room, both parties started greeting each other delightedly.

“I’m so glad to see you again, Mr. Burke.”

“Good to see you.”

For Ms. Angelina Rein, it was her first visit here. Gun-Ho introduced GH Mobile’s executive officers to her.

“This is President Jang-Hwan Song. He is running GH Mobile on a daily basis. This is the internal auditor, and this is our research center’s chief officer. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany.”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

Gun-Ho continued to introduce other directors to Ms. Angelina Rein. “And, I believe that you’ve already met the director of our general affairs. He welcomed you at the entrance and showed you to this meeting room. The person who is standing next to him is our production director.”

Angelina Rein received a bunch of business cards, but she couldn’t remember everyone’s job titles and names. She made a lot of mistakes when she had to call some of them. She once called the general affairs director as Mr. Production Director.

President Jang-Hwan Song asked Mr. Brandon Burke in English without going through the interpreter,

“You’ve already seen our factory before. You don’t need another factory tour, do you?”

“Right. I don’t need to see it again. If you could get me GH Mobile’s product catalog written in English, that would be great.”

“We don’t have an English version of our product catalog, but we have a digital copy of some documents with all the information. I can print them out for you if you want to. It’s written in English.”

“It won’t be necessary then. If you happen to make an English version of your product catalog some time later, would you please mail it to me? My office address is shown in my business card that I gave to you.”

Gun-Ho and President Song felt a bit embarrassed that they didn’t have an English version of their product catalog ready to show to their guest.

“You have a company website in the English language, don’t you?”

“Yes, we do.”

Even though they had a company website in both languages: Korean and English, Gun-Ho and President Song were hoping that Mr. Burke wouldn’t ask to show him the website because they were not very proud of their current website. The company’s website was too simple without enough information.

Mr. Brandon Burke continued to talk, “You know that you don’t have to limit your target clientele to Korean vehicle manufacturing companies only, right? Why don’t you expand your market to U.S. automobile manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors for example.”

“Actually, we are thinking of going to the motor show that will be held in Chicago this fall. We are planning to make an English version of our product catalog by then, so we can distribute our product catalog along with business cards there.”

“Distributing your catalog is certainly one of the ways of marketing, but you can do more than that. You can participate in it by reserving a booth there. You can take some sample products there and introduce them to potential customers there. That should be more effective.”

“That sounds like a very good idea. We will definitely take it into consideration, Mr. Burke.”

President Song took GH Mobile’s executive officers and Mr. Burke’s party to a Korean restaurant for lunch that was located inside an orchard. It was a restaurant that specialized in Korean table d’hote.

Ms. Angelina Rein seemed to love the place. She screamed in joy when she saw some fruits hanging on some trees.

They ordered all sorts of Korean traditional dishes including marinated raw crabs, marinated and grilled beef dishes, and Korean-style vegetable pizza. They also ordered Korean rice wine.

They all enjoyed the food and time together.

Mr. Brandon Burke’s party would return to the U.S. the following day.

Gun-Ho wanted to treat them extremely well during their stay in Korea. Gun-Ho believed that it would bring a bigger return someday. He didn’t think of the price when he chose a restaurant or hotel to treat them. Well, the expenses were coming from the joint venture, not from Gun-Ho personally anyway.

Gun-Ho said to the joint venture’s vice president—Mr. Adam Castler, “Mr. Brandon Burke is your boss, isn’t he? I made a room reservation with a luxurious hotel close to Itaewon Town. It’s a Hyatt Hotel.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“And tonight, we are going to the bar in Hannam Town. We will enjoy our dinner there while listening to Korean traditional musical instruments. I will tell Mr. Burke that you made all these arrangements for the day for him.”

“Oh, thank you, boss!”

After lunch, Mr. Brandon Burke’s party went straight to Seoul from Jiksan Town. There was some time left before dinner, and Mr. Burke’s party decided to go around the city a little bit before dinner time.

Gun-Ho made a call to Ms. Jang.

“Ms. Jang, I want to make a dinner reservation for tonight. I will be with three Americans and myself. I won’t bring my interpreter there, so please have your ladies ready who can speak English. Oh, and please note that one of the three Americans is female.”

“Haha. Understood, sir. You will love my arrangement tonight.”

Gun-Ho stopped by Insa Town for gift shopping before heading to Hannam Town. He prepared two gifts. One was a Korean traditional doll and the other was a Korean traditional ceramic pottery. The pottery had a subtle blue color with a painting of grapes.

In his car heading to the bar in Hannam Town, Gun-Ho thought, ‘We currently have eight machines. If those machines start fully working for 24 hours, we will generate about 300 to 400 billion won of sales revenue according to Director Kim. I can get additional machines by lease, so I don’t have to spend a significant amount of money at once for it. If I bring another eight machines and make them fully work, the sales revenue of 700 to 800 billion won would be generated. If that happens, the company would be categorized as a large company.’

‘As Mr. Burke suggested earlier, I can have a global investment banking company like Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley issue convertible bonds for us and get foreign investment funds. With those funds, I would be able to build several factories overseas. By that time, my company’s sales revenue will exceed a trillion won. I will become the owner of a large company then.’

While Gun-Ho was lost in thought of his plan to expand his business, his Bentley was getting closer to the bar in Hannam Town.

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Chapter 376 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (5) – Part 1

Chapter 376: Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (5) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho arrived at the bar in Hannam Town, the first person who came out to delightedly greet him was Tae-Young Im.

“Big brother, you are here.”

“Oh, Team Lead Im, good to see you again. It has been a while, huh? Did the Americans arrive?”

“No, not yet. Please come inside.”

Gun-Ho entered the Pine and Tae-Young followed him.

“Big brother, how’s Chan-Ho doing? He is very helpful, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is very good. I should thank you for sending him to me. He will be here soon after parking the car.”

Ms. Jang was walking towards Gun-Ho to greet him while making a fuss about his visit.

“Oh, my goodness, President Goo. You are here. I almost forgot your face.”

“You look great, Ms. Jang.”

“You think so? Haha. It must be the make-up.”

Gun-Ho took off his jacket, and Ms. Jang took it and hung it on the wall. Gun-Ho sat on the floor, in his vest. An embroidered folding screen was set behind his back.

“You have the lady servants, who can speak English, ready for my guests, right?”

“Of course, sir. We have new girls. They are so pretty and their English is excellent.”

Gun-Ho smiled.

A floor table was placed in front of Gun-Ho and it was covered with a white tablecloth.

“Oh, shoot. I will get you something to drink. I will bring some Sulloc green tea.”

After quite a while, a young lady who was wearing a Korean traditional dress entered the room. She was in her 20s and she was certainly pretty.

“Are you the one who can speak English?”

“Yes, but I don’t speak English fluently.”

“Hmm, really? Well, I have three American guests coming over here today. I hope you help them have a great time here.”

The young lady filled up Gun-Ho’s cup with Sulloc green tea and left the room after giving him a bow.

Gun-Ho was thinking while having his tea,

‘I haven’t often come here but this is a very good place to treat my guests. It is certainly useful. I wonder if they are making enough money though. There seems to be a lot of people working in the kitchen, not to mention those bouncers outside.’

When he heard some noises outside, Gun-Ho realized that his guest arrived.

“I guess that they are here.”

Three Americans came into the room where Gun-Ho was sitting.

“Oh, President Goo. You are already here.”

Mr. Brandon Burke said while entering the room. He was tall and he had to bend his head a bit not to hit the head jamb when he entered the room.

“I thought you would pick a place in Itaewon Town. I’ve never expected to see a place like this.”

Gun-Ho, at that moment, wondered if he would be able to sit on the floor. Ms. Jang quickly brought several floor cushions and said, “Haha. He can use two or three floor cushions to sit on. He will feel comfortable even on the floor.”

“You had a room that was designed for foreign clients who are not used to sit on the floor.”

“Haha. That one is already occupied by other customers.”

Brandon Burke waved his hand and said, “It’s okay. I’m fine with this setting. I’m in Korea and I want to experience your culture.”

Young ladies brought some tea.

When Brandon Burke found that they could speak English, he seemed to be very satisfied.

Angelina Rein seemed to be drawn to the decorations in the room. She was busy looking at the embroidered folding screen, the stationery chest and the ceramic vase in the room.

“This place is very Korean.”

Angelina Rein closely looked at the Korean traditional dress which the lady worker who was sitting next to her was wearing. She touched the dress to see the fabric and asked her some questions.

Several ladies came into the room with Gayageum* and started playing them. The three Americans seemed to be fascinated by the whole setting. They were having a traditional Korean wine while listening to Gayageum. Especially, Angelina Rein, who was the only lady guest in the room, placed her two hands on her chest showing how much she was impressed.

Mr. Brandon Burke came close to Gun-Ho after sipping the Korean traditional wine.

“President Goo, pay close attention to Chennai in India.”

That was exactly what GH Mobile’s President Jang-Hwan Song told Gun-Ho the other day.

He continued to talk, “The southern part of India is still underdeveloped compared to the Delhi area in the north. The area just started being developed. India is a huge country. You can build four more joint ventures there.”

“That sounds like a very expensive plan.”

“I know people in Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. As long as Dyeon Korea succeeds, you don’t have to worry about funds to expand.”

When Brandon Burke talked to Gun-Ho about the business, his voice was low. And the lady’s voice who was interpreting for them became low as well. Angelina Rein and Adam Castler seemed to be busy talking with other ladies.

Gun-Ho lifted his glass and clinked it to Brandon Burke’s.

“Thank you for the valuable information, Mr. Burke.”

“President Goo, I want you to put me in a branch manager position of Dyeon Korea’s India location once I retire.”

“Hahaha. What are you talking about Mr. Burke? You should take the president position of the global company—Lymondell Dyeon. You will have enormous power once you are in that position, right?”

“Haha. I was just kidding.”

Gun-Ho thought about the new market while having his drink.

“Hmm… India…”

Gun-Ho had to say good-bye to Mr. Brandon Burk in Pine since he was leaving the next day.

“I won’t be able to go to the airport with you tomorrow because I have an important matter that I have to attend. I guess I will have to say good-bye to you here.”

“I do appreciate you for welcoming us, President Goo. I also thank you for handling the business of the joint venture very well. I do thank all of your workers for the hospitality that they have shown to us. I’m sure the company will prosper.”

“Thank you, Mr. Brandon Burke. I wish you good health. This is some token of my gratitude for you.”

Gun-Ho gave the Korean doll and the pottery that he purchased in Insa Town to Brandon Burke and Angelina Rein.

“Wow.”

Angelina Rein absolutely loved it. She jumped up and down with excitement.

After walking out of the bar, Gun-Ho headed to his home in Dogok Town.

Chan-Ho Eom said while driving, “Umm, sir, I talked to Tae-Young bro about it.”

“You mean the heavy equipment thing?”

“Tae-You bro already talked with President Moon about it, but they don’t have any heavy equipment yet.”

“I think so.”

“So I guess we will have to wait until heavy equipment is ready.”

“We need to find a space to place trucks and heavy equipment first. Let’s go to Seonghwan Town tomorrow to see some land. Seonghwan Town is close to GH Mobile anyway.”

“Sir, I don’t think we need to secure a place to store heavy equipment.”

“Why is that so?”

“I’ve seen a lot of heavy equipment parked on the street where there is no heavy traffic. I saw a lot of trucks there too.”

“Well, they must belong to individual businessmen—sole proprietors. Many of them can’t afford to have their own space to park them. But, we are a business entity—GH Logistics.”

“I see what you mean.”

Note*

Gayageum– A traditional musical instrument of Korea.

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Chapter 377 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (5) – Part 2

Chapter 377: Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (5) – Part 2

It was the day that Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in Jiksan Town.

When Gun-Ho got into the car, he said to Chan-Ho, “Hey, Chan-Ho, let’s go to Seonghwan Town.”

“To see… land?”

“Yeah.”

Gun-Ho stopped by several realtor’s offices in Seonghwan Town. It was not hard to find a realtor’s office that was selling land. The huge sign saying “Land” was found everywhere they went. Chan-Ho said,

“Land, land, land… It’s everywhere.”

“I know. I wonder if all these realtors make enough money for a living.”

When Gun-Ho saw a sign of a realtor’s office that said that they specialized in land for a factory, he decided to give them a call. The number was written on the sign. It was not a cell phone number but it was a landline—an office’s phone number. Gun-Ho wrote down the number.

“Before we enter into a realtor’s office, let’s make a call to them first. Why don’t you park the car over there so I can make a call?”

Gun-Ho dialed the number. A man with a deep voice answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Is this a realtor’s office?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I’m looking for land to build a factory.”

“We do have a lot of those for sale. Why don’t you come and visit our office?”

“I want a land that is about 2,000 pyung large. And it has to be on the main road.”

“What kind of factory are you going to build?”

“Well, it’s just a small manufacturing factory.”

“I need to know more than that in order to find one that fits your needs. Some areas are not open for a certain manufacturing activity.”

“What sort of factory is prohibited?”

“If the factory will create a loud noise or toxic gas, then you won’t find any land for it around here. The city won’t give you a permit to build it and the residents in the area will file a complaint. There are certain areas where you can open those sorts of factories.”

Gun-Ho thought about what he should tell the realtor about his business, and he said, “It’s just a repair shop.”

“A repair shop? You mean an automobile repair shop?”

“Yes, it is.”

“There is one repair shop for sale but it’s only 980 pyung large. Does it have to be 2,000 pyung?”

“Yes, I really like to have at least 2,000 pyung…”

“You don’t need 2,000 pyung to run an auto repair shop, sir. You will just have to waste your money to pay a lot of taxes for the part of your land that is not being used.”

While Gun-Ho headed to Cheonan City from Seonghwan Town, he called another realtor’s office. Their business sign had a number to call as well.

“Land for a factory? Why don’t you visit our office? How large are you looking for?”

“Around 2,000 pyung.”

“I have one that is 3,500 pyung large. It’s on a four-meter wide road. An eighteen-wheeler will be able to pass on it. I have other lands at a very reasonable price too.”

“Did you say the land is on a four-meter wide road? I will come by your office.”

Chan-Ho Eum who was listening to Gun-Ho’s phone conversation said, “Sir, I don’t think a four-meter wide road is enough. It only gives one-way for a truck to pass at a time. A car from the opposite direction has to stop and wait until the truck passes on it. And usually, the area with a four-meter wide road is a bit far from the main road and you have to drive a winding road to reach it.”

“The repair shop on the market that the first realtor told me about sounds perfect except its only 980 pyung. It’s too small.”

“Why? 980 pyung is large.”

“If there is a building on the land, the yard would be small. Let’s go take a look at that land.”

“Do you want me to go back there now?”

“Yes, let’s turn around.”

Gun-Ho entered the first realtor’s office which he called earlier.

The realtor stood up from his desk when he saw Gun-Ho coming into his office. The realtor looked like he was in his 50s.

“Hello. I called the office earlier.”

“Ummm, what call…?”

“I was told that there is land for a factory for sale.”

“Oh, oh, you are the one who was looking for land for an auto repair shop. Please have a seat. Would you like to have some tea?”

“I’ve had one already. Thank you.”

The realtor pointed at an area on the map with a stick and said, “This is the one I was talking about. The auto repair shop is located about 300 meters from this crossroad. It’s not on the main road but it’s on a two-lane road. So, there is no problem for an eighteen-wheeler to pass on it. It was a first-class auto repair shop. All the inspections were done there too. As I mentioned before, 980 pyung is not small at all for an auto shop.”

“Did they close the business?”

“Auto shops are not doing well these days. Auto manufacturing companies are doing their job too well. Cars these days don’t easily break down. Only the cars involved in a car accident used to be sent to that shop.”

“Hmm.”

“How much is it?”

“It’s 2 million won per pyung in this area.”

“Hmm. Then it would make the land almost 2 billion won.”

“That area is expected to be developed, so we anticipate the land value there to go up significantly in the near future. Once Samsung Electronics’ Godeok industrial complex is completed, the price of that land could go up too.”

“Come on. Godeok industrial complex is far from here. How can it possibly affect the price of the land in this location?”

“Sir, it’s not that far. This distance is considered close enough. I will show you the shop. It’s not far from here.”

The realtor picked up his car key and went outside the office. He then called for the person who was playing Korean chess at the restaurant next to the realtor’s office,

“Chan-Ho, I will be out of office. Can you keep an eye on it while I’m away?”

“Sure.”

The man who was playing Korean chess said without even taking his eyes off the chess.

Chan-Ho Eum looked at Gun-Ho and laughed.

“Haha. He has the same name as me.”

The realtor pulled out his car from a parking stall and said, “Please follow me. Whoa, you have a very nice car, sir.”

The realtor seemed to be frightened when he saw Gun-Ho’s Bentley.

The auto repair shop was not very distant from the realtor’s office.

On the left side of the shop, there were some buildings that looked like factories. On its right side, there was a farm. There was some trash like plastic containers and oily stuff on the farm. The auto shop was locked with a padlock. It was a combination padlock and the realtor was trying to unlock it.

“Do you have the code?”

“Yes, I do.”

However, the realtor kept failing to unlock it even though he tried the code he had for multiple times.

“F*ck, what’s wrong with it? Who would enter the old auto repair shop to steal something? They didn’t have to lock the door like this. Sons of bi*ches!”

The relator kept trying while grumbling.

Chan-Ho eventually stepped in. He said, “Let me try it.”

The padlock was finally and easily opened once Chan-Ho tried it with the exact same code that the realtor had been trying with.

“Huh? How come it didn’t work when I tried it?”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho followed the realtor inside the auto repair shop.

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Chapter 378 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 378: Basecamp For The Transportation Company (1) – Part 1

When they entered the auto repair shop, Gun-Ho could smell oil.

Its floor was black because of the oil residues. Pieces of Styrofoam were found on the floor as well. In the office space, old desks were still there. It was dusty, and some papers were scattered there, but the office was quite spacious. Chan-Ho noticed that there was a refrigerator in the office.

“Is that refrigerator in a working condition?”

When Chan-Ho asked about it, the realtor responded, “Probably not. If it worked, they would have taken it with them. They left it here probably because it would cost them even to throw it out.”

Gun-Ho noticed some tears on the ceiling.

“The building frame should be good. I believe you can still use it after some minor repairs. Just focus on the land. It’s a nice square figure and leveled well. Trucks can get in without any problem.”

“If it was larger, it would have been perfect.”

“If you really need a larger land, why don’t you buy the farmland next to this one? The owner put it on the market before.”

“But it’s farmland. The leveling must be different.”

“Not very different though. The difference in depth is less than 50 centimeters. So, the use of the land can be changed.”

“Land use change?”

“Of course. This area is open for development. You can convert farmland into non-farming uses as long as you pay the fee.”

“I’ve heard the fee is expensive…”

“It’s 30% of the officially assessed land price. But, sir, once you convert it into non-farming use, the price of the land will substantially increase.”

“Really?”

“Or, if you want to use it just for a parking lot, you can just change the purpose of the land. Since it is now listed as a field, you can just indicate that it would be used as a rice paddy.”

“Will it be okay? If I don’t do farming after indicating it is to be used as a rice paddy, the government won’t say anything?”

“You will have to pay some penalties for not farming the land.”

“Hmm.”

“Can farmland be purchased by a company?”

“If the company is an agribusiness company, then there shouldn’t be any problem. You said you want to do an auto repair shop, right? If an auto repair shop purchases farmland for farming, that wouldn’t sound right.”

“That’s true.”

“An individual can purchase farmland. You can buy it with your name, sir.”

“There is no restriction for an individual to buy farmland?”

“You need a permit to purchase farmland.”

“A permit to purchase farmland?”

“Yes, the government will make a determination on whether you will truly do farming with the land.”

“How can they find out? If someone says he would do farming then that’s what it is, isn’t it?”

“They will first look at where you live. What address do you have for your residency?”

“It’s Dogok Town in Seoul.”

“Well, then you won’t be qualified to purchase farmland here. You have to be a resident of Seonghwan Town. If you live outside the town, your address has to be close enough to easily commute like within 30 kilometers.”

“30 kilometers?”

“It’s about the distance that you can ride a bicycle to get here, so it is believable that you intend to farm here while you live 30 kilometers away from the land.”

“It seems to be very complicated to buy farmland.”

“If you are going to open an auto repair shop, the size of 980 pyung should be big enough, and the price of 2 million won per pyung is reasonable.”

“Okay. I will think about it and will let you know.”

“Can I get your business card, sir?”

“Chan-Ho, why don’t you give your business card to Mr. Realtor? I didn’t bring mine today.”

“Chan-Ho? My little brother’s name is Chan-Ho, too.”

On the way from the land, Gun-Ho asked Chan-Ho, “Chan-Ho, do you remember the code for that combination padlock?”

“Yes, I do. It’s 4786.”

“I will store that code in my smartphone; otherwise, I won’t be able to recall it.”

“Are you going to visit there again?”

“Not me. I will ask Jae-Sik to come by quietly.”

“Oh, I see.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile, it was after 11 am.

President Jang-Hwan Song was out of the office to meet with a client and the internal auditor was also out to attend an economic forum.

The secretary—Hee-Jeong Park brought a cup of tea for Gun-Ho.

“Since President Song and Mr. Internal Auditor are not in the office, would you like to see other executive officers?”

“No, that’s okay. They must be busy.”

Gun-Ho had his lunch in the company cafeteria that day. He was standing in a line to get his food just like any other employees when the head of the labor union saw him. The head of the labor union quickly brought Gun-Ho’s lunch and placed it on the table.

“You don’t have to do that.”

The head of the labor union sat at the same table with Gun-Ho.

“Bon appetit, sir.”

“Thank you, you too.”

The general affairs director also came to the cafeteria for his lunch. When he saw Gun-Ho having his lunch there, he joined Gun-Ho as well.

“Sir, when did you come?”

“I just arrived.”

“Any news from the labor union?”

“No, it’s good. I always tell the members of the labor union that in order for us to have a good work life, our company’s business has to do well. And I also tell them that before we make any complaints to the company, we need to check if we are doing our job right.”

“Haha, really? It seems that the members of the union listen to you.”

The general affairs director said while eating the food, “Ever since this man took the head of the labor union position, it has been very quiet and peaceful. The previous head of the union during the Mulpasaneop days was not good at managing the members, and that created a lot of noise from them.”

“Oh, I see.”

The labor union’s head seemed to feel good. He voluntarily brought and offered water for Gun-Ho.

After lunch, Gun-Ho had his afternoon coffee in his office and took a nap before heading to Dyeon Korea. When he arrived at Dyeon Korea in that afternoon, he first went straight to the production site to see if all of the eight machines were working fine. The workers at the production site greeted Gun-Ho.

The products were piled up in the storage. It seemed that the eight machines were producing more than enough products. He then went into the compound room which was a restricted area. The workers in the room were wearing masks. They gave a bow to Gun-Ho when they saw him coming into the room. Manager Yoo who was in charge of the site quickly came to Gun-Ho.

“Sir, you are here.”

“How are the new employees doing?”

“They are doing great.”

“You will have to teach them a lot.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir.”

“I don’t worry about this team since you are here, Manager Yoo.”

Manager Yoo seemed to feel a bit embarrassed.

“Manager Yoo, you used to live in Seoul, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I moved to this area five years ago when I was working for Mulpasaneop. I got married while I was living here too.”

“Please don’t forget to enter any manuals and recipes into the computer and be mindful of the security. This is the core technology of our company.”

“I’m doing it, sir.”

Gun-Ho tapped Manager Yoo’s back before leaving the compound room.

Even though Jong-Suk suggested Gun-Ho to have Manager Yoo enter all the related information about the chemical compounds recipes into the president’s computer, Gun-Ho didn’t ask it to Manager Yoo.

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Chapter 379 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 379: Basecamp For The Transportation Company (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office when he decided to make a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“Hey, tomorrow is Saturday. You are not going anywhere tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“No, I have no schedule set up for tomorrow. Why are you asking?”

“Are you going to stay in your home in Mangwon Town?”

“Yeah. I think we are going to do deep house cleaning tomorrow. My wife and I have neglected our home lately since we both have been so busy.”

“Can we meet? You can do the cleaning later, right?”

“Why?”

“There is an auto repair shop for sale. It’s located in Seonghwan Town. I want to visit it with you.”

“An auto repair shop? Why do we want to visit an auto repair shop?”

“I think maybe we can use it as our basecamp for GH Logistics.”

“Oh, I see. Sure. Where do we meet?”

“What about at the Seonghwan station?”

“Sounds good. I think I’m going to take a subway to get there. Is it okay with you?”

“Yeah. Take the subway. I will pick you up at the subway station.”

When it was about time to go home, Director Kim came back to the office.

“Sir, you are here. I just came back from a wedding.”

“A wedding?”

“Mandong Company’s president’s second son married today in Seoul. I saw President Jang-Hwan Song there too.”

“That’s good. It is important to stay close with our major clients, and attending their family event is a good way to show them our care. Please feel free to send out a flower wreath with my name on if necessary.”

“A flower wreath was already sent to the wedding with your name, sir, from GH Mobile. President Song doesn’t use his name in sending a flower wreath.”

“He can use his name as the president of GH Mobile. There is no problem there.”

Gun-Ho was supposed to be notified when any of his companies needed to use his name in sending out a congratulatory flower wreath, gift money, or anything like that before they are being sent out. Gun-Ho checked his smartphone to see if he received any notification about the flower wreath that was sent to the wedding. There was actually a text message from President Song that morning. He just missed reading it.

“I went to the production site this morning and there seemed to be lots of products piled up in the storage. Let’s send 5 tons of the products to China.”

“To China, sir?”

“Negotiate the price including CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight). Please keep in mind that exporting is a sale on credit.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. I forgot to register our company with the Korea International Trade Association. We need to get a trade ID.”

“Our business registration indicates that we do an international trade business too, right?”

“That’s correct. I will go downstairs and ask the general affairs manager to register with the Korea International Trade Association right away through online.”

“Sounds good.”

“Do you want to have GH Logistics handle the transportation this time?”

“Maybe next time. They don’t have a freight truck yet.”

“Okay, sir.”

“And inform President Min-Hyeok Kim in China that we are sending the products there.”

“Understood.”

On the way home, Gun-Ho was looking at his smartphone in the rear seat of his Bentley.

There was news about Seol-Bing with a photograph taken at an airport.

[Seol-Bing’s outfit at the airport. She looks gorgeous as always.]

There were tons of comments from the netizens. It seemed that half of them were favorable to Seol-Bing and the other half were not so gentle in making a comment. Gun-Ho thought for a second if he wanted to read all of the comments, and then he decided not to. Instead, he sent a text message to Seol-Bing.

[Do you have time this Sunday? Would you like to have lunch or dinner with me? Maybe we can meet up somewhere in Cheongdam Town or Apgujeong Town which is close to your place.]

Seol-Bing replied to Gun-Ho’s text when he almost arrived at his home.

[I have pre-engagement. I will text you later.]

Gun-Ho was thinking if he should contact Mori Aikko and he decided not to.

It was Saturday.

Gun-Ho didn’t call for Chan-Ho Eom.

“It’s Saturday. He should take some rest too. He is probably busy meeting with his friends or girls. Well, let’s drive my Land Rover today. It has been a while. The car was at the parking lot for too long. That’s not good for the car.”

Gun-Ho drove out his Land Rover from the parking lot. It was dusty. Gun-Ho drove it to a gas station in Yangjae Town and had it washed through an automatic car wash after filling up the tank of the car.

“I feel like I took a shower.”

Gun-Ho’s Land Rover was heading to an old truck terminal in front of Yangjae Citizens’ Forest. The truck terminal was close to the highway that Gun-Ho needed to take. He just had to make a U-turn in front of the truck terminal in order to enter the highway.

“Oh, this is the truck terminal. If the truck terminal was still in business, Jae-Sik would have been able to learn a lot from them for his transportation company. It’s a shame that they closed their business.”

Harim Group purchased this truck terminal in Yangjae Town for 450 billion won.

“This truck terminal was at an auction and kept failing to sell at auction until Harim Group acquired it for 450 billion won. Harim wanted to build a distribution complex there. Harim had started its business by selling a few chicks, and now it grew to a large industrial conglomerate. How long would it take for Gun-Ho to grow his companies like that? Gun-Ho is still hungry.”

There was heavy traffic on the highway, probably because it was Saturday. The cars were moving bumper-to-bumper on the highway until Gun-Ho reached Giheung District after passing Suwon City.

“Jae-Sik Moon must be waiting for me at Seonghwan station.”

Gun-Ho continued to drive while listening to IU (a Korean singer).

He finally arrived at the Seonghwan station.

Jae-Sik was already there waiting for Gun-Ho. When Gun-Ho saw Jae-Sik, he was astonished. Jae-Sik seemed to lose tons of weight.

“Hey, what happened to you? You lost a lot of weight.”

“Really? People keep telling me that.”

Gun-Ho felt sorry for Jae-Sik. Running a business must have been very hard for Jae-Sik given the fact that he had no previous experience in that field. He felt sympathetic to Jae-Sik.

“Your lips are swollen.”

“Yeah. They have been like that for several days already.”

“You must be very tired. I should have let you take a rest at home today.”

“No, no. It’s okay.”

Gun-Ho had Jae-Sik get into his Land Rover.

“There is an auto repair shop on the market. It’s currently vacant. I think we can build GH Logistics’ basecamp there. It needs some repair and touch-ups. It’s not very large either.”

“How large is it?”

“It’s 980 pyung.”

“Wow. It is big. You know the storage we are leasing in Paju City is only 230 pyung large. This one is four times larger than the one in Paju. It should be huge.”

“I wanted to get a large land considering that we will grow there. Well, let’s go see ourselves.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik arrived at the auto repair shop.

“This is it.”

While Gun-Ho was not fully satisfied with the land, Jae-Sik was surprised by its size.

“Wow, it is huge.”

Jae-Sik looked excited.

“Isn’t it expensive? How much is it?”

“It’s about 2 billion won.”

“What?! 2 billion won!”

Jae-Sik was frightened by its price.

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Chapter 380 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 380: Basecamp For The Transportation Company (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik entered the auto repair shop for sale after unlocking the padlock at the entrance. Jae-Sik looked around out of curiosity.

“What do you think? We can throw out these things and clean the place.”

“Hmm. The office is very spacious. I think we should keep some of these desks; they still look good. We just need to clean the place. I see the potential. It can become a great factory. Also, the yard is so big that we can park tens of heavy machinery without any problem.”

“So, you like it? If you like it, I will sign the purchase contract.”

“You said, it is priced for more than 2 billion won, is it?”

“It’s 1.96 billion won to be exact.”

Jae-Sik sighed and said, “I’ve never and probably will never be able to touch that kind of amount of money in my life.”

“I have it.”

“Really?”

Jae-Sik looked at Gun-Ho with a respectful look.

“If you like it, I will sign the contract today. I will have the workers of GH Mobile clean the place. You just need to move in.”

Jae-Sik couldn’t say a word for a second in an overflowing excitement, and then he said, “Don’t throw out everything. I can still use some of the desks in the office.”

“I will get you new ones. I want you to start fresh. You don’t even have any office worker yet anyway. I will get you a nice desk. Also, I will get rid of the tent over there and will buy a PVC canopy for a replacement.”

“I don’t want you to spend too much money on this.”

“Don’t worry about money. How many vehicles do we currently have in GH Logistics?”

“We have seven. Two trucks are being used to transport books in Paju City. We have two reserved for Dyeon Korea’s work, and three are being used for the factory in Eumseong Town. Jong-Suk and the Tae-Yong Im person told me that they wanted to introduce customers for heavy equipment transportation work, but for now, we don’t have available trucks for the work.”

“Do you think we can store a few heavy machineries here?”

“Sure. It has more than enough space for it.”

“It’s nice that now you have a place to park the trucks after work. We can gradually increase the number of trucks, so the company can do more work. We will hire workers too.”

Jae-Sik Moon seemed to like the place a lot. He took several photos of the building and the land with his smartphone.

“Above all things, I like the location. It’s very close to GH Mobile. It only takes twenty minutes to get here from GH Mobile.”

“Yeah. I want to see Jong-Suk more often. Since he is good with machines, I think I will need his help.”

“Jong-Suk has been working with machines in the field for years now. He can handle almost anything that occurs in the field.”

“He is a very good person as well.”

“That’s why everyone likes him. Even though he became a director at his young age, the workers who are in their 40s and 50s and who are in the lower level position than him have no complaints about the fact that their director is younger than them. The last time when we had a Japanese engineer to develop our new product, he spoke highly of Jong-Suk. He said Jong-Suk’s welding skills are excellent too.”

“I see. I feel sorry that I don’t have any particular skills to be of help. You used to work in an accounting department, so you are highly knowledgeable about management and finance. Also, with your previous work experience in a factory, you are very comfortable with the production worksite. But me? I sometimes feel like maybe I’m a burden to you.”

“Don’t say that. I know you have talents somewhere inside you. They just haven’t manifested yet. Be hopeful.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik got into Gun-Ho’s car. Gun-Ho headed to a restaurant that specialized in Galbi (Korean grilled beef ribs) in Pyeongtaek City.

“You want to have Galbi for lunch?”

“You need to get some good food with lots of nutrition. You lost too much weight. Let’s have Galbi.”

“It must be expensive.”

“After lunch, I need to stop by the realtor’s office. You go ahead and go back to Seoul. I will let you know once the place is ready for business.”

“Don’t you need me here in preparing the place?”

“I will have contractors to demolish some of the structure and clean the place. Your presence here won’t help much, and the place will be very dusty during the cleaning. You can come once everything is ready.”

While Galbi was being cooked in the portable stove on the table, Gun-Ho ordered a bottle of soju.

“Take a glass of soju. I can’t drink with you since I have to drive, but since you don’t have to drive, enjoy it.”

Jae-Sik seemed to enjoy lunch. He ate a lot. Gun-Ho had to order more Galbi. Jae-Sik was very slim, but he ate a lot. Jae-Sik lifted the bottle of soju and showed the name of it to Gun-Ho. It said ‘Like the First Time.’

“President Goo, do you know who wrote this ‘Like the First Time’?”

“I have no idea.”

“Professor of Sungkonghoe University—Young-Bok Shin—wrote this.”

“You mean the person who spent years in prison?”

“Yeah, that’s him. He spent twenty years in prison for violating the Anticommunist Law. He said he met a scholar of Chinese literature there and learned Chinese letters from him in prison.”

“Wow. He spent twenty years in prison? His youth was spent in prison.”

“Yeah, it’s a shame. He passed away recently.”

“Oh, he passed away? That’s a shame. Well, eat more. I heard that a ghost who ate good food while he was still alive gets a better complexion.”

After lunch, Gun-Ho dropped Jae-Sik off at the Seonghwan station.

“I will talk to you later.”

“Thank you for lunch. See you.”

Gun-Ho turned his car around and headed to the realtor’s office. He felt so sleepy while driving even though he only drank half a glass of soju with lunch. He parked his car somewhere safe and took a nap, and he started snoring.

There was once a gathering for local business owners of small and medium-sized companies in Asan City. At that time, a staff from an economy council committee came and took a survey from the business owners. Questions like how often they travel abroad, their hobbies, and how many books they read per month were asked.

Gun-Ho wrote that his hobby was taking a nap. He played golf sometimes, but he wouldn’t call it a hobby because he didn’t really enjoy it. He usually spent time with his friends and people at work. He didn’t really socialize with a politician or government official. He didn’t even hang out with other business owners either. He didn’t want to attend the gathering that day, but he came because he couldn’t think of any excuse to avoid it.

The local economy council committee’s staff presented the result of the survey at the end of the gathering.

“The most popular hobby among business owners is playing golf as expected. 70% of you answered playing golf is their hobby. Some of you do mountain climbing and fishing and also traveling abroad in your spare time. One person had a unique hobby though. It was taking a nap.”

“What? Taking a nap?”

The people in the gathering started laughing hard. Gun-Ho loved taking a nap, but it never lasted more than thirty minutes.

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Chapter 381 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 381: Basecamp For The Transportation Company (2) – Part 2

When he woke up from a nap in his car, he felt thirsty. Gun-Ho looked at his watch and took a sip from his water bottle. When he opened the window to get fresh air, he realized that there was a one-ton truck that was parked in the same area. The truck driver opened his window and said to Gun-Ho, “Oh, my goodness, sir. You snored so loud that your car actually moved along with it.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t help laughing.

Gun-Ho made a call to the realtor’s office.

“Are you open today?”

“Yes, we are open.”

“I will come by your office in a few minutes.”

“Where are you coming from?”

Gun-Ho hung up the phone without answering the realtor’s question.

The realtor’s office seemed to be busier on Saturdays than on weekdays.

There were two other customers in the office when Gun-Ho arrived. They seemed to look for land to buy. Gun-Ho had to wait for his turn for quite a while.

After the other customers left the office, the realtor came to Gun-Ho and said, “I’m so sorry, sir, that you had to wait. Please come and take a seat. You are the one who went to see the auto repair shop yesterday, aren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“So, have you made up your mind? That auto repair shop is really good.”

“The price is too high. 2 million won per pyung is expensive. Can we lower the price a bit?”

“That’s actually the current fair market price. I will talk to the landowner about the price.”

The realtor called the landowner.

“It is wise that you sell your land when there is someone who wants to buy it. You know that there are a lot of lands on the market because the economy is currently bad. The gentleman here seemed to visit other lands, and he said 200 per pyung is overpriced.”

The realtor spent quite a long time persuading the landowner to lower the price. While they were still talking on the phone, the realtor whispered to Gun-Ho after covering his phone’s mic,

“It’s 1.96 billion won if we calculate it as 200 million won per pyung, but he said he can lower it to 1.9 billion won for you.”

“1.9 billion won… Assuming I can get a loan for 40% of the price, I can get the land with 1.14 billion won…”

“I can get you connected for a loan.”

“Where is the landowner right now?”

“He is in Bundang District. He is running an authorized dealer for foreign vehicles.”

“Can you ask him to come to this office today?”

The realtor asked that to the landowner and got back to Gun-Ho.

“He said he can leave for here now.”

“Please tell him that I will be here waiting for him then.”

After getting off the phone with the landowner, the realtor smiled and said, “He is leaving from Bundang District. One hour should suffice.”

“Probably not. Since it’s Saturday, there should be heavy traffic.”

“Still it’s not far from here. Well, sir, are you going to stay here while waiting for him?”

“Nah, I will come back after an hour. I want to get some fresh air.”

“Please don’t go too far and stay in the area. I will give you a call as soon as the landowner arrives in the office.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the realtor’s office.

“What am I going to do to kill an hour? Maybe I can visit Dongtan Town. It will take about an hour to go and come back from there.”

Gun-Ho drove his Land Rover to Dongtan Town.

“Dongtan is a newly emerging popular area, huh?”

Dongtan was being developed. A lot of high-rise buildings were being constructed. Gun-Ho was impressed by Dongtan Town’s current look.

“Wow. It’s a well-developed city. I didn’t know Dongtan Town had developed this much.”

Gun-Ho looked around Dongtan Town before heading back to Seonghwan Town. He estimated about an hour to visit Dongtan Town, but it took more than an hour. He received a call from the realtor while still driving back to Seonghwan Town when he was passing Pyeongtaek City.

“The landowner is here in the office now.”

Gun-Ho actually expected to see an old man, but the landowner was a young man who looked like he was in his early 40s.

The realtor said, “Both the person who put his land on the market and the person who is interested in buying the same land are young men. Let’s make it simple and quick. Why don’t we just make a contract right now? What do you think? Mr. Buyer, how much down payment did you prepare to sign the contract?”

“Since it’s Saturday, I couldn’t withdraw as much money as I wanted. I brought 30 million won.”

Gun-Ho pulled out three checks from the inner pocket of his jacket and waved them. Each check valued 10 million won.

The realtor looked at the seller and asked, “Are you okay with 30 million won?”

The seller nodded his head.

The realtor brought a sales and purchase contract for land to the table and said, “I love the fact that both the seller and the buyer are young people and very quick in making a decision. I do envy you both. You two misters are young businessmen but very wealthy.”

Gun-Ho would make the second payment after a week and pay the remaining payment after two weeks. Gun-Ho would be able to start demolishing and cleaning the property after making the second payment.

The seller said while putting the 30 million won in his pocket, “Why don’t we get to know each other more? I guess we are now connected through the property.”

Gun-Ho looked at the business card that the seller handed to him. He had a corporation that was in the business of running a dealership of foreign vehicles. It seemed that he sold strictly only foreign cars.

“You are President Jeong.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the seller. President Jeong carefully looked at Gun-Ho’s business card.

“President Goo.”

After exchanging their business cards, the two men had a handshake.

“Since I am selling foreign-manufactured vehicles, I will send you the cars that require A/S to your auto repair shop.”

“Actually, I’m not running an auto repair shop, but we are leasing and transporting trucks or heavy equipment.”

“Oh, I see. I wish your business to prosper.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile on the following Monday. He called for Director Jong-Suk Park.

“Hey, it takes only fifteen minutes to get to your home from work, right?”

“It takes a bit more than that because I have to drop my wife off at her work, so it usually takes about thirty minutes to get here.”

“I see. Do you also pick her up after work?”

“No, I drop her off in the morning. After work, she takes a bus. I’m thinking of having her stay home once she delivers the baby.”

“Why?”

Jong-Suk was about to explain his situation when President Song entered Gun-Ho’s office, and he stopped talking. When he was with Gun-Ho alone, he talked to Gun-Ho in a very informal way and called him brother instead of Mr. President.

One day, when President Song saw Jong-Suk calling Gun-Ho brother, he reprimanded him.

At that time, President Song told him, “Director Park, I don’t mind what you call Mr. President when you were with him alone, but when there are other people present, you should call him Mr. President. How can you call Mr. President brother in front of workers at work?”

Jong-Suk apologized to President Song and tried to be careful not to make the same mistake when President Song was around.

After getting Gun-Ho’s signature on the expense document, President Song left the office.

Gun-Ho continued to talk to Jong-Suk with where they left off, “Why do you want her to quit her job? Doesn’t her employer give her paid maternity leave?”

“They do. We just think maybe the baby needs his mother to stay home with him all the time. She is also considering doing her mother’s business with her.”

“You mean the hair salon?”

“Yes, or she can obtain a realtor’s license and work with her father in the real estate field.”

“Haha. You have planned a lot, huh?”

“How’s Jae-Sik brother doing?”

“Oh, you know what? That’s why I asked you to come to my office.”

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Chapter 382 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (3) – Part 1

Chapter 382: Basecamp For The Transportation Company (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was talking to Jong-Suk about the auto repair shop that he purchased for GH Logistics.

“It was used as an auto repair shop in Seonghwan Town. The land is 980 pyung large. The area including the first and the second floor is 260 pyung large. We will have to paint the building. They used to repair cars in a fabric building, and the tent is worn out. I’m thinking of replacing it with a PVC canopy.”

“But you aren’t going to repair cars there. Do you still need a canopy?”

“I don’t know.”

“I will go visit the place. It is really nice that Jae-Sik bro is moving to a place close to my work. It only takes about twenty minutes to get there.”

“We have workers in our maintenance or production team, who used to do demolishing work, don’t we?”

“We do, but we will still need to hire professionals to do the demolishing job.”

“I know, but someone has to oversee their work.”

“We have Team Lead Shin in the maintenance team. He said he used to work in a demolition company before. Maybe I should take him with me when I visit the place.”

“They have a padlock at the entrance. The code is 4786.”

“Got it. I will go with Team Lead Shin.”

In the afternoon, Jong-Suk came to Gun-Ho’s office after visiting the auto repair shop.

“I like it. It’s not too big, and it’s cozy. We just need to completely empty the space and paint the building and change some bulbs; that’s it.”

“Really?”

“We can just get rid of the workshop tent and install a PVC canopy to shield the place from rain or something. Also, I think we need to build a pit. Team Lead Shin, who went there with me, said the same thing.”

“A pit?”

“Yeah, it’s a hole in the floor, so we can easily go under a car. We can lift a small car, but for a truck or heavy equipment, we will need a pit. One pit should be enough.”

“Oh, you mean the hole where you can get under for car repair, but we are not repairing a car there. Do we still need it?”

“Even though it’s not an auto repair shop, you will still have to do the basic car maintenance such as oil change and tire pressure adjustment.”

“I see. Well, let’s build one then, so we are adding the pit work to our to-do list.”

“There are some wall repairs to do as well, and the toilet doesn’t flush.”

“I will ask Jae-Sik to give you GH Logistics’ business credit card, so you can start the work next week.”

“Sounds good.”

“We will hire professionals to do the job. Let Team Lead Shin assist you. You will be in charge of the work and overseeing their work.”

“Haha. Sounds great.”

GH Logistics would buy the property, not Gun-Ho personally, so Gun-Ho withdrew 2 billion won and deposited it to GH Logistics’ bank account. He then made a call to Jae-Sik Moon right away.

“President Moon? It’s me. I just deposited 2 billion won into GH Logistics’ bank account.”

“Oh, really?”

“When we make the second payment for the land next week, we will use that fund.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Jae-Sik Moon checked the bank account. An amount of 2 billion won was deposited.

“It is really 2 billion won. I became a person with a bad credit score because I didn’t have 30 million won. I lost contact with my father just because my father’s credit score got bad because of a few tens of million won. If my family had a tenth of that money, our family wouldn’t have had to be scattered all over the country without contacting each other. Why me? Why it had to be me who had to suffer from all these?!”

Jae-Sik had mixed feelings while he was looking at the company’s bank account with 2 billion won, through his computer.

President Jeong-Sook Shin came back from Japan.

She came to Gun-Ho’s office in GH Building in Sinsa Town to give a report to Gun-Ho about her trip to Japan.

“How was your trip?”

“Twelve Japanese cartoonists will participate in the cartoon exhibition that we are hosting at GH Gallery with their original cartoon paintings. Each cartoonist will send ten paintings. I couldn’t meet all of the twelve cartoonists, but I met seven of them in person.”

President Shin pulled out an A4 size original cartoon painting from her bag and showed it to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho was impressed.

“Wow. So this is not a copy, but it is an original painting.”

“That’s right. It was drawn and painted by a cartoonist. It can smear your finger if you touch it.”

“Wow. It is really very well painted. I wonder how much time they had invested in practicing in order to be able to paint this well.”

“I’ve made a contract with two of the seven cartoonists who I met in person during the trip to publish their cartoon books in Korea.”

President Shin showed a CD to Gun-Ho and smiled broadly.

“What is that?”

“All of their cartoon books are stored on this CD. We just need to print them out and translate their speech balloon parts into Korean. That’s it.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Some of the cartoonists who are highly popular had signed a contract with large publishing companies in Korea already, so I couldn’t get their work.”

“How is it going with your artist friend who is doing her art exhibition in Yokohama City?”

“She has been introduced to Japan as the master of watercolor paintings in Korea, and her art exhibition seems successful. I think you will have your chance to taste her cold noodles in soybean soup.”

Gun-Ho’s heart started beating fast when he heard of cold noodles in soybean soup which reminded him of a house in Yangpyeong County and also the lady medical doctor.

“That’s good to know.”

“Fifteen out of thirty books of the world history cartoon series have been released and all of the Chinese books are being sold right now. The Japanese book, ‘the person who wakes up in the morning’ is being sold very well. The sale exceeded 200,000 books last week. Accordingly, I can pay you back your investment money of 300 million won that was used to purchase the publication right of the world history cartoon series from Amazon. I will transfer the fund by the end of today.”

“Are you sure?”

“Haha. Even after I transfer the amount to your account, I will still have 900 million won in the company bank account. I guess GH Media is now self-sufficient. We won’t need your financial support any longer, sir. I want to move our office to GH Building in Sinsa Town. Director Kang will notify me once he sees an office available for us.”

After President Shin left the office, Gun-Ho thought that a publication company could be a lucrative business as long as it found a best-selling book.

“It can make a fortune in no time. It is a very attractive business. I guess President Shin will demand to raise her salary significantly during the salary negotiation at the end of this year.”

Gun-Ho checked his bank account. Gun-Ho had 170 billion won in his stock account and 4 billion won in a bank account. He sent 2 billion out of 4 to Jae-Sik Moon to acquire the land for GH Logistics, and today, GH Media sent 300 million won to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho now had 2.3 billion won in his bank account.

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Chapter 383 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (3) – Part 2

Chapter 383: Basecamp For The Transportation Company (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho called President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“I’m confirming that I’ve just received 300 million won.”

“Thank you for letting me know, sir.”

“Did you say that GH Media now has 900 million won in its bank account?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“President Shin, why don’t you buy a new car with GH Media’s name?”

“My SM5 is running very well. It’s only four years old. It has very low mileage as well. It has only 60,000 kilometers on it.”

“Your SM5 is your personal vehicle, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is my personal car under my name.”

“Give your SM5 to President Jae-Sik Moon, and you buy a new car under GH Media’s name. You can choose a mid-size car.”

“Then… Can I have a Hyundai Kona? It’s less than 2000 cc.”

“You can have one that is larger than that. Do you like Kona?”

“Yes. I do like it. Its design is very popular among female drivers.”

“Okay then. Take Hyundai Kona.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“President Jae-Sik Moon needs a car as soon as possible. He travels a lot these days. If you are okay, why don’t you get the car tomorrow and give your car to President Moon?”

“No problem, sir.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“President Min-Hyeok Kim, it has been a while since I heard your voice.”

“I received five tons of raw materials from Dyeon Korea.”

“Its price per ton in the national market is 4.8 million won not including VAT, but we sell it for 4.5 million won when we export it abroad. We sent you five tons this time. Your payment for us is 24.75 million won including VAT.”

“We are currently supplying some auto parts to an auto manufacturing company here in China, and they have complained about our product quality. So, we now produce our products using Dyeon Korea’s raw materials, and the quality has highly improved. Once I get confirmation from our client that they are satisfied with our new product quality, we will use Dyeon Korea’s raw materials from now on.”

“But their volume of product orders is not high, isn’t it?”

“The fact that we are the direct supplier of an auto manufacturing company itself is marketing. I don’t need to travel around to sell our products.”

“Really?”

“I asked Director Yoon to send me a product catalog if he has an English version.”

“You seem to be doing great. Your goal of a monthly sales revenue is 500 million won, right?”

“Yes, thank you. Oh, how’s Jae-Sik Moon doing?”

“He is very busy and working so hard these days. I met him last Sunday. He lost a lot of weight.”

“Hahaha. I guess he is paying an expensive tuition for the lesson.”

“I felt so bad when I saw him last Sunday.”

“Don’t worry about him. After three months, he will gain weight again. He will look better then.”

“You think so?”

“He is so naïve and soft-hearted. He just needs time to be hardened. All he had done so far is reading books, right? When we were in school, he was beaten up by Won-Chul Jo all the time. Suk-Ho Lee teased him a lot too. He was an easy target for them. You were okay because you were tall.”

“Hmm, I remember that.”

“They called him Mr. Basement. He was a timid and shy kid.”

“I hope he lives a better life now.”

“I feel good that you are helping him, President Goo.”

“I haven’t done much for him yet. He is actually helping me with my business.”

“You are helping him by letting him work with you. Well, I think he feels great with his position as a president.”

“Okay, keep up the good work. Please keep me posted about how the auto manufacturing company reacts with your product that was produced using Dyeon Korea’s materials.”

Since he opened an art gallery, Gun-Ho started showing interest in art. He enjoyed watching artworks. President Shin’s next art exhibition was with Korean young artists. It was not a sensational or popular art exhibition, but it still sold one or two artworks. It seemed that the artists’ relatives or friends came to buy their artworks to help them.

After looking around the artworks, Gun-Ho came back to his office and started reading an economic newspaper. The secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soon Oh—brought a cup of coffee for him. As he continued to read the newspaper while having his coffee, Gun-Ho felt sleepy. Director Kang entered Gun-Ho’s office and quietly left the office when he saw Gun-Ho taking a nap on his sofa.

When he woke up from his afternoon nap, Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“Did you assign a car for me? President Jeong-Sook Shin just left her car to me saying you told her to do so.”

“Yeah. President Shin got a new car with her company’s name.”

“Thank you. I’m speechless. This car looks like a new car. It has very low mileage.”

“I hope it helps you to do your sales activity. Use the company credit card to pay for gas and other maintenance expenses related to the car.”

“I’m in a daze. I never expected to have a car.”

“Don’t forget to send the second payment tomorrow for the auto repair shop. Send 920 million won to the bank account that I gave to you the other day.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not sure if you can transfer that amount online. You might have to go to the bank in person if the transaction doesn’t go through because of the high amount.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim & Jeong Law Firm.

“Hey, how come you don’t call me anymore these days? Any news?”

“No news is good news, man.”

“Aren’t you going to play golf with me?”

“I prefer to take a nap.”

“Hey, are you interested in taking a course from Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University?”

“Advanced Center for Administrative Development?”

“Yes, it’s a one-year course. It’s not a degree course, but they will issue a certificate for you. You just need to go to class twice a week at night.”

“Can you learn anything with the schedule?”

“People take the course in order to make a social network and discuss policies rather than learning something new. You need to qualify to be admitted to that course.”

“What’s the qualification?”

“You have to be a judge, prosecutor, attorney, high-level government official, or a professional like a medical doctor and CPA, or a businessman who has a KOSDAQ registered company or a company with more than 100 billion won of sales revenue.”

“I am none of the above. I guess I’m not qualified. Even though I am qualified, I’m not interested.”

“You are qualified.”

“GH Mobile’s sales revenue is a little bit over 70 billion won.”

“You have other companies, too. If you add up all of their sales revenue, it should exceed 100 billion won. You can include the company in China too.”

“I don’t want to try hard to get in there.”

“Let’s take it together. I have a friend there; he is a professor. He asked me to find good people who would take the course, so I recommended you to him.”

“Nah. I will rather take a nap instead of taking classes.”

“Come on, man. Just take the course with me. I owe you one, okay? I will send you the application by mail.”

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Chapter 384 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (4) – Part 1

Chapter 384: Basecamp For The Transportation Company (4) – Part 1

A female manager was in charge of the accounting team of Dyeon Korea. She had used to work at GH Mobile in its accounting department and she was promoted to a manager position as she was relocated to Dyeon Korea. Her name was Myeong-Sook Jo.

Gun-Ho made a call to Manager Jo.

“Manager Jo? It’s me, the president.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How much accounts receivable does Dyeon Korea have as of today?”

“It’s 1.8 billion won, sir.”

Accounts receivable was an amount of money that was expected to be paid by a client for the goods or services already rendered.

“What about accounts payable?”

“It’s 600 million won, sir.”

“Do we have any outstanding balance?”

“I believe we have about 100 million won. I will check the exact amount, sir.”

“That wouldn’t be necessary. I just needed a rough amount for now. I will get a report on this with details when I go to the office.”

“How much do we currently have in the bank account?”

“We have 3.2 billion won, sir.”

“Please make sure that you get the vice president—Mr. Adam Castler’s signature on the monthly profit and loss statement.”

“Of course, sir. We’ve been complying with the procedure.”

“Also, please note that since Lymondell Dyeon completed its investment in-kind as of this month, we will have to pay them for any raw materials that we need from them starting next month.”

“I’m aware of it, sir.”

“You must have a lot of work to do, Manager Jo since you have to take care of the import and export matters as well in addition to the accounting work.”

“So far so good, sir. The import and expert work has been handled by the customs agency.”

“You shouldn’t make any cash payment that exceeds 1 million won without my approval.”

“Understood, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Manager Jo, Gun-Ho was thinking,

‘It has been six months since the joint venture opened its business. All of the investment in-kind have been fulfilled and the company currently has 3.2 billion won in its bank account. After one year of business, its sales revenue would reach 30 billion won with the cash reserve of 6 billion won. That would make 20% of profit which is not bad at all. A start-up company with a certain technology should make more than that but their long term success is not guaranteed. Since Dyeon Korea is a joint venture with a stable business partner, it doesn’t have any loan and no interest to pay to a bank accordingly. The biggest portion of the expense is for the sales activities; that’s it.’

Gun-Ho continued to think while having a cup of green tea and walking around his office.

‘Next year, Lymondell Dyeon would probably suggest increasing capital without consideration after setting aside the legally required retention fund. That way, the value of the company share will increase once it goes public.’

‘And the following year, they will surely suggest forming a subsidiary company in other countries. Maybe I should ask them to merge GH Logistics into the joint venture then. GH Logistics is handling all the transportation work for Dyeon Korea so it sort of makes sense to make it a part of Dyeon Korea. If that happens, I can have my investment money back that I spent in acquiring its land. What if the land price would increase significantly by then? If so, I might get more than 2 billion won back. I will have to share the management power with them but I think it’s not a bad deal at all.’

Gun-Ho was already drawing a picture of GH Logistics’ future as the joint venture would make an M&A of it. Frankly, Gun-Ho wanted to collect his investment fund that he put into GH Logistics, not the exact same amount but as a growing piece of pie.

‘If that’s the plan, let’s acquire the farmland around that auto repair shop. I can use Jae-Sik’s name to buy them. I will pay Jae-Sik for letting me use his name in purchasing the land. We both can make money from this. I will convert the land into non-farming use.’

After the second payment was made for the auto repair shop, the demolition and cleaning job started. Director Jong-Suk Park worked on it with Team Lead Shin in the maintenance team.

“Mr. Director, do you want us to throw this refrigerator?”

“Throw all of them out. That’s what our president wants.”

“Look at all this stuff. Whoever previously used this place left everything behind. There are tons of stuff in the drawers.”

“Throw all them out. There are some blankets upstairs. Toss them out too.”

“Some of them look brand new. It’s a shame that we have to throw them out.”

“Take them to your home then.”

“Haha. Nah. I don’t want to take a blanket to my home, especially when I have no idea who previously used it….”

“I think we need one more truck. These won’t fit into the truck we have now.”

Once all the stuff inside the auto repair shop was taken out by the cleaning service, the contractors started working on the floor and bathroom along with painting jobs.

Gun-Ho stopped by the place to check the progress.

“It is empty now.”

Jong-Suk Park ran towards Gun-Ho when he saw him.

“We had to clean tons of trash here and brought one more truck to throw them out. The tent was huge once we took it down. It took a lot of time to get rid of it.”

“Did they epoxy the floor?”

“They will first waterproof the floor.”

“What about the painting job for the wall? Maybe tomorrow?”

“Everything will be completed by tomorrow. They will finish the bathroom today and the canopy and wall repairs will be done tomorrow. Oh, I was going to ask you this. I’ve noticed that there is no fence here. Do you want to build a fence?”

“Yeah. It looks weird without a fence.”

“I will install a mesh fence then. It will cost a lot though if we want to fence the entire land.”

“Also, I want a business sign that is made of copper hanging on the column at the entrance with the same company logo shown on the business card.”

“Oh, that can be handled by GH Mobile’s general affairs manager. He is good. I will ask him.”

“Sounds good.”

“Anything else you want to add?”

“Nah. It seems you are taking good care of it.”

“I’m doing my best. I feel so excited that Jae-Sik bro is going to work in this place. He has been living in a basement all the time. I want him to live a better life.”

“I know. Get him a nice desk. And add a few more desks for the future employees.”

“Okay. I have a business credit card with me. I will buy the same desk that President Song is using.”

The place was ready the following day. When Jae-Sik Moon arrived at the new GH Logistics’ basecamp in his SM5 to see his office, he was frightened by its new look.

“It looks like a totally different place.”

The first thing he noticed was the copper-made business sign at the gate. Once he passed the gate, he was standing in the front yard. It was cemented and extremely clean. A blue PVC canopy added a cool feeling to it. The office looked great too with fresh paint and new lamps. There was a separate office for the president. Once he entered his office, he saw a luxurious executive desk. He at first thought that maybe that desk was there for Gun-Ho, but it was his. There were four other empty desks placed in the office space as well.

“This is too big for just myself.”

“Why don’t you hire a staff who can take care of bookkeeping? You won’t have time to do it by yourself. You once posted a job opening when you hired truck drivers. Post another job opening for bookkeeping on WorkNet. You probably want someone who lives in this town.”

“Okay. Will do that.”

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Chapter 385 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (4) – Part 2

Chapter 385: Basecamp For The Transportation Company (4) – Part 2

Jae-Sik Moon walked up to the second floor. The space was divided into several rooms; it seemed that the rooms had been used to accommodate the workers who used to work there.

“I guess that several workers of the previous auto repair shop used to live here. Just use them as you please.”

“Maybe I can reserve one room as a resting area for truck drivers so they can take a nap or spend time here during the break. And another room can be used as a night-duty room. Or, maybe I don’t have to drive all the way to Seoul every day to go home but I can stay here sometimes. I can go home on weekends.”

Jong-Suk Park came and said to Jae-Sik Moon, “Bro, if you stay here, maybe we can have a drink of soju together sometimes.”

“That sounds fun.”

“Bro, I saw a buffet restaurant on the way here around the four-way intersection. You can have your meal there. I think you don’t even need to drive there but walk. It’s very close from here.”

“Really? I didn’t see any restaurants on the way here, but it would be really nice to have a restaurant within walking distance.”

Jong-Suk turned around and looked at Gun-Ho.

“Bro, Jae-Sik bro will begin his work here starting tomorrow. Don’t we do some sort of ceremony to wish him prosperity?”

“A ceremony?”

“You know, some people do that before they open a business by preparing a pig head among other food. We’ve seen that a lot when we worked in a factory in Yangju and Pocheon City. Don’t you remember that?”

“Hahaha. I remember.”

“The team leader of our maintenance team who is standing over there asked me about it earlier too. He said there is a restaurant that cooks pig heads around this area and it’s very good.”

Gun-Ho looked at Jae-Sik.

“What do you think, Jae-Sik? President Moon, it’s your call.”

“Well… Why not? Let’s do it.”

Jong-Suk said while clapping in excitement,

“Bro, you made the right decision. You are running a transportation company here. You can pray to make good money but also you want to pray for safe driving for all of your truck drivers.”

“I see. I think I’ve heard about it before.”

“Ask all of your GH Logistics’ truck drivers to come here this evening, the ones who transport Dyeon Korea’s products and the ones who handle the Eumseong factory’s work. They will need to know the location of their basecamp anyway. They can make a deep bow to the pig head and wish for safe driving at work.”

“Okay. I will call them.”

Jong-Suk Park called for Team Lead Shin.

“Are those cleaning crew and the contractors still here? Ask them to help us to put these four desks in the front yard. We can make a big table by connecting them and placing some food and a pig head on it.”

“Okay.”

“It’s not too late to place an order of a pig head now, is it?”

“We still have time. We can order now.”

“We also need a steamed rice cake.”

“We can ask for it to the restaurant that we would order a pig head from. They will make an arrangement with another restaurant for the rice cake for us.”

“How much rice cake should we order?”

“We’d better order enough of them so we can share them with our neighbors like the factory next door and the senior citizen’s center. That way, we can bring more luck to the business.”

“Sounds great.”

Gun-Ho went to GH Mobile to receive a daily work report. He then headed to Dyeon Korea. After hearing a report from Director Kim and looking around the production site, he walked upstairs to his office.

“I will have to leave around 5 pm to GH Logistics to attend the ceremony.”

When Gun-Ho was planning the rest of his day, Director Kim entered the office.

“Sir, I just heard that GH Logistics will have a ceremony today wishing for their business prosperity. When I went downstairs to the production site, the truck drivers told me that.”

“That’s right. They are preparing for it right now.”

“Why don’t we join them? We can’t bring everyone with us; that would make the place too crowded. We can send the executive officers to attend the ceremony. I will ask Director Yoon to go with me there.”

“Are you sure? You might feel tired.”

“It’s a meaningful day. We want to participate in their opening ceremony and wishing them good luck. I guess the executive officers from GH Mobile will come and join them as well once they hear about the ceremony. We will make a deep bow with them to the pig head and insert 10,000 won into the pig’s mouth for good luck and its prosperity.”

“Hahaha. Do as you please, Director Kim.”

That evening, when Gun-Ho arrived at GH Logistics’ new place in Seonghwan Town, many people were already there. Four desks were placed in the yard forming a large table and it was covered by newspapers on top of it as a substitute for a tablecloth. Foods were prepared and a big pig head was placed in the center. It was smiling. The steamed rice cakes were still warm.

“Mr. President is here.”

The workers let Gun-Ho pass to walk close to the table. Gun-Ho looked around. Many executive officers from GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea were attending the ceremony. GH Logistics’ truck drivers were there too. Gun-Ho saw Mr. Adam Castler there as well.

“Vice President Adam Castler is here too?!”

“He didn’t want to miss any Korean traditional event.”

Adam Castler looked excited. He was taking pictures of the pig head with a smile. The yard was filled with six trucks and other vehicles of the attendees.

In front of the pig head, there was a writing about what they wished for. It said good fortune and safe driving.

Director Jong-Suk Park proceeded the ceremony.

“We will now start the ceremony wishing for GH Logistics’ good fortune and safe driving. President Goo will make a deep bow to the smiley pig head first.”

Gun-Ho could hear people laughing.

“Well, I think President Jae-Sik Moon should do it first. He is the president of GH Logistics.”

“Why don’t you do it together, sir?”

Jae-Sik Moon and Gun-Ho sat on the floor in a kneeling posture. Jae-Sik poured liquor into a glass. He then sprinkled liquor over the floor saying that they needed to treat a deity of the earth first. Gun-Ho wondered where he learned things like that. Jae-Sik then cut a piece of meat from the pig’s nose and tossed it to the ground and shouted ‘Gosure.’ Someone said in the background,

“Of course he is highly knowledgeable about everything. He is a writer after all.”

Adam Castler watched carefully every move and word happening in the ceremony with excitement.

After giving a deep bow towards the pig head, Jae-Sik Moon slipped two 10,000 won into the pig’s mouth while Gun-Ho slipped an envelope into the pig’s mouth. Subsequently, the executive officers and the truck drivers made their deep bow to the pig head. Most attendees gave 10,000 won to the pig head while some of them didn’t put any at all. President Jang-Hwan Song was the only person who slipped 50,000 won into the pig’s mouth.

Once the ceremony was completed, the pig head was cut into small pieces and the participants ate them with soju.

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Chapter 386 - Single House in Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 1

Chapter 386: Single House in Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 1

The purchase transaction of the basecamp for GH Logistics had completed when Gun-Ho transferred the last payment of the remainder of the auto repair shop’s sales price to the seller. Jae-Sik Moon moved his office to this new location while keeping the Paju City location in business. His SM5 was loaded with his office stuff. The business moved to this basecamp in Seonghwan Town while leaving two trucks, one truck driver, and a custodian behind in the Paju location. From now on, Jae-Sik would focus on expanding their clientele while maintaining the current workload for transporting books.

Gun-Ho stopped by GH Logistics in Seonghwan Town. There was no one but Jae-Sik Moon in the office. Jae-Sik was sitting in front of a computer by himself.

“Huh? President Goo, you are here.”

“I think you need to hire someone as soon as possible.”

“Speaking of which, I was actually checking the applications that we received for the office assistant position for bookkeeping work. We have received twelve applications so far.”

“I came here to take you somewhere today.”

“Where to?”

“We need to go to a bank in the area.”

“A bank?”

“I want to take out a secured loan from a bank using GH Logistics’ land as collateral.”

“I see.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik went to a local bank and talked with a manager who was in charge of a business loan. Gun-Ho initiated the request while giving GH Logistics’ business registration to the manager.

“We recently established a company by acquiring a factory in the area. We’d like to take out a secured loan using the property.”

“Do you have an account with us?”

“We do have an account with this bank but with the branch in Paju City.”

Jae-Sik Moon took out the company’s bank book and showed it to him.

“Is it a registered business entity? Can I take a look at the financial statements?”

“As I mentioned earlier, the company was newly established. We don’t have financial statements yet.”

“Oh, that’s right. You told me that the company was just formed.”

“The current market value of that land is 2 billion won. There is no loan or lien attached to the land.”

When Gun-Ho handed the land’s real estate registration over to the bank manager, he looked at it for quite a while and then searched something with his computer. Gun-Ho thought that the manager was probably looking for the officially assessed land price. The manager took out a calculator and asked, “How much amount do you intend to borrow?”

“I’d like to take either 40% of the current market price or 60% of the officially assessed land price. Will it be possible?”

The manager calculated with his calculator.

“The maximum amount of the loan we could offer is 720 million won. It’s about 40% of the officially assessed land value. If you had the company’s financial statements and if you were a long term client of our branch, we might be able to give you more but for now, that’s the best I could get for you. Even for the 720 million won loan, we will need the president’s personal guarantee.”

“Hmm.”

“If you decide to take out a loan, I will need a few documents from you. Please bring us the company’s certificate of formation, the company’s certificate of a registered seal, the real estate registration, and the cadaster. I also need the president’s certificate of a registered seal, his resident registration, and his property tax return.”

“Property tax return?”

“That’s right.”

Gun-Ho didn’t think Jae-Sik would be able to show his property tax return, and his credit score could be a problem too. Gun-Ho said to the bank manager, “I am the major shareholder of this company and this gentleman here is the president. Will it be okay that I produce all of those required documents? I am listed as the director in the certificate of formation.”

“That’s fine. I will then need your certificate of a registered seal and the list of the shareholders.”

“No problem.”

When they walked out of the bank, Gun-Ho noticed that Jae-Sik looked down.

“You don’t have to feel bad.”

“Huh? Okay…”

“Let’s take out 720 million won loan. We can buy heavy equipment with money, maybe in installments. Also, let’s buy a few additional trucks and containers.”

“Oh, that’s why you wanted to take out a loan.”

“You have to be well equipped to succeed in the transportation business.”

“It seems true.”

“And, you said you have a loan—30 million won from the Korea Federation of Community Credit Cooperative, right?”

“Yes, I’m paying the monthly payment right now on time.”

“Once we take out that loan, pay off your personal loan. Your credit score could become a problem.”

“Can… I do that?”

“You can pay it back little by little from your monthly salary. Since there would be no interest, it would be easier for you to pay it off.”

“Thank you so much.”

While having a conversation with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho received a call from the seller who sold the auto repair shop to Gun-Ho.

“Do you, by any chance, need a person who would work for you? I have someone I can recommend to you.”

“A worker?”

“While I had the auto repair shop there, he worked in my office. He is very good at administrative work. He also knows the basic maintenance service of a car. He lives in Seonghwan Town.”

“I don’t know.”

“After I closed the business in Seonghwan Town, he came to Bundang District with me to work for me, but it’s really hard for him to commute from Seonghwan Town and I just feel sorry for him. If not for him, I wouldn’t let him go since I highly recognize that he is an asset to my business. But I can’t keep him here. The setting is just not working for neither of us.”

“Give me one second.”

Gun-Ho looked at Jae-Sik Moon and said, “It’s the seller who used to run an auto repair shop here. He is asking if we want to hire someone. That person is very good at administrative work and he knows how to do the maintenance service of a car.”

“Really? Umm… It would actually be great to have someone like that. How old is he?”

“Hold on. Let me ask him.”

“How old is that person?”

“He is thirty-three years old. He has a level-1 certificate in basic automobile maintenance. He also has a fire safety license.”

“He said that person is thirty-three years old.”

“He is three years younger than us. Assuming we are getting heavy equipment soon and so on, I think we need someone right away

Gun-Ho got back to the seller.

“Please send him to us and tell him to bring his resume.”

“Great. He will be there by 2 pm today.”

“President Moon, this is very good. He is younger than us so you will feel comfortable working with him. Moreover, he knows how to take care of cars in a professional way. That’s a big plus. For now, let’s have that guy and a female worker who can handle bookkeeping.”

“I hope the company generates enough revenue.”

“With the right tools and people, you will make money. Don’t worry about it. Where is your resident registration enrolled?”

“Me? It’s in Mangwon Town.”

“I guess you and your wife are registered to Mangwon Town together, huh?”

“Not really. We are not officially married yet. We haven’t applied for a marriage certificate. So she is actually registered to the town where her parents are living, which is Bucheon City.”

“You said earlier that you want to stay temporarily on the second floor of the company building, right?”

“Yes. I’m going to the market this afternoon to buy some bedding.”

“You know what? Why don’t you move your residency to the company location?”

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Chapter 387 - Single House in Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 2

Chapter 387: Single House in Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 2

“Are you asking me to move to the company on the second floor?”

“I’m not suggesting you to actually move in, but just change your resident registration to the company address.”

“What would that do?”

“And buy the land next to the company. It’s a 1,500 pyung large farmland.

“Why do you want to buy farmland? Are you planning to do farming?”

“In order to be able to buy farmland, we need a permit. To get a permit, we will have you change your home address here. Then, we will change the use of the land.”

“Change the use of the land?”

“Yes, we will change it to non-farming land, so we can include that land as part of GH Logistics. We need more space to grow for sure.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Why don’t you handle the process from purchasing the land to changing the land use? You will need to know that anyway. It will be a very useful experience in life for you.”

“Hmm.”

“The land price will go up once its use is changed to non-farming. GH Logistics will buy the land from you then. You will make some money in the process.”

“Hmm.”

“The target land is right there next to GH Logistics. Good luck!”

“Hmm. Okay.”

Jae-Sik Moon nodded his head.

“Jae-Sik, I should take off now. I will bring my certificate of a registered seal and my property tax return so we can take out a loan. You prepare the documents related to the company.”

“Don’t worry about it. I will get them ready. Aren’t you going to interview the person who would come here with his resume at 2 pm?”

“I won’t get involved in that sort of matter, Jae-Sik. You are the one who will work with him, not me. You choose the other person who would do bookkeeping as well. I don’t take part in hiring workers for other companies either, except the executive officers of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea.”

“Really?”

“Okay. Keep up the good work.”

The weather was getting cold. Gun-Ho wore a vest inside his jacket when he went to work.

He looked down the street from the window in his 18th-floor office. People on the street looked busy.

His phone started ringing. It was GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin.

President Shin was feeling happy these days because her business was doing great. She already paid 300 million won back to Gun-Ho that he lent to GH Media in publishing the cartoon series which were purchased from Amazon. Also, GH Gallery and the book café that she was running were generating profits.

President Jeong-Sook Shin didn’t get along with the owner of the publishing company which she had worked for before she joined GH Media. She believed that she wasn’t fairly compensated for the work she did for the company, especially when the owner rejected her request to give her a stock option; however, she didn’t have any problem with Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho totally trusted her in running the business and treated her fairly. She could operate the business the way that she believed right.

In Gun-Ho’s eyes, President Shin was a positive and pleasant person.

“President Goo? It’s Jeong-Sook Shin.”

“Oh, hi, President Shin.”

“The artist—Jeong-Soon Choi came back from Yokohama City in Japan after finishing her art exhibition there.”

“It was a successful art exhibition, wasn’t it?”

“Half of her paintings that were displayed during the exhibition were sold. So, yes, you can say it was successful.”

“Haha. That’s good to hear.”

“Jeong-Soon Choi seems happy these days. She wants to host a small social gathering this Sunday at her home. You can join us, right?”

“I felt chilly this morning. The weather is getting cold. You could catch a cold by having cold soybean noodles in this weather.”

“It’s not only cold noodles in soybean soup that she can cook well, but she can cook warm noodles too. It’s really delicious as well. As she lives by herself, she cooks a lot at home and develops her own recipes. She usually uses the vegetables and other ingredients that she harvests from her farm.”

“Does she have a farm?”

“Haha. It’s not a huge farm but she farms a 300 pyung large land. She rented it. She grows various vegetables and other plants.”

“Is that so?”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda will join us too.”

“Oh, that Mr. Art Dealer?”

“I will text you with the direction to her house. The gathering starts at noon on Sunday. You will have to come, okay? Artist Choi really wanted to have you taste her warm noodle dish.”

“Okay, I will be there.”

After getting off the phone with President Shin, Gun-Ho tried to think of the lady medical doctor’s face, but he couldn’t remember her face. The image of her face in his head was blurry. Gun-Ho then tried to recall the face of Mori Aikko and Seol-Bing. Their faces were clear in his head.

‘Will the lady doctor be there too? I wonder if her niece is the lady doctor who took care of my mom. Say, there are fifty female doctors in Seoul National University Hospital. The odds that they are the same person would be 50 to 1.’

Gun-Ho actually planned to visit the painter—Jeong-Soon Choi’s art exhibition in Yokohama City. He wanted to go there with Mori Aikko. But, he then changed his mind thinking that her niece who she wanted to introduce to Gun-Ho could be the same lady doctor who he met at the hospital. He didn’t want her to know that he was dating Mori Aikko.

‘I wonder how Mori Aikko is doing these days. She is probably still busy doing dance performance here and there. Seol-Bing never contacts me unless I contact her first. I wonder why she does that. Well, she is so popular these days that she might not want to see a businessman who is not well known. As a top star, she might want to meet someone who is wealthier and also popular.’

Gun-Ho had a lot of thoughts going on in his head.

Gun-ho went to GH Logistics in Seonghwan Town. Jong-Suk Park expressed his excitement when Jae-Sik decided to move to Seonghwan Town, but Gun-Ho was actually more excited than him about Jae-Sik’s moving. Gun-Ho didn’t have many friends. He had been bullied during his high school years and he didn’t really have a campus life in college. Min-Hyeok Kim was the closest friend and he was now living far in China. So, Jae-Sik Moon was the only friend who was close to Gun-Ho emotionally and also geographically.

Gun-Ho considered Jae-Sik as one of his best friends and he wanted to help him in any way he could. However, Jae-Sik thought differently. To Jae-Sik, Gun-Ho was not a comfortable person, maybe because of the social gap between them. Jae-Sik was a poor man living in an old townhouse by paying a monthly rent while Gun-Ho was a big player in Gangnam who owned several big companies.

Jae-Sik acted carefully when he was with Gun-Ho and with the executive officers of GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea who were in their 50s. For some reason, he didn’t feel right talking to Gun-Ho in an informal way as friends. Jong-Suk Park felt the same way. Jong-Suk couldn’t even call Gun-Ho brother when they were with the company’s executive officers, especially after President Song reprimanded him for it once.

But Gun-Ho always treated Jong-Suk and Jae-Sik as a brother and a close friend.

When Gun-Ho arrived at GH Logistics, there was a young man and woman in the office.

“Hey, President Goo. Please come in.”

Jae-Sik then called for the two new workers.

“This is President Gun-Ho Goo. He is the major shareholder of our GH Logistics.”

The two workers gave a bow to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho extended his hand to them for a handshake.

“I hope you enjoy the work here.”

“President Moon, I brought all the necessary documents. Let’s go to the bank.”

“Oh, you did? My documents are ready too.”

“I will drive.”

“Sure.”

The two workers gazed blankly at Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik driving off the company’s yard, and then the male worker suddenly shouted, “Whoa! It’s a Bentley!”

The female worker asked, “That vehicle is an expensive one, right? It must be over 50 million won, huh?”

“Are you kidding me? It’s over 300 million won. 300!”

“300 million won?!”

The woman looked at the male worker in astonishment.

Gun-Ho placed all the documents prepared for a loan on the table. The bank manager was startled when he looked at Gun-Ho’s property tax document. He looked at Gun-Ho’s face. He then mumbled while swallowing his saliva, “He is a very rich man!”

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Chapter 388 - Single House in Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 1

Chapter 388: Single House in Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 1

The loan was approved and 720 won was deposited in GH Logistics’ bank account.

Gun-Ho had initially invested the sales proceeds which were made when he sold his condo in Buldang Town into GH Logistics. GH Logistics was established and started its business with that initial fund.

Gun-Ho had bought this condo located in Buldang Town when he had to drive to commute to GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea from his home in Seoul City. He initially rented a 26 pyung large condo there and paid a monthly rent, and then he decided to purchase a 30 pyung large condo so he didn’t have to make a payment on a monthly basis, which he perceived as additional work. He eventually sold this condo for 300 million won and put it into GH Logistics.

With 300 million won, he acquired the existing small transportation company in Paju City and bought freight trucks to procure the work from the factory in Eumseong Town. There were 80 million won left in the bank account. He now borrowed 720 million won from the bank using the GH Logistics’ land as collateral, and he now had 800 million won in total in GH Logistics’ bank account. Jae-Sik felt encouraged and confident to make the business successful when he saw the balance in the company bank account.

‘Unless it has to be a special car or a luxurious foreign-made car, we can purchase any vehicle with a few tens of million won. If we buy them in installments, we will be able to buy more trucks.’

As Gun-Ho suggested, Jae-Sik used 30 million won out of 800 million won to pay off his personal debt to the Korea Federation of Community Credit Cooperative. Jae-Sik now had no debt at all, no credit card debt or no bank loan. He had suffered from the consequences of having a bad credit score, and he would now start with a clean slate. Before paying off his last debt to the Korea Federation of Community Credit Cooperative, he had already paid off other debt such as the loan interest. He used part of his salary as he worked in GH Media as a chief editor, and he also used the award that he received when his novel was selected for it. He was able to pay for the security deposit of the townhouse that he was living in right now with the monetary award as well.

Once Jae-Sik paid off his debt, he had time and energy to think about his surroundings.

His wife must have her own debt as well, but he didn’t ask her about it. Her family was not financially affluent either. She also lost contact with her father, who was also a person with bad credit. Since she hadn’t received any news about her father’s death, she believed her father must be living somewhere.

Jae-Sik hadn’t even tried to find his father who he lost contact with. His father hadn’t financially taken care of his family, and he passed on the poverty to Jae-Sik. He was the very person who let Jae-Sik gain a nickname—Mr. Basement—in high school. He didn’t pay Jae-Sik’s tuition or living expenses, but Jae-Sik had to pay for his father’s debt. His father had spent time writing a poem or something rather than trying to provide for his family.

Jae-Sik was told that his mother was still living in Incheon City in an old and shabby townhouse basement on welfare. He had a sibling with special needs, and he died before he turned twenty. Jae-Sik’s mother collapsed in shock when his sibling passed away, and she had been mentally unstable ever since.

‘I have no debt any longer. I have to recover my credit status before I could help anyone.’

Jae-Sik worked so hard while staying in the upstairs room of GH Logistics. It seemed that he took the time as his opportunity to make his family whole again.

Jae-Sik purchased ten heavy equipment such as excavators, hydraulic shovels, crane trucks, bulldozers, and payloaders. He sent two out of them to the factory in Yangju City that Jong-Suk Park introduced to him and sent three to the company that Tae-Young Im recommended. He had the remaining five equipment parked in the GH Logistics’ yard.

GH Logistics would generate 30 million won per month with the current workload even though it wouldn’t produce any profits yet.

It was Sunday.

Gun-Ho was driving his Land Rover heading to Yangpyeong County.

“Artist Choi must be really good at cooking a noodle dish. She would cook a warm noodle dish today. Is it buckwheat noodles? Well, the weather is chilly these days; it will be very nice to have warm buckwheat noodles in this weather.”

Gun-Ho continued to drive to the direction of Seojong Town after passing Paldang Bridge from Yangsu Town.

“Bukhan River looks really nice. It seems that artists usually pick a beautiful place to live in.”

Beautiful houses started emerging one by one on the way. Artist Choi’s house was a small single house situated on a hill. It was a one-story house. She had a small yard with a lot of plants. When a dog started barking loudly, Artist Choi came out of the house.

“President Goo! Come on in. Thank you for coming. Was it easy to find the house?”

“Yes, it was. It took me no time to find it. I saw your name at the entrance.”

“Yes. My name is sort of an outdated name. Please come in. Jeong-Sook Shin and the Japanese man are already here.”

Gun-Ho didn’t forget to bring a housewarming gift. He bought a box of pears on the way here.

“Oh my, I love pears. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho entered the house after taking off his shoes. Jeong-Sook Shin and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda were sitting in the living room, and they stood up when they saw Gun-Ho coming into the house.

“You are right on time, sir.”

“It’s good to see you.”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda showed the seat that he was sitting on to Gun-Ho and said, “Please sit here. You can have a very nice view from that seat.”

He was right. The seat was facing the yard. Gun-Ho could see the flowers in the yard and a mountain in the distance through the floor-to-ceiling window.

“Nice, huh? That’s my favorite seat too. I drink a cup of coffee and listen to music while looking outside the window every day.”

“You are living in paradise.”

Gun-Ho looked around the living room. The room was uniquely decorated with some flower vases and a crane figure hanging from the ceiling. It did certainly look like an artist’s space. In the kitchen, there was a young lady who was cooking noodles.

“Young-Eun, come here. I want to introduce someone to you.”

The young lady was wearing a black striped apron. When he saw her, Gun-Ho was startled.

‘It’s her!’

Gun-Ho couldn’t feel his heartbeat.

The lady wiped her wet hands with a kitchen towel and greeted the guests. The way that she wiped her hands reminded Gun-Ho of her wiping her hands after taking care of his mom at the hospital.

“She is my niece. She is a doctor at Seoul National University Hospital. She is my precious niece. I have only one niece.”

Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda’s eyes widened.

“Oh, she is a medical doctor? Sodesu Ka (Is that so)?”

“Young-Eun, this is Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda. He used to work as a correspondent for a Japanese newspaper in Korea. He now works as an art dealer.”

The young lady smiled broadly and gave a light bow to him.

“This is President Gun-Ho Goo. He is a businessman, and he owns an art gallery in Gangnam District.”

The lady smiled broadly again and gave a slight bow to Gun-Ho as well. It seemed that she hadn’t recognized Gun-Ho yet. She then went back to the kitchen and continued to cook.

“She is my sister’s daughter. Her name is Young-Eun Kim. She used to live in Sillim Town before moving to Myeonglyoon Town.”

Artist Choi brought some tea. The tea was red in color.

“It’s a tea made of Cornus. I harvested its fruits myself from the mountain behind my house. Cornus is known to be rich in vitamins and promote kidney health. Please enjoy it.”

While having a cup of Cornus tea, Artist Choi continued to make small talk, “My house is not very spacious, isn’t it? I felt it became larger though for the past several days. It was cramped with tons of my artworks before I had the art exhibition at GH Gallery and in Yokohama City.”

“Do you paint here?”

“No, I have a studio. It’s actually a storage, but I use it as my atelier. You can take a look at it later.”

“It will be an honor to visit an artist’s atelier myself. I will send you Japanese art magazines to your atelier.”

“Oh, Japanese art magazines? Thank you so much.”

Artist Choi then excused herself and went to the kitchen to help her niece to cook.

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Chapter 389 - Single House in Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 2

Chapter 389: Single House in Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 2

The warm noodle dishes came out. They were placed in a pretty ceramic bowl. In case someone didn’t like noodle soup, some noodles were placed dried on a plate. In addition to noodles, some side dishes came out as well such as a pumpkin pancake and a sesame pancake along with traditional Korean rice wine. Four people sat at the table.

“Young-Eun, come and have a seat.”

The lady doctor—Young-Eun Kim—took off the apron and sat next to her aunt. President Jeong-Sook Shin clapped after taking a sip of the rice wine.

“Oh, this tastes like a peach.”

“Yeah, I added peach to the wine.”

As President Shin commented about the home-made wine, Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda and Gun-Ho tried it.

“This is really good. What is it again?”

“It’s peach rice wine. Let’s drink together.”

They drank the home-made peach rice wine in a paper cup together. It tasted not bad.

“I’m not a professional chef, so these might not be the most delicious food, but I can tell you that these are very healthy food. I harvested ingredients like pumpkin and sesame from my farm. These are all organic. Please enjoy it. Haha.”

The noodle dish was not bad at all.

Gun-Ho was highly conscious of the lady doctor who was sitting in front of him.

“Young-Eun cooked this pumpkin pancake. We are very close to each other, especially because she doesn’t have a mom.”

“Doesn’t she have a mother?” Gun-Ho asked.

“Yes. Her mom died from an illness. I have hoped that she would marry someone as soon as she could and start her own family, but she is still single.”

Artist Choi looked at Young-Eun’s face as she talked about her, and she said to her, “Your father worries about you a lot. Find someone and get married. You don’t want to get old alone like me.”

Young-Eun was just smiling quietly. Gun-Ho thought her smile looked very elegant and classy.

The peach wine was sweet but probably strong too. People seemed to start getting drunk. Artist Choi and Jeong-Sook Shin became more talkative. They talked about everything from arts to religion to philosophy. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, who was once a journalist, joined them. The three people were so busy conversing. Gun-Ho and the lady doctor—Young-Eun Kim—were more likely a listener without talking much. Artist Choi and President Shin were highly knowledgeable about everything, and they seemed to have a lot to talk about. Gun-Ho wondered if the fact that they knew too much would have hindered their marriage because the two ladies were both still single.

That day’s gathering, in fact, was planned by Artist Choi and President Shin in order to have Gun-Ho and Young-Eun get to know each other better. Artist Choi and President Shin thought that neither Gun-Ho nor Young-Eun would be able to marry without someone’s help. They purposefully didn’t say a word about the two people’s dating or marriage. They hoped that Gun-Ho and Young-Eun would become close without feeling pressured.

Artist Choi took out a game. It was an origami game, the old group against the young group. Artist Choi and President Shin were in the old group while Gun-Ho and Young-Eun was the young group’s team. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda umpired the game. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun seemed to enjoy the game as a team. The rule was that the losing party would contribute 10,000 won and it motivated everyone who was playing the game.

They had gathered at Artist Choi’s house at noon, and it was almost three o’clock when they finished their lunch and the origami game. It was time to part. They didn’t forget to look around Artist Choi’s atelier before calling it a day.

“I had a lot of fun today.”

Gun-Ho and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda thanked Artist Choi for inviting them for the occasion.

“We can do this again on another day.”

The day he spent with others at Artist Choi’s home reminded Gun-Ho of the old days when he had played with his sister’s friends. Seung-Hee Park was a close friend of his sister. She was selling insurance now, and she looked like a mediocre mid-aged woman, but she was very pretty and sophisticated in the old days. She often came to Gun-Ho’s home to see his sister and Gun-Ho often played with her. When Gun-Ho was still running OneRoomTels, he once bought fire insurance from her.

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho’s Monday started with working at GH Mobile. Chan-Ho drove him there as always. A regular meeting for the executive officers was held. President Song, the internal auditor, the research center’s chief officer, the general affairs director and the production director attended the meeting.

President Song spoke first, “Korea International Trade Association placed an announcement that they started receiving applications from companies that want to participate in the motor show that will be held in Chicago. They will subsidize the cost of renting a booth there. They will pay half of it.”

“Is that right?”

“It’s not a bad idea at all to participate in the event as an auto parts manufacturing company.”

“Hmm.”

“This is actually a great opportunity for us to advertise our products to the American auto manufacturing companies or the trading companies that import auto parts to the U.S. I will get a small booth for us in the OEM section.”

“Sounds good.”

The general affairs director said, “The leader of the labor union is demanding to get an office for them, which they can use on a regular basis. He wants two people to occupy the office all the time.”

“Does that mean two workers from the production site will not work while they stay in the office for the labor union?”

“That’s correct.”

“What do you think, President Song?”

“We have only 260 employees. We can’t maintain a labor union office where two workers will stay without working in the production site. It’s premature given our company’s size. I think I can deal with the leader of the labor union; I will suggest having a leader and one more worker to go on a field trip to the motor show in Chicago. I will talk to them.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho then headed to Dyeon Korea in his Bentley. He had a meeting there as well. The vice president—Mr. Adam Castler, the interpreter, Director Kim, and Director Yoon came into the office.

“We have now eight machines as part of Lymondell Dyeon’s investment in kind. We requested to send us two more machines, no. 9 and 10. Did they ship them already?”

“Yes, sir. They said those machines have been shipped.”

“Are we still having an English class in the morning? How is it going?”

“It’s going pretty well, sir. Mr. Adam Castler highly spoke of the native English teacher that her pronunciation is just perfect.”

Gun-Ho made a joke.

“I guess our vice president doesn’t feel lonely at work because of the English teacher.”

The people at the meeting all laughed. Mr. Adam Castler laughed along with them feeling a bit embarrassed. Gun-Ho was told that Mr. Castler and the English teacher were seeing each other.

Director Yoon said, “Once we add two more machines, our production level will increase. We will probably need one more truck to transport our products.”

“Why don’t you let President Moon at GH Logistics know?”

“Speaking of which, this has nothing to do with our company, but I heard GH Logistics handles heavy machineries as well.”

“That’s correct.”

“I have a suggestion to make then.”

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Chapter 390 - Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (1) – Part 1

Chapter 390: Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (1) – Part 1

At the meeting in Dyeon Korea, Director Yoon was talking about his friend.

“I have a friend who is running a civil engineering firm. He recently got a road expansion project from the Public Procurement Service. He is expecting to deal with a large amount of earth in the process.”

“I guess he will need a truck to move the mound of earth.”

“He is going to move the soils to a waterway construction site in Hwaseong City, and he is looking for a transportation company to do the job. He said he would need at least five 25-ton dump trucks.”

“GH Logistics primarily handles international transportation work; however, they do lease their heavy equipment as well. How long do you think their construction work will last?”

“The entire construction work will take about two years including pipe construction, but they will need the soil transportation for six months only.”

“How much are they willing to pay per month for the job?”

“I don’t have an exact figure, but I guess it should be about 10 million won per month since they are asking for 25-ton dump trucks.”

“The problem should be after they complete the construction.”

“That’s why a civil engineering company often outsources their transportation work even though they are equipped to do the work.”

After the meeting ended, Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“President Moon, purchase dump trucks. We will need seven 25-ton and three 15-ton dump trucks.”

“That many? What is that for?”

“Director Yoon will connect us to a civil engineering firm. They will need five 25-ton dump trucks.”

“Really? I’m right on it.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“It is possible to buy dump trucks in installments, but since we are buying many of them, the salesperson recommended using a Capital financial institution.”

“Capital financial institution?”

“Yes, Capital will purchase the trucks that we need and will lease them to us.”

“Really? Did Capital say they would do that for us?”

“When I told them that the company owns the land that the company is built on, they said they could do that using the land as collateral.”

“But we already used the land to secure our 720 million won loan from the bank.”

“He said we can take out a second loan using the same real property.”

“Really? Well, then let’s do that. You will have to hire more truck drivers, huh?”

“I think I will make a one-year contract with each of the truck drivers who we hire after three months of probation period. We don’t want to hire them as employees since the turnover rate is high and truck drivers often cause car accidents.”

“Hmm.”

“If we don’t get enough work, then we will let our trucks sit on the company yard, and we will have to pay the truck drivers who are sitting with the truck. We could lose money if that happens.”

“I see your point.”

“That’s why I’m focusing on the work that comes from a large company. That way we will have a steady flow of work.”

“Doesn’t a large company handle their own transportation work within the company?”

“Not really. They outsource the transportation work too. We have a few truck drivers who used to work for a large company before being laid off. It seems that a large company doesn’t want to employ many truck drivers for some reason.”

“What reason?”

“I guess I would say labor-management dispute. It costs a lot of money to manage them as well. It’s understandable why they prefer to outsource the transportation work.”

“You think so?”

“Driving a truck is a risky job. Say, one of your employees died in a car accident while transporting goods. The truck driver’s family will come to the company and demand for damages. It could be troublesome, so outsourcing is simpler and easier to manage.”

“I see. You’re right; that could very well happen.”

“I plan to meet with people who are in charge of transportation work in a large company. They always get a price quote from multiple transportation companies and compare the prices before determining which company they will work with. Who knows? GH Logistics could get lucky. That’s why I indicated on our company website that GH Logistics provides a total transportation service.”

“Really?”

“When you have time, visit our website. GH Media’s Team Lead Min-Sook Oh did a very good job in creating our website.”

“You have to pay her for it though. You know that, right?”

“Haha. Don’t worry about it.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho stretched himself.

“Jae-Sik sounds vibrant lately which is very good.”

Gun-Ho felt relieved. Jae-Sik seemed to get used to the transportation business and had gained knowledge about the field more and more every day.

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper on the sofa in his office when he saw a news article about the cartoon exhibition with Japanese original cartoon paintings. He then searched for the event on the Internet to find out that not every single newspaper talked about the exhibition but a few newspapers did. All of the sports newspapers posted the news about the cartoon exhibition though.

[A cartoon exhibition with Japanese original cartoon paintings will be held at GH Gallery in Sinsa Town, Seoul City. The exhibition is drawing a lot of attention even before the opening, especially from teenagers since this will be an opportunity for them to look at the popular Japanese cartoonists’ original paintings.

The original cartoon paintings that would be displayed during the exhibition will be on sale for the price ranging from 100,000 won to 300,000 won. According to Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda who once worked as a correspondent for a Japanese newspaper in Korea, the exhibition can be a very interesting event for office workers, not just for high school students.]

Gun-Ho smiled as he put the newspaper down on the table.

“As Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda suggested, I wonder if office workers will come to see the cartoon paintings. The price of the paintings is affordable to the office workers. That’s for sure.”

Gun-Ho received a call again from Attorney Young-Jin Kim in Kim & Jeong Law Firm.

“Hey, have you received the application form from Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University?”

“Nah, not yet.”

“You will receive it either today or tomorrow. We don’t have much time left, so you will have to fill out the form and submit it as soon as you can.”

“I’m not sure if I would have time to take the classes.”

“I already submitted mine. I talked with my professor friend at Seoul National University, and he said this course is especially aimed at people just like you, President Goo.”

“I don’t even run a company that generates more than 100 billion won of sales revenue.”

“They set the qualification for applying for the course, but that is not meant to be strictly complied. They just wanted to screen unqualified people from the application stage.”

“Well, let me first get the application form before I make the decision.”

“You have to take the course with me, okay?”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho’s chauffeur—Chan-Ho Eum—usually came to Gun-Ho’s TowerPalace condo to pick him up at 8:30 in the morning. Gun-Ho then arrived at his GH Building in Sinsa Town around 9 am. If he had to go to the factory in Jiksan Town, he could usually get there by 10 am.

That day, Chan-Ho came to TowerPalace at 8:30 am.

“What time do you leave your home in Sadang Town?”

“There is usually heavy traffic at Sadang Station and Yangjae Town, so I leave at 7:40 am from my home.”

“Isn’t it hard?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, it’s hard when I had a drink the day before, but I feel great when we take the highway to get to Jiksan Town.”

“Umm, where are you going now?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s the day when we go to the building in Sinsa Town, right?”

“Let’s take a U-turn over there. Sometimes I get confused with which day for which company.”

“Haha. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t rush. Let’s drive slowly.”

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Chapter 391 - Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (1) – Part 2

Chapter 391: Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (1) – Part 2

Chan-Ho said after making a U-turn and started heading to GH Mobile in Jiksan town, “I seem to be a bit off today. Maybe it’s because I went to Hannam Town yesterday.”

“Hannam Town?”

“Yes. Tae-Young bro invited all of us for dinner last night.”

“Really? I guess he is making good money these days, huh?”

“He recently received a referral fee from President Jae-Sik Moon when he connected a company that needed heavy equipment to GH Logistics.”

“Haha, really?”

“I went there to have dinner with Tae-Young bro but also Ms. Jang asked me to come visit her too.”

“Ms. Jang did? What was that for?”

“The leader of Yakuza came to Pine yesterday, so she wanted all of us to be there.”

“Oh, I see. So, did you get into a fight with them?”

“No. The yakuzas seemed to be calm and gentlemanly. They do look scary though with shaved heads and huge tattoos on their bodies. Many of them had a mustache as well, but they were quiet and gentle.”

“Really?”

“They even gave some money to us to cheer us up since we are sort of in the same field. They probably felt like they are brothers to us or something.”

“Haha, really?”

“Those people were the members of Yamaguchi-gumi which is one of the yakuza organizations in Japan.”

“That’s right. Yamaguchi-gumi is Japan’s largest yakuza organization, isn’t it?”

“I’ve noticed that the leader didn’t have a pinkie for real.”

“Oh, he doesn’t have it?”

“When you join Yamaguchi-gumi, you cut your pinkie out with a knife to show your loyalty.”

“Really? They really do that? That’s so awful.”

“Guess what the leader said to Tae-Young bro before he left the Pine?”

“What did he say?”

“He said ‘I like the glitter in your eyes. You will do something big in the future.’”

“Haha, really?”

“You haven’t seen Tae-Young bro in a physical fight, have you? He is really good. We got into a fight at a bar in Cheongdam Town before with some gangsters. He knocked down three gangsters in no time and with no sweat.”

“Haha, really? Well, okay, we now arrived. Let’s get out.”

“Yes, sir.”

The security guard quickly came to Gun-Ho’s Bentley when he saw it coming into the gate, and he opened the door for him.

Once he entered his office, Gun-Ho called for Director Kang.

“GH Media wants to move into our building. Do we have an available office for them?”

“I talked with President Shin about it the other day. We don’t have any vacant space right now, but once the travel agency on the sixteenth floor moves out, they can move into that office.”

“Did the travel agency already notify us of their moving-out?”

“I actually asked them to vacate the office. They haven’t paid the rent for the past three months already.”

“Three months?”

“They said they would vacate the office by the spring, and they agreed to use their security deposit to pay the three-month rent.”

“Is their business not doing well?”

“There are just too many travel agencies in this area. We have another one in the building next door, and another one across the street.”

“I was hoping that every company in our building does well in business while they stay here. I feel sad for that travel agency tenant.”

“I agree with you.”

The secretary—Ms. Yeong-Soo Oh—brought some tea.

“Sir, have you been to the cartoon exhibition at the gallery downstairs?”

“No, I haven’t yet.”

“If you are planning to go there, you should go now.”

“Why is that?”

“We are expecting to have tons of student kids coming this afternoon. I saw a substantial number of children lined up in front of the entrance yesterday. It starts around 3 pm which is after school hours.”

“Hmm, cartoons are indeed popular among children, huh?”

“President Shin is coming here this afternoon. She might ask Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh to help with the gallery work.”

“If we have anything urgent here, tell her to help President Shin.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho went down to the gallery.

Many of the audiences at the gallery seemed to be office workers in the area. It seemed that part-time workers were working at the gallery instead of GH Media’s employees. Gun-Ho went around just like other visitors at the gallery.

“Wow. These are really well painted.”

Gun-Ho was impressed. The cartoon paintings might lack artistic values, but they were excellent in skills and techniques. The cartoons that were easily found on the cover page of computer games or cartoon books were displayed there in an original painting format. Each painting had a sign saying, ‘Do not touch.’

“It seems many of these are already sold.”

Gun-Ho saw a red-dot marking on many of the paintings, which indicated that those paintings with the mark were sold items.

After enjoying the cartoon exhibition, Gun-Ho walked out of the building instead of going back to his office. He decided to take a walk in Garosulgil Road in Sinsa Town before going back to his office. On the street, he could easily find office workers walking around with their company ID cards hanging around their necks. They looked proud.

“I used to be envious of the people like that when I studied for the level-9 government job exam in Noryangjin Town. I was so jealous that they had a company ID card around their necks. That was more than five years ago. I guess time indeed flies.”

When Gun-Ho came back to the GH Building, it was almost lunchtime. Gun-Ho asked Director Kang to have lunch with him. Today’s menu for lunch was cold noodles.

“Do we have three companies occupying the offices on the eighteenth floor?”

“That’s correct. One of them is our company. We are occupying the sixty pyung large office while the other two are using 90 pyung and 30 pyung large offices.”

“Once the other offices’ leases expire, do not extend their leases or take a new tenant for the space.”

“Yes, sir. Do you have other specific uses planned for those offices?”

“Not yet. It’s not like I need the space immediately. Just leave them vacant.”

“Yes, sir.”

Director Kang asked a waitress to bring a scissor and started cutting his noodles with it, and while doing so, he said, “How much sales revenue does GH Mobile is currently generating?”

“By the end of this year, I’m expecting to see about 70 billion won.”

“Wow! 70 billion won. That’s just… Wow.”

Director Kang asked while still cutting his noodles with a scissor, “What about Dyeon Korea?”

“It should be about 30 billion won per year.”

“30 billion won! Wow. Sir, GH Development is generating the lowest revenue compared to your other companies, isn’t it? We are making less than 10 billion won annually.”

“Hahaha. It’s normal for a company that manages a building.”

“Maybe we should do other business that would generate some revenue while running the building.”

“Let’s just focus on managing GH Building in renting out the offices and keeping it clean. We don’t want to complicate the business.”

“I understand, sir, since you are already running five companies. It’s complicated enough even now. Do you want me to cut your noodles too, sir?”

“No, thank you. I’m good.”

“Oh, President Shin is coming here at 2 pm today since children visitors will pour into the gallery from 3 pm.”

“I see.”

“It seems like she has something to talk about with you, sir. She asked me if you will be in the office in the afternoon.”

Gun-Ho didn’t respond to Director Kang but kept having his cold noodles.

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Chapter 392 - Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (2) – Part 1

Chapter 392: Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (2) – Part 1

GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin came.

“I heard that you’ve achieved another success with the cartoon exhibition of Japanese original cartoon paintings.”

“It is successful, but selling an expensive painting would have brought more profits than hosting this cartoon exhibition. Hahaha.”

“But it was very effective marketing since so many students rush into our gallery.”

“Those kids are just noisy.”

“They will soon become our precious customers.”

“Those little customers are from Gangnam District, and they seem to have no problem buying a painting for 200,000 or 300,000 won.”

“Their parents wouldn’t mind them spending the money to buy a cartoon painting. It’s not wrongdoing, is it?”

“I heard them talking about the paintings and the cartoonists. They seem to know much more than us about cartoons.”

“That means Japanese cartoons are very popular among those students.”

“They read original Japanese cartoon books even though they are not translated into Korean. That’s amazing.”

“Even though it won’t bring a fortune, I am so glad that your exhibition is again successful this time.”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda suggested another exhibition with items that are used for a costume play, but I turned it down.”

“What is a costume play? I think I heard the word before.”

“Children dress like a cartoon character and a place is decorated as a scene in a cartoon book. They can’t wear outfits like that on normal days, but once there is an event for it, people go there in those ridiculous outfits. It seems that Hakyeoul Seoul Trade Exhibition Center is hosting an event like that right now.”

“If it’s that popular, why did you reject the suggestion?”

“We are an art gallery. I thought that hosting that sort of event could diminish our gallery’s class or reputation.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m thinking of hosting a sculpture exhibition next time.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, and I will have dinner with Artist Choi’s niece—Doctor Eun-Young Kim this Friday. Why don’t you join us, sir? We will meet at the Daehak-Ro area.”

“I don’t want to interrupt your cozy gathering.”

“No, you won’t, sir. Since she invited us for dinner last time, I wanted to treat her.”

“How is Ms. Young-Eun Kim person related to Artist Choi?”

“Young-Eun is Artist Choi’s older sister’s daughter.”

“I see.”

“Ever since her mom died, she thought of Artist Choi like her mom.”

“How did her mother pass away?”

“When Young-Eun was in high school, her mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I went to her funeral.”

“I see.”

“She grew up really well. I’m so proud of her. I remember her crying so hard and so sad at the funeral. She is now a medical doctor.”

“Her father must live by himself.”

“Right. He is living in Sillim Town. He had used to work as a teacher in an elementary school before he retired. By the way, sir, you sound like an investigator today. Hahaha.”

“Huh? Umm…”

Gun-Ho stammered.

“Well, I guess I’d better go to the gallery downstairs. I’m sorry that I take Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to the gallery too often.”

“No problem. She doesn’t have much work here now anyway.”

Jeong-Sook Shin walked toward the door and then turned around and said, “I think Artist Choi likes you a lot, sir.”

“I’m sorry?”

Gun-Ho blushed.

Artist Choi was hoping that her niece would marry Gun-Ho even though her niece was not interested in marrying anyone. She was persuading her niece over the phone.

“Young-Eun, you don’t want to miss your golden time for marriage. Look at me. I missed my time and I live alone and I’m pathetic. You have always told me that you wanted to have a center for cancer research. You won’t be able to save enough money by working in a hospital to do so. If you marry a man who has a wealthy family, maybe it’s possible; however, it’s not easy to find that sort of man who wants to marry you. It’s not like they would welcome any woman to their family, just because she is a medical doctor. Moreover, say you found a man like that. Do you think you can be happy as part of their family? The chances are that you would feel suffocated in their family.

But, the Gun-Ho Goo person is a self-made successful man. He is in control of his wealth and who to marry and how to manage the marriage. He is a good-looking man, and he is gentle with good manners. I don’t want to focus on money, but I was told that he owns a huge building in Gangnam District, and he has several companies that he is running right now. You know that President Jeong-Sook Shin is very picky when it comes to a man. She spoke highly of him. Who knows? He might build a nice hospital for you.

I know you are making decent money by working in a hospital; however, as I said before, you can’t make enough to build a hospital. As you know, many doctors filed for bankruptcy after they opened their own hospitals with a loan. You don’t hear much but I heard many of them became a person with bad credit. You know what that means, right? You also should remember the news about a doctor who had a high-ranking government official father. He opened his own hospital and then later he committed suicide when he faced acute financial difficulties in running his business.

President Gun-Ho Goo didn’t graduate from Seoul National University as you did, but he went to a university in China. He seemed to have many friends in China, who are a college professor, a deputy mayor, etc. You don’t have to be too proud about your college. Many graduates from Seoul National University don’t make enough money to provide for his family. President Gun-Ho Goo is not just a businessman, but he is someone who can enjoy arts. On the first day of my art exhibition, he came and bought a piece of my artworks. At that time, I wondered who that gentleman was, and it turned out that he was the man who Jeong-Sook Shin talked to me about. Are you listening, Eun-Young? Oh, you are busy right now? Okay, I will talk to you later.”

Artist Choi was trying whatever she could to talk her niece into dating Gun-Ho, but she was not sure if she was successful.

Gun-Ho stopped by GH Logistics in Seonghwan Town that afternoon. There were several heavy equipments parked in the yard, and a few truck drivers were seen. It looked like the company was running fine. Jae-Sik Moon looked better that day compared to other days when he had swollen lips in fatigue. He seemed to gain some weight too.

“Hey, you are here, President Goo.”

“I saw several trucks and heavy equipment in the yard.”

“Right. We have now twenty seven vehicles. I bought one more truck for the Paju location since we received more work for transporting books. People recognize our company as a big company now.”

“Really? So there must be three trucks in the Paju location.”

“Dyeon Korea’s Director Yoon asked one more truck too.”

“Did you start the work that Director Yoon connected you to?”

“Yes. I already sent five 25-dump trucks.”

“What is that truck over there for?”

“That’s the special freight truck customized to transport artworks.”

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Chapter 393 - Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (2) – Part 2

Chapter 393: Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued to talk with Jae-Sik Moon about GH Logistics’ business.

“How much is the sales revenue?”

“It’s about 100 million won per month. I have a suggestion to make to you, President Goo.”

“What is it?”

“I want to get more trucks. Is it okay to buy more trucks with the profits we generate?”

“Sure, do so.”

“If we do that, you won’t get any money.”

“Getting more trucks means growing this company, and that means my asset is growing. So it doesn’t matter to me.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“And, how much salary do you take?”

“The bookkeeper takes 1.8 million won per month, the office manager takes 2.2, and I take 2.5. It’s the same amount of salary I received when I worked for GH Media.”

“That’s it? How much is President Shin paid?”

“Her monthly salary is 3.5 million won.”

“GH Media is generating good revenue now. President Shin’s and your salary is too low. I guess I’ve been ignorant.”

“President Shin said she is going to negotiate her salary at the end of this year when she gives you a report about the company.”

“We still have two months left before the time. Well, I will wait for her salary negotiation then. In the meanwhile, let’s raise your salary to 3 million won now, President Moon. And use 1 million won per month for any sales activity expenses.”

“Umm… Will it be okay?”

“If the company generates more profits, we will negotiate your salary again then.”

“That won’t be necessary. I am happy with what I have now. I make 3 million won per month, and I can use 1 million won for sales activity, and also I’m riding SM5. I don’t envy no one now.”

“You shouldn’t stop there. You should aim at becoming a person who is receiving hundreds of millions of won and who is riding a luxurious car.”

“Well, thank you for saying that.”

It was Friday afternoon.

Gun-Ho got a haircut and put on a dazzling white shirt with a tie. He then headed to the Daehak-Ro area in Dongsung Town.

Gun-Ho said to Chan-Ho Eum in his Bentley, “Find a place to park around Heyhwa Station subway line 5. I’m going to a place nearby Arko Arts Theater.”

“Yes, sir.”

Chan-Ho loved going on a trip with Gun-Ho to somewhere out of routine because he was paid 1.5 times more for those days’ work, and he usually had a nice dinner.

Gun-Ho went to the restaurant where he was supposed to meet President Shin and the lady doctor. The restaurant was situated on the second floor, and it was cozy.

When he arrived, he looked around and then found President Jeong-Sook Shin who was waving at Gun-Ho. The lady doctor, whose name that Gun-ho was told was Young-Eun Kim, was there too. They seemed to wait for Gun-Ho without placing any order.

“I’m sorry that I’m late.”

Gun-Ho sat next to President Shin. Young-Eun Kim looked at Gun-Ho and she looked surprised. She probably didn’t know that Gun-Ho would join them for dinner.

Gun-Ho said to Young-Eun, “Hi.”

Young-Eun didn’t look comfortable to see him there.

“Young-Eun, you remember him, right? He came to your aunt’s home last time and we had warm noodles together. He is actually the one who wanted to buy us dinner today.”

A waiter at the restaurant brought water for everyone. President Shin made small talk, “How was the traffic? The traffic must be congested this hour, isn’t it?”

“Yes, a little.”

“Did you come with your chauffeur?”

“Yes, I told him that I would come back a bit late. He is probably having his dinner after parking the car.”

“Oh, you know what? I parked my car on the street. I think I’d better go now. Please enjoy your dinner.”

President Shin quickly left the restaurant. She seemed to give some privacy to this young man and woman.

After President Shin left, Gun-Ho talked to Young-Eun Kim.

“I wanted to thank you for the lunch the other day in Yangpyeong County.”

“Oh, no problem.”

Young-Eun seemed to be tense.

“Shall we order food?”

As he said to Young-Eun, he handed the menu book to her.

“Please place your order first.”

Young-Eun gave the menu book back to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho picked something that was neither expensive nor cheap.

“How about this one?”

“That sounds good.”

Young-Eun responded calmly.

Gun-Ho placed an order to the waiter.

Gun-Ho then drank the water. He was trying to come up with anything that he could talk with her about.

“I heard you live around here.”

“Yes, I live in Myeonglyoon Town.”

“Is it a condo?”

“Yes, it is.”

Silence filled the air again.

“I actually wanted to buy you dinner to show my gratitude. But it turned out that you treated me first.”

“Young-Eun looked at Gun-Ho. She seemed puzzled while trying to think of any reason why Gun-Ho would want to thank her.

“My mother received spinal surgery at Seoul National University Hospital last month. She also suffered from constipation which required an enema, and you helped her. I was there, and I was shocked at the scene. I didn’t know a medical doctor does it as part of their job. I was so grateful that you relieved my mother’s pain. Thank you again.”

“Which patient room did your mother stay in?”

“She stayed in a room sharing with other patients and then moved to a one-person room.”

“Oh, oh, I think I remember her.”

Young-Eun smiled faintly. She had never smiled until then at the restaurant. Gun-Ho thought that she looked cute.

“Let’s change the subject since we have to eat.”

Gun-Ho drank his glass of water again. For some reason, he felt thirsty. After a while, Gun-Ho said, “Taking care of patients as a doctor is hard, isn’t it?”

Young-Eun smiled faintly again; what Gun-Ho said to her sounded warm and caring.

“It’s a rewarding job.”

The food came out. It was a beefsteak. They ate the food without saying a word. Gun-Ho placed some delicious side dishes close to Young-Eun.

“It’s okay.”

Young-Eun placed them back to where they were.

“What do you do for a living?”

“I run companies. I have two manufacturing factories, and I have a building in Sinsa Town, Gangnam. I rent them out. I’m making it alright.”

Young-Eun smiled again when Gun-Ho said he was doing alright in making his living.

“Medical doctors are doing fine in making a living, aren’t they?”

“Right, we do alright too.”

Gun-Ho ordered a bottle of beer and filled up a glass with it and gave it to Young-Eun.

“Drink just one glass of beer. I will finish the rest of the bottle.”

Young-Eun didn’t say anything.

“You must be living by yourself then. I live by myself too in a condo in Dogok Town.”

“Where is Dogok Town?”

“It’s two blocks from Yangjae Town.”

“Did you make an investment in President Shin’s company?”

“Yes, a little. President Shin is very knowledgeable in the arts. The first art exhibition that she hosted at my art gallery was with Chinese northern school literati paintings. She then had another exhibition with Chinese young painters’ avant-garde art.”

Gun-Ho talked a lot about arts based on the knowledge that he heard from President Jeong-Sook Shin as if he knew about them by heart and as if he was really into arts. He was not a talkative type, but during that day, he could talk a lot without any difficulty after having a glass of beer. Young-Eun Kim seemed to be interested in what Gun-Ho was telling.

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Chapter 394 - Debt Ratio (1) – Part 1

Chapter 394: Debt Ratio (1) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho and Young-Eun finished their dinner, a waiter came to their table and asked, “Did you enjoy your dinner? Do you mind if I clean the table?”

“Of course not. Please do so.”

Once the waiter took empty plates from the table, Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun,

“Why don’t we take a walk? It will aid digestion.”

“I have to go back to the hospital. Since this restaurant is close to where I work, I might run across my colleagues on the street.”

“What about having a glass of beer?”

“Can we just stay here until we part?”

Young-Eun looked at her watch.

Gun-Ho wanted to spend more time with her, but she seemed to want to call it a night. Gun-Ho didn’t want to lose his chance to get closer to her.

Gun-Ho wondered. ‘Does she not like me?’

“Let’s at least have a cup of coffee before we call it a night.”

Gun-Ho quickly brought two cups of coffee from a vending machine inside the restaurant before Young-Eun could say no. While having a cup of coffee, Young-Eun asked Gun-Ho, “I heard you went to college in China.”

“That’s right. I went to Zhejiang University.”

“Did you study the Chinese language there?”

“No, I majored in Economics.”

“You must be fluent in Chinese.”

“I can converse in Chinese.”

Silence filled the air. This time, Gun-Ho broke the silence by asking Young-Eun, “How do you spend your Sundays? Do you go to church by any chance?”

“I usually do my laundry, and sometimes I take a walk too.”

“You take a walk? Where do you usually take a walk?”

“My usual place is the Fortress Wall of Seoul.”

Gun-Ho asked her again while having his cup of coffee, “Which path do you take to get there?”

“When I go there by myself, I take the road from the Hyehwa four-way intersection. With friends, I get off from the next subway station at Hansung University Station.”

“Hansung University Station?”

“Yes, we pass the Starbucks and take the street behind Gyeongsin High School.”

“I see. I like walking around Fortress Wall of Seoul as well.”

Gun-Ho lied without realizing what he was saying. His hobby was taking a nap, not taking a walk.

When Gun-Ho almost finished his coffee, he took out his business card.

“This is my business card.”

Young-Eun Kim closely looked at Gun-Ho’s business card. It listed three different companies: GH Development, GH Mobile, and Dyeon Korea. Gun-Ho was the president of all three companies.

Gun-Ho then handed a pen and a piece of paper to Young-Eun, and he said, “Let me have your phone number since I gave my business card to you. I’d like to contact you if I have a question about my mother’s condition.”

Young-Eun hesitated a bit before giving her phone number to Gun-Ho. Since now, Gun-Ho had her number and he felt like the relationship was going forward. Young-Eun stood up from her seat once she finished her coffee, and said, “Let’s go.”

“Thank you for having dinner with me. I’m afraid that I might take too much of your time today. I hope I could have a chance to join you in taking a walk around Fortress Wall of Seoul someday.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun walked out of the restaurant after Gun-Ho paid for the dinner at the counter.

“Thank you for the dinner. Well, bye.”

Young-Eun gave a slight nod to Gun-Ho with a faint smile. Gun-Ho gave a firm nod to Young-Eun showing his respect.

“Good night. I will give you a call.”

Young-Eun turned around and walked off in the direction of Hyehwa Town.

Gun-Ho walked to the parking lot where Chan-Ho would be waiting for him in his Bentley. Chan-Ho was listening to the music in the car.

“Huh? You came earlier than I expected, sir.”

“You ate, right?”

“Yes, I did. Sir, you seem to be feeling pleasant.”

“What are you talking about? Let’s go to my pleasant home!”

Gun-Ho felt good on the way home. He felt like everything would go very well.

It was the day when Gun-Ho was supposed to receive the third quarterly report of GH Mobile on its profit and loss.

All of the GH Mobile’s executive officers gathered in Gun-Ho’s office.

The internal auditor distributed relevant documents to the meeting attendees before he began to give the verbal report. Jong-Suk started fiddling with his cup of water in front of him. He must have felt bored when the internal auditor started talking with too many numbers.

Gun-Ho, who was looking at Jong-Suk, said, “Director Jong-Suk Park, please pay attention.”

“Huh? Oh, yes, sir. Of course.”

Director Jong-Suk Park sat straight and tried to focus on hearing the internal auditor’s report. When other people were present at work, Director Jong-Suk Park couldn’t talk to Gun-Ho in an informal way. He couldn’t even call him brother either.

After the meeting ended, everyone left the office except President Jang-Hwan Song.

After making sure that everyone was out, President Song started speaking while having a bottle of water, “Sir, when you acquired this company, you invested 2 billion won. And you added an additional 3 billion won later.”

“That’s correct.”

“As the internal auditor presented during the meeting, our debt has been reduced from 70 billion won to 60 billion won.”

“I heard that.”

“The paid-in capital of this company is 2.5 billion won. Mulpasaneop was left with 500 million won after its reduction of capital, and you added 2 billion to it when you acquired the company. That made its current paid-in capital 2.5 billion won.”

“That’s correct.”

“The president of Mulpasaneop left the company after collecting his shares of 500 million won and his investment fund of 1.5 billion won, a total of 2 billion won.”

“That’s right.”

“You then put your 3 billion won into this company in order to pay off bad and urgent debts. This fund of 3 billion won which was deposited from you as the president of this company is listed under the liability account. That’s why even though we paid off some of our outstanding balance to our vendors, our debt doesn’t appear to be reduced.”

“Hmm.”

“Our company doesn’t have much earned surplus yet. Accordingly, if we divide the total liabilities by the sum of the paid-capital and the earned surplus in order to calculate our debt ratio, we come up with more than 400%.”

“Hmm.”

“We will have to make more effort to reduce the debt ratio.”

“So, you are suggesting that I capitalize on the 3 billion won that I previously put into this company in order to reduce our debt ratio.”

“I’m sorry, sir. It’s not something I can suggest or ask you to do so since it’s your call as an investor to this company. I’m just telling you the current status of this company’s financial situation.”

“Hmm.”

“You could take your dividend at the end of each year along with your investment fund of 30 billion won. The company will still survive. However, it will prolong the preparation time to have this company go public.”

“Hmm.”

“The reason I’m telling you this now is that we failed to get a work from L Group yesterday. They determined that our company has financial stability issues because our debt ratio is way too high. I just want you to consider this current situation.”

“What is the average debt ratio in the industry?”

“It’s 160%.”

“Hmm. They require a company to keep its debt ratio 1.5 times lower than the industrial average debt ratio in order to successfully register with KOSDAQ, don’t they?”

“That’s correct.”

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Chapter 395 - Debt Ratio (1) – Part 2

Chapter 395: Debt Ratio (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked President Song, “Didn’t you previously suggest increasing our company’s capital with my dividend?”

“Yes, I did. I’ve given a lot of thought to it and came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be enough to lower our debt ratio. That’s why I talked to you about your 30 billion won investment fund. I didn’t want to talk to you about this fund because it is probably inappropriate to even mention it to the owner-president. However, since our company is not in good shape as far as the debt ratio is concerned, I decided to tell you.”

“Well, I will have to think about it.”

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t bring you a better solution.”

President Song who was in his 50s gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho who was in his 30s before walking out of his office.

Gun-Ho started debating with himself.

‘Do I want to capitalize on my personal investment fund? It’s not a petty amount and it is precious money to me. I do have 170 billion won in my stock account which I will never touch. I understand President Song, and maybe it’s the best way to reduce the debt ratio quickly given the current situation. However, I have to consider the fact that once I do that, I might not get it back for quite a while.’

The investment fund of 3 billion won was the fund that Gun-Ho could take back at any time because it was like he lent the money to the company. However, once it became part of the company’s capital, he wouldn’t be able to take it back as he pleased. Of course, the company’s debt ratio will be diminished dramatically by doing so. Gun-Ho calculated how much it could reduce the debt ratio if he capitalized that fund and chose not to take his dividend at the end of the year. According to his calculation, the debt ratio would be reduced to 250%. The debt ratio would be even reduced more the following year assuming the company would generate earned surplus.

‘If the average debt ratio in the industry is 160%, we will have to reduce our debt ratio to 100% in order to successfully register with KOSDAQ.’

Gun-Ho felt a headache, and he was thinking of getting a massage to release stress, and then he decided not to.

‘I will have to go with Chan-Ho Eum, and I don’t want to reveal all of my personal activities to him. It’s certainly convenient to have a chauffeur but this is a problem. Hmm. Well, I will just go to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel and take a sauna instead.’

Gun-Ho called for Chan-Ho Eum.

“Chan-Ho Eum!”

“Yes, sir. I’m here.”

“Let’s go to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel.”

“To Onyang Town, sir?”

“Well, I changed my mind. Let’s go to Spavis.”

Asan Spavis was a hot spring resort located in a mountain in Eumbong Town, Asan City.

There were not many people at the spa. It was nicely quiet and serene.

Gun-Ho went into a hot sauna room and started thinking.

‘Should I capitalize on my 3 billion won? Or not? Either way, it is my money, and it would stay that way. The problem is that it would be hard for me to liquidate the fund.’

Gun-Ho kept thinking while he was in the sauna room and also after he moved to a hot tub. Chan-Ho Eum didn’t stay long in the spa and took a quick shower before leaving the place.

Gun-Ho closed his eyes to focus on his thought. President Song’s face popped up in his head.

[Sir, once we successfully register with KOSDAQ, we can procure funds easily and it wouldn’t matter whether we have a high debt ratio or low debt ratio. Please increase the capital with the fund you lent to the company.]

Gun-Ho opened his eyes.

‘Okay, I will do that. I do, in fact, have a lot of money after all.’

Gun-Ho walked out of the spa and had Bibimbap* in a hot stone bowl with Chan-Ho Eum before heading to Dyeon Korea.

When he entered his office, he found a pile of financial documents on his desk placed by Accounting Manager Jo. It took only 30 minutes for Gun-Ho to review and sign the documents. He called for Manager Jo.

“Take the documents and tell Director Yoon to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Director Yoon came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Did we receive the machine no. 9 and no. 10?”

“We are expecting to receive them by tomorrow.”

“Send all the products we would produce with the machines no. 9 and no. 10 to China.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If we don’t get paid within three months after we send our products to China, don’t send the products to them anymore.”

“Yes, sir.”

Director Yoon wrote down the instruction that Gun-Ho gave.

“Sir, we will need to hire ten more workers for the production site. We need more manpower once we have two additional machines.”

“Do we need ten workers right away? We don’t want to hire too many workers at a time if not necessary.”

“We do need that many workers in the production department, sir. Our current sales revenue per employee is 1.5 times higher than GH Mobile’s.”

“GH Mobile is a manufacturing company of auto parts while Dyeon Korea produces raw materials. We can’t compare revenue per employee between the two companies.”

“Well, that’s true, but even if we compare with other competitor companies, our revenue per employee is higher than the industrial average.”

“Okay. Let’s hire ten more workers.”

“Yes, sir. I will post the job opening right away.”

After Director Yoon left the office, Gun-Ho started dozing off again in his office. He woke up to the sound of a notification from his cell phone. It was a spam notification.

“Shoot. The da*n spam woke me up. I hate it. This is so annoying.”

Gun-Ho mumbled, and then he started surfing the Internet with his smartphone. One news drew his attention. It was about Egnopak.

[The passenger who caused a disturbance on Korean Air was Egnopak’s president’s son— Dong-Hwan Kim. He was taken into custody after being escorted off the plane.]

“He is still doing it.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Chan-Ho Eum.

“Hey, Dong-Hwan Kim is in trouble again. You know, the one who we gave a lesson the other day in a bar in Samsung Town. It’s all over the Internet.”

“Oh, the dude whose father is some company president?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“I guess we should have been tougher with him. It seems that he hasn’t learned his lesson yet.”

“I wonder if he has any criminal record.”

“I don’t know about that, but look at all the comments to the news. Everyone said that guy would be released soon since he has a father with money.”

“Well, since people already know the possible injustice that would happen, it wouldn’t be easy for the police to release him.”

“Well, who knows? The court might let him go by saying that he was drunk and was under intoxication so he couldn’t form any necessary intent or something.”

“Chan-Ho, you seem to know a lot.”

“Haha. I just heard things from here and there.”

When Gun-Ho got off the phone with Chan-Ho Eum, Director Kim entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Director Kim, did you see the news? Egnopak’s president’s son got arrested again.”

“I actually just came back from Egnopak.”

Note*

Bibimbap – Cooked rice with various vegetables and meat mixed together with Korean red chili paste.

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Chapter 396 - Debt Ratio (2) – Part 1

Chapter 396: Debt Ratio (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was talking with Director Kim, who just came back from Egnopak.

“Egnopak’s president must be suffering from a headache because of his son.”

“Whenever I visit him at Egonopak these days, he talks a lot about the old days to me. Since they increased the volume of their product order from us, Egnopak became one of our major clients. I’ve been trying to be nice to him and show that we care a lot about him. When I was still in his office today, he received a call from the police requesting his presence for his son’s matter.”

“I can picture Egnopak’s president’s angry face.”

“He surely looked upset. He headed out to Seoul right away being accompanied by the in-house attorney and another worker in their legal department.”

“His son is just spoiled.”

“His daughter is very smart. She is a college professor. He lamented his son and his life having such a son. He is actually considering having his son-in-law run the company after he retires.”

“What is his son-in-law doing for a living?”

“He is also a college professor at Hanyang University College of Engineering.”

“Hmm. Egnopak is one of our major clients, and they have to do well even for our own benefit. Please help them in any way that we could.”

“Yes, sir.”

“President Song in GH Mobile is asking if he could borrow Interpreter Lee for a few days.”

“He did that?”

“President Song is trying to reserve a booth for the upcoming motor show in Chicago, and he wants to go with Interpreter Lee in case he needs someone who can speak English during the consultation for the event.”

“Hmm. Right. I’m aware of it. Well, if we could send him to President Song, we can let Mr. Adam Castler know about it in advance.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, ask GH Mobile to pay for his travel expense.”

“Yes, sir. And, sir, we’d like to participate in a motor show as well.”

“I believe the Chicago motor show no longer accepts a new application.”

“Not that motor show. There is another one that will be held in Shanghai, China. We’d like to participate in that event.”

“Hmm.”

“The thing is that the Korea International Trade Association will not subsidize the cost of participating in that motor show though. I guess, unlike the motor shows being held in the U.S. or Central and South America, a lot of Korean companies are applying for the event in China, so the Association doesn’t seem to feel like it is necessary to promote the motor shows in China.”

“I see.”

“If you are okay, sir, I’d like to discuss it with President Min-Hyeok Kim in China.”

“Sounds good.”

“For this motor show in Shanghai, Egnopak is planning to go there as well. They will probably rent several booths there.”

“Did Egnopak’s president’s son cause the trouble on the way from Shanghai?”

“No. He was coming from Tokyo after having fun there when that mishap occurred. I believe it was not a business trip.”

“Tokyo?”

When Director Kim mentioned Tokyo, it reminded Gun-Ho of Mori Aikko.

‘Oh, Mori Aikko. I wonder how she is doing these days.’

Gun-Ho closed his eyes and recalled Mori Aikko who was dancing at the Matsuri (festival) in Kyoto.

‘Mori Aikko at Heian Shrine in Okazaki Park truly looked like a fairy. I do like her a lot, and she is absolutely lovely, but I don’t think I can marry her, considering the different cultures that we have, not to mention a language barrier.’

Gun-Ho thought that maybe he should visit Japan soon with the art dealer—Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda—once things become settled with his business.

Gun-Ho had a TV in his office. His office was the only office in the company with a TV because it was the president’s office. Gun-Ho sometimes watched TV there.

Gun-Ho turned on the TV. It was a bit early for the news. A soap opera was being broadcasted at that time. The soap opera—Shade of Desire—was being re-aired, where Seol-Bing was the main character.

Gun-Ho usually didn’t watch soap operas on TV. He used to watch a historical drama sometimes though, but now he stopped watching those lately. His favorite TV program was the news.

“That’s Seol-Bing!”

Seol-Bing was the main character in Shade of Desire. In that soap opera, Seol-Bing was a mediocre office worker, and the company owner’s son where she worked liked her. The setting reminded Gun-Ho of Dong-Hwan Kim—Egnopak’s president’s son. In the scene on TV at that time, the company owner’s son was hugging and kissing Seol-Bing after confessing his love to her on a rainy day.

Gun-Ho turned off the TV.

“I kissed her at the gallery the other day. She might consider the incident as one of the TV scenes where she plays in.”

Gun-Ho thought that maybe it was not a good idea to marry her.

Gun-Ho would have a hard time accepting the fact that she would often have to kiss other men fiercely as part of her job. It certainly wouldn’t be a pleasing experience for her husband. However, Gun-Ho wanted to see her again.

“I do want to meet Seol-Bing, and… I do miss Mori Aikko. Does that make me a true philanderer?”

Gun-Ho wanted to ask someone why he was feeling that way.

“Maybe I should go to Cheonghakjeongsa in Goesan Town to consult Master Park.”

It was November.

Temperature dropped in the morning and morning frost was easily seen.

Gun-Ho was about to head out to his building in Sinsa Town to work when he changed his mind and asked Chan-Ho to take the highway.

“Today is the day when you go to work in Sinsa Town. You go to work at the factory in Jiksan Town tomorrow.”

“I know that. We are going to Goesan Town today.”

“Goesan Town?”

When they stopped by a rest area on a highway, Gun-Ho went into a store and bought a mountain climbing cane and a belt. Chan-Ho asked, “Are you planning to go mountain climbing?”

“No. These are for an old man in Goesan Town.”

“Do you have a relative there?”

“He is not my relative. He is a fortune teller.”

“A fortune teller?”

Chan-Ho Eum tilted his head while driving.

Gun-Ho’s Bentley arrived at Cheonghakjeongsa in Goesan Town. The house was designed and constructed in a Korean traditional style. Chan-Ho said, “Huh? It does actually look like a place where a fortune teller is living.”

There seemed to be a couple of customers at Master Park’s just like the last time Gun-Ho visited there. There were two mid-aged women. Since there was only one car parked there, the two ladies must have come together.

Once the customers left the place, Gun-Ho entered Master Park’s room.

“Huh? Mr. ShinWangJaeWang is here.”

Master Park seemed to be doing fine.

“You are still receiving customers constantly even though you live in the countryside.”

“If you live here, there will be more people coming to the place.”

“Me?”

“Of course. We say ‘Boo Joo Sim San Yoo Won Chin.’ That means that a rich man would still get a lot of friends, who are coming to see him, even though that man is living in a mountain far away from a city. Well, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?”

“Things seemed to be tangled inside my head.”

“It must be something related to your love life.”

Of course, Master Park knew what was going on with Gun-Ho. This was the reason why Gun-Ho wanted his consultation.

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Chapter 397 - Debt Ratio (2) – Part 2

Chapter 397: Debt Ratio (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho gave a piece of paper to Master Park, where his date of birth was written on. Master Park compared it with the date in the Perpetual Calendar. He then retrieved Gun-Ho’s fate.

“You will marry next year. You will make more and more money.”

“Who would I marry?”

“To a woman, of course.”

“What kind of woman would that be?”

“To some woman.”

“Sir, please tell me more and be specific for me.”

“How do I know? I don’t even have that woman’s date of birth to know more.”

Gun-Ho should have brought the three women’s date of birth, who was currently in his life—the lady medical doctor, Seol-Bing, and Mori Aikko. He could ask Artist Choi of Young-Eun Kim’s birth date without any difficulty. For Seol-Bing and Mori Aikko, he could ask them directly. Seol-Bing might not be honest with her date of birth given the nature of her job, but Mori Aikko wouldn’t mind giving Gun-Ho her date of birth. From Gun-Ho’s personal experience, Japanese people usually seemed to believe in superstitions, including Mori Aikko. For that reason, Mori Aikko would be cooperative on this.

“I actually have three women in my mind, sir.”

Master Park wrote down some words on a traditional Korean paper, ‘Deuk Ja An Jeong.’

“Deuk Ja An Jeong? What does that mean?”

“Your love life would become settled once you have a child.”

“That makes sense.”

“With which woman do you think you can raise your kid well while feeling comfortable letting her educate your kid?”

“Huh? Oh, ummm…. Hmmm.”

Gun-Ho somehow understood what Master Park said.

“The young people during Joseon Dynasty learned the saying, ‘Bing Jeuk Wih Cho, Boon Jeuk Wih Cheop.’ It means that if you marry a woman, she will become your wife; if a woman follows you, she will become your concubine.”

“Could you explain?”

“If you show your respect to a woman and marry that woman, then she is your wife. If you meet a woman who lets you touch her and kiss her on the first or second date, she is your concubine.”

“Oh, I see…”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

Even though Master Park didn’t point out one woman out of three saying she would be Gun-Ho’s wife, he at least gave guidance to Gun-Ho how to recognize his future wife. Gun-Ho felt relieved since he now had something to work with to resolve his headache. Gun-Ho gave a thick envelope to Master Park to show his gratitude.

“Thank you.”

Master Park didn’t even bother to open the envelope to verify the amount of money, but he just put it in the drawer of his floor desk.

“I bought these for you on the way here. These might come in handy around here.”

“A cane and a belt for mountain climbing? Oh, thank you. I actually needed them.”

On the way back to Seoul, Gun-Ho said to Chan-Ho in his Bentley, “Chan-Ho, Master told me that if I treat a woman with my respect and marry her, then she is my wife, and if a woman comes after me, then that woman is my concubine.”

“Whew, sir. It sounds too complicated for me. You like someone, then you just marry that person, no?”

“Well, these pearls of wisdom coming down from the saints who had lived a long time ago are still with us for a reason. We’d better think about it.”

“Sir, do we still have a concubine these days? It’s hard enough to find even one woman in my life.”

“Hmmm. Is that so?”

“I gave up marrying someone. Who would want to marry a man like me considering the tough field that I am in?”

“Don’t say that. I’m sure you will meet someone.”

Gun-Ho didn’t want to stay in an office in his building that day. He went up to the rooftop. It had been a while since he went there. There were some office workers smoking and some mid-aged women, who were talking with their friends while having a cup of coffee at the café.

Jae-Sik’s wife was there working. Gun-Ho entered the book café and said hello to her, “Hello, ma’am. How have you been?”

“Oh, hi.”

It seemed to be the first time Jae-Sik’s wife actually talked to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho looked at her face. She looked vibrant that day.

“How is the work? Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No. Everything is good here.”

“Jae-Sik is doing great in running the transportation company in Seonghwan Town.”

“I feel so grateful that you gave a good opportunity to him, sir.”

“If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know.”

“Thank you.”

When Gun-Ho was talking with Jae-Sik’s wife, President Jeong-Sook Shin came to the book café. She was loading some books in a foldable hand cart to arrange them in the book café. Gun-Ho quickly went to President Shin and helped her put the books in a bookshelf. The books looked heavy.

“Sir, you are here.”

President Shin asked, “Are you meeting Young-Eun soon again?”

“No, we haven’t talked about our next meeting yet.”

“You should be more aggressive with making every chance to get close to her, sir. Young-Eun is really a decent girl. I am a woman, but if I was a man, I would have married her.”

“Do you know what she thinks about me?”

“Well, she said you seemed to be a good person. It’s just that you sometimes act like an old man.”

“Really?”

“Oh, next week, I’m hosting a sculpture exhibition. Rookie artists will participate.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho came back to his office on the eighteenth floor. He was thinking while having a cup of tea.

‘I act like an old man?’

Gun-Ho looked at himself in the mirror in his office.

“I’m only six years older than her. Do I look that old? I had no problem with kissing Seol-Bing and Mori Aikko. They are very young too.”

Gun-Ho let out a deep sigh.

“Honestly, I do look old. I will turn 37 next year. I didn’t realize that I’m getting close to 40 now.”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Young-Eun Kim.

[I would like to take a walk around the Fortress Wall of Seoul this Sunday. I will wait for you at the Starbucks in front of Hasung University Station at 10 am.]

Gun-Ho felt nervous after sending the text to her.

“What if she doesn’t show up?”

Gun-Ho wanted to look younger for his meeting with Young-Eun.

He had been surrounded by mostly old people who were in their 50s at work. Gun-Ho was their boss, and maybe he acted like an old man to live up to their expectations as their boss without realizing it.

Gun-Ho went to the subway station without letting Chan-Ho know. He took a subway at the Sinsa Station heading to Rodeo Street in Apgujeong Town, which was known to be a fashion mecca in Seoul. He wanted to buy jeans, t-shirts, shoes, etc. He stopped by the Galleria Department Store in Apgujeong Town as well.

Gun-Ho purchased a few name-brand jeans, t-shirts, a hat, and also expensive hiking boots.

Gun-Ho still felt anxious about the meeting that he unilaterally set by sending a text message. He was worried that she would just ignore Gun-Ho’s text and not show up at the place in which Gun-Ho asked her to come.

“What should I do if she doesn’t show up at all?”

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Chapter 398 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (1) – Part 1

Chapter 398: Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“I heard that Dyeon Korea now has machine no. 9 and no. 10.”

“That’s right.”

“You are going to send all of the products produced by those two machines to us, right?”

“That’s the plan.”

“The five tons of raw materials that you sent to us at GH Parts Company last time was used by us to manufacture our own products. From now on, all of the raw materials that we receive from Dyeon Korea will be sold to other companies here.”

“Of course.”

“I think we might want to form a separate business entity for selling those raw materials in China rather than handling the business under the name of GH Parts Company. The form of a joint venture will do.”

“A joint venture?”

“It will be more convenient that way. We can find a straw man as if that person runs the company. We can arrange the shares as divided as 90:10 just like the arrangement you made when you had the Korean restaurant in a hotel in Hangzhou City.”

“Do you have any Chinese person in mind for that straw man position?”

“I do. I can have the team lead in GH Parts Company take the position. The company will be a joint venture with Dyeon Korea ostensibly, and in fact, Dyeon Korea will own 100% of the shares of the joint venture.”

“Dyeon Korea can’t just start a joint venture by having another business partner. I will have to discuss it with Lymondell Dyeon, especially when an investment is involved.”

“Really?”

“Maybe I don’t need Dyeon Korea to be involved here, but I can be the co-venturer personally, like I, individually, own the joint venture by investing in it, and have the team leader be the other co-venturer as a straw man.”

“That will work, but you will have to use your personal funds to invest in it.”

“For a manufacturing company, it would cost a lot for me to establish one; however, the company that we want to form is a sales company that sells imported products. I wouldn’t need to invest much. Can you quietly find out how much funds would be needed in order to establish a joint venture by a foreigner in that area?”

“Sure, no problem.”

“You haven’t talked to that team lead about borrowing his name to open a joint venture yet, right?”

“Right, I haven’t talked to him about it.”

“Hold on to it. Maybe we want to use your wife’s name or your father-in-law’s name in this matter instead of bringing that team lead person.”

“My wife? Or my father-in-law?”

“Yeah. What do you think?”

“I don’t know…”

“Well, for now, just find out how much fund I will have to prepare.”

Sunday came around. It was the day Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun to meet him.

Gun-Ho drove his Land Rover to the Starbucks in front of Hangsung University. He was wearing new jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket that he bought the other day in Apgujeong Town. He was wearing new shoes as well. Gun-Ho believed that he looked younger in his new outfit.

Gun-Ho was waiting for Young-Eun while having a cup of coffee at Starbucks. It was after ten o’clock, but Young-Eun didn’t show up. It was 10:15, but she still hadn’t appeared yet. Gun-Ho felt anxious, and his mouth got dry. Gun-Ho had a similar experience with Seol-Bing and Mori Aikko; he had waited for them anxiously before, but he felt way more nervous now than those times.

“If she doesn’t show up by 10:30, then I won’t wait for her any longer. Since I am here already, I will take a walk around the Fortress Wall of Seoul by myself anyway, but I’ve never been here. Well, I can ask someone how to get there.”

Gun-Ho almost finished his coffee when Young-Eun arrived at the café. She was wearing jeans with a pink jacket. Gun-Ho at first couldn’t recognize her because she was wearing a wide-brimmed hat almost covering her entire face.

Young-Eun looked around and smiled when she saw Gun-Ho sitting at a table.

“I’m sorry that I’m late.”

Gun-Ho said with a smile, “No problem.”

“I was caught up with doing laundry.”

“Why don’t you have a seat and have a cup of coffee.”

“Well, it seems you finished yours. Let’s just go and take a walk.”

Gun-Ho followed Young-Eun out of the café. They walked toward the entrance of the Fortress Wall of Seoul, and neither of them spoke a word. The way Young-Eun walked reminded Gun-Ho of a soldier. He thought that Young-Eun would have nicely fit in the occupation as a soldier if not a medical doctor.

Gun-Ho didn’t bring a climbing backpack because he thought it wouldn’t be necessary since he was there not for mountain climbing but for just taking a walk around the fortress, but Gun-Ho thought that maybe he would need to carry at least a bottle of water with him. When he saw a grocery store, he ran into the store and bought two bottles of water and a chocolate.

“This is for you. It’s a bottle of water and chocolate.”

“Thank you.”

Young-Eun laughed as she took the bottle of water that Gun-Ho was giving to her. Gun-Ho thought she looked so cute when she laughed. The two started walking, and they entered into the silent mode again. Once they passed Gyeongsin High School, the Fortress Wall of Seoul started emerging. When they began to walk up the stairs, Gun-Ho gasped for air while Young-Eun seemed to have no problem with breathing. Maybe Gun-Ho should have reduced the frequency of taking a nap and do more physical exercise.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course, I’m good.”

Gun-Ho was still gasping for air while responding to Young-Eun.

Young-Eun looked worried. When she saw a bench, she asked Gun-Ho to take a short break there before continuing their walk.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun sat on a long bench side by side while enjoying the full sunlight.

“You walk like a soldier.”

“I actually considered joining the army seriously as an army doctor.”

“You do look like someone who is very well disciplined just like a soldier. I mean by looking at the way you walk.”

“The people, who work with a computer all day long, tend to jut their neck and shoulder forward. Similarly, medical doctors tend to develop poor posture and the job requires us to have good stamina. I regularly exercise to keep up with the work.”

Gun-Ho was drinking his water when he saw an old couple climbing the stairs toward him.

“Oh, my gosh. I think I need to sit down now.”

“Ma’am, please take this seat.”

Gun-Ho quickly stood up from the bench and gave his seat to the old lady. Gun-Ho wanted to show Young-Eun how considerate and thoughtful he could be. The old lady sat on the bench.

“Thank you, young man.”

Young-Eun stood up from the bench as well to give her place to the old man.

“I’m good.”

The old man declined Young-Eun’s offer.

“Please take the seat, sir. We are leaving anyway.”

The old man said while sitting on the bench, “Are you two a married couple?”

“Oh, umm…”

Gun-Ho stammered while blushing.

“You two look alike. The married couple who resemble each other usually lives a happy life together for a long time.”

Both Gun-Ho and Young-Eun blushed and quickly left the place after giving a slight nod to the old couple while feeling embarrassed.

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Chapter 399 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (1) – Part 2

Chapter 399: Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun continued to walk around the Fortress Wall of Seoul. The path was steep but short. They had to take several short breaks on the way because of Gun-Ho. When Gun-Ho felt like he walked enough, it was almost 11:30 am. It was too early for lunch.

“It’s 11:30. We can have our lunch around noon. Would you like to walk 30 minutes more?”

When Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun to walk a bit more, Young-Eun looked at her watch.

“Let’s walk a bit more until we reach Gilsangsa Temple.”

“Gilsangsa Temple?”

The name of the temple sounded familiar.

The Gilsangsa Temple was located in a town called Seongbuk. It was a rich town with many luxurious single houses. Many foreign embassies were situated there too. Gun-Ho took out his smartphone and searched for Gilsangsa Temple on the Internet surreptitiously. After reading about the temple, Gun-Ho started talking about it as if he already knew all the information.

“Did you know that it was once a bar called Daewongag before it became a temple?”

“Yes, I heard about it.”

“The owner of Daewongag Bar gave the place to a monk—Bopjong—when she died.”

“That sounds right.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun entered the temple and walked around. Gun-Ho put his hands together and gave a bow in the main temple without actually entering the room.

“Are you… a Buddhist?”

“No, I’m not. I just prayed, wishing for something. I prayed for maintaining a good relationship with Ms. Young-Eun Kim.”

Young-Eun laughed. Gun-Ho was not sure why she laughed. She might like the fact that Gun-Ho wanted to be in a good relationship with her, or what Gun-Ho wished for baffled her.

Gun-Ho walked around the temple while Young-Eun didn’t. She said that she came to the temple several times already. While Young-Eun went to the bathroom, Gun-Ho quickly searched for Gilsangsa Temple on the Internet again for more information.

“Shoot. There is another temple with the same name in Namwon City. Let me specify the search word by adding Seongbuk Town.”

Gun-Ho read information about Gilsangsa Temple. The bar owner was in love with the poet—Baek Seok. Gun-Ho sat on a bench and looked around.

“This place was once one of the top three bars during President Chung-Hee Park administration. This is huge for a bar! The one in Hannam Town and the bar in Shinjuku, where Mori Aikko is working, are so small compared to this one that they might be the size of this place’s bathroom.”

Gilsangsa Temple was extended into an uphill road in the mountain.

“President Chung-Hee Park must have had a lot of fun in this place with his followers. You can’t come here if you don’t have a vehicle, so it was a good place to have fun without worrying about being in the public eye.”

Gun-Ho thought about the previous owner of this place—the owner lady of Daewongag Bar.

“She gave this place to a monk when she died. I wonder what kind of person she was. Is Mori Aikko going to donate the condo in Daikanyama, which I bought for her, to a temple later?”

While Gun-Ho was thinking about the bar and Mori Aikko, Young-Eun came back. The two walked out of the temple and continued to walk without talking. There was a pork cutlet restaurant.

“Would you like to have a pork cutlet for lunch?”

Young-Eun nodded her head.

While placing an order, Gun-Ho wanted to have a beer as well.

“Maybe we should drink a glass of beer with food.”

“No beer. I will have a glass of coke.”

While having his pork cutlet, Gun-Ho continued to talk about Gilsungsa Temple, which he read about on the Internet.

“The owner lady of Daewongak Bar was a courtesan.”

“Right. I heard about it.”

“She revealed in her later years of life that she was the poet Baek Seok’s lover.

“I see.”

“When she donated the place to the temple, which was worth more than 100 billion won at that time, she said it wasn’t even worth a line in Baek Seok’s poem.”

“Oh, she did?”

“It seems that they didn’t marry each other after all.”

“Baek Seok was an English teacher at that time, and his parents disapproved of their marriage rigidly because she was a courtesan. Bae Seok then married another woman.”

“Hmm, it’s a sad story.”

They kept walking until they reached Starbucks.

“I brought my car. I will drop you off to your home.”

“It’s okay. I can take the subway. It’s only one station away from here.”

“I insist. We walked a lot today. You should let your legs take some rest. Just give me one second, I will bring my car.”

Gun-Ho drove his Land Rover to the place where Young-Eun was waiting for him.

Young-Eun got in the car. Usually, people who got into Gun-Ho’s Land Rover made a positive comment about the car, but Young-Eun didn’t say anything.

‘She probably didn’t even look at what kind of car this was before she got in it.’

Gun-Ho thought Young-Eun didn’t check out his car, but the fact was that Young-Eun didn’t know much about cars. She just didn’t know whether a Land Rover was an expensive and luxurious vehicle.

“Where should I head to?”

“It’s close to the four-way intersection in Heyhwa Town. The condo complex’s name is Anam.”

Gun-Ho quickly glanced at Young-Eun’s profile who was sitting in the front passenger seat. Her profile was absolutely gorgeous. The profile itself was more beautiful than Seol-Bing’s or Mori Aikko’s. Gun-Ho wanted to drive all the way to Busan City with Young-Eun.

“I had fun today. I will meet you at the same Starbucks next Sunday as well at 10 am.”

“I have to attend my friend’s wedding next Sunday.”

“Then, we can meet the following Sunday.”

Young-Eun laughed without giving a firm answer.

“You can take a left turn over there.”

The condo complex looked a bit old.

“I will get off here. I need to stop by a supermarket to pick up something before going home.”

Gun-Ho waved at Young-Eun once Young-Eun got off the car. Young-Eun also faintly and briefly waved at Gun-Ho.

It was Monday. Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile.

When Gun-Ho was having a cup of tea that his secretary prepared for him, he received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“In order to open a joint venture in this area, you will need at least 60,000 dollars. However, it seems that usually, people start a joint venture with 100,000 dollars as I observed so far.”

“How much do I have in my personal account with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China?”

“You have 1.2 billion Korean won. It’s about 1,200,000 dollars.”

“Okay, then take out 100,000 dollars and establish a company.”

“And, for a straw man, my wife can do it instead of the Chinese team lead here.”

“Sounds good!”

“I will register the company as you own 90% and my wife owns 10%. Since the 10% comes from you as well, I will have my wife sign a statement indicating either that she renounces her share or that she transfers that amount to you.”

“Okay. You don’t need me there when you register the company with the government, right? I will sign the power of attorney.”

“I think so. Everything is possible in China, and everything looks impossible here too.”

“Haha. Okay.”

Gun-Ho was thinking after getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok.

‘If I use my name to do the business there, there is no reason for me to add the name—Dyeon Korea. It would be just a trading company. Maybe I should name the company GH Trade. Maybe I’d better specify what the company will trade. What about GH Plastic and Chemical Compound Trade?’

‘Let me see. If we use Min-Hyeok’s wife’s name, maybe I should let her be the president of that company. I don’t think she is making good money in her current job as a teacher in an international school. Given that she is working in China, she is probably making about 3,000 or 4,000 Yuan. His wife is young and good-looking. She is also a Chinese native speaker, so she will manage the sales activities fine there. Moreover, she studied in the U.S., and she speaks English. She is also sophisticated.’

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok.

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Chapter 400 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (2) – Part 1

Chapter 400: Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (2) – Part 1

After ringing a few times, Min-Hyeok Kim picked up the phone.

“Hey, how much does your wife make at the international school in Suzhou City?”

“About 3,000 Yuan. Why are you asking?”

“Ask her if she is interested in taking the position of a president of our new company.”

“What? You mean the sales company of Dyeon Korea in the China market? Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m dead serious. Her salary will be around 8,000 Yuan.”

“Hmm.”

“This position with the joint venture could be a risky choice for her while her current job with school is stable but it pays a low salary. She will be paid way higher at the new joint venture.”

“You know she has no work experience in the field, right?”

“There’s a first time for everyone. You and I didn’t have experience with running a company when we started, either.”

“That’s true. But, I’m not sure if she is willing to take the job. That’s the problem.”

“Only one way to find out. Ask her if she is interested.”

“It’s a tempting job offer though given the salary—8,000 Yuan.”

“After three months of the probation period, I will consider giving her a stock option as well if she has an aptitude for it.”

“Stock option?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I will talk to her and will let you know.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea.

He was sitting in his office when he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“We need a semi-tractor-trailer truck. We sometimes get a request for transporting a container. They assume that we could handle container transportation after visiting our website.”

“Does the company have enough funds to buy one?”

“Yes, we do. And, Capital financial institution is willing to make an arrangement for it.”

“I’m not sure the company yard is large enough to park a semi-trailer truck.”

“Don’t worry about it. There are a lot of vacant lands around here. I think I can easily lease some space to park the truck.”

“A semi-tractor-trailer truck is an extremely long truck, isn’t it? You will need a large space to accommodate it.”

“A trailer part can be separated from its tractor unit. So, when we have to park it, we can divide the truck into two pieces.”

“Get one if you think it is necessary. And, from now on, you don’t have to discuss with me about getting an additional truck. I just need to hear the regular report on profits and losses. That’s it.”

“The landowner of the farmland next door came and complained about our business activities. I just told him to sell his land if he has a problem with us.”

“About the discharge of oil, right?”

“The thing is that we haven’t discharged any oil. He was just bitching for nothing. I know that some trashes are blown onto his land, but there is no oil spill. I think maybe he just wants to sell his land to us. That’s why he is bitching to make an excuse to sell his land.”

“He probably didn’t take your offer to buy his land seriously since you suggested it while bickering with him. When you have time, just visit him and make your offer to buy his land.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Keep up the good work. I will talk to you later then.”

“Hey, will you come over here this evening for dinner? Jong-Suk will be here around 6 pm. He said he would bring some Jokbal*.”

“Oh, really? It sounds delicious. I will come by on the way up to my home in Seoul.”

In that evening, Gun-Ho went to GH Logistics in Seonghwan Town.

A blue canopy was placed in the front yard, and a lot of wrapping storage containers were piled up on one side of the yard. Inside the office, there was a reception desk just like the one in a bank or a post office. Terms and conditions of transportation were hanging on the wall. There was a banner hanging in the center of the office. It said,

‘Speed, Smile, Service. Be proactive with 3 S.’

Gun-Ho smiled while reading the banner.

There was no one at the reception desk. The worker probably already left for the day. Lots of bills of lading were piled up on the desk. The company looked like it was in good business.

“Hey, you are here.”

Jae-Sik was looking at a computer monitor when Gun-Ho entered the office. Jong-Suk seemed to be not there yet.

“Where is Jong-Suk?”

“He just called saying he is almost here.”

At that moment, Gun-ho heard the sound of a car engine. It was probably Jong-Suk.

“Huh? Gun-Ho bro! I didn’t know you were coming here too.”

“I came here because Jae-Sik told me that you would bring some Jokbal*. How come you have empty hands?”

“Man, who would carry around Jokbal* these days? I asked the restaurant to deliver them to this address. They are on their way here. I guess I will order more of them since you and Chan-Ho bro are joining us for dinner.”

Jong-Suk Park made a call to the restaurant to order more Jokbal*.

“Hi, I’m calling from GH Logistics. That’s right. It’s the location where there used to be an auto repair shop. If you haven’t left to deliver Jokbal that I ordered earlier, I’d like to add one large plate.”

“Don’t we need soju?”

“I have five bottles of soju in my car.”

“I guess you are carrying around your soju in your car all the time.”

“I bought them from a supermarket on the way here.”

Jong-Suk covered the table with a newspaper like it was a tablecloth.

“And you carry around a newspaper in your car too, huh?”

“No, I picked it up on the way here. I thought we would need it.”

“I’m sure these newspapers were not meant to be used for this purpose. Their publisher will have a lot to say to you if they see this.”

It seemed someone arrived on a motorbike. It was probably the delivery man from the restaurant. He placed one large plate of Jokbal* and one medium plate of it on the table. He also brought a large bottle of coke for free of charge.”

Jong-Suk quickly paid for them when Gun-Ho pulled out his wallet to pay.

“Jong-Suk, you are a salaryman. You should let me, the business owner, pay for it.”

“Sir, this dinner is on me. Just don’t forget that I treat you. Oh, I will ask Chan-Ho to come inside.”

Jong-Suk went outside and called for Chan-Ho Eum.

Four men including Chan-Ho Eum sat on a table.

Jong-Suk was very fast in setting the table. Four bottles of soju were already open, and paper cups were all in place. He quickly opened the package of Jokbal* before filling up the paper cups with soju.

“Gun-Ho bro, drink it as much as you want since Chan-Ho will drive for you. Before Chan-Ho started working for you and when you had to drive your Land Rover yourself, you could barely drink. Remember those days?”

“Still, let me have a little of soju.”

“Chan-Ho, you shouldn’t drink tonight, okay? Let me fill up your cup with coke instead.”

Jong-Suk handed a cup of coke to Chan-Ho. Chan-Ho took it with two hands.

“Thank you, little brother.”

“Continue your good service for the big brother. He is really a good man.”

“I know that. Don’t worry about it.”

Note*

Jokbal – Korean dish made of pig’s trotters with soy sauce.

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Chapter 401 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (2) – Part 2

Chapter 401: Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (2) – Part 2

Jong-Suk filled up a cup with soju and gave it to Jae-Sik Moon.

“That’s too much.”

“Don’t be shy. I know you love soju. You don’t have to drive tonight since you are staying on the second floor in this building anyway. Enjoy it as much as you want, bro. Being able to drink a lot is one of the necessary traits to be a successful president of a transportation company.”

“Don’t get me started. I drank with the truck drivers last night. We finished ten bottles of soju.”

“By the way, bro. You seemed to be doing very well these days. You moved from the basement to the second floor, huh?”

“Man, stop talking about a basement. I’m so sick of hearing that word.”

Chan-Ho picked up a bottle of soju and said, “My little brother, let me fill up your cup with soju.”

“Chan-Ho, don’t let Jong-Suk drink it. He has to drive.”

“It’s okay. I will have just one cup of soju. I can stay sober with one small cup.”

“You have to be very careful. I saw the other day that the police was conducting a sobriety test on the road from Jiksan Town to Dujeong Town.”

“Shoot. It drives me crazy not to drink soju when it is right in front of me. If I knew it, I would have asked my wife to pick me up.”

“Your wife will scold you for coming home late tonight.”

Chan-Ho laughed out loud.

“You said that your parents placed their home in Incheon City on the market, right?”

“Yeah, but since it’s November, I think they will have to wait until the Lunar New Year’s Day for their home to be sold.”

“How are they doing? They must feel mixed feelings when they think about leaving the town where they have spent almost their entire life.”

“One of their good friends from church moved here, so it seems they want to move as soon as possible. Also, since my wife and I are expecting to have a baby this coming March, it would be very nice to have them around and closer. My wife’s parents are still working, so we can’t ask them to take care of our baby. By the way, Jae-Sik bro, how come you don’t have a child yet?”

“It just didn’t happen yet. But since we now live separately, we miss each other more. When I went home last Saturday, my wife prepared a nice meal with grilled yellow Corvina.”

“Ohhh, I guess you will have a baby soon. Yellow Corvina is certainly a big help for it.”

“Come here. Let me give you a nice hit with my knuckles.”

“I haven’t still figured out what was going on with Gun-Ho bro. It seems you might have a girl, or not. I heard a rumor that you are seeing an actress or someone.”

“Who told you that?”

“I keep my ears open, bro. Chan-Ho, you should know something.”

“I don’t know.”

“Since the company website is up, we get calls from potential clients. Today, we received a call asking us to transport a 40 feet container. The container is coming from Guangdong Province in China to Pyeongtaek Port. They want us to pick it up at Pyeongtaek Port and transport it to Pocheon City.”

“So, did you tell them that you don’t have a truck to do the work?”

“No, I told him that we don’t have any truck available at this moment. A container transportation job can pay good money like more than 1 million won per day if it is long-distance work. For the work that you introduced to me, Jong-Suk, with heavy equipment, we will have to temporarily stop it next month. The ground is frozen in winter. The contract with them is until next June. We will resume the work in February right after the Lunar New Year’s Day.

“Hmm, I see.”

“I talked with Min-Hyeok yesterday. He called me from China. He told me to keep an eye on the container transportation business in the west side of China.”

“West side of China?”

“Yeah, the east market in China is already saturated, like Tianjin City, Shanghai, and Qingdao City, and it is very competitive. He said we still have a chance to get into the west market like Sichuan Province, Tibet, Gansu Province, etc. Distribution business will become hot there soon, according to his observation.”

“Don’t you have to do some sales promotion there too?”

“Min-Hyeok recommended starting with Korean large companies, even though it won’t be easy.”

“Hmm.”

“In fact, the transportation field in Korea is very competitive as well. I am lucky that I have Dyeon Korea and other GH companies that give me some work and also connect me to other companies. I started the business without difficulties. Growing the business further is up to me. I will make it successful to buy the farmland next door as you asked, Gun-Ho. The landowner has been acting as a pain in the as*, but I think he is doing it on purpose hoping that we would buy his land.”

“Hmm.”

“Yesterday, I registered for my residency with this location. I was at first concerned that they might reject the registration because this is a factory, not a residential area. But they didn’t say anything about it. I already met with the head of the village, and I talked with the people from the senior citizen’s center when they came to collect some contribution to their heating cost of the center. I will make an offer to buy that farmland in Spring.”

Two weeks had passed. The weather got colder. People started wearing winter outfits.

Gun-Ho’s office in GH Building in Sinsa Town, Gangnam District was warm with a good heating system. Gun-Ho made a call to President Song in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir, this is Jang-Hwan Song.”

“I will capitalize on my 3 billion won.”

“Oh, thank… thank you so much, sir.”

“How much do you expect the year-end dividend would be?”

“We are anticipating the net income after taxes would be 3 billion won, and 2.5 billion won can be a dividend.”

“President Song, why don’t you take 5% of 2.5 billion won as your share and as I promised you? That would be 125 million won. Let’s record my dividend of 2,374 million won as earned surplus and use it to pay the debt.”

“I can’t take my dividend, sir. I haven’t been with the company even for a year yet. I’m not qualified to receive a dividend even if I want to. Let’s use all of 2.5 billion won to pay the debt.”

“President Song, just take your portion. It’s an order from the chairman of the board of directors.”

“I can’t do that, sir. You shouldn’t ask me to do it.”

“Hmm.”

“I will record the meeting minutes as you just said. We will use 2.5 billion won after deducting the legally required retention fund to pay the company debt. I will inform the external auditors accordingly. I do thank you for your decision, sir, on behalf of the entire employees of GH Mobile.”

After getting off the phone with President Song, Gun-Ho sent a text message to the lady doctor—Young-Eun Kim in Seoul National University Hospital.

[It has been two weeks since we had a walk together. I can’t stop thinking of the path we took at the Fortress Wall of Seoul. I will be waiting for you at the same Starbucks in front of Hansug University this Sunday at 10 am.]

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Dingding made her decision. She wants to give it a try in running the joint venture.”

Dingding was Min-Hyeok’s wife’s name.

“That’s really nice. Then register the company with the government. The name of the joint venture is GH Plastic and Chemical Compound Trade. The capital is 100,000 dollars. The president is Dingding, and the investment-capital ratio between the co-venturers will be that Gun-Ho takes 90% and Dingding takes 10%.”

“I have one condition though.”

“What is it?”

“Dingding wants a small office for herself. I told her to use an office in GH Parts Company, but she doesn’t want to be with me at work. She said that she doesn’t want to get interrupted by her husband at work.”

“The investment funds will be there and she will have access to it. Use it to lease an office and get necessary stuff for it.”

“Thank you.”

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Chapter 402 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (3) – Part 1

Chapter 402: Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (3) – Part 1

Jae-Sik Moon ran across the landowner of the neighboring farmland at a supermarket.

“What did you get?”

“I needed soaps.”

“You don’t see any oil flowing into your land lately, do you? We are not an auto repair shop, and there is no reason to spill any oils because we don’t use oils.”

“Do you live there?”

“Yes, I stay there during weekdays. My home is in Mangwon Town. It’s a bit far to commute so I only go home for weekends.”

“That’s why you are here at this hour to buy soju, huh?”

“Right. I’m feeling bored there alone after work. You know what? Why don’t you come over to our building? I will show you around. If you haven’t had your dinner yet, let’s have dinner with me. We can go to the restaurant over there.”

“Well, I don’t know…”

“Sir, my residency is registered in this town. I am a local here too. Let me buy you dinner.”

Jae-Sik Moon dragged the landowner’s sleeve.

“Haha.”

The landowner didn’t reject Jae-Sik’s offer.

Jae-Sik and the landowner went to the restaurant across the supermarket. Jae-Sik ordered spicy stir-fried pork dishes with a bottle of soju.

“I heard you are the president of that company. You have been in the transportation field for a while?”

“No. I was in another field, and a friend of mine asked me to run this company. I don’t have money to own a business like that at all. I am just a salaryman.”

“You are kind of a servant then, huh?”

“Well, you can say that. Haha.”

The landowner had high alcohol tolerance. He must be a regular drinker like on a daily basis. He drank soju as if he was drinking water. It wasn’t easy to drink with the landowner because he kept filling up Jae-Sik’s glass with soju.

“Let me fill up your glass. When I was younger, I worked for other people too just like a servant.”

“Really? You look like a big property owner.”

“Nah. I have only a few farmlands that I bought forty years ago when the land price was really low. At that time, this area was all farmland, no factory, and even no paved roads.”

“Do you live with your son, sir?”

“Young people don’t want to live in the countryside. He is in Pyeongtaek City.”

“What about your daughter?”

“I have two daughters, and both of them are married and live in Suwon City.”

“Mister, there is no point for us to bicker about whether some oil spilled over the property or not. Why don’t you sell your land?”

“Why do you say that? Is there anyone who is interested in buying my land?”

“Someone I know wants to buy farmland here. He wants to do some farming with me once he retires. Since he is living in Seoul, it’s hard for him to get a permit to buy farmland in this area, so he asked me to buy one with my name for him. If your farmland is not up for sale, do you know anyone who wants to sell their land?”

“If I sell it, how much can you pay for it? My son actually wants me to sell this land and move close to him in Pyeongtaek City.”

“The current market price is 500,000 won per pyung, isn’t it?”

“Whoa, no way. The land is adjacent to a two-way paved road. There is no way you could find land in this location for that price. The previous owner, who ran an auto repair shop at your location, was thinking of buying my land too, and we once agreed on 600,000 won.”

“Is your land 1,500 pyung large?”

“The land is composed of two parcels. Those two parcels of land combined are 1,520 pyung large.”

Jae-Sik did the math to figure out how much would the entire land be.

“Wow! It’s more than 900 million won.”

“This is embarrassing to talk about, but my son suffered from some financial difficulties in running his business and incurred some debt. So I will need to pay for his debt to Nonghyup Bank, and also I want to give 100 million won to each of my daughters to help them out. Not much will be left in my hands. I’m not even sure if I can buy a condo in Pyeongtaek City with that money.”

“Well, I think you will have a hard time finding a buyer who could pay 900 million won.”

“If someone buys the land and changes the land use, then the price will dramatically go up like twice higher. I’m sure of it.”

“Well, that takes a long time and high taxes will be imposed.”

“That’s true, but it’s almost guaranteed to make a fortune. People with enough money will be interested in it.”

“Well, thank you for having dinner with me today. I will talk to the person if he is interested.”

“Did you say your last name was Moon? President Moon, you have such low alcohol tolerance. Let’s have one more bottle of soju before we call it a night.”

Jae-Sik thought the old man seemed to be having a good time with soju.

Jae-Sik made a call to Gun-Ho.

“I had a drink with the landowner of the farmland next door yesterday.”

“That’s nice. So, did you make an offer to buy his land?”

“It seems that he needs money for his son’s business. He is asking 600,000 won per pyung. The entire property is 1,520 pyung large, and it’s 912 million won.”

“Did you look at its real estate registration?”

“Yes, I did. The property is combined with two parcels of 420 pyung and 1,100 pyung. The large one is being used to secure a loan of 150 million won with Nonghyup Bank.”

“I guess he borrowed that money for his son, huh?”

“He said that when he was younger he was a farmhand around this area.”

“That sounds plausible. Since he has been around for a long time, he must have information about real properties there and saved enough money to buy some. The price of the land in that area was very low thirty or forty years ago.”

“Once he sells his property, he wants to give some to his children and buy a condo in Pyeongtaek City with the sales proceeds.”

“That sounds like a good plan. Since he has a loan with a bank, he is paying for the interest. In the old days, it was possible to make enough money to provide for and educate their children by farming, but those days are gone.”

“Yeah, and farming is hard labor.”

“The farmers over there must be very rich these days, right? That old man would make 900 million won once he sells his property. Think about our parents. They had worked and saved money in their entire life, but they didn’t even have 200 million won in hand to buy a condo.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“Let’s make an offer for 900 million won since he priced it for 912 million won. Use the fund in GH Logistics’ bank account to make a sales and purchase contract for now. I will send the fund once the contract is made.”

“Okay.”

“And make sure that you get a realtor involved in making the contract even though we have to pay the realtor fees.”

“Okay, I will.”

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Chapter 403 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (3) – Part 2

Chapter 403: Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho received a mail from the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University. It was a notification for an interview.

The information about the interview was clearly stated on their website, and Gun-Ho missed it.

“Shoot. The interview is scheduled for tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho was thinking if he wanted to go to the interview with Attorney Young-Jin Kim, and then he decided to try it by himself.

“They only require coming to night classes twice per week. It’s doable for me. I might encounter some annoying people there, but since Attorney Young-Jin Kim insists, let’s just take the class with him.”

After lunch, Gun-Ho notified Chan-Ho Eum.

“I’m leaving at 2 pm. Be ready.”

“Okay, sir.”

When Gun-Ho walked out of the building at 2 pm, his Bentley was parked at the entrance waiting for him.

“Let’s head to Seoul National University.”

“To Seoul National University, sir?”

“I will cultivate my knowledge there.”

Chan-Ho looked puzzled, and he drove in the direction to Seoul National University.

When he was passing Sadang Town, he received a call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“You are aware that you have an interview for the program with Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University, right?”

“I know that, and I’m actually on my way there.”

“That’s good. I guess I will see you there then.”

When the Bentley arrived at the front gate of Seoul National University, Chan-Ho asked, “Which building should I drive to?”

“Well, I need to get to the building of the Graduate School of International Studies. I was told that the building is located behind a museum. If you can’t find it, just drop me off at the museum.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the museum, he could see several buildings that were built with contributions from large companies around the area.

“Huh? What are these? LG Business Management, SK Business Management, Dongwon Dormitory, CJ Language Institute… Sh*t, there are a lot. It seems like all of the business owners of large companies, who graduated from Seoul National University, donated to the university to construct a building. If I start making enough money, which college should I make my contribution to erect a building with my company’s name? To Zhejiang University in China? Or to the cyber college? Or the low-ranked college in Chungnam?”

Gun-Ho smiled bitterly while heading to the place for an interview.

There were several gentlemen sitting in the waiting area for an interview. They certainly were not young kids in college, and they looked very experienced. A man who looked like a teaching assistant came out and asked Gun-Ho’s name and said, “Please wait here. I will let you know when your name is called.”

It was Gun-Ho’s turn, and he followed the teaching assistant to an office. There was a professor who looked like he was in his 50s sitting at a table.

“You must be President Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, I am.”

“According to your application, you are currently running several businesses.”

“Their sales revenue doesn’t exceed 100 billion won though.”

“How much is it then?”

“The largest business that I have generates 70 billion won annually.”

“Well, that’s good enough. Is it a KOSDAQ registered company?”

“I haven’t done it yet.”

“Since its sales revenue is 70 billion won, I guess it is listed on DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System).”

“That’s correct.”

“We do have many high-ranked government officials, judges, and prosecutors who participate in the program, but we want many businessmen to take the course at our Advanced Center for Administrative Development. What people care the most about is economy, isn’t it? I believe it has to be businessmen who should come up with ideas in implementing policies.”

“I see.”

“Well, we will send you a text once we make our admission decision.”

The interviewer didn’t even ask Gun-Ho about which college he graduated from.

When Gun-Ho walked out of the interview room, Attorney Young-Jin Kim was waiting for him.

“You’re done? What did he ask?”

“Nothing much. He just asked a few things before I could leave. He will send me a text about the admission decision.”

“Really? Actually, once you pass the paper screening, you can consider that you are admitted. Let’s study for a year with me.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the building to find Chan-Ho taking a nap in the car. His mouth was open, and Gun-Ho could hear his snoring sound even before he opened the car door.

“Hey, let’s go!”

“Huh? You are done already with your study?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“How come it’s so fast?”

“Don’t you think I look more intelligent now than before I walked into that building?”

“Haha. You look exactly the same, sir.”

“I guess I need to study more then.”

“So, you will come to this place regularly?”

“I will have to be here twice per week in the evening. I just had an interview for the graduate program with the Advanced Center for Administrative Development.”

“I guess I will get paid more then.”

“Of course. You will have dinner with me too in those days.”

“Sounds good. Where to now?”

“Let’s go to GH Building in Sinsa Town.”

It was Sunday.

This time Gun-Ho picked up his back-pack. He drove his Land Rover to the Starbucks in front of the Hangsung University station. He didn’t forget to buy two bottles of water and beer.

While waiting for Young-Eun Kim at Starbucks, he still felt nervous.

“Is she going to show up today?”

Young-Eun came a little after 10 am. She was wearing the same outfit as the last time. Gun-Ho waved his hand at her when he saw her entering the café.

“Would you like to have a cup of coffee before we head out?”

“Let’s take them in togo cups. We can drink while we walk.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun walked slowly toward Gyeongsin High School while having coffee.

“The stones in the lower part of the fortress look different from the ones in the upper part.”

“That’s because the stones in the lower part are from the Joseon dynasty while the white stones in the upper part were added later recently.”

“Oh, I see.”

Since this was the second time for Gun-Ho, he didn’t gasp for air much this time. When they reached the top, they sat on a bench. Gun-Ho took out two cans of beer and handed one to Young-Eun.

“Let’s have beer before we go down.”

Young-Eun took the beer and put it in her bag instead of drinking.

“Let’s drink it when we have our lunch.”

They walked down toward Starbucks. They didn’t stop by Gilsangsa Temple, unlike last time.

“Let’s have lunch.”

“Let’s just go home and have lunch.”

“I’ve heard there are lots of good restaurants in this area.”

Gun-Ho took Eun-Young in his car and headed in the direction of Gilsangsa Temple.

“Are we going back?”

“I saw a nice Korean restaurant on the Internet. It’s around here.”

The houses in Seongbuk town were majestic. A lot of wealthy people were living there. There was no one on the street though.

Young-Eun was looking outside the window.

Gun-Ho parked at Samcheonggak. Samcheonggak was one of the famous bars during President Chung-Hee Park administration just like Gilsangsa Temple. The place was now used as a multicultural center operated by Sejong Center.

“This is Samcheonggak. This was once a famous bar. It’s a restaurant now, not a temple.”

“Food must be very expensive here.”

Gun-Ho didn’t pay attention to prices when he chose a restaurant to eat or shopped for clothes. When they walked into a traditional Korean-style building, they were told that the restaurant would be open at noon. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun spent some time looking around the center while waiting for the restaurant to open. At the restaurant, Gun-Ho ordered a Korean traditional full course meal for two.

“I didn’t know Korean food has a course meal.”

The food came out neat. They were having a nice lunch with a breathtaking view, but they both didn’t know what to converse about while having lunch. An awkwardly silent moment was passing by.

After lunch, Gun-Ho suggested to take a walk around the place. Samcheonggak offered Korean traditional style architecture and a beautiful garden. It gave a serene feeling to the visitors.

“The weather is really nice today with warm sunlight. Let’s have a seat over here.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun sat on a stone bench. Gun-Ho took out the can of beer that they saved earlier and opened it before handing it to Young-Eun.

“Let’s finish it before we get going. It’s heavy to carry around.”

Young-Eun took out the beer from her bag as well and gave it to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho asked while having his beer, “What are you looking for in choosing your spouse?”

Young-Eun took quite a while before responding to Gun-Ho’s question.

“I want a rich man.”

Gun-Ho’s face hardened. He was wondering if he chose the wrong woman.

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Chapter 404 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (4) – Part 1

Chapter 404: Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (4) – Part 1

Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun again, “Did you… just say that you want a rich man for your spouse?”

“Yes, I did.”

“You don’t care about the shared values or interest in life, or the person’s emotional maturity or anything like that? I don’t understand.”

“A person can still be rich with a decent philosophy of life and emotional maturity.”

The fact that Young-Eun liked a rich man turned Gun-Ho off about her. Gun-Ho felt awfully disappointed in her, and he became sarcastic in talking to her.

“Then you might want to try those men who have a wealthy family like the owner family of a conglomerate.”

Gun-Ho gulped down his beer.

Young-Eun smiled coldly without saying a word.

“I believe that medical doctors make a decent living. Wouldn’t that be enough for you? Do you still need more money?”

Gun-Ho felt upset, and he stammered in anger and disappointment.

Young-Eun rolled up her sleeve quietly and showed a scar on her left arm. It was a horrendous scar for a lady’s arm.

“What… How… did you get that scar?”

“I was bitten by a poisonous insect.”

“A poisonous insect?”

“Yes. I volunteered to provide medical service in Africa and worked there for three years. I had a decent job here with a decent pay, but I still volunteered in Africa, and I got bitten by a poisonous insect there. Do you think I did that because I was hungry for money?”

Gun-Ho’s eyes widened and looked at Young-Eun with all ears.

“I lost my mom when I was a junior in high school. She died of ovarian cancer. Before my mom died, I wanted to become a painter just like my aunt. But, I applied for medical school instead. I wanted to be a medical researcher in a cancer research center that is dedicated to ovarian cancer and treatment. Well, I actually wanted to marry a rich man, so I could open my own cancer research center with his help.”

“Hmm.”

“However, there was another world that I newly recognized at that time. There were people who had to die just because they didn’t have money to buy medicine.”

By that time, Young-Eun finished her beer.

“Research is not a one-person job. You need a team of researchers who have the same goal and who could work together systematically to achieve that goal. A research center that is operated by the government or a university would be an ideal setting. That’s why I chose to volunteer in Africa at that time. It is true that a medical doctor makes a decent living, but even with their relatively high salary, it’s hard to save more than 5 million won per month. Even if I save my salary for twenty years, I wouldn’t be able to afford to buy a condo in Gangnam District just like the one you are living in right now. I realized that there are tons of people in this world, who need my help, especially the people who can’t afford to receive proper medical treatment because of money. I knew I shouldn’t insist on researching the cancer that caused my mom’s death. I also realized that I would need a lot of money to be able to help them, so I decided to marry someone who is rich with significant wealth.”

After hearing Young-Eun’s reasons on why she wanted to marry a rich man, Gun-Ho realized that he hastily jumped to conclusions.

Gun-Ho slowly rolled up his left sleeve. His burn scars and stitches appeared on his left arm. Young-Eun’s eyes widened.

“I earned these honorable scars in an effort to make money when I worked at a factory. I worked in a plastic factory and got burned in handling injection molding machines there. I was paid daily, and I worked so hard by taking day and night shifts. I had to make money. I did everything in order to make money. I invested in the stock market and in real estate as well. I wanted to make money more and more indefinitely. I now have enough money to buy tens of condos in Gangnam District right away, which cannot be bought with a medical doctor’s salary even with their twenty years of saving. It’s not like I have a conglomerate or anything like that, but I do have money to help you. I want to spend the rest of my life with someone who has lofty goals and values in life like you, Ms. Young-Eun.”

Gun-Ho inadvertently grabbed Young-Eun’s hand, and Young-Eun pulled her hand out quietly.

“Let’s call it a night. I have an appointment with someone.”

Young-Eun then started walking in her usual soldier-like walking style toward the parking lot.

An art exhibition with sculptures was ongoing at GH Gallery.

It was not one artist’s solo art exhibition, but several young artists participated in it. GH Gallery became a popular place to hang out among the young office workers in GH Building. They often spent time in the GH Gallery during their lunch break. Sometimes, junior or high school students stopped by the gallery and asked if there was any plan to hold another cartoon exhibition or similar.

Gun-Ho usually went to the gallery before or after lunch hours in order to avoid the crowd during the lunch break. Since several artists participated in the current exhibition, sometimes a few artists were sitting on a bench in the center of the gallery. Gun-Ho was laughing while looking at a sculpture at the gallery.

“These artists are very skillful. This one looks very well made.”

There was a figure of a candlestick with a bird sitting on it, and another sculpture next to it depicted an earphone and a butterfly on it. Gun-Ho was thinking if he wanted to buy a sculpture that he liked the most just like he had often done at the previous art exhibitions. He then decided not to do it this time.

“I don’t want to pile up artworks at home. They would cram my condo.”

When he came back to his office after looking around the art exhibition at the gallery, he received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“I just made a lease agreement for an office in Zienzilou (office building) located in Ping Qi Lu in Suzhou City. No security deposit is required. We just need to pay 5.4 million Korean won upfront for a one-year period of rent.”

“Hmm, so it would be 450,000 won per month.”

“It’s about 99 ㎡ (30 pyung). I already obtained the business registration.”

“450,000 won per month for a 30 pyung large office is not bad at all.”

“Yeah, it took a great deal of legwork on my side.”

“It’s not far from the storage, right?”

“No, it’s not. The office is less than 4 kilometers away from our storage.”

“The storage doesn’t belong to the joint venture company, so once you start generating enough revenue, you will need to send the monthly rent to my personal bank account.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Since the office is ready, you will need to fill in the office with furniture and stuff. You also need to hire a few workers, too.”

“For now, we will place three desks in the office and hire one bookkeeper. We won’t hire a security guard for the storage as an employee.”

“Well, do what you think is necessary. You will need a car though in order to do sales activities. Get an Audi.”

“An Audi is too expensive. Maybe we will get a Jincou xing (compact) car in installments. What do you think?”

“You can buy a car in installments?”

“Yeah, it’s possible. It works just like a loan. Since Dingding can prove her income from the international school, we can make it in installments.”

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Chapter 405 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (4) – Part 2

Chapter 405: Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (4) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked Min-Hyeok, “Is it okay that you call your wife’s name like that?”

“It’s perfectly fine. In China, we call each other’s name in marriage. You know that, right?”

“Haha, that’s true.”

“Dingding mentioned the other day that she wanted a Korean car—K3—from Kia. They are manufactured in a factory in China.”

“Sure. You can get it in installments, right? She will need a car. She will also need a chauffeur, won’t she?”

“That won’t be necessary. Dingding can drive. She has her driver’s license. She is not a foreigner here unlike me, so she has no problem driving around on her own.”

“I like her name—Dingding. It’s catchy. Maybe we can name the joint venture Dingding. It’s easy to call.”

“Haha, you think so? Well, why not?”

“The machine no. 9 and no. 10 are fully working right now. I will send you ten tons of raw materials. See how much you can sell them in China.”

“Before you send the raw materials to us, Dingding wants to visit Dyeon Korea’s factory. She wants to see how the raw materials are produced at the factory. It will help her to make a good sales pitch.”

“That makes sense. Well, she is welcome here anytime. She can come even tomorrow. Why don’t you come with her? It has been a long time since you came to Korea, right?”

“Maybe I should.”

“Yeah. You can go and visit Jae-Sik’s transportation company too once you are here.”

“That sounds great. Okay, I will visit Korea with Dingding.”

After getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok Kim, Gun-Ho recalled Min-Hyeok’s wife. The first and last time he saw her was at their wedding.

“She is tall and good looking. Since she is a Korean-Chinese, I’m sure she will do good sales work in China.”

Gun-Ho would soon turn 37 years old, and he felt anxious.

“Everyone around me is already married except me. Min-Hyeok Kim, Jae-Sik Moon, and even Jong-Suk Park are married. Jong-Suk will soon become a father. I’m the only one without my own family. It seems that money doesn’t give me everything.”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Young-Eun Kim.

[It’s already Friday. I want to see you again. I will wait for you the day after tomorrow at Starbucks in front of Hansung University Station at 10:30 am.]

Sunday came around.

The weather was not very clear. Gun-Ho looked outside the window. It looked like it would begin to snow anytime soon. Gun-Ho watched the weather forecast. It said it would snow today.

“The road could be slippery. I’m not sure if it is a good idea to go to the Fortress Wall of Seoul today.”

Gun-Ho still went to Starbucks and waited for Young-Eun. He always felt nervous whenever he was waiting for her. That was probably because he knew Young-Eun was not into him yet.

As always, Gun-Ho was sitting in Starbucks while waiting for Young-Eun anxiously. Young-Eun came into Starbuck. She was wearing a red jacket.

“Let’s have a cup of coffee before we head out.”

As Gun-Ho suggested, Young-Eun sat at the table with Gun-Ho.

“The red color looks really good on you.”

“Thank you.”

The two had their coffee while looking out of the window. It started snowing.

“Oh, my gosh. Look at the snow.”

Young-Eun seemed excited. Her eyes were fixed on snow. She didn’t even lay her eyes on Gun-Ho while glaring at the snow.

“I really wanted to paint the snow…”

Young-Eun seemed to be reminiscing about her old days when she was still dreaming of becoming an artist.

When they almost finished coffee, Gun-Ho said to Young-Eung, “Let’s go and take a walk around the Fortress Wall of Seoul.”

It was snowing lightly when they walked out of Starbucks, but when they almost reached the entrance, it started snowing heavily. There seemed to be no one around the Fortress Wall of Seoul that day. Young-Eun shouted in excitement, “Wow, look at the snow. It’s so beautiful.”

Young-Eun picked up some snow and started making several snowballs, and she began to throw them at Gun-Ho.

One of her snowballs hit Gun-Ho’s head. Gun-Ho couldn’t stay quiet. He started making his own snowballs and threw them toward Young-Eun. After a moment, they found themselves in a snowball fight. They were screaming in pain and in joy at the same time.

The snowball fight lasted for a while until Gun-Ho had to gasp for air.

“Let’s stop here.”

Gun-Ho stopped making a snowball and walked toward Young-Eun. While Gun-Ho was approaching her, Young-Eun hastily made a giant snowball and threw it to Gun-Ho in his head, who was right in front of her.

Snow powders got into Gun-Ho’s eyes and mouth.

“Hahahaha.”

Young-Eun started laughing. She looked so happy.

Gun-Ho wiped his face with a handkerchief and said, “It snows heavily. I think we’d better go back.”

“Are you mad?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I will buy you a drink—a beer. Let’s go to Daehakro.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun walked in the direction of Dongsung High School leaving his car in the parking lot. It would lead them to Daehakro.

“I want my revenge.”

Young-Eun laughed while covering her mouth with her hand. Gun-Ho held Young-Eun’s arm and put her arm around his. It took Gun-Ho a lot of courage to do so.

“Hold my arm. I don’t want you to slip and fall in this snow.”

Young-Eun didn’t pull her arm off. Gun-Ho could smell her scent. It was fresh and sweet. The very white snow and Young-Eun’s face looked alike.

When Gun-Ho was in elementary school, there was a girl in his class, who was really smart. She was very popular, but Gun-Ho couldn’t even talk to her because he knew she was out of his league. Now, Gun-Ho felt like he was walking arm in arm with that girl.

They entered a chicken restaurant. They ordered a roasted full-size chicken with beer. Young-Eun seemed to be enjoying the moment. It was a snowy day, and they were drinking a beer. Well, it was true that ladies were usually emotional and sensitive to weather and vibe. That day, they talked about a lot of things for a long time, from school days to Young-Eun’s days in Africa, and to Gun-Ho’s days in China.

After they walked out of the restaurant, they walked around Daehakro. They watched a Korean traditional musical performance on the way, and then they came back to Hyehwa Town.

“We should meet in Daehankro sometimes whenever Fortress Wall of Seoul wouldn’t be a viable option for the day. Did you see the Starbucks in front of the restaurant we just went to?”

Young-Eun smiled without responding to Gun-Ho’s suggestion.

“Well, I will see you later then. Stay safe.”

Gun-Ho waved at Young-Eun as they parted. Young-Eun turned around and waved back to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho received a message from Seoul National University. He was successfully admitted to the program that he applied for. It was a congratulatory message from them. It said the class would start on January 3.

“Hmm, am I now sort of a student of Seoul National University?”

Gun-Ho sent a text to Young-Eun and told her that he would be taking a one-year course at Seoul National University with Advanced Center for Administrative Development. She didn’t reply.

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok that he would leave soon for Korea with his wife—Dingding.

Gun-Ho called for Chan-Ho Eum.

“President Min-Hyeok Kim is coming to Korea from China. We need to pick him up at the Incheon International Airport.”

A few minutes later, Gun-Ho was sitting in his Bentley heading to the airport.

Min-Hyeok’s wife was a very tall woman. She was almost the same height as her husband—Min-Hyeok. It was the first time for Gun-Ho to meet her since their wedding. She looked sophisticated as Gun-Ho remembered. They both were wearing a coat. It was a cold day.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo. The owner of the companies.”

Min-Hyeok officially introduced Gun-Ho to his wife.

“Ni Hao!”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Min-Hyeok’s wife for a handshake. Dingding smiled and held Gun-Ho’s hand.

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Chapter 406 - Lifetime Companion – Part 1

Chapter 406: Lifetime Companion – Part 1

Dingding was astonished when she saw Gun-Ho’s car.

“Oh, my gosh, this is Binli (Bentley in Chinese)!”

Gun-Ho sat in the rear seat with Min-Hyeok while letting Dingding sit in the front passenger seat because in China, a front passenger seat was usually reserved for the most important figure among a group.

Dingding asked, “This Bentley must be very expensive, isn’t it?”

Min-Hyeok Kim answered on behalf of Gun-Ho, “It costs about 2 million Yuan.”

“What!? Did you say 2 million Yuan?”

Dingding was impressed by Gun-Ho’s financial capability.

Min-Hyeok and his wife arrived at Dyeon Korea in Asan City.

Gun-Ho introduced Dyeon Korea’s executive officers to the couple.

“This is our vice president—Mr. Adam Castler. He is from Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Dingding extended her hand to Mr. Adam Castler for a handshake. Her English was perfect.

Gun-Ho’s introduction continued, “This is Ms. Dingding. She is the president of the joint venture company that will sell our products in the China market. She is President Min-Hyeok Kim’s wife.”

“Oh, really? President Kim is a lucky man.”

Mr. Adam Castler seemed to be excited to meet someone who could speak English fluently.

“This is Director Dong-Chan Kim. He is responsible for all sales activities in the national market.”

Since Director Kim could speak English, he addressed Dingding in English.

“It is my pleasure meeting you.”

“This is Director Hyeong-Sik Yoon. He is in charge of general management.”

“Very nice meeting you.”

Director Yoon also spoke English in welcoming Dingding.

Gun-Ho addressed all of the executive officers.

“Ms. Dingding wants to see how our raw materials are produced in the production field. I will ask our manager—Hee-Yeol Yoo—in the production team to show Ms. Dingding around the factory.”

Gun-Ho then called for the secretary—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee.

“Please tell Manager Yoo in the production team to come to my office.”

After a moment, Manager Yoo entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Manager Yoo, we have two guests from China. They will operate the sales company of our products in the China market. They want to see the entire process of our products being produced. They will need to see and know the process in order to effectively explain our products to potential buyers.”

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo gave a tour of the factory to Min-Hyeok and his wife.

In the production field, there were ten machines in total which were fully working while making a loud noise. The machines were actively producing raw materials. Manager Yoo explained each process’ step in detail to them. While he didn’t let them take a picture of the inside of the factory, he showed them the compound room where only employees had access.

It took about an hour to complete the tour of the entire factory. When they finished the tour, Manager Yoo gave some sample materials to Dingding.

Gun-Ho called Jae-Sik Moon to let him know that Min-Hyeok was with him.

“Jae-Sik, Min-Hyeok and his wife are here with me. They are taking a tour of our factory right now. Let’s have lunch together tomorrow.”

“Min-Hyeok is here? Of course, I will be there. I will call Jong-Suk to come and join us as well. I know a good restaurant around here so that we can have lunch tomorrow.”

“Really? We can meet there then.”

“As to the real estate property next door, I gave the landowner the offer of 900 million won. He said he will have to talk with his son first.”

“That sounds hopeful. It seems 900 million won is not a bad price for him.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, I’m sure he will contact you soon. If he does, make the sales and purchase agreement right away.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

After the factory tour, Min-Hyeok and Dingding came back to Gun-Ho’s office. Mr. Adam Castler also entered Gun-Ho’s office again and said, “I think we should invite Mr. and Mrs. Kim for dinner today.”

It seemed that Mr. Adam Castler wanted to get to know Dingding.

“I’d like to visit China someday and visit the manufacturing facility that President Min-Hyeok Kim is running. Also, I’d like to visit Ms. Dingding’s company too.”

Gun-Ho said with a smile, “I’m sure you will have your opportunity to visit there.”

Dingding wanted to take a group picture at the front entrance of Dyeon Korea where a huge business sign was placed. Min-Hyeok and Dingding along with Dyeon Korea’s executive officers took a picture together. Dingding constantly commented that Dyeon Korea’s building was very clean and neat since it was a newly constructed building.

Gun-Ho said to the general affairs manager who took a picture of them, “Develop two photos of this group shot. Send one to China for Min-Hyeok and Dinging, and place one on the wall of our conference room or at the entrance.”

“Yes, sir.”

In the evening, Gun-Ho attended the dinner that Mr. Adam Castler hosted for the guests from China. After dinner, Gun-Ho reserved a room for Min-Hyeok and Dingding to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel and took them there.

“Min-Hyeok, take a deep rest tonight. Take Dingding to a spa here. They have an excellent spa facility. I will pick you up tomorrow morning.”

“You don’t have to come tomorrow. Just send Chan-Ho.”

Gun-Ho decided to stay in Asan City that night since the dinner party ended late at night. He didn’t want Chan-Ho to drive all the way to Seoul in the late hours. Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho stayed at a hotel in Ssangyoung Town in Cheonan City.

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile and sent Chan-Ho to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel to pick up Min-Hyeok and Dingding.

President Song came to Gun-Ho’s office to give him a report.

“Increasing the capital with the amount of your dividend has been taken care of. It’s December now. Would you like to receive the year-end report and next year’s business plan this month or in January?”

“If we make it in December, the report must be an estimated one, isn’t it?”

“Even if we make it in January, the report will be an estimated one as well, but it would be more accurate. Many large companies usually make a year-end report in December, and they make an announcement of their new year’s business plan in January based on the plan received in December.”

“Hmm, then let’s do it in mid-December. After that, we can throw a year-end party.”

“Understood, sir. I will send out the instructions to arrange it.”

After President Song left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho thought of having a one big meeting with all of GH companies for their year-end reports. That way, each GH company would develop a sense of solidarity and also would feel the need to be more competitive. However, in order to make it happen, Gun-Ho had to figure out first the venue for the meeting that would be able to accommodate the executive officers from the five GH companies. The venue would have to be either Seoul or Cheonan City.

“Well, maybe I will do that starting next year. This year, I will just visit each company to receive their year-end report.”

Gun-Ho once reviewed the possibility of having a comprehensive management office in the GH Building in Sinsa Town. He could step back from the daily management of his companies as a Chairman and let the management office oversee the business activities of all five companies. However, each of the companies was still not big enough, and since he was still single, him as a Chairman wouldn’t seem to be appropriate. Therefore, he decided to carry out that plan once he was married, and after GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea had been successfully registered with KOSDAQ.

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Chapter 407 - Lifetime Companion – Part 2

Chapter 407: Lifetime Companion – Part 2

When Gun-Ho was lost in thought about his plan on his multiple companies, Min-Hyeok and Dingding came to Gun-Ho’s office in GH Mobile. When Gun-Ho introduced the couple to the executive officers, they welcomed them, showing their respect, but they didn’t make a fuss unlike the executives in Dyeon Korea. Dingding felt a different vibe in GH Mobile from Dyeon Korea. The workers in GH Mobile seemed to be more conservative, and they work in a more systematic way. The company was bigger in size with more employees. Jong-Suk Park was the only one who seemed to be absolutely excited to see them.

“Hey, Min-Hyeok bro! It’s really good to see you. My sister-in-law is here too.”

Min-Hyeok introduced Jong-Suk to Dingding saying he grew up with him in the same town, and he was like his little brother, and that was why Jong-Suk referred to her as his sister-in-law. Dingding seemed to be delighted to meet Jong-Suk who considered her as his sister-in-law, and she extended her hand to him for a handshake. Jong-Suk showed the couple around the factory. Over 200 workers were working in the production field, and Dingding was impressed by the efficient system and productivity.

Dingding once again wanted to take a group photo, and they took a picture together at the company’s entrance where she could see GH Mobile’s business sign.

Gun-Ho headed to GH Logistics in Seonghwan Town, where Jae-Sik Moon was working, with Min-Hyeok and Dingding. Min-Hyeok thought GH Logistics looked cozy. There were several trucks and heavy equipment parked in its front yard.

“Hey, Jae-Sik!”

“Hey, Min-Hyeok!”

The two looked so happy to see each other. Gun-Ho, who was standing next to them, felt delighted to see the happy moment of his friends.

“Huh? My little sister-in-law is here too.”

“She is your big sister-in-law, bro, because I’m your big brother.”

Min-Hyeok introduced Jae-Sik to Dingding.

“This is Jae-Sik Moon. We’ve been friends since high school. Gun-Ho invested in this company as well, and Jae-Sik is running it.”

“Is that so? He has several companies.”

“He has more. There is a company that manages a building in Seoul City. Also, GH Media that hosted your father’s art exhibition is his too.”

Dingding looked at Gun-Ho and thought, ‘So, he is the chairman of the GH group.’

Jae-Sik took them to a Japanese restaurant in Pyeongtaek City, which specialized in Shabu-shabu. The restaurant was situated in a newly constructed building. It was a very large restaurant. Jae-Sik picked this restaurant because he knew Chinese people liked Shabu-shabu.

Dingding seemed to be excited and started taking pictures of the restaurant interior. Gun-Ho thought that taking a picture must be her hobby.

Six people including Min-Hyeok, Dinging, Gun-Ho, Jong-Suk, Jae-Sik, and Chan-Ho sat at a table. They all seemed to enjoy Shabu-shabu with beer. Min-Hyeok said while smiling, “You know what? It seems like the ugly three brothers of Incheon City are all here.”

They all laughed. Jong-Suk chipped in.

“You should count me in. It should be the ugly four brothers of Incheon City.”

They all laughed again. Dingding was the only one who looked puzzled. They mostly talked about the old days when they were in high school.

“Jae-Sik, you were the target of Suk-Ho Lee, and you made it so easy.”

“Don’t even say his name. I’m still sick of him.”

Gun-Ho asked, “How is Suk-Ho Lee doing these days? How’s his business in Shenyang City?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him for a while. I’ve been too busy lately. The last time I spoke with him, he was complaining about his stores that were still on the market. He was trying to rent them out.”

“When you go back to China, give him a call and see how he is doing. I know that it’s really hard to do business in China as an individual. We were lucky that we have connections in China like Seukang Li and Jien Wang. Also, we started our business as a registered company. As an individual business owner, the business environment in China is not very favorable.”

“You are probably right. Remember the time when we visited him in Shenyang City? We stopped by his place on the way to Dandong City. He didn’t look so good even then.”

When they finished lunch, Min-Hyeok said, “I guess I have to say goodbye here. I will return to China after visiting my parents in Incheon City. Jong-Suk, can you give us a ride to the KTX station? Gun-Ho will have to go back to Seoul.”

“Why don’t you come to Seoul with me?”

“Nah, it’s okay. Taking the KTX is more convenient for us, so we can get off at the Seoul station to take the subway. Dingding wants to go to Myeong Town anyway, so we will spend some time there.”

“I see. Well, then I guess it’s time to say goodbye.”

“Jae-Sik, stay healthy, okay? I’m sure you will succeed in running GH Logistics!”

“Thank you, my friend. You stay well. Also, my little sister-in-law, take care.”

It was December and the weather was cold. Gun-Ho came out of his warm condo and sat in his car to go to work. He didn’t even bother wearing a coat or winter outwear since he would stay in a warm office after taking his heated vehicle. Gun-Ho looked outside the window in his office. People in heavy winter outfits were passing by Gun-Ho’s building on the street.

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Young-Eun Kim.

[I will be waiting for you at Starbucks in Daehakro, the one across the street from the restaurant we had beer together last time. I will be there on Sunday at 11 am.]

Sunday came around.

Gun-Ho didn’t wear a mountain-climbing outfit with a backpack that day because he thought he wouldn’t walk around the Fortress Wall of Seoul. The weather was too cold to walk outside. He was wearing a coat and dress shoes when he headed to Starbucks in Daehakro. The coat and the shoes that Gun-Ho was wearing were high-end designer fashion.

Gun-Ho was waiting for Young-Eun at Starbucks. It was after 11 am, and Young-Eun hadn’t shown up yet, but Gun-Ho didn’t feel anxious any longer. He thought he was now closer to Young-Eun after they had a snowball fight the other day.

Gun-Ho was enjoying his cup of coffee when Young-Eun finally arrived. She was wearing a coat as well.

“Why don’t you have a cup of coffee?”

“Sure.”

After a moment, Young-Eun’s coffee was ready.

“Did you have a good week?”

“Yes.”

“Any trouble in the hospital like being reprimanded by your superior?”

“No.”

“It’s no fun if you respond to me with yes or no only.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho looked at Young-Eun’s face and laughed. Young-Eun laughed along with him.

Young-Eun pulled out something from her bag.

“What is it?”

“It’s a sewing thread.”

“A sewing thread? Do you need to mend something?”

“Give me your ring finger.”

“My ring finger?”

“My aunt asked me to measure your ring finger, so we can order a ring.”

Gun-Ho almost spilled his coffee in surprise.

Young-Eun looked serious and focused on measuring Gun-Ho’s ring finger. Gun-Ho felt an urge to abruptly hug her.

‘Oh, my gosh. Am I finally going to get married?’

Gun-Ho’s finger started trembling.

Gun-Ho held Young-Eun’s hand.

“Thank you, Ms. Young-Eun Kim. I will do my best to make you happy for the rest of my life.”

“People are staring at us.”

Young-Eun slowly pulled her hand out in embarrassment.

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Chapter 408 - Year-end Financial Meeting – Part 1

Chapter 408: Year-end Financial Meeting – Part 1

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun watched a play at Arko Arts Theater in Daehakro. After the play, they exchanged opinions and views on the play. Young-Eun once dreamed of becoming an artist, and she was still highly interested in arts, and she was very knowledgeable in the field accordingly.

‘If I married Seol-Bing or Mori Aikko, I wouldn’t have felt a sense of comradery that I’m feeling right now with Young-Eun, even though they are beautiful women.’

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun walked out to the street.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I am actually starving.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Umm… Pizza!”

When they saw an Italian restaurant— Porco Rosso — that specialized in wood-fired pizzas, they entered there without hesitation.

“I know you own several businesses, but you seem to be folksy, and I like that.”

“I like the folksy side of you as well, Ms. Young-Eun Kim.”

“I’m just an ordinary person. Haha.”

Gun-Ho was having a great time that day with Young-Eun. He wished he had a day like this one every single day.

“Umm, where does your father live? Since your mother passed away, does your father live by himself?”

“Yes, he is still alone. He is living in Dongbu condo in Sillim Town.”

“He must feel lonesome.”

“Not really. He has his own busy life. He goes to a clubhouse and plays Korean chess with his friends. He often goes to a library as well. Also, he likes mountain climbing. His favorite activity is climbing Gwanak Mountain with his friends. He loves that place.”

“I guess you often send him things to help him out like allowance money.”

“Haha, not really. He doesn’t accept my money. He is living on a pension.”

“I heard your father used to work as a teacher in an elementary school before he retired.”

“That’s right. He had taught kids for 34 years.”

“I’d like to meet him someday.”

“Huh?”

Young-Eun just smiled while having a piece of pizza.

It was on December 15.

GH Mobile’s year-end financial meeting would be held today. The meeting would address the year-end report and next year’s business plan. President Jang-Hwan Song convened the meeting in the conference room. Every management personnel from the position of a manager and above gathered in the conference room. One of the labor union’s leaders attended the meeting as well. There were 36 attendees in the conference room. Six of them were executive officers, and they sat in the front seats facing other attendees. Everyone carried their journals with them.

The meeting started with the general affairs manager’s opening remarks followed by the year-end report. Once a Powerpoint presentation began, everyone turned around and looked at the Powerpoint screen.

The female accounting manager— Min-Hwa Kim started her presentation on the year-end report. She was holding a presentation pointer. Her pitch during the presentation was higher than her usual one.

“This year, we achieved 81.6 billion won for the annual sales revenue. This amount is 9% higher than the one when we were under court receivership. The product cost is 67.8 billion won with a sales profit of 13.8 billion won. The general and administrative expenses were 8.1 billion won. That makes our ROS (Return on Sales) 7% with the operating profit of 5.7 billion won. If we include the subtraction of the financing cost of 2.6 billion won and the taxes, the net profit for this year is 2.4 billion won. It’s 2.9% of our sales revenue.”

The accounting manager continued her presentation further.

“Now, I will go into more details on the product cost.”

At that moment, President Jang-Hwan Song chipped in.

“Let’s go over one thing before we move on to the next item.”

Everyone looked at President Jang-Hwan Song’s face.

“The paid-in capital of our company is 2.5 billion won. In order to pay the company’s urgent and bad debt, President Gun-Ho Goo lent 3 billion won of his personal fund to the company. We are supposed to pay this amount of 3 billion won back to President Goo once we generate enough revenue. However, President Goo decided to capitalize on this 3 billion won. So, now our company has 5 billion won capital.”

Silence filled the air. No one could hear even a slight cough.

“Also, President Goo decided not to take his dividend of 2.4 billion won this year but asked us to use the fund to pay for the company’s debt. Therefore, we are anticipating seeing a lower debt ratio and fewer business expenses other than operating costs. We will all have to thank Mr. President Goo for his decision.”

Once President Song finished the announcement, the accounting manager continued her presentation.

“So, our product cost is…”

President Song again chipped in.

“Ms. Accounting Manager, please give us big numbers only. You don’t have to tell us every single one of the numbers that you see in the product cost.”

“Yes, sir.”

It still took a long time for the accounting manager to give the complete end-year report even though she left out small details.

Manager Chang-Hwan Seo from the sales team then started his presentation on the business plan for the coming year.

“The sales volume has steadily increased for our new product— AM083 Assembly — including S Group’s product orders. The estimated profit for the upcoming year will be 12% higher than this year, and we set our sales goal to 91.4 billion won. We have also tried to lower our product costs… Therefore, we are aiming at 5 billion won as our net profit next year.”

Once Manager Seo’s presentation ended, the internal auditor added, “From the year after next year, our debt ratio will be significantly reduced, and I expect it to be about the industrial average debt ratio.”

When all the presentations were done, Gun-Ho made a final comment for the meeting.

“Thank you for your hard work. I feel highly relieved as I see the company steadily growing with your great effort. Our sales goal next year is set to 91.4 billion won, and with your motivation and gusto, I have no doubt that we will achieve that goal.

In order for us to successfully register our company with KOSDAQ, our debt ratio must be 1.5 times lower than the industrial average debt ratio. We all want our company to go public, so we gain the public’s trust, and also we will feel more proud of being a part of this community. You can expect to see more benefits that the company offers to our employees as well. Let’s keep up the good work and do our best in our position. Each of you is an important asset to our company. Thank you all for being here today.”

Everyone in the meeting room stood up and clapped.

That day, the company cafeteria prepared a special lunch for the employees. They added chicken and a variety of fruits to the menu. The workers assumed that the special menu was provided per President Goo’s order as it was the day they announced the business plan of the upcoming year.

“I heard President Goo is very sensitive with numbers since he used to work in the accounting field before. He gets really mad if someone gives him an inaccurate number.”

“The executive officers must be very nervous around him when they have to talk about numbers then.”

Gun-Ho had lunch at the company cafeteria that day with the executive officers.

When Gun-Ho came back to his office after lunch, the secretary — Ms. Hee-Jeong Park brought a cup of coffee for him as she always had done. While he was enjoying his afternoon coffee, Gun-Ho received a call from Artist Choi.

“This is Artist Choi. I hope I picked the right time to call you. I thought you might not be very busy after lunchtime.”

“Hi, how have you been?”

“I’m fine. I heard you and Young-Eun met several times. Why don’t you propose to her? Since it’s December now, I think March next year will be a perfect month for you to marry her.”

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Chapter 409 - Year-end Financial Meeting – Part 2

Chapter 409: Year-end Financial Meeting – Part 2

Artist Choi was rushing Gun-Ho into marrying Young-Eun.

“I think this coming March would be perfect, after the Lunar New Year’s Day.”

“Umm, sounds good.”

“Usually, the groom’s family picks the month of the wedding, and then the bride’s family determines the specific wedding date within that month. We will have to finish all the family gatherings and stuff before March then. Have you met Young-Eun’s father?”

“Umm… Not yet…”

“Oh, my gosh. How come both of you and Young-Eun are so sluggish? You two are so alike. I had asked Young-Eun several times to measure your ring finger, and I received the measurement just now. Please go and see Young-Eun’s father. Bring a bottle of liquor to him; he will like it.”

“Haha. Okay, I will do that.”

“I will tell Young-Eun that the groom picked March for the wedding. I will let Young-Eun pick the specific date.”

“Thank you.”

“Her father is so worried about her, especially because she doesn’t have her mother now. He wants her to marry as soon as she can. But that crazy girl went to Africa for volunteer work and stayed there for several years. She is now even older.”

“Thank you for everything.”

Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea. Gun-Ho would have another year-end meeting in Dyeon Korea in the afternoon.

Gun-Ho had to skip his usual afternoon nap that day and headed out to Dyeon Korea right after finishing his cup of coffee. When he arrived at Dyeon Korea, he still had about twenty minutes left before the meeting started. Gun-Ho turned on his computer in the president’s office. There was a new email waiting for him. It was from Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo in the production department of Dyeon Korea.

[I’ve been trying to document Dyeon’s chemical compound recipes and formulas along with other important data. There were so many of them, and I finally managed to organize them all. I’ve attached the file to this email. I’m sorry that I couldn’t have done this earlier. I haven’t shown the data to anyone but you, sir.

I feel so grateful for every opportunity that you gave to me including the training in the U.S. I wanted to document this as soon as I could in order to show my gratitude to you, sir, but if you would hear my excuse, we’ve been very busy with new machines and new testing in the production site. I’m sorry again, sir.

From Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo.]

Gun-Ho opened the file that was attached to the email sent from Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo. The file was huge in size, and there were a lot of numbers and chemical symbols in Excel.

“Shoot. I can’t even read these. Let’s just remember that I have this file on my computer.”

Gun-Ho sent a brief reply to Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo.

[Thank you for the file and thank you for your hard work, Manager Yoo. Let’s do our best in doing our part to make our company great. Thank you.]

Dyeon Korea’s year-end financial meeting started. Ms. Myeong-Sook Jo — the accounting manager — made the presentation in the meeting.

“Dyeon Korea opened its door early this year. We have been in the business for nine months now which is less than a year yet.

Our sales revenue this year is 21 billion won, and our product cost is 15.75 billion won. Our sales profit is 5.25 billion won. Our general and administrative cost is 2 billion won, and that would make our ROS 9.5% with our operating profit of 3.2 billion won. We haven’t incurred any other expenses other than operating costs…”

Since Dyeon Korea was a joint venture company with an American company, everything had to be interpreted by the interpreter — Mr. Lee.

Assistant Manager Il – Gi Seong’s presentation on the upcoming year’s business plan ensued.

“Our anticipated sales revenue for the next year is 36.4 billion won. The sales revenue in our national market takes up 33.6 billion won out of it, and the other 3 billion won is from the market overseas…”

With the interpretation of every word, the meeting took a lot longer than the one in other companies, and it felt boring. Gun-Ho felt tired since this was the second year-end meeting that he attended that day. It was Gun-Ho’s turn to make a final statement.

“Dyeon Korea made outstanding achievement even in its first year of business. Thanks for your great work. This joint venture company started the business without any financial debt, so we could generate profits. However, as we expand our sales market to other countries, it is very possible that we might have to borrow funds from a bank which will cause a debt. That will reduce our profits accordingly. But, even though we incur some debt in developing our market, if we increase our sales and make more revenue, we can even make more profits.”

Mr. Adam Castler nodded his head as Mr. Lee interpreted what Gun-Ho said.

“We need to develop our markets overseas in the upcoming year. Also, I’m hoping that we can bring more machines up to no. 16 by the first half-year. Thank you all for attending the meeting today.”

After the year-end financial meeting, Gun-Ho came back to his office. He was having his cup of tea when he received a call from President Song in GH Mobile.

“Sir, it’s President Song. Is Dyeon Korea’s meeting over?”

“Yes.”

“I heard Dyeon Korea generated 21 billion won of sales revenue with 25% of profits.”

“That’s correct.”

“Dyeon Korea seems to be doing great. I guess handling raw materials is a highly lucrative business. I think you can expect to see more revenues coming from overseas markets starting next year.”

“They set a goal of 3 billion won.”

“There seems to be lots of potential in the overseas market. I’ve noticed that the year-end report for GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea was prepared and presented by the sales team, but it should be actually handled by a business planning department which neither company doesn’t have yet. The department can develop, research, and analyze the company’s long-term goals and investment, and it will produce a strategic plan as well. I think we need to form the department.”

“Hmm.”

“Well, I guess you must be very tired today since you attended two meetings.”

“I’m okay. With my young age, I can handle this much.”

Even if he said so, Gun-Ho felt extremely exhausted after getting off the phone with President Song.

Gun-Ho started thinking while having his tea.

‘I guess each of my companies will need a business planning department once it hits the sales revenue of 100 billion won. I will need a department that can research and analyze new investments and implement an efficient business plan. The department should report directly to me though.’

Gun-Ho sat at his desk and opened his email, and wrote an email to Director Kang in GH Development, President Jeong-Sook Shin in GH Media, and President Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

[We had a year-end financial meeting in GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea today and discussed this year’s profits and losses along with the upcoming year’s business plan. Since we won’t have the meeting for GH Development, GH Media, and GH Parts Company, I’d like to receive a report about the same for each company. Please send me the report via email by the end of this month. I prefer to receive the report on a one-page A4 paper. I appreciate your great work this year.]

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Chapter 410 - First Meeting between the families of the bride and groom (1) – Part 1

Chapter 410: First Meeting between the families of the bride and groom (1) – Part 1

It was almost Christmas. Gun-Ho wanted to spend Christmas Day with Young-Eun this year. Gun-Ho sent a text message to her.

[I’d like to spend this Christmas Eve with you. I will be waiting for you at Starbucks in Daehakro at 6 pm.]

Young-Eun replied.

[I’m going to my father’s in Sillim Town on Christmas Eve. I think we should reschedule our next meeting.]

Gun-Ho immediately sent another text to Young-Eun.

[That’s even better. I will go to your father’s in Sillim Town then on Christmas Eve. I’d like to meet your father.]

Young-Eun didn’t reply to Gun-Ho’s last text message.

Gun-Ho reread his text that he sent to Young-Eun while wondering if he said anything inappropriate or if he sounded rude. He felt nervous again. He then remembered what the first sergeant in the military told him when he was in service.

“You should sleep with the girl first who you want to have. That’s the most efficient way to get a girlfriend. Girls are so calculating that they can move on to another man at any time when they think they found a better man. You, a naïve idiot, probably won’t be able to do it, will you?”

Gun-Ho wanted to abruptly hug and kiss Young-Eun Kim without asking her consent just like he did with Mori Aikko and Seol-Bing. But, it wouldn’t seem to be going well that way with Young-Eun. He didn’t want to ruin what he had with Young-Eun right now.

“She measured my ring finger the other day. That means she wants to marry me. How come she doesn’t move forward?”

Gun-Ho thought of Mori Aikko.

Whenever Gun-Ho sent a text message to Mori Aikko, she seemed to be extremely delighted to hear from him. She seemed to be always ready to come to Gun-Ho whenever he asked her to.

“Mori Aikko must be lonely. She probably doesn’t even have many friends since she didn’t properly go to school.”

Gun-Ho went to the Galleria Department Store in Apgujeong Town and purchased a women’s winter outfit. He then mailed it to Mori Aikko’s condo in Daikanyama.

After sending a gift to her, Gun-Ho felt better. But it didn’t last long. He saw the news on the Internet through his smartphone about Seol-Bing. It said that Seol-Bing was seeing a male singer, and her mother refused to approve their relationship.

“I already gave up on having a relationship with Seol-Bing, but how come I am feeling uneasy right now. I don’t really care whether she sees a singer or even marries him. But I don’t feel comfortable for some reason.”

Gun-Ho was in his bed and ready to sleep when he received a text message from Young-Eun.

[Please come to Dongbu Condo no. 2-xxx in Sillim Town on December 24, at 6 pm.]

Gun-Ho had a sweet dream that night. He felt a sense of relief.

The next morning, Gun-Ho gave a call to his mother.

“Mom, how have you been? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is good here. How are you?”

“How are you feeling? How’s your spine?”

“It’s good. I’m wearing a back support belt all the time. I’m having a normal daily life without any problem.”

“That’s really good to hear, mom. How’s dad?”

“Your dad? He is good too except he eats too much.”

“Mom, I am seeing someone.”

“What? You are seeing a girl? I’m so happy to hear that, son. What is she doing for a living?”

“Actually, you have met her, mom.”

“Really? Who is it?”

“I will bring her home early next year.”

“Tell me more, son. Don’t torture me. What’s her occupation? How old is she?”

“She is six years younger than me. She goes to a hospital for work.”

“Hospital? Is she a nurse? It’s good that she is six years younger than you. I didn’t know you would be able to find someone on your own. Hahaha.”

“She is not a nurse.”

“Then what? Is she a staff in the administrative office in a hospital?”

“I will tell you later mom. Just know that I will bring her home soon.”

“I want to meet her as soon as possible.”

About an hour later, Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“Gun-Ho, mom told me that you are seeing someone? Is it true? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I started seeing her very recently, sister.”

“I heard she goes to a hospital for work. Is she a nurse? Mom said she is probably an office worker in a hospital.”

“Our relationship hasn’t developed far enough for marriage yet. I will let you know once I’m sure that we are going in the marriage direction.”

“I actually had someone who I wanted to introduce to you. Well, if you found someone already, then that’s good. So, she is six years younger than you, huh? I’m sure you like that. Where is she from? Where did she grow up?”

“She is from Seoul City.”

“You should bring her home so mom and dad can meet her. I want to see her too.”

“Yeah. I will let you know.”

Young-Eun’s father actually wanted his daughter to marry another medical doctor. He hoped that his daughter would meet someone in the same field that she was in. He didn’t like a businessman for his daughter’s husband. He believed that running a business was not a stable job, and there should be too many ups and downs that he would bring into life. That’s why Artist Choi, who was his sister-in-law, had a hard time convincing Young-Eun’s father to accept Gun-Ho as his son-in-law.

“I want Young-Eun to meet someone in the same medical field. So, they can have a stable life together and understand each other better.”

“Young-Eun is the one who would marry him, not you. You can’t keep her on your side forever. She will soon turn 31 years old. 31, did you hear that? She’d better marry now when she had a decent man to marry.”

“I heard that guy is running a business. I don’t like it. A lot of businessmen end up filing for bankruptcy.”

“Many medical doctors file for bankruptcy too. He is not just a businessman. I heard that he has more than 100 billion won. It’s not easy to lose that much money.”

“But still…”

“Have you seen Hyundai or Samsung file for bankruptcy? A man should take some risk in vigorously leading his life; he can do business or he can even do politics. What’s the point seeking only for stability in life? You had a stable job as a teacher in an elementary school, and you did have a stable life. So what? You haven’t experienced a rich life, have you?”

“Well…, on the bright side, he is a self-made successful man. That’s good.”

“Right. The wealth that he has right now is not something that was easily passed on to him. He earned that wealth by himself. He won’t lose his wealth; he will rather grow it. If Young-Eun likes him, then you should let her go. I talked with Young-Eun, and I think she likes him too. Young-Eun is coming to see you on this Christmas Day, isn’t she? Why don’t you ask her to bring that man?”

“Okay. I can meet him. That’s not a problem at all. I don’t understand how a young man could possibly make 100 billion won. That’s a mystery.”

“Well, you can ask him when he comes to meet you.”

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Chapter 411 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (1) – Part 2

Chapter 411: First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (1) – Part 2

It was Christmas Eve.

Gun-Ho put on a dress suit with a tie. He then wore a coat before leaving his condo. He didn’t forget to take liquor with him as a gift for Young-Eun’s father as advised by Artist Choi. He chose two bottles of Maotai and put them in his Land Rover. On the way to Young-Eun’s father’s home, Gun-Ho stopped by a bakery around the Sillim station and bought a large cake.

The condo where Young-Eun’s father was living looked old.

“She said his unit is on the sixth floor, right?”

Gun-Ho entered the elevator and pressed six. When he arrived at the door, he rang the doorbell. No one answered. Gun-Ho made a call to Young-Eun.

“Hi, it’s me. I’m at the door.”

A second later, someone opened the door. It was Young-Eun. She was wearing jeans.

“What are these?”

Young-Eun looked surprised while taking two bottles of Maotai and a cake that Gun-Ho handed to her. While inside the condo, it looked simple. It was about 25 pyung large. Young-Eun led him to the living room and let him sit on a sofa.

“Is your father not here?”

“He is.”

Young-Eun opened the master bedroom’s door and said to someone inside, “He is here, dad.”

A man who looked like he was in his late 60s came out. He looked a bit slim.

“Hello, sir.”

Gun-Ho stood up and gave a 90-degree bow to the man.

“Please have a seat.”

“Yes, sir.”

Young-Eun brought some green tea.

Young-Eun’s father looked shy for some reason.

“How long have you seeing my daughter — Young-Eun?”

“It has been six months, sir.”

“Are both of your parents alive?”

“Yes, sir.”

Young-Eun prepared some fruits and placed them on the table. Young-Eun’s father said while picking up a piece of an apple, “Please take some apple.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So, you are running a business?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of business do you have?”

“It’s a manufacturing company of automobile parts.”

“Hmm, then you must have a factory as well.”

“Yes, the factory is located in Jiksan Town in Cheonan City.”

“Is Jiksan Town part of Cheonan City?”

“Yes, it is.”

Young-Eun was carefully listening to the conversation between her father and Gun-Ho.

“How many employees do you have?”

“There are 250 workers in that location.”

“250 workers?”

Young-Eun’s father looked surprised. Young-Eun’s eyes, who was sitting next to her father, widened in surprise as well.

“Hmm. It must be a big company. You said your last name is Goo?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Which area does your family name originate from?”

“It’s from Neungseong in South Jeolla Province.”

“Hmm, I see. Our last name — Kim — is from Gimhae City in South Gyeongsan Province.”

Young-Eun brought the cake that Gun-Ho bought for them and asked her father, “Dad, do you want me to put it on the table?”

“Oh, you bought a cake. It’s too big for us. I’m not sure if we can even finish it; there are only two of us.”

Young-Eun said while pointing at the liquor, “Dad, he brought them too.”

“What are those? Ohhh, they are Maotai. Those are very expensive liquor!”

“Oh, are they expensive?”

Young-Eun looked at the label of Maotai.

“Oh, I heard you went to college in China. Which school did you go to?”

“It’s Zhejiang University in Zhejiang Province.”

“Oh, Zhejiang Province! What did you study there?”

“I majored in economics.”

“Oh, I see. That’s why you are running your own business. You must speak Chinese very well. Can you read the words over there?”

Young-Eun’s father pointed a frame hanging on the wall.

“Yes, sir. It says, Yoo Deock Yoo Lin (meaning: there is a good neighbor where virtue is present).”

“How do you read it in Chinese?”

“It’s ‘you de you lin’.”

“You de you lin? I guess they read the last letter as ‘lin’ as we do.”

Young-Eun’s father and Young-Eun seemed to be interested in Gun-Ho’s Chinese.

“Well, let me see. We have a guest here today, Young-Eun. Let’s order some food. If you look at the refrigerator door, you will see the phone numbers of several restaurants. Call them and place an order of some roasted chicken and Jokbal*.”

“You don’t need to, sir. I already ate.”

“Well, in that case, Young-Eun, bring me some dried snacks from the dining table. Also, bring me two empty glasses from the cabinet.”

As Young-Eun brought two empty glasses with some dried snacks, her father opened a bottle of Maotai.

Young-Eun’s father filled up one glass with Maotai and handed it to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho took it with two hands.

“Hmm, this is very nice.”

It seemed that Young-Eun’s father really liked the taste of Maotai. As he drank more and more, he seemed to feel relaxed and at ease. He started talking in a more friendly and informal way to Gun-Ho.

“Please drink it. Bottoms up.”

Gun-Ho took the glass and turned his head slightly to the side before drinking it. He tried to comply with the manner and etiquette that he could think of in drinking with a person who was older than him.

“So, this is Maotai. Let me have a sip.”

Young-Eun brought one more empty glass for her.

“Wow, it must be very strong liquor. I can literally smell alcohol!”

Young-Eun frowned as she took a sip. Young-Eun’s father became talkative once he drank several glasses of liquor. Young-Eun placed the cake on the table and lit candles. Young-Eun suggested singing a Christmas carol, and they sang together.

“I feel like I now have a son.”

Gun-Ho thought that bringing liquor to Young-Eun’s father was a stroke of genius as advised by Artist Choi.

Young-Eun cut the cake into several pieces and placed three pieces on three small plates. She then placed them on the table with forks. They drank Maotai with a piece of cake. Gun-Ho thought that Young-Eun’s father was a naïve man even though he was in his late 60s. He sometimes asked some questions to Gun-Ho, which could be raised by children. Maybe, that was because her father spent most of his life with children in an elementary school by teaching them.

“When Young-Eun was in school, she was an excellent student. She never created any trouble. She was ranked first in her class. When Young-Eun told me that she would bring someone who she would marry, I felt mixed feelings. I was of course absolutely happy for her, but also sad that I had to let her go. You have my blessing. I want you to make a happy life together. That will make your parents and me happy.”

“I will keep that in mind, father.”

Without realizing it, Gun-Ho was referring to Young-Eun’s father as father.

Young-Eun’s father seemed to enjoy drinking liquor. Gun-Ho thought that maybe because he was living by himself after losing his wife, and he probably wanted to ease his pain and loneliness with liquor. Gun-Ho would turn 37 years old soon, and he was old enough to understand an old man’s life.

“What did your father do for a living before he retired?”

“He used to work in a small company in Incheon City.”

“I think your parents were very able people since they supported your study abroad. They must be great parents.”

“Thank you.”

“I wish Young-Eun’s mother was here with us. Since her mother passed away while she was still young, she didn’t learn much about how to do house chores. Her aunt taught her some, but still, she is not good at it. I hope you understand.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Young-Eun said while frowning, “Dad, stop drinking. You had enough for today. Mr. Gun-Ho Goo needs to go home.”

“Oh, really? What time is it?”

Gun-Ho stood up and said, “Father, I had a great time today. Thank you for inviting me over.”

Gun-Ho gave a deep bow to Young-Eun’s father.

“I will see you again soon, sir.”

“It was nice meeting you, son. Young-Eun, show him downstairs.”

Young-Eun walked down to the building entrance with Gun-Ho.

“Do you think your father liked me?”

“I think so since he drank a lot.”

“I do like your father too. He seems very scholarly.”

“Drive safe.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Young-Eun to hold her hand and say goodbye. Gun-Ho walked off the building for a while and turned around. Young-Eun was still standing at the building entrance and was watching him leave. Gun-Ho waved at her and Young-Eun waved back at him.

Note*

Jokbal – Korean dish made of pig’s trotters with soy sauce.

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Chapter 412 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (2) – Part 1

Chapter 412: First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (2) – Part 1

The new year began.

The course at Advanced Center for Administrative Development in Seoul National University began as well. Gun-Ho went to the classes with Attorney Young-Jin Kim. A lot of luxurious cars were found in the university parking lot whenever those classes were held.

On the first day of the course, the course takers went around the table and introduced themselves to the class.

Most of them were high-ranking government officials. Also, many people from a legal profession participated in the course. In addition, there were two general officers and three businessmen. Twenty professors would participate in the program in giving lectures. The high-ranking government officials seem to know each other; they conversed and made jokes within their circle. On the other hand, the businessmen including Gun-Ho stayed quiet.

“How come I don’t see Minister xxx? Is he not taking the course?”

“Yeah, he is extremely busy these days.”

“What about the guy who moved from the Blue House to the National Assembly?”

While listening to the conversation between those high-ranking government officials, Gun-Ho thought of his high school days in Bucheon City.

‘The Minister person reminds me of Won-Chul Jo who is working in a large company as a manager. And, the college president person over there who is wearing gold metal frame glasses looked like Byeong-Chul Hwang who is working at some research center. The congressman person with a murky voice over there reminds me of Suk-Ho Lee; he looked like him too.’

Gun-Ho looked around.

‘The dorky Gun-Ho in high school is still a dork in this group as well.’

The lecture was impressive as the university was the no. 1 college in the country. Gun-Ho was also amazed by other attendees; they all seemed to be a great speaker except Gun-Ho himself. The lecture was somewhat useful since they mostly talked about the current international trend and the economy. The thing was though that the topic was not directly related to running a business.

Gun-Ho didn’t actively socialize with his classmates like a minister or a congressman. They were a lot older than him, and they didn’t seem to care about the mid-size business owners. Gun-Ho talked with Attorney Young-Jin Kim most of the time.

On the second day of the course, someone approached Gun-Ho. He was the minister who was sitting behind Gun-Ho.

“When you introduced yourself to the class on our first day, you said you are running a business. What kind of business do you have?”

“It’s a manufacturing company of automobile parts.”

“Are you supplying the parts to Hyundai as well?”

“Yes, sort of, not directly though. We are a 1.5 vendor to them.”

Maybe it was just Gun-Ho, but he felt like he saw the minister smiling sarcastically.

“How much sales revenue is your company generating?”

“We made 80 billion won last year.”

“Is it registered with KOSDAQ?”

“We are in the process of preparing for it.”

“Have you applied for the preliminary examination?”

“No, we haven’t yet.”

“Hmm. I know the governor in Financial Supervisory Service. We went to college together. He was a junior to me. Well, we passed the bar exam together as well. Hmm.”

The minister was bragging about his connection with important figures in business.

“Give me your business card.”

Gun-Ho took out his business card from the inner pocket of his jacket and handed it to him with respect. The minister carefully looked at Gun-Ho’s business card. A congressman who was standing next to the minister glanced at the business card out of curiosity, and then he said, “Give me one too.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the congressman as well, again while showing his respect.

The minister and the congressman didn’t even bother giving their business cards to Gun-Ho even after they got one from him.

It was the third day of the course. The students at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development were electing their class leader.

“A class leader? Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee, why don’t you take the position? Since you have a wealthy family, our class can be benefited financially, right?”

A man who looked like he was in his 50s waved his hand and said, “No, thank you. I don’t want to.”

At that moment, the congressman stood up and said, “Hey, Jin-Woo, just take the position. Hey, class, let’s clap for our new class leader—Jin-Woo, Lee!”

The students started clapping, and the Jin-Woo person came forward in front of the class.

“Haha. Alright. Thank you for electing me for the class leader position.”

Even though he said he didn’t want to take the position, he seemed to be happy to be elected as such.

“Having a class leader wouldn’t be enough. We need a manager for our class who would do actual work. We will need someone younger.”

The minister who took Gun-Ho’s business card earlier said loudly, “Here, I think President Gun-Ho Goo will fit right in the position. He is a young business owner. He has an automobile parts manufacturing factory.”

The congressman who received Gun-Ho’s business card showed his strong support while clapping.

“I totally agree! President Gun-Ho Goo is the most suitable person for the position.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim also added his voice to the suggestion for electing Gun-Ho for the class manager position. Now, everyone in the class clapped along with the three people. Gun-Ho suddenly became the class manager.

‘Is this position worth taking?’

At that moment, what Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town and President Jang-Hwan Song said the other day popped up in Gun-Ho’s head.

‘A businessman should keep his proper distance from government officials. The proper distance is not short or long, but it has to be adequate.’

It was January already.

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Young-Eun Kim.

[Dear Ms. Young-Eun Kim, my parents in Incheon City would like to meet you. The weather will be warmer next week. I’d like to set up an appointment then. I will meet you at Starbucks in Daehakro on Saturday at 3 pm.]

Young-Eun responded.

[I will be busy on Saturday with all the seminars that I have to attend with my superior. Can we meet on Friday instead? Lunchtime will be perfect.]

Gun-Ho replied immediately.

[I will pick you up at your hospital by noon on Friday.]

Gun-Ho then called his parents.

“Mom? I will stop by home next Friday around 1 or 2 pm.”

“On Friday around lunchtime? What’s the occasion?”

“I will bring your future daughter-in-law.”

“What? My future daughter-in-law? Are you serious? Is she really coming to meet us?”

“Yes, mom.”

“Is that the girl who is working in the office in a hospital?”

“She is not an office worker, mom. She is a medical doctor.”

“What? A doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, my goodness! A medical doctor!? Shoot. I will have to deep clean our home. I need to get rid of all the doodles that Jeong-Ah put on the wall.”

“Just relax, mom. It’s okay to be as it is.”

“How come I feel so nervous to meet my future daughter-in-law? I will tell your dad and your sister now.”

Gun-Ho’s mother seemed to be excited and also confused.

Friday came around.

Gun-Ho called for Chan-Ho Eom.

“You will have to have late lunch today.”

“Are you going somewhere during lunchtime, sir?”

“I need to go to my parents’ home in Incheon City and stop by Seoul National University Hospital in Dongsung Town on the way. We will have to get there by noon.”

“Seoul National University Hospital? Someone passed away, sir?”

“No. No one died. I need to pick up someone there.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 413 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (2) – Part 2

Chapter 413: First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho’s Bentley arrived at the entrance of Seoul National University Hospital. Usually, a security guard would come to ask to drive off from the entrance if they saw a car parked there, but since it was a Bentley, no one said anything.

Young-Eun showed up at the entrance. She was wearing a heavy scarf because it was a cold day.

“Here! Over here!”

Gun-Ho got off the car and opened the door for Young-Eun. Young-Eun seemed to be surprised when she saw Gun-Ho’s Bentley.

Chan-Ho was curious when he realized that the person who Gun-Ho wanted to pick up was a young lady. Chan-Ho glanced at Young-Eun through the rearview mirror. Young-Eun asked Gun-Ho, “Is this your company car?”

“Yes, it is.”

“It looks so expensive.”

Young-Eun didn’t ask how much it would cost to buy a car like that, and Gun-Ho didn’t say anything about the price either.

“Chan-Ho, say hello to her. She is a doctor at Seoul National University Hospital.”

“Hello.”

Chan-Ho greeted Young-Eun while looking at her through the rearview mirror. Young-Eun smiled and said, “You must be working for the company.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You are such a good looking young man. What’s your name?”

“I’m Chan-Ho Eom.”

“Mr. Chan-Ho Eom! Please take this.”

Young-Eun took out a health drink from her purse and handed it to Chan-Ho.

Gun-Ho said to Young-Eun who was sitting next to him in the rear seat, “Chan-Ho is 29 years old.”

“Oh, I am older than him.”

Chan-Ho spoke while still looking at Young-Eun through the rearview mirror, “I’ve been always hoping to know a medical doctor personally.”

“Haha. Knowing a medical doctor personally is not that useful as you might expect. We just know our area of specialty.”

When the car entered into a riverside road, Young-Eun stared outside the window. She didn’t say much, maybe because she was not alone with Gun-Ho, but Chan-Ho was present and could listen to their conversation. Gun-Ho was also looking outside the window without a word.

Gun-Ho’s phone started ringing. It was from his sister.

“Gun-Ho, are you on the way home?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I heard you are bringing a medical doctor? Is it true? How did you two meet?”

“Sis, she is in the car with me right now. I will talk to you later.”

“Okay, got you. I will be waiting for you. I really look forward to meeting her.”

Gun-Ho’s Bentley arrived at his parents’ home—HillState Condo in Guweol Town.

“I will be waiting for you here, sir.”

“Okay. I will give you a call if I’m going to be late.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun walked toward the building entrance. Young-Eun looked calm. She didn’t seem to be the type that easily showed her emotion.

When they arrived at the door, he found it slightly open. His parents purposefully kept it open expecting Gun-Ho to come in. When Gun-Ho and Young-Eun entered the condo, Gun-Ho’s mother ran toward the door. His mother was wearing a Korean traditional dress. Gun-Ho thought that her mother was overly prepared to meet her future daughter-in-law.

“This is my mother.”

“Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

Gun-Ho’s mother stared at Young-Eun while standing at the entrance hall without moving. She was supposed to say hello and ask Young-Eun to come in and have a sit on the sofa, but she was just staring at Young-Eun without a word.

Gun-Ho finally broke the silence.

“Mom. You probably remember her from Seoul National University Hospital. She is the doctor who helped relieve your constipation.”

“That’s right! I was trying to figure out where I saw this lady. Oh, my gosh. I’m so glad to see you again.”

Gun-Ho’s mother grabbed Young-Eun’s hand in delight.

“Please come on in. Have a seat.”

Gun-Ho’s mother dragged Young-Eun while holding her hand and led her to the sofa.

Young-Eun said while sitting on the sofa, “How are you feeling these days? How’s your spine?”

“I’m doing great. I can’t believe you will be my daughter-in-law. I’m so excited.”

Gun-Ho’s mother’s voice was shaking in excitement. She quickly went to the master bedroom to ask Gun-Ho’s father to come out. He was wearing a traditional Korean dress as well.

‘Oh, my gosh. Why are they wearing traditional Korean dresses? They look so unnatural,’ Gun-Ho thought.

“This is my father.”

Gun-Ho introduced him to Young-Eun.

“Hello, sir. Very nice meeting you.”

As Gun-Ho’s father sat on the floor, Young-Eun came down from the sofa and sat on the floor to greet him.

“Please sit comfortably.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So, you are a medical doctor, huh?”

“Yes, I am.”

Gun-Ho’s father smiled, and he looked definitely satisfied by the fact that Young-Eun was a medical doctor. Gun-Ho’s sister came out from the kitchen and introduced herself to Young-Eun.

“Hi, I’m Gun-Ho’s older sister.”

Young-Eun quickly stood up from the floor.

“Hi.”

Gun-Ho’s sister smiled and said, “I’ve introduced several girls to Gun-Ho, and he rejected every single one of them. Now I understand why he did that. Haha.”

Gun-Ho’s sister brought a floor table in the living room. They usually used that table on a special occasion like Thanksgiving Day. She then placed some fruits and tea.

Jeong-Ah came back from school. Gun-Ho’s mother hugged Jeong-Ah and told her, “Jeong-Ah, meet your future aunt.”

“My aunt? Hello, I’m Jeong-Ah.”

Young-Eun smiled and said, “Hi, Jeong-Ah. You are so cute.”

Gun-Ho’s father asked Young-Eun, “Are both of your parents still alive?”

“My father is. My mother passed away.”

“Is your father living in Seoul?”

“Yes, he is in Sillim Town.”

“He must be retired, isn’t he?”

“Yes. He used to teach in an elementary school. Now, he stays home after his retirement.”

Gun-Ho’s mother said, “Don’t ask her too many questions. That’s rude.”

And then she went to the kitchen. After a moment, Gun-Ho’s mother and sister started bringing food to the table.

“You must be hungry. It’s after lunchtime already.”

When Young-Eun stood up and tried to help them to set the table, Gun-Ho’s mother stopped her.

“Please don’t. You are our guest today. Please have a seat and stay put.”

Gun-Ho set the table with food. Gun-Ho’s sister brought a spicy fish stew which was the main menu for today’s late lunch.

“Haha. Please try the fish stew. It’s a special dish you can have in Incheon City.”

Gun-Ho helped his sister place the fish stew on the table, and then he said, “I will ask my chauffeur to join us.”

His mother asked him, “Your chauffeur came with you? From the company? Ask him to come up. I’ve prepared tons of food today.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Chan-Ho Eom.

“Chan-Ho? Come to unit no. xxx. Let’s have lunch together.”

When Chan-Ho came, Gun-Ho introduced him to his parents.

“These are my father and mother.”

“Hello. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Gun-Ho’s mother grabbed Chan-Ho’s hand and said, “You are my little son now. Please come in and have a seat.”

Gun-Ho’s family, Young-Eun, and Chan-Ho sat at the table on the floor.

“I’m so happy that we’re all eating together today. We are now a big family.”

Young-Eun responded to Gun-Ho’s father with a smile and said, “That’s right. It’s going to be one of the best meals.”

Chan-Ho seemed to like Gun-Ho’s mother’s food. He finished two bowls of rice in no time.

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Chapter 414 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (3) – Part 1

Chapter 414: First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun walked out of Gun-Ho’s parents’ home in Guweol Town and headed to Seoul National University Hospital in Dongsung Town. Young-Eun had to go back to work because she had a night shift work that day.

While riding in his Bentley with Young-Eun on the riverside road, Gun-Ho felt happy. He felt like if he married her, he would be able to focus way better on his business.

‘My goal in life is that I register all of my companies with KOSDAQ and save 1 trillion won in cash in my bank account. Also, I want to make my companies as a group.’

Once he accomplished his goal, Gun-Ho wanted to start a charity work by opening a facility to help people just like Chairman Lee from Cheongdam town was doing. He was planning to buy a 1,000 pyung large land in Namchon Town, Namdong District, Incheon City to build the facility. If Young-Eun wanted, he would support her financially for any medical volunteer work for Africa.

When he came back to his home at TowerPalace Condo in Dogok Town after dropping off Young-Eun at Seoul National University Hospital in Dongsung Town, it was already after 7 pm.

“Chan-Ho, you must feel tired today.”

“I’m good, sir.”

Gun-Ho took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and gave it to Chan-Ho.

“Have a nice dinner with this.”

“Thank you.”

Chan-Ho gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho before accepting the envelope. Chan-Ho’s shoes looked particularly shiny.

No one bothered Chan-Ho at the company. Everyone tried to be nice with him since Chan-Ho was the person who assisted Gun-Ho at a close distance all the time. He sometimes got a windfall like a gift certificate. He recently received one from Director Jong-Suk Park and another one from Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim.

Chan-Ho bought his shoes with the gift certificate that Director Jong-Suk Park gave to him, and he gave the other one from Director Kim to Tae-Young, which made Tae-Young extremely happy.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building in Sinsa Town that day. The first thing he did in his office was to check his email.

Three emails sent in the early January were there waiting for Gun-Ho. They were the year-end financial reports from GH Media, GH Development, and from Min-Hyeok Kim in China, which Gun-Ho asked them to send to him. These reports included audit documentation performed by an internal auditor. The ones that would be made by external auditors would be issued in early March, which wouldn’t be different from the one currently attached to the email since they would be made based on the documents prepared by the companies themselves.

Gun-Ho at first read the report sent by President Jeong-Sook Shin in GH Media.

“Their sales revenue last year was 1.9 billion won. Wow. It’s more than I expected.”

Gun-Ho smiled. The high sales revenue resulted from the successful sale of the Japanese book—’the person who wakes up in the morning’. Those people who wanted to become morning persons seemed to like this book a lot. GH Media also added the revenues from the book café in GH Building and GH Gallery to its total sales revenue. After subtracting the general and administrative expenses, GH Media’s profit was approximately 1.1 billion won.

At the end of the report, President Jeong-Sook Shin added her suggestion.

[I’d like to reinvest 300 million won into the company out of 1.1 billion won of profits, and distribute 800 million won as dividends.]

Gun-Ho quickly calculated the amounts of the dividends. If he distributed 800 million won, Gun-Ho would receive 760 million won for his share while President Jeong-Sook Shin would take 40 million won since she was supposed to receive a 5% stock option.

“A media business is interesting. It started with a 300 million investment fund with an additional 300 million won in purchasing Amazon’s cartoon series, so I invested 600 million won in it in total. The return of my investment is not bad at all. I would already make more than what I invested. Well, since I would take more than I put in, I will let President Shin run the business as she sees fit.”

Gun-Ho replied to President Jeong-Sook Shin in GH Media.

[Thank you for your hard work. After the external audit is completed and after paying necessary taxes, you can distribute the dividend. As to the pay raise this year, please make the determination according to the labor collective agreement and the pertinent government guideline.]

After replying to GH Media’s report, Gun-Ho opened the next email from Director Kang in GH Development.

Its sales revenue was 9.8 billion won, but the profit was only a few million won. The loan interest took up the most expenses, from the loan that they took out when they purchased GH Building. After applying the depreciation reserve, nothing much was left. There was a message from Director Kang at the end of the email.

[I’m sorry, sir, that we hadn’t generated much revenue last year. However, I’m positive that we will do much better this year. We have new income coming in from GH Gallery’s rent and the book café on the rooftop. Also, we are reviewing the possibility to raise the rents since our building has gained better image and reputation; thanks to GH Gallery for that.]

Gun-Ho replied.

[Thank you for your great work and effort last year. When you raise the rents, please check the office space market in the area and also read the trend. For the pay raise, please adjust our employees’ wages according to the minimum wage increase rate, and freeze my wage as the president’s wage for this year.]

GH Development’s low revenue last year didn’t concern Gun-Ho much because he would be benefitted by the real estate. The building’s price that GH Development was managing was on the rise.

Gun-Ho then opened the email from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

GH Part Company’s sales revenue was 7.8 billion won.

“7.8 billion won? It’s not bad at all. I was actually expecting about 4 or 5 billion won. This is surprising.”

Gun-Ho looked at the breakdown of the sales revenue. As expected, a high portion of the sales revenue came from the sales of the new product—AM083—which S Group was the major buyer.

“I do appreciate the Japanese engineer—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo—who developed AM083 for us. When I had to pay him an additional incentive for successfully developing the product, I actually thought it was too much, but it was worth it. I think maybe I should pay him more even now.”

GH Auto Parts generated the profits of 1.1 billion won. At the end of the report, Min-Hyeok’s comment was found.

[Most of the sales revenue is coming from the new product sales. I haven’t contributed much to it by developing a new market. I’m thinking of distributing 1 billion won out of profit, and I won’t take my share of the stock option this time…]

Gun-Ho replied.

[What are you talking about? The products were manufactured under your supervision in China without any defect, and those products reached to our customers through you, President Min-Hyeok Kim. After the completion of the external audit and tax payment, distribute the dividend. Send my share of 950 million won to my bank account in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and take 50 million won for your stock option. As to the pay raise, you determine the wage for this year while taking account of the wage trend in the China labor market. Keep up the good work.]

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Chapter 415 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (3) – Part 2

Chapter 415: First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (3) – Part 2

Once he received his dividend from GH Auto Parts in China, Gun-Ho would make double his investment. Gun-Ho was very satisfied with the result of his investment.

“My factory in China is successful. I think the business background of GH Mobile was the key to its success.”

Gun-Ho’s wealth was gradually increasing.

The dorky Gun-Ho was not a good student grade-wise when he was in school. He was an average student in a suburb close to Seoul City. With his grade, he didn’t even consider going to a college within Seoul at that time. It was highly competitive even among the students in high school located within Seoul City to be admitted to a college inside Seoul City.

Gun-Ho studied one more year after graduating high school in order to get into a college. He was eventually admitted to a low ranking college in South Chungnam Province, but he couldn’t even complete his degree there because of money. The tuition was expensive as well as the living costs. His father was unemployed at that time, and his mother was working as a caregiver in a nursing home. With his mother’s salary only, his parents couldn’t fully support Gun-Ho financially.

He then decided to finish his mandatory military service without finishing his college education. After completing the service, he started taking classes from a cyber college while working part-time.

Gun-Ho thought that once he got a job in the government, he would be able to support his family including himself. So, he began to study for the level-9 government job exam while staying in a tiny room in Noryangjin Town, and he eventually gave up after failing the exam multiple times.

He then started working in a factory while moving from one factory to another until he accidentally met Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town. His years of experience with the factory works became a valuable asset for Gun-Ho in running his current manufacturing companies.

Even the dorky Gun-Ho was good at something. He was not a good math student, but he was outstanding in calculating numbers like addition and subtraction. He was a mediocre student, but he had an excellent memorizing ability. Also, he showed incredible concentration when it came to money. He was persistent in getting a lucrative opportunity. His investment in the stock market, real estate, and acquisition of a company were the examples.

Gun-Ho received a call from Artist Choi.

“President Goo? Can you talk right now?”

“Yes. Please go on.”

“Have you and Young-Eun met each other’s parents?”

“Yes, we have.”

“Then, why haven’t you proceeded to the next step yet? You should set up a meeting between your parents and Young-Eun’s father.”

“Oh, the meeting between the families? Umm, sure, of course, we should.”

“I’m sorry to say this, but I feel like you two wouldn’t be able to marry without another person’s help.”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

“Set up the meeting this Saturday. Since your parents are in Incheon City and Young’s father is in Sillim Town, Seoul, I think Yeouido would be an adequate venue for the meeting. Make a reservation with a restaurant in 63 Building there.”

“Umm, sure, I will do that.”

“If you look at the directory of 63 Building, you will see a restaurant called Shuchiku. It’s a Japanese restaurant, and it’s on the 58th floor. Let me make a reservation for you. I will make the reservation for this Saturday at 1 pm. Your wedding date is scheduled for March 18th. Why don’t you decide on a wedding hall after discussing it with Young-Eun? You don’t have much time left. You’d better hurry in preparing for your wedding.”

After getting off the phone with Artist Choi, Gun-Ho sent a text message to Young-Eun.

[Ms. Artist Choi will make a reservation with a restaurant—Chuchiku—in 63 Building for the meeting of two families. Please come to the restaurant this Saturday at 1 pm with your father.]

Young-Eun’s reply arrived.

[Okay. I will do that.]

Once he received a confirmation from Young-Eun, Gun-Ho made a call to his mother.

“Mom? We will meet with Young-Eun’s father this Saturday. It will be at a restaurant in 63 Building.”

“This Saturday? That sounds good. I was actually wondering why no one hasn’t said anything about the formal meeting between two families.”

“If you come to the 58th floor, there is a Japanese restaurant. Come at 1 pm.”

“Did you say 58th floor? There is a restaurant there? I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, there is one. Come and ride with my sister.”

“Okay. Haha.”

Gun-Ho then sent a text to his sister.

[Sister, two families will meet this Saturday at the Japanese restaurant—Chuchiku—in 63 Building. The restaurant is on the 58th floor. Take your Sonata with mom and dad. I will give a ride to them on the way back to Incheon City. Thanks, sister.]

Gun-Ho’s sister’s reply came in a bit later. She was probably busy at work.

[I just got your text. Of course, I will take our parents there this Saturday. Don’t worry about it. Congratulations, brother. You are finally getting married.]

It had been a month since Gun-Ho started taking the course at Advanced Center for Administrative Development. One day, the students wanted to have dinner together.

The course was a one-year non-degree course that required attendance only twice per week. So, many of the students were there to make a connection or socialize rather than learning something.

“Hey, Mr. Class Manager, why don’t you collect 100,000 won from each of us for dinner today?”

The class president person just assigned a work to Gun-Ho, and Gun-Ho mumbled to himself.

‘Sh*t. I shouldn’t have accepted this position. I’m the owner-president who gives orders to others in my companies. Here, I get the order from someone.’

After taking the list of students from TA, Gun-Ho walked around the class to collect 100,000 won from each student. The students in that class seemed to have no problem giving 100,000 won. Most of them produced two 50,000 won to Gun-Ho. A minister made a joke when Gun-Ho asked him to give the contribution for dinner.

“Mr. Minister, 100,000 won please.”

“Do you take a credit card payment?”

Even though some people asked for an alternative payment method other than cash, they all had cash in their wallets. Gun-Ho went to a general who was in his 50s. He was the serious type.

“Mr. General, 100,000 won please.”

“What? 100,000 won? Isn’t it too expensive for dinner?”

“I think the restaurant that we are going to is a famous one.”

A minister suggested.

“Mr. Class Manager, why don’t you pick a restaurant and make a reservation for us?”

“Umm, I don’t know any restaurant in this area.”

Gun-Ho walked to a student who had a wealthy father-in-law who had a conglomerate. That person was currently a minister in the government, so Gun-Ho just called him ‘Mr. Minister.’

“Mr. Minister, do you, by any chance, know of any nice restaurant around this area?”

“Well, I don’t know. I know several decent restaurants in Gangnam District, but not this area. Why don’t you try the professors?”

Gun-Ho went to the office for professors, and a professor recommended a sushi restaurant around the Gwanak District’s government office with the restaurant phone number.

“But this restaurant is very pricey.”

“We have lots of ministers in class. I don’t think they would care about the price.”

“Well, you never know. Usually, ministers are frugal. A businessman like you, President Goo, spends money without thinking much.”

“Why don’t you join us for dinner, Professor?”

“Sure, I will.”

Gun-Ho made a reservation with the restaurant that the professor recommended. He also checked the location of the parking.

Gun-Ho went back to the class.

“We are going to Namhae Sushi Restaurant across the street from the Gwanak District’s government office. It’s on the second floor. You can park your car behind the Green Motel. There is a large parking lot there.”

Someone reminded Gun-Ho of something.

“Mr. Class Manager, you will need to check the number of chauffeurs as well.”

Gun-Ho yelled to the class, “Please raise your hand if you came with a chauffeur today.”

There were twelve people with a chauffeur.

“I will reserve a hall for the chauffeurs.”

“Our class manager is very good.”

Gun-Ho was thinking that his life was about to become tiring.

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Chapter 416 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (4) – Part 1

Chapter 416: First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (4) – Part 1

Ministers and legal professionals in the class seemed to have had a comfortable life so far. They seemed to try to handle everything by talking rather than moving their bodies.

“Mr. Class Manager, please ask them to bring us more wipers.”

“Mr. Class Manager, is there any other place where I can park my car rather than the parking lot behind the motel?”

“Mr. Class Manager, we need one more cup here!”

The class president called for Gun-Ho, and he gave three bottles of Ballantines’s 17-year-old whiskey to Gun-Ho and said, “Please put these on the tables equally.”

Gun-Ho wondered if the class president carried around Ballantine’s in his car.

Gun-Ho wanted to announce to the class who brought the Ballantines’s, so he stood up.

“May I have your attention, please?”

Everyone looked at Gun-Ho’s face.

“Our class president brought three bottles of Ballantines’s 17-year-old whiskey for us. Let’s give him a big round of applause to show our appreciation.”

Everyone clapped. There was someone who was being sarcastic. It was easy to find someone like him in any group whether it was a group of factory workers or it was a group of high-ranking government officials. He was a minister.

“Man… You should have brought 30-year-old whiskey instead of 17-year-old one. You have a rich father-in-law after all.”

Gun-Ho sat at the corner seat of the table because he was younger considering other students in the class, and also his social position wasn’t so high compared to others there either. Come to think of it, birds of a feather indeed flock together. There were roughly four kinds of occupations among the students: government ministers, legal professions, generals, and businessmen. People in a similar profession sat together as a group. In front of Gun-Ho, an old business owner of a construction company was sitting. They mostly talked about the old days when they were younger and when they were more vigorously participating in society. The professors were at the table as well, but since they were younger than the students, they seemed to stay quiet.

The loud dinner finally ended and the luxurious cars that the students rode in started pulling out of the parking lot.

Gun-Ho asked Chan-Ho Eum, “How was your dinner?”

“It was good.”

“How were the other chauffeurs?”

“We ate together. By the way, it seems their bosses are all in some sort of high class.”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems that there were government ministers, generals, and legal professions. One of the chauffeurs was a government employee.”

“Really?”

“Also, many chauffeurs were old men.”

“Hmm.”

“But, our vehicle was the best. Everyone asked me how much it cost.”

“They are no better than you, okay? Don’t let them get you down.”

“Of course, sir. Even though their bosses are in some sort of powerful positions, there is no guarantee that they could actually exercise the power. Then it’s nothing.”

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile the next morning. President Song was not in the office.

The chief officer at the research center came to Gun-Ho’s office when he heard that Gun-Ho was at work. He was holding some papers.

“Sir, would you take a look at these papers?”

“What are those?”

“They are information flyers by the government which they would subsidize the development of auto parts for fuel cell electric vehicles. The automobile industry sees fuel cells more efficient than internal combustion engines, and we are going in that direction.”

“I remember I read about it from the newspaper the other day.”

“A fuel cell electric vehicle was introduced to the public during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Game.”

“I think I heard of it. What exactly is a fuel cell electric vehicle anyway?”

“It’s an electric vehicle with the power generated using oxygen from the air and compressed hydrogen.”

“But GH Mobile manufactures automobile parts for the vehicles with internal combustion engines.”

“That’s true. But if we develop auto parts for fuel cell electric vehicles, the government will subsidize the cost. They indicated that they would aggressively support the company that would develop such auto parts. This is the document about it.”

“They are not providing 100%, aren’t they?”

“They will actually subsidize 90% of the cost for trial products. We can also use the testing equipment at Techno Park. I mean for the environmental test and license test.”

“Let’s do it then.”

“I’ve actually researched this ever since I worked at the BMW research facility. The thing is that in order to do this product development, I and two of my researchers have to solely devote to this.”

“You are saying that three of you won’t be able to do other work, even though our income-generating products are auto parts for internal combustion engine vehicles.”

“It’s an investment for the future, sir.”

“I got your point. Let’s apply for the program.”

At that moment, President Jang-Hwan Song entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Our research center’s chief officer is asking for the approval for developing fuel cell electric vehicles’ auto parts. We can get the government subsidy for it.”

“I think the automobile industry is moving in that direction right now even though that industry has currently weak infrastructure. There are not many recharging stations for those vehicles.”

“He said the government will support 90% of the cost.”

“Even with the government’s financial support, our R&D cost will still increase by 1% since we need to devote our researchers’ time and labor to the research.”

“I think we still should approve it for our future.”

“I agree with you, sir.”

“When are you leaving for Chicago?”

“It’s scheduled for next week. We classified the AM083, that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo developed by extruding twice, into different sizes and colors. Other products that we are taking with us to the motor show are the common products for internal combustion engine vehicles, which are commonly found in other auto parts manufacturing companies as well. So, AM083 would be our main product.”

“Are you going with Mr. Interpreter Lee from Dyeon Korea?”

“Yes, I already talked with Mr. Adam Castler, and he said okay.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea. There were people who were taking pictures, and Director Kim was with them.

Gun-Ho asked the secretary—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee what was going on.

“Who are those people?”

“They are the journalists from a magazine.”

“Journalists?”

“Yes, sir. I think they will place an advertisement in their magazine for us with some pictures.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho called for the secretary again, and asked her, “Please tell Mr. Adam Castler to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ms. Seon-Hye Yee, you can interpret simple English for me, can’t you?”

“Yes, I can, sir.”

“Then when Mr. Adam Castler arrived, come into my office with him.”

Mr. Adam Castler came to Gun-Ho’s office, and Ms. Seon-Hye Yee was following him.

“We currently have machine no. 9 and no. 10 on a lease since Lymondell Dyeon’s investment in-kind was up to machine no. 8.”

“That’s correct.”

“We are expanding our business overseas, and we will gradually add more machines probably until we reach machine no. 16. Do you think it is necessary to lease all of them? Our company has accumulated a reserve fund of 3.2 billion won.”

“Well…”

“Since Dyeon Korea hasn’t even reached its first year anniversary, Lymondell Dyeon won’t demand to send their shares of profits yet. Let’s consider purchasing machines instead of leasing them. The problem is their price; it’s too expensive. If there is a way that we could buy them at a more reasonable price, that would be great.”

“Lymondell Dyeon doesn’t manufacture those machines themselves. They buy the machines as well and sell them to us after adding some fees. If we could directly deal with the manufacturing company, that would be nice. But, Lymondell Dyeon might not like it.”

“Why don’t you talk with Lymondell Dyeon about it?”

“Okay, I will do that, sir.”

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Chapter 417 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (4) – Part 2

Chapter 417: First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (4) – Part 2

After Mr. Adam Castler left Gun-Ho’s office, Director Kim came into the office.

“Did those journalists leave already?”

“Yes, sir. We will put an advertisement in a plastic magazine with color pictures. I personally know the owner of that magazine publisher, and he suggested that he would place our advertisement in his magazine for half price.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I have something I’d like to discuss with you, sir. It’s a personal matter.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember my nephew who interpreted for us when we went on a business trip to Japan?”

“Oh, the international student in Japan?”

“Yes. He finally graduated from college in Japan and came back to Korea. The thing is that he is having a hard time finding a job, maybe because he is a bit older than other college graduates in the job market. If it’s okay, I want him to work with us at Dyeon Korea. We can place him in the general affairs department.”

“He doesn’t have any work experience in a general affairs field, does he?”

“No, he doesn’t, but since we have the general affairs manager, I think he can learn from him as he works. Our general affairs manager is currently overloaded with too much work. As we hired more workers at the production site, his workload in handling their work records and wages increased accordingly. He can’t even make time to perform other work outside the office.”

“Bring him to the office.”

“He is actually here right now. Would you like to see him?”

“Really? Well, since it’s about a non-executive officer position, you can hire him without my approval.”

“The thing is that since he is related to me, I don’t want to create any misunderstanding by hiring him without your permission, sir.”

“Okay. Let me talk to him then.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Director Kim left the office to bring his nephew in, Gun-Ho thought.

‘Dyeon Korea doesn’t do any business with Japan yet, but it would be nice to have someone who can speak Japanese.’

A man who looked like he was in his mid-30s entered Gun-Ho’s office. He was wearing thick glasses.

“Hmm, I remember you. Please have a seat.”

The man sat on a chair carefully.

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager through the interphone, and the manager came to Gun-Ho’s office after a moment.

“Mr. General Affairs Manager, I’ve heard that you have been overloaded with work.”

“Oh, umm, yes, sir, a bit…”

“This man here will help you with the work. He doesn’t have work experience and will need your guidance. You can let him handle the production workers’ wage calculation first.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was the day when the two families would meet for the first time.

Since it was Saturday, Gun-Ho didn’t want to ask Chan-Ho to drive for him. Instead, Gun-Ho drove his Land Rover by himself. Gun-Ho arrived at the restaurant a bit earlier and waited for others.

“Hi, I made a reservation for GH.”

When Gun-Ho was waiting for others at a room, his parents and sister arrived first.

“Oh, my goodness. This restaurant is so nice.”

Gun-Ho’s mother and father were busy looking around the restaurant.

Gun-Ho’s sister said while giving him V-sign, “Okay, Gun-Ho, I’ve fulfilled my duty to bring our parents safely here in time. I’m leaving now. Good luck.”

“Thank you, sister.”

“Gun-Ho, the food here must be very expensive. Maybe, 100,000 won per person? I’ve never been to a luxurious restaurant like this before.”

Gun-Ho’s father said as he sat at the table.

“So, the bride’s father used to be a teacher, right?”

“Yes.”

Gun-Ho’s mother said to her husband, “Please be careful not to make any mistake. And don’t forget to keep a smile on your face.”

“You are the one who should take extra caution not to make any mistake. Don’t talk too much, that’s the only effective way to prevent it. People who talk too much can’t avoid making a mistake while talking.”

“Shush. Someone is coming.”

Gun-Ho stood up and walked out of the room.

Young-Eun was there with her father.

“Hello, sir.”

Gun-Ho gave a deep bow to Young-Eun’s father.

“I hope we didn’t come late.”

Young-Eun’s father extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

Gun-Ho looked at Young-Eun. She was wearing light makeup with a hat. She looked really gorgeous that day. A small touch to the makeup and clothes made her look real pretty.

“Are they here already?”

“Yes, they are here in the room.”

As Young-Eun and her father entered the room, Gun-Ho’s parents quickly stood up from their seats. Gun-Ho’s mother seemed nervous and she dropped her handkerchief as she jumped out of her chair.

“These are my father and mother.”

Gun-Ho’s parents gave a deep bow to Young-Eun’s father and so did Young-Eun’s father. It seemed that Young-Eun’s father hadn’t been to a luxurious restaurant like this before as Gun-Ho’s parents. They all looked uncomfortable and unnatural. They didn’t seem to easily blend in with the restaurant’s atmosphere. But Gun-Ho and Young-Eun looked fine. They looked sophisticated and classy.

Young-Eun’s father talked first.

“I came alone today because Young-Eun’s mother couldn’t be here with me.”

“We’ve heard of it.”

Gun-Ho’s parents kept glancing at Young-Eun because she looked different that day. Young-Eun looked particularly pretty in the luxurious place.

“We are so happy that Young-Eun would become our family. You raised your daughter so well.”

Gun-Ho wondered how come his father was talking fine. Gun-Ho asked for a waitress and ordered some food.

“We will have full-course meals with wine instead of sake.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then let both parents know what to expect,

“I just ordered a course meal for us. The food will come out one by one, so please take your time.”

Gun-Ho looked at his mother’s face. She was having a mild smile on her face.

Young-Eun’s father said, “Young-Eun’s mother passed away when Young-Eun was in high school. So, Young-Eun didn’t have a chance to learn how to do house chores. I hope you understand.”

Gun-Ho’s mother responded, “She came to our home the other day. She had a good manner, and we thought she was very well raised and she must have great parents.”

Gun-Ho’s mother sounded fine which was not what Gun-Ho expected. Gun-Ho thought, ‘Mom, you are doing great.’

Gun-Ho filled up glasses with red wine and handed them to his parents.

It was not very comfortable but the meeting was fine.

Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun as they walked out of the room, “Did you bring your car?”

Young-Eun nodded her head and said, “My father drove.”

“I see. If you don’t have any plans tomorrow, I’d like to see you at Starbucks in Daehakro maybe around noon. I need to discuss something with you.”

Gun-Ho took his parents to their home in Guweol Town with his Land Rover.

Gun-Ho’s mother loudly said, “Ha! Your aunt’s daughter-in-law can’t even be compared with mine. My daughter-in-law is so pretty and smart. She graduated from a top university— Seoul National University. She is a medical doctor with good manners. You know what? People from my old workplace— the nursing home— and from the church are so surprised that I will have a doctor daughter-in-law.”

Gun-Ho’s father added, “Gun-Ho is so lucky. His father-in-law is a very well mannered person, maybe because he used to be a teacher. He seems to be a great man.”

“Gun-Ho, how did we do today? Did we make any mistake during the meeting with Young-Eun’s father?”

“You both were great.”

“Did you pick your wedding date?”

“Yes. It’s on March 18. I will have to find a wedding hall though. I might have to change the wedding date depending on the availability of the venue. I will let you know when everything is confirmed.”

“You said her father is living in Sillim Town, right? Then which wedding hall would be convenient for both families? We will have guests from Incheon City. What about somewhere around Noyrangjin Town or Daebang Town? There is Yuan Wedding Hall in Daebang Town.”

Gun-Ho didn’t say anything in response to his mother’s suggestion.

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Chapter 418 - Wedding (1) – Part 1

Chapter 418: Wedding (1) – Part 1

On Sunday, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun met at Starbucks in Daehakro.

“The family meeting yesterday was very nice.”

“Right. I had a good time.”

“The reason I wanted to see you today is about our wedding venue. We need to decide where we want to have our wedding.”

“I think we need to find a place that has easy access for our guests.”

“Right. So I was thinking of somewhere between Incheon City and Sillim Town where our parents are living.”

“What about Gangnam District then? I heard your office is in Sinsa Town. Many of my colleagues from the hospital are living in Gangnam District as well.”

“You want to have the wedding in Gangnam? We can do that since it’s between Incheon City and Sillim Town. What about the War Memorial of Korea or the Hilton Hotel in Gangnam?”

“Hilton Hotel? The one across the street from Seoul Station, right? Hmm… Yeah, I like that place. I’ve been there before for a medical seminar and a breakfast party.”

“I think the location is very convenient. The guests from Incheon City and from Sillim Town won’t have any difficulties to get there. Since a subway station is right there, anyone from Gangnam District can conveniently take the subway no. 5 or no. 1.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun decided to have their wedding at Millennium Hilton Seoul which was close to Seoul Station.

“I heard that a banquet room for a wedding is often already fully booked up for the next few months, and we’d better hurry in making a reservation. I think we should go there maybe tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is not good for me. What about the day after tomorrow? We can meet here on Tuesday during lunchtime.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun had lunch at Saboten which was located near Starbucks. They had a pork cutlet. After lunch, Gun-Ho suggested Young-Eun to take a walk.

“Let’s take a walk. It will help with digestion.”

“This area is too crowded to walk, and it’s close to Anam Condo where I live. Let’s go to Starbucks around Hansung University Station.”

The two went to Starbucks near Hansung University in Land Rover.

“Do you want to walk along the Fortress Wall of Seoul?”

“Let’s make a brief walk today. We can take a walk until we see the Gansong Art Museum.”

“Gansong Art Museum?”

“Yes, the art museum founded by Jeon, Hyeong-Pil.”

Gun-Ho had no idea where that Gansong Art Museum was, but he decided to just follow her. The area was quiet compared to the Daehakro area. Gun-Ho held Young-Eun’s arm.

“Mr. Gun-Ho Goo, aren’t you feeling cold?”

“Not at all since I am with you.”

Young-Eun chuckled.

“I think we need to change the way we call each other. Mr. Gun-Ho Goo doesn’t sound appropriate.”

“How do you want me to call you then? Mr. President? Mr. Chairman?”

“Please call me oppa.”

“Oppa?”

“Yes, try it. Call me oppa.”

“Oppa!”

Young-Eun laughed out loud after she called Gun-Ho oppa.

Gun-Ho put his arm around Young-Eun’s waist and said, “Thank you, Young-Eun!”

“Stop it. People are looking at us.”

Gun-Ho thought that Young-Eun looked so lovely that day. He wanted to kiss her on the cheek but he suppressed the urge because there were people on the street.

They kept walking until they reached Gansong Art Museum. It was a short walk.

“It’s only 2:30 pm. Why don’t we go to my place?”

“The condo in Dogok Town?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you will have to give me a ride back here.”

“Of course, I will.”

When Gun-Ho’s car was passing on Hannam Bridge, Young-Eun asked Gun-Ho, “Oppa, do you live there by yourself?”

“No, two people live there.”

“Two people?”

“I live with a person whose name is Young-Eun Kim.”

Young-Eun hit Gun-Ho in the shoulder while laughing.

When they arrived at Gun-Ho’s home, Young-Eun was startled by its size.

“Oh, my. It’s huge.”

“Of course. I need all these spaces so I could raise several children in it.”

“It’s not very economical to occupy a huge condo like this by yourself.”

Young-Eun looked around and opened each room’s door to only find out that all of the rooms were empty except the master bedroom where there was a bed, a desk, TV, and a computer.

Young-Eun said, “You are using only the master bedroom, huh?”

Young-Eun noticed a book— ‘the future of China’— authored by Jien Wang, which was placed in the bookshelf.

Young-Eun walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator and cabinets. There was a door to a veranda and a laundry room.

“Haha. You don’t have many plates.”

“I eat out most of the time.”

“You have a very nice view from the living room.”

Gun-Ho hugged Young-Eun gently and said, “Thank you.”

Gun-Ho then gave Young-Eun a kiss on the cheek and then slowly on her lips. Gun-Ho could hear Young-Eun’s breath.

“I will make you happy for the rest of my life.”

Gun-Ho then kissed Young-Eun more deeply. Young-Eun pushed Gun-Ho off and said, “I’d better get going.”

Gun-Ho headed to the Hyehwa four-way intersection with Young-Eun.

“Did you say you live in Anam Condo in Heyhwa Town?”

“It’s actually Anam Condo in Myeongryoon Town.”

On the way to drop off Young-Eun at her home, Gun-Ho couldn’t take his eyes off Young-Eun whenever they stopped at the red traffic light.

“Focus on driving. You should drive safely.”

When Gun-Ho was doing it again, Young-Eun shouted in English, “Please stop looking at me!”

Gun-Ho parked in the parking lot of the Anam condo complex.

“Let me take a look at your home too.”

“Maybe next time.”

“No next time. I want to see it today.”

“My condo is tiny, and it’s messy now. I didn’t clean it up.”

“That’s okay. I will still like it.”

Young-Eun’s condo was 21 pyung large.

There were two rooms, and one of them was filled with medical books. In the living room, there was a watercolor painting hanging on the wall. It was probably an artwork of Artist Choi.

Gun-Ho went into the master bedroom. There were a bed and a desk. One of the walls was covered by numerous postcards. When Gun-Ho was looking at those postcards, Young-Eun said, “It is distracting, isn’t it?”

“Not at all. I like it.”

On her desk, there was a photo of Young-Eun in a medical doctor’s white coat posing with her colleagues. In another photo, Young-Eun was with African kids. It must have been taken during her volunteer work in Africa.

“This condo is so cozy and great for one person’s living. How much did you pay?”

“I don’t own this condo. I’m renting it for half and half.”

“Half and half?”

“Yes, I paid a certain amount of security deposit upfront and pay a low monthly rent.”

“I see. This location is good. It’s close to your workplace, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. It’s within walking distance.”

“Hmm. That’s very nice.”

“Well, shouldn’t you leave now? You have to drive a good distance to Dogok Town.”

“I want to have dinner before I go home. Let’s go out and eat.”

The next morning, Gun-Ho was heading to Jiksan Town when he received a call from President Jang-Hwan Song.

“Sir, I’m at the Incheon International Airport right now. I wanted to give you a call before I fly to Chicago.”

“You have a safe trip, President Song. I guess I will see you next week.”

“Sir, why don’t you come and join us in Chicago later this week?”

“Well, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to do so. I have tons of personal matters I need to take care of these days.”

“Should I expect to hear any good news?”

“Umm, I will talk to you later.”

A lot of things were going on in his life other than his business. Gun-Ho had to prepare for his wedding, and he was also taking classes at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University, not to mention he had some duties to perform as a class manager there.

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Chapter 419 - Wedding (1) – Part 2

Chapter 419: Wedding (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. He wanted to check the company’s sales revenue with details. Gun-Ho at first thought maybe he should call for the accounting manager— Ms. Min-Hwa Kim, and then he decided to talk with the internal auditor instead.

‘If I talk with the accounting manager only, the internal auditor might feel excluded.’

Gun-Ho called for the internal auditor and he came to Gun-Ho’s office right away.

“I’d like to know the details of our last month’s sales revenue.”

“Our company’s monthly sales revenue is usually more or less 7 billion won. The amount is affected by a season as well. We make more during spring and fall, and we make less in winter. During the old days when we were Mulpasaneop, the sales revenue was around 70 billion won, and it lowered to 50 billion won when we were under court receivership. After we developed the new product— AM083, its sales added 1 billion won to our monthly sales revenue. Also, another 1 billion won was added once President Song procured new product orders from S Group’s four factories.”

“So, our monthly sales revenue before the new product and President Song’s new product orders was about 5 billion won.”

“That’s correct, sir. Therefore, our current monthly sales revenue is approximately 7 billion won and that makes our annual sales revenue of around 80 billion won. We indicated that our last year’s sales revenue was 81.6 billion won in our last year-end financial meeting.”

After the internal auditor left Gun-Ho’s office, he did the math by himself.

‘So, the monthly sales revenue is 7 billion won, and 30% of it is from S Group. The major client of our new product— AM083— is S Group. And the new product orders that President Song acquired were also from four factories of S Group. So S Group is the primary customer of our company now. President Song said that he won’t take his share of stock options this year since he hadn’t worked for the company even for one year yet. I guess he is a very reasonable man.’

‘President Song will definitely exercise his right on the stock option next year. If the company generates 5 billion won of net profits, he will get 250 million won for his stock option. Once we successfully register the company with KOSDAQ and if we generate the net profits of 10 billion won, his portion for the stock option would be 500 million won which is an extra amount to his salary. That’s a lot for a salaryman. That’s why he is working so hard. He voluntarily planned and arranged the trip to Chicago. Well, I get benefitted from it as well, and I should encourage him to continue to do so.’

When Gun-Ho was still lost in thought, the general affairs director came to his office.

“Sir, did you lose some weight?”

“You think so? I don’t know.”

“Sir, how do you want to handle the promotion this time?”

“I don’t get involved in those matters. You will have to discuss it with President Song.”

“The thing is that there is a candidate to be promoted to an executive position. This sort of promotion cannot be solely determined by President Song, can it?”

“To an executive position? Who is the candidate?”

The general affairs director took out a list of candidates for a promotion, from his folder.

“All these people worked more than four years in their current position, and their performance evaluation is above B. There are nine of them. One of them is a candidate for an executive position. It’s the accounting manager— Ms. Min-Hwa Kim.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho took a look at the candidate list. He didn’t have to be involved in a promotion to a position like a team lead, assistant manager, and manager, but he would have to give an opinion on the promotion for Manager Min-Hwa Kim.

“Hmm. Give me some time to think about this. I will let you know.”

“Yes, sir.”

The general affairs manager walked out of the office after giving a bow to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho thought about Manager Min-Hwa Kim’s promotion.

‘She has been managing the accounting department by herself, and I know that she has worked so hard even during the court receivership. I do think she deserves the promotion. She is capable of handling work, and she also has an aptitude for accounting work. The thing is that once she is promoted to a director, we will have two directors who would handle the company’s finance; Ms. Min-Hwa Kim and the internal auditor. I will have to move one of them to another department. But to where?’

‘I want to discuss this with President Song, but he is on a trip to the U.S. right now. Well, I can’t discuss it with the internal auditor either. Hmm.’

An internal auditor position was commonly found in a large company, but not in a mid-size company like GH Mobile. So, even though the position title was Internal Auditor, GH Mobile’s internal auditor’s actual work was an executive officer’s in the finance department.

It was Tuesday.

During the lunchtime, Gun-Ho went to Seoul National University Hospital in Dongsung Town to pick up Young-Eun. He made a call to Young-Eun. It was actually the first time he would talk with Young-Eun on the phone. They often exchanged text messages but they hadn’t talked on the phone.

“It’s me, your oppa.”

“Yes, oppa.”

“I’m at the entrance of Seoul National University Hospital right now. Can you come down?”

“Okay.”

Once Young-Eun got into the car, they headed out to Hilton Hotel.

While they were on the way to Hilton Hotel, Young-Eun, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho in the rear seat, said to Gun-Ho, “Do you think I’ve lost some weight?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“People around me said I lost some weight.”

“I’ve heard that too at work.”

Chan-Ho chipped in while looking at Gun-Ho and Young-Eun through the rearview mirror.

“I’ve heard that many people lose some weight before their wedding.”

“I guess preparing for the wedding could be stressful.”

“Sir, I’m so envious of you.”

“For what?”

“If you become ill, you have your wife who can give you a personal medical treatment.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun laughed.

When they arrived at Hilton Hotel, they went to the office that handled weddings.

“When is your wedding date?”

“It’s March 18th.”

“It’s on Sunday…”

The wedding staff was checking their schedule.

“Saturdays are usually full, but we sometimes have vacant hours on Sundays. That’s because many Christians don’t want to do their wedding on Sunday.”

Fortunately, they could reserve the banquet hall for March 18. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun told them that they were expecting 300 guests on their wedding.

“I think we need to reserve 300 seats for the guests. I’m going to ask the people at work to come to my wedding, who are above executive positions.”

Renting a wedding dress and photography were very expensive.

“Wow, is it that expensive?”

Young-Eun asked the price again. It seemed that she was having a hard time believing it.

“You will find higher prices in other hotels. I can show you the price comparison chart if you want.”

Gun-Ho talked her down.

“No, it won’t be necessary. We will take the service package.”

Young-Eun looked at Gun-Ho’s face. She didn’t seem to be happy with the cost.

“We won’t be able to find another wedding venue right now. Let’s just take it.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun made a reservation with the Millennium Hilton Seoul for their wedding.

The staff helped them to find a place for their honeymoon trip as well. They decided to go to Hawaii.

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Chapter 420 - Wedding (2) – Part 1

Chapter 420: Wedding (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho gave a call to his mother.

“Mom, the wedding will be on March 18th as planned. It’s going to be held at noon. The wedding venue is the Hilton Hotel across the street from Seoul Station.”

“Hilton Hotel? That one is expensive. I see.”

“Don’t invite too many people; just invite essential people who you really want to invite.”

“That’s not fair. Some of them will complain that I discriminate against them because my son is now rich.”

“Mom, please don’t invite everyone you know, but only those who you really want to come to congratulate on your son’s wedding, okay?”

“Okay. By the way, Gun-Ho, I feel sorry that we are not very helpful in arranging your wedding, as your parents. I will prepare gifts for the bride.”

“Okay, mom. I will talk to you later.”

Gun-Ho had a class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development that day.

Gun-Ho was thinking if he had to let the class know that he would soon marry.

‘I’m not that close to these people. We’ve met only a few times in the class. Should I still let them know? I would get a few more congratulatory flower wreaths at my wedding and maybe some gift money from them if I do, and I don’t need them. Maybe it’s a matter of courtesy. Hmmm. I don’t know what I should do.’

When Gun-Ho was thinking of whether he should inform the class that he would marry soon or not, a general from the class asked Gun-Ho that he wanted to talk to him in private during the break. He was the quiet type.

“Mr. Class Manager, let me ask you something.”

The general person pulled out something from his pocket.

“This is a wedding invitation. My first daughter is getting married. I was wondering if I should let everyone in the class know.”

“Oh, really? Congratulations. Of course, you should let the class know.”

“You think so?”

“Of course. Did you bring additional wedding invitations? I will help with distributing them to the class.”

The general opened his Samsonite briefcase and pulled out a bunch of wedding invitations and gave them to Gun-Ho. He also gave Gun-Ho his business card. He was a commanding officer.”

‘This man was always sitting at his desk quietly all the time, but he still wants to share his daughter’s wedding event with the class, which is interesting. I should have broken my wedding news to the class before him. Well, the good thing is his daughter’s wedding is at the end of February while mine is in March.’

The students started getting into the class since the class would resume anytime soon. Gun-Ho went forward in front of the class before the professor came to the class.

“Can I have your attention, please? Mr. General over there who is sitting in the third row from the back has a daughter, and she is getting married on February 26th. He is a commanding officer. If you can make time, I do encourage you to attend the wedding to congratulate him and his daughter. Thank you.”

The students didn’t seem to be happy to hear the news. The people sitting near the general congratulated him and had a handshake with him.

While Gun-Ho was distributing the wedding invitations, he heard someone making sarcastic remarks in a low voice.

“I don’t even know him. Is he serious about distributing the wedding invitation to the class and expect us to attend his daughter’s wedding?”

Gun-Ho was in his office at the building in Sinsa Town when he received an international call from President Song who was currently on a business trip to Chicago.

“Sir, we arrived in Chicago. The staff from the Korea International Trade Association is already here, and they helped us with setting up our booth.”

“That’s nice.”

“Many people at the event showed their interest in our AM083 Assembly. Many of them took our company’s catalogs and my business cards.”

“I hope we would hear from some of them.”

“Well, for now, we have received lots of attention. Some people were willing to get into negotiation for our other products.”

“Hmm.”

“We might not receive any product orders, but our products are definitely promoted and well marketed. H Mobis’ president came to the motor show as well, and he stopped by our booth and took a look at our products.”

“Hmm.”

“I will keep you updated, sir.”

“Hold on.”

“Is there anything you’d like to talk to me, sir?”

“The general affairs director brought me a list of candidates for promotion, and the accounting manager was on the list. What do you think?”

“All of the nine candidates satisfied the requirement to be promoted. So, even if we decide to promote all of them, that should be fine. As for the accounting manager, it’s not something I can decide.”

“If we promote her, we will have two directors in finance.”

“We will have to send one of them to another department.”

“How do you think we should handle it?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t have an answer for that. It’s your call, sir.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho went to work in Jiksan Town, and he ran across Director Jong-Suk Park in the restroom.

“Jong-Suk, come with me to my office.”

When Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk sat in the president’s office, the secretary brought two cups of green tea.

“How are you?”

“I’m doing fine. President Song stopped by the production site the other day, and he said the defect rate has decreased. In order to compensate for our effort in diminishing the defect rate, he suggested that I have dinner with the managers in the production department.”

“The defect rate has diminished? That’s good to hear. The labor union has been quiet lately, right?”

“They are not quiet at all. They have their own problems now.”

“What is it?”

“They are competing to win the lead positions within the labor union.”

“Why is that so? Is it a beneficial position? The company doesn’t give any extra pay to the leaders of the labor union.”

“It’s because of the expenses allocated to the labor union. The leaders will have the power to manage the budget.”

“You mean they can spend the labor union member fees as they please?”

“Well, not absolutely, but they can definitely exercise their discretion in managing the fund.”

“I see. How’s your family doing?”

“They are doing fine. By the way, bro, when are you going to announce the promotion? The candidates are desperately waiting for the decision.”

“I will do it soon.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Director Kim in Dyeon Korea.

“Are you in the office right now?”

“No, sir. I’m at Egnopak.”

“I was going to ask you to have lunch with me. Well, I guess we will have to do it at another time. I will talk to you later then.”

“Sir, I’m on my way out of Egnopak. I can go straight to GH Mobile without going back to Dyeon Korea. GH Mobile is closer from here. You are at GH Mobile right now, aren’t you?”

“Okay, then let’s meet at Plum Plantation Garden at noon.”

“Okay, sir.”

The branches of plum trees at the Plum Plantation Garden were bare in this cold winter. Only the pine trees near the outdoor sitting area were still green.

Director Kim arrived.

“Did you come by yourself?”

“Yes, sir. I came alone.”

Gun-Ho and Director Kim entered the garden restaurant. Not many people were in the restaurant. When the plum trees were in bloom, the restaurant would be full with people again. It was warm inside.

Gun-Ho, Director Kim, and Chan-Ho Eum sat at the table and ate together. In a situation like this, Chan-Ho usually quickly finished his lunch and gave some privacy to Gun-Ho and whoever was with him, so they could freely discuss business.

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Chapter 421 - Wedding (2) – Part 2

Chapter 421: Wedding (2) – Part 2

The restaurant always offered rice wine with any dishes that customers ordered. Gun-Ho and Director Kim slowly drank a glass of rice wine.

“I will be outside.”

Once Chan-Ho walked out of the restaurant, Gun-Ho said to Director Kim, “GH Mobile has nine candidates for promotion.”

“I heard of it.”

“One of them is the accounting manager—Ms. Min-Hwa Kim.”

“That is reasonable since she has been in the manager position for four years now.”

“The problem is that if I promote her to a director position in the accounting department, I will have to move the internal auditor to another department.”

“Of course. Since GH Mobile is not a large company, it’s redundant to have two directors in finance.”

The rice wine was dark in color. While sipping the wine, Gun-Ho continued to talk, “So, I was thinking to send the internal auditor to Dyeon Korea.”

“What? To Dyeon Korea?”

“Manager Myeong-Sook Jo is currently managing the accounting team in Dyeon Korea. Dyeon Korea is steadily growing now, and the accounting work would eventually become too much for her to handle by herself. Don’t get me wrong. I know that she is good, but she used to work as an assistant manager before she was reallocated to Dyeon Korea. She will probably need someone who has vast experience in the field to guide her, and Mr. Internal Auditor seems to be perfectly fit for the position.”

“That’s true. We are expanding our business to the Southeast Asia market, and the accounting work will be complicated accordingly like we will need to make consolidated financial statements. We also need someone who is knowledgeable about those countries’ accounting system. Well, I will just follow your decision, sir.”

“I will keep his position title—Internal Auditor. I don’t want to complicate the future promotion matter by changing his title to a director or managing director.”

“I got your point.”

“Please talk to Mr. Adam Castler about this. Just tell him that in Korea we must have an internal auditor in a company.”

“Yes, sir. I will tell him that we will have to pay a very high penalty if we don’t retain an internal auditor. Hahaha.”

“Did the Egnopak’s president take care of his son’s problem?”

“He probably handled it with money as he has always done.”

“There seems to be a high chance that his son will ruin his business sooner or later.”

“Every family has its own problem. Egnopak’s president let out a deep sigh whenever he talks about his son.”

“Egnopak’s president has his own problem too. His way to handle matters gave a wrong message to his son. When his son was beaten up in a bar five years ago, he went there with a baseball bat for revenge. What kind of father is he? Would you do the same thing?”

“Haha. Egnopak’s president himself is a spoiled kid. He inherited the company and wealth from his father.”

“I heard that he always asserts that he is not the second generation of a wealthy family, but he is the 1.5 generation.”

“I think he says that because he believes he grew the company much bigger with his own hands after he inherited it from his father.”

“Once a business reaches a certain level, the business is running fine with the system that is already set up, assuming there is no unusual event to affect the system. So it grows by itself. But he is claiming that the company grew because of his hard work and smartness, huh?”

“Well, what can we do about it? He is our major client who is buying our Dyeon Korea’s products after all.”

“You are doing great in handling the business with Egnopak, Director Kim.”

“You should do that too, sir. You were gentle and kind to them. According to Director Jong-Suk Park, when he wanted to cut Egnopak’s president’s son’s face with a knife, you talked him out of it. I do admire you, sir.”

“Well, thank you. Anyway, please inform Mr. Adam Castler that an internal auditor will join Dyeon Korea soon.”

“Since it is a joint venture company, whenever an executive officer joins the company, Mr. Castler will have to report it to Lymondell Dyeon. He is sending a weekly report to them anyway. Even though he regularly gives a report to Dyeon America, I don’t think he will try to take part in the promotion matter.”

After lunch, Gun-Ho came back to the factory in Jiksan Town. Gun-Ho called for the internal auditor.

“Let’s have a cup of coffee together.”

“Sure, sir.”

The internal auditor was wondering why Gun-Ho wanted to have coffee with him.

“What do you think about working for Dyeon Korea?”

“Dyeon Korea?”

“They are expanding the business right now. More machines are added, and its sales revenue is on the rise. They need an executive officer in the finance department. Your position with GH Mobile is expiring next year, but if you join Dyeon Korea, it will be renewed automatically.”

“Well, I actually don’t mind working for Dyeon Korea.”

“This is the fourth year for the accounting manager—Ms. Min-Hwa Kim—to work as a manager in the accounting department, and she is in the promotion candidate list. Once she is promoted to a director position, it will result in leaving two directors in finance, which doesn’t look appropriate given the size of this company.”

“That’s correct, sir. Manager Min-Hwa Kim is very good at her work. She has been handling the accounting department since Mulpasaneop. She went through the court receivership period with the company. She is very smart and meticulous.”

“Hmm.”

“I understand the situation, sir. I will do my best in working for Dyeon Korea.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Kim.

“I talked to Mr. Adam Castler about bringing the internal auditor in Dyeon Korea. He said that they don’t get involved in personnel appointments or transfer matters in Korea. He pointed to the provision in the joint venture contract. It indicated that both parties will have to discuss when there is a change in the positions such as president and vice president.”

“I see.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs director.

The general affairs director came to Gun-Ho’s office with his notebook.

“We will promote all of the nine candidates as of March 2nd as indicated in the promotion list. Manager Min-Hwa Kim will be promoted from a manager to a director of the accounting department. The internal auditor—Mr. Hee-Suk Goh—will be reallocated to Dyeon Korea as their internal auditor, again as of March 2nd.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

The general affairs director gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho and left the office.

The general affairs director immediately made an announcement about the promotion decision and sent it to each department. The official announcement was also placed on the announcement board, which was made under the name of President Jang-Hwan Song. GH Mobile’s employees gathered in front of the announcement board.

“So, everyone who was supposed to be promoted received their promotion, huh?”

Manager Min-Hwa Kim opened the president’s office’s door and entered.

“Thank you, sir.”

“I thank you for your hard work, Director Kim.”

“I will do my best, sir.”

Ms. Min-Hwa Kim’s voice was shaking. Tears welled up in her eyes. She seemed to become emotional. She would enjoy a lot of benefits once she was promoted to a director position. Her salary would dramatically go up. A vehicle would be assigned to her along with an office with a new executive desk.

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Chapter 422 - Wedding (3) – Part 1

Chapter 422: Wedding (3) – Part 1

The weather was getting warmer after the Lunar New Year’s Day in February. The spring was on its way.

Gun-Ho was checking his email at his desk in the office at GH Mobile when he found an email from Mori Aikko, which he had never expected to see.

[Oppa, it has been a while since we were together the last time. The cherry blossoms will be in full bloom within two months. There will be a cherry blossom festival at the Heian Shrine in Kyoto as they have held every year. Daigokuden of Heian Shrine in Tokyo City sent a special invitation to dancing geishas for a dance performance. They will set up a stage for us. Until then, I have spare time, so I’m going on a trip to South Korea around mid-March. I feel so excited already thinking of meeting you there soon.

– Love from Mori Aikko ]

Gun-Ho was terrified.

“Shoot. My wedding will be in mid-March. Why does she have to come then?”

Gun-Ho walked around in his office in a panic.

“What should I tell her?”

But people’s minds worked in a strange way sometimes. Gun-Ho actually missed Mori Aikko when he thought of her clear eyes and full lips.

“I want to see her. What should I do?”

Gun-Ho didn’t want to ruin his wedding. He invested too much in it, and he wouldn’t let anything disturb it.

Gun-Ho replied.

[Mori Aikko, it’s really good to hear from you. I’ve missed you a lot too, and I would be absolutely happy to meet you when you come to Korea if I could. The thing is that I won’t be in Korea in mid-March. I will be in China. I have some businesses going on there, and I need to take care of some joint venture contracts. I will go to Japan to see you during the cherry blossom festival.

– Love from your oppa]

After clicking the send button to reply to her, Gun-Ho felt sorry for her.

“Mori Aikko, I’m so sorry. I will go to Japan in the near future, and I will buy you nice food and expensive clothes. I promise. I’m sorry.”

Gun-Ho received Mori Aikko’s reply right away. Maybe she was at home.

[Oppa, no pressure. I know you are a busy man with your business. I’m going to Korea with my friends in mid-March anyway. I will be fine. I will see you at the cherry blossom festival then.

– Love from Mori Aikko ]

Gun-Ho would have hugged her if Mori Aikko was there with him.

Gun-Ho wanted to get some fresh air. He walked out of his office and walked around the factory yard. He then wanted to visit the production site. When he entered the production site, the manager in the production team ran toward Gun-Ho. He was giving an instruction to the workers.

“Hello, sir.”

“Oh, please don’t mind me. You can go back to your work.”

Gun-Ho always talked in a respectful way when he addressed the manager because the manager was either the same age as or older than Gun-Ho. At that moment, Director Jong-Suk Park ran toward Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho started taking a round accompanied by Director Jong-Suk Park. The workers in the production site tried to work harder than usual.

“President Goo is here today.”

Gun-Ho was trying to get Mori Aikko out of his head by distracting himself. After taking a round at the production site, he came back to his office only to find out that there was an unexpected text message waiting for him. It was from Seol-Bing.

[I have a shooting in Japan for the soap opera that I’m in, on March 16th. I will meet you at the New Otani Hotel at 6 pm.]

“New Otani Hotel? What’s up with everyone? What’s up with her? I will be extremely busy on March 16th preparing for my wedding. What am I going to do?”

Even though Seol-Bing’s text message baffled Gun-Ho, he couldn’t help thinking about her. Seol-Bing had a gorgeous body. The feeling of kissing her was very sweet and fresh. He wanted to have a glass of wine with her at the New Otani Hotel again and took a walk on the street in Ginza, Tokyo.

Gun-Ho replied to her.

[Oh, my goodness! Ms. Seol-Bing! It’s really good to hear from you. I missed you, but I will be in China in mid-March. I have an important contract that I need to make there. I know it’s not an everyday opportunity to receive a text from you like this, but I’m afraid that I can’t be there. Instead, I will contact you immediately after my trip to China.]

Gun-Ho felt sorry for Seol-Bing as well. Gun-Ho suddenly felt hatred toward himself who had been acting so indecisively.

‘What am I doing? I will soon become someone’s husband. I’m supposed to clean up my relationships with other women before the wedding, but I’m still clinging to them. What’s wrong with me?’

Come to think of it, Gun-Ho felt sorry for his bride—Young-Eun—as well. For a second, he imagined how Young-Eun would react if she found out about Gun-Ho’s other women—Mori Aikko and Seol-Bing. It was not difficult to picture Young-Eun who was furious and turned her back to him.

‘I’m sure she won’t hesitate to turn her back on me, and then she will walk off elegantly.’

Gun-Ho let out a deep sigh while sitting on the sofa.

The program that Gun-Ho was taking at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development was not limited to politics or economy, but they sometimes invited the best artists to give a lecture to the students because the purpose of the course was to cultivate cultured leaders in the society. That day, the nationally famous painter—Mr. Young-San Hwang—came and gave a special lecture.

Special lectures were always interesting. It showed a new world to Gun-Ho. Artist Young-San Hwan came into the classroom.

“Oh, he is the Young-San Hwang. I have his painting at home.”

Gun-Ho heard someone saying it.

The professor introduced Artist Young-San Hwang to the class. Mr. Young-San Hwang looked like he was in his late 60s, and he was one of the elders in the national art community. He was once a dean at a famous art school in Seoul City, and he often participated in a national art competition as a judge. His outfit was peculiar.

The artist displayed several paintings on the screen and started explaining them. He spoke slowly, but his explanation and interpretation of the artworks were definitely interesting. Gun-Ho was intrigued by him. The lecture ended, and Artist Young-San Hwang was walking out of the class when Gun-Ho called him.

“Umm, sir.”

Artist Hwang turned around and looked at Gun-Ho.

“I really enjoyed your lecture, sir. I’m a businessman, but I have an art gallery. I’m honored to meet you in person, sir.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the painter, and he looked at Gun-Ho’s business card carefully.

“I own an art gallery.”

“Oh, really? Is it in Insa Town?”

“Not in Insa Town, but it’s in Sinsa Town in Gangnam District. We recently hosted an art exhibition with Chinese young artists’ avant-garde and also with the French master of color aesthetics—Marion Kinsky.”

“Oh, Marion Kinsky!”

Artist Hwang gave his business card to Gun-Ho. The word ‘Artist’ was written on the business card in English.

“I’d like to see your artworks someday, sir.”

“Actually, I’m currently having an art exhibition in Gawngju City. I live there.”

Artist Hwang offered his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake and then turned around and walked off.

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Chapter 423 - Wedding (3) – Part 2

Chapter 423: Wedding (3) – Part 2

After Artist Hwang left, Gun-Ho came back to the class. The class president asked for Gun-Ho. The class president was an incumbent minister. His wife’s father was the president of D Group, and his wife was a major shareholder of D Group.

“Mr. Class Manager, I have something to discuss with you.”

Gun-Ho quickly went to him.

“Do you see the person sitting in the first row with a lot of gray hair? He was recently promoted from a deputy minister to a minister. Let’s send him an orchid plant to congratulate him on his promotion with our class’ name.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Do we have enough funds for it? We collected 100,000 won from each person for dinner last time.”

“We still have 150,000 left from it.”

“I think that should be enough to buy an orchid plant.”

“I will get one for 50,000 won.”

“Send him a 70,000 won one.”

“Okay. Then we will be left with 80,000 won.”

“Hmm, our class funds seem to be way too low.”

“Do you want me to collect more from everyone again?”

“Nah. I will contribute more myself.”

“You don’t have to bear it all by yourself. I will just ask everyone to contribute.”

“Since I’m the president of this class, I will make a one-time special contribution for the class.”

As he offered a special contribution, the class president took out his wallet and gave a check of 1 million won to Gun-Ho.

“Wow. This is too much.”

“We will need that much. You will see. We will encounter all kinds of occasions like someone’s wedding, funeral, job promotion, and etc. that we will require us to spend money for.”

Gun-Ho walked to the front facing the students and spoke to the class, “May I have your attention, please? I have announcements to make to you all.”

Everyone looked at Gun-Ho.

“One of our classmates here was recently promoted from a deputy minister to a minister. It’s Mr. xxx Park. We will send him a congratulatory flower—an orchid plant as a group.”

“Of course, we should.”

“That’s nice.”

People praised Gun-Ho for handling the occasion well and clapped. The minister, who would receive a congratulatory flower from the class, swept his grey hair up and thanked everyone.

“I have another announcement to make. The last time when we had dinner together, we collected 100,000 won from each of you. Now we have 80,000 won left from it, and our class funds were about to be depleted if it was not for our class president. Our class president made a special contribution to our class and offered 1 million won. Let’s give him a big round of applause to show our gratitude to him.”

The students clapped loudly again. The class president nodded his head to the class while sitting on his chair.

“Just 1 million won? His father-in-law owns a conglomerate. 10 million won would sound more appropriate.”

Other fellow ministers made a joke about the amount of the contribution that the class president made. They seemed to be close to each other like friends. They often talked to each other in an informal way.

“Next announcement is,”

“You have more?”

Everyone looked at Gun-Ho’s face again.

“As you received the wedding invitations last time, Mr. General in the back will have her daughter’s wedding this Saturday. Please go there and congratulate him.”

The general quickly stood up and said, “I know that you all are busy. If you don’t have time or have a prior engagement, you don’t have to come. Also, I would appreciate it if you do not send any congratulatory wreaths to the wedding.”

The general seemed to have something more to tell to the class, and when he tried to continue, the professor came in the classroom.

The Advanced Center for Administrative Development gave two classes in the evening, and each of them lasted 90 minutes. Gun-Ho could usually get off the class before 10 pm.

The class that day ended, and everyone was preparing to leave when Gun-Ho went to the class president.

“Mr. President, what do we want to do about sending a congratulatory wreath to the general’s daughter’s wedding? He said earlier that he didn’t want to receive any.”

“Well, even though he said so, I think we should send one to him.”

“Okay, sir. I will do that then.”

Gun-Ho then took out his business card from the inner pocket of his jacket and handed it to the class president.

“This is my business card. If you need to ask me to do something, you have my contact.”

The class president looked at Gun-Ho’s business card and said, “You have several businesses.”

“They are all small companies.”

“The address is Jiksan Town in Cheonan City?! I actually go there often. I have a friend there who is running a country club.”

The class president gave his business card to Gun-Ho as well.

GH Mobile’s President Song had exchanged a few emails with an executive officer of Chrysler who he met in Chicago. He then gave a report to Gun-Ho saying that he received a product drawing from that Chrysler’s executive officer.

“This also requires double extrusion like our AM083 Assembly that we brought to the motor show in Chicago.”

“It’s for internal combustion engine vehicles, is it?”

“Yes, it is. The order volume is not high, but it’s from Chrysler which is a global car manufacturer. This is a good opportunity for us to build up a business relationship with them. This will probably lead us to a bigger business opportunity later.”

“Are we capable of producing what they are asking?”

“We have the product drawing, and they said they would send us a sample product. I don’t see why we wouldn’t be able to make it.”

“Oh, they would send us a sample product? That means they already have a mould, doesn’t it?”

“The vendor that used to supply those parts to them filed for bankruptcy, and the mould is lost.”

“Hmm, then it’s not a newly developed product. I guess it’s hard to expect to see an increase of the product order then.”

“Still, it’s worth taking the order from them. Our company will be registered as a vendor company for Chrysler. It will tremendously help our marketing effort.”

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea. He hadn’t been to the company for a while now.

The former GH Mobile’s internal auditor already started working for Dyeon Korea. When Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea, the internal auditor greeted him with pleasure.

“How’s it? Are you comfortable here?”

“Yes, sir. I like it here. The work environment is pleasant, and the workload is moderate. Since I once worked with Ms. Jo in the accounting team before, it’s very comfortable to work with her again.”

“I’m happy to hear that.”

“I talked with Director Yoon earlier. The company now has ten machines, and we are in the process of requesting machines no. 11 and no. 12. Also, we are planning to hire more workers in the production team.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Also, we are now seeing a dramatic increase in product orders from China. The president of the sales company in China seems to speak English. She directly talks with Mr. Adam Castler.”

“Of course. She used to teach English in an international school in Shanghai.”

“She is President Min-Hyeok Kim’s spouse, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is.”

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Chapter 424 - Wedding (4) – Part 1

Chapter 424: Wedding (4) – Part 1

After the internal auditor left the office, Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Min-Hyeok, it’s me. Can we talk?”

“Yes.”

“How’s the joint venture company doing?”

“Oh, Dingding’s joint venture? She hired a bookkeeper and got the K3 manufactured in China by Qiya (Kia Motors). She is driving it around in doing her sales activities while carrying her business card that says she is the president of the company.”

“The workers here said the sales company in China is doing very well. I guess your wife has a talent in the sales field.”

“Well, it’s too early to tell. I was actually the one who introduced my client to her. Oh, we now call the joint venture Dingding Joint Venture Company. It’s easy to call that way, and it sounds musical. Don’t you think?”

“Haha. Okay. She seems to be doing great work.”

“She received only 20 tons of raw materials so far. It will be sold out quickly.”

“Really?”

“I talked to Director Kim to send us more of them, but he said we will have to wait until they get machine no. 11 and no. 12. Dingding is currently working on procuring a product order from an auto manufacturing company. Its owner president’s son and his wife are Dingding’s classmates when she studied in the U.S. Well, we will see.”

“How much is 20 ton worth?”

“It’s 90 million won. Even though they are on credit sales, we will soon collect the payments since Chinese people love cash. I will transfer the money to Korea next month.”

“Machines no. 11 and no. 12 are on their way here. So, you will receive more soon.”

“Sounds good.”

“Dingding is… I feel weird calling your wife’s name like that.”

“It’s okay. We do that in China. There is no problem at all.”

“Do you think your wife is satisfied with the position as the president of the joint venture company?”

“When she received the business card with her name and GH logo on, she was so excited. Considering that she is living in a luxurious house and driving a Kia, she is deemed to be a middle-class person in China. Moreover, she studied in the U.S, so she speaks English. And, her father is a famous painter and he has accumulated some wealth which will pass on to Dingding later since she is the only child. She has no worry about her present or future life.”

“Oh, you know what? I’m getting married this March, March 18th to be exact.”

“What? How come I haven’t heard anything about you seeing someone?”

“Somebody introduced me to my bride. Things developed quickly.”

“What does she do for a living?”

“She is a medical doctor.”

“A doctor? Wow. You are so lucky, man. Hahaha. A once factory worker became really successful.”

“You too. You married the girl who is the daughter of a famous artist and who studied in the U.S.”

“No. My case is different. I just married a foreigner.”

“Well, anyway, when you get the joint venture’s financial statement, send me a copy of it.”

“Of course, I will. I will translate it into Korean and attach it to the original one.”

“Sounds good. Keep up the good work.”

“I will have to attend your wedding ceremony. Not sure about others, but I must be there.”

“You don’t have to.”

When Gun-Ho went to work at his office in the building in Sinsa Town, he called for Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong from the general affairs team.

“You have the contact information for the flower shop where we usually place orders occasionally, right?”

“Yes, I have, sir.”

“Please send out two congratulatory flower wreaths: one will be from our company as ‘President Gun-Ho Goo of GH Mobile’, and make the other one with ‘class at Advanced Center for Administrative Development in Seoul National University’. Here is the recipient’s address.”

Gun-Ho handed the wedding invitation that he got from the class to her.

“We are sending them to the bride.”

“The wedding venue is strange. It’s an auditorium at an operational command’s building.”

“The bride’s father is in the military. That’s why.”

Gun-Ho prepared an envelope for gift money and wrote on the cover “From Class Manager Gun-Ho Goo at Advanced Center for Administrative Development in Seoul National University.”

On the way home that evening, Gun-Ho let Chan-Ho know.

“Tomorrow is Saturday, but I guess you will have to work. I need to go to the wedding.”

“No problem, sir.”

The next day, Gun-Ho’s Bentley headed to the operational command’s building. Chan-Ho Eum who was driving asked, “So, the wedding will be held here?”

“Yeah. That’s the address shown on the wedding invitation.”

At the military entrance gate, barricades were in place with only limited open space which was large enough for only one car to pass. When Gun-Ho’s Bentley arrived at the gate, soldiers blocked the way and gave a military salute before asking, “Where are you heading to, sir?”

Gun-Ho rolled down the rear window of the car and showed the soldier the wedding invitation.

“I’ve been invited for this wedding.”

After checking the wedding invitation, the soldiers gave a military salute again and showed the way to the destination.

“Go straight up and make a right turn.”

Once the car made a right turn, they arrived at a large military training ground. Several soldiers were helping the guests with parking. There were tons of cars already. Gun-Ho noticed that all the congratulatory flower wreaths were placed outside the building. He saw the two flower wreaths that he sent earlier. There were about thirty flower wreaths standing in one place outside.

“They probably have some sort of policy directing not to let the flower wreaths in the building.”

There was a long line to the wedding reception desk where the guests were supposed to give their gift money and sign the guestbook.

“Wow. There are so many people here. Are they all military families?”

Once he dropped off his gift money with the person at the reception desk, Gun-Ho went inside the building. Gun-Ho saw several generals who were wearing epaulettes which showed their ranks like one-star generals or two-star generals. The military police unit that was probably called for the wedding ceremony, lined up at one place holding the swords upright.

Gun-Ho had to wait in line again in order to meet with the bride’s father.

“Congratulations.”

“Oh, Mr. Class Manager. Thank you for coming. I just saw Mr. Minister Lee. He just arrived as well.”

Gun-Ho looked around to find the class president—Minister Lee, but he couldn’t find him because there were just so many people there. There was nothing special about the wedding at the military base in overall, except for the ceremony performed by the military police unit. A pastor officiated the wedding.

After watching the wedding ceremony, Gun-Ho came back to the parking lot. Chan-Ho was listening to the music in the car.

“Is the wedding already over?”

“It’s so crowded and busy. Let’s have lunch outside.”

“I saw tons of people here. I guess it’s good to live a life as a general of the army. So many people came to congratulate him, and the wedding is so extravagant.”

“It’s not important to have a fancy wedding itself. You should make the after-wedding life fancy.”

“Well, still it will be nice to be a general. I spotted many celebrities in the crowd, and also field-grade officers seemed to be considered low-ranking officers at this event.”

“There is a very good restaurant around here. Let’s go and have Galbi*.

“Galbi? I always love Galbi.”

Chan-Ho who was a meat lover seemed to be happy.

Note*

Galbi – Korean grilled beef ribs.

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Chapter 425 - Wedding (4) – Part 2

Chapter 425: Wedding (4) – Part 2

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“The landowner next door decided to sell the farmland to us for 900 million won. I’m heading to the realtor’s office right now to make the sales and purchase contract.”

“Hmm, really? He finally made the decision, huh? You have enough funds to make the contract, right? I will transfer 900 million won tomorrow since the bank is already closed today.”

“The landowner will take care of the permit to buy farmland for us.”

“Really? That’s nice.”

“It’s March already. I think it’s a good season to condition the soil and improve the soil quality. Well, I guess I don’t have to be hearing that old man’s complaints anymore. I’ve stressed a lot whenever he complained about oils leaking into his land.”

“Since we currently have 1,000 pyung for the business, once we add the land next door, the entire land would total 2,500 pyung.”

“Once we combine those two parcels, it would look great with the widened roadside. I think we can do some actual farming there. Well, I’m kidding.”

“Once you pay for the land, start the process for the land use change.”

“Okay.”

“How’s the business doing?”

“We are doing container shipping work for the customs agency which Dyeon Korea has been working with. Because of this new addition to our current workload, our revenue is on the rise. Since we are managing several trucks, we see several minor fender-benders, no surprise there; it’s understandable. The good thing is that we haven’t had any personal injuries. The snow season is over. I feel so relieved. Snow is a huge hindrance to a transportation business.”

“It’s good to hear that you spent your first winter season without having any personal injuries.”

“I will let you know once the land purchase transaction is completed.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho sent the formal gift for the bride to Young-Eun’s father’s home in Sillim Town. He decided to omit some Korean traditional wedding procedures since Young-Eun’s mother was not present, and he was not a young groom. Young-Eun liked it better that way.

Once she received the gift, Young-Eun sent cash to Gun-Ho’s parents’ home as part of the Korean traditional wedding procedure. Gun-Ho’s mother said while looking at the cash, “We won’t accept this much. We just need to get dress suits for your father, myself, and your sister’s couple. We won’t get anything for your aunt. She didn’t give us anything when her son— Jae-Woong married anyway.”

Gun-Ho’s mother returned half of the cash back to Young-Eun.

Gun-Ho was thinking who he would ask to officiate his wedding.

“Who should I ask? I really wanted Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town to officiate my wedding.”

Gun-Ho already went to see Chairman Lee to ask him to officiate his wedding, but he refused to do so. His reasoning was,

“I’m not qualified to officiate anyone’s wedding. I used to work as a hard money lender. The people who still remember my past would laugh at me and probably laugh at you as well. They wouldn’t approve your choice of having me officiate your wedding.”

“I don’t care about others, sir. I truly admire you.”

“I’ve never done it before. Weddings are a sacred ceremony. You need to find someone who everyone approves and admires, and ask him to officiate your wedding.”

Since Gun-Ho didn’t graduate from a normal 4-year college in Korea, he didn’t have any college professor to ask for it. He wouldn’t be able to ask a pastor to do so since he was an atheist.

‘Maybe I can marry without an officiator. I can ask Min-Hyeok Kim or Jae-Sik Moon to lead the wedding ceremony. Many people marry without an officiator these days. Or, maybe I should ask Young-Eun to ask one of her professors from her school— Medical School of Seoul National University. Well, I don’t want her to think that I’m not even capable of finding an appropriate officiator like I don’t have a good social network or anything like that.’

Gun-Ho kept trying to find a solution. Getting married was not an easy process. It seemed to require constant problem solving, one after another. Gun-Ho’s parents wouldn’t know anyone either.

“Well, maybe I should ask the class president of the Advanced Center for Administrative Development. Can an incumbent minister preside a wedding?”

It was the day when Gun-Ho had a class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development. Gun-Ho waited for the class president at the parking lot.

When he saw the class president— Mr. Jin-Woo Lee getting off his black Genesis, he called him.

“Mr. Class President!”

“Oh, Mr. Class Manager?!”

“I have something to ask you.”

“Me?”

“Well, I’m getting married on March 18th.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know you were still single.”

“I have a favor to ask you, sir. I was wondering if you could preside over my wedding.”

“Me? I usually don’t officiate a wedding.”

“If you could, I would really appreciate it. I insist.”

“I might have a prior engagement to play golf on March 18th.”

“After the wedding, I will take you to a nice golf field. I sometimes go to Japan or China to have a round of golf.”

Gun-Ho and the class president started walking toward the classroom while continuing talking.

“What kind of business did you say you were running?”

“It’s a manufacturing company for automobile parts.”

“What’s the sales revenue?”

“We made about 80 billion won last year.”

“Hmm, really?”

“If you like golfing, I know several nice country clubs in Japan and China to show you.”

“I’ve been to Japan several times, but not to China.”

“There are wonderful golf fields in China where you can enjoy the ocean view while playing golf, or in a mountain with snow.”

“Haha, really?”

“If you happen to go to China, I can show you around. I actually graduated from college in China.”

“Oh, really? Then you probably can speak Chinese.”

“Of course, I can.”

“You said your wedding will be on March 18th? Where is the wedding venue?”

“It’s in the Hilton Hotel across the street from Seoul Station.”

“Oh, I know that place. I go there sometimes. I am often invited to a breakfast seminar there as a speaker. Well, I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t for you. I will do it. It’s not your second wedding, is it?”

“Hahaha. No, sir. It’s my very first wedding.”

Gun-Ho, who didn’t even graduate college in Korea and who used to work as a factory worker, finally found someone who would preside over his wedding. Gun-Ho felt relieved and let out a deep sigh.

It was Sunday. Gun-Ho went to Starbucks in Daehakro to meet Young-Eun. Young-Eun seemed to lose some weight. She was probably stressed a lot as well because of the upcoming wedding.

“It’s stressful, isn’t it? You lost some weight.”

“You too, oppa.”

“Let’s eat something very nutritious today.”

“Let’s go eat pork belly. There is a restaurant in Myeongryoon Town, which provides indefinite refills.”

“A meat restaurant that offers indefinite refills usually doesn’t have high-quality meat. Let’s go to a restaurant that uses only Korean pork.”

“I know one. It’s close to the traditional market around Hansung University. I’ve been there once with my friends.”

Gun-Ho followed Young-Eun to a restaurant. It was located at the entrance of a traditional Korean market. It looked old and shabby. They had a sign hanging on the wall, which clearly said ‘Korean pork only.’

“Haha. Mr. President, do you think you can eat here?”

“I do like a restaurant like this one.”

Gun-Ho ordered a bottle of soju along with pork dishes.

“You brought your car today. Don’t you need to drive?”

“I want to drink today. I can call a paid designated driver.”

“Do you have a number to call them?”

“It’s right here.”

Gun-Ho pointed to a note attached to the wall. It had a number for a paid designated driver.

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Chapter 426 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (1) – Part 1

Chapter 426: Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho placed well-cooked pork belly meat in front of Young-Eun.

“Eat more. We are almost done with the wedding preparation. Let’s celebrate it.”

“Oppa, you eat more too.”

After drinking two glasses of soju in a row, Gun-Ho asked, “Young-Eun, why don’t you drink one glass of soju?”

Gun-Ho filled up an empty glass with soju and gave it to Young-Eun.

“Did you choose the officiator for our wedding?”

“Yeah, I did. Minister Jin-Woo Lee of xxx will preside over our wedding.”

“Oh, I think I heard of his name before.”

“He seems to like golfing. After the wedding, I will invite him to have a round of golf.”

“Do you play golf, oppa?”

“Of course. I learned it because it helps my business. What about you, Young-Eun?”

“I have never touched golf clubs before.”

“I will teach you later.”

“No, thank you. I think playing golf is an extravagant hobby.”

“I saw many medical doctors playing golf.”

“Not me. It’s not appealing to me.”

“What kind of activities do you like then?”

“You know what I like.”

“I do?”

“Yeah. Taking a walk around the Fortress Wall of Seoul.”

“Haha. That’s right. I know that very well. Let’s bottom-up.”

Gun-Ho clinked his glass to Young-Eun’s.

“For our future together!”

The pork belly dish was delicious. Gun-Ho ordered more of them. When they finished a bottle of soju, both Gun-Ho and Young-Eun blushed.

They walked out of the restaurant and started taking a walk on the street. Young-Eun held Gun-Ho’s arm.

“Let’s walk until we see Gilsangsa Temple.”

“Sure.”

While they were walking arm in arm in the direction to Gilsangsa Temple, Gun-Ho looked at Young-Eun’s face. It seemed that soju caused a flush on her face. Her cheeks were all red, which made her look even prettier.

“You look gorgeous with a blush.”

Young-Eun laughed and hit Gun-Ho in the shoulder lightly.

When they arrived at Gilsangsa Temple, Young-Eun looked at Gun-Ho’s face and said, “You know, the bar owner— Young-Han Kim, who donated the bar which is now Gilsangsa to the temple, couldn’t forget the poet— Baek Seok— for the rest of her life.”

“Hmm.”

“Their love story is on the Internet. The young Bae Seok gave a name to the bar owner ‘Ja-Yah.’”

“Ja-Yah? That’s one of Mao Dun’s novels, the Chinese writer.”

“The Poet Baek Soek’s famous poem— Me, Natasha and a white donkey— is a story about that bar owner. Natasha is the lady bar owner.”

Young-Eun then started reciting the poem.

“Me, the poor man / Love the beautiful Natasha / And tonight, the snow falls softly…”

“It’s nice.”

“As I’m dating you lately, I changed the poem’s lyrics a bit.

“How?”

“Me, the rich man / Love not so beautiful Natasha / And tonight, the snow falls softly…”

After giving her own version of the poem, Young-Eun laughed out loudly.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun turned around and walked down to Starbucks near the Hansung University station.

“Let’s have some coffee.”

The two sat in a window seat.

“You sobered up, don’t you? Your face is not red anymore.”

“You look fine now too.”

“After we get married, move into my condo in TowerPalace, Dogok Town.”

“Umm… the condo is really nice and all, but it’s too far from my work.”

“I will give you a ride from and to your work with my car every day.”

“I will stay in my Anam Condo In Myeongryoon Town during weekdays and go to your TowerPalace condo for weekends.”

“Then we will live together only for weekends.”

“That’s the best arrangement I can think of for now.”

“I can move to your area.”

“To my area? There is no luxurious condo in my area.”

“Why don’t you move your work to Gangnam District then? I will build a hospital for you.”

Young-Eun laughed out loud and said, “You have no idea how much it would cost to build a hospital, especially in Gangnam District.”

“How much would it cost?”

“I have an educated estimate because one of my senior colleagues opened his hospital in Yeongdeungpo District with a loan from a bank. I think you need at least 1 billion won to open one in Gangnam District.”

“1 billion won? Sure, I will do it for you.”

Young-Eun’s eyes widened and looked at Gun-Ho.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course. I don’t make a joke with money. I am wealthy enough to give you that much.”

Young-Eun’s eyes widened again while looking at Gun-Ho, and then she smiled.

“I do appreciate your offer, but not now.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t just open my own practice now. I need to gain more experience. I lack clinical experience. Let’s just live together only for weekends for a while after the wedding.”

“I will let you use the master bedroom in the TowerPalace condo. You probably need more space than me considering that we will have a child later. I can use another room. It’s large enough for me.”

“Thank you.”

“I will redo the wallpaper before the wedding date.”

“They looked fine. I don’t think it is necessary.”

“Still I want to do it. We start our life together fresh.”

“Haha. Okay then.”

Gun-Ho was sitting in his office in the GH Building in Sinsa Town when President Jeong-Sook Shin came to visit him.

“President Shin, how are you? How’s your business?”

“We’ve printed up to the 20th book of the world history cartoon series. And we just made a contract with the agency for an additional five books.”

“Mr. Jae-Sik Moon highly spoke of you about your good eyes in selecting a good book.”

“Haha. I’m just doing my best. How’s President Jae-Sik Moon doing these days?”

“GH Logistics, that President Jae-Sik Moon is running, is going in the direction of a total transportation service company. The company acquired a new location in Seonghwan Town and moved its main office there from Paju City. The Paju location is now handled by one worker.”

“The factory in Seonghwan Town is purchased as well?”

“Yes, we bought it. It’s not a huge factory though. Since it’s not a manufacturing company, it looks more like a storage or garage rather than a factory. It cost me 2 billion won.”

“2 billion won?”

President Shin’s eyes widened in surprise for the fact that Gun-Ho could afford to pay 2 billion won without any difficulty.

“You are an incredible man as always.”

“The factory looked small for the business, so I bought adjacent land which is 1,500 pyung large. It had been used as farmland, and President Moon will change the land use so he can use it as part of the factory. Once the land use change is completed, the entire property for the business will be 2,500 pyung large. The factory will look great then.”

“I guess I will take a tour there someday.”

“Sure.”

“Your wedding will be held on March 18th, right?”

“Yes. I’m finally getting married with the help of people around me.”

“Well, it wouldn’t have come this far if you and the bride didn’t hit it off. Congratulations.”

“After the wedding, I want to invite you and Artist Choi to a nice dinner.”

“Young-Eun is a decent girl. Make her feel that she is loved a lot.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m currently working on the next art exhibition.”

“Oh, you know what? I had a chance to take a lecture from a painter the other day.”

“Who is it?”

“Gun-Ho took out a business card from his business card organizer.

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Chapter 427 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (1) – Part 2

Chapter 427: Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (1) – Part 2

“This is the painter who I’m talking about.”

“Oh, my goodness! It’s Artist Young-San Hwang.”

“He gave a special lecture at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University.”

“He is one of the best, nationwide. I’ve heard that he is having his solo art exhibition in Gwangju City right now.”

“That’s right. He told me that.”

“Gwangju City is his hometown, and he usually stays there and works on his artworks. He is a very famous artist.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“I would love to meet him. When is he coming to Seoul again?”

“Why don’t you visit him in Gwangju City since he is hosting his art exhibition there?”

“Do you have time, sir? I think it would be better that I go there with you since you know him personally.”

“Okay. I can take a break from work and enjoy some artworks.”

“What about tomorrow? His art exhibition will go on until the end of this week. I think tomorrow is good.”

“Sounds good.”

Around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Gun-Ho was reading a business management book in his office when Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong came to his office with some rice cake.

“Is it rice cake? What’s the occasion?”

“There is a very popular rice cake shop across the street. They sometimes distribute their advertisement flyers at our building, and this time they brought this rice cake for us.”

“It looks fancy. Even their wrapping box is unique. Their rice cake indeed stands out particularly, compared to other rice cakes.”

“The tastes are different too.”

“Oh, they added a healthy drink too, huh?”

“This one is from me. I prepared these drinks for visitors to our company.”

Around 3 pm, Gun-Ho usually felt a bit hungry. It was a good time for snacks. Gun-Ho ate the rice cake along with the healthy drink, and he truly enjoyed them.

When Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong was about to leave the office, Gun-Ho asked, “Ms. Assistant Manager, can you get me twenty boxes of this rice cake? Also twenty healthy drinks as well. I want to take them somewhere.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho had a class that day at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University.

Before the class started, the class president asked for Gun-Ho.

“Mr. Class Manager, did you bring your wedding invitation today?”

“It will be ready tomorrow.”

“We have class the day after tomorrow. Can you bring it then?”

“Sure, I will.”

“Did you meet your bride by an arrangement or by your own?”

“I would say half and half.”

“What does your bride do for a living? Is she working?”

“She is a medical doctor.”

“Really? Which hospital is she working at?”

“It’s Seoul National University Hospital.”

“I guess she graduated from Seoul National University, huh?”

They had to halt the conversation when the professor came into the classroom.

Two classes were offered in one day at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development. The first class ended at 8 pm, and they had a short break before the second class began. It was a brief break, not long enough to have dinner. The students usually felt hungry during the break.

That day, when the first class was over, Gun-Ho distributed the rice cakes and healthy drinks to his classmates.

“Is it a rice cake?”

“It looks luxurious.”

“Our class manager is very thoughtful.”

“Because of our class manager, we get this nice snack at this hour.”

Everyone seemed to be delighted with the snacks that Gun-Ho prepared for them.

Gun-Ho spoke while holding a large plastic bag, “Once you finish your snack, please put them in this plastic bag. I will clean it up.”

“We definitely chose the right person for our class manager.”

At that moment, the class president spoke in a loud voice, “Our class manager is getting married on March 18th.”

“Really? He is still single, huh?”

The class president continued to make the announcement.

“The wedding will be held at Hilton Hotel across Seoul Station. His bride is a medical doctor at Seoul National University Hospital.”

“Is that so?”

“And, I am the one who will preside over his wedding.”

“Oh, really? Let’s all go there and congratulate him on his wedding then.”

“Of course. We will pay for this rice cake anyway.”

“I guess this rice cake was a bribe after all.”

“Let’s give him a round of applause.”

The people in the class applauded altogether, and that made Gun-Ho blush.

The professor came into the classroom.

“What’s going on here? Why do I hear clapping?”

“Oh, we were just welcoming you with clapping because you are so popular, sir.”

The ministers teased the professor.

Gun-Ho didn’t go to his factory in Jiksan Town that day. Instead, he went to the building in Sinsa Town. It was the day when he was supposed to accompany President Shin in visiting the art exhibition in Gwangju City.

President Shin was already in the office waiting for Gun-Ho.

“You are here already.”

“We have to leave now. I gave a call to the gallery, and they said Artist Hwang comes to the exhibition only during lunchtime and he doesn’t stay long. If we leave now, I think we can get there by lunchtime.

“Okay, then let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho sat in the rear seat in his Bentley as usual while President Shin sat in the front passenger seat.

“This car is really nice. What is this?”

“It’s Bentley.”

“Bentley? How much is it?”

“I paid 300 million won.”

“Did you just say 300 million won? Wow. You can buy a house with it. It’s going to be an extravagant trip for me today. Haha.”

Gun-Ho and President Shin dozed off on the way to Gwangju City. They both probably were tired.

“Huh? Chan-Ho. Where are we now?”

“We are not there yet, sir. We are in Jeongeup City right now.”

“Whew. Gwangju City is indeed far from Seoul.”

“It would have taken more if it was not Bentley. I see the sign for Jangseong Tunnel over there.”

Gun-Ho had never been to Gwangju City before. President Shin said she had been there a few times.

“It is a big city.”

Gun-Ho looked around through the window.

“Where did you say the gallery is located?”

“It’s Hanbit Gallery next to Chonnam Girl’s High School in Gung Town.”

“Chan-Ho, why don’t you come with us and enjoy the paintings there?”

“Yes, sir.”

They arrived at the art gallery. Gun-Ho got off the car and looked around the area.

“Hmm. The area has some sort of artistic vibe.”

President Shin went inside the art gallery and spoke to a staff there, “I called earlier. We just came from Seoul City.”

“Oh, okay. Mr. Artist is on the way here.”

While waiting for Artist Young-San Hwang, Gun-Ho and President Shin looked around the gallery enjoying the paintings there. Most of them were abstract paintings with bold colors. President Shin often nodded her head while looking at the paintings. Gun-Ho was not very knowledgeable about paintings, but he could tell that they were very artistic. It seemed that Artist Young-San Hwang arrived.

“Sir, we have the guests from Seoul City.”

Gun-Ho went to Artist Hwang.

“Hello, sir.”

The artist slowly blinked his eyes while trying to figure out where he had seen Gun-Ho before.

“I took your special lecture at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University.”

“Oh, I remember. You are the one who had an art gallery.”

Artist Hwang extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

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Chapter 428 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (2) – Part 1

Chapter 428: Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (2) – Part 1

As Gun-Ho and Artist Young-San Hwang were having a handshake, Artist Hwang asked, “Did you just arrive from Seoul City?”

“Yes. While we were waiting for you, we looked around your artworks. I finally could have this opportunity in Gwangju City. I’m so grateful for it.”

“Thank you for saying that. Let’s have some tea.”

Gun-Ho introduced President Shin to the artist.

“She is with me. She is the one who is running GH Gallery.”

“Hello, sir. Pleasure to meet you.”

President Jeong-Soon Shin gave her business card to the artist.

“I used to work as a curator at K Group’s art gallery ten years ago. You haven’t changed a thing, sir.”

“Don’t say that. I’m an old man now. Well, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?”

“We would like to have your art exhibition at our gallery.”

“Oh, really? Well, I do appreciate your interest, but my entire schedule is full this year with my art exhibitions.”

Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin were disappointed.

“Sir, what about next spring then? We really want to host your art exhibition at our gallery.”

“Next spring? What if I die before then?”

“Haha. Sir, don’t say that.”

“You came all the way here, and I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you what you came for.”

“It’s okay, sir. We had the chance to enjoy your paintings, and that’s good.”

“Let me see. Since you just arrived from Seoul, you probably haven’t had lunch yet. I didn’t eat my lunch yet either. Let’s have it together. You brought your car, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

Gun-Ho let Artist Hwang get in his Bentley.

“Wow. Isn’t this an expensive car? Mr. Driver, please take a left turn over there. We are heading in the direction to Jeungsim Buddhist Temple. There is the sign.”

Artist Hwang showed the way to a Korean restaurant.

The food there was delicious and neat.

“This is the Southern area’s food. Please enjoy it.”

“It’s really good.”

“I remember that you said you hosted an art exhibition for the French painter—Marion Kinsky—didn’t you?”

“Yes, we did. We also had one for the Chinese young avant-garde artists.”

“That’s right. I actually wanted to see the exhibition and didn’t have a chance to do so since I’m staying here most of the time. Since now I know you two in person—President Goo and the art gallery director—I will definitely visit the gallery in the near future.”

“It’s not a large gallery.”

“Of course. The land price in Seoul City is crazily high. You can’t expect to see a large art gallery in Seoul. I’m having an art exhibition in Japan this summer, but there are a few provisions in the contract that bothers me, so I’m thinking of canceling it. If I cancel it, I will let you know.”

“If you happen to visit Seoul, please let me know anytime, sir. Our art gallery is close to Sinsa Station in Gangnam.”

“Oh, that location must be expensive. Well, I will visit the gallery when I go to that area, probably with my students. Many of my students are now professors at Seoul National University.”

Gun-Ho ordered a bottle of beer, and President Shin quickly grabbed the beer and said, “Sir, let me fill up your glass.”

President Shin and Artist Hwang talked a lot about arts, which Gun-Ho couldn’t really understand. After having a conversation for a while, Artist Hwang took out President Shin’s business card which she gave to him earlier.

“President Shin, right? You are highly knowledgeable about arts and very informative. I’m impressed. I really enjoyed talking with you.”

After lunch, Gun-Ho dropped Artist Hwang at his gallery and headed to Eujae Art Museum in Ullim Town, which President Shin said was a must-visit place before leaving Gwangju City.

Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

Once Gun-Ho arrived, the regular meeting for the executive officers began. The new director—Ms. Min-Hwa Kim—from the accounting department joined the meeting while replacing the internal auditor’s position.

The research center’s chief officer was giving an update on the progress of the project for Chrysler’s request. He said they were working on making a mould based on the product drawing given by Chrysler, and once it was completed, they would manufacture sample products before the next update report.

“Where are you planning to get the necessary raw materials in manufacturing Chrysler’s products?”

“From Dyeon Korea, sir.”

“Do we have an estimated product cost statement?”

“Yes. Manager Chang-Hoon Seo sent it to Chrysler already.”

“Manager Chang-Hoon Seo used to work in the general affairs department as an assistant manager. I’m not sure if he can confidently handle the product cost calculation.”

“He at first had a hard time doing it, but now he is doing great.”

“That’s good to know.”

“There will be hands-on training at the Korea Productivity Center on calculating product costs next month. I was thinking of sending a few workers from our sales team there to get trained, including Manager Chang-Hoon Seo. I will select three additional workers, maybe an assistant manager and team lead.”

“Director Min-Hwa Kim from the accounting department is our new executive officer. I believe that the Korea Management Association offers training for new executive officers every year. Director Min-Hwa Kim, I want you to take that training. It will be held in Mapo District, Seoul City.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ve noticed that even though we reserve a certain amount of funds for employees’ training and education, we don’t really use them. I want you all to keep in mind that taking the necessary education and training is very important.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’d like to add something.”

Director Jong-Suk Park raised his hand.

“Our sales revenue is now exceeding 80 billion won. In the production department, we have extended our work hours to two or three hours more. We, of course, get paid for the extended hours of work, but many of the workers prefer to have their personal life in the evening rather than getting paid a bit more. I’m requesting to hire more workers in the production department.”

The general affairs director agreed with Director Jong-Suk Park.

“I agree with Director Park. When this company was still Mulpasaneop, we had more than 400 workers even though the sales revenue was 70 billion won. I think we need to hire more workers gradually like ten more for the management, five more for the research center, and thirty more for the production department. So, we will need to hire fifty more workers in total.”

President Song responded to the request.

“It is true that we will eventually need to increase the number of workers if we successfully procure the product order from Chrysler. I know that Director Jong-Suk Park gets off work after 8 pm these days.”

“I’m with you on this, President Song.”

“Then I will proceed with it.”

Gun-Ho broke the news while having a cup of green tea.

“I’m getting married on March 18th.”

“Really? You are getting married, sir? Oh, my goodness. Congratulations, sir.”

The executive officers at the meeting applauded in congratulating Gun-Ho on his wedding.

“It will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Seoul, but I haven’t reserved enough seats for everyone. The wedding hall will be able to accommodate only the executive officers.”

President Song said while smiling, “That sounds good, but the thing is that you will need someone who can take care of the guests at the reception desk leading them to their seats and helping them with signing the guestbook, etc. I will select maybe five neat people from our employees and let Manager Chang-Hoon Seo lead them. I know that the hotel will provide the same service, but I doubt it will satisfy our expectations.”

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Chapter 429 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (2) – Part 2

Chapter 429: Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (2) – Part 2

Director Jong-Suk Park agreed to President Song’s suggestion that they would need to select a few workers to facilitate Gun-Ho’s wedding.

“President Song is right. I’ve seen an office worker in a suit guiding wedding guests while wearing white gloves. You need people at the parking lot, and also the reception desk, so they can ask guests to sign the guestbook.”

“Hmm. I guess you are right. It seems I will need people at the reception desk.”

“Once we send our workers there, they will need to recognize the guests from the bridebride’s side. Which company is your bride working for?”

“Not a company, but she will get lots of guests from a hospital.”

“A hospital?”

“Yes. She is a medical doctor.”

“Oh, really? Which hospital is she working at?”

“It’s Seoul National University Hospital.”

“I will make sure that our workers take care of the guests from the hospital as well.”

Gun-Ho handed out his wedding invitation to each of the executive officers at the meeting.

President Song asked more of them.

“Can you give me 100 more, sir? We need to send it to our client and vendor companies. We don’t want to hurt their feelings.”

“Okay, then send just 50 more. I have more wedding invitations in my car. I will ask Chan-Ho Eum to bring them to you.”

After the meeting and after everyone left the office, Director Jong-Suk Park came back to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Bro, you are finally getting married, huh?”

“Yes, I am!”

“Congratulations, bro!”

“Thank you.”

“Remember when you tried to get your unemployment benefits once you were laid off from the factory. You went to Seoul Labor Center for that. Time flies, huh? Now you became so successful that you are getting married to a medical doctor who graduated from Seoul National University.”

Jong-Suk chuckled.

“I heard the exact same thing from Min-Hyeok Kim the other day.”

“Oh, Min-Hyeok bro said that too? Hahaha. Do you remember the days when you were washing plastic drums while wearing a protective mask.? It was in a cold winter, and the workplace had toxic chemicals everywhere.”

“Cut it out. What’s wrong with you today? Get back to your work, man!”

“Bro, congratulations again. I’m truly happy for you.”

When Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea, he had to tell the workers that only executive officers would be invited to his wedding due to the limited guest seats. The vice president— Mr. Adam Castler —seemed to be the one who was the most excited person.

“Oh, I’ve never been to a wedding in Korea. I will absolutely be there to congratulate you on your wedding. I will inform Lymondell Dyeon as well.”

It was the day that Gun-Ho had a class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development. Gun-Ho distributed his wedding invitation to the class.

“Congratulations.”

The students there sincerely congratulated Gun-Ho.

Attorney Young-Jin Kim heard the news for the first time that day because he hadn’t been to the class lately because of work.

“Wow. I didn’t know you were seeing someone. Congratulations.”

Gun-Ho made a note with his and his bride’s profile and gave it to Minister Jin-Woo Lee who would preside over his wedding.

“Hey, Mr. Class Manager! No rice cake today?”

“I haven’t prepared them for today.”

“I’m not going to your wedding then. You should at least serve us twice with rice cake., Sso we all can go to your wedding.”

The students there made a joke and laughed together. The people from the legal community and the generals were usually quiet while the politicians like congressmen and the ministers made jokejokes all the time and talked loudly, probably because they were close to each other like friends. The class was practically controlled by that group. An attorney from a province once said while indicating that group, “They are acting more like a gangster rather than a group of ministers of the government.”

Gun-Ho sent out his wedding invitations to his high school friends, and also to his mother, so his mother could relay them to his relatives.

Gun-Ho’s sister brought his mother and father to Gun-Ho’s TowerPalace condo. They wanted to check the condo to see if there was anything that they needed to prepare before Gun-Ho’s wedding, so the newly-weds could start their life together conveniently.

“Wow! This is so large.”

“The size is about the same as the condo in Guweol Town, Incheon City. It looks bigger because it’s almost empty, not many furniture here.”

“I kind of felt embarrassed when we entered this condo complex in our Sonata because most of the cars parked here are all foreign-made luxurious cars.”

“Please take a seat.”

“The maintenance fee here must be very expensive, huh?”

“Yeah, a little. You can assume that they charge about 1.5 times more than a regular condo.”

“This is large enough for you to have three or four kids.”

Gun-Ho’s mother opened the refrigerator.

“I knew that. Something is growing here. You need to throw out the food that went bad. This is happening when a man lives by himself. Jeong-Ah’s mom, you should stop by here sometimes and clean it for Gun-Ho. Look at that. He didn’t even take out laundry from the washer. The bride will be frightened when she sees how you are living here.”

Gun-Ho’s parents and sister checked every room including the veranda.

Gun-Ho’s sister said after checking the entire condo, “The wallpaper looks still new, but since you are starting a new life with your bride, I think you should redo it. A vanity set has to be placed somewhere for the bride. I guess she will need to occupy the master bedroom. Once you have a baby, she will need a room with a bathroom attached to it in order to easily take care of the baby. We will change the toilet and the lamp in the master bathroom. Also, we will change the curtain. If the bride is okay, you can keep the refrigerator and the washer.”

“Hmm. This is too much work.”

“Is it okay to keep the same color scheme for the wallpaper?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I will take care of the wallpaper and the curtain tomorrow. Let’s clean up the entire unit after the wallpaper is completed. I will have to bring a professional cleaning crew, so they can perform a deep cleaning on the entire condo including the kitchen cabinets and sink. I will take care of all of them. You just pay them at the end, okay?”

“I’m sorry, sister, and thank you for your help.”

At that moment, they heard Gun-Ho’s mother yelling from the master bedroom.

“Jeong-Ah’s mom! You will have to wash the bed sheetsbedsheets and comforter too. They stink!”

“Let’s have dinner before you leave. There is a very good restaurant around here, one of my favorites.”

“What kind of food?”

“Udong.”

“Udong?”

Gun-Ho took his parents and sister to a Japanese restaurant— Mitaniya— located in the commercial building inside the TowerPalace condo complex.

“I was expecting a regular udong house, but here looks very expensive.”

“They do sell udong. Their soup is very good. They have sushi as well.”

Gun-Ho ordered sushi, udong, and deep-fried shrimp at Mitaniya.

While they were waiting for the food, Gun-Ho’s sister asked, “The condo here is more than 1.5 billion won, right?”

“Right, it’s more than 1.5 billion won.”

Gun-Ho’s mother looked frightened.

“Oh, my gosh! The condo in Guweol Town, Incheon City is deemed to be a luxurious condo in that area, but the condo here is five times more expensive than that?!”

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Chapter 430 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (3) – Part 1

Chapter 430: Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (3) – Part 1

The next day, Gun-Ho’s sister, who promised Gun-Ho that she would take care of the wallpaper and cleanup of his condo, called Gun-Ho.

“I’m at your home at TowerPalace right now. When did you do your wallpaper and the bathroom renovation?”

“I did them when I first moved in there.”

“I looked around your home again in the daylight, and I think you can just keep your current wallpaper and others. They all look new. The refrigerator and the washer are in new condition as well.”

“Okay. Then just have the cleaning crew deep clean the entire condo.”

“Okay.”

When Gun-Ho came back home after work, he was astonished. His condo looked brand new. It reminded him of the first day when he moved in there. The lampshade, bathroom, and kitchen appliances and all others looked extremely clean. Gun-Ho gave a call to his sister.

“Sister, thank you so much.”

“Tell me, Gun-Ho. You have never cleaned up your home prior to today for the past one year, haven’t you?”

“Hahaha. I have cleaned only the master bedroom where I stay most of the time.”

“There was so much trash and dust. I could literally make a mountain with them. You should regularly clean your home for your own health.”

“Haha. Okay. I will do that.”

“Tell your bride that the condo is ready then she will order a vanity and a wardrobe cabinet for herself. Someone will have to be there to receive the furniture though. I will ask our father to come and take them for you.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Young-Eun.

[Deep cleaning is done with the condo. You can start placing your things there. It’s ready now.]

[I’ve ordered a wardrobe cabinet and a bed frame. Also, my desk, bookshelf, and other stuff will be there by the day after tomorrow.]

Gun-Ho made a call to his father.

“Dad, can you come to my home the day after tomorrow?”

“You mean your condo in Dogok Town?”

“Yes. Young-Eun’s furniture and other stuff will be delivered there the day after tomorrow. Can you receive them for me?”

“Okay.”

“You know the access code to the front door, right?”

“It’s the combination of the first two digits of my birthday and your mom’s birthday, isn’t it?”

“That’s correct.”

“Okay.”

“Young-Eun will use the master bedroom, so please tell the delivery people to place the furniture in the master bedroom. My stuff will need to be moved to the room facing the master bedroom. The delivery people will help you with moving things.”

“The room facing the master bedroom? I’m not sure which one you are referring to. You have four rooms there.”

“It’s the first room you see when you open the front door. That one is the second largest room after the master bedroom. You will see my golf clubs there. I’ve already plugged out the power cord of my computer in the master bedroom, so you can just move it to the other room.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho was organizing the list of the student names at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development in his office in GH Building in Sinsa Town when he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“Someone wants to sell his land to us.”

“We’ve already purchased it. The 1,500 pyung farmland.”

“Yeah, once we paid the full amount for that farmland, the landowner of the land behind our factory came to me and offered to sell his land to us. He said he heard that we bought the land next to our factory.”

“How large is that one?”

“It’s 2,600 pyung large.”

“Wow. That’s too big, and it will cost too much accordingly.”

“He offered it for 1 billion won.”

“1 billion won? How come it is so cheap? We bought our 1,000 pyung large land for 2 billion won.”

“Oh, the one behind our factory is a landlocked property.”

“Landlocked property?”

“Yes, it has no direct access to a public road. It’s adjacent to our land. You remember the farmland behind us, right? If we acquire that land, we will have one huge parcel of land.”

“Hmm, really? I want to see the land first.”

“Can you make time? You must be busy with preparing your wedding.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“The landowner is asking 400,000 won per pyung considering that it’s a landlocked property. That makes the total price of 1.4 billion won for the 2.600 pyung large land, and he just wants 1 billion won since he needs money right now. He said we can make a huge land by adding his parcel to our current land, and that parcel will no longer be considered as a landlocked property since it would have access to the public road. That will dramatically raise the land price.”

“Hmm.”

“He admitted that we would be the only people who would buy his land.”

“Okay. I will be there after lunch.”

Gun-Ho thought that 1 billion won was not a bad price at all. Moreover, he was expecting to receive a dividend from GH Media and GH Auto Parts from China where Min-Hyeok Kim was working at. He also agreed with the landowner that the land price would substantially increase once he combined that landlocked property with the current land.

After having lunch, Gun-Ho headed to GH Logistics in Seonghwan Town with Chan-Ho Eum.

Jae-Sik looked better and better every time Gun-Ho saw him. He delightedly came out of the office to greet Gun-Ho. There were two other workers in the office, and they were busy taking calls, which was a good sign for the business.

“This land and the one next door are on the six-meter wide local road. The land over there sitting behind our factory and the farmland next door is the one which was offered to sell.”

“I see.”

“Let’s go to see it closely.”

Jae-Sik led Gun-Ho to the fence bordering the land. After putting three pallets on the ground, Jae-sik said, “Get on the pallets, then you will be able to see the land better.”

“Yeah, I see that.”

“Do you see a poplar tree over there? That’s the borderline. If we acquire that parcel, our land will become a nice one-piece huge parcel of land. We are the only ones who would buy that parcel, otherwise, that parcel will remain landlocked. If not us, no one would buy it since it has no access to a road.”

“Okay. Make a contract. Let’s buy it.”

“Do you… have enough funds to buy it? You already spent 2 billion won when you bought this factory, and an additional 4 billion won in purchasing the farmland next door. If you buy this one, you would spend almost 4 billion won in total.”

“Let me worry about money, and you just focus on the operation and getting the land.”

“With 4 billion won, you don’t have to work for the rest of your life, but you can still have a wealthy life even in Gangnam District.”

“I will rob a bank if I have to. You make sure to change the land use for those two parcels later.”

Gun-Ho tapped Jae-Sik’s back while laughing.

When Gun-Ho went back to his home in Dogok Town, Young-Eun’s furniture and stuff were there. Gun-Ho’s father seemed to have left already.

The master bedroom had a built-in closet, so it wouldn’t seem to be necessary to add another furniture to store clothes. But, Young-Eun sent a wardrobe closet anyway. The bed was a queen-size bed. Once all the furniture was in place including her desk and bookshelf, the master bedroom didn’t look so large anymore.

“I guess the desk and the bookshelf will need to be moved to another room later.”

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Chapter 431 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (3) – Part 2

Chapter 431: Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (3) – Part 2

Young-Eun also bought and sent several comforter bedding sets, and Gun-Ho’s father just placed them all on the bed. Gun-Ho went to the room, which would be his room to use. It looked cozier than the master bedroom, and he liked it better. Gun-Ho turned on his computer after plugging its power cord to the wall outlet. The Internet started working right away on WiFi. At that moment, Gun-Ho received a text message from Young-Eun.

[Did you receive my furniture and stuff?]

→ [Yes, they are all here already. The only thing that is missing is you.]

→ [What about the bedding sets? Did they also arrive already?”]

→ [Yes. It seems that we are absolutely ready for a freezing winter.]

→ [That’s nice. Good night then. J]

→ [Sweet dream, Natasha.]

→ [Hahaha.]

It was finally Gun-Ho’s wedding day.

Gun-Ho put on a new suit with a dazzling white shirt and a blue silk tie. He left home early intentionally in order to get to the wedding hall early. When he arrived, he saw two GH employees in a business suit at the reception desk. One of them came to Gun-Ho and gave him white gloves and a flower.

“Big brother, congratulations.”

Gun-Ho turned around to see who it was. It was Tae-Young Im. Even though Gun-Ho didn’t send him an invitation, he came anyway with five of his people.

“We will take care of the hall service by showing the guest to their seats and all. Don’t worry about here.”

“You would? Thank you.”

Congratulatory flower wreaths started arriving, and Tae-Young Im instructed the delivery people where to place them. He was doing a good job. Gun-Ho’s mother was wearing a traditional Korean dress while his father was wearing a business suit. They were standing next to Gun-Ho at the entrance to greet their guests. On the opposite side, Young-Eun’s family was standing there. Her father was in a suit and Artist Choi was in a traditional Korean dress; they were greeting their guests as well.

So many guests started arriving when it was almost time to start the wedding ceremony. Gun-Ho was still busy greeting the guests. More than fifty congratulatory flower wreaths arrived, and some of them were from the vendor companies, and some were from the local government officials in Asan City. The ministers, the congressmen, and the general from the class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University also sent flower wreaths as well. Gun-Ho also saw the congratulatory flower wreaths with Dyeon Japan’s Richard Amiel’s name. Professor Jien Wang’s name at Zhejiang University also sent one, and Director Seukang Li from the bureau of cultural affairs and art in Shanghai sent one too.

A lot of flower wreaths from the bride’s side arrived as well even though more of them were from Gun-Ho’s side. The flower wreaths directed to Young-Eun were mostly from some pharmaceutical companies.

“What does the groom’s father do for a living? The wedding is magnificent and so many people came.”

The guests from the bride’s side assumed that the groom’s father had a very high social status by looking at the size and social class of the guests, and they were wondering who the groom’s father was. Many of the bride’s college friends came along with some pharmaceutical companies’ employees.

Gun-Ho selectively introduced his guests to his parents.

“This is Mr. Minister of xxx.”

Gun-Ho’s parents and the minister exchanged a deep bow. Gun-Ho’s parents tried to show their utmost respect to the minister by giving a deeper bow than him.

“This is the President of Egnopak.”

Mr. Adam Castler came with Mr. Richard Amiel from Tokyo, and Attorney Young-Jin Kim was standing behind them while smiling. Gun-Ho introduced Mr. Adam Castler and Mr. Richard Amiel to his parents.

“Hello. It’s very nice to meet you.”

As a tall American man extended his hand to Gun-Ho’s parents for a handshake, his parents looked at him in surprise.

Gun-Ho’s friends from high school came as well. Gun-Ho saw Won-Chul Jo, Byeong-Chul Hwang and also Suk-Ho Lee who was wearing a jacket.

Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town was also seen with his dear friend—Master Park from Goesan Town. Master Park happened to draw a lot of attention from the guests that day because he was wearing a traditional Korean outer coat, and his long gray hair was down to his back. He certainly looked peculiar like a fortune teller.

The wedding started.

Min-Hyeok Kim led the wedding ceremony.

Min-Hyeok came with his wife because they expected to have some private time with Gun-Ho to discuss business after the wedding anyway. Gun-Ho initially planned to ask Jae-Sik Moon to lead his wedding ceremony, and then he changed his mind and asked Min-Hyeok Kim to do it instead because Min-Hyeok was better at it.

Young-Eun entered the wedding hall. She was wearing a bright white wedding dress, and her make-up that day looked sophisticated. She walked down the aisle arm in arm with her father. Her elegant appearance added brightness to the Eastern Bennevis wedding hall at Millennium Hilton.

Minister Jin-Woo Lee started the wedding ceremony.

“At first, I’d like to start by welcoming everyone here and thanking each of you for coming to congratulate Mr. Gun-Ho Goo and Ms. Young-Eun Kim on their wedding. The weather seems to celebrate the happiest day of their lives as well. It’s a nice sunny spring day.”

I’ve known the groom—Mr. Gun-Ho Goo—through studying together at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University. The groom—Mr. Gun-Ho Goo—graduated from Zhejiang University in China majoring in Economics. He is a businessman currently running a manufacturing company of automobile parts along with four other companies. He is a young man who has been making an enormous contribution to our society’s economy by hiring workers and developing good products.

The bride is a medical doctor from Seoul National University Hospital. She graduated from Seoul National University. She is the woman with a spirit of sacrifice. She once volunteered in African to provide medical service there. She is also making a tremendous contribution to our society by taking care of the people who need help…”

Gun-Ho, who once was a factory worker, was quietly listening to Minister Jin-Woo Lee while having mixed feelings.

So many people came to Gun-Ho’s wedding to congratulate the newlyweds. There were more than the guests who were officially invited, and many of them had to leave without having lunch served there, but the wedding went very well overall.

The newlyweds posed for the photo with friends and relatives, and then Pyebaek* ensued. After the entire wedding ceremony was completed, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun headed to the Incheon International Airport in Gun-Ho’s Bentley that Chan-Ho Eum was driving.

On the way to the airport, Gun-Ho looked at Young-Eun, and he said, “You must be very tired.”

“You too, oppa.”

Young-Eun leaned on Gun-Ho’s shoulder in the rear seat. She must be exhausted. Gun-Ho hugged her lightly. She looked lovely. Driving on the road in the chilly early spring day in a Bentley.

*Note

Pyebaek – One of the wedding procedures in Korea where the groom’s parents receive formal greetings from the newlyweds and give them their blessings in return.

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Chapter 432 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (1) – Part 1

Chapter 432:

Life of Newly-Married Couple (1) – Part 1

At the parking lot of Incheon International Airport, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun changed into more comfortable clothes. The business dresses they were wearing wouldn’t be appropriate for their honeymoon trip. After changing, they put their business dresses in a bag and placed it in the Bentley’s trunk.

“Chan-Ho, thank you for the ride. We will return after four days. We will see you here then at 5 pm. Bring the car.”

“Bon voyage, boss.”

“I can still take calls in roaming during the trip, so if you need me, just call me, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho was told that a staff from the travel agency would be waiting for them at the airport in Honolulu, Hawaii to pick them up. When they entered the airport, Gun-Ho looked around in worry.

“It is possible that I might run across Mori Aikko here. When does a flight arrive from Tokyo? Why does she have to come to Korea these days?”

When Gun-Ho walked towards the boarding gate with Young-Eun, he saw a woman who was wearing dark sunglasses.

‘It’s Seol-Bing!’

Gun-Ho looked at that woman closely. Fortunately, it was not her.

‘Whew. Why does Seol-Bing have to film her soap opera in Japan? We don’t have a nice place for it in Korea?’

Gun-Ho kept walking heading to the boarding gate while still looking around.

Until he arrived at the boarding gate, nothing happened except he heard, “Oppa!”

A woman was calling him. Gun-Ho thought that it must be either Seol-Bing or Mori Aikko. Gun-Ho was frightened and turned around to see the woman. But it was neither Seol-Bing nor Mori Aikko, but it was Young-Eun.

“Why are you standing there? People are waiting behind us.”

“Oh, sure.”

Once he sat on his seat in the flight to Hawaii, he finally felt relieved.

“This flight will arrive at the airport in Honolulu tomorrow morning? Ha, I guess I will spend the wedding night in the plane.”

The flight attendants quickly recognized Gun-Ho and Young-Eun on a first-class seat as a newlywed. They brought them a blanket and wine as a special service for a newlywed.

The plane arrived at the airport in Honolulu at 10 am the next day. The air felt different. Once they passed the customs and immigration, they saw lots of people who were waiting for someone. Among those people, a young man was holding a large paper that said ‘Gun-Ho Goo.’

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Nice to meet you, sir. My name is Do-Gil Kim. I’m your tour guide.”

“Are you an international student from Korea?”

“Yes, I am.”

The tour guide looked a bit old for a student. A van was waiting for them outside. The chauffeur looked like a native Hawaiian. The van drove on the road for a while and arrived at a hotel in Waikiki. The hotel looked classic but not very luxurious.

“I look forward to having a tour with you.”

Gun-Ho gave a 100 dollar bill to the tour guide who seemed to be surprised by the unexpected pay.

“Wow! Thank you so much.”

The tour guide became friendlier, and he seemed to be willing to help Gun-Ho’s couple in any way he could. He first pulled out Gun-Ho and Young-Eun’s luggage from the van and moved them to the hotel lobby. He also helped with checking in to the hotel.

“This is the schedule while you stay in Hawaii.”

The tour guide gave a piece of A4-size paper to Gun-Ho.

“You must be very tired after the long flight. Why don’t you take a rest for two hours in your room? I will meet you at the lobby after two hours.”

After having lunch at the hotel, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun followed the tour guide to downtown Honolulu for a tour. They went to a clearwater beach, and they visited Iolani Palace as well. The tour guide knew the good spots to take a photo. After taking pictures of Gun-Ho’s couple, he started explaining about the palace. He said that the palace’s unique architectural style was known as American Florentine.

In the evening, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun had a romantic dinner for two at Azure Restaurant in Waikiki. They enjoyed their seafood dish with a glass of wine while looking at the beautiful night view of Waikiki.

They came back to their hotel room. It was officially the first night of Gun-Ho and Young-Eun as a married couple.

Gun-Ho had slept with a woman before. He had spent several hot nights with Mori Aikko. Gun-Ho started undressing Young-Eun. Young-Eun was lying down on the bed, and her body was tensed. She closed her eyes so tightly that she looked like she was frowning.

Young-Eun was certainly different from Mori Aikko or Seol-Bing. She didn’t put her arms around Gun-Ho’s neck like Mori Aikko did to him. Young-Eun was just lying down on the bed with her arms straight beside her hips. Her lips were not moist unlike Seol-Bing’s.

Gun-Ho thought, ‘Hmm. I feel like I’m with a piece of wood.’

The first night passed. It was not very fun, but it was okay. After the first night, Gun-Ho looked at Young-Eun’s face. Unexpectedly, she looked more comfortable and relaxed. She laughed a lot and made jokes. She even made a funny pose when the tour guide took a photo of Gun-Ho and Young-Eun.

After visiting many places that Gun-Ho’s couldn’t even remember, they came back to the hotel room in the afternoon and watched traditional Hawaiian hula dance from their terrace.

It was the last day of the trip, and it was the day reserved for shopping.

Young-Eun was busy in buying things while Gun-Ho had no interest in shopping.

“What did you get?”

“This? It’s Aloha shirts.”

“Aloha shirts?”

When Young-Eun showed the Aloha shirts that she purchased to Gun-Ho, Gun-Ho said, “Who would wear that kind of shirts? The color is too bold and the pattern is too big. Where would anyone be wearing those shirts? It’s embarrassing.”

“Maybe at home! I bought two. One for my dad and the other one for Mr. Chan-Ho Eum.”

“What’s that one?”

“It’s nutrition oil for nails. I bought this for my aunt in Yangpyeong County.”

“Nails require special care for nutrition?”

After finding out the gifts that Young-Eun bought for her family, Gun-Ho felt the pressure that maybe he should do the same. He just bought the exact same things that Young-Eun bought: Aloha shirts and nail nutrition oil for his parents and sister.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were at the airport in Honolulu while waiting for their flight. Gun-Ho looked at the planes.

‘Many airlines are using this airport, including Korean Air that is notorious for power tripping, Asiana Air with the owner family’s discord issue, Delta Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and even Japanese Air and China’s Eastern Airlines. How much sales revenue are they making on a daily basis?’

Gun-Ho Goo, who was the big player from Gangnam, could only think of business wherever he was.

‘The trip from Honolulu to Incheon International Airport costs 500,000 won for each person. If for 100 people, it will make 50 million won, and 100 million won for 200 people. It’s definitely a lucrative business. All of these airlines don’t manufacture their own planes, but they probably lease the planes from Boeing Company. How much do they pay for the lease? What’s the qualification that the government requires to run an airline like this?’

While thinking of the business, Gun-Ho boarded the flight while holding Young-Eun’s hand.

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Chapter 433 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (1) – Part 2

Chapter 433: Life of Newly-Married Couple (1) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho and Young-Eun arrived at Incheon Airport, Chan-Ho Eum was waiting for them.

“How was your trip? Did you have fun?”

“Hmm. How’s the company?”

“Everything is good, sir.”

“Let’s go home— TowerPalace.”

“Yes, sir.”

Young-Eun took five days of vacation off from her work for her wedding and honeymoon. Including two weekends prior to and after the five days, she had a nine-day vacation. After spending two days in the TowerPalace condo, Young-Eun would go back to her Anam condo in Myeongryoon Town.

Gun-Ho’s Bentley arrived at the TowerPalace condo complex.

“Thank you, Mr. Chan-Ho Eum.”

Young-Eun gave Chan-Ho the Aloha shirts that she bought for him from Hawaii.

“It’s not expensive shirts. You can wear them at home. I just picked them up from Hawaii.”

“Oh, wow! Thank you so much, ma’am”

When Chan-Ho was about to leave, Gun-Ho called for him.

“At the wedding, Tae-Young brought his people and helped with taking care of the guests. Please tell Tae-Young that I appreciated his help. And this is from me to Tae-Young. Tell him to have a nice dinner and liquor with his people.”

Gun-Ho gave an envelope to Chan-Ho who received them with two hands. He looked happy.

“Take a deep rest, sir.”

When Young-Eun entered the master bedroom, she was so excited.

“I now have enough storage space for my clothes unlike the one in my condo.”

“You can move your desk and bookshelf to another room. That way you can have more space here.”

“It’s good as it is. It’s still so huge.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun laid down on the queen-size bed that Young-Eun bought, side by side.

“You have rice, right?”

“Of course I do. Why are you asking? Are you going to cook? But all I have is rice, nothing else. Let’s dine out today.”

“You don’t go to work tomorrow, do you?”

“No, I don’t. I took several days off for my wedding with you.”

“Then, let’s do some grocery shopping tomorrow. I want to go to a traditional market.”

“There is no traditional market in this area. We have to go all the way to the Yangjae Station area for it. There is Lotte Mart around here though.”

“Really?

“I usually go to Lotte Mart if I need anything, or we can drive in the direction of Cheonggye Mountain, where there is Hanaro Mart. It’s huge.”

Youg-Eun jumped out of the bed and went to the kitchen. As she opened the refrigerator, she said, “It’s completely empty. No food at all.”

“Yeah, my sister cleaned that up.”

“I don’t see any greasy spots on the stovetop any longer.”

“Yeah, my sister cleaned that up as well.”

“Wow. Big thanks to your sister.”

“Let’s go out. There is a good Udong restaurant in the commercial building inside this condo complex. They have sushi too. Let’s eat there and stop by a supermarket to get some beverages and fruits on the way home.”

“Don’t forget to get bottled water.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went to Mitaniya on the second floor in the commercial building inside the TowerPalace condo complex. They had Udong and sushi. On the way home, they bought bottled water, beverages, beer, fruits, and paper cups.

“You are now the lady of the house. I don’t know anything about decorating a home. Why don’t you decorate the place as you please?”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were watching TV while having some beer when Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“How was your honeymoon trip?”

“It was good. We just came back today.”

“You must be exhausted then. I called you because I have something that I want to give you a report about.”

“What is it?”

“I signed the sales and purchase contract for that 2,600 pyung large farmland behind our factory.”

“Good job.”

“Just like last time, I used some funds from the company bank account to pay the initial payment.”

“Okay. I will transfer the funds by tomorrow.”

“The second payment is scheduled ten days later and we will have to pay the total price by the end of this month.”

Young-Eun, who realized that Gun-Ho was talking about his business over the phone, quickly lowered the volume on the TV.

“So now the land is 5,100 pyung large including the factory land we are currently occupying?”

“That’s correct. Once we flatten the land by filling low spots, we can use the land right away. Even a semi-tractor-trailer truck will be able to make a turn there.”

“This is so interesting. Once we open a business there, we get the chance to buy those pieces of land additionally.”

“Well, I’m sorry if I bothered you to have a romantic time with your new spouse.”

“No, it’s okay. Thank you for letting me know. I had to know it in order to send you the fund, right?”

Young-Eun also went to the master bedroom and talked on the phone with her father and aunt to let them know that she was back from the trip. While watching Young-Eun calling her father, Gun-Ho also made a call to his parents who were in Guweol Town in Incheon City, and he let them know that he just came back safely from his honeymoon trip.

After informing the parents that they both were back in Seoul, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun changed into pajamas and continued to watch TV while drinking beer. Gun-Ho was thinking if the feeling he was having right then was happiness.

Gun-Ho looked at Young-Eun who was sitting next to him while watching TV and suddenly kissed her on the cheek.

The dreamy two days passed, and it was Sunday evening. Gun-Ho gave a ride to Young-Eun to her Anam condo in Myeongryoon Town.

“Are you coming back to TowerPalace next Friday evening?”

“Yeah, that’s the way it is supposed to be for a while.”

“What kind of car do you drive, Young-Eun?”

“It’s SM5. I usually leave it in the parking lot. I don’t drive often.”

“How old is that car?”

“It’s about five years old, I guess. But since I don’t often drive, it has very low mileage.”

“I will get you a new car.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. It’s a waste. My car works totally fine. I don’t need a new car.”

“You haven’t changed its tires for the past five years since you bought it, have you?”

“No, I haven’t, but whenever I drive it to see my aunts in Yangpyeong County, it works great.”

“Have you noticed the cars that were parked in the TowerPalace parking lot? Most of them are foreign-made luxurious cars. If you drive a Korean vehicle there, you will feel embarrassed.”

“Maybe that’s true, but I still feel like changing a perfectly-working car is a waste. That’s not acceptable.”

“Young-Eun, your husband is a businessman who is running five companies. People will talk bad behind my back if they find out that my wife is driving a five years old SM5. I will get you a BMW.”

“No, thank you.”

“Please let me do this for you, and will you accept it for me?”

“Well, I will think about it then. Drive safely on the way back to TowerPalace.”

Gun-Ho hugged Young-Eun and kissed her before letting her go.

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Chapter 434 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (2) – Part 1

Chapter 434: Life of Newly-Married Couple (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho returned to his work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town after the vacation.

President Song gave a report about the sample products for Chrysler. He had received the product order from Chrysler when GH Mobile participated in the motor show in Chicago. The product that Chrysler requested was a protector made with TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane). It was soft and about the size of an elementary schooler’s pencil case.

“What is the unit cost?”

“It’s 2,800 won.”

“How many of this did they order?”

“They ordered 10,000 pieces per month.”

“I understand that they are going to use this product for A/S. How long do you think they will need it?”

“The car that requires this part is a discontinued vehicle. Given that fact, I expect about 2 years. While we supply this product to them, I’m planning to meet with their purchasing manager for further business opportunities.”

“You said the other day that we are hiring more workers. Have we done it?”

“We are still in the process.”

“When you hire workers with previous work experience, please make sure that they speak English.”

“As a matter of fact, we stated in the job posting that we prefer someone who could speak English.”

“I want to thank the executive officers who came to my wedding. I’d like to invite all of them along with Dyeon Korea’s executives for lunch today.”

“Did you choose the venue?”

“Yes. There is a Korean restaurant called Keundaek in Baekseok Town. It specialized in Korea table d’hote. I will see you all there. I will let the general affairs director know.”

“Okay, sir. I need to go to a client site in the morning. I will straightly go to the restaurant from there.”

“Sounds good.”

“Oh, and about those employees who came to your wedding to help at the reception desk, I think we probably want to pay them for their service that day like a travel expense or something.”

“Why don’t you invite them to lunch as well? Tell them to come to Keundaek Restaurant today.”

“That… I don’t think it is a good idea. I don’t want other employees to feel excluded by not being invited for lunch. I think it’s better that we pay them for their special service.”

“Hmm, I will talk to the general affairs director then.”

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs director.

“I want to invite all of the executives to lunch, who came to my wedding. Please make a reservation with the Keundaek Restaurant in Baekseok Town.”

“Yes, sir.”

“All executive officers from our company and Dyeon Korea are invited, so please contact the executives of Dyeon Korea as well. President Song is on a client site right now, and he will come straight to the restaurant from there.”

“Okay.”

“Also, provide a travel expense for the day of my wedding to the five employees who came to help at the reception desk.”

“Understood, sir. There were actually six workers who were at the wedding to help, including Manager Seo from the general affairs department.

“Oh, that’s right. Six employees then.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho went to a bank to wire transfer the amount due for the land purchase, to Jae-Sik Moon. It was 1 billion won. When Gun-Ho made the money-transferring request for the amount of 1 billion won to the bank staff, he looked at Gun-Ho’s face and then ran to the branch manager.

“Hello, sir. I’m the new branch manager in this location.”

The new branch manager gave his business card to Gun-Ho in an utmost respectful way. The branch manager came out to serve Gun-Ho himself because a 1 billion won transfer was not a usual transaction in a provincial city.

Once the wire transfer was completed, Gun-Ho walked out of the bank and gave a call to Jae-Sik to let him know.

“President Moon?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“1 billion won is on its way to your bank account.”

“You sent it already?”

“Yes. So, don’t worry about the funds and just focus on making the second payment and the final payment.”

“Okay.”

“Also, I want to thank our high school friends who came to my wedding the other day. I’d like to invite them for dinner. Can you arrange it for me? You have the list of our high school friends, right?”

“Where do you want them to gather?”

“If you take a bus at your location, can you easily reach Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal?”

“I can go to Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal or even Seoul Express Bus Terminal, or I can take my car.”

“We are going to drink, so maybe you don’t want to bring your car.”

“The Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal area is fine. I can take a bus to my home in Mapo District, or a subway if we stay late at night.”

“Okay then, let’s meet at Seongung on the basement level of the Peace Building next to Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal. It’s a Chinese restaurant.”

“When are we meeting?”

“What about next Friday? Oh, you know what? Let’s do it on Thursday. I guess we need to avoid Friday since many of us are weekend married couples. I don’t want to interrupt their romantic Friday.”

“Sounds good. I will inform everyone then.”

“That restaurant requires a reservation, so you will have to find out how many will actually come.”

“Okay, I will do that. I think not many of them would be able to make it. We usually gather ten to twenty friends during our regular meeting.”

“Okay, I will see you then.”

At the Keundaek Restaurant in Baekseok Town, GH Mobile’s five executive officers and four executives from Dyeon Korea were sitting at a table.

Gun-Ho expected to have eleven people including Chan-Ho Eum and himself, but Mr. Adam Castler’s chauffeur joined them as well, so there were in total—twelve people.

Chan-Ho, in a situation like this, usually didn’t join Gun-Ho’s group at the table, but he usually ate at another table separately. That day, Chan-Ho sat at a separate table with Mr. Adam Castler’s chauffeur and left the restaurant as soon as he finished lunch. At Gun-Ho’s table, ten people were having lunch along with beer. Unlike previous similar occasions, there was a woman— GH Mobile’s Director Min-Hwa Kim— and also a foreigner— Dyeon Korea’s Mr. Adam Castler.

With a female director and a foreign person at the table, the gathering was more relaxed compared to the previous similar meeting. Mr. Adam Castler didn’t bring his interpreter knowing that several attendees could speak English even though they didn’t speak it fluently, like Director Kim, Director Yoon, and GH Mobile’s President Song and the research center’s chief officer. Moreover, Mr. Adam Castler often found himself understanding what people were talking about, not because he could literally understand Korean, but he could read the situation after his prolonged stay in Korea.

Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim was the most talkative person in the group. His conversational skill had been honed throughout his years of career in the sales field.

“I really like that we are here all together, GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea. We should do this more often like once a month.”

President Song chipped in while smiling.

“Once a month is too often, but I guess we can do it quarterly.”

Director Kim said to Gun-Ho, “In the old days, we used to beat the groom’s feet, and some families still keep the tradition. Shall we try that today, sir?”

Everyone laughed, but no one initiated the act. Director Kim was the only person there who often made jokes and who was mischievous.

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Chapter 435 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (2) – Part 2

Chapter 435: Life of Newly-Married Couple (2) – Part 2

Director Kim continued to talk, “We should have invited GH Media’s President Shin, GH Development’s Director Kang, and GH Logistics’ President Jae-Sik Moon as well, and make this occasion as the entire GH companies executives’ meeting.”

Gun-Ho just laughed without saying anything in response to Director Kim’s suggestion.

“Why don’t we also invite President Min-Hyeok Kim from China and the sales company’s Chinese female president— the Ms. Dingding or Dungdung person?

“I guess Director Kim needs more drinks. Let’s order two more bottles of beer.”

The general affairs director, who had kept his silence so far, said quietly, “Many of our vendor and customer companies came to your wedding. We probably want to send them a thank you note or something with your name, sir.”

“Sounds good. Please do so.”

Director Kim chipped in again.

“Egnopak’s president and S Group’s vice president also attended your wedding, sir, along with a congratulatory flower wreath. I think it would be nice if you visit them in the near future to thank them. That will help our sales effort.”

President Song agreed with Director Kim.

“For Egnopak and S Group, I think it’s worth doing so.”

Everyone thought that President Song was a cold person, but no one would object to the fact that he was a perfect gentleman with a good manner. S Group’s vice president was a junior to President Song when he had worked for S Group, and when the company selected the current vice president for the position over President Song, President Song decided to quit the company. However, he never talked bad about the situation or the vice president.

During the meeting or gathering with the executive officers, Director Kim or President Song were the people who usually voiced their opinions or suggestions while the internal auditor, the research center’s chief officer, and Director Yoon seemed to be reserved and stayed quiet most of the time. The general affairs director, Director Jong-Suk Park, and Director Min-Hwa Kim had to be very careful in voicing their opinions. They were supposed to restrain themselves from chipping in because they were in a lower position than the other executives considering the years that they had spent with the company.

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho visited S Group with Director Kim.

S Group’s vice president was a young man for a vice president. He was in his early 50s. Gun-Ho gave a bow to the vice president.

“I wanted to thank you for coming to my wedding the other day.”

“Of course, I had to attend your wedding. By the way, do you know Minister Jin-Woo Lee personally, who presided over your wedding?”

“Yes, I know him.”

“He is the son-in-law of a conglomerate family. How do you know him?”

“We are taking the same course at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University.”

“Oh, you are taking the course?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Oh, I see. When you have a chance, please get me their curriculum brochure.”

“Sure.”

Gun-Ho headed to Egnopak with Director Kim. Gun-Ho gave a bow to the Egnopak’s president.

“I was surprised when I saw you at my wedding, sir.”

“Of course I had to be there. You are one of our important business partners.”

“I don’t know what to say, sir. Thank you so much for coming.”

“It is true that our relationship went through a rough patch, but I already forget all of those. A man shouldn’t cling to the past.”

“I do admire your generosity, sir.”

Director Kim who was sitting next to Gun-Ho added, “Everyone in this industry knows of the Egnopak president’s generosity.”

“Really? It is a well-known fact, huh?”

“Of course, sir. I know that for a fact because I’ve been in the industry for a long time, and I’ve met almost every single person in the field doing my sales work.”

“Of course. Director Kim and I have known each other for more than twenty years.”

“Even though Mr. President, sir, you get mad sometimes, everyone knows that you don’t hold a grudge. Moreover, we all admire your achievement that you grew the company this big after you inherited the business from your father. I absolutely admire you, sir.”

Gun-Ho participated in Director’s Kim’s buttering-up.

“I also heard that you are the 1.5 generation, not the second generation of a wealthy family.”

“Oh, you heard that too? Hahaha.”

Director Kim chipped in.

“I’ve heard of that too.”

“Director Kim, didn’t you feel disappointed when I made only a small volume of product order?”

“Oh, well, I understand that you probably have your own reason, sir. I’m sure the volume of product orders will gradually increase.”

“I will try to order more next month. Hahaha.”

Egnopak’s president seemed to feel very good.

Gun-Ho thought that he should prepare something for Minister Jin-Woo Lee as well since he presided over his wedding. If the minister was a regular person, Gun-Ho might have prepared some gift money, but the minister had a wealthy family, and money wouldn’t make much impact on him.

“What should I get him?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t think of any good present for the minister other than maybe a painting.

He had a landscape painting that he received from Mr. Ding Feng. Actually, when he went to Gwangju City to see Artist Young-San Hwan the other day, he wanted to buy a piece of his paintings, but it was way too expensive when he asked the Hanbit Gallery’s staff about the price. Gun-Ho was wondering if Artist Ding Feng’s painting would be good enough.

“If I could get him Artist Young-San Hwang’s painting, that would have been awesome. Mr. Ding Feng’s artworks are not very known among Koreans. I’m not sure if he would like it.”

When he had a class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development, he brought the same rice cakes and healthy beverages that he brought previously. He also didn’t forget to bring Mr. Ding Feng’s painting.

During the break followed by the first class, Gun-Ho distributed the rice cakes along with the drinks.

“This is your thank-you-gift for us for attending your wedding?”

“Man, this is not enough. We want to have these several times more.”

The student made jokes while enjoying the rice cakes and healthy drinks.

“By the way, there were so many people at his wedding. I didn’t know President Goo was that popular.”

“You didn’t hear what Minister Lee said during the wedding? He is running five companies.”

“How big are they?”

“One of the companies is making 80 billion won of annual sales revenue.”

“Wow. That’s amazing given his young age.”

As a class manager, Gun-Ho took good care of the class. He prepared a drink for a professor in every class, and he cleaned the class board after each class. Gun-Ho became very popular among the students. Many legal professionals and high-ranking government officials asked Gun-Ho for his business card.

After the class, Gun-Ho gave the painting to Minister Jin-Woo Park at the parking lot.

“I appreciate you for presiding over my wedding, sir. When you have time, I’d like to take you to a golf field to have a round of golf with you. Also, I brought this painting for you. It’s painted by a Chinese famous artist.”

“Oh, thank you. You didn’t have to get me anything.”

Minister Jin-Woo Lee opened the painting.

“Hmm, I like it. It’s a northern school literati painting.”

“Do you know of a northern school literati painting?”

“Of course. It’s common knowledge. By the way, I’ve noticed that you received so many guests at your wedding. I guess you are a popular person.”

The minister extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake and said, “I’m so happy that I got the chance to get to know a decent person like you.”

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Chapter 436 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (3) – Part 1

Chapter 436: Life of Newly-Married Couple (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to see his life mentor—Chairman Lee—from Cheongdam Town.

He didn’t forget to bring a gift for him. He bought a box of ginseng drinks made by Korean Ginseng Corporation.

“Sir, I really thank you for coming to my wedding the other day. I know you are a busy person, and you made your time for me.”

“Of course I had to. It was not just anyone’s wedding, but it was your wedding, President Goo. Congratulations again on your wedding. Your bride seemed to be a very fine person.”

“I also want to thank Master Park who came with you.”

“He happened to be in the area when I talked to him about your wedding. When he learned about your wedding, he insisted that he had to be there.”

“I will visit him in the near future to show my gratitude.”

“A lot of people showed up at your wedding to congratulate you. I guess you are so popular.”

“Haha. I don’t know about that.”

“Did you already done Shinhaeng?”

“Shinhaeng?”

“Yes, you know, a newlywed is supposed to visit the groom’s parents and the bride’s parents after their honeymoon trip.”

Gun-Ho thought, ‘Oops.’ He hadn’t done it yet, but he couldn’t tell him that because he was afraid that Chairman Lee might think of him as a disrespectful person who just ignored the tradition and their parents.

“Ye… Yes, I did.”

“I hope you have a happily-ever-after life with your wife and future children.”

“Thank… Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho gave a deep bow to Chairman Lee before walking out of his office.

When Gun-Ho entered the elevator, someone said hi to him.

“Hello, sir.”

Gun-Ho looked at the man. He was the dandy manager from BM Entertainment.

“Oh, hi, Mr. Manager.”

“What brought you to this building today?”

“The owner of this building—Chairman Lee—is someone very close to me. I visit him here sometimes.”

“Oh, I see. I came here to see a friend of mine. He has a business in this building. Did you have a chance to meet Seol-Bing by any chance?”

The name of Seol-Bing pricked Gun-Ho’s conscience.

“As a matter of fact, I did. I once invited her over to the art gallery in the basement in my building in Sinsa Town during its grand opening. That was the last time I saw her.”

“Seol-Bing just came back from Japan after photo shooting. I can find out where she is right now for you.”

“Oh, no, no. That wouldn’t be necessary. Well, I’d better get going.”

When the elevator arrived at the ground level and then when they walked toward the front entrance, they ran across a group of young people who looked like celebrities. When they saw BM Entertainment’s manager, they looked surprised, and then they gave a deep bow to him.

“Sir, how are you?”

Gun-Ho thought, ‘I guess that this dandy guy has some power in the entertainment field. Hmm.’

Gun-Ho got in his Bentley that was parked in the building parking lot. When he was on the way out toward the gate, he saw the BM Entertainment’s manager walking into the parking lot. Gun-Ho rolled down the rear window of his car. He craned out of the window and said, “Why don’t you visit me at my office in GH Building when you have a chance? I have something that I’d like to ask you about.”

“Okay, sir. I will do that.”

The man, who was with BM Entertainment’s manager, asked, “Who is it?”

“He has a 20-floor building in Sinsa Town. He has a connection with a lot of high-ranking government officers in China as well.”

“Wow, did you see his car? It’s Bentley. That car costs 300 million won.”

When Gun-Ho came back to his office, the first thing that he did was send a text message to his wife—Young-Eun Kim. He didn’t want to give her a call because she might be in the middle of giving medical treatment to her patients.

[I just got scolded by a relative for not having visited our parents yet after our honeymoon trip. I think we’d better visit both our parents this Saturday.]

Young-Eun replied to him after quite a while.

[Let’s go to your parents’ during lunchtime on Saturday to Guweol Town in Incheon City, and then we can stop by Sillim Town to see my father in the evening.]

Once he received the confirmation from Young-Eun, Gun-Ho made a call to his mother.

“Mom, we will stop by home around lunchtime this Saturday. I wanted to go see you and father right after the honeymoon trip, but I couldn’t make it because I was held up at work.”

“Sounds good. Why don’t you visit Young-Eun’s father after coming to see us on Saturday? Since her father is living by himself, he must feel lonely and will be happy to see you both.”

“Okay, mom.”

It was Friday. When Gun-Ho went to his home in TowerPalace, Young-Eun was there already. He could smell Doenjang-jjigae*.

“Did you cook?”

“Yeah. I cooked rice with a rice cooker. It will last at least three days. The soup can’t go more than two days, so if you don’t finish it by then, just throw it out.”

“This condo feels homey now.”

“Go and wash yourself first before dinner.”

“I guess I don’t have to eat outside any longer.”

After washing his hands and feet, Gun-Ho sat at the dining table facing Young-Eun.

There were just-cooked white rice, Doenjang-jjigae, kimchi, fried eggs, and other side dishes like seasoned vegetables and beans.

“The rice, Doenjang-jjigae, and kimchi are the only ones that I cooked. Everything else is from a side-dish store.”

“Bon appetit.”

It was the very first time for Gun-Ho to eat food that was cooked by his wife. The rice was good, but the Doenjang-jjigae was below average. Gun-Ho missed his mother’s Doenjang-jjigae.

‘I shouldn’t let her know that her Doenjang-jjigae is not good. I should appreciate her time and effort for this. I read some articles from the Internet about how to maintain a happy marriage. It said I should pretend that I really enjoy my wife’s food even though I actually don’t. Well, this Doenjang-jjigae is really awkward.’

“How is it? Is it good?”

“Yeah, it’s good.”

“You like it?”

“Sure.”

“Then how come you don’t eat much?”

“I’m eating right now.”

Gun-Ho ate fried eggs, dried seaweed, and kimchi mostly. Again, the rice was good since it was just cooked by a rice cooker.

“Thank you for dinner. I will clean the dishes. Just leave them in the sink.”

“I will do the dishes. Can you move things from my car for me, instead?”

“What things?”

“I have some books and gifts for our parents in my car.”

“Oh, okay.”

Gun-Ho followed Young-Eun to the garage.

When Young-Eun opened her SM5’s trunk, there were tons of books there.

“You have so many books here.”

“These books are old books that I don’t often read anymore. My condo is currently cranked with my books and the bookshelf there is overflowing, so I just wanted to move some of them here.”

“I think I need to bring a cart. I have it in my car. Give me one second.”

Gun-Ho moved all of the books to the condo. It took him two travels.

“How did you get these from your condo to your car? These are heavy.”

“The security guard there helped me. I had to travel four times between my condo and my car.”

“It’s good to have a husband, huh?”

Note*

Doenjang-jjigae – a Korean soybean paste stew

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Chapter 437 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (3) – Part 2

Chapter 437: Life of Newly-Married Couple (3) – Part 2

After cleaning the dishes and arranging the books to their new place, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun watched TV, and then they laid down on the bed together.

“It’s good, right?”

“What’s good?”

“Being together. I mean as a married couple.”

Gun-Ho hugged Young-Eun and kissed her on the cheek.

“Thank you for being my significant other.”

“I saved an old bachelor, did I?”

“Why did you choose me as your husband? I’m sure you have plenty of men to choose from.”

“I don’t know.”

Gun-Ho pressed his lips against Young-Eun’s lips.

“Why did you choose me, oppa?”

“I just wanted to save an old bachelorette.”

Young-Eun kicked Gun-Ho’s shin under the comforter.

“I wonder why you picked me. There should be tons of people who would want to marry you.”

“I’m not sure.”

Young-Eun rubbed Gun-Ho’s chest.

“The reason I picked you was, I think, that I want to be compensated.”

“Compensated for what?”

“I didn’t graduate from the top university—Seoul National University. I guess I wanted to fulfill that deficiency by having a spouse who graduated from that college.”

“I heard that once you get old, everyone reaches the same level regardless of their various educational levels.”

“When I was in high school, my family was not financially affluent. Since your father was a teacher, studying hard probably came natural to you at that time. But, my family was different. My parents were so busy with their work in order to feed us, and I felt small all the time, and I didn’t have any will to study hard. The atmosphere overall was not very supportive for me to concentrate on studying. I think I started focusing on making money because I wanted to compensate myself for those days.”

“That drove you to come this far, I guess.”

“Come to think of it now, I think you are right. You were ranked top in high school, and you are pretty. I guess you must be a popular kid in high school and had a happy adolescence.”

“Not necessarily. I had to constantly fight with myself in those days. It was not pretty; I can tell you that.”

“Why was that so?”

“I think I developed PTSD after my mom’s death. It was hard to overcome at my young age.”

“I see.”

“My mom died of ovarian cancer. She was not even 50 years old. I wanted to be a medical researcher who devotes her life to find treatment for ovarian cancer. That was my sole goal in my life. I decided not to pursue my dream to become a painter, but instead, I studied hard to be admitted to a medical school.”

“You must have been ranked first in your class.”

“Not just in my class, but I was ranked first in the entire school. Once I achieved my first step toward my life goal and started studying in medical school, I realized that my plan was probably not feasible. It’s not simple to find a cure for a terminal illness like ovarian cancer. Well, someone will eventually find a cure someday of course. However, that doesn’t mean it will happen during our generation.”

“Hmm.”

“When there is no guarantee to develop a cure, it’s hard to find a fund to proceed unless I can get the fund from some conglomerate family. Whenever someone asked me why I hadn’t married yet, I always made a joke by telling them that I wouldn’t marry anyone except someone from a conglomerate family. One day, one of my friends introduced me to someone from a conglomerate family. He was a nephew of CY Group’s president. I was told that he was smart, and he studied at one of the Ivy League universities. I actually met him.”

“And what happened? He rejected you on the spot, huh?”

Young-Eun kicked Gun-Ho’s shin again under the comforter.

“Shoot. I feel like I married a gangster.”

“So I met this guy who is the third generation of an extremely wealthy family. He came to the meeting wearing short pants and flip-flops. He was also chewing a gum. His outfit and his attitude bothered me a lot.”

“Maybe because he was Americanized in some way?”

“I don’t believe all of the American people are like that. There are so many conservative people in the U.S. as well.”

“That’s true.”

“So we started conversing, and I found out that he had no historical consciousness and no common knowledge about anything. He was just an idiot with a rich family. I didn’t even think twice when I turned him down.”

“Hmm.”

“Another friend introduced me to another man who was upper level than me in the same medical field. I thought that even though I wouldn’t be able to devote my life to develop cancer treatment, maybe I could just have a life with someone who would share the same life value and philosophy. It would be very nice to do some volunteer work together in Africa or something, but when I actually met that person, he was not my type at all.”

“Why not?”

“First of all, I didn’t like his appearance. Second of all, he was a money-oriented person. He almost seemed to be obsessed with money. I just couldn’t go on with a person like that. He was from a not very financially bountiful family either just like you. He was driven too strongly by his desire to make money. He even opened his own practice with a bank loan.”

“I do have a strong desire to make money as well.”

“You can’t make money with just your desire to do so. You need luck and the ability to make it happen.”

“So, I guess he started his own practice without enough clinical experience, huh?”

“I heard that he eventually had to close his business, which left him with enormous debt. He is now working for a small clinic.”

“I still don’t understand why you chose me. I do have a strong desire to make money. I’m sort of obsessed with money too.”

“You will have to thank my aunt for that. She talked extremely highly of you constantly. She said you have hundreds of billions of won, and you are a self-made successful young man with good manners.”

“Artist Choi said that?”

“I didn’t believe what she said at first. Think about it. How is it possible for a young man to make hundreds of billions of won without his family background? Especially, given the fact that there is no economic ladder to climb up these days. Even a medical doctor who graduated from the top medical school often files for bankruptcy after opening his own practice with a loan from a bank, so I didn’t believe what my aunt said.”

“So your aunt fed you with all those information, huh?”

“But it was not just my aunt, but my aunt’s dear friend—President Jeong-Sook Shin—also persisted in asking me to meet you. She is one of my favorite people, so I decided to give it a try.”

“Do you know what my first impression was when I saw you for the first time?”

“How was I?”

“You didn’t look like a rich man, but you looked like a mediocre salaryman who was working for a big company. I liked your appearance though. You looked like a decent man, but I didn’t imagine marrying you at that time. I was just interested in hearing your story about how you make all that money.”

“And?”

“Remember the day when I showed you my scar on my arm? That I was bitten by a poisonous insect? After looking at my scar, you showed me yours. You said you got those scars when you worked in a factory. Probably, you haven’t noticed at that time, but I almost cried. I didn’t know until then that I was such an emotional person. I realized that you are a person who knows how to devote yourself to achieve something, and I thought that we might have a different life goal, but we could be a good companion to each other throughout life. At that time, I knew you were the one.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, you are conservative. You have a good manner, no chewing gum, no short pants or flip-flops. Also, you are a man who knows how to enjoy the arts.”

“Thank you for recognizing my value.”

“I knew you were the man who would protect me at any cost.”

“Of course, I will protect you for the rest of my life.”

Gun-Ho hugged Young-Eun tightly. She didn’t act like a piece of wood that night. She wrapped Gun-Ho’s neck with her arms. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun had a steamy night for the first time since they got married.

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Chapter 438 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (1) – Part 1

Chapter 438: Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went to Gun-Ho’s parents’ home. It was their first visit after their honeymoon trip. Gun-Ho’s mother and father seemed to be happy to see them.

“We should have come right after the honeymoon trip. I was just too busy at work.”

“It’s okay. We are just so happy to see you two together.”

Young-Eun took out the gifts that she prepared.

“What are those?”

“I bought these for you from Hawaii. These are Aloha shirts and dresses.”

“Aloe shirts?”

“Aloha shirts, not Aloe shirts. People wear these in Hawaii.”

“They are very bold in color and pattern.”

“Just wear them at home if you feel embarrassed about wearing them outside.”

Gun-Ho’s sister, who was in the kitchen, came to the living room.

“What about me? Didn’t you get anything for me? You’d better get along with me to make your marriage more pleasant!”

“I bought nail nutrition oil for you.”

“That’s it?”

Young-Eun laughed and gave a skincare set to each person, which she bought at the duty-free shop at the airport.

“Without this skincare set, you would almost have a hard time getting along with me.”

Young-Eun also showed a shell necklace that she purchased for Jeong-Ah.

Gun-Ho’s sister shouted to her husband who was in another room.

“Honey, why don’t you come out? My brother’s wife is here.”

“Oh, is he home?”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law came to the living room.

“Hey, Gun-Ho, you are here.”

“Honey, you haven’t met Gun-Ho’s wife, right?”

“I saw her once at the wedding.”

“I know, but you haven’t really introduced yourself to her. Young-Eun, this is Jeong-Ah’s father.”

“Hello.”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law seemed to be shy when he said hello to Gun-Ho’s wife.

Gun-Ho’s mother and sister prepared lunch just like the last time when they visited home.

Doenjang-jjigae* was on the table, and Young-Eun seemed to like it a lot. She asked Gun-Ho’s mother, “Mother, how did you make this Doenjang-jjigae*?”

Gun-Ho’s mother shared her recipe with Young-Eun.

After lunch, Gun-Ho’s mother and sister started cleaning the dishes, and Gun-Ho’s mother didn’t let Young-Eun help with it.

“Your hands are used to give medical treatment to people. Don’t let them be tired by doing some household chores.”

Gun-Ho’s sister didn’t agree with her mother.

“Mom, you need to let her help with household chores. That’s how she learns.”

Young-Eun started cleaning the table, and Gun-Ho’s mother stopped her.

“Give me the dishcloth. I will do it.”

Gun-Ho’s parents felt so proud of having a daughter-in-law who was a medical doctor. Their friends were envious of them. That was understandable considering how their life had been. Gun-Ho’s mother used to work as a caregiver at the nursing home until she was beaten by an old patient with dementia. Now she had a medical doctor as a member of her family.

Gun-Ho’s father used to work as a labor worker at a factory. When he told his friends that his son would marry a medical doctor who graduated from a top university—Seoul National University—they didn’t believe him. Even Gun-Ho’s aunt refused to believe it.

That was why many people were astonished at the wedding when Young-Eun was introduced as a medical doctor at Seoul National University Hospital. Moreover, many guests at the wedding looked like they were from the upper class. A lot of congratulatory flower wreaths were sent by high-ranking government officers and also by pharmaceutical companies.

When they saw an incumbent minister presiding over the wedding and when they heard him introducing Gun-Ho and Young-Eun, they realized that what they were told by Gun-Ho’s parents was true. The officiator clearly stated that Gun-Ho was a businessman with several companies, and the bride was a medical doctor who graduated from Seoul National University.

“Oh my gosh, their son was such a successful man now.”

“The last time I heard about their son, he was still studying for the level-9 government job exam in Noryangjin. Now, he is in a different social class.”

Gun-Ho’s aunt changed her attitude when she talked to Gun-Ho’s mother. She no longer bragged about her son who was a level-9 government employee or her daughter-in-law. Now, she had to accept the reality that Gun-Ho belonged to the upper social class, and she couldn’t compare him with her son anymore. Additionally, Gun-Ho’s wife was way better than her son’s wife, not just in their occupations but also in their physical appearance; Young-Eun was prettier than her daughter-in-law. Gun-Ho’s aunt had been suffering from mild depression, and now her depression seemed to become deeper.

There was another new fact that frightened Gun-Ho’s aunt.

When she learned that Gun-Ho was living in a TowerPalace condo that was 50 pyung large and that he owned 1,000 pyung land in Namchon Town, Namdong District, Incheon City, she was surprised.

“1,000 pyung? Oh my gosh!”

Since Gun-Ho’s father was registered as a non-executive director of GH Development, he was receiving a monthly salary of 3 million won, and he often bought his friends lunch or dinner with that money. He was well respected among his friends.

Gun-Ho’s mother felt so proud of her son and her daughter-in-law. She prepared fruits for them.

“Have some apples for dessert.”

Gun-Ho’s mother said to Gun-Ho while having a piece of apple, “You know what? I went to see the land in Namchon Town the day before yesterday.”

“Just watch if anyone piling up trash there.”

“I met the village foreman, and I also visited the senior citizen’s center. I had a good talk with the village people. I told them that I will plant some seeds in our land in April.”

“What are you going to plant?”

“I want to grow some peppers, corn, and peanuts.”

“Hahaha. Well, mom, do as you please. Good luck.”

Gun-Ho’s father, who had been quiet, said, “Did you register your marriage?”

“Oh, marriage registration? Not yet. We both have been busy lately. We will do it the week after the next one.”

“It’s better that you do it as soon as you can.”

“Okay, dad, we will do that.”

“You haven’t visited Young-Eun’s father yet after the honeymoon trip, have you?”

“We are planning to go there this evening.”

“Good. I guess you’d better leave now then. He is a decent person. You be a good son to him. A father-in-law is also your father.”

“Yes, dad.”

When Gun-Ho and Young-Eun walked out of Gun-Ho’s parents’ home, it was still early to visit Young-Eun’s father. They decided to stop by Songdo City.

“Do we want to buy some abalones for your father? Abalones here must be fresh.”

“I don’t know how to cook them. If we want to get something for my dad, let’s go to the seafood market in Noryangjin and get some salted seafood, oppa.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun stopped by the seafood market in Noryangjin to buy two bottles of salted seafood before heading to Sillim Town to see Young-Eun’s father.

Young-Eun’s father was delighted to see his daughter and his son-in-law.

“We should have come to see you earlier. We were so busy lately.”

“No worries. You can come anytime you want.”

“Dad, I got you Aloha shirts from Hawaii.”

“Aloha shirts? I think I can wear them when I do mountain climbing.”

“And, this is from oppa. It’s liquor and an electric shaver.”

“You don’t have to spend money on me.”

“I brought you some salted seafood as well.”

“These are made in Korea.”

“Oh, the salted seafood is from the seafood market in Noryangjin. We went there before coming here.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Oppa wants to buy you dinner. Let’s dine out and have some Korean Galbi*.”

“Why don’t we instead have some raw fish? A new seafood restaurant opened in the food alley in Sillim Town.”

Note*

Doenjang-jjigae – a Korean soybean paste stew

Galbi – Korean grilled beef ribs.

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Chapter 439 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (1) – Part 2

Chapter 439: Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (1) – Part 2

Before going out for dinner, Young-Eun’s father handed a document over to Gun-Ho.

“This is our family relation certificate.”

“Family relation certificate?”

“You will need this when you register your marriage. Who’s going to do the registration? Are you going to do it? If so, you will need to bring Young-Eun’s identification along with her stamp.”

“Got it. I will do that tomorrow at the Community Service Center.”

“You don’t register your marriage at the Community Service Center.”

“Oh, they don’t handle it?”

“You need to go to the district office for it”

“Oh, I see.”

“You might need two witnesses’ ID number and stamp. Take my stamp with you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, when you have time, send me a copy of your family register. I will give you my address.”

“I will bring it to you. I regularly come to this area for a class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University. Why do you need my family register anyway?”

“Our Kim’s family is currently working on reorganizing our family tree record. Your name needs to be added to it as my son-in-law.”

Reorganizing the record was just an excuse to obtain Gun-Ho’s family register. Young-Eun’s father wanted to make sure that Gun-Ho was never married before.

Gun-Ho, Young-Eun, and Young-Eun’s father headed to the food alley in Sillim Town. They ordered a large plate of sliced raw flounder as a start with a bottle of Cheongha* at the restaurant that Young-Eun’s father recommended.

“I will just have a sip of Cheongha*. I brought my car today.”

“Of course. You shouldn’t drink if you have to drive.”

As saying so, Young-Eun’s father filled Young-Eun’s empty glass with Cheongha*.

“Young-Eun, drink with me since you don’t have to drive.”

“Okay, dad.”

“Your wedding was so crowded. Some of my friends had to leave when they couldn’t find any vacant seats.”

“I should have reserved more seats. It was my fault.”

“According to the officiator, you have four other companies in addition to the auto parts manufacturing company. Where are those companies located?”

“The one in Cheonan City is the auto parts manufacturing company; it’s GH Mobile. There is another one in Asan City, called Dyeon Korea. It’s producing chemical compounds that are used in manufacturing auto parts. That’s a joint venture company with an American firm.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“Also, I have GH Development that manages the building in Sinsa Town in Gangnam. I have a publishing company as well. It’s GH Media, and a logistics company is in Seonghwan Town. It’s called GH Logistics. I have one more company in China.”

Young-Eun was all ears. She didn’t know much about her husband’s business until now.

“I was told that you didn’t inherit the business from your family. How did you build your business at your young age?”

“I just happened to acquire a few companies.”

“Are they all generating good profits?”

“Fortunately yes, they are generating profits without loss.”

“My friends, who came to the wedding, were envious of me for having a son-in-law like you. I am so happy to have you as my family, and also, I’m happy for my daughter.”

Young-Eun’s father finished two bottles of Cheongha* himself that evening.

“I gotta go to the bathroom. It’s one of the symptoms that old people are experiencing. We have to go to the bathroom pretty often.”

Young-Eun’s father went to the bathroom while staggering on his feet. When Young-Eun’s father left the table, Young-Eun wiped her eyes with a white handkerchief.

“Are you crying? What did I do?”

“No, I’m not crying. It’s just that something got in my eyes.”

Young-Eun stood up saying she wanted to go to the bathroom as well.

Gun-Ho knew that Young-Eun was crying because of her father.

When Gun-Ho noticed sliced raw flounder was almost gone, he ordered more seafood dishes like sea cucumbers and sea squirts.

Young-Eun’s father came back from the bathroom. Young-Eun also came back to the table, and she seemed to feel better.

Gun-Ho filled Young-Eun’s father’s glass with liquor and said, “Father, why don’t you move in with us to our home? We have plenty of rooms you can occupy.”

Young-Eun’s and her father’s eyes widened in surprise in response to Gun-Ho’s unexpected suggestion.

“Thank you for your offer, but that’s not possible. I can still live by myself. If I become physically incapable of living alone, I might consider moving somewhere close to your home, but before that happens, I will live here by myself.”

“Come and visit us at our home then in the near future.”

“Sure. I want to see how you two live.”

“Let’s fix the date then. What about next week?”

“Next week works for me.”

“Since I haven’t really drunk, I will drop you off at your home.”

“I feel so safe since I have a son now who I can rely on. Our family usually doesn’t have many children. I hope you two have many children.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After dropping off Young-Eun’s father to his Dongbu condo in Sillim Town, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun headed back to their TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town. While driving home, Gun-Ho said, “Your father looked lonely.”

Young-Eun didn’t say anything. She was just staring outside the window.

“Since he doesn’t want to move in with us, maybe we should ask him to move somewhere close to us.”

“I don’t think he will. My father is a proud man for his independent and self-sufficient life. Also, he is stubborn.”

“I think we should visit your aunt in Yangpyeong District too.”

“Let’s just invite her over to our home next week when my father comes. Maybe we want to invite President Jeong-Sook Shin as well.”

“As long as they said okay, I’m good with it.”

“I will talk to them.”

Gun-Ho was concerned about Young-Eun’s emotional status that day. Even after they came back home, she looked gloomy. She was like that for the entire evening since she met her father. Gun-Ho knew he wouldn’t have any chance to make love to her that night.

“Oppa, let’s sleep separately tonight since we drink and all.”

“Okay. You must be exhausted after visiting both parents. Sweet dreams.”

Gun-Ho gave a good-night kiss to Young-Eun on her cheek before going to his room.

The next day was Sunday. After breakfast, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun took a walk at Yangjae riverside.

Many residents in Gangnam District went to Yangjae riverside for jogging or taking a walk. While walking with Young-Eun, Gun-Ho was lost in thought, and so was Young-Eun.

‘It’s the end of March. Starting tomorrow, I will receive financial statements from all of my GH companies.’

Each year’s financial report came out at the end of December in the same year; that was an internal financial report. However, the official financial report, which would be open to the public, required an external audit, so that financial report would be issued after March 30th in the following year.

There was no single GH company that suffered loss, but GH Development still worried Gun-Ho.

‘I know it makes me look good to have a large building in Gangnam District, but given the amount of money that I invested in GH Development, it’s not generating enough returns. I invested 40 billion won into that company to acquire and manage the building, but it doesn’t give me much back. I want to merge it into one of my companies that makes enough revenue, but I don’t have that kind of company yet.’

Gun-Ho continued to walk along the Yangjae riverside while continuing to think about his business.

Note*

Cheongha – one of Korean brands of clear and refined rice wine.

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Chapter 440 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (2) – Part 1

Chapter 440: Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho had 4 billion won in his bank account which was a separate bank account from the one where he received his salary. In the second bank account, he had 200 million won.

With 170 billion won in his stock account, he had purchased various bonds which were not mature yet to reach their full face value. Gun-Ho was currently receiving his salary from four different companies: GH Mobile, GH Development, GH Media, and Dyeon Korea. The total amount of his salary was about 40 million won. He hadn’t had any income from his investment other than a monthly salary.

“My 4 billion won in my personal bank account must be almost gone already.”

Gun-Ho spent most of 4 billion won in establishing GH Logistics. He initially used 2 billion won out of 4 in acquiring GH Logistics’ factory in Seonghwan Town, and later he spent an additional 1.9 billion won to purchase two parcels of adjacent land. He now had 100 million won left in the bank account. However, he was still maintaining the amount of 4 billion won there since GH Media’s President Shin returned 3 billion won to Gun-Ho that he lent her previously for the business. Gun-Ho thought that he’d better keep more than 4 billion won in his account, so he decided to demand dividends from two companies where he didn’t receive any salary from.

Gun-Ho looked at the calendar. It was almost at the end of March. Gun-Ho wrote an email to President Min-Hyeok Kim in China and to President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media.

[To President Min-Hyeok Kim of GH Parts Company in China

President Jeong-Sook Shin of GH Media

We have previously agreed on exercising stock options for both GH Parts Company and GH Media.

Pursuant to our contract, an appraisal right can be exercised. However, if we proceed with it, the process itself is complicated, and it could create a capital increase. Therefore, I will just give 5% of shares to each of you.

I’ve attached the stock certificate contract for it. Please send it back to me with your signature.

The person, who is receiving the shares, is supposed to pay for the gift tax, but if you give me the exact amount of it, I will take care of it for you.

From: Gun-Ho Goo]

Since it was about their interests in the company, Min-Hyeok Kim and Jeong-Sook Shin signed the contract and sent it back to Gun-Ho immediately.

Gun-Ho proceeded by giving 5% of the company shares to Min-Hyeok and Jeong-Sook with the help of an accountant.

Now, Gun-Ho possessed 95% of the ownership of GH Parts Company in China while Min-Hyeok owns the other 5%. And the same thing went with GH Media as Gun-Ho owns 95% of it and President Shin owns 5% of GH Media’s share.

Gun-Ho sent another email.

[We will start distributing dividends right after the gift taxes are paid.]

Gun-Ho went to Gangnam District Office in order to register his marriage. He submitted Young-Eun’s family relation certificate and her ID along with information of two witnesses.

“You are all set. You will be heard from us within seven days.”

The staff at Gangnam District Office was kind in processing it.

At that moment, Gun-Ho recalled that Young-Eun’s father asked him to send him Gun-Ho’s family register. So he asked the staff, “I’d like to have my family register please.”

“A family register no longer exists. You will need to get a Certificates of Family Register instead. It will have the same information.”

“Oh, really? Then please have one issued for me, please.”

After successfully registering his marriage, he felt good.

He suddenly missed Young-Eun.

“I don’t want to wait until Friday evening.”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to his wife.

[The registration of our marriage with the district office is done. We are now officially married. Heh.]

Young-Eun’s reply arrived.

[Good job, oppa.]

It had been more than three months since Gun-Ho took classes at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University. The students became familiar and close to each other. They often made jokes with each other as well. Gun-Ho mostly talked with his friend— Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“Did you guys go to the same college?”

The congressman who was sitting next to Gun-Ho once asked since Gun-Ho and Young-Jin looked pretty close. The ministers and congressmen in the class sometimes ask Young-Jin for a legal advance.

“I have a family gravesite that is 20,000 pyung large. The villagers in that area are requesting me to construct a paved road in the middle of that land. Do I have to do that?”

The people in the class sometimes asked some business-related questions to Gun-Ho.

“Do you think it is a good idea to purchase OTC (over the counter) stocks?”

Everyone in the class was an expert in their fields in some sense, and they could answer any questions related to their field without difficulties. Gun-Ho could learn a lot just by listening to their conversation. His understanding about how the world worked became deeper.

Gun-Ho made a call to his father-in-law in Sillim Town.

“Father? I have my Certificates of Family Register with me. They said, a family register no longer exists and the certificates of family register is a replacement of that document. And I just got off the class. I can swing by your home now.”

“Oh, you did? I will wait for you at the building entrance.”

“No, don’t do that. I will go up to your unit.”

Gun-Ho stopped by a supermarket before heading to his father-in-law’s home. He bought some fruits and a box of canned food.

“Chan-Ho, wait here for me. It won’t take long.”

Gun-Ho went up to his father-in-law’s home carrying the food that he purchased from the supermarket and the document. Young-Eun’s father was watching TV while having a can of beer when Gun-Ho entered his home.

“Come on in. You didn’t have to bring me those.”

“These are just some fruits and cans.”

“Canned food? Maybe I can have some of them while drinking beer. I was watching TV with my beer. Please join me.”

Gun-Ho sat on the sofa after handing his certificates of family register to Young-Eun’s father.

“Would you like to have a beer with me?”

“No. My chauffeur is waiting for me outside.”

“Oh, your chauffeur? I guess you brought your company car here.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, really? You’d better go now then.”

While walking out of the condo, Gun-Ho thought that Young-Eun’s father must feel even lonelier now after letting her daughter marry.

It was Thursday.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon. He was reminding Gun-Ho that it was the day Gun-Ho invited his friends for dinner to thank them for having come to his wedding.

“Fourteen people confirmed that they would show up, so I made a reservation with Seongung restaurant next to Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal for fourteen seats.”

“What time was the dinner?”

“We will all meet at 6 pm.”

“Okay. I will be there by then.”

“Byeong-Chul Hwang is coming too. He said he would marry soon.”

“Byeong-Chul is getting married? He hadn’t married yet? I didn’t know he was still single.”

“He actually once prepared his wedding and even set the date, but he had to delay it when his father passed away unexpectedly.”

“Oh, that’s right. I went to his father’s funeral.”

“It has been more than a year since his father died, so he thinks it’s okay to get married now.”

“That’s good.”

“He asked me several times whether you would join us today.”

“Who asked you? Byeong-Chul Hwang?”

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Chapter 441 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (2) – Part 2

Chapter 441: Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (2) – Part 2

The restaurant called Seongung was a Chinese restaurant located in the basement level of a building. It was in the vicinity of Seoul Arts Center. So, many visitors to the art center were often good customers of this restaurant.

It was a high-class restaurant with round tables, which offered a full course meal.

“Thank you all for having come to my wedding the other day.”

“We were just a few friends from your high school, but there were tons of people at your wedding. I knew you must have a large social network with your business and all, but it was more than we expected.”

“Min-Hyeok Kim who led the wedding couldn’t come today since he is still in China. He asked me to say hello to you all.”

“His business there is doing good, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, he is doing great. Last year’s sales revenue was 7.8 billion won. In China, 7.8 billion won of sales revenue is considered as doing fabulously good.”

Gun-Ho’s friends from high school were envious of Min-Hyeok and also felt jealous of him. For them, Gun-Ho was someone who they couldn’t even feel jealous of since his wealth was so enormous that they wouldn’t be able to achieve it even if they put everything they had into it. However, Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon were different cases. Their friends thought that they could have been in their successful position if they had help from Gun-Ho.

‘Anyone who received help and support from Gun-Ho is doing great. Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon have their own business now, and they are very successful.’

A restaurant waitress brought jasmine tea.

“We will all have the course-A. That’s the best course meal in this restaurant, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jae-Sik Moon took out three bottles of liquor from a huge paper bag that he brought.

“These are Maotai. President Goo asked me to bring these.”

“Maotai?”

They all screamed and clapped in excitement.

The food started coming out. Since it was a course meal, small dishes came out one after another.

“Where is Suk-Ho Lee? I don’t see him today.”

“He went to Shenyang City, China. He is not doing good.”

“What’s wrong? The last time I heard about him, he bought some commercial stores.”

“He bought three commercial spaces, and he is having a hard time renting them out. So, he put them on the market for sale, but they are still on the market. He is losing his investment money there.”

“Shoot.”

“If he was going to do business in China, he should have consulted someone who knows well about the China market before putting his money there, like Gun-Ho Goo who went to college there or Min-Hyeok Kim. He made a huge mistake by getting into the business in China without being well prepared.”

“You need either Kkwansi or establish a firm in order to successfully run a business in China. An individual businessman could easily lose their money. Look at those successful large companies that expanded their business to China, like Samsung or Hyundai. On the other hand, lots of individual businessmen come back to Korea after losing their investment.”

“Well, anyway, Min-Hyeok’s company is really doing well. It’s generating 7.8 billion won annually, huh? That’s indeed a lot even though those are all President Gun-Ho’s.”

“Hey, how’s Won-Chul Jo doing? Was he promoted?”

“Nah, I’m still a manager. I’m thinking of quitting my current job.”

“Why is that so? It’s one of the largest companies in Korea, right?”

“My supervisor is nagging me too much. I don’t think I can stand it anymore.”

“Man, just stay there. You need to suppress your anger at work sometimes. You will encounter the same problem even though you move to another company.”

“By the way, how do you know Minister Jin-Woo Lee who presided over your wedding?”

“We are taking the same class at the Advanced Center of Administrative Development at Seoul National University.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Oh, isn’t Minister Jin-Woo Lee the son-in-law of the president of the company that you are working for?”

Min-Ho, Kang who is working for a civic organization, chipped in.

“President Goo, why don’t you help Won-Chul Jo by asking Minister Jin-Woo Lee for a favor? Won-Chul seemed to seriously need a promotion at work.”

“Haha. Minister Lee doesn’t take that sort of request. Let’s drink.”

The restaurant was a rather quiet place since it was a full course meal restaurant, compared to a pork belly restaurant that they often went to.

Gun-Ho said while eating a shrimp dish, “Byeong-Chul, so you are getting married soon, huh?”

People at the table started murmuring as Gun-Ho broke the news.

“Byeong-Chul, you are still single? Is he trying to marry twice?”

“No, I planned to get married last year, but I had to cancel it when my dad passed away.”

Byeong-Chul then distributed his wedding invitation to the friends.

“Where is the wedding venue? Oh, it’s on Yeoui Island.”

“Yeah, it’s a wedding hall next to the Small and Medium Business Center.

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Byeong-Chul for a handshake.

“Congratulations. Hey, let’s all go to his wedding to congratulate him on his wedding. Byeong-Chul was ranked number one in our class in high school. We all admired him at that time.”

“That’s true, but he is too quiet and shy.”

Gun-Ho lifted his glass of Baiju and clinked it to Byeong-Chul’s glass.

“Congratulations again. I will definitely be at your wedding.”

“Thank you.”

Min-Ho Kang who worked for a civic organization asked, “At your wedding, President Goo, when the officiator introduced you, he mentioned that you have several companies. How many companies do you have?”

“I have five. If I include the ones in China, I have seven companies.”

“Seven companies? Wow. Then what’s the total annual sales revenue?”

“It’s not much. If I total them, it would be about 100 billion won.”

“100 billion won?”

The people at the table suddenly became quiet. They all had been working and making money right after graduating from college, and it had been years already, but not many of them saved even 100 million won yet. The fact that Gun-Ho owned seven companies and those companies generated 100 billion won per year truly shocked all of his friends.

“President Goo, your wife is a medical doctor, right? I guess you will have a healthy life after you retire since she can treat you as soon as you feel sick.”

Everyone at the table laughed out loud.

“Haha. That’s true.”

“Which hospital is she working for?”

“It’s Seoul National University Hospital. It’s right across the street from Daehakro.”

“Oh, that means she graduated from Seoul National University, huh?”

“Yes, she did.”

The people at the table became quiet again. If Gun-Ho was not in his current position as a successful businessman, those friends would be sarcastic about Gun-Ho, who used to work in a factory, married a medical doctor. However, they didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable by making stupid jokes.

Gun-Ho clinked his glass to Min-Ho Kang’s and said, “Are you still working for the civic organization?”

“Yes. I’m in a sort of important position there.”

“How much do you make?”

“You can’t compare the salaries of a regular company in a private sector to the salaries for a position in a civic organization. We make a lot less which is normal. I’m making almost 2 million won.”

“Hmm, I see. I heard that your wife is doing the same work.”

“That’s right. We are doing the same work together. She is more crazily into civic work than me.”

Everyone laughed as Min-Ho talked about his wife.

Gun-Ho asked, “Is your civic organization designated by the government as one of those organizations for donation?”

“Yes, it is. We were actually designated as such recently.

“Good. Then I will make a donation to your civic organization for your wedding gift. Send me the bank account number where I can send funds to.”

“Thank you.”

Min-Ho Kang looked pleased, and he clinked his glass of liquor to Gun-Ho’s delightedly.

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Chapter 442 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (3) – Part 1

Chapter 442: Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was informed from Dyeon Korea that the machine no. 11 and no. 12 started producing products, and the entire volume of the products manufactured from these two machines would be sent to China.

When Gun-Ho received this report via email, he made a call to Director Yoon.

“How much did you send to China?”

“We sent 20 tons, sir.”

“How much are you planning to send to China on a monthly basis?”

“50 tons. According to President Dingding in China, they can take up to 50 tons with their current storage capacity, so they will let us know when they need more.”

“How much would the 50 tons of products be in value?”

“50 tons of products would be…”

“How much do you charge per ton?”

“It’s 4.5 million won, sir. There is a difference of 300,000 won in the price of the products between the national market and the overseas market.”

“If we charge 4.5 million won per ton, then it would make 50 tons of products worth 225 million won.”

Gun-Ho was definitely a mental calculator. His mental computation was faster than Director Yoon’s who graduated from Seoul National University. He sometimes looked goofy, but his genius side like this made his current self.

“Were the machine no. 13 and no. 14 shipped?”

“Yes, they were.”

“Who is doing the transportation work for the products that would go to China?”

“We requested the work to GH Logistics that President Jae-Sik Moon is running.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho was going to ask one more question, and then he decided not to.

After getting off the phone with Director Yoon, he made a call to the internal auditor who recently moved from GH Mobile to Dyeon Korea.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How’s work there?”

“It’s good.”

“I just talked with Director Yoon, and he told me that the machine no. 13 and no. 14 were shipped already.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Is our current monthly sales revenue 3 billion won?”

“A little bit lower than that, sir. We generated 2.7 billion won last month.”

“How much cash do we have in reserve?”

“We had 3.2 billion won at the end of last year, and as of March 31, we have 4.2 billion won in cash.”

“I understand that we are leasing the machines from no. 9. Are we currently paying the lease payment for those machines on time without any problem?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Are we sending the payment to their account in Bank of America?”

“Yes, sir.”

“There has to be some wire transfer fees that we have to bear, right?”

“That’s correct. Since we are sending the payment in dollars, we pay a margin on the daily exchange rate, wire transfer fee, etc. But these fees are not much. You don’t need to be concerned.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Oh, I was going to ask you this. Sir, you need to come down to Asan City. We need your approval on the salary expenses.”

“How many employees does Dyeon Korea currently have?”

“We are still hiring workers for the production department. We now have more than 100 employees.”

“Oh, we have that many already?”

“As we hired more workers in the production team, we needed more workers in the management as well. We also hired one more cook for the cafeteria, and we recently hired one worker for the accounting team since Manager Myeong-Sook Jo there had been working till late at night.”

“If Mr. Adam Castler already signed the salary expenses, you can just proceed with it.”

“Okay, we will proceed with it for now, but you will need to sign it when you have a chance to come down to this location. This kind of thing would be pointed out during the audit since we are a joint venture company.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

After getting off the phone with the internal auditor, Gun-Ho looked out of the window. It was raining, and raindrops were hitting the window.

“I wonder if it is raining in China too, and I wonder if Dingding is doing okay. Let me call Min-Hyeok and ask him about it.”

Gun-Ho made an international call to China for Min-Hyeok Kim.

“President Min-Hyeok Kim?”

“Hey, President Goo, yes, it’s me, Min-Hyeok.”

“I had a gathering the other day with our high school friends who came to my wedding. Fourteen of them came and joined me for dinner.”

“Really? Did you have fun?”

“I told them that you said hello to them.”

“Oh, you did? Thank you.”

“You know what? Byeong-Chul Hwang is getting married soon. I will fax you his wedding invitation.”

“Was Byeong-Chul still single?”

“He almost had his wedding and then his father passed away. I will send gift money to his wedding with your name on it.”

“Okay. Thank you. Byeong-Chul was not one of those who bullied us. He only focused on his studying at that time. I guess he just ignored our presence.”

“I will also send him a congratulatory flower wreath with your name.”

“Do we need to do that?”

“There are only a few of us. I think it’s better for him to have many congratulatory flower wreaths at his wedding. You will have good returns someday for your kind gesture.”

“Haha. Okay then, let’s do that.”

“Did you already pay the gift tax for the company shares that you received?”

“Oh, I’m consulting Kuaijishi (accountant). It will be completed by next week.”

“Has GH Parts Company reached its monthly sales revenue of 1 billion won?”

“Haha. We are not there yet. I hope we will someday.”

“I heard Dingding’s company is generating good sales revenue.”

“We received 50 tons of raw materials last time, and she sold 20 tons out of it. She is on a business trip to Yancheng right now. If she achieves what she aimed for in this trip, you will soon hear good news.”

“Oh, you mean the contract with the company that her college friend’s father is running?”

“That’s right.”

“You said it’s a big company, huh?”

“Yes, it is a big company. It is currently an A-share company, and I was told that they are preparing to get into the B-shares market as well.”

China’s stock market was divided into two: A-shares and B-shares. A-shares were domestic shares that were traded exclusively between Chinese nationals while B-shares could only be traded by foreigners or the companies that were invested by foreigners. However, these days, a Chinese national could trade both A-shares and B-shares.

“Min-Hyeok, don’t ever invest in the stock market.”

“I won’t. I don’t even have that kind of money.”

“Investing in the stock market is like playing a gamble where you don’t know the other player’s cards.”

Gun-Ho now sounded like Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town.

It was Friday afternoon.

It was the day when Young-Eun came home at TowerPalace. Gun-Ho went home early that day, but Young-Eun was not there yet.

Gun-Ho waited for Young-Eun while killing his time by surfing the Internet. It was getting late, and it was dark outside, but Young-Eun hadn’t come home yet. Gun-Ho thought of giving her a call at her work for a second, and he decided not to.

When it was a little after 8 pm, he heard someone was unlocking the door. It was Young-Eun. She was carrying a bag on each hand.

“What are they?”

“I stopped by the supermarket.”

“We could go grocery shopping together tomorrow.”

“We have to eat this evening and tomorrow morning, right?”

Young-Eun placed the grocery bags on the dining table and collapsed into the sofa in the living room.

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Chapter 443 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (3) – Part 2

Chapter 443: Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (3) – Part 2

“You must be tired, Young-Eun. Let’s dine out tonight.”

“I asked my dad to come over tomorrow evening.”

“Oh, you did?”

“Also, my aunt and President Jeong-Sook Shin will be here too.”

“I see. Is that why you did grocery shopping at this hour?”

“I need to buy more tomorrow.”

“What time are they coming tomorrow?”

“Six in the evening.”

“Do you want me to go to the seafood market in Noryangjin tomorrow? Do you think you can handle the cooking by yourself?”

“Oppa, can you do it for me?”

“Me? I don’t know how to cook.”

Young-Eun grinned.

“I will have a helper tomorrow. She is working in the kitchen in the hospital where I work. She said she would help with the food preparation for me tomorrow.”

“That’s a huge relief.”

“She is coming around 2 pm tomorrow. Why don’t you go out and spend some time while she and I cook? Maybe you want to go to the movies or something.”

“Umm, sure.”

“Before you leave tomorrow, get me some fruits and liquor.”

“Okay.”

Young-Eun yawned while sitting on the sofa.

“You look exhausted. Let’s eat out.”

“Sounds good.”

“Are you okay? You look really tired.”

“I worked a night shift yesterday, and I didn’t take any break at work today. I was so busy.”

“Don’t you take a day off the next day after you work a night shift?”

“I had some paperwork that I had to finish by today, so I couldn’t take a day off.”

“I guess that medical doctors have a lot of administrative work on their own too, huh? Well, let’s go out and eat something.”

Young-Eun changed into more comfortable clothes, and Gun-Ho wore sneakers before going out.

They walked around TowerPalace to select a nice restaurant. When Young-Eun saw a Vietnamese restaurant, she said, “Oppa, what about that one?”

“It says Annam. I guess they are selling Vietnamese noodle soups.”

“We don’t need to go further to find another one. Let’s just eat there.”

Gun-Ho recoiled when he saw a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant. The thought of it brought him a bad memory about his first business years ago. With the seed money that he made in Asan City, Gun-Ho had opened a Vietnamese restaurant in Noryangjin. When he knew he was losing money by running the restaurant further, he put it on the market for sale only to find out it wouldn’t sell quickly. He still remembered those old days when he worked all day long scooping the rice noodles from a boiling pot and slicing spring onions. The kitchen was almost 2 pyung large, and it was pretty small for him to work with other kitchen ladies.

“Let’s find another one.”

“Why? You don’t like pho? I like it.”

“Pho digests too quickly. You will feel hungry again soon even after you have a full bowl of pho. Let’s eat something else.”

“We can order side dishes like spring rolls. Spring rolls are very popular dishes too.”

Young-Eun dragged Gun-Ho to the restaurant called Annam. They had spring rolls which were good.

It was Saturday.

Gun-Ho’s backpack was slung over his shoulder. He decided to go mountain climbing while Young-Eun and the helper lady were cooking. He first went to a supermarket and bought some fruits, beer, Chinese liquor, and western liquor. After placing them on the table in the living room, he headed out to go mountain climbing.

“Let’s try Cheonggye Mountain. It’s close from here.”

Gun-Ho drove his Land Rover to Cheonggye Mountain. There were tons of people there since it was Saturday.

“Wow. It’s so crowded here. Let’s just climb up to Oknyeo Pike.”

Gun-Ho started walking up towards the pike. Since he didn’t exercise regularly, he was already gasping for air.

“So many people are here. All I see while climbing the mountain is the back of their head.”

Gun-Ho finally arrived at Oknyeo Pike. He could see the race track for horses in Gwacheon City.

“Are you our Mr. Class Manager?”

Gun-Ho turned around. It was one of the students in his class at the Advanced Center of Administrative Development. He was the deputy minister, not a minister.

“Oh, Mr. Minister?”

Gun-Ho called him minister even though he was a deputy minister.

“You came here by yourself, Mr. Class Manager? You just married, huh? Why are you here alone? You should have come with your wife.”

“Hahaha. She is at home cooking. We invited her father for dinner.”

“Oh, I guess she kicked you out then since you would be no use for cooking, huh?”

“Hahaha. You can say that.”

“Where are you living?”

“I’m living in Dogok Town.”

“TowerPalace?”

“That’s right. What about you, Mr. Minister? Where are you living?”

“I live in the Mido condo in Daechi Town. I’ve lived there for ten years now.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I actually came with my wife. I’d better go now then. Have fun.”

“You have a wonderful day.”

Gun-Ho looked in the direction that he went. There was an overweight middle-aged lady looking at Gun-Ho’s direction. She was wearing sunglasses. She was probably that deputy minister’s wife.

Gun-Ho came down from the mountain. He looked at his watch. He still had some time left before dinner. He went to the Education Community Center to take a sauna. When he came back home, the table was already fully set.

“The helper lady just left.”

“Really? Your father hasn’t come yet?”

“He just called when he was passing by Seoul Arts Center. He will arrive soon. Why don’t you take a shower before they arrive?”

“I took a sauna before coming home.”

“Then change your clothes.”

Young-Eun’s father arrived. He was carrying a box of fruits.

“Please come in. Welcome to our home.”

“I don’t think I can live here even though I got a chance to do so. I knew it was a high-rise building, but it’s too high for me. I feel dizzy.”

“Please have a seat over here.”

“This is very spacious. How large is it?”

“It’s 50 pyung large.”

“It is so big that it looks like a playground. Do you own it or rent it?”

“I bought it.”

“Oh, I see.”

“While they were conversing, Artist Choi and president Shin arrived together.

“Young-Eun!”

“Auntie!”

The two hugged each other. Young-Eun also gave a hug to President Shin.

“Wow, it’s huge. It looks larger than our art gallery. So he bought it, huh?”

“What about me? Am I invisible?”

Young-Eun’s father complained.

“Oh, my brother-in-law. When did you arrive?”

President Shin said hi to Young-Eun’s father as well.

“Hi.”

“Oh, please have a seat.”

Young-Eun started moving the dishes that she prepared with the helper lady from the dining table to the floor table in the living room.

When Gun-Ho stood up to help Young-Eun, Artist Choi grabbed his arm.

“Please stay put, my nephew-in-law. This is women’s work.”

Artist Choi and President Shin then stood up and helped Young-Eun with filling the table with dishes.

Three women and two men sat at the table by making a circle.

“Young-Eun, I don’t believe these are your food. It tastes too good.”

“I got help from the kitchen lady from my hospital.”

“I love this stew.”

They all enjoyed each other’s company while laughing and talking.

Artist Choi drank liquor like she drank water and said, “I now feel so relieved since my Young-Eun married a decent man. I think I can proudly tell your mother that she doesn’t have to worry about you anymore.”

Artist Choi had high alcohol tolerance.

“My brother-in-law! You are satisfied, aren’t you? You now have a very nice son.”

“Yeah, I am.”

“You are getting old, brother-in-law.”

“Not just me. You are getting old too. We are all getting old together.”

Young-Eun’s father seemed to feel great. He kept sipping his liquor while having a smile on his face.

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Chapter 444 - Ownership Transfer of Condo (1) – Part 1

Chapter 444: Ownership Transfer of Condo (1) – Part 1

Young-Eun’s father and Artist Choi seemed that they didn’t quite get how much wealth Gun-Ho had accumulated.

“I hope you could build a hospital for Young-Eun someday once you both save enough money.”

“I can get her one right now if she wants.”

“Huh? Right now?”

Young-Eun frowned.

“Auntie! Don’t say that. Let’s drop the subject. Even if I had enough money to open my own practice, I can’t do it right now because I don’t have enough clinical experience to handle patients on my own!”

President Shin looked around inside the condo and said, “This is huge for a newlywed. Did you say it is 50 pyung large?”

“Yes.”

“This condo must be expensive given its location—Gangnam District.”

“I purchased this condo at the auction for 1.5 billion won. Its current value might be around 2 billion won.”

“Wow! 2 billion won!”

Gun-Ho’s father-in-law, Artist Choi, and President Shin looked at each other in surprise.

Young-Eun’s father asked, “How much did you borrow from the bank when you bought this condo?”

“I didn’t borrow any money.”

Young-Eun’s father filled up Gun-Ho’s glass with liquor.

“You are off tomorrow, right? Let’s drink.”

“Thank you.”

“I have a favor to ask you.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Can you visit Young-Eun’s mother’s grave with Young-Eun?”

“Where is it?”

“It’s in the cemetery park in Pocheon City.”

“Pocheon City?”

Young-Eun’s father explained how to get there. It was not far from the fishing site that Gun-Ho often went.

“Of course, I will, sir.”

Artist Choi chipped in.

“My brother-in-law, why don’t you visit Young-Eun’s mom on Cold Food Day with them? Cold Food Day is around the corner.”

“That’s a good idea. Well, on second thought, I think it’s better that the two of them go there by themselves without me.”

“Well, you are right.”

“You don’t have to rush, but just visit her when you have time. I just think you need to meet Young-Eun’s mother, and let her know that you married her daughter. Hahaha.”

Everyone got drunk that day.

Young-Eun’s father got drunk and so did Gun-Ho, Artist Choi, and even President Shin.

When they finally called it a night, the three guests started preparing to leave for their home. Gun-Ho then suggested they spend the night in his home.

“It’s really late, and you are all drunk. Why don’t you sleep here tonight and leave tomorrow morning?”

“No, no, I gotta go home.”

“There are four rooms here. You can just pick a room and sleep there.”

Young-Eun added, “That’s right. Dad and auntie, spend the night in our home.”

“But, you don’t have extra comforters.”

“I do. I bought several when I moved in with him here. You can use them. I can share the comforter that Gun-Ho has used.”

“Okay, let’s do that. We are too drunk to go home at this hour.”

Young-Eun, Artist Choi, and President Shin cleaned the dishes together. Since three women did the simple task together, it was done in no time.

Young-Eun’s father slept in Gun-Ho’s room where his desk was placed while Artist Choi and President Shin slept together in the room where Young-Eun’s books were piled up.

Gun-Ho brought his comforter to the master bedroom and laid down on the bed with Young-Eun.

“This comforter reeks.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t smell anything.”

“It smells like a man.”

“Of course it does. I am a man, and this is my comforter.”

Young-Eun passed out right away. It must have been a very tiring day for her. Gun-Ho could hear her snoring. Gun-Ho kissed her on the cheek and hugged her before he fell asleep. Gun-Ho woke up feeling suffocated; it was before dawn. He then figured that Young-Eun’s leg was placed on top of his neck.

Artist Choi and President Shin got up early in the morning because they wanted to head out for home to Yangpyeong early. A few minutes later, they came back.

“Did you forget something?”

Young-Eun, who was folding the floor table’s legs, asked.

“The condo management office put a ticket on my car’s windshield for a parking violation.”

“Oh, we should have let them know that you are our guests.”

“The ticket is glued to the windshield. Can I borrow a utility knife? I think I need to scrape it out with it.”

“Take this wet towel as well. Once you apply some moisture on it, it will come off easily.”

“Those management jerks are so impatient, or too diligent?!”

“I guess my father’s car is also ticketed.”

“I believe so.”

“I will come down with you.”

Young-Eun’s father was still sleeping in the room.

Young-Eun took a bucket of water, a fruit knife, and a towel and went down to the parking lot. It seemed that Young-Eun’s father woke up to the sound of their conversation.

“Did you say that someone put a ticket on my car for a parking violation?”

Young-Eun’s father put on some clothes to get ready to go to the parking lot.

“Young-Eun already went to your car. I will follow her.”

When Young-Eun’s father came to his car, Young-Eun was removing the parking ticket from the windshield. He said, “Is it done? I’m leaving then. I feel so relieved and happy to see you two doing great together.”

“Dad, why don’t you have breakfast with us before you leave?”

“No, thank you. I will just have a bite on my way home, like a hangover soup. There is a very good hangover soup restaurant in Sillim Town near Gwanak Mountain. Gun-Ho! Take good care of my daughter!”

“Don’t worry about it, father.”

Young-Eun’s father waved his hand after rolling down the front passenger window of the car. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun waved back at him.

It seemed Artist Choi and President Shin successfully got rid of the ticket from the windshield as well. Artist Choi started her car.

“Are you leaving without having breakfast with us?”

“I’d love to, but we really need to go now. Thank you for last night. Come and visit me in Yangpyeong, okay?”

“Okay.”

“You two make a very cute couple. I’m so happy for you.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

After sending off Young-Eun’s father and aunt, and President Shin, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun came back to their condo, and they went straight to their master bedroom to sleep more.

GH Logistics’ Jae-Sik Moon made a call to Gun-Ho to let him know how the process for changing the land use was going.

“In order to change the land use to non-agricultural uses, we need to get a permit for farmland conversion, and that requires the land to be on a road. The thing is that the last land that we just purchased additionally doesn’t have access to a road, so it cannot be converted to non-agricultural with its current papers.”

“What should we do then?”

“We need to combine that land with the other one that has access to a public road and make them officially one large parcel of land.”

“Is it easy to do so?”

“Usually, dividing land into several parts is difficult to do, but combining can be done by an easy process.”

“Can anyone do that?”

“The first thing that they look at is the consistency in the ownership. The owner of two parcels of 1,000 pyung large land and 1,600 pyung large land must be the same person.”

“Those two parcels are under your name.”

“Also, the land must be free of encumbrances like a mortgage. If you use one of the parcels to secure a loan, then they will deny your request for combining the two parcels.”

“I have no plan to get a loan using those parcels of land.”

“Okay, I will keep you updated.”

“Sounds good. Keep up the good work.”

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Chapter 445 - Ownership Transfer of Condo (1) – Part 2

Chapter 445: Ownership Transfer of Condo (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik Moon, “It’s raining here. Is it raining where you are right now?”

“Yeah, along with strong winds.”

“You should be mindful of safe driving, especially in weather like today.”

“Right. Since this is a transportation business, when the weather is not good, I always remind my drivers several times that they have to be extra careful in driving. If a car accident occurs, the driver could be injured, and also our auto insurance rate would go up as well.”

“I see. Well, keep up the good work.”

GH media’s President Shin and Min-Hyeok Kim from China informed Gun-Ho that they paid the gift tax, and they would soon proceed with dividend distribution. Both of them want to reserve a certain amount of cash before distributing dividends. They said they determined to distribute 1 billion won.

[An amount of 950 million won has been sent to your personal account, sir. I’m taking 50 million won for my portion.]

Gun-Ho replied.

[Thank you for your hard work. Let’s work harder to receive a higher dividend next year.]

Gun-Ho now had an additional income other than his salaries. He would receive 950 million won from GH Media and GH Parts Company, 1.9 billion won in total. Gun-Ho checked the balance of his personal bank account. He had 400 million won there before, and now he had 2.3 billion won.

GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea were larger than GH Media or GH Parts Company, and they were generating higher revenues. However, Gun-Ho hadn’t received any dividend from those two companies. As to GH Mobile, Gun-Ho had decided to pay the company debts with profits rather than getting his dividend. Even though he didn’t receive his dividend, his assets would increase by paying the company debt. If he later decided to liquidate the company, he would receive a higher amount of money. Dyeon Korea, on the other hand, didn’t distribute dividends this time since it opened the business less than a year ago, even though it had enough cash in reserve.

Gun-Ho received a call from the branch manager of the stock brokerage company.

“Sir, I’m calling to let you know that you have received the returns from your investment on the bonds as suggested by my customized investment portfolio. The amount is 4.25 billion won.”

In other words, Gun-Ho’s cash of 170 billion won that he put in his stock account had increased to 174.25 billion won as a result of the investment. That was the amount he would receive if he liquidated the investment today.

“You will need to treat any of this information related to me as confidential. If my identity is exposed in any way, I will move my entire funds to another bank or institution.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir. VVIPs are taken special care of at the headquarter level, not the local branch level. It’s our strict policy that we keep our VVIPs’ identities extremely confidential. The identities of big players of Gangnam are never released to the public, not even within our firm. That’s why I have been asking you to have a round of golf with me sometimes, so we can meet outside the firm. I will do everything I could within my power to keep your information confidential, sir.”

Gun-Ho’s money in the stock account was known to no one including his parents and his wife.

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“How’s your married life? Are you having fun?”

“I don’t know. We only meet during weekends. We are a ‘weekend couple’ which is no fun.”

“Why don’t you open a hospital for her in Gangnam? You can sell the land in Namchon Town and use the sales proceeds to do so.”

“She is a newbie in her field. She needs more clinical experience to handle her own practice.”

“I see.”

“Are you home? Are our parents at home as well?”

“They went to Namchon Town to check the land. Visiting that land became their new hobby”

“Mom said the other day that she wants to plant something there.”

“Yeah. She wants to prepare the land before actually planting something first. The reason I called you today is about that.”

“What about it?”

“I know you had to spend a lot lately with your wedding and all, but I think our dad needs a car.”

“Oh, that.”

“They often go to Namchon Town together to see the land by bus. The thing is that they need to transfer to another bus several times to get there. That should be very tiring for an old couple.”

“I actually told our mom that I want to buy a car for them the other day, and she strongly opposed it. She said that dad already revoked his driver’s license.”

“She said so because she didn’t want to impose. That’s how parents are.”

“There is no problem with buying him a car. I will buy a car for them at any time they want.”

“Can you buy an Avante for them?”

“If dad wants a better one, I can get him a Genesis. A foreign-made car is good too.”Visit on our AllNovel

“Haha. That’s too much. I think either an Avante or K3 should be good enough.”

“No, I want to get them a nice car. I received a dividend a few days ago. I have money.”

“Mom and dad don’t know anything about a car. She doesn’t even know what a Genesis is. They think Grandeur is the best car in Korea. They think you have to be rich enough like the president of a huge company to have a car like a Grandeur.”

“Let’s get them a Hyundai Grandeur then.”

“Really?”

“Yeah really. I will send money to your account.”

“Haha. Well, I still think an Avante should be good. Well, that’s what I wanted to discuss with you, Gun-Ho. I will let you go now, so you can get back to work. I’m sorry if I interrupted your work.”

After getting off the phone with his sister, Gun-Ho somewhat felt sorry for his sister. If Gun-Ho gave an executive position to her husband in one of his GH companies, they would have a financially better life. However, her husband didn’t have any work experience in a company, and also Gun-Ho didn’t want to work with his family or relatives in the same company, but Gun-Ho appreciated that his sister and her husband were living with his parents and assisting them. Since Gun-Ho was the son, he was supposed to do that.

When he went home after work, he made a call to his father before going to bed.

“He is probably still watching TV right now. Old people usually go to bed late at night.”

“Dad?”

“Gun-Ho? How come you’re calling home at this hour?”

“You know that the condo in Guweol Town where you live right now is under you and mom’s name, right?”

“I know that. You want to sell it?”

Gun-Ho’s dad seemed to be surprised when Gun-Ho talked about the ownership of the condo.

“No, dad. I want to transfer 50% of the ownership to my sister.”

“Transfer the ownership?”

“Yes, dad.”

“Even though this condo is under our names, it’s yours. You paid for it with the money you earned. Why do you want to share the ownership of your condo with your sister?”

“Since I’m married now, I’m supposed to live with you and mom. Since I can’t do that for now, I want to show my gratitude to my sister who is living with you.”

“I see your point, but did you talk with your wife? Is she okay with it?”

“Dad, I have enough money, and my wife has enough money too. We have no intention to claim any ownership for the condo in Guweol Town. I want you to proceed with the ownership transfer as soon as you can, and let me know the amount of any taxes due. I will pay for them. Since the condo was purchased with you and mom’s name, you will need to take your stamp to the certified legal consultant’s office to partially transfer the ownership.”

“Thank you, son. You are very thoughtful. Your sister must be so proud of you, and so are we.”

“Don’t say that, dad.”

“We, as your parents, are supposed to give you a gift for your wedding, but we are receiving a gift from you. I’m sure your sister will be extremely happy.”

“Dad, one more thing. I want to buy you a car.”

“A car?”

Gun-Ho’s dad couldn’t say anything further.

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Chapter 446 - Ownership Transfer of Condo (2) – Part 1

Chapter 446: Ownership Transfer of Condo (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho’s father proceeded with the ownership transfer of the condo in Guweol Town.

After paying the fee for the certified legal consultant and the required taxes, he made a call to Gun-Ho.

“Son, the condo’s ownership transfer is done. You can check it with its real property registration. I will send it to you.”

“Dad, you don’t have to send it to me. I can verify it on the internet. Thank you, dad.”

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“Did you ask dad to transfer 50% of the ownership of the condo where we live right now to me?”

“Yeah, it’s done already.”

“You can’t do that. You shouldn’t.”

“Dad already completed the transfer.”

“You bought that condo with the money that you worked so hard to make. You can’t just give ownership to me. That’s nonsense.”

“It’s not a 100% ownership but 50%. I want you to have it. I thank you for living with our parents.”

“You have already done a lot for me. You can’t just give away that 50 pyung large condo like it is nothing.”

“You will feel more stable knowing that you own your home. When our parents pass away, their 50% of the ownership of the condo will be transferred to you automatically. So, basically, that condo is yours. I can’t live with our parents, so please take it for me.”

“I can’t believe it. I’ve never owned a property this big and expensive. I feel sort of scared.”

“Sister, you don’t have to feel that way. You have been to my condo. It’s worth 2 billion won. The condo in Guweol Town is worth only 300 million won. I have no interest in that condo. Young-Eun has no idea who owns that condo.”

“Thank you, Gun-Ho, and I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying that!”

“I will take good care of our parents for the rest of their lives. You don’t have to worry about them.”

“Oh, also, I’ve sent 35 million won to your bank account earlier today. Did you receive it?”

“35 million won? I haven’t checked my bank account yet.”

“Buy a Grandeur for dad. If that doesn’t cover the entire cost like taxes and registration fees, just let me know, okay?”

“Thank you, Gun-Ho. I really mean it.”

Actually, Gun-Ho’s sister was enjoying lots of benefits resulting from living with her parents. She didn’t have to look for a babysitter who could take care of her daughter—Jeong-Ah—while she was at work because her parents were taking very good care of her. Also, her father contributed living expenses with the salary he received from GH Mobile as a non-executive director. For example, he paid for all of the utility bills such as gas, electricity, and even HOA. Her parents also did most of the grocery shopping with their money. Moreover, they often bought things for Jeong-Ah like books, clothes, etc. While living with her parents, Gun-Ho’s sister’s savings account became fatter.

Gun-Ho was reading an economic newspaper in his office when he received a text message. It was from Min-Ho Kang who worked for a civic organization. He sent Gun-Ho the bank account information of the organization that would receive some donations from Gun-Ho. The recipient was the People’s Alliance for Progressive Movement.

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Mobile’s accounting director—Ms. Min-Hwa Kim.

“Ms. Director? It’s me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want you to send 1 million won to an organization called People’s Alliance for Progressive Movement. I will send you my bank account number and that organization’s contact number.”

“Okay, sir.”

“Ask them to get us a receipt. The organization is designated by the government as a qualified organization to receive donations. I believe we can get tax benefits for the donation amount.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho didn’t want to send too much but just an appropriate amount for donation because he didn’t want them to set their expectations too high.

Gun-Ho received a call in the afternoon from Min-Ho Kang.

“President Goo? It’s me, Min-Ho. We’ve received your 1 million won. Thank you so much.”

“Oh, you did? I’m sorry that I couldn’t send more.”

“No, don’t say that. This is a windfall for us. We didn’t expect to receive a donation. It will help our organization a lot. Our organization publishes a monthly newsletter, and I will send it to you every month.”

“You don’t have to. I’m not involved in any civic movement, so you don’t have to send it to me.”

“It’s okay. I will send it to you, maybe to your company. What’s the address?”

“No, no. It’s okay, really. Well, I gotta go. There is a call waiting for me. I will talk to you later.”

There was certainly a feeling of pleasure in giving to others. The act of giving gave great pleasure to the people who received it as well. Gun-Ho always felt good when he heard ‘thank you’ from the person who he offered kindness to.

When Gun-Ho went home after work during weekdays, he was alone even though he was a married man. He could see his wife only during weekends. Staying home by himself always gave him a feeling of loneliness.

That evening, Gun-Ho fell asleep while watching TV by himself, and he had a dream.

In his dream, he was walking in Koen Dori, Shibuya, Tokyo. There was a woman with disheveled hair. She was walking toward Gun-Ho, and she was wearing no shoes. It was creepy.

“Huh? Mori Aikko!”

The woman with unkempt hair was Mori Aikko. She was crying.

“You said you would protect me for the rest of your life.”

Mori Aikko quickly turned her back on Gun-Ho after saying that. Gun-Ho followed her.

“Mori Aikko, you misunderstood the situation!”

“Misunderstood what situation?”

Mori Aikko turned around. She had no eyes, no nose, and no lips. Her face was empty.

Gun-Ho screamed. He then jumped out of his bed.

“Whew. It was just a dream.”

Gun-Ho had a cold sweat.

“Am I having this weird dream because I married another woman and forgot about Mori Aikko lately? But I was just a sponsor for her, not her husband.”

While Gun-Ho was thinking about Mori Aikko, he realized that he missed her.

“I guess I need to go to Japan next week. Let me see. Byeong-Chul Hwang’s wedding is next week. I will leave for Japan after attending his wedding.”

Gun-Ho tried to go back to sleep again.

Gun-Ho didn’t spend a significant amount of money in establishing GH Parts Company in China, which Min-Hyeok Kim was running and President Shin’s GH Media. Therefore, when he received his dividend of 950 million won from each company, he actually collected what he had previously invested in these two companies.

Gun-Ho, of course, supported these companies in any way he could. He had GH Mobile provide GH Parts Company with necessary technologies and experts. For GH Media, he financially supported it, so President Shin could expand the business aggressively. That was how GH Gallery generated good revenue. However, Min-Hyeok Kim and President Jeong-Sook Kim were the people who were actually making money for Gun-Ho.

Master Park in Goesan Town once told Gun-Ho that his time to make money himself was gone, and he would welcome the days where other people would make money for him. He was right.

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Chapter 447 - Ownership Transfer of Condo (2) – Part 2

Chapter 447: Ownership Transfer of Condo (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim.

“President Goo? You are going to Byeong-Chul’s wedding today, right?”

“Yes, I will be there.”

“Please make gift money of 50,000 won with my name.”

“Make it 100,000 won. You are a president who is running a company in China, man.”

“But, he is not like our business’ vendor or customer, or anything like that.”

“That’s okay. He is our friend.”

“And, I wanted to thank you for the dividend of 50 million won. It helped me a lot. I appreciate you for giving me the company shares.”

“You deserve it. I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you more.”

“I paid the loan I took out when I purchased my parents’ condo in Incheon City with that 50 million won. It reduced the amount of the interest I have to pay every month. That’s a big relief for me.”

“Really? That’s good to hear.”

“I actually aimed at making the net profits of 2 billion won, so I could receive 100 million won as my dividend. I couldn’t make it this time, but I will try harder this year to achieve that goal.”

“Sounds good to me. That will help both of us. I will send a congratulatory flower wreath with your name to Byeong-Chul’s wedding as well.”

“Oh, a congratulatory flower wreath? Thank you so much.”

“You don’t have to thank me. You are the one who makes money for me.”

“I feel like I receive more from you than I make for you.”

Gun-Ho headed to Yeoui Island to attend Byeong-Chul’s wedding. He arrived at the wedding being accompanied by Chan-Ho Eum, who was wearing a business suit.

“Oh, Gun-Ho, you are here.”

“Gun-Ho? Good to see you.”

Gun-Ho’s friends from high school gathered around Gun-Ho instead of the groom—Byeong-Chul—even though it was his wedding day. They all wanted to get closer to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho just stayed there with a smile on his face.

Gun-Ho slowly approached Byeong-Chul Hwang.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me.”

Byeong-Chul introduced Gun-Ho to his mother.

“Mom, this is President Goo. He is running a company.”

“Oh, really? Thank you for coming.”

Byeong-Chul’s mother was wearing gold metal frame glasses. She extended her hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake. She was an old and small-framed lady now. Gun-Ho actually remembered her from the old days. She didn’t let Gun-Ho play with Byeong-Chul when they were in school.

[Byeong-Chul is doing his homework right now. You go play with the other kids instead.]

Byeong-Chul’s parents were both teachers in a junior high school. Gun-Ho was fine when Byeong-Chul’s mother told him that Byeong-Chul was busy doing his homework, but what he heard afterward hurt his feelings. She said to Byeong-Chul,

[I told you not to hang out with those poor kids. Those kids have no future. They are poor, and they don’t study hard either. You are different from them. You have to succeed in your life by going to a good college. The boy, who just left, has a father who is working in a factory as a security guard, right? Why do you hang out with that kind of boy? You should be very selective with your friends. From now on, do not bring any friends except Won-Chul Jo or Suk-Ho Lee, understood?]

Byeong-Chul lived up to his parents’ expectations. He was ranked first in the entire school, and he was the most favorite student among teachers. Whenever Gun-Ho fought with Byeong-Chul, teachers always took Byeong-Chul’s side no matter why they were in a fight in the first place. They always made Gun-Ho look like a bad student.

Having a poor family was a disgrace, a serious disgrace in those days.

Gun-Ho looked around. There were several congratulatory flower wreaths. Some were from the groom’s college alumni, and some were from the research center that he was working for. Also, his mother’s friends sent one too. His mother had a big social network. There were a lot fewer flower wreaths than Gun-Ho’s wedding. There were about ten of them.

Among those flower wreaths, three flower wreaths were proudly standing, which were from those three poor kids from Byeong-Chul’s childhood: President Gun-Ho Goo of GH Mobile, President Min-Hyeok Kim of GH Parts Company in Suzhou City, China, and President Jae-Sik Moon of GH Logistics. However, none of those boys, who Byeong-Chul’s mother allowed to play with his son, sent any congratulatory flower wreaths.

Gun-Ho left the lobby and entered the wedding hall because so many people wanted to talk with Gun-Ho while he was standing in the lobby. When the wedding finally began, Gun-Ho quietly walked out of the wedding after letting Jae-Sik Moon know that he would leave early.

Gun-Ho’s sister called to let Gun-Ho know that she bought a Grandeur for their dad.

“Gun-Ho, we got a Grandeur. Dad and mom were so excited that they even danced around the car. You should have been here to see that.”

“Haha, really?”

“They go out every day”

“Where to?”

“Literally everywhere like Yeonan Pier and aunt’s home. They even went to Sorae Pogu traditional fish market and bought some fish.”

“Really?”

“Guess what made them the most excited?”

“What’s that?”

“They said, they won’t feel small or embarrassed anymore when they go to TowerPalace to visit you in their Grandeur now.”

“Haha. That’s good.”

“Dad doesn’t go to Tapgol Park in Jongno 3-ga anymore. He instead regularly goes to the cultural center run by the district office with mom to take some classes. They became more educated and knowledgeable.”

“What about the land in Namchon Town?”

“They go there, of course. They took three bags of candy there the other day to share with the old villagers in the senior citizen’s center. Do you know what people call our dad these days?”

“What do they call him?”

“They call him President Goo, like President Goo who is riding a Grandeur, to be more specific. The villagers in Namchon Town, especially those senior citizens call him like that.”

Gun-Ho was looking down the street from his office building in Sinsa Town when the thought of Mori Aikko struck him. He decided to visit Japan. Since Young-Eun came home to TowerPalace on Saturdays and Sundays, he had to choose the trip date during weekdays. While he was planning his trip to Japan, the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—brought a cup of tea to Gun-Ho and said, “Sir, someone is here to see you.”

“Who is it?”

It was the dandy entertainment manager from BM Entertainment. He gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho as soon as he entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Hello, sir. I was in the area, and I remembered you said the other day in Cheongdam Town that I should stop by your office some time. So here I am.”

“Please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring one more cup of tea for his guest.

“Do you still often go to China or Japan these days, sir?”

The dandy manager asked with a smile in his eyes.

“I couldn’t go on a trip there these days.”

“Did you have something to ask me, sir?”

“Let me ask you one thing. If I acquire a Chinese production company of soap operas, or if I start a joint venture with one of them, do you think it will be a lucrative business?”

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Chapter 448 - Collaboration of Transportation Business – Part 1

Chapter 448: Collaboration of Transportation Business – Part 1

Gun-Ho and BM Entertainment’s manager were talking about the soap opera production business in China. The entertainment manager said, “I know you have a very good Kkwansi with the municipal government of Shanghai City. Also, it is true that there are lots of production companies for soap operas there? Whether a production company would be successful or not mostly hinges on the contents of the soap operas that they produce. So, it’s not simple for me to give you a yes-or-no answer to your question. I would have to say that it depends.”

“Hmm. That makes sense.”

“Many Chinese soap operas are long-running dramas, and many of them usually have more than thirty episodes. If you want to get into this business, you need to ask yourself if you can or if you are willing to handle the cost.”

“How much would it cost to film one soap opera?”

“There are various genres of soap operas such as a historical and modern drama, and the cost to produce one soap opera varies as well. Even though it’s hard for me to give a specific number for the cost, I can tell you that it is getting more and more expensive these days to produce one.”

“You can still give me a rough estimate.”

“I’m not sure about Chinese soap operas, but it usually costs more than 300 million won to film one episode of a Korean soap opera.”

“Wow, is it that expensive?”

“You have to pay the actors and the author which costs a substantial amount of money.”

“So, in order to produce 30 episodes like a Chinese soap opera, it would cost me 9 billion won, huh? If the drama that I produce received low ratings, I could lose money so quickly.”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm, I guess I have to be extra careful.”

“If you decide to get into that business, you certainly have advantages. For example, since you are financially affluent, you wouldn’t have to be constantly worried about the cost of production. Also, your connection with the high-ranking officers in the Shanghai government will be greatly useful.”

“How would those connections help me in producing a soap opera?”

“China is a communist state. They have rigid censorship. Broadcasting companies in China are notorious for power tripping. Given the harsh business environment in this specific field, having a personal connection with high-ranking officials in the government is definitely a great advantage. However, the most important factor that leads to success in this business is the contents of the soap opera.”

“Where do I get good content?”

“You will need to find a good author. Umm, please allow me to have a sip of my tea.”

“Of course. Please take your time.”

Gun-Ho continued to talk while having a sip of his tea.

“If I want to film a Chinese soap opera, do I need to find a Chinese writer?”

“Not necessarily. You can work with either a Chinese author or a Korean author.”

Gun-Ho took a moment to think about it with his arms crossed.

‘What this dandy guy said does make sense.’

“If you happen to open a production company of soap operas, especially as a joint venture with a Chinese firm, I can help you with casting Korean actors or actresses. Usually, in China, top actors or actresses exclusively star in soap operas, but some production companies cast Korean actors and actresses as well. Why don’t you think about it, and let me know once you decide?”

“Thank you for your professional advice and opinions. How is President Hyeon-Man Yee of BM Entertainment doing?”

“He is doing well. I will let him know that you said hello to him.”

“Thank you again for today.”

“Well, I guess I need to head out. I have to attend an audition as a judge today.”

BM Entertainment’s manager walked out of Gun-Ho’s office after giving him a bow.

Gun-Ho recalled what Seukang Li told him the other day when he met him in Shanghai.

“There are many competent young people in the soap opera production field in China, who are suffering financially to handle production costs despite their talents in the field. I want to help them and share the profits. Will you join me?”

Gun-Ho had no knowledge or experience in this specific field— drama production business— and he didn’t want to blindly invest in it while risking losing his investment funds. He wanted to take enough time to think about it before he made any decision.

For now, Gun-Ho decided to give a call to Seukang Li and Jien Wang to thank them to send him a congratulatory flower wreath to his wedding.

“Mr. Director Seukang Li is not available at this time. He is in a meeting.”

An automated message indicated that Seukang Li was not available to pick up the phone when Gun-Ho dialed his number.

“I guess they are having some sort of communist meeting. They seem to have too many meetings.”

Gun-Ho complained and made a call to Jien Wang.

“Jien Wang? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

“I just wanted to thank you for sending me a congratulatory flower wreath at my wedding.”

“I should have visited Korea and attended your wedding in person instead of sending a flower wreath. I’m sorry that I missed your wedding, my friend.”

“Don’t say that! If you happen to talk with Seukang Li later today, would you convey my thank-you message to him? I just called him at his office to only find out that he was in a meeting.”

“I’m sure he is actually in a meeting. Speaking of which, Seukang Li told me the other day he wanted to meet you.”

“What for?”

“You need to hear it from him.”

When Gun-Ho was preparing to leave for the day, he received a call from Seukang Li.

“President Goo? I’m sorry that I missed your call earlier.”

“No worries. I know you are a busy man.”

“Not really. I just have so many meetings to attend. Today’s meeting was about censorship. We are trying to increase restrictions on the contents of soap operas.”

“What sort of contents do you want to filter out?”

“We don’t want anything against our public policy.”

“Can you give me some examples?”

“Well, something like political content that depicts our past incidents such as 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests or Falun Gong, or some egregiously brutal scene.”

“Hmm.”

“There is more. We don’t want any soap operas to be on air, which contains stories about adulteries, superstitions, or homosexuality.”

“Haha. There would be no fun drama left to watch then.”

“By the way, do you have any plan to visit China in the near future?”

“I do want to go to China to see you.”

“I talked with President Min-Hyeok Kim the other day. He said you recently opened a logistics company as well.”

“Yes, I did. It’s a transportation company. You can lease heavy equipment as well from there. It’s not a big company though.”

“I have a friend in Guizhou Province. He is a deputy mayor there. He asked me the other day if I know of any transportation company in Korea. Would you like to meet him?”

“Sure, why not? There is no problem meeting him, but I am currently working with a tight budget and can’t invest in any company for now.”

“It’s okay. Just meet with him and see what he says. Why don’t you visit me in Shanghai? There is a direct flight from Shanghai to Guiyang City, Guizhou Province.”

“Sounds good. I will do that.”

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Chapter 449 - Collaboration of Transportation Business – Part 2

Chapter 449: Collaboration of Transportation Business – Part 2

Young-Eun got off work early that Friday. When she got home in TowerPalace, she started cooking Doenjang-jjigae*. The last time she visited Gun-Ho’s parents’ home, Gun-Ho’s mother gave her own recipe of Doenjang-jjigae to Young-Eun, and she was cooking Donenjang-jjigae with that recipe. Young-Eun felt confident that her Doenjang-jjigae should be as good as Gun-Ho’s mother’s. It was certainly better than her previous one, but Gun-Ho couldn’t tell it was good at all.

‘Shoot. As long as I live with this woman, I will have to assume the suffering of eating this sort of dreary food.’

But Gun-Ho couldn’t tell Young-Eun about the truth about her food.

“How is it? Isn’t it delicious?”

“Yeah, it’s good.”

There was fried pork belly as a side dish. Any meat would taste good if fried. Young-Eun seemed to really enjoy her own food. She wrapped fried pork belly with a lettuce before putting them in her mouth.

“Take your time. No one is going to eat your food.”

Young-Eun mumbled.

“People say that a ghost, who ate well while he or she was still alive, gets a better complexion.”

Gun-Ho placed more meat to her side. She was his wife after all. Young-Eun wrapped more fried pork belly in a lettuce and put them in Gun-Ho’s mouth this time.

“Say, ah!”

“Ah.”

“Hahaha. You do have a big mouth.”

“What does my mouth look like?”

“It looks like a catfish’s mouth.”

“Have you seen a catfish before?”

“Of course.”

“Have you eaten it?”

“No.”

“Have you caught it?”

“Where would I possibly catch a catfish?”

“I have. I fished it.”

“Don’t do that. You shouldn’t kill any living creature.”

The most favorable moment for Gun-Ho since he got married was the moment when he was in bed with Young-Eun. He enjoyed the intimate and private moment with her in his bed.

“Don’t you feel hot?”

Gun-Ho unbuttoned Young-Eun’s pink pajamas. Young-Eun’s bare skin revealed. Young-Eun had a very fair skin, which was fairer than Mori Aikko’s or Seol-Bing’s. Mori Aikko and Seol-Bing always exercised for toning and keeping themselves in good shape for their career. Their skin was hard and tight while Young-Eun’s skin was tender. Young-Eun didn’t usually put on make-up, and Gun-Ho thought if she wore a make-up that was right for her, she might look better than Seol-Bing or Mori Aikko.

Gun-Ho gave a light kiss on Young-Eun’s lips.

“Didn’t you miss me?”

“Nope.”

“I did miss you a lot.”

Gun-Ho kissed her on the lips again.

Young-Eun stretched her arms and tweaked Gun-Ho’s ears and nose.

“You have a stupid face, oppa.”

“Young-Eun, you have a fairy’s face.”

“Really?”

“Yeah because a fool can only see a fool while a genius can only see a genius.”

Young-Eun kicked Gun-Ho’s shin under the comforter.

Gun-Ho screamed in pain.

Gun-Ho started undressing Young-Eun, and then he turned off the light.

After quite a while, Gun-Ho turned on the light. He then wiped Young-Eun’s face with a towel. She was sweating.

“Oppa, you will be home tomorrow, right?”

“Of course. I will be with you all day long tomorrow.”

“Let’s go to Pocheon City then.”

“Pocheon City? Oh, you want to catch a catfish with a huge mouth?”

Young-Eun kicked Gun-Ho’s shin again under the comforter.

Gun-Ho screamed again.

“Let’s go to my mom’s gravesite tomorrow. She is in Pocheon City.”

“Oh, I thought you wanted to go there on Cold Food Day.”

“The road will be jammed on Cold Food Day. Let’s just go there tomorrow.”

“Okay. We can also get some fresh air on the way.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t we have to bring something to her? Like liquor?”

“I will prepare what’s necessary to visit her. You just need to come with me.”

It was Saturday morning.

After breakfast, Young-Eun left home and came back with a big bag.

“What’s that?”

“I want to bring this to my mom’s gravesite.”

“Oh, you bought some fruits, liquor, and dried fish, huh? What is this? Oh, these are seasoned vegetables and pancakes. Where did you get these?”

“There is a side dish store across the street from Wooseong Condo. The store’s name is ‘Delicious Side Dish.’”

“How did you find that store?”

“One of my friends used to live in Wooseong Condo.”

“Haha. I see.”

Gun-Ho drove his Land Rover and entered Dongbu Expressway. When his car passed Junglang River, there was a nice melody coming out of the radio. Gun-Ho wanted to hum along with the melody, but he didn’t. He thought that it was not appropriate to sing or hum since they were heading to a gravesite.

“Young-Eun, thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I would probably stay on my sofa all day long while watching TV and taking a nap. I love being outside with you on Saturday.”

“Keep your eyes on the road, Mister! Don’t you hear the horn sound from the cars behind us?”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun passed downtown in Pocheon City and kept driving. They then passed the fishing site where Gun-Ho used to go often. They continued to drive while passing Mansegyo Town and finally arrived at a cemetery park called Heaven Cemetery Park in Yeongjung Town.

“Did you bury your mom here?”

“We cremated her first before burying her. She is over there, the left one in the second row.”

There was no one in the cemetery park except Gun-Ho and Young-Eun. The weather was sunny with a few clouds. Gun-Ho could feel a fresh breeze on his cheek. Spring was already there.

“Is this your mom’s?”

Young-Eun nodded her head twice.

Gun-Ho placed a mat in front of Young-Eun’s mother’s grave.

Young-Eun then started arranging food and liquor that she brought.

“Since you brought food to the grave and did all this, I guess you are not a Christian.”

“My dad believes in Confucianism.”

“Hmm. You seem to know what you are doing. The foods are very well arranged.”

“I learned it from my dad.”

Young-Eun filled a paper cup with liquor and said, “Mom, I’m here. I’m married now. I came with your son-in-law.”

Young-Eun then looked at Gun-Ho’s face and smiled, but she looked lonely.

“Why don’t you give her a bow?”

Gun-Ho filled up a paper cup with liquor and gave a deep and full bow to the grave.

After Gun-Ho finished his bow to Young-Eun’s mother, Young-Eun kneeled on the ground and lowered her head. She maintained that position for quite a while. Gun-Ho walked around feeling a bit bored. When Gun-Ho thought that Young-Eun took enough time kneeling in front of her mother’s grave, he finally said, “Young-Eun, that’s enough. You must be feeling hurt on your knee. Get up.”

Young-Eun lifted her head a bit. When Gun-Ho saw Young-Eun’s face, he was surprised. She was crying.

“Mom, I’m so sorry!”

Young-Eun burst into tears. Her tears dropped on the mat like it was raining.

“Mom, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t keep my promise.”

Young-Eun continued to cry.

“Come on. Let me help you get up now.”

Gun-Ho held Young-Eun’s arm and lifted her so she could stand up. Gun-Ho gave a handkerchief to her.

“Here, wipe your tears.”

After wiping her face, Young-Eun looked at Gun-Ho and smiled.

“Oppa, I’m sorry.”

Spring breeze grazed Young-Eun’s cheek and blew her hair.

Note*

Doenjang-jjigae – a Korean soybean paste stew

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Chapter 450 - Mori Aikko’s Tears (1) – Part 1

Chapter 450: Mori Aikko’s Tears (1) – Part 1

Min-Hyeok sent a weekly report to Gun-Ho.

[Made a contract with the Chinese company in Yancheng— the one that Dingding was working on the last time I talked with you. They placed an order of 1-ton materials.

The product order request from the Korean companies within the Suzhou Industrial Park is on the rise, where Dingding’s storage is located.

It seems that there will be no problem selling 50 tons of materials that were imported from Dyeon Korea.

GH Parts Company that I am running reached its monthly sales revenue of 700 million won. It is due to the increase in product orders from the companies that require the use of Dyeon Korea’s raw materials.]

Gun-Ho replied.

[I want you to find competent and young workers who are in their late 20s or early 30s. We will expand our market further in China.]

It was the day when Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, but he didn’t. Since he got married, he hadn’t often gone to his office in Jiksan Town, Asan City, or Seonghwan location. He stayed in Seoul most of the time. The companies in those locations were being handled by people who Gun-Ho trusted, so he didn’t have to oversee their daily operation.

GH Mobile’s President Song sent the week’s report to Gun-Ho when he realized that Gun-Ho didn’t show up at work.

[The volume of the product ordered from Chrysler has increased slightly. Our monthly sales revenue exceeded 7 billion won last month. I’m encouraging our employees to work harder aiming at reaching 8 billion won by the end of this year.]

Gun-Ho was thinking.

‘If GH Mobile reaches 8 billion won for its monthly sales revenue, it would make its annual revenue 96 billion won. I can reasonably then expect it to generate 100 billion won next year. The company generated net profits last year. As soon as the financial statements are issued for this year and next year, I will apply for a preliminary examination of the KOSDAQ registration. I’ve invested my personal funds of 5 billion won into GH Mobile. I hope the value of the company shares to increase to five or six times more once it goes public.

GH Mobile is not a start-up company with new technology or a pharmaceutical company with new drugs, but it is a manufacturing company in a smokestack industry. Therefore, I can’t expect to see a dramatic increase in the value of the company share, but even with the increase of five times the current value, my shares would be 25 billion won.

After having GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea go public, I will announce to make a conglomerate with all of my GH companies, and then I will step back from running those companies as a chairman. I’m now married, and I will be 40 years old then. I guess no one would say I’m too young to take a position of chairman.’

Gun-Ho was thinking of going on a trip to Shanghai to see Seukang Li, and then he decided to do it later. Instead, he wanted to go to Japan to meet Mori Aikko. It had been a while since he saw her, and also his recent dream about her bothered him.

Gun-Ho sent a text message to her.

[My business trip to Japan is scheduled for next Tuesday.]

Mori Aikko replied.

[I’m currently in Taiwan. I will go back to Tokyo next Tuesday.]

“Taiwan? Why is she in Taiwan? What’s the occasion? Maybe she has a dance performance there. Should I ask her? Well, that’s not important. If she is there, that’s because she needs to be there. I don’t need to know. Maybe she went there for fun.”

Gun-Ho planned to stay in Japan for just two nights. He thought he shouldn’t stay longer with another woman since he was now married, and he shouldn’t do that to his wife.

‘After seeing Mori Aikko, I’ll go on another trip to China to meet Seukang Li. I will need to visit Guizhou Province as well. If so, maybe I should take someone with me. Since I can speak Chinese, I don’t need an interpreter. Maybe I should take one of my employees. Oh, maybe I want to go with Chan-Ho Eum. I’m sure he will be so excited about going to China since he probably hasn’t been there before.

‘Okay, I’ll take Chan-Ho with me to China. I don’t want to travel around China by myself. Chan-Ho could make a good bodyguard.’

Gun-Ho called for Chan-Ho Eum to his office.

“Did you want to see me, sir?’

“Do you have a passport?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Get one then. You will need to take a photo of your passport first.”

“Okay, sir.”

“Once the photo is ready, apply for your passport.”

“Do I apply for it at the City Hall?”

“What’s your residential address? Is it Sadang Town?”

“Yes.”

“Then, you need to go to the district office in Dongjak District. Take several photos and your ID with you. They will issue your passport then.”

“Am I going somewhere?”

“You haven’t been to China, have you?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“I’m going to Japan next week. After I come back from Japan, we are going to China the following week. You will need to get a visa issued by then.”

“I need to go to the Chinese embassy, right?”

“A travel agency can take care of it for you. Just ask Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong, she will handle it for you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once Chan-Ho walked out of Gun-Ho’s office, he jumped around in excitement.

“Yay! I’m going to China!”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk. He became a father of a baby girl.

“Congratulations.”

“My mom said she would be happier if it was a baby boy.”

“She is old-fashioned. People prefer to have a daughter over a son these days.”

“Haha, really? Glad to hear that.”

“I hope your daughter looks after your wife, rather than you. It has to be.”

“Well, no luck there. Everyone said she looked just like me. I don’t see that though.”

“Haha, really? I guess your gene is dominant. Our country has the problem of low rates regarding birth. I guess you are a patriot by having a child.”

“Thank you.”

“Did your parents move to the new condo?”

“Yes, they did.”

“Where did they move to?”

“They are now living in the same town as me— Dujeong Town. The name of the condo complex is e-Convenient World. They like it. It’s clean.”

“You are probably feeling a sense of stability since your parents are living close to you. You can get help from them in raising your child.”

“My mom insisted that we have to have one more child.”

“Yeah, why not? Have one more.”

“What about you, brother? Don’t you have a plan to have a child any time soon?”

“I just got married. It’s too early to expect one. I still remember those old days when you were little. You were walking around with a runny nose in Juan Town, Incheon City. I still can’t believe you are all grown up now and have a daughter. You are a parent now, and I’m happy for you. Congratulations again. I really mean it.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

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Chapter 451 - Mori Aikko’s Tears (1) – Part 2

Chapter 451: Mori Aikko’s Tears (1) – Part 2

After getting off the phone with Jong-Suk Park, Gun-Ho made a call to the accounting director in GH Mobile.

“I need to know the production team’s Director Jong-Suk Park’s bank account information.”

“Yes, sir. I will give you his bank account information where we send his salary.”

“Please text me with it.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho sent 1 million won to Jong-Suk’s bank account once the account manager texted him with his bank account number. Gun-Ho then sent a text to Jong-Suk.

“Jong-Suk, congratulations. I’m sending you 1 million won. Use it to buy some seaweed for your wife. I appreciate her for having a baby with you as well.”

As soon as Gun-Ho sent the text message to Jong-Suk, Jong-Suk called him right away.

“Bro, why did you send me money?”

“I want you to get your wife good nutritious food like seaweed with it.”

“You make me feel sorry, brother. You’re being too nice.”

“I didn’t send it for you. That’s for my sister-in-law— your wife.”

“Thank you, brother.”

It was Saturday.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went mountain climbing together to Cheonggye Mountain.

“Oppa, I won’t come to TowerPalace next weekend. I have to work a night shift on Saturday.”

“But you are a newlywed. Don’t they consider that when they assign you a night shift?”

“If I wasn’t a newlywed, I would have had to work more night shifts. Doctors often work a night shift. That’s normal.”

“Why don’t you move to another hospital in this area closer to our home in TowerPalace? If you don’t want to open your own practice yet, you can work with some other doctors in a small clinic.”

“It’s too early to quit. I need more time.”

“I actually won’t be at home in TowerPalace either. I have a business trip to Japan scheduled for next week.”

“To Japan? I didn’t know you have a business with Japan.”

“I do. I have some business with the U.S. and China as well.”

“I’m leaving on Tuesday and coming back on Thursday evening.”

“I see.”

“And, I’m going to China the following week.”

“For how long?”

“I have to be there to see when I can come back. I go to the area in the west, called Guizhou Province.”

“Guizhou Province?”

“Right. It’s all the way to the west, and if I can go a bit further to the west, I can reach Tibet.”

“Wow, that far?”

“Geographically yes, but since I take a flight, it won’t take long to get there in time-wise.”

“Have a safe trip.”

There were lots of stairs in Cheonggye Mountain. When Gun-Ho realized that he climbed far up, Young-Eun was behind.

“Young-Eun, come quick. Are you tired already?”

A middle-aged lady who was on the way down smiled and said, “Are you a married couple?”

“Yes, we are.”

“You are calling each other’s name, huh? You don’t use ‘honey’?”

“Oh, ha. Hmm.”

Young-Eun finally climbed to the spot where Gun-Ho was taking a rest.

“Gosh, I need to breathe. What did the lady say to you?”

“She pointed out the fact that we call each other’s name even though we are a married couple.”

“She’d better mind her own business.”

“You know what? I will start calling you honey from now on. Honey!”

“Honey? Look at the goosebumps on my skin.”

“Why don’t you call me honey? Try it.”

“Honey? Haha. Well, I prefer to call you oppa. I feel more comfortable that way.”

Young-Eun laughed.

That night, Gun-Ho called Young-Eun ‘honey’ when they were in bed together.

“Honey, come close!”

Young-Eun laughed out loud.

“Honey, why are you laughing?”

Gun-Ho said while kissing Young-Eun on her cheek.

“Call me honey. Honey, I love you!”

Young-Eun couldn’t stop laughing.

“Goosebumps again! Hahaha.”

“Honey, I’m not asking you to do something weird. This is more natural between a married couple. Call me honey.”

“Honey.”

Young-Eun finally said ‘honey’ before hugging Gun-Ho. She was still laughing.

It was Tuesday.

Gun-Ho got on a flight at Gimpo International Airport in the late afternoon, heading to Tokyo. Gun-Ho bought some gifts at the duty-free shop at the airport before going to the condo in Daikanyama, Shibuya. He was having mixed feelings on the way up to the condo.

“Should I tell her that I’m married?”

Mori Aikko would feel shocked once she found out that Gun-Ho was married. Gun-Ho always felt grateful when he was with Mori Aikko because she seemed to consider him as her lover rather than just a sponsor. When he slept with her, she actually made love to him just like she would do to her lover. It was certainly not an act of performing a duty for her sponsor.

Mori Aikko was at home. But something was different. She didn’t jump to him in excitement or cooked something for him.

“Oppa!”

“How have you been? I missed you.”

Gun-Ho quickly hugged Mori Aikko who was like a little fairy. Gun-Ho expected her to be jumping around or wrapping her arms around Gun-Ho’s neck in happiness, but she didn’t. She was just standing there like a piece of wood. She placed her hands around Gun-Ho’s waist and said, “Oppa, you are not going anywhere, aren’t you?”

“Going where? I’m right here.”

“You will give me your love for a long long time, right?”

Mori Aikko was crying. Gun-Ho pressed his lips against Mori Aikko’s small lips.

“I was so excited when I received your text message that you are coming to see me, and I had a dream last Saturday.”

“What kind of dream did you have?”

“You and I were a bird. I was a small bird, and you were a big one.”

“Haha, really?”

“You— the big bird— brought some food and fed me into my mouth, and then you flied away. You didn’t come back afterwards. The small bird kept crying and crying but the big bird didn’t come back.”

Mori Aikko was continuously crying while telling the story about her dream.

Gun-Ho tried to figure out what he was doing when Mori Aikko was having that dream. He was actually making love to Young-Eun in bed while playing with calling each other honey.

“Hmm. It was just a dream. There shouldn’t be any meaning to it.”

Gun-Ho didn’t even bother taking a shower before undressing Mori Aikko who was still crying. He then abruptly kissed her and made love to her. Mori Aikko closed her eyes, and just let Gun-Ho make love to her quietly.

Gun-Ho then fell asleep.

How long did he sleep?

Gun-Ho heard some noise in the kitchen. When he got up and walked to the kitchen, he saw Mori Aikko eating something. Gun-Ho looked at his watch. It was after 2 am. When Gun-Ho entered the kitchen to get some water, he was frightened. Mori Aikko was drinking by herself.

“Are you… drinking?”

Mori Aikko smiled. She looked lonely.

“Will you join me?”

Mori Aikko was having a slice of bread along with liquor. Gun-Ho felt a bit hungry and sat at the table facing her. Gun-Ho quickly emptied the glass of liquor that Mori Aikko filled up for him. He then ate a slice of bread. Mori Aikko filled Gun-Ho’s glass again with liquor.

Mori Aikko then said in a low tone, “Oppa, it’s about the time for you to get married.”

Gun-Ho let out a deep sigh instead of saying anything. He couldn’t tell her that he was already married.

‘I’m so sorry, Mori Aikko.’

“It’s late at night. Let’s go back to bed.”

“You are a young man with a lot of money, oppa. You probably have lots of women around you, who I don’t even know. I know that I might be just one of those women. I’m glad that I was once loved by you. You will be in my memory forever.”

“Don’t be silly. Why do you say that?”

“I’m going back to Taiwan tomorrow. I was in the middle of a drama shooting when you texted me. I came here to see you, and I have to go back.”

“Oh, you will be in a drama? What kind of role are you playing?”

“It’s a geisha.”

“Geisha?”

“It’s about a spy who works against the Japanese government, and he falls in love with a geisha in Japan. I’m not the main character, but just a supporting character.”

“Hmm. Really?”

“Taiwanese media talked a lot about the drama because a real dancing geisha is playing the geisha role in that drama.”

“I hope the drama succeeds.”

“At dawn, I have to go to the airport. I’m sorry that I won’t be able to stay with you.”

“It’s okay. We spent the night together. Take care of yourself, okay?”

Gun-Ho gave a kiss to her cheek. He then held her hand and led her to the bed.

“Get some sleep.”

Mori Aikko began crying again and held Gun-Ho’s face and started kissing him all over his face.

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Chapter 452 - Mori Aikko’s Tears (2) – Part 1

Chapter 452: Mori Aikko’s Tears (2) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho woke up at the condo in Daikanyama, Shibuya, Mori Aikko was not there. She probably left for the airport already.

“I wanted to give her some money to spend, but she is already gone.”

Gun-Ho’s returning flight ticket to Korea was scheduled the next day, and since Mori Aikko was not there with Gun-Ho, he thought of changing the ticket to leave for Korea early. And then, he thought maybe he could use the day to see people he knew in Japan like Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, who was the world-renowned Japanese engineer and used to work with Gun-Ho in Dyeon Korea, and the Korean restaurant owner—Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi.

“I will have lunch with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, and then I can swing by Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi’s restaurant and have a bowl of oxtail soup for dinner.”

Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“It’s already ten o’clock.”

Gun-Ho cleaned the room where he spent the night with Mori Aikko, and he also emptied the trash can for her. After arranging the bed, he walked out of the condo.

While walking toward the subway station, Gun-Ho made a call to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.

“Sakata Ikuzo desu ka? Watashi was kankku no kyu shachodesu. (I’m President Goo from Korea).”

“Oh, Kyu shacho san, ohisashiburidesu. (Oh, President Goo, long time no see.)”

Gun-Ho could speak Japanese a little bit. Thanks to Mori Aikko.

“I’m in Daikanyama, Shibuya right now. I will come to Yokohama. Let’s have lunch together.”

“Oh, you are in Japan? I live in Motomachi. It’s a suburb of Yokohama. I will wait for you at the subway station.”

A while later, Gun-Ho and Mr. Sakata Ikuzo met each other.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo looked older than before, and he was a little hunched, but he looked healthy overall. Gun-Ho could still smell some sort of metal from him.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo took Gun-Ho to a restaurant that specialized in grilled eel. Gun-Ho took out a bottle of liquor that he bought at a department store in Yokohama. It was a gift for Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. As he gave it to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, he said, “You look healthy.”

“Thank you. I guess I am maintaining my health by keeping my work.”

“So you are still getting work from your clients, huh?”

“I’m still in contact with my old clients. When they need a handmade mould, they bring the work to me. It’s not a high volume of workload though since a mold carving machine is doing a great job these days. Even if I could get lots of work, I wouldn’t have been able to handle the workload. I should admit that I’m getting old.”

“I still have the samurai figure that you gave to me in my office in the building, Sinsa Town. That figure always reminded me of you.”

“Thank you. Oh, how is Director Jong-Suk Park doing?”

“He is doing good. He is married now, and he has a daughter. His life is now committed to his family.”

“Oh, really? Please send my congratulations to him.”

After lunch, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo invited Gun-Ho to his home. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was living in a single house that was not totally in a traditional Japanese style or a modern structure, but it was in between. He had lots of yellow flowers in his yard, and there was a separate and small storage, which he was using as his workshop.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo showed Gun-Ho around his workshop. Several pieces of metal were scattered everywhere along with sawdust.

‘How come there is sawdust here? Is he working with wood as well?’

When they moved to a room with a tatami floor, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo brought some tea. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was sitting in a kneeling position while filling an empty cup with tea. Gun-Ho couldn’t sit in a kneeling position like him because that would make him very uncomfortable. He just sat with his legs crossed on the floor.

“You can sit as you feel comfortable.”

When Mr. Sakata Ikuzo opened the traditional Japanese sliding door, Gun-Ho could see the entire yard from the room with yellow flowers.

“They are so beautiful.”

“They are wood sorrels and rapeseed. They are wildflowers; I moved some of them to my yard.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo brought a small box that was about the size of a cell phone.

“Please give this to Director Jong-Suk Park. It’s a gift for his daughter from an old man.”

“What is this?”

“You can open it.”

Gun-Ho opened the box.

Once Gun-Ho opened the paper box, there was another box that was made of wood. When Gun-Ho opened the wooden box, there was a butterfly.

“Is it butterfly taxidermy?”

“No, I made it.”

“What do you mean by you made it?”

Gun-Ho touched the butterfly. His eyes widened.

“Oh, this is made of wood. Oh, my gosh. This looks so real.”

“I’ve been doing wood carving since I was a young man. It was my hobby, and I did it whenever I felt bored. Given the nature of my work, I work with metal most of the time, and I’ve been trying to neutralize the metal’s energy that affects my body by touching more wood.”

“I see.”

“I actually received an offer from Yokohama’s art gallery. They want to host an art exhibition with some of my carved figures. Since I have spare time these days, I’m working on carving more figures in preparation for the exhibition.”

“Oh, really?”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo showed Gun-Ho more of the figures that he made.

“Wow. This looks like a living dragonfly.”

On a large tray that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo brought in order to show to Gun-Ho, there was a dragonfly, a frog, and a small bird, etc. They all look so real, especially with the vivid colors painted on them.

“Wow. This is incredible.”

While he was looking at the animal figures on the tray, Gun-Ho saw an anchovy. He tried to take it out from the tray.

“I guess you dropped an anchovy here by accident.”

When Gun-Ho picked up the anchovy, he was amazed.

“Wow! You made this one too!”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo smiled. He looked satisfied.

There was still the calligraphy wall hanging in his room, which said ‘Isshokenmei.’ It was his philosophy of life, which meant that he would put everything into his work even though he had to risk his life to do so. His work with wooden figures reflected this philosophy very well. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, who was sitting in a kneeling position on the floor, reminded Gun-Ho of the legendary swordsman in Japan—Miyamoto Musashi.

“It’s amazing. When does your art exhibition start in Yokohama?”

“It will open in June.”

“I will definitely come and visit your exhibition then.”

“Thank you. I will send you the exhibition’s pamphlet once it comes out, shacho san (Mr. President).”

Gun-Ho thought that he would come to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s art exhibition in June with President Jeong-Sook Shin.

After parting from Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, Gun-Ho came back to Tokyo, and he headed to New Otani Hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo. After checking in, he went up to his room and looked out of the window.

“I have a good memory with this hotel about two women.”

While looking out of the window, Gun-Ho thought of Mori Aikko and also Seol-Bing.

‘I had the first night with Mori Aikko in this hotel. Also, I held Seol-Bing’s hand for the first time in this hotel.’

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Chapter 453 - Mori Aikko’s Tears (2) – Part 2

Chapter 453: Mori Aikko’s Tears (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was thinking about what he would do with these two women.

‘I don’t have to do anything with Seol-Bing since. I haven’t done much with her anyway. I just kissed her, and that’s about it. I didn’t even sleep with her. However, Mori Aikko is different. Despite the age gap of fifteen years, she seems to be in love with me, which is a problem. That stupid girl shouldn’t have fallen in love with me who is fifteen years older than her. She is only 22 years old. She should have considered me as her sponsor, not a lover. Stupid girl.’

Gun-Ho thought of Mori Aikko while looking out the window in his hotel room in New Otani Hotel. He saw her crying yesterday. That hurt him, and he felt sad.

Gun-Ho took a walk in the New Otani Hotel’s 400 years old garden.

‘I remember the day when I and Seol-Bing looked down at the koi pond from the bridge in this garden. I held her hand right there. I wonder what she would think of me who hadn’t contacted her ever since. I couldn’t keep my word to see her again in this hotel. She probably gave up on building a relationship with me by now.’

He thought that it was the right decision that he didn’t marry Seol-Bing.

‘I don’t want to be known to the public. I prefer to have a private life. Seol-Bing always wears dark sunglasses, and many celebrities wear a mask all the time in public so fewer people would recognize them. That must be very uncomfortable. If I married Seol-Bing, I would have had a hard time going out with her like in a restaurant or a café. She also wouldn’t be home most of the time, and sometimes she would need to make out with an actor for a drama shooting. I don’t think I can stand it.’

There were some video clips on Seol-Bing’s private life on the Internet, but Gun-Ho refused to watch it.

Gun-Ho made a call to the Korean restaurant owner—Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo. I’m staying in the New Otani Hotel.”

“Oh, President Goo, when did you come to Japan?”

“I arrived yesterday.”

“I was told that Mori Aikko is in Taiwan for a drama shooting. Did you meet her?”

“Yes, I met her yesterday. She went back to Taiwan early this morning.”

“Oh, I see. If you haven’t had your dinner yet, why don’t you come to my restaurant? I’m there right now.”

“Sounds good. I am on my way.”

Gun-Ho walked out of New Otani Hotel and headed to Ji-Yeon Choi’s restaurant.

The restaurant was not crowded at all. Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi was sitting at the counter.

“Hello, President Choi.”

“You are already here. Mr. Kim, we have a customer here, take him to a room.”

“It’s okay. I will just eat in the hall. I will have a bowl of oxtail soup, please. Also, one bottle of Asahi beer please.”

“Yes, sir.”

A waiter in his 20s who was wearing a white shirt with a tie brought a glass and a bottle of beer right away. Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi came to Gun-Ho’s table.

“How’s your business?”

“It’s doing alright. Would you like to have a beer with me?”

“No, thank you. I’m at work; I can’t do that.”

As Ji-Yeon refused to join Gun-Ho to drink beer, she filled Gun-Ho’s glass with it.

“So, you are married, huh?”

“How did you know?”

“I have my sources. For certain information, I’m very quick to learn.”

“That’s impressive.”Read more chapter on AllNovel

“I believe you made the right decision to get married. Considering your age, you should have married earlier. Congratulations.”

“I feel sorry for Mori Aikko though.”

“Well, you are her sponsor. You two were not meant to marry each other from the beginning. Building a relationship with her more than a sponsor is not appropriate anyway.”

“I still feel sorry for her.”

“You probably feel that way because you’ve been together for a while now, and you care about her. Time will heal everything. The problem is on Mori Aikko’s side. Strangely, she has deep feelings for you.”

“She actually cried a lot yesterday when I met her.”

“Did you tell her that you are married?”

“No, I couldn’t.”

“Women have a special gut instinct. She probably detected some changes on you.”

“Hmm…”

“Geishas usually date other men in their same age group even though they have a sponsor since a sponsor is usually a lot older than them. However, Mori Aikko doesn’t seem to be interested in other men of her age. I’m sure there are tons of men who are attracted to her.”

“Why is that so? I’m too old for her.”

“One thing I’m sure about is that you have very good manners, President Goo. There are many nasty sponsors who try to collect enough returns for their investment, and they constantly call for the geisha who they are sponsoring as often as they could. Also, Mori Aikko lost her parents when she was little. Maybe you are a brother and also a father to her, and she wants to rely on you like a family, so she probably wants to be with you forever.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I can’t possibly know everything for sure about your relationship with Mori Aikko though. It’s between you and Mori Aikko, and there is nothing much I can do for you in this situation. Just take your time, and let her go gradually.”

Gun-Ho ordered one more bottle of Asahi beer.

“Mori Aikko came here the other day by herself.”

“She did?”

“She sat at this table on the seat that you are sitting on right now and finished two bottles of beer by herself before leaving. I haven’t seen her drinking before. She usually doesn’t drink because she is a dancer. But that day, she drank beer, and it was strange. I think it was around the time when you got married.”

Gun-Ho felt extremely uncomfortable listening to Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi. He took out an envelope from his pocket and gave it to her.

“When Mori Aikko comes here again, can you give it to her for me? It’s her living expenses.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Thank you.”

“Even though she is a top dancer, I don’t think she makes enough money. Of course, she has a place to live since you bought a condo for her, but still…”

“I heard she is cast for a role in a drama. She is making money there, no?”

Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi let out a light sigh before saying, “In order to foster and train a geisha, it costs about 300 or 500 million won. It is a high maintenance job as well. Kimonos, necessary accessories, and make-ups are expensive, not to mention the cost of accommodation and food. You also need to consider the cost for those supporting personnel for her like a chauffeur and make-up artist.”

“Hmm.”

“By the time she receives her performance fee, Gion or mama sans will try to collect their returns for the investment. Once they took their portion from the performance feel, nothing much would be left in her hand. That’s why geishas have a sponsor, so they could focus on their artistic activities without worrying about making money for a living.”

“Hmm.”

“In your case, President Goo, you don’t have to send her living expenses regularly. You bought her a condo that many people wouldn’t be able to buy in their lifetime. That should be enough. But, I will make sure that Mori Aikko gets this envelope that you just gave to me.”

Gun-Ho walked out of Ji-Yeon Choi’s restaurant. It was windy outside.

Gun-Ho’s eyes were welled with tears, and he wasn’t sure what caused it. It could be the wind or it could be his compassion toward Mori Aikko.

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Chapter 454 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (1) – Part 1

Chapter 454: Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho came back to Korea from his trip to Japan.

“I feel sorry for Young-Eun for that I had fun in Japan with another woman, as a married man.”

Gun-Ho remembered that some luxurious handbags were being sold in the Galleria Department Store in Apgujeong Town.

“I will buy her a handbag.”

The handbags that were being sold there were worth over several millions of won.

“Maybe I should buy two more of these handbags for Artist Choi and President Shin. They aided me a lot with successfully marrying Young-Eun after all.”

Gun-Ho purchased three French designer handbags—Chanel. The store clerks were very kind to Gun-Ho, who bought three highly expensive bags from them.

Gun-Ho put one of the handbags at home in TowerPalace and placed the other two in his office in the building in Sinsa Town.

President Shin stopped by Gun-Ho’s office just in time, and Gun-Ho gave one of the Chanel handbags to her.

“What is this?”

“It’s a handbag. It’s a small token of my appreciation for you. You had helped me a lot, so I could meet Young-Eun and finally marry her.”

President Shin opened the paper wrapping bag and screamed, “Oh, my goodness! It’s a Chanel handbag!”

“I bought two of them. One is for you, and the other is for Artist Choi in Yangpyeong County.”

“This must be very expensive. I do love it, but I’m not sure if I can take it.”

“It’s okay. Of course, you can have it. I just wanted to show my gratitude.”

“I can deliver it to Artist Choi if you are okay with it. I’m going to her house anyway in Yangpyeong County this Saturday.”

“Sure, thank you. That will be great.”

President Shin left Gun-Ho’s office with a happy smile while carrying two Chanel handbags.

It was Friday. After work, Gun-Ho was in his car heading to his home. He asked Chan-Ho Eum who was driving the car, “Chan-Ho, did you get your passport?”

“Yes, sir. I gave them my photo, and they quickly issued my passport.”

“What about the visa? Did you get the visa to China as well?”

“I’m not sure about it yet. I asked Assistant Manager Jeong as you told me to. She said she would take care of it for me.”

“That’s good then.”

“What should I wear for the trip?”

“Bring a business suit. We will meet with important people in a high class. We don’t want to dress casually, but we want to wear a business suit showing them that we respect them, and we take their business seriously.”

“Should I wear a tie as well?”

“That wouldn’t be necessary.”

“Umm, I can’t speak Chinese. Will it be okay?”

“No one expects you to speak Chinese. I just want you to stand behind me looking serious.”

Gun-Ho arrived home. When he opened the front door and entered home, Young-Eun was already in the kitchen cooking dinner.

“How are you?”

“How was your work?”

Young-Eun didn’t look happy to see Gun-Ho. She looked cold.

“Let me wash myself. I will be back.”

Gun-Ho went to the bathroom and washed his face and feet. When he came back to the kitchen, the table was already set with dinner.

“Dinner is ready.”

Gun-Ho sat facing Young-Eun and started eating. There was a spinach soup instead of Doenjang-jjigae. Young-Eun didn’t say a word while having dinner for some reason.

Gun-Ho felt distant from Young-Eun that evening.

‘What’s going on? How come she is being cold today? Did she find out that I spent the night with Mori Aikko? Did she activate her ‘special instinct’ thing to detect my affair with another woman?’

Gun-Ho made some jokes to her in an effort to ease the atmosphere, but she didn’t really respond to it.

“Oh, you know what? I got something for you. It’s a handbag.”

Young-Eun lifted her head and looked at the handbag that Gun-Ho was holding.

“This is a very expensive handbag. It’s Chanel.”

Young-Eun seemed to sneer at him and said, “Give it to another woman who you know.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t know any woman. You are the only woman I have in this world.”

“People like a parvenu carry a handbag like that.”

“I bought three of them and gave one to Artist Choi and the other to President Shin. Are you saying they are parvenus?”

“People wouldn’t mind if a middle-aged woman carries a bag like that, but they would talk bad behind my back if I carry it around at my young age. You can give mine to some other woman that you know.”

It was strange that Young-Eun kept referring to some other woman. She acted weird that evening. There was no way that she knew about Mori Aikko, but Gun-Ho still felt guilty and uneasy.

“If you don’t feel comfortable carrying it around, for now, I will keep it until you become a middle-aged lady.”

Gun-Ho thought he saw Young-Eun smile slightly in response to Gun-Ho’s statement.

After dinner, Gun-Ho cleaned the dishes for Young-Eun. While Gun-Ho was washing dishes, Young-Eun did other household chores such as doing laundry and mopping the room floor.

“Let’s sleep in a separate room tonight. I feel tired.”

“What’s the matter, Young-Eun? We haven’t seen each other for the past five days. Come here!”

When Gun-Ho tried to kiss Young-Eun on the cheek, Young-Eun blocked her cheek with her hand.

“I will see you tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho felt annoyed by then.

“What’s wrong with you? Just talk to me!”

“I just feel exhausted today. That’s all.”

Young-Eun then covered her face with the comforter in her bed.

‘Hmm. I just don’t understand sometimes why women act in certain ways. They are just weird.’

It seemed that there was nothing much that he could do for now. Gun-Ho picked up his pillow and went to his room and slept by himself. He couldn’t think of any possible reason why Young-Eun was acting so cold that night.

The next morning, Young-Eun said she would go to her condo in Myeongryoon Town because she had to work that day even though it was Saturday.

“Well, then I will have to go mountain climbing by myself.”

“Suit yourself.”

Young-Eun was still being cold to Gun-Ho.

“Me… I have to go to China next week, all the way to Guizhou Province.”

“Safe trip.”

Young-Eun didn’t show any emotion.

“Since it is a remote area in China, I’ll have to go with Chan-Ho Eum.”

When she learned that Gun-Ho was going with Chan-Ho, she lifted her head a bit and then she went back to the cold version of herself again.

Young-Eun didn’t even lay her eyes on the Chanel handbag that Gun-Ho bought her, and she picked up her old bag and headed to work.

It was Tuesday.

Gun-Ho sent a text message to GH Mobile’s President Song, Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim, GH Media’s President Shin, GH Development’s Director Kang, and GH Logistics’ Jae-Sik Moon, saying that he would go on a trip to China to visit a factory there, so he wouldn’t be available for the entire week.

[I’m leaving for China today in order to visit GH Parts Company and Dyeon Korea’s sales company there. I will be back after four days. If you need to talk to me or give a report to me, please contact me via email.]

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Chapter 455 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (1) – Part 2

Chapter 455: Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho parked the Bentley in the airport parking lot in the basement and proceeded with checking in for a flight. It was a bit onerous to help Chan-Ho with checking-in and other processes, but Gun-Ho liked the fact that Chan-Ho carried his entire luggage and also ran little errands for him.

Chan-Ho seemed a bit nervous but excited about the trip. He probably didn’t have much experience with overseas travel.

“You have your passport and flight ticket ready, right?”

“Yes, I have them all with me.”

“Do you see the currency exchange booth over there? Can you go there and exchange 1 million won with Yuan?”

“Okay.”

While Chan-Ho handled the currency exchange, Gun-Ho sat in a lounge at the airport and enjoyed a warm cup of tea while relaxing.

Once they arrived in China, they went to Shanghai City to see Seukang Li.

“Hey, Seukang Li!”

“Gun-Ho Goo! It’s really good to see you, my friend. I knew you were coming, but you are so quick.”

“I could grab a taxi right after we arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.”

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t attend your wedding in person.”

“Don’t mention it! I appreciate you for sending me the congratulatory flower wreath.”

“I heard from President Min-Hyeok Kim that your wife is a Yi sheng (doctor).”

“Yes, she is.”

Chan-Ho Eum, who was standing behind Gun-Ho, was amazed by Gun-Ho’s Chinese.

‘Wow. The president speaks Chinese fluently like a native Chinese. When did he learn it?’

When Seukang Li realized that Gun-Ho had a company, he asked, “Who is the young man you came with? Is he your secretary? Or a bodyguard? He has a sturdy build.”

“Yes, you can say that he is both my secretary and bodyguard.”

“Have a seat. Let’s have some tea.”

“Chan-Ho, say hello to him. He is the director of Shanghai City.”

Chan-Ho gave a deep bow to Seukang Li showing his utmost respect, and Seukang Li offered his hand for a handshake.

Seukang Li sat on a chair and continued to talk while having his tea.

“There is a small town called Antang in Guizhou Province. The deputy mayor there is a friend of mine. We went to Beijing University together. Also, we participated in activities together for the Communist Youth League of China as well. He is the one who asked me to find a logistics company in Korea.”

“Why does he need a Korean logistics company?”

“A highway has been recently built connecting Antang to the capital of Guizhou Province—Guiyang City—and he wants to start a public transportation service there.”

“Hmm.”

“The problem is that their existing bus terminals are very old and shabby along with their busses. Guiyang City has a population of about 4.5 million while Antang’s population is around 800,000. Cities in China are usually large in size, so their populations are not so high.”

“So he wants to run a bus service company connecting those two cities—Antang and Guiyang—huh?”

“If he wanted to just run a transportation business, he wouldn’t need a foreign partner. It’s not difficult a work to get several busses and run them. What he focuses on is to construct bus terminals, which costs money.”

“I see, so he wants to build bus terminals…”

“That’s right. He wants to demolish the existing bus terminal buildings and construct new ones. Once the terminals are completed, he will sell commercial stores there and pay back the construction cost with the sales proceeds.”

“So, since he has land to build bus terminals on, he wants a Korean company to build bus terminals there for them and retrieve the construction cost by selling commercial stores in the buildings.”

“Something like that.”

“What if those commercial stores don’t sell?”

“That’s impossible. Bus terminals are the areas with high traffic.”

“I wonder who would take the job. It would cost a substantial amount of money to complete the construction, and not to mention that it would take a long time to collect the funds.”

“That’s why he wants to put one more thing on the table. He is offering to give Xianlu pai (the operating right to run transportation service) between two cities—Antang and Guiyang. In other words, you can run the bus company connecting those two cities for now.”

“Hmm, really?”

“You will see once you visit those cities. The buses between the two cities are extremely crowded all the time.”

“That’s tempting, but the cost to build the terminals will be significantly expensive… Moreover, I’m pretty sure that it would take more than two years to retrieve the investment funds…”

“Just talk with my friend once you visit him. He is very motivated to make this project work. It’s a good opportunity for him as well to solidify his position in the government if he could successfully bring foreign investment in developing those remote areas to promote people’s convenience in their daily life. That is definitely a good thing to happen for the people in the community as well.”

“How long does it take to travel from Antang to Guiyang City?”

“It’s about 250 kilometers. Since the highway is there already, if we run express buses there, it will take only 3 hours to travel from one city to the other. But, with the old current busses, I heard it takes at least four to five hours. If you decide to meet with him, I will give him a call, so he would expect you.”

“There are so many large companies in China. Why wouldn’t he choose a partner among them?”

“Even though there are lots of companies in China, it’s not easy to select one for a specific job. Also, he wants to prevent any excessive intervention in selling commercial stores and so on from his future partner. It’s about public benefit after all, and it will be hard for the city to achieve its ultimate goal if there is a partner that raises its voice too much. To be honest with you, with foreign investment funds, we don’t see much of those kinds of issues.”

“Hmm”

“You don’t have to decide right now. You can think about it after you meet with him and visit the areas. If you think that there is no prospect of success there, you don’t have to do it. I’m not giving you any pressure here.”

“What about the production company of soap operas that you talked about the other day?”

“I do have a few good candidates for it, but the thing is that the production cost is too high now. It’s about 1 million Yuan per episode. Assuming a soap opera has fifty episodes, it would cost 50 million Yuan. Do you think you can handle it?”

“Hmm, it’s 9 billion in Korean won.”

Gun-Ho decided to visit Guizhou Province first.

“Is there a flight going to Guiyang City today?”

Seukang Li called for a secretary.

“Please find out if there is a flight going to Guiyang City today.”

After a while, the secretary came back to the office and said, “The four o’clock flight is full, but the six o’clock flight is available.”

“Okay, then I will take the six o’clock flight. Please make a hotel reservation for us.”

“There is a hotel close to the City Hall, called Jinqiao. I will make a reservation there for you.”

“Sounds good. We will need two rooms.”

“Use my car to get to the airport.”

“That’s an official vehicle, and I’m not supposed to use it. I can take a taxi. Please call one for me.”

Gun-Ho headed to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport with Chan-Ho Eum.

Chan-Ho asked,

“Do we take another flight from here again?”

“Yeah, we are going to a city called Guiyang. It will take longer than the trip from Seoul to Shanghai. We are taking a domestic flight, so it won’t be very luxurious. Know that before you board the flight.”

Chan-Ho grinned and said, “It’s fun and a very good experience for me.”

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Chapter 456 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (2) – Part 1

Chapter 456: Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (2) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho arrived at the airport in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, he looked at his watch.

“Gee, it’s already 9 pm. We need to grab a taxi quickly. Chan-Ho, let’s have dinner after we check in to the hotel.”

“I’m good with it.”

After passing through the customs, Gun-Ho went out to the waiting area in the airport. There was a lady who was waving a white paper that said ‘Gun-Ho Goo.’

“Are you waiting for me?”

“Are you President Goo from Korea?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m from the Foreign Affairs and Trade Office of Antang City.”

“Foreign Affairs and Trade Office?”

“Yes.”

Gun-Ho, who used to live and run a business in China, had an idea who sent this person.

‘I guess the deputy mayor of Antang City arranged it in an effort to bring foreign investment funds to his community. So, he sent a vehicle and personnel to pick up a businessman from Korea.’

When Gun-Ho followed the person, who came to pick him up, to the outside of the airport, a black Audi was waiting for him.

“Chan-Ho, let’s get in.”

“Sir, are you sure we can just get in this car? We don’t know this person.”

“It’s okay.”

The lady who was sitting in the front passenger seat said, “I was told that you have a room reserved in Jinqiao Fandian (name of the hotel).”

“That’s correct. If you could drop us off at the hotel, I would appreciate it.”

Guiyang City was roughly equivalent to a province in Korea, so it was certainly a huge city. Its population was 4.5 million, which was about the same as Busan City’s in Korea.

While heading to his hotel in the car, Gun-Ho asked the person from the Foreign Affairs and Trade Office, “How large is Guizhou Province?”

“It’s exceeding 170,000 ㎢.”

“Wow! 170,000!”

Chan-Ho, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, asked, “Why are you so surprised?”

“The size of Guizhou Province is 170,000 ㎢. How can I not be surprised?”

Chan-Ho Eum didn’t seem to quite get how large 170,000 ㎢ actually is.

“How big is it?”

“The Guizhou Province itself is way bigger than the size of the entire South Korea. South Korea is less than 100,000 ㎢ while Guizhou Province is 170,000 ㎢.”

“Oh, I see. It’s indeed huge.”

Gun-Ho asked the staff from the Foreign Affairs and Trade Office again, “How large is Guiyang City then?”

“It’s 8,000 ㎢.”

“8,000!”

Gun-Ho couldn’t close his mouth in surprise. The size of Guiyang City was larger than Korea’s North Chungcheong Province.

“Oh, my gosh! One single city is larger than our province. How large could this country be then?”

The Audi continued to move until it reached a city where tons of buildings formed just like a forest.

“I thought that Guiyang City was the countryside, but it is actually a large city.”

When the car arrived at the hotel, Gun-Ho thanked them for the ride.

“Thank you so much.”

“I will come back tomorrow morning at 9 am to pick you up. You can take a bus to get to Antang City, but the bus is very old and slow. We will take you to Antang City with our car.”

“Oh, you will be here to pick us up tomorrow morning? Thank you very much.”

Gun-Ho went into the hotel and checked in.

“Two Dan ren fang (room for one person) please.”

Gun-Ho received two keys for each room and gave one to Chan-Ho Eum.

“Don’t walk around by yourself. Since you don’t speak Chinese, you can get into trouble if you get lost. You have to be with me if you want to go outside, okay?”

“Okay, sir.”

“Put your luggage in your room and come to the lobby. We need to eat even though I’m not sure if we can find any place to eat at this hour.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho walked on the street. Many stores were already closed.

“Oh, I think there is a snack bar over there behind the alley.”

“It says Yangming kuaican. I think it is a snack bar.”

“How come you can read Chinese letters?”

“Of course I do. They are very basic Chinese letters.”

“Whoa, you are unbelievable, sir.”

Gun-Ho ordered some crullers, stir-fried tofu, pork, etc. along with a bottle of beer.

“How is it? You like them?”

“They are good. The tofu tastes a bit strange, but overall, these are very good.”

“Let’s be happy with what we could have at this hour. We can have much better food tomorrow. I guess the Antang City’s deputy mayor will invite us for very nice food.”

After having a few soft crullers with a beer, Gun-Ho felt full.

“Let’s go back to the hotel. We started our day at Incheon International Airport, and flew to Shanghai City, and then flew again to Guiyang City. It was a long trip. You must be very tired. Take a deep sleep and get ready for tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the snack bar after paying for the food in cash.

When Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho walked out of the alley heading to the hotel, two men, who were walking towards Gun-Ho, hit Gun-Ho’s shoulder when they were passing him.

“Pickpockets!”

Chan-Ho grabbed the back of the one of the two men’s neck in the blink of an eye and twisted his arm.

The man screamed in pain.

While the man struggled to get out of Chan-Ho’s restraint, a wallet fell to the ground. It was Gun-Ho’s wallet.

“What?! That’s my wallet!”

Gun-Ho quickly picked up his wallet from the ground. Until then, Gun-Ho didn’t even realize his wallet was stolen.

Chan-Ho twisted the man’s arm one more time, and the pickpocket screamed. The other man, who was tall, took out a jackknife.

Chan-Ho took off his jacket and threw it towards Gun-Ho, and said, “Sir, please hold my jacket. I guess I need to do some exercise.”

“Let’s just get out of here. That man is jumping around with a knife.”

Chan-Ho made a sound by cracking his knuckles.

“Chinese jackas*es! You picked the wrong guy today!”

Chan-Ho had massive forearms compared to ordinary men since he worked out a lot. Under the streetlight at night, Chan-Ho’s muscles and the tattoos on his arms stood out.

The man, whose arm was twisted by Chan-Ho, shouted to his party.

“Ni kan! Qianbi shang de wenshen (Look at that man’s tattoo on his arms)!”

When Chan-Ho was about to attack them, the two pickpockets ran away without even looking back at them.

Gun-Ho said with a smile while giving Chan-Ho’s jacket back to him, “If you were not here with me today, I would have lost my wallet for good.”

“I was about to break their jaws.”

“Well, you should be careful. They had a knife. It’s dangerous!”

“There is a way to subdue a man who is holding a knife.”

“Anyway, they are very skillful pickpockets. I give them that. I didn’t even know that my wallet was gone until I saw it on the ground.”

“I think they targeted us because we look different from local people here, and they probably saw us coming out of the hotel.”

“I guess we’d better change into some local shabby clothes.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho arrived at the hotel.

“Well, have a sweet dream, and I will see you tomorrow morning around 8 am. I think we can have breakfast at the hotel.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I believe you have beers in the refrigerator in your room. If you want more beer for tonight, have them. The last time I checked the refrigerator in my room, there were beers and some snacks like peanuts.”

“Okay, sir.”

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Chapter 457 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (2) – Part 2

Chapter 457: Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho felt relieved that he came with Chan-Ho to China and that he didn’t lose his wallet because of him. However, the tattoos on Chan-Ho’s arms sort of bothered him.

‘As long as he wears long sleeves, no one would notice his tattoos. But, during the summer when he has to wear short sleeves, I might not be able to take him with me on a trip or to a meeting with some important people.’

The following morning at 9 am, the Audi that was sent by the Foreign Affairs and Trade Office of Antang City was waiting for Gun-Ho at the front entrance of the hotel.

“Did you have good sleep last night, sir?”

The staff from the Foreign Affairs and Trade Office asked. She was wearing a black business suit.

“Yes, I did. Where did you stay last night?”

“We stayed in Chodaeso (similar to a motel in Korea).”

Once the car got out of the city, a road in the countryside was unfolded. Beautiful countryside scenes were opened in front of Gun-Ho one by one. Gun-Ho enjoyed the view of a field filled with rapeseed flowers, a small village, and a small creek.

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho eventually started dozing off in the car. When they woke up, the car was still moving.

“It’s far.”

“It must have been at least three hours by now. We are not there yet, right?”

They departed the hotel at 9 am, and they finally arrived at a small town around 1 pm.

“We are in Antang City now.”

Antang City was less developed and less sophisticated than Guiyang City, but it was still a city. It had a high population density along with tons of buildings. There were so many cars on the roads as well. But still, since it was a provincial city, many three-wheeled rickshaws were easily found.

The car stopped at a hotel. The hotel was small but looked cozy.

“Why don’t you check in the hotel and unpack your luggage in your room? Someone from Antang City will be waiting for you at the lobby.”

After leaving their luggage in the hotel room, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho came down to the lobby. The same lady from the Foreign Affairs and Trade Office was waiting for them in the lobby.

“Please come with me. We are going to a restaurant, and we will meet people from Antang City there.”

The staff took Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho to a restaurant in the hotel. It seemed that they reserved a room there for them to have more privacy. In the room, there was a round table with ten chairs around it. Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho sat at the table. The staff lady from the Foreign Affairs and Trade Office and the chauffeur who drove the Audi joined them. The chauffeur wore dark sunglasses. When the four people sat at the table, a waitress came to the room and served them tea.

When they were sipping the tea, four men with sturdy builds entered the room. The man who was wearing a t-shirt and carrying a small bag under his arm greeted them.

“Ni hao!”

The lady staff quickly stood up and introduced the new man to Gun-Ho.

“This is our deputy mayor of Antang City— Mr. Lixian Zhang.”

The deputy mayor took out his business card from the small bag that he was carrying under his arm and gave it to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho also handed his business card to him. The deputy mayor didn’t forget to give his business card to Chan-Ho. Chan-Ho took it with his hands showing his utmost respect.

The deputy mayor introduced three other men who he came with, one by one. They looked older than the deputy mayor.

“This is our transportation department’s director.”

The director of the transportation department smiled broadly and extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“Ni hao!”

“This is the owner of Chantu qiche (intercity bus company) in Antang City.”

“And this is our chauffeur.”

The third man must be the chauffeur who drove the other three men here.

Food started coming out.

The deputy mayor started talking.

“Thank you for coming all the way to Antang City. I’ve heard a lot about you from Director Seukang Li of Shanghai City. I was told that you are a progressive businessman with outstanding management skills.”

“I’m so flattered. I just have a few small factories that I’m running.”

Since the conversation was being done in Chinese, Chan-Ho couldn’t understand a thing. He just focused on eating the food on the table with a beer. The other Chinese men also kept eating without chipping in the conversation between Gun-Ho and the deputy mayor.

The director of the transportation company eventually chipped in.

“The highway between Antang City and Guiyang City was recently completed. It was part of the great five-year term project of the People’s Republic of China for the purpose of our traffic development in the west area. The project is still ongoing, and we want to modernize our bus terminals and shuttle systems accordingly. We believe it will greatly improve people’s convenience and life in the community.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho pretended that he was paying full attention to the explanation and writing down some notes.

The deputy mayor picked up a deep-fried freshwater crab with chopsticks and placed it on Gun-Ho’s and also Chan-Ho’s plate.

Gun-Ho put his palms pressed together in front of the chest, which he learned from a Chinese martial arts movie, to show his appreciation, and said, “Oh, xiexie (thank you).”

Chan-Ho, who was watching Gun-Ho’s move, mimicked his gesture. He put his hands in front of his chest with his palms pressed together and said, “xiexie.” It came out awkwardly though.

The deputy mayor toasted Gun-Ho as he indicated Gun-Ho as his friend from another country.

He shouted, “Ganbei.”

The deputy mayor continued to talk.

“If you join us in our project as a partner, I will support you unconventionally at the government level in any way I could help. Also, I guarantee you that you would be able to send profits resulting from our partnership to your country without any problem.”

Gun-Ho responded.

“I used to have a joint company in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province before. I will be straight with you. So, in this business partnership, you are suggesting that you would provide the land to build the bus terminals on, and you are asking me to construct the buildings on it. Am I correct?”

“That’s correct. We will be using the same land where the old terminals are located. For the buildings, we already completed the design.”

“Hmm, so you are not getting new land, but you are bringing the same land that is currently in use…”

The bus company’s business owner chipped in.

“Finding new land is not efficient at this point. It will take time, and we will need to figure out the zoning issues as well, not to mention that the current location is the best location for the purpose. If we use the current location, we would save troubles advertising a new location. After finishing our meal, we will visit the location together.”

“How large is it?”

“It’s 50 mu.”

’50 mu? So, it’s about 10,000 Korean pyung. It would be smaller than the Seoul Express Bus Terminal but about the same size as Dong Seoul Bus Terminal.’

Gun-Ho was trying to figure out if it was worth investing in.

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Chapter 458 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (3) – Part 1

Chapter 458: Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (3) – Part 1

After lunch, they would get together again in the lobby around 2 pm. They wanted to have a break before then. Gun-Ho usually wanted to have a cup of coffee after each meal, but many Chinese people didn’t seem to enjoy an after-meal coffee, so he had to find a coffee on his own. Gun-Ho went up to the 8th floor where his room was located because he brought an instant coffee mix from Korea.

“I feel so relaxed having a cup of coffee.”

Gun-Ho called for Chan-Ho Eum who was staying in the next room via the phone in his hotel room. When Chan-Ho picked up the phone in his room, he answered in English awkwardly. He thought someone— not Gun-Ho— called him to his room.

“Hello?”

“Did you say Hello? It’s me.”

“Oh, sir.”

“You haven’t had your coffee yet, have you?”

“No, I haven’t. I’m so craving for a cup of coffee right now though.”

“Come to my room. I have a coffee.”

Gun-Ho gave a few packs of instant coffee mix to Chan-Ho.

“You have an electric kettle in your room, right? There should be one since Chinese people use it commonly for their warm tea.”

“Yes, there is one.”

“Then take these instant coffee mixes.”

“Thank you, sir. You are very well prepared. Haha.”

When it was 2 pm, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho went down to the lobby.

The deputy mayor was already there. He said, “The president of the long-distance bus terminals will give you a tour around the terminals. Antang City has two terminals— Xi zhan (west station) and Dong zhan (east station). Dong zhan is small in size, and that is the one that we want to rebuild with our partner in a modernized design.”

The transportation department’s director who was standing next to the deputy mayor added,

“Why don’t you visit the terminals and the town? Then you can take a short break. We will prepare dinner for you. Mr. Deputy Mayor and I will stay here and join you for dinner. Please enjoy your tour.”

In the car, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho sat in the rear seat while the president of the terminal sat in the front passenger seat.

The car was running in a city. The roads were filled with many municipal buses, taxis, and other vehicles. Even though there were many old cars on the roads, the traffic was heavy. It made sense since the city’s population was about 800,000.

“Antang City has a road system with three Zong (vertical) and three Heng (horizontal), and highways are designed based on them.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“The east station that we are heading to is located a bit off the city; however, three Zong and three Heng is passing right through it, so it is very well connected with bus systems.”

“There is no subway here, isn’t there?”

“Haha. No. In order to build a subway system, we need a population of at least several millions.”

When they entered an area without tall buildings, Gun-Ho saw a sign that said ‘Dong zhan.’ In front of that east station, several taxis were seen, waiting for passengers. Many people were standing around that area as well. Gun-Ho’s party didn’t go to the waiting area, but instead, they headed to the parking lot. A security guard gave them a military salute when he recognized the car. It was their president’s car after all.

The land was 10,000 pyung large, so it was certainly spacious. But, the waiting area was small given to the size of the entire terminal. The terminal construction was a temporary one-story building where a waiting area and a ticket office were located. In its concourse, there were several long-distance buses parked. The busses were old, which looked like the busses in the 80s in Korea.

“This is the waiting area.”

Many country people were sitting there while waiting for their busses, with their luggage beside them.

“This is the ticket office.”

The staff at the ticket office and ticket inspectors gave a bow to their boss— the president of this terminal. People who noticed Gun-Ho’s party started whispering. Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho did indeed look different from local people there in their outfits and all.

“This is the Xingli bu (cargo department). They play the role of Biaoju that was often depicted in an old martial arts novel. Hahaha.”

There was luggage and other cargo piled up, along with a giant scale. The workers there seemed to work harder after they noticed the president’s presence and after giving a bow to him. The department was not very organized and not clean at all. Many lady workers with tough looks were seen as well.

“Here is the police station of the terminal.”

The temporary one-story building has all, even a police station. The police gave a bow to the president as well.

“This is the office for transportation management.”

In the office, there were several people in uniforms that looked like a policeman’s.

“They inspect vehicles from outside the city. Also, they catch illegal activities as well.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Why don’t we go to my office and have a cup of tea?”

The president’s office was located in the north side of the building. His office was constructed in cement with an old-style round window, and there was a red column.

The office was spacious, and a sofa set was placed. When Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho sat on the sofa, the president opened the window and called for someone.

“Yangping! Yangping! Bring us some tea!”

Chinese people often omitted a position title when they call for someone, but they just used a name. If a person’s position was above a manager, then they usually added the position title when they call them, but other than that, they just used the person’s name in calling for them.

“While having a tea, the president asked Gun-Ho.

“So, what do you think?”

“The site is very large.”

“We are going to demolish this building and construct a new modernized terminal. It will include a hotel, and the total floor area will be 15,000 pyung.”

“15,000 pyung! You want a hotel?”

“The terminal itself will be a three-floor building, but at the end of the terminal, there will be a twelve-floor hotel building. The construction costs will be paid off once commercial stores and the hotel is sold.”

“Do you think a hotel business will work at this location?”

“Many long-distance travelers take busses for ten hours or even twenty hours. Since China has a huge continent, the distance between two cities is really far. Therefore, in China, a hotel business nearby a train station or a bus station works very well.”

“Hmm, really?”

“You can easily verify the fact by checking other areas.”

“Once the terminal is completed, how many visitors do you expect to receive per day?”

“I would say 15,000 people. The terminal would be able to accommodate 150 large-size busses on a daily basis.”

“You said the construction design drawing is already done, didn’t you?”

“That’s correct.”

“I see.”

“Okay. I guess the tour is done unless you have any other place you would like to visit. Why don’t you take a rest in the hotel until dinnertime? We will pick you up at the hotel at 6 pm. The deputy mayor and the transportation department’s director will join you.”

“Sounds good.”

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Chapter 459 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (3) – Part 2

Chapter 459: Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (3) – Part 2

The president of the terminal called for his chauffeur, and said to him, “Take them back to their hotel in Antang City.”

“Yes, sir.”

The president then turned around and extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“I will see you at dinner later today.”

“Sure, I will see you then. Thank you for showing me around the terminal.”

After parting from the terminal’s president, Gun-Ho got in the car with Chan-Ho and headed back to their hotel.

In the car, Gun-Ho asked the chauffeur, “Do you know how many workers there are in this terminal?”

“As far as I know, there are about 130 workers.”

“Hmm, really?”

“By the way, sir, you speak the Chinese language very well. I thought you came from Hong Kong or Taiwan.”

The chauffeur said while looking at Gun-Ho through the rear-view mirror.

“Do you often see many visitors from Hong Kong or Taiwan around here?”

“Not very often, but we do receive tourists from there from time to time. As to the terminal that you just visited, the government previously tried to make a partnership with a company from Hong Kong, and a business owner from Hong Kong had visited here several times.”

“I guess that didn’t work out.”

“I’m not sure what happened, but since I haven’t seen that businessman any longer, I guess you’re right; it didn’t seem to work out.”

“I wonder why they are trying so hard to find a foreign partner. It seems that they can handle the construction cost with the city’s budget.”

“They initially intended to use their city budget for the project, but they then realized that if they put the significant amount of funds into building the terminals, there wouldn’t be much left for the citizen’s welfare. That was where they postponed the terminal project until the recent construction of the highway connecting with Guiyang City. So, now it seems that they want to resume the project with foreign investment funds.”

“Do you think once the terminal is completed, the commercial stores and hotels there will sell fine?”

“Haha. I don’t know much about it, but why not? It’s a bus terminal where a lot of people are coming and going all the time.”

Gun-Ho tilted his head back and closed his eyes, and he thought it through very carefully.

‘I’m sure that they will come up with an overvalued price for that 10,000 pyung large land, and they will declare that they would use it as their investment in kind. How much money are they going to ask me to bring in? And how much would it cost to build the terminal? He said the total floor space would be 15,000 pyung. It will cost a substantial amount of money to build that large building. Maybe I should gather several investors from Korea for this project. But who would be willing to invest in a project in China these days? Also, I still doubt that they would let me make money by participating in the project. All they want is the foreign money.’

While Gun-Ho was lost in thought, the car arrived at the hotel.

“Chan-Ho, why don’t you go back to your room and take a rest until dinnertime? I will need to make a reservation for the flights to Suzhou City for our trip tomorrow. I will see you at the lobby at 6 pm.”

“Sir, will it be okay for me to take a walk on the street around the hotel before dinnertime?”

“Sure, but you will need to stay close to the hotel, okay? Before you go, stop by the hotel’s front desk and get the hotel’s business card. It can be very handy.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was six o’clock in the evening.

The president of the terminals showed up at the lobby; he was with a staff lady. Gun-Ho felt nervous when he found out that Chan-Ho hadn’t returned to the hotel yet.

“Please wait for a moment. Chan-Ho hasn’t come back to the hotel yet.”

Gun-Ho was hovering around the lobby feeling anxious while waiting for Chan-Ho. Chan-Ho finally came back to the hotel. He looked pale.

“I’m so sorry, sir. I was lost on the way to the hotel.”

“It’s good that you are here.”Read more chapter on AllNovel

“I showed the hotel’s business card to the taxi driver, and he dropped me off here.”

“How much did you pay for the taxi?”

“I don’t know. I was rushing to get to the lobby, so I just gave him 50 Yuan before running into the hotel.”

“Let’s go. We are already late.”

“I’m so sorry.”

The president of the terminals took Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho to a restaurant, called Mingche canting. A waitress, who was wearing a Chinese ethic costume, served them.

The restaurant was luxuriously decorated; there was even a pond inside it. Chan-Ho looked fascinated by the beautifully decorated interior. Gun-Ho thought that the restaurant was too fancy for a small city like Antang City. Even though they arrived a bit late, the deputy mayor and the transportation department’s director were not there yet.

“It’s good that they are not here yet. I was worried that they might be waiting for us.”

In China, many high-class restaurants served hot tea as soon as customers sat at a table. While having the tea, the deputy mayor and the director of the transportation department arrived.

All sorts of dainties started coming out, along with the Chinese liquor— Baiju.

“Did you take a tour around the terminal?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I believe that the president of the terminals already explained to you about the size of the project.”

“Yes, he did.”

The deputy mayor collected the glasses on the table and placed them in front of him, and he started filling them with Baiju, and then he distributed each glass to everyone at the table.

“Let’s welcome and toast our guests from Seoul, Korea— Mr. Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Ganbei! (cheers)”

“Ganbei!”

“Chan-Ho, enjoy the food, especially liquor. You haven’t had many chances to drink in Korea because you had to drive for me. Here, you can drink as much as you please.”

“The foods are awesome.”

Gun-Ho said while clinking his glass to the deputy mayor’s glass and the director’s glass of the transportation department, “How much investment funds do you have in mind?”

The transportation department’s director answered on behalf of the deputy mayor.

“We are thinking of 50 million dollars.”

“So each party is supposed to bring in 25 million dollars?”

“That’s correct.”

“The land, that I visited earlier today, has been appraised for 25 million dollars, hasn’t it?”

“That’s correct.”

“I believe that it is overvalued. The land is 10,000 pyung large, and if its appraised value is 25 million dollars, that means that the land is worth 2.5 million Korean won per pyung. I’ve seen that kind of high price for the land in a big city like Suzhou City or Hangzhou City where I previously had my joint venture business, but not for a small city.”

“The land price here is very high as well.”

“Guizhou Province’s capital— Guiyang City— has a population of 4.5 million, but the population of its downtown is not even 1.5 million. Likewise, even though Antang City’s population is 800,000, the population of the downtown is only 300,000. I think that you are planning to build an unnecessarily huge terminal, given the size of the city.

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Chapter 460 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (4) – Part 1

Chapter 460: Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (4) – Part 1

The deputy mayor refuted Gun-Ho’s claim strongly that they planned to build an unnecessarily large terminal for a small city.

“It is true that the terminal that we designed to build is maybe too big for the current Antang City. However, we need to take into consideration that Antang City will grow significantly. Antang City currently has a population of 800,000, but we never know how large it will grow after three years or five years.”

“Antang City is situated inland, and I don’t think its population will grow dramatically within a few years.”

“That’s not true. The Chinese central government is aggressively promoting the development of the west area, and Antang City is part of it. The west area has fallen behind in development compared to the east area. The government wants to develop the west area to the level of the east area.”

The director of the transportation department, who was sitting next to the deputy mayor, added.

“Our deputy mayor’s grandfather was in the Eighth Route Army. At the time, many people believed that resisting the empire of Japan was like hitting a rock with an egg. However, the Chinese army continued to fight against Japan while living in a cave because they didn’t give up their future. Just like they did in old times, we need to look to the future.”

“That’s good thinking, but I am a businessman who invests in something that would bring me profits. If an investment would bring small or won’t profit, I can’t make an investment.”

“That’s why we are offering you a license to run a bus business in order to compensate for the risk that you are taking. It’s a license to run intercity buses between Antang City and Guiyang City.”

Even though they were sitting in a high-end restaurant, Gun-Ho and the deputy mayor couldn’t focus on enjoying the food because they had an important business to achieve. Gun-Ho continued to talk while having a fried freshwater fish.

“Can I take a look at the Kexing xing baogao shu (business plan)?”

The director of the transportation department said, “Hong Kong had previously shown their interest in our project, and we do have the Kexing xing baogao shu that we submitted for their review. We are currently making a small change on it, but I will show it to you if you want.”

“Do you allow raising the number of buses if the number of passengers increases?”

“Of course, it is possible.”

Gun-Ho, who had vast experience in joint venture business, laughed inside.

‘Are they going to allow for his foreign partner to increase the number of buses, so the foreign partner could make more money? I don’t think so. They will ostensibly support it, but they will eventually bring a local business to make money.’

“I have one more question.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“During the joint venture business, is it possible to transfer the joint venture company’s shares to a third party?”

“Hmm… That, well, as long as the investment funds stay intact, it would be allowed.”

The deputy mayor tried to lift the mood.

“Well, let’s have a drink together. I suggest everyone pick up their glass in front of each, and bottoms up!”

Once everyone finished their glass of liquor, the deputy mayor started filling them with liquor again.

“Mr. Director of the terminals, why don’t you send the original business plan to President Goo, not the modified one?”

“Okay, sir.”

“The bus terminal company is actually the one that will actively participate in the project. The company that manages the east terminal—Dong zhang—is also running a passenger transportation company. Its official business name is Antang Transportation Company. It’s the largest company in Antang City.”

“I know that. The role of the government in this situation is limited to connect two business partners to form a joint venture company since a joint venture is done between two companies.”

When the conversation entered a pause, two male and female staff in colorful Chinese ethnic costumes brought Chinese traditional musical instruments—Erhu. They started playing it.

Gun-Ho’s party continued to enjoy the food while appreciating a piece of Chinese traditional melody.

When they finished playing Erhu, the deputy mayor quietly talked to Gun-Ho, “President Goo, what do you think? Are you interested in working with us?”

“I’m not sure. It is a tempting offer, but the initial investment fund is too high.”Read more chapter on vi pnovel

“You don’t have to prepare the entire fund at once. You can bring the amount gradually according to Ji chen gao (completed amount) rule.”

“Is it hard to take a loan from a bank by using the land as collateral?”

“That could be done after a joint venture company is established and its initial investment funds are brought in.”

“I see. Let me first take a good look at the business plan once it arrives, and then I will give you my answer.”

After dinner, when Gun-Ho came back to his hotel room, he had an acute headache.

“Why did I drink that much during dinner? That strong liquor—Baiju. I must be out of my mind.”

Gun-Ho laid down on the bed and got lost in thought.

‘It won’t cost much to get more buses once I get the operating license. I would even be able to make a lease for them.’

‘The problem is the construction cost for the terminal. It will cost me more than 25 billion won. If GH Mobile was a public company, I would be able to issue some convertible bonds. Honestly, that terminal business will bring good money if not a jackpot. It is a Cash Cow business.’

Gun-Ho continued to think about the terminal project before he fell asleep that night.

The next morning, Gun-Ho woke up feeling a stomach pain. He also had diarrhea.

“I guess I drank too much of that strong liquor last night.”

Gun-Ho had to go to the bathroom three times before breakfast.

“My flight to Suzhou City is scheduled at six in the afternoon. The president of the terminals will send a car, so I could take a tour around Antan City before heading to Guiyang City at 1 pm, but it seems that I have to frequently go to the bathroom…”

Gun-Ho looked out the window. It was raining. He suddenly felt shivering. Gun-Ho made a call to the president of the terminals.

“I feel tired and not feeling well today. I think I’d better cancel the tour since it’s raining as well. Please send the car to the hotel at 1 pm. I will directly go to the airport for Guiyang City.”

“Understood. I was a bit worried about today’s schedule as well because of the rain.”

When Chan-Ho Eum came to Gun-Ho’s room, Gun-Ho told him, “You will need to have your breakfast by yourself today. I’m having diarrhea.”

“I have medicine for diarrhea. Do you want me to bring it?”

“Oh, you have medicine for it? Did you bring it from Korea?”

“Yes. Give me one second. I will bring it to you right away.”

While Chan-Ho went to his room to pick up the medicine, Gun-Ho felt like he wanted to praise him for being well prepared for the trip.

‘Hmm. He prepared some first-aid medicine for his trip abroad. I didn’t know he was that type.’

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Chapter 461 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (4) – Part 2

Chapter 461: Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (4) – Part 2

Chan-Ho brought a small box of some first-aid medicine. The box was a first-aid kit with all kinds of medicines and items such as digestive medicines like Cheong Ro Hwan, cold medicines, an antibiotic ointment, adhesive bandages, compress dressings, etc. They were placed in the box in a very organized way.

“Wow. You are very well prepared.”

“Actually, the madam gave it to me.”

“Madam? What madam?”

“Your wife, sir.”

“My wife? Really? When did she give this to you?”

“She stopped by the building in Sinsa Town the day before we left. You didn’t see her?”

“She did?”

“She came during lunchtime and gave this box to me, and she said she wants us to have a safe trip. She said she couldn’t stay long because she had to get back to work as soon as possible.”

“I see.”

Gun-Ho was touched by his wife’s thoughtfulness and care.

‘Young-Eun, thank you.’

Once he took Cheong Ro Hwan with warm water, Gun-Ho felt much better. He laid down on the bed and thought about Young-Eun. He missed her, and he missed her tender and fair skin.

‘I guess this is how a married man feels like. I feel sorry for Young-Eun. I haven’t done much for her. I feel extremely sorry for the fact that I slept with Mori Aikko the other day in Tokyo. I will buy a gift for her at the duty-free shop at the airport on the way back home.

But, Young-Eun doesn’t seem to like an expensive gift that I buy at the airport’s duty-free shop.

Then what should I get her? I want something fun for her, something that would make her laugh.’

The rain stopped. Gun-Ho called for Chan-Ho Eum.

“A car will be here to pick us up at 1 pm. Because of the rain, I canceled the city tour that was scheduled for morning. Let’s just walk around the city on our own.”

Chan-Ho looked excited and followed Gun-Ho to the street.

The street looked cleaner after the rain, but there was stagnant water everywhere along with a bad smell.

“Sir, what does that business sign say?”

“It’s a laundry.”

“What about that one?”

“It’s a barbershop.”

Chan-Ho was busy taking pictures whenever he saw a three-wheeled rickshaw or a person in a Chinese ethnic costume while following Gun-Ho around. Gun-Ho entered a traditional craft shop and bought two wooden figures that were wearing a Chinese ethnic costume.

“This one is for you.”

Chan-Ho, who was holding the wooden figure, looked excited.

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho took the car that the president of the terminals sent for them, and they arrived at the airport in Guiyang City around 5 pm. Gun-Ho gave two packs of Korean cigarettes to the chauffeur as a gift.

When they arrived at the airport in Suzhou City, Min-Hyeok Kim was waiting for them.

“President Goo! How was the trip to Guizhou Province?”

“It was okay.”

“Hey, Chan-Ho! You are here too!”

“Hello.”

“You haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s go and get some food.”

“Can we eat Korean food, not Chinese food? I think I ate too much oily food. I had diarrhea.”

“Sure. I know a decent Korean restaurant around here!”

Suzhou City was beautiful, especially at night with splendid street lights.

“Wow. It is a big city.”

Chan-Ho commented while looking out of the window.

Min-Hyeok took them to a Korean restaurant in a hotel.

“I will have a Doenjang-jjigae (a Korean soybean paste stew).”

“Okay. For Chan-Ho… Since he is young, he will need to eat meat, right? How about Bulgogi*?”

“I can eat anything.”

Min-Hyeok ordered one Doenjang-jjigae and two Bulgogi.

Min-Hyeok talked about how things went with their business in China, “We are lucky that we have the Suzhou Industrial Park. The Korean companies occupying there place lots of product orders from us. Currently, our monthly sales revenue exceeded 700 million won.”

“That will make the yearly sales revenue by more than 8 billion won. Last year, you achieved the annual sales revenue of 7.8 billion won, right?”

“This year’s goal is 10 billion won, and I have good feelings about it. We are providing good quality products on time, which satisfies our customers. Moreover, ever since we are working with Dingding’s sales company, we are doing even better now.”

“It’s good that the company in China is being stabilized.”

“One of the reasons that helped to stabilize our business is the reliable machines. They used to produce defective products, and I had a hard time apologizing for it to our clients. I no longer have to do that these days.”

“That’s a big relief!”

“We have now the former factory manager. He is very reliable. Since he is healthy even at his age, I want to work with him longer.”

“He is okay with his current salary of 10,000 Yuan, isn’t he?”

“He seems to be satisfied with it. Our company pays for his room and flight tickets to Korea. He visits Korea quarterly. He once told me that he felt sorry because the company pays for his personal expenses.”

“I see.”

“The major source for our sales revenue is the product—AM083 Assembly—that goes to S Group, in addition to our existing products. Also, the window manufacturing company that Seukang Li introduced to us is our major client as well. Dingding received a product drawing from the company in Yangcheng the other day, and we just sent it to Korea.”

“Did you send it to the GH Mobile’s chief officer of the research center?”

“Yes. He said they can complete the mould and send it to us by next week.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“If that goes well, we will make the sales revenue of 9 billion won this year without any problem if not 10 billion won.”

“Are you still the general manager of your college alumni association in China?”

Min-Hyeok smiled and said, “Yes, I’m still doing it. One of my college friends there is working in the Mandong Company’s factory in the Beijing location as a manager. He said he would visit me someday. I’m planning to make his best day here when he visits me.”

“Mandong Company is GH Mobile’s second major client. If you could make a business with them here in China, that would be great.”

“The thing is that since their factory is located in Beijing, the transportation cost will be high. But, if they order expensive products, then it will be worth making business.”

“Sounds good. I hope it goes well.”

“You can stay in this hotel. I made a reservation for two rooms. You are leaving for Korea tomorrow afternoon, right? I will come back tomorrow at 10 am.”

“Okay.”

“You can stop by the GH Parts Company tomorrow before visiting Dingding’s office. I told Dingding to make a reservation with a nice restaurant for lunch.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho felt much better after having Korean food. Also, he felt good when he thought of his factory in China.

‘When I acquired that factory, I paid 100 million won to Mulpasaneop’s president’s son. And then, I put an additional 300 million won in it when it started the business. I just received 950 million won as a dividend from the company. So, it’s like I picked up this company for free.

Moreover, Min-Hyeok is having a successful life by operating that company. Also, the retired plant manager is working here too. Anything that company makes from now on, that’s extra money. As Master Park from Goesan Town told me the other day, Min-Hyeok is making money for me, and all I have to is to count that money.’

Note*

Bulgogi – Grilled beef which was marinated with all sorts of vegetables and soy sauce

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Chapter 462 - GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 1

Chapter 462: GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho headed to GH Parts Company in Min-Hyeok’s Audi. When they arrived, a few executive officers came to Gun-Ho to greet him. They were familiar faces to Gun-Ho.

“Mr. Chairman, you are here.”

They addressed Gun-Ho as Mr. Chairman since Min-Hyeok was the president of the company.

“How have you all been?”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with each executive officer there and tapped their backs.

“Hmm, it seems all the machines are working right now.”

“Right. They are fully working. However, we can’t run them overnight. They are not in that good condition yet.”

The retired factory manager, who was currently working with Min-Hyeok Kim in an advisory position ran, to Gun-Ho when he heard that Gun-Ho was there.

“How have you been? You look good.”

“Yes, sir. President Min-Hyeok Kim is providing me with a very comfortable work environment.”

“It’s really good to see you doing well here.”

“The machines are working great, and I don’t get much workload lately. I always appreciate the opportunity to continue my work here, not to mention the benefits that the company provides me.”

“I feel confident because you are here with us, Mr. Plant Manager.”

After looking around the production site, Gun-Ho visited every corner of the factory including the cafeteria, the offices, the conference room, and even the bathrooms. Everything looked good except the bathrooms which seemed to be overly outdated. Gun-Ho suggested to Min-Hyeok to renovate the bathrooms.

“Don’t think that it is a waste of money to redo the company bathrooms. What you spend for your employees will come back to you as a precious return.”

“Okay. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho followed Min-Hyeok to his office. When they entered the office, there were three people sitting on a sofa.

“Oh, my gosh. President Goo?”

Gun-Ho looked at the lady closely; it was Eun-Hwa Jo—Korean Chinese lady who used to give Gun-Ho private lessons on the Chinese language.

“Oh, Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo!”

Gun-Ho felt delighted to see her again, and he extended his hand to her for a handshake. Min-Hyeok smiled and said, “She helped me with interpretation, and now she is working with us.”

“Oh, really? That’s nice.”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with the accountant there too. The accountant was a familiar face to him as well.

“It has been a while since I saw you, Mr. Kuaijishi (accountant).”

“Ni hao! Mr. Chairman.”

“Oh, Manager Ahn! Please come here and meet the chairman.”

A man, who was sitting at a large desk, came and stood next to Min-Hyeok.

“This is our new manager.”

“Oh, I see.”

The man looked maybe three or four years younger than Gun-Ho.

“Hello, sir. Nice to meet you.”

“He used to work at a Korean company around here. When his company closed the business and moved back to Korea, he joined our company. He has been in China for more than seven years, and he is very knowledgeable about the business environment in China.”

“I see. Seven years is long enough to understand Chinese business.”

“He started his career in China right after graduating from college. He actually graduated from the same university as mine.”

“Haha. Really?”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Chairman.”

“It’s very nice meeting you. Are you married?”

“No, I’m still single.”

“Lots of good things will happen to you if you work hard. I’m so glad that a competent young man joined our company.”

Min-Hyeok added, “I don’t worry about the office when I have to go out for sales ever since he started working with us.”

“I guess President Min-Hyeok Kim heavily relies on you. Please do your best in assisting him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho headed to Dingding’s office with Min-Hyeok. The office was located in Pingqilu, Suzhou City. A clear business sign with the GH logo on it was already placed on the third floor, and it said ‘GH Plastic Co., Ltd.’

An office worker was sitting at a desk by herself, and Dingding was sitting in the president’s office also by herself. Dingding seemed to be happy to see Gun-Ho.

“Mr. Chairman, it’s really good to see you!”

Once Gun-Ho sat on a sofa, the office lady brought tea.

“The office is extremely clean, maybe because only female workers are working here. I see an orchid pot and Mr. Ding Feng’s painting. Oh, how is Mr. Ding Feng doing these days?”Read more chapter on AllNovel

“He is doing well. He is in Hong Kong right now to attend an event there.”

“You paid the one-year lease upfront for this office, did you?”

“That’s right. It’s like 450,000 Korean won per month. The size is about 100 ㎡ which is about 30 Korean pyung.”

“And, you have only one employee?”

“There are actually four workers including myself. We recently hired two security guards for the storage. We hired them as employees, so they could have more sense of responsibility in performing their duty.”

“I believe that was the right move. Are you currently receiving the raw materials from Dyeon Korea for 4.5 million won per ton?”

“That’s correct. We buy them for 4.5 million won per ton, and we sell them for 480 million won per ton. The profit is 6.6%. Our major client is GH Parts Company.”

Everyone laughed when she said that her company’s major buyer was her husband’s company.

“I was told that you successfully sold 50 tons last month.”

“Right. I was lucky to make that far.”

“Hmm. The proceeds for 50 tons of raw materials is 240 million won. That makes the profit around 15 million won.”

“That’s correct.”

“Is it worth running the company?”

“Well, the profit rate is less than 10%, but since we are not a manufacturing company, we don’t spend much on labor or other operating expenses, so it will do.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The 100,000 dollars that you invested in this company have been well spent when we started the business. Starting next month, we will begin to collect payments from our clients.”

“How is the business attempt with the company in Yancheng going, that you have been contacting to make a contract with?”

“We’ve sent them a sample product, and we’re waiting for their response. That company manufactures not just automobile parts but also home appliances. Once they make a business with us, I expect a high volume of product orders from them.”

“How did you say you know the company?”

“I went to college together in the U.S. with that company’s owner’s son and his wife. Min-Hyeok knows them as well. Haha.”

“The storage is located about 4 kilometers from here, right?”

“Yes. Let’s go there and take a look at it.”

Gun-Ho, Chan-Ho, Min-Hyeok, and Dingding, they all went to the storage. One of the security guards was moving raw materials using a forklift truck.

“We purchased a used forklift truck. Fortunately, one of the security guards who we hired knows how to operate it, so he drives the forklift truck when necessary.”

“If we fully fill up the storage, it will accommodate 100 tons, right?”

“Yes, the maximum limit is 100 tons.”

Gun-Ho entered a container office that was attached to the storage. There were a desk and a round table.

“Do you usually give instructions to the workers in the storage through the phone?”

“I communicate with them either via phone or email. I send them a list of products by email, and they print it out and attach it to the products along with the product test result before sending them to our customers.”

“It seems to take about fifteen minutes from your office in Pingqilu to the storage here.”

“That’s correct. So, when they need me in person, for example, when they need me to buy some necessary products, I come to the storage. I certainly stop by the storage at least once a day.”

“Hmm. I see. I had a nice tour of the storage today.”

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Chapter 463 - GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 2

Chapter 463: GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 2

Dingding talked further to Gun-Ho while they were still in the storage.

“We currently have two security guards as I mentioned earlier. I think we need to hire one more person. Three security guards can take a shift comfortably, so the storage can be guarded for 24 hours stably.”

“I think you will need a freight truck too as you handle more and more products soon.”

“We are currently outsourcing transportation work. Because of the transportation cost, I was hoping that the product cost would be lower.”

Gun-Ho smiled and said, “Well, I will certainly discuss it with other executive officers once I go back to Korea.”

Dingding took Gun-Ho’s party to a restaurant around her office in Pingqilu, Suzhou City. The restaurant was located on the second floor in a building, and it had marble floors. It looked neat.

“This restaurant offers traditional Suzhou City’s local food. I hope you like it.”

Foods started coming out. There were meat dishes—Shuijing yao rou—and San tao ya which was made with duck. Gun-Ho had to restrain himself from eating too much of them because he might have diarrhea again. However, Chan-Ho devoured the food on the table. He was a meat lover after all.

When Gun-Ho had to say goodbye to Min-Hyeok at the airport in Suzhou City, Min-Hyeok gave four bottles of liquor to Gun-Ho as a gift.

“I wanted to give you more, but each person can carry only up to two bottles of liquor.”

Once Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho entered the airport, Gun-Ho headed to the duty-free shop. He bought a men’s perfume and two sets of men’s wallets and belts. He also purchased two cartons of cigarettes, and he gave the cigarettes to Chan-Ho.

“As you know, I don’t smoke, so, take these with you. One carton is for Tae-Young Im.”

“Okay, sir. Thank you.”

Chan-Ho smiled broadly in excitement.

In the evening, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho arrived at the Incheon International Airport. His Bentley was parked at the airport’s parking lot during his entire trip, and the parking cost more than expected.

“Well, keep the receipt. We will need it later.”

Gun-Ho paid for the parking with his Dyeon Korea’s business credit card. Gun-Ho usually carried three different business cards.

The traffic was heavy since it was after-work traffic jam hour, but he could arrive home in TowerPalace around 8 pm.

“Chan-Ho, you must be tired. Take a deep rest.”

“It was a great trip for me, sir. I saw lots of interesting things and had nice and exotic foods. Thank you for taking me with you for the trip.”

“Today is Friday, so take a good rest during the weekend.”

“I will see you on Monday, sir.”

When Gun-Ho got off the car, Chan-Ho called out for him, “Sir, you forgot two of your other bottles of liquor.”

“Oh, those two bottles are yours. Each person takes two bottles of liquor, okay?”

“I thought all four bottles were yours.”

“Nah, you take two.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Chan-Ho looked excited again.

Since it was Friday, Young-Eun was home as expected. When Gun-Ho entered the front door, Young-Eun came out of her room and took Gun-Ho’s luggage.

“How was your trip? What are these?”

“Those are some liquor and my stuff.”

“You look exhausted.”

“I had diarrhea. Oh, the medicines you gave Chan-Ho were very well used. Thank you so much.”

“Did you take the medicine for diarrhea?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Did you have dinner?”

“I don’t want to eat anything else but cooked rice and kimchi.”

Young-Eun didn’t act cold any longer. She had a totally different attitude from the day when Gun-Ho had come back from his trip to Japan.

‘Do women really have that special intuition thing?’

When Gun-Ho came to the dining area after washing himself, his dinner was already set on the table. Young-Eun prepared not just kimchi but a Doenjang-jjigae (a Korean soybean paste stew), and other side dishes that she bought from a store. She added a fried egg as well.

“You already ate, right? Young-Eun?”

“No, I haven’t yet. I was waiting for you, oppa.”

“You must be hungry. It’s already after 8 pm. Next time, don’t wait for me, okay?”

Young-Eun looked at Gun-Ho’s face, and she smiled. Smiley Young-Eun looked very cute. Gun-Ho kissed her on the cheek.

After dinner, Young-Eun was preparing some fruits for dessert when she said, “Don’t clean dishes. I will do it later. You must be exhausted from the trip.”

Gun-Ho took out things from his bag that he bought during the trip—liquor and a set of a wallet and a belt.

“Give these to your father.”

“What about your father in Incheon City?”

“I have another set for him.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun laid down on the bed together.

Through the thin pajamas, Gun-Ho could feel Young-Eun’s warm skin. It felt cozy. Gun-Ho said while hugging Young-Eun, “I love my home. I have this cozy bedroom, and I have my lovely wife.”

“I was scared before.”

“Why?”

“I was worried that what if you don’t come home tonight. I didn’t want to sleep by myself in this large condo. It’s scary.”

“I told you that I would be home by Friday.”

“But still, your trip could be extended, or anything could happen, right?”

“Did you miss me?”

“Well, I was too busy to miss you. I have so much work to do these days.”

“Why is that so?”

“I have to assist my attending surgeon, and I have to check on my patients, and also I have to attend the morning round. Additionally, I have to work with some papers too.”

“Your legs must be tired.”

“Yeah, they hurt sometimes.”

“Let me give you a massage.”

Gun-Ho sat up and started rubbing Young-Eun’s calf.

“How do you feel?”

“It’s good.”

“Really? You want me to continue?”

Young-Eun giggled instead of giving him an answer.

“I wanted to ask you this. When I came back from the trip to Japan last time, why were you being so cold to me?”

“Was I?”

“Yeah. You were so cold.”

“I don’t know. At that time, I felt like you were sneaky for some reason.”

“Me? Really? Why?”

“I don’t know. I just didn’t like you at that moment.”

“What about today?”

“Today… When I saw you coming home, you looked piteous.”

“Me, being piteous? Why?”

“I don’t know. You looked so exhausted, and you even looked a bit hunched.”

“Did I?”

“I smell China from you.”

“Chinese scent? I washed myself already.”

“Hahaha. I don’t know. I just feel like I smell China.”

“Maybe I got a piece of China on me somewhere

“Have you been to China before? Which parts of China did you go to?”

“I went to Beijing once when there was a medical academic conference. At that time, I visited Beijing University Hospital as well.”

“Really? How was the Beijing University Hospital?”

“Hospitals are all the same everywhere in the world. When I saw the sign for the prescription pickup desk, I couldn’t help but laugh. It said ‘Yakbang (pharmacy),’ the same word we use in Korea; it was just in Chinese letters. It looked so honest. My colleagues who were there with me laughed out loud as well.”

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Chapter 464 - GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (2) – Part 1

Chapter 464: GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (2) – Part 1

Monday came around.

Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile. It had been a while since he went there. When he arrived, he called for the executive officers for a meeting.

President Song, the research center’s chief officer, the accounting director, and Director Jong-Suk Park from the production department attended the meeting.

“We don’t have any claims filed, do we?”

“No, we don’t, sir. I believe that Director Jong-Suk Park handles the production site very efficiently that we haven’t received even a single claim yet.”

“That’s good to hear. Oh, are you all aware that Director Park is now a father? He has a daughter.”

“Really? He should have told us. Director Park, you can brag about that kind of thing. We didn’t know.”

President Song said to Director Park with a smile. Director Jong-Suk Park scratched the back of his head.

“That’s why he has been acting like an all grown-up.”

When the general affairs director talked about what he observed recently, everyone in the office laughed.

Gun-Ho looked at the chief officer of the research center and asked, “Did we finish and send the mould to President Min-Hyeok Kim in China, that he requested?”

“We have completed the mould, but we are still in the testing phase for its product prototype. It seems that we will be able to send the mould to him by tomorrow.”

“Please make sure that you get the payment for the mould.”

“Okay, sir. I will ask the accounting director to issue a tax invoice for it.”

Gun-Ho then looked at President Song and said, “Our monthly sales revenue is around 700 million won, isn’t it?”

“That’s correct. We are currently in contact with L Group’s factory in Changwon City. Their plant manager is a friend of our Director Yoon in Dyeon Korea. They went to the same high school and same college— Seoul National University even though they majored in different subjects.”

“I see.”

“Director Yoon introduced his friend from L Group to Director Kim. During the conversation with Director Kim, Director Yoon’s friend mentioned about his company’s new product development, and Director Kim didn’t miss the opportunity to connect that person with GH Mobile.”

“Hmm.”

“So, I went to Changwon City to talk further with that person during your absence.”

“What did he say?”

“His response was positive, but he wants to send a team of inspectors to visit our factory before giving us any clear answer.”

“Here?”

“Yes. I think they will visit here sometime this week.”

“They will want to see our production site then.”

“Right. They will visit our production site and also our research center. Also, they will want to check our product quality control system. I already talked to the team leader of our quality assurance team and asked him to prepare the documents describing our preventive and corrective action process. I told him to bring the documents to me once they are ready, so I can review them.”

“Hmm, please be ready to answer for any questions that they might have, their decision maker would have plenty of information to base his decision on.”

“Understood.”

“Well, if you don’t have anything else to talk about, let’s get back to work. I need to go to Dyeon Korea.”

“Yes, sir.”

The executive officers walked out of Gun-Ho’s office carrying their notebooks. Director Jong-Suk Park was the last person leaving the office, and Gun-Ho remembered that he had something to talk about to him.

“Oh, Director Park, hold on!”

Director Jong-Suk Park turned around.

“Close the door and come close.”

“What?”

“I met Mr. Sakata Ikuzo during my trip to Japan, and he asked me about how you’re doing.”

“Oh, really? How is he doing?”

“He looked older than before, but he seemed to be healthy. He was happy to know that you have a daughter now.”

“Really?”

“He actually gave me a butterfly figure that he made with a piece of wood for your present. I forgot to bring it here today. It’s at my home. I will bring it next time I come.”

“Haha. Sounds good. You don’t have to rush though.”

“How’s your baby? Did she grow a bit already?”

“Yeah. I gave the 1 million won to my wife, which you had sent to me to congratulate on the addition to our family. She made sure to thank you.”

“Really? It’s nothing.”

“How’s your life, bro? Are you getting along with your wife?”

“Haha. Yes. She is doing fine, and we are good.”

“It’s good to be married, right?”

“That’s how you feel?”

“Yeah, I love it. I always go straight home after work.”

“Now you know what has to be the top priority, huh?”

“Well, I will get back to the production site. I think I’d better start preparing the site for the visit of our potential buyer from Changwon City.”

“Sounds good. Keep up the good work!”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea and again had a meeting with the executive officers. Director Kim, Director Yoon, the internal auditor, Mr. Adam Castler, and the interpreter attended the meeting.

“Is there any change in our sales revenue?”

“Our current monthly sales revenue is 2.7 billion won. Since we recently added machine no. 13 and no. 14, we are expecting to see an increase in the sales revenue soon.”

“Let’s request to ship us machine no. 15 and no. 16 as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ve heard about a potential business with the L Group’s factory in Changwon City. Is there any update?”

“I was told that they would send their personnel to GH Mobile anytime soon. Once they give the green light to the business, they will ask GH Mobile to produce their products using Dyeon Korea’s raw materials. And, if that works well, they will start asking their other vendors to use Dyeon Korea’s raw materials to manufacture their products as well.”

“Hmm, that’s really good. I hope everything works out with them. I was told that their factory manager is a friend of Director Yoon’s.”

“That’s right, sir. He is actually a very close friend to me. But he wants to be careful on this business deal, so he will make his decision based on their inspectors’ opinion after their visit to our factory.”

“Of course. Oh, I talked with Dingding in China, and she is asking if you could lower the product cost.”

“They are getting our products for 4.5 million won per ton, aren’t they?”

“That’s correct. According to her, they are selling them for 4.8 million won which rendered 6.6% of percentage margin. She said that it leaves her nothing much once she pays for transportation fees.”

“Well, we will have to analyze the product cost first.”

“Take your time and let me know.”

“One thing that I’d like to point out is that the supply price is closely related with the international crude oil price. Our company buys raw materials from Dyeon America, and then we produce our own raw materials after going through our own process. Dyeon America’s raw materials are derived from petroleum, and their price is greatly affected by the international price of the crude oil.”

Mr. Adam Castler added.

“The crude oil price is currently fluctuating because of the sanctions against Iran which were imposed by the U.S. The U.S. government is pressuring Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production in an effort to stabilize the price; however, if the oil price stays high as it is now, it would be hard for us to lower the supply price.”

“Hmm, that makes sense since all chemical products are inherently related to petroleum in some way after all.”

“I understand that the transportation cost is not marginal at all, especially for China because of its enormous size of the continent. We will carefully analyze our product cost again and try to come up with a solution to help the sales company in China.”

“Please do so. Mr. Adam Castler, why don’t you visit the sales company in China? Dingding speaks English fluently, so you won’t have any problem talking with her about our business.”

“The sales company is located in Suzhou City, isn’t it? Suzhou City is a major tourist destination as well. I’ve always wanted to visit that city.”

“When you are ready to go on a trip there, please don’t visit her empty-handed. You’d better bring a present for Dingding. She will welcome you more.”

“Haha. Understood, sir.”

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Chapter 465 - GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (2) – Part 2

Chapter 465: GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (2) – Part 2

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from GH Logistics’ Jae-Sik Moon.

“President Goo? I heard that you just came back from your trip to China. Director Park told me that.”

“Right. How is the business there? Any news?”

“The process to combine the pieces of parcels is completed.”

“Oh, really? Then you will soon apply for the land use change?”

“You know what? I was told that we no longer say the term ‘land use change.’”

“Then what do we say?”

“We say that we apply for permission for development activity on land. Since we are changing its land use, we need to pay for the new registration fee accordingly. The thing is that since it’s farmland, we will need to get another permission in order to convert it into non-farming uses beforehand.”

“You will have to go back and forth the town hall for those steps, huh?”

“Well, a construction company or a civil engineering firm can take care of the entire process for us.”

“Then find a civil engineering firm. We will probably need them for other works like flattening the land by filling low spots.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“How are the sales these days?”

“It’s better than winter. We started getting more work once we entered April.”

“How much increase are you seeing?”

“You can say that we are making about 100 million won of sales revenue by running 27 trucks.”

“Sales work must be hard, isn’t it? Getting more trucks was the easy part.”

“Yeah, it is indeed hard. I have to travel all around the country, and I have to get along with everyone. I admire Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim. I think he was born with the right aptitude and ability for sales work.”

“Haha, you think so? Well, I think you are right. He is very good at buttering up too.”

“Buttering up? He is in his 50s, right? Who would he possibly butter up?”

“Director Kim who is in his 50s butters up Egnopak’s president who is in his 60s. I couldn’t believe it when I witnessed it.”

“Really? He is that good, huh?”

“Director Kim always starts his conversation with Egnopak’s president with the story of their old days. He never goes straight into business.”

“Hmm, that’s how to handle a business with old people, huh?”

“Sometimes he even gives a massage to Egnopak’s president.”

“Wow. He is good.”

“Have you seen a salesperson who is selling medical equipment to old people, which cost several million won? Those salespeople talk with old people in a more affectionate way than their own children.”

“I see. That’s how they successfully sell the equipment to old people, huh?”

“Yeah, they address their potential buyers as father or mother, and they often give a massage to them too. Of course, old people will buy whatever from them.”

“I should learn from them. I’m sorry that I’m not that good.”

“No, don’t say that. You are doing great. You already procured 27 trucks, and you bought farmlands at a low price and combined those to make one huge piece of land. Once the process to convert it into non-farming use is completed, and we add it as part of the business, that is a great success.”

“Haha. Thank you for putting it that way.”

“The reason I went on a trip to China is because I was offered to be a business partner for a transportation project in Guizhou Province in China.”

“A transportation project?”

“Yes. They want to build a bus terminal and do an intercity bus business.”

“Really?”

“They want me to build a terminal with my funds which would be a substantial amount of money, and retrieve those funds by selling commercial stores in the terminal building.”

“What about the bus business? You can keep it?”

“I think so.”

“A bus business should be good as long as you have a license to run it. At least, you don’t have to travel around to find a client.”

“Are you interested in it?”

“Well, not necessarily. I don’t even speak the Chinese language. Also, constructing a terminal building will cost an enormous amount of money. I believe that sort of project can be done by the government like a local government, or a conglomerate.”

“The initial investment funds are 50 billion won— 25 billion won from China and 25 billion won from Korea.”

“See? It should be done by a local government or a conglomerate.”

Gun-Ho went to work at his office in the building in Sinsa Town. He didn’t forget to take the wooden butterfly figure with him, which Mr. Sakata Ikuzo gave for Jong-Suk.

When he entered his office, he asked for Director Kang.

“GH Media’s President Shin wants to move her office into our building. Do we have any available office for her?”

“The construction company on the seventeenth floor is three months behind on rent. I already gave them a notice that if they couldn’t pay the rent by the end of this month, we will start the eviction process.”

“I guess their construction business is not good, huh?”

“They developed a single-family subdivision in Gimpo City, but they seem to have a hard time selling them. I heard that they are thinking of moving their office to Gimpo City.”

“Did you verbally give them the notice for eviction?”

“I actually sent them a written notice with a certification of contents.”

When he heard of the word ‘certification of contents,’ Bangil Gas crossed his mind. About five years ago when Gun-Ho was working for Bangil Gas in Yangju City as a bookkeeper, he once sent a certification of contents to a customer at the post office.

“Please communicate with them in writing. Do not meet with them in person and yell at them or anything like that.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho looked at his calendar on his smartphone.

“Today is the day when President Shin comes to the book café. I will send her a text to meet with me.”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to President Shin asking her to swing by his office.

In the afternoon, President Shin showed up at GH Development’s president’s office.

“It seems a 60 pyung large office will become available on the seventeenth floor.”

“Did you say 60 pyung? That’s too big for us. I don’t think we can handle the rent for that size.”

“GH Media will grow soon. Who knows? Get the 60 pyung large office. You will need it. There is no other vacant office anyway.”

“Okay…”

“The company, which is currently occupying that office, is three months behind on rent, and Director Kang already gave them a notice. We will have the answer by the end of this month.”

“Okay.”

“And, I want you to take a look at this.”

Gun-Ho showed President Jeong-Sook Shin the box with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wooden butterfly figure in it.

“What is this?”

“Open it.”

President Shin carefully opened the wooden box.

“It’s a butterfly. Is it taxidermy?”

“Touch it.”

“Oh, my gosh. It’s made of wood.”

“What do you think? It’s very well crafted, is it?”

“This is amazing. It’s delicately carved.”

“He is having an art exhibition in an art gallery in Yokohama, Japan. He will display some of his carved artworks like this one and also a wooden dragonfly, a bird, a frog, etc.”

“Is that so? I guess there are lots of talented people in Japan.”

“Do you know who made this?”

“Who is it? Is he a professional sculptor?”

“He is not a sculptor. He is actually a world-renowned engineer. He used to work in the famous chemical company— Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Lymondell Dyeon… It must be related to your company, right?”

“That’s right. He once worked with us in developing a new product in our factory in Jiksan Town.”

“Oh, I see.”

“So, what do you think? Would you visit Yokohama in Japan next month?”

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Chapter 466 - Costume Play Magazine – Part 1

Chapter 466: Costume Play Magazine – Part 1

GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin once again looked at Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wooden butterfly figure very carefully.

“This one is so delicately carved, and I am impressed by its vividness. But, I need to see more to say anything further.”

“Actually, this butterfly figure is for Director Jong-Suk Park who recently had a daughter. It’s a gift from Mr. Sakata Ikuzo to him.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I should have brought more of these.”

“Oh, I delivered the Chanel handbag that you bought, to Artist Choi. She said that she thanked you— her nephew-in-law— and she was not sure if it’s okay for her to take it.”

“Does Artist Choi have any plan to have another art exhibition anytime soon?”

“As far as I know she has no plan. She wants to take a rest for a while.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin sipped her tea that Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh had brought her, and said, “Do you remember Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda who helped us with the Japanese original cartoon painting exhibition?”

“Of course I remember him. He used to work in Korea as a correspondent for a Japanese newspaper, and he speaks Korean very well.”

“He suggested that we publish a magazine together.”

“A magazine?”

“He said he wants to start a costume play magazine with us.”

“It is about children dressing like a cartoon character, isn’t it?”

“Haha, that’s right. Japan has a large industry for it, so they have several magazines for the specific industry while we don’t have any in Korea.”

“I’m not sure if we have a market for it in Korea. Japan and Korea have different cultures.”

“I’m sure we would be able to sell at least 5,000 books of magazines.”

“In order to publish a magazine, we will need to hire a journalist or a reporter, and others, right? It will cost…”

“He suggested that we affiliate with one of the costume play magazine publishers in Japan, and we can use the same contents of theirs when we publish our own, maybe half of our magazine. We can fill out the other half with the contents that our journalist collects from events in Korea.”

“Hmmm…”

“And he asked us to hire him as a freelance journalist of GH Media.”

“A freelance journalist? Haha. Well, I don’t know much about the field. You do what you need to do, President Shin.”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda gave me a few Japanese costume play magazines. I will bring them to you later.”

“You don’t have to show them to me. I have other works that require my attention, and I don’t think that looking at those magazines won’t help much with your decision making.”

“I will definitely visit Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s art exhibition once the date is fixed.”

Gun-Ho had a class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development in Seoul National University that evening. Gun-Ho missed a few classes because of his trips to Japan and China. When he entered the class, his classmates seemed to be happy to see him again.

“Whoa, our class manager is here.”

“I thought you passed away or something since you haven’t shown up for the past few weeks. I heard you went on a business trip to Japan and China though. You are finally here today. Welcome back.”

“Hey, you are a newlywed. You are not supposed to stay away from home that often.”

“Did you bring something for us, like rice cake?”

Minister Jin-Woo Lee asked for Gun-Ho quietly.

“We all missed you during your absence. I realized that you had worked a lot for our class. I didn’t know that until you were not here with us. While you were away, Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim & Jeong Law Firm did all the work that you were supposed to do. You probably want to thank him.”

“Haha. Sure, I will do that. Attorney Kim is a good friend of mine. I’m sure he was glad to help me that way.”

After the first class was over and before the second class started, Gun-Ho handed out rice cakes and healthy drinks to the class.

One of the congressmen said when he received the rice cake, “Did you buy these from China during your business trip there?”

“Haha. These rice cakes are made of Korean rice and in Korea.”

“We finally have these nice rice cakes because our class manager is back. Mr. Class Manager, don’t miss the class anymore, okay?”

It was May where the air was filled with the scents of roses and lilacs.

Gun-Ho was looking down the street from his office on the 18th floor in his GH building in Sinsa Town, Gangnam District.

“It has been more than one and a half months since I got married.”

Gun-Ho went back to his desk and opened his email. He started writing an email to his companies.

[To: GH Mobile,

Dyeon Korea, GH Development, GH Media, GH Logistics, GH Parts Company in China, GH Plastic Co., Ltd. in China,

The value-added tax (VAT) was due last week—April 25th. Please let me know the exact amount of tax that you filed. If any of you haven’t filed it yet, please give me your good reason for the delay.

Also, please send me the last year’s financial statements for the external audit at my office in GH Development in Sinsa Town, along with the profit and loss statement of this year’s first quarter via email.

From President Gun-Ho Goo. ]

After pressing the send button, Gun-Ho stood up from his seat to go to the bathroom when he received a call from some sort of secretary’s office.

“Are you President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m calling from the secretary’s office of Mr. Minister of xxx. Mr. Minister wants to talk to you.”

Minister of xxx was one of Gun-Ho’s classmates at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development— Mr. Class President.”

“Mr. Class Manager?”

“Yes, it’s Gun-Ho Goo, Mr. Minister.”

“Assistant Commissioner Park’s mother passed away.”

“Assistant Commissioner Park?”

“You know, the person who sits behind me. He has a dark complexion.”

“Oh, I remember him, the one with very short hair and several deep wrinkles on his forehead.”

“That’s right. I learned that his mother just passed away. Please send out a text message to the class. The funeral will be held tomorrow morning at the funeral home in Seoul National University Hospital across Daehakro.”

“Okay, sir. I will send out the text right now.”

“Also, please send a flower wreath there with our class name of Advanced Center for Administrative Development.”

“Yes, sir. Do you want me to put your name on it, Minister Lee?”

“No. Just put our class name. My secretary will send another flower wreath with my name on it.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho sent a message to the class while mumbling to himself and sitting at the president’s office.

“I shouldn’t have taken this class manager position in the first place. I should have asked Attorney Young-Jin Kim to take it instead. There is just too much work to do.”

Gun-Ho called for Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

Gun-Ho said while giving a piece of paper to her, “Please send a flower wreath to the funeral house at Seoul National University Hospital. The sender’s name is also on the note.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, prepare an envelope with 100,000 won as condolence money.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Use the company’s money for the condolence. For the flower wreath, I will pay for it. I can use the funds that I collected for membership fees.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, please ask the accounting manager to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 467 - Costume Play Magazine – Part 2

Chapter 467: Costume Play Magazine – Part 2

The accounting manager entered Gun-Ho’s office. He had joined GH Development about the same time when Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh was hired. He had a tax accountant license.

“Mr. Accounting Manager, how do you like working here so far?”

“I like it, sir.”

“Since this is not a manufacturing company, I believe that you don’t see much complicated work here. Director Kang is the one who pushes the tenants, who are behind on rent, to pay it, right?”

“That’s right, sir.”

“I just asked all of the GH companies to send their last year’s financial statements for an external audit here. Seven companies will send their financial statements to us. Can you collect all of them, put them together, and bring them to me?”

“I will do that, sir.”

When the accounting manager left Gun-Ho’s office, Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong entered the office again.

“I’ve arranged to send a flower wreath to the funeral home, sir.”

“Good.”

“And, this is the envelope with condolence money in it.”

“I recognize this nice writing on the envelope. I guess Director Kang came back to the office.”

“Yes, he just came back and wrote this.”

“This looks great.”

When it was after 6 pm, Gun-Ho wrapped up his work and went down from his office. At the front entrance of the building, his Bentley was parked waiting for him. The security guard in uniform opened the car door for Gun-Ho and gave him a military salute.

Once Gun-Ho got in the car, he said to Chan-Ho Eum, “We are not heading to TowerPalace now. Let’s go to Seoul National University Hospital.”

“Seoul National University Hospital, sir? Are you going there to see your wife, sir?”

“No, I need to attend a funeral there. One of my classmates— a high-ranking police officer’s mother just passed away.”

“Oh, I see. I will then take the route in the direction to Changgyeong Palace, instead of Daehakro. The funeral home can be more easily accessed from that direction.”

“The traffic must be heavy at this hour, isn’t it?”

“I guess so since everyone is getting off work around this hour.”

While he was still on the way to the funeral home, Gun-Ho received a call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim.

“Are you going to the funeral today or tomorrow?”

“I’m on my way there right now.”

“Really? Then meet me there at 8 pm. I’m leaving now.”

“Sure, I will see you there.”

When his car was passing by the National Theater of Korea, Gun-Ho made a call to Young-Eun. He, at first, thought of sending her a text message, and then he decided to talk to her on the phone directly.

“Hello?”

Young-Eun picked up the phone.

“It’s me.”

“How come you are calling me at this hour? Today is not Friday.”

It was at the end of the day, and Young-Eun sounded exhausted.

“Where are you right now? Are you at home? Or still at the hospital?”

“I’m at the hospital. I have a night shift today.”

“I’m actually heading to Seoul National University Hospital right now. I will arrive there soon.”

“Umm… Did you get hurt? Are you ill?”

“No, no. I’m going to the funeral home there. One of my classmates, his mother passed away. Can I see you for a second since I will be there?”

“We will see each other on Friday.”

“Well, but I will be there anyway. I just want to see you. I won’t take much of your time.”

“I am making a round to see my patients soon. Come to see me after 7:30 pm then.”

“Okay, I will see you then.”

The traffic was terrible, and Gun-Ho could arrive at the hospital when it was almost 8 pm. Gun-Ho’s Bentley stopped at the front door of the hospital after passing the hospital main gate. Gun-Ho went straight to the night-duty room for doctors. Young-Eun was working at a desk with a computer. She was wearing a medical doctor’s white coat.

When she saw Gun-Ho coming into the room, she stood up from her seat.

“I couldn’t just leave without seeing you since I’m here.”

Young-Eun’s skin under the lamp looked fairer, especially with her white coat. Gun-Ho thought that she looked like an elegant lily.

Gun-Ho hugged Young-Eun and said, “I miss you every day.”

Young-Eun quickly pushed him away.

“Don’t do this. I’m at work. Someone could enter the room at any time.”

“Who cares? We are a married couple.”

Gun-Ho smiled in embarrassment and said, “You seem to have a lot of work to do even at this late hour.”

“I have some work overdue that I have to take care of.”

“I see. Don’t stay up too late. I’m leaving.”

Gun-Ho waved his hand at Young-Eun.

“Oppa!”

Young-Eun called Gun-Ho in a low voice.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t be nicer to you.”

Gun-Ho smiled and said, “I’m not that nice to you either. I’m sorry too.”

Young-Eun waved her hand at Gun-Ho with a smile.

There were tons of people at the funeral home. Some people were wearing police uniforms.

The flower wreath that Gun-Ho sent was standing proudly at the entrance.

Gun-Ho made a deep bow to the deceased twice, and then he gave a deep bow to the deceased’s son— his classmate. Assistant Commissioner Park seemed to be the deceased’s first son since he was standing at the very first row. After giving a bow to each other, Assistant Commissioner Park said to Gun-Ho, “Mr. Class Manager, thank you for coming.”

Assistant Commissioner Park introduced his siblings to Gun-Ho, and then he led Gun-Ho to the area where other guests were sitting.

“Mr. Congressman Jo, Mr. Minister Kim is over there.”

At one of the corners, Gun-Ho saw a few of his classmates from the Advanced Center for Administrative Development sitting together. They were occupying a table, and they were drinking liquor as most guests at the funeral home did.

“Oh, Mr. Class Manager, you are here. Please sit with us.”

Gun-Ho looked around to find Attorney Kim, but he was not there yet. One of the congressmen filled up a glass with liquor and gave it to Gun-Ho.

“You came with your chauffeur, right, Mr. Class Manager?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then drink a few glasses of liquor before you leave.”

Minister Jin-Woo Lee didn’t show up that night. The people at the table were not very close to Gun-Ho; they were a few congressmen and ministers. They conversed with each other, and Gun-Ho didn’t chip in. Gun-Ho was not a government worker like them, and he was a lot younger than them.

Gun-Ho stood up and looked around one more time to find Attorney Young-Jin Kim. At a nearby table entrance, Chan-Ho was sitting with other chauffeurs.

“I’m sorry that I came late!”

Young-Jin finally arrived.

“Did you see Assistant Commissioner Park?”

“Yes, I just did.”

Since Young-Jin Kim joined the table, Gun-Ho drank a few more glasses of liquor. As time went, more and more people came to the funeral home.

The place eventually became packed with people, and they had to sit altogether tightly. Gun-Ho noticed that the man who was sitting next to him kept glancing at him. That man looked like he was in his early 50s, and he had a sturdy build. He was drinking his glass of liquor. Gun-Ho glanced at him as well since he thought he saw this man somewhere before. Gun-Ho just couldn’t figure out where and when.

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Chapter 468 - Expanding the Market to India (1) – Part 1

Chapter 468: Expanding the Market to India (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho looked at the table where Chan-Ho Eum was sitting at. Chan-Ho was not there anymore. Maybe he went back to the car after having dinner. Attorney Young-Jin Kim brought his car, and he didn’t have a chauffeur, so he didn’t drink any; he just kept filling up Gun-Ho’s glass with liquor when it became empty. A congressman and a minister who were sitting at the same table with Gun-Ho did the same.

“Mr. Minister, let me fill up your glass with liquor.”

“Thank you. I just need a bit.”

“Mr. Congressman, I will fill up your glass with liquor.”

“Just a little bit for me as well. Thank you. I’m currently taking some medicines, and I’m not supposed to drink.”

While Gun-Ho was filling up a glass with liquor, he inadvertently tapped a man who was sitting next to him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. Umm… Are you, by any chance, from Asan City?”

The man with a sturdy build asked.

“I don’t live in Asan City, but I have a business there.”

“Oh, I remember now. You have a joint venture business with a foreign company, right?”

“That’s right. Do I know you? I think I saw you somewhere.”

The man gave his business card to Gun-Ho and so did Gun-Ho.

“Oh, you are Mr. Chief of Police of Asan City.”

He was the Asan City’s chief of police who came to Dyeon Korea’s building dedication ceremony.

That chief of police person looked at Gun-Ho’s business card closely and said, “I’m so glad to see you. I feel like I’m meeting someone from my hometown.”

The man offered his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

The minister and the congressman, who were sitting at the same table with Gun-Ho, stood up to leave.

“I guess we’d better leave now too.”

Attorney Young-Jin Kim said as he stood up. Gun-Ho stood up from his seat as well and said bye to the chief of the police.

“I’m taking off now. It was very nice meeting you.”

“Oh, you are leaving?”

The chief of police extended his hand to Gun-Ho again for a handshake.

“I hope I see you around in Asan City.”

It was Friday.

Gun-Ho felt happy knowing that Young-Eun would be home today. He went to work feeling pleasant. When he arrived at his office, the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—brought a cup of coffee along with two daily newspapers and one economic newspaper.

When Gun-Ho was reading the newspapers, Director Kang entered his office.

“The tenant on the 17th floor decided to vacate the office.”

“Oh, really? When are they moving out?”

“They are leaving on the 15th of this month. They actually had moved in on the 15th, and I guess that’s how they came up with the date—15th—as their moving-out day.”

“We need to let GH Media’s President Shin know about the date then.”

“Okay. I will do that, sir.”

“The office is 60 pyung large, right?”

“Yes, it is. I wonder if President Shin would be able to handle the monthly rent.”

“How much do we charge for that unit per month?”

“Its monthly rent is 3.5 million won with 50 million won of security deposit. I was told that she is currently paying 1.5 million won monthly for their office in Hapjeong Town. That concerns me a bit.”

“Well, we can ask President Shin to make more money.”

After Director Kang left the office, Gun-Ho continued to read the newspaper until his phone started ringing. It was from Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim.

‘Director Kim? Why is he calling me?’

“Sir, I’m in Egnopak right now.”

“Oh, you are?”

“I’m calling to let you know that Egnopak’s president wants to see you privately.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know. He wants to talk to you in person.”

“Okay. I can’t go see him today since I’m in Seoul right now, but I will stop by his office tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, sir. I will tell him.”

Gun-Ho thought it was weird.

‘Why does that sneaky old man want to see me?’

Gun-Ho got off work early that day. He wanted to cook for dinner before Young-Eun came home.

On the way home, Gun-Ho stopped by a side dish store to pick up some dishes and also some ingredients for his own dishes. When he came home, he cooked rice and seaweed soup. He also steamed bamboo shoot and prepared red chili-pepper paste with vinegar which would go great with bamboo shoot. When he was frying eggs and tofu to add more side dishes, Young-Eun came home. Young-Eun seemed to stop by a supermarket on the way home as well. She was carrying bags filled with food ingredients and also trash bags.

“Huh? Oppa, are you cooking?”

“Yeah, I thought you would be tired today, so I cooked for us.”

Young-Eun went into the kitchen and started checking how Gun-Ho was doing. She first opened the rice cooker.

“You cooked the rice too?! But this is too much for us. If you put too much rice, it will be scorched.”

“We don’t have to cook rice every time we eat, right? We cook a lot today and save some for tomorrow. That way, we don’t have to wash the pot every day either.”

“You are using too much oil for tofu.”

“Young-Eun, go and wash your hands and sit on the sofa. I will call you when dinner is ready.”

“Okay. I will clean the dishes after dinner.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun sat at the dining table facing each other. The rice was fresh and shiny.

“Try the seaweed soup.”

“Hmm.”

“How is it?”

“Haha. Well, it does taste like seaweed soup.”

“Try the fried tofu. Oh, shoot, I forgot the soy sauce. Hold on.”

Gun-Ho brought the soy sauce and dipped a piece of tofu into it before putting it into Young-Eun’s mouth. Young-Eun took it without any complaint.

“How do you like it? It’s tasty, isn’t it?”

“I think you can cook dinner for us from now on. I can retire from that duty.”

“Well, it’s a one-time occasion.”

“Why is that so? I think you have a talent for cooking.”

“These are all I know. You don’t want to eat the same dishes every dinner, right?”

After dinner, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun sat on the sofa in the living room. They watched news on the TV while having apples. Gun-Ho felt cozy being with Young-Eun at home. The same condo didn’t feel empty or lonely anymore.

While watching TV, Gun-Ho gave a massage to Young-Eun by rubbing her calf.

“You must feel your legs are tired since you are standing while you work all day long.”

Gun-Ho diligently rubbed Young-Eun’s calf, and Young-Eun continued to watch the TV while receiving a massage from Gun-Ho. She looked relaxed.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun changed into their pajamas and laid down on the bed.

Gun-Ho kissed Young-Eun on the cheek and tried to undress her when she said, “No. Not today.”

“Why not?”

“Today is that day.”

“What day? Oh, the day that comes every month?”

“Yeah.”

“Why does it have to be today?”

“Let’s just talk for a while, and then you go to your room to sleep.”

“I have nothing to talk about. I don’t feel like doing anything else.”

Young-Eun laughed and pulled Gun-Ho’s nose.

Gun-Ho said, “That’s why many men in the old days had a concubine.”

“You want to have a concubine, too, oppa?”

“Yes!”

“If you do, you wouldn’t be able to see me again. I will pack my stuff right away.”

“Men and women have different needs biologically. I think we will have to figure out what we would do about it.”

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Chapter 469 - Expanding the Market to India (1) – Part 2

Chapter 469: Expanding the Market to India (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun continued to talk while lying on the bed.

“Why don’t you talk to me about your trip to China?”

As Young-Eun tried to elicit some stories from Gun-Ho, she yawned.

“You seem to be tired.”

“I’m okay.”

“President Shin is moving to the building where my office is. She will be on the 17th floor.”

“Really? You will see her pretty often then.”

“I think it’s good since she can more easily operate the art gallery in the basement. When we host an art exhibition next time, you come to visit us, okay?”

“I heard that a woman is not supposed to go frequently to her husband’s business place.”

“It’s okay. It’s not like you go there every day.”

“But still… Your employees might not feel comfortable to see me there.”

“There will be a wood carving exhibition in Yokohama next month. Our art gallery is planning to host the same exhibition at our gallery.”

“Wood carving? Like a statue of the Buddha?”

“Not the Buddha. There will be figures like a dragonfly, a butterfly, and a cricket. I know the person who carved those figures very well. His figures are very delicate and exquisite. You will see.”

“Really? It sounds fun. Oh, I was going to ask you this. Oppa, can you register for KOAF as a member?”

“KOAF? What is it?”

“It’s about the Korean African medical volunteer work center. If you donate at least 10,000 won per month, you would become a member of the center. You can set up the auto payment through CMS (Cash Management Service).”

“Are you a member of it, too?”

“Of course. I’m a non-executive director there, so I donate a lot regularly.”

“How much do you donate?”

“50,000 won on a monthly basis.”

“That’s it? You are a medical doctor who makes a lot of money. You can do better than that.”

Young-Eun kicked Gun-Ho’s shin under the comforter.

Gun-Ho screamed, “Stop kicking! That hurts!”

Gun-Ho said while adjusting the brightness of the table lamp to a lower degree, “Are there people who donate a lot?”

“Nah. We have about 2,000 members, and fewer than ten people among them donate 50,000 won or more. I have other organizations that I regularly donate to, so 50,000 won is the best I can do for that center.”

“Maybe I can send 200,000 won per month.”

“Don’t do that. The highest amount that is paid by some of the current members is 100,000 won per month. Two people do that. Why don’t you give 100,000 won per month? You can enjoy all the benefits and privileges offered by them, like you will be invited to an event that they host as their VIP.”

“Okay. Send me the membership application form.”

“I will email you with the form on Monday when I go back to work.”

Gun-Ho started groping Young-Eun and pulled her towards himself when she said, “I told you! Not today!”

Young-Eun kicked Gun-Ho’s shin again.

“Oh, that’s right. You said that today is the day.”

Gun-Ho picked up his pillow and stood up, and then he kissed Young-Eun on the cheek.

“Sweet dreams.”

It was the day when Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in GH Mobile, Jiksan Town.

However, Gun-Ho headed to Egnopak instead of GH Mobile.

“I’m so curious why he wanted to see me in person.”

When Gun-Ho’s car arrived at the front gate of Egnopak’s factory, the security guard stopped the car. All visitors for the factory were supposed to leave their names and phone numbers with the security guard before entering the gate. That was how the visitors would get a visitor’s pass. When the security guard saw Gun-Ho’s luxurious car, he gave a military salute and asked politely the purpose of his visit, “What is the purpose of your visit, sir?”

“I came here to see the president.”

“May I tell him who’s here to see him?”

“I’m GH Mobile’s president.”

“Oh, I see. Please park your car in the parking lot in front of the office building.”

The security guard didn’t even bother asking Gun-Ho to leave his name and phone number, but he just let him pass.

When Gun-Ho entered the president’s office, the pretty secretary, who spoke English very well, stood up from her seat quickly.

“I’m GH Mobile’s president. Is the president in the office?”

“Yes, sir. He is there.”

Gun-Ho knocked on the door of the president’s office before entering it. President Seung-Gak Kim was reading a newspaper with his reading glasses on. When Gun-Ho entered the office, he looked at Gun-Ho over his glasses.

“Oh, President Goo. Please have a seat.”

When Gun-Ho sat at the table facing Egnopak’s president, the president called for his secretary.

“Please bring us two cups of tea.”

“Dyeon Korea’s sales revenue has increased because of you, sir.”

“What’s their current sales revenue?”

“Last month, they made 2.7 billion won.”

“That’s it? I thought they were doing better than that.”

“Well, we made that far because of your help, sir.”

“The reason I wanted to see you…”

When the secretary brought the tea, the president stopped talking. Once the secretary left the office, he continued to talk, “President Goo, have you thought of expanding your business to India?”

“India?”

“Yes. It’s a new hot market these days.”

“I know that Egnopak has its factory in Delhi, India.”

“We do. I want to open another one in Chennai. Our client company—an auto manufacturing company—is pressuring us to open another factory in Chennai, so I’m planning to have our second factory there soon.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Egnopak is buying some supplies from GH Mobile and also from Dyeon Korea. On the other hand, we are selling our products to GH Mobile as well. As we focus on the products that we are good at manufacturing, we both are a buyer or a supplier to each other.”

“That’s right.”

“If GH mobile joins us to expand the business to the Indian market with us, I think we can greatly succeed by creating synergy.”

“We will need to build a factory and bring all the necessary supplies and labor. Maybe that would be too much for us.”

“Think more. Hyundai, Kia, and Samsung, they are all going into India right now. Our factory in Delhi is now three times larger than the time we started. It’s growing very quickly. We have to enter the market right now.”

“If we could get in, that would be great…”

“Don’t hesitate. If GH Mobile decides to enter the Indian market, we can help each other. I’m sure it will be a win-win situation. Each company manufactures the products that it does well, and then we can be successful together. I already see the money pouring into us.”

“I understand your suggestion, sir. I will discuss it with my executive officers.”

“You don’t have to discuss it, just get into the market.”

“Well, I still need to…”

“Let me be totally honest with you. GH Mobile’s products that you supply to us were tested in our laboratory for flame resistance, and it came out with an excellent test result. If synthetic rubbers or plastics don’t have good flame resistance, especially in hot weather like in Chennai, its rebound elasticity weakens.”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s do it together. Let’s get into the Indian market together while we hold each other’s hands.”

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Chapter 470 - Expanding the Market to India (2) – Part 1

Chapter 470: Expanding the Market to India (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho came back to GH Mobile and called for all executive officers to his office.

GH Mobile’s executive officers started gathering one by one in the president’s office while carrying their notebooks.

Gun-Ho, who was sitting at the center of the table, presided over the meeting.

“I know you all are busy. The reason I convene this meeting is to discuss with you all about expanding our business into the Indian market.”

“Did you say India, sir?”

“I talked with Egnopak’s president this morning. Egnopak is opening its factory in the southern part of India—Chennai. As you may all know, the large automobile manufacturing companies such as Hyundai and Kia have their factories in Chennai, in giant size.”

President Song spoke, “Hyundai is currently manufacturing 500,000 automobiles in India. Chennai used to be called Madras. It has a population of about 8 million. It is a central city in south India. Hyundai, Samsung, and Lotte have their factories there along with more than 100 of their vendor companies. It is the right move for us to get into that market.”

“So, you think we should expand our business there?”

“That’s correct.”

The general affairs director, the accounting director, the production director, and the research chief officer were quietly listening without saying a word. Gun-Ho and President Song did all the talk most of the time.

President Song continued to talk while having his cup of tea, “It will be even better if we could open two factories in two different locations in India such as in the northern part of India, probably in New Delhi and the southern part of India—Chennai. In these two locations, our major client companies—S Group, Mandong Company, and Egnopak—are already there. So, it’s less risky for us to have our factory there since we already have our established clients in those areas.”

“It will cost us a significant amount of money in order to acquire a factory, ship our equipment, and also have our workers there.”

“That’s the problem.”

“We will have to take a loan from a bank or use our own funds in reserve.”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t think we can take a loan because of our high debt ratio. If we use our funds in reserve, that would mean that we won’t be able to pay for our debts.”

“That is the important factor that we have to take into consideration. We are currently preparing for going public, and we need to figure out if we want to grow our business at this very point by having another factory and risking our plan to register with KOSDAQ.”

“Hmm.”

“Even though we decide to lease a factory instead of purchasing one, it will still cost substantially to pay for the security deposit for the premises and getting equipment there. If we open an entity there, it will be wholly owned by GH Mobile.”

“I see.”

“Even though we see great prospects for success in the Indian market, we will have to constantly invest funds in it in the beginning stage. That could cause the lack of GH Mobile’s financial stability.”

“Of course.”

“With our current situation, we want to use our funds in reserve to pay for our debts rather than to expand our business.”

“So, you are saying that it is tempting to get into the India market because of the great prospects, but the timing is not good for us given our current situation where we need to establish our financial stability by lowering our debts.”

“If we want to simply put it, yes, that’s our current situation.”

Silence filled the air for a moment.

“Is there anyone else with a different opinion?”

No one said anything, and they were all looking at their notebooks. President Song spoke again, “There is one way to make it work. If an investor can invest in the Indian market for now, GH Mobile can later merge with that company after it successfully registers with KOSDAQ.”

“So, you are saying that just like the company in China, which Min-Hyeok Kim is running right now, you want me to invest my personal funds in India for GH Mobile for now.”

President Song laughed and said, “I’m not saying we should do that, but I’m just giving an idea.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho thought about it for a moment with his arms crossed.

“Sir, why don’t you pay a visit to India first?”

“Going on a trip to India?”

“Not a personal trip, but you can take a business tour.”

“You mean the planned business tour arranged by the Small & Medium Business Agency or Korea Chamber of commerce?”

“Since it is an overseas tour, it would be organized by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). I will find out their schedule.”

“All sorts of official letters and direct mails are being handled by the general affairs department. Mr. General Affairs Director, please find out about the business tour organized by KOTRA.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

After the meeting, President Song quietly came back to Gun-Ho’s office.

“India has more restrictive regulations for a foreigner to purchase a real estate there compared to China. When I worked for S Group, I once visited its factory in India, and I met several retired executive officers from Hyundai or Samsung, who owned factories there and leased them out.”

“Really?”

“The rent varied from 6 million won to 10 million won. Since the income from the national pension is not a lot, those retirees tried to set up a stable income that way. I think we can lease a factory from them, which is another option we can take.”

“Hmm.”

“We can ship one of our extruding machines there. If we take Dyeon Korea with us there, we can stably receive raw materials from them too. I believe that we just need about 300 million won to start. And after about two years, GH Mobile can merge with the factory in India, and you can let it go by selling it to GH Mobile for a higher price.”

“I see. I’m not sure about China, but I don’t think our workers would prefer to work at the factory in India. The weather there is humid and hot, not to mention the language barrier. Moreover, the living condition there wouldn’t be very beautiful.”

“We will have to hire people in India. We will, of course, have to bring key engineers and a manager from here. We can give them an incentive for an easier and quicker promotion after working in the India location. I’m sure there will be some workers who would volunteer. S Group used the same strategy to encourage their workers to go to India.”

“We don’t have to decide anything right now. Let’s think about it.”

“Yes, sir.”

In the late afternoon, Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea. Director Kim entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“I was told that you had a meeting with Egnopak’s president. What did he say? Why did he want to see you in person?”

“He talked about going into the Indian market together, specifically in Chennai.”

“You mean with a manufacturing factory?”

“Yes.”

“It’s actually a very good timing to get into that market, but it will cost a lot of money.”

“President Song suggested leasing a factory there.”

“If we want to save some initial investment funds, that’s a good way to do so.”

“The thing is that GH Mobile is currently preparing for registering with KOSDAQ, and we are not sure if this is the right time to expand our business given our current situation.”

“GH Mobile needs to focus on successfully going public by lowering its debt ratio, rather than investing in the overseas market.”

“That’s what President Song said.”

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Chapter 471 - Expanding the Market to India (2) – Part 2

Chapter 471: Expanding the Market to India (2) – Part 2

Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim said, “I was actually going to make a suggestion to you once we receive machine no. 15 and 16, about having a subsidiary company in India. There are other markets like Southeast Asia, but I think India is the best choice since it has high demands for our products. What about having Dyeon Korea’s subsidiary company in India? Unlike GH Mobile, Dyeon Korea has no worries about debts. We have more than enough funds in reserve as well.”

“Hmm. I see your point. I will think about it.”

“I don’t think it will cost a lot to have a Dyeon Korea’s subsidiary company in India, just like Dingding’s sales company in China. India has two national languages: English and Hindi. We can send Interpreter Lee there for interpretation.”

“We will have to do sales work there.”

“We have our clients there already like S Group, Mandong Company, and Egnopak. They all have their factories in India. I know all of their presidents in India.”

“Hmm.”

“Our machine no. 13 and 14 are in Port of Busan right now. Once we finish installing them, we will make a request for shipping machine no. 15 and 16. Once they are all set up, we will be ready to supply our products to the overseas market stably.”

Gun-Ho received a call from GH Mobile’s general affairs director.

“Sir, are you in Dyeon Korea right now?”

“Yes, and I was about to get off work.”

“We just received mail from China through EMS.”

“From where in China?”

“It’s from Antang City, Guizhou Province.”

“It must be the business plan from Antang City. Okay, I will stop by there to pick it up on the way home.”

“Please give me a call when you almost arrive here, then I will bring the mail to you at the gate.”

“You don’t have to do that, Mr. Director. Ask one of your staff to do it.”

“Yes, sir.”

On the way back home in Seoul, Gun-Ho stopped by GH Mobile and retrieved the mail from China.

“It’s thick. So, I need to invest in China and also in India. I hope I can make a great return from these investments if I decide to invest.”

On the way home, Gun-Ho received a call from GH Logistics’ Jae-Sik Moon.

“Are you going back to Seoul without stopping by GH Logistics?”

“I don’t think I can swing by there today. I was so busy with GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea.”

“The application for converting the farmland to non-farming use has been filed. A civil engineering firm called Seonghwan Total Civil Engineering Service is handling our work. They are a professional firm in this field.”

“That’s nice. You think everything will go smoothly?”

“I think so. We have a clear purpose of the land-use conversion, and there is no problem with the land. I think the Farmland Management Committee will review our application and will approve it without any problem. It will incur some fees though.”

“Okay.”

“Once the conversion is approved, I will file for reclassifying the land.”

“Can we do that without building a factory there?”

“They usually require a design drawing at least, but that service company said they would take care of everything for us.”

“Sounds good. We will have heavy rain soon in the area. Make sure that the truck drivers drive safely.”

“I actually told them that we wouldn’t pay for any fines for them if they are caught for speeding.”

It was Tuesday.

Gun-Ho was reading the business plan from China while sitting in his office in the GH Building in Sinsa Town.

“Since it said ‘revised business plan,’ they probably modified their original plan.”

Gun-Ho continued to read it.

“They reduced the number of floors of the hotel and the size of the waiting area, but the amount of the investment funds stays the same.”

Gun-Ho looked for the translator’s contact number, who he asked for some translation work the other day. He was an instructor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Once he found his phone number, Gun-Ho sent a text message to him asking him to come to his office for additional translation work.

Gun-Ho received his reply right away.

[I can go to your OneRoomTel in Gangnam District. I can be there by 2 pm today.]

Gun-Ho sent another text to him asking to come to the 18th floor of GH Building in Sinsa Town, Gangnam District.

In the afternoon, President Jeong-Sook Shin came to GH Building to visit the art gallery. She stopped by Gun-Ho’s office as well. She was with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda.

“Hi. How have you been?”

“We are here to have a cup of tea with you.”

“I’ve noticed that there is an art exhibition going on at the gallery.”

“Oh, we are having an art exhibition for a group of national artists. They are new artists, not famous ones. Five artists participated in the exhibition.”

“Oh, so the artworks of five different artists are being displayed, huh?”

“That’s right. Those artists are college instructors; so, many college students are visiting the gallery. Their friends also come to see their art pieces.”

“Are they selling well too?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. Half of them are already sold. There are lots of pretty paintings that you might want to hang on the wall in your living room.”

The secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—brought tea. Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh always welcomed President Shin. Since she often helped with the art gallery’s work, she seemed to be close to President Shin. On the other hand, she seemed to still feel difficult around Gun-Ho.

President Jeong-Sook Shin took out two magazines from her bag. They were Japanese costume play magazines.

“Take a look at these, sir. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda brought these from Japan.”

Gun-Ho laughed and opened the magazine book.

“They are really wearing the same dress as cartoon books’ characters.”

There were people with yellow hair and blue hair who dressed like soldiers of the Cross in the magazine. Also, some were wearing military uniforms while the others looked like a witch with white hair.

“Oh, my gosh. It makes me feel dizzy.”

“Children would love it.”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda discussed with Japanese magazines about the possibility of working together. They will let us use their contents to fill up half of our magazine, and we will need to pay them some royalties in return.”

Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda added.

“There are lots of costume play events in Korea too. I will take all the pictures of those events and write about them. Also, we can host an event on our own.”

“We do that?”

“Since we haven’t published any magazine yet, we can use GH Gallery’s name to host an event. The winner of the costume play competition will be eligible to participate in the costume play event in Japan.”

“We will have to pay for the flight ticket and accommodation, right?”

“We will ask the participants to pay for entry fees, and we can use the fees to pay for the travel expenses.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s May, and it is a very good time to have an event like that. The event winner can go on a trip to Japan to participate in the Japanese costume play event during the summer vacation in July. We do lots of events like those in Japan.”

“Did you decide where we want to host such an event?”

“I’m thinking of Yeouido Park, and we want you to be there as a judge.”

“Huh? A judge? Oh, no, I have no idea what to look at in an event like that.”

President Shin, who was sitting next to Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, laughed out loud.

“Don’t worry, sir. It was a joke. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda often makes a joke.”

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Chapter 472 - Expanding the Market to India (3) – Part 1

Chapter 472: Expanding the Market to India (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho looked at President Jeong-Sook Shin and said, “I don’t know anything about costume play events, but I believe that you two could be a judge in that event.”

“We actually invited one more person to form a panel, so we could have three judges for the event, including myself and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda. The third person to join us is an incumbent cartoonist. He is very famous.”

“That will do then.”

“Also, we will add Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda to our team in GH Media as a freelance journalist.”

“Hmm, that’s nice. Since Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda used to work as a journalist before, he should be good at writing.”

“The reason why we plan to host a costume play event on our own is to procure the contents that would be used for our costume play magazine. You are right, sir, about the cost that we have to bear for the event winner’s travel expenses to Japan.”

“I doubted that we could cover the event winner’s travel expense with the event participants’ entry fees. It should cost more than that.”

“That’s true, especially because we can only charge a nominal amount for the entry fees since most participants would be junior or high school students.”

“Have you thought of any plan to make up the deficiency?”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda wants to bring some popular items from Japan and sell them during the event, like t-shirts and hats. Japanese cartoon’s character posters are good too.”

“Hmm, I think those will sell well.”

“Since Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda needs to focus on collecting data during the event, so he could write them in the magazine, I will bring our workers to sell those posters, t-shirts, and hats. The event will last for two days. We are expecting to see lots of photographers in the event as well.”

“Sounds good. Ask Young-Eun to come to the event, too.”

“Haha. Sure, I will bring her.”

After President Shin and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda left the office, Gun-Ho thought about the costume play event. He decided that he would go to the event himself with Young-Eun to have fun.

“I’ve seen that kind of event on the internet, but I’ve never been to any in person. I will take Young-Eun with me. The event would be designed for children, so it won’t be chic or sophisticated, but it could be very fun. I’m sure she will like it.”

While thinking about going to the costume play event with Young-Eun, registering for KOAF crossed his mind. Young-Eun asked him the other day to register for KOAF and get a membership to support that Korean African medical volunteer work organization.

“Oh, I told her that I would send 100,000 won to that organization every month.”

Gun-Ho searched KOAF on the internet to find their website. After filling out their membership application and sending it to them, he set up the CMS auto payment with the bank as well. He then sent his first membership fee of 100,000 won to them. About an hour later after he submitted his membership application and 100,000 won of membership fee, Gun-Ho received a call from the executive director of KOAF.

“Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, this is he.”

“I’m the executive director of KOAF.”

“Of what?”

“It’s KOAF— Korean African medical volunteer work organization.”

“Oh, oh, KOAF.”

“We have received your membership application with your membership fee. I’m calling to thank you in person for your interest and support for our organization.”

“Oh, you’re very welcome.”

“Your invaluable membership fee will be used to save tons of African children who desperately need our help. We are publishing a newsletter every month. We will send you the monthly newsletter to the address shown on your application form.”

“Sounds good. Thank you.”

“Well, thank you again for your support and for becoming a member of our organization.”

The executive director must have been very grateful when Gun-Ho unexpectedly joined them with a monthly membership fee of 100,000 won. That’s especially true because 95% of their current members pay 10,000 won per month as their membership fee.

“Applicant Gun-Ho Goo? Who is he? What’s his occupation? He just wrote that he is a businessman, on the application form. His home address is TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town, Gangnam District. So, I guess that he is wealthy enough not to feel burdensome by donating 100,000 won per month.”

Gun-Ho received a call from GH Mobile’s President Song.

“I’ve contacted KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) to find out their next scheduled overseas business tour. They have one scheduled for June. I told the general affairs director to reserve one spot for you, sir, for that tour.”

“Why don’t you come with me, President Song?”

“I’ve been there several times already. Since it’s about investment, I think you should go. The staff from KOTRA will arrange a tour for you to visit Korean companies there and also the relevant Indian government.”

“I see.”

Gun-Ho was taking a class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development when Attorney Young-Jin Kim poked his arm with a pen.

“Hey, do you have any plans for this Sunday?”

“Not really. I think I will just stay home and take a rest.”

“Oh, that’s right. You are a newlywed. You should spend a good time with your wife.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen this Sunday.”

“Why not?”

“She is taking a night shift.”

“I see. Medical doctors have that kind of complications, huh? Every occupation has its own complications and hardship. It’s not easy to make money. For example, attorneys look cool to the outsiders, but we are usually suffering from an extremely heavy workload. Kim & Jeong Law Firm is especially notorious for it.”

“You and me, my friend, I guess our pleasure in life is making money, huh?”

“Let’s go play golf with me this Sunday then.”

“Wouldn’t it be too crowded on Sunday? Also, they charge more during the weekend.”

“What about next Wednesday then? I am off on Wednesday.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Our law firm is a member of the Asiana Country Club in Yongin City. Let’s go there.”

“Their greens fee must be cheap then. If we go there during weekdays, it should be less than 100,000 won, right?”

“It’s 70,000 won if you play during weekdays. Of course, we need to pay for caddies and a cart.”

“Don’t we need two more people?”

“I was thinking of asking someone from the class, maybe a minister or a congressman.”

“I don’t like that. They are way older than us, and they are no fun. Why don’t you bring someone from your law firm?”

“That would be difficult. They are all busy during weekdays. I have spare time for next Wednesday, but my colleagues don’t. What about executive officers from your company?”

“Executive officers?”

Mr. Adam Castler popped up in his head.

Gun-Ho then said, “You know what? Maybe I can ask the joint venture’s vice president to join us. He should be lonely and bored living in Korea.”

“Oh, the American person? That’s good. Ask him to join us for playing golf. It will be fun.”

“I will ask Dyeon Korea’s Mr. Adam Castler and GH Mobile’s President Jang-Hwan Song to join us next Wednesday then.”

“Okay. I will make a reservation for four people with the country club.”

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Chapter 473 - Expanding the Market to India (3) – Part 2

Chapter 473: Expanding the Market to India (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office when he recalled the golf appointment that he made with Attorney Young-Jin Kim the other day. He made a call to GH Mobile’s President Song.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you have any plan for next Wednesday?”

“No, I have nothing special scheduled that day.”

“Then leave your afternoon schedule clear for this coming Wednesday. I know you’ve been busy lately, and this is your chance to release some stress and tension. Let’s have a round of golf with me.”

“Where should I be?”

“Come to the Asiana Country Club in Yongin City by 2 pm.”

“Okay. Who else is coming?”

“There will be Dyeon Korea’s Mr. Adam Castler and a friend of mine from Kim & Jeong Law Firm, and you and me.”

“Okay, sir. I’m glad that Mr. Adam Castler would join us to play golf. He must be very lonely living in Korea without many friends. I have something to talk about to him anyway.”

“Oh, you do?”

“Your friend from Kim & Jeong Law Firm, is he an attorney?”

“Yes, he is an attorney in the international business team.”

“Oh, that’s very nice. I will see you on Wednesday then. It will be fun.”

Gun-Ho almost made a call to Mr. Adam Castler to invite him for golfing, and then he realized that he had to speak English with him.

“Shoot. I can’t speak English.”

He then called for the secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Did you want to see me, sir?’

“Please have a seat here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh carefully sat on the sofa.

“You know Dyeon Korea’s vice president— Mr. Adam Castler, right?”

“I’ve met him once during the board meeting.”

“I want you to interpret for me. Here is what I want to tell him. please write down what I say.”

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh took out a pen and a paper.

“I’d like to invite you for a round of golf this Wednesday. Please come to Asiana Country Club on Wednesday by 2 pm. Your chauffeur must know how to get there. This is what I want to tell him.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I need to talk to him first to let him know that I’m the one who is calling him. So, I will make a call to him, and then I will let you talk.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho dialed Mr. Adam Castler’s office number.

“Hello?”

“Hello? I am Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, hi, boss!”

“Just a moment.”

“Yes, sir!”

Gun-Ho handed his smartphone over to Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh. Yeon-Soo started speaking English. She was indeed fluent. Once she delivered the message to Mr. Adam Castler, she handed the phone back to Gun-Ho and said, “He said he would be there.”

“He did? That’s good. Thank you.”

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh then gave a bow to Gun-Ho and left the office. She didn’t forget to retrieve empty cups from his table on the way out of his office.

When Gun-Ho arrived at home, there was a mail in the mailbox waiting for him.

“Is it for me?’

It was a newsletter from KOAF.

Gun-Ho read this newsletter after he lied down on the bed to sleep. There were several photographs of African children who looked sick. There was also a photo of a water pump. The description below the photo said that KOAF used their membership fees to build the water pump in Ghana. There was a short article written by Young-Eun as well with a small photo of her. She was smiling with a hat on in the picture.

[I can’t forget the child’s failing eyes, who was holding my hand. I couldn’t save that child. All I could do for him was to give him a painkiller and to pray for him. That day, I regretted becoming a medical doctor for the first time in my life…]

“She is doing great work for society. The problem is that she doesn’t come home often.”

Wednesday came around

Young-Jin Kim, Gun-Ho Goo, Adam Castler, and President Jang-Hwan Song gathered at the country club in Yongin City. Mr. Adam Castler seemed to be impressed by Young-Jin Kim’s fluent English. So did President Song.

“This guy went to law school in the U.S. He does speak English very well.”

Young-Jin Kim laughed and looked at President Song, and said while indicating Gun-Ho, “This guy went to college in China. He does speak Chinese very well.”

President Song laughed out loud.

They started an 18 hole round of golf in the east course. Asiana Country Club had two courses— east and west. They only played the 18 hole in the east course. It was Team A of Young-Jin and Gun-Ho against Team B of President Song and Adam Castler. They played stroke play.

Gun-Ho was supposed to be the worst player among the four people, but that day Mr. Adam Castler made lots of mistakes in playing it. So, in the end, Young-Jin and Gun-Ho’s team won. Young-Jin Kim was indeed excellent at playing golf. He was good enough to cover Gun-Ho’s poor playing.

“I guess he played golf all day long when he was in the U.S.”

“Team B, please buy us a drink since you lost.”

Gun-Ho said to Mr. Adam Castler, “Let’s pay with Dyeon Korea’s business credit card.”

“What?”

When Adam Castler couldn’t understand Gun-Ho’s English, Young-Jin Kim interpreted it for him. Once he understood what Gun-Ho said, Adam Castler smiled broadly.

“Okay! No problem!”

The four men headed to a Korean restaurant that specialized in Galbi (Korean grilled beef ribs). Young-Jin could drink as he pleased without worrying about driving a car since he came with Gun-Ho in his Bently which Chan-Ho Eum drove for them. Adam Castler also enjoyed drinking since he came with his chauffeur as well. President Song was the only one who had to drive back home, and he had only one small glass of soju.

“The Galbi is really good.”

Adam Castler seemed to like the food there a lot. He constantly said, “good.”

After everyone drank some liquor, President Song looked at Adam Castler, and said, “Mr. Castler, have you thought of having a subsidiary company in India? As far as I know, Dyeon Korea has the exclusive right to sell the products in the entire Asia market.”

“I think it’s a bit early to expand our market further. Maybe we need to stabilize our current market first.”

“I beg to differ. I think it’s a bit late even if you start developing a new market even now. Hyundai is already selling 500,000 cars to the Indian market. They have their factories in Delhi and Chennai. Additionally, more than 100 of their vendor companies are there as well. The market is growing quietly, getting bigger and bigger every day. I think you want to get into the market before it becomes too late.”

“Hyundai is selling that much in India?”

“The second largest market after China is India. That’s why GH Mobile is currently considering expanding our market to India.”

“Hmm. Really?”

President Jang-Hwan Song sat closer to Mr. Adam Castler and continued to talk, “You don’t have to build a factory from scratch like you did when you built Dyeon Korea. As a start, you can just open a company there just like Dingding’s sales company in China. You can lease a premises to use as a factory if you need one, and then you can later build one once the market is well developed and need your own factory.”

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Chapter 474 - Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (1) – Part 1

Chapter 474: Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho tried to change the mood when he realized that President Song was focusing only on business.

“We all have empty glasses in front of us. Let’s drink together and talk about business later.”

Everyone at the table stopped talking for a second and drank liquor.

President Song filled up Attorney Kim’s empty glass with liquor and said, “You are very good at playing golf. You played like a professional golfer.”

“Thank you. I’m flattered, but I was just lucky today.”

“I was told that you are practicing international business law. After GH Mobile successfully goes public, we might issue convertible bonds. I guess we will need your help then.”

“I’m really hoping that GH Mobile succeeds in registering with KOSDAQ soon. It’s my friend’s company after all.”

Gun-Ho said to Attorney Kim while putting a piece of well-done meat on Attorney Kim’s plate, “President Song had used to work for S Group as a vice president before he joined us. I agreed to give him a 5% stock option taking into consideration his work performance. Ever since he joined our company last year, we are experiencing a large increase in our sales revenue already, and our debt ratio has been dramatically reduced.”

“Oh, really? Did you write a contract about it?”

“What contract?”

“I’m talking about the stock option agreement linked to the managerial performance measure.”

Gun-Ho and President Song looked at each other. They seemed to be surprised by the unexpected question.

“I know that you two trust each other, and a verbal agreement is legally binding. However, I always recommend making it in writing so both parties are clear on what they agree to.”

“Oh, we need to write a contract about it?”

“Of course. You want to clearly specify things like the number of shares to be issued, the exercise price payable per share, date of exercise, manner of exercising option, etc. There is a standard form of contract for it. You also want to stipulate the acceptable reasons to terminate the agreement.”

“Reasons to terminate the agreement?”

“Yes, for examples, you can terminate the agreement if the optionee incurred material damage to the company or if the optionee transferred the option to purchase the company shares to a third party.”

“Oh, so the person is not supposed to transfer the option to someone else.”

“Usually no, but they can bequeath to someone by will.”

“Hmm, you are highly knowledgeable, man.”

“Of course, I’m an attorney.”

Attorney Kim finished his glass of liquor before continuing to talk.

“President Goo, an appraisal right cannot be exercised for more than 10% in a regular company, 15% for a public company. For a start-up company, 50% can be done.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s why a small or medium-size company decides to transfer 5% of shares. The problem with it is that they have to give 5% even though the management performance is not good.”

“I think we are making Mr. Adam Castler feel bored by talking in Korean. Let’s talk about it more later.”

“Okay. Let’s drink.”

The next morning, when Gun-Ho went to work in Dyeon Korea, Director Kim called him to give him a report.

“We have received machine no. 13 and 14. They are installed and being tested right now. We sent a request to ship us machine no. 15 and 16.”

“Good work.”

“Ms. Dingding requested to send her more raw materials. We are now shipping 70 tons of raw materials to China on a monthly basis.”

“Hmm, really?”

“But, there is a problem.”

“What is it?”

“Dingding’s business might be a violation of contract.”

“Who said that? Mr. Adam Castler said that?”

“Dyeon America stated that it is a violation of the joint venture contract to have a sales company in China without their explicit consent. Mr. Adam Castler has been reprimanded by them for it. They are saying that the sales company in China must have been a part of the joint venture with Dyeon America like 50:50. It applies to the entire Asia market according to them.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Therefore, any sales company whether it is in China or in India must be established as a subsidiary company of Dyeon Korea. It cannot be an independent business entity, which is a violation of the joint venture agreement.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho felt a headache. What they claimed about the sales company in China kind of made sense. Gun-Ho rushed into heading to Asan City to find out further.

As soon as he arrived at Dyeon Korea, Gun-Ho asked for Mr. Adam Castler.

Mr. Adam Castler entered Gun-Ho’s office accompanied by the interpreter— Mr. Lee.

“We had a very good time playing golf yesterday, and this morning, I’ve been reprimanded by the head office. I’m so baffled.”

“What did they say exactly?”

“Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke yelled at me over the phone this morning. He said I’ve ignored my duty to give them a notice on important matters, and he also questioned the purpose of my position here.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ve never doubted the legality of the sales company in China. So, I talked to the vice president— Mr. Brandon Burke— this morning, proudly about the possibility of opening a sales company in India since our sales company in China is successful; its sales volume of the products had increased to 70 tons per month. At that point, Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke learned about the sales company in China and started yelling at me. I thought I would become deafened.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“He said that if I don’t resolve the problem with the sales company in China, I would need to go back to the U.S.”

“Is there anything else he talked about?”

“He said that opening a subsidiary company for sales work in India is not a problem as long as it is a subsidiary company of Dyeon Korea. And he said that I should have known it without asking him about it.”

“Hmm, really?”

Gun-Ho and Mr. Adam Castler were sitting in Gun-Ho’s office without saying anything further for a while.

Gun-Ho broke the silence.

“I’ve already invested in China quite a lot. I purchased the storage in addition to the initial investment funds. Moreover, in order to procure customers there, GH Mobile’s workers and GH Parts Company in China have been working so hard. If Dyeon Korea compensates for the labor and investment funds, I will transfer the ownership of Dingding’s sales company to Dyeon Korea.”

“How much do you want to sell it for? I need an exact price, so I can discuss it with the head office.”

“Okay. Please write this down.”

“The current fair market price of the land that I purchased for the storage purpose is 450 million won. The initial investment fund that I put into that company was 100 million won. You can easily verify it by looking at its business license issued by the Chinese government. The price of the land is recorded lower than the price that I actually paid for, so I could save some taxes. I will get you the appraisal done by an independent appraisal organization with public confidence. Also, I want 300 million won for goodwill. That company already developed extensive clientele in China.”

“How much would it be in total then?”

“It’s 850 million won.”

“The prices for the land and the initial fund that you invested in seem to be reasonable and understandable. However, the price of goodwill seems to be overpriced.”

“The workers of my other companies devoted all of their time and energy to develop the market in China for quite a while solely for that sales company. If we get into the Indian market right now, and if we purchase land instead of leasing one, don’t you think it would cost that much?”

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Chapter 475 - Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (1) – Part 2

Chapter 475: Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (1) – Part 2

Actually, Gun-Ho paid only 285 million won in purchasing the land that was being used for storage of Dingding’s sales company in China. Even with the taxes and other fees, it cost him about 300 million won. Gun-Ho wanted to sell the sales company for a higher price if he had to transfer its ownership to Dyeon Korea.

“Okay, sir. I will talk with the head office.”

“There is one more thing. I promised President Dingding a stock option since we are not paying her enough salary right now. If Dyeon Korea takes the ownership of the company, President Dingding’s stock option will become invalid. I want her to get paid at least 20,000 Yuan if she won’t get her stock option.”

“Okay, sir. I will talk about that too with the head office.”

After Mr. Adam Castler left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho immediately made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“We have a problem.”

“What is it?”

“Dingding’s sales company will be transferred to Dyeon Korea. The head office in the U.S. claimed that having an independent sales company in China is a violation of the joint venture agreement.”

“What would happen then?”

“Dyeon Korea will eventually take the ownership of the company. I will no longer be the major shareholder, but Dyeon Korea will take it over.”

“What changes do we have to expect then?”

“Nothing much actually. Dingding’s stock option will disappear though. Instead, her salary will increase substantially.”

“How much would it be?”

“I’ve been negotiating to get her 20,000 Yuan.”

“Really? 20,000 Yuan is not bad at all.”

“I was told that it’s selling 70 tons of raw materials per month. Is that because of the company in Yancheng which she was working on?”

“No. The Korean companies in Suzhou Industrial Complex are constantly increasing their product orders.”

“90% of the current clients are Korean companies, right?”

“I believe so.”

“When we transfer the sales company to Dyeon Korea, I want to sell it for a high price. You know, for the land that we purchased for storage, we paid about 300 million won. Is there a way to get an appraisal that shows its current value as 450 million won?”

“Well, I will need to discuss it with Fang di chan pinggu shi (real estate appraiser).”

“Pinggu shi?”

“Yeah, there is a system here like that. To be an appraiser, a person has to major in real estate in a 4-year college. In addition, he or she needs to gain at least two years of work experience in the relevant field, and then they can finally sit for an exam.”

“Really?”

“Well, don’t you think 450 million won is a bit of an exaggerated price? There was an incident here where a few appraisers overvalued a real property intentionally, and they eventually got caught. I read it from a newspaper.”

“If it goes well, I will give a commission to Dingding.”

“Okay. I will work on it. I’m still trying to digest all of the information that you just told me. I was so unexpected to hear it all.”

“You will have to make Dingding understand what’s going on with her company.”

Gun-Ho went to work in the GH Building in Sinsa Town.

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought a mail to Gun-Ho. It was the pamphlet that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo sent to him from Japan. His art exhibition was finally set for mid-June in Yokohama Art Gallery. According to the pamphlet, the world-renowned Mr. Sakata Ikuzo would open an art exhibition with his artworks that were made of wood and metal. The wording that was used in the pamphlet was interesting. It said,

[Mr. Sakata Ikuzo used to work in a global company— Lymondell Dyeon— in the U.S. He was not just an engineer, but he was more like a master in the field. He is now offering the opportunity to meet his artworks. You will have an opportunity to see his peculiar artworks that were made of wood and metal in his art exhibition in Yokohama.

The sculptor— Mr. Isamu Gomei— remembered the moment when he saw Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s artworks for the first time. He said he was shocked. He further stated that ‘If we must say that Miyamoto Musashi is the number one swordsman, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is the number one utility-knife-man.]

Gun-Ho chuckled as he read the pamphlet advertising Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s art exhibition.

‘What? The number one swordsman is Miyamoto Musashi, and the number one utility-knife-man is Mr. Sakata Ikuzo? That’s a funny way to put it. Anyway, it’s always good to see the tendency in Japan where they treat engineers favorably.

I want all of the engineers, who are working for my companies, to be treated well and respected as they eventually become internationally renowned engineers. I want them to live their life without worrying about money. I’m not sure if that will happen though.’

Gun-Ho called for President Jeong-Sook Shin to show the pamphlet that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo sent to him. President Shin carefully looked through the pamphlet.

“The pictures of his artworks shown in the pamphlet look like real animals. I can’t tell whether these are pictures of his artworks or actual animals. It’s amazing.”

“You should go to his art exhibition and look at those carved figures yourself. I will go there too.”

“The exhibition will be held after I move the GH Media’s office into this building.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Mr. Adam Castler. Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh interpreted for Gun-Ho real-time.

“He wants to talk to you about what he discussed with the head office.”

“Hmm, okay, tell him to go on.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh said something to Mr. Adam Castler, and then Mr. Adam Castler started rambling on something.

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh interpreted what Mr. Adam Castler just said.

“First, there is no problem with the initial investment fund since the amount can be easily verified with the fund transfer receipt.”

“Hmm, good.”

“Second, as to the price of the land, if you could provide them with an appraisal made by the Chinese appraisal committee that earned public trust, then there would be no problem for them to accept it.”

“Okay.”

“But, they can’t accept the price of goodwill.”

“Sons of b*tches.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh startled when Gun-Ho suddenly screamed.

“However, if you could show them a list of the current clients, and if 50% of the clients are Korean companies, then they can pay you 100 million won. If 90% of the clients are composed of Korean companies, then they will approve the payment of 200 million won.”

Gun-Ho smiled, but he didn’t show it to anyone.

“Well, will you tell him that I am a bit disappointed?”

Yeon-Soo Oh said something to Mr. Adam Castler.

“What did Mr. Adam Castler say?”

“He said he absolutely understands how you feel. And, there is more. Fourth, they will acquire the company with the current accounts receivable and accounts payable.”

“That’s good. Tell him that is good.”

“Fifth, they agree to pay President Dingding 20,000 Yuan, and her salary will be adjusted as they see the changes in the sales revenue. They will not give her a stock option though.”

“Okay. That’s good.”

“That’s all he said.”

“Tell him that I will have to talk with Dingding and others in China and will let him know.”

Yeon-Soo Oh said something to Mr. Adam Castler before terminating the call.

Once they got off the phone with Mr. Adam Castler, Gun-Ho smiled at Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Good job.”

Gun-Ho was thinking about the deal.

‘According to Min-Hyeok Kim, more than 90% of their clients are Korean companies. I guess I will make 200 million won out of it. I believe that I could make more money if I continue to own that sales company, but I can tell that this investment is a success as it is.’

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Chapter 476 - Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (2) – Part 1

Chapter 476: Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (2) – Part 1

Min-Hyeok Kim called Gun-Ho from China.

“I told Dingding about the change of the major shareholder of the company.”

“What was her reaction?”

“She said that maybe it would be better for the sales company to belong to a business entity rather than an individual; maybe the company would receive better support financially. On the other hand, she worries if the major shareholder would interfere with her managing the company, especially with personnel matters.”

“She doesn’t have to worry about it. It won’t happen.”

“She also said that even though the sales company would become a subsidiary company of Dyeon Korea, since President Gun-Ho Goo owns half of Dyeon Korea, maybe she wouldn’t see any difference.”

“Oh, she said that?”

“When I told her that she would lose her stock option, but instead, her salary will be 20,000 Yuan, she was happy.”

“Really?”

“It seems that she felt pressure with the 5% stock option since she hasn’t really done much to procure clients, and 90% of her current clients are Korean companies. Moreover, the potential client in Yancheng that she has been working on hasn’t made their decision yet.”

“It’s good to know that she prefers to get an increased salary rather than a stock option. I was worried about it because I promised her a stock option. The appraisal for the land hasn’t come out yet, has it?”

“No. It will take time. I’ve already made a request for it to the appraisers. I told them that I will use the appraisal to take a loan from a bank, so I will need a high price shown in the appraisal. I also told them that I would give them a Hongbao (a red envelope with money in it) as an incentive if I see a way higher price in the appraisal than I expected.”

“Good job.”

“I will let you know as soon as I hear from them.”

It was the moving day for GH Media. They are moving into the office on the 17th floor in GH Building. Since GH Media was a publishing company, there were tons of books to move, and it took enormous time to unpack and organize the new office. The moving was completed in the afternoon.

Gun-Ho visited their office on the 17th floor. The desks and chairs seemed to be efficiently arranged, so everyone could have enough space to work with. Those, who had met Gun-Ho before, greeted him when they saw him coming into the office. They said that the internet was ready to use as well.

The design team leader—Ms. Min-Sook Oh—had mixed feelings when she saw Gun-Ho that day. Min-Sook had a crush on Gun-Ho, and Gun-Ho would never find it out. Her crush on Gun-Ho had started when Gun-Ho was running GH Development near the Gangnam Station with a few OneRoomTels. And, Min-Sook was working at a design company next door. At that time, Gun-Ho had a small office with only two workers. Min-Sook didn’t know that Gun-Ho was an extremely wealthy man; she thought he was just a small business owner. When she found out that Gun-Ho was an enormously rich man with several companies and a giant building in Gangnam District, she gave up on him thinking that he was out of her league.

On Gun-Ho’s wedding day, Min-Sook couldn’t stop crying.

On the week when Gun-Ho’s wedding was scheduled on the weekend, Min-Sook asked Ms. Ji-Young Jeong—a bookkeeper of GH development at that time—to go to a theater with her in Daehakro on the weekend.

“I can’t. My boss is getting married this weekend.”

“What? You mean, President Gun-Ho is getting married?”

When Min-Sook learned that Gun-Ho was getting married, she couldn’t breathe in shock. She was devastated. She took some time to calm herself down and said, “Oh, I didn’t know President Goo is still single. Well, you should attend his wedding then. I’m not sure if I should go though.”

“Actually, only the executive officers are invited to his wedding. I’m going there to work. I have to sit at the reception desk.”

“Who is he marrying?”

“She is a medical doctor. She is working at Seoul National University Hospital.”

“A medical doctor? A medical doctor and a businessman of a huge company… They should be good together. Well, I will let you go back to your work. We can go to Daehakro maybe next weekend then.

Min-Sook Oh cried when she was left alone.

Gun-Ho knocked on the door of GH Media’s president’s office. President Jeong-Sook Shin was talking with the chief editor in the office. They stood up when they saw Gun-Ho entering the office.

“It looks like you are all set.”

“Yes. Moving is almost completed. I already paid the security deposit to Director Kang as well.”

“Haha, you did? If you need anything, please contact Director Kang or me. We will be downstairs.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho looked at the chief editor. His position was a managerial level which was higher than the position that Jae-Sik Moon had when he worked for GH Media. This new chief editor still had his ponytail. He now had a beard as well, which added an artistic vibe to him. He was four years older than Gun-Ho, and he had feelings for the design team leader—Ms. Min-Sook Oh—even though Min-Sook hadn’t opened up to him yet. That was probably because of the age gap between the two. The chief editor was way older than Min-Sook.

Gun-Ho received a call from the deputy mayor of Antang City, Guizhou Province, China.

“President Gun-Ho Goo? Hi, this is the deputy mayor of Antang City.”

“Oh, hi, how are you?”

“I was wondering if you have received the business plan that we sent earlier.”

“Yes, I received it. We are reviewing it right now.”

“The construction period of the terminal is two years. Since it will take a substantial amount of money, we are not expecting you to bring the funds at once. As to the operating license to run the transportation service, once we sign the contract, we can issue it to you right away.”

“Okay. We are strongly considering the possibility of joining you for the project. I will let you know once the decision is made.”

“We are planning to visit Korea to have a tour of terminals in Korea. A tour is scheduled in the middle of this month for the director of Antang City’s transportation department and the president of the terminals. They will visit Seoul Express Bus Terminal, Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, and Seoul Nambu Terminal.”

“Oh, really?”

“We’ve arranged the tour with the Korea Public Transportation Association. You don’t have to be there, President Goo. They might want to visit you while they are in Korea though if that’s okay with you.”

“Of course. They are welcome at any time. Just give me a notice in advance.”

Gun-Ho opened up his email.

“There are just too many spams and advertisements. It’s a work to delete them all.”

Gun-Ho started deleting spam emails one by one as he read their subjects.

“Viagra? Who would take those pills?”

Gun-Ho continued to delete spam emails.

“To Mr. President? Who is it? Oh, it’s from GH Mobile’s general affairs director.”

Gun-Ho opened the email from the general affairs director.

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Chapter 477 - Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (2) – Part 2

Chapter 477: Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho began to read the email from GH Mobile’s general affairs director.

[Sir, I’ve attached the business tour schedule of KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency). They are inviting the participants to a preliminary meeting before the tour. It’s scheduled on Thursday. Please be there.]

“Thursday? It’s tomorrow. Where is the KOTRA located? I think I saw their business sign somewhere. Oh, oh, their office is in the big building on the road from Cheonggye Mountain to Seongnam City.”

Thursday came around.

After lunch, Gun-Ho headed to KOTRA. There was a sign posted at the entrance about the meeting.

“The preliminary meeting of the business tour for India is on the second floor? By the way, this building looks really nice. The public buildings these days are very well constructed.”

When Gun-Ho walked up to the second floor, there was a hall where several people gathered already. It seemed that there were about 25 people.

A man who introduced himself as KOTRA’s manager came out and started talking to the participants. He mostly informed them of the tour schedule. It seemed that the tour was focusing on the Delhi area rather than Chennai. One of the famous tourist spots—Taj Mahal—was included in the schedule as well. A brief presentation ensued on the general condition of India. The presentation was made by KOTRA’s executive officer who used to work at a branch office in India. Lastly, another executive officer said that he wanted everyone to have a safe trip. To wrap up the meeting, KOTRA’s manager grabbed the microphone again.

“I hope that this meeting was informative and that we didn’t bore you with too much information. I will now distribute the list of the participants of the tour.”

Gun-Ho looked at the list of the participants’ names while paying attention to their job positions. There were not many business owners or presidents, but most of them were managers or directors of a company. There were even a few staff or team leaders.

“Everyone here will go on the trip to India together for four nights and five days. Please welcome the people sitting around you and get to know each other a little bit.”

Gun-Ho unwillingly said hi to the person next to him, who looked like an anchovy. He introduced himself as a director of some small company.

KOTRA’s manager continued to talk, “Once you arrive in India, you will be visiting production sites of several companies along with Indian local government offices. So, we need a team leader of the tour group. We expect the team leader to greet people we meet during the tour while representing the group, and give the present that we prepared to them, nothing else. You don’t have to worry about the presents; KOTRA will prepare them for you.”

Gun-Ho was listening to what the manager was saying without thinking much.

“I will choose one person among you as the team leader of the tour group. President Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile, where are you?”

Gun-Ho, who was dozing off lightly, was startled when his name was called. He raised his hand like halfway up.

“President Gun-Ho Goo who is sitting in the second row from the back will be our team leader. We selected him because he is the president of a company that generates a substantial amount of sales revenue.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in taking the team leader position. Please choose someone else!”

“You are the best choice that we have, sir. Everyone, please give him a big round of applause if you don’t have any objection.”

Everyone applauded.

Gun-Ho was dumbfounded.

‘Shoot. I just wanted to have a business tour; I didn’t mean to take a position that won’t help anything about me making money. This could become tiresome.’

On Saturday, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were having breakfast at home. Gun-Ho told Young-Eun about his trip to India.

“I’m going on a trip to India on Monday.”

“India? For how long?”

“It’s scheduled for four nights and five days.”

“You need to pack stuff like toiletries, right? You will need to take a few underwears as well.”

“I believe the hotel will provide basic toiletries, don’t you think?”

“I doubt that. You are not going to a developed country, but it’s India. I think you’d better bring your own stuff, in case.”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“I will pack it for you.”

“I don’t know.”

“How many others are going with you?”

“It’s a group of 25 people. The tour has been arranged by KOTRA. It’s a business tour.”

“It’s a big tour group.”

“I am the tour group’s team leader, which I didn’t want to. Believe me.”

“Hahaha. That makes me the spouse of the team leader. I guess I can exercise some power with it. Haha.”

“Haha. Is that so? I believe it’s not good to take a position like that. It’s not a useful position at all. I think I was unlucky that day when we had a meeting for the tour.”

“It’s okay. You will do fine, and it will be fun.”

“Do you want to go mountain climbing after breakfast?”

“I have to do laundry today.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun left home that day around 3 pm, after they had a nap.

“Well, it’s sort of late to go mountain climbing at this hour. Let’s just drive around and get some fresh air.”

“Where are you heading to?”

“Let’s go to Misari.”

“Misari?”

“Yeah, there is a café town there along the Han river. We can listen to the live music while having a cup of coffee or beer.”

“You can’t drink a beer since you have to drive.”

“I will have a half glass of beer, and you take two glasses of beer.”

“There should be some heavy traffic on the road to Misari since it’s Saturday.”

“Probably not this hour. People are coming back home from Misari at this hour, not heading to it.”

“You think so? Okay, then, let’s go.”

Gun-Ho always enjoyed the ride with Young-Eun. Young-Eun, who was sitting next to him, looked beautiful. He frequently glanced at her while driving.

“Don’t look at me! Keep your eyes on the road, please. Safety first, okay?”

“I just can’t keep my eyes off you. Looking at you makes me feel good.”

“How do you go on with your day without me then, during weekdays?”

“Oh, you know what? President Shin moved her office into the GH Building last week.”

“Really? With all of her employees?’

“Yeah. My office is on the 18th floor, and her office is on the 17th floor. Why don’t you drop by sometimes?”

“No, thank you.”

“There is a chief editor in GH Media. He has a very unique look, with a ponytail and a beard. What do you think of people like that?”

“I don’t like it. I prefer a neat style.”

“What if I make a ponytail with my hair?”

“Ha! I don’t think so.”

“I can let my beard and mustache grow too.”

“If you do that, I will pluck out every single hair from your face.”

They were driving the road along the Han River.

“Have you been to Misari before?”

“No, I’ve heard of it, and I sometimes passed by the area. But I’ve never been there.”

“Me too.”

Misari looked different from what Gun-Ho remembered in the old days. All the business signs that he saw when he had passed by before were gone. Instead, there were lots of restaurants. They had short-arm octopus dishes in a restaurant called Dalmadang before heading back home.

Gun-Ho arrived at the Incheon International Airport to leave for India.

“Oh, Mr. Team Leader, over here!”

KOTRA’s manager was already there waiting for the group. He distributed the flight ticket to each person. He was carrying lots of luggage.

“You seem to have brought a lot of stuff.”

“These are gifts for the people who we will encounter during the trip. You actually are the one who will hand it to them there, Mr. Team Leader.”

“Let me help you with it. You probably need my hand.”

“It’s okay. Two staff from KOTRA will join us. They can help me with the luggage.”

A moment later, two female staff from KOTRA arrived.

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Chapter 478 - Business Tour in India (1) – Part 1

Chapter 478: Business Tour in India (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho, by experience, knew how handy a book could be during a long flight. For the trip to India, he carried a few weekly magazines and a novel. He also didn’t forget to wear long sleeves knowing that it could be cold inside the flight.

“Sir, you seem to be very well prepared for the trip. I see you carrying a magazine as well.”

The director person in a small company, who looked like an anchovy, commented. He was the person who sat next to him during the preliminary meeting for this trip. For some reason, he sat next to Gun-Ho again in the flight.

The airplane flew overnight as it passed over the South China Sea and Hong Kong. After finishing reading the weekly magazines that he brought, Gun-Ho grabbed his novel to continue his reading. A flight attendant brought him a blanket.

They finally arrived at Delhi Airport.

“This airport doesn’t look very nice. It seems to be very outdated.”

“I know, right? It looks like an airport in a province in China.”

After they all passed the immigration and customs, they got in a tour bus that was waiting for them at the arrival exit. A man, who looked like he was about the same age as Gun-Ho, came onto the bus. He was wearing glasses. He spoke to the party,

“Welcome to India. You are here for the business tour. I am the assistant manager of KOTRA’s branch office in India.”

One of India’s official languages was English, and it seemed that every worker for KOTRA in India spoke English very well. Well, KOTRA required high qualification for their new hires, and it wasn’t surprising that they required English speaking capability for those who would work in KOTRA’s branch office in India. Most of the workers with an assistant manager position would probably be about the same age as Gun-Ho.

‘I wonder how much they are getting paid for their job at KOTRA.’

Gun-Ho was receiving approximately 40 million won in total as a monthly salary excluding dividends or other income being generated from his personal assets. His salary with GH Mobile was 15 million won, and he was receiving another 15 million from Dyeon Korea; he also was getting 3 million won from GH Media and 7 million won from GH Development. Even with the highest qualification, it would be hard to find someone who would get this much in Korea except those with a wealthy family business. Moreover, Gun-Ho’s interest income was at least 4 billion won annually.

“Wow, look at the street trees. Those are beautiful.”

Gun-Ho thought that India probably had the most amazing roadside trees in the world. They were tall and fully grown trees just like Ginko trees in Yongmun Mountain in Korea. The streets in India were not very clean, but their streets were incredibly gorgeous. Indian people had dark complexions, and the streets were messy. Gun-Ho couldn’t have a good first impression of the country.

There were tons of signage stands standing on the street. Gun-Ho saw many Japanese signages among them, such as Toyota, Honda, and Toshiba. Korean signages were found as well—Hyundai and Samsung. When Gun-Ho saw Korean standing signboards, he felt good.

On the first day of the trip, the group visited Hyundai’s automobile manufacturing factory. A Ph.D. student from the University of Delhi came to interpret for them. That student interpreter spoke Hindi instead of English when he talked with the tour bus drivers. The Hyundai factory was clean. They said that working at Hyundai was considered one of the most enviable jobs among young Indian men. Visitors had to pass the security before entering the factory. There were barricades in place, and the young Indian security guards were controlling the access.

“Having a job with the Hyundai factory comes with lots of privileges and benefits. You can easily use the restaurants around the factory on credit. Also, if you are a single man, you would have a wide range of choice to select your bride.”

The tour guide described the high status of Hyundai in India as such.

Gun-Ho observed that the people in the management had fair skins while the workers in the production field had darker complexions. When Gun-Ho’s tour group walked out of the production field, the factory manager came to see them. The tour guide introduced Gun-Ho to him as the team leader of the group. Gun-Ho gave the factory manager the gift that KOTRA prepared.

After completing the business tour in Hyundai auto manufacturing factory, the tour group headed to Haryana in order to visit its vendor company’s factories. On the way there on the bus, one of the tour group members asked a question to the guide/interpreter, “Does India still have the caste system?”

“It’s banned by law. However, it is clearly still prevalent all over India. They still have four categories—Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and the Shudras. There is even an outcast category—the untouchables.”

“Really?”

“Even between the employees in the management of Hyundai factory, the ones who belong to Vaishyas don’t even try to challenge the people from Kshatriyas.”

The small company’s director person who was sitting next to Gun-Ho commented in response to the tour guide’s explanation, “This country is uncivilized and obviously outdated.”

The interpreter who was a Ph.D. student at the University of Delhi smiled icily, and said, “That’s not true. This country provides a better opportunity for people who are willing to climb up the economic ladder.”

“You just said that the caste system still exists.”

“They have a quota system which is applicable to the places in good colleges and good companies for each caste category. Therefore, you can find a prime minister and a CEO of a conglomerate, who belong to the low class—Shudras. On the other hand, it is extremely hard to become a prime minister or a CEO of a conglomerate in Korea if you were born into a poor family. In that respect, India’s system is more reasonable, and its door to the opportunity to be successful is widely open.

The small company’s director couldn’t argue further, and he didn’t ask a question anymore. Gun-Ho nodded his head.

The tour group visited two vendor companies of the Hyundai auto manufacturer in Haryana. While looking around them, Gun-ho asked questions like the lease price of their premises and their average sales revenue. Every place they visited was furnished with pamphlets, and many of them collected the pamphlets while Gun-Ho gave up on picking them up since they were heavy to carry around.

“Sir, you are not taking the pamphlets?”

“It’s okay. I’m good without them.”

The vendor companies in India were at various levels from the second vendor to the fourth vendor. Gun-Ho thought that the workers in a small company seemed to be working without enough support there.

On the second day, Gun-Ho woke up very early; it was strange. He walked out of the hotel to go jogging.

“I’m so jealous of their street trees. They are indeed huge. The circumference of one tree here looks ten times thicker than trees in Korea.”

Gun-Ho passed the trees and went into a village where lots of houses were standing. The path to the village and inside the village was paved with asphalt, but a very different scene was unfolded in front of Gun-Ho. There was a giant-sized dog that was as big as a calf that was lying on the street. A little girl, who wore neither a skirt nor pants, was urinating in the middle of the street. Gun-Ho didn’t go further into the village. He decided to just go back to the hotel. There were a lot of feces scattered on the street. Gun-Ho was not sure if there were humans’ or dogs’ or cows’.

“I could well step on those feces if I go further.”

The world inside the hotel and outside the hotel was two very different worlds.

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Chapter 479 - Business Tour in India (1) – Part 2

Chapter 479: Business Tour in India (1) – Part 2

That day, the business tour group visited a governmental office. It was either India’s Chamber of Commerce & Industry or the Small and Medium Business Administration. The workers there looked definitely cleaner and more elegant than the people on the street. The women there looked gorgeous and sophisticated. Inside the building was cool as well with the air conditioner while it was really hot outside.

“This meeting room is huge.”

“It seems that it could accommodate not only 25 but more than 30 people.”

A female staff member brought some cookies and tea. She had very long eyelashes, and she had a very exotic and impressive look. When the head of the office came into the meeting room, all of the Indian workers quickly stood up. While watching the workers’ attitude and manner toward their boss, Gun-Ho realized that the work environment in India must be authoritarian.

‘Having a good connection with a high-ranking official here must be very useful in doing business in this country.’

The head of the office with a tummy bulge started speaking. He certainly looked arrogant.

“Haryana, which is close to Delhi, is constantly growing, and we welcome foreign investment here.”

After giving a brief speech recommending an investment in Haryana, the head of the office left the meeting room abruptly. Because Gun-Ho missed the opportunity to give the gift to him due to his sudden leave, he left the gift with someone who looked like the second rank in the office.

The street was filled with people; it looked certainly overcrowded. People were selling a huge pancake on the street, which was the size of a tray. There were also many three-wheeled rickshaws seen, which seemed to be used as a taxi there. Gun-Ho heard constant honking of the vehicles that slithered their ways through the crowd.

“They just don’t quit honking.”

“That pancake looks delicious.”

Cows without a bridle were everywhere. They were just walking around on the street.

After lunch, they visited one more place. It was a small company with 200 employees. The business owner looked apparently tired.

“I opened this business just because the labor cost is cheap here.”

“How much cheaper is it?”

“In China, we need to pay at least 600,000 won per person considering the recent increase in the exchange rate. But here, we pay less than 200,000 won.”

“Hmm, that gives a big advantage to have a business here.”

“Moreover, the population below 25 years old takes up 47%. So, there are plenty of quality laborers.”

“What about the rent? How much do you pay for this factory?”

“India is a huge continent, but there are so many people too. So, the price of land is expensive, and it keeps increasing.”

Gun-Ho could see the feeling of solitude from the business owner’s face.

Gun-Ho handed the prepared gift to him and cheered him up.

“You are doing an incredible job here, far from your country. I truly mean it.”

“I just couldn’t see a better opportunity in Korea. I’ve been in India for five years now. I sometimes felt that I was beating my head against the wall. I just kept trying and worked hard.”

Gun-Ho recorded the data such as the factory rent, average labor cost, utility fees, etc. before walking out of the company.

‘If someone has to come here to work from Korea, he should come with his family. Being here by one’s self must be extremely hard.’

The country of India seemed to have a lot of opportunities since there were so many people, and the country hadn’t fully developed yet. The market that Gun-Ho would enter must be large.

On the third day, the group was guided to the famous tourist spot—Taj Mahal. It was located in Agra City. They headed to the southern part of Agra City by the tour bus. The road became narrower at some point, and it became a two-lane road.

“There is no white or yellow line on this road.”

“Whoa, it’s a camel. There is a camel.”

On the way, the group could spot camels loaded with cargo. A two-humped camel was so tall that it looked even more elegant compared to the wagon pulled by horses or cows. A group of camels proudly passed by the bus with large cargos on them.

“What is that? Is it a cat? Or is it a monkey?”

On the concrete fences of houses along the roadside, a few animals were jumping around. At first, they looked like cats, but they were actually monkeys.

“We haven’t arrived at our destination yet. I guess the Taj Mahal is far.”

“That’s because we can’t speed up.”

After three hours of driving, they finally arrived at the Taj Mahal. The mausoleum was being guarded by soldiers with guns. The construction of the mausoleum was built by the Mughal emperor in missing his queen.

On the way back from the Taj Mahal, Gun-Ho thought of various things on the bus.

‘Many Korean companies are already in India. There are Hyundai, Samsung, and their vendor companies. If GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea enters the market here, I at least won’t lose money. Egnopak’s president wants GH Mobile to expand its business here with them since it’s more useful for his business, rather than Dyeon Korea. However, President Song doesn’t think it’s a good idea for GH Mobile to expand its business at this point where we want to stabilize the company financially in order to successfully register with KOSDAQ. He strongly argued that we have to expand the business after we go public.

It is true that entering a new market will exhaust our funds in reserve. President Song’s opinion is very understandable because it’s very important to reduce our debt-ratio in order to go public successfully. However, Dyeon Korea has a different situation. It has no debt, and it has enough cash in reserve. If we want, we are more than ready to invest in a new market. Additionally, for Dyeon Korea, we need a sales company here, not a manufacturing factory, just like Dingding’s sales company in China. We will just need storage and an office space. It won’t require a substantial amount of investment funds. The only problem is transportation fees since we will have to ship the products from Korea to India. We won’t manufacture products here.’

Gun-Ho decided to skip the tour in Tamil Nadu; its capital was Chennai.

‘Factories there should be the same as the ones here. I don’t think I will see anything different or new.’

When Gun-Ho came back to Korea from his trip to India, he talked with President Song.

“It seems to be a good opportunity for us to enter the Indian market; however, it will cost us a lot. We will need to pay the security deposit for a factory in a lump sum, not to mention the cost of equipment. We will need at least 300 million won to start.”

“I agree with you. Egnopak has its own factory in Haryana already. They have experience in running a business there, but we are different. We will have to start from scratch with no experience in the Indian market and business environment specifically.”

“That’s true. It’s easy for them to open another factory in Chennai since they already have one in Haryana.”

“Are you going to tell Egnopak’s president that this is not a good time for GH Mobile to enter the market?”

“I think we shouldn’t give up the Indian market. It is definitely a rising hot market. I think that until we are ready, we can gain our expertise there.”

“I’m with you, sir.”

“Let’s send Dyeon Korea there first. We can send Dyeon Korea’s Interpreter Lee.”

“Interpreter Lee has extensive work experience in a company. I’m sure he will adjust well there. But, we want to give him a position at least as a manager. We are putting him back to the field where he used to work prior to his retirement, and usually, people want at least his last level of position before retirement.”

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Chapter 480 - Business Tour in India (2) – Part 1

Chapter 480: Business Tour in India (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was sitting in his office at Dyeon Korea, and he called for the interpreter— Mr. Lee.

“Please have a seat and have a cup of tea with me.”

“Of course, sir.”

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought tea to the president’s office. Ms. Seon-Hyeo Yee was the sister-in-law of a government official in Asan City. She could speak English. At the beginning of her employment, she was inept at work and sometimes made mistakes. But, she was handling her work very well now.

“How do you like your work so far, Mr. Interpreter Lee?”

“It’s good. I like it.”

“I understand that you have extensive work experience with a large company’s branch office abroad. Which countries had you worked at previously?”

“Usually, I had worked in the U.S. Also, I had been to Malaysia and Europe. Mostly, I had stayed in countries where English is an official language.”

“You retired when you were 53 years old which is such a young age to retire. You probably didn’t intend to end your career that early, right?”

“No I didn’t, but I didn’t really have a choice. If I miss the chance to promote at that time, I would have to quit anyway, and I had to compete with someone who was the company chairman’s good friend’s brother.”

“His friend’s brother? That could affect the promotion decision?”

“Even though the chairman didn’t directly indicate that he wanted to promote that person specifically, the CEO at that time gave me pressure and unreasonable hardship so I could quit voluntarily.”

“How did he do that?”

“He relocated me to the countryside, and he also placed me to a position where I had to work under the supervision of a person who was junior to me. When I made even a small mistake, he treated me like I was an incompetent total loser and made sure that everyone knew it. It was extremely hard to stand all those unfairness. All other executive officers sided with the CEO, and no one tried to speak up for me. Eventually, I quit with a severance package of 10-month worth pay.”

“Hmm, I see. I’m sure you are a competent and capable worker. It’s a shame that you had to quit your last job like that.”

“After quitting the job, I spent some time taking a rest before taking the position with a publishing company. I started as a translator of business management books. The publishing company liked the fact that I had work experience with business. I worked for President Jeong-Sook Shin in translating two books.”

“You haven’t worked for another company in the field?”

“No, I haven’t. Well, I couldn’t find a job in the field because most companies are reluctant to hire someone at my age. I actually applied for two positions, but haven’t heard anything from them, not even a chance for an interview. So, when I had a chance to work for Dyeon Korea, I was so excited, and I do enjoy working here. My wife is happy for me too.”

As he spoke, Interpreter Lee gave Gun-Ho a wary look. He thought that maybe Gun-Ho was asking him all these questions in order to terminate his employment. He had a bit of victim mentality because of his unfair experience with his previous employment.

“Please have some tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

After taking a sip of his tea, Gun-Ho continued to talk.

“Would you accept it if I offer a full-time position with Dyeon Korea?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your current position with Dyeon Korea is a temporary one. Why don’t you work with us as a full-time employee?”

“I would love to, sir. If I could have the opportunity, I am ready to devote my time and energy to the work here.”

“I’m planning to expand our market to India. We are not opening a manufacturing facility there at this time, but we will open a sales office there.”

“So, the sales office wouldn’t be a joint venture, but it would be a subsidiary company.”

“That’s right. Since one of India’s national languages is English, if you could work there, that would be great.”

“I definitely love to take the position. I won’t disappoint you.”

“You have proved your competency and capability on your current job duty as an interpreter, but to be honest with you, I have no idea about your ability in business. You used to work as a manager in a branch office abroad, so we will also put you on a manager position as well, as a start. You will have your opportunity to make your way up to a higher position.”

“Th… thank you, sir.”

“I’ve been hearing the recommendation to hire you as our full-time employee from several people here, including Director Kim, Mr. Adam Castler, and President Jang-Hwan Song. Especially, President Song was very serious about having you as our employee.”

“I am very grateful.”

“And, I was the one who turned down the recommendation so far. I didn’t want to take you as our full-time employee because I believe that once a person quit his job before, there is a high chance that he wouldn’t be loyal to his next employer as much as he was to his first employer. That’s because that person would be skeptical about his job security all the time. He would probably think that this employer would eventually let him go just like the previous employer did to him. If you don’t fall into that typical category, I will guarantee your job security until you reach the proper retirement age.”

“Th… thank you, sir. I don’t know what to say. I will do my best not to disappoint you.”

“In addition to the job security, I will guarantee your promotion opportunity as well as corresponding to your work performance.”

“Thank you. As a matter of fact, many presidents are good at power games within the organization; however, I know that business owner presidents like you, Mr. President Goo, usually put the company first before the ongoing power game. I’m so grateful and encouraged by the owner president’s guarantee on my position here.”

“Okay then. I will proceed with my job offer then.”

Interpreter Lee gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho and left the office.

Gun-Ho called for Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler. This time, he asked Secretary Seon-Hye Yee to interpret for him.

“As you are well aware, I went on a trip to India, arranged by GH Mobile. I’ve decided to let Dyeon Korea get into the Indian market before GH Mobile. This is the right timing for us. We will start with a sales company there since having a manufacturing facility there would cost a substantial amount of investment funds.”

Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler nodded their heads.

“As a start, I want to get a storage and an office space in either Delhi or Chennai, India, just like Dingding’s sales company in China. In China, we purchased its storage space, but this time, we want to lease a premises in India for storage. It will cost us less than 100 million won.”

As Gun-Ho continued to talk, Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler were busy making a note of what he said.

“So, I’m thinking of sending Mr. Interpreter Lee to our future office in India after hiring him as our full-time employee.”

Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler lifted their heads and looked at Gun-Ho’s face.

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Chapter 481 - Business Tour in India (2) – Part 2

Chapter 481: Business Tour in India (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued to talk to Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler about his plan sending Mr. Interpreter Lee to India.

“Mr. Lee used to work in a branch office abroad of a large company, and he oversaw the business there. I believe he would do an amazing job there. I just talked with Mr. Lee about this. Both of you— Director Dong-Chan Kim and Mr. Vice President Adam Castler— have constantly been talking to me about hiring Mr. Lee as an employee.”

“That’s right, sir. I think he will be an asset to our company.”

Mr. Adam Castler and Director Kim seemed to be satisfied that their recommendation was accepted by Gun-Ho.

“Mr. Lee had worked in an overseas branch office manager with a level of manager position, so I think it’s fair that he starts with us with the same level of position. Do you all agree with me on this?”

“Of course, sir.”

“I’m with you.”

“When we negotiated the terms for the joint venture with Dyeon America in the beginning, they promised Dyeon Korea an exclusive right to sell the products in the entire Asia. I strongly recommend Mr. Adam Castler visiting our sales company in China in the near future along with India.”

“Okay, sir. I will do that.”

“And, since Mr. Lee won’t be able to interpret for you any longer, I will have another person assigned for your interpretation work. I will select one among our new hires.”

Director Kim chipped in.

“In the beginning of Dyeon Korea, we hired two workers who speak English fluently. One of them is working in a trading team, and the other is in the sales team. I think we can have one of them to work with Mr. Adam Castler to interpret for him. Their English pronunciation is actually better than Mr. Interpreter Lee’s, maybe because they are younger.”

“Let’s have either of them take dual duties. They can still do his work in the same team that they currently belong to while doing interpretation work for Mr. Adam Castler. Mr. Adam Castler, since you are the one who will closely work with one of them, it’s up to you who to pick between the two candidates.”

Mr. Adam Caslter chose the one from the trading team without hesitation. And he said, “Please assign me Mr. Kim from the trading team. He speaks English very very well.”

Director Kim laughed and said, “I think Mr. Adam Castler hadn’t completely felt comfortable working with Mr. Lee. Mr. Interpreter Lee is excellent at his work, but he is way older than Mr. Adam Castler, so it wasn’t probably easy for Mr. Adam Castler to ask him to do some additional work for him like running an errand. On the other hand, Mr. Kim from the trading team is only 30 years old. I think he could better assist Mr. Adam Castler in that sense.”

“How about Mr. Kim’s work performance in the trading team?”

“He is good. He is from a good family. He is positive and pleasant to be around. Don’t you think, Ms. Seon-Hye Yee?”

Director Kim threw the question to Secretary Seon-Hye Yee who was there for the interpretation work. Director Kim was teasing her for some reason.

“Ye… Yes, of course, sir.”

Gun-Ho noticed that Seon-Hye blushed.

Gun-Ho called for Assistant Manager Seon-Hong Park from the general affairs department. After a moment, he entered the president’s office with his notebook.

“Please write this down.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We are hiring Mr. Jong-Geun Lee as a full-time employee, who is currently working for the interpretation work in connection with Mr. Adam Castler. We will give him a manager position, and he will be relocated to the office in India as a branch manager there. He will be dispatched to India on July 1st.”

“Yes, sir.”

It didn’t even take 30 minutes for the general affairs team’s assistant manager to bring the approval form for the new hire. Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler already signed it. Once Gun-Ho signed it, the official announcement of the new hire was sent to each department, and the news was posted on the bulletin board.

The workers gathered in front of the bulletin board and started talking.

“We will have an office in India, huh?”

“Yeah. Mr. Lee was not an employee here? It seems he is joining us as a new hire.”

It was lunchtime. Gun-Ho wanted to eat outside with Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler.

“Where to go for lunch today?”

Gun-Ho recalled nice restaurants that he saw when he was driving on the road in the direction to Yoogu Town, Gongju City from Oeam Folk Village in Oeam Town, Asan City after Gwangdeok Mountain.

“I think I saw very good restaurants in the area. One of them was located near a police station there.”

As he thought of the location near a police station, he thought of the chief of police in Asan City.

“I think maybe I should ask Mr. Chief of Police of Asan City to join me for lunch today since the restaurant is in the area. I have been thinking about contacting him since I ran across him at the funeral the other day, of Assistant Commissioner Park’s mother from the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University. I wonder if he would join me for lunch though since he is a government official. I will just call him and find out.”

Gun-Ho made a call.

“I’d like to talk to Mr. Chief of Police, please.”

“May I tell him who’s calling?”

The person, who picked up the phone, sounded young, so he shouldn’t be the chief of police.

“I’m the president of a joint venture company with a foreign firm, in Asan City.”

“I’m sorry? Could you say that again?”

“Please tell him that the president of Dyeon Korea— a joint venture company with a foreign firm— would like to talk with him.”

“Please give me a second.”

After a moment, Gun-Ho could hear a man’s deep voice.

“Hello?”

“Hi. This is Dyeon Korea’s president. We met at the funeral of Assistant Commissioner Park’s mother last month.”

“Oh, the joint venture with a foreign company?”

“That’s correct. I will be in the area around lunchtime today. I wonder if you would join me for lunch.”

“We have a restaurant in the police station.”

“Our joint venture’s vice president is an American. I would appreciate it if you could talk to him about the safety of the area while having lunch with us. It will give us good comfort once we talk with you in person. Please allow me to treat you.”

“As a government employee, I should be very careful with things like this. As you are aware of the Kim Young-ran Act— the anti-graft law, even one-time lunch could be put under strict scrutiny.”

“It’s just lunch. I think it should be fine. I will be with our American vice president.”

“Where do we meet?”

“I’m not very familiar with the area. A quiet restaurant will do.”

“Well, then let’s meet at the Korean restaurant called Daehwasan. It’s on the road towards Asan Maengssi Haengdan.”

“Sounds good. We will be there by noon.”

Gun-Ho asked Mr. Adam Castler and Director Kim to have lunch with him that day.

“We are going to a Korean restaurant around Daehwa Mountain. It’s close to the historical landmark— Maengssi Haengdan.”

“Are we going that far for lunch?”

“Asan City’s chief of police will join us.”

“A chief of police, sir?”

Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler looked at each other; they looked puzzled.

“He wants to assure that Asan City is a safe city, with the foreign vice president— Mr. Adam Castler. Let’s have lunch together.”

Gun-Ho’s party arrived at the restaurant a little past noon because of the traffic on the road. The chief of police was waiting for them at the restaurant entrance. It seemed that he just arrived there too. When Gun-Ho’s Bentley arrived, the chief of police looked at the vehicle wondering if that was Gun-Ho’s.

“Hello, Mr. Chief of Police. It’s good to see you.”

“Oh, hi. How have you been?”

“This is Mr. Adam Castler. He is our vice president of the joint venture company.”

“How do you do?”

The chief of police had a handshake with Mr. Adam Castler.

Gun-Ho introduced the chief of police to Mr. Adam Castler while they were having a handshake.

“This is the chief of police in this area— Asan City.”

Once Mr. Adam Castler realized who he was having a handshake with, he firmly held the chief of police’s hand. Gun-Ho also introduced Director Kim and Interpreter Lee to the chief of police.

“This is our joint venture’s director.”

“And this is the branch manager of our office in India. He is here to interpret for Mr. Adam Castler.”

The chief of police was not alone either. He was with a man who looked like he was in his 40s.

“This is the head of the foreign affairs section of our police office.”

The Korean restaurant was neat and classy. Since its location was far from a city, it was not crowded at all.

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Chapter 482 - Wood carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (1) – Part 1

Chapter 482: Wood carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was conversing with the chief of police in Asan City in a restaurant.

“I want to thank you for coming to our building dedication ceremony when Dyeon Korea opened its business. So many people came to the ceremony, and I just didn’t have a chance to meet all of my guests.”

“That’s totally understandable. Having a joint venture company in our precinct is one of the most celebrating things to us. The company is contributing to the community by hiring people. I appreciate that.”

“Mr. Adam Castler, who is sitting next to me, must be happy today since the chief of police, who is in charge of the safety and security of the area, is paying attention to our company.”

The chief of police officer said to Mr. Adam Castler, “Have you ever felt discomfort or even a little concern about your safety while you are staying in Korea?”

“No, not at all.”

The chief of police gave his business card to everyone at the table including Mr. Adam Castler, Gun-Ho, Director Kim, and Mr. Interpreter Lee. And they gave their business cards to the chief of police and the head of the foreign affairs section of the police office, who came with the chief of police.

“We ran into each other at the funeral of Mr. Assistant Commissioner’s mother last month. How do you know Mr. Assistant Commissioner?”

“I’m taking a course with him at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University.”

“Oh, I see. I actually used to work for him as a chief investigation officer when he was the chief of police. He is a good man.”

“Would you like to have beer? You know, a drink with a meal.”

“No, but thank you for asking though. I’m still on duty. Please feel comfortable to have a drink, President Goo, and Mr. Vice President.”

“This restaurant is nice. I like it here.”

“It is, right? We come here sometimes.”

The chief of police said to Gun-Ho while filling Gun-Ho’s empty glass with beer, “If you happen to witness any violent act in your factory, or if there is any reason that you are concerned about your foreigner vice president’s safety, just let me know. We will take care of it. That’s our job.”

As Mr. Interpreter Lee translated what the chief of police just said, to Mr. Adam Castler, Mr. Castler looked satisfied. He extended his hand to the chief of police for another handshake to show his appreciation.

After lunch with the chief of police, Gun-Ho came back to his office. He felt sleepy though, probably because of a few glasses of beer that he had during lunch. He was dozing off in his office when he received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim from China.

“I talked with the appraisers about the Dingding’s storage. They said that they wouldn’t be able to make the appraisal of 450 million won, but the maximum that they could give is 380 Korean won.”

“Hmm, really?”

“So, I told them that we really need at least 400 million won stated in the appraisal. Since the value of the real property will increase anyway next year considering raised taxes and stuff, 400 million won should be reasonable. So, we got the appraisal stating its value is 400 million won.”

“Really? Good job. I need you to mail the relevant documents to us. I will give you the list of things we need. Can you write this down?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

“I need the original appraisal made by the Chinese appraisal committee that earned public trust, that shows the value of the land is 400 million won; the approval of land use issued by the people’s committee of Suzhou City, China; a copy of the business registration; the receipt or any document from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China showing the initial investment fund of 100,000 dollars that I sent when the business started; the list of the clients for the past three months. Please mail these documents to Dyeon Korea addressing Mr. Adam Castler.”

“No problem. I will do that.”

“For the clients that the company had business with for the past three months, please attach a copy of the corresponding tax invoices. Also, make the list using Excel and add the rate of sale percentage for each client.”

“Understood.”

“There is one more thing. Please go to the accountant’s office and ask for an ownership transfer form of a business entity. If you can get an English version, that will be great.”

“Got it.”

Mr. Adam Castler included three matters in his weekly report to his head office.

[This is the weekly report on Dyeon Korea.

The sales company in China was established with President Gun-Ho Goo’s personal funds, and I’m confirming that Dyeon Korea will acquire it. Accordingly, I requested them the following documents. (1) A copy of business license issued by the Chinese government; (2) Deposit receipt of the initial investment funds from their major bank; (3) The appraisal on the land that they are using for their warehouse; (4) The list of their clients along with the sales ledger for the recent three months.

It was agreed by both parties that they will form a sales company in India. Mr. Jong-Geun Lee, who has been interpreting for me, will be sent to the office to oversee the sales activity and daily operation. The initial investment fund is determined to be 100,000 dollars. A warehouse will be leased instead of being purchased.

I had lunch with President Gun-Ho Goo along with the chief of police of the station in the area where Dyeon Korea is located. I’ve observed that President Gun-Ho Goo’s capital strength and reputation in the area is good.]

Gun-Ho went to work at his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. Director Kang and the accounting manager were at their desk, but Gun-Ho didn’t see Assistant Ji-Young Jeong and Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Where are the two ladies? Ms. Ji-Young Jeong and Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh?”

“I will call them. I think they are on the 17th floor.”

“17th floor?”

“GH Media is full of lady workers. So, our office ladies often go there to have fun.”

“Aren’t they supposed to be at their desks during the work hours?”

Director Kang called Assistant Ji-Young Jeong and Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh right away.

“Please get back to the office quickly. President Goo is here.”

Assistant Manager Jeong and Secretary Oh came up to the office quickly.

“I’m so sorry, sir.”

“Please use your lunchtime to have fun at the 17th floor.”

Assistant Manager Jeong and Yeon-Soo Oh lowered their heads while standing in front of Gun-Ho.

“Can you bring me a cup of green tea and a newspaper?”

“Of course, sir.”

The two ladies started moving like an arrow. They brought a cup of green tea and a morning newspaper to Gun-Ho in no time.

Around 10 am, President Jeong-Sook Shin visited Gun-Ho’s office from her office downstairs.

“We placed an advertisement online for our costume play event and indicated that the event is hosted by GH Media. We stated that the winner of the event will be eligible to participate in another costume play event in Japan. That certainly drew people’s attention.”

“Did you indicate that the event will be held in Yeouido Island?”

“Actually, we changed the venue. I understand that we initially planned to hold the event at Yeouido Park, but it seems the place is too large, so it could easily make the participants get lost on the way. So, we changed the venue to SETEC at Hangnyeoul Station.

“Hangyeoul Station is close to my home at TowerPalace. It’s only two stops away. I will visit it.”

“The event will be held on Saturday and Sunday. Since it’s on weekends, I asked Assistant Ji-Young Jeong and Yeon-Soo Oh to help us with the event because we certainly need more hands. I will pay them of course.”

“Oh, that’s why they often spend time in your office downstairs.”

“Right. We were arranging the work for the event. I guess you, sir, reprimanded them for visiting our office on the 17th floor, huh? Hahaha.”

“I didn’t reprimand them; I just tell them to use their lunchtime to have fun in your office.”

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Chapter 483 - Wood Carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (1) – Part 2

Chapter 483: Wood Carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin continued to converse.

“I’m going to Japan the day after tomorrow to visit Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition. I’m leaving by an early morning flight and come back to Korea on the same day in the evening.”

“Is Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda going with you?”

“No, but we will meet in Tokyo and go to the exhibition together. He will stay there for several days. Since he is now working with us as a freelance journalist, he wants to discuss some business with Japanese costume play magazine, and he also wants to stop by his home there.”

“I was told that his home is in Tokyo.”

“That’s right. I’m not sure where in Tokyo, but he said he is living in Tokyo.”

“I’m leaving for Tokyo tomorrow as well. Let’s meet up in Yokohama City. I will introduce Mr. Sakata Ikuzo to you.”

“Oh, you have a business trip to Tokyo scheduled for tomorrow, I see. Well, sure I will see you in Yokohama the day after tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Young-Eun to let her know about his business trip to Japan. He didn’t want her to speculate about the trip.

[My business trip to Tokyo is scheduled tomorrow. I am meeting with the world-renowned engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo— to discuss some business about mold design. He is also holding a wood carving art exhibition there. I will visit his art exhibition as well. If you have time, I’d love to go with you. President Shin will be there as well. She will meet with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo to discuss the possibility of his art exhibition in Korea.]

Young-Eun replied.

[I don’t think I will be able to make time for it. Have a safe trip.]

After verifying that Young-Eun wouldn’t come to Tokyo, Gun-Ho sent a text message to Mori Aikko.

[I’m going to Tokyo tomorrow for a business trip.]

Gun-Ho received a call from Seukang Li in Shanghai, China.

“I was told that people from Antang City are coming to Korea for a tour on terminals.”

“Yeah. I received a call from Antang City’s deputy mayor the other day about it. The deputy mayor is not coming, but the director of Antang City’s transportation department and the president of the terminals will be here.”

“That sounds more practical. You should expect to have at least four people then. They will come with their assistants.”

“If they happen to come to visit me after the tour, I will make sure that they have a good time in Korea.”

“So, you made your decision to invest in the terminal project?”

“I’m still thinking.”

“Yeah, it’s very you. You are always careful and take your time to think through before making any decision. I remember that you took a long time when you made your decision to invest in the industrial complex in Jinxi Town.”

“Of course. I will have to put my money into it. I have to think about a lot of things.”

“The terminal project is public investment. You might not hit the jackpot by doing it, but I’m pretty sure that you won’t lose money. When the transportation department issues a license to run the bus service, they do their own homework, especially about the supply capacity. They are careful in issuing the license.”

“Of course.”

“By the way, I have something that I’d like to discuss with you. Do you have any plans to visit China anytime soon?”

“What is it?”

“Remember that I talked to you about a production company business of soap operas? I told you that there are, of course, large production companies in China, but there are also small production companies here.”

“Yeah, I remember that.”

“Is it a good time to talk? It might take time.”

“Sure, go on.”

“Among those small production companies, Shanghai TV made a contract with one of them to produce a soap opera that would be made with 40 episodes.”

“Hmm.”

“They have shot 10 episodes so far. But the thing is that their investor recently withdrew from the contract. President Goo, are you interested in taking it over?”

“Nah. I don’t think I have enough funds to invest in Antang City’s terminal project and the production company.”

“Is there anyone you know who might be interested in it?”

“There should be tons of wealthy people in China, who would be interested in investing in it. Why do you need a foreign investor? I understand that Antang City wants to bring a foreign investor for their public service project in order to show that they successfully brought foreign investment money in the community. However, producing a soap opera is a different business. They don’t care whose money they use, but they just need to succeed, right?”

“The problem is that the Chinese investors usually want to take over the production company itself even though the ownership or operating right is not on the table. They just want an investor who would invest in a soap opera that they are producing and share the profits. The investors are not invited to jointly own or manage the production company.”

“Well, I don’t know what to say for now. Let’s talk after I get back from Japan. I’m going on a business trip to Japan tomorrow. I will be back after a few days.”

“Didn’t you just come back from India? You are going on another business trip overseas? Man, you are indeed an international businessman.”

“Let’s discuss further about the production company investment after I return from Japan.”

“Sounds good. Bon voyage.”

Gun-Ho arrived in Japan.

When he thought of meeting Mori Aikko, his heart started beating hard. He actually enjoyed sleeping with Mori Aikko better than with Young-Eun. Mori Aikko knew how to please her man. Gun-Ho felt more comfortable with Mori Aikko since he didn’t have to lead all the time. Gun-Ho sent a text to Mori Aikko.

[I just arrived in Tokyo. I’m heading to downtown right now.]

A reply arrived.

[I’m waiting for you.]

“Huh? Is she home?”

Maybe she took a day off after she learned that Gun-Ho would visit her today. Gun-Ho headed to the condo in Daikanyama, Shibuya.

“I should get her something like a present. I don’t want to go see her with me empty-handed.”

Gun-Ho got off at Shibuya Station, and he took the exit towards Hachiko. He then entered the Ichi Malukyu shopping mall.

“What should I get for her?”

When Gun-Ho picked a bright-colored t-shirt and a handbag, he received a text from Mori Aikko.

[Where are you right now? Come quick.]

[I’m at the Ichi Malukyu shopping plaza. I want to get something for you.]

[Just come home. I don’t have much time. I can’t stay home longer.]

[You have to go somewhere?]

Gun-Ho quickly paid for those two items that he picked, and he took a taxi.

Gun-Ho finally arrived at the condo in Daikanyama. He entered the condo after putting a passcode at the door. Mori Aikko was sitting on the sofa. She was fully dressed up.

“Mori Aikko!”

“Oppa!”

“I missed you so much! You have no idea how much I missed you!”

Gun-Ho abruptly hugged Mori Aikko and pressed his lips against her small lips.

“What took you so long to come home?”

“Are you going somewhere? To where? Why are you dressed up like this?”

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Chapter 484 - Wood carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (2) – Part 1

Chapter 484: Wood carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (2) – Part 1

Mori Aikko said in a subdued voice, “I have to go to Sapporo City.”

“What for? Are you going there to see your grandmother?”

Mori Aikko nodded her head.

“I’m already late. I wanted to see you before leaving for the airport. I have to go now.”

“Let’s go. I will take you to the airport. Which airport are you heading to? Is it Narita International Airport? Or Haneda Airport?”

“Haneda…”

Gun-Ho picked up Mori Aikko’s luggage and walked out of the condo. When Gun-Ho couldn’t find any cab around the condo complex, he called for one.

“In the cab, Mori Aikko leaned on Gun-Ho’s shoulder without saying a word. Gun-Ho swept a few strands of her hair and held her small hands.

“Ganbare mashou (Cheer up)!”

Mori Aikko smiled weakly.

Gun-Ho noticed that Mori Aikko kept checking the time with her watch; she was probably worried about missing the flight. Gun-Ho was 15 years older than her, and in his eyes, Mori Aikko always looked cute whatever she did. He felt an urge to kiss her on the cheek, but he suppressed that urge since they were not alone in the cab. As a matter of fact, the taxi driver seemed to be curious about the relationship of his customers who were sitting in the rear seat. He kept glancing at them through the rear-view mirror.

Fortunately, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko arrived at the airport on time.

“Have a safe trip.”

“Oppa.”

Mori Aikko threw herself into Gun-Ho’s arms. Gun-Ho tapped her back.

“Take care of yourself, okay? And just call me if you need me.”

“I’m sorry.”

Gun-Ho took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“You might need this for medical bills and stuff.”

Mori Aikko again smiled weakly. She took the envelope and put it in her purse.

After seeing off Mori Aikko at Haneda Airport, Gun-Ho came back to Tokyo. He was thinking of taking a nap in the condo in Daikanyama where no one would be, and then he decided to stay in the New Otani hotel. After checking in to the hotel, Gun-Ho walked out to the street.

He thought of going to the Korean restaurant that President Choi was running, for a second, and when he realized that it was too early for dinner, he decided to spend some time at Roppongi Hills which was in a close distance from Akasaka. He went into a shopping mall and started window shopping.

“I want to buy a present for President Ji-Yeon Choi. She had been helping me a lot, and I don’t feel like I have shown her my appreciation to her properly”

Gun-Ho picked a pearl necklace which was popular among middle-aged women.

Gun-Ho arrived at Ms. Choi’s restaurant around 7 pm. President Choi was not there. Instead, someone else was sitting at the cashier’s counter.

“Is President Choi not coming today?”

“She will. Is she expecting you?”

“No. I just came from Korea, and I was wondering if I could see her today.”

After sitting at a table, Gun-Ho ordered a bowl of beef bone soup. It seemed that a few international students were occupying the table behind Gun-Ho. They were eating Japanese beef—Wagyu. Hearing them singing the ‘happy birthday to you’ song, Gun-Ho thought that it must be someone’s birthday at that table.

“Whoa! President Goo! To what do I owe this pleasure?”

When Gun-Ho lifted his head, the restaurant owner—Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi—was standing in front of his table. She was wearing a colorful dress.

“A friend of mine is having his wood carving art exhibition in an art gallery in Yokohama City. I came to visit his exhibition.”

“Did you see Mori Aikko?”

“Yes, I did. She left for Sapporo City today.”

“Sapporo City?”

“Her grandmother is in the hospital.”

“Oh, I see.”

“You will spend the night alone then. Are you going back to the condo in Daikanyama?”

“No. I already checked into the New Otani hotel.”

“Well, staying there will cost you, but I think it’s better that way. Since you are a married man now, you should be good to your wife.”

“Haha. I’m doing good to my wife.”

“You should try harder.”

“I stopped by Roppongi Hills before coming here, and I bought this necklace for you.”

Gun-Ho gave a small box wrapped with a ribbon to President Choi.

“Oh, wow. Thank you, but why do you give this to me? You should give it to your wife, or to Mori Aikko.”

“Haha. This necklace would look good on a middle-aged lady. You’ve been helping me a lot, and I feel like I haven’t done much for you in return.”

“Don’t say that. Thank you so much.”

President Choi made a call to someone.

“Mama-san?”

Mama-san? She was probably calling Mama-san Segawa Joonkko.

“President Gun-Ho Goo is here.”

“What? Are you asking if President Goo met Mori Aikko? Yeah, they met. But, Aikko had to leave for Sapporo City because her grandmother is ill. President Goo took her to the airport.”

President Choi and Mama-san talked for a while over the phone before ending the call. They talked in Japanese really fast.

“Did you just talk with Mama-san? What did she say?”

“She wants to thank you for coming to see Mori Aikko at the right time.”

“Is that it?

“Mori Aikko is having a hard time these days. She is having an issue with the Taiwanese movie shooting. The leading actor, who is from Hong Kong, got off from the movie after arguing about the payment.”

“What would happen then?”

“Since they stopped filming, for now, that will affect Mori Aikko who is just one of the supporting actresses. Did you give her some money when you saw her off earlier, so she has something to use for transportation or any expenses?”

“Yes, a little bit.”

President Choi smiled broadly and said, “That’s why Mama-san loves the fact that Mori Aikko is seeing you, President Goo.”

“Is Mori Aikko having a financial hardship?”

“She might as well face it if she doesn’t get paid by the film production company. She gave up all other dance performance opportunities to be part of that movie. Mama-san is probably not satisfied with Mori Aikko’s situation either since she can’t make money from Mori Aikko. That’s understandable given the fact that she invested a lot of money in growing her geishas including Mori Aikko.”

Gun-Ho thought that he should have given more money to Mori Aikko earlier.

The next day, Gun-Ho headed to Yokohama City. After getting off at Minatomirai Station, Gun-Ho went to the art gallery.

There was a huge banner of Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition.

“The exhibition is being held on the second floor, I see. I’m supposed to meet with President Jeong-Sook Shin and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda here at noon. I wonder if they are here already.”

Gun-Ho walked up to the second floor. At the entrance, President Jeong-Sook Shin and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda were conversing.

“President Shin!”

“Oh, you are here, sir.”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, long time no see.”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda.

“Why are you standing here? Why don’t you go inside?”

“Haha. We’ve already had a round. It’s really good. I’ve never seen art pieces like those before. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda said he was amazed as well.”

“Well, let me have my tour then.”

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Chapter 485 - Wood carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (2) – Part 2

Chapter 485: Wood carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho took a round at Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s art exhibition. A dragonfly and a butterfly were sitting on the grass. There were tens of dragonflies and butterflies sitting on a tree branch as well; Gun-Ho indeed couldn’t tell whether they were real or wood-carved figures.

“The painter—Solgeo—painted a huge pine tree on the wall at the Hwangryong Temple during Later Silla. And, there is a story that a bird tried to sit on that tree painted on the wall thinking that it was a real tree, and ended up hitting itself against the wall. I guess Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s dragonfly and butterfly would create the same effect once we put them outside. These will certainly attract the birds that are looking for food.”

There were more than dragonflies and butterflies. Gun-Ho saw all kinds of insects and animals including a cricket, a grasshopper, a frog, and small birds. Gun-Ho couldn’t close his mouth because they look incredibly real. When Gun-Ho finished his round and came to the entrance door, President Shin laughed and said, “How was it?”

“It’s unbelievable.”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda read a review of this art exhibition in a newspaper. It said Mr. Sakata Ikuzo had the hand of God.”

“I agree with whoever wrote that review.”

“We do think so too.”

“Oh, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo will be here. We will have lunch with him. If you want to discuss any business with him, this is your chance to do so.”

“Okay, sir.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo arrived. He was wearing a white fedora hat. He was skinny, and he looked stubborn with his firmly closed small lips. President Shin whispered into Gun-Ho’s ear in a low voice, “He definitely looks like a master artisan who would focus on only one thing. He looks so stubborn.”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.”

“Thank you for coming, Mr. President Goo.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo and Gun-Ho had a handshake.

“This is President Jeong-Sook Shin. She is running an art gallery in Korea.”

“Oh, hello. Pleasure to meet you.”

President Shin and Mr. Sakata Ikuzo had a handshake.

“This is Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda. He used to work as a correspondent for a newspaper. Now he is working with GH Media as a freelance journalist.”

“Hajimemashite (Nice to meet you).”

“Oh, you are Japanese.”

“It’s almost lunchtime. Shall we go for lunch?”

“I know a very good restaurant around here—Minatomirai. They use only organic ingredients for their dishes. Let’s have lunch there.”

Gun-Ho’s party followed Mr. Sakata Ikuzo to a restaurant. They indeed offered various dishes with organic vegetables only.

During lunch, Gun-Ho said, “I really enjoyed your artworks, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. They were incredible.”

President Shin and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda agreed with Gun-Ho enthusiastically.

“I was shocked by looking at your art pieces, sir.”

“As a newspaper commented, you have a divine skill.”

“I’m so flattered. I didn’t get any formal education about the arts. I just carved things as I pleased. I’m so glad that you enjoyed my artworks.”

“Do you have any plans for another art exhibition in another city?”

“Yes. I will have one in Osaka City and another one in Nagoya City.”

“We’d like to host your art exhibition in Korea. I guess we will have to wait until the one in Nagoya City is complete.”

“I guess so. If I have a chance to have an art exhibition in Korea, that would have to be after mid-August.”

“Why don’t we make a contract today about the exhibition in Korea since we are all here anyway?”

“I greatly appreciate your interest in my wood-carved figures. I am actually an engineer who carves a mold. Wood carving was just my hobby.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho chipped in to elaborate on Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s specifications.

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is the world-renowned engineer in carving a mold. His brother is actually a Nobel Prize winner in physics, and he is a professor of engineering at Tokyo University.

“Oh, really? I guess your family has the gene for being a world-renowned engineer.”

That day, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo signed the contract for having an art exhibition in Korea with President Shin.

President Shin and Yoshitake Matsuda wanted to meet with the director of Yokohama art gallery and also the director of Tokyo art director before returning to Korea. President Shin said she wanted to work with art galleries in Japan for future art exhibitions in GH Art Gallery in Korea, rather than working with an individual artist, from now on. Gun-Ho came back to Korea after lunch since it was pointless staying in Tokyo where Mori Aikko was not present.

Gun-ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Mr. Adam Castler.

“I’ve received documents from Dingding’s sales company. The company acquisition form requires both you and me to sign the contract. Please come and sign the contract.”

“Did you finish verifying all those documents?”

“Yes, I did. I didn’t see any anomalies. And, after signing the contract, I need to go visit the sales company for inspection. I can leave tomorrow.”

“Of course, you probably need to see the storage space in person. You will have to verify the size of the land. I will leave now for Dyeon Korea.”

Gun-Ho called for Chan-Ho Eum.

“Hey, we need to go to Asan City today.”

“I thought we were supposed to go to the building in Sinsa Town today.”

“I need to take care of something in Dyeon Korea.”

“Okay, sir. I will be waiting for you at the entrance.”

Whenever Chan-Ho parked at the entrance of Gun-Ho’s condo building, the security guard always came out from his office and opened the building door for Gun-Ho. And, other residents, who were passing by, often glanced at Gun-Ho. As Gun-Ho got into his Bentley, the security guard gave a military salute to him.

When Gun-Ho’s Bentley entered an expressway, Gun-Ho said, “Chan-Ho, I guess we will have to eat on the way, maybe at the rest area.”

“No problem, sir. Rest areas offer various dishes these days. They even have a buffet restaurant.”

When they were passing by Giheung District after passing a tollgate, Chan-Ho said while looking at Gun-Ho through the rear-view mirror, “Sir, while you were away in Tokyo, I’ve met Tae-Young bro.”

“Oh, you did? How is he doing these days?”

“He is experiencing some struggles, but he is doing fine overall. When I gave him the liquor from China, that you asked me to give to him, he looked so excited.”

“Really?”

“He asked everyone from his security company to come and had dinner together in a Chinese restaurant along with the liquor.”

“Haha, you did?”

“That Chinese restaurant owner told Tae-Young bro that that bottle of liquor cost at least 250,000 won in Korea. Tae-Young bro became even more excited.”

“Haha, really?”

“Also, I gave the cigarettes to him that you bought for us. He shared them with the workers of his company stating that it’s a gift from Chan-Ho from his trip to China.”

“Hmm, so Tae-Young didn’t take them for himself, but he shared them with his workers.”

“He does care about his workers. He always put his workers before himself.”

“Hmm, he is good.”

“I also told them about all kinds of food I had in China like snake meat. When I talked about Shanghai and the area where China’s ethnic minorities are living, they all were so jealous of me.”

“Hmm, really?’

“I also talked to them about lunch with the chief of police in Asan City before your trip to Japan, and I told them that you seem to be close with the chief of police and also the Assistant Commissioner. Guess what Tae-Young bro said.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that I should know that I have the best boss.”

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Chapter 486 - Costume Play Event – Part 1

Chapter 486: Costume Play Event – Part 1

When Gun-Ho arrived at his office in Dyeon Korea, Asan City, he started reviewing the documents that Mr. Adam Castler showed him. Each document was written in Chinese, and there was a translated English version attached to them, and they were notarized.

“Let me see the documents.”

“The documents look perfectly normal as expected.”

“I see a deposit slip for the paid-in capital, the appraisal for the storage land, the list of customers corroborated by their tax invoices… They all look good. Min-Hyeok sent us the ownership transfer form for a business entity as well.”

“Sir, I know I asked you to sign the contract with me simultaneously, but I think I’d better sign it after I come back from the trip to China. It would be a violation of the head office’s procedure if I sign the acquisition contract before I conduct a proper inspection of the company.”

“Sure. Either way, I’m fine.”

“I made a flight reservation to China for tomorrow. Since I don’t speak Chinese at all, I asked Ms. Dingding to come and pick me up at the airport.”

“That’s good. Since she speaks English very well, she will be a good guide for you.”

“I will stay there for two nights and three days.”

“You do what you have to do. If you want to stay longer to visit a few tourist attractions, that is fine with me too.”

“I will do sightseeing later. I’m planning to visit China again later during my vacation.”

“Sounds good.”

After Mr. Adam Castler left the president’s office, Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Dyeon Korea’s Mr. Adam Castler is leaving for Suzhou City, China tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I was informed.”

“He wants to verify things in person if everything is matched to what the documents that you sent depict.”

“Those documents are all notarized; nevertheless, does he still need to verify them?”

“I guess it’s just a part of the procedure that he has to conduct. Once he arrives there, just make sure that he has a good time. Keep in mind that he loves to drink.”

“Hahaha. Got it.”

“Tell him that you and I spent a lot of our personal money in developing the clientele.”

“Okay.”

“And tell him that the storage land price will go up dramatically in the near future. Just give him some hope.”

“Understood. I will do that.”

It was Saturday. While having breakfast with Young-Eun at home, Gun-Ho talked about the costume play event that GH Medial was hosting.

“Let’s go and see the costume play event around Hangnyeoul Station today.”

“Oh, the event that President Jeong-Sook Shin is hosting?”

“Yeah. It seems that we will be able to see lots of kids who dress like a cartoon character at the event.”

“I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been to an event like that.”

“Me either.”

“I heard that many children are so into it.”

“That makes sense. I read tons of Japanese cartoons when I grew up.”

“That’s right. I did that too. I was once caught by my dad; I was reading cartoons without sleeping at night.”

“Shall we re-experience the old feelings again today?”

“Where did you say the event would occur?”

“It’s in the vicinity of Hangnyeoul Station. It’s only two blocks away from our home. We need to get off at the station right after Daechi Station.”

“Then, we don’t have to bring our car, right?”

“Right, if we don’t need to go anywhere else after visiting that event.”

“Let’s go there in the afternoon. This is our schedule today. We will have our breakfast at home followed by the morning coffee, and I will clean the house, and we take a nap. Then, we head out to the event.”

“Sounds good.”

“After we stop by the event at Hangnyeoul Station, we can walk back home along the Yangjae riverside.”

“You want to walk home from there?”

“Yeah. Two stops is a very good distance for a walk.”

“Where do we have lunch then?”

“We can find a place around our home. There seem to be tons of good restaurants in this area. I’ve seen several around Dogok intersection.”

“How come you know about this area better than me?”

“I used to hang out in this area when I was in college.”

“When you were in college?”

“Yeah, lots of my friends from college live in this area. There are two at TowerPalace, one at Wooseong Condo, and one at Seongyeong Condo.”

“You don’t see them any longer?”

“No. They are all guys.”

“Where do they work?”

“I don’t know. I heard some of them work at Seoul University Hospital’s Bundang City location, and one is working as a deputy director in a small hospital.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho was thinking, ‘D*mn, I’ve never run across even a single person who graduated from Seoul University Medical School in my town where I grew up—Juan Town, Incheon City or Bucheon City. But in this expensive area, there seem to be tons of people like that. I think we really need to adapt India’s caste system along with their quota system for Shudras which seems to be equivalent to the group of people in Korea, who were born into a poor family. This situation is so sh*tty.’

“You know what? I actually ran across a guy friend from college in the supermarket the other day.”

“Is he living in our condo complex?”

“No, he is living across the street—Ramian condo complex. He asked me where I was living. When I told him that I’m living in the TowerPalace Condo, he asked me if I was married.”

“Did you proudly tell him that you are happily married to a very reliable and nice guy—Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Guess what he said when I told him I was married.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that he thought I would marry an African man since I did my volunteer work there.”

“Crazy freak!”

“Can you clean the dishes? I cooked this morning. You can at least wash the dishes, right?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t say no, but he started cleaning the dishes while mumbling.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun took a nap. When Gun-Ho woke up, it was ten after twelve.

“Shoot. Young-Eun! Get up!”

Gun-Ho kicked Young-Eun’s thigh lightly to wake her up.

“Ten more minutes.”

When Young-Eun refused to get up, Gun-Ho kicked her again lightly.

“We have to go now.”

“Let me sleep for five more minutes then!”

Young-Eun went back to sleep. When twenty minutes passed, Young-Eun’s cell phone started ringing.

“Oh, auntie?”

Gun-Ho could hear Artist Choi’s voice over the phone.

“I’m at the costume play event around Hangnyeoul Station. It’s fun. There are so many kids here. I’ve met President Shin as well. You are not coming today?”

“I’m on my way.”

Gun-Ho snorted.

“Ha! She just woke up!”

Young-Eun started moving busily. She washed her face and made a fuss about getting ready to go out.

“Oppa, hurry up.”

Gun-Ho wore a business suit but without a tie, and he wore a high-end brand t-shirt inside the blazer. Young-Eun picked a colorful dress for herself. She was wearing a light make-up as well, which was odd. She looked vibrant overall.

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Chapter 487 - Costume Play Event – Part 2

Chapter 487: Costume Play Event – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun got off at the Hangnyeoul Station and walked towards SETEC—a convention center. There were tons of young students at the event. Many female high school students seemed to wear some make-ups as well.

“Oh, my gosh! So many people are here.”

Gun-Ho saw a witch with white hair, who was standing next to a goblin. There was a group of people wearing German soldier costumes. Those kids were busy taking pictures of each other.

“Wow! I didn’t know we have this sort of culture in our country!”

Young-Eun looked impressed. She took a picture of a boy who was wearing a crusader costume. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun entered the exhibition room no. 1. The room was filled with people and their heat. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went into the event office where President Shin and Artist Choi were sitting in.

“Oh, you came!”

“Whoa, this is amazing.”

Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda was walking around while carrying a large professional camera. He was wearing an ID around his neck, which said his name—Yoshitake Matsuda.

“So many people are here.”

When Gun-Ho noticed that Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda kept glancing at Young-Eun, he introduced her to Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda.

“This is my wife.”

“Oh, I see. You have a very elegant wife. Please allow me to take a picture of you two.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun posed for a photo. Young-Eun held Gun-Ho’s arm. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda took a picture of the couple while making sure that the photo would contain the event scene as its background.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun walked slowly around the event hall. There was a personnel for the event sitting at an information desk. They were GH Media’s employees. When they saw Gun-Ho, they stood up quickly and greeted him. They also glanced at Young-Eun who was with their boss.

Gun-Ho said to Young-Eun, “These are GH Media’s employees.”

“Oh, hi. It’s very nice to meet you all.”

Young-Eun smiled.

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

Ji-Young Jeong and Yeon-Soo Oh from GH Development were there too to help with the event.

“You are Mrs. Goo, aren’t you?”

Young-Eun didn’t talk much, but she just smiled. She later told Gun-Ho, “I feel weird when people call me ‘ma’am’ or ‘Mrs. Goo.’”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun stayed at the costume play event for about an hour.

“Shall we go? Where to? To Yangjae Riverside?”

“Yeah. I saw a passage behind the event hall, leading to Yangjae Riverside. Let’s try it.”

On the way to the passage, Young-Eun started laughing so hard; she probably saw someone who was wearing a funny costume. When Gun-Ho followed her gaze, he saw a boy wearing a Japanese military uniform that was used during the Japanese colonial period in Korea. He was also wearing glasses with a circle frame which was popular during the particular era, along with a short mustache which was also a typical Japanese style during the same period. The mustache made the boy look sly. And whenever he talked, his mustache moved accordingly. That was hilarious. Gun-Ho laughed out loud along with Young-Eun.

“I can feel these people’s heat and passion. I guess President Shin’s plan for the costume play magazine will succeed.”

“Well, yeah, it can very well be even though I can’t be 100% sure.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were walking along the Yangjae riverside. They could see many residents of the condos around the area jogging there. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun held each other’s hand and walked all the way from Hangnyeoul Station to Dogok Station.

Gun-Ho enjoyed walking with Young-Eun while hearing sounds of water stream from the river. When they passed Daechi Station, they came halfway to their home—Dogok Station—and it took no time for them to arrive at their final destination. The TowerPalace condo complex should be very close to where they were.

“The event hall is not far at all from our home. It didn’t take much at all to get here.”

“My legs are tired, and I’m hungry.”

“Do you want Bibimbap* or hot stone pot Bibimbap?”

“Let’s eat meat with soju.”

“It’s still daytime.”

“So what? We don’t have work tomorrow.”

“We shouldn’t spend too much on food. We need to save money.”

“I know, but we can save on other things. Let’s try there. It says ‘Seolseong Ranch.’”

Gun-Ho dragged Young-Eun to a restaurant called Seolseong Ranch. The restaurant specialized in Korean beef tenderloin dishes. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun had grilled beef dishes with soju. Since it was the weekend, Young-Eun looked relaxed, and she took several glasses of soju. That day, the two went back home drunken, and they fell asleep for another nap right away.

Gun-Ho went to work in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. When he was reading an economic newspaper as part of his morning routine, he received a call from the director of the transportation department in Antang City, Guizhou Province, China.

“Wei, Ni Hao! (Hello).”

“Ni shi shei (who is calling)?”

“Wo shi an tang shi jiaotong zhuguan (I am Antang City’s transportation department’s director).”

“Oh, hi. Are you in Korea right now?”

“We just visited Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, and we are moving to see Seoul Express Bus Terminal right now. The Korea Public Transportation Association is showing us around.”

“How was the tour? Was it useful?”

“Well, terminals here are very similar to the terminals in China.”

“What’s your schedule tomorrow?”

“We will visit one more terminal in a province tomorrow—Daejeon Express Bus Terminal. We will then come back to Seoul.”

“I see.”

“Your address shown on your business card that you gave me the other day is Cheonan City. I’d like to drop by on the way from Daejeon City to Seoul City.”

“Sure. If you come to Cheonan City’s KTX station, we will pick you up there.”

“I prefer to use a bus rather than a train. Can you pick us up at Cheonan Bus Terminal instead? That’s the reason we are here after all.”

“Of course. We will see you at Cheoan Bus Terminal then.”

“I’m not sure if it is okay to impose like this.”

“Don’t worry about it. I had a great time when I visited China last time because of you. Please come, and let’s have lunch together. The address that you have is my manufacturing factory. My logistics company is located far north from there. It’s a transportation business, not a public bus business. It’s a small company.”

“I believe that we’ve seen enough terminals. We just want to see you, sir. I will see you tomorrow.”

After getting off the phone with the Antang City’s transportation department’s director, Gun-Ho took out the business plan that they sent to him earlier and began to review it again.

‘The total investment funds are 50 million dollars. The size of land where the terminal will be built on is about 50 moo (mu: 10,000 pyung). The building would be 12,000 ㎡. The volume of expected daily traffic is 12,000 people. The parking lot can accommodate up to 150 vehicles…’

“Their plan has dwindled, compared to the previous one when I visited them last time, but it’s still too large for a small provincial city that has an average daily traffic of 12,000 people.”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes and lost in thought.

‘Out of 50 million dollars of the investment funds, I have to bring in 25 million dollars. It’s over 25 billion Korean won. Since high taxes are imposed on the income generated from stocks, maybe I should use 25 billion won in my stock account.’

A light bulb went on in Gun-Ho’s head.

‘That’s it! They can’t take a loan from a bank for their terminal project right now since there is nothing to use as collateral; however, once they start building the terminal, they can take out a loan using the amount of work completed at that time! Once they become able to borrow money, they will probably ask me to withdraw from the project while giving me all kinds of reasoning, just like Jinxi Industrial Park!’

Note*

Bibimbap – Cooked rice with various vegetables and meat mixed together with Korean red chili paste.

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Chapter 488 - Joint Venture Company for Transportation (1) – Part 1

Chapter 488: Joint Venture Company for Transportation (1) – Part 1

Wednesday came around.

When Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile, Jiksan Town that morning, he called a meeting for the executive officers.

“We will have visitors today from China. The Antang City’s transportation department’s director and the president of their terminals are coming to our factory this afternoon. Our company doesn’t have any concrete plan to have a business with them for now, but it is a good idea to build a close connection with local government officials in China. Who knows? We might get into the Chinese market someday.”

“Are there any specific things that we need to prepare for their visit?”

“We just need to show them our clean factory. Please have the production site organized and cleaned, especially the bathroom.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Do we have any workers who can speak Chinese?”

“The quality control department’s Team Lead Kim used to work at a factory in Qingdao City, China. He joined us last year with his work experience there.”

“Please send him to my office later. They will arrive at Cheonan Bus Terminal around 11 pm, and we will need to pick them up there. Chan-Ho Eum should remember their faces. Go there with Chan-Ho Eum.”

“Okay, sir.”

“Once they arrive, Mr. Director Park, please give them a tour of our factory. And, Mr. General Affairs Director, please make a reservation with the restaurant— Seungjiwon— in Baekseok Town for lunch. Everyone else, just do your job.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the executive officers left the president’s office, Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“Come and join me for lunch today around 11 am. Come to Jiksan Town.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“The director of Antang City’s transportation department in China and the president of the bus terminals are coming here today. They are in the transportation field, and I want you to meet them.”

“Me?”

“Even though you are not doing any business directly with them right now since you are running a transportation business, it should be beneficial for you to know people in the same field in China.”

“Okay. I will be there by 11 am. Our application for a permit for farmland conversion is still in process. According to the staff at the city hall, it will definitely be approved since there are so many factories in the area anyway.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The team leader person— Mr. Kim— from the quality control department came into Gun-Ho’s office. He looked nervous. He was probably two or three years younger than Gun-Ho.

“Sir, you wanted to see me?”

“Please have a seat.”

“Yes, sir.”

Team Lead Kim sat on the sofa carefully.

“I was told that you had worked in China before. How long had you stayed there?”

“I worked in Qingdao City for two years, sir.”

“Do you speak Chinese very well?”

“Not fluently, but I can speak Chinese at a conversational level.”

Team Lead Kim scratched the back of his head with a smile as he talked about the fluency level of his Chinese speaking.

“We are expecting people from China today around 11 am. They are Antang City’s department of transportation’s director and the president of their bus terminals. I want you to pick them up at a bus terminal and bring them here.”

“That’s all I need to do?”

“Yes.”

“But, how do I recognize them…?”

“Go with my chauffeur. He knows them.”

Chan-Ho was having a chit chat time with the truck drivers of the logistics department when Gun-Ho called for him through the interphone. Chan-Ho came to Gun-Ho’s office right away.

“You will need to go to Cheonan Bus Terminal. Antang City’s department of transportation’s director and the president of their bus terminals will arrive there at 11 am. Please pick them up. Team Lead Kim here can speak Chinese. Take him with you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you think you can recognize them? The transportation department’s director has a dark complexion with a sturdy build, and the terminal’s president is wearing glasses.”

“I think I can recognize them once I see them, sir.”

“Good then. I think you’d better leave now not to be late.”

Jae-Sik Moon came to GH Mobile to see Gun-Ho. He was driving the SM5— President Shin’s old vehicle. As he entered the GH Mobile’s factory, he was amazed.

“I knew it would be clean since it is a newly constructed factory, but it’s extremely clean. Everything is very well organized, and the workers’ uniforms are neat. I’m wearing the same uniform as theirs, but they look sharper. I guess Gun-Ho is doing an incredible job here.”

Actually, it was President Jang-Hwan Song who influenced the workers’ behavior and mindset to achieve the current level of cleanliness at the factory and the workers’ focus on the job. President Song’s strict and meticulous personality was well reflected in the company culture. President Song had been working in the manufacturing industry for thirty years. He was very well aware that potential buyers would conduct their own inspection on the company, where they would place a product order form, before signing the contract.

Buyer company’s inspectors highly recognized the cleanliness of a factory, their workers’ meticulous attitude towards their job, and a strict quality control system, in evaluating their potential vendor company’s manufacturing factory.

Jae-Sik Moon knocked on Gun-Ho’s office door before entering it.

“President Moon. Please have a seat.”

“This factory is really clean, and the workers are working in a very organized way. You, President Goo, are unbelievable.”

“I can’t say that I’ve contributed a lot to achieve all that because the executive officers and the workers worked so hard until we reached our current level.”

At that moment, Director Jong-Suk Park came into the office.

“Huh? Jae-Sik bro is here.”

“Hey, Director Park! How come you don’t come to see me at GH Logistics these days? You used to stop by my office pretty often.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Busy in doing what? Busy in spending more time with your daughter, huh?”

“Yeah… I can’t stop thinking of my daughter. She is so cute when she smiles. You, bros, will understand what I said when you have your own kid someday.”

“Why don’t you guys have a cup of tea? I already have my tea.”

Gun-Ho called for the secretary— Ms. Hee-Jeong Park.

“Please bring us two cups of tea.”

“By the way, bro, what are you planning with those Chinese people?”

“Well…”

“I heard that Antang City’s department of transportation’s director and the president of their bus terminals are coming to our factory today. Are you going to do a terminal business? Or are you going to run a bus company?”

“I haven’t decided anything yet.”

“If you plan to do a terminal project, it will cost you substantially.”

“I know. If we decide to do a business with them, GH Logistics will work with them rather than GH Mobile since they are in the transportation industry.”

“We?”

Jae-Sik Moon’s eyes widened, and he looked at Gun-Ho’s face.

“The terminal project in China is a 50 million dollar-worth project. Jae-Sik, are you interested in it?”

“Did you say 50 million dollars? How much would that be in Korean won? Is it 50 billion won? Wow! I don’t think I can handle it!”

At that moment, they could hear people talking outside the office. It seemed that Chan-Ho Eum and the quality control department’s Team Lead Kim came back from the bus terminal with the Chinese guests.

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Chapter 489 - Joint Venture Company for Transportation (1) – Part 2

Chapter 489: Joint Venture Company for Transportation (1) – Part 2

“Hey, President Goo!”

“Oh, Mr. Director, and Mr. President of the terminals!”

“Your factory is huge and very nice.”

“How was your trip to the terminals in Korea so far?”

“It was productive. In order to build a good terminal, it’s very useful to visit existing terminals.”

The two Chinese men didn’t come by themselves, but they came with one more person. The president of the terminals introduced the new face to Gun-Ho.

“This is our planning manager of the terminal company.”

“Oh, really? It’s very nice to meet you.”

Gun-Ho, who had extensive experience with a joint venture business, thought,

‘This guy must be the one who drafted that business plan. Once a joint venture company is established, this man will take its vice president position.’

“How is the deputy mayor— Mr. Lixian Zhang— doing?”

“He is doing well. He told me to say hello to you on his behalf, sir.”

“Oh, he did? Well, I want you to meet someone. This is GH’s transportation company’s President.”

“Hello.”

Jae-Sik Moon gave his business card to them as he greeted them. The Chinese people gave their business cards to Jae-Sik as well. The transportation department’s director said while looking at Jae-Sik’s business card, “Oh, Logistics! I’m delighted to meet you.”

“This is our plant director here in GH Mobile.”

“Oh, really? Your plant director looks very young for the position.”

At that moment, the general affairs director came into the president’s office, and Gun-Ho introduced him to the Chinese guests as well. And lastly, he introduced Team Lead Kim to them

“And, the person who picked you up at the airport is our team lead in the quality control department.”

“Oh, I see. I was wondering who he is.”

The transportation department’s director extended his hand again to Team Lead Kim for a handshake. Team Lead Kim was impressed by Gun-Ho’s fluent Chinese. His pronunciation sounded perfect.

‘When and where did he learn his Chinese? I lived in China for two years, but I don’t think I can compete with him.’

The terminal’s president said while looking at Gun-Ho’s face, “I briefly looked around the factory on the way to your office. It seems to be managed very well. It’s spotless.”

“Our workers keep their own worksite clean voluntarily. Our plant manager will give you a tour of the factory. It’s a manufacturing facility, not a terminal construction site, but since you are here, it will be interesting to take a look around it. After the tour, we will have lunch. Our general affairs director already arranged it.”

The Chinese guests followed Director Jong-Suk Park to take a tour of the production site. The machines there have been cleanly managed since My Machine program was implemented in GH Mobile. The Chinese people were astonished by the cleanliness of the machines and the spotless factory floor. They said later that they learned more while looking around GH Mobile’s factory than during the tour at the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal and Seoul Express Bus Terminal.

Moreover, they greatly enjoyed the food during lunch at the Korean traditional full course meal restaurant— Seungjiwon. They explicitly showed their gratitude for Gun-Ho’s generous treat. As a matter of fact, they were not very well treated during previous tours with the Korea Public Transportation Association. It seemed that these Chinese visitors were just another work for the staff of the association.

“We truly appreciate your treat, Mr. President Goo. Our Antang City is as large as Cheonan City in Korea. When we previously visited Cheonan Bus Terminal, we noticed that its shopping business is very well developed. We are envious of it. Since Antang City’s terminal is located a bit off from the downtown, I don’t expect to see a lot of commercial activities there; however, I’m sure the hotel business will be very good.”

“I agree with you. I observed the same thing when I visited there.”

“If you, Mr. President Goo, could join us for our terminal project, we will guarantee your profit. Antang City’s population is constantly growing, and the city has a promising future accordingly.”

The Antang City’s transportation department’s director, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, leaned over Gun-Ho’s body and said, “Did you have a chance to look at the business plan that we sent to you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“If you join us for the terminal project, I will give you all the privileges and benefits that I could give within my power.”

The planning manager, who came with them, chipped in.

“Do you mind if I ask the annual sales avenue of GH Mobile that we just visited?”

“Not at all. We achieved 80 million dollars last year. We are anticipating exceeding 100 million dollars next year.”

“100 million dollars!”

The three Chinese guests looked greatly surprised.

“What about its net profits?”

“After taxes, its profit rate is around 10%.”

The transportation department’s director clinked his glass to Gun-Ho and said, “Very good. If you work with us, Mr. President Goo, I will guarantee a 10% profit rate.”

Those Chinese people were not skeptical about Gun-Ho’s ability at all. They heard that Gun-Ho had several companies. They had enough information to support their belief in Gun-Ho’s competence and capacity. So, they firmly believed that Gun-Ho would be able to bring 25 million dollars into the project without a problem.

“You don’t have to prepare the investment funds all at once. You can gradually infuse the funds into the project as the construction of the terminal progresses. I will issue the license to run a bus business immediately, so you could start the bus business right after we sign the contract.”

“I will think about it.”

“I hope we make our business with you, sir.”

Gun-Ho clinked his glass to theirs.

When it was time for them to leave, they said they would take a KTX (Korea Train Express ) at Cheonan Station. Gun-Ho asked Chan-Ho Eum and the quality control department’s Team Lead Kim to give them a ride to the station.

“Drop them off at the KTX station at Cheonan, and buy them three train tickets with our company business card. You can ask the accounting director for the credit card.”

“Yes, sir.”

Team Lead Kim gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho before leaving the office.

After the Chinese guests left, Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik Moon to come to his office.

“President Moon, please take a seat on the sofa.”

Jae-Sik sat on the sofa.

“If… I mean if I decide to participate in their terminal project in Guizhou Province, China along with the bus business, who do you think I should send there as a president for that business?”

“Well…”

“I can’t think of anyone from GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea since they are manufacturing companies.”

“That’s true…”

“It is appropriate to select someone from the transportation company— GH Logistics.”

“That’s true, but we don’t have anybody who could handle work like that. The company is a small and newly established company. How can I expect a small company to handle a 25 billion won-worth project? You will need someone like GH Mobile’s President Song with extensive work experience in the field.”

“Are you suggesting that we need to hire someone? I don’t want to give the position to a stranger. I want someone who is already working with us.”

“Who is on your mind?”

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Chapter 490 - Joint Venture Company for Transportation (2) – Part 1

Chapter 490: Joint Venture Company for Transportation (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho sipped his water before continuing to talk to Jae-Sik Moon.

“We haven’t even made a letter of intent yet, and it’s still under consideration on my side. However, the business was initially recommended by a friend of mine— Seukang Li, meaning that it’s a government project. Usually, a business like this doesn’t create a loss even though it might not hit a jackpot.”

“What’s in it for you?”

“It will generate more income than interest income from a bank or an income from a bond. Making more money is the most important factor in making an investment decision.”

“Hmm.”

“In China, a terminal is owned by the government, which is different from Korea. Our terminals are owned and operated by a private company. I believe their intercity bus business is also owned by the government. In fact, many businesses are owned by the government in China. Running a business as an individual in China inevitably accompanies high risks. If you open your own business in China without a proper preparation just like Suk-Ho Lee did, you are exposing yourself to a high risk of being rooked or being swayed by the Chinese people.”

“So, you are saying that if you do a business with the government, you don’t have to worry about those.”

“Right. However, a government project requires a participant to invest a substantial amount of money, and also it takes a long time to see the fruits. That’s why it’s hard for an individual to be part of it. But you don’t have to worry about being swindled. If the government swindles a foreign investor, it could well cause a diplomatic dispute between two countries, and it also would deter potential foreign investors from investing in China in the future. You can’t expect to hit a jackpot though, but you can make more than interest income from a bank. China won’t let you make a significant amount of money in their country.”

“Hearing what you are thinking, it seems that you are leaning toward participating in their project.”

“If I do a business with Antang City in China, for the terminal project and the bus service business, I have to decide who I should send there to oversee the business. And I want to hear your opinion. You are the president of GH’s transportation company after all.”

“I don’t know. Should it be someone who can speak Chinese and who is highly knowledgeable in the transportation business?”

“I actually have someone in my mind.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s Jae-Sik Moon.”

“Jae-Sik Moon? Me?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s nonsense. I can’t even speak Chinese. Also, who’s going to take care of GH Logistics then?”

“Do you think GH Logistics will generate an enormous income?”

“That… I don’t think…”

“If you don’t anticipate making enough profits with your current business, you can let someone else run it for you or just sell it to someone, especially if that someone is willing to pay a high price for the business.”

“The ideal situation would be selling the business at a good price.”

“You already made enough money with GH Logistics, and you did a great job there as its president.”

“You think so? The company doesn’t generate high sales revenue yet, and I haven’t done much.”

“You did an incredible job there.”

“Enlighten me. What did I do?”

“The pieces of lands that we bought with your name are officially combined. Once their land use conversion is approved, and once it is converted to a non-agriculture land, then its price will go up dramatically. Of course, we need to pay fees and taxes for the conversion and the sales transaction in the process, but it will leave us a great profit. I will compensate for your part in this transaction since I used your name.”

“Are you saying… that you want to sell GH Logistics?”

“I’m saying that I will sell the land, not necessarily the company. We can keep GH Logistics. We can easily move the company to another location. We just need enough space to let huge trucks sit, don’t we?”

“If I go to China, who would run GH Logistics?”

“Once we get enough return from the investment in GH Logistics, the company can be run by whomever; I don’t really care. If someone wants the company, we can sell the company as well.”

“Hmm.”

“Go to China. Look at Min-Hyeok Kim. When he went to China for the first time, he didn’t even know a word in Chinese. Now, he has a condo in Incheon City, that is worth 200 million won, and he also has a 25 pyung large condo in China. He even drives an Audi.”

“Since my wife is working at the book café, if I decide to go to China, I guess I will have to go there by myself.”

“Do you think she wants to keep her job at the book café? Why don’t you go to China with your wife? She can open a small business there like a small bar or something. That might create another opportunity for you.”

“Hmm.”

“Nothing hasn’t been decided, so please let’s keep our conversation between us. A joint business can easily fall apart even with a small incident before starting the business, especially a terminal business. They might refuse to let us increase the number of buses for the intercity bus business, but we can still operate it. We will probably want to sell the transportation business here.”

“Hmm.”

“When I visit China to make a letter of intent, come with me. You can make your decision after you visit China. Take your time to think about the opportunity. I believe you would do a better job of running a passenger transportation company rather than freight transportation.”

“Okay.”

“The top priority for us now is to successfully convert the farmland that we bought, to a non-agricultural use.”

“Got it.”

COMMENT

“Take this with you, and read it carefully when you have time.”

“What is it? Is it their business plan?”

“Yeah. It’s the business plan for two businesses: Antang City’s terminal project and their bus service business. Basically, they are saying in the business plan that since they are short on cash to do their terminal project, if you bring in cash to build the terminal, they will issue a license to run the bus service business.”

“Are they two different businesses? I mean, the terminal business and the bus service business?”

“Yes, they are different. In the terminal business, you make money by receiving fees when you sell bus tickets of various bus companies, and also by renting out the commercial stores inside the terminal. Think about Incheon International Airport. They sell flight tickets for various airlines, and they charge the handling fees. Also, they have a lot of stores in the airport, and they make rental income by leasing them. The airlines such as Korean Air, Asiana, and Jin Air are like the bus company.”

“Hmm. That makes sense.”

“Again, the conversation we just had is between you and me for now. You shouldn’t tell anyone, okay? If the workers learn about this plan, they will be easily distracted from the work. And it could lead to a more complicated problem as well.”

“Okay. Don’t worry about it.”

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Chapter 491 - Joint Venture Company for Transportation (2) – Part 2

Chapter 491: Joint Venture Company for Transportation (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho went to work at his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

President Jeong-Sook Shin, who was working downstairs, came up to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Thank you for coming the other day to the costume play event with your wife.”

“So many people came, and I could feel their excitement. I guess the event was successful.”

“The items related to the event and souvenirs, that were brought by Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda from Japan, are sold out.”

“I guess you made some profits, huh?”

“The items targeted at children are not very expensive. I think we made several million won from the sale.”

“As long as you didn’t incur any loss for hosting the event, it’s good.”

“Our workers commented after meeting Young-Eun that the president’s wife looks so elegant. And Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong and Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh here agreed to it.”

“Well, I guess they are just being polite.”

“No, sir. Young-Eun looks prettier since she got married.”

“Haha, you think so?”

“Since we have enough cash in the company’s reserve, I’ve made another contract with an agency for ten educational books.”

“I see.”

“GH Media has published more than 50 books so far. It’s a stable publishing company now since, whether it sells a lot or not, books are being sold on a daily basis.”

“Hmm, really? Oh, you know what? I have something that I’d like to discuss with you. Do you have time to talk now?”

“What is it about?”

President Jeong-Sook Shin’s eyes widened as Gun-Ho asked for her time to discuss something.

“Let’s first have a cup of coffee.”

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring two cups of coffee.

While having coffee, Gun-Ho started talking.

“There are lots of production companies of soap operas in Shanghai, China, either big or small.”

“Of course. China is a huge country.”

“I’ve received a request to invest in one of those production companies.”

“A production company of soap operas? It will cost a substantial amount of money.”

“I am aware of it. I was thinking that GH Media should make the investment.”

“Huh? GH Media? Even though GH Media becomes stabilized, it is still a small company. We don’t have that much money.”

“Don’t worry about the funds. I will personally handle the necessary investment funds for it. I just want to use GH Media’s name to invest.”

“Do we need to increase our capital then?”

“It won’t be necessary. It will be like this. I, an individual, will lend my personal funds to GH Media for a short term, and GH Media will use the funds to make an investment in China. Of course, we will have to file a report with the foreign exchange authority since a substantial amount of money will be transferred internationally.”

“I haven’t run a large company before with a significant amount of money. Also, I don’t have any knowledge in the soap opera industry.”

“The production company in China will take care of the soap opera business. We just need to make an investment. Since you are the president of GH Media, you will have to sign the contract.”

“What if it doesn’t go well? I’ve heard that the movie or the soap opera business is highly risky.”

“As I transferred part of the company shares to you last time, currently I own 95% of GH Media while you have 5% of them. If the production business succeeds, you will earn 5% of the profit. If the business doesn’t go well and if we happen to file a bankruptcy, so if we have to pay the national taxes, I will be liable for 95% of them, and you will have to pay 5% of them.”

“I don’t know, sir. I’m just puzzled.”

Gun-Ho was thinking that he should prepare 10 billion won as investment funds for the production company in Shanghai and the Antang City’s terminal project.

“The branch manager of the stock brokerage company told me the other day that I can expect to earn 4.25 billion won for my 170 billion won in my account. I wonder how much taxes would be imposed for the income. Also, I received a dividend of 950 million won from GH Media and Min-Hyeok’s company in China. How much tax should I expect to pay?”

Gun-Ho called for the accounting manager who had a tax accountant license. His name was Jin-Young Hong.

“Mr. Assistant Manager Hong! Please come to my office.”

Assistant Manager Hong stopped what he was working on and came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Please have a seat.”

Assistant Manager Hong looked at Gun-Ho’s face while sitting on the sofa.

“I have a few questions to ask you since you have a tax accountant license.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Someone I know received an interest income and dividend income. How much tax would be imposed for those incomes?”

“If both types of income occurred, that person is subject to aggregate taxation on financing income.”

“What percentage should he expect to pay?”

“Aggregate tax on financing income is a cumulative tax, so the tax rate depends on the person’s amount of income.”

“Hmm, really? Then can you give me the range of the tax rate?”

“It’s from 6 to 42%. What is his total income?”

“I was told that it’s about 6 billion won.”

“Wow! 6 billion won? Then his tax rate will be definitely 42%. If a person’s total income exceeds 500 million won, the applicable tax rate is 42%.”

“He will have to pay more than 2.5 billion won for tax then.”

“That’s correct. Even though he pays that much tax, that means he is making that much money. Only a few people would make that much in our country. He must be a happy man.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t smile.

“Hmm, I see. You will have to pay more taxes as you make more money; that’s how it works, I see. Okay. You can go back to your work.”

After the assistant manager left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho threw a pen to the floor.

“F*ck! The National Tax Service is robbing us.”

Gun-Ho gulped down water and tried to stay calm.

“Well, I should pay taxes as I make money. That’s how I contribute to the country. Nothing is determined yet. I didn’t even get a bill for my tax dues. Let’s wait and see.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Mr. Adam Castler.

“I came back from China.”

“Is everything fine?”

“Yes. I’ve conducted a thorough inspection, but I didn’t find any problem. The amount of cash in the reserve is accurate as well.”

“I’m not surprised. Dingding is a meticulous person.”

“I’ve also verified that more than 90% of their clients are Korean companies. According to President Min-Hyeok Kim, he spent a lot of money in developing Korean clients. That’s why we let them keep running the company.”

“Of course.”

“As to the land where the storage is located, in my opinion, its appraisal is a bit overvalued. However, since the price of the area’s real properties is on the rise, I decided to let it go.”

“You will see. You will soon see the price of the land increasing dramatically.”

“Okay, sir. Let’s sign the contract. Why don’t you come to Dyeon Korea?”

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Chapter 492 - Forming a company in India – Part 1

Chapter 492: Forming a company in India – Part 1

Gun-Ho stopped by GH Mobile in Jiksan Town before heading to Dyeon Korea in Asan City.

When he arrived there, President Song told Gun-Ho that Chrysler finally placed a product order. They ordered three types of gasket products.

“Did you receive the product drawings?”

“Yes, we did. The research center is reviewing them right now. It seems there is no problem.”

“Did they make a high volume of order?”

“Not for now, but according to their order request, they will increase the number of product orders once they are satisfied with the quality of our products.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I want to share some workload with GH Parts Company in China that President Min-Hyeok Kim is running. From now on, once we receive a product drawing from our client, and if we see the product order wouldn’t bring much revenue to us, I will toss the business to his factory in China.”

“Hmm, okay. That’s fine. We are still maintaining our existing clients with a good number of product orders, aren’t we?”

“Yes, we are. Most of our clients constantly increase their volume of product orders once they realize the good quality of our products. They also appreciate that we have a very low defect rate.”

“Our monthly sales revenue is still less than 7.5 billion won, isn’t it?”

“Right, but we are getting close to 7.5 billion won. We made 7.2 billion won last month.”

“Hmm, okay.”

“Well, if you don’t have anything else, I will get back to my work.”

“As a matter of fact, I don’t worry about GH Mobile’s business at all since I know you are handling it very well, Mr. President Song.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea that afternoon.

When Mr. Adam Castler heard that Gun-Ho was in the office, he came to the president’s office with Mr. Interpreter Lee.

“Here is the contract to transfer the ownership of the sales company in China.”

“Haha. You already got Dingding’s signature here as a witness of the transaction.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Mr. Adam Castler signed the contract, Gun-Ho also signed it.

“Since the contract is completed with all necessary signatures, please have Dingding update the sales company’s business registration with the name of the new owner.”

“I need to receive the money first.”

“We will use Dyeon Korea’s funds in the reserve in acquiring the sales company. Please have the accounting team proceed with it.”

Gun-Ho called for the accounting manager—Mr. Myeong-Sook Jo.

“Please write this down.”

Manager Jo picked up a pen and paper.

“We are acquiring a company that is registered with China. We will spend 700 million won in total to acquire that company. Let me break down the cost. The initial investment funds to establish the company was 100 million won; operating right cost 200 million won, and the purchasing price of storage is 400 million won. Send 700 million won to Dingding’s company, and categorize that company as an investment asset for Dyeon Korea. When you send the funds to China, please make sure that you report it with the appropriate authority. Mr. Adam Caslter has all the relevant documents about the acquisition. Collect the documents from him and make a file with them.”

“Yes, sir.”

A moment later, Manager Jo brought an approval form for the fund transfer of 700 million won to Gun-Ho. Since the amount was substantial, Gun-Ho and Mr. Adam Castler signed the approval form simultaneously.

After Accounting Manager Jo left the office, Mr. Adam Castler and Interpreter Lee were also walking out of the office. Gun-Ho asked Mr. Interpreter Lee to stay.

“You will soon leave for India. Do you know anybody in India who you might get some help or advice from?”

“A colleague whom I used to work with in my previous company is in India right now. He used to work under my supervision at that time. He is now a branch manager of that company in the India location. I talked with him the other day over the phone. He said that working in India is doable. It is totally up to me how well I could adjust myself to the new environment.”

“Is the company in Delhi?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Once you arrive in India, get some help from your friend to find a place to stay. You will probably need to stay in a hotel for the first few days before you could find your home.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Since you speak English fluently, I’m sure that you will do just fine. But I worry a little bit because you are going there by yourself.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir.”

“Do you have a child?”

“Yes, I have one son and one daughter. My son is a college student, and he is currently serving in the military. My daughter is in the U.S. studying.”

“I guess you are supporting them financially, right?”

“I have a condo to live in, and I also have some leftover severance pay that I received from my previous employer. I can still manage.”

“Where is your condo located?”

“It’s in the Mokdong condo complex in Seoul. It’s 30 pyung large.”

“To start, you will carry a one-month living expense with you when you leave for India, in cash. Once you get there, open a bank account for the company. Then we will send the initial investment funds to that account. It will be 100,000 dollars.”

“Understood, sir.”

“With the initial investment funds, get an office and hire a local person who can speak English.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You will need to find storage as well. We need a space to store raw materials that Dyeon Korea will send there.”

“By the way, sir, I have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about the company that I’m supposed to establish in India. It’s not a branch office, but it’s going to be a subsidiary company there, right?”

“A branch office cannot participate in the manufacturing process, right?

“That’s correct. Also, only a company, that has been doing its business for more than five years, can have a branch office abroad. In other words, GH Mobile can have a branch office overseas since Mulpasaneop had been in the business for a long time; however, Dyeon Korea cannot since it is a newly formed company.”

“Then form a subsidiary company.”

“I asked my old colleague in India about the requirement of forming a company there. He said that India requires having at least one initial director who is either an Indian national or a foreign person who has lived in India for the past six months.”

“Hmm, we will have three initial directors—Director Dong-Chan Kim, Manager Lee, and one Indian. For the third initial director, you might want to observe the person who you would hire as the first employee, and see if he is trustworthy.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Once you get an office, lease a storage space, and register the company with the Indian government, I will send Director Kim there as a business trip. He will have a round to visit Korean companies there—S Group, Mandong Company, and Egnopak.”

“Sounds good, sir.”

“If the initial funds are not sufficient, we will send additional funds later.”

“Okay, sir.”

“You will need to take Dyeon Korea’s documents with you such as a certified copy of its real estate’s registration, business registration, articles of incorporation, etc. Take the notarized English translated versions of them. You will need them.”

“Yes, sir.”

“It won’t be easy in the beginning.”

“I’m ready, sir.”

“Once I see a clear positive result, I will give you an opportunity to promote.”

“Thank you. I will do my best.”

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Chapter 493 - Forming a company in India – Part 2

Chapter 493: Forming a company in India – Part 2

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“Gun-Ho, how’s your married life? Is it good?”

“Not really. I only see my wife on weekends.”

“If she can’t move, you can move close to her work like Hyehwa Town or Myeongryoon Town.”

“I don’t know.”

“Any news yet?”

“What news?”

“A baby, my brother. I’m asking if your wife is pregnant. Mom actually asked me to ask you about it the other day.”

“Nada, sister. We just got married.”

“Once your wife gets pregnant and goes through childbirth, she will change her mind.”

“Change what mind?”

“She won’t want to keep her current life like being with you only during the weekends because she won’t be able to take care of a baby by herself.”

“What life would she want then?”

“She will either move in with you to the TowerPalace condo or ask you to move to somewhere close to her workplace.”

“Hmm, well, I will think about it when that happens.”

“Mom and dad are often visiting some places distant from home these days since they have the Grandeur.”

“Where are they going?”

“They went to Daebudo Island the other day, and they also went to Suwon Hwaseong.”

“Really?”

“People in the senior citizen’s center in the community seem to keep asking our parents to take the position of the center’s president.”

“Haha, really?”

“Our parents are smart enough to say no to it.”

“Hahaha.”

“They went to the farmland that you purchased the other day. Mom planted stuff like hot peppers and peanuts.”

“Peanut plants?”

“Yeah. Peanuts grow best in sandy soil, and the local people there told them that the land is sandy soil.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that they are doing great. How’s your husband doing these days?”

“He is doing fine. Since the weather got warmer, he is getting more work, which is good.”

“Since your husband has been working as a truck driver for quite a while, he must be highly knowledgeable about the transportation field, right?”

“I think so. He has a commercial driver’s license, and I think he told me that he has a license for traffic safety management or something.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Well, that doesn’t seem to do any good though. He is still driving the wing-body truck that you bought for him.”

“He is at least faithful to you, and he is consistent with his work.”

“Yeah. If he didn’t, I would already have filed for a divorce.”

“Sister, you are not having another child?”

“Don’t even mention that. Raising one child is hard enough for me. It costs an enormous amount of money to raise her. She is getting piano lessons these days. She is also elected for a class president, which costs some money too.”

“It sounds like she is doing great.”

“My husband and I work so hard to financially support her.”

“I know you are happy to do so, sister.”

“You’re right. I’m not saying this because she is my daughter, but she is really smart. Well, I guess I have to let you go back to work. I took too much of your time.”

After getting off the phone with his sister, Gun-Ho thought that he might need to find a better job for his sister’s family.

“I’m the big player of Gangnam. I shouldn’t let my sister’s family financially suffer because their main source of income is from driving a truck.”

Once Jae-Sik Moon leaves for China, Gun-Ho would need to find someone to run GH Logistics. Gun-Ho thought that maybe he should let his brother-in-law run it.

“I will sell the land—GH Logistics’ current location—as planned. I just need to find a new office and a space to keep its trucks… GH Logistics currently has 27 trucks, and it already has established its clients. So, my brother-in-law will just need to run it. I wonder if he is able to run a business though.”

Gun-Ho didn’t believe that his brother-in-law would be able to handle accounting, documents in excel, and other administrative work.

“Maybe my sister can do it. She did well when she was in high school. Also, she is smart enough to pass the exam and obtain the level-1 certificate of a social worker…”

Gun-Ho started thinking seriously about letting his sister’s couple operate GH Logistics.

Gun-Ho received a call from China. It was Min-Hyeok Kim.

“We’ve received 700 million won that you sent to Dingding’s company, and we deposited it to your personal account with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.”

“Oh, you did?”

“Also, we completed the ownership change process as well. Now, the company’s major shareholder is Dyeon Korea. I’ve filed it as an independent company, not a joint venture.”

“Well done. Dingding is entitled to 5% of 700 million won in my personal account there. I will send her portion which is 35 million won.”

“No, no. You shouldn’t do that. The 5% that you promised her was conditioned by her work performance for a year. You don’t have to give her 5% of the acquisition price.”

“No, I should give it to her as I promised. Since I’m in Korea right now, I can’t access my bank account there. Once I visit China, I will retrieve the amount from my account and send it to her. You can use it to pay off the debt that you incurred when you bought the condo there.”

“You don’t have to. Oh, and also I deposited another 200 million won to your account.”

“What’s that for?”

“Remember, when you established the company that I’m running right now, you invested 300 million won? 100 million out of it was its capital, and 200 million won was the amount you lent to the company. Since the company made enough profits, it’s paying you back.”

“Oh, really?”

“That 200 million won is considered as a debt to the company. When a client company asks us to send our financial statements, that amount is listed as debt. So, I think it’s better that we just pay it off.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, thank you.”

“I thought you might need it since you are planning to invest in the terminal project with Antang City. Check if you received it.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho did the math to see how much he would have in his bank account with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

‘I started with 1,750,000 dollars that I received when I terminated the joint venture for Jinxi Industrial Complex. It’s around 1.8 billion Korean won. I then spent 100 million won in acquiring the factory in China from Mulpasaneop’s president’s son. And then I spent 300 million won in forming the company that Min-Hyeok is operating right now. So, I was left with 1.4 billion won.

It cost me 100 million won to form Dingding’s sales company along with an additional 300 million won to purchase its storage space. It would leave me with 1 billion won. Now, I just received 700 million won—a sales price of Dingding’s company. And, Min-Hyeok sent me an additional 200 million won for the money that I lent to GH Parts Company. I now should have 1.9 billion won in my account then. I guess that my investment in China is successful. I have 1.9 billion won in cash, and I have GH Parts Company as well.

Moreover, if I add the dividend that I received from GH Parts Company— 950 million won which they sent to my bank account in Korea, I made 2.85 billion won for the investment I’ve made in China. I wouldn’t say that I did hit the total jackpot, but maybe I can call it the semi-jackpot.’

Gun-Ho was wondering how Mori Aikko was doing. He wanted to know if her grandmother was okay. He didn’t want her to feel that he didn’t care about her by not asking her about it. Gun-Ho sent her a text message in English.

[How’s your grandmother doing?]

After a while, he received a reply from Mori Aikko.

[Her surgery was successful. She will be released from the hospital next week. Thank you for worrying about my grandma, oppa.]

Gun-Ho felt relieved, but that was not the only problem that was going on with Mori Aikko. The production of the soap opera, where she was playing a geisha role, might be ceased to be produced. Gun-Ho was concerned about it.

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Chapter 494 - A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 1

Chapter 494: A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 1

President Jeong-Sook Shin came to Gun-Ho’s office at GH Development with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit this morning?”

“We brought something for you to review, sir.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a magazine publishing plan.”

“Oh, is it about the costume play magazine?”

“You will find all the details regarding the magazine such as the name of the magazine, production crew, target audience, etc. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda drafted it.”

“My reviewing it won’t help you much since I don’t know anything about it…”

“The name of the magazine is Costume Korea. I’m going to apply for ISBN.”

“If this is the result of the discussion between you two, I have no doubt. Please proceed as you planned.”

Gun-Ho gave a cursory glance to the document even though he didn’t really paid attention to it, and then he gave it back to President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“Umm, sir, I was wondering what happened to the idea of acquiring the production company of soap operas.”

“I haven’t made my decision yet. I think I will have to go on a trip to Shanghai before finalizing my decision.”

“As to the costume magazine, I will assume that you agreed with my plan, and I will proceed with publishing it.”

“Okay. Please do what you have to do.”

“A lot of people are asking on our GH Media website when they should expect to see the magazine where they could see the pictures of the children who participated in the costume play event the other day.”

“Haha, really? It seems that we already have readers for the magazine.”

After President Shin and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda left the office, Gun-Ho made a call to Professor Jien Wang at Zhejiang University.

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo, it has been a while since I heard your voice last time.”

“I’m calling you because I miss you, man.”

“I’ve heard the rumor that you will be working with Antang City, Guizhou Province on their terminal project business.”

“I actually wanted to visit you last time I was in Antang City for the project, but I couldn’t make it.”

“A terminal project is a Cash Cow business. If you have funds available, you might want to take part in the project. I can’t say that you would hit the jackpot, but I can tell that you would make more than bank interest income with the same amount of the money that you would invest in the project for sure.”

“I still haven’t decided whether I should participate because it requires me to invest a substantial amount of money.”

“You haven’t heard of any terminal that went bankrupt in Korea, have you?”

“That… I don’t know.”

“When I visited Korea last time to attend a seminar there, I stopped by bus terminals—Seoul Express Bus Terminal and Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal or something. They must have made enormous money by owning the land itself.”

“Antang City is a provincial city located in a deep inland area. Do you think the value of the land where the new terminal will be built on will increase that much?”

“Once a public facility comes in, land price in the area definitely goes up. You should know better than me on things like this. You are a businessman after all with a high sense of business, different from people like me who just do well academically.”

“Aren’t you often going to Shanghai City? Do you see Seukang Li sometimes?”

“I don’t go there often. Shanghai City is far from Hangzhou City where I am. I see him only when I have a chance to go there to attend an international event in Shanghai City or when I’m invited for a special lecture by universities in that area.”

“Seukang Li suggested that I invest in a soap opera production company the other day.”

“A soap opera production business? There should be huge Chinese investment funds available in the industry already. Why do they need foreign investment funds?”

“Huge investment funds?”

“Yes. Chinese investors with huge investment funds are highly interested in the soap opera industry. They consider it as a gold market. The amount that they invest in there is massive.”

“Really?”

“Producing a historical drama, for example, requires huge funds, and big players in the industry don’t hesitate to put their money in there. If you have ever watched a Chinese historical drama before, you should know what I’m talking about. Remember battle scenes? They use several thousands of extras for those kinds of scenes.”

“That makes sense. China’s large-scale production is well known even though their editing skill needs some improvement.”

“It’s not just editing skills that we need to improve. Our government’s censorship is way too strict. Moreover, I don’t like Sinocentrism either when they excessively emphasize on it.”

“Seukang Li wants to help competent and promising young producers in the industry, and he is asking for my help. I’m thinking of meeting him.”

“Let’s meet him together then this month, maybe the 17th? I have a special lecture that I need to give at Fudan University in Shanghai that day. We can have a drink after it. We probably want to visit your joint venture company in Suzhou City as well.”

“That sounds good.”

“You must come, okay? To be honest with you, I can’t freely go to Korea even though I miss you. With my salary as a college professor, going abroad to see a friend is not easily affordable. I don’t have a business credit card like a businessman. So, it’s ideal that you, President Goo who has several businesses, come to China to see us.”

On Friday night, when Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were in their bed, Young-Eun suggested visiting Yangpyeong District.

“Yangpyeong? You want to visit Artist Choi there?”

“I used to go to see her pretty often on Sundays before I got married, but, these days, I couldn’t. She must be very lonely, especially since she doesn’t have a child.”

“I think your father in Sillim Town must be lonelier than your aunt.”

“My father has lots of friends, and he is busy with his hobbies. I believe that he is a member of a lot of activity clubs like photography, playing tennis, planting or searching for medical herbs, etc. So, I don’t worry too much about my father.”

“Oh, he does?”

“Also, since he lives in Seoul City, he has his friends who are living close by. So he often gets together with them for a drink.”

“That’s nice.”

“But, my aunt is living in Yangpyeong District. It’s not easy for her to see her friends often, many of whom live in Seoul City. I don’t think she has friends in Yangpyeong. She only focuses on her painting work there. I think I’d better visit her sometimes.”

“Why is she still single?”

“She said once to me that she married the art.”

“Haha. Oh, my… She would feel lonelier as she gets older, especially without her own child.”

“On the bright side, she looks young for her age because she is single. Her body is still in good shape. Who would think that she is almost 50 years old?”

“You want to visit her tomorrow then?”

“Yeah. We can bring her some food.”

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Chapter 495 - A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 2

Chapter 495: A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 2

That night, Gun-Ho made love with Young-Eun.

Young-Eun did better than at the beginning of their marriage. She used to play like a piece of wood during the intercourse, but these days, she sometimes wrapped her arms around Gun-Ho’s neck; she became more active. Also, when she felt good, she gave a kiss to Gun-Ho which she didn’t before. All these changes made Gun-Ho think of Mori Aikko or Seol-Bing less and less.

Gun-Ho was putting fruits, coffee, and stuff in his Land Rover when Young-Eun got into the car with a fat bag.

“What is it? What’s in the bag? It looks heavy.”

“These are some spices and sauces.”

“Spices and sauces?”

“Yeah. I talked with my aunt yesterday. When I asked her what to bring to her house, she said she needed a soy sauce. So I’m taking a bottle of soy sauce.”

“That doesn’t look like just a bottle of soy sauce. What else you got there?”

“Oh, these are some red chili-pepper paste and vegetable oil too.”

“This is so heavy like a rock inside. You carried these all the way from the mart? Why didn’t you ask me to carry them for you?”

“You left the mart before I could ask you for help. Remember that?”

Gun-Ho drove a quiet road with Young-Eun. It had been a while since they rode together. Gun-Ho turned on the music. It was not Bohemian Rhapsody that Gun-Ho chose this time. He had used to listen to Bohemian Rhapsody a lot when he drove his shabby car that was about to die, on the way to his work in Pocheon City or Yangju City. The music that Gun-Ho selected was songs sung by singers like Onion, Young-Eun Seo, and Wax.

“I do like quiet and calming music.”

Young-Eun changed the music to some classical music that Gun-Ho had no idea of. Young-Eun seemed to really enjoy the music that she chose, and she looked happy. By looking at Young-Eun who seemed to truly enjoy listening to music, Gun-Ho wanted to buy her a nice smart phone.

They arrived at Young-Eun’s aunt’s house. It was her dog who greeted them first by barking at them. The dog particularly barked hard toward Gun-Ho.

“This guy is chasing me and barking so hard at me.”

Young-Eun’s aunt came out of the house with a smile. She had a handful of anchovy, and she gave them to Gun-Ho. When Gun-Ho gave anchovy to the dog, the dog became calm.

‘Of course, dogs need either a stick or food to be calm.’

When he thought about how to handle a dog, a scary thought crossed his mind. It was Egnopak’s president’s face that popped up in his head, along with other business owners who he met in the meeting in South Chungcheong Province.

‘That is exactly how those people think of their employees. They thought they should handle their employees with either a stick or food. That’s why they treat their workers without respect, and they are often on a serious power trip.’

Gun-Ho tried to replace a dog with a person in a sentence that he just thought.

‘Of course, people need either a stick or food to be calm.’

It was terrifying and egregious.

‘Of course, people need praise and compensation.’

Gun-Ho nodded his head as he changed the wording as he thought more appropriate. He felt like Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town and Master Park in Goesan Town were smiling at Gun-Ho proudly.

In handling workers, employers were not supposed to use a stick or food. A stick and food in handling dogs require a perfect balance to be effective; otherwise, a dog would bite a human.

‘People who are screaming ‘out’ toward the business owners who were on a serious power trip were not the people outside the firm, but they were their employees. Employees are not a dog or a pig, but they are human beings who require fair treatment with respect. That’s how the business owners could be respected and admired by their employees as well.’

As he was developing his thought, Gun-Ho looked at the dog’s eyes.

“Goo Seobang!* Come on in.”

Artist Choi didn’t call Gun-Ho as President Goo any longer. Since Gun-Ho was now her niece’s husband, she called him Goo Seobang.

“Goo Seobang? That sounds weird.”

Young-Eun laughed out loud when Gun-Ho made a comment on his new title.

“What about me?”

“What about you?”

“Remember the day when we went to the costume play event? Your workers called me ma’am or Mrs. Goo. That was really weird to me.”

Young-Eun’s aunt chipped in while bringing steamed potato.

“You are a married woman now. Of course, people should call you ma’am or Mrs. Goo. You sound weird saying that’s weird.”

“I felt really old when they called me like that. I felt like I became an old lady.”

“That’s how you get old. Try steamed potato. I harvested them from the farmland myself.”

Artist Choi brought a small amount of salt along with potato. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun added a pinch of salt on top of the potato before putting them into their mouths after peeling the skins.

“This is really good.”

“It tastes fantastic.”

Young-Eun closed her eyes half way down while having the potato. She seemed to truly like it.

“Have some water too.”

Artist Choi brought some barley tea. She said while joining them at the dining table, “I received the Chanel handbag that you sent to me through President Shin last time. You didn’t have to spend money like that on me.”

“I wanted to show my gratitude, but I don’t think it was enough.”

“You should buy Young-Eun a handbag like that.”

“I did.”

“Really? That’s good. Well, thank you for the bag. I heard President Shin got the same one.”

“I have lots of things that I want to thank her for too.”

“President Shin was not sure if she could accept your present. She said it was excessive, and she was sorry that you had to spend that much money on her.”

Young-Eun chipped in while listening to the conversation between Gun-Ho and Artist Choi.

“Auntie! What about mine? I brought something for you too today.”

“What did you bring?”

“These!”

“Whoa, this bag is really heavy.”

“Open it!”

“Wow! I see soy sauce, red chili pepper paste, and soybean paste! Oh, you got me a vegetable oil too. I guess I can skip grocery shopping for at least a month. Thanks to you.”

Young-Eun’s aunt went into the kitchen, and she brought cold noodles for them. Several ice cubes were in the bowl along with noodles with young radish kimchi.

“This is a young-radish-kimchi cold noodle soup.”

It was good and cool. It was a nice dish for summertime.

“Please try this too.”

Artist Choi brought some side dishes like pumpkin pancakes and rice wine. They could see Artist Choi’s flower garden from the dining area. It gave a relaxing and serene feeling to have a meal with the garden view, especially when they added a rice wine. Young-Eun seemed to enjoy the food as well.

“I feel like I’m gaining some weight whenever I visit this house.”

“Auntie, you look better than the last time I saw you.”

“Really? Maybe because a friend of mine moved into the area.”

“Your friend?”

“She is not an artist, but she is running an art gallery at the entrance of this village. She offers tea and some art tools there.”

“Really? That’s very nice. You can hang out with her sometimes.”

“I actually go to see her at the gallery on a daily basis. You probably remember her, Young-Eun. Her name is Nan-Young Eum.”

“Nan-Young Eum? I’m not sure. I think maybe I heard of her name before.”

“She used to work in a travel agency. Her husband used to work in a bank before moving to this area.”

“By the way, auntie, your feet look swollen.”

“Well, it started yesterday.”

“It could be your kidney that needs to be checked up, or it could be just a sign of lack of exercise. You should go to the hospital and let a doctor take a look at it.”

“You think so? It’s nice to have a niece who is a medical doctor. So, I could have some idea about what went wrong. So, you don’t think this is serious?”

“I don’t think you have a serious health issue. It could be just a high blood-pressure that caused it.”

While listening to the conversation between Young-Eun and her aunt, Gun-Ho thought that he didn’t have to worry too much about his health while living with Young Eun.

Note *

Seobang – A title within a family when you marry their daughter.

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Chapter 496 - A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 1

Chapter 496: A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 1

After having the cold noodle with young radish kimchi, that Artist Choi prepared for them along with a pumpkin pancake and rice wine, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun came out of the house. Once they walked out of the house, a small vegetable garden unfolded in front of their eyes. In the garden, all kinds of vegetables were growing. There were peppers, lettuce, spring onions, etc.

“I think I need to spend some time around here to get sober before driving to Seoul.”

“Let’s then take a walk till the house over there with a blue roof.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun held each other’s hands and started walking.

“Oppa, maybe we should move to this area after we retire.”

“Nah, there are too many bugs here. I got bitten by a mosquito earlier. I hate insects.”

“Oppa, you like being surrounded by nature, don’t you? You told me that you used to go fishing in Pocheon City pretty often.”

“Yeah, I do love fishing.”

“I want to see you fishing.”

“We won’t see the bite during the daytime. Usually evening is good for fishing.”

“Really?”

“There is a nice vacation home close to my favorite fishing site in Pocheon City. It belongs to Chairman Lee who I know very well.”

“A vacation home?”

“Yes, its land itself is 1,000 pyung large, and its floor space is exceeding 200 pyung.”

“He must be very rich.”

“He is. He has several big buildings in Cheongdam Town as well.”

“That’s why he has a vacation home there in that size. Well, don’t you think it’s extravagant to have a vacation home for himself even though he is wealthy enough to afford it? There are so many people who are suffering financially in our country.”

“You are misjudging him. He might have used some unpleasant way to make his money, but he is a very good person now. That vacation home is being used as a facility for disabled people.”

“Really?”

“I believe there are 20 or 30 disabled people living there.”

“If he is using that place for the disabled, doesn’t he get financial support from the government?”

“It seems that he is using solely his personal money to operate that facility.”

“Hmm. I guess he is a respectable person assuming what you said is all true. Running a facility like that costs a substantial amount of money. Food expenses alone must be very high.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun continued to walk without saying a word for a while. It felt so warm on that sunny day.

Young-Eun lifted her head and called Gun-Ho.

“Oppa!”

“Yeah?”

“That vacation home in Pocheon City… I want to see it.”

“What for? You will only see a bunch of disabled people there.”

“I want to be of help. I can check up their health. I’m sure there has to be something I can do for them.”

Gun-Ho who was walking ahead of Young-Eun stopped and turned around to see Young-Eun. He then smiled.

“Thank you, Young-Eun. I think I chose the right person to get married to.”

Gun-Ho held Young-Eun’s hand and walked side by side toward the house with a blue roof. The wind felt fresh.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile.

GH Mobile was doing great. President Jang-Hwan Song led the company in increasing its sales revenue gradually. As a result, its debts were dwindling. GH Mobile was a manufacturing company that produced automobile parts with plastics and synthetic rubbers. Even though there was no rocketing revenue, it was gradually and steadily growing.

Gun-Ho’s office was located on the second floor. He was looking down the factory yard from his office. Some trucks were coming into the yard while other trucks were going out.

‘I like the fact that our executive officers here are all young, compared to other companies in the industry. President Song and the research center’s chief officer are in their 50s. Our accounting director and general affairs director are in their late 40s. Jong-Suk Park— the production director— is in his late 30s. I guess this company can go on with the same executive officers for at least ten years.’

Gun-Ho quietly walked out of GH Mobile and headed to Dyeon Korea in Asan City, with Chan-Ho Eum.

Director Kim was not in his office. Gun-Ho was told that he went to see a client. Director Yoon was not in his office either; he went to the construction site for retaining wall.

“A retaining wall construction site?”

Gun-Ho made a call to Director Yoon.

“Mr. Director Yoon, where are you?”

“I’m in the construction site where the retaining wall is.”

“Retaining wall?”

“Since it has been raining a lot lately, the southern part of the retaining wall collapsed a bit. It’s not a big deal though. The construction crew is on the site, and they are working on it right now. I will get back to the office soon.”

“I see.”

Mr. Adam Castler came to Gun-Ho’s office, accompanied by an interpreter who was not Interpreter Lee but the new hire from the trading department. He was a smart-looking young man.

“Mr. Lee is not coming to Dyeon Korea any longer?”

“He will be here this afternoon. He will pick up his stuff here in the afternoon, and then he will go back to his home in Seoul. He said that he wanted to see you before leaving.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I asked the accountant to issue him 5 million won for now. He will need living expenses for the first and maybe second months in India. We completed the currency exchange as well through the Korean Foreign Exchange Bank.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought three cups of green tea to Gun-Ho’s office. While sipping his tea, Gun-Ho said to the interpreter, “How long have you been with us?”

“It has been nine months, sir.”

“You seem to speak English very well. What was your name? Director Kim told me your name, and I forgot.”

“It’s Myeong-Joon Chae, sir.”

“Hmm, your last name is Chae, huh? It’s one of the rare family names. Where did you learn your English?”

“I actually studied abroad.”

Myeong-Joon Chae was nervous, and his face was hardened at first. He later seemed to feel better as Gun-Ho was talking to him with a smile. He turned out to be a very good interpreter.

“You sometimes would have to do the interpretation work after hours. Since you were hired as part of management rather than production, you wouldn’t get paid for those extra hours.”

“I’m well aware of it, sir. I will do my best.”

Gun-Ho was wondering how old he was, but he didn’t ask him. He seemed to be five years younger than Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho directly asked Mr. Adam Castler with his simple English, “How is your new interpreter?”

“Oh, he is the best interpreter!”

As he responded, Mr. Adam Castler raised his thumb. Gun-Ho laughed out loud, and Myeong-Joon Chae scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Mr. Adam Castler opened his note and said, “I have one more thing that I want to report to you, sir.”

“What is it?”

“We sent 50 tons of raw materials to Dyeon Korea’s company in China.”

“Really?”

“And, the overseas president— Ms. Dingding— sent us the tax invoices issued by the company in China to us via email.”

Mr. Adam Castler showed a copy of the tax invoices to Gun-Ho.

“All we have to do from now on is making money, huh?”

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Chapter 497 - A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 2

Chapter 497: A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 2

“It’s very convenient to discuss business with Dingding since she speaks English fluently. I can easily communicate with her through email in English and read her report. I think you picked the right person for the overseas president of Dyeon Korea’s company in China.”

“Haha, you think so?”

“According to her, the company in Yancheng City will place their product order around next week. That will make our monthly sales 70 tons.”

“Assuming the unit price is 4.5 million won per ton, how much would the annual sales revenue be if they sell 70 tons on a monthly basis?”

Mr. Adam Castler and the interpreter started doing the math.

“You don’t have to do the math. The monthly sales revenue would be 315 million won, and the annual sales revenue would then be 3.78 billion won.”

Mr. Adam Castler and Interpreter Myeong-Joon Chae were amazed by Gun-Ho’s quick mental calculation.

At that moment, Myeon-Joon Chae remembered what Director Kim had told him earlier when he submitted the expense approval form to Director Kim for the imported goods. He said, “Look, Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae! You got this wrong. Please correct it.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I will make the correction right away.”

“Do you know what would happen if you submit the form like this to the president? He used to work in an accounting department, and he is very quick and accurate with numbers. If you give him any documents with wrong numbers, I would be the one who would have to feel embarrassed as your supervisor. I will be teased that I must sign the form with my eyes closed. So, please be careful when you talk with Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo, especially when you have to talk about numbers.”

Myeong-Joon Chae realized at that moment what Director Kim meant earlier.

After Mr. Adam Castler and Myeong-Joon Chae left the office, Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo from the production department came into the president’s office. It was unusual to see him in the president’s office since he didn’t often come to Gun-Ho’s office. That day, he looked upset while entering the office.

“There is a compound pigment called AJ-252 which is the most frequently used pigment. They are imported goods. The thing is that the pigment seller company keeps increasing its price. Can we just import them on our own?”

“Don’t they have the exclusive distribution right in Korea, issued by the pigment manufacturer abroad?”

“It doesn’t look like that.”

“If so, yeah, why not? Let’s just import them directly from the manufacturer overseas.”

“We will have to import a high volume of them though. Will it be okay, sir?”

“A high volume? Can we maintain them fresh for a good amount of time? Will they be hardened if we keep them for too long?”

“We just need to shake them regularly to prevent the hardening.”

“How much are you thinking of importing?”

“The amount that is worth 1 million won would be good, sir.”

“1 million won? Okay. You have my approval, so please discuss it with the trading department for details.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Director Yoo seemed to be still upset when he left Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho couldn’t help but laugh.

“What made him that upset? I guess the pigment selling company wasn’t very cooperative with him.”

In the afternoon, Mr. Interpreter Lee came to Gun-Ho’s office with his luggage.

“Sir, I came here to report to you that I’m leaving for India as the overseas president of Dyeon Korea’s company in India.”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat.

“It won’t be easy to work there.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to him for a firm handshake.

“I do trust you, Mr. Overseas President Jong-Geun Lee.”

“I won’t disappoint you, sir.”

“Did you receive the funds that you need?”

“Yes, sir. All the foreign exchange has been completed as well.”

“Are you leaving tomorrow?”

“Yes, sir. I’m taking the night flight tomorrow.”

“The purpose of your allocation to India is to generate the sales revenue for Dyeon Korea. However, you should keep in mind that your health has to come before everything else. I’ve lived in another country before, and I know by experience that maintaining good health is critical.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho grabbed Overseas President Jong-Geun Lee’s hand again and shook it.

A moment after Manager Jong-Geun Lee, who was appointed as the overseas president of the company in India, left the office, Gun-Ho received a call from China.

“This is President Runsheng Yan of the intercity bus terminal in Antang City.”

“Oh, hi. How are you? This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“I wanted to thank you for your kindness when we visited Korea last time.”

“Don’t say that. I really had a great time when I visited China because of you.”

“I told the deputy mayor how warmly you welcomed us to Korea, and also that we visited your manufacturing company and how impressed we were with its size and cleanliness.”

“Haha, you did?”

“I realized why your company is generating the annual sales revenue of almost 100 million dollars.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, we will need to start our terminal construction anytime soon. We really would like to work with you, Mr. President Goo. Please join us and start our joint venture together. We can start by signing a letter of intent.”

“Let me review a few more things before giving you my decision.”

“We will issue you the right to run the transportation business right away. We are currently discussing doing a joint venture with another company from Hong Kong, but to be honest with you, we’d really want to work with you, sir.”

“Hong Kong is part of the People’s Republic of China. Wouldn’t it be easier and more convenient for you to work with them?”

“That is the reason why we don’t prefer to work with them. They would well try to intervene in managing the company, and it would create a very stressful situation for us. Our Yuangong (staff) have a very good impression about Korea. And my recent visit to Korea sort of confirmed that preexisting good impression. I told them how clean and beautiful Korea was.”

“Haha, really?”

“So, what do you think? Why don’t you visit us next week? We will give you the best condition to do a business here. Technically, I have the deputy mayor and the director of the transportation department above me. However, the actual players in this business are my intercity terminal company and your GH companies. If you could come and visit us next week, it will be great.”

“Hmm, I’m not sure.”

“To be honest with you, you wouldn’t get an opportunity with other big cities in other areas in China like the east coast or west area. They don’t do joint venture business with Korea for transportation. They have enough funds available for their business, and they are reluctant to bring foreign investment funds into their business. The project with Antang City is a very good opportunity for a Korean company.”

“Hmm, I see your point.”

“Please come to China with GH Logistics’ president next week. I believe that the co-venturer of this joint venture would be GH Logistics among other GH companies. So, please come with President Jae-Sik Moon of GH Logistics.”

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Chapter 498 - Terminal Business (1) – Part 1

Chapter 498: Terminal Business (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“I just received a call from Antang City, China.”

“The ones who suggested doing a joint venture together?”

“Right. They are asking us to come and visit them next week. What do you think?”

“Next week? What are we supposed to do if we go there next week? Are we negotiating on terms or something?”

“You don’t know anything about a letter of intent and an actual contract for a joint venture deal, do you?”

“I don’t know.”

“We sign a letter of intent first, demonstrating our intent to commit to the deal. That way, other people won’t intervene in our ongoing business deal. We sign the actual contract afterwards.”

“Does that mean a letter of intent is not legally binding since we will sign an actual contract later?”

“You can say that.”

“Hmm, then maybe I should go there with you. I guess there should be a lot for me to learn.”

“Okay then. Let’s schedule our trip for Tuesday. Be prepared accordingly.”

“Okay, I will do that. We have one female worker and one male worker in GH Logistics, so the business will be doing fine during my absence.”

“You haven’t heard anything about land use change yet, have you?”

“Oh, I was going to tell you about it. They asked us to submit documents about a discharge facility, so we supplemented our application with it.”

“A discharge facility?”

“Yeah. We are changing the land use from farmland to factory use.”

“That’s right.”

“So we need to let them know how we are going to handle all types of possible discharges as we use the land for a factory, such as waste water, noise, air pollution, vibration, etc. We make our plans on how to handle them, document the plan, and submit it to them.”

“Hmm, I see. You sound like an expert in that field now.”

“I learned a lot as I go through the process step by step.”

“By the way, the agency asked us to prepare the fees for the conversion of farmland into non-farming uses.”

“How much should we expect?”

“It’s not nominal at all. They charge 30% of the appraised value of the land. They said that it would be around 400 million won in our case.”

“400 million won!?”

“We started with buying the old auto repair shop which is 980 pyung, and we added the 1,500 pyung large farmland adjacent to it. We spent 900 million won at that time. And then, we acquired the 2,600 pyung large landlocked property at 1 billion won.”

“That’s correct.”

“We spent 1.9 billion won in purchasing those two farmlands, but their appraisal would be 1.33 billion won if we assume their appraisal value would be 70% of our purchasing price. And, 30% of that appraised value would be approximately 400 million won.”

“That sounds right.”

“In addition to that, we have to prepare the deposit for the construction cost, bond cost for the local community development, the license fee, etc., according to the agency.”

“We are getting back the deposit for the construction fee, aren’t we?”

“Yes, we will. The contractor for the construction said that the shape of our land is so pretty, so once we get the permission to use it as a factory, the land price will go up dramatically.”

“I guess we will know the result once we come back from our trip to China.”

“I think so. The agency and the contractor will do their best to make it work since they have to get paid as well.”

“Okay. Let’s enjoy our trip to China without being dragged too much into this matter.”

“Oh, you know what? I told my wife about the possibility of moving to China for a while. She seems to be interested.”

“Really?”

“She keeps asking me which area would it be if we decide to move there?”

“Why is she interested in moving to China?”

“She said that working at the book café makes her feel embarrassed sometimes.”

“Why is that so?”

“I guess that she feels uncomfortable working at a café which is owned by her husband’s friend. She said she doesn’t know what to say when she runs into you in an elevator or somewhere in the building.”

“Well, she doesn’t have to. There is nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Since she has worked at a book café here, she said she wants to run her own book café in China.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho went mountain climbing with Young-Eun on the weekend. They went to Cheonggye Mountain which was close to their home— TowerPalace. They chose a path to Yetgol where not many people took. They wanted to have some privacy while mountain climbing.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were climbing all the way to Yisoo Pike while gasping for air.

“Are you okay? Not too tired yet?”

“I’m exhausted. Can we go home now?”

“It’s only 500 meter away until we reach Yisoo Pike according to the sign.”

“500 meter feels like it takes forever. I’m so tired.”

“If mountain climbing is too exhausting for you, why don’t you play golf instead? I will pay for your golf lesson.”

“I don’t have time, and there is no place to take golf lessons in Myeongryoon Town.”

“Even though this is an exhausting activity, once you are done, it feels really good. I feel more energetic during the following weekdays at work.”

“That’s very true.”

The two slowly and gradually climbed to Yisoo Pike. When they finally arrived at the pike, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun took a picture together as proof that they made it that far.

“There is a history about this pike. During the era of Yeongsan-gun, one of the Confucian scholars— Mr. Yeo-Chang Jeong— hid himself here to avoid the Mooho Massacre of Scholars.”

“That’s why this pike is named as Yisoo Pike?”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun climbed down the mountain and had a meal in a Korean barbecue restaurant called Yetgol-Toseong.

“Since we did an intensive exercise in the morning, let’s take a shower and take a nap once we get home.”

“I have some work to do. I need to prepare a presentation.”

“Oh, you do? Okay, you do what you need to do. I will take a nap.”

“You had your sleep last night. Why do you have to take a nap during the day?”

“I’m going to China on Tuesday.”

“Again?”

“I am a businessman. I need to go on a trip everywhere if necessary. The founder of Daewoo Group— Chairman Woo-Choong Kim— said that ‘the world is still wide and there are so many things to do.’”

“He went to the prison. You know that, right?”

“I will play smart without creating too much debt. Don’t worry about it.”

“When are you coming back from China?”

“I will return on Friday. Friday is an important day. It’s the day I meet you every week.”

Young-Eun smiled.

“I will go to the same city as last time— Antang City, Guizhou Province. I will sign a letter of intent for the joint venture business with them. It’s about a bus terminal project.”

“A letter of intent?”

“Yeah, it’s sort of a promise before making an actual contract. I need to prepare 25 billion won of investment funds.”

“25 billion won?”

“Both parties— Korea and China— are supposed to come up with 25 billion won, so it’s a 50 billion won worth project.”

Young-Eun stared at Gun-Ho for a while with her widened eyes.

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Chapter 499 - Terminal Business (1) – Part 2

Chapter 499: Terminal Business (1) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho realized that Young-Eun was staring at him, he asked, “What? Something is on my face?”

“Did you… take out a loan from a bank for that business by any chance?”

“Borrowing money is part of business. A businessman sometimes takes out a loan from a bank if necessary. It’s not something you should worry about.”

“Oh, my gosh! People I know from college took a loan of 1 billion or 500 million won to open their own practice. And you say you are borrowing 25 billion won?! You are insane!”

“You have to be insane to be successful in business.”

Young-Eun kept staring at Gun-Ho’s face. She looked worried.

“Don’t worry. I can handle it!”

Gun-Ho laughed out loud and clinked his glass of beer to Young-Eun’s.

“I do trust you, oppa… But 25 billion won is an enormous amount of money. I’m scared.”

“I’m not putting it all at once. There is nothing to worry about.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik met at Incheon International Airport.

“Are we stopping by Shanghai City before heading to Antang City?”

“No, we flew straight to Guizhou Province.”

“Since China is a huge continent, it’s going to take a long time to get there, right?”

“It will take about 3 and a half hours.”

“The flight ticket must be expensive too, huh?”

“It’s 1 million won for two people.”

“Guizhou Province is not very well known among Koreans, right?”

“You have heard of Chinese liquor called Maotai, haven’t you?

“Yeah, I’ve heard of Maotai.”

“That liquor is from Guizhou Province. If you look at its bottle closely, you will see ‘Guizhou.’ In Chinese, it says ‘Guizhou Maotai.’”

“I see.”

Since he was accompanied by Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho purchased economic seats instead of business seats.

“Take this with you.”

“What is it? Is it a weekly magazine?”

“I bought it from a store earlier. You probably need this to kill your time.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

“We will be arriving at an airport in Guiyang which is the capital of Guizhou Province. It’s a bit distant from downtown. I talked with the Chinese people earlier and asked them to send a car to pick us up around 11 am, so we can have plenty of time to get ready. It takes another three hours by car to Antang City.”

“It sounds like Antang City is located in a very remote area.”

“Hahaha. It’s still a city with lots of high-rise buildings and vehicles. It’s about the same size as Anyang City in Gyeonggi Province or Cheonan City where our factory is located.”

“Really?”

The airplane, that Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon were on, arrived at Guiyang Airport in the early morning. They went to the hotel and had breakfast. They then went up to their hotel room to take a shower and took a brief nap. Gun-Ho woke up when he received a call from a young lady around 11 am.

“Xia Zong? Wo Shi Antang Shi Cheng Ji Bashi Gongsi Bangongshi Zhuguan (President Goo? I’m Antang City’s intercity bus terminal company’s office manager).”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon walked out of the hotel after checking out. A black Audi was waiting for them outside the hotel, and a young lady was standing in front of the car with a rear-seat door open.

“Are you from Antang City?”

“Are you President Goo?”

The lady looked like she was in her early 30s, and she was very pretty. Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik got in the car and sat in the rear seat.

“That lady sitting on the front passenger seat is an office manager of the intercity bus company that we will do a joint venture business with. Her position would be a team leader in a general affairs department in Korea.”

“Really? She is gorgeous.”

“You have to be careful. You shouldn’t do anything stupid here, okay?”

“I guess she is already married.”

Since Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik were talking in Korean, the lady and the driver couldn’t understand their conversation.

While in the car, Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim.

“I’m on the way to Antang City departing from Guiyang. Jae-Sik Moon is with me. The other party of the joint venture sent a car for us.”

“What kind of car is it?”

“It’s an Audi.”

“Audi is so popular in China.”

“If I start the joint venture with them, can you send Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo here? Since she is a Korean Chinese, she will be of great help.”

“I don’t think she wants to go there since it is located in a deep inland area. Moreover, she has all her friends and her boyfriend here.”

“Do you think she wouldn’t accept the position even if I offer her a higher salary?”

“I don’t think that would work. Her life would change dramatically once she moves there, without any friends. She wouldn’t go there for a few more dollars.”

“What if your company keeps her and sends her to this location? We will pay her more, of course.”

“Okay. I will talk to her.”

They stopped by a village for lunch. The village looked about the same size as a small town in Korea. They went into the largest and cleanest restaurant in the area. Dumplings, deep-fried chicken, deep-fried sweet potato, and etc. came out.

“How is it?”

“Not bad at all.”

“If you work in China, you will have to eat food like this pretty often.”

“When you talked with Min-Hyeok earlier, I heard that you talked about a Korean Chinese lady. Who is it?”

“She was initially hired as an interpreter in Min-Hyeok’s factory. Ever since Min-Hyeok didn’t need an interpreter anymore— Min-Hyeok speaks Chinese very well now— she doesn’t do an interpretation work any longer, but she works in the general affairs department. I asked him to send her here.”

“Is she coming?”

“Young Korean Chinese people are not willing to work in this area since it’s hard to connect with their friends; it is a remote area after all.”

“What are we going to do then?”

“I told Min-Hyeok to offer her a higher salary.”

“How much more should we offer?”

“Companies here don’t officially pay high salaries. The transportation company here runs not only the bus business but the terminal business as well. It’s owned by the government. Unlike the terminals in Korea, they are owned by the government. So, the amount of salary for the workers here are restricted. We can’t freely raise salaries.”

“Then what do we do?”

“We will have to pay her under the table. You can give her 50,000 or 100,000 won from your salary in cash on a monthly basis.”

“Hmm.”

“You won’t get paid much either because of the salary restriction in this country. When Min-Hyeok started working in China for a joint venture here, he got paid by the joint venture and also by GH Development since his salary in China is too little.”

“I see.”

“You will have to be paid also by GH Logistics as well even though you work here for the joint venture.”

“Hmm, I see.”

They arrived at Dong zhan (east station).

Mr. Runsheng Yan who was the president of Antang City’s intercity bus business and also the terminal was waiting for Gun-Ho’s party, with his planning manager— Mr. Chun Chang.

“Hey, President Goo!”

“President Yan, and Manager Chang!”

Gun-Ho and the two men shook their hands in delight.

“Oh, President Moon!”

The president of the terminal and the planning manager greeted Jae-Sik Moon.

“The building is old and shabby, but it looks like a Chinese traditional hotel that I saw in a cartoon book. The window in an office is in a round shape.”

“It’s huge, isn’t it? It’s about 10,000 pyung large. We will demolish the entire building and construct a new and modern building from scratch, as a joint venture. Then we will run the terminal business. In case we get bored with the terminal business only, they also offered to give us the license to run a bus business as well.”

“We will demolish this building? It still looks usable.”

Gun-Ho requested the terminal’s president to give Jae-Sik Moon a tour around the terminal.

“I’ve had my tour last time. Could you give President Jae-Sik Moon a tour?”

“Of course, we will.”

The president of the terminal showed Jae-Sik around the terminal.

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Chapter 500 - Terminal Business (2) – Part 1

Chapter 500: Terminal Business (2) – Part 1

While Jae-Sik was having a terminal tour guided by the president of the terminal, Gun-Ho had a cup of tea at the president’s office.

After about 30 minutes, Jae-Sik Moon, the president of the terminal, and the planning manager came back to the office from the tour.

“How was the tour?”

“It was good. This terminal reminded me of the terminal I remember from my childhood, the facility itself, and also the buses as well.”

Gun-Ho said to the terminal’s president—Runsheng Yan, “I think we’d better discuss our business tomorrow. We’d like to take a rest at the hotel today since we feel so tired due to the long flight.”

“Of course. We made a reservation for your rooms at the hotel. I agree that you’d better take a good rest today. You must be exhausted.”

“Thank you.”

“A meeting has been set up for 10 o’clock tomorrow morning. The Chinese representatives will be there too. We will pick you up at your hotel at 9:30 am.”

“The director of the transportation department and the deputy mayor won’t attend the meeting, will they?”

“No, because the parties for the joint venture are you—GH companies’ president—and myself—Antang City terminal’s president. We are an entity with several businesses including two terminals, three passenger transportation companies, and two freight transportation companies.

“I guess that the director of the transportation department and the deputy mayor will join us once the meeting ends.”

“That’s right. If we don’t reach an agreement during the meeting, they won’t show up, but if the meeting results in forming a joint venture, they will join us for signing the letter of intent. However, since you are here, they will join you later to meet with you no matter what happens during the meeting.”

“I see.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik were heading to the hotel that the terminal’s president reserved for them. Jae-Sik asked, “Are we expecting to have an intense and heated discussion tomorrow?”

“Not necessarily. The important terms and conditions of the project were already in the business plan that I had reviewed. We will just need to verify a few things before signing the letter of intent. After I and the terminal’s president signed the letter of intent, everyone in the room including the director of the transportation department will stand behind us and take a picture.”

“I’ve seen a picture like that in a newspaper before.”

“I’ve done it several times. I did it when I participated in building the Jinxi Industrial Complex in Jiangsu Province, and also when I opened Dyeon Korea with Lymondell Dyeon. The procedure is all the same.”

“I’m worried. You speak Chinese fluently but I can’t. I’m worried that I would be a burden to you. If you were not here with me, I wouldn’t be able to do anything by myself. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You will learn the Chinese language in no time.”

“I guess I will have to keep looking at your face during the meeting tomorrow.”

“I think we will have an interpreter tomorrow.”

“An interpreter? You said that Korean Chinese people are reluctant to come to this area.”

“I believe they will prepare one for us. They will probably bring a government employee for the job. It’s a joint venture with a company that is owned by the government. I think they will find someone who could interpret for us.”

“Really? You think they have someone who could speak Korean in the government?”

“It could be a Korean Chinese or a Chinese who could speak Korean. If the person is Chinese, he or she must have previously studied in South Korea or even in North Korea; some people go to Kim Il-Sung University in Pyongyang, North Korea.”

“Kim-Il Sung University?”

“We will find out tomorrow.”

While in the car heading to the hotel, Jae-Sik Moon was looking outside the window.

“There are a lot of high-rise buildings.”

“The east area is richer than this area, but this area is vigorously developing right now.”

“Some people are wearing weird hats.”

“They must be ethnic minorities.”

“Is there no traffic light? People are just crossing the road without stopping.”

“It seems that they have now enough traffic requiring traffic lights and median strips. We will see.”

“There are so many people on the street. What do these people do for a living? Huh? There is a KFC as well.”

“That’s right. I guess they have what they need to have.”

“Do you see the Nike store over there?”

“Yeah. I think you will find everything you need here.”

When he arrived at the hotel, Gun-Ho lied down on the bed right away. He felt so tired. On the other hand, Jae-Sik Moon walked out of the hotel and walked on the street. He tried several stores, went to a hidden alley, and also he tried some street food like a pancake as well.

Jae-Sik, who was a literary man, seemed to enjoy the old feelings in a Chinese traditional market, stores, and a shabby alley. He walked around the street until late at night without feeling tired.

“Where did you go? I was waiting for you. Let’s go eat.”

“I just walked around the traditional market and hidden alleys. It’s an interesting town.”

“I guess you really like this place.”

“Who knows? Maybe I used to live here in my previous life like 500 years ago.”

“I’m so tired today. I don’t think I can go out to eat. Let’s just have dinner at the hotel. I saw a restaurant on the second floor. Let’s have a glass of wine too.”

“Sounds good.”

The next morning at 9:30 am, an Audi arrived at the hotel to pick up Gun-Ho’s party. It was sent by the terminal’s president. The office manager lady, who had picked up Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik at the airport yesterday, came with the car as well.

“Did you have a good sleep, sir?”

“Yes, we had a very relaxed night. Thank you for picking a nice hotel for us.”

While in the car, Gun-Ho realized that they were not heading to the terminal.

“Where are we going?”

“We are heading to the head office of the terminal company.”

“Oh, I thought the head office was in the terminal.”

“No, it’s in a separate location.”

“Hmm, really?”

The head office was situated in a large building on its second floor. There were no commercial stores in the building, and the transportation company occupied the entire first and second floors. Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik were led to a meeting room, rather than a president’s office.

When Gun-Ho entered the meeting room, there were President Runsheng Yan and Planning Manager Chun Chang waiting for them.

“Please come in and have a seat. Did you have a good time?”

“Yes, we had a good rest last night. So, this is the head office, huh?”

“Yes, it is. The office here oversees all business activities of two terminals, three intercity bus services, two freight transportation companies, and one auto repair shop for trucks, and three gas stations.”

“I see.”

The planning manager handed a pamphlet to Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik. The design of the pamphlet was not so dramatic, but it had everything that President Yan mentioned earlier. On the table, there were the national flags of two countries—Korean flag and the Chinese red flag with five stars.

“The four of us will discuss the business today? You—Mr. President Yan, Mr. Planning Manager, and us.”

“An interpreter will be here since this is a formal meeting with our potential business partner from a foreign country. Also, Ms. Office Manager will stay with us to record the meeting.”

The office manager lady brought tea for everyone in the room. There were large tea leaves floating in the cup, and Gun-Ho blew them away before sipping his tea.

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Chapter 501 - Terminal Business (2) – Part 2

Chapter 501: Terminal Business (2) – Part 2

“Hello?”

A slim man came into the meeting room. He said hello in Korean as he entered the room. He looked like he was in his early 40s.

“This is Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy. He is here to interpret for us.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to the Mr. Choi person for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you. Did you go to school in Yanbian?”

“I went to school in Changchun—Changchun University.”

He was a Korean Chinese. Gun-Ho preferred a Korean Chinese rather than a Chinese for the interpretation work. Jae-Sik Moon asked him, “Are you a Korean Chinese?”

“Yes, I am.”

“How did you start working here?”

“This is the position assigned to me by the government after I graduated from college.”

“Oh, I see.”

Jae-Sik nodded his head, showing he understood now.

The meeting began.

The parties verified things that Gun-Ho was already aware of, such as the name of the joint venture to be established, the frequency of its board meeting, verification of the investment funds, etc. Even though they were just checking if they were on the same page, the meeting lasted for a while because everything they said had to be interpreted by the interpreter. The only issue Gun-Ho raised was about the way of investment.

The terminal’s president said, “Let’s bring in the funds of 25 million dollars in three steps—initial payment, middle payment, and the remaining payment. If you don’t object, I would just assume that you agree.”

“Let’s bring in the investment funds as we go through each step. We start with 50,000 dollars, and once the license of running the bus business is issued, we bring in an additional 450,000 dollars. And then, when we begin the construction work, we add another 3 million dollars since we already have the drawing. Once the third floor of the building is completed, we bring in an additional 3 million won… I think this is a more reasonable way to come up with the investment funds.”

The president of the terminals couldn’t make the decision whether they would accept Gun-Ho’s suggestion or not, on his own. He went out of the meeting room for a while to make a call. And when he came back to the room, he said he would accept the way that Gun-Ho suggested.

Gun-Ho frowned.

‘Hmm. I guess he doesn’t have the full authority to make a decision like that even though he is the president of the company since the company is owned by the government, and he is just an employee. I guess he had to ask for approval from the deputy mayor or the director of the transportation department.’

The interpreter—Mr. Choi—was an excellent interpreter. He was on another level in the job from Mae-Hyang Kim or Eun-Hwa Jo who used to interpret for Gun-Ho when he had run his restaurant in China. Mr. Choi was highly knowledgeable of the terminology of the construction and legal field. He even explained to Gun-Ho about certain technical terms that were used differently in China. That man belonged to the Social Science Academy, and it seemed that he was being paid extra for the interpretation work. Well, he was the person who got picked by the government for the interpretation work. It was obvious that he was that good, but Gun-Ho didn’t like him smoking too much though.

The president of the terminals said with a smile, “I like the fact that you, President Goo, understand quickly the procedure and terms of a joint venture since you have business experience in China and graduated from Zhejiang University.”

The interpreter, who graduated from Changchun University, seemed to be surprised, and he looked at Gun-Ho.

“Oh, you graduated from Zhejiang University, sir? That’s why you knew a lot about China.”

The president of the terminals dragged the planning manager’s arm, who was sitting next to him, and said, “Once the joint venture is formed, let’s appoint a Korean person for a president. And, for the vice president position, we want Mr. Planning Manager to take that position. He is the one who made the business plan and took care of the necessary paperwork for the business.”

The planning manager smiled. He looked like he was around 50 years old.

“I believe that President Jae-Sik Moon will be here as the president of the joint venture, am I correct?”

“That’s our plan.”

“I’ve noticed that President Moon made a note of our discussion. I think he is a meticulous man. Moreover, since he has been running a logistics company in Korea, we are hoping to learn the Korean way to run a transportation company from him.”

Jae-Sik Moon was baffled. He had been running GH Logistics for less than a year now, and the people who were in the field for 20 or 30 years wanted to learn from him. When he was looking for words to respond, Gun-Ho said with a smile, “Haha, running a transportation company should be the same whether it’s in Korea or in China. You have already had your tour in terminals in Korea.”

“I was so impressed by the commercial stores in terminals in Korea. We want to develop the commercial side like that in our terminal as well.”

While they were conversing, the deputy mayor and the director of the transportation department entered the room.

“It seems like things went well.”

The terminal’s president stood up and gave him a report.

“Yes, sir. We’ve agreed on all of the basic terms.”

“Let’s then sign the letter of intent.”

“The letter of intent…”

“You don’t need to think again. Let’s just do it. I guess President Moon here will join the joint venture as the president. Please come and sit here in front of the flags.”

Two people with a camera came into the room. Gun-Ho was not sure whether they were government employees or journalists, but it seemed that they were waiting outside for the whole time for this moment. The deputy mayor, the transportation department’s director, and Jae-Sik Moon stood behind the signers—Gun-Ho and the president of the terminals. After they signed the letter of intent, Gun-Ho and the terminal’s president had a handshake. They held each other’s hand for a while so the people with cameras could take a picture of the moment.

As they finally signed the letter of intent, the Chinese co-venturers wanted to celebrate the day. They said they would throw a party.

“Chinese government employees and the workers of the government-owned companies usually have a party once they complete something.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon were led to a Chinese traditional restaurant called Zi Lin Canting. It was a two-floor old traditional building surrounded by a bamboo forest. The workers there were wearing Chinese ethnic costumes. Several traditional musicians were there as well.

“Wow, this is a very nice place.”

Gun-Ho was not particularly impressed since he had often been to nice Chinese restaurants before. Jae-Sik Moon, on the other hand, couldn’t close his mouth. He had never been to a luxurious Chinese restaurant until then. Jae-Sik was especially attracted by all the scenes because he was a fan of Chinese cartoons.

“I see all sorts of dainties and delicacies.”

“That sounds familiar.”

“Yeah, it was the description used in the Chunhyangjeon (a famous Korean folk tale) for the food prepared for the government official—Pyon.”

“Today is like your birthday.”

“I’ve never had this much good food on my birthday before.”

“Have them as much as you want. You are having all sorts of dainties while listening to the music played by gorgeous women. I think you will have a great life here in China.”

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Chapter 502 - Terminal Business (3) – Part 1

Chapter 502: Terminal Business (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho said to the deputy mayor, “Since we signed the letter of intent, let’s conclude the actual contract within two months.”

“We will issue you the license to run the bus service right away once you bring in the initial investment funds; you don’t have to wait for two months. Since the road between Antang City and Guiyang City is paved now, the community is requesting to start the passenger transportation service with luxurious buses.”

“Hmm.”

“Why don’t you send the person who would take the president position of the joint venture company to China first? So, he could begin to run the business as soon as possible. We can sign the actual contract then.”

“Okay. I will send the joint venture’s president to China along with the first portion of the investment funds. Once the joint venture is established, the parcel of land must be transferred to the joint venture as well.”

“Well, umm… sure.”

Gun-Ho came back to Korea from the trip to China. When he arrived at Incheon International Airport, Chan-Ho Eum was waiting for him. On the way home in the car, Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik Moon, “They will at first set up your office in the terminal. Since you will oversee the terminal business and the passenger transportation business, they will arrange your office close to the business site.”

“I feel nervous about going there to work, but I do like the city.”

“You do?”

“It is a good-sized city, not too big or too busy, and not too small either. It’s not the country, but it is still a city. I’ve seen nice luxurious condo complexes in Antang City earlier. I think living there can be convenient.”

“Oh, that’s right. You went to the traditional market there too, right?”

“Yeah. They have everything like all sorts of vegetables including radish, cabbage, peppers, bean sprouts, and tofu. Oh, tofu and rice look exactly the same as those in Korea.”

“They have a supermarket as well. You should be fine.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim.

“You didn’t stop by my place before returning to Korea, huh?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t make the time.”

“I talked to Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo. She rejected the offer to be relocated to Antang City.”

“Really?”

“And then, I offered to raise her salary by 1.2 times and that she would be sent there for 1 year. She said that she will go if we pay for her room there along with a 200% bonus on top of those.”

“How much would it be if we raise her salary by 1.2 times?”

“It would be 2,400 Yuan.”

“Okay then. Send her there.”

After getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok Kim, Jae-Sik, who was listening to the phone conversation, asked, “Is it Min-Hyeok? What did he say?”

“The interpreter lady doesn’t want to work in Antang City.”

“Really?”

Jae-Sik Moon looked so disappointed.

“But, if we pay for her room and raise her salary to 2,400 Yuan, she said she would come.”

“Really? I will contribute part of my salary to raising her salary.”

Jae-Sik Moon was serious.

“We will have to check with the joint venture’s policy. They probably will have some restrictions on the amount of their workers’ salaries. We will just let them determine each worker’s salary, and then you can add some to make hers 2,400 Yuan. For example, if the joint venture determines her salary as 2,000 Yuan, you can give her an additional 400 Yuan under the table.”

“We need to find her a room too.”

“Of course.”

“Well, I’m so glad and relieved that she would join us.”

Gun-Ho’s Bentley entered the riverside road after passing Incheon Bridge.

“Your home is in Mangwon Town, right?”

“Yes.”

“It would have been hard for your wife to commute from Mangwon Town to the building in Sinsa Town.”

“We are happy that we have a place to go to work.”

“Doesn’t she complain about the commute?”

“She does sometimes, but there is nothing much we can do about it. I do think that I’m a lucky man to have a wife like her. She married me knowing that I have nothing much to offer her. I appreciate her for that.”

“When you move to China, don’t go with your wife right away.”

“Why not?”

“You’d better spend some time there by yourself to settle first. It might take around three months, and you can then ask her to move to China.”

“Yeah, I thought about it too.”

Jae-Sik Moon was staring outside the window when Gun-Ho talked to him again.

“The joint venture is between GH Logistics and Antang City’s transportation company. Once you return to work in GH Logistics, collect the business license and a certified copy of business registration.”

“Okay.”

“Also, get the notarized translated versions of those documents into English.”

“You want to give those papers to the Chinese party?”

“Yeah. They will probably ask us to show them the financial statements as well, but since GH Logistics is a newly formed company, we don’t have them, so we don’t have to show them. They seem to recognize our company as GH companies with several business entities, so I don’t think they would insist on getting GH Logistics’ financial statements specifically.”

“What if they still insist?”

“Don’t worry about it. We have better bargaining power than them. They are the one who desperately wants us to join them for the project. If they unreasonably keep on requesting the financial statements, we can just tell them that we wouldn’t participate in the project at all.”

“Considering the size of the city, I guess they could find local investors to build the terminal. I wonder why they want a foreign investor and form a joint venture. Why do they choose a more complicated way to reach their goal?”

“If they use the city budget to build the terminal—they can since it’s for the public benefit—it will take a few years to launch the project. If they let the local investors participate in the project, those people will intervene in managing the project, and it will eventually create some conflicts. The local investors will fight over who’s going to take the best commercial store in the terminal.”

“That sounds very possible.”

“If they use foreign investment funds to build the terminal, it will be quick without touching their city budget. In addition, their work will be highly evaluated as they successfully improve the citizens’ daily life. Subsequently, the deputy mayor will be praised for the work, and he will have an opportunity to be promoted and relocated to a bigger city than Antang City, maybe after two or three years.”

“Man, you are very knowledgeable about everything. I learn a lot from you.”

“Nah, it’s just how things work in general.”

“Jae-Sik, once you go back to work in GH Logistics, just focus on converting the land use of the farmland. It’s a very important thing for us for now. I will send the 400 million won to your bank account for the conversion fees.”

“Hmm, okay.”

“After paying the taxes and relevant fees and completing the land use conversion, GH Logistics will buy the land from you.”

“We just need to make papers for the transfer, right?”

“When we bought those parcels of farmland, we spent 900 million won for the 1,500 pyung large land, and another 1 billion won for the 2,600 pyung large landlocked property, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, we did.”

“Then, we spent 1.9 billion won in total. We will then spend another 400 million won for taxes and fees in converting the land use. So, we would end up paying, in total, 2.3 billion won for the land.”

“That’s correct.”

“On top of that, we paid the agency and stuff. Let’s assume it cost us 2.4 billion then.”

“Right.”

“Then you sell the land to GH Logistics for 3 billion won.”

“Hmm, does it make GH Logistics increase its capital?”

“Not necessarily.”

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Chapter 503 - Terminal Business (3) – Part 2

Chapter 503: Terminal Business (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued to talk with Jae-Sik Moon about transferring the farmland that he bought with Jae-Sik’s name to GH Logistics.

“I can put my personal funds of 3 billion won into GH Logistics like I’m lending it to the company. After the sales contract is signed, I will deposit 3 billion won in your personal bank account. You then withdraw that amount and send it back to my personal account.”

“Hmm.”

“We then put up the land for sale—the farmland and the 980 pyung large land that GH Logistics’ office building is on. So, we put the total of 5,080 pyung large land on the market.”

“That’s right. The auto repair shop that we purchased at the very beginning was on the 980 pyung large lot. We then purchased a 1,500 pyung large land and then a 2,600 pyung large parcel of land. So, it makes the entire land 5,080 pyung large.”

“After completing the land use conversion, it will become a big parcel of land for factory use. I’m sure we can sell it for at least 6 billion won.”

“Whoa! 6 billion won?!”

Jae-Sik did his math about the transaction involved in those three parcels of land.

‘Gun-Ho started by purchasing the 980 pyung large automobile repair shop for 2 billion won. Since it was located on the main road, it was kind of expensive. He then purchased the farmland adjacent to it for 900 million won. It was 1,500 pyung large. He additionally acquired the landlocked property behind the auto repair shop for 1 billion won. So, he spent 3.9 billion won in total to buy those three parcels of land. It then cost him 400 million won for taxes and fees and an additional 100 million won for the agency fee and stuff. Therefore, he invested 4.4 billion won, and he will sell the land for 6 billion won? Wow.

If he successfully sells the land for 6 billion won, he will make 1.6 billion won without really doing anything. I’m not sure how much income tax he has to pay for the transaction, but he will at least take 1 billion won in cash. Wow. This is how he accumulated his wealth so far. He is really smart. I thought Byeong-Chul Hwang, who was ranked number one in the class in high school, was the smartest one among us, but I guess Gun-Ho was way smarter than him’

Jae-Sik took a moment before asking Gun-Ho, “Are you going to close GH Logistics?”

“As long as it doesn’t lose money, I don’t have to close the business.”

“But you’re going to sell the place.”

“I can move its location. We can lease a place for the business, and if the company generates enough profits to pay for all the operating expenses, we don’t have to close it.”

“Where are you going to move it to?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Do you have anyone in mind who would run the company?”

“I don’t know. I think we will need someone who has experience in the transportation field.”

“I think Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim would do an excellent job in running GH Logistics. He is very good at communicating with potential clients and workers.”

“Haha. Then, who’s going to do the sales work for Dyeon Korea?”

“Haha. I’m just saying.”

“You said that we currently have 27 trucks in GH Logistics, right?”

“Yes.”

“What about the sales revenue? Is it generating 100 million won per month?”

“More or less.”

“Hmm. Its monthly sales revenue is not even half of GH Development’s daily sales revenue.”

“Haha. You can’t compare with GH Development.”

Jae-Sik was wondering how much Gun-Ho would give him for borrowing his name in acquiring and selling the land.

‘Gun-Ho told me earlier that he would share some profits with me since he used my name for the transactions. I wonder how much that would be. Several million won? Several tens of millions of won? If he doesn’t say anything about it, should I ask him? Will he feel uncomfortable if I ask him about it? Should I decline his offer? But, it’s commonplace to get paid if someone used another person’s name in doing business. My dad once let someone use his name in purchasing a condo, and he got paid several million won for it.

And this is not a condo, but it is a huge land. I guess he would pay me more than several million won.’

When Jae-Sik was lost in thought, Gun-Ho asked him, “What about the current workers in GH Logistics? Do you see anyone who can run the company?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. The male worker is good at auto repairing, and he has some experience in the field, but I have no idea how good he would be in business and management. Moreover, he is too young. If a young person runs a company, the truck drivers wouldn’t listen to him.”

“I can’t think of anyone from GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea.”

“Of course, they are doing well in a large company, and they have no reason to take a position with a small company like GH Logistics.”

“Do you remember my sister?”

“Of course. Your sister was a proud lady when we were in high school. She looked down at us at that time.”

“Haha, she did?”

“Do you know what she said when I went to your house?”

“I don’t know.”

“She described me to you like a boy who just woke up. I overheard that.”

“Haha. She said that? Well, you did look like someone who just woke up back then.”

“Did I really?”

“She was a very good student in high school, but she couldn’t go to college because of our family’s financial situation. My parents sent me to college instead just because I am their son. At that time, my dad had no job.”

“Hmm. Yeah, I think I heard of it.”

“She started working in a factory, and she met her husband there, who was working in the logistics department. They are doing okay now.”

“I saw your sister at your wedding. Your sister looked fine and happy. Her daughter was very cute. I talked to her, but she didn’t seem to remember me though.”

“You should have described yourself to her as the boy who just woke up.”

“Haha. That’s right. I should have.”

“My sister is living with my parents right now.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Her husband is driving a truck, his own truck. He transports liquors like soju and beer with his truck.”

“Really? You need a wing-body truck to do the transportation work with beer or soju, and it costs 100 million won to get a truck like that. The drivers make an okay sum of money if they own their trucks. I once thought of doing that job. Oh, you know what? Maybe you should ask your brother-in-law to take over GH Logistics.”

“I don’t know.”

“He should be in his 40s by now, right? That’s a good age to deal with truck drivers. He has work experience with a logistics business, and he is driving a wing-body truck. That’s perfect. He is in the transportation business. He should have connections with a lot of truck drivers.”

“I’ve been trying to avoid getting my family involved in my business, so I haven’t really talked about my business with them.”

“You would feel better if your brother-in-law runs a company rather than just driving a truck. You are a big player from Gangnam. It looks better that way. If your brother-in-law takes the company, I would feel relieved, and I would be able to focus on the work in China.”

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Chapter 504 - Sister and Brother-In-Law (1) – Part 1

Chapter 504: Sister and Brother-In-Law (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho entered his home in Dogok Town. He felt exhausted.

“Young-Eun must be home since it’s Friday.”

Young-Eun was looking at her smartphone while lying on the sofa in the living room when Gun-Ho opened the front door. She quickly got up when she saw him coming in.

“You came back.”

“How have you been?”

“You look tired. Did you eat?”

“I don’t have an appetite, but strangely, I think I want to have a bowl of Sujebi (a soup with flour dough).”

“Sujebi? I will cook for you. Why don’t you take a shower while I’m cooking?”

Gun-Ho went to his room and changed clothes, and came back to the kitchen.

“Hahaha. You are living in Gangnam District— one of the most expensive areas to live in this country. Even if you could have all sorts of expensive food, you want Sujebi, huh?”

“I think I ate too much oily Chinese food during the trip there.”

“You can find lots of semi-prepared convenience foods including Sujebi at a market. It’s easy to cook. You just need to boil water and put all the ingredients found in the package.”

“I will be back after taking a shower. You haven’t had dinner yet, right? Let’s eat together.”

When Gun-Ho came back after taking a shower, dinner was ready. It seemed like Young-Eun didn’t cook Sujebi from scratch, but she cooked with the semi-prepared Sujebi that she bought from a market. She placed a side dish of Yeolmu-Kimchi (kimchi made with young summer radish).

“You are not having this with me just because I wanted to have Sujebi, are you?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not picky about food. When I worked in Africa, I used to eat Sujebi pretty often.”

“Hmm, really?”

“But I had another food in mind for today’s dinner. I wanted to have grilled pork belly.”

“You did? Then, let’s have a small bowl of Sujebi and go out to have grilled pork belly.”

“We don’t have to go out to eat. I can go to the supermarket and buy 600 grams of pork belly. We can have them at home. Let’s have it around 10 pm for our late-night meal.”

“Sounds good.”

After having Sujebi, Gun-Ho fell asleep. Gun-Ho woke up to the smell of grilled pork belly. He was not sure how long he had slept. On the way to the bathroom, he saw Young-Eun cooking pork belly in the kitchen.

“You woke up.”

“Yeah, the smell of pork belly woke me up.”

“Have a seat. Let’s eat.”

“Oh, you didn’t forget to buy lettuce. Grilled pork belly goes great with lettuce.”

Gun-Ho sat at the dining table.

There was a glass of coke in front of Young-Eun while Gun-Ho had a bottle of beer in front of him.

They sat at the dining table facing each other.

“You didn’t have good food in China?”

“I did. But it’s not easy to have Chinese food all the time for two or three days in a row. It’s too greasy for me. Now, I became a greasy man because of all those greasy foods I had for the past few days.”

“A greasy man? Hahaha.”

Young-Eun laughed out loud.

“So, you decided to invest in China?”

“I signed the letter of intent with the transportation company in Antang City, Guizhou Province in China. Antang City’s deputy mayor and their department of transportation’s director attended the signing event. The transportation company is a government-owned company.”

“So, you are going to build a terminal there?”

“I will do both building a terminal and also running the bus service business. I don’t have to invest all at once in the project, but just need to invest one step at a time.”

“Did your friend, who accompanied you on that trip, decide to go to China to oversee the business?”

“Yes, he did. Once he settles there, his wife will join him.”

“Doesn’t his wife have a job here?”

“There is a book café in the building where my office is in Sinsa Town. She is working there.”

“A book café? Then you will probably sell the book café, huh?”

“No. That book café is a part of the business that GH Media is running, where President Shin manages. She is an employee of GH Media.”

Young-Eun ate a lot of grilled pork belly. Gun-Ho commented when he noticed it, “You are eating like someone who hasn’t eaten anything for a while.”

“My husband is a big player from Gangnam. I’m not supposed to feel starving. Eat more, oppa.”

Young-Eun filled Gun-Ho’s empty glass with beer.

“Oppa, I have a favor to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Can you spare a small office space in your building for me? A 10 pyung large office will do.”

“10 pyung? I need to check with Director Kang. I’m not sure if we have a small office like that available. It seems like we split a 30 pyung large office space into tiny offices to rent them out.”

“I prefer a 10 pyung large office.”

Gun-Ho was wondering what she wanted to do with a small office.

“What are you up to? Are you going to use it for a research lab?”

“Hahaha. You can’t have a research lab in that small space considering all the equipment and all that.”

“Then what are you going to do with the space?”

“I want to use it as a medical volunteer work center for KOAF.”

“Don’t they have an office?”

“They do in Mapo Town. They are paying a high rent there, in addition to the salaries to their employees.”

“How many employees do they have?”

“They have two full-time employees— the head of center and one lady staff.”

“So, the office is being run with the funds that they receive from people’s donation. But once they pay for the rent and salaries for two people, they are not left with much to use for the actual medical support.”

“That’s right.”

“Oh, I actually applied for the membership with a membership fee of 100,000 won.”

“Oh, that was you. The head of the center told me the other day that someone joined the organization and is willing to pay 100,000 won membership fee.”

“Is the head of the center also a medical doctor?”

“No. He is more like in the administrative work side. He used to work for an NGO that supports medical volunteer work. The center’s chairman and the vice-chairman are medical doctors, but they work part-time.”

“Did you say that you are a non-executive director there?”

“Yeah, I’m a director and also a vice-chairman of the center.”

“The chairman must be someone you know from your medical school who used to be senior to you.”

“How much do you charge for an office in your building?”

“The building is being managed by Director Kang. I remember that he told me the other day that we charge 120,000 won per pyung. The price varies, though depending on the location.”

“The monthly rent for a 10-pyung large office should be 1.2 million won then. I think it’s too expensive for the center. I guess we will have to find another office space.”

“I thought you were asking me to lease the office to the center for free.”

“I can’t do that to you.”

“It’s okay. I can do that for you, Mrs. Goo.”

“Never mind.”

“Just let me know when you need it.”

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Chapter 505 - Sister and Brother-In-Law (1) – Part 2

Chapter 505: Sister and Brother-In-Law (1) – Part 2

After dinner, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun watched a movie on TV before going to bed. While they were in the bed, Young-Eun said, “Oppa.”

“Yeah?”

“You told me the other day that I’d better take golf lessons.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“You also said that you will pay for the lessons.”

“Yup.”

“Can you give that money to me? I want to register your sister’s couple and your parents as a member of KOAF with that money.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you.”

Young-Eun wrapped her arms around Gun-Ho’s neck just like Mori Aikko used to do to him. She then gave Gun-Ho hundreds of kisses all over his face.

It was Monday.

When he went to work in GH Mobile, Gun-Ho called for President Song.

“Can we have a cup of tea?”

“How was your trip to China?”

“It was good.”

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought two cups of green tea.

President Song said after taking a sip of his tea.

“I heard that you will do a joint venture with a transportation company in China.”

“I’ve been offered to join them as a business partner of Antang City’s terminal project and their bus service business. I signed the letter of intent during my recent trip there.”

“A terminal project must require an enormous amount of investment funds.”

“It’s a 50 million dollar worth project. I’m supposed to bring in 25 million dollars.

“Wow. It’s huge. We could have acquired another company like GH Mobile with that money.”

“You think so?”

“Are you able to come up with that much cash?”

“I will make it happen.”

“You are just incredible. I have no idea how to come up with a substantial amount of money like that.”

“Let me ask you this. It is possible to take a loan with an amount of work completed, isn’t it?”

“You mean the partial amount of work completed in constructing a building?”

“Exactly.”

“I believe it is possible. I guess you might want to check with Mr. Internal Auditor who used to work as a branch manager of a bank.”

“Oh, that’s right. I will do that. I guess I’d better talk with the internal auditor in Dyeon Korea.”

Gun-Ho made a call to the internal auditor right away.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir. How was your trip to China?”

“I have a question for you about a loan using the amount of work completed.”

“You mean a loan you take out before completing a building?”

“It’s possible even though a building is not fully built yet, right?”

“It is possible, but you can do that after you already invested at least 70% of the estimated construction cost.”

“Hmm, really?”

“You can’t file for a preservative registration with an incomplete building. So, when you take out a loan with an incomplete building, you will have to promise that the building will be used as collateral of the same loan after the construction is fully completed.”

“Of course.”

“Also, a bank will make sure that there is no other loan taken out for the same building, and that more than 30% of the construction cost is coming from the building owner. Or, you will have to show that you provided at least 20% of the funds for the land and the construction cost together.”

“I see. China should have a similar system as ours, right?”

“I don’t know about China, but I guess so.”

“Hmm.”

While Gun-Ho took a moment rubbing his jaw, the internal auditor asked, “Is it about the project that you went on a trip to China for?”

“No. I’m just asking.”

President Song, who was sitting in front of Gun-Ho, asked, “What did he say?”

“He said I can take out a loan using an incomplete building as long as I already invested 70% of its construction cost.”

“Hmm, really? There are always new things I learn.”

“In order to prove the 70% of the already-invested construction cost, we will need to produce documents like photos and a construction approval and stuff like that.”

“I guess so. Well, thank you for the tea. I will get back to my work now.”

After President Song left the office, Gun-Ho started his analysis on the terminal project in China.

‘Once the terminal is completed, will they let the joint venture take half of income from the terminal? Or, will they try to kick me out once the building is constructed far enough to take out a loan? They probably don’t want us to intervene with leasing out the commercial stores in the terminal. They will reserve good locations for those people or companies that they want to make a contract with under special conditions to satisfy their own interest. Or, the powerful people in the government will just take them.

Once they kick me out of the terminal project, they will leave us with a small bus business without allowing us to increase the number of buses like keeping me about 20 buses only. They will just let me take profits as much as an interest income from a bank for the amount that I invested in the terminal project. Since the government is involved in the joint venture business, they will let me take some profits at least since they wouldn’t want it escalated into a diplomatic problem between two countries.

If I can’t make much from this joint venture business, the deputy mayor will try to compensate me with other things, just like Seukang Li did.’

Gun-Ho decided to send Jae-Sik Moon to China for the project once the GH Logistics’ land was sold after the paperwork for the land use change was completed.

Gun-Ho made a call to his sister.

“How are our parents doing?”

“They are doing great. Thanks to you.”

“What about you? How are you?”

“I work for a nursing home as a social worker. Well, that’s my job title, but my actual work is basically doing any chores there.”

“And your husband is doing good with his wing-body truck business?”

“Yeah. Since Jeong-Ah is still a kid, we are doing okay. But, once she starts high school, she will have to take some expensive lessons and go to a private institution and stuff, which cost a lot of money. I’m trying to save money to prepare for it, but it’s not easy.”

“How much did you say your husband is making now?”

“He brings home 5 million won per month.”

“5 million won?”

“Yeah. And he has to pay for gas, insurance, taxes, and maintenance of the truck. Then we are left with about 3 million won.”

“Did you count the depreciation cost of the truck?”

“If we take account of its depreciation cost, I would say that he is making 2 million won per month.”

“Hmm.”

“Why are you asking? You have any good news for me?”

“I will come to Incheon City tomorrow. Can we have lunch then?”

“You are not coming home?”

“I can meet you there.”

“Then come home. I will cook for you.”

“Can your husband join us too?”

“Of course. What is this for?”

“I will tell you tomorrow.”

The next day, Gun-Ho went to the HillState condo in Guweol Town. It had been a while since his last visit. His parents were so excited about their precious son’s visit. They did grocery shopping to prepare food for him. They grilled fish and cooked spicy fish stew.

“It smells really good.”

When Gun-Ho entered the condo, his parents came out to greet him.

“Why didn’t you bring your wife?”

“She is taking the night shift today.”

“Oh, that’s right. She must be very busy.”

Gun-Ho’s parents pushed all the delicious dishes to Gun-Ho’s side. While having food, his sister and his brother-in-law seemed to be curious about what Gun-Ho would say.

Gun-Ho’s mom said while putting some fish meat on Gun-Ho’s plate, “Any good news from your wife like a baby?”

“No, mom.”

“You are getting old, son. You should try harder to make a baby. People are envious of us because we have a daughter-in-law who is a medical doctor, and also we are driving a Grandeur. I feel like I have all except I don’t have a grandchild.”

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Chapter 506 - Sister and Brother-In-Law (2) – Part 1

Chapter 506: Sister and Brother-In-Law (2) – Part 1

After dinner, Gun-Ho went into his sister’s couple’s room because he wanted to talk with them in private. They sat on the floor with a small floor table between them. While having his tea, Gun-Ho made his suggestion.

“Don’t you want to run a business rather than driving a wing-body truck?”

His brother-in-law smiled bitterly and said, “Of course, I want to run my own business, but I have no seed money to start it and no special experience to start it without seed money. Driving a truck is the best I can think I can do in my current situation. I’m sorry that I’m living in your parents’ house because of my financial situation.”

“Well, if you don’t get a chance to do it, then it is what it is. But since you have been in the transportation field, I think you can start your business in that field.”

“I’m not sure what types of transportation business I can just start.”

“There is a transportation company in Seonghwan Town. Are you interested in running that business?”

“A transportation company?”

Gun-Ho’s sister seemed to be intrigued, and she sat close to Gun-Ho.

“You know that driving a body-wing truck is risky. You are exposed to all sorts of car accidents all the time. I really think that you should run this company rather than continuing to drive a truck. It’s not a big company though.”

“There are several different types of transportation businesses— automobiles transportation, freight trucks transportation, connecting freight transportation, etc. Which one specifically are you talking about?”

“I knew you were knowledgeable in this field. This company provides total transportation service.”

“I guess it’s a freight transportation business then.”

“It currently has 27 trucks.”

“27 trucks? Wow!”

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband were surprised when they heard the number of trucks that the company had.

“All of 27 are all freight trucks?”

“No. They have heavy equipment, 25-ton dump trucks, and semi-tractor-trailer trucks.”

“There should be someone already who is running that company and also its workers.”

“A president is running that company with one male worker and one female worker who is handling bookkeeping mostly. That’s it. All others are truck drivers.”

“Sounds good, but the thing is…”

When Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law let out a deep sigh, Gun-Ho’s sister asked her husband, “What’s the matter, honey?”

“The most critical thing in running a transportation company is getting a steady workflow coming in. That’s not easy at all. Otherwise, you will have all of those trucks parked in the company yard, but you still have to pay the truck drivers.”

Gun-Ho smiled.

“That’s true, but this company has already-established clients.”

“Regular clients?”

“The companies that I’m running are the clients of that company. All sorts of transportation work needed for my companies are being handled by that transportation company. In addition, it currently has several clients with a six-month contract. Its heavy equipment is being used for road work under a three-year contract as well.”

“Hmm, really?”

Gun-Ho wrote down the website address of GH Logistics on a piece of paper and gave it to his brother-in-law.

“This is their website. Visit their website to find out more when you have time.”

“Hmm, okay. Is their president going somewhere? Or do you run that company too?”

“Their president is going to China.”

“China?”

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband looked at each other with questioning looks on their faces.

“He will be running a terminal and an intercity bus business in a city in Guizhou Province, China.”

“A terminal and an intercity bus service?”

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband looked at each other again in surprise.

“That… that sort of business costs an enormous amount of money. Who is investing in it?”

“Well, just know that their president is going away for another work.”

“Okay. I guess I need some time to process what you just offered to me.”

“By the way, I know you have been in the transportation industry for a long time, but I’m not sure how you would do in administrative work and management. You know how to use a computer at work, right?”

“That… I think I can learn as I work.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho’s sister chipped in quickly.

“I can help him with it. I do a lot of administrative work in the nursing home where I work as a social worker. I can handle Word and Excel. Also, I have worked with Spreadsheet as well.”

“Do you think you would have time to help him while you work as a social worker?”

“Well, I can help him at night, or when I’m off from my work.”

“Hmm, really?”

Gun-Ho actually wanted his sister to work at GH Logistics rather than working in a nursing home. His brother-in-law can handle the truck drivers and maintenance of the trucks, but as to the paperwork, his sister would do a better job in managing and doing administrative work.

“Sister, how much do you make at the nursing home?”

“Me? 1.9 million won.”

Gun-Ho looked at his brother-in-law’s face. He had his eyes closed. It seemed that he was lost in thought.

Gun-Ho thought that his brother-in-law was a good-looking man. He had thick eyebrows and a straight-edged nose. His profile looked perfect to Gun-Ho, even though he wasn’t a strong-minded person. Jeong-Ah— Gun-Ho’s niece— must have taken after her father.

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law was born and grew up in Jeongeup City, Jeolla Province. When he met Gun-Ho’s sister, he was working in the logistics department of a factory in Incheon City. His sister was working in a production site at that time. He didn’t go to college, and he was a very earnest man. That was why his sister fell in love with him, which led to their marriage. He was an earnest man, but he was not a proactive man.

‘As long as my sister supports him, he can run a small company without a problem. His earnestness will keep the company stable.’

“Brother! What are you thinking?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing.”

“That transportation company in Seonghwan Town needs to be moved though. Because of the investment that I’m planning to make in China, I placed its land on the market for sale. If you decide to run the company, we will need to lease a new place.”

“We need to find a cheap place then, like somewhere under an elevated highway or near a river. A business like that doesn’t need a good location but just needs a space to place trucks and a small office. It’s more important to keep the operating cost low.”

“I totally agree with you.”

“Even though there are 27 trucks, we don’t need a space to park all of them. If 70% of the trucks are always being used, we just need a space for the remaining 8 trucks.”

Gun-Ho thought that maybe his brother-in-law would do a way better job than Jae-Sik Moon in running the freight transportation company. Jae-Sik seemed to fit better with a bus service business.

As getting ready to leave the room, Gun-Ho said to both his sister and brother-in-law, “You still have time to think about it because I need to sell the land first, where the company is sitting on right now. Once it’s sold, I will let you know. I need that money to invest in China. Once the investment in China starts, you can take over that transportation company. In the meanwhile, please search for a good location for the company to move to and get ready.”

“Okay.”

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Chapter 507 - Sister and Brother-In-Law (2) – Part 2

Chapter 507: Sister and Brother-In-Law (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho went to his office in the building in Sinsa Town. It had been a while.

When he arrived at his office, he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“I just received a bill for the land use conversion.”

“You did? How much are they asking?”

“I expected about 400 million won, but they are asking a little bit over 300 million won.”

“Did the bill come in through the Giro system?”

“Yeah. It’s actually coming from Korean Rural Community Corporation rather than from the city hall.”

“I think that sounds more appropriate.”

“I see their virtual account number on the bill. Do you want me to make a payment to that account?”

“Yeah. Do it.”

“The agency— Seonghwan Civil Engineering Firm— is asking us to let them do the land flattening work for us once the permit is issued.”

“Really? How many days will they need to complete the flattening work?”

“For a residential structure, it takes about one or two days, but since our land is large, it should take longer than that. But, our farmland is not that deep, so it won’t take too long, according to them.”

“They will charge for soil that will be used to fill low spots as well, huh?”

“No. They said that they are currently working on cutting land in another place, so they can use the excessive soil from there, and we don’t have to worry about the soil cost. Also, they mentioned that we can’t start building a construction right after the land is flattened. We will have to wait until the soil becomes hardened. The land could sink otherwise. That’s why we’d better begin the flattening work as soon as possible, he said.”

“Let’s do it then.”

“Okay. After sending the payment for the land use conversion fees, I will discuss the flattening work with that civil engineering firm.”

“When are we getting the permit after sending the payment?”

“They said, it would take about one or two days.”

“Okay.”

“I do learn a lot as I work.”

“What you are learning there is not something that Suk-Ho Lee, Byeong-Chul Hwang, or Won-Chul Jo could easily learn. Take advantage of the current situation. Actually, I learn a lot as well.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho stretched himself.

“Things seem to be going well step-by-step.”

Gun-Ho had already decided to transfer the ownership of the land from Jae-Sik Moon to GH Logistics after successfully getting the land use change. And he would sell the land.

“It will soon become about 5,000 pyung large parcel of land. It’s in a nice square shape. How much would it be sold? If I could sell it for more than 6 billion won, I think I could buy Jae-Sik a townhouse in Incheon City since I have been using his name in this transaction.”

Gun-Ho felt good about buying a place to live for Jae-Sik. He asked his secretary— Ms. Yeong-Soo Oh— to bring him a cup of green tea.

While enjoying his green tea, Gun-Ho thought that it was nice to make money, but he also wanted to do something that would be rewarding.

“Oh, that’s right. Young-Eun wanted to do some volunteer work for the disabled people in Chairman Lee’s vacation home. Maybe I should visit his vacation home this Sunday with Young-Eun.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Chairman Lee in Cheongdam Town.

His secretary picked up the phone.

“Is Mr. Chairman Lee available? I’m GH’s President Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, hello, sir. Please give me a second.”

After a moment, he could hear the old man’s voice.

“President Goo? It’s me.”

“How have you been, sir?”

“I’m delighted to see you improving and expanding your business every day.”

“Do you go to the fishing site in Pocheon City these days?”

“I don’t go there often, but I do sometimes.”

“You still have your vacation home there too?”

“Yes. I still have the same people in the facility.”

“Umm, my wife would like to do some volunteer work at your vacation home, sir. She can provide a medical service to the people there.”

“A medical service? Oh, that’s right. Your wife is a medical doctor. If she could do it, I would really appreciate it.”

“We will then visit your vacation home this Sunday.”

“Can she focus on the children’s dental problem and examining if they have any worms? The instructor there told me the other day that some of the children feel stomach pain sometimes.”

“Okay, sir. I will let her know.”

“You can come on Saturday. The instructor sometimes doesn’t come on Sunday, so Saturday would be better.”

“Okay, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Chairman Lee, Gun-Ho sent a text message to Young-Eun.

[I just talked with Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town. We will be going to his vacation home this Saturday. He was happy when I told him that you would give medical care to the children.]

It was Thursday.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“We received the permit for the land use change, and the land flattening work started.”

“Oh, really? Good work.”

“If you want to visit the site, come later like a few days later. The site is messy with dump trucks and all.”

“Okay.”

“They will raise the land to the same level as the part of the land where our office building is.”

“Sounds good.”

It was Saturday.

Young-Eun took out a huge bag from her car and moved it to Gun-Ho’s car.

“What is it?”

“It’s medical equipment like a stethoscope and boxes.”

“Boxes? What boxes?”

“I will collect the children’s stool with them.”

“A stool test? How do you know that the children will poo when you are there?”

“I will just distribute the boxes to them and will collect them next week.”

“Really? It will be smelly.”

“Today, we should be good, but next week when we visit them again, we will have to wear masks.”

“I see.”

“When we do the medical work there, you should remember that I’m in charge. I’m the doctor and you are my assistant, okay? You should follow my order.”

“Hmm. I guess I will have to play a role as a male nurse.”

“Not just a male nurse, but you become my chauffeur as well.”

“Can I cancel this marriage?”

“Hahaha. No, you can’t. This is why I married you. You would do what I tell you to do, and also you would spend money as I tell you.”

“Shut up! Just get in the car.”

Gun-Ho’s car entered the highway eastbound.

Gun-Ho felt happy being in the car with Young-Eun. He kept staring at her until she eventually yelled at him, “Keep your eyes on the road!”

They arrived at the vacation home in Pocheon City.

“Wow! This is a very nice house. I hope I could live in a house like this someday.”

There was a red pine tree at the entrance of Chairman Lee’s vacation home. In front of that tree, there was a pond surrounded by various plants. As they entered the front yard, the children poured into the yard with the instructor. The instructor was a female in her late 20s.

“You are the medical doctor, aren’t you?”

The instructor assumed that Gun-Ho was the medical doctor and greeted him as such.

“Hi. The medical doctor is the lady next to me. I’m just her chauffeur and also a male nurse for today.”

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Chapter 508 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (1) – Part 1

Chapter 508: Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (1) – Part 1

Young-Eun sat at a desk wearing a medical doctor’s white coat. A stethoscope was hanging around her neck. On the desk, there were disinfectants, ointment, adhesive plasters, etc.

Gun-Ho was sitting next to Young-Eun holding a list of the children’s names that the instructor gave to him.

“Oppa, you just check if each child who I will be examining is on the list. Also, hand me things when I ask, okay?”

“Got it.”

The children made a long line in front of Young-Eun, and each child sat in front of her one at a time.

“Can you tell me your name?”

Gun-Ho said to the first child sitting at the desk facing Young-Eun while holding the children’s name list along with a pen.

“My name is Byeong-Gab Oh.”

The child was smiling. He looked playful.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable on any part of your body?”

“No.”

“Oh, my gosh. Look at the back of your hand. You have a cut there!”

Young-Eun applied the ointment on the child’s hand after disinfecting it. Minor injuries were common among children while doing their recreational activities, and the children in the facility were not an exception. Young-Eun examined the children by listening to their heart and lungs through the stethoscope.

“What can you learn with the stethoscope?”

“I’m listening to their lungs mostly to see if any children here got pneumonia.”

Young-Eun then examined the children’s teeth. Some of them had cavities being developed.

Young-Eun tried to warn the children by emphasizing the importance to keep their teeth clean.

“If you have cavities, you can no longer eat delicious food.”

Gun-Ho marked the names on the list whenever Young-Eun said a child had a cavity problem. The examination was completed around noon.

The instructor thanked Young-Eun and Gun-Ho.

“Thank you so much.”

“I will give you the exam result after lunch.”

“Do you have any restaurant in mind for lunch today? Or you can eat with us.”

“Sure. We want to have lunch here with the children.”

“Are you two a married couple?”

“Yes, we are.”

“I was so surprised when you told me that you were here as a male nurse.”

“Do you work here by yourself? It seems that there are several children with serious conditions, which must require constant attention.”

“We get help from social workers from the community welfare center, and also from volunteer workers.”

“But still, it should be hard to be in charge to take care of everyone here.”

“If you found the children who need hospital care, please let me know. The community welfare center will help us take the children to the hospital by car.”

“Okay.”

After washing their hands with disinfectants, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun followed the instructor to a cafeteria. There was a cooking lady, who looked like she was in her 50s, cooking in the kitchen.

The instructor introduced them to the cooking lady.

“This is the medical doctor who came to examine the children.”

“Oh, really? That’s very nice. Can you measure my blood pressure later?”

Gun-Ho looked at Young-Eun’s face because he knew she didn’t bring a blood pressure gauge today.

“Sure. Come and see me later.”

The lady cook placed a piece of grilled meat on each plate of Gun-Ho’s and Young-Eun’s. It seemed that the cooking lady cooked only rice and soup in the kitchen, and most of the dishes were bought from outside. The cafeteria was filled with noise. Several children with severe conditions seemed to have a lot of difficulties having their lunch by themselves, and the instructor helped them while having lunch. It didn’t feel like he was in a cafeteria for a meal, but it looked more like a battlefield.

“I don’t think that the people, who work here like the instructor and the social workers, come here to make money, but rather they are here to help these children because they care about them.”

“You’re right. They are hidden heroes in our society.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun took their time to have their lunch and walked up to the office after leaving their plates in a container where all the plates to be washed were being collected. The instructor brought them coffee in paper cups.

“The coffee is very tasty.”

“Well, this coffee is from a vending machine. I think it tastes good because you have done a good job helping others today.”

“Maybe it is so.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went outside the building to look for a quiet place. While they were watching the fish in the pond that was peacefully swimming there, they didn’t feel like they wanted to go home at all.

“Oh, we’d better get back. the lady cook wanted my help to measure her blood pressure.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went back to the recreational room.

Once Young-Eun received the children’s name list with marks that was made by Gun-Ho during the brief medical examination earlier, Young-Eun started explaining about each child’s condition to the instructor.

“There are three children who require dental treatment. When you can, please have their teeth checked by a dentist. One child showed a symptom of pneumonia, and I gave the child medicine. If the child persistently coughs even after two or three days, you will need to take the child to a hospital. And one child is found with eye problems. I recommend applying an eye inflammation medicine. You can buy it from a pharmacy. If the condition doesn’t improve, the child will need to see an eye doctor.”

“Thank you.”

Young-Eun took out a large box from her bag. Inside the box, there were many black plastic containers that were about the size of a paper cup. Each container had a name label to be filled in. They were the containers to hold the children’s stool.

Young-Eun handed the box to the instructor and said, “I want to conduct a stool test for the children. Each child will need to fill the box with their stool around Friday. The size of the stool should be about the size of a candy. I will come back on Saturday to conduct the test.

The instructor frowned as Young-Eun was talking about stools.

“When you collect their stools, make sure that you wear gloves. Once the children bring the containers to you, please write each child’s name on each container. And you can store them in this box until I come to collect them.”

“Is it for a worm test?”

“Yes, I want to conduct every possible worm test on them.”

At that moment, the cooking lady opened the window and asked, “Are you done here?”

“Yes, I’m done.”

Young-Eun then pulled out a blood pressure gauge from her bag. Gun-Ho asked, “When did you put that in your bag? I didn’t see it before.”

“It was already in the bag from the moment I left my condo.”

Gun-Ho didn’t see her putting the blood gauge in her bag because it was already there.

Young-Eun measured the cooking lady’s blood pressure with the device.

“Hmm. Your blood pressure is a bit high. Are you currently taking pills for your blood pressure?”

“I do sometimes, not regularly though.”

“It’s not serious yet, but it’s higher than 160. You should avoid high-sodium foods.”

“Understood, hahaha. Thank you.”

The cooking lady looked satisfied and went out of the recreational room.

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Chapter 509 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (1) – Part 2

Chapter 509: Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (1) – Part 2

On the way home from Chairman Lee’s vacation home in Pocheon City, Gun-Ho said to Young-Eun, “So, are we going back there on Saturday to conduct a stool test on the spot?”

“Yes, I will have to do it there because a stool test needs to be performed within 12 hours after a stool is collected.”

“Do you want me to come with you again?”

“Yes. I need an assistant. It will be extremely difficult if I have to do it by myself.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t even mention his vacation home at all in the first place. Now, I have to go there again to work.”

“It’s a rewarding job. Don’t you feel good about being of help to others?”

“Yeah. I guess society is still full of good people. The instructor said that many volunteers come at night to help take care of the children there.”

“I’ve done lots of volunteer work as a medical doctor, and I know that the volunteer workers don’t volunteer because they have spare time and energy. Most of them have a full-time job in the daytime. Even though they don’t get paid for their volunteer work, they are still willing to contribute their time to helping others. They are all highly respectable people.”

“I think so.”

The month of July had begun as hot summer days continued. It was Monday when Gun-Ho went to work at his factory in Jiksan Town. On his way to work, he looked at the weather on his smartphone and learned that a heavy rain would start from the day after tomorrow. Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon immediately.

“Hey, we will have a heavy rain starting the day after tomorrow. Are they still working on flattening the land?”

“It’s done, and a combination roller is there now.”

“A combination roller?”

“Yeah, it will knead the ground to give a greater density.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho could hear a loud boom over the phone.

“Are they working on it right now? I’m hearing a loud sound.”

“Yeah, they are. You are going to work in GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea today, right? When you go back home after work, why don’t you stop by the site and see the flattening work?”

“Okay, I will stop by on the way home later today.”

When he arrived at GH Mobile, Gun-Ho attended the regular meeting with the executive officers. That day, Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim made a report on the monthly profit and loss. Director Jong-Suk Park seemed to become more interested in the company management these days. He sometimes asked questions about the terminologies that were used in the loss and profit statement.

A monthly report on profit and loss was made for the month of June along with the semi-annual report. Sales revenue was on the rise, and the debts were decreasing gradually.

After the accounting director finished the report, Gun-Ho told her that she did a good job.

“I’m so glad to hear that our sales revenue has been increasing ever since President Song had joined us. Let’s try to make our defect rate zero. Heavy rain will arrive the day after tomorrow, so please be mindful of our system maintenance.”

“Okay, sir. We will request only 10 tons of raw materials in advance, so we could receive them by tomorrow in preparation for the heavy rain.”

“We still have some raw materials left, right?”

“Yes, we do. I just want to make sure that we have enough stock in our facility.”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea and had a meeting with the executive officers.

“We are getting more product orders from China, aren’t we?”

“Yes, the product order from China keeps increasing. Currently, we are sending them more than 60 tons of products every month.”

“60 tons…”

Gun-Ho did his math.

‘The price per ton is 4.5 million won. If we sell 60 tons on a monthly basis, we make 270 million won per month. That makes our yearly sales 3.24 billion won.’

Mr. Adam Castler started speaking. The meeting was for the executive officers only, but the staff from the trading department—Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae—was in the meeting as well in order to interpret for Adam Castler.

“I was informed that Manager Jong-Geun Lee, who left for India as an overseas president of our company there, found an office in Delhi. He also hired a local staff, and the worker speaks English fluently.”

“Is that right?”

“He is still staying in a hotel, but he will move to his new home within this week as the place will be available.”

“I believe he hasn’t established the company yet, has he?”

“He applied for it, and he is now looking for a storage place. He said he has three places in mind, and he will let us know once he makes a contract with one of them.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Director Kim chipped in.

“I will go on a trip there once Manager Lee gets storage and finishes forming the company. I will make a tour around our clients in India carrying his business card.”

“Sounds good.”

“Also, once things get settled there, I think we should ask President Song to go on a trip to India and meet with people in the industry, who he has connections with. That will help the new company a lot.”

“You think so?”

“President Song has extensive connections in the industry. We’d better take an advantage of it while the connections are still strong.”

Mr. Adam Castler laughed and said, “You know what? Among several joint ventures with Lymondell Dyeon that I’ve worked for, Korea is the most active partner. Moreover, since we have very competent executive officers here, I don’t have to worry a lot. When I worked in other countries, I sometimes had to do the sales work myself. It was very tiring.”

“Haha, really?”

Gun-Ho looked at Director Yoon and said, “Is the construction to repair the retaining wall completed?”

“Yes, it is done.”

“I’m just concerned since we are expecting heavy rain the day after tomorrow.”

“It should be good.”

“Is there anyone who wants to add anything?”

“I have one thing that I’d like to discuss. Dyeon Korea now has more than 100 workers. They are asking a shuttle bus for commuting.”

“Hmm.”

“I was thinking that maybe we want to lease a vehicle with a chauffeur just for commuting.”

“We will need more data from the workers. Find out how many workers don’t have a car and need transportation for the commute, and also find out how much it would cost to lease a vehicle and a chauffeur to accommodate our workers.”

“Okay, sir.”

On the way home after work, Gun-Ho stopped by Jae-Sik’s office in GH Logistics. He noticed that there was no longer farmland, but there was one huge parcel of land.

“Wow. The farmland is gone!”

Chan-Ho Eum, who came out of the car after parking it, seemed to be surprised as well.

“Wow, it looks like a huge playground!”

Jae-Sik came out of his office.

“The combination roller just left.”

“You did a great job.”

“Thank you.”

“The land looks good, and the flattening work came out nicely. I wonder if it will stay this way when we have the heavy rain the day after tomorrow.”

“The construction workers told me that I don’t have to worry about it, but I don’t know.”

“The ground looks a bit higher than the land where the office is.”

“Yeah, I know. They told me that it was done that way purposefully because the ground will sink a bit later.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“We just need confirmation on the land use change.”

“You mean the conversion the land use to a non-agricultural purpose, huh?”

“Yeah. We need it done before letting GH Logistics acquire the land from me.”

“Well, for now, since it’s owned by you personally, you are a rich man with huge real estate.”

“I know. I feel like I’m a successful man. I used to live in a basement room, and now I own 4,100 pyung of land. Haha.”

“So, this land is 4,100 pyung large, and once we combine it with the land where the office is on, it will be 5,080 pyung large.”

“Look. The borderline of the land starts from there to over there. It’s indeed enormous. Moreover, the land has direct access to the six-meter wide road. In my opinion, once we put this on the market for sale, there will be lots of people who would want this land.”

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Chapter 510 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (2) – Part 1

Chapter 510: Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (2) – Part 1

The vast tract of land without any construction on gave a fresh feeling to Gun-Ho. While looking at the land together, Jae-Sik Moon said to Gun-Ho, “This land looks large enough for us to build a junior high and even a high school altogether.”

“You begrudge this land, don’t you?”

“I certainly do.”

“I know that you have made a lot of effort while participating in every process from purchasing it to converting it for another use and also to flatten the land. You’ve indeed done an incredible job here.”

“Thank you.”

Jae-Sik tried not to show it, but he felt so proud of himself in combining three parcels of land and making one huge land for factory use. The only person to whom he showed off what he had done so openly was his wife.

He had said to his wife, “I purchased a landlocked property and combined it with to an adjacent land. Since they are farmlands, I went through the conversion process to make them a land for a non-agricultural purpose, and I finally received the approval.”

“What is a landlocked property?”

“It’s a land without direct access to a public road. In order to get out of the land, you have to go through another land to reach a public road. That sort of land is called a landlocked property. I’m currently working on flattening those farmlands and also registering them for non-agricultural land.”

When he was bragging about what he had done with the land, he looked so excited and proud.

“Once the registration is complete, I will combine them and transfer the ownership of land to GH Logistics. And then, I will put it on the market for sale.”

Jae-Sik Moon was using all sorts of terminologies that he picked up during the process while explaining the process to his wife.

Jae-Sik Moon’s wife admired her husband.

“You seem to be doing very important work. I’m sure that President Goo is satisfied with what you have done.”

“Of course. Once the land is sold and he makes huge profits from it, he will do something with it.”

“So, he is planning to make an investment in China with those sales proceeds, isn’t he?”

“That’s right. Now you know how things work around here. The sales proceeds will be invested in China for the terminal project and running the intercity bus service business.”

Recently, Jae-Sik Moon was full of self-confidence, and his wife admitted that her husband was an able and competent man.

“You must be an essential person to President Goo. He definitely needs you in doing his business.”

Jae-Sik Moon wanted to start the new business in China as soon as possible. He came close to Gun-Ho who was checking the land that was just flattened, and he asked Gun-Ho, “You haven’t heard anything from China yet?”

“No, nothing yet. They must be waiting for our response.”

“They will wait for us before starting the terminal project, right? They wouldn’t find a new partner just because we take some time to give them a firm answer, would they? I’ve heard when we were in China that they once tried to work with a company in Hong Kong.”

“We already signed the letter of intent. I’m sure that they won’t look for a new business partner.”

Gun-Ho continued to talk while tapping Jae-Sik Moon’s back, “Well, I’d better get going now. Keep up the good work. Don’t forget to verify the registration once you receive it, and check if they have all the information right in the document.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

It was July. President Jeong-Sook Shin came up to Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda.

“Our costume play magazine is here now.”

“Oh, really?”

“Half of its contents are from Japanese magazines, and the other half are made with what Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda worked in covering the event and stuff. You can say that Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda is the one who finished this costume play magazine.”

“Nicely done.”

Gun-Ho looked at the magazine. It was heavy even though there were not that many pages. That was probably because they used expensive papers to print the magazine.

“So, how do our children readers like it?”

“Well, the magazine just came out, and I brought it to you right away. So, we don’t know how people will like it yet. But, we have kept receiving inquiries from students from all sorts of age groups about when the magazine would come out. Considering their explosive interest in it, I’m pretty sure that at least two thousand of the magazines will be sold without any problem.”

“This magazine looks more like an art book.”

“People these days don’t want to read a long paragraph when they see a magazine. They would easily feel bored with all the words that they have to read. So, it’s better to have more pictures than words for a magazine. That’s a trend now. Since Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda used to work as a reporter and journalist, his pictures do look like artworks.”

“I guess you picked the right person for the job.”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving exhibition with our art gallery has been scheduled in the middle of this month.”

“Oh, it’s almost mid-July already.”

“A joint art exhibition with six different national artists is in progress in our art gallery right now. They are all young artists.”

“I see. I will visit the gallery at lunchtime today.”

After President Shin and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda left the office, Gun-Ho looked at the costume play magazine more closely.

“These people’s hairs are so colorful like red and yellow. It gives me a headache.”

Gun-Ho called for the secretary—Ms. Yeong-Soo Oh.

“Please take this magazine with you. President Shin will publish this soon.”

“Oh, the magazine is so pretty.”

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh embraced the magazine and smiled broadly. She then left Gun-Ho’s office quickly and happily.

Director Kang came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“I think we should have our rental price reflect the current inflation rate. It’s 3%, sir.”

“It won’t cause any resistance from our tenants, will it?”

“I’ve already sent out the announcement about it. It’s posted in the elevator as well.”

“3 % …”

“It’s too low, right? Our country’s inflation rate can’t closely follow our land price fluctuation rate.”

“Hmm, that’s not good. If the rising rate of land price is higher, the gap between the people who own real property and who don’t will get bigger. That’s not how it has to be.”

“Well, the price of real properties will keep rising no matter what. If the government imposes a higher property tax on real property owners, they will resist severely. They will argue that the country is going in the direction to become a communist state.”

Gun-Ho thought further about it once Director Kang left the office.

‘This building doesn’t generate enough profits right now, but if the price of this building increases from the purchasing price of 210 billion won to 250 billion won or even 300 billion won after five years, would it be the right phenomenon?’

Gun-Ho thought of the decision-makers who were managing the country like the ministers of the government.

‘Do those ministers and congressmen, who I met at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University, understand the Korean citizens’ economic plights?’

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat and walked toward the window. When he looked down the street, he could see all the real estates in the Gangnam District. He was lost in thought when his smartphone started ringing. It was from his brother-in-law. Gun-Ho couldn’t remember when was the last time he received a call from his brother-in-law. It was certainly one of the rare occasions.

“I’m calling to let you know that a space to rent came out on the market at Onbid.”

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Chapter 511 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (2) – Part 2

Chapter 511: Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked his brother-in-law on the phone, “Onbid?”

“You know the public auction website that is operated by Korea Asset Management Corporation (KAMCO).”

“Oh, Onbid!”

“A real property came out on the market for a location in Siheung City, Gyeonggi Province. There is no restriction on the use of that space. It looks like the right location to store the freight trucks.”

“How large is it?”

“It’s about 1,000 pyung large. The appraisal value to rent is 6,000, but if they fail to rent it out, the price will possibly go down further.”

“Since it’s a rental space, I don’t think that we will encounter any investors to compete with.”

“Only those who are actually looking for a space to rent for themselves will try to get that real property.”

“Have you visited the property?”

“I haven’t yet. But from what I see from the photos, it looks really nice. It has direct access to a road, so there will be no problem for large trucks to go in and out of the property. We just need to add a container office there. It’s a perfect place for GH Logistics.”

“Do you think it will be competitive to get it?”

“I doubt that. Usually, a land that is the size of between 200 and 300 pyung is popular. Once a land goes beyond 1,000 pyung, it’s hard to find someone to want it.”

“They want their one-year rent upfront, don’t they?”

“That’s correct. The appraisal value is actually its one-year rental price. It’s not a security deposit.”

“I guess we will have to renew it every year. China has the same system like you have to pay the rent for the entire year’s use upfront.”

“It’s located in Siheung City, Gyeonggi Province. I think I can commute from home in Guweol Town, Incheon City.”

“Is it owned by the government?”

“I believe so.”

“Well, can you give me a call again once you visit that property?”

“Sure, I will do that.”

Thinking about Siheung Town and Incheon City brought back memories from his childhood. Gun-Ho missed Jakyak Island close to Yeonan Pier.

“I used to go to Jakyak Island with Jae-Sik Moon and Min-Hyeok Kim to collect oysters when I was in junior high school.”

Going to Jakyak Island via ship was not expensive since it was closely located from Yeonan Pier. So he often went to the island to gather oysters, carrying an empty can and a screwdriver with his friends.

“Speaking of which, maybe I want to go to a beach this Saturday with Young-Eun to see the ocean. We can have fresh sashimi there too.”

While planning to go to a beach on Saturday, he realized that he had to go to Chairman Lee’s vacation home in Pocheon City to do medical volunteer work.

“Oh, that’s right. Young-Eun said that we have to go to Chairman Lee’s vacation home in Pocheon City to conduct a stool test for the children this Saturday.”

Gun-Ho thought that people wouldn’t easily decide to do volunteer work since it required a sacrifice of a person’s part of life to a certain extent.

It was Saturday.

Gun-Ho went to the parking lot in TowerPalace to move Young-Eun’s huge bag from her vehicle to his.

“Gee, that bag is really heavy today. It was not this heavy the last time I carried it.”

Young-Eun responded, “I put a device for the test. That’s why it is heavy.”

“What about the small box over there? What is it?”

“Oh, this? It’s the cosmetic that you bought me from the duty-free shop at the airport on the way home from your trip to China; a gift from you.”

“Why do you put that in the car?”

“I want to give it to the instructor of that care facility for the disabled in Pocheon City.”

“You want to give it to the instructor?”

“She had to do extra work collecting the children’s stools, which is not a pleasant work to do. I wanted to give her a present, but I couldn’t think of anything but this cosmetic.”

“Don’t you think that she would prefer an envelope with cash in it?”

“I don’t think she would accept cash. Moreover, doesn’t it sound weird that a volunteer worker gives an envelope of cash to the full-time worker there?”

“That’s true. Well, I don’t know. I feel weird too giving the present, that I gave to you, to someone else.”

“You can buy me another one later. You go on a trip pretty often anyway. It’s a really nice thing to do, you know, giving a gift to someone who works to care for children.”

“Okay. Do so then.”

“You know what? It’s actually a present from you to that instructor since you bought it.”

“Is that how it works?”

Gun-Ho received a call from Chairman Lee in the car while heading to Pocheon City.

“President Goo, I was told that you visited my vacation home last week.”

“Yes, sir. We examined each child and gave the exam results to the instructor there.”

“Thank you so much. You’ve been of great help to the children. The instructor told me that you are coming this Saturday as well?”

“Yes, we will perform a stool test today.”

“A stool test? I thought that you would collect the stools and test them in a lab or something.”

“I was told that a stool test must be conducted within twelve hours after stools are collected. So, we are on the way to the vacation home right now with a necessary device for the test.”

“Oh, you are? I do appreciate that. I’m sorry that you had to visit there twice.”

“Please don’t say that, sir. If I have to, I can visit the vacation home ten times. I can’t forget what you have done for me.”

“Haha. What are you talking about? I haven’t done much for you. Don’t say that even as a joke. Someone, who hears what you said, might think that’s really what happened. Well, drive safely. I will talk to you later.”

Young-Eun, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, asked, “Who is it? Is it Chairman Lee?”

“Yes, it was him.”

“Do you owe him a lot?”

“Not materially, but I’ve received tons of advice from him. He was my life mentor.”

“You said that he is a really wealthy man, right? Did he run a huge business when he was younger?”

“No. He accumulated his wealth by working as a hard money lender. He was vicious at that time.”

“Well, he certainly is not a vicious man now. It’s odd that he is running a facility for disabled children. Haha.”

“I guess that he wanted to pay back to society regretting his vicious acts done when he was younger. However, his insights towards life and the world cannot be compared with anyone’s. He is a smart and clever person. His children seem to be doing fine too. His son is running a paper production company in Ansan City.”

“You said that he owns many buildings, right?”

“He has a huge building in Cheongdam Town which is one of the most expensive areas in Korea. His care home for the disabled children in Pocheon City has produced several excellent workers for our society. One of them is a college professor at Sejong University.”

“Really?”

“It seems that he has been running that facility for a long time. I remember that he told me that the children there used to call him father, but since he got older, the children there call him grandfather now. He said that while laughing, but he looked lonely.”

“He is a respectable person. That means that he has been running that facility since he was a lot younger.”

Gun-Ho’s Land Rover arrived at the facility in Pocheon City.

The instructor didn’t seem to be happy to see them as much as the last time. It probably was not a pleasant experience for her collecting the children’s stools. She acted very formally with Gun-Ho and Young-Eun this time.

Gun-Ho followed Young-Eun inside the facility while carrying her heavy bag. They went to the recreational room and set up the test device on a table. The device looked like a microscope.

The instructor brought the box with the children’s stools in it. She was wearing a mask and rubber gloves. Gun-Ho could smell the stools. It made him feel like throwing up. He quickly grabbed his nose.

“Wear this.”

Young-Eun handed him a mask.

Once the instructor left the room, Young-Eun opened the box. She then poured the first stool on a micro slide glass.

“Can you please spread the stool on the micro slide using that wood stick? And give it to me.”

“You mean for all of the thirty stools?”

“Yeah, I need them. Don’t forget that you are here as a male nurse today.”

“Shoot. Why did I volunteer for the work again?”

Gun-Ho worked on spreading stools on a glass for a while, and he eventually screamed.

“I can’t take the smell anymore.”

“You can do it. You won’t smell it once you get used to the smell. Just hang in there.”

“What about you? Does the smell not bother you?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Young-Eun looked serious when she started conducting the test.

“What we are doing here now is very important. We are trying to get rid of the worms that are feeding on nutrients from those angelic children.”

“Okay. Do it quickly then. Is it enough stool for a test? Each stool is so small, about the size of a candy.”

“We need to detect not only the presence of worms, but we also have to check if there are any of their eggs.”

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Chapter 512 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (3) – Part 1

Chapter 512: Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (3) – Part 1

As Young-Eun instructed, Gun-Ho continued to work on spreading each child’s stool on a micro slide glass. Just like she said, Gun-Ho no longer could smell the stools. It seemed that he temporarily lost his nasal function detecting smell.

It took him two hours to finish the thirty spreading-stool jobs. Once he completed the task, he felt pain on his neck and shoulder.

‘I’m a billionaire with several thousand billion won. What am I doing here with the disabled children’s stools? Am I out of my mind?’

Gun-Ho giggled while thinking of himself who was working with smelly stools with his own hands.

The instructor came to the room where Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were working.

“It’s lunchtime. Why don’t you come and have lunch?”

Young-Eun took off her mask and responded with a smile, “We haven’t finished the test yet. Please have your lunch. We will eat later once we complete what we started.”

After the instructor left the room, Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun, “We haven’t finished it yet? I thought we are done.”

“You have one more job to do. You need to take these containers that held stools to the bathroom and wash them. Also, wash those micro slide glasses as well. Don’t forget to wear rubber gloves and use disinfectants to wash them. Once you are done, put them in a trash bag.”

“Oh my gosh, too much work to do.”

“You are not supposed to complain too much when you work as a nurse. Just do what I tell you to do.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Gun-Ho went to the bathroom with all those containers and micro slide glasses and cleaned them. When he looked at his watch after finishing washing them, it was already after one o’clock. When Young-Eun saw Gun-Ho coming back to the room, she said while smiling, “Oppa, you did an excellent job today.”

Young-Eun handed the stool test result to the instructor.

“There are several kids with worms. There are eight of them. I will leave you with anthelmintic medicines. Please have those eight children take them. The instruction is included in the medicine box.

“Thank you so much.”

The instructor smiled when she received the medicine. It was the first time that she showed her smile that day. She probably felt relieved.

“I wanted to thank you for cooperating with me on this. I know it was extra work for you. Please accept my gift. It’s cosmetic.”

“Oh my. This is a foreign-made expensive cosmetic! Thank you very much.”

The instructor couldn’t keep her mouth closed for a moment in surprise and delight.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun drove off Chairman’s Lee’s vacation home without having their lunch there.

“We can have our lunch in Pocheon City’s downtown. What do you think?”

“Sounds good.”

“Since we are in Pocheon City now, maybe we should visit your mom’s gravesite. Do you want to go and see your mom?”

“No, it’s okay. We can come back later on Cold Food Day.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. By the way, where are you heading to right now? It seems that we just passed downtown in Pocheon City.”

“Oh, we did? Well, let’s go somewhere else then. Maybe we go to Yangju City. We can have our lunch there and take the automobile-only road on the way home”

Gun-Ho took a left turn and entered a tunnel.

“Oppa, you seem to know well what’s around here.”

“Yeah, I do. I told you that I used to come to this area pretty often for fishing.”

The reason why Gun-Ho knew the area inside out was because he used to work in a factory in Pocheon City and also in Yangju City. This was the area where he spent good years of his youth working as a factory worker. Gun-Ho didn’t want to tell Young-Eun about it. He thought that he would feel embarrassed.

“Once we got out of the tunnel, I see a well-developed town.”

“This is Goeup Town in Yangju City.”

“Oh, there is Starbucks too.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“I want a bowl of cold noodles.”

“Okay, let’s go and eat it.”

After having cold noodles, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun took the automobile-only road heading back home. The automobile-only road was extended all the way to Guri City and Songpa District of Seoul City after passing Gangdong Bridge. When they arrived at Songpa IC, there was a sign indicating Yangjae City. Eun-Young was surprised.

“We are already at Yangjae Station?”

“I know, right? I didn’t know I could get to Gangnam District this quickly by taking this road. We are almost at Yangjae Station. See the Towerpalace condo complex over there? We are almost home already.”

“Oh, my gosh!”

“Hahaha. I love how the roads are laid out in Korea. They designed them very smart. When I went to India last time, I noticed that their roads are poorly designed. It was like the 80s all over again.”

Gun-Ho went to work in Jiksan Town. When he was dozing off in his office, he received a call from his brother-in-law.

“Gun-Ho? Can we talk now? It is a good time?”

“Yes. It’s good.”

“I visited the real property that I talked to you about. You know the place that came out on the public auction at Onbid?”

“How was it?”

“It’s good. I like it. It needs some mowing, but it looks great. Mowing is an easy fix.”

“What about the access to the property? Is the road to the property paved all the way to its entrance?”

“The road is paved until you reach 300 meters away from the land, and then you will see a concrete road. The road is wide enough to have two lanes.”

“Do you think a 40-foot container semi-trailer could pass the road?”

“It’s possible. If someone watches the back, you can even make a U-turn with that large and long truck.”

“We need to make a bid at Onbid, right?”

“Yes, we have to make a bid online through their website.”

“Do they require 10% of a bid deposit as well like other offline auctions?”

“Yes. They require a bid deposit to be 10% of the offer price that you are making. You just need to deposit that amount to their virtual account.”

“An online bidding procedure can be very complicated. Do you think you can handle it?”

“Haha. I’m well aware of how complicated it is now. I studied about it in the evening while sitting in front of the computer. Your sister helped me. She will help me with the bidding as well.”

“We still have time before making our bid, right?”

“We have plenty of time.”

“I think we’d better make a bid with GH Logistics’ name rather than using your personal identity. I will have someone in GH Logistics to do the bidding.”

“Oh, okay.”

“In the meantime, I want you to sell your wing-body truck.”

“Sell my truck?”

“You will no longer drive your freight truck once you take over the transportation company.”

“Hmm. That’s right. Okay, I will sell it.”

“Also, when you have time, please go and visit GH Logistics. It’s in Seonghwan City.”

“Okay, I can do that. When do you think it will be a good time to visit it?”

“Tell me when you would be off from work. I will introduce GH Logistics’ president to you.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“I received a bill for the real property acquisition tax pursuant to the land use conversion for non-agricultural use.”

“How much are they asking?”

“It’s a lot. I didn’t know they would impose that much tax on it. They are asking 60 million won.”

“I will transfer the money. They gave you their virtual account number, right?”

“Yes, they did.”

“After you pay the tax, wait a few days and get the cadaster of that land, along with its real estate register.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“And, when you have time, go to the website— Onbid.”

“Onbid?”

“It’s a website operated by Korea Asset Management Corporation (KAMCO) for a public auction. When someone’s real property is seized because the owner didn’t pay the taxes or something, the property is placed for auction on that website. Also, the government sells its real property there too. Those real properties that were used as collateral and when their owners couldn’t make the payment, they would be placed for an auction as well, but at a courthouse. They are two different procedures.”

“Hmm. I think I’ve heard about it before.”

“When you visit the website, there are rental properties that were placed for a public auction as well. Someone told me that there is a land without restriction on its use. It’s in Siheung City. Please take a look at it.”

“Is that the place that you want to move the company to once the land is sold?”

“Yeah, I’m thinking about it.”

“Since the auction is managed by the government, I think we can find a nice place at a very reasonable price.”

“I think so. Do it quietly. You know what I mean, right?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

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Chapter 513 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (3) – Part 2

Chapter 513: Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (3) – Part 2

Jae-Sik Moon called Gun-Ho again after a while.

“I’m outside.”

“What do you mean you are outside?”

“I came out of the office to talk with you further since we don’t want the workers here to hear our conversation.”

“What is it?”

“If GH Logistics moves to Siheung City, the two employees of the company won’t be able to continue to work for it. They both live in Seonghwan City. Siheung City is too far for them to commute.”

“Hmm, I see. That’s one thing that we need to think about.”

“If that happens, would it be possible for GH Mobile to take them?”

“The male worker there is a manager, right? GH Mobile’s managers are way more qualified than him. I don’t think GH Mobile will accept him as a manager.”

“I don’t expect him to keep the same position title with GH Mobile. Can he work on the production site?”

“Did you talk with him about it? Did he say that he is willing to work in the production site?”

“No, I haven’t talked with him about it yet.”

“Also the bookkeeper lady there wouldn’t be able to keep the same job in GH Mobile either. All bookkeeping work in GH Mobile is computerized and handled by people who are trained for it.”

“If they can get paid more than now even if they have to work in the production site, I think they might be willing to take the job. When I told them the other day, that GH Logistics is related to GH Mobile, they looked surprised. They know that GH Mobile is a large company and hard to get in.”

“I see what you mean. Let’s make the sale of the land first, and discuss further about it after that.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“Do you remember that I told you that one of my friends from college is working in Mandong Company as a manager?”

“Oh, yeah, I think I remember that.”

“That friend visited me in Suzhou City yesterday.”

“Did he go there for sightseeing?”

“Sort of. He told me several times that he wanted to visit Suzhou City someday since it’s a popular tourist destination, and he finally made it yesterday.”

“Did you make sure he had a good time there?”

“I certainly did. I even hooked him up with a Xiaojie (Miss) at a karaoke.”

“Hmm, really?”

“He visited our factory here too. He was with a director of Mandong Company. When I told them the company is related to GH Mobile, the director looked surprised and said I should have told him earlier about it.”

“Oh, he said that?”

“So I told him that since Mandong Company is located in Beijing, I didn’t try to make a connection with it.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that he knows Director Kim very well, who used to work for GH Mobile and who is working for Dyeon Korea now.”

“Is that so?”

“He said that one of their vendors keeps making troubles, and he wants to work with us. So we will be replacing that troubling vendor for them.”

“Haha, really?”

“Once we receive the product drawing from them, I will send it to GH Mobile’s research center.”

“Sounds good. I will make sure that GH Mobile’s chief officer of the research center expects it. But, do you think you can still handle the deal even after considering the transportation cost since they are in Beijing?”

“He said if they are satisfied with our products, they will reflect the transportation cost on the product cost.”

“That’s good. Okay, keep up the good work.”

“Oh, you know what? It seems that Suk-Ho is in trouble.”

“Why? What happened? Is he still trying to sell his store?”

“Yeah. No one is buying his store, and he is losing his money by running it. He is in Korea right now to get some money.”

“It’s not a good idea to use his parents’ money for his business.”

“I know.”

“Where did you hear about his situation?”

“I have a friend in Shenyang City. We used to serve in the military together.”

“I see.”

“That friend knows Suk-Ho very well. It seems that Suk-Ho doesn’t have a good reputation in Shenyang City.”

“Hmm, really?”

Gun-Ho went to the class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University. The congressman, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, asked Gun-Ho, “Mr. Class Manager, where have you been? You seem to miss so many classes recently. Did you lose your interest in studying after getting married?”

“I went to China for a business trip. I received a business offer for a joint venture doing a terminal project.”

“A terminal? I believe a terminal business requires a significant amount of investment money.”

“It’s a 50 million dollar worth project.”

“Well, it’s not that much for a terminal project.”

“I guess that’s because it’s in a provincial city.”

“I’m sure that they will bring in a land and ask you to bring in cash, huh?”

“That’s right.”

A minister, who was listening to the conversation between Gun-Ho and the congressman, chipped in.

“Which provincial city are you talking about?”

“It’s Antang City in Guizhou Province.”

“Guizhou Province? Wow, it’s far. It’s not an area that we have connections with.”

“They are saying that they will issue me a license to operate a transportation business there.”

“It sounds fun. I guess businessmen have a more interesting life than us— politicians.”

Another minister chipped in.

“If you participate in the terminal project there, you might want to pay attention to real estate development in that area. The west area will be developed. I believe they will soon start building a lot of condos there.”

When the first class ended, the class president— Minister Jin-Woo Lee— called for Gun-Ho.

“Mr. Class Manager, can I talk to you?”

“Sure.”

“We have some membership fees left, right?”

“Yes. I still have the same amount as you gave to me the other day.”

“Then, can you bring those rice cakes and healthy drinks that you brought to us the other day using the membership fees that we collected? For our next class the day after tomorrow? Those are so delicious, and they are the perfect snacks to eat between our classes.”

“Haha. No problem. I will bring twenty of them the day after tomorrow.”

“Get ten more of them, and take them to the professors’ office.”

Gun-Ho didn’t like Minister Jin-Wook Lee’s attitude toward him. He talked to Gun-Ho like he was talking to his secretary. But Gun-Ho didn’t show his grievance to him. The minister was the man who officiated his wedding after all.

“Okay, I will do that.”

“I’m going to Emerson Country Club next week after stopping by Sejong City. I believe your company is located close to it, isn’t it?

“Emerson Country Club is located in the halfway between Sejong City and Cheonan City. I believe the membership fee for Emerson Country Club is very high.”

“You are not a member of that club?”

“No, I’m not. It’s a bit distant from where I work.”

“Hmm, I was going to ask you about any good restaurant in that area. I thought you would know the area very well.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I can find one for you if you want.”

“No, no. It’s okay.”

“My factory is actually located in Jiksan Town. You will see it if you head to Seonghwan town from Cheonan IC. Also, there is another one in Youngin Town, Asan City.”

“Is that so? What is the company in Asan City manufacturing?”

“It’s a joint venture company with an American company— Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Oh, really? Lymondell Dyeon is a global entity. You are lucky that you are doing a business with that American company.”

“When you happen to be in the area, please stop by my office. I will serve you a cup of tea.”

“Thank you for saying it.”

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Chapter 514 - Relocation of GH Logistics (1) – Part 1

Chapter 514: Relocation of GH Logistics (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was dozing off in his office on the 18th floor in GH Building in Sinsa Town when he received a call from China. It was Antang City’s terminal president— Mr. Runsheng Yan.

“Hello, President Goo.”

“Who is this?”

“This is President Runsheng Yan of the intercity bus terminal in Antang City.”

“Oh, President Yan!”

“It has been quite a while since we signed the letter of intent. Do you think we can sign the actual contract within this month? As I mentioned earlier, you can send the person who will run the intercity bus service business here even before we sign the formal agreement.”

“I have things that I need to take care of before doing so. Please give me time until then. It’s early July now, and I think things will be done here by the end of this month.”

“I called because I was just wondering how things are going on your side. Mr. Deputy Mayor is paying attention to this business deal. I can assure you again that your GH companies will experience a lot of benefits once you expand your business in China with us. I can personally guarantee you that.”

“I see what you mean. Thank you.”

Once he got off the phone with Mr. Runsheng Yan from China, Gun-Ho wanted to check with Jae-Sik Moon on how the GH Logistics business was going so far. He was entering Jae-Sik’s office phone number on his smartphone when it started ringing. It was Jae-Sik Moon.

“President Goo?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“I just sent you a scanned copy of the cadaster of the land via email.”

“Oh, you did? So, the registration of the land after the conversion of its use is completed, huh?”

“Yes, the land use conversion is completed, and it’s registered accordingly. It’s officially no longer farmland. You can check online its real estate register to verify it.”

“Okay, I will do that. Well done.”

“Now, we need to start the paperwork to transfer the ownership of the land from an individual— Jae-Sik Moon— to GH Logistics. How much do you think it would be adequate for the acquisition price?”

“How much did we spend in total in purchasing the land, paying acquisition tax and land use conversion fees, and other relevant fees?”

“It’s about 2.3 billion won.”

“Let’s make it 2.5 billion won then. How much do you have in GH Logistics’ business bank account now?”

“There is about 300 million won.”

“Okay. Let me figure out something here, and I will give you a call again later.”

Gun-Ho checked the balance of his bank account.

There was 2.3 billion won in it. He then checked his bank account where he was receiving all of his salaries; there was 200 million won.

‘Jae-Sik said that GH Logistics has 300 million won now. Since it needs 2.5 billion won to acquire the land, I just need to send 2.2 billion won. But, maybe I don’t want the company to have zero balance in its bank account after sending out the acquisition amount. I will send it 2.3 billion won then.’

Gun-Ho went to his bank and made a deposit of 2.3 billion won in GH Logistics’ bank account. He then made a call to Jae-Sik Moon on the spot.

“President Moon? It’s me!”

“Yeah, President Goo!”

“I just deposited 2.3 billion won in GH Logistics’ bank account. Add 200 million won to it from the previous balance and buy the land for 2.5 billion won. You don’t have to get the sales and purchase agreement from a real estate office, but you can just make one in Word. Just get it ready.”

“Okay. I will let you know once it’s done.”

“Once the acquisition process is completed, place the land on the market for sale.”

“Got it.”

Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim was making a report to Gun-Ho over the phone.

“Manager Lee, who is in India now, found a place to live for himself after getting the office. It’s a monthly rental. The rental price there seems expensive if you want to find one in the area where most Korean people are living. They are asking 2 million won per month for the place.”

“Two million won on a monthly basis?”

“Yes. So, he decided to move to an area a little bit shabby. He will be paying 30,000 Rupees for the place.”

“How much is 30,000 Rupees in Korean won?”

“It’s a little over 500,000 won.”

“There has to be a security deposit as well.”

“Right. They are asking 90,000 Rupees for the security deposit.”

“So, they are asking for a three-month rent as a security deposit.”

“He said that he found storage as well. It’s a 300 pyung large space. He hasn’t signed a contract for the space yet though.”

“Is 300 pyung large enough to store our products?”

“That space was used as storage of raw materials, and it already has built-in shelves designed for that purpose. According to Manager Lee, it would be able to accommodate around 40 tons of raw materials. The rent there is 100,000 Rupees which is around 1.7 million Korean won.”

“The real properties seemed to be expensive in India.”

“That storage has a large yard for a truck to make a turn, which will be very useful for our business.”

“Did he finish establishing the company?”

“He did. He has his old colleagues there, who he used to work with before, and he is getting lots of help from them. He opened the company’s business bank account as well.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Sir, you are coming here tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, I will.”

“I will need your signature on the approval form for the initial investment expense. We need to send the amount to India. I already have Mr. Adam Castler’s signature on it. I was thinking of sending the funds to India today, but I couldn’t since you are not here.”

“It’s 100,000 dollars, right?”

“That’s correct. Manager Lee said that he would use the initial investment funds to pay for the storage, the office, and his place to stay.”

“Has he rented a car yet?”

“Manager Lee can’t drive there even though he is holding an international driver’s license. He needs to take a test again to get a driver’s license in India.”

“I guess it will take another one or two months.”

“He will have to take a taxi or hire a chauffeur. He said he would sign the contract for storage and rent a car after the initial investment funds arrive.”

“It seems that he has to wait to get that storage until he receives the funds because of the security deposit. The amount of money that he carried when he left for India wouldn’t be enough to cover the security deposit. Okay. I will come to Dyeon Korea first thing in the morning tomorrow before going to work in GH Mobile.”

“Once the expense approval form is signed tomorrow, I will go on a trip to India, maybe at the end of next week.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“I’ve withdrawn the entire funds that were sent to my personal bank account from the company and sent them to your personal account. Please verify it.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho checked his bank account. An amount of 2.5 billion won was deposited in his account. He transferred 200 million won out of that amount back to the company account.

After lunch, Gun-Ho went down to the art galleria on the basement level to look around the art exhibition of the six young artists. All the paintings were pretty, but something seemed to be missing in their artworks like artistic values and techniques.

After coming back to his office on the 18th floor, Gun-Ho had his afternoon coffee. At that moment, his brother-in-law called him.

“Gun-Ho? It’s me.”

“Oh, hi, brother.”

“I’m off from work tomorrow. Will it be okay if I visit GH Logistics tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? Sure. Please come there by noon. If you go to GH Logistics’ website and click the direction, it will show you the map and how to get there.”

“Okay. Did you apply to participate in bidding on Onbid for the rental property?”

“I think so. I talked to the GH Logistics’ president about it already. I believe he has done it.”

“Okay. I will see you tomorrow.”

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Chapter 515 - Relocation of GH Logistics (1) – Part 2

Chapter 515: Relocation of GH Logistics (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho gave a call to Jae-Sik Moon to ask about Onbid.

“It’s me, Gun-Ho.”

“Yeah, President Goo. What’s up?”

“I guess you and I talk a lot on the phone today.”

“Haha. I guess so.”

“I’ve verified the funds in my bank account, and I sent 200 million won back to the GH Logistics’ business account.”

“You did? Okay. Thank you.”

“And, I was wondering if you have applied for bidding on Onbid.”

“You mean for the rental property in Siheung City, right? The one without restriction on the use, huh? I did.”

“You will have a visitor tomorrow. He is the one who will take over the company. He will be there around noon.”

“Oh, really?”

“He is my brother-in-law.”

“Yeah, I think you told me about him. You said that he has been in the transportation industry for quite a while, huh? Actually, we need someone like him in GH Logistics.”

It was Tuesday.

Gun-Ho went to work at Dyeon Korea that morning.

When he arrived in his office, Director Kim brought him the expense approval form for the initial investment funds for India. Gun-Ho signed the approval form to send out 100,000 dollars to India. He then called for the internal auditor while Director Kim was still in the office.

“This is the signed approval form for the initial investment funds for India. Please have Manager Myeong-Sook Jo in the accounting team transfer the funds to India by the end of today.”

“Okay, sir.”

“How much funds do we have in our Dyeon Korea’s reserve right now?”

“We have around 6.5 billion won, sir. We had 7.2 billion won before we sent out 700 million won to China to acquire the sales company there.”

“Do you think we can make 10 billion won by the end of this year?”

“I can’t tell for sure. The funds in our reserve have been accumulated not just for this year but starting from last year.”

“I remember that as of December last year, we had 4.2 billion won. I can assume that we added an additional 3 billion won during the first half of this year. And, I guess we can add another 3 billion won by the end of this year. That means that I don’t think we can expect to see 10 billion won at the end of this year. Mr. Director Kim, please do something about it.”

When Gun-Ho looked at Director Kim and said that, Director Kim responded while laughing, “Okay, sir. I will have all of the machines including machine no. 16 working during the second half of this year. I believe we can make enough profits to fill up our reserve with 10 billion won that way. Also, since we are expanding our business to India, I guess we can increase our profits. I’m sure we won’t lose any this year.”

“I feel good that we have Manager Lee in India. Since he has experience working overseas before, it seems that he is establishing and settling the business quickly.”

“We have to watch out the transportation fees though. It won’t be a small amount of money. Also, since shipping raw materials to India will take a long time, I’m concerned whether it could spoil the materials on the way there.”

“Hmm. Once you come back from your trip to India, I think we’d better ship a small amount of raw materials there to see if it’s safe to send that way, maybe we will send just 5 tons of raw materials for an experimental purpose.”

“That sounds good.”

“Well, if you don’t have anything else to talk to me about, I will leave for GH Mobile now.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile, he called for the general affairs director via the interphone.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“We are not hiring workers in the production site right now, are we?”

“No, we are not. We usually hire production workers twice per year— Spring and Fall. However, since we have a very low turnover rate, we didn’t hire anyone last Spring.”

“We need to hire two production workers.”

“Two workers? Do you already have people in mind?”

“GH Logistics is moving to another area. Once it moves, we will need to take two workers from there.”

“I see. We can add two more workers in the production site, but we can’t do that for the management positions.”

“They are currently doing management work with GH Logistics, but I understand that they will have work in the production site here.”

“Sir, do you have, by any chance, their resumes with you?”

“No, I don’t. I will ask them to send their resumes here. Please review them.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho felt like he was contradicting himself by bringing two workers for the production site after he had previously claimed that he wouldn’t get involved in hiring workers except for executive officers. He felt obligated that he should inform President Song about it in person. He made a call to President Song who was working outside the office that day.

“Mr. President Song?”

“Yes, sir. This is him speaking.”

“We are moving GH Logistics to another location after selling its land.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Once we move its location, I think we need to relocate their two workers to GH Mobile. They are the residents in this area, and they can’t move with GH Logistics.”

“If they are willing to work in the production site, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Okay. I will talk with the general affairs director.”

“I’m in a client site in Changwon City. I might not be able to get back to the office today.”

“No problem. I will talk to you later.”

Gun-Ho made a call to the general affairs director.

“I will ask GH Logistics to send the two workers’ resumes to you. Please review them and let me know what you think.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho visited GH Logistics in Seonghwan City. The two employees there were working with computers, and Jae-Sik Moon was talking with truck drivers.

“President Moon!”

“Oh, you are here already.”

“You seem to be busy there. Please don’t mind me. I will use the bathroom now.”

“Okay.”

When Gun-Ho walked out of the office to go to the bathroom, he saw a black Sonata coming into the company yard. He watched to see who would come out of the car. It was his brother-in-law. Surprisingly, his brother-in-law was with his sister.

“You both came. That’s nice. You didn’t have any trouble finding the location?”

“Nah, it was easy enough.”

There were three freight trucks and one heavy construction equipment parked in the company yard. Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law made a comment about it while looking at them.

“It’s not good to have vehicles parked here during the daytime. They are supposed to be somewhere working while leaving the company yard vacant.”

“It seems the truck drivers stopped by the office for business.”

“This location looks expensive with direct access to the public road. Are you making enough profits while using this expensive land? The land looks like at least 1,000 pyung large.”

“It’s actually way larger than 1,000 pyung. Do you see plastic drums over there? All of the land up to that point belongs to the company.”

“Is that right? Whoa, it’s huge. How large is it?”

“It’s 5,000 pyung large.”

“Did you say 5,000 pyung? The land itself should be very expensive.”

“It’s more than 6 billion won worth.”

“6 billion won?”

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband couldn’t close their mouths in surprise.

“I guess running a company is just a pretext for you. Your real business is investment in real estate, I think.”

“No. I do run my companies too.”

At that moment, Jae-Sik Moon came out of the office. It seemed that he had done talking with the truck drivers.

“Hey, President Moon. Please come here and meet my brother-in-law.”

“Hello?”

“Hi.”

Jae-Sik Moon and Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law had a handshake. While doing so, Jae-Sik Moon kept glancing at Gun-Ho’s sister. When Gun-Ho was about to introduce his sister to Jae-Sik, Jae-Sik started talking. “Umm… Are you Gun-Ho’s sister— Gun-Sook?”

“Huh? Do I… know you?”

“You don’t recognize me, sister? It’s me, Jae-Sik— Jae-Sik Moon.”

“Oh, the basement boy!”

When Gun-Ho’s sister blurted the word— basement— Gun-Ho couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahahaha. Jae-Sik, I guess you can’t get away from your old nickname— basement!”

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Chapter 516 - Relocation of GH Logistics (2) – Part 1

Chapter 516: Relocation of GH Logistics (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho’s sister quickly covered her mouth with her hand realizing that she shouldn’t have said the word basement to Jae-Sik’s face.

“I’m so sorry. It just came out of my mouth. Hahaha, you are Jae-Sik!”

“It’s okay, sister.”

“You’ve changed a lot. I wouldn’t have been able to recognize you if you didn’t say anything.”

“I knew it was you right away, Gun-Sook sister. You used to scold me for reading cartoon books in Gun-Ho’s room without studying.”

“Yeah, I remember that. You love reading cartoons. How are your parents doing?”

When Jae-Sik was hesitating to respond to Gun-Ho’s sister’s question about his parents, his workers came to Jae-Sik and let him know that they would be back after lunch.

“Sir, we will have lunch now. We will be back soon.”

“Oh, sure. Bon appetit.”

Jae-Sik showed Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband to his office. He then prepared green tea for them.

“Gun-Ho invested in this company from the day of the establishment. We currently have 27 vehicles. I’ve prepared an Excel document to show you the status of this company.”

Jae-Sik brought a chart in an A4 paper. It had all the information about the types of the company’s vehicles, their license plate numbers, the names of drivers assigned to each truck, the names of service companies and the service expiration dates, service charges, payment dates, etc. The chart laid out all the information in a way that a reader could easily see all at a glance.

“Wow. This is very well done.”

Jae-Sik gave another chart to Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law. It was about each service company that GH Logistics was currently using. The chart showed each service company’s address, the name of each company’s president, its business registration number, the person’s name who is in charge of dealing with GH Logistics, its sales revenues, the number of their workers, etc.

“Hmm. There will be no problem issuing a tax invoice with this information.”

Gun-Ho’s sister said as she was impressed by Jae-Sik’s meticulous work.

“Haha. I guess I underestimated you as a boy who only loves reading cartoon books.”

Gun-Ho wanted to formally introduce Jae-Sik to his sister and brother-in-law with his qualification.

“Jae-Sik majored in creative writing in college. He is an award-winning author of a full-length novel.”

“Is that right?”

“He was working as a chief editor in a publishing company until I asked him to help me with running this company.”

“Oh, I see. You guys had a hard time when we all lived in Juan Town, Incheon City. Now, you two are all grown up and became successful businessmen. Your parents must be proud of you, Jae-Sik. You are married, right?”

“I live with someone without having a wedding ceremony, and we don’t have a kid yet.”

“So, you are leaving for China soon?”

Gun-Ho, who was sitting next to Jae-Sik, answered the question on behalf of Jae-Sik, “He will be running a business there—a terminal project and an intercity bus service company. He will be in Antang City, Guizhou Province. That’s why we placed this 5,000 pyung large land on the market for sale. I need that money to invest in the business in China. We are also working on getting a new place through the public auction for GH Logistics. Once we lease that land, you can take over this company, brother.”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law asked Jae-Sik, “President Moon, I’ve noticed that there are three trucks and one heavy equipment parked in the yard. Are those only ones without work right now?”

“Actually, one truck and one heavy equipment are available for a new assignment. The other trucks’ drivers visited me today to give me a service contract.”

“Since there are vehicles that need work, I guess I need to start with some sales work.”

“I believe that those two will start working next week. We just received an inquiry about the availability and price through our website.”

“Are you getting a lot of inquiries through the website?”

“Not frequently, but sometimes we do. We currently have a long-term contract with a logistics company in Paju City and Dyeon Korea in Asan City—a joint venture company that Gun-Ho is running. And, we have a three-year contract with a company in Eumseong Town and a roadwork site. We started working with them less than a year ago, so you don’t have to worry about procuring more work for the next couple of years.”

“Do you mind if I ask you how much its sales revenue is?”

“No, not at all. We are making around 100 million won per month.”

“The labor cost is the largest expense among others?”

“Yes, it is. Labor cost takes up a large portion of our entire operating expense. We are spending 60 million won on a monthly basis to pay our drivers. Also, we take care of their Four Major Public Insurance as well.”

“What about gas? You don’t pay for the gas, right?”

“The service company pays for the gas, and we provide auto insurance. If you take over this business, you will need to add an additional expense for the premises since you will be leasing a place. Since the new place is owned by the government, I’m sure the rent will be very reasonable. I haven’t incurred any loss yet by running this business so far.”

“How much do you pay for those office workers?”

“We only have two workers in the office—the ones who just went out for lunch. The male worker is our office manager. He is taking care of administrative work and vehicle maintenance. He gets paid 2.5 million won per month. The female worker is our bookkeeper, and her monthly salary is 2 million won. We pay for their lunch though. And, I take 3.2 million won per month.”

“Hmm.”

“After saving for the depreciation reserve, we are maintaining the current status without loss.”

“What do you mean by saving for the depreciation reserve?”

“You should do the same. Once vehicles reach certain ages, you need to replace them with new vehicles. You need the reserve for that purpose.”

“I’ve heard that this company is 100% owned by President Gun-Ho Goo. Do you pay him as well, like a salary?”

“Of course, we should have, but President Goo has refused to take any salary so far. He said that he didn’t want to get paid until the company became stabilized. Once you move to the Siheung City location and once the business gets settled, you probably want to start paying him.”

“Are those workers moving with the company to Siheung City, aren’t they?”

“No, they wouldn’t. They are living in this area, and Siheung City is too far to commute daily.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho’s sister chipped in.

“Once the company moves to Siheung City, maybe I will handle the bookkeeping.”

“You, sister? Why not? If you have work experience in bookkeeping, that would be very nice. It’s not easy to just watch others do bookkeeping for you. You sometimes feel the urge that you want to do it yourself. We have a tax accountant who we have been working with, so you don’t have to worry about any complicated accounting work. If you think you can handle it on your own, I would say you should go for it.”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law asked Jae-Sik, “About the office manager here who you mentioned. How well is he handling the vehicle maintenance work?”

“Nothing major. He just adds air to the trucks’ tires and changes their oils; that’s about it. For more complicated maintenance work, you should go to an auto repair shop. We don’t even have the proper equipment to handle any further maintenance work. You can find one good auto repair shop and make a service contract with them. But, one thing that you should consider is that since all of our trucks work far from this location, it’s rare that they come to the office to receive maintenance service. They usually go to an auto repair shop nearby the worksite. For simple work like changing windshields, the truck drivers take care of it.”

“You are receiving any traffic fines and things like that to this location, right?”

“That’s correct. We receive them here since the company’s official address is here. However, we don’t pay for it. Each truck driver must pay for the fines that they incurred. We take off the fines from their monthly salary before paying them.”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law nodded his head.

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Chapter 517 - Relocation of GH Logistics (2) – Part 2

Chapter 517: Relocation of GH Logistics (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho looked at Jae-Sik. Gun-Ho was impressed by how knowledgeable and professional Jae-Sik had been. He sounded like a real businessman who had been running a company for a long time.

‘I didn’t know he had been doing this well. I was worried about him running this business since he was a writer dealing with words and papers only, but it seems that he has been handling the business very well like a good businessman in this field. I guess he would do just fine in China too.’

Jae-Sik looked at Gun-Ho’s sister and said, “Sister, have you issued a tax invoice before?”

“Huh? Well, I was not directly in charge of that task, but I’ve done it several times.”

“You can easily do it through the National Tax Service’s website—HomeTax. President Gun-Ho Goo is actually an expert on that sort of work. You know that he used to work in the field, right?”

“Did he? He used to work in the accounting field?”

“You didn’t know that? He used to work with computerized accounting.”

“Is that right? I had no idea. Well, I guess I will have to learn from him then. Haha.”

Gun-Ho said while handing the document back to Jae-Sik, “You haven’t talked with your workers about selling the land, have you?”

“No, I haven’t. We are having dinner together this evening. I’m planning to break the news then. But they seem to have a rough idea about the changes around here.”

“Really?”

“I’ve noticed that they are asking questions.”

“Like what?”

“In their eyes, I bought unnecessary adjacent farmland and spent a lot of time trying to combine them. Also, people came here to flatten the land. They asked me several times what was going on.”

“If they are willing to move with the company to Siheung City, there is no reason not to take them, but if they can’t, tell them that you will talk with GH Mobile to get a position for them. I already talked with GH Mobile’s general affairs director about it.”

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“Oh, you did? What did he say?”

“He said that they can’t take those two workers in the management department, but they can work in the production site. You have their resumes with you, right?”

“I do have their resumes that they sent to me when they applied for the work.”

“Why don’t you bring their resumes and meet with GH Mobile’s general affairs director? Since the male worker here has several certificates on auto maintenance, GH Mobile probably has a position in the factory for him.”

“Hmm, really? Okay, I will meet with him tomorrow.”

“Oh, you know what? I received a call from China the other day. They want us to send the person who would be running the business as soon as possible even though we could sign the formal contract later.”

“Haha, really?”

“Oh, your workers are coming back from lunch. Let’s go out to have our lunch. You mentioned that you know a good restaurant around here, right?”

“Yes, there is one! Let’s have a nice lunch today. I’m so happy to see your sister and her huband. We are all from the same town after all.”

Gun-Ho came back home at the end of the day. He was watching TV after taking a shower when he received a call from his sister.

“You are not sleeping yet, are you?”

“No, I was watching TV. What’s up?”

“It bothers me that I made a mistake today.”

“What are you talking about? What mistake?”

“I blurted the word basement to Jae-Sik’s face inadvertently. I’m sure that it hurt Jae-Sik’s feelings.”

“Oh, that. Nah, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“I’m certain that I hurt his feelings.”

“If we were still kids, yes, it might have hurt his feelings. But, we are all grown up. We don’t get hurt by things like that anymore. We just laugh about it.”

“Well, I just feel sorry for him that I said that.”

“No worries.”

“Jae-Sik’s parents are still living in Incheon City, aren’t they?”

“I think so.”

“I still remember his mother. His home in the basement was flooded once after the heavy rain, and I remember his mother crying while hanging the comforters on a dry rack.”

“Sis, why do I hear your voice trembling?”

“Because I remember that like it was yesterday. She was a very nice lady.”

“Do you also remember Jae-Sik’s little brother?”

“Oh, that boy who kept crying all the time? He was a special needs kid, right?”

“That boy passed away before he reached 20. Ever since then, his mother hasn’t been acting like herself. That’s what I heard.”

“Really?”

“Jae-Sik is reluctant to talk about his family.”

“Oh, I see…”

“So, don’t ask him about his family when you meet him again.”

“Okay, I won’t do that.”

“Once Jae-Sik goes to China, he will become even more successful. Just know that.”

“Really?”

“Also, once Jae-Sik moves to China, the investment funds for the terminal project will be transferred to China with GH Logistics’ name. GH Logistics will be working with Antang City’s transportation company.”

“Oh, is that so? How much investment funds are you talking about? If it’s an intercity bus terminal, it should be a significant amount of funds.”

“It’s a 50 million dollar project, and I have to come up with half of the funds which is 25 million dollars. It’s about 25 billion Korean won.”

“Did you say 25 billion won? Oh, my goodness!”

Gun-Ho’s sister stayed quiet for a moment. She just couldn’t imagine how much that amount would be.

“Where do you get that much money?”

“I sell land and take a loan from a bank. It’s complicated. Don’t even try to know it all. Even Jae-Sik Moon doesn’t know the source of my investment funds. And, I can’t share that with anyone.”

“Shoot. It’s scary. I’m not sure if it is a good idea that we just take over GH Logistics. We are having a very peaceful life right now. I don’t want to get involved in a complicated business.”

“Hahaha, you don’t have to worry about it. I don’t bring in 25 billion won at once anyway.”

“Well, it’s still scary.”

“I told my brother-in-law the other day that he should sell his wing body truck. Did he sell it?”

“He told me that his colleague wants to buy it from him. Since it’s a used truck now with some mileage on it, he is expecting to get around 80 million won.”

“Sister, if you want to work for GH Logistics, you know that you need to quit your current job as a social worker, right?”

“I know. I’ve been discussing that with my husband all day long yesterday without sleeping. It will be more beneficial for our family that I work for GH Logistics rather than keeping my social worker job. I will have a more flexible work schedule, and I can support my husband well at work.”

“If you decide to work there, you will have to handle its bookkeeping work by yourself until the company becomes stabilized. Do you think you can do that?”

“I think I can handle the work. I know how to deal with Four Major Public Insurance as well. I’ve been paying attention to the workers here in the nursing home doing the bookkeeping. I think I can do that.”

“Bookkeeping in GH Logistics will be a bit different from the work in a nursing home since you will have to handle the overseas business as well. The work will be more complex. I recommend you take some classes and practical training as well. You can use the company’s funds to pay for the classes.”

“It sounds like a good idea.”

“Even though you didn’t go to college, I know that you are good at studying. That’s how you obtained the license to become a social worker, right?”

“Haha. Well, I didn’t have a choice at that time. I had to make a living.”

“If you and your husband start working at GH Logistics, my brother-in-law will be the president, and you will be an office manager doing bookkeeping as well. You are the actual person who takes care of things around the office. You take whatever position you like—an accounting manager, an office manager, a director, even a vice president, or whatever. Just pick one for you.”

“Sounds great. Since I’m in my 40s, maybe I should take a director position. Hahaha.”

“Sure. We have a business card design already made for GH companies. Use it to print out your business card.”

“Hahaha. Well, I guess I will have a new job title, as a director.”

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Chapter 518 - Relocation of GH Logistics (3) – Part 1

Chapter 518: Relocation of GH Logistics (3) – Part 1

It was Friday which was Gun-Ho’s most favorite day in the entire week because Young-Eun would come home on Fridays. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun lived separately during the weekdays. They would meet on Friday evenings and spent the weekend together in Gun-Ho’s TowerPalace condo. This ‘weekend couple’ didn’t have to do anything special to have fun; they were just happy to see each other. Since Young-Eun was a medical doctor, she sometimes had to work a night shift on weekends, but her colleagues usually let her get away without a night shift because she was a newlywed.

That day, Gun-Ho was spending his Friday in his office on the 18th floor in GH Building reading newspapers and listening to music. He sent a text message to Young-Eun.

[Today is our happy rendezvous day. Do you want to go to Cheonggyesan Mountain tomorrow?]

Young-Eun replied.

[That sounds great. I need to do exercise to lose some weight anyway.]

Gun-Ho was thinking about what they would have for lunch tomorrow after mountain climbing when he received a call from Minister Jin-Woo Lee. He was the person who officiated Gun-Ho’s wedding.

“We don’t have a class today. What does he possibly want from me? He probably wants to ask me to do something for him.”

Gun-Ho picked up the phone wondering why he was calling him.

“Mr. Class Manager? It’s me, Mr. Class President.”

“Oh, hi. How are you? Mr. Minister?”

“I will be attending a meeting at Sejong City’s integrated government building tomorrow, and I will play golf at Emerson Country Club afterward.”

“Oh, I see.”

“The thing is that one of our golf members won’t be able to play with us. He said that something came up to take care of.”

“I see.”

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“So, if you are available, would you join us to play golf? Your factory is not far from the country club. What do you think?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t give him an answer right away because he was in Seoul, not in Cheonan City. Moreover, he wanted to spend the full weekend with Young-Eun, but he didn’t want to bluntly refuse the minister’s offer.

“I’m not a good golf player. I just started learning how to play. I’m sure that I’m not at the level to play with you and other ministers. I don’t want to ruin your Saturday.”

“No, no. Other members are all beginners as well. I’m the only one who is a long time golf player.”

“But still, I don’t think I’m at the same level to hang out with you and other ministers considering age and all that…”

“There is a young man in our group too. You are too humble. We don’t aggressively compete with each other while playing golf. We do stroke play, and whoever loses needs to buy lunch; that’s all. Let’s just play together tomorrow and enjoy the nice weather. I will see you at 9 am then.”

“Umm, oh…”

‘F*ck! This guy didn’t even bother finding out what I wanted and just hung up the phone after telling me what he wanted. Does he think I work for him or something? I guess he has been spoiled at work in the government. Hmmm. Well, he spent his precious time officiating my wedding after all. I can’t just say no to him.

Anyway, I guess I have to leave home at least at 7 am tomorrow morning in order to get there by 9 am. I’ve never been to Sejong City and that country club nearby. I think I’d better leave at 7 am, so I can have enough time to find it. Maybe I should leave even earlier than that so I can be there when they tee up. I will need to get a locker number at the front desk, and they will assign a caddie to me. Then do I have to leave at 6 am? Sh*t. It’s really hard to get up early in the morning.’

That evening, Young-Eun came home. As always, Young-Eun stopped by a supermarket to do grocery shopping. She brought lots of vegetables and other food. She looked tired.

“You look tired today.”

“Yeah. I was very busy at work. There were so many patients.”

“I already cooked rice. We just need to prepare some dishes. If you are so tired, I can cook.”

“No, it’s okay. I will do that.”

While having dinner together, Gun-Ho told Young-Eun that he would have to take a rain check.

“I don’t think we can go to Cheonggyesan Mountain tomorrow. I’m sorry.”

“Why not?”

“You remember Mr. Minister Jin-Soo Lee, right? He officiated our wedding.”

“Something happened to him?”

“He asked me to play golf with him tomorrow. The country club is in Sejong City.”

“Really?”

“He thinks my company is very close to it. I just couldn’t say no to him since he came to our wedding to officiate it.”

“I think you should go.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s good for you to hang out with people like him. It’s a good opportunity to expand your social network, don’t you think?’

“We’ve planned to go mountain climbing for a while, and we couldn’t make it last weekend because you had a night shift. And this weekend, this happened.”

“Well, I can use the time to take a deep rest. I will take a nap after taking a walk along Yangjae Riverside. Don’t worry about me, and go have fun.”

“I have to get up at 6 tomorrow morning. If you happen to wake up that early, please wake me up.”

“You should set the alarm. Don’t rely on me.”

Gun-Ho got up late the next morning.

He tried to get ready quickly by brushing his teeth, washing his face, and getting a shave. He had to leave without having breakfast.

“I’m leaving now. I will see you later.”

“Okay. Have fun.”

After a while, Gun-Ho came back home.

“Sh*t, I forgot my smartphone.”

When he finally went to his car at the condo’s parking lot, there was another car blocking his Land Rover. He had to push it to make an access.

When he entered the highway, he felt good though.

Fortunately, Gun-Ho didn’t arrive late at Emerson Country Club. Minister Jin-Woo Lee was there. Gun-Ho couldn’t recognize him at first because he was wearing a hat. He didn’t know that Minister Jin-Woo Lee was an overweight man until then. It didn’t show when he was wearing a business suit which was his usual outfit. He was with a lady who looked like she was in her 50s.

“Mr. Class President, you made it. Since you work around this area, I invited you to join us today. This is my wife.”

“Oh, hi. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

Gun-Ho walked close to the lady and gave a 90-degree bow to her.

‘So, this lady is A Group’s president’s daughter!”

Gun-Ho noticed wrinkles in her neck, and he thought that no one would be able to stop the aging process.

“Honey, this is our class manager who got married the other day. He is running a company in this area.”

The lady smiled without saying a word. Even though she was from an extremely wealthy family, she didn’t look extravagant by wearing all sorts of expensive jewelry or anything like that.

“So, three of us will play today?”

“No. One more person is coming. Oh, he is over there.”

A man who looked like he was in his 50s was walking toward Gun-Ho’s party. He was in good shape and wearing gold metal frame glasses.

“Please meet the A Electronics’ CEO, CEO Park.”

‘A Electronics? The A Electronics? Oh, this guy is the CEO of A Electronics, I see. A Electronics is a large company that makes tens of trillion won per year.’

Gun-Ho gave a 90-degree to CEO Park as well.

“This country club has a great view.”

“Is this your first time here, President Goo?”

“Yes. I usually go to Sangrok Country Club in Cheonan City.”

“Oh, the one that is operated by the National Pension Service of Korea, huh?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Do you know why I chose this country club?”

“Isn’t it because it’s close to Sejong City?”

“That’s one of the reasons. I like how they designed the golf course, and also it feels cooler here.”

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Chapter 519 - Relocation of GH Logistics (3) – Part 2

Chapter 519: Relocation of GH Logistics (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho didn’t play golf well of course, as expected.

“You need to practice more, Mr. Class Manager. You will have to come to the country club more often.”

“Haha, I’m sorry, sir.”

The minister’s wife seemed to be curious about Gun-Ho Goo maybe because Gun-Ho was the youngest man in the group. He was in his 30s while others were all in their 50s.

“I feel younger by playing with a young man.”

Even though they were in their 50s, they were all energetic. Gun-Ho was the only one who felt tired quickly.

‘What do these people eat at home? Are they eating wild ginseng every day or something? They don’t look tired at all even after we made a round of 27 holes.’

Gun-Ho lost the game as expected.

“Well, I guess Mr. Class President will buy lunch for us today.”

“Sure. Let’s go to my area.”

“Where exactly is your area?”

“Let’s go to Cheonan City.”

“Oh, by the way, you brought a different car today. Since your chauffeur is not here with you, this is probably your personal vehicle, huh?”

“Yes, it is. I didn’t have a chance to wash it. It’s a bit dirty today. Well, please follow me.”

Gun-Ho told the minister’s chauffeur how to get to the Korean restaurant in Cheonan City—Seungjiwon. Mr. CEO Park said he had been to that restaurant before.

Before food started coming out, everyone wiped their hands with wet tissues. At the moment, Gun-Ho gave his business card to the minister’s wife and A Electronics’ CEO Park. While the minister’s spouse put the business card into her purse quickly, the A Electronics’ CEO took his time looking at it closely.

Minister Jin-Wook Lee said, “So, your factory is around here?”

“Yes, it is. It’s about 15 minutes away from here. It’s not a big factory though.”

CEO Park asked, “How large is it?”

“Its land is around 5,000 pyung large.”

The minister said after taking a sip of his beer, “A 5,000 pyung large land is not small.”

“Mr. Minister, do you go to Emerson Country Club pretty often?”

“Not as often as I want to. I go there when I have a meeting in Sejong city or when I need to visit our family gravesite.”

“I like the food here. It’s delicious and neat.”

The minister’s wife seemed satisfied with the food there, and Gun-Ho also was happy that she enjoyed the food that he chose for them. After lunch, when Gun-Ho was about to pay for it, CEO Park stopped Gun-Ho and said, “It’s already paid.”

“Huh? I was supposed to pay for it.”

Minister Jin-Woo Park who was standing behind them laughed and said, “You can buy us lunch next time, Mr. Class Manager.”

“Would you like to visit my factory on the way back to Seoul, sir?”

“Well, we will have to do that next time too.”

They said good-bye in front of the restaurant—Seungjiwon—in Baekseok Town.

Before taking off, A Electronics’ CEO Park gave his business card to Gun-Ho and said, “I will see you around.”

It was already mid-July, and hot summer days continued.

When Gun-Ho was receiving a report from GH Mobile’s executive officers in his office, President Jae-Sik Moon visited him.

“Huh? President Moon?”

“I came here to talk with the general affairs director. I wanted to see you before leaving.”

“Our general affairs director?”

“Yeah, I discussed with him about hiring my two workers.”

“What did he say?”

“After reviewing their resumes, he said that he could give an office job in the production site to my bookkeeper.”

“An office work in the production site?”

“She will work with recording mostly, like product inventory, shipping, and storage on a daily basis.”

“There was no one doing those tasks here?”

“There was one, but it seems that that person is moving to another department soon.”

“Hmm, really? That’s great.”

“Haha. Yeah, I think she will like the job here better.”

“What about that male worker? Your office manager?”

“With his certificates, he would be given a team lead position right away.”

“Oh, he has multiple certificates in addition to a certificate on vehicle maintenance?”

“He actually has a certificate on waste management as well, and the general affairs director wanted to hire him right away when he saw that certificate.”

“That’s good for them. Did you negotiate their salaries as well?”

“They will get paid more here like 100,000 won more per month.”

“I think your workers will have no problem working for GH Mobile then.”

“I told them about the changes last week while having dinner together after work. I told them that once we sell GH Logistics’ land, I will talk with GH Mobile if they could get a job for them, and they told me to plant them into it right away.”

“Planting them?”

“Yeah, like planting them into GH Mobile.”

“Haha. They used the word ‘plant’ when they meant to place them in a job.”

“Did you put the real property on the market?”

“Yes, I did.”

“You haven’t heard anything yet, have you?”

“Nothing yet, but when I visited a website where real estate buyers post their inquiries, there were several people who were looking for large land over 5,000 pyung for factory use.”

“Really?”

“I made a call to three of them. Two were real estate agents, and one was a factory’s director. I asked that director to visit our factory.”

“That’s nice.”

“He is coming at 11 am today. It seems that his factory is in Hwaseong City, and they want to expand their location.”

“What are they manufacturing?”

“Cosmetics, he said.”

“Cosmetics? I think the location is good for a cosmetic factory. They just need to build a pretty factory on it.”

“I will let you know after meeting with him.”

“Sounds good. The parcel of land that was flattened is still good, right? I was worried when it heavily rained last week.”

“It’s fine. They did a great job kneading the ground with the combination roller.”

“How much do you think would be adequate to ask for that land, considering the current fair market value?”

“According to the Seonghwan Civil Engineering Firm that did the flattening work on our land, we will be able to sell it for 1.5 million won per pyung.”

“1.5 million won per pyung? Then, it will be 7.5 billion won.”

“I think we should price it for 7.5 billion won, and adjust the price later.”

“Well, I don’t know if there would be anyone who would pay that much.”

“When we bought the land with the auto repair shop, we paid 2 million won per pyung. I think 1.5 million won per pyung is reasonable.”

“Well, that was a small parcel of land. Now, we have a large land with access to the public road on one side.”

“Let’s see. I will try to convince potential buyers who visit the land.”

“You should discuss it with real estate agents in the area. They should know better. And tell them that we will pay them a good commission once the land is sold for a good price.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“And also, don’t forget to watch the Onbid thing.”

“Don’t worry about it. I keep an eye on it every day. We don’t want any competitor for the same land. There is none who shows interest in that property so far. That land is not appealing to everyone including farmers; it’s too expensive to use the land for farming. It has to be someone like us doing business in this specific field.”

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Chapter 520 - Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (1) – Part 1

Chapter 520: Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (1) – Part 1

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho couldn’t dispel the thought of the rental real property on Onbid. He made a call to Jae-Sik again.

“Jae-Sik, I just wanted to ask you if the rental property that you are keeping an eye on is the one that my brother-in-law was talking about.”

“That’s the one. In order to make sure that I was looking at the same property, I asked your brother-in-law about the property number. It’s the same property with the same number. Also, that’s the only rental real property in Siheung City, that is on Onbid right now.”

“It’s a 1,000 pyung large land. Don’t you think 60 million won is excessive for that size?”

“60 million won? Their price is not 60 million won. It’s 6 million won!”

“Are you sure? Because my brother-in-law said they are asking 60 million won.”

“Haha. He got it wrong. Their starting bidding price is 6 million won, not 60 million won. It’s a very normal mistake that is often made by people who haven’t often worked with numbers. He just misread the number. I did that too at the beginning of my work.”

“Hmmm, really?”

“Think about it. If the 60 million won is their price, that means that they are asking 5 million won per month to lease that property. That doesn’t make any sense. It’s not like they have a structure or anything like that on the property. It’s just a vacant land with no restriction on its use. 6 million won sounds perfectly right. So, I offered them 6.15 million won. The bid closing date is until 2 days and 5 hours on Onbid. We will know the result after two days.”

“Hey, if that place is that cheap like 6 million won for a year, do they have public water and electricity services on the property?”

“You said that your brother-in-law visited the site already. Didn’t he make sure it has everything he needs?”

“You know what? I think you will need to visit the property and check everything again. If there are no public water and electricity available in the property, we can’t have a bathroom either. We are not looking for a parking lot where we just store our trucks. We want an office there too.”

“Okay. You are right. Their price is too nicely low to have them all. I will check out the property.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon. He was calling him after he visited the land in Siheung City.

“It’s just a plain land with no restriction on its use. There is a cemented road to access the land. The land is vacant and looks like it hasn’t been used for a long while. A lot of weeds are growing there. I don’t think we can have an office there.”

“Why did my brother-in-law say it would be a perfect place for the business then?”

“Well, you can place one or two container offices there along with a portable toilet.”

“What about electricity?”

“You will need to bring the service into the land on your own. There is a utility pole nearby, so it looks possible.”

“What about water then?”

“You will have to work on that on your own as well, like digging for underground water or something.”

“Hmmm.”

“So, it seems like we have two options under the current situation.”

“What are those?”

“Well, option 1 is that we give up that property assuming to lose the 10% of our offer price that we paid for a bid deposit, and we find another place with an existing office. Or…”

“Or?”

“There is a small building next to the land that we made a bid on. It was used as a daycare center, and it’s now vacant. It is currently on the market for rent. We can lease both the land and the formal daycare center. Since we need space for the trucks, we need that land. For an office, we can use that small building.”

“How small is that daycare center? Is it a two story building?”

“No, it’s a one story building. I already talked with its owner. According to the owner, the building is 60 pyung large, and he is willing to lease it to us for 600,000 won per month.”

“That building should have electricity and water already with bathrooms.”

“Of course, they have everything for an office use. It even has a kitchen.”

“Okay then. Make a lease contract for the daycare center building. It’s not a simple work to bring the public water and electricity services to the site. We don’t want to go through that process.”

“Why don’t you visit the daycare center yourself, President Goo? You should probably see the land on Onbid anyway.”

“Can we raise our offer price for the land on Onbid now? I think we need to get that land. If we offer a higher price, we will have a better chance to get it.”

“That’s not possible now. Onbid doesn’t allow bidders to change their bids after they made one. I read online that once you place your offer on Onbid, you can’t take it back or alter it.”

“You can’t change anything after you make your offer? Haha. It sounds like the rule in playing Go-Stop (Korean card game).”

The next day, Gun-Ho was supposed to go to GH Building in Sinsa Town to work, but he instead, went to Siheung City to check out the land that was on the public auction market via Onbid.

The land was indeed filled with weeds which were all fully grown up.

“This land could be well used for farming with a vinyl greenhouse. It’s a shame that no one is using it. I’m still wondering what my brother-in-law was thinking when he chose this land to make a bid on. This is an unused vacant land. I don’t know what he was thinking.”

Gun-Ho looked at the daycare center. Fortunately, the daycare center was on the adjacent land from the land that Gun-Ho made a bid on. It still has a banner saying that they were accepting new children. It seemed that they closed the business a long time ago. The banner looked pretty old.

“It seems that this town doesn’t have a high population. I’m not sure if this is a good location for a daycare center. But this building looks like it was designed and built for a daycare center from the beginning considering all the structure and colors and stuff.”

Gun-Ho was thinking if he should call his sister and tell her about renting an old daycare center for an office use, and then he decided that he would do so later.

“I want to get the result from Onbid first. I can tell her then.”

Gun-Ho had lunch with Chan-Ho Eum at a restaurant in Siheung City around Murwang Reservoir before leaving the city.

Gun-Ho went to his office to work in the GH Building in Gangnam District.

“Mr. Director Kang, can we talk?”

“Sure, sir.”

Director Kang followed Gun-Ho to his office carrying a notebook.

“If an office space becomes available on the 17th floor where GH Media is located, and on the 18th floor where our office is, and on the 19th floor, please let me know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If any office leases expire on those three floors, do not take a new tenant.”

“Do you have a special plan to use those three floors?”

“I was thinking of using the offices on those floors for GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea once they are successfully registered with KOSDAQ. Those companies will need an office in Seoul City anyway.”

“Okay, sir. If that happens, we will collect the rent from GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea.”

“That’s right. But you don’t have to force the currently occupying tenants to vacate their offices though.”

“Understood, sir.”

“We have a water tank on the 19th floor. Because of the water tank, we have a space to rent on one side only. Is it available right now?”

“No, sir. The space on the 19th floor is not an office space to rent, but it has been used by the insurance company on the 6th floor as their auditorium. They provide their insurance training to their workers and new hires there. When there is no training, it’s dead quiet, but during their training period, it’s really noisy on that floor.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“After we open the art gallery in the basement level and the book café on the rooftop floor, it became easier for us to collect our rents. Even after we raised the rent by 3% last time, our current tenants are paying their rents without a problem.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Maybe because it was the first time raising the rent in a long while like two years.”

“Please raise the pay for our workers by 3% starting next month, including the cleaning crew.”

“Wow! Thank you so much, sir.”

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Chapter 521 - Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (1) – Part 2

Chapter 521: Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (1) – Part 2

President Jeong-Sook Shin came up from the 18th floor to visit Gun-Ho’s office.

“We have sold 2,000 of our costume play magazines so far. I think we won’t have any problem selling 3,000 magazines by next month once the magazine for the next month comes out.”

“Are we then beyond the Break Even Point?”

“By the time when we sold 2,000 magazines, we already reached our Break Even Point. Now we are going smoothly.”

“Isn’t the effect of a new opening?”

“The effect of a new opening? Hahaha. You know that exists, huh?”

“I once ran a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant in Noryangjin Town a long time ago. I received tons of customers in the beginning, but it turned out that it was just the effect of a new opening. I had to close the restaurant later on. I hope that doesn’t happen to our costume play magazine business.”

“Oh, you had a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant?”

“Yes, I did. My restaurant was located right behind a gas station in an alley. It was a small restaurant around 10 pyung large. I used to help my cooking lady with boiling noodles in my tiny kitchen.”

“Wow. It seems that you’ve been through a lot and gained extensive and various experiences on the way. No wonder why you are so good at running a business.”

“Well, I’m not sure about that, but it is true that it was a very good experience.”

“As to the number of sales of our costume play magazine, I don’t believe that the beauty of a new opening played its role in enabling us to sell 2,000 of them. I anticipate selling even more once the good word of mouth started spreading.”

“Hmm, I really hope so. By the way, did you start getting new contents for the magazine next month?”

“We have more than 100 photos taken by Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda during the event at SETEC nearby Hangnyeoul Station last time. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda is a natural-born storyteller. He can tell a lot of things based on even one photo. He can write a three to four page story in an A4 paper by looking at just one piece of photo. His over twenty years of work experience in the media industry trained him really well, I guess.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“After our magazine was published, we started getting inquiries from the stores that sell costumes. They want to place their stores’ advertisement on our magazine. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda is currently contacting several costume stores in Japan and see if there is a way to buy costumes and items from them directly.”

“If we can place some advertisements in our magazine, that could be good income for us too.”

“If we could make enough profits by placing advertisements to cover any expenses incurred in producing our magazine, that would be great.”

“You seem to truly enjoy your work, President Shin. I really like that.”

“I do actually, but the thing is that—that was one of the reasons why I am still single. But, I am happy with my life. Once I get old and possibly become ill, I guess Young-Eun will help me out. Hahaha.”

“Haha. Don’t be ill. You should take care of yourself while you can.”

“Oh, I was going to remind you of this. Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving exhibition will be held this month.”

“Oh, that’s right. It’s already mid-July.”

“Two Japanese gentlemen— Our Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda and Mr. Sakata Ikuzo in Yokohama— are frequently talking over the phone these days. It’s really nice to have someone in GH Media, who speaks Japanese fluently. Whenever we have to talk with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo regarding his art exhibition, Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda calls him directly.”

“Hmm, that’s good.”

“We already started getting his artworks for the exhibition. We are working on organizing them.”

“Oh, that’s why the art gallery is closed.”

“His art exhibition will open next week, and we invited journalists over for the day after tomorrow.”

“Did we invite journalists before opening the exhibition?”

“Technically, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is not an artist. Most people in the art industry don’t know of him and are unfamiliar with his artworks, so I wanted to invite the journalists in the field over a cocktail party to introduce his artworks and talk about him.”

“Do you think the journalists will accept the invitation?”

“The journalist in the culture and art field will be there. We will distribute the pamphlets and also provide them with lunch.”

“Hmm, I see.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from President Jae-Sik Moon.

“We got the rental property in Siheung City.”

“Oh, really? That’s nice. Well done, President Moon.”

“You have visited the place already, haven’t you?”

“I have.”

“So, you are good with the property, right? I will pay for the remaining rent then.”

“Sure, do it.”

“That f*cking Korea Asset Management Corporation is asking to pay for the entire rent within a week.”

“Yeah, I think I heard of that. Usually, the court gives one month to make the payment, but for the public auction done on Onbid, they give you only a week to pay for it.”

“We have to make a lease agreement with that daycare center too for our office use.”

“Yes, we should.”

“Since your brother-in-law will run the business, maybe he should sign the rental agreement. What do you think?”

“Umm… I think you should sign it. You are still GH Logistics’ president.”

“Okay. I will go to that daycare center tomorrow and sign the contract. Did your brother-in-law sell his wing body truck?”

“I heard that his colleague wanted to buy it from him.”

“I think he needs to take care of the weeds on the property first.”

“I will talk to him about it. And, did that person come to see the land? You said that someone from a cosmetic factory is interested in buying GH Logistics’ land.”

“Oh, yes, he came. He took several photos of the land.”

“Did you tell him about our price?”

“Yes, I told him that we want 1.5 million won per pyung. He shook his head side to side when he heard the price.”

“Do you think we are asking too much?”

“I think our price is high. I asked two real estate agents in this area about how much would be adequate for our land. One said 1.2 million won per pyung would sound reasonable, and the other said he would place it for 1.3 million won.”

“Hmm, the entire property is 5,000 pyung large. If 1.2 million won per pyung is our price, it would be 6 billion won. And, if we ask 1.3 million won, then it would be 6.5 billion won.”

“As some say, a real estate chooses its owner. A low price doesn’t guarantee its quick selling, and a high price doesn’t really mean that no one would buy it.”

“You are good, Jae-Sik.”

“Haha. Do you think I can cook lomein at least?”

“Not just lomein, man. You can now cook rice.”

“Speaking of which, those Chinese people are really bad. They want to bring in a 10,000 pyung large land in a small city to fulfill their part of investment, and they are saying it’s worth 25 billion won, huh? And we are supposed to bring in 25 billion won in cash.”

“That’s why they would issue us a business license to run an intercity bus service business.”

“But still, it doesn’t sound so fair. I will make sure they understand how unfair it is once I get there.”

“Haha. Sure. Keep up the good work.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho thought,

‘I guess Jae-Sik will deal with Chinese business partners just fine once he starts working in China. I guess the real property transactions for GH Logistics so far trained him really well in dealing with people.’

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Chapter 522 - Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (2) – Part 1

Chapter 522: Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho made a call to his brother-in-law to inform him about the property that they wanted to lease for GH Logistics’ new location.

“We got the rental property in Siheung City on Onbid.”

“Oh, really? How much did we offer? I think I read you a wrong number last time. It was 6 million won, not 60 million won.”

“Our price is 6.15 million won.”

“That’s good. It’s the rent for one full year, so its monthly rent is about 500,000 won.”

“That’s correct. Now, brother, tell me about your plan with the office setting. Are you going to place a container office there?”

“I think so.”

“What about electricity?”

“I saw a utility pole nearby. I think I just need to apply for the electricity service to the Korea Electric Power Corporation. I will contact them.”

“What are you going to do with water then?”

“Water…”

“You will need a bathroom and access to water to have an office there.”

“Oh, shoot. I’m sorry.”

“Use the property that we are leasing through Onbid to store the trucks. President Moon is going to rent a vacant daycare center building. You can use it as an office. It’s right on the adjacent property.”

“Oh, there was a vacant daycare center nearby?”

“It would just need to be cleaned before placing the necessary furniture and office supplies. They have everything that you need for an office use, like electricity and water service, sewer system, bathrooms, and even a kitchen.”

“Oh, really? Thank you so much. President Moon is a very thoughtful man.”

“Did you sell your wing body truck already? The land needs mowing.”

“Okay, I will take care of it.”

Gun-Ho made a call to his sister as well.

“Sister, we got the property that we want.”

“That’s great.”

“Since there is no way to use the property for an office purpose, we are leasing an additional property. It’s a small building next to the land. It was used as a daycare center. It’s vacant now.”

“A daycare center?”

“Yeah. You need at least water and electricity service to have an office. You gotta use a bathroom while you work there all day long, right?”

“That’s right.”

“You need more than just a parcel of land to run a business. President Moon will sign the lease contract for the old daycare center today. Just know that.”

“If the building was used as a daycare center before, maybe I can run a daycare center there as well. The building can be used for two businesses— an office for GH Logistics and a daycare center. I have a license as a social worker. I think I can do that.”

Gun-Ho felt an urge to scream, but he could manage to suppress that urge.

“Focus on one business at a time, please. You won’t have enough time to run two businesses. You will have to start with 27 vehicles, and you should expand and grow the business by adding 50 and 100 more trucks. Moreover, that area is a small town with a low population; you would receive a few tens of children if you are lucky. You won’t be able to make enough profits with several children at a daycare center. You would easily fail two businesses if you run them simultaneously.”

“Hmm, that sounds right.”

Gun-Ho almost blurted the mistake that her sister’s husband made to give her a reality check, but he didn’t.

“Once President Moon signed the lease agreement for the old daycare center, you will need to have that building cleaned.”

“Okay. Don’t worry about it.”

The media started talking about Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition. It seemed that President Jeong-Sook Shin’s idea of throwing a cocktail party for the journalists worked. Several photos of his wood-carved figures were placed on some newspapers as well. Once newspapers began to talk about his art exhibition, online media also started covering it.

[You will have an opportunity to meet magical wood-carved figures which you won’t be able to distinguish from real animals or insects. The wood carving art exhibition will be held at GH Art Gallery in Sinsa Town, Gangnam District. Those wood figures were carefully carved by a world-renowned Japanese mold engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo (age 65). His artworks are sensationally popular in Japan.]

While reading the newspaper, Gun-Ho smiled.

“President Shin is very good.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition brought about unexpected results which Gun-Ho learned when he received a call from GH Mobile’s President Jang-Hwan Song.

“Does Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition last by the end of this week, doesn’t it?

“That’s correct.”

“S Group is making a fuss about his art exhibition?”

“Why is that so?”

“Because of our internally developed product— AM083 Assembly— that we are currently providing to S Group.”

“What about it?”

“They figured that our AM083 Assembly was made with the mold that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo carved.”

“Really?”

“S Group’s Chairman’s son asked all of their employees to visit Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition.”

“Oh, really?”

“They are also using the fact for their marketing. They are spreading words that their products, that are supplied to many auto manufacturing companies in the world, are the world-renowned engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s works.”

“Haha. That’s nice. Good for them.”

GH Art Gallery was filled with people on a daily basis during Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition. It was a huge success. However, it couldn’t tell that it would bring corresponding good profits since the gallery didn’t charge any admission fees to the visitors, and also it was not like the wood-carved figures were there for sale. The amount of profits that the art exhibition would bring to GH Media was uncertain for the moment.

COMMENT

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s previous art exhibitions in Yokohama City and Nagoya City were held in a public art gallery, so they cared less about profits. However, GH Gallery was a for-profit entity, and it was by nature sensitive about making profits out of any work that they made.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon about the GH Logistics’ land that was on the market for sale.

“That cosmetic company’s owner president was here today to see the land himself.”

“I guess that they are serious about purchasing our property.”

“He said he did like the location and the shape of the land. The only thing that bothered him is our price.”

“Our price for the property is 1.5 million won per pyung, right?”

“Yes. How low can you go if he really wants to buy it?”

“You told me that the real estate agents in that area said that the adequate price would be 1.2 or 1.3 million won per pyung, right?”

“That’s right. But those two agents didn’t even visit the property. Their estimate is based on the map. Well, they said they saw the property when they were passing by the other day.”

“If we sell it for 1.2 million won per pyung— so, it would be 6 billion won in total— how much can we make after paying the capital gain tax?”

“The capital gain tax? I can ask that to the tax accountant who we have been working with.”

“No, it won’t be necessary. Well, let’s offer him 1.3 million won per pyung. Our lowest price is 1.2 million won.”

“Got it. I will let you know once I talk to them.”

“Okay.”

“I signed the lease contract for the old daycare center.”

“You did? Good job.”

“Your sister actually wanted to come when I sign the contract, so she was here too.”

“Really?”

“We got the keys from the owner, and I gave them to your sister, so she could clean it. Your sister seemed to like it a lot.”

“Haha. That’s good to know.”

“I told her not to buy any office furniture and stuff just yet since once we sell the property here, we will move stuff from the current office to the new location. She will know then what additional furniture and office supplies she would need.”

“That’s good.”

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Chapter 523 - Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (2) – Part 2

Chapter 523: Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“It’s afternoon already. It’s lunchtime. What do I want to eat today?”

At that moment, his phone started ringing. It was Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro, let’s have lunch together today.”

“Huh? Where are you right now?”

“I’m on my way to your art gallery. I want to see the wood-carved figures during my lunchtime. I’m almost there. Can we meet at around 1 pm? I think I will finish my tour by then.”

“Really? You are coming all the way here to see the artworks?”

“You probably don’t know, but all of the executive officers here visited the art exhibition already.”

“Why didn’t they let me know? We could have lunch together.”

“They had to get back to work. They probably don’t want you to think that they spent too much time outside the work.”

“Haha. They don’t have to think that way. Well, I will come down to the gallery around 1:15 then. Take your time. I will see you then.”

Gun-Ho hadn’t visited the art exhibition yet. He tried once yesterday, but he gave up when he saw so many people there. Since he already saw Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood-carved figures when he visited him in Yokohama City, Japan, he wasn’t so desperate to see his artworks again anyway.

When Gun-Ho arrived at the gallery around 1:20 pm, Jong-Suk was standing at the gallery’s entrance waiting for him. He wasn’t alone, but he was with a lady who was holding a child.

“Bro!”

“Oh, hey. Huh? Your wife came along, huh?”

“Hello.”

Jong-Suk’s wife said to Gun-Ho.

“Oh, wow. Your kid is growing so quickly. She has hairs already.”

Jong-Suk introduced Gun-Ho to his child.

“Hey, kiddo, this is your uncle!”

The child was so young that she couldn’t speak any word yet. She was just staring at Gun-Ho’s face with her widened eyes.

“Hey, nice to meet you, kid. I’m your uncle Gun-Ho.”

The child kept staring at Gun-Ho’s face without showing any response.

“Let’s go and have lunch. There is a good Japanese restaurant across the street. I’m starving. I haven’t had anything yet.”

Gun-Ho ordered sushi.

“You know the wood-carved butterfly figure that you gave to me as a present the other day, that was carved by Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. It’s in a safe place at home. My wife said that we should keep it very well because it will become one of our family heirlooms.”

“Haha, really?”

“Actually, my wife wanted to come to the art exhibition. The person, who made a present for our first baby, is holding an art exhibition, and she said she had to be here.”

“Haha. I see.”

“Before you arrived, we even took a picture in front of the art gallery as a souvenir photo.”

“I guess that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition has special meaning to your family.”

The food came out.

Gun-Ho placed the first dish in front of Jong-Suk Park’s wife.

“Please have them first.”

“No, it’s okay. You should have the first dish, sir.”

Jong-Suk’s wife placed the dish back in front of Gun-Ho. At that moment, the waitress brought the remaining dishes and placed them in front of Jong-Suk and his wife.

“When Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was working with us, he and Director Park were actually very close. Whenever I go on a business trip to Japan and meet Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, Jong-Suk is the first person who he asks me if he is doing good.”

“Haha, really?”

Jong-Suk’s wife seemed to be happy to know it.

“Well, let’s eat.”

When they started eating, Gun-Ho focused only on food because he was really starving. However, Jong-Suk’s wife seemed to be careful about eating the food, maybe because she didn’t want to give a bad impression to Gun-Ho.

“Bro, guess what the other executive officers said after they visited the art exhibition.”

“What did they say?”

“They didn’t know the GH Building was located in the middle of Gangnam District. They said they felt proud of being part of GH companies when they saw the gallery’s name— GH Art Gallery.”

“Is that right?”

Jong-Suk’s wife chipped in while smiling.

“I felt the same way.”

Jong-Suk continued to talk.

“The general affairs director and the accounting director said that they heard of the rumor that you are a big player from Gangnam, and now they believe it.”

“Haha. What are they talking about? A big player from Gangnam? There are tons of people who have way more than I have.”

Gun-Ho, however, felt good when Jong-Suk mentioned ‘a big play from Gangnam’ attached to himself.

After seeing off Jong-Suk and his wife, Gun-Ho came back to his office in the GH Building. At that moment, he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“We had several visitors here in GH Logistics. Someone from the cosmetic company stopped by again, and a few people with a real estate agent came as well.”

“Did anyone make an offer?”

“That cosmetic company is the most aggressive party so far. They are trying to negotiate the price. Their verbal offer price is 1.3 million won. They said that they did some research on the market values around the area, and that 1.3 million won was a reasonable price.”

“Sounds good.”

“I didn’t give them our answer to that offer yet. I told them that I had to discuss within the company first.”

“You said that?”

“That cosmetic company’s owner president wanted to meet with you in person.”

“For what?”

“I guess he wants to see the owner of the property. To him, I’m just an employee who is running the company, and it seems that he wants to talk with the owner who has the full authority to make the critical decision.”

“Well, he is weird. If that’s how it works, how would an agent do their job?”

“That owner president already knew that GH Logistics is connected with GH Mobile. He knew your name too. He specifically said that he wanted to talk with President Goo.”

“Really?”

“And, he also said that he won’t sign the sales and purchase contract if President Goo is not present.”

“He sounds like an arrogant man.”

“He is actually a legendary figure in the cosmetic industry. I remember that I saw him in a magazine a long time ago.”

“How old does he look like?”

“He is in his 60s. And their director looks like he is in his early 50s.”

“Hmm, they are old enough.”

“I think I’ve heard from somewhere that he was the creator of several popular Korean cosmetic brands.”

“I’m going to work in Jiksan Town tomorrow. Maybe they could come to visit me at GH Mobile.”

“Okay, I will arrange the meeting then.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin visited Gun-Ho’s office in the afternoon.

“Please come and have a seat. Let’s have some tea.”

Gun-Ho called for the secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— and asked her to bring two cups of coffee.

“Sir, have you visited the art exhibition?”

“I tried yesterday, but couldn’t get in because there were so many people.”

“I think I made a mistake in planning this art exhibition from the beginning.”

“Why do you say so?”

“If we were not going to sell the artworks, I should have charged the visitors’ admission fees.”

“We are a small art gallery. Isn’t it too much to ask if we charge admission fees?”

“Maybe I should have posted sales prices on each of Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s artwork.”

“No one is buying his art pieces?”

“We didn’t clearly show that the artworks can be sold. Usually, for paintings and other artworks, their prices are predictable, and buyers could estimate their prices. But, his artworks are so unique that I’m not sure where to start to price them. The visitors seemed to truly enjoy the artworks, but no one asked whether they could buy them.”

“Hmm. I do feel your worries, President Shin.”

“We did put a lot of effort into making this art exhibition happen, not to mention our marketing effort and all that. But when I think of the possibility that it won’t generate enough profits to cover the expenses and our labor, I feel so stressed.”

“Well, you did a good thing for the public at least. You gave a good opportunity to a lot of people to enjoy the unusual art pieces. That’s a success too in a sense.”

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Chapter 524 - Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (1) – Part 1

Chapter 524: Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (1) – Part 1

It was Thursday.

When Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, President Song informed him that he succeeded in procuring a new client. The new client was a manufacturing company that was producing home appliances.

“How did you find that client?”

“Actually, they contacted us first. They said that they learned about us through our website. They sent us an inquiry about a product around six months ago. They were asking if we could manufacture a heat-resistant protector.”

“Did we successfully develop it?”

“They initially tried to develop it within their research center, and when they failed to do so, they asked another company to do it for them. A protector is a urethane-related product which is very tender and sensitive to heat. Their problem with the protector was revealed when they shipped their products to subtropical countries.”

“Hmmm.”

“Their products melted while being shipped to the buyers in those subtropical regions. Some of their products became discolored as well on the way.”

“Really?”

“So, during those six months ever since we received the inquiry from them, our researchers, who were being led by Dr. Joon-Soo Oh, have persistently worked on developing the heat-resistant protector. And they finally and successfully made it. When you happen to see Dr. Joon-Soo Oh, please recognize his effort and achievement, and give him and his team some words of encouragement.”

“Haha. Of course, I will do that. It’s a great achievement for our company.”

“It’s not always obvious to recognize the research center workers’ efforts and their work performance since we don’t see their work’s result right away. But this time, the outcome clearly proved their work for the past six months.”

“I think so.”

President Song continued to talk, “All of our company’s executive officers went to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition earlier.”

“Right. I heard of that.”

“We were all highly impressed by his artworks. I knew that he was the best in carving molds, but I didn’t know he would be that good in carving woods and creating art pieces with it. He is indeed the best skilled person in the world.”

“I agree with you. His skills can be applied to various areas, and I don’t see a limit there.”

“I highly recognize his artisan spirit. I still remember his attitude toward his work. When he worked with us, he said that he would put everything into developing a product to the extent that he risks his life. I can picture him sitting on the wood floor wearing only Yukata and concentrating on carving his work.”

“I remember that too. He said Issho something in Japanese.”

“It’s Isshokenmei, sir.”

“That’s right. Isshokenmei! I heard it several times and forgot about it.”

“Our society needs more people like him, but the reality is that it’s really hard to find a person with that sort of spirit around us. It’s a shame.”

“I guess society doesn’t provide the right environment to grow people like him.”

“Even a gold medalist from the International Vocational Training Competition sometimes has to open a deep-fried chicken restaurant to make a living. Then, that person would lose the chance to pass on his skills and knowledge to the next generation.”

“That’s a shame.”

“If you look at a science and technology magazine, you will see a lot of articles written by college professors; as a matter of fact, most of them are written by them. The government in Korea supports academic research. But, if you look at Japanese science and technology magazines, you will find more articles authored by engineers and workers in the real work field. That shows that the engineers are being supported by their government in Japan. In our country, even though an engineer wants to do some research, it’s really rare to find any support by the government.”

“Hmm.”

“Look at Director Jong-Suk Park. He is better than any college professor in welding and working with machines. However, if he wants to do some research on it and asks for support, the first question that he would encounter would be which college he graduated from.”

“I see.”

“So, I’m planning to build a system and culture in our company for our workers, where they could freely suggest their ideas, and we praise those with excellent ideas with a prize to encourage them. Also, I want to send one or two engineers overseas per year to have them learn advanced technology.”

“That’s a good idea.”

While having a conversation with President Song, the secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—knocked on the door and entered the office.

“Sir, someone is here to see you. He said he is the president of Tommy Cosmetics.”

“Tommy Cosmetics?”

President Song looked at Gun-Ho and said, “Tommy Cosmetics’ president is President Sang-Oh Bang. He is a widely well-known person in the field. What is he doing here?”

“Oh, oh, I think he wants to talk with me. It’s about GH Logistics’ real property in Seonghwan City.”

“Oh, I see. Well, in that case, I will just get back to my work now.”

After President Song left Gun-Ho’s office, a man who looked like he was in his 60s came into the office. He had a sturdy build and a large forehead. He was exuding some sort of charisma with his thick eyebrows and shiny eyes.

“Are you President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, I am.”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat. The man was tall and sturdy. It seemed that he was about one-foot taller than Gun-Ho.

“I am the president of Tommy Cosmetics.”

“Oh, I see. Please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho showed him a seat. Gun-Ho found it interesting that this man, who looked tough like a leader of gangsters, was running a cosmetic company.

Tommy Cosmetics’ president gave his business card to Gun-Ho, and Gun-Ho gave his to him. That man came with another person, and Gun-Ho gave his business card to that man as well. When the man, who accompanied the cosmetic company’s president, gave his business card to Gun-Ho, Gun-Ho took it.

“Oh, you are a director in Tommy Cosmetics.”

Gun-Ho called for his secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong-Park—and asked her to bring tea.

“When I was told that you were running a large factory, I was expecting to see a person who would be about my age. You look very young though. So, you have a real property placed on the market for sale, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“President Moon, Tommy Cosmetics’ President is here with me in GH Mobile. Can you come?”

“I’m actually in GH Mobile with all the necessary documents with me. I’m in Director Jong-Suk Park’s office right now. Do you want me to come to your office now?”

“Yes, please come.”

While having his tea, Tommy Cosmetics’ president crossed his legs. His movement drew Gun-Ho’s attention. That man was wearing a gemstone ring which was glittering. Gun-Ho could smell some perfume as well. This man was probably wearing perfume. Gun-Ho scanned Tommy Cosmetics’ president slowly from his head to toe, and then thought, ‘This man seems to be lustful. He looks overly energetic for a man in his 60’s.’

“I talked with the President Moon person on the property the other day. I’m hoping that you could sell that property to me for less than 1.3 million won per pyung.”

“I already gave President Moon full authority in selling that property. That land is owned by a company called GH Logistics, and President Moon is the one who has been running that business. So, it makes sense that President Moon makes all the decisions related to selling the company’s real property.”

“I just wanted to make sure that I was talking with the right person. Since it’s a large land, I thought that it might be necessary to have some sort of board’s approval of the company or something. So, I wanted to talk with you, President Gun-Ho Goo, since you are the majority shareholder of that company.”

“I made my decision to sell that property, and I gave full authority to President Moon in selling it. The price negotiation also should be made with President Moon.”

“I do highly recognize your complete trust toward the person who you chose to run your company.”

“Even for this company where we are sitting right now, I have a co-president. Do you remember the person who left the office when you entered it? He is the president who is running this company. I don’t get involved in the daily operation of this company either.”

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Chapter 525 - Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (1) – Part 2

Chapter 525: Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (1) – Part 2

At that moment, Jae-Sik Moon entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“President Moon is a good friend of mine, so please understand that we talk to each other in a very informal way.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, let me give my offer to Mr. President Moon then. Let’s make it 1.25 per pyung. Since President Gun-Ho Goo—the majority shareholder of that company—is here, let’s just make the sales and purchase contract right here right now.”

Jae-Sik responded after glancing at Gun-Ho’s face, “Sir, that property was priced according to the fair market value in the area. I’m sure that you’ve done your homework researching the land price around the area already. Mr. Director, you have done your research on prices, haven’t you?”

“Yes. According to my research, some lands in the same area are priced for 1.25 per pyung.”

“Come on, Mr. Director, those lands are off the public road. Our property is right on the six-meter wide asphalt-paved road. It’s hard to find a land in a pretty shape like that. Please keep it in mind that we initially placed that land on the market for 1.5 million won per pyung.”

The cosmetic company’s president said while crossing his legs again, “President Goo, what would you say?”

“Well, real estates have their own fair market prices. The market decides its prices. You are asking us to sell our land for less than its market price, are you?”

“Hmm, 1.3 million won per pyung… That would make the price 6.5 billion won since it’s 5,000 pyung large…”

“That property is 5,080 pyung to be exact, and the price is 6,604 million won.”

“Hmm.”

Silence filled the air for a while.

Gun-Ho was the one who broke the silence.

“We actually didn’t even want to buy the farmland in the first place. The adjacent farmland’s owners made ridiculous complaints that our factory was leaking some oils or something which was not true at all. And, we had to go through convincing the owners and residents of the area, and we eventually resolved the issues by acquiring those farmlands. And President Moon here worked so hard to convert those farmlands into non-agricultural use land, and he flattened the land as well. To be honest with you, we spent a lot on making the land as it is right now.”

“Hmm.”

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“So, this is what I can do for you.”

“I’m listening.”

“Sir, you are in the manufacturing field and so am I. As you know, you have to see a fit in a land for your specific business when you build your manufacturing company in a new location. In my opinion, that property is a perfect fit for a cosmetic factory. Let me be honest with you, sir. I mentioned that the exact price of the property is 6,604 million won. I will lower the price for you by 104 million won. If you pay 6.5 billion won, it’s yours. I don’t know what President Moon would think or whether he would blame me for this offer later, but I don’t want to keep haggling over the price with you. Let’s make the decision now. My final price for you is 6.5 billion won.”

“6.5 billion won…”

“I need to pay for the capital gain taxes and all that, and I don’t make money from this transaction considering all the relevant fees, taxes, and expenses.”

“Well, okay. Let’s do that.”

Tommy Cosmetics’ president extended his thick hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

Jae-Sik Moon took out a large envelope from his bag.

“Would you like to sign the sales and purchase contract right now?”

“No, but I will send our managing director to President Moon’s office in Seonghwan City tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good.”

Jae-Sik put the envelope back to his bag.

The cosmetic company’s president said while standing up from his seat, “As a matter of fact, I’ve been passing this company several times. And whenever I passed it by, I was curious about the inside of this factory. It’s so pretty outside. Since I’m here now, will it be okay for me to look around the factory?”

“Sure. I will show you around myself.”

Gun-Ho took the cosmetic company’s president to the rooftop first.

“We have our power transformer on this level. The water tank is downstairs.”

“Is that building over there a production site? It looks like they are connected…”

“Right. These are two separate buildings, and they are connected”

“Was this factory designed in Korea?”

“Yes it was.”

“Do you mind if I ask how much it cost you to build it per pyung?”

“Not at all. It cost me around 2 million won per pyung. Its total floor space is 2,000 pyung.”

“Hmm, I see lots of ventilation systems. What is that one over there?”

“That’s the final place for wastewater.”

Gun-Ho showed every part of the factory to the cosmetic company’s president, including the offices, the meeting rooms, the restaurant, the extruding production site, the molding production site, the hydraulic pressure room, the quality control room, the research center, the auditorium, the cleaning room, the product shipment office, etc.

“This factory is not even a pharmaceutical or cosmetic company, but it’s extremely clean.”

“I can’t compare my factory with a pharmaceutical or cosmetic company for its cleanliness, but thank you for saying that.”

The cosmetic company’s president left, and President Jae-Sik Moon went back to his office in Seonghwan City. Gun-Ho was sitting in his office while thinking,

‘I initially purchased that old auto repair shop for GH Logistics for 2 billion won. I then acquired the adjacent 1,500 pyung large farmland for 900 million won, and then the 2,600 large pyung landlocked property for 1 billion won. So, I spent 3.9 billion won on those lands only. Let’s say I spent 4 billion won in total in purchasing those lands including the relevant taxes.

It then cost me 300 million won to convert those farmlands into a non-agricultural property. I spent another 60 million won to register them, and another 40 million won for other small expenses like fees and other taxes in the process. So, I spent 4.4 billion won in total for that entire land so far. If I sell it for 6.5 billion won now, I will make 2.1 billion won. How much capital gain tax would they impose me?

They would impose about half of what I would make since I’ve been holding that land for a quite short term, so I can’t expect to enjoy the benefit given to those long-term property holders. Since it would be a transaction between two business entities, I won’t be able to lower the tax rate either. Say, they would take 1 billion won as a tax. Then I would be left with 1.1 billion won. I had taken a loan to buy heavy equipment and freight trucks for the GH Logistics’ business. It’s about 720 million won. If I deduct that amount from the sales proceeds, then I would be left with 300 million won only, huh? Shoot. I will make some money from this transaction, but it’s not much as I expected.

Well, I shouldn’t think that way. I will make 300 million won in cash. It’s not insignificant. And other than that, I’m still owning the transportation company—GH Logistics—with 27 vehicles. It’s not bad at all. Haha. Well, let’s feel grateful for what I make.

GH Logistics currently has several heavy equipments and more than five 25-ton dump trucks which are very expensive trucks. Moreover, it has semi-tractor-trailer trucks. The company is making 100 million won per month. If the labor cost for truck drivers is 60 million won and the insurance cost is 5 million won, along with another 5 million won for the rent and security, then it’s generating net profits of 30 million won. My sister and her husband need to get paid, and I also have to consider the depreciation cost which would be about 15 million won. I will be left with 10 million won then. I think I can set my salary at 5 million won.

Well, let me see. Once Jae-Sik starts working in China, his salary there won’t be enough, and I will have to pay him from here. It should be around 1.5 or 2 million won. Well, I should be satisfied with my salary of 5 million won then for now.’

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Chapter 526 - Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (2) – Part 1

Chapter 526: Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to GH Building in Sinsa Town to work on Friday.

A banner placed on the GH Building was waiving in the wind. It was the banner for Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition. Gun-Ho said while looking at the banner, “His art exhibition ends this Sunday. If no one hasn’t purchased his art pieces yet, President Shin must be feeling anxious by now. However, since a lot of visitors came to see his art exhibition, it increased foot traffic in this area, and other businesses around here like convenience stores and restaurants must have received unintended benefits from it.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at his office, his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—brought him a morning paper along with a cup of coffee.

“Yeon-Soo, do you still go downstairs to work at the gallery these days?”

Gun-Ho sometimes talked in a very informal way inadvertently to people who were younger than him. Maybe that was what the other younger person might want since they might feel more comfortable if Gun-Ho did that. It was not always good being too polite when talking to a person because it could create distant feelings.

“Yes, sir. The gallery is getting so many people these days, and they definitely still need my help. I will come down to help them around 10 am today. If you need me, sir, please let Ms. Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong know, then she will contact me. I will come up right away then.”

“It seems that the exhibition will go on tomorrow and even the day after tomorrow. You won’t be able to enjoy your free time this Saturday and Sunday then.”

“Well, President Shin said she would buy me delicious food once the art exhibition is over.”

“Haha, she said that? Okay. You can go back to work now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho and left the office.

Gun-Ho was reading the morning paper while enjoying his morning coffee. He could read the newspaper well through other devices like a smartphone, but he preferred to read the news in the paper since it gave more comfort to his eyes that way.

After reading his newspaper, he looked at his watch; it was 10 am already. Gun-Ho was about to fall asleep when he heard someone knocking on his office door. It was President Jeong-Sook Shin. She looked different that day though. She was wearing a colorful outfit; she even wore make-up.

“Please come on in.”

Gun-Ho looked at the handbag that President Shin was holding. It looked familiar.

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“Oh, are you looking at my bag? It’s the Chanel bag that you bought me, sir.”

President Shin said while waving her handbag. She was right; it was the handbag that Gun-Ho bought her to express his gratitude about introducing Young-Eun to him. She was actually the key person who enabled Gun-Ho to get married to Young-Eun after all. He bought that handbag at the Galleria Department Store in Apgujeong Town.

“You look gorgeous today. What’s the occasion? Are you going out on a date?”

“Hahaha. I’m almost 50 years old. I don’t even plan a date.”

“Where are you going then in that outfit?”

Gun-Ho actually expected to see a depressed President Shin because she didn’t make as much as she wanted by hosting Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition. The exhibition was a success since so many people came and received a lot of favorable reviews in the media. However, his art pieces didn’t sell well. Contrary to his expectation, President Shin looked excited.

“You know the large company—S Group, right? I have a meeting with its president today at 11 am.”

“S Group is a large company. Why does its president want to meet with you? S Group is actually one of GH Mobile’s client companies.”

“S Group has its factories in two different locations—Pyeongtaek City and Dangjin City—as you probably know well, and its head office is here in Yangjae Town.”

“That’s right.”

“I’ve been contacted by the head office in Yangjae Town saying that their president wanted to meet with me.”

“Really? What is that for?”

“They said that he wanted to talk with me about Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s art pieces.”

“He wants to talk about his art pieces? Maybe he wants to purchase some of them.”

“I’m really hoping so. In case you are right, I’m bringing several purchasing forms of art pieces in my purse.”

“Hmm, you are?”

“And I’m not going there by myself, but I’m going with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda.”

“You are taking Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda with you?”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda could give a very artistic impression with his ponytail and beard. His grey hair shows his good life experience and adds well to his artistic vibe. He does look like an artist. His presence will be helpful for the business.”

“Haha. That’s true. I hope things go well with the meeting.”

After President Jeong-Sook Shin left the office, Gun-Ho was wondering how things were going with GH Logistics and Jae-Sik Moon.

“I wonder if Jae-Sik Moon signed the sales and purchase agreement with that cosmetic company this morning as expected…”

Gun-Ho wanted to give a call to Jae-Sik to find it out, but he didn’t.

“It’s only 11 am. Maybe they are meeting right now. If the contract was signed, Jae-Sik would have called me already.”

Gun-Ho felt somewhat anxious. He walked around his office while tying his hands together behind his back.

“I feel thirsty.”

Gun-Ho was going to call for his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—and then he realized that she was not there.

“Oh, that’s right. She is at the art gallery to help with their work.”

Gun-Ho stuck his head out of his office door and called for Ms. Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong instead.

“Ms. Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong! Would you bring me a cup of green tea, please?”

“Sure, sir. Your tea will be right up.”

While having his green tea, Gun-Ho continued to walk around his office.

“Did Jae-Sik successfully sign the sales and purchase contract? Why does S Group’s president want to see President Shin?”

Gun-Ho couldn’t just stay in the office and keep wondering about all these.

Gun-Ho decided to go down to the art gallery in the basement and see Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition.

Gun-Ho went to the art gallery.

There were tons of people in the art gallery even though it was only morning time. Gun-Ho found Yeon-Soo Oh. She was distributing the pamphlets to the visitors without knowing that her boss was there. She looked busy. It was not just Yeon-Soo Oh who was there to help the gallery’s work. Most of GH Media’s workers were there. They seemed to watch the art pieces most of the time to make sure no one would touch them or take them.

“Please do not touch the art pieces.”

“Please do not cross the red line in front of the art pieces.”

GH Media’s workers with their name tags on their chests were controlling the traffic and movement of the visitors, especially group visitors.

Gun-Ho walked around with other visitors and looked at the artworks. The art pieces there were not new to him since he had already visited Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s previous wood carving exhibition in Yokohama City, Japan. However, looking at them again here in his art gallery in Korea gave him different feelings.

“Every time I see Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s artworks, I feel impressed! These are amazing.”

He remembered the moment when Mr. Sakata Ikuzo sat in a kneeling position on his home’s tatami floor while preparing tea for Gun-Ho when he visited his home in Motomachi near Yokohama City.

“He is indeed a great engineer and an artist with true artisan spirit.”

When he came back to his office after having a round at the art gallery, it was 11:30 am.

“Time passes very slowly today.”

When it was almost noon, he finally received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“President Goo? We signed the sales and purchase contract. The cosmetic company’s director stopped by at my office this morning.”

“Oh, really?”

“But that son of a bi*ch brought only 200 million won as an earnest money.”

“That’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

“They will make the middle payment 15 days later, and they will send the rest of the payment within 30 days.”

“I guess you can stay there for the next 30 days then.”

“I think so.”

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Chapter 527 - Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (2) – Part 2

Chapter 527: Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik continued to talk over the phone.

“When do you think it would be an appropriate time to move the office to the new location in Siheung City? Maybe after we receive the middle payment? Actually, we don’t have much to move anyway. The moving will be very simple unlike moving a manufacturing company.”

“Maybe we can move the office after we receive the full payment.”

“Guess what my workers said when I told them that they will be working at GH Mobile.”

“What did they say?”

“They said that they really wanted to stay with me here to work if they could, and they feel sad that they have to work for GH Mobile, not GH Logistics. But the thing is that they looked really happy while saying that.”

“Hahaha. Really?”

“I will send you the earnest money of 200 million won to your bank account.”

“No, don’t. Since GH Logistics is the one that is selling its property, that money must stay in its business bank account.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Once we receive the full payment, we will have to send that money to China. We also need to file a report with the foreign exchange authority as well.”

“I see. But I don’t know anything about it.”

“You can ask anyone in the accounting team of either GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea.”

“Hmm. Okay. I will do that.”

“Do you want me to start the handing over process of GH Logistics’ work to your sister and brother-in-law?”

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“You can start showing them how things work there and letting them be familiar with the work, but you can’t officially hand over the work to them just yet. The same thing applies to your workers as well. Everything should stay as it is with GH Logistics until we receive the full payment and the sales transaction is completed.”

“Got it.”

“Well, you have done a good job today.”

“Oh, I was going to talk to you about this. Once GH Logistics moves to the new location in Siheung City, I think we should determine the amount of your salary.”

“Like how?”

“I’ve thought about it.”

“Hmm. I’m listening.”

“What about… President Goo takes 5 million won, your brother-in-law takes 3.5 million won, and your sister takes 2.5 million won. What do you think?”

“My salary seems to be excessive. A monthly pay of 4 million won should be enough for me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. It’s enough.”

“And, we have two business credit cards here. I will give one to your brother-in-law, and the other one to your sister since she will handle all its accounting work.”

“Sounds good.”

As soon as Gun-Ho got off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, he received another call from President Shin instantly.

“Sir, I’ve been trying to reach you for a while. Your line was busy until now.”

“Oh, I was talking with President Jae-Sik Moon. So, how did it go? Did you meet S Group’s president?”

“Hahaha. Please be ready to be surprised.”

“What is it?”

“S Group’s president wants to buy the entire collection of Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s artworks.”

“Is that right?”

“So, I told him that we can give them all to him for 300 million won.”

“I wonder what he wants to do with those wood-carved figures. Does he have a large house to accommodate all of them?”

“He is actually buying them with S Group’s name; it’s not his personal purchase.”

“Oh, his company is buying them? Do you think that he wants to place the art pieces in the head office in Yangjae City?”

“Hahaha. He said he wants to send them to the factory in Dangjin City. His factory in Dangjin City is on a 30,000 pyung large land, and the building’s total floor space is 15,000 pyung.”

“That doesn’t surprise me since S Group is a really huge company.”

“He wants to display the artworks at its entrance with a description that those art pieces were made by Mr. Sakata Ikuzo who also carved the mold with which their product parts were made from. They are also paying for us to install those artworks in their company.”

“Oh, really? Well, I think it could be very effective marketing. It would be an interesting fact for the buyers who visit their factory to purchase their automobiles.”

“That’s right. He said the 300 million won that he would pay us for the art pieces will come from their marketing budget. I was told that S Group is usually spending several tens of billions won for marketing per year.”

“Hmm. That makes sense.”

“And, I just talked with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo over the phone and told him that his entire artworks were sold.”

“Really?”

“And I told him that he would receive 200 million won after we deduct our agency fees and marketing cost. He was extremely happy with the fact that someone bought his artworks and with the amount that he would make from it. You know what he said?”

“What did he say?”

“He said that maybe he should change his primary job from a mold engineer to a wood-carving artist. Hahaha.”

“Haha. He said that?”

“I guess I don’t have to worry about the rent that GH Gallery pays to Director Kang for at least 2 years from now. Haha.”

“Well, congratulations. You did a very good job.”

“Oh, also, S Group’s president asked me to say hello to you, sir.”

“Oh, really? I know their vice president very well, but I’ve met their president only a few times during the meeting…”

“Well, I’m just delivering the message to you, sir.”

“Anyway, I’m happy that things went well with GH Gallery.”

“Since I’m outside right now, I will get back to work after having lunch with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho felt relieved for President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“President Shin was under a lot of pressure and stress since she might not make enough money to cover the cost of hosting that art exhibition even though she received lots of visitors there. She looked happy now.”

Gun-Ho could picture Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda smiling with satisfaction.

Gun-Ho gave a call to his sister.

“Did you submit your resignation letter to the nursing home?”

“I told them that I will work only in the mornings. My husband mowed the property and got rid of the weeds completely.”

“We sold GH Logistics’ property in Seonghwan City.”

“Really? It’s sold quicker than I expected.”

“Yeah, a cosmetic company wanted to buy the property, and we signed the sales contract this morning.”

“Well, I guess I will have to quit the job at the nursing home then.”

“Since you will have to handle the company’s accounting, you’d better start studying it now.”

“I know. I’m a bit worried though.”

“I talked with President Jae-Sik Moon earlier. He asked how much would be proper for you and your husband’s salary.”

“We are not in a position to ask for a certain amount of money for our pay. We will just take whatever he decides to give to us.”

“Still, just tell me a number.”

“I’m making 1.9 million won at the nursing home, and my husband was making 3 million won. If he could match our salaries to those numbers, it would be great. Well, since we don’t have to consider the wing-body truck’s depreciation cost any longer, we will be good with 2.5 million won for his monthly salary.”

“Our numbers are a bit different. Your husband takes 3.5 million won, and you take 2.5 million won. How is that?’

“Are you sure? That would be really great! But is it okay if we take that much?”

“Your husband will be the one who runs that company, so he will have to determine his own salary according to the work performance. This is just a starting point. The salaries could go up if you generate more profit, or it could go down if the business doesn’t do well.”

“I understand that.”

“And, the company has two business credit cards. Your husband takes one, and you take the other one.”

“The company’s business credit cards? When I worked for the factory that manufactured paper cups, I saw its accounting staff using the company’s business credit card.”

“From now on, use the company business credit card to pay for the gas and food even though they were not directly related to the business, okay?”

“Okay.”

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Chapter 528 - Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (1) – Part 1

Chapter 528: Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (1) – Part 1

Director Kim came back from the business trip to India. He was giving a report to Gun-Ho.

“The company is officially established in India. Its director’s register is currently listing three directors— Manager Jong-Geun Lee who is in India now, a local Indian worker whose name is Anirvan Khan, and myself. Mr. Anirvan Khan is a local person recently hired by Manager Jong-Geun Lee. He speaks English very well.”

“Do you think that we can trust him?”

“He looks alright. I think he is good.”

“Did he already get the business license issued as well?”

“Yes, it clearly shows that the company was established with 100% of investment funds from Dyeon Korea. I brought a copy of its business license.”

“Hmm.”

“That company was formed as an independent company in India, rather than a branch office of Dyeon Korea. Therefore, it could later start manufacturing products if we want it to. As you can see in the photos, its storage has a structure and a yard. In my opinion, it has enough space to store 100 tons of raw materials. Manager Lee hired a security officer for the storage as well.”

“Have you met with our clients in India during the trip?”

“Yes, I visited Mandong Company, Egnopak, and S Group. All of them seemed to be very happy with the fact that we are joining them to the area. Fortunately, Manager Jong-Geun Lee, who used to work as an interpreter for Mr. Adam Castler, is about the same age as other overseas presidents of those companies. I’m sure that he will get along with them just fine.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Also, Manager Lee seemed to feel relieved when the initial investment funds of 100,000 dollars were transferred to the company account. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the company’s funds or your personal funds, but you need enough funds on your hands to feel more comfortable when you are away from home.”

“I know that. It wouldn’t be just a feeling of discomfort, but you would feel terrified when you have no money on your hands, especially when you are far away from home without your family or friends.”

“As a start, we sent 50 tons of raw materials to India. In determining the price for them, we had to consider the shipping fee, so we priced the products for 4.4 million won per ton rather than 4.5 million won per ton.”

“Did Mr. Adam Castler agree with the export price to India?”

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“Of course, sir. We now have clients— Mandong Company, S Group, and Egnopak there. Other than those client companies, how many more clients we could procure from now on is up to Manager Lee’s sales ability.”

“Hmm.”

“Since Manager Lee has no problem communicating in English, he is currently contacting companies in Europe.”

“I understand that we are now sending a significant amount of our products to China and India, but I believe that we have enough manpower and system to handle the workload without making our workers stay overnight. Am I right?”

“Yes, sir. We don’t need to work at night.”

“Well done, Director Kim. You must be very tired from the trip to India. Please take a deep rest now.”

“Thank you, sir.”

When it was almost the end of July, the weather was getting hotter and hotter every day.

Gun-Ho went to GH Mobile to work that day. He received a call. It was from A Electronics’ CEO Park who Gun-Ho played golf together the other day with Minister Jin-Woo Park.

“Oh my, hi. How are you, sir?”

Gun-Ho felt grateful that CEO Park contacted him first. He then wondered if CEO Park called him to ask for playing golf again with him. In fact, Gun-Ho really enjoyed playing golf with his friends, but it was not so fun playing golf with people who he had to be careful dealing with. It gave him constant stress while playing golf with people like that.

“I will be in the area today. I have a business that I need to attend at Dankook University Hospital in Cheonan City. I’d like to stop by your office afterwards if it’s okay with you. It’s not an official visit, so please don’t tell anyone, but let’s just meet quietly. I will see you within an hour then.”

‘What does he mean by meeting me quietly? What’s it that he is not telling me?’

Whatever agenda that CEO Park had in mind, Gun-Ho felt a bit nervous. He is the CEO of a company that most of the young people in Korea wanted to work for after all. Gun-Ho called for Director Jong-Suk Park quietly.

“Director Park, someone is visiting our factory one hour from now. Please get the production site ready to show how clean it is. Don’t tell it to the workers, but just have them organize incomplete products that are scattered everywhere at the site.”

“No problem. Who is coming?”

“Just someone who I know. Don’t ask me more though.”

CEO Park came to Gun-Ho’s factory by himself; he was not with his chauffeur. In the visitor’s book, he indicated that he was a college friend of Gun-Ho.

Secretary Jeong-Hee Park came into Gun-Ho’s office to inform CEO Park’s arrival.

“Sir, I just received a call from the security office. Your college friend— CEO Park— just arrived.”

“My college friend? Oh, oh, okay. Please let him in when he gets here.”

After a moment, CEO Park entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“I just stopped by your office since I was in the area. I was hoping to take a look around your factory and have a cup of tea with you.”

At that moment, Secretary Jeong-Hee Park brought two cups of tea.

“You haven’t told anyone that I would be here, have you?”

“No, I haven’t. Many of our executive officers are out of the office at this very moment anyway.”

“I had a quick glance at your factory on the way to this office. It looked very clean. Is it a newly constructed factory?”

“Yes, it is. We had a building dedication ceremony about one and a half years ago.”

“Do you have lots of workers?”

“We have about 300 workers here.”

“Can I take a look at the production site before I leave?”

Gun-Ho was wondering, ‘Is he thinking of having a business with us?’

Gun-Ho responded, “Of course. Would you like to take a tour now?”

A Electronics’ CEO Park stood up from his seat right away showing that he was ready to take the tour. He didn’t even finish his green tea.

He said, “I will just take a look at the production site. It will be brief. You don’t even need to alert the managers there. I don’t want my presence to disturb their work.”

Gun-Ho showed CEO Park around the factory himself. When he saw Director Park coming in the direction to Gun-Ho, he gestured for him not to come near. A Electronics’ CEO Park walked at a rapid pace when he looked around the production site. When he finished his tour, he said, “It seems to be very well organized with a good system for a mid-size company. A factory needs to be clean with clearly established rules to follow. That way, the factory can reduce the defect rate on their products. For that aspect, I would give a big pass to this factory.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you mind if I ask how much sales revenue that this company is generating?”

“We made 81.6 billion won last year. We are anticipating more than 90 billion won for this year.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Also, we are aiming at registering the company with KOSDAQ the year after next. I believe that we can make it once we reduce our debt ratio.”

“What’s the current debt ratio?”

Gun-Ho laughed and said, “Well, it’s a bit high. We are planning to lower that under 150% right before the point that we apply for the KOSDAQ registration.”

“I guess your plan is that you want to pay for the debt with profits, and you won’t take any dividends in the meantime.”

“Hahaha. That’s exactly what I’m planning.”

“Thank you for showing me around today. I guess I’d better take off now.”

CEO Park extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake. They were standing in the company yard after the tour.

“Are you leaving that early? Why don’t you have lunch with me?”

“No, but thank you for your offer, maybe next time. Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement. Do you live around here, Mr. President Goo? I’ve heard that you have several companies that you are running.”

“I come to this factory on Mondays and Thursdays only.”

“I see. Well, I’d better go now. Thank you again for your time.”

CEO Park hastily left, and Gun-Ho found it strange.

‘Why did he come here? It doesn’t seem like he wants to place a product order from us. I don’t think he just wanted to hang out with me either. It’s strange.’

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Chapter 529 - Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (1) – Part 2

Chapter 529: Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho went back to his office. President Song was out of office; he was attending a meeting hosted by GH Mobile’s new client home appliance manufacturing company for its vendors. Also, the accounting director was out to meet with the tax accountant. When Gun-Ho was sitting in his office by himself, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park came in and said, “Sir, GH Logistics’ workers are here.”

“GH Logistics?”

Two people entered the office and gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho. They were the GH Logistics’ manager and accounting staff. They look, of course, familiar since he saw them whenever he visited GH Logistics.

“Oh, why are you all here?”

“We had an interview with Mr. General Affairs Director.”

“Oh, I see. So, are you two joining GH Mobile?”

“Yes, sir. Mr. General Affairs Director approved our job transfer here. We just need to prepare some paperwork.”

“That’s very good to hear.”

“Mr. President Moon told us that we would be transferred to GH Mobile once he receives the rest of the sales proceeds of GH Logistics’ property.”

“What position are you two assigned to?”

“I will be working as a team lead in the production site 1.”

“I will work in the production site 2 with general office work.”

“That’s good. I hope you two enjoy working with us here.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand for a handshake.

“I knew GH Mobile is a big company, but it’s huge with so many workers here. I won’t disappoint you, sir. I will do my best.”

The two people left the office after giving another 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho.

The brief meeting with the current GH Logistics’ workers reminded Gun-Ho of his business in China. Gun-Ho made a call to President Runsheng Yan— the president of the intercity bus terminal in Antang City.

“Wei, Ni hao, Mr. President Yan?”

“Mr. President Goo? Hi. It has been a while since I talked with you last time. I was actually going to give you a call since July is almost over.”

“We are still working on finishing up things here. I think we can send our man there around the middle of next month.”

“Sounds good. Please do what suits your needs. By the way, you are sending Mr. President Moon here, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I just want to know beforehand. I’m so glad that I will be working with someone I already know.”

It was August.

It had been five months already since Gun-Ho and Young-Eun married to each other, but there was no sign of a baby yet. Gun-Ho didn’t really pay attention to having a baby since he had been so busy with his work. However, his parents were different.

“Gun-Ho, you have no good news for us yet?”

“No, mom. We will have a baby when the time comes. Don’t worry about it, mom.”

It was not just his parents who seemed to be concerned about it. The students from Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University asked Gun-Ho about it as well.

“Mr. Class Manager, it has been a while since we attended your wedding. Any good news yet?”

“No. It will happen when it’s meant to happen. I’m not concerned.”

“You gotta do it right before dawn.”

“Huh? Do what?”

“You know, the thing that you have to do in order to have a baby.”

All the students around Gun-Ho laughed out loud.

After hearing that tip, Gun-Ho actually tried it right before dawn the next day.

Gun-Ho started groping Young-Eun who was still sleeping. When she barely woke up, Gun-Ho said to her, “I was told that we have to do it right before dawn!”

“That’s a misbelief. Get your hands off me. I’m too sleepy for that.”

“We have to try. It has to be done right before dawn.”

“There is no scientific proof for it. It’s just a BS. I’m a medical doctor. You can trust me on this. Those people, who told you that, know nothing about it.”

“Oh, it’s almost dawn. Let’s do it!”

“Oh my. You are pressing too hard against me!”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon. He stated that he received the middle payment of the sales price.

“How much did they send?”

“They sent me 2 billion won.”

“4.3 billion won more to go then.”

“That’s correct since we received 200 million won when we signed the sales and purchase agreement.”

“Do you remember the loan from a local bank in Seonghwan City that we took out when we purchased the heavy equipment? It was 720 million won.”

“Of course, I remember that.”

“Let’s pay off that loan first with the sales proceeds, so we don’t have to pay for the interest any longer.”

“Okay, I will do that right away.”

“Also, make some time for me either today or tomorrow. I want to have soju with you.”

“Soju? All of a sudden? What’s the occasion?”

“I just want to have time alone with you as friends before you leave for China, like old days. Let’s have soju and pork belly.”

“Sounds great. Let’s do that today then. Where do you want to meet?”

“I won’t bring my car. I will take the subway. Since just two of us will meet, let’s meet halfway like Suwon Station. What do you think?”

“Suwon Station? It’s not far at all from where I am in Seonghwan City, but it’s a bit far from where you are, President Goo. Let’s meet at Jeongja Station in Bundang District instead. It takes only 30 minutes from that station to Dogok Station where your home in TowerPalace is located.”

“Sounds good. I will stop by home then to change into more comfortable clothes before I meet you.”

“I will leave at 4:30 from here. Since other workers are all here, I can leave a bit earlier than usual. I will see you there around 6 pm then.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon met at Jeongja Station.

“Once you start living in China, you will miss soju and pork belly. Let’s have them as much as we can today.”

“Sounds good!”

The two men went to an old restaurant and started having soju along with pork belly dish. They made a wrap of pork belly with lettuce.

“This is very nice. I feel so good today.”

“I know. It feels good. I will definitely miss this once I go to China. Soju is my favorite liquor. It’s the best.”

The two men finished the first bottle of soju. When they opened the second bottle of soju, Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik, “Hey, I wanted to ask you this. Where is your father living now?”

“My dad? Gosh. My dad’s life is so sad. I hated my dad when I was in high school. I thought that he was financially incompetent and that I had to suffer because of it. But now I think of it since I’m a grown man now. My dad must have a hard life, and I shouldn’t blame him for it.”

“Is your father living in the countryside right now?”

“He is working in a hog farm in Hongcheon Town. I don’t often talk about my dad, but for some reason, I’m talking about him today…”

“Your father is old. I guess it’s time for him to retire and take a rest.”

“I think so, but my dad is a person with a bad credit score. He has to make a monthly payment for his debts to the court.”

“How much is it?”

“It’s around 400,000 won. He must pay that amount on a monthly basis.”

“If he wants to pay the entire debt, how much would that be?”

“He visited me in Incheon City last month. He said at that time he still had 16 million won of debt left.”

Jae-Sik smiled bitterly and drank his soju.

“16 million won is not much. Let’s pay it off for him.”

“It seems that he can’t do that. He has to make a monthly payment as it was set in the beginning.”

“Hmm, I see. Actually, that makes sense. If he could pay it all at once, that shows that he has money to do so. And since he has money, the court might ask him to pay the amount forgiven earlier.”

“I really don’t talk about my dad. I don’t know why I’m talking about him today. Maybe it’s liquor talking.”

“What about your mom? Is she still in Juan Town?”

“No, she couldn’t even afford to keep that basement unit in Juan Town. She had to move to the area close to East Incheon Station. There is an old area in Hwapyeong Town, which would desperately need to be redeveloped. She leased a basement unit there, and she is living by herself. I’m sorry that you have to listen to my not-so-pleasant family stories.”

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Chapter 530 - Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (2) – Part 1

Chapter 530: Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho once heard of Jae-Sik’s mother that she became mentally ill ever since she lost her second son. Gun-Ho had to be careful when he asked Jae-Sik about his mother.

“How is your mother doing? Someone is supporting her financially?”

“She is doing okay. My father and I send her money regularly to support her living expenses. She is also getting an old-age pension even though it’s not much.”

“Then she should be financially fine, right?”

Jae-Sik smiled in response to Gun-Ho’s question, and he said, “She spent most of that money to pay for her rent. It’s a two-bedroom unit in the basement, but it still costs her 150,000 won per month. She can’t even dream to save money in the current situation. My father is making 1 million won per month. Out of 1 million won, he has to give 400,000 to the court and send 200,000 won to my mother. That leaves him with 400,000 per month, and that’s his living expense for the month.”

Jae-Sik filled up his water glass with soju, instead of the small glass for soju, and drank it before continuing to talk.

“A 30 pyung large condo in Gangnam District, Seoul City costs 3 billion won these days, doesn’t it? Whenever I encounter news like that, sometimes I feel the urge to set fire on those luxurious condo complexes in Gangnam District. Hahaha.”

“Hmm.”

“If I do so, I would easily get caught and arrested. I don’t think I could even succeed in setting fire to them. I would get caught while carrying a bucket of gasoline to those condo complexes. I would be condemned harshly for the attempt. People would assume that I am a loser who doesn’t try hard to succeed in society but rather chooses to blame the society for my current situation.”

“You are drunk, man.”

“President Goo, do you know for whom law exists? It exists for the wealthy, definitely not for the poor.”

“You’d better slow down your drinking.”

“I once borrowed the money that I collected to make the alumni directory book of our high school. I collected 50,000 won from each person in our high school union. I was going to use it just for a short period because I desperately needed money at that very time; I didn’t even have money to buy food and pay for rent. And my high school friends simply assumed that I deceived them to take money from them from the beginning, and they called me a swindler without even trying to understand my situation. Hahaha.”

“Let bygones be bygones, man. It’s all in the past.”

“President Goo, I want to succeed in China. I will make it. I truly appreciate you for giving me this opportunity. I know I’ve owed you a lot even when we were in high school. I still remember that day when Suk-Ho beat me up so hard, and you were the one who stopped him. I indeed owe you a lot.”

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Jae-Sik Moon filled up Gun-Ho’s empty glass with soju.

“It seems that I’m the only one who is drinking here. Drink this.”

“You don’t owe me anything. I actually received help from you, especially when we sold GH Logistics’ property. The sale was very successful, and I thank you for that.”

“Gun-Ho Goo! You are really a good man. I’m sorry that I sometimes talk to you in an informal way even though you are the owner president of the company that I work for. Well, you are an amazing person. Those people who did well when we were in high school, like Won-Chul Jo and Byeong-Chul Hwang, are nothing compared to you. They’ve been doing fine just because they have a family that supports them. But, you are a self-made successful man. I’m so proud that I have a friend like you.”

“Man, you are so drunk! Hey! Mr. Basement! This should be your last glass of soju for tonight, okay? You are too drunk now.”

“Hahaha. I sometimes miss that nickname, ‘Mr. Basement.’ Excuse me, let us have one more bottle of soju, please!”

Jae-Sik ordered another bottle of soju.

Gun-Ho asked while placing well-cooked pieces of meat on Jae-Sik’s plate, “I’ve heard that your mother has been suffering from some sort of mental illness after your little brother passed away. Is she okay now?”

“She was. That’s true. She is okay now. She is hanging out with neighbors there. She seems to be doing fine. I saw her getting together with old grandmas there and peeled off bellflower roots’ skin.”

“Bellflower roots?”

“Yeah, she makes petty money by preparing bellflower roots for a store or a restaurant.”

“Hmm, that could be one of the sources of income.”

“It’s not easy work though. The last time when I visited my mom, I saw her nails turning all black. Peeling off bellflower roots’ skin seems to make the handler’s nails like that. I want to be of help to my mom once I get settled, but with the rent that I have to pay for my place in Mangwon Town, it’s not easy. You really need to own your place in this country.”

“I’m proud of you becoming the man that you are right now even though your family couldn’t support you enough. You are talented enough to win an award with your full-length novel after all. You could have been more successful if you were luckier.”

“I don’t believe I have a talent!”

“And, the reason that I wanted to have a drink with you today is that I want to compensate you. I made profits by selling GH Logistics’ property, and I want to pay you since I used your name in the process.”

“You don’t have to do that. I didn’t do it to get paid.”

“That’s not how it works considering the practices and customs and all that in the business industry. You might not feel it’s enough, but I will pay you.”

“It’s okay.”

“I spent 4 billion won in purchasing the land.”

“That’s about right. The old auto repair store cost you 2 billion won, and you paid 900 million won for the 1,500 pyung large farmland, and subsequently, you acquired another landlocked property for 1 billion won which was 2,600 pyung large. And if you add all the fees and acquisition tax incurred in the process, it should be 4 billion won in total.”

“And then, I paid 300 million won for the land use conversion. The registration afterwards cost me 60 million won. Considering all other fees, taxes, and expenses to flatten the land and stuff, I need to add another 40 million won to the total cost. Therefore, the total cost including the land price and relevant expenses, I would say that it cost me 4.4 billion won. And, we are selling the land for 6.5 billion won, which would leave me with the profits of 2.1 billion won.”

“You will need to pay enormous capital gain tax for that profit.”

“My guess is that I will have to pay half of that money. Since I have possessed that land for a short amount of time, I wouldn’t be qualified for the benefits given to the long-term land owners. If I assume that I would have to pay 1 billion won for the tax, I will be left with 1.1 billion won in my hand. From that 1.1 billion profit, I need to deduct the loan that I took out earlier in order to purchase GH Logistics’ heavy equipment and trucks. It’s 720 million won. In the end, I will be left with 300 million won.”

COMMENT

“Even though you are selling the land for 6.5 billion won, you wouldn’t make much.”

“It’s still a lot of money. It’s 300 million won in cash. Also, I have a transportation company with 27 vehicles, and it’s a loan-free business. I do thank you for the profits that I made with GH Logistics.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Let me be direct with you on this. I want to pay you for the effort that you put into this transaction and for letting me use your name. I will buy you a small condo in Incheon City.”

“What? You are buying me a condo?!”

“Of course, you deserve that. You had to change your residential address to buy that farmland, and you played a key role in the transaction. Once you have your own condo, you can support your parents financially, and it will give you peace of mind to a certain extent. So you will be able to focus better on the work once you get to China.”

“That’s nonsense!”

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Chapter 531 - Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (2) – Part 2

Chapter 531: Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued to talk to Jae-Sik Moon about the compensation that he wanted to give to him.

“Since your mother is living in Hwapyeong Town close to East Incheon Station, I think a condo next to East Incheon Station would be a good pick for you. You will need a place to stay when you visit Korea while you work in China, so I think you will need at least a 3-bedroom condo. It will cost around 200 million won.”

“Are you… drunk?”

“No, I’m dead serious. I’ve been thinking about this ever since we purchased that farmland. Bring your father and mother to the condo. They will do much better if they live together, especially as they are getting old.”

“I do thank you for your suggestion, but I don’t think I am able to support their living expenses just yet even though I have a place to live for them. I will need to pay for my place once I go to China too. Moreover, my father still needs to make his payment to the court.”

“Once you start working in China, the joint venture company will get you a place to stay. Since they are a government-owned company, they have their own policies and rules that include providing accommodation to the workers like you. I know that because I was once a partner of a joint venture company for Jinxi Industrial Complex in Suzhou Town, Jiangsu Province.”

“Hmm.”

Jae-Sik seemed to be sobering up as he was listening to Gun-Ho. He looked serious.

“You will work there as the president of a joint venture partnered with a government-owned company. They will get you at least a 30 pyung large condo. And, they will only charge you as low as the rent for a dormitory room provided to the workers. Also, even though you are making 3 million won per month here, they will pay you only 10,000 or 15,000 Yuan.”

“Is that so?”

“When Min-Hyeok started working in China for the first time, he was paid so low that GH Development had to pay him an additional 1.5 million won in Korea.”

“Hmm.”

“I will pay you the same. You can use the pay that you receive in China for the living expenses there, and you can let your parents live with 1.5 million won that we would pay you in Korea.”

Jae-Sik seemed to be busy thinking of something with a very serious look on his face.

“The condo that I will buy you will be purchased with your name. Even though your parents live there, it’s yours. You need to find peace of mind by knowing that your parents are doing fine. Save your mother from the basement. Also, don’t let your father work in a hog farm any longer. I understand that you have some resentment toward your parents; I do too. But I think that, at our age, we’d better get it over with.”

Jae-Sik lowered his head. It seemed that he was trying so hard to hide his tears. Gun-Ho wanted to give him some time to calm down. He stood up from his seat and said, “I will go to the bathroom now. I will be back.”

After stopping by the bathroom, Gun-Ho smoked a cigarette outside the restaurant. He looked at Jae-Sik through the window from the outside. He still kept his head low. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his tears. He was crying.

When Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town, he noticed that the banner for the art gallery was changed from Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood carving art exhibition to something else.

“Art Exhibition of Young Artists? A new art exhibition with young artists must be going right now. I guess Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wood-carved figures all moved to S Group’s factory in Dangjin City by now. Actually, the mold for AM083 Assembly is our product, and it was developed in GH Mobile. Maybe I should have purchased Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s art pieces and displayed them at GH Mobile’s entrance.”

Gun-Ho regretted letting S Group buy all of Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s artworks. He didn’t think about it before, but now he was thinking that maybe he should have bought the artworks, at least some of them. They could be great marketing for GH Mobile as well.

When he arrived at his office, he made a call to Jae-Sik Moon. It had been two days since he had a drink and pork belly with him in Jeongja Town, Bundang District. Gun-Ho thought that Jae-Sik probably already bought a condo in the area close to East Incheon Station.

“President Moon? Did you buy a condo?”

“No, not yet.”

“You don’t have much time left before leaving for China. You’d better do it quickly.”

“It’s okay. I decided not to take your gift. It’s too much for the work that I did for you. You don’t have to pay me for using my name in the sales transaction. We are friends, right? We don’t pay each other for that kind of thing. I’m taking a Chinese language class right now in preparation for my departure to China.”

“You are not going to take it? Are you rejecting my mind? You are not my friend anymore then!”

“You don’t have to do this really… I think I should figure out what to do with my family.”

“Are you really going to do this to me?”

“I said it’s okay.”

“Suit yourself then!”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik, Gun-Ho felt upset.

“Is he serious? If I gave the same offer to Suk-Ho Lee, he would have been more than happy to take it right away. He would have bought a condo by now before I changed my mind.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t just let it go. He called for Chan-Ho Eum.

“Chan-Ho, let’s get some fresh air. Let’s go to Incheon City, around East Incheon Station!”

Gun-Ho went to the Solbit Village condo complex in the east Incheon area.

“Wow. It’s a huge condo complex. There must be more than 2,000 units here.”

Gun-Ho went into a real estate office when he saw its business sign.

“Do you have any unit available in this condo complex?”

“How large are you looking for?”

“About 30 pyung large.”

“We have one on the seventh floor. It’s one of the most desirable floors.”

“How much is it?”

“The owner priced it for 260 million won.”

“I didn’t know a condo here is that expensive.”

“I have another one at a lower price. It’s 26 pyung large. It’s 180 million won and on the eighth floor. They just redid the wallpaper.”

“How come there is that much price difference between those two units?”

“That’s because the 30 pyung large condo has two bathrooms while the 26 pyung one has only one bathroom. Young people these days prefer to have two bathrooms. That creates a big price gap between the two.”

“Hmm, really?”

“For a young couple without a kid or an old couple, a 26 pyung large condo is large enough. That unit is vacant right now. The owner redid the interior. You can take a look at it.”

Gun-Ho was thinking. Jae-Sik wouldn’t probably take a 30 pyung large condo from him. He would probably think that it’s too much to take for free from a friend. Min-Hyeok’s condo was 200 million won. Knowing the price, Jae-Sik wouldn’t accept a 260 million won condo which would be more expensive than Min-Hyeok’s. Maybe a 26 pyung large condo would be good for Jae-Sik considering his situation. Even though it had only one bathroom, Jae-Sik and his wife would be living in China for quite a while. His parents would occupy the condo, and they wouldn’t have any problem sharing a bathroom. Moreover, the condo price was 180 million won. Jae-Sik might accept a condo with that price.

Noticing that Gun-Ho was debating with himself, the real estate agent started his sales pitch.

“This condo complex is very well developed. It has more than enough space between two buildings. Also, the subway station is only 500 meters away from here. With that convenience, you can commute to Seoul if you have a job there. It is situated in a very desirable location.”

“You said the unit is vacant, right? Can I take a look at it right now?”

When Gun-Ho went to that 26 pyung large condo, he liked it. It was receiving lots of natural sunlight, and its wallpaper was all redone. It felt like a new condo.

“As you see, it’s vacant, and you can move in at any time you want.”

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Chapter 532 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (1) – Part 1

Chapter 532: Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to a local bank and withdrew 10 million won and used it to make sales and purchase agreement for the condo that he wanted to buy for Jae-Sik Moon. He didn’t forget to use Jae-Sik Moon’s name in purchasing it. According to the real estate agent, it was okay to make the sales contract with him instead of the condo’s owner.

“Is it really okay that I make this sales and purchase contract with you, not with the owner?”

“That’s fine because the owner gave me the full authority to do so on his behalf. The owner is living a bit far from here—Jungdong Town, Bucheon City. You will meet him when the full payment would be made. Here is the condo’s real estate registration. As you can see, it’s very clean without any lien attached to it.”

Gun-Ho promised to pay the remainder of the payment within a week, and the real estate agent handed over the condo’s entrance passcode.

“Jae-Sik Moon is not my name, but he is a friend of mine. He will be the one who you will see when it is time to make the middle payment and the final payment.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, I’ve seen other people buying a condo without visiting the place, especially condos since a condo’s layout is very predictable. I understand that the buyer let his friend make the decision of picking a condo for him. It’s not very usual.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“Hey, since you don’t seem to budge, I’m here in a condo complex near the East Incheon Station.”

“What are you doing there?”

“I signed a purchase and sales contract to buy a condo with your name.”

“What?”

“I couldn’t buy a 30 pyung large condo because its owner asked for 260 million won for it. Instead, I bought a 26 pyung large one for 180 million won. It has one bathroom, but your parents will feel comfortable living here.”

“Huh? Why did you do that?”

“You will have to come here when it’s time to make the middle and final payments. It’s easy to find the real estate office. You just need to walk heading north once you get off the East Incheon Station. Its name is Jaeil Real Estate. The condo complex is Solbit, and your condo is in the third building at unit 8xx. The entrance passcode is 0719. Why don’t you come and check it out, maybe this evening? The wall is already redone. It’s vacant right now.”

“Oh, my!”

“I deposited 10 million won when I signed the contract. For the middle and final payment, use the money in the company bank account. If you don’t do it, I will lose 10 million won, okay?”

“Haha.”

Jae-Sik Moon visited the condo that Gun-Ho made a sales and purchase contract for that day.

“Wow. There are three bedrooms. My mom and dad can use the master bedroom. I can move my stuff from Mangwon Town to the room across the master bedroom.”

Jae-Sik went to his mother in the basement unit of an old townhouse in Hwapyeong Town. The townhouse was supposed to be redeveloped anytime soon, so there was a big word on the exterior wall in red, saying “Demolish.” When he entered his mother’s home, she was watching TV. Even the TV was very old that it couldn’t produce clear pictures. The house was humid, and Jae-Sik could smell mold.

“Jae-Sik, you are here!”

Jae-Sik’s mother seemed to be happy to see his son. There were steamed rice cakes on the table.

“You haven’t eaten any yet, right?”

“I already have, mom. You don’t need to get up to prepare food for me.”

“Well, then do you want to have some steamed rice cakes? The people from church stopped by here earlier and gave them to me.”

“No, it’s okay, mom.”

Jae-Sik opened the small room’s door. His stuff was still all there including his desk and even the slogan that he made for himself, which said, “You can do it.”

“How much security deposit did you say that you paid for this place?”

“I paid 1.5 million won as a security deposit, and its monthly rent is 150,000 won.”

“Put this place on the market, mom.”

“Why? Did they already set up a schedule for demolition? I love this place. I love my neighbors. I really get along well with those old ladies here. I do like my petty work peeling off bellflower roots’ skin as well.”

“Stop peeling off those bellflower roots’ skin, and just put this place on the market. I bought a condo at Solbit Condo Complex near the East Incheon Station.”

“You bought a condo? Where did you get that kind of money?”

“I’m leaving for China next month to work. My employer lent me some money, and I could manage to buy a condo by adding some of the money that I have saved up.”

“Really? Is that really true?”

Jae-Sik’s mother’s eyes widened.

“You don’t have to live in the basement anymore, mom. Let’s live in a place with lots of sunlight.”

“Do you really mean it?”

“Yeah. I will ask dad to move in with us. I will send you some money for your living expenses. You can live in that condo with dad for the rest of your life.”

“What about the creditors? Aren’t they going to come to that condo and harass us for the debt?”

“You don’t have to worry about it. They won’t come to that condo. I’ve already paid off my debt, and dad filed for bankruptcy with the court. So, you don’t have to worry about the creditors. You just need to move to that condo and stay there peacefully.”

Jae-Sik’s mother looked at Jae-Sik’s face; there was still a scared look on her face.

Jae-Sik’s mother had been harassed for her entire life by creditors. Jae-Sik felt sad by looking at his mother’s reaction. He came close to his mother and held her hand and tapped her back trying to make her feel safe.

“You don’t have to worry about a thing, mom. I made lots of money. Just move to the new place, okay?”

Jae-Sik made sure that his mother understood that she needed to put the current home on the market and to get ready to move to a new place before leaving there. His mother nodded her head, but she still looked skeptical.

Jae-Sik came back to his home and prepared dinner while waiting for his wife to come home from her work. When Jae-Sik’s wife came home and saw the dinner being already ready, she looked surprised.

“Huh? Why are you here, honey? It’s not the weekend.”

“Don’t you feel tired? It’s hard to commute from here, right? Dinner is ready.”

“What’s the occasion? What is it?”

“I came to the area to see a condo.”

“A condo? What condo?”

“I bought a condo. It’s a 26 pyung large one in a condo complex near the East Incheon Station.”

“You bought a condo? With what money?”

“President Goo gave me the money to buy that condo.”

“What? President Goo?”

Jae-Sik told his wife the whole story about how he had helped Gun-Ho make money while working for GH Logistics. The story started from the moment when he had to change his residential address to Seonghwan City, which was one of the reasons why he had to live there during the weekdays. He also further explained how he purchased the adjacent farmland around GH Logistics and another landlocked property with his name and then went through the land-use conversion process, and finally sold the entire land to a cosmetic company.

“Oh, so you used your name to buy those lands. I thought they belonged to the company. Well, I guess you sort of earned that money from President Goo. A friend of mine bought a house the other day using someone else’s name, and she later paid the person who let her use her name in the sales transaction.”

“But, it’s still excessive. I just let him use my name, and he bought me a condo that is worth 180 million won.”

“It is indeed excessive, but he is rich, right? There is a rumor that he is a big player in Gangnam District. Even though 180 million won is huge to us, maybe it’s not to President Goo. You can work hard when you go to China thinking that you are paying him back that way. Also, he made money with your help anyway.”

“Hmm.”

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Chapter 533 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (1) – Part 2

Chapter 533: Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (1) – Part 2

Jae-Sik and his wife continued to talk about the condo that Gun-Ho bought Jae-Sik to appreciate his help in the GH Logistics’ sales transaction. Jae-Sik’s wife was trying to make Jae-Sik feel better about receiving an expensive gift from Gun-Ho.

“President Goo now has GH Logistics with 27 vehicles. When you started working for that company, it had only one freight truck. President Goo realized what profits you brought to him and paid you with that condo. You don’t have to feel owed to him. I’m sure President Goo is happy that he could buy you that condo.”

Jae-Sik’s wife had looked so tired when she arrived home that evening, but now she seemed to recover all the energy. She gave a kiss to Jae-Sik on the cheek.

“Hey, let’s go and take a look at the condo now. You said that he gave you the entrance passcode, right?”

“Right now? It’s already 9 pm. It’s kind of late to go there. Let’s do it later.”

“I want to see it right now. It’s our home, right? I want to see.”

Jae-Sik couldn’t ignore how much his wife wanted to look at their condo. He headed to East Incheon Station with his wife to show her the condo.

Jae-Sik’s wife grew up in a poor family just like Jae-Sik. Her father was a duct worker. He was now too old to continue to work as such, so he was making money by selling vegetables and fruits with his truck. The family lived in an old townhouse, but they didn’t have any debt unlike Jae-Sik’s family. Her little brother graduated from a two-year college and was working in Incheon City. Jae-Sik’s wife used to write poems while working as a private tutor or doing some editing work as a contractor in a publishing company. When she was working contracted by a publishing company, she met Jae-Sik who was working in the editing department at the same company. They lived together without getting married at that time.

They were happy together until the publishing company closed its business and Jae-Sik lost his job accordingly. They started experiencing acute financial difficulties. The problem was aggravated when Jae-Sik spent money using his wife’s credit card and failed to pay for it. Both Jae-Sik and his wife became a person with a bad credit score. After they had a huge fight, they decided to be separated. While living separately from his wife, Gun-Ho helped Jae-Sik by letting him work at GH Media as a chief editor. At that time, Jae-Sik and his wife reunited and started living together once again. Money indeed seemed to play an enormous role in people’s relationship even between lovers.

Jae-Sik and his wife arrived at the condo. Jae-Sik entered the passcode and opened the door. The condo was dark. Jae-Sik searched for a light switch in the dark and turned it on. The first thing that he heard was his wife’s scream of joy. The first room that they could encounter when they passed the entrance was the living room. Its wall was all new, and Jae-Sik’s wife absolutely loved it. She then quickly hugged her husband and screamed.

“It’s our house!”

“Yeah, it’s ours.”

“You know what? I’m pregnant.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I just found it out too. I can give birth to our child while we’re both in China.”

“When we move to China, the company will provide us a place to live and a car. According to President Goo, since the Chinese partner company is a government-owned company, they will give us at least a 30 pyung large condo. We can live there, and let’s have my parents live in this condo. We won’t be here anyway.”

“But this condo is under your name, right?”

“Yes, of course. It’s purchased with my name only.”

“That’s good then. We can’t let it sit vacant while we are in China. Your parents can take care of it.”

“Thank you.”

Jae-Sik’s wife cried. She felt so happy.

A few days later when Gun-Ho went to work at the building in Sinsa Town, he received a long email from Jae-Sik Moon.

[To my dearest friend, President Gun-Ho Goo,

I made the final payment for the condo today. I don’t know how to thank you for having my own place here. I was so happy when I saw my wife who couldn’t hide her excitement when she saw our place. My wife agreed that she would quit working at the book café and join me in China.

Actually, my wife is three months pregnant right now. I’m not sure if you remember this. I told you once that my wife’s dream was to wear a wedding dress, and I decided to make her dream come true before we leave for China. I will have a small wedding at a church in Bucheon City on the 26th this month. It will be held in the evening, and only our family and a few friends will be there. I hope you could come as well.

Please do not tell anyone. I’m inviting only you and Director Jong-Suk Park. I was hoping that Min-Hyeok Kim could come, but since he is in China, he won’t be able to make it. Oh, I also invited Min-Ho Kang who is working for a civic organization. Again, it will be a small wedding with a few close friends and family only.

My wife will ask her three or four friends to come. We won’t go for a honeymoon trip though. It feels kind of embarrassing having my wedding now, and honestly, I hesitated to ask you to come. But you are my best friend, and I want you to come to my wedding. I hope you understand how I feel.

From your friend, Jae-Sik Moon]

Gun-Ho replied to his email right away.

[My friend, congratulations. I will definitely be there. I will ask Min-Hyeok Kim to make a trip from China. I want you to have a glamorous wedding, but I do respect your decision to have a small wedding instead.

But, I do insist that you should have your honeymoon trip. I will reserve flight tickets to Jeju Island along with a room at KAL Hotel.]

Gun-Ho bought a refrigerator, a washer, a sofa, and a dining table and sent them to Jae-Sik’s new condo as his wedding gift. When he saw a large TV on sale, he bought it and sent that TV to Jae-Sik’s new place too. It didn’t even cost him 4 million won to make those purchases. There had to be someone in the condo to receive those things, so Gun-Ho sent Chan-Ho there for the duty. And, he sent a text message to Jae-Sik to let him know.

[There was a sale going on for home appliances. So I bought some of them and sent them to your condo. It’s my wedding gift for you. If you don’t like their design or anything, you can change them with something else that you like.]

He received a reply from Jae-Sik.

[Thank you so much. I’m not even sure if I could pay you back for all the kindness that you showed me in this life.]

That evening, Jae-Sik went to the condo again. In the living room, a sofa and TV were placed. In the kitchen, a refrigerator and washer were there. The condo looked like someone was already living there. Jae-Sik went to his mother’s place in the basement in Hwapyeong Town. It was not far from his new condo.

“Mom, let’s move your stuff to the new condo. I will come tomorrow and help with your moving. It will take some time for someone to take this unit, and you don’t have to wait until then. Let’s just move into the new home.”

“We need to retrieve my security deposit of 1.5 million won.”

“Tell your landlord that you can’t live here any longer because there are so many rats and ants. You told me the other day that it’s hard to live here because of those problems. And, I’m getting married, mom. You need to move to the new place so your daughter-in-law can visit you.”

“You are getting married? Oh, my. I haven’t prepared anything for your wedding. It’s so sudden.”

“Don’t worry about it. I will have a very simple wedding at the church before I leave for China. The bride sent some money to buy you an outfit.”

“I’m sorry, son. I’m supposed to prepare everything for your wedding as your parent, but I couldn’t.”

Jae-Sik’s mom’s eyes were welled with tears.

Jae-Sik made a call to his father on the spot.

“Dad? Mom and I are moving to a new place.”

“To where? Her current place is finally scheduled to be demolished?”

“No. I bought a condo. It’s Solbit Condo near East Incheon Station.”

“You bought a condo? Where did you get the money?”

“I saved up some money, and my employer helped some.”

“Really?”

“And, I’m getting married on the 26th this month.”

“You are getting married this month? But I haven’t prepared anything yet!”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a simple wedding at a church. The bride wants to buy you an outfit.”

“Really?”

“And, quit working at the hog farm. I know it’s even harder working there during the summer because of the odor. Just move in with us to the new place and take a rest. I will send you your living expenses.”

“Speaking of which, the farm owner asked me to quit the job because he has a new young worker from India. I was looking for another job.”

“That’s good. Just move to the new condo and do not work. You can retire. I will send you money for living expenses.”

“I don’t know what to say, son.”

“We are moving there tomorrow. Come and join us, dad. I will text you with the address.”

“I’m sorry, son.”

“Don’t say that, dad. I’m sorry too for the things that I said to you the other day. I didn’t mean it.”

“No. It’s not your fault.”

“I’m leaving for China right after the wedding with my bride. My bride is pregnant, and that’s why I wanted to do the wedding this month.”

“What? She is pregnant?”

Jae-Sik’s father and his mother, who was listening to the conversation while sitting next to Jae-Sik, screamed simultaneously.

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Chapter 534 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (2) – Part 1

Chapter 534: Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband started going to work at GH Logistics in Seonghwan City in order to make a smooth transition of the work. Jae-Sik Moon would hand over all the work to them. According to Jae-Sik, he would stop coming to GH Logistics once the final payment of the sales proceeds for the GH Logistics’ property was received. They would better make good use of the time while Jae-Sik was still there.

Jae-Sik took Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law to the GH Logistics’ client companies to introduce him to them. The bookkeeper lady in GH Logistics showed Gun-Ho’s sister the overall bookkeeping work such as how to issue tax invoices, bringing expense slips to the tax accountant office, filing Four Major Public Insurance, and filing VAT.

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper after receiving a brief report at his office in GH Mobile that day when Secretary Hee-Jeong Park came in and informed him that someone was here to see him.

“Sir, someone is at the security office to see you. She said she is your sister.”

“My sister? Let her through.”

A moment later, Gun-Ho’s office door was opened, and Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband walked in as Ms. Hee-Jeong Park stepped aside to let them in.

“Why are you guys here?”

Gun-Ho’s sister said, “GH Logistics’ bookkeeper lady said she hadn’t done any computerized accounting work before. So, I was thinking maybe you can show me how to do it. By the way, this company is way bigger than I expected. I thought it would be about the same size as GH Logistics.”

“Well, since you are here, why don’t we have tea?”

Gun-Ho asked his secretary to bring them tea.

“How many workers are working here?”

“There are 300 workers.”

“What? Did you say 300?!”

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband were acting funny. They acted so carefully while having a cup of tea in Gun-Ho’s office.

“Do you outsource any work? Any contractors are working here?”

“No, we don’t. All of the workers here are our employees.”

“We’ve encountered several workers here on the way to your office. They all look very smart, and they are wearing a uniform with a name tag on their chest. You are the only person who is not wearing a uniform.”

“You won’t need to come often to this company. Since you came all the way here, why don’t you have a tour of our factory before you leave?”

Gun-Ho called for Director Jong-Suk Park via the interphone.

A moment later, Director Jong-Suk Park came into the office.

“Director Park! You remember my sister, right? These are my sister and my brother-in-law.”

“Gun-Sook sister?”

“Sister, don’t you remember Director Park? His mother used to run a Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup) restaurant in our hometown while we were growing up.”

“Oh, oh, that’s right. He looked familiar. Of course, I do remember him.”

Jong-Suk smiled and extended his hand to them for a handshake.

“Gun-Sook sister, I still remember the day when you beat me with a duster because I was talking too loud. You were studying for an exam that day.”

“Did I really do that?”

“Mr. Director Park, can you show them around the factory?”

Jong-Suk Park gave a tour of the company to Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband.

“Do you see the machines standing in a line? They are hydraulic press machines.”

“Oh, I see. They look great.”

“And this is an injection mold manufacturing site.”

Fresh and hot parts were being produced, and the machines were picking up the parts and placing them in another container. A line of lady workers in uniform was trimming the products with a small cutting device, in a sitting position.

“Hmm.”

It was not their first time in a factory. Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband used to work in a factory; however, the factory that they were standing on was way larger than any factory that they had been to before. They wouldn’t even be able to find a job in a factory this big on their own in Incheon City. They didn’t know anyone who was working in a large factory like this.

Being surprised by the size of the company, Gun-Ho’s sister was thinking, ‘It’s amazing that Gun-Ho is running a huge factory like this one. How did he manage to open a company like this? He used to ask me for money since he couldn’t make enough money while studying to prepare for the level-9 government job exam in Noryangjin Town. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I don’t feel like Gun-Ho is my little brother any longer.’

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law asked Director Jong-Suk Park, “The building over there has a sign saying it’s a research center. What do they research?”

“Mostly, they develop new products. Whenever we receive a product development request from a client company with a product drawing, we make the product there and test it in our research center. Several doctors are working there. Our chief officer at the research center got his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Would you like to take a look at the research center as well?”

“No, it’s okay. It wouldn’t be necessary, but thank you.”

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband were still acting carefully. They didn’t want to bother anyone there, and they didn’t want to do anything that could hurt Gun-Ho’s reputation in the company.

After having a tour, Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband came back to Gun-Ho’s office.

“How was it?”

“It was great. The factory is magnificent.”

Gun-Ho asked for the accounting director—Ms. Min-Hwa Kim. When she came to the office, Gun-Ho introduced his sister and her husband to her.

“These people will be working for GH Logistics. They want to see how to work with computerized accounting. Would you show them?”

“Is GH Logistics using computerized accounting software?”

“No, not yet, but they are planning to start using one soon. Just show them an overview of the work.”

“Yes, sir.”

The accounting director gave a bow to Gun-Ho in a respectful manner, but she showed an attitude of superiority to Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband. Well, maybe that was because she was obviously older than Gun-Ho’s sister. She was probably five years older than her.

“Ms. Assistant Manager Kim!”

Director Min-Hwa Kim called for an assistant manager as she was walking toward her desk. She asked the assistant manager to take care of Gun-Ho’s sister.

“These people are from GH Logistics. Show them how to use the computerized accounting software.”

The assistant manager frowned as she had to take care of Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband, which was extra work for her. She told Gun-Ho’s sister dryly to sit in front of a computer.

“You know how to do journalizing, right?”

“Huh? Journalizing?”

“Aren’t you the person who is in charge of bookkeeping in GH Logistics?”

“Umm… Yes… I am.”

Gun-Ho’s sister couldn’t understand a thing while the assistant manager was explaining. There was no way for her to understand the work with her shallow knowledge that she had gained by watching the bookkeeper at the nursing home working over her shoulder. Gun-Ho’s sister kept saying “okay,” “yes,” “I see” vacantly without understanding it, and she finally went back to Gun-Ho’s office. When she entered the president’s office, Gun-Ho was not there. He already left for Dyeon Korea for his afternoon work that day.

COMMENT

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband headed to Seonghwan City back to GH Logistics, in their Sonata.

“Gun-Ho seems to be doing great. I still can’t believe he is the owner president who is running a company that big.”

“I know, right? I have no idea how he started it. He has another company like this one in Asan City, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s called Dyeon Korea. GH Logistics’ three freight trucks are currently working for that Dyeon Korea company in Asan City. They outsourced their transportation work to us.”

“That’s not it. He has a huge building in Gangnam District, right? And, he has a factory in China too. It’s unbelievable. When I got married to you, your little brother was studying for a government job exam in Noryangjin Town. He was skinny at that time. Now he looks totally different. He is in good shape, and he is radiating the vibes of a professional businessman. He built up all these in less than ten years. Is it even possible?”

“I don’t know. I have no idea how he came this far.”

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Chapter 535 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (2) – Part 2

Chapter 535: Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (2) – Part 2

Jae-Sik helped his mother move to the new place. She was moving from an old basement unit of a townhouse in Hwapyeong Town, which would be soon demolished and rebuilt, to a condo unit in Solbit Village Condo Complex near the East Incheon Station.

Jae-Sik threw out most of the things in his mother’s basement unit before moving to the new place. His mother wanted to keep her TV, but Jae-Sik was stubborn about leaving it behind.

“It’s not even producing clear pictures. It will hurt your eyes, mom. A new TV is already placed in the new condo.”

Jae-Sik packed everything else and loaded a moving truck with them. He then had his mother get in his SM5 and headed to the new condo. The neighbors came out and saw them off. They all cast envious glances on Jae-Sik’s mother.

“Wow. Her son must be making a lot of money. He brought his car to pick up his mother.”

“She is moving to the condo in Solbit Village, huh? She’s going to have a different life there. I’m so envious of her. She used to sniffle a lot thinking of her lost son while peeling off the bellflower roots’ skin with us. Now she is moving to a new place leaving all those behind her.”

Jae-Sik gave a deep bow to the old neighbors before leaving the place. He also gave a box of Bacchus (a Korean energy drink) to them as a good-bye gift.

They were in the elevator of the new condo building. Jae-Sik’s mother looked at Jae-Sik while smiling. She looked happy.

“We have an elevator in the building.”

When Jae-Sik opened the new condo’s door, the huge TV in the living room with new wallpaper came into view. Jae-Sik’s mother looked startled.

“My wife and I are moving to China, so we won’t be here. Mom, you can use the master bedroom with dad. Dad is moving in this evening.”

Jae-Sik’s mother walked around to check out every room. When she opened the refrigerator, she looked excited.

“In my old house, the refrigerator was so small that I couldn’t place many things… not to mention that it leaked… This refrigerator must be very expensive, right?”

His mother turned on the gas stove to test it, and she also opened up the washer’s lid as well.

Jae-Sik told his mother, “There is no insect here like ants. You don’t have to worry about them here.”

In the evening, Jae-Sik’s father arrived with an old suitcase. He looked tired and shabby. His father looked frightened when he saw the condo.

“I am going to relocate to China, so I won’t be here. Mom and dad, you can use the master bedroom. There are three rooms here. You can use the master bedroom and one more room. Please leave one room vacant. I need to store all of my stuff from my current place in Mangwon Town.”

“Okay. This is a very nice place. How much loan did you take out?”

“I didn’t borrow any money.”

“Really?”

Jae-Sik’s father seemed to be surprised when Jae-Sik said that he bought the condo without a loan.

“Let’s go out and have dinner. It’s our first night in our new home. Let’s celebrate it.”

Jae-Sik took his parents to a restaurant and ordered Bulgogi* and an octopus dish. He also ordered a bottle of beer.

“It comes with lots of side dishes.”

Jae-Sik’s mother looked excited and tried every single side dish on the table. His father, on the other hand, took a sip of beer. He seemed to have mixed feelings.

“The beer tastes very good.”

Jae-Sik’s parents seemed to truly enjoy the dish that Jae-Sik ordered. It was cooked with Bulgogi and octopus altogether, and it was good. They ordered an additional bowl of cooked rice.

Jae-Sik’s father asked Jae-Sik, “What exactly are you doing at work?”

Instead of explaining all the details of his job duty, Jae-Sik gave his business card to his father.

“GH Logistics’ President?”

“It’s a freight transportation company.”

“Logistics means freight transportation?”

“Yes, you can say that. I’m just an employee there who is running the business. The company is owned by someone else. Now, the company will be run by another person, and I’m leaving for China. I will run an intercity bus service business there.”

After dinner on the way home, Jae-Sik’s father stopped by a supermarket and bought a bottle of water, a few cans of beer, and some snacks. It seemed that he wanted to drink more at home. When they were passing the condo’s parking lot, Jae-Sik’s mother said while pointing at Jae-Sik’s SM5, “That vehicle is Jae-Sik’s.”

“Really? You bought a car too?” Jae-Sik’s father asked.

“It belongs to the company.”

“Hmm, I see.”

When they arrived at their new place on the 8th floor, Jae-Sik told his parents that he had to leave now.

“I’m leaving for Seonghwan City now. I will bring my fiancée the day after tomorrow in the evening.”

Jae-Sik then took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and said, “This is 1 million won. You will meet your soon-to-be daughter-in-law the day after tomorrow, and you probably want to wear new clothes.”

“It’s okay. I can afford to buy a new outfit on my own. I received a severance pay of 1 million won from the hog farm.”

“Well, use this money to buy new clothes, and keep your severance pay for something else. I will be here the day after tomorrow with my fiancée.”

“Okay. Drive safely.”

“Mom and dad, please make sure that you memorize the entrance passcode, okay? It’s 0719. It’s actually the date of your wedding anniversary—July 19.”

“Hmm, okay. I guess I will never be able to forget that passcode.”

Jae-Sik’s father smiled. It was the first time in a long time since Jae-Sik saw his father smiling. Jae-Sik headed to Seonghwan City, leaving his parents behind in the new condo.

Gun-Ho was listening to the music via his smartphone with a headphone in his office in GH Building in Sinsa Town when he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“I just received the final payment for GH Logistics’ property.”

“You did? Are you then moving to the new place tomorrow?”

“I will move today. I have nothing to move much anyway. I’ve already loaded one of our freight trucks with my belongings. There are two freight trucks parked in the company yard. I will be using one for my moving, and your brother-in-law will take the other one.”

“I see. Well, drive safely and enjoy your new place.”

“I will leave for China right after my wedding.”

“Okay. You don’t have to rush into leaving for China. Just take your time in taking care of your personal business. But until your wedding day, please go to the new GH Logistics’ location in Siheung City and help my sister and my brother-in-law, so they could become familiar with the work. You don’t have to stay there all day long, but staying with them in the morning should suffice.”

“Sure, I will do that.”

“And, I will take care of tax stuff since we already received the full sales proceeds already.”

“President Goo, do you want me to hand over the company’s business bankbook to your sister or her husband?”

“Well, keep it with you for now. Do we have a bank account with one bank?”

“There are actually three banks that we have been dealing with. We had to open additional bank accounts in order to receive the payments from some of our client companies. Some companies use only certain banks for their payment transfer. But, we only used one bank account for our company’s internal matters like paying for our business expenses.”

“When you go to the new location in Siheung Town, please find a local bank nearby.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim. It had been a while since he talked with him.

“Hey, President Goo. I should have called you more often. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. No news means that there is no bad news, right?”

“The sales revenue is on the rise gradually, so is Dingding’s sales company.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Dingding has been writing the company’s weekly report in English and sending it to Mr. Adam Castler on a regular basis.”

“That’s nice because there is no one who could speak Chinese in Dyeon Korea anyway.”

COMMENT

“There is one. Dyeon Korea’s President can speak Chinese fluently.”

“Hahaha. The thing is that I don’t get involved in the weekly works. Those works are all handled by their vice president.”

“Haha. I’m just saying.”

“I’m calling you to let you know that Jae-Sik is getting married on the 26th of this month.”

“What? He has a wife already.”

“Yeah, he is living with someone, but he hasn’t had any wedding ceremony for some financial reasons. Before leaving for China, he wants to have a wedding. His spouse is three months pregnant, and he wants to let her wear a wedding dress. It will be a small wedding with only family and close friends. It will be held in a church. He only invited you and me for his friends.”

“Really? I should be there then. I didn’t know his situation.”

“You haven’t been to Korea for quite a while, right? Come and visit your parents too.”

“Okay, I will be there. When you see Jae-Sik, tell him that I congratulate him on his wedding. Also, can you ask Ms. Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong in GH Development to prepare a congratulatory flower wreath with my name on? I will send her the cost.”

“Okay, I will tell her. You don’t have to send any money to her though.”

Note*

Bulgogi – Grilled beef which was marinated with all sorts of vegetables and soy sauce.

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Chapter 536 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (3) – Part 1

Chapter 536: Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho told President Shin and Director Jong-Suk Park about Jae-Sik Moon’s wedding. He told them that Jae-Sik would have a wedding ceremony in a church in Bucheon City and that he was already living with his lover and since she was pregnant, he wanted to have a small and quiet wedding. They were all surprised by Jae-Sik’s wedding news because they thought he was already married.

Jae-Sik Moon actually hadn’t met his wife’s parents yet. He had met a girl who he liked and started living with her without going through any formal steps or social customs for it. Now, she was pregnant, and they were preparing to move to another country to work. So, he wanted to make their “living together” situation official before moving overseas by having a wedding ceremony and arranging a meeting between two families. Jae-Sik finally met her parents in a café in front of Bucheon Station for the first time. Her parents had a hard life financially, and when Jae-Sik saw them, he could tell that their harsh life was showing on their faces.

Her father talked first.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from my daughter. It’s very nice finally meeting you.”

Jae-Sik’s wife’s father and mother seemed to like Jae-Sik.

“I should have prepared a better place for the wedding with your daughter. Everything just happened so quickly because we have to move abroad soon. I’m so sorry that it had to be this way.”

“No, it’s okay, don’t say that. The venue for a wedding is not important. The most important thing is that you two live together happily.”

In the evening after meeting with his wife’s parents, Jae-Sik Moon took his wife to the new condo near the East Incheon Station to introduce her to his parents. His wife gave a deep bow to them showing the utmost respect.

Jae-Sik’s mother seemed to be concerned more about her physical condition because she was carrying her grandchild. She said, “You don’t have to give us a deep bow. You should care more about the baby that you are carrying.”

Also, since it was their first time meeting her, they didn’t feel very comfortable yet having her around. Jae-Sik’s mother prepared all sorts of dishes for her. It seemed that she cooked every single dish that she knew how to cook.

The four of them sat at the dining table for dinner. Jae-Sik’s father said, “I feel so delighted today having dinner with you. All four of us are now family, and I do love to have dinner like this. I wish you could stay in Korea living with us.”

Jae-Sik arranged the meeting between two families the day after tomorrow. Since there was not enough time, everything had to happen in a few days. He made a reservation with a restaurant in Jung Town, Bucheon City. It was an Italian restaurant called Naris Kitchen. Jae-Sik and his wife picked that restaurant because they wanted to have their parents experience luxurious and exotic food.

When Jae-Sik and his wife were searching for a nice restaurant for the family meeting, Jae-Sik’s wife said to Jae-Sik, “My parents are living in a townhouse in Wonmi Town. Whenever my mom passed by Bucheon Station, she used to point out a restaurant nearby and said what kind of people would have a meal in a nice restaurant like that. I want her to have dinner in that restaurant enjoying meat dishes as much as she could.”

However, it turned out that the parents from the two families couldn’t focus on food that day. They didn’t even talk much. Both parents wanted to show their best themselves to each other and acted very carefully accordingly. Jae-Sik and his wife were the ones who did all the talk most of the time.

The parents of Jae-Sik and his wife probably felt sorry that they hadn’t been of much help in preparing their child’s wedding. They thought that they were supposed to financially support their child and that they failed to do so. Also, they seemed to not consider themselves as proud parents. Actually, they were the ones who raised Jae-Sik and his wife, and Jae-Sik and his wife grew to become a proud member of the society because of them, but it seemed that they didn’t see it.

It was Friday evening. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were sitting at the dining table and having dinner together in the TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town. Gun-Ho talked to her about Jae-Sik’s wedding.

“He is my hometown friend. We grew up in the same town and went to the same high school. He is working at one of my companies. Right after the wedding, He will move to China with his wife and will be working there. His wife is now three months pregnant, so he is rushing into doing their wedding. His wife once told him that she had been dreaming about wearing a wedding dress.”

“That’s very common among women.”

“His wedding is tomorrow. He arranged to have it in the church where he goes every Sunday in the late evening. I will have to go there. I’m sort of concerned that his wedding could be too quiet because he didn’t invite many friends. Will you go there with me? I will buy you sashimi at Yeonan Pier in Incheon City.”

“Sashimi? Is it okay to eat raw fish in summer?”

“It’s okay. It would be nice to have sashimi while looking out at the ocean on a hot day like these days.”

“Sounds good then. I will be bored staying home by myself without you anyway. Moreover, I can be an additional wedding guest to your friend.”

“Great. Thank you. Let’s have fun tomorrow.”

It was Jae-Sik Moon’s wedding day.

Gun-Ho let Jae-Sik and his wife use his Bentley and his chauffeur— Chan-Ho Eum— for their wedding. He drove his Land Rover with Young-Eun heading to the church in Bucheon City.

When they arrived at the wedding venue, there were many guests already, more than they expected even though it was Saturday evening. Jae-Sik’s parents were standing next to the congratulatory flower wreath that Gun-Ho had sent. They were wearing white gloves.

At the entrance, Gun-Ho saw Min-Hyeok Kim and Jong-Suk Park. They were standing there.

“Huh? You came with your wife.”

“Hello.”

Young-Eun and Jong-Suk greeted each other.

Jong-Suk then introduced his wife, who was holding their baby, to Gun-Ho’s wife. Thankfully, Jong-Suk brought his wife as well.

“Hey, Min-Hyeok, you made it.”

Gun-Ho greeted Min-Hyeok who came all the way from China to attend Jae-Sik’s wedding.

President Jeong-Sook Shin came as well. President Shin seemed to be really happy to see Young-Eun there. After meeting with the guests who Gun-Ho knew, Gun-Ho eventually approached Jae-Sik’s parents.

“Hello. I’m Gun-Ho Goo— Jae-Sik’s friend.”

“Oh, Gun-Ho!”

Jae-Sik’s mother recognized Gun-Ho. She gave a hug to him.

“We are so grateful to see Jae-Sik’s old friends here. Thank you for coming!”

Gun-Ho also saw his sister and her husband, and also his high school friend— Min-Ho Kang— who was working for a civic organization.

The wedding ceremony began.

The bride in a wedding dress was walking the aisle with her father. Gun-Ho noticed that her body was trembling slightly in joy. Tears appeared in her eyes.

The church’s pastor presided over the wedding, and the church choir sang for the wedding. Gun-Ho liked the ambiance that the church wedding was providing. It was a small wedding with only family, close relatives, and a few friends, but it gave a cozy feeling. It felt like only those people, who would truly share the feeling of joy for Jae-Sik’s wedding, were there.

When it was time for picture-taking with the guests, Gun-Ho could clearly see how many guests actually attended the wedding. There were five friends of Jae-Sik’s— Gun-Ho Goo, Min-Hyeok Kim, Min-Ho Kang, Jong-Suk Park, and there was one more friend who Gun-Ho didn’t recognize. He was probably Jae-Sik’s friend from college or somewhere who studied creative writing with Jae-Sik. The bride seemed to have invited six friends. Well, that day, Jae-Sik Moon, who was the son of a hog farm worker, and the daughter of a duct worker who was now a street vendor finally married officially. Their marriage was blessed by their family and friends in a church.

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Chapter 537 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (3) – Part 2

Chapter 537: Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (3) – Part 2

After the wedding ceremony, the guest had enjoyed buffet food prepared at the churchyard. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun ate there lightly and then headed to Yeonan Pier. It was getting dark already. On the way to Yeonan Pier in the car, Gun-Ho, who was driving, said to Young-Eun who was sitting next to him, “Jae-Sik is probably on the plane heading to Jeju Island by now.”

“You said they used to be in the literature field, right?”

“Yeah. Jae-Sik is an award-winning author of a full-length novel.”

“And, his wife used to write poems, huh?”

“That’s right.”

“They are a great couple. Since they are writers, I think that they will adapt to Chinese culture very quickly.”

“You think so?”

Yeonan Pier was noisy with many touts who were soliciting customers loudly. Even though it was late at night, there were so many people there enjoying the evening. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went to the largest sashimi restaurant in the area. They walked up to the second floor in the restaurant building.

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho visited the old GH Logistics’ office in Seonghwan City.

There were people cleaning the office, and also some of them were measuring the land that was recently flattened.

“I guess this is it. I will have to say goodbye to this land.”

“I think so, sir.”

Chan-Ho agreed and laughed.

Gun-Ho headed to the new location of GH Logistics in Siheung City after briefly stopping by GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. He wanted to make sure that his sister and brother-in-law were doing okay.

The land that was leased through Onbid was neatly mowed. There were two GH Logistics’ freight trucks being parked.

Chan-Ho commented while parking the car, “It is very spacious, and it’s easy to park here.”

The old banner advertising the old daycare center was no longer there. Instead, there was a new business sign saying “GH Logistics.”

“How is it?”

“Hey, Gun-Ho, you are here!”

When Gun-Ho’s sister welcomed Gun-Ho loudly, her husband, who was standing next to her, teased her. “You don’t call his name at work. You’d better call him Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo. That’s the proper addressing at work.”

Gun-Ho laughed and said, “Haha. It’s okay. You don’t have to do that.”

Surprisingly, the office was very clean. There was even a flower vase on the meeting table. The flowers in the vase seemed to be wildflowers that his sister plucked from somewhere. The office that was being handled by his sister looked cleaner and fresher than the one that Jae-Sik used to work at.

“Did President Moon hand over all the work?”

“Yes, he did, but that doesn’t mean I know how to handle it all.”

“You will catch up quickly as you work every day. Most of the work here is being repeated every day, and you will build your own routine accordingly rather than doing new work every time.”

“I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“What about business cards? Are they ready?”

“Yes.”

Gun-Ho’s sister showed Gun-Ho her and her husband’s business card. She seemed to feel bashful about her new job title even though she was the one who picked it. One was the president’s business card, and the other one said the director of GH Logistics.

“Oh, Mr. President Goo, let me serve you a cup of tea.”

Gun-Ho’s sister brought a cup of warm tea. It was not green tea but tasted like jujube tea.

“Is it jujube tea?”

“Yeah, and I added some liquorice as well. The truck drivers here love this tea.”

“Hmm, yeah, it’s very nice. Is there any truck driver who complained saying that this office is too far to come?”

“Only a few of them stopped by so far, and none of them said anything about the distance that they have to bear. Some of them said that we picked a good location for a small transportation company. And they also said that the old office in Seonghwan City had probably been chosen in the first place to serve the business owner’s investment purpose.”

“Really?”

“How do you have your lunch here? Isn’t it far to go to the area where you can find a place to eat?”

“Oh, we eat here. I cook. We even came to work yesterday even though it was a holiday. It’s very convenient to cook here with the kitchen over there. A truck driver stopped by the other day when we were having our lunch, and he joined us. He loved my dishes. He said he definitely preferred my food over the food in a restaurant. We usually enjoy our coffee after lunch. I feel like living in the countryside when I have my coffee while looking out the window.”

“Really? Hmm. Is there a bank nearby?”

“There is a Shinhan Bank near the traffic circle. President Moon gave us the bankbook of Shinhan Bank. He said that he would give us the bankbook with a huge balance later after discussing it with you. For now, we have the one with 20 million won in it. That will be used for the operation expense.”

“He will come back from his honeymoon trip today. I guess he will come to the office tomorrow.”

“Yeah, he said he will spend two or three days here before leaving for China.”

Gun-Ho asked his sister for more tea. He really liked the new tea that his sister made.

“Oh, and President Moon asked me to give this to you. It’s pay scales.”

Gun-Ho looked at the paper that his brother-in-law handed over to him. It listed GH Logistics’ workers’ salary.

[President Hee-Jae Im 3.2 million won. Director Gun-Sook Goo 2.5 million won. Managing Director Gun-Ho Goo 5 million won. Jae-Sik Moon in China. 1.5 million won.]

“Hmm, I don’t want to impose the company with this much salary. You can reduce mine to 3 million won. Also, raise Jae-Sik Moon’s salary to 1.8 million won.”

“Okay.”

“And, you received the business credit cards, right?”

“Yes. I have one, and your sister is holding the other one.”

“Which bank does it belong to?”

“They are from Industrial Bank of Korea.”

“Do you know its branch office around here?”

“There is one around 3 kilometers away from here.”

“The company’s identity certificate number with the bank is already stored in my sister’s computer, isn’t it?”

Gun-Ho’s sister responded, “Yes. I’m using the same computer that the bookkeeper lady here used to work with. And, my husband is using the computer that President Moon had used. So, it already has all the necessary information and data.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“Did you also have the OTP card for Industrial Bank of Korea?”

“President Goo mentioned about it, but he didn’t give it to us yet.”

“But, you can still check the account, right?”

“Right. I can access our bank account with our identity certificate number stored in the computer. It seems that there are 300 million won in that account.”

“If you use the business credit card, you are using the money from that account.”

“I know that. We were told that the monthly limit for the credit card is 10 million won, and that we can’t make any cash withdrawal with the account. The sales proceeds for GH Logistics’ property are in Woori Bank’s account. President Moon said he would hand it to you directly.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“Did President Moon explain to you about what sort of expenses you can cover with those business credit cards?”

“He said that we can treat our clients, buy office supplies, and pay for food with the credit cards along with other costs related to the company operation.”

“If you look at a bookkeeping book, there is a section about an account title. You can use the business credit card to pay for any items listed there. And you should make sure that you don’t use it to pay for your personal stuff like clothes or cosmetics.”

“Cosmetics?”

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband giggled. Gun-Ho laughed along with them.

“So to speak, you use it to pay for things related to the company matters. For example, any ingredients that you used for this jujube tea can be paid with the company credit card.”

“Really? Gun-Ho’s sister asked.

“It’s because… The tea is being used to treat our clients?” Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law tried to make reasoning.

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband looked at each other.

“Shoot. We used our personal money to buy the tea ingredients.”

Gun-Ho responded, “Hahaha. Don’t make the same mistake from now on.”

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Chapter 538 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (1) – Part 1

Chapter 538: A Group’s Secret Proposal (1) – Part 1

Before leaving the GH Logistics’ new location in Siheung City, Gun-Ho told his sister and her husband, “The company’s registered stamp was already handed over to you, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, I have it with me.”

“You need to update the company’s address for its registration and its business license. For the registration, you need to go to the court and find a registration office there. As to the business license, you will have to go to the tax office. Also, don’t forget to change the name of the current president of the business.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Once President Moon comes back from his honeymoon trip, he will hand over the OTP card. On the paper, GH Logistics will invest in China, so we will need to file a report with the foreign exchange authority. I will take care of the investment, but GH Logistics will have to do the paperwork since it will be the mother company of the joint venture in China.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Once Jae-Sik Moon starts generating profits from China, that money will be transferred to GH Logistics here as well.”

“I see.”

“There are currently 27 vehicles, but I’m sure that this number will gradually increase. As Dyeon Korea is experiencing more workload right now, their transportation work outsourced to GH Logistics will increase as well. You will also see some clients who would contact you after visiting our website.”

“Got you.”

“You don’t have to make a report for me on the daily operation of the company. I just need to receive from you a loss and profit report for the previous month at the beginning of each month. I need them because they are important factors that I take into account in determining the direction of my business.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“If you think you need to hire someone since the workload has increased and you need someone to help with your work, you can just do so without letting me know. I won’t get involved in that sort of work. When you see the company’s monthly profit and loss report, you will figure if you would afford to have an additional worker or not.”

“Understood.”

“Well, I will be taking off now. I will come back maybe tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. President Moon will come with me.”

“Why don’t you have lunch with us before leaving?”

“No, it’s okay. Keep up the good work. As you work hard, the company will generate more profits, and your salary will increase accordingly.”

“Haha. Got you. Well, drive safely on the way back.”

Gun-Ho headed to Asan City as he was leaving Siheung City. His next stop was Dyeon Korea. The place seemed to be packed with people as they had hired new workers lately. The new security guard stopped Gun-Ho’s Bentley as he didn’t recognize Gun-Ho; he was probably hired recently. Since Gun-Ho’s car was a luxurious vehicle— Bentley— he thought Gun-Ho was an important guest to the company or something.

The security guard asked, “Umm, with whom did you make an appointment, sir?”

Chan-Ho rolled down the window and yelled at the new security guard, “Are you new here? You don’t recognize the owner president of this company?”

“Oh! Sir, I’m so sorry.”

Gun-Ho got off the car and extended his hand to the new security guard while smiling, and he said, “I guess you just joined our company. I hope you will enjoy working with us.”

The security guard didn’t seem to know how to act around the owner president. He gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho as he held Gun-Ho’s hand with two hands for a handshake.

Mr. Adam Castler entered Gun-Ho’s office, accompanied by his new interpreter— Myeong-Joon Chae.

“Sir, it’s really hard to see you in the office these days.”

“I’ve been busy lately since I’m running several businesses. Everything is fine here, right?”

“Yes, everything is good here.”

“Dyeon Korea is actually the last company that I would worry about since I have you— Mr. Adam Smith— and Director Kim here.”

“My work with the company in China and India has been a lot easier since both companies send me their weekly reports in English. Mr. Myeon-Joon Chae here translates the weekly reports sent from China into the Korean language and gives them to Director Kim.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“The reports from India come in as two versions— in English and in Korean— since the overseas president there speaks both languages. We don’t have to do interpretation work for the reports from India.”

“That’s really nice.”

“Currently, we are sending 50 tons of raw materials to India and 70 tons to China on a monthly basis.”

“What about our national market? How are we doing here?”

“We are selling a little bit over 600 tons of raw materials within the Korean market per month.”

“Hmm, I guess that we haven’t reached 3 billion won of our monthly revenue yet.”

“Director Kim is working so hard to get more product orders from our current buyers, and also to develop new buyers. I’m positive that we will soon reach that goal.”

“Mr. Vice President Adam Castler, I want you to go on a business trip to India once our company there becomes stabilized. And visit some tourist attractions like the Taj Mahal while you are there.”

“Okay, I will do that. Once the company in India achieves its monthly sales of 70 tons, I will visit the company.”

“The price for India is 4.4 million won per ton. So, if they reach 70 tons of sales, the sales revenue will be a bit over 300 million won.”

“That’s correct. Manager Lee has been contacting European companies in India. I think we will hear good news soon from him.”

“Mr. Adam Castler, how are you doing? I hope you have been enjoying your stay in Korea.”

“It’s good. I like here. And, Dyeon Korea already opened two additional companies in China and in India, which is a nice expansion of our business. Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke from the head office told me the other day that he is recognizing my good work here in Korea.”

“Haha. Is that right? It has been only one year since we started this joint venture company. And the company has grown a lot already, hasn’t it?”

“That’s right. The head office admitted that too.”

“After two years from now, I will have to take the position of the chairman of the board as I will have to give this president position to someone else, pursuant to the joint venture contract. Once it happens, why don’t you— Mr. Vice President Adam Castler— take the position of the president of Dyeon Korea? So, you can continue your work here instead of moving to another country.”

“Well, that’s what I hope for. When you have a chance to talk with the head office’s Vice President Brandon Burke, please tell him good things about me, so I can stay here.”

“Sure, I will do that. And, Mr. Chae.”

“Yes, sir?”

The interpreter— Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae— lifted his head and looked at Gun-Ho’s face. He was holding a pen and a piece of paper being ready to make a note.

“Please assist Mr. Adam Caster as well as you could. He probably feels lonely from time to time since he is here in Korea by himself. Please be a good friend to him as well.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir, I will take good care of him.”

Mr. Adam Castler was all ears as Gun-Ho and Myeon-Joon Chae were conversing in Korean. He eventually asked Mr. Chae, “What did Mr. President Goo just tell you?”

“He wants me to be a good assistance to you, sir.”

Mr. Adam Castler quickly stood up from his seat and extended his hand to Gun-Ho.

“Oh, thank you very much, boss!”

Gun-Ho laughed and held Mr. Adam Castler’s hand firmly before shaking it.

The internal auditor, who moved from GH Mobile to Dyeon Korea, entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, the monthly profit and loss report is ready.”

“I’ve just received a brief report about it from Mr. Adam Castler, so it won’t be necessary. There are no unusual expenses that I should be aware of, isn’t there?”

“No, sir.”

“That’s good. Can you then tell Ms. Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo to bring me the chart?”

“Okay, sir.”

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Chapter 539 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (1) – Part 2

Chapter 539: A Group’s Secret Proposal (1) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho was reviewing the chart in his office at Dyeon Korea, he received a call from A Group’s A Electronics’ CEO

“This is A Electronics’ CEO Park.”

“Oh, hi. How have you been?”

“Are you in Seoul right now? Or Are you in Cheonan City?”

“I’m actually in Asan City.”

“Oh, that’s right. You have another company in Asan City. Do you have any plan to come to Seoul City anytime soon?”

“I only stay here on Mondays and Thursdays.”

“Oh, then, can I assume that you will be in Seoul City tomorrow?”

“Yes, I will be there.”

“Then, let’s have lunch together tomorrow.”

“Sure, but can I ask you what’s the occasion?”

“I just want to ask you something while having lunch with you.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t turn down his proposal to have lunch together since he had bought him lunch the other day after playing golf together, in the restaurant— Seungjiwon.

“Where do we want to meet?”

“Hmm, my office building of A Electronics is in Euljiro… What about we meet at the Chinese restaurant called Dongboseong in Namsan Town? It shouldn’t be far from your office in Sinsa Town.”

“Sounds good. I will be there.”

“Okay, then I will see you at Dongboseong by noon tomorrow. And, please make sure that no one knows about our lunch meeting tomorrow.”

“Okay, I will make sure of it.”

Gun-Ho thought that A Electronics’ CEO was a weirdo.

‘What’s wrong with meeting me publicly? Why does he have to meet me in secret all the time? When he visited me at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town last time, he made sure that I didn’t tell anyone about his visit. And, now he wants to have lunch with me and told me that I shouldn’t say anything about it to anybody. It’s just a da*n lunch. What is so secret about having lunch with me? He must be hiding something.’

Gun-Ho googled the Chinese restaurant— Dongboseong— on the internet.

“Yeah, it’s a Chinese restaurant. It’s not far from here at all. I need to cross the Han River and head to the Namsan Public Library.”

Gun-Ho searched A Electronics’ office building on the internet as well. It was a high tech smart building. He recognized the building since he once passed by it when he was working in a factory. He was heading to the city hall to visit an event that day. One of his colleagues told him, “Wow, this is the A Electronics’ building.”

Gun-Ho could see their office workers coming in and out of the building. They were wearing white shirts and wearing an ID around their necks. Another colleague commented, “Wow, the female workers there are all pretty.”

“They are way out of your league, dude. You wouldn’t even be able to talk to anyone of those in your life!”

A Electronics was one of the most favorable companies that any young people, who were preparing to get a job, would want to work for. But it was obviously hard to get in. A Electronics required the job applicants to pass their exam which tested various things including cognitive competency, implementation capacity, and personality test. The exam itself was very difficult to pass, and it was known as a “bar exam for your personality/aptitude test” among the job seekers. People who graduated from a low-ranking college like Gun-Ho wouldn’t even try to apply for a position with A Electronics because they knew that their applications would be denied right away during the paper-based review.

If Gun-Ho graduated from top universities, a.k.a. SKY and worked for this company, his position by now would be an assistant manager. However, Gun-Ho was doing much better. The current Gun-Ho was in a position to play golf with that company’s CEO and to have lunch together.

The next day, Gun-Ho left his office in Sinsa Town around 11 am and headed to Dongboseong in Namsan Town.

“It is indeed a nice Chinese restaurant.”

Dongboseong provided private rooms to eat in for their customers as well. When Gun-Ho looked around to see if CEO Park had arrived already, he saw a man in the corner waving his hand at Gun-Ho. It was A Electronics’ CEO Park.

“You came early.”

“I just arrived. Please have a seat. The traffic is light at this hour, right?”

“Yes, but it got heavy when I was almost here.”

A waiter came to take an order.

“Would you like to place an order, sir?”

CEO Park asked Gun-Ho, “What do you like?”

“I can eat anything.”

“Well, I will have a bowl of Jajangmyeon*.”

“I will have the same, please.”

Gun-Ho felt a bit embarrassed to order only two bowls of Jajangmyeon at this luxurious Chinese restaurant, but since CEO Park was the one who would pay for the lunch, he couldn’t order more.

‘Hmm. Did I come all the way here to have a bowl of Jajangmyeon?’

CEO Park seemed to really like Jajangmyeon. It was not bad actually. Gun-Ho enjoyed it as well. Chan-Ho Eum was sitting on the other side of the restaurant hall and had his own Jajangmyeon.

“This is good.”

“Do you often come to this restaurant, sir?”

“Sometimes.”

They ate their Jajangmyeon without further conversation. The waiter came back to Gun-Ho’s table and asked, “Will it be okay for me to clean the table, Mr. CEO Park?”

“Yes, please.”

Gun-Ho noticed that the water called CEO Park as Mr. CEO Park. He was probably a regular to the restaurant after all as he said so.

CEO Park said while wiping his mouth with a paper napkin, “Well, since we are done with our lunch, I guess it’s time for us to enjoy our afternoon coffee.”

“Sounds great. Would you like to have the coffee here or somewhere else?”

“Let’s move to another place. We are right under the Namsan Mountain. If we go up a little bit from here, there is a nice wooded area. Let’s have our coffee there. Why don’t you leave your car in the Namsan Public Library’s parking lot while we have our coffee? I came alone without my secretary or chauffeur today, so I could have a talk with you in private, President Goo. Would you mind if I ride with you in your car to the Namsan Public Library’s parking lot?”

“Not at all. Please get in the car with me.”

Gun-Ho and CEO Park headed to the Namsan Public Library’s parking lot.

Chan-Ho Eum asked, “Can I just park the car here?”

“Yes, we will have a cup of coffee around here.”

“Umm, sir, I don’t see any place selling coffee around here.”

CEO Park said, “There is a small store in front of the bus station over there. They are selling canned coffees.”

Gun-Ho said to Chan-Ho, “Chan-Ho, can you go to the store over there and buy three cans of coffee?”

“Yes, sir.”

When Chan-Ho came back with three cans of coffee in his hand, CEO Park said while indicating the upper area, “There is Ahn Jung Geun Memorial Hall over there. There is a bench as well. It’s a cool area with a nice breeze. Let’s go there and have our coffee.”

Gun-Ho and CEO Park walked towards the memorial hall while carrying a can of coffee.

“This is a nice wooded area. You can even hear birds singing. I come here often after my lunch and take a brief walk before going back to work. How do you like this place? Isn’t it nice? It’s giving a serene feeling.”

Gun-Ho was thinking at that moment, ‘A serene feeling my as*! My physical energy is already depleted while walking up all the way here. I only had a bowl of Jajangmyeon* for lunch!’

However, Gun-Ho couldn’t show how he was really feeling inside. He smiled broadly and said, “Yes, it’s very nice. I can even feel a fresh breeze on my cheek.”

Note*

Jajangmyeon – Korean style Chinese noodle in black bean sauce.

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Chapter 540 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (2) – Part 1

Chapter 540: A Group’s Secret Proposal (2) – Part 1

A Electronics’ CEO Park sat on a bench outside the Ahn Jung Geun Memorial Hall. Since it was a weekday, there were not many visitors there. A tree provided a good shade to the seating area where the bench was situated, and Gun-Ho joined CEO Park and sat on the bench while holding his canned coffee.

Gun-Ho could see the parking lot where his Bentley was parked at from the bench which he was sitting on. Chan-Ho was keeping the car’s four doors open to ventilate, and he was taking a rest while sitting on a rock nearby while listening to music.

A Electronics’ CEO said, “Mr. President Goo, it’s hard to run a business, isn’t it?”

“It is, but it’s also fun sometimes.”

“Well, maybe you are less stressed than people like me who are hired to run a business since you are running your own business.”

“A Electronics has more than 10,000 workers, doesn’t it? It must not be easy to manage all those workers, and the management system must be complex.”

“It’s not a one-person work, of course. I have highly competent workers in the management team. The number of our executive officers only is exceeding 30.”

“Wow! 30 executive officers? That’s a lot.”

“If you think of the number of our workers, it’s not a lot at all. We currently have 12,000 workers, so it’s like we have 1 executive officer per 400 workers.”

“Wow. That means you have to win over 400 workers to become an executive officer at your company.”

Silence filled the air for a moment.

A Electronics’ CEO took a sip of his canned coffee before continuing to talk.

“I’ve heard that Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee presided over your wedding, right?”

“Yes, he did.”

“He must become a meaningful person to you in your life… What do you think of Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee?”

“I believe that he is a good person.”

“Mr. Minister Lee is a politician.”

“That’s right.”

“The position of a minister in the government is not a long-lasting job. He has been in that position for more than two years already. It’s about the time for him to leave that position.”

“Well, I guess that he will take another position in the government.”

“I think he is more interested in becoming a member of Congress. It seems that the two political parties have already started contacting him.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. He must be very popular in politics.”

“Speaking of which… What I’m going to tell you now should be kept between you and me. You can’t tell anyone no matter what happens, okay?”

“What are you saying?”

“In order to become a member of Congress or to go further, you need money.”

“It is probably so.”

“It takes money for Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee to get into Congress.”

“Money would be the last thing that he would worry about, wouldn’t it? He is the son-in-law of A Group’s Chairman.”

“The people who oppose him would keep an eye on A Group’s movement, especially the flow of their money. If they catch any of A Group’s financial activity related to Mr. Minister Lee’s campaign, it will damage the company severely.”

“Hmm.”

“So, I want to make a proposal to you. Can you join me to make a secret fund for his political activities?”

“Slush fund for his political activities? My company is not capable of making that much money to get involved in politics. My company is a small factory with a few hundreds of workers manufacturing automobile parts.”

“I’m not asking you to provide funds to us like that. I will make your company—GH Mobile—become one of A Group’s vendor companies.”

“Huh? What did you just say? Are you saying that you will place product orders from GH Mobile?”

“Yes, we can make secret funds that way.”

“Secret funds… I don’t think it’s possible. As you know well already, a registered business entity like us can’t make any expenses without producing corresponding receipts. I must produce tax invoices for every transaction accurately with the tax office.”

“I’m not asking you to use the traditional way to make slush funds that were used in the old days. I’m asking you to do so without breaking any law.”

“We can do that legally?”

A Electronics’ CEO had a sip of his coffee and then looked around to see if anyone was close enough to hear their conversation. There was no one around them. All they could hear at that moment was birds singing.

“We will let you sell your products to us, and you let us own a part of GH Mobile by giving us some of its company’s shares.”

“GH Mobile’s shares?”

“You don’t transfer the company shares to Mr. Minister Lee, but you give them to his father.”

“Huh? To his father?”

“If your company’s shares are transferred to Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee or any other young person, it could raise a question about the source of money to buy them.”

“Well, please allow me to ask you this. Did you already talk with Mr. Minister Lee about this? Is he aware of the deal?”

“No, Mr. Minister Lee has no idea about it. His spouse doesn’t know either. This is just my personal plan and a proposal to you.”

That hit Gun-Ho’s head.

‘Of course, it is. If something goes wrong, CEO Park will have to take full responsibility by bringing in another person who is more responsible or something without making any connection whatsoever to Mr. Minister Lee.’

A Electronics’ CEO Park continued talking without looking at Gun-Ho. He was gazing vacantly into space.

“The reason why I visited your company in Jiksan Town the other day was that I wanted to make sure that your company is capable of supplying products to our company. I needed to know that if it’s large enough to produce a certain volume of products. And, it was good enough. As you are already well aware, many first vendor companies of A Electronics are generating more than a trillion won yearly.”

“Hmm.”

“If Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father receives dividends from your company lawfully, we can provide Mr. Minister Lee money for his political activities. No one would say anything for a father’s financial support toward his son’s political activities. Look at our former President YS. His father was in the fishing industry. Until he was elected as the president of this country, his father provided him with funds using the money that he made from his business. Of course, President YS had his own secret funds, but his father’s financial help was not insignificant.”

“Hmm.”

“Do you know why I chose you to do this together to support Mr. Minister Lee?”

“Why is that?”

“First of all, in my opinion, you seem to be trustworthy. Of course, the fact that Mr. Minister Lee officiate your wedding triggered my interest in you. Moreover, self-made successful people like you—Mr. President Goo—are so smart that they don’t make any unnecessary talk to others. Also, they are extremely patient when they think they have to be.”

“Do you think I am that sort of person?”

“Secondly, your company is not yet a publicly-traded company, but it’s about to register with KOSDAQ. It is very good timing to obtain the company’s shares because once the company goes public, the price of its shares will dramatically increase. In addition, a large stock transaction of a public company must be disclosed, and it could well draw public attention. Therefore, our company’s department of planning and coordination has been investigating GH Mobile quietly for the past several months.”

“An investigation on GH Mobile?”

“And it made a determination that GH Mobile would be the best fit for our purpose. It was an ideal choice for us. The size of GH Mobile and its owner president’s character made a good combination to serve our goal. I don’t think we would be able to create an ideal combination like this even if we wanted to.”

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Chapter 541 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (2) – Part 2

Chapter 541: A Group’s Secret Proposal (2) – Part 2

“So, how many product orders are you thinking of offering to us, and how many shares do you want me to release?”

“As a start, we will place product orders worth more than 100 billion won within a year. The volume of our product orders will increase every year.”

“Whoa! Did you say 100 billion won worth of product orders?”

“You will have to make sure that you are providing us quality products though. The deal can be well broken if we get defective products.”

“What about stocks? I’m sure that you are not asking me to give 100% of the company’s shares.”

“Hahaha. I know that I can’t ask you for that. If I ask you to give us even 50% of the company’s shares, you would walk away. I know you want to stay in control of your company by keeping more than 50% of the shares. I want 15% of the ownership.”

“What? 15% of the company’s shares?”

“An auto parts manufacturing company is in the smokestack industry, meaning that it won’t be able to make a dramatic growth in its sales revenue. You will succeed in going public since you are trying hard to fulfill the requirements. Once you do, you will be able to use some funds from the stock market to expand your company, so you could have a few branch offices overseas. Even if you do all those, your company will make a little over 100 million won annually.”

“Hmm.”

“What do you think? Would you like to have a company that you own 100% with 100 million won of sales revenue? Or, would you like to own 85% of your company which generates 1 trillion won of sales revenue?”

“Hmm…”

It was a huge proposal to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho couldn’t give his response right away, but he let out a groan.

A Electronics CEO Park finished his canned coffee. He verified if there was anything more left in his can by shaking it. There was none left.

“You don’t just transfer 15% of the company’s shares, but we will increase capital stock. That way, you can justify your decision to give some portion of the ownership to someone. You can tell others that you choose to increase capital in order to lower the debt ratio, so you can successfully register the company with KOSDAQ. People will think that makes sense.”

“If I just want to give the shares, I can transfer a part of the shares that I have, but in order to increase the capital, I need to bring funds into the company.”

“Of course, you will bring in the funds of 15%.”

“How do we do that?”

“According to our investigation, GH Mobile’s current capital is 5 billion won. Its total number of issued stock is 500,000, and each share is worth 10,000 won. If we increase it by 15%, the number of shares will become 575,000, and the capital will be 5.75 billion won. The money that you bring into the company by increasing the capital will be used to pay for its debts, and it will lower its debt ratio. You can quickly fulfill one of the requirements to make your company go public. What do you think? Isn’t it tempting?”

Gun-Ho sipped his canned coffee and finished it.

“What if I did my part by increasing the capital, but you wouldn’t do your part by refusing to place any product orders from us?”

A Electronics’ CEO smiled and said, “I will make an indemnity report about the product orders, and I will have it notarized. It’s a contract with A Electronics which is one of the largest companies in Korea. You can’t say that you can’t rely on the contract that is made with us. We will provide you with the product drawing and its mold.”

“You will provide us with your product mold?”

“Yes. We have several products that were already developed, and we had to withdraw from the contracts with some of our vendor companies who had supplied those products because of their high rate of defective products. We already recovered the product molds from those companies. I will give them to you for now. GH Mobile will be able to start manufacturing those products with the existing molds right away like even tomorrow.”

“If we have molds, yes, that’s possible.”

“I can send you 750 million won to be used to increase the capital tomorrow if you want. I will send it to GH Mobile’s bank account. Again, this deal is not known to Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee or his wife. His father is the one who is making this investment.”

Gun-Ho turned his head to look at A Electronics’ CEO who was wearing gold metal frame glasses. His face looked pale, but he was a well-aged man in his 50s. Gun-Ho was impressed by this man’s plan.

‘This guy is really smart. Of course, he is smart. He is running A Electronics. His annual salary must be several billions of won.’

Noticing that Gun-Ho was gazing at him without giving him a firm answer, A Electronics’ CEO asked, “Is something wrong?”

“I need time to think about this. I understood well your proposal.”

“Again, what we talked about today must be kept between you and me. No one can know about this. I will be waiting for your positive decision. Since I didn’t bring my car today, would you give me a ride to Euljiro?”

The two men got up from the bench and started walking toward the parking lot of Namsan Public Library where Gun-Ho’s Bentley was parked.

After dropping off A Electronics’ CEO Park, Gun-Ho came back to his office in GH Building in Sinsa Town. When Gun-Ho entered the office, his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—stared at Gun-Ho because he looked dead serious.

“Umm, sir, would you like to have a cup of coffee?”

“Please bring me a cup of green tea instead.”

“Yes, sir.”

While having his green tea, Gun-Ho looked outside the window. He thought of what A Electronics’ CEO Park had proposed to him.

‘He wants 15% of GH Mobile’s stock. Once GH Mobile goes public, it wouldn’t be just dividends that they receive, but they would make money by owning the company’s shares because their price would already increase dramatically. They are extremely smart. Very clever and even manipulative.

His proposal is too tempting to turn down. It is true that they will make big money, but I will make huge money too. Even though they would possess 15% of the ownership, they wouldn’t be able to challenge my control over this company. It is indeed a good deal for me. It could be a huge opportunity for me too.

I wonder whether this proposal is really made to help with Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s political activities and if they really want to provide him financial support. Or, do they simply want to make money? Since Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father will be involved, maybe what he told me is true…’

After gazing outside of the window, he turned around and started walking around in his office.

‘What am I going to do? GH Mobile is a second vendor company in the automobile parts manufacturing industry. This is an opportunity to become a first vendor company in the home appliance manufacturing industry. Maybe I should go for it. I don’t want to give 15% of my company’s shares, but I can make way more money by doing this. We will add 750 million won to the capital, but once the company is registered with KOSDAQ, its value will jump to 7.5 billion won.

I will have to give at least 3% of the shares to President Jang-Hwan Song. I have to compensate for his hard work in increasing the sales revenue and building up our current management system. That is what I promised him when he joined this company anyway.

After giving 15% to Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father and 3% to President Song, I will be left with 82%. I haven’t recovered any investment funds that I had put into GH Mobile yet. Should I go for it? Or not? Should I?’

Gun-Ho continued walking around in his office for quite a while.

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Chapter 542 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (3) – Part 1

Chapter 542: A Group’s Secret Proposal (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho came home a bit earlier than usual that day. After dinner, he took a walk at Yangjae Riverside which was in a close distance from his home.

“Maybe I will walk until I reach Hakyeoul Station.”

While walking around at Yangjae Riverside, Gun-Ho thought of the conversation he had with A Electronics’ CEO Park earlier that day.

‘GH Mobile is aiming at the sales revenue of 90 billion won for this year. I’m sure we can reach 100 billion won by next year. Regardless of whether the company would be successfully registered with KOSDAQ or not, we will soon reach 200 billion won of the sales revenue as it continuously increases every year. We made 7% of the operating profit last year with a net profit of 2.9%.

As the sales revenue keeps going up, the operating profit will increase to around 10%. Because of our debts, we couldn’t generate good net profits so far. Once we pay enough for the debts, our net profit will be at least 6%. That means the net profit will be 12 billion won. 15% of 12 billion won is around 1.8 billion won.

Is 1.8 billion won considered a useful amount in politics? I don’t know anything about politics, but I believe it would be at least helpful. I just can’t understand why people do politics by spending their money? Are they getting enough return?

Assuming the sales revenue increases to 500 billion won, the net profit of 6% would be 30 billion won. 15% of 30 billion won is 4.5 billion won… Making 4 to 5 billion won annually after investing 750 million won is a jackpot. What about me? How much would I make? I will still own 82% of the company which would make my share 24.6 billion won! Maybe I don’t need to have my company go public after all? Well, maybe I should. The price of the company’s shares will increase once the company goes public.’

Gun-Ho almost stumbled and fell while taking a walk and getting lost in thought at the same time. He had to return home without making a firm decision yet. When he arrived home, he noticed that the lights in his condo were on.

‘Did I leave all the lights on when I left home earlier?’

“Oppa!”

“Huh? Who is this? Is it my honey? What are you doing here on a weekday?!”

Surprisingly, Young-Eun was sitting at the table having a cup of tea.

“I just came back from the hospital.”

“Hospital? Of course, you were at the hospital. You work there.”

“I had a physical checkup today.”

“A physical checkup? Are you feeling sick?”

Young-Eun jumped and abruptly hugged Gun-Ho’s neck.

“Huh? What is this for?”

“Me… I’m pregnant!”

“What?”

“I had a blood test and ultrasound today, and it was confirmed that I’m pregnant.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho lifted Young-Eun’s body in excitement, and said, “Well, you actually gained some weight already.”

“Hahaha, that’s not because I’m pregnant. I did actually gain some weight recently.”

“How did you know you might be pregnant?”

“I missed my period, and I had to go to the bathroom pretty often. I also was feeling like I caught the flu or something. So, I thought maybe I was pregnant.”

“That’s why you went to see a doctor, to get a pregnancy test?”

“I tested it myself at home first with Wonfo Tester, and it gave me two blurry lines. So I quickly went to see a gynecologist to verify that I was really pregnant. I’m actually two months pregnant.”

“How big would it be?”

“There is only a baby’s house now.”

“You did a great job.”

Gun-Ho bombarded Young-Eun with his endless kisses on her cheek with a loud kissing sound.

Since Young-Eun was pregnant, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun decided to sleep in a separate room. Moreover, Young-Eun had to go to work early the next morning since it was a weekday not a weekend.

Gun-Ho again thought of what A Electronics’ CEO Park had told him while laying down on his bed.

‘Maybe things will turn out great. Young-Eun is pregnant, and maybe it’s a sign telling me that everything will work fine. Well, I will accept CEO Park’s proposal without giving him a hard time. I will take it as he suggested.’

It was morning. Gun-Ho woke up, but he closed his eyes again trying to sleep more. When he sensed someone’s presence, he opened his eyes. Young-Eun was in the room where Gun-Ho had slept in. She was wearing a business suit. Young-Eun said after giving Gun-Ho a kiss on his cheek, “I have to go now. I cooked soup for you. Have your breakfast before you go to work, okay?”

“Okay. Have a wonderful day. I’m still sleepy. I think I will stay in bed for a while. Take care of yourself!”

Young-Eun rushed into the front door to leave. It seemed that she was late for work.

Chan-Ho arrived at Gun-Ho’s place earlier than usual. Gun-Ho had to get up earlier than he wanted and go to work without having the breakfast that Young-Eun prepared for him.

“Sir, we are heading to Jiksan Town today, right?”

“Hmm, let’s go to Siheung City. President Moon will be there today.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at GH Logistics in Siheung City, President Moon was explaining something to Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law with some documents on the table. Gun-Ho’s sister was listening to President Moon attentively while sitting next to her husband. President Moon had handed over all the work earlier, but it seemed he missed a few of them.

“Is there some missing work that you hadn’t handed over to my brother-in-law?”

“No, I completely handed it over to him. He just has a few questions for me, so I was explaining them to him.”

“When did you get back from your honeymoon trip, Mr. President Moon?”

“I came back the day before yesterday. I stayed at my old place in Mangwon Town yesterday.”

“You haven’t placed that home on the market yet, have you?”

“My wife will officially put it on the market after two months. I will leave for China first, and I want her to stay here until I set up basic stuff there, she will then join me.”

“Will she still go to work at the book café in Sinsa Town then?”

“I think so. She already gave President Shin her resignation letter, but she will be working there until President Shin finds someone to fill her position.”

“Once you arrive in China, our joint venture partner—the transportation company—will make a room reservation in a hotel for you. You will need to stay there for a while.”

“They are not going to find me a place to live right away?”

“They will wait until they receive the investment funds that I would be sending to them. They won’t spend their own money to get you a place to live.”

“Hmm, really?”

“When you leave, I will give you the amount of money that you can use for the living expenses for the next three months. That amount will be recorded as an expense for the business trip. It will be about 5 million won. Exchange that amount with Chinese Yuan before you leave. And, pursuant to our joint venture agreement, I will send 50 million won to China within a week. Once you arrive in China, send me the bank account information.”

“Once you send 50 million won, will they find me a place to live?”

“I don’t know. They will have other places to spend that money since they will need to launch the project too, which will cost them some money. If it costs them more than what I send, you will need to wait longer to have your own place. It all depends on how things would turn out on their side. However, I want you to keep asking them to find a place to live in the meantime. And, when you do, do it in a polite and respectful way.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Within the next two months, I will send an additional 450 million won to China.”

“Yeah. I’m aware of it. I read it from the joint venture agreement.”

“Once they receive the 450 million won of my investment funds, they will decorate your office as the president of the joint venture company and get your own place to live. They will also get you a vehicle. And the intercity bus service business will finally start. Well, there should be some variation in how they proceed with all these depending on the types of business and geographical areas, but that was what happened when I started the joint venture with Kunshan City.”

“Now, I have a rough idea of what to expect when I arrive in China.”

“Are you leaving in three days?”

“I will leave on Monday.”

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Chapter 543 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (3) – Part 2

Chapter 543: A Group’s Secret Proposal (3) – Part 2

“You will meet Min-Hyeok Kim in Shanghai, right?”

“Yes. Min-Hyeok will come to see me in Shanghai with the interpreter—Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo. She will join me in Shanghai and leave for Guiyang City, Guizhou Province in a flight with me.”

“What about plane tickets? Will Min-Hyeok make the flight reservation for you to Guiyang City?”

“Yeah. He said he will make a flight reservation for two. I will pay him for those plane tickets once I get there.”

“Of course, you should. I will let the Chinese co-venturer know that you will leave for China on Monday.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Mr. President Runsheng Yan of the intercity bus terminal in Antang City.

“Mr. President Yan? This is President Goo in Korea.”

“Oh, Ni hao! Ni hao!”

“President Moon is leaving for China on Monday. He will stop by Shanghai City to meet with his interpreter and will arrive at Guiyang Airport with her.”

“Oh, really? I’m so glad that he is finally coming. I will send a car to Guiyang City to pick him up.”

“President Moon will be with his interpreter, but you have to understand that he doesn’t speak Chinese. There could be things that he might feel uncomfortable with because of the language. Please take good care of him.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mr. President Goo. We are friends now, aren’t we?”

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband were in the office while Gun-Ho was talking with President Runsheng Yan on the phone. They were amazed by Gun-Ho’s fluency in Chinese.

‘Wow. That is why Gun-Ho made all the way to having business with China.’

Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband were impressed by that Gun-Ho was not just wealthy, but he was also highly knowledgeable to handle the business and to speak the Chinese language fluently. Gun-Ho seemed to constantly surprise them these days.

Jae-Sik Moon took out a OTP card and a bankbook.

“This is the bankbook of the account with the sales proceeds of 5.28 billion won that was received for the sale of GH Logistics’ property. Initially, we had 6.5 billion won in it for the sales proceeds, and we paid off the loan of 720 million won that we took out when we had started GH Logistics in Seonghwan City. Also, 300 million won was taken out to pay off the money that we borrowed earlier and another 200 million won to buy the condo in Incheon City. So, we are left with 5.28 billion won now. This is actually your money, Mr. President Goo. I believe that you can move the funds to your personal account.”

“Well, we need to pay for capital gain tax with the funds. Also, these funds will be used to make an investment in China. So, I suppose that we need to keep them in the company’s bank account.”

Gun-Ho said to his brother-in-law who was listening to the conversation between Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon, “I will hold this bankbook since I need to use it when I make the investment in China.”

“Of course. I understand that.”

Jae-Sik then took out another bankbook. There were two of them.

“This is the bank account with the Industrial Bank of Korea. There are 300 million won in it, which is supposed to be used to operate the company. It came with two business credit cards, and I gave one to your brother-in-law and the other one to your sister.”

“You can give that bankbook with 300 million won in it and its OTP card to my brother-in-law.”

“You can use the funds in this bank account in operating the company. If you happen to find a new client and need to buy an additional freight truck, for example, you can use this money. Most of our clients send us their payments to this bank account. Managing this bank account is a very important part of your work in operating the company.”

“Hmm, I think it’s better that my wife manages this account.”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law gave the bankbook to his spouse along with its OTP card.

Jae-Sik showed another bankbook to Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law.

“This is a bank account with almost no restriction in use. There are currently 40 million won in it. Every month, you should deposit the amount of the vehicles’ depreciation.”

Gun-Ho said, “That bank account should go to my brother-in-law.”

Jae-Sik Moon gave the bankbook to Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law.

“You understand the purpose of this bank account, don’t you?”

“We use the funds in this account when we have to replace an old truck that we can no longer use because it becomes too old. We buy a new truck with this money.”

“That’s right. When you have to change any of the company’s old vehicles, you can use the fund stored in this bank account.”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law gave it to his wife after verifying the amount.

Jae-Sik took out a piece of paper from a huge envelope that he was carrying.

“So, there are four bankbooks that I brought to you all today. One is the bank account with Woori Bank, where the sales proceeds of Logistics’ land are in, and it was given to President Goo. The main bank account is with the Industrial Bank of Korea. We have two accounts with them and I handed them over to Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law. The fourth bank account with Shinhan Bank was given to Gun-Sook sister. The account is holding 20 million won. Shinhan Bank can be found very close from here. To record that I handed over all of the company’s bankbooks, I need you all to sign here showing that you all received them.”

Jae-Sik already prepared a piece of paper that listed all of four Logistics’ bank accounts with each person’s name who was currently in charge of each bank account.

“Okay. We need to have this kind of thing in writing that clearly shows what happened. We might need to verify the fact later with it.”

The four of them signed on the paper where each of their signatures was required. Gun-Ho looked at his sister and said, “How much did we decide for President Moon’s monthly salary?”

“Wasn’t it 1.8 million won?”

Gun-Ho turned his head to look at President Moon’s face and said, “When I told them that your salary to be received in Korea would be 1.5 million won, my sister and brother-in-law said that it was too low, and they insisted that it had to be 1.8 million won. While you work in China, 1.8 million won of your monthly salary will be sent to your bank account on a monthly basis.”

“1.8 million won? Thank you so much, Gun-Sook sister and brother.”

When Jae-Sik Moon gave a deep bow to them, Gun-Ho’s sister and her husband didn’t know how to react. Gun-Ho’s sister said, “Actually, it was…”

At that moment, Gn-Ho said to his sister, “There is Shinhan Bank close from here, right? Please withdraw 5 million won from that bank. President Moon will need to take it with him when he leaves for China. You can record it as the expense used for his long-term business trip. You can ask the tax office which we are working with about how to properly record it.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Jae-Sik Moon asked Gun-Ho, “What do you want to do with the car that I’m driving right now?”

“What car?”

“You know the SM5 that I’ve been driving.”

“You received that car from President Jeong-Sook Shin, right? I believe it’s not owned by GH Logistics, right?”

“Yeah, it’s actually owned by me personally.”

“Then do whatever you want to do with it. You can sell it or give it to someone else.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Brother, you don’t have a car, right? Get one for you then.”

“I can share your sister’s car—Sonata.”

“You will need your own vehicle, especially once you start your sales activities. My sister needs her own car to take care of her own work. Get yourself a car.”

Jae-Sik Moon chipped in, “President Goo, if the car’s main purpose is to do a sales activity, I think he’d better get a Grandeur or K7. Many of our truck drivers drive very nice cars as well.”

“Okay. Then buy a Grandeur or K7.”

“Gun-Ho, maybe I should buy a car with my personal funds. I sold my wing-body truck, and I can use the sales proceeds. I just joined GH Logistics, and I don’t want it to be my first thing that I did in the company, to buy my own car. I haven’t done much for the company yet. It doesn’t feel right that I spend the company’s money at this point to buy my car.”

“Well, if you insist, sure. Get your car with your personal money, but use the company’s money to do its maintenance, for gas, to pay for its auto insurance, and other necessary stuff.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho’s sister smiled broadly.

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Chapter 544 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (4) – Part 1

Chapter 544: A Group’s Secret Proposal (4) – Part 1

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat getting ready to leave.

“Mr. President Moon, have a safe trip to China on Monday. I won’t be able to be at the airport to see you off. I guess I will have to say good-bye here. Let’s have a handshake.”

“No problem. I will do my best working in China. I will send you a daily report via email.”

“A daily report? No, don’t do that. A weekly report will suffice.”

“Haha, okay. But, I will still give you a daily report under some sort of special circumstances.”

“Don’t forget to send me the joint venture company’s bank account through email once you arrive in China.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho said bye to his sister and brother-in-law as well.

“I’m leaving now. I won’t be able to come here often. Now, you are on your own in growing this company by increasing the number of its vehicles. Keep up the good work.”

“Okay. We won’t disappoint you.”

“Once again, the usual work such as hiring a new worker, buying a new vehicle, changing our current service providers like a bank, or a tax accountant office is all up to you. I won’t get involved in those sorts of work.”

“Got it.”

“Also, it’s your call to make a determination to change the workers’ salaries depending on their work performance as long as we can afford it.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho waved his hand at his sister and her husband before getting into his Bentley that was parked at the company’s yard.

As they were leaving Siheung City, Chan-Ho asked, “Sir, where are we heading now?”

“You know what? I’m starving. I haven’t even had my breakfast today.”

“Hahaha.”

When Chan-Ho laughed out loud, Gun-Ho asked, “What is so funny?”

“It’s just… It felt so funny when someone like you, who owns several companies, said you were starving.”

“When you haven’t eaten anything, you are supposed to feel hungry. There is nothing funny about it.”

“Well, it’s still funny, sir.”

“Let’s go to a hangover soup restaurant or somewhere. What time is it?”

“It’s a bit after 11 am. Would you like to have an oxblood hangover soup? I’m hungry too.”

“Why are you hungry? You haven’t had your breakfast today?”

“No, sir. I got up late this morning. I had to skip my breakfast.”

“Is that so? Let’s eat together then. How come you and I both are hungry today?”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho stopped by a hangover soup restaurant when they saw one on the way and had their first meal of that day.

After having the soup, Gun-Ho felt sleepy as he was sitting in the back seat. He said to Chan-Ho thinking that he might feel the same way since he just had his meal as well.

“Chan-Ho, do not doze off.”

“Of course, sir. I won’t.”

“Even though I might doze off, you shouldn’t. If you feel too sleepy, park the car somewhere and take a brief nap. You must feel sleepy as well since you just had your meal.”

“I do actually feel sleepy. I will park the car when I see a good spot to take a nap, sir.”

When Gun-Ho was dozing off while sitting in the back of his Bentley, his smartphone started ringing; they were passing by Bongdam Town.

“President Goo? It’s me, Jae-Sik Moon.”

“Hey, President Moon. Are you still in Siheung City?”

“Yes, I’m still here. I wanted to say this to you earlier but couldn’t since your sister and her husband were there with us.”

“What is it?”

“I wanted to say thank you for helping me with my wedding preparation. I know that you’ve done a lot to make it go smoothly.”

“Man, you don’t have to say that.”

“My wife actually cried a lot after the wedding. She said that she hadn’t really expected to wear a wedding dress in this life, but she did.”

“Really?”

“And, thank you for the condo in Incheon City. I feel so relieved that my parents are now living together in a condo like that.”

“You don’t need to thank me for it. You deserved it. It was a compensation for letting me use your name in buying and selling that land. You earned it.”

“Moreover, I do really appreciate that you set my salary to 1.8 million won and let me receive it in Korea.”

“That was suggested by my sister and her husband.”

“Still, it happened because you agreed to it. Now knowing my parents are living in a pleasant environment with enough living expenses, I feel so relieved that I will be able to focus on work even if I leave for China leaving behind in Korea.”

“I feel great since you feel relieved.”

“Once I settle in China, my wife will join me there after taking care of our current house and stuff. We will have our baby in China too.”

“Once the joint venture company finds you a place to live, you will get settled there quickly. Once you have your baby, you might want to hire someone to help with house chores. It’s not expensive to have a housekeeper in China, so think about it.”

“Thank you.”

“In the beginning, they will lease a car for you. But, once they receive the investment funds from me, they will buy you your own car.”

“Okay. It’s good that I had worked for GH Logistics before leaving for China. That was a really good work experience for me. I wouldn’t have felt this confident to start working overseas if I didn’t have work experience with GH Logistics in Korea.”

“Great. President Moon, I know you will do just fine.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. When he knew that President Jang-Hwan Song was in his office, he called for him.

“Let’s have a cup of tea.”

Gun-Ho asked his secretary— Ms. Hee-Jeong Park— to bring them two cups of green tea.

“I’ve noticed that you’ve been often working outside the office lately. It’s not easy work doing sales, is it?”

“I feel stressed for the fact that I don’t see any eye-opening progress even though I work hard.”

“We will reach the sales revenue of 90 billion won this year. That means that our company’s growth rate would be 10% which is not bad at all.”

“I don’t worry about this year, but my concern is next year.”

“What about next year?”

“We will soon reach our limit. The automobile parts manufacturing industry is currently dominated by companies like Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Dymos. And it’s extremely hard to become their vendor company because they already have their own vendor companies. In order for us to start selling our products to those companies, we will have to take over one of their vendor companies’ business deals, which is not easy at all.”

“What about the home appliance manufacturing industry?”

“You need an established connection and network in the electronics industry as well. However, I think we should keep trying, hoping that a door will open to us sooner or later. While doing so, we shouldn’t be ignorant of any of our internal matters. We can’t afford to have internal matters that negatively affect our deals with our client companies.”

“Let’s say we would receive a huge volume of product orders in the electronics field. If that happens, do we have enough production capacity to handle it?”

“We can work day and night with our current machines. Or, since we have enough space in the backyard, we can build another production site there.”

“I’m more concerned with manpower rather than space. I wonder if our research center would be able to handle the work under the circumstance, also if we have enough workers.”

“It would depend on the types of product orders. If the product is hard to develop, it will take time and maybe we will even need more researchers. But, if the new product order doesn’t require us to develop a new product but use the existing product, then we can handle a high volume of production.”

Silence filled the air for a moment.

Gun-Ho continued to say, “You know of A Electronics, right?”

“Of course. A Electronics is the core company in A Group. Everyone knows of A Electronics.”

“It’s possible that we will receive a product order from them, like a huge volume of product order. It’s sort of too early for me to say, but I think you should be aware of the possibility, Mr. President Song.”

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Chapter 545 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (4) – Part 2

Chapter 545: A Group’s Secret Proposal (4) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was talking with GH Mobile’s President Jang-Hwan Song in his office.

“Oh, that’s right. Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Park is the son-in-law of A Group’s chairman, and he presided over your wedding.”

President Song looked at Gun-Ho with an anxious look on his face.

“This is top-secret for now, but there will be some changes in our shares.”

“Oh, is that right?”

President Song’s eyes widened.

“I will give you more details as things are unfolded further.”

“I understand, sir. I will now get back to work then.”

President Song gave a light node to Gun-Ho before leaving the office.

Gun-Ho made a call to A Electronics’ CEO Park.

“I’ve made my decision. I will accept your proposal. I’d like to have the contract signed for the product order first.”

“You made the right decision, Mr. President Goo. I will arrange meetings for the product order. I will inform A Electronics’ chief officer of the research center in Suwon City and the executive officer of the purchasing department in Dangjin City. I want you to send your GH Mobile’s executive officer in charge and the research center’s chief officer to us tomorrow.”

“I will do that.”

Gun-Ho made a call to President Song who just left Gun-Ho’s office.

“Mr. President Song, you will probably need to meet people from A Electronics tomorrow, like their research center’s chief officer from Suwon City location and their executive officer in the purchasing department from the factory in Danjin City. Once I receive the confirmation for the meeting, I will let you know.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho called for the research center’s chief officer— Mr. Joon-Soo Oh.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

“Please have a seat. You know of A Electronics, right?”

“Of course, sir. I know several people in their research center as well.”

“We might be able to get some product orders from them.”

“Is that right?”

“They will let us know by tomorrow. If they decide to give us a deal, please visit their company with Mr. President Song.”

“People say that they have the best testing devices in Korea. If I get an opportunity to visit their site, I will take a look at them.”

Gun-Ho received a call from A Electronics’ CEO Park who was working in their head office in Euljiro.

“Please have your personnel visit our research center in Suwon City by 10 am tomorrow. I already talked with the research center’s chief officer. He will be expecting them. I’ve arranged the meeting with Mr. Director of the purchasing department in Dangjin City at 2 pm tomorrow as well. He is the director of the purchasing department and also the plant manager.”

“Okay.”

“Our research center’s chief officer will give you the product drawings of the newly developed products, and you can get their molds from the plant manager of the factory in Danjin City. Right before we make our contract for the products, the investigators from our company will visit your factory.”

“Of course. I understand that.”

Gun-Ho gave a call to President Song.

“The meeting with A Electronics’ research center’s chief officer is set to 10 am tomorrow. You will need to visit their research center in Suwon City. And, at 2 pm, you will need to meet with the plant manager of their factory in Dangjin City. He is also the director of their purchasing department.”

“Okay, sir.”

“Take our research center’s chief officer— Director Joon-Soo Oh— with you.”

“Okay, sir. And, I’d like to bring Director Jong-Suk Park when we visit their factory in Dangjin City.”

“Director Jong-Suk Park? What about Manager Chang-Hoon Seo in the sales department?”

“Director Jong-Suk Park is an expert in the technical field. I think I will need him there.”

“Okay, then. Go with him.”

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“Thank you Gun-Ho for buying a car for my husband.”

“Did you buy one?”

“We will make the purchase contract tomorrow.”

“Do you know which car you want?”

“Yeah. We will get a K7.”

“Good.”

“My husband is a successful man now because of his brother-in-law. Thank you so much, Gun-Ho.”

“If GH Logistics generates a good income, that would be good for both of us. And, I’m so glad that the company is being run by my sister and brother-in-law who I trust.”

“I’ve talked with my husband, and we decided to use one car to commute. We will leave my Sonata at the company so I can use the car whenever my husband is out of office to meet with a client or something.”

“Sounds good.”

“President Moon left already, right?”

“Yeah. He said he wouldn’t come here again.”

“Did you ask him all the questions you had? Do you think you can handle the work?”

“Yeah, President Moon explained them all. I think I can do it. I remember that I used to explain things to him when he asked me something for his homework when we were in school. And, I tapped his head with a meter stick whenever he didn’t understand things. Now, the roles are reversed, and he is the one who is teaching me. Hahaha.”

“Is your husband with you now?”

“A neighbor came over, and he is talking with him in another room. He is the owner of an auto repair shop nearby.”

“An auto repair shop?”

“My husband inquired about maintenance and testing service that they provide the other day. And he came over himself to talk further about it, knowing that we are a new transportation company here.”

“I see.”

“According to my husband, we need to have our freight trucks receive a test every year if they have been used for business, and if they were more than two years old. Once they become five years old, it is required to have them tested every six months.”

“He had been working in a transportation company for a long while. I guess he is an expert in that field. But, he can choose the testing site close to the workplace where those trucks are dispatched.”

“That’s true. But, he said that sometimes he just needs to know the overall condition of the vehicles. So, when a truck is available without work, then he would have it tested.”

“You know how to handle the Four Major Public Insurance, right?”

“Yeah. There is an information liaison center for the Four Major Public Insurance. They handle the acquisition and loss of the qualification.”

“Really?”

“Since we don’t hire or terminate workers that often, there is not much work in that field.”

“I see.”

“I’ve organized the statements for the expenses and their receipts in a sequence of dates. I will need to take it to the tax accountant office later. You don’t mind me changing to another tax accountant office in the area, do you?”

“Not at all. Do as you feel more comfortable. Except for the work that is related to my investment, I don’t get involved in an operating company. Do you like working with your husband? You now have to see him at home and also at work every day.”

“Well, there are good days and bad days. You know what? Some of the truck drivers here are old colleagues of my husband.”

“Really?”

“One of our truck drivers visited the office earlier for the paperwork related to his dependent of his medical insurance. He was from Eumseong Town. When he saw my husband, he looked surprised and said, ‘Bro, what are you doing here?’”

“Haha, really?”

“When he told him that he would be running the company from now, that truck driver looked excited. He asked my husband to have a drink.”

“Well, your husband had been in the transportation industry for quite a while. It doesn’t surprise me if he encounters familiar faces while working there. It seems that the work is a perfect fit for him.”

“You know, the land that we leased through Onbid is so huge that I think I will install a patio umbrella there with a table and chairs, you know, those light plastic chairs that are often used by a convenience store. Do you think I can do some barbecue there with our truck drivers sometimes?”

“Haha. Well, it’s up to you, sister.”

“Do you know what Jeong-Ah said when I told her that her daddy is now the president of a company?”

“What did she say? She likes it, huh?”

“That kid said, ‘my uncle probably made it happen.’”

“Hmm, really? Kids pick up things very quickly. I guess we need to be careful in talking when she is around.”

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Chapter 546 - Indemnity Report of Supply (1) – Part 1

Chapter 546: Indemnity Report of Supply (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to work at his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

His secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— brought steamed rice cakes to the office.

“What is this?”

“The lady who is running the book café on the rooftop brought these to us. She gave some to GH Media downstairs as well.”

“Really?”

“She also gave them to the machine room in the basement where Team Lead Jeong is working at.”

“What’s the occasion? It must be a good thing.”

Gun-Ho pretended that he had no idea why the “lady” in the book café distributed rice cakes.

“It’s probably so.”

Gun-Ho went up to the rooftop. It had been a while since the last time he went up there.

Ever since the rooftop was rebuilt as a green resting area with a subsidy provided by Seoul City, it became one of the favorite resting spots for the young workers in the building where they spent time for a cigarette or having a cup of coffee in the book café. The book café hadn’t really been used for a reading place among the workers who were working at one of the companies occupying the building, but most of them came to have a cup of coffee. That enabled the book café to make a good income. Every single penny that the book café made was being deposited in GH Media’s bank account.

Since it was morning time, there were not many people in the book café. There were two men, who seemed to be the workers working at one of the companies in the building, smoking a cigarette. They looked younger than Gun-Ho, maybe about 30 years old. Jae-Sik Moon’s wife was doing some cleaning in the book café.

When she saw Gun-Ho entering the book café, she looked surprised, and then she smiled and greeted him.

“Hi.”

“Thank you for the rice cakes that you sent to our office.”

Jae-Sik’s wife used to avoid eye contact with Gun-Ho by lowering her head, but now she was different. She even smiled at Gun-Ho when she talked with him. Even her appearance looked different. Her skin had improved. A person’s financial capability seemed to affect that person’s physical appearance.

She said, “I was told that you had helped us a lot in preparing our wedding. Thank you.”

“I haven’t done much. You don’t need to thank me for it.”

“Also, I learned later that you came to our wedding with your wife. I do really appreciate it.”

“Of course. My wife and I had to attend your wedding to congratulate you. Oh, by the way, is Mr. President Moon leaving for China tomorrow?”

“Yes, he is.”

“And you are leaving probably within two or three months, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that is the plan.”

“Life in China will be very different from the one here. You will face lots of challenging things in your daily life. They speak a different language, for example. Also, foods and weather are very different from here. Well, you will experience a lot of interesting things as well. You will have fun as well.”

“I guess I will get ready to adapt to the new environment by the time for me to leave.”

“So, you are planning to give birth in China? I’m not sure about the quality of their medical service. The area you are going to is a provincial city in the west.”

“I have a friend in China. According to her, they have a high-end hospital for foreigners.”

“Oh, really? That’s good to know.”

Jae-Sik once told Gun-Ho that his wife used to write poems. Knowing the fact and talking with her for a moment, Gun-Ho realized that she was an intelligent woman. Gun-Ho was sure that Jae-Sik and his wife would succeed in China.

“Mr. President Moon is a very smart man. He has helped me a lot. And, you— Mrs. Moon— have been running the book café very well. I’m very confident that Mr. President Moon and you will do great in China. I have no doubt about it.”

“Oh, thank you. Hahaha.”

Jae-Sik’s wife laughed while covering her mouth with her hand.

Gun-Ho came back to his office on the 18th floor. He was eating a piece of the steamed rice cakes when President Shin entered his office.

“Mr. President Goo, you seem to be very busy lately. It’s hard to see you these days.”

“Yes, I’ve been busy recently.”

“We’ve just printed out our second costume play magazine for the month of August.”

“It’s not even August yet, but you’ve already printed it?”

“Magazines usually come out ahead of time.”

“How did we do with the July edition? How many did we sell?”

“We sold 3,500 of them. It’s a big success for a magazine business.”

“Really?”

“The August magazine contains many of the photos that Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda took. Also, we will offer a postcard with some costume play pictures on it to every buyer of our magazine. Also, I placed an advertisement in the magazine for our book— the series of world history cartoons— which is an already-proved bestseller by Amazon.com. I used a full page for this advertisement and in color. I really like that we could place an advertisement in the magazine without paying for it. Hahaha.”

“Do you think the children— our main readers— can afford to buy those expensive books?”

“Not them, but their parents will buy those books for them. Their parents will see the advertisement and will buy the books so their children can learn world history by reading the cartoons.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Sir, your parents must have bought you some educational cartoon books when you were little, haven’t they?”

“My parents? They couldn’t afford it since they had to work hard to make a living while I was growing up.”

Gun-Ho continued to talk, “It seems that the art gallery in the basement is closed. Don’t we have any art exhibitions in progress?”

“It’s a summer vacation season. Once the weather becomes a bit cooler, we will have an art exhibition with three experimental artists. We will also present installation art as well.”

“Installation art?”

“I’m sure that it will draw a lot of attention from the public with a unique presentation of spaces. The art exhibition will be aiming at expressing the female sex culture that had been suppressed, using various objects. They want people to recognize the different angles to it.”

Gun-Ho almost asked President Shin what the object was, but he decided against it. He didn’t want President Shin to think that he had been so ignorant that he didn’t even know what object it was.

“Does it mean that all of those experimental artists are female?”

“That’s correct. Those female artists all have a strong propensity for feminism.”

“Do we have a target market for that kind of artworks?”

“We might or might not have one.”

“Well, I don’t quite understand the art world. I’m just hoping that the art exhibition will make another success.”

After taking a sip of her green tea, President Shin said, “It was really nice to see you and Young-Eun at President Moon’s wedding the other day. You two looked very good together.”

“Thank you.”

“But I couldn’t find you two afterwards. After finishing my meal, I looked for you, and you two disappeared.”

“Haha. We quickly finished our meal and headed to Yeonan Pier.”

“I see.”

“I will soon be a father.”

“What? Oh, my gosh. Is it true?”

“Yes. Young-Eun had an ultrasound the other day and received the confirmation that she is pregnant. She is two months pregnant.”

“Young-Eun is still a baby to me, and I can’t believe that she will have her own! Congratulations, Mr. President Goo.”

“Thank you.”

“We can’t just let this day pass like a usual day. I want you to buy me lunch.”

“Haha. Sure, I will buy you lunch. Let’s meet at the sushi restaurant across the street at noon.”

“Okay, I will be there. Oh, I will come with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda.”

When Gun-Ho finished two daily morning newspapers in his air-conditioned office, it was already almost noon. At that moment, he received a call from GH Mobile’s President Jang-Hwan Song.

“I just came back from the meeting with A Electronics’ research center’s chief officer in Suwon City.”

“Oh, you did?”

“We received six product drawings from him.”

“Did you say six product drawings? That’s a lot.”

“Even though there are six of them, all of the six products are very similar to each other. They only vary in size and length. They are all special ring products.”

“Are they urethane-related products?”

“No, sir. They are elastomer materials.”

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Chapter 547 - Indemnity Report of Supply (1) – Part 2

Chapter 547: Indemnity Report of Supply (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was talking with GH Mobile’s President Jang-Hwan Song on the phone about the products that A Electronics requested.

“How many products do they want?”

“He was not sure about the volume of the product order because his job is not directly involved with product order. Since they are a research center, they only get involved in determining whether the product can be made or not.”

“Hmm, really?”

“He suggested talking with the plant manager of the factory in Dangjin City or Changwon City about the number of products and their prices.”

“I guess his part is to conduct a testing on the sample product that we will make.”

“I think so.”

“Who’s going to pay for the product molds then?”

“He said they will pay for them.”

“Hmm, really? You went there with our research center’s chief officer— Mr. Director Oh, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“What did Mr. Director Oh say?”

“He said that it won’t be difficult to make those products.”

“Okay, then. Good job.”

“A Electronics’ chief officer of the research center seemed to be excited to see our Director Oh. He said that he always wanted to meet with one of the people who obtained their Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany and who were in the automobile industry. In doing some research work, there seemed to be things that they could help each other with.”

“I see. That’s good.”

“After lunch, we will head to their factory in Dangjin City right away. I will let you know once I meet with their plant manager.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho left his office for the lunch appointment with President Shin a bit later than noon because of the phone call from President Song. When Gun-Ho came down to the first floor at the building entrance, President Shin and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda were waiting for him.

“I’m so sorry that I came down late. I had an important call that I had to take.”

“You said that we are going to the sushi restaurant across the street, right, sir?”

“Yes.”

The three people crossed the street and walked toward the alley in the direction of Nonhyeon Town. When they sat at the table at the sushi restaurant, Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda said, “This restaurant reminds me of Japan every time I come here.”

“Is it so? Please have sushi as much as you please.”

The first dish that came out was sliced raw flatfish. Gun-Ho dipped the piece of raw fish in a wasabi in soy sauce and put it in his mouth. It felt like it was melting in his mouth.

While having their sushi, Gun-Ho asked Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, “How do you know Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi in Akasaka, Tokyo?”

“It has been more than twenty years since I first met her. The day when I was assigned for the position as a newspaper correspondent in Korea, I went to that Korean restaurant. I wanted to experience some Korean culture before I leave for Korea, and the Korean restaurant seemed to be the right place to start it. That restaurant was a newly opened restaurant at that time.”

“Really?”

“When I went there, I was astonished.”

“For what?”

“I was astonished by the beauty of Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi. She is now an old lady, but twenty years ago, she was an amazingly beautiful woman. Lots of men went to the restaurant to see her in the old days.”

President Shin who was sitting at the table asked, “Who is Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi?”

“She is a Korean lady owner president who is running a Korean restaurant in Tokyo. I believe that she is about the same age as you, Ms. President Shin.”

Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda continued his talk while having his sushi with seaweed, “Whenever I stay in Tokyo and when I have a guest from Korea, that restaurant was my first pick to go, and I went there pretty often. The newspaper that I worked for at that time did the marketing for that restaurant as well. That way, I became close to her.”

When Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda mentioned Tokyo, that reminded Gun-Ho of Mori Aikko.

‘Since the weather is still too hot, she probably doesn’t do her dance performance as much. What is she doing these days? When the weather becomes cooler, will she participate in Aki Matsuri (Fall Festival)?’

Noticing that Gun-Ho was lost in thought for a moment, President Shin said while placing a vegetable salad in front of Gun-Ho, “What are you thinking, sir? Please have some salad.”

“Huh? Oh, oh sure.”

Gun-Ho was thinking of asking Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda if he knew of Mama-san Segawa Joonkko, and then he decided against it. He didn’t want to take a risk revealing his relationship with Mori Aikko, especially to President Shin.

Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda said while picking up a piece of shrimp sushi, “Oh, I talked with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo the other day. He wanted to treat you both, Mr. President Goo and Ms. President Shin when you have a chance to visit Japan. He was very happy with the earnings that he made with his art exhibition here.”

“Haha, really?”

After lunch, Gun-Ho came back to his office. After having a cup of coffee in his office, he fell asleep. When his secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— came in the office to pick up the empty cup, Gun-Ho was already deep in sleep. His neck was weirdly folded to the side. Yeon-Soo Oh walked backwards to the front door trying not to make any sound.

Around thirty minutes later, Gun-Ho woke up feeling thirsty. He found a bottle of the beverage— Vita 500— under his desk. It was from a tenant company. Director Kang had brought a box of Vita 500 to Gun-Ho the other day saying that a new tenant dropped it to the office.

While having the beverage, Gun-Ho looked at the box of Vita 500 and thought, “If I fill this box with 50,000 won bills, how much would it hold?”

That thought often popped up in Gun-Ho’s head whenever he saw a box of Vita 500.

Gun-Ho made a call to his mother in Guweol Town, Incheon City.

“Mom? What are you doing?”

“I’m watching TV. One of my favorite soap operas is being re-aired right now.”

“Mom, Young-Eun is pregnant.”

“Young-Eun? Who is Young-Eun?”

“You don’t know Young-Eun, mom? She is your daughter-in-law.”

“What? Your wife is pregnant?”

“Yeah. She already verified her pregnancy by having an ultrasound. She is about two months pregnant according to an ob-gyn.”

“Really? Really? Finally, you will be a father. Hahaha.”

“She is doing okay. She has no morning sickness or anything like that yet.”

“She will start it soon. You have to be good to her, especially during her pregnancy. The best thing that you could do for your wife is to stay with her. That’s what most women want.”

“Really?”

“Just focus on her well-being, both physical and emotional. If she wants to eat something, you should get it for her. Don’t let her do any hard physical work. Tell her to be extra careful when she drives.”

“She can take care of herself.”

“No, you can’t just leave it to her. You have to actively help her. Oh, my goodness. I will soon have my own grandchild.”

“Well, mom, I just wanted to let you know that. I have to go now. I will call you later.”

It didn’t take even thirty minutes until Gun-Ho received another call from his sister.

“Your wife is pregnant, huh?”

“News indeed flies fast, huh? Her ultrasound test said so. We are not 100% sure yet.”

“If the ultrasound said so, then she is pregnant. Your wife now becomes a mother.”

“Haha, I think so.”

“Tell her that she is welcome to the club, and give her my congratulations. I will send her Mom’s Package.”

“Mom’s Package? What is it?”

“It’s a box containing all sorts of things related to infant care. You will find things from wet tissues to dried seaweed to towels and stuff. Oh, you will find a children’s storybook as well, that is supposed to be used for prenatal education.”

“Oh, that kind of thing can be found in the market, huh? People are so smart. It seems that people’s business skills and ideas are evolving every day.”

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Chapter 548 - Indemnity Report of Supply (2) – Part 1

Chapter 548: Indemnity Report of Supply (2) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho was getting ready to get off work that day, he received a call from President Song.

“I just finished my meeting with the plant manager at A Electronics’ factory in Dangjin City.”

“Well done. What did he say?”

“He gave us several product molds. Since these molds are owned by A Electronics’ factory in the Danjin City location, they leased them to us. He asked us to make a few sample products using them first.”

“What about the volume of their product orders and their prices?”

“He said that since these products are the parts of their exporting products, they would need a high volume of them. They will probably need 100,000 pieces per each product on a monthly basis. There are five different products.”

“Really?”

“Their unit price is in the range between 4,500 and 6,500 won. This price is from last year, so we should expect a bit higher unit price reflecting the increased labor cost. And, I want to recalculate it to see how much we should expect if we use the raw materials from Dyeon Korea.”

“So, since there are five of them, we will be making around 2 to 3 billion won per month.”

“It would be 2.75 billion won to be exact.”

“That will make 33 billion won per year. Wow, that’s great.”

“Since we already have the molds for these products, we can produce the sample products even tomorrow. Once we bring the sample products to them, they will perform a test on them. Once they do, they will send their personnel to us to look around our factory. We can sign the supply contract afterward.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Some of these products require assembly work with the parts manufactured by another A Electronics’ designated company. According to Director Jong-Suk Park, who was with me during the meeting, we don’t need to outsource this assembly work, but we can organize an assembly team within our factory and do the assembly work ourselves. That way, we would be able to produce those products faster.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“For the moment, Director Jong-Suk Park undertook the sample product production, and he will bring them to A Electronics once they are ready. It was a good idea that I went there with Director Park. He quickly figured out the cause of their defective products previously supplied by their former vendor company. He said that the bubbles on those parts were created during the refrigeration step. The problem was that they refrigerated them when the parts were still at a high temperature. Manager Chang-Hoon Seo in the sales department wouldn’t have figured that out.”

“Good job.”

Gun-Ho had a class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University in the evening. He loaded his car with 40 pieces of rice cakes and 40 healthy drinks. The total number of students in the class was 20, but since they were all high-ranking workers in their field, they were all accompanied by their chauffeurs. So, he had to count their chauffeurs when he prepared snacks for the class.

“Chan-Ho, take this bag with you, and you distribute them to the chauffeurs who accompany the students. They will probably feel bored and slightly hungry while standing by.”

“Thank you, sir. As a matter of fact, I usually do feel hungry. The class ends after 9 pm, and I start feeling hungry at around 8 pm. These rice cakes are very tender, and the wrappings look luxurious.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the classroom, Minister Jin-Woo Lee was at his desk already. Thinking of the deal he made with A Electronics’ CEO Park to support Minister Lee’s political activities, Gun-Ho looked at his face. Minister Lee knew Gun-Ho was there, but he didn’t say anything but kept clearing his throat. That was it.

He didn’t mention a thing about A Electronics. Gun-Ho couldn’t ask him about it either. As far as he knew, Minister Lee wouldn’t admit his acknowledgment about the deal even if he was aware of it. Even though Gun-Ho asked him directly about it, he would utterly deny his knowledge about the deal. Moreover, he would possibly call it off since Gun-Ho didn’t keep his words about keeping the deal strictly between A Electronics’ CEO Park and himself.

‘Politicians are highly intelligent and smart. I have to be careful in dealing with them.’

Gun-Ho also cleared his throat as if he responded to Minister Lee’s reaction.

When he found it not fun exchanging drying coughs constantly with Minister Lee, he talked to him, “It was hot today, wasn’t it?”

Minister Lee responded, “I know. I was hoping that it would rain today to cool it down a bit.”

At that moment, Attorney Young-Jin Kim from Kim & Jeong Law Firm poked Gun-Ho in the side with a pen and said, “You are not going to China these days?”

Attorney Kim had no idea what was going on with all those dry coughing between Gun-Ho and Minister Lee.

“No, I haven’t been there lately, and I have no plan to go anytime soon,” Gun-Ho answered.

“What about Jien Wang and Seukang Li? Have you heard from them recently?”

“No, nothing.”

“You were thinking of doing a terminal business there, aren’t you? How is it going?”

“The person who would be in charge of the joint venture business there is leaving for China tomorrow. I decided to make my investment there.”

When the first class was over, Gun-Ho handed out the rice cakes and healthy drinks to the class. When they had started taking classes together in the beginning, the class was usually quiet since they were not close to each other. Now, it had been eight months already, and they were making lots of jokes to each other, and the classroom was always filled with noise, especially during the break. Their favorite topic for a conversation was about health. That was probably because most of them were over 50s, and they were all interested in keeping themselves healthy and energetic like their old days.

“Our class manager brought rice cakes today.”

“Is it okay for him to buy us the rice cakes this often? It could cost him a fortune. Do we have to worry about him going broke? I know he is wealthy enough, but I feel sorry that we get free food from him all the time.”

After a while, when Gun-Ho started making a round while holding a trash bag to collect the trash, Minister Jin-Wook Lee walked to the front of the class, and he said, “Can I have your attention, please. I have an announcement to make.”

“Be quiet. Our class president is now talking.”

Minister Lee continued to talk, “We have Minister of ooo here sitting in the first row, who is always quiet and has lots of grey hairs. His daughter is getting married soon. Let’s give him a big round of applause in congratulating him.”

“Oh, really?”

“I wonder if his daughter has grey hairs too.”

“Hahaha.”

A congressman teased the minister.

Minister Lee handed a bunch of wedding invitations to Gun-Ho and said, “Please distribute these to the class.”

Gun-Ho began to hand out the wedding invitations to the class. Since many of the students there were in their mid or late 50s, they often saw someone’s daughter’s wedding rather than someone’s son’s wedding.

Minister Jin-Woo Lee added, “Umm, it had been eight months already since we studied together.”

A mischievous minister chipped in, “Did we study here? We’ve been actually having fun here for the past eight months.”

Gun-Ho could hear people laughing here and there.

Minister Lee didn’t seem to mind some stupid comments, and he continued to talk, “Ever since I undertook this position as a class president, I don’t believe that I have done much for the class. And also… after about four months, we will graduate by obtaining our certificate for this course. By then, we won’t have a class or anything where we could see each other. I want this class to go on like friends. Even though we are too busy to be at one place frequently, I’m suggesting meeting maybe once or twice per year. We can get together sometimes and talk about how things go in our lives while having a drink. What do you all think?”

“I’m in!”

“That is the best thing that you have ever said ever since you became our class president.”

The students clapped.

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Chapter 549 - Indemnity Report of Supply (2) – Part 2

Chapter 549: Indemnity Report of Supply (2) – Part 2

“We will need to decide the name of our regular gathering then. Give me your ideas. What about ‘Class 00 of Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University’?”

One congressman objected.

“That name is too long to call. Moreover, it doesn’t look good if we keep mentioning the name of Seoul National University even though it is our nation’s top university. I actually graduated from Korea University. I don’t want others to think that I’m trying to pretend that I went to Seoul National University, after taking a one-year course.”

“Then what name would be appropriate?”

“Since it’s located close to Gwanak Mountain, let’s call it Gwanak Forum.”

“Gwanak Forum? That sounds nice. Do we have any other suggestions?”

“I like the name—Gwanak Forum.”

Many people seemed to like the name—Gwanak Forum—and they started clapping to show that they wanted that name.

“Umm, Okay. We will call our gathering as Gwanak Forum then. Who do we want to be its president and manager?”

“We don’t need to conduct another election for it. We can simply keep our current class president and class manager for our gathering.”

“Of course. Once he is a president, he will always be our president. And once he is a class manager, he will always be our class manager.”

“Let’s give them a round of applause.”

That way, Gun-Ho became the manager of Gwanak Forum.

It was Friday. Young-Eun came home at the condo in TowerPalace. It seemed that Young-Eun was indeed pregnant. She started showing symptoms of pregnancy. Gun-Ho could see some freckles on her face. She couldn’t eat much. She sometimes felt nausea.

“Don’t you feel hot here? Maybe I should turn on our air conditioner.”

“Don’t. I can’t risk catching a cold now. The air conditioner is not good for our health anyway.”

“Well, then let’s have a watermelon in the living room while enjoying a breeze from an electric fan. You can eat watermelon, right?”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun sat on a sofa in the living room and had a watermelon while watching TV. Gun-Ho rubbed Young-Eun’s belly.

“Did it get bigger?”

“I don’t know yet. Don’t touch it.”

“You don’t feel it getting bigger? Let me rub your calf.”

Gun-Ho gave a massage to Young-Eun by rubbing her calf while Young-Eun enjoyed the watermelon and Gun-Ho’s massage.

“Honey!”

“Did you just call me honey? That gives me goosebumps!”

“Young-Eun, once you give birth, you won’t be able to stay in the condo in Myeongryoon Town even during the weekdays. You will have to move into this home completely.”

“I know that.”

“I think that you will need someone to take care of you and our baby. If your mother could, that would have been great, but since she is not here, maybe I should ask my mom to come and stay with us for a while. What do you think?”

“I won’t feel completely comfortable staying with your mother. I was thinking of asking my aunt in Yangpyeong County or my dad to stay with us.”

“Did you already tell your dad in Sillim Town and your aunt in Yangpyeong County?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“They were happy to hear that, weren’t they?”

“Did you tell your parents in Guweol Town as well?”

“Yeah, I did too.”

“What did they say?”

“My parents were so happy that they would soon have their grandchild. They even danced in joy. Also, I received a call from my sister. She wanted to congratulate us.”

“Really? By the way, oppa, I feel so sleepy.”

“Sure. Let me make the bed for you. Give me one second.”

After Gun-Ho made the bed for Young-Eun in the master bedroom, Young-Eun lied down on the bed wearing her pajamas. Gun-Ho quickly changed to his pajamas and joined her on the bed. When Gun-Ho held Young-Eun and gave her a kiss and tried to undress her, Young-Eun quickly stopped him.

“No! I’m pregnant. You’d better sleep in another room!”

“It’s okay. You are in early pregnancy. You don’t have to be sensitive about it just yet.”

“My answer is still no. We’d better be extra careful. Let’s sleep separately.”

“Well, what can I say?!”

Gun-Ho picked up his pillow and came to another room while mumbling. While lying down on the bed by himself, he couldn’t easily fall asleep. He couldn’t dispel the thought of Young-Eun’s tender skin.

‘Hmm, this is why, in the old days, many men had their concubines. What am I going to do during her entire pregnancy? I will have to wait for several months. Maybe I should go to see Mori Aikko. Or, should I contact Seol-Bing? Will it be okay for me to see another woman while my wife is pregnant?’

Gun-Ho finally fell asleep while thinking of what he could do during Young-Eun’s pregnancy.

It was Monday, and Gun-Ho went to work at GH Building in Sinsa Town. Chan-Ho Eum asked him, “I thought that today was the day when you go to work in Jiksan Town, isn’t it?”

“We can go there in the afternoon. I have something that I need to take care of here.”

Gun-Ho went up to his office on the 18th floor. He then asked for Assistant Manager Hong who was doing accounting work there.

“Please have a seat.”

Assistant Manager Hong sat in front of Gun-Ho holding a pen and a paper.

“I recently sold a piece of real estate. I think I should file for capital gain tax.”

“Is it sold by a company or an individual?”

“My company sold that real estate.”

“Then you should have your tax accountant office that you’ve been working with for that company’s matters. Since that office must know well about your company, I think it’s better to do that tax filing with that office.”

“The thing is that the tax account office moved to somewhere far. My company is a transportation company called GH Logistics. It’s a small company. It used to be in Seonghwan City, and now it moved to Siheung City. Since you have a tax accountant license, I wanted to hear your opinion on this.”

“When did you buy it and sell it?”

“It started with a 1,000 pyung land for GH Logistics. And then later, the company purchased two additional adjacent farmlands. One is 1,500 pyung large, and the other one is 2,600 pyung large. Those two lands were farmlands, and when the company purchased them, they were already converted to a non-agricultural use, so they could be used for a factory.”

While Gun-Ho explained the situation, Assistant Manager Hong was busy taking a note.

“And recently, the company sold the entire land completely, including the initial real estate and two additional lands that were converted for factory use.”

“So, you sold a 5,100 pyung large land.”

“That’s correct. I sold it for 6.5 billion won.”

“Whoa! 6.5 billion won! Did the purchase and sales transactions happen in the same year?”

“That’s correct. I purchased and sold them in the same year.”

“Then you won’t be eligible for the long-term holders’ benefits.”

“I think so. I’m not asking you to file it yourself, but you probably know someone good at this kind of filing for capital gains. I want you to find someone very good and let him or her take care of it. My pay for the work will be very generous.”

“I do have someone popping up in my mind. She passed the exam for a tax accountant license in the same year as me. She is working at a tax accountant office now. I can ask her for it.”

“Did you say that she passed the exam in the same year as you? Then maybe she might not have enough experience to handle it well.”

“Haha, it’s not just my friend who will work on your case. The office where she is working for has tax accountants with extensive work experience in the field. They will work together.”

“I see. Well, then please talk with her, and let me know.”

Gun-Ho then handed over a large and heavy envelope to Assistant Manager Hong.

“They will find all relevant documents here for past transactions. Please review them well, and if necessary, get the most recent land registration for each real estate involved. You will find their addresses in there as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

Assistant Manager Hong quietly left Gun-Ho’s office, holding the large envelope that Gun-Ho gave to him.

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Chapter 550 - Indemnity Report of Supply (3) – Part 1

Chapter 550: Indemnity Report of Supply (3) – Part 1

After finishing his work at GH Building in Sinsa Town, Gun-Ho headed to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town in that afternoon. On the way to GH Mobile in his car, he received a text message from Jae-Sik Moon from China. He sent Antang City’s transportation company’s bank account number with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. After receiving the text message, he got a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“President Goo? Did you get my text? I just sent you the bank account number of Antang City’s transportation company.”

“Yes, I did.”

“You can send the investment funds to that account.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Today was my first day at work. I went to Antang City’s transportation company and had a meeting with their executive officers.”

“Really? You went there with your interpreter, didn’t you?”

“Of course. I’m with her right now. Min-Heyok came to Shanghai City and introduced her to me, and then we came to Guizhou Province together. I can’t go anywhere in this country without her company.”

“Where did you sleep last night?”

“They reserved a hotel room for me, and Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo stayed at a Chodaeso (similar to a motel in Korea). She already found a place to live, and I paid for it. Its monthly rent is 100,000 won with a security deposit of 300,000 won.”

“That’s cheap, meaning that it must be in a very Chinese style.”

“Since they haven’t received investment funds from us, the joint venture company is not officially organized yet. There is only a preparatory committee. The Chinese people call it ‘a preliminary committee,’ instead of ‘a preparatory committee,’ which sounds funny to me. They brought me my business card today, and it indicates my current title as ‘Jooim’ of Preparatory Committee. I don’t know… it sounds weird.”

Jae-Sik giggled.

When Jae-Sik mentioned the word ‘Jooim,’ Gun-Ho recalled the days when he had worked for a small company called Bangil Gas in Yangju City. It was already five years ago. The owner president of Bangil Gas, who was now running a hardware store, used to call Gun-Ho as “Jooim Goo.” If it was a manager or a team lead, that would have sounded natural to Gun-Ho. But, it was “Jooim” which sounded so obsolete that it might have been a common job title a long time ago like during the Japanese colonial period. And that made Gun-Ho giggle at that time, just like how Jae-Sik was reacting right now.

“You know what? The job title, ‘Jooim’ is a very high position in China. It would probably be equivalent to ‘Chairman’ in Korea. The position of Jooim of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is an extremely high-ranking position. I just want you to know that.”

“Haha, I got it. Oh, you know what? Remember Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy? You know that Korean Chinese man. He came to the meeting today as the interpreter for our Chinese business partner. He will join us whenever the preparatory committee has a meeting.”

“Really? That’s nice.”

“So, I have a dinner appointment today with Mr. Choi and Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo. We three will meet this evening.”

“Did you eat with the Chinese business partner as well?”

“Yes, I did. On my first day in China, the terminal company’s president, and the planning manager arranged a dinner.”

“The head of the transportation department and the deputy mayor didn’t come, did they?”

“No, they didn’t. When I asked about them, they said that those two will come when you—President Goo—visit us. I guess they have some sort of rules in treating their guests.”

“Really?”

I don’t have any office or desk yet. For now, I’m supposed to attend the meeting like two or three times per week, and I can enjoy the rest of the days for a tour or something.”

“Is that so?”

“They even suggested taking me to Huanglong as part of my sightseeing. One of the staffs of their planning department will pick me up tomorrow.”

“Until they receive the investment funds, that would be how it is. They are very careful people. They will proceed with the project step by step as they receive the investment funds.”

“Hmm, it seems like they would.”

“Well, when they show you around, just enjoy it and have fun.”

“Haha, I will.”

“Tomorrow, I will send 50,000 dollars to Zhongfang (Chinese side) only as preparatory funds. They will probably be able to retrieve the funds two or three days later though. Once I send the funds, I will send their receipt to them via fax. Please text me later with their fax number.”

“Okay, I will do that. When I heard of the word ‘Zhongfang’ and ‘Hanfang (Korean side)’ from Chinese people here, I thought they were talking about oriental medicines or something. And, when I found out those mean the Chinese side and Korean side, I laughed out loud by myself.”

Jae-Sik Moon giggled while talking.

“You are already learning things. Haha,” Gun-Ho responded.

Jae-Sik’s reaction reminded Gun-Ho of his old self when he had started his first joint venture in China for Jinxi Industrial Complex in Kunshan City. Gun-Ho also, at that time, thought of oriental medicines whenever he heard the Chinese people saying the word ‘Hanfang.’ It sounded like some sort of the name of oriental medicines spoken mostly in Gyeongdong Market where lots of medicinal herbs were being sold.

When Gun-Ho went to GH Mobile, President Song was not in the office; so was Jong-Suk Park. His secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—brought a cup of green tea to Gun-Ho’s office, and she said, “Mr. President Song and Mr. Director Jong-Suk Park went to A Electronics’ factory in Dangjin City this morning. It seems that they loaded the car with something.”

“Hmm, really? Was it only the two of them going there this morning?”

“No, Mr. Manager Chang-Hoon Seo from the sales department left with them as well.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

“I guess they were taking the sample products to A Electronics’ factory.”

Gun-Ho called for the chief officer of the research center through the interphone.

“I was told that you had visited A Electronics’ research center in Suwon City the other day.”

“Yes, sir. We received their product drawings of five different products.”

“We can produce them, can’t we?”

“Yes, sir. We can produce them without any difficulty. We have already produced the samples of their three products out of five. We are testing the samples right now.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“Because these will be used as part of their exporting products, we are conducting UV radiation and solar thermal tests on them. We will also perform acids and bases tests as well.”

“Bases tests?”

“Yes, in shipping the products, they will be exposed to the hot weather and bases from the ocean through the sea breeze for several days. We will have to consider every possible way that could cause discoloration on the products. If any part of their products is found being melted or corroded while being shipped, we will receive a product claim following by their returns of those defective products to us. If that happens, the workers at our research center will have to turn in their resignation letters.”

“Hmm.”

“Receiving the resignation from the research center’s workers is not the only problem, but it will definitely damage our company’s reputation. That’s why we perform thorough tests on the products, not just once, but we are conducting the second and third tests.”

“I see. Very good job.”

“Once we finish our testing, we will bring the samples to their research center in Suwon City. If they give us a pass after conducting their own tests, I will make a report to you, sir.”

“You don’t have to give me a report on it. You can report it to Mr. President Song. If our products pass A Electronics’ tests performed by their research center in Suwon City, I want you to take all of our research center’s workers out for dinner.”

“Okay, sir. Thank you.”

The research center’s chief officer, who was in his mid-50s and who was holding a Ph.D. obtained from the Technical University of Munich in Germany, gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho, who was in his late 30s, before leaving his office.

Gun-Ho liked the responsible attitude shown by President Song and the research center’s chief research. They were very reliable workers. They were strict to themselves, and that applied to their work life. Director Jong-Suk Park, who had used to work for small companies without clear rules to follow, seemed to gradually acclimate himself to this new work culture which was new to him.

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Chapter 551 - Indemnity Report of Supply (3) – Part 2

Chapter 551: Indemnity Report of Supply (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea and had a meeting with Mr. Adam Castler. As a matter of fact, Mr. Adam Castler didn’t really have a chance to take any critical role in the sales work targeting the national market. Director Kim was the major player in handling the Korean market. However, ever since he started receiving sales reports in English from the companies in China and India, he looked vibrant, and he worked vigorously.

“Hahaha. Mr. President Goo, I have good news for you. Ms. Dingding made a big deal.”

“What do you mean?”

“She succeeded in procuring a new client in Yancheng City.”

“I thought we have already been selling our products there even though it was not a lot.”

“This is a huge one.”

“How big is it?”

“We will be selling 20 tons of our raw materials to them. We are currently selling 70 tons per month in China, so with the new deal, we will be selling 90 tons on a monthly basis.”

“The annual sales revenue will exceed 4 billion won then. President Min-Hyeok Kim must be very happy with it too.”

“4 billion won, no problem. We will make more than that.”

“I believe so. We are selling it for 4.5 million won per ton, so if we sell 90 tons, that would make the sales revenue 450 million won; the annual sales revenue would be 4.86 billion won.”

Mr. Adam Castler and his interpreter—Myeon-Joon Chae—who were listening to Gun-Ho doing his math, were amazed by Gun-Ho’s ability to do a mental calculation. As they verified Gun-Ho’s number with an electronic calculator, they were frightened by his accuracy.

‘I saw him doing his mental calculation before. I’m amazed every time I see it.’

Mr. Adam Castler said to Gun-Ho with a smile, “I think we should compensate Ms. Dingding for her effort and the ensued desirable outcome, sir.”

“Do you have any suggestions about what kind of compensation would be good?”

“Well…”

Gun-Ho couldn’t think of a better compensation than a stock option, but since she was now an employee of Dyeon Korea, that wouldn’t be a plausible option.

“Let’s do this.”

“What do you have in mind, sir?”

Mr. Adam Castler looked at Gun-Ho’s face with his widened eyes.

“If she succeeds in selling more than 100 tons per month, we will provide her a certain amount of aid to be used toward her accommodation. I think it’s fair since you—Mr. Adam Caster—also live in a place which is paid for by the company.”

After listening attentively to his interpreter’s interpretation of what Gun-Ho just said, Mr. Adam Castler smiled broadly, and said, “Thank you, boss!”

“What about India? How are they doing?”

“It seems that they will be able to sell at least 50 tons per month without any difficulty. Ever since Director Kim visited India, we started supplying our products to S Group, Mandong Company, and Egnopak. Manager Lee is still working on procuring a new client among European companies.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“We shipped 100 tons of raw materials to India yesterday.”

“You just said that they are currently selling 50 tons per month, didn’t you?”

“In order to save the shipping cost, we send them more than one-month sales volume of products at once.”

“Are they for the next two months?”

“That’s correct.”

“Please pay attention to the Indian market. Both the Chinese and Indian markets are huge. Our number of sales in those two markets will soon exceed the number of products that we sell in the national market. I want you to really keep an eye on those two markets.”

“Of course, sir. However, I’m still amazed by the Korean market. I think Korea has great potential and is an amazing country.”

“Why is that so?”

“We are currently selling 600 tons of our raw materials to the Korean market on a monthly basis. I can’t believe that this small country uses that much.”

“That’s not enough. I’m still not satisfied with that volume. We should be able to sell more than that. If I aimed at the sales of only 600 tons of products, I wouldn’t have started a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon in the first place.”

“I do admire your scale of desire and decision making, sir.”

“Thank you.”

Once Mr. Adam Castler and his interpreter left the office, Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim.

“I’m at Dyeon Korea in Asan City right now. I just received the report that your wife successfully made the sales contract with the company in Yancheng. Congratulations.”

“It’s only 20 tons of raw materials which are not much. You are embarrassing me. Director Kim is selling 600 tons of them in Korea.”

“You shouldn’t compare your wife’s ability with his. Director Kim has been in this business for more than 20 years, but your wife is new to this field. I think she is doing great.”

“She will keep trying to do a better job.”

“I just asked Mr. Adam Castler to come up with a good incentive that we can give to your wife.”

“I don’t think that she was expecting any incentive when she tried to procure that new client, but thank you.”

“That’s part of my job as the president. I’m supposed to give kudos to people who did well and give a penalty to those who failed their work. You do that to your workers, right?”

“That’s true…”

“By the way, I talked with Jae-Sik Moon on the phone earlier. A preparatory committee has been organized for the new joint venture there.”

“You haven’t sent the investment funds to Antang City yet, have you?”

“No, I haven’t yet. I’m planning to send the first part of the investment funds of 50,000 dollars to them tomorrow.”

“As you know well, President Goo, before receiving the investment funds, the Chinese partners wouldn’t do anything.”

“I know that. We only trust money, not people, especially in the international business field.”

“Oh, you know what? Suk-Ho Lee contacted me the other day.”

“You mean that Suk-Ho Lee in Shenyang City? Is he doing okay?”

“He wanted to borrow some money from me.”

“He has three stores there, right? Why does he need money then?”

“He said that a very good store just came on the market for sale around the area near Xita Church in Shenyang City. He can’t afford to acquire it by himself because he spent most of his funds in buying his current three stores already. So, he suggested getting it together like each person invests 100 million won and shares the profits half and half.”

“What kind of store is it?”

“It’s an accessory shop.”

“Accessories?”

“According to him, if we sell not only Chinese accessories but also Korean accessories along with some beauty products like facial mask sheets, they will sell very quickly. He kept calling me trying to convince me for the past several days.”

“Did you tell him that you will do it?”

“To be honest with you, even if I can make a fortune, I don’t want to work with a jerk like him, not to mention that I don’t have money to invest.”

“Really?”

“With your help, I could buy a condo in Incheon City, but I still have a small amount of loan attached to that condo. Also, I have a mortgage for the condo in Suzhou City, where I’m living right now. I don’t have money to do any investment at all. So, I firmly turned down his offer the last time when I talked to him.”

“What did he say?”

“He poured curses on me like I’m not a businessman type. He said that I’m a sh*tty idiot who doesn’t even know how to grab a good chance when it is simply given to me.”

“Did you give a sh*tty word back to him?”

“I admitted to him that I’m an idiot. Do you know what he said? He said that he has no idea why Gun-Ho Goo is working with stupid people like me, haha.”

“Haha, I see. So, Suk-Ho Lee sometimes just loses it, huh?”

“I think his mental age stopped when he was in high school. He has the same maturity as he had in those old days.”

“Haha, I suppose so.”

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Chapter 552 - Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (1) – Part 1

Chapter 552: Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (1) – Part 1

Summer hot days continued, but Gun-Ho found it pleasant since the air conditioners were working great in his offices and home. All those places provided him with a nice space to read books or listen to music. Everything was good and peaceful except that he couldn’t go near Young-Eun ever since she found that she was pregnant. That was the only complaint that he had these days. One day, he finally felt like he had enough.

“I can’t live like this. I’m wasting my young life.”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Mori Aikko right away.

[I’m arriving in Japan tomorrow afternoon.]

Mori Aikko replied.

[I was planning to go to Sapporo City for my summer vacation, but since you are coming, I will stay here and wait for you.]

Gun-Ho felt like it had been years since he saw Mori Aikko last time. He thought that he’d better give her some money that she could use for her living expenses this time. Gun-Ho checked the balance of his bank account where he was receiving all his salaries coming out of his several companies. He was receiving 35 million won per month for his salary, so he thought he would probably have a little more than 200 million won in the account by now, but the current balance was exceeding 300 million won.

‘Since I don’t know when I would see her again after this one, maybe I should give her 10 million won. Or, on a second thought, maybe 5 million won would suffice; I gave her a lot the last time I saw her when she had to go see her grandmother in Sapporo City. Speaking of which, I’ve never given any money to Young-Eun for her living expenses. She has never asked me for it. Maybe because she is making enough money on her own as a medical doctor working at Seoul National University Hospital. After I come back from this trip to Japan, I will give her some money.

Well, if I give her money expecting that she would use it for herself, she will probably donate that to some international medical organizations like KOAF. She seems to have no desire for money at all. When I bought her the Chanel handbag last time, she was not impressed. She just put it somewhere, and I’ve never seen her carrying that handbag.

What present do I want to get her this time from Japan? Maybe I want to buy her cosmetics from the duty-free shop at the airport. Or, maybe not. If I tell her about my trip to Japan, she would maybe act weirdly like she did last time when I had visited Japan. Maybe it would be clever that I keep it from her.’

Anyhow, while sitting in his office, Gun-Ho felt good. Gun-Ho was actually feeling excited about seeing Mori Aikko. Gun-Ho liked the fact that he had another woman unknown to his wife— Young-Eun.

‘Young-Eun is pregnant with my baby… I feel sorry that… Wait a minute. What if Mori Aikko is pregnant as well? Shoot! No way. Even the thought of it sends chills down my spine.’

Even with the possible and horrifying fact if it happened, Gun-Ho missed Mori Aikko. He missed her full lips. At that moment, he received a call from GH Mobile’s President Song.

“Our sample products passed A Electronics’ testing. We will start manufacturing the products soon. I will sign the contract of goods supply tomorrow.”

“You know that the contract needs to be notarized, right?”

“I’ve already requested for it. Since there is no court in Dangjin City, we will bring the contract to Seosan City for notarization. Daejeon District Court has a branch there. It’s not distant from Dangjin City.”

“Notarization of the supply contract will require both parties to be present. You will probably need to go there with their staff that is holding their power of attorney for notarization.”

“I’m aware of it. Also, once we start manufacturing the products, we will need to get more machines and hire more workers for the production site.”

“Sounds good. You do what you have to do, Mr. President Song.”

“Okay, sir. I will give you a report after signing the contract and notarizing it.”

It was the day that Gun-Ho would finally see Mori Aikko. His heart began to pound eagerly while heading to the condo in Daikanyama, Shibuya, Tokyo.

“Oh, my gosh. The weather is so hot here. Tokyo seems to be hotter than Seoul City.”

Gun-Ho had to constantly wipe his sweat while going up to the condo unit where Mori Aikko was waiting for him. When he arrived there, Mori Aikko, who was wearing a pink sleeveless shirt and short pants, ran out of the door to greet him.

“Aikko!”

“Oppa!”

Gun-Ho gave a brief kiss on her full lips.

“Oppa, it’s hot, isn’t it? Here, wipe your sweat with this.”

Mori Aikko gave him a handkerchief and turned the electric fan slightly to the side to give more breezes to Gun-Ho. The condo gave Gun-Ho a light feeling of suffocation. It was a 25 pyung small condo. Gun-Ho’s home and his offices were larger than this. He was already used to staying in a spacious place.

“You don’t… have an air conditioner?”

“I don’t need it. I stay here by myself. And I’m often not here when I have a dance performance to participate in.”

“Hmm, I do think that you still need an air conditioner. Get one, I will pay for it.”

“I will buy one next year then. We are already halfway to the end of the summer this year. It’s a waste if I get an air conditioner now. It’s a seasonal appliance after all.”

Gun-Ho wanted to take a shower to wash off his sweat, but he didn’t want to do it there. He felt like he wanted to go to a hotel.

“Maybe I should go to a hotel with a nice swimming pool.”

Gun-Ho asked Mori Aikko, “Aikko, is there a nice hotel with a swimming pool around here? The New Otani Hotel has a great garden, but I don’t think they have a swimming pool on site.”

“I don’t know. You don’t want to stay here?”

Gun-Ho then thought that maybe he should call Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi in Akasaka. She would be the best person to ask about good hotels. He dialed her number.

“Ms. President Choi?”

“Oh, Mr. President Goo? How are you holding up on these hot days?”

“I’m in Tokyo right now.”

“Is that right? Where in Tokyo? Are you staying at the New Otani Hotel?”

“Actually, I’m in Mori Aikko’s condo.”

“Really? Hahaha. I guess your wife is pregnant.”

“Huh? Wow, you have a very good intuition. I hope Mori Aikko is not.”

Gun-Ho gave a quick glance at Mori Aikko to make sure that she wouldn’t understand what he just said. It seemed that Mori Aikko had no idea what Gun-Ho was talking about since he was conversing with President Choi in Korean at a fast tempo.

“Hahahaha”

Gun-Ho could hear President Ji-Yeon Choi’s hard laughing over the phone.

“You are so naïve, Mr. President Goo! Aikko is a geisha. She is a dancing geisha from Gion, but still, she knows what she is doing. Being pregnant is considered fatal among geishas. You didn’t know that geishas are very well educated about it? I’m sure that Mama-san Segawa Joonkko gave her a good education about it several times.”

As the phone conversation between Gun-Ho and President Choi seemed to take longer than she expected, Mori Aikko went to the kitchen and began to prepare fruits for snack.

“Are you saying that she is taking birth control pills?”

“Well, I don’t know how she prevents any pregnancy, but I’m certain that she is making sure that she doesn’t get pregnant. Some geishas after they get older undergo surgery so they wouldn’t get pregnant ever.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I’m telling you that you don’t have to worry about that possibility.”

“Oh, I was going to ask you this. Is there any nice hotel with a swimming pool within Tokyo?”

“There is a hotel called Keio Plaza Hotel next to Shinjuku Station. It’s a popular hotel with a convenient location. They have a sky pool on the 7th floor.”

“I think I’d better stay there. It’s too hot to stay in a condo.”

“Oh, there is no air conditioner?”

“No. I just found out that she doesn’t have an air conditioner here. There is one electronic fan working all day long by itself here. That’s it.”

“Gosh. President Goo, you should do better than that. Did you just get her a condo without an air conditioner installed in it? That’s not nice. You are known as a big player in Gangnam District. People will talk bad behind your back if you let your lover live in a condo without an air conditioner.”

“I was going to buy her an air conditioner right away.”

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Chapter 553 - Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (1) – Part 2

Chapter 553: Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (1) – Part 2

After getting off the phone with the Korean restaurant owner— Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi, Gun-Ho said to Mori Aikko, “Aikko, let’s go to Shinjuku Station!”

“Shinjuku? For what?”

“There is a hotel called Keio Plaza Hotel. They have a swimming pool.”

“But, I don’t have bathing suits.”

“I will buy you one. I don’t have it either. Let’s go!”

“Oppa, I prepared this Korean melon. Let’s have it first before leaving.”

Gun-Ho searched Keio Plaza Hotel’s phone number on the internet, and he entered its number to his smartphone to make a call. When someone picked up the phone, he quickly handed his smartphone to Mori Aikko and said, “Ask them if they have a room available for today!”

“Kushitsu wa arimasu ka (Do you have a room available)?”

“Arimasen (we don’t),” the hotel stall answered.

Mori Aikko said to Gun-Ho, “They don’t have any available room for today.”

Gun-Ho didn’t give up and said to Mori Aikko, “Ask them if they have a suite room available then.”

Aikko asked the hotel staff, “Sonogo, suito rumu wa arimasu ka (Then, do you have a suite room available)?”

“Arimasu (yes, we do.)”

Aikko said to Gun-Ho while covering the phone with her hand, “He said that a suite room is available.”

“Then, please make a reservation for that room for two days.”

Gun-Ho came to Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku with Mori Aikko. The suite room that Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko would be staying in, was on the VIP floor where it required using a key card to access the entire floor. After changing into the bathing suits that he purchased at a store on the way to the hotel, he picked up his sunglasses as well. He didn’t want to be seen with Mori Aikko to the Korean tourists who might recognize him.

“Do you know how to swim?” Gun-Ho asked Mori Aikko.

“No. I used to go to a swimming pool in Sapporo during summer when I was little, but I was never good at it.”

So was Gun-Ho. He had never taken swimming lessons before. He had been to swimming pools, but they were packed with people every time he went there. He knew how to dog paddle though. When he was little, he often played with his friends at Jag-Yagdo Island in Incheon city. He just played in the water without really doing any swimming.

Whether he knew how to swim or not, playing in a swimming pool was always fun, at least he didn’t feel hot anymore. Gun-Ho could see other high-rise buildings surrounding the hotel, and they overlooked the swimming pool. Gun-Ho looked at Mori Aikko. She indeed was not good at swimming at all. She floundered a bit in the water before getting out of the swimming pool. Even though the way that she tried to swim in the water was funny, the wet Mori Aikko was gorgeous. Her long wet hairs were sticking everywhere on her beautiful face and body. She truly looked sexy. Gun-Ho thought that she looked like a mermaid even though she didn’t swim well.

“Oh, kirei (pretty).”

The people in the swimming pool constantly complimented her beauty. Gun-Ho could hear some Koreans as well.

“Oh, my. Look at that Japanese girl. She is fantastic. Is she an actress?”

“Look at her body.”

Whenever he heard Korean tourists praising the beauty of the girl who Gun-Ho was with, Gun-Ho felt great. Gun-Ho tried not to speak Korean if possible when he was in Japan and when he was in the public place. When he talked with Mori Aikko, he spoke with a simple and brief Japanese word or sentence. While looking at the Korean tourists, Gun-Ho thought that they would be probably at least middle-class people in Korea.

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko came back to their suite room on the 20th floor.

“Aikko, you go wash first.”

“You do it first, oppa.”

“I want you to use the shower booth first. So, I could enjoy the nice perfume that you would leave behind while I wash myself afterward.”

Aikko took a shower first. When she came out, she was wearing white Yukata that was provided by the hotel. She was smiling at Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho felt an urge to give her a kiss, but her fair skin and her beautiful smile made him think that he had to wash first to get close to her. He quickly went into the bathroom.

“I will be right back after taking a shower.”

Gun-Ho washed himself. He was feeling the cold water flowing from his head to toe. Gun-Ho didn’t forget to brush his teeth as well. He rubbed everywhere on his body with soap and rinsed them off. He felt like he got rid of all pollutants that were clinging to his body.

Gun-Ho picked up a new towel from the towel rack in the bathroom, and then he saw the towel that Mori Aikko just used. It was wet. He took her towel and smelled it.

“I will use this towel that Mori Aikko wiped her body.”

Gun-Ho came out of the bathroom. He was also wearing white Yukata.

“Aikko, I dried my body with the towel that you used.”

“Oh, why? It’s used, meaning it’s not clean.”

“It was still clean because you used it, Aikko.”

Mori Aikko smiled. Gun-Ho kissed Mori Aikko on her face. It seemed that she already applied cosmetics on her face. Gun-Ho could smell her cosmetic scent.

Gun-Ho walked toward the mini-refrigerator and took out two cold canned beers— Asahi— from it. He then drank it while looking out the window. Mori Aikko came next to Gun-Ho and took a sip of her beer while also looking out the window.

“A beer after taking a shower is always right. It’s very good.”

“I know. It gives a nice refreshing feeling.”

Gun-Ho felt happy. Young-Eun was like a friend and a partner of his life while Mori Aikko was like a flower to him. Two women had different meanings to him.

Gun-Ho couldn’t stand his urge to hold her any longer. He grabbed her arm and drew her close to him. He then put her on the bed.

After spending two full hours in the room, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko finally came out of the room.

“It’s already after 9 pm, and we haven’t had our dinner yet. Aren’t you feeling hungry?”

“I’m starving.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko went outside the hotel building and started walking on the splendid street of Shinjuku. Everything looked shiny and bright, maybe because it was at night. Even though the commercial stores and department stores there closed the business for the day already, all restaurants and bars were still open, and their peak business hour actually just started.

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko stopped by one of them on the street, and had sushi with a bottle of sake. When they came out of the restaurant, they continued to walk on the street.

“Oppa, are you leaving tomorrow?”

“No, I will stay one more day with you. I’m leaving the day after tomorrow. Let’s stay one more night here. The department stores closed now. I will buy you pretty dresses tomorrow.”

“Oppa, why don’t you stay longer with me?”

Mori Aikko was holding Gun-Ho’s arm for the whole time when they were walking on the street. Gun-Ho usually walked so fast. He was walking fast that night as he had always been. Mori Aikko had to walk at a rapid pace along with him; she was almost running to keep pace with Gun-Ho.

“Do you see the bar over there? Let’s have one more drink there. It says they will stay open until 5 tomorrow morning.”

“That one? Shirakiya?”

“Yeah, Shirakiya!”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko went into a bar with a business sign saying ‘Shirakiya.’ They then ordered two bottles of beer and skewered dishes.

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Chapter 554 - Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (2) – Part 1

Chapter 554: Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho woke up the following day in the hotel room. He looked at his watch. It was after 10 am. Mori Aikko was still deep in sleep.

Gun-Ho drank a cup of water before going back to bed. The air in the room was cold, maybe because he let the air conditioner run overnight. When he went back to the bed, he drew Mori Aikko close to him to feel her warm body. Mori Aikko groped Gun-Ho’s chest with her adorable hand while still sleeping. Gun-Ho fell asleep again holding Mori Aikko tightly.

Gun-Ho woke up again to the sound of his smartphone’s ring. It was GH Mobile’s President Song. Gun-Ho answered the phone on the bed while still holding Mori Aikko.

“The contract is signed and notarized at the notary office in front of the Daejeon District Court’s branch in Seosan City. I went there with A Electronics’ staff.”

“Very well done.”

“I will leave the notarized contract with the accounting director so you could review it when you return to the office.”

“Sounds good.”

“Also, we finished making the sample products using the product drawings that we received from A Electronics’ research center in Suwon City, and we just completed the third test on them.”

“Oh, you did?”

“Our chief officer of the research center will bring the sample products to A Electronics’ research center in Suwon City this afternoon after lunch.”

“Really?”

“I will keep you updated.”

“Good. Thank you.”

After getting off the phone with President Song, Gun-Ho searched the major bank’s account number, that GH Mobile had been working with, stored in his smartphone. He then sent a text message to A Electronics’ CEO right away.

[I’m sending you GH Mobile’s major bank’s account number. Once we receive the funds of 750 million won to be used to increase our company’s capital, from you, we will start the process.]

Gun-Ho then made a call to the accounting director— Ms. Min-Hwa Kim.

“It’s me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“President Song will bring you the notarized supply contract with A Electronics. Please keep it with you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, expect to receive 750 million won in our company’s bank account from someone. The funds will be used to increase our capital. Please let me know once the funds are received.”

“For the purpose of increasing the company’s capital? Okay, sir, I will do that.”

After getting off the phone, Gun-Ho started groping Mori Aikko who was lying next to him.

Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“Shoot! It’s almost noon.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko had lunch at the buffet restaurant inside the hotel, and then they had afternoon coffee later. While having a cup of coffee, Mori Aikko was sitting at the table facing Gun-Ho. When their eyes met, Mori Aikko smiled. At that moment, Mori Aikko’s cell phone started ringing.

“Oh, Mama-san.”

Gun-Ho knew it was from Mama-san Segawa Joonkko since Mori Aikko uttered her name without even asking who it was. She probably recognized her number.

Mama-san asked Mori Aikko over the phone, “You didn’t go to Sapporo City for your summer vacation, did you?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Someone told me that you were at the Keio Plaza Hotel. Is it true? Who have you been with?”

“I’m with my sponsor— President Goo.”

“Oh, really? Then, it’s all good. I feel relieved now.”

Segawa Joonkko was extremely protective of Mori Aikko, especially with other men. The worst scenario that she had been trying to avoid was that Mori Aikko would run away with another man or start living with a man, and miss her work schedule like participating in a dance performance. In order to fully retrieve the funds that she invested in a geisha, she needed the geisha to work for her at least until the geisha turned at least 30 years old. She didn’t worry about their relationship with a sponsor though. Sponsors—usually married men with enough financial capability, and most of them were gentlemen enough not to live with a geisha without getting an approval from Mama-san. Mama-san sometimes encouraged her geishas to keep in frequent contact with their sponsors so they could be financially supported by the sponsor.

When Mori Aikko got off the phone with Mama-san, Gun-Ho asked, “Was it Mama-san?”

“Yes. She was asking if I didn’t go to Sapporo City.”

“Oh, that’s right. How’s your grandmother in Sapporo City? Is she well now? I remember that she underwent surgery. I know you sent me a text saying she was fine, but I just want to make it sure.”

“Yes, she is doing a lot better these days.”

“You were going to spend some time in Sapporo City for your summer vacation. Is there a good vacation spot there?”

“It’s not a vacation spot, but I wanted to go to Otaru City and take a walk along the canal there.”

“A canal in Otaru City?”

“Yes.”

After saying about her original plan for her summer vacation in Otaru, Mori Aikko looked out the window. She seemed to reminisce about something.

“It’s summer. Why would you want to take a walk along a canal in this hot weather?”

“That’s the last place where I had been with my mom and dad.”

“Hmm, really?”

“My dad was a teacher in Otaru City.”

“I thought you used to live in Sapporo City.”

“That’s true. My family lived in Sapporo City, and my dad rented a studio apartment in Otaru City and stayed there during weekdays. My dad came back to Sapporo City to spend time with us during weekends, and sometimes my mom and I went to Otaru and stayed with my dad. There is a street called Otaru Sushi Street. You can find a lot of good sushi shops there. It’s a very popular area. I wanted to visit the place again that I used to go with my mom and dad.”

Gun-Ho recalled a drawing among other pictures and postcards hanging on the wall in Mori Aikko’s room in the condo in Daikanyama. Most of them were about her dance performance, and Mori Aikko was wearing Kimono in them except one. There was one sketchy drawing which was probably done by Mori Aikko herself. In that drawing, a young couple was walking along a canal with a little girl who was holding their hands standing in the middle.

“Hmm, I see,”

Gun-Ho felt sorry after hearing Mori Aikko’s reason why she wanted to spend her summer vacation in Sapporo City. He felt like he deprived her of precious time.

“Is Otaru far from Sapporo City?”

“No, it’s not. It takes around 50 minutes by bus.”

“How many more days of your summer vacation are left?”

“I have three more days.”

“I will buy you a flight ticket for Sapporo City. I want you to spend the rest of your vacation as you originally planned. It would be nice if I could go with you, but I have to return to Korea to take care of my business.”

“It’s okay. I will just stay in Tokyo this year’s vacation.”

“What are you going to do after I leave? You have three days alone here.”

“I can stay home reading cartoon books and take a rest.”

Mori Aikko laughed innocently.

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko went to the swimming pool again. Since they had to check out from the hotel the next day, they wanted to make the most of it.

“Let’s spend some time in the swimming pool until the temperature cools down a bit. Maybe after three hours, we will go out shopping.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko had fun playing in the pool. They sometimes took a break while lying down on a folding sunbed after applying sunblock lotions on their bodies which make them look shiny. After taking a brief nap on the sunbed, they went into the swimming pool again. Whenever Mori Aikko moved, the people stared at her. Even small children couldn’t resist looking at her. She was obviously the most beautiful girl in the hotel’s swimming pool.

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Chapter 555 - Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (2) – Part 2

Chapter 555: Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko walked out of Keio Plaza Hotel later in the afternoon. After taking a walk on the street of Shinjuku for a while, they went into the Marui Department Store and bought several clothes that Mori Aikko found pretty. Marui Department Store mostly carried items targeting young people, but they did have some products for old people as well. When Gun-Ho saw Mori Aikko fiddling with a hat for old people, he asked, “You want to buy it for your grandmother?”

Mori Aikko nodded her head with a smile.

Gun-Ho bought the hat and also purchased some healthy foods for her grandmother as well. Realizing that she was shopping for only herself and her grandmother, Mori Aikko dragged Gun-Ho to the men’s department store. There, she picked several shirts and ties for Gun-Ho.

After shopping at Marui Department Store, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko had their dinner at the restaurant inside the department store. After coming back to the hotel, Gun-Ho wanted to purchase a flight ticket for Sapporo City for Mori Aikko. Since he had his returning ticket for Korea already purchased when he had left Korea, he just needed to buy one ticket for Mori Aikko. The flight tickets for Sapporo City scheduled for the next day were all booked, so he had to buy a seat for business class.

Gun-Ho had another fantastic night with Mori Aikko. After having breakfast at the hotel, they prepared to check out of the hotel. Gun-Ho picked up the shopping bag that contained the t-shirts and ties that Mori Aikko selected for him at the department store. He then pulled out two envelopes from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“This one is for your living expenses.”

“Thank you.”

Mori Aikko took the envelope with two hands.

“And, I want you to buy an air conditioner with this.”

“I don’t need an air conditioner…”

“I really want you to buy one. It’s too hot. I will have to say good-bye here.”

“My flight for Sapporo City is in the afternoon. I will stop by the condo at Daikanyama before heading to the airport. I have things at home that I want to bring to my grandma anyway.”

“Okay. I guess you won’t be able to stay long with your grandmother this time since you have to get back to work soon.”

“I think I will talk to Mama-san to extend my vacation. Since she knew that I spent some of my vacation with my sponsor, she will understand.”

“I see. Okay, I have to go now. You take care of yourself, okay?”

Gun-Ho hugged Mori Aikko for a long moment and gave a kiss to her.

Gun-Ho arrived at the Gimpo International Airport.

Chan-Ho Eum was waiting for him with Gun-Ho’s Bentley. When Gun-Ho got in the car, he could smell the flowery scent. The car looked super clean as well.

“Did you wash the car?”

“Yes, sir. I cleaned the car this morning before coming to the airport to pick you up.”

“Good.”

While passing the riverside road, Chan-Ho looked at Gun-Ho’s face, who was sitting in the rear seat, through the rearview mirror, and said, “Sir, you look like you lost some weight during the trip to Japan.”

“You think so? I’ve been there for only two days. How is it possible to lose enough weights to be visible?”

“I don’ know, sir, but you did lose some weight.”

Gun-Ho laughed, but he was thinking, ‘I guess you are right. I’ve been with Mori Aikko in a hotel for two nights. Is it that obvious?’

Chan-Ho said while looking at Gun-Ho through the rearview mirror, “Even though you look like you lost some weight, you look better, I mean I have to say that you look more vigorous. I guess the business went very well in Japan.”

“Of course. It went very well.”

“Where are we heading to? It’s still early to go home, sir. Would you like to stop by your office in the building in Sinsa Town??”

“Nah. I will just go home. I feel tired.”

“Okay, sir. I’m heading to the TowerPalace then.”

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

Before going to his office, he stopped by the production site where Director Jong-Suk Park was working. Usually, at the production site, not all of the machines were working, but a few machines were at rest, but now every single machine in the production site was fully working.

When Director Jong-Suk Park saw Gun-Ho at the production site, he ran to him.

Gun-Ho asked, “I see the machines are fully working right now. Is that because of A Electronics’ product orders?”

“Yeah, we are working overnight as well.”

“You must be very tired these days at work.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t have to work more than I can handle. I just need to assign someone to stay overnight, like a team lead or above. The production workers are willing to work at night because they are making more money by doing it. Some of them even prefer to work at night.”

“Really?”

“President Song was here earlier. He told me to hang in there just for a few more days because he is actively looking for more production workers. He already posted job openings.”

“We need to get more machines too, right?”

“According to President Song, we will get injection molding machines, extruder machines, and hydraulic press machines by lease, five more machines for each.”

“Really?”

“People from Capital came here the other day because of the lease deal that President Song is working on with them.”

“Do we have enough space here to accommodate all additional machines?”

“We can squeeze them to our current site for now, but if we will have to bring more machines later, then we will definitely need to build an additional production site, or rent another factory nearby to install those machines.”

“How was A Electronics’ factory in Dangjin City? Was it huge?”

“It’s enormous. But their plant manager was impressed by our factory. He came here to conduct some investigation before placing their product order. He highly spoke of our production site. He said it’s organized very efficiently.”

“Really? Well, since you are our plant manager, and he is A Electronics’ plant manager, you two probably hit it off.”

“Well, he has been in the management from the beginning of his career while I started from the bottom position working with my hands. So, we have different backgrounds even though we both are holding the same position title.”

“I see. Is that Manager Chang-Hoon Seo from the sales department?” Gun-Ho said when he found someone walking toward them.

“Manager Seo swings by the production site pretty often these days. He said that he has to get familiar with what’s going on in the production site in order to effectively do his sales work. He is always asking me to have a drink in the evening lately.”

Manager Seo seemed to recoil when he saw Gun-Ho standing at the production site, and he turned around and left after giving Gun-Ho a deep bow.

“He is turning around, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess he doesn’t feel comfortable around you, bro. He is walking off very quickly. Hahaha.”

“Hmm, I guess Manager Seo is working hard at his position.”

“I heard that President Song reprimands him a lot lately like on a daily basis. Well, actually most people in the management had been reprimanded by President Song. I used to be one of them in the beginning.”

“You are good now?”

“Yeah. I guess he took his attention away from me. I was thinking about even quitting the job when he kept nagging me.”

“Haha, really?”

“But, now, I know that he is not a bad person. At least, he doesn’t talk bad about anyone behind their backs. When I worked at a factory in Yangju City and Pocheon City, those in the management like a plant manager or executive officers often spoke badly about the workers behind their backs even though they were nice to them face-to-face. President Song is different. Maybe he is on another level. He has been working in a large company for a long time after all. Well, you picked him yourself, bro. There must be a reason for it.”

“I guess that you and President Song will have to run this company in the future.”

“Me… I don’t know anything about management or running a company.”

“You are graduating from Polytechnics College this year, right?”

“Yeah, I’m graduating this year.”

“Are you going to transfer to a four-year college?”

“I’m still thinking about it, but I’m leaning on studying more.”

“What happened to you? You used to hate studying.”

“Haha. Ever since I became a father, I have become soft, I guess.”

“You didn’t become soft. You became hard and strong.”

“You think so?”

“Well, I have to go now. Keep up the good work.”

“Okay, bro. I will talk to you later.”

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Chapter 556 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (1) – Part 1

Chapter 556: Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (1) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho arrived at his office in GH Mobile, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought a cup of green tea to him, and she said, “President Song is not in the office right now. He went to Mandong Company, sir.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“He is attending a meeting for their vendor companies. He asked me to let you know that when you come to the office.”

“He didn’t have to… Well, thank you for letting me know. Could you ask the accounting director to come to my office?”

“Yes, sir.”

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park gave a bow to Gun-Ho quietly and walked out of the office.

After a moment, the accounting director came to Gun-Ho’s office carrying some documents. The accounting director handed the documents to Gun-Ho in a respectful way.

“What is this?”

“It’s the notarized supply contract with A Electronics.”

Gun-Ho gave a cursory review of the documents. When Gun-Ho noticed that the accounting manager was still standing in Gun-Ho’s office while putting her hand together in front of her, he said to her, “Why don’t you have a seat?”

“Yes, sir.”

The accounting director sat on the sofa facing Gun-Ho.

While reviewing the contract, Gun-Ho said, “So, we are supplying five different products to them, and they are requesting 100,000 pieces for each product.”

“That’s correct, sir. The product cost is between 4,500 and 6,500 won. It will create additional monthly revenue of 2.75 billion won.”

“Hmm, it’s 33 billion won yearly.”

“According to Mr. President Song, A Electronics’ research center in Suwon City has a newly developed product, and that could increase our revenue another 33 billion won as well. If that happens, he said that we will need to hire about 100 more workers.”

“Hmm.”

“Oh, sir, the 750 million that would be used to increase the company’s capital has been received. It was sent from a person named Beom-Sik Lee. The funds were transferred by that individual.”

“Please write this down.”

“Yes, sir.”

“There is a certified legal consultant’s office that we’ve been working with, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Contact Ms. Manager Kim there, and ask her to come to our office.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Our company’s current paid-in capital is 5 billion won. We will increase it by 750 million won. The value of our stock is 10,000 won. We will increase the number of shares by 75,000. The additional shares will be owned by Mr. Beom-Sik Lee.”

“Can I have more information about Mr. Beom-Sik Lee?”

“I will give you his address and date of birth later. He is an old retired man.”

“Okay.”

“And, I want to transfer a part of my shares to President Jang-Hwan Song. Please transfer 3% of what I own to him.”

“I beg your pardon, sir? Did you just say that you wanted to transfer some of your shares to him?”

“Yes. Transfer 15,000 shares to him.”

“Okay, sir.”

After the accounting director left Gun-Ho’s office carrying the same documents that she had brought in, Gun-Ho made a call to A Electronics’ CEO. Most of the time, Gun-Ho used his cell phone number instead of his office number, which was way more convenient. If he called his office number, the secretary’s office would take the call and try to find out who the caller was before transferring the call to their CEO, especially a secretary’s office of a large company like A Electronics would act more strictly.

“I’m confirming that we received the funds. Mr. Beom-Sik Lee is the father of Minister Jin-Woo Lee, isn’t he?”

“That’s correct. I have the certificate of his resident registration. I will send it to you by fax. Oh, you know what? I will just scan it and send it to you via email, which would be more convenient.”

“Sounds good.”

“Once the process of increasing the capital is completed, please send me the share certificate and a statement reflecting the company’s stock distribution among the shareholders.”

“A statement showing our company’s shareholders?”

“A document that is being used within the company should suffice. I just need that statement signed or stamped by the president and the company.”

“Okay.”

“You need to file the changes in your company’s shares with the tax office within the jurisdiction anyway. It has to be done before the due date of your corporate tax filing.”

“Right, I’m aware of it.”

“You will make a total of 60 billion won yearly by supplying A Electronics, as a start. The product order worth 30 billion won will come from our factory in Dangjin City, and the other 30 billion won worth of order will be made by our research center in Suwon City for their newly developed product. I will increase it even more by the end of this year, about up to 100 billion won.”

“Okay. Thank you. One thing that I want you to understand is that even though we are increasing our capital by 15%, the portion that we are giving to Mr. Beom-Sik Lee would be 13% of the ownership.”

“I know that.”

“By doing this, GH Mobile will be able to go public sooner than we originally planned. I want you to know that there is a company called Dyeon Korea that GH Mobile invested in. If Dyeon Korea could go public, that would bring more income to GH Mobile.”

“I’m aware of that company. I received the report about that company from our department of planning and coordination during its investigation for this deal.”

“Okay then. I guess I will let you go now.”

“One second!”

“Is there anything else that you want to talk about?”

“I think we need to be careful when we indicate certain people. Let’s refer to Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee as L1, and his father—Mr. Beom-Sik Lee—as L2.”

“No problem.”

“Again, this deal between you—Mr. President Goo—and me is not known to L1 at all. His wife has no idea about it either. I’m doing this on behalf of L2 because he asked me earlier to help him with increasing his assets. So, I’m just doing a favor for L2 on my own.”

“That’s what I know as well.”

About 20 minutes after getting off the phone with CEO Park of A Electronics, Gun-Ho received a text message from him.

[I just sent you a scanned copy of L2’s resident registration certificate. Please check it.]

Gun-Ho printed out the copy of the certificate of L2’s resident registration that A Electronics’ CEO Park had sent to him.

“Mr. Beom-Sik Lee’s home address is Mido Condo in Daechi Town, Gangnam District, Seoul City. It’s not far from where I live. Oh, he was born in 1938? How old is he then? Whoa! He is 80 years old. He is indeed old.”

Gun-Ho was thinking, ‘He is 80 years old… meaning that he wouldn’t have many years left before his time. Well, we say that many people will reach 100 years old without a problem these days, so maybe he will live longer. Moreover, his son is a minister in the government, and he got married to a daughter of a conglomerate family. He probably has easy access to all sorts of healthy foods, and he will live for a long long time.

But, what would happen if he passes away? Well, Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee will inherit whatever this old man owns since he is his son. No one will say anything against it by then. It’s very natural to inherit from one’s dead father.’

Ms. Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim came to Gun-Ho’s office again.

“Sir, we have been requested to produce two certified copies of your personal seal.”

“Who is requesting it?”

“Manager Kim from the certified legal consultant’s office is asking for them.”

“That’s… onerous.”

“If you happen to have your personal seal with you, we will take care of it, sir. Assistant Manager Kim in the accounting department is handling document issuance.”

“Please ask him to come to my office then.”

The accounting director made a call to Assistant Manager Kim using her cell phone.

“Please come to the president’s office right away.”

While waiting for Assistant Manager Kim, Gun-Ho handed the copy of L2’s resident registration certificate that he had just printed out to the accounting director.

“This is the person who will own GH Mobile’s shares of 75,000.”

“He is… a very old man. He is even older than my parents. How are you related to him if you don’t mind me asking, sir?”

“I just know him. You don’t need to know any further details about him.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 557 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (1) – Part 2

Chapter 557: Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (1) – Part 2

The assistant manager in the accounting department entered Gun-Ho’s office. He was a young man who was wearing glasses. He looked familiar to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho ran into this man several times in the hallway, and he always gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho every time he encountered him. Gun-Ho thought that he was working for the general affairs department, but he was actually working in the accounting department. Now, Gun-Ho recalled that he had seen this man in his office as well. Gun-Ho usually invited the workers to his office, who made their position promotion, to congratulate them. The assistant manager came to Gun-Ho’s office the other day with several other workers because he had been promoted. Gun-Ho even had a handshake with him at that time. He looked like he was in his early 30s. He gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho as he entered the office.

“We can get a certificate of personal seal at any location, can’t we?”

“Yes, we can, sir.”

“You just need my personal seal to get the certificate for it?”

“I will need your resident registration card as well, sir.”

“My resident registration card?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho reluctantly handed his stamp for personal seal and resident registration card to the assistant manager.

“Personal seals these days are recorded in a digital form, so we don’t use the actual stamp for personal seals, do we?”

“You are right, sir. We will use this stamp for power of attorney, so I can request your certificate of personal seal on your behalf. I will bring several forms for the power of attorney from the community center and keep them in the office from now on. That way, you can just stamp on the form.”

“I thought the document issuance from the community center is handled by the general affairs department.”

The accounting director, who was sitting next to the assistant manager, quickly chipped in, “General document issuance is handled by the general affairs department. However, all the documents related to our shareholders are handled by the accounting department. When Mr. Internal Auditor was with us, he made the work arrangement this way.”

Gun-Ho said with a smile, “I see. Well, Mr. Assistant Manager Kim! Please go now and get my certificate of personal seal. You can use my car.”

“No, sir. I will use my car. Thank you.”

Ms. Manager Kim from the certified legal consultant’s office came to GH Mobile in the afternoon. In preparing the necessary documents to increase the company’s capital and make changes in the percentage of the company ownership, she gathered all the documents that Mr. Assistant Manager Kim got from the community center. Moreover, she brought additional forms and documents and asked Gun-Ho to stamp on them.

As Gun-Ho stamped on the documents, he said, “I didn’t know that we need all these paperwork. This is too much.”

Ms. Manager Kim from the certified legal consultant’s office laughed and said, “Hahaha. These are all necessary paperwork, sir. The total number of issued stocks changed along with the company’s capital. These changes need to be reflected in the company’s business registration. Also, we need to update the articles of incorporation accordingly. We will need to draft a board resolution about the changes as well. So, yes, all these paperwork are necessary.”

“Hmm.”

“Would you like to notarize the listing of shareholders?”

“I think we should.”

“Then, please stamp on this document. You can stamp on the places where I marked with a circle.”

“It seems that this is the busiest day for my stamp.”

“Hahaha, we are all set now. Sir, if you need anything else, just let us know at any time.”

“I will do that. Thank you.”

Manager Kim from the certified legal consultant’s office gave her business card to Gun-Ho before leaving the office. Once she left the office, Gun-Ho mumbled to himself, “That Ms. Manager Kim person gives me her business card every time when she sees me. I think I have three of them in my desk drawer.”

Gun-Ho smiled bitterly.

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea later that day.

Director Kim was in his office. When he realized that Gun-Ho came to work, he entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“I heard that GH Mobile received a high volume of product orders from A Electronics and became extremely busy. Director Jong-Suk Park said that the production workers are working overnight. President Song told me that he is looking to hire more production workers.”

“Right. It happened that way.”

“A Electronics is notorious for being picky in selecting their suppliers. And people are talking that you successfully convinced the picky A Electronics to place product orders from GH Mobile. Some say that you used the personal connection with Minister Jin-Woo Lee who presided over your wedding. He is A Group’s son-in-law after all.”

“That’s not true. A Electronics decided to place product orders from us because they recognized our high-quality products. Our company has an excellent newly developed product—AM083 Assembly—and we’ve been supplying S Group with protectors. I haven’t tried to convince anyone to sell our products yet.”

“Is that right?”

Director Kim tilted his head to one side as he couldn’t fully believe what Gun-Ho said.

“Dyeon Korea’s sales volume has constantly been increasing, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, sir. It’s steadily on the rise. We are selling more products in the international market as well.”

“Did you divide the market in charge with Vice President Adam Castler? Like you handle our national market while Mr. Vice President Adam Castler is in charge of our international market?”

“No, sir. Mr. Adam Castler is our vice president. He oversees our entire markets including national and international markets. He just trusts my work with the Korean market, and lets me do my work more freely without being often intervened by anyone.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, I am in charge of the entire sales work as well as the director of our sales department. I’ve received the sales report from our companies overseas. It is true though that Mr. Vice President Adam Castler often talks with our overseas presidents in China and India since he speaks English.”

“Are we currently selling 600 tons of raw materials in Korea per month?”

“Yes, sir. But we are expecting to see an acute increase in sales for GH Mobile starting this month because of GH Mobile’s production increase per their new product orders from A Electronics.”

“I’m not sure if it’s okay to have a sudden sales increase for GH Mobile since two companies are related.”

“It’s okay, sir. I don’t see any problem there, especially legal ones. It’s not like GH Mobile makes its product orders from Dyeon Korea solely to serve a particular individual’s interest or anything like that. The government wouldn’t be able to raise any issue if we can prove that the internal business between two related companies makes our work more efficient.”

“Hmm, you think so?”

“Moreover, Dyeon Korean is not fully owned by GH Mobile, but it’s a joint venture company. GH Mobile selected Dyeon Korea as its supplier because of our high-quality product. No one would be able to make any complaints about it.”

At that moment, the secretary—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee—brought two cups of tea.

“Huh? The tea smells different. What kind of tea is this?”

“It’s jujube tea, sir.”

“Jujube tea?”

“Yes. My mom made it.”

“Oh, it’s your mom’s tea, not from a market. Hmm, it smells really good.”

Gun-Ho and Director Kim enjoyed the jujube tea.

“It’s really good. I’m sure this tea is good for our health.”

“Jujube tea contains various vitamins. It is good for the kidney and beneficial for people with high blood pressure.”

“Hmm, really? Thank you so much, Ms. Seon-Hye Yee for the tea.”

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee blushed and left the office.

Director Kim said while having his tea, “Ms. Seon-Hye Yee is from a good family. I guess her mother is elegant and makes good tea too.”

“I suppose so.”

Gun-Ho and Director Kim continued to enjoy their tea while sitting at the table facing each other. Gun-Ho asked Director Kim after taking a sip of his tea, “How much volume of product orders can I expect from A Electronics? What do you think?”

“Well, I would say that you can safely assume that GH Mobile could make 10 or 20 billion won yearly from A Electronics. It’s huge. I’ve been in the field for more than 20 years, and this is my first time to see this much leap in sales in a single company.”

“Do you know how much I am aiming to make annually from A Electronics?”

“I don’t know… maybe 20 billion won?”

Gun-Ho shook his head.

“Then, 30 billion won?”

“Gun-Ho shook his head again.”

“Then…”

Gun-Ho said with a serious look on his face, “I’m aiming at making 100 billion won within a year.”

“What? 100 billion won?”

Director Kim spilled his jujube tea on his pants in surprise.

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Chapter 558 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (2) – Part 1

Chapter 558: Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho smiled at Director Kim and asked him a question, “If GH Mobile could supply its products worth more than 100 billion won to A Electronics within a year, what would happen to Dyeon Korea?”

“Dyeon Korea is currently selling 600 tons of raw materials in the Korean market. If we would increase the volume of products that we supply to GH Mobile according to their increase in their production, our annual sales volume will increase to 1,000 tons from 600 tons.”

“What would be its annual sales revenue then?”

“It will make more than 50 billion won, sir.”

“Its product price per ton for the domestic market is 4.8 million won. So, its annual sales revenue will be 57.6 billion won to be exact, almost 60 billion won.”

“Whoa! 60 billion won!”

“I’m planning to register Dyeon Korea with KOSDAQ after two years from now when GH Mobile goes public. So both companies will go public simultaneously. Until then, I will make the yearly sales revenue of this company more than 100 billion won.”

“100 billion won!”

“After two years, someone else will take my position as the president of Dyeon Korea. That’s the agreement that we made when we formed this joint venture company. I will be the chairman of the board of directors, and Lymondell Dyeon will designate one of their people to the president position. Mr. Director Kim, at that time, you will be the one who will represent our interest—Korean co-venturer’s interest. Isn’t it exciting to be a managing director of a company that generates 100 billion won annually?”

“Well… umm… that’s right, sir.”

“I’ve never seen you stammering before, Mr. Director Kim. You are an excellent speaker.”

“I’m just baffled, sir, by what you just told me. It’s huge.”

Gun-Ho went to the production site. The site was already set up with new machines in place. The raw materials that were received from the U.S. were piled up in the storage. Gun-Ho could see that the production site was packed with the old workers and the new workers who had recently been hired. It looked vibrant. The My Machine program that started by GH Mobile seemed to influence Dyeon Korea’s production site as well. There were signs and banners about the program spotted everywhere in the production site.

“Sir, you are here.”

Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo from the production department rapidly came to Gun-Ho. He was one of the people who had previously received the special training by Lymondell Dyeon in the U.S. even before Dyeon Korea was officially established.

“I thought that you would be in the compound room.”

“Our company doesn’t have a plant manager, so I now oversee the production lines as well. The production site had worked perfectly fine without constant supervision when we had a small group of production workers. Since we recently hired more workers in the production site to have 100 workers, it requires someone to oversee the site.”

“Who is working in the compound room then?”

“I’ve trained two workers for the work already. I just need to handle a few major steps of compounding.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho called for Director Yoon. Director Yoon used to handle the construction part when the factory was being built. Now, he was in the general management overseeing various departments including general affairs, accounting, administration, logistics, etc.

“Sir, you wanted to see me?”

“Please have a seat.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Dyeon Korea will become extremely busy because GH Mobile received a high volume of product orders from A Electronics. The volume of raw materials that we supply to GH Mobile will substantially increase accordingly.”

“I heard about it, sir.”

“I don’t worry about the management side since we have you—Mr. Director Yoon. However, the production department is drawing my attention. I think we need a plant manager. We have now 100 workers in the production site only.”

“That’s right, sir. I was actually going to bring that up to you, sir.”

“Do you think we should hire someone from outside for the plant manager position?”

“We have hired a lot of workers with previous work experiences. They have been assigned to a position according to their work experience, such as a manager, assistant manager, team lead, etc. We surely need someone who can manage these people. And, I don’t think it would be easy to find someone new who would fit right in that job. I think we should find someone within the company.”

“Within the company? Do you have someone in mind?”

“What do you think of Manager Yoo?”

“Manager Yoo? What about the compound room then? Who’s going to handle the compounding work?”

“The compound room doesn’t require his constant presence. The workers there can be easily trained; they just need to follow the steps in the manual book. We will need Manager Yoo in the compound room when we develop a new product, but other than that, he doesn’t have to be there. Manager Yoo was one of the interviewers when we hired new experienced workers with skills. So, I believe that the workers already have respect established toward him. I believe he will be a good plant manager.”

“Hmm.”

“Of course it would have been perfect if Manager Yoo had charisma controlling the rough workers in the production site, just like GH Mobile’s Director Jong-Suk Park. Manager Yoo is a bit too soft.”

“Do you think that Director Jong-Suk Park has charisma?”

“GH Mobile has 250 workers in the production site. They all listen to Director Jong-Suk Park, and they don’t even dare to challenge him. Director Jong-Suk Park doesn’t hesitate when he has to reprimand the workers. He has no problem with using bad words if that helps him discipline the workers who are constantly exposed to an inherently dangerous factory environment. I’ve seen him even kicking in the air to warn them.”

“Do you think it’s okay for a plant manager to act like that?”

“I think it’s okay under certain circumstances, and I think it’s okay with Director Jong-Suk Park because he always keeps cordial relationships with the workers. He is gentle with them on a normal day. And, if someone is older than him, he treats them like his own older brother or sister. Also, he is an excellent engineer in the production site himself; the workers respect him and heavily rely on him.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Moreover, I’m not sure if I can say this to you, but the workers assume that Director Park is personally close to you, sir. And there is a rumor that the actual number three in the power ranking of the company is Director Park.”

“Number three?”

“Yes. The number one is President Song, and the number two is the research center’s chief officer ensuing by Director Jong-Suk Park who is the number three.”

“That’s funny. Well, let’s talk with Manager Yoo.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho had been changing himself, the way he talked and the way he looked as he was getting old and getting used to being a somewhat powerful person. He also had changed since he was married. He talked more comfortably than before with Director Yoon who was in his 50s. His belly seemed to have bulged a bit as well.

Director Yoon brought Manager Yoo to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

“Yes, please have a seat.”

“Yes, sir.”

“When I looked around the production site earlier, I’ve noticed that there are many workers working there, and I think we need a plant manager who could manage them and the site. Moreover, we will probably have an even heavier workload later on. So, we need a management system in the production department. We need a plant manager as soon as possible.”

“I agree with you, sir.”

“Mr. Director Yoon here is suggesting finding someone within the company rather than hiring someone new from the outside, and he is recommending you—Mr. Manager Yoo—as our plant manager.”

“Huh? Me, sir?”

“What do you think? I understand that you have work to do in the compound room. But, I think you can focus on managing the production site on a usual day and spend more time in the compound room when we need to develop a new product. I’m sure it will be a rewarding job managing the entire factory.”

“Are you asking me to take a dual position?”

“Yes, I am. You will take over two positions.”

“Well, umm, okay, sir. I will do it.”

“Working as a plant manager will help with your career development as well.”

“I’m not sure if I can handle the work well, but I will do my best.”

“Mr. Director Yoon here will help you. I hope you enjoy the work.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho looked at Director Yoon, and said, “As of today, please appoint Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo as our plant manager. Also set his salary accordingly.”

“Yes, sir.”

Director Yoon and Manager Yoo left the office after giving a bow to Gun-Ho.

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Chapter 559 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (2) – Part 2

Chapter 559: Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (2) – Part 2

It was Friday.

Gun-Ho went to work in the GH Building in Sinsa Town. He was having a cup of coffee sitting on the sofa in his office with his legs crossed.

“Young-Eun is coming home today.”

Gun-Ho called for Assistant Manager Hong. When Assistant Manager Hong entered his office, Gun-Ho said while handing a bankbook and his stamp to him, “This is my bank account where I receive all my salaries. Please withdraw 50 million won from the account and bring it to me. Please make five 100 million won bills.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho wanted to give some money to Young-Eun that evening. He wanted to do so ever since he realized that he had never given Young-Eun any money for living expenses. Well, actually, there was nothing much that Young-Eun had to pay as living expenses while she was with Gun-Ho. Whenever they dined out, Gun-Ho always paid for it. Young-Eun often did some grocery shopping on Fridays on the way to Tower Palace condo, but it wouldn’t have cost her much anyway.

After a while, Assistant Manager Hong, who went to a bank to run an errand for Gun-Ho, came back to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, here is 50 million won that you asked me to bring.”

“Thank you.”

“And, I will have to be out of the office for a while now.”

“Why? Where are you going?”

“It’s about the capital gain tax related to GH Logistics’ property that was recently sold. You asked me the other day to find a good tax consultant for it. The tax accountant office that I contacted earlier about it asked me to stop by their office.”

“Oh, I see. Please pay your full attention to what they say and let me know. I will give them a high consultation fee for it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Assistant Manager Hong came back after lunchtime.

“Sir, I just came back from the tax accountant office.”

“What did they say?”

“Here is what they told me. If you made profits out of a real property transfer and the profits exceed 500 million won, you have to pay capital gains tax of 42%. If you owned that property for less than 1 year, then you have to pay 50% of the profits that you made.”

“Hmm, I will have to pay half of the profits that I made then for tax.”

Gun-Ho did his math in his head.

‘I spent 2 billion won to acquire the auto repair shop. I subsequently acquired the adjacent farmland for 900 million won, and that landlocked property cost me another 1 billion won. So, the purchasing price of the entire property is 3.9 billion won. I then spent 400 million won to convert the land use. If I include all the relevant taxes, the land flattening cost, and other fees, I can assume that I spent an additional 200 million won. That will make the cost for the entire land for me 4.5 billion won. I sold that real property for 6.5 billion won, so the profit that I made from the sales is 2 billion won. And, I will have to pay half of the profit for capital gains tax which would be 1 billion won.’

Assistant Manager Hong continued to talk, “But that applies to individual sellers. If it’s for a company, the rules are different. For a company, the tax rate is 10% for a profit of up to 200 million won. And that tax is not considered as capital gains tax, but it would be included as part of corporate tax.”

“Hmm, really?”

“If it made more than 200 million won, then it will have to pay 20% of the profits. If the property was used for non-business purposes, you need to add another 10%, so the company will have to pay 30% of the profit. Even though it was not a non-business purpose property, if the company owned the property for less than 1 year, then it still has to pay 30%. They said that the property would be considered that it had been used for business purposes since it was being used to store freight trucks for a transportation business.”

“The company had owned the property for less than one year, but it had to sell it to make a business investment in China. Will it count? Will they consider the reason why it had to sell it?”

“I don’t know. The tax resulting from the sales transaction will be added to the corporate tax. So, I think you’d better discuss with the tax accountant office that has been handling GH Logistics’ tax filing.”

“I guess I will have to pay around 400 or 500 million won.”

“I don’t know, sir.”

Assistant Manager Hong smiled, but he seemed to be reluctant to give a clear answer for it.

“Thank you, Mr. Assistant Manager Hong. Did you pay for their consultation already?”

“I told them that we would pay them. They will send us a bill.”

“Good work.”

“Well, I will leave these documents with you, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a call to his sister.

“Sister, did you already change the tax accountant office to someone else?”

“Yeah. I changed to the office located in Jeongwang Town, Siheung City.”

“Jeongwang Town? Isn’t it a part of Ansan City?”

“No, it’s within Siheung City. Someone introduced that tax accountant office to me.”

“Can you text me with their office address and phone number? I need to talk to them about the property sales transaction.”

“You are talking about the capital gains tax, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I haven’t really talked with their tax accountant, but I know their office manager—Manager Yang. I will call her, so she will expect your call.”

“Sounds good. Thank you.”

Since it was Friday, Gun-Ho thought that he would better contact them on the following Monday.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon who was in China right now.

“The joint venture company’s business registration has been issued.”

“Really?”

“Since the investment funds of 50,000 dollars that you sent were received, the Chinese people here started the process.”

“I knew they would do that.”

“They asked me when they could expect to receive additional investment funds of 450,000 dollars, and I told them that we will need to get the bus business license first.”

“Good point.”

“It seems that they will have to get the business license for the passenger transportation business, and once they get it, they need to obtain the bus line right from Antang City to Guiyang City. They call it Xianlu Pai.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The thing is that they don’t give all at once, but they give as much as needed based on their demand estimate.”

“That means that they will consider the volume of traffic, huh?”

“I think so.”

“That sort of makes sense.”

“According to them, they are trying not to overissue the bus line right even though it wouldn’t fully serve their own interest.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“They have been preparing and planning for this joint venture project, but they haven’t really started anything until now. They now actually began to launch the project. I feel like they started working while holding me as a hostage, who was sent by their Korean business partner.”

“What? A hostage? Hahaha.”

“I can see that they really want to do this project as a joint venture. I feel like they are holding me tight, so their Korean business partner can’t back out.”

“Jae-Sik, it’s a government-owned company, not a private entity. A government-owned company maybe doesn’t want to rush into generating profits. Just relax and focus on what you can do there like learning the Chinese language. Try to enjoy life there.”

“I know. I’ve been studying the Chinese language with Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo, not that I like to study, but I feel like I have no other option. This area is very different from Shenyang City where Suk-Ho Lee is staying, or Beijing, or Qingdao City where a lot of Koreans are living. In this area, I can’t even buy foods if I don’t speak Chinese. I’m trying really hard to learn Chinese now. I’m extremely motivated.”

“Haha. Good for you.”

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Chapter 560 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (3) – Part 1

Chapter 560: Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (3) – Part 1

In the evening, When Young-Eun came back home, she looked extremely tired.

Gun-Ho asked her, “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just so tired.”

As she was carrying huge grocery bags, Gun-Ho said, “What are these?”

“I stopped by the supermarket on the way, and vegetables were on sale. Also, I bought a few radishes and one jar of red pepper paste. It’s so heavy.”

“Why didn’t you ask them for a delivery?”

Gun-Ho placed most of the stuff that Young-Eun bought on the dining table after putting vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator. In the meantime, Young-Eun laid down on the sofa in the living room.

“Young-Eun, don’t forget that you are carrying a baby. You shouldn’t let yourself get tired. When you have to go grocery shopping, just let me know. I will go with you.”

“Okay. Can you bring me the electric fan? It’s so hot here.”

“I can turn on the air conditioner instead.”

“No air conditioner. I don’t want to catch a cold.”

That evening, Young-Eun didn’t even seem to try to cook for dinner. She just fell asleep on the sofa.

Gun-Ho went to the kitchen and started preparing dinner. He turned on the rice cooker and boiled kimchi stew. For Gun-Ho, cooked rice and a stew were all he needed for a meal. The house soon became filled with the smell of kimchi stew. Young-Eun woke up to the smell.

“What am I smelling?”

“I ‘m boiling kimchi stew and cooked rice.” Gun-Ho responded.

“Oh, you did? I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Young-Eun got up and came to the kitchen and cooked some side dishes such as seasoned vegetables, cucumber salad, and baked fish.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun sat at the dining table facing each other for dinner.

Gun-Ho said, “We have been married for five months now, and I realized that I haven’t given you any money for living expenses.”

“Oh, are you going to give me some?”

“You’ve never asked for it.”

“You should have given it to me even though I didn’t ask for it.”

“How much do you want?”

“Any amount that you think appropriate will be good.”

“I’ve been receiving salaries from four different companies, and one more company will start paying me soon, so, there will be five companies that pay me on a monthly basis. My monthly pay after tax is about 30 million won.”

“Did you say 30 million won? Wow!”

“What?”

“You are making more than the director of the hospital that I am working for, and also more than the president of Seoul National University.”

“I work hard enough to make that much. Moreover, I work under enormous stress at work.”

“That’s still a substantial amount of money for a monthly salary.”

“Speaking of which, I spend a lot too, not for myself but for business and for keeping my social network. If I have to attend someone’s wedding, funeral, or some other occasion, I have to make gift money more than others. If someone makes 50,000 won for gift money, I have to give 100,000 won. If others give 100,000 won, I have to make it 200,000 won, just because I am an owner president of companies. I can’t be cheap for things like that. Otherwise, people would talk badly behind my back.”

“Hmm.”

“So, I was thinking. Out of my salaries of 30 million won, I will take 10 million won, and you take 10 million won for living expenses. And we save the rest of 10 million won for our future. What do you think?”

“What about that you take 5 million won, I take another 5 million won, and we save the rest of your salaries which would be 20 million won?”

“Me… I really need 10 million won per month. I have several hundreds of people who are working for me. I have an extensive social network that has to go on. I can make a list with hundreds and thousands of occasions where I have to spend money.”

Gun-Ho then went to his room and came back to the dining room with an envelope.

“What is this?”

“This is for you. It’s our living expenses. Since I haven’t given you any for the past five months of our married life, I’m giving you the amount worth of our five-month living expenses. It’s 50 million won.”

“50 million won?”

“Yeah. Just take that money. Also, you don’t have to share what you make at the hospital. I don’t mind how you spend that money.”

“Oh, my gosh! 50 million won!”

Young-Eun’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t speak a thing for a moment.

Money was a weird thing. People craved for money no matter how much they had. They always wanted more and more. Young-Eun was a medical doctor who was making good money, but she seemed to be happier when she realized that she would have 10 million won more every month. Gun-Ho could hear her humming while she was washing dishes. She brought Korean melon to Gun-Ho for desert.

She asked Gun-Ho pleasantly, “What are you doing?”

“I was just surfing the web.”

Young-Eun looked around Gun-Ho’s room and found a shopping bag in the corner. They were the shirts and ties that Mori Aikko selected for Gun-Ho from Marui Department Store in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

“What are these?”

“Oh, they are just my shirts and ties.”

“Shirts and ties? These seemed to be made in Japan. Did you go to Japan?”

“No, no. It’s just a gift from someone.”

“A gift? Are you sure? What’s up with these colors? They are too blunt.”

“Well, you are right. They do appear so blunt.”

“Give all of these to someone else. The colors are too vivid for you to wear.”

Young-Eun even frowned. She seemed to dislike them for some reason.

“Oh okay. I will give them away.”

It was mysterious that Young-Eun acted funny every time when Gun-Ho went to Japan and met Mori Aikko. There was no way that Young-Eun would know that he had another woman in Japan. But, Young-Eun certainly seemed to feel something different. Gun-Ho just couldn’t figure out how.

Young-Eun walked out of Gun-Ho’s room and sat on the sofa in the living room. She then turned on the TV loudly. Gun-Ho followed Young-Eun with a plastic wash basin filled with warm water.

“You must feel so tired. Let me wash your feet.”

“Wash my feet? You act funny tonight.”

Gun-Ho washed Young-Eun’s feet. Young-Eun seemed to feel relaxed while letting Gun-Ho clean her feet. When Gun-Ho was almost done with his special service, Young-Eun said, “Oppa!”

“Yeah?”

“Me, I do trust you.”

“Why are you saying that?”

Gun-Ho gave a kiss to Young-Eun on the cheek before heading to the bathroom to empty the plastic wash basin. While in the bathroom, Gun-Ho looked at himself in the mirror and mumbled, “Did she find out?”

Young-Eun didn’t say anything further that night. The two watched TV while having Korean melon. There was a movie on air. When the movie ended, Young-Eun said that she was sleepy, and she went to the master bedroom to sleep. Gun-Ho followed her.

Young-Eun turned around and said, “Oppa, aren’t you supposed to go to your room to sleep?”

“Young-Eun, you look so pretty tonight.”

Gun-Ho then abruptly hugged Young-Eun and started kissing her. That night, Young-Eun didn’t reject Gun-Ho. She let him touch her. Gun-Ho began to undress Young-Eun.

It was Saturday.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went out to take a walk at Yangjae riverside. Gun-Ho was holding Young-Eun’s hand while walking, but he was thinking of Mori Aikko.

‘Mori Aikko wanted to take a walk along a canal in Otaru City, Hokkaido. I wonder how it would be like. How would it be different from walking at Yangjae riverside?’

Gun-Ho then tried to get rid of the thought of Mori Aikko.

‘Young-Eun is pregnant with my baby. I have to restrain myself from thinking of another woman. It might affect the baby negatively.’

Gun-Ho held Young-Eun’s hand tightly and looked at Young-Eun. Gun-Ho tried to make eye contact with Young-Eun more frequently and smile at her. As a matter of fact, Gun-Ho felt happy walking with his wife while holding her hand.

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Chapter 561 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (3) – Part 2

Chapter 561: Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho talked to Young-Eun about his company. He hadn’t really talked about his business to her before. He now felt like he should let her know about his companies since she was his wife— the closest family member to him— after all

Gun-Ho asked, “You haven’t been to my factory in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City, have you?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Do you want to come and take a look?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Your workers will not welcome me. I don’t want to bother them at their work. Think about it. Say, the director’s wife at the hospital where I work came to visit the hospital. Do you think the doctors and nurses, who are working there, would feel happy to see her? I don’t think so. That would give more stress to those who are already under a lot of stress.”

“You are right. What if you just look at the company from a distance?”

“That should be okay. I guess that it won’t do any harm to anybody to just look at the factory without entering the building.”

“Tomorrow is Sunday. We can go there tomorrow.”

“Maybe next time. I have a lot of things to do at home tomorrow.”

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. His secretary— Ms. Hee-Jeong Park— entered his office carrying a cup of tea.

Gun-Ho said, “Please tell the accounting director to come to my office now.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, the accounting director entered Gun-Ho’s office with some documents.

“Are we done with filing the changes in our capital and shareholders?”

“Yes, sir. These are the documents from the court and they reflect all of the changes that we recently made.”

While reviewing the documents, Gun-Ho paid attention to the total number of shares, the amount of the current capital, and the date when those changes were made. He also checked the list of the current directors to make sure that there was no change on it.

The document was indicating that GH Mobile’s president was Gun-Ho Goo, and his father’s name was listed as a registered director. He noticed that Mr. Hee-Suk Goh was still listed as an auditor who was no longer with GH Mobile.

‘The internal auditor is now working with Dyeon Korea. Should I update the name with President Jang-Hwan Song’s name? Well, let’s just leave it as it is for now.’

Gun-Ho asked the accounting director, “Did you bring the notarized listing of shareholders as well?”

“Yes, sir. Here it is.”

“There are two papers.”

“Yes, one of them is your statement, sir.”

“A statement?”

Gun-Ho read the statement.

[I, Gun-Ho Goo, hereby certify as the president of GH Mobile that the board meeting minutes which was notarized by the certified legal consultant’s office XX reflects accurately the resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of Board Members at the Board of Directors Meeting, following the adequate procedure. 0/0/20xx. Gun-Ho Goo.]

“Hmm. They did a good job.”

Gun-Ho looked at the accounting director’s face while putting the documents back together, and said, “Thank you for the documents. Very well done. If President Song is in his office, please tell him to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

President Song came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“When I had asked you to join my company, I promised you to give you 3% stock option.”

“I remember that.”

“As a matter of fact, if we go through the procedure to give you the stock option, the process can be complicated. So, I decided to just transfer 3% of GH Mobile’s shares to you.”

“Transferring the shares?”

“You haven’t heard of anything about it from the accounting director?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“As we increase the company’s capital this time, an individual who invested funds to our company will take 13% of shares, You— Mr. President Song— will have 3%, and I will have 84%. Here is the notarized listing of our company’s current shareholders.”

President Song closely looked at the document.

“Sir, thank you so much. I’m not sure if I deserve to receive this. I haven’t done much for the company.”

“Since you now own a piece of this company, you are also responsible for the company along with me whether the business goes well or not. If the company generates profits, you can take the dividend of 3% annually.”

“Thank… Thank you, sir.”

President Song smiled broadly in excitement.

“Can I ask you one thing, sir?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Who is Mr. Beom-Sik Lee, who owns 13% of the company’s shares? Is he related to A Electronics?”

“Well, I can’t answer that. Just know that he is one of our shareholders now. Please don’t ask about him further.”

“Oh, okay, sir.”

“Since our capital increased a bit, I’ve had the business registration reissued. You can take a look at it.”

President Song reviewed the business registration.

Gun-Ho crossed his legs and called for Secretary Hee-Jeong Park.

“Can we have two cups of tea?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho continued to talk while having his tea.

“Did you send our estimated product cost sheet to A Electronics’ factory in Dangjin City?”

“Yes, we did. We updated the product cost with increased labor cost.”

“Didn’t they say anything since then?”

“No, I haven’t heard from them yet.”

“Since we have to produce five different products simultaneously for them, I wonder if it could cause any delay in production.”

“Director Park is working hard to produce the promised volume of the products on time. The factory is working overnight as well. We are doing fine so far.”

“I was told that you were negotiating with the Capital right now to lease several new machines from them.”

“I already made an agreement with them to lease five hydraulic press machines. We will receive them by the end of this week.”

“Do we have enough space to install them?”

“Yes. We already secured the necessary space for the machines.”

“Sounds good.”

President Song left the office after giving a bow to Gun-Ho. President Song seemed to show more and more respect to Gun-Ho ever since he joined the company.

Gun-Ho called for the accounting director again.

“Please send the business registration and a copy of the notarized listing of shareholders to A Electronics’ CEO. Please mail them before noon by express mail. He wants to see our company’s current status since this is our first time doing business with each other.”

Gun-Ho gave A Electronics’ CEO Park’s business card to the accounting director where its company address was shown.

“Once you wrote their company address, please bring back his business card to me.”

“Yes, sir. I think I remember his face on TV.”

“Haha, really?”

Gun-Ho made a call to A Electronics’ CEO Park.

“The process to increase the company’s capital is completed. We will send you our company’s newly issued business registration along with the notarized listing of shareholders today by express mail. You will receive them by tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry that I have to ask you this again. I just need to make sure that you haven’t revealed any information about L2 to anyone.”

“Even our executive officers have no idea about him. Mr. President Song doesn’t know either.”

“Thank you. Well, I guess that we don’t have to talk frequently on the phone any longer. You can expect a very high sales revenue from now on.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho leaned back on the sofa while crossing his legs. He picked up a morning paper while sipping his cup of tea. The newspaper’s first page was filled with a congressman’s suicide. The news said that the congressman accepted 40 million won as a bribe, and he committed suicide when that was exposed.

‘You definitely need money to do politics. I guess that Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee will do just fine in politics.’

Gun-Ho had his tea slowly.

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Chapter 562 - Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (1) – Part 1

Chapter 562: Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (1) – Part 1

The weather was pleasant that day; it was cooling down a bit. Gun-Ho visited the tax accountant’s office in Jeongwang Town, Siheung City, that his sister found for GH Logistics’ business. There seemed to be about six people working there. When he entered the office, Gun-Ho asked for Ms. Manager Yang. Gun-Ho’s sister had called Ms. Manager Yang earlier to let her know that Gun-Ho would visit the office soon. Ms. Manager Yang was a lady in her 40s. Gun-Ho could notice that she had cosmetic surgery, on her eyes and nose for sure.

“I’m from GH Logistics. I believe that this office will be handling its tax matters.”

“Oh, I see. Please have a seat.”

“I’d like to talk with the tax accountant here.”

“Our tax accountant? Can you just talk to me instead?”

When Gun-Ho glared at her, she started scanning Gun-Ho from his head to toe. Gun-Ho was not the man who he used to be that worked at a factory in the past. He now certainly looked like a wealthy businessman with power.

“I know GH Logistics’ Ms. Director Gun-Sook Goo very well. I’ve met its president as well. May I ask you how you are related to GH Logistics?”

“I’m the major shareholder of GH Logistics. I’m hoping to have a consultation with the tax accountant regarding a capital gains tax.”

“Oh, really? Sure. Please come with me.”

Gun-Ho followed Manager Yang to the tax accountant’s office.

The accountant was sitting at his desk looking at his computer monitor. He was short and skinny. Manager Yang introduced Gun-Ho to him while smiling.

“This man is from GH Logistics that we recently started working with. He has a few questions to ask you regarding a capital gains tax.”

“Oh, really? Hello. It’s nice to meet you. What would you like to know?”

Gun-Ho gave the tax accountant his business card before asking his questions. Gun-Ho’s business card indicated that he was the president of more than three different companies— GH Mobile, GH Development, Dyeon Korea, etc.

“I am not running the GH Logistics’ business, but I’m its major shareholder.”

The tax accountant scanned Gun-Ho from his head to toe. Realizing Gun-Ho could be an important figure, the tax accountant asked his secretary to bring two cups of tea.

“Please bring us two cups of tea.”

Gun-Ho said while taking out some documents for him, “GH Logistics used to be located in Seonghwan Town in Cheonan City before it moved to the current location in Siheung City. It had real property there which was used to store its freight trucks, and we sold it when we moved its location.”

“How much did you sell it for?”

“We sold it at 6.5 billion won.”

“Did you say 6.5 billion won?”

The high amount of the sales proceeds certainly intrigued the tax accountant. He seemed to think that this could be a good opportunity for him to make good money. The tax accountant dragged his chair toward Gun-Ho to get closer to him. Gun-Ho told the tax accountant the story about the GH Logistics’ real property from purchasing a large parcel of land which had changed its land use to sell the land in order to invest in China.

“Hmm, so, you sold the land which you owned for less than a year to a cosmetics firm.”

“The investment opportunity in China happened so quickly, so I didn’t have any other choice but to sell the land.”

“What sort of business are you doing in China?”

“It’s a bus terminal and intercity bus service business.”

“A bus terminal business? Isn’t it a business that requires an enormous amount of funds?”

“It’s a 50 million dollar project. I’m investing half of it— 25 million dollars.”

“25 million dollars?!”

The tax accountant swallowed heavily, and he scanned Gun-Ho from his head to toe again.

“GH Logistics is currently a small company with the annual sales revenue of 1.2 billion won. However, once the investment in China starts, we will need more service from your office like consolidated financial statements.”

“Of… of course.”

“Well, today, I came to ask you about the capital gains tax related to that land which I recently sold. I’d like to know how much tax I should expect to be imposed.”

“Of course. That’s exactly what we do in this office. Capital gains tax for a company is included in its corporate tax, and you just need to pay for the profits that you made in the transaction. Since we still have time until the due date for a corporate tax, I will make the calculation and will let you know.”

“Thank you.”

“I think there is no problem claiming that the land had been used for the business purpose. But, you will still have to pay a high amount of tax since the company sold the land without owning it for more than a year. Even though the company had to sell it in order to make an investment in China, you will still have to pay the tax. I think you can expect around 500 million won. I will try to lower the amount by reflecting all possible business expenses that I could think of. GH Logistics is now our important client after all. Haha.”

“Sounds great. Well, I will leave the copies of the relevant documents with you then.”

“Oh, did I give you my business card?”

The tax accountant smiled broadly and took out his business card from his desk drawer, and he gave it to Gun-Ho.

“If you need anything at all from us, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Haha.”

“You will mostly be contacted by either GH Logistics’ president or director. They are the ones who run the company on a daily basis.”

“No problem, sir.”

As Gun-Ho stood up from his seat, he offered his hand to the tax accountant for a handshake. After handshaking, Gun-Ho walked out of the office, and the tax accountant followed him. On the way, the tax accountant tapped Manager Yang’s shoulder giving a sign to come with him. The tax accountant and Manager Yang followed Gun-Ho to the elevator to see him off. When Gun-Ho entered the elevator, they gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho.

‘That’s weird,’ Manager Yang thought. GH Logistics was just a small company with monthly sales revenue of 100 million won. It was certainly not big enough to get the tax accountant’s personal attention like that. Manager Yang couldn’t understand why the tax accountant came all the way to the elevator to give a 90-degree bow to a small company’s major shareholder.

After seeing off Gun-Ho, the tax accountant came back to his office and searched the companies shown on Gun-Ho’s business card, on the internet. He first opened the Financial Supervisory Service website, called DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System).

“GH Mobile and GH Development are listed on DART. I don’t see Dyeon Korea here though. Maybe this company isn’t generating good revenue to be on it.”

The tax accountant googled GH Mobile first.

“Huh? This company made 81.6 billion won last year! Even though it has high debts, it’s not a small company at all.”

The tax accountant then googled GH Development.

“This one generated 10 billion won last year. It seems to be a typical small or medium-sized company. Huh? What is this? The company’s asset is 200 billion won? With the capital of 40 billion won? Wow. It seems that the company owns a real property—a commercial building. Whoa. How big a building would be, that is worth 200 billion won? The building must be located somewhere around Gangnam District in Seoul City. I don’t know of any building that is expensive in Siheung City or Ansan City. Wow. That man must be very wealthy!”

The tax accountant walked out of his office while holding his hands behind his back. When he saw Manager Yang, he said to her, “Do you have any idea who that man was? The man who just visited our office?”

“He said he was the major shareholder of GH Logistics. GH Logistics is a company with monthly sales revenue of 100 million won. It seems that its president is not the owner. They have a director and a major shareholder.”

Manager Yang smiled sarcastically showing that the tax accountant didn’t have to follow Gun-Ho all the way to the elevator just to give a 90-degree bow to him. The tax accountant smiled and said while shaking his head, “That man owns a commercial building that is worth 200 billion won.”

“Really?”

“You shouldn’t take the business lightly with GH Logistics even though it’s a small company now. You will have to pay attention to that company.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 563 - Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (1) – Part 2

Chapter 563: Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho went to GH Logistics in Siheung City. His sister and brother-in-law were in the office. A K7 was parked in front of their office building.

“Gun-Ho, you are here!”

“Hey, brother.”

“Haha. You two look good sitting in the office together.”

“Did you see the car parked outside? That’s the new car that we just bought. I drive that car these days when I meet with clients. I went to Paju City yesterday with that car.”

“How is the business in Paju City? Any changes?”

“It’s steady. We get the same volume of work there as it had always been, no increase or no decrease in the workload at all.”

“I see.”

“Oh, you know what? I just received a call from GH Mobile.”

“Who called you from GH Mobile?”

“It was the assistant manager from the general affairs department. He asked me to stop by their office.”

“They probably wanted to give you some work.”

“Don’t they have their own logistics department? I thought that they don’t outsource transportation work.”

Gun-Ho thought that GH Mobile might need help in transportation since they received a high volume of product orders from A Electronics lately. He didn’t show it to his brother-in-law though.

“Why don’t you go and talk with them? Who knows? You might get good news there.”

“Do you have any idea why they would want to see me?”

“Well, I don’t know. I don’t get involved in their daily operation, so I have no idea.”

Gun-Ho took out a bankbook and put it on the table in front of his sister and brother-in-law.

“This bank account has 5.3 billion won.”

“What? 5.3 billion won?”

“There was 6.5 billion won in the beginning. That was the sales proceeds of that land in Seonghwan Town. Then, we paid off the loan of 720 million won, and an additional 400 million won was spent by the previous president— Jae-Sik Moon— for converting the land use. Also, we paid for taxes and fees for flattening land and stuff. These expenses were recorded as Jae-Sik Moon’s temporary spending.”

“So, after those expenses, we are left with 5.3 billion won, huh?”

“That’s right.”

Gun-Ho continued to talk.

“Out of 5.3 billion won, make a withdrawal of 4.5 billion won, and send it to Antang City’s transportation company. It’s part of our investment funds in China. We previously sent them 50,000 dollars. Once we send 450,000 dollars to them tomorrow, our investment funds so far would be 500,000 dollars.”

“You are asking me to do this?”

“Yes. This investment is not made by me personally, but by the company— GH Logistics. And you should record it as such in GH Logistics’ books. Please make sure that you keep the fund transfer receipt. You will need to bring it to the tax accountant’s office later.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Since the amount of funds that we transfer to China is substantial, you must file a report with the foreign exchange authority. Sister, you have to do this yourself.”

“Me?”

“It’s a good opportunity for you to learn this sort of work. All these experiences will become part of your important asset, sister.”

“You’re right. There are tons of things that I need to learn. When I was studying for a certificate as a social worker, I thought that was all that I needed to study. But that was not true at all. When I visited GH Mobile last time and observed how they worked, I realized that I haven’t learned much in life so far.”

“Once you learn how to do it, it’s nothing. You can do it, sister.”

“Okay, I will try.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon on the spot.

“Jae-Sik, how are you doing?”

“Oh, President Goo. I had a meeting today with our Chinese partners about the terminal project preparation.”

“What did you talk about during the meeting?”

“It was mostly about construction. We will need to pave the road and get the water service. The thing is that the residents in the area are complaining that it could weaken the water pressure in their homes. So we will have to spend some time persuading them.”

“It sounds familiar. That’s a common obstacle that we see in Korea too.”

“Yeah. I think we all have the same problem everywhere in the world.”

“So, do you think it will be resolved eventually?”

“It will, but it will cost us. We need to move a pole that is inside the terminal to somewhere else, and they are delaying the work because that takes money too. They said that they will do it once they receive more funds from Korea.”

“It sounds like they are using us— their Korean partner— as a shield for all the problems that they encounter.”

“Hahaha. It’s very possible that they will do that.”

“My sister will send the investment funds of 450,000 dollars tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. When I sent 50,000 dollars last time, they couldn’t retrieve it on the same day, could they?”

“No. It took us two or three days to get the money. I’m not sure exactly how many days it took since the Chinese partner withdrew the money. Do you want me to ask them?”

“No, it won’t be necessary.”

“As to the 450,000 dollars that you would send tomorrow, can you give a call to the president of the transportation company here directly? I think they trust you more— Mr. President Goo, and they believe that you have the full authority for everything. I think that they want to hear it from you. My daily work these days here is arguing with them.”

“What are you arguing for?”

“Most of the topics are about the requests that I make, like that they should resolve the complaints made by the residents in the area, that they should get us the bus business license as soon as possible, and that they should change the ownership of the land that they invested to the joint venture’s name, etc.”

“I see. I will talk with President Runsheng Yan.”

“I feel relieved that you would send the funds soon. I appreciate that. It seems that their treatment toward me depends on whether the money would arrive soon or not. They are certainly more kind and friendly once the investment funds arrive.”

“Haha, really?”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho made a call to President Runsheng Yan of the intercity bus terminal in Antang City right away. He was representing the Chinese partner’s interest in this joint venture business. President Runsheng Yan was listed as the chairman of the board.

“Mr. President Runsheng Yan? It’s me— Gun-Ho Goo— from Korea.”

“Oh, Mr. President Goo! When should I expect to receive 450,000 dollars?”

“I’m actually calling to let you know that we are sending that money tomorrow.”

“Is that right?”

“I originally intended to send it once we received the bus business license, but I decided to send it now. Once the funds arrive, you should issue us the bus license, and also you should change the ownership of the land to the joint venture company’s name.”

“I see what you mean. I will work with the relevant government office for it.”

Gun-Ho’s sister and brother-in-law were listening to the conversation between Gun-Ho and the Chinese business partner on the phone. Gun-Ho was surely speaking Chinese fluently.

After getting off the phone with President Runsheng Yan, Gun-Ho told his sister and brother-in-law, “I just let our Chinese business partner know that we are sending 450,000 dollars to them tomorrow.”

“Oh, you did?”

Gun-Ho thought, ‘Once the funds arrive, they will issue the bus business license. That’s not a problem at all. However, they will resist changing the ownership of the land to the joint venture’s name. I will see, but I’m pretty sure that they will use all sorts of tactics that they could think of to avoid it. I do expect to see various tactics that were introduced in the Chinese historical novel— Romance of the Three Kingdoms.’

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Chapter 564 - Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (2) – Part 1

Chapter 564: Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho said to his sister, who was standing next to him, “When you fill out the foreign currency transfer form, you will need the recipient’s information in China. Here is their business card. Make a copy of it. You can find their address there. You will also need the name of their bank, their bank account number, the swift code, etc. You can find those information from the paper that we used when we had sent 50,000 dollars to them last time.”

“Okay. I will do that.”

“Since the amount of the funds that we are sending this time is substantial, you have to be well prepared when you go to the bank tomorrow. Please bring the report on the direct foreign investment. Do you see the yellow folder in the bookshelf over there? That’s the folder where you can find all the documents related to our investment in China.”

“Got it.”

“Well, I’d better go now. Keep up the good job.”

“Why don’t you have lunch with us before you leave?”

“It’s okay. It seems that you have clients coming to your office.”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law looked outside the window and said, “They are not our clients. They are the truck drivers who I used to work with. I’m getting a lot of visits from my old colleagues these days. Several of them stopped by yesterday already. When they found out that I’m running this transportation business, they are coming to ask me if there is any position available for them.”

“Really? Well, you have a lot of job candidates for the business, haha.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eom stopped by a restaurant in Ansan City for a meal on the way to Jiksan Town. Gun-Ho preferred to have Japanese food these days, but since Chan-Ho was a meat lover, they went to a restaurant called ‘Eunice’s Garden Restaurant’ in Ansan City to have a steak. Chan-Ho Eom seemed to enjoy the food, and he ate a lot.

Gun-Ho asked him, “How is Tae-Young’s business going these days?”

“He is doing fine. Tae-Young bro asked me the other day how come you don’t visit Hannam Town anymore.”

“I’ve been very busy recently. I didn’t have time to visit them.”

“I know, sir. I told Tae-Young bro that you are extremely busy at work.”

“Good.”

After lunch, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eom headed to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. On the way, Gun-Ho took a brief nap in the back seat.

“Sir!”

“Huh? What?”

“We arrived at GH Mobile.”

“Oh, already?”

The factory’s front yard was packed with people.

Gun-Ho mumbled, “Who are all these people?”

When Gun-Ho’s Bentley stopped in front of the building’s entrance, the security guard ran out of the security office and opened the door for Gun-Ho and gave a military salute to him. The people in the factory yard were watching it.

Gun-Ho had some unpleasant taste in his mouth after having a nap in the car. As he entered his office, he asked his secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—to bring a cup of green tea to his office. When the secretary brought the tea, Gun-Ho asked her, “Who are those people in the front yard?”

“Oh, today is the final interview day for the positions in the production site. Not just the front yard, but the auditorium is filled with job candidates as well.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Mr. President Song is leading the interview right now. The general affairs director and Mr. Director Jong-Suk Park from the production department are in the interview room as well.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“According to the general affairs director, we will hire many production workers this time. I think that’s because of the product orders that we recently received from A Electronics.”

“I’ve noticed that there are many female candidates among the people gathered in the yard.”

“Director Park newly organized an assembly team, and those female workers will be working for the team.”

“I see. So he wants to have a separate assembly team.”

Ms. Secretary Hee-Jeong Park left Gun-Ho’s office after giving a bow to Gun-Ho.

Since GH Mobile was busy with hiring new production workers that day, Gun-Ho decided to leave the company earlier. Chan-Ho asked, “Sir, we are heading to Dyeon Korea, aren’t we?”

“Well, I feel so tired today after visiting GH Logistics in Siheung City early in the morning. We have only several hours left before getting off work for today anyway. Let’s just go back to Seoul City.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho’s Bentley got out of the North-Cheonan IC and entered the Gyeongbu Expressway heading to Seoul City.

“Are we heading to GH Building in Sinsa Town, Seoul City then?”

“Let’s go to the educational and cultural center in Yangjae Town. I want to take a sauna there.”

“We can go to the Onyang hot spring in Asan City if you want.”

“Well, we already entered the expressway. Just go to Seoul as we originally planned.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho’s Bentley then got out of Yangjae IC and headed to the educational and cultural center. The center was usually packed with people because of their wedding hall, but when Gun-Ho arrived at the center, the wedding hall was quiet, maybe because it was late in the afternoon.

“Chan-Ho, why don’t you take a sauna with me?”

“Sir, I will be here waiting for you.”

“Come on. Join me in the sauna. It will be fun.”

“Sir… I… umm…”

“What?”

“I have tattoos on my body.”

“So what? Someone is going to bite you if you have tattoos? Who cares? Let’s go!”

There were not many people in the sauna.

It was the first time that Gun-Ho saw Chan-Ho’s naked body. He certainly had a sturdy build with well-developed muscles, but he indeed had a lot of tattoos. They covered almost his entire torso. It wasn’t pretty, Gun-Ho thought.

Noticing that Gun-Ho’s gaze settled on his body, Chan-Ho said, “I’m sorry, sir.”

“Can you get rid of those tattoos?”

“It’s not easy to do that, and I actually like my tattoos. These look cool. If you go to the U.S. Army Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek City, you will see many American soldiers with tattoos. Their tattoos can’t be compared with mine. Theirs are larger and more impressive.”

“Really? Did you get tattoos down there too?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I don’t have any tattoos on my private part.”

“Well, I thought you would.”

“Sir, you have a tattoo on your arm too.”

“Oh, this?”

Gun-Ho had a tiny tattoo on his left arm. It said ‘HOPE.’

“I don’t consider this as a tattoo. It’s just a word written on my arm. When I was in the military, I got this for fun.”

The two men went into the bathtub together.

Gun-Ho commented on Chan-Ho’s body, “You have very nice chest muscles. I can tell that you’ve been exercising a lot. You have a great body, Chan-Ho.”

“You too, sir. You have a big chest with large biceps.”

“Oh, these? These are not from exercise but from labor. I had developed these muscles by lifting heavy stuff when I was working at a factory years ago.”

“You have several burn marks too.”

“Yeah. I got all these when I had started working at a factory; I was not familiar with the work at that time. You have nice skin without any scar, Chan-Ho.”

While having fun in the water—even though it was a bathtub and not a swimming pool—Gun-Ho thought of the time when he was playing with Mori Aikko at the swimming pool in Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo.

It was Saturday. Young-Eun came home at TowerPalace in the evening.

Young-Eun was four months pregnant. Young-Eun’s belly bulged noticeably. She no longer had morning sickness.

Young-Eun said, “I know the gender of our child. I went to see the doctor earlier.”

“Really? What is it?”

“We will have a boy!”

“Really? Hahahaha. We will have a little Gun-Ho!”

“You would have been disappointed if it was a girl, wouldn’t you?”

“No, not at all. I do like to have a daughter too! Whether we would have a boy or a girl, I just want you and the child to be healthy.”

When Gun-Ho rubbed Young-Eun’s belly, Young-Eun stopped him, “Stop rubbing it! Enough for today.”

“Okay, okay.”

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Chapter 565 - Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (2) – Part 2

Chapter 565: Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (2) – Part 2

Once Young-Eun’s morning sickness stopped, Young-Eun started eating a lot.

Gun-Ho said, “Is it okay for you to eat that much?”

“Nothing much I can do about it. Oppa, can you get me some tomatoes? I want cherry tomatoes.”

Gun-Ho went to a supermarket and bought tomato, fruit juices, and other fruits and brought them to Young-Eun. Whenever Young-Eun said she was feeling swollen on her legs, he gave her a massage. These things became a new routine for Gun-Ho.

It was Monday. Gun-Ho went to work at GH Building in Sinsa Town.

Gun-Ho went out of the office by himself and headed to Youngpoong Bookstore at the building where Seoul Express Bus Terminal was located. He took the subway line no. 3 to get there. He bought several prenatal education books, including Talmud’s Tales and books on good foods during pregnancy. He also bought some classical music CDs for Young-Eun.

“Oh, my gosh. I will really be a dad?”

Gun-Ho was not sure what it would feel like to be a father. Gun-Ho thought that he should be a good person for his child.

Gun-Ho was sitting in his office at GH Building reading the prenatal education book that he bought earlier when he received a call from Young-Eun.

“Oppa? I just had a test for congenital abnormalities.”

“What? Congenital abnormalities? What are you talking about? Is something wrong?”

“It’s a medical exam that every expectant mother is supposed to take when they are around four months pregnant. Everything is fine.”

“Oh, my. I was frightened when you said you received the test for it. I stopped by Youngpoong Bookstore today and bought several books related to prenatal education.”

“You did?”

“You should take good care of yourself. Don’t do anything that makes you feel hard, and make a request to the hospital that you can’t work night shifts often any longer.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Honey, I love you.”

“Well, I will talk to you later.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin, who was working on the 17th floor, came up to Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor.

“What are these books?” Gun-Ho asked when he saw her carrying several heavy-looking books.

“GH Media is publishing these books now. These are business management books. I was thinking that you might want to read them. They are not on the market yet. They just came out of the bookbindery service today.”

“Really? These are very thick books.”

Gun-Ho didn’t carefully look at those books that President Shin had brought though.

“Thank you. I will read them when I find time for it.”

“We sold about 3000 of our costume play magazines this month. I wouldn’t say that we hit a jackpot, but it is definitely a success. Most of the articles in the magazine were written by Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda alone. Half of the magazine contents are from Japanese magazines anyway, so it’s not hard to make our magazine.”

“Hmm, really? That’s good to hear.”

“Also, I brought one more book. It’s a children’s storybook, which is good for prenatal education. Please give it to Young-Eun.”

“A book for prenatal education? I actually went to Youngpoong Bookstore earlier today and bought several books for it. Well, yours is different from the books that I bought.”

“Oh, you bought prenatal education books, sir? Oh, my gosh. I see the books on your desk, hahaha. I have no doubt that you will make a great dad, Mr. President Goo.”

“We are paying Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda enough with good benefits, right?”

“His current monthly salary is 3.5 million won. It’s exceeding 30,000 Japanese Yen. It seems that he is sending 20,000 Yen out of 30,000 to his home in Japan.”

“Does he have a lot of family members to support?”

“He doesn’t talk much about his family. He has a daughter for sure, but I’ve never seen him talking about his wife. His daughter seems to go to Tokyo University.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda is not solely working with the magazine, but he is also busy with introducing and bringing some Japanese best-seller books as well. I was thinking that maybe we should provide him with more support for his accommodation.”

“Where is he living right now?”

“He is staying in a studio apartment in the Hongik University area.”

“Hmm, really? I guess that he might feel lonely. I think you should pay more attention to his well being.”

“Sir, why don’t you buy him a drink or something sometimes when you have time? He probably needs man time. I think you can make a good connection with him.”

“Haha, you think so? Okay, I will do that.”

A moment after President Shin left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“I got confirmation from our Chinese partner that they received 450,000 dollars.”

“That’s good.”

“I will be attending the preparation meeting for Antang City’s terminal project today.”

“You mean the meeting conducted by the ‘preliminary committee’?”

“Yeah. Speaking of which, I found that we also sometimes say ‘preliminary committee,’ in Korea not ‘preparatory committee.’”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Well, since they received our investment funds, I will make a request again to change the ownership of the land to the joint venture’s name and to issue us the bus business license.”

“I think you should.”

“The joint venture’s vice president—Changchun—came and talked to me quietly earlier. He said that the transportation department’s director has the full authority regarding the bus business license, and we can expect to receive it very soon.”

“Of course. Since they received the funds, they will issue it to us pretty soon.”

“But the thing is that they will probably allow us to have two or three buses for now.”

“That’s it?”

“He said that it’s pursuant to the Duikai policy.”

“The Duikai policy? What is that?”

“It’s like if we bring three buses, then the other side will bring three busses as well like fairly matching the number of buses. In other words, say, Antang City will provide three buses for the route from Antang City to Guiyang City. Then Guiyang City will come up with the same number of buses for the route from Guiyang City to Antang City.”

“Hmm, really? It’s like if we have a new bus line between Incheon City where we used to live and Daejeon City, the bus company in Incheon City will run three buses that go from Incheon City to Daejeon City, and the bus company in Daejeon City will provide three buses from Daejeon to Incheon.”

“That’s exactly right. That’s the Duikai policy. The major difference between Korea and China is about who can be assigned to run those busses. Since Korea is a small company, the bus companies in Seoul can take the bus lines between two provincial cities while the bus companies in a provincial city get a hard time getting into the business. And that’s how some large companies become even larger. But China is different. They decentralize authorities and power, so they evenly distribute the business as well. Maybe, they do that because the country is so big.”

“Hmm, Duikai policy…”

“Their Duikai policy isn’t exclusively applicable to the bus business, but it applies to the airline business as well. In Korea, if we open a new airline route to Busan and if Korean Air takes the lines, then that is it, right? But, if Duikai policy applies, half of the lines to Busan must be taken by Busan Air.”

“That policy might not work well in Korea considering the business environment and all that. The companies in a provincial city are small companies with weak financial capability, which means that they might not be able to provide services that as competitive as companies in Seoul would. Well, Duikai policy seemed to be a good policy though. But, it seems like we will have half of what we expected in the bus business then.”

“So, I was thinking that maybe I should find a new bus route other than Guiyang City.”

“Hmm, really? If so, I think you should go on a trip to other cities for it.”

“I think I should go now. I will give you a call once the meeting is over.”

“Okay. Keep up the good work.”

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Chapter 566 - GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (1) – Part 1

Chapter 566: GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (1) – Part 1

Fall was coming. It was September after all.

Some changes occurred in GH Mobile ever since it started having business with A Electronics by supplying products to them. It had now 350 workers, and the security officer was changed to someone younger. The old security officer had been relocated to work the night shift.

GH Mobile was busy with the trucks that were leaving GH Mobile carrying outbound products heading to its customer companies, and the trucks that were coming into GH Mobile carrying raw materials. At the gate, several tens of freight trucks were waiting for their turns to be checked by the security guard of GH Mobile all the time.

There were barricades in place at the gate, and the security guard was verifying every single one of the trucks that were coming in or going out of GH Mobile. The trucks, that were carrying GH Mobile’s products out to customers, had to show the certificate showing it while the trucks that were coming in with raw materials had to show the shipment receipt or invoice.

When Gun-Ho’s Bentley arrived at the gate, the door was open right away, and the security guard gave a military salute to Gun-Ho.

The best spot of the parking area that was reserved for VIP guests was always available for Gun-Ho’s Bentley. Chan-Ho parked the Bentley there as always. After getting out of the car, Gun-Ho slowly went up to his office on the second floor that day. Gun-Ho’s office was the last one after passing the large cubicle office area. When Gun-Ho was walking toward his office, the workers there gave a bow to Gun-Ho.

The secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—brought a cup of green tea and a morning paper to Gun-Ho as it was how Gun-Ho’s day started at work. After a moment, President Song, who was working next door, entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“All of our sample products that were previously sent to A Electronics’ factory in Suwon City passed their tests.”

“That’s good. There are five different products, aren’t they?”

“That’s correct. A Electronics’ research center’s chief officer in Suwon City asked our research center’s chief officer—Director Joon-Soo Oh—to play golf together on Friday.”

“Oh, really?”

“They will have a round of golf at Namboo Country Club in Giheung District which is located in the vicinity of Suwon City.”

“We should encourage activities like that. We will cover the expenses that might incur him when he meets with A Electronics’ research chief officer to play golf.”

“The thing is that Director Oh is worrying about the meeting.”

“Why? What’s the problem? He knows how to play golf, doesn’t he?”

“In fact, he has very limited experience with playing golf. He played a few times when he had worked for BMW research center in Munich, Germany, but he has never played golf in Korea. Moreover, according to him, he has very old golf clubs that someone gave to him when he was in Munich.”

“Please get him new golf clubs then. Don’t forget to buy him new golf shoes too.”

“Okay, sir. I will let him know.”

“I’ve noticed that we have a lot of workers now.”

“We currently have 350 workers, and the number will exceed 400 by the end of this year. As Director Jong-Suk Park insisted, we now have a good size of assembly team.”

“Do you think maybe we should have outsourced the assembly work?”

“No. Now I do agree with Director Park. It was a good idea to organize our own assembly team within our company. As the automobile manufacturing industry, producing electronic devices and home appliances are delicate work. If we outsource the assembly work to other small companies, we would have expected to see some defective products. I think we can handle the quality control a lot better if we let the work done ourselves under our roof here.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The new workers at our assembly team are all young ladies in their 20s or 30s. Their hand speed is very fast. We pay them good salaries, and they are doing good jobs. I believe that they will create a positive influence around the production site. Our current production workers are impressed by their work already.”

“That’s very nice.”

“We are expecting to hire more workers in the assembly team later.”

“Have we received any payment from A Electronics yet?”

“We received the payment from them for last month through B2B.”

“Is it for three months?”

“No, it’s just one month.”

“I guess we don’t have to apply the discount then, do we?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Okay then.”

“Once we could liquidate their payment after one month, I will use it to pay for our bad debts first. Since we have increased our capital, and we have been paying for our debts, we are getting close to the average debt ratio in the industry. I can tell that there won’t be any problem registering with KOSDAQ as we planned.”

“Hmm, that is a very good sign.”

“GH Mobile generated 81.6 billion won last year. And, as I joined the company, I told you that we would aim at 91.4 billion won of our sales revenue for this year, increased by 12%.”

“I remember that.”

“But since we received the unexpected product orders from A Electronics, I think I should increase this year’s goal to 105 billion won.”

“Hmm, really?”

“If we get more product orders from A Electronics for the products that just passed their test in their research center, we will possibly have to update the 105 billion won goal as well.”

“Hmm.”

“Do you remember the condos that we purchased as a vacation home under GH Mobile’s name? They were very well been used by our workers during the last summer vacation.”

“We have only three condos. I guess that many of our workers still couldn’t receive the benefit of those vacation homes, could they?”

“We had them take turns in using them. We let them use them for four days and three nights per year at any time except the busy season—the summer vacation season. Since a lot of workers wanted to reserve a condo during the summer, we had them draw lots to decide it. They found it fair, and everyone seemed to be satisfied.”

“How did they like it?”

“They love it. Those workers, who used the condo, were highly content. Since we encourage them to go there with their family, it helped to promote our company’s reputation as well. Moreover, when I told them during the management meeting, where the workers who are a team lead or above could attend, that our executive officers are now prohibited from using those condos during the summer, they really liked it.”

“Haha, really? Once we get paid by A Electronics, please buy a few more condos.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho went to the production site.

The production manager, who was giving an instruction to the team leads, was frightened when he saw Gun-Ho at the production site. He quickly went to Gun-Ho and gave a bow.

“I don’t see Mr. Director Park around here.”

“He is here, sir. Oh, he is coming.”

When Gun-Ho followed the production manager’s gaze, Director Park was running toward him. Being aware of the production manager’s presence, Director Park didn’t say, ‘You are here, bro,’ as he always had said, but instead, he just gave a silent bow to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho laughed and tapped Jong-Suk’s back.

Gun-Ho said to the production manager, “You can go back to your work. I’ve noticed that you were giving instructions to the team leads. Please don’t mind me here.”

“Yes, sir. I will go back to work.”

The production manager gave a bow to Gun-Ho and went to the team leads.

Gun-Ho said while taking a walk at the production site with Director Park, “You have a new assembly team now, huh?”

“Yeah. Since the products are electronic, quality control is very important. So, I think we can control the quality better this way. Once we see even one defective product, we will have to stop the entire production line for a while until we figure out what went wrong. Moreover, if a defective product is found later, and the client claims it, and we receive the return, and so on, we will waste tons of time. It will cause a loss to the company.”

“Mr. President Song said your idea about the assembly team was good.”

“Did he really say that? The picky and cold Mr. President Song?”

“Is he that picky and cold?”

“Don’t get me started, bro. When he reprimands the other executive officers, I swear that I don’t want to see him again.”

“Does he do that to you too?”

“Well, not as much as he does to others. I think he’s trying to lower the degree of reprimanding me since I’m the plant manager; I need to maintain the respect from the production workers after all.”

“That’s good then.”

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Chapter 567 - GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (1) – Part 2

Chapter 567: GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was passing by the assembly team’s worksite with Director Jong-Suk Park.

The young female workers were sitting in rows holding an electric soldering iron doing soldering. They all looked very skillful. When they noticed Gun-Ho’s presence, they glanced at him and then quickly went back to their work. They didn’t seem to know who Gun-Ho was. Even if they knew, they wouldn’t have cared much. They seemed to be professional workers who knew that they just needed to focus on their work no matter who visited their worksite.

“They are all young female workers.”

“They are all older than 35 though. When we posted the job openings on WorkNet, we listed that the monthly pay was 2 million won and that we would provide the shuttle to commute. We received tons of job applications as a result. The most attractive point for them was that the job posting was directly from GH Mobile’s general affairs department, not from some kind of small staffing company.”

“I see.”

“You know what? The owner of the convenience store across the street from our factory is very happy these days. He said that their sales revenue had increased dramatically recently because of us.”

“Haha, really?”

“Bro! Do you remember the old days when we worked together at a factory in Pocheon City and Yangju City? At that time, we couldn’t get a job in a factory this big. We used to work in a very small facility with only 20 or 30 workers.”

“Yeah. I remember that.”

“And do you also remember that the mid-level managers were just a bunch of as*es. They nagged us a lot. I still don’t understand why they had to be like that.”

“They were just uneducated people.”

“I’m not that educated either. They were just mean and nasty morons.”

“You are the plant manager here. You don’t do that to your workers?”

“No, I don’t at all. If someone is older than me, I treat them like my old brothers. And, anyone who is younger than me, then they become my little brothers. I don’t have any problem with them.”

“You know what? Your belly seems to grow every day.”

“Hahaha. Man, look at your belly. It’s funny to hear criticism on my belly from you, bro. Oh, how’s your wife?”

“How’s my wife what? Oh, the baby? She is four months pregnant now.”

“Oh, really? Congratulations, bro! Ohhh, that’s why your belly is bulging. You two have two bulged belly together now, huh?”

“You want to start that, huh?”

“Hahaha.”

“It’s almost noon. You buy me lunch today.”

“If I have lunch with you alone, the other executive officers might not like it. Why don’t you invite all executive officers for lunch? The owner of the Plum Farm Restaurant is now serving a new menu—soy sauce marinated crabs. Let’s go there.”

“Sounds good. I will let the general affairs director know about the lunch plan to arrange it.”

Gun-Ho called for the general affairs director.

“Yes, sir?’

“Let’s have lunch together with all of our executive officers today. Please tell them to come to the Plum Farm Restaurant by noon.”

“Okay, sir.”

“At noon, the company yard will be packed with the workers who are heading to the company restaurant, so tell them to leave for the Plum Farm Restaurant a bit earlier like 11:50 am.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho headed to the restaurant in his Bentley. He was with President Song and the accounting director. The general affairs director drove his car and had the research center’s chief officer and Director Jong-Suk Park in his car. A luxurious restaurant was located in the middle of a plum farm. It was beautiful with a lot of flowers surrounding it. The female director—Ms. Accounting Director—screamed when she saw the flowers.

“Oh, my goodness! This is so beautiful!”

The accounting director breathed deeply to smell the flowers.

Gun-Ho and the GH Mobile’s executive officers sat at a table.

Foods started coming out. A braised dried Pollack came out first followed by the main dish—soy sauce marinated crabs. The side dishes including various seasoned vegetables and delicious house-kimchi were added to the table. The foods were neat and delicate.

While having lunch, Gun-Ho said to the research center’s chief officer, “So, you are meeting with A Electronics’ research center’s chief officer this Friday?”

Since other executive officers were at the table, Gun-Ho didn’t mention their golf appointment.

“Yes, sir,” the research center’s chief officer responded briefly.

“When you have a chance to meet with people like him, you should grab the opportunity. You can get a lot of valuable information from a meeting like that.”

“I will keep that in mind, sir.”

The research center’s chief officer didn’t mention the golf appointment either. President Song quickly changed the topic.

“Ms. Accounting Director, please have a drink. One small glass of liquor should be good.”

“Haha, thank you.”

“Guess what I said when I realized that we were hiring a lot of female workers?”

“What did you say?”

“I said that we have a female executive officer in our company. She started from a position as a regular worker and went up to that high position. So, I told them that ‘you—the female workers—all have a chance to become like her too’. They seemed to be happy to know that.”

“Haha, you did?”

Gun-Ho smiled and looked at the accounting director and said, “How long had you been with the company prior to your promotion to the director position?”

“Let me see… I had worked for the company for 22 years before taking the director position.”

“Haha. I see.”

“22 years ago, when I joined Mulpasaneop, Director Kim, who is now working with Dyeon Korea, was an assistant manager in the sales department. He was a very good communicator back then as well. He was excellent at convincing people. We used to call him Mr. Liar Kim.”

“Mr. Liar Kim? Hahahaha.”

Everyone at the table laughed out loud.

Ms. Accounting Director continued to talk, “The general affairs director, who is sitting in front of me, joined the company a year before me.”

“Haha, really?”

“The previous plant manager, who is now in China, was an assistant manager in the production department. He was a young man at that time. When he stopped by our office before he left for China, I realized that time indeed flew so fast.”

When the accounting director was talking about the old days of 22 years ago, Gun-Ho thought of his days of 22 years ago.

‘Let me see… 22 years ago, I was 15 years old. I was a junior in junior high school. At that time, I used to get beaten up by Suk-Ho Lee, and he took my umbrella without feeling sorry for me. Well, time does fly fast. The accounting director, who is sitting in front of me, must have been a young lady 22 years ago. She must have not had any wrinkles around her eyes and on her neck back then.’

Gun-Ho moved his gaze from the accounting director to Director Jong-Suk Park.

‘Director Park was a sixth-grader in elementary school 22 years ago. He was about to enter junior high school. I remember his mother yelled at him all the time because Jong-Suk hadn’t shown any interest in studying. He was so into reading comic books in those old days. I feel like I still can hear his mother’s yelling from the Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup) restaurant that she was running. Jong-Suk seems to be so quiet now. Everyone at the table is older than him. He must think that he’d better shut up and eat his lunch while he was surrounded by people older than him.’

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Chapter 568 - GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (2) – Part 1

Chapter 568: GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho changed the topic.

“Our former plant manager is actively working in China right now. The work contract with him expires at the end of this year, but Mr. President Min-Hyeok Kim there said that he is thinking of extending the contract with him. Since he is very knowledgeable about the machines and maintains them stably, the Chinese workers respect him a lot and heavily rely on him at work.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Oh, how’s our former research center’s chief officer doing at Dyeon Korea?”

“Mr. Chief Officer Bang comes to work sporadically. His one-year work contract will expire at the end of this year as well. He already explicitly informed Dyeon Korea that he no longer wants to work there.”

“That’s a shame. He had worked so hard for Mulpasaneop even though he was not one of the founding members; he joined the company later on.”

“They have different jobs and work environments. Considering the nature of his work, the former plant manager can easily adapt to the new work environment since he doesn’t need a lot of equipment to repair a machine. He can easily fix machines with one screwdriver. On the other hand, the former research center’s chief officer needs proper equipment and enough space for his research work. Since his new work environment can’t provide them, it seems that he doesn’t feel comfortable working there.”

President Song who was sitting next to him said, “It was still a generous offer of Mr. President Goo for the old workers who already reached their retirement age, even if it was only for one or two years. I’ve met with them in person separately, and they both appreciated the opportunity.”

“They both are over 60 years old. I hope they stay healthy.”

“It is natural to see a shift in generations even in a company. Younger people will be leading our company soon like Director Jong-Suk Park here. Don’t you think, Mr. Director Park?”

President Song said as he clinked his glass of liquor to Director Jong-Suk Park’s.

The executive officers at the table toasted the success of the company. After taking a sip of his beer, Gun-Ho said, “Since Mr. President Song joined our company, we have developed the new product— AM083 Assembly, and also we successfully procured our major client company— S Group, and we are currently supplying five different products to them. It was successfully done because of President Song’s connection with them. So, we were originally aiming at making more than 90 billion won for our annual sales revenue by the end of this year. However, we unexpectedly received a product order from A Electronics recently. So, now, we are expecting to make more than 100 billion won per year. I understand that we became busier than before, and we are feeling more responsible at work than before. But, let’s work hard, and let’s grow our company while we can.”

Gun-Ho lifted his glass of beer and said, “Thank you.”

“Thank you.” The executive officers said simultaneously holding their glass of beer.

After finishing lunch, the general affairs director paid for it at the counter with the company’s business credit card. He would probably record this expense as a fringe benefit.

Gun-Ho walked out of the restaurant with the other executive officers. The accounting director, who came out to the parking lot before them, was smelling the flowers in the restaurant’s garden again. Two black sedans stopped in front of the restaurant’s front door. They were probably the customers who came to have lunch at the restaurant. Several sturdy men, who looked like they were in their 50s, got out of the cars. Some of them were wearing police uniforms; they were probably high ranking police officers. One man who was wearing a black suit without a tie approached Gun-Ho, and said, “Oh, Mr. President Goo?”

“Oh, Mr. Chief Police Officer? You are here for lunch?”

“Yes. I guess you just had your lunch here.”

“Yes. We were about to leave.”

Once the group of men with the chief police officer vanished into the restaurant, the GH Mobile’s executive officers asked Gun-Ho, “Is he the chief police officer? I guess you two know each other very well, sir.”

“He came and attended Dyeon Korea’s building dedication ceremony.”

“Oh, he did?”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea.

The secretary— Ms. Seon-Hye Yee— brought a cup of jujube tea and said, “Mr. Director Kim is out of his office now, sir. He said he was leaving to target A Electronics’ vendor companies.”

“Targeting A Electronics’ vendor companies?”

“Yes, sir. That’s what I heard for sure.”

“How did he get the list of A Electronics’ vendor companies?”

Gun-Ho almost made a call to Director Kim, and then he decided against it. If Director Kim was meeting with a potential client company, Gun-Ho’s call for him wouldn’t do any good.

“Who would know about our current sales status? Oh, that’s right! Please have Mr. Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong at the sales department come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

“Please have a seat.”

Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong used to work at the GH Mobile’s research center. He was also one of those who received the special training from Lymondell Dyeon in the U.S. He was later assigned to work at Dyeon Korea’s compound room. And, when Director Kim needed someone in the sales department, who would be highly knowledgeable about the technology and products to make effective sales work, the assistant manager— Il Gi Seong— was reassigned to the sales department.

As he was sitting on the sofa facing the owner president of the company that he was working for, Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong behaved very carefully.

Gun-Ho said, “It has been two months since you were assigned to the sales department, hasn’t it? How do you like the new work?”

“It is actually more fun than the work in the compound room. I’m doing my best, sir.”

“Hmm, that’s very good to know. I believe that one of the most important things at work is being able to have fun. Regardless of how much you get paid, you should feel interested in your work. What is our sales status these days?”

“We are observing an acute increase in the sales revenue in GH Mobile. According to GH Mobile’s Manager Chang-Hwan Seo at the sales department, they started supplying a high volume of products to A Electronics, and they will use our raw materials in manufacturing those products.”

“How much more raw materials are we sending to GH Mobile then?”

“The raw materials that we provide to GH Mobile have increased by more than 150 tons.”

“How much more are we making per month then?”

When Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong took out a pen and a paper to do his math, Gun-Ho said, “We are selling our raw materials to them for 4.8 million won per ton, so it would be 720 million won. So, we will be making 8.64 billion won more per year.”

“That… that sounds right, sir.”

“The number has to be accurate. There is no such thing like ‘it sounds right,’ but you have to be sure about the number.”

“Yes, sir.”

Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong was amazed by Gun-Ho’s ability to do a mental calculation. He recalled that Mr. Director Kim and Ms. Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo told him once that he had to be careful when talking about numbers with Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho smiled and said, “The last time when I talked with Mr. Director Kim about our sales revenue last month, we were selling 600 tons per month. It seems like now we are selling 750 tons, right?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“I was told that Mr. Director Kim is now trying to procure A Electronics’ vendor companies. How did he get the list of their vendor companies?”

“I gave him the list. A Electronics’ assistant manager in the quality control department is a friend of mine from college.”

“Oh, really?”

“I didn’t get the full list of their vendor companies, but the list has a few large vendor companies.”

“Oh, I see. You did a very good job, Mr. Assistant Manager Seong.”

Assistant Manager Seong seemed to be excited when he was praised by Gun-Ho for the work. He said with excitement, “The list that I gave to Mr. Director Kim includes all of those companies’ addresses and the person’s name who is in charge.”

“Really? Why didn’t you go with Director Kim?”

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Chapter 569 - GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (2) – Part 2

Chapter 569: GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (2) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho asked Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong why he didn’t accompany Director Kim to meet with the potential clients— A Electronics’ vendor companies— since he was the one who gave the list of those companies to Director Kim after all, Assistant Manager Seong said, “I actually accompanied Mr. Director Kim at first, but I had to come back when I had a headache and stomach ache. I went to see a doctor at Asan Hospital and just came back from there.”

“Oh. Why are you still here? You should have gone home early and taken a rest if you feel sick.”

“I actually gave a call to the general affairs manager from the hospital for getting off work early today, but when I received a call that one of our clients was on the way to visit us, I had to come back to work. I feel better now after seeing a doctor earlier anyway.”

“After you meet with the client, you should go home, okay? And take good care of yourself. You are one of the most important assets to our company. Many people have highly spoken of you to me. Our former research center’s chief officer recommended you for the special training in the U.S., and also Director Kim selected you to work with him in the sales department. So, I’ve been keeping an eye on you, Mr. Assistant Manager Seong. You should keep up maintaining good health.”

“Thank… Thank you, sir.”

Assistant Manager Seong seemed to be touched when Gun-Ho told him that he was one of the most important assets for the company, and that Gun-Ho was personally keeping an eye on him.

The meeting regarding the preparation for the joint venture’s business in Antang City, Guizhou Province was being held. Jae-Sik Moon was sitting at the middle seat at the conference table as the chairman of the preparatory committee. Next to him, Mr. Chun Chang, who would soon take the position of the vice president of the joint venture, was sitting. He was the vice-chairman of the committee. The vice-chairman said, “We now have the investment funds of 450,000 dollars as a start, and the bus license has been issued by the transportation department as well. Therefore, this preparatory committee will be merged into the joint venture company as we no longer do the preparation but will start our joint venture’s actual business.”

Every time when Mr. Chun Chang said something, Jae-Sik’s interpreter— Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo— interpreted it for Jae-Sik. Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy, who was working as the interpreter for the Chinese business partner, hadn’t consistently attended the meeting. He sometimes came and sometimes didn’t.

“We will first have to determine the organizational structure of the joint venture company. We need a department that will operate the bus business. It will be called the operations department. We will also need a management department and accounting department. In addition, we will have a passenger transportation department, and also a construction department for the terminal construction. Within the construction department, we will have a construction team.”

“Hmm.”

“The members of this committee are mid-level managers of the Antang City’s transportation company. The transportation company’s sales manager— Dongji Wang— will take the position of the joint venture’s sales manager. The freight department’s Chiaodong will be assigned to the manager position of the passenger transportation department…”

Jae-Sik was sitting there listening to them. He didn’t really have anything to add anyway. He was just watching and learning how Chinese people structure a company.

“Lastly, Mr. Jae-Sik Moon, who is from Korea representing our Korean co-venturer’s interest, will be the president of the joint venture company, and I will be the vice president. If you have anything to add or object, please say it now.”

No one said anything. Jae-Sik could just hear people swallowing.

“Since I don’t hear any objection, the joint venture will be organized as such then. If you all agree to it, please give a big round of applause.”

The people sitting in the meeting room clapped loudly. Jae-Sik Moon clapped along with them.

“Okay. The joint venture will be structured according to what we just determined then. Mr. Zhihua Li from the accounting department couldn’t join us today because he had to attend the communist party’s meeting. We have everyone here except him, and as we all agreed today, the joint venture company has been established as of today.”

The people in the meeting room clapped loudly again. Jae-Sik Moon looked around, and he thought the way that some people clapped looked just like Kim Jong-Un’s clapping— Supreme Leader of North Korea.

After the meeting was over, Jae-Sik Moon was having a cup of tea when Mr. Chun Chang— the joint venture’s vice president representing the Chinese co-venturer’s interest— came to Jae-Sik with a smile.

“Mr. President Moon! I just received the message from Antang City’s transportation company’s general affairs department that you can now move to a place to live. You no longer need to stay in a hotel.”

“Hmm, really?”

“You can pick any place you want. Pursuant to our policy, you just need to find one that is not larger than 120 ㎡.”

Jae-Sik Moon thought, ‘These people now started moving forward. They postponed everything until they received 450,000 dollars from Gun-Ho Goo. By the way, how large is 120 ㎡? It’s about 36 pyung large which is okay. I am alone here without anyone to live with. I don’t need any place that is 40 or 50 pyung large anyway.’

“Sounds good.”

“If you pick a specific area where you want to live, we will make a lease agreement for you. It’s wiser for us to do it for you rather than you do it yourself. You could get easily ripped off since you are a foreigner.”

“Sure. I would appreciate that.”

“Also, you can pick a car that is less than 2200 cc. This restriction is imposed by the city’s transportation department. A joint venture’s president is considered as one level below a director position in the government. And the size of a vehicle is determined accordingly.”

“Okay. That’s fine.”

“You can pick any car though as long as it’s not over 2200 cc.”

“Okay.”

When the vice president was about to leave, Jae-Sik Moon asked, “Mr. Vice President Chun Chang! Since the bus business license is issued, are we going to purchase the buses right away?”

“No. We have to first go to Guiyang City to negotiate the bus lines and schedules with them. We— Antang City— want to run as many buses as we can while Guiyang City wants to run as less buses as possible.”

“Why do the two cities have different positions?”

“Guiyang City doesn’t like frequent incoming traffic from small cities like us. That’s why they are not very cooperative when we try to discuss the bus business.”

“Why don’t you have dinner with them or buy them a drink or something? You will need to try harder to get personally close to them in order to make a successful deal.”

“Speaking of which, I was planning to visit Guiyang City’s transportation department with our sales manager tomorrow. And then, we will have a joint venture meeting the day after tomorrow.”

“The day after tomorrow?”

“Yes. During the meeting the day after tomorrow, we will talk about the joint venture’s physical offices and also the result from the meeting that I will have with Guiyang City tomorrow on the bus lines and schedules. I think the joint venture business is going very well so far. There is nothing to worry about, Mr. President Moon. Why don’t you have dinner with the members of the preparatory committee this evening? That committee has dissolved as of today, and we officially start our joint venture today. You might want to get together with them to celebrate this day.”

“Well, since the preparatory committee would no longer exist, I will need a new business card accordingly.”

“Of course, you will have one. Once we move to the new office, and office phones are installed, we will get you a new business card.”

“Sounds great. Thank you.”

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Chapter 570 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (1) – Part 1

Chapter 570: Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (1) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building in Sinsa Town that morning, he received a call from Seukang Li— the director of the bureau of cultural affairs and art in Shanghai.

“I heard that the joint venture was officially established in Antang City now. Congratulations.”

“I’m still not sure if it was the right decision to join that joint venture. As a matter of fact, I can find tons of business that I could invest in with the funds that I would invest in it.”

“I think you made the right decision. A terminal project cannot be failed because it is closely related to Chinese ordinary people. You might not make a fortune, but you won’t lose your investment funds. That fact should give some comfort to you, especially these days where we see a lot of businesses going broke. You will see many Korean companies in China disappear when you wake up next morning. China is a land of opportunities, but people should know that they have to bear high risk to enjoy those opportunities.

“At least you are honest.”

“The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China wants to reduce the steadily increasing economic gap between the east area and the west area by developing the west area. That’s why they are sending very competent personnel to small cities. For example, they placed Lizian Zhang at the small provincial city— Antang City— as its deputy mayor. Actually, with his ability, he should be working for the central government.”

“So, you think I will have a good return from this investment, huh?”

“Don’t worry about it. You will have your investment funds back with good profits. While you are working with them, pay attention to the construction work in that area.”

“Construction work?”

“As the central community party announced that they will start developing the west area, the working class people in the area are moving to the cities in the west rather than major cities like Shanghai or Beijing. Even though Antang is a small city, you will see an acute increase in the house price there soon.”

“Which one is the richest area there? The area like West Lake in Hangzhou City or Gangnam District in Korea. You can never fail with real property investment in the area like that. Whether the government imposes restrictions or not, the real property price always increases in those areas.”

“Of course. It’s one of a human being’s natures. They want to reside in a rich area. Don’t forget about the resemblance theory. People want to consider themselves as rich as the neighbors who are living in the same wealthy area. Professor Jien Wang is a member of the Financial Service Committee of a municipal government, but he sometimes calls me and talks about his concerns and worries.”

“What does he worry about?”

“He thinks that there are so many obstacles that need to be overcome for China’s economy to grow.”

“Hmm.”

“I think the central government needs talented people like Jien Wang. I want Jien Wang to do politics in one of the central cities like Beijing. It’s a waste to keep him in a small provincial city. He is a brilliant man who used to teach at Yale University in the U.S.”

“Hmm.”

“By the way, you won’t be able to make another investment in the soap opera production industry that I talked to you about last time, will you?”

“Well, I do want to try it since you recommended it to me, but the thing is that I’m currently investing a significant amount of funds in the terminal project. That’s the problem.”

“Of course.”

“Another concern is that an investment in a terminal project is relatively safe while a soap opera production is a very high-risk investment.”

Seukang Li let out a deep sigh and agreed explicitly, “You’re right.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Several people, who used to work for the broadcasting station, gathered together and formed a soap opera production company, and they are currently shooting a soap opera with 35 episodes.”

“Yeah, I think you told me that before.”

“The production cost for one episode is now exceeding 1.5 Yuan in China, and these people got hit hard when their investor backed out. Not just the production company, but the broadcasting station that made a contract with this production company also got hammered severely by it consequently.”

“How much is 1.5 million Yuan in Korean won? Let me see… Well, it’s more than 250 million won. It’s very expensive.”

“I heard that it costs more than 500 million won to make one episode of a soap opera in Korea. One of the factors that are contributing to the high production cost is the payment for actors or actresses. A popular actor or actress in China makes a tremendous amount of money. Also, without having a popular actor or actress, a soap opera cannot be successful.”

“But, it’s not your job to worry about one specific soap opera production company as a government worker, is it? Some production companies succeed while some don’t. That’s how it is, right? Why are you letting out such a deep sigh for it? I understand that you do feel for them, but it’s not like the company is directly related to you or anything like that.”

“The estimated production cost for the entire soap opera is 52.5 million Yuan. Part of it has already been paid for those episodes that were already aired. They can cover the cost by making some money through advertisements, VOD, and selling them in the international market.”

“You said that part of that soap opera has already been aired. How are their ratings?”

“Many scenes had been cut off because of the government’s strict censorship, and it made the series less fun. As a result, I wouldn’t say that it has high view ratings.”

“Well, I guess that you are in an awkward position. What can you do for a soap opera that has low ratings? I understand that you feel sorry for them as the director of the bureau of cultural affairs and art in Shanghai. But, I don’t see what you can do about it. Unless you invested your own funds in that company, don’t worry too much about their business.”

“Haha, you think so? Well, I got what you mean.”

After getting off the phone with Seukang Li, Gun-Ho thought that it was weird that Seukang Li seemed to worry too much about the production company.

“Is there something that I don’t know about?”

Gun-Ho made a call to Professor Jien Wang at Zhejiang University to find out.

“Xianzai Zhong Zai huiyi (He is in the meeting right now).”

“Shoot, it seems that he is in a meeting all the time. Chinese people indeed love to have a meeting.”

After quite a while, Gun-Ho received a call from Jien Wang.

“Mr. President Goo, I’m sorry that I missed your call. I had an important meeting earlier.”

“I called to ask you about something. Seukang Li keeps asking me to make an investment in a soap opera production company. What do you think? Do you think it would be okay for me to do that?”

“I don’t believe that it’s only about money. There are many media groups in China with a significant amount of funds available to make an investment. A substantial amount of money is moving around in the industry. I’m not sure, but I think maybe those funds are entwined with the political party opposed to Seukang Li’s. If that is the case, Seukang Li is probably looking for a new investor who is not related to the opposing political party and also who can provide enough funds. The ideal investor would be a Korean soap opera production company that has high technology and skills that can directly benefit the business.”

“Technology?”

“Yes. You know things like recording, lighting, sound, and editing skills. Moreover, if they can work with a Korean production company, they will have easier access to work with internationally popular actors and actresses through Korean Wave.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Also, maybe Seukang Li is somewhat related to that specific production company in some way like one of his relatives is working there, or he asked them to produce a specific video but it failed to elicit high ratings so he is looking for a way to break through.”

“It seems that the cost to produce a soap opera is enormous in China.”

“It’s still on the rise steeply. The Chinese top stars get huge performance fees. Look at Fan Bingbing or Qian Kun. Their annual income coming from their playing roles in a soap opera already exceeded 100 million Yuan.”

“100 million Yuan (approximately 17 billion won)! Wow. That’s a lot!”

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Chapter 571 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (1) – Part 2

Chapter 571: Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was talking with Jien Wang on the phone.

Jien Wang asked, “How is the terminal business going in Antang City, Guizhou Province?”

“I already started investing in it. I’ve invested 500,000 dollars already, and sent one of my people there.”

“You don’t have to worry about that investment. A terminal project and a passenger transportation service business are safe business money-wise. You might not make a fortune, but you won’t lose your investment funds. It’s like the industrial complex that we established in Kunshan City. It is a Cash Cow business as well. You haven’t seen any bus terminal going out of business before, have you? That industry is closely related to ordinary people’s daily life. If they happen to suffer from some financial problems, at least the government will support them. However, producing a soap opera is different. It’s not a Cash Cow business at all, and it is a highly risky business. You’re right about being extra careful before going into that business.”

“I heard you, and thank you for your advice.”

“Why don’t you come to Hangzhou City in the near future? Let’s have a drink.”

“Haha. Okay, I will do that.”

After getting off the phone with Jien Wang, Gun-Ho thought about the soap opera production business in Shanghai.

‘Seukang Li seems to have planned to produce a very good soap opera, in the beginning, and the wealthy media group in Shanghai is probably related to the high ranking government officers who are in a competitive position with him. That’s why he wants to make his plan work by working with Korea?

Say, it costs 1.5 million Yuan to produce one episode of a soap opera. Seukang Li said they were making a 35 episode soap opera, and they estimated the cost for the soap opera as 52.5 million Yuan. It’s about 9 billion Korean won. Should I go for it? I still have 170 billion won in my stock account. 9 billion won is not much for a big player in Gangnam like me.

This is a new field for me though. Maybe I should talk with that BM Entertainment’s dandy dude about it. Or, maybe I should talk with his boss directly— Mr. President Hyeon-Man Yee who is running a large entertainment management company.’

Gun-Ho had his business card. When Gun-Ho looked at his business card, there was no direct number like his cell phone number, but it only showed his office number. Gun-Ho called that number.

“Hello? Is it BM Entertainment?”

“Yes, it is. Can I ask you what this call is regarding?”

Gun-Ho could hear a young female’s voice. She had a beautiful voice.

“May I speak with Mr. President Hyeon-Man Yee, please?”

“May I tell him who’s calling?”

“This is President Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“This is President of GH Building in Sinsa Town, Gangnam District with GH Gallery.”

“Oh, GH Gallery building.”

‘This lady recognizes GH Gallery right away. She must have come to the art gallery during one of our art exhibitions.’

After a moment, Gun-Ho heard a man’s thick voice over the phone.

“This is Hyeon-Man Yee.”

“This is GM Mobile’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, hi. We’ve met in Shanghai before.”

“That’s right. How have you been? Even though my office in Sinsa Town is so close to your office in Cheongdam Town, I couldn’t find a chance to visit you. I have something that I’d like to ask you about. Will you be available today?”

“I have an appointment in the afternoon, but I will be here in the morning.”

“I will come to your office now then.”

“Okay. I will be waiting for you.”

Gun-Ho went to BM Entertainment Company located in Cheongdam Town.

Their office was decorated glamorously, and Gun-Ho saw a few people who looked like a celebrity, but most of the people there were office workers in that office.

“Is the president in the office?”

A very pretty female secretary quickly stood up from her seat when she saw Gun-Ho entering the office. Gun-Ho looked like a businessman with a bulged belly now, so the secretary treated him with respect.

“Who may I tell him you are?”

“I’m President Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile.”

Gun-Ho followed the secretary to their president’s office. His office was spacious, and the floor was covered by a carpet. President Hyeon-Man Yee was sitting on a sofa by himself when Gun-Ho entered the office. He stood up when he saw Gun-Ho. President Hyeon-Man Yee was exuding his own charisma. He was a tall and sturdy man with big hands.

“It has been a while since we met in Shanghai,” Gun-Ho said.

“I owed you one back in Shanghai, and I didn’t have a chance to buy you dinner or something to pay you back. Please have a seat.”

President Hyeon-Man Yee asked the secretary to bring them some tea, and then he called someone and asked to come to his office.

Gun-Ho asked, “Do you still often go to China these days?”

“Not recently. I went to the U.S. pretty often these days though. You go to China frequently, right, Mr. President Goo?”

“No, I haven’t been to China for a while, but I think I will have to go to Guizhou Province next week.”

“Guizhou Province?”

“Yes. I am making an investment in a terminal project there— Antang City, Guizhou Province.”

“A terminal project? Do you mind if I ask you how much it cost to invest in that sort of business?”

“Not much. It’s a 50 million dollar project.”

“Oh, 50 million dollars is a lot. Is it a consortium with another company?”

“No, it’s not a consortium.”

At that moment, the secretary brought tea, and that dandy guy— the entertainment manager— walked in the office behind the secretary.

President Hyeon-Man Yee said to the manager, “You remember Mr. President Goo, right?”

The manager looked at Gun-Ho’s face and said, “Oh, Mr. President Goo? How are you? What brought you here?”

Gun-Ho laughed and extended his hand for a handshake.

“Please have some tea.”

“I came here to ask for advice. I’ve been requested to make an investment in a soap opera production company in Shanghai.”

“Since you received the request to invest, I guess it’s not crowdfunding.”

“No, it’s not crowdfunding.”

President Hyeon-Man Yee asked after sipping his tea, “The production cost for a soap opera should be substantial in China as well, right?”

“I was told that it costs 1.5 million Yuan to produce one episode of a soap opera. If they complete their planned 35 episodes, it would take 9 billion Korean won.”

“9 billion won? Whoa.”

The manager sitting next to President Yee seemed to be frightened. However, Gun-Ho thought that he was exaggerating in making his frightening facial expression, maybe because his boss was present.

“It seems that they are paying a high price to cast a popular main actor or actress in China too. I think you are in a very good position by having a lot of popular celebrities like girl groups and male singers currently on the Billboard charts.”

“Don’t get me started. I’ve spent tons of money to make them what they are now.”

“I’ve observed that your company’s— BM Entertainment— stock price is on the rise steeply every day.”

“That doesn’t mean much to me. It’s not like I have cash on my hand as the stock price increases. People don’t know how it works, and some of them ask me to buy them a drink since I probably made a lot of money. Haha.”

“Well, it’s still good for you.”

“I built a performance stage in Gyeonggi Province recently, and since I needed money for it, I had to take out a loan from a bank. Mr. President Goo, would you like to make an investment in my business?”

“Oh, my gosh. I don’t have that much money right now.”

“Oh, that’s right. You said that you are currently investing in a terminal project in China.”

The manager looked surprised again and asked Gun-Ho, “Sir, do you do terminal business in China?”

President Hyeon-Man Yee smiled and chipped in, “It’s a 50 million dollar project.”

“Whoa! 50 million dollars!”

The manager’s eyes widened, and he looked astonished. Gun-Ho thought, ‘This dude is doing it again. He is certainly overreacting to show his surprise.’

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Chapter 572 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (2) – Part 1

Chapter 572: Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (2) – Part 1

BM Entertainment’s President Hyeon-Man Yee crossed his legs while sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea on his hand, and he said, “You said that you wanted to ask me about something. What would you like to know?”

BM Entertainment was a publicly-traded company being registered with KOSDAQ. This company’s market value was exceeding 300 billion won. President Hyeon-Man Yee was a highly well-known public figure as well. Even though he had needed help and received help from Gun-Ho back in Shanghai once, he considered Gun-Ho as an ordinary businessman with a few small companies which were not even public companies. Moreover, he was in his 50s while Gun-Ho was only in his 30s. Therefore, he thought that he had a higher social status than Gun-Ho. He obviously didn’t know about Gun-Ho’s potential just yet.

Gun-Ho crossed his legs after sipping his tea, and he said, “I was wondering if you know anyone who is very familiar with the soap opera production industry. If you do, I was hoping that you could arrange a meeting with that person.”

“We are a management company working with singers mostly, and we get involved in producing music as well. However, it’s different from a soap opera production field.”

“I’ve been only in the manufacturing industry. I know nothing about the entertainment field. Someone recently asked me to make an investment in a soap opera production in Shanghai, so I came here to get some advice from experts like you.”

President Hyeon-Man Yee changed his posture by crossing his legs again the other way around, and he asked the manager who was sitting next to him, “Do you know what Woon-Hak Sim is doing these days?”

“Well, I heard people saying that he has not been doing well financially after he filed bankruptcy not long ago, but I don’t know what exactly he is doing these days.”

“What do you think if we introduce him to Mr. President Goo?”

“Well, I think it’s a good idea. He is good and savvy since he has been in the industry for a quite long time.”

President Hyeon-Man Yee changed his posture again and said to Gun-Ho, “Mr. President Goo, I know this person who used to work at a broadcasting station as a PD. He participated in producing many soap operas for a long time. He has been out of this field ever since he failed his own business. I think that starting his own business was a reckless and stupid decision in the first place. Anyway, he is very competent and knowledgeable in the entertainment field, especially in the soap opera production industry. I will introduce him to you.”

“What happened to his business?”

“He is very good at producing soap operas, but the thing is that he insisted on casting only top stars in his own soap opera. After he paid those stars and the drama writer, he was left with nothing much to cover the expenses incurred in the process. It might not be a big deal to the people with enough funds like you—Mr. President Goo—but, if you have to take a loan in order to make a soap opera, that could put you on the path for bankruptcy. Some people committed suicide when they failed that way.”

“Hmm, really? Well, please arrange a meeting with him for me. I’d like to meet with him first.”

“Okay. If you could go back to your office and wait until we give you a call, I will search him around and get back to you.”

“Haha. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do for you.”

Gun-Ho left BM Entertainment’s office in Cheongdam Town and went back to his building in Sinsa Town. When he arrived there, he went to GH Gallery before going up to his office. GH Art Gallery was hosting an art exhibition with three young artists’ artworks. At the entrance, GH Media’s worker was distributing a pamphlet to the visitors. When she saw Gun-Ho, she gave a bow to him.

The art gallery was quiet, maybe because the three young artists were not very well-known artists. Gun-Ho was thinking of purchasing an art piece there, and then he decided not to because he couldn’t find anything that attracted him, and also, it was not easy to find an adequate place to display an art piece anyway.

Gun-Ho then went up to his office on the 18th floor.

When Gun-Ho was about to sit on the sofa in his office, his phone started ringing. It was Jae-Sik Moon from China.

“Did you receive my email? I sent you the list of each manager’s name of the newly structured departments of the joint venture.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Also, since we are running a terminal business, we need to hire new employees, not for the management but the workers who will work in the worksite.”

“You mean the staff who will work with the freight, selling bus tickets, and inspecting tickets, and stuff?”

“Yeah. I’ve talked with the Chinese partner here as well.”

“Of course, we will need personnel for those works in order to operate the terminal.”

“And, now I have my own office. They gave me an office in the east station which is being operated right now.”

“That is the construction site as well. Will you be okay there with all the construction dust and noise?”

“I should be here and running the business. This is my workplace. We are not moving the current terminal to some other place, but we are rebuilding the current one in the same place.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“They are working on decorating my office a little bit. It’s spacious. I will have my own office here, and the vice president—the Chinese man—will have his own office here too.”

“Hmm, really? What about Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo? Is she now an employee of the joint venture for the office position?”

“Yeah. We hired her as an office worker. Her salary is a bit low, so I’m personally adding 400 Yuan to her current monthly salary.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The vice president and the sales manager visited Guiyang City’s transportation department the other day. It didn’t go well though. They are still trying to negotiate.”

“What was the matter?”

“We are insisting that we need to run at least three buses while they want only two buses. We need to reach an agreement with them because of the Duikai Policy (the concurrent operation of two parties). We have to come up with the number of buses that both parties agree to.”

“Do we have only one bus line to Guiyang City?”

“No. They are working with Yibin City and Luzhou City in Sichuan Province right now to run our buses there too. The thing is that they are not running an express bus. Their roads are not in an adequate condition to run an express bus because those cities are located in a different province from us—Guizhou Province. The negotiation with them is not easy either.”

“Didn’t they tell us before we decided to join their project that there was no problem running 20 buses for the passenger transportation service business?”

“Yeah. That’s how they do the business. Someone told me though that we will eventually get the lines, but it might take some time.”

“Really? Well, try to relax then. If it takes time to work out, don’t get stressed in the meantime.”

“After we started negotiating to get bus lines, many motor vehicle manufacturing companies have been contacting us. They want us to buy buses from them.”

“How much does it cost to get an express bus in China?”

“It’s about 200 or 300 million Korean won per bus. Most of those motor vehicle manufacturing companies work with foreign auto companies. I’m thinking of selecting the Daewoo manufacturing company.”

“Daewoo Express Bus? Are you saying that you want to import buses from Korea?”

“No. I’m talking about Daewoo Company in China. There is an autonomous region called Guangxi in Guilin City. It’s close to Guizhou Province. There is a company called Guilin Daewoo Bus Co., Ltd. That’s a joint venture bus manufacturing company between a local company and Daewoo.”

“Really? I didn’t know that. It seems like Daewoo Company is everywhere. Daewoo Company no longer exists though, doesn’t it? They went broke.”

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Chapter 573 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (2) – Part 2

Chapter 573: Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon continued to talk over the phone.

Jae-Sik said, “Right, Daewoo Company went broke, and a Korean company—Young An Hat Co., Ltd—acquired it subsequently.”

“Young An Hat Company? It sounds familiar. I’ve heard of that name before. Where did you get all that information?”

“There was a meeting presided by the Korean consulate for the Korean people in Guizhou Province the other day, and I went there. When I told them that I came to China to run an intercity bus service business, they told me the story.”

“Really?”

“It seems that there is some sort of association of Korean residents in every large city in China. Some of them were organized by the area’s residents while some were founded by a certain school’s alumni or by other specific groups.”

“Haha, is that right? Korean people indeed love to make a group. We have that sort of association even in Korea too.”

“I guess that people try to get together since they feel lonely in a foreign country. That’s nice. They can share information and help each other.”

“I guess so.”

“Oh, you know what? I gotta go now. Someone just told me that the city’s transportation department’s director is here. I will keep you posted on the bus lines.”

“Sounds good. Keep up the good work.”

Around an hour later, Gun-Ho received another call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“The director of the city’s transportation department just left.”

“Why did he come?”

“He said that he’d like to have you here in person again.”

“Me? Why does he want to see me? I have you there representing our interest.”

“He said that you only signed the letter of intent, and he needs you to sign the actual contract.”

“You can do that, Mr. President Moon.”

“Well, it seems like he wants to have some sort of official ceremony while you are here, like inviting journalists, signing the contract, and having a press conference.”

“A press conference?”

“Yeah. He seems to want to make an official announcement about the joint venture business.”

“I see.”

“I just read an evening paper. They were talking about our joint venture. It said that a Korean business partner company will pave the road and also will soon run an intercity express bus line all the way to Guiyang City, and it will certainly make the Antang City’s residents’ daily life better and more convenient.”

“Haha, really?”

“Hold on one second. Don’t hang up. The vice president is talking to me about something. I will be right back.”

After a moment, Jae-Sik Moon came back.

Gun-Ho asked, “What is it? Anything urgent?”

“He is asking if you could come here next Thursday, so they can have a contract signing ceremony.”

“I don’t understand. The joint venture company is already established, and it already started its business. Why do they want a contract signing ceremony now?”

“I think they still have to do it for the record. You know, they are government employees. Formalities are very important to them.”

“Okay. I will be there on Thursday then. I will just try to have fun during the trip. Please ask them to send me a car to Guiyang City to pick me up.”

“Sure. I will see you then.”

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“Gun-Ho, my husband met with GH Mobile’s assistant manager the other day.”

“Oh, he did?”

“We will take over their transportation work for the products that go to A Electronics. We will have to make a trip between Jiksan Town and Danjin City twice per day.”

“Really? That’s great.”

“We need two Mighty 2.5 Ton Super Cap Cargo Trucks.”

“Really? I guess you will have to buy them then.”

“My husband asked me to ask you if it’s okay to buy them.”

“He doesn’t have to ask me about whether he can buy a truck or not. It’s up to him.”

“According to him, if we buy a new truck, we can’t get the truck right away since it takes time to manufacture the truck’s top part. So, he said that we’d better buy used trucks, maybe trucks with less than 50,000 kilometers on it. We already found two truck drivers for this work.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, as I said, you don’t have to ask me. Just do what you have to do.”

“Also, I received an inquiry from a potential client company. They contacted us via our website. It’s a two-year work, and they will need a 4-ton truck.”

“Hmm, really?”

“So, my husband found a 4-ton truck from somewhere. It’s a used one with 60,000 kilometers on it. He said that he bought it from a company that was going out of business, so he could get it for a very low price.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Well, now we have 30 trucks. When he had to go to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town to meet with their assistant manager, I was alone in the office. I had to go to the bank at that time, but I couldn’t because someone had to be in the office. I think we need to hire someone who will be in the office all day long. It’s not because I need help for work, but I need to be able to go out freely without worrying about the office.”

“If you think you need to hire a worker, then do so. It’s not something that I should get involved in. Do what you think you have to do.”

“Speaking of which, I actually have someone in my mind. When I worked at the paper cup manufacturing factory, they had this young lady doing bookkeeping. She doesn’t have a job right now. I think I’m going to ask her to join us.”

“Did she quit the paper cup factory? Maybe because their pay was not good?”

“Well, the factory doesn’t often pay the workers on time. Also, she said that a director over there touched her frequently, so she quit.”

“Touching her?”

“Yeah. I know that guy. He often made unwelcome and unpleasant sexual comments too. He didn’t directly do that to the old ladies like me, but he often targeted young lady workers who were not married. He was indeed a disgusting sicko.”

“That bookkeeper lady must be pretty.”

“No way! She is average. That director guy didn’t seem to care about a woman’s appearance when it comes to sexual harassment. He is a pervert. No wonder why he is still single! He is almost 50 years old.”

“Okay. Hire whoever you want, sister.”

In the evening, Gun-Ho received a call from his mother.

“Gun-Ho, how’s your wife doing? She must have a big belly by now.”

“Yes, a little bit, mom.”

“You can find out the gender of your baby by now. Has she had an ultrasound? Did she see anything that looks like a bullet?”

“I’m not sure about a bullet, but it’s a boy, mom.”

“What? It’s a boy? Oh, my goodness. Hahaha, I’m so happy that I finally will have a grandson. I’m sure your father will be excited. Now, I have a grandson who will share our family name.”

“Mom, no one cares about that sort of thing anymore. I just want a healthy baby regardless if it’s a boy or a girl.”

“We still need a son in the family. You don’t know yet, but a son is more helpful. Since you are running a big business, you need a son.”

“There are so many competent and able female businesswomen these days, mom. Oh, that’s right. Some females even get elected for a country’s president, or some of them even run a conglomerate.”

“Be good to your wife, okay? If she wants to eat something, you should get it for her. You have to take good care of her now. For a woman, her husband is the most important person in her life. Keep that in mind.”

“Okay, mom. Don’t worry about it.”

“You know what? Jae-Woong’s wife gave birth to a baby girl.”

“Really? That’s very nice. Tell him that I congratulate him on being a father.”

“Your aunt is not very satisfied though. She said that her daughter-in-law has no reason to look down on her, especially when she failed to have a son in the family after all.”

“She shouldn’t say that. I can see why she doesn’t get along with Jae-Woong’s wife. She should rather thank her for bringing a beautiful granddaughter to her. She will never make a happy family like that with her son and his wife. Young people these days are reluctant to have a baby at all. Many of them prefer to enjoy their life without a kid. Jae-Woong’s wife is a good woman having a child.”

“I agree with you.”

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Chapter 574 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (3) – Part 1

Chapter 574: Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (3) – Part 1

It was Tuesday. Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

President Song brought a drawing that looked like a product drawing to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Is that a new product drawing from A Electronics’ research center in Suwon City?”

“No, it’s the construction drawing for our new production site that we are planning to build behind our current factory. One of our workers at the quality control department made this using CAD.”

“Are we building a new production site?”

“Yes, it will be a temporary worksite though. We are getting a substantial number of product orders from A Electronics. I think we need more production space. I’m thinking of building two 300 pyung large production sites.”

“Hmm, really?”

“We will place prefabricated factory buildings and install the machines there that we will purchase in the near future.”

“Don’t bring prefabricated factory buildings, but let’s build strong factories with welded H-beam. We will need to place hoist cranes anyway.”

“That would be great, but it will cost a lot if we do so.”

“We are now A Electronics’ vendor company supplying them a high volume of products including their existing products to their factory in Dangjin City, and their newly developed products by their research center in Suwon City. We can safely assume that we will make more than 5 billion won per month. You can consider that we are reinvesting this month’s sales revenue to our company in building our additional production sites. Let’s build sturdy factories that will last for a long time.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, use EPS panels, and use epoxy for the floors.”

“We are now looking at the cost in the range between 2.5 and 3.5 million won per pyung for the construction only.”

“Please get the price quotes from several different construction companies. Once you get the price quotes, send them to Dyeon Korea’s Director Yoon. He will review them.”

“Oh, you are right. Director Yoon used to work in a construction company before. He must be an expert in that field. I will discuss it with him.”

“He was in charge of the construction when we were building GH Mobile’s factory and Dyeon Korea’s factory. He is the best person to discuss the construction of our new production sites.”

“Sounds great. I will definitely talk with him. Well, I will assume that I have your approval on building our construction site B, sir, and I will proceed with it.”

A little while after President Song left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho received a call from BM Entertainment’s manager.

“Hello, sir. This is Manager Byeon from BM Entertainment.”

“Oh, hi. How are you?”

“I’m calling because you have inquired about a person who is knowledgeable about the soap opera production industry. I have someone who I’d like to introduce to you.”

“Oh, are you referring to the person who used to work as a PD in a broadcasting station?”

“That’s right. He had worked as a PD for a long time, and also he had run his own entertainment company—W Entertainment—as well.”

“When I talked with BM Entertainment’s President Hyeon-Man Yee the other day, he mentioned a person named Woon-Hak Sim. Is that the person?”

“That’s correct. He is actually with me right now, and we can stop by your office today.”

“Oh, umm. The thing is that I’m not in Seoul City right now. I’m at the factory in Jiksan Town.”

“Oh, I see. Would you give me one second, please?”

Manager Byeon seemed to talk with someone for a moment before getting back to Gun-Ho.

“Jiksan Town is only one hour away from here. He is suggesting that we can come to Jiksan Town now.”

“All the way here? It takes an hour without traffic. It could take well beyond an hour… Well, the fastest route to get here is through the North Cheonan IC. I will see you soon then.”

Gun-Ho was reading a monthly magazine after finishing three different newspapers when he received the visitors. The security guard contacted Gun-Ho’s secretary to notify them that someone came to see Gun-Ho. Secretary Hee-Jeong Park entered Gun-Ho’s office after knocking on the door.

“Sir, I just received a call from the security office saying that a manager from an entertainment company is here to see you. He said that you are expecting him.”

“Please let him through.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a while, BM Entertainment’s Manager Byeon and a man who looked like he was in his 40s came to Gun-Ho’s office. The man who came with Manager Byeon looked worn out. They both were wearing an ID card around their necks, which were given by the security office.

“Hi. Please come in and have a seat. Thank you for coming all the way to Jiksan Town.”

“The factory is huge and very nice, sir. I didn’t expect to see this large factory.”

BM Entertainment’s manager smiled, and he introduced the man who was sitting next to him to Gun-Ho.

“This is Mr. Director Woon-Hak Sim who President Hyeon-Man Yee talked to you about the other day.”

“Oh, I see. I’m Gun-Ho Goo. Very nice to meet you.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to the man for a handshake. He then gave his business card to the Woon-Hak Sim person. Woon-Hak Sim was actually astonished when he saw Gun-Ho. He was actually expecting to see an old man when he heard about Gun-Ho who was running a manufacturing company. Gun-Ho surely looked probably ten years younger than him. He thought that Gun-Ho would be at least in his 50s like President Hyeon-Man Yee. He couldn’t believe that this 30 something years young man owned this huge factory.

“Please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Hee-Jeong Park and asked her to bring them three cups of green tea.

“This factory looks very big. How large is it?”

“The land is 5,000 pyung large, and the building’s total floor space is about 2,000 pyung.”

“Did you say 5,000 pyung? Wow. It’s amazing. I had a chance to see a few workers on the way here, and they all looked very well disciplined. When we were passing the front gate, I saw truck drivers showing something to the security guard, so the security guard would open the gate for them.”

“Right. All departing trucks are supposed to show a certificate of their product transportation before leaving our factory. Since we are a manufacturing company with products on site, we need to control the incoming and outgoing trucks that are carrying cargos.”

Manager Byeon smiled and said, “So, how many days per week do you work at the building in Sinsa Town, Seoul?”

“I come to this location on Monday and Thursday only, and I have another factory about the same size as this one in Asan City. It’s called Dyeon Korea. It’s a joint venture company with an American company—Lymondell Dyeon—in Seattle, U.S.”

“Oh, I see.”

At the moment, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought green tea.

While sipping his tea, Director Woon-Hak Sim said, “I suppose that you must be busy enough to run this big manufacturing company. I wonder how you became interested in a soap opera production business.”

“There is a government department in Shanghai City, China, which administers cultural affairs, radio broadcasting, film, television, and arts. As Manager Byeon already knows, that bureau’s director is a friend of mine. He actually strongly recommended getting into the industry, so here I am.”

“Oh, I see.”

“As a matter of fact, I’m currently running a terminal business in Antang city, Guizhou Province in China. It’s a joint venture with China, so I am busily occupied with the terminal business as well. But, since I was told that soap opera production is a very attractive business, I began to be interested in it.”

“Usually, soap opera production companies are not big companies. It’s common to see many small companies in the industry. Samhwa Networks and Pan Entertainment are the two largest companies in the field in Korea, but their annual revenues are not as high as most ordinary people would expect. Samhwa Networks that produced ‘Bread, Love and Dreams’ is making a little bit over 20 billion won while Pan Entertainment which made ‘Winter Sonata’ is generating around 40 billion won.”

“I believe that those two companies are publicly traded companies registered with KOSDAQ.”

“That’s correct.”

“Since they are registered with KOSDAQ, even though they are not large companies, they can easily get necessary funds.”

“That’s true, but even though you have the necessary skills and expertise, you should be extra cautious unless you don’t mind losing your money and experiencing failure, like me.”

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Chapter 575 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (3) – Part 2

Chapter 575: Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho said, “I was told that you had your own soap opera production company before.”

“Right. I opened a company called W Entertainment, and after shooting one soap opera, I went bankrupt.”

“You must have lost a lot of money.”

“I actually lost 2 billion won.”

“Wow. That’s huge. I’m sure that you had a hard time overcoming the failure and other consequences.”

“‘Having a hard time’ isn’t enough to describe the hardship that I experienced at that time. I wanted to die. I’ve applied for the rehabilitation process.”

“Since the insolvency amount is 2 billion won, it must be considered as general rehabilitation rather than personal rehabilitation.”

“That’s correct. If the amount of reorganization claim exceeds 500 million won, or if the amount claimed is secured debt and it exceeds 1 billion won, they put you in the general rehabilitation category, rather than the personal rehabilitation. By the way, you seemed to know well about the bankruptcy and rehabilitation process, sir.”

“I’ve handled the process before. I used to work as a managing director of Mulpasaneop which was in rehabilitation at that time.”

“Oh, I see. I knew you had some experience in bankruptcy.”

Gun-Ho sat closer to the director and asked, “Have you seen anyone, who is in the manufacturing industry, showing interest in the soap opera production business?”

“Many companies try to diversify their business by getting into a new field; however, it’s rare to see a company showing interest in the soap opera production field. Especially, business owners in the manufacturing industry tend to avoid starting a business in a field that they are not familiar with.”

“Is that so?”

“Can I ask you something, sir? I’d like to know how far you are thinking of being involved in the business. I was told that you wanted to make an investment in the field. I’d like to know whether you want to make just an investment, or you want to participate in the production, or you want to form a joint venture.”

“I haven’t thought about it that far yet. According to Director Li, several young talented people, who used to work in a broadcasting station, opened a soap opera production company, and they are shooting a soap opera right now. As they lost their investor, they are now facing an acute financial difficulty, and he asked me to help them.”

“It is true that a lot of soap opera production companies are being opened in Shanghai City these days. However, if they just need funds to cover their production cost, they can find many major media companies with enough funds locally, unless they want to make a partnership with a Korean production company so they would have access to their Korean partner’s directing skills and technology. Some financially strong production companies in Shanghai City even intend to acquire a Korean production company.”

“Oh, really?”

“Many production companies in Shanghai are looking for technical cooperation with a Korean production company. Taiwanese soap operas are similar to Japanese soap operas while Hong Kong is making theirs similar to Europe’s. However, Shanghai City is geographically close to Korea, and they tend to make their soap operas similar to Korea’s.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Chinese soap operas written by a Chinese writer tends to be overly simple and boring. That’s because the writer grew up in a socialist environment. Moreover, China has very strict government censorship compared to other countries, which contributes vastly to its simple contents.”

“Let me ask you something. As Director Li in Shanghai City suggested, is it okay to provide a soap opera production company with funds for their current soap opera production? I was told that their ratings are a bit low.”

“No, it’s not okay at all. If you are really interested in making your investment there, you should at least review their scenario first. Soap opera directors usually planned their works for more than a year. You should at least read their synopsis.”

“Hmm, synopsis…”

“You should at least know the summary of their soap opera by reading their synopsis, so we could present them with the direction that they have to follow.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

“Mr. Director Sim, you are indeed an expert in this field. I learned a lot from you today.”

“Thank you.”

“Maybe I should tell Director Li that I can’t invest in the soap opera that is being produced right now, but I’m willing to make my investment in a new soap opera production after reviewing their scenario. Also, I should make it clear that I want a Korean director to participate in the making.”

“That sounds good, sir.”

“Do you mind if I ask where you are living right now?”

Director Sim let out a deep sigh and said, “I used to live in Gongdeok Town, Mapo District, Seoul. After I lost my condo there, I live in a OneRoomTel.”

Gun-Ho wanted to ask him about his family, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to remind him of his current sad situation. Gun-Ho smiled and said, “You should get back on your feet.”

Director Sim smiled cynically and said, “Well, I’m not even sure if I would have an opportunity to do so in my present life.”

Gun-Ho said while looking at the calendar hanging on the wall, “I’m going on a trip to Antang City, Guizhou Province, China this Thursday. I will give you a call sometime next week.”

“Sounds good, sir.”

Gun-Ho then pulled out an envelope from his desk drawer.

“It would be nice if I could have lunch or something with you, but I have to go to Asan City now. You came all the way here to meet with me. Please take this. I want to at least pay for your gas.”

When Director Sim saw the envelope, he quickly waved his hands indicating that he wouldn’t accept it.

Gun-Ho insisted, “You spent the gas in your car for me. Please allow me to pay for it.”

After giving a gesture that he wouldn’t accept it twice, Director Sim eventually took the envelope and put it into the inner pocket of his jacket. As the two men stood up to leave, they gave a bow to Gun-Ho showing respect. At that moment, Gun-Ho called for the general affairs director whose office was located close to Gun-Ho’s, and he said, “These gentlemen are my guests. Please show them around our factory.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho turned to his guest and said, “Well, since you are here, please take a tour of the factory before you go back to Seoul. I will have to say bye here.”

“Thank you.”

The two men gave a bow again to Gun-Ho and walked out of the office following the general affairs director.

The general affairs director took them to the production site where machines like injection molding machines, extruder machines, and hydraulic press machines were sitting in a row.

“Whoa, this is amazing.”

When Director Sim took out his smartphone and tried to take a photo of robot arms that were diligently moving, the general affairs director quickly stopped him. He said, “I’m sorry, sir, but taking photographs inside our factory is prohibited.”

“Oh, is that so? I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that.”

BM Entertainment’s Manager Byeon and Director Sim who used to own and run W Entertainment were impressed by the enormous and well-organized factory of Gun-Ho’s. And they realized that Gun-Ho was not an ordinary businessman who was running a small company, but he was a capitalist with a potential that they didn’t even find out yet.

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Chapter 576 - Building Bus Terminal (1) – Part 1

Chapter 576: Building Bus Terminal (1) – Part 1

It was Wednesday. Gun-Ho headed to Incheon International Airport to take the flight for China after briefly stopping by his office at GH Building in Sinsa Town. On the way to the airport in his car, Gun-Ho sent a text message to Young-Eun.

[I’m going on a trip to Antang City, Guizhou Province, China right now. I need to attend a contract signing ceremony to establish a joint venture company there tomorrow which is Thursday. I will be back on Friday, and I will see you then. Please take good care of yourself while I’m gone.]

Young-Eun replied right away.

[Have a safe trip.]

Gun-Ho stopped by a supermarket and bought basic pantry items which were the key ingredients to cook Korean food, such as dried seaweed, pickled Pollack roe, red pepper paste, etc. Gun-Ho knew from his personal experience that the best gifts for Jae-Sik Moon right now, who was staying in a foreign country, are genuine Korean foods. When Gun-Ho had started his life in China several years ago as he acquired a Korean restaurant in a hotel in Hangzhou City, he desperately missed Korean foods.

When he arrived at the airport in Guiyang City, Jae-Sik Moon was waiting for him.

“Huh? President Moon, how come you are here to pick me up? Picking me up from an airport is a tedious job for a president.”

“President Goo, it’s really good to see you. I feel so happy these days whenever I see any Korean, I mean literally any Korean.”

“I totally understand that, especially for you because it’s hard to find Korean people in the area where you are staying.”

“Maybe it is so. It’s really nice to talk in Korean.”

“So, all I have to do tomorrow is to sign the contract?”

“It’s kind of funny to sign the contract after having already established the joint venture company. Our Chinese partner seems to want to have the signed contract for a record. Since they are receiving investment funds from Korea, they probably need a document to prove the purpose of those funds, which was to build the terminal.”

“Of course. What they concern the most is the terminal construction, not the intercity bus service business.”

“That’s true.”

“So, you have your own office now, huh?”

“Yeah, my office is in the old terminal building. They redid the wallpaper and installed lighting. The thing is the lighting in my office looks like something that you can easily see in a bar.”

Jae-Sik Moon chuckled.

“It’s going to be a temporary office though since it will be demolished once the new terminal is completed.”

“It surely will be, but I will have to stay there at least for the next two years since it takes that much time to completely build the terminal.”

“So, are we heading to the terminal now?”

“Once we arrive at the terminal, the vice president— Mr. Chun Chang— will be there. He is there all the time. You just need to show yourself to him briefly to let him know that you are here now.”

“After a brief meeting with him, he’s going to report it to their head office and the transportation department, huh?”

“I suppose so. The contract signing ceremony is scheduled at 10 am tomorrow morning, so we just need to be there by then. They gave me a copy of the contract that you will sign tomorrow. Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo is translating it into the Korean language right now. She will finish it by the time when we get there. You can review it tonight.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho looked outside the window. Enormous open fields came into his view. Many of them were vacant, and no one seemed to be using them. When Jae-Sik Moon noticed that Gun-Ho was looking at the open fields outside the window, he said, “I am so jealous of this country about their seemingly endless lands. Look at that. They are vastly large.”

Gun-Ho turned his head to look at Jae-Sik and smiled.

“That was exactly what I thought four years ago when I first came to China. I envied the Chinese people for having this vast land, and I wish we had this large land in Korea. By the way, you already made a room reservation in a hotel for me, right?”

“Yeah. You will be staying in Shangri-La Hotel downtown.”

“I thought that I would be staying at the same hotel where you are staying right now.”

“Shangri-La is a four-star hotel while the hotel where I stay is a three-star hotel. This setting is good for you, President Goo. It shows to our Chinese partner that you are a very important person. This kind of arrangement works with Chinese people.”

“This vehicle is Audi, right? It’s not yours, is it?”

“No, I haven’t received my car yet. This is the chairman’s car.”

“You are still staying in a hotel, right?”

“After the actual contract is signed, I will move to a new place right away. They said that any place would be okay as long as it’s less than 120 ㎡”

“It’s 36 pyung large then. Are they going to lease it for you or buy it?”

“They said they will purchase it.”

“Well, get a good condo, okay? A condo that’s not far from the company and also located in a very good area. You have to be mindful of your safety after all and also your family’s who will join you soon.”

“I’ve actually seen a very good condo the other day. I haven’t looked at the inside of it yet though.”

“Even though it’s a small city in the west area, its downtown’s population is high. Therefore, a condo in a safe and popular area must be expensive. Even a 30 pyung large condo must be worth more than 150 million won.”

“That makes sense. Even though the land price is low, we have to consider the construction cost of the condo.”

“The next time when I have to send the investment funds, the amount will be 3 million dollars because they will need to start building the terminal with the fund. With 3 million dollars, you will need to buy a few express buses and finish the civil engineering work at the construction site for the terminal.”

“Hmm, you must be highly knowledgeable about construction as well. You were there when GH Mobile’s factory and Dyeon Korea’s factory were being built, right?”

“I just have an overall picture in my head; that’s it. I don’t know any details about construction. It’s not like I majored in construction in college or something. You and I have never been in the construction field, but we had lived in a 17 pyung large old townhome and spent most of our time reading comic books, right?”

“Hahaha.”

They hadn’t arrived at Antang City yet. It took three hours to get there from Guiyang City. Gun-Ho was looking outside the window. There was a farmer standing with a water buffalo.

“Look at the water buffalo.”

“I heard that water buffalos don’t taste good. Korean beef is the best.”

“Of course. I love Korean beef. I already miss Korea grilled beef sirloin with a glass of soju.”

“Haha. Let’s have it when we can.”

After spending some time without saying a word, Gun-Ho broke the silence.

“So, they haven’t done anything yet about the terminal construction, have they?”

“No, nothing yet. The land is still vacant as before. Oh, I heard that they were doing soil tests on the construction site.”

“Soil tests? Yeah, they have to do it.”

“Is it necessary?”

“Of course. So they can figure out how deep they could drill.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Through the soil tests, they will test for density and quality of the soil for building construction. For a large building like a terminal, they will have to drill piles deeply, so they could have a strong foundation that could allow the stresses coming from the structure. They will also need to design the building to withstand earthquakes. So, soil tests are a very important first step to be able to build a strong terminal. That way, the government will give them a permit to start building the terminal.”

“I see.”

“I guess that this is a good opportunity for you to become familiar with building construction. The knowledge will come in handy someday in your life. We don’t work in the construction or civil engineering field, but if we know about the relevant procedure and stuff, it will be very helpful in some way later.”

“I think I will have to start writing a daily log for the terminal construction.”

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Chapter 577 - Building Bus Terminal (1) – Part 2

Chapter 577: Building Bus Terminal (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon continued to talk in the car while heading to Antang City.

Gun-Ho asked, “Did they already find a construction company for the terminal?”

“I don’t think so. I was told that they will put the work on an open bid.”

“That’s what they say, which might be different from what they actually would do. Maybe the public bid is a pretense. Maybe they already have a construction company that they want to work with. When the joint venture eventually makes a contract with a construction company, you probably want to pay attention to that construction company’s president. He must be someone who is closely related to a high ranking officer in the municipal government.”

“Is it like that in Korea too?”

“I don’t know, but in Korea, the government always finds a construction company through Onbid if the work is for the government. So, that sort of practice in Korea shouldn’t be as prevalent as it is in China.”

“Man, you seem to know everything. It’s amazing.”

“Nah… I just keep my ears open all the time.”

The Audi that Gun-Ho was sitting in finally arrived at the old terminal building in Antang City. There were ten old buses parked in the terminal, and many people were sitting at the waiting area for their buses. Jae-Sik brought Gun-Ho to his office—the joint venture’s president’s office. It was located in a single floor building with a yard. When Gun-Ho got there, Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo ran toward Gun-Ho. She looked excited.

“G-jjong (President Goo)!”

“Oh, Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo! It’s really good to see you. How have you been?”

“I’m doing great. President Moon is very kind to me. I’m comfortable working with him.”

“Please take good care of President Moon. He is my friend.”

“Don’t worry about it. President Moon is doing very good.”

“Haha, really?”

When Vice President Chun Chang heard that Gun-Ho was here, he came out quickly from his office.

“Hey, President Goo!”

“Oh, Vice President Chun Chang!”

The two men had a handshake with a smile.

Vice President Chun Chang said, “We will have the contract signing ceremony tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock. Try to take a deep rest tonight, and please meet me here at 9:30 tomorrow.”

“No problem.”

“The contract will be signed by GH Logistics’ Chairman Gun-Ho Goo and Mr. Runsheng Yan who is the transportation company’s president in Antang City, Guizhou Province and also the chairman of the joint venture company.”

“Of course.”

“The director of the transportation department will attend the ceremony as well. He needs to be there to witness the conclusion of the contract on behalf of the government.”

“Sounds good.”

“And, we will have a press conference about the joint venture establishment between China and Korea at Plaza Hotel at 11 am the day after tomorrow.”

“Got it. You must have been very busy arranging all these events, Mr. Vice President.”

“Haha. Of course, this is my job.”

As a matter of fact, the vice president was having a hectic week in preparing the events. He had to send out invitations, take care of the banners that would be hung during the events, arrange the venues, and all. Since Jae-Sik was a foreigner in China, who wouldn’t be very helpful during the preparation even if he wanted to help, he was having a peaceful week. The vice president was the only one who was practically in charge of the event preparation.

When Gun-Ho noticed his swollen lip, he said, “Mr. Vice President, your lip is swollen. I can tell that you have been under a lot of stress lately in preparing the events.”

“Haha, this? It’s nothing. I’m perfectly good. Well, we have structured departments already. Why don’t you take a tour around the office building? Please allow me to show you around.”

Gun-Ho stopped by each department’s office with the joint venture’s vice president—Mr. Chun Chang, President Jae-Sik Moon, and his interpreter—Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo. The first department that they visited was the sales department.

“Hi, I’m the manager of the sales department.”

A man who looked like he was in his early 40s greeted Gun-Ho. He looked really smart.

“This man grew up in Nanchang City and graduated from transportation school. He had been working for the transportation company for 12 years before joining us at the joint venture.”

Gun-Ho then stopped by each department one by one, including the operations department, accounting department, cargo department, etc., and met with the workers there. The last department that he visited that day was the police station at the terminal.

The chief police officer there looked like a gangster in Gun-Ho’s eyes. Inside the police station, there were five or six public security officers working in their uniforms.

“How come the position of the chief police officer here is listed as a position below the terminal’s president?”

“The public security officers here are paid by the joint venture.”

“Oh, really? I thought that they would be paid by the Public Security Bureau.”

“That’s how it is in China. The terminal in China belongs to the government anyway. We have a different system from Korea.”

“Does that mean that President Moon could hire or fire the public security officers here?”

“Well… He can make a recommendation to the Public Security Bureau about it.”

Gun-Ho realized that two countries have indeed very different systems. Gun-Ho turned around and looked at Jae-Sik Moon and said, “You are now a powerful man, dude. All of the public security officers here are working in a lower position than you.”

“That’s not always a good thing though. We gotta pay them, right?”

Gun-Ho, Jae-Sik Moon, Vice President Chun Chang, and Eun-Hwa Jo came out to the station square. A lady with a tough look in a uniform was helping an old bus that was moving backward while blowing the whistle.

Vice President Chun Chang said while looking at the office building, “Behind that building, our new terminal will be built. And, next to it, we will have a terminal hotel. The hotel will be built with 12 floors, and we will adjust the size of the hotel as we figure out the estimated traffic for the new terminal.”

“Hmm.”

“We will select a construction company who will be building our terminal through a public bid, and we will do the construction supervision ourselves.”

“Hmm”

“The construction director will become the joint venture’s employee, and he will be placed under Mr. President Jae-Sik Moon.”

“You shouldn’t forget about changing the ownership of this land to the joint venture’s name.”

“Mr. Chairman Runsheng Yan is currently working on it. He had a meeting with the director of the transportation department yesterday. Since the Land Bureau is also a relevant party in this matter, he also met with the director of the Land Bureau as well. We are anticipating having it resolved soon.”

“How is Mr. Deputy Mayor doing these days?”

“Mr. Deputy Mayor Lixian Zhang, who came up with the idea of forming a joint venture for the project in the beginning, will not be at the contract signing ceremony tomorrow. However, he will be at the press conference and the party afterwards. I’m sure he will be so excited to see you, Mr. President Goo and welcome you here.”

“I’ve heard that you are doing soil tests right now.”

“This terminal is a public place for the Chinese people. We need a strong and safe building. We’ve requested the soil tests to Guizhou University. The people in their engineering college are working on it. As you probably already know, Guizhou University is the largest university in the south west area in China. It’s located in Guiyang City. They have over 30,000 students. We will proceed with civil engineering work based on their test result.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head while looking around the large station square.

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Chapter 578 - Building Bus Terminal (2) – Part 1

Chapter 578: Building Bus Terminal (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was reviewing the joint venture contract in Jae-Sik’s office, that had been translated into the Korean language by Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo. Gun-Ho didn’t find any anomaly in the contract. Basically, the contract explicitly stated that the Chinese partner would make investment in-kind by providing the 10,000 pyung large land where the terminal would be built on. And the Korean partner would bring the half of the entire projected investment size in cash which would be 25 million dollars.

The contract also clearly indicated that since the land in which the Chinese partner would make their investment which wasn’t worth 25 million dollars, but less, so in order to fill up the gap, they would give the Korean partner an intercity bus business license.

When Gun-Ho was reviewing the contract in the office, the office manager lady who was in her 30s brought a cup of tea to Gun-Ho.

“This is black tea. Guizhou Province is famous for its black tea.”

Gun-Ho took a sip of the tea. He liked its taste and scent.

“This is very good. What do you call this tea here?”

“We say, Qian Hong.”

Gun-Ho truly liked the taste of the tea.

Gun-Ho visited the condo with Jae-Sik Moon, that Jae-Sik told him that he liked. The location was not bad. It was pretty close to his workplace. However, it didn’t look luxurious at all.

“I don’t recommend this condo for you. I wouldn’t choose this one if I were you.”

“Why not? I like it.”

“The joint venture company will pay for the place where you would live. You don’t have to try to save their money by selecting an inferior condo. Do some research to see in which area the foreign presidents of other companies are living. Since Eun-Hwa Jo often talks with local Chinese people, ask her about it as well. Also, you might want to talk with the managers in the company too. Most of them have been living in this area for a long time, and they should know better about the safe and wealthy residential area around here.”

“Do you think it would be okay if I choose a bit expensive condo?”

“It doesn’t matter at all. The joint venture company decided to purchase it because they want to make an investment in the real estate as well. They are not buying you a condo, but they are buying a condo for the company and let you live there. So, you don’t have to be concerned about its price. I’m sure that the Chinese partner will prefer to buy a condo in a rich area because there is more chance for the price of condos there to increase in the future.”

“Hmm, I see your point.”

“The most important thing in finding a residential area is to find the area where many rich people are living in. You have heard of Gangnam District’s story, right? That the house price there had never gone down. The government always steps in whenever the gap between rich and poor grows severely because that would undermine workers’ motivation to work hard. However, even with the government’s interference and regulation, the house price in Gangnam District has always been on the rise.”

“I understand what you are saying. I thought I’d better find one that would be compatible with a condo in Incheon City. You’re right. I will look for another condo.”

Gun-Ho checked into Shangri-La Hotel downtown. Jae-Sik Moon was still with Gun-Ho, and he asked, “Would you like to have a drink?”

“Well, since we have a meeting tomorrow, let’s have a drink at the restaurant inside the hotel. We don’t have to go far. You can let the car go, right? We can ask the chauffeur to pick me up tomorrow morning at 9. And, you can take a taxi to go back to your place tonight.”

“Sure. I can take a taxi by myself. Taxi drivers here seem to know every hotel in this area, so there is no problem for me to go back to my hotel by taxi by myself. Or, I can even take a bus.”

“You are the president of the joint venture company. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to take a bus often. Well, can you wait at the lobby for me? I will drop my suitcase in my room and will meet you there.”

Gun-Ho went up to his hotel room carrying his suitcase.

After a while, Gun-Ho came back to the lobby. He was wearing a more comfortable outfit. He was also carrying a black vinyl bag.

“What is that?”

“It’s my gift for you. I brought some red pepper paste and Pollock roe.”

“Oh, my gosh. These are things that I can hardly find here. I am actually almost out of red pepper paste. I’m so happy to see all these key ingredients for Korean food.”

“There is no Korean market in this area, huh?”

“I’ve heard that there is one, but I don’t know where it is. Also, I don’t expect that they carry fresh ingredients since they have to be all shipped from Korea. And they must have a very limited selection of items.”

“Did you send the car back to the terminal?”

“Yeah. He is gone. This hotel probably has good restaurants, but why don’t we go out to have a drink? We are downtown, so there are tons of decent restaurants around here, and we can reach there on foot.”

“Sounds good. Let’s go then.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik entered a small and cozy restaurant on the street. A young female waitress, who was probably not even 20 years old, brought a menu book to Gun-Ho’s table.

“Jae-Sik, why don’t you pick dishes for us?”

Jae-Sik smiled as he pushed the menu book to Gun-Ho’s side.

“I’m not good at placing an order in a restaurant yet. Since you speak Chinese fluently, why don’t you order dishes for us?”

Gun-Ho asked the waitress in Chinese, “What’s the most popular dish in this restaurant?”

“Suan Tang Yu is the most often ordered food among our customers. Miao people love the dish.”

“What else do you recommend for us?”

“Niurou Fen is good too.”

“Okay. We will then have Suan Tang Yu and Niurou Fen as you recommended. Also, please bring us cooked rice and one bottle of beer.”

Jae-Sik Moon, who couldn’t understand Chinese, asked, “What did she say?”

“She said the two most popular dishes in this restaurant are Suan Tang Yu and Niurou Fen. Suan Tang Yu must be a fish dish in a spicy and sour stew, and Niurou Fen is probably something like Udong.”

“Oh, the spicy and sour fish stew? I’ve had it before. It was not bad at all.”

After the table was set with the dishes that he ordered, Gun-Ho said while filling up Jae-Sik’s glass with beer, “After I sign the contract tomorrow, I will have to send 3 million dollars within ten days.”

“Do you have that much cash? 3 million dollars is more than 3 billion Korean won.”

“I still have the sales proceeds after having sold GH Logistics’ land.”

“What about capital gains tax? The tax must be a substantial amount of money.”

“I might not have to pay as much as I initially expected for capital gains tax. Since the company is responsible for the tax, I can pay the tax later when its corporate tax is due. We don’t even have to file for the tax right away.”

“Is that right?”

“Oh, GH Logistics is now working with a new tax accountant office in Siheung Town. The one that you used to work with in Seonghwan Town, Cheonan City is too far for my sister to often visit. So my sister found the new one in Jeongwang Town, Siheung City.”

“Oh, she did? Well, as long as she feels comfortable working with the new tax accountant office, that should be good.”

“I visited that office once to discuss the capital gains tax for the property transaction of GH Logistics. According to the tax accountant, since the company had owned the land for a short period of time, it will have to pay 30% of the profits that it made, but they will try to lower the amount by reflecting its business expenses.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Oh, did you change your address from Mangwon Town to the condo in Incheon City where your parents are living now?”

“Yeah, I did. That condo is under my name, so I changed my address there.”

“That’s good. If you happen to be imposed for capital gains tax as an individual who sold the land to GH Logistics, just let me know, okay? I think the amount of tax imposed on you must be nominal because you sold the land to GH Logistics without much profit anyway.”

“Okay, I will let you know.”

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Chapter 579 - Building Bus Terminal (2) – Part 2

Chapter 579: Building Bus Terminal (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued to talk while having his beer, “Once our Chinese partner receives 3 million dollars from me, they will try to make your stay more comfortable by getting you a condo to live in and a car as well. And, they will start civil engineering work right away. They will also try hard to get the bus lines since once the bus business starts, the income from that business will cover your salary and other workers in the construction.”

“I see.”

“When you make a purchase contract for the condo where you will live in and for a car, and also for express buses, you shouldn’t do it by yourself. Let the vice president take care of those contracts. That’s better and safe.”

“Okay.”

“Do you still want to buy buses from Guilin Daewoo Bus?”

“I talked to the vice president about it, and he said as long as we can get a competitive price from them after comparing with other bus manufacturing companies’ price quotes, that’s fine.”

“Hmm, if we buy buses from them, the buses will be transported from Guilin City all the way to Antang City. It’s very far since they are in two different provinces. The distance from one province to another in China is like traveling from one country to another. I bet it’s several times more distant than the distance between Seoul City and Busan City.”

“I suppose so.”

“I guess they will hire truck drivers from those who are currently working for their transportation company.”

“I think so.”

“How do you like this dish— Suan Tang Yu? Maybe I should ask them to add more meat broth to it.”

“Maybe we can do that later after eating more. Can we have one more bottle of beer?”

“That sounds good!”

Gun-Ho ordered one more bottle of beer.

After filling up their glasses with beer, Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik clinked their glasses to each other.

“Once you move to a 30 pyung large luxurious condo and drive a new Audi that the company will provide you, you would feel better about living in China. You can just let the Chinese partner take care of the terminal project and the bus service business while you are here. I just want you to do two things.”

“Two things? What are those?”

“The first one is that you should keep insisting that they have to change the ownership of the land to the joint venture company’s name.”

“They are supposed to let the joint venture own the land since that’s what both parties agreed in the first place. You bring cash, and they provide the land as an investment in kind, right?”

Gun-Ho smiled and shook his head from side to side.

“You will see. It won’t be that easy to make them change the ownership of the land. I’m pretty sure that they don’t want to share the terminal business with a foreign company in the first place since it serves the public interest of Chinese people. The terminal project was just a bait to attract foreign investors for their money. Terminal business is different from other ordinary profit-oriented businesses. They have to work with the tenants who would lease the stores there, and they have to negotiate with bus companies that would be using the terminal, and also as you saw earlier, they have a police station there that is working for them.”

“What should we do then?”

“We tell them that if they don’t transfer the land’s ownership to the joint venture company’s name, we won’t transfer the rest of investment funds any longer.”

“Shouldn’t we tell that to them even before we send them 3 million dollars?”

Gun-Ho smiled and filled up Jae-Sik’s empty glass with beer.

He then said, “3 million dollars is the bait I’m placing for them.”

“A bait?”

“If I send them 3 million dollars, they will let us run the intercity bus business. Their transportation company will take all the good bus lines, and they will just let us run 20 buses.”

“I see.”

“President Moon, a joint venture is between two companies from different countries. The two parties constantly fight with an invisible sharp sword. If the Chinese party is a high-level master, I’m a master too. What would happen if the two masters have a bout of the same level? They would end up settling the matter that they were fighting for, so no one would get hurt.”

“I’m not sure if I understand what you are saying, but okay. What’s the second one that you want me to do?”

“Secondly, I want you to keep asking them to increase the number of bus lines. You have to do this in every meeting.”

“They already told us that they would let us run 20 buses.”

Gun-Ho shook his head from side to side again. That head shaking gesture was what Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town usually did. Gun-Ho learned it from him.

“They will try to delay it. They won’t let us get 20 buses easily. They have things that they need to consider in letting us run 20 buses. They can’t just let us start with 20 buses, but they need to monitor the projected demand to see if 20 buses would be fully running if they make them available for the service. They will also keep an eye on our attitude and stance on it as well. You just need to remember why you are here. I want you to do those two things, then I would consider that you achieved the purpose of your staying in China. To recap, the joint venture should own the land, and you need to keep requesting to increase bus lines. You will have to be skillful in making these two things happen. You will need to be firm, but you shouldn’t push them to the corner. That’s all I need from you.”

“Got it.”

“You probably want to study the Chinese language while you are here too for your own benefit. Once you move into a condo, ask your wife to join you here. And then, look for other income-generating businesses that your wife can run.”

“Thank you. I think you are a natural-born businessman with incredible insight. I learn a lot from you.”

“Well, I learn a lot from you too.”

The two men clicked their glasses of beer to each other again and laughed out loud.

The next morning, Jae-Sik came to the hotel where Gun-Ho was staying to pick him up. They headed to the joint venture’s office in the old terminal building in Antang City.

When they entered the meeting room, Antang City’s transportation company’s president— Mr. Runsheng Yan— and the joint venture’s vice president— Mr. Chun Chang— were already there waiting for them. The construction director who was in his 50s was sitting at the table as well, along with the Korean Chinese interpreter— Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy; he joined the meeting as an interpreter for the Chinese partner. The construction director belonged to the joint venture company, and he was listed under President Jae-Sik Moon in the company’s organizational chart.

The Korean partner was composed of Gun-Ho Goo, Jae-Sik Moon, and the interpreter— Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo. They were sitting at the opposing side of the table facing the Chinese partner’s group.

The vice president stated that they would review the contract together, and he read loudly each provision in the contract one by one. If anyone had a question or objection, it was the time to say it. The provisions stipulated in the contract were not newly added, but both parties already had talked about them multiple times. Therefore, Gun-Ho stated that he agreed to the provisions mostly. And then, he asked a question, “I’d like to make sure that once I send all of the investment cash that I’m supposed to bring in, the ownership of the land must be transferred to the joint venture’s name.”

“The ownership of Hua Fa (planned land) land can be transferred to a new owner. The land that is supposed to be used to construct a building can be registered as the joint venture’s property.”

“I’m asking if Zhuan Liang (transferrable land) can be done.”

President Runsheng Yan smiled and said, “Changing a land to Zhuan Lian costs a fortune. The government imposes a significant fee for it. A terminal is a special property and cannot be sold to an individual like that. I hope you understand it, Mr. President Goo.”

“The land that you provided is overvalued. I don’t believe that its value is 25 million dollars. That’s absurd. I’m not trying to make an issue about it at this point, but I’m just bringing it up, so you would understand that you will need to give us the corresponding deal to be fair. I’d like to request to increase the number of buses that we would run, to 30.”

“As a matter of fact, we wanted to get a new appraisal on the land, but since the appraisal that we have for the land is still valid, we didn’t. If we have to redo the appraisal, it will cost 150,000 Yuan. The State-Owned Assets Management Committee recognized the land’s value as such.”

Gun-Ho’s plan was to remind them of two unresolved issues: the ownership transfer of the land to the joint venture’s name and the small number of busses allowed, before signing the contract, which he just completed.

“The two parties will sign the contract while Mr. Director of the transportation department is present. Also, we will take a picture afterwards. The contract signing ceremony will be held at 11:30 am.”

Mr. Runsheng Yan stood up from his seat and extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“We are getting a lot of calls from Antang City’s citizens about the intercity bus service between Antang City and Guiyang City which is the capital of Guizhou Province. They mostly inquired about when they can use the service. I’m sure the bus service business will succeed.”

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Chapter 580 - Building Bus Terminal (3) – Part 1

Chapter 580: Building Bus Terminal (3) – Part 1

It was 11:30 am.

When Gun-Ho went back to the meeting room, the table was already set, ready for the contract signing ceremony; the table was decorated with the national flags of two countries—the Korean flag and the Chinese red flag with five stars. There was also a banner hanging on the wall.

Gun-Ho read the wording written on the banner,

“Zhong Han Hezi Quanzi Yishi, meaning Sino-Korean joint venture signing ceremony.”

At that moment, the department of transportation’s director arrived at the meeting room. He was wearing sunglasses, and the way he walked into the meeting room looked arrogant.

“Oh, Mr. President Goo!”

“Oh, Mr. Director of the transportation department, long time no see.”

“I’ve heard that you finally decided to sign the contract. You made the right decision. You have my respect for your discernment about business.”

President Runsheng Yan of the transportation company in Antang City and Gun-Ho sat at the table. Each person had his country’s mini flag in front of them. The rest of the people in the meeting room stood behind the table and under the banner making a line, including the director of the transportation department, the joint venture’s vice president and the construction director, Jae-Sik Moon, Eun-Hwa Jo, and Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy. The transportation company’s staff from its marketing department was busy taking photos while Gun-Ho and President Runsheng Yan signed the contract and had a handshake subsequently.

President Runsheng Yan invited everyone to the signing ceremony for lunch in a highly luxurious restaurant. Gun-Ho was treated as an honored guest, and he sat at the seat that was reserved for an important figure of the group. The transportation department’s director sat next to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho didn’t have high alcohol tolerance, especially when he had to drink in a day while most Chinese people seem to be able to drink as much as they could even in a day. Everyone seemed to enjoy drinking together that day. The construction manager was drinking strong Chinese liquor—Baiju—as if it was like drinking water. Jae-Sik also seemed to join them drinking a lot of liquor. Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy and Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo had drinks along with them.

While the director of the transportation department and President Runsheng Yan, who was running the transportation company in Antang City, were present, Gun-Ho asked the crowd, “When do you think I can expect to have the result of the bus line negotiation with Guiyang City?”

“Guiyang City’s transportation department agreed on the basic conditions, but we are still negotiating the number of buses that both cities would run. We want three buses while they want only two. We haven’t reached an agreement on it just yet. So, we came up with an idea that maybe we can run 2 buses and 1 Zhong Ba (mid-size bus). We are still reviewing the possibility with Guiyang City about it.”

“Zhong Ba?”

“Yes, we are thinking about the size that can accommodate 35 passengers.”

“Do you reserve any extra bus as well? You know, in case that one of the buses breaks down and is not able to run for a while. Or, it could get involved in a car accident. You should be ready for the cases where one of the buses is not available for service.”

“Of course, we will need to reserve an extra bus. But, we don’t reserve one for every bus line, but we reserve one or more for the bus service company entirely.”

“Are you working on procuring more bus lines with other cities as well?”

“We are. We already initiated negotiations with Yibin City, Luzhou City, and Zunyi City.”

“You haven’t provided any intercity bus service between Antang City and those three cities?”

“We have, and we are currently running buses to those cities. We are negotiating with them to increase the number of buses due to the increase in demand. You don’t need to worry about the sales business. A joint venture company with a foreign company as its partner has a good image among Chinese people, and they will definitely use their service knowing that the joint venture company would use luxurious new buses.”

“I see. Well, once the bus line deal with Guiyang City is finalized within one week, I will make the third transfer of investment funds within ten days, which would be 3 million dollars.”

“You became our brother company since we work together sharing profits. Antang City’s transportation company and Korea’s GH Logistics are now Xiongdi (brothers). Let’s celebrate this meaningful day with a drink.”

After drinking three glasses of liquor in a row with President Runsheng Yan, Gun-Ho felt an acute headache.

After the lunch meeting was over, Gun-Ho was heading to his hotel with Jae-Sik Moon. On the way, Gun-Ho still felt dizzy because of the liquor that he had drunk.

“President Moon, I’m having a headache. Why don’t we take a walk for a while? I think I want to sober up before going back to the hotel. I don’t understand why those Chinese people drank that much during the day.”

“Let’s then go for a stroll at the Ming and Qing Ancient Street. We can still see the old houses and structures built during the Ming dynasty and the Qing dynasty there.”

“Really? It must be one of the famous tourist spots. I’d love to see them.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon took a taxi and headed to the Ming and Qing Ancient Street. There were tons of shops on the street, and they were still using the constructions built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Most of them were selling tourism products and antiques.

“I see a lot of silk fabric for sale here. Who would buy them these days?”

“Those fabrics would be used in making Qipao, I guess.”

“Do you see the commercial sign—Cha—over there? It must be a tea house. Let’s go there and have some tea. I want to try the black tea—Qian Hong—that I had earlier in the office.”

“Sure, let’s get in.”

Gun-Ho ordered Qian Hong and drank the tea as if it was cold water.

“I feel refreshed. I think I’m sobering up now. I felt like dying from dizziness earlier.”

“I’m not good at drinking during the day either. Chinese people seem to have a high alcohol tolerance, maybe because they eat oily foods routinely.”

“Haha, maybe it is so. After I have some more tea here, I will just go back to the hotel and take a rest. We have a press conference tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho purchased a carved figure of a boy attendant, which was made of jade, at an antique store in the Ming Qing Street. When he saw a fossil of sea anemones for sale, he negotiated the price. The starting price was 500 Yuan, and Gun-Ho ended up paying 150 Yuan after haggling with the merchant.

Jae-Sik commented on the boy figure that Gun-Ho had purchased.

“This boy attendant figure is the size of my wrist. It’s so cute. Well, since it is made of jade, it is indeed a jade boy attendant figure.”

“Your wife is seven months pregnant, isn’t she?”

“It’s actually more than that. She will come here a month later. I already visited the hospital for foreigners here. They do have a nice and big facility. That hospital is a collaboration work with a company in Hong Kong. It’s really nice.”

“Oh, you visited the hospital?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“She had an ultrasound, right?”

“You are asking about the gender of my child? I will have a daughter.”

“Hmm, in that case, I can’t give this boy attendant figure to you. I will take it to my wife. My wife is four months pregnant now. We will have a son.”

“Really? Congratulations.”

The two laughed out loud while looking at each other. They had a firm handshake too as if the two of them made a club for new dads.

“By the early next year, we both will be fathers. I will have my first child at 37 years old, and you will have yours at 38.”

“That’s right.”

“I think we are the last people who just became a father among our friends from high school. We both married late and have a baby late. Look at Won-Chul Jo. He had received enough financial support from his wealthy parents as he was growing up. As a result, he got a nice job in a large company right after college, and he got married five years earlier than us, right? So did Suk-Ho Lee and Byeong-Chul Hwang.”

“Well, we couldn’t get married sooner because we had to stabilize our financial situation first, which took time.”

“The most important thing is that we’ll live happily ever after for a long time. Let’s make a happy life.”

“Sure. Let’s live well!”

The two men laughed and held their hands together and shook them.

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Chapter 581 - Building Bus Terminal (3) – Part 2

Chapter 581: Building Bus Terminal (3) – Part 2

It was the day of the press conference.

The press conference was about Antang City’s people’s government’s efforts in making its residents’ lives better and more convenient by bringing foreign investment funds in the community to build a new bus terminal and to start an intercity express bus service between Antang City and Guiyang City, which was the capital of Guizhou Province.

Gun-Ho went into the convention center on the second floor of the Plaza Hotel. The stage was set, and about ten round tables were placed facing the stage, just like a wedding hall in a hotel in Korea. Several journalists were already there carrying a camera. Jae-Sik Moon was practicing his speech, holding an A4 paper which he wrote yesterday. As the president of the joint venture company, he was supposed to give a greeting speech.

The joint venture company’s lady office manager led Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon to the stage. The two interpreters were sitting at each end of the table. Since it was an important event, Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy was there too.

When Gun-Ho turned around to see the back of the stage, he saw a banner hanging on the wall. It said, ‘Press Conference on the Establishment of Antang Zhang Yun GH Logistics Joint Venture.’

Jae-Sik Moon whispered into Gun-Ho’s ear in a low voice. ‘Zhang Yun’ means running a long distance. It’s like an intercity bus, rapid bus, or express bus in Korea.”

“Hmm, I think so.”

“The middle seat at the table is vacant. I guess someone very important will be here. Maybe that seat is reserved for Mr. Deputy Mayor.”

As soon as Jae-Sik said that, Mr. Deputy Mayor entered the room. All of the people in the Chinese partner’s area stood up simultaneously and greeted the deputy mayor. Gun-Ho also stood up to greet him.

“Oh, Mr. President Goo. It’s good to see you again.”

“How have you been, Mr. Deputy Mayor Lizian Zhang?”

Gun-Ho and Deputy Mayor Lizian Zhang had a handshake before sitting at the table again. The tables for journalists were set with some snacks and refreshments. It looked like they would have lunch at the same table after the press conference ended.

The tables were not occupied by just journalists, but Gun-Ho could see a few familiar faces as well. Jae-Sik told him in a low voice that many people were from Antang City’s transportation department, the transportation company, banks, tax office, road management bureau, etc.

Vice President Chun Chang led the press conference. He started it by introducing the people on stage one by one. When he briefly introduced one person followed by another, the people clapped loudly. Gun-Ho could hear the loudest clapping when Jae-Sik Moon and himself were introduced. Gun-Ho was introduced as the chairman of GH Group of companies, which was the partner of the joint venture. Jae-Sik was described as the president of this joint venture company.

President Runsheng Yan talked about how much the joint venture had achieved so far. The director of Antang City’s transportation department talked about the size of the project that the joint venture planned. The deputy mayor also gave a speech with a congratulatory address afterward.

It was Jae-Sik’s turn to give a greeting speech. As he started talking in Korean, about ten journalists began to gather close to Jae-Sik and took photos vigorously. As Jae-Sik had never had this sort of experience before, he continued to give his speech but with a flushed face. Jae-Sik gave about two sentences each time before taking a brief break, so Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy could take his time in interpreting what Jae-Sik just said in Chinese.

After the press conference was over, the hotel staff started bringing soup to the tables. Gun-Ho thought that the menu for lunch would probably be a stake or a pork cutlet.

‘They are serving a nice lunch to everyone with the money that I sent to them. Well, that’s fine. Just get as many bus lines as you could for me, so I can make a lot of money. If that happens, I will leave some behind for you.’

Whatever the Chinese partner had done so far was paid by Gun-Ho’s money, such as preparing for the terminal construction, opening the joint venture company, buying buses, getting new uniforms for the workers, etc. As a matter of fact, their Chinese partner brought only the vacant land to the joint venture. They hadn’t spent even a penny.

Gun-Ho followed the lady office manager down from the stage and joined everyone else who was sitting at the table for lunch. When he dipped his spoon into the soup to eat it, several journalists gathered around Gun-Ho’s table with a camera and microphone. They were probably journalists from a TV station. Mr. Choi interpreted for Gun-Ho, who was standing next to him. One journalist asked a question, “What made you decide to make your investment in Antang City specifically?”

The camera was recording every move and word from Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho said, “Well, I was told that the Chinese government is currently planning several projects intending to develop the southwest area.”

Mr. Choi interpreted what Gun-Ho just said immediately.

Gun-Ho continued to talk, “I believe that Guizhou Province had the best potential among other provinces in the southwest area. Especially, Antang City is situated in the critical geographical location to be a hub of transportation connecting other cities. And I’m sure that goods and people will be driven to Antang City. That’s why I decided to invest in Antang City. I’m also certain that per capita income in this city will dramatically increase.”

Gun-Ho was told that the interview that he just had with the journalists would be on air this evening during the evening news.

Gun-Ho asked the interpreter—Mr. Choi, “Did I make any mistake in front of the journalists?”

“No, sir, not at all. You did great actually.”

Jae-Sik was busy visiting each table and meeting with the people, being accompanied by his interpreter—Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo. He couldn’t even finish his lunch. Jae-Sik and Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo’s visiting each table looked like a groom and bride visiting each table of their guests after a wedding in Korea.

When the deputy mayor and the director of the transportation department were about to leave, Gun-Ho followed them from the second floor where the event took place down to the hotel lobby to see them off. The deputy mayor grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand and said, “Thank you, Mr. President Goo. Chinese people always payback when they owe something to someone. I personally guarantee you that the business that you are doing here will succeed. I will make it work. Our party secretary in Antang City is paying attention to this joint venture business.”

“Thank you. I look forward to closely working with you, sir.”

As he sent off the deputy mayor and the transportation department’s director, Gun-Ho turned around and looked at Jae-Sik and said, “I guess we’d better leave now too. We have no more business in the event hall on the second floor. Why don’t we go to the Shangri-La Hotel where I’m staying now?”

When Gun-Ho informed President Runsheng Yan that he would leave now, he said, “Why don’t we get together again in the evening, after you take a deep rest in the hotel. You have visited us multiple times before, and we finally made through this far. I’d like to invite you to Karaoke.”

“Did you say Karaoke? Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho laughed and came back to his hotel—Shangri-La Hotel.

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Chapter 582 - Singing Together at Karaoke (1) – Part 1

Chapter 582: Singing Together at Karaoke (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho laid down on the bed in his hotel room at Shangri-La Hotel without changing his clothes. He fell asleep briefly. When his phone started ringing, he woke up to the sound. Gun-Ho thought that he took a nap for several minutes. The call was from Jae-Sik Moon.

“It’s me. It’s time to go to karaoke, remember? Mr. President Runsheng Yan invited us to go to karaoke with him. I’m in the lobby right now. Come down.”

“Oh, it’s already evening?”

“You must be taking a nap, huh? Take your time in getting ready. I will be here.”

Gun-Ho took out a bottle of water from the mini-refrigerator and drank it. And then he walked to the bathroom and brushed his teeth and washed his face.

“Okay, now I feel refreshed.”

Gun-Ho went down to the lobby where Jae-Sik Moon was waiting for him, and the two men headed to the karaoke.

On the way to the karaoke in the car, Jae-Sik Moon said to Gun-Ho, “The karaoke place that we are heading to right now is being operated by Antang City’s bureau of OO.”

“Are you saying that a municipal government is operating a karaoke in China, huh?”

“I heard that even the Public Security Bureau runs karaoke in certain areas, in an effort to cover their scant budget. It was common practice in the past, but now not many karaokes are left that are run by the government.”

The karaoke where President Runsheng Yan invited us to was located on the fifth floor of a building. When Gun-Ho entered it, he was amazed by its sparkling decoration and the size. The place was decorated mostly with glass.

“Wow, it’s huge. How large would this place be? It must be at least several hundred pyung large.”

Jae-Sik was looking around with widened eyes as well. He said, “Karaokes in Korea are so small that maybe they are the size of this place’s bathroom.”

The karaoke manager quickly approached Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik and said, “You are Koreans, right?”

“Yes, we are.”

“And you are the guests of Antang City’s transportation company, aren’t you?”

The manager seemed to recognize right away that Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon were not from the area because of their different hairstyles and business suits, which were different from Chinese people’s. Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon followed the manager to the room where President Runsheng Yan of Antang City’s transportation company and the joint venture’s vice president—Mr. Chun Chang—were waiting for them. Surprisingly, the director of the transportation department was there too.

For the lunch earlier, the lady office manager came to take care of the payment process. Gun-Ho couldn’t find her in the karaoke room this time, but the sales manager joined them instead. It seemed that they wanted to keep this karaoke gathering between only men. That seemed to be why the sales manager was there filling up the position of the usual participant—Ms. Office Manager. Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy was also sitting on the sofa in the room.

Once Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik sat on the sofa, canned beer and snacks such as fruits were set on the table. As President Runsheng Yan lifted his canned beer first, everyone in the room lifted their beer and shouted “Cheers.” The director of the transportation company seemed to be talking with President Runsheng Yan about business, but Gun-Ho couldn’t understand their conversation since they were not speaking standard Chinese but some dialects. Gun-Ho asked the interpreter—Mr. Choi—who was sitting next to him, “Mr. Choi, can you understand what they are saying?”

“I understand half of them only.”

Jae-Sik Moon seemed to have no idea whether they were talking in the official standard Chinese language or dialects. Gun-Ho asked Mr. Choi again, “Mr. Choi, can you ask this to the sales manager sitting next to you for me? I’d like to know the name of the most expensive condo in Antang City that is being built right now.”

Even though Gun-Ho could speak Chinese fluently, and he could very well ask the question to the sales manager himself, he chose to ask the question through the interpreter. When Mr. Choi asked the question to the sales manager, the sales manager responded, “It’s Huaxi Huayuan!”

Gun-Ho smiled and talked to the sales manager directly in Chinese this time, “Are you from here?”

“Yes, sir. I was born and raised here.”

“How much is a condo in Huaxi Huayuan per pyung?”

“I believe that it costs more than 10,000 Yuan per ㎡.”

Gun-Ho quickly did his math.

’30 pyung is around 100 ㎡. If the unit price per ㎡ is 10,000 Yuan, a 30 pyung large condo would cost 1 million Yuan which is around 170 million Korean won. It’s very pricey for a condo located in a small city like Antang City. A condo in a provincial city in Korea would cost about the same. They seemed to price the condo there very high considering the average income of the residents in the area.’

Gun-Ho exaggerated his facial expression a bit, intending to show his surprise and said, “It’s very expensive for a condo in a provincial city.”

Mr. Choi chipped in before the sales manager responded, “That condo is being built in a park area actually. The landscape there is amazing. I had passed by the area the other day, and the new Bieshu (single house) there were so beautiful. I feel like if I could live in that area, I don’t think I would envy anyone who is living in a big city like Shanghai or Beijing.”

Gun-Ho nudged Jae-Sik and said, “Write down the name of the area—Huaxi Huayuan. Let’s stop by the area tomorrow on the way to the airport in Guiyang City.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho always paid attention to the flow of money wherever he was, and the occasion that was specifically set to have sheer fun was not an exception. Putting a piece of fruit in his mouth, Gun-Ho thought, ‘A highly luxurious residential area exists in every single city where the wealthy are living in. They don’t want to build their extravagant houses in an isolated area because of the safety issue and also because it could cause some conflicts with the local people. Having a luxurious area in this city means that there is a high demand for it. If they are selling the condos right now, it’s worth looking into the possibility of purchasing one.

I can’t buy real property in this area, but Jae-Sik Moon can because he has the business license issued by the tax office here. I can buy a condo through him, just like I bought the farmland in Seonghwan Town, Cheonan City using his name before. I still have cash in my bank account with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. It’s the money that I received when I withdrew from the Jinxi Industrial Park business. Maybe I should buy a condo here using that money under Jae-Sik’s name.

I can pay Jae-Sik Moon for using his name in a real estate transaction again. Jae-Sik wouldn’t mind it since he can make money. He needs money, and it’s an opportunity for him to make easy money. As a matter of fact, he now possesses a condo close to East Incheon Station because he let me use his name in a previous real estate transaction. That condo was compensation from me for it. He now no longer has to live in a basement where he spent almost his entire life. China is still a land of opportunities.

I should be careful not to make the same mistake that Suk-Ho Lee made. He purchased commercial properties without doing his homework, and now he is having a hard time getting out of it. Korean people, who are interested in making an investment or doing business in China, must know this. In China, you can’t take out a loan from a bank with the land that is not Zhuan Liang. It has to be Zhuan Liang land. Suk-Ho made a mistake when he didn’t study this system in China before he made his investment. The seller of the commercial stores, who Suk-Ho bought his stores from, probably had that land as Zhuan Liang where the commercial store building is on. However, when that seller built a commercial building on that land and divided the building into several stores and sold them individually, each store might not be Zhuan Liang any more for the buyers.

However, residential homes are different. Houses are special real estate properties in the sense that they provide living space to people. They are the basic necessities of people who compose society. They are inheritable as well.’

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Chapter 583 - Singing Together at Karaoke (1) – Part 2

Chapter 583: Singing Together at Karaoke (1) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho was thinking about purchasing a condo in Huaxi Huayuan, the director of the transportation department stood up from his seat and said, “Mr. President Goo, I think I will have to leave now. I can’t stay long here because I’m a government employee, and it’s not good for a government employee to be seen in a karaoke. I guess I’d better go now.”

“Oh, really? It’s a shame.”

“I want you to have fun even after I leave. Todays’ press conference was very successful, and I had a great time having beer here in karaoke with you. Please don’t mind me and enjoy the rest of your evening.”

The transportation department’s director finally left. It seemed that he was worried about his reputation being damaged because of his staying in karaoke since he was a high ranking government officer. If someone recognized him in a karaoke, they might talk badly behind his back. Everyone in the room stood up to see him off.

After the director of the transportation department walked out of the room, President Runsheng Yan said as he was sitting back on the sofa, “Well, since the director of the transportation department left, the real fun time starts now.”

President Runsheng Yan pressed a push bell button, and the karaoke manager entered the room shortly with a smile.

President Runsheng Yan said, “Xiaojie Guolai Jiao (Let the girls in)!”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, a group of twelve young ladies entered the room. They were all half-naked.

President Runsheng Yan pointed at one of the girls in the middle with his finger. Gun-Ho thought that that girl was the prettiest one among the group.

President Runsheng said, “You, come here and sit next to this gentleman!”

The pretty girl who President Runsheng picked sat next to Gun-Ho. That girl seemed to know already that she would be the first pick. Without any surprise on her face, she came to Gun-Ho and sat next to him. She then crossed her legs and picked a piece of fruit from the plate on the table and started eating it.

President Runsheng Yan picked the next girl and said, “You, come this way!”

His second pick sat next to Jae-Sik Moon. Gun-Ho thought she was the second prettiest girl. President Runsheng then picked one girl after another himself in the order of their appearance for everyone in the room. The other six ladies who were left out didn’t seem to be happy.

President Runsheng Yan said to them, “All of you, please leave!”

The unpicked six not-so-pretty girls left the room with upsetting faces. Gun-Ho felt sorry for them.

‘If no one picks those six ladies until this evening ends, they will have to go back home empty-handed.’

Someone turned on the karaoke machine, and President Runsheng Yan was the first one who sang a song. He sang a Chinese song. He was good.

“You, girls, why don’t you sing for us?”

A lady took the microphone from President Runsheng Yan and started singing another Chinese song. She had a pretty voice. When Gun-Ho looked at Jae-Sik Moon, he was well enjoying the moment. He was singing along as he read the song’s lyrics from the subtitles on the screen while hugging the girl sitting next to him. He seemed to be so into that girl, at least for the moment. Jae-Sik’s Chinese seemed to have improved enough to read karaoke subtitles.

All of the ladies in the room seemed to be good at singing and dancing since that was part of their job after all. They smoke a lot too.

“Mr. President Goo, why don’t you pick a song and sing for us?”

Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy said as he pushed the songbook to Gun-Ho’s side.

“Oh, I don’t know any Chinese songs.”

“If you look at the latter part of the book, you can find a long list of Japanese songs and also Korean songs too.”

Gun-Ho was about to hand that songbook to Jae-Sik Moon to let him know that he could pick a Korean song to sing, but Jae-Sik was already on the stage ready to sing. A Korean song, ‘You who I ran into unexpectedly’ came out. It was the song of an old Korean band called Songolmae.

Jae-Sik Moon started singing the song. While singing, his eyes were locked on his partner lady.

“You who I ran into unexpectedly, my heart was captivated by your looks. You who I ran into unexpectedly, my heart was enchanted by your eyes.”

The people in the room laughed and clapped as Jae-Sik Moon was singing a Korean song in Korean. Gun-Ho was impressed by Jae-Sik that night.

‘Wow. I didn’t know Jae-Sik could have fun like that.’

Gun-Ho clapped along with the others.

The girl sitting next to Gun-Ho knew that Gun-Ho was the most important person in the room that night because she was the first girl picked by President Runsheng Yan, and he asked her to sit next to Gun-Ho. She thought that Gun-Ho must be either a very wealthy man or someone who is in a very high social position. The girl hugged Gun-Ho and tried to please him by flirting with him. She put the cigarette that she smoked in his mouth and also put a piece of fruit that she had a bitten in in his mouth and etc.

She said to Gun-Ho, “Are you from Hong Kong, Mr. President?”

The girl gave Gun-Ho numerous kisses on the cheek with her very red lips. Gun-Ho was satisfied with his partner lady. She was tall and pretty. He hugged her and danced with her too. The room where Gun-Ho was in was filled with laughter, music, and fun vibe all night long while the room at the corner of the karaoke was filled with sighs and cigarette smokes from the ladies who were not picked by anyone that night. It was the reality.

The Chinese people drank a lot and sang a lot of songs that night. The liquor and the time at the karaoke would be paid with the company’s money that Gun-Ho had sent to them earlier. They didn’t seem to mind how much they would be charged for their fun that night. When Gun-Ho felt tired and leaned back on the sofa, President Runsheng Yan grabbed the microphone and said, “We had a lot of fun for two full hours here tonight. Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo has to leave for the airport in Guiyang City tomorrow. I think we’d better call it a night. I really had a good time. We are now friends, and let’s sing the last song for tonight—Friend—to celebrate this day. Let’s sing it together.”

The song—Friend—started on the karaoke machine. Gun-Ho knew that song. He listened to this song in Korea, and he knew how to sing it. Jae-Sik also knew the song. All the attendants of this karaoke event held each other’s hand and started singing the song—Friend. This song was one of the most popular Chinese songs in Korea. It used to make the top three. It was a Chinese song sung by a Chinese singer, and then it was later sung by a Korean singer—Jae-Wook Ahn—as a remake version. He even released an album with that song in it.

“Pengyou Yisheng Yiqi Zou (My friend, let’s be friends forever)”

“Naxie Rizi Bu Zai You (Days like these won’t come again)”

They put arms around each other’s shoulder instead of holding each other’s hand and sang the song together loudly.

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Chapter 584 - Singing Together at Karaoke (2) – Part 1

Chapter 584: Singing Together at Karaoke (2) – Part 1

After they sang the last song together for the night at the karaoke, President Runsheng Yan turned on the light. He then said to the ladies, “Thank you for your service tonight,” and he said to the vice president of the joint venture, “Mr. Vice President Chang, please pay them so the ladies could use the money to pay for their transportation fee to go home.”

Vice President Chang pulled out his wallet from his bag that looked like a shoe bag, and gave 200 Yuan to each lady. Some of the ladies thanked him as they accepted the money, and some of them seemed to be not satisfied with the amount.

The ladies prepared to leave as they grabbed their bags and personal belongings, and Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik stood up from their seats as well. The Chinese partners pulled their jackets that were hanging on the wall to get ready to leave.

When Gun-Ho dropped his gaze to the floor, there were tons of cigarette butts and half-emptied canned beers scattered here and there. At that moment, Gun-Ho’s partner lady nudged Gun-Ho quietly, and whispered, “Can you give me 100 more Yuan?”

Gun-Ho pulled out a 100 Yuan bill from his pocket and handed it to the lady. He was then thinking for a second, that maybe he should give her more before he decided not to, because it wouldn’t be fair for other ladies. The lady gave a kiss to Gun-Ho on the cheek, appreciating the tip. President Runsheng Yan, who saw the lady coming back to Gun-Ho to give him a kiss, laughed out loud and said, “Hahaha. This lady must like you a lot, Mr. President Goo. Your face is covered with her lipstick kiss marks. Why don’t you spend the night with her?”

Being startled by President Runsheng Yan’s remarks, Gun-Ho picked up a wet tissue and wiped his face with it. He then went to the bathroom and washed his face to make sure there were no kiss marks on his face.

Jae-Sik asked Gun-Ho, “President Goo, didn’t you like your partner lady? You could ask her to come with you to your Shangri-La Hotel room. She was pretty.”

“No, I have no interest in such a thing. Even though we said that we became friends now, those Chinese partners are our business partners. We should be careful. I don’t want any bad rumors about me to be spread around.”

“You’re right. You shouldn’t do that especially given the fact that your wife is pregnant now.”

“Anyway, everyone was very good at singing.”

“Some Chinese songs were really pleasant to hear. The Chinese language has four tones, and it seems that having four different tones makes a song in Chinese joyful to listen to.”

On the way back to the hotel in the car, Gun-Ho said to Jae-Sik, “After I leave tomorrow, tell our Chinese partner that you think that Gun-Ho would send 3 million dollars after they get us the bus lines. That way, they will try harder to obtain the bus lines as soon as possible so they could receive 3 million dollars quicker.”

“Yeah, I was thinking about doing that too. The reason why they invited us to karaoke tonight and spent a good time with us, must be that they want to pressure you to send 3 million dollars as soon as possible, but in a soft way.”

“That karaoke place was not bad at all for a karaoke in a small city. They had good-looking ladies too.”

“You know what? I got the phone number of the lady who was sitting next to me.”

“Haha, really? You are good, President Moon.”

“I just asked for her phone number in case. I didn’t mean that I would use that number though.”

“Well, if you could, why not? I think you can make a good playboy.”

“You think so? Do I look like a playboy?”

When they arrived at Shangri-La Hotel where Gun-Ho was staying, Jae-Sik Moon told him, “I will come back tomorrow morning at 9. It takes about three hours from here to the airport. I think we can leave 9 am to get there in time.”

“Then, why don’t you come by 8 am? So, you and I will have time to stop by Huaxi Huayuan.”

“Huaxi Huayuan? Sure.”

Gun-Ho turned his head and asked the chauffeur in Chinese, who had been driving them around in Audi and who was an employee of the transportation company, “You must know of the area called Huaxi Huayuan, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’d like to visit that area tomorrow. Please pick me up at this hotel by 8 am.”

“Okay. I will do that, sir.”

When Gun-Ho went up to his hotel room, the first thing he did was to turn on the TV. Gun-Ho grabbed the remote control and kept changing channels in search of the 11 o’clock news. When he finally found a news channel, it was airing the central news. The regional news followed it soon, and Gun-Ho indeed could watch the press conference that he had early that day. Jae-Sik was giving his greeting speech wearing a business suit with a flower on his suit jacket.

“Huh? That’s Jae-Sik Moon. Wow, he does look like a president of a company. Who would know by looking at him, that he used to live in a 17 pyung large basement unit in an old townhouse not long ago?”

Gun-Ho settled his gaze on the TV screen.

“Huh? Is that me?”

They were showing Gun-Ho’s interview with several journalists. He was getting a close-up shot. At the bottom of the screen, a subtitle was describing who Gun-Ho was. It said that he was a Korean company’s chairman— GH Companies. Gun-Ho closely observed his face on the screen. He looked so old like a middle-aged man.

“Gosh, how come I look so old? I look like a 40 something years old man. Sh*t.”

On the other hand, the journalist, who was posing a question to Gun-Ho, looked so handsome like a movie star. Even Mr. Choi from Social Science Academy, who was standing next to Gun-Ho as an interpreter, didn’t look older than his actual age at all. Gun-Ho seemed to be the only person who looked like he had a swollen face with a bulged belly. He did look like a typical middle-aged man who hadn’t worked out for a long time.

“Is that because I had drunk too much lately? I don’t think I had though. Hmm.”

Gun-Ho was thinking about his partner lady at the karaoke earlier that night.

“She was in her early 20s. I don’t think a man who looked like a middle-aged man like me would be attractive to a young lady like her. If so, how come she gave me that many kisses? Because of money?”

Gun-Ho then thought of Mori Aikko and Seol-Bing.

“Mori Aikko is in her early 20s as well. Why does she like me enough to be delighted to see me every single time I visit her? I’m an old man who looks like he is in his mid-40s. What about Seol-Bing? How come she let me kiss her on her lips? Young-Eun must have a lot of male medical doctor colleagues around her, who are handsome and intelligent. Why did she marry me who looked like an old factory worker?”

Gun-Ho suddenly felt bad about himself like the ones with low self-esteem.

“I shouldn’t stay this way. Once I go back to Korea, I will sign up at a fitness center and start working out. Also, I need some intensive skincare as well. I guess I’ve been neglecting myself while mingling with those executive officers at my companies, who are mostly in their 50s. I didn’t realize that I was becoming one of them.”

Gun-Ho felt extremely disappointed in his appearance shown on the news. He didn’t like the man on the TV. He eventually turned off the TV and laid down on the bed. He even felt depressed.

The next morning, Gun-Ho had a bowl of rice porridge in a restaurant in the hotel. He then packed his belongings and went down to the lobby carrying his suitcase. Jae-Sik Moon was there waiting for him. He looked so tired.

“Good morning, Jae-Sik. How come you look tired this morning? Didn’t you get a good sleep last night? Did you watch the news? You looked so energetic on the news.”

“You watched the news, huh? I was so disappointed when I watched the news.”

“How come?”

“I looked like a 50 years old man. I looked so aged.”

“Don’t be silly! You looked calm and confident. You did look like a president of some company.”

“Not at all! Well, you did look so handsome on the news. I was the only one who looked like an old security guard. Actually, I used to work as a security guard in Asan City, remember that?”

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Chapter 585 - Singing Together at Karaoke (2) – Part 2

Chapter 585: Singing Together at Karaoke (2) – Part 2

People tend to be subjective when it comes to evaluating people including themselves. Both Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik believed that they looked so old on TV while others didn’t agree with them. Maybe that was why politicians, who frequently talked in front of a camera and appeared on TV, usually tried hard to wear good make-ups, so they could look better on TV.

Both Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik felt depressed after they saw themselves on TV. However, after they complimented each other on their appearances, they felt better.

Huaxi Huayuan was not far from downtown. When they arrived there, they looked around. The area was located behind some junior high school building.

Jae-Sik seemed to have been in the area. He said, “I didn’t know there is this nice condo complex in this area. I’ve been passing by in front of this school tens of times by bicycle. How come I didn’t notice this condo complex before?”

After passing by a richly tree-lined street, they went on 500 meters more before finding an enormous stone where “Huaxi Huayuan” was written in red.

“Wow. The entrance to the condo complex is so dramatic.”

When they arrived at the gate, a young male security guard in a military-like uniform stopped the Audi where Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik were sitting in.

The security guard asked while looking into the car, “Where are you heading to?”

“We came to take a look at the condos here.”

“I will need your ID, please.”

Gun-Ho showed the security guard his passport. When the security guard realized that it was a Korean passport, he gave a military salute to Gun-Ho right away, and said, “You are a Korean man, sir. Please proceed.”

Gun-Ho looked around. Just like the luxurious residential complex in Hangzhou City—Hupan Huayuan (Hobanhwawon), the residential complex there was composed of condos and single houses. The only difference between those two complexes was that Hupan Huayuan in Hangzhou City, where Alibaba President Marwin used to live, had been built several years ago while this one was newly built. Also, they didn’t cut off the old trees that seemed to be there for a long time, but kept them. So, the area looked heavily wooded.

“This is so nice. I feel like I’m in a park rather than a residential area.”

“I guess if you live here, you can just ride a bicycle to go grocery shopping. The bike lane is wide and flat which is good.”

“It looks like the residents here have their own community, separated from the world outside this area.”

“They have a commercial building inside the community too. They have laundry. Man, they have everything inside the complex.”

The Audi that Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik were in slowly drove around the residential complex. The residents there looked like people from big cities like Shanghai or Beijing. Their clothes and styles looked sophisticated.

“President Moon, once I go back to Korea, can you find out the size and the price of condos available for sale here? I believe since it is a brand new residential complex, they must have many brand new condos available.”

“Okay. I will do that.”

Before leaving Antang City, Gun-Ho stopped by downtown. Jae-Sik showed him the hospital that was built as a collaboration work with a Hong Kong company. The hospital had a very well maintained lawn. Since the hospital was clean and had high-performance medical teams, many residents in Antang City including the ones who were not affluent were willing to pay for their medical service even though they charged high fees. Many indigent people in Korea also preferred to get medical care at a university hospital that provided luxurious medical services.

Gun-Ho arrived at the airport in Guiyang City later that afternoon.

“President Moon, keep up the good work. I think you can have more fun in a provincial city like Antang City rather than big cities like Shanghai or Beijing, while working.”

“Yeah. I had a very low expectation when I first arrived at Antang City, but as I stay longer and longer, this city is surprising me with a lot of unexpectedly amazing places. I do like their hospitals and shopping plazas. They have a lot of parks too. My favorite place is the Ming and Qing Ancient Street. Since I studied literature in college and worked in the field before, a street like that inspires me. I feel like I can write a poem while walking on that ancient street. I want to study the Chinese language and make it a hobby.”

“I think it’s good to have a hobby. I feel so confident about my business because you are here.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik had a firm handshake before parting with each other.

When Gun-Ho arrived in Korea, it was around 6 pm, but he could get out of the airport at 7 because it took longer than expected to pick up his suitcase at the baggage claim area.

Chan-Ho was waiting for him as expected.

“Sir! Here! This way!”

“Oh, Chan-Ho! Why didn’t you just stay in the car while waiting for me?”

“I arrived a bit earlier, so I just came up to find you. Please give me your suitcase; I will carry it for you.”

Gun-Ho liked that Chan-Ho Eum carried his suitcase for him. It was an easy walk to the parking lot as well.

When it was almost 9 pm, Gun-Ho finally arrived at his condo in TowerPalace. Young-Eun was watching the TV in the living room.

“How was your trip?”

Young-Eun seemed to be happy to see Gun-Ho.

“Oh, Mr. Chan-Ho Eum, you came along with him.”

Chan-Ho was carrying Gun-Ho’s suitcase. It looked heavy.

“Look at you with all that sweat. Please come in. It’s cool inside with the air conditioner running. Let me get you a cold drink.”

Young-Eun quickly went to the kitchen and brought a glass of cold fruit juice.

“You haven’t had dinner yet, right?”

“Dinner? No, not yet.”

“Well, go wash your hands. I will set the table. Mr. Chan-Ho Eum, why don’t you join us for dinner?”

“Yeah, Chan-Ho, have dinner with us.”

When Chan-Ho hesitated, Gun-Ho insisted.

“Come on. Join us. Tomorrow is Saturday. No work tomorrow. Just relax and take time to enjoy dinner with us.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho sat at the dining table after washing their hands. The three people sat at the table and had dinner together.

The rice seemed to be just cooked, and it was good. Chan-Ho emptied two bowls of cooked rice in no time. He stayed there until after he had desserts— fruits— before leaving for his home.

When only two were left at home, Gun-Ho rubbed Young-Eun’s belly and said, “Let me see how much you grew while I was not here.”

“It was nice that I had rice cooked when Mr. Chan-Ho Eum came home with you.”

“Yeah. Did you hear when he made a compliment about the side dishes? He said you were a good cook. He has no idea that you bought those from a side dish store.”

Gun-Ho giggled. He then said, “You know what? I bought a carved figure of a boy attendant. It’s made of jade.”

“A jade boy attendant figure?”

Gun-Ho took out the boy attendant figure from his bag, that he purchased from an antique store at the Ming and Qing Ancient Store.

“Oh, my gosh, it is really a jade boy attendant figure. Is it handmade or made in a factory?”

“I was told that it was carved manually.”

“It is very well carved. It looks very Chinese though.”

“Look at this one. I bought this from China too.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a sea anemone.”

“A sea anemone?”

“Yeah, it’s a fossil of sea anemones from several tens of thousands of years ago.”

“Wow. It is really a fossil of sea anemones. It’s my first time actually seeing one. I’ve only seen this kind of things in a book.”

“Why don’t you keep it.”

“Haha. Thank you. Please place it on the bookshelf. And why don’t you take a shower?”

“I washed my hands.”

“You just came back from China, and I think I can still smell China from you.”

“I washed myself every day during my trip to China. I spent most of my time in a hotel, and took a shower every single day. I’m clean.”

“I know, but I feel like I can still smell something. And, your shirts seem to reek of some sort of cheap cosmetics.”

“Cheap cosmetics?”

The scene where Gun-Ho was receiving tens of kisses from a lady at karaoke in Antang City popped up in his head.

‘Shoot. Did she leave some lipstick marks on my shirts?’

Gun-Ho quickly went to the bathroom and took off his shirts to see if there were any lipstick marks on it. Fortunately, it was clean without any marks. He smelled his shirts. He couldn’t smell any cosmetics as Young-Eun claimed, but he could smell the sweat. Gun-Ho took a shower and changed into new underwear and clothes.

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Chapter 586 - Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (1) – Part 1

Chapter 586: Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (1) – Part 1

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town along with Chan-Ho Eum. GH Mobile was currently building an additional production site; H-beam was being constructed when Gun-Ho arrived there that morning. A H-beam was standing upward without a wall yet.

When Gun-Ho was walking around the construction site, Director Jong-Suk Park, who was also the plant manager, came to Gun-Ho quickly.

Gun-Ho said, “It seems that the site has been cleared, and the excavation is completed as well. The H beam columns are being built up.”

“Yeah, the excavation was done while you were in China. Once the cement dried out, they took out the mold and placed the H-beam. All the noisy work was done during the weekend.”

“So, you had to come to work even during the weekend, huh? I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It was not just me. Dyeon Korea’s Director Yoon, and President Song came to work on Saturday and Sunday as well.”

“I see.”

“President Song said that we will place all of the additionally ordered machines in this new production site.”

“Are we leasing all the hydraulic press machines from Hyundai Capital?”

“President Song took care of that part, so I don’t know about it for sure. But, I heard that he’s going to lease machines.”

“With the new production site in this location, will we have enough power capacity?”

“Yeah, it should be okay for now. We don’t have to discuss with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) about it yet.”

“I see.”

“Bro, do you remember the old days when we worked together at a furniture factory in Pocheon City?”

“Remember what?”

“That furniture factory’s owner president once failed to pay the electricity bill, and people from KEPCO came to our factory.”

“Hmm, yeah I remember that. The bill was 4.6 million won, and when the factory owner didn’t pay the bill, they sent a bucket truck and linemen, and they actually cut off the electricity line.”

“We hadn’t received our salary for two months at that time.”

“Yeah. We were paid 1.8 million won per month, and he didn’t pay our 3.6 million won. I think that we went to the department of labor later on to get the substitute payment provided by the government, right?”

“Yeah, we eventually received that substitute payment, and that factory filed bankruptcy.”

“That was all the owner president’s fault. He was only interested in having fun with new female workers rather than running his business properly. Whenever we have a new female worker at the factory, he always chased after her butt. If he liked a woman’s butt that much, he could have just gone to a bar that provides that sort of service. Why did it have to be one of our workers?”

“He was just a nasty pervert who was old.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park walked around the construction site slowly.

Jong-Suk said, “Bro, how is Jae-Sik bro doing in China? Is he doing well?”

“Yeah, he is doing fine. We had a press conference the other day, and tens of journalists gathered around Jae-Sik to take photos of him and to interview him. It looked like he became a public figure or something.”

Jong-Suk chuckled and said, “I guess he became a celebrity in China.”

“Once Jae-Sik settles there, why don’t you take a trip with your wife and visit Jae-Sik?”

“I’ve heard that there is a village where only some ethnic minorities were living.”

“Right. There are Miao people and also Zhuang people.”

“Bro, you know what? I’m a happy person because I have brothers. Gun-Ho bro watches my back in Korea, and if I go to Shanghai City, Min-Hyeok bro is there to buy me a drink. And, now, I have Jae-Sik bro in China’s west area— Guizhou Province— who will pick me up at the airport with his car and buy me a drink. I’m so lucky.”

“Hahaha. I’m happy that I have a little brother like you.”

Gun-Ho went up to his office and had a cup of tea. When he was sipping his hot tea, President Song entered his office.

“Sir, One of Chrysler’s executive officers, who we met at the motor show in Chicago, wants to visit our company.”

“Come to our company?”

“Yes. They are coming to Korea to visit their authorized distributor here, and they want to come to our factory as well. I think this could be an opportunity for us to increase their product order with us.”

“That sounds good. Please be ready for them. We will need to give them a good impression and have them have a good experience here.”

“Okay.”

“How are we doing with A Electronics?”

“We are doing very good. The volume of the product order on their research center’s newly developed products in Suwon City has increased to almost the same volume of product order that we are supplying to their factory in Dangjin City.”

“I guess we won’t have any problem with reaching 5 billion won of monthly sales revenue then.”

“I believe so. As long as we maintain good quality on our products without defects, we will be a steady vendor of A Electronics. The plant manager of their factory in Dangjin City told me multiple times that we have to make sure that we provide good products without any defects. If we produce defective products, our production lines will have to stop anyway.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“The mold that A Electronics gave to us is the one that had been used by their previous product supplier that had provided them with defective products.”

“So, we are using the same mold that their previous vendor used with which many defective products were produced. Are we able to maintain the good quality of the product with the mold?”

“Director Jong-Suk Park and our research center’s chief officer— Director Oh— analyzed the possible cause of their previous vendor’s defective products. According to them, their previous vendor seemed to have used raw materials that were mixed with some recycled materials, and also, it seemed that the temperature that they had set was way too high, when the products were coming out from an extruder.”

“Hmm really?”

“Director Jong-Suk Park and Director Oh conducted their own analysis separately, but they came up with the same results. Therefore, I think the two causes that I mentioned earlier must have led to the defects.”

“Hmm, so they used raw materials that contained some recycled materials…”

“That is a common practice in the industry even though they are not supposed to do so. It’s a result of their attempt to lower the product cost.”

“Hmm, still, they shouldn’t have used recycled materials at all. It’s not like they are manufacturing a frivolous product like a plastic water bowl. And, why would they set a high temperature in manufacturing a product?”

“They did it probably in order to speed up the production.”

“Speed?”

“With a high temperature, products are coming out of an extruding machine faster.”

“Hmm, are you saying that we will be able to produce 1,500 pieces of products instead of 1,000 pieces if we use high temperature?”

“That’s right.”

“That vendor company passed A Electronics’ research center’s product test, didn’t they?”

“Of course, they did. However, their product defect was revealed when the products were shipped to other countries crossing the Pacific Ocean or the Indian Ocean, as they were melted or corroded. That’s why they quickly looked for a new vendor company that would produce the same products for them, which is us. A Electronics already filed a large claim against that vendor company in Gumi City, and I heard that the vendor company is now under the court receivership because of that product claim, and they will eventually have to close their business.”

“Hmm. We will have to be careful too.”

“Fortunately, we have Director Oh and Director Jong-Suk Park. Our research center’s chief officer— Director Oh— is a very competent engineer who obtained his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany. And, our plant manager— Director Jong-Suk Park— is a talented engineer with extensive work experience that he gained at numerous production sites. Director Jong-Suk Park’s skills in handling metals were highly recognized by the world-renowned engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.”

“Hmm, really?”

Gun-Ho felt proud of Jong-Suk.

“Well, if you don’t have anything further, sir, I will get back to work now.”

President Song left Gun-Ho’s office.

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Chapter 587 - Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (1) – Part 2

Chapter 587: Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (1) – Part 2

After President Song left his office, Gun-Ho leaned back on the sofa and thought about Director Jong-Suk Park.

‘Jong-Suk… He was born into a family that was running a Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup) restaurant, and I had never seen him studying when we were in school. He was so into comic books at that time, and he loved to have fun. But now I come to think of it, he loved to make things with his hands too. He made a slingshot and a spinning top himself, which looked exactly the same as the ones that were being sold at a store.

A group of kids in the neighborhood once took the spinning top from him, that he made, and I took it back from those kids for him. He was very good at making things with his hands even when he was a child. And he seemed to have developed that skill as he worked at several different factories. Now, people call him MacGyver Park. He earned that nickname.

When he was in junior high, he made a toy gun. He actually modified a toy gun that was being sold at a store, using a broken umbrella’s ribs, and he used candles to make bullets. That toy gun worked great. He could break a bottle with it. Suk-Ho Lee asked Jong-Suk persistently to sell that toy gun to him, and Jong-Suk eventually sold it to him for 10,000 won. Suk-Ho carried that toy gun around and aimed at the girls mostly who were passing by on the street until he was caught by the police. The toy gun was obviously confiscated, and Suk-Ho was severely reprimanded by the police. The policeman slapped him in the face. I still remember that.’

Gun-Ho then thought about GH Mobile.

‘All of GH Mobile’s major clients are large companies such as A Electronics, S Group, Mandong Company, Egnopak, and Chrysler. They are all big companies worth more than a trillion won. By the end of this year, GH Mobile will reach its annual sales revenue of 100 billion won without any difficulty. Next year, I believe we will make more than 200 billion won. We can then register the company with KOSDAQ. Once the company goes public, the value of my shares will increase by more than five times.

Once the price of the stock goes up dramatically, I can sell them partially to a third party organization such as a financial institution, national pension, the Military Mutual Aid Association, a private school pension, etc. I can make a tremendous amount of cash then.’

Gun-Ho felt excited even by thinking about the possibility of making huge money.

Gun-Ho looked down at the company yard from his office window on the second floor. He expected to see several forklift trucks busily moving around, but he instead saw the workers pouring into the yard.

“Huh? Oh, it’s lunchtime already?”

Gun-Ho made a call to Chan-Ho Eum.

“Chan-Ho? Pick me up at the building entrance at 12:15. We will have lunch outside today.”

“Yes, sir.”

Around 12:15 pm when most workers were at the company cafeteria having their lunch, Gun-Ho got out of the company quietly with Chan-Ho. In the car, Chan-Ho said while looking at Gun-Ho’s face through the rearview mirror, “Sir, where are we heading to?”

“Let’s have Korean grilled beef ribs.”

“Beef ribs? With pleasure, sir.”

Chan-Ho looked truly happy. Chan-Ho was a real meat lover. He didn’t like Japanese food though.

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho went to a popular Korean restaurant in Asan City that specialized in Korean grilled beef ribs.

“Eat as much as you want, Chan-Ho.”

“Yes, sir!”

“How’s Tae-Young doing these days?”

“He summoned us last Saturday.”

“For what?”

“There is a VIP guest from Japan, and we will escort him. He is coming on Friday, but I told Tae-Young bro that I might not be able to be there since I have a job already here with you, sir.”

“You are free on Saturday and Sunday.”

“Tae-Young bro asked me to let him know my schedule by Friday evening since I will be informed by then if I will be needed to drive the car during the weekend.”

“Hmm, I see. By the way, who is that VIP? Is it a politician?”

“No, I was told that it would be a famous actor.”

“An actor?”

“Yes. We will escort him and protect him against some stupid crazy fake fans, or rude and aggressive magazine journalists. It only takes five or six of us to handle a work like that.”

“Is that so?”

“When a reckless journalist jumps to our VIP, we snatch that journalist’s neck or snap his arm. It happens so quickly. Tae-Young bro is very good at it.”

“You could injure the guy, and you could end up in jail.”

“That’s where Tae-Young bro’s skills come in. He is very good at blocking those crazy people without hurting them.”

“I see. Well, just be careful, okay? Look at you. You already finished the beef ribs we ordered. Let me order more for you.”

“Haha. Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho had a glass of beer while eating grilled beef ribs while Chan-Ho chose to have a coke though since he had to drive.

“You know what? I want to take a sauna before going back to work. Let’s stop by the hot spring in Asan City. Why don’t you join me?”

“I… um…”

“There won’t be many people at the hot spring, especially at this hour. It’s a weekday. Let’s do it together.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eum took a sauna before heading back to work at Dyeon Korea.

Chan-Ho Eum was dropping Gun-Ho off at the building entrance, when Gun-Ho saw Director Kim’s car passing the gate.

Gun-Ho asked him, “Are you coming from a client site?”

“Yes, sir. I visited two vendor companies of A Electronics.”

“Any good news?”

“When I told them that A Electronics is using our products for their exporting products, they seemed to be interested and asked me to send them our product test result.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“I also reminded them of what happened to A Electronics’ previous vendor company in Gumi City, that is now under the court receivership, and also that they had used recycled materials. They then said that they wanted to use Dyeon Korea’s materials, but…”

“But what?”

“They said, our unit price is too high. Our price— 4.8 million won per ton— seems to be too high for them.”

“Hmm, we can’t just lower our unit price for them.”

“Of course not, sir. Once we lower our unit price, it would be really hard to increase it later. Moreover, we can’t give lower prices to these two companies only; we will have to lower the price for everyone that’s buying our raw materials. It’s better that we lose those two potential clients rather than lowering our unit price.”

“The unit price for China and India is lower than that, right? 4.6 or 4.5 million won per ton, I believe.”

“We export our materials at a lower price which is normal, but we shouldn’t lower the price for the domestic market.”

“We will have to give up some potential buyers then? I don’t think A Electronics will pay more to those vendor companies just because they use Dyeon Korea’s materials.”

“We will see, but I’m pretty sure that those vendor companies will want our raw materials. After filing the product claim against the vendor company in Gumi City, A Electronics adapted a more strict testing process on the products that they were supplied by their vendor companies. If they find even 1 % of recycled materials in a product from a vendor company, they reject the product.”

“The companies selling recycled materials would get hit as well.”

“There are plastics and synthetic rubbers that could be recycled, and there are those that couldn’t. It is very tempting for a vendor company to use some recycled materials partially in order to lower their unit price. Knowing the fact, A Electronics’ inspection division is frequently visiting their vendor companies now.”

“Mr. Director Kim, why don’t you come over to my office and have a cup of tea with me?”

“Yes, sir. I will come to your office after I stop by the bathroom to wash my hands.”

Gun-Ho was taking a rest in his office when Director Kim came to the office. He was with Mr. Adam Castler. The interpreter— Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae— was following Adam Castler to the office as well. Mr. Adam Castler was smiling broadly when he walked into Gun-Ho’s office.

“Mr. Vice President Adam Castler seems to be in a good mood today. Please have a seat.”

The three men sat on the sofa as Gun-Ho suggested.

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Chapter 588 - Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (2) – Part 1

Chapter 588: Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (2) – Part 1

Director Kim said, “Dyeon Korea is currently aiming at the sales of 800 tons on a monthly basis. The China market and the India market are taking more than 120 tons of our raw materials per month, so I think our annual sales revenue could exceed even 50 billion won soon.”

“Hmm, that sounds about right.”

“Once our yearly sales revenue exceeds 50 billion won, Mr. Adam Caster said that he would be promoted from a manager to a director with his head office, as a vice president of the overseas joint venture. That’s why he is in a good mood right now.”

“Haha, is that so? I wonder what position Mr. President Richard Amiel in Japan is holding.”

Interpreter Myeong-Joon Chae interpreted what Gun-Ho said for Mr. Adam Castler, and he interpreted Mr. Adam Castler’s response.

“Dyeon Japan’s president—Mr. Richard Amiel—is a managing director according to Mr. Adam Castler. That joint venture’s sales revenue is now exceeding 100 million dollars.”

A r. Adam Castler that Dyeon Korea that he is in charge of will soon generate 100 million dollars as well. I’m positive.”

After hearing what the interpreter said, Mr. Adam Castler looked excited, and he grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand and shook it.

After Mr. Adam Castler and his interpreter left the office, Gun-Ho asked Director Kim, “Do you think we will really soon be selling 800 tons of materials per month? According to the recent report that I received, our current sales is 750 tons.”

“Our monthly sales was 600 tons before GH Mobile increased their orders with us because of A Electronics’ product orders. Now, we are selling 750 tons per month including the increased product orders of 150 ton for GH Mobile.”

“That I already know.”

“I have the list of A Electronics’ vendor companies, and I am working on making business with them. Several of them are interested in working with us, and I’ve sent our product test result to four companies so far. If we successfully start having business with these four companies, we can increase our sales by 50 tons without a problem. That will make our total monthly sales 800 tons.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Also, Dingding in China will soon achieve their monthly sales of 90 tons. She is working hard to bring business from Chinese companies there. Our sales company in India is also doing well even though it just started the business. It’s currently selling 70 tons per month. Our presence in India hasn’t been widely known yet in the industry, so I told Mr. Manager Lee there to actively participate in any meeting or event for Korean people there.”

“That’s good. So, we are selling a total of 160 tons abroad if we combine the sales to China and India.”

“That’s correct.”

“Hmm, I guess we can anticipate reaching 54 billion won for our annual sales revenue next year.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“It would be a matter of time for Mr. Adam Castler to be promoted to a director with the head office.”

“I think so. That’s why he looks so happy, and he is constantly humming in a good mood.”

“Haha. If he is promoted to a director with Lymondell Dyeon which is a global company, his salary will be increased substantially, I guess.”

“I suppose so, sir. Also, he is thinking of marrying that native English teacher.”

“Really?”

“The thing is that the native English teacher is a Mexican American, and Mr. Adam Castler’s parents are not approving of him marrying her because of that.”

“That sort of thing happens in the U.S. too, huh? If someone is a Mexican or Brazilian descent, he or she would be Hispanic. Don’t they look like Americans?”

“Many American families are conservative, and many of them want their child to marry someone who grew up in an American family.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Well, they both are grown-ups. If they want to marry each other firmly, I don’t think his parents can prevent it from happening.”

“Hmm, well, we will see.”

Gun-Ho felt confident about GH Mobile’s and Dyeon Korea’s business and operation since those two companies had highly competent executive officers who had been in the industry for more than twenty years. Moreover, the workers in the research center and the production centers were reliable and responsible people as well.

Gun-Ho wanted to stop by the production site to encourage the workers before he left for the day. When he arrived at the production site, mid-level managers, who recognized Gun-Ho, came to him quickly to greet him. Manger Hee-Yeol Yoo also came to Gun-Ho when he was informed that Gun-Ho was at the production site.

“Sir, you are here.”

“We are getting a high volume of order from GH Mobile that is now manufacturing A Electronics’ products right now, aren’t we?”

“Yes, sir. Our machines from no. 1 to no. 16 are fully working right now.”

“Do we need to work overnight?”

“No, sir. We have enough workers and machines to handle the current production level.”

“Mr. Director Kim told me that we are producing high-quality materials without any defect because of you—Mr. Plant Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo. Our factory has a good reputation for it.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Manager Yoo scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Gun-Ho continued to say, “Our production process is running smoothly, especially because our plant manager oversees both the production site and the compound room. Thank you for your excellent work, Mr. Plant Manager Yoo.”

“Thank you for recognizing my work, sir.”

At that moment, the team lead at the maintenance team was passing by the production site, and when he saw Gun-Ho, he quickly came to him and gave him a 90-degree bow.

“How is your work, Mr. Team Lead?”

“It’s going well, sir. Mr. Plant Manager set us a good work environment where we can focus on our work.”

“We now have 16 machines in place, which are fully working right now. You know that we are relying on you about the machines’ maintenance, right? I do thank you for your great work.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m still learning from GH Mobile’s Director Jong-Suk Park.”

“I believe you are older and have more work experience than Director Park, aren’t you?”

“I am better than him on working with a lathe or a milling machine, but Mr. Director Park is way better than me with handling an extruding machine. He is also excellent with an electric motor and arc welding as well.”

“Well, Director Park seems to have a different opinion. He told me that Mr. Team Lead at the maintenance team is an amazing engineer who can handle any sorts of machines, and he said that’s maybe because he has extensive work experience in the field.”

“I guess that Mr. Director park is a humble man who is reluctant to brag about his skills.”

“I understand that Dyeon Korea has recently been experiencing an acute increase in the product order, and we have hired many production workers accordingly. And, we might have to hire more workers soon. But, I don’t worry about the production site here because I have you people—Mr. Plant Manager and Mr. Maintenance Team Lead. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, sir. We will do our best.”

Plant Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo and the maintenance team’s lead gave a bow to Gun-Ho respectfully.

The two workers at the production site seemed to be in a good mood after Gun-Ho’s visit at the site. They now knew that the owner president highly recognized their ability at work. There was currently no other engineer above them at the company, so they thought that they would be promoted higher and higher when the time came.

It was Tuesday.

Gun-Ho went to work at GH Building in Sinsa Town.

Gun-Ho went up to the rooftop before going to his office. Jae-Sik Moon’s wife was cleaning the book café.

“Good morning. How are you?”

Jae-Sik’s wife lifted her head to see the visitor, and she greeted Gun-Ho showing her respect.

“Oh, hi. How have you been, sir?”

Gun-Ho said, “I went to Antang City last week and met President Moon there. He looked healthy.”

“Thank you, Mr. President Goo.”

“The bus service’s business license has been already issued, so once the bus lines are determined, he will start the bus business. He is staying in a hotel right now, but he will soon find a condo there. He said he is looking for a condo that is about 30 pyung large.”

When Gun-Ho mentioned the size of the condo which would be about 30 pyung large, a faint smile appeared on Jae-Sik Moon’s wife’s face.

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Chapter 589 - Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (2) – Part 2

Chapter 589: Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was talking with Jae-Sik’s wife at the book café on GH Building’s rooftop.

Gun-Ho said, “Antang City is a small provincial city, but they have a very good hospital that was built by a Hong Kong company. The hospital is providing medical services primarily to foreigners. The hospital seemed to be very well equipped. I am sure that they will take good care of you when it’s time for you to give birth to your child.”

“Thank you. Oh, I talked with my husband the day before yesterday on the phone; he said that your wife is also pregnant. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, I guess I will have to get back to work.”

“Right, I’m heading to my office too. Have a nice day.”

Gun-Ho was having tea in his office when his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—entered the office to inform him that someone was there to see him.

Gun-Ho asked, “Who is it?”

“He said he is Director Woon-Hak Sim.”

“Oh, sure. Please let him in.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim entered Gun-Ho’s office. He was wearing white pants with a weird hat. Director Sim took off his hat as he entered the office. He had a mustache, and Gun-Ho also noticed that he was wearing a necklace as well.

“Please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho asked the secretary to bring a cup of tea for the guest. While she was in the office, Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh kept glancing at Director Sim, maybe because his outfit looked peculiar to her eyes.

Director Sim said, “I was told that you would be here except Monday and Thursday. I was in the neighborhood, so I decided to stop by your office today to meet you, sir. I was wondering if there is any update on your investment plan in the soap opera production industry in China. Also, I was curious about your building too, sir.”

“I haven’t heard anything from them yet, and I have been busy for the past week. I went on a business trip to Antang City, China for a joint venture matter last week. But I’m thinking about visiting Shanghai City next week.”

“Are you planning to meet with the Director Li person?”

“Yes. My primary purpose in the upcoming trip is to talk with him in person and to find out more about that investment opportunity.”

“I was wondering if I could have a chance to read the new soap opera’s synopsis. I would love to if I could.”

“Do you have a passport by any chance?”

“I do, and it’s still valid.”

“Then, why don’t you get a visa to China?”

“I will… I will do that.”

“You said that you have applied for the rehabilitation process, right? Did you file it?”

“I… umm… preparing the necessary documents, and I’m about to file the application soon.”

Gun-Ho was wondering why Director Sim started stuttering. He didn’t look very comfortable. Maybe he didn’t have money to file for the rehabilitation process; he would need to pay the certified legal consultant’s office. Or, maybe he didn’t have money to pay for the travel agency to get his visa to China. He had a peculiar appearance with a weird hat and outfit. He indeed looked like an artist. Gun-Ho thought that maybe he had no money at all.

At that moment, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought a cup of tea. Gun-Ho said as he crossed his legs, “Please have some tea.”

“Thank you.”

“As I mentioned last time, I used to work for a company called Mulpasaneop as their managing director. That company went through the court receivership at that time, and I handled the work. Your insolvency amount would put you in general rehabilitation rather than personal rehabilitation, and I believe that you need to pay a certain amount to the court, which wouldn’t be nominal in your case.”

“I have to pay 15 million won to the court.”

“Right. For the people who are filing for bankruptcy, that amount is substantial, not to mention that they also have to pay for a certified legal consultant’s office for their service. In your case, Mr. Sim, if you choose to get a job or start another business at this moment, your income will probably be garnished by your creditors. Since your case hasn’t been processed and determined by the court yet, you won’t be protected under the law yet.”

Director Sim let out a deep sigh. He seemed to be in a great worry about his situation and not sure what to do. Gun-Ho continued to talk, “Our country encourages young men to open a business on their own. The government often tells them to have a new frontier spirit. Many senior college professors write an article about it. They state that we should learn the spirit of the protestant who settled in the United States. Look at this. This is today’s newspaper, and here is the article from a college professor about it. These college professors have no practical experience in business but only have theory that they learned by reading books. That’s why these articles are non-sense.”

Gun-Ho showed the newspaper to Director Sim.

“The reality that you would face is very cruel when your business failed. No one will be nice to you. The financial institutions won’t be willing to help you. Even your friends and colleagues won’t be friendly to you any longer. It would be really hard to stand on your feet again.”

Director Sim let out a deep sigh again, and he dropped his face and stared at the floor.

“Why don’t you bring your passport here tomorrow? You can leave your passport with Ms. Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong here. She will take care of your visa to China. And, join me on the trip to Shanghai City next week.”

When Gun-Ho suggested to him to go to Shanghai with him, Director Sim’s eyes sparkled with excitement and hope.

“If you give me a chance to work for you, sir, I will do my best. I really mean it, sir.”

Director Sim was an intelligent person with a good education. He used to work as a PD in a broadcasting station. But, now he desperately wanted to work for Gun-Ho who was ten years younger than him. Well, maybe he wanted to work for the money that Gun-Ho had, to be exact. Director Sim realized how wealthy and powerful Gun-Ho was after visiting GH Mobile in Jiksan Town and GH building in Sinsa Town.

He thought, ‘This might be my last and only chance to get back on my feet. I need this man—a wealthy investor and businessman—and I have to grab this chance to work with him at any cost.’

Director Sim formed his own company called W Entertainment and totally failed it, which left him a huge debt. He still wanted to stay in the soap opera production industry, and Gun-Ho seemed to be his only chance to do so.

As he changed his posture, Gun-Ho said, “I’m not saying that I will definitely get into the soap opera production industry, but I am willing to closely review the possibility by visiting Shanghai and discussing further about the business and reviewing their synopsis. As you can see, I’ve been only in the manufacturing industry for years, and I don’t know much about the entertainment industry.”

“The entertainment field is very interesting, and it could be extremely lucrative as well.”

“I now have a rough idea of the cost of producing a soap opera. What about a movie? How much production cost should I expect in producing a movie?”

“The cost really varies depending on its genre, contents, etc. For example, one Korean movie—Assassination—cost 18 billion won. And, the production cost for another Korean movie, ‘The Battleship Island’ was 33 billion won while ‘Snowpiercer’ cost 43.7 billion won.”

“Hmm, so it roughly costs around 20 to 30 billion won.”

“That’s right. Movie production is usually done by well-known film production companies. An individual can’t even think of it unless he could find investors. Other than that, it’s almost impossible.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

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Chapter 590 - Bus Line Permit (1) – Part 1

Chapter 590: Bus Line Permit (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho called for Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong to his office.

“This gentleman will bring a passport to you tomorrow. Please get a visa to China for him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Assistant Manager Jeong gave a quick glance at Director Woon-Hak Sim’s face, who was sitting on the sofa, before walking out of the president’s office.

Director Woon-Hak Sim stood up from his seat getting ready to leave and said, “I will bring my passport tomorrow. And, I will see you next week, sir.”

“Sounds good.”

After Director Woon-Hak Sim left the office, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh came into the office to pick up the empty teacups, and she asked Gun-Ho, “Sir, who is that gentleman who just left?”

“He is a soap opera director.”

“Oh, really? I once dreamed of being an actress in a soap opera.”

“He went broke after producing a soap opera.”

“Oh, it could go wrong? I didn’t know that.”

Gun-Ho looked closely at Yeon-Soo Oh’s face. Yeon-Soo Oh seemed to have once been confident about her appearance and wanted to be an actress.

Gun-Ho thought, ‘She is so naïve. She thinks that every soap opera is successful, and people always make money by producing one. Girl, the soap opera production field is so competitive that some people hit a jackpot while some lost everything they have.’

Gun-Ho made a phone call to President Shin, who was working downstairs on the 17th floor.

“Oh, Mr. President Goo, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call today?”

“I have a favor to ask you, Ms. President Shin.”

“I can come up to your office on the 18th floor.”

“That wouldn’t be necessary. I can talk to you over the phone just fine. I’m going to Shanghai City next week to meet Director Seukang Li.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Someone will accompany me on the trip, and I need a business card for him.”

“Do you mean that you need a new business card for that person with GH Media’s company logo on it?”

“He is a soap opera director, and he used to run his own entertainment company until he went broke. He doesn’t really have a job right now, and I don’t want to introduce him as unemployed to the people who I’m planning to meet during this trip. So, I was thinking that maybe we can give him a business card showing who he is. That way, I don’t have to explain his background to the people we would meet.”

“You are not asking me to actually hire him and provide him the Four Major Public Insurance, are you?”

“Haha. No, not at all.”

“Well, it’s not a problem to print out a business card for him, but we can trust him, right? It’s not like he’s going to present himself to other people with this business card and try something stupid.”

“That would constitute a fraud. We can trust him. He is not going to use the business card on his own.”

“No problem then. What position do you want me to put in the business card for him? Do you have any specific job title in your mind, sir?”

“Please make it as GH Media’s head of operations of the soap opera production department. I will text you with his full name and cell phone number.”

“Okay, sir. Maybe we should create a soap opera production department in GH Media. What do you think? I know a broadcasting scriptwriter. Hahaha.”

“If you know someone in the field, maybe you should publish that person’s essay book or something.”

“Hahaha. Sir, you are good. I actually prefer to work with a writer who loves to talk on a radio show or some other occasions rather than a writer who devotes to his or her writing work only. I’m currently working on procuring a writer like that.”

“Oh, really?”

“I want to publish a book about a woman’s daily life in a skit form with descriptive illustrations on it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I will make the business card that you requested and leave it on your desk when it’s ready.”

“Hmm. Sounds good. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho had a class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development in Seoul National University in the evening. As usual, he brought a snack for his classmates. He brought healthy drinks made of kudzu root this time. He didn’t bring the rice cakes since the students seemed to be tired of having the same rice cakes too often, and Gun-Ho noticed the other day that some of them didn’t take one at all.

“Is it kuduzu root juice? It’s known for its potency related to the stomach!”

After giving the class enough time to drink the juice, Gun-Ho started making a round, holding a trash bag to collect the trash.

“Thank you, Mr. Class Manager. I love this snack time because of you.”

Gun-Ho was collecting trash from Minister Jin-Woo Lee when he asked, “Are you done with your beverage, sir?”

“Mr. Class Manager! How’s your business doing?”

“It’s doing fine. I’m getting help from a lot of people. I appreciate that.”

“That’s good to hear.”

That was all Minister Lee said. He didn’t say anything further about the deal under the table.

Another minister who was sitting next to Minister Jin-Woo Lee said to Minister Lee, “Why don’t you introduce our class manager to your wife’s father? So, he can earn a business from them.”

Gun-Ho was frightened and said, “That’s okay, sir. It’s not like my company is manufacturing some universal parts that could be used by any company. We have to be in the same industry to do a business together. It’s not really up to my will or someone’s good intention.”

“Oh, that’s right. You said that your company is manufacturing auto parts, right? Well, then I guess your products would be no use for Minister Lee’s father-in-law’s electronics company.”

“Mr. Minister, can you talk to Hyundai Motor Company instead? So I can sell my auto part products to them.”

“Hahaha. The ministry that I belong to has nothing to do with the automobile industry, so me talking to them won’t do anything.”

When Gun-Ho’s gaze returned to Minister Jin-Woo Lee, he met Minister Lee’s eyes. Gun-Ho could feel the tension between them even though they didn’t say anything. Minister Jin-Woo Lee smiled and looked away first.

Gun-Ho turned around to continue to collect the trash while holding the trash bag. He felt like he could hear Minister Jin-Woo Lee saying behind his back,

[I know what’s going on, dude! You’d better keep your mouth shut though. Otherwise, you and I are dead meat.]

When Gun-Ho arrived home in the TowerPalace condo complex that night, it was almost 10 o’clock.

“Chan-Ho, you must be tired. I’m sorry that you have to drive all the way back to your home in Sadang Town.”

“It’s okay, sir. There would be very light traffic at this hour, so it’s good. I will come tomorrow morning by 8 am.”

“Okay. I will see you tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho took the elevator and arrived at the door. There was a package placed in front of his door. He picked it up and carried it to his home, and he turned on the light.

“Who sent me this package?”

It was addressed to Young-Eun. It was from her aunt in Yangpyeong County.

“It must be things related to the baby and childbirth.”

Gun-Ho placed the package on Young-Eun’s vanity, and he went to bed.

It was Wednesday.

Gun-Ho was dozing off in his office at GH Building in Sinsa Town when he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“President Goo? It’s me, Jae-Sik. I just received the bus line permit.”

“Really? How many did they allow?”

“Two Daba (express bus) and one Zhong Ba (mid-size bus) connecting Guiyang City. They also got us two Daba to Yibin City.”

“Really?”

“For Guiyang City, we will run the busses three times per day.”

“Really?”

“I’m going to Guilin Daewoo Bus tomorrow with Vice President Chun Chang. We will buy busses from them.”

“Oh, really? I guess it’s time for me to send the investment funds.”

“Speaking of which, the Chinese partner asked me when they could expect to receive the 3 million dollars.”

“Okay. Tell them that I will send the funds within this week.”

“They said that they would make a sales contract in purchasing express busses, acquire the old terminal, and start the civil engineering work once they receive 3 million dollars from you.”

“Of course. That’s exactly what I expected.”

“There are still some unresolved issues though. The complaints from the residents in the area are still ongoing, and we still need to move a pole to somewhere else. These are a few complicated problems that need to be addressed soon.”

“I see. Well, the Chinese partner will handle them.”

“That’s true. In an effort, they formed a construction Xiaozu (group), and they are having a meeting every day.”

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Chapter 591 - Bus Line Permit (1) – Part 2

Chapter 591: Bus Line Permit (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik Moon, “When you go on a trip to visit Guilin Daewoo Bus, are you taking your interpreter—Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo—with you?”

“I initially requested them that I would need her for the trip, but they said that it wouldn’t be necessary because Guilin Daewoo Bus has their interpreter who is a Korean Chinese, and also, they have several Korean people working there. So, they said that I don’t have to worry about communicating with them.”

“That’s nice. Well, have a safe trip.”

“Oh, and I told them that I picked a place where I want to live. When I told them that it is a condo in Huaxi Huayuan, the Chinese partners didn’t look very happy.”

“How come? Is that because it’s an expensive condo?”

“That’s all I can think of. But, they said they would accept my choice since the condo is less than 120 ㎡.”

“Hahaha. That’s good then.”

Gun-Ho made a call to his sister.

“Sister, it’s me. You still have the bank book with the sales proceeds from GH Logistics’ previous location, right?”

“Yeah. Is it time to transfer money to China?”

“I need you to send 3 million dollars to the same account in China that we previously sent 450,000 dollars to. It’s the account for Antang City’s transportation company.”

“Wow, 3 million dollars? That’s huge.”

“Don’t forget to keep the remittance receipt, and make sure that you file a report with the foreign exchange authority about the transfer. You have done this before. You still remember how to do this, right?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. I will give you a call right after I make the remittance.”

“Sounds good. How’s business going there?”

“Two of our freight trucks are working for GH Mobile currently, and they gave us more work, and it would take an additional truck.”

“So, you will run a total of three freight trucks for GH Mobile’s work, huh?”

“Yeah. When we started taking over some of their transportation work, their logistics team didn’t seem to like it. But, since the routes that we are using are different from theirs, we just don’t have a chance to run into each other anyway.”

“I see.”

“My husband went to see GH Mobile’s general affairs assistant manager. He is probably talking with him right now. He will sign the work contract for the additional truck and adjust the labor cost. He said that he certainly feels less tired ever since he started driving the K7.”

“Is that right?”

“You know that my husband has been in this transportation field for a long time, and he is highly knowledgeable about it. He has been requested to take a director position from some sort of freight association.”

“Haha, really?”

“And, I hired a worker for the office. I believe I mentioned her to you before. She is living in Siheung City. I used to work with her at the paper cup factory. She worked as a bookkeeper there. It’s really nice to have someone in the office all the time. Now, I share my workload with her.”

“You will probably have to hire more workers later on once the company becomes busier and larger.”

“I like the work setting as it is now. I don’t want a larger company or a smaller company, but the current size is perfect for me. My husband, on the other hand, seems to want to expand the business.”

“The business needs to grow, so you can change your Sonata to a new and better vehicle.”

“I don’t need a new car. I do like my Sonata. Well, the new K7 that my husband is driving is really good though. It’s very quiet, maybe because it’s a brand new car. It gives a smooth ride as well. We went out for a drive last week in that K7. We went to Yeonan Pier.”

“Jeong-Ah must have had fun.”

“Of course. Our parents joined us too in their Grandeur. So, Jeong-Ah was surrounded by her parents and grandparents, and she seemed to have a great time.”

“Haha. That’s nice.”

“Jeong-Ah wanted to see Jakyak Island, so we all went there too that day.”

“I used to go to Jakyak Island pretty often when I was in school. I collected oysters and swam there too.”

“Dad caught a crab there and gave it to Jeong-Ah for fun. It would have been a perfect day if that didn’t happen.”

“What happened?”

“It’s a small sacrifice of our private life, I would say, because we are running a transportation company. When we were having fun that day, we received a phone call from one of our truck drivers. He was working in Eumseong Town, and he had a car accident on Sunday while working.”

“Oh, gosh! Is he okay? Was it a big accident?”

“No, it was not serious. He just called to ask us the name of our insurance company. We told him that before, but he forgot the insurance information. We receive calls for work sometimes even during weekends. Nothing much we can do about it. It’s just what happens if you run a transportation company.”

“Haha. I haven’t thought about it, but I see.”

“My husband is doing very well these days. He is carrying his business card that says that he is the president of a transportation company, and he is driving a new K7. His old colleagues—truck drivers—often visit him at the office, and they are very nice to him. Also, his belly is getting bigger.”

“Haha, I see. Well, I’d better go now. Call me once you make the fund transfer, okay?”

“Okay.”

After getting off the phone with his sister, Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office when President Shin from downstairs visited Gun-Ho.

“Ms. President Shin, you look nice today. Am I going to hear good news?”

“I just signed the contract to publish an essay book with a writer. I’ve already received her manuscript.”

“Is it good?”

“Well, you might not like it, I mean, you might think that you wouldn’t see anything to learn from reading that book. But, this kind of book is selling very well these days. The reading population is young readers like Ms. Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh who just brought us this cup of tea.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho thought that it kind of made sense.

“I came to see you to let you know about the essay book, and also about the exhibition at our art gallery.”

“What about it? I believe that we are hosting an art exhibition with the artworks of six young artists.”

“Right. Once that art exhibition ends, I’m planning to host another art exhibition with three Japanese contemporary artists.”

“Japanese artists?”

“Yes, sir. These three artists, who I’ve been contacting, are young artists. They received a lot of attention during the recent exhibition in Tokyo. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda introduced them to me.”

President Shin pulled out a pamphlet that was written in Japanese, and she unfolded it on the table so Gun-Ho could see the photos of art pieces. Most of them were paintings with intensely vibrant colors. They were those three Japanese young artists’ paintings.

President Shin added some explanation, “Japan’s contemporary arts have a wider spectrum than we expect.”

“I don’t know even after I looked at all of these photos of paintings.”

“One of the five Japanese national newspapers—Yomiuri Shimbun—once described these paintings as artworks that had distinctive characteristics in which we can take a peek of Japanese young people’s worry and their thought process. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda is now working on the press release about our next art exhibition with these three young artists’ paintings.”

“Did we already sign the contract with them?”

“Of course, sir. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda went to Japan and made a contract with the three artists. Since Yomiuri Shimbun made an issue of these young artists’ art exhibition earlier, our three major newspapers—Chosun, Joongang, and Donga Ilbo—will surely talk about them as well.”

“Hmm, you think so?”

Gun-Ho closely looked at the art pamphlet once again, which was written in Japanese and that President Shin brought for him.

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Chapter 592 - Bus Line Permit (2) – Part 1

Chapter 592: Bus Line Permit (2) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho was getting ready to go home at the end of the day, he received a call from his sister.

“I’ve sent 3 million dollars to China.”

“The transfer seemed to be smooth and easy, huh?”

“Don’t get me started. The bank requested me to bring a bunch of documents like the joint venture company’s business license and GH Logistics’ certificate of the full payment of our tax. I had to travel between the bank and the office twice today. I guess they were being extra careful because we were sending a substantial amount of money.”

“Thank you, sister. Can you send the remittance receipt to Jae-Sik Moon by fax? I believe that they won’t be able to withdraw money right away. I just want them to know that the money has been sent.”

“Okay, I will do that. I will fax the receipt and also will give him a call.”

“We got the bus line permit, and President Moon is going on a trip tomorrow to purchase buses. He will feel more confident in negotiating the deal if he knows for sure with the copy of the remittance receipt, that the money has been sent.”

“Do they have to pay in full for the buses in order to take the buses with them?”

“Probably not. There should be different stages of payments like you have to pay a certain amount when signing a contract, and another payment when taking the buses, etc. They can use the 450,000 dollars that we had sent earlier in making the sales contract and taking the buses.”

Gun-Ho was home after work. While watching the TV in the living room, he was lost in thought.

‘Once Young-Eun gives birth to our son, will she want to go back to work at the Seoul National University Hospital right away? She will probably have to stay home to raise the child for a while.’

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Young-Eun.

[Your aunt in Yangpyeong Country sent a package for you yesterday. I forgot to tell you that.]

Gun-Ho received Young-Eun’s reply a moment later.

[Please leave the package on my vanity. It should be things related to our baby.]

Gun-Ho laid down on the bed and thought about the companies that he had invested in, one by one. He started by GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea.

‘GH Mobile is currently experiencing a significant increase in its sales because of A Electronics. However, I don’t think we should give Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father a dividend this year. He just obtained GH Mobile’s share, and it hasn’t even been a year yet. They probably know that they can’t expect to receive a dividend so soon. Maybe I should skip the dividend distribution for the net profit this year, and use this year’s entire net profit to pay for the debts. I won’t take a dividend this year either.

Dyeon Korea’s sales are interlocked with GH Mobile’s business, and its sales are on the rise rapidly. Since it’s a joint venture, the partner— Lymondell Dyeon— can request a dividend. Also, we can request them more investment funds in order to grow the company as well.

Dyeon Korea currently has a substantial amount of funds in its reserve. If they want a dividend distribution, I will just agree to it. GH Mobile is the company that invested in Dyeon Korea, so if Dyeon Korea distributes dividends, GH Mobile will receive it. I will use that money to pay for GH Mobile’s debts as well. That way, GH Mobile’s debt ratio will significantly decrease and obtain a good credit rating.’

Gun-Ho then moved on to the next company that he invested in— GH Development.

‘All that GH Development has is the GH Building in Sinsa Town; that’s it. It’s not generating enough income either. It is making money just enough to pay the employees and maintain the building. I doubt that they properly have kept the depreciation reserve either. But, the price of the building itself increased substantially. I bought it at 210 billion won, and it must be around 250 billion won by now. Look at the condos in Gangnam District. Their prices continue to skyrocket.

The condos located in provincial cities are not selling, whether they are old or newly constructed condos. However, the condos in Gangnam District are selling quickly at higher prices. A condo that was 2 billion won yesterday is now selling for 3 billion won. The housing price polarization is extreme.’

Gun-Ho then chuckled, and he continued to think, ‘Many people are blaming the government for it. They are saying that the government needs to come up with a new real estate policy to correct the situation. They are complaining that it’s getting more and more difficult for the people, who don’t own any house, to buy one. But, what can those people do? All they can do is to complain. They won’t do anything else to actually make any difference. Having bought that GH Building that is located in the middle of Gangnam District was my excellent move.

Gun-Ho then thought of GH Parts Company in China that was being run by Min-Hyeok Kim, and GH Media that President Shin is operating.

‘I’ve already received the full return of my investment money that I put in GH Parts Company and GH Media when I received the dividends from the companies last year. President Min-Hyeok Kim and President Jeong-Sook Shin are smart people, and they are doing very well. Whether they make 1 billion won or 10 billion won, I will let them continue to run the companies. I will just continue to receive dividends from them, and I’m satisfied with it.

Let me see… GH Logistics… It’s a small company without a debt. As long as it maintains the current status, I am okay with it. I sent 3 million dollars to the joint venture in China today using GH Logistics’ name. From now on, until they make the change in the ownership of the terminal land to the joint venture’s name, I will make sure that they understand that they won’t receive any additional investment funds from me for their terminal project. As to the intercity bus service business, once Jae-Sik Moon starts the business and generating profits, I just need to collect the profits that he would send to me.

I don’t think they will do that, but what if they change the ownership of the terminal land to the joint venture’s name? If that happens, I can take out a loan in China from a bank using that land as collateral. We can then build the terminal with that money. The Chinese partner won’t like it though. They will persistently make a request for the third and fourth investment funds without properly changing the ownership of the land.

The main forces among all GH companies are surely GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea. The rest of GH companies are trivial. I don’t have much expectations from those other companies. How large GH Mobile could possibly grow?

Gun-Ho fell asleep while thinking about his businesses. The lights were still on, but he fell into sleep deeply.

It was Thursday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile which was one of his major companies. The work at the construction site where the new production site was being built on was in progress. Any additional machines would be installed there. The building’s wall was constructed already. Once H-beams were placed, they just had to attach prefabricated panels on them.

“Sir, you are here.”

Gun-Ho turned around to see who that was. It was Dyeon Korea’s Director Yoon. Gun-Ho didn’t expect to see him at GH Mobile’s construction site.

“You are here to help with their construction?”

“Yes, sir. I come here every morning to check the construction progress per Mr. President Song’s request. I stay here only briefly in the morning, and I will continuously do it until the new production site is completed.”

“It looks like we will soon see the completion.”

“Right. We just need to place electricity and cooling system.”

“Thank you for your work, Mr. Director Yoon. I’m sure your presence at the site is of great help for them.”

“There are many engineers here, so it’s very comfortable working at the site. I just supervise the work of the contractors from outside.”

“When do you think we can place the machines?”

“I would say that we will be able to do that by next weekend.”

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Chapter 593 - Bus Line Permit (2) – Part 2

Chapter 593: Bus Line Permit (2) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho was still at GH Mobile’s construction site, Director Jong-Suk Park came.

Gun-Ho asked him, “Once this production site B is completed, we need to hire more workers, don’t we?”

“Speaking of which, the general affairs department already placed the job openings on WorkNet. Once we hire all the necessary additional workers for the production site, we will have more than 400 workers in total in this company.”

“400? Wow. That’s a lot.”

“President Song seems to expect to have even more workers by next year. Oh, he told me that we will have a visitor today. An executive officer from Chrysler will visit us. He told me to have the production site ready to show.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Bro, I’m studying for a TOEIC test these days.”

“TOEIC?”

“I decided to finish my 4-year degree. I want to transfer to Korea University of Technology and Education in Cheonan City. I’m going to take an exam to transfer there as a third year in college.”

“I didn’t know that Korea University of Technology and Education is in Cheonan City.”

“I didn’t know that either until President Song told me. When he worked for S Group before, he said, many of their engineers/managers graduated from that university. That university also has graduate programs that provide a master’s degree and Ph.D. degree.”

“Really? If the university mostly provides engineering-related degrees, why do you have to take an English test like TOEIC?”

“In evaluating admissions applications, the university will look at the GPA of the applicant’s previous college and the English test score. Each factor takes up 25%.”

“What about the other 50% then?”

“They will interview each applicant.”

“Well, the company is growing, and it will soon have more than 400 workers. I guess you do need your college degree.”

“I think I need to learn English at least. Think about it. We will have an executive officer from Chrysler visiting our factory. It would give a good impression to him if a plant manager would show him around the factory while directly communicating with him in English.”

“Haha. You’re right. Since you spend your spare time studying English, you probably don’t have enough time to take care of your baby at home, huh?”

“My wife is more than supportive of this. She pushes me into a room to study and doesn’t let me play with my baby.”

“Haha. She really does that? By the way, what major are you thinking of choosing if you are admitted to Korea University of Technology and Education?”

“I will have to stay in the production field since that’s all I know. There is a major called Mechatronics engineering. I want to study that.”

“Mechatronics engineering?”

“Yeah. It is further divided into several fields such as control system engineering and product engineering. I want to major in product engineering specifically.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“President Song suggested that once I obtain the 4-year degree there, I should continue to study Industrial Management Engineering for a master’s degree. He also said that he would talk to you about paying for my tuition with the company’s tuition assistance program.”

“Of course. If you could get an admission to the university, I will definitely have the company pay for your tuition as a business expense. I’m so proud of you, Jong-Suk.”

“Haha. Thank you, bro.”

“Is the native English teacher from Hoseo University not teaching a class at GH Mobile anymore?”

“The class was canceled when not many workers showed up at the class. Once the new production site B is completed, and once we will have more workers, I will make my proposition to the general affairs director in opening the English class again.”

“I will do it. I will just ask him to resume the English class again.”

“Well, then, don’t mention my name when you talk to him. He will probably not like the fact that the idea came from me.”

“Haha, okay, I won’t tell him.”

Once Gun-Ho went back to his office, he called for his secretary— Ms. Hee-Jeong Park.

“Will you ask the general affairs director to come to my office?”

The general affairs director entered Gun-Ho’s office a moment later. He was carrying a note.

“Did you place a job posting for production workers? Once the new production site is completed, we will need more workers at the production site.”

“Yes, sir. The job openings are already placed on WorkNet.”

“You have heard about the upcoming visit by Chrysler’s executive officer, right? It’s today.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, Dyeon Korea is continuously providing English class every morning with the native English teacher from Hoseo University. I was told that GH Mobile no longer offers the class. I want the class to be resumed again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Make an announcement to our employees related to the English class. Tell them that attendance of the English class will be reflected on their performance evaluation, and it might also affect their salary as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did Mr. President Song go to Seoul to pick up the executive officer from Chrysler?”

“Yes, sir. He will pick him up from a hotel in Yeouido Island and bring him here.”

“Sounds good. Would you tell the accounting director to come to my office?”

“Yes, sir.”

The general affairs director walked out of the office after giving a bow to Gun-Ho respectfully.

A moment later, the accounting director— Ms. Min-Hwa Kim— entered Gun-Ho’s office carrying some documents.

“We are currently prioritizing paying for the debts, right? I mean we pay for the debts once we receive payments from our client companies.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“I need you to bring me the current status of long-term and short-term borrowings from financial institutions, the outstanding balance of credit purchase, and accounts payable.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We don’t do B2B discount these days, do we?”

“No, sir unless we need cash to spend somewhere immediately.”

“Okay. Please bring those documents that I just mentioned.”

After reviewing the documents that the accounting director brought to him, Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea.

When Gun-Ho’s Bentley entered Youngmin Town in Asan City after passing Eumbong town in Cheonan City, Gun-Ho said to Chan-Ho who was driving the car, “Hey, let’s go to Asan Bay Seawall for lunch. We can have a clam stew.”

“Clam stew, sir?”

“Why? You don’t like a clam stew?”

“I do, I love it.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho went into a restaurant in the raw fish village inside the tourism complex in Pyeongtaek City. The clam stew that they ordered had various seafood in addition to clams. While staying in the raw fish village, they had sea cucumbers and sea squirts as well, and then they headed to Dyeon Korea.

Once they arrived at Dyeon Korea, Chan-Ho parked the car quickly and ran toward the security office.

“He must be very sleepy after lunch. He kept rubbing his eyes while driving. Since the security office has a small room to sleep in, I guess he will take a nap there. He and I seem to share some habits like taking a nap. Well, that’s not a good habit though.”

When Gun-Ho went into his office, the secretary— Ms. Seon-Hyeo Yee— brought a cup of tea.

Gun-Ho asked her, “Could you bring me a cup of coffee as well?”

When the secretary brought a cup of coffee with a newspaper, Gun-Ho asked her, “Please ask Ms. Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo entered Gun-Ho’s office carrying a note.

“How much cash do we have in our reserve, as of today?”

“We have 8.1 billion won, sir.”

“Hmm, I remember that on March 31st, we had 4.2 billion won. It keeps increasing. As you know, Ms. Accounting Manager Jo, our company has no debt, so the funds in our reserve will keep increasing. I wonder how much corporate tax would be imposed.”

“I can ask about it to the tax accountant office that we are working with.”

“I’ve heard that the government is revising the special tax treatment control law.”

“I’ve heard of it too, sir. I heard that they are reducing the amount of tax benefit that they are providing to foreign investors. I was looking into it as well.”

“D*mn it! If the government makes the business hard like that, I will have to move the company outside Korea like in Malaysia or somewhere!”

When Gun-Ho yelled in anger, the accounting manager was frightened. She looked at Gun-Ho’s face with widened eyes, and she said, “There has to be a tax reduction benefit for corporations. I will find out more details about it, sir.”

“Sounds good. Please get more information about it. Also, when you have time, please visit the tax accountant’s office as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 594 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (1) – Part 1

Chapter 594: Certificate of Inno-Biz (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was thinking about the corporate tax that he would have to pay.

‘GH Development wouldn’t be imposed on corporate tax at all, or the amount should be nominal since it’s not generating any profit. But the problem is Dyeon Korea. It’s generating a significant amount of profits, and they are being accumulated in the reserve.

If I just let it be as it is now, we will have more than 10 billion won in the reserve by the end of this year. If I assume the corporate tax is 22%, the government will take 2.2 billion won out of 10 billion won. If we make even more by working harder and generate 100 billion won, we will have to give 22 billion won to the government. To make the situation worse, say, the workers form a labor union, and claim that they are entitled to a piece of the pie since the company is making a lot of money because of their hard work, then I will have to give away part of the profits.

The tax rates which a company falls into depends on its taxable income level. If we make less than 200 million won, we will have to pay 10% of it as corporate tax. If we make more than 20 billion won and less than 300 billion won, the tax rate will be 25%. Their reasoning to impose the tax is that a company could make money because the society provides the desirable business environment and market. If I say I am being extorted for the money that I made, they would say that I’m an unscrupulous businessman.’

Gun-Ho looked outside the window while tying his hands together behind his back. The internal auditor was crossing the yard toward the building entrance.

Gun-Ho asked for the secretary— Ms. Seon-Hye Yee.

“Yes, sir?”

“Please ask the internal auditor to come to my office, and prepare two cups of tea for us. Thank you.”

“Yes, sir.”

A moment later, the internal auditor entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Please have a seat, Mr. Internal Auditor.”

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought two cups of tea and placed them on the table.

“I just wanted to have a cup of tea with you.”

While sipping his tea, the internal auditor said, “Dyeon Korea is doing very well. Not many companies achieve this much in their first year. It is very rare.”

“I think we will be imposed with a significant amount of corporate tax.”

“I’ve been actually thinking about it. The government no longer gives any special tax benefits to a joint venture company that is using foreign investment funds, these days. The proper tax rate would be in the range between 20% and 22%.”

“We will have to figure out how to save tax.”

“One thing that would work favorably for our company in terms of saving tax is that we are located in Asan City which is not a densely populated metropolitan area. I’m looking into special tax deduction cases relevant to midsize companies.”

“Are you saying that there is a special tax deduction benefit for the companies that are located in some places other than a densely populated metropolitan area?”

“Yes, sir. I will have to look further to be sure though. And there should be more requirements other than just the location to be eligible for the tax benefit.”

“Of course. If they offer a tax deduction for all companies that are located outside of the metropolitan area, they would have trouble collecting enough taxes. The government needs money as well in order to pay the government workers, and the number of government workers is increasing every year. Also, their welfare budget is on the rise too.”

“I was thinking of getting a certificate of Inno-Biz.”

“Inno-Biz?”

“Yes. It was created in order to promote enterprises that are equipped with advanced and innovative technologies. Once we get the Inno-Biz certificate, it would be easier to obtain a certificate for a start-up company with technology, as well.”

“Hmm, really?”

“We won’t be able to get a tax reduction with the Inno-Biz certificate only, but if we could get the certificate issued to a start-up company with technology, I’m certain that we will enjoy the tax benefit.”

“By the way, what does Inno-Biz mean?”

“It’s a compound word made with ‘Innovation’ and ‘Business.’ The Inno-Biz certificate will absolutely be helpful when we register the company with KOSDAQ later on. The examiners will take account of it in evaluating a company.

“Really? Let’s get the certificate right away then!”

“A company with the certificate of Inno-Biz gets deferment for tax investigation as well, and also has the access to funds provided by Korea Technology Finance Corporation. Our company is exporting our products to India and China. With the Inno-Biz certificate, we can even get a discount on the trade insurance cost, up to 20%.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“Furthermore, we could get support for developing new technology. Maybe we want to call our compound room a ‘technology research center’ to clearly show that we have a separate department that is dedicated solely to developing new technology. If we could raise the chance to receive the technology support fund by changing the name of our compound room, maybe we should do it. What would you say, sir?”

“Technology research center?”

“We have the former chief officer of GH Mobile’s research center here with us at Dyeon Korea, with an advisory position. He doesn’t often come to work these days just because there is nothing much he could do here anyway. I think that he will fit right in our new technology research center’s chief officer position.”

“By the way, if the Inno-Biz certificate offers that many benefits, why GH Mobile hasn’t obtained one yet?”

“GH Mobile has that certificate already. The company was established a long time ago, so it won’t be considered as a start-up company with technology, but it’s holding the Inno-Biz certificate. With the Inno-Biz certificate, we would have access to a lot of benefits that it offers, but it’s also cumbersome to obtain and maintain the certificate since it requires a lot of paperwork such as reports and extensive documents.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Can I talk to you one more thing, sir?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“We have many employees in the management, who used to work for GH Mobile. They are aware that all of GH Mobile’s workers’ salaries have increased by 7% last time through the negotiation between the labor union and the company. However, the pay for the workers at Dyeon Korea’s management has stayed the same while the production workers’ salaries have been increased according to the minimum wage increase rate. I think we need to raise their pay. We have more than enough funds in the reserve, and if we leave them as it is, we will just have to pay more taxes which would be unnecessary.”

“Of course, we will raise their salaries. Why don’t you bring up this issue during our next executive meeting? It would be better that way rather than you and I decide it in this room right now. If you make the proposal during the next meeting, I will give my official approval.”

“Thank you, sir. I will do that.”

It was Friday, and Gun-Ho went to work at GH Building in Sinsa Town.

When he arrived at work, he called for Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong to his office.

“Did Mr. Woon-Hak Sim come to pick up his passport?”

“Yes, sir. I gave his passport back to him with a visa to China on it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Seukang Li.

“Oh, Gun-Ho Goo. I’ve heard that you finally received the bus line permit in Antang City.”

“We will use the buses manufactured by Daewoo in Guilin.”

“You are not visiting Shanghai City anytime soon to see me?”

“Today is Friday… I can go to Shanghai City early next week. What do you think? Things seem to be going well in Antang City, so I think I can take some time off from that business in Antang City.”

“I have a meeting in Beijing City on Tuesday, so Wednesday will be perfect for me. Let’s have a drink.”

“Sounds good. Do you often see Jien Wang these days?”

“Nah. He has been very busy with writing a book. It seems that he will be busy for a while.”

“Really? Well, it must be a part of his work since he is a scholar. I will see you on Wednesday then.”

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Chapter 595 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (1) – Part 2

Chapter 595: Certificate of Inno-Biz (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho made a call to Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile.”

“Oh, hi, sir!”

“Will you be available this Wednesday? I’m thinking of visiting Shanghai then.”

“Wednesday works perfectly for me. All I have these days is time. I will definitely accompany you to Shanghai, sir.”

Gun-Ho didn’t feel very comfortable when Director Woon-Hak Sim talked to him in a way showing excessive respect, but he also understood how Director Sim would feel given his current desperate situation.

“I can travel abroad without any problem. I haven’t been sued by creditors or anything like that, which could result in a departure prohibition.”

“Of course, since your case is not a criminal case. We won’t stay long in Shanghai City. We will probably stay for 2 nights and 3 days.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Once our flight tickets are reserved, you will receive a text message.”

“Yes, sir!”

Director Woon-Hak Sim was feeling hopeful. He gave a call to his friend— BM Entertainment’s manager right away.

“Hey, you know what? I’m going to China next Wednesday. I’m going with GH Mobile’s President Goo to Shanghai City.”

“Really? That’s really nice. You should hold on to him tightly. I’m pretty sure that he is an awfully rich man. You shouldn’t let go of his hand.”

“I’ve heard wealthy people are usually cheap.”

“Even if that’s true, you should take a rest under a big tree since it will provide wider shade, so you would feel cooler. Good luck.”

BM Entertainment’s manager made a call to his boss— President Hyeon-Man Yee— to give him a report on how things were going with Gun-Ho and Director Sim since he was the one who connected those two people.

“President Goo is taking Director Sim to Shanghai City.”

“Really? That’s good.”

“I once visited President Goo’s factory in Jiksan Town with Director Sim. It was impressive.”

“What was impressive?”

“The factory was enormous, and they probably have 400 workers working there. When we saw the machines placed in a row, Director Sim and I both were astonished. Director Sim even tried to take a photo of the factory, and the plant manager there stopped him.”

“Of course, you can’t just take photos inside of someone’s factory without their permission.”

“I just don’t understand how this man could get a factory that big. He is a young man after all. His building in Sinsa Town must be worth more than 200 billion won.”

“Hmm, I don’t think he is an ordinary man. Keep an eye on him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“We signed the purchase contract for the buses.”

“Really? They are expensive, aren’t they?”

“Daba (express bus) costs around 250 million Korean won. While I was at Guilin Daewoo Bus earlier, I wondered how the founder of Daewoo Group— Chairman Woo-Choong Kim— established the auto manufacturing factory in Guilin a long time ago.”

“He was the one who said, ‘the world is still wide and there are so many things to do,’ right?”

“We will have to pay 30% of the price of the busses in order to take them with us. Antang City’s transportation company already selected 5 experienced bus drivers and sent them to the joint venture. Today is Friday… so, probably on Monday or Tuesday, we will take those bus drivers to Guilin to pick up the buses.”

“It’s very far, isn’t it? China has a huge continent.”

“If you look at the map, it doesn’t look that far. But, there are so many mountains and rivers, so we will have to go through Liuzhou Shi and Hechi Shi from Guilin. It must be several thousand kilometers.”

“Several thousand kilometers? I guess you will have to spend the night inside the buses, huh?”

“It shouldn’t be that bad. The scenery was amazing. I’m sure we will enjoy driving with all those stunning views. The mountains in China look so bizarre. The scenery in Guilin is so special.”

“I guess you enjoyed the trip there. I’m glad to know that.”

“Driving in a big city like Liuzhou Shi is fine, but the problem is the areas after Liuzhou Shi. The condition of the roads there is not so good. I’m worried that it could damage our buses.”

“You should take enough time in bringing the buses. Drive during the day, and spend the night at a motel. You and the drivers should take enough rest. We don’t want anyone to get injured.”

“When we go to pick up the buses, the vice president and the manager of the passenger transportation department will come with me.”

“What about Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo? Isn’t she going with you?”

“She won’t come with us. It will be hard to provide a comfortable place to sleep for her. It’s easier to go with all gentlemen since it will be a long trip. I can still communicate with them in writing. I have a level-2 certificate of Chinese characters. I have no problem with reading and writing Chinese.”

“Level-2 certificate of Chinese characters? Wow. I think you can try the Chinese Proficiency Test— HSK— after studying the Chinese language just a little bit more.”

“Nah, I’m not that good. Listening is really hard for me.”

“Really?”

“Guess what? I bought a car. The Chinese partner recommended me an Audi— the same model that the transportation company’s president is driving, and I said okay.”

“Audi is a nice car. You are the president of the joint venture; you should drive a luxurious car like an Audi. It’s a good choice.”

“Actually, it’s more than enough for me. I had never imagined that I would have a life like this. I enjoyed the famous scenery of Guilin, and I’m driving an Audi. Who would have known that my life would have turned out this fancy? I thank you, President Goo for it. You changed my life completely.”

“Don’t be silly! What about your housing? Didn’t they buy the condo that you selected yet?”

“They will after we pick up the buses from Guilin. I still like the one in Huaxi Huayuan. I’m not sure if I can live in a luxurious condo like that.”

“Stop being silly. It’s a less than 36 pyung large condo. It’s not that luxurious. Moreover, the company will own the condo, not you, and you will just live there.”

“You know what? The Chinese people here seemed to change their attitude toward me after they received the 3 million dollars investment funds. They are friendlier with me.”

“Did they confirm that they received the money?”

“It looks like they received it yesterday. They brought me the automobile catalog for Audi yesterday and asked me to pick one. So, I guess they must have gotten the money yesterday.”

“Haha, I see.”

“What about the complaints that they received from the residents in the area. Did they resolve them?”

“I saw the construction manager distributing a bottle of cooking oil to each resident who filed the complaints. I guess he was trying to comfort them and seeking their understanding.”

“How many are they?”

“I was told that there were twenty people, but it looked like there were 13 or 14 residents.”

“Didn’t they give compensation to them?”

“They did. They gave the residents proper compensation when they expanded and paved the road. The thing is that in trying to flatten the access road, they ended up raising the level of the road as well.”

“Hmm.”

“They can build a waterproof wall for them, can’t they?”

“Those residents want a higher wall than they built. That’s where the dispute began. They don’t want to build a higher wall because it costs more money. I think the residents are being unreasonable as well. I guess they did that in order to raise the amount of the compensation that they would receive.”

“It seems that the problems with the residents when trying to build something in the area occur all the time whether in China or Korea.”

“That’s true. If you get into the residential area, you will have to expect to face that sort of problem. When we purchased the farmland in Seonghwan Town and changed its land use, we didn’t have any problem because it was not in the residential area.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Well, I hope things turned out well with those complaints.”

“I will give you a call once I pick up the buses.”

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Chapter 596 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (2) – Part 1

Chapter 596: Certificate of Inno-Biz (2) – Part 1

On Friday evening, Young-Eun came home at TowerPalace. She was carrying a large paper bag in her hand. When she entered the condo, Gun-Ho was lying down on the sofa in the living room. When he saw her, he quickly got up and took the paper bag for Young-Eun.

Gun-Ho asked, “What is this?”

“It’s an earphone and some food.”

“An earphone? I guess you want to listen to the pregnancy music with it, huh?”

Young-Eun collapsed on the floor and lied flat on her back.

“Oh, my goodness. I’m so tired.”

“I know. What can I do for you?”

“My legs are tired.”

“Shoot, they look a little bit swollen. Let me give you a massage. ”

Gun-Ho rubbed Young-Eun’s calf. Her calf and feet were visibly swollen.

“You are working for long hours while walking around on a concrete floor to see patients. You are pregnant, Young-Eun. You should take a break from time to time while you are at work. Can you take a few days off or take even a long vacation? I think you need a rest.”

“Oppa, can you buy me pork belly?”

“Right now?”

“I can eat it now. I don’t have morning sickness anymore, and I feel cravings for pork belly.

“Sure. Let’s go out to eat then.”

Young-Eun tried to stand up, and then she collapsed again on the floor.

“Oppa, I’m too tired to go out now. Can you get me 600 grams of pork belly? We can eat them at home.”

“Okay, I’m on my way to the supermarket.”

Gun-Ho went to the supermarket close to his home in his flip-flops and bought pork belly and lettuces. He also bought a bottle of beer and coke.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun sat at the dining table and started eating pork belly as they cooked them. Gun-Ho drank the beer while Young-Eun had her coke.

“Are you feeling happy?” Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun.

Young-Eun lifted her head and looked at Gun-Ho’s face. She then smiled broadly and nodded her head.

“I read somewhere that a mother’s mood affects an unborn baby. If you feel happy, then our child would feel happy too.”

“I bought an earphone. I want to listen to pregnancy music while walking along Yangjae Riverside tomorrow.”

“Maybe we should take a trip, so you would feel relaxed.”

“Do you have any specific destination in your mind?”

“Maybe we can go to Gwangneung Arboretum or an old palace.”

“I don’t want to go far from home. I like the Yangjae River. We should pick a place easy to reach without heavy traffic on the way.”

“Since you are almost five months pregnant, we don’t have to worry about a miscarriage. You should feel free to eat whatever you want, so eat as much as you want. You suffered enough from morning sickness without being able to eat much.”

“I saw a patient eating canned pineapple today, and I felt the urge to eat it. I had to go to a store right away and finished one canned pineapple on the spot.”

“Good. You should eat whatever you feel like you had to eat.”

“While I was eating it, one of my colleagues, who is senior to me, saw me. And she reprimanded me.”

“For what?”

“She said that I shouldn’t just eat whatever given by a patient.”

“That wasn’t given by one of your patients, was it? You bought it yourself. She should mind her own business.”

“Oppa, can you clean the dishes?”

“Sure. I will take care of it. You go and sit down on the sofa and try to relax. I’m worried about your swollen legs.”

“Me… I’m worried about my weight. I think I gained at least 2 kilograms recently.”

“That’s very normal, isn’t it? Don’t forget that you are carrying a baby. You should stay healthy for the baby. So, don’t worry about your weight for now, and eat healthy foods as much as you want.”

“I will take a bath while you wash the dishes.”

After finishing washing the dishes, Gun-Ho brushed his teeth and changed to his pajamas. He then went into the master bedroom where Young-Eun was taking a rest. Young-Eun was wearing new clothes that Gun-Ho didn’t recognize, and she was listening to music with her new earphone while lying on the bed.

“Huh? I’ve never seen these clothes. Is it new?”

“My aunt sent it to me. This is a maternity dress. I just unpacked the package that you placed on the vanity. It was in the package.”

Young-Eun, who was listening to music on the bed in her new maternity dress, looked so cute. Gun-Ho joined her on the bed, and he drew her close to him. Gun-Ho thought that she would shove him off, but she didn’t. She took off the earphone and wrapped her arm around Gun-Ho’s waist.

Gun-Ho said while rubbing Young-Eun’s belly, “Can you hear me, boy? I’m your father.”

That night, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun slept until the next morning while cuddling tightly.

It was Monday, and Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

When President Song visited Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho asked him, “Did Chrysler’s executive officer came to our factory last week?”

“Yes. He visited every corner of our factory. He highly spoke of our factory’s high productivity level. He stated that our factory has relatively high labor productivity per hour compared with those in other countries.”

“That’s good to hear. I guess we successfully gave him a good impression.”

“He also showed great interest in our assembly department in addition to labor productivity. There are several other factories in Korea in addition to ours, which provide Chrysler with automobile parts. He seemed to be considering letting us manufacture all of the parts that Chrysler is buying from factories in Korea, and he asked us to assemble those parts before sending it to them.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Chrysler is buying automobile parts from Mandong Company and Egnopak. He is considering the possibility of Chrysler asking us to produce all of those automobile parts and assemble them to make more complete automobile parts. After visiting our assembly department, he saw the possibility, and he seemed to think that is a more desirable option for Chrysler.”

“It would be like we are taking Mandong Company’s and Egnopak’s business with Chrysler.”

“That’s right.”

“Wouldn’t Mandong company and Egnopak be upset with us for losing part of their business?”

“I think it should be okay since the number of the products that those two companies are supplying Chrysler with is not much anyway. It turned out that Director Jong-Suk’s idea of creating an assembly department within our factory was a very good one.”

“Hmm, you think so?”

“We can apply the possibility to the products that we are supplying A Electronics. I think we can expect to see a dramatic increase in sales if we use our assembly system smartly.”

“Hmm, I think you are right.”

“A Electronics’ volume of product orders is way higher than Chrysler’s. Once A Electronics realizes the convenience of our assembly system, we can substantially increase the volume of sales.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon. Once he arrived there, he summoned a meeting for the executive officers. Vice President Adam Castler, Director Dong-Chan Kim, Internal Auditor Hee-Suk Goh, and Director Hyeong-Sik Yoon showed up at the meeting. It would have been nicer if someone from the production site is at the meeting, but the plant manager—Hee-Yeol Yoo—couldn’t attend the meeting since he was not an executive officer.

Gun-Ho started the meeting by saying, “It has been more than a year since our company opened its door. Dyeon Korea reached its current stable level because of all of you in this room. This is evidently the result of your great and hard work. I thank you all.”

The room was quiet with some coughing sound here and there.

“I recently received a very interesting suggestion, and I want to share the idea with you. Dyeon Korea possesses outstanding technologies. In order to confirm our identity as an innovative tech company in the industry, I think we want to get officially certified with our technology. Therefore, I want to have Dyeon Korea certified with Inno-Biz.”

Director Kim responded to Gun-Ho’s suggestion right away, “I am familiar with the Inno-Biz certificate. I was directly involved with getting the certificate when I worked for Mulpasaneop. It is very true that we could enjoy lots of benefits once we obtain the Inno-Biz certificate; however, the benefits come with the strict compliance that we must fulfill. As the name of the certificate clearly describes, the basic requirement to get the certificate is to be a tech company with constant efforts developing innovative technologies. Therefore, we will need to establish a technology research center first. Also, we will have to aggressively invest in R&D and need workers who would work in developing technologies.”

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Chapter 597 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (2) – Part 2

Chapter 597: Certificate of Inno-Biz (2) – Part 2

The internal auditor let out a dry cough, and he responded to Director Kim’s comment, “Dyeon Korea is not without a technology research team. Our compound room is our research center where our company’s innovative technologies are being developed. In my opinion, changing the name of our compound room to a ‘technology research center’ will do the trick. We can then record all of the expenses that have been spent for the compound room as R&D expenses, such as the labor cost for the workers in the compound room, the cost for the equipment there, and the cost for any chemicals and materials used.”

Director Kim raised other relevant issues, “Getting the certificate is not a simple process of registering our company as a tech company for Inno-Biz, but we will need to foster a proper environment to be an innovative tech company that develops technologies as a major part of its nature of business. We will have to implement an internal delegation of authority policy, a proposal system, OJT (On The Job Training) system, etc.”

Gun-Ho said, “The things that Mr. Director Kim just listed need to be done whether we apply for the certificate of Inno-Biz or not, and we will implement them. Therefore, I want to organize a special team that will undertake the project of obtaining the Inno-Biz certificate. I need an executive officer to lead this special team.”

All of the executive officers in the room fixed their eyes on their notes without saying a word. Leading a special team would be extra work for them, and no one seemed to volunteer for that onerous extra work.

Gun-Ho continued, “Secondly, as of today, we will name our compound room as the ‘technology research center,’ and we rehire the former GH Mobile’s research center’s chief officer—Mr. Gil-Hoon Bang—who is currently holding a one-year advisory position, as our technology research center’s new chief officer. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo will be assigned to the position of deputy chief research officer.”

Director Kim chipped in by raising his hand.

“I’d like to nominate Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong at the sales department to the position of the team lead of the Inno-Biz special team. It would be a good opportunity to have him grasp the overall business and status of our company.”

“Sounds good. Then, Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong will be the team lead of our Inno-Biz TFT (Task Force Team), and we will prepare for the site inspection to be conducted by the Inno-Biz Association. If you have an objection, this is the time to bring it up.”

Director Kim said, “As a matter of fact, we’ve neglected GH Mobile’s former chief research officer just because he is old and holding a temporary advisory position. He is a very experienced researcher with extensive technical know-how. We will need to get him an office with good pay. He still has a lot to offer for our company. He comes here to work erratically these days, so we are not sure when he would show up. I will give him a call and ask him to come to work. Sir, I think it’s better that you talk to him in person directly about his new position.”

“Hmm, sure. I will do that.”

“You previously said, sir, that you want one of the executives to lead the Inno-Biz TFT. I think the vice president should lead the team. We can create a committee that manages TFT’s team lead, and Mr. Vice President Adam Castler can take the position of chief of the committee, and I will work as the deputy chief of the committee. That would be the official structure surrounding the Inno-Biz project, but most of the actual work will be done by the team lead and myself.”

Director Yoon, who had been quiet during the entire meeting so far, added, “Sir, I think you should talk directly to Assistant Hee-Yeol Yoo, who is also working as a plant manager, about renaming the compound room as the technology research center and having the former chief research officer as our new chief research officer.”

“No problem. I will do that.”

“Also, I suggest that we pay the task force team incentive, like a bonus for their additional responsibility.”

“Hmm, I will have to see the actual proposal about it. Why don’t you—Mr. Director Yoon—write a proposition with details and bring it to me?”

“Yes, sir.”

The internal auditor raised his hand.

“I guess we now have a pretty good idea what to do with the Inno-Biz project. Before we end this meeting, I have one more proposal that I’d like to make.”

“Please go on.”

“Many of our employees in the management are from GH Mobile. GH Mobile increased all of its employees’ salaries by 7% after the negotiation with its labor union, but we haven’t increased the management workers’ salaries yet. I’ve mentioned the needs of the salary raise to Mr. Director Kim and Mr. Vice President Adam Castler the other day. I’d like to make an official proposal at this meeting, hoping that, you, sir, would take this into consideration.”

Gun-Ho moved his gaze to Mr. Adam Castler and said, “Mr. Internal Auditor just talked about the salary raise of our employees. Do you approve it, Mr. Vice President Adam Castler? Because of you, our sales have increased in China and India. I think we can afford to raise our employee’s salary, who have been working hard.”

Mr. Adam Castler smiled and nodded his head.

Once he received the approval gesture from Mr. Adam Castler, Gun-Ho turned to Director Kim and said, “Mr. Director Kim, once we raise our employees’ salaries, you will need to work harder to increase our sales and sales revenue accordingly. Will it be still okay with you that we raise their salaries?”

“Sir, I think we should have raised their salaries earlier. The production workers’ pay already increased earlier this year, but the management workers’ salaries stayed the same. The production workers will not complain even if we raise the management workers’ pay this time. I believe it’s fair to raise their salaries now.”

“Okay, then. I will talk to the general affairs manager about the salary raise after this meeting is over.”

“Thank you.”

The management workers, who were facing their salary increase, included the executive officers at the meeting. Once the meeting ended and when they walked out of the room, they all looked excited.

Gun-Ho called for Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

“We just had a meeting between the executive officers, and I have things that I need to talk to you about, which were determined during the meeting.”

Manager Yoo looked curious and gazed at Gun-Ho’s face.

Gun-Ho continued, “Our company is a tech company with excellent compound technologies, and our business heavily relies on them. We want to make it official by obtaining the Inno-Biz certificate. You have heard of Inno-Biz, haven’t you?”

“Yes, sir, I have.”

“In order to do that, we need a research center which is mandatory. So, we are going to change the compound room to a technology research center.”

“I think that is a good idea, sir. It would sound better and a ‘technology research center’ seems to describe better what we do there. We don’t simply mix compounds in the compound room, but we actually develop technologies there.”

“One more thing is that we will need a chief research officer for the research center. So, we decided to place GH Mobile’s former chief officer, who is currently working with us with an advisory position, to the new chief officer. And, I want you to take the research center’s deputy chief officer position.”

“I will do it, sir. I had worked with him before, and I enjoyed working with him. What about my position as a plant manager?”

“I want you to continue to work as a plant manager as well. I understand that you would be busy, and it is a lot of responsibility to have a dual position, but I can’t think of anyone else to do the job for now.”

“No problem, sir. I will do my best.”

Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo seemed to be satisfied with his dual position as a plant manager and also as a deputy research chief.

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Chapter 598 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (3) – Part 1

Chapter 598: Certificate of Inno-Biz (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho made a call to the former chief officer of GH Mobile’s research center.

“Mr. President Goo, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call today?”

“I haven’t seen you at work lately, sir.”

“I am truly grateful that you let me stay at the company with an advisory position, but I feel like I’m not needed there. I don’t want to impose anyone at work, so I stay home most of the time. I usually come to work briefly in the morning. I was at work this morning since we had a meeting for the executive officers.”

“It was my fault, sir. I should have prepared an office for you.”

“No, sir. There is no company that would give an office to someone who is holding a temporary advisory position. I sincerely thank you for giving me a position even after I’ve already reached my retirement age.”

“As you just mentioned, we had a meeting this morning between the executive officers. And, an idea of changing the compound room into a research center came up.”

“That sounds not bad at all. We would give a better impression to the public by having a research center within the company. Compounding chemicals are also research activities, and it requires laboratory work, so it makes sense to call the compound room as the research center.”

“As you just mentioned, considering the positive effect on our company’s public image, we’ve decided to change the compound room into a technology research center. And, we will give you an office even though it’s a temporary position, hoping that you would come to work more often and spend some time in your office giving good advice to the young workers there. It could be a nice place to relax as well as reading a newspaper.”

“I would greatly appreciate that, sir.”

“Dyeon Korea’s research center is different from the one in GH Mobile though. Various chemicals are being handled there, and it’s not a good place to stay all day long. We will find an office for you with a window, so you could have proper ventilation airflow.”

“The workers at the compound room wear a mask while handling chemical compounds. So, it doesn’t matter whether I have a window or not; I can wear a mask too.”

“During the meeting this morning, many executive officers suggested giving you a position title as a chief research officer even though it would still be a temporary advisory position, and the current manager of the compound room—Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo—would take the deputy chief research officer.”

“Well, I’m not sure how Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo would take it.”

“I indirectly asked Manager Yoo about the new arrangement, and he said that it would be his pleasure working with you again, sir.”

“Really? Haha. I’d love to work with him too.”

“You need to know this though, that even though we give you a job title as a chief officer of our research center, your current salary won’t change.”

“I understand, sir. I’m still so grateful that I have this opportunity to continue to work in this company. Since I had a lot of spare time at home, I’ve met with Mulpasaneop’s president the other day.”

“How is he doing?”

“It seems that he is doing very well. He said that he sleeps much better at night, maybe because he is having a less stressful life now.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“With the cash that you gave to him, he bought a small building in Suwon City. He is making rental income from that building around 5 million won per month. With his monthly national pension of 6 million won in addition to that rental income, he is making a good life without help from his children. He said he is happy now.”

“Haha, I see.”

“He said that whenever he thought about his life when he was running Mulpasaneop, he felt terrified. The last five years of his life with Mulpasaneop right before you acquired it wasn’t pretty at all. He had seriously been harassed by his creditors during those five years. I was there, so I know it.”

“I see.”

“Also, I talk with the former plant manager—Man-Soo Li—pretty often, who is in China, holding an advisory position at GH Parts Company. He seems to be satisfied with his current position. He said that he is enjoying working with President Min-Hyeok Kim. He sent me a bunch of photos that he took there, showing his life in China. He recently sent me his picture at the Humble Administrator’s Garden in Suzhou City.”

“I’m so glad to see you both staying healthy at work. Well, I will have the general affairs department set your office, Mr. Chief Research Officer.”

“Thank you, sir.”

It was definitely great news for GH Mobile’s former chief research officer. He was initially offered a one-year temporary advisory position with Dyeon Korea after he reached his retirement age. Now, he was placed at the newly-restructured research center as a chief officer, and he was hoping that his one-year contract would be extended. He had a grown-up son at home, who still needed his financial support even to buy cigarettes. His son was already 35 years old but without a job. His son was spending most of his time playing online games at home. It wasn’t easy for him to just watch his adult son wasting his life like that, but what could he do about it? He was just grateful that he had a job and was still making money.

The former chief research officer—Mr. Gil-Hoon Bang—once came back home after briefly stopping by at work in the morning. It was around noon, and his son was still in his bed sleeping. That day, he lost it.

He yelled at his son, “I can’t believe that you are still sleeping! It’s noon already! It’s lunchtime for those who are working in a company or a government office, after spending their busy morning at work. Look at President Goo in the company that I’m working for. He is about the same age as you, and he acquired Mulpasaneop and accumulated wealth; it must be several tens of billions won.”

His son objected right away.

“It’s not fair for you to compare me to other people. I can also compare you to my friends’ fathers! Won-Tae is running a company that he received from his father. His father also bought him a condo in Banpo Town, Gangnam District, Seoul City, which is worth 3 billion won. Do you think I’m happy staying home like this? I’m staying at home because I don’t have money.”

“You are not trying hard to change your life. If you can’t get a decent job right now, you should at least find a part-time job or something.”

“I graduated from a good college in Seoul City. Do you really want your son to work in a store or a restaurant doing a part-time job? If I spend my time doing some meaningless part-time work, I will be stuck there forever. I need to save my time and energy to find a better job. You have no idea how things work these days because you are a retired man with a temp job.”

Chief Research Officer Bang gave up on convincing his son to make a better life because he didn’t want to have a fight with his son, which wasn’t going anywhere. He was just crossing his fingers for now hoping to keep his job for another year.

Gun-Ho asked for the general affairs manager and the accounting manager.

The two workers were standing in front of Gun-Ho in his office.

“You have heard of the salary raise that was decided during the executive meeting this morning, right?”

“Yes, sir. I just heard about it from Mr. Director Yoon.”

“Mr. General Affairs Manager, I want you to prepare a pay raise document to be signed. Ms. Accounting Manager Jo, once you receive the list of the affected employees with their raised pay from the general affairs department, please get me the updated general administrative expenses.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The pay raise applies to all salaried employees. The production workers, who are being paid per work hour, are excluded. Please include the one who is holding an advisory position too.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, my chauffeur—Mr. Chan-Ho Eum—is from a service company. Please raise his pay by 7% as well. I don’t want to see him pouting over being excluded from the pay raise.”

“Of course, sir. I will include him.”

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Chapter 599 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (3) – Part 2

Chapter 599: Certificate of Inno-Biz (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued to give a work instruction to the general affairs manager in his office.

“Also, Mr. General Affairs Manager, please send the notice to each department about the restructuring of our compound room. We are changing it into a technology research center.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The new chief offer of our research center would be Mr. Gil-Hoon Bang. Please indicate that his position is a temporary advisory position. You can mark this beside his name and new job title.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo will be placed to the deputy chief research officer position, and add it to his position that he is taking a dual position as a plant manager as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We also need to change the job titles of all of the current workers in the compound room. The position of a manager will be a lead researcher while the position of an assistant manager will be a senior researcher. Everyone else is given the position of staff researcher.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Director Yoon.

“Are you in the office right now?”

“Yes, sir. I can come to your office, sir.”

“That won’t be necessary. I need an office room set in the corner of the compound room with a window, where you don’t smell chemicals. It will be used by the chief research officer. The office size should be about the same size of GH Mobile’s director’s office.”

“No problem, sir.”

“Also, please place a desk and an office chair that we use for executives.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to the overseas president—Mr. Lee—in India. He used to work as an interpreter for Vice President Adam Castler before he was sent to India.

“It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, sir. How have you been?”

“How are you? I hope you are doing fine there.”

“I’m good, sir.”

“I received the report that the monthly sales is now exceeding 70 tons.”

“I’m sorry, sir. It’s not much yet. I’m currently working on procuring business from several European companies here. If I succeed in it, the sales will increase to over 90 tons per month. Mr. Director Kim connected me to a few Korean companies here as well. He seems to know a lot of overseas presidents from Korea.”

“Really? I don’t worry much about the India market because I have you there, Mr. Manager Lee.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“The reason that I called you today is to ask you to make a phone call to Mr. Adam Castler.”

“A phone call to Mr. Adam Castler, sir?”

“Yes. We had a meeting this morning for the executive officers, and the compound room will be restructured as a research center. We are aiming at obtaining the Inno-Biz certificate, and we will form a TFT accordingly. I want you to tell Mr. Adam Castler that this change is a strategic move of ours in order to get the certificate which is given only to a start-up company with technology. If we don’t do anything but keep the company as it is, we will end up paying 22% of our profits for corporate tax.”

“I didn’t know the corporate tax was that high. A friend of mine told me that he is paying 10% for his company.”

“You get a different tax rate depending on different taxable income. If a company’s ordinary income is less than 200 million won, then it will fall into a tax bracket of 10%. However, with our current sales revenue, our company will be subject to 22%. Once our company gets certified as a start-up company with technology, we can enjoy a tax reduction benefit. I want you to explain this to Mr. Adam Castler. To sum it up, we had the executive meeting this morning in order to find a way to save tax, and as a result, we are going through a restructuring on the compound room.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We have a young interpreter for Mr. Adam Castler, but I want to process the new change quietly for now, and that’s why I’m calling you in India to explain this to Mr. Adam Castler.”

“I understand, sir. I will give him a call right away.”

“Also, we are raising the management’s salaries by 7%, and that includes you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t raise it more this time.”

“Thank you, sir.”

When Gun-Ho came back from the restroom to his office and sat at his desk, Mr. Adam Castler entered his office.

“I just received a call from Manager Lee in India.”

“Oh, really?”

“Sir, you are truly our boss.”

Don’t mention it.”

Adam Castler extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

Gun-Ho thought, ‘I guess that building a system to obtain the Inno-Biz certificate will bring unexpected benefits—boosting the organizational power and strengthening teamwork, in addition to reducing our corporate tax.’

Gun-Ho had his lunch at the company cafeteria that day. Dyeon Korea recently hired more workers, and now the cafeteria was receiving more than 120 workers during the lunchtime. GH Mobile had a lot more workers—400—than Dyeon Korea, but 120 people having lunch at the same time made its cafeteria busy enough. Gun-Ho was in the line holding an empty plate just like everyone else. When one of the serving ladies, who was distributing a fish dish, recognized Gun-Ho, she looked frightened and put two pieces of fish on Gun-Ho’s plate while everyone else was getting only one piece of fish.

While having his lunch, Gun-Ho made up his mind.

‘I will increase the number of workers to more than 1,000 for both GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea!’

After lunch, Gun-Ho had his afternoon coffee in his office. He then started dozing off while sitting on the sofa. When his head was about to tilt to one side, somebody knocked on the door. Gun-Ho was startled and woke up to the sound. He then sat straight on the sofa. It was Director Kim. He was carrying a document.

“This is an implemented plan for the Inno-Biz certificate. Since you won’t be here tomorrow but will go to the office at GH Development, we hastily prepared the plan just now, so you could review it today. We will keep it updated as it becomes necessary.”

“Hmm, I’m impressed that you could come up with the plan so quickly.”

Gun-Ho said while reviewing the document, “I see the organizational chart of TFT (Task Force Team), and its purpose and the schedule.”

“Once you approve it, sir, I will send it out to each department. Also, I will place it on the notice board as well.”

“Sounds good.”

“We will need to clearly define several necessary systems and policies such as a proposal system, OJT (On the Job Training) system, and an internal delegation of authority policy, etc. We are particularly in need of OJT, especially in the production site. Also, we will need the researchers to share compounding technology. One shouldn’t keep it to himself.”

“Hmm, you are absolutely right, Mr. Director Kim.”

Gun-Ho vigorously signed the TFT plan to obtain the Inno-Biz certificate that Director Kim brought to him for review.

Once Director Kim left the office, Director Yoon came into the office with another document to be signed.

“This is a notification on restructuring the compound room, along with the appointment letters for the researchers at the new research center.”

When Gun-Ho looked at the document, he noticed that it was drafted by Assistant Manager Seon-Hong Park and reviewed by Director Yoon. The final approval was supposed to be done by Gun-Ho.

“Good work.”

Gun-Ho firmly signed the paper. The approval system in Dyeon Korea for documents, which needed to be signed, was not implemented to get each manager’s signature in the chain of command after being drafted, such as Team Lead – Assistant Manager – Manager – Senior Manager – Director. Dyeon Korea adapted GH Mobile’s systems including their approval procedure, and it only required three people’s signatures—drafter, reviewer, and the final approver. GH Mobile had a simple approval system intending to speed up the approval procedure that had revolved around the mandatory screening process including ISO14000, TS16909, and SQ (a quality management system).

The papers that Gun-Ho just signed would be distributed to each department and also be posted on the notice board. Once they were posted on the board, the workers gathered in front of the board to find out what they were about.

“Gil-Hoon Bang for the chief research officer? Who is Gil-Hoon Bang? Oh, is that the old man who used to work at GH Mobile as their research center’s chief officer?”

“Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo has been assigned to the deputy chief research officer. Oh, you know what? He is actually working with two positions—deputy chief research officer and plant manager. Wow! He will gain a lot of power around here.”

“TFT with the purpose of obtaining the Inno-Biz certificate? Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong is leading the team. It seems like the ones who previously received the special training in the U.S. are being assigned to an important position. Let’s make a request to get the training in the U.S. for ourselves too.”

The workers noisily chatted while looking at the announcement.

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Chapter 600 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (1) – Part 1

Chapter 600: Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was sitting in his car heading to his home after work at Dyeon Korea. His Bentley departed Yeongin Town, Asan City, and it was entering the expressway at West Pyeongtaek IC after passing Sihwa Seawall. He would need to continue to drive in Seohaean Expressway until reaching another expressway connecting between Pyeongtaek and Anseong, and then he would take Gyeongbu Expressway. The traffic was usually light in these areas, and a lot of people enjoyed the speed while driving there. Chan-Ho was driving fast that day as well.

“Hey, Chan-Ho, why don’t you speed down a little bit? We could get caught by a speed camera.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you take a nap today?”

“No, sir, not today. I didn’t have a chance to do so. I had to take a call.”

“Really? You got a call from your girlfriend or someone?”

“No, sir. Tae-Young bro called me earlier.”

“Tae-Young Im?”

“It seemed that he received a call from Dyeon Korea’s general affairs manager.”

“Our general affairs manager?”

“He asked Tae-Young bro to stop by his office with my work contract.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Tae-Young bro thought that I was in some trouble at work, so that they wanted to talk to him about it.”

“Really?”

“And then he figured that my pay had increased by 7%.”

“I see.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You don’t have to thank me for it. Everyone in the management received their pay raise.”

“Well, still, thank you, sir. Once I receive my first increased pay next month, I’m going to buy dinner for Tae-Young bro in Sindang Town.”

While still heading home, Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“I just received a call from Dyeon Korea’s general affairs manager. He said that they would raise the pay for our truck drivers by 7%.”

“Oh, really? That’s nice.”

“My husband will visit Dyeon Korea tomorrow to meet with the general affairs manager to update some paperwork for it.”

“How many trucks are working for Dyeon Korean now?”

“We started with two trucks, but now, with the recently increased work, we sent four trucks there.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“My husband is contacting a milk-producing company these days to take over some of their transportation work.”

“Oh, really?”

“They use refrigerated trucks to deliver their milk, and they need ten more trucks like that.”

“So, they want to outsource the transportation work for ten trucks, huh?”

“It looks like it. My husband knows someone there. He is a director, and he is in charge of transportation, and they are from the same hometown. He said that he has known him for years.”

“Hmm, if you could get work from that company, you will need more trucks, and GH Logistics will grow accordingly.”

It was Wednesday.

Gun-Ho headed to Incheon International Airport accompanied by Chan-Ho Eum who was carrying Gun-Ho’s suitcase. He was supposed to meet Director Woon-Hak Sim there to fly to Shanghai City.

Director Woon-Hak Sim was wearing a riding jacket with jeans. Gun-Ho was wearing a business suit as usual. He had a bright-colored shirt inside his jacket that day.

“Chan-Ho, you can go now.”

Chan-Ho handed the suitcase to Gun-Ho and left after giving him a bow. Gun-Ho had cash in his bank account in China with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, but he decided to exchange 100 million won with Yuan. He then gave 2,000 Yuan to Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“Keep this in case you need it. You might need them to get a beverage when you feel thirsty.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“And this is your business card. You will be meeting new people in China, and you will need it. This is not your actual business card, but it roughly describes what you do.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim closely looked at the business card that Gun-Ho handed to him.

Gun-Ho added, “I put you in the position of the head of operations of the soap opera production department and its director in GH Media. GH Media is a small publishing company.”

“Oh, it’s an existing company. That’s good.”

Looking satisfied with his new but fake business card, Director Woon-Hak Sim put it in his wallet.

When they arrived in Shanghai, Gun-Ho made a call to Seukang Li.

“I just arrived at Pudong Airport. I will leave for the city hall now.”

“Sounds good. I will be here waiting for you.”

Gun-Ho and Director Sim took a taxi and headed to the city hall. Seukang Li was waiting for Gun-Ho there. He looked so happy to see his friend— Gun-Ho.

“Hey, President Goo!”

“Seukang Li! It’s really good to see you.”

The two men hugged each other.

Gun-Ho then introduced Director Sim to Seukang Li.

“This gentleman here is a famous soap opera production director in Korea.”

“Oh, really?”

Seukang Li extended his hand to Director Sim to have a handshake as he introduced himself to him.

“I’m the director of Shanghai City’s bureau of cultural affairs, radio broadcasting, film, television, media, and arts.”

Gun-Ho and Director Woon-Hak Sim sat on the sofa that Seukang Li showed them. The city hall’s female staff brought Longjing tea for them.

“You probably will like this tea. I will get you a box of this tea when you go back to Korea. You know what? I will just ask Jien Wang to send you this tea to you instead. It’s a famous regional product of the area where he is staying anyway.”

Director Sim was just sitting there while Gun-Ho and Seukang Li were conversing. He had no idea what they were talking about since they were speaking in Chinese.

‘President Goo speaks Chinese fluently. When did he learn the Chinese language?’

Director Sim felt pathetic about himself while sitting there without being able to say a word. He couldn’t stop comparing himself to Gun-Ho who seemed to be extremely wealthy and speak Chinese fluently like a native Chinese speaking man. He was envious of Gun-Ho.

Seukang Li said while checking the time by looking at his watch, “There is a nice restaurant called Huadao Canting in Yanan Zhonglu Street. It’s popular among Korean and Japanese people for their seafood dishes. Let’s eat over there. Well, we still have some time left.”

“Are you expecting someone?”

“Yeah. The president of a drama production company called Huanle Shiji will join us for lunch.”

“Huanle Shiji? I like the name.”

“They produced two dramas so far, and they are about to go broke, so they are not really feeling Huanle (happy and joyful) right now.”

“Haha, really?”

Seukang Li asked, “So, you got the bus line permit in Antang City, huh? I heard they went to Guilin to buy buses from Guilin Daewoo.”

“Yeah, they did. The last time I checked, the joint venture’s president was heading to Guilin to pick up the buses with the vice president and bus drivers. I believe they are already there by now.”

“I guess it will take several days before they can actually start providing bus services to the public. They will need to give the bus drivers an education and all that.”

“An education?”

“Haha. I’m not talking about getting them communist ideology education, but they will at least need to conduct some testing drive on the bus route, right?”

“Hmm, I guess so.”

“They need to advertise the opening of new bus service as well, like on its local newspaper in Antang City, and also place huge banners in busy streets, so, many people can learn about the new bus service.”

“Well, they will take care of whatever is necessary.”

“It’s almost time. Let’s head out to the restaurant. It’s within walking distance.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Gun-Ho, Seukang Li, and Director Sim walked out of the city hall and headed to the restaurant— Huadao Canting— on Yanan Zhonglu Street. There was a large fish tank in front of the restaurant, just like many restaurants in Korea, which specialized in raw fish dishes. Various types of fishes were playing inside the fish tank. Several restaurant staff was scooping up fish from the fish tank with a net. It seemed that they were actually using those fishes in the fish tank, to cook.

When they entered the restaurant, Seukang Li said to the receptionist, “There must be a reservation made for Huanle Shiji.” The restaurant was huge. The receptionist lady said, “Please come with me. Someone is waiting for you.”

The three men followed the receptionist lady to a private room. A round table was placed in the middle of the room with chairs, and two gentlemen were sitting at the table.

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Chapter 601 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (1) – Part 2

Chapter 601: Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (1) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho’s party entered the room, those two men quickly stood up to greet them.

Seukang Li introduced one of the men to Gun-Ho, “This is President Baogang Chen of Huanle Shiji Production Company.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Baogang Chen for a handshake.

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo from Korea.”

Baogang Chen introduced the man who he came with, “This is Yan Wu. He is our director.”

Yan Wu gave his business card to Gun-Ho, Seukang Li, and Director Woon-Hak Sim. Gun-Ho thought that it must be the first time for Seukang Li as well to meet this Yan Wu person since he also gave his business card to Seukang Li.

Gun-Ho introduced Director Woon-Hak Sim to those two men.

“This is Director Woon-Hak Sim. He is a famous Korean soap opera production director. He wanted to meet with people in China, who are in the entertainment industry, so I brought him with me.”

Seukang Li introduced Gun-Ho to President Chen and Director Wu again with more details.

“President Goo has several companies in Korea. He is the chairman of GH companies. I personally asked him to have some interest in the drama production field in Shanghai since the industry is hot these days. Thankfully, he made time to visit me today. If you have anything that you’d like to talk to him about, this is your chance to do so.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho asked in his fluent Chinese, “Mr. President Chen and Mr. Director Li, have you known each other for a long time?”

Baogang Chen responded, “Yes. We’ve been friends from childhood. I’m close to Jien Wang as well.”

“Oh, I see. I was actually beginning to wonder if Director Li was a major shareholder of Huanle Shiji.”

“Well, I can’t outrightly deny that he is a shareholder, but I can’t admit that he is one of my company’s shareholders either.”

“What do you mean?”

At that moment, the food started coming out. There were raw fish dishes and deep-fried seafood as well. After tasting some food a little bit, Seukang Li elaborated what President Chen said, “Since you are Korean, I will just tell you honestly, hoping this doesn’t become an issue here. My father actually owns his company’s shares of 30%. He gladly invested in his company since he is my childhood friend. Now, he is at risk of losing his money that he has saved up in his entire life.”

Gun-Ho thought of Minister Jin-Woo Lee instantly.

‘I guess Seukang Li tried the same tactic that Minister Jin-Woo Lee is doing right now with my company. He was probably making slush funds for his political activities by investing in his friend’s company using his father’s name. Even though China has extremely strict censorship on the contents of soap operas, it shouldn’t have mattered for them because Seukang Li is the director of the relevant government bureau, and he will watch his back. I guess his friend is not talented in producing soap operas. He still failed even with the help of the director of the bureau of cultural affairs, radio broadcasting, film, television, media, and arts. Maybe he produced a soap opera that presented a lopsided view of certain things like by overly emphasizing nationalism or something.’

Gun-Ho just nodded his head without making any comments.

Gun-Ho picked up his chopsticks and tried to have a piece of raw fish when Baogang Chen asked him, “By the way, Mr. President Goo, you speak Chinese fluently. Where did you learn your Chinese?”

“I actually went to college here in China— Zhejiang University.”

“Oh, I see. That makes sense then. Well, try this deep-fried shrimp. It’s very tasty.”

President Chen pulled the plate and placed it in front of Gun-Ho.

“How many dramas have you completed so far?”

“We produced two. One is currently on air, but both of them had low ratings.”

“I guess that incurred some loss on your part.”

“Right. I used to work for a broadcasting station, and I think I should have been more careful when I decided to start my own business. I guess I was recklessly enthusiastic.”

“Director Woon-Hak Sim, who is sitting next to me, also used to work in a broadcasting station.”

“But Director Sim hasn’t failed his business, has he? Are you currently producing a soap opera, Mr. Director Sim?”

Gun-Ho interpreted what President Chen just said for Director Sim, and Director Sim smiled bitterly when he understood his question.

‘I wish I didn’t. Look, I’m broke completely. I now have to live with a bad credit score.’

Gun-Ho said while eating, “Since you failed two dramas in a row, I guess that no one would be willing to invest in your production business. I suppose that you don’t have enough funds left to produce another drama either.”

“Well, that’s why I asked a famous drama writer to give me his manuscript so I could produce a drama based on it. I’ve known this writer since I had worked at a broadcasting station as a PD. I told him about my situation and asked for help, and he gave me his manuscript without hesitation.”

“Hmm, really? Is it a modern drama?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Were those two soap operas that you produced so far were modern dramas as well?”

“The first one was a war drama against Japan.”

“China’s war drama against Japan is usually stale. There must be many battle scenes where one Chinese soldier from the People’s Liberation Army successfully fought against ten Japanese soldiers. Many young viewers are probably fed up with those scenes by now.”

When Gun-Ho gave his opinion about China’s anti-Japan war dramas, Seukang Li, President Chen, and Director Wu laughed out loud. Director Sim, who didn’t understand Chinese, was the only one without laughter. He was just sitting at the table blinking.

Someone ordered beers, and a restaurant staff lady came into the room and filled up each person’s empty glass with beer.

After gulping his beer, Gun-Ho asked, “How do you plan to receive investment funds if you have an investor who is willing to make an investment in your business?”

“The company is already established, so a form of joint venture wouldn’t be feasible. So, I was thinking of transferring the company’s shares to the investor in exchange for his investment funds.”

“Does your company have assets?”

“I’m sorry, but there is no asset. We have fifteen great workers and our expertise and know-hows. That’s all we have.”

Seukang Li chipped in.

“The investments that you have made in China so far are all relatively safe bets. The Jinxi Industrial Park in Kunshan City, that we did together and Antang City’s terminal business that you are doing right now were safe investments because the Chinese partner brought real estate as their investment-in-kind. So, you could make your investment with an easy mind. However, this drama production business is different. It is a highly risky business, but it could be extremely lucrative if it succeeds. There is no guarantee that this business would succeed though.”

“I understand that.”

“I like Korean soap operas and dramas. They make them so interesting and fun to watch. Their editing techniques are amazing. I strongly believe that if we combine Gun-Ho Goo’s funds, and Korea’s advanced techniques and expertise in producing a drama, with China’s manpower in producing a soap opera or a TV drama series, their third try will definitely succeed.”

“Hmm.”

“If you are interested in getting into this interesting industry, please seriously think about it. As Professor Jien Wang said, Jinxi Industrial Park and Antang City’s terminal project is a Cash Cow business. When you were thinking of investing in those two businesses, I told you that you wouldn’t lose money, but you would absolutely make profits even though you might not hit a jackpot. But this time, I can’t guarantee anything even if you decide to make your investment in this industry. No one would be able to guarantee a success in the drama production industry, and that’s the reality.”

“Hmm, I understand what you mean, Director Li. Can I ask how much capital was infused when Huanle Shiji Production Company was established?”

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Chapter 602 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (2) – Part 1

Chapter 602: Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (2) – Part 1

Huanle Shiji’s President Chen swallowed what he had in his mouth before answering Gun-Ho’s question.

“We started with 1 million dollars.”

“You must have debts as well, so I believe that the company currently has impaired capital.”

“To be honest with you, yes, you are correct. That’s the company’s current financial situation.”

“You have produced two dramas so far, and both of them didn’t do well. I believe that getting crowdfunding wouldn’t be an option for your company either.”

“I suppose so.”

Gun-Ho said while having his beer, “I’d like to take a look at Huanle Shiji’s financial statements. I want to see its current accounts payable as of today.”

“I will need to ask the accounting staff for it.”

“If you could email me with the financial statements, I would appreciate it. I will need it in order to make my decision. You will find my email address on my business card.”

“Of course. I will send it to you as soon as it becomes ready.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim, who had been having the food quietly while sitting at the corner of the table since he couldn’t understand the conversation going on in Chinese, asked, “Mr. Director Wu, do you direct TV dramas yourself?”

Gun-Ho interpreted for Director Wu.

“Mr. President Chen directed the two dramas that we produced so far. I’m the director of a drama progress. Since we have a limited number of staff, I get involved in creating graphics as well.”

“If so, I guess that Mr. President Chen usually cast actors and actresses as well.”

“That’s right, but I had cast extra actors and actresses myself too when necessary.”

“It must be immensely expensive to cast a top star here in China as well, isn’t it?”

“Oh, my gosh. Don’t get me started. It does indeed cost an extremely substantial amount of money to cast a top star. As a matter of fact, one of the main reasons why we are financially suffering right now is because of the amount of money that we paid to the actors who starred in our dramas. It is a must to have a top star in your TV dramas because without them, you can’t expect to have high ratings.”

“You said earlier that you already have the manuscript for your next TV drama, which was written by a famous writer. Did you already cast actors and actresses for it?”

“No, not yet. It’s going to be a daily TV drama. We haven’t organized the production team for it yet, and we don’t have a planned schedule yet either. We are in the very beginning stage now.”

“Hmm, I see. Do you usually lease a studio for shooting?”

“We lease an empty space only, and we build our own studio.”

“Does a broadcasting station in China subsidize the production cost for outsourcing a drama production like 100%?”

“No, not 100%. They do provide some subsidy though, but definitely not 100%. What about Korea?”

“Same as China, I guess. Drama production companies in Korea earn their profits mostly by selling their content to a global market and also by selling original soundtracks. They can’t totally rely on the broadcasting station’s subsidy.”

“We do that too.”

Director Sim picked up a piece of deep-fried shrimps and said, “Do you mind if I take a look at the synopsis of the manuscript that you mentioned earlier that a famous Chinese writer wrote?”

“No problem, but it’s written in Chinese. Will it be okay?”

“If you could send it to me, I will have it translated into Korean. If you don’t have the synopsis prepared yet, maybe the first 50 pages of the manuscript should be good.”

“The first 50 pages?”

When Director Wu looked surprised, Gun-Ho smiled and said, “Director Sim asked for 50 pages which should be the amount of content when it is translated into the Korean language. It must be about 30 pages in the original Chinese version. A translated version tends to be longer than the original one.”

“I see. Sure, I will do that. I will send it to you via email as well.”

Listening to the request that Gun-Ho and Director Sim made, Director Li laughed and said, “You are indeed a businessman, President Goo. You want to review Huanle Shiji Production Company’s financial statements and its next TV drama’s synopsis first before you make your decision. Of course, that’s the ideal attitude of an investor, I guess. If I were you, President Goo, I would have done the same. Well, I guess we are pretty much done with business talking for today.”

“Well, since we are here, can I take a look at Huanle Shiji’s office?”

President Chen laughed and said, “I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. President Goo, from Director Li. I was told that you own several factories that generate 100 million dollars per year. Huanle Shiji is a small production company with 15 workers. There is nothing much to look at there. I don’t think you want to visit the office.”

At that moment, Director Sim chipped in unexpectedly with a question.

“Is Shanghai’s Yingshi Leyuan far from here?”

“Yingshi Leyuan?”

Gun-Ho had never heard of the name of the place. Noticing that Gun-Ho had no idea what it was, Director Sim briefly explained to him about the place.

“It’s a very famous Shanghai film park. It’s one of the top ten movie locations in China. I’ve always wanted to visit the place. Since I am in Shanghai, I definitely want to go there.”

Director Wu answered, “It’s not far from here at all. It’s situated in the suburb of Shanghai City—Chedun Town in Songjiang District. You can freely enter the park after purchasing an admission ticket.”

“Oh, so anyone could enter the film park with a ticket.”

“Right. It’s open to the public. The place had been reproduced with traditional houses and streets of 1930s China. You won’t regret visiting there. You probably heard of the Chinese movie— Lust, Caution, right? It was played in Korea as well. Lust, Caution was filmed in Yingshi Leyuan. The Chinese TV drama series— Romance in the Rain— was also shot there too.”

“Hmm, I see.”

President Chen chipped in with one more movie-related place to visit.

“You might want to visit Wuxi City as well. It’s a city that you can find above Suzhou City. They have Wuxi Film Studio where many historical movies were filmed. Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the Outlaws of the Marsh were all filmed there.”

Director Seukang Li added, “When you visit Wuxi City, why don’t you pick up President Min-Hyeok Kim in Suzhou City, on the way? You visited China multiple times, but you haven’t really gone sightseeing. And maybe you want to have some fun in China this time.”

“Haha. That’s right. Maybe I should spend some time here for pleasure, not just business.”

Gun-Ho said to Seukang Li, “Well, let’s call it a day. I will give you a call after I review Huanle Shiji Production Company’s financial statements, their second drama that is currently on air, and also the next drama’s synopsis.”

“Sounds good. I do believe that the next drama will succeed by using Korea’s production techniques and working with Korean actors or actresses. I hope you carefully review the possibility and render a favorable decision.”

“Okay, I will do that. It’s you, Director Li, who introduced this investment opportunity to me, so I will, of course, will review it favorably.”

Gun-Ho parted from Seukang Li, President Chen, and Director Wu and went out on the street.

Nanjing Dong Lu (Nanjing east road) was packed with people.

“Whoa. There are too many people out here.”

Gun-Ho was surprised and also complained about the busy street. Director Sim laughed and said, “China is a country with more than 1 billion population. Of course, its streets are filled with people.”

“I keep getting bumped with people. Let’s get into a hotel. I see a business sign for a hotel over there. It says ‘Central Hotel.’”

“That looks pretty expensive.”

Gun-Ho entered the Central Hotel without hesitation and reserved two rooms.

Gun-Ho handed a room key to Director Sim and said, “This is the key for your room. It’s up to you whether you want to take a rest in the room, or go out and have your fun. Let’s meet at the lobby at 6 pm for dinner.”

“I can visit Yingshi Leyuan myself if you prefer to stay in a hotel and take a rest, sir.”

“No, I will go with you. Let’s visit that film park tomorrow, and take a good rest for the remaining day. I want to lay down on the bed. Maybe it’s the beer that I had during lunch.”

“No problem, sir.”

“This hotel seems to have a sauna facility. You might want to relax while taking a sauna.”

“That’s nice.”

“Well, I will go up to my room now. I will see you later.”

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Chapter 603 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (2) – Part 2

Chapter 603: Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (2) – Part 2

Once Gun-Ho entered his hotel room, he made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim.

“Oh, President Goo. The phone seems to have good reception. I feel like you are somewhere very close to where I am.”

“Yeah, I’m in Shanghai City right now. I came to meet Director Li.”

“Oh, really? Why didn’t you tell me? I could have picked you up at Pudong Airport.”

“That’s okay. You have work to do.”

“I have competent workers here, and they can handle the work without me. I will go to Shanghai this evening. I want to see you.”

“Well, if you insist, why don’t you come tomorrow then? I’m going to a film park tomorrow.”

“A film park?”

“Yeah. You haven’t been to a film park called Yingshi Leyuan, in Shanghai, have you?”

“No, I haven’t. I heard of a film studio in Wuxi City though. I was thinking of visiting that place someday when I’m off, but I have never heard of any film location in Shanghai.”

“I was told that the film park in Shanghai presents the era when Japan occupied China while the one in Wuxi City is a film studio recreating the ancient times.”

“I see. Okay, then, I will come to Shanghai with my car tomorrow morning at 9 am. We can visit Shanghai Film Park first and go to Wuxi City in the afternoon.”

“It’s going to be a long day tomorrow. We will have to walk a lot.”

“If we feel too tired, maybe we could spend the night in Suzhou City on the way to Wuxi City.”

“Yeah. Let’s see how things turn out tomorrow. I’m staying at the Central Hotel in Nanjing Dong Lu. You can pick me up here.”

“Okay, I will do that. By the way, why did Director Li want to see you?”

“He is asking me to make an investment in the drama production business.”

“Drama production business?”

“Yeah. I had a meeting with a drama production company’s president and their director.”

“Whoa, President Goo is now getting into the drama and movie production industry? You have business in the manufacturing industry, publishing industry, arts, and logistics. You just started the intercity bus service business, and now you are even expanding your business to the drama production industry. You can combine those businesses into a group and call it GH Group.”

“Nah, I still have a long way to go until I could form a group.”

“It’s time for you to take a position of chairman, managing each of your companies’ presidents who is running each business. Sometimes I feel awkward to call you ‘President Goo.’ I’m President Kim, and you have many other presidents in your GH companies working for you. You should take a more descriptive position title showing you are the boss of all those presidents.”

“Hey, I’m not even 40 yet. And I don’t have any company that is registered with KOSDAQ yet. It’s too early to form a group with those companies.”

“So, how was the meeting? Does the drama production business look interesting? Do you like it? You have amazing intuition in business. You probably already know what you are going to do with it by now.”

“I don’t know yet. I actually came with a drama director from Seoul.”

“Really? You flew to Shanghai with him?”

“Yeah. Since this is a totally new field for me, I needed someone who has extensive expertise in this particular industry. I wanted to hear from an expert.”

“That’s good. You don’t have to be the smartest person or someone who knows everything. You can borrow someone’s brain when you need it.”

“Haha, that’s what YS used to say.”

“I do totally agree with him. Anyway, I will be there by 9 am tomorrow.”

“Okay. I will see you then.”

The following morning, Gun-Ho and Director Woon-Hak Sim had their breakfast in a restaurant inside the hotel.

“Sir, are we taking the subway to get Shanghai Yingshi Leyuan?”

“No, someone will be here with a car.”

“A car, sir? Did you rent a car?”

“No, I have an auto parts manufacturing factory in Suzhou City above Shanghai; it’s called GH Parts Company. That company’s president will be here by 9 am to pick us up. It’s almost 9 am.”

“Oh, I see. So, you have a company in Suzhou City as well.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim was astonished thinking that Gun-Ho was probably a lot wealthier than he thought.

Around 9 am, Gun-Ho and Director Woon-Hak Sim came down to the lobby carrying their suitcases to check out.

“Are you ready to leave? Make sure that you didn’t forget anything in your room. We are checking out now.”

“Yes, I’m ready, sir.”

“President Goo!”

Gun-Ho turned around to see who that was. Min-Hyeok Kim, who was wearing a comfortable outfit, was waving at him.

“Oh, President Kim!”

“How are you?”

“I’m well. Oh, this is Director Woon-Hak Sim. We traveled together from Seoul.”

“Pleasure to meet you, sir. I’m Min-Hyeok Kim.”

When Min-Hyeok gave his business card to Director Sim, Director Sim was thinking about giving his business card to him as well, and then he decided against it. President Kim was working for one of the GH companies, and he didn’t want to confuse him by giving him his fake business card with his non-existent position in GH Media.

Min-Hyeok introduced himself to Director Sim with more details.

“I’m running an auto part manufacturing company in Suzhou City— GH Parts Company. President Goo owns 100% of the shares of the company. We have about 100 workers.”

“100 workers? Wow, it’s a big company. I’m sorry that I don’t have my business card with me right now.”

“I was told that you are heading to Shanghai Film Park— Yingshi Leyuan. My chauffeur knows how to get there. We can leave now.”

“Hmm, I guess we will have to buy four admission tickets.”

“Four? Is one more person joining us?”

“No, your chauffeur will join us to the film park.”

“Haha. I thought you had another guest with you.”

Gun-Ho, Director Sim, and Min-Hyeok Kim got into the Audi and headed out to Shanghai Film Park.

The film park indeed looked like Shanghai during the Japanese occupation in the 1930s. Since the buildings and streets were created for a film shooting, not for actual use, Gun-Ho wasn’t very impressed. However, Director Sim seemed to admire the settings.

He constantly nodded his head while walking around.

“This is very nice. This is very well built.”

He took a lot of pictures of the place as well.

“The street looks very familiar.”

Gun-Ho laughed when he saw certain spots that he saw on a movie or a TV drama.

“So, they were truly all shot in this place. That’s right. Tang Wei in Lust, Caution got in and off a three-wheeled rickshaw over there. Huh? That rickshaw in the movie is there.”

Min-Hyeok suggested taking pictures together on the street that looked like a street in the 1930s, and the three men— Gun-Ho, Min-Hyeok Kim, and Director Sim— posed for a photo.

After taking a picture, Director Sim asked Gun-Ho about the letter written in the admission ticket.

“What does this mean?”

“It said ‘Mu.’”

“It says that this place is 1,200 mu large. How many pyung would it be then?”

“One mu is approximately 200 pyung. So, 1,200 mu would be about 240,000 pyung large.”

“Whoa! Did you say 240,000 pyung? It’s enormous.”

“We have a big film studio complex in Namyangju City, Gyeonggi Province. I believe that one is larger than this one.”

“Here is flat land. The structures here are very well laid out and well presented in an efficient way.”

Director Sim looked fascinated with the place while looking at the street that looked like the one during the 1930s.

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Chapter 604 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (3) – Part 1

Chapter 604: Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (3) – Part 1

After completing their tour in Shanghai Film Park—Yingshi Leyuan—Gun-Ho, Min-Hyeok Kim, and Director Woon-Hak Sim headed to Wuxi City for their next tour stop.

Once they got into the car, the three men fell asleep right away and started snoring. Their morning at Shanghai Film Park must have been tiring. The park was huge, and they had to walk a lot.

After quite a while, they arrived in Wuxi City. It took at least two hours of driving to get there.

“Oh, it’s already past lunchtime.”

Wuxi City was situated in the southern part of Jiangsu Province in the Yangtze River delta area. It was sitting next to Suzhou City, and it had 6.5 million populations. There was a huge freshwater lake called Lake Tai, and it made the place suitable to shoot the famous novels which were made to TV series later, like Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the Outlaws of the Marsh.

“Let’s eat something simple before we go into Wuxi Film Studio. Do you want to have some dumplings for our late lunch? We can have a nice dinner after finishing our tour at the film studio.”

“Sounds good.”

The four gentlemen including the chauffeur went into a fast-food restaurant across the street from the film studio. It was called Kuaican. They ordered dumplings and twisted breadsticks.

“I feel much better after eating something even though this is not fancy food.”

While having dumplings, the chauffeur said, “I saw the ticket booth on the way. The Menpiao (admission ticket) costs 210 Yuan per person. It’s pretty expensive. They charge even more than Shanghai Film Park—Yingshi Leyuan.”

“Hmm? Really? So, it would be 840 Yuan for four people. It’s about 150,000 Korean won. It is quite pricey.”

Gun-Ho took out his wallet and gave 1,000 Yuan to the chauffeur.

“Can you get us four admission tickets?”

“Sure, sir.”

Min-Hyeok Kim, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, jumped out of his chair.

“No way! Put away your wallet! The admission tickets are on me.”

“President Kim, why don’t you buy us dinner later then? I got this one.”

After a moment, the chauffeur came back holding four tickets.

“Here is the change, sir.”

Gun-Ho smiled and didn’t take the change from the chauffeur.

“You can use that change to get a cold drink or something.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The chauffeur gave Gun-Ho a slight nod to show his gratitude.

Even though it was expensive to get into the film studio, the place was packed with people. Several groups of people came on a tourist bus. They were probably a group of tourists coming all the way from other cities. There was the place where the main character in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms had the famous Peach Garden Oath. Also, Gun-Ho saw warrior figures. They were the top greatest warriors in the same series—Romance of the Three Kingdoms. They were standing majestically, holding a weapon with dignity. The one figure that drew Gun-Ho’s attention was Zhuge Liang’s. He was wearing a traditional robe with a hand fan in his hand, which was made of peacock feathers.

“Oh, look at the palace over there.”

“It’s the palace of the Kingdom of Wu—the emperor Sun Quan’s.”

Around Lake Tai, Cao Cao’s warships were anchored.

“Wow. This is the Lake of Tai, huh? Is it really a lake? Not the ocean or a reservoir? It’s huge.”

Min-Hyeok explained, “I just heard what the Korean tour guide said about the lake. He said that its size is larger than Jeju Island, and it is several times bigger than Seoul City.”

Being mesmerized by the lake, Gun-Ho was staring at Lake Tai when the chauffeur added more surprising facts to the explanation.

“It is a freshwater lake, but you can see ocean-like waves there. Even seaweeds are growing there.”

“How can that be possible? As you said, it’s a freshwater lake.”

“That’s because the lake’s size is so big that it is affected by the gravitation of the Moon. Do you see the waves there?”

“Oh, I see.”

Many tourists got on the ship anchored there and spent time taking pictures. They seemed to prefer to take pictures in the control room, which looked like the place where Cao Cao was sitting in during the Battle of Red Cliffs. Gun-Ho was thinking about joining them and take pictures but decided not to because there were just too many people there already.

Gun-Ho’s party moved on to Tang Cheng. The area was relatively quiet. The two most popular and busiest areas were the places where the Romance of Three Kingdoms and the Outlaws of the Marsh were filmed. It was Gun-Ho’s lucky day though. He could watch the actual film shooting that day. The camera was rolling when he arrived at the next spot—Tang Cheng. Gun-Ho looked at the main actress. Her face was not that pretty for an actress, but she had a gorgeous body. And her profile was stunning.

“She must feel hot with those thick outfits.”

Once a cut ended, the extra actors in a soldier outfit gathered under a shade to take a break. They placed their swords and shields beside the palace wall. The swords were painted in shiny silver color. Gun-Ho picked up one of them. It wasn’t made of plastic as Gun-Ho initially expected, but it was a wooden sword.

“Huh? They are made of wood.”

Gun-Ho laughed while holding a sword. One of the extra actors, who was sitting under the shade, quickly stood up and yelled at Gun-Ho, “Mister, do not touch it.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Gun-Ho put down the sword. Gun-Ho noticed that a few swords among many of them seemed to be real swords made of metal. These real swords were probably being used to make real effects of the swords while colliding and making clunking sounds.

Gun-Ho’s party visited the next area where the Outlaws of the Marsh was filmed. They were eating the Chinese pancakes that Wuda Lang sold in the series when they heard other tourists shouting ‘Pan Jinlian.’ They were running to a certain spot while shouting the name.

“That’s Pan Jinlian!”

“Pan Jinlian?”

Gun-Ho was certain that he heard that name from somewhere. While trying to recall who it was, Gun-Ho followed the crowd. There was a traditional house with a flag saying ‘The House of Pan Jinlian.”

“Oh, Pan Jinlian!”

Pan Jinlian was the name of the temptress in the Outlaws of the Marsh. She was the wife of Wuda Lang who was selling Chinese pancakes. She had an affair with the rich man—Ximen Qing—in the series. She was famous for her beauty. Her husband—Wuda Lang—caught them in the act of adultery, but he ended up being beaten to death by Ximen Qing.

Gun-Ho, Min-Hyeok Kim, and Director Woon-Hak Sim entered Pan Jinlian’s house, following the crowd. A woman, who was wearing Pan Jinlian’s dress with heavy make-up, was sitting on a chair. The woman put an artificial wart on her jaw in an effort to look sexier. She was holding a hand fan in her hand. The tourists were competing to take a picture with this woman. They charged 10 Yuan to take one picture with her. Gun-Ho thought that Chinese people were genius in coming up with an idea of making money.

Min-Hyeok Kim, who was standing next to Gun-Ho, suddenly started laughing out loud.

“Hahaha. Look at the old woman sitting next to Pan Jinlian. She is supposed to be the old matchmaker lady—Mrs. Wang.”

Gun-Ho looked at the woman who Min-Hyeok indicated. She indeed looked like an old woman just as depicted in the TV series, and she was holding a cane as if she was confirming that she was an old lady.

After having their fun at the Wuxi Film Studio, Gun-Ho’s party headed to Suzhou City.

Min-Hyeok Kim already reserved rooms for Gun-Ho and Director Sim at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. After checking in and leaving their suitcases in the room, they came down to the lobby. And then, they followed Min-Hyeok Kim to a luxurious restaurant. It was a traditional Chinese restaurant where people could enjoy live music. When Gun-Ho arrived there, a musician in a Chinese traditional dress was playing the Chinese traditional musical instrument—Huqin.

“Wow, this is amazing.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim’s eyes widened while looking around the restaurant.

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Chapter 605 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (3) – Part 2

Chapter 605: Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (3) – Part 2

Min-Hyeok said, “President Goo, Dingding will join us for dinner. When I told her that you would be here, she wanted to be here too. She will arrive soon.”

“Haha, that’s nice.”

After a moment, a tall and slender woman in qipao walked into the restaurant. It was Dingding.

“Mr. President Goo! It’s really good to see you!”

Dingding extended her hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake. China had a different culture from Korea, and it was common practice for a woman to ask a man for a handshake to greet.

“You seem to become more and more sophisticated.”

“Haha, thank you, I guess. Why don’t you come with your wife on your next visit to China? She will like it here. Suzhou is a popular tourist destination, offering a lot of tourist attractions.”

“Maybe I should when I have a chance to do so.”

Gun-Ho then introduced Dingding to Director Sim.

“This lady is President Kim’s wife. She used to teach English at Shanghai International School before she married President Kim. She is Han Chinese. She is running a business right now.”

“Oh, really?”

When Dingding started talking to Director Sim in her fluent English to make a conversation with him, Director Sim waved his hand, saying he couldn’t understand a thing.

Min-Hyeok Kim explained further to Director Sim about his wife’s job, “My wife is running a sales company here, of Dyeon Korea. The company is selling raw materials of synthetic rubbers called elastomers and also plastics. Dyeon Korea is a joint venture company with the global enterprise—Lymondell Dyeon—in the U.S. President Goo owns half of the joint venture, and Lymondell Dyeon owns the other half.”

“Is that right?”

Director Sim learned again how rich and able Gun-Ho was.

The food came out. Most of the dishes that were coming out one by one were new to Director Sim. Director Sim didn’t like the food on the street that they had earlier, but the dishes in this restaurant were very tasty. He liked every single one of them. The expensive Chinese liquor—Baiju—was served as well. They had a long day as they traveled a good distance from Shanghai to Wuxi and to Suzhou City, not to mention that they had to walk a lot. For some reason, they were all able to drink several glasses of strong liquor.

“I don’t know why, but I think I can drink more and more today.”

“Well, it’s your drinking day then. Have as much as you want.”

“Bottoms up!”

“Sure!”

They clinked their glasses of Baiju to each other’s. While drinking, Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok Kim maintained good posture. Min-Hyeok said to Gun-Ho, “Since you are here, I should give you a work report.”

“You don’t have to. We can do it later.”

“Well, I will make it brief then. Our current monthly sales revenue is about 850 million won. We will reach 10 billion won by the end of this year.”

“Hmm, really? You did excellent work.”

Dingding had her own report as well. She said with a smile while clinking her glass to Gun-Ho’s, “Let me make my report. We are selling 90 tons right now, and we are working hard to achieve 100 tons.”

“You are getting the materials for 4.6 million won per ton, right? The yearly sales must be about 5 billion won then. This is the first year of the sales company, and you are doing great. Thank you for your hard work.”

Gun-Ho and Dingding clinked their glasses of liquor again to each other’s. Director Sim, who didn’t understand Chinese, couldn’t understand the conversation between Gun-Ho and Dingding, and he was just sitting there focusing on having the food.

Director Sim liked it when Min-Hyeok was talking since he always spoke in Korean. Min-Hyeok said to Gun-Ho, “So you had a meeting with the people from the drama production company, huh?”

“Yeah. The company’s name is Huanle Shiji. I’ve met its president and director.”

“How was it? Did you decide whether you would make your investment in them?”

“Well, if I invest in them right now, there is a good chance that they would use my investment funds to pay their creditors since they are being harassed by them for their debts. I want the funds that I would invest in their production company to be used in producing a drama.”

“Hmm, that sounds like a problem.”

“If the amount of their debts is small enough for me to ignore, I can just let it go. However, if they have a substantial amount of debts, I will have to think again considering other factors, or decide to skip this investment opportunity.”

“Hmm, I see.”

While having a conversation with Gun-Ho in Korean, Min-Hyeok didn’t forget to interpret the conversation for his wife—Dingding. He didn’t want his wife to feel bored or excluded. Gun-Ho was surprised by Min-Hyeok’s fluent Chinese.

‘I’m sure he wasn’t that good until last year. His Chinese improved so significantly that he sounds more fluent than me now. Is that because he is living with a Chinese woman?’

Min-Hyeok said as he filled up Gun-Ho’s empty glass with liquor, “So, you want to invest in their new drama production that they will shoot soon, huh?”

“That’s my plan. That’s why Director Sim here requested them to send the synopsis of their next drama to us. Usually, Chinese dramas are not very fun to watch, so it will need some touch-ups from our side.”

“Hmm, you have the expert in the field. I’m sure he will give you valuable professional opinions about it.”

Min-Hyeok continued, “The terminal project that Jae-Sik is participating in requires a significant amount of investment funds, doesn’t it? Since it’s involved in a building construction.”

“It’s a 50 million dollar project. I need to send them 25 million dollars on my part.”

“25 million dollars? It’s more than 25 billion Korean won. I suppose that it will take a long time to recover your original investment. Since it’s a Cash Cow business, you won’t lose your investment funds, but your funds will be tied up for quite a while.”

“I believe so, but I have a plan.”

“Jae-Sik seems to be expecting his wife to join him in China soon.”

“I think so. His wife is now seven months pregnant, and they are preparing to give birth in China.”

“Haha. If he was in the U.S. and his wife gave birth there, their child would become a U.S. citizen automatically according to their birthright citizenship. But since China doesn’t follow that, having a baby here won’t give them anything.”

“Well, it still could give a lot of benefits to the baby. The baby will know and understand China better by being born on Chinese soil and growing up here.”

“You are right. That’s not bad at all.”

“Jae-Sik’s couple had an ultrasound, and they will have a daughter. It was confirmed by the hospital that we will have a son.”

At that moment, Min-Hyeok interpreted the conversation to his wife— Dingding—and he added at the end, “Dingding, let’s have a baby. We want to grow our family too, don’t we?”

Dingding smiled without giving him any word on it, but instead, she lightly hit Min-Hyeok’s shoulder with her small wrist.

Dingding seemed to know more about Gun-Ho’s family, and she asked, “You said your wife is a medical doctor, isn’t she?”

“That’s correct.”

“It is a nice occupation. In China, a medical doctor is well respected too. I hope I could meet her in person someday.”

“We will have our chance to get together. The thing is that my wife doesn’t like to travel. That’s one obstacle that I need to overcome or she has to. Well, she still did her medical volunteer work in Africa for two years though.”

“Oh, she stayed in Africa for her volunteer work? She should be well respected for her commitment.”

Min-Hyeok noticed Director Sim feeling excluded while Gun-Ho, Min-Hyeok, and Dinding were having a conversation in Chinese. Min-Hyeok interpreted their conversation in Korean for Director Sim.

“President Goo’s wife is a medical doctor, and she spent two years in Africa doing her medical volunteer work.”

“Oh, really? President Goo’s wife is a doctor?”

“You didn’t know? Yes, she is a medical doctor, and she is currently working at the Seoul National University Hospital.”

“Oh, I see. It seems that both of you—Mr. President Min-Hyeok Kim and Mr. President Goo—are married to great ladies.”

Director Sim thought this time that Gun-Ho was not just a man with a lot of money, but he was a gentleman with high social status.

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Chapter 606 - Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (1) – Part 1

Chapter 606: Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (1) – Part 1

It was almost mid-September.

Gun-Ho was getting back to his routine after coming back from his recent trip to China to meet Seukang Li. Huanle Shiji Production Company hadn’t sent their financial statements to Gun-Ho yet. Gun-Ho was still waiting for it, but there was no reason that he would lose his patience on it. Gun-Ho’s focus stayed on his two major companies—GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea. But, it was different for Director Woon-Hak Sim. He was running out of patience.

“Umm, is it Mr. President Goo?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Sir, this is Director Woon-Hak Sim. I was wondering if you have heard from Huanle Shiji Production Company in China.”

“No, I haven’t heard anything from them yet.”

“Given their current situation, I thought that they wanted to find their investor as soon as possible. It’s weird that they haven’t contacted you yet. You are their chance to revive their business.”

“Let’s see how things turn out. It doesn’t really matter to me whether I would get into the drama production industry or not.”

“Yes, sir. I will just wait and see what they have to say.”

For Director Woon-Hak Sim, who was suffering from his creditors’ harassment, Gun-Ho’s involvement with that production company in China was critical since it was seemingly the only hope for him.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in Antang City, China.

“We picked up three express buses, and the bus drivers already finished their trial, driving the bus routes. We will have our business opening ceremony this Friday.

“Really? That’s nice.”

“In the meantime, we advertised the upcoming new bus service in the local newspaper twice, and we also placed advertising banners here and there. On the side of our buses, we wrote our joint venture’s name—’Antang GH Transportation.’ I’ve been asked a lot what GH stands for.”

“Haha, really?”

“The Chinese partners set a new waiting area that would be used by our bus passengers only at the corner of the current waiting room at the terminal. It’s neat and luxurious. They even placed a big screen TV there too.”

“I see. By the way, why does the opening ceremony have to be on Friday, not Monday?”

“We are expecting to have more passengers on Saturday and Sunday, so if we open the business on Friday, we can start serving customers the next day—Saturday.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“We are still waiting for the approval from the municipal government, on the bus fares. We can’t just determine our bus fare price, but we need their approval. The municipal government needs to do its negotiation with Guiyang City on it before approving the price. Then, we can finally print out our bus tickets.”

“Hmm, is that so? What do they do during the opening ceremony in China? Will they also place a pig head on a table and make a deep bow to it, just like we did when we opened GH Logistics?”

“Haha, no, man. They will have a tape cutting ceremony. Executive officers from the transportation department and the transportation company’s president will be there. Once they cut the tape, they will wish luck and safety to the bus driver, who will be driving our very first bus. I was told that they even invited journalists as well.”

“It’s good to have journalists at the opening ceremony. Even if they write only one sentence about our business, it will have a good marketing effect.”

“There are old buses connecting Antang City and Guiyang City right now. Once our new express buses start covering the same routes, the existing bus businesses will have a hard time continuing their services.”

“I guess small bus businesses will be suffering just like the ones in Korea.”

“In order to survive, they will have to either take a loan to buy new luxurious buses, or they will have to give up the bus route connecting to a big city like Guiyang City, but only drives locally.”

“I see. Once a large company gets into the industry, it will create new jobs, but small businesses will go broke.”

“By the way, I’ve been fighting against the Chinese partners these days.”

“For what?”

“They want to rehire 100 workers from their business, and I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“100 workers?”

“Yes, you know like workers at the ticket booths, ticket inspectors, workers at the cargo department, etc. If we hire 100 workers, we will have to spend a lot of money on a regular basis to pay for them. I currently keep on insisting that we have to lower the number by 30%.”

“I see.”

“Guess what they said. They said that we have to hire 100 workers per bus. The reason that they give us an operating right of bus service is because we will benefit the local community by hiring people.”

“Hmm, really?”

“They advised me that I shouldn’t run a business in China as if I do in Korea. Korean government tends to support one or a few specific bus companies or airlines while neglecting other businesses in the same industry. But, China is different. Because the Chinese government needs to feed their people as many as possible, they want to expand employment in any way they could, according to them.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“They initially gave me the number 120. When I jumped out of my chair in astonishment, they lowered it to 100. I’m still keeping my position by lowering the number by 30%.”

“If they can’t reduce the number of workers, ask them to give us more bus lines.”

“I’m requesting that too. We just received one more bus line to Yibin City.”

“You are doing great work.”

“Well, I actually prefer to work here rather than GH Logistics. At least I don’t have to do sales work.”

“Haha, that’s right.”

“Oh, you know what? We made a contract for the condo in Huaxi Huayuan.”

“Really? How much was it?”

“The condo complex doesn’t have 100 ㎡large condo available, so we had to take 120 ㎡ (about 36 pyung large) one. The rooms in the condo are relatively spacious. I thought it would cost at least 10,000 Yuan per ㎡, but it turned out that it was 7,000 Yuan per ㎡. There is nothing inside though.”

“So, it’s 840,000 Yuan in total.”

“Right. There is literally nothing in there. They said that it would cost around 150,000 Yuan to finish the interior.”

“It is normal to have nothing inside when you buy a brand new condo in China. The first owner is supposed to install everything like windows, bedroom doors, lightings, wallpapers, and all.”

“I went there with the office manager lady, and she took care of the purchase contract. She will also take care of the interior. Since the condo is owned by the company, it seems proper that someone from the company takes care of it.”

“That’s good. It’s better that way since we are foreigners there; we could easily get ripped off.”

“So, we can say that we bought the condo for 1 million Yuan including the cost for the interior. If I assume that 1 Yuan is 164 Korean won, this condo’s price would be 164 million won. It is an expensive condo considering its location in a small provincial city. I was told that the local people would consider that you are a very rich person if you live in a house that costs 1 million Yuan, in this city.”

“Is that right?”

“The office manager lady told me that. She also said that people like her wouldn’t even dream to live in a condo that expensive, in this life.”

“Really? How long do you think it will take to finish the interior?”

“It will be done within this week.”

“It’s going to be a busy week for you then. The opening ceremony will be held this Friday, and you will move to the new place too. You seem to be settling well.”

“Now, I am riding an Audi, and I have my own chauffeur as well. I will be living in the luxurious condo in Huaxi Huayuan while working as the president of an intercity bus service company. Hahaha. I used to live in a basement. I guess Mr. Basement’s life turned out very nice, huh?”

“Haha, that’s right. Oh, I have a favor to ask you. This is a personal one.”

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Chapter 607 - Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (1) – Part 2

Chapter 607: Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (1) – Part 2

Jae-Sik was wondering what favor Gun-Ho had in his mind to ask him.

He asked, “A personal favor? Sure.”

“By the next week, you will be done with the opening ceremony and moving to a new place, so you will have spare time, right?”

“Yeah. I won’t have anything urgent that I will need to take care of.”

“I want you to buy condos in Huaxi Huayuan with your name.”

“With my name? Just like we did with the farmland in Seonghwan Town?”

Jae-Sik swallowed heavily and put his smartphone to his ear closely, to carefully listen to what Gun-Ho would say.

‘Gun-Ho wants to start his real estate investment again here in this city! He is extremely wealthy and has amazing insight and intuition in making money. Korea’s real estate market is heavily regulated by the government while China isn’t just yet. I’m certain that Gun-Ho is attracted to the real estate market in China.

Of course. I heard that Gun-Ho made a lot of money by buying and selling a condo in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province during his very first stay in China. No one knows about how he made his seed money, but Gun-Ho surely had his seed money to use in his investment. I can’t make my own investment even now because I have no seed money to invest with.

Gun-Ho bought me a condo in Juan Town after using my name in the real estate transaction for the GH Logistics’ land in Seonghwan Town. I believe that he will give me something in return this time too.’

Jae-Sik was still waiting for Gun-Ho’s next words. But Gun-Ho seemed to take his time before saying anything.

Jae-Sik pushed him a bit by saying, “I’m listening. Tell me.”

“Your name is listed in the joint venture’s business registration with Antang City, so, I believe that you can buy a real property there. Since we now know the price of condos and the cost to complete the interior, we won’t get ripped off. I want you to purchase condos quietly without telling anyone. You opened your personal bank account with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did. I had to open it in order to receive my salary.”

“I will send you the money for making a contract to that account.”

“Okay. I will text you with my account number.”

“I want five condos, not just one.”

“Did you say five?”

“They still have condos available, right?”

“I think so since their sales office is still open, selling brand new condos.”

“The business registration shows that the size of investment for the joint venture is 50 million dollars. It must be a huge amount of money that is rarely seen in a small city like Antang City. You can just tell them that you will use the condos for the workers when you make a purchase contract, and I think they won’t raise any issue up to five condos. Talk with Fang Di Chan (real estate agents) about it.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“We are not rushing or anything for this transaction, so take your time. We can do it next week or the following week.”

“If I receive funds to my personal bank account, not to the company’s business account, don’t I have to file a report with the foreign exchange authority about it?”

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Okay.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho quietly did his math.

‘A condo in Huaxi Huayuan is 164 million won. If I purchase five of them, it will cost me 820 million won. I can’t resell them right away, so I will have to rent them out… Let’s see… maybe for three years.

I can rent out all of the five condos, and let Jae-Sik Moon manage them. Since they are brand new condos, I guess I can ask 3,000 Yuan for a monthly rent for each condo. If I successfully rent them all, I will make 15,000 Yuan per month as rental income. After three years, I believe I can sell them at least for 200 million won per each. Even if it’s in China, the house price in a rich area will go up. It’s a proven fact. Unless there happens a financial crisis like the previous IMF crisis in Korea, the house price in a wealthy neighborhood will definitely go up.’

Gun-Ho smiled as he expected to make some money in Antang City.

It was Thursday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. He first stopped by the construction site for their new production site B. The building was almost constructed leaving some final touch-ups. Gun-Ho could see some finishing materials piled up inside the building. When Jong-Suk heard that Gun-Ho was there, he quickly came out to see Gun-Ho.

“It’s almost done, huh?”

“Yeah, they will finish it by next week. We need this new production site open as soon as possible. The production workers are working overnight these days. Even though they get paid for the overtime, it’s hard for them.”

“You seemed to lose some weight. How come your weight changes constantly up and down?”

“I’ve been very busy these days. I have a hectic work schedule, and I have been studying for an exam in college. I’m also studying for TOEIC too.”

“What about the English class? Did we resume the morning English class with the native English teacher?”

“Yeah. I think my English listening has improved. Thanks to the morning class at work.”

“What are those over there? I haven’t seen them before.”

“Oh, they are assembled products for Chrysler. We are getting parts from four different companies and assemble them at our assembly department before shipping them to Chrysler. It has been only a week since we started working with these parts.”

“Are we getting enough product orders?”

“Quite a lot, I would say. The thing is that since the four companies supply their products to us, we have to conduct quality control on their products, not to mention to send people to their factories to inspect them. It’s a lot of work. Our personnel from the quality control team visited one of the companies today for an inspection. We need to make sure that they are not sending us defective products, so our assembled final products wouldn’t be defective.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“President Song wants to increase the number of workers at the quality team. I believe that he already posted the job opening on WorkNet.”

“So, we are hiring more workers, huh?”

“Yeah. According to President Song, we will have more than 500 workers in total by the end of this year.”

“500? I guess we need a larger company cafeteria.”

“We have one more cooking lady in the kitchen now. Since we are working overnight these days, we needed one more cooking lady. The cafeteria is serving quality food as the nutritionist recommends, day and night.”

“You sound like having busy days lately. If you want to be more comfortable by having some spare time at work, you should train a few workers to take mid-management positions and share your workload with them.”

“Speaking of which, once the production site B is completed, I’m going to place a manager at each production site, like the first manager at Production A, and the second manager at Production B.”

“We only have one manager right now. Are you going to hire someone?”

“No, that wouldn’t be necessary. We have an assistant manager who has been working here for almost four years. I’m going to place him at an acting manager position for now.”

“You shouldn’t consider only the number of years that the person has been working with the company, in placing someone at a specific position. You should also consider if you would actually feel comfortable working with that person.”

“I do like him. He is a lot older than me, so I treat him like my older brother, and he likes that a lot. Huh? That’s him. The one walking over there.”

“Call him.”

“Bro! Bro!”

Jong-Suk Park indeed was calling the person a brother, who was working with a position lower than his. A man, who looked like he was in his mid-40s, came to Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park. Gun-Ho had seen him around before. The man looked surprised when he recognized Gun-Ho, and he gave a bow to him showing his respect.

Gun-Ho asked, “Which department are you working at now?”

“I’m an assistant manager at the production site A. I’m primarily managing the cutting and testing team.”

“Our production plant manager here spoke highly of you that you work hard, and you are good at managing workers. You were walking by just in time, so I asked him to call you, so I could meet you in person.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The assistant manager blushed and gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho.

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Chapter 608 - Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (2) – Part 1

Chapter 608: Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (2) – Part 1

As a matter of fact, when Gun-Ho acquired Mulpasaneop, the workers at the company took him lightly. Gun-Ho had at first joined Mulpasaneop as a managing director before he actually took the company over, but people thought that he was just a second-generation rich kid. When they found out about his previous job working in an accounting department of YS Tech, they were almost sure that his family wasn’t even that rich.

However, as time went on, Gun-Ho started revealing true ability exuding charisma.

“Did you hear that? President Gun-Ho Goo is a big player from Gangnam District, Seoul. He is enormously rich.”

“I heard that he had worked in YS Tech, and also worked in Mulpasaneop as a managing director just in order to gain work experience in the field.”

“Whoa, someone just told me that President Goo acquired a huge building in Gangnam District, which is worth 200 billion won. No wonder the branch managers from some banks and stock brokerage firms always talked to him in a servile attitude with an exaggerating smile.”

“I just talked with the internal auditor. According to him, President Goo has amazingly deep pockets.”

“Did you hear that President Goo is opening a joint venture company with the American world-class enterprise— Lymondell Dyeon? Where did he get all that money?”

“He has just formed another company— GH Media.”

“He has a company in China too. It’s called GH Parts Company. Our former plant manager is currently working there with a temporary advisory position.”

The workers talked a lot about Gun-Ho’s money and his businesses behind his back, and as they learned more, they felt more difficult around him. Some of them even felt scared of Gun-Ho. The assistant manager person, who Jong-Suk was thinking of appointing to an acting manager position, received a direct compliment from Gun-Ho today. He blushed and didn’t know what to say. He particularly felt grateful that Jong-Suk said good things about him to Gun-Ho.

The workers at GH Mobile tried to be recognized by Jong-Suk and get close to him because there was a rumor in the company that Jong-Suk was so close to Gun-Ho that he was like his little brother. Director Jong-Suk Park also got along well with everyone in the company. He treated them as if they were his family. So, the work environment around Director Jong-Suk Park was always cordial and comfortable.

Jong-Suk Park had gradually been changing ever since he was married.

He used to focus on having more fun in life, but now he had a strong desire to achieve something in life.

‘Gun-Ho bro owns several companies, and he will soon combine them and make it a group. He will then take a position of chairman of the group. GH Mobile is one of the major companies among Gun-Ho bro’s businesses. I will someday run GH Mobile as its president. The other executive officers with more experience like President Song and the chief research officer are in their 50s now, and they will have to retire within 10 years. So, if things go smoothly without any unexpected change, I will have my chance to take the position of president here.

The question is whether I will become someone who is capable of running a sizable business like GH Mobile. I have to get ready for the moment when Gun-Ho bro needs someone who would take over the operation. My strength is the technical skills in the field— the production site. But, I’m not good at running a business. If I don’t train myself for it, Gun-Ho bro will have to find someone else who can. He might hire someone from outside. What I can do for now is to finish my college education and get my degree. I will soon graduate from Polytechnics College. I will then transfer to a four-year college and get my bachelor’s degree. Fortunately, there is a four-year college in the area— Korea University of Technology and Education. That is my goal for now!’

Jong-Suk Park was studying so hard in his own way.

Gun-Ho was so proud of Jong-Suk. Jong-Suk was a competent and trustworthy worker and a friend to him. Jong-Suk seemed to manage the production site way better than he expected. The fact was giving Gun-Ho a sense of relief. Having someone, who he can trust, in the production site was critical, especially for a business owner of a manufacturing company.

“I don’t worry about the production department. Also, it was a very good decision of mine that I brought President Song and let him run the business.”

President Song had been working in the industry for a long time, and he had extensive work experience running a company. Gun-Ho remembered what the senior college professor said during the special lecture offered to the students at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University. He was a very well-known senior lecturer.

[Success and failure in a business hinges on its management. Managing a business is very easy and also difficult. I said it is easy because all you need is to remember the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle. Once you plan something, you have to carry it out. That’s not all though. You will have to check the ‘do’ part by testing and making an analysis. After that, you will have to take action by improving things based on what you learned from the testing. The PDCA Cycle is the key in management.

Why do you think Admiral Yi, Sun-Sin is considered one of the most respectful military generals in Korean history? Did he have extensive academic knowledge like Scholar-official Ryu, Seong-Ryong? No. Was he then an excellent fighter? Not at all. His enemy generals such as Yoshimasa Kato and Konishi Yukinaga were much better than him at physical fighting. The reason that he is remembered as a great commander is because he adhered to the PDCA Cycle faithfully. A competent commander will comply with this PDCA Cycle.]

Gun-Ho mentally went over the “commanders” who were working for him.

‘In terms of having a defined rule and complying with it, President Jang-Hwan Song is an excellent commander. He does stick with the PDCA Cycle. I feel relieved that Director Jong-Suk Park is having an opportunity to learn management from a person like President Song.’

Gun-Ho thought that he wouldn’t have to worry much about GH Mobile even though it was rapidly growing, because he had reliable and excellent commanders like President Jang-Hwan Song and Director Jong-Suk Park.

Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon.

Director Kim was not in his office; he must be probably at a client site. Gun-Ho thought about Dyeon Korea’s future.

‘Dyeon Korea is currently in its growth phase since it is still a new company. It’s hard to tell about its management status at this moment. Even though the management has to be improved, the most important thing, for now, is to grow the company. Mr. Adam Castler is a foreigner, so I will just let him be aside. Will this company run fine under Director Kim’s management?

Director Kim is an extremely important asset to Dyeon Korea at this growth phase since he is an excellent salesman. But, it seems that he is not very good at managing a business. He is too soft sometimes. We will need someone who can fill in his weakness gaps.’

Gun-Ho thought about who would be able to fill in Director Kim’s softness.

‘What about the internal auditor? Well, first of all, he is older than Director Kim. Second of all, most of his work experience is from financial institutions, not businesses. He is definitely knowledgeable about financial matters since he used to work at a bank, but his skills are not sufficient to run a business in the manufacturing industry’

Gun-Ho then thought about Director Yoon.

‘Director Yoon’s expertise seems to be limited to the construction field. He graduated from the top university— Seoul National University, and he had worked in various construction fields abroad. But, I’ve noticed that he usually stays quiet during a meeting if the topic is not about construction. He is a professional worker, but I doubt that he would be a good general manager. I can’t just give someone the CEO position just because he graduated from the top university.

Well, I guess that I will have to bring in someone for Dyeon Korea’s CEO position from outside the company, or find someone at the director or manager level, who would well support Director Kim.’

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Chapter 609 - Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (2) – Part 2

Chapter 609: Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho went down to the compound room.

The sign on the office door was already changed from ‘compound room’ to ‘research center.’

A few workers passed by giving Gun-Ho a bow. Gun-Ho opened the new research center’s door. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo was in the research center.

“Hi, how are you all?”

“Oh, sir. Welcome to our new research center.”

The old chief research officer stood up from his seat when he saw Gun-Hon entered the center.

“Everything looks the same except the office sign and the newly added chief officer’s office.”

“I was discussing making a request to purchase several lab equipments, with Manager Yoo.”

“Oh, really?”

“We are not a manufacturing company like GH Mobile, so I don’t think we have to expect to receive visits from our client companies for their investigation and get ready to show our research center. So, it’s not like we have to decorate this research center with tons of lab tools. However, we were still discussing whether we should buy lab equipment since this is now really our research center.”

“Well, as you said, this is a research center. Of course, we will need lab equipment.”

“I’d love to have lab equipment in place, so we can actually do some research work here.”

“Who is in charge of purchasing stuff?”

“Usually, the general affairs manager handles all purchasing matters, and Mr. Director Yoon takes care of purchasing larger items like structures.”

“Please ask Mr. Director Yoon to come to the research center.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Director Yoon entered the research center.

“We now have this research center. I can’t imagine a research center without experiment tools and equipments. Mr. Chief Research Officer, please make a list of necessary lab equipments and tools and give it to Mr. Director Yoon. Mr. Director Yoon, please make a purchase according to Mr. Chief Research Officer’s shopping list.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Mr. Chief Research Officer, what are the most urgent equipments that you want to have right now?”

“We don’t have lab tables. I’d like to have them as soon as possible. Please get us two lab tables with power sockets, and a lab workstation for our six researchers.”

Director Yoon was writing down the chief research officer’s request.

“We will also need a high precision digital lab scale to use in our analysis.”

“Hmm, that sounds like a must item.”

“The third one is a floor-standing tension/compression testing machine.”

Manager Yoo chipped in.

“Mr. Chief Research Officer, we will need a moisture meter too.”

“You’re right. We need it. What else? Oh, we need a digital viscometer and a psychrometer. That will be all for now. We will make an additional request later if we need more tools and equipment.”

Director Yoon said, “I think that someone who is familiar with these equipments should make a list for accuracy. Mr. Manager Yoo, why don’t you write a purchase approval request with the list of the items that Mr. Chief Research Officer just mentioned, and get the approval from Mr. President Goo, and give me back the list? Also, it would be better that Manager Yoo handles the purchase as well. I will just need the receipts.”

Gun-Ho looked at Manager Yoo’s face to see what he would say.

Manager Yoo agreed and said, “Okay, I will do that, sir. I will make a purchase within the approved purchase list.”

Gun-Ho said, “If I’m not available to sign on the request, you can get Mr. Vice President Adam Castler’s signature on it, and to proceed on buying those equipments.”

At that moment, Director Yoon chipped in.

“If the amount of money exceeds 1 million won, we will need your signature, sir.”

“Why don’t you then get Mr. Adam Castler’s signature, and make the purchase, and later bring me the approval request form, I will sign on it then.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho was about to walk out of the research center, the chief research officer thanked Gun-Ho again.

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho stayed about two hours in his office in Dyeon Korea before coming back to Seoul.

It was Friday.

Young-Eun was five months pregnant. Her belly became larger noticeably. Her breast size increased too.

“How are you feeling, Young-Eun? It’s hard to walk around with a bulged belly, huh?”

“I’m okay. I don’t mind having a bulged belly, but I don’t want to get fat. My weight significantly increased.”

“Your boobs are so big now.”

When Gun-Ho touched Young-Eun’s breast, she screamed. “Don’t touch them. It hurts.”

“Really? I’m so sorry.”

Gun-Ho said while making an overly apologizing facial expression

Young-Eun gave him a chance to make it up to her by saying, “If you feel sincerely sorry, bring me a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator.”

Gun-Ho quickly brought a bottle of water to Young-Eun.

Young-Eun took out a pill and swallowed it with water

“What is it?”

“It’s an iron supplement.”

“An iron supplement?”

“Yeah. I need extra irons now, so our baby’s teeth can emerge, and also my bones will stay healthy.”

“Then take two!”

Young-Eun kicked Gun-Ho in the shin.

“Oppa, I want to eat cockles.”

“Cockles? Do you think I can find them at the supermarket?”

“If you go to Myeongdong Abalone House, they offer a full course meal with cockles.”

“Myeongdong Abalone House? The Korean restaurant in the basement of the commercial building in front of Dogok Station, right? I think I’ve been there too.”

“When I was in college, I went there once with my friend. She was living in Wooseong Condo at that time.”

“I see. It must be an old restaurant then. Let’s go there.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun in their flip-flops walked to the restaurant— Myeongdong Abalone House. It was located in the basement of the Preann commercial building. They indeed had the menu— a full course meal with cockles.

Gun-Ho ordered two of them, and they came out with Doenjang-jjigae (a Korean soybean paste stew) and Sooyook (boiled pork meat). Gun-Ho wanted to have Doenjang-jjigae, and he was satisfied with their selections of the full course meal. Young-Eun started gobbling up the food in front of her.

“Young-Eun, you eat like someone who hasn’t eaten anything for at least three days.”

“It’s not just me having this food. It’s our baby. I’m sharing the food with him.”

When Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were enjoying the meal, a man came to their table.

“Young-Eun?”

“Oh, Kim!”

Young-Eun stood up from her seat and introduced Gun-Ho to that Mr. Kim person.

“This is my husband.”

The man glanced at Gun-Ho and said, “Well, enjoy your meal.”

He then walked out of the restaurant right away after giving a bow to Gun-Ho.

“Who is it?”

“I went to college with him. He was senior to me. I heard that he is working in a hospital in Ilsan District. I guess he came to this neighborhood to see his parents here. They are living in Eunma Condo.”

“Is he the one who said that he thought you would marry an African man?”

“Hahah. No, that’s not him.”

“Okay. I thought that was that guy.”

“Speaking of which, you know, the president of the Korean African medical volunteer work center (KOAF) keeps asking me to take over his position.”

“That center’s president position?”

“Yeah. He said that since I have a wealthy husband, I can probably do a better job than him as a president of the volunteer work center. I rejected his offer saying that I’m about to have a baby, and I will have to focus on raising my kid for a while.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“At our wedding, the ministering person, who presided over our wedding, exaggerated a bit when he made an introduction about you. Now, my friends and colleagues think that I married the owner of a conglomerate or something.”

“You will be in the future.”

“Huh?”

Young-Eun laughed out loud looking into Gun-Ho’s eyes.

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Chapter 610 - Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager (1) – Part 1

Chapter 610: Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager (1) – Part 1

It was almost the end of September. The temperatures started feeling cooler, and people began to feel autumn.

Gun-Ho went to work at GH Building that morning. When he opened his email, there was an email waiting for him from the Chinese drama production company— Huanle Shiji— among usual spam emails. Some of their simplified Chinese characters in the subject line came in broken.

When Gun-Ho clicked the subject line to open it, fortunately, the contents were fine.

[Dear President Goo,

We couldn’t produce Huanle Shiji’s financial statements because our accounting staff suddenly quit his job. Huanle Shiji Production Company was established about a year ago, and it started with the capital of 1 million dollars as I mentioned to you earlier.

We have produced two dramas this year. One of them was Xiongdi Meng (brother’s dream). It is a war drama against Japan with a total of 35 episodes. The second drama currently on air is Qiu Ri Yan (autumn feast) which is a modern drama. It contains 33 episodes, and we have two episodes left scheduled to be on air.

Our annual sales revenue for this year is approximately 10.4 billion Korean won if I apply the exchange rate as of today. We spent 12.8 billion won in producing drama and operating the company. The amount of 2.4 billion won operating loss has incurred.

Huanle Shiji currently has short-term debts of 2 billion won, with accounts payable of 400 million won. The two dramas that our company produced were daily soap operas, and they both had low ratings. We are preparing to produce our third drama, and we have a manuscript for it.

Huanle Shiji is composed of devoted and talented staff, not to mention our know-hows and skills that we’ve cultivated. It would be a shame if we have to just let Huanle Shiji dissolved now.

We are hoping to work with you, Mr. President Goo. I’ve attached our next drama’s synopsis to this email, so Mr. Director Woon-Hak Sim, who accompanied you on our last meeting, could review it.

I hope you make a favorable decision, so we could work together.

From Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen on 29th September, 20xx.]

Gun-Ho forwarded the synopsis to Director Woon-Hak Sim, along with a text message.

[The synopsis just arrived from China. I will have it translated for you.’]

Gun-Ho then made a call to the Chinese language instructor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He once translated a business plan for Gun-Ho.

“Hi. This is GH’s President Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, hi, sir. I hope you have been doing very well. To what do I owe the pleasure of the call?”

“Can we talk now? It is a good time?”

“Of course, sir.”

“I have a drama synopsis to be translated into the Korean language. This is an urgent request, so if you could, please translate it as soon as possible. Since it’s sort of literature, you might encounter a lot of expressions that are hard to transfer, but I’m counting on you.”

“I will do my best, sir.”

Gun-Ho printed out the email from China and read it again carefully while having a cup of green tea that the secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— brought to him, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed.

“Hmm, they are probably getting a lot of pressure from the creditors for their short-term debts. Their accounts payable is 400 million won. I guess most of them must be labor costs or a guarantee. I want to know the exact amount of their current workers’ unpaid wages.”

Gun-Ho sent a reply to President Baogang Chen.

[Thank you for your email, Mr. President Baogang Chen. I would like to learn more about your company’s accounts payable in more detail. Could you let me know which part is your employee’s wages and which part is the guarantee?

Also, I’d like to have a separate number for the amount of debts per each financial institution for your short-term debts. The synopsis is being translated right now.

Thank you. Sincerely, Gun-Ho Goo.]

Gun-Ho thought that if their short-term debts were the loans that they took out from financial institutions, he would be able to rearrange the payment with the banks with plans or delay the payments. However, the accounts payable are the ones that bothered him. If those were mostly unpaid wages for their workers, they would probably have to pay them right away once they were infused with new funds.

Gun-Ho changed his posture and started reading a newspaper when President Shin entered his office. She was carrying the three major newspapers— Chosun, Joongang, and Donga Ilbo. Those newspapers were covering GH Art Gallery’s upcoming art exhibition with Japanese contemporary artists.

“These are the articles about our GH Gallery’s upcoming art exhibition. We are having an exhibition with contemporary artworks made by three Japanese contemporary artists. Would you like to read them, sir?”

Gun-Ho looked at the newspapers that President Shin handed to him.

[Three Japanese contemporary artists’ art exhibition will be held at GH Art Gallery in Sinsa Town. Their bold ideas reflected on their artworks while connecting the old Japan and the current Japan are interesting enough for us to be intrigued. We will be able to take a peek of Japanese young people’s worry and their thought process through these artworks.]

The articles included a picture of a painting that would be displayed at the exhibition. The painting was depicting a woman with a Japanese woman’s face on one side and a Caucasian woman’s face on the other. Gun-Ho thought that it was creepy.

“So, this art exhibition starts today?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I will stop by then after lunch on the way back to the office.”

“How’s Young-Eun doing these days?”

“She eats a lot. I mean a lot. Her belly is now noticeably large.

“Hahaha. I guess she doesn’t have her morning sickness anymore, which is good. Please get her delicious food as much as she wants.”

Gun-Ho had lunch with GH Development’s Director Kang at a Japanese restaurant across the street from his GH Building. The restaurant was called Kinsushi, and he had sushi for lunch. On the way back to his office, he swung by GH Gallery and enjoyed the Japanese contemporary art exhibition. The painting that he saw on the newspaper earlier looked much better in person. It seemed to be exuding some sort of intense appeal.

‘Hmm, this might be the power of an art piece.’

After taking enough time enjoying the artworks, Gun-Ho came back to his office on the 18th floor. After having his afternoon coffee, he dozed off until 2 pm as usual. Jae-Sik Moon, who knew that it was about the time when Gun-Ho would wake up from his afternoon nap, called him.

“President Moon? How’s it going?”

“It’s actually fun. I receive the status of ticket sales on a daily basis.”

“Are we getting a lot of customers?”

“Our buses were full last Saturday and Sunday. Since we will have the Mid-Autumn Festival next week, I’ve requested to have one more bus in our reserve.”

“Of course. People will move around a lot during the holiday season.”

“You know what? Even for adding one more bus in our reserve, Antang City has to reach an agreement with Guiyang City. The transportation department’s deputy director will go on a trip to Guiyang City this afternoon.”

“I see.”

“The deputy director at the transportation department is a lady. I nagged her a lot— but gently— to resolve this request as soon as possible. I even offered her to use my Audi, and then she got mad.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. She was all upset and said ‘we have a car too, you know?’”

“Haha, really?”

“Chinese women, in general, are aggressive and fierce, I think. Oh, and guess what? I finally moved into the condo in Huaxi Huayuan.”

“Really? Do you like it there?”

“Oh, my goodness. You have no idea how I felt on my first day there. It’s 36 pyung large, and when I laid down on the bed, I felt like I owned the world. I didn’t even envy the emperor— Qin Shi Huang.”

“Hahaha. I guess you just need Yang Guifei.”

“Yang Guifei?! My not-so-pretty wife is coming next month.”

“Yeah, she’d better join you as soon as possible because it would be harder if she waits longer to travel carrying a baby.”

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Chapter 611 - Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager (1) – Part 2

Chapter 611: Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager (1) – Part 2

Jae-Sik continued, “Since I have a condo, I asked her to come quickly. She has things that she has to take care of before moving to China, so she will be here around mid-October.”

“I see.”

“My wife will be astonished once she sees my life here. I’m living in a luxurious condo riding an Audi with a chauffeur, and running an intercity bus business. I thank you, President Goo.”

“Don’t mention it!”

“I often become philosophical these days looking back at my life. I wouldn’t have even imagined that my life would turn out this great. I didn’t know a life like this was even possible.”

“Haha, really?”

“Oh, and I talked with the salesperson in the sales office of the condo complex. According to her, they have 8 new condos available, and I told her that I want to purchase 5 of them. I said that I’m buying them so the executive officers of my business from Korea can stay there.”

“What did she say?”

“She said that she would need the business registration, the confirmation letter about the investment from Korea, and my status here with the certificate of alien registration. So, I brought her the copies of all those documents.”

“I see. Well, I will send you the funds to make a contract for five condos then.”

Gun-Ho asked his secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— to have Chan-Ho Eum to wait for him at the front entrance. Gun-Ho then walked out of his office carrying his bankbook with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the personal stamp, and his ID.

“Where are we heading to, sir?”

“Go to the Seoul City Hall.”

“The city hall, sir?”

“Yeah. There is a Chinese bank called Industrial and Commercial Bank of China across the street from the city hall and next to Samsung Headquarters.”

A branch office of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China that Gun-Ho was heading to was located on Sejong Road, but the bank had two more branch offices in the area where a lot of Chinese frequently visited such as Daerim Town, Yeongdeungpo District and in front of Konkuk University.

“There is a Chinese bank over there? I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, there is one. We will have to find a paid parking lot around there.”

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) is a state-owned commercial bank with tons of branch offices scattered worldwide. Gun-Ho had his bank account with them in Yuan, and since he hadn’t set up his access to their online banking system, he had to visit their office in person. Also, the amount of funds that he was about to transfer was significant, so he wanted to do it at their physical location.

Gun-Ho quietly opened his bankbook in his Bentley. There was about 1.7 billion won saved in his bank account.

‘This is the money that I received when I withdrew from the joint venture at Jinxi Industrial Park. I used part of the funds when I established GH Parts Company that Min-Hyeok Kim is running right now, but I already recovered the funds. Also, I used it to buy Dingding’s sales company’s storage, but that was recovered as well. So, I still have almost the same amount that I received from Jinxi Industrial Park. I’m short of only 100 million won from the original amount.’

When he arrived at the bank, Gun-Ho wanted to transfer 100 million won to Jae-Sik’s bank account. It would be used when he made a contract in purchasing five condos in Huaxi Huayuan.

The bank teller seemed to be surprised when he checked the amount of money saved in Gun-Ho’s account. He asked, “Do you, by any chance, speak Chinese?”

The bank tellers at the location were mostly Korean ladies who could speak Chinese fluently. But, the person who was handling Gun-Ho’s request that day was a Chinese man.

“Are you interested in a fixed deposit (FD)? Our bank offers a 2.7% interest.”

“No, thank you. I will have to use the funds soon.”

“Well, if you change your mind, just let us know at any time.”

“Okay.”

Once he walked out of the bank, Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon right away.

“I just sent you 600,000 Yuan (approximately 100 million won) from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s branch office on Sejong Road. Pick five condos in a good location, and make a contract. I believe 600,000 Yuan should be enough to make a contract, right?”

“Yes, it is enough.”

After stopping by the Chinese bank, Gun-Ho made a call to Jien Wang for some reason.

“Hey, do you want to have a drink with me tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? Where are you right now? Are you in Shanghai City?”

“Nah, I’m in Seoul.”

“What makes you want to travel all the way to Hangzhou City tomorrow then?”

“It’s fall. I guess I will be swept by the Autumn breeze to Hangzhou City.”

“You are silly. Well, I welcome you here any time. We have a lot to catch up.”

When Gun-Ho came back to his office, he searched for a folder holding old business cards that he had received from a lot of people.

“Hmm, here it is.”

The business card that he found was the branch manager’s— Zhangbingchao— of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. Gun-Ho made his acquaintance with him when he was in Hangzhou City.

He dialed the number shown on the business card.

“Hello? Mr. Branch Manager? I’m not sure if you could remember me. I’m the Korean man who purchased a condo in Hwaganghwawon that was 198 ㎡ large, about four years ago. I received a lot of help from you at that time.”

“Oh, hi. I do remember you, sir. Hwaganghwawon is a luxurious condo, so I remember it. Also, since you are a Korean man, I especially remember you and the condo transaction.”

“Which location are you working at right now?”

“I’m still at the West Lake. Why don’t you come and visit me sometime?”

Unlike Korea, In China, the government workers and the workers in a bank usually held their position for a long time. He seemed to stay at the same branch office with the same position until now.

“I’d like to have dinner with you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is perfect. Which restaurant do you have in mind?”

“I will see you at Wang Hu Bing Guan tomorrow at 6 pm.”

“Sounds good. I will see you then.”

Gun-Ho reserved a flight ticket to Hangzhou City, China right away. It was not a summer vacation season for schoolers, and it was not a busy season to travel anyway, so Gun-Ho easily found a ticket in the business class.

The following day, Gun-Ho arrived at Hangzhou International Airport around 2 pm. He felt light discomfort with his stomach after having an in-flight meal. Once he landed at the airport, he bought a soda to calm it down, and then he headed to Wang Hu Bing Guan in Hangzhou City.

“I still have a few hours left before the dinner appointment. What am I going to do until 6 pm? Well, maybe I should try a cruise ship to kill time.”

Gun-Ho took a cruise ship at West Lake. Hangzhou West Lake cruise ship was notorious for its ripping off practice against tourists. Even though Gun-Ho was a rich man, who could simply ignore the petty money that he would be ripped off with, he didn’t want to waste even a penny like that. He haggled twice before reaching the amount that he could accept.

“It will take some time to travel around West Lake in the ship and visit the island there. I guess I will get off just in time to make my dinner appointment.”

While on the ship, Gun-Ho made a call to Professor Jien Wang.

“Hey, I’m in Hangzhou City right now. Can we meet at Wang Hu Bing Guan later at 6 pm?”

“Wang Hu Bing Guan? It’s just you and me, right? We don’t have to eat at a luxurious hotel restaurant just for dinner.”

“One more person will join us.”

“Who is it? Is it a Korean?”

“No, he is the branch manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.”

“The branch manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China?”

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Chapter 612 - Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager (2) – Part 1

Chapter 612: Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager (2) – Part 1

When it was 6 pm, Jien Wang showed up at the restaurant. He was wearing a shabby business suit carrying a briefcase.

“Jien Wang!”

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo! It’s really good to see you, man. Is the bank’s branch manager person here yet?

“No, not yet.”

“What are you going to talk to him about?”

Well, the usual things that people talk to a bank’s branch manager about—asking him to lend me money.”

“That’s true.”

“Oh, he is coming.”

A man in a sleek business suit was entering the restaurant.

“Hi.”

“Mr. President Goo? You look great. I almost didn’t recognize you. You’ve changed a lot.”

“You are the same as I remember.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“Oh, let me introduce you to my friend here. He is Professor Jien Wang at Zhejiang University.”

“Oh, I know him— Professor Wang. I’ve seen him several times on TV.”

“TV? I guess he often appears on TV.”

“It seems that he is frequently invited to a program that mostly talks about current events or affairs. He usually provides his analysis on economics.”

“Well, I just talk about whatever I could think of on TV. Hahaha.”

They sat at a table in Wang Hu Bing Guan on the 5th floor. The restaurant was located inside a hotel, and it was clean as most restaurants in a hotel were. They sat in a window seat where they could have a view of West Lake.

The branch manager sipped his beer and asked Gun-Ho, “Mr. President Goo, are you currently staying in China or Korea?”

“I travel a lot between the two countries.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the branch manager, which showed that he was the president of three companies—GH Mobile, Dyeon Korea, and GH Development.

“GH Mobile? What is the nature of this company’s business?”

“It’s an auto part manufacturing company.”

“Oh, really? Do you mind if I ask how large the company is?”

“Not at all. We generated an annual sales revenue of 81.6 billion won last year. We are anticipating making more than 100 billion won this year. It’s around 100 million U.S. dollars.”

“Whoa! Did you say 100 million dollars?!”

The branch manager looked truly astonished. Jien Wang, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, seemed to be surprised as well.

“Don’t you make your investment in China any longer?”

“That’s the thing that I’d like to discuss with you. Even though I have businesses that I’m running, if they don’t generate profits, I don’t receive any dividends.”

“That’s true.”

“So, I’m thinking that maybe I should make investments as an individual to make money. There is a condo complex called Huaxi Huayuan in Antang City, Guizhou Province. I wanted to ask you if I could get a mortgage on them.”

“How much does a condo cost there? I don’t think their price is high given that it’s located in Antang City.”

“With the completion of the interior, a condo in that particular community costs about 1 million Yuan. It’s the most expensive condo community in the area.”

“As expected, the price of a condo over there is way lower than the one here. What made you choose a real property all the way in Antang City?”

Jien Wang explained on behalf of Gun-Ho.

“He is doing a terminal project there. He is building a terminal and running an intercity bus business.”

“A terminal project? Doesn’t it require a significant amount of investment funds?”

“It’s a 50-million-dollar project.”

“If so, I guess you need to come up with 25 million dollars.”

“That’s correct. I’ve invested 3.5 million dollars so far.”

“Oh, really?”

Branch Manager Bingchao Zhang and Professor Jien Wang looked surprised.

“So, I wanted to meet with you to get some advice on the matter.”

“Haha. I don’t know anything about construction.”

“Is it possible that I take out a loan per Ji Cheng Gao?”

“Ji Cheng Gao? What is it?”

“If I make a direct translation into English, it’s ‘Completed Amount.’”

The branch manager was sitting there for a moment, blinking his eyes without saying a word. It seemed that he was trying to figure out what ‘Completed Amount’ could possibly mean.

Jien Wang explained to him, “I believe that he is talking about taking out a loan for the completed portion of an incomplete building.”

“Oh, Wangong Daikuan. It is possible, but there are several requirements that need to be fulfilled first. The land must be owned by the joint venture company, and the property must have been registered and approved for the said business. Of course, you need to show the construction permit as well.”

“So, if we could meet all the requirements, we can take out a loan for the portion that is completed even though the building is not completely constructed yet.”

The branch manager said while having his food, “There must be a major bank that Antang City is working with, isn’t it? You will need to discuss it with them.”

“I believe that my Chinese partner will take care of it, but I was just wondering about it.”

Professor Jien Wang, who was having his liquor, nodded his head twice largely.

“My main focus is actually about the investment in condos in Antang City. I’m buying several condos, and I’d like to take out a loan for 40% of their prices. Do you know anyone that you want to introduce to me who handles this kind of loan, at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in the area?”

“I don’t know anyone in Antang City, but I know someone in Guiyang Province. I can ask him about it if you like.”

“Thank you so much. I would really appreciate that.”

“Don’t say it. This is part of my work in the bank business.”

The branch manager made a call to someone right away, probably to the one in the branch office in Guiyang Province.

“Hi, this is the Hangzhou branch office. Are you still at work? I have a client here who will visit one of our branch offices in Antang City soon. Who is the branch officer over there?”

“It’s Xiaodong Liu. What is it regarding?”

“He wants to learn more about a mortgage loan. He is buying a few condos.”

“Well, he can talk to anyone in the branch office for a mortgage loan at any time. It’s not like he could get a lower rate for his loan if he talks to someone he knows.”

“Still, he would get a better service and maybe access more information. Tell the branch officer in Antang City that if a Korean man visits their office to discuss a loan, be kind to him.”

“A Korean man? Sure. I will give him a call.”

The branch manager asked as he picked up a piece of Xihu Cuyu (fish dish), “That is all you wanted to ask me about today? Aren’t you doing business in Hangzhou City anymore?”

“I will if I get a chance, but for now, I don’t have a business there. Well, when Professor Jien Wang is ready to buy a bigger house and move there later, please give him a lot of advice and offer convenience.”

Professor Wang laughed out loud and said while waving his hand, “For me, the house that I’m living in right now is big enough.”

Gun-Ho had two purposes when he made a dinner appointment with the branch manager that day. The first one was that he was hoping that the branch manager would introduce someone who would provide him a convenience in getting a loan in purchasing the condos in Huaxi Huayuan. The second one was that he wanted to make sure that the joint venture company could get a loan using the land and the terminal building that was being constructed, even before it was completed. He wanted to get a confirmation from an incumbent bank’s branch manager that it was possible.

Gun-Ho felt sorry that he might use his time without giving him any business in return. So, he gave the branch manager a Korean skincare set that he bought at the duty-free shop at the airport, as a gift.

“I do thank you for your time today. This is a Korean skincare set that I prepared. I hope your wife finds it useful.”

“Wow! Thank you so much. As a matter of fact, my wife is a big fan of Korean skincare products. She will love this.”

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Chapter 613 - Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager

Chapter 613: Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho parted from the bank’s branch manager at the restaurant’s front door—Wang Hu Bing Guan. When Gun-Ho and Professor Wang were left alone, Jien Wang suggested Gun-Ho to have a drink.

“President Goo, this place is too luxurious to stay long. Let’s take a walk along West Lake, and have a bottle of beer together.”

“Sounds great.”

Gun-Ho and Jien Wang were walking along West Lake.

Gun-Ho said, “Hangzhou City has changed a lot. I see many new buildings that were not here when I was here before.”

“Things change rapidly these days. It’s the power of money.”

“You are right. Even the small city—Antang—that is located deep in the west area is being developed vigorously. I see a lot of new construction sites there.”

“When more people move to an area, its housing prices will go up higher. By the way, are you planning to take a loan and use it as your investment funds?”

“Let me ask you one thing. The Antang City’s department of transportation brought in the land where the terminal will be built, as their investment in-kind. Do you think they will actually allow the terminal to be the joint venture’s business? It’s the city’s building and will have a train station.”

“If that’s what they agreed and stipulated in the joint venture contract, they have to.”

Gun-Ho shook his head side to side.

Gun-Ho continued, “A city’s terminal is different from an industrial park. A terminal is a public property. The industrial park that I worked with preferred to have a Korean partner for its business because they wanted to invite Korean companies in the industrial park. But, a terminal is different. They don’t need a foreign partner to run their terminal business. Their earning is guaranteed. They just needed money to build the terminal building.”

“What are you saying?”

“They brought in a foreign investor as a co-venturer of the joint venture company because they need the investment funds. But, they don’t want to run the terminal business together with their foreign co-venturer. In other words, I doubt that they will transfer the ownership of the land from Antang City to the joint venture.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m pretty positive. You will see. They will press me to send the investment funds as soon as possible, but they will give me all kinds of excuses when I ask them to change the ownership of the land to the joint venture’s name.”

“Oh, I got what you mean now. So, they will no longer need your money in running the terminal project after the terminal is built because they can take out a loan using Ji Cheng Gao even though the terminal is not completely constructed.”

“Exactly.”

“You already sent 3.5 million dollars to them, right? What are you going to do about it?”

“They gave me the intercity bus business permit. So, it will generate some income, and they will let me send profits to Korea without a problem. I will eventually be able to recover the original investment funds of 3.5 million dollars and a little bit of extra income.”

“If that’s what it is, why did you agree to participate in the project?”

“If I leave that fund in my savings account with a bank, I will only earn the interest that the bank would offer. Even though it’s not a lot, I will still make more than the bank’s interest by investing here. Also, I will have to pay taxes for the interest income.”

Jien Wang stopped walking and started laughing out loud while looking at Gun-Ho’s face.

“So, your personal investment in the condos is just a snack, not the main meal, huh?”

“Of course, it’s a snack. Once I acquire the condos with a mortgage loan, I will rent them out right away. The rental income from them will cover the loan payment to the bank. I will let them sit there for three years until they become very tasty food. It will be the same case as the condo at Hwaganghwawon in Hangzhou City that I purchased and sold with profits.”

“The idea is very you, Gun-Ho, like a true businessman.”

“There is a beerhouse over there. Let’s have a glass of draught beer with fried chicken.”

“Sure. Let’s go!”

Jien Wang ordered two bottles of Tsingtao beer instead of draught beer. And he added a deep-fried chicken dish.

“You said that you met Seukang Li recently, right?”

“Yeah, I did. I also met with the president of the drama production company called Huanle Shiji.”

“Are you going to make your investment in that company?”

“To be honest with you, I don’t want to put my investment money there.”

“Of course.”

Jien Wang smiled cynically while sipping his beer.

“Huanle Shiji Production Company’s capital is 1 million dollars. 300,000 dollars out of that 1 million dollars are listed as Seukang Li’s father’s money.”

“I suppose so.”

“Usually, old people are reluctant to make their investments in a high-risk business such as a drama production company. If they would want to put their money somewhere expecting that it would grow, they would choose a cash cow. 300,000 dollars is not an insignificant amount. You know what I think? I think it’s not his father who made the investment, but it was probably slush funds from his friends. It’s funds that would be used in support of Seukang Li’s political activities. They are funds that are perfectly disguised as a legal investment. Seukang Li will eventually need funds to climb up his ranks in politics anyway.”

“It was his mistake to trust those people in Huanle Shiji. He shouldn’t have. They might be competent and talented people in producing a drama, but they are not good businessmen. They heavily relied on top stars believing that people would watch their dramas just because top stars would appear in them. It was a huge mistake that they made business-wise.”

“I see.”

“As a matter of fact, I am actually the one who collected 300,000 dollars for the investment in Huanle Shiji. Remember the commission that you gave to me when you started the joint venture for Jinxi Industrial Park? With that money and more from other friends, I made our seed money—300,000 dollars. And, we made the investment using Seukang Li’s father’s name. Since Seukang Li is the director of the relevant field’s bureau, we thought that the production company would grow quickly and steadily with his help such as placing their drama at the prime time and letting them receive the subsidy provided by the broadcasting station. But, the thing is that the top star—the leading actor—took most of the earnings. That was the contract. So, with that structure, of course, they can’t survive unless they make high ratings.”

“Huanle Shiji currently has debts of 2 billion won and the accounts payable of 400 million won.”

“I see.”

“If I put my funds in the company now, since they are under a lot of pressure from their creditors, they might have to use my money to pay for the debt. If that happens, they will need more investment funds to use in producing their next drama. So, I’m still thinking about what I would do.”

“I should have stopped him when he was about to invest in that drama production company.”

Jien Wang continued after gulping down his beer, “At that time, President Baogang Chen was so confident that his business would certainly succeed, and he eventually convinced Seukang Li to make an investment in his new business. It was not a good decision at all.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I was told that they want to have access to Korea’s advanced technology and skills in production and get help on their drama contents. Of course, they need to receive investment funds as well, but they are also hoping to have some technical support from Korea as well. There has to be a reason why KDramas (Korean dramas) are so popular worldwide, right?”

“That’s why I’m taking my time in considering a lot of things before I make my decision. It’s harder to succeed in business than people usually think.”

“Of course. I agree that Huanle Shiji will prioritize paying the unpaid wages for their workers or guarantee to the actors or actresses once they receive your funds. That’s why I can’t even try to persuade you to make your investment in their company.”

Jien Wang kept drinking his beer, looking distressed.

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Chapter 614 - Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (1) – Part 1

Chapter 614: Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (1) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho came back to Korea from his trip to China, he found an email waiting for him. It was from Huanle Shiji’s president.

[500 million won out of 2 billion won of the short-term debt is a loan from a financial institution. The remaining 1.5 billion won is a loan that I borrowed from individuals. 300 million won out of the accounts payable of 400 million won is unpaid labor costs—100 million won is the number of unpaid wages of our workers at Huanle Shiji for the past two months, and 200 million won is for the guarantee. Please take this into account when you make your investment decision.

I firmly believe that the experience of failing is also a precious experience. We have failed in the last two dramas, but I’m sure that our third drama will be a success as we say ‘third time’s a charm.’

If our company could show the creditors of the short-term debts that we will surely receive new investment funds, I believe we can delay the payments for the loans.

From Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen.]

There was one more new email waiting for him. It was from the Chinese language instructor at Hankuk University, who was working on translating the synopsis sent by Huanle Shiji, into the Korean language. He said that the translation was completed. Huanle Shiji’s third drama’s title was ‘Shiguang Ru Meng.’ Gun-Ho sent the translated synopsis to Director Woon-Hak Sim.

He then printed out the email contents from Huanle Shiji’s president, so he could read it closely and comfortably for several times while sitting on his sofa.

‘Once I put my funds in Huanle Shiji, they will start casting actors and actresses for their next drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—and then they will give a production presentation to the public. This will calm down the short-term creditors by giving them the assurance that they will be paid for the money owed by Huanle Shiji. However, unpaid wages will have to be paid right away. The workers will not be willing to work without being paid. I totally understand how they would feel because I almost went crazy myself when my wages were on hold for three months when I worked for the furniture manufacturing factory in Pocheon City.

Well, I decided to make my investment in this drama production company. I’m not aiming at only making profits by producing the new drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—but I also have to think about the relationship with Seukang Li. I’m investing in that person and his future as well. If he is elected as a member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Community Party later, it will be really nice to have a friend in that powerful and influential position, who has an amicable attitude toward Korea and our culture.’

Gun-Ho replied to Huanle Shiji’s president.

[The translation on the synopsis has been completed. We will review it and let you know.]

The news about the possibility that they would have a new investor from Korea was exciting news to the workers at Huanle Shiji. Its president was facing a hard time making his 15 workers work hard because he hadn’t paid them for the past two months, not to mention the pressure that he was constantly receiving from the creditors. Their second drama—Qui Ri Yan (Autumn Feast)— was still ongoing, and its last two episodes were scheduled to be on air. Huanle Shiji’s staff thought that the company would be dissolved after finishing Qui Ri Yan, and they would have to find another job until they heard of the news on the new investment funds. Now, they were excited, feeling hopeful.

“Did you hear the news? Our president is contacting an investor in Korea.”

“The chairman of the Korean company that might make an investment in our company visited China last time quietly.”

“I also heard that he told our president that he wanted to review the synopsis before making his decision, so our president sent the synopsis to him.”

“I’m desperately waiting for my two-month wage. I need money to buy powdered milk for my child.”

Gun-Ho withdrew 2 billion won from his stock account where he had 170 billion won. Well, he had 174.5 billion won there to be exact. The interest of 4.5 billion won had been accumulated.

“Oh, I earned 4.5 billion won as an interest income? The due for the general income tax is May next year; I still have time until then. The branch manager of the stock brokerage firm told me that I will have to be prepared to pay 2 billion won for my general income tax. He also said that the tax accountant, who they are working with, will take care of my tax file as well.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at his office on the 18th floor at GH Building in Sinsa Town, he asked for GH Media’s president—Jeong-Sook Shin—who was working on the 17th floor. A moment later, President Jeong-Sook Shin entered Gun-Ho’s office at GH Development.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

“I’ve made my decision. I will invest in the drama production company in Shanghai, China. GH Media will be the official investor.”

“Oh, is that right? But, GH Media doesn’t have enough funds to make an investment. Our funds are almost exhausted for the new books that will soon be published.”

Gun-Ho smiled and said while crossing his legs, “I’m not asking you to actually invest in China with GH Media’s funds. I will completely bear the necessary funds. Today, I will send 2 billion won to GH Media’s business bank account.”

“Huh? 2 billion won, sir?”

President Jeong-Sook Shin seemed to be astonished by the amount of the money—2 billion won.

“You don’t have to be surprised by just 2 billion won. You know that I signed a contract for a joint venture terminal project where I have to bring in 25 billion won.”

“Well, still, sir…”

President Jeong-Sook Shin knew that Gun-Ho was a highly competent businessman with a lot of money, but she felt frightened when she was told that the enormous amount of money—2 billion won—would be actually coming to GH Media’s account, the company which she was running

“Please record the 2 billion won as the funds from GH Media’s directing manager—Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, please start the paperwork to hire Director Woon-Hak Sim as a full-time employee of GH Media. You know the director who you made a business card for last time.”

“As a full-time employee, sir? With the same position as listed on his business card—the head of operations of the soap opera production department, sir?”

“Yes, please.”

“How much are we paying him? Also, we will need to file the Four Major Public Insurance for him as well, right?”

“Hmm, his monthly payment will be 1 million won.”

“1 million won? He will be placed in a position as the head of a department. 1 million won doesn’t sound to fit the position.”

“I will send him to China soon, and he will receive his salary in China as well, so we don’t have to give him high pay here in Korea.”

“Oh, I see.”

What Gun-Ho just said to President Shin was only one of the reasons why he didn’t want to pay Director Sim with a high salary. The major reason was that since Director Sim had huge debts, there was a good chance that his salary from now would be seized by his creditors.”

‘If Director Woon-Hak Sim receives a high pay at work, his salary after subtracting the basic living cost will be garnished.’

Gun-Ho sipped his glass of water and then said to President Jeong-Sook Shin, “And place a desk for him at GH Media’s office. He will need a place to sit during work hours. I will often ask him to come to my office.”

“No problem, sir. We have more than enough space to add one more desk. When we decided to move our office to this building, we chose a spacious office in case we would expand soon, even though we have to pay a high monthly rent. As a matter of fact, I don’t even have to buy a new desk either. We do have an extra desk available in the office. We prepared it for a new hire in the future.”

“Hmm, really? That’s good.”

“Since he is the head of the soap opera production department, we will need to make his space more private. Maybe we can add some space partitions around his desk.”

“Sounds good.”

“Haha. It will be fun to have a soap opera production department in GH Media.”

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Chapter 615 - Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (1) – Part 2

Chapter 615: Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho said to President Jeong-Sook Shin, “You will need to make a trip to China in the near future anyway. The investment will be made with GH Media’s name, so since you are its president, you will have to sign the contract.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“This will be a good opportunity to meet with new people, especially the Chinese people in the drama production field, such as the director and staff.”

“Haha, it sounds exciting.”

It was Thursday.

Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. Before heading to his office on the second floor, he stopped by the new production site. The assistant manager, who was working on the site, recognized Gun-Ho and quickly came to him. He was the one who Gun-Ho gave a compliment last time.

“Is Director Park around?”

“I will find him for you, sir.”

Director Park was looking at a computer screen when he was informed that Gun-Ho was at the new production site. He quickly ran toward Gun-Ho. When he saw him, he almost called him bro but managed not to.

“Sir, you are here.”

“Did we install the machines at the production site B already?”

After making sure that no one was around except Gun-Ho and himself, Director Park talked to Gun-Ho in an informal way as usual.

“No. We actually switched the places. We installed the additional machines in the area where the assembly team used to work, and the new production site B is being used by the assembly team now.”

“Why did you do that?”

“We are getting more and more assembly work, and we need enough space to expand the team. The new site that was previously intended to be used as the additional production site is spacious, and we can easily make it a two-story building.”

Gun-Ho went to the site. The building was already built two-story. The first floor was being used as an auto parts assembly area, and the second floor was being used to assemble the parts for electronic appliances. The new production site B for the assembling work looked actually enormous. A significant number of assembly workers were standing in a line doing welding and assembling work.

“Wow, I didn’t know we have this many workers already.”

“President Song visited A Electronics’ factory in Dangjin City the other day and showed them Chrysler’s product that our company assembled for them. Now, we are doing the assembling work for A Electronics as well. Egnopak’s products and Mandong Company’s products that used to go to A Electronics are now being rerouted to our factory, so we can assemble them before the final shipment to A Electronics.”

“Really?”

“Did you see the trucks parked along the wall, on the way here?”

“I did. There were so many of them.”

“Those trucks are from Egnopak, Mandong Company, and others, and they are now supplying us with the components that we will assemble before we send more complete products to A Electronics.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“You haven’t seen President Song yet, right?”

“I came here first before going to my office.”

“He is probably not in his office. I was told that he would visit H Group’s factory today carrying two of our assembled products.”

“Really?”

“President Song personally knows the people at the H Group’s purchasing team. He has known them since he worked for S Group as a vice president.”

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me. He has been in the industry for a long time.”

“If President Song succeeds in procuring the business with H Group, our new production site B wouldn’t be enough with the space on the first floor. That’s why I already added the second floor to it. Since the assembling work doesn’t require using a lot of heat, we don’t need a high ceiling anyway.”

“Hmm, I see. How many new hires do we have at the assembly department?”

“It’s about a little bit over 100.”

“We now have more than 450 workers in total.”

“So, in order to have a quick glance at our company’s structure, I made our organizational structure. I was actually working on it with a computer when you came to the new production site earlier.”

“We will have a work performance assessment this December to promote some of our workers, so just hang in there until then, okay?”

“I know that. It’s September now. Two more months to go. Bro, you have to send a manager to the production site B. Don’t forget that.”

“I will talk to President Song about it because I only get involved in the promotion for executive officers.”

“No problem. Thank you, bro.”

Gun-Ho went to his office. The secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—brought a cup of tea for Gun-Ho, and she informed him, “Mr. President Song went out to visit H Group earlier, sir.”

“Hmm, I’m aware of it. Can you ask the accounting director to come to my office?”

“Yes, sir.”

A moment later, the accounting director—Min-Hwa Kim—entered Gun-Ho’s office. She seemed to gain some weight.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

“You look healthier, Ms. Director Kim.”

“Hahaha. You are teasing me, sir, right? I know I’ve gained some weight recently. I’m still single, but my weight seems to keep increasing as I am now in my 50s. It’s one of the big problems that I have these days.”

“Is that the chart showing our current financial status in your hand? Let me take a look at it.”

“We exceeded 9 billion won for our monthly revenue. According to Mr. President Song, we will reach 10 billion won next month as we are now receiving assembly work from A Electronics.”

“Hmm, really?”

“The labor cost is increasing along with it. As our sales is increasing, the labor cost is on the rise as well.”

“What’s our current labor cost?”

“With the bonus of 400%, it’s almost 2 billion won, sir.”

“Hmm, it sounds like the labor costs account for more than 20% of our total business costs…”

“President Song said earlier that we will have to seriously consider replacing workers with robots at the assembly line.”

“Hmm…”

There were two ways to save labor costs: replacing the workers with robots or moving the factory to a country where the labor costs were low. If they decided to replace their workers with robots, they would have to lay off all of the new hires that they recently hired for the assembly department. If they moved the factory to Southeast Asia where they could get low-cost labor, they would soon face the same problem, sooner or later. Gun-Ho thought that he would have to talk with President Song about it. He wanted to tell him not to rush in finding a solution to save labor costs.

“We are not doing any B2B discount practice these days, right?”

“No, sir. During the Mulpasaneop era, we used to apply B2B discount right after we received the payments from our clients. We no longer do that, and the work at the accounting department became a lot easier.”

“During the court receivership of Mulpasaneop, you had a hard time working by yourself at the accounting department as the accounting manager, right?”

“Don’t get me started, sir. I didn’t even have time to go to the bathroom at that time. My work became easier after you joined Mulpasaneop as a directing manager, sir.”

“I didn’t do much at that time. I just hoped that I didn’t impose anyone.”

“Not at all, sir. I initially assumed that you were just a second-generation rich kid. So I thought that you just joined the company during the court receivership to learn about the work before you actually acquired the company. But, I was totally wrong. I was amazed when I realized that you were highly knowledgeable about the accounting field and the production as well. You seemed to be very familiar with the settings.”

“Haha, you did? Well, thank you. You can go back to your work now, Ms. Director Kim.”

“Yes, sir.”

The accounting director’s compliments didn’t bother Gun-Ho at all. He actually liked it.

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Chapter 616 - Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (2) – Part 1

Chapter 616: Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho couldn’t tell whether the involvement with Minister Jin-Woo Lee was a good idea for him, at least for now. But, the fact was that his company— GH Mobile— was growing rapidly just because he was cooperating on the activities designed to support Seukang Li’s political activities. That was the apparent price of his involvement.

‘Seukang Li attempted to use the drama production company— Huanle Shiji— in Shanghai in preparing the slush funds for his political purpose. The amount of 300,000 dollars were invested using Seukang Li’s father’s name even though that money wasn’t from his father. This could give a headache.

However, the deal with A Electronics is different. The funds to acquire a 15% share of GH Mobile, were probably Minister Lee’s father’s money. He is wealthy enough to have that much. Moreover, GH Media had a substantial amount of debt which is assumed when it acquired Mulpasaneop, and we still have some left. If the 15% of share transfer raises any issues, I can simply explain the authority that GH Mobile needed more funds to pay for its debts at that time. It sounds perfectly reasonable.’

At the moment, Gun-Ho remembered what Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town told him.

[A businessman should keep his proper distance from a politician. The proper distance is not short or long, but it has to be adequate. You can hold the hand extended first by a politician, but you shouldn’t extend your hand for them first.]

Gun-Ho realized that it had been quite a while since he talked with Chairman Lee. He felt sorry that he had been ignorant. He made a call to Chairman Lee right away.

“Mr. Chairman Lee? How have you been, sir? This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, President Goo.”

An old man’s voice came from the phone.

“I’m sorry, sir. I should have given you a call more often. I’ve been extremely busy lately. I am doing some business in China too.”

“What kind of business are you doing in China?”

“It’s an intercity bus business, sir.”

“An intercity bus business? You will need a license to run a business like that, issued by the Chinese government. And, I’m sure that they won’t issue you a license for free. Did you bribe someone in the government?”

“I’m going to build a terminal for them.”

“Of course. There has to be something. They must provide the land where the terminal will be built, and ask you to bring in money to construct the terminal, huh?”

“I’m supposed to come up with 25 million dollars.”

“Where is the area?”

“It’s Antang City, Guizhou Province. It’s a small city deep in the west.”

“They must have lenient rules pertaining to regulating real properties there.”

“It seems like, sir.”

“You probably want to make sure that the land that they are supposed to provide is registered with the joint venture’s name, before you send your money for the terminal construction.”

“I was actually planning to verify the real property registration before sending my next funds to them.”

“By the way, it is unbelievable.”

“What is it that is unbelievable, sir?”

“You. How did you get a business opportunity like that? You must have some connections in China.”

“I know someone in Shanghai, who is a director of some bureau of Shanghai City.”

“Hmm, that makes sense. How’s GH Mobile doing?”

“It’s doing fine. We will reach the annual sales revenue of 100 billion won by the end of this year.”

“100 billion won… That’s incredible. Without help from some politicians, you have grown that far in a short period of time. It’s indeed amazing.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho had no choice but to let him believe that he grew his company this large without any help related to politics.

‘You are absolutely right, sir. I wouldn’t have been able to grow this company this big without help from outside. I had a deal with someone who is helping a politician. However, I didn’t forget what you told me— ‘A businessman should keep his proper distance from a politician.”’

After getting off the phone with Chairman Lee, Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea.

When he arrived at the front entrance of Dyeon Korea’s building, there were several cars parked there. There must be visitors at the company because the workers never parked their cars at the front entrance. Gun-Ho was the only one who parked there temporarily.

When Gun-Ho entered his office, Director Kim came to the office.

“Oh, Mr. Director Kim, you are here today. I thought you must be out to a client’s site or somewhere.”

“We have visitors today. The examiners to evaluate our company for the Inno-Biz certificate are here looking around our company right now.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“We received a good score on the online self-diagnosis. The examiners are from Korea Technology Finance Corporation, and they pointed out that we are a newly established company for less than three years.”

“A new company can’t get the Inno-Biz certificate?”

“It seems that usually, the companies that are more than three years old apply for this certificate. I think we will have a lower score on that section.”

“Well, be responsive to their request or question as much as you could. Don’t try too hard to obtain the certificate right away. We can use this opportunity to develop a stable and efficient management system which we need anyway for this time. The time and effort that we are putting into right now for the Inno-Biz certificate are not without success even if we don’t make it this time.”

“I agree with you, sir. We are not just focusing on getting the Inno-Biz certificate right now, but we are building ISO (International Organization for Standardization) as well.”

“Hmm, that’s good.”

“As GH Mobile is rapidly growing with the increase of their sales, we are also growing dramatically along with them. We are anticipating having more than 150 workers in Dyeon Korea by the end of this year. We do need to establish a good management system.”

“I guess you need an additional person who can support you at the management level.”

“No, sir. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo and Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong are of great help. I’m working in a comfortable environment. I’m good, sir.”

“Good then. You can go back to your work, Director Kim. I guess the company needs your attention on the visitors right now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once Director Kim left the office, Gun-Ho asked for the internal auditor. The internal auditor was good with numbers, and he would probably be the best person to ask about the company’s current financial situation.

“Our monthly sales are exceeding 100 tons including the overseas market, isn’t it?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“That will make our yearly sales revenue 50 billion won.”

“We can safely assume that we will reach 50 billion won this year.”

The internal auditor continued, “After getting some feedback from today’s examination for the Inno-Biz certificate, I have something that I’d like to discuss with you, sir.”

“I’m listening.”

“Since our company is less than three years old, we might not receive a desirable score in our Inno-Biz certificate application.”

“I was told about it as well. So, I said to Director Kim that maybe we should focus on building our system for now.”

“I was thinking… What if we apply to be recognized as a start-up company with technology?”

“A start-up company with technology?”

“Yes, sir. If we are officially recognized as a start-up company with technology, we don’t have to wait for three years in order to apply for the registration with KOSDAQ.”

“We haven’t even received any investment funds given to a start-up company with technology. Do you think we can still apply to be one of them?”

“Receiving the investment funds aimed specifically to those companies is not an absolute requirement to be recognized as a start-up company with technology. Companies can still apply for it by showing that their technology has been officially evaluated and guaranteed, or that they are a company focusing on developing technologies. Since we now have a research center, maybe we can apply as a company dedicated to developing technologies.”

“There has to be a requirement related to the funds that are supposed to be used solely for developing technologies.”

“For a manufacturing company, they require to use 5% of its sales revenue on developing technologies.”

“See? Our sales revenue will soon exceed 50 billion won, so 5% of 50 billion won is 2.5 billion won. We can’t possibly use 2.5 billion won on the research center only.”

“You are right, sir.”

“Look. The compound room— well it is the research center now— has six workers. Even if we include the labor cost in the total research expenditures, we still can’t make it 2.5 billion won. The labor cost for those 6 researchers would be a bit over 200 million won per year.”

The internal auditor smiled and said, “We can make it work.”

“Make it out? How?”

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Chapter 617 - Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (2) – Part 2

Chapter 617: Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (2) – Part 2

The internal auditor elaborated his idea on making the research expense 2.5 billion won.

“We can move some of our production workers to the research center such as the engineers handling the extruding machines. We can make a small office area inside the research center and give them a desk there. They work at the production site with machines as usual during work hours, but when they have to do some paperwork like writing a daily work log, they will have to do it at his desk inside the research center.”

“Hmm.”

“We can subdivide the research center into a development area, analysis area, etc.”

“Still, I don’t think we can fill up the required 2.5 billion won.”

“We can add more. The chemicals that we regularly purchase so we can mix them together to produce our materials, we can record them as the chemicals to be used for testing purposes at the research center. I think we can then make the research expense 2.5 billion won.”

Of course, the internal auditor was a crafty old man with extensive life and work experience. He knew how to manipulate the situation.

“Hmm, that might work. Why don’t you make that suggestion in writing and share it with other executive officers during our next meeting? We need each department’s cooperation.”

“Of course, sir. I will work on the proposal and bring it to our next meeting.”

It was Friday.

Gun-Ho went to GH Building in Sinsa Town to work that day. As soon as he sat at his desk in his office, he received a call. It was Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“Sir? It’s me, Director Sim.”

“Oh, hi, Mr. Director Sim.”

“I’ve read the synopsis that you’ve sent to me. I’d like to meet with you in person, and give you my opinion on it.”

“Sure. When you come, please bring your resident registration and your resume.”

“My resume, sir?”

“Yes, we will need it.”

“Okay, sir.”

Around 11 am that day, Director Sim came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Here are my resume and resident registration.”

Gun-Ho just put the documents aside without even looking at them.

“So, what do you think about their synopsis? Do you like it?”

“The Chinese writer whoever wrote the synopsis did a very good job. It was actually better than I expected. The thought and consciousness of Chinese authors seem to have changed a lot for the past several years.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I’ve made some modifications on the several scenes in the synopsis though. I wanted to emphasize more on family ties. Also, I restructured the relations among the characters.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Actually, I’ve received help from a Korean drama writer in making those changes on this synopsis. She is a very famous author, and she helped me with pleasure of feeling sorry for my situation. The main plot is based on a sweet and refreshing romance and heartwarming story that could heal the audience’s emotions who are already exhausted in life.”

“Hmm, really? I see a lot of red marks in this synopsis. You made more than a few changes.” Gun-Ho said while reviewing the modified synopsis that Director Sim brought to him.

“I think we can surely make the audience cry with this drama, especially the Chinese stay-home moms and the ladies at work.”

“Do you think this drama would succeed?”

“I’m pretty positive, sir.”

“Hmm… really?”

Gun-Ho showed the copy of the email that he received from Huanle Shiji’s president, to Director Sim.

While Director Sim was reading the email, Gun-Ho summarized their financial situation and pointed out his concerns.

“Huanle Shiji currently has 2 billion won of short-term debt, and 400 million won of unpaid wages.”

“Hmm…”

“If I put my funds in this drama production company now, they will first pay for the unpaid wages with the funds. Consequently, it will lower the amount that they can use in producing their drama. As a result, they will probably need additional funds later on to continue the production, and I will probably have to put more money. Do you think I would be able to recover my investment funds? Are you sure that their drama will succeed this time?”

Silence filled the air for a moment until Director Sim broke it.

“All I can tell you, sir, is whether this drama would succeed or not, and I believe that this one will succeed. They will probably use a part of your investment funds designated for producing the drama; I agree with you, sir. But, I’m not sure if you would have enough return on your investment funds if that happens. That’s not my area of expertise.”

“So, you are confident that this drama will succeed.”

“Yes, sir.”

“It is commonplace that drama producing requires additional funds as they proceed with it. Usually, it cost more than they initially planned, doesn’t it?”

“Well, you’re right, but for a modern drama like their next drama, usually the production cost stays about the same as they originally planned.”

“You probably know well the reason why the television director— Jong-Hak Kim— committed suicide. He was famous for his TV drama— Sandglass.”

“I do, sir. I knew him well personally. He was one of my favorite colleagues who were senior to me, especially because his name was similar to mine. His ‘Sandglass’ was a huge success, but he suffered from a big loss in producing the following fantasy series— Legend. I believe that the particular TV series took way more than the budget that he had planned in the beginning.”

“It actually cost him 30% more than he initially budgeted.”

“That sounds about right. When they planned the production of ‘Legend,’ they budgeted 31.5 billion won, but they ended up spending 40.6 billion won.”

“The accrued revenue from that TV series could cover only half of their total production cost.”

At the moment, Director Woon-Hak Sim closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

Gun-Ho continued while crossing his legs, “I’m sorry that I talked about the dark side of the work. Since the competent production director like you— Mr. Director Sim— assured that this drama would be successful, this Chinese drama— Shiguang Ru Meng— intrigued me even more.”

“Thank you, sir. I want to cast a Korean actress for the main female character even though we might have to cast a Chinese actor for the male main character. If we use a less-known new actress, we can save the production cost.”

At the moment, the name— Seol-Bing popped up in Gun-Ho’s head as Director Sim mentioned his intention to cast a Korean actress, but he dispersed the thought.

“Let’s do this.”

“What are you suggesting, sir?”

“I will hire you— Mr. Director Sim— as the head of operations of the soap opera production department at GH Media, for now.”

“Huh? Are you going to give me a job?”

“But, I’m setting your monthly salary to 1 million won. If I pay you more, your salary after subtracting the amount of the basic living cost will be garnished by your creditors anyway. So, it’s not a good idea.”

“That… that’s true.”

“And, if I decide to make my investment in the drama production company in China, you will be working in China for me. I will pay you an additional amount for your monthly salary in China.”

Suddenly, Director Sim’s face became brightened in relief when he heard of sending him to China. Director Sim interpreted what Gun-Ho said about hiring him as Gun-Ho almost made up his mind in investing in China.

“Thank… Thank you, sir.”

“I asked you to bring your resident registration and your resume earlier because of the paperwork that is needed to hire you. We have to file Four Major Public Insurance for you as your employer.”

“Thank you, sir. Thank you so much.”

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Chapter 618 - Memorandum of Understanding (1) – Part 1

Chapter 618: Memorandum of Understanding (1) – Part 1

Director Woon-Hak Sim had to pay for his medical insurance on his own because he had no employment, and it was burdensome for him under his current situation. When he was told that his insurance would be taken care of with Four Major Public Insurance, he felt a great sense of relief.

Gun-Ho changed his posture and said to Director Sim, “GH Media has its office downstairs on the 17th floor. It’s a small publishing company, but if I decide to make an investment in Huanle Shiji Production Company, I will do it through GH Media. So, officially GH Media will be the investor.”

“I see.”

“We have prepared your desk at GH Media’s office. You will need a place to sit while working with us here. You are expected to show up at work every day until we are ready to send you to China. You can read the drama manuscript and surf the web, or whatever necessary at your desk.”

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness, sir.”

Gun-Ho called for GH Media’s president— Jeong-Sook Shin to his office on the 18th floor.

“Let me introduce this lady. She is the president of GH Media.”

“Pleasure meeting you, ma’am. I’m Director Woon-Hak Sim.”

“Oh, you are the gentleman who we made the business card for last time. It’s very nice finally meeting you in person.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin extended her hand to Director Sim for a handshake.

Gun-Ho asked President Shin, “We have a desk ready at GH Media’s office for him, right?”

“Of course, sir. He will find everything he needs at the desk. He doesn’t have to bring anything. A desktop computer is also placed even though it’s not brand new.”

“Well, please show him his desk then.”

“Okay, sir.”

Director Sim followed President Shin to the GH Media’s office on the 17th floor and all the way to his desk. After showing his desk, President Shin introduced the workers in the office to Director Sim including Chief Editor Cheon-Young Pi and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda— the freelance journalist. The three men were all artists in their own terms, and they seemed to heat it off right away.

Gun-Ho made a call to President Shin.

“Do you have an extra business bank account of GH Media that you don’t really use these days?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please give me the account number. I will send 2 billion won to that account by the end of today.”

“Yes, sir. I was actually thinking that we’d better keep a separate bank account for the drama production-related work.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Mr. Baogang Chen— the owner president of Huanle Shiji Production Company.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, hi, sir. How are you?”

“I received your email. I have a few questions for you.”

“Please ask me any question.”

“My first question is about the short-term debt of 2 billion won. If you let the creditors know that you will soon start producing a new drama with the investment funds from Korea, are you certain that they will postpone your payment for the loans?”

“If the investment is confirmed, I’m confident that I can persuade them to allow me to defer the payment. But I will still have to pay them the interest though.”

“My second question is about the 400 million of the accounts payable. You said that you haven’t paid your staff for the past two months, and the total amount of the unpaid wages is 100 million won. And 200 million won is the guarantee. Do you think you can defer the guarantee payment as well?”

“I think I can defer the guarantee for the top star, but I will have to pay the other extra actors and actresses. So, we will have to pay at least half of the amount.”

“I see. I am coming to Shanghai City this Tuesday with GH Media’s president.”

“This Tuesday? Sounds great. I will be waiting for you. I will also let Director Seukang Li know about your trip.”

Gun-Ho made a call to President Shin again.

“I’m planning to go on a trip to Shanghai this Tuesday. Will you be available?”

“Yes, sir. Is Director Sim coming with us?”

“No. It will be just you and me, Ms. President Shin.”

“Okay. I just sent you a text message with GH Media’s bank account number.”

Gun-Ho asked for Manager Hong who was in charge of the accounting at GH Development.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

“I want you to make a chart showing the information about all of GH companies’ bank account numbers.”

“I was actually thinking that it would be more convenient to have a chart like that.”

“Well, then let’s make a more complete chart. Please make a chart with the information of each GH company’s business bank account number, the person’s name who is in charge of accounting of each company, and their phone numbers.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, please write this down.”

Manager Hong opened his note and grabbed his pen getting ready to write down what Gun-Ho would say.

“The person’s name who is in charge of GH Mobile’s accounting is Director Min-Hwa Kim. At Dyeon Korea, Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo handles their accounting matters.”

“Yes, sir.”

“For GH Logistics, Director Gun-Sook Goo is the one who is handling the accounting work. As to GH Parts Company in China, you will have to talk directly to its president— Min-Hyeok Kim, since their accounting staff is Chinese.”

“Got it, sir.”

“You are handling accounting work here, so you can take care of GH Development’s information. And, you can visit GH Media downstairs for their information.”

“I already wrote down GH Media’s bank information.”

“Who is in charge of accounting at GH Media? Is it the design team lead— Ms. Min-Sook Oh?”

“No, sir. There is a person who takes care of general affairs there. Her name is Hyeong-Sook Noh. She handles their accounting work as well.”

“This is GH Media’s bank account number. Please write it down. They are not really using this account right now. It will be used for the work related to China from now on. Please make sure that this is not their major bank account.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, don’t forget to add the persons’ email address who is in charge of each GH company’s accounting work, to the chart as well. We will need their alternative contact information other than their phone numbers.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho, for a moment, thought about asking Manager Hong to take care of the investment funds transfer of 2 billion won to China, and then he decided not to; the amount was just too big. He later visited the bank himself and made the fund transfer.

After getting back from the bank, Gun-Ho asked Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong to come to his office.

“Please make a flight reservation to Shanghai City tomorrow for two people. GH Media’s President Shin and I will go on a trip there.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You don’t have to worry about our visa to China. President Shin and I obtained a one-year business visa to China, and they are still valid. I don’t believe we need to apply again for the visa.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was Tuesday. Gun-Ho and President Shin were heading to Incheon International Airport in Gun-Ho’s Bentley. President Shin who was sitting in the front passenger seat said to Gun-Ho, “I thought we are taking a flight to Shanghai at Gimpo International Airport.”

“There are flights to Shanghai leaving from Gimpo International Airport too.”

“Gimpo is closer from our office. Why didn’t we leave from there then?”

“The flight leaving from Gimpo International Airport arrives at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. I want to get off at the new airport— Shanghai Pudong International Airport instead which is close to Huanle Shiji Production Company. If we take the flight departing from Incheon International Airport, we will arrive at Pudong International Airport.”

“Oh, I see.”

“How’s Director Sim doing? Is he coming to the office every day?”

“Yes, sir. He seems to be getting along very well with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda and Chief Editor Cheon-Young Pi. I believe they are all about the same age.”

“Really?”

“I saw those three men going directly to a bar yesterday after work.”

“Haha, I see.”

“Director Sim promised me to introduce a few good broadcasting writers.”

“Broadcasting writers?”

“Yes, they don’t solely write scripts, but most of them publish their own essays as well. Broadcasting writers are usually talented at writing. In addition, they are well known to the public, so their books tend to sell very well.”

“Oh, really?”

“With Director Sim’s presence at GH Media, I think we can expand our areas of publishing.”

“That’s nice.”

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Chapter 619 - Memorandum of Understanding (1) – Part 2

Chapter 619: Memorandum of Understanding (1) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin arrived at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen was waiting for them at the airport to pick them up with his car. He was driving a K4— a Kia model that was manufactured in China.

“It’s good to see you, Mr. President Goo.”

“I didn’t expect to see you at the airport. You came all the way to the airport to pick us up. Thank you.”

“Of course, I should. You are a very important guest to us.”

“Oh, let me introduce the lady who I came with. She is the president of GH Media— Ms. Jeong-Sook Shin.”

“Oh, is that right? She is a beautiful woman. It’s a pleasure meeting you, ma’am. I’m Huanle Shiji Production Company’s president— Baogang Chen.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin gave her business card to President Baogang Chen. And, President Baogang Chen also gave his business card to President Shin.

Baogang Chen took Gun-Ho and President Shin to a building in the Pudong area. It was a seven story building, and they went up to the third floor. When they arrived at an office, there was a business sign saying Huanle Shiji Production Company on the front door.

When they opened the door and entered the office, there were several staff working.

“I don’t see Director Yan Wu here.”

“I believe that he went out to the studio with several staff. He will come and join us soon.”

At the moment, a female worker brought tea to them. The workers at Huanle Shiji seemed to be curious about President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“Why don’t we move to another place. This office is a bit depressing. There is a business conference room at Pudong Hotel next to this building. Let’s talk about our business there.”

“That wouldn’t be necessary. Here is fine.”

“Please. Let me take you to a better place. Director Yan Wu will be there too. I’ve made a reservation for their business conference room already.”

Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin went to the business conference room at the next building with President Baogang Chen.

“This is a very nice place.”

Pudong Hotel’s business conference room was clean and quiet. Gun-Ho liked the place. A moment later, Director Yan Wu entered the conference room.

The meeting began. The female worker who had brought them tea earlier at the Huanle Shiji’s office came along with them. President Baogang Chen asked her to record the meeting.

President Baogang Chen spoke first.

“Here is how we receive your investment funds. We are not forming a joint venture, but our company is receiving the investment funds from your company. So, we will raise our capital by third-party allocation shares.”

Gun-Ho said, “You said that Huanle Shiji’s current capital is 1 million dollars as it started the company with the amount, right? I will put the same amount of 1 million dollars in the company.”

“We can’t possibly make a drama with 1 million dollars.”

“I agree with you. 1 million dollars is a start. I will invest more funds later by another form other than raising the capital, like a short-term debt or receivables.”

“Can you send the 1 million dollars to us right away?”

“It’s possible. But I will need the investment policy statement about the new drama— Shiguang Ru Meng first. Also, I want to see the plan about the drama’s TV schedule which must include the broadcasting time and the number of days it would be on air per week, etc.”

“Okay, no problem. We already started discussing it with the broadcasting station about it, and I’m pretty confident that we will reserve the prime time. I will send you the schedule plan as soon as it’s confirmed.”

“The third one is that once we decide to make the investment, I will send a Korean director here to work with you.”

“Oh, will it be Director Sim who I met last time?”

“That’s the plan. Please discuss with Director Sim about casting actors and actresses, and organizing the producing crew with staff.”

It seemed that President Baogang Chen and Director Yan Wu wanted to discuss it before giving Gun-Ho a clear answer on his third request. They took some time discussing something in a low voice between them before saying, “Sounds good. We will do that.”

“I want you to give Director Sim coming from Korea a vice president position in this company. You can decide about his term though according to your company policy.”

“Okay, we accept that.”

“Also, you can determine his salary, accommodation, and other necessary arrangements according to your company policy and common practice around this area and industry.”

“Okay.”

“I will send 50,000 dollars first when Director Sim is sent here. And, once the producing crew is organized, I will send 1 million dollars.”

“Sounds good.”

“Once the capital increase is completed and casting of actors and actresses is done, I will send the second 1 million dollars. By that time, you will receive a subsidy from the broadcasting station, so I will make my determination about the further investment considering the situation.”

“Okay. So, we are not signing the investment contract today?”

“Let’s sign the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for today. Please make the memorandum based on what we have just discussed and agreed, and I will sign it.”

The attendants of the meeting took a break for 30 minutes, so the staff lady could have the agreement in writing. Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin walked out to the hotel lobby to get some fresh air.

Baogang Chen came to Gun-Ho who was sitting on a sofa in the lobby and said, “I love the idea that Director Sim will join us. I believe that we can get his help on the matters handled by our art team such as setting the studio, makeup, etc., and also technical matters such as lighting, music, recording, editing, etc. But, the thing is that we can’t pay him a lot. His salary will be set somewhere between my salary and Director Yan Wu’s.”

“I understand that. Instead of paying him a high salary, you can compensate him later once the drama succeeds.”

“It is very easy to talk with you, Mr. President Goo. Since you have extensive business experience, you seem to be open to a lot of things, and you are willing to negotiate on most stuff, not to mention that you are highly understanding.”

“How much rent do we expect for Director Sim?”

“For a condo with two bedrooms, a monthly rent would be 3,000 Yuan more or less.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“As to his monthly salary, I can tell you that it will be about 10,000 Yuan. I hope you understand the arrangement.”

“That should be fine. Our main focus should be to produce a drama that will hit a jackpot. So, we can all make money.”

Baogang Chen stood up from his seat and made a call to someone.

At that moment, Director Yan Wu came to them and informed them, “The memorandum of understanding is ready.”

Gun-Ho went back to the business conference room. The staff lady handed the paper to Gun-Ho with a smile.

“Investment Statement? Hmm, that’s how it is called here?”

Gun-Ho carefully reviewed the memorandum of understanding. Everything seemed to be correctly stated reflecting what they discussed and agreed upon earlier.

“Good. I will sign it.”

Please hold one second, sir.”

A man who was wearing a business suit stopped Gun-Ho from signing the memo. He was carrying a camera.

“We want to take a picture recording this moment.”

Before taking pictures and signing the MOU, they rearranged the seats around the table a bit, by having President Jeong-Sook Shin and President Baogang Chen sit at the table with the Korean flag and the Chinese red flag with five stars in front of them. Gun-Ho, Director Yan Wu, and the staff lady who recorded the meeting stood up behind the two presidents. The man with a camera took pictures when they signed the MOU and when they exchanged the signed MOU with each other.

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Chapter 620 - Memorandum of Understanding (2) – Part 1

620 Memorandum of Understanding 2 – Part 1

Gun-Ho gave a call to Seukang Li while he was in Shanghai before leaving for Korea.

"Seukang Li? It's me, Gun-Ho Goo."

"Oh, Gun-Ho Goo. I just received a call from Huanle Shiji's president—Baogang Chen—that you are here. I was told that you signed the memorandum of understanding, huh?"

"Yeah. Once I receive the TV schedule for the new drama, I will send someone to their team to work with them from Korea."

"I will give a call to the broadcasting station's president. I will get you the prime time. Given the situation that the drama will be produced with foreign investment funds, we will do what we can do to support it."

"Thank you. And, I don't think I can see you today. I have things in Korea that require my immediate attention. I gotta go back to Korea now."

Gun-Ho gave an excuse to Seukang Li for not being able to see him in person during this trip. He had nothing urgent in Korea, but he just didn't want to eat oily Chinese food again. He had enough Chinese food recently.

After getting off the phone with Gun-Ho, Seukang Li let out a deep sigh in relief. Now, he didn't have to worry about losing the 300,000 dollars that were invested in the drama production company using his father's name.

Gun-Ho gave the same excuse to Huanle Shiji's President Baogang Chen when he invited him and President Shin for dinner.

"I would love to, but I have to go back to Korea as soon as possible. I have an urgent matter that I need to take care of in Seoul, but thank you for your offer."

"That's a shame. I wanted to celebrate this day with you. We signed the MOU."

"I talked with Director Li on the phone earlier, letting him know that I have to leave without seeing him. I asked him to help us, so the drama could be placed in prime time."

"Oh, you did?"

"He said he would give a call to someone at the broadcasting station. Once the TV schedule is confirmed, I will send someone to China right away."

"Sounds great."

Gun-Ho walked to President Jeong-Sook Shin, who was sitting at the hotel lobby.

"We are all done here. We can go back to Korea and wait for their TV schedule. You did very well today, Ms. President Shin."

"Haha. I haven't done much, Mr. President Goo. You are the one who did all the work."

"To celebrate this day since we signed the MOU, Huanle Shiji's president invited us for dinner, but I told him that I can't be there because of a prior engagement. To be honest with you, I don't want to have oily Chinese food today, and also, they always drink Baiju, which is too strong for me. Why don't we eat something else for dinner today?"

"That's good. I've been stressed a lot, and I need a more comfortable setting to enjoy dinner as well. Sir, since we have several hours left before our scheduled flight back to Korea, maybe we can meet with the director of the Shanghai art gallery."

"Oh, Ms. Deng Jufen?"

"Right. Ms. Deng Jufen who helped us with hosting our avant-garde art exhibition in our art gallery in Seoul."

"If I knew I would see her during this trip, I would have prepared a gift for her."

"I bought a moisturizer at the duty-free shop at the airport when we came to Shanghai. I bought it for myself, but I can give this to her as a gift. I can buy another one on the way back home."

"Sounds great. I will buy you a more expensive moisturizer later."

"Haha. Thank you."

It was time to say goodbye to Huanle Shiji Production Company's president—Baogang Chen.

Gun-Ho said, "We have to go now."

"I will let you use my car. The chauffeur will give you a ride to the airport. We can walk to our office. It's close from here."

"Oh, thank you so much."

On the way heading to Shanghai Art Gallery in the car, President Jeong-Sook Shin showed a small piece of paper with a phone number on.

"I think that we'd better give her a call before we go to see her."

"Of course, we should."

Gun-Ho entered the phone number written on the paper that President Shin showed him. An old lady's voice came out of the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is it the director of Shanghai Art Gallery?"

"Yes, this is she."

"GH Media's President Jeong-Sook Shin from Korea would like to meet with you today. She is in Shanghai City right now. Will you be available to see her today?"

"Oh, really? Where is she exactly?"

"We are in Pudong. We are on the way to your gallery."

"Sounds great. I will be here waiting for you."

When they arrived at the Shanghai Art Gallery, Gun-Ho told the chauffeur to wait for them for an hour, before getting out of the car. He told the chauffeur that they would leave for the airport then. And, he put 100 Yuan into his hand.

Shanghai Art Gallery was having an art exhibition with Xin (new) ink-wash paintings at the time. The director's office was on the second floor, and before walking up to the office, Gun-Ho and President Shin made a round of the exhibition enjoying the Chinese Xin ink-wash paintings."

President Shin said, "They used bold colors in these ink-wash paintings. It's interesting."

"I see that. According to their art exhibition catalog, the motive of these paintings here is nature such as beautiful sunshine, clear water, and a cool breeze."

"As you just said, those three elements that you mentioned—sunshine, water, and breeze—are being melted in every single one of the paintings displayed here."

"Hmm."

Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin took enough time to enjoy the paintings before walking up to the second floor. When they arrived at the office, a female worker stood up quickly from her seat, as soon as she saw them coming into the office, to greet them.

She asked, "Are you the guests from Korea?"

"Yes, we are."

"Our art gallery's director is waiting for you."

Director Deng Jufen was a slightly overweight lady. She warmly welcomed her visitors. She looked truly delighted to see President Shin particularly.

"Oh, my goodness! Ms. President Shin, it's really good to see you again. Oh, my, Mr. President Goo is here too."

Deng Jufen gave a hug to President Shin as she said, "How have you been?"

"I've been well, thank you. You look healthier, Ms. Director."

"Well, I'm aging every day. Haha."

"We took our time enjoying the Xin ink-wash paintings at the gallery on the first floor before coming to your office."

"Oh, you did? What do you think? Give me some comments. I want to hear your opinion."

"I like them. Even though they are ink-wash paintings, they used very bold colors. The daring choice of colors made them look vibrant."

"If you happen to be interested in having an art exhibition in Korea with those paintings, please just let me know. All of the schedules are fully booked until the fall, but after then, it's good."

"Oh, I see."

"And, when you have an art exhibition at GH Art Gallery, please send me the catalogs. I would love to see them."

"Sure, I will do that."

At that moment, the female worker brought Longjing tea to the office.

"I love the taste of this tea," President Shin commented.

"Thank you. This is my favorite tea as well. I will give you both a box of Longjing tea, so you can take them with you to Korea."

The art gallery director called for the female worker and told her to bring two boxes of Longjing Tea. When the female workers came back to the office with two boxes of the tea, the director gave them to Gun-Ho and President Shin, one for each.

"I hope you enjoy the tea in Korea too."

"Thank you very much. I brought something for you too. It's not much, but it's a Korean skincare product—a moisturizer."

When President Shin handed the moisturizer to the art gallery director, she became all excited like a child.

"Oh, my gosh. You brought me a very expensive moisturizer. I love it. Thank you so much. I love Korean skincare products. They are very fine products."

The three people in the office enjoyed the hot Longjing tea.

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Chapter 621 - Memorandum of Understanding (2) – Part 2

Chapter 621: Memorandum of Understanding (2) – Part 2

“Is this trip to Shanghai about your art gallery’s business?” Art Gallery Director Deng Jufen asked.

“No, we came here for a drama production business. We will produce a Chinese drama with a drama production company in Shanghai, called Huanle Shiji Production Company.”

“Oh, is that right? I love Korean TV dramas. I’m sure you will produce an amazing TV drama by working together. It’s a great combination that Korean and Chinese teams work together in producing a drama, given the fact that we share similar cultures and all that. My favorite Kdramas (Korean dramas) are ‘What is Love,’ and ‘Dae Jang Geum.’ They are very old ones, and I enjoyed them a lot. My daughter loved ‘My Love from the Star’ which is relatively new.”

“Haha, is that so?”

“Because of farsightedness due to my old age, I don’t often watch TV dramas any longer, but it seems that there are several Chinese online sites that show Kdramas.”

“I’ve heard of it too.”

“The drama producing that you are carrying forward will be successful Ms. President Shin since you are such a talented person. Moreover, you have Mr. President Goo beside you, who you can rely on. He is a progressive and competent businessman.”

“Thank you.”

The conversation between President Shin and Shanghai Art Gallery’s director—Deng Jufen—went on and on without any clue when it would end. Gun-Ho was busy interpreting for them. Gun-Ho finally decided to stop the endless conversation between two women. He looked at President Shin’s face and said, “I think it’s time for us to leave for the airport.”

“Oh, that’s right. I totally forgot. Ms. Art Gallery Director, I guess I have to say goodbye here. When you have a chance, please come to Korea and visit me.”

“Sure, I will do that. Thank you for stopping by the gallery to see me.”

Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin came back to Korea. It was a one-day trip without spending any night.

When they arrived at Incheon International Airport, Chan-Ho Eum was waiting for them with Gun-Ho’s Bentley to pick them up.

President Shin said in the car, “Sir, I think the drama production business is also a very high-risk business just like the publishing business.”

“I agree with you.”

“The manufacturing business that you have been running is not so risky, is it? By the way, I don’t know anything about a manufacturing factory business. All I can think of when I picture a manufacturing factory are those enormous machines that are making loud noises. They are just scary objects to a layperson like me. I heard that workers at a manufacturing factory actually get injured sometimes while working with those machines, do they?”

“Every business has its own difficulties. The key to succeeding in any business is to place the right person in the right position and place. For example, I will never place you—Ms. President Shin—at a manufacturing factory. You will be useless there, and I’m certain that you will constantly produce defective products. You know GH Mobile’s plant manager who I consider like my little brother, right?”

“Yes, I do, sir.”

“Do you think he will handle the work at GH Media in publishing a book as well as he is doing at GH Mobile’s manufacturing factory? Even if we put aside the competency of handling work, I don’t think he can stay in a publishing company’s office even for a second. He will definitely run away to a production site where he can work with welding tools, right away.”

“Hahaha. I can very well picture that.”

It was Wednesday morning when Gun-Ho opened his email at work. There was an email from Huanle Shiji’s president—Baogang Chen. It was a very recent email that was sent to Gun-Ho about 30 minutes ago.

“Do they have the TV schedule for the new drama already?”

When Gun-Ho opened the email, there was a scanned news article of a morning paper. Gun-Ho slowly read the news article.

[The drama production company—Huanle Shiji decided to receive funds from Korea’s GH companies in order to produce their next daily soap opera—’Shiguang Ru Meng.’ It’s not just funds that they will receive from Korea, but they will also work together with Korean drama production team sharing technologies and know-hows in producing a drama. Huanle Shiji’s next drama will be a collaborative product between China and Korea.

Accordingly, the two parties—Shanghai’s Huanle Shiji Production Company and GH companies from Korea—signed the Memorandum of Understanding at the Pudong Hotel. They will soon start shooting the drama with 2 million dollars as a start. The Korean company will later invest more funds as necessary.]

Below the article, there was a photo depicting President Jeong-Sook Shin and Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen having a handshake and exchanging the signed MOU.

Gun-Ho forwarded the email including the news article to President Jeong-Sook Shin and Director Woon-Hak Sim. He then made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim who was in Suzhou City, China.

“I went to Shanghai yesterday with President Jeong-Sook Shin.”

“Oh, you did? Why didn’t you call me?”

“I had to come back to Korea on the same day because of the things that I needed to take care of. And, we signed the MOU.”

“Really? I’m sure it will succeed. You have a very unique and incredible intuition on business. Since you picked the item, it will succeed.”

“I called you today to ask you a favor. We will need an interpreter, who will be working in Shanghai.”

“I’m sure that I can find tons of people who are willing to work in Shanghai City as an interpreter.”

“Really? Then, please find one for me. I’m going to send Director Woon-Hak Sim to Shanghai soon, and he will need an interpreter.”

“Who’s going to pay the interpreter? Is the drama production company that will bear the cost using an interpreter?”

“Of course. Once I send them the investment funds, they will be able to pay the workers including the interpreter.”

“Do you prefer a female interpreter? A male interpreter will be good too? I know a man who will fit right in the position. He is a Korean Chinese.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“They will have to provide a place to stay for him as well. Since it’s Shanghai, they should expect to spend at least 1,000 Yuan for accommodation only.”

“No problem.”

“That will be all you wanted to ask me for today?”

“If you could, can you find a place to stay for Director Sim as well at the Pudong area?”

“Housing in the Pudong area is expensive. A proper place for Koreans must cost at least 3,000 Yuan.”

“That’s fine. Please find one for him within that price range.”

“Will the drama production company pay for his room too?”

“Yes, they will.”

“Okay. Just let me know when his departure date to Shanghai is confirmed. I will get him a place to stay, and I will bring the interpreter there.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it! It’s part of the work. By the way, I heard that GH Mobile’s annual sales increased dramatically. Director Jong-Suk Park told me that their sales revenue will exceed 100 billion won by the end of this year.”

“That sounds about right.”

“According to Director Park, the major reason that is responsible for its recent increase in sales is the huge volumes of product orders from A Electronics. He said you brought that business in.”

“Hmm, well, you can say that.”

“Wow, 100 billion won is 100 million dollars, right? It’s an enormous amount of money. I am so impressed by your ability to bring that sort of business in. If you are a college kid, then I’m just an elementary schooler.”

“I’m sure GH Parts Company will grow like GH Mobile in the near future.”

When Min-Hyeok let out a sigh, Gun-Ho tried to encourage him.

“Min-Hyeok, you are doing an incredible job there. This year’s annual sales revenue will exceed 10 billion won, right?”

“It will exceed 10 billion won, but it can’t be compared to GH Mobile’s 100 billion won of their sales revenue. I feel embarrassed.”

“Don’t be silly. If not for a large Korean company, it is really hard for a small or medium-size Korean company to make 10 billion won in China. Most of them don’t even generate any profits. So, it is a fact that you are doing very well.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

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Chapter 622 - Jae-Sik’s Wife is Leaving for China – Part 1

Chapter 622: Jae-Sik’s Wife is Leaving for China – Part 1

It was early October when Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“We are expanding our bus service connecting to more cities with an increased number of buses. Considering the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, one more bus has been added to go to Guiyang City and Yibin City. Also, we are now connecting to Anshun City as well.”

“Really?”

“The deputy director of the provincial government’s transportation department of Guizhou Province located in Guiyang City came to Antang City yesterday. I was told that Antang City’s transportation department’s deputy director would be at our meeting yesterday, and when I went to the meeting, they announced that new and extended bus lines will be given to Antang GH Joint Venture Company.”

“It’s quicker than I expected actually.”

“The Mid-Autumn Festival is around the corner. Preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival was listed in our checklist of the meeting yesterday. The train Zhanzhang (stationmaster) and I strongly insisted on increasing the number of buses. We argued that it wouldn’t be possible for us to help all of the intended citizens to visit their hometowns during the Mid-Autumn Festival with the current number of buses.”

“And then, they just let you have more buses on the spot?”

“Actually, they seemed to already make their decision about it. They wanted to make the announcement in writing first, but since we brought it up, they just announced it during the meeting.”

“Do we have six express buses now?”

“Correct. The load factor for Guiyang City is over 80%, which is nice, and it is what we expected. But, according to the demand forecasting, the load factor for Yibin City and Anshun City will be a bit over 60%; I mean during the normal days. Of course, we will have full buses during the Mid-Autumn Festival season.”

“Who is conducting the demand forecasting? Is that you who does that?”

“No, not me. People here seem to be good at it. We don’t have such an academic institution that teaches transportation in Korea, but China has a transportation school. And many workers here graduated from a two-year transportation school. And they are very good at the practical side of this field. Many of them handle Excel very well too.”

“Is that right?”

“The operations department’s manager brought me the document about load factor and demand forecasting.”

“I see.”

“It’s really nice to receive income on a daily basis. We have 100 workers here, and they were sent by the Antang transportation company as I told you the other day. Once we start operating six buses, I guess maybe we can cover their wages.”

“How’s your Chinese language? I’m sure you have improved a lot.”

“Haha. A little bit. Now, I can go to a restaurant to eat by myself, and I go to a traditional market by bus alone without any problem.”

“Haha. I guess that at least you don’t have to worry about missing your meal because of the language.”

“I actually enjoy learning the Chinese language. It’s fun. I learned a few Chinese songs too. On Sundays, I go everywhere riding a bicycle. And, I realized that the Huaxi Huayuan community where I live is the best in the area.”

“Really?”

“Whenever I tell a local person that I’m living in Huaxi Huayuan, their eyes become widened.”

“I see. Can you write this down?”

“Okay. I’m ready.”

“If you go to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Antang City, you can find their branch manager. His name is Xiaodong Liu. His last name—Liu—is the same as Liu Bei’s last name in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Xiao is the character meaning small. Dong is the ‘dong’ meaning the east.”

“So, if we read his name in Korean, we say So-Dong Ryoo, huh? Haha. That sounds weird.”

“I want you to meet with him.”

“What am I supposed to talk with him about?”

“We made a purchase contract for five condos in Huaxi Huayuan. The due date to pay the remaining balance is coming soon. I want you to ask him if we can get a loan to pay the remaining balance for those condos.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Don’t forget to bring the purchase contract and your business card. Try to become friends with him—the Xiaodong Liu person. Buy him a drink or something.”

“Got it. I will go to the bank today.”

“Sounds good. Keep up the good work.”

“Oh, I wanted to let you know this. I’m planning to visit Korea briefly next Saturday for just one day.”

“Really?”

“My wife is ready to come to join me here. She feels heavy with her bulged belly and also often feels dizzy these days. She wants to quit the book café and come to China. I told her to come by herself, but she doesn’t seem to feel comfortable making a trip alone. She doesn’t speak Chinese, and it’s her first time coming to China. I think that I’d better go to Korea and come back to China together with her.”

“Yeah, I think you should. She must feel uneasy especially if this is her first time traveling to China.”

“Since I will have to go there on Saturday and come back to China on Sunday, I don’t think I have time to see you, President Goo.”

“That’s totally fine. We can talk through the phone. You should take care of your wife. Is she eight months pregnant now?”

“She will be next week.”

“She must feel easily tired. You should be good to her.”

“Thank you.”

“Is your house in Mangwon Town taken care of?”

“Yeah. I was told that we should vacate it by tomorrow. It seems that the landlord found a new tenant pretty quickly.”

“Your wife will stay with your parents at the condo in East Incheon for a few days then, right?”

“She rather wants to stay with her parents. She seems to feel a bit uncomfortable around my parents, especially when I’m not around. They haven’t known each other for long anyway. So, she’s going to leave the stuff with my parents, and stay with her parents until I get there. I will have to go to her parents’ house first to pick her up, and then we will stay the last night in Korea with my parents.”

“That’s good. She must feel way more comfortable staying with her own parents.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Well, keep up the good work. I will let you go.”

President Shin came up to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Director Woon-Hak Sim is very anxious about not receiving the TV schedule for the drama yet.”

“It will come when it’s ready. They will need time to negotiate with the broadcasting station and go over things before finalizing the schedule. There is nothing to be anxious about.”

“He is wondering if he could have their scenario.”

“We can certainly ask them to send it to us. I will ask them. Well, it will cost to translate it though since the scenario must be like a thick book.”

“I will take care of the translation work, sir. I know someone who can do the work at a low price.”

“I do care about translation quality…”

“You don’t have to worry about it. There are many people who are willing to do the work at a low price because they just can’t find a job, which doesn’t necessarily mean they are not competent.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Huaxi Huayuan’s President Baogang Chen right away.

“Hi, it’s me, Gun-Ho Goo from GH.”

“Oh, Mr. President Goo. I’m sorry that I haven’t contacted you recently. I will send you the TV schedule assigned to our drama soon.”

“The reason I called you today is that Director Sim wants to look at the scenario. Can you make a copy of it and send it to GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin via express mail service? You have President Shin’s business card, don’t you? You will find the address there.”

“Okay. I will mail it today.”

After getting off the phone with President Baogang Chen, Gun-Ho looked at President Shin’s face and said, “He said he will send it to us.”

“I’m so envious of you, sir.”

“What for?”

“You speak Chinese so fluently, and you have no problem picking up the phone right away and talking to a Chinese person in their language.”

“Haha. Well, anyone, who stayed in China for some time, can speak Chinese well. I’m not that good.”

“Well, I still envy you, sir.”

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Chapter 623 - Jae-Sik’s Wife is Leaving for China – Part 2

Chapter 623: Jae-Sik’s Wife is Leaving for China – Part 2

President Jeong-Sook Shin said to Gun-Ho, “Did the lady who was operating the book café stop by your office? Today is her last day with us.”

“I heard about it. Did you find someone to replace her position yet?”

“I did. I have a friend of mine who is younger than me. After becoming single, she is living by herself. I asked her to come and work at the book café.”

“Becoming single?”

“She divorced her husband. They have a son—a second-grader. She is living by herself with her kid. She worked as an insurance salesperson for a while, but she was not good at it. And she didn’t make enough accordingly. I told her to come and work with me at the book café. She is 40 something years old, but she is still pretty.”

“Haha, I see. Well, do what you have to do, Ms. President Shin. Is the book café generating enough profits?”

“I can’t expect to make huge profits with the book café, but I can tell you that the earnings from it certainly help GH Media in paying the rent for the office. Haha.”

“That’s good enough.”

The accounting manager—Mr. Hong—entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, I brought the chart that you requested the other day. It contains all the information about GH companies’ bank accounts and contact information of a person who is in charge of accounting of each company.”

“Hmm, good job.”

While Gun-Ho was reviewing the chart, Manager Hong said, “Umm, the person in charge of accounting at GH Logistics is Manager Hyeong-Nam Eun, not Director Gun-Sook Goo, sir.”

“Hyeong-Nam Eun?”

“Yes, I thought the person was a male manager, but it turned out it was she. I talked with her on the phone. She told me that she joined the company not long ago. She also said that she used to work for a paper cup factory doing accounting work.”

“Oh, oh, the paper cup manufacturing factory.”

When Manager Hong mentioned a paper cup manufacturing company, Gun-Ho now remembered who that was. Gun-Ho’s sister used to work at a paper cup manufacturing company as a production worker for a long time.

His sister mentioned that she hired someone, who she used to work with at the paper cup factory, for an accounting staff at GH Logistics. She also told Gun-Ho the other day that she was feeling much comfortable at the office since the new hire joined the company.

“Please send this chart to each GH company’s accounting person via email.”

“Yes, sir.”

“It will make their work easier once they know each other’s contact information.”

“Okay, sir. I will do that.”

“Also, when you send out this chart to each company’s accounting person, ask them to send us last month’s profit and loss statement.”

“You mean the profit and loss statement for the month of September, sir? The GH manufacturing companies might not finalize the payment from their clients yet.”

“It’s early October now. Ask them to send it to us by October 15th then.”

“Yes, sir.”

“When you send out the request, make it as an official letter, and tell them that I requested it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Umm… since it’s for the month of September, do you want me to ask them to send us the profit and loss balance for the third quarter of this year as well?”

“I don’t want to impose them, especially at the very first request. Let’s have the statement for September only for now. Once they get used to making the statement for a month, I will ask them for the quarterly profit and loss statement as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the accounting manager—Mr. Hong—left the office, Gun-Ho read a newspaper with his legs crossed.

He then called for the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh.

“We have the Longjing Tea that I brought from China, right?”

“Yes, sir, we do.”

“Let me have a cup of the Longjing Tea, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho continued to read the newspaper while having the Longjing Tea that Ms. Deng Jufen—the Shanghai Art Gallery’s director—gave to him as a present. At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Please come in.”

A lady entered his office, giving a greeting bow to Gun-Ho. It was Jae-Sik Moon’s wife. Gun-Ho stood up from his seat.

“Umm, I just wanted to let you know that I’m not coming to work at the book café from tomorrow. I came to say good bye.”

“Oh, I see.”

“It has been a pleasure working at the book café, and I do thank you for giving me the opportunity. Thank you.”

Jae-Sik Moon’s wife was holding her hands in front of her. Since she was eight months pregnant, her belly bulged out noticeably.

“Thank you for your hard work so far. It seems that President Moon is settling very well in China. I think you will be fine joining him in China now.”

“Right. As a matter of fact, I’m leaving for China next week.”

“President Moon already moved into a condo there. Daily life in China should be comfortable.”

“Thank you. Hope you and your family stay well.”

“Likewise. Please take good care of yourself.”

Jae-Sik Moon’s spouse and Gun-Ho gave a 90-degree bow to each other as a way to say goodbye. Gun-Ho walked her out of the office, and they exchanged another 90-degree bow with each other for the second time.

It was late afternoon when Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim.

“Hello, Mr. Director Kim.”

“I’m calling you about our research center’s equipment purchase, sir.”

“I already told them to buy the necessary lab equipment.”

“I reviewed the purchase list that Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo brought to me. The total cost exceeds 10 million won. Vice President Adam Castler wants to make sure with you if it is absolutely necessary to purchase them. He wants your confirmation before he approves it.”

“Okay. I will come to Dyeon Korea tomorrow and will explain the situation to him.”

“I explained to him already that we need those equipment and tools at our new research center because we have to produce a list of them placed in our research center when we report the authority that we have now a research center within our company. But, he still refused to sign it.”

“Really?”

“It seems that sometimes we have to go through things that we didn’t have to if it was not a joint venture company but our own company.”

“Haha, it looks like so.”

“Once Mr. Adam Castler signs the purchase request, there is no other issue, isn’t there?”

“No, sir. We will need to include the list of researchers when we make a report to the authority, and we have no problem doing it since our workers there are highly qualified with excellent academic backgrounds. For example, our chief research officer—even though his position is temporary—is holding a Ph.D in engineering. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo also has a master’s degree in engineering.”

“That’s right.”

“The young workers there are very qualified researchers as well. Having a bachelor’s degree is a very basic start these days. Many of our workers at the research center are holding a master’s degree on top of it.”

“Where do we apply for having a research center in our company?”

“It’s the Korea Industrial Technology Association, sir.”

“We won’t have any problem with our research center being recognized by them, right?”

“Of course, sir. Even a smaller company than ours had their research center successfully recognized.”

“I see.”

“We just need to include the pictures of the research center with all the lab equipment and tools. It has been delayed because of Mr. Adam Castler.”

“Maybe there is a reason why he is so reluctant to approve the purchase. Do you think that maybe the head office of Lymondell Dyeon doesn’t like the fact that we have our own fully-functioning research center?”

“That sounds plausible, sir.”

“I will explain to him tomorrow when I get there, but for now, why don’t you tell Mr. Castler that we will need it in order to receive favorable tax treatment as we can enjoy the tax reduction as a result. Also, in Korea, many client companies prefer to buy products from a company that has its own research center. The third reason would be that having a research center will definitely help our company to successfully register with KOSDAQ.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 624 - Plan to Increase Dyeon Korea’s Capital – Part 1

Chapter 624: Plan to Increase Dyeon Korea’s Capital – Part 1

The following day, Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea to work.

He usually spent his morning time at GH Mobile first and went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon, but that day, he wanted to talk to Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Adam Castler as soon as possible.

When he arrived at his office in GH Mobile, Gun-Ho called for Director Kim.

“Did you deliver the message to Mr. Adam Castler, that I told you yesterday?”

“Yes, I did, sir. He made a call to the head office right away after I told him what you asked me to tell him. It seemed that he talked to Vice President Brandon Burke on the phone.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know why, but he asked me to bring the purchase request this morning, and he signed it. I’m not sure what changed his mind.”

“I see.”

Gun-Ho thought, ‘They must have realized that it was a necessary step to facilitate Dyeon Korea’s plan to go public.’

While Gun-Ho was talking with Director Kim, Mr. Adam Castler entered Gun-Ho’s office being accompanied by the interpreter— Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae.

“There was misunderstanding in the head office of Lymondell Dyeon.”

“What kind of misunderstanding are you referring to?”

“When they were told about our new research center, they thought that we were trying to develop a technology to produce the same raw materials that we get from Lymondell Dyeon.”

“That’s very difficult to achieve. The raw materials that we are provided by them are raw materials derived from petroleum. We don’t have a proper facility or technology, or even funds to actualize it. What we are trying to achieve by having a new research center is that we want to enhance our current technology and skills of compounding. All we did so far is to change the name of our previous compound room to the ‘research center.’ That’s about it.”

“Right. That’s what I told the head office’s Vice President Brandon Burke.”

“One of the major reasons that we wanted to have a research center is to appeal better to our potential client companies. They usually visit their soon-to-be-suppliers’ factories to see if they have adequate facilities to manufacture what they plan to order. One of the things that they care about is whether the soon-to-be-suppliers have a research center or not.”

“I actually saw their checklist about it.”

“Also, having a research center within our company will greatly help us to be certified as a start-up company with technology, and also to eventually register with KOSDAQ.”

“I emphasized those points when I made a report to Vice President Brandon Burke.”

“Next year will be our second year since Dyeon Korea was established this year. Once we are recognized as a start-up company with technology, we can register with KOSDAQ without waiting for another one or two years.”

“Do you think they will recognize our company as a start-up with technology based on our compounding skills only?”

“We will convince them by stating that our compounding technology is our own know-how, that no other company has it. We tell them that Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle supplies us with their processed raw materials, and we process them again for the second time using our own unique technology and sell them. That’s why we are exporting our products to other countries such as China and India, because they don’t have the technology to process the raw materials the way that we do.”

“Our unique compounding technology… Haha. That is a very interesting idea.”

“That’s just what we say publicly.”

“Speaking of which, I just received a call from Vice President Brandon Burke this morning. He asked me to find out tacitly what you— Mr. President Goo— would think about increasing Dyeon Korea’s capital stock.”

“Is he suggesting to distribute the cash in our reserve as dividends and take them back to increase capital stock?”

“Exactly.”

“When we established this joint venture company, I invested this land which we are standing on right now, while Dyeon invested the necessary machines as their investment in-kind. At that time, this factory was a newly constructed building, and we didn’t count it as part of my investment. My investment in-kind was considered worth 4.5 billion won, and that was the value of the land which didn’t include this building.”

“That’s why they want to increase capital stock by counting this building this time.”

“Putting this building? And Dyeon wants to use the funds that they would receive as a dividend?”

“Yes, that’s their intention.”

“It’s not a bad idea at all. You have to take into account the fact that this is a newly constructed building. You know how much it cost me to complete it, right?”

“I actually asked Director Yoon about the construction cost of this building the other day, but he said he didn’t know and suggested that I ask you about it, sir.”

“It cost me around 3 billion won to build it.”

“That’s more than I expected.”

Gun-Ho and Mr. Adam Castler took a moment and sipped their water. Director Kim and Interpreter Myeon-Joon Chae, who were sitting next to them, seemed to feel thirsty as well. They drank their water.

Gun-Ho continued, “When we signed the joint venture contract, the paid-in capital was 10 million dollars, and the authorized capital was 20 million dollars. Let’s assume that the paid-in capital was fulfilled with the land and the machines.”

The interpreter, who had to interpret what Gun-Ho just said, seemed to not know what the ‘paid-in capital’ and ‘authorized capital’ meant. He looked at Director Kim’s face and asked in a low voice, “Mr. Director Kim, what is ‘paid-in capital?’”

Director Kim said to Interpreter Chae, also in a low voice, “I will explain the meaning of it later. For now, just know that it is called ‘paid-in capital’ and ‘authorized capital” in English.”

“Oh, okay, sir.”

Interpreter Chae continued his interpretation.

Mr. Adam Castler responded after hearing the interpretation, “At the time when we formed this joint venture, Dyeon fulfilled its investment portion of 5 billion won by providing the machines and raw materials, while you— Mr. President Goo— brought in the land that was worth 4.5 billion won and 500 million won in cash. So, the amount of intended paid-in capital of 10 billion won was met.”

“Now, Dyeon is suggesting putting an additional 10 million dollars— let’s just assume that 10 million dollars is equal to 10 billion Korean won. So, Dyeon would have to come up with 5 billion won, and I need to bring in 2 billion won in cash in addition to this building which is worth 3 billion won.”

“That… that sounds about right.”

“That will make Dyeon Korea’s capital 20 billion won, and we would reach our authorized capital.”

“That’s correct.”

“Dyeon Korea’s stock price is 10,000 won per share, and the number of shares totals 1 million. After we increase the capital stock, our number of shares will be 2 million.”

“That… is right.”

“According to the joint venture contract, a shareholder can sell its share in its sole discretion after the company goes public. You are aware of this, right?”

“I’m not sure about it, but if that’s what is stipulated in the contract, then it is.”

Gun-Ho crossed his legs and continued, “Mr. Vice President Castler, when you talk to Vice President Brandon Burke next time, please tell him this. We currently have about 10 billion won in our reserve, and it will grow to 12 billion won by the end of this year. We will use 10 billion won to increase the capital provided by both parties, and we will distribute the remaining 2 billion won as dividends.”

“Okay. I will let him know.”

The three men then left the office after giving a respectful bow to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho was sitting in his office by himself having a cup of jujube tea that Secretary Seon-Hye Yee had previously brought to him. While having his tea, Gun-Ho thought about Lymondell Dyeon’s Vice President Brandon Burke who was in charge of their international business development department.

‘That crafty bald man… Once he realized that having a research center will greatly help Dyeon Korea to register with KOSDAQ, he quickly made his suggestion to increase the capital stock. Dyeon Korea will become a company with its capital of 20 billion won. Once it successfully goes public, its total market value would become at least 200 billion won given that the company’s sales are rapidly on the rise. They are just picking up cash without doing much like a free rider. They invested a few old and shabby machines in this company, and they now expect to make several hundreds of billions won.’

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Chapter 625 - Plan to Increase Dyeon Korea’s Capital – Part 2

Chapter 625: Plan to Increase Dyeon Korea’s Capital – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked for Chan-Ho Eum.

“Chan-Ho, let’s go out to take a sauna. You haven’t been there for a while now, right?”

“Would you like to go to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel, or go to the hot spring spa area?”

“Let’s go to the spa place.”

“Okay, sir. I like that place too.”

Dyeon Korea’s Interpreter Myeon-Joon Chae and Secretary Seon-Hye Yee had lunch together that day. After lunch they were having a cup of coffee. Ms. Seon-Hye Yee asked Interpreter Chae, “You stayed in the president’s office this morning to interpret the meeting for an extensive period of time. What was it about?”

“They were talking about their investment portion in this company, and a lot of difficult terminologies came out, that I didn’t know. It was definitely not one of those days with easy interpreting work.”

“Investment portions?”

“Yes, and they also talked about increasing capital stock or something. Mr. President Goo is a highly knowledgeable man.”

“Really?”

“I heard that he is only 37 years old, and I can’t believe that a young man at that age can be that smart and knowledgeable about almost anything. He also seems to have an insight in business, and his prediction about the future seems to be precise as well. I have an older brother who is the same age as him. Guess what is his current primary interest these days. It’s a game called Granada. He is so into that stupid game these days…”

“Hahaha. I heard that your brother is a Ph.D. student. I believe that it’s totally fine and even healthy to play a video game sometimes in order to relieve some stress that he gained while studying.”

“Yeah, if he does that sometimes. In his case, the problem is that it is the other way around. He plays the game like all day long, and he gets back to his study when he thinks he needs a break from the game.”

“Hahaha, really?”

After having a spa morning, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eum went to a restaurant for lunch. They chose a restaurant that specialized in a set menu with seasoned wild vegetables. After lunch, they headed to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. He first stopped by the production site. The production manager quickly came to Gun-Ho when he spotted Gun-Ho at the site.

“I don’t see Director Park around here.”

“He went to the meeting presided by S Group for their vendor companies’ plant managers.”

“A meeting for plant managers?”

“S Group recently found defective products sent by some of their vendor companies. It has nothing to do with us though. So, they asked each vendor company’s plant manager to attend the meeting today. They will talk about how to prevent from producing defective products in the future. Actually, S Group received a claim from its client abroad about the defect., and that’s how they found the problem.”

“We should be careful not to make the same mistakes.”

“That’s right, sir. We are now more carefully testing our products before shipping them out.”

Gun-Ho went to the newly constructed production site B with the production manager. The first and second floors were both filled with assembly workers. The workers were sitting in a line at the site working quietly. Only the team leads and supervisors were walking around.

‘Hmm, they seem to be working under very close supervision.’

On the way out of the production site B, Gun-Ho stopped by the bathroom and took a look around it. The level of cleanliness of a factory’s bathroom was a good indication to predict that particular factory’s productivity and discipline. The bathroom was extremely clean. On its wall, a cleaning schedule was posted with the name of the person in charge and the date when it was inspected.

Gun-Ho went to his office. When President Song saw Gun-Ho going into his office, he followed him to the office.

“Have you been to the production site B?”

“Yes. I’m actually on my way from the production site B.”

“Almost 70 workers are currently working at the production site B. That number is the total number of employees of many small or mid-size companies.”

“It is probably so. We will need to place a manager at the production site B.”

“There is an assistant manager at the production site A, and Director Jong-Suk Park wants to place him to a manager position at the production site B by promoting him. The thing is that since this is not the time when we give promotions to our employees, we can’t just pick one particular person and promote him. We will have our official promoting time two months later, and he will have to wait until then.”

“We don’t have any problem managing the workers at the production site B right now, do we?”

“We do have a high number of workers there, but since the assembly work itself is simple, I don’t see any management issues.”

President Song then came close to Gun-Ho and said, “We are currently providing our assembly service to S Group, Chrysler, and A Electronics. Finding this out, H Group showed their interest in working with us too.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“H Group is currently paying attention to other auto manufacturing companies’ frequent fire incidents. We are manufacturing automobile parts like ignition cables and insulators. I want to supply H Group with gaskets and covers by assembling the components that we can be supplied by other vendor companies.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I understand that the volume of the product orders from A Electronics is rapidly growing, but if we could supply auto parts or assembled parts to H Group, we can even make more than 200 billion won of sales revenue next year.”

“Hmm.”

“We can then pay off all of our debts which are about 400 or 500, and we will be able to register with KOSDAQ as well. Once we do, the company will stably generate enough profits to let us establish a subsidiary company per year.”

“Hmm, you think so?”

“We can form additional subsidiary companies in India, like two in Chennai, and another two in Delhi. Also, we can also expand our market to Eastern Europe and even to the U.S. We can have our own factories there.”

“Hmm.”

“As a matter of fact, if we have our own factory in the U.S., and provide the assembled products to Chrysler as we are doing now, but directly from our factory in the U.S., our sales will significantly increase. The state will offer us an exceptionally favorable tax treatment since once we have our factory there, we will hire American workers, and they will be able to lower their unemployment rate accordingly.”

“Chrysler is located in Detroit, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir, it is situated in Detroit City in the state of Michigan. They recently had unemployment problems since vehicles were not selling enough in the U.S., but Detroit’s unemployment rate is getting better now. If we could have our factory in Detroit City, we can expand our clientele to General Motors and Ford in addition to Chrysler. Detroit is the center of the automobile industry in the U.S. anyway.”

“That’s good, but it’s too early to think about it though.”

“That’s not true, sir. Mulpasaneop’s sales revenue got reduced all the way to 50 billion won during the court receivership, but now our sales revenue is exceeding 100 billion won without any difficulties. I’m confident that we will achieve the goal.”

“Well, sure, why not? Let’s do what we can do and work hard.”

“Director Jong-Suk Park is preparing himself for the era where our company is globalized. He is studying English so hard.”

“I was told that he is studying for TOEIC.”

“He seems to be enthusiastic in learning the English language. Director Jong-Suk Park is the first one coming to the English class that we offer every morning to our employees. You know the morning class that is taught by the native English teacher from Hoseo University. I am amazed and also impressed by the changes that I see in him. In the beginning, he was not exactly a sitting-at-a-desk-studying type of person. He changed a lot.”

“Hmm, that’s very good.”

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Chapter 626 - 626 Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 1 – Part 1

626 Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 1 – Part 1

On Friday, Gun-Ho finally received an email from the drama production company in Shanghai— Huanle Shiji— regarding their next drama’s TV schedule. Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen stated in the email that the negotiation with Shanghai’s broadcasting station went well, and they assigned a time slot to be on the air, for the drama.

[We received a confirmation from Shanghai broadcasting station. Our new TV drama— Shiguang Ru Meng— is scheduled to be on the air in the evening from 8:20 pm for 40 minutes. It will be aired twice per week, and it totals 35 episodes.

Accordingly, Huanle Shiji now needs to organize our production crew for this drama including an assistant director. Please send us GH Media’s Mr. Director Woon-Hak Sim as soon as possible. We’d like to discuss with him in selecting production crew members and casting actors and actresses.

From Huanle Shiji’s’ President Baogang Chen.]

Gun-Ho replied right away.

[Director Woon-Hak Sim will be on the flight heading to Shanghai next Tuesday.

Once he arrives in Shanghai, he will need a place to stay, and he will need your help to find one. As you expected, Director Woon-Hak Sim will be there to be of great help in selecting the right members of the production team and casting necessary actors and actresses.

He will also need an interpreter who would facilitate the communication between him and you and the team. I’ve already asked someone to find an interpreter for him, and you will meet the interpreter soon too. Please make a determination on the interpreter’s pay amount as well, according to Huanle Shiji’s policy.

As stipulated in the signed memorandum of understanding, once we receive the confirmation that Director Woon-Hak Sim arrives in Shanghai, we will send 50,000 dollars.

From GH Media’s Chairman Gun-Ho Goo.]

Gun-Ho then made a call to Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“Mr. Director Sim, this is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, hi, sir.”

“We finally received the time slot for the new drama to be on the air, and it has been confirmed. Each episode will be on the air for 40 minutes, and twice per week. The drama will consist of 35 episodes in total.”

“Oh, really? What time will it be on the air?”

“That will be in the evening, starting 8:20 pm.”

“That’s very enough.”

“Mr. Director Sim, you can depart to Shanghai next Tuesday. Ask GH Media to reserve a flight ticket to Shanghai for you. I will give a call to President Shin about it.”

“Am I going there by myself?”

“Yes, you will be traveling alone.”

“Umm…”

“Once you arrive in Shanghai City, President Min-Hyeok Kim will meet you there with an interpreter who will assist you during your stay in China”

“Oh, I see.”

“I will also ask President Shin to give you a certain amount of money in advance to cover your living expenses at the beginning of your stay, which will be counted as part of your salary. You will probably need to stay in a hotel for the first few days before finding a place to live anyway.”

When Director Sim realized that he would receive money in advance, he sounded relieved and excited.

“Thank you very much, sir. I won’t disappoint you.”

Gun-Ho gave a call to President Shin as soon as he got off the phone with Director Sim.

“Ms. President Shin, Director Sim is leaving for Shanghai next Tuesday. Please get him a flight ticket. A morning flight would be perfect. Please make sure that he leaves from Incheon International Airport, not Gimpo International Airport.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Once his flight ticket is reserved, please send me the arrival time. I will have to let the person know, who will be at the airport to pick him up in Shanghai.”

“Got it.”

“One more thing is that Director Sim will need money that he can use to pay for his living expenses there before he receives his first pay. Please give him 3 million won.”

“Yes, sir.”

After some time, Gun-Ho received a call from President Jeong-Sook Shin about Director Sim’s flight reservation.

“We’ve reserved the flight heading to Shanghai on Tuesday for Director Sim. The departure time is 11:30 am, and he will arrive at Pudong Airport.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim immediately to relay the information.

“President Kim, Director Sim will arrive at Pudong Airport at 11:30 am on Tuesday. You will be available to pick him up, right?”

“Yeah. I will come to the airport with an interpreter.”

“You said that the interpreter is a man, didn’t you?”

“I contacted that person the other day, and figured that he left for Qingdao City. He no longer does interpretation work. He started his own seafood business with his friend there.”

“Oh, so, we don’t have an interpreter for Director Sim yet? He needs one.”

“Don’t worry about it. I already found another person. There were tons of people who wanted to take the job once they learned that they would do interpretation for a TV drama director in the drama production field.”

“Why is that so? It’s not like the pay would be better if they do interpretation work in the drama production field.”

“I don’t know. The new interpreter is female. She used to work in a Korean company in Suzhou City.”

“Director Sim doesn’t even speak a word in Chinese. You should help him too.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, but you should know that you can’t expect him to learn the Chinese language quickly given his age and all that.”

“Is that so?”

“It doesn’t actually take much time to figure out if a person would learn Chinese quickly or not, by just observing them. Look at Suk-Ho Lee, for example. He can’t even take a taxi by himself. I’m sure Jae-Sik Moon will speak Chinese fluently pretty soon.”

“Really? How do you know that?”

“The area where Jae-Sik is staying now doesn’t have many Koreans. Moreover, Jae-Sik is so willing and actually studying hard to learn the language. Also, reading has been part of his job and life. I’m sure he is reading Chinese newspapers and books or whatever right now meticulously. You will see. Within a year, he will speak Chinese very well.”

“Haha, you think so?”

“In order to learn a second language quickly including Chinese, a person has to be either very young or has a strong will to learn it just like you— President Goo— or Jae-Sik Moon. Well, there is a third way which depicts my case— you have to live with a Chinese person. I’ve seen many Korean businessmen here in Suzhou City, who can’t speak a word in Chinese, and they are always with their interpreters.”

“Really?”

“Even if they can’t speak Chinese at all, whenever they visit Korea, they all act like an expert of Chinese related matters. That’s funny.”

BM Entertainment’s manager was knocking on its president’s office’s door— Hyeon-Man Yee.

“Yes?”

“Sir, you are aware that we introduced Director Woon-Hak Sim to GH’s president last time.”

“Oh, yeah. How did it go?”

“I just received a call from Director Sim. He is leaving for China next week.”

“Hmm, really? That’s very nice. Where in China is he going?”

“He will be working with a drama production company called Huanle Shiji, located in Shanghai City. He will participate in producing a drama there.”

“Since President Goo is close with Director Seukang Li, I’m sure that their drama will be assigned to golden time to be on the air.”

“Do you think Director Li will use his power to help the drama production? He is a government officer. Do you think he will risk his reputation to help President Goo’s business? He is known to be fair and strict.”

“We never know. He probably won’t do it for sheer friendship, but if he is one of the stakeholders in that business, who knows?”

“Well, I hope Director Sim uses this opportunity to get back on his feet.”

“He should. He is a very talented man. He just should have never started his own business. I hope he realized by now that he is an excellent drama director, but a lousy businessman.”

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Chapter 627 - 627 Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 1 – Part 2

627 Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 1 – Part 2

BM Entertainment’s President Hyeon-Man Yee continued, “People like President Goo are ideal businessmen. Look at the way he talks.”

“What way does he talk?”

“First of all, he doesn’t talk much, and he doesn’t imply much either when he responds to the other person’s saying. He always says ‘Really?’ ‘I see,’ ‘Hmm.,’ ‘Is that so?’ While saying it, his brain is fully operating. He is a clever and cunning man.”

“Haha. It does sound like him.”

“You will see. He now runs a few small and mid-size companies, but he will grow whatever soon.”

“Well, he still can’t be compared to you, sir.”

“Me? A person like me is an easy prey for him.”

“Really?”

“I met someone the other day, and heard a rumor saying that Gun-Ho Goo is a big player in Gangnam District. That cunning man probably saved somewhere a significant amount of cash.”

“If that is true, Director Sim is a lucky man who met the right person.”

“Of course. He is d*mn lucky to start working for that guy.”

“It’s good for us too, sir. At least, we have now someone in Shanghai who can show us around whenever we visit the city.”

“Director Sim owed us some money too, right?”

“Yes, about 30 million won.”

“Well, that’s not much, but he will still be nice with us because of it. If he contacts us in finding actors or actresses, be cooperative with him, and find one for him after considering their scenario.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho was having a cup of tea sitting on the sofa in his office.

He was thinking, ‘Will that Chinese TV drama— Shiguang Ru Meng— succeed? I did what I could do about it, didn’t I? I placed Director Sim there, who is an expert in the field. He will take care of it. It’s not like I’m the one who is producing that drama. I don’t even watch a TV drama.

The president of Samsung doesn’t know how to make a cell phone, and Hyundai’s president doesn’t know how to build a vehicle. They just need to have someone who makes a nice cell phone and a great vehicle. An investor doesn’t have to know everything. What it takes to be a good investor is judgment and insight. I shouldn’t make any mistake in making a decision. That’s my part of work.’

When he was lost in thought, he received a call from Jae-Sim Moon in Antang City, China.

“President Goo, is it a good time to talk?”

“Yeah.”

“I met with the branch manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Antang City.”

“Oh, that Xiaodong Liu person, right?”

“Yeah. That branch is not our joint venture’s major bank though, but it was located in a different area from the one where I am. Anyway, when I got there, he was expecting me, and he was very kind.”

“Did he say he would give you a loan?”

“Yeah. He said 60% is possible, but suggested that I take 40%. He said that I would feel more comfortable with 40% given the amount of monthly interest payment. And, he said I can take out a loan for all of the five condos.”

“Hmm, really?”

“When he looked at my business card, he seemed to be surprised.”

“Why?”

“He said that he didn’t know that a Korean company was participating in building the terminal in Antang City. He said that it’s his first time working with a Korean businessman.”

“Hmm, really?”

“And, when I told him that I signed the purchase contract for five condos in Huaxi Huayuan, he looked surprised again. So, I quickly told him that the condos are intended to be used by our employees from Korea. Then he asked if I’m buying the condos under the company’s name.”

“Did you tell him that you, as an individual, are buying them?”

“Yeah. I told him that I didn’t want to complicate the purchase by going through the negotiation with my Chinese partner since it is a joint venture, so that I decided to acquire them personally. He said ‘You are a rich man, Mr. President Moon.’ Well, he has no idea that there is a real owner of those real properties, hahaha. When I told him to have a drink sometimes, he looked excited. He gave me his business card and said that if there is a good business, he wants to do it with me.”

“Really?”

“As I received his business card, I asked him if he was the descendant of Liu Bei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms since he has the same last name. He then looked astonished and asked me if I know about the novel.”

“Haha, really?”

“He also gave me a brief history lesson about the area. He said that this Guizhou Province was once a part of Shu Han.”

“Since you are very knowledgeable about Chinese history and their culture, you will have a lot to talk about with Chinese people. That’s very nice.”

“Thank you. Well, so, are we getting 40% or 60% of the loan?”

“40% sounds good. The condo in Huaxi Huayuan costs 160 million Korean won per unit, and we are getting five of them, so, it’s going to be 800 million won in total.”

“That’s correct.”

“If we take out a 40% loan, the loan amount would be 320 million won, and I will have to come up with the rest of the price— 480 million won in cash.”

“You sent 100 million won already when we signed the purchase contract, so you just need to send 320 million won this time.”

“In case they ask for Zhuce Shui (a real estate acquisition tax), I will send you 400 million won. Just send me later the itemized statement of all the expenses related to the transaction.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“It’s too late for me to go to the bank today. I will send the 400 million won on Monday.”

“Sounds good. And, I’m going to the airport this evening.”

“Oh, that’s right. You are coming to Korea today.”

“Today is Friday, so I’m leaving for Korea this evening, and coming back to China with my wife on Sunday.”

“You will be busy visiting your parents in Incheon City and your parents-in-law in Bucheon City.”

“It would really be happening, and I’m afraid that I don’t have enough time to see you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say that. Have a safe trip.”

Young-Eun came home at TowerPalace that evening since it was Friday. She was carrying a grocery bag when she entered the condo as usual.

“You stopped by the market again? You should have asked me to do it. You shouldn’t carry heavy stuff.”

“It’s okay.”

“With gaining a little bit of weight, you look affluent like a rich lady with a comfortable life.”

“I’m so tired. Don’t make a joke about my body.”

“I’m sorry. You do look tired. Come and have a seat here.”

“I feel a slight discomfort in my stomach. I don’t digest food well these days. And my back hurts.”

“Really? Do you want me to place an order for our dinner?”

“No, it’s okay. I want to have tofu with kimchi, and a bowl of chilled cucumber soup. I bought the ingredients. Can you cook rice? I will take care of other dishes.”

“Okay. Go wash; I will start cooking.”

Gun-Ho thought that the happiest moment of his life these days was when he sat at the dining table with Young-Eun.

“This chilled cucumber soup is really tasty. You did a good job.”

Young-Eun smiled feeling good when her husband gave a compliment about her food.

“You remember my friend— Jae-Sik Moon, right? He had his wedding in Bucheon City.”

“Of course. I went to his wedding with you. I think it’s about time for his wife to give birth, isn’t it?”

“Not yet, but she is already eight months pregnant. And she is moving to China this Sunday to join her husband there.”

“She’s going to give birth in China then, huh?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“China has good medical services. I don’t know about their medical facility though.”

“There is a good hospital targeting foreigners as their primary customers in the area where she is moving to. It was built as a collaboration work with a Hong Kong company. I went there once to take a look at it. That hospital looks really great.”

“Really? Good for her.”

“There are not many Koreans living in the area. I guess they will have to rely on each other, and as a result, they will get closer to each other too.”

“Maybe, since they will be the closest person for each other when they are overseas.”

“As a matter of fact, I work with a lot of people since I run companies, but the only person who I can rely on is you, Young-Eun.”

Young-Eun lifted her head and looked at Gun-Ho’s face, and then she smiled.

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Chapter 628 - Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 2 – Part 1

628 Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 2 – Part 1

It was Monday, and Gun-Ho went to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s branch office on Sejong Road, across the street from the city hall.Since he had cash saved in his account with the bank in Yuan, Gun-Ho could just send 400 million won to Jae-Sik Moon in China without going through the currency exchange.

“I’d better give a call to Jae-Sik Moon to let him know.”

On the way from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in his Bentley, Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“President Moon, is it a good time to talk?”

“Yes, it’s good. I just came back from the executive meeting.”

“Is it a meeting where only the people with a position of manager or above could attend?”

“Yes, it is a regular meeting where we talk about the past week and the next week’s plan. You used to have a meeting like that at GH Mobile. You might no longer attend that meeting and let President Song handle it.”

“Was there any good news?”

“We are sending out our people to Guilin Daewoo today to acquire more buses that will be used to connect Antang City with Yibin City and Anshun City. I won’t go with them this time, but the manager of the passenger transportation department and three bus drivers will go there. They were the ones who went to Guilin Daewoo with me last time, and picked up the buses and drove them all the way here, so they should be good on their own. I’m trying to save some travel expenses by sending only essential people.”

“Haha, I see.”

“Also, our manager at the operations department will visit Yibin City and Anshun City today to finalize the deal regarding Banche, with Xiongdi companies. They came to us to initiate the deal, so it’s our turn to visit them this time to make the final agreement.”

“When you say ‘Banche,’ do you mean the number of bus operations per week for a specific bus route?”

“Right. ‘Banche’ means how many times a specific bus will operate in a certain period of time like per week, for example. ‘Xiongdi companies’ mean other bus companies doing the same passenger transportation business.”

“You seem to have studied a lot.”

“Yeah, I’m learning a lot here. You know what? My wife is here with me now. We safely came home here in Antang City yesterday.”

“I hope the trip was comfortable for your wife.”

“My wife was frightened when she saw the condo in Huaxi Huayuan. She said that this condo is the most luxurious place that she has ever lived in her life. She was so happy.”

“Really?”

“She also took time walking around the neighborhood, and she was impressed by the clean and well-maintained community. She now doesn’t want to go back to Korea but wants to stay here forever.”

“I’m happy for you and your wife.”

“As a matter of fact, my wife and I have never lived in a fancy condo like this one. As you know well, I used to live in a basement for quite a long time until I moved to the two-bedroom rental condo in Mangwon Town with my wife. My wife also used to live in a shabby townhouse in Wonmee Town, Bucheon City until she met me. So, this is our first extravagant living place.”

“You can make a lot of money while you are in China and buy a more luxurious and larger condo in Korea when you come back.”

“Haha. I wonder if I would have a happy day like that in my life.”

“You will, I’m pretty sure about it. Just learn the Chinese language as much as you could while you are there.”

“My wife will start taking the Chinese language lessons from Eun-Hwa Jo. She’s going to teach my wife two hours per day. Eun-Hwa Jo is making good money these days by giving a private language lesson to me and my wife.”

“Haha, really?”

“My wife and I both are her clients, and she is our private tutor.”

“I can picture Eun-Hwa Jo being excited for making extra money by giving a private lesson to two students.”

“She surely looked excited, I can tell you that.”

“I just sent you 400 million won from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China at the Sejong Road location in front of the city hall. I called you to let you know that.”

“You didn’t have to send it that early since we still have time until the due date. Well, I will verify it and let you know.”

“How was your trip to Korea this time? You met your parents, right? How are they doing?”

“Of course. You know what? My mom and dad looked different. They now have a brighter complexion, maybe because they take a bath more often after having moved to the new condo in Incheon City. The living environment does actually matter, man.”

“The townhouse where they used to live has a bathroom where they could take a bath, no?”

“Yeah, but the water heater wasn’t consistently working. Not to mention, the temperature in the bathroom was cold most of the time in winter. So, if you live there, you don’t want to take a shower or bath too often. However, a condo is different. You have constant and steady hot water all the time, and you can keep the temperature warm in every single room. They now have a separate dining room where they eat, and a large living room where they watch TV and take a nap on the sofa. I was happy to see them having a good life there.”

“Haha, really?”

“When I visited Korea this time, I brought two bottles of Maotai. I gave one to my dad and the other one to my father-in-law.”

“Oh, you did?”

“When I told them that Maotai is from the area called Guizhou Province, and that is where I live now, they were like, ‘Is that right?’ They both love drinking, and they both already knew about Maotai.”

“You made your parents happy, huh? Good, son.”

“Haha, I think so.”

“Does your father-in-law still work?”

“Yeah. He drives his truck and sells small things like socks. It’s hard to find a job at his age, and he seems to be satisfied with the small money that he is making now. My dad actually found a job in Incheon City. He is doing some gardening work that was offered by the city. He said that he didn’t want to impose me by making me pay for his debt. He, at least, wants to make the payment for his debt on his own.”

“Your dad and your father-in-law are great people who should be respected for being responsible and independent. They had a hard time in life financially just because they were not lucky enough. They worked hard for their families. So did my dad. We shouldn’t forget that.”

“That’s true. As I get older, I understand my parents better.”

“Well, I will let you go now. Keep up the good work.”

When Gun-Ho came back to his office after stopping by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China at Sejong Road, Director Sim visited his office on the 18th floor.

“I’m leaving for Shanghai City tomorrow, sir. I wanted to see you before I leave.”

“President Min-Hyeok Kim will be waiting for you at Pudong Airport. If you have any questions or concerns while you are in China, you can ask him. He will help you.”

“I spoke with President Min-Hyeok Kim earlier today on the phone. He told me that he would be at the airport with an interpreter.”

“That’s good.”

“President Shin gave me 3 million won in advance, and I also received the flight ticket. I guess I’m all set to leave.”

At the moment, Gun-Ho extended his hand to Director Sim for a handshake as he stood up from his seat.

“The most important thing while you live overseas is your health. Especially, you should watch what you eat. Stay healthy.”

“Thank you, sir.”

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Chapter 629 - Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 2 – Part 2

Chapter 629 Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 2 – Part 2

Gun-Ho felt drowsy in the afternoon.

“Why am I feeling tired and sleepy? All I did today was that I visited the bank at Sejong Road. How come do I feel so sleepy? Is it because it’s Monday?”

Gun-Ho put his arms upward and stretched himself.

“This drama business will be my last investment. There is just too much work to do. I should let others do all the work from now on, and I will just collect the profits. I’m not going to make a fortune by working myself anyway.”

After drinking a glass of water, Gun-Ho went up to the rooftop to get some fresh air.

“It’s quite busy up here.”

On the rooftop, there were many people gathering together having a chat, and some were smoking. Several people were sitting in the book café as well. Instead of Jae-Sik’s wife, there was a new lady who was making coffee. She looked a bit older than Jae-Sik’s wife, but she looked sophisticated.

“She must be the one who President Shin talked to me about.”

Gun-Ho entered the book café.

“Would you like to have a cup of coffee, sir?”

The lady didn’t seem to know who Gun-Ho was, and Gun-Ho felt more comfortable that way.

“I will have an Americano, please.”

Gun-Ho took his coffee in a to-go cup and walked out of the book café. He then walked toward the guardrail. Sinsa Town and Apgujeong Town came into his view. Gun-Ho enjoyed his coffee while looking at the city view unfolded in front of him.

‘Jae-Sik Moon is going to be a dad in two months, and I will be a father soon too. I have four months left. I thought I would become a 3-GivingUp* or 5-Giving-Up* without being able to marry anyone. It turned out that I’m married and soon to be a father.

I wonder if my friends from high school are doing fine. Won-Chul Jo, Suk-Ho Lee, and Byeong-Chul Hwang… They got married earlier than me and Jae-Sik Moon. Since their parents supported them financially, they could start their adult life earlier than us, like meeting a significant other, marrying that person, and having a child. Won-Chul Jo’s child must be at least five years now.

By the way, how come we don’t get together anymore? If I remember correctly, Won-Chul Jo and others organized a club or something with high school friends, so we could meet more often. Are they all too busy to have some gatherings?’

It was Wednesday.

Gun-Ho was on the way out of the bathroom after washing his hands when he received a call from Director Sim.

“Sir, I safely arrived in Shanghai. Today is my first day of work. They assigned me a desk along with my business card with the position title of vice president.”

“Did they get you a separate office?”

“Their entire office place is not spacious enough to give me a separate office. They just placed a partition around my desk. I’ve already met everyone in the office. My interpreter also has her desk in the corner.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I’m going to the studio this afternoon where their current drama is being shot.”

“Really?”

“And, I have the new drama’s complete scenario with me. I was going to ask my interpreter to translate it for me, but on second thought, maybe it’s better that someone in Korea do the translation. I mailed it to Ms. President Shin this morning via EMS.”

“Where are you staying? Are you comfortable there?”

“President Min-Hyeok Kim reserved a small hotel room for me close to the workplace. It costs 200 Yuan per day. They provide breakfast as well.”

“Since I verified your safe arrival in Shanghai, I will have 50,000 dollars sent to Huanle Shiji by the end of today. Once the funds arrive, the Chinese people there will treat you better.”

“Haha, thank you, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Director Sim, Gun-Ho made a call to President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“Please send 50,000 dollars to Huanle Shiji Production Company’s bank account in China today.”

“Okay, sir.”

“You will have to file a report with the foreign exchange authority about the fund transfer. You can ask the bank how to do it. If you need help, you can ask Manager Hong here. He has a tax accountant license; he will be able to answer any question that you have regarding tax.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, after you send 50,000 dollars, please take a picture of the receipt and send it to Director Sim.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

On Thursday, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

There were several large freight trucks parked bumper to bumper.

“Hey, Chan-Ho, what are these trucks?”

“It looks like they were sent by the vendor companies. There are more trucks than last time.”

There seemed to be a lot of visitors at GH Mobile as well; many people were gathered in front of the security office. When Gun-Ho’s Bentley stopped at the entrance, the security officer, who recognized Gun-Ho’s car, opened the gate right away and gave a military salute.

When Gun-Ho walked up to the second floor where his office was located, he heard people arguing loudly. Gun-Ho asked for his secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park.

“What is going on?”

“They are residents around this area. They first talked with the general affairs director, and then they moved to President Song’s office and started raising their voices.”

“What do they want?”

“I don’t know, sir. I can go there to find out.”

“No, it’s not necessary. Please bring me a cup of tea.”

Gun-Ho was curious and thought of walking out of his office to see what was going on, and then he decided not to. He didn’t want to appear skittish. He just sat on the sofa and read a newspaper quietly while having his tea. About 30 minutes later, President Song entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“What was it all about?”

“The local people filed a complaint with us.”

“Did they all leave?”

“Yes, they are all gone now.”

“What’s their problem?”

“We are receiving an increasing number of freight trucks these days, and they all line up in front of the gate before entering our company. The line is now very long and takes up the road that the local people often use. They are complaining that those trucks often block the road, and their cars and cultivators can’t get out because of them. They are asking us to resolve this problem. According to them, they already raised the issue with our general affairs director, but the issue stayed unresolved. That’s why they came to my office today.”

“The increase in sales caused a problem like that. Do we have a plan to resolve the problem?”

“We are going to make another entrance to reduce the current traffic congestion at the front gate. The vendors will use the new entrance while we use the front gate to transport our products.”

“Hmm.”

“It will cost to build an additional gate. And, we will probably have to hire two more security guards, and it will cost us too.”

“If the local people can’t live with the current increased traffic, we will have to do that.”

“Several residents also claimed that some vendor companies’ trucks damaged their storage where they store their agricultural equipment. They want us to pay for the damage. We can’t figure out which vendor company did that though.”

“Hmm.”

“I will have the construction started right away to open another gate. We will have to remove several trees in our yard though to make enough space.”

“Okay.”

“If we reach the sales revenue of 200 billion won next year, we will have to seriously consider building a second factory.”

“Hmm, I see.”

President Song left the office after giving a bow to Gun-Ho.

The general affairs director came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“I’m sorry, sir, for the disturbance earlier.”

“It’s okay. It happens.”

“Several residents are very old men, and they just don’t even try to understand the situation. They talk one-way without listening to others.”

“I understand that, but we have to get along with the residents in this area for our business. I heard about the situation from Mr. President Song. So, we are building a second gate?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Having an additional gate sounds good. Let the local people know that we are doing everything we could to resolve the issue as soon as possible, and tell them that we are opening another gate. Also, prepare some gifts and distribute it to them during the upcoming Korean Thanksgiving.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do we currently have 450 workers in total?”

“Yes. We are in the process of hiring more workers right now. We anticipate having more than 500 workers by the end of next month.”

“As we have more workers here, the role of the management became critical. Keep up the good work.”

“Yes, sir.”

The general affairs director gave a bow to Gun-Ho and left the office.

Note*

3-GivingUp – a person who gave up three things in life: (1) meeting a significant other; (2) marrying someone; (3) having a child.

5-GivingUp – on top of the three things above, this person gave up two more: (4) possessing his or her own house and (5) social relationship.

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Chapter 630 - Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) (1) – Part 1

Chapter 630: Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) (1) – Part 1

After the general affairs director left the office, Gun-Ho read a newspaper with his legs crossed on the sofa. At the moment, someone knocked on the door and entered the office. It was a neat-looking young man. He looked two or three years younger than Gun-Ho.

“Hello sir, I’m the manager at the general affairs department.”

The general affairs manager was carrying two shopping bags.

“What are those?”

“We prepared gifts for our employees for Korean Thanksgiving. These are for you and your chauffeur, sir.”

“Oh, really? You saved one for me too, huh?”

Gun-Ho smiled and said, “Please find my chauffeur—Chan-Ho Eum—and tell him to come to my office to pick these up, so he could put them in the car trunk.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a while, Chan-Ho Eum entered Gun-Ho’s office and took the two shopping bags out to the car.

A moment later, the general affairs manager entered Gun-Ho’s office again. This time, he was with several other workers from the same department. They brought a lot of wrapped gift boxes and shopping bags to Gun-Ho.

“What are they?”

“These are presents for you from our vendor companies.”

Gun-Ho frowned and yelled, “Take them out of my office!”

“Sir?”

“I’m not going to take them. If they are fruits or some food, share them with other workers; otherwise, just give them to someone else like the cleaning crew or security guards.”

“But, sir…”

When the general affairs manager hesitated to leave the office with the gifts from the vendor companies, Gun-Ho yelled at them again, “I said to take them out of the office!”

“Yes, sir.”

The general affairs manager and other workers blushed and left the office. A moment later, the general affairs director quickly entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but, the vendor companies sent these gifts with heart for you.”

“Mr. General Affairs Director, when you receive any presents addressed to me, please send them back selectively.”

“I’ve returned some of the gifts that we received for you, but these presents are from the people…”

“I’m not sending them back to the senders, but I will share them with our cleaning crew or security guards or whoever wants it. I will consider that I’ve accepted those gifts.”

“Here is the list of the names who sent the gifts to you, sir.”

Gun-Ho didn’t even lay his eyes on the list.

“Please keep the list with you. And, distribute the gifts to others.”

“I will then give out these gifts primarily to the non-professional employees who receive a relatively low salary.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The general affairs director left the office with a blushed face.

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea. Mr. Adam Castler came into Gun-Ho’s office with a smile. His interpreter—Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae—was following him to Gun-Ho’s office while carrying a note.

“The head office is suggesting to have our second board meeting by paper.”

“Well, that would be okay since there seems to be nothing really to talk about. Our business is doing fine as it is.”

“The head office sent the document about increasing the capital that we talked about verbally last time.”

“Let me take a look at it.”

Gun-Ho read the document that was drafted by Dyeon’s head office.

[This Agreement is entered by the Korean company and the American company that invested in Dyeon Korea.

1. The profits after the tax, which are generated in the first year, shall be distributed to each party in cash according to their investment ratio.

2. Each party shall contribute 5 million dollars in increasing the capital stock. However, the Korean company has an option to make an investment in-kind by contributing the factory building that is being used as Dyeon Korea’s production facility. If the building’s value is less than 5 million dollars, it shall contribute to the difference in cash.

3. The appraisal on the factory building shall be submitted, showing its current fair market value, and the appraisal must be conducted by a reliable appraisal and assessment institute that earned public confidence. The appraisal shall be translated into English and also notarized.

4. The board of directors, who were selected to serve the first year, shall continue to serve the following year.

5. In the event that one party wants to establish a subsidiary company or a branch office abroad, it must seek an agreement from the other party.

October 12th, 20xx

Lymondell Dyeon Corporation GH Mobile Corporation

Brandon Burke Gun-Ho Goo]

Gun-Ho didn’t see any anomaly in the agreement, so he signed it.

Once Gun-Ho handed the signed agreement about the capital increase over to Mr. Adam Castler, he kissed on the paper and said, “Thank you very much, boss!”

After Mr. Adam Castler left the office, Gun-Ho called for Director Yoon.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

“I wanted to ask you about the construction of our factory building since you were in charge of it at the time. How much did it cost us to complete it?”

“It took 2.5 billion won, sir, but I always tell others that it cost us 3 billion won. You are the only person who knows the exact amount.”

“We are increasing our capital. The land is already under Dyeon Korea’s name, but this building was not part of the investment at the time. I will include this in increasing the capital. If you know a good appraisal organization, get the appraisal for the building, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You have to keep in mind that we want the appraisal as high as we could get. Talk to the appraisers quietly and tell them that we are trying to get a loan using the building as collateral, and tell them to get us the value as high as they could. Don’t let Mr. Adam Castler find out about it though.”

“I understand, sir.”

“Once you get the appraisal, take it to Mr. Interpreter Myeong-Joon Chae to translate it into English.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The translated version needs to be notarized as well. There is a notary office in front of the court. Finally, give the notarized translated appraisal to Mr. Vice President Adam Castler.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho headed back to Seoul after signing the accounting document that was brought by the accounting manager—Ms. Myeong Sook Jo.

On the way to Seoul in the car, Chan-Ho Eum said, “Sir, there are two more gifts in the trunk. Dyeon Korea’s general affairs manager brought them to me earlier.”

“Really? Unless someone gives you the present officially, we shouldn’t accept any gifts, especially those that are given individually. You have to keep that in mind, okay?”

“Yes, sir. The employees seemed to already understand your policy clearly.”

“My policy?”

“Yes, sir, the policy that they should be very careful in giving you a present.”

“Is that so?”

“They said that they haven’t seen you being so upset before, but when they brought those gifts to you today, you seemed to be really mad.”

“Hmm, that’s what they said?”

“A few executive officers asked me about it too.”

“About what?”

“They asked if you always get upset when someone brings you a gift.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I told them that they have to think again when they want to bring you a gift because you can get extremely upset.”

“Good.”

“When I told them that, they were like ‘of course, he would since he must have everything he needs already.’”

“Hmm, really?”

As the Korean Thanksgiving Day was getting closer, the traffic on the road became heavier. Gun-Ho decided to stay in Seoul for a while without going to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town and to Dyeon Korea in Asan City because of the heavy traffic.

“They should be doing well without me. I will just stay in Seoul until after the Korean Thanksgiving Day.”

Gun-Ho’s companies in Seoul—GH Development and GH Media—also both prepared presents for their employees celebrating Korean Thanksgiving. GH Development’s Director Kang and GH Media’s President Shin knew that they shouldn’t bring the gifts to Gun-Ho directly, by their extensive experience. They just asked Chan-Ho Eum quietly to load the car with the gifts.

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Chapter 631 - Chapter 631

Chapter 631: c

On Friday evening, when Chan-Ho Eum dropped Gun-Ho off at his TowerPalace condo, he handed the Thanksgiving presents which were provided to the employees of each GH company, to him. There were four of them from four different GH companies—GH Mobile, Dyeon Korea, GH Development, and GH Media.

“Did you take yours too?”

“Yes, sir. I also have four gifts from each GH company. They are in the car trunk.”

“GH Logistics must have prepared gifts as well for their employees. It’s too far to go there just to pick up the gift, huh?”

“Haha, that’s right, sir. But, they have only a few employees. Maybe they skipped the Thanksgiving gifts this year.”

“They have many truck drivers who are working for them.”

“Oh, that’s right. They have truck drivers.”

“This is Thanksgiving weekend, it’s going to be long. Take a good rest.”

“Thank you. You have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, too, sir.”

“And, this is for you from me. Get some socks or something with it. Happy Thanksgiving.”

When Gun-Ho gave an envelope to Chan-Ho Eum, he took it with his two hands, thanking him.

“Thank you so much, sir.”

Chan-Ho Eum didn’t tell Gun-Ho, but he actually received gift cards from several executive officers of GH companies. The gift cards were for shoes, and he received four of them. He didn’t tell Gun-Ho because he heard that Gun-Ho yelled at several employees because they accepted gifts for him. He felt nervous when he heard about how Gun-Ho reacted toward the gifts.

“He’s going to be mad if he finds out that I received these gift cards.”

Chan-Ho thought that he would refuse any gifts next time when someone tried to give some to him. But, this time, there was nothing much he could do because he already took them.

“I will give one of these to Tae-Young bro.”

While heading out from TowerPalace Condo in the car, Chan-Ho Eum rubbed his chest. He could feel the envelope in his inner pocket, that he received from Gun-Ho and those four gift cards from the executive officers.

It was Korean Thanksgiving Day.

Gun-Ho’s family always had a memorial service for their ancestors on every Korean Thanksgiving Day. That morning, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun headed to Gun-Ho’s parents’ home in Guweol Town, Incheon City. Gun-Ho had to drive his Land Rover since it was a holiday where everyone didn’t go to work including Chan-Ho Eum.

Gun-Ho’s couple stopped by a store and bought a Galbi (Korean grilled beef ribs) gift set for Gun-Ho’s parents. When they arrived at his parents’ home, Jeong-Ah was the one who opened the door for them.

“Hi, uncle Gun-Ho.”

“Wow! Is it Jeong-Ah? My little niece Jeong-Ah? You grew up so fast. You are a big girl now.”

Jeong-Ah quickly went back to her room; she seemed to feel embarrassed.

Gun-Ho’s mother didn’t let Young-Eun come near the kitchen.

“Why don’t you just sit on the sofa and take a rest? You must feel tired enough with the baby inside you.”

Gun-Ho’s father looked happy when he saw Young-Eun’s bulged belly.

“You should be extra careful until you give birth to the child.”

Gun-Ho’s sister did most of the work around home. She was in her 40s, and she had more than enough experience with house chores including cooking to handle all the work by herself. She was also good at it.

After completing the memorial service, Gun-Ho’s family sat at the dining table. There were seven of them.

“I’m so happy today, having every one of you at the dining table with me.”

Gun-Ho’s father smiled and looked at Young-Eun, and said, “We are now a big family with seven members.”

At the moment, Gun-Ho’s sister brought more dishes on the table, and she said, “There will be one more on the next Korean Thanksgiving Day. We will be eight.”

“Eight?”

“Young-Eun is carrying the eighth member now. He will be out by then.”

Everyone laughed out loud. Jeong-Ah kept glancing at Young-Eun’s bulged belly. She seemed to be curious about the weird-looking large belly.

While having their breakfast, Gun-Ho’s mother said, “Take some corn when you go home today. There are peanuts too.”

“Corns, mom?”

“Yeah. I harvested them from the land in Namchon Town. I have enough to share with you and your sister’s family.”

Gun-Ho looked at Young-Eun’s face and asked, “Corns look delicious, don’t they?”

Gun-Ho was asking Young-Eun’s permission implicitly.

Young-Eun didn’t say no, but she nodded her head meaning that it would be okay to take them.

Gun-Ho’s sister added, “I brought the Thanksgiving gifts from GH Logistics. Take them with you when you go home. I already distributed it to all of our truck drivers. There are two of them—one for you and one for Chan-Ho Eum.”

“Haha, really?”

Gun-Ho asked his brother-in-law while filling up his empty glass with liquor, “How’s your work?”

“The work itself is good since this is the same industry that I’ve been working in for a long time. But, when I have to have a meeting with GH Mobile’s and Dyeon Korea’s general affairs manager, I feel anxious.”

“Why? Did they say something to you?”

“No, not that. I just feel like I have to behave carefully because you are the owner president of those two companies.”

“Oh, that. You don’t have to worry about it. Just do what you have to do. You don’t have to feel pressured because of my position there.”

Gun-Ho’s mother said to Jeong-Ah, “Jeong-Ah, why are you staring at your aunt’s belly? Do you want to have a little sister or brother? Ask your mom for it.”

Gun-Ho’s sister jumped out of her seat in surprise.

“Mom! What are you talking about?! It’s hard enough for me to raise one kid now.”

Gun-Ho’s father was with his wife.

“You should have one more child. Korea has a low fertility rate now. You’d better help the world and Korea by having one more child. Don’t worry about raising them. Your mom and I will raise your kids for you.”

Gun-Ho’s father looked at his son-in-law and said, “What do you think? Don’t you want to have one more child?”

“Huh? Umm… Well… I…. umm…”

Gun-Ho’s brother-in-law couldn’t say much in embarrassment. His face blushed.

Gun-Ho tried to help the couple by changing the topic.

“Jeong-Ah, I heard that you received an award in a singing competition. Can I hear you singing?”

“Yeah, Jeong-Ah. Why don’t you sing for your uncle?”

Gun-Ho’s mother encouraged her.

“Uncle Gun-Ho will get you a gift if you sing.”

Jeong-Ah hesitated for a second, and then she stood up from her seat and started singing. She sang one of the famous children’s songs—Orchard Road. She sang surprisingly well. She definitely had talent. Gun-Ho thought that she looked so adorable when she was singing. Young-Eun was listening to Jeong-Ah’s cute singing voice while clapping. When Jeong-Ah reached the middle of the song, everyone was singing along with her.

When she finished the song, Gun-Ho said to her, “Jeong-Ah, come here, I will give you some pocket money, so you can buy whatever present you want for yourself.”

Gun-Ho gave Jeong-Ah a few 10,000 won bills.

“Thank you, uncle Gun-Ho.”

Jeong-Ah gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho, showing her gratitude.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were preparing to leave. They had a nice breakfast, and also, they had corns and peanuts on their hands. Also, they received gifts from GH Logistics that his sister saved for him. Gun-Ho pulled out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and gave it to his mother.

“Mom, I’m sorry that I couldn’t come home to see you more often.”

“It’s okay. I know you are busy, son. And, you don’t have to give me money. I have enough money…”

“I know that, mom. I just want you to have this and use it when necessary.”

“Thank you, son. Take good care of your wife, okay? I can’t wait to meet my grandson soon.”

“Don’t worry about it, mom. Sister and brother, we are leaving. I will see you around.”

“Drive safely. There must be heavy traffic on the road. Be careful.”

Once Gun-Ho and Young-Eun walked out of Gun-Ho’s parents’ home, they headed to Young-Eun’s father’s home in Sillim Town.

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Chapter 632 - Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) (2) – Part 1

Chapter 632: Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) (2) – Part 1

Young-Eun’s father must feel lonelier during the holiday season, especially because he lived by himself. That thought had occurred to Gun-Ho, but he couldn’t visit him first in the morning on Thanksgiving Day, because he had to attend the memorial service for his ancestors in the morning at his parents’ home as he had always done on every Thanksgiving Day.

On the way to his father-in-law’s home in the car, Gun-Ho said to Young-Eun, “Your father must feel lonely particularly on a holiday since your mother is not here. My parents are okay since they are living with my sister’s family. They wouldn’t have time to feel lonely since they are surrounded by family all the time. We’d better be good to your father, and you should call your dad more often.”

Hearing and probably agreeing to what Gun-Ho just said, Young-Eun looked out of the window. She looked down.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun arrived at Young-Eun’s father’s Dongbu condo in Sillim Town. They were carrying a lot of things in their hands that they prepared for her father as a gift.

“Dad!”

“Hey, you guys are here. Come on in. How are you?”

“Hello, father.”

“How are you, son? Did you stop by your parents’ home?”

“Yes, we came here straight from there.”

“You said your family does a memorial service for your ancestors, right?”

“Yes.”

“What are these? You don’t have to bring anything when you visit me. This is a lot. Your arms must feel tired carrying all these.”

Young-Eun had often shopped for his father and saved all sorts of stuff like socks, underwear, t-shirts, etc. until now, and brought them all to his father that day. She also brought small gifts that she received from here and there, for his father, such as tuna cans and household items. Gun-Ho brought a few bottles of liquor including Maotai and other liquors that he bought at the duty-free shop at the airport.

“I know this one. It’s an expensive liquor.”

“Having a small glass of Maotai will help you fall asleep faster at night.”

“Haha. Sounds good.”

Young-Eun unpacked another bag that she carried. It turned out that it was a food bag with all sorts of side dishes stored in several stackable food storage containers. Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun, “When did you prepare all these?”

“I got up very early this morning and cooked them.”

The side dishes that Young-Eun cooked for her father were seasoned vegetables, marinated beef, dried seafood, etc.

“You haven’t eaten anything yet, right, father?”

“It’s okay. I can eat later.”

Young-Eun heated the side dishes that she brought from home and set the table with them. Those dishes seemed to go well along with liquor.

The three people sat at the table and had their early dinner.

“It would have been nice if your aunt was living close by, so you could see her often too.”

Gun-Ho responded for Young-Eun, “We are planning to visit her tomorrow. Also, we will stop by my mother-in-law’s grave too.”

Gun-Ho’s father-in-law grinned; he seemed to have heard what he wanted to hear from Gun-Ho.

On the way home in TowerPalace from Dongbu Condo in Sillim Town, Young-Eun asked Gun-Ho, “Are we really visiting my mom’s grave and my aunt tomorrow?”

“Why not? We have no schedule for tomorrow anyway.”

“Pocheon City and Yangpyeong County are far from each other.”

“Many people travel farther than that like between Seoul City and Busan City during the holiday season. The distance between Pocheon and Yangpyeong is not far at all compared to that.”

“Well, it’s still distant. I guess that we will have to leave home very early in the morning.”

“We can do that.”

“You will feel tired, oppa.”

“It’s okay.”

Young-Eun looked at Gun-Ho’s profile who was driving and laughed.

Gun-Ho was sleeping on the bed when he woke up to a sound. He walked to the kitchen where he thought that he would find the source of the sound. Young-Eun was cooking in the kitchen.

“Young-Eun? What are you doing? You should get enough sleep. You are carrying a baby.”

“I’m fine. I just wanted to prepare food that we will bring to my mom. I got this. Why don’t you go and wash your face? We will be leaving soon.”

After having a brief breakfast, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun headed to Pocheon City. Fortunately, the road was not busy yet. They had to drive further after passing Pocheon City’s downtown. When they arrived at the gravesite, it was almost 11 am.

Young-Eun and Gun-Ho placed the food that they brought, in front of Young-Eun’s mother’s grave, and gave a deep and full bow twice to the grave.

“Mom, I’m pregnant. This is my sixth month.”

Young-Eun filled up a paper cup with liquor and sprinkled it all over the grave. Young-Eun didn’t cry that day like she did the last time when she was there with Gun-Ho.

After talking to her mother, Young-Eun made a call to her father.

“Dad? It’s me. I’m at mom’s grave in Pocheon City with oppa.”

“Really? You are there already? Thank you. Your mom must be happy. Tell Gun-Ho that I thank him for visiting your mom today.”

Gun-Ho could hear Young-Eun’s father’s voice over the phone. He sounded delighted. Gun-Ho thought that it was a good decision to come and visit Young-Eun’s mother’s grave that day.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun headed to Yangpyeong County departing Pocheon City. They drove all the way to Uijeongbu IC and took the road toward Namyangju City. Gun-Ho felt good driving on a quiet countryside road with his wife who was carrying his baby. A little bit after 2 pm, they arrived at Young-Eun’s aunt’s house in Yangpyeong Country.

When they arrived there, Young-Eun’s aunt— Artist Choi— was walking out of her house to take a walk with her dog.

“Oh, my. What a surprise. Young-Eun and Gun-Ho!”

“Are you going somewhere?”

“I was on my way out to walk my dog. The dog seemed to want to get some fresh air.”

The dog usually barked at visitors while he was at home. But, when he saw Gun-Ho outside the home, he waved his tail and smelled Gun-Ho’s pants without barking. Maybe, he was thinking that he was off duty when he was outside of his house.

They went inside Artist Choi’s house. When Young-Eun took out fruits, rice cakes, and other food from her bag, which were typical food that people carried when they visited a grave, Artist Choi looked surprised.

“Did you go to your mom’s grave this morning?”

“Yeah, we came straight here after seeing mom.”

“I should have joined you to visit her. I haven’t seen her for years now.”

“We can go there together next time.”

“If your mom was here, she would have been happy to have a son-in-law like Gun-Ho.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun spent the rest of the day at Artist Choi’s home until 10 pm, having dinner and playing Go-Stop (Korean card game) together. When Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were ready to go home, it was a little after 10 pm.

“Drive carefully, okay? It’s dark outside.”

“It’s easier to drive at this hour since the traffic would be light.”

After the long Thanksgiving weekend was over, Gun-Ho went to work at GH Building in Sinsa Town. He made a call to Director Sim in China.

“Director Sim, how are you? Did you have a nice Thanksgiving day in China? You must miss Korea.”

“It was good actually. Seoul and Shanghai are not so distant anyway.”

Director Sim never talked about his family, and Gun-Ho didn’t ask him about it either. Given his financial situation including his bad credit score situation, Gun-Ho would probably have to hear some sad story that he didn’t want to know about if he asked Director Sim about his family.

“We finished organizing the production team for the new soap opera— Shiguang Ru Meng.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“We didn’t hire new people from outside, but we made the team with the current staff from Huanle Shiji. President Baogang Chen, who also will direct the entire making of the drama, selected a director of photography and a lighting director as well.”

“Hmm, I see.”

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Chapter 633 - Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) (2) – Part 2

Chapter 633: Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) (2) – Part 2

Director Sim continued to talk about the progress of the soap opera production to Gun-Ho.

“We are currently casting actors and actresses. We will find a Chinese actor for the main male character and a Korean actress for the main female character. The pay for the actors, actress, and the screenwriter won’t exceed 50% of our entire production budget. I will make sure of it.”

“Good.”

“I actually have an actress that I’d like to work with for this drama. She is with BM Entertainment. She sings very well, and she just needs a bit of guidance for acting, which I can give to her. Chinese people will love her.”

“Once the casting is done, they will start shooting the soap opera?”

“No, sir. We will have to do a table-read first, where actors and actresses sit together and read through the script. During this phase, we make sure that the actors understand their roles and see if they work fine with the other actors. We give feedback and comments, and discuss the roles and certain lines to make sure they express them as they were initially intended by the screenwriter.”

“Wow, it sounds so complicated. I guess there is no easy work in the world, huh? The drama production field sounds complex enough.”

“We are creating characters. It’s not an easy work at all, sir.”

“If a Korean actress joins them, they will have to get her a five-star hotel to stay, right?”

“Of course, sir. That’s why half of a drama production cost is spent for actors and screenwriters. In Korea, we usually spend more than that.”

“Well, keep up the good work. I told them that I would send 1 million dollars once the casting is completed. So, let me know when it’s done.”

“Okay, sir, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“Hi, President Moon. How was your Thanksgiving Day in China? The business must have been hectic since people travel around a lot during the holiday season.”

“Oh, my gosh. We were extremely busy. Our buses had to operate from very early in the morning. Thanksgiving week is considered as a special week, and they increased the number of bus operations, and we worked more hours than usual.”

“I guess you couldn’t go home early.”

“The situation became better since yesterday. We don’t have so many passengers traveling out of Antang City anymore, but a lot of people are coming into Antang City.”

“Really?”

“We had a special visitor on Thanksgiving Day. The city’s party secretary came to our terminal. I’ve met him too.”

“Really?”

“Once the party secretary visited our terminal, other chief government officers came along with him. Even the Public Security Bureau’s director came to our terminal too. There were several journalists who took a picture of me and the party secretary while we were talking to each other.”

“Really? Man, you are becoming famous, huh? What did the city’s party secretary say to you?”

“It seemed that he didn’t know that the terminal was being built by a joint venture company. In addition, when he found out that the co-venturer was a Korean businessman, he looked surprised. And, he told me that we made the right decision to participate in the terminal project, and that he would provide necessary support making sure that we make our profits. His words were good at least.”

“I hope they give us more bus lines.”

“I was actually going to ask him about it, but the Antang City’s transportation company’s president quickly chipped in and told me to say that we tried hard to facilitate the citizens’ traveling during the Thanksgiving week. He said that the conversation between me and the party secretary was on the air live.”

“I see.”

“Man, there are so many people in China. The terminal was packed with people including the station square. Even the roads and streets around the terminal were filled with people.”

“Those people are all our customers, and we make money per person.”

“When the Chinese partners said that they would build a hotel here, I doubted that it would make money. But, now, I’m sure the hotel business will succeed in this location. The traffic is extremely heavy.”

“Really?”

“Anyway, the day before Thanksgiving Day, our workers and the public security officers worked so hard to handle so many passengers. The chief officer at the police station in the terminal introduced the director of the Public Security Bureau to me. He looked like he was in his 50s, and he looked really tough like a gangster. I’m sure that he is a good fighter.”

“Haha, really? Well, you are building up a very useful network there.”

“It looks like so. The Public Security Bureau’s director told me to come to him when I face any difficulties here, and he gave me his business card.”

“That’s nice.”

“I was surprised when the public security officers caught several pickpockets. They are indeed professionals with talent, and they have good eyes. I had no idea what was happening even though the snatching act occurred right in front of me, but they caught the pickpocket right away.”

“Is that right?”

“Once they caught one, they handcuffed him on the spot. I’ve seen several pickpockets and criminals here. Those people have very scary tattoos on their bodies.”

“Jae-Sik, you should be very careful. They might carry a weapon too.”

“Haha. Okay, I will be careful.”

“Since your wife doesn’t have a friend there to talk with, you should be very good to her. She might feel lonely. You are the only family that she has there.”

“When she was staying with her parents in Wonmee Town, Bucheon City after placing our condo in Mangweon Town on the market, she experienced a minor stomach pain, and she told me that sometimes she felt like suffocating. All those symptoms were gone after she moved here.”

“Really?”

“Our condo community has a lot of trees; it almost looks like a forest. Also, the area is very clean with many luxurious vacation homes. She said that she takes a walk pretty often around the area and she loves it. She wanted to ride a bicycle, but I told her no. She will have to wait until she gives birth.”

“Of course. It’s dangerous to ride a bicycle at the moment.”

“She is going everywhere exploring the area. She already went to the traditional market for a grocery shopping without me. She bought bean sprouts and tofu the other day. Eun-Hwa Jo often joined us for dinner at our home. She loves my wife’s food.”

“I see.”

“Oh, I was going to tell you this. I made the final payment for the five condos here. The loan is taken care of as well.”

“Really? Good work.”

“They are finishing the interior right now. Once it’s done, I will place them on the market to rent them out. It was supposed to be done earlier, but delayed because of the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m sorry about it.”

“You don’t have to rush. Take your time. That’s fine. You said that the monthly rent will be about 3,000 Yuan per condo, right?”

“Yeah. Since it’s a luxurious condo, we can ask for the price.”

“If we rent out the five of them, the total monthly rent that we receive would be 15,000 Yuan.”

“Right. But, we will have to pay for the interest of the loan that we took out when we purchased them. It will be about 10,000 Yuan.”

“We will make 5,000 Yuan per month then. I will give you 3,000 Yuan per month which is a monthly rent of one condo. That’s for your work managing the condo rental.”

“You don’t have to pay me for it. I’ve received a lot of help from you, President Goo. I owe you. I can’t accept it.”

“If you don’t accept the payment for the work that I asked you to do, then I can’t ask you for more work in the future. You should take it.”

“Okay. Then, give it to my wife. My wife will handle the rental management work from now on.”

“Really? That sounds great.”

“My wife is an active woman. Once she gives birth to the child, I’m sure that she will go to every corner of Antang City on a bicycle.”

“Being active is good. That means that she is healthy. I think you are a lucky man.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

Jae-Sik Moon often laughed out loud these days. Gun-Ho thought about the past Jae-Sik Moon who was asking him for 50,000 won, over the phone, that he would send him a book of the alumni directory of their high school, in return. At that time, his voice was gloomy and depressing. Jae-Sik Moon was no longer that man. He was a confident businessman now, who was meeting with important government officers in China, such as the director of the Public Security Bureau and the city’s party secretary.

‘He should be proud of himself. He owns a nice condo in East Incheon City, that is worth 200 million won. He is working as the president of a company in China with a corresponding salary. Even his voice exudes his confidence and high self-esteem.’

Gun-Ho grinned and said, “I feel so relieved that you are settling there very well. Also, I’m so glad that your wife likes the place too. Well, I will let you go now. Talk to you later.”

“Okay, thank you, and take care.”

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Chapter 634 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (1) – Part 1

Chapter 634: High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (1) – Part 1

Manager Hong came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, we have received the profit and loss statements from each GH company.”

“Good”

“I’ve organized the statements in Excel, so you can easily see them all at once.”

“Good job.”

Gun-Ho looked at the document. It contained each GH company’s sales, product costs, general administrative expenses, operating profit, net profit before tax, and other expenses. Some of the numbers were marked with percentages that were placed between parentheses, such as product costs and operating profits.

“I will take a look at the document. Thank you. You did a good job.”

“I will bring it to you quicker next time, sir.”

“You don’t have to rush it. It’s okay to take your time.”

“Also, when I sent out the information about each GH company’s bank account and the person who is in charge of accounting, to each GH company, GH Mobile’s accounting director— Ms. Director Min-Hwa Kim— suggested having a meeting between each GH company’s worker who is in charge of accounting.”

“That sounds good.”

“Having a female executive officer in a large company like GH Mobile gives the other GH companies’ workers a good impact. The workers believe that they can have a fair competition in GH companies.”

“Of course. We don’t discriminate against workers based on gender. They will be recognized and promoted to a higher position if they are competent and work hard.”

“Thank you, sir. I will get back to work.”

Once Manager Hong left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho looked closely at each GH company’s loss and profit status.

‘Last month— in September— GH mobile generated 9.5 billion won, Dyeon Korea 4.8 billion won, GH Logistics 120 million won, GH Media 250 million won, GH Parts Company in China made 800 million won, and GH Development made 820 million won. Dyeon Korea made a significant growth. GH Media is also doing well; I didn’t have to make any additional investment in machines or real estate to make it happen.

GH Mobile and GH Development have a substantial amount of debts. And they both incur a significant amount of expenses on a regular basis, that were not directly related to sales, as expected. I will have to reduce the debts for these two companies. Look at Dyeon Korea. It has no debt, and it generated 4.8 billion won of net profit before tax.’

Gun-Ho called for Manager Hong again, and he came to Gun-Ho’s office after a moment. He was carrying a note.

“Dyeon Korea’s sales include the sales in the market abroad, right?”

“That’s correct, sir. It includes the sales in China and India.”

“Next time when you make this chart with those profit and loss statements from all GH companies, please make one more column for a note and write down things like that.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay. Good job. You can go back to your work.”

Manager Hong gave a bow to Gun-Ho and left the office.

It was the day when Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

On the way to Jiksan Town, Gun-Ho’s Bentley stopped at Giheung Rest Area.

“Chan-Ho, you didn’t have your breakfast this morning, did you?”

“No, sir.”

“I’m going to have a bowl of Udong. Would you like to join me?”

“Sure, sir. I will have Udong too.”

After eating a bowl of Udong, Gun-Ho had a cup of coffee. And then he stretched himself before getting into the car.

Since he was the owner president of his companies, Gun-Ho didn’t have an obligation to arrive at work by a certain time. He could go to work whenever he wanted to go. It could be 9 am or 10 am. No one would complain about it. Moreover, because he had several companies that he was running, even if he stayed at one company for only a brief moment, people understood.

In addition, Gun-Ho had a good reputation among his workers. He was relatively quiet and didn’t enjoy nagging anybody. He was not a second or third-generation rich kid who often didn’t understand how others would feel if he acted in a certain way. Gun-Ho understood well how his workers would feel.

When Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, the additional gate was already completed and being in use. One was for the trucks that were going out of the factory, and the other one was for the trucks that were coming in. The line in front of the incoming gate was short, maybe about half of what they used to have before.

Chan-Ho Eum said when he noticed the second gate, “There was a gorgeous pine tree on the place where we have now the second gate. It’s a shame that the tree had to be removed.”

“I know, but that’s how it is.”

Chan-Ho stopped the Bentley in front of the front entrance to drop off Gun-Ho. The workers at GH Mobile knew Gun-Ho’s presence at work by checking the front entrance if his Bentley was parked in front of the entrance or not. Gun-Ho’s Bentley at the entrance was the proof that Gun-Ho was at his office.

Gun-Ho went to the production site. The team leads and supervisors who were at the site gave a bow to Gun-Ho when they saw him. At that moment, Jong-Suk ran toward Gun-Ho.

“Were you in the office?”

“Yeah, I don’t have any schedule at a client site today.”

“You seem to lose some weight. You looked better last time. Is something going on?”

“I think I’m just stressed a lot lately.”

“Stress? Something is going on in the company?”

“No, I’ve been just so busy with the process of transferring to a four-year college.”

“Oh, you are transferring to Korea University of Technology and Education, huh? I thought you will have to take the exam to transfer after you graduate from your current college.”

“Yeah, I have to submit the application by the end of next January, but I have to take the TOEIC test.”

“TOEIC? Did you take the test?”

Jong-Suk Park let out a deep sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

“I took the TOEIC test twice. I made some progress on the second one, but my score is still 700 something.”

“700 is low? What is their requirement? It’s not like you are trying to take classes overseas, and the classes would be offered in English. Why do they want a high score on an English test?”

“The minimum TOEIC score that they require is a bit over 600.”

“That’s good then, right? Yours is over 700.”

“The thing is that the university will accept only two of three transferee students. I have to compete with other transfer applicants. If other applicants score 800 or 900 in TOEIC, the college will select that person over me.”

“That’s why you’ve been under a lot of stress? It was stressful enough to lose weight, huh? What are you going to do? You can try next year after improving your TOEIC score.”

“I will get a high score at the interview.”

“Hmm, really? Well, I think the interview will work favorably for you since you have extensive work experience, and you are currently working as a plant manager of a factory.”

“That’s one of the factors that they consider in evaluating the applicants. I also have many certificates related to the field.”

“That’s right. You do have a lot of certificates including welding. How many certificates do you have?”

“I have six in total.”

“That should be more than enough.”

“I’m worried that maybe I have to compete with someone who has seven or eight certificates.”

“Look. Usually, a young man in their early or mid-20s would apply to transfer to a four-year college. I don’t think those boys have that many certificates at their age. In my opinion, you will get admitted this time. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m having a hard time sleeping these days. Maybe the professors who would interview the candidates will reject my application because of my age. Maybe I’m too old for a college student.”

“If the college rejects you, who has extensive hands-on work experience, just because of your age, you don’t want to study in a college like that. Don’t get stressed, and ease your tension. Worrying about something that is not under your control won’t help anything. Just focus on what you want to do.”

“Thank you, bro.”

Gun-Ho tapped Jong-Suk’s back before leaving the production site. Jong-Suk looked indeed anxious, and Gun-Ho wanted to cheer him up.

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Chapter 635 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (1) – Part 2

Chapter 635: High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (1) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho walked up to his office on the second floor, President Jang-Hwan Song entered his office.

“I won’t be available for the rest of the day, sir. I have to attend the friendship golf tournament today with other client and vendor companies’ presidents. S Group’s chairman will be there too. I asked the accounting director to give you a report on our profit and loss status.”

“Where will that golf tournament take place?”

“It’s Lake Hills.”

“Oh, the one in Yongin City! It’s close from here. That’s nice. Have fun.”

“Well, I will see you later, sir.”

President Song walked out of the office after giving Gun-Ho a bow.

After President Song left the office, the accounting director— Ms. Director Min-Hwa Kim— entered the office. She was carrying documents.

“Sir, I came to give you a report on our profit and loss status.”

“You don’t have to do it. I’ve already reviewed the documents that GH Development’s Manager Hong brought to me earlier.”

“That one is just an overview of our profit and loss. I have some details that I’d like to present to you. I also have the profit and loss statement for the third quarter of this year as well.”

“I will then hear about the profit and loss statement for this year’s third quarter only. I have to leave the office soon.”

Gun-Ho let the accounting director give him a report on this year’s profit and loss statement for the third quarter period. Since Gun-Ho used to work in an accounting department, he had a rough idea of how the profit and loss statement would look like for that specific time period, which turned out to be about the same as the one that the accounting director brought to him. However, Gun-Ho was the president of the company, and he was supposed to encourage the workers so they would keep up the good work.

“Thank you for the report, Ms. Director Kim. You did a good job. Why don’t you have dinner with the workers in the accounting department today, appreciating their nice work?”

“Thank you, sir.”

While picking up the documents from the table in getting ready to leave, the accounting director said, “How old is Manager Hong in Seoul?”

“He is around 40 years old, I guess.”

“He seems to know a lot about accounting.”

“I was told that he has a tax accountant license. He joined GH Development very recently.”

“Oh, I see. We exchanged our contact information lately between the workers in each GH company’s accounting department. I suggested they get together sometime in the near future.”

“That sounds great. I think you are the oldest among them, Ms. Director Kim. Buy them delicious food when you meet them.”

“Thank you, sir.”

That day, for some reason, Gun-Ho felt a craving for Jjajangmyeon*. Gun-Ho gave a call to Chan-Ho Eum.

“Chan-Ho, I’m on my way out now. Wait for me at the building entrance.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the front entrance, Chan-Ho was there already with the Bentley.

“Are we heading to Dyeon Korea, sir?”

“Let’s go to have Jjajangmyeon* first.”

“Jjajangmyeon*, sir?”

Chan-Ho quickly searched for a good restaurant that specialized in Jjajangmyeon* around the area with his smartphone. He then lifted his head and told Gun-Ho, “There is a restaurant called Chipalseon in Dujeong Town.”

“Does it have good reviews?”

“I don’t know, sir, but someone introduced this restaurant as a good one in his blog.”

“How bad a bowl of Jjajangmyeon* could be. They should all taste the same in every restaurant. Let’s go to Chipalseon. I like the name, Chipalseon.”

Chan-Ho headed to Chipalseon using a GPS navigator. The restaurant was surprisingly a huge Chinese restaurant. Its interior was decorated in a very Chinese way too, with a lot of red colors. Chan-Ho giggled and said, “This restaurant looks familiar. I think I saw a very similar one when I went to China with you last time, hahaha.”

Gun-Ho ordered two bowls of Jjajangmyeon* and one Tangsuyuk*. Gun-Ho finished his Jjajangmyeon and a few pieces of Tangsuyuk, while Chan-Ho ate the rest of Tangsuyuk along with his bowl of Jjajangmyeon.

“Would you like to have a coffee, sir? I can get it from the vending machine over there.”

“Sure.”

After having his cup of coffee, Gun-Ho got into the car heading to Dyeon Korea. On the way in his car, he kept dozing off until he arrived at work.

“Sir, we are almost there.”

“Huh? Oh, umm. We are in Korea already?”

Gun-Ho was getting ready to get out of the car. He checked himself in the mirror. He wanted to look neat with dignity to his workers.

Once he entered his office, he called for his secretary— Ms. Seon-Hye Yee.

“Do we still have jujube tea?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let me have a cup of jujube tea then.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho was having a cup of jujube tea when Mr. Adam Castler came into his office.

“Good afternoon, boss!”

“Please take a seat, Mr. Castler. Would you like to have a cup of jujube tea?”

“Jujube tea?”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee.

“Please bring us two cups of jujube tea for Mr. Vice President Castler and Mr. Interpreter Myeong-Joon Chae here.”

“Yes, sir.”

While having the tea, Mr. Castler said, “The agreement about increasing the capital has been sent back to the head office in the U.S. Two copies were sent, and Mr. Brandon Burke will send one of them back to us with his signature. He said that they didn’t make any modification on the agreement.”

“I see. I’ve already asked Director Yoon to get an appraisal on this building. I also asked him to make sure that we get the appraisal from an appraisal organization with public confidence, as stated in the agreement.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Once we get the appraisal, I will ask Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae here to translate it into English.”

“Thank you, haha.”

“Is the native English teacher from Hoseo University giving the English class to our employees? I believe we have a class for GH Mobile’s employees in the morning, and a class here in the afternoon?”

“That’s right.”

“Mr. Adam Castler, you probably find it nice to have that native English teacher around here. She could be a good friend to you, especially because she is an American too.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae! Do many of our employees attend the class in the afternoon?”

“I would say the class is usually 70% full.”

“Hmm, I guess we will have to encourage them to participate more in the program then. I want more employees to take the class.”

After Mr. Adam Castler and the interpreter left the office, Gun-Ho tried to take his afternoon nap, but he couldn’t fall asleep.

“I already took my nap in the car on the way here after lunch. I guess my body only allows me to take a nap once a day.”

Gun-Ho picked up a newspaper.

When he was reading an economic newspaper, he received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“President Goo? It’s me, Min-Hyeok Kim.”

“Hey, it has been a while since we talked on the phone last time.”

“I just received a call from Suk-Ho Lee. He is coming to my area from Shengyang City. He called me from Shanghai City before taking the express bus heading to where I am.”

“Is that right?”

“I don’t know why he wanted to see me. I don’t have time for this. He is no use for me.”

“He is still our friend from high school. When he gets there, buy him something delicious.”

“Since he hasn’t been in this area, I told him that I would be at the bus terminal waiting for him to pick him up. I have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon with a client. I’m having a hectic day because of him.”

“Well, he is coming all the way from Shenyang City just to see you. Just be good to him while he is there.”

Note*

Jjajangmyeon – noodle dish topped with black bean sauce.

Tangsuyuk – deep-fried meat (usually pork) with sweet and sour sauce.

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Chapter 636 - High School Friend—Suk-Ho Lee (2) – Part 1

Chapter 636: High School Friend—Suk-Ho Lee (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to work in his Building, Sinsa Town.

President Jeong-Sook Shin came to Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor in the morning.

“Here is our costume play magazine for this month.”

As he looked through the magazine that President Shin handed to him, Gun-Ho asked, “Is this our third magazine?”

“Yes, it is, sir.”

“Is it selling well?”

“About 3,000 magazines are being sold on a monthly basis. The number doesn’t go up or go down, but it stays the same every month. That means that we have regular readers, and they seem to be loyal too.”

“Does that mean that this costume play magazine is a success?”

“Of course, sir. Selling 3,000 magazine on a monthly basis is a success. Moreover, half of the magazine contents are copied from the Japanese magazine, and the other half are filled up by Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda. It doesn’t cost us much at all to publish our magazine.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“All necessary work in publishing the magazine is handled by our employees without additional cost. Team Lead Min-Soo Oh takes care of the design, and Chief Editor Cheon-Young Pi does the editing for the magazine. We have a great team for it as well.”

“How much do we make by selling 3,000 magazines?”

“We make about 10 million won of profits per month.”

“Is it after we deduct the labor cost?”

“Yes, it is, sir.”

“That sounds not bad at all.”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda is an asset to us.”

“Haha, really?”

Gun-Ho thought about the day when Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, who used to work as a correspondent for a newspaper, had come to see him for the first time. The Korean restaurant owner in Japan—Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi—was the one who introduced Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda to Gun-Ho. Recalling Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi who was running a restaurant in Akasaka, Tokyo reminded Gun-Ho of Mori Aikko.

‘I have forgotten about Mori Aikko for quite a while now. I wonder if she is doing well. She is a gorgeous woman with full lips and beautiful eyes.’

“Sir!”

“Huh? Uh… yes?”

“What are you thinking about, sir?

Gun-Ho was lost in thought while having a conversation with President Shin, and that looked weird to President Shin.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just thinking about something.”

“We completed the translation on the first half of the scenario that Director Woon-Hak Sim sent to us. We sent the translated version to him, and we are still working on the second half of it. We will be able to finish translating it and send it to him within a few days.”

“That sounds good.”

“Director Sim is doing well in China, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is doing fine. They already finished organizing the production team. It seems that their drama production is drawing a lot of attention in China right now after some newspapers covered the fact that they are getting investment funds from Korea.”

“I see.”

“They are almost done with casting actors and actresses as well. It looks like they will work with a Korean actress for the female leading role.”

“Really? Which Korean actress is casted?”

“I was told that she is new. She is working with BM Entertainment.”

“I guess that Director Sim has a connection in BM Entertainment.”

“He has a friend there, who is an entertainment manager. He also knows its president—Mr. Hyeon-Man Yee.”

“Oh my. Is President Hyeon-Man Yee the famous Hyeon-Man Yee in the entertainment industry? When we participated in the book exhibition in Shanghai last time, he rendered some entertainment performances in Shanghai Sports Complex.”

“That’s right.”

“If that Korean actress is new, they wouldn’t have to pay her a lot.”

“I think so. Director Sim said that he would make sure that the combined pay for actors and screenwriters doesn’t exceed 50% of the production cost. We will see.”

“Anyway, I will try to have the entire scenario translated as soon as possible, so Director Sim could receive it soon.”

“Okay.”

After President Shin left the office, Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim.

“Sir, we have received all the equipment and lab tools that we ordered for our new research center, the other day.”

“Oh, you did? Did they complete installing them as well?”

“Yes, it’s done, but I think we’d better postpone the official announcement on our research center’s establishment and also the application to be recognized as a ‘start-up company with technology.’”

“Why is that?”

“In order to be officially designated as a start-up company with technology which devotes to developing new technologies—this is our current goal—we will have to submit the last quarter’s expense status on our research center.”

“Hmm.”

“So, I think the adequate time to apply for it would be early next year since we just installed necessary research tools and equipment.”

“That means we can’t expect to enjoy any tax reduction benefits this year and will have to pay the full corporate tax.”

“I’m afraid so, sir.”

“The tax rate for a company that generates more than 20 billion won annually is 22%. If we can’t find any other way to save the tax, then we will have to pay 22%. However, we shouldn’t waste our time in making something work which wouldn’t work.”

“Understood, sir.”

“It’s October now… Don’t try hard to save money for now. If there are things that we eventually have to spend money on, do it now.”

“Do you think that we should give higher bonuses to our employees at the end of this year?”

“Why don’t you discuss it with the internal auditor? If we raise the amount of bonus for Dyeon Korea’s employees, the workers at GH Mobile will possibly ask for the same. We need to think about possible consequences.”

“That’s very possible. What about if we build a factory in China or India? Instead of reserving profits in cash, maybe we should use those to reinvest in the company to expand.”

“That’s not a desirable way either. The corporate tax rate in China or India is even higher than Korea; I believe it’s around 25%.”

“Is it that high?”

“The U.S. used to have an even higher corporate tax rate. It used to be 35%, and the Trump administration reduced it significantly to 21%. It’s boom time for corporations in the U.S. and Trump’s popularity is skyrocketing.”

“Doesn’t the federal government worry about their possible budget deficit?”

“They will have to make up the deficit from somewhere else. They will have to cut government spending by reducing various subsidies that they are currently providing, for example. They could also increase taxes substantially on imported goods that are coming from other countries.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, let’s make our application to become a start-up company with technology when we are ready—when we have all the necessary paperwork. Also, tell Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo to make sure that she includes all of the labor cost and purchasing price of our raw material in our R&D expenditure.”

“Yes, sir”

Gun-Ho murmured to himself, “Generating high profits creates another problem.”

In the late afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province.

“I met Suk-Ho Lee.”

“What did he say?”

“Well, I think he didn’t want to tell me that he is having a financial problem. He said that he just wanted to visit the area for sightseeing.”

“That’s it? He didn’t say anything else?”

“He asked me to buy the stores that he bought in Shenyang City. He must have thought that I’m an idiot. Why would I purchase the stores in Shenyang City that are so far away from where I am? Moreover, those stores’ location is terrible.”

“He is probably in trouble.”

“So, I told him that I don’t have money to buy the stores. You know what he said? He said that he will take installment payments from me. He said that there is a development plan around the city for next year, so he is confident that the value of his stores will go up.”

“Really?”

“He looked shabby and depressed. When he learned that I’m driving an Audi with a chauffeur, and also living in a luxurious condo, he looked really surprised.”

“Really?”

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Chapter 637 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (2) – Part 2

Chapter 637: High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (2) – Part 2

Min-Hyeok Kim was talking about Suk-Ho’s Lee’s recent visit in his area to Gun-Ho over the phone.

“He also visited our company and realized that it’s not a tiny company but large enough to have currently more than 100 workers. He looked even more surprised.”

“I see.”

“That dude often hit the back of my head when we were in school. I still remember that as if it happened yesterday.”

“Haha. I think I heard of that story maybe 20 times from you. Just let it go. Forget about it.”

“Hitting didn’t actually hurt me much, but what he said at that time truly hurt my feelings.”

“What did he say?”

“He said I would never be able to beat him in any way I could think of, including physical fight, study, money, family background, and whatever. He said that while beating me up.”

“Haha, he said that?”

“His act of bullying didn’t stop at school. After I was discharged from the military, I studied for the level-9 government job exam in a library. That as*hole came to the library and tapped my body while teasing my situation. I bought that as*hole dinner and a drink yesterday.”

“I believe that his father is financially doing fine, isn’t he? Why doesn’t Suk-Ho Lee ask his father for help?”

“I guess his father already helped him once when he bought those stupid stores in Shenyang City. His father is not going to help him again. His father is a retired colonel, and he used to run a lumber mill afterward when we were in school together. Suk-Ho Lee was so proud of his father and family because his father was the owner president of the lumber mill.”

“He no longer runs that business?”

“He closed that business. The business went well in the beginning only. But, since he is getting an excellent pension after years of service in the military, he should be doing fine financially. His mother used to be a school teacher, and she must have a good pension as well. His parents’ monthly income from their pensions only must exceed 3 million won per month.”

“I think so since they both had worked in their fields for a quite long time.”

“Suk-Ho Lee often said that his father was a patriot who served our country. And he always added at the end of his bragging about his father that my father was a bus driver who was trying so hard to make extra petty money by extorting people. And that made me cry every time he said that to me.”

“Your father had a hard life.”

“My father had worked all day long from early morning for years driving a bus, but he is getting only 700,000 won per month from his pension.”

“Many people are like that including my father. My father also receives 700,000 won per month.”

“That’s true. I heard that many old men don’t even receive any pension at all.”

“Haha. You did handle well yesterday. Even though Suk-Ho Lee was not a good person back then, you bought him dinner and a drink. That’s good.”

“I couldn’t yell at his face to go back to his city knowing that he came all the way to Suzhou City just to meet with me. I even took him to Hanshan Temple for his tour.”

“Good. For the rest of your life, Suk-Ho Lee will have no chance to hit the back of your head again.”

“Haha. He won’t because if he does, I will hit him back harder.”

“Did he go back to his town in Shenyang City?”

“No. He went to see Jae-Sik Moon in Guizhou Province. Suk-Ho told me that he wanted to look around Guizhou Province as well.”

“I guess that he speaks Chinese well enough to travel around in China by himself, huh?”

“Not at all! I felt like I was being suffocated when I had to watch him speak Chinese. He, at least, knows how to communicate with Chinese people using body language. He actually came with a friend of his. His friend speaks Chinese a little bit better than him. I haven’t seen that guy before. His name is Han-Young Bang, and he has curly hair.”

“Han-Young Bang? That name sounds familiar.”

“Suk-Ho said that he used to run a business with him at Gyeongridan Street.”

“Oh, that’s right. I remember him now. That guy is Suk-Ho’s college friend. I’ve met him once before.”

“That Han-Young Bang person is running a karaoke in Shenyang City.”

“Is that right?”

“He kept asking me to come to his karaoke for fun, but I have no business there. Anyway, they headed to Guizhou Province. They will stop by Antang City to see Jae-Sik Moon. Jae-Sik will probably spend a day or 2 for them.”

“Did you let Jae-Sik Moon know about Suk-Ho Lee’s visit? You need to tell him to expect Suk-Ho and have fun while he is there.”

“I’m sure Jae-Sik Moon hates Suk-Ho Lee more than I do. Suk-Ho Lee made Jae-Sik carry his bag when we were in high school.”

“Hmm. That’s all in the past. What can we do about it? We’d better forget all.”

“You’re right. We have to let it go.”

After getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok Kim, Gun-Ho gave a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“Jae-Sik, did you hear about Suk-Ho? He is on the way to Antang City to see you.”

“Yeah, I received a call from him, but I have no idea why he is coming all the way here to see me. I can’t go to the airport to pick him up, so I told him to take an express bus heading to Antang City.”

“Just buy him dinner or a drink.”

“I have work to do here. I don’t have time to spend with him. It’s stressful.”

“Haha. Min-Hyeok told me that he was stressed because of Min-Hyeok’s visit. I guess that you feel the same about his visit.”

“I’m sure Min-Hyeok didn’t want to see Suk-Ho Lee.”

“Well, whatever happened in the past, he is coming all the way to Antang City to see you. Be nice while he is there.”

“Yeah, I know. I will try.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho thought, ‘Suk-Ho was the one who bullied Jae-Sik and called him ‘Mr. Basement’ all the time. Jae-Sik Moon probably suffered more than Min-Hyeok while we were in high school because of Suk-Ho, but Jae-Sik doesn’t show his hatred toward Suk-Ho much unlike Min-Hyeok.’

When Gun-Ho was reminiscing about his old days in high school while leaning back on the sofa, he received a call from Director Sim in China.

“Sir, it’s me, Director Sim.”

“Oh, yes. Hi, Mr. Director Sim.”

“I received the translated version of the drama scenario from President Shin. She sent me only the first half of the translated scenario, but President Shin said she would send me the other half in a few days. I’m trying to memorize the scenario right now.”

“Once you receive the entire translated scenario, you will do table-read with actors and staff, right? Will you be okay because it will be done in Chinese?”

“I don’t have to step in every dialogue, but I only make comments on important lines that need some close attention because they have to bring in some delicate emotion.”

“I see.”

“I no longer stay in a hotel, sir. I moved into a condo. It’s close to my workplace. Also, they gave me a car. It’s not a luxurious car though; it’s a Chinese-made rental car.”

“Hmm, really? Do you like your condo?”

“It’s good. It has two bedrooms. My interpreter also moved into a studio apartment around here.”

“That’s good.”

“Is casting actors completed?”

“Almost done. We need one or two more actors. Since they are still shooting the current drama, I will have to wait until next week to fully focus on the new drama.”

“I see.”

“I received the script for the first week of the new soap opera.”

“I see.”

“This script is for the director, and they translated it into the Korean language for me. Some words in the translated version are a bit weird choice of words, but it’s good enough for me to understand the contents.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I think that by next week, the current soap opera shooting will be completed, and we will finish casting for the new soap opera—Shiguang Ru Meng—as well.”

“Hmm, okay. Sounds good.”

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Chapter 638 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (3) – Part 1

Chapter 638: High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was in the class of the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University that day. The classroom was always noisy during the break because of the students’ constant chit-chat.

The students in that class were mostly the people with high social positions, and their chit-chats were full of critical and nutritious information, accordingly. Many of them also knew very interesting stories behind some certain social events and affairs, and they were busy sharing those stories.

A congressman came forward in front of the class and made a suggestion.

“It’s late fall, and we are having very nice weather these days. We should be outside and get together. Mr. Class President should preside over a gathering like this, but our class president doesn’t seem to be so willing to do so. Is there anyone in our class who would make a plan and arrange the gathering for the class?”

“Let’s do that!”

“I’m in!”

“Yes, we definitely should get together outside the class.”

“Let’s go somewhere like a park, so we can enjoy nature in the fall. I want to see fall foliage.”

“What about Naejang Temple?”

“That’s too far. We will need to rent a bus if the whole class goes there.”

“What about Ganghwa Island then?”

“We won’t see any fall foliage there.”

“Let’s go to Anyang Art Park behind Gwanak Mountain.”

“That place must be packed with so many people.”

“If we go there in the evening, the traffic should be light.”

“Anyang Art Park is a nice place, and it’s very close to here. It won’t be busy at all at this hour.”

The class agreed to go to Anyang Art Park next week, and they also decided to have the first class but skip the second one that day.

“Mr. Class Manager, why don’t you make a reservation with a restaurant in the park? And, collect the fee of 50,000 won for each person.”

“Who’s going to bring alcohol?”

“Minister Jin-Woo Lee brought alcohol last time.”

“Then, Minister Jin-Woo Lee should bring alcohol again this time too. He has a rich father-in-law after all.”

Minister Jin-Woo Lee seemed to feel uncomfortable about the comment. He said, “Hey, it’s not like my father-in-law is running an alcohol factory or anything like that. I think Congressman Park should bring alcohol this time. He is the one who suggested having a gathering in the first place. He should have some funds left after his last election.”

“Hey, I already spent all of those funds in managing my precinct.”

“You don’t have to bring some western alcohol like Ballantine, but bring something more local and traditional from your area. We will need a few bottles of them.”

“Hmm… I think I can do that.”

“Mr. Class Manager? Don’t just sit there vacantly. Please start collecting the fee now.”

Gun-Ho walked around the class and collected 50,000 won from each student.

“50,000 won per person would be enough?”

“We can collect more later if necessary.”

Most of the students in that class were carrying enough cash to give a 50,000 won bill right away on the spot even though it was unexpectedly requested.

Once he finished collecting the fee, Gun-Ho made a joke.

“Since I have enough cash now, I might not come to class from tomorrow.”

“You are not coming to the class any longer? If you don’t show up in our next class, the whole class will visit your company.”

The class exchanged jokes to each other loudly until the instructor came into the class.

The next day, Gun-Ho thought that he should visit the Anyang Art Park by himself before taking his classmates there. When they were heading to the park, Chan-Ho Eum thought that they were going to a nice restaurant that Gun-Ho recently found.

“Which direction, sir?”

“Let’s go to Anyang Art Park.”

“Anyang Art Park, sir?”

“I’m going to Anyang Art Park with my classmates at the graduate school next week. I wanted to visit the park and find a good spot to gather.”

“We can have lunch around the park today then.”

“Yeah, sure.”

The park was filled with a lot of people even though it was a weekday.

“Let’s try the road back over there.”

After going around the Anyang Art Park twice, they found a restaurant building that specialized in Galbi*, which looked clean and decent. The entire three-floor building was the restaurant. The second and third floor seemed to be primarily used for an event or meeting with a group of customers. When Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eum entered the restaurant, the restaurant owner greeted them and asked, “How many people do we expect?”

“It will be twenty.”

“Twenty?”

“Oh, there should be more because I have to count their chauffeurs as well. You can double the number.”

“Plus twenty chauffeurs, sir?”

When the restaurant owner realized that there would be 20 customers and each customer would bring his or her own chauffeur, he scanned Gun-Ho from the head to toe.”

“Which dishes do you want us to prepare for them, sir?”

“We will have Galbi*.”

“We will prepare seats on the third floor for you. It has a better scenery view and quiet. After dinner, you can have karaoke as well. All the systems with a microphone are set up on the third floor. I will prepare separate seats for the twenty chauffeurs on the second floor.”

Gun-Ho thought that the restaurant seemed to be a good place for the gathering next week and made a reservation with the restaurant under the name of Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University.

After making the reservation for next week, Gun-Ho had Galbi-tang* with Chan-Ho Eum at the same restaurant. They then walked out of the restaurant while holding a cup of coffee in a paper cup and headed to the valley in the park.

“This valley is full of water. I came here before with my mom when I was little.”

Chan-Ho Eum seemed to reminisce about his memory with his mother.

‘Poor kid,’ Gun-Ho thought.

‘He doesn’t have a father, and his mother remarried someone. He must miss his days with his parents. Doesn’t his mother miss him?’

Gun-Ho sometimes wondered about Chan-Ho’s family background, but he didn’t ask Chan-Ho about it directly. He didn’t want him to hurt his feelings or force him to think about things that he wouldn’t want to think about.

Gun-Ho was enjoying his coffee in a paper cup on a bench under the tree when he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“President Goo? Can we talk?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Am I interrupting your lunchtime? Isn’t it your nap time?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Suk-Ho Lee just left. I just dropped him off at Guiyang Airport with my car.”

“Good.”

“I had to postpone visiting the new bus route because of him, and now I can go.”

“Was his visit for a sheer sightseeing?”

“No, not at all. He came to make a proposal to me. He asked me to buy his stores in Shenyang City, and he said that he would accept the payments in installments from me since I’m his friend. He enticed me to purchase his stores by ensuring that the price of those stores will dramatically go up after a year.”

“You said no, right?”

“Of course I said no. I don’t even have money for it anyway. Even if I had money, why would I make an investment somewhere far away from my area? Guess what he said.”

“What did he say?”

“He suddenly got all upset and said that I’m not a good businessman, and I have a bad insight.”

“Hmm, really?”

“And then he said something to me that he shouldn’t have.”

“What did he say?”

“Well, I will tell you later.”

“It’s okay. Just tell me what he said to you.”

“I’d better tell you later.”

“Just say it!”

“He said that I only know how to make a living under the shade of Gun-Ho Goo and that I have no insight about business at all. He was mad.”

“Man… his mental age seemed to have stopped in high school.”

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Chapter 639 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (3) – Part 2

Chapter 639: High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (3) – Part 2

Jae-Sik Moon continued to tell the story about Suk-Ho Lee’s visit to Gun-Ho over the phone.

“So, I told him that I’ve never said I had a good insight about business and that I just do what I can do, and I do my best while working. My response made him even more upset. He yelled at me, saying that that’s why I would never get out of a basement. I thought he was going to punch me.”

“Geez!”

“I had to get his facts straight though, so I told him that my parents are living in a 30 pyung large condo in front of the East Incheon Station, and I am living in a luxurious condo here too. When I showed him where I live, he looked truly surprised.”

“Of course, he would.”

“In addition, I showed him my office in the terminal and told him that I run this place and the intercity bus service business. I also showed him my Audi with the chauffeur. When we went to my office, the workers in uniform at the terminal greeted me by giving me a bow, and that made Suk-Ho Lee sulky.”

“I guess he is in trouble. He went all the way to your area to ask you to buy his stores. He must need money urgently.”

“He came with a friend, and it seems that his friend paid for their entire trip. The guy had curly hair, and his name was Han something. He said that he was looking for a good area where he could open a karaoke. It seems that he wants to open a karaoke that provides services with girls.”

“Really?”

“So, I told him that I have been in China just for a few months now, and I don’t even speak Chinese fluently, so I wouldn’t be the right person to ask things like that.”

“Good.”

“I treated them well though. I told Suk-Ho Lee that I received a call from President Gun-Ho Goo, saying that I should make their trip pleasant and comfortable. He was delighted to hear that. I even took them to a karaoke per their request.”

“Haha, you did?”

“They both seemed to know how to have fun in karaoke. They even danced with the service girls in the karaoke. I’m sure they took a dance lesson or something; they were really good.”

“Haha, I see.”

“Well, I feel so liberated after they left. I desperately wanted to go back to my routine life while they were here.”

“I understand. You did well.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho thought about Suk-Ho Lee while sitting on a bench in Anyang Art Park.

‘Suk-Ho Lee was an active and energetic boy when we were in high school. Won-Chul Jo and Byeong-Chul Hwang looked down on me and others and refused to even hang out with us, but they were not violent. On the other hand, Suk-Ho Lee was a good fighter, and he was aggressive and violent sometimes.

One of his bad habits that we all hated at that time was that he often tapped the person—not lightly but in an intimidating way—while talking to that person. Jae-Sik Moon was the biggest victim of that wicked habit of his. I remember Jae-Sik Moon’s scared eyes whenever Suk-Ho Lee was around him. I understand that Suk-Ho Lee is in a deep trouble right now, but given his attitude toward the people around him, I think it will be really hard for him to find someone who would be willing to help him. That’s too bad, Suk-Ho Lee!’

Gun-Ho remembered Won-Chul Jo’s and Byeong-Chul Hwang’s parents as well in those old days. Won-Chul was condescending and arrogant, and he didn’t even try to hide it. He even told Gun-Ho, Min-Hyeok, and Jae-Sik not to come near his house. Byeong-Chul was relatively quiet and a bit shy. He sometimes invited Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok to his home to show off his new toys or cartoon books. When Gun-Ho was in Byeong-Chul’s room, his mother once said, ‘Byeong-Chul, are you reading cartoon books? You’d better start doing your homework now. I told you not to bring those kids living near the embankment area. The one who is wearing shabby sneakers… His father is working as a security guard, isn’t he? I told you not to hang out with them. Things seem to be missing whenever those kids visit our home. I still can’t find the commemorative coins that I bought the other day. I’m sure that those kids from the poor area took those coins.’

Byeong-Chul’s mother was a teacher in a junior high school. Come to think of it, she was not supposed to say things like that as a teacher, knowing that the kids could hear her. Byeong-Chul’s mother owned a condo in Incheon City and received a monthly income from a pension. She still maintained the same teacherish appearance with gold metal frame glasses.

Byeong-Chul was doing well as expected. He was ranked number one in high school and graduated KAIST. He had a Ph.D. and was working as a researcher in Pangyo City. Many people would envy Byeong-Chul’s background and his current social position; however, he was just an employee living on a fixed salary. His narrow-mind seemed to confine him in the current world that he was living in.

Gun-Ho was different. He had various and extensive life and work experiences, which broadened his views in general. After getting to know Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town, he studied accounting which amplified his inborn talent in math and numbers. He was now a successful businessman and investor.

Despite his success, his life was not busy because he was not a salaryman who had to be at work for certain hours every day like Won-Chul Jo and Byeon-Chul Hwang. That enabled Gun-Ho to read a lot of business and management books, and he also read economic newspapers on a daily basis. His decision and judgment were precise and advanced compared to his counterparts.

One week passed. The class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University would get together at Anyang Art Park around 8 pm after finishing the first class that day.

Gun-Ho announced, “Umm, I will have to collect an additional 50,000 won for each.”

“Again? Galbi* is that expensive? 100,000 won per person?”

“We need to pay for our chauffeurs too. 50,000 won’t cover two persons’ dinner.”

“Hmm, I see. Yeah, I guess our chauffeurs should have Galbi* too.”

Gun-Ho collected another 50,000 won per person, and he made a joke, “If I collected more than we needed, I will keep the change.”

“Sure! Keep it! We don’t pay for your work anyway. Consider that you earned it.”

About twenty cars drove out of Seoul National University’s front gate while making a line. Gun-Ho’s Bentley took the lead. They then made a left turn in front of Mirim Women’s High School before taking a road in the direction of Hoam Temple. After a moment, they all arrived at Anyang Art Park.

It was already dark outside, and the park was quiet. There were a few residents around the area, who were taking a walk at the park, but there were not many people, and it was easy to park twenty cars at once.

The food started coming out.

The restaurant was filled with the smell of grilled ribs, and that was good. The congressman’s chauffeur brought a box that was filled with bottles of liquor, to Gun-Ho’s table.

The congressman said, “This is the traditional liquor from my area. Remember the name of the liquor and its brand. If you like it, buy it at a store. This can be a very good gift. I’m Congressman Park, and I’m the congressman where that liquor came from.”

“Hey, is it your campaign speech?”

At the moment, Minister Jin-Woo Lee noticed that one minister was making a call to someone, and he said, “Hey, Minister Kim, who are you calling? You are supposed to watch the meat. Don’t let them sit there for too long, they will be burned. Are you calling your wife? Are you supposed to report your wife everything you do?”

The Minister Kim person laughed out loud and said, “No, I’m not calling my wife. I actually invited Korean classical musicians here. They are my friends.”

“For what?”

“They will sing for us.”

“Haha, really? That sounds great.”

Korean beef ribs were being grilled on the table, and people sipped their liquor. They all seemed to enjoy the moment at the restaurant in the park. When Gun-Ho filled Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s empty glass with liquor, Minister Lee said, “Mr. Class Manager! How’s your business doing?”

“It’s going well, sir.”

“How much do you anticipate making this year?”

“It will be about 100 billion won.”

“That’s it?”

“I guess I can make more with your help, sir.”

At the moment, Gun-Ho heard people clapping. When he turned around to see what was going on, there were two musicians in a traditional Korean dress.

Minister Kim made an announcement.

“To celebrate our meeting today, I invited two classical musicians. They are living national treasures. These are friends of mine. Please welcome them with a big round of applause.”

People clapped loudly. One musician held a microphone getting ready to sing, and the other musician held a janggu* and started playing.

They were indeed professionals. The night at Anyang Art Park with Galbi and beautiful music was deepening.

Gun-Ho thought that Korea could provide the best days if you have money.

Note*

Galbi – Korean grilled beef ribs.

Galbi-tang – Korean short rib soup.

Janggu – A traditional Korean musical instrument which is similar to a drum.

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Chapter 640 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (4) – Part 1

Chapter 640: High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (4) – Part 1

It was November.

On Friday, Young-Eun came home carrying a huge shopping bag.

“What are these?” Gun-Ho asked.

“It’s a layette for your friend’s wife who is in China.”

“You are expecting a baby too, Young-Eun, and you prepared a gift for another woman’s baby?”

“I can easily buy these things at a department store here at any time, but she might have a hard time finding them in China since she is not familiar with the area.”

“She should be able to find a layette easily in China too.”

“Just mail them to her, will you? I bought one for mine as well.”

“Okay, I will send it to them in China. Thanks.”

Gun-Ho gave a kiss to Young-Eun on the cheek. He thought that she was a thoughtful and lovely woman.

Gun-Ho was trying to figure out the due date for both Jae-Sik Moon’s wife and Young-Eun. Jae-Sik’s wife would soon give birth since she was now nine months pregnant while Young-Eun was in her seventh month.

Gun-Ho placed the layette in his car trunk and carried it around until Tuesday when he could ask his secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— to go to the post office to mail it to Jae-Sik Moon in China.

The layette included all sorts of things that could come in handy when a baby was born, such as wet tissues, baby clothing, a blanket, a pouch for diapers, etc.

It didn’t take long for a package to arrive in China from Korea these days. Three days after Gun-Ho mailed it to Jae-Sik Moon, he received a call from Jae-Sik.

“Thank you for the layette. You are very thoughtful.”

“No problem. I know you can find those stuff easily in China too, but I sent it to you anyway.”

“It gave me and my wife warm feelings when we received baby stuff made in Korea. This is definitely a sentimental gift for us. My wife looked so happy when she opened the package.”

“I’m so glad that your wife liked them.”

“Your wife is now seven months pregnant, isn’t she?”

“That’s correct. President Moon, you will be a father next month, right? Are you ready?”

“I don’t know. My wife stays home mostly these days trying to relax. She listens to relaxing and peaceful music for our unborn child during the day, and she studies the Chinese language with Eun-Hwa Jo in the evening. She often takes a walk in this condo complex as well. That’s about all she does these days.”

“Really? You must take a walk with her while holding her hand, right?”

“Haha. How did you know? Taking a walk in the evening became our new daily routine actually, and we always watch TV together afterward, mostly Chinese TV dramas. My wife’s Chinese seems to improve faster than mine.”

“Really?”

“When we take a walk in the community, we sometimes run into old ladies who are also residents of this condo complex. They often ask my wife when her due is. My wife responds to them in Chinese without any problem.”

“Haha, is that right?”

“You know that we are running three buses connecting Antang City and Guiyang City, right? Two of them are Daba (express buses) and one is Zhong Ba (mid-size bus). They agreed to let us replace the Zhong Ba with a Daba. So, we will run three Daba connecting Guiyang City from now on. The Zhong Ba that used to be used for the bus line to Guiyang City is now being used to connect to Yibin City, and our daily income has already increased accordingly.”

“How much are we making per day?”

“We are currently running 7 buses, and it generates 2 million Korean won per day. We would have made more income if the business was in Korea, but considering that we are in China, it’s not bad at all. The people in Duigang Gongsi (counterparts in other cities) said that we are doing really well by having 7 buses already even if we just started the business.”

“What about the terminal construction? They haven’t started the soil excavation yet, have they?”

“No, not yet. They completed the soil tests, but they will have to resolve the complaints made by the local residents here first before they could begin the construction. They moved the pole that was inside the terminal. Even moving one pole from one place to another took a lot of time.”

“Really?”

“In my opinion, since it’s November now, we will have to wait till Spring to start the actual construction. Until then, they will completely resolve the problems raised by the residents here and also pave the road. They marked the construction area with a bunch of flags and signs saying that the construction would soon start. That’s the current status of the terminal construction.”

“I see.”

“According to the Chinese partner, they already started the construction bidding process open to the public for the terminal project. Once a contractor is selected for the terminal construction, Antang City’s transportation company’s president and I will need to sign the contract.”

“That sounds right.”

“I will let you know if there is a change or update.”

“Okay. I will talk to you later.”

Gun-Ho felt good about Jae-Sik Moon’s couple’s living in a good environment and having a peaceful life taking a walk every evening and getting ready to welcome the new addition to their family.

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim. He would soon visit Korea.

“I’m coming to Korea to pick up the actress that I cast for the new drama in China. I will need to make a contract with her management company as well. She will come to China with me and meet the production team, and also join us to do the table-read with other actors.”

“Do you have the entire scenario now that is translated into Korean?”

“Yes, sir. I made a few copies of the translated version of the scenario.”

“Which management company do you need to make a contract with for that actress?”

“It’s BM Entertainment, sir.”

Gun-Ho recalled BM Entertainment’s dandy entertainment manager and its president— Hyeon-Man Yee.

“Does it mean that casting is done? I need to send the investment funds once the casting is completed.”

“No, not yet, sir. The decision to work with this Korean actress is not final. I need to take her to China, and I need to hear okay from the Chinese staff. They verbally agreed to cast her already though. Actually, they seemed to look forward to working with her.”

“Really? That’s good.”

“Anyway, her name is Lia.”

“Lia? It’s a weird name for a Korean.”

“Haha. You haven’t probably heard of that name before, but her name is well-known among young people. Her full name is Lia Gang, and we will use her full name in China.”

“Lia Gang? If we read her name in Chinese, her name would be ‘Lial, Zhiang’?”

“That’s correct, sir, but we will change her last name’s Chinese character to something else while keeping the same pronunciation.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I will stop by your office when I arrive in Korea.”

“Sounds good. I will see you then.”

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile, Jiksan Town.

When he stopped by the production site before heading to his office, there were no management people at the site. He asked one of the production workers, “I don’t see any managers or supervisors. Where are they?”

“They are at the plant manager’s office right now having a meeting, sir.”

The plant manager’s office was located inside the production site. Gun-Ho looked through the window at the inside of the office. Director Jong-Suk Park was yelling at the managers and supervisors of the production department. Even though the door was tightly closed, Gun-Ho could still hear Jong-Suk’s voice.

“Which son of a b*tch made the product like this? We received a claim for this defective product!”

After a while, Gun-Ho heard Jong-Suk’s voice again.

“Whoever it is, this son of a b*tch’s mind must have been somewhere else when he made this one. If I f*cking catch the person who is responsible for this, I’m going to punch him in the face.”

Most of the managers and supervisors in the office were older than Jong-Suk Park, and they all kept their heads low while Jong-Suk was exposing his temperament again.

Gun-Ho thought that Director Jong-Suk Park was well leading the production department; however, he was concerned about Jong-Suk’s language when he was upset.

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Chapter 641 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (4) – Part 2

Chapter 641: High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (4) – Part 2

Gun-Ho walked to his office on the second floor.

President Song came to Gun-Ho’s office when he learned that Gun-Ho was there.

“It seems that we produced some defective products, right?”

“As we have more and more new hires at the production site, some defective products were found. Some of the new workers are showing their lack of work experience. I visited the production site this morning and talked to Director Park about it.”

“Do I have to worry about it? Were there many defective products?”

“No, sir. We caught it early, and stopped the production line right away before manufacturing many of the same defective products. It will incur us around 4 million won worth of damage though. The parts that we received from vendor companies were fine, and it looks like that we made mistakes while assembling them. I guess that we didn’t perfectly train the new hires during the training. We will have to enhance our OJT (On the Job Training) system.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“A Electronics’ factory in Dangjin City asked the plant manager and me to come to their office tomorrow. We will visit them tomorrow.”

“I guess that the defect that we produced is serious since they want to see both our president and plant manager together.”

“Not necessarily. I think that they want to give us more work, but they want to make sure that we don’t produce any more defective products before placing more product orders. I asked Director Park to have a meeting and correct the problem.”

“When I passed by the production site earlier, I heard Director Park yelling at the managers and supervisors at the production site.”

“Right, that must be him. Director Park yells when he is upset. I believe that he will correct the situation successfully after the meeting. We will be able to find out what was discussed during that meeting later. The office lady at the production site is very good at recording a meeting and handling paperwork in general. She is the one who was transferred from GH Logistics. She used to handle accounting work there.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“I will make a copy of the minutes of the meeting that Director Jong-Suk Park had this morning, and I will take it with us when we visit A Electronics’ factory in Dangjin City tomorrow. The production workers will realize how serious this is once they find out that the president and the plant manager were called on to visit A Electronics. Once they realize the gravity of the situation, they will try to be extra careful not to make the same mistake.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“A production site usually has a very tough work environment. Many team leads, supervisors, and managers are rough. In my opinion, Director Park is handling and managing those people very well. If he was soft, he wouldn’t have been able to survive there.”

“Hmm, I see your point.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head twice.

“Well, sir, I will go back to my work if you don’t have anything further to ask me about.”

President Song left the office after giving Gun-Ho a bow.

After President Song left the office, Gun-Ho was having a cup of tea that Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought, while reading a morning paper. At that moment, Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro? It’s me, Jong-Suk. I heard you came to my office to see me earlier.”

“Yeah, you were having a meeting.”

“There were some defects found in our products, and President Song came to talk to me about it. It was not a pleasant moment, as you can very well guess. I got so upset after his visit and summoned all the management personnel in the production site for a meeting.”

“What did President Song said to you?”

“He said, ‘What’s your duty as a plant manager here? You are not doing your job right.’ I bear the responsibility for the defective products as the plant manager in this factory, but he said that to me in front of my workers. That really pissed me off.”

“Haha, I see.”

“I know it’s my fault. A Electronics’ Dangjin factory asked me and President Song to come to their office tomorrow. I understand why President Song was in a bad mood.”

“Haha, okay. Just make sure not to make the same mistake next time. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, bro.

Gun-Ho thought that President Song was one level above Director Jong-Suk Park in managing and handling people.

After finishing reading two morning newspapers, Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“Huh? It’s almost noon already.”

Gun-Ho was thinking about what he would have for lunch that day when he received a call from Jong-Suk Park again.

“Bro? Are you still in the office?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Suk-Ho bro is here. He is in my office now.”

“What? Suk-Ho Lee?”

“Yeah. He wants to talk to you.”

“Me?”

“He came to visit Korea for a short period of time, and he wants to see you before he goes back to China.”

“Okay. Bring him to my office.”

Gun-Ho thought that it was odd.

“Why is he here to see me?”

After a moment, someone knocked on the door, and Director Park entered the office with Suk-Ho Lee. Gun-Ho stood up from his seat and greeted Suk-Ho by extending his hand to him for a handshake.

“Oh, Suk-Ho Lee! It has been a long time.”

Suk-Ho Lee smiled awkwardly and had a handshake with Gun-Ho.

“Please come and take a seat.”

Gun-Ho picked up the interphone and called for Secretary Hee-Jeong Park.

When the secretary came into the office, Gun-Ho asked her to bring some tea.

“Please bring us three cups of tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hee-Jeong Park left the office after giving a bow to Gun-Ho.

“How’s your business going in China?”

“It’s doing okay.”

“I heard that you went to Suzhou City and Antang City for sightseeing. I’m sure that you had a great time there. They both are beautiful cities.”

“Yeah, it was good.”

At that moment, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought tea to the office.

“Please have some tea.”

It was awkward for the three men sitting there having a cup of tea without saying much. Suk-Ho Lee didn’t say anything while having his tea. He planned to talk to Gun-Ho about various things before coming to his company, but he just couldn’t initiate the conversation when he was actually sitting with Gun-Ho. Maybe it was because Gun-Ho was not the same person who he used to know. Gun-Ho was exuding charisma as the owner president of a large manufacturing company that had 450 employees.

“Your factory is enormous.”

“We have 450 workers here. The number is constantly growing, and the factory will become even larger next year.”

After graduating from college, Suk-Ho Lee had been self-employed running his own small business like a bar. It was his first time visiting a large factory like Gun-Ho’s. He was shocked when he saw the automated manufacturing facility with a lot of machines and equipment at GH Mobile. Looking at several hundreds of workers lining up and busily working gave him even more shocking feelings.

“This is amazing.”

Moreover, Suk-Ho Lee learned that Gun-Ho had a similar-sized factory in Asan City, and owned an office building in Sinsa Town, Seoul, which was worth 200 billion won, when Director Jong-Suk Park told him about it. He couldn’t dare to ask Gun-Ho to buy his store in Shenyang City, China, which was worth only 100 million won. His original plan was to make a proposition to Gun-Ho to buy it in installments.

Gun-Ho finally broke the silence.

“I thought you had something that you wanted to talk to me about,” Gun-Ho said with a smile.

“No, I just wanted to see you while I was in the neighborhood.”

Suk-Ho was fiddling with his cup feeling nervously. He used to tease Gun-Ho while often tapping his back when they were in high school, telling him that he was not smart and had a poor family. Gun-Ho was not that boy any longer. Suk-Ho Lee felt like he was with a giant instead. He felt so small while sitting with Gun-Ho in his office.

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Chapter 642 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (5) – Part 1

Chapter 642: High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (5) – Part 1

Gun-Ho sensed that Suk-Ho Lee was feeling very uncomfortable and awkward. Even if Suk-Ho had bullied Gun-Ho when they were in high school, he could just let it go because it was all in the past, and they were young. Moreover, Suk-Ho helped Gun-Ho when he opened his very first business— the Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant— in Noyryangjin Town. He even visited Gun-Ho’s restaurant to congratulate Gun-Ho on it. Gun-Ho didn’t want to treat Suk-Ho badly. He now wanted to ease Suk-Ho’s tension.

“Suk-Ho, how is your business in Shenyang City?”

For some reason, Suk-Ho Lee felt pressured that he had to be honest with Gun-Ho.

“It’s not doing well. I want to sell the stores, but it’s hard to find a buyer.”

“What are you selling at your stores?”

“I own three stores. I placed two of them on the market for sale, and I’m running the third one. I sell Korean products mostly that I import.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Suk-Ho Lee added, “The area is not fully developed yet offering the low foot traffic, but the city is planning to develop that specific area soon.”

“Really? That’s good then.”

Gun-Ho sipped his tea, and the silence filled the air again.

Suk-Ho Lee smiled and said, “Some of our friends from high school talked about you saying that you are in an awkward position, and they are feeling sorry for you. You have heard about it, haven’t you?”

“Me? No, I haven’t.”

“They said that they don’t understand why you hired people like Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon to work for you.”

Gun-Ho frowned by reflex without any intention to show how he was feeling. What Suk-Ho Lee just said annoyed Jong-Suk Park as well, and that made him frown too.

Suk-Ho Lee continued, “Frankly, Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon were not very smart when we were in high school; they were even a bit slow, unlike Jong-Suk Park here.”

Gun-Ho didn’t respond to him but took a sip of his tea instead without saying a word. He wanted to hear what Suk-Ho Lee wanted to say.

Suk-Ho continued, “If you had other people who were working for you, and who were smart enough, your company in China would have grown several times larger than the current size by now. That’s what most of us think. That’s why they said that they are feeling sorry for you.”

Gun-Ho said as he crossed his legs, “I think you misunderstood one thing to begin with. Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon are not working for me. They are my business partners.”

“Did they put their investment funds in those companies then? I don’t think they are capable of doing so.”

“There are several forms of how you invest in a business. I can’t tell you exactly what they contributed to the business because it’s confidential, but I can tell you that they are my partners. If you have a chance to meet our high school friends again later, please tell them that. We have to have the facts straight. Min-Hyeok and Jae-Sik have been working so hard because they were not very blessed financially when they grew up. I respect them.”

When the awkward silence filled the air again, Gun-Ho smiled and said, “Your stores in Shenyang City… can they be used as collateral to take out a loan from a bank?”

“I don’t think the building where my stores are located is Zhuan Liang (transferrable land). The owner of the building is currently negotiating with the Land Bureau about it.”

“Hmm. That’s the problem that many foreign businessmen encounter in China.”

Suk-Ho Lee looked down. Gun-Ho changed his posture and said, “You have two options.”

Suk-Ho Lee and Jong-Suk Park looked at Gun-Ho simultaneously.

“First one is that you need to sell your stores as soon as possible even though that means that you have to bear some loss. That’s how you reduce the actual loss in the long run. I understand that you placed your precious funds there, but you need to get out of the situation. The locals might not be interested in buying your stores, so you should advertise the sale in a newspaper, so the people in other areas could see it. Some people may have an idea of what to do with your stores, and be willing to buy them.”

“Hmm, so my first option is to sell my stores for the price less than I paid, huh?”

“When I had to close my business in Noryangjin— the Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant, I sold it for a below-market price bearing loss. If you know that you can’t go on with your business, you should focus on the fact that you have to get out of there, rather than trying to reduce the possible loss. You have to move on for a better opportunity. Also, you shouldn’t try to convince other Korean people to buy your stores that you know are going down, without disclosing all the necessary facts. You will be eventually blamed for it.”

Suk-Ho Lee’s face contorted with discomfort.

“Your second option is to combine all of your three stores and make one big store, and sell some unique products. You can’t succeed if you target only local people, but you need to attract the customers from other areas too. Come up with the items that people would think worth traveling a long distance. They have to be willing to travel all the way to your store to buy those items. But, you have to know that this option will require an additional investment, so it’s riskier than the first option. When you are certain about what to sell, that would be the right time for you to start the process of expanding your store.”

“What would you sell, President Goo?”

“I don’t know. If I were you, I would start by researching your area in search of the right item to sell.”

Suk-Ho Lee knew that Gun-Ho wouldn’t even consider buying his stores at that moment. He was afraid of getting unwanted feedback or comments from Gun-Ho if he asked him to buy his stores. Gun-Ho made a final prediction that sounded even crueler to Suk-Ho Lee.

“Maybe you should expect to lose half of what you originally invested in your business. Preparing yourself to bear that much loss would be a clever decision under your situation.”

Suk-Ho Lee let out a deep sigh.

“Well, cheer up, Suk-Ho Lee!”

Gun-Ho tapped Suk-Ho’s back as a gesture to encourage him. Tapping Suk-Ho’s back was an unthinkable act of Gun-Ho when they were in high school; Suk-Ho would have punched him in the face right away. But, Suk-Ho let Gun-Ho tap his back while keeping his eyes closed.

“Suk-Ho Lee! I was grateful when you gave me advice and sent me a congratulatory flower wreath with Jong-Suk when I opened the Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant in Noryangjin. You even visited my restaurant at that time. I don’t forget that.”

“That… of course I had to do for a friend…”

“But, when you opened your business in Shenyang City, I didn’t make my time to visit you there to congratulate you. I didn’t even send you a congratulatory gift either. So, here is my late gift for you.”

Gun-Ho gave an envelope to Suk-Ho Lee.

“Oh, you shouldn’t do this.”

“It’s okay. Many people give an envelope to a person on their business opening day. I’m just one of those people who want to congratulate a friend on his business opening with an envelope. You don’t have to feel burdensome about it.”

Gun-Ho quickly slipped the envelope into Suk-Ho’s pocket and stood up from his seat.

“It would be really nice to spend more time with you and listen to your interesting stories that you probably have from your stay in China, but I have to go to work in Asan City; I have another company there called Dyeon Korea. Why don’t you have lunch with Jong-Suk Park before leaving? I’m sorry that I can’t join you.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Suk-Ho for a handshake. While having a handshake, Gun-Ho looked at Jong-Suk and said, “Director Park! Since Suk-Ho bro is here, take him to your favorite restaurant. He is your favorite bro after all.”

“Of course I will. Don’t worry about it. I know which restaurant I want to take him to. I’m so glad to see you, Suk-Ho bro.”

Gun-Ho could have had lunch with Suk-Ho Lee that day, but he intentionally avoided extended stay with him by saying he had to go to work in Dyeon Korea. Suk-Ho Lee was not a person who he wanted to spend a prolonged time with.

After walking out of Gun-Ho’s office, Suk-Ho stopped by the restroom and opened the envelope that Gun-Ho gave to him. He wanted to check how much he put in that envelope. He expected to see about 100,000 won, but surprisingly there was 500,000 won in it.

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Chapter 643 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (5) – Part 2

Chapter 643: High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (5) – Part 2

Jong-Suk Park went to see the accounting director while having Suk-Ho wait for him outside.

“I have a guest here, and I will need the company’s business credit card please.”

The accounting director handed the credit card to Jong-Suk Park and said, “Don’t forget to bring me the receipt.”

Jong-Suk pulled Suk-Ho’s arm and said, “Bro, I have the business credit card with me. Tell me what you want to eat. The lunch is on me.”

Jong-Suk Park and Suk-Ho Lee went to a nice Korean restaurant that specialized in Galbi (Korean grilled beef ribs) for lunch.

Gun-Ho had lunch with Chan-Ho Eom that day. On the way to Dyeon Korea in Asan City, they stopped by a restaurant in front of a reservoir in Eumbong Town. They had a pork cutlet. After finishing their lunch and a cup of coffee, they took a brief walk around the reservoir before heading to Dyeon Korea.

When Gun-Ho arrived at his office in Dyeon Korea, the internal auditor walked into the office. Director Kim was not in the office as usual since he had a meeting with a client or potential client most of the time.

“According to Director Kim, we can apply for the certificate to be recognized as a start-up company with technology and also for our research center, after we receive the external audit for this year.”

“Right, that’s what I heard from him too. I think that’s what we should do, right?”

“We will be even more prepared after receiving the external audit and also filing our corporate tax.”

“It has been a year and a half since Dyeon Korea was established. We will have our financial statements for this year and also the half of the previous year by then.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Okay. Let’s not rush. If we try something when we are not fully prepared for it, we will encounter various unexpected obstacles that will make us waste our time.”

“In the worst-case scenario, we will have to pay the full corporate tax at 22%. As a matter of fact, 22% is not that bad. We will generate more income later on. So, maybe it’s not so bad to pay 22% of our profits now, and we prepare for the later time when we would generate more profits, by figuring out how to save the tax.”

“Sounds good.”

“When Lymondell Dyeon decided to form a joint venture with us in the first place, they probably believed that the Korean market and business environment were attractive, which is true. Our country is in a constant and high demand of the materials that we are producing, and also it’s easy to find quality chemicals here that we need in producing our products, not to mention the quality labor. Moreover, they must have taken into account our relatively low tax rate for a corporation. China, India, and even Japan charges 25% for corporate tax.”

“Hmm, I didn’t know Japan also charges that much for corporate tax.”

“Japan charges 25% for any taxable income that exceeds 8 million Yen. The Abe administration is trying to lower it to 20% by the year 2020.”

“Tax is closely related to running a country. Politicians’ judgment on taxation must be critical.”

“That’s right. The government will have to develop the source of tax revenue or reduce their welfare budget when they lower the corporate tax rate.”

Director Kim continued, “Our sales revenue in China and India are increasing. We are selling more than 100 tons per month in each market.”

“Hmm, really?”

“They both requested to hire one more worker in the management through their weekly report. I will make the request form by the next meeting, so you can review and sign it.”

“If I am not available at that time, you can proceed with Mr. Vice President Adam Castler’s approval or Director Kim’s signature.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We do have an internal delegation of authority policy implemented, don’t we?”

“Yes, we do, sir. We needed it in order to apply for the Inno-Biz certificate. Also, it’s an essential policy in preparing for an urgent situation where we can’t find a final approver.”

“I see.”

“Well, I will get back to work now, sir.”

Gun-Ho thought about the internal auditor who just left his office.

‘I wish he was younger, so he could work with me for a long time. I can’t break the rules just for him by extending his terms even after he reaches his retirement age.’

Gun-Ho went down to the production site, and headed to the research center which was previously called a compound room. The research workers there were all wearing masks while working with chemicals. They were also all wearing a white lab coat. They used to wear the same uniform as any other workers in Dyeon Korea, but they now wore a lab coat instead. They started wearing the lab coats after they changed the compound room to the research center.

“Sir, you are here.”

The plant manager and also the deputy chief research center— Mr. Hee-Yeol Yoo— came to Gun-Ho to greet him.

“We have all of our newly purchased equipment installed over here.”

When Gun-Ho walked to the new equipment, the workers who were handling the equipment gave a bow to Gun-Ho. With the lab equipment and tools lined up, the office indeed looked like a true research center.

“We will need to keep dust levels here at a minimum by constantly monitoring the air pollution measurement in this center.”

“Yes, sir. We are regularly monitoring our air quality. In addition to monitoring the level of dust, we also check the level of sulfurous acid gas and carbon monoxide as well since we work with chemicals. We have the checklist for it over there on the wall.”

“Hmm, I see. Is the chief research officer in the office?”

“Yes, sir.”

The old man— the chief research officer— was looking into something through a microscope when Gun-Ho walked into his office.

“Are you researching something?”

“Oh! Sir. You are here.”

The chief research officer stood up from his seat rapidly.

“Please stay there. I just stopped by to see how things are going here.”

“I feel like I’m holding a permanent position as a chief research officer here like the old days, with my own office and all these lab equipment. Haha.”

“I’m so glad that you are healthy and doing well here.”

“Manager Yoo is doing an excellent job managing the research center, which enables me to focus on research only.”

“What are you researching by the way?”

“I was observing the chemical reactions when some chemicals were compounded.”

“Haha, I see. Well, I’d better leave you going back to your research.”

When Gun-Ho went back to his office on the second floor, Director Kim, who just came back from a client site, entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“You must feel tired about making a trip to a client site all the time.”

“It’s okay, sir. It’s my job, and I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“It’s November now. It looks like we don’t have anyone who would get promoted in Dyeon Korea this year, right?”

“That’s right, sir. We have many people who are transferred from GH Mobile, and they were already promoted to one level up in position when they joined us, so we won’t need to promote anyone this year. We will probably have to promote a few people considering their work performance next year though.”

“Our plant manager— Mr. Yoo— is in a manager position. He’s not going to make one level up this year, right?”

“Manager Yoo received his promotion to the manager position last year. He works hard, and I recognize his competency, but it’s too early to promote him again this year.”

“Hmm.”

“We can give him a bonus at the end of this year though. It’s not like we are distributing the bonus to everyone at Dyeon Korea, but we will give it selectively to only those who did remarkable work this year. That way, the workers at GH Mobile won’t make any complaints.”

“Hmm, sounds good. Let’s give a bonus to those who did a good job this year then.”

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Chapter 644 - Actress Lia and Aikko (1) – Part 1

Chapter 644: Actress Lia and Aikko (1) – Part 1

It was the day when Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in the GH Building in Sinsa Town.

Gun-Ho was dozing off in his office after having a cup of tea that his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—brought to him earlier and reading an economic newspaper when his phone started ringing.

“Hello?”

“Sir, it’s me, Director Woon-Hak Sim.”

“Oh, Director Sim. You are in Korea, right?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve completed the things that I came here for, and I’m ready to go back to China with the actress. I’d like to stop by your office before I leave.”

“Are you coming now?”

“Yes, sir, if you are available. You are not at the factory in Jiksan Town or Asan City today, are you?”

“I’m in the building in Sinsa Town right now.”

“That’s perfect. I’m leaving from BM Entertainment in Cheongdam Town, and I will arrive there in 30 minutes.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho went to the bathroom taking care of his business and washed his face briefly. When he got back to his office, he drank a bottle of water to ease his thirst developed from his earlier nap.

He then started reading a newspaper. A little while later, Director Woon-Hak Sim knocked on the door and walked into Gun-Ho’s office. He was not alone. He was with BM Entertainment’s dandy manager and a woman who dressed up splendidly. The woman got dolled up, and she was gorgeous. She looked like she was in her mid-20s. Gun-Ho could tell that she was the actress who Director Sim recruited for the new drama.

“Hello, sir.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim and BM Entertainment’s manager gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho showing their respects. BM Entertainment’s manager then introduced the lady to Gun-Ho.

“This is our BM Entertainment’s treasure—Lia.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho held out his hand to the lady for a handshake. He didn’t have to have a handshake with her, but he did that by reflex.

“Hi.”

The lady held Gun-Ho’s hand as she smiled broadly.

When Gun-Ho held her hand, he was frightened because her hand was extremely soft like she had no bones in her hand. Gun-Ho could also smell a strong scent from her; it was a Chanel perfume.

“Please have a seat.”

Once the three guests sat on the sofa, Gun-Ho called for his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Please bring us tea.”

Yeon-Soo Oh kept glancing at the guest lady who was all dressed up colorfully; she was curious who that would be. She finally woke up from her deep wondering when Gun-Ho asked her again, “Tea, Ms. Oh. Please bring us tea.”

“Huh? Oh, sure sir, coming right up.”

Gun-Ho asked Director Sim, “So, are you leaving for China with her today?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve signed the contract with BM Entertainment, and she will stay in China for a few days.”

“You have accommodation prepared for her already, right?”

“Yes, sir. Huanle Shiji Production Company already made a room reservation with a five-star hotel. She will be accompanied by a BM Entertainment’s staff who will assist her and also stay with her as her bodyguard.”

BM Entertainment’s manager chipped in, “Lia is a member of a Kpop girl group, and she has experience in acting. She played some roles in several Korean TV dramas before.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho looked at Lia with a smile as he crossed his legs. Lia gave a light nod to Gun-Ho admitting that what the entertainment manager said was true.

“You have a very pretty face, and I believe that you will do great. I was told that your name is Lia Gang which is read as ‘Lial Zhiang’ in Chinese. The name is easy enough for Chinese viewers to call and remember.”

Lia laughed again. Gun-Ho thought that this actress Lia’s style would fall into somewhere between Seol-Bing and Mori Aikko.

The dandy entertainment manager turned his head to look at Lia and said, “Mr. President Goo here owns several companies. He is like our President Hyeon-Man Yee in the entertainment industry.”

“Oh, I see.”

Lia’s gaze returned to Gun-Ho and gave him a slight nod again.

At that moment, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh came back, carrying four cups of tea to the office, and she glanced at Lia again. Yeon-Soo Oh was a pretty woman herself, and when she was selected for this job as GH Development’s president’s secretary among other many candidates, her good looks definitely played a critical role. However, her good looks were not good enough to be compared with Lia’s who was a Kpop idol. Kpop idols seemed to be trained by their management agencies about everything from how to walk to how to wave their hands and even how to smile. They knew how to look attractive to other people. Gun-Ho wondered whether this dandy entertainment manager trained Lia how to behave when they were with other people.

“Please have some tea.”

“Thank you.”

Director Sim said while having his tea, “Lia will meet with the production crew in China, and she will also participate in the table-read with other actors and actresses to see if she would work well along with them. And, Huanle Shiji’s president—Mr. Baogang Chen—is planning to give a production presentation in the near future after discussing it with the TV station’s marketing team. Journalists will be invited to the presentation, of course.”

“Hmm, really?”

Director Sim continued, “I’m sure that Lia will draw a lot of attention as a famous Korean actress during the drama production presentation.”

“Hmm.”

BM Entertainment’s manager chipped in, “Our president at BM Entertainment—Mr. Hyeon-Man Yee—is paying attention to this Chinese TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—especially because you—Mr. President Goo—are investing in it. He is willing to provide any technical support in producing that drama. BM Entertainment will be here to support Huanle Shiji’s new drama production.”

“Hmm, I appreciate that.”

“Also, Mr. President Hyeon-Man Yee asked me to give his regards to you, sir.”

“Thank you. Please send my regards to him as well.”

“Sure. I will do that, sir.”

Director Sim stood up from his seat, getting ready to leave.

“I guess we have to say goodbye here. We have to catch a flight. Thankfully, Mr. Entertainment Manager here offered to give us a ride to the airport. I’m grateful for it.”

“Hmm, really? Thank you. Oh, did you talk to President Shin already?”

“Yes, sir. We stopped by her office before coming here.”

“I see. Oh, give me one second.”

Gun-Ho walked toward his desk and opened his desk drawer that was locked, and he pulled out an envelope. The envelope had 1 million won in it with all-new 50,000 won bills. Gun-Ho handed the envelope to Lia.

“I hope you enjoy working with us. Let’s make a great TV drama together.”

When Gun-Ho gave the envelope to Lia with a smile, Lia hesitated to accept it.

Gun-Ho added, “I want you to buy yourself delicious food in China.”

When Lia still hesitated to accept it, BM Entertainment’s manager told her with a smile, “You can take it. Just don’t forget to thank him, Lia.”

Lia, who was trying to read the entertainment manager’s face, took the envelope that Gun-Ho held out to her quickly right after the manager said okay. And she didn’t forget to say, “Thank you.”

Lia then gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho.

“Well, enjoy your trip.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Lia, and they had a handshake. Gun-Ho felt her delicate hand again. It was too soft like she had no bones.

Gun-Ho walked them off to his office door. Once the three guests left the office, the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—quickly came to Gun-Ho and asked, “Who is that woman, sir?”

“She is an actress. Her name is Lia.”

“Oh my goodness. She is Lia? I should have asked for her autograph if I knew she was Lia.”

“Do you know her? Is Lia well known?”

“Yes, sir. She was a singer as a member of a Kpop girl group. Now, we can see her in a TV drama. She is so pretty in person. Why did she come to our company by the way, sir?”

“She will star in the Chinese drama that Director Sim will participate in producing.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Would you clean the table please, with those empty cups?”

“Of course, sir.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh picked up the empty cups from the table in Gun-Ho’s office with a sullen face.

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Chapter 645 - Actress Lia and Aikko (1) – Part 2

Chapter 645: Actress Lia and Aikko (1) – Part 2

After the secretary left the office, Gun-Ho sat on the sofa and thought about Lia, who was there a minute ago. And then he closed his eyes in an effort to disperse the thought of her. With his eyes close, another woman popped up in his head. It was Mori Aikko in a stunning Kimono.

“What is wrong with me?”

Gun-Ho suddenly missed Mori Aikko so much.

As a matter of fact, ever since Young-Eun became pregnant, Gun-Ho barely slept with her. Maybe that was why Gun-Ho couldn’t get rid of the thought of Mori Aikko. Before he knew it, he was walking toward his desk, and he turned on his computer. He then searched for a flight to Tokyo, Japan and purchased the ticket. The flight was scheduled to arrive at Haneda Airport tomorrow morning.

“Young-Eun is not coming home in TowerPalace until Friday evening. I can make a brief trip to Tokyo for one night and two days before she knows it. I don’t need to inform her about this trip.”

Gun-Ho then sent a text message in English to Mori Aikko letting her know that he would be in Tokyo tomorrow.

The next day, Gun-Ho arrived at Haneda Airport. Before taking the airport shuttle bus connecting from the aircraft to the terminal, Gun-Ho looked up at the sky. The sky in Tokyo looked exactly the same as the sky in Seoul. It was fall, and the sky was deep blue without clouds.

Gun-Ho didn’t have to stop by the baggage claim area since he had no checked baggage. When Gun-Ho was slowly walking out to the exit after passing the customs, he heard someone saying loudly, “Oppa!”

Gun-Ho looked around to see who that was. Surprisingly, Mori Aikko was standing behind him.

“Aikko, how come you are here at the airport?”

Mori Aikko was carrying a suitcase.

“Are you leaving for somewhere? Or are you coming from somewhere?”

Gun-Ho asked as he took over her suitcase.

“I’m on my way from Nagoya City.”

“Nagoya City? You had a dance performance there?”

“We had an outdoor event at Ninomaru, Nagoya City.”

“Oh, I see. So, the event is over now?”

“Yes. I was spending time with my friends at Meiji Mura in Inuyama City after the event was over. And I took the first flight to Tokyo right after I received your text message.”

“You did?”

People at the airport kept glancing at Mori Aikko as they were passing by Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko. She was wearing a trench coat for fall with her hair pulled back, making a ponytail. She was also dragging a carry-on bag. Undoubtedly, she looked like a flight attendant; not just any flight attendant, but the most beautiful flight attendant.

“Oh, you did? I’m sorry that I interrupted your time with your friends.”

“No worries. I can travel to Nagoya City again at any time. And Inuyama is close to Nagoya, so I can go there later too.”

Mori Aikko smiled at Gun-Ho innocently. She had creamy skin. Gun-Ho suddenly felt the urge to hold her tightly and kiss her. But he couldn’t because they were at the airport where a lot of people were passing by.

Gun-Ho usually walked fast, faster than most of the people. Gun-Ho took Mori Aikko’s carry-on bag and started walking. Mori Aikko, who was holding Gun-Ho’s arm, walked along with him as fast as she could.

Gun-Ho didn’t take the subway, but he took a taxi since it was for two people with bags.

“Please go to Daikanyama.”

On the way to Mori Aikko’s home in Daikanyama in the taxi, the taxi driver kept glancing at the couple through the rearview mirror. A man in his late 30s and a woman in her early 20s were sitting in the rear seat with their arms entwined. Maybe Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko didn’t seem to be a normal couple with their obvious age difference.

In the car, Mori Aikko leaned on Gun-Ho’s shoulder and fell asleep right away. She must have felt exhausted from her trip. Gun-Ho could feel the warmth of Mori Aikko’s body.

‘She is like a cute little blue bird. If she was Korean, would she have been so nice and devoted to me? She is so cute and tender. Is it because she is Japanese? I’m not her lover but just a sponsor. But she is still loyal and sincere consistently. I’m grateful for it.’

Gun-Ho wrapped his arm around Mori Aikko’s waist and pulled her closer to him.

After dropping off Mori Aikko’s bag in her condo in Daikanyama, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko walked out of the condo. They wanted to dine out since they realized that there was nothing to eat in her refrigerator. They had Udong at an old restaurant nearby. Even though it was an old and shabby place, the taste of their Udong was great.

“This is really tasty.”

“This restaurant has been here offering Udong for 100 years. I come to this restaurant sometimes late at night”

“Did you say 100 years? Wow.”

Gun-Ho looked around the restaurant. There was a sign that was made of wood, indicating that the restaurant was indeed 100 years old.

After finishing their Udong, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko walked out of the restaurant. Mori Aikko then made a call to someone. Gun-Ho couldn’t understand what she was saying on the phone since she was speaking very fast in Japanese, but Gun-Ho heard “Mama San” several times. Gun-Ho made an educated guess that the person who Mori Aikko was talking with was Mama San Segawa Joonkko. Once Mori Aikko was off the phone, Gun-Ho wanted to verify whether his guess was correct.

“Was it Segawa Joonkko?”

“Yeah.”

“What was it about?”

“She wanted to know if I’m back from Nagoya City, and she was asking if I could come to her bar in Shinjuku. She is expecting a very important guest today. I told her that I won’t be able to make it.”

“I see.”

“I told her that I just came back home, and I’m extremely exhausted from the trip. When I told her that Mr. President Goo is here with me, she hung up the phone right away.”

“Was she displeased when you told her that you couldn’t go to her bar tonight? She said she was expecting a very important customer.”

“No, not at all. She was happy for me because you are here with me.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho noticed that Mori Aikko looked truly tired.

They headed back to the condo after picking up some food at a supermarket, such as beers, snacks, fruits, beverages, etc.

When they arrived at the condo, Mori Aikko said, “Oppa, why don’t you take a shower first?”

“No, it’s okay. You do it first.”

After a while, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko were sitting at the dining table facing each other. They were wearing Yukata after taking a shower.

Gun-Ho suggested, “Do you want to drink the beer that we picked up earlier before we go to bed?”

Aikko replied, “Sure. I can drink more than a bottle of beer these days. My alcohol tolerance has increased lately.”

Mori Aikko had a few glasses of beer. And then, she started sobbing.

“Why are you crying? I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

Gun-Ho lifted Mori Aikko and carried her to the bed. He then flicked the switch off.

Gun-Ho eased her head down on the bed and kissed her as he cuddled closer to her.

Mori Aikko asked, “Oppa, can we live together in Otaru City?”

“Otaru City?”

“Yeah, Otaru.”

Tears welled up in Mori Aikko’s eyes again as she suggested moving in together in Otaru City.

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Chapter 646 - Actress Lia and Aikko (2) – Part 1

Chapter 646: Actress Lia and Aikko (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho said as he wiped the tears off Mori Aikko’s face, “Why did you pick Otaru City?”

“I used to live in Otaru City with my family when I was little. Those are the happiest days of my entire life.”

“Really? I remember that you told me that your father was a teacher in Otaru.”

Otaru was a small city on Hokkaido island in the northern area of Japan. It took around an hour to get there by bus from Sapporo City—the capital city of Hokkaido. Aikko’s father worked as a teacher in Otaru City. On weekends, Mori Aikko visited his father in Otaru with her mother, and the whole family spent time together. They often took a walk along the canal and ate tasty sushi while enjoying each other’s company.

Since Otaru was situated in the north of Japan, a lot of snow could easily be seen in the winter. Mori Aikko sometimes reminisced about the snowy port city—Otaru—and recalled the old days when she walked around in the area holding her parents’ hands. Her happy childhood didn’t last long. Her father and mother passed away in a car accident simultaneously. Subsequently, the little Mori Aikko was sent to her grandmother and raised by her.

“We can live in Otaru City together. You can work as a fisherman, and I’ll run a sushi restaurant,” Mori Aikko said as she cuddled closer to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho let out a slight sigh.

‘She is so innocent. She doesn’t seem to know how the world works.’

Mori Aikko had to grow up without her parents. The lack of her father’s presence seemed to be filled up when she met Gun-Ho, and she felt like Gun-Ho was a husband and also a boyfriend to her. Moreover, Gun-Ho was the first man who she fell for despite the big age difference between them. Also, Gun-Ho was the first man she had ever slept with. Mori Aikko truly wanted to live in Otaru City with Gun-Ho. She didn’t mind living as a fisherman’s wife for the rest of her life.

Gun-Ho was thinking, ‘Kiddo, I’m Korean and I’m a married man. I have my business and life in Korea. You are way too emotional and sentimental about this relationship.’

Mori Aikko spent most of her life in Gion—Kyoto’s famous geisha district— and she lacked a sense of reality and also economy accordingly. Mori Aikko was making a lot of money by participating in a dance performance in various events and also working in a bar since she was standing at the peak of her popularity right now. However, all of her income was being forfeited by Mama San Segawa Joonkko because she was the one who was managing everything about Mori Aikko. She only gave Mori Aikko enough money to spend on living expenses. All the income that she made at the entertainment event in Nagoya or Kyoto was taken by Segawa Joonkko. In return, Segawa Joonkko would take care of Mori Aikko’s life after retirement. Segawa Joonkko made an investment in Mori Aikko by providing a place to live and educating him in Gion. She was a businesswoman, and she had to recover her investment and also make profits.

In order to produce a dancing geisha, it took a significant investment, just like the management agencies that produced Kpop girl groups. Therefore, it was essential for Segawa Joonkko to procure a sponsor who would spend money on those geishas. The thing with Mori Aikko was that she seemed to be in love with Gun-Ho who was her sponsor, which made Gun-Ho feel a bit burdensome. Gun-Ho questioned himself while holding Mori Aikko.

‘If I see Aikko with another man, will I feel jealous?’

Gun-Ho’s answer was that yes he would feel jealous.

Gun-Ho looked down at Mori Aikko who was cuddling up against him. She was wrapping her arms around Gun-Ho’s waist. She looked happy. Gun-Ho shoved a loose strand of her hair aside. Aikko said while smiling, “Oppa, I feel like I’m in Otaru City right now.”

Aikko seemed to be thinking about the canal in Otaru City that was covered with snow.

Otaru City was not a strange city to us. The well-known Japanese movie—Love letter—that was directed by Shunji Iwai was shot mainly in Otaru. Also, the city of Otaru was depicted as the hometown of Sekiguchi Shota—the main character of the Japanese cartoon series—Shota no Sushi.

Gun-Ho looked down at Mori Aikko again. She fell asleep in Gun-Ho’s arms. Gun-Ho could hear the sound of her breathing. Gun-Ho couldn’t resist the urge and started undressing her.

The next day, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko woke up late in the morning. They always slept late whenever they slept together. Gun-Ho woke up first. He looked at his watch. It was almost 10 am already.

“Aikko, get up! It’s already 10.”

“I don’t want to get up. I feel very comfortable and happy as it is now. I want to stay in bed for a long while.”

Aikko hugged Gun-Ho more tightly. Gun-Ho kissed her on the cheek and said, “I’m running a large business in Korea, so I have to go back to Korea.”

“Let’s go to Tamachi in Minato-Ku. It’s going to be fun.”

“What do we have there?”

“They have canals. Keihin Canal is over there.”

“You want to go there to see a canal?”

“Yeah.”

Gun-Ho’s flight to Seoul was scheduled at 5 pm that day. Gun-Ho thought that he would be able to make it if that place was not far from where they were.

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko took a taxi and headed to Keihin Canal in Tamachi.

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko were walking along the canal in Tamachi. Gun-Ho was wearing a blazer with a t-shirt in it while Mori Aikko was wearing a trench coat. While taking a walk, they were holding each other’s hand without realizing it.

“The canal is so clean and neat. There are people fishing over there.”

The canal and its surroundings were very well maintained. The local government seemed to be doing a good job of keeping the canal clean and well organized. They even planted some flowers too. It was a nice fall weather with a clear deep blue sky. Gun-Ho could feel a fresh breeze on his cheek. Mori Aikko looked at Gun-Ho’s face several times with a smile as if she wanted to make sure that Gun-Ho was feeling happy as she was. She indeed looked happy.

“This place is good.”

“It is.”

“Hold on!”

Aikko stopped walking and stood on her tiptoes to reach Gun-Ho’s face, and she removed a tiny leaf from his face, and then she smiled broadly. Aikko was always lovely and cute. Gun-Ho hugged her tightly and kissed her on the lips.

“Oppa, I love you.”

“Me, too.”

“Really?”

“Of course, I do love you.”

“Can we then move to Otaru City and live together?”

Gun-Ho didn’t know how to respond to her innocent question.

All Gun-Ho wanted with Mori Aikko was to see her in Tokyo from time to time and have fun with her. He had to make an excuse to reject her offer.

“We can’t for now. I have several businesses that I’m running right now. I can’t just toss them up in the air. I have a lot of work that I need to take care of in Korea.”

Aikko quietly released Gun-Ho’s hand that she was holding tightly. Gun-Ho quickly grabbed her hand and said, “But, Mori Aikko, I will come to Tokyo more often to see you. I promise.”

Aikko made a sad face and turned her gaze to the canal.

“Oh, how is the drama going in Taiwan that you have a role in?”

“The Taiwanese drama production company filed bankruptcy.”

“You no longer work with them then?”

“They originally planned to make the drama with 35 episodes, but they had to end it in the middle.”

“Did you get paid for your part?”

Aikko shook her head without saying a word.

“Hmm, that must have broken your heart.”

“Mama San Segawa Joonkko was devastated about it.”

“Mama San? Of course, she would. She is your manager after all.”

“How was that drama’s ratings?”

“It was low.”

“How come? You were in that drama. It can’t receive low ratings.”

“I’m not even the lead role, but I appeared in it on several occasions. That’s all.”

“That’s one of the mistakes that they made. They should have let you play the lead role. They would have probably succeeded.”

Aikko smiled faintly while still looking at the canal.

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Chapter 647 - Actress Lia and Aikko (2) – Part 2

Chapter 647: Actress Lia and Aikko (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Aikko came back to Daikanyama and had their early dinner together. Gun-Ho was then getting ready to go to the airport.

“Oppa, you are like a wind to me.”

“A wind?”

“Yeah. You come to me like a wind and leave me like a wind too.”

Gun-Ho hugged Aikko tightly.

“You can then be a flower that attracts the wind.”

Gun-Ho gave a deep kiss to Aikko. He then pulled out an envelope from the inner pocket of his blazer.

“This is for your living expenses. I want you to have delicious food.”

Aikko smiled sadly as she took the envelope from him. That was the way she always smiled every time she took money from Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho arrived at Gimpo International Airport. It was getting dark. Chan-Ho Eom was waiting for Gun-Ho to pick him up.

“Sir!”

“Chan-Ho.”

“The business in Tokyo must be stressful and busy. You seem to lose some weight.”

“Me? What are you talking about? How possibly could I lose enough weight to be noticed within two days?”

“But, you do look like you have lost some weight, sir.”

Gun-Ho rolled down the window when his Bentley was driving the Han Riverside road. A cold breeze entered the car. Gun-Ho could see the National Assembly Building in Yeouido Island from his seat.

“This is the smell of the wind that I know. It’s definitely different from the smell in Tokyo.”

Chan-Ho was curious if the smells of the air of the two countries were really distinguishable. He had to ask Gun-Ho, while looking at him through the rearview mirror, “Huh? Tokyo has a different smell, sir?”

Gun-Ho was surfing the web using his smartphone in the car. The main page showed a photo of a woman with a familiar face. It was Lia.

“Lia’s fashion style at the airport?”

There were photos of Lia at the airport. It seemed that her photos were taken when she had left for China a few days ago. She was wearing sunglasses.

After a while, Chan-Ho asked Gun-Ho, “Umm, sir, I was told that the movie star—Lia—came to our office.”

“Yeah, she did.”

“Sir, are you doing movie business as well?”

“No. Director Sim casted Lia for a TV drama that will be produced in China.”

“She is pretty, isn’t she? I wish I could meet her in person. That would be really nice.”

“Yeah, she is pretty.”

“Sir, you don’t watch the TV drama ‘The hymn of desire’, do you? It’s currently on the air.”

“I don’t watch TV dramas.”

“Lia is playing a role in that TV drama. She is dating the son of the owner president of a huge company there.”

“Hmm, really?”

“That drama is often being re-aired, especially when I take a rest at the night-duty room or at the security office while waiting for your call. It’s fun. You should try it, sir.”

“Okay. Now get back to your driving, Chan-Ho.”

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“Lia met with the production staff here. They were all impressed by her beauty and style, and they all admired her. They all agreed that everyone would love her during the drama production presentation.”

“Really?”

“We had our first table-read with all actors and actresses. Lia did very well. She seemed to have grasped her role in the scenario. Her understanding of the role was precise. Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen, who is also this drama’s director, complimented her a lot on her acting skills.”

“Since she doesn’t speak Chinese, her part will be dubbed into Chinese, right?”

“Of course, sir. As long as she gives a good acting performance as she did during the table-read, there will be no problem.”

“When will they have the production presentation?”

“Actually, the reason that I called you today is about it. They said that they would give the production presentation after they receive the investment funds from you—1 million dollars.”

“I told them that I would send 1 million dollars when the casting is completed.”

“That’s right, sir. The casting is just completed.”

“I will send the funds then.”

“I was hoping that you could send the funds while Lia is still with us in China. She can’t stay here for long because she has other schedules set up in Korea.”

“Sure. I can send the funds today. Even though I send it today, they won’t be able to withdraw the money right away. I will text you with the wire transfer receipt.”

“That would be great. Thank you, sir.”

“Once I send the funds of 1 million dollars, please ask President Baogang Chen to send me the document about the capital increase.”

“I’m sorry, sir? Could you say that again?”

“Once they receive the funds from me, they will need to raise their capital, and go to the Commerce Bureau to update the company’s document that is registered with the government. I will need to receive that updated document.”

“Understood, sir.”

“When is Lia coming back to Korea?”

“She will stay here for one more week.”

“I see.”

After getting off the phone with Director Sim, Gun-Ho thought about something for a while, and then he made a call to Director Sim.

“It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“When they try to update the registered document at the Commerce Bureau, the government might request us to produce an investment contract.”

“Do you want me to ask President Baogang Chen about it for sure?”

“We only signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) last time, not the actual formal contract. If necessary, I will send President Jeong-Sook Shin to China to sign the contract. Today is Friday. I can ask her to make a trip to China on Monday.”

“Understood, sir. I will find out what is necessary and will let you know.”

“Sounds good.”

Around 30 minutes later, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Sim again.

“They said that we will need the formal contract signed, sir.”

“Okay. I will make an arrangement with President Shin. In the meantime, please tell President Baogang Chen to have the necessary documents ready, such as GH Media’s business registration and other registered and notarized documents. Those were used during the MOU last time.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a call to President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“I think you need to go on another trip to China, Ms. President Shin. Will you be available on Monday?”

“What trip, sir?”

“The paper that we signed last time with Huanle Shiji Production Company was not a formal contract, but it was just a memorandum of understanding. We will soon make our investment into the company by sending a substantial amount of funds. We need to sign a formal contract about it. I want you to travel to Shanghai City and sign the contract.”

“Well, umm, sure, I can do that.”

“I recommend you make the flight reservation today. You have a multiple-entry visa to China, right?”

“Yes, sir. My visa to China is a multi-entry one. It’s still valid.”

“Good. Your work on this trip is simple. You just need to sign the contract.”

“You are not coming with me this time, sir?”

“My presence won’t be necessary. The investment to Huanle Shiji Production Company is being made by GH Media. So, they need your signature on the contract, as the president of GH Media. When you arrive at the airport in Shanghai City, Director Sim will be waiting for you with a car to pick you up. His interpreter will be with him too. So, you don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 648 - First Vendor Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 648: First Vendor Company (1) – Part 1

It was Friday, and Young-Eun came home at TowerPalace. The large bulge of her belly was obvious. She was holding her large belly, and she collapsed on the sofa as soon as she entered home. She was breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?”

Gun-Ho exaggerated his care for Young-Eun to cover his guilty mind caused by his affairs with Mori Aikko.

“Let me wash your feet, Young-Eun. Just sit there and relax. I will take care of everything.”

Gun-Ho washed Young-Eun’s feet and rubbed her back while making a fuss about her condition. When he suddenly gave her a kiss on the cheek, Young-Eun finally cried.

“Stop it! Go away!”

Young-Eun wiped her cheek with her hand where Gun-Ho just kissed on.

‘It’s so weird. Whenever I came home after a trip to Japan, she became testy as if she knew something. It was a quick trip, and there is no way that she would have found it out’

Gun-Ho looked at Young-Eun’s hand.

“Huh? What happened to your hand?”

Young-Eun’s hands and feet were swollen. Swelling in feet, fingers, and ankles were common symptoms during pregnancy, especially during the third trimester. Young-Eun was seven months pregnant. When Gun-Ho realized what Young-Eun had been going through with the pregnancy, he felt extremely sorry. She was suffering from those physical symptoms of pregnancy because she conceived his child, and Gun-Ho had fun with another woman in Japan. Gun-Ho wanted to kneel down and beg for her forgiveness.

“Do you want a pizza? I can place an order for you.”

“No, thanks. I want to eat Korean food at home with cooked rice.”

Gun-Ho went to the kitchen and started cooking rice and kimchi stew. Gun-Ho knew how to cook simple Korean dishes. He used to cook for himself when he lived by himself in OneRoom while working as a factory worker.

He found several dishes to add to their dinner that night in the refrigerator, that were bought from a side dish store. It wasn’t difficult to set the dinner table for Young-Eun.

Young-Eun was preparing another dish. She pulled out pork belly from a black vinyl bag. It seemed that she purchased it on the way home earlier. She then started frying the meat.

Gun-Ho asked, “I can do that for you.”

“No, thank you.”

The two sat at the dining table and had their dinner without saying a word. Gun-Ho wanted to have a glass of liquor with his dinner, but he knew he shouldn’t. Young-Eun might not want to smell liquor since she was pregnant.

Young-Eun finally broke the silence.

“Your friend’s wife in China… She’s going to give birth to their child next month, right?

“You mean Jae-Sik Moon’s wife, right? Yeah, I believe their due is next month.”

“Her baby must be large enough to weigh more than 2 kilograms by now.”

“Hmm, really? That heavy? What about our child? Does our son weigh 1 kilogram now?”

“Yeah, it must be about 1 kilogram. Our baby can hear my voice.”

“Are you serious?”

“Whenever I talk to my child, he responds.”

“You are kidding, right?”

Young-Eun went straight to bed after brushing her teeth. She didn’t even watch TV with Gun-Ho that night, which was a routine for them. And, she fell asleep right away. Gun-Ho went to the bedroom to check on her. When he saw that Young-Eun was already asleep, he kissed her on the cheek. He then looked at Young-Eun’s belly which was noticeably bulged even though she was lying on the bed. Gun-Ho quietly covered it with the blanket before walking out of the bedroom.

“I won’t see any other woman until you deliver our baby, Young-Eun. I’m sorry.”

It was Monday. On the way to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, Gun-Ho received a call from GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“Good morning, sir. I’m calling from the airport. I’m leaving for China in a few minutes.”

“Have a safe trip.”

“I just need to sign the contract at the table where both countries’ flags are placed on, and take a picture with them, right? Just like when I signed the memorandum of understanding last time.”

“Right. Just follow our Chinese partner’s lead. You will be fine.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile.

President Song entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Was the claim for our defective products taken care of?”

“Yes, sir. We paid for the damage of 4 million won, and then received a new product order that is worth 400 million won. It was a very good deal for us.”

“That’s very nice.”

“The researchers at A Electronics factory in Dangjin City showed us the defect on the computer screen. They magnified the defective part for a clear view. The defect was not from our raw materials or from the manufacturing process, but it was caused by a small mistake during our assembling work. They didn’t seem to want to make a big deal out of it. They just want to make sure that we don’t make the same mistake ever again.”

“They don’t want to make a big deal out of it?”

“They just asked me and our plant manager to write a statement saying we won’t make the same mistake, so we did.”

“Really?”

“They don’t really have an option other than continuing to work with us. No company except us can handle the work for them properly. Our company is the only one that produces their product with excellent heat-resistance and without discoloration during the shipping to their buyers in other countries.”

“We still don’t want to produce defective products. If we don’t correct a small mistake now, we will make a bigger mistake later on.”

“The workers at the production department are now aware that their plant manager and president wrote a statement promising that we won’t produce a defective product any longer for our client company. They are working harder with more care.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Did you stop by the production site before coming to your office this morning? We have more workers now.”

“No, I didn’t. I came straight to my office today.”

“As you will see later, GH Mobile now has more than 500 workers. Our monthly sales revenue already exceeded 10 billion won.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“We are growing rapidly along with the increasing orders from A Electronics. Their volume of orders cannot be compared to those from other major clients— S Group, Mandong Company, and Egnopak.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Moreover, H Group sent their personnel from their purchase department to our factory the other day. I believe that we will hear good news soon. If they select us as one of their first vendor companies, we will grow to the level of Egnopak and Mandong Company.”

“Hmm.”

President Song then moved to another topic.

“We still have high traffic at our front gate with so many vendor companies’ trucks. I’m contacting the landowner of the property adjacent to our factory. I want to lease a storage there so we can store our completed products. That will ease the congestion at the gate.”

“How large is that adjacent property?”

“It’s around 3,000 pyung large. The landowner is planning to build a large storage there since that property cannot be used to have a factory, but it’s allowed to have storage. He wants to build a storage building with a loan from a bank. It won’t take long to construct a storage since it’s simple, unlike a factory. He told me that he’s going to start the construction before the winter is coming.”

“That sounds good.”

“The landowner used to farm in the area. He is an old man, and he doesn’t want to farm anymore. He converted the property’s land use so he could build a storage construction. He wants to have an income-generating storage in the property. He actually made the suggestion to us first by asking if we need a storage building. Our general affairs director is the main contact for this matter.

You asked us to visit the residents in the area and gave them a small gift to celebrate Thanksgiving, the other day. When our general affairs director visited the landowner with a box of tuna cans, he made that proposition to us. His house is shabby and old, and we’ve never expected that the old man owns a large land like that one.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The general affairs director is working with the landowner for the storage matter.”

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Chapter 649 - First Vendor Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 649: First Vendor Company (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho walked down to the production site, and he headed to the production site B. Director Jong-Suk Park was walking around supervising the work at the site.

“Director Park.”

“Bro, you are here.”

“I was told that we have even more workers now at the production site.”

“Yeah, we have more than 500. Haha.”

“It must be hard to manage them all.”

“We have managers and assistant managers who do the most of management work. So, I’m good.”

Jong-Suk Park looked around and said, “Bro, President Song told me that I must not address you as a brother at work, but, it’s okay to call you brother when we were alone, right?”

“I actually prefer that you call me brother. That sounds more… friendly and affectionate. When we have other people with us, you should call me sir, but when we are alone, call me brother as you do now.”

“Thank you, bro.”

“Suk-Ho Lee left, right? Did you have a good time with him?”

“We ate Galbi (Korean grilled beef ribs), and I paid for it with the business credit card.”

“Good. Did he say anything else?”

“He asked me to buy his stores in Shenyang City, China. He said that he would let me pay in installments.”

“Did you say no?”

“I told him that I already used all of my money saved up when I bought the Purgio condo next to Dujeong Station. So, I have no money. I also questioned him why I would buy stores in China even if I had money, since I don’t go to China. He didn’t say anything.”

“Good.”

“He seems to still see me as a doormat. He thinks that I would take whatever he throws at me without complaining or protesting.”

“Hmm, yeah that sounds like him.”

At that moment, Jong-Suk’s cell phone started ringing.

“Bro, I have to take this. Give me one second.”

Jong-Suk answered the phone.

“Oh, bro? Huh? Manager Ahn can’t dismantle that machine himself? Just leave it then. I will take care of it.”

Jong-Suk hung up the phone and mumbled.

Gun-Ho asked, “Who was it? Who is that ‘brother’ person?”

“It’s Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim.”

“You still call Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim brother?”

“He likes it.”

“What machine do they need to dismantle?”

“The machine no. 3— the extruder— needs a replacement of some screws. It sounds like it has some broken parts. Manager Ahn couldn’t find which part or a cause for its malfunction. I will have to go there to take a look at the machine.”

“Is it common to see a broken part in a machine like that?”

“It usually happens when the machine’s handler didn’t follow the procedure as instructed in handling the machine. They are not supposed to force the machine to do work, but when you feel some resistance from the machine, you have to figure out why it’s resisting.”

“You sound like the Japanese engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is the best engineer that I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Gun-Ho recalled Mr. Sakata Ikuzo when he was calmly preparing tea for Gun-Ho in a kneeling position in his home in Motomachi District, Japan.

‘Mr. Sakata Ikuzo said that he would put everything into his current work even though he had to risk his life to do so.’

While Gun-Ho was thinking about Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, Director Park made another call to someone.

“Mr. President Song is not in the office, right?”

Gun-Ho could hear the person’s voice on the other line saying that President Song was not in the company.

“Why do you need to know if President Song is in the company or not? Who were you talking to?”

“It’s the security office. President Song doesn’t like to see me in Dyeon Korea.”

“Really? He probably didn’t want you to leave your position here with GH Mobile.”

“Well, bro. I have to go to GH Mobile now. I will be quick. I will just show them how to do the work and will be right back.”

Gun-Ho was curious about what went wrong with the extruding machine no. 3. He decided to go to Dyeon Korea earlier that day. He usually went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon after lunch, but that day he left early.

“Isn’t it a bit too early for lunch?”

Chan-Ho Eom thought that Gun-Ho was heading to have lunch.

“Let’s go to Dyeon Korea.”

“Without having lunch, sir?”

“Yeah. I want to see something there now.”

When they arrived at Dyeon Korea, there were so many trucks coming and going. There was a huge truck transporting a 40 feet container. That must be loaded with the products being exported to China or India.

Chan-Ho Eom said, “Sir, the gate area looks extremely busy with so many people and cars.”

“I see that.”

As Gun-Ho’s Bentley was passing through the gate, the security officer gave a military salute and led the car to the building’s entrance. Gun-Ho got off the car and walked to the production site right away where the machine no. 3 was located.

When he arrived at the production site, there were a bunch of people standing around the machine— Director Kim, Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo, and a few other executive officers. Even Mr. Vice President Adam Castler was there. When they saw Gun-Ho coming to the area, they all greeted him with a bow.

When Gun-Ho walked closer to the group, he could see Director Jong-Suk Park and the maintenance team’s manager— Yong-Suk Ahn— sitting on the floor working with the machine.

“What’s wrong with the machine?”

“Some screws are broken… sir.”

Director Park replied in a formal way since other people were around them.

“Will it be okay?”

“Some parts need to be replaced. That’s it.”

Director Park stood up and said to the maintenance manager, “Bro, you try it.”

Director Park was calling the maintenance manager brother too. The maintenance manager started putting things back together as Director Park showed him earlier.

Gun-Ho thought that Jong-Suk’s calling everyone as brother, who was older than him at the production department, seemed to have created somewhat a cordial atmosphere between engineers.

After going back to his office, Gun-Ho asked for Mr. Adam Castler.

Mr. Adam Castler entered the office with his interpreter— Ms. Myeong-Joon Chae.

“Did you see the machine no. 3 that is already broken?”

“Yes, I did, sir.”

“That machine was a part of Lymondell Dyeon’s investment in-kind. They sent the old and almost-broken machines to us.”

“That’s an overstatement, sir.”

Vice President Adam Castler looked perplexed.

“If not, why do you think that screw was broken for no obvious reason?”

“It could be that the worker who handled the machine was not careful enough.”

“Are you saying that the worker was careless in handling the machine?”

“Maybe he placed raw materials more than the amount recommended in the instruction and sped up the machine. Or, he raised the temperature too high, or didn’t set the machine to the right speed.”

“So, you are suggesting that it is the worker’s fault.”

“I believe so.”

“Okay. I will ask Director Kim to fire all of the workers who handled that machine.”

Mr. Adam Castler was frightened when Gun-Ho said that he would fire the workers. He never expected to hear that. The interpreter— Myeon-Joon Chae— who was standing next to him was terrified as well.

Gun-Ho continued, “Because of that machine, the production line had to stop, which incurred loss to the company. If it was caused by those workers, we need to fire them.”

“Umm, that… that’s too harsh, sir.”

“You said it yourself that the machine has broken down because the workers mishandled it, even though the machine is in a brand-new condition having worked perfectly.”

“That… was just my guess, sir. I don’t know what happened for sure. I will have people investigate it and find out what really happened.”

“That won’t be necessary. I just said that because Lymondell Dyeon sent us old machines as their investment in-kind and stated that those machines were worth way more than they actually were. Just know that, Mr. Vice President Adam Castler. You can go back to your work.”

Mr. Adam Castler looked embarrassed. He walked out of Gun-Ho’s office after giving a deep bow to Gun-Ho. The interpreter— Myeon-Joon Chae also gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho and left the office.

‘I need to let them know that I am aware of those old machines. Mr. Adam Castler will tell the head office what I told him today when he sends his weekly report to them.’

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Chapter 650 - First Vendor Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 650: First Vendor Company (2) – Part 1

It was Tuesday, and Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

When he was in his office, he received a call from President Jeong-Sook Shin who was in Shanghai City for the contract signing.

“We signed the contract yesterday. There were a lot of journalists to cover it.”

“That’s good.”

“I am leaving for Korea soon, sir.”

“Okay, Mr. President Shin. If you want to take a look around Shanghai City for sightseeing and enjoy Chinese food, please do so.”

“We have a female worker— Ms. Hyeong-Sook Noh— in GH Media. She handles our accounting and general affairs. I left our company’s bank book and stamp with her. If you need to make an international fund transfer with GH Media’s name, you can ask her to do the job.”

“Okay. I promised Huanle Shiji’s president— Mr. Baogang Chen— that I would send 1 million dollars once their casting is completed. I think I will have to send it today. Especially, the formal contract is now signed by both parties, and it seems to be the right time to transfer the funds.”

“I will give a call to Ms. Hyeong-Sook Noh, so she will expect your call. When we sent 50,000 dollars to Huanle Shiji last time, Ms. Noh was the one who actually went to the bank and sent the funds. She knows exactly what she has to do.”

“Sounds good. How is Director Sim doing there? Is he well?”

“Yes, he is doing well. Actually, he looks better and more energetic than when he was in Korea. Haha.”

Gun-Ho waited about ten minutes before calling for his secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Please go downstairs to GH Media, and ask the female worker— Ms. Hyeong-Sook Noh— to come to my office.”

“Ms. Hyeong-Sook Noh? Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh entered Gun-Ho’s office with Ms. Hyeong-Sook Noh from GH Media. Gun-Ho could recognize her. He saw her before.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Ms. Hyeong-Sook Noh?”

“Yes, sir.”

The way that this Hyeong-Sook Noh person answered Gun-Ho was like an elementary schooler would, maybe because she was feeling nervous talking with Gun-Ho who was the owner of the company that she was working for.

“Did you receive a call from Ms. President Shin in Shanghai City?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I need you to go to the bank and send 1 million dollars to China. You know how to do it, right?”

“Yes, sir. I made a copy of the request form for the international wire transfer, that I used last time. I will take it with me to the bank.”

The secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— who was listening to the conversation between Gun-Ho and Ms. Hyeong-Sook Noh while standing in the office, looked surprised when she heard the amount of the money to wire transfer would be 1 million dollars. She once studied in the U.S., and she knew very well how large amount of money the 1 million dollars was.

Gun-Ho continued, “You know Director Woon-Hak Sim who is now in Shanghai City, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir. He had worked with us in our office until he left for Shanghai City, even though it was for a short period of time.”

“After you send the 1 million dollars to China, take a picture of the wire transfer receipt and text Director Sim with the photo.”

“Understood, sir.”

“You look like a very competent worker, Ms. Noh.”

Hyeong-Sook Noh grinned. She seemed to be feeling less nervous by then.

“Thank you, sir.”

‘Huanle Shiji will soon give a drama production presentation to the public. Once it’s done, the entertainment industry both in China and Korea will start talking about the drama.’

Gun-Ho looked at the calendar hanging on the wall.

‘It’s almost the end of November. I believe that Jae-Sik Moon’s wife will deliver their child in December. I wonder how Jae-Sik Moon is doing these days. He is regularly sending a weekly report to me, but that doesn’t tell anything about his personal life. I’m not sure if his wife is doing well.’

Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“President Moon? It’s me, Gun-Ho.”

“President Goo? I will call you back in a moment. I have to go to see Antang City’s mayor. Someone just told me that he is in the terminal right now.”

“Sure. I will talk to you later.”

About 20 minutes later, Jae-Sik Moon called Gun-Ho.

“Sorry about that. We have a new mayor in Antang City now. He is making his tour visiting important places in the city, and he stopped by our terminal today.”

“Did you meet him?”

“Of course. I went to the terminal to greet him. Our joint venture’s vice president— Mr. Chun Chang— was already with the new mayor at the terminal when I arrived there. He introduced me to the new mayor.”

“What did the new mayor say?”

“He seemed to be delighted to meet with me. He called me Pengyou (friend) from Korea. He looked like a nice old grandpa.”

“Why did he come to the terminal? Nothing special to look at in a terminal.”

“We are building a new terminal building, and it seemed that he wanted to see the construction site.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Vice President Chun Chang gave a full tour of the terminal and explained to him about our plan on the new terminal construction, with all sorts of details.”

“I see.”

“We have a public road in front of our terminal entrance. Since it’s a public road, we can’t really do anything about it. I heard Vice President Chun Chang talking to the mayor that it would be really nice if the city could pave that road for the citizens’ convenience to access the terminal.”

“Really? I didn’t know Mr. Chun Chang was someone who could raise his voice.”

“He is a very smart man. Look at his forehead. It’s bulged. The idea of forming a joint venture with us came from him. That’s what I heard.”

“I thought it was the deputy mayor’s idea, who is Director Seukang Li’s friend.”

“The deputy mayor might have come up with the possibility of bringing in foreign investment funds for the terminal project, but everything else was implemented by Vice President Chun Chang. You know, he had worked for Antang City’s transportation company for a long time as their planning manager. He has a nickname. Guess what people call him.”

“What is it? I didn’t know he has a nickname.”

“The transportation company’s workers always call him Zhuge Chang (It’s from Zhuge Liang except his last name is Chang).”

“What? Zhuge Chang? Hahahaha.”

“I laughed so hard when I heard of his nickname for the first time too.”

“Man…, I feel sorry for you. You have to constantly negotiate with Zhuge Liang.”

“Yeah, it’s not easy.”

“How’s your wife doing? I believe next month is her due, right?”

“Yeah, she is doing fine. She feels a brief pain in her stomach sometimes. Other than that, she is fine. She eats a lot and sleeps well. She already has friends in the condo community, some ladies at about her age.”

“Hmm, I guess she is a very social person.”

“My wife majored in Korean literature, and she can read and write Chinese words. So, she can at least communicate with Chinese people by writing.”

“Oh, I see.”

“She said that most of her new lady friends in the community have husbands who are in a high-ranking position either in the private sector or in the government. And she likes it.”

“I guess socializing with some high-ranking people’s wives could be an asset in doing business in China.”

“I talked with Jong-Suk the other day. He said that Suk-Ho came to your factory in Jiksan Town.”

“Yeah, he did.”

“He is so shameless about visiting your company.”

“I told him that he would better sell his stores even though he can’t recover the investment funds that he put into there, and that he might have to sell for the half price of his original purchasing price. But, it’s clever to get out there as soon as possible and move on for another opportunity.”

“I totally agree with you. He’d better leave the current situation as soon as he can. He is losing money by staying there because he is not making any income with those stores. Unlike me, he doesn’t know how to save money on his living expenses, so I’m sure that he is currently wasting a lot of money.”

“I suppose so.”

“He moved to China before I did, but he can’t even speak the basic Chinese language. I feel sorry for him.”

“Really?”

“As you well know since you lived in China once, you can’t learn Chinese if you live in an area where you can meet so many Koreans or Korean Chinese. Spending ten years in those areas won’t do any good to your learning Chinese.”

“That’s very true.”

“As to the terminal project here, I don’t think you will make an enormous amount of money, but you will earn some profits for sure.”

“Yeah, I’m aware that it’s a Cash Cow business, and that’s what I’ve expected from the beginning. Well, I will let you go now. Take care.”

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Chapter 651 - : First Vendor Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 651: First Vendor Company (2) – Part 2

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho drank his tea. It was already cold, but he didn’t mind it.

‘Jae-Sik Moon’s wife seemingly acclimated herself well to the new environment already. Once she gives birth to their child next month, Jae-Sik Moon will become the father of a child. They will easily find help in China since it would be easy and not expensive to have a housekeeper. What about Young-Eun and myself? Young-Eun’s mother is not here. Should I ask my mom to stay with us for a while to take care of our baby? Young-Eun might not like it… Maybe she wouldn’t feel comfortable living with my mother…

Jong-Suk Park’s child must have grown up a lot by now. His baby is 100 days old, I guess. Oh, wait. Maybe she is six months old.’

Gun-Ho made a call to Jong-Suk Park.

“Yeah, bro!”

“Where are you right now? I hear all sorts of noise from your side.”

“People from H Group are here to evaluate our factory under their five-star quality certification program. They are looking into our production process management and system.”

“Oh, really? I will call you later then.”

“Yeah, I will give you a call once this is done. If it’s about anything urgent, I can still talk with you.”

“Nah, it’s okay. There is nothing urgent. I will talk to you later.”

‘H Group sent people to evaluate our GH Mobile’s factory…’

He grinned since this was a chance to become H Group’s first vendor company.

As a matter of fact, President Song made it possible for GH Mobile to become a candidate for one of the first vendor companies of H Group. President Song used to work for S Group before joining GH Mobile, and S Group was H Group’s first vendor company. Therefore, he had close connections with H Group’s executive officers, especially in the purchasing department. Also, he knew how to tactfully respond to H Group’s quality test conducted on their potential vendor companies. However, with all those President Song’s knowledge and useful connections, GH Mobile just didn’t have a chance to be considered as a candidate to be their first vendor company. There had to be a reason why H Group would pick a specific company for it. For example, a company should either manufacture a product that H Group needed and that couldn’t be manufactured by other companies, or it had to have a connection with H Group’s owner.

President Song came with a strategy specifically aimed at being H Group’s first vendor company. At first, he reached out to the global company— Chrysler— and started supplying products for them, thinking that it would demonstrate to H Group that GH Mobile was producing quality products good enough to be picked by Chrysler. However, H Group’s purchasing department didn’t show any response to it, well at least in the beginning. Even though President Song made an effort to convince them that GH Mobile was well equipped with excellent engineers and facilities, it wasn’t just good enough.

However, they started paying attention to GH Mobile when A Electronics increased their product order from GH Mobile several times. A Electronics was notorious for being picky in selecting their suppliers after all.

GH Mobile grabbed the opportunity when one of H Group’s current first vendor companies produced some defective parts for H Group. In searching for another vendor company that would replace the one with defective products, H Group wanted to verify GH Mobile’s facility and production capability.

It was a result of the collective effort of many people. President Song tried hard to have this opportunity, and Director Jong-Suk Park along with the people at the quality control team and research center worked so hard not to produce any defective products. They were lucky as well.

‘It’s really difficult to have a chance to be considered as a candidate, but once H Group actually sends their people to a candidate company to check their production system, it is almost a done deal.’

Gun-Ho grinned again.

Gun-Ho was dozing off in his office after lunch, when he received a call from President Song.

“H Group’s people were here today to evaluate our factory under their five-star quality certification program. We had lunch with them afterward.”

“Good job, Mr. President Song. Did they point out anything that they didn’t like?”

“They seemed to be very satisfied with our production process management and system, which had been very well maintained by Director Park. They also checked our research center’s testing system, and they were good too.”

“Really? That’s very good.”

“They pointed out one thing though. We left out the real time monitoring on our mold temperature, and also they were not quite satisfied with our inspection system on the voltage management. The quality control team will make a report about the correction on them, and will send it to H Group.”

“Oh, I see.”

“We were lucky today because those inspectors from H Group, who visited our factory today, are the people who I had known since I worked for S Group.”

“Hmm, really?”

“It seemed that they didn’t know that I am working at GH Mobile. Also, they said that they didn’t know that GH Mobile has a large factory like this one and that it is very well equipped with an excellent quality control system and production process.”

“President Song, you are the one who made it that good by nagging the workers constantly.”

“Well, our workers followed my lead very well, and I know that it was not an easy job for them.”

“I’m just crossing my fingers here to hear good news from them soon.”

“Well, their inspection is completed. All we can do now is to wait until they make their decision.”

After quite a while, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro? I’m sorry that I’m calling you late.”

“I was told that the people from H Group left.”

“Yeah. They looked very satisfied with what they saw here.”

“Are there many things that we need to correct?”

“Just one or two, but those are easy fixes.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I was going to call you right after lunch, but I was really busy because of President Song who nagged at me and other executive officers without break.”

“What was he nagging about?”

“For the thing that H Group people pointed out today, he summoned me, the quality control team lead, and the management people from the research center. And he nagged us there for hours, I think. I almost headbutt him.”

“Haha. I see. President Song spoke highly of you though.”

“I know he doesn’t talk badly about any of us behind our back. That’s why I don’t actually hit him. But he is definitely not someone who I want to be close with.”

“I guess that he knows how to push your button. Haha.”

“Don’t laugh, brother. I’m serious here.”

“I feel relieved knowing that those H Group inspectors left with satisfaction.”

“Yeah, I feel good too.”

“Hey, your daughter grew up a lot, right? I guess she is 100 days old?”

“Bro, she is 7 months old already.”

“Is that right?”

“She is so cute. Whenever I go home after work, I can’t stop smiling because of her.”

“Really? She can’t speak yet, can she?”

“No, not yet. She babbles a lot though for a long while. She laughs a lot whenever I wave some toys in front of her.”

“Oh, really? She does sound very cute.”

“I shake rattle toys most of the time because she responds to it very quickly. It’s fun.”

“Your parents and parents-in-law must feel joyful playing with her too.”

“Yeah. They compete with each other to get a chance to play with her.”

“I can imagine how your family would spend time happily with your daughter.”

“Thanks, bro.”

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Chapter 652 - End of Year Promotions (1) – Part 1

Chapter 652: End of Year Promotions (1) – Part 1

It was the end of November. Director Sim called Gun-Ho from Shanghai City.

“We will have the production presentation tomorrow. Lia came to Shanghai again to attend it.”

“Really? Where is it going to take place?”

“It will be held at the event hall of the broadcasting station in Shanghai City. We could have reserved an event hall with a hotel as well, but we chose the broadcasting station which will give easier access for journalists.”

“Will the whole production crew be there?”

“No, sir. There will be only the lead actor and actress, and President Baogang Chen as the director, and Director Yan Wu and myself. Oh, also two extra actors will be there too.”

“Do they expect to have a lot of journalists at the production presentation?”

“We are not sure if everyone we invited will show up tomorrow. They sent out invitations to 100 guests, and they prepared 100 Ke Fan Quan (meal coupons) as well which can be used only on the very day. President Baogang Chen and the Chinese male actor will do the talk mostly including responding to any questions from the journalists. Lia and I will just sit there smiling.”

“Well, I hope the production presentation goes well tomorrow, and good luck with the drama.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The following day, Gun-Ho was surfing the web in the evening. When he opened the entertainment news section, he was surprised at the cover story on the main page. There was a picture of Lia and the Chinese male actor. They were smiling.

[Lia—a former member of a Kpop girl group—along with the famous Chinese male actor—Long Zhang—will star in a new daily soap opera in China. The title of the drama is Shiguang Ru Meng. During the drama production presentation for Shiguang Ru Meng today, Lia gave her dazzling smile which was attractive enough to catch everyone’s eyes.

Shiguang Ru Meng is a new TV drama being produced by a Chinese drama production company called Huanle Shiji. The soap opera will be on air starting mid-December in China.]

Gun-Ho smiled, and then he searched on the internet in Chinese this time to see if there was any article about the drama presentation. In the picture that a Chinese journalist took, Lia looked more sensuous. They also talked about the funding that Huanle Shiji Production Company received from a Korean company, specifically for their new soap opera—Shiguang Ru Meng. They indicated that the Korean company was GH Group, and the name of its chairman was Gun-Ho Goo. They also added that Chairman Gun-Ho Goo was fascinated by the scenario of Shiguang Ru Meng, and he gladly decided to make an investment in the drama.

“What? When was I fascinated by their scenario? That’s a laugh. I didn’t even read their scenario. I guess China has a lot of disgraceful journalists who wouldn’t bother to do proper fact-checking, just like Korea.”

Gun-Ho believed that the Chinese viewers would be interested in the new drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—especially because a Korean actress would play the lead female character, and the production was being funded by a Korean company.

“But, whether the drama would have high ratings or not is up to the drama itself. It has to be fun to watch.”

Gun-Ho was counting on Director Woon-Hak Sim in that aspect. He must be an expert who knew better about how to make a drama fun and interesting to watch.

It was December.

The first episode of Shiguang Ru Meng aired already. It was the third drama for Huanle Shiji Production Company. With the previous experience and Gun-Ho’s funds, they could focus better on shooting the drama without being distracted by all the worries about money and other things.

Also, the broadcasting station assigned a very good time slot for the drama to be on air. Gun-Ho believed that it must have something to do with Seukang Li. The viewers often shed tears while watching the drama as the story was being unfolded. It had a wide spectrum of audiences accordingly, and the ratings were high. Lia’s beauty certainly helped the ratings.

GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin came up to Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor.

“The Chinese TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—seems to be doing great, sir.”

“Right. I read about it on the internet too.”

“When I went to China last time to sign the contract, I heard Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen saying that the casting was very successful. He said that the actors and actresses were working in perfect harmony.”

“Hmm, that’s good to know. There is always a reason why something is successful, and also, there is a reason why something failed.”

“Umm, sir…”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Umm…”

“It’s okay. You can tell me.”

“It’s December now, and we are preparing financial documents concluding the year. I was wondering if we have to include Director Woon-Hak Sim’s salary and other expenses related to the drama production in China into our company’s accounts.”

“Every business that was done under GH Media’s name must be shown on your accounts including publishing business, Art Gallery, and drama production. You will also have to share each business’s profits and losses as well.”

“I am concerned about my 5% share. The profits from the drama production will start coming in next year, and that might complicate the calculation of my dividend.”

“There is nothing complicated there. The drama production is being done as part of GH Media’s business. Whether it gives loss or profit, 5% of it is yours, Ms. President Shin.”

“Oh my gosh, are you saying that I will receive part of the profits coming from the drama production as well?”

“Of course.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin smiled broadly.

“How did GH Media do this year?”

“It made more profits than last year, sir.”

“The publishing business is a cultural industry, so we don’t have to worry about VAT (Value Added Tax). Also, we don’t have any loan taken out from a bank, so there is no payment to a financial institution either. So, GH Media’s net profit will be about the same amount as its operating profit.”

“I thank you for it, Mr. President Goo.”

“Haha. I haven’t done much. GH Media’s success resulted from your ability and hard work in operating and developing the business, Ms. President Shin.”

“For next year, I’m anticipating another success with our new plan—the broadcasting scriptwriters’ works. I’m working on it right now, and we will publish them next year.”

“The broadcasting scriptwriters?”

“Yes. Director Woon-Hak Sim introduced me with several good broadcasting scriptwriters.”

“A broadcasting scenario can be a material to be published?”

“Haha, no, sir. We are publishing the broadcasting scriptwriters’ essay books. There is this scriptwriter who appeared on a radio show before, and I’m sure this writer’s essay book will sell very well. People tend to be intrigued by someone who was on a show either TV or radio.”

“Really?”

“I learned that this scriptwriter graduated from Ehwa Women’s University—the same college that I graduated from. And I’m senior to her. We get together sometimes to have a drink. I didn’t know, but she came to our art gallery several times before.”

“I see.”

“She told me that her favorite art exhibitions were the Chinese young painters’ avant-garde art exhibition and the one with Ms. Marion Kinsky’s artworks—the French artist who is considered as the master of color aesthetics. She said she was amazed by those two. So, at that time, she asked around to find out who organized those art exhibitions. When she figured that it was me, she felt so proud since she graduated from the same college as me.”

“I see.”

“I met with her twice at our rooftop café. Her home is close to mine—Nonhyeon Town. If she happens to come to the area, I can introduce her to you, sir.”

“Me? Oh, no, no. That’s okay. I’m not very interested in socializing with writers.”

“Haha. Sir, you should expand your choice of books. Read some novels and essays sometimes, not just management and business books, sir. You probably want to try to watch TV dramas as well.”

“Haha. I will try when I have a chance.”

After President Shin left the office, Gun-Ho mumbled to himself, “Since the Chinese drama achieved high ratings, I guess I won’t have any problem recovering my investment funds. Seukang Li must be feeling relieved by now. He looked anxious when I saw him last time because he was at risk of losing his 300 million won that he had invested in that drama production company under his father’s name.”

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Chapter 653 - End of Year Promotions 1 – Part 2

Chapter 653 End of Year Promotions 1 – Part 2

Young-Eun was getting into her eighth month of pregnancy. She looked exhausted all the time. She even seemed to breathe faster than before.“How are you feeling today?”

“I’m fine.”

“You look tired.”

Young-Eun closed her eyes as if she was in pain.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I have a minor stomach ache with some burning feeling in my chest.”

“Just stay lying down. You need a rest.”

“I’m sorry. I think you should have your dinner tonight by yourself.”

“You have to eat too.”

“I have no appetite. I couldn’t sleep enough last night. I think I’d better go to bed now.”

Gun-Ho went to the master bedroom and made the bed for Young-Eun.

“Oppa, I need to go to a wedding hall tomorrow.”

“I don’t think so. You should stay home and rest.”

“I’m okay. I can leave home early, and take enough time to take the subway and walk slowly. I will be careful.”

“Taking the subway? No way. I will give you a ride.”

“No, it’s okay. Taking a car will give us more hassle given the heavy traffic in the area and the parking problem. The wedding hall is right next to the subway station. I will be okay.”

“Where is the wedding hall?”

“It’s in Marriot Hotel next to Seoul Express Bus Terminal.”

“Hmm, okay. Is the wedding for your college friend?”

“Yeah. He is working as a deputy director of a small hospital in Bundang District. He came to our wedding. I should go there to congratulate him.”

“I see that you are a very good friend, but you should take care of yourself.”

“It’s fine. I will show off to everyone that I’m expecting a baby soon.”

It was mid-December.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon. His wife delivered a baby girl.

“Early this morning, her water broke, and we rushed to the hospital. We didn’t even bring the Audi that was assigned to me by the company, but we took a taxi. It was not her due date yet, so I went to work, leaving her at the hospital. And later, I received a call from the hospital that she gave birth to our baby girl at 10 am.”

“Congratulations. You are officially a father.”

“Haha. I still can’t believe that I’m a father now.”

“Your wife must have been through a lot. Take good care of her.”

“The Chinese workers here sent a flower to the hospital to congratulate us. I didn’t expect it, and I feel embarrassed.”

“You should be grateful for having those people who care for you and your family.”

“I already gave a call to my parents in Incheon City and also to my parents-in-law.”

“Good. Your wife is well, right?”

“Yeah, she is fine. When I went into her hospital room after receiving a call from the hospital, she already finished a canned pineapple by herself.”

“Congratulations again. I really mean it.”

“Thank you. You should be good to your wife too. You are next.”

Gun-Ho relayed the news to Director Jong-Suk Park.

“Jae-Sik Moon’s wife gave birth to a child this morning. I just received a call from him.”

“Really? Now he is a father. Hahaha. You two can ask me any question about being a father since I became a father before you two.”

“That’s true.”

“You might not be able to say how cute your baby is when you meet your baby for the first time because they look simply weird. But later, once they gain some weight a little bit, they become extremely adorable.”

“I see that you have the experience.”

“Once your baby turns six months old, they smile. That would drive you crazy.”

“Haha. Okay. Time to go back to work.”

“Bro, you are not coming here today?”

“I will go to work there tomorrow.”

“Did President Song mention anything about the candidate for promotion?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything yet.”

“Don’t forget the thing that I asked you earlier.”

“What did you ask me about?”

“I knew it. You don’t even remember what I asked before.”

“Just tell me what it was.”

“I want to divide the production team into team 1 and team 2. Also, I want the supervisor in the production site A to be promoted to a manager.”

“Oh, I remember that. No problem.”

“I’m counting on you, bro. I love you!”

Gun-Ho hung up the phone.

After a while, Gun-Ho received a call from President Song.

“We finally received the five-star quality certificate from H Group. We barely passed their test with a score of 88.”

“Oh, really? Congratulations.”

“This certificate will open our door wider to the market, especially to the international market. Chrysler will recognize our quality product even better than before.”

“You did a very good job, Mr. President Song.”

“Obtaining the five-star quality certificate is just a start. We will have to maintain our status. They will evaluate our facility every year. If we can’t pass their test next year, our certificate will simply be revoked.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“We will have the signboard-hanging ceremony for this five-star certificate at 2 pm today.”

“Didn’t you just say that we just received the certificate? And we already have the signboard ready for it?”

“I thought that it would be better to finish the signboard-hanging ceremony as soon as possible, so I had the signboard made in advance.”

“Haha, really”

“And, I have several things that I want to discuss with you once you come to your office here tomorrow, including the promotion matter.”

“If that’s not for an executive officer, please just proceed.”

“Well, I still want to talk to you about it first tomorrow.”

The next day, Gun-Ho went to work at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

As usual, the secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—brought a cup of tea and a newspaper to Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho asked her, “Is Mr. President Song in his office?”

“He went down to the production site, sir. It looks like they are having a special meeting between the executive officers at the production site. I can ask him to come to your office, sir.”

“That’s okay.”

“The morning paper covered our signboard-hanging ceremony for the five-star quality certificate. I marked it red.”

“Hmm, okay.”

After a moment, President Song came to Gun-Ho’s office. He was carrying some documents.

“You are here, sir.”

“You did a great job in getting the five-star certificate.”

“Did you see the signboard on the way to the office?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, here is the certificate. You might want to see this first.”

President Song handed the certificate to Gun-Ho. After taking a look at the certificate, Gun-Ho stood up from his seat.

“Well, let’s go downstairs to see the signboard.”

Gun-Ho went down to the front entrance where the signboard was hanging. He touched the signboard to feel the texture. He then turned around and extended his hand to President Song for a handshake.

At that moment, several employees were entering the building, and they clapped when they saw Gun-Ho and President Song having a handshake in front of the five-star certificate signboard.

“Let’s go back to my office, Mr. President Song.”

Gun-Ho started walking first and President Song followed him while carrying documents. When they entered Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho asked President Song to have a seat.

“Please take a seat.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You told me yesterday over the phone that you wanted to discuss something with me. What is it?”

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Chapter 654 - End of Year Promotions (2) – Part 1

Chapter 654: End of Year Promotions (2) – Part 1

President Song said, “I have several things that I’d like to discuss with you, sir. The first thing is about changing our organizational structure. The position of the product quality team is vague. During the Mulpasaneop era, it reported to the plant manager, and at some point, it was placed under the research center as well. Currently, the product quality team is reporting to me—the president—for convenience. But, I think it should be an independent department, just like the research center and the production department.”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, we now have to maintain our status as a five-star quality certified facility. And, the role of the product quality team is critical for it. Therefore, I suggest that we promote the product quality team’s manager to a director, so it doesn’t have to report to another department.”

“The manager at the product quality team has been in the manager position for only two years.”

“That’s right. For that reason, I was thinking that maybe we can promote the senior manager at the research center to the product quality team’s director, and relocate the current product quality team’s manager to the research center.”

“It will result in those two people switching teams. Do you think that won’t cause any problem?”

“I believe that having different work experience at a young age is a precious experience individually. Also, it’s good for the company as well. Through the job rotations, we will learn those employees’ strengths and weaknesses while they gain more knowledge of the company as a whole. That way, we will grow and find our next general directors.”

“What’s the second thing that you wanted to discuss with me?”

“This one was actually from the plant manager—Director Jong-Suk Park. Now, we have an additional production site B where most of the assembly work is done. We want to divide the production department into two—manufacturing site and assembly site. And, we promote the current production supervisor to manager and place him to the production department two which is the assembly site. He has enough experience and years of working with us at the production site, and his work performance is excellent as it was evaluated by Director Park.”

“We will then have two managers in the production department?”

“Yes. And two managers of the production department one and two will report to Director Park.”

“Hmm.”

“We can have three supervisors under those two managers and have them supervise three teams at the production department. We can divide it into three teams as an extruding team, molding team, and testing team, or we can simply call them as team one, team two, and team three.”

“Sounds good. I agree with the two suggestions that you just made. Do you have a third one?”

“Yes. We will soon have our financial document concluding this year. We made roughly 5 billion won net profit this year after tax.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“We’ve been diligently paying the debts we owed to the financial institutes so far. As a result, we now have 35 billion won debt left.”

“That’s still a lot.”

“Our accounts payable has reduced dramatically as well, but we still have 20 billion won to go.”

“That’s a lot.”

“It’s not so bad if we think of the time when our company was Mulpasaneop. We used to have more than 70 billion won of accounts payable when the Mulpasaneop was undergoing the court receivership. At that time, the sales were half of what we are making right now, and we were losing money every day. That’s why President Se-Young Oh gave up the company. Since then, the company has grown twice larger.”

“Hmm.”

“I don’t mean to be presumptuous, sir, but I think we should pay to the financial institute for the debt with this year’s profits in the same way we did last year—we distribute dividend to you as you are the sole shareholder, and you reinvest those funds back in the company and increase its capital. That way our debt will be reduced to 30 billion won. As to the accounts payable, we can pay our suppliers gradually as we continue doing business with them.”

“That will make our capital 10 billion won.”

“It will work favorably when we apply for the registration with KOSDAQ. I’m positive that next year, our debt with the financial institute will be reduced to 20 billion won, and our accounts payable will be somewhere around 10 billion won. That size of debt and accounts payable won’t negatively affect our registration with KOSDAQ considering that our company is large enough to generate a sales revenue of 100 billion won annually.”

“Of course.”

“GH Mobile will be able to go public after a year. If a company is generating profits without debt, and it doesn’t require a substantial amount of funds to operate, you don’t actually need to go public.”

“A profit-generating company doesn’t necessarily have to go public?”

“Right. Look at DAS Corporation that people suspect that it is owned by MB (Former President—Myung-Bak Lee). That company is currently generating 720 billion won yearly, but it’s still a private company without being registered with KOSDAQ. If we include their sales revenues of its subsidiary companies scattered worldwide in the U.S., China, India, Brazil, Czech, Turkey, etc., their sales revenue will exceed 1.2 trillion won.”

“Whoa! 1.2 trillion won?!”

“Guess what is their amount of capital. It’s not 290,000 won that our former president—Doo-hwan Chun—claimed as that was all he had, but it’s 2.9 billion won. Yes, only 2.9 billion won. He accumulated most of his wealth with the earned surplus from that company.”

“That means that I don’t have to raise the capital if I’m not going to have the company registered with KOSDAQ.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“I see. Well, since we still have time, let’s think about it.”

“I will go back to work then. I have your approval on the restructuring around the product quality team, and the promotion of a manager to its director position. All other promotions for the position below a director, I will handle after discussing with other executive officers.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After President Song left the office, Gun-Ho sat at his desk for a while, thinking about something before heading to Dyeon Korea.

Gun-Ho was sitting in his office at Dyeon Korea. When it was lunchtime, Director Kim entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, a new restaurant just opened around here. It specializes in grilled fish dishes. Would you like to go there for lunch today?”

“Sure. Let’s bring other executive officers with us.”

“Mr. Adam Castler left earlier; he had a dentist appointment. Director Yoon left for a client site this morning. The chief research officer is in the office.”

“Let’s bring him with us to lunch then.”

Director Kim made a call to the chief research officer who was holding a temporary position.

“Brother? It’s me, Director Kim. We are going to a good restaurant to have grilled fish dishes. Why don’t you join us?”

Gun-Ho, Director Kim, and the chief research officer got in Gun-Ho’s Bentley and headed out to the restaurant. When they were passing the front gate, the security officer came out and gave a military salute to the three high-ranking officers in the company.

The restaurant that Director Kim recommended was a luxurious restaurant located downtown Asan City. Each booth seat was divided by a partition that was made of fabric. It was neat.

“What do we want to have?”

“I think we should try different types of grilled fish, and we can share them. That way, we can taste several different fish.”

Director Kim ordered mackerel, tuna, and mackerel pike.

The food came out with lots of complementary side dishes including eel on a small plate.

“I guess this is for you, brother. You need to boost your stamina.”

Director Kim pushed the eel dish to the chief research officer’s side with a smile.

“What’s wrong with you? You are caring for me now, huh?”

The chief research officer whose hair was fully covered by gray hair said.

“I am the only one in the company who cares for you, brother. You didn’t know that?”

Director Kim teased the old man.

Gun-Ho laughed and chipped in, “How long have you two worked together since the Mulpasaneop era?”

Director Kim replied as he looked at the chief research officer’s face, “It has been about twenty years since I’ve known him.”

The chief research officer added, “I joined Mulpasaneop right after I obtained my Ph.D., so I guess it’s about twenty years as you said.”

The main dishes came out. The chief research officer knew how to eat a grilled fish neatly. He held one side of the fish and pulled out the bone at once. He looked skillful.

“That’s the way how to neatly make a whole grilled fish ready to eat. I didn’t know that.”

Director Kim teased the chief research officer again, “I guess that our chief research officer has been researching how to eat a fish neatly, rather than researching our product.”

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Chapter 655 - End of Year Promotions (2) – Part 2

Chapter 655: End of Year Promotions (2) – Part 2

While having lunch with Director Kim and the chief research officer, Gun-Ho asked, “Do we have any candidates to be promoted during our end of year promotions in Dyeon Korea?”

Director Kim responded while having his fish, “No, we don’t. Most of our mid-level managers are new hires. The only people who we could consider to give promotion are the manager in the maintenance team and Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae who is interpreting for Mr. Adam Castler.”

“The maintenance team’s manager and Interpreter Myeong-Joon Chae?”

“The maintenance team’s manager is maintaining our machines from no. 1 to no. 18. He is the only one who knows how to dismantle and assemble the machines to repair and maintain them at Dyeon Korea. Director Jong-Suk Park highly spoke of him about his competency at work. He is holding a low-level manager position right now, and we can promote him to a mid-level manager.”

“Hmm.”

“As for Mr. Myeon-Joon Chae, he is taking a dual position right now. He does interpretation work for Vice President Adam Castler, and he also works in the trading team. Ever since we formed our sales company in China and India, his workload at the trading team increased. We can promote him to an assistant manager in the trading team.”

“How old is Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae?”

“He is 31 years old, and will soon turn 32. Holding an assistant manager position at the age of 32 is just fine, not so fast or slow.”

“Alright. I guess we will promote the maintenance team’s manager and Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae.”

“Thank you, sir. We still have time until the day of the promotion announcement. So, once I go back to work after lunch, I will ask Mr. Adam Castler and Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo to go and see you, sir.”

“Mr. Adam Castler and Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo? For what?”

“I will ask Mr. Adam Castler to make a recommendation for Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae’s promotion to you since he has been doing a great job in interpreting for him while keeping his position at the trading team. That way, Mr. Adam Castler officially becomes the person who recommended Myeong-Joon Chae’s promotion to the president, and Myeong-Joon Chae will work harder in interpreting for Mr. Adam Caster knowing that Mr. Adam Castler recognized his hard work.”

“Hmm.”

“Same thing for Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo. I will ask him to make a recommendation to promote the maintenance team’s manager. That way, it will be easier for Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo to ask the maintenance team’s manager to do some work for him later on because Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo is the one who helped him to get a promotion.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

“I got your point.”

Gun-Ho turned to the Chief research officer and said, “I understand that you are holding a one-year temporary position now. If you are okay with it, I want to extend your position for one more year. You are healthy enough to work for one more year, right?”

The chief research officer dropped his chopsticks when he received the unexpected offer from Gun-Ho. And, he said as he was picking up his chopsticks, “I would love to, sir.”

Director Kim chipped in, “Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo is working busily in a dual position as the plant manager and the deputy chief research officer. If the chief research officer stays in the research center, he will feel less burdened and less pressured, especially when he knows that he can always go to the chief research officer for advice. Also, having a chief research officer at the research center, with fully gray hair, would give a good impression to the public. What do you think, brother?”

The three men laughed out loud.

Gun-Ho came back to his office after lunch. He was dozing off when someone knocked on the door. It was Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo.

“Sir, I’d like to discuss something with you.”

“Sure. Please have a seat,” Gun-Ho said as he sipped a glass of water.

Manager Yoo carefully sat on the sofa.

“We will have the end of year promotions soon. I’d like to make a recommendation.”

“Please go on.”

“The manager in the maintenance team—Mr. Yong-Bok Ahn—used to be in the senior manager position with his previous employer. He does all the maintenance work for the machines that were brought in from Lymondell Dyeon. When we warm up the machines every morning, he walks around the production site and checks each machine’s temperature. He handles all the repairs and maintenance of those machines by himself.”

“I see.”

“We don’t have anyone else at Dyeon Korea, who can dismantle and assemble those machines.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“I’m not his direct manager, but I’d like to make a recommendation for his promotion. Maybe I’m not in a position to make this sort of recommendation for him, but if you could consider his promotion, I would really appreciate it, sir.”

“I don’t know who is doing a good job or not at the production site, and I do expect the senior managers or directors to make a recommendation about employees’ promotion. Manager Ahn seems to work hard whenever I stop by the production site. Since you strongly recommend his promotion, Mr. Manager Yoo, I will definitely discuss it with other executive officers.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Manager Yoo walked out of Gun-Ho’s office after giving a bow to Gun-Ho.

‘It sounds like Director Kim told Manager Yoo what to say when he talks to me.’

After a while, Mr. Adam Castler entered Gun-Ho’s office. He was with Interpreter Myeong-Joon Chae.

“I was told that you had a dental appointment earlier. Are you okay?”

“I had a problem with one of my wisdom teeth. I’m fine now.”

Gun-Ho caught the word ‘wisdom tooth’ when Mr. Adam Castler talked about his dental appointment, and he asked Interpreter Myeong-Joon Chae, “So, the tooth is called ‘wisdom tooth’ in English, right?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Hmm, in Korea, we call that tooth ‘love tooth’ while Americans call it ‘wisdom tooth.’ That’s interesting. One thing for sure is that the tooth is precious for the people in both countries.”

When Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae interpreted what Gun-Ho just said, Mr. Adam Castler laughed out loud.

Mr. Adam Castler then said something seriously in a low voice. Myeong-Joon Chae blushed and hesitated to interpret it.

“What is it?” Gun-Ho asked.

“Umm… Um… sir, he said that my workload at the trading team has increased lately since we expanded our market to India and China, and also, I do a lot of interpretation work…”

“And?”

The interpreter blushed and couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Just say it! I don’t have all day. It’s okay,” Gun-Ho pushed him a bit.

“Um, sir, Mr. Adam Castler is requesting to add me to the promotion candidates’ list for our end of year promotions…”

“Hmm. Of course, I should promote the people who have been doing a great job and working hard. Please tell Mr. Adam Caster this. I’ve heard of Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae’s high workload. I will have to take into consideration other executive officers’ opinions on this. So, please give me some time to discuss it with others. However, we will favorably consider his promotion, especially because the recommendation came from Mr. Vice President Adam Castler. Your words about him will play a critical role in making a decision about his promotion. Mr. Chae, please interpret this for Mr. Adam Castler.”

Once Myeon-Joon Chae interpreted what Gun-Ho just said for Mr. Adam Castler, Mr. Adam Castler stood up from his seat and extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake, and he said, “I will look forward to hearing from you, boss.”

Myeong-Joon Chae gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho while blushing and walked out of the office after Mr. Adam Castler.

<hr />

< From the author>

I referred to Financial Supervisory Service’s data found in DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System) in presenting the numbers related to the company—DAS Corporation.

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Chapter 656 - End of Year Promotions (3) – Part 1

Chapter 656: End of Year Promotions (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was surfing the internet sitting in GH development’s president’s office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. The news coverage about Seol-Bing drew Gun-Ho’s attention.

[Seol-Bing, dating rumors with a baseball player who is five years younger than her.]

There was a picture of Seol-Bing laughing along with a baseball player shown on the newspaper. The baseball player looked a lot younger than Seol-Bing even at a glance.

Gun-Ho thought, ‘I’m happy for Seol-Bing that she is dating someone, but I wonder whether it was a good decision for her to choose someone who is five years younger than her to date with. Men at a young age usually lack understanding. I hope that Seol-Bing is ready to embrace that young man’s drawbacks caused by his inexperience in life.’

Gun-Ho didn’t feel jealous or anything when he learned that Seol-Bing was dating another man, maybe because he had a good time with Mori Aikko not long ago, and his wife— Young-Eun— who would soon deliver his baby.

At that moment, he received a call from BM Entertainment’s manager.

“Sir, congratulations on the success of the drama— Shiguang Ru Meng— that is being aired in China. Its ratings are so high.”

“Does it affect the revenue that they would generate?”

“Of course, sir. Their subsidy provided by the broadcasting station for their drama production is tightly interlocked with the viewers’ ratings. TV ratings definitely affect the broadcasting station’s revenue coming from their business with PP and VOD.”

“PP and VOD?”

“PP refers to a program provider that airs programs on their own TV channels. VOD (Video on Demand) is a media distribution system where the viewers can watch the videos at any time they choose. The Shanghai broadcasting station makes an additional income through PP and VOD after airing Shiguang Ru Meng on their regular broadcasting schedule.”

“Hmm.”

“Director Woon-Hak Sim specifically targeted the female viewers in their 30s and 40s in Shanghai City for this Shiguang Ru Meng. It looks like his plan worked. Women in this age group tend to watch TV dramas a lot. You don’t often watch a TV drama, do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“A drama can very well generate an additional income. It can be shown on a cable TV channel and also through the internet in the form of an Internet TV or DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting). They can also export those TV dramas to other areas. Once a TV drama is proven popular among the viewers in Shanghai City, it is very likely that the drama will be exported to the Greater China Region.”

“Hmm, I see. When does the broadcasting station provide the subsidy to a drama production company?”

“Customarily, they give it once a month.”

Gun-Ho instantly did a math in his head.

‘I sent 1 million dollars to Huanle Shiji a few days ago. I wonder if I can send the second 1 million dollars a while later. I’m not sure if I can do that because they are paying a high amount of money to the lead actor and actress.’

Gun-Ho said, “I don’t know much about the entertainment field, especially a drama production. I’m grateful that BM Entertainment is willing to provide the necessary support in producing Shiguang Ru Meng. We found our lead female actress in BM Entertainment, and we are expecting to receive technical advice from it such as editing, shooting, etc.”

“Don’t mention it, sir. It’s our pleasure that we could be of help. Actually, Director Sim is giving us a call almost every single day.”

“I do really appreciate your help.”

“No problem, sir.”

“I read news coverage this morning about Seol-Bing who came to our GH Art Gallery’s opening ceremony. She is dating a baseball player. It’s good for her.”

“To be honest with you, sir, I’m not sure if it’s good for her. Seol-Bing’s mother has strived to have her daughter married to someone of a conglomerate family. She obviously failed to achieve her goal.”

“If she is happy with the man who she is with, that should be good enough. I don’t think she has to marry a rich man to be happy.”

“Her mother is obsessed with money. I know her father very well. When I worked at the broadcasting station, he was a PD there. This is his second marriage, and his wife’s obsession with money seems severely unusual.”

“His second marriage?”

“Yes, Seol-Bing’s mother is his second marriage. He is a decent man, but Seol-Bing’s mother is… how can I put this… she tends to aggressively grab every opportunity in order to fulfill her greed. Well, that’s how I see her. I’m sure that she is now very disappointed.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I think that Seol-Bing is not without fault either. Not just Seol-Bing, but the ladies in Gangnam District these days have issues. They want to prove themselves as competent and able women by having a younger husband. That thought continues even after they married. Many married women in Gangnam District have a lover who is younger than them, and they feel so proud of themselves in that position.”

Gun-Ho could notice that the entertainment manager was smiling with his eyes even when he was talking with him over the phone, while talking about the tendency shown by the females in Gangnam District, which was not proven, and he didn’t like it.

“Well, I think you’re overly generalizing. I guess that might be true for a limited group of women in that area.”

Gun-Ho then hung up the phone.

It has been almost a year since Gun-Ho started taking the class at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University. Gun-Ho was informed by the university that next week would be the last week of the course, and they would render a graduation ceremony afterward. It was not a degree course, so Gun-Ho would receive a certificate evidencing only that he took the specific one-year course.

Minister Jin-Woo Lee was talking to a congressman who was sitting next to him while giggling, “Hey, Mr. Congressman Park! I guess you have one more line to add to your promotional materials for the election campaign, ‘graduated from the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University’.”

“Maybe I should say that I graduated at the top of my class.”

The whole class giggled.

“Hey, Mr. Class President, this is it? We are not getting together? We should at least have a year-end party.”

“I’m sorry, but I have tons of year-end parties scheduled for the rest of this year.”

“We should do something.”

“What about then December 22nd? It’s a weekday though. Will you be available to get together?”

Minister Jin-Woo Lee came forward in front of the class.

“Well, our course will end next week. We will have our regular meeting as alumni of this course, but I think we should get together at the end of December as our class year-end party. We will invite a few professors who have been teaching us. What do you all think?”

“I’m in.”

“Of course we should.”

“Several people suggested the date of December 22nd for our party. Those of you who won’t be able to make it on that day, please raise your hands now.”

No one raised their hands.

“Well, we will get together on December 22nd then. Now, we need to decide the place for our party. We prefer to have a place that offers a large parking space. What about the Chinese restaurant— Baek Ni Hyang— in the 63 Building?”

“You mean the one on the 57th floor in the 63 Building?”

“Isn’t it pricey there?”

“We will have to collect 100,000 won per person.”

“100,000 won per person? We are not rich like you, Mr. Minister Lee. We don’t have wealthy parents-in-law like you. Most of us are just humble government employees.”

Contrasting with what they just said, they seemed to have no problem producing two bills of 50,000 won in cash when Gun-Ho was walking around the class to collect the fees of 100,000 won from each person.

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Chapter 657 - End of Year Promotions (3) – Part 2

Chapter 657: End of Year Promotions (3) – Part 2

It was lightly snowing that day.

“Oh my, it’s snowing!”

The secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh screamed in excitement.

While looking at the snow, Gun-Ho thought of GH Logistics. Because of its nature of business, snowing was one of their major concerns. Gun-Ho remembered Jae-Sik Moon mentioning it when he was running GH Logistics. He said that he worried a lot whenever it snowed. Gun-Ho was thinking about giving a call to his brother-in-law who was currently operating GH Logistics, and then he decided against it.

At that moment, Manager Hong who was handling GH Development’s accounting work entered Gun-Ho’s office. He brought a document to be signed to Gun-Ho.

“Umm, sir, GH Media is having a year-end party this Friday. They said that they would have the party in the office.”

“A party in the office?”

“Yes, sir, and they invited all of our GH Development’s employees to their party.”

“Really? That sounds fun.”

“President Shin said that she would love to have you at the party.”

“Well, I’m sorry. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to be there. I have a prior engagement.”

Manager Hong continued while picking up the document after Gun-Ho signed it, “We had a meeting last week among the workers in GH companies who were in charge of each company’s accounting work, in Seonghwan Town.”

“In Seonghwan Town?”

“Yes, we picked Seonghwa Town because it was convenient to get there for everyone. We just needed to take Subway Line no. 1 to get there. GH Mobile’s Director Min-Hwa Kim and Dyeon Korea’s Accounting Manager Myeon-Sook Jo brought their cars, and we all went to the Plum Farm Restaurant and had a good time.”

“Who else was there?”

“There were five of us— GH Mobile’s Director Min-Hwa Kim, Dyeon Korea’s Manager Myeon-Sook Jo, GH Media’s Ms. Hyeong-Sook Noh, GH Logistics’ Ms. Hyeong-Nam Eun, and myself representing GH Development.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“We also visited GH Mobile’s factory that day. It was huge and very nice. It was my first time being there. We couldn’t visit Dyeon Korea though because we just didn’t have time for it.”

“So, you all had fun?”

“Yes, sir. Ms. Director Min-Hwa Kim paid for our lunch. She is the oldest among us, and GH Media’s Ms. Hyeong-Sook Noh is the youngest. We exchanged information to each other, and we agreed to help each other to produce the monthly profit and loss statements as quickly as we could.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“The main purpose of accounting in a company is to make and deliver an accounting report for its president, and we will do our best to fulfill that purpose efficiently and effectively.”

“Hmm, I guess the meeting was very productive.”

While having a conversation with Manager Hong, Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China. After picking up the phone and realizing that it was from Min-Hyeok, Gun-Ho gestured to Manager Hong that he was dismissed.

“I received a call from Suk-Ho Lee. He said he placed an advertisement on a newspaper about his stores in Shenyang for sale, just like you suggested to him.”

“He made the right decision. That’s the best option for him.”

“He said that there has been no one who is showing any interest in buying his stores yet.”

“The timing is not good for him. It’s almost the end of December. He might not receive any inquiries about the stores until Spring.”

“I believe that people will come to see his stores after China’s Spring Festival.”

“I think so.”

“Guess what? My wife is pregnant.”

“Really? Congratulations. How far along is she?”

“She is three months pregnant. We didn’t know until we visited the hospital for other things.”

“Well, it now proves that you are not gay.”

“I know right? Many people around me have been teasing me a lot by asking me if I am gay since my wife and I don’t have a baby yet.”

“Anyhow, it’s very good news. Congratulations again. Be good to your wife, for your own good.”

“Thanks. I’m concerned about her work. She has no problem working right now, but I’m not sure how we should handle when her due gets closer.”

“Let’s worry about it when we have to. For now, she might want to find someone within the company, who could handle her work during her absence.

“We are thinking about hiring a Korean man.”

“For Dyeon China?”

“Yeah. Many Korean companies here go broke, and that makes a lot of highly competent Korean workers available in the job market. I think it’s a good opportunity for us to find a good employee.”

“Sounds good.”

“Once Dyeon Korea’s monthly sales hit 120 tons, we will start actively finding one for us.”

“Okay.”

It was Thursday.

When Gun-Ho arrived at work in GH Mobile, Jiksan Town, President Song brought the newly drafted organizational chart along with the promotion approval form for the position of the product quality department’s director.

“These reflect things that I discussed with you the other day, sir.”

Gun-Ho signed the promotion form right away.

“And this is about the promotion for the mid-level managers. It reflects the decision made by the personnel committee that is composed of the executive officers. We are giving promotions to twenty employees in total this year.”

Gun-Ho tossed his glance to the document. The first person on the list was the one who Director Jong-Suk Park recommended to Gun-Ho the other day. He would be promoted to a manager position.

“For the promotion for the mid-level managers, your signature will suffice, Mr. President Song.”

Gun-Ho said as he handed the promotion form back to President Song without signing it.

“We will make an announcement on the promotions and send it to each department as of today.”

“Okay.”

“Since GH Mobile has too many employees to have a year-end party together, we decided not to throw a party this year. Instead, we will have a simple Closing Ceremony to celebrate the closing of this year and an Opening Ceremony to celebrate opening a new year next year at the auditorium.”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea.”

During this year’s closing ceremony, we will prepare special food at the company restaurant. I was hoping that you could join us at the closing and opening ceremony, sir.”

“Me? That won’t be necessary. You can preside over the ceremonies without me, Mr. President Song.”

“We will also have an award ceremony where we will give a prize to two exemplary employees and two employees who had submitted excellent suggestions this year. Each department will select two candidates within their departments, who are considered as exemplary workers, and the executive officers will choose two among the candidates.”

“Sounds good. Make sure we give them generous prizes.”

“Understood, sir. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon.

Director Yoon entered Gun-Ho’s office as soon as Gun-Ho arrived at his office. He was holding the promotion approval form.

“What is it?”

“This is the promotion list for those who we want to give promotion to for this year. It also corresponds with the decision made by the executive officers during our last meeting. Mr. Director Kim told me that he already made a report to you, sir, about this verbally.”

Gun-Ho looked at the promotion form. As Director Kim mentioned the other day, the promotion form indicated that the maintenance team’s manager would be promoted to a mid-level manager position, and the Interpreter— Myeon-Joon Chae— would be promoted to an assistant manager position. Gun-Ho firmly signed the promotion form.

“I will make an announcement on the promotions and send it to each department today, sir.”

“Sounds good.”

“As to the year-end party, I was told that GH Mobile won’t have a party, but they will replace it with a simple closing ceremony for this year and the opening ceremony for next year. I think we should do the same since we now have a substantial number of employees to have a party with.”

“Sounds good. Don’t forget to provide a special meal to the employees on the closing ceremony day.”

“Yes, sir. I will make the arrangement.”

“You don’t need me during the closing ceremony and the opening ceremony, do you?”

“We do need you at the ceremony, sir. GH Mobile has a co-president— President Song— so they could have those ceremonies with President Song only, but Dyeon Korea has one president, and you need to be at the ceremonies, sir.”

“That’s onerous.”

“We still need you there, sir. We will have your greeting speech drafted and ready for the closing and opening ceremony.”

“Well, I will then attend the opening ceremony only. I have another compelling appointment on the day of the closing ceremony.”

“Yes, sir.”

Director Yoon walked out of Gun-Ho’s office carrying the document signed by Gun-Ho.

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Chapter 658 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (1) – Part 1

Chapter 658: Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (1) – Part 1

It was Gun-Ho’s graduation day from the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University. Even though it was not a degree course, being a part of the specific course program was meaningful, especially because the student body was composed of high social status people. They spent a year together in receiving a high-quality education and also establishing a precious social network. Gun-Ho couldn’t tell what really happened between other students, but he was sure that there must have been some covert business deals between them during the past year.

Gun-Ho himself earned important connections, especially with Minister Jin-Woo Lee. He presided over Gun-Ho’s wedding, and connected Gun-Ho’s business to A Electronics. Gun-Ho was not sure if Minister Jin-Woo Lee would ever ask him to do a favor for him later in preparing his slush fund, but he determined that he would respond to his possible future request productively as long as it would be a fair dealing for both of them.

The professors and instructors were greeting the graduating students.

“I would like to offer my congratulations to all of you for your accomplishment.”

The professors and instructors were standing up in a row and having a handshake with each student. The president in an academic regalia handed the certificate to each graduating student after having a handshake. A photographer took a picture of the moment for each student— 20 students in total.

After the graduation ceremony, the entire class headed to the 63 Building for their year-end party. They wanted to celebrate their graduation as well. Before heading out, Gun-Ho asked the professors and instructors to join them at the party, but they all turned down the offer.

“You are all holding a high social position in our society. You will have more fun without us. Go and enjoy your day.”

Gun-Ho didn’t strongly keep on insisting on having them at the party.

The Chinese restaurant— Baek Ni Hyang— in the 63 Building was equipped with many large private rooms for a group of customers in preparing occasions like a special event or a party. Gun-Ho’s group was placed in one of those private rooms; it was spacious even for twenty people. They were having a joyful time talking to each other while enjoying the course meal that they ordered. Attorney Young-Jin Park from Kim & Jeong Law Firm attended the gathering as well. He recently attended classes sporadically because of his busy schedule at work. He made the time to join this party because Gun-Ho asked him to do so.

“This place has a great view.”

“I know, right? Look at the lightings across the river. They are so beautiful.”

“Let me fill up your glass with liquor.”

“I can’t drink tonight. I understand that you have a chauffeur who will drive for you, but I have to drive home myself after the party.”

“Why don’t you hire a chauffeur?”

“I can’t afford to have a chauffeur. I’m not the rich owner president of some company. I’m merely an attorney.”

“I thought that the attorneys at Kim & Jeong Law Firm are being paid very well, aren’t they?”

“Even if that’s true, we can’t compare our salary to the amount that you are making from your business, President Goo.”

They were having a course meal, and a small dish came out one by one. There were twenty of them, and the room was filled with chatting noises. Minister Jin-Woo Lee stood up from his seat to give a toast. He probably felt the pressure to do so since he was the class president after all. He was holding a bottle of liquor called Shui Jing Fang.

“I’d like to propose a toast to the class. We finally finished our year-long course. As you will all agree, it was not an easy journey for us because of our age. Let me fill up your glass with this Shui Jing Fang.”

Minister Jin-Woo Lee walked around the room and filled up each student’s glass with liquor. And he gave meaningful and customized wording to each person.

“In my opinion, your opposite party in your area will try the strategic nomination in the next election. That’s very possible, Mr. Congressman Park.”

“Mr. District Attorney, you should get ready to be transferred to Seoul. It’s time.”

“Mr. Commanding Officer, you will live a long life as long as you have your mouth shut.”

Minister Jin-Woo Lee eventually came to Gun-Ho’s seat. He first filled up Attorney Kim’s glass and said, “If I quit my job as a minister, will you find men a position in the Kim & Jeong Law Firm?”

“I’m sure you will stay in your current position for a long while, sir.”

Minister Lee finally turned to Gun-Ho and said, “Mr. Class Manager, you have done an excellent job for the class for the past year. By reading your face, I can tell that you will make a tremendous amount of money next year.”

“Wow, if that comes true, I would be really happy, sir.”

Gun-Ho was not sure if Minister Lee was implying something, or if he was just giving him well-wishes. It didn’t actually matter to him though. Gun-Ho felt good hearing those blessed words. That evening, Gun-Ho drank a lot.

When Gun-Ho came home in his TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town, the lights in the living room and the master bedroom were still on.

“Honey, I’m home.”

Gun-Ho walked to the master bedroom while staggering. He opened the door and saw Young-Eun lying down on the bed playing with her smartphone.

“I love you, honey.”

Gun-Ho came close to Young-Eun and kissed her on the cheek.

“Whew, you stink of alcohol!” Young-Eun frowned.

“Yeah, I had a few drinks.”

“Stay away from me. You are drunk!”

Gun-Ho didn’t back off, but he continued to ramble to Young-Eun about his day.

“I had a drink with Minister Jin-Woo Lee, Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim & Jeong Law Firm and others. Look at this. This is the certificate issued by Seoul National University. We had a year-end party today and also celebrated our graduation.”

Young-Eun heaved herself halfway up on the bed and looked at the certificate that Gun-Ho held out to her. She didn’t forget to hold her nose while looking at the paper.

“Okay. Why don’t you go to your room? I can’t stand the smell any more. I feel like throwing up.”

“Okay, okay. I’m leaving. Bye-bye. I love you, Young-Eun.”

“Got it. Go now!”

When Gun-Ho reached the other room across the master bedroom, he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep right away. He didn’t even change his clothes.

It was the day of the year-end award for acting. Seol-Bing won an award. A lot of celebrities and journalists, and also people from entertainment agencies attended the award ceremony that was held at an event hall in the broadcasting station.

“Congratulations, Seol-Bing.”

When Seol-Bing turned around, there was BM Entertainment’s manager. Seol-Bing used to work with him when BM Entertainment managed her activities before she moved to another agency.

“Mr. Manager, you are here.”

BM Entertainment’s manager was wearing a neat business suit with a red tie.

“Sister, congratulations.”

It was Lia who recently came back from her trip to China.

Seol-Bing was displeased with the fact that Lia accepted the role in the TV drama— The hymn of desire— which she previously rejected, and that Lia was gaining in popularity due to that TV drama.

Seol-Bing said to Lia, “It’s hard to see you around these days.”

BM Entertainment’s manager chipped in while smiling with his eyes, “Lia has been busy lately with the TV drama shooting in China.”

Seol-Bing’s eyes flew back to Lia and said, “Yeah, I read about the drama in China on the internet. Are you here today to receive an award?”

“No, sister. I just came here to congratulate my friends who will receive an award.”

“I see. How’s the drama in China doing?”

“It’s okay. It’s very new. We just started it.”

The dandy entertainment manager from BM Entertainment chipped in again, “The drama that Lia stars in is a soap opera. It’s called Shiguang Ru Meng. Even though the drama is new, its ratings are pretty high. The Korean company— GH Media— is funding that drama’s production.”

Seol-Bing asked, “GH what?”

“GH Media. It owns an art gallery as well— GH Art Gallery. I think you’ve once been there by their invitation, haven’t you?”

“I think I have.”

Seol-Bing pretended as if she didn’t care, but in fact, she was feeling enormous anger inside.

‘GH Mobile’s Gun-Ho Goo must have invested in that drama. Lia must have seduced him to do so.’

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Chapter 659 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (1) – Part 2

Chapter 659: Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (1) – Part 2

Due to the nature of her job, Seol-Bing had plenty of experience with kissing a man, especially while starring in a drama. Having a kiss with Gun-Ho once was not a very special event for her. She had kissed with the son of the owner president of some newspaper publishing company, and she also had kissed with the President’s son. It was none of her business whether Lia was starring in a TV drama which was being produced with Gun-Ho’s funds, but she just didn’t like it. Well, she didn’t like the fact that Lia was pretty. it was annoying to admit that Lia was beautiful.

“Lia, you said that you are not receiving an award today, right? Then you should sit in the rear area. This front row is only for the people who will receive an award tonight. Go to the back side. The award ceremony will soon begin.”

Lia was forced to sit in the back.

In fact, for Seol-Bing, Gun-Ho was not her first choice of man. Gun-Ho was not handsome like an actor. He did seem to have money, but he was not from a conglomerate family, so he wouldn’t satisfy her mother’s requirement either.

Seol-Bing was told that Gun-Ho had a building in Seoul, and he was running an auto parts manufacturing company in a provincial city. He looked like a loser who was trying to spend a night with an actress, feeling confident that he could do that just because he had some money. That was how Seol-Bing perceived Gun-Ho at that time. Moreover, according to the current general tendency in choosing a man, competent and able ladies were supposed to choose either a younger man or a man from a conglomerate family. Seol-Bing thought that Gun-Ho was too old for herself.

“Gun-Ho Goo? Ha! He seems to have more money than I thought. I give him that. Well, he leased the entire meeting room— Gekkyu— in New Otani Hotel to meet with me.”

Seol-Bing, at some point, had wondered why Gun-Ho Goo hadn’t contacted her any longer. That was weird. Seol-Bing didn’t know about Gun-Ho’s marriage, and she had no idea about a young beautiful dancing geisha who Gun-Ho could never forget about.

Seol-Bing decided to hate Gun-Ho, but she actually hated Lia much more. Whenever she encountered Lia in the broadcasting station, she didn’t even lay her eyes on Lia and treated her like she was invisible to her.

It was January next year.

“Did I just turn 38 years old?”

Gun-Ho was having mixed feelings while heading to Dyeon Korea in Asan City in his Bentley to attend its new year’s opening ceremony.

‘I previously made a goal to make 1 trillion won before turning 40 years old. I have now only two years left until I become 40. I guess I dreamed too high. How possibly can I make 1 trillion won within two years?’

I was 32 years old when I went to Asan City to have a job interview with YS Tech. I was working in Bangil Gas at that time, and I wanted to have a better position in an accounting department in a decent company. Six years have passed since then. Now, I have my own family, and I have made good money so far. But, I wonder if I will ever be able to achieve my goal— making 1 trillion won.’

Gun-Ho didn’t stop by GH Mobile in Jiksan Town that day, but he went straight to Dyeon Korea. When he entered his office, Director Yoon came to him informing that the opening ceremony was ready to start.

“Everyone is at the auditorium right now, sir. Here is the greeting speech that you could use during the opening ceremony, sir.”

Director Yoon handed a paper to Gun-Ho.

“Okay, let’s go then.”

In the auditorium, about 150 workers were sitting. On the platform, the executive officers were sitting while facing the 150 employees. On the wall, there was a banner saying ‘Dyeon Korea’s 20xx Opening Ceremony.’

“Best wishes to you, sir,” the executive officers stood up from their seats to greet Gun-Ho who was walking toward the platform.

The new year’s opening ceremony began.

Gun-Ho didn’t read the greeting speech that was prepared by Director Yoon or others, but he gave his own greeting speech to his employees. It was short. Basically, he thanked the employees for their hard work last year, and he said that he was anticipating a bright future for the company in the new year, as he was expecting an acute increase in sales and more export to China and India.

After the opening ceremony was over, Gun-Ho suggested that all of the executive officers— there were four of them— stand at the exit door making a line and had a handshake with each employee. The four executive officers had a handshake with each of the 150 employees.

“Happy new year.”

“You too, sir. Happy new year.”

The workers seemed to like to have a handshake with the executive officers. Every single worker in Dyeon Korea attended the opening ceremony including the kitchen lady, the security guard, and the cleaning crew, and they all had a handshake with all of the executive officers that day.

The next day, Gun-Ho went to work in the GH Building in Sinsa Town. When he entered his office, Manager Hong came to the office.

“The approval email for each GH company’s budget for this new year was sent to each company last December as you instructed, sir.”

“Hmm.”

“Some GH companies haven’t finished their previous year’s financial documents concluding the entire year yet. Most of them are still working on the financial documents in the month of December.”

“Tell them to make an estimated profit and loss statement for the month of December, and ask them to finish the last year’s financial documents by the 10th of this month. I want to receive the report next week for all of the GH companies.”

“Yes, sir.”

“For GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea, I want to hear the presentation concluding last year’s profit and loss, and financial status from the person who is in charge of the company’s accounting. I want them to give the presentation during the executive meeting.”

“Understood, sir.”

“As to GH Logistics, I will just receive their financial documents. They are a small company, and the paper report should suffice.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell GH Media that they can give me a report at their convenient time while I’m in this office.”

“Yes, sir. I will send out the instruction email to each company in the form of an official letter.”

“Sounds good. You sound like the head of Planning and Coordination, Mr. Manager Hong.”

“Haha. When each GH company is combined into a group, I’d like to work as the head of the planning and coordination department. That would be my dream job, sir.”

“Haha, is that so?”

When Manager Hong was giving a bow before walking out of the office, Gun-Ho added, “Also, tell the companies in China to give me the financial report as well. I want to receive their documents via email. Send the request to both GH Parts Company in Suzhou City and Antang GH Transportation in Antang City.”

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Hong quietly closed the door behind her when she walked out of the office.

Gun-Ho leaned back on the sofa and thought about what Manager Hong said about her dream job.

‘Will Ms. Manager Hong be the right fit for the position of the head of the planning and coordination department when it’s time for me to choose someone for that position? She is calm and good with numbers. I have no doubt about her competency in the accounting work, but leading an entire department especially the planning and coordination department is different. Is she able to handle the work as a woman? She does have a tax accountant license, and she is trustworthy, but I don’t know…’

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Chapter 660 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (2) – Part 1

Chapter 660: Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (2) – Part 1

In order to monitor their business activities, companies were generating their profit and loss statements regularly. As to the time when to produce their year-end annual profit and loss statements, it varied from company to company. And, the month of December was commonly chosen among many companies.

However, Gun-Ho chose to receive the profit and loss reports in early January for all GH companies considering all sorts of circumstances going on around his companies. None of his GH companies was registered with KOSDAQ yet, and each of them was independently operated without any particular department that would connect them to each other as one group. Gun-Ho had to visit each company to receive the financial report from each company.

However, the schedule for the report was informed to each company by GH Development’s Manager Hong who was hoping to do the planning and coordinating jobs connecting all GH companies someday.

It was the day when GH Mobile would give the year-end profit and loss report on the previous year and also on next year’s business plan. The report would be presented by its accounting director—Min-Hwa Kim. The general affairs department arranged the meeting, and the entire executive officers gathered in the conference room. Gun-Ho’s seat was in the middle of the large table.

As he sat on his assigned seat, Gun-Ho looked around the room. There were President Jang-Hwan Song, Chief Research Officer Joon-Soo Oh, General Affairs Director Joon-Young Choi, Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim, Production Director Jong-Suk Park, and the newly promoted director in the product quality department—Director Chang-Ik Pyo.

“Let’s begin,” Gun-Ho said calmly.

Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim stood up from her seat and distributed handouts to the attendees. She then started her presentation by summarizing GH Mobile’s financial status of last year. Everyone was listening to her quietly.

“GH Mobile generated a total sales revenue of 110.2 billion won last year. It’s 35% higher than the sales revenue of the previous year. This acute increase in the sales revenue was due to the increase of the product orders from A Electronics as you all are well aware.”

“Hmm.”

“The cost of goods sold was 89.3 billion won, and our gross profit is 20.9 billion won accordingly, which is 19% of the total sales revenue. The general administrative cost was 11 billion won, and the operating profit was 9.9 billion won.”

“What is the operating profit to sales ratio?”

“It’s 9%, sir.”

“What about the cost of sales to revenue ratio?”

“It’s 81%, sir.”

“The cost of sales to revenue ratio is still over 80%… Well, please continue.”

“The non-operating expenses were reduced to 2.4 billion won compared to the one in the previous year. That would make our net profit before tax 7.5 billion won.”

“Hmm.”

“Taking into account our corporate tax, our net earnings after tax would be 5.85 billion won.”

Gun-Ho finished a glass of water before asking the accounting director, “How much financial liabilities do we currently have for the financial institutions?”

President Song responded before the accounting director could answer, “It’s 35 billion won, sir.”

“We must have a high amount of accounts payable as well.”

“It’s 20 billion won, sir.”

“I won’t take my dividend this time either just like last year. Use our profit of 5 billion won to pay the bank for our debt.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I haven’t received Dyeon Korea’s yearly profit and loss report yet, but its capital has been increased as I added its building to their assets as investment in-kind. Consequently, it is highly possible that about 3 billion won would flow into GH Mobile.”

“Is that right, sir?”

The meeting was mostly made up of the conversation between Gun-Ho and President Song as other executive officers were busy writing down important figures while listening to them.

“We can use that 3 billion won to pay for our debt for the bank as well. Our debt will be reduced to 2.7 billion won then.”

“That’s right.”

“The 20 billion won of accounts payable is shown on this handout… Is it from the Mulpasaneop era?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s cut it down gradually as we continue to do business with the vendor companies.”

“Yes, sir.”

The new year’s business plan was presented by President Song. President Song set the goal to generate 140 billion won that year.

While President Song was talking about this year’s business plan, Gun-Ho was doing math on his own without really paying attention to President Song’s presentation.

‘If GH Mobile makes 140 billion won this year, the net income after tax would be 6 billion won at most. If we don’t use the profit to pay the bank for the debt but instead distribute to shareholders as the dividends, about 5 billion won will be available for the dividend payment, after setting aside the required reserve. How much dividend would Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father receive as one of our shareholders?

He owns 15% of the shares. Even if he takes his dividend corresponding to his share, it won’t be much. He will have to pay taxes for his income and also local tax. He will probably get 700 million won then. They are trying to save for Minister Lee’s slush funds, and I wonder if 700 million is a satisfactory amount for them. If not, they might try to make another deal with me.

Minister Jin-Woo Lee will have to step down from his position this year. He has been in that position for too long, and also, he is an ambitious man who wouldn’t be satisfied working as a mere minister in the government. Next year, we have an election. He will definitely need money ready by then. Even if he is successfully elected as a congressman, he won’t stay in the position for long either. He must desire to go up to a higher position.’

“This is all for today. Please feel free to ask any questions.”

The business plan report seemed to be completed while Gun-Ho was lost in thought on his own. The only thing that Gun-Ho wanted to know from the year’s business plan and goal was their aimed sales revenue. He didn’t care much about the details about how to reach that goal. That was just a plan and the will of the person who drafted the plan. That was what Gun-Ho thought.

“Good job, everyone. You all heard of this year’s plan from President Song. We made a tremendous growth last year; let’s continue to work hard this year and achieve our goal. Thank you for your time today.”

“I have a suggestion to make,” President Song rapidly said as he raised his hand.

“Yes?”

“I heard that Dyeon Korea is giving a 100% performance-based bonus to the employees for their last year’s work. I understand that Dyeon Korea achieved an impressive growth last year, but our employees also worked so hard for the past year.”

“You are saying that GH Mobile’s employees deserve an opportunity to receive a bonus too.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want to know how much we should expect to expend as part of labor cost if we pay a bonus of 25% and 50%. Ms. Director Min-Hwa Kim, please give me those two numbers.”

“GH Mobile currently has 500 workers. Assuming that we only provide a bonus to the workers who have worked with us for at least a year, 400 workers would be eligible for a bonus. If we give 50% of the bonus to those 400 people, we will need an additional 400 million won, and 200 million won will be needed if we decide to give 25%.”

“I guess we can’t make it 50% then since we won’t have enough cash left to pay for our debt. Let’s make it 25% then.”

“I was actually going to suggest 20%, but 25% will be great. Thank you so much, sir. I want to show my gratitude on behalf of Dyeon Korea’s employees, sir,” President Song exclaimed.

As President Song expressed his gratitude, all of the other executive officers shouted at once as well, “Thank you, sir.”

After the meeting, when the executive officers started leaving the conference room, Gun-Ho asked Jong-Suk to stay, “Director Park! Can I have a moment with you?”

Director Park turned around and came closer to Gun-Ho.

“Is everything okay? You look extremely tired.”

“I just couldn’t sleep much lately.”

“Why?”

“I submitted my application to transfer to Korea University of Technology and Education. I have an interview with them tomorrow. I’m so anxious that I might fail this time. I just can’t sleep since I’m worrying about it.”

“If you fail, then you fail. So what? It’s not worth missing a night of sleep.”

“I will be extremely embarrassed if my application to transfer to their school is rejected.”

“Hey, Jong-Suk Park! You’ve changed a lot. You were not the type of person who would ever feel embarrassed about things like that.”

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Chapter 661 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (2) – Part 2

Chapter 661: Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (2) – Part 2

Jong-Suk Park continued to talk to Gun-Ho, “You don’t know, bro. There are several people in the production department among mid-level managers who graduated from Korea University of Technology and Education. Also, my wife firmly believes that I will be accepted to transfer to that university. I don’t want to see my wife being disappointed. I would be so embarrassed.”

“You are not like everyone. You are talented in the field, and you have extensive hands-on work experience specifically in the very industry. Even the world-renowned engineer—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo—spoke highly about your competency.”

“That’s not enough, bro. I didn’t care about my academic background when I worked at the small factories in Pocheon City and Yangju City. But, here is different. We have more than 500 workers. It is a must to have at least a four-year college degree in my position. Whenever we have a visit from potential client companies, they all ask about what major the plant manager studied in college.”

“Hmm, really?

“When I told them that I didn’t go to college, they sneered. Well, that’s how I felt.”

“You are being too sensitive.”

“Also, my wife has a high expectation on this too. I feel pressured enormously at work and at home.”

“You are suffering unnecessarily for a trivial matter. Well, I became free from those worries when I graduated from Zhejiang University in China. If I stopped studying after graduating from that cyber college, I might have been wasting my time worrying about what others would think of me because of my academic background.”

“That’s why you married the woman who graduated from the top university in the nation—Seoul National University.”

“Haha. Is that why I married her?”

“I should have studied harder for TOEIC. If I scored even a few points more, I wouldn’t worry this much. Sh*t! I want to go back and relive my life again. I swear that I will study hard.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you will do great tomorrow with the interview.”

“Well, bro, I gotta go.”

Jong-Suk turned around and started walking toward Production Site B after passing the door. He looked obviously down.

While watching Jong-Suk leaving the room, Gun-Ho suddenly felt nervous as well.

“What if his application is turned down as he is worried? He will be so disappointed that he won’t be able to focus on his work. Because of that stupid academic degree, a competent young engineer is suffering greatly.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea. After lunch, they had an executive meeting. The meeting was for the executive officers only, but that day, Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo joined the meeting because they would talk about the yearly profit and loss report and the production plan for this year. Vice President Adam Castler, Director Kim, Director Yoon, the internal auditor, Manager Yoo, Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo, and Interpreter Myeong-Joon Chae attended the meeting.

Manager Myeong-Sook Jo prepared the presentation on last year’s annual profit and loss report. Knowing that Gun-Ho preferred to see numbers and data on a paper rather than through a PowerPoint presentation, Manager Jo prepared handouts and distributed them to the meeting attendees.

Director Kim teased her, “Ms. Manager Jo, don’t feel nervous, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho, who was sitting in the middle, said, “Please begin.”

Manager Jo started her report on last year’s profit and loss.

“Please look at page one of the handout in front of you. As it indicates, Dyeon Korea achieved a sales revenue of 52.8 billion won last year. Our start, in the beginning, was not strong, but our sales revenue was dramatically increased later in the year as GH Mobile’s sales significantly increased, and also as we received new product orders from A Electronics’ vendor companies. We made way more than we anticipated last year.”

“Hmm.”

“Our cost of sales was 37 billion won, and that makes our cost of sales to revenue ratio 70%.”

Manager Jo then looked at Gun-Ho’s face.

“Please go on,” Gun-Ho said.

“The general administrative expenses are 4.2 billion won, and the operating profit is 11.6 billion won. We also made a non-operating income of 20 million won. Our net profit before tax is 11.6 billion won.”

“Do these numbers reflect the 100% bonus that we promised to our employees?”

“Yes, sir. I included the bonus in calculating these numbers. The employees who joined our company less than a year ago are excluded for the bonus though.”

“Hmm, I see. Did you separately list our R&D expenses?”

“Yes, I did, sir. It’s listed under the development cost.”

Gun-Ho turned to the internal auditor and said, “When we make B/C (Balance Sheet), can we list our R&D expenses under assets?”

“Well, it’s not common, but it’s not unseen either. Some biopharma companies do that, but it could become a problem.”

Because of Mr. Adam Castler, whenever someone said something during the meeting, they had to give Interpreter Chae the time to interpret for Mr. Adam Castler, and that bored Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho thought that he would better finish the meeting as soon as possible. In order to do so, he decided to ask questions about things that he wanted to know, instead of just sitting there and listening to the presentation passively.

“After paying the corporate tax, what would be our net earnings?”

The internal auditor answered that question before Manager Jo could, “It would be about 9 billion won, sir.”

“9 billion won… Mr. Vice President Adam Castler!”

Mr. Adam Castler was frightened when his name was called unexpectedly. He was sitting on the chair comfortably. He straightened up his posture and looked at Gun-Ho.

“Our net profit will be 9 billion won. We will put it back to the company and increase the capital. We’ve already talked about this during the last board meeting.”

“I’m not in the position to give an approval or agreement on it, sir. Even though it was previously discussed in the board meeting, I will have to hear what the head office would say about it.”

“Okay. Tell them that we want to reinvest that 9 billion won in the company.”

“Yes, sir.”

“As we put 9 billion won back to the company, we will assume that Lymondell Dyeon contributed 4.5 billion won, and we contributed the other half—4.5 billion won. Also, since we would list the company building under Dyeon Korea as our investment in-kind, we will take out 3 billion won in cash, which is the fair value of the building. GH Mobile will use that money to pay the bank for its debt.”

“That means the Korean co-venturer put 3 billion won in investment in-kind and 1.5 billion in cash, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Understood. I will let the head office know.”

“We have Director Yoon here, who was in charge of the construction when we built this building. It actually cost us a bit more than 3 billion won, but we asked the appraisers to try not to give us more than 3 billion won of value.”

“Haha, thank you.”

Gun-Ho looked at Director Yoon and asked, “Did we notarize the appraisal?”

Interpreter Chae responded this time, “I’m sorry, sir. We have the appraisal, but I didn’t have a chance to translate it yet. I will finish it and get it notarized within this week.”

“Okay. Do it as quickly as you could.”

Gun-Ho said to the internal auditor, “Once we receive the external audit document from the CPA firm in March, please pay the corporate tax right away.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, take the document about the capital increase to the certified legal consultant’s office, and take out 3 billion won, which corresponds to the construction cost of our company building, and then send it to GH Mobile. I already instructed GH Mobile’s President Song to pay the bank for its debt once he receives 3 billion won from Dyeon Korea.”

“Understood, sir.”

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Chapter 662 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (3) – Part 1

Chapter 662: Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

Director Kang and Manager Hong entered Gun-Ho’s office, carrying some documents. It seemed that they were ready to give Gun-Ho the year-end profit and loss report. Gun-Ho called for the secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Please bring us three cups of green tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

Director Kang and Manager Hong unfolded the documents that they brought.

Gun-Ho said, “GH Development has a simple profit system. So, I expect to hear a simple financial report concluding the previous year.”

“Yes, sir.”

Director Kang started the report as he handed a summary chart of GH Development’s year-end financial status to Gun-Ho.

“The sales revenue increased to 9.9 billion won. We made 100 million more than last year.”

“We don’t have any vacant space in the building, do we?”

“No, sir. The entire building is currently occupied completely.”

“If any tenant on the 17th floor and 18th floor gives a notice to vacate their office, please let me know before finding another tenant. We might have a use for those offices for ourselves.”

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Kang continued, “Our profit is 100 million won.”

“We are making a profit, huh?”

“The building maintenance reserve and the depreciation are…”

At that point, Gun-Ho stopped Manager Kang by saying, “That would be enough. You don’t have to give me all the details. I’m already aware of those numbers. I want you to get me the officially assessed land price for this building later.”

“Yes, sir. I’m not sure about this year, but it’s very possible that this building’s officially assessed land price will increase next year. The price of real estate in Gangnam District is constantly on the rise. As the price of the property increases, I will have it reflected on the rental price of the offices in this building.”

“Hmm, it will give more burden to our tenants.”

“Once the officially assessed land price increases, the property tax of our building and land will increase accordingly. The government will try to increase its tax revenue by collecting more tax that way. I feel sorry for the tenants, but as we incur more tax to maintain the building, we will have to share the burden with all of the building occupants, which is fair. We can’t lose money to make the tenants’ financial burden less heavy.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for the tenants as well.”

“We are a for-profit company. Raising the rent is necessary in order to generate profits under the circumstance, sir. Even though we raise the rent, we will still enjoy a 100% occupancy rate since we are located in the middle of Gangnam District which is one of the most desirable locations. If we place an office space available on the market, it will be taken right away.”

“You are getting along with the real estate agents in the area, right?”

“Of course, sir. I was even invited to a wedding last time. The real estate agent in Gangnam Real Estate Office across the street has a daughter, and I attended his daughter’s wedding. He looked very delighted to see me at the wedding.”

“Good. You will have to maintain good connections with our tenants as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once Director Kang and Manager Song left Gun-Ho’s office, GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin entered the office. President Jeong-Sook Shin brought a simple chart to Gun-Ho, and she said, “This is the report on our last year’s profit and loss, sir.”

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh again to bring a cup of tea for President Shin.

“We have achieved a sales revenue of 2.8 billion won last year.”

“That’s very good.”

“2.8 billion won includes the sales revenue from the art gallery and the book café. I can give you the exact number for each business since we have several businesses going on.”

“That won’t be necessary. Can you now tell me about the expenses?”

“The labor cost and all other expenses are 1.1 billion won altogether. We didn’t categorize it with a cost of sales or a general administrative cost as a manufacturing company would.”

At that moment, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought two cups of tea.

“Please have some tea.”

“Thank you.”

President Shin continued as she sipped her tea, “GH Media has no financial debt owed to a financial institution. Therefore, we don’t have non-operating expenses or income as many manufacturing companies do. We have some interest income for the funds in the bank, but I didn’t include it to the chart since it’s an insignificant amount.”

“If we deduct those expenses from the total sales revenue, that would be the net profit?”

“Yes, sir. We made 1.7 billion won profit before tax. After paying 20% corporate tax, we will be left with 1.36 billion won which is our net profit. GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea are probably paying 22% corporate tax since they are large companies with corresponding large profits. But, GH Media is small enough to pay less corporate tax—20%. The companies, which are even smaller than GH Media that make less than 200 million won, pays 10% of corporate tax.”

“The profit system of publishing companies looks way better than the one of manufacturing companies.”

“That’s not entirely true, sir. The publishing industry has its own hardship in doing business. It’s really hard to increase sales, for example. Of course, we can produce good profits, but that’s only if we successfully sell books. If we fail to come up with a best-selling book, the company will have to close its business. It’s a very risky business. That’s why we see a lot of publishing companies opening and also closing the business within a year, just like deep-fried chicken restaurants.”

“Hmm, really?”

“That’s why the government is waving VAT on publishing companies, hoping it would promote businesses in a cultural industry.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

While President Shin was sipping her tea, Gun-Ho asked her, “So, the net profit after tax is 1.36 billion won, right?”

“Yes, sir. So, I was thinking… We want to distribute dividends for the amount of 1.2 billion won.”

“1.2 billion won?”

“Right. You will receive 1.14 billion won while I take 60 million won for my 5% share.”

“Hmm.”

“GH Media now has one more income source—the drama production. We will start making revenue from it starting next year. I’m so excited. Haha.”

“Okay. Let’s distribute the dividend as you just suggested. That’s fine with me.”

“I understand that the dividend of 1.14 billion won from GH Media is not much for you, considering that you have other companies where you make additional income from, but 60 million won is a big money for me. I’m going to pay for my debt with it. Haha.”

“Paying for your debt? I didn’t know you have a debt.”

“I have 300 million won to pay off.”

“300 million won? It’s not an insignificant amount for an individual. Did you run a business before and it went broke?”

“No, sir. I bought a condo, and that’s my mortgage loan. I now live in Nonhyeon Town. I’m a resident in Gangnam District. Hahaha.”

“Really? Congratulations. I guess you purchased a very nice condo, assuming that high amount of loan.”

“I used to live in a 25 pyung large condo in the Raemian Condo Complex in Dangsan Town. It was a lump-sum lease with 450 million won.”

“I see.”

“I had to commute all the way to Sinsa Town here from Dangsan Town, which was not easy, so I looked for a condo around here. I wanted a condo within a walking distance from my work. The condo price in Nonhyeon Town is surprisingly high even considering its location in Gangnam District.”

“Hmm.”

“My real estate agent found one condo for me. It’s the condo in Sindonga Pamillie Condo Complex. He told me that I should buy it when it was still available since it was on the market for a relatively low price. He guaranteed that its price would go up no matter what. He also connected me to a loan officer.”

“How much did you pay for the condo?”

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Chapter 663 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (3) – Part 2

Chapter 663: Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (3) – Part 2

President Shin continued, “My condo was on the market for an urgent sale. It was last year. It’s a 30 pyung large condo, and the price was 850 million won. I had 100 million won in cash that I saved up with the dividend I had received last year. So, I was like ‘okay, let’s go for it,’ and I bought it.”

“So, you had your 450 million won back from your previous condo and added 100 million that you had in cash to it. So, you bought the condo with 550 million won with a 300 million won loan taken out from a bank.”

“That’s right. With a 300 million won loan, my monthly payment for the bank is 1 million won. I couldn’t sleep at night whenever I thought about the payment. I felt like I was working to make money to pay for the loan interest to the bank.”

“Hmm, 300 million won is a lot for a loan.”

“The price of real estate in Gangnam District increased a lot recently. The news about converting the special high schools—the foreign language high schools and the science high schools—into regular high schools definitely contributed to the increase in price. Now, people prefer to live in Gangnam District even more than before because of its steadily good school district. Without those special high schools, the high schools in Gangnam District are even more attractive to the parents who have school-age children.”

“Hmm, right. I heard about it too. Your condo’s price must have increased already.”

“I paid 850 million won for it a year ago. Now, its market price is 1.2 billion won.”

“Whoa, you made a lot of money within a year.”

“Once I receive my dividend of 60 million won this time, I will make extra payments toward my principal balance on my mortgage loan, and my debt will be reduced to 240 million won. I think I will feel a lot less pressured with my new monthly debt obligation. I’m so happy that I’m now a resident of Gangnam District. Haha.”

“Haha. Congratulations again.”

“I thank you for it, sir. I could buy the condo and move to Gangnam District because you asked me to move my office to this building in the first place.”

“Well, you are a lucky person.”

“When I lived in Dangsan Town, one of my friends bought a condo in Gimpo City for 300 million won, and she kept asking me to buy a condo in Gimpo and move in just like she did. I thank God that I didn’t listen to her at that time. If I bought a condo in Gimpo City, I would have never been able to live in a condo that is worth 1.2 billion won.”

“That sounds right.”

“My friend in Gimpo is now envious of me. She said that the price of her condo in Gimpo City stays the same even until now. She said that she doesn’t even dream to live in a condo that is worth 1.2 billion won any longer. Her husband is making good money, but it’s hard to save a million won per month even under her situation.”

“Well, Ms. President Shin, you can make another successful year this year generating a substantial amount of profit by working hard, so you can earn 240 million won as your dividend next year. You can then pay off all of your debt.”

“Haha. That sounds like a good plan.”

“You will have to wait though before you receive your dividend. We have several procedures beforehand such as getting an external audit and paying our corporate tax. Why don’t you take out 60 million won from the company bank account for now and pay your debt? You can put it back once you receive your dividend later.”

“Really? Are you sure, sir? Thank you so much, sir.”

President Shin gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho before walking out of the office.

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh came into Gun-Ho’s office to clean the table. She asked Gun-Ho, “Ms. President Shin seems to be in a good mood. I could hear her laughing even outside the office.”

“That’s how she is all the time, isn’t she? She laughs a lot.”

“Well, I saw her walking out of the office. Her face was telling me that she was extremely happy and excited.”

“Hmm, really? I guess her condo price in Nonhyeon Town went up significantly.”

“Oh, really? Our parents’ condo price in Apgujeong Town must have gone up as well then.”

“Condos over there are probably worth more than 2 billion won now.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh grinned and picked up the teacups before leaving the office.

Gun-Ho leaned back on his sofa and thought about the OneRooms in Songuri Town, Pocheon City and Gwangjuk Town, Yangju City, and also in Cheonan City where he used to live a long time ago. When he worked in a factory in Hwaseong City, he lived in a OneRoom where he could see tons of ants.

‘I lived by myself in a OneRoom at that time, but some family lived in that small rental unit or in a tiny two-bed unit with their kids… When I worked as a factory worker, our team lead in the production site often said that it would be really nice if he had 100 million won. The real estate price in Gangnam District is going crazily up. The housing price polarization is not a desirable phenomenon at all…

If people like Minister Jin-Woo Lee get more power in politics, would the housing price polarization be corrected? Min-Hyeok Kim, Jae-Sik Moon, and myself… We were actually a typical victim of that housing price polarization.’

Gun-Ho walked out of the GH building. He wanted to get some fresh air and get away from work for a moment. He took the subway line no. 3 at the Sinsa Station and got off at Seoul Express Bus Terminal. He then entered the movie theater in the basement of Shinsegae Department Store, which was situated next to the bus terminal. Since it was a weekday, there were plenty of vacant seats in the theater. At the moment, he received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“I’m calling to give you a report on our year-end profit and loss. Is it a good time to talk?”

“I’m not in the office right now. Can we talk around 2 pm after lunch?”

“Sure. I will give you a call at 2 then.”

“I will call you around 2 pm.”

“Okay. Talk to you later then.”

Gun-Ho watched a foreign movie alone while having popcorn. He didn’t even know the title of the movie that he was watching.

After the movie, he had a chicken burger with coke at Lotteria for lunch. He was sitting in a window seat, and he watched pedestrians on the street while having his burger.

“They all look busy. They must have a job around here.”

Gun-Ho thought about his employees at GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea.

‘GH Mobile has 500 employees, and Dyeon Korea has 150. There are 650 workers combined in those two companies. I guess I contributed to society by creating a lot of jobs.

Well, maybe not. I hired more workers in GH Mobile when I took over other companies’ work. So, technically, I didn’t create jobs, but I just moved the number of jobs, which were already created in other companies, to mine. If I hired more workers to develop a new product, then it would be counted as creating jobs. However, as to the workers hired for the products being sent to Chrysler, it should be considered as creating jobs because we are exporting our products. Also, it’s fair to say that I didn’t create jobs in hiring the workers in Dyeon Korea because that was for the work that we took over from other companies as well.

As I opened Dyeon Korea, we started replacing the raw materials on the market that used to be produced by other chemical companies. Therefore, those companies probably laid off some of their employees, as we hired more workers in Dyeon Korea. So, I wouldn’t say that I created jobs by running Dyeon Korea. I should come up with an innovative product rather than replacing existing products. But, it’s not easy.’

Gun-Ho looked around inside Lotteria while drinking his coke. Lotteria was packed with people, maybe because it was lunchtime.

‘When I was in high school in Incheon City, if someone had a franchise of Lotteria, that family was considered rich. We had one in our class at that time. He was later transferred to a high school in Seoul City. I wonder how he is doing now. I don’t even clearly remember his face, but I remember that he became a popular kid by bringing French fries from his father’s Lotteria. No one beat him up. Suk-Ho Lee, Byeong-Chul Hwang, and even Won-Chul Jo tried to get along with him.’

Gun-Ho looked around again at the interior of the Lotteria and did his math about its business.

‘The biggest problem would be labor cost. Taking into account the rent and the cost of ingredients, a franchised restaurant like this one would generate about 15 million won per month.’

Gun-Ho came back to his office by subway. There were plenty of empty seats in the subway train, but Gun-Ho chose to remain standing for the entire trip back to Sinsa Town.

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Chapter 664 - Maternity Leave 1 – Part 1

Chapter 664 Maternity Leave 1 – Part 1

Once Gun-Ho came back to his office in GH Building, he made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim. It was around 2 pm.“You seem to be very busy taking care of businesses outside the office.”

“Haha. Not really. I’m not particularly busy these days.”

“GH Parts Company’s year-end profit and loss report has been emailed to the Manager Song person over there.”

“Yeah, I’m aware of it. But I still wanted to hear from you.”

“We barely made over 10 billion won last year. It’s 10.4 billion won to be exact.”

“You did a good job.”

“Our cost of goods sold is 8 billion won, and the general administrative cost is 800 million won.”

“Hmm, I see. The general administrative cost is less than 8%.”

“I’ve tried hard to reduce our general administrative cost, but it has not been easy. The salary of our manager here is included in the general administrative cost rather than in the cost of goods sold since the position that he is holding is a managerial position.”

“Is that so? That manager person is good?”

“Yeah, he is good. He is doing all of the actual supervisory work around here.”

“I see.”

“Since we don’t have any loan from a bank or need to make an interest payment to them, you can say that our ordinary income is 1.6 billion won.”

“That’s good.”

“After paying Congsi Shui (corporate tax) here, we will be left with around 1.2 billion won.”

“Are you going to use them all to distribute dividends?”

“That would be great. I need money, and I’m sure that you need cash considering your ongoing investment in China for Huanle Shiji Production Company. What do you think?”

“Hmm, I see.”

“You will receive 1.14 billion won, and I will receive 60 million won as dividends.”

“Don’t we have to leave some cash in the reserve?”

“Money is constantly coming into the company as we continuously do business, so I don’t think we have to leave some of our profits from last year to save in our reserve.”

“Okay, then. Let’s distribute the dividends then.”

“I still have some mortgage loan left for the condo in Incheon City, where my parents are living right now. I’m going to use the 60 million won to pay it off. I will be debt-free in Korea.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“It will take a huge burden off my shoulders. I can then focus on paying off the mortgage loan here for my condo, starting next year.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, once I pay off those two mortgage loans, I will have two condos without any financial obligation— one in Korea and one in China. I can then consider myself the middle class. I believe that I will be in a better financial situation than Suk-Ho Lee.”

“Is Suk-Ho Lee still in Shenyang City?”

“I think so. I sometimes want to help him, but I can’t shake off those negative feelings developed over the past years, especially during our high school years. I don’t feel sorry for him whenever I think of those old days when he treated me so badly. Well, I know those feelings are fading away though as I grow old.”

“You don’t have to actually help him, but you can be kind to him.”

“You know what? You remember Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo, who used to work here in interpreting for me, and she is now helping Jae-Sik Moon in Antang City?”

“Of course. She was my private tutor when I was learning the basic Chinese language.”

“She is now giving private lessons to Jae-Sik Moon and his wife, and Jae-Sik’s wife is speaking Chinese almost fluently now.”

“Really? She just started learning Chinese, didn’t she?”

“I talked with Eun-Hwa Jo the other day. She was amazed by Jae-Sik’s wife’s fast improvement in the Chinese language. Even though she started learning it not long ago, her skills to apply what she learned is very impressive. If Eun-Hwa Jo teaches one thing to her, Jae-Sik’s wife applies it on ten different occasions. Eun-Hwa Jo said that she had been teaching so many Koreans for a long time, but she has never seen a person like her who learns Chinese that quickly.”

“Haha. She must be talented in languages. She majored in Korean literature in college, and I’m sure she knows a lot of Chinese words too. Hmm, even so, knowledge in literature and Chinese characters don’t really guarantee someone’s second language speaking ability…”

“I heard about this from somewhere. There are people who are born with natural talent in language. It’s like your inborn talent with numbers, Gun-Ho.”

“Haha. I’m just doing some mental calculations. That’s all. Anyway, it’s very nice that Jae-Sik’s wife is talented for languages.”

“As to Dingding’s sales company, Dingding told me that she already sent the year-end financial report to Mr. Adam Castler along with the next year’s plan. You received it, right?”

“Yeah. Dyeon Korea gave me the report during the meeting yesterday. Its total sales revenue is 52.8 billion won.”

“Whoa, 52.8 billion won? That’s huge. It’s doing incredibly well considering that the company was a newly established firm.”

“I would attribute its success to the brand name— Dyeon.”

“I talked with Jong-Suk Park the other day. He said that GH Mobile generated 110.2 billion won last year. That’s unbelievable, Gun-Ho Goo. I admire you for the achievement with your business, even though you are my friend.”

“That’s not enough. We still have a long way to go.”

“GH Mobile is a large company now with 500 workers. I’m so proud that I have a friend like you, Gun-Ho.”

“Haha. You are silly! It’s time to go back to work, my friend.”

After getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok Kim, Gun-Ho was thinking,

‘Min-Hyeok Kim and GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin both will receive 60 million won for their 5% share in the company this year. Adding the dividend to their yearly salary, they are making more than 100 million won per year. I guess they are making enough money to have a decent life.

In addition, President Jeong-Sook Shin’s condo is now worth 1.2 billion won, and she made 350 million won since her condo price increased that much, even though she has a mortgage loan for that condo. Therefore, she made more than 450 million won last year alone if I add up her salary, dividend, and the amount increased in her condo price.

Well, Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon purchased their condos in Incheon City. Even though it’s nice to have their own clean condos to live in, their condo price hasn’t increased much just because they are not located in Seoul City. No wonder why people want to buy a condo in Gangnam District, Seoul City. I’m sure that the price of President Shin’s condo in Gangnam District will continuously go up to 1.5 billion won, to 1.8, and even to 2 billion won soon, while the condos in Incheon City will stay around the same price even after three or five years. It will deepen the housing price polarization.

By that time, the person, who bought a condo in Gangnam District, would make enough money to buy ten condos in Incheon City, while the person, who bought a condo in Incheon City, would own the same condo that is worth the same value. When I was in high school, in Incheon City, if someone owns two condos, that person was deemed to be rich. President Shin will soon have enough money to buy ten condos in Incheon. On the other hand, Jae-Sik Moon had been living in a basement until he turned almost 40 years old, and finally bought a condo in Incheon. He could finally afford to live in a condo when he was almost 40. That’s why people say that both poverty and wealth passes on to the next generation.

I still remember what Master Park told me when I visited him in his home— Cheonghakjeongsa in Goesan Town. He said that someone is rich if that person is satisfied with what he or she currently owns. Well, President Jeong-Sook Shin, Min-Hyeok Kim, and Jae-Sik Moon seem to be fully satisfied with their current financial status. I guess they are rich.’

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Chapter 665 - Maternity Leave 1 – Part 2

Chapter 665 Maternity Leave 1 – Part 2

Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.“Huh? President Goo! I was actually going to call you.”

“Really? Is something going on?”

“I learned that all of the GH companies prepared their year-end profit and loss report along with their new year’s plans, and sent them to you. I haven’t prepared anything since we haven’t done much yet.”

“You can skip it this year. It has been only two months since we started the intercity bus service business.”

“We are recording our daily income though. Even if I don’t verify it, the Chinese partners are doing it on their own. They are very thorough in doing it. The accounting department and also the operations department take care of it.”

“Really?”

“There is a big chart hanging on the wall behind Vice President Chun Chang’s desk. It’s a daily income chart showing different categories by bus, route, and also the driver. They update it daily.”

“Haha, really?”

“We are making 1.5 million won per day by running five intercity buses. When I asked them to increase our number of buses to twenty by next year, Chun Chang said that we would probably be able to increase it to ten. They raise the number of buses based on demand forecasting.”

“Hmm, I see. How’s your family, Jae-Sik? Your wife and the baby are doing well, right?”

“Yeah, they both are healthy. The baby cries too often at night. Other than that, we are fine.”

“That’s good.”

“Oh, I was told that your wife speaks Chinese very well.”

“Well, how good she could be, because she moved to China not long ago.”

“I heard about your wife’s fluent Chinese from here and there. People told me that she is very talented in languages.”

“I don’t know about her talent, but I know that she studies a lot for sure. The only time when I study the Chinese language is the time when I get a private lesson from Eun-Hwa Jo, but my wife is different. She mumbles what she learned that day all day long by herself while doing house chores. If her Chinese improved exceptionally rapidly, that’s probably because she studies and practices it a lot, rather than she has some sort of inborn talent for it. She mumbles in Chinese while doing laundry and cooking at home.”

“See? She is working so hard to learn the Chinese language, huh? That probably differentiates her from others. Do you take a walk with her during the weekend? I guess you can’t because it is probably too early for the baby to go out, right?”

“I can’t, but my wife does go out leaving me alone with our baby. She goes everywhere on a bicycle on Saturday and Sunday while I stay at home.”

“Really?”

“She seems to want to practice what she learned, in real life. She goes to a traditional market and talks with Chinese merchants there in Chinese. She also often goes to a park and enjoys small talks with students there. Sometimes she buys some pancakes on the street and brings them home. She tries to meet the real people on the street and exposes herself to the real life Chinese language.”

“Haha, really? No wonder why her Chinese is improving so quickly.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho thought about the interpreter— Eun-Hwa Jo. She had her own drawbacks such as always being late to an appointment, and she had shown some bad manners in the past as well. However, one thing for sure about her was that she was a good teacher. Min-Hyeok Kim, Jae-Sik’s couple, and Gun-Ho himself learned their Chinese from her.

“If I have a chance to see her again, I think I’m going to give her some gift. Whether she intended or not, she did contribute to GH companies by teaching its essential workers the Chinese language.”

Gun-Ho wanted to send a gift to Jae-Sik’s couple to congratulate them on having a new addition to his family. He opened his desk drawer and took out 1 million won. He then called for Manager Hong.

“This is 1 million won. I want you to send it to China. Here is the bank account number and the address where I want you to send it to.”

Gun-Ho handed the cash and a piece of paper to Manager Hong.

It was Friday evening.

Young-Eun came home in TowerPalace in Dogok Town, and told Gun-Ho that she notified the hospital where she was working, that she would take her maternity leave. She was nine months pregnant.

“That’s good. I want you to stay here and relax listening to music and reading books.”

“I have some stuff that I want to bring from my condo in Myeongryoon Town.”

“I will take you to the condo tomorrow. We can pick up things that you need.”

“What if I feel sick when you are at work. I will be here by myself.”

“Right. We need to prepare for an emergency since we are expecting a baby soon. Maybe we should hire a housekeeper who will stay with you during the day.”

“A housekeeper… Can we ask my aunt to stay with us until I deliver the baby, instead?”

“I don’t mind. If you feel more comfortable with her, then ask her.”

“I have one more month to go, so, I think I will ask her to come and stay with us when I have two weeks left until my due.”

“Sounds good. We have plenty of rooms to spare anyway. I hope she is available to stay with us.”

The following day, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went to Young-Eun’s condo in Myeongryoon Town. Young-Eun looked exhausted even by simple walking. Her bulged belly looked heavy. It had been a while since the last time when Gun-Ho visited her condo.

“Huh? There used to be postcards on the wall. Where did they go?”

“I removed them. They were too distracting. I have them stored in a box.”

“Let’s move everything here to our condo in TowerPalace.

“I still want my own place…”

“After our baby is born, are you going to go to work in the hospital?”

“I need time to think about it.”

Young-Eun selected things that she wanted to move to TowerPalace today, and Gun-Ho put them in a bag. They were books and clothes mostly. Young-Eun was sitting on the floor while picking her clothes. She looked beautiful, Gun-Ho thought. Gun-Ho went close to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“What was that for? Stay away, Mister!”

Gun-Ho didn’t back off. He gave a kiss to Young-Eun’s bulged belly this time.

“What? Stop it!”

“It was not for you. It was for our baby.”

Young-Eun laughed out loud.

“Oppa, let’s go to the pork cutlet restaurant since it’s close from here. That’s the place where we had our lunch for the first time.”

“Sounds good. It was on the second floor of a building around Arko Arts Theater in Daehakro.”

“That’s correct.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun headed to Arko Arts Theater in Gun-Ho’s Land Rover.

“I feel refreshing being here with you again.”

“I was shy when I met you for the first time.”

“Me, I was like… wondering what is this middle-aged man doing here?”

“A middle-aged man? Haha. Did I look that old?”

“At that time, you talked about arts and paintings. You looked very intelligent and sophisticated. Now I know that all the knowledge that you showed off that day were things that you heard from President Shin.”

“Well, I still have that knowledge somewhere in my head.”

“You were good.”

“Let’s order the same dish that we had back then.”

“Sure.”

Young-Eun looked happy that day. She often smiled while having the pork cutlet.

“Eat as much as you feel like you want. You are sharing it with our baby.”

Gun-Ho cut the pork cutlet into small pieces in a bite-size for Young-Eun.

“Oppa, when we go back home, let’s take the road in the direction to Sungshin Women’s University. I want to look at the view while driving around Gilsangsa Temple after passing the Starbucks there.”

“I can go all the way to Samcheonggak if you want.”

They continued to have their pork cutlet with a glass of sprite. They looked happy together.

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Chapter 666 - Maternity Leave (2) – Part 1

Chapter 666: Maternity Leave (2) – Part 1

Going home after work was a happy moment to Gun-Ho these days because Young-Eun was at home all the time ever since she took her maternity leave from work. He had breakfast with her every day before going to work, and came home knowing that his wife was waiting for him. The home was giving him a warm feeling recently. When he lived separately from Young-Eun even if it was only for weekdays, he usually hadn’t had his breakfast at all before going to work. Now, Young-Eun always prepared breakfast for him with a stew or a soup every morning. Gun-Ho liked it a lot.

“I will see you later.”

“Enjoy your day.”

Gun-Ho liked this greeting that he exchanged with Young-Eun before he left for work. It made him feel warm and realized that he had a family.

That day, Gun-Ho started his morning with Young-Eun as usual and left home for work after having breakfast, leaving Young-Eun home alone. He got in his Bentley and headed to GH Building in Sinsa Town.

When he arrived at his office, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought a cup of coffee and a morning paper for him. Gun-Ho crossed his legs on his sofa and started reading the newspaper while having his morning coffee. It was one of the happiest moments during that day for him.

At that moment, his phone began to ring. It was his sister.

“It’s me, Gun-Ho. Can we talk?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“Our office manager— Ms. Hyeong-Nam Eun— told me that all of the GH companies already gave their year-end financial report to you and the new year’s plan. But, we didn’t.”

“Hmm, you didn’t? Why don’t you then give me the year-end profit and loss over the phone?”

“Hold on. Give me one second. Let me bring the document. Bear with me, okay?”

After a moment, Gun-Ho’s sister came back and started making GH Logistics’ year-end financial report.

“GH Logistics made 1.4 billion won last year.”

“Hmm.”

“We spent 1 billion won in paying the truck drivers and maintaining the vehicles. Also, our general administrative cost was 200 million won.”

“I see.”

“I’m sometimes confused when categorizing some expenses under general and administrative expenses.”

“Why don’t you ask Ms. Hyeon-Nam Eun about it? She is handling the accounting work there, right?”

“I do ask her about it. Anyway, since GH Logistics has no debt with a bank, our ordinary income is simply 200 million won after deducting those expenses from our sales revenue.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“So, what am I supposed to do with this 200 million won?”

“The year-end financial document that you just told me about needs to be handed to a CPA. They will verify the numbers in the document to see if they are recorded accurately and fairly. That is called an external audit.”

“Yeah, I think I understand that procedure.”

“Once you receive an audit opinion from the CPA stating that everything looked correct as indicated in the company’s financial statement, you will have to file the tax, and you can either pay the corporate tax in advance or wait for the tax bill from the Tax Office and pay the tax then.”

“What about the leftover after paying the tax?”

“You said that the ordinary income would be 200 million won, right? If GH Logistics will fall into a tax bracket of 20% for its corporate tax, that will be about 40 million won.”

“That sounds correct.”

“However, if the profit is less than 200 million won, you are only required to pay 10% of corporate tax. You probably want to discuss this with the person in your office who is in charge of accounting or the tax accountant office who is handling the company’s tax.”

“I see what you mean.”

“Say, the ordinary income is 200 million won, and you paid 20% corporate tax. You will be left with 160 million won then. That amount is the net profit after tax. You distribute that amount to the shareholder.”

“Oh, I see. So, I need to send 160 million won to you, President Goo.”

“No, not the whole 160 million won. If you distribute the entire profit to the shareholder, you won’t have any cash in the reserve. You need to store some cash in the reserve in case you need money urgently in operating the business.”

“I see.”

“According to the commercial law, a company is supposed to reserve more than 10% of its profit. This is called a legal reserve requirement. Large companies like a conglomerate have an enormous amount of cash in their reserves.”

“10% of our profit— 160 million won— would be 16 million won. I need to subtract that amount from 160 million won. Let me bring the calculator.”

“You don’t need a calculator, sister. It’s 144 million won.”

“You are quick. So, I send this amount to the shareholder, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

“Currently, I am the sole shareholder of GH Logistics. I own 100% of the company. A company can have several shareholders. That’s actually a basic idea to form a corporation where several shareholders come up with investment funds and establish a company together.”

“I think the whole concept became clear for me.”

“Let’s do this.”

“Do what?”

“I will give you 5% share to you, sister. That will make you one of GH Logistics’ shareholders too. You own 5% and I own 95%. Even though you didn’t put any investment fund into the company, you will still work harder after owning 5% share, so you could receive a dividend at the end of the year.”

“That’s true.”

“Well, when you have a CPA conduct an external audit, you need to tell him that there is a change in the ownership of the company. Tell him that Gun-Ho Goo owns 95% and Gun-Sook Goo owns 5% now. You will also have to report the change to the Tax Office as well. Since the company is already established, I will need to transfer part of my shares to you.”

“Are you serious about giving me 5% share?”

“You are not the only one who shares the ownership of GH companies. GH Mobile’s President Jang-Hwan Song, GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin, and also GH Parts Company’s Min-Hyeok Kim in Suzhou City, China, they all own 5% of each company’s share.”

“Is that right?”

“That’s why they are all working hard, so they could make extra money in addition to their salary as they receive a dividend for their 5% share at the end of each year. Those companies show a high revenue growth rate. My share has been reduced by 5%, but the companies become larger and larger which allows me to make more money as a result.”

“I see.”

“Well, now you are a GH Logistics’ shareholder. Work hard, sister.”

“Okay. Thank you. I will do my best.”

When it was at the end of November, Artist Choi who was living in Yangpyeong District moved into Gun-Ho’s condo in TowerPalace. It was a temporary setting for Young-Eun who was expecting a baby anytime soon.

“Thank you so much, aunt. We truly appreciate your help.”

“Don’t mention it! I’m so glad that I could spend some time with Young-Eun while living together for a while.”

Gun-Ho felt relieved once Artist Choi moved in his condo to help Young-Eun, but there were things that Gun-Ho felt uncomfortable about. At first, he would no longer be able to stay in the living room in a very comfortable outfit. He now had to wear a shirt and pants at least. Artist Choi must be in the same situation as well.

There were, of course, pros in living with Artist Choi as well. At first, Gun-Ho could enjoy various dishes and nutrient-rich foods as Artist Choi prepared each meal most of the time. She was an excellent cook. Also, she was very quick in preparing meals. She set the table in the blink of an eye with delicious food such as a Pollack stew and pan-fried Zucchini. They were all very tasty.

“Oppa, my aunt cooks very well, right?”

“Yeah, these are all good.”

“She was actually thinking of opening a restaurant in Yangpyeong District, specializing in Korean traditional food. She planned to open a unique Korean restaurant where an artist is doing the cooking.”

“Hmm, that sounds very good.”

“People would have been intrigued when they heard of a restaurant where they could eat foods that were cooked by an artist, wouldn’t they?”

Gun-Ho looked at Artist Choi and said, “Aunt, why don’t you execute your plan, even now? ”

“Nah. I’m getting old and easily feeling tired. I don’t think I can do it anymore even though someone would pay me for it.”

“You can hire people who would do most of the work.”

“I now want a peaceful and calm life. I don’t want to start new things at this age. Moreover, I don’t need money. It’s not like I have a child who I want to pass on my wealth to.”

When Artist Choi mentioned that she had no child, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun felt sorry for her, and they kept their mouths shut.

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Chapter 667 - Maternity Leave (2) – Part 2

Chapter 667: Maternity Leave (2) – Part 2

Ever since Artist Choi moved in with Gun-Ho’s couple, and she was in charge of cooking, Gun-Ho gained some weight. Also, Gun-Ho came straight home after work without stopping by a bar for a drink since Young-Eun was at home waiting for him.

“I guess I won’t be able to visit Japan to see Mori Aikko for a while.”

Gun-Ho didn’t even think about Seol-Bing. Whenever he saw a beautiful woman, he used to feel like wanting that woman, but he hadn’t felt that way any longer.

His condo in TowerPalace gave him more homey feelings after Artist Choi moved in with them. Whenever he came home after work, Young-Eun and Artist Choi were busily doing some house chores like making kimchi or peeling off garlics. That created a homey atmosphere, and somehow that gave Gun-Ho a warm and peaceful feeling.

“Just one drop of oil would be enough. You need to put half of a tablespoon of chili powder.”

Artist Choi also taught cooking to Young-Eun, and Gun-Ho liked it. He always had fresh vegetables and grilled fish for dinner.

“Do you like it?”

Artist Choi asked Gun-Ho at the dinner table one day.

“I love the taste of this stew.”

“These are all made by Young-Eun.”

“Really? That’s why… I knew something was off today.”

“You said it was good! No more food for you today!”

Young-Eun gestured that she was taking dishes from Gun-Ho’s side of the table.

“No, no. I do like your food. I was just joking.”

After dinner, they sat in the living room and watched TV while having some fruits for dessert. That was a new routine for them. They watched news and TV dramas together while chit-chatting. They all were an expert in their areas. When the topic was about arts, Artist Choi did most of the talking while Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were listening to her attentively. When they talked about economics, Gun-Ho talked most of the time, and Young-Eun was the speaker when it came to the health topic. They were all knowledgeable in their own area of expertise.

One day, after Gun-Ho left for work, Artist Choi and Young-Eun were sitting at the dining table while having a cup of coffee.

“Young-Eun, does Gun-Ho give you some money for living expenses regularly?”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“He doesn’t? Is that because you make money too at the hospital?”

“I don’t know. He never asked me how much I make working as a medical doctor.”

“Maybe he thinks that each person is supposed to manage their own income.”

“Not really. He actually gave me some money two months ago in a lump sum. He said it was for our living expenses. It was just one time though.”

“Really? One time? How much did he give you?”

“It was 50 million won.”

“50 million won? Oh, my gosh!”

“He said that it was for five-month living expenses, 10 million won per month.”

“10 million won for one-month living expenses? Wow! How much does he make per month?”

“I don’t know. He never told me how much he is making, and I’ve never asked him about it either. Well, I don’t know about his dividends, but I think he mentioned that he is receiving 35 million won on a monthly basis from several companies.”

“So, his monthly salary alone is 35 million won, huh? Whoa, a lot of people make less than that per year. What do you do with 10 million won that you get per month?”

“I keep it. I still have that 50 million won with me.”

“Why don’t you buy something for you like a mink coat or a designer handbag with it?”

“A mink coat? Haha. That will make me feel so embarrassed.”

“Well, I guess you are right. It would look funny if you walk around in a mink coat carrying a designer bag. Wearing all sorts of high-end designer brand clothes and carrying an expensive jewelry and bag wouldn’t make other women look better than you since you are a medical doctor who graduated from the top school— Seoul National University. Anyway, you are just like your mother who had been ignorant about money-related things.”

“Like mother like daughter, I guess.”

“Gun-Ho is running several businesses. Doesn’t he mention at all anything about the amount of the dividends that he is receiving from those companies?”

“No, and I’m not interested in it either.”

“Have you visited his companies?”

“No, I haven’t. I don’t like to visit my husband’s companies. His workers wouldn’t feel comfortable if they get a visit from the owner president’s family member.”

“Does he have a lot of workers?”

“I was told that the factory in Jiksan Town has about 500 workers.”

“500 workers? Wow! That’s huge.”

“Well, his another company in Asan City has 150 workers.”

“Whoa. I wonder how much he is making per year.”

“I don’t know. Aunt, let’s drop the topic. It’s no fun. Let’s talk about something else.”

“Okay. Anyway, I’m so impressed by Gun-Ho.”

It was February. As Gun-Ho’s family always had a memorial service at home for ancestors on certain holidays such as New Year’s Day, Gun-Ho went to his parents’ home on the Lunar New Year’s Day. He didn’t bring Young-Eun this time since she was in her full-term pregnancy. When Gun-Ho arrived at his parents’ home, her mother told Gun-Ho, “You should never let your wife be by herself. And, if you see any minor signs of labor like pinkish discharge, you should take her to the hospital.”

“Okay, mom.”

“I feel much better knowing that her aunt stays with her, but you also have to be ready all the time. You should have things prepared in case she has to be in the hospital for several days.”

“Okay.”

A few days after the Lunar New Year’s Day, Young-Eun said that she was feeling dizzy, and she went to bed and laid down on the bed. Gun-Ho was worried and followed her to the bedroom. He then saw Young-Eun’s thighs, and he was frightened.

“Huh? What’s wrong with your thighs?”

“Those are stretch marks. It happens to most pregnant women in their full-term pregnancy. It’s normal.”

The stretch marks on Young-Eun’s thighs looked serious to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho held Young-Eun’s hand and gave a kiss on her cheek.

The next day, Young-Eun told Gun-Ho that she had a pinkish discharge, and that it was a sign for imminent labor. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun’s aunt hastily packed a bag with necessary things that Young-Eun would need while staying in the hospital, and headed to the hospital. It was too early for Chan-Ho Eom to come to the condo in Bentley, so Gun-Ho drove his Land Rover. Gun-Ho, Young-Eun, and her aunt headed to the Seoul National University Hospital where Young-Eun had been working.

Seoul National University was notorious for its long waiting time to admit a patient, but since Young-Eun was a doctor at that hospital, she was admitted right away.

After letting Young-Eun check in a patient room, Gun-Ho and Artist Choi were standing in the hall. Artist Choi said, “You can go to work. We don’t know when Young-Eun will start her labor. It could be today or even tomorrow. You go to work, and I will let you know if she is in labor.”

“Are you sure she won’t need me?”

“I will give you a call.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the hospital, and then headed to his condo in TowerPalace. It was the morning rush hour, and the traffic was terribly heavy. Gun-Ho made a call to Chan-Ho Eom.

“Chan-Ho, it’s me. I’m in the hospital. Because of the heavy traffic, I think it will take some time for me to get home. When you arrive at my home and I’m not there, just wait for me there, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

Chan-Ho Eom responded vigorously.

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Chapter 668 - Maternity Leave (3) – Part 1

Chapter 668: Maternity Leave (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town that day, but he decided to stay in his office in GH Development in Sinsa Town because he wanted to stay close to Young-Eun who was in the hospital in Seoul City. Since he hadn’t heard anything from Young-Eun’s aunt yet, Young-Eun was probably not in labor just yet.

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office when he received a call from GH Mobile’s Director Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro, it’s me. I’ve been admitted to the four-year college!”

“What? You’ve been transferred to Korea University of Technology and Education? Congratulations!”

“Haha. I actually almost gave up on it, but they accepted me.”

“I told you, man. You are more than qualified for it!”

“Because of my not-so-high TOEIC score, I thought that my application would be rejected.”

“Of course you would. I guess you did very well at the interview, huh?”

“The interviewers asked me what my position is with my current employer. When I told them that I am the plant manager, they seemed to be surprised.”

Jong-Suk giggled as he talked about his interview.

“Of course.”

“And then, they asked me about the size of the company that I’m working for. When I told them that we have around 500 workers, they were surprised again.”

“Haha, they did?”

“They also checked the copies of my certificates that I attached to my application, and then they nodded their heads. I have seven skill certificates that were issued by the government.”

“I’m sure that you were their best candidate.”

“Bro, I’m going to study hard and also work harder from now on.”

“You are working hard enough even now. You can keep the same pace.”

“I will have a bachelor’s degree after two years. Haha.”

“Which major did you say you are going to study?”

“It’s Mechatronics engineering.”

“The name itself is already complex.”

“Haha. Anyway, how come you are not coming to work here today?”

“Yeah, I won’t be there today. I have something that I need to take care of in Seoul City.”

“Really? Well, I guess I will see you next week then.”

After getting off the phone with Jong-Suk Park, Gun-Ho could picture Jong-Suk’s face with a broad smile in excitement.

‘He must be feeling very happy now. He used to not be a person who would sit down and study, and he acted more like a gangster. Now, he is studying in a four-year college and will obtain a bachelor’s degree. He had obviously changed a lot.

He will take classes in college while working as a plant manager, and that will allow him to understand certain things more easily in class, and he will encounter a lot of familiar technical terms as well. Many management people at a factory are showing off how knowledgeable they are by talking alone even though they are not good at actual work at all. Jong-Suk will not let them talk without actually understanding the practical side of the engineering work once he is equipped with all those theories and terminologies he would learn in college.’

Gun-Ho was happy for Jong-Suk and also felt relieved at the same time when he was told that Jong-Suk was accepted to Korea University of Technology and Education. GH Mobile would grow to have more workers like 1,000 or 2,000. He didn’t want any trouble for Jong-Suk in managing them. All of the mid-managers who were reporting to Director Jong-Suk Park were college graduates. Since Jong-Suk didn’t learn the theory or concept of engineering by books in college, he might not be familiar with certain technical terms. The mid-level managers might question and even challenge Jong-Suk’s abilities and competency if they find out that Jong-Suk couldn’t understand some essential technical terms and concepts in the engineering field.

‘Jong-Suk, I think you will work as the plant manager for a long time. It’s not a bad life at all to have a stable job that pays more than 100 million yearly and have a wife and a daughter who he could support and who brings happiness to him.’

It was around 5 pm when Gun-Ho received a call from Artist Choi.

“Young-Eun just delivered a baby.”

“Oh, really?”

“It’s a baby boy. He is very healthy. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You don’t have to thank me, but thank Young-Eun. It was hard labor.”

“Of course. I’m on my way to the hospital.”

“I will give a call to Young-Eun’s father in Silim Town. Why don’t you make a call to your parents and let them know? They must be waiting for your call.”

“Okay, I will do that. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho made a call to his mother right away.

“Mom, it’s me.”

“And?”

“It’s a boy.”

“Really? Haha. Oh, my gosh. I have a grandson now.”

Gun-Ho could hear his mother calling his father over the phone.

“Honey! Honey! It’s Gun-Ho. It’s a boy.”

Gun-Ho could hear his father’s voice.

“Tell your wife that she did a very good job, and we are so happy. Where are you calling from right now?”

“I’m in my office.”

“You will go to the hospital, right?”

“Yeah.”

“We will be there too. You go to Young-Eun now and stay with her. We will see you at the hospital soon.”

“Okay, mom.”

Gun-Ho went to the maternity ward at the Seoul National University Hospital. Young-Eun’s aunt was sitting on a bench in the hall. She looked exhausted. Gun-Ho gave a 90-degree bow to Young-Eun’s aunt and said, “Thank you.”

“The baby is in the newborn care unit. You can meet your boy there.”

Gun-Ho went to the newborn care unit. Even though he was not allowed to enter the unit, he could meet his boy through a glass window.

“What is the baby’s mother’s name?”

When Gun-Ho gave Young-Eun’s name, a nurse brought a baby and hold him up to the window, so Gun-Ho could meet him. The boy was born to an affluent family unlike his father—Gun-Ho. His father was an extremely wealthy man possessing several hundreds of billions of won. His mother is a medical doctor at the Seoul National University Hospital. That boy was definitely born to an affluent family. The boy’s life starting point would be different from those who were born to parents who worked as a security guard or a caregiver at a nursing home just like Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho carefully looked at his baby boy. The boy had a reddish-purple skin with some wrinkles, maybe because he was just born into the world.

“He just looks like his dad.”

Artist Choi was standing next to Gun-Ho and made a comment. Gun-Ho looked at the baby again more closely. He did look like himself. The boy started crying.

“It’s a beautiful baby boy.”

Artist Choi laughed.

While Gun-Ho was still at the newborn care unit, Gun-Ho’s parents arrived. They were breathing heavily. They must have run to the newborn care unit.

“Gun-Ho, where is the baby?”

Gun-Ho asked the nurse to show the baby again, to his parents this time.

“The boy’s grandparents are here now. Please let them meet his grandparents.”

The nurse held the boy up again to the window. There was a name tag attached to the baby’s ankle showing Gun-Ho and Young-Eun’s name.

“Whoa, he is so pretty.”

Gun-Ho’s mother was holding her hands together and exclaimed.

“He looks just like Gun-Ho!”

Gun-Ho’s father was standing close to the window and stared at the baby.

“Now, we have another man in the family who will continue our family.”

Gun-Ho’s father looked satisfied and smiled.

Gun-Ho introduced Artist Choi to his parents.

“Mom and dad, this is Young-Eun’s aunt.”

“Oh, I was wondering who that would be. Thank you for coming, and also thank you for taking care of Young-Eun. I should have stayed with Young-Eun, but I guess she feels more comfortable being with her aunt. Well, thank you so much.”

Gun-Ho’s father also showed his gratitude to Young-Eun’s aunt.

“Thank you.”

“I’m so happy that the baby and the mother are both healthy.”

Artist Choi replied to Gun-Ho’s parents, showing her respect.

Gun-Ho and his parents then went to Young-Eun’s room at the hospital.

Young-Eun was laying down on the bed. She looked noticeably pale. Gun-Ho was quickly walking toward Young-Eun to hold her hand, but his mother was faster. Gun-Ho’s mother held Young-Eun’s hand and said, “You did a great job. You must be extremely exhausted. Thank you, Young-Eun, and congratulations on having a beautiful boy.”

Gun-Ho’s father didn’t hold Young-Eun’s hand, but he said in a calm voice, “Congratulations.”

Gun-Ho held Young-Eun’s hand.

“You are okay, right? Our boy is so beautiful.”

Young-Eun Kim smiled faintly.

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Chapter 669 - Maternity Leave (3) – Part 2

Chapter 669: Maternity Leave (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho’s mother held Young-Eun’s hand again and said, “Your aunt did a great job. I don’t know how to thank her. We are so grateful that she has stayed with you.”

Young-Eun didn’t say anything, but she frowned in pain.

Noting that Young-Eun was still in pain, Gun-Ho’s mother quickly said, “I guess Young-Eun needs to take a rest. She needs plenty of time to recover. We’d better go now. We met the boy, and he is very pretty. He is a blessing to our family.”

Gun-Ho said to his mother, “Mom, I think Young-Eun needs to get some sleep now. You can go home; I will give you a call.”

“Sure. We will get going.”

When Gun-Ho’s father cleared his throat like he was giving a signal to Gun-Ho’s mother, Gun-Ho’s mother gave an envelope to Young-Eun.

“I want you to have good nutritious food with this. Get a good seaweed soup, okay?”

Young-Eun was released from the hospital after two days, and Young-Eun became a full-time stay-home mom for her baby at least for now. Gun-Ho’s evening after work was devoted to taking care of his boy. The baby boy was growing rapidly every day with his mother’s healthy breast milk.

Gun-Ho went to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. It had been a while since he went there. President Song entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Congratulations, sir. I heard you have a baby boy.”

“Thank you.”

“I think we received a gift from H Group for your new addition to your family, even though they didn’t intend to make it a gift. H Group sent us three product drawings, and these are not assembly work.”

“Are we able to manufacture those products?”

“Our researchers are working on it. They are making samples right now. It will be completed within this month.”

“What’s the volume of their product orders?”

“They haven’t mentioned the number of products that they will need, but it’s for A/S.”

“Is the A/S for discontinued vehicles?”

“They are not discontinued.”

“Even though those are not for discontinued cars, I guess we can’t expect a high number of product orders since it’s for A/S, right?”

“Not necessarily, sir. We will be supplying those products to H Group as their first vendor company, and that means that the number of product orders will be substantial. H Group is a global enterprise.”

“I see. By the way, if we use our entire net earnings to pay our debts, you won’t receive your dividend either, Mr. President Song. Will it be okay with you?”

“I will get my dividend for my 5% share next year. I want to participate in reducing the company’s debt as well.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. President Song. You didn’t take your dividend last year either for the same reason.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir. I will get my dividend as much as I could next year.”

“GH Media’s President Shin and GH Parts Company’s President Min-Hyeok Kim in China, they all received their dividend of 60 million won this year. I’m sorry, Mr. President Song, that we had to use the profit to pay the company’s debt.”

“That’s okay, sir. GH Mobile is a large company, and the amount of dividend even for 5% share is way more than the ones with GH Media or GH Parts Company in China. I will take a huge amount of dividends next year. Haha.”

“I feel better now knowing that you take it that way.”

“Well, I will have to get back to work, sir. I have a lunch appointment with the president of Mandong Company.”

“Oh, you do? Sure, enjoy your lunch. I will talk to you later.”

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought a cup of tea to Gun-Ho’s office. When he was enjoying his tea in his office, he received a call from A Electronics’ CEO Park.

“It has been a while, Mr. CEO Park. To what do I owe the pleasure of the call?”

“I heard that you are supplying products to H Group now as their first vendor company. Congratulations.”

“Huh? How did you know, sir?”

“I have my source. Even though the first product that you are supplying to them is for A/S, you have to know that it’s just a start. Once you gain your experience with them and once they feel confident dealing with your company, they will let you provide them auto parts for their new models as well.”

“Wow, even though you are not in the auto manufacturing industry, you know what’s going on in this industry very well. It’s like you have a crystal ball with you or something. This is not even your industry which is electronics, but it is about the auto manufacturing field.”

“I accidentally heard about it from somewhere. Haha.”

It was creepy, Gun-Ho thought.

‘How did he know all these?’

“Oh, I wanted to let you know that I no longer work as an A Electronics’ CEO. I’m moving somewhere else.”

“Huh? To where? What would happen to our business with A Electronics then?”

“I’m not going that far. I will be working as A Group’s CEO at the planning and coordination department. I will manage 26 companies.”

“I haven’t read that news from anywhere in a newspaper though.”

“You will see the news tomorrow morning.”

“You have been promoted then.”

“I will still be involved in the business between A Electronics and GH Mobile. It will be under my special care. You don’t have to worry about your business with A Electronics. You just need to be careful with not producing any defective products.”

“Of course.”

“I will try to bring good news to you in the near future.”

“Thank you.”

After getting off the phone with CEO Park, Gun-Ho was thinking, ‘CEO at the planning and coordination department… That means that he now became the right-hand man of A Group’s chairman who is Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father-in-law. He will be managing and controlling 26 subsidiary companies under A Group. He is now a powerful man in A Group. This is my opportunity to grow my companies rapidly too.’

While thinking, Gun-Ho went down to the production site. He looked around the production site A. Production site A’s manager came to Gun-Ho to greet him.

“The production site A is Team 1, and the production site B is Team 2, right?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“How things are going after dividing the production team into two teams? Is it easier to manage than before?”

“Yes, sir. It is indeed easier to manage the teams since we made two smaller teams rather than having one big team.”

“Hmm, I see. Where is Director Park?”

“He is probably in his office, sir.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, please go back to your work, and keep up the good work.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho went up to the production team 2. The newly-promoted production manager, who used to be a supervisor at the production site A, quickly came to Gun-Ho to greet him.

“Sir, you are here.”

As Gun-Ho recognized him, he extended his hand to the manager for a handshake and said, “You have been recently promoted to a manager, right? Congratulations.”

“Thank you, sir. I will do my best in my position.”

Gun-Ho looked around the production team 2 before entering Director Jong-Suk Park’s office. He knocked on the door and entered it.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Huh? Bro.”

“Oh, you are reading a book. What is it about? Production management?”

“Yeah, it is a production management book. I’m having a hard time understanding some theories.”

“Learning from a book is good, but you have to take care of the production site too.”

“Haha. Don’t worry about it. I actually just came back from there.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Oh, bro. Congratulations on your new addition to your family. I heard that you have a baby boy.”

“Thank you.”

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Chapter 670 - : External Audit Report (1) – Part 1

Chapter 670: External Audit Report (1) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho went to work in Dyeon Korea, Mr. Adam Castler came to his office with his interpreter—Assistant Manager Myeon-Joon Chae.

“How are you, boss?”

“Someone is in a good mood.”

“I just received an official letter from the head office saying that they agree to increase the capital.”

Mr. Adam Castler showed Gun-Ho the letter written in English, which he received via fax. It was from Mr. Brandon Burke—the vice president of the international business development department of Lymondell Dyeon. His signature was clearly shown at the end of the letter.

“It would have been very nice if we could have reached our authorized capital of 20 million dollars this time. It’s a shame that there is nothing much we can do for now since we won’t have enough cash to reinvest that much after paying the corporate tax.”

“I agree with you. Well, we can try it next year.”

“When do we start the process to increase the capital?”

“We are expecting to receive the external audit report next month, and we can start the process then.”

“Dyeon Korea will have an extra 6 billion won in cash after giving 3 billion won to GH Mobile for the value of the Dyeon Korea’s building that GH put into as its investment in-kind. We can use those funds to expand our international market.”

“When does Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke expect to retire?”

“I don’t know. I guess it would be around this fall.”

“Hmm, really? I see.”

After Mr. Adam Castler left the office, Director Yoon entered Gun-Ho’s office. He was carrying a document to be signed by Gun-Ho.

“According to Mr. Internal Auditor, we are planning to rush into applying for the Inno-Biz certificate along with a certificate to be recognized as a start-up company with technology. We will start the application as soon as we receive the external audit report. He told me that it was your intention, sir.”

“That’s correct.”

“I think that before we apply for those certificates, we’d better get a certificate for environment management system. Since we are a manufacturing company, the fact that our factory is not certified for its environment management system could be a concern for the examiners. We will try to obtain ISO 14001 within two months. This is the plan to achieve it, sir, and we need your signature right here.”

“Hmm, we should have completed this last year.”

“We actually talked about this last year, but we didn’t carry it out for some reason. This will certainly help us get good scores during the examination to be certified as a start-up company with technology too.”

“Okay. Let’s start it right away.”

“We have all the necessary information about it such as procedures and manuals to build ISO 14001 in GH Mobile, so we will get the certificate soon.”

“It is important to get the company certified with it, but building an adequate system is important as well. I want you to educate the workers with it too.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho signed the paper that Director Yoon brought to him.

The next day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He was reading a morning paper. There was a news coverage about A Group’s recent organizational restructuring.

“A Electronics’ CEO Park is now the CEO of A Group’s planning and coordination department, just like he told me.”

The newspaper further stated, [As A Electronics’ CEO has been appointed to manage A Group’s planning and coordination department, some critics are of opinion that A Group would focus more on A Electronics’ business and that the chairman wants to be more directly involved in running the entire business.]

The newspaper listed all personnel, who had been promoted and moved to another department, in each A Group’s subsidiary company as well. The names of the directors, general directors, and CEOs were listed.

“Whoa, there are tons of executive officers who have been promoted along with CEO Park. If I add the executive officers who haven’t received their promotion this time, how many executive officers A Group has in total?”

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Mobile’s general affairs director.

“It’s me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want you to send an orchid plant to A Group’s CEO at its planning and coordination department and also to the new CEO of A Electronics.”

“Yes, sir. Do you have any words to add on the ribbon that would be attached to those plants?”

“For the CEO of the planning and coordination department, say ‘Congratulations on your new job.’ And say ‘Congratulations on your promotion’ for the new CEO of A Electronics since he has been promoted from VP to CEO. And, make sure you pick a very nice orchid plant for them.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho went home after work. Young-Eun was fanning the baby.

“What are you doing?”

“Some red skin reactions appeared on our baby’s skin. I’m just trying to cool it down.”

“Why don’t you use the electric fan? Why are you doing it manually?”

“The electric fan could over cool the baby. I can adjust the speed and the strength of the wind with this hand fan.”

Artist Choi, who was sitting next to Young-Eun, chipped in, “I have a favor to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Can you buy a carp fish on the way home tomorrow?”

“A carp fish?”

“Young-Eun is breastfeeding the baby. Eating a carp fish or a snake-headed fish will help her increase her breast milk production. Get me a large live carp fish; I will make rice porridge with it for her.”

“Sure. Where can I buy a carp fish?”

“Try a fish market. They usually carry saltwater fish, but I think some fish markets are carrying freshwater fish as well.”

“Okay, I will buy one tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office when a carp fish crossed his mind that Artist Choi asked him to buy for Young-Eun. Gun-Ho was thinking about asking Chan-Ho Eom to buy one for him, and then he decided to go to a fish market himself. Gun-Ho went to the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market with Chan-Ho Eom.

Chan-Ho Eom asked, “Are you going to the fish market to buy raw fish for sashimi?”

“No, I need to buy a carp fish.”

“Did you say a carp fish, sir? Does Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market sell a carp fish too?”

“I don’t know. I’m hoping they do. Do you know where I can find a carp fish?”

“No, sir. I have no idea.”

After parking the car, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eom walked around the market searching for a carp fish. The market had all sorts of seafood including flatfish, crabs, all kinds of clams, and etc., but there was no carp fish. When Gun-Ho was studying for the level-9 government job exam years ago, he saw a carp fish somewhere around there, but he couldn’t remember exactly where he saw it. He asked around where he would be able to find a carp fish.

“Do you know where I can find a carp fish?”

The merchant replied, “No, sir. How about flatfish? We have very fresh flatfish. I will give it to you for half the price. It’s a wild flatfish.”

“I need a carp fish.”

Gun-Ho asked an old lady who was selling lettuce at the corner of the market, “Ma’am, do you know where I can find carp fish?”

“You should cross that underpass bridge. You will find carp fish there.”

When Gun-Ho crossed the underpass bridge, there was a small market that was selling freshwater fish including carp fish. Gun-Ho picked a very large carp fish. The merchant put the live fish in a rice bag before handing it to Gun-Ho. The carp fish was vigorously flapping inside the rice bag. Gun-Ho handed it to Chan-Ho Eom.

“You carry this, Chan-Ho.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eom then headed to the parking lot where Gun-Ho’s Bentley was parked.

Chan-Ho asked, “What are you going to do with the carp fish, sir? You know that you can’t eat it raw, right? Freshwater fish is known to carry lots of parasites, and you should never eat it raw.”

“I’m not planning to make sashimi with it.”

“Are you going to make a spicy stew with it then? A mandarin fish or Korean bullhead will make a better spicy stew.”

“No. It will be used to make porridge, and my wife will eat it to produce better and more breast milk.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I need to bring it home while it’s still alive. Let’s head to my condo in TowerPalace now.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 671 - External Audit Report (1) – Part 2

Chapter 671: External Audit Report (1) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho arrived at his home in TowerPalace Condo Complex in Dogok Town with the carp fish, Chan-Ho Eom asked him, “I can drop it to your home, sir.”

“Nah. I will do it. Stay here and wait for me. It will be quick.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho opened the door, Artist Choi was surprised to see Gun-Ho since it was the middle of the day.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work at this hour?”

“I brought a carp fish. I thought you want to start cooking while it’s still fresh.”

Artist Choi brought a large bowl, and Gun-Ho poured the carp fish into the bowl from the rice bag. The carp fish stayed quiet on the way home in the car, but once it was out of the bag, it started moving again.

“Oh, my. It’s still alive. I’m scared!”

Young-Eun screamed and went into the bedroom trying to stay away from the large and lively carp fish. Artist Choi took the carp fish to the sink in the kitchen and thanked Gun-Ho.

“Thank you. It looks good and large enough.”

Gun-Ho went back to work after dropping off the carp fish at home. He then called for Manager Hong.

“When do we expect to receive the external audit report?”

“We will have it next month, sir. We only have a few days left for the month, so we will have it soon.”

“Please send an official letter to each GH company, specifically to their accounting department.”

“Yes, sir. What am I supposed to tell them?”

“Tell them to send us their external audit report as soon as they receive it, to GH Development by express mail.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Once you receive the external audit report from each GH company, place them in the bookshelf behind my desk, so I can easily access them at any time.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“We will have one more express bus.”

“Which route is that for?”

“It’s for Zunyi City. The city is about 250 kilometers away from here—Antang City.”

“Only one?”

“Yeah, they allowed us to have one for now.”

“Are we having eight buses in total now?”

“Yes, eight buses.”

“Can you pay the 100 workers on time by running eight express buses?”

“I wouldn’t be able to if the business was in Korea, but surprisingly, we made enough money to pay those 100 terminal workers here. In celebration of having one more bus to our business, I’m going to distribute new uniforms to the workers. The uniform would be for spring and fall. They worked so hard during China’s Spring Festival period. The new uniforms will be a nice gift for them.”

“That’s good.”

“We finally resolved all the complaints filed by the local residents and finished filling in the wetland as well. I think they will start the terminal construction next month.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I’m positive because I’ve noticed that they placed more flags on the construction site marking the area, and the people who are related to the construction come and visit the site more often lately.”

“The weather is getting warm. I guess it’s a good time to start the construction work.”

“I wanted to ask you about this. How’s your baby? Isn’t he crying a lot?”

“He is, especially at night. Sometimes, I can’t sleep because of him. There were some rashes that appeared on his face yesterday, and Young-Eun fanned him manually to cool his body temperature down.”

“Haha. You sound like you’re doing well.”

“Your baby must have grown a lot by now, isn’t she?”

“She smiles and mumbles a lot. I want to squeeze her whenever she does that. It’s so cute.”

“Is she 100 days old?”

“I will have to wait ten more days to celebrate her 100th day. I’m going to visit my parents in Korea briefly once she turns 100 days old. My parents and parents-in-law desperately want to see her.”

“Of course. They haven’t met their grandchild yet, right?”

“Right. I sent them a bunch of pictures of her, but that doesn’t seem to be enough.”

“That’s right. They will be so excited to see your child, especially because it’s their first time to meet her.”

“I think so.”

“Isn’t it hard for your wife to take care of the baby by herself?”

“She is not doing it alone. We have a helper at home now. She is a middle-aged lady. She is Korean Chinese. She doesn’t stay with us, but she commutes from her home. We pay her 150,000 won per month, which we could well afford to.”

“That’s very nice. 150,000 per month is nothing. It sounds almost free for the work.”

“My wife is getting along with that helper lady. They often go out together like good friends.”

“Haha, is that so?”

“My child’s name is Soon-Young, Moon. My father was the one who named her, and my wife liked it too. You haven’t given a name to your baby yet, have you?”

“Hmm, I will.”

When thinking about naming his child, Gun-Ho instantly thought of Master Park in Goesan Town. Master Park would make a great name for his child.

Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik Moon, “Your wife’s Chinese must have improved even more by now.”

“Soon-Young’s mom? Yeah, she is good. She knows all sorts of words related to house chores, and I know none of them in Chinese.”

“Well, give me a call when the terminal construction begins.”

“Okay, I will. Stay healthy.”

Gun-Ho came home after work. Rice porridge with carp fish was waiting for him for his dinner that evening.

“You should have some too. It’s good for you as well,” Artist Choi placed a bowl of carp porridge in front of Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun started eating the porridge. When Young-Eun finished half of her bowl of the porridge, she pushed it away from her side. Her aunt looked at Young-Eun with questioning looks on her face.

Young-Eun said, “It smells like fish. I can’t have it any more.”

“Finish it, Young-Eun! You should eat it for your baby. You need to produce quality breast milk. You told me yourself before that a newborn should have their mother’s breastmilk.”

“I have half of the bowl. It’s enough for today. I still remember this carp when it was still alive.”

“Just finish it.”

“No.”

“What am I going to do with all that porridge over there? Gun-Ho, why don’t you have more? People say that a new mom and dad have to have carp porridge together.”

Gun-Ho didn’t like the taste and smell of the carp porridge either. Since it was porridge, the texture was mushy giving no fun to chew. He was trying to finish his bowl just because he was feeling the pressure to finish it.

That night, on the bed, Gun-Ho said to Young-Eun, “I talked with my friend—Jae-Sik Moon—in China today. His child will soon turn 100 days old after ten days.”

“Yeah, it’s about right.”

“According to him, we are having a hard time with our baby because a baby is crying a lot at his age. Once he hits 100 days, he will start smiling and mumbling, and it will make him look even more adorable.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“They hired a helper.”

“Really? That will make his wife’s life a lot easier. It must cost them a lot though.”

“They are paying their helper lady 150,000 won per month.”

“What? Is it that cheap? It’s very affordable to have a helper in China. They can have several helpers.”

“Let’s have a helper for ourselves too. We can’t keep your aunt here forever. She has her life too, you know?”

“Aunt told me that she wants to stop by her home in Yangpyeong District this Saturday. It has been a while since she left her home, and she has things that she needs to take care of there.”

“Let’s find a helper as soon as possible. She can stay with us, or she can commute. It’s up to you, Young-Eun.”

“We will have to pay her at least 2 million won per month.”

“Don’t worry about money. Oh, didn’t I send you the living expenses yet? I will send the living expenses to your bank account, so don’t worry about the pay.”

“Well, then, I will find one who can commute.”

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Chapter 672 - External Audit Report (2) – Part 1

Chapter 672: External Audit Report (2) – Part 1

Artist Choi objected to having a helper at home at first, but she agreed to it with one condition.

“If you are determined to have a helper at home, then have one after you spend your full 21 days from the day when you delivered the baby. You want to wait until the baby’s immune system becomes more developed. That’s why grandpas and grandmas usually visit their newborn grandchild for the first time after 21 days.”

Since her 21st day would soon come, Young-Eun decided to follow her aunt’s advice. Young-Eun’s aunt told them that she would have to make a trip to her home in Yangpyeong District, and she would spend only one day there to take care of things.

It was March.

GH Mobile began to supply auto parts to H Group. It was not an exclusive supplier, but three supplier companies would provide auto parts to H Group. However, the volume of the product order was significant since GH Mobile was now H Group’s first vendor company. The product unit cost was 3,000 won, and GH Mobile was supplying 50,000 pieces of that product to H Group. It would bring an additional monthly revenue of 150 million won. And, since H Group ordered three different products with the same unit price and the same number, GH Mobile was making 450 million won per month for the products that they were supplying for H Group alone.

President Song was making a report to Gun-Ho about this new product order from H Group.

“Even though a monthly sales revenue of 450 million won takes up only 4.5% of our entire monthly sales revenue, we have to keep in mind that this is just a start. They will keep increasing the volume of their product orders from us.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Our production department used to have a meeting once a week, and now Director Jong-Suk Park is holding the same meeting every day.”

“How many managers are there at the production department including Team 1 and Team 2?”

“There are 2 senior managers with another 2 mid-level managers. And they have five low-level managers.”

“So, we have ten managers in the production department including Director Jong-Suk Park, right?”

“Yes, sir. Those ten managers get together every morning to have their daily meetings. If we include the whole management personnel including the team leads and supervisors, there are thirty of them, and they are currently managing more than 400 production workers.”

“We have a little bit over 500 workers in GH Mobile. So, 400 of them are production workers, and only 100 of them are those in the research center and other departments, huh?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“I see the production workers make up the greatest portion in our company.”

“That’s normal since we are a manufacturing company.”

“I believe that the managers in the production department are older than Director Park. Hasn’t it caused any problem?”

“I haven’t seen any problem so far. Most of the managers started their careers as an office worker, meaning that they don’t really have hands-on work experience in the production field. In that aspect, Director Park is superior to them.”

“But his paperwork is a bit…”

“It is true that Director Park is not excellent at handling paperwork in the office. That’s why he is striving to learn it by taking night classes in college. He works during the daytime and takes classes at night, and things seem to be working fine in the production department.”

“Mr. President Song, can you talk to the managers in the production department to make sure that they provide their full support to Director Park?”

“I actually talked to them once about it. They all like Director Park, and they are more than willing to work with him. Director Park is a pleasant person to be around, and his approach to the managers is very friendly and amicable. He doesn’t do nagging either.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“As a matter of fact, Director Park is popular among team leads and supervisors who work directly with the production workers on a daily basis. Whenever they encounter a problem, the first person who they go to is Director Park. He is the most knowledgeable and experienced person in the production field. If a machine stops working or requires a repair, they always come to Director Park.”

“There are 400 workers who he needs to manage along with the large production system that we currently have. I want him to focus on effectively managing the entire facility, workers, and the production system rather than focusing on repairing a machine…”

“He is aware of his weakness, sir, and he is trying hard to overcome it. I think you don’t have to worry about it. He is handling it very well.”

President Song continued after taking a sip of the tea that Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought to him.

“I have a question for you, sir, if you don’t mind me asking. I was wondering if you have any personal relationship with A Electronics’ CEO.”

“No, I don’t know him personally. I got to know him strictly from the business.”

“I will take your words, sir, but the people in A Electronics are wondering if you have anything to do with their CEO. The plant manager in their factory in Dangjin City asked me the other day if I know anything about the possible special relationship between you and their CEO.”

“Oh, he did? I don’t understand why he would care about it. We just need to provide them with good quality products without any defects. That’s the deal that we made. Isn’t that what he wants?”

“That’s true. The thing is that the plant manager has recently been told by his superior that they will place another product order for us for an assembly work on their entire A302 home appliance product. Of course, they justified the additional large volume of order by saying that GH Mobile has been providing quality products on time. But, the Danjing factory’s plant manager is not perfectly convinced with that reason for an additional huge product order that they are about to make.”

“Why is he not convinced?”

“Because there are a lot of other vendor companies that have been providing quality products without any defects.”

“Well, tell him that I have no idea why his superior made such a decision.”

“Haha, yes, sir. I will tell him that if he asks me again about it. If we start supplying their A302 appliance assembly work, it will bring us an additional 3 billion won sales revenue. We will assemble the entire door for their home appliance product, and it takes 12 different parts to complete the door. And the unit price is exceeding 30,000 won. Moreover, their A302 home appliance is being exported abroad. I’m sure they will order at least 100,000 of them.”

“Is that right?”

“Our annual sales revenue will increase by 36 billion won. Our goal has been set to 150 billion won by next year, but if we take that assembly work, we will safely generate 180 billion won. If we are lucky enough to receive a product order from H Group as well, our projected sales revenue at the end of this year will be 200 billion won.”

“Well, let’s try to make it happen. Also, our cost of sales to revenue ratio has been more than 80% for the past two years in a row. We want to lower it below 80% this year.”

“Understood, sir. I will think about an innovative way to reduce our product cost.”

“Well, if you don’t have anything further to talk with me, I will leave for Dyeon Korea now.”

After Gun-Ho left the office heading to Dyeon Korea, President Song sit there, and he was thinking,

‘A company can’t grow this fast. There has to be something that could explain all this. Even though President Goo denies, there has to be something with A Electronics. A Electronics is a major subsidiary company of A Group, and A Group’s chairman is the father-in-law of Minister Jin-Woo Lee who presided over President Goo’s wedding. The person— Mr. Beom-Sik Lee— who now has 15% of ownership of this company must be related to Minister Jin-Woo Lee.

Is Mr. Beom-Sik Lee a relative of Minister Jin-Woo Lee? Probably not, because a relative is not a close person when it comes to money. There could be always a dispute over money between relatives. I bet he is Minister Lee’s father. Even if something happens to his father, he is the legal heir. Well, I understand that President Goo can’t reveal anything about his relationship with A Electronics.

Maybe I should stop asking President Goo about the possible relationship with A Group. Asking about something that he can’t disclose can upset him. I don’t want to upset him. I’d better keep my mouth closed.’

President Song stood up from his seat and went back to his office. He then asked the management people, who were holding a position above the supervisor, to come to the meeting room after lunch. They would have a meeting among the management people.

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Chapter 673 - External Audit Report (2) – Part 2

Chapter 673: External Audit Report (2) – Part 2

After lunch, GH Mobile’s management people started congregating in the meeting room. They were all carrying a note under their arms. There were seventy of them including the executive officers.

Once they all settled into their seats at the table, they all looked at President Song.

“I called for this meeting because we are expecting to receive a large volume of new product orders from A Electronics and H Group. It is certainly one of the best things that could happen to a company, to have more product orders from our client companies; however, if we don’t make profits out of it by producing more products, what would be the point of working hard and trying hard to procure more clients and work?”

Everyone was quietly listening to President Song.

“Manager Kim who is sitting in the front row! Do you know our cost of sales to revenue ratio for last year?”

“…”

“You don’t know? What about Manager Lee who is sitting next to Manager Kim? Can you give me the number?”

“…”

President Song then started yelling at the executive officers who were sitting on the same side as his, once he realized that he couldn’t hear the answer from those two managers, “You are all responsible for these workers’ inability to answer my question. You are supposed to educate them and lead them.”

Director Jong-Suk Park lowered his head trying to avoid eye contact with President Song. He pretended that he was looking at his note. He didn’t want to be humiliated in front of all these people by being asked some questions that he wouldn’t be able to respond to. Fortunately, President Song didn’t call on anyone among the executive officers.

President Song continued, “Our cost of sales to revenue ratio is currently exceeding 80%! Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo pointed it out to me earlier today, and I felt so embarrassed!”

President Song raised his voice from time to time while continuously speaking, and the other workers were listening to him quietly while keeping their heads low.

“All of our competitor companies such as Egnopak and Mandong Company are successfully keeping their cost of sales to revenue ratio below 80%! We don’t have to look further. One of our GH companies— Dyeon Korea— always keeps their cost of sales to revenue ratio of 70%. What does it tell us? It’s telling that some of our money is obviously leaking somewhere in the process without our knowledge.”

The meeting room was dead quiet. Everyone was keeping their heads low.

“First of all, I want to know why we have a high product cost. Manager Kim in the back, tell me why.”

“…”

“You don’t know why? Well, why don’t you give me the reason?”

President Song said to another manager sitting in the back.

“You have been recently promoted to the manager position at the production team 2. Can you tell me why our product cost has to be high?”

“I will make my analysis and will give you a report, sir.”

“Do you think your analysis will give the answer?”

“…”

“You are supposed to be aware of all these as a manager in this company. Do you think you are qualified enough to hold a managerial position as it is now?”

“…”

“Don’t just sit there like a planted pot, but give me something?”

“…”

“I want you to come up with a plan about how to save our product cost and give me a report by the end of this week. I want one report per department. Okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

The workers in the meeting room replied all at once.

When Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea, he noticed that all of the managers were heading to a meeting room.

When Gun-Ho entered his office on the second floor, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought a cup of jujube tea to Gun-Ho.

He asked her, “Do we have a meeting today?”

“It’s not a meeting, but they are having a training today, sir.”

“A training?”

“Yes, I was told that it’s about managing and maintaining the environmental management system. We have invited a consultant from outside for the training.”

“Hmm, I see. Can you ask the accounting manager— Ms. Myeong-Sook Jo— to come to my office?”

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Myeong-Sook Jo entered Gun-Ho’s office after a moment.

“When are we expecting to receive the external audit report?”

“We will have to wait another twenty days, sir. I believe that there will be no changes in our internal year-end financial report.”

“Have you received an email from Manager Hong in GH Development requesting to send the external audit report to their office in Seoul?”

“Yes, I have received it, sir.”

“Once the external audit is completed, the CPA office will send us about twenty certified copies of the external audit report to our office, right?”

“Yes, sir. We can ask them for more copies if necessary.”

“Okay. Please send two copies to the office in Seoul for now when they are available.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho was enjoying his jujube tea when he received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“You are having your tea time, aren’t you? I guess it’s about that time.”

“Yeah, I was actually sipping my tea. How did you know that I was having a cup of tea?”

“I know. I know your every move from when you have your lunch to your nap time to your newspaper reading time. I know everything about your schedule.”

“You are not even in Korea. How do you know all that from China?”

“We’ve been friends for twenty years. Of course, I know everything about you. Haha.”

“That’s weird, and creepy, man.”

“I talked with Suk-Ho Lee on the phone. His stores are finally sold.”

“Really? That’s very nice.”

“He sold them for half price of what he initially paid for. After he spent some time in Public Security Bureau’s jail, he rushed into selling those stores.”

“Public Security Bureau’s jail? What are you talking about?”

“He got into an altercation with the previous store owner.”

“Was it serious enough to be sent to jail?”

“When he was having an altercation with the previous store owner, someone called the Public Security Bureau. And a public security officer came to the scene and tried to stop them. The thing is that Suk-Ho Lee was so upset at that time, and he pushed one of the public security officers telling him to stay out of it, just like he used to do to us in the old days.”

“Well those public security officers were performing their official duties, and he shouldn’t do that to them.”

“I know. That’s why he was placed in jail for an unlawful interference with an officer who was in the execution of his duty.”

“I see. I hope that he learned his lesson by now.”

“After spending some time in jail, he must have felt like he didn’t want to stay there anymore, so he sold his stores as quickly as he could, bearing his loss from the transaction. Someone who is running a motorcycle repair shop bought one of his stores, and another person who is selling agricultural pesticides bought the other one.”

“Does he have a plan? What is he going to do now?”

“He told me that he is thinking about opening a karaoke business. Remember his friend who came with him? I think that his friend suggested Suk-Ho Lee to run a karaoke.”

“Is he going to do that in Shenyang City?”

“He asked me about the karaoke market in Suzhou City where I am. I told him that there are too many karaokes here in Suzhou City, and it would be very stupid to add one more to the already saturated market.”

“Haha, is it true?”

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Chapter 674 - Second Generation of GH Group Family— Sang-Min Goo – Part 1

Chapter 674: Second Generation of GH Group Family— Sang-Min Goo – Part 1

It was Tuesday.

Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town that day, but instead, he asked Chan-Ho Eom to head to Goesan Town.

“Let’s go to Goesan Town today.”

“The town where Master Park is living, sir? We’ve been there before.”

“Right. I’m going to ask him to name my child.”

“Umm, sir…”

“What?”

“Will it be okay if I ask him about me?”

“Sure. Why not?”

“I didn’t bring cash today. Can I get a payment in advance for my work, sir?”

“You mean the cash for Master Park? I will pay him for you. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho arrived at Master Park’s temple-like home in Goesan Town, called Cheonghakjeongsa. Master Park was sweeping his yard. His home was unusually quiet that day.

“Hello, sir. It has been a while.”

“Oh, President Goo. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?”

“How have you been, sir?”

“I’m not doing very well. I guess I’m getting old. I feel sick here and there. Well, we can’t stop aging, can we?”

“I came here to ask you to make a name for my child.”

“Huh? You have a child now, huh? Congratulations. Come on, let’s get inside.”

Gun-Ho took Chan-Ho Eom with him when he entered Master Park’s home. The interior of the room was simple with only a few essential furniture. There was a Korean traditional drawer and a few old books on top of it. Master Park brought three cups of hot green tea to the room.

Gun-Ho gave his child’s birth year, date, and time along with his own birth year, date, and time to Master Park.

“Is your child Geonmyeong?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I’m asking if your child is a boy.”

“Yes, he is.”

“According to your fate, your first child is a boy.”

“Is that so?”

“The boy’s father’s name is ‘Gun-Ho’ with ‘Gun’ meaning building something, and ‘Ho’ with the meaning of big. Is it?”

“Yes, that’s correct, sir.”

“Your child’s generation is supposed to include ‘Sang’ in their names then.”

Gun-Ho was thinking and recalling that someone within his distant relatives was using ‘Sang’ in his name as well.

“How do I know if my next generation needs to use ‘Sang’ in the names?”

“That boy’s father’s name has ‘Ho’ which includes water. Therefore, the boy’s name needs to include a tree. That’s why it has to be either ‘Sang’ or ‘Geun’. Those two include a tree.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“It takes time for me to make a name for a child though. When I ran a philosophy hall in Gangnam District, Seoul, I always asked my clients, who came to make a name for someone, to come back the next day. However, since you drove a long way from Seoul to see me here, I won’t ask you to come back tomorrow to pick up the name. Instead, you have to give me an hour. Why don’t you spend an hour somewhere and come back? I will have the name ready by then.”

“Sure, sir. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eom drove out of Cheonghakjeongsa.

“Let’s drive around. We have an hour to kill.”

“What about we go to the valley over there? The road to the valley seems to be paved.”

Gun-Ho’s Bentley headed to the valley. There were lots of pine trees. Gun-Ho could hear the sound of flowing water coming from the valley. The town was far from a city, and sparsely populated. Not many people were coming to visit there either. It was quiet and peaceful.

“I like it here.”

Chan-Ho Eom exclaimed.

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eom got out of the car and walked down to the valley. They sat on a rock.

“Look at this, sir. There are crayfish over there.”

“Of course, there would.”

“If I live here, I think I can be some sort of master too.”

Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eom drove around further before going back to Master Park’s home. Master Park showed a paper to Gun-Ho. Some names were written on it.

“I made two names for your baby. The first one is Sang-Min Goo, and the other one is Sang-Chul Goo. You can pick one for your son. I wrote the name’s meaning besides the names as well, so you could consider the meanings when you select one. Your boy is a blessed child. I hope you raise him well.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Master Park placed the paper in an envelope before handing it to Gun-Ho. At the moment, Chan-Ho Eom chipped in, “Sir, could you read my fate too?”

“You want to have your fate read as well, young man? Give me your birth year, date, and time.”

Chan-Ho Eom gave his birth year, date, and time to Master Park.

Master Park wrote Chan-Ho Eom’s information on a piece of paper and looked at them for a while, he then lifted his head and said, “You don’t have a father, do you? You have been also separated from your mother at a young age. You had a hard life early in your life.”

Chan-Ho Eom blushed, and he looked baffled.

“Umm, how do you know all those by looking at those words on the paper?”

“That’s why I am a master.”

“Even so, it’s so fascinating, sir. I still don’t understand how you could tell about my past.”

“Your fate had Eum and JaeDaShinYak, and your father has BaekHoDaeSal that is affecting you.”

“Huh?”

“Well, it’s okay that you don’t understand what I said. After you turned 30 years old, you met an important and influencing person in your life. Your life is about to become better. You will have a better life from now on. You won’t be rich, but you will have a stable financial status. You should marry after three years.”

At that moment, Master Park’s other clients started coming in, and Chan-Ho Eom didn’t pose any further questions. Gun-Ho looked at Chan-Ho Eom and said, “Let’s go. Your life will get better. That’s good, right? You will also get married later.”

Chan-Ho Eom grinned when Master Park told him that he would get married after three years. Gun-Ho gave an envelope to Master Park. That was the pay for Gun-Ho and also Chan-Ho Eom.

“I’ve included the pay for this young man’s reading as well, sir.”

“Thank you.”

Master Park didn’t even open the envelope to verify the amount of money, but he just put the envelope in the drawer behind him.

On the way to Seoul City in the car, Gun-Ho pulled out the paper with two names in the envelope, and he stared at the names for a while. He then made a call to his father in Incheon City.

“Dad?”

“Gun-Ho?”

“I received a name from a renowned scholar who I know very well in person, for the child.”

“Oh, I was actually going to make a name for the child, but it’s good that you already have one.”

“The name includes ‘Sang’ which is part of the names that the next generation is supposed to include in their name within our family. I have two names— Sang-Min and Sang-Chul. Which name do you like better, dad?”

“What’s the meaning of Sang-Min?”

“‘Sang’ means ‘each other,’ and ‘Min’ means ‘a gem.’”

“‘Chul’ from Sang-Chul means ‘bright’?”

“Yes, dad.”

“Well, then Sang-Min should be good. One of our distant relatives is using the name— Sang-Chul— already.”

“Really?”

“Well, I do like Sang-Min better, but you should discuss it with the boy’s mom.”

“Okay. I will definitely take into account your pick in deciding the child’s name, dad.”

After getting off the phone with his father, Gun-Ho stared at the two names on the paper again.

“I don’t like Sang-Chul either. Won-Chul Jo and Byeong-Chul Hwang… they all use ‘Chul’ in their names. I don’t like it.”

Gun-Ho was leaning toward the name— Sang-Min— that his father picked as well.

When he arrived at home, he showed the paper to Young-Eun, that Master Park gave to him.

“I know this person. He is extremely knowledgeable about Yin-Yang and Five-Elements and stuff like that. I asked him to make a name for our child. He gave two names— Sang-Min and Sang-Chul. Which one do you like better?”

“Well…”

“Pick one.”

“Did you show these names to your father in Incheon City?”

“Yes, I did.”

“What did he say?”

“Give me your pick first.”

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Chapter 675 - Second Generation of GH Group Family— Sang-Min Goo – Part 2

Chapter 675: Second Generation of GH Group Family— Sang-Min Goo – Part 2

Young-Eun stared at those two names on the paper for quite a while.

“By the way, who wrote these names? The names are written in an old way using a brush. Whoever wrote the names even wrote them vertically.”

“Pick one name, Young-Eun.”

“Well, I like Sang-Min better, but I will follow you and your father’s pick.”

“Actually, my father and I, we both picked Sang-Min as well. And you picked Sang-Min too.”

“Really? Haha. Our boy’s name is Sang-Min then.”

Gun-Ho now became Sang-Min’s father, and Young-Eun became Sang-Min’s mother. Gun-Ho registered the birth of his boy with the name— Sang-Min Goo.

It was mid-March. Artist Choi told Gun-Ho and Young-Eun that she would go back to her house in Yangpyeong District. It had been more than 21 days since the baby was born. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun followed Artist Choi to the condo parking lot to see her off. They walked her to her vehicle and thanked her. Gun-Ho truly appreciated her help.

“I don’t know what to say, aunt. You’ve been a great help. Thank you so much.”

“No problem. We are family, and we help each other, right? I might need Young-Eun’s help in the future when I get older and have to stay in a nursing home or something.”

Young-Eun replied to her aunt’s joke, “Aunt, don’t worry about it. I will be there for you.”

“I will miss the baby more than I would miss you, Young-Eun. I guess I’ve been overly attached to the baby boy. I don’t want to get separated from him. Even if you will have a helper at home, you shouldn’t fully rely on her in taking care of your baby, okay? You should be there for your baby all the time.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“We have a holiday in early April. You probably want to visit your mom’s grave in Pocheon City then with your baby and your husband.”

“I know. I was planning to do that.”

“Well, I’d better go now. I will come to see the baby when he turns 100 days old.”

“Aunt, hold on.”

Gun-Ho gave an envelope to Artist Choi. There was money in it.

“What is it? Is it money?”

Artist Choi took the envelope first, and then when she realized that it was money, she gave it back to Gun-Ho.

“No! I have enough money.”

Gun-Ho was persistent. When Artist Choi sat in the driver’s seat, Gun-Ho gave the envelope again to her through the window. Artist Choi was persistent as well. She picked up the envelope and tossed it out of the car and rolled up the window blocking any access to her car from outside. She then said, “Well, I’m leaving. Good-bye. Take care.”

Artist Choi drove away, and Gun-Ho and Young-Eun gave a 90-degree bow to her.

The 21 days passed since the baby was born, and people started visiting Gun-Ho’s home to meet the baby boy. The very first visitor was Gun-Ho’s parents from Incheon City.

“Sang-Min, your grandpa and grandma are here to see you.”

“Oh my gosh, look at his eyes. They are sparkling.”

Gun-Ho’s mother had been complaining about the pain in her waist, but she seemed to have no problem carrying the baby around. Gun-Ho’s father was holding the baby and walked around the home as well.

“As you picked, dad, we decided to name him Sang-Min.”

“Really? That’s indeed a very nice name.”

Gun-Ho’s father was busy taking pictures of his grandson with his smartphone. Gun-Ho knew that his father wanted to show off his grandson to his friends.

The baby gained some weight already, and he started making eye contact as well.

Gun-Ho was having fruits with his parents and Young-Eun in the living room when his sister’s family came to see the baby. Jeong-Ah came along with them as well.

“Jeong-Ah, meet your cousin.”

Jeong-Ah’s eyes widened when she saw the baby.

Gun-Ho’s sister’s family spent about an hour in the condo in TowerPalace before getting ready to leave. According to Gun-Ho’s sister, they needed to take Jeong-Ah to have a piano lesson. Gun-Ho’s sister handed a large bag to Young-Eun. There were tons of baby stuff in it.

Gun-Ho’s parents stayed there till late at night and left around 9 pm. Gun-Ho’s mother cooked some dishes and Doenjang-jjigae (a Korean soybean paste stew) and saved them in the refrigerator.

The following day, Young-Eun’s father visited their home from Silim Town. Young-Eun looked happy to see her father. She went into the kitchen and cooked for her father including some meat dishes. She wanted to cook good food herself for her father.

While Young-Eun was in the kitchen cooking, Young-Eun’s father was holding the baby and walked around. Young-Eun pulled out an expensive liquor from the shelf and asked Gun-Ho, “Oppa, you don’t mind me opening this bottle of liquor today, right?” She didn’t even try that liquor when Gun-Ho’s parents were there.

“I don’t mind at all. Go ahead.”

That bottle of liquor was one of the liquors that Gun-Ho bought at the duty-free shop in the airport when he traveled back home from China or Japan.

Young-Eun set a table in the living room with liquor.

“Dad, have some liquor today. Sang-Min will company you.”

“Sounds great.”

Young-Eun’s father seemed to be in a good mood. He drank a lot. To Gun-Ho’s surprise, Young-Eun drank a glass of liquor as well.

“I deserve to have at least one glass of liquor since I now have a baby boy.”

“A little bit of liquor won’t hurt, I guess. But don’t let the baby smell the liquor.”

“Dad, I’m going to take the baby to mom in Pocheon City during the holiday in early April.”

“Hmm, I was going to ask you to visit mom with the baby. Thank you for being thoughtful. Gun-Ho, I thank you too. Let me fill up your glass with liquor, son.”

Since it was the weekend, and he didn’t have to go to work the next day, Gun-Ho enjoyed drinking with Young-Eun’s father.

“I love to have a son, Gun-Ho, so I can have a drink with you.”

“Dad, why don’t you spend the night here and go back home tomorrow morning?”

“Sounds good. Can you let the security officer know that I will have my car parked here overnight? Otherwise, he will place a nasty warning sticker on my windshield just like he did last time when I visited here and left my car in the parking lot overnight without telling him.”

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile, Jiksan Town. President Song and Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim were talking in the yard.

“Sir, you are here.”

President Song and Director Kim greeted Gun-Ho.

“What are you two doing in the yard?”

President Song smiled and replied, “Director Kim came all the way here to sell Dyeon Korea’s products. He is asking us to use Dyeon Korea’s raw materials in manufacturing H Group’s products.”

Gun-Ho said, “Why don’t you do a favor for him?”

“H Group has its own chemical company. I can’t just notify H Group that we will start using raw materials from another company in manufacturing their products. I don’t know how to justify that request.”

Director Kim was persistent.

“Brother, you can use half from H Chemical and a half from Dyeon Korea, and mix them together.”

“That’s not good. I’m not sure if that will work though.”

“No one will find out.”

“That doesn’t sound plausible. I will figure out what we can do about it. Give me some time to think about it. By the way, how do you find out what product order we received from H Group? It seems that you find out immediately once we receive a new order.”

“Of course I know. There is no secret in this industry, brother.”

“I smell something here. Our mid-level managers seem to be still in constant contact with you, Mr. Director Kim since you have known them for a while. Our company’s information is leaking somewhere.”

“I have other sources where I can get some information. I know some people in H Group’s purchasing department too.”

“Well, I will talk to you later. I have an appointment.”

When President Song tried to leave the scene, Director Kim grabbed his arm.

“Brother, we are family, right? Let’s have a puffer fish stew for lunch together. I will treat you.”

“Take your hand off my arm, Mr. Director. I can’t accept an obvious bribe from you.”

Gun-Ho laughed. It was fun to watch those two people. Gun-Ho then walked up to his office on the second floor.

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Chapter 676 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (1) – Part 1

Chapter 676: Crowdfunding on Movie Production (1) – Part 1

It was Tuesday, and Gun-Ho went to work in his building in Sinsa Town. He was having a cup of tea while looking at his child’s picture with his smartphone.

Then he realized, “I forgot to give Young-Eun money for living expenses.”

Gun-Ho wire-transferred another 50 million won to Young-Eun’s bank account. It was for the past five-month living expenses. To make sure Young-Eun received the living expenses from him regularly, Gun-Ho set-up the automated electronic funds transfer on his bank account with Kukmin Bank through its bank application—KB StarBanking. The amount of 10 million won would be sent to Young-Eun’s bank account on the first day of every month from now on.

Gun-Ho gave a call to Young-Eun.

“What are you doing?”

“I was changing the diaper of our baby.”

“When is the helper lady coming?”

“She is here already. She is cooking in the kitchen right now.”

“She is not staying with us, but she will commute, right?”

“Yeah. She will come here every day except weekends. I told her to take a break on Saturdays and Sundays.”

“How old is the lady?”

“She is about 60 years old. She raised her kids on her own, and they are already all grown up. The staffing agency told me that she is a good cook as well. She does look like a fine lady.”

“Really? That’s good. I realized that I haven’t sent you money for living expenses, so I just sent it to your account. Verify it. It’s 50 million won.”

“Oh, another 50 million won?”

“Yeah, and since I seem to keep forgetting to send it to you, I set up the auto funds transfer. You will receive 10 million won in your bank account starting next month.”

“10 million won per month?”

“Yeah. Use that money to pay the helper lady and HOA fee and other stuff.”

“Okay. I will use the money to take care of all the necessary things, and I will save the remaining in the bank account under Sang-Min’s name.”

“Well, whatever you want to do, honey. How you spend the money is totally up to you. I don’t even ask you how much you make at the hospital, do I?”

“Haha. I will save my earnings that I make by working as a medical doctor for our child— Sang-Min—as well.”

“Whatever pleases you. Well, I will see you at home tonight.”

“Oh, I forgot to ask you this,” Young-Eun quickly said.

“What is it?”

“We have a holiday—Cheonmyeongjul—coming. It’s on Friday. We will visit our mom on Saturday, right? Since you have to go to work on Friday.”

“Visiting your mom? Sure, Saturday sounds good.”

“My dad in Silim Town wants to go there with us. Will it be okay with you?”

“Your father in Silim Town? Sure, why not?”

“Thank you. I will see you later.”

It was Saturday. The weather was nice and sunny. Gun-Ho had his car washed and filled up the tank of his car before leaving for the cemetery park in Pocheon City. Since he didn’t have enough time to fully wash his car, he cleaned only the exterior of the vehicle.

“Father, you are here,” Gun-Ho said when he saw Young-Eun’s father arrive.

“I hope that I’m not interrupting your little trip.”

“Don’t say that, father. You are always welcome. Please get in my car. I will drive.”

“Where should I place this?”

“What are these?”

“These are some food for Young-Eun’s mom, like fruits and Gimbap (cooked rice and other ingredients rolled in dried seaweed).”

“Sang-Min’s mom already prepared food for her mother.”

At that moment, Young-Eun came down to the parking lot.

“Oppa, will you help me take this to the car? It’s heavy.”

Young-Eun was holding the baby and also carrying two bags.”

“What are all these?”

“They are some food and fruits. The helper lady and I cooked them all.”

“Really?”

“You have to handle this bag cautiously. It has a bottle of liquor in it.”

The baby was looking around in Young-Eun’s arms. It was his first official trip outside home. Gun-Ho was not sure if the baby was able to recognize the surroundings.

When they entered Dongbu Expressway, Gun-Ho looked at the back seat through the rear mirror. Young-Eun was looking at the baby while holding him. She looked happy. Young-Eun’s father, who was sitting next to Young-Eun, was dozing off. Gun-Ho was still driving after passing downtown Pocheon City.

“Oppa, if we take the road over there, it would lead to Chairman Lee’s vacation home, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s stop by his vacation home in the near future with a box of fruits.”

“Sounds good.”

“Oppa, I received a call from KOAF (the Korean African medical volunteer work center) yesterday.”

“What did they say?”

“They asked me to take the position of its office’s president. So, I told them that I can’t do that now because I delivered my baby a few days ago.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I might accept the position next year though.”

“Aren’t you going to be too busy then? Sang-Min needs you too.”

“That’s true, but…”

They arrived at the cemetery park in Pocheon City. Young-Eun was holding the baby in front of her mother’s grave.

“Mom, it’s me, and this is your grandson,” Young-Eun said as she held up the baby.

Young-Eun’s father said, “Your mom must be very happy now. She now has this cute grandson.”

Young-Eun laid out all the food that she prepared in front of the grave. There were all sorts of dishes. Young-Eun seemed to prepare as many dishes as she wanted with the helper lady’s help. She brought various kinds of fruits as well.

Gun-Ho, Young-Eun, and Young-Eun’s father gave a deep and full bow to the grave. They then began eating the food. The foods were neatly placed in several stackable food storage containers. They were tasty, maybe because they were eating outside. Young-Eun’s father seemed to be relishing the moment. He finished several glasses of liquor already.

“I’m so happy to be here visiting your mother with you and my grandson. I’m so glad how magnificently you grew up, Young-Eun.”

Young-Eun had her happy smile on her face during the entire trip. She also fed the baby with happy looks on her face. Everything looked so peaceful.

“The boy is very gentle. He doesn’t cry much unlike other babies.”

“Maybe because he is here at his grandmother’s grave.”

“You think so?”

Gun-Ho climbed to his feet and said, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Gun-Ho walked into the forest near the gravesite in order to take care of his business. While Gun-Ho was away, Young-Eun’s father asked Young-Eun, “You have a helper lady at home now? It must cost you a lot to have her. Does Gun-Ho give you money for living expenses? You are not separately managing each of your earnings, are you?”

“No, dad. He gives me money for our living expenses.”

“How much does he give you? Is it enough?”

“It’s more than enough actually. He is giving 10 million won per month.”

“10 million won per month? Stop joking, and give me the exact number.”

“I’m not joking, dad. He literally gives me 10 million won per month for living expenses. He is making good money, dad. He gave me 50 million won twice so far, so it’s 100 million won. He hasn’t even asked me how much I make at the hospital.”

“Really? Well, your aunt told me that Gun-Ho is running a big business. I guess she was not joking.”

“His company at Jiksan Town has 500 workers.”

“500 workers? Whoa, it must be a huge factory since it has to accommodate 500 people. Anyway, I feel relieved knowing that Gun-Ho is taking good care of my daughter, and that he is capable of giving you 10 million won per month for living expenses only. Well, you know that you always have to prepare for the future, right? Don’t forget to save money in a savings account. You shouldn’t spend all of 10 million won.”

“I know, dad.”

“You might want to start the installments savings program with a bank. You can later use the lump sum money to open your own hospital or Sang-Min’s education or something.”

“Okay, dad. Don’t worry about it, and drop the subject. My husband is coming.”

“Okay.”

They were heading back home from the cemetery park. Gun-Ho looked at Young-Eun and her father through the rear mirror. Watching them happy made Gun-Ho feel happy as well. Young-Eun’s father was looking out the window, and then he turned around and said to Gun-Ho, “You must feel exhausted. It’s a long drive going to the cemetery and coming back home.”

“I’m good, father. Don’t worry about me.”

After passing Uijeongbu IC, they entered the Dongbu Expressway. Young-Eun and her father were dozing off in the back seat.

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Chapter 677 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (1) –Part 2

Chapter 677: Crowdfunding on Movie Production (1) – Part 2

It was already mid-April.

Gun-Ho started receiving the external audit reports for each GH company. The external audit reports produced by CPAs were showing the same data that was demonstrated in each of GH company’s financial documents. Those documents were previously prepared by each GH company’s person who was in charge of accounting and also reported to Gun-Ho in early January. Manager Hong brought the external audit reports to Gun-Ho’s office.

“All of the GH companies are the business entities that close their account in December.”

“Right.”

“They all have reported that they paid the corporate tax completely last month.”

“Hmm, I see. Paying the proper amount of tax on time is a way to contribute to the economy of our country, through the business.”

Manager Hong smiled broadly as she heard Gun-Ho mentioning the contribution to the country’s economy by running a business and paying the tax due.

Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“Have you received Dyeon Korea’s external audit report, sir?”

“Yes, I have.”

“The president of the CPA office that we are working with wants to give you the report in person when you are available, sir.”

“I’m going to Dyeon Korea tomorrow. I can see him tomorrow.”

“Where do we want him to come?”

“Dyeon Korea and also GH Mobile both are working with Anchang Accountant Office in front of the Cheonan Tax Office, right?”

“That’s correct, sir. The president of that office—Accountant Nak-Jong Lee—said that he wants to make his audit report directly to the major shareholder of our company in person.”

“Hmm, really? Well, please tell him to meet me in my office at GH Mobile at 10 am.”

“Yes, sir. I will let him know. And, one more thing…”

“Is there something else that you want to tell me?”

“Dyeon Korea successfully received the environment management system certificate—ISO 14001.”

“Oh, really?”

“Also, as we obtained ISO 14001, we got the internationally recognized quality management system certificate—ISO 9001—as well.”

“Are those two useful when we apply to be recognized as a start-up company with technology?”

“They certainly are, sir, especially because they both are internationally recognized certificates. It will help us in receiving the recognition as a start-up company with technology, and also the Inno-Biz certificate. The examiners will give us extra points to be added in their evaluation, considering that our facility has been certified with an environment management system and quality management system. It is definitely better to have them.”

“Okay. We have to keep in mind that maintaining the system is as important as having them certified. Please make sure that our workers understand it and pay attention to maintain the system as certified status as well.”

“Understood, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in Shanghai City, China.

“I should have given you a call more often, and sorry about that, sir.”

“I was told that the TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—achieved high view ratings.”

“Yes, sir. Its ratings are exceeding 1.5%.”

“I guess that the Huanle Shiji Production Company is getting enough subsidy from the broadcasting station because they haven’t contacted me for the second investment funds of 1 million dollars.”

“I actually called you for that, sir. Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen is hoping to meet with you in person, sir.”

“Meet me in person? For what?”

“It’s about the second investment funds.”

“As to the first investment funds, did they increase the company’s capital reflecting my investment funds?”

“I haven’t checked on it yet; I’ve been busy. I will find out, sir.”

“Is President Baogang Chen next to you to pick up the phone?”

“No, sir. He is in his office by himself.”

“Okay. I will give him a call.”

“Don’t you need an interpreter to talk with him, sir? Oh, that’s right. You speak Chinese fluently. Well, I’m sure he is available to pick up the call in his office.”

Gun-Ho made a call to President Baogang Chen right away.

“Chen Zong Ma (President Chen)? Wo Shi Ju Gen Hao (This is Gun-Ho Goo).”

“Oh, Ju Zong! Ni Hao, Ni Hao. (Oh, President Goo, how are you?)”

“It’s very nice to know that the Shiguang Ru Meng had high ratings.”

“I would attribute the success to Director Woon-Hak Sim’s help and his assistance. He partially modified our scenario to make it more interesting, and we received technical help from Korea because of him as well. Particularly, the female lead actress—Lia—has shown excellent acting. Lia’s fans in China are continuously growing even right now.”

“That’s good to know.”

“I actually wanted to talk with you in person about the second investment funds, and I asked Director Sim the other day if you have any plans to visit China in the near future.”

“Did you increase the capital with the first investment funds? I need it to be done before I can release my second investment funds.”

“According to our memorandum of understanding, the first 50,000 dollars would be sent when the vice president person, who would be sent from Korea, joined our production team, and once the production team was completely organized, the second investment funds of 1 million won would be sent. And, the third investment funds would be sent after the casting is completed. You remember that, right?”

“The organization of the production crew and the casting were completed simultaneously at that time, so I sent the first 1 million won then. If you recall it, our MOU and the actual contract clearly stated that the capital will be increased with the first investment funds of 1 million dollars. That’s why I’ve been waiting for your notification along with the relevant document issued by the Administration for Industry and Commerce, saying that the capital increase was completed, so I could send out the second 1 million won. I need to verify the document before sending the second investment funds.”

“I guess we had different views. Since we haven’t received the second investment funds, the first investment funds were recorded as a short-term loan for now.”

“If we don’t keep our works as agreed, the trust built between us could collapse.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Mr. President Goo. We are grateful for your help. The first 1 million dollars that you’ve sent to us was like rain in the drought for us. It literally revived our business.”

“Hmm.”

“Mr. President Goo, your ultimate goal in this investment is to make profits, isn’t it? It doesn’t really matter whether the money is recorded as a short-term loan, or it is used to raise the company’s capital as long as you receive your investment return.”

“Could you elaborate? How would I make profits out of it?”

“As a matter of fact, our company will produce a movie. All of our staff here have direct experience in producing a movie to some extent, including me. Director Woon-Hak Kim who you sent to us also directly participated in shooting a movie before.”

“Are you suggesting that I invest in a movie production? It is a highly risky industry where I have to wait at least 12 months after I put my funds in it and before I could expect to recoup my investment funds. A drama production is different. It is being produced one episode after another. However, a movie is one whole piece that needs to be made altogether. The production cost for one movie will take well more than 10 million dollars. I can’t take that risk.”

“Please make time to hear me out.”

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Chapter 678 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (2) – Part 1

Chapter 678: Crowdfunding on Movie Production (2) – Part 1

Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen swallowed a lump in his throat before continuing his talk, “It is true that Huanle Shiji Production Company has been suffering from debt after failing with two previous TV dramas. However, when we started receiving investment funds from the Korean GH company and continuing our drama production with the money, our creditors seemed to be willing to give us a second chance. Fortunately, our current TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—became popular enough to earn their trust and hope again.”

“That is what I am already aware of, isn’t it?”

“Huanle Shiji Production Company actually started as a movie production company in the beginning. Ever since we failed to make enough money with two previous drama productions and suffered from our difficult financial situation, we’ve lost some of our crew; however, we still have a lot of competent and excellent production staff in our company.”

“Hmm.”

“There is this very fine lady author with whom I’ve been working for a long time. Her name is Ailing Feng. She recently gave me a movie scenario—Menghuan Yinghua. It’s a romance movie with a pinch of patriotism. As you are already well aware, patriotic movies are gaining more and more popularity in China. That’s the current movie trend in China right now. Look at the movie—Zhan Lang (wolf warrior), for example. More than 100 million people watched the movie.”

“Not every movie gains that much popularity, doesn’t it?”

“Ms. Ailing Feng’s movies have. Most movies made with her scenario were successful. A new movie in Korea is deemed to be successful if 10 million people came to the movie theater and watched it. With the large population of China, we can reach 100 million audiences if the movie is good. The Chinese movie industry is surpassing Hollywood.”

“Please go on.”

“So, I invited the creditors over to my office the other day and made an announcement that we are currently reviewing the possibility of producing a movie with the famous writer—Ailing Feng’s film scenario. And, when I asked them to defer our payment for the debts, the creditors gladly agreed to defer the payments. Some of them even offered more funding, so we could have money to produce the movie.”

Gun-Ho thought about it for a second.

‘He is not asking me to fund his movie production for 100%. He already found investors who would invest in his new movie. He is asking me to provide him an additional fund, maybe because what he collected so far is not enough. I will need more information about the movie like its contents and production plan before I could make my decision. I want to hear Seukang Li’s opinion on this as well.’

Gun-Ho said, “Okay. Well, here is what I will do. I will visit Shanghai City to meet with you within a few days. We will talk about this further then.”

“Sounds great. That’s all I need from you for now. I just need a chance to present my plan to you on the movie production. You might want to meet with Director Seukang Li as well during your visit here. I’m sure he has something that he wants to talk to you about.”

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile, Jiksan Town. The CPA—Nak-Jong Lee—was supposed to visit Gun-Ho’s office at GH Mobile that day. It wasn’t unusual for the president of a company to receive their external audit report directly from the CPA who performed the audit, as it was a common practice among the presidents of many large companies.

Accountant Nak-Jong Lee came to Gun-Ho’s office in GH Mobile around 10 am.

“It has been a while since I saw you last time, sir.”

The accountant was carrying a lot of documents under his arms. He entered Gun-Ho’s office as he gave a bow to Gun-Ho.

“Please have a seat.”

Accountant Nak-Jong Lee placed a copy of the external audit report on the table in front of Gun-Ho as he sat on the sofa, facing Gun-Ho. It was the same document that GH Development’s Manager Hong gave to Gun-Ho as the year-end financial report the other day. The CPA was supposed to further give his opinion, analysis, and other information that was not shown on the document.

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Hee-Jeong Park.

“Please bring us two cups of tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

The CPA didn’t start his report right away, but he was making small talk on the weather and politics while waiting for the tea.

The secretary brought tea, and Accountant Nak-Jong Lee finally got into the report after taking a sip of his tea.

“Here is my overall opinion.”

“I’m listening.”

“You have reviewed the documents already, haven’t you?”

“I have.”

“The company made outstanding sales last year. Its sales increased by 35% compared to the previous year. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“A public company is supposed to make an official announcement to the public about the cause of its sales increase if the sales increased by more than 35%. You are aware of it, aren’t you?”

“The volume of the product order from A Electronics has increased a lot.”

“We attribute the dramatic increase in sales to your exceptional sales ability as the president of this company, and also the excellent reputation in the industry on the company’s quality control conducted by the workers here. Is it correct?”

“Umm, yes. You can say that.”

Gun-Ho was a bit confused. He thought, ‘Does he know something? Is he suspicious of something?’

“The cost of sales to revenue ratio is 81%, which is higher than the average in the industry. You will need to start a program or training specifically designed to reduce it.”

“We actually already started our effort to reduce our product cost to lower that ratio.”

“I’ve noticed that the company has an in-house research center. You probably want to review the possibility that you include the research center’s labor cost and expenses in the research and development cost rather than in the product cost.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“The business entertainment expenses for entertaining customers or employees at a social event, for example, is rather low compared to other companies in the same industry. I don’t see you play golf often. I believe that playing golf provides numerous health benefits. For that reason, I do recommend you playing golf more often.”

“I’m not pleased whenever I see a lot of business owners spend more time in a country club than in his company too often without any reasons that help their business.”

“I’ve seen many companies where their owner’s family members such as the president’s wife or child carry the company’s business card and use it for their personal expenses. I don’t see that happening with your companies, which is very good.”

“They shouldn’t do that. They absolutely need to keep their personal and business expenses separate.”

“Actually, I’ve seen that happen with Mulpasaneop occasionally. I had to tell President Se-Young Oh several times that they shouldn’t do that.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“Also, I don’t see any signs of making slush fund with your companies either. I personally like a company like yours.”

“Thank you. I have no idea what slush fund means at all anyway.”

“Your accounting director—Ms. Min-Hwa Kim—often visits our office. She told me that GH Mobile’s profits from last year will be used to pay the company’s debt, and there will be no dividend distribution this year accordingly.”

“That’s right. We decided to do so.”

“GH Mobile’s debt ratio is getting close to the industrial average debt ratio. I guess the company will be reborn as a financially stable business soon.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

“I’ve also noticed that you increased the capital.”

“Umm, yes, we did.”

“GH Mobile was doing perfectly fine, but you still decided to receive the investment fund of 750 million won from the Beom-Sik Lee person and increased the capital and gave the company’s shares to him. I don’t think he is related to the company or you. Is there any reason for it?”

“I just wanted to lower the company’s debt ratio.”

The CPA—Nak-Jong Lee—smiled, and he said, “GH Mobile achieved its sales growth of 35% which is remarkable. I don’t understand why the company had to increase the capital by receiving 750 million won in an effort to reduce its debt under the circumstances. But, since you said so, I will take it as it is.”

‘I’m sure that this guy knows something or sensed something. What and why does he want to know about all these?’

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Chapter 679 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (2) – Part 2

Chapter 679: Crowdfunding on Movie Production (2) – Part 2

Accountant Nak-Jong Lee continued, “I will take it as the two events—the capital increase and the company share transfer to Mr. Beom-Sik Lee—have nothing to do with the company’s recent dramatic increase in sales. To be honest with you, it doesn’t concern us anyway. I just asked you about it out of curiosity; that’s all.”

“Right. I can assure you that there is no connection between the two.”

“And, you transferred 3% of the company share to Mr. Jang-Hwan Song. Well, it was probably an incentive for the co-president.”

“That’s correct.”

“This is all for GH Mobile. Before we get into the external audit report on Dyeon Korea, can we take a short break? You look tired, sir.”

“Sounds good. Let’s take a 10-minute break.”

After ten minutes, Gun-Ho and the CPA sat at the table in Gun-Ho’s office again.

“Dyeon Korea generated 52.8 billion won last year. I don’t have its previous year’s sales revenue to compare with since it’s a newly established company. I can tell you that it is indeed an outstanding achievement for a new company. I’ve worked as a CPA for 18 years, and I’ve never seen a company that made this much in its first year.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I would say that it is because of the brand name—Dyeon—which is an internationally recognized name. Its sales profit and operating profit look reasonable and stable.”

“Hmm.”

“According to the internal auditor, the last year’s profits after tax will be reinvested in the company to increase its capital, and two partners will invest 4.5 billion won each.”

“That’s correct.”

“We—the CPAs—read a company’s president’s intention and will along with the direction where the company is heading, based on their balance sheet (B/S) and income statement (I/S).”

“What are you saying?”

“I’ve noticed that the expenses related to obtaining various certificates and to the research center have recently increased. Moreover, the training expenditure on Inno-Biz and recognition of a start-up company with technology has increased as well.”

“It’s a part of our effort to stabilize the company’s product quality control system.”

“Additionally, it seems that you are playing a capital increase game in order to raise the major shareholders’ share in the company. The company’s authorized capital is becoming the same as its paid-in capital.”

“A company’s capital is increased as more investment funds are infused, isn’t it?”

“So, my guess is that you are planning to register Dyeon Korea with KOSDAQ before GH Mobile.”

“I’m sure that every small or medium-size company wants to go public.”

“Dyeon Korea has no debt, and it has enough cash in its reserve as more investment funds came from the shareholders. I think the company plans to do either one of these.”

“Please go on. It’s getting interesting.”

“After going public, I think that it would open a factory in other countries such as China or India with the cash in the reserve, or…”

“Or?”

“I don’t know about the terms of the joint venture contract, but if it allows a shareholder to transfer their shares, you might be thinking of selling your shares to a third person for a high price. You are running a business to make money after all. If you sell the shares after the company goes public at its market value, you will make a lot of money.”

“Don’t ever say that again. I have no intention to sell my Dyeon Korea’s shares, and there is no buyer who is ready to purchase it either.”

“Well, if you say so, sir, I will take it as you say.”

“I won’t answer any more questions that are beyond the scope of the audit.”

“Haha, fair enough. I was just speculating, sir.”

“Thank you for the external audit report. I will instruct the accounting staff to send the payment to your office as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho then called for the accounting director—Ms. Director Min-Hwa Kim.

She came to Gun-Ho’s office after a moment.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

“We have a guest here today—Mr. CPA Nak-Jong Lee—from Anchang CPA office. I would love to have lunch with him today, but I have pre-engagement. Will you have lunch with him?”

“With my pleasure, sir. I would love to.”

Accountant Nak-Jong Lee laughed as he stood up from his seat.

“Well, it was a pleasure talking with you today, sir.”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat and extended his hand to Accountant Nak-Jong Lee for a handshake. After the accountant left the office, Gun-Ho mumbled to himself.

“He is certainly knowledgeable. As he claimed, I don’t doubt that he has been in the field for 18 years.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“Did the CPA from Anchang CPA office come to GH Mobile, sir?”

“Yes, he just left my office.”

“There was nothing unusual about his visit or report, wasn’t it?”

“No, it was all fine.”

“You are coming to Dyeon Korea today, right, sir?”

“Yes. I will be there after lunch.”

“We’ve received the certificate for our in-house research center. We will have a simple signboard-hanging ceremony with the certificate. We just want to take a picture of it.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho could have had lunch with the CPA that day, but he intentionally avoided it. Gun-Ho didn’t want the CPA to know too much information about his companies. The more time he spent with the CPA, the more chance that Gun-Ho would blurt out unnecessary things. It wouldn’t actually matter whether the CPA found out things about his companies, but Gun-Ho didn’t want to expose what he had in his mind to him. That was why he asked the accounting director to have lunch with the CPA for him.

‘CPAs do have a responsibility to not disclose confidential information about their clients that were learned during their professional service. If they do, they could lose their job because it’s very easy for a company to change their CPAs to someone else.

By the way, do I have to attend that signboard-hanging ceremony to take a picture? I think I’d better step back from the front-line president work and take a chairman position instead. As the president, I have to attend so many events and handle stuff that I’m not fond of doing. I will let someone else do the job, and I want to focus on the money and its flow. I will keep the president position until Dyeon Korea successfully goes public.’

Gun-Ho went to a restaurant that was located close to the hot spring resort in Eumbong Town to have lunch with Chan-Ho Eom. They had Bibimbap*. They headed to Dyeon Korea after their afternoon coffee.

When Gun-Ho arrived at his office, the secretary—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee—brought a cup of jujube tea to Gun-Ho’s office.

“We still have the jujube tea left? I feel like we are never out of jujube tea in this office.”

“My mom actually harvests the fruits herself, and dries them, and makes the tea with them. So, I can bring the tea to the office as much as I want.”

“Hmm, is that so? Please send my thanks to your mother for me.”

After a moment, the internal auditor came to Gun-Ho’s office to take him to the signboard-signing ceremony. When he walked down to the building entrance, everyone was there already including Vice President Adam Castler, the chief research officer, and Manager Yoo. On the column at the entrance, there was a signboard indicating the in-house research center. They posed for a photo by pretending that they were hanging the signboard just now.

“We now have the environment management system certificate—ISO 14001—and our in-house research center is officially confirmed. We are almost ready to apply for the Inno-Biz certificate and for the recognition as a start-up company with technology. Our applications for those two will be easily approved. I will get the work done by next month, sir.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head twice while tying his hands together behind his back.

Note*

Bibimbap – Cooked rice with various vegetables and meat mixed together with Korean red chili paste.

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Chapter 680 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (3) – Part 1

Chapter 680: Crowdfunding on Movie Production (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“The Chinese partner picked the construction company to build the terminal. The name of the company is Hwajoong Construction Company. They told me that I will need to sign the construction contract tomorrow.”

“I know that they put the construction work on an open bid, but I’m pretty sure that it was a pretense. They probably selected that specific construction company for the work, a long time ago.”

“That’s very plausible because I heard that the construction company’s president is a friend of Antang City’s director of the transportation department. People say that they were a member of Gong Qing Tuan (the Communist Youth League of China) together.”

“Well, just sign the contract. What can we do? They selected the construction company for the work.”

“Okay. I will sign the contract tomorrow and will give you a call.”

The following day around 11:30 am, Jae-Sik Moon called Gun-Ho.

“I just signed the contract with Hwajoong Construction Company for the terminal construction work. The construction cost indicated in the contract is more than I thought. It’s 150 million Yuan.”

“Hmm, it’s about 25.5 billion Korean won.”

“I signed the contract that states that we would pay the cost in exchange for their construction work, but how are we going to come up with that money?”

“We will have a long-term battle with our Chinese partner.”

“Really?”

“You will see. Antang transportation company is receiving enormous support from the city’s transportation department. The real fight between the transportation company’s president— Runsheng Yan— and me will start soon. It will be fantastic.”

“I’m scared, man.”

“You just sit there and watch. The excavation will start soon. I think you will see several heavy construction equipments coming into the construction site by tomorrow.”

“I will keep an eye on the construction process with excavation and everything else for the next couple of days, and then I will visit Korea. The trip this time will be short like three days. My child will have her 100th day celebration in Korea.”

“Really? She is already 100 days old? Congratulations.”

Two days later, Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon. The phone number was from Korea.

“I arrived in Korea with my wife yesterday. We spent our first night at the condo in East Incheon City.”

“That’s nice.”

“Before I left China, they were doing the excavation.”

“Your parents must be happy to see their grandchild.”

“Of course. They kept saying to my wife and me ‘thank you.’ I don’t have many female relatives in our family, and my parents are so in love with my daughter.”

“I’m sure they are.”

“I was surprised when I saw them yesterday. They became totally different people; they were not the same people who used to live in a basement any longer. They now look like the people who have lived affluent lives their entire life. The impact that people receive from their living environment is amazing.”

“Haha, really?”

“A basement unit is usually tiny and dark, but the biggest problem with a basement unit is moisture. Bacteria and molds are easily growing in a damp house, which causes allergies and creates other health concerns. My parents and I had been suffering from itching skin and minor breathing problems. We don’t have any of those problems now ever since we moved to a condo.”

“Is that right?”

“I’m actually planning to take out a loan from a bank using the condo in East Incheon City, for about 100 million won.”

“What for?”

“My wife wants to try something in China.”

“What about the baby?”

“Since she has the helper lady at home, she can have her own time without worrying about our baby. She has experience with running a book café, so she is thinking of opening a small business like a coffee shop or a simple restaurant selling deep-fried chicken with beer; you know the sort of restaurant that can be found everywhere in Korea.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“My wife has several friends in the condo community— Huaxi Huayuan. It seems that they have been discussing opening a business, and someone suggested to my wife that she open a restaurant that specializes in deep-fried chicken and beer. The Chinese ladies here seem to be fascinated by that type of restaurant since they have seen it a lot in a Korean TV drama. So, my wife is thinking about the business.”

“Oh, really? Have you talked with anyone from a bank about the loan? Can you take out a loan that much?”

“They still have the record about my past low credit score, so banks won’t lend me any money. But, community credit cooperatives will. I actually visited a community credit cooperative in this town, and they said they would lend me money as long as I use my condo to secure the loan. But their interest rate is high compared to banks’.”

“Have you visited your parents-in-law as well?”

“My wife and I are actually in her parents’ home right now.”

“They are so happy to see all of you three, right?”

“Of course. They were very content when they saw their daughter. My wife looks peaceful and stable since she is not stressed with raising our child, unlike most of the new moms are. Having a helper lady at home is critical. So, my parents-in-law are happy knowing that their daughter is having a comfortable life in China.”

“I see.”

“Also, my wife bragged about her luxurious life in China to them. She told them that we are living in a 36 pyung large condo, and I am driving an Audi while running an intercity bus business.”

“Haha, really? I guess you’d better invite your parents and parents-in-law over to your place in China to confirm what your wife told them.”

“My wife’s parents actually wanted to visit us in China when my wife’s labor was due soon. But I suggested that we would visit them in Korea instead when the baby was born.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. They are still working, so they needed to take several days off from their work for the trip. Also, I wasn’t fully settled in China myself at that time. Now, everything looks good, and I asked them to take a vacation and visit us in China.”

“That’s good.”

“I’m going back to China the day after tomorrow.”

“Take a deep rest while you are in Korea. Why don’t you take a few more days off from work?”

“I have to go back to work. There are things that I need to check on regularly. By the way, are you receiving the rents fine from those five condos in Huaxi Huayuan?”

“Huh? The rents?”

In fact, Gun-Ho hadn’t checked his bank account for a while, where he was receiving those rental incomes. They were not a significant amount of money, so he had been ignorant.

“My wife— Soon-Young’s mom— is collecting the rents from the tenants and depositing them into your bank account after charging 3,000 Yuan as her handling fee.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure. I appreciate that.”

“The ladies in the same condo community— Huaxi Huayuan— think that my wife is rich. That’s understandable because she is managing five luxurious condos, and her husband is running an intercity bus service business. Moreover, they often saw my chauffeur coming to the condo complex to pick me up with an Audi in the morning.”

“Haha, really?”

When Gun-Ho came home that evening, he talked about Jae-Sik’s family to Young-Eun.

“Jae-Sik’s daughter in China is already 100 days old. They are in Korea right now to celebrate her 100th day with their parents.”

“Wow. Time flies. It has already been 100 days, huh?”

“The child’s name is Soon-Young, so Jae-Sik often refers to his wife as Soon-Young’s mom. Anyway, Soon-Young’s mom wants to open a business.”

“Already? With a 100 days old baby? She is breastfeeding her child, isn’t she?”

“If she runs her own business, her schedule will be flexible enough to come home as often as she wants during the work hours to feed her daughter.”

“What kind of business does she want to open?”

“She used to run a book café when she was in Seoul. So, with that experience, she wants to open a coffee shop or a small restaurant that specializes in deep-fried chicken and beer.”

“Well, she has a helper lady at home all the time. Assuming that she will pick a business close to her home, her plan will probably work.”

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Chapter 681 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (3) – Part 2

Chapter 681: Crowdfunding on Movie Production (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun, “By the way, what about you, Young-Eun? Your maternity leave will soon end. I think you should quit your job at Seoul National University Hospital, and stay home and focus on raising our child— Sang-Min.”

“No way.”

“Why not? I’m giving you enough money for living expenses, aren’t I? Aren’t you satisfied with your loving husband and adorable son at home? Your life at home will be very comfortable. Think about it.”

“I will be regressing if I stay home.”

“Then find a job close to home. It doesn’t have to be a large hospital, right? You can find a deputy director position in a small doctor’s office maybe.”

“The work itself is usually harder, and the workload is heavier in a small doctor’s office.”

“What’s your plan then? Do you want to keep the helper lady and do nothing at home since she will take care of our child?”

Young-Eun let out a deep sigh and said, “I need more time to think about it. A man’s life is a lot easier than a female’s, isn’t it? You don’t have to worry about staying home with your child, huh?”

“That’s not true. I do worry a lot about our child too. By the way, don’t you smell something? It’s coming from Sang-Min.”

“Shoot. He pooped.”

After two days, Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon again.

“It’s me. I’m back in China. The trip to Korea was very nice. I thank you for it.”

“Good. I’m glad that you enjoyed the trip.”

“The excavation was already done by the time I got here. They are working on the foundation now.”

“It should make a lot of noise.”

“Yeah. What can I do about it?”

“Did you successfully take out the loan as you planned?”

“Yeah, I took out 100 million won.”

“Are your parents okay with it? That’s the condo where they are living in right now, that you used as collateral for the loan.”

“Yeah, I told them about it. I told them that we need the money to do some extra business in China. Since I took only 50% of the condo’s value, they don’t have to worry about losing the condo.”

“So, they are okay, right?”

“They said that the condo is mine, and they don’t get to say anything about what I do with the condo. They are just hoping that the business that I want to open goes well.”

“I see.”

“Oh, the vice president was here a few minutes ago. He said that we will have our first board meeting soon for this year.”

“Hmm, yeah, it’s about time.”

“I will give you a call once I get the exact date for it.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho went to work in the GH Building in Sinsa Town. There was a large banner hanging on the building. It was the advertisement for an art exhibition that would be held in GH Art Gallery in the basement. The exhibition was about non-figurative arts.

When Gun-Ho entered his office, the secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— brought a morning paper to Gun-Ho.

“Please get me a cup of coffee too.”

Without realizing it, Gun-Ho was talking more comfortably to the people who were younger than him. Ever since his son was born, Gun-Ho gained some weights as well. His belly became larger. Gun-Ho, who was known as a big player in Gangnam District and who was running several companies, was radiating corresponding charisma. The comfortable and informal way to talk to younger people seemed to be more natural for Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho was enjoying his morning coffee with his legs crossed while sitting on the sofa when GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin visited his office.

“Director Sim’s TV drama in China seems to be doing great.”

“It looks like so.”

“Does it mean that we will soon receive incomes from there?”

“If the drama succeeds, then yes, we will.”

“I know that 1 million won was already sent to them. Isn’t it about the time to send the second investment funds?”

“It is… But there are some complications.”

“What complications, sir?”

“They presented me with another investment opportunity. They want to produce a movie.”

“A movie, sir? That will cost a substantial amount of money.”

“They are estimating about 10 billion for the production cost.”

“Are they asking you to invest the entire 10 billion? That’s huge.”

“They are asking for half of it.”

“It’s 5 billion then. It’s still huge…”

“They want to produce a movie with a famous Chinese authoress’ scenario— Menghuan Yinghua.”

” ‘Yinghua’ is a cherry blossom, isn’t it? A peony is a famous flower in China. Why did she pick cherry blossoms instead of a peony? The most well-known species of a cherry blossom is the Japanese cherry— Sakura. Is the movie somehow related to Japan?”

“I’m not sure. I’m not even sure if I would invest in that movie. If I decide to take the investment opportunity, I will have their movie scenario translated into the Korean language first, and see if it’s interesting enough.”

“Even if you decide not to make your investment in it, I still want to read the scenario.”

“For what?”

“Maybe we can have the scenario rewritten in a novel format, and publish it as a novel.”

“You can do that?”

“Oh, my gosh, sir. You know our chief editor— Mr. Cheon-Young Pi. He is the expert in that area.”

“Really?”

“Oh, the essay book that was written by the scriptwriter who Director Sim introduced to me will be published tomorrow.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Since the author is well known, many bookstores such as Yes24 and Kyobo Book Center reserved the number of the essay books already to sell in their stores.”

“Oh, they do that?”

“Sometimes, bookstores place certain books on their websites and sell them in advance, that are about to be published. That usually happens for those books that are written by a famous author.”

“I see.”

“President Jae-Sik Moon is doing good in China, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is doing well.”

“He gave me a call a few days ago. He said that he was in Korea for his child’s 100th day celebration. He said that he wanted to talk with me over the phone since he wouldn’t have time to meet me in person.”

“His parents and parents-in-law are very happy with their grandchild.”

“Of course. She is their very first granddaughter, isn’t she?”

“You remember his wife, right? She used to work at the book café here. She is doing very well in China too. She speaks Chinese very well, and she is very social.”

“Really? When she was here, she was extremely quiet.”

“According to President Moon, she was acting cautiously when she was working here since her husband’s friend owns the business.”

“I was told that she used to write a poem. She actually worked with me for editing work several times. She was very quiet back then too.”

“Is that right?”

“I knew that she was President Moon’s wife, and that you know them personally. So, I tried to be kind and gentle with her. It’s surprising that she turns out to be a very social person, because she didn’t talk much at all when she was here. I guess she hid her talent when she was here. Hahaha.”

After President Shin left the office, Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“It’s me. I just talked with the transportation company’s president— Runsheng Yan. He is asking if you will be available on the 16th of this month for the board meeting.”

“16th? Let me see… It’s next Thursday.”

“That’s right. Will you be available?”

“Yeah. The 16th of this month works for me.”

“Okay, I will let them know.”

“It’s your first time attending a boarding meeting, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s my very first time.”

“At the boarding meeting, they expect to hear a report about the status of the business so far. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“The report is supposed to be given by the joint venture’s president.”

“Me? I thought it would be done by someone from the accounting team.”

“No, you have to do it, President Moon. You are the person who is responsible for the business. The workers in the accounting team or other departments can prepare the report, but you have to make the presentation.”

“I see. I will have it ready then.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho thought about his future trip to China for a moment with his eyes closed.

‘I will stop by Huanle Shiji in Shanghai on the way to Antang City. I guess I will have to leave around next Tuesday.’

Gun-Ho made a call to Huanle Shiji’s Director Sim.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir. It’s Director Woon-Hak Sim.”

“I will be attending my joint venture’s board meeting in Antang City, Guizhou Province next Thursday. I will stop by Huanle Shiji Production Company on the way.”

“Okay, sir. I will inform President Baogang Chen.”

“Please make a room reservation with a hotel there. I want a five-star hotel that is close to Huanle Shiji. Please make a reservation for a sweet room.”

“Understood, sir. I will be at Pudong Airport to pick you up, sir.”

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Chapter 682 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (4) – Part 1

Chapter 682: Crowdfunding on Movie Production (4) – Part 1

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“Is it a good time to talk, Gun-Ho?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“You know that we are leasing the building that used to be a daycare center, and we now use it for our office building.”

“What about it?”

“The owner of the building just placed it on the market for sale. And I want to buy it. Will it be okay with you?”

“Does GH Logistics have enough money to buy the building?”

“We have 200 million won in our business bank account.”

“How much does the building owner want?”

“He is asking for 200 million won, but the price is negotiable. I think we can get it for 180 million won.”

“Why does he want to sell the building? He is receiving a monthly rent from us, and we are a good tenant. It’s a nice income-generating property.”

“His son needs money to open his own business.”

“I’ve seen many people, who have good real estate properties, having problems like that with their son.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“If you spend all of the cash in the bank account, what are you going to do when you need to buy an additional truck?”

“We can take out a loan from a bank using the building as collateral.”

“Hmm, you want to borrow money from a bank using the building, huh?”

“We are paying 600,000 won every month because we are leasing the building. I think it’s a waste since we have cash in the bank, that we are not using right now. If we are not going to use that 200 million won right away, but it will just sit in the bank account for a while, I think we should use that money to purchase the building. If we need money later, then we can take out a secured loan using that property. With a loan, we will have to make a monthly payment for interest, but it will be less than our current rent.”

“You will have to think about the time when you want to sell the building in the future as well. How large is that building?”

“This formal daycare center building that we are using as our office is 60 pyung large. It’s sitting on 150 pyung of land. Half of the land is classified as a farm.”

“So, the land is 1.2 million won per pyung?”

“Yeah, and he wants 20 million won for the building.”

“How old is the building?”

“It was constructed seven years ago. I was told that they spent a lot of money when they built it.”

“Okay. Do as you want.”

“I will negotiate the price with the owner and make it 180 million won. I can’t really do anything with our office right now since it’s a rental property. I even need permission from the owner if I want to put one nail on the wall.”

“Before purchasing the building, you probably want to make sure that you can renew the lease of the land that you are using to park the company trucks. If they change the land classification, and that won’t allow you to use the land in the way that you are using right now, owning the building won’t do any good.”

“My husband told me that it is very possible that the government will let the local government find a buyer of their choice and allow them to sell it to the buyer, maybe next year.”

“Really?”

“It seems that he talked with someone of a reliable source or something.”

“Anyway, you want to keep an eye on the land that you are using to park the company trucks. You need to know what Onbid’s plan is with the land.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the Pudong Airport in Shanghai City. Director Woon-Hak Sim was there waiting for Gun-Ho. He looked vivid.

“How are you, sir?”

“It has been a while, Director Sim. Are you doing okay here in Shanghai?”

“Yes, I’m doing well. Thank you. I made a room reservation with a five-star hotel for your stay. Would you like to go to the hotel first? Or would you like to stop by the office now?”

“Is President Baogang Chen in the office? He is not working in the studio right now?”

“He is in the office, sir.”

“Can you then ask President Baogang Chen to come to the hotel to meet me? We will have a larger space to talk about business in the hotel, rather than his office.”

“Yes, sir. I will give him a call.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the hotel. After Gun-Ho gave his name and showed his Korean passport to the front desk receptionist, she verified that a sweet room was reserved for Gun-Ho, and started the check-in process. She spoke English fluently. For the guest of their sweet room, the Jiudian Jingli (hotel manager) showed the room and even opened the door for him.

Gun-Ho sat on the sofa in his hotel room and had his tea while looking out the window. The entire Pudong City came into his view.

“This place is being vigorously developed every day.”

After a while, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“It’s Director Sim, sir. I’m in the lobby with President Baogang Chen right now. Do you want us to wait for you here?”

“Please come up to my room. I have a living room here in the suite room.”

“Yes, sir. We will be right there.”

Director Sim and President Baogang Chen entered Gun-Ho’s hotel room after knocking on the door.

“President Goo, it has been a long time since I saw you last time.”

“How have you been? It’s good to see you.”

President Baogang Chen looked around the room as he was sitting on the sofa.

“Taofang (suite room) is really nice. It has a living room with a sofa set where you can have a meeting.”

“Let’s have some tea.”

Gun-Ho placed tea bags that were prepared in the hotel room in two separate paper cups and poured hot water in them, and then handed them to President Baogang Chen and Director Sim.

Sipping their tea, President Baogang Chen and Director Sim glanced at Gun-Ho’s t-shirt and his watch wrapped around his wrist. They looked expensive. They were actually high-end designer clothes and watch. The watch was a limited edition which cost more than 100 million won, which was hard to buy even for the people who had enough money.

President Baogang Chen pulled out a scroll painting with a smile.

“What is it?”

President Chen opened the scroll to its full size. It was a landscape painting which looked really old.

“This is a landscape painting by a painter during the late Qing dynasty. I haven’t offered you any gift so far, so this time, I brought this for you.”

Gun-Ho felt awkward because if he accepted the gift, he would have to give something to President Chen in return, and he didn’t really prepare any gift for him. Also, he would have to carry it around when he traveled to other places. It was an antique scroll painting that he couldn’t estimate the value of.

“I’m not sure if I could accept the gift. It’s an antique scroll painting.”

“It’s not an expensive scroll painting, sir.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t simply reject his gift either. President Chen carried the scroll painting all the way to the hotel to give it to Gun-Ho, and Gun-Ho didn’t want to hurt his feelings by not accepting it. While Gun-Ho was hesitating to take it, President Chen rolled the painting and gave it to Gun-Ho. At that moment, Gun-Ho recalled that he bought a t-shirt at the duty-free shop in the airport on the way to Shanghai. He wanted to reserve an extra t-shirt in case he needed to change. He paid 160,000 won for it. Gun-Ho stood up from his seat and went into the bedroom. He came back to the living room with the t-shirt.

“This is a t-shirt. I think it’s about your size. This is not much, but I want you to have it.”

“Thank you.”

President Chen smiled broadly and took the t-shirt.

After finishing his tea, President Baogang Chen started his sales pitch in excitement.

“Ms. Ailing Feng’s scenario is something that is really hard to get. It’s a love story with a pinch of patriotism. Guangdian Zongju (National Radio and Television Administration) loves a movie like this. Director Seukang Li will help us find a good film distributor as well. I’ve collected 3 million dollars funding so far.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim, who was sitting next to President Baogang Chen looked surprised when he heard of 3 million dollars. President Baogang Chen probably hadn’t told him about it.

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Chapter 683 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (4) – Part 2

Chapter 683: Crowdfunding on Movie Production (4) – Part 2

Gun-Ho said, “It costs an enormous amount of money to produce a movie. 3 million dollars is certainly not enough at all. You know that, right?”

“I’m still in the process of obtaining more funds. I keep the door wide open to get crowdfunding.”

“You don’t need me then, do you, Mr. President Chen?”

“Umm, sir, I do need you. It takes a long time to collect enough funds through crowdfunding. As you know well, even the pre-production stage in filmmaking takes five months. If we wait until obtaining enough funds before getting into the pre-production stage, it might be too late to produce a successful movie. The genre of patriotic films is the current trend in China. If we release our movie a while later, people might have already moved on to another genre. We have to produce the movie and release it as soon as we can while people still love to watch it.”

“So, you are saying that I should provide half of the production cost in order to save time.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I believe that it’s not difficult to find Chinese investors who would be more than willing to fund a tremendous amount of money. Why do you want to work with a small Korean company— GH Media?”

“Chinese investors are usually interested in taking over the operating right once they put their money in a business. Their constant attempt to interfere with the business is unimaginably bad. They would also try to place their own person in my position and start replacing my staff with their people. If that happens, I will lose my business.”

“You said the other day that you recorded my first investment funds into the TV drama production of Shiguang Ru Meng as a short-term loan, which is not what we initially agreed. How do I still trust you and make an additional investment in your business?”

“I have my reason for it, sir, and I didn’t mean to change my words with you. My current creditors were requesting to give them the shares of my production company for the debt that I owe them. Also, if I make your money as a short-term debt rather than giving you some company shares by increasing the capital, it would be easier to pay you back.”

“If my investment funds are treated as a short-term loan, I will make profits only for the interest on the money.”

“Not necessarily, sir. Since the business entity— GH Media— invested its funds in my production company, I can always pay GH Media for other services such as consulting fees. I just need a receipt issued by GH Media for the extra amount.”

“Hmm.”

“We are currently receiving technical support and consultation from BM Entertainment. Director Woon-Hak Sim introduced that company to me. We are not paying a huge amount of money to them, but we are paying them for their service.”

“Hmm.”

“Sir, I’m absolutely confident that this movie based on Ms. Ailing Feng’s scenario will succeed. I know of several famous screenwriters in Korea such as Soo-Hyun Kim and Eun-Sook Kim. A movie or TV drama based on their scenarios is guaranteed for success, isn’t it?”

Gun-Ho turned to Director Sim, and asked him, “What do you think, Mr. Director Sim?”

“Umm, well, I don’t know, sir. I haven’t had a chance to read the scenario yet. I can’t tell anything about it at the moment.”

“I understood what you said, Mr. President Chen. Can you give a copy of Ms. Ailing Feng’s scenario to Director Sim? Along with the synopsis as well? I will have it translated into the Korean language and review it in Seoul.”

“Of course, sir. The title of Ms. Ailing Feng’s scenario is Menghuan Yinghua. I will give a copy of the scenario and synopsis to Director Sim by the end of today.”

“Mr. Director Sim, once you get the copy, please send it to GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

President Baogang Chen added, “Mr. President Goo, our estimated production cost for Menghuan Yinghua is 10 billion Korean won. And, if you could invest half of that cost— 5 billion won, I’m certain that you will make several times of what you invested at the end.”

“You said that you have 3 billion won funding so far. If I fund 5 billion won, are you sure that you can find the rest of the estimated production cost— 2 billion won?”

“Oh, my gosh, sir. Once you fund us 50% of our estimated production cost, everyone will try to participate in investing in this movie production. Don’t worry about it, sir. Once we have our production presentation, it will be the splash in a newspaper in no time. Moreover, since the movie will depict patriotism, we will have full support from the government.”

“Hmm.”

“We have about 15 dominant film distributors in China. I’m pretty sure that Director Seukang Li has enough power to influence some of those dominant film distributors’ decisions, such as Ying Lian Media, Bona Pictures, and Five Brothers.”

“Is that right?”

“As a matter of fact, Director Seukang Li helped us enormously in receiving a very good time slot for our currently-being-produced TV drama— Shiguang Ru Meng. It is important to produce a good TV drama, but the time slot to be on the air is critical in getting high view ratings as well.”

“I didn’t know that Director Seukang Li was that influential.”

“Director Li was a member of Gong Qing Tuan (the Communist Youth League of China) when he was younger. He is not even 40 years old yet. He is a rising Lingdao (leader) for the next generation. Therefore, people take his words very seriously.”

“Is that right?”

“Director Li and you— President Goo— are very good friends who could practically help each other as well. I think it’s a magnificent combination.”

“I heard you, President Chen. I have to leave for Antang City tomorrow to attend a board meeting. I will make time to meet Director Li this evening.”

“Thank you, sir. If you meet him tonight, please put in a good word for me with him.”

After President Baogang Chen and Director Woon-Hak Sim left the room, Gun-Ho made a call to Seukang Li.

“Hey, it’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, President Goo. Where are you right now?”

“I just had a meeting with Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen. I’m at the hotel room in Pudong. Can we meet this evening?”

“Of course. I will be heading in the direction to that area this evening anyway to get home. So, I will go to your hotel around 6 pm. There is a nice restaurant behind that hotel. They are very good at Hu Cai (Shanghai cuisine).”

“Sounds great. I will see you then.”

When it was 6 pm sharp, Gun-Ho received a call from Seukang Li.”

“It’s me. I’m in the hotel lobby.”

“I will be right down.”

Gun-Ho went down to the lobby carrying the scroll painting that President Chen gave to him earlier that day.

“Hey, it’s really good to see you, President Goo!”

“Good to see you, Director Li.”

The two men hugged each other and sat at a table in the lobby.

“This is a nice hotel. I heard that Lial Zhiang stays in this hotel whenever she comes to the area.”

“Lial Zhiang?”

“The Korean actress— Lia.”

“Oh, Lia!”

“I was worried about the new TV drama, and I feel so relieved that Shiguang Ru Meng is doing really well.”

“I want to thank you for it, Director Li.”

“Me? I didn’t do much. It’s all because of you, President Goo. I appreciate it.”

“Oh, you know what? I received this gift from a Chinese person. I brought this to show you. I’m not sure if this is an expensive painting or not.”

Seukang Li closely looked at the scroll painting, and he said, “This looks like a painting from the late Qing dynasty.”

“Qing dynasty? It must be expensive then, isn’t it?”

“Not necessarily. It was painted during Guangxu. You can buy a painting like this for 2,000 Yuan.”

“Really?”

“While Empress Dowager Cixi governed the country, many people had suffered from economic hardship, so many people got into the painting industry just to make a living. So, this painting is probably not a creative painting but a copy of a famous painting. Who would make a gift of an original painting of a famous painter? They would save it at home and pass it on to the next generation within their family.”

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Chapter 684 - Certification of Startup Company with Technology – Part 1

Chapter 684: Certification of Startup Company with Technology – Part 1

Seukang Li continued as he looked at the scroll painting once again, “If someone gave you this as a gift, you can take it without feeling indebted to the person. If you like it, why don’t you hang it on the wall at your home?”

“Old people love this type of painting in Korea. Can you stay here for a minute? I will leave the painting in the room and will be back.”

Gun-Ho came back to the lobby after dropping the scroll painting in his room.

“There is a very good restaurant behind this hotel. Their Shanghai cuisine is one of the best.”

The restaurant that Seukang Li took Gun-Ho to was not a huge or luxurious restaurant, but it looked mediocre with the size of a bit larger than a regular restaurant.

“This restaurant primarily offers Shanghai cuisine, and their two top popular menus are Songjiang Luyu (a perch fish dish of Songjiang) and Hongshao Hui Yu (a grilled croaker fish dish). When I have a guest to treat, I often come to this place.”

“Really? I guess because of its location on the coast of the East China Sea, lots of fish dishes have been developed and offered.”

Seukang Li also ordered a bottle of Baiju as well, which went well with the fish dishes.

“Hmm, this is really good.”

“Yeah? I know that many Korean and Japanese people like fish dishes. The price of these fish dishes is very reasonable as well. Please have them as much as you want.”

“Can you fill up my glass with Baiju, please?”

“Oh, how come you’ve already emptied your first glass of Baiju? You don’t usually drink much.”

“What was the name of this dish again?”

“It’s Songjiang Luyu (a perch fish dish of Songjiang). Songjiang is a river that flows through Shanghai. It’s also the name of an area— Songjiang District which is a suburban district of Shanghai. A perch fish lives in both freshwater and saltwater. Since we have the river and the ocean here, Songjiang Luyu is one of the most popular dishes in this area.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“You have read the novel—Romance of the Three Kingdoms—haven’t you?”

“Of course, I have.”

“This dish was mentioned in that novel.”

“Really?”

“Cao Cao had a party in Xuchang City, and when he asked how they could possibly have Songjiang Luyu since Xuchang City was far from Songjiang, Zuoci responded by standing up from his seat and saying ‘I will catch a few perch fishes for you.’ Zuoci then grabbed a fishing rod and walked to the pond in the yard, and caught several Songjiang perch fishes.”

“Haha, yeah, I think I remember reading it. That was the perch from this area, huh?”

The two men continued enjoying the fish dishes with liquor.

“Hey, President Goo. What did Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen tell you?”

“He proposed that we produce a movie together. A famous author—Ailing Feng—gave him a movie scenario called Menghuan Yinghua, and he wants to make a movie with that scenario.”

“That’s all he said?”

“He estimated the cost of the movie production around 10 billion Korean won, and he wants me to fund 50% of the cost, which would be 5 billion won.”

“Whoa, 5 billion won!?”

“I recently sent 3 million dollars for Antang City’s terminal project as my first investment fund in that project. Also, I put 1 million dollars for the TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng. If I decide to participate in the movie production and send 5 million dollars to the production company, the total amount of the money that I put in China will be 9 million dollars. Director Li! You tell me if 9 million dollars is a small amount of money or if it is huge money.”

“Wow, it’s definitely huge.”

“I’m investing this much amount of money because you connected me to all those investment opportunities.”

“I’m sorry, friend. I’m sure that we will see a good result.”

“Movie production is the entertainment industry. One can either hit the jackpot, or he can lose the huge amount of money that he put into it.”

“That’s very true.”

Gun-Ho and Seukang Li sipped their liquor without saying a word. Seukang Li then said in a low voice, “To be honest with you, Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen asked me to talk to you about his movie production. But, I just couldn’t do that because I didn’t want to impose you with another investment request. It seems that President Baogang Chen brought it up directly to you anyway. The thing is that we couldn’t take a pass on Ailing Feng’s scenario. If we don’t take it, someone else will definitely take that opportunity.”

“Is Ailing Feng that famous?”

“She is. I would say that she is a hitmaker. She was actually a teacher in an elementary school. When her scenario was selected for an award, she changed her career to a screenwriter. She is excellent in describing human psychology, and her witty lines are unique and funny. I think she is in her mid-40s. She is an absolutely talented woman. Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen has known her for a long time since he worked as an assistant director.”

At the moment, Gun-Ho recalled that Seukang Li helped Huanle Shiji with the assignment of the prime time to be on the air.

“Oh, I wanted to thank you for your help with the TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng. I was told that you helped to reserve golden time for the drama. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, and I didn’t really do much.”

“If I invest in their movie production, can you guarantee that you will get us benefits in distributing the movie and succeeding in the box office?”

“I’m a government worker. I can’t say that I will help you succeed in such a thing or not. Even though I can’t tell you that I will guarantee it, I can definitely tell you that I will certainly be cooperative. What I can also tell you is that for a patriotic movie, I can put in a good word with my friends at Guangdian Zongju (National Radio and Television Administration).”

“Hmm, I see. By the way, you look like you lost some weight.”

“I’ve been busy lately. There are so many things that I need to take care of, and a lot of people’s interests are intertwined, and I have to keep a balance between them, which is very stressful. I’m on medication.”

“You can still be under a lot of stress and pressure with the position of the director of Shanghai’s mighty Bureau of Radio, Film, and Television, huh?”

“People think that this position is powerful and can be extremely influential, which sounds good, but all that power comes with a massive responsibility. That’s why I sometimes come to this place by myself and have a drink. I wish Jien Wang lived close by, so I can have a drink with him sometimes.

Seukang Li sipped his liquor and then made a call to Jien Wang.

“Jien Wang? It’s me. I’m with Gun-Ho Goo right now. We are at the Songjiang Luyu restaurant in Shanghai.”

“Oh, really? Since Gun-Ho Goo is there with you, why don’t you ask him about the movie production?”

“I can’t do that to him. I’ve asked him for more than enough favor already. Gun-Ho has already invested 4 million dollars in China because of me. If I get him into this movie production business, he will have to invest an additional 5 million dollars. That will make his total investment funds in China 9 million dollars.”

“Is it that much already?”

“I connected him to Antang City’s terminal project and also to Huanle Shiji’s TV drama production. I can’t ask him to make more investment in the movie production business. Huanle Shiji’s President Baogang Chen already talked about the movie to him, but I think it’s too much even for President Goo.”

“I understand. Let me talk to Gun-Ho Goo. I want to hear his voice.”

“Okay.”

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Chapter 685 - Certification of Startup Company with Technology – Part 2

Chapter 685: Certification of Startup Company with Technology – Part 2

Seukang Li said as he handed his cell phone to Gun-Ho, “It’s Jien Wang. He wants to talk to you.”

“Jien Wang? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Hey, it’s really good to hear your voice, friend. I want to be there with you guys; I really do. I would have been on my way to the place if I was close by, but I’m in Hangzhou.”

“I know you do, friend. I’m very delighted to hear your voice.”

“I was told that you have already invested 4 million dollars in China. That’s huge. I don’t think that Seukang Li would ask you about investing more money in China.”

“We talked about a movie production business, but I don’t know if I can do it because it requires me to invest another significant amount of money.”

“I totally understand that. A movie production business does involve a tremendous amount of money, and it is a highly risky business as well even though it could bring you a fortune if it succeeds. I can’t strongly recommend it for you either. Stop talking about business, and enjoy the moment with Seukang Li by drinking and talking with him. I want you to relax and have fun.”

“Yeah. I’m leaving for Antang City tomorrow. I need to attend the board meeting. I won’t be able to stop by Hangzhou City though.”

“No problem. You must feel tired. Have a safe trip.”

When Gun-Ho got off the phone with Jien Wang, he noticed that Seukang Li was lost in thought while keeping his head low. Gun-Ho said as he returned his cell phone to Seukang Li, “Don’t take things too seriously in life. Just do what you can do. Let’s enjoy our drink now.”

After finishing his glass of Baiju, Gun-Ho said, “This is so good. I love these fish dishes, and I love the taste of this liquor. That’s why Zuoci in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms made fun of Cao Cao’s party for not having this perch fish dish. Seukang Li, drink one more glass! And cheer up.”

“Yeah, I will drink at my pace.”

Gun-Ho made a serious look on his face and told Seukang Li, “Seukang Li! I’m not a government worker like you or a scholar like Jien Wang, but I’m a businessman. I make my investment where I see a good possibility to make money, and I don’t make my investment if I think I won’t make money by putting my money in. If the movie—Menghuan Yinghua—would bring me profits, I will make my investment in it. If I don’t have enough cash to do so in my hand right now, I will borrow it from a bank. Let me review the film scenario before I make my decision.”

Seukang Li lifted his head and looked at Gun-Ho. A silver lining of hope appeared on his face.

“Seukang Li, if I decide to make my investment in this movie, can you indirectly provide support?”

“I can support it within my scope.”

“Okay. Let’s now enjoy our evening.”

The following day, Gun-Ho headed to Weihai Airport to get to Antang City. Director Sim was waiting for Gun-Ho in front of his hotel with a car to drop him off at the airport.

“I should have rented a nice car to pick you up, sir. I heard that people always pick you up with an Audi when you travel to your company in Suzhou City or Guizhou Province as well. I’m sorry about that, sir.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I was told that you met with Director Li last night. Didn’t he mention about the movie production business?”

“He seemed to want to ask me to make my investment in it, but he couldn’t.”

“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”

“The current amount of money that I’ve invested in China so far is 4 million dollars. If I invest 50% of their estimated movie production cost, it would be another 5 million dollars. If that happens, I will have my 9 million dollars in China.”

“Wow, 9 million dollars! That’s huge.”

“I want you to read the film scenario carefully once you receive the translated version, and make your thorough analysis and give me the result.”

“We can quickly process the pre-production stage in filmmaking if we have a movie scenario and a production crew ready. The stage usually takes four to six months to complete, but we can reduce the time assuming that we have a very good movie scenario.”

“Hmm.”

“The problem is the pay for the main actor and actress. If we want to work with the Korean actress—Lia—again with this movie, she will possibly ask for a lot higher pay than the amount that we are paying her now for the drama. She gained popularity in China as the TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—is now one of the most viewed TV dramas.”

“Hmm.”

“I read the pertinent policy in the official letter from Guangdian Zongju (National Radio and Television Administration) the other day. It says that a movie production company can’t pay more than 30% of their movie production cost to their actor or actress.”

“The government restricts even that sort of thing in China, huh?”

“China is a country that is led by one party—the Chinese Communist Party. They will have to comply with what they say. It’s not worth disobeying their rules. Oh, we have already arrived at the airport.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the airport in Guiyang City. Jae-Sik Moon was waiting for him there.

“President Goo, how was your trip? Aren’t you feeling tired?”

“I’m good. The business here is doing fine, right?”

“The intercity bus service business is doing good. As long as we are careful with a car accident, we should be good.”

“You said that they are working with the foundation right now for the terminal construction, right?”

“They poured the foundation walls on cement footers, and they are waiting for them to dry out.”

“Hmm, really?”

While on the way to Antang City in the car, Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor. It was not usual for Gun-Ho to receive a call from his companies in Korea while he was on a trip abroad.

“Sir? Is it a good time to talk?”

“Yes, it’s good. What’s going on?”

“We need to make a modification with Dyeon Korea’s audit report.”

“Why?”

“Our research and development expenses for our research center seem to be too low to be recognized as a startup company with technology. We will have to adjust the amount.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I talked to the Anchang Accountant Office about the adjustment already.”

“We haven’t submitted our external audit report to anybody, especially to the government, have we?”

“No, we haven’t yet. I already retrieved all copies of the external audit report that was distributed to the executive officers. We just need to retrieve two copies that were sent to Manager Hong in GH Development.”

“Are we going to destroy those retrieved audit reports?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, we need to do what we have to do if that is necessary to be recognized as a startup company with technology.”

“The thing is that before making the adjustment, Anchang Accountant Office will need to talk to you directly about it since they already made their report to you. If you could give a call to Accountant Nak-Jong Lee of Anchang Accountant Office, that would be great.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

The internal auditor added, “Also, we probably won’t apply for the Inno-Biz certificate this time. The Inno-Biz certificate is not necessary to get the certificate for a startup with technology anyway. Moreover, in order to apply for the Inno-Biz certificate, a company has to be more than three years old. So Dyeon Korea is not qualified to apply for it at this time anyway.”

“Hmm, really?”

“The modification will affect all GH companies including the companies abroad. Our accounting manager—Myeong-Soo Jo—will take care of all those documents as soon as possible. She said she would work overnight if necessary.”

“Hmm, it sounds complicated.”

“There are four types of startup companies that could be recognized with the certificate: capital-financed firms, R&D-intensive firms, technology finance or loan firms, and preparatory venture firms. We haven’t received any funds from an investor or some sorts of technology finance or loans.”

“That’s right.”

“So, we will have to be categorized as R&D-intensive firms. So, we need some adjustments to our R&D expenses accordingly.”

“I see. I will make a call to the accountant’s office right away.”

“Thank you, sir.”

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Chapter 686 - Battle (1) – Part 1

Chapter 686: Battle (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho searched for Accountant Nak-Jong Lee’s phone number on his smartphone, and when he found it, he dialed the number.

“Hello, this is Gun-Ho Goo from Dyeon Korea.”

“Oh, sir, how are you?”

“We need to make some adjustments with the audit report because of the certification that we are applying to be recognized as a startup company with technology.”

“Yes, sir. I was told about it. You will need to collect every single of the audit reports that have been distributed.”

“Sure, we will do that.”

“And you will need to destroy them all.”

“Okay, no problem.”

“It seems that you are calling from China because of it, aren’t you? I will start making the adjustment right away. Don’t worry about it. I hope things go well with the certification that you are trying to obtain and your business.”

“Thank you.”

When they arrived in Antang City, Jae-Sik Moon said to Gun-Ho, “The board meeting is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 10 am. I’ve reserved a suite room for you at the hotel. Take a deep rest.”

“Thank you.”

“And, for dinner, why don’t you come to my place? My wife is preparing Korean food for dinner today.”

“Really? Thank you, but I don’t want to impose.”

“You must have been having oily Chinese food during the trip. Come over and have Korean food with us. She is cooking Doenjang-jjigae* too.”

“Well, I guess I will join you for dinner then. I want to meet your baby too. Thank you.”

Around 6 pm, Jae-Sik Moon came back to the hotel to pick up Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon headed to the condo community—Huaxi Huayuan—where Jae-Sik was living. The condo building had no elevator, but it had a large staircase.

When Jae-Sik Moon opened his condo door, Gun-Ho could smell Doenjang-jjigae*.

“Soon-Young, daddy is here.”

Jae-Sik walked into his condo as he called his baby girl’s name. Jae-Sik’s wife quickly came out of the kitchen. She was wearing an apron.

“Hi. Please come on in.”

Jae-Sik Moon’s wife greeted Gun-Ho while having his hands folded in front of her. She seemed to be wearing light makeup as well. She looked very different from the time when she was working at the book café in Seoul. She gained a little bit of weight as well.

When she worked at the book café in Seoul, the couple didn’t have enough money. They were poor. They were living in a small condo paying monthly rent. They were not officially married yet at that time, but they were living together. She didn’t look happy then, maybe because of her not-so-great financial situation. But now, she had a totally different situation. She was smiling broadly at Gun-Ho, and Gun-Ho could see her radiating confidence and also elegance. Money could certainly do amazing magic.

“I smell something delicious,” Gun-Ho said as he was walking into their home. The first room that he could see was their living room; it was spacious with a comfortable-looking sofa set and a large TV. Their master bedroom’s door was a bit open, and he could see a large bed as well. Someone seemed to be in the kitchen; Gun-Ho could hear someone cooking. When Gun-Ho turned his gaze to the kitchen, there was a helper lady placing food on a plate. She was probably working overtime that day in preparation for Gun-Ho’s visit.

“How do you like it here?” Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik’s wife.

“I’m still trying to get accustomed to the new environment, but it’s good so far.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Haha.”

“Let me meet your baby girl.”

Jae-Sik’s wife went into the bedroom and brought the baby to the living room. The baby’s eyes widened when she saw the stranger—Gun-Ho.

“She is so cute. Can I hold her?”

When Jae-Sik’s wife handed the baby to Gun-Ho, the baby started crying so hard. Gun-Ho returned the baby to her mother right away. The baby began laughing right after her mother held her in her arms.

“She is laughing. Haha. She mumbles too.”

Jae-Sik said, “Of course she does. She already passed her 100th day.”

“She is so adorable when she laughs.”

Dinner was ready, and Jae-Sik showed Gun-Ho to the dining area. Jae-Sik’s wife placed her daughter in the crib and came back to the kitchen. She then introduced the helper lady to Gun-Ho.

“This is the lady who is helping us at home.”

Gun-Ho smiled and gave a slight nod to the lady.

Jae-Sik’s wife and the helper lady prepared abundant food for the dinner. The dining table was filled with all sorts of Korean dishes. There were Doenjang-jjigae*, Kimchi, dried seaweed, seasoned vegetables, grilled fishes, pudding-like egg dish, fried tofu, Galbi-jjim, etc. Gun-Ho felt as if he was in Korea.

“Wow. Where did you get all these ingredients for Korean food?”

Jae-Sik Moon replied on behalf of his wife, “My wife went to the market by bicycle and bought them.”

“You must be very good at riding a bicycle.”

Jae-Sik said again for his wife, “She got her driver’s license too.”

“Oh, really?”

The helper lady asked Jae-Sik’s wife about something. Gun-Ho thought that the helper lady had an accent from Guizhou Province. It seemed that she was asking which alcohol she was supposed to bring to the table. Jae-Sik’s wife replied to her in Chinese, and she sounded fluent. She had a certain Guizhou Province accent as well. The rumor about her fluent Chinese seemed to be true.

“You have been in China for only a few months. How come you speak Chinese that fluently?”

“I just can speak some basic Chinese. That’s all. Hahaha”

Jae-Sik’s wife laughed out loud. Gun-Ho was surprised by her laugh because he didn’t know that she could laugh like that.

‘She used to be very quiet and always keep her head low all the time. I didn’t know she could be perky and vibrant like that. Moreover, she speaks Chinese fluently. I guess Jae-Sik is lucky to have a spouse like her.’

Jae-Sik’s wife showed her concern about the chauffeur.

“Is the chauffeur waiting outside right now? Ask him to come and join us for dinner.”

“Yeah, he will come up soon. He seemed to need to make a call to somebody.”

At the very moment, the chauffeur entered Jae-Sik’s condo. Jae-Sik’s wife started making small talk with the chauffeur. She indeed sounded fluent in Chinese. Gun-Ho was amazed again.

‘Wow. She has been in China for less than half a year, and she already sounds like a native Chinese speaker. She speaks better than me who went to college here. I guess that there are people who have an inborn talent for language.’

Jae-Sik’s couple, Gun-Ho Goo, the chauffeur, and the helper lady all sat at the dining table and had dinner together. In China, it was not unusual to have meals with helpers and chauffeurs.

Gun-Ho asked the chauffeur, “How do you like Korean food? Do you like it?”

The chauffeur smiled and nodded his head.

Jae-Sik’s wife brought a bottle of Baiju. It was in a white bottle. Only Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon drank the liquor.

Gun-Ho said to Jae-Sik’s wife, “I’m glad to see you acclimate yourself well to the life in China and also learn quickly the Chinese language.”

Jae-Sik Moon responded on behalf of his wife, “She goes to a poetry reading these days. She also started learning to play the Chinese traditional musical instrument—Erhu.”

Jae-Sik’s wife glared lightly at Jae-Sik and said, “Why do you say things like that? It’s embarrassing!”

However, the look on her face was telling that she was proud of herself for doing a lot of activities outside home. Gun-Ho was thinking while sipping his liquor, ‘She is not just quickly adapting to the new environment. She is fully enjoying life here.’

“Please, let me fill up your glass with liquor,” Gun-Ho offered Jae-Sik’s wife a glass of liquor.

“I usually don’t drink.”

Gun-Ho asked the helper lady to bring two empty glasses. When the helper lady handed two glasses to Gun-Ho, he filled them up with Baiju, and then he gave one to Jae-Sik’s wife and the other one to the helper lady.

“One glass of liquor wouldn’t hurt anyone. I will have to skip it with this Mr. Chauffeur since he has to drive.”

Jae-Sik’s wife and the helper lady took a small sip of liquor.

Note*

Doenjang-jjigae – A Korean soybean paste stew.

Galbi-jjim – Korean style beef short ribs dish.

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Chapter 687 - Battle (1) – Part 2

Chapter 687: Battle (1) – Part 2

When they were almost done with dinner, Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik Moon, “How is it going with the new business that you want to open here?”

“We are still searching for a place for it. The places that we liked were asking a high rent, and the places that offered a reasonable rental price were not so great.”

“With 100 million won, you can get a place here that you want, can’t you?”

“Not necessarily. There is a food alley where a lot of young people often come to eat. We saw a shop there on the main road, which is on the market for sale, and they are asking for more than 300 million won. It is expensive, but I’m sure that whatever we sell in that store, we will make money because of the high traffic in the area. A McDonald or KFC will do as well.”

“Hmm, really? But, for a deep-fried chicken restaurant that serves beer along with it, you don’t need a shop on the main road, do you?”

“That’s true…”

“Where are you going to get the ingredients? Are you going to bring chickens from Korea?”

“No, we can buy raw chickens here. We will import spices from Korea though.”

“I see. When you go to see a shop for your business, you probably want to bring a Chinese person, maybe someone from the company. You could easily get ripped off if you are not accompanied by a Chinese person.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m thinking of taking the office manager lady or a staff member from our accounting team when it is time to make a contract for the store.”

“That’s good. Oh, you know what? I think I’d better go back to the hotel now. I didn’t know I stayed here for too long.”

Gun-Ho climbed to his feet and said to Jae-Sik’s wife, “Thank you for dinner. I feel comfortable now after having Korean food. The dishes were so neat and delicious. Thank you very much.”

Gun-Ho didn’t forget to say good-bye to the baby.

“Bye-bye, Soon-Young. I will see you again.”

Gun-Ho then pulled out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and slipped it into the baby’s small hand. The baby held it tightly.

“Haha. I think your baby knows what’s inside this envelope.”

“You sent us money when she was born, and you are giving us money again today?”

“I had to stop by Shanghai City before coming here, so I couldn’t prepare a proper gift for the baby. It’s not much. Please accept it. Thank you for everything today.”

“I hope you enjoyed the meal. Haha.”

“I will just say bye here. Please stay with the baby. You don’t have to come outside to see me off.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the hotel, it was already after 10 pm.

The following day, Gun-Ho headed to a hotel close to the terminal where the board meeting would be held. The hotel was small, and Gun-Ho was shown to a conference room. When Gun-Ho arrived at the conference room, Eun-Hwa Jo was standing there talking with a staff from the accounting team. When she saw Gun-Ho, she looked delighted.

“Oh, my, Mr. President Goo! It’s really good to see you again. It has been a long while.”

“How have you been? You seem to look prettier every time I see you.”

“You seem to gain some weight, sir.”

“How do you like working here?”

“It’s good. Weon Zong (President Moon) is very kind to me. His wife is nice as well. I like it here.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“His wife brought me kimchi that she made the other day.”

“Oh, I see.”

The Chinese partners arrived. The transportation company’s President Runsheng Yan and the vice president—Chen Zong—entered the conference room. After greeting each other delightfully, the board meeting began.

The joint venture’s chairman at the moment was the transportation company’s President Runsheng Yan, and the vice-chairman was Jae-Sik Moon. Gun-Ho was there as a partner, but he was the one who had the actual power.

The joint venture’s office manager lady announced that the first board meeting would start.

The meeting started with Jae-Sik Moon’s presentation on the status of the joint venture’s current business and progress. Eun-Hwa Jo interpreted what Jae-Sik Moon said from time to time during his presentation. Once Jae-Sik Moon finished his report, the real meeting began. An invisible battle between the chairman—Runsheng Yan—and Gun-Ho was about to start.

Mr. Runsheng Yan said, “The terminal construction has started. After completing the civil engineering work, the actual building construction will begin. It is about the time that the Korean partner should send the second investment fund of 5 million dollars as clearly stated in the contract.”

Gun-Ho replied, “The land where the terminal is being built must be under the joint venture’s name. I haven’t been told about the change of ownership to the joint venture’s name yet. That has to happen before I could send the second investment fund.”

“We are still negotiating with the Construction Bureau right now. The first investment fund has been already exhausted in preparing the transportation business, paying for the civil engineering work, and for fulfilling the reserve for construction. The construction contract to build the terminal was signed by the joint venture. If we can’t pay for the next step in the construction, we will have to pay the penalty.”

Gun-Ho said as he took a sip of his water, “The land for the terminal must be Zhuanrang land owned by the joint venture.”

“Well, here is the permission to use the land issued by the Construction Bureau and their ratification. There are things that we need to follow certain steps for completion. You can’t just keep on insisting on changing the ownership of the land. I wonder if you want to continue this joint venture or not.”

Mr. Runsheng Yan and Gun-Ho started raising their voices, and other people in the conference room stayed quiet without chipping in.

At that moment, the joint venture’s vice president—Chun Chang—suggested for them to take a break.

“Let’s take a ten-minute break.”

After ten minutes, the board meeting resumed.

Mr. Runsheng Yan said, “It cost money to finish the foundation. We have to move on to the next step. We need to design the electricity, environment, sewer system, fire-fighting system, etc. If we don’t have money to pay for the next step, the construction will come to a halt.”

“If the terminal construction needs to be stopped in the middle of the work, the Chinese partner would be responsible for it, not the Korean partner.”

“A new bus line is about to come out for the route that has more than 60% of the load factor. If we don’t receive the second investment fund, it will affect that new bus line as well.”

“The terminal construction and the intercity bus business are two separate matters. You can’t bring the bus business on the table when we are solely talking about the terminal construction.”

“If the Korean partner keeps on insisting on the matter about the terminal construction unreasonably, it would certainly affect the existence of the bus terminal business.”

“You won’t be the judge of whether the Korean partner’s position is reasonable or not. I think what the Chinese partner is insisting on is absolutely unreasonable. We should consult a Lushi (attorney) from another area, not this area, on this matter. We want a Lushi to interpret the pertinent law and our contract.”

“You do whatever pleases you. The joint venture will not pay for the attorney fee though, not even a penny.”

“I won’t send the second investment fund either, not even a penny.”

“Is that how you work with your partner in a joint venture setting?”

“You are not exactly in the position to say things like that.”

The two men raised their voices again. Jae-Sik Moon and Eun-Hwa Jo stared at Gun-Ho Goo. They looked worried and concerned. On the other side of the table, the office manager lady and the accounting manager stared at the transportation company’s president—Mr. Runsheng Yan. They looked extremely worried as well.

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Chapter 688 - Battle (2) – Part 1

Chapter 688: Battle (2) – Part 1

The Antang joint venture’s first board meeting minute had been reduced to the following:

[ 1. It requires both parties’ – Chinese partner and Korean partner— signatures on the transportation business’ performance report.

2. The two parties showed different opinions on the time when the second investment fund would be sent to China. The Korean partner expressed their clear intention that they would send the fund after the ownership of the land where the terminal is being built is transferred to the joint venture as Zhuanrang land. The Chinese partner stated that they are in the middle of a negotiation with the Construction Bureau on it.

3. The both parties don’t desire the terminal construction to come to a halt. Therefore, they both agreed to keep the construction Xiaozu (team) in the company.

4. The employment of the three workers of the transportation company, who committed embezzlement, will be terminated immediately.

5. The partnership must be bona fide, and if one of the partners is deemed to lack the will to sustain the partnership, the joint venture is allowed to seek another partner in other countries such as Hong Kong. ]

After the board meeting ended, Gun-Ho visited the terminal construction site. The Chinese partner then invited him for lunch to a restaurant across the conference room where they had the board meeting earlier. It was not a fancy restaurant, but it seemed to be a decent mid-size restaurant that offered a private room for a group of customers.

“Let’s not cling to the emotional moment that we had earlier during the board meeting, but let’s enjoy this moment together and have a drink,” Antang City’s transportation company’s President Runsheng Yan said as he clinked his glass of liquor to Gun-Ho’s.

President Runsheng Yan continued, “Flowers come into bloom after they survive harsh weather such as rainstorms and winds.”

The people on the Chinese side began to have their drink as they laughed and made conversation; they didn’t seem to remember what had happened during the board meeting.

Gun-Ho thought, ‘I’m not in the same position as you all. You are just employees who get paid as you spend your time at work. It’s not your money that is at stake. However, I’m the owner, and I am sensitive about where my money flows to. You see the difference?”

While they enjoyed lunch, Antang City’s director of the transportation department joined them.

“I was told that the joint venture is having difficult issues. But I’m confident that President Goo won’t break the joint venture, will you?”

“There is no reason for me to withdraw from the joint venture as long as the ownership of the terminal land is corrected.”

“You are probably not very familiar with the Chinese law. The terminal land is Zhengyong land, and its use is already approved by the municipal government. You need to keep in mind that the terminal land is different from personal residential land. I hope you understand it.”

“I will do my own research on the interpretation of the pertinent law.”

The transportation department’s director said as he picked up a piece of meat from the softshell turtle stew and dropped it on Gun-Ho’s plate, “Deputy Mayor Lizian Zhang asked me to extend his greetings to you, Mr. President Goo.”

Gun-Ho replied, “Please send my regards to him as well.”

“Of course, I will. In China, we serve three glasses of liquor consecutively to a friend who came a long way to visit. Please follow our culture since you are here to visit us.”

The transportation department’s director filled up Gun-Ho’s glass with the strong liquor— Baiju.

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

After lunch, Gun-Ho walked out of the restaurant and got into Jae-Sik’s Audi. The Chinese partners used the traditional Chinese greeting to see him off— bowing and saluting with hands folded. Gun-Ho rolled down the rear window of the car and gave the same greeting with a smile.

Gun-Ho thought that he was totally sober until he felt dizzy once he got in the car, and the car started moving.

“I guess I drank too much during lunch.”

“Chinese people tend to show high alcohol tolerance during the daytime, and they drink frequently during the daytime.”

“I have very low alcohol tolerance during the day.”

“By the way, President Goo, what if they want to terminate this joint venture because they are not receiving the second investment fund?”

“Don’t worry about it. They won’t.”

“They claimed that if they don’t receive the fund, it will seriously affect the transportation business as well. We are about to increase the number of buses.”

“They will still let you have an additional bus. All employees at the terminal and the construction are currently the employees of the joint venture. They need to pay them, so they will increase the number of buses as previously promised and planned.”

“You think so?”

“I’m sure about it. Don’t worry.”

Jae-Sik said as he let out a sigh, “Well, I’m still worried.”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes and thought about it.

‘As a lot of things were already done at the construction site, I think they already exhausted the first investment fund of 3 million dollars, as they claimed. They purchased 7 buses, and that probably cost them one-third of the fund. They already paid for the engineering work and fulfilled the construction reserve. They must be left with less than another one-third. I guess they are feeling uneasy with the current financial situation.

Once the increase of the number of buses is approved, they will purchase an additional bus, which will cost them. Also, there must be small things at the construction site that they need to pay for. They don’t want to be left with zero balance. However, I can’t just send them funds just because they requested it. If I do, they will consider the fund as easy money.

If I don’t send the second investment fund, can they go to a bank and get Ji Cheng Gao (a loan for the completed portion of an incomplete building)? They finished civil engineering so far. There is no building at all yet. They probably won’t be able to do that… Should I then send them the funds? Well, I will wait and see.’

When Jae-Sik noticed Gun-Ho frowning, he thought that Gun-Ho was feeling uncomfortable because of the drink that he had during lunch. Gun-Ho was, in fact, frowning because he was lost in thought.

“President Goo, are you okay? Do you want me to stop by a pharmacy?”

“I feel like I’m going to throw up if I continue to ride the car. I need to take a walk. Let’s go to the food alley where you want to open your deep-fried chicken restaurant.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik Moon got out of the car at the food alley downtown, and started walking.

“There are two main commercial areas here. One is in the west side, and the other one is in the east side. We are at the east side.”

“Which one is it? The shop that you wanted to get.”

“Do you see the building over there? The shop is on the second floor of that building.”

“On the second floor? Will it be okay?”

“The store on the first floor is small, and the one on the second floor is at least 100 pyung large. I think it’s a very good store. I can decorate the interior with a unique theme.”

“It will cost a lot to redo the interior, huh?”

“I will have to spend the whole 100 million won that I borrowed from the bank.”

“Hmm.”

“I feel anxious actually. I was confident when I was planning about the business, but now I doubt a lot of things. It’s not like I have extra cash and open a business with it, but I took out a loan from a bank, and I have to make a monthly payment to the bank for the interest. So, it makes me nervous.”

“The restaurant over there looks huge. It must be a landmark in this area.”

“It is a very famous restaurant, but it’s not doing very well right now since there are so many new small but neat restaurants in the same area. It’s 200 pyung large. It will cost them a significant amount of money to maintain the restaurant; they have to pay the workers and also a high rent for the place.”

“200 pyung? Wow. Chinese people tend to do a large-scale business, huh?”

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Chapter 689 - Battle (2) – Part 2

Chapter 689: Battle (2) – Part 2

Looking at the landmark restaurant in the food alley, Jae-Sik said, “If someone, who has a lot of money to buy that restaurant, opens a McDonald or KFC there, I think that it will do great.”

“Hmm, yeah, I agree with you. But, KFC is run directly by the company’s headquarters, isn’t it? Does it franchise their stores?”

“It seems possible. I read it from Wangbao (evening newspaper) a few days ago. There was an advertisement recruiting franchisees for KFC. They limited the qualification to be a KFC franchisee to the people who have a good reputation in the local community with enough wealth.”

“Hmm, really?”

“The young Chinese people have their longing for the western society including food. There is a Kendeji (KFC) in Guiyang City. When I visited the city last time, the KFC was packed with young people.”

“You know that I once opened a restaurant in Noryangjin and failed, right? I learned my lesson after I closed that restaurant. If you want to open a restaurant, you need to either open it in a large-scale like a corporation form, or with your family. A restaurant business requires a large amount of labor, so you need family members’ support and help to succeed.”

“You are right. In China, there are less number of restaurants than Korea considering their size of population…”

“A restaurant business is really hard to succeed in Korea because there are just too many restaurants in Korea.”

Gun-Ho stared at the huge restaurant across the street, his arms folded over his chest.

‘That very location is meant to be a KFC. This area has high traffic. I’m sure a KFC in that location will succeed. Even if this is China, I will need at least 500 million won to open a KFC there, won’t I?

Maybe I should ask Jae-Sik’s wife to run the restaurant, and I just put my money there. She is a very active lady. She already obtained her driver’s license, and she is acclaiming herself to Chinese culture very well and very quickly. She will be good. I have cash in my bank account here with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the one that I previously received when I withdrew from the Jinxi Industrial Park business. It’s in Yuan, and I don’t even get interest income from them, so the money is sitting there without doing much for me.

I have about 1.2 billion Korean won left there after I paid 500 million won for the recent purchase of the five condos. I can take out another 500 million won and open a KFC.

I can ask Suk-Ho Lee to run the restaurant for me since he has abundant experience of the restaurant business; however, he is not reliable. Once he starts making good money, I’m sure he will focus on spending it. I think Jae-Sik’s wife will do much better than him. I could feel a strong will to succeed from her. She definitely has a killer instinct, more than Jae-Sik Moon has, which will drive her to succeed.’

Gun-Ho said to Jae-Sik Moon, “President Moon, let’s do this.”

“Do what?”

“Find out the rent price of that 200 pyung large restaurant and the one on the second floor which is 100 pyung large.”

“Why?”

“Feeling so nervous already with 100 million won that you took out from a bank, you will likely fail the business. Let’s do the restaurant business together. I will invest 400 million won, and you put your 100 million won. You will then have 20% ownership of the business that we do together.”

“Are you serious?”

Jae-Sik Moon’s eyes widened.

“Divide that 200 pyung large restaurant into two. We will open a KFC on one side and a deep-fried chicken restaurant on the other. And, we will also open a pizza restaurant at the 100 pyung large place on the second floor.”

“What made you decide to invest in the restaurant business?”

“I’m an investor. If there is an opportunity to make money, I will be there.”

“Really?”

“The current interior of those restaurants look depressing. We will redo the interior. Once we redecorate those restaurants, they will even brighten this whole area. But, if they ask for an unreasonably high rental price, or if so many stupid rules apply in order to get a franchise, I will possibly don’t go for it.”

“Let me find out what they want first. Oh, maybe I should ask Soon-Young’s mom to find out.”

Gun-Ho walked around the area within a 2 km radius of the restaurants.

“I don’t see any subway stations, but they seem to have good bus lines passing the area. I think we have a high chance to succeed here. We should be careful with the landlords who would raise the rent unreasonably later.”

“Understood. I will do the research and let you know.”

“Well, I’d better now get back to the hotel. I need to take a rest.”

Gun-Ho came back to Korea. He made a call to Young-Eun at Incheon International Airport.

“It’s me. I just arrived at Incheon International Airport. I will be home within two hours.”

“Did you meet Chan-Ho Eum?”

“Yeah, he is here with me.”

“You haven’t had your dinner yet, have you?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Okay. I will see you home soon.”

Gun-Ho arrived at his home at the TowerPalace condo community.

“Sang-Min, your daddy is home,” Gun-Ho called his son’s name as he entered the condo.

Instead of his baby, Young-Eun quickly came out of the kitchen when she heard Gun-Ho’s voice. She was wearing an apron.

“How was your trip?”

Young-Eun smiled broadly as she took Gun-Ho’s suitcase.

“The helper lady already left, right?”

“Yeah, she left already.”

Once he made sure that no one was home but Gun-Ho and Young-Eun, she hugged Young-Eun and kissed her.

“I missed you.”

“Let me go. I can’t breathe.”

“Is the baby in the master bedroom?”

“Yeah. He just fell asleep.”

Gun-Ho walked into the bedroom and looked at the sleeping baby. The baby seemed to have gained some weight already, and he looked like he had more hair than a few days ago. The baby looked so peaceful, and Gun-Ho couldn’t help but give him a kiss on the cheek. The baby then started crying so hard.

Young-Eun came into the room rapidly and held the baby.

“Sang-Min, it’s okay. Mommy is here.”

The baby stopped crying once he heard his mother’s voice.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He received a call from his sister.

“I made the sales and purchase contract for the building.”

“Hmm, really? How much did you pay?”

“It’s 180 million won.”

“Hmm.”

“I took out a loan of 100 million won from the bank. I think I need to have some cash in the reserve for the business.”

“Really?”

“We are not paying a high monthly payment for the loan at all.”

“Of course. The rent must have been higher than the interest payment to the bank.”

“When I went to the bank to take out a loan, they asked me to show our financial statements. When I brought the financial statements to them, they were surprised that we don’t have any debt.”

“The financial statements must show the money that I sent to China for Antang City’s terminal project.”

“That’s right. They actually asked me about it, and I told them that we are investing in a joint venture in China. They said that the company’s major shareholder must be a very wealthy person.”

“Haha, really?”

“After purchasing the building, I invited several friends over to the company. You remember a friend of mine— Seung-Hee, right? She came as well.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, we had a small party at the property that we leased from Onbid to park our trucks. I installed a beach umbrella, and we cooked pork belly. They all envied me for having the business.”

“Haha, really?”

“My husband did some research on Onbid. He said, it’s very possible that they will sell the land to the buyer of their choice.”

“Really?”

“Do you think that they will give the priority to the current tenant in searching for a buyer?”

“It’s very possible.”

“You think so? I hope they do.”

“You have to know that even if they sell the land to GH Logistics, I’m not going to put more money there. You will have to come up with the money to buy it. You can take out an additional loan or something.”

“Okay. My husband is actually trying to find out a way to get the necessary money to buy it anyway.”

“Hmm, really?”

“How’s your baby doing?”

“He gained some weight already.”

“Haha. He is so cute and adorable. Once he passes his 100th day, he will become even cuter. You will see.”

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Chapter 690 - Dyeon Korea is Applying for the Certificate to be Recognized as Startup Company with Technology – Part 1

Chapter 690: Dyeon Korea is Applying for the Certificate to be Recognized as Startup Company with Technology – Part 1

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. There were still a lot of trucks parked at the leased vacant land in front of GH Mobile’s factory. Chan-Ho Eom said to Gun-Ho, “The production seems to be increasing more and more.”

“Hmm.”

There was another factory next to GH Mobile. It was a packaging company for food like cookies and candies.

“Chan-Ho, do you see a banner over there? In front of that packaging factory? What does it say?”

“Let me get closer to it, sir. Well, it says, the factory is for lease.”

“The packaging company probably moved their location, huh?”

“It looks like it, sir.”

“They either moved to a bigger factory because their business is doing so well, or they just moved to another location because they couldn’t afford to keep this one.”

“I suppose so, sir.”

On the way to his office, Gun-Ho ran into Director Jong-Suk Park at GH Mobile’s front yard.

“Bro, how was your trip to China? Is Jae-Sik bro doing well?”

“Yeah, he is well. He looked more comfortable and relaxed than he was here.”

“I’m sure he is. He is the boss over there, right?”

“The volume of production here has increased a lot lately, huh?”

“It’s good that we have more work as the production keeps increasing, but the problem is the space. Even the alleys are filled with work in process because we have nowhere else to place them.”

“Is that because of the new product order from the factory in Dangjin City? The door assembly work?”

“That’s right. The volume of their appliance assembly work— assembling the entire door for their home appliance products— is increasing dramatically. We are assembling the whole door, and it requires a large space to store them. We are getting product parts from twelve different companies too. They are being stored in our storage.”

“Hmm, really?”

“You know what? Those twelve supplier companies are trying hard to get in contact with me, and get a dinner appointment with me or something after work. I guess that they want to bribe me with some money in order to get more work from us in exchange.”

“You know that you shouldn’t meet them other than in an official setting, right?”

“I know, bro. I don’t want to meet them in private either. And, I have classes that I need to attend after work anyway. I’m just too busy to meet them after work.”

“How’s school?”

“It’s good. I worried a lot before the school started. I kept asking myself what if I don’t understand the lecture? It could be a lot difficult in four-year college. But, it’s doable. I think I can handle it.”

“Keep up the good work.”

“Yeah, bro.”

Gun-Ho walked up to his office, and he called for the secretary— Ms. Hee-Jeong Park.

“Please ask the accounting director to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“I’ve already received the report about paying the corporate tax. Did we pay for the debt with the after-tax profits?”

“Yes, sir, we did. We now have 30 million won of debt left. Our company’s credit ratings went one step up from B to A-.”

“We are supposed to receive 3 billion won from Dyeon Korea after they take care of the paperwork to transfer the ownership of their factory building to Dyeon Korea as our investment in-kind. Did we receive the fund?”

“No, we haven’t received it yet. You previously instructed us to pay the company debt once we receive the fund, so we are waiting for it.”

“Once you receive the fund, just hold onto it. I will let you know when you need to pay the debt with that fund.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is Mr. President Song in his office?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please tell him to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, President Song entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“How was your trip to China, sir?”

“It was good. I drank too much once during the daytime. I felt so uncomfortable after that.”

“Haha. Too much drink can be harmful to your health.”

“I was told that the production volume of the door assembly work for the factory in Dangjin City has increased significantly.”

“Yes, it has. And, it still keeps increasing. We don’t have enough space to store all those parts, products, and work in process. We need to figure out what to do about it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“We are currently receiving parts from 12 different vendor companies for the door assembly work alone. And as we are getting more and more assembly work, we will soon receive parts from 24 different companies. We definitely need more space.”

“I’ve noticed on the way here, that the factory next to us seems to be on the market for lease. They put the large lease sign on it.”

“Oh, is that right? I didn’t see that when I came to work today. I guess they put the sign this morning.”

“I think we should find out if we could lease that building.”

“Yes, sir. I’ve met with that factory’s president once. It’s the packaging factory, right? I guess they moved out to another location.”

“I guess that the packaging factory didn’t own the building. They leased the location as well, right? It seems that it has been a leasing factory all along.”

“I think so. I’ve met that packaging company’s president once at the gathering held for the business owners in Chungcheongnamdo Province. I remember that he said something about leasing the factory.”

“We can ask the general affairs director to find out about leasing the location and the rent.”

“Well, let’s ask him right now. I will ask him to come to the office now.”

President Song stood up from his seat, walked to the door, opened it, and asked Secretary Hee-Jeong Park, “Ms. Hee-Jeong Park! Please ask Director Joon-Young Choi at the general affairs department to come to the president’s office now.”

“Yes, sir.”

When President Song came to the sofa and sit there, Gun-Ho lowered his head a little bit and said in a low voice, “They put the factory on the market for lease, but what if we purchase it instead?”

“Well, if the owner is willing to sell it, then it would be great. I’m not sure if the owner will sell it or not though.”

“We are receiving 3 billion won from Dyeon Korea soon for the investment in-kind of their building. We can use the money to purchase that factory building next door.”

“That’s a good idea, sir. We still have debt to pay, but it’s not like the bank is asking us to pay it off immediately. We are on the payment plan.”

At the moment, the general affairs director entered the office after knocking on the door.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“The packaging factory next door is on the market for lease. I want you to find out how much they are asking for the rent. Also, find out the size of the building and the land.”

“Yes, sir.”

President Song, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, chipped in, “Also, find out their power capacity, and see if they have overhead cranes installed already, and if they have underground water that is ready to use.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho said, “Also, ask if the owner is willing to sell the property rather than just lease it. If he is, find out how much he or she wants for sale. The owner might have been suffering enough to be willing to sell it now. If the previous tenants moved out because their business didn’t do well, the owner must have a problem collecting the monthly rent.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You are also aware that our building has no more place to store products and parts, right, Mr. General Affairs Director?”

“Yes, sir. I’m very well aware of it.”

“Okay, you can leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

The general affairs director walked out of the office after giving a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho and President Song.

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Chapter 691 - Dyeon Korea is Applying for the Certificate to be Recognized as Startup Company with Technology – Part 2

Chapter 691: Dyeon Korea is Applying for the Certificate to be Recognized as Startup Company with Technology – Part 2

President Song smiled and said to Gun-Ho, “That 3 billion won for transferring the ownership to Dyeon Korea as our investment in-kind is coming in at the right time.”

“How much sales revenue has increased as the volume of the product order for the factory in Dangjin City increased?”

“We made a total of 13 billion won last month.”

“Hmm, that makes our annual sales revenue of over 150 billion won.”

“That’s correct, sir. We are no longer a small and medium-sized company, but we are becoming a midsize company.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“A company that generated more than 150 billion won for three consecutive years or that has more than 1,000 workers is considered as a midsize company.”

After President Song left the office, Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘Last year, GH Mobile didn’t even make a net income of 6%. But, this year will be different. Its sales have increased substantially, and it paid some portion of its debt. Also, they are trying to reduce the production cost. It will make 7% this year.

7% of 150 billion won is 10.5 billion won which would be its net income. Moreover, the sales keep increasing even now, so the annual sales revenue could be 160 billion won or even 170 billion won. Maybe we would be able to distribute a dividend of 10 billion won next year.

If we distribute 10 billion won as dividend next year, Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father will receive 1.5 billion won which is 15% of it. Will it be enough to make slush funds? President Song will take 300 million won. President Song hasn’t received his dividend yet so far, but he will be happy with 300 million won next year.

I own 82% of the company, so I will receive 8.2 billion won.’

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon.

Dyeon Korea’s production volume had increased a lot along with GH Mobile. A mountain of the finished products that were waiting to be shipped came into Gun-Ho’s view.

When Gun-Ho sat on the sofa in his office, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought a cup of warm jujube tea to him.

“Will you ask Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo to come to my office?”

“Yes, sir.”

After a while, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee came back to Gun-Ho’s office. She was alone.

“Ms. Accounting Manager is not in her office, sir. I was told that she is in training right now.”

“Training? Training for what?”

“It’s a training provided by KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association. It’s being held in Yeouido Island, sir.”

“Hmm, really? Well, then would you ask Mr. Internal Auditor to come to my office?”

The internal auditor entered Gun-Ho’s office. He was carrying a few documents including the updated external audit report.

“Hello, sir.”

“Is that the modified external audit report that you are carrying?”

“Yes, it is, sir.”

“We have destroyed all of the previous external audit reports, right?”

“Yes, we did. We marked all of them with a large x on the front page, and discarded them all.”

Gun-Ho asked as he was reviewing the updated external audit report, “We didn’t make any change on the sales revenue and profits, did we?”

“No, sir. We just moved the research center’s workers’ wages and the cost of chemicals that we used in the research center to R&D expenses. All numbers are correct.”

After reviewing the report once again, Gun-Ho placed the report on the table, and said, “I was told that Ms. Manager Jo is in training right now. What training is that?”

“Oh, the training is about KOSDAQ requirements. In preparation for our KOSDAQ registration, she is learning what needs to be done. I’ve noticed that KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association is providing training for the future government workers about DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System) in Yeouido Island, and I sent her there.”

“Do you think that we can successfully register with KOSDAQ?”

“I believe it’s very possible once we receive the certificate to be recognized as a startup company with technology.”

“How are we doing with the certificate?”

“Manager Jo already registered with the website— VertureIn, and entered all the information that they asked.”

“Were they asking a lot of things?”

“Basically, they were asking things like our business plan and financial statements.”

“I guess that she gave them the modified financial statements along with the updated external audit report.”

“Of course, sir. I was there when she entered all the information and documents.”

“Are we expecting a visit to our company for the certificate?”

“Yes, sir. They will send someone to take a look at our company.”

“They will probably want to see our research center mostly.”

“Of course, sir.”

“We will have to make sure that Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo at the research center understands what they would focus on.”

“Not just Manager Yoo, but the chief research officer must be ready for the visit as well even though he is holding a temporary position, sir.”

“Well, let’s talk to them right now.”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hey Yee.

“Please ask the chief research officer and the plant manager— Mr. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo— to come to my office now.”

“Yes, sir.”

While waiting for the two workers from the research center, the internal auditor showed a document to Gun-Ho.

“What is this?”

“It’s a newly issued certified copy of corporate registration.”

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“As you instructed, the capital increase has completed, and the amount of the capital has been updated. I thought that you might want to verify the change.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, thank you.”

Gun-Ho looked at the certified copy of corporate registration.

“So, now Dyeon Korea’s capital is 19 billion won, huh?”

“That’s correct, sir. Dyeon Korea started with 10 billion won— 5 billion won from each partner. We recently added 9 billion won as we reinvested our after-tax profits into the company. It made Dyeon Korea’s current capital 19 billion won. You can verify the date of the change as well. It’s shown on the next column. As you can see, there is no change on the purpose of the company and executive officers.”

“Oh, I was going to ask this. You haven’t sent 3 billion won to GH Mobile yet, have you? Dyeon Korea is supposed to send 3 billion won to GH Mobile after GH Mobile transferred the ownership of the building to Dyeon Korea.”

“We couldn’t since you were on a trip to China. We need your signature here. I brought the form. With your signature, I will send the fund to GH Mobile by the end of today.”

Gun-Ho signed on the withdrawal form to send 3 billion won to GH Mobile.

After a while, the old chief research officer and Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“You asked for us, sir?”

“Please have a seat. I just wanted to have a cup of tea with you.”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee and asked her to bring two more cups of warm jujube tea.

“We have received the environment management system certificate— ISO 14001, and now we officially have an in-house research center. I’m sure you now have more paperwork than before accordingly.”

“That’s correct, sir. We now have to make way more reports and paperwork, and also we even need to hold more meetings.”

“The reason that we obtained ISO 14001 and established the in-house research center is to get us the certificate to be recognized as a startup company with technology.”

“We were told about it, sir.”

“We completed our application for the certificate, and we are expecting to have a visit from their investigators soon. They will primarily look at our research center, and your roles as a chief research officer and a deputy research chief are critical during their visit.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Please check the lab equipment, and the layout of the chemicals as well. Make sure everything is very well organized.”

“Yes, sir. The product recipes with organic and inorganic compounds involved in chemical equations. We will display those recipes at the research center implying our professionalism with enough specialty. The investigators are probably not familiar with this field.”

“The investigators probably don’t have professional and specific knowledge about chemicals as you do, Mr. Chief Research Officer, since they must be young people. However, they know what to look at. They will pay attention to the research environment and systems.”

“Understood, sir. I will particularly check those areas as well.”

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Chapter 692 - GH Food Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 1

Chapter 692: GH Food Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 1

It was Tuesday, and Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin came to Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor.

“We received a scenario from China sent by Director Woon-Hak Sim via EMS.”

“It must be the film scenario. Its title is Menghuan Yinghua, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. Director Sim sent the scenario along with a synopsis. I’ve already had the synopsis translated into Korean and sent it back to him. The scenario is being translated right now.”

“Did you have a chance to read the synopsis of Menghuan Yinghua? What is it about?”

“Yes, I read it. It’s a love story between a Chinese spy and a geisha in Tokyo during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Chinese spy went to Tokyo and met this geisha, and fell in love with her.”

“It would better not stop at the love story alone. That Chinese spy must do something that contributes to his home country—China. There has to be something more that could fulfill the Chinese nationalism.”

“The filmmaker will take care of it. They are the experts.”

“Well, yeah, you are right.”

“So, did you decide whether you would make your investment in the movie production or not?”

“If the scenario is really good, I could make my investment.”

“But, it takes a tremendous amount of money to produce a movie, doesn’t it?”

“I’m not going to fund 100% of the movie production cost. They are collecting crowdfunding as well.”

“I see. By the way, have you received the dividend from GH Media? I sent it to your bank account the other day. It’s 1.14 billion won.”

“You did? I’ve been busy with my trip to China lately. I will check it.”

“You don’t have to worry about our publishing cost at GH Media. We’ve published 50 books so far, and we earned good money. Additionally, we are getting income from GH Art Gallery, the book café on the rooftop, and the costume play magazine. We save about 100 million won each month. It’s now April, and we already have approximately 400 million won in cash in the reserve.”

“Hmm, really?”

“That is more than enough to pay the publishing cost for our new books.”

“That’s good to know.”

“And, we hired one more worker at GH Media. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda is working alone at the costume play magazine team right now. We hired a designer, so she could join him in the costume play magazine team.”

“Is she a designer, not a reporter or a journalist?”

“She is covering those two jobs.”

“That’s good.”

“If you decide to invest in the movie production, GH Media will make even more money this year. Haha. Oh, since it takes a long time to make a movie, maybe we will start receiving an additional income starting next year.”

“I was told that preparation, editing, and marketing take up most of the production time for a movie, and the actual shooting doesn’t take long at all.”

“That makes sense. The more you take time in shooting the film, the more money you will have to spend on the actor and actresses. The movie producer would, of course, prefer to finish shooting as soon as possible.”

President Shin continued as she sipped her tea, “GH Media is making another essay book of a broadcasting scriptwriter now.”

“Did the same broadcasting scriptwriter send us a new manuscript?”

“No, we are working with a different broadcasting scriptwriter for the new essay book. The previous scriptwriter introduced another writer to me. The book is about gender conflict. It’s a feminist book.”

“Well, I don’t know much about books, but good luck with it.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After President Shin left the office, Gun-Ho checked his bank account.

“Hmm, she is right. 1.14 billion won has been deposited in my bank account. President Shin is holding 5% of GH Media share, so she must have received 60 million won this time.”

Gun-Ho then checked his bank account with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

“I received another 1.14 billion won from GH Parts Company in China. Min-Hyeok sent it to me. Min-Hyeok must have received 60 million won as well. It’s weird that both companies distributed the same amount of 1.14 billion won to me as a dividend. And, also it was quick. I understand that because they both need money right away.”

Gun-Ho grinned as he was putting the bank books back in his desk drawer.

“Well, I’ve already recovered all of the investment funds that I put in GH Media and GH Parts Company in China last year. Whatever I receive starting this year is extra money. I guess I will keep receiving earnings from those two companies as long as they exist. Hahaha.”

Gun-Ho thought about how much he made last year.

‘I have 170 billion won in my stock account, and I’m getting 4.2 billion won from them as interest income on that amount. I received dividends from GH Media and GH Parts Company, and it’s 2.28 billion won combined. So I made 6.48 billion won for the interest income and dividend altogether.

I will fall into a tax bracket of 42% since I made more than 500 million won. If I deduct the tax of 42% from 6.48 billion won, I will be left with roughly 3.8 billion won in my hand. When am I going to make 1 trillion won? It will take forever if I make money at this speed. According to Master Park, I am destined to make 1 trillion won before I turn 40 years old.

Let me get to the earnings from my salaries. I receive 35 million won on a monthly basis from 5 different GH companies. The amount is an after-tax amount, so it will make my yearly salary 420 million won.

I will have to limit my personal spending and living expenses to the amount of my yearly after-tax salaries of 420 million won. I will save the interest income and dividends in the bank. I have to grow my companies and also accumulate my wealth.

From next year, my two big companies—GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea—will probably distribute dividends. The amount will be larger. I look forward to it.’

Gun-Ho sat at his desk and started surfing the web. Since he might get into the movie production industry soon, he decided to check the news in the entertainment industry. Seol-Bing appeared on his screen.

“What? Seol-Bing and Lia got into a fight?”

There was a relevant video clip as well, and Gun-Ho clicked on it to open it.

The fight occurred at the K-drama filming location at the riverside.

Lia looked upset, and she challenged Seol-Bing first by saying, “Sister, you hate me, don’t you?”

Seol-Bing replied with a condescending look on her face, “Do you really think you are on the same level as me?!”

It seemed that one of the drama production staff secretly recorded them fighting and released it later.

“Oh my. What are they? A third-grader?”

Gun-Ho clicked his tongue and shook his head.

This was what really happened.

Seol-Bing was the lead actress in the currently airing Korean TV drama—The hymn of Desire. And, Lia took a supporting role in the same TV drama. The problem was that Seol-Bing was getting close to her 30 while Lia was only 24 years old. Lia looked, of course, cuter and more adorable than Seol-Bing, and the viewers knew that. Moreover, since Seol-Bing’s dating with the younger baseball player became known to the public, her popularity had been somewhat reduced. On the other hand, Lia was a rising star who was refreshing without any scandals.

Seol-Bing was dissatisfied with her current boyfriend who was five years younger than her. He didn’t admire her enough in the same way as all other men, who were older than her like Gun-Ho, had shown her. Seol-Bing was a spoiled actress who had a strong desire to do things in her own way, and she was having a lot of stress in her relationship with the baseball player.

To make things worse, Lia started gaining popularity as the Chinese TV drama that she was in gained popularity. What made her explode that day was the fact that the Korean company that funded the Chinese TV drama production was GH Media, which was one of Gun-Ho’s companies. Seol-Bing hated Lia who seemed to take what could be hers from her. She hated her, and she ignored her whenever she ran across her at work. Lia realized that Seol-Bing treated her as if she was invisible, and Seol-Bing was cold to her. Finally, Lia decided to confront Seol-Bing and asked, “Sister, you hate me, don’t you?” Seol-Bing felt a wave of annoyance and anger. She felt like Lia was taunting her. That was the moment when Seol-Bing became infuriated.

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Chapter 693 - GH Food Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 2

Chapter 693: GH Food Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho didn’t think the fight between two actresses was a big deal. All he was concerned about was whether it would add more popularity to Lia and eventually, would result in an increase in her performance price.

‘Lia is now very popular because of the success of the Chinese TV drama. What if she asks for a way higher price when we ask her to take a part in the movie—Shiguang Ru Meng. She’s not going to ask for more money, but her agency—BM Entertainment—would. That dandy-looking entertainment manager would absolutely ask for more. He is not the type of guy who would let any opportunity to make more money slip away.’

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“I talked with the real estate agent about the stores in the food alley.”

“How much do they want?”

“It’s expensive. For the store on the ground floor, they are asking 300 Yuan per pyung on a monthly basis.”

“300 Yuan? You said the place is 200 pyung large, right?”

“It turns out to be 180 pyung to be exact. So, it’s 54,000 Yuan per month.”

“How much is it in Korean won? Let me see… Assuming 1 Yuan is 170 Korean Won, it would be 9.18 million won. It is expensive, man.”

“According to the rent system in China, there is no security deposit or premium required. We just need to make the whole payment upfront for the period that we rent.”

“What about the one on the second floor?”

“For that one, they are asking 200 Yuan per pyung. It’s 100 pyung large, so the monthly rent would be 20,000 Yuan which is around 3.4 million won.”

“Hmm.”

“I tried to lower the price with them, but they were so determined with their asking price. The owner of the building is Antang Engineering College. I talked with the people in their finance department.”

“So, if we rent both places, we will have to pay 150 million won per year. And, if we add the cost to redo the interior, it will cost us a lot.”

“Soon-Young’s mom contacted the KFC headquarters. If we open a KFC, we have to do the interior as they instruct and purchase all the appliances and equipment. It will cost a lot since it’s larger than 80 pyung. Moreover, we also have to take into account the franchise fee and training fee.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“We initially thought of 500 million won. I think we should expect to spend well over 700 million won if we include the store on the second floor.”

“Hmm, that’s way more than I expected.”

“I learned an interesting thing though. I heard that a foreigner can open a company for a food business in this area.”

“Really?”

“Since this is an undeveloped area that is located deep in the west, they don’t see many foreign investments here. So, the local government easily allows a foreigner to establish a company.”

“Really?”

“I was told that a business registration can be easily issued by the Administration for Industry and Commerce.”

“Who told you that?”

“Soon-Young’s mom has many friends in the condo community—Huaxi Huayuan. One of her friend’s husband is a high-ranking officer at the Administration for Industry and Commerce. She told her about it.”

“If we form a company, is it possible to get a loan from a bank using the shops?”

“I don’t know. I can find it out for you.”

“Yeah, find it out. You remember the bank branch manager at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China? The one who helped us take out a loan when we purchased the condos at Huaxi Huayuan.”

“Of course, I do. Mr. Xiaodong Liu, right?”

“Yeah, that’s him. Arrange a dinner meeting with him, and show our gratitude for his help in buying the condos. And have some drinks with him too. And then, I guess you can casually ask about the loan for the stores.”

“Hmm, got it. I will do that.”

“If we form a company, we can do a partnership, and each takes the shares of the company according to the amount that we put into it.”

“That… that sounds great.”

“Well, if we can take out a loan, then you should make a contract for those two stores. I will transfer the money then.”

“Okay. I will give you a call once I get more information.”

“How is the terminal construction going?”

“The construction has stopped for now.”

“Even though the construction came to a halt, we still have the workers at the construction team of the joint venture, right?”

“You mean the construction Xiaozu (team)? Yeah, we still have them. They actually seem to be busy. I saw them having their own meeting today.”

“How many workers do we have in the construction team?”

“We have five. Two of them are Gonchengshi (skilled engineers), and we pay them with a bit higher wage.”

“I see. Well, if there happen any changes, just let me know. Also, don’t forget to meet with the bank branch manager.”

“Okay, I will.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho had a cup of tea.

‘Establishing a food company… I think it will cost around 700 million won to open the restaurants. Maybe I should put 500 million won in the food business and take out a loan of 200 million won from a bank. We don’t have any real estate property to secure the loan though. Would the bank still lend me money? Will they take the lease agreement as collateral for the loan?

Once I open the food company and run restaurants with the company’s name, I don’t have to limit my business to running some restaurants only, but I can expand the food business to the trading of food and agricultural products. Jae-Sik’s wife will be good at the trading business as well since she is very active and nosy. If I open the food company in Antang City, I want to recover my investment funds and start receiving extra income within two years just like GH Media and GH Parts Company that Min-Hyeok is running. Will it be possible?’

While thinking of his future food business in China, Gun-Ho fell asleep.

He woke up to the sound of his smart phone’s ring. Being frightened by the sound, he answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hello. It’s from BM Entertainment.”

“I’m sorry? Who?”

Gun-Ho was not fully awake at that moment, and he was a bit off.

“This is the entertainment manager at BM Entertainment, sir.”

“Oh, Mr. Manager. It has been a while. How have you been?”

“The soap opera—Shiguang Ru Meng—finished more than 20 episodes already.”

“20 episodes have already aired, huh?”

“I’m not very good at interpreting Chinese letters, but I was told that ‘Shiguang Ru Meng’ means ‘Time like a Dream.’ As it says, time flies like a dream.”

Gun-Ho could easily picture BM Entertainment’s dandy entertainment manager’s smile with his eyes.

“If Seol-Bing was the lead actress who played the main role in Shiguang Ru Meng, that TV drama wouldn’t succeed enough to make profits. It was Lia who made the drama successful. Lia is currently receiving half of what Seol-Bing receives, but she won’t be able to work by receiving the same price. After Shiguang Ru Meng, she gained enough popularity to ask for more. Lia is very famous in China with her name—Lial Zhang—and we are getting a lot of inquiries from other production companies about her.”

“Is that so?”

“The reason why I called you today, sir, is that I heard GH Media is planning to participate in producing a movie. If GH Media wants Lia to take a role in a movie, you have to let us know in advance, so we can find a spot in her busy schedule.”

“I haven’t even read the film scenario yet. We are still reviewing the possibility.”

“If you make your decision, please let us know as soon as possible.”

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Chapter 694 - GH Food Co., Ltd. (2) – Part 1

Chapter 694: GH Food Co., Ltd. (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was about to hang up the phone when BM Entertainment’s manager quickly brought up another topic.

“I’d like to talk to you about one more thing, sir.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“I don’t mean to be presumptuous, sir, but I just want to mention Director Woon-Hak Sim’s pay, if you have a second to spare for me.”

“What about his pay?”

“The main actress of the Chinese TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—is Lia, and BM Entertainment is her agency. Huanle Shiji Production Company sends the pay for Lia directly to us, not to Lia with a receipt, and we pay Lia after deducting expenses and other fees.”

“Of course, you do.”

“We actually already paid Lia in advance for her work with the drama. Of course, we withhold taxes from her paycheck though. Since her work with the drama hasn’t been completed yet, we will have to make some adjustments on the amount of taxes that we are withholding.”

“You are telling me what I already know.”

“I was told that Director Sim is receiving a salary from GH Media, which is not much. I understand that he is also receiving a salary from Huanle Shiji Production Company as well, but as we both know, the amount of salary received in China is very low since it is determined considering the living expenses in China. It’s really low if he has to spend it in Korea.”

“Hmm.”

“I just wanted to remind you that Director Sim is being underpaid for his work.”

“That wouldn’t be all that he would receive for his work. We have a plan for him.”

“Oh, you do? Well, then I feel relieved for him.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t tell BM Entertainment’s manager about Director Sim’s low credit score, and that the current payment setting for him was the best that he could think of under Director Sim’s situation. If Director Sim made more than the amount of basic living expenses, his creditors or the National Tax Service would probably seize the money.

‘I can’t tell people that Director Sim is a person with a bad credit score. It will constitute a privacy violation.’

After getting off the phone with BM Entertainment’s manager, Gun-Ho thought about what BM Entertainment’s manager told him.

‘Director Sim is currently receiving a monthly salary of 1 million won from GH Media, and 12,000 Yuan from Huanle Shiji Production Company in China. It’s not enough to set aside a certain amount for savings. Director Sim hasn’t said anything about it, but I’m sure he must be concerned about his low pay.’

Gun-Ho didn’t want Director Sim to worry about it because he could be distracted and not be able to fully focus on his current work. Gun-Ho made a call to China right away.

“Mr. Director Sim?”

“Oh, sir?”

“Are you busy right now? Is it a good time to talk?”

“I’m on my break right now. I can talk.”

“Have you received the translated synopsis of the movie—Menghuan Yinghua?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve finished reading it.”

“What do you think?”

“I can’t be sure until I see the full scenario, but I think it’s good. The scenario is being translated right now, and I need to see it before I can tell more about it. But, I can see why the author is so famous here. Her description of each character is amazing. The movie will definitely help the viewers understand the Chinese and Japanese cultures, and it will also satisfy the currently prevalent Chinese nationalism.”

“Is that right? Well, I want to hear more after you read the full scenario later. I want to hear your professional analysis and evaluation. Well, I actually called you today to talk about your pay.”

“My pay, sir?”

“Your monthly salary from GH Media was determined to be 1 million won due to your personal situation. And, I believe that you are receiving a salary in China for the amount that is just enough to pay for your living expenses there. We haven’t really talked about how much we will actually pay you for your work.”

“Well…”

“I’ve sent 1 million dollars to Huanle Shiji Production Company, but I haven’t received any return for my investment fund yet, and I can’t really predict how much I should expect to make either. I’ve been doing business in the manufacturing field mostly, and I don’t know much about the entertainment industry, so I don’t have information to base my prediction on how much profit I would make from this specific investment.”

“I will take whatever you decide for me, sir.”

“I will have to see the income coming in from Huanle Shiji Production Company first before I determine the salary I could give you. But, I can tell you now that you won’t be disappointed with the amount that I would determine for you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“And, I suggest that when you have time, come to Korea and file for general rehabilitation with the court. I believe that this is the right time for it.”

“Is it the right time for me to file for general rehabilitation, sir?”

“I used to work as the managing director of a company called Mulpasaneop. That company was in rehabilitation at that time. So, I know the process. Bring your paystubs from GH Media and from Huanle Shiji Production Company when you meet with an attorney.”

“It’s going to cost me a lot to file it.”

“I will make an advance payment for you.”

“Pay in advance? Well, sir, I appreciate your concern, I really do; however, for the work filing for general rehabilitation, attorneys usually ask for an incentive as well. When I was in Korea, I did my homework. For personal rehabilitation, I can work with a certified legal consultant’s office, and it costs about 1 million won for the case. But for general rehabilitation, I have to retain an attorney, and they will ask for 15 million won and an incentive if the case is concluded successfully. I just couldn’t afford it, and I still can’t.”

“Well, you still have to do it. You don’t want to live with your current status forever.”

“…”

“When a movie or a TV drama becomes a box office hit, the actual beneficiaries from the success are the actors or actresses, or the screenwriter. You won’t get much benefits from it as a director. Of course, you will receive more pay, but it won’t be enough at all to pay off your debt. Since the TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—is doing well, I will give you an advance payment, so you can pay for the attorney fee. I will give you the attorney fee now, and I will later give you the amount to pay for the incentive.”

“Understood, sir. Thank you.”

“So, you will visit Korea soon, right?”

“Yes, sir, I will. GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin and BM Entertainment’s manager don’t know about my situation, do they?”

“They don’t. They are just guessing that you might be in financial difficulty. They don’t know anything for sure about your situation. It’s only between you and me.”

“Thank you, sir.”

It was the end of April when Gun-Ho received a call from GH Mobile’s general affairs director.

“Sir, it’s Director Joon-Young Choi from GH Mobile.”

“Yes.”

“I met with the owner of the factory next door. He seemed to be interested in selling it as well.”

“How much is he asking?”

“He said that he has to ask at least 1.8 million won per pyung since the building is located on the road.”

“The building is partially on the road, just a small portion of it.”

“He said that is why he is asking only 1.8 million won. According to him, it would well have been more than 2 million won per pyung.”

“How large is it?”

“It’s 2,500 pyung large, sir.”

“2,500 pyung large with 1.8 million won pyung… Well, it’s 4.5 billion won then.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“How is the building? Is it usable without any repair or addition?”

“It looks good. I didn’t see any particular part that requires our immediate attention for repair. Its power capacity is good, and overhead cranes are in place. It also has a system to allow us to use underground water, so we won’t have any problem utilizing it as cooling water. There is a motor installed to pump up the underground water.”

“Sounds good. Well, try to lower the price with the owner, and make the sales and purchase contract. If the factory is vacant, ask Mr. President Song to visit it.”

“Mr. President Song already visited the factory once.”

“What did he say about it?”

“He said that it looks in a good shape, and we just need to repair the bathroom and paint the wall and that it doesn’t seem to require any major repair at all.”

“I see. Can you transfer this call to Ms. Director Min-Hwa Kim at the accounting team?”

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Chapter 695 - GH Food Co., Ltd. 2 – Part 2

Chapter 695 GH Food Co., Ltd. 2 – Part 2

Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim answered the phone.“This is Min-Hwa Kim.”

“It’s me.”

“Oh, sir.”

“We have received the 3 billion won from Dyeon Korea for our investment in-kind, haven’t we?”

“Yes, we have, sir. As you previously instructed, we are holding the fund right now.”

“We are buying a factory next door. When Director Choi from the general affairs department comes to you with a cash payment statement for it, get my signature and give him the fund.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“We just had a visit from the investigators for the certificate of a startup company with technology.”

“Were we able to successfully respond to all of their questions and concerns?”

“They kept questioning whether a compounding know-how can be considered as a unique technology while shaking their heads. I made sure that they understood that our compounding technology has been independently developed under our roof, and even the U.S. and Japan don’t have this type of technology.”

“Hmm, really?”

“We told them that we are using raw materials that we bring from Lymondell Dyeon, but we use our unique technology to compound them. We used an analogy to convince them. We told them that even though there are tons of restaurants out there that offer food, there are clearly good restaurants that cook delicious food while there are those that provide mediocre dishes. If a compounding know-how is not considered as technology, why would chefs continue to research and develop their skills to make better food?”

“You got the point there.”

“They then asked if we could manufacture the exact same products with the raw materials produced by Korean companies such as Hyundai, Hanwah, Kumho, Kolong, etc.

“Did you say that we are, of course, able to do so?”

“Yes, sir. I told them we can absolutely do that. And I added that the only reason why we are using the raw materials produced by Lymondell Dyeon is because they are our partner in this joint venture and that they own 50% of the company.”

“Did they accept our reasoning?”

“They didn’t seem to buy it at first. Then we questioned them why the companies in China import our products if Lymondell Dyeon had a compounding technology like ours. They could simply open a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon in China rather than buying our products. No one in their investigation group could answer that question. The fact that we are exporting our products to China and India worked as evidence supporting our claim that we have our own unique technology of compounding.”

“Haha, really? You did an excellent job. Well, when you receive the certificate, let me know right away.”

“Yes, sir, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“President Goo? Is it a good time to talk?”

“Yeah. I just woke up from my usual nap. I’m good.”

“Haha, you did? I had dinner with the bank branch manager of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China—Mr. Xiaodong Liu.”

“How did it go?”

“He said that us purchasing the condos in Huaxi Huayuan was the right decision from an investment point of view. All of the condos there are all sold now, and the price will start increasing soon since there is no condo available any longer. There is demand but no supply, and it’s natural that the price goes up under this setting.”

“Hmm.”

“When I asked him about the loan using the stores that we would lease, he said it would be very difficult to do so.”

“So, we can’t use the lease agreement to secure the loan?”

“We can’t include the interior, appliances, and equipment to collateral and secure the loan. But, we can take out a loan based on the amount that we would pay upfront to the owner. The thing is that it requires the owner’s consent.”

“Hmm, that’s complex.”

“I told him that the restaurants will be run by a business entity, and so does the loan. He said that we still need collateral to take out a loan. If we really need to borrow money, he said that he could let us take out more loans using our five condos in Huaxi Huayuan. He said that it could be done.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“If we form a new company and borrow money under the company’s name using the condos, he will do the paperwork indicating that the condos have been used for two separate loans, and also, he will need your Baozheng Fukuan (payment guarantee).”

“Does it mean that I have to come to Antang City?”

“Yes, you need to come here at least once to sign the paper in the bank.”

“That’s too complex and hassle. Let’s figure out something else.”

“What would that be?”

“If we form a company together, how much can you bring in?”

“I have 100 million won that I borrowed from the bank using the condo in East Incheon City. I can add 20 million won to it that Soon-Young’s mom saved while working at the book cafe. So, it would be 120 million won in total.”

“Hmm, I see. Didn’t you receive the deposit back when you moved out of the condo in Mangweon Town?”

“I did, but it was not much at all. I lived there by paying a monthly rent of 600,000 won with a 10 million won deposit. So, I got my 10 million won back when I moved out of it. When I bought the condo in East Incheon City, I borrowed a bit less than 100 million won, so I had to use some of the deposit in purchasing it. I used the rest of the deposit money when I moved here and bought furniture.”

“That’s why you have 120 million won in hand now, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s establish a company together. I will send you 480 million won. We can form a company with a 600 million won capital by adding your 120 million won to it. It will be a food company. As you mentioned before, the local government will easily let us open a company, so let’s do it. You will be able to take care of the articles of incorporation and the purpose of the company, right? Since you handled the formation of GH Logistics before.”

“Yeah. So, I will be owning 20% of the company?”

“Yeah. The capital will be 600 million won, and my contribution is 480 million won which is 80% of the total capital.”

“Can we do this?”

“Do what?”

“I actually made a promise to Soon-Young’s mom when we were thinking of opening a small deep-fried restaurant.”

“What promise?”

“I would come up with 100 million won, and my wife was supposed to come up with 20 million won to open the restaurant. And, my wife would operate the business, not me.”

“That’s right since you are busy with your work at the joint venture.”

“The joint venture has a company policy that doesn’t allow its executive officers to have a second job. Even if there is no such policy, I’m not supposed to do it. I can’t do that to the company. So, I promised my wife that even though she brought in only 20 million won, I would split the ownership of the business in half with her since she would be the one who would operate the restaurant on a daily basis.”

“Splitting the business ownership between a married couple? Is it necessary to make it official like that?”

“The thing is that she wants to help her family financially. She is the first child to her parents, and she strongly wants to support her parents. That’s why she asked me to give her 50% of the ownership of the restaurant, and she made sure that she would handle the daily operation by herself. She laughed when she made the suggestion as if it was a joke, but I know that’s what she really wanted.”

“Well, you will have 20% of the company. You can split it in half and share it with your wife. I will have 80%; you will have 10%, and she will have the other 10%. That’s what you are asking, right?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Soon-Young’s mom will devote her time and energy to the business with pleasure.”

“I don’t mind at all. By the way, it seems that we will have to find a way to get an additional 100 million won since we will need 700 million won to start the business. Can you take out a loan of 100 million won from the bank with our upfront payment that would be shown on the lease agreement?”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho could have sent 100 million won that fell short of the initially required fund, but if he did that, Jae-Sik’s shares in the company would be reduced. So, he decided to let Jae-Sik borrow the amount of 100 million won from the bank.

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Chapter 696 - Meeting at the Secret Bar (1) – Part 1

Chapter 696: Meeting at the Secret Bar (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho sent 480 million won that he had in his bank account with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to Jae-Sik’s account.

“Okay, I’ve done my part. Jae-Sik’s couple will take care of the rest of it.”

Gun-Ho was thinking carefully about the direction that he has to lead his GH companies to.

The companies among GH companies, that he had a high expectation on were GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea. He wanted to make an enormous amount of money through those two companies. As a matter of fact, he didn’t expect much from other companies such as GH Media, or the companies in China that were being run by Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon, and GH Logistics. He just wanted to have multiple companies to make it look like that he owned a group of companies, but he didn’t try hard to make money from those other GH companies. However, it was nice that he could recover his investment funds and began to receive dividends from them anyway.

Gun-Ho decided to have a private meeting with President Song and the internal auditor in order to discuss the business of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea.

He first made a call to GH Mobile’s President Song.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo. Will you be available in the evening tomorrow?”

“Yes, sir. I don’t have any appointments tomorrow. Is something going on?”

“I just want to have dinner with you. Please come to the GH Building in Sinsa Town, Seoul City by 6 pm tomorrow, and let’s have dinner.”

“Sure, sir.”

“Don’t tell anyone about the dinner appointment with me, but please come quietly.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“Do you have time tomorrow?”

“Yes, I do, sir. What is it about?”

“I want to have dinner with you tomorrow. I have something that I’d like to ask you about too.”

“Is Director Kim going to join us as well?”

“No. I have some questions about finance. Please come without telling anybody.”

Gun-Ho thought, for a second, of asking Director Kim to join them for dinner, and then he decided not to. He wanted to have a quiet private meeting where he can focus on discussing stuff. With Director Kim, a meeting wouldn’t be quiet.

“Where do you want me to come, sir?”

“Please come to GH Building in Sinsa Town by 6 pm tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Ms. Jang— the bar/restaurant owner in Hannam Town. It had been a while since he talked to her last time.

“Oh, my goodness. Is it Mr. President Goo? I’m so glad that you didn’t forget about Pine.”

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you a call for a long while.”

“I talked with Chairman Lee in Cheongdam Town the other day, and he told me that you got married. So, I thought that your wife wouldn’t let you go to a bar like mine.”

“Haha. That’s not going to happen. Don’t worry about it. I’m calling to make a reservation for tomorrow evening.”

“Are you bringing an American man again?”

“No. I will come with two Korean men. So, it will be for three people. We will be there by 6:30 pm.”

The following day, the internal auditor took a KTX (Korea Train Express) train heading to Yongsan District in Seoul. He then took a taxi and arrived in Sinsa Town. President Song, on the other hand, drove his car himself to get to Sinsa Town; he was living in Suji, Yongin City which was in the Seoul Capital Area. They both went up to the president’s office on the 18th floor of GH Development in the GH Building.

“Please come and have a seat,” Gun-Ho greeted them.

“Wow. The view from this 18th floor is amazing. I can see the whole Sinsa Town and Apgujeong Town.”

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring three cups of warm tea. When Yeon-Soo Oh brought the tea to Gun-Ho’s office, President Song said, “Even a secretary girl in this area is very pretty.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh made a sulky face when she heard President Song referring to her as ‘a secretary girl,’ and left the office as soon as she placed the three cups of tea on the table.

“Sir, if I were you, I wouldn’t have wanted to come to Jiksan Town or Asan City to work but would have just stayed here.”

“I like the fresh and clean air in Jiksan Town and Asan City.”

“Are we expecting more people to join us for dinner today, sir?”

“No, this is it. We three will have dinner.”

“Well, let’s head out to the restaurant then. I parked my car in the basement parking lot. Chan-Ho Eom was there, and he helped me to park in a good spot.”

“Let’s go to the front entrance, not the parking lot in the basement. Chan-Ho Eom will be there waiting for us. Mr. President Song, you can pick up your car later.”

“I thought we would have dinner somewhere around here.”

“We are going to Hannam Town.”

“Hannam Town?”

A while later, Chan-Ho Eom was dropping off the three men at the secret bar— Pine— in Hannam Town. It had been a while since Gun-Ho came to the place.

Gun-Ho looked at Chan-Ho and said, “Chan-Ho, you haven’t been here for quite a while, have you?”

“You’re right, sir. It has been a long while since the last time I came here. I made a call to Tae-Young bro earlier to let him know that you are coming. He is expecting you, sir.”

“Really?”

The internal auditor looked around the area where the Pine was situated.

“Umm, sir, it looks like a residential area.”

“This is the restaurant that we will be having our dinner this evening.”

“But, I don’t see any restaurant signs.”

“Look over there. It says ‘Pine.'”

“Oh, you are right. It’s way too small for people to recognize that this is a restaurant.”

When Gun-Ho’s party walked into the garden, several bouncers including Tae-Young Im in a black suit came out to greet their guests.

“Welcome to Pine, big brother.” It was Tae-Young’s voice.

Gun-Ho extended his hand to Tae-Young for a handshake.

“How have you been?”

President Song was frightened when Tae-Young referred to Gun-Ho as ‘big brother.’

“Ha, did you just call him ‘big brother’? I guess Mr. President Goo comes to this place very often.”

“I wanted to, but I couldn’t.”

At that moment, Ms. Jang came out to the garden and started making a fuss about Gun-Ho’s visit before leading them to a private room.

Inside the room, there was an embroidered folding screen covering one of the walls with four floor cushions embroidered with flowers, on the floor. Ms. Jang said as she was filling up a white ceramic teacup with a tea, “Mr. President Goo looked stately now.”

“I haven’t before?”

“Haha. I mean you look more sophisticated and dignified than before. And these two oppas look like perfect gentlemen.”

At that moment, President Song abruptly grabbed Ms. Jang’s hand, and that startled Ms. Jang.

President Song said, “How do you know if I’m a gentleman or not?”

“You look very familiar. I think I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

President Song replied, “So have I. You look familiar to me as well.”

“Haha. You are funny.”

The food came out. All sorts of Korean food and liquor were placed on the table. There were Sinseollo*, Galbi-jjim*, grilled Deodeok, and grilled yellow Corvina. All of the dishes looked neat and delicious. Gun-Ho chose Ballantine’s 17 years old whiskey for the liquor that they would drink with food that evening. Gun-Ho said as he filled up two empty glasses with liquor, “I chose this place to ease your stress and tension that you have built up lately at work. I want you to have fun and enjoy food.”

“This place is very well decorated and certainly attractive. The restaurant owner is a pleasant talker as well. I do like the food here too. I think I can use this place when I have to meet with the business owners of our client or vendor companies. I had dinner with Mandong Company’s president the other day. He invited me over to a restaurant in Anguk Town. The food there was mediocre without a deep taste that we can feel with the food here, and the atmosphere there was very distracting and noisy.”

“I’m not sure if you noticed this. The owner here— Ms. Jang— is the famous actress in the old days— Mi-Hyang Jang. I was a little boy when she actively worked in the entertainment field, so I don’t really remember her as an actress, but you two probably know of her.”

“Mi-Hyang Jang?”

President Song and the internal auditor’s eyes widened.

“Of course we do know Mi-Hyang Jang. No wonder she looked so familiar. She was very popular in the old days.”

Note*

Sinseollo – It is also called the royal hot pot. All sorts of vegetables and meat are found in a rich broth.

Galbi-jjim – Korean style beef short ribs dish.

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Chapter 697 - Meeting at the Secret Bar (1) – Part 2

Chapter 697: Meeting at the Secret Bar (1) – Part 2

At that moment, Ms. Jang came into the room. President Song teased her.

“Ms. Jang, right? Ms. Jang, you can’t just come and go like that, leaving us by ourselves here with four floor cushions. One of them is yours, right?”

“Oh, my, I have to make money, sir, don’t I? Even though this restaurant looks like a joke, it requires my close attention all the time.”

“Didn’t you miss me?”

“Huh? Sir, have we seen each other before? How can I possibly miss someone who I haven’t seen before?”

“We just saw each other a few minutes ago.”

“Haha. You are a funny man.”

President Song was holding Ms. Jang’s hand already. The internal auditor was just smiling. It seemed that he hadn’t been to a place like this before.

Three pretty girls came into the room. They were wearing Korean traditional dress. Each girl sat next to each man to serve them during dinner. A moment later, another two girls came in with Gayageum*.

The room was soon filled with the melody of Gayageum, and the three men enjoyed whiskey while listening to it. Gun-Ho didn’t mention even a word about work until then. He acted as if he came to the restaurant with his friends for fun.

After a while when he felt like he had enough drinks, Gun-Ho said to the girls as he paid tips to them, “You can leave now. We— three oppas— have something to talk about between us. You did a great job tonight. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho referred to President Song and the internal auditor as oppa even though they were old enough to be those girls’ fathers. The girls left the room looking satisfied with the tips.

Gun-Ho sipped a cup of green tea, and said, “You two must have felt exhausted with the work at the companies, especially with all the things going on there right now.”

“We are good, sir.”

“As the sales increased, we hired more workers, and the work itself became complex. You now have more people to manage with a heavier workload than before.”

“That’s true, but we’ve established a system to manage them efficiently. So, you don’t have to worry about it, sir.”

At that moment, Ms. Jang opened the room door a little bit and asked, “Is there anything else you need, gentlemen?”

Gun-Ho gestured to her showing that they didn’t need anything else for the moment. Ms. Jang closed the door quietly.

Gun-Ho looked at the internal auditor and said, “We will soon receive the certificate being recognized as a startup company with technology, right?”

“I believe so, sir. It won’t take long.”

President Song chipped in, “You have increased Dyeon Korea’s capital recently, and you are trying to receive the certificate to be recognized as a startup company with technology as soon as possible. I guess you are aiming at registering with KOSDAQ for Dyeon Korea soon, aren’t you, sir? Once the company goes public, the value of its shares will substantially go up like by five times. What do you think, Ms. Internal Auditor?”

“It would be really nice if our sales revenue is a bit higher than now. Since our annual sales revenue is less than 100 billion won, we can’t expect a dramatic increase in the company’s share price. Once a company goes public, its stock value will be affected by its sales revenue. But, I do agree with you about the five times more increase in the share price.”

“Well, one thing for sure is that you will make a substantial amount of money, sir. The price of the company share that you are holding right now will increase by five times. The current capital of Dyeon Korea is 19 billion won, right?”

“Yes, it is, after the recent increase of the capital.”

“That makes your share 9.5 billion won, and it will increase to 47.5 billion won after the price jumps to five times of it.”

“Theoretically, yes.”

President Song sipped his tea and said, “But, you need to consider the required stock dispersion of 30% to minority shareholders. You will need to disperse at least 15% out of your current portion— 50%.”

“I actually wanted to discuss it with you two while having dinner today.”

Gun-Ho looked at the internal auditor’s face and said, “Mr. Internal Auditor, is the 30% stock dispersion required for a certified startup company with technology as well?”

“For a startup company with technology, they apply the stock dispersion requirement based on the capital invested by its shareholders within one year from the date of the application to register with KOSDAQ. They will consider 10% of the total number of issued stock.”

“I need to start the process of dispersing my shares then.”

“If you want to register with KOSDAQ within this year, you will have to disperse 30% of the current shares among 500 minority shareholders. However, if you decide to register with KOSDAQ next year, you should be okay with dispersing only 10%.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s the end of April. If you want to go with 10%, we can register in May next year. It takes at least four months to go through all sorts of examinations and get to the final approval.”

“Hmm.”

“So, the question is whether we want to do it this year or next year.”

The three men became lost in thought with their arms folded over their chests.

It was President Song who broke the moment of thought.

“This is what I think. Dispersing stocks is not absolutely bad; it will make the sales of our stocks vigorous in the stock market. However, it could hurt the major shareholders’ interests.”

“Hmm.”

“I believe that the price of a Dyeon Korea’s stock is 10,000 won now.”

“That’s correct.”

“Since the capital has increased to 19 billion won now, the number of its stocks is 1.9 million. 10% of 1.9 million is 190,000. We can disperse 190,000 shares among 500 people without going through a stock company. We have 150 workers in Dyeon Korea and 500 workers in GH Mobile. We can distribute the shares to them.”

Gun-Ho said slowly, “That’s what I’m thinking of doing, but my concern is that we will possibly see many forfeited shares. It will make things even more complicated. If we let a stock company handle the dispersion, we won’t have to worry about it.”

“Yes, we will see forfeited shares. Say, we distribute the 190,000 shares to 650 persons. That means that each person will be assigned with 292 shares. Since the price per share is 10,000 won, a worker will need to come up with 2.92 million won which is not an insignificant amount of money for many of our workers. However, we can provide them with a payment plan, and let them know that the price of the shares will increase once the company goes public. I’m sure that we will see a lot less forfeited shares this way.”

“Hmm.”

The internal auditor agreed with President Song.

“Dyeon Korea achieved a sales revenue of 52.8 billion won last year. With the increase of volume of product orders from GH Mobile, we can expect to make more than 70 billion won by the end of this year.”

“Are you saying that it will work favorably when we do public offerings?”

“That’s right, sir.”

“What if we wait until Dyeon Korea reaches its sales revenue of 100 billion won?”

“That will be even better. But, I wonder if we can achieve 100 billion won anytime soon.”

“I can make it happen.”

“Huh? How, sir?”

President Song and the internal auditor looked at Gun-Ho’s face with a questioning look on their faces.

Note*

Gayageum – A traditional musical instrument of Korea.

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Chapter 698 - Meeting at the Secret Bar (2) – Part 1

Chapter 698: Meeting at the Secret Bar (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was talking with GH Mobile’s President Song and Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor at the Pine while having dinner.

Gun-Ho continued to talk after sipping his tea, “Dyeon Korea has 6 billion won right now, that came in, in order to increase its capital.”

“That’s correct, sir. Dyeon Korea made 9 billion won profit last year, that is an after-tax amount, and it increased the company’s capital with it. Dyeon Korea is now left with 6 billion won out of 9 billion won because it sent 3 billion won to GH Mobile for its investment in-kind— the factory building.”

“And, Dyeon Korea makes 1 billion won per month. It’s April now, so it must have accumulated about 4 billion won so far this year.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“That means that Dyeon Korea is currently holding 10 billion won in cash.”

President Song’s eyes widened. He probably hadn’t calculated Dyeon Korea’s cash in the reserve.

“Dyeon Korea has that much cash?”

“I want to split that 10 billion won into two, and establish a factory in China and India. We will form Dyeon China and Dyeon India. We already have our subsidiary companies in those two countries, but they are functioning as a sales office and a simple storage right now. They are not manufacturing any products.”

“Are we planning to build a manufacturing company in those two countries?”

“Yes. The one in China will be called Dyeon China, and the company in India will be called Dyeon India. Since Dyeon Korea will open those two companies by funding them 100%, we will have to share their ownership with Lymondell Dyeon in the U.S.”

“If we have a manufacturing company in China and India, our sales will definitely go up,” the internal auditor stated.

“That’s right. Additionally, all of the sales by the factory in China and India will be counted as part of Dyeon Korea’s sales, and it will make Dyeon Korea look larger in size. Even though we are actually expecting to make 70 billion won this year, its financial statements will show its sales revenue as 100 billion won or even 150 billion won.”

“Hmm, that will certainly add more values to Dyeon Korea in the stock market.”

“Once we receive the certificate and are recognized as a startup company with technology, we will hold an executive meeting the following day and make an announcement of this plan.”

“If we go public after we make the company larger, you— Mr. President Goo— can freely sell your shares in the stock market, sir. The company could be infused with a substantial amount of money through it.”

“I can’t blindly sell my shares just because I can make money. I need to keep my right to manage the company by maintaining a certain percentage in the ownership.”

“Of course, sir. I do admire your good judgment and determination, sir.”

The internal auditor had a question for Gun-Ho.

“I’m wondering, sir. It’s good that we will have a factory in China and India, but it will take a significant amount of time to achieve it; we will have to purchase land, build a factory, and install necessary equipment and machines, so they could actually start manufacturing products. If we consider the time necessary, maybe we shouldn’t make any profits this year.”

“We are not going to start it from scratch. Even though it could cost us more, we will acquire an already-built factory there on the market for sale.”

“Hmm.”

“If we go to Suzhou Industry Park, there are tons of factories. We will be able to find one for us. President Min-Hyeok Kim and his spouse are in Suzhou City, China. We can ask them to search for a good factory for us. As to India, I will have Manager Jong-Geun Lee, who is in Delhi right now, find an adequate factory in the Chennai Industrial Park in Tamil Nadu.”

When he heard of Chennai, President Song seemed to be excited.

“Actually, GH Mobile needs a factory in Chennai as well. We can launch Dyeon Korea’s factory there first, and once it settles there well, we can find another factory for GH Mobile.”

“Shall we order one more bottle of liquor?”

The internal auditor waved his hand and said, “No, sir. We have more than enough drinks here.”

“Well, I want to thank you both for tonight. I always find myself learning something from you. I do highly value your extensive experiences at work and also in life. Those are important assets to our companies.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m so glad if I could be of help. I do admire your remarkable insight about business, sir.”

The three men stood up from their seats getting ready to leave. At that moment, Ms. Jang came into the room.

“Are you leaving already?”

President Song held Ms. Jang’s hand again. He seemed to like her a lot.

“Look, Ms. Jang. You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“I can tell one thing for sure. You are… a philanderer, right?”

“President Gun-Ho Goo is the chairman of GH group, and I’m the president of one of GH Companies— GH Mobile.”

“You are a president? Show me your business card.”

When President Song gave his business card to Ms. Jang, Ms. Jang said, “Oh, it’s true.”

“This On’anohito (a woman in Japanese) seems to be often deceived by men before. She doesn’t easily trust what a man says.”

“Well, sir, please visit us often.”

Ms. Jang smiled broadly and gave a kiss on President Song’s business card.

A few days later, Director Woon-Hak Sim came to Korea. He wanted to file for general rehabilitation as Gun-Ho previously suggested. Director Sim visited Gun-Ho’s office first.

“Sir, I came to file for general rehabilitation as you suggested. I think you are absolutely right that I have to do this sooner or later, and sooner would be better. I can’t live like this forever.”

“You made the right decision, Mr. Director Sim. You need to make a document first that clearly shows the amount of your debt and the name of the corresponding creditors for each debt.”

“I have so many of them, and I’m not even sure about the total amount of my debt.”

“You can’t miss any single amount of debt or a creditor. Did you say that your debt is exceeding 1 billion won?”

Director Sim sighed and said, “I initially thought that I had a debt of 1 billion won, but when I carefully calculated last night of what I owed, it turned out that I have almost 1.2 billion won of debt.”

“You will also need to make a statement about your plan of how you are going to pay for the debt. In your statement, say that the monthly salary of 1 million won that you are receiving from GH Media will be used to pay the debt, and you will use 12,000 Yuan that you are being paid in China to pay for your living expenses there. And also state that you won’t come back to Korea for the next ten years, but will stay abroad to make money, and also you will spend those time atoning for not being able to pay the debt as you previously promised to your creditors.”

“Do you think it will work?”

“I don’t know. The decision will be made at the judge’s discretion. I just believe that you want the judge to be sympathetic to your situation. Tell them that you’ve devoted your life to developing the Korean movie industry, but your effort unexpectedly and unintentionally resulted in this horrible situation.”

“Sir, I’d like to take 10 million won in advance for now.”

Director Sim showed Gun-Ho a disbursement voucher for the amount of 10 million won.

“This form needs to be signed by President Jeong-Sook Shin. I’m the major shareholder of GH Media, but the company is being operated by Ms. President Shin. I will give her a call for you.”

Gun-Ho made a call to President Shin right away.

“Ms. President Shin? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Director Woon-Hak Sim is here with me in my office. He visited Korea to take care of his personal business. Can you disburse 10 million won for him today? We will take care of the accounting later.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 699 - Meeting at the Secret Bar (2) – Part 2

Chapter 699: Meeting at the Secret Bar (2) – Part 2

After getting off the phone with President Shin, Gun-Ho looked at Director Sim and said, “This is the right time for you to file for general rehabilitation. If you file for it later when you make good income, the judge will probably ask you to pay a higher amount of money for your debt. It’s good that you don’t make much right now.”

“I think you are right, sir. The attorney told me the same thing. Also, the film scenario for Menghuan Yinghua is being translated right now, so I don’t have much to work on, related to the movie production. I just need to help the drama production team in editing the currently-airing TV drama.”

Gun-Ho said to Director Woon-Hak Sim, “After you file for general rehabilitation through your attorney, the court will probably request you to place some deposits. If that happens, just let me know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Since you are here, go to GH Media and have them print out your pay statement along with your income tax receipt. You will need them when you apply for general rehabilitation.”

“Yes, sir, I will do that. Thank you.”

Director Sim gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho before walking out of his office.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“President Goo? I registered our new company as an independent foreign business with a capital of 600,000 dollars. We have three shareholders as we talked and agreed the other day. You own 80%, and Soon-Young’s mom and I each own 10%.”

“Was the fund that I sent enough? It could be a bit less than I intended because of the currency exchange rate.”

“I think it was okay. I just verified the fund came into my bank account, and let the Administration for Industry and Commerce take care of the registering process, and paid the fee. Guanxi (connection) is really important in China. I told you that Soon-Young’s friend’s husband is a high-ranking officer at the Administration for Industry and Commerce, right? He has been of great help.”

“Haha, is that right?”

“The name of our company is GH Food Co., Ltd. For the purpose of the firm, I just listed various businesses in addition to running a restaurant such as trading and gardening.”

“Haha, really?”

“Also, the contract for the stores is completed as well. The building owner— Antang Engineering College— loved that we would open a KFC there. When I asked them to sign the consent form for our loan using the lease agreement, they signed it without a problem.”

“You can take it to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.”

“I already had a meeting with Xiaodong Liu at the bank. When I told him that I would open a KFC, he said that he would definitely visit our restaurant. And, he let me take out a loan for the amount of 120 million won, instead of 100 million won. Haha. Soon-Young’s mom suggested that we open the KFC first, and then open the deep-fried chicken restaurant next. And we will open the pizza restaurant on the second floor for the last. I think it will be done within a month.”

“It sounds like you will have a lot of work to do.”

“It’s okay. We are doing this to make our money, right? Oh, and, the terminal construction has been resumed.”

“Really?”

“Vice President Chun Chang asked me when they would receive the second investment fund. I told him that it will be sent once the ownership of the land where the terminal is being built is transferred to the joint venture’s name.”

“That’s right.”

“We are expecting to receive two additional bus lines soon. Vice President Chun Chang threatened me that we might not receive those additional bus lines if they don’t receive the second investment funds soon.”

“I think they will let us have the additional bus lines. We will see. They need to make money by running more bus lines anyway. The terminal project is not the only business that they are doing. Well, we just sit and wait how they respond.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Mobile’s President Song.

“I’m in a meeting with the building owner next door, sir. The general affairs director is with me here too. We’ve reached an agreement for the price of 1.6 million won per pyung so far. The owner is resisting so hard, lowering the price from there.”

“You said that the building is 2,500 pyung large, right? Then, it’s 4 billion won. Well, that’s good enough. Make a sales and purchase contract for it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho called for the secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Please come in and have a seat,” Gun-Ho showed a seat on the sofa facing him.

Gun-Ho had never asked her to have a seat on the sofa in his office before, so Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh was wondering.

Gun-Ho said, “I’m going to make a call to Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Adam Castler now. You have seen him once before, right?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve seen him during the previous boarding meeting.”

“This is what I want to tell him. Please write this down.”

Yeon-Soo Oh grabbed a pen and a piece of paper to get ready.

Gun-Ho continued, “Dyeon Korea currently has 6 billion won from the investment funds contributed by both partners to increase its capital. Additionally, it has 4 billion won which is our accumulated operating profit for this year. So, Dyeon Korea has 10 billion won in total.”

Yeon-Soo Oh was diligently writing down what Gun-Ho said.

“You are done writing?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, then here we go. I’m planning to register with KOSDAQ next year, and I want to make Dyeon Korea larger until then in preparation for it.”

“Please continue, sir. I’m done.”

“So, I want to open a factory in Suzhou City, China and name it Dyeon China. And, I want to establish a factory in Chennai, India as well, as Dyeon India. Dyeon Korea will fund 100% for these two factories. I want to bring this suggestion to our next board meeting.”

Gun-Ho waited for several seconds until Yeon-Soo finished writing, and then he asked her, “You are done with writing, right? Please read to me what you have.”

Yeon-Soo read her note.

“Okay. That’s good enough. I will make a call to Mr. Adam Castler and let you talk to him for me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho dialed Mr. Adam Castler’s office number.

“Hello? I am Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, good afternoon, boss!”

“I will put an interpreter on the phone.”

“Yes, sir!”

Gun-Ho handed his smartphone to Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh. Yeon-Soo Oh began talking on the phone while looking at her note that she wrote down what Gun-Ho said. Yeon-Soo Oh had studied in the U.S. for a long time, and her English sounded fluent to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho couldn’t understand a thing that she was saying though.

Gun-Ho later received a call from Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“It’s me, sir. I just wanted to let you know that we have finally received the certificate of a startup company with technology.”

“Oh, really?”

“You can verify our certificate remotely. If you log into the website— VentureIn, you can see our certificate. Let me give you our login ID and password.”

“It’s okay. You did a good job. Well, can you make the announcement that we will have an executive meeting tomorrow at 10 am?”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

“And, ask the plant manager— Hee-Yeol Yoo to join our meeting tomorrow. We can let him attend the meeting on behalf of the chief research officer.”

“Understood, sir.”

The secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— was still sitting on the sofa facing Gun-Ho while Gun-Ho was talking with the internal auditor.

Noticing that Yeon-Soo Oh was still there, Gun-Ho said, “Huh? You are still there?”

Yeon-Soo Oh responded, “You didn’t say that I could leave, sir. I thought you still needed me.”

“Oh, really? Well, thank you for your assistance, Ms. Oh. You can leave now. Oh, can you get me a cup of coffee?”

“Sure, sir. Coming right up.”

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh looked proud of herself when she walked out of the office. She thought that she was of a big help for Gun-Ho today.

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Chapter 700 - : Employee Stock Ownership Plan (1) – Part 1

Chapter 700: Employee Stock Ownership Plan (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho received a call from his sister. She said that she would need to buy more trucks for GH Logistics.

“GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea, each of them requested us two additional 4-ton trucks to handle their recently increased product orders. My husband went to GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea this morning. Their general affairs directors asked him to come and visit them to discuss it.”

“Is that right?”

“So, we already took out a loan from the bank using our office building as collateral.”

“There was no problem taking out the loan?”

“Not at all. The loan process was simple and easy.”

“Are you going to buy new trucks with cash?”

“Of course not. My husband has a friend who is selling used cars. We are going to buy used trucks from him on installment.”

“That’s good. That way, you won’t have to use a large amount of money at once, huh?”

“No, we won’t.”

“How many trucks do you have now?”

“If I include those 4 trucks that we will bring in soon, it will be 31 trucks. We have 27 right now.”

“Even if you don’t make a lot of profits in running GH Logistics, as long as you don’t lose money, that’s good enough.”

“Yeah. We are actually happy with our current status. My husband is driving a nice car, and we both get paid monthly. Moreover, since we run the business, we are the boss.”

“Haha. That’s right.”

“Jeong-Ah became noticeably more active in school now, equipped with a lot of confidence. She is the class president. Her classmates and friends know now that her father is running a transportation company, and she feels so proud of it. She even spends a lot of money to buy snacks and stuff for her friends, implying that she is from a rich family or something, I guess.”

“Haha, really?”

“Oh, your child will soon be 100 days old, won’t he? Where are you going to have a party to celebrate his 100th day?”

“I was thinking of somewhere between Incheon City and Gangnam District, Seoul. Somewhere in the middle of those two areas would be great. What do you think of Yeouido Island?”

“Yeouido Island is good. If you can find a place where a subway station is close to, that would be even better.”

“I want to have a private party just between family members only, no other guests from outside family for this occasion.”

“That’s good too.”

Gun-Ho went to work in Dyeon Korea first that day. He usually went to GH Mobile in the morning and went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon, but that day, he had to attend an executive meeting in Dyeon Korea. When Gun-Ho arrived in Dyeon Korea, there was still some time left until the meeting.

While Gun-Ho was sitting at his desk, Director Kim came into his office.

“Today is not our regular meeting day, but you are calling an executive meeting, sir. I guess that there is something very important that you want to announce or discuss, right, sir?”

“That’s right. Since we are now certified as a startup company with technology, I have a few things to go over with the executive officers and also discuss something.”

“Are we going to apply to register with KOSDAQ this year?”

“I haven’t heard anything about it from Lymondell Dyeon yet. I was thinking that maybe we should grow our company a bit more before registering with KOSDAQ.”

“Of course, that would be nice.”

“So, I’m thinking about establishing a manufacturing company in China and India since we have some extra cash in reserve that both partners recently contributed in order to increase the capital.”

Director Kim didn’t say anything, but he nodded his head.

Gun-Ho continued, “Also, I’d like to talk about dispersing the company shares. I intend to distribute only 10% of our capital to the employees.”

“Right, we will have to disperse the company stocks as part of the preparation for going public. The thing is that since many of our employees have been working with us for less than a year, we will possibly see a lot of forfeited shares. I think we should do it with GH Mobile. GH Mobile owns half of Dyeon Korea anyway.”

“That sounds good. I was thinking about the same thing as well.”

“Once the employee stock ownership plan becomes official as it will be decided during the executive meeting today, I will have an information session for our employees to help them understand what it is and how they can own a piece of our company. I will have our 150 workers gathered in the auditorium for it. I just need 30 minutes to explain it to them.”

“If you could do that, that will be great.”

While Gun-Ho and Director Kim were having a conversation, Vice President Adam Castler came to Gun-Ho’s office accompanied by the interpreter—Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae.

“Sir, I brought the response from Lymondell Dyeon about the thing that you suggested to them the other day,” Mr. Adam Castler said as he placed a letter written in English, which was faxed by Lymondell Dyeon in front of Gun-Ho. He was smiling broadly.

Gun-Ho said, “Well, I can’t read it. Mr. Assistant Myeong-Joon Chae, will you translate the letter for me?”

“Here is the translated version, sir.”

“Hmm, can you read the Korean version of the letter loudly for us? Mr. Director Kim here will listen to it with me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae started reading the letter in Korean that he translated earlier.

“First, Lymondell Dyeon consents to the plan that Dyeon Korea suggested—establishing a manufacturing company in China and India. The only thing that we’d like to point out is that we don’t want the initial investment cost for each country to exceed 5 billion won.”

“Hmm.”

“Secondly, Lymondell Dyeon consents to the stock dispersion plan of 10% of the capital, in preparation for registering with KOSDAQ. The employees will have the priority to purchase the company shares. However, since we can’t expect all of the Dyeon Korea’s employees to be able to come up with necessary funds to purchase 10% of shares, we will allow GH Mobile’s employees to participate in purchasing the shares as well.”

Gun-Ho asked, “Is that all?”

Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae continued to read the rest of the letter, “Third, we agree to bring up these two matters during our board meeting this year. Accordingly, we can have our next board meeting on paper only. April 30, 20xx. From Vice President Brandon Burke of International Business Development Department of Lymondell Dyeon in the United States.”

As soon as Mr. Chae finished reading Lymondell Dyeon’s responding letter, Director Yoon entered Gun-Ho’s office to inform that it was time for the meeting.

“It’s almost time to begin our executive meeting, sir.”

“Oh, it’s already time? Well, let’s go to the meeting room then.”

When they arrived at the meeting room, there were Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo and the internal auditor sitting at the table. They stood up from their seats when they saw Gun-Ho coming into the room.

Gun-Ho sat in the middle of the table, and Mr. Adam Caslter and Director Kim sat next to each side of Gun-Ho. And Director Yoon and Manager Yoo sat next to each of them.

“Who’s going to record our meeting today?”

“I will do it,” Director Yoon volunteered by raising his right hand and saying it. Interpreter Myeong-Joon Chae was sitting right behind Vice President Adam Castler. Director Kim turned around and said to Myeong-Joon Chae, “Hey, Mr. Assistant Manager Chae! You shouldn’t disclose what you are going to hear during this meeting with anybody outside this room. You know that, right?”

“I won’t, sir.”

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought seven glasses of beverage on a tray to the meeting room.

Gun-Ho spoke first, “We have been certified as a startup company with technology. It is the result of your and all of our employees’ tremendous effort and hard work. I truly appreciate your excellent work. Thank you.”

When Gun-Ho stopped briefly, Interpreter Chae quickly interpreted what Gun-Ho just said for Vice President Adam Castler.

Gun-Ho continued, “As a matter of fact, it was not easy for us to be recognized as a startup company with technology. We are supposed to be a company that primarily devotes to developing new technologies; however, we are not doing enough research work developing technology. Since we are certified as such, we will have to strive to develop technologies, producing tangible results.”

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Chapter 701 - Employee Stock Ownership Plan (1) – Part 2

Chapter 701: Employee Stock Ownership Plan (1) – Part 2

The internal auditor said, “We will include the wages of our researchers, the cost of lab equipment and machines, and the maintenance cost of them and also the chemicals that are used in the research center in R&D expenses.”

“Please do so. Also, we will award those employees who have contributed to our company to receive the environment management system certificate of ISO 14001, recognition of our in-house research center, and the certificate of a startup company with technology. We will encourage and promote this type of hard work.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho continued his speech at the executive meeting, “Dyeon Korea has the exclusive right to do business in the entire Asia, which was granted by Lymondell Dyeon previously. For now, as part of our effort to expand our business to other countries in Asia, I want to have a factory in China and India. Accordingly, I made a suggestion to Lymondell Dyeon that we establish a manufacturing company in China and India, and I received their consent on it. Mr. Vice President Adam Castler, could you please raise the letter that we received from Lymondell Dyeon about it?”

Mr. Adam Castler held the letter above his head, so everyone could see the official letter from Lymondell Dyeon.

“I’d like to hear your opinion about our investment plan in China and India.”

Director Kim raised his hand and said, “I do agree with the plan of having a factory in China and India. I just want to suggest the areas that we want to pick for the factories. For China, Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province would be our perfect choice. Many Korean companies are already there doing their business. As for India, Chennai should be good since Hyundai Automobile is there.”

“I do agree with Mr. Director Kim. Is there anyone else who wants to share their opinions? If there is no objection or addition, we will carry out the plan right away.”

Gun-Ho then took some time to sip his water before continuing.

“Our company’s capital has recently increased to 19 billion won. The value of our company share is 10,000 won per share, and we now have 1.9 million shares. I want to share the company profits and ownership with our employees. Also, I want to extend this to GH Mobile’s hard workers as well. GH Mobile is our parent company after all.

Gun-Ho took a brief break to let the interpreter interpret for Mr. Adam Castler. After making sure that Mr. Chae finished his interpretation, Gun-Ho continued, “I want to distribute 10% of our 1.9 million shares, which would be 190,000 shares, to Dyeon Korea’s 150 employees and GH Mobile’s 500 employees equally. Once our company goes public as it will be registered with KOSDAQ, the value of the share will go up without a doubt. Each employee will be having an opportunity to get 292 shares if we distribute them equally among the Dyeon Korea and GH Mobile’s employees, and I want to distribute 292 shares to them for the price that is listed on our business registration.”

Director Yoo had a question.

“The current value of our company share is 10,000 won per share. If an employee is assigned 292 shares, does he have to pay 2.92 million won for them?”

“That’s correct. We will be the owners of this company together, and we will grow together as well.”

Director Kim chipped in, “We have to think about the cases where some employees couldn’t come up with 2.92 million won, or some of them simply don’t want to have the company shares. If these forfeited shares occur, we will have to find someone else to take those shares.”

“We will let other employees take those shares. Also, we might want to provide them with a payment plan for the 2.92 million won, so more employees could afford to keep the shares. Mr. Internal Auditor, can you further implement the plan with installment payments?”

“Yes, sir. I will develop the idea with detailed instruction about how to make installment payments. Also, I think we’d better place an additional worker in the accounting department—someone who will handle only this stock dispersion program. Otherwise, the accounting team will be overloaded. They will have to make a list of the small shareholders and handle the payments as well.”

“Mr. Internal Auditor, please take care of it as well.”

The meeting room soon became filled with noises of talking. The executive officers were talking about the stock dispersion program with the people sitting next to them. Gun-Ho began to speak again, and everyone in the room paid attention to him.

“Mr. Director Yoon, please make an official notice about this program for GH Mobile, and tell them that Dyeon Korea is extending the offer of stock dispersion to GH Mobile. And also, ask them to send us a list of the employees’ names who are willing to purchase Dyeon Korea’s shares, along with the total number of shares that GH Mobile needs. Also, tell them that as Dyeon Korea is offering our employees a payment plan to receive the shares, it would be nice that GH Mobile also could come up with a similar plan.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, Mr. Director Kim, many of our employees are probably not familiar with the employee stock ownership program. Please have an information session and invite all of our employees, and explain to them what it is and why we are doing this.”

“Understood, sir. I will discuss it with Mr. Internal Auditor and will hold an information session.”

It seemed that Mr. Adam Castler’s cell phone started vibrating since it was on mute for the meeting; he quickly went out of the meeting room to take the call. After a moment, he came back and said, “It was from Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke at the International Business Development Department of Lymondell Dyeon. Being aware of our plan to expand our manufacturing business to China and India, he is suggesting Chennai for our factory in India.”

Director Kim responded, “Oh, I already mentioned the Chennai area for our manufacturing company in India, earlier in this meeting.”

Gun-Ho said, “As to India, I will talk to Manager Jong-Geun Lee who is currently working in our office in India, once this meeting is over. I will ask him to find a factory in the Chennai area.”

At the very moment, Gun-Ho thought, ‘I guess Mr. Brandon Burke is expecting to retire soon. Once Dyeon Korea opens a manufacturing company in India, he would probably want to work there after his retirement, holding a temporary position. I wonder if he would miss the port of Seattle while sitting in the Madras Port (old name for Chennai).’

It was about the time to wrap up the meeting.

“Well, if I don’t hear anything else, we will end the meeting for today.”

After the meeting, Gun-Ho came back to his office.

The first thing that he did when he came back to the office was to call Manager Jong-Geun Lee in India.

“Mr. Manager Lee? It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, how have you been, sir?”

“I’ve received the report that you sent to us earlier, stating that the sales are steadily increasing. That is certainly good news, and you are doing a great job there.”

“I was hoping that the sales would increase more rapidly. It’s way too slow. I’m sorry about that, sir.”

“We just had an executive meeting here today, and I want you to look for a factory in the Chennai area, that is on the market for sale. If possible, I want the factory land to be more or less 5,000 pyung large.”

“Huh? A factory, sir? If we buy a factory in Chennai, what would happen to the office here?”

“We will keep the office in New Delhi where you are working at right now.”

“Oh, okay, sir. I’ve seen some factories on sale in an economic newspaper in the area. I will find out about it. Also, I will ask my old colleagues in the Chennai area about it as well.”

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Chapter 702 - Employee Stock Ownership Plan (2) – Part 1

Chapter 702: Employee Stock Ownership Plan (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim in Suzhou City, China.

“There are still lots of Korean companies in Suzhou Industrial Complex, aren’t there?”

“Of course there are, even though some small companies closed their businesses and left the complex. Samsung factories for semiconductor manufacturing are still there.”

“I heard that Suzhou Industrial Complex is huge in size, is it?”

“Don’t get me started. If you stand at one end of the complex, you won’t be able to see the other end. That industrial park was jointly developed by China and Singapore, and it is heavily supported by the Chinese government. It’s like the industrial park in Ansan City and Changwon City in Korea. Suzhou Industrial Park is larger than Goyang City or Gimpo City in Korea.”

“Can you find a good factory in that industrial park on the market for sale?”

“Huh? You want a factory in Suzhou Industrial Complex?”

“Yeah. I’m going to form a manufacturing company in China. It will be called Dyeon China.”

“Really? What will happen to my wife—Dinding’s sales company for Dyeon Korea—then?”

“I want her to work as the president of that manufacturing company.”

“The president of a factory? Man, I don’t think she will be able to handle it. You will need someone who has extensive work experience in the manufacturing field for the position.”

“Not necessarily. She is a good manager, and I’m sure that she will handle the work well. She can simply hire someone who is knowledgeable about the right work experience. She will also need the workers who will assist her. You don’t have to know everything to run a company. You can borrow someone’s knowledge and brain whenever you need it.”

“The industrial park is not really an industrial park as it sounds. It’s more like a new city now. There are tons of residential buildings and also government offices there. It’s like Guro Digital Industrial Complex in Guro District in Korea.”

“Are you saying that there are not many factories there any longer?”

“They still have large factories there, but small factories are moving to the suburban area.”

“I want you to find a factory there that is sitting on around 5,000 pyung large land.”

“What about the floor space of the building?”

“Well, it would be good if it is more than 2,000 pyung large.”

“Okay.”

“Also, don’t forget to find out its power capacity.”

“Of course, I will check that. How much time do I have?”

“The sooner, the better.”

“Are you loaded with enough bullets (money)?”

“Yes, I have enough funds. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Gun-Ho went out for lunch with Dyeon Korea’s executive officers. They picked a restaurant that specialized in Galbi (Korean grilled beef ribs). They wanted to celebrate the fact that they successfully received the certificate being recognized as a startup company with technology. Gun-Ho also wanted to show his gratitude for their hard work to reach the goal.

“Please ask the chief research officer to join us for lunch.”

Gun-Ho invited the chief research officer as well even though he didn’t attend the executive meeting. The chief research officer was holding a temporary position after he reached his retirement age, and he was not supposed to attend the regular executive meetings accordingly. However, Gun-Ho wanted to celebrate it with him; he played an important role in getting the certificate anyway, and also, he couldn’t ignore the fact that he had been with the company for a long time. Interpreter Myeon-Joon Chae and Chan-Ho Eom joined them as well since they were assisting the president and vice president directly.

Dyeon Korea’s executive officers were sitting at the table in the restaurant.

Gun-Ho said, “Well, we need to get back to work after lunch, so let’s have just one glass of beer.”

“Why don’t we have a toast to the success of our company?”

Gun-Ho raised his glass of beer and shouted loudly, “For Dyeon Korea!”

“For Dyeon Korea!” Everyone at the table shouted simultaneously.

Director Kim made a joke, “We are lucky to have President Goo since we don’t have to drink more than one glass of beer. During the Mulpasaneop era, we always had to drink a bomb shot on every occasion like this. It was painful.”

“Why is that?”

“Mulpasaneop’s President Se-Young Oh loved to have a bomb shot, and he tried to share it with everyone on every occasion he could have.”

“Haha, really?”

Director Kim looked at the chief research officer, and said, “President Se-Young Oh always made a bomb shot for us with his own recipe on the spot. Brother, you were there too, right?”

“Ye… yeah.”

“Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo! You had once had that bomb shot with us, hadn’t you?”

“Yes, sir, only once though. With my position at that time, I was not supposed to join the gathering with President Se-Young Oh, but he once offered me his bomb shot.”

Mr. Adam Castler asked, “What is a bomb shot?”

Director Kim quickly replied, “It’s a glass of liquor with a bomb in it.”

Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae laughed out loud, but he didn’t interpret it for Mr. Adam Castler. As Mr. Adam Caslter turned his gaze to Assistant Manager Chae with a questioning look on his face, Director Kim demanded him to interpret it.

“Mr. Chae! Interpret it for Vice President Adam Castler. Tell him that we occasionally drink a glass of liquor with a tiny bomb in it.”

Assistant Manager Chae reluctantly interpreted what Director Kim said, and Mr. Adam Castler’s eyes widened in fright.

“What?”

Everyone at the table laughed out loud except Mr. Adam Castler.

Gun-Ho headed to GH Mobile after lunch.

President Song was not in his office. Gun-Ho was told that he went to a client site this morning. Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim was not in her office either. She went to the tax accountant office.

The general affairs director came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, I brought the sales and purchase contract for the building next door.”

“Did we fully pay the price already?”

“No, sir. We made the middle payment so far. We will need to make the remaining payment soon.”

“Is the factory vacant right now?”

“Yes, it is, sir. We need to make some minor repairs here and there, and we are planning to do it after we complete the full payment.”

“Let me take a look at the building. Please bring the plant manager with us. We will all go to check the building now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho went to the building that was sitting next to GH Mobile’s factory. The building had previously been used by a food packaging company. He was with the general affairs director and the plant manager—Jong-Suk Park.

The factory needed cleaning work. A few broken desks were lying around along with some old and also broken computers. They must be leftovers from the previous occupants of the building.

“Mr. Director Jong-Suk Park, have you been here before?”

Being conscious of General Affairs Director’s presence, Director Jong-Suk Park replied in a formal way, “Yes, sir. I came here twice before. This is my third visit.”

“Can you check the electricity and drainage system?”

“Yes, sir.”

At that moment, General Affairs Director’s cell phone started ringing. After talking with someone over the phone, he came to Gun-Ho and said, “Sir, I need to get back to GH Mobile now.”

“Is something going on?”

“We have visitors from the city hall for some sort of inspection. I guess it’s for our environment management system.”

“Hmm, really? Well, I will talk to you later then.”

Gun-Ho said to Director Park, “We just need to fix the bathroom and do the wall painting, right? What do you think?”

“Yeah, I think so. Additionally, the ventilation system on the roof needs to be replaced, at least two of them. They are not in working condition.”

Director Jong-Suk Park was talking to Gun-Ho in an informal way again as they were alone.

“Is it a part of your job? Or, the general affairs department is supposed to handle it?”

“The general affairs department doesn’t have anyone who can handle any technical matter. I previously talked with the general affairs director about the repair and replacement, and he told me to get a price quote from a repair service.”

“Really?”

“I think we’d better change the electrical wiring as well.”

“Now, you are in charge of all the repairs and replacements of this building, okay? Mark all the areas that require our attention. Don’t let the general affairs department handle it.”

“No problem, bro. Oh, I have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

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Chapter 703 - Employee Stock Ownership Plan (2) – Part 2

Chapter 703: Employee Stock Ownership Plan (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk were walking around the building next to GH Mobile to check its current condition.

Jong-Suk asked Gun-Ho, “I talked with Dyeon Korea’s Manager Ahn at the maintenance team earlier today on the phone. The employee stock ownership plan looks to be the current hot topic among the workers now.”

“Did they already hear about the plan?”

“They are trying to figure out whether it is a good thing or a bad thing to get the company share. They all seem to have different opinions about it.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“I heard that GH Mobile’s employees will have a chance to get Dyeon Korea’s shares as well.”

“Let’s talk about it later between you and me quietly.”

“Okay, bro.”

Gun-Ho asked, “What’s your plan with this place?”

“I want to continue to manufacture our main products at our current factory in GH Mobile, and we will manufacture all other products in this location. Also, we will use this place as our storage as well. Our current storage is too small, and our vendor companies always have to compete to get the platform trolleys.”

“The platform trolleys? You mean the heavy-duty carts? Those that our vendor companies are using to move their products to their assigned lots in the storage?”

“Yeah. If they have two platform trolleys, they can move their products at once, but if the company has only one platform trolley, they have to travel twice.”

“How many vendor companies do we have now?”

“We have 30 vendor companies that supply parts to us, and we have another 30 client companies that we supply with our products. And, we have four major clients.”

“Four major client companies? What are those?”

“They are, of course, A Electronics, S Group, Egnopak, and Mandong Company. Oh, I need to add H Group to the list as well since we are now getting more and more product orders from them.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I want to make this factory our third production site. Many of our management people at the production site have been working here since the Mulpasaneop era. We have a lot of supervisors, low-level and mid-level managers, and if we open a new production site, maybe we can promote some of them with a one-level up in position.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho said as he was checking the area behind the factory thoroughly, “Jong-Suk!”

“Yeah?”

“You must have had a hard time when you first came here to work with me. You had to survive among those workers who have been here for a long time.”

“When I just joined here, there was a rumor saying that I was very close to you. So, the workers were careful with me. Also, as you know, I call everyone, who is older than me, a brother, so I could get closer to them relatively quickly.”

“Yeah, you are good at it.”

“Also, I was the best worker in the maintenance field. They might know better about the production field, but no one could beat me on the maintenance. I was excellent at handling machines and welding work, so more and more people needed my help.”

“I see.”

“And, I’m not trying to brag here, but I’m physically superior like I’ve never lost to anyone in arm wrestling. And that kind of thing matters between men; you know that, right? We had once a dinner gathering at that time. One team lead got drunk and became physically violent. And I subdued him by giving him a double side kick. I then took off my shirt and showed him the tattoo on my arm. He has never challenged me ever again.”

“Haha, really?”

“Guess what he said after he became quiet.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that he knew that the president watched my back and that it was not fair.”

“Really?”

“I punched him in the face saying that he’d better watch what he was saying. I was so mad that I grabbed an empty beer bottle claiming that I would kill him. About twenty other workers at the table held me to a stop.”

“I didn’t know that happened.”

“So, I told him that I wanted to kill him but I wouldn’t because Mr. President is watching my back. I just hit his head one more time.”

“You shouldn’t get all emotional like that.”

“I know. I can’t do such a thing anymore. I’m the plant manager and the director. I can’t control the workers with physical power, but I have to subdue them with my competency at work and ability.”

“Didn’t the team lead, who was beaten up by you, get hurt at that time?”

“He was okay. I later invited him over to dinner and bought him a drink, just the two of us. Since he is older than me, I called him big brother. I actually helped him to get a promotion. He is still thanking me for it.”

“Really?”

“Do you know how he found out that I helped him to get promoted? President Song talked to him and asked him ‘how come Director Park keeps asking me to promote you in position, every time I see him?’ So, once he realized what I did for him, he had been very good with me. President Song is very skillful. He wanted the team lead to be more obedient to me, so he sort of manipulated the situation. I think President Song can be a good actor.”

“You need that skill sometimes. Learn from him.”

“Haha. Okay.”

“How’s your school? Don’t you have any problem understanding the lectures?”

“English was the hardest one at first, but I’m okay now. I’m very popular there. The students in my class keep asking me if they could get a job in GH Mobile after they graduate.”

“Haha, really?”

“Actually, two professors from my university visited me at work once. They wanted to see the manufacturing process in our factory. They are looking for a workplace where they can send the students, so they can gain hands-on work experience. I told them that I’m not in a position to make such a decision, but I will have to get approval from President Song who happens to be very particular. We don’t want to provide our workplace for their training. It would distract our workers with the students hanging around here.”

“Hmm.”

“So, those two professors spoke highly about our company after they visited the factory. They told the students that the company that Jong-Suk Park is working for is a highly advanced factory, and it’s huge. That’s why the students are joking about getting a job here after they graduate.”

“It sounds like you are doing great in school. If you see some students with great potential, just keep an eye on them. They could be our next executive officers in the future.”

It was the day when Gun-Ho would work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. When he arrived at the front entrance of the GH Building, he saw a banner hanging; it was about a new art exhibition.

“Jong-San Ahn’s solo art exhibition? He must be a popular artist.”

Gun-Ho was sitting in his office, reading an economic newspaper. Director Woon-Hak Sim entered his office.

“Are you done with filing general rehabilitation?”

“Yes, sir. The attorney’s office asked for so many documents, and it wasn’t easy to prepare them. I had to produce a confirmation note for each creditor with the amount of the debt that I owe to each of them.”

“You didn’t borrow any money from an individual, did you?”

“I have a small amount of debt that I borrowed from someone, but since the amount is small enough to ignore, I didn’t list it. Most of my debts are from non-bank financial institutions.”

“Did you file it with the court?”

“I wanted to make sure that it was actually filed before leaving for China. That’s why I’m leaving for China today. I came here to say bye to you, sir.”

“What did the attorney say about your case?”

“He said that he doesn’t see any problems getting me the general rehabilitation.”

“That’s all he said?”

“He said that if the court requests for a deposit, then I will have to make the payment right away. He said that it would be about 10 million won.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, I will have to be present at the court at least once later when the court asks every one of interest to attend. If I don’t appear at the court, the case could be determined unfavorably against me. So, even though I’m busy, I have to visit Korea again later.”

“People of interest pertains to the creditors, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I see.”

“The attorney asked that I will have to pay him an incentive once the case is determined successfully.”

“How much does he want?”

“He asked for 20 million won at first. I told him that I’m filing for general rehabilitation because I don’t even have money to repay my debt, and I’m staying in China because of it. And he eventually agreed to 10 million won.”

“So, the attorney already received the retainer fee, and he will get the incentive. He will make good money from your case, huh?”

“That’s why people refer to attorneys as a legally permitted thief.”

“Even though you have to pay a high legal fee for the attorney, it’s for your own benefit. You won’t have to pay the full amount of your debt of 1.2 billion won, and you can pay off your debt with an affordable payment plan.”

“I’m worried, sir. What if the court doesn’t agree to reduce my debt?”

“The judge will take into account your current income in determining the amount that you have to repay, so it won’t be much. I think that you might have to use all of the 1 million won that you are getting from GH Mobile to pay off the debt.”

Director Sim let out a sigh.

“That’s good. If you pay 1 million won per month for ten years, the amount that you have to pay for your entire debt—1.2 billion won—is only 120 million won. You pay only 120 million won for your 1.2 billion won debt.”

“I wish I only had to pay for the next five years like personal rehabilitation.”

“Haha. That’s not going to happen. The people with personal rehabilitation have way less amount of debt than those with general rehabilitation.”

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Chapter 704 - Employee Stock Ownership Plan (3) – Part 1

Chapter 704: Employee Stock Ownership Plan (3) – Part 1

Director Woon-Hak Sim pulled out something from his bag.

“What is it?” Gun-Ho asked.

“It’s the film scenario of Menghuan Yinghua. It’s now fully translated into Korean, so I’m carrying this with me to China.”

“Have you finished reading it?”

“No, I haven’t yet. I finished about the first third. I like it so far. No wonder Ms. Ailing Feng is one of the most famous screenwriters in China.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“I do like the title as well— Menghuan Yinghua. It means dreamy Sakura. ‘Yinghua’ is Sakura, but in the scenario, it indicates a Japanese geisha. If you read the scenario, the main male character is a Chinese spy. He managed to get into the Japanese society and met a Japanese geisha, and then he fell in love with her. We just need to give a little touch to the story. It will turn out to be a great movie.”

“Hmm.”

“I think that producing a movie based on this scenario is worth devoting everything I have even risking my life.”

“Are you saying ‘Isshokenmei’?”

“I beg your pardon, sir?”

“It’s a Japanese saying. It means that you are putting everything into the work that you are doing, to the extent that you risk your life. It’s ‘Isshokenmei’ in Japanese. The Japanese engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo— used to say it.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Well, if that is your attitude toward the movie production, I’m sure that it will succeed. I’m counting on you, Mr. Director Sim.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim gave a bow to Gun-Ho before leaving the office.

Gun-Ho usually got off to work early and went straight home these days. That was because his baby boy— Sang-Min— started laughing and mumbling as he became almost 100 days old. Gun-Ho could forget everything else when he was with his boy. Gun-Ho was lying on the bed with Young-Eun. He asked her, “Did you submit the notice for your leave of absence to the hospital?”

“Yes, I did. I was going to go back to work once my maternity leave ends, but I feel like I wouldn’t be able to focus on work leaving Sang-Min behind at home. So, I chose to take a leave, and I don’t regret my decision.”

“You made the right decision.”

“I guess I’d better look for a deputy director position in a small doctor’s office close to home.”

“Do you want to open your own practice? I can make it happen.”

“No, thank you. I’m not ready yet to open my own. I need more experience.”

“Sang-Min’s 100th day is coming up. Where do you want to have a party for him?”

“I think we should pick a place that is convenient enough for our parents to come.”

“Let’s do it on Yeouido Island then. It’s a convenient location when coming from Incheon City, and it’s convenient for us as well.”

“Sounds good.”

Sang-Min’s 100th-day celebration would be held on Yeouido Island. Now, they had to pick a restaurant on Yeouido Island. Young-Eun asked her college friends about a good place to have a party for her baby, and they recommended the hotel— Conrad Seoul.

There was a premium Korean restaurant called Kyungbokkung on the first floor of Conrad Seoul. They provided services for a family event like a baby’s 100th-day celebration. They set the table for the occasion and took a picture for the event as well.

Gun-Ho’s family gathered in Kyungbokkung to celebrate Sang-Min’s 100th day that day. Gun-Ho’s parents, his sister, her husband, and Jeong-Ah came as well. Young-Eun’s father from Silim Town and her aunt— Artist Choi from Yangpyeong District joined them too. GH Media’s President Shin also showed up; she was carrying a gift for the baby.

Gun-Ho’s mother said while holding the baby, “You didn’t invite anyone from your work, did you?”

“No, mom. We want a private and quiet party just between family. I like it this way a lot better, don’t you think, mom?”

“While you were growing up, people used to bring a gold ring for the baby when they came to congratulate the baby’s 100th day. I guess we don’t do that anymore, huh?”

“We did receive gold rings for Sang-Min today, mom. My sister, and Young-Eun’s aunt from Yangpyeong District, and President Shin brought a gold ring for our baby boy.”

“Haha, really?”

It was May. Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“We are opening our KFC tomorrow.”

“Is that right? Congratulations.”

“Soon-Young’s mom lost a lot of weight lately. She has been crazily busy for the opening. We redid the interior and brought in new kitchen appliances.”

“Losing some weight is normal for the business owners who are about to open their own business.”

“She even had to travel all the way to Beijing to get the KFC training that is required for all new franchisees. Since she couldn’t leave our baby at home, she brought our baby and the helper lady with her to the trip. They stayed in a small motel for a few days.”

“Really? It must have not been easy at all.”

“When we hung our KFC sign on the building for the first time, the pedestrians showed great interest. The people in this town seem to love to have a KFC. Chinese people seem to be very interested in having American food.”

“Haha, I guess the KFC will be a success.”

“According to Soon-Young’s mom, we will soon open the Korean deep-fried restaurant right after we open the KFC. Its basic interior is already completed. We just need to bring some equipment to the kitchen. We will sell draft beer too.”

“I think you will need a floor manager for each restaurant.”

“I agree with you.”

“As to the terminal project, they are constructing the terminal building. They are working on the first floor now. The Chinese partners are still complaining about not receiving the second investment fund yet though. They noticeably treat me very coldly these days.”

“Haha, really?”

“I keep telling them that everything will become easier once they transfer the ownership of the land to the joint venture. We can even take out a loan from a bank once the joint venture officially owns the land. And, they keep saying back to me that the Construction Bureau already approved the use of the land to build the terminal, and it has been ratified by them. And, I then tell them that the land must be registered and recorded as such. The Construction Bureau’s approval document doesn’t determine the ownership of the land. A bank wouldn’t even recognize it and will not lend us money using the land as collateral. I’m having this same conversation with them over and over these days.”

“And, they are still constructing the building, huh? That is good.”

“Yeah, but they will eventually reach the point where they truly don’t have any fund left, and they will start freaking out again.”

“Are they going to give us the additional bus lines or not?”

“Vice President Chun Chang wants to go ahead and start negotiating with Duifang Gongsi (counterpart transportation companies in other cities) anyway even though we might not get the additional bus lines.”

“Then do it. It seems that they will give the additional bus lines.”

“Yeah. I’m visiting the transportation companies in the city where we might start running our bus service, with Vice President Chun Chang tomorrow. I have to get ready to drink a lot.”

“Haha. Well, have a safe trip.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘Once the KFC is open tomorrow, they will start making money from tomorrow. We have spent a lot of money to get the restaurant ready to open so far. Once they start making income every day, they will feel less anxious. KFC is different from the Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant that I had in Noryangjin Town. It will succeed and bring in a lot of profits.

By the way, Jae-Sik Moon’s wife is a tough woman. She went to Beijing with her baby to receive the training. I respect her toughness. She certainly seems to have a will to succeed. She knows how to devote everything she has to her work.’

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Chapter 705 - Employee Stock Ownership Plan (3) – Part 2

Chapter 705: Employee Stock Ownership Plan (3) – Part 2

It was Thursday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. When he saw a lot of people, who were wearing a GH Mobile’s uniform, being around the building next door that he recently purchased, he entered the building. People were installing shelves and stuff to make a storage space. The painting and the bathroom seemed to be completed. The general affairs director, who was overseeing the work, greeted Gun-Ho when he saw him.

“We’ve made the final payment for this building, haven’t we?”

“Yes, we have, sir. We are done with the painting, and the repair work in the bathroom is completed as well. We cleaned the septic tank too.”

“Good job.”

“Director Park is overseeing the work in the storage right now. They are doing some welding work there.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

Gun-Ho walked into the storage. Director Park was standing behind the workers, who were doing welding, and watching the work. It seemed that he would no longer do welding himself.

“How’s it going?”

“Oh, bro.”

“Are we making a storage space here?”

“Making storage is easy work. It will be done by the end of today. Since we are going to store our products here, we don’t want people to freely enter the storage. So, we need to install the screen. We will also divide the place into several lots and assign each separate lot to our vendor companies, so they can place their products in their spot. Our storage manager will handle the process.”

“Hmm, this storage is very spacious.”

“It won’t look spacious enough once we pile up products here. We need a space large enough for a forklift truck to move around here.”

“You said that we are going to do some manufacturing work here too, right?”

“Yeah. Our third production site will be placed on the building over there with a blue roof on it. Hydraulic press machines will be installed there.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho said as he looked around the storage, “Did you receive the official notification about the employee stock ownership plan with Dyeon Korea’s shares for GH Mobile’s employees?”

“Yeah. When we received the notification from GH Mobile, we sent out our notification to each department with President Song’s signature saying that we will distribute 292 Dyeon Korea’s shares to each employee.”

“What’s the workers’ reaction?”

“Well, each worker responds differently from another. Some say that it is a good opportunity for them to make money in the future, and some say that they could lose money if Dyeon Korea goes public and the stock market is not doing well at that time.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“It seemed that Dyeon Korea had an information session about it already. Director Kim explained to the workers in the auditorium about it, and he told them that they would make money by purchasing the company shares now for the current price. He told them that it is a gift from the president to the workers. And, they will provide the workers with a payment plan as well, so more workers could afford it. To make the process convenient, the workers can choose to let the company take out the monthly payment for the shares from their salary.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I was told that 95% of Dyeon Korea’s employees are willing to purchase the shares, and only 5% gave up.”

“What about GH Mobile?”

“We don’t know yet. We gave our workers time to think about it until the end of May. We might not see 95% like Dyeon Korea, but maybe about 90% of our workers will choose to buy Dyeon Korea’s shares. The general affairs director over there told me earlier that he was expecting to see only 10% of forfeited shares.”

“Hmm, I see. Let’s then do this, Jong-Suk.”

“Do what?”

“When the deadline to give their intention to participate in the employee stock ownership program is close to end, you go and talk to President Song quietly. And, tell him that you want to take all of the forfeited shares.”

“Me? Buying the 10%? Huh? I don’t have money, bro.”

“GH Mobile has 500 employees. If 10% of them choose not to purchase the shares, the assigned shares for 50 people will be available. 292 shares are given to each worker, so it will be 14,600 shares since it’s for 50 people.”

“Yeah.”

“The price per share is now 10,000 won. If you buy 14,600 shares, you will need 146 million won. Buy them all.”

“Bro, I simply don’t have money for them. I used all I had when I bought the condo in Purgio Condo Complex in front of Dujeong Station.”

“Take out a loan from a bank.”

“You want me to borrow money from a bank to purchase Dyeon Korea’s shares? Are you sure that the price of the shares will increase later? Well, of course, you know it will… but, still…”

“I don’t know whether the price will go up or not. But, I want to believe that it will go up.”

“Once I take out a loan, I will have to start making payments to the bank for the interest. If the price doesn’t go up, I will lose money and have to keep paying for the interest.”

“I will take care of your interest.”

“You will?”

Jong-Suk Park gazed at Gun-Ho vacantly for a moment.

Gun-Ho laughed and tapped Jong-Suk’s shoulder.

“I gotta go now. Think about it, okay? Don’t tell what I just suggested, to anyone else.”

Jong-Suk Park was still gazing at Gun-Ho’s face; he couldn’t say anything.

Gun-Ho was sitting in his office in GH Mobile when Secretary Hee-Jeong Park called him through the interphone.

“Sir, the overseas president of Dyeon Korea in India is on the other line. Would you like to take the call?”

“Okay, let him through.”

“Sir, this is Manager Jong-Geun Lee in India.”

“Oh, hi. How have you been?”

“I found a factory for sale in the Chennai area. Its land is around 5,000 pyung large, but it’s not exactly located in the center of the Chennai Industrial Park.”

“How much are they asking?”

“They listed the property for 200 million Rupees.”

“200 million Rupees?”

“It’s about 3 billion Korean won, sir.”

“Is the factory building clean?”

“The building is about ten years old. I haven’t been to the place yet, so I’m not sure if it is clean or not, sir.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“There is another one on the market. Its land is only 3,000 pyung large. The sales price for it is 150 Rupees.”

“Is that right?”

“Do you want me to keep looking, sir?”

“Yes, please do so.”

“Okay, sir.”

Coincidentally, Min-Hyeok Kim also called Gun-Ho to give him an update about the factory in China.

“I found two factories that are available to buy.”

“Really? What are their locations?”

“If you go a bit further toward Shanghai City from the Suzhou Industrial Park, the factory is there. It’s about 5,000 pyung large.”

“Is it currently working?”

“Yes, but not 100% though. Only 20% of the factory is working right now. It used to be a manufacturing company that produced tools and equipment related to new renewable energy. I was told that Xibanya (Spain) invested in the company. It’s now partially working.”

“How much is it?”

“I talked to the Jingli (manager) who is in charge of selling the property. He gave me the price in dollars, maybe because he noticed that I’m not Chinese. He said that they are asking for 3 million dollars.”

“Even though China has huge land, the price of a piece of land is still expensive. It’s about 3 billion Korean won, right?”

“Yeah. I think that they are asking that much because of the infrastructure that they built there. It must have cost them a fortune.”

“Did you say that you found another factory that is available too?”

“Yeah. This one is larger than what we want; it’s 7,000 pyung large. I visited the place. Its structure wouldn’t go well with what we need.”

“What are they producing there?”

“They are making clothes. The factory is huge, and it looks like a large storage. Because of the size, the price is high. And, they said that it would take several months for them to vacate the factory.”

“I see. I will pay a visit there in the near future. If I can’t make it, I will send someone to take a look at them.”

“I will keep you updated once I see a new listing of a factory appearing on the market for sale.”

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Chapter 706 - Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (1) – Part 1

Chapter 706: Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was dozing off in his office after having a cup of tea that Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought to him. President Song entered the office after knocking on the door.

“It’s almost lunchtime, sir. Are you not going out for lunch today?”

“Oh, it’s already noon?”

“Would you like to have lunch with the executive officers? It has been a while since we all had lunch together.”

“Sure. Why not?”

“I will call them.”

Gun-Ho went to a Korean restaurant in the middle of a plum farm, for lunch with GH Mobile’s executive officers. The restaurant was not far from GH Mobile. Ms. Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim, who was the only female director in the group, looked so excited when she saw plum trees there.

Gun-Ho sat at a table and looked around. There were President Song, the chief research officer, the general affairs director, Ms. Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim, Mr. Production Director Park, and the director at the quality control department.

President Song looked at Gun-Ho with a smile, and said, “The general affairs director and Production Director Park have been working hard and busily since we acquired the former food packaging company next door.”

“I’m aware of it. I went there this morning.”

“The new building that we just acquired will be our second factory. We will refer to it as GH Mobile’s factory no. 2. Once we complete the painting and building the storage there, we will move our hydraulic press machines to that location.”

“Hmm.”

“We couldn’t hire enough workers even though we need more labor, because our factory no. 1 is already full, and there is no room for additional workers to work at. Since we now have an additional production site, we will post job openings as soon as possible. We currently need 50 more production workers, but we will eventually hire 100 more workers for the production department.”

“We need that many production workers?”

“Our sales are on the rise as we need more people. We will generate more than enough income to pay additional workers. You don’t have to worry about paying the new workers, sir.”

The food that they ordered hadn’t come out yet. They had a glass of water in front of each person at the table. Director Chang-Ik Pyo from the product quality department, who was fiddling with his glass of water, said, “The product quality department needs more workers as well. We lost many of the workers at the product quality department to Dyeon Korea when it was established. We haven’t added anyone to the team since then.”

Gun-Ho said, “Those people, who we lost to Dyeon Korea, successfully enabled for Dyeon Korea to obtain the environment management system certificate— ISO 14001, and be officially recognized as a startup company with technology.”

The food finally came out.

While having lunch, Gun-Ho asked, “How are we doing with the employee stock ownership plan of Dyeon Korea?”

“We have received the application to participate in the program from about 50% of our employees so far. We are expecting to see a lot more people applying for it on the last day. Many of them want to see what other people decided to do before making their own choices.”

“Are we receiving more product orders from the companies other than A Electronics and H Group?”

“We don’t see any noticeable changes in their product orders. Even if they increase the volume of their product orders, we won’t be able to take them under our current production capacity. Our production site is now crammed with the work from A Electronics and H Group.”

“We should rush into getting our second factory ready to work then.”

“Once the second factory is open, we will be able to breathe again.”

After lunch, Gun-Ho came back to GH Mobile. When he arrived at its front entrance, he said to President Song, “Why don’t you come over to my office for a cup of coffee. I have something that I’d like to discuss with you.”

Gun-Ho and President Song were sitting on the sofa in Gun-Ho’s office while having their afternoon coffee. Gun-Ho asked President Song, “If someone among our employees wants to take the forfeited shares, just let him or her have them.”

“Okay, no problem, sir.”

“How much fund do we have in our reserve right now?”

“As of today, we have 5 billion won. We had 6 billion won, and we used 1 billion won when we purchased our second factory. It cost us 4 billion won, and Dyeon Korea had sent us 3 billion won for our investment in-kind to it. So we added the 1 billion won to it in acquiring the building next door.”

“So, we currently have 5 billion won left.”

“That’s correct. Since our sales are on the rise, we will soon have more funds accumulated in the reserve. We are anticipating making more than 10 billion won as our after-tax profit this year. Our sales will possibly increase more rapidly, and if that happens, our cost of sales to revenue ratio will be lower, and that will allow us to generate even more profits.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon.

“Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim must have gotten back to his office from a client site by now.”

As soon as he sat at his desk in his office, Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee.

“Would you like to have a cup of tea, sir?”

“Yes, please. Also, please ask Director Kim and the internal auditor to come to my office now.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Director Kim and the internal auditor came into Gun-Ho’s office. Secretary Seon-Hye Yee prepared three cups of jujube tea for them.

Director Kim said, “I heard that GH Mobile is opening their second factory, and they will hire quite a number of production workers soon. Dyeon Korea currently has 100 workers. As we are getting more work from GH Mobile, we will need at least 30 more workers too. In preparation for our future labor shortage, I suggest that we hire 50 more workers now.”

“Hmm, really?”

“In order to maintain our ISO certificate and the recognition as a startup company with technology, we sometimes have to send some of our workers to a training or a meeting. And, all of our 16 machines are fully working right now, and we don’t afford to have them off the work even for a short period of time. We are short of labor sometimes even with our 100 workers.”

“Discuss with Vice President Adam Castler, and hire workers as many as you think we need.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The reason why I asked you two to come to my office today is that I wanted to discuss our future factory establishment in China and India.”

“Have you received a call from them? Did they find a factory on the market for sale?”

“Manager Lee from India called me the other day. He found a 5,000 pyung large factory near the Chennai Industrial Park. It’s on the market for sale.”

“Is that right, sir?”

“Also, President Min-Hyeok Kim called me, and let me know that there is a factory for sale in the Suzhou Industrial Park. I want you two to go on a trip to India and China to visit those properties that are for sale. If you determine that they are adequate properties for our business, then make a purchase contract.”

“Well… sir,” the internal auditor hesitantly said.

“Yes. Please tell me freely about what you think.”

“My area of expertise is the finance field where I have been working for a long time. I don’t think I’m the right person for it. Mr. Director Kim is the perfect person to handle this type of work though.”

Director Kim looked at the internal auditor and said, “Mr. Internal Auditor, if we have to make a contract to purchase a factory, you are the right person for it. Let’s do this then.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’ve already been to India previously, so, I suggest that you go to India this time, and I will go to China. If you are not comfortable going on a trip to India by yourself, you can go with Mr. Adam Castler. One of India’s official languages is English, so Mr. Adam Castler will be of great help during the trip.”

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Chapter 707 - Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (1) – Part 2

Chapter 707: Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho agreed to Director Kim’s suggestion.

“I think it’s a good idea to take Mr. Adam Castler on the trip to acquire a factory abroad. By taking him with you, we can give our American partner an impression that we are doing this factory acquisition together. Mr. Adam Castler had his trip to China previously, so I’m sure that he would be willing to go to India this time.”

“If Mr. Adam Castler is going there with me, wouldn’t we need an interpreter?”

“When you arrive at the airport in Delhi, Manager Lee will be there waiting for you to pick you up. As you know, he speaks English fluently.”

The internal auditor suggested, “What if Director Yoon goes to India instead of me then? He has extensive experience with constructing a factory. He will be very helpful in choosing the right factory for us.”

“That sounds good too.”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee.

“Please ask Director Yoon to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Director Yoon entered the office.

“Please have a seat.”

As Director Yoon sat on the sofa, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought one more cup of jujube tea to the office.

“I want you to go on a trip to India, Mr. Director Yoon.”

“India, sir?”

“I received a call from Manager Jong-Geun Lee in India. He found a factory on the market for sale, around the Chennai area. You go and check the property, and if you determine that it is the right factory for us, then make a purchase contract.”

“Am I going there by myself?”

“Vice President Adam Castler will go with you.”

“When should I leave?”

“The sooner, the better. Mr. Internal Auditor, give enough funds to those who will travel abroad to acquire a factory, for their travel expenses.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Mr. Director Kim, I want you to leave for China as soon as you can as well. Call President Min-Hyeok Kim and arrange the schedule with him.”

“Yes, sir. I guess that extra work will be waiting for me there in China.”

“Why are you saying it?”

“I’m sure that Mr. President Min-Hyeok Kim will ask me to meet with the people from the overseas offices of S Group, Egnopak, and Mandong Company since I’m there anyway.”

“Haha. I think he will need your help for his sales work. In return, President Min-Hyeok Kim will prepare the best hotel room and great food for you. I’m sure that he will reserve a room in a five-star hotel for you.”

Gun-Ho turned to Director Yoon and said, “When you shop for a factory in India, I want you to find a clean one. I’m thinking of inviting Lymondell Dyeon’s Vice President Brandon Burke over to our company to run our subsidiary company in India.”

“Huh? Is Vice President Brandon Burke quitting Lymodell Dyeon?”

“I believe that his retirement year is this year. Once he retires, I’m going to ask him to run our company in India, maybe for the next two years. People speak English in India, so he will feel comfortable working there. In addition, his presence in India will greatly help our sales activities there. He will get along with other overseas presidents from all over the countries.”

Director Kim, the internal auditor, and Director Yoon nodded their head.

After the three men left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho asked for Vice President Adam Castler. Mr. Adam Castler showed up with his interpreter— Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae.

“I was informed that there are factories on the market for sale in India and China.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

“So, I asked Director Kim to go to China to visit the property. As to the property in India, I think you should visit it with Director Yoon.”

“Me, sir?”

“Yes, please make a trip to India to acquire a factory for us. Also, since you are there, take a tour to some tourist spots such as Taj Mahal and have fun.”

When he heard of Taj Mahal, Mr. Adam Castler looked excited; he smiled broadly. In fact, he was feeling a bit bored in Korea. He loved the opportunity to travel to another country.

As a matter of fact, Mr. Adam Castler didn’t have a busy life in Korea even at work. His Korean colleagues handled most of the work, and all he was doing there was writing a weekly report for the head office.

Gun-Ho continued, “If you have a chance to talk with the head office, please deliver this message.”

“What message, sir?”

“Don’t say this directly, but imply that I want to make a job offer to Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke to run our subsidiary company in India after he retires.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea. Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke would have no reason to refuse the offer. I’m sure he will love the opportunity.”

“Also, tacitly tell him that I highly respect him, especially for his profound ability at work and extensive work experience even though we had some disagreement in the past.”

“Understood, boss.”

“Once you arrive in India, Mr. Manager Jong-Geun Lee will be waiting for you at the airport. He would love to see you, Mr. Adam Castler. He had been working with you for quite a while when he was here in Korea.”

“Haha, of course, sir. I’m so excited to see him again. When do you want me to leave?”

“I told Director Yoon that the sooner would be the better. Please arrange the schedule with him.”

“Yes, sir.”

When he arrived home after work, Gun-Ho quickly washed his hands and ran to his baby boy. Sang-Min smiled pretty often these days, and he was extremely cute when he did that, and Gun-Ho couldn’t stop kissing him all over his face. Young-Eun tried to stop Gun-Ho.

“That’s enough. His cheek is about to fade away because of your kiss. Give him a break.”

Gun-Ho could enjoy abundant food at home these days. All sorts of dishes were placed on the dinner table, because Young-Eun was staying home with the helper lady.

“I went to Seoul National University Hospital earlier today. Sang-Min needed vaccines. Also, I have lunch with my old colleagues there.”

“They must be delighted to see you again, huh?”

“Yeah. They were excited to see me, especially because I buy them lunch all the time. One of them pointed out something on me though.”

“What was it?”

“She said that I married an extremely rich man, but how come I’m still driving a car like that.”

“You should have driven my Land Rover when you went to meet with them today.”

“I’m totally fine with my old car. I don’t understand why people are trying to judge someone based on their house or car.”

“That’s just what they do.”

“People who I encounter assume that I’m rich when they find out that I live in a condo in TowerPalace Condo Complex. And they always ask what kind of car I’m driving. That question always comes up after they learn that I’m living in a TowerPalace condo, without exception.”

“Throw out your SM5, and get a new car. I’m embarrassed that my wife is still driving the old SM5.”

“No way. I love my car. It’s still working perfectly.”

“I will buy you a new Genesis. Drive that car from now on.”

“That would be a waste.”

“You have to ride with Sang-Min most of the time now. We have to think about his safety too. I will get you a Genesis and you drive it, okay?”

When Gun-Ho brought up their baby’s safety issue, Young-Eun blinked her eyes a few times. She was gazing vacantly into space; she seemed to think of something.

After dinner, Gun-Ho was watching TV in the living room while holding the baby. A moment later, Gun-Ho’s eyes widened to a news report.

It was about Minister Jin-Woo Lee. He was resigning from his minister position. The news reporter said that they are guessing that the reason why Minister Jin-Wook Park chose to resign from his position at this time was because of the upcoming by-election.

They said that since Minister Jin-Woo Park used to be a congressman, if he decided to be a candidate for the by-election, there would be a huge change in the current political sphere.

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Chapter 708 - Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (2) – Part 1

Chapter 708: Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (2) – Part 1

Young-Eun brought some fruits to the living room where Gun-Ho was watching news on the TV.

“I just heard from the news that Minister Jin-Woo Lee is quitting his job.”

“Oh, really?”

“They said that he is possibly aiming at the upcoming by-election.”

“Well, people like him quit their job in order to do something else, right?”

“Since he was once a congressman before, I’m sure that he will get elected this time too.”

Gun-Ho continued to talk to Young-Eun as he lowered the volume of the TV, “Actually, his father-in-law’s company is our client company. My factory in Jiksan Town is supplying that company with our products.”

“You mean A Electronics?”

“Yeah. My factory is making the complete door for their home appliance product.”

“Is that right? Don’t you need to give him a call or meet with him or something?”

“For what?”

“I saw A Electronics’ chairman on the news the other day. He was meeting with the President, along with other business people.”

“He is one of the seniors who are representing our nation’s businessmen.”

“He didn’t look very old though.”

“He is more than 80 years old on record.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho went to work in the GH Building in Sinsa Town.

He received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“We finally received two additional bus lines.”

“Oh, is that right? They kept saying that they might not give the additional lines, but they did, huh?”

“Vice President Chun Chang was here a few minutes ago. He said that the Chinese partner is trying hard to make the joint venture business work while the Korean partner doesn’t do their part.”

“You can ignore what he is saying. I guess you have to buy more buses, huh?”

“Yeah, I’ve already placed an order for two new buses. We now have nine buses in total.”

“How many bus drivers do we have now?”

“We have twelve. We have twelve assistants too.”

“Assistants?”

“Yeah, in China, an assistant works with a bus driver as a team on each bus.”

“Is that so? We used to have an assistant on a bus too in Korea. That’s a long time ago though. The passengers will enjoy better service by having an assistant here while we have to assume the cost.”

“We won’t be able to have an assistant in a bus service business in Korea because of the cost, but we can here.”

“We must have more than 100 workers by now then.”

“If I include the public security officers at the terminal, we have 120 workers.”

“Oh, that’s right. You told me that the terminal pays the public security officers’ wages too.”

“Zhanzhang (head officer) of the public security office gives me a military salute every time he sees me. I feel like I’m his boss, and it feels really good.”

“Haha. You are doing great there.”

“Haha.”

“How’s the KFC business doing?”

“It’s good so far. We are making more than 20,000 Yuan every day. We usually get a long waiting line in front of our restaurant.”

“Is that right?”

“In Korea, people often give up having food when a line is too long in front of the restaurant, right? But the people here are different. They patiently wait for their turn even when the line is long and eat the food that they came for.”

“Do you provide a delivery service too?”

“No, we don’t. We do take-out service though. I realized after I opened the KFC there that the name brand matters. If you want to open a business, you definitely consider the name brand of the business.”

“You are probably still busy getting the deep-fried chicken restaurant ready to open as well, huh?”

“The interior of the deep-fried chicken restaurant is done. And we set up the kitchen appliances and equipment as well. We already chose a raw-chicken provider, and we brought the essential spices from Korea too.”

“Hmm, really?”

“We hired a Chinese chef too. Soon-Young’s mom and the chef are experimenting with the deep-fried chicken that we are going to serve, these days. She brought home several deep-fried chicken the other day. They tasted just like the ones that I had in Korea. They are very crispy. I guess the spice power that we brought from Korea is the key for the crisp.”

“I see.”

“I don’t know where she got it, but she has the poster of the Korean TV drama—My Love from the Star. We haven’t hung it on the wall in the restaurant yet, but it will look great on the wall. The two lead actor and actress—Ji-Hyun Jun and Soo-Hyun Kim—are in the poster.”

“I heard the ‘My Love from the Star’ hit a jackpot in China too, huh?”

“I didn’t watch that drama, but the interpreter—Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo—loved it. According to her, that drama was sensational in China when it was aired.”

“Chinese people love the combination of deep-fried chicken and Zha Pijiu (draft beer). The restaurant will be filled with people once it’s open.”

“We covered our walls with bricks and placed wooden dividers to make each table more private. I think that young people will find the place agreeable to have a chat with their friends while enjoying deep-fried chicken with beer. We want to try to cook a few more deep-fried chickens before opening the restaurant.”

“I guess you will make at least 10,000 Yuan per day with that deep-fried chicken restaurant.”

“I’m going to try to make more than that.”

“Did you hire workers already?”

“When I registered with the job-seekers center and posted a job opening there, tons of people applied for the job. It’s not easy to get a nice job in China. The job market is very competitive here. There are a lot of competent candidates who are looking for a position.”

“I see.”

“In my job posting, I indicated that the employer is a foreign company—GH Food Co., Ltd.—and a lot of people applied for the positions.”

“Well, I really hope that our food business is successful.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho thought about the possible incomes from the KFC, the deep-fried chicken restaurant, and the pizza restaurant.

‘We will possibly make 400 or 500 Yuan on a daily basis. It’s not easy to make a successful restaurant business in Korea since the rent and the labor cost are expensive, not to mention that there are just too many restaurants here. However, China should be different.

In China, we have to pay the entire one-year rent upfront, but we don’t have to pay for the deposit and premium like we do here in Korea. Also, the labor cost is at least four times less expensive than Korea. Moreover, Jae-Sik’s wife is diligent and eager to make it work. I’m sure the business will be a success.’

Gun-Ho checked the balance of his bank account. He still had the dividends that Min-Hyeok Kim and GH Media sent to him. Each company sent 1.14 billion won, and he had 2.28 billion won in the account.

“I will buy a new car for Sang-Min’s mom right away. I can’t let her drive the old SM5!”

Gun-Ho wanted to buy a Genesis G80 for his wife. Young-Eun would object if Gun-Ho told her that he would buy her a car, so he called her and told her that he already bought a car for her.

“It’s me. Is Sang-Min sleeping now?”

“Why are you calling home at this hour? Is something going on?”

“I bought a car for you. It’s a Genesis G80. I just wanted to let you know that.”

“You already bought it?”

“Yeah. It’s black. Scrap your SM5.”

“My SM5 is working fine. We don’t have to scrap it. We can sell it on the used car market.”

“Okay. Sell it then.”

“How much did you pay for the Genesis?”

“It’s 60 million won.”

“Oh, my goodness!”

Since Young-Eun didn’t complain about the model and color that Gun-Ho chose for her, he bought the car as such. The car dealer would deliver a black Genesis G80 to the TowerPalace Condo Complex.

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Chapter 709 - Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (2) – Part 2

Chapter 709: Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in China.

“I’ve finished reading the translated version of the movie scenario—Menghuan Yinghua.”

“Do you think it is good enough to produce a movie with it?”

“I had fun reading it. If we make the ending of the movie as the female lead character—the geisha—manages to steal classified military secrets and give them to her lover—the Chinese spy—and she eventually commits suicide, the movie will stand out among others.”

“I’m asking if the movie would lead to box office success.”

“Yes, if it’s fun to watch, then it will be lucrative. I’m confident that it will succeed.”

“Do you think a geisha would date a Chinese man and pass on classified military secrets for her lover’s country?”

“Haha. That’s why it is a fiction novel and movie. Even though it’s fictional, we will make it look plausible enough for the viewers to believe that it could happen in real life. That’s the key to make a movie successful.”

“That makes sense. So, you are saying that the scenario is worth producing a movie with, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“The movie production will cost at least 10 billion won. It’s a huge project. I will put half of the production cost—5 billion won—into it, and we have to carefully consider the consequence that would ensue if this movie fails. The investors including me could lose a lot of things as a result.”

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot before making the decision. In my professional opinion, there is a very high chance to succeed. We already talked with the writer, and she approved that we would make some modifications to her scenario.”

“Okay. Tell Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen to convene a meeting for the pre-production stage. Also, tell him that I was initially very hesitant to make my investment in this movie production, but you—Director Sim—managed to convince me to make my decision to invest in it.”

“Sir, I… um… Thank you so much.”

Gun-Ho thought that Director Sim was about to cry. He sounded like he was truly touched by Gun-Ho’s decision when he thanked Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho changed the subject quickly.

“Have you received the court order about the deposit yet?”

“I haven’t received it yet, sir. I actually asked the attorney’s office about it, and they told me that they are expecting to receive it in a few days.”

“Just let me know when you receive it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Kim.

“Sir, we are leaving for China and India tomorrow.”

“Oh, really?”

“I’m taking a morning flight to China, and Director Yoon and Mr. Adam Castler will leave on an afternoon flight to India.”

“You three are leaving on the same day? Will it be okay because the company will be without three executive officers at once?”

“It should be okay. We have the internal auditor and the plant manager—Manager Yoo. They will handle the business fine during our absence.”

“What about the sales? Since you will be gone for at least several days.”

“Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong is doing excellent work in our sales department. He can handle the sales work without me for a few days. Moreover, I will be always available through my cell phone, and if my presence is absolutely necessary, I can fly back to Korea since China is close enough to do so.”

“I see. Well, I hope you enjoy your trip. Don’t forget to take enough funds with you for the travel expenses.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim is leaving for China tomorrow.”

“Yeah, he called me earlier.”

“Please make his trip pleasant.”

“I know. There are several places that I need to take him to anyway.”

“Are you planning to take a tour of your client companies with him? Director Kim told me that he would have tiring days in China because of you—Mr. President Min-Hyeok Kim.”

“Oh, he said that? Hahaha. Well, yeah, he is right about that. I’ve already made a plan about the tour.”

“Where are you planning to take him with you?”

“I want to visit S Group, Mandong Company, Egnopak, and also other Korean companies here. There are several of them.”

“Is it worth having a tour with Director Kim?”

“Many people at the purchasing department of those companies here are good friends of Mr. Director Kim. They call each other big brother and little brother. It would be much easier for me to make a deal with them if Director Kim is with me here.”

“I see.”

“Those people at the purchasing department usually don’t respond to my offer to have a drink sometimes, but they will if Director Kim asks.”

“Really?”

“I guess I will have to call Director Kim big brother when he comes here. The thing is that it’s hard for me to say the word—big brother—to someone who is not related to me by blood. Jong-Suk Park is very good at it though.”

“You don’t have to compare yourself with him. Jong-Suk is born with that skill.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Manager Lee in India.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir. This is Jong-Geun Lee.”

“Mr. Adam Castler and Director Yoon will arrive in India tomorrow. You received a call from them about the trip, didn’t you?”

“Yes, sir. I just received the call.”

“When they arrive, why don’t you join them to travel to Chennai?”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

“There is a good chance that Mr. Adam Castler will take the position of the president of Dyeon Korea next year. Pursuant to the joint venture contract, I will be the chairman of the board next year.”

“Oh, I see.”

“If Mr. Adam Castler becomes Dyeon Korea’s president, he will be the one who actually handles the daily operation of the company and makes important decisions around here. I know that Mr. Castler is aware of your competence at work, but his trip to India is your opportunity to show your ability to him once again. Take him to some tourist spots like Taj Mahal. He would appreciate it if you assist him during this trip.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the CEO of A Group’s planning and coordination department—Mr. CEO Park.”

“Mr. President Goo?”

“It has been a while, Mr. CEO Park.”

“Did you watch the news? I mean the news about Minister Jin-Woo Park quitting his current position at the government.”

“Yes, sir. I watched the news last evening.”

“As they said on the news, he is preparing for the upcoming by-election.”

“They said that there is a high chance that he would be elected this time.”

“As you already noticed, this upcoming by-election is not his final goal. He will enter into the political party through this by-election, but he will climb up higher.”

“According to the media, he will possibly become the speaker of the political party.”

“Minister Jin-Woo Park is throwing a book publication party soon.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“He is publishing a book—The Future of a Country. In the book, he went over the current status of our country and facts, and he made his analysis on the future and possibilities.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The publication party will be held on the 24th of this month at the auditorium room of Korean Publishers Association Hall. You will receive an invitation to the party in a few days.”

“Really?”

“Everyone, who attended the classes with Minister Jin-Woo Park at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University, will be invited to his publication party.”

“I will definitely be at his publication party and purchase several copies of his book. It’s incredible that he managed to write a book with his busy life as a minister. He is an absolutely great person.”

“And, we are in early June now. After 6 more months, GH Mobile will be wrapping up the year-end accounting for this year. The shareholders can expect to receive dividends this time, can’t they?”

“Since we skipped the dividend distribution last year, we will do it this year. To be honest with you, I prefer to use the profits to pay for our company’s debt since we still have a lot of debt.”

“I understand your situation, but I strongly insist that you need to distribute dividends this year. I’m sure ‘the man’ is in need of funds at this time.”

“We are receiving a lot of help from A Electronics lately, but our sales are not that high yet.”

“How much is the company generating now?”

“We are making about 10 billion won per month.”

“Hmm, that’s not enough. I will figure out something to increase the sales.”

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Chapter 710 - Secret Affair in Seattle (1) – Part 1

Chapter 710: Secret Affair in Seattle (1) – Part 1

It was Wednesday.

Chan-Ho Eom was waiting for Gun-Ho at Gun-Ho’s condo complex with his Bentley in the morning.

“Let’s go to Jiksan Town today,” Gun-Ho said.

“Huh? Today is Wednesday, sir. We are not going to the GH Building in Sinsa Town today?”

“I want to see the progress in GH Mobile’s second factory. I wonder if they already installed all the necessary machines there.”

“You are going to stop by Dyeon Korea in Asan City as well, right?”

“Of course, I will go to Dyeon Korea in Asan City too. Three of their executive officers are on a business trip to China and India. I’d better stay in Dyeon Korea in case they need my help.”

“Umm, sir.”

“Yeah?”

“Mrs. Goo asked me yesterday about how much she could ask for her SM5 on the used car market. She said she wanted to sell her SM5.”

“Sang-Min’s mom?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yeah, she’s going to sell her car.”

“I did some research on the used car market yesterday. An SM5 with her mileage is being traded for about 5 million won these days. I wonder if it’s okay for me to take the car.”

“You need a car?”

“Not for me, but Tae-Young bro is looking for a car now.”

“Tae-Young Im?”

“Yes, sir. Tae-Young bro has several little brothers who are working for him. One of them seems to be in need of a car.”

“Sure, take it.”

“Tae-Young bro was asking if he could take it for 4 million won, sir. I can tell him that the price is firm, and it is 5 million won.”

“It’s okay. Tell him that 4 million won is good.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“In return, he has to make sure that the car title is clearly transferred to whoever takes the car.”

“No problem, sir.”

Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile’s second factory.

The workers were installing hydraulic press machines. Director Jong-Suk Park was supervising the workers of the maintenance team.

“Bro, you are here.”

“The storage is completed, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s done. You want to see it?”

The storage was finished, and it was already in use. A lot of products from various vendor companies were piled up there, and a small forklift truck was busily moving around inside the storage. A storage manager was reviewing paperwork at a desk placed inside the storage.

“No one has access to this storage except the storage manager over there.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

Jong-Suk Park led Gun-Ho back to the area where the hydraulic press machines were being installed.

“It seems that they are in place already.”

“We need to connect them to the power and stuff.”

“When will they be ready to work?”

“They will be ready by tomorrow. We can skip the testing stage at this production site. The products that we are going to manufacture here are relatively simple and easy work.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Bro, I took out a loan from a bank as you told me to.”

“How much did you borrow?”

“It’s 150 million won.”

“Was it a simple process getting a loan?”

“Yeah. According to the staff in the bank, I have a level-2 credit rating.”

“I guess that’s because you have no debt at all.”

“Haha. Yeah, I admit that I haven’t been an exactly exemplary citizen since I have often been involved in a physical altercation. However, I haven’t borrowed any money from anyone until now. I actually didn’t have to since I’ve been working for a company by receiving a monthly salary. It’s not like I ran my own business or something.”

“Yeah, also, you were not interested in making money either.”

“I talked to President Song and let him know that I want to buy all of the forfeited shares.”

“How much were they?”

“I asked the general affairs director about it, and he told me that about 12% has been left out.”

“How much do you need to acquire the 12%?”

“He said I will need to bring 175 million won.”

“You are short of money to get all 12% then. You borrowed 150 million won from the bank, right?”

“I terminated my savings in the bank. So, I got it covered.”

“You did?”

“I will tie my money to Dyeon Korea’s shares for a year or so, and see what happens.”

“Did President Song said anything else?”

“When I told him that I wanted to acquire all of the forfeited shares, he smiled and said ‘you must have a lot of money.’ That man always says something that’s not necessary nor helpful.”

“Haha, I see.”

“So, I told him that I took out a loan from a bank.”

“You did?”

“He then said that the price of the company shares will certainly go up. And that’s about all that he said to me.”

“Hmm, I see. When you have time in the afternoon, stop by Dyeon Korea for a short period of time.”

“What for?”

“Just come.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon, and he took a walk around the production site. He visited the research center as well. Everything looked normal.

Gun-Ho was walking up to his office on the second floor when he saw the interpreter—Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae—and Secretary Seon-Hye Yee. They were talking in a low voice in the corner.

“What are you two doing there?” Gun-Ho asked.

Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae and Secretary Seo-Hye Yee were startled and quickly greeted Gun-Ho.

“Sir, you are here.”

“Mr. Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae, you must have some spare time since Mr. Vice President Adam Castler is not here because he is away for a trip to India.”

“Yes, a little bit, sir.”

“You are working with the trading team, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are things going well with our exporting volume to India and China?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It seems that you two look close to each other.”

Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae replied, “Huh? Not really, sir. I just came to see Ms. Seon-Hye Yee for A4 copy papers. Our office is out of papers now.”

Gun-Ho turned his gaze to Secretary Seon-Hye Yee. She was keeping her head low, but Gun-Ho could see her blushing.

Gun-Ho thought, ‘I wonder if these two are dating each other. Well, they look good together.’

When Gun-Ho sat at his desk in his office, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought a cup of jujube tea along with an economic newspaper.

When it was a little bit after 2 o’clock in the afternoon, Director Jong-Suk Park came to Dyeon Korea’s president’s office.

“Take a seat. Let’s have a cup of jujube tea together.”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee and asked her to bring one more cup of jujube tea for Jong-Suk.

“It has been a while since the last time you were here, right?”

“Right. I haven’t been here lately. I see some changes here already. I see you have now more workers here, and things look more systematic.”

“You think so?”

“But how come I don’t see any executive officers today?”

“Three of them went on a trip to China and India.”

“A business trip to China and India? For what?”

At the moment, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought a cup of jujube tea.

“This is a special tea that you can only have in Dyeon Korea. Enjoy it.”

Director Jong-Suk Park said as he took a sip of the tea, “What are they doing in India and China?”

“We are going to build a factory in those two countries. One will be in Chennai, India, and the other one will be in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. I want to have a factory the same size as the one here in those two new locations.”

“Is that right?”

“That’s why I sent Mr. Vice President Adam Castler and Director Yoon to India, and Director Kim is visiting China.”

“It must cost you a lot to do that, doesn’t it?”

“I’m expecting approximately 10 billion won for opening a factory in those two locations.”

“Did you say 10 billion won? Wow. It is indeed an enormous amount of money.”

“Since you are here, let’s take a walk to the production site.”

“Sounds good to me.”

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Chapter 711 - Secret Affair in Seattle (1) – Part 2

Chapter 711: Secret Affair in Seattle (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho took GH Mobile’s Director Park to the production site in Dyeon Korea. While they were there, some management people delightedly came to greet Director Park when they recognized him. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo also came close to Director Park to welcome him.

“Mr. Plant Manager Park, it’s really good to see you here.”

“The production site looks much more organized and systematic than when I was here. I guess you are running the site very well.”

“Thank you, sir. I still have a lot to learn from GH Mobile.”

At that moment, Manager Ahn at the maintenance team came to Director Park; he was wearing work gloves.

“Little brother, it’s good to see you.”

“Big brother, how have you been?”

“Brother, can you come to see me before you leave for today?”

“What’s wrong?”

“The cooling water keeps overflowing. I need your advice on it. After you are done with the thing that you came here for, just stop by where I am before you leave, okay? I will give you a cup of coffee.”

Gun-Ho moved to another production line with Director Jong-Suk Park. Several machines were making loud noises.

“You know how to handle all of those machines, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do. I learned a lot from Mr. Sakata Ikuzo.”

“Can’t we manufacture machines like that in Korea?”

“We do have manufacturing companies in Korea that produce extruding machines. However, the machines over there are large sized machines. Even the screws that are used for those large machines are different from the ones that we are familiar with. Moreover, even if we manage to produce machines like that in Korea, we don’t have enough demand in our national market for the manufacturers to make enough profits.”

“Once we find a factory in China and India to acquire, we will need those machines there. The thing is that Lymodell Dyeon will sell the machines to us for a very high price. I’m trying to figure out if we could get those machines from someplace else at a lower price.”

Jong-Suk Park walked closer to the machines and tapped on them, and then he said, “These machines are using twin screw types. If I can get the electrohydraulic drawing and those twin screws, I think we can make these machines…”

“Are you saying that you just need the twin screws and the electrohydraulic drawing? You want to try it?”

“Do you think you can get those?”

“What about the metal parts that are covering the entire machine? They are huge.”

“We can ask a foundry to make us a customized part like that. We can’t possibly make every part of the machine from scratch, but we need to buy necessary parts from other factories.”

It made sense, and Gun-Ho nodded his head.

Gun-Ho came home after work in the evening. Gun-Ho noticed that there were more varieties of dishes on the dinner table than usual. And, Young-Eun looked to be in a good mood as well.

“Do you have good news? You look delightful today.”

“Yeah. Sang-Min rolled over by himself today for the first time.”

“Really?”

“And, this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a car key. The car dealer delivered the Genesis to me today. It’s in the parking lot.”

“Do you like the car?”

“It looks great. I gave it a test drive for a few minutes. It drives very smoothly, and I couldn’t even hear the engine sound while driving either.”

“I should have gotten you the car earlier. You are my wife. I want you to drive a high-quality vehicle. I could lose face if my wife drives an old and shabby car.”

“You shouldn’t lose face on such a thing. You need to focus more on practical things.”

“Oh, about your SM5. Chan-Ho Eom will come and pick up your car. Give me your old car key, and remove your belongings from the trunk.”

“Here is the key. Take it. I already cleaned up the old car.”

“Someone in my company wants to buy the car, so I sold it to him for 4 million won.”

“But, Mr. Chan-Ho Eom told me that the current price of a used SM5 is at least 5 million won…”

“Just sell it for 4 million won. He is one of the workers in my company. Chan-Ho Eom will pick it up tomorrow. Let’s have dinner now. I’m hungry.”

“I’m going to Yangpyeong District with Sang-Min tomorrow.”

Young-Eun said as she laughed and ran to Gun-Ho. She gave a kiss to him on the cheek.

“Are you visiting your aunt? Take the new Genesis. Show it off a little bit. You will feel great.”

“I just gave you a kiss on the cheek, didn’t I? That implies that I’m already excited.”

Gun-Ho went to work in the GH Building in Sinsa Town.

He read an economic newspaper for a while, and then when he felt like he wanted fresh air, he went up to the rooftop. The book café was still occupied by several mid-aged ladies from Gangnam District, who were so busy chatting with their friends, and a few young workers, who were probably working for the companies in the building, were smoking cigarettes.

“We have a very clear sky today. There are only a few pieces of clouds.”

Gun-Ho looked up at the sky in the west and thought about China and India. And then he turned to the east side and thought of Japan and the U.S. When he thought about the U.S., he could recall Lymodell Dyeon’s bald man—Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke. And, when he thought about Japan, the beautiful fairy—Mori Aikko—crossed his mind.

Gun-Ho breathed deeply a few times before going back to his office. He then called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“I’m going to make a call to Lymondell Dyeon’s Vice President Brandon Burke now, and I want you to say this to him for me.”

Yeon-Soo Oh grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper to get ready to write down what Gun-Ho was about to say.

Gun-Ho said, “I will be in Seattle tomorrow. I have an appointment with a friend there. Since I will be in the area, I would like to have dinner with Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke privately and quietly. If you will be available, I will give you a call when I get there. I hope you could come to the hotel where I will be staying to meet me. Did you write it all down? I want you to deliver this message to him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho dialed Mr. Burke’s office number with his smartphone.

“Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke? This is Gun-Ho Goo from Dyeon Korea.”

“Oh! Mr. President Goo. How are you?”

“I will let the interpreter talk to you for me.”

Gun-Ho handed his smartphone to Yeon-Soo Oh, and Yeon-Soo Oh started speaking in English. She perfectly delivered Gun-Ho’s message to Mr. Brandon Burke.

When she finished talking on the phone, Yeon-Soo Oh covered the phone with her hand and told Gun-Ho, “He said okay.”

“Tell him that I will be staying in Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle. I will give him a call once I arrive there.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yeon-Soo Oh said what Gun-Ho said on the phone and hung up the phone.

“Good job. Now, please make a room reservation with Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle for me, and also reserve a flight ticket for tomorrow. As to the hotel, you can make a reservation through their website. The full name of the hotel is Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel.”

“Got it, sir.”

“You know my full name in English, don’t you?”

“Yes, I previously wrote it down in my note.”

Yeon-Soo Oh walked out of Gun-Ho’s office with a proud look on her face again.

When Gun-Ho came home after work, he told Young-Eun, “I’m going on a business trip to Seattle in the U.S. tomorrow. I will stay there for three days.”

“You need to pack your luggage then.”

“Nah. I don’t need anything. How was your day? Did you go to see your aunt in Yangpyeong District?”

“My aunt didn’t give me a chance to hold Sang-Min all day long. She carried him around. She was so happy to see me and Sang-Min.”

“Is that right?”

“I actually went there with the helper lady. I had to drive, so I couldn’t watch Sang-Min in the car, so I asked the helper lady to accompany me to Yangpyeong District. Our helper lady used to live in the countryside before, and she loved the area.”

“I see.”

“Do you see the pumpkins on the dining table? My aunt gave them to us. They are from her little farm.”

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Chapter 712 - Secret Affair in Seattle (2) – Part 1

Chapter 712: Secret Affair in Seattle (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim & Jeong Law Firm.

“It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, President Goo! It has been a long time, huh? How have you been?”

“Are you busy now? Can we talk?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I’ve heard from Jien Wang about your drama production investment in China. The Chinese TV drama that you invested in is doing very well, huh?”

“I haven’t made any money from it yet. I was told that its ratings are high. That’s it for now.”

“Well, high ratings are the sign leading you to make money later.”

“I wanted to ask you about something. Is your friend still with the University of Washington in Seattle?”

“You mean Professor Soo-Young Han?”

“Right. Your friend at the university whose father was the former prime minister of our country.”

“Yeah, he is still there doing good. His contract with the university is renewed.”

“I’m going on a trip to Seattle tomorrow, and I need an interpreter. Does he have anyone who is studying for a Ph.D. under him and who can provide me an interpretation service?”

“For how many days do you need an interpreter?”

“One day should be enough. It will take about three hours only.”

“I will then ask Soo-Young Han to do the interpretation work. If he is available, he can do the interpretation for you, and then he can have a drink with you in the evening or something.”

“I can’t ask a college professor to interpret for me.”

“It’s okay. Professors do interpretation work for the President as well.”

“I’m not the President of a country, but I’m just a businessman who is running a small business.”

“It doesn’t matter. I will give him a call and ask him about it. I’m sure that he would love to see you. He actually enjoys meeting with business people a lot since he doesn’t really have work experience in the business field, and he wants to hear about the real business world from the actual players in the field. He is very knowledgeable in theory, but he wants to know more about the practical side of it. He also desires to teach his students the real experience.”

“Really?”

“How’s your baby? He must be a big boy by now.”

“Yeah, he grew up a lot already. He had his 100th day not long ago.”

“At that age, babies smile very often. That’s very cute. Maybe about a month later or so, he will start putting things into his mouth, whatever he could reach.”

“Haha, really? That’s what I have to be prepared for, huh?”

About 30 minutes later, Attorney Young-Jin Kim called Gun-Ho.

“I talked with Professor Soo-Young Han. He said that he was so glad to hear from you. He said that he would be waiting for your call tomorrow. You just need to give him a call when you arrive at the hotel. He is not sure though if he could be there for the interpretation work, but if he can’t make it, he will send one of his Ph.D. students for you.”

“Sounds great. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho headed to Seattle. He was just carrying a small suitcase. While flying, he spent his time reading a book and dozing off. Approximately 10 hours later, Gun-Ho arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

“I’m finally here. It has been a while since my last visit to Seattle.”

Gun-Ho took the light rail to get to his hotel— Sheraton Hotel. After the check-in, Gun-Ho went up to his room, and he made a call to Professor Soo-Young Han.

“Mr. Professor Han? It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, it’s really good to hear from you. I received a call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim about your trip to Seattle. Where are you right now?”

“I’m in Sheraton Hotel.”

“I will be available tomorrow from 2 pm. I have things that I need to take care of in the morning though. When do you need an interpreter tomorrow?”

“It’s a business interpretation. I haven’t made an appointment with the other party yet, but I’m planning to suggest him having dinner with me.”

“I’m very interested in a business interpretation. We have several Korean graduate students at the university, but their English is not so great. If it’s for dinner, I can be there to help you.”

“Would you give him a call for me then? I have his phone number.”

“Who is the person?”

“He is Vice President Brandon Burke in the International Business Development Department in Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Oh, Lymondell Dyeon! It’s a multinational corporation. So, you are meeting with one of their main people. It will certainly be fun for me to be there to interpret. I will give him a call now, and I will call you right back.”

Gun-Ho felt exhausted from the 10-hour long flight. He laid down on the bed and almost fell asleep when he heard his phone start ringing. It was from Professor Han.

“I just talked with Mr. Brandon Burke. He said he would be there by 5 pm.”

“Is that right?”

“I will be at the lobby by 5 pm as well.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho could have brought Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae as his interpreter for this trip, but he wanted someone who was not related to his company. When he was in need of an interpreter outside his company, Professor Han popped up in his head, and he called Attorney Kim to ask about it. Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“It’s not even noon. I will get some sleep until the dinner appointment.”

About ten minutes before five, Gun-Ho went down to the lobby.

“President Goo!”

Someone raised his right hand to draw Gun-Ho’s attention. It was Professor Han. A briefcase was slinging over his shoulder. He looked like a typical scholar type. He extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake as he was smiling with his white teeth.

“It has been a while.”

“Mr. Brandon Burke is not here yet, isn’t he?”

At that moment, a large build man with a bald head entered the hotel lobby through the revolving door.

“Mr. Burke!”

Gun-Ho shouted as he raised his hand. When Mr. Burke saw Gun-Ho, he waved his hand back at Gun-Ho while walking toward him. Gun-Ho introduced Professor Han to Mr. Burke in his broken English.

“This is Professor Soo-Young Han from the University of Washington. He will interpret for us today. He is a friend of mine.”

“Oh, University of Washington!”

Mr. Brandon Burke then asked with an impassive look on his face, “Where are we going?”

Gun-Ho wanted to eat something first. In fact, he didn’t even have his lunch that day. He felt starving. A seafood restaurant crossed his mind; he had king crab there with Professor Han during his last visit in Seattle.

“Let’s go to the seafood restaurant.”

Gun-Ho, Mr. Brandon Burke, and Professor Han sat at a table and began enjoying king crab dishes along with beer. Mr. Brandon Burke said, “How is Mr. Adam Castler? Is he doing a good job there?”

“He has been in Korea for more than 2 years now. He is adjusting himself to the new environment very well.”

“According to his last weekly report, he is going on a trip to India soon.”

“That’s right. He is leaving for India to see a few factory buildings on the market for sale in the Chennai area. I delegated the factory acquisition work to him. He will make a sales and purchase contract once he finds a good property.”

“Hmm, I see.”

After having a few pieces of king crab meat using a fork, Mr. Brandon Burke turned his gaze to Professor Han and said, “You speak English very well. How long have you been with the University of Washington in Seattle?”

“I obtained my Ph.D. from the University of Washington. If I include my student years there, I’ve been with the university for seven years now.”

“If I just hear you talking without seeing your face, I would think that you are a native English speaker.”

During the dinner, Mr. Brandon Burke asked about Dyeon Korea’s daily sales, its production volume, and the volume of products that are exporting to China and India. Those data were already shown on the weekly report that Mr. Adam Castler was sending to him on a regular basis.

The dinner was almost done, but Gun-Ho hadn’t even gotten into the main topic that he wanted to talk about with Mr. Burke. He wanted to do it in a more private and quiet place.

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Chapter 713 - Secret Affair in Seattle (2) – Part 2

Chapter 713: Secret Affair in Seattle (2) – Part 2

When they were almost done with the dinner, Gun-Ho suggested, “I have a nice black tea in my hotel room at Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel. Why don’t we go there and have a cup of tea? It’s a suite room, so there is a living room where we can talk without being interrupted.”

Gun-Ho always stayed in a hotel suite room during his business trip, especially if he had an important matter that he needed to discuss with someone. A suite room in a hotel provided a living room that was separate from a bedroom. He liked to discuss business with people in the hotel living room because it was private and quiet, and no one would hear the conversation in his hotel room.

“Sure. Let’s go,” Mr. Brandon Burke said as he stood up from his seat.

Gun-Ho prepared three cups of black tea himself in his hotel suite room at Sheraton, and placed them on the table for Mr. Brandon Burke and Professor Han.

Mr. Brandon Burke sipped his tea as he crossed his legs. Gun-Ho also crossed his legs and took a sip of his tea.

“The work that you are doing with Lymondell Dyeon must make you feel tired at the end of the day, doesn’t it? It’s hard work,” Gun-Ho said to Mr. Burke.

“It is true that it’s not easy work since I have to manage all Lymondell Dyeon’s joint ventures and subsidiary companies scattered all over the world. But, it is certainly a rewarding work as well.”

Gun-Ho said in a low voice, “Are you retiring in December of this year?”

“It’s actually September.”

“Do you have a plan about what you want to do after you retire? Are you going to open your own business?”

“No, I’m not interested in opening my own business. I want to take some time off from work for a while and take a rest. In the meantime, if a company offers me a job, maybe I will work for them.”

“What would you say if I offer you a position in Chennai, India?”

Vice President Brandon Burke smiled instead of saying something back.

He then asked, “You don’t even have a factory in India. What position are you talking about?”

“We are going to acquire an existing factory building there, instead of constructing a factory from scratch. We have abundant human resources. Once we acquire a factory building there, we just need to set up production lines and send the necessary chemicals. We can get it started right away then.”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, there are lots of Korean companies in Chennai. Many of them are our current clients in Korea. So, our new subsidiary company in Chennai will start its business with an already-built-up clientele. Its sales are guaranteed.”

“Hmm.”

Mr. Brandon Burke folded his arms over his chest while listening to Gun-Ho attentively.

“We are highly recognizing your extensive work experience in the field and also your insight. We would like you to run our subsidiary company in the Chennai location. We will guarantee your terms.”

“Chennai…”

“I will have to step down from the president position of Dyeon Korea next year. I will be the chairman of the board. I want to expand Dyeon Korea’s production base to China and India while I’m still in its president position. I want to establish Dyeon China and Dyeon India.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, we are going to increase capital without consideration early next year. We will distribute our company shares to the shareholders without consideration, using our profits. As you are already aware by reading the weekly report, we just distributed 10% of our company shares to the minority shareholders.”

At that point, Mr. Brandon Burke laughed out loud.

“You are the major shareholder of the company unlike me, Mr. President Goo. You distributed the shares to the employees using the company profits without consideration, not because you cherish your workers that much, but because that will bring you more income. Well, that’s how business works anyway.”

“It’s not just me who makes money from it, but it brings enormous profits to Lymondell Dyeon as well.”

“That’s true. However, as you said, it brings more income to Lymondell Dyeon, not me personally. But, since you are the owner of the company, you can personally enjoy the profit.”

“Well, the flow of the company shares is the shareholders’ concern. Anyway, so, Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke, you can join us in Chennai, right? I wanted to hear your answer, so I made this trip to Seattle to meet with you quietly. I didn’t tell anyone about it.”

“What do you want from me in exchange?”

This time, Gun-Ho smiled.

“I want to know which manufacturing company is producing twin screws. Also, I’d like to have the electrohydraulic drawing.”

Mr. Brandon Burke smiled.

“I knew you would ask for them.”

Silence filled the air for a while.

After taking a sip of his black tea, Mr. Brandon Burke said, “To be honest with you, it is certainly a very tempting offer of you to ask me to run the factory in Chennai. I’m retiring from Lymondell Deyon this September anyway. I don’t even have to wait until September. If the factory in Chennai is ready to produce products, I can go there even tomorrow.”

“Hmm.”

“But, since you want to know the name of the manufacturing company that is producing the twin screws for our machines, I will need some time to think about your offer. Lymondell Dyeon is under a certain contract with this manufacturing company. I’m sure that you can build the machine once you get the twin screws. I know that it’s not difficult work given the current technology in Korea.”

“We don’t have to tell anyone. I will say that I figured out about the twin-screw manufacturer myself.”

“Well, still it could become a problem. If you guarantee my terms with the factory in Chennai, I can give you the manufacturer’s phone number and also its president’s name. However, I can’t guarantee that they will sell their screws to Dyeon Korea or not. You will have to convince their president.”

“They are not selling the screws to Dyeon Korea, but they will sell them to GH Mobile.”

“That will make them feel better since they are selling their products to the third company that doesn’t have ‘Dyeon’ in its name. Give me time to think about it. Once I make my decision, I will send you the company’s phone number via email. That’s all I can do for you about it. It’s up to you how you use that information. You will have to contact them and negotiate with them to buy their screws, Mr. President Goo.”

“We will set up a nice factory in Chennai. I will make sure that all the production lines and a compound room perfectly be in place before your arrival there. You just need to come to work.”

“Sounds good. What we said in this room must stay strictly between you and me. No one should know about what we talked about today, especially Mr. Adam Castler.”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t bring Mr. Adam Castler’s interpreter for this trip.”

“That was the right move. Mr. Adam Castler is a loyal man, and I do trust him. I just don’t want to take any risk of leaking the secret.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“Lymondell Dyeon will have Mr. Adam Castler take the president position of Dyeon Korea unless there is an extraordinary event or something. Also, I’ve already recommended him for the position as well.”

“I will be more than happy if Mr. Adam Castler runs Dyeon Korea as its president from next year,” Gun-Ho replied.

Mr. Brandon Burke stood up from his seat as he extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“Again, what I said in this room today cannot go outside this room. You have to promise me that.”

“Likewise, Mr. Brandon Burke. I don’t want anyone to find out what I said to you in this room today.”

The two men had a firm handshake.

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Chapter 714 - Secret Affair in Seattle (3) – Part 1

Chapter 714: Secret Affair in Seattle (3) – Part 1

After Mr. Brandon Burke left Gun-Ho’s hotel room, Gun-Ho and Professor Han were still in the room.

Gun-Ho said to Professor Han, “Thank you for your help today. It was a fantastic interpretation work.”

“It was just interpretation work. What could be fantastic about it?”

“It was very natural and didn’t cut the conversation flow at all. It was very smooth overall. I do like your pronunciation as well.”

“I had fun too. The real business world is very interesting as I have always expected.”

“No, it’s not fun. Which part of what I just did is fun?”

“Well, it is fun for me.”

“I’m going back to Korea tomorrow. Well, let’s go outside and have a drink together.”

“There is a Chicken Valley downtown Seattle. Let’s go there.”

Gun-Ho and Professor Han went to the Chicken Valley and had chicken dishes with beer.

“Let’s have a toast,” Professor Han first suggested.

Gun-Ho replied, “Sure. For the lonely man in the Northwest of the U.S.!”

“Haha, well, I will toast for the great investor who fled from Korea!”

The two men clinked their glasses to each other’s and started gulping their beer.

After finishing his glass of beer, Professor Han asked, “I want to ask you something, President Goo.”

“Sure, what do you want to know?”

“You talked with Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke earlier about the capital increase without consideration by distributing the company shares to the shareholders including the minority shareholders.”

“Yes, I did. What about it?”

“Vice President Burke mentioned that it was done for your own profits. How could distributing the shares be your own benefit?”

“Let’s say that this company has 1 million shares in total, and 10% of them, which would be 100,000, are owned by 500 individuals, and the remaining 900,000 shares are owned by one major shareholder. And, the price per share is 10,000 won.”

“That makes the company’s capital 10 billion won.”

“That’s correct. 500 small shareholders own 1 billion won, and the major shareholder owns 9 billion won.”

“That’s right.”

“Say, this company goes public. Once it goes public, the appraised value of the company’s share will skyrocket. That’s because the stock value is determined based on the company’s projected future.”

“Of course the stock value will increase significantly.”

“The share price will go up from 10,000 won to 50,000 won. The major shareholder’s shares are now worth 45 billion won, and the small shareholders now own 5 billion won.”

“That sounds correct.”

“Say, this company made a profit of 10 billion won, and it didn’t distribute dividends, but instead, it decided to increase the capital without consideration using the profit. Since the stock value per share is 10,000 won, the major shareholder will receive 900,000 shares while the 500 small shareholders will receive 100,000 shares. Now, the major shareholder owns 1.8 million shares in total, and the other 500 shareholders own 200,000 shares in total.”

“That sounds right.”

“Say, this company successfully went public, but the price of each share increased by 4 times instead of 5 times as initially expected, because it has just too many shares. So, the price per share is 40,000 won, and the appraised value of the total shares that the major shareholder is holding is 72 billion won while the 500 small shareholders have 8 billion won.”

“Hmm.”

“What would the major shareholder choose? Would he prefer to take 72 billion won by increasing the capital without consideration using the company’s profit and then going public which would result in increasing the price of each share by 4 times? Or, would he prefer to receive the dividend of 900,000 won out of 10 billion won of profit first? After going public, the price of the share would increase by 5 times; so, he would take 54 billion won in total by adding 900,000 won that he received as dividend to his share value of 45 billion won?”

“72 billion won certainly sound better.”

“Right? 72 billion won is what a smart major shareholder would choose, right? Increasing the capital without consideration works favorably for the major shareholders at the end. The employees will be very happy to have an opportunity to get the company shares, but the major shareholders are gaining much more profits without the employee’s clear acknowledgment of what was really happening.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s why Mr. Brandon Burke doesn’t look so happy about it. He is in a powerful position in the company as its vice president, but he is not one of the major shareholders.”

“That’s why Mr. Burke said to you that ‘you are not distributing the shares to the employees because you cherish your workers that much, but because it will bring enormous income to you.’”

Professor Han nodded his head as he understood what Mr. Burke meant earlier.

“I have one more question for you if you don’t mind me asking. You talked about screws. I don’t know much about machines, but when Mr. Brandon Burke said that it would be your job convincing the manufacturing company’s president, what does he mean by convincing the president? What are you supposed to convince him with?”

“It’s money.”

“Money?”

“Say, the manufacturing company selling its machine to Lymondell Dyeon for 100 million won. What would he say if I offer him to buy the same machine for 150 million won? Would he be swayed by my offer or not?”

“He would very well be swayed.”

“I’m pretty sure that Lymondell Dyeon and the machine manufacturing company made a Machinery Delivery Agreement.”

“Hmm.”

“I believe that according to the agreement, the machine manufacturing company is not supposed to provide their products to Lymondell Dyeon’s competitor companies without Lymondell Dyeon’s explicit consent, or something like that. It’s an unfair agreement for the machine manufacturing company.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho continued, “However, when the manufacturing company’s president faces the opportunity to make 150 million won— not even 120 million won but 150 million won— instead of 100 million won, he would start thinking of breaching the contract that he made with Lymondell Dyeon.”

“You mean that he might sell their products under the table?”

“I heard that there is a saying in the U.S., ‘Money talks everything.’ It means that it’s money that talks, not a person nor good faith or whatever, but it’s money that talks.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s not me who would convince the machine manufacturing company’s president, but money will do the job.”

Professor Han nodded his head as he took a sip of his beer. And, he added, “I’m merely a scholar who is good at just theory.”

Gun-Ho came back to Korea from his trip to Seattle.

It was Monday, and Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

He first stopped by GH Mobile’s new factory— the factory no.2. Director Jong-Suk Park was not there, but one mid-level manager quickly came to Gun-Ho to greet him.

Gun-Ho asked him, “Are the machines installed completely?”

“Yes, sir. They are all in place now.”

“Director Jong-Suk Park is not coming to this location any longer?”

“He does stop by here sometimes, but I’m the one who stays here all day long.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho took a tour of the second factory, being led by the mid-level manager. He went to the area where injection molding work was being done, and the storage area where the completed products and semi-manufacturing products were piled up, and finally the testing area. When the workers spotted Gun-Ho in the production site, they tried to work harder while lowering their heads. The supervisors and team leads approached Gun-Ho to greet him.

“Do you see any difference while working in this location when you compare it with the previous production site?”

“There is no big change, sir.”

“How many workers are here now?”

“We currently have 100 workers in this location. I was told that all new hires will be located on this production site from now on. Mr. President Song announced it this morning during the executive meeting.”

“So, we have about 400 workers in the factory no. 1.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Is there anything that you would like to improve or suggest for this site?”

“We would love to have a company cafeteria here. It takes time for us to all move to the factory no.1 to have lunch every day, and it’s not convenient or efficient at all.”

“Did you tell Mr. President Song about it?”

“Yes, I made the suggestion to him this morning.”

“Okay then. Keep up the good work.”

“Yes, sir.”

The plant manager gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho before getting back to his work.

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Chapter 715 - Secret Affair in Seattle (3) – Part 2

Chapter 715: Secret Affair in Seattle (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho went to GH Mobile’s factory no. 1 to take a look around. Even though they sent 100 workers to the new location, the production site still looked packed with a lot of people. The place was concentrated with the workers and the machines.

When Gun-Ho walked to Director Park’s office, he was discussing something with the mid-level managers in his office. A product drawing was placed open on the table. Gun-Ho was thinking of calling him for a second, and then he decided against it. He then walked up to his office on the second floor.

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought mails to Gun-Ho’s office. There was one mail standing out among others. It was from Minister Jin-Woo Park. The sender’s address shown on the mail was an office on Yeouido Island. Minister Jin-Woo Park probably opened his own office there. Gun-Ho opened the mail.

“It’s the invitation to his book publication party.”

Gun-Ho opened the invitation card.

“Oh shoot, it’s tomorrow. I totally forgot about his publication party. I almost missed it.”

Gun-Ho leaned back on his sofa while having his tea. He then thought about it.

‘I will need to give some contribution to his publication party. How much money would be adequate? 100,000 won seems too little. It’s for Minister Jin-Woo Park, not for someone who is almost a stranger to me. But, if I contribute too much, people will think it is strange and start developing stupid ideas. Would 1 million won be proper?

No, no. 1 million won sounds inadequately high. I can buy 100 copies of his book with 1 million won. That’s too much. Maybe 500,000 won? Okay, 500,000 won sounds good.’

Gun-Ho called for the accounting director— Ms. Min-Hwa Kim.

“This is the invitation to Minister Jin-Woo Park’s book publication party. Please prepare an envelope for the contribution of 500,000 won. I want 10 clean 50,000 bills in it.”

“Yes, sir. I will make the copy of the invitation and will bring the original invitation back to you.”

“Okay, that’s fine. I understand that you will need the copy to put it in the record.”

After a moment, Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim brought an envelope with 500,000 won in it along with the original invitation card back to Gun-Ho.

“Is Mr. President Song in his office right now?”

“He was there a few minutes ago, but not right now. I can find him for you, sir.”

“That wouldn’t be necessary. Thank you.”

“If you don’t have anything else for me, I will get back to my work then, sir.”

The accounting director walked out of Gun-Ho’s office after giving him a bow.

Gun-Ho looked out the window. Several people, who were not wearing GH Mobile’s uniforms, were entering GH Mobile’s building through the front entrance. Gun-Ho called for Secretary Hee-Jeong Park.

“Who are those people?”

“We are still receiving the application for our job openings. Tomorrow is the last day. I guess they are here to apply for the job.”

“I thought we would take job applications via online.”

“That’s what we indicated in our job posting. We are open for the application online and also in person, and there are lots of people who prefer to apply for the job in person. I think that they want to see the company themselves as they apply for the job. Also, I believe that some of them want to make sure that the job posting is not from a staff company.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon.

The three executive officers, who recently came back from their trip abroad, came into Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho suggested, “Why don’t we all go to the meeting room? Also, ask the internal auditor and Manager Yoo to join us in the meeting room.”

“That is a good idea, sir.”

The executive officers gathered in the meeting room.

“This is not our formal meeting. I just want to hear about your trip for today. Did you all make the purchase and sales contract?”

“Yes, sir,” Director Yoon and Director Kim responded simultaneously.

“I will give you the report first, sir,” Director Kim said.

“I made the sales and purchase contract for the factory building located on the east side of Suzhou Industrial Park in China. The building is about ten years old, and I didn’t see any areas that require major repair.”

“Hmm.”

“Its land is 4,800 pyung large, and the total floor space is 2,600 pyung large. The property is transferable, but there is an expiration date for its term to use. Since it’s located inside the industrial park, the infrastructure is very good. The access to the factory, electricity and water system, and sewer system are all good. The electricity was cut off when I went there for the first time, but now the service has been restored. The price is 6 million won per month with a deposit of 200 million won.”

“Oh, is it a rental property?”

“We put 10 million won for now with the cash that Dingding was holding. According to Dingding, once we make the final payment for the factory building, she will move her office and storage to the new location after closing her current location.”

“Is that right?”

“I’m concerned about the monthly rent. We might have to expect to bear some loss on our first and second month there. However, the demand for our product will be high since our products will be manufactured by Dyeon China.”

“Hmm, you did a good work, Mr. Director Kim.”

Director Kim presented the photos of the factory in China inside and out using the PowerPoint set up in the meeting room.

“Whoa, it looks really good.”

The factory building looked very clean like a brand new factory. The people in the meeting room were impressed.

It was now Director Yoon’s turn.

“The factory that I found in India is located in the suburban area of Chennai Industrial Complex in Tamil Nadu. The land is 5,200 pyung large with a total floor space of 2,800 pyung. The factory building was constructed 12 years ago, and the previous occupant of the building didn’t seem to have done good maintenance work. We will need to make some repairs here and there.”

“Hmm.”

“The access to the factory is not bad; it has a good paved road. Its electricity system is fine, but the water system is not very agreeable. The seller agreed to reflect on the broken areas that require repairs to the selling price. We made the contract for 2.8 billion won. For now, we put 5 million Rupees to hold the property, using the company cash that Manager Jong-Geun Lee had.”

“Hmm.”

“We are purchasing the property, not renting it, so, we will have to file a report with the foreign exchange authority, especially because of the high amount.”

Gun-Ho asked, “How much do you expect that we have to spend to repair the entire factory?”

“I’m anticipating around 50 million Korean won. Its water tank is missing its lid, and it’s also corroded. We will need to replace it with a SMC (Sheet Molding Compound) water tank. After replacing it and installing the water pump, we will have good water pressure.”

“Who’s going to take charge of the repair work?”

“I think I’d better be there until the factory is ready to work with all the production lines in place.”

“Hmm, it’s going be another hard work for you, Mr. Director Yoon.”

“It’s okay. I don’t see anyone else who could do the job but me within Dyeon Korea anyway, sir.”

“If the repair work to get the factory building ready is a major work, we need a professional to be there to complete the work, and you are the expert in the area, Mr. Director Yoon. We need you there. Will we be able to find someone who can interpret for us with English or Hindi?”

“Surprisingly, there are several Korean international students who can speak the local languages— Hindi or Tamil.”

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Chapter 716 - H Group’s CEO Choi (1) – Part 1

Chapter 716: H Group’s CEO Choi (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho attended Minister Jin-Woo Park’s book publication party that day.

The large screen in the auditorium was showing the cover page of Minister Jin-Woo Park’s book. The auditorium room was filled with a lot of people who came to celebrate his book publishing.

“Oh, Mr. President Goo, you came.”

Gun-Ho turned around; a group of his classmates from the Advanced Center for Administrative Development were standing there. The congressman who was talkative was there. Also, Mr. Minister from another department came as well. Gun-Ho could see the commanding officer of three-star rank who had always been quietly sitting at his desk when they took classes together. Gun-Ho had a handshake with his classmates to show his delightedness to see them again. Gun-Ho met the district attorney general and also the police commissioner from his class at the party.

“Mr. President Goo, why don’t you come here and sit with me.”

It was CEO Park from A Group’s planning and coordination department; he came early and was sitting at a table. The news reporters and journalists were busy taking pictures and interviewing politicians mostly, and they were not interested in talking with any businessmen there.

CEO Park asked, “Have your company’s sales increased?”

“It’s still on the rise. We recently opened our second factory next door and increased our production capacity. We are more than ready to manufacture more products once we receive additional product orders.”

“Minister Jin-Woo’s Park’s book publication party today is his gesture, tossing his hat in the ring. Take a good look at it.”

“Is he getting into a political party?”

CEO Park nodded his head without saying anything.

At that moment, a tall gentleman with white hair tapped CEO Park’s shoulder from his back.

“Mr. CEO Park, you are here.”

“Oh, Mr. CEO Choi.”

Gun-Ho moved to the next seat offering his current seat which was next to CEO Park’s to the gentleman.

“Oh, thank you,” the CEO Choi person thanked Gun-Ho with an apologetic look on his face.

CEO Park said to CEO Choi, “Let me introduce him. This gentleman who just offered his seat for you is GH Mobile’s President. Mr. President Goo, this is H Group’s CEO Choi.”

The look in Gun-Ho’s face hardened when he heard that the man who joined his table was H Group’s CEO Choi.

‘H Group is… our new client company. We started providing them with our products very recently.’

Gun-Ho stood up quickly. He pulled out his business card and handed it to the CEO Choi person. CEO Choi also gave his business card to Gun-Ho. After receiving Gun-Ho’s business card, CEO Choi looked at it closely, and he said, “GH Mobile? It sounds very familiar.”

Gun-Ho smiled and said, “Our company recently started providing H Group with ignition cables.”

“Oh, really?”

CEO Park who was sitting next to him seemed to be surprised as well.

“Is GH Mobile H Group’s first vendor company?”

CEO Park asked as if he heard of it for the first time.

“Yes, we are,” Gun-Ho replied with a smile.

“Our manufacturing facility has recently received the five-star quality certificate from H Group.”

“Oh, really?”

At that moment, a moderator of the party informed that the publication party would begin soon. The three men had to stop their conversation and paid attention to what the moderator had to say. Gun-Ho didn’t really listen to the moderator, but he was thinking about it.

‘After this book publication party, should I beg H Group’s CEO Choi for increasing their product orders from GH Mobile? No, maybe I shouldn’t. I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable. It could appear rude. Maybe I should talk to CEO Park instead since he seems to be very close to CEO Choi. CEO Park could indirectly ask CEO Choi to give more work to GH Mobile.’

Gun-Ho was lost in thought for a moment, and then he woke up to the sound of people’s clapping. Everyone in the auditorium stood up and started clapping. Someone was entering the room. It was not Minister Jin-Woo Park, but it was someone younger than him. He looked about the same age as Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho later found out that it was A Group’s vice-chairman who was the son of the A Group’s chairman and also Minister Jin-Woo Park’s wife’s brother. The party was not held for him, so he just smiled and waved at the people and sat at his chair in the front row.

The moderator’s introduction of Minister Jin-Woo Park ensued, and Minister Jin-Woo Park came out to the front and started talking about his book.

“Our country’s economy is getting worse, and the subsequent polarization became noticeably severe. It has worried me deeply and caused me great concern.

I wanted to share this concern with our citizens through the book and wanted to suggest solutions and ways to break it through, so we could ease the social conflict and tension…”

While listening to Minister Jin-Woo Lee, Gun-Ho received an impression that Minister Jin-Woo Park truly worried about this country and people.

“He is definitely a politician.”

Gun-Ho wanted to converse more with CEO Choi and CEO Park, but he realized that this was not a good time or place to do so. After the book publication party, Gun-Ho gave his contribution to the reception and picked up a few copies of Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s book before leaving the party.

Gun-Ho came back to his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

“Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh, please get me a cup of coffee. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho opened Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s book while having his coffee. It was not a fun book to read; it contained a lot of cliché and information that he could easily find by simply searching the internet. After reading about ten pages of the book, Gun-Ho finally closed the book.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon from Antang City, China.

“It’s me, Jae-Sik Moon.”

“Oh, hi. How are you?”

“We started providing the intercity bus service to the new cities with the permit that they recently gave to us for the two bus lines.”

“I guess the sales must have increased, huh?”

“Yeah, but not a whole lot though. Since the two new cities that we are providing with the bus service are small cities, there are not many passengers.”

“What are those two new cities?”

“They are Liupanshui Shi and Hechi Shi. The golden line is the one to Guiyang City of course. If they allow us to run more busses to Guiyang City, we will make a fortune, but they are refusing to give us the permit. Two additional busses are going to Guiyang City, but they gave the permit for those two buses to the Antang City’s transportation company, not to our joint venture. Sons of b*tches!”

“Don’t get too emotional about it. I knew that they would do such a thing.”

“I was told that those two additional buses that are connecting to Guiyang City were initially meant for our joint venture, but since they haven’t received the second investment fund from Korea, they gave them to the Antang Transportation Company. They are provoking us.”

“Haha, really? How about the terminal construction? Are they continuously building it?”

“The first floor is done, and they are working on the floor right now. I stopped by there today. Tens of lady workers were rubbing the floor. I guess that they were polishing the floor.”

“Since it is a public building, its floor must be important. Thousands of people will walk on that floor on a daily basis.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“You must have already opened the deep-fried chicken restaurant by now. How is business?”

“We are making less with the deep-fried chicken restaurant than with our KFC, but its sales are steadily increasing. I see a lot of recurring customers, and that excites me.”

“Many new restaurants receive a lot of customers in the beginning as a newly opened restaurant, and later, they found themselves losing them all. Getting more and more customers as time goes by is better.”

“We are making about 6,000 Yuan per day.”

“Hmm, is that so? It’s about 1 million Korean won.”

“I did my math already with 6,000 Yuan. Even if it sounds not bad, we don’t produce enough profits with that amount. Soon-Young’s mom set her goal to 30,000 Yuan for the KFC and 20,000 Yuan for the deep-fried chicken as their daily sales.”

“It will be 50,000 Yuan per day in total then. It’s 8.5 million Korean won which is not bad at all.”

“Haha. Yeah, we will keep trying to achieve that goal.”

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Chapter 717 - H Group’s CEO Choi (1) – Part 2

Chapter 717: H Group’s CEO Choi (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked, “What about the pizza restaurant on the second floor? When are you going to open it?”

“We are working on its interior right now, and we are planning to open it this Friday. We had to receive training for that restaurant as well, and that delayed our opening a little bit.”

“You have a floor manager for each restaurant, right?”

“Yeah, they are all young female managers in their 20s. We pay them good, and they work hard and well.”

“Once the pizza restaurant is open on the second floor, you will feel less busy.”

“That’s what I’m expecting. Once our KFC was open to the public and also our Korean-style deep-fried restaurant that is serving beer came to this food alley, the area seems to become busier. I see more young people hanging around in this area.”

“Really?”

“Not just me, but several business owners in this area noticed the change and told me about it too. The owner of the copy place nearby and the old man, who is spending a lot of time sitting on a chair with his shirt off in the alley, told me.”

“It is a good change to have different colors in the area. The new population is coming into the area, and that’s a good sign for the business.”

Once he got off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim from Shanghai City in China.

“It’s Director Woon-Hak Sim, sir. You must have just gotten off the phone with someone. I kept calling you, and your phone line was busy until now.”

“Oh, I was talking with President Moon in Antang City, China. How are you?”

“I just had a meeting at Huanle Shiji Production Company for the movie production. We officially announced that we will make the movie, and a movie director has been appointed as well.”

“Are you taking the position of the movie director, Director Sim?”

“Yes, but Director Yan Wu will oversee the entire work since most of the staff and actors are Chinese people.”

“Isn’t Director Yan Wu currently working with producing the TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng?”

“That’s correct. He is directing the photography and the progress of the TV drama production. He is a very competent man for what he does.”

“What are you directing, Mr. Director Sim?”

“I will direct the entire making of the movie. We already finished organizing our production team as well.”

“Is that right?”

“We had our pre-production meeting with the entire staff, and we are also done with making the storyboard. Once we complete casting for actors and actresses, the pre-production stage will be completed. They will soon hold a movie production presentation to attract more investors. Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen said that he would soon send out the official letter about the presentation via email.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Most of the staff are from Huanle Shiji Production Company’s staff, and the film scenario is done, and even if we didn’t officially contact each staff member for the work, we already know who’s going to work with us.”

“You mean that after the movie production presentation for potential investors is done, and also after they cast actors and actresses, they will initiate the actual movie production stage, right?”

“That’s correct, sir. The production presentation for investors is not absolutely necessary since you will provide half of the production cost, Mr. President Goo. However, it seems like President Baogang Chen wants to have the presentation anyway for marketing purposes.”

“Marketing purposes?”

“President Baogang Chen is probably expecting to see news coverage saying that Korean investors are competitively participating in investing in this movie production with a lot of cash, or why Korea investors are showing a great interest in this particular movie production to make their investment? Something like that.”

“Haha, I see. Are you going to work with the same Chinese male actor who you worked with for the TV drama?”

“No, sir. We will cast another actor. That actor is a good-looking man, but he looks far from a spy type at all, so we determined that he is not an adequate actor who would successfully play our spy role in the movie.”

“I didn’t know that there are certain types of people who look like a spy.”

“Haha, I don’t think either in the real world, but since it’s a movie, we need someone who also looks like a spy to make the movie more convincing and believable to the viewers. The actor in Shiguang Ru Meng is not very masculine or manly. In my opinion, he is a good fit for a role in a love story only.”

“What about the lead female actor? Are you thinking of Lia?”

“For now, yes, I want to work with Lia again, but I haven’t officially talked with her agency—BM Entertainment—about it just yet. My concern is that they might ask for a high-performance pay this time.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“And, I will have to ask you for a favor again, sir.”

“What is it?”

“The attorney’s office contacted me about the deposit that I have to pay to the court. You know, it’s about my filing for general rehabilitation.”

“How much are they asking”

“They are asking for 8 million won, sir.”

“Hmm, you will need 8 million won then.”

“Ms. President Shin gave me 10 million won last time as my advance pay. After paying the attorney’s retainer fee, I still have 5 million won left. I think another 5 million won will do.”

“Okay, then I will have Ms. President Shin send you 5 million won.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“That money will be recorded as your pay in advance this time just like last time. I will talk to GH Media’s Ms. President Shin about it.”

“Thank you, sir. I will sign the paper for the advanced pay when I visit Korea next time; I will have to be present at the court when it asks every one of interest to attend.”

“That sounds good. We will send 5 million won to your personal bank account, Mr. Director Sim.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Director Sim, Gun-Ho made a call to GH Media’s Ms. President Shin.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir. It’s Jeong-Sook Shin speaking.”

“Please send 5 million won to Director Sim’s personal bank account in China. It’s an advanced pay for him. He will sign the paper when he visits Korea next time.”

“Again, sir?”

“Haha. It seems that he has his situation that requires money now. Please do so for him. You don’t have to worry about it. If he can’t repay the amount, I will take full responsibility.”

“Yes, sir. I will send it to him.”

“Also, Huanle Shiji Production Company will soon have a movie production presentation in Shanghai City, aiming for potential investors. You should attend the presentation, Ms. President Shin.”

“Me, sir?”

“You just need to be there, and you don’t have to do anything. Just have the meal that they’ll provide to you and remain seated while smiling.”

“Haha, really?”

“And, when they later give you an investment letter, sign on it before you fly back to Korea.”

“When do you want me to leave for Shanghai City?”

“They will send me the invitation letter via mail. I will let you know when I learn the exact date.”

“Okay, sir. I hope it is not this Saturday. I won’t be available that day.”

“Are you going somewhere this Saturday?”

“Someone in my family is getting married that day, and I have to be there.”

“I see. Well, I will make sure that they don’t hold the presentation this Saturday.”

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Chapter 718 - H Group’s CEO Choi (2) – Part 1

Chapter 718: H Group’s CEO Choi (2) – Part 1

It was mid-June.

Gun-Ho was checking his email in GH Development’s president’s office in the GH Building, Sinsa Town. He saw a new email sent by Lymondell Dyeon’s Vice President Brandon Burke. It was a two-day-old email.

“It came in two days ago, and now I see this email because I was too lazy to check my email every day.”

Gun-Ho clicked the email to open it. The email was written in English.

[There is a well-known moulding company in Seattle. They are manufacturing quality twin screws. Their office number is xxxx, and the name of the company is West Moulding Corp. Good luck to you.]

Gun-Ho replied to his email thanking him for the information. He then called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“This is the phone number of a company in Seattle. It manufactures machine parts like screws. I want you to make a call to this number, introduce yourself as you are calling from GH Mobile in Korea, and ask them the price for their twin screws.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, please find out their company address as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh dialed the number and spoke to them in English. She then covered the smartphone with her hand and said to Gun-Ho, “They are asking about the specification of the twin screws that we want. He is asking for some numbers that come after M, so he can recognize the specific twin-screw that we are looking for.”

“I’m not sure about the specification. Tell him that the screws will be used in a large extruding machine for compounding.”

After talking to the person over the phone, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh came back to Gun-Ho again and said, “He said that there are many types of twin screws that go into a large compounding extruding machine. He said the price varies in the range between 10,000 and 100,000 dollars.”

“That is enough. Ask him for the name of the owner or the person who is in charge of sales. And also, tell him that we will visit the company in the near future.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh spoke on the phone for a moment and wrote down something on the paper. It seemed that she was writing down the name of the salesperson and the company’s address. After getting off the phone, Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh showed a piece of paper to Gun-Ho with the information on it.

“This is their address and the name of the person who we can contact for purchasing their products. It could be hard to read because of my bad handwriting. I will type them in Word and bring it back to you, sir.”

“Sounds good.”

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. He was carrying the typed memo with the screw manufacturing company’s contact information. When he arrived at his office, Gun-Ho called for President Song.

“Dyeon Korea found a factory building in India and China. They made the purchase contract for those two locations.”

“I was informed about it, sir.”

“Once we make the final payment for the factories, we will have to install machines there.”

“How many machines do you think would be necessary?”

“I want those two factories overseas to be about the same size as our Dyeon Korea’s factory in Asan City. That’s why I wanted to find a factory that was sitting on land that is about 5,000 pyung large.”

“We will need at least eight machines in place in each factory then.”

“We will start with eight machines, and then we will later add another eight machines to have 16 machines in total just like Dyeon Korea.”

“It will cost a lot. Dyeon Korea’s extruding machines are not manufactured in Korea. I don’t think we can find those machines in that large size anywhere in Asia. Including Korea”

“You’re right. They are currently being manufactured only in the U.S. and Germany.”

“Moreover, a lot of equipment comes with the machine. We need all of that equipment in order to properly use the machine, so we will have to buy a machine as a package with all those attached equipment, and it will cost at least 500 million won per machine. If we buy 8 of them, it will cost us 4 billion won.”

“What if we build that machine ourselves? With our name—GH Mobile.”

“I beg your pardon, sir? Did you say that we might want to try to build the machine here at our factory?”

“Yes. We build those machines and sell them to Dyeon India and Dyeon Korea.”

“But, we are not equipped with the necessary engineers and technology to do it, sir.”

“I was told that if we can get the key parts—twin screws—it is possible that we can build the machines ourselves.”

“We just need to get those screws only? Hmm… I’m not sure if that’s possible, sir.”

“Let’s try it. We can outsource the manufacturing of each part, and we just assemble them here in our factory.”

Gun-Ho took out the memo from the inner pocket of his jacket and showed it to President Song.

“This is the contact information of the machine parts manufacturing company in the U.S. They are producing the twin screws that we need. You can see the name of the person in charge of sales as well as on the memo.”

“Hmm.”

“Why don’t you go on a trip to the U.S. This is a good opportunity to upgrade our technology. Take Director Jong-Suk Park and Dyeon Korea’s Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae as an interpreter, with you.”

“We don’t need to take Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae.”

“Who’s going to interpret for you then?”

“We have an employee in GH Mobile who speaks English fluently. We previously hired him in case we need an interpreter in dealing with Chrysler.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“He had previously lived in the U.S. for seven years. He speaks English very well.”

“Did he go to college in the states?”

“Yes, sir. Let me introduce him to you.”

President Song made a call to someone.

“Manager Seo? Is Assistant Manager Ji-Woong Kim in the office?”

“Yes, he is here, sir.”

“Please send him to President Goo’s office right now.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, a man who looked like he was in his early 30s came into Gun-Ho’s office. President Song said to the man, “Please meet President Goo.”

The Ji-Woong Kim person gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho. He saw Gun-Ho several times in the hall when passing by, but he hadn’t really met Gun-Ho in a close distance before. Assistant Ji-Woong Kim looked nervous in front of Gun-Ho, who was the owner president of the company that he was working for, and also, Gun-Ho was someone who was running several companies.

Gun-Ho smiled and said, “Mr. Assistant Ji-Woong Kim? I was told that you speak English very well.”

“Not fluently, sir, but I can communicate in English, sir.”

“Where did you go to college?”

“I went to college in Illinois, sir.”

“How many years have you stayed in the U.S.?”

“I’ve been there for seven years, sir.”

“Are your parents living in Cheonan City?”

“No, sir. They live in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul. They are staying in a studio.”

“Hmm, I see. You look like a very competent worker. I hope you enjoy working with us.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Assistant Manager Ji-Woong Kim gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho again before leaving the office. Gun-Ho said to President Song, “He looks like a humble person.”

“Yes, sir. He is polite and has a very good manner.”

“Okay, then, ask Assistant Manager Kim, who was just here, to contact this manufacturing company. Once you arrange the meeting with them, make a trip to the U.S. with Director Jong-Suk Park and Assistant Manager Kim. If we could build the machines and sell them to Dyeon companies for a price that is twice more than our actual production cost, GH Mobile will make money too.”

“That’s true…”

“I believe that we have several workers in the maintenance team. I think machines can be built by the maintenance team. If they need more labor, we will provide them.”

“Understood, sir. We will give it a try.”

“And, I’ve noticed last week that we are still in the process of hiring more workers. Is it done?”

“Yes, sir. We hired 50 new workers and placed them in a pertinent department.”

“Even though we have 50 more workers here, I don’t see much difference though.”

“Since we already had a lot of workers, having 50 more people won’t make any noticeable change, especially once we send them to each department. We now have 650 workers.”

“That’s a lot. So, those new 50 workers are working in our second factory, huh?”

“Right. Most of them are placed in the departments in that location.”

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Chapter 719 - H Group’s CEO Choi (2) – Part 2

Chapter 719: H Group’s CEO Choi (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked President Song, “Do you think we will need to open a cafeteria in the second factory building as well?”

“The idea of it came up during the meeting last time, and I’ve been thinking about it. And, now since we have 50 more workers in the second factory building, we hired a cooking lady to work in that location.”

“One cooking lady would be enough?”

“She just needs to prepare cooked rice and soup in the kitchen in the factory no. 2, and all other dishes will be cooked in the first factory’s kitchen and sent to the second factory. Once we have more than 200 workers working in the factory no. 2 in the future, we will hire one more cooking lady.”

“Hmm, that sounds good.”

“I will contact the screw manufacturing company in Seattle and find more about it, to prepare the trip there.”

President Song took the screw manufacturing company’s contact information that Gun-Ho gave to him before walking out of the office.

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Hee-Jeong Park to bring him a cup of Solomon’s tea. Gun-Ho leaned back on his sofa while having the tea. He was thinking of various things when his phone started ringing. It was CEO Park from A Group’s planning and coordination department.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“It’s me, CEO Park.”

“Hello, sir. I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to you at Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s book publication party the other day. How are you?”

“I left the party early that day too. There were just so many people, and I didn’t want to stay longer.”

“GH Mobile is currently providing high-quality products to A Electronics without any defective products.”

“I was told of it. It’s mid-June now. Before the weather gets warmer, would you like to have a round of golf with us?”

“Golf? Which country club do you have in mind?”

“Minister Jin-Woo Lee will play golf at Golden Bay this week. He will soon join the political party—Gongmyeong. Once he joins the party, he will be too busy to play golf. So, he wants to have his last round of golf this week.”

“Where is Golden Bay located?”

“You don’t know of Golden Bay? It’s a country club situated in Taean County in South Chungcheong Province. The club is operated by Hanwha Corporation. You can enjoy the ocean view of the west side while you play golf there. Because of the fantastic ocean view, they charge more than 200 million won for a membership fee. I believe that Taean County is in a close distance from Jiksan Town where your company is situated.”

Gun-Ho was not very interested in playing golf with them, especially if he had to drive all the way to Taean County. However, he couldn’t just say no to them. Minister Jin-Woo Lee was the one who had presided over his wedding, and CEO Park was one of GH Mobile’s major client companies. He had to join them for golf.

“Of course. I will be there with pleasure.”

“We will have a morning round, so you will have to come very early in the morning. Minister Jin-Woo Lee stays late at night these days going fishing and enjoying other activities. He will be staying in the Tuscan Village at Golden Bay Golf & Resort.”

Gun-Ho wanted to have some fresh air and went down to the production site to take a walk.

The maintenance department was one of the areas where Gun-Ho rarely visited. But that day, he stopped by the maintenance department’s office. The office was located in the corner of their workshop. There were lathes with various tools hanging on the wall at the maintenance workshop. Also, they had a metal shelf on one side, and all sorts of machine parts were stored there in an organized way. Gun-Ho could also see an oxyacetylene torch. On a metal table, a lot of pieces of machine parts were scattered.

There were two workers working there. One of them was the maintenance team’s team lead; he was writing something on the logbook.

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho entered the office while tying his hands together behind his back. The team lead quickly stood up from his seat when he saw Gun-Ho.

“Mr. Director is in the production site, sir.”

The team lead seemed to think that Gun-Ho was there to see Director Jong-Suk Park.

“I’m not here for him. What are you doing now?”

“The workbench motor is broken, and we were repairing it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The maintenance team’s duty was to keep the machines in the production site in a working condition. It was like mechanics’ work in an auto repair shop. Gun-Ho looked around their workshop. Jong-Suk used to spend a lot of time in a place like this.

‘Jong-Suk Park is now 36 years old. It has been ten years since he worked with machine maintenance.’

Jong-Suk Park had worked in the maintenance team of a factory since he was in Pocheon City and Yangju City. He obtained various skills certificates while working there. He had 7 skills certificates in total including for his welding skill.

Gun-Ho asked, “Mr. Team Lead, how old are you?”

“I’m 46 years old, sir.”

“How long have you been in the machine maintenance field?”

“I used to work as an auto mechanic before, and I joined the machine maintenance field later. It has been twelve years.”

“I believe that you have more work experience in this field than Director Park.”

“Mr. Director Park is younger than me, but I can’t compete with him in this field. He can spot the broken part of a machine by hearing the noise from the machine.”

“Is that right?”

“When we worked with the world-renowned engineer—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo—Director Park was his favorite colleague.”

“Oh, do you know Mr. Sakata Ikuzo?”

“Of course, sir. We all worked with him together for several months.”

“Hmm, I see.”

At the moment, the team lead’s smartphone started ringing, he then answered the phone. Gun-Ho could hear the person’s voice on the other line. It was Jong-Suk. He seemed to be in a hurry.

“Brother? Is the motor not ready yet?”

“It’s done.”

“You didn’t work on it but asked someone else to do the job, did you? The workers here are doing nothing but killing the time because they don’t have the motor.”

“Okay. I will bring the motor right away. I’m on my way. Someone is in our office right now. That’s why…”

“Who? Who is there?”

“Mr. President is here.”

“Mr. President? President Song?”

“No, Mr. President Goo is here.”

“Oh, Mr. President Goo is there? Okay, I will be there.”

Gun-Ho walked out of the maintenance department, and the team lead followed him out.

“You can go back to work.”

When Gun-Ho gestured to the maintenance team lead that he could go back to his workshop, the team lead went back to his worksite.

At that moment, Gun-Ho saw Jong-Suk Park running toward him.

“Bro, you are here.”

“It seems that you are doing a great job here.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Is that motor attached to the workbench often broken like that?”

“Yeah, it’s just old. That machine has been here from the Mulpasaneop era.”

“Don’t we need to buy a new one then?”

“We can’t buy it anywhere. That machine was built here in this factory.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“We just need to simply fix the motor at the maintenance department whenever it’s broken. They are just too slow doing it. Once it’s fixed, it will work for another year without any problems.”

“Hmm, really? I actually came here to talk to you about the twin screws thing. You said that you can build the machine that Dyeon Korea is using if you have the twin screws, right?”

“Yeah, I said that.”

“Then, build one. I want you to build Dyeon Korea’s machine with the people at the maintenance department.”

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Chapter 720 - H Group’s CEO Choi (3) – Part 1

Chapter 720: H Group’s CEO Choi (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was asking Director Jong-Suk Park to build machines for Dyeon Korea.

“I need the drawing and the main screws.”

“President Song will ask you to go on a trip to America with him to purchase those screws.”

“To the U.S.?”

“Yeah. Once you get there, enjoy your trip and learn things as much as you could while you are there.”

“To what company are we going, and where to?”

“You will have to hear from President Song about the trip. I’d better get going now.”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea that afternoon.

Director Yoon entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“I will have to stay in Chennai for about a month after we make the final payment for the factory there.”

“Is it because of the repair that we are going to make on the factory?”

“Yes, sir. There are several areas that require repairs. I will first hire a Korean international student who can speak Tamil when I get there.”

“Hire one local person too. We need at least one local worker anyway in order to run the factory, either a production worker or for the management.”

“It will cost us more to have a management worker. So, for now, I will find a production worker who would run some errands for us during our preparation stage. I talked with the people from the association for Korean residents there. According to them, there are many Indians in the area, who used to work in Korea and came back to India. I think we can hire someone from that group.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Also, we filed a report with the foreign exchange authority for the funds that we sent to India to purchase the factory. Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae took care of it.”

“Hmm, I see. If you stay in India, do we have to worry about things here during your absence?”

“It should be okay since the internal auditor will be here. The general affairs manager will handle the work in the department while I’m gone, and I made sure that he would contact Mr. Internal Auditor for anything out of ordinary and make a report to him.”

“That’s good.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim.

“We got a new client. It’s a Chinese auto manufacturing company.”

“That’s nice. It has been a while since the last time when you procured a new client, right? Did you make the deal yourself?”

“It’s hard to get a Chinese company as our new client. Dingding found this company by accident actually, while she was doing her sales activities. We were lucky.”

“Did you get their product drawing?”

“Yes, we did. We will try to make the mold ourselves here this time.”

“Are you sure? I can have GH Mobile’s research center help you with it.”

“Let me try it here first. If that doesn’t work, I will make a request for help.”

“How much do you expect to make per month with the new client company?”

“It will be about 100 million won per month.”

“That will add 1.2 billion won to the annual sales revenue, huh?”

“I suppose so.”

“Good job.”

“Dingding gave a notice to vacate her office in Pingqi Road.”

“It has already been one year since she occupied that office, huh?”

“It has been a little bit less than a year, but she is preparing to move her office to the new location— Dyeon China’s building in Suzhou Industrial Park. She will move there after the final payment for the building is made.”

“How much was she paying for the current office?”

“She paid the rent in a lump sum for the one-year period. It was 5.4 million won. It’s like paying about 450,000 won per month.”

“Since she is moving to a large factory building in Suzhou Industrial Park, I believe that she can have a large office. Director Kim took several pictures of the building when he went there last time, and their offices including the president’s office and the auditorium are huge and very well decorated.”

“Oh, they are? Dingding still worries about one thing. The machines will be installed in the factory, and since she doesn’t know much about machines, she will need to find someone who knows well about installing those machines. She is a bit scared of handling the process by herself since it’s a new area for her.”

“She doesn’t have a thing to worry about. Jong-Suk Park will be there and install the machines.”

“You are sending Jong-Suk here?”

“Yeah. You might not have noticed how much he grew professionally. He is an excellent engineer now. He received special training in the U.S., and he learned from the world-renowned engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo— directly when he worked with us before. I believe that you won’t find anyone who knows better than Jong-Suk about that particular machine.”

“Really? I will have to be very nice with him when he comes here.”

“Yeah, you’d better.”

“I will buy him a lot of drinks, and I’m sure that will work.”

“Haha. Do what you think you should do.”

“Also, Dingding needs to change the name of the sales company to Dyeon China.”

“I believe that she already started the process to change the company’s name.”

“Once she moves her office there, and the factory starts running, she will soon have more than 100 workers there. Dingding, well your wife will be the boss of those workers as the president of Dyeon China.”

“Haha, yeah.”

“Dingding’s sales company is selling about 100 tons per month, right?”

“Yeah, it’s about right.”

“She won’t need to buy the products from Dyeon Korea any more. She can still provide the same products to her current client companies with the products that will be produced in Dyeon China. She can then gradually grow the amount of sales. I want her to hire several sales workers as well. They will definitely help to increase the sales. It’s better that way than she does the sales work by herself.”

“Thank you for your advice and concern.”

“I thank you and Dingding.”

Gun-Ho went home after work. Gun-Ho’s father-in-law from Silim Town was sitting in the living room holding the baby. Gun-Ho greeted him first, “Father, you are here.”

“Yeah, I had to come. I missed my grandchild so much.”

“You are always welcome here. You are going to have dinner with us today, right?”

“Yes. Young-Eun and I were waiting for you to come home to have dinner together.”

Young-Eun seemed to be in a good mood, probably because his father was there with her.

“My dad will stay here overnight and leave tomorrow morning.”

“Really? That’s nice. He can have his drink while having dinner then, since he doesn’t have to drive tonight.”

“Actually, he didn’t bring his car today. He took the subway instead. He didn’t want to risk having the nasty sticker on his windshield like the last time.”

“I see. Well, I guess you can give him a ride to his home tomorrow then.”

“Today was a weird day. I got a visit from all of my parents including yours from Incheon.”

“My mom and dad came here today?”

“Yeah. They came and had lunch with me. Do you see the mobile hanging over Sang-Min’s crib? Your father bought it for him.”

“Really?”

“Our helper lady is very good with seniors. Whenever your parents or my father visit our home, she makes a very pleasant conversation with them.”

“I guess we’d better give her a tip or something to appreciate her kindness to our parents.”

“Speaking of which, I already bought her nice cosmetics.”

“That’s good.”

“Now, you go and wash your hands. Dinner is almost ready.”

Gun-Ho sat at the dining table. The table was set with more dishes than usual. Gun-Ho thought that Young-Eun put every possible dish that she could find at home on the table for her father.

“Father, please join us.”

Young-Eun’s father placed Sang-Min in the crib and sat at the dining table.

Since Gun-Ho knew well how much Young-Eun’s father loved liquor, he opened a bottle of Chinese liquor that Jae-Sik Moon brought to him last time he visited Korea.

“This is Baiju from Guizhou Province, China.”

“Guizhou Province? Isn’t it an inland area?”

“I have a business there too, and this was the present from the person who is working there. Please let me fill up your glass with it.”

Gun-Ho also had a few glasses of Baiju with his father-in-law that evening. He fell asleep early that night after dinner; he didn’t even watch the TV. Gun-Ho usually felt tired on those days when he had to go to work in two places— GH Mobile in Jiksan Town and Dyeon Korea in Asan City.

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Chapter 721 - : H Group’s CEO Choi (3) – Part 2

Chapter 721: H Group’s CEO Choi (3) – Part 2

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in the GH Building in Sinsa Town.

GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin came up to Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor.

“A Group’s marketing department contacted me and asked me to visit their office. Isn’t A Group one of your client companies, sir?”

“That’s right. Why do they want to see you?”

“They want to make their company’s history book, and they want us to make it for them.”

“Is that right? Those sorts of books are not for sales, right?”

“That’s correct. They are not making it to sell. However, it is expensive to make it. Usually, we use very high-quality papers and color inks. Also, they are usually thick books with a lot of pages.”

“Who is writing the history book of their company?”

“Probably their marketing department will write it. So, you are not aware of this work, sir?”

“No. I haven’t been told about it by anyone.”

“Actually, making a company’s history book is lucrative work to a book publishing company. We don’t have to worry about sales, and companies pay in a lump sum for the work.”

“Oh, really?”

“Well, I’d better leave to visit A Group’s marketing team now. I’m taking Chief Editor Cheon-Young Pi with me.”

After President Shin left the office, Gun-Ho thought about the new work that GH Media received from A Group.

‘Maybe CEO Park is having a hard time giving GH Mobile more work. So, he probably felt sorry for it, and he is trying to get me more work through other companies that I own. Asking GH Media to make a history book for A Group is so random. Even though President Shin said it would bring good income to GH Media, it won’t be enough.

If this is the maximum that CEO Park could help with my business, maybe I shouldn’t have started the deal with him by transferring GH Mobile’s shares to Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father— Mr. Beom-Sik Lee. I will play golf with him at Golden Bay this Saturday, and I will ask him about it.’

At that moment, his phone began ringing. It was from Director Woon-Hak Sim in Shanghai, China.

“It’s Director Woon-Hak Sim, sir.”

“How are you?”

“The movie production presentation to attract potential investors is scheduled on Tuesday next week.”

“I see. I will have GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin be there.”

“Thank you, sir. I will be at the airport with my car to pick her up.”

“Are casting actors completed?”

“We need more time to complete it. We are still negotiating the performance price with a few actors and actresses. Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen wants to make his determination on it after the movie production presentation; he wants to see how many investors would be willing to invest in his movie first.”

“I see.”

It was Friday evening.

While having dinner with Young-Eun, Gun-Ho said, “I was going to have a picnic with you and Sang-Min tomorrow, but it turned out that I would have to play golf instead. CEO Park contacted me and asked me to play golf, and Minister Jin-Woo Park will join us too.”

“How come does he always pick Saturday to hang out with you?”

“Yeah, I know. A Electronics’ CEO Park is an important client of my company. I can’t say no to him.”

“Where are you going to play golf?”

“He wants me to come to the country club called Golden Bay. It seems to be located in Taean County.”

“Taean County? You mean the Taean County in South Chungcheong Province? That’s far.”

“I know. We will have a morning round, so I will have to leave home very early in the morning tomorrow.”

“Make sure that you set the alarm clock.”

“Young-Eun, you should learn how to play golf too. Try Sportime in Yangjae Town.”

“I know that place. One of my friends mentioned it, and she wants me to join her there.”

“Are you talking about a friend who is working as a deputy director in a small hospital or something?”

“Well, this friend is my high school friend, not a college friend. She majored in diplomacy, not medical. We were not very close when we were in high school, but she often calls me lately. She is living in Banpo Town.”

“I think you should join her playing golf or other activities in Sportime.”

“I want to wait until Sang-Min grows more. By the way, I went to Seoul National University Hospital today.”

“For what? To see your friends there?”

“I had Sang-Min receive his regular physical exam there, and also stopped by the ward where I used to work. Sang-Min was so popular among the nurses there. They competed with each other to get the chance to hold Sang-Min. I’m not saying this because he is my baby, but Sang-Min is exceptionally cute.”

“Is that right?”

“I ran into the old colleague who had previously told me how come I was still driving my old SM5 even after I married a rich man. I told her that I’m now driving a new Genesis G80, and that my husband bought me the car right away when I told him about what she had told me.”

“What did she say?”

“She said that since I got the new car because of what she said, I should buy her lunch. So, I bought her lunch. Yeah… I ended up spending money again.”

“Did you spend a lot?”

“I bought three pizzas.”

“Haha, really? That shouldn’t cost you a lot at all.”

The following day, Gun-Ho arrived at Golden Bay Country Club in Taean County. When he saw the country club, he was impressed by its size and the ocean view. It was 700,000 pyung large with a lot of pine trees. The ria of the ocean on the west side unfolded in front of Gun-Ho. It was a kind of view that Gun-Ho had never expected to see in Korea.

“You came early.”

CEO Park from A Group’s planning and coordination department walked close to Gun-Ho as he extended his hand to him for a handshake. He was wearing a T-shirt with a hat.

“Hi. How are you, sir?”

Gun-Ho greeted showing his respect.

“It has been a while, Mr. President Goo.”

It was Minister Jin-Woo Lee. He came close to Gun-Ho as well. Minister Lee asked CEO Park, “What about CEO Choi? Isn’t he here yet?”

“He is coming over there.”

A tall man with a hat was walking toward Gun-Ho’s party. Surprisingly, it was H Group’s CEO Choi. He was not the owner of H Group, but he was definitely a powerful man there.

“Good to see you.”

Minister Jin-Woo Lee offered his hand to CEO Choi for a handshake.

“One of our members for golf couldn’t make it today, so I invited President Goo to join us. You’ve met President Goo before, haven’t you, Mr. CEO Choi?”

“Yes, we’ve met once.”

CEO Choi grinned as he extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake. Minister Jin-Woo Lee said while tying his hands together behind his back, “What do you think about this place? It’s your first time here, right, President Goo?”

“Yes, it’s my first time here. This place is stunning.”

“Right. We can see the ocean from here. I’ve been staying here since the day before yesterday. I went fishing too, and I caught two rockfish of the size of a forearm. Haha.”

A Group’s CEO Park said, “Since not everyone here is on the same level in playing golf, we should do stroke play rather than match play.”

“Sounds good. I’m currently unemployed, while you three are running a business. You take care of all the fees like the green fee, caddie fee, and cart fee.”

The game started. It was a beautiful sunny day with a pleasant breeze touching Gun-Ho’s cheek. Gun-Ho loved the ocean view from the place where he was standing on. It was a perfect angle.

“I’m feeling energetic with the fresh air in this nice place.”

“President Goo, do you know who designed this country club?”

“I have no idea.”

“Annika Sorenstam designed this herself. She is one of the best professional golfers in history.”

“Really?”

CEO Choi looked at CEO Park with a smile and said, “She could hit a 280-yard driver, huh?”

“I know. She is just an amazing golfer.”

“No wonder why people call her the queen of LPGA.”

“I heard that she played once with the Korean golfer— Se-Ri Pak.”

“Right, I heard of it too.”

The four men enjoyed the day playing golf without talking about business or politics that could give them a headache; they instead made agreeable small talks while playing golf.

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Chapter 722 - H Group’s CEO Choi (4) – Part 1

Chapter 722: H Group’s CEO Choi (4) – Part 1

For some reason, Gun-Ho played golf very well that day even though he couldn’t compete with those three other men who had been playing golf for years.

The three men made a birdie while Gun-Ho kept making a bogey. They eventually arrived at the fourth hole, and it was Gun-Ho’s turn.

“Be careful. There is a small pond there.”

Despite the warning, Gun-Ho overswung there letting the ball fall into the water hazard.

CEO Choi laughed and said, “I guess it will be President Goo who’s going to pay for our game fees.”

The four men sat at a table under the shade and had a beverage. H Group’s CEO Choi asked Gun-Ho, “How’s your business these days?”

“It’s going okay.”

Minister Jin-Woo Lee, who looked very comfortable and relaxing while having his beverage, looked at CEO Choi and said, “CEO Choi, give him some help in business.”

A Group’s CEO Park, who was sitting next to Minister Jin-Woo Lee, said to Minister Jin-Woo Lee, “H Group is currently a client company of one of President Goo’s companies.”

“Oh, really? That’s very nice. It’s good that I invited President Goo to join us in playing golf today. Is that why you are losing in golf right now, President Goo? Are you letting CEO Choi win on purpose to make him feel happy?”

The three men laughed out loud, and Gun-Ho said, “Not at all. I was wondering all morning if I’ve been just a distraction to you all because I’m a bad golf player.”

The four men continued to play golf and finally completed the 18 holes. Minister Jin-Woo Lee said as he wiped the sweat off his face, “Mr. CEO Choi, why don’t we have lunch here after we take a shower. They have a very good restaurant in the clubhouse.”

“Sure. It sounds good. I’ve been to this country club several times before. Their food is not bad at all.”

“It should because the food is prepared and provided by the food and beverage team from Hanhwa Hotel & Resort.”

The restaurant in the clubhouse was spacious. Since it was a weekday, there were not many people in the restaurant though. It was also past lunchtime as well.

The four men sat at a table and had lunch together. While having his food, CEO Choi asked, “Mr. Minister Lee, I heard that you are joining the political party— Gongmyeong.”

“Yes, everything is already arranged. Once I join the political party, it will draw me public attention, and it will be hard for me to enjoy golf with you all here any longer.”

“I will inform my chairman as it is then.”

“Thank you. How is the chairman doing by the way? He is well, right?”

“Yes, he is well.”

They stopped their conversation for a while and started eating.

Gun-Ho couldn’t bring up the topic on the table, which he wanted to ask about all along. He wanted to say that GH Mobile’s shares that were transferred to Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father— Mr. Beom-Sik Lee— were excessive given the fact that GH Mobile was not making enough money with A Electronics’ product order. He just couldn’t blurt the topic out of blue, and also since it was somewhat related to politics, he knew he had to be extra careful.

A Group’s CEO Park said, “I’m not sure how the political party— Gongmyeong— is doing financially.”

“They are not doing great,” Minister Jin-Woo Lee said.

A Group’s CEO Park said, “We will contribute 1 billion won to the party. I already have our chairman’s approval on it.”

H Group’s CEO Choi added, “I haven’t received our chairman’s approval yet, but we will send our contribution to your political party as well, probably about the same amount as A Group’s contribution. We will get the receipt for the contribution, so we can get tax benefits for it anyway. It could become an issue among the opposing political party if it’s publicly known though.”

Gun-Ho thought about it for a second.

‘If I can get a tax benefit for the contribution that I make to the political party, maybe I should make the contribution too. I know that a businessman shouldn’t have a close or distant relationship with politicians, but this is probably the chance to make my “investment” in politics to gain a bigger profit later.’

Gun-Ho then declared, “My company is a small company with the annual sales revenue of 100 billion won, but since we can get the tax benefit, our company will send our contribution to support your political party as well, Mr. Minister Lee.”

“Haha, it’s okay, President Goo. You don’t have to do that.”

“I insist, sir. You presided over my wedding, and we took classes together at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University, Mr. Minister Lee. I’ve always and truly wanted you to succeed. Please accept my contribution of 100 million won.”

“100 million won?”

The other three men looked genuinely surprised.

Minister Lee laughed loudly and said to CEO Choi, “I guess you should give good care to President Goo for me as you do to your little brother, CEO Choi. Since your company is already doing a business with his, please be good.”

“Okay, I will. Haha.”

CEO Park said while having his vegetable salad, “As to the timing of the contribution, we will send it around 15 days after you join the political party.”

By then, Gun-Ho realized that this golf meeting was intentionally arranged by CEO Park. He was the man who was leading the A Group’s planning and coordination department. A Group was one of the hardest companies to get a job in. They required a personality test to all job applicants who already passed their first screening process with their education degree which was above bachelor’s degree. Once they passed the personality test, they would be invited for an interview for the third screening process. The competition to be hired by A Group was over 100:1. And their number of current employees must be more than tens of thousands. CEO Park was in the leading position among those smart and competitive people. He must be a remarkably smart man.

‘I’m sure that CEO Park set up this golf meeting with purposes. In order to maintain his powerful position within A Group, he has to keep a good relationship with A Group’s owner family. In order to do that, he brought H Group’s CEO here and led him to make a contribution to A Group’s son-in-law’s political party. Additionally, he brought me in this too. I guess I can expect that GH Mobile’s sales will increase soon because of H Group’s help.’

Once they determined how they were going to make their contribution to Minister Lee’s political party, they dropped that topic, and they no longer talked about politics that day. They were all very experienced men who could read each other’s minds by making a short conversation. After they learned what they wanted to know skillfully, they simply moved on.

Minister Jin-Woo Lee looked at Gun-Ho and said, “Eat more, President Goo.”

“Yes. I’m having enough food now.”

CEO Choi was smiling while having his beer. Gun-Ho glanced at H Group’s CEO Choi and thought, ‘This man knows how to put on a poker face, and he is doing it perfectly. No wonder why he is the CEO of an enormous company like H Group.’

Gun-Ho came back home after playing golf with the three men. Since it was Saturday, the traffic was congested, and he could arrive home in the evening. Minister Jin-Woo Lee and CEO Park stayed in Tuscan Village of the country club. They said that they would spend the night there and would leave for Seoul early in the next morning so they could avoid the heavy traffic.

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in Jiksan Town and Asan City, but he didn’t. Instead, he made a call to the branch manager of the stock brokerage company where he was holding his account with 170 billion won in it.

“This is the branch manager in Gangnam District location.”

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, hi, Mr. President Goo. It has been a while, sir.”

“Are you busy today? Do you have time to have lunch with me?”

Gun-Ho was a big player in the Gangnam District area, and a stock brokerage company’s branch manager was practically in no position to say no to him.

“Of course, sir. I always have time for you. Where do you want me to come?”

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Chapter 723 - H Group’s CEO Choi (4) – Part 2

Chapter 723: H Group’s CEO Choi (4) – Part 2

Gun-Ho said to the stock brokerage company’s branch manager, “I’m in Sinsa Town right now, and you are in Yeoksam Town. We can meet halfway between the two towns.”

“What about we meet at the Japanese restaurant— Hanazono— in Ritz-Carlton Hotel next to Sinnonhyeon Station?”

“Hanazono?”

“Yes, sir. It’s a decent Japanese restaurant. It provides a great calming atmosphere. The place is quiet and adequate to have a conversation. The restaurant is located on the third floor of Ritz-Carlton Hotel. I will make a reservation for our lunch today.”

“Sounds good.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, the branch manager was already there waiting for Gun-Ho. He was sitting in a room that was overlooking a small Japanese-style garden. He quickly stood up from his seat when he saw Gun-Ho coming in.

“This hotel has a very nice garden inside the hotel.”

“Yes, sir. It adds a serene vibe to the restaurant.”

The branch manager ordered food for them. The course meal that he picked for Gun-Ho and himself was one of the most expensive meals in the restaurant. Maybe the branch manager thought that he should pick luxurious food because he was having lunch with the big player in Gangnam District. Various dishes including sashimi came out one by one, and the two men were taking enough time enjoying the food with sake.

“How’s the stock market these days? I have been away from the stock market lately, and I’m not sure how it’s doing.”

“It’s not very good, sir. Many big players like you— Mr. President Goo— moved to safer investment options such as bonds, and that resulted in the stock market’s depression.”

“Hmm, really? How do stock brokerage companies make money these days then?”

“We are not doing well at all.”

Gun-Ho didn’t say anything and continued to have his raw fish.

“Umm, sir. Does your GH Mobile have a plan to go public anytime soon?”

“No, we won’t. We don’t see any reasons to raise any funds for it.”

“Once your company goes public, the value of your assets will skyrocket. I don’t understand why you don’t want it.”

“Once the company goes public, we will soon have tons of small shareholders, and they will start talking about which direction the company should go and things like that, and I don’t think I would enjoy hearing that.”

“If I remember correctly, sir, your company has the sales revenue of almost 100 billion won, right?”

“It generated 110 billion won last year, and we are anticipating making 150 billion won this year.”

“150 billion won? The net income after tax must be around 10 billion won then.”

“That’s correct, and I’m content with it. I have no reason to have the company go public.”

The branch manager couldn’t read Gun-Ho’s intention of why he wanted to see him that day.

‘So, he is not here to discuss his company going public. Does he want to start investing in the stock market again? Well, probably not. He has a huge amount of money, and people with that much money usually don’t make a high-risk investment.

What does he want with me then? Is he going to withdraw his money from his account with us? That shouldn’t happen. If I lose him— one of the big players in Gangnam— I might be kicked out of this branch location and assigned to a small suburban city.’

Gun-Ho said after sipping his sake, “I have a joint venture company in Asan City, South Chungcheong Province. It’s a joint venture with the American company— Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Oh, I see. I’ve only been to your GH Mobile factory, so I didn’t know you have another business, sir.”

“I want to register this company with KOSDAQ.”

“Huh? Your joint venture, sir?”

“That’s right. We need a stock brokerage company that will help us register with KOSDAQ.”

The branch manager saw the opportunity and sat closer to Gun-Ho.

“What’s the joint venture’s yearly sales revenue, sir?”

“It made 53.8 billion won last year, and we are aiming at 100 billion won this year.”

“Oh, is that right? The size of the company is very good. When was it established?”

“It has been a bit less than two years.”

“Well, then you should wait a little bit more before it could go public. A company can go public three years after it is formed.”

Gun-Ho said as he placed his glass of sake on the table, “That company recently received the certificate being recognized as a startup company with technology.”

“Oh, it has officially been recognized as a startup company with technology?”

The branch manager sat closer to Gun-Ho again and said, “Then we can apply for it to register with KOSDAQ.”

“That’s what I was told.”

“How much debt does the company have now? And, you said that its last year’s sales revenue was 52.8 billion won. What about its net profit?”

“Since it’s a joint venture company, we have no debt. It made a profit of 9 billion won last year, and we reinvested that amount to the company.”

“Mr. President Goo, we will definitely help you to register your company with KOSDAQ. Let us do the work for you. Let’s make the contract for it.”

“If the joint venture makes the contract with your stock brokerage firm, so your company handles the KOSDAQ registration process for us, what would be the first step that you do?”

“We first register the company with the Financial Supervisor Service, and then we start analyzing the company’s marketable securities.”

“Analyzing the company’s marketable securities?”

“Our stock brokerage company needs to make an evaluation of our client company’s value. Once we apply for the company to go public, the KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association will perform the same evaluation process anyway during their preliminary examination stage, so we do this in advance to be prepared. The evaluation is basically conducted to see whether the applicant company is ready to go public or not.”

“Hmm.”

“They will review the company’s marketability, profitability, its financial status, technology, the transparency of management, etc.”

“It’s June now. If we wait for six more months from now, we will have this year’s financial statements. What if we do it then? I’m sure that our sales revenue will increase dramatically this year.”

“If you are confident, that’s a good idea too. However, I recommend that you make a contract with us to handle the process now. We can later determine which company you want to register with KOSDAQ since many companies let their subsidiary company go public first.”

“Well, then when you have time, please visit us in Asan City. I will show you around and introduce you to my people there.”

“Sounds great, sir. I guess GH Mobile invested in the joint venture, right?”

“That’s correct. GH Mobile and the American company invested 50:50, and the joint venture’s name is Dyeon Korea.”

“That means that it has only two shareholders— GH Mobile and Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you this. We recently distributed some of the company shares to our employees. So, 10% of the company is owned by 500 individuals as minority shareholders.”

“We can then skip the process of recruiting potential small shareholders for the company stock dispersion. You have the list of the shareholders, don’t you? The list must be thick enough to make a book since you had to list the information of the 500 individual minority shareholders.”

“We do have the list, of course.”

“How many shares have been issued so far?”

“We currently have 1.9 million won shares, and it’s 10,000 won per share.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

Gun-Ho asked, “Once we apply for registering with KOSDAQ, how long will it take to actually go public?”

“Usually, it takes about four months, sir.”

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Chapter 724 - Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 724: Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho came back to his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town after enjoying delicious food with a little bit of liquor at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

When he was having his afternoon coffee while relaxing in his office, that Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh had brought to him earlier, GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin entered his office.

“I’m leaving for Shanghai City tomorrow, sir. You said that all I need to do there is to sign the paper, right?”

“Yes, you just need to sign the investment letter of intent. If a news reporter asks you why you made this investment decision, just tell him or her that you are fond of the movie scenario. The amount that I promised them to invest in their movie production is 5 million dollars. It’s approximately a bit more than 5 billion Korean won.”

“I think I was told of it.”

“If the investment letter of intent that they would give you to sign indicates the amount of our investment more than the amount promised, do not sign it.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho added, “According to Director Sim, the movie scenario is not bad at all.”

“I haven’t had a chance to read the scenario yet, but I did read their synopsis. Haha.”

“That’s good enough. I was told that it was written by a famous screenwriter in China—Ailing Feng. It seems that Director Sim modified it a little bit.”

“I heard about it too. When you actually send the investment fund of 5 million dollars, you will make the investment under the name of GH Media, right, sir?”

“Of course. All the incoming and outgoing funds related to it will be recorded as part of GH Media’s accounting.”

“Understood, sir. Well, I will try to enjoy my trip.”

After President Shin left the office, Gun-Ho took a short nap.

“Because of the sake that I had with my lunch earlier, I feel so sleepy.”

Gun-Ho walked to his desk after drinking a bottle of water and turned on his computer to surf the internet at his desk. At the moment, he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“It’s me. Are you in the office right now?”

“Yeah, I’m in GH Building.”

“Okay, then. I have a few things to make a report to you.”

“You don’t have to be that formal with me by saying that you are reporting to me. Just say that you will be telling me things that are going on your side.”

“The joint venture is going okay. They are continuously constructing the terminal building, and now they are working on the second floor.”

“Is that right?”

“But they are still giving me an empty threat though. They once told me that they are currently contacting a company in Hong Kong as their new partner since we are not sending the second investment funds to them.”

“Let them do it. Whenever they talk about the second investment funds, just keep telling them that they have to change the ownership of the land to the joint venture as promised.”

“Yeah, I’m doing it.”

The phone connection seemed to be not very stable. It sounded like it was disconnected for a second, and Gun-Ho could hear Jae-Sik’s voice again.

“And, we finally opened the pizza restaurant.”

“Really?”

“A lot of elementary schoolers are coming with their dads and moms.”

“Yeah, I understand how their parents would feel. If your kid wants to eat a pizza, you should buy it for them, right? Especially in China, most of them have only one child because of the government policy in the past, so their child must be so precious that they would spoil them.”

“We are now making about 7,000 to 8,000 Yuan per day.”

“Hmm, I see. The area was depressing before we opened the KFC and the pizza restaurant. Now, the area will become popular and will get more traffic.”

“When I ask a taxi driver to go to Huaxi Road, many of them don’t know where it is, but when I ask them to go to the KFC on Huaxi Road, most of them know the place.”

“It became a landmark, huh?”

“So, now, we are making 33,000 Yuan on a daily basis if we combine the sales revenues of the three restaurants altogether.”

“How many workers did you hire?”

“About 30 people. It only costs us around 12 million Korean won for the entire labor.

“Really?”

“There is an office space on the fourth floor in the same building as our KFC. It just came out to the market for lease. It’s 20 pyung large. I’m thinking of taking that space as well.”

“Yeah, I think it’s a good idea. You probably need an office to manage all of the three restaurants there. You need a place to take care of paperwork like accounting.”

“Once we get the office space, Soon-Young’s mom wants to do the management work of the three restaurants in the office and also do some business through the internet as well.”

“Business through the internet?”

“Yeah. She wants to sell some Korean products online. She is planning to limit the service in the Guizhou Province area though.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Guizhou Province is around 170,000 km2. It’s a lot larger than the entire South Korea.”

“Yeah, it sounds like it since South Korea is only about 100,000 km2. What about the population?”

“They have about 35 million people. It’s less than the population in South Korea, but it has more people than North Korea.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“So, she wants to use the office here as the main office of all of her business going on. She will sell Korean baby formulas, face masks, beverages, clothes, and stuff like that all over the Guizhou Province. It’s not going to be her personal business, but she’s going to do it with the name of GH Food Co., Ltd.”

“I like her idea of the business, but will she have enough time to do it since she has to manage the three restaurants there?”

“She is thinking about bringing her brother here.”

“Her brother?”

“Yeah, my wife has a brother who doesn’t really have any special skills to work with as a professional. He works part-time sometimes and stays unemployed sometimes, so she wants to work with him.”

“We have to pay him, right?”

“Of course, we will.”

“Well, do what you think is good. I’m not in a position to give a direction about how to run the business in China.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘They want to sell Korean products to the residents in Guizhou Province only? I hope the business succeeds. Anyway, it’s really nice that those three restaurants are doing well. Their annual sales revenue will be substantial, I guess.’

It was Thursday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. President Song, Director Jong-Suk Park, and Assistant Manager Ji-Woong Kim were not there, but they already left for the U.S for the business trip.

Gun-Ho called for Manager Chang-Hoon Seo in the sales department.

“Can you tell me about our current clients, and how much percentage they take up in our sales?”

“A Electronics is taking up 30% of our total sales, and H Group and S Group are our second major clients equally as they take up 15% for each. Egnopak and Mandong Company are 10%, and the other companies take the remaining 20%.”

“I see some changes from early last year.”

“That’s right, sir. Early last year, the volume of product orders from A Electronics and H Group was not significant, and it has increased substantially.”

“What’s our monthly sales revenue then?”

“We exceeded 13 billion won last month.”

“We can then safely anticipate making 150 billion won this year.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“Are we getting any claims filed for defective products by our client companies?”

“No, we haven’t seen any claims lately. I believe that the research center is the biggest contributor to it. Their testing function has improved a lot. Also, our production workers’ proficiency has been enhanced substantially as well.”

“You used to work in the general affairs department, and you have been promoted to a manager position as you were sent to the sales department. How do you like your current work in the sales department?”

“I like the work in the sales department better. I think I do have an aptitude for it, sir.”

“Mr. President Song told me that you are a hard worker, and he is relying on you. Keep up the good work.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 725 - Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 725: Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (1) – Part 2

After Manager Seo from the sales department left the office, Gun-Ho called for Director Chang-Ik Pyo from the product quality department, who was promoted this year.

“You did a great job in getting us the five-star quality certificate from Hyundai. I was told that you played a critical role there.”

“It was the result of our team effort, sir.”

“I was told that only 10% of the first vendor companies of Hyundai and Kia Auto—there are about 300 of them—obtained this five-star quality certificate.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“The certificate that we obtained this time is the quality certificate. We will have to work harder to obtain the certificate for technology and delivery as well, so we could finally receive the grand five-star certificate.”

“Yes, sir. We will need help from the research center, the production department, and also the sales department to do so.”

“Once we obtain the grand five-star certificate, we might be able to participate in their development of a new model of a car. This is a project for you. I want you to take charge of it, and get us the grand five-star certificate. I will talk to President Song when he comes back from his trip that we need cooperation from other departments to achieve the goal.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hyundai and Kia are moving toward modularization in their manufacturing environment. We want to continue to work with them, and in order to do so, we need to aggressively accept their change and movement and then carry it out.”

“I will keep that in mind, sir.”

“If we have a chance, I want you to take a tour of other large companies overseas and learn their product quality system.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho went down to the production site.

Even though Director Park was not there, the production site was working vigorously. The plant manager quickly came to Gun-Ho when he saw him, to greet him.

“The production site has been divided into two in managing, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, sir. The first production site focuses on extrusion and molding while the second production site primarily handles assembly work.”

“Hmm, I see.”

At the moment, the plant manager from the second production site joined them. When Gun-Ho was walking around the first and second production sites, he received a call from the Gangnam branch manager of the stock brokerage firm.

“I’d like to visit your company in Asan City today, sir. Are you available today?”

“I’m in Jiksan Town right now, but I will be in Asan City this afternoon. I will see you then.”

“Yes, sir. I will be there in the afternoon then.”

“Do you know how to get there?”

“I can use the GPS navigator.”

Gun-Ho was in the second production site.

The second production site included a storage for the completed products and semi-manufactured products that made the site look complex. The manager there ran toward Gun-Ho when he spotted him.

“We have products piled up in this location. We have to be extra careful with fire accidents.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We have a lot of production workers who are smoking, haven’t we?”

“Half of our male workers do smoke, sir. But, many of them smoke electronic cigarettes these days.”

“For our weekly electricity inspection, are we getting the service outside our company?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“You need to keep up with the inspection date of the powder fire extinguishers and shake them from time to time, so they don’t get hardened.”

“We are doing it, sir.”

“Hmm, okay. Keep up the good work.”

Gun-Ho tapped the manager’s shoulder. While tapping his shoulder, Gun-Ho looked at his face. The manager looked about the same age as him.

‘Yeah, people about my age are in the manager position in a company. I wonder if Won-Chul Jo is now a manager; he is working for a large company. If I remember correctly, he was an assistant manager last time I saw him during the gathering.

By the way, how come they don’t get together anymore? If Won-Chul Jo or Byeong-Chul Hwang don’t call for our regular gathering, maybe I should do it. But, since Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon are in China, I have no one who can do the actual job for the gathering. Should I give a call to Min-Ho Kang who is working for a civic organization? He can make a call to each of our high school friends and reserve a restaurant for me.’

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea in Asan City that afternoon. The internal auditor entered Gun-Ho’s office to give a report.

“Director Kim is out of the office right now. He is meeting with a client. Director Yoon is also out of his office but on a business trip to India.”

“I was informed of it.”

Gun-Ho made an international call to Director Yoon in India.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, sir. How are you?”

“How’s the trip? Are you doing well?”

“Yes, sir, I’m fine. I hired a Korean international student part-time right after I arrived here. He can speak Tamil. Also, I hired a local production worker who can speak a little bit of Korean.”

“Did you make the final payment for the factory?”

“Yes, we did, sir. We’ve already started repairing the factory. I think it will be done earlier than I thought. I guess I don’t have to stay here for a full month.”

“Is that right? Well, when the repair is almost done, just let me know, so we can ship the machines from here.”

“Yes, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Director Yoon in India, Gun-Ho looked at the internal auditor and said with a smile, “Director Yoon is doing fine there.”

The internal auditor smiled and said, “Director Yoon is truly an expert in the construction field even though he is not very good in other fields just like me.”

“Is that so?”

“GH Mobile’s President Song and Director Kim here are very knowledgeable and skillful in various fields but Director Yoon and I aren’t.”

“Haha. Everyone has their own way to handle things. I do heavily rely on you and Director Yoon in your area of expertise.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho took a sip of his water before continuing.

“Um, we will have a guest today. He is the branch manager of a brokerage company. You will be here, right?”

“Yes, sir. I will be in the office.”

“I want to introduce him to you and Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo. I will let you know when he gets here.”

“Yes, sir. Is that about the registration with KOSDAQ? Are you going to let them handle the work?”

“I haven’t made my final decision yet, but that’s what I’m thinking about. I want you to talk with him and give me some advice.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho felt bored in his office while waiting for the branch manager.

“Maybe I should call Min-Ho Kang.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Ho Kang.

“Min-Ho Kang? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, President Goo, it has been a while. To what do I owe the pleasure of the call?”

“Aren’t we getting together these days?”

“I don’t know. Won-Chul Jo had even made some sort of club or something to get together frequently, but I haven’t heard from him for a while. I guess that he is not in the mood to meet with friends to have fun.”

“Why is he feeling that way?”

“The last time I talked with him, he failed to promote within his company. He called himself an ‘assistant manager for 10,000 years.’”

“He will be promoted when his time comes. I guess it’s very competitive to get promoted, huh?”

“L Group has been in the business for a long time, and they have tons of people who are waiting for their promotions. Do you know anyone in the executive level inside L Group? I could see a lot of people from the level on your wedding day.”

“I don’t know anyone in L Group particularly. Even if I do, I don’t ask them for a personal favor because I find it rude.”

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Chapter 726 - Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 726: Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho suggested that they should get together anytime soon.

“Hey, Min-Ho Kang, we will soon turn 40 years old. I know that we are all busy with our work and life, but we should meet sometime before forgetting each other’s faces.”

“You’re right. It was Won-Chul who suggested in the first place that we make a club and meet regularly; he even named it as WestFacing Club, but we haven’t had any gatherings ever since.”

“I guess he is very busy. Why don’t you call our high school friends for our next meeting? You don’t need to collect membership fees this time; I will pay for it. We can have dinner and also drinks afterward.”

“Really? Do you have any place in mind?”

“Well, the Korean food restaurant in the Gangnam Station area—BackHwa—where we had our gathering last time is good. Or, you can pick any place if you know any good ones.”

“Okay. I will start making calls to the friends and arrange the gathering and will let you know.”

After getting off the phone with Min-Ho Kang, Gun-Ho had his tea. At the moment, the stock brokerage company’s branch manager arrived at his office.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Wow, the factory is amazing. It’s a brand new building, isn’t it? There are so many workers working here too. It seems that you have a research center here as well, right? I saw the sign at the front entrance.”

“You’re right. We do have an in-house research center.”

“How many employees do you have?”

“We currently have about 150 workers.”

“You said that the company generated around 50 billion won last year, did you?”

“It’s 52.8 billion won to be exact. Our net earnings are 9 billion won.”

“The profit rate is awfully high for a manufacturing company.”

“It’s because we have no debt.”

“Can I take a look at last year’s financial statements?”

Gun-Ho made a call to the internal auditor.

“We have a guest from the stock brokerage company here. Can you come to my office now? Also, please bring our last year’s financial statements.”

“Yes, sir. I will be there right away with Accounting Manager Jo.”

Gun-Ho said as he placed his smartphone back to the table, “Our internal auditor and accounting manager will be here soon.”

“Did you say an internal auditor? Your company has an internal auditor, sir?”

“Haha. We are not a public company, but we do have someone in a position called an internal auditor. He handles the financial affairs of our company. We just call him Mr. Internal Auditor for convenience reasons.”

“Oh, I see.”

The internal auditor and the accounting manager—Ms. Myeong-Sook Jo—came into Gun-Ho’s office. Manager Jo was carrying last year’s year-end financial report.

“Let me introduce this gentleman here. This is the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm in Gangnam District. This is Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor and accounting manager.”

The branch manager stood up from his seat. They greeted each other as they exchanged their business cards.

“Please have a seat.”

As Gun-Ho asked them to have a seat, the three people sat at the table.

“So, that is last year’s year-end financial report? Let me see.”

Manager Myeong-Sook Jo handed the folder that she was carrying to the branch manager. It was made by the Anchang Accountant Office. The branch manager opened the folder and closely looked at the financial statements.

“I don’t see any non-operating expenses. So, the company doesn’t have any debt as you mentioned earlier.”

“That’s right.”

The internal auditor replied.

“The cost of goods sold looks very fine for a manufacturing company. You have a profit margin of 30% which is really good too.”

“We spend less on our labor cost in manufacturing products than many other manufacturing companies because we use extruding machines that produce our products.”

“How are you currently doing with sales?”

“The sales have increased by 30% compared to the ones last year. We are anticipating more increase during the second half of the year.”

“Really? That’s impressive. I don’t mean to bother you, but can you show me the total trial balance for the period from January to May this year?”

“Sure.”

Accounting Manager Jo replied as she stood up from her seat.

“Can you also bring the list of the shareholders as well? I would like to take a look at a copy of corporate registration if you have one already issued.”

“No problem.”

The branch manager smiled and said to Gun-Ho, “You mentioned earlier to me that you are establishing a manufacturing facility in China and India, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I think I did.”

“In order to have the company go public, you need to make a request to the KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association for their preliminary examination as you get into the application stage. As Mr. Internal Auditor in front of me should know well, the price of the initial public offering is basically determined by the estimated demand from institutional investors for the company’s shares.”

“Hmm, of course.”

“When you give an investment briefing to your potential investors, you probably want to explain to them why you want to go public, by clearly stating that the company currently has no debt, and you are planning to expand your manufacturing facility overseas. And, in order to procure the necessary funds, you want to have the company go public.”

The internal auditor asked, “During the investment briefing, do we need to distribute the business plan document as well?”

“Yes, you should. If you give us a rough draft with all the necessary data, we will complete the document for you.”

At the moment, Manager Jo came back to Gun-Ho’s office with the total trial balance, the list of the shareholders, and the copy of corporate registration. The branch manager began to review the documents carefully.

“The total trial balance looks good. The sales are indeed on the rise substantially. The list of the shareholders looks good too. I see the shares are well dispersed. However, something doesn’t seem right in the corporate registration.”

“What do you see?”

“The 10% of the company shares that you dispersed among your employees by the employee stock ownership program is not reflected in the increase in the capital.”

Gun-Ho and the internal auditor looked at each other in confusion.

“The company started with a capital of 10 billion won, and later, it increased the capital by adding 9 billion won from its profits. That means the current capital is 19 billion won.”

“Hmm, I see the point. You’re right. It’s indicating a wrong number.”

Gun-Ho and the internal auditor quickly understood what the branch manager pointed out.

“Your dispersing the company shares among the employees was not done without consideration, but you received the pay for the shares that were distributed to the employees from those employees. You are also providing a payment plan to them for it by taking out a certain amount of money from their salary. You will need to reflect that by increasing the capital by 10% and make the total capital 20 billion won.”

“We have already made the report with the register office. What do we do about it?”

“You can make a request to amend or update the corporate registration.”

“Okay.”

The branch manager pulled out some documents from his bag.

“Well, since I’m here, why don’t we sign the contract now, so our stock brokerage company can handle the work to have your company registered with KOSDAQ?”

“Isn’t it too early to sign the contract now since we are going to register with KOSDAQ after we get our end-year financial report for this year?”

“Not at all. Even though we will actually submit the application to register with KOSDAQ around probably early next year, we need time for preparation.”

“Can you give us a moment?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Since this is a joint venture company, I think I’d better talk with our vice president, who is American, representing the interest of our co-venturer.”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee.

“Please ask Mr. Vice President Adam Castler to come to my office. And don’t forget to bring Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae with him.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 727 - Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 727: Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (2) – Part 2

After a moment, Mr. Adam Castler entered Gun-Ho’s office with the interpreter—Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae.

“Please come on in, Mr. Vice President. Let me introduce this gentleman to you. This is the branch manager of a stock brokerage company in Seoul. He is here to discuss our registration with KOSDAQ.”

“Oh, a securities company!”

Mr. Adam Castler smiled broadly and extended his hand to the branch manager for a handshake. The two men’s exchanging their business cards ensued.

“Please have a seat, Mr. Vice President Castler. Mr. Assistant Manager Chae, please come and take a seat.”

The two men joined the table.

Gun-Ho briefly explained to Mr. Adam Castler about the current situation, “The branch manager just reviewed our company’s financial statements and the total trial balance.”

“I see.”

“According to the branch manager, our company is stable and well enough to register with KOSDAQ right away.”

“Is that right?”

“Also, he highly evaluated our effort dispersing the company shares among our employees. However, he pointed out that since our employees are paying for the shares that they received, we have to increase our capital reflecting that amount. The shares were given to them with consideration, not without consideration.”

“Hmm.”

“We want to work with this stock brokerage company in Gangnam as our agency that would help us go through the registration process with KOSDAQ. We will probably submit the application early next year, but there is tons of preparation work to do beforehand. So, Mr. Branch Officer here is suggesting that we make a contract with them today, so they could start working on the documents or any necessary preparation right away. I’d like to know what you think, Mr. Vice President Adam Castler.”

“Hmm.”

Mr. Adam Castler thought about something for a while and then stood up from his seat.

“Let me talk with the head office’s Vice President Brandon Burke for a second.”

Mr. Adam Castler went outside the office and made a call to Vice President Brandon Burke in the hallway. After a while, Mr. Castler came back to Gun-Ho’s office with a broad smile.

“We agree to it.”

The branch manager looked relieved.

“Give me the contract,” Gun-Ho said.

Gun-Ho signed the contract that the branch manager handed to him. The branch manager said as he gave the original contract to the internal auditor and put the duplicated contract into his bag, “I will be in contact frequently with Mr. Internal Auditor and Ms. Accounting Manager. There is training provided by the KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association. When you have time, please take that training.”

“We’ve already received that training.”

“We will need a board meeting minute reflecting this decision. Make it as the board meeting was held a few days ago, stating that the board made the decision to register the company with KOSDAQ and would work with a stock brokerage company to handle the process as their agent.”

“Understood.”

“We will first make an evaluation of the value of this company, so we will send a few people here to look around. Before I leave for today, is it okay for me to take a look at the factory?”

“Of course. I will show you around,” the internal auditor said as he stood up from his seat.

It was Friday, and Gun-Ho went to work in his building in Sinsa Town. GH Media’s President Shin visited Gun-Ho’s office.

“I’m back from the trip to Shanghai, sir.”

“Were there many people at the presentation?”

“I saw more journalists than potential investors.”

“Did you sign the investment letter of intent?”

“Yes, I did, sir.”

GH Media’s President Shin continued, “Director Won-Hak Sim called me yesterday. According to him, GH Media’s investment in the movie production made the headlines. They said that a Korean company—GH Media—will fund half of the movie production cost.”

“Did they find any investors to fulfill the other half of the production cost?”

“I asked Director Sim about it when he called me yesterday, and he said they found investors for the other half. Huanle Shiji Production Company is one of the investors. They are investing 1 billion won.”

“Bastards. They are not sharing the profits that they made from the TV drama production with me, but they are using the profits to make an investment in their movie production.”

“I guess they probably want to give you a huge return for your investment once they make money from the movie.”

“We might not have any income from the investment that we made in the movie production this year.”

“Well, if not this year, we will make money next year then.”

“Since GH Media is investing 50% of the movie production cost, and they get 10% from Huanle Shiji Production Company, they just had to find investors for 40% only. That’s why they easily found other investors.”

“It looks like it, sir.”

“Is Director Sim doing fine there?”

“Yes, he is. But, he is having a hard time casting an actress for the female lead role.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It seems that Lia is asking for a substantially high-performance fee this time. She is now a popular actress.”

“Hmm, really?”

“She became very popular in China as the TV drama—Shiguang Ru Meng—was successful. She is such an ungrateful person. She became that popular because of us.”

“I think it’s not really her intention, but her agency—BM Entertainment—is doing business using her popularity. So, what is Director Sim going to do about it?”

“He is open with his option to work with a Chinese actress.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Quite a while after President Jeong-Sook Shin left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“It’s me, sir, Director Woon-Hak Sim.”

“I was told that you haven’t found an actress yet for the lead female role.”

“That’s right. I’m a bit frustrated at this moment about it.”

“Even though President Shin signed the investment letter of intent already, the casting has to be completed before I could send the investment fund.”

“I’m very well aware of it, sir.”

“So, Lia is asking for a high-performance fee, huh?”

“It’s not just a higher amount, sir. She is asking almost twice of what we paid to her previously.”

“So, are you going to find a Chinese actress?”

“That doesn’t seem to be easy either, sir. If we want to work with the top stars in China, we will have to pay more than what Lia is asking now. Fan Bingbing, for example, will ask for 10 billion won for one movie.”

“Wow. It will cost our entire movie production cost.”

“If we work with a little bit less popular actress, we might afford to work with her, but since she is already known to the public, we can’t expect any freshness elements from her. Moreover, actresses in China are reluctant to play a geisha role. There are a lot of people in China who are confused between the real world and the movie world, which is weird but it is true. So, if an actor or actress plays a role in a movie or TV drama that cooperates with Japan, that actor or actress would have to live with the hatred of people for quite a while. The viewers and audiences would curse them without any hesitation.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho asked, “What if we bring a Japanese actress then?”

“Well, it does cost a lot to work with a Japanese actress as well. Also, if she realizes that she has to play a role that betrays Japan—her country, she probably wouldn’t be willing to take the role either. I don’t think Japanese people are easily confused with the real world and the movie world like Chinese people, but that doesn’t mean that the actresses are willing to take a role like that.”

At that moment, Mori Aikko popped up in Gun-Ho’s head.

“What if we cast an actual geisha for the role?”

“Hahaha. That’s an interesting idea, but I understand that the role in the movie is a geisha, but we need an actress to play the role, not a real geisha. I understand that you might be annoyed by all the hassles that we are going through right now. But, a geisha is not an actress.”

“I know this geisha who used to play a role in a Taiwanese TV drama. She is a dancing geisha, so she is excellent at dancing too. Moreover, she is fascinatingly gorgeous.”

“Do you know her in person, sir?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Oh, really? Well, then I will discuss the possibility with the staff here. Do you have a picture of her by any chance?”

“I don’t think I do… But I will find one for you.”

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Chapter 728 - Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (1) – Part 1

Chapter 728: Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (1) – Part 1

After getting off the phone with Director Woon-Hak Sim, Gun-Ho searched his photo files on his smartphone. He remembered that he had previously taken several pictures of Mori Aikko during the Matsuri (festival) in Heian Shrine in Okazaki Park.

“Oh, here It is!”

Fortunately, Gun-Ho still had a picture of Mori Aikko saved in his smartphone. In the photo, Mori Aikko was in a colorful Kimono posing with a Wakasa (a traditional Japanese oil-paper umbrella) in her hand, and her face was covered with a heavy geisha make-up. Gun-Ho sent the picture to Director Woon-Hak Sim’s cell phone.

It didn’t take a long time for Director Sim to call Gun-Ho after looking at the photo of Mori Aikko.

“I received the photo that you sent to me, sir. From the picture, I can tell that she is a quite beautiful woman. How old is she?”

“She is in her early 20s.”

“I see. You said that she played a role in a Taiwanese TV drama before, right?”

“Yes, she did. That TV drama hadn’t aired though. The drama production company went broke and couldn’t finish the production. But, since she did shoot several episodes of the TV drama, acting is not new to her.”

“Does she have an agency representing her? Which entertainment agency is it? BM Entertainment has a connection with an agency in Japan. I can ask them to contact her agency. I can’t say much for now whether she would be a good fit for the role in our movie or not since I haven’t met her in person, and also I haven’t seen her acting yet.”

“She is not working with an entertainment agency. She is a professional dancer, not a professional actress who appears on TV regularly.”

“Can you be in touch with her at any time, sir?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Okay then. I will call you again later.”

After getting off the phone with Director Sim, Gun-Ho mumbled to himself,

“I’m not sure if it was a good idea for me to expose her like this. She is my precious treasure. Maybe I should have kept her to myself.”

It was Saturday.

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went outside with their baby boy in a stroller.

“I want to show my boy the world outside home.”

Gun-Ho was wearing jeans and basketball shoes. He put on sunglasses as well. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun ran into a few old ladies while taking a walk. They all stopped for a second to look at their baby. They looked all joyful when they looked into the baby’s face saying how cute the boy was, and they asked how old he was.

“He is a little over 4 months now.”

“Oh, my. He is adorable. He looks like a doll.”

Sang-Min smiled frequently, and he was indeed a cute boy. His hair grew a lot, and his fluffy hair helped him look even cuter. Sang-Min had beautiful fair skin just like his mother.

“Oppa, you look younger today with the jeans.”

“Come on. I’m young.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun were walking along Yangjae Riverside while pushing their boy in the stroller. When they felt thirsty, they drank the beverage that they brought from home, which were placed under the stroller.

Gun-Ho held Young-Eun’s hand. Young-Eun seemed to be in a good mood, and she held Gun-Ho’s hand firmly. Gun-Ho took several pictures of Young-Eun and his boy that day. He wanted to capture the moment in photography.

“I will print these photos out,” Gun-Ho said to Young-Eun.

At that moment, a jogger, who looked like he was in his 60s, stopped when he saw Gun-Ho taking a picture of his seem-to-be his wife and a baby, and said, “You seem to be such a happy family. Let me take a picture of you two with the baby. Give me your smartphone.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun posed for a family photo. Gun-Ho embraced Young-Eun’s shoulder while standing behind the stroller, so Sang-Min can safely appear in the photo too.

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. As soon as he arrived at his office and sat on the sofa, President Song and Jong-Suk Park entered his office.

“How was your trip to America?”

“It was good. We had a meeting with the West Moulding Corp.’s president and their plant managers.”

“Is that right? So, are they willing to sell us their twin screws?”

“They mentioned the contract that they made with Lymondell Dyeon. And they said that they can’t sell their products to Lymondell Dyeon’s competitor companies according to the contract. However, since they have never heard of a company— GH Mobile, they said they can sell their screws to us fine.”

“Did you buy the screws? You should buy the screws.”

“They said that they manufacture their products after they receive a product order, so they don’t have any screws available for us to take with us at that time. So, we made the purchase contract with them and made our first product order.”

“How much are they asking?”

“They said that they can’t give us the screws for the same price as the price that they sell to Lymondell Dyeon for, and their price for us is 20,000 dollars per unit.”

“How much does Lymondell Dyeon pay for the same screw?”

“They said that they can’t disclose the price. I asked them several times, but they were firm about it. Instead, they said that the deal between them and us would be kept confidential.”

“Really?”

“According to them, their screws are not mass-produced products, and the demand is very limited. The screws are carefully crafted by their skillful engineers, and it takes several days to finish one.”

“Hmm.”

“It seems that they are manufacturing quality products. The U.S. federal government is one of their clients. They provide the government with essential parts that are used in building a military warship and aircraft.”

“Hmm, really? When are we supposed to send them the payment?”

“We will send it today. They said that once they receive the payment, they will send the products right away.”

“We ordered four screws, so we will have to send them 80,000 dollars. We will have to file a report with the foreign exchange authority since the amount is high.”

“Yes, we have to, sir.”

“Even if they send the screws right away, it will take a long time for us to receive them by ship.”

“They said they would air ship them to us. We will receive them within a few days.”

“Oh, we need the electrohydraulic drawing too in addition to those twin screws.”

“Director Park didn’t forget to ask them for it. We have it with us.”

“Well, I guess you are all set then, Mr. Director Park. We can build the machine once we receive the screws, huh?”

“Yes, sir.”

President Song said with a smile, “I talked with Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim on the phone earlier, and asked him to send one of their machines to us if they have one that came to a half because it’s waiting to be repaired or even for a maintenance service. Director Park needs a sample machine that he can dismantle to verify all necessary parts. So, we can figure out what parts that we need to purchase or make a request to fabricate one.”

“Mr. Director Park, it sounds like you have a lot of work to do.”

Director Park scratched his head.

“We will need to contact several different manufacturers like a foundry, a factory that manufactures a hopper feeder, and also a factory that does extrusion work too.”

At the moment, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought three cups of tea to Gun-Ho’s office. President Song said while sipping his tea, “For now, we will focus on building a machine that Dyeon Korea is using. If that succeeds, we will make an additional product order to the West Moulding Corp. in Seattle.”

“Hmm.”

“When we told the West Moulding that we are going to build a large-sized extruding machine just like Lymondell Dyeon’s with the screws that we ordered, they seemed to be interested as well. Assistant Manager Ji-Woong Kim talks with West Mounding’s plant manager on the phone sometimes.”

“Our chief research officer here used to work at the BMW research facility in Germany before. Ask him to find out if there are any companies in Germany that could produce a twin-screw like the one that we need.”

“Yes, sir. The more we know, the better position we would be in.”

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Chapter 729 - Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (1) – Part 2

Chapter 729: Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (1) – Part 2

At the moment, President Song’s smartphone started ringing.

“Oh, I have to take this one. It’s from H Group.”

President Song answered the phone, and he said yes and yes several times. After getting off the phone, President Song said to Gun-Ho, “They want me to come to their office this afternoon.”

“Is something wrong? Is it about a defective product claim or something like that?”

“I don’t think it’s about defective product claims, but they just said that they want to discuss something with me.”

“Really? Well, you’d better go then.”

“I’m not sure why they want to see me. If it is about a product order, they can communicate with us through the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system. They want to talk with an executive officer who is in charge of purchasing. Well, I will let you know right after I find out what it is about.”

“Are you going to go there by yourself?”

“No. They want to talk with our chief research officer as well. Maybe it’s about some changes in the specification of their products that we are manufacturing.”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea that afternoon. When he arrived there, a large forklift truck was taking one of the machines in the production site to the front yard. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo, and Manager Ahn from the maintenance team were there to supervise the work. When they saw Gun-Ho, they greeted him. Gun-Ho asked them, “Is that the machine that will be shipped to GH Mobile?”

“Yes, sir. I actually asked Director Park to come to help us with repairing the machine because Manager Ahn is having a hectic day, and Director Park told me to send the machine to him instead. It seems that Mr. President Song made a request for it to Mr. Director Kim directly.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I think that Director Park wants to totally dismantle this machine and then reassemble them, so he understands the machines inside and out before starting building one.”

“Hmm.”

When Gun-Ho walked up to his office, Director Kim came into the office.

“As you probably saw it on the way here, one of our machines is being shipped to GH Mobile. That machine is out of work anyway. They will fix it before sending it back to us. Because our machines here are all second-hand, they break down sometimes which is not surprising.”

“Hmm.”

“So, we wanted to share the repair work with Director Park because Manager Ahn is extremely busy these days. And then, President Song told me that GH Mobile wants to try to build the machine themselves.”

“It looks like they are bringing essential parts— twin screws— from America to build the machine themselves.”

“Right, that’s what President Song told me. President Song also told me that Mr. Adam Castler shouldn’t know about it, and I’m keeping it that way.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head quietly.

Gun-Ho said as he crossed his legs, “Last Friday, we had a visit from the branch manager of a stock brokerage company. You were not here at that time, so I couldn’t introduce him to you. That stock brokerage company will handle our registration process with KOSDAQ.”

“I was informed about it, sir. Mr. Internal Auditor is the expert in that field, he will handle it perfectly.”

“I believe so.”

“By the way, Dingding is planning to move to our new location in the industrial park in China as soon as she vacates her current office. We will then need to send the machines to that location. I think we can send two of our machines there as a start.”

“Two machines sound good.”

“The factory building in Chennai, India is still under repair, so we still have time before we have to send the machines to them. But, we will probably have to send the machines to the China location soon as the factory building is almost ready to work.”

“Will it be okay if we send two of our machines here to China? Won’t it affect our production capacity here?”

“We have 16 machines in total, so we should be fine without a few machines among them. We will have to break the machines down into several pieces before shipping them. It will take too long to get a new machine from the U.S. or GH Mobile assuming that they would succeed to build one, so we have to send two of ours to them for now anyway.”

“I agree with you.”

“And, once the machines arrive in China, we will need to train the workers in Dyeon China, who would be handling those machines. I’m thinking about sending the maintenance team’s Manager Ahn to China for a month to train them.”

“What about here? Don’t we need him here?”

“We have new hires who have been working in the maintenance team— low-level managers and supervisors. It should be fine. If they need help, we can always ask GH Mobile’s Director Park to help them. So, you don’t have to worry about it, sir.”

“Hmm.”

“The problem is the factory in India. Someone has to be there to train the workers there too once the machines are in place.”

“That’s true.”

“I was initially thinking of suggesting that Director Park be there, but since he is working on building the machine, I guess I will have to find someone else. What if we send GH Mobile’s maintenance manager? I believe he could do that job fine.”

“You mean the manager who Director Park calls big brother?”

“Yes, that’s him.”

“I don’t believe that he has ever handled Dyeon Korea’s machines before.”

“Even though he doesn’t have direct experience with Dyeon Korea’s machines, he has been working with GH Mobile’s extruding machines, so it should be okay. Moreover, he’s going to work with Director Park in dismantling one of our machines and reassemble it, right? They purchased the twin screws from the U.S. in order to build the machine themselves. He will learn to handle the machine very quickly then. He has been in the maintenance field for more than 20 years.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I think it was the right decision to build Dyeon Korea’s machine ourselves by bringing twin screws from America. It will greatly benefit us in the long term. Once we succeed in building the machine, we won’t have to worry about the cost and stuff in getting those machines in order to expand our business overseas. We can add more locations in China such as Beijing or Guangdong Province later.”

“You are right.”

“Not just China, but we can expand to Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, etc. as well. It will be good if we have one factory in each country like those listed above.”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, once we go public, we will be loaded with funds. We can certainly have more factories abroad.”

“That’s very true.”

“We will have to think about what we are going to do with our compound technology. Once the factories in China and India start running, we will have to train the local workers with some of our compound technology. We should figure out how much we would teach them.”

“At first, we will have to produce the compounds that require a high level of difficulty in our factory here, and let the local factories produce the rest for their local markets.”

“That should be the direction that we need to take. We have several decent workers at the research center with a management position. They are very knowledgeable and competent workers. I think it is a good idea to send them to our China and India locations, so they can manage each location’s compound room.”

“Hmm.”

“We can give them a promotion in position, and give them a job title such as chief research center or compound room manager, and also raise their salary by 1.5 times of what they are getting paid here.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

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Chapter 730 - Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (2) – Part 1

Chapter 730: Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town that day. When he was sitting in his office, he received a call from GH Mobile’s President Song.

“This is President Song, sir. I had a meeting with H Group yesterday.”

“That’s good. What was it about?”

“They made a new product order. They want us to manufacture several different types of engine mount brackets.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“The auto parts that we will be providing them with will be used for their A/S. They said that once our product quality is proved as they continuously use our products, they will place more product orders for their new cars as well.”

“That will increase the volume of their product orders substantially.”

“If we could provide them with the parts to be used for their new cars, our sales revenue coming from them will outrun the sales revenue that we are earning with A Electronics’ product orders. We could be MB’s (Former President— Myung-Bak Lee) DAS.”

“What is DAS’ main product?”

“They mainly manufacture auto parts that are used to make auto seats, such as rails and adjustors. They sell them to Hyundai Auto and Kia.”

“Our sales revenue for this year will be 150 billion won, right?”

“That’s our anticipation. I believe that we will reach that number safely given the speed with which our sales are on the rise with the product orders from A Group and H Group.”

“What is DAS’ yearly sales revenue?”

“They generate about 700 billion won per year. If we include the sales revenue of all of their subsidiary companies overseas, their annual sales will exceed 1,200 billion won.”

“A trillion and 200 billion won! Whoa. That’s impressive.”

“DAS has a lot of subsidiary companies scattered all over the world such as America, India, Brazil, etc. And they have several in China.”

“Oh, they have several subsidiary companies in China alone?”

“Yes, sir. They have their factories in Beijing, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, etc. They have one more in another city. I just don’t recall which city it was.”

“Hmm, I see. Dyeon Korea will also open several factories in different locations in China in the future. The one in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province will just be our first factory there.”

“Haha. You’re right, sir. It would be nice if we could do it.”

“Please pay extra attention in manufacturing H Group’s products fulfilling their new product order. Once they see the products that we provide them with are good enough, they would place more product orders. This is our opportunity.”

“Yes, sir. And, I received a call from the president of the West Moulding Corp. in Seattle earlier.”

“What did he say?”

“He confirmed that he received our payment, and he said he already shipped four twin screws that we ordered, yesterday by air. He is expecting them to arrive within this week. Once we receive them, we will start building the machines right away.”

“Dyeon Korea’s broken machine arrived at GH Mobile, didn’t it?”

“Yes, we have it here. Director Park already started dismantling and assembling that machine early this morning with the workers in the maintenance team.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“I believe that they practiced dismantling and assembling the machine once more by now.”

“Haha. I see.”

“Oh, when I visited H Group the other day for their new product order, I also had a chance to talk with their CEO— Mr. CEO Choi.”

“Do you mean H Group’s CEO Choi?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve always dealt with the executive officers in their purchasing department, and it was my first time talking with Mr. CEO Choi. It seemed that he asked them to send me to his office knowing that I was from GH Mobile.”

“Is that right?”

“So, the executive officer of the purchasing department led me to the CEO’s office. The man— CEO Choi— was sitting at his desk when I entered his office. He welcomed me delightfully, and he ensured that they would definitely increase their product orders once they are assured that we are providing good quality products to them.”

“Oh, I see.”

“And, Mr. CEO Choi asked me how you are doing.”

“He asked you about me?”

“He said that he knows you well personally, Mr. President Goo. And, he wanted me to say hello to you for him.”

“Haha. Okay. You did a good job.”

After getting off the phone with GH Mobile’s President Song, Gun-Ho recalled CEO Choi’s face. They played golf together at the Golden Bay Country Club the other day.

‘Thank you so much, Mr. CEO Choi.’

When they were playing golf together at the Golden Bay Country Club, Minister Jin-Woo Lee hadn’t given any pressure to CEO Choi about helping Gun-Ho’s business or anything like that. Moreover, Minister Jin-Woo Lee was not a government official any longer, who used to have power to influence people around him with his position; however, he was now technically unemployed spending his days playing golf and fishing. At that time, Minister Jin-Woo Lee just said lightly to CEO Choi that he should help Gun-Ho’s business like he would do to his little brother. CEO Choi appeared that he took Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s words seriously, and he was actually trying to give a favor to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh and asked for one more tea for himself.

“Ms. Oh, we still have the Longjing tea that I bought during my last trip to China, don’t we? Please bring me a cup of tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho thought about GH Mobile’s President Song while having his tea.

‘Everyone knows that it is extremely hard to become a vendor company of H Group. They are extremely particular in selecting their product supplier companies. President Song must be startled when he found out that I know H Group’s CEO Choi personally. I believe he will become even more loyal to me.’

Gun-Ho crossed his legs and opened internet news on his smartphone.

‘What? Minister Jin-Woo Lee joined the political party— Gongmyeong?” Gun-Ho giggled.

‘Well, he is not unemployed any longer. Well, the news article is saying that he is a strong candidate for the leader of the political party. Well, yeah. He is rich, and he has connections with many powerful people, so why not?

The Gongmyeong Party will soon receive 2 billion won in donations. A Electronics will send them 1 billion won, and another 1 billion won will come from H Group.

And, I’m sure that they will receive more contributions from here and there which I don’t even know who. One thing for sure is that the party will receive all those funds because of Minister Jin-Woo Park. Of course, he will be the leader of that political party.’

When Gun-Ho was lost in thought of things like that, GH Development’s Accounting Manager Hong entered his office.

“Umm, sir, it’s almost July now. Do you want me to send a request to all of the GH companies asking them to send us the first half year’s financial report?”

“Hmm, it’s already July? Yes, sure. Tell them to send it to us. Make sure that you send them an official letter requesting the report.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What about the companies in China? Do you want me to ask them for it too?”

“You have their email addresses as well, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do have them, sir.”

“Then send the request letter to them too.”

“Are we requesting the report to the joint venture company in Antang City, Guizhou Province as well? The one where Mr. President Jae-Sik Moon is working. We haven’t requested it before.”

“Hmm. Yes, send the request to them too.”

“Understood, sir.”

After Manager Hong left the office, Gun-Ho received a call from his high school friend— Min-Ho Kang.

“President Goo? Is it a good time to talk? I can call you later if you are busy.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’ve contacted about 15 people so far. It appears that around 12 of them will come to the gathering.”

“Really?”

“I talked with the people in China too. Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon won’t be able to join us since they are extremely busy with their work, but Suk-Ho Lee will come. He said he was planning to visit Korea soon anyway. So, I guess he will be there.”

“Really? That’s good. Well, thank you for doing this.”

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Chapter 731 - Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (2) – Part 2

Chapter 731: Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (2) – Part 2

Min-Ho Kang asked, “As to the place for the gathering, many people prefer to meet at the area around the Gwanghwa Gate or Jongno District, not Gangnam Station which is the place where we met last time. So, I picked a Chinese restaurant at the entrance to Myeongdong Town.”

“I see. That’s good. I don’t mind.”

“There is a Chinese restaurant called Haenghwa Village. It’s located next to the central post office. It’s easy to find and convenient to access. The ones, who are living outside Seoul like Bucheon City or other areas, just need to get off at the City Hall Station and follow the underground shopping alley in Sogong Town to get there.”

“Hmm, really? Sounds good.”

“Won-Chul Jo is living in Mok Town, and I live in Seodaemun District. Many of us live in Gangbuk District. You are the only one who lives in Gangnam District, President Goo. Byeong-Chul Hwang is living in Suji, Yongin City, and he will take the subway to get there.”

“Okay. Did you pick the date when we are going to meet?”

“Yes, we will meet this Friday.”

“Friday sounds good.”

After getting off the phone with Min-Ho Kang, Gun-Ho searched the bottom area of his bookshelf looking for Chinese liquor that he previously placed there. He found two bottles of Chinese liquor— Maotai and Wuliangye. Those were the gifts that he received from President Shin and Director Sim; they had brought those liquor to Gun-Ho when they came back from their trip to China last time. When he received them, Gun-Ho felt too lazy to take them home, so he just left the liquor in his office. Thankfully, they were still all there.

“I guess I can bring these two bottles of Chinese liquor to the gathering.”

When Gun-Ho went to the bathroom, he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“Are you in the office right now?”

“Nah, I’m in the bathroom. What’s up?”

“I will give you a call again later then, maybe 10 minutes later.”

“It’s okay. I can talk now.”

“I insist, man. I will talk to you in 10 minutes.”

After he finished his business in the bathroom, Gun-Ho came back to his office and sat on the sofa. At the moment, his smartphone started ringing again, and it was Jae-Sik Moon.

“Are you back to your office now?”

“Yeah, I’m in the office.”

“Since I’ve been sending you the work report about the joint venture’s business on a regular basis, I won’t talk about it again on the phone. But, I want to update you with the business of GH Food. Co., Ltd.”

“Sounds good.”

“We leased the office space on the fourth floor in the same building where our KFC is located. It’s 20 pyung large as I mentioned last time we talked.”

“That’s good. By the way, does the building have an elevator?”

“It’s an old building, and it has no elevator. We have to walk all the way up to the fourth floor.”

“Is it okay with you?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s not hard to walk up to the fourth floor. It’s a good exercise.”

“The sales revenue is stable, right?”

“Yeah. We make more on Saturdays and Sundays while we get less customers on a weekday. We are making in the range between 30,000 and 35,000 Yuan on a daily basis combined in all of the three restaurants.”

“I see.”

“Since we have our office and the restaurant in the same building, we feel like this entire building is GH Food Co., Ltd.”

“Haha. Is that so?”

“I hung our business sign on the door of the office with the GH logo on it.”

“Oh, you did?”

“20 pyung is not that small size at all. We placed several desks there with a conference table and chairs too.”

“Did your wife’s brother join you there already?”

“Yeah, he came. He is staying with us right now, and we will find a studio apartment for him close to the restaurants.”

“How old is he?”

“He is 29 years old.”

“Did he go to college?”

“As a matter of fact, he did go to college, but it seems that he didn’t graduate though.”

“Why don’t you let him go to college in Antang City then? He will learn Chinese quickly if he studies there. He can have friends too.”

“I’m not sure if he has the will to do so. I will ask him.”

“And, buy your wife a car. She has her driver’s license there, right?”

“That’s too early, I think.”

“Buy a car for her. You can buy it in installments. Min-Hyeok’s wife is driving a K3 that is manufactured in Kia Motors’ factory in China.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Buy a car with the company’s name, so it can be handled as part of business expenses.”

“Okay then, I will ask her what she thinks. And, as for the e-commerce business where she is planning to sell Korean products in the Guizhou Province area, we are building the website right now.”

“Really?”

“My brother-in-law will handle the work uploading the pictures and information of the goods that we will sell on the website. He took some computer classes related to e-commerce in a private institution before, and he even has a certificate about it.”

“Don’t you need someone in Korea who will ship the products from Korea to China for the business?”

“We have someone in Korea who is handling the work.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“And the condos that you purchased here… Their prices are steadily increasing right now. Once the moving season comes which will be around the fall, people say that the price will go up even higher and rapidly because we will have high demand.”

“Hmm, really?”

“You know what? I received a call from Min-Ho Kang yesterday about the high school reunion. I told him that I wouldn’t be able to make it since I’m too busy with my work here. If you attend the gathering, please say hi to our friends for me. I hope that they understand that I can’t join them this time since I’m away from Korea.”

“Okay, don’t worry about it. I have two bottles of Chinese liquor with me, and I’m planning to bring them to the gathering. I’m going to tell them that one bottle is from you and the other one is from Min-Hyeok Kim.”

“Haha. Are you sure you would do that for us? Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it! When I visit China next time, just buy me a bottle of Chinese liquor.”

“No problem. Haha. Thank you.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in Shanghai.

“This is Director Woon-Hak Sim, sir.”

“Yes. How are you?”

“I’ve talked with the staff here about working with a real Japanese geisha for the leading female role in our movie— Menghuan Yinghua. I even showed them the picture of her, which you had sent to me earlier, sir.”

“What were their reactions?”

“Director Yan Wu looked excited, and he said that he loved the idea. He said we could even use it in marketing. If people know that an actual geisha plays the role of a geisha in the movie, it will definitely intrigue many moviegoers and the media. One thing that he was concerned about is whether she would successfully play the role since she is not an actress who has received a professional training in acting.”

“I can take her to Huanle Shiji Production Company myself if you want.”

“That would be great, sir.”

“I will go to Tokyo to meet with her then, and I will ask her if she is willing to take the role.”

“That’s one good way to handle it, but I have another idea. What if we let Director Yan Wu go to Japan and interview her himself?”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“We can make a story like this. We tell the media that the dancing geisha turned down the offer of taking the geisha role in the movie at first, but she finally accepted it when Director Yan Wu persistently convinced her by paying a visit to Japan and meeting with her in person. It would make a dramatic story behind casting. The journalists would love the story too. In addition, she is gorgeous, and people would want to hear more stories about her.”

“Hmm.”

“Once she passes the audition for the role, and her photos are placed in a newspaper with the casting behind the story, the news would definitely be sensational. I’m certain about it.”

“Director Yan Wu is visiting Tokyo to cast a geisha for the role in his movie… Well, okay. I will talk to her about it.”

“Thank you, sir.”

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Chapter 732 - Director Yan Wu (1) – Part 1

Chapter 732: Director Yan Wu (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho made a call to the Korean restaurant owner—Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi—in Akasaka District in Tokyo.

“Ms. President Choi? This is Gun-Ho Goo from Korea.”

“Oh, my, Mr. President Goo. How have you been? I haven’t seen you lately. I guess you don’t come to Tokyo as often as before.”

“I want to connect Mori Aikko with a broadcasting station in Shanghai City, China. Would you ask Mama San Segawa Joonkko in Shinjuku City about it for me?”

“Is it about a dance performance of a geisha—Odori?”

“No, it’s not about her dance performance, but she will appear on TV for a short period of time.”

“Well, I don’t see any problem with it. It seems that Mori Aikko has a lot of spare time these days, especially because there are not many dance performance events lately because of the warm weather. If she makes an appearance on TV and gets paid for it, she will have to share it with Segawa Joonkko. So, I don’t see any reason why Segawa Joonkko would turn down the opportunity.”

“How long will she have to share her income with Segawa Joonkko?”

“I don’t know. I guess she will have to share it until she turns 30 years old maybe?”

“Hmm.”

“Well, I will talk to Segawa Joonkko and will give you a call.”

Gun-Ho didn’t tell Ms. Choi that this was about a female leading role in a movie. Instead, he just told her that Mori Aikko might have a chance to appear briefly on TV in Shanghai.

After a while, the restaurant owner—Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi—called Gun-Ho.

“I just talked with Mama San. Since it is an off-season for Mori Aikko, she is okay with Mori Aikko appearing on TV.”

“Oh, really?”

“Please give her a call when you find out the schedule. She said that she would probably have to make some adjustments to Mori Aikko’s schedule. She also said that she was disappointed in you.”

“She is disappointed in me? For what?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She is disappointed in you because you no longer come to Tokyo to see Mori Aikko.”

“Haha. I see what she means now.”

“By the way, how is Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda doing? The man who I introduced to you.”

“He is doing fine. I have a company called GH Media, and he is working there.”

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda is very close to the bar owner—Segawa Joonkko—in Shinjuku City. If you need to contact Segawa Joonkko or deliver something to her, you can do that through him.”

“Is that right? I didn’t know Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda knew Mama San Segawa Joonkko. Does he, by any chance, know that I’m Mori Aikko’s sponsor?”

“I don’t think he does, but even if he does know it, he’s not going to tell anybody.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, thank you for your help today.”

“Please take some time and stop by my little sister’s bar as well. Haha.”

“Oh, Ms. Jang’s Pine in Hannam Town? I will try.”

It was Friday, and Gun-Ho picked up the two bottles of Chinese liquor from his office before heading to the Chinese restaurant at the entrance to Myeondong Town, which was next to the central post office.

“Chan-Ho, I have a high school reunion in Myeongdong Town today. I guess you will need to wait for me for about two hours.”

“Yes, sir. Have a pleasant time, sir.”

“Find a paid parking lot somewhere nearby and have your dinner at the Chinese restaurant—Haenghwachon—next to the central post office. I’m meeting with my high school friends there.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the Chinese restaurant, he was told that the gathering for WestFacing was being held on the second floor. When he walked up to the second floor, his high school friends were already there.

“Hey, Gun-Ho! You came.”

His friends at the table stood up to greet him.

“It must have taken a long time to get here from Gangnam District, hasn’t it?”

“It’s okay. I’m so glad to see you all healthy.”

“Come to this side. I saved your seat here,” Min-Ho Kang said to Gun-Ho while indicating a seat in the middle of the table. The Chinese restaurant wasn’t so luxurious which was not the type of restaurant where Gun-Ho usually went.

“The owner of this restaurant is Chinese living here in Korea. It doesn’t look so great, but their food is very good.”

“Really? That’s nice.”

Gun-Ho sat at the table and looked around. Byeong-Chul Hwang and Won-Chul Jo were there too. He didn’t see Suk-Ho Lee though; he probably hadn’t come yet. All of his other friends from high school were not very close to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho looked at Byeong-Chul. His back looked a bit hunched for some reason. And, Won-Chul didn’t seem to look as confident as before either. The people, who got married at an early age, probably had children who they needed to feed, and they probably experienced the hardship in life by now, one way or another.

Gun-Ho said as he was lifting his paper bag that he carried, “Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon sent these liquor from China for you guys since they couldn’t make it today.”

“Oh, really? Is it Maotai?!”

The people at the table clapped.

“How are Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon doing in China?”

“They are doing very well. They bought a condo there, and they both run a business.”

“It has been quite a while since we saw them.”

Gun-Ho had a perfect skin. Thanks to the skincare shop that he often went to. He was wearing a dazzlingly white shirt with a luxurious silk tie. And, a hundred something million won worth of watch was wrapped around his wrist.

“Please have as much food as you want. I should have treated you all in a better place, but maybe we should do that next time.”

Min-Ho Kang added, “Actually, I picked this place, not President Goo. I thought this place offers very tasty food, and the location is convenient. I hope you all enjoy the food here.”

“This place is good enough.”

They ordered all sorts of dishes such as Tangsuyuk*, Eight-Treasure Vegetables, Yangjangpi*, Ohhyangjangyook*, Yoosanseul*, etc. for each table.

Gun-Ho said to Byeon-Chul Hwang who was sitting in front of him, “Straighten up your posture, man. I guess you have been spending too much time in a research center in Pangyo, sitting at a desk.”

Byeong-Chul Hwang straightened his back a bit.

“Is Won-Chul Jo a manager in his company now?”

“No, I’m still an assistant manager.”

“I guess your company must have so many people who are waiting for their promotions since it has been in business for a long time, huh? Well, let’s drink.”

When they were having their drink together, Suk-Ho Lee arrived at the gathering.

“Hey you all, I’m sorry that I’m late.”

Suk-Ho Lee didn’t look very well either. His recent hardships in life was shown on his face.

“I heard that you sold your stores in Shenyang City, China. How are you doing?”

“I’m doing okay. President Goo, you look great as always.”

“Well, let me fill up your glass with liquor.”

While Gun-Ho filled up Suk-Ho Lee’s glass with the liquor that he brought, Suk-Ho Lee exclaimed, “Huh? This is an expensive liquor.”

“Yeah, Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon sent them from China for us to enjoy the gathering.”

“Oh, I see. How are they doing?”

“Min-Hyeok and Jae-Sik are doing great.”

“All of those, who have been working with President Goo, are doing great. I do thank you, Gun-Ho for helping our friends.”

“Well, I haven’t done much at all. Min-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Sik Moon are very competent people in their own field, and I’m not surprised that they are doing great at work.”

Gun-Ho said to Suk-Ho Lee as he clinked his glass to Suk-Ho Lee’s.

“It’s good to see you again, friend. I still remember the old days when I opened my first restaurant in Noyryangjin. You helped me a lot at that time.”

At that moment, one friend, who was sitting in the corner and who was not very close to Gun-Ho, said, “President Goo, the name of your company is GH Mobile, right? I checked your company’s information on the Financial Supervisory Service’s DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System) website the other day. It’s a huge company with more than 100 billion won of annual sales revenue.”

Note*

Tangsuyuk – Deep-fried pork with sweet and sour sauce.

Yangjangpi – Cold vegetable dish with mung bean sheet.

Ohhyangjangyook – Special cold roast beef.

Yoosanseul – Beef and sliced seafood.

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Chapter 733 - Director Yan Wu (1) – Part 2

Chapter 733: Director Yan Wu (1) – Part 2

Suk-Ho Lee added with a smile, “You know what? That’s not the only company that Gun-Ho owns. He has several companies like that.”

Many of the friends there used to feel jealous of Gun-Ho and being sarcastic with him sometimes. But they didn’t do that anymore. Min-Ho Kang, who was one of those sarcastic people, and Suk-Ho Lee were acting as a shield against them whenever someone tried to say anything negative about Gun-Ho. They both once received an envelope from Gun-Ho with money in it.

“Well, let’s drink more.”

Gun-Ho took a bottle of liquor and walked around the table to fill up any empty glasses of his friends.

“President Goo, you seem to be drinking a lot today. Since you can’t drive, you will have to take a taxi to go all the way to Gangnam District, but it’s not easy to catch a taxi in this area at this late hour.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just so delighted to see you all today. I can drink more.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“It’s okay. I brought my car, and my chauffeur will drive it for me. Let’s not worry about a thing tonight, but drink! I’m so happy to see you all, my friends!”

Gun-Ho had become a fabulous man ever since he had money.

“I heard that your child is already more than 100 days old. Your baby is growing so fast, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is.”

“I guess your wife is staying at home with the baby boy. She doesn’t work at the hospital any longer, right?”

“Yeah, she is on leave right now. I’m trying to convince her to quit her job and stay home with the baby.”

As they drank liquor more and more, Gun-Ho’s high school friends became busy conversing with someone next to them and paid less attention to Gun-Ho. At the moment, Gun-Ho stood up from his seat quickly and walked to the cash register, and paid for the dinner.

When he came back to the table, he said, “I paid for your dinner tonight, and I want to continue to have fun with you guys for the rest of the night. Why don’t we move to another location and have a second round of our fun? How does a glass of cold beer sound?”

Gun-Ho was leading his friends to a bar, and he then changed the destination to a karaoke instead.

“Let’s just go to a karaoke. They sell beer too. We can have beer there while singing songs together. I miss the old songs that were trendy when we were in high school.”

“Sounds great. Let’s all go to a karaoke with President Goo!”

Gun-Ho took his high school friends to a karaoke which provided services with girls. He then asked for a service girl for each person. After having fun and on the way out of the karaoke, Gun-Ho paid for the karaoke including the tips for the girls too. That evening, Gun-Ho provided full paid service to his friends.

“Well, it’s getting late, and it’s time for us to go home now. I was happy to see my old friends today, and I really had a great time with you all. I’d better get going now.”

While Gun-Ho was having a handshake with his friends to say goodbye, Chan-Ho arrived at the scene. Gun-Ho had already called Chan-Ho to come to pick him up. When Gun-Ho’s Bentley stopped in front of the karaoke, Suk-Ho Lee rapidly approached the car and opened the door for Gun-Ho.

“Thank you. Go home safely.”

Gun-Ho sat in the rear seat. He rolled down the window and waved his hand to his friends as his Bentley drove away. Gun-Ho’s high school friends stared blankly at Gun-Ho’s Bentley leaving the scene with an envious look on their faces.

When they were in high school, Gun-Ho was a boy from a poor family while others such as Won-Chul Jo, Byeong-Chul Hwang, and Suk-Ho Lee’s family were relatively wealthy. Their social status was seemingly determined based on their parents’ financial situation and occupations at that time. Gun-Ho didn’t study hard to get a good score in school either. However, their social status seemed to be reversed now. Unless a miracle occurred, Gun-Ho would always have a social position superior to his high school friends for the rest of their lives. Gun-Ho already achieved superiority in the social position and wealth which not many people would be able to establish in their entire life.

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“Sir, have you talked with the geisha’s manager about Director Yan Wu’s visit to Japan?”

“Yes. He can come to Japan to meet with the geisha. Since it’s the off-season for geishas, she has time to meet with him. It seems that there is no dance performance event scheduled for her for quite a while.”

“Also, sir, I need to go to the court for my general rehabilitation as it is asking every one of interest to attend. I received the date to appear at the court.”

“When is it?”

“It’s July 12th, sir. After appearing at the court on the 12th of July, can I join Director Yan Wu in visiting Tokyo the following day—on the 13th? I’d like to meet with the dancing geisha too.”

“Hmm, really?”

“And, if we decide to cast the geisha for the role, why don’t we have GH Media represent her as her agency? Well, assuming that she doesn’t have an agency representing her in the entertainment field in Japan.”

“Hmm, that’s not a bad idea at all. Let’s talk about it later after we receive the audition outcome.”

“You will come to Japan with us too, right, sir?”

“Yes, I will. Do you or Director Yan Wu speak Japanese, Mr. Director Sim?”

“I don’t, and I doubt Director Yan Wu speaks Japanese either. I think we need an interpreter.”

“Maybe I can ask GH Media’s Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda to accompany us for this trip. You know him very well too, right?”

“That’s a very good idea. But, it will cost a lot since we need to provide him with the plane ticket, accommodation, and etc. We can just find a Korean international student there when we arrive in Japan.”

“I will talk with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda first. For now, let’s make our trip on July 13th to Tokyo in Japan to have a meeting with the geisha. And, I will join you on the trip.”

“Yes, sir. I will inform Director Yan Wu as such. Thank you.”

After getting off the phone with Director Woon-Hak Sim, Gun-Ho sent a text message to Mori Aikko.

[I will be in Tokyo on July 13th. I have something that I want to discuss with you.]

After about 30 minutes, Mori Aikko’s reply arrived.

[Mama San told me about it. I’m so curious about what it is about.]

[I’m going to Tokyo with the people from a TV broadcasting station. So, I won’t be able to go to your condo in Daikanyama, but I will see you at Mama San’s bar in Shinjuku City. I would love to see you dancing, with the guests who I’m going with. It has been a while since the last time I saw you dancing.]

[No, problem, oppa. I love you.]

Gun-Ho then made a call to GH Media’s Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda who was working in the GH Media’s office downstairs.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, sir. To what do I owe the pleasure of the call?”

“I have something that I’d like to talk with you about. Can you come to my office on the 18th floor now?”

“Hai (yes). I will be there right away, sir.”

After a moment, Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Hello, sir. How are you?”

“Please have a seat.”

“Hai.”

Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda sat on the sofa and looked at Gun-Ho’s face with a curious look on his face. He was wondering what Gun-Ho wanted to talk to him about.

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Chapter 734 - Director Yan Wu (2) – Part 1

Chapter 734: Director Yan Wu (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was sitting on the sofa with Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

Gun-Ho called for his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Please bring us two cups of tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho said while having his tea, “How do you like working in GH Media so far?”

“It’s very good. I’m satisfied with my current job. Ms. President Shin has been very nice to me as well.”

“Is your family currently in Tokyo?”

“Umm, yes.”

Gun-Ho was tempted to ask him more about his family, but he decided not to. He was told that Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda didn’t seem to enjoy talking about his family, and Gun-Ho didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable.

“It was the Korean restaurant’s owner—Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi—in Akasaka City, Japan, who introduced you to me. How do you know her?”

“When I was working as a correspondent for a Japanese newspaper in Korea, I sometimes went on a trip to Japan with my Korean colleagues. And, whenever I went to Tokyo, I often had lunch or dinner at her restaurant with my colleagues. You know that Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi was once a movie star when she was younger, right? She was a charming woman then, and she was very popular too. Since I was a regular to her restaurant, I became close to her like a friend.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Also, since I can speak Korean well, I sometimes did some interpretation work for her too. She speaks the Japanese language very well right now, but when she started her restaurant, she needed help with her Japanese.”

After taking a sip of his tea, Gun-Ho said, “Do you happen to know Mama San Segawa Joonkko—the bar owner in Shinjuku City?”

When Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda heard of the name of Segawa Joonkko from Gun-Ho, his eyes widened in surprise.

“How do you know her, sir?”

“I’ve been to her bar several times for business.”

“Hmm, I see. I also went there several times for business with important people from Korea. Since I brought customers there pretty often, she liked me a lot, and she even gave me some incentives too.”

“You haven’t been there lately?”

“The wealthy customers and high-ranking officials wouldn’t be willing to go there with me any longer. They probably prefer to be accompanied by a younger man who could interpret for them. I’m too old now for them to feel comfortable around me.”

Gun-Ho said as he crossed his legs, “I’m going to Japan on the 13th of this month. Would you like to join me to go to her bar?”

“You mean the secret bar that Segawa Joonkko is running?”

“Yes.”

Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda’s face suddenly became brightened.

“What’s the occasion, sir?”

“It’s part of business. You know that Director Woon-Hak Sim is in Shanghai City right now, right?”

“Of course, sir. Does it have to do with Director Sim’s business there?”

“Director Sim is working on a movie production—Menghuan Yinghua.”

“I’ve heard about it too.”

“He is looking for an actress for the leading female role in the movie right now. The actress of his first pick asked for an extremely high-performance fee, so he decided to find another actress for the role, and working with a real geisha crossed his mind. You know, a dancing geisha, right?”

“Oh, you mean Maiko San (a young dancing geisha)? I think it’s a good idea. But, Maiko San is trained for dancing, learning how to act is not part of their training. Do you think they can handle the acting?”

“It seems that there is one geisha who has experience with acting among the geishas who are working for Segawa Joonkko. We’d like to meet with her to see if she would be the right fit for the role.”

Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda nodded his head.

“So, in order to have an interview with this Maiko San, I’m going to meet with a Chinese director—Director Yan Wu—and Director Woon-Hak Sim on the 13th of July in Tokyo. Director Yan Wu will leave for Japan from Shanghai, China, and Director Sim will come to Korea first before leaving for Japan; he has some personal business to take care of in Korea.”

“I see. So, there will be four men going on a trip to Tokyo—you, me, and two directors.”

“That’s right.”

“Once they determine that they would cast the dancing geisha, I will have to send my investment funds of 5 million dollars to the movie production company in China—Huanle Shiji Production Company.”

“Wow! Did you say 5 million dollars?!”

“When you inform GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin about the trip to Japan with me, don’t tell her about us going to the secret bar. Just tell her that you need to accompany me on a trip to Tokyo for my business in Shanghai. Women usually hate people going to a secret bar. We don’t want to cause unnecessary discomfort on her side. You know what I mean, right?”

“Haha. I know what you mean, sir.”

While sipping his tea, Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda said, “What was the title of the movie again? The movie that Director Sim is working on?”

“It’s Menghuan Yinghua.”

“Menghuan Yinghua… It’s ‘Mugen Sakura’ in Japanese. I don’t know who made that movie title, but it’s a fabulous title. Moreover, the fact that a real geisha might be playing a main role in the movie makes it even more interesting already. I’m not sure which Maiko San that you are talking about, sir, but if she knows how to act, I have a good feeling about the movie. I think the movie will succeed.”

“You think so?”

Gun-Ho laughed. When he heard a positive prediction of the movie’s success that he was investing his funds in from Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, he felt good.

Gun-Ho made a call to Director Woon-Hak Sim right away.

“Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda will join us on our trip to Tokyo on July 13th. He seemed to be excited about the trip, especially because you would go with us, Mr. Director Sim.”

“Oh, really? That’s very nice.”

“Tell Director Yan Wu that we will meet him at the airport in Tokyo on the 13th of this month.”

“Yes, sir. It transpired that Director Yan Wu is a very famous movie director in China.”

“Is that right?”

“He hasn’t produced a good movie lately, but his old movies in the past are certainly great ones. According to Director Yan Wu, he is pretty positive that this movie will be a huge success assuming that the dancing geisha plays her role well.”

“Hmm, really? That’s good to know.”

After getting off the phone with Director Sim, Gun-Ho looked at Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, and said, “Director Sim loved the fact that you are joining us on the trip to Japan.”

“Oh, really? Thank you.”

“Please have GH Media reserve three flight tickets to Tokyo for you, Director Sim, and myself.”

“Yes, sir. I will talk to GH Media’s Ms. Hyeong-Sook Noh about it. She is handling the general affairs of the company.”

It was the day when Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. As soon as he arrived at GH Mobile, he went straight to the area where the maintenance team was working. The maintenance team usually worked at a place that looked like a storage space that was covered with some fabrics.

Director Jong-Suk Park was watching the team working with some machine parts. By looking at him wearing work gloves, Gun-Ho figured that he was working with them. At the moment, one of the workers in the maintenance team saw Gun-Ho and quickly tapped Director Park’s shoulder to let him know.

“Mr. President is here.”

“Huh? Oh, bro. You came.”

“I see you’re working hard there.”

“We are assembling the machine for Dyeon Korea. The twin screws that were sent from the U.S. were not exactly in the size that we need.”

“What are we going to do about it then?”

“We just need to cut them a little bit.”

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Chapter 735 - Director Yan Wu (2) – Part 2

Chapter 735: Director Yan Wu (2) – Part 2

At that moment, Gun-Ho could hear the sound of the machine that was cutting a metal piece. It was certainly not a pleasant sound.

Gun-Ho asked as he was pointing at a machine sitting in the corner, “That’s the Dyeon Korea’s machine which requires some repair, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s our sample too. We’ve already built a new machine and sent it to Dyeon Korea.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, we used the twin screws from America along with other parts that we purchased from various domestic factories in building the machine. I just received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Manager Ahn in its maintenance department confirming that the machine is working great, and they are producing their products with it just fine. So, I think we will just need to build the same machines like the one that we sent to Dyeon Korea earlier.”

“Really? Did you get the tax invoice issued for Dyeon Korea for the machine then?”

“That… I don’t know. I guess that President Song will take care of it. The price of the machine will be determined by the sales department here. I already sent all of the receipts for the parts that we purchased to build the machine to them. They will consider the money that we spent to buy those parts, labor cost, the amount of electricity that we used, etc. in determining the price of the machine.”

Director Jong-Suk Park then yelled at the person who was running a machine from the place a bit distant from where he was.

“Brother! Is it done yet?”

“It’s done.”

“Aren’t you supposed to call him with his position title? You are calling everyone brother, huh?”

“Haha. I just feel so comfortable calling them brother.”

The maintenance manager was carrying a twin-screw after cutting it in the size that they wanted. When he saw Gun-Ho, he quickly greeted him.

Director Park laughed and said to Gun-Ho indicating the maintenance manager, and he didn’t forget to talk in a formal way, “Sir, this man can dismantle and reassemble Dyeon Korea’s machine with his eyes closed.”

“Oh, really?”

The maintenance manager scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Gun-Ho went up to his office on the second floor. When President Song saw Gun-Ho going into his office, he followed Gun-Ho.

“Did you stop by the maintenance department, sir?”

“Yes, I saw them building Dyeon Korea’s machines.”

“They already sent one machine to Dyeon Korea.”

“Did you get the pertinent tax invoice issued for it?”

“I’m waiting for their confirmation before issuing the tax invoice. I want to first make sure that the machine is producing good quality products without a glitch.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“We haven’t yet issued the tax invoice, but the price is determined already.”

“What price did you come up with?”

“It’s 150 million won. We purchased about 30 different parts in building the machine, and it cost us around 45 million won.”

“Hmm.”

“150 million won is a reasonable price. If Dyeon Korea buys the same machine from America, it will cost them even more. You know that, right?”

“Okay. Once you receive a confirmation from them about the machine working fine, then issue the tax invoice as such.”

“As to H Group’s new product order on their engine mount brackets, our research center finished testing, and they sent a sample of it to them. They will contact us again later after reviewing our sample product.”

“Do we already figure out the number for the product cost for it?”

“Yes, sir. Manager Seo is handling our cost accounting these days, and he is good.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“If they decide to let us manufacture the brackets for them, we can safely achieve our monthly sales of 15 billion won. There are three different types of brackets, by the way.”

“Are we going to use Dyeon Korea’s raw materials in manufacturing the brackets?”

“We informed H Group that we would be using Dyeon Korea’s raw materials to fulfill their product order. They, of course, prefer us to use H Chemical’s raw materials, but since Dyeon Korea offers excellent quality raw materials and it’s part of the multinational company—Lymondell Dyeon—so they didn’t complain about it.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Once we hear from H Group about the brackets, I will let you know, sir.”

“Okay. And, the maintenance manager is a major contributor in successfully building the machine for Dyeon Korea. I think we should raise his salary.”

“Yes, sir. I will include him in the list where all of the employees, who would be promoted or receive an increase in their salary at the end of this year, are listed. For now, I’m thinking of sending the maintenance manager and the plant managers to Seattle to have a tour at West Moulding Corp. and Lymondell Dyeon’s factory, after completing building the machines for Dyeon Korea.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“And, we named our first machine that we sent to Dyeon Korea. It’s called GHMM-0101.”

“GHMM?”

“Yes, GHMM stands for GH Mobile Machine. And, the first two digits—01—means that it’s a large-sized machine. If we build a small-sized machine in the future, it will be called GHMM-02xx. We also attached a metal sticker on the machine that has information such as the date of manufacture and the name of the machine. With the date of manufacture, we can trace who built the machine, later when we find any problems with the particular machine.”

“Hmm, that’s very good.”

“When are you planning to register Dyeon Korea with KOSDAQ, sir?”

“I originally intended to wait until we get the year-end financial report, but I’m thinking about doing it earlier, maybe after we receive the first half year’s financial report.”

“I see. Oh, and I wanted to ask you about this. Have you personally known H Group’s CEO Choi for a long time? CEO Choi doesn’t usually meet with the executive officers from their vendor companies. I was surprised when he asked me to stop by his office the other day.”

“Well, I just know him.”

“H Group’s officers in the purchasing department and other executive officers are now treating us differently, a lot nicer, after they realized that CEO Choi has a personal relationship with you.”

“Haha, really?”

“Well, I will just get back to my work if you don’t have anything else to talk about with me, sir.”

After President Song left the office, Gun-Ho was thinking about something for a second, and then he called for the accounting director—Ms. Min-Hwa Kim.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” The accounting director asked when she came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“How much do we have in the reserve?”

“As of today, we have 5.1 billion won, sir.”

Gun-Ho called President Song and asked him to come to his office again. When President Song entered Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho said to the accounting director and President Song, “I will need to make a contribution to the political party—Gongmyeong.”

“Huh? You want to make a contribution to a political party, sir? How much are you thinking?”

Gun-Ho didn’t answer President Song’s question, but instead, he looked at the accounting director and asked, “If we make an official contribution to a political party and get a receipt, then we can get a tax benefit, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then, please withdraw 100 million won from the company account. I want a 100 million won check for it.”

“100 million won, sir?”

Both President Song and the account director were startled.

“We will get more benefit in the long run. We are investing the funds for our company’s future business. Ms. Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim, please get the check and give it to Mr. President Song.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Mr. President Song, once you receive the check from Ms. Director Kim, I want you to take the check with you and go to the office of Gongmyeong Party and make the contribution directly in person.”

“The secretary-general of Gongmyeong Party is actually one of my college friends at Korea University.”

“That’s even better. Then, visit their office and find the secretary-general and deliver the check to him in person. And, make sure that you get the receipt from them for the contribution.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 736 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (1) – Part 1

Chapter 736: Mori Aikko’s Audition (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon. Director Kim came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“Dingding is moving her office to our new factory building in the industrial park tomorrow.”

“Is that right?”

“Since she doesn’t have any employees now, President Min-Hyeok Kim will help her out for a while. He is going to send one of his workers in the maintenance team of GH Parts Company to the factory building to see if there is anything to fix.”

“Did she post job openings for a production worker and a management worker position?”

“I was told that she sent a request to the labor market notifying them that the company is in need of workers. And about the machines… GH Mobile is currently building more machines for Dyeon Korea. Since Dyeon China needs the machines as soon as possible, I think maybe we should send our machine no. 1 and 2 to China.”

“They need not only the machines but also the engineers who can handle those machines.”

“You’re right. So, we decided to send two of our workers to China. One is an assistant manager in the research center, and the other one is an engineer in the maintenance department.”

“Do you think that will be enough? Only two workers would be able to handle the machines in our new factory in China?”

“Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo from the research center and Manager Ahn from the maintenance team will go to China with them and stay there for several days to make sure that things are stable. Manager Yoo and Manager Ahn will spend about a week or so there before coming back to Korea.”

Director Kim then showed the approval form to relocate those two workers to China, to Gun-Ho for his signature. The form already included Vice President Adam Castler’s and Director Kim’s signatures on it.

“Did these two workers volunteer for the positions in China?”

“Yes, sir. When we announced that we were looking for two workers who would be willing to work in our new factory in China, we received a lot of applications. The competition was almost 1:3. The positions in China are attractive to many of our workers because they will receive their salary 1.5 times higher.”

Gun-Ho signed the form.

“Thank you, sir. I will send this form to the general affairs department, so they could send out the official announcement to each department. And, I will have the machine no. 1 and 2 ready to be shipped to China tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. And, we’d better hurry with sending those two workers to China.”

“Understood, sir.”

“I understand that the factory in India is not ready yet since they are still repairing the place. So, are you going to start finding the workers for the India location after we sent those two workers to China?”

“While we received a lot of applications for the positions in China, no one came forward to apply for the positions in India yet. I’m thinking about selecting two workers of our choice for India with more incentives than for those going to China. We will give them a better opportunity to be promoted once they work in India, in addition to raising their salary by 1.5 times more.”

“If no one has volunteered yet, then that should be what we have to do.”

“Once Manager Yoo and Manager Ahn come back from China, we will send them to India as well. Manager Yoo will set up the compound room there and train the workers, and Manager Ahn will handle installing machines and training.”

“Hmm.”

“Dyeon Korea will expand our production facility to the entire Asia, not just China and India. When it happens, we will set up a job rotation system, so every single worker in Dyeon Korea will have a chance to work abroad. If one doesn’t have work experience overseas within our company, that person will be excluded from the next promotion opportunity.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

After Director Kim left Gun-Ho’s office, the internal auditor came in.

“We had a visit from the stock brokerage company. In addition to our financial statements, they asked about our credit accounts, the outstanding balance of credit purchase, and also our inventory on raw materials, goods-in-progress, and finished products.”

“I believe that they are trying to figure out our company’s value with all those data.”

“Of course, sir. They will need all that information in analyzing our marketable securities.”

“Didn’t they say anything else?”

“They were wondering about how we did during the last six months from January to July of this year. They want us to pressure our accountant’s office to make our first half-year financial report as soon as possible.”

“We should then ask the Anchang Accountant Office to finish the financial report as quickly as they could.”

“I already made a call to Anchang Accountant Office’s Accountant Nak-Jong Lee asking him to make our half-year financial report quickly.”

“Good.”

After a moment, the internal auditor carefully asked Gun-Ho, “Umm, sir, once we get the first half-year financial report, are you planning to request the preliminary examination for the KOSDAQ registration?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“We will need to prepare documents and presentations on our business, targeting institutional investors as part of Investor Relations then.”

“Regardless of whether we would request for the KOSDAQ preliminary examination or not, it will be good to have documents ready explaining our business.”

“Understood, sir. I will work on the documents then with Ms. Accounting Manager Myeong-Soo Jo and Mr. Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong from the sales department.”

“You will need data regarding our production plan as well. Do you think three of you would be able to figure it out?”

“Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong used to work at the compound room, and he is highly knowledgeable about production as well. If we need help, we will ask help from other departments.”

“Okay.”

On the way home that evening in his car, Gun-Ho thought about it with his eyes closed.

‘2 million shares have been issued so far. Once we go public, we will have to issue the shares of 30% more. By that time, I won’t be able to keep the shares to myself only, but I will have to let part of them be traded in the stock market. As a result, my percentage of ownership will shrink…

That means that after the company goes public, my asset will increase, but my percentage of ownership of the company will decrease; this fact sort of bothers me.’

It was Friday.

News about Minister Jin-Woo Lee appeared in the news on the internet every day. They all talked about high probability that he would be elected during the upcoming by-election. Gun-Ho agreed with them. First of all, his competitor was not a very popular man. He was a former news anchor, and he often made a mistake when he talked in public.

On the other hand, Minister Jin-Woo Lee was once a congressman, and he was very experienced in the political sphere. He was highly skillful in communicating with others. He knew how to tactfully dodge a question that he didn’t want to answer.

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office in GH Development, Sinsa Town when he received a call from Minister Jin-Woo Lee.

“Mr. President Goo, we’ve received your contribution to our party. I’m calling you today to show my gratitude. Thank you very much.”

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t contribute more.”

“Don’t say that. You have no idea what it means to the members of the party. We will work hard not to disappoint our sponsors like you.”

Gun-Ho found the phone conversation with Minister Jin-Woo Lee somewhat ridiculous and funny.

‘Why is he talking this way? He sounds very diplomatic. Oh, maybe someone is listening to him right now? He could have simply said, “thank you.”

‘He will need more money after he gets elected in the upcoming by-election. Once he is elected, he will have to compete to become the leader of his political party, and also he will have to prepare to climb up his path toward becoming the president of the country. GH Mobile is not generating enough funds for me to provide him with more funds. He has to do better than this in supporting my business. With only a 30% or 40% increase in sales, I can’t do more than I’m doing for him right now. Don’t you think, Mr. Minister Lee?’

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Chapter 737 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (1) – Part 2

Chapter 737: Mori Aikko’s Audition (1) – Part 2

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought mail to Gun-Ho’s office. Gun-Ho opened it to find out that it was from a district attorney in a provincial city, with whom he took the course at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University. It was a wedding invitation.

“Huh? His daughter is getting married.”

Gun-Ho closely looked at the wedding invitation to find out more details.

“Le Meridien? It’s Ritz Carlton Hotel where I had lunch with the stock brokerage firm’s branch manager the other day. I think I should be there. It would be beneficial for me to stay in a close connection with a district attorney. Who knows what would happen to me in the future, and I might need his help. The wedding will be held next Saturday. I guess I can be there after the trip to Tokyo.

Should I send him a congratulatory flower wreath? If so, should it be under my company’s name or my individual name? Maybe I should use GH Mobile’s name since it’s the biggest company among the companies that I have. Well, let me see… I’m the co-president of GH Mobile, and I don’t want to say ‘co-president’ on the flower wreath. Maybe I’d better send the flower wreath with Dyeon Korea’s name as the president of that company. In addition, the company will soon go public and will be widely known!”

Gun-Ho made a call to the accounting manager— Ms. Myeong-Sook Jo.

“This is President Goo.”

“Yes, sir. We are almost done with the documents that will be used during the presentations on our business for institutional investors.”

“I’m not calling to ask you about it. I want you to send a congratulatory flower wreath to someone’s wedding next Saturday. The wedding is scheduled at 1 pm in Le Meridien (Ritz Carlton) Hotel. I will text you with a photo of the wedding invitation, so you can see the details that you need like the venue and time. Please send it with my name as ‘President Gun-Ho Goo of Dyeon Korea.’”

“Yes, sir. Do you have any price range in your mind for the flower wreath, sir?”

“Send the one that’s about 100,000 won.”

“Yes, sir.”

Later in the afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“I will arrive in Korea tomorrow, sir, and I will have to be at the court at 10 am on Monday. After the matter with the court is done, I will come to your office, sir.”

“I received the confirmation of our plane tickets departing Seoul to Tokyo.”

“Thank you, sir. I will see you on Monday.”

It was Monday. Knowing that Director Woon-Hak Sim would come to his office in GH Development in Sinsa Town, Gun-Ho didn’t go to work in GH Mobile, Jiksan Town. But, instead, he came to his office in the GH Building. After having lunch, Gun-Ho was enjoying his afternoon coffee when Director Woon-Hak Sim entered his office. Director Sim looked comfortable and somewhat satisfied. The matter at the court must have gone well.

“How did it go at the court?”

“It went well, sir.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“I thought that the courtroom would swarm with all of the creditors related to my case since every one of interest was supposed to attend it. However, no creditor hadn’t appeared at the court.”

“Oh, really?”

“After the judge verified my identity, he demanded the creditors, who Mr. Woon-Hak Sim owed money to, to raise their hands, but there was no one.”

“That’s very good.”

“So, the judge told me that I could just go home. That was it.”

“That means that the judge will render his judgment as your attorney requested since no creditor raised any issues or objections to it.”

“You think so, sir? My attorney said the same thing to me too, but I’m still worried.”

“I’m positive.”

“The judge will then reduce my debt significantly, and give the order saying that I have to make a monthly payment pursuant to the payment plan for the debt within my capacity which is based on my current income, right? So, once the judgment is rendered as such, I no longer have to worry about my salary being garnished, right?”

“I believe so.”

“That would be really nice.”

“Tomorrow, we will meet at Gimpo International Airport in the morning. Be there by 10 am.”

“Yes, sir. I told Director Yan Wu to stay in Haneda Airport in Tokyo tomorrow until we get there.”

“Once we arrive in Tokyo tomorrow, we will stay in the New Otani Hotel. We will have our lunch and take a rest at the hotel before we head to the secret bar in Shinjuku City in the evening.”

“To a secret bar, sir?”

“There are two ways to see a geisha’s dance performance— Odori. You can either go to a public event for it, or you have to go to a first-class secret bar that provides that service.”

“Wow. That will cost a fortune, won’t it? Especially, it’s going to be in Japan, not Korea.”

“You don’t have to worry about the money that we would spend during the trip, Mr. Director Sim.”

“Well, sir, I will go downstairs now to see GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda before leaving for today.”

“Sounds good.”

“And, this…”

“What is it?”

“I’ve noticed that you often enjoy Longjing tea. I bought some for you in China.”

“Thank you. You can leave it with Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh on the way out.”

“Thank you.”

Once Director Sim walked out of the office, Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh said, “Director Sim just handed me Longjing tea before leaving the office, sir.”

“Hmm, Okay. Ms. Oh, I need you to make a reservation for four hotel rooms with New Otani Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. We will stay there for two nights starting tomorrow. Please reserve three single rooms and one suite room.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The people who will stay in the hotel are Director Sim, and myself, and the Japanese man— Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, and one more person— Mr. Yan Wu. Make sure that you give the hotel their names with correct English spelling. It’s Mr. Yan Wu with W. and U. For the accurate spelling of Mr. Matsuda, call GH Media and ask them.”

“Yes, sir. For the suite room, I will give them your name, sir.”

“Okay.”

On Tuesday at 10 am, Gun-Ho met Director Sim and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda at the airport. Gun-Ho was wearing a business suit with a tie while Director Sim was wearing an all-white outfit. Even his hat was white. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda’s appearance looked very artistic as well. He pulled his gray hair back in a ponytail with a beard on his jaw.

When Gun-Ho saw the two, he laughed and said, “You two definitely look like the people who are working in the movie production business.”

Director Sim and Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda seemed to feel excited about the trip to Tokyo, especially because they were going with President Gun-Ho Goo who was immensely rich. That gave them a feeling of comfort.

When they arrived at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Director Yan Wu was already there waiting for them. Director Yan Wu’s appearance was also out of the ordinary. Director Yan Wu was in his 40s, but he was wearing “distressed” denim with a weird-colored jacket.

“How are you, Mr. President Goo?”

“How have you been, Mr. Director Wu?”

After having a handshake, the four men got into a taxi heading to the hotel. Gun-Ho sat in the front passenger seat, and he told the taxi driver to go to the New Otani Hotel. Mr. Yoshitake Matsuda, who was sitting in the rear seat, looked surprised when he heard of the hotel name— New Otani.

“New Otani Hotel Desuka? It’s an expensive hotel. You didn’t have to reserve that expensive hotel for us, sir.”

“Let’s have lunch first and take a deep rest. We will meet the dancing geisha at 6 pm this evening.”

“I will skip lunch. I had enough in-flight meals.”

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Chapter 738 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (2) – Part 1

Chapter 738: Mori Aikko’s Audition (2) – Part 1

The four men arrived at New Otani Hotel in Tokyo. Director Yan Wu seemed to be impressed by the stunning look of the hotel. He exclaimed several times, “Oh, Piaoliang (It’s so pretty)!”

Director Woon-Hak Sim looked also amazed, especially when he saw the 400 years old traditional Japanese style garden there.

Gun-Ho walked to the lobby and checked in the rooms for four people.

“Shoot. I should have accompanied a secretary or someone to take care of all this tedious work. Now, I’m the one who is handling the check-in process for everyone here, even though I’m the boss.”

Gun-Ho received four keys for four separate rooms and gave one key to each person.

“Let’s break up here, and have free time until 6 pm. Don’t forget to come to the lobby by 6. We will leave for the bar in Shinjuku City by taxi.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim had a question.

“Do we need to prepare some money for a tip when we go to the bar?”

“No, you don’t need to.”

Gun-Ho then asked Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda to come close to him, and said, “Would you give a call to Mama San Segawa Joonkko for me? Tell her that we will be there by 6 pm. You probably want to let her know that four men would be there including you and me, and also two movie directors.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, tell her to get Mori Aikko ready for her dance performance. I want to show these two movie directors Geigi’s Odori (geisha’s dance).”

“Okay, sir. It has been several years already since I saw Geigi’s Odori in a bar. I’m so excited.”

Gun-Ho then talked to Director Yan Wu, “We are going to a bar here, and the floor of the room in the bar would be covered with tatami, and we would sit on the floor without a chair. Will it be okay with you?”

Chinese people slept in a raised bed and sit on a chair. Many of them felt extremely uncomfortable when they had to sit on a floor, unlike Koreans and Japanese who were very familiar with a floor sitting setting.

“I can use two-floor cushions to raise my seat height a little bit. I will be good.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda, who was watching Gun-Ho talking with Director Yan Wu in Chinese, was astonished by Gun-Ho’s fluent Chinese.

“Oh, Mr. President Goo. You speak Chinese very well.”

It was 6 pm, and the four men headed to the bar in Shinjuku City. The bar was a traditional Japanese style house with bamboo trees in the yard.

“I have to take a picture of this place. It’s so beautiful.”

Two movie directors— Director Yan Wu and Director Woon-Hak Sim— started taking pictures of the bar house. Gun-Ho told them, “You probably don’t want to do that. The bar owner might not like it.”

“We need to collect data like this Japanese traditional style house for our movie. This might come in handy when we set up our movie studio.”

The four men were led to an extremely clean room with tatami floor. Once they sat on the floor, the room door opened. A middle-aged woman in Kimono entered the room and sat in a kneeling position in front of the four guests. She then gave a full bow to her guests and said, “Ohisashiburidesu, Kyu Shacho San (Long time no see, Mr. President Goo).”

“How have you been, Mama San?”

The elegant middle-aged lady was the bar owner— Segawa Joonkko.

“Mama San, it has been a while since I saw you last time. It’s Yoshitaka Matsuda.”

“Oh, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda!”

“I’m so glad to see you again. You are still very elegant, Mama San.”

“Ha, Arigato Gozaimasu (Thank you).”

Gun-Ho could speak very simple and basic Japanese. He introduced the two movie directors to Mama San in Japanese.

“This is a very famous movie director in China— Director Yan Wu.”

“Oh, is that right? Pleasure meeting you, sir. I’m the owner of this bar— Mama San Segawa Joonkko.”

Gun-Ho continued, “And, this gentleman is another famous movie director— Director Woon Hak Sim. He is Korean.”

“Oh, I see. It’s very nice meeting you, sir.”

“I guess I can skip introducing Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda to you since you two seem to know each other well.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda and Mama San looked at each other and laughed.

Segawa Joonkko filled up four empty cups with Matcha tea in a white porcelain kettle and handed them to each gentleman. Gun-Ho said after taking a sip of the tea— Gun-Ho spoke in Korean and let Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda translate for him, “We are producing a movie called Menghuan Yinghua, in China, and we want Mori Aikko to take the leading female role in the movie.”

Mama San seemed to be surprised and said, “I thought this was about her brief appearance on TV.”

“No, Mama San. It’s about a main role in a movie. These two movie directors are here to audition Mori Aikko for the role. I think this could be a good opportunity for Mori Aikko. The movie is about a love story between a geisha and a Chinese spy.”

“Is that right? It sounds very interesting.”

“Before you say anything further, I want to let you know now that the role that Mori Aikko would play is a geisha who betrays her country for her lover. Will it be okay?”

“It would be better without that betrayal part, but it should be okay. It’s just a movie. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter in China actually. If an actor or an actress plays a role in a movie betraying his or her country, they will be hated by the public for a long time.”

“They get confused between the real world and the movie world, huh?”

Gun-Ho noticed that Director Yan Wu was sitting there not understanding the conversation. Gun-Ho briefly summarized the conversation for him in Chinese, “She said that it’s not a perfectly pleasant role because of the betrayal part, but she will accept it since it’s just a movie and an art.”

Director Yan Wu smiled, and said, “Chinese movie viewers should grow in this aspect. During the era of the Republic of China (1912-1949), there was this actor who played Cao Cao in a movie— Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was eventually killed by the people who watched the movie. They beat him to death with a rock.”

“Wow, really? That’s extreme.”

Gun-Ho said while sipping his Matcha tea, “If Mori Aikko passes the audition, how do you want to get paid for her performance?”

“That would be the earnings of Mori Aikko. You can just send the fund to her personal bank account.”

Gun-Ho wanted to ask Mama San about how she would share Mori Aikko’s income, but he didn’t ask her. That was the business of Gion (Kyoto’s famous geisha district), and he was not in a position to interfere with the business. Gun-Ho guessed though that maybe Mori Aikko’s personal bank account was being managed by Mama San.

“For today, we will enjoy Mori Aikkos’ Odori, and her official audition will be held tomorrow morning by these two movie directors.”

“Understood.”

Mama San left the room, and a large table with food and liquor on came in. Many fish dishes were prepared to eat with liquor including sashimi. Several ladies with Japanese traditional musical instruments— Shamisen— came into the room, and started playing them. The four men slowly drank the liquor while listening to Shamisen.

A moment later, Mama San came back to the room and sat in a kneeling position again and asked, “Mori Aikko is ready. Would you like to see her now?”

“Sure.”

“We will take out the table then.”

When Mama San clapped to give a sign, several good-looking men came into the room and lifted the floor table and took it out of the room, leaving a small table behind in the room for serving tea.

A geisha with the right outfit and make-up was sitting outside the room in a kneeling position. Gun-Ho could see her through a small gap between the sliding doors. She said, “Maiko San is coming in.”

It was Mori Aikko.

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Chapter 739 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (2) – Part 2

Chapter 739: Mori Aikko’s Audition (2) – Part 2

Mori Aikko carefully entered the room where Gun-Ho’s party was sitting in, and she sat on the floor in a kneeling position in front of four men. She then placed a hand fan on the floor that she was carrying, and then she placed her head on the floor and gave a deep bow to the four men to the extent that her nose almost touched the floor.

“Oh, oh.”

Director Yan Wu moaned in amazement since he had never seen a sight like this before. In China, people did not give a deep bow to another person; they didn’t even do that in a funeral either. The only time when people gave a deep bow was for Buddha. It must have been a shocking scene to Director Yan Wu; it was a culture shock. He was even more startled when Mori Aikko lifted her head to begin her dance performance.

“Whoa!”

The three men’s— except Gun-Ho’s— jaws dropped in amazement. They stayed in a shocking state for a while. Their eyes were locked on Mori Aikko’s beautiful face.

The three men moaned at the same time. Gun-Ho was watching the three men’s reaction while enjoying his tea. Gun-Ho seemed to be very satisfied by what he was seeing.

The sound of Shamisen resonated in the room, and the mid-aged women, who were playing Shamisen, started singing as well. It sounded somewhat sad and plaintive. At the moment, Mori Aikko slowly stood up and unfolded the hand fan in her hand. The title of the song that was filling the air was called Gion Kouta. Mori Aikko started dancing along with the melody of the song. The three men were completely mesmerized by Mori Aikko and her dancing. She looked like a fairy to them.

When her dancing was completed, she sat on the floor in a kneeling position again in front of the four men and gave a deep bow to them. The four men started clapping enthusiastically. When Mori Aikko was about to leave the room, Director Yan Wu quickly stopped her. He said in English, “Just a moment, please.”

Director Yan Wu then turned his gaze to Gun-Ho and asked, “Can I see her dance one more time? I’d like to see her dancing to a fast beat this time.”

Gun-Ho looked at Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda and said, “Director Yan Wu wants to see her fast beat dance if it’s possible.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda looked at the ladies who played Shamisen and asked if that could be done. Those ladies looked at Mori Aikko and gave a slight nod. Mori Aikko gave her a slight nod to the Shamisen players as well.

The sound of Shamisen filled the air again. This time, the beat was fast. The title of the music that they were playing was Dai Tokyo Ondo. Mori Aikko started dancing again along with the fast beat music. Gun-Ho hadn’t seen Mori Aikko dancing along with fast beat music before. It was his first time to see her dancing like that as well.

“She is really good.”

This time, all of the four men were carried away including Gun-Ho, by Mori Aikko’s magical dance performance. It was indeed magically stunning.

Once her dance performance ended, Director Yan Wu applauded loudly and said, “This dance looks very Japanese. I definitely give her a pass for her appearance and dance.”

Director Yan Wu didn’t stop clapping as he was making a comment, and the other three men clapped along with him. When Mori Aikko was giving a deep bow again to the four men in a kneeling position, Gun-Ho said to her, “Can you come to New Otani Hotel tomorrow at 10 am? I will talk to Mama San about it.”

“Hai!”

Mori Aikko was lifting her head and then lowered the head again and replied to Gun-Ho’s request.

After Mori Aikko left the room, Director Woon-Hak Sim said to Gun-Ho, “She indeed looks like a cute fairy. I think she is a natural beauty. I don’t think she had any cosmetic surgery at all.”

“There are many beautiful actresses in Korea too, like Seol-Bing and Lia. They are gorgeous, and they have stunning bodies too.”

“It is true that they are taller than Mori Aikko, but they can’t compete with Mori Aikko as far as the beauty is concerned. Mori Aikko is definitely the most beautiful woman among them. Moreover, Seol-Bing and Lia had some plastic surgery here and there. Their beauty was not inborn but made by a plastic surgeon. Mori Aikko has this fascinating traditional beauty. She has the perfect look for the main female character in our movie— Ms. Ailing Feng’s Menghuan Yinghua. She is definitely the right fit for the role, way better than Seol-Bing or Lia. I can tell that for sure, especially after seeing her in person.”

Gun-Ho asked Director Yan Wu, “You said earlier that you would give a pass to Mori Aikko for her appearance and dance. What do you think of her compared to Lia?”

“She is way better than Lia, of course. First of all, Mori Aikko has good manners. She is polite and humble. She is immensely beautiful, and also she is exuding this exotic and specific vibe which is very Japanese in my eyes. She is perfect for the role.”

“I told her to come to New Otani Hotel at 10 am tomorrow. You can test her acting ability then.”

“Sounds great.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim asked with a worried look on his face, “How do we test her acting though?”

Gun-Ho looked at Director Sim with a smile and said, “If you want, I can lease the New Otani Hotel’s banquet hall for you.”

“Huh?”

Gun-Ho called for Mama San.

“We had a great time, Mama San. These three gentlemen are very content with the time that they spent here as well. Here is my Visa card for the food, service, and hospitality, and this is an envelope with cash in it. You can distribute the cash to the Shamisen playing ladies and other staff.”

“Hai, thank you, sir.”

Mama San took Gun-Ho’s credit card and the envelope with her two hands showing her respect.

Director Yan Wu said with a smile, “We are having a luxurious time because we are with Fuweng (rich man).”

Gun-Ho said to Segawa Joonkko, “And, please send Mori Aikko to New Otani Hotel tomorrow morning at 10. These two movie directors want to conduct a brief acting test on her.”

“Hai! Will do that.”

The next morning, Gun-Ho leased New Otani Hotel’s entire banquet hall telling the hotel that five people would have a meal there. It was the same room that Gun-Ho had leased before when he made his proposal to Seol-Bing. He had rented the entire room for Seol-Bing at that time. Gun-Ho then showed the place to Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“We can push these tables to the side to have more space. We will have enough room for acting then.”

“This is actually too much, sir, but thank you. It’s very nice.”

When Gun-Ho saw Mori Aikko coming into the hotel lobby, he waved at her. Mori Aikko jumped into Gun-Ho and held his arm.

“Oppa!”

“You did a great job yesterday. Today, the movie directors want to see how well you can act. Good luck to you.”

Gun-Ho took Mori Aikko to the banquet hall where the two movie directors and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda were waiting for them. Mori Aikko was not wearing any make-up that day, and that made her look like a college student. The three men in the banquet hall were startled again when they saw Mori Aikko coming into the hall.

“Oh, my. Is this the young lady Mori Aikko? The Mori Aiiko who we met yesterday? I can hardly recognize her. Today, she looks like a cute college student who grew up in an affluent family,” Director Yan Wu commented while trying to hide his astonishment.

Director Woon-Hak Sim added, “She is not wearing any make-up today. She is certainly a natural beauty.”

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Chapter 740 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (3) – Part 1

Chapter 740: Mori Aikko’s Audition (3) – Part 1

A simple acting audition was being conducted for Mori Aikko in the New Otani Hotel’s banquet hall.

Director Yan Wu said first, “Imagine that you fell in love with a man and play the scene where you confess your feelings to the man. You don’t have to feel nervous. I just want to see if you can do acting.”

Mori Aikko looked at Gun-Ho’s face to overcome her nervousness, and Gun-Ho encouraged her by giving a slight nod. The two movie directors—Yan Wu and Woon-Hak Sim—didn’t understand Japanese anyway. They wouldn’t be able to understand what Mori Aikko would say. Their evaluation score to be given to Mori Aikko had to be based on her gestures and facial expressions.

Mori Aikko came forward. As a matter of fact, Mori Aikko wanted to get into an acting career. She wanted to appear in a movie or TV drama like other celebrities. She, in fact, preferred to be a celebrity over being a dancing geisha who was doing a dance performance in an event held by a provincial city. She would make more money and become more popular if she was known and work as an actress. Even if the audition was for a role in a Chinese movie, not a Japanese movie, it didn’t matter for her. She wanted to be an actress, and this could be a start for her.

Mori Aikko started playing the role of confessing her feelings to a man who she loved as Director Yan Wu asked.

“Oppa, let’s move to Otaru City and live together. Let’s forget about all the things going on here and start a new life with me there. You can work as a fisherman, and I will live as the fisherman’s wife.”

Gun-Ho recoiled a little bit as he was listening to what Mori Aikko said. She had actually told him the exact same thing before. Mori Aikko was serious; she was expressing her sincere mind. Director Yan Wu and Director Woon-Hak Sim were so impressed that their eyes widened. The veracity of her saying must have successfully been delivered to those two directors, and that was exactly what the movie directors were looking for in testing an actor or actresses.

Mori Aikko continued, “Oppa, I love you. I don’t mind if I would have to live in poverty as long as I am with you. I want to have a life with you. We can walk along the canal in Otaru City during the weekends. I want to walk in Sakaimachidori Street with you too.”

Mori Aikko’s tears looked genuine.

“Okay, that’s enough!” Director Yan Wu said as he started clapping.

“That was great.”

Mori Aikko stopped acting and turned her gaze to Gun-Ho, and she smiled at him. Gun-Ho also smiled at Mori Aikko while applauding in praising her act, but his smile also contained a lot of mixed feelings.

Director Yan Wu gave a second request to Mori Aikko.

“This is the situation where I want you to act. You are buying fruits from this merchant. You paid 10,000 won to him for the fruits that you picked, but the merchant insisted that he only received 1,000 won from you. You are arguing with the seller.”

Mori Aikko took a moment before starting her act, “I gave you 10,000 won. Check your pocket again. I don’t lie. You have to have a 10,000 won bill there that I just gave to you. See? That’s the 10,000 won bill that I gave to you. What? That’s a 10,000 won bill that you received from another customer?”

“Okay, stop right there.”

Director Yan Wu stopped Mori Aikko and gave his comment.

“This scene was a bit awkward. You were like reading a book out loud. I guess we need to train you as we shoot the movie. Since you don’t speak Chinese, your part will be dubbed into Chinese by a Chinese voice actor, of course. However, we need you to act well with your face and body. That’s critical for us in order to produce a quality movie. I will need to discuss with Director Woon-Hak Sim whether we would cast you for our movie. Mr. Director Sim, what do you think?”

“I’d like to work with her. We can train her for acting.”

Gun-Ho usually wouldn’t say anything in a situation like this, but he said, “Let’s make the decision right here now before we leave.”

“The words out of Gun-Ho’s mouth—the major investor in this movie production—always weighed heavily. Director Yan Wu responded quickly, “Good. I was leaning on casting her anyway. Ms. Mori Aikko, please have a seat.”

Mori Aikko carefully sat on a chair.

Director Yan Wu sipped his water out of a bottle and said, “We don’t strictly follow the movie script. I was thinking about it when I saw the geisha’s Odori yesterday that we will add a lot of geisha’s Odori scenes here and there in the movie.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda agreed, “That’s a good idea. Ms. Mori Aikko is a talented dancer, and we should make the most of it.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, and that’s one of the main reasons why I decided to work with her.”

“If you decided to cast Ms. Aikko, you need to talk with the bar owner in Shinjuku City where we went yesterday—Mama San. Mama San is like an entertainment agency in the geisha’s world.”

“We can stop by her bar today.”

“That’s a good idea. I will give her a call for our visit today.”

Director Yan Wu said, “And, once I go back to China, I will have our movie script translated into the Japanese language for Mori Aikko and send it to her. She needs to know the overall story and what’s going on in the movie.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda added as he scratched his nose, “Umm, there are a few things that you need to make an arrangement in working with her. Once she leaves for Shanghai, she will need an interpreter for her.”

“Of course.”

“Also, she needs a makeup artist as well.”

“A makeup artist?”

“I understand that your movie production company in China has makeup artists; however, the geisha makeup is special, and it is done by those makeup artists who know how to do it. A geisha can’t do the makeup by herself. Many geisha makeup artists are men, but since Ms. Mori Aikko has to be accompanied by a makeup artist for the trip abroad, we probably want to find a female geisha makeup artist.”

“Sounds good.”

“Well, it’s noon now. Let’s have lunch here first. We will then leave for the bar to meet with Mama San. Or, maybe we can ask her to come to the hotel.”

“Ask her about it. Either way is good.”

“Okay, I will talk to her.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda made a call to Mama San Segawa Joonkko.

“Mama San? This is Yoshitaka Matsuda. The movie directors here decided to cast Ms. Mori Aikko for their movie. They want to make a contract today. Can you come over to the hotel for it?”

After getting off the phone with Mama San, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda said, “She will be here by 1 pm.”

“Great. Let’s have lunch now.”

Hotel’s staff started bringing food to the banquet hall.

Gun-Ho said, “Please have your lunch. I will sit at a separate table with Mori Aikko. I have something that I need to talk about with her.”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat, held Mori Aikko’s hand, and moved to another table. Looking at Gun-Ho holding Mori Aikko’s hand, the other three men were surprised.

“Something is going on between President Goo and Ms. Mori Aikko, right?”

“Yeah, it looks like it. I can tell by looking at the way Ms. Aikko was staring at President Goo. It’s so intensive.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko were sitting at the table by the window, where they could see Japan’s State Guest House. The three men at the other table kept glancing at those two while having their food. Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko seemed to have a good time. They talked, laughed, and clinked each other’s glass of beer. Mori Aikko’s profile reminded them of a sculpture that was carefully carved by an artist. The three men were jealous of Gun-Ho; he seemed to have it all. They were envious of his youth as well.

After finishing lunch, they went to a café within the hotel to have a cup of coffee. When they finished half of their cup of coffee, Mama San Segawa Joonkko arrived at the hotel.

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Chapter 741 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (3) – Part 2

Chapter 741: Mori Aikko’s Audition (3) – Part 2

It must not have been the first time for Mama San to handle this sort of business. She was well prepared to make a contract for Mori Aikko’s new work. She brought a copy of Mori Aikko’s personal bank account and a copy of her passport even though no one told her that they would need those documents.

Ms. Yan Wu explained to Mama San about whom Mori Aikko would be making the contract with, “The name of the movie production company is Huanle Shiji Production Company. Mr. Baogang Chen is its owner president. I’m the vice president of the company, and I handle all of the casting matters. I will sign this contract today on behalf of our company’s president—Mr. President Baogang Chen.”

“Hai.”

“The shooting on Ms. Mori Aikko’s part will start next month, and it will probably last for four months which is our main production period. It could be completed earlier than that though. We will try not to exceed four months.”

“Hai.”

“She will need to shoot 60 to 100 times. During the shooting, she will have to stay in China. We will provide her with a plane ticket and accommodation on top of her performance pay.”

“Hai.”

“Also, we will let her bring one makeup artist with her.”

“Hai.”

“We will pay her 200,000 dollars for her performance.”

“The role that she’s going to play is the leading female role, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is the main female role; however, Ms. Aikko is a newbie actress. If this movie succeeds, we will definitely raise her performance pay for the next movie.”

Mama San Segawa Joonkko looked at Mori Aikko to find what Mori Aikko would think about the pay. Aikko gave a slight nod to her and then Segawa Joonkko nodded her head while looking at Director Yan Wu as well.

“All other terms listed in this contract are boilerplate. Basically, they are about the duties that each party must perform, compensation for damages, etc. pursuant to the customs in the movie production field. I just pointed out to you about the important terms.”

“Thank you.”

“I also want you to know that it costs a significant amount of money to produce a movie. The estimated production cost of this movie is 10 million dollars. So, we had to get a part of our funds through crowdfunding. And, half of the cost is covered by Mr. President Goo here. He is the major investor in our movie production. We could decide to make this movie because of him.”

“Sodesu Ka? (Is that so)?”

Mama San Segawa Joonkko looked at Gun-Ho’s face with an admiring look on her face.

Segawa Joonkko stood up from her seat getting ready to leave.

“I guess we are all set. I will get going then.”

Everyone in the room stood up to say goodbye to her. Before leaving the room, Segawa Joonkko said to Mori Aikko, “You stay here and spend some time with Mr. President Goo. You probably have a lot to talk about with him since it has been a while since you saw him last time.”

The other three men, who heard what Segawa Joonkko said, couldn’t understand the situation.

‘Spending some time with President Goo? I’m pretty positive that they are in some sort of relationship.’

After Segawa Joonkko left the room, Gun-Ho said to the three men, “Our flight back home is leaving tomorrow morning. Let’s take a deep rest now and meet at the lobby this evening. We don’t want to waste our time in Tokyo. We will have a drink tonight.”

“Umm, sir,” Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda seemed to have something to say to Gun-Ho.

“Yes, Mr. Matsuda?”

“Why don’t we have our dinner at the Korean restaurant that Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi is running? I miss their Bulgogi*.

“The Korean restaurant? Sure. Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi’s restaurant is within walking distance from the hotel.”

“I will give Ms. President Choi a call then to let her know that we will have dinner there.”

Gun-Ho thought that something was odd with Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda. Gun-Ho was told that he had a wife and children in Tokyo, but he didn’t seem to have any intention to visit his family during the trip.

‘Is he single now? I heard that he has family here…’

“Well, I will see you all later then.”

Gun-Ho went to the beautiful New Otani Hotel’s garden with Mori Aikko. Mori Aikko said while she was watching the fish playing in the pond, “Let’s go somewhere to take a walk.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Umm… Let’s go to Shibuya.”

“Sounds good. That’s close to your home at Daikanyama anyway.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko were walking in Koen Dori, Shibuya. Aikko seemed to be in a good mood. She held Gun-Ho’s arm while walking.

“You will often be traveling back and forth between Shanghai and Tokyo. You will need some outfits like clothes and high-heeled shoes, etc. I will buy them for you.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko went into a shopping mall—Shibuya109—and he bought a full outfit for Mori Aikko including clothes, shoes, hats, sunglasses, etc. Mori Aikko looked excited and happy while shopping, and Gun-Ho stared at her with a satisfied look on his face. That was one of the differences between Mori Aikko and his wife—Young-Eun. Whenever Gun-Ho bought something for Young-Eun, she always rebuked him for wasting money on such unnecessary things. Mori Aikko reacted differently when he bought something for her. She always showed her gratitude, and she seemed to be genuinely happy. Mori Aikko always made Gun-Ho feel like he did an enormous favor or gave her an extremely precious gift for her.

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko felt hungry, and they felt their legs were tired as well after spending hours walking and shopping. They went into Midori Sushi Restaurant close to Shibuya Station, and they ordered sushi.

“Oh, oppa, you are supposed to go back to the hotel and have dinner with the directors and Mr. Matsuda at 6 pm, aren’t you?”

“I know but I don’t want to. All I can think of now is staying with you, Aikko.”

Mori Aikko smiled broadly as Gun-Ho told her that he wanted to stay with her.

“I have to go anyway. I need to put all these shopping bags at the condo in Daikanyama before going back to the bar in Shinjuku City.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko picked up the shopping bags and headed to Mori Aikko’s condo in Daikanyama.

“It has been a while since I came to this place.”

Gun-Ho noticed that there was a new photo hanging on the wall that he hadn’t seen before. It was a photo of several girls in a Yukata with flowers in the back. Mori Aikko was standing in the middle. They must be Aikko’s friends. Since they were all wearing Yukata, maybe they are her colleagues—Maiko San. Gun-Ho turned his gaze to Mori Aikko. She was sweating since they had to walk to the condo carrying the heavy shopping bags. Gun-Ho wiped the sweat off her face with his handkerchief, and he said, “I missed you.”

Gun-Ho then held Mori Aikko in his arms and started kissing her. Mori Aikko closed her eyes. Gun-Ho then started undressing her.

“I didn’t even take a shower yet,” Mori Aikko said.

“It’s okay.”

Gun-Ho could smell Mori Aikko’s perfume mixed with her sweat. Mori Aikko had a different scent from Gun-Ho’s wife—Young-Eun.

“I can’t breathe.”

Mori Aikko said as she was breathing heavily. As Gun-Ho realized that he was holding her so tightly, he released her right away. And then he pressed his lips against Mori Aikko’s cute lips.

The two stayed on the bed for a long time while holding each other.

Note*

Bulgogi – Grilled beef which was marinated with all sorts of vegetables and soy sauce.

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Chapter 742 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (4) – Part 1

Chapter 742: Mori Aikko’s Audition (4) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was wondering how long he had been in bed.

At the moment, Mori Aikko got up and started putting her clothes on, and then she turned around to look at Gun-Ho and said, “Oppa, are you going to stay in bed?”

“Huh? What time is it? Is it 5:30 pm already? Shoot. I’m going to be late for the dinner appointment.”

Gun-Ho got up quickly and started dressing.

“Let’s make a call for a taxi. It could take long to catch a taxi on the street.”

The two called a taxi, and then they walked out of the condo.

“Let’s take the taxi together. I will drop you off in Shinjuku City on the way to the restaurant in Akasaka.”

“When can I see you again, oppa?”

“I think I will see you in Shanghai City.”

“Shanghai?”

“Yeah.”

The taxi arrived. Gun-Ho dropped off Mori Aikko in Shinjuku City and headed to Akasaka. When he arrived at the restaurant, it was a little bit after 6 pm.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

“I guess you lost track of time while you were with the beautiful woman.”

Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi came to the table where Gun-Ho’s party was sitting at.

“I see a couple of familiar faces today. It’s really good to see you, Mr. President Goo and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda.”

Gun-Ho said, “You haven’t met these two other gentlemen here, have you?”

“No, it’s my first time to see these very nice gentlemen. Let me guess what they do for a living… I think they are in the art field. I’m pretty positive.”

“This gentleman here is a famous movie director in Korea—Director Woon-Hak Sim. And, the gentleman over here is Mr. Director Yan Wu. He is a famous Chinese movie director.”

“Oh, I see. They are movie directors, huh?”

Gun-Ho said to Director Woon-Hak Sim, “You might recognize Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi here. She was a movie star in Korea when she was younger.”

“Oh, is that right? I was actually thinking that her name sounds familiar.”

“Haha. It was a long time ago. I think Mr. Director Sim is younger than me, and you probably don’t recognize the actresses in my old days.”

“Maybe, but your name does sound familiar, ma’am.”

“Well, since I have precious guests to my restaurant today, I will notify the kitchen to prepare very fresh meat for you.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, I see the four gentlemen here look very happy today. Would you care to share the good news with me?”

“We found the actress who will play the leading female role in our movie. We signed the contract with Mori Aikko earlier today.”

“Oh, really? That’s wonderful.”

“It’s not for a Korean movie though, but it’s for a Chinese movie.”

“Oh, that’s why we have the Chinese movie director here.”

At that moment, other customers started coming into the restaurant, and Ms. President Choi went to another table to greet new customers.

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda asked Gun-Ho, “Do you have any favorite liquor, sir? We can order it if you have one.”

“I’m good with any liquor. You can pick your favorite one.”

“I actually like Korean liquor—soju—better than Japanese liquor these days. I guess I’ve been living in Korea for too long.”

“Well, let’s order a few bottles of soju then.”

“Soju here is very expensive.”

“We are in a Korean restaurant. We’d better drink Korean liquor. Excuse me! We are ready to place an order,” Gun-Ho called for a waitress.

“We will have Bulgogi* for four people. Also, please get us two bottles of soju.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda tried to stop Gun-Ho, “A bottle of Korean soju in this place costs 20,000 won.”

“It’s okay. I want to show Mr. Director Yan Wu what a Korean soju tastes like.”

Fresh meats were being cooked at the table, and the four men lifted their glass of soju to drink.

Gun-Ho said to Director Yan Wu, “Mr. Director Yan Wu, this is a Korean dish, and this is Korean liquor.”

Director Yan Wu closely looked at the bottle of soju; it was green in color.

“We had Japanese liquor yesterday at the secret bar, and today, we are having Korean liquor. Mr. Director Wu, you have tasted liquor from two different countries.”

Director Yan Wu sipped a glass of soju and picked up a piece of Bulgogi*.

“Bucuo (not bad).”

When they already finished four bottles of soju, the four men felt a bit drunk. Gun-Ho ordered two more bottles of soju.

Once the restaurant became less busy, the restaurant owner—Ms. Choi—joined Gun-Ho’s table again.

“How are we doing here, gentlemen? Are you having fun? Let me have a glass of soju with you.”

“Please join us. You are very welcome here.”

“The senior film director—Mr. Director Kwon-Chang Im—is still very active in the field, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is. He doesn’t get involved in producing a movie as much as before, but he is still highly motivated.”

“If you have a chance to see him, would you tell him for me that Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi said hi to him from Tokyo?”

“Sure, I will do that. Please allow me to fill up your glass with soju, big sister.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim called Ms. President Choi big sister.

“I feel so happy to see the people from the movie production industry. I feel like I’m meeting old friends from my hometown. Hahaha.”

Ms. President Ji-Yeon Choi gulped down her glass of soju at once.

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda said as he was filling up President Choi’s empty glass with soju, “Do you remember the old days when you first opened this restaurant? At that time, traveling to Japan from Korea was not easy. And, many high-ranking officers came to this restaurant to enjoy their meals.”

“I’m sure that half of them already passed away. Life feels so futile.”

“You are right.”

“Since Mori Aikko is selected for the role in the movie, I guess you have already met Segawa Joonkko in making the contract for Mori Aikko, huh?”

“Yes, we met with her earlier today.”

“I guess Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda felt really good to see her again.”

“Segawa Joonkko became a mid-aged lady. Mori Aikko reminded me of Segawa Joonkko who was so gorgeous and popular when she was at Mori Aikko’s age.”

“We often have a hard time seeing the people who we are eager to meet again, and we often easily see those who we don’t want to see again. That’s life, I guess.”

“That sounds very true.”

Ms. President Choi turned her gaze to Gun-Ho and said, “How’s your business, Mr. President Goo? I’m sure it’s going well, right?”

“Yes, it’s doing fine.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda chipped in, “President Goo is the major investor of the upcoming movie production in Shanghai City. He is investing 5 million dollars.”

“Did you say 5 million dollars? That’s the scale that you could only see with big players from Gangnam District.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda laughed and said, “I guess the words about President Goo being a big player from Gangnam are already spreading out in Japan as well.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim, who was sitting next to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda, added, “He is also known as such in China too.”

Gun-Ho laughed and said, “Let’s drop the subject.”

Ms. President Choi said as she clinked her glass of liquor to Gun-Ho’s, “Mr. President Goo is indeed a very attractive man. He is a man of refined taste.”

“Haha. I’m serious. Let’s not talk about me anymore.”

“Please take good care of Mori Aikko. I guess she earned this chance to be in the movie because of Mr. President Goo, didn’t she?”

“No. She obtained the main role based on her sheer ability,” Gun-Ho replied.

At that moment, Gun-Ho noticed deep wrinkles on the back of Ms. President Choi’s neck. He thought that she must have had a very lonely life being away from her home country for a long time.

Note*

Bulgogi – Grilled beef which was marinated with all sorts of vegetables and soy sauce.

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Chapter 743 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (4) – Part 2

Chapter 743: Mori Aikko’s Audition (4) – Part 2

Ms. President Choi left Gun-Ho’s table when a group of new customers entered the restaurant. Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda asked Gun-Ho, “It seems that you’ve known Ms. Mori Aikko for a long while, Mr. President Goo. If you don’t mind me asking… can I ask you how you know Ms. Mori Aikko, sir?”

“Umm, actually… I’m Mori Aikko’s sponsor.”

“Huh? Mori Aikko’s sponsor, sir? That’s surprising. I thought that Mori Aikko would have a Japanese sponsor with an enormous amount of money. I’ve never expected to see her having a foreigner as her sponsor.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim didn’t seem to understand the conversation between Gun-Ho and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda. He asked, “What is a sponsor for a geisha?”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda didn’t answer Director Sim’s question, but instead, he asked another question to Gun-Ho, “I guess you put her hair up then, Mr. President Goo.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Of course, you are an Otoko (man).”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda clapped in amazement.

Gun-Ho then explained to Director Woon-Hak Sim and Director Yan Wu about the “culture of a geisha’s sponsor.”

Director Yan Wu nodded his head first and said, “I watched the movie—Memories of a Geisha—and it showed the sponsor culture in the geishas’ world. In the movie, the actress—Ziyi Zhang—who played a geisha role, had a sponsor.”

Gun-Ho ordered one more bottle of soju and said, “What we talked about here must be kept between us. It shouldn’t go outside of the room, okay? Especially, you can’t talk about it to Ms. President Jeong-Sook Shin when we go back to Korea. President Shin is in a very close relationship with my wife. Once my wife finds out about Mori Aikko, I will be kicked out of my house.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda and Director Woon-Hak Sim laughed out loud. When Gun-Ho saw Director Yan Wu looking puzzled, he briefly explained the situation. Director Yan Wu joined the other two men in laughing out loud.

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda said as he was opening the new bottle of soju that they ordered additionally, “Sir, we have this proverb in Japan. In the world between men, we don’t talk about anything that happened below our belly button. If someone talks about another man’s story related to whatever below his belly button, that person is deemed not a man.”

“Thank you. By the way, I have a question for you, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda, if you don’t mind me asking. Since I’m drunk, I will be less careful hoping you understand. I’ve been wondering about your family. Where are they living?”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda replied with a cynical smile, “You’ve been wondering about my family? I have a wife and a daughter too. She is a senior in high school.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“I’m divorced though. My wife and I didn’t get along. Speaking of a sponsor, to be honest with you, I liked Segawa Joonkko a lot when I was younger.”

“Were you her sponsor?”

“No way. I was just a newbie journalist in a newspaper company in Japan when I saw Segawa Joonkko for the first time. Going to a secret bar itself wasn’t easy for me at that time. I once went to the bar with my boss who was the owner of the newspaper company that I was working for, and that was the time when I saw Segawa Joonkko for the first time. I fell in love with her at first sight. She was dancing entrancingly just like Mori Aikko was.”

“Hmm.”

“Segawa Joonkko is now a middle-aged woman, but when she was younger, she was strikingly beautiful. She was extremely popular just like Mori Aikko back then.”

“Was your employer her sponsor then?”

“No, but his friend was. My boss had a friend who was running a company in the mining industry. He put Segawa Joonkko’s hair up.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The bar that she is running right now was a present from that man—the owner of the mining company. That man passed away not long ago. He was around 20 years older than Segawa Joonkko.”

“Well, since Segawa Joonkko is single now, why don’t you ask her out?”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda shook his head.

“A geisha stays faithful to her man. Having another man is a betrayal in their world even though her sponsor is old enough to be her father.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I once told Segawa Joonkko that I would keep her in my heart forever and that she would stay as a beautiful piece of memory to me. That’s why I’m staying as a good friend of her even now.”

Gun-Ho thought about it with his arms crossed,

‘Is it bad or good? Maybe I will be the only man to Mori Aikko for the rest of her life. Well, it sounds good to some extent, but also, it sounds a bit creepy too.

Knowing the special relationship between Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda and Segawa Joonkko reminds me of the love story of the poet—Baek Seok—and the bar owner—Young-Han Kim. Young-Eun and I talked about it when we visited Gilsangsa Temple in Seongbuk Town when we were still dating.’

Gun-Ho asked Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda, “Do you, by any chance, know of a Korean poet—Baek Seok?”

“I’ve heard of the name.”

“There was a poem written by him about his love story with a bar owner. The title of the poet is ‘Me, Natasha and a white donkey.’”

“Really?”

“I remember this part of the poem; it says, ‘Me, the poor man / Love the beautiful Natasha / And tonight, the snow falls softly.’”

“Oh, it’s romantic and beautiful. I’m not talking about the poet, but I’m talking about you, Mr. President Goo. You are indeed a man of refined taste. I see a different part of you tonight, sir.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda seemed to be impressed by the artistic side of Gun-Ho, and he clapped for it, and Director Woon-Hak Sim clapped along with him.

The trip of two nights and three days in Japan was a romantic trip to Gun-Ho, and it was the time when he had to go back home. Before leaving Japan at the Haneda Airport, Gun-Ho stopped by the duty-free shop and bought some gifts for his family such as Shiseido skincare products, liquors, t-shirts for women, baby stuff, and toys. Gun-Ho wanted to butter up Young-Eun.

Gun-Ho came back home with lots of gifts that he purchased at the duty-free shop in the airport.

“Sang-Min, daddy is home.”

“How was your trip?” Young-Eun came out to the front door to greet Gun-Ho.

“Good. How are you?”

“What are all those?”

“These are for you and our baby boy. I bought some cosmetics for you and toys for Sang-Min.”

Young-Eun opened what Gun-Ho brought home.

“I have skincare products at home already. You didn’t have to buy all these.”

“Just save them somewhere, and use them after you finish the ones that you are using right now.”

“Did you pick these toys yourself? I don’t understand why you chose these.”

“What’s wrong?”

“These toys are for older boys like elementary schoolers. Our baby boy is not even one year old yet. He can’t possibly play with these now. Did you seriously pick a robot toy for Sang-Min?”

“Umm, well, we will save them until Sang-Min grows old enough to play with them then.”

“What are these for?”

“Oh, those are for your father in Silim Town. I bought two bottles of liquor for him. And, the t-shirts and pajamas over there are for you.”

“The t-shirts look okay. I like them. Well, I’m glad you are back home safely. Go and wash yourself. I will set the dinner table.”

Gun-Ho quickly went to the bathroom and took a deep shower. He meticulously washed himself as if he tried to wash off any trace that might be still on him from Mori Aikko.

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Chapter 744 - GH Mobile is Growing (1) – Part 1

Chapter 744: GH Mobile is Growing (1) – Part 1

It was Monday, and Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

When he arrived there, numerous freight trucks were coming and going out and into GH Mobile’s first factory and second factory buildings. Its 650 workers were busily working systematically. Gun-Ho had always emphasized the importance of their production site to his employees, since they were in the manufacturing industry. He had started his career at the production site of a factory after all. The first thing that Gun-Ho did when he arrived at GH Mobile that morning was to check the production site.

“Where are all the managers here?”

Whenever Gun-Ho had visited the production site, Director Jong-Suk Park or the plant managers came to Gun-Ho quickly to greet him. But, that day, he couldn’t see any managers nor Director Park. When Gun-Ho spotted a worker who appeared to be one of the team leads in the production department, he asked him, “Where are the managers in the production site?”

“They are having a meeting at Director Park’s office, sir.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at Director Park’s office, the meeting seemed to just end. The managers and supervisor were coming out of the office; they were all carrying a notebook under their arms. When they saw Gun-Ho, they greeted him simultaneously.

“It seems that you just had a meeting.”

“Yes, sir. It’s actually our regular meeting. We meet here every Monday morning. Today’s meeting lasted longer than usual though.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, enjoy your work today.”

Gun-Ho went into the room, and he saw a sign on the door on the way in; it said “Director’s office.” Director Park was sitting at his office; he was writing down something. When he saw Gun-Ho in his office, he quickly stood up.

“Bro, you are here.”

“You had a meeting, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s our regular meeting. We had a lot to discuss today.”

“I guess you all had a cup of coffee while having the meeting. I see the coffee marks on the table.”

“Do you want a cup of coffee, bro?”

“Sure. Starting my day by having my morning coffee in your office will be great.”

Director Jong-Suk Park opened his office door and called for someone.

“Mr. Team Lead Lee! Mr. Team Lead Lee!”

A lady worker in a uniform quickly came to Jong-Suk.

“I have our president in my office. Would you bring a cup of coffee for him, please?”

“Sure, sir.”

The lady worker looked younger than other lady workers in the production site, and she was pretty. It seemed that she was the one who took care of serving coffee around the production site.

Jong-Suk said, “That lady worker is a team lead in our assembly line A-1. She is smart and meticulous.”

“Really? She does look like a hard worker. She seems to be very young though.”

“Yes, she is. She is actually younger than my wife, but she has a fourth-grader son.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“I guess she had her son when she was only 21 years old. Her husband is working in a rubber manufacturing company in Seonggeo Town.”

When Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk were having a conversation in Jong-Suk’s office, the team lead lady came back. She was holding a tray that could be found in a store like Daiso. A cup of coffee in a paper cup was on the tray. She smiled as she handed the coffee to Gun-Ho.

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho said while having his coffee, “How’s your baby? She must have grown a lot.”

“She speaks now; I mean in a way I can understand, even though it’s just a few words like ‘mom’ and ‘dad.’ And, she put everything that she can grab with her hand into her mouth too. She needs close attention for 24 hours. How’s your boy, bro?”

“He can hold his head up by himself.”

“My parents told me that a child grows so fast, and I don’t have to worry about a thing about my baby girl. But, I keep wondering whenever I see my daughter about when she would grow old enough so that I don’t have to worry about her all the time. I can’t imagine my daughter being a fourth grader like that lady team lead’s child, who was here.”

“How are your parents doing? They are well, right?”

“Yeah, they are doing fine. My parents-in-law are doing very well too.”

“Hey, this paper cup reminds me of our old days. I actually like having a coffee in a paper cup. We used to have our coffee in a paper cup all the time because we had to get our coffee from a vending machine, which was convenient and cheap.”

Jong-Suk giggled and said, “I know why you like a paper cup. It has an additional use for you. When we worked at a factory in Yangju City and Pocheon City, after finishing your coffee in a paper cup, you used the paper cup as an ashtray while smoking. And then, you spit on it at the end as if you are telling the cup ‘goodbye.’”

“Haha. That’s right. I did that.”

“You no longer smoke, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t. It has been a while actually. Well, I occasionally smoke though when I drink, but not regularly. You still smoke, don’t you?”

“I smoke an electronic cigarette. I started smoking an e-cigarette because my wife nagged at me a lot. She is still nagging at me though; she says that she can still smell cigarette smoke from me. I know that our company is promoting to quit smoking. I will have to quit smoking eventually.”

“How many Dyeon Korea’s machines have you built so far?”

“We have built four of them, and then we had to halt. We placed an additional order to West Moulding Corp., and we are still waiting for the crews to arrive. We can’t build a machine without it. Will you give me one second? I want to check on something.”

Jong-Suk then made a call to someone.

“Mr. Assistant Manager Ji-Woong Kim? It’s me, Director Park. When did you say we are expecting to receive those twin screws? Oh, we will have them either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow? Are they coming through the customs office in Cheonan City? Maybe it will? Is it yes or no? There is no maybe. If you were here with me right now, I would have kicked your shin already!”

Gun-Ho remembered Assistant Manager Ji-Woong Kim. He accompanied Jong-Suk Park and President Song as an interpreter during their trip to America to purchase the twin screws.

Jong-Suk Park was still talking to him on the phone, “Okay, okay. When you receive a call from the customs office for our items, you need to let me know immediately, okay? Who is handling the customs procedure? Is that you who is handling it? Oh, okay. Yeah, I know. You are the only one who I can rely on in this company. That’s why I like you. You know that, right? Okay, I let you go!”

“Who was it? Is that the man who went on the trip to America with you last time? The one who speaks English very well?”

“Yeah, that’s him. He is handling import matters around here. He said that he is expecting to be heard from them by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”

“How many twin screws did you order this time?”

“Four. Once we receive them, we will build the machines and send them to India too.”

“Did you say that you sent all of those four machines that you built to China?”

“Since the factory in China needed the machines immediately, we sent Dyeon Korea’s machine no. 1 and no. 2 to them. And, later once we finished building four machines, we shipped two new machines to China, and we sent the other two machines to Dyeon Korea. I was informed by Dyeon Korea that they successfully installed the two new machines in the places where they had their machine no. 1 and no. 2.”

“I see. So, you didn’t install those machines for them?”

“Our maintenance manager went to Dyeon Korea and installed the machines for them. I can’t take care of every work, but I have to share the work with other workers here. That way, everyone feels more comfortable. So, I sent our maintenance manager to Dyeon Korea, and once he successfully finished the work, I just praised him by tapping his shoulder. Haha. This is the beauty to be a director, huh?”

“That’s right. Your job as a director in the production department is not working directly with machines with your hands. You are supposed to manage those who do the work.”

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Chapter 745 - GH Mobile is Growing (1) – Part 2

Chapter 745: GH Mobile is Growing (1) – Part 2

After taking a sip of his coffee, Gun-Ho continued, “You said that you are having a meeting every Monday morning, right? Who are the people that are attending the meeting?”

“We have two managers, two supervisors, the maintenance manager, and myself. We, 6 people, have a meeting every Monday. It’s the highest-level meeting in the production department. Oh, there is one more person who comes to our meeting— an office manager who records the meeting. She used to work in GH Logistics doing accounting work there. She works here as an office manager. She handles all paperwork in the production department in recording and organizing them.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Every record is signed by me, and then it goes to President Song for his signature as well. We have another regular meeting where team leads and other low-level management people attend. It’s held every other week. I preside over that meeting as well.”

“Really?”

“The meeting we have every other week where all the management personnel in the production department attend is held right after I attend the executive meeting, so I could promptly deliver all the instructions corresponding to the matters we discuss in the executive meeting. I learned a lot from you and President Song how to preside over a meeting. Haha.”

“Really?”

“Since I’m taking night classes at Korea University of Technology and Education, I picked up a few technical words and terms from there, and I used them during the meeting. I believe that makes me look intelligent and educated. I had a conflict with the team lead in the maintenance team before when I first joined this company, but we no longer have any issues. He doesn’t challenge me anymore. Now, he can’t say that he is more educated than me.”

“It has been already more than 6 months since you transferred to that university.”

“Summer break will soon start in my college. Since I transferred to the college as a third-year student, I have 1 and a half years left before graduating. I will then obtain my bachelor’s degree in engineering. Haha.”

“Your tuition is paid by the company, right?”

“Yeah. President Song is a difficult person to deal with, but he didn’t raise any issues when he signed the paper for my tuition. It was quick.”

“Study hard. And, how are things going with A Electronics’ product orders? Did they increase the volume of their product order?”

“They did. They are gradually increasing the volume of their product orders. It’s not a dramatic increase though. Their number of product orders changes seasonally. We get less product orders from them during the summer like right now, and also during the winter. During the spring and fall, they order a substantial number of products. We actually talked about it during the meeting this morning.”

“You did?”

“It’s July now. Once the summer vacation season is over, A Electronics will increase their product order significantly. We have to prepare for the season because we are expecting to see an acute increase in H Group’s product order as well. We have to make a good plan in advance. I told the managers and supervisors to check our production process again, and if they see any part without a standard procedure, they will have to establish a system and a procedure that the workers should follow.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“When we opened our second factory, we divided our production department into three teams: 1, 2, and 3. And, that caused an imbalance in the process. So, I yelled at our manager and supervisors this morning about it. They will need to find out the cause that created the imbalance as soon as possible. Once President Song finds out about it, he’s not going to yell at those managers and supervisors, but he will call me to his office and yell at me.”

“Hmm.”

“I told them to bring me a solution about how to reduce our lead time (the amount of time spent during the process from the point where raw materials are brought in and the point where a product is completed). I told them that if they can’t think of any solutions because they are too old to be creative, then they will have to squeeze an idea out of the younger and sharp workers among team leads or others. Haha.”

“You said that?”

“Actually, that line originally came from President Song. He said that to me before, and I’m recycling that line.”

“Haha, is that right?”

“By the way, President Song told me to select two workers from the production department, so he could send them to the U.S. for a field trip. I’m still thinking about who I should pick. There is a supervisor in the production team 1. He is very smart, and he is a hard worker. I want to pick him for the trip, but if I do that, the other managers will complain about it. So, I think maybe I should pick the manager from the team 1 and the maintenance manager.”

“Well, whoever you pick, it’s totally up to you as the director of the production department.”

“When I worked in a small factory in Yangju City doing a welding job, I didn’t have to think about all these matters. Now, I am the director of a large factory, and I’m facing problems that I didn’t have to deal with before. I guess that you have more problems than me to worry about in your position, huh?”

While talking with Jong-Suk, Gun-Ho received a call from President Song.

“It’s me, President Song, sir. Where are you right now?”

“I’m at the production site.”

“I just received a call from H Group. They want to see me and the chief research officer right now.”

“You should go then. Do you know what it is regarding?”

“It seems that they want to make a minor modification on the product that we provided them with a sample. H Group is certainly very particular and picky.”

“Well, go now and find out about it. We’d better respond quickly for this kind of request.”

“Okay, sir. I’m leaving now.”

Jong-Suk’s eyes widened in surprise and asked Gun-Ho, “It was from President Song, right? What do you mean when you said that we have to respond quickly? What is it about? Are they complaining about our product? Did they find a defect in our product?”

“No, relax, man. They just want to make some changes or corrections with the new product that we showed them with a sample.”

“Oh, I see. What a relief. I thought we produced a defective product. I think I’m being neurotic or something.”

“I think your work as the production department’s director isn’t easy at all.”

“It’s good that I’m paid well, but it comes with heavy responsibility. It feels very burdensome sometimes.”

Gun-Ho said as he tapped Director Jong-Suk Park’s shoulder, “I’m heavily relying on you. There is no one but you who can handle the work being in charge of GH Mobile’s entire production.”

“Haha. Thank you, bro.”

“What about the H Group’s product order?”

“A Electronics’ product currently takes up 30% of our entire production. H Group takes up 15% which is equal to S Group’s volume of product order, which President Song had worked for before. However, once we start manufacturing the H Group’s new product that we gave the sample product for, we will get really busy. We will have to produce an additional 100,000 pieces for each product. We will need more extruding machines and injection molding machines, not to mention more production workers.”

“Hmm, everyone will get busy.”

“When you were not here last week— you were in Japan— President Song presided over a meeting with all of our executive officers. He mentioned that we will have to hire 50 more production workers once H Group confirms that they will place a product order of the new product. We will then have 700 workers in total in GH Mobile.”

“I see.”

“Since we have about 100 people in the management, which means that 600 people are production workers who I need to manage.”

“I see. You will become busier.”

“I don’t feel overwhelmed though since our production department is very well organized. We have three production teams with a separate maintenance team. Each team has its own manager, and they are of huge help to me. The thing is that there are some conflicts between the three teams.”

“Conflicts?”

“It seems that those three production teams are competing with each other rather than helping each other.”

“Hmm, really? I guess you will need to train and educate each team’s manager. Talk to President Song about it, and tell him that each production team’s manager needs to receive training about managing a conflict at work. He will find a training program provided by the Korea Management Association or some other organization for you.”

“Yeah, maybe I should find a training program for them.”

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Chapter 746 - GH Mobile is Growing (2) – Part 1

Chapter 746: GH Mobile is Growing (2) – Part 1

It seemed that being with Jong-Suk reminded Gun-Ho of their old days all the time.

“Jong-Suk, you are too busy these days to go fishing, right?”

“Fishing? No, I can’t. I spend my Saturdays and Sundays studying for college.”

“Really?”

“Speaking of which, I’m wondering how Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town is doing. I remember his face only hazily now.”

“It has been quite a while since I saw him last time as well.”

“Remember the day when we went fishing together? We couldn’t catch a thing, and then we just had grilled pork belly that day. Bro, what do you think about having pork belly for today’s lunch? I suddenly want to have grilled pork belly.”

“Sure. I want to have pork belly too. I’m sure Chan-Ho Eom would love to have pork belly as well.”

“Meet me at 12 then. There is a grilled meat restaurant on the way to Anseong City after the four-way intersection.”

“Isn’t that restaurant selling Korean beef?”

“They have pork belly as well.”

“Okay. I will see you there.”

It was noon. Gun-Ho, Jong-Suk Park, and Chan-Ho Eum met at the grilled meat restaurant. While watching the meat being grilled on the table, Gun-Ho said, “I’d love to have a glass of soju with the meat, but I can’t. I have to go to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon.”

“You are the president of the company. No one is going to say anything to you about it. I think one glass of soju should be okay.”

“That’s not how it is. I have to be someone to my employees, who set an example.”

“Well, that’s true. Even I— a plant manager— have to be careful with my behavior and words. The workers are paying attention to how I act and say.”

“Yeah. That’s what I’m talking about.”

When Jong-Suk saw a few pieces of pork belly done on the grill, he picked up some and put Chan-Ho’s plate and said, “Chan-Ho, eat as much as you want. I understand that your work assisting the president is not an easy job. Add some lettuces with it. These lettuces are directly from this restaurant owner lady’s small farm. She grows and harvests them herself.”

“Yes, little brother. These are so good.”

“Hey, you are supposed to call me Mr. Director.”

“Sure, Mr. Director. Haha.”

“After you left my office this morning, I received a call from Suk-Ho Lee bro in China again.”

“Is he doing okay?”

“He is expanding his karaoke, and he asked me if I’m interested in making an investment in it.”

“Really?”

“I told him that I had no money. Even if I have money, who’s going to invest in his karaoke in China? I used to admire Suk-Ho bro. He looked to be a great man back then. But once I came this far with my career, he just looks like someone who is wasting his life without a specific skill to offer to the society.”

“Really?”

“As I have been working as the plant manager, I’ve met a lot of people from a large company or the government for business. They are all gentle and professional. I just couldn’t help comparing them with the people around me including Suk-Ho bro. Suk-Ho bro is like… too tough, and he is not yet adjusted to follow the tacit rules in society.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“He seems to think that I’m still his minion like the old days. I feel bad for him. He needs to break through out of the box that he confined himself in.”

“Breaking through out of the box that he confined himself in? You sound philosophical.”

“Haha. I hear things from here and there, and I’ve grown up too.”

“Didn’t he resent you when you told him that you didn’t have money to invest in his business?”

“Well, he said that I’m missing a good opportunity to make more money. The thing is that I really don’t have money. As you know well, I even took out a loan using my condo and bought all of the forfeited shares.”

“How many shares did you buy?”

“I bought all of the forfeited shares that occurred during the employee stock ownership program. There were 16,000 of them.”

“You indeed bought them a lot.”

“I’m just hoping that Dyeon Korea successfully goes public, and that its stock price skyrockets.”

“It will.”

“Suk-Ho bro didn’t call you, did he? I think it’s not easy for him to give you a call.”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon.

Director Kim and the internal auditor came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“I haven’t seen you around for a while, sir.”

“Since I have you, Mr. Director Kim, and the internal auditor, I know I can take my eyes off of Dyeon Korea for a while.”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee and asked for three cups of jujube tea.

“Four machines have been shipped to our China location so far. Our machine no. 1 and no. 2 arrived there first, and then when the machines were successfully built by GH Mobile, we sent them two more machines.”

“So, now the two vacant spots, where the machine no. 1 and 2 used to be in place, are filled with the newly-built machines?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did we test those machines built by GH Mobile? Are they working without any problems?”

“We are already producing our products with those machines, and they are working perfectly so far.”

“We have already sent the workers to China, haven’t we?”

“Yes, we have, sir. An assistant manager from the research center and one engineer from the maintenance team, who was in a team lead position, were sent to China. You’ve already signed the approval form for the relocation of these two workers the other day.”

“I remember that.”

“Since they will need more help in the beginning, we sent Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo and Manager Ahn from the maintenance team to China along with them. They will stay there for several days and give them some guidance and training.”

“I see.”

“Actually it has already been several days since they went on the trip to China. They will return to Korea maybe tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”

“That means that Dyeon Korea doesn’t have to export our products to China anymore, does it? Since they locally produce the products that will be sold to the local market.”

“We are still sending the products to China. Their production system hasn’t been completely set up yet.”

“Once the factories in China and India start independently manufacturing the products, we will have to find more clients within the domestic market.”

“I will work on it right away, sir. The encouraging thing is that President Song told me that GH Mobile is going to use Dyeon Korea’s products in fulfilling H Group’s new product orders.”

“We shouldn’t heavily rely on GH Mobile only in selling our products, but we will need to diversify our clientele.”

“That’s true, sir.”

“Do we have any plans in diversifying our client base?”

“There will be an exhibition held in Kintex in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province for rubbers and plastics. We are planning to participate in the exhibition by reserving a presentation booth. It will help our marketing.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s how GH Mobile is in business with Chrysler. They presented their products by participating in a motor show in Chicago and reserved a booth there.”

“That’s true.”

“I’m going to ask our client companies to give us one of their completed products that were manufactured using our products. And, we are going to display those products in our booth as samples. Many rubber and plastic molding companies will be invited to the exhibition, so it will definitely be a good opportunity for us to introduce our products to the relevant industry.”

“That’s a good idea. Please carry out the plan.”

“The new factory in India is in need of machines right now, but GH Mobile couldn’t even start building additional machines because of the twin screws; they are still waiting for the twin screws that they ordered from America. If they come late, we will have to send our machine no. 3 and no. 4 to India.”

“They are expecting to receive the screws tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”

“That’s a big relief then. Since they already successfully built four machines so far, I believe they can build one machine per day.”

“You think so?”

“Director Jong-Suk Park takes care of major parts in building the machine using main screws. All other parts are handled by the workers in the maintenance department. They are very quick.”

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Chapter 747 - GH Mobile is Growing (2) – Part 2

Chapter 747: GH Mobile is Growing (2) – Part 2

While Director Kim was having his jujube tea, the internal auditor started talking about the matters that he was in charge of, “The preliminary examination has been requested to KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association.”

“Well done.”

“Once it is passed, and once we can start our registration process, we will need to submit the report about our marketable securities.”

“Hmm.”

“We are asking for a high amount of money for public offering, so we need to submit the report on our marketable securities to the Financial Supervisory Service. The stock brokerage company is handling the work as our agent.”

“How long does the preliminary examination take?”

“Usually, it takes about 2 months.”

“The last time when the stock brokerage firm’s branch manager visited us, he asked us to make the pertinent board resolution and backdate the document. Have we finished it?”

“Yes, sir. Would you like to review it?”

“It’s fine. When are we holding the presentation targeting institutional investors as part of Investor Relations (IR)?”

“We will do it after the preliminary examination is completed and file the report on our marketable securities. Ms. Accounting Manager Myeong-Soo Jo and Mr. Assistant Il-Gi Seong from the sales department are currently working on the document for the presentation. We have enough time to prepare for it.”

Director Kim chipped in as he placed his cup of tea back on the table, “It would be really nice if we could establish more manufacturing facilities in other countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan, but the internal auditor opposed it. According to him, that will make the presentation for institutional investors more difficult.”

“Haha, really?”

“During the IR presentation, we will need to attract as many institutional investors as possible, so our number on the demand would look good. That will make the price of our initial public offering high.”

“Is that right?”

Director Kim and the internal auditor stood up from their seats to leave.

“Well, if you don’t have anything further to discuss with us, sir, we will go back to work now.”

“Good going so far.”

Gun-Ho went down to the production site. The plant manager— Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo— and the maintenance department’s manager— Manager Ahn— were absent from the production site since they were on a trip to China. Gun-Ho wanted to check the site if it was running fine without them.

When he got there, he could hear the usual machine noises, and they looked very normal. There was an old man who was walking back and forth in the production site while tying his hands together behind his back. It was the chief research officer who was holding a temporary position.

Gun-Ho said, “You are here.”

“Huh? Sir, you came.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Manager Yoo asked me to check the production site for him during his absence. So, I came to check on them. Everything looks fine here. I don’t think they need me on the site.”

“Well, I’m sure that your presence here does something. Thank you.”

“I thank you, sir. People at my old age usually don’t have a place to work at. I’m very lucky to have a place to go to work every morning.”

At that moment, Director Kim walked down to the production site. It seemed that Director Kim felt like he had to come down to the site from time to time to check things there since neither Director Yoon nor the plant manager— Manager Yoo— were not in the company. Director Kim said to the chief research officer, “Brother, come to the production site three times per day and take a round. It can be a good exercise for you.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m doing right now. Manager Yoo asked me to do so before he left for China.”

“Sitting in your office in the research center all day long is not good for your health. You should take a walk sometimes. I will buy you a bowl of Galbi-tang (Korean short rib soup) tomorrow for lunch, so you feel more energetic.”

Gun-Ho laughed while listening to the conversation between Director Kim and the chief research officer. He then headed back to his office. While walking up toward his office, he thought, ‘I think I should extend the work contract with the chief research officer for one more year.’

Once he was back to his office, he called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee.

“Having a cup of jujube tea in the office is one of my pleasures that I have in this place. Can I have one more cup of jujube tea, please?”

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee felt good about his boss loving the jujube tea that her mother made. She was humming while serving the tea to Gun-Ho.

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho was thinking about various matters while enjoying the jujube tea on his sofa. At that moment, he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“It’s me. Are you in Dyeon Korea right now?”

“Yeah, I’m in Dyeon Korea. Today is the day when I’m supposed to be here.”

“I heard that Dyeon Korea is doing great these days. Its factories in China and India will soon begin their businesses, huh?”

“It’s just a start.”

“As always, I’m so proud of myself having a friend like you, Mr. President Goo.”

“Don’t be silly. How’s the terminal construction going there?”

“They finished the second floor. The Chinese partners are nagging at me a lot these days about not sending the investment funds to them.”

“Really?”

“So, I snapped out back at them the other day for not transferring the ownership of the land to the joint venture’s name.”

“The two partners— Chinese and Korean— are nagging at each other, huh? Haha.”

“According to them, the government already approved the use of the land, and it has been ratified by them. Since it will serve the public interest, the land is classified as Hua Fa (planned land). Once the terminal is completed, they will issue the permit for its use. That’s how it works. And they went on saying that we are being so stubborn without understanding the law in China.”

“Just ignore them. I know you have to suffer from listening to their nagging, but this is the only way that we can win over them in this matter.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Thank you. You are doing great.”

“Since the joint venture is running the terminal business in addition to the intercity bus service, we are making good money, including the ticket sales fees.”

“Ticket sales fees?”

“Other bus companies in Antang City want to provide their service in our terminal, after they learned that we are building a modern terminal.”

“Really?”

“We are selling their bus tickets at our terminal and taking some fees from it. For example, if we sell their tickets worth 1 million won, we take 80,000 won from it.”

“Really?”

“Once the terminal building is completed, we will lease commercial spaces to retail stores and services. That will bring us even more income.”

“Of course.”

“I’m getting a lot of calls from the old friends from high school.”

“For what?”

“Since I run a joint venture company, and the joint venture is building a terminal, they want to reserve a good commercial space within the new terminal building.”

“They are going to run a store in China?”

“They want to reserve a good store first, and then will ask me to resell it for a higher price.”

“Those crafty jerks. Do they really think it’s easy like that?”

“I asked our Chinese partners about it. They said that they will run a lottery in selling the commercial spaces.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. A lot of people will pay attention to how fairly they would run it.”

“My chauffeur said that running a lottery is just a pretext. If someone has Guanxi (connection) inside the company, they can get a good spot. The problem is that you have to have a really strong Guanxi with someone in a high ranking position.”

“Hmm, really?”

“For now, we are focusing on the land ownership transfer, so we are not showing our interest in leasing out the commercial spaces yet.”

“That’s good. They won’t like it if they find out that we are interested in leasing the stores in the terminal because they are still waiting for us to send the second investment funds.”

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Chapter 748 - Started Shooting the Movie (1) – Part 1

Chapter 748: Started Shooting the Movie (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho couldn’t send the second investment funds to Zhongfang (Chinese side) now. If he did, they would let him have a few additional bus lines, but he would lose his bargaining power. The Chinese partners would let him make money about the same amount as he would have earned from a bank interest if he saved that fund with a bank, but he wouldn’t be able to expect to make a fortune. If the Chinese partners wouldn’t even guarantee Gun-Ho making a minimum amount of return on his investment, it could cause some sort of diplomatic problems between the two countries. Also, they would make themselves look bad in the international business community.

Gun-Ho said to Jae-Sik Moon, “I understand the Chinese partners’ position in this matter in insisting that they wouldn’t transfer the land ownership to the joint venture’s name. They are worried that if they let the joint venture own the land, we might take out a loan from a bank using the land as collateral.”

“You think so?”

“If we obtain our investment money from a Chinese bank, it would be pointless having a Korean company as their business partner.”

“What if we keep firmly holding our position not sending the investment money without the land ownership transfer?”

“They will keep trying for a while, but eventually, they will get their necessary funds by taking out a loan from a bank themselves. They can do that because the land is probably still owned by Antang City’s transportation company.”

“If that’s true, they can take out a loan now. Why don’t they do that when they keep saying that they need money?”

“A piece of land that is permitted to be used for a terminal in China cannot be sold to an individual, unlike Korea. That type of land is supposed to serve public interest, so it can’t be transferred freely. So, a bank is not willing to lend money using that sort of land if the land is vacant.”

“Then what do they have to do?”

“If a terminal building is completed up to the third or fourth floor, then they are in business. It would be possible for them to take out a loan using the incomplete building, based on the land price and the construction expenses that they spent so far. That’s because a bank knows that the building will be completed soon, and once it is fully constructed, it will generate income in no time.”

“I see.”

“That’s why I asked the question about taking out a loan using an incomplete building, to the branch manager of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China last time we met with him.”

“That means that the Chinese partners can take out a loan and finish the terminal building construction without our funds, huh? What if they try to exclude us from running the terminal business?”

“We have invested 3 million dollars so far when we sent our first investment funds. If they ask us to take our hands off the terminal business, they will have to refund that 3 million dollars to us. But, they don’t have that kind of money, do they?”

“Yeah. They used it all in constructing the terminal building.”

“Therefore, even though they could successfully cut off our partnership in the terminal business, they would let us continue our intercity bus service business. However, if they get any additional bus routes from now on, they won’t give it to us, but Antang City’s transportation company will take them all.”

“By refusing to give them the second investment funds, are we breaching the joint venture contract?”

“We have a reasonable explanation for it. It’s not just us who are at fault, but the Chinese partners broke their promise when they refused to transfer the ownership of the land to the joint venture’s name. Our Chinese partners probably realized by now that they wouldn’t be able to get more funds from us. They will probably handle the terminal construction on their own by taking out a loan from a bank, and let us keep the intercity bus business with a few bus routes until the duration of the joint venture expires which is 20 years.”

“I think I understand the situation now.”

“With the small bus business, they will allow us to recover our initial investment funds—3 billion won—and an additional amount about the same as the bank interest that we would have earned if we put the same amount in a bank. It will be more than enough to pay for your salary for 20 years, so you don’t have to worry about your job. We won’t hit a jackpot, but we will make money.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s why Professor Jien Wang at Zhejiang University once said that a terminal project won’t let you make a fortune, but it would certainly be a Cash Cow business where you can have a steady flow of income as if milking a cow.”

“Scholars like Professor Jien Wang seem to accurately apprehend the business substance even though they have never run a business before.”

“They do, of course. That’s why they are often invited to give a lecture for an MBA program and also participate in various programs led by the government for economic policies and financial advice.”

“That’s amazing.”

“By the way, how is GH Food’s business doing?”

“I expected to hit a jackpot once I open a KFC and a Korean style deep-fried chicken restaurant that also serves beer. But, they seem to be Cash Cow businesses as well.”

“That’s a success then.”

“We are making in the range of 30,000 Yuan and 35,000 Yuan per day. It generates less than 200 million won on a monthly basis.”

“Don’t get greedy. If we make that much with a restaurant business, then it’s a success. How about the e-commerce business?”

“After we pay my brother-in-law’s wage, we make about 6 million won per month.”

“I see.”

“We pay 10,000 Yuan to my wife’s brother for his monthly wage, and we pay 2 million won to the person in Korea who is handling the shipping.”

“10,000 Yuan sounds too small.”

“My wife takes 15,000 Yuan for her monthly pay; we can’t pay him with more than what my wife gets paid.”

“Did you say that your brother-in-law is living with you in the condo in Huaxi Huayuan?”

“He was, in the beginning, but he moved out to a small two-bedroom apartment. He said he feels more comfortable living in a separate place.”

“The company should pay for his apartment rent.”

“Will it be okay? I’m not sure if we can do that.”

“Let’s talk more later about what we are going to do with your brother-in-law.”

“We hired a local person for accounting work. My wife is not very familiar with the tax system in China, so we thought it would be better to have a local person who is, in the office.”

“Good.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho started reading a newspaper. After a while, he received a call from President Song who had visited H Group per their request earlier.

“I just came back after meeting with the people at H Group’s purchasing department.”

“How did it go?”

“They found some bubbles on the surface of our products.”

“Bubbles? Does it mean that our products are defective?”

“They are not visible to the naked eye. You need a magnifier or some other devices to see them. Usually, that’s not even an issue at all, but they are being very particular.”

“Did we figure out what caused the bubbles?”

“According to our chief research officer who was in the meeting with me, the bubbles are formed because of the temperature. If we lower the temperature a little bit, the bubbles won’t be formed, but instead, it will raise the product’s hardness. We told them about it.”

“What did they say?”

“They prefer to have a product with a little bit higher hardness than having bubbles. So, they want us to remove the bubbles. So, we will make a sample product without bubbles tomorrow and will bring it to them by the day after tomorrow.”

“So, we will not know for sure whether they will place a large volume of product order until they see the corrected sample, won’t we?”

“That’s correct, sir. But, we have good news.”

“Good news?”

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Chapter 749 - Started Shooting the Movie (1) – Part 2

Chapter 749: Started Shooting the Movie (1) – Part 2

President Song said to Gun-Ho over the phone, “In Korea, the chemical raw material industry is dominated by only a few large companies, as you know well, sir.”

“Yes, I do.”

“It seems that bubbles are often found in the products that are manufactured using those chemicals produced in Korea. So, in an effort to avoid those bubbles, H Group gave a specific instruction to one of their vendor companies—Deepack—to use Dyeon Korea’s raw materials in manufacturing the products that they are sending to H Group. Once I get off the phone with you, I’m going to give a call to Director Kim to let him know about this.”

“That could be an additional huge volume of new product orders for Dyeon Korea.”

“That’s right. Deepack is a large company. It is larger than Egnopak. It has several subsidiary companies as well.”

“I see. Well, I will let you go now, so you could talk to Director Kim.”

It was certainly good news, especially at this timing. Gun-Ho felt good.

‘I was worried about Dyeon Korea. Once Dyeon China and Dyeon India start producing their own products locally, Dyeon Korea no longer needs to send their raw materials to those two locations, and it will leave Dyeon Korea with surplus products. It will need to find more clients within the Korean market. It seems we found a good buyer already.

This is a very important time for Dyeon Korea, especially because we are preparing to register with KOSDAQ. Our sales must increase; it shouldn’t decrease now. Moreover, once the company goes public, we will have to open our financial status to the public quarterly. We shouldn’t disappoint our investors with decreased sales.’

It was Tuesday.

Gun-Ho was sitting in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He was checking his email at his desk. At that moment, he received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in China.

“Huanle Shiji Production Company is having a movie production presentation. I just spoke with Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda on the phone about it. I asked him to give a call to Ms. Mori Aikko and ask her to come to Shanghai City this Friday to attend the production presentation.”

“Is that right?”

“Before the movie production presentation, I want her to meet with our staff and other actors and actresses. We will reserve a room with the best hotel in Shanghai for her.”

“Really?”

“We are still working on translating the movie scenario into the Japanese language, and it’s almost done, and we already sent the Japanese version of the synopsis to Mori Aikko via email. I received the confirmation from her that she received it.”

“Did you find an interpreter for her?”

“We have a few candidates for the job. Director Yan Wu will conduct the final interview with them today.”

“Mori Aikko doesn’t speak Chinese at all, and I’m sure that she has never been to China before either. I want you to make sure with the Chinese people there, for her safe stay, Mr. Director Sim.”

“Director Yan Wu actually talked with the staff here about it when we came back from the trip to Japan. He told them that they had to make it certain that Mori Aikko stays here safely and securely, and that they have to be very nice to her. He also told the staff that Mori Aikko is in a close relationship with our major investor—Chairman Gun-Ho Goo—so they have to be extra careful in dealing with her.”

“Hmm, he said that?”

“He even warned them by saying that if Chairman Goo feels uncomfortable with anything that we do, we might not be able to continue to shoot our movie.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda told Mori Aikko to bring a makeup artist with her when she comes to Shanghai this Friday.”

“Does she have to wear geisha makeup during the movie production presentation?”

“No, but he asked her to come with someone who she knows for her safety.”

“When are they going to start shooting the movie?”

“They will start right after the production presentation. Director Yan Wu is trying to reduce the main production period to three months in order to save the production cost.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Instead, he will spend enough time in editing. The post-production period would be about another three months.”

“Well, you do what you have to do. You are the expert in the field.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho checked his personal bank account. He had used 3 million dollars from it in sending the funds to Antang City, and it left him without much funds in his personal account.

‘I will need to withdraw 5 billion won from my stock account. I didn’t want to touch my stock account, but well, I need money. I will replenish it once I make money later.’

Gun-Ho made a call to the branch manager of the stock brokerage company.

“I need to resell the bonds that I purchased. I need 5 billion won for my investment in China. I will be there today to withdraw 5 billion won in cash. I’m letting you know now, so you could prepare the cash. I was going to make money and make an investment with it, but it didn’t work that way.”

“Sir, you don’t have to be concerned about the amount of 5 billion won. You are a big player from Gangnam. Once Dyeon Korea goes public, you will make more than 50 billion won. 5 billion won is not much compared to that amount.”

“You really think so?”

“I will make that happen for you. I will be a loyal servant to you.”

After withdrawing 5 billion won from his stock account, he deposited the cash in GH Media’s bank account. He then made a call to GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“I just deposited 5 billion won in GH Media’s bank account.”

“Wow, did you say 5 billion won, sir? That’s the amount that a normal person will live comfortably without working for three generations.”

“Huanle Shiji Production Company cast their leading female actress for the movie—Menghuan Yinghua. She is a Japanese actress. They will soon hold a movie production presentation. When I give you a call later, I want you to send the money to China.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in China that afternoon. It had been a while since he heard Min-Hyeok’s voice.

“You must be very busy these days with all the moving and things going on there.”

“It’s doable. There is nothing much to move anyway. It’s not like we have to move some machines with us.”

“All the machines are installed already?”

“Yes, they are all in place. The Manager Ahn person took care of it with another worker who seems to be in a team lead position.”

“Manager Ahn will not stay there, but he will come back to Korea soon, and the team lead person is the one who will stay there. I was going to send an assistant manager there, but he should be good too.”

“Yeah, he seems to be a very competent worker. For convenience purposes, we are going to call him Mr. Manager.”

“I see. What are you going to call the person who is there to handle the compound room then?”

“We will call him Mr. Research Manager.”

“I guess they will like it there and want to stay there forever.”

“That sounds great.”

“Is Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo training the workers there?”

“Yeah, he is giving them necessary training and guidance, but it seems that he is not teaching them any essential technology.”

“I see. Did you hire any workers there yet?”

“We did. We hired two workers for the maintenance team and another two workers who would be working in the compound room. And, we have 10 production workers.”

“How many workers do you have then?”

“If we include the forklift truck driver and the security officer, we have already 20 workers here.”

“That’s a lot. You will have to work hard to make enough money to pay them.”

“It’s really good that we are located inside the industrial park. Since we have a manufacturing facility here, Dingding will soon start her sales activities by carrying the brochures with her. Since she speaks English well, she’s going to meet with presidents and CEOs of American companies and European companies here.”

“That sounds great.”

“Now we are part of this industrial complex’s community. They have a regular meeting among the companies’ presidents, and other activities. We will be able to build a good relationship here with them, and that will enable us to get some business too.”

“Dingding is an attractive person and very active too. I’m sure that she will do great.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

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Chapter 750 - Started Shooting the Movie (2) – Part 1

Chapter 750: Started Shooting the Movie (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho sent 2 million dollars to Huanle Shiji Production Company. He initially planned to send it after the movie production presentation was over, but since the investment contract was already signed, and Mori Aikko also signed the contract for her role, Gun-Ho decided to send the funds earlier than he planned.

When Mori Aikko arrived in Shanghai, the entire staff of Huanle Shiji Production Company and President Baogang Chen welcomed her fervently. Mori Aikko’s exquisite and delicate appearance seemed to be obviously a perfect fit for the geisha role in the movie—Menghuan Yinghua. Additionally, she was exuding a unique Japanese vibe as well.

“She is certainly a stunning Japanese girl.”

“I can tell for sure that for this specific geisha role in Menghuan Yinghua, Mori Aikko is definitely a better fit than the Chinese top star—Fan Bingbing.”

“We will have to spend 10 million dollars to work with Fan Bingbing! But we only paid 200,000 dollars to bring this gorgeous actress—Mori Aikko. This is an incredible deal.”

The staff was busy talking and making comments when they saw Mori Aikko in person.

The makeup artist who came with Mori Aikko handed several posters to Director Yan Wu. Director Yan Wu opened one of the posters. On that poster, Mori Aikko was posing in a colorful Kimono holding a Wakasa (a traditional Japanese oil-paper umbrella) in her hand. Her face was covered with heavy geisha makeup. It was the poster made with the photo taken during the Matsuri (festival) in Heian Shrine in Okazaki Park last year.

“Whoa, this is an authentic Kimono.”

“We can use this poster during our movie production presentation. We will put it on a large screen as a background during the presentation.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim, who was sitting in a corner quietly, said to Director Yan Wu, “Huanle Shiji Production Company reserved a hotel room for Mori Aikko with Grand Central Hotel nearby Huangpu River. What do you think about arranging a meeting between Mori Aikko and the screenwriter—Ms. Ailing Feng—in the hotel?”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“We can use Ms. Ailing Feng’s comments and reactions about the meeting with the main female actress—Mori Aikko—in her movie, and her first impression when he sees Mori Aikko for the first time, for the marketing purpose. It should be interesting enough for the news reporters to pick up to publish in their newspapers. We can send the interpreter who we newly hired for Mori Aikko and one photographer to the meeting.”

“Hai Keyi (sounds good).”

News coverage about Mori Aikko already appeared in the evening newspaper that day. The photo of Mori Aikko in a Kimono was shown on it. It seemed that Huanle Shiji Production Company provided them with the photo.

[A Japanese actress—Sen Yingzi (Mori Aikko) Lai Hua (came to China).

Sen Yingzi, who used to be a Yi Ji (geisha), arrived in Shanghai City yesterday in order to attend the movie production presentation of Menghuan Yinghua which is written by Ms. Ailing Feng. In the movie, Sen Yingzi will take the geisha role who falls in love with a Chinese spy during the Anti-Japanese War.]

“It looks good.”

Director Yan Wu smiled broadly when he saw the news article about Mori Aikko; he seemed to be satisfied. Director Yan Wu said to Director Woon-Hak Sim, “Why don’t we head out to Grand Central Hotel? Ms. Ailing Feng will be there.”

“What about the interpreter and the photographer?”

“I’ve already sent the interpreter and the photographer to the hotel.”

“Oh, you have?”

When Director Woon-Hak Sim and Director Yan Wu arrived at Grand Central Hotel, the photographer and the interpreter were sitting on a chair in the hotel lobby. Director Yan Wu said to the interpreter, “Please make a call to Ms. Mori Aikko now, and tell her to come down to the lobby.”

“Yes, sir.”

While the interpreter was giving a call to Mori Aikko, a woman, who looked like she was in her mid-40s, came into the lobby. Half of her hair was covered with gray hair. A large briefcase was slung over her shoulder. Director Woon-Hak Sim could easily guess that she was Ms. Ailing Feng.

“Mr. Director Yan Wu!” She recognized Director Yan Wu first.

“Oh, Ms. Ailing Feng! Please meet Director Woon-Hak Sim here. He is a movie director from Korea. He is working with us for the movie.”

“Oh, really? It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Director.”

Director Sim looked at Ms. Ailing Feng. She looked about the same age as himself, but her hair was almost gray. Director Sim thought that maybe doing her job in thinking and writing a lot led to the development of her gray hair. At that moment, one of the elevators arrived at the lobby floor, and Mori Aikko and the makeup artist showed up. Director Yan Wu waved his hand at Mori Aikko and said, “Mori Aikko! Over here!”

Mori Aikko was wearing jeans. She looked like a young college student.

“This is Ms. Ailing Feng. She is the screenwriter of our movie.”

Mori Aikko gave a deep bow to Ms. Ailing Feng right away.

“Oh, my. She is indeed a Japanese girl. I can tell that she has good manners. I’m Ailing Feng. It’s very nice meeting you.”

Ms. Ailing Feng extended her hand to Mori Aikko for a handshake.

“It’s my pleasure meeting you, ma’am. I’m honored to be part of your movie and work with you.”

The interpreter interpreted what Mori Aikko just said in Chinese.

Ms. Ailing Feng responded, “She is very pretty and very polite. She is definitely different from those arrogant Chinese actresses here. She is perfect for my movie.”

They headed to a café in the hotel. It seemed that Mori Aikko caught Ms. Ailing Feng’s fancy; Ms. Ailing Feng kept holding Mori Aikko’s hand on the way to the café.

“I’ve been traveling to Japan a lot. And, I can tell that Ms. Aikko has a traditional Japanese atmosphere. You have a very delicate face. You are strikingly beautiful. You are a dancing Maiko San, right?”

“Yes,” Mori Aikko replied.

Ms. Ailing Feng smiled broadly and said, “She gives a slight nod whenever she says yes. It’s very Japanese. If I knew that I would be working with a dancing Maiko San, I would have added more scenes of dancing. It’s a shame.”

Director Yan Wu said while smiling, “We will add extra dancing scenes while shooting the movie.”

“That’s good.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim, who was having his cup of coffee quietly, suddenly lifted his head, and gave his business card to Ms. Ailing Feng and said, “Umm, Ms. Feng, if you have your business card on you, can I have one, please?”

“I don’t usually give out my business card… but give me one second.”

Ms. Ailing Feng searched through her large briefcase and then pulled out her purse. She then found her business card from it and gave it to Director Sim. Her business card looked simple. Since she was an independent writer who didn’t have an agency or someone else to represent her, her business card only said ‘Writer Ailing Feng’ with her contact number and email address in a small font.

Ms. Ailing Feng said as she handed the business card to Director Sim, “The Korean screenwriter—xx, Kim—is a friend of mine. I used to visit Korea pretty often. It has been a while since the last time I went there. I’ve been pretty busy these days in writing scenarios and scripts. Haha.”

After finishing their coffee, Director Yan Wu said as he stood up from his seat, “Why don’t we have our writer and our main female actress took a picture together to keep this moment? This is certainly a meaningful moment.”

“Sure.”

Ms. Ailing Feng smiled as she stood up for photo taking. Ms. Ailing Feng and Mori Aikko held each other’s hand and looked at the camera with a smile. They took a photo together at the hotel lobby.

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Chapter 751 - Started Shooting the Movie (2) – Part 2

Chapter 751: Started Shooting the Movie (2) – Part 2

The following day, the photo of Ms. Ailing Feng and Mori Aikko appeared in the newspaper.

[The famous writer—Ms. Ailing Feng—met with the actress—Sen Yingzi (Ms. Mori Aikko)—who will play a role in her movie—Menghuan Yinghua.

Ms. Ailing Feng was impressed by the look of Sen Yingzi and knew that she was the one who would play the main character in her movie. Ms. Ailing Feng highly spoke of the laddishness and pureness that she could feel from Sen Yingzi. Especially, according to Ms. Ailing Feng, she was very satisfied with the fact that Sen Yingzi was once a dancing geisha.]

The news article showed a picture of Ms. Ailing Feng with Mori Aikko. They were holding each other’s hand firmly. It was a photo of a stunningly gorgeous young woman and a short mid-aged woman.

Director Woon-Hak Sim gave a call to Gun-Ho to update him on how things are going in Shanghai.

“It’s Director Woon-Hak Sim in Shanghai, sir.”

“How are you? How’s Mori Aikko doing? Is she okay?”

“She is doing fine. Huanle Shiji Production Company reserved a special room for Ms. Mori Aikko with the Grand Central Hotel in Shanghai. The hotel offers great amenities that she can enjoy during her stay and also convenient access.”

“I just sent 2 million dollars, and I will send the remaining 3 million dollars once the movie production presentation is completed.”

“I was informed about it, sir. Thank you.”

“Is the preparation for the production presentation going smoothly?”

“Every single one of Mori Aikko’s movements is being shown in newspapers these days.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes, from the day when she arrived in Shanghai City, and the day she met with the writer of Menghuan Yinghua, which was yesterday.”

“Oh, that lady writer—Ms. Feng someone?”

“That’s right, sir. It’s Ms. Ailing Feng. She loved Mori Aikko as soon as she met her. She said that Mori Aikko would be the perfect match to the main female character that she depicted in her movie—Menghuan Yinghua.”

“Hmm, really?”

“The photo of Mori Aikko with Ms. Ailing Feng was featured in an evening newspaper yesterday.”

“Haha, really? Well, I’m relying on you for Mori Aikko’s safety there. I appreciate your effort for it.”

“You don’t have to worry about it, sir.”

“Is the movie production presentation going to be held tomorrow?”

“Yes, sir. We are expecting to see lots of entertainment reporters there. I’m sure that they will pour into the presentation to see Mori Aikko in person.”

“I see.”

“I will give you a call again tomorrow once the movie production presentation is over, sir.”

When Gun-Ho received the call from Director Woon-Hak Sim, he was in his office in GH Building in Sinsa Town. After getting off the phone with him, Gun-Ho was lost in thought while walking around in his office.

‘Mori Aikko will get paid 200,000 dollars for playing the role in the movie, which is good enough. What about Director Sim? How much should I pay Director Sim? Maybe I should ask that dandy guy from BM Entertainment’s manager about it, or, not. He seems to be a talkative man. He might talk about it behind my back later saying that I was being cheap by asking around how much I should pay Director Sim where I can just pay a good amount.’

Gun-Ho was thinking about giving a call to Director Yan Wu and then changed his mind and decided to call Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen instead.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, sir, we received 2 million dollars that you sent.”

“I will send you 3 more million dollars on the following day after the movie production presentation.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m sure the movie production presentation will be a success. We are already getting a lot of attention to it. I do appreciate you introducing us to a good actress.”

“I have a question that I’d like to ask you.”

“Sure, sir.”

“How much do you pay Director Yan Wu once his work is determined to be successful?”

“We pay a writer and a director within the budget of 1% of our production cost.”

“If the movie becomes a box office hit, do you pay him more?”

“If the movie becomes a box office hit, our investors make more money, not the workers.”

“Hmm, really? Then, the amount of pay could be not even 50,000 dollars.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“What about Director Woon-Hak Sim? How much do you pay him?”

“Mr. Director Sim is not a freelancer, but he is one of our staff. That’s why we are paying his wage on a monthly basis. So, we won’t give him any additional pay. However, if we do really well with the movie, we can give him a bonus.”

“Really? Hmm… I see.”

After getting off the phone with President Baogang Chen, Gun-Ho thought about it further while walking around in his office with his hands tied behind his back.

He then made a call to Director Sim, “This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir!”

“I think that you are not being compensated for your work fairly… What you currently get paid is the wage that you receive in China and 1 million won that we pay you in Korea. That is all.”

“Huanle Shiji Production Company is providing me with the place to stay and all the expenses for my vehicle.”

“You mentioned the other day that Director Yan Wu is working as a freelancer, right? Is it better to work as a freelancer in that industry? Or you get paid more if you belong to a production company?”

“A freelancer gets paid higher usually, but their jobs are not stable, I should say.”

“Well, let’s do this. Your monthly wage was initially determined to be 1 million won because of your situation with the possible wage garnishment. Once your general rehabilitation case is decided with the court, I will raise your monthly wage to 1.5 million won.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“And, if the movie—Menghuan Yinghua—becomes a box office hit, I will give you 1% of the profit from there.”

“Wow! Did you say 1%, sir? Thank… thank you, sir.”

“Does it sound fair to you, Director Sim?”

“Thank you so much, sir. I will put everything I have into this movie production to make it successful, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Director Sim, Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘I am investing 5 billion won in this movie production. If I make 3 billion won from it, I will have to share the profit with Director Woon-Hak Sim by giving him 30 million won. If the movie becomes one of the biggest box office hits and I make 10 billion won as a result, I will have to give 100 million won to Director Sim. Well, I can do that. People need enough incentive to work hard. I have to promise to give a high enough amount of money to a person in order to induce their best effort at work. I hope that 1% profit sharing is big enough for Director Sim to put everything he has into the movie production, as he said.

That’s not all. Think about it. Once I make profits from this movie production in Shanghai, the money will be sent to Korea, and it will be sent to GH Media’s bank account. I have to share the profits with GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin as well. She will take 5% of them. And, the government will take 22% as a corporate tax. After all those “sharing,” I will finally be able to receive my dividend. The “sharing” hasn’t finished there yet. Once I receive my dividend, I have to pay the income tax for it. How much would be left in my hand at the end? Can I recover half of my investment funds? It’s really really hard to make money!’

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Chapter 752 - Started Shooting the Movie (3) – Part 1

Chapter 752: Started Shooting the Movie (3) – Part 1

It was the day when Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

“Chan-Ho, aren’t you feeling tired whenever we have to go to work in Jiksan Town and Asan City?”

“I’m good, sir. It’s not very far from Seoul anyway. It’s a good distance to enjoy driving.”

“When we have to come to Jiksan Town, do you stay in the security office most of the time?”

“I stay in the security office and sometimes I stay with the logistics team.”

“I see.”

“I stayed with the production team 2 last month watching the products coming out of the machines. When Director Park saw me there, he made me work there for two hours.”

“Haha, really?”

“Sir, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“When the employee stock ownership program was executed last time, I talked to the general affairs manager because I wanted to buy the shares as well. But he said that I was not eligible to do so.”

“Hmm, I think that’s because you are working with us here through a staffing company; you are not an employee of this company.”

“I feel like being excluded from the group whenever things like this happen.”

“That’s how it is. I can hire you as an employee. Do you want that?”

“I can’t, sir. I found this job through Tae-Young bro. I can’t do that to him. We are brothers, and we don’t do that to brothers.”

“Well, I will talk to the general affairs manager about raising your pay next year.”

“Thank you, sir. Haha.”

Gun-Ho stopped by GH Mobile’s second factory. The manager who was in charge of the second factory quickly came to Gun-Ho when he saw Gun-Ho.

“Do we currently have 150 workers in this location?”

“Yes, sir. According to President Song, we are hiring 50 more production workers soon, and they will be located in this second factory as well.”

“Then, we will have 200 people working here.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“The cafeteria here is being operated separately from the one in the first factory, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, sir.”

“Is there anything that you want to improve in this location?”

“Everything is good, except that we don’t have enough space to park our cars. Many workers here come to work by their cars.”

“How do you manage the parking problem right now?”

“Some of us park beside the wall of the factory, but that space is also limited. We compete with each other every morning for a parking space.”

“Hmm, it sounds like that parking problem should be addressed. I will talk to the general affairs director to find a solution for it.”

Gun-Ho came back to the first factory and went to the maintenance department. The workers in the maintenance team were busy building the machines for Dyeon Korea. Director Park was not there, and the maintenance manager came to greet Gun-Ho.

“Are we building four more machines with the twin screws that we additionally purchased from America?”

“Two machines are already completed, and we are working on the other two right now.”

“Hmm, I see. Very well done.”

When Gun-Ho went up to his office on the second floor, President Song followed him into the office.

“We sent the new product sample to H Group without bubbles, and they were satisfied with the new sample. We are currently manufacturing 100,000 products for them.”

“Are those products being produced at the production team 1?”

“Yes, sir. It requires large hydraulic press machines exceeding 1,500 tons in manufacturing them, so we brought in two new Toshiba machines and installed them. We of course leased them.”

“I thought that Toshiba manufactures only electronic devices such as laptops and DVD players. I didn’t know that they also manufacture a large machine like that.”

“Toshiba actually started their business by building machines.”

“By the way, how did we get connected with Toshiba to bring in those Japanese machines?”

“There are retail stores that import machines from Japan and other countries. We actually need more of those machines, and they don’t have them in their stores right now, so they ordered two more machines for us.”

“The maintenance team is currently building four more machines for Dyeon Korea, and they almost finished building them. I want you to place an order for ten more twin screws from West Moulding in the U.S., so we can later build a machine whenever we need more machines.”

“Okay, sir. I will do that.”

“Are we currently generating more than 500 million won of sales revenue on a daily basis?”

“It’s a little bit more than 500 million won now. I talked with the accounting director— Ms. Min-Hwa Kim— the other day about it, and she said that our sales have increased more than 2.5 times of the sales during the mulpasaneop era when it was under the court receivership. At that time, the company couldn’t even make 200 million won per day.”

“I do thank you for it, Mr. President Song.”

“Thank you, sir, but I don’t feel like I’ve done much to make it happen.”

President Song left the office after giving a bow to Gun-Ho, and Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘GH Mobile is making 500 million won per day, and that would make our monthly sales revenue 15 billion won. Our annual sales revenue is 180 billion won then. Assuming our net earnings are 10 billion won, Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father will be able to take 1.5 billion won. Would it be enough to make their slush fund to support his political activities?

If his goal is to be a congressman, then maybe it would be enough, but he wants to go further. Maybe what he currently makes through GH Mobile is not enough.’

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Hee-Jeong Park.

“I’d like to have one more cup of tea, and please tell the general affairs director to come to my office.”

A moment later, the general affairs director entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“I understand that we are hiring more production workers right now. When are they going to come to work?”

“They will start working on the 16th of this month.”

“How many workers are we hiring?”

“We are hiring 50 workers in total at this time, sir.”

“Are we sending them all to the second factory?”

“Yes, sir. That’s the plan.”

“When I was passing by our second factory earlier, I noticed that a lot of cars are parked along the factory walls. Once 50 additional workers join us in that location, parking in the morning will be a nightmare for our workers. We will have 200 people working in the second factory.”

“As a matter of fact, sir, the parking problem is not an isolated problem to the second factory. Our first factory has the same problem. I’m sure that many of the cars parked along the second factory’s walls belong to the workers from the first factory.”

“We will have to come up with a solution for it.”

“We are actually contacting a church to resolve the parking problem right now.”

“A church?”

“There is a big church about 200 meters from our second factory.”

“That’s right. I think I saw a church there.”

“That church has an enormous parking lot. Its size is about half of our second factory. That huge parking lot remains empty without being used during the weekdays. They seem to use the space only on Sundays. So, I talked to the pastor there and asked him if we can lease the space during the weekdays. He rejected our offer without hesitation. He said that he doesn’t want to see any possible complicated issues or troubles in the property, even though I told him that we would pay for it.”

“I guess that church is making enough money. I didn’t know people come to a church in this location. There is no residential area nearby, but there are only a bunch of factories and farmlands here.”

“That church used to be situated in Cheonan City and recently moved here. So, many people from Cheonan City come to the church rather than the local people.”

“That’s a shame since the space is vacant during the weekdays.”

“We are contacting the church’s Elders and other church officers right now.”

“How did you find out about those people?”

“One of our lady workers in the production department is going to that church. We are contacting the church officers through her.”

“Hmm, I hope that works.”

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Chapter 753 - : Started Shooting the Movie (3) – Part 2

Chapter 753: Started Shooting the Movie (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho had his lunch in the cafeteria located in the second factory. Many workers there were new, and many of them didn’t recognize Gun-Ho. Most of them were just looking at him vacantly.

There were a few management people who recognized Gun-Ho though, and when they spotted him in the cafeteria, they came to greet him. The kitchen lady, who was serving fish dishes, didn’t seem to recognize Gun-Ho either. She kept glancing at him.

“Thank you for your service here,” Gun-Ho said to her.

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

The lady seemed to think that Gun-Ho was just a visitor since he was not wearing the company uniform. Gun-Ho was wearing a neat and luxurious business suit with a dazzlingly white shirt. He could be an executive officer from a vendor company or the governmental office, who came to visit the factory. When someone recognized Gun-Ho and addressed him as Mr. President, the kitchen lady was startled. She quickly placed two grilled fish on a plate and brought it over to Gun-Ho’s table.

“Sir, I’m so sorry that I didn’t recognize you earlier.”

“Huh? Oh, that’s okay. No worries. Today’s soup is really good.”

When Gun-Ho talked to the kitchen lady with a smile, she looked happy, and she went back to the kitchen feeling relieved. There was a manager who came to the cafeteria for late lunch. When he saw Gun-Ho having lunch there, he came to join Gun-Ho at the table.

“Sir, you are having lunch here today?”

“Yes. I wanted to compare the food and place with the one at our first factory.”

“The food must be the same since the same nutritionist for the first factory gives instructions about the food selection here as well.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The words about Gun-Ho having his lunch at the cafeteria right now were spread out so quickly among the production workers at the second factory. A lady worker brought a cup of water to Gun-Ho’s table, and another worker brought him a paper tissue.

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho thanked those people with a smile.

On the way back to the first factory in his car, Gun-Ho received a message through the KakaoTalk app from Director Woon-Hak Sim. He sent Gun-Ho a photo. It was a photo of Mori Aikko sitting under a banner during the press conference.

“I guess they are doing the movie production presentation.”

Mori Aikko was sitting with other actors and actresses. They must be the ones who would work with Mori Aikko for the movie. At that moment, Gun-Ho’s cell phone started ringing. It was Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“Did you receive my KakaoTalk message, sir?”

“Yes, I just saw it.”

“The press conference just ended. There were tons of journalists who came to see our movie production presentation. They all talked about how beautiful Mori Aikko is. It seems that Mori Aikko is now more popular than any Chinese top stars, at least in China.”

“Haha, you are exaggerating, but that sounds good.”

“The journalists actually showed more interest in Mori Aikko as an individual rather than the movie.”

“Why is that?”

“Maybe because she is a dancing geisha. Their questions addressed to Mori Aikko were all focused on that isolated topic. They asked questions such as what is required to be a geisha; how much a geisha is making; if geisha has to do things that a customer asks her to do; where did she learn how to dance, etc.”

“Hmm, really?”

“One of the journalists even prepared a Japanese music with a melody played with the Japanese traditional musical instrument— Shamisen, and requested Mori Aikko to show them her dancing along with the music. That journalist was so persistent in asking her to dance that Mori Aikko eventually demonstrated a geisha’s dance for almost three minutes.”

“Ha, really?”

“People loved her dance fervently. They let out a whoop and clapped indefinitely. I’m so waiting for the newspaper to come out this evening. It’s going to be very interesting.”

“Really?”

“Our movie depicts a beautiful Japanese girl falling in love with a Chinese man. I’m certain that it will make Chinese people feel great. Many Chinese people show a sense of inferiority over Japan, and they will definitely like the story about a Japanese girl loving a Chinese man. I guarantee that this movie will be a huge success in China.”

“I see. Well, you did a great job today. So, they are going to start shooting the movie right away?”

“Yes, sir. Mori Aikko wants to go back to Japan for a short period of time. Once she comes back, we will start shooting the movie.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho’s Bentley was passing Eumbong Town, Cheonan City, heading to Youngin Town in Asan City where Dyeon Korea was located. At that moment, he received a call from Seukang Li in Shanghai City.

“President Goo? How have you been?”

“Oh, Director Li.”

“I went to the movie production presentation for Menghuan Yinghua today. Tons of journalists came to see the presentation.”

“I just received a report about it.”

“I just wanted to thank you for investing in this movie, and also for your investment in Antang City’s terminal project. Since you’ve invested so much in China, I feel like I have to give you an award or something on behalf of China.”

“Haha, don’t be silly. I’m just hoping that the movie is a jackpot.”

“I was told that you introduced that gorgeous Japanese actress to the production company. Where did you find that fairy?”

“I saw her dancing when I went to a public event in Kyoto. I recommended her for the movie because I knew her dance is really good.”

“That is it? Is there something that you are not telling me? Maybe she is in a close relationship with you, huh?”

“I’m just her Fensi (fan).”

“Is that right?”

Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea. There was a machine wrapped in a box in the front yard. Looking at the huge box, Gun-Ho thought that the machine probably came with a lot of accessories. At that moment, Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo came out to the yard and greeted Gun-Ho.

“Huh? Mr. Manager Yoo! When did you come back from China?”

“I arrived in Korea yesterday, sir.”

“What’s inside that box?”

“The machine no. 3 and no. 4 are in the box. We dismantled them into pieces to pack them in a box.”

“Why did we do that?”

“We are sending those two machines to India.”

“I thought we would send the newly built machines by GH Mobile.”

“We just wanted to make sure that India location receives perfectly working machines. We are sending two machines that were originally from Lymondell Dyeon and another two machines that are built by GH Mobile, just like we did for our China location.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“And, two newly built machines by GH Mobile will be installed in the locations where the machine no. 3 and no. 4 previously were.”

“Hmm, sounds good.”

“And, I wanted to ask you about this, sir. Once we ship these machines to our factory in India, we will need to send someone to the location to train the local workers. Are you thinking of sending me and Manager Ahn from the maintenance team again, as we did in China?”

“That’s the plan. I believe you two are the perfect people for the job.”

“The thing is that Manager Ahn’s mother is in a nursing home, and she is seriously ill right now. They are not sure how long she would live. So, I was thinking that we should let Manager Ahn stay in Korea, so he could be close to his mother. Instead, what if we send Director Jong-Suk Park to India with me?”

“Director Jong-Suk Park? But, Director Park is an employee of GH Mobile, not Dyeon Korea.”

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Chapter 754 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (1) – Part 1

Chapter 754: Dyeon India in Chennai, India (1) – Part 1

Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo insisted strongly that it had to be Director Park who would be sent to the new factory in India to install the machines and train the local workers.

“The only people who can handle installing the machines are Director Park and Manager Ahn within GH companies. If Manager Ahn can’t make the trip for family emergency reasons, we have to send Director Park instead.”

“Hmm.”

“We don’t have time, sir. If our Director Kim makes a request to GH Mobile to send Director Park to India for Dyeon Korea’s business, GH Mobile’s President Song would reject the request. You are the only person who can convince President Song to approve it, sir.”

“What about GH Mobile’s maintenance manager?”

“You mean the old manager? He is highly experienced in the maintenance field since he has been in the field for quite a long time; he is very good with handling machines, but for matters related to electricity, Director Park is certainly better than him. Installing Dyeon Korea’s machines is not a simple job. It requires complicated work such as connecting electric control devices to other parts.”

“It seems that we need to cultivate more competent workers in the maintenance team and research center as soon as possible.”

“That’s right, sir. In fact, I allow the two assistant managers, who are being sent to China and India, to be in charge for 80% of the work. I will share my work with those two assistant managers, so they can develop and improve their skills and competency quickly. And, that will let me have more time to focus on other matters here.”

“I see your point. I will discuss with GH Mobile’s President Song about sending Director Park to Dyeon India.”

“Thank you, sir.”

When Gun-Ho entered his office on the second floor, Director Kim followed him carrying a couple of forms to be signed by Gun-Ho.

“These are the relocation approval forms for the two workers to be sent to India.”

Gun-Ho said as he was reviewing the approval forms, “Both of these two workers are in the assistant positions, huh? One is from the research center, and the other is from the maintenance team.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“You have already talked with these two workers individually about working in our India location, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I have. I made sure that they are willing to be relocated to India. They both like the fact that they will get paid 1.5 times more than their current pay, not to mention that they will have additional scores on their upcoming work evaluation.”

“Can they speak English? They need to communicate with people in English in India.”

“The assistant manager from the research center can. He has been taking the English class that we are offering to our employees every morning. You know the class where the native English speaking teacher from Hoseo University is teaching. On the other hand, the assistant manager from the maintenance team is not so good with English. He knows all the technical terms in English, but his speaking is not sufficient. But, I don’t think we should be concerned about it since his job at the maintenance field doesn’t require frequent communication with people outside the company. He will be okay.”

“Hmm, you think so?”

“And, I’m sure that he will learn English very quickly once he starts living there, in order to survive. I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but President Min-Hyeok Kim and President Jae-Sik Moon learned the Chinese language after they moved to China, didn’t they? They now speak Chinese very well.”

“That’s true.”

“When I went on the trip to China last time, I was amazed by President Min-Hyeok Kim’s Chinese speaking. He sounded like a native Chinese speaker to me.”

“Do you think it has something to do with having a spouse who is Chinese?”

“That could be one of the factors helping his Chinese, but I’m sure that he put a lot of effort to reach that level.”

“I see. Well, let’s send these two to India.”

Gun-Ho signed the relocation forms that Director Kim placed on his desk.

“Are we sending Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo and Manager Ahn to India for training, just like we did with Dyeon China?”

“I’m still thinking about it, sir. Manager Ahn has family issues, and he asked me to reconsider sending him to India this time. He is the first child in his family, and his mother is very ill.”

“Hmm.”

“If Director Jong-Suk Park is willing to go instead of Manager Ahn, that would be perfect. But the thing is that President Song wouldn’t want to send Director Park there. I’m trying to figure out how to talk him into this. To make things worse, GH Mobile is going to be very busy soon with H Group’s new product order of brackets.”

“What if we send their maintenance manager instead?”

“He is not very good at working with electricity. It has to be Director Park. As a matter of fact, setting up the production site by installing the machines can take only three days if Director Park does the work. However, Manager Ahn spent 1 week in China for the same job.”

“Okay. I will give a call to President Song.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho picked up his smartphone and called President Song.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Dyeon Korea is in need of your help. In setting up the production site, they want Director Park to go to Dyeon Korea’s new factory in Chennai, India to install the machines. It will take only a week.”

“They have Manager Ahn for the job, don’t they?”

“Manager Ahn can’t make the trip this time; his mother is very sick. So, Dyeon Korea is hoping that Director Park could help them.”

“Oh, hmm, well… We just received the new product order from H Group for their brackets, and we are about to get extremely busy… I understand though that if Manager Ahn can’t do the job, Dyeon Korea has no one to install the machines. Well, what can I do but let them borrow our Director Park? Okay, we will send him to India.”

“GH Mobile has several managers in the production team 1, 2, and 3 and other very competent engineers. They will be fine without Director Park. This is just for one week.”

“That’s true. But, Dyeon Korea tends to heavily rely on GH Mobile. They shouldn’t do that.”

“Let’s help them out this time. We will figure out what to do with Dyeon Korea’s lack of competent engineers.”

“Yes, sir. I will let them borrow our Director Park this time. But we will send a bill to Dyeon Korea for Director Park’s man-days (a person’s working time per day).”

“Haha. Of course, you should do that. I will let Director Kim know that.”

Once Gun-Ho hung up the phone, Director Kim asked, “What did he say?”

“He will send a bill after calculating Director Park’s man-days.”

“He acts like a cold-blooded businessman sometimes. Well, I guess we will have to pay for his work.”

“Yes, I think you should.”

“Yes, sir. By the way, did President Song talk about the company— Deepack?”

“Deepack? It sounds familiar. I think I heard that name very recently.”

“Deepack will possibly become our new client. I was told that H Group’s purchasing team introduced that company to us. So, I contacted Deepack the other day. It’s located in Gumi City. If we start getting product orders from them, it’s going to be huge.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I talked with their director in the purchasing department, but he told me to meet him later; he was about to leave for a trip to Japan. I will contact him again tomorrow.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Once he finished his reporting for the day, Director Kim stood up from his seat to leave Gun-Ho’s office.

“Well, sir, if you don’t have anything else, I will just get back to my office.”

“Would you have a cup of tea with me?”

Director Kim sat on the sofa in front of Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Seon-Hye Yi to bring two cups of jujube tea.

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Chapter 755 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (1) – Part 2

Chapter 755: Dyeon India in Chennai, India (1) – Part 2

While having his jujube tea, Gun-Ho said to Director Kim, “You are extremely busy working every day here, aren’t you? Without enough break time.”

“I’m good, sir. I actually enjoy working here with all the support I get from you and others.”

“Dyeon Korea currently has 150 workers. GH Mobile’s workload will soon significantly increase with H Group’s new product order. If that happens, Dyeon Korea will get busy as well, and we will have more workers here too. And, managing the workers will become harder with the increased number of workers.”

“I will work harder, sir.”

“Also, we just requested the preliminary examination in order to register with KOSDAQ. So, we are currently under the investigation.”

“I’m aware of it, sir.”

“Once the company goes public, there are pros but also cons.”

“I’m ready for it, sir. And, we must go public.”

“And, at the end of this year, I will have to resign from this position of Dyeon Korea’s president.”

“I’m aware of it, sir. Lymondell Dyeon will appoint one of their people to the president position pursuant to the joint venture contract.”

“We are not sure if Lymondell Dyeon will let Vice President Adam Castler take the position or send a new person here. We can’t meddle in deciding who they would pick for Dyeon Korea’s next president.”

“Of course, sir.”

“So, I want you to keep in mind that regardless of who they pick for the next president, practically you will be in charge of running this company, Mr. Director Kim. The president will be a foreigner who wouldn’t know much about the Korean market and business environment here. You will be the one who actually makes important decisions around here and have the company move forward. What I want to say here is that your responsibility will become heavier.”

“Sir, you will take the chairman of the board position, according to the joint venture contract. Can we just change this office from the president’s office to the office of the chairman of the board, and you work as you’ve been working so far?”

“That’s not the intention that we had when we started this joint venture. Lymondell Dyeon won’t allow it.”

“What if we make GH Group with all GH companies, and you take the chairman position of the group? That sounds very reasonable.”

“Hmm.”

“As a matter of fact, we have so many presidents within GH companies such as President Song, GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin, President Min-Hyeok Kim, and President Jae-Sik Moon in China. I believe that your title needs to be differentiated from those presidents, sir.”

“Well, I will think about it after we successfully register Dyeon Korea with KOSDAQ.”

“Yes, sir. I just want you to know that this is not just my idea, but several presidents of GH companies talked about it before.”

“Okay. I will take it into consideration.”

“Well, sir, I will now go back to work.”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yi again.

“Please remove this empty cup, and ask Mr. Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae to come to my office.”

“Mr. Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae, sir?” Secretary Seon-Hye Yi said with a blush.

A few minutes later, Assistant Manager Chae entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Please have a seat here,” Gun-Ho said as he indicated the seat in front of him.

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m going to make a call to Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke in Lymondell Dyeon right now. I want you to write down what I want to tell him.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The factory in Chennai, India is almost ready for business. In preparation for opening its business, we will ship to them four machines and 20 tons of raw materials within this week.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We will send workers from here, who can handle the compounding and the machines, and they will stay and work in India. Additionally, we will also send our researcher and engineer who are the experts in the compounding field and the mechanical maintenance field, there too; they will stay in India for about a week to train the local workers.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you done?”

“Yes, I wrote it all down.”

Gun-Ho continued, “I want someone, who has been working with Lymondell Dyeon for a long time, to run this new factory in India. Dyeon India’s president will have full authority in sales, finance, human resource, etc., and the terms of the job will be two years. The term of the job can be extended depending on his work performance.”

“Please go on, sir.”

“We will prepare everything for Dyeon India’s president before he arrives in India including accommodation and necessary things. Two workers will be sent there from Korea, and the president will handle hiring local workers.”

“Yes, sir.”

“An advanced money of 50,000 dollars will be paid to the new president in Dyeon India before opening the company.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, that’s all I want you to tell Mr. Brandon Burke for me. I will make the call, and you just deliver the message to him, okay?”

“Yes, sir. I’m ready.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Mr. Brandon Burke in the U.S. using his smartphone.

“Hello? Brandon Burke? I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, Mr. President Goo! How are you?”

“I will have my interpreter talk to you on my behalf.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho handed his smartphone to Assistant Myeong-Joon Chae, and Mr. Chae started reading his memo that he just wrote down, in English. Gun-Ho could hear Mr. Brandon Burke’s thick voice over the phone.

Once Assistant Manager Chae finished reading the memo, he asked Gun-Ho, “I delivered all of the messages that you asked, sir. Is it okay for me to hang up the phone now? Do you have anything to add, sir?”

“You can hang up.”

Assistant Manager Chae handed Gun-Ho’s smartphone back to him.

“Good job. Can you now ask Mr. Vice President Adam Castler and the internal auditor to come to my office?”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Mr. Adam Castler and the internal auditor came to Gun-Ho’s office. Assistant Manager Chae was with them, and he sat behind Mr. Adam Castler to interpret for him.

“Mr. Internal Auditor, have we heard from the stock brokerage company yet?”

“Not yet, sir. The KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association is currently conducting the preliminary examination, and we are patiently waiting for the outcome.”

“Mr. Vice President Castler, you are aware that we started the process with KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association to register with KOSDAQ, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am, sir.”

“Did you report it to the head office as well?”

“Yes, sir. They haven’t made any comment on it. They just verified the amount of our paid-in capital, and also about the employee stock ownership program.”

“As you have already heard, we are shipping four machines to Dyeon India. GH Mobile will send us a bill for their work in building those machines. Please make sure that we pay them. You all know the price of the machines, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, we are sending 20 tons of raw materials to Dyeon India along with the four machines.”

“I thought we are sending 10 tons of raw materials, sir.”

“Send 20 tons. Is Assistant Manager Chae in charge of exportation work?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then, tell Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo to prepare 20 tons of raw materials to be shipped to India.”

“I have a question, sir.”

Vice President Castler raised his hand.

“Once Dyeon Korea opens its business, can we get raw materials from Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle?”

“It doesn’t matter, but the profits from the transaction will be sent to Dyeon Korea.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, in order to install the machines in Dyeon India, GH Mobile’s Director Jong-Suk Park will be sent there. Since Director Jong-Suk Park is an employee of GH Mobile, GH Mobile will send us a bill for his work. If you receive Director Park’s man-days, please make the payment to GH Mobile.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, once we officially announce the appointment of the president of Dyeon India, send an advanced money of 50,000 dollars to him.”

“50,000 dollars, sir? Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 756 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (2) – Part 1

Chapter 756: Dyeon India in Chennai, India (2) – Part 1

It was August. Gun-Ho turned 38 years old.

Gun-Ho was living a happy life these days. When he went home after work, his lovely wife and precious baby boy were waiting for him. Sang-Min’s innocent laugh always made Gun-Ho laugh along with him. Gun-Ho spent his evening playing with his boy. Sang-Min was so into a rattle toy recently. It was his favorite toy. Sometimes, when Gun-Ho came home after work, Young-Eun and Sang-Min already fell asleep together. Looking at his wife and son sleeping always made Gun-Ho feel peaceful, and Gun-Ho couldn’t help but kiss both of them.

On one usual peaceful day, Young-Eun said to Gun-Ho, “Oppa, I’m going back to work in the middle of August. I found a position in a small hospital nearby home.”

“You are going back to work? Isn’t it too early? What about our baby boy?”

“I will work part-time during morning hours only.”

“Isn’t our helper lady coming to our home at 10 am?”

“I already talked to her about it. She is going to come one hour earlier at 9 am.”

“Do you think that will work? Do you think Sang-Min will be okay without his mom at home?”

“The lunch hour in a hospital usually starts at 1 pm. I will be working between 10 am and 1 pm.”

“You said the hospital is close to our home. Where is it located?”

“It’s in Bangbae Town.”

“Hmm.”

“I actually rejected a very good job offer the other day. One of my friends from college, who was senior to me, asked me to work for his hospital in Bundang District, Seongnam City. It’s a deputy director position, but a full-time job though. He offered me a high salary as well. But, I told him that I wouldn’t be able to work full-time because of my kid. I think I have to wait until Sang-Min grows older, to accept a position like that.”

“So, does it mean that you are going to officially quit your old job at Seoul National University Hospital? You are currently on leave with them on the record, right?”

“Yeah, I think I should quit that one and notify them. Working there was hard enough even when I didn’t have a child. It’s going to be impossible for me to work there while raising a kid. Unlike a small hospital, Seoul National University Hospital has very strict rules to comply with such as work schedule and overnight shift, etc.”

“Well, it’s totally up to you. I just don’t want Sang-Min to grow without his mother’s presence. Do you think we can rely on the helper lady in taking care of Sang-Min during the entire morning time?”

“She raised her own kids before, and she used to take care of her grandchild as well. She knows how to take care of a baby. It should be okay. Feeding him shouldn’t be a problem either since we can easily buy good baby bottles from the market these days. My dad and my aunt actually offered help that they would take care of Sang-Min during my work hours, but I don’t want it. I don’t want their sacrifice over my career.”

“What about my mom? I can ask her to come to help us.”

“Don’t do that, please. She has to drive all the way from Incheon City every morning. That’s too much for her. Sang-Min will be with the helper lady for only three to four hours in the morning. I will see how it works, and if it doesn’t work, I will quit the part-time job.”

“Can you not wait until Sang-Min turns 1 year old?”

“I can’t be away from my job for that long. I have to stay current in the medical field. I’m not working for money since you are giving me more than enough money for our living expenses. I can’t just stay home forever. I’m a good doctor, and I want to contribute to our society with what I am good at, and I want to help the people who are in need of help.”

“Okay. Try it for a few months, and if you think that’s not what you expected, then just quit, okay?”

“Thank you, Sang-Min’s dad,” Young-Eun said as she gave a kiss to Gun-Ho on the cheek.

The next morning, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

When he sat at his desk, he received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in China.

“Mori Aikko is doing great, sir. She is getting along with everyone here, and we are on schedule. She still has a lot to learn in acting, but her lack of acting skills is well covered by her beauty.”

“She will have to stay in China until October, won’t she?”

“The shooting will be completed before the end of October. Director Yan Wu is working very hard to finish it as soon as he can.”

“Hmm.”

“We are shooting a lot of scenes in Yingshi Leyuan (Shanghai’s film studio park) in Shanghai, and saving our production cost.”

“Isn’t Yingshi Leyuan the place that had been reproduced with traditional houses and streets of 1930s China? The scenes where Mori Aikko would appear is supposed to be shot in a place that looks like Japan, isn’t it?”

“Not necessarily. She is playing the role of a geisha who is working in the concession territory in China.”

“Hmm, I see. I guess you won’t need any scene that depicts a place in Japan then.”

“Well, yes, there are several scenes with the background of Japan. Our staff is going to Japan next week to shoot several scenes there. I go with them too. We are not going to Tokyo though, but we are going to Kyoto.”

“Kyoto?”

“Yes, sir. There is a film studio park in Kyoto, called Toei Uzumasa. We will shoot some scenes there.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Actually, GH Media’s Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda introduced us to that place—Toei Uzumasa.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Huanle Shiji Production Company was very content with the fact that GH Media helped them to connect with the movie studio park in Japan, which is one of your companies. They said that GH Media will also make money if this movie is successful since it’s the company that invests in their movie production.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“And, once we arrive in Kyoto, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda will meet us there. He is going to Kyoto to participate in a costume play event in Kyoto anyway.”

“A costume play event?”

“Yes, he is attending the International Manga Anime Fair in Kyoto. It’s going to be held in Miyako Messe. It seems that he wants to take some photos there during the event and use them for the costume play magazine that President Shin publishes.”

“Haha. I didn’t know there was such an event in Kyoto.”

“And, umm, I have one more thing to let you know, sir. My general rehabilitation case has finally been decided by the court, sir.”

“Oh, really? What does the decision say?”

“It said that the process for the debtor’s—Woon-Hak Sim—general rehabilitation is starting.”

“Congratulations.”

“I need to make a monthly payment of 850,000 won according to the decision.”

“The amount is a bit higher than I expected. But, it’s not bad at all. Personal rehabilitation requires a debtor to make a payment for only five years while you need to make the payment for ten years with general rehabilitation. If you pay 850,000 won per month for ten years, you will end up paying 120 million won in total. That means that you are paying off your debt of more than 1 billion won with only 120 million won.”

“I really appreciate your help on this, sir. I don’t know how to thank you.”

Director Sim couldn’t continue talking. He sounded like he was about to cry.

“You’ve had a hard life, Mr. Director Sim. Your life is about to get much better. You can make a lot of money from now on, and just make the payment of 850,000 won per month for the next ten years then you are done with your debt. You no longer need to worry about your wage being garnished or your property being seized.”

Hearing what Gun-Ho said, Director Sim couldn’t say a word. Gun-Ho determined that he should better let Director Sim go now since he was being too emotional. Gun-Ho was concerned that Director Sim might really start crying.

“Well, I will have to talk to you later, Mr. Director Sim. I have a visitor here.”

“Yes, sir.”

GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin came to Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor.

“Sir, I’m just stopping by your office because I wanted to see you since you haven’t asked me to come recently.”

“Haha. You are always welcome here, Ms. President Shin. Please have a seat; let’s have a cup of tea together. I will ask Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring us very nice tea.”

“Ms. Oh, please bring two cups of tea for Ms. President Shin and me. Thank you.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 757 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (2) – Part 2

Chapter 757: Dyeon India in Chennai, India (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and GH Media’s President Shin were sitting on the sofa in Gun-Ho’s office in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

President Shin handed a wrapped gift box to Gun-Ho.

“What is this?”

“It’s clothes for Sang-Min. I went to a department store the other day. When I saw this, I couldn’t pass it. It’s so cute. It will be extremely cute on Sang-Min.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to. Thank you. Sang-Min’s mom will love it.”

“I guess the movie business with Director Sim in China is going well. Your voice is cheerful today, sir.”

“Haha, really?”

“Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda is going on a trip to Kyoto, Japan next week. He will be participating in the International Manga Anime Fair in Miyako Messe, Kyoto. He will take a lot of photos while he is there for our costume play magazine. It seems that he’s going to meet with the staff from the Chinese movie production company in Kyoto.”

“What is the Miyako Messe place?” Gun-Ho asked.

“It’s a convention center built by Kyoto City. A lot of unique and special events are held there.”

“Is that right?”

“It’s like an exhibition center. They call it Miyako Messe.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“By the way, I heard that Director Sim is not working as a freelancer in China, but he is on the payroll.”

“That’s correct. Once the movie becomes a box office hit, I want to give an additional pay to compensate him for his hard work. I didn’t sign a contract or anything like that on the extra compensation part though.”

“Oh, I see.”

“GH Media doesn’t have to worry about Director Sim’s pay. But, since Director Sim receives a very low pay in China—he probably has to spend everything that he receives in China for his living expenses there—please raise his pay in Korea. I think 1.5 million won per month should be adequate.”

“Isn’t it still low?”

“Pay him 1.5 million won on a monthly basis. I will give him more as I see the result of his work. If the movie turns out to be unsuccessful, that will be all that he gets though.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho continued, “And, I’ve invested 6 million dollars through GH Media in China so far.”

“That amount is recorded as a short-term debt borrowed from you—an individual Mr. President Goo—in GH Media’s accounting. Our document for the external audit shows that GH Media has a high amount of debt. It’s recorded as not an expense, but an investment asset though.”

“1 million dollars out of 6 million dollars were invested in their previous TV drama production, and the remaining 5 million dollars all went to the current movie production.”

“That’s huge.”

“I don’t expect to make any profits from that investment this year. Given the duration of the post-production of a movie, we won’t have anything until the end of this year. So, any earnings from the movie production will be reflected in GH Media’s next year’s accounting.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Accordingly, the earnings from this movie production or the previous TV drama won’t appear on this year’s dividend for us.”

“Haha. I haven’t thought that far yet, sir. I’m satisfied with my current earnings from book publishing, the art gallery, and the rooftop book café.”

“How are we doing this year? It must be similar to what we earned last year, isn’t it?”

“Our sales have definitely increased since we are now publishing more various types of books, compared to last year. However, our spending for the cost has increased as well accordingly. Any travel expenses for China, related to the TV drama or movie production business, including flight tickets, hotels, and other expenditures are business expenses for GH Media. So, you can say that our cost of sales has increased.”

“Hmm.”

“As a result, I believe that GH Media’s operating profit will be about the same as our last year’s operating profit. It’s still August, sir. We have four more months to go this year. We still have enough time to see some changes in our sales or profits.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Oh, I have one more piece of news. We had an art exhibition with three new experimental artists last year.”

“Right, I remember that.”

“I sent the pamphlet of that art exhibition to the art gallery director in Shanghai—Ms. Deng Jufeng.”

“Oh, you did?”

“She found their artworks very interesting. She’s going to host an art gallery with those same three experimental artists in Shanghai too. It’s going to be held in her gallery from the 2nd of next month—September”

“Oh, really?”

“The media in China already talked about this upcoming art exhibition in Shanghai. And, we are in the process of shipping the artworks there. I made a request to GH Logistics to ship those artworks to Shanghai, China.”

“Oh, really? How many art pieces are we talking about?”

“We are sending 10 artworks for each artist, so it’s going to be 30 pieces of art in total. They are not huge in size though.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“We are not focusing on making money with these three experimental artists, but this will be a very good opportunity for them to be widely known, and they can build their career on this. Not every artist gets a chance to have their art exhibition in the art gallery in Shanghai.”

“Hmm.”

“This is also a good opportunity for us as an art gallery too. GH Media could gain a reputation that an artist who has his or her art exhibition with GH Art Gallery would get a chance to have their art exhibition in Shanghai as well. Our art gallery will become more popular and well respected.”

“That sounds very possible.”

“Well, I think I talked too much today, taking your time, sir. I will get back to my office now.”

“Come and visit me often.”

“Sure, I will. Haha.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Adam Castler.

“Hello, boss?”

“Oh, Mr. Adam Castler. How are you?”

“Just a moment, please.”

“Okay.”

The interpreter—Assistant Myeong-Joon Chae—picked up the phone.

“Sir, I’m going to tell you about the conversation that occurred between Mr. Vice President Adam Castler and the head office in the U.S.”

“What was it about?”

“Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke officially retired from Lymondell Dyeon, sir.”

“Hmm, I’m already aware of it. Anything else?”

“Mr. Brandon Burke volunteered for the position in India. Since Dyeon India is established and invested by Dyeon Korea, Dyeon Korea has to appoint him to the position in India.”

“Of course.”

“According to Mr. Adam Castler, we received Mr. Brandon Burke’s resume and a copy of his passport via email. All other necessary documents will be sent later. They already drafted the relocation approval form for Mr. Brandon Burke for the position in India, and they want you to sign the form, sir.”

“I’m in Seoul right now. Please send me the approval form in a digital format. I will sign it from here.”

“Yes, sir. I will let them know.”

“What’s the date of his relocation?”

“It’s the day after tomorrow, sir.”

“If so, can you ask if Mr. Brandon Burke can start working in Dyeon India from the day after tomorrow?”

“Give me one second, sir.”

Gun-Ho could hear over the phone that Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae was asking something to Mr. Adam Castler.

Assistant Manager Chae came back to the phone and said, “Yes, sir. The day after tomorrow is good.”

“Well, I guess he wants to start his life in India as soon as possible. Please tell them that I said okay.”

After getting off the phone with Mr. Adam Castler and Interpreter Chae, Gun-Ho walked to his desk and turned on his computer to sign the relocation approval form for Mr. Brandon Burke. He would be working as the president of Dyeon India from the day after tomorrow.

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Chapter 758 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (3) – Part 1

Chapter 758: Dyeon India in Chennai, India (3) – Part 1

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh entered Gun-Ho’s office, and she said, “Sir, Lymondell Dyeon’s Vice President Brandon Burke is on the phone right now. He wants to talk to you, sir.”

“Oh shoot, but I can’t speak English.”

Gun-Ho picked up the phone anyway.

“Hello? I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“How are you doing, Mr. President Goo? I’m Brandon Burke.”

“I’m fine, and you?”

“Interpreter, please.”

“Okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho handed his phone back to Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh. He could hear Yeon-Soo Oh saying yes and yes. Yeon-Soo Oh talked with Mr. Brandon Burke for quite a while. As she hung up the phone, she said, “Mr. Vice President Brandon Burke wanted to thank you, sir, for giving him a chance to work in Chennai, India. As he heard from Mr. Adam Castler, he understands that he will have the full authority in sales, finance, and human resource, and etc. for Dyeon India, and he truly appreciates it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Also, he wants to thank you for sending the Korean engineers in the compounding and maintenance field from Korea, not to mention the 50,000 dollars advanced payment. He said he wouldn’t disappoint you. He will ensure that Dyeon India grows to a large company as you well anticipate.”

“Hmm, really? Okay. Sounds good.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh then gave a bow to Gun-Ho before leaving the office after picking up empty cups from the table.

One week passed by. It was the rainy season, and there was heavy rainfall almost every day.

Gun-Ho was looking out of the window from his office on the 18th floor in his building in Sinsa Town.

“It’s raining so heavily that it looks like a water bomb.”

Gun-Ho then realized that it might be raining in Japan as well, and the movie production staff from China would be there tomorrow for shooting the movie.

“Huanle Shiji Production Company’s staff would be in Kyoto in this heavy rain. The bad weather could hinder their work.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda who was working in GH Media’s office on the 17th floor in the same building as him.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You are leaving for Kyoto tomorrow, aren’t you? It’s raining so heavily. Is it going to be okay?”

“Fortunately, the rain will stop tonight according to the weather forecast. I actually just got off the phone with Director Woon-Hak Sim in Shanghai. Everything will proceed as planned. They will be in Kyoto tomorrow, and I will meet them at the film studio park—Toei Uzumasa—as scheduled.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

The following day, it stopped raining just like Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda said. Gun-Ho usually didn’t trust the weather forecast since their weather predictions were frequently wrong. But, this time, they were right. Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda entered Gun-Ho’s office before leaving for the airport. He was carrying a suitcase and a camera.

“I’m heading to the airport, sir. I feel relieved looking at the nice weather today.”

“That’s right. I was still worried even after you told me that the rain would stop soon since the weather forecast is often wrong.”

“I just talked with the people in Kyoto right now; they said the weather in Kyoto right now is great. They even can feel the freshness in the weather after the heavy rain.”

“Haha, really?”

“My trip to Tokyo is scheduled for two nights and three days, sir.”

“How many staff would be coming from Shanghai?”

“I didn’t ask them about it, but I guess there will be around five or six people. Of course, Director Yan Woo and Director Sim will be there too.”

Gun-Ho took out an envelope from his desk drawer, and he said as he handed the envelope to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda, “This is 1,000 dollars. I want to treat you and the staff from China, appreciating their hard work. Please use this to have a drink with them in Japan.”

“Whoa, sir! I didn’t expect this. Thank you.”

“I know that everything is expensive in Japan. They wouldn’t even think of having a drink in Japan because of the high liquor price. If you buy them a drink there, I’m sure that they will be excited.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho before leaving his office.

Gun-Ho wanted to have lunch with GH Development’s Director Kang that day. It had been a while since they had lunch together. Gun-Ho walked out of his office and looked around to find Director Kang, but he was not at his desk.

“Ms. Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong, where is Mr. Director Kang?”

“Oh, he left the office after getting a call from Team Lead Soon-Nam Jeong, sir. It seems that because of the heavy rain yesterday, the boiler room is flooded with water.”

“Hmm, that makes sense. It was extremely heavy rainfall. I wonder if the factories in Jiksan Town and Asan City are okay. Their retaining walls could be damaged by heavy rain like this. Well, they have a lot of engineers there who can handle the damage if there is one. I don’t think I need to check and instruct them on how to manage it.”

Gun-Ho made a call to his wife—Young-Eun.

“It’s me. Did you have lunch already?”

“No, not yet.”

“Do you want to have lunch with me today? I will buy you any food you want.”

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve never called me to offer me lunch before.”

“I just want you to have a break from staying home all day long taking care of our boy. You need to get some fresh air sometimes.”

“Well, it’s weird, but I will have lunch with you. Thanks.”

“So you have any specific restaurant that you want to have your lunch?”

“I want to eat meat. I’m having too much vegetables at home without meat.”

“Well, then where…”

“Meet me at Baekjaewon next to Yeoksam Station. I’ve been there once with my friends from college last year. It was good. The restaurant is in the Gangnam Finance Center.”

After getting off the phone with Young-Eun, Gun-Ho started getting ready to leave the office.

“Young-Eun and her friends seem to meet at an expensive restaurant since they are all medical doctors. It looks like that restaurant serves grilled beef sirloin. Its location is coincidentally close to the stock brokerage firm where I have an account with.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the restaurant—Baekjaewon. A moment later, Gun-Ho saw Young-Eun entering the restaurant holding their baby boy.

“Young-Eun, over here.”

“You came early.”

“Sang-Min, your daddy is here,” Gun-Ho greeted his boy.

The baby was busy looking around the new surroundings around him.

Young-Eun looked pretty that day, Gun-Ho thought. Her skin looked brighter and glowing. Her skin looked better than before she had the baby.

Gun-Ho ordered a full course menu with grilled beef sirloin for two people. Young-Eun looked at Chan-Ho Eom who was sitting at the table next to Gun-Ho’s, and she said, “Mr. Chan-Ho Eom, why don’t you sit with us?”

“It’s okay, ma’am. I have to eat quickly and leave. I parked the car on the street because I couldn’t find a place to park. I have to go to the car as soon as I finish eating my lunch. Don’t mind me, please, and enjoy your lunch.”

Young-Eun seemed to enjoy the grilled beef sirloin. She ate a lot, and Gun-Ho watched her eating in amusement.

“What are you looking at? I’m not eating all these just for me. I’m giving some of what I eat to Sang-Min by breastfeeding him. I’m eating for him.”

“Haha. Okay. Eat as much as you can.”

At that moment, someone lightly greeted Gun-Ho while passing his table. It was the branch manager of the stock brokerage company. The branch manager gave a slight nod to Gun-Ho and walked away with his party to another table. A moment later, Gun-Ho’s cell phone started ringing. It was the branch manager who was sitting at another table in the same restaurant.

“It’s me, sir, the branch manager of the Gangnam stock brokerage firm. You don’t have to say anything, but just listen, sir.”

“Okay.”

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Chapter 759 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (3) – Part 2

Chapter 759: Dyeon India in Chennai, India (3) – Part 2

The branch manager continued to talk to Gun-Ho on the phone, “I couldn’t go and talk to you earlier because you seem to be spending time with your family. I didn’t want to interrupt you. Moreover, many big players in Gangnam are reluctant for the people around them to learn that they have a business with people like me. So, I just passed by your table while giving you a slight nod, sir. I hope you understand.”

“Haha, you did?”

“You are having lunch with your wife and child, aren’t you? Your child is so cute, and your wife seems to be a very elegant and intellectual lady. I’m so envious of you, sir. You seem to have everything, at work and at home. Well, enjoy your time and meal, sir.”

“Thank you.”

Young-Eun asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s just someone who I have business with.”

Realizing Chan-Ho Eom already left the restaurant, Young-Eun said, “Mr. Eom didn’t seem to take enough time enjoying his meat. I feel sorry for him.”

“It’s okay. I will buy him delicious food later. Don’t mind him.”

After finishing their lunch, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun walked out of the restaurant—Baekjaewon.

“Where did you park your car?”

“Over there. Oh, is that your car sitting next to mine?”

“Hmm, I guess Chan-Ho found your car and parked my car next to it.”

Young-Eun’s new Genesis G80 that Gun-Ho bought for her recently and Gun-Ho’s Bentley was standing in the parking lot side by side.

Young-Eun said to Chan-Ho Eom while holding the baby, “Mr. Chan-Ho Eom, you haven’t had enough food for lunch today, right?”

“Haha, I ate a lot, ma’am. I actually enjoy the time in the car listening to music, so I finished my lunch quickly and came back to the car.”

“What kind of music do you like?”

“I like rap music, of course.”

Gun-Ho said to Young-Eun, “Why don’t you get in the car first?”

Young-Eun opened the car door and put Sang-Min in the car seat.

“He started dozing off already,” Gun-Ho said.

“He always sleeps while I’m driving. But I still can’t take him to a place far from home though. He sometimes wakes up and cries.”

“Are you going back home now?”

“Yeah, I should. Well, I enjoyed my lunch today, oppa. Thanks.”

Gun-Ho came back to his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

He was dozing off while sitting on the sofa as he usually did after lunch. At that moment, his phone began to ring. It was Director Jong-Suk Park who was in India.

“Bro? It’s me, Jong-Suk.”

“Hey, you don’t have to yell. I can hear you fine. Keep a certain distance between your mouth and the phone when you talk.”

“Fine. Guess where I am right now. I’m in Hindu Temple. It’s somewhere around Chennai.”

“Did you finish installing the machines there?”

“Of course I did. It took me only two days to finish the job.”

“You know that you have to train the assistant manager from Dyeon Korea’s maintenance team before coming back to Korea, right? He’s going to stay there handling any issues with those machines.”

“I already did. Not just him, but I trained the local engineer here how to operate the machines too. I’m actually in Hindu Temple with that local engineer.”

“Did Vice President Brandon Burke come to work in Dyeon India?”

“Yes, he is here.”

“Did he hire any production workers yet?”

“Director Yoon, who arrived here before me, already hired local production workers. He said it was instructed by Director Kim. He hired 2 workers per machine, so 8 workers in total for handling 4 machines, and two more workers in case. He also hired two additional workers who will work in the maintenance team. So, they now have 10 local production workers in total.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Director Yoon and I will soon return to Korea, but there is a problem.”

“What is it?”

“We will leave two Korean workers from Dyeon Korea here—two assistant managers from the compounding room and the maintenance department. The thing is that they are engineers, not management people.”

“That’s right.”

“They will need a Korean worker who knows about finance and sales which are usually handled by management people. Director Yoon is doing the job right now, but once he returns to Korea, there will be no one who can handle the work. Do you think it will be okay?”

“Since this is a joint venture company, it’s not easy for me to fill all the positions with Korean workers. We have engineers there from Korea, and I’m not sure if I could send someone from management.”

“I see.”

“I believe that Mr. Brandon Burke will bring someone from America to handle the management work there, or he will hire a local person who can speak English for the job. That’s probably why Director Yoon hired only production workers, but not management workers. Mr. Brandon Burke probably wants to bring in his people in the management position. We don’t have to worry about it. Mr. Burke will take care of it.”

“You think so? If a non-Korean person works in the management here, he or she will send a weekly report to you in English. Then someone has to translate the report into the Korean language, which is extra work.”

“I’m working in Dyeon Korea as its president until December 30th per the joint venture contract. An American will take over my position then. That American president will surely prefer to have someone in the management who can speak English in Dyeon India, instead of a Korean. Don’t you think?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Once I resign from the president position and take the chairman position of the board, I will only receive documents about the sales and work performance of the presidents in Dyeon Korea and Dyeon India. I won’t get into their daily operating business.”

“Hmm, really?”

“How’s the new factory in Chennai? Do you think the factory is good enough? I haven’t been to the place yet. I just sent Mr. Adam Castler and Director Kim there to make the purchase.”

“It looks good. Director Yoon did an excellent job of repairing the place. Its electricity system, sewer system, and ventilation system seem to be working great too. Director Yoon didn’t seem to be very active or enthusiastic when I saw him working in Dyeon Korea, but he works passionately when it comes to his area of expertise—construction.”

“I was told that the advance payment was received by Mr. Brandon Burke.”

“I believe so. I overheard the conversation between Director Yoon and Mr. Brandon Burke. When Director Yoon gave the company’s bank book and credit card to Mr. Brandon Burke, he said that the account is holding his advanced payment as well.”

“Hmm, really?”

“By the way, bro. Once this factory starts running and manufacturing products, it’s better that you send Director Kim here.”

“Sending Director Kim there? For what?”

“President Brandon Burke is American. He will focus on doing business with American companies or European companies. It won’t be easy for him to procure Korean companies here as new clients. I think if Director Kim can come here and take a tour of Korean companies in this area as part of sales activities, we will find a lot of Korean client companies.”

“That’s a good idea. I will think about it.”

“And, bro, after finishing installing the machines yesterday, I ran one of the machines here and manufactured sample products. Mr. Brandon Burke was there, and he tested the sample products by smelling them and burning them with a lighter. And, he kept saying ‘good.’”

“I guess the sample products passed his test.”

“You know what? I’m now very close to Mr. Brandon Burke.”

“You can’t even speak a word in English. How can you possibly be close to Mr. Brandon Burke?”

“Body language works every time, bro. He is very good at understanding my body language.”

“Really?”

“We had arm wrestling together too.”

“Arm wrestling?”

“Yeah. He is about twice larger than me, but I won over him in arm wrestling. He shook his head side to side once he realized he lost.”

“Really? I know he is a big man. How did you win over him?”

“You can’t win in arm wrestling with only your physical power. You have to know some skills. When I won, he raised his thumb to me.”

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Chapter 760 - Upcoming By-Election (1) – Part 1

Chapter 760: Upcoming By-Election (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. The area along the second factory’s walls was still congested with a lot of parked cars.

Gun-Ho stopped by the production team 1 and team 2 before heading to his office on the second floor. Raw materials and goods-in-process were piled up making a small mountain. They were probably for the mass-produced brackets for H Group. Some of them were stamped with a certificate of inspection. They were probably waiting to be shipped after having received the inspection. In the production area, President Song and the general affairs direction were standing watching the process.

“You are all here,” Gun-Ho said to them.

“Since Director Park is not present in the production area because of his trip to Chennai, India, we just wanted to check if everything is going well here. Watching all types of products manufactured in the same area is giving me a headache.”

“They look complex and disorganized, but they are actually all in order. And they have to, especially because shipping has to be completed in time in order to keep up with the planned lead time (the amount of time spent during the process from the point where raw materials are brought in and the point where a product is completed).”

The forklift truck was moving busily making a lot of noises, and the wing-body truck was standing ready to be loaded with the finished products.

Gun-Ho asked the general affairs director to come close to him to talk.

“Do we have any update on reserving parking space with the church?”

“We received their response. They said it would be difficult for them to lease the space to us. They said that they are not a for-profit organization, and renting their property to the third party in order to make money doesn’t go with their organization’s purpose.”

“Hmm.”

“Since a church is an unincorporated association, maybe leasing their property to use as our parking space is not feasible. So, we are contacting a storage building next to the church.”

“A storage building?”

“The building used to be a factory that manufactured golf carts, and they no longer use the building. They have a front yard about 300 pyung large. If we can use that space, we can park at least 50 vehicles. I was actually talking about it with President Song earlier when you came and joined us here.”

“Did they agree to lease the space to us?”

“I talked with the owner of the property, and he was okay with leasing it as long as he could get enough rent.”

“How much is he asking?”

“We haven’t reached the agreement on the price yet.”

“What is the property owner doing for a living?”

“He is running a huge hardware store. I heard that this is his hometown, and he inherited large real property from his father, which used to be farmlands.”

“Even if he asks for a high price, we should lease the space.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho walked up to the second floor heading to his office.

When he was having his tea that Secretary Hee-Jeong Park had brought to him, President Song entered the office.

Gun-Ho asked him, “Is Director Park coming back to work the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I know that H Group mentioned three different types of brackets. Are we supplying them with only one type of their brackets now?”

“Yes, sir. Our research center is currently developing the sample products for the other two types of their brackets.”

“The new 50 production workers who we are hiring now will start working when we begin manufacturing the second and third types of brackets then?

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Hmm.”

“We’ve completed the final hiring screening process by having an interview with each job candidate individually. And we’ve already selected 50 new workers. We are, however, still in the process of determining their first day of work.”

“Do we have a plan about how to handle the parking problem? Once the new 50 workers join us, the problem will be aggravated.”

“I believe that the general affairs director already made a report to you about leasing the parking space from the storage building next to the church. The property owner is more than willing to lease the property to us as long as we offer him a good rental price.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, we will promote a carpooling system among the workers who are using their personal vehicles in commuting.”

“Carpooling system?”

“Yes, sir. If an employee shares his or her car with two or more of our employees in coming to work and going back home after work, we will pay part of their gas expenses.”

“Hmm, the idea is very good, but I wonder if our employees would think saving their gas expenses are worth sharing their cars with other workers.”

“I’m sure they would. Especially, we have many lady workers who are married, and they are usually sensitive about saving money. If we pay for their gas even partially, I’m sure that they will participate in the carpooling program. We conducted a survey about the carpooling program already, and many employees responded positively.”

“That’s good. Well, let’s try the carpooling program, and if that doesn’t solve our parking problem, we will have to find another solution.”

“Yes, sir.”

After President Song left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho turned on the TV. There was a TV in the president’s office in GH Mobile.

“Minister Jin-Woo Lee is a strong candidate in the upcoming by-election, but he is chased fiercely by another candidate who was a former news anchor? Hmm. Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s political party— Gongmyeong— is getting enormous support from large companies, especially financially, but they seem to be not strong enough.”

At the moment, Gun-Ho thought of Min-Ho Kang who was working for a civic organization. He made a call to him.

“Min-Ho Kang? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Huh? Mr. President Goo? I haven’t expected to receive a call from you. What a pleasant surprise.”

“I wanted to thank you for arranging the gathering for our high school reunion last time.”

“Don’t mention it. I had a great time.”

“How’s your civic organization— Better Society Community— doing these days? What does your organization do to make our society better?”

“We used to receive a lot of donations and contributions; at that time, we often hosted an event as well. We were very active back then. But, these days, even paying our two administrators in the organization on time isn’t easy. Meaning that we don’t have enough financial capacity to be active.”

“You said that you are the full-time vice president of that organization, didn’t you?”

“That’s right. Our president is a part-time position, and we have three vice presidents, but I’m the only full-time vice president. I believe you know of our president. He used to be the center of several major political movements. His name is Gi-Baek Ham.”

“Yeah, I think I know of Mr. Gi-Baek Ham. I’ve been to one of his lectures before. Isn’t he the one who is always wearing a traditional Korean overcoat?”

“That’s right. As his name implies, he is full of spirit of vigor and patriotism.”

“Is he not participating in the upcoming by-election?”

“A political party has to support him in order to be in the by-election. Without a political party’s support, you can’t do anything in this country even though you are a more than capable and able person.”

“What do you think of the one of the candidates for the upcoming by-election— Mr. Jin-Woo Lee?”

“Personally, I’m not a big fan of him at all. He is the son-in-law of a conglomerate family. In addition, he has always been with the party in power. I don’t like him.”

“I guess you like the candidate of his opponent then, the one who was once a news anchor.”

“I hate that guy even more. He hasn’t shown anything so far what he could do for the people. All he had done was talk in the news. I’m certain that he doesn’t know a thing about the hardship that our people are experiencing.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“The thing is that I think he is earning a lot of support from mid-aged married women since he is somewhat good-looking. If we look at the exit polls later, the votes that those two candidates receive will be very close.”

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Chapter 761 - Upcoming By-Election (1) – Part 2

Chapter 761: Upcoming By-Election (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked Min-Ho Kang, “Are you interested in participating in an election campaign?

“For which candidate? The former news anchor? Oh, wait. Let me see. The candidate— Mr. Jin-Woo Lee— was the one who presided over your wedding, right? You must know him very well then.”

“Yes, I do know him personally. Would you help him in getting elected? I will pay for your work and effort, of course.”

“I belong to a civic organization working to make our society better. I can’t openly support one specific candidate or political party. Moreover, me holding a sign and a message supporting him at a four-way intersection in his area won’t help.”

“What has to be done then?”

“Let’s talk about it later in person somewhere quiet. A phone conversation can be recorded, and if something happens, our phone conversation could get under investigation.”

“Really? I will come to your office in Mapo Town right now.”

“You are coming here right now? Okay. Then come to the Seongsan Welfare Community Center near the district office in Mapo Town. I will meet you at the entrance of the welfare community center.”

“Sounds good. I’m leaving from Jiksan Town, and I will be there around 2 pm.”

“Okay. See you then.”

Around 2 pm that day, Gun-Ho met Min-Jo Kang in front of the Seongsan Welfare Community Center.

“Why don’t we go to a café or some other place to talk while having a cup of tea?”

“Let’s just talk here.”

“Well, then let’s get in my car. We can talk there.”

“You have your chauffeur in the car. It’s okay that we talk while standing here.”

“Well, okay then.”

The two men walked toward Hongje River while talking.

Gun-Ho started first, “Is there anything I can do to help him?”

“You can’t blindly post a lot of messages in support of the candidate— Mr. Jin-Woo Lee— by hiring people to do it in a news article or somewhere on the internet. There always could be a whistle-blower. And if that happens, it would damage his reputation irreparably.”

“Hmm.”

“You can spend an enormous amount of money and hire a lot of campaign workers. It would be certainly better than doing nothing, but it’s not efficient or effective given the amount of money and time that you would spend.”

“Then what should I do?”

“I would find someone who used to work for that news anchor candidate, who had been expelled from his group.”

“Really? Is there someone like that?”

“Since that guy was in the circle of that candidate, and also he had been expelled from the group, he must have good information about the candidate and also had bad information about him as well. You just pick and spread the bad information.”

“Where do I spread the bad information?”

“Have the people make the rumor and spread it on the internet.”

“What people?”

“There are more than 3,000 people in my organization— Better Society Community. We have 3,000 members, and 1,000 of them are full members who are paying the 10,000 won membership fee via CMS (Cash Management Service) on a monthly basis. We use those membership fees in paying for our office rent, publishing newsletters, and paying my wage and for other two administrators here.”

“I see. I didn’t know the Better Society Community is that big in size.”

“Most of our members volunteered to participate in our activities after taking our president’s— Mr. Gi-Baek Ham— lectures and being impressed by him.”

“Is that right?”

Gun-Ho recalled Mr. Gi-Baek Ham. It was about ten years ago when he had a chance to take his lecture without his intention. He was giving an impassioned speech to the young people back then. He was attacking the current government officials and pro-Japanese groups in politics. Many audiences applauded enthusiastically agreeing to what he was saying. However, Gun-Ho found his speech somehow unconvincing at that time, and he didn’t stay to the end of his lecture. Mr. Gi-Baek Ham was pointing out all the problems passionately, but he didn’t propose any solutions about what we could do to solve those problems.

‘Anyway, it’s unbelievable that the organization has 1,000 members who are committed to the organization by paying a monthly membership fee of 10,000 won.’

Gun-Ho made a proposal.

“Can you then find the person who used to work for the candidate opponent and who was expelled from his group? I will make my monetary contribution to your organization— Better Society Community.”

“Instead of making a contribution… can you do this for us?”

“What do you need?”

“To be honest with you, our civic organization currently has a very unstable financial situation. The fund that we are getting from the government is not much at all, resulting in a small amount of wages for us.”

“How much do you get paid?”

“The two administrators are paid 1.6 million won per month, and I get paid 1.8 million won.”

“Hmm, I see. That sounds insufficient to make a living.”

“The upcoming by-election will be held on the 25th of September. It’s early August now, and we have about 50 days left until the by-election. Can you pay our wages for the next two months for the two administrators and myself? I will help you on this then.”

“If I don’t make it as an official contribution to the Better Society Community, then is it possible that I make it a payment for your special lectures or something? For the three individuals including you.”

“That’s possible. We do actually give a special lecture sometimes even though we don’t often get a chance to do it. We give a lecture about once or twice per year.”

“By the way, how are you going to find the person who was expelled from that former news anchor candidate’s group? I can’t even think of where to start?”

“I haven’t found a person like that, but I already have several documents that could damage his reputation badly.”

“You already found them?”

Gun-Ho’s eyes widened.

“Where did you possibly find such information?”

“It’s not like we walk around and pick up information on the street. We found them on the internet, of course.”

“On the internet?”

“You have to be persistent when you are searching for such information on the internet, but you can find anything there, even the things that happened ten years ago.”

“Ha, really? What did you find?”

“One of the things that I found is that he made a comment once about the appearance of women from different areas. He said something like the women in Gangnam District are mostly beautiful while there are just too many ugly women in other areas, and that’s why he chose to live in Gangnam District.”

“Is that a big deal? People talk stupid things like that all the time.”

“It is a problem if you are in politics. It’s actually a huge problem. People in ‘other areas’ that are not in the Gangnam District would be upset by saying that the news anchor is perceiving them as animals like a pig or a dog just because of the areas where we live; they just don’t see any respect coming from him.”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, the upcoming by-election is being held in Gyeonggi Province, not Seoul.”

“Hmm, now I can see why it could be a huge problem for him.”

“So, we are adding some comments and opinions to this specific fact in spreading on the internet to make it sound more appalling and to make people upset. Once our 3,000 members spread it on the internet, the people, who read the words, will spread even further.”

“Hmm, I see. But, it’s understandable that when he made that comment, he was young and stupid. We all had times like that, didn’t we?”

“He was in his early 30s when he said that. He was a newbie news anchor in a TV broadcasting station at that time.”

“It was a long long time ago. Do you think people would care?”

“Even though it happened a long time ago, it is clearly a comment that he made. It’s enough for us to provoke people and make them angry.”

Min-Ho Kang continued, “One more thing is that he didn’t serve in the military which every single Korean man does.”

“Minister Jin-Woo Lee didn’t do it either.”

“The funny thing that you want to focus on is the reason why he was exempted from serving in the military. He claimed that he had high myopia. On the record, his eyesight was so bad that he wouldn’t be able to serve in the military.”

“Really? I haven’t seen him wearing glasses.”

“He is wearing contact lenses. There are photos of him when he was in high school; He was wearing glasses back then.”

“I see.”

“When he was in college, he was very popular according to him. And whenever he saw the girl in a 10-meter radius, who he really disliked, coming towards him, he quickly left the scene to avoid her.”

“Well, that’s fine, isn’t it?”

“You have to keep in mind that he has high myopia. A person with high myopia can’t recognize a person in a 10-meter radius.”

“Hmm.”

“Even though it was what he said about 30 years ago when he was in college, it’s good enough to damage his reputation and public image. That will enable Minister Jin-Woo Lee to have more votes.”

“It sounds like a dirty game.”

“That’s why people say that politics are done in muddy water. I will send you the documents of the two administrators and myself tomorrow like a copy of our resident registration and bank account, via email. You will probably need them in withholding taxes when you pay our two-month wages. Can you send our wages for this month right away? We will try enjoying the work since it’s just for two months.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

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Chapter 762 - Upcoming By-Election (2) – Part 1

Chapter 762: Upcoming By-Election (2) – Part 1

The following day, Gun-Ho gave a call to Minister Jin-Woo Lee.

“Sir, it’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, Mr. Class Manager. It has been a while.”

“How are you these days? I often see news about you in the media these days.”

“Don’t get me started. My throat is sore, and my voice is hoarse now.”

“I guess you have an extremely busy schedule, especially because the election precinct is large.”

“I visited three senior citizen community centers the other day, and it took me the whole day. I’ve been running for election so many times before, and I can tell you that this is the hardest one. But, I’m positive that I will win.”

“I agree with you, sir.”

“You think so too, Mr. Class Manager?”

“Of course, sir. Not just me, who thinks you would win this election without any problems, but everyone, who took the class with us in the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University, thinks the same.”

“Is that right? Haha. Well, please tell them that I truly appreciate their support, and I do need their continuous support.”

“And, sir, I’d like to meet you in person. Are you going to stay in your election district today?”

“No, I have an executive meeting for my party today. I will be in Seoul in the morning, but I will have to go to the district this afternoon.”

“I will then go to your office in the district this afternoon.”

“Do you know where my office is located in the election district? I don’t even know its address… Let me see. If you come downtown, there is Kukmin Bank. My office is situated in the building across the Kukmin Bank. It is a three-story building, and you will see a flower shop and a pet store on the ground floor.”

“Got it. I will see you at 3 this afternoon then.”

Gun-Ho headed to OO City in Gyeonggi Province where Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s election district was located, in the afternoon. It was easy enough to find his office. Gun-Ho walked up to his office. There were three staff working there. The person, who was sitting at the front desk, looked like she was in her mid-20s; she was probably an intern.

“How may I help you, sir?”

“Mr. Minister Jin-Woo Lee is expecting me. I have an appointment with him.”

When the young worker hesitated, a male worker, who looked like he was in his 50s, said to her, “Show him to the meeting room.”

Gun-Ho was led to a meeting room by the young worker who was at the front desk. The meeting room was not large. There were lots of signs piled up in a corner of the room. Banners were hanging on the wall; one of them said ‘I will stay and experience the daily life with you all in our district.’”

Gun-Ho was sitting at the table in the meeting room by himself when a lady worker, who looked like she was in her 40s, brought a cup of green tea to him.

“Thank you.”

The office seemed to have a lot of foot traffic; Gun-Ho could hear people talking outside the meeting room.

“I hope Minister Jin-Woo Lee gets elected as a congressman as soon as possible and get his new office in the government. This place is very distracting.”

Gun-Ho sat in the meeting room waiting for Minister Lee to show up for more than 30 minutes. He was spending the waiting time surfing the web with his smartphone checking out female actresses’ photos when Minister Jin-Woo Lee entered the room. Minister Lee didn’t even knock on the door, but opened the door abruptly.

“I’m so sorry. The executive meeting took more than I expected.”

“I actually came to encourage you in pursuing your political goal, sir. I know your day is very busy and tiring these days.”

“Look at my lips. They are swollen from fatigue,” Minister Jin-Woo Lee said as he applied an ointment on his lips.

“Is your opponent from this area as well?”

“He lived in this election precinct only for two or three years during his childhood. He was probably in elementary school at that time. He spent most of his life in Seoul, not here. I don’t understand why I have to compete with him when this is not really his hometown.”

“You need a lot of campaign workers too, right?”

“Of course, I do. We hired lots of part-time young people, and the cost is not insignificant.”

“Are you getting contributions from the local influencers and officials too?”

“Not as much as I expected. I guess the economy is not doing well now. The thing is that my opponent has his own fan club that is very active and aggressive. His fans volunteer to work for his election. I don’t have that sorts of labor that I can use. Since I have a rich father-in-law, people want money from me, and they don’t want to spend it for me. The thing is that I’m not rich, but my father-in-law is. But, people don’t understand that.”

“Mr. Minister, I can find campaign workers for you.”

“Campaign workers? Do you mean your workers at your company? You are going to ask some of them to work for my campaign temporarily?”

“Not the workers at my company, but I will have the members of a civic organization work for your election.”

“The members of a civic organization?”

“I won’t disclose the name of the civic organization though, but there are 3,000 of them.”

“Did you say 3,000 people?”

“They are not going to be in this area physically, but they will help you remotely using the internet.”

“What do you mean by working through the internet? Are they going to post a lot of messages and replies on the internet?”

“Leaving a lot of positive comments or replies in favor of a specific election candidate could cause another problem; it could backfire. The opponent will attack you by saying that you are paying people to leave favorable comments about you on the internet since you can afford it.”

“Hmm, then what can they do for me using the internet?”

Gun-Ho exaggerated a little bit in explaining what Min-Ho Kang and the members of his organization would do for him.

“Basically what they will do is doxing. The 3,000 people will conduct the internet-based research in collecting information about your opponent, and will find the information that will damage your opponent’s reputation and public image.”

“He was a news anchor. All that he had done was reading the scripts prepared for him to read on TV. I wonder if there is anything they can find that will help me.”

“There is no perfect person in this world, sir. Once they find something bad for the opponent, they will repost it online. If 10 people read it, it’s just a matter of time to spread to 30,000 more people.”

“Even though my wife’s father is wealthy, I can’t pay for those 3,000 people.”

“You don’t need to pay them, sir. I will take care of it. Those 3,000 people are now ready to proceed; they are waiting for my order.”

“Ha, I didn’t know you are capable of doing such a thing.”

“You said the other day that you are grateful for our classmates’ support from the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University, hoping that their continuous support would give a great impact on your election. Our classmates are only 30 people. That number can’t affect your election at all. The 3,000 people, who are waiting for my order, however, can certainly make a big difference in your campaign work. They are all young and energetic people at a civic organization.”

“If you could have them help my election, that would be great, and I do really appreciate their help. But, I will eventually have to give them something in exchange for their help later, won’t I?”

“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s very unlikely, but if anyone expects to get something from you, I will take care of it.”

“Thank you,” Minister Jin-Woo Lee said as he abruptly held Gun-Ho’s hand.

“One thing that I want you to promise me is that you can’t tell anyone about me doing this for you. It must stay between you and me only, sir.”

“Of course, I understand that.”

“And, this group of 3,000 people will be dissolved as soon as you are elected.”

“Hmm.”

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Chapter 763 - Upcoming By-Election (2) – Part 2

Chapter 763: Upcoming By-Election (2) – Part 2

“I actually activated this group yesterday covertly, and they found two Achilles’ heel of your opponent— the news anchorman— that can greatly make him vulnerable from the election point.”

“Really? What did they find?”

Minister Lee dragged his chair toward Gun-Ho to sit close to him.

“Even though I tell you what they found, you should pretend that you’ve never heard of it. Even with your friends or close people within your inner circle, you have to keep it that way.”

“I will. Of course, I will.”

Gun-Ho took a sip of his green tea before continuing, “According to my group, your opponent had previously said this.”

“What had he said?”

“He had said that ‘all the women, who are living in Gangnam District, are beautiful, but there are so many ugly women in other areas. That’s why I’m living in Gangnam District.’”

“It certainly shows that he is mean, but that doesn’t sound serious enough to affect the election.”

“It is, sir. It can absolutely become a huge issue. The people, who are living in ‘other areas’ which could be any non-Gangnam District area including the election district, would get upset protesting that he is looking at them with the way he sees pigs and dogs, rather than humans who have to be equally respected.”

“Hmm.”

“My group of 3,000 people will not just repost it online, but they will attack him using what he previously said. They would say that how can he claim that he would represent the interest of the people in Gyeonggi Province by running for election in the precinct, when he perceives the people in that area as animals, since they are not from Gangnam District. What do you think? Don’t you think that he would lose a lot of votes because of it?”

“Hmm, I guess that is very likely.”

“He will try to explain as more and more people learn and talk about it. He would say that he was young and stupid when he made that comment, but he is now a well-experienced man who is ready to devote his life to the district’s development and its people’s well-being.”

“Hmm.”

“People will soon calm down again as time goes on, and the gap between his support and yours will be reduced again. We then repost another one that he said when he was younger.”

“You have another one?”

“Yes, we have one more so far. It’s about compulsory military service that he didn’t complete.”

“I didn’t serve in the military either. I had a health issue with my back.”

“When he was in college, he said something funny. We will connect what he said with his exemption from the military service. My 3,000 people will launch a series of attacks on him with it.”

“That’s amazing, President Goo. I heard that you went to high school in Incheon City. Why don’t you work with me in renovating the political climate of our country and stabilizing the economy for the people? If you join my political party, I will help you get elected in the Incheon City area in the future.”

“Haha, thank you for your offer, sir. I really do, but I have zero interest in politics. I’m a businessman. I will stay as a businessman until my day comes. I have no aptitude for it either.”

“That’s a shame. If I have someone like you in my political party, I would feel like I have a thousand troops supporting me.”

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. The male worker, who looked like he was in his 50s, entered the room.

“Umm, sir, the local influencers are here to see you.”

Gun-Ho quickly stood up from his seat.

“Well, I guess I took too much of your time, sir. I’d better get going now.”

“I wanted to talk with you longer, President Goo…”

“Well, that’s all I have for you today anyway, sir. Since we don’t want others to see us together at this sensitive time, I won’t come to see you again in person. Also, unless it is absolutely necessary, I won’t give you a call either until the election day. Just know that I will be working behind the scene to have you elected, sir.”

“Thank you. I feel so encouraged and energetic again after talking with you. There will be a day when I could give you a big present.”

“Thank you, sir.”

When Minister Jin-Woo had come to the meeting room where Gun-Ho was waiting for him, he looked down and tired, but he now looked vigorous and vivid again. After Gun-Ho left the room, Minister Lee mumbled to himself, ‘He has 3,000 workers of a civic organization, who are ready for his order? Wow. He is certainly something.’

It was the day when Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town for the morning time and Dyeon Korea in Asan City in the afternoon. But, Gun-Ho went straight to Dyeon Korea without stopping by GH Mobile that day.

Once he arrived at his office, he opened his email. A news email was waiting for him, that was from Min-Ho Kang who was working for a civic organization— Better Society Community. Several documents were attached to the email. They were the documents of Min-Ho Kang’s and two other administrators of the organization, such as copies of their resident registration and bank account. Gun-Ho printed them out. He then called for Mr. Adam Castler and the internal auditor.

“Those who went to India… are they coming back tomorrow?”

“Yes, sir. Director Jong-Suk Park, Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo, and also Director Yoon, they are all coming back.”

“I wonder if they tested the production site there, by producing some sample products.”

“They did, and they said that it’s working great.”

“That’s good to know.”

Mr. Adam Castler said, “Umm, sir, Mr. President Brandon Burke in India wanted to say thank you.”

“He doesn’t have to thank me. Actually, I appreciate that he decided to work with us in India.”

Mr. Adam Castler continued, “I think I might stay here with Dyeon Korea longer. Mr. Brandon Burke strongly recommended me for Dyeon Korea’s next president position. He told the head office that Dyeon Korea absolutely needs Mr. Adam Castler.”

“If you could take the president position in Dyeon Korea and stay with us here, we welcome you with our arms widely open.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I know that Dyeon Korea’s workers love you here, Mr. Vice President Adam Castler. If you will take over this position, I would feel greatly relieved, and I will comfortably sit back as the chairman of the board.”

“Thank you, sir. And, Mr. President Brandon Burke in Dyeon India is asking if Director Jong-Suk Park can be relocated to the India location.”

“That would be very difficult. Director Jong-Suk Park is working for GH Mobile, not Dyeon Korea.”

“I told Mr. Brandon Burk about it, but he still wanted me to ask you about it since GH Mobile is also one of your companies.”

“That would be impossible. GH Mobile’s President Song would never allow it. Director Jong-Suk Park is an essential worker in GH Mobile.”

“President Brandon Burke is hoping that Director Park takes the plant manager position of Dyeon India.”

“Is that right?”

“He mentioned that watching Director Park working reminded him of the Japanese engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo— when he was younger. They both are excellent engineers, and also their personalities seem to be similar.

“Haha, really? I understand that President Burke in India highly recognized Director Park’s competency at work, but GH Mobile needs him as well. Tell him that GH Mobile absolutely needs Director Park for their extruding and molding work.”

“Yes, sir, I will.”

“But, I can do this for him. If the factory in India encounters any problems with their machines or needs someone to install more machines, I can send Director Park there for a temporary period.”

“Yes, sir. I will let him know.”

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Chapter 764 - Upcoming By-Election (3) – Part 1

Chapter 764: Upcoming By-Election (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho said while looking at Mr. Adam Castler.

“When you run a business, sometimes you need to make a donation to a civic organization or make a contribution to a political party. Dyeon Korea hasn’t made such contributions yet since it was established.”

“That’s true, sir,” Mr. Adam Castler replied.

“As you know well, American companies often make their contributions to a civic organization or support for a specific political party by giving funds to them as well. We now have the opportunity to make such a contribution. I’d like to make a contribution of 10 million won for a political fund. It’s not an official support for a specific political party though, but I want to support a politician individually. Accordingly, we need to be creative in making the actual transaction.”

“What are you suggesting, sir?”

“These are copies of three individuals’ resident registration and bank accounts. I want to make a payment to these individuals as a form of wage; I would say that we pay them for their lectures to our employees, so the fund would be categorized as an educational expense.”

“Where should we send the payment?”

“We will send them 5 million won in two different times. We will first send 1.6 million won to these two individuals, and 1.8 million won to the person—Min-Ho Kang. It would be 5 million won in total. I want you to make the transaction yourself, Mr. Internal Auditor.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You will need to make the same payment—5 million won—to the same people next month too.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The upcoming by-election will be over at the end of next month, so we need to pay them for this month and next month.”

“Understood, sir.”

Mr. Adam Castler asked, “Do these individuals have something to do with the upcoming by-election, sir?”

“Yes, they do, but it would be better that you don’t try to know more about it.”

“Do you want me to send 5 million won today, sir?”

“Yes, please. I want you to make the payment right away, and let me know. If the amount of withholding tax is not much, please pay for them as well.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that for two months then.”

After Mr. Adam Castler and the internal auditor left the office, Gun-Ho asked the secretary—Ms. Seon-Hye Yee—to bring one more cup of jujube tea. When Gun-Ho was enjoying his jujube tea, the internal auditor entered the office and updated Gun-Ho with the transaction that Gun-Ho had requested earlier.

“Sir, I’ve just sent the first 5 million won—1.6 million won for two people, and 1.8 million won to Mr. Min-Ho Kang.”

“Thank you.”

After the internal auditor left the office, Gun-Ho gave a call to Min-Ho Kang who was working for a civic organization.

Recognizing Gun-Ho’s phone number, Min-Ho Kang said first, “President Goo, I just verified that we received the payment. This is for the special lectures that we gave to your employees the other day, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“It will take some time until you see the effect of the education that we conducted.”

Gun-Ho realized that Min-Ho Kang was being careful in case the phone conversation was being recorded. It was for security reasons.

“We will look forward to having another special lecture of yours next month.”

“No problem. I will talk to you later then.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in Japan.

“It’s Director Woon-Hak Sim from Kyoto, sir.”

“Is the movie shooting finished there?”

“Today is the last day of shooting. We were supposed to be done with shooting yesterday, but we couldn’t finish it because there were so many tourists and visitors at the film studio park—Toei Uzumasa—yesterday.”

“Is that right?”

“We mostly shoot our scenes in early mornings and nights when there are not many tourists at the film studio park.”

“Well done.”

“We are going back to Shanghai City tomorrow. Ms. Mori Aikko is not coming with us this time, but she will stay in Japan for a while, taking a break from movie shooting. She is leaving for Tokyo tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“I believe that Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda is going back to Korea tomorrow as well since he has completed his task here. He told me that he already finished taking pictures at the Manga (cartoon) Anime Fair in Miyako Messe, Kyoto for the costume play magazine.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Actually, the staff from Huanle Shiji Production Company and I went to the Manga Anime Fair in Miyako Messe as well. It was very interesting.”

“Haha, really?”

“And, I wanted to thank you for buying us a drink, sir. When Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda announced that he was loaded with money to buy us a drink, the staff here was so excited that they clapped and jumped for a while. We wanted to celebrate by having a drink together when the shooting is over. Thank you, sir, for recognizing our hard work here. You are very thoughtful.”

“Haha, you’re very welcome. I hope you have a good time.”

“We all are going to Nishiki Shijio (Market) in Kyoto this evening. We will have a drink there.”

“Sounds great. You are all doing a great job.”

After getting off the phone with Director Sim, Gun-Ho thought that money was a very convenient and also good thing that could bring him joy. When he did a kindness to someone using money, and that person thanked him for it, Gun-Ho felt extremely delighted.

‘I think it’s a popular saying among Chinese people. It said that money can control even ghosts. I’m sending money to Min-Ho Kang who is working for a civic organization, and that would affect politics. I don’t have to be a movie director or a congressman to produce a movie or make a government policy. As a big player in Gangnam, I control the people in those fields behind the scene using my money.’

After lunch, Gun-Ho headed to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. Gun-Ho switched the order of his workplace that day. Since he worked at Dyeon Korea this morning, he went to GH Mobile in the afternoon.

When Gun-Ho’s Bentley was going into GH Mobile, a Genesis was heading out from GH Mobile.

Gun-Ho asked Chan-Ho, “Chan-Ho, whose car is it?”

“It looks like Mr. President Song’s car, sir. I guess he is going somewhere.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Chan-Ho Eom said as he looked at the rearview mirror, “Oh, he is making a U-turn, sir. I think he saw our car and is coming back to GH Mobile.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho’s car stopped at the front entrance of the building after passing the gate. When Gun-Ho got out of his car, the Genesis that was following Gun-Ho’s vehicle stopped at the front entrance, and President Song got out of his car as well.

“Aren’t you heading out somewhere? You didn’t have to come to see me just because I’m here.”

“I have something that I want to report to you, sir.”

“Is something going on?”

“A Electronics’ volume of product orders increased unexpectedly and substantially. I was startled when I was checking our ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system this morning.”

“I guess they need more parts since they are manufacturing more home appliances when it’s getting cold. That’s normal, isn’t it?”

“That’s true, but it was very sudden, and we never expected to see such an acute increase at once. Our company has been handling 30% of their door assembly work so far while our competitor companies took care of the remaining 70%. But, these percentages will be gradually changed, I suppose.”

At that moment, Minister Jin-Woo Lee crossed his mind.

‘Does this have something to do with Minister Jin-Woo Lee? Because of what I told him when I visited his office in his election district?”

“We can handle the production, right?”

“It’s possible, but we will have to have the new 50 production workers start working as soon as possible to stabilize the production. Director Jong-Suk Park is coming back to work tomorrow. He will arrange the new allocation of the work among the production team and workers, corresponding to the new production requirement.”

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Chapter 765 - Upcoming By-Election (3) – Part 2

Chapter 765: Upcoming By-Election (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho wanted to know what President Song would think about sending Director Jong-Suk Park to India.

Gun-Ho asked President Song, “The new president of Dyeon India—Mr. Brandon Burke—is requesting that we send Director Park to the India location. He wants him to take their plant manager position.”

“Oh, he wants Director Park? No way, sir. GH Mobile can’t possibly manage the production site without Director Park.”

President Song was very firm about not sending Director Park anywhere.

“GH Mobile has many managers and engineers who are very competent. Do you absolutely need Director Park here?”

“Of course, sir. We must not lose Director Park. Having him in this location is critical. The Mr. Brandon Burke person is making an unreasonable and ridiculous request. Director Park was a direct apprentice of the world-renowned Japanese engineer—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. He trained Director Park himself. Director Park is rough sometimes, and I rebuke him sometimes too, but he is an absolutely essential worker for GH Mobile.”

“Hmm, I understand what you mean.”

“Oh, and I talked with the secretary-general of Gongmyeong Party earlier. He seemed to be worried a lot about the upcoming by-election. He truly appreciates your contribution of 100 million won in supporting them, and he is feeling even more pressured that he had to make a positive outcome in this by-election.”

“You are talking about the political party where Minister Jin-Woo Lee belongs to, right? I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“According to the public opinion poll, it’s a neck-and-neck election race. His opponent candidate—the formal news anchorman—holds a lot of votes. We can’t be certain that Minister Jin-Woo Lee will win at this moment. A Electronics seems to be trying hard to help our business, and I’m worried that we might see a negative result against their hope.”

“It won’t. Everything will be fine.”

“Huh?”

“We can’t even predict what would happen tomorrow in politics. Anything can happen. Oh, I thought that you were on your way out somewhere. Don’t you have to go now?”

“I have a meeting that is hosted by S Group for their vendor companies. As you know, I used to work there, and its chairman sometimes wants to see me. So, I need to attend the meeting.”

“Their vice chairman, who is the son of the chairman, is the one who actually runs the entire S Group, isn’t he? Is he leading the company well?”

“Yes, he is doing fine so far without any noticeable issues. The problem is Egnopak. Egnopak’s president’s son is the one who causes a lot of troubles that affect his business.”

“Right. Hmm.”

Gun-Ho and President Song were still standing at the front entrance of GH Mobile’s building while conversing. A few workers came to the entrance to buy some beverages from the vending machine installed there. When they saw both Gun-Ho and President Song there, they slowly walked away.

“Egnopak’s president wants his son to join his company, but it seems that he is hesitating because his son could very possibly bring a lot of troubles to his company.”

“Isn’t Egnopak’s president’s son working as a managing director of Egnopak in LA?”

“Yes, he is supposed to run the company there as its overseas president, but the fact is that its vice president actually oversees the company’s daily operations. I know its vice president very well personally.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“Well, sir, I guess I’d better get going now. I have to leave for the meeting to arrive on time.”

“Sure. I will talk to you later.”

Gun-Ho walked up to the second floor and went into his office. He then called for the general affairs director.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“How’s the parking space matter going? Did we make a contract with the storage building next to the church?”

“No, sir, we haven’t yet.”

“Why? Is the property owner asking for a really high rent?”

“That’s not it. The property owner is not available to sign the contract. He went on a trip to Zhangjiajie City in China with his wife. I was told that he would come back either today or the day after tomorrow. Once he comes back, we will sign the lease contract for the space.”

“Hmm, okay.”

“I learned an interesting thing about the church though, that we previously tried to lease the parking space from.”

“What interesting thing can be there for a church?”

“The church built a huge and large building when he moved its location in this area, as you see the building. But, not many people are coming to their church as they initially expected, and consequently, they seem to be in financial trouble. I heard that they will place the property on the market soon.”

“Are you saying that we want to buy that church?”

“Well, I’m just giving you relevant information, so you can make an informed decision, sir.”

“The property is for religious activity, and the transfer tax in acquiring the property is exempted accordingly. That’s why the price of the property is probably lower than other properties in the same area. However, what are we going to do with the church building? We wanted to use their parking space, but their building won’t be very useful for our business.”

“That’s true.”

“They did a nice job building the enormous and beautiful building, but we can’t use the building to manufacture products. All we can do with the building is to use it as our office building. Moreover, I’m sure that the land is not classified for a factory purpose. That means that currently, it doesn’t have an electricity system, sewer system, and ventilation system, etc. that we need. And, it’s far from our factory to connect those systems.”

“I’m not suggesting that we should buy that property, sir. I’m just giving the information that I learned while searching for the parking solution.”

“Please focus on making the good lease contract for now with the storage building’s owner once he comes back from his trip to Zhangjiajie, China for a low price. We don’t want our workers to get stressed because of the parking problem. It could affect the production capacity of our factory.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Don’t rely on the parking space that we are about to get. We need to find other ways to ease the problem too. Implement the carpooling system efficiently, and find out about public transportation near our factory too. A bus doesn’t run often in provincial cities, unlike Seoul. So, you want to watch the bus schedule closely, and see if our workers can take the bus on time after work. If that works, I do recommend that they use public transportation too.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, think about giving transportation incentives to those workers who don’t bring their personal vehicles in commuting.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Since you are here, let me give you a project.”

“A project, sir?”

“Why don’t we talk about it while having a cup of tea?”

Gun-Ho asked the secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—to bring two cups of green tea. Gun-Ho said slowly while sipping his tea, “You know that we have about 30 client companies that we provide with our products.”

“Yes, I know that, sir.”

“Our major client companies had been S Group, Mandong Company, and Egnopak until recently. And, when the volume of product orders from A Electronics and H Group increased substantially, these two companies became our two major clients.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“We can’t predict the future of a business with certainty. Our major client company could be no longer our client tomorrow, and we might have a new enormous client company the following day. We just don’t know for sure. Conglomerates in Korea, for example, we see the changes there too, which we hadn’t expected before. The ranking order in conglomerates ten years ago looks different from the ranking order for today, doesn’t it?”

“That’s true, sir.”

“Our company is located in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City right now. But many of our client companies are located somewhere else. Do you know which area?”

“I would say that many of our client companies are scattered in Dangjin City, Changwon City, Ulsan City, Suwon City, and Gumi City.”

“Right. That means that it would be better that our factory is situated in Dangjin City and Changwon City, right? To make our business more efficient.”

“That… that’s right, sir.”

“Do you know how many factories S Group has within the country? If we don’t count their subsidiary companies overseas.”

“I believe they have five domestic factories, sir.”

“Exactly. That’s what I was getting to. We need more factories, maybe our third factory in Dangjin City and fourth factory in Changwon City.”

“I absolutely agree with you, sir.”

“We shouldn’t buy a church building that has no use to us, just because it’s a newly constructed building and very well made. Here is your project. Keep an eye on the market for the properties in Dangjin City and Changwon City, and see if there is a good factory building available for us to acquire. Do it quietly, and you have plenty of time to do it. We are not in a rush to have another factory yet. This is just one of the efforts that we make for our future.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 766 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (1) – Part 1

Chapter 766: Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (1) – Part 1

It was September.

The daily temperature range became great since yesterday. It was getting cold.

Gun-Ho was reading an economic newspaper in his office in GH Building, Sinsa town that day when he received an urgent call from the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm in Gangnam.

“Sir, we did it.”

“What do you mean? We did what?”

“The KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association approved our application for the preliminary examination. Congratulations, sir.”

Gun-Ho jumped out of the sofa.

“Is that right?”

“They posted the list of the companies this morning, that passed the preliminary examination. There were ten companies that received their approval. We will see the official announcement in the evening newspapers. You can also see it on the internet anytime soon.”

“Oh, my. That’s wonderful. You have done a great job, Mr. Branch Manager. I know you’ve worked hard to make it successful, as our agent.”

“We haven’t done much, sir. Dyeon Korea was qualified enough to pass the preliminary examination. We just helped with paperwork to show them the qualification.”

“What is the next step? What do we need to prepare at this point?”

“We need to file a report on the marketable securities with the Financial Supervisory Service.”

“When do we give a presentation on our business targeting institutional investors?”

“Once our report on the marketable securities is received by the Financial Supervisory Service, we will do the presentation.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“You know the purpose of requiring companies to report their marketable securities, don’t you? It’s basically to protect the investors, and also to create a healthy environment in procuring funds. It’s shown in our country’s Securities and Exchange Act.”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t need to disclose special information on the report, but we just need to show the companies’ marketable securities and the current status of the business.”

“Where do we file it?”

“We submit it to the Securities and Exchange Commission.”

“As to the marketable securities, our company currently has 20 billion won of capital. That should be reflected on it then, right?”

“The company is offering its shares to the public for the first time, so we will need to report the increase of the shares.”

“How many shares should we increase?”

“That needs to be determined by you, sir. Since this is a joint venture company, you probably want to discuss it with your partner—Lymondell Dyeon—as well.”

“Hmm.”

“This is not something that could be determined during the executive meeting by discussing it with your executive officers, but you have to determine it as the president. Once it’s determined, please sign the report; we will then submit the report for you.”

“Okay.”

After getting off the phone with the branch manager, Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“Our preliminary application to register with KOSDAQ has been approved. I just received the call.”

“Wow! Finally, we made it, sir. I knew we would make it.”

“Can you let Mr. Vice President Adam Castler know?”

“Yes, I will do it, sir.”

“About the report on our marketable securities, I will directly contact the stock brokerage company that is handling the process.”

“Yes, sir. In the meantime, we will be preparing for the presentation for IR.”

After spending some time thinking about what he was going to do with the increase of the company shares, Gun-Ho felt a headache.

“I want to take a sauna.”

Gun-Ho was thinking about going to a sauna that was located inside the Education Community Center Building in Yangjae Town, and then he decided to go to a closer place—Le Meridien (Ritz Carlton Hotel). It was situated next to the Sinnonhyeon Station which was close to Sinsa Town where he was working at. Gun-Ho started thinking about it with his arms crossed in the sauna.

‘The current value of Dyeon Korea’s shares is 20 billion won. It’s 10,000 won per share, and we have 2 million of them. GH Mobile owns 9 million won worth of shares, and Lymondell Dyeon owns equally 9 million won worth of shares. The remaining 2 million won worth of shares are owned by our employees per the employee stock ownership program. Therefore, GH Mobile owns 45% of the company…

What GH Mobile owns is what I own. Once the number of its shares is increased due to going public, the company will be funded substantially, but my ownership interest in the company will decrease….

I will increase the company shares only by 30%. The new shares will be 600,000, and we will get funded with 6 billion won. The company’s capital will be increased from 20 billion won to 26 billion won then. GH Mobile’s ownership interest will be reduced from 45% to 35%. If we receive good estimated demand, the price of our initial public offering will be high. Say, the price of our initial public offering is determined 5 times of the current price, then GH Mobile’s ownership interest will be 45 billion won since it has 9 billion won now, and if I multiply it by 5 times, it will be 45 billion won.

If someone wants to buy GH Mobile, maybe I should sell it to the person for 45 billion won… or not. I don’t know, but it is an opportunity for me to make 45 billion won.

Gun-Ho found his fingers shriveled up. It seemed that he lost track of time while being lost in thought. It was time to get out of the sauna.

Once he walked out of the sauna, he checked his smartphone. There were two missed calls from Minister Jin-Woo Lee. Gun-Ho made a call to Minister Jin-Woo Lee right away.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo, sir. I’m sorry that I missed your call.”

“I guess you are having a busy day, huh?”

“Haha. Not really. I was taking a sauna. I didn’t have my cell phone with me.”

“I’m so envious of you that you have time to take a sauna on weekdays. Well, I called you because I wanted to thank you.”

“For what, sir? Oh, oh that one.”

“I’m in the middle of something right now, and I have to go, but just know that I appreciate it.”

After getting off the phone with Minister Jin-Woo Lee, Gun-Ho searched for new political news with his smartphone. There was news about the upcoming by-election.

[It was reported that one of the candidates for the upcoming by-election had made a disparaging comment about the people in his election district.]

Gun-Ho giggled.

“Hahaha. It’s working.”

Gun-Ho clicked the news title to read more about it.

[One of the candidates for the upcoming by-election—a former news anchor—is encountering unexpected and severe criticism by the very people in his election district. It all started with the comment that he made in the past. The comment was made years ago, and in the comment, he said every woman living in Gangnam District is beautiful while so many women living in other areas are so ugly. He also added that that’s why he is living in Gangnam District.]

[A resident in the said district—Ms. Park, 23 years old—questioned why this man is claiming that he would represent the interest of the people in the area where he doesn’t even want to live because so many ugly girls are living there.

According to a public opinion poll conducted by Gallup Korea, after the former news anchor’s comment in the past was revealed, the voting gap between him and the other candidate—Former Minister Jin-Woo Lee—was getting bigger. It’s now 45:55.]

Gun-Ho grinned and said, “Who was the person that said ‘running a company is an act of art?’ Oh, that’s right. It was Chairman Joong-Hoon Jo—the founder of Hanjin Group. His son and daughter are tainting their father’s reputation by habitually going on a power trip. It was said by their father—Chairman Joong-Hoon Jo—who acquired Korean Air and Inha University.”

“The funny thing is that I believe it’s not just running a company that is an act of art, but things that happened in the political sphere look more artistic. Speaking of which, that reminds me of what the American political scientist—Murray Jacob Edelman—said. He said politics is an art of symbolic fabrication. Hahaha.”

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Chapter 767 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (1) – Part 2

Chapter 767: Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho came back to his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. When he was taking a rest sitting on his sofa, he received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Director Yoon. Director Yoon and Director Jong-Suk Park had already come back to work from their trip to India, and they were working in their position as usual at that time.

“It’s Director Yoon, sir.”

“Oh, Mr. Director Yoon?”

“The maintenance team’s manager—Mr. Ahn’s mother passed away. I’m going to send a flower wreath to her funeral with your name on behalf of the company, sir.”

“Oh, really? Yes, sure, please do so. Where is her funeral taking place?”

“It’s Dankuk University Hospital in Cheonan City.”

“When are they going to carry the coffin out?”

“It will be the day after tomorrow at 7 am, sir.”

“I’m in Seoul today, but I will be working in Jiksan Town and Asan City tomorrow. I will stop by the funeral tomorrow when I’m in the area.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please give a call to GH Mobile’s President Song and let him know too. And, send a flower wreath with his name as well on behalf of GH Mobile.”

“Understood, sir.”

When Gun-Ho went home after work in the evening, his mother was waiting for him at his home.

“Gun-Ho, I’ve been waiting for you to see you before leaving. How are you?”

“Mom, why don’t you spend the night here with us, and leave tomorrow?”

“Thank you for saying that, but I have to go. I have an appointment tomorrow. I just came here to see Sang-Min, and wanted to see your face too, my son.”

“Is everything good, mom? How’s father doing?”

“Everything is fine. He is well too.”

“Please have a seat, mom.”

“I have to go. Sang-Min, bye-bye,” Gun-Ho’s mother said to the baby boy as she gave a kiss to him on the cheek.

“Oh, my. He is so lovely.”

Gun-Ho’s mom gave a kiss to Sang-Min again on the cheek.

“How did you come here, mom? Did you take a bus or a taxi?”

“I took the subway. That’s the most comfortable and convenient ride to visit your home.”

“You have to take the subway again all the way to Incheon City. Are you sure you will be okay?”

“It’s good. It’s free of charge for old people like me, and empty seats are reserved for old people too. I usually take a nap while traveling by subway. I feel like it takes no time to visit your home.”

“Mom, take this. Use it for the transportation cost,” Gun-Ho said as he took out several 50,000 won bills.

“Don’t, Gun-Ho. Sang-Min’s mom already gave me money.”

“That’s what she gave to you. You should take what I give to you, mom. Please take it.”

“Okay then. Well, take care. I’m leaving.”

After Gun-Ho’s mother left, Young-Eun came close to Gun-Ho and said, “Your mom visits us very often these days. I guess she misses Sang-Min a lot.”

“Really?”

“I think she makes a frequent trip here because she knows that I’m not home in the morning because of my part-time job with the hospital. I think she is trying to fill up my place for Sang-Min since he will be home without his mom.”

“My mom has a back problem. Traveling that often for a long period of time is not good for her back.”

“I told her several times that Sang-Min is doing okay without his mom in the morning because we have the helper lady. But she is still coming here pretty often.”

That evening, Gun-Ho had his mother’s Doenjang-jjigae (a Korean soybean paste stew) for his dinner. It was as good as he remembered.

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

He went straight to the second factory first. The factory looked crowded with more production workers. Gun-Ho thought that the new 50 workers probably started working already. The manager who was in charge of the factory quickly came to Gun-Ho when he saw him.

“We have more workers here, right?”

“Yes, sir. 40 out of 50 new production workers are located in this factory.”

“Please make sure that they receive OJT (On The Job Training) completely.”

“Yes, sir. They are currently receiving training about product quality, sir.”

“Is the training conducted by one of our employees?”

“Yes, sir. Not many trainings, especially when they are related to skills and technologies here, can be handled by instructors from outside.”

“Keep up the good work.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho headed to the first factory and went to the production site. There seemed to be more machines installed on the production site. Gun-Ho couldn’t see the last machine from the place where he was standing. The machines were making loud noises as usual. The plant manager, who was talking on his smartphone, hung up the phone quickly and came to Gun-Ho to greet him.

“We received more product orders from S Group, didn’t we?”

“Not just S Group, sir. We have an increased volume of product orders from H Group as well.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Mr. Director Park is currently in the production team 2, sir.”

“Hmm, really?”

Gun-Ho walked toward the production team 2 while tying his hands together behind his back. When he arrived there, Director Park was rebuking someone. When he saw Gun-Ho coming into the site, he dismissed the worker and came to Gun-Ho.

“What’s wrong? Why are you yelling at that worker?”

“He is the team lead in the assembly team. They are producing so many defective products now.”

“Why is that happening? Did we find out what is causing the defects?”

“They simply didn’t accurately cut the components of the product.”

“You shouldn’t reprimand the workers all the time. You know that, right? You should praise them too when they did a good job.”

“I’m doing it.”

“The defective products were found while you were away from the production site because of the trip to India, weren’t they?”

“Yeah. I was shocked when I came back to the factory and saw all those defective products. We are doing okay though. We are keeping up with the production quota for each product.”

“I just came back from our second factory. We now have a lot more production workers there.”

“Yeah. The products that are being manufactured in that location are relatively simple, so I sent most of the new workers there.”

“Is the manager there okay with it?”

“Yeah, he is good. He is working so hard these days because he wants to be promoted next year. That’s his first opportunity to be promoted, and he is working hard to make it.”

“I guess we don’t have to worry about him working hard then.”

“He is working too hard, I think.”

Director Jong-Suk Park continued, “Bro, are you going to the funeral for Dyeon Korea’s Manager Ahn?”

“Of course, I will.”

“Since he is not an executive officer, you don’t have to be there, but thank you, bro.”

“Why do you thank me? I’m going to Manager Ahn’s mother’s funeral. He is not related to you.”

“I don’t know. Since he and I both are engineers, I feel like he is somewhat related to me.”

“Did you go to the funeral already?”

“Yes. I went there yesterday, and I’m planning to go there again this evening. I’m taking everyone in the management here in the production department with me to the funeral today.”

“I see. I’m going to stop by briefly during the daytime when not many people are there.”

“He will be impressed by your visit.”

“Bro, I have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“We had an executive meeting this morning, and President Song said that Dyeon Korea’s KOSDAQ preliminary application has been approved.”

“Yeah, it has been approved.”

“What does that mean? What would happen to my shares with Dyeon Korea then? Will the price of the share increase? How much?”

“We don’t know yet. We have to wait until the price of our initial public offering is determined.”

“It’s going to be increased, isn’t it?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m certain that the price will increase.”

“I took out a loan to buy those shares, and I’m paying for the interest right now.”

“Hey, Jong-Suk. What happened to the tough guy—Jong-Suk?”

“I wouldn’t worry much if this is something about a machine because I know what to expect, but I have no idea what’s going on with company shares and KOSDAQ stuff.”

“I will take care of it for you. You just trust me—your brother—okay?”

Gun-Ho said with a smile as he tapped Jong-Suk’s shoulder.

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Chapter 768 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (2) – Part 1

Chapter 768: Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (2) – Part 1

After talking with Director Jong-Suk Park at the production site, Gun-Ho came to his office on the second floor. When Gun-Ho was enjoying the tea that his secretary— Ms. Hee-Jeong Park— brought to him earlier, President Song entered the office.

Gun-Ho asked him, “Don’t you have any meetings or anything with a client today?”

“I was actually on my way out. I just wanted to congratulate you on the successful progress with Dyeon Korea’s registration with KOSDAQ. I’ve heard that its preliminary application has been approved.”

“I’m just grateful for all the help that we received from the people around us.”

“I’m hoping the price of its initial public offering is determined high.”

“Institutional investors will fairly determine the price based on the company’s predictable future and potential.”

“I believe that the price will be set high because Dyeon Korea is the partner of the world-renowned company— Lymondell Dyeon— as its name implies.”

“I hope so.”

“Have you seen the news on the internet? Minister Jin-Woo Lee is now in a better position for the upcoming by-election. His opponent candidate’s comment made in the past became a hot issue now.”

“Right, I read the news on the internet too. It was a very unexpected happening that worked favorably for Minister Jin-Woo Lee. Who would know the comment that he made years ago came out into the open in this timing?”

“I guess Minister Jin-Woo Lee is a lucky man.”

“I agree with you. Luck certainly plays a critical role in many situations in our lives. Minister Jin-Woo Lee is lucky enough to work as a minister with the government and also become the son-in-law of a conglomerate family. I believe the luck seems to be on his side this time too.”

“Haha, I think so. Their current voting gap is 45:55. I feel relieved even though things can quickly be changed in politics.”

“His campaign camp will handle it well.”

“Our sales revenue has increased as A Electronics increased their product orders from us substantially. Are you sure we don’t have to help with his election campaign? Maybe we should visit his election district and do something for him.”

“I… don’t think that would be necessary…”

“Maybe we should select twenty workers and send them to his election district to help his campaign. What do you think, sir?”

“I believe a business shouldn’t have a close or distant relationship with politics. We could get dragged into unnecessary and undesirable events intertwined with politics. We certainly don’t want that.”

“You’re right, sir.”

“And, I have GH Mobile’s general affairs manager send a flower wreath to Dyeon Korea’s maintenance manager— Manager Ahn’s— mother’s funeral with your name, Mr. President Song.”

“I’m aware of it, sir. I received the call from him. The flower wreath has been sent already. I won’t be at the funeral though, but instead, I’m going to ask Director Jong-Suk Park to convey my condolence money to Manager Ahn for me since he is going there this evening.”

“That’s good enough.”

“There is another funeral that I’m supposed to attend. The parent of one of our lady workers passed away. But I won’t be able to be there either since it’s too far. If I don’t attend a funeral for one of my workers, but attend a funeral for an employee of another company—Dyeon Korea, our employees won’t be happy about it. So, I decided not to attend either funeral, but I will just send my condolence money to both.”

“Where is the funeral for our GH Mobile’s worker’s family held?”

“It’s being held in Gangjin Town, South Jeolla Province.”

“It is indeed far from here.”

“Since you have several companies that you have to take care of and have a lot of employees who are working for you accordingly, you don’t have to attend every single event related to the workers’ family. I believe you can just attend family events for executive officers only.”

“Even though I have several companies to run, they are not very large companies. I will pay attention to those events related to the workers whose positions are team lead or above.”

“Director Park will visit our worker’s family funeral tomorrow in the afternoon. He will take the manager with him, from the team where the lady worker is working.”

“We now have more than 500 production workers. I guess Director Park will be busy with attending the ceremonial occasions of our workers such as weddings, funerals, ancestral rites, etc.”

“I will see if we can raise Director Park’s limit of allowable expenses.”

“Please do so.”

“We made 15 billion won last month— August —but this month, our sales revenue increased significantly because of A Electronics’ additional product orders. I believe we will make more than 16 billion won in September.”

“Hmm, it is a substantial increase. We have Korean Thanksgiving Day coming up this month. Prepare good gifts for our employees to celebrate the Korean Thanksgiving Day this time.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, if we maintain the increased sales revenue until the end of this year, see if we can give out a year-end special bonus for our employees as well.”

“Understood, sir.”

After President Song left the office, the general affairs director came in.

“Sir, we signed the lease contract for the parking space with the storage building owner.”

“Really? Well done. How much rent are we paying?”

“The monthly rent is 1.6 million won with the security deposit of 5 million won. The property owner also offered us to use the storage building as well for free of charge. It’s a very old and shabby storage. I received the key to the storage, but I’m not sure if we would ever use it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The storage building is about 60 pyung large. If we need more space to store something later, we will use it.”

“Sounds good.”

“And, I didn’t have time to search for a factory building for our third and fourth factories in Dangjin City and Changwon City, so I have nothing to report to you on it yet, sir.”

“Oh, that’s okay. As I mentioned before, you can take time for it. It’s not an urgent matter at all. Just keep an eye on it, and I would also watch the auction site as well. You can do it next year if you are too busy.”

“Understood, sir.”

After the general affairs director left the office, Gun-Ho continued to have his tea. At that moment, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park entered the office.

“Sir, someone is here to see you.”

“Me? I’m not expecting anyone today. Who is it?”

“He insists that he needs to meet you in person, sir. He is a famous actor— Mr. K.”

“A famous actor— Mr. K? Isn’t he the one who was on the historical TV drama that was aired recently? Why does he want to see me? Is President Song in the office?”

“Mr. President Song is out to visit one of our client companies, sir.”

While Gun-Ho was talking with Secretary Hee-Jeong Park, someone knocked on Gun-Ho’s office door. And, a good-looking man, who looked like he was in his 50s, came into the office. He had a sturdy build. Gun-Ho could smell the strong perfume from him.

“I hope I’m not interrupting you, sir. I’m an actor— Mr. K.”

Mr. K gave his business card to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho looked at his business card. It said he was an actor affiliated with the KBS broadcasting station, and there was a large picture of him on the upper left of the business card.

Gun-Ho didn’t give his business card to the man, but he just asked him to sit down.

“Please have a seat. What brought you here?”

“Jiksan Town is my hometown.”

“Oh, is it?”

“You are not from this town, sir?”

“No. I’m from Incheon City.”

“Oh, do you commute from Incheon City then?”

“I’m very busy right now. Can you please get to the point?”

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Chapter 769 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (2) – Part 2

Chapter 769: Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (2) – Part 2

Mr. K said, “Artists like us, sir, we don’t make a lot of money unlike many people believe. And, I’m planning to throw a party for the seniors of my hometown— Jiksan Town— and, I’m hoping to get some help for it. It’s too much to handle by myself.”

“Hmm.”

“So, I’d like to have an opportunity to introduce a very good healthy diet food to GH Mobile’s employees. I will take only 15 minutes of their time after lunch. If you could allow 15 minutes of your workers’ time for me, I would really appreciate it. I don’t expect anything from your company other than 15 minutes of time.”

“You will have to talk with our general affairs director. I will give him a call for you.”

Gun-Ho called for the general affairs director.

“Sir, I rather prefer to discuss this matter directly with you, not with the general affairs director.”

“This sort of thing is handled by our general affairs director.”

“Could you then give an approval of my request to the general affairs director, Mr. President?”

“I don’t…”

At that moment, the general affairs director entered the office.

“Mr. Director, this gentleman wants to introduce something to our employees. Would you help him?”

The general affairs director quickly understood the situation, and said to Mr. K, “Please come to my office. I will talk with you.”

“But, I want to talk with Mr. President here.”

Gun-Ho chipped in, “I have to go to another company in Asan City now. Huh? Shoot, I’m already late. Mr. Director, please hear what this gentleman has to say, and make a decision. I have to go now.”

Gun-Ho picked up his jacket and left the office.

“Umm, sir! Sir!”

Gun-Ho could hear Mr. K calling him behind his back. Gun-Ho quickly walked down to the building entrance and looked for Chan-Ho Eom. Chan-Ho, who was spending his time in the security office, rapidly came to Gun-Ho.

“Chan-Ho, let’s go to Dyeon Korea right now!”

“We are not having lunch here today, sir?”

“We have to go now.”

On the way to Dyeon Korea in the car, Chan-Ho Eom asked, “Sir, did you see the actor— Mr. K? I saw him in GH Mobile.”

“I did.”

“Why did he visit GH Mobile? What business could he possibly have with us?”

“I don’t know. I think he has some business to discuss with the general affairs director.”

Gun-Ho leaned back on the rear seat in his Bentley.

‘He is an actor. He is supposed to focus on acting. Why does he want to talk about healthy diet food? Hmm.’

On the way to Dyeon Korea, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eom stopped by a Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup) restaurant for lunch.

“Chan-Ho, whenever I have a bowl of Seolleongtang, I think of Director Park’s mother.”

“Why is that?”

“Director Park’s mother used to run a Seolleongtang restaurant.”

“Oh, really?”

“When I was in high school, I went to that restaurant pretty often to have a bowl of Seolleongtang. My family was poor at that time, and a bowl of Seolleongtang tasted heavenly to me.”

“Haha. I totally understand that, sir.”

“Director Park’s mother was a tough woman at that time. She is old now.”

While Gun-Ho was talking about Director Park’s mother, Chan-Ho looked down. And, Gun-Ho dropped the topic right away.

“I will be working in Dyeon Korea this afternoon, and around 3 pm, I’m going to Dankuk University Hospital. Dyeon Korea’s maintenance manager— Manager Ahn’s— mother passed away. I’m going to her funeral.”

“Oh, Manager Ahn’s mother passed away? I see. Manager Ahn is… Oh, well, I shouldn’t say it.”

“What is it?”

Chan-Ho quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

“When I started working for you, sir, Tae-Young bro educated me about what I can do and what I shouldn’t do while assisting you. He told me that I shouldn’t talk to you about other workers’ business.”

“You already started talking about him. Finish it. I’m curious now.”

“Haha. No, sir. I won’t say.”

“Spit it out!”

“Well, then, you can’t tell anyone that you heard this from me.”

“I won’t.”

“Manager Ahn likes one of the lady workers.”

“Manager Ahn? Isn’t he married? And, I believe all of our lady workers in the production site are married as well.”

“That lady divorced. She is working in the production site 1 and team 3. She is actually pretty. And, Manager Ahn had a big fight with Director Park because of it.”

“He fought with Director Park?”

“Director Park had a rough life in the past being involved in a lot of physical altercations. And he is a good fighter; I can tell you that. His past life still shows sometimes. I don’t see anything like that in you, sir, but I can clearly see his past life in Director Park. The way he talks shows that too. Tae-Young bro told me that Director Park was once a gang member.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“You probably don’t know, sir. But, when Dyeon Korea received the machines from the U.S. for the first time, the two had a really big fight.”

“You mean Director Park and Manager Ahn?”

“Yes, sir. Manager Ahn served in the military belonging to a special force. Have you had a chance to look at his arms? They are huge, probably twice larger than ours.”

“I think I’ve noticed them too.”

“It seems that Director Park personally knows Manager Ahn’s wife. So, Director Park is obviously displeased with Manager Ahn’s affair with the lady worker. He told Manager Ahn that he shouldn’t do that to his wife. And, Manager Ahn snapped out saying that ‘just because you are a director at work, that doesn’t mean you can step in my personal life.’ And subsequently, they had a big fight.”

“Really?”

“Manager Ahn said he would quit his job if his personal life had to be meddled like that. And, they both were so upset and eventually picked up some tools from the production site to use as weapons to fight with.”

“Oh, wow.”

“They actually fought beside the water tank behind the factory. I saw Director Park flying while giving a big kick to Manager Ahn. It was amazing. He is certainly equipped with splendid fighting skills. Director Park yelled at Manager Ahn that if he wasn’t working for the company but a freeman, he would have beat him up severely. And, he took off his shirt. He has more tattoos than me. I was so surprised. Hahaha.” Chan-Ho giggled.

“Hmm, maybe I should talk to them both.”

“No, sir. You shouldn’t. It happened last year. Just leave it that way, sir. They are getting along very well now.”

“Hmm, so what happened next?”

“The workers quickly brought Director Kim to the scene. And, Director Kim reprimanded them both loudly and took them to his office.”

“Aren’t they hurt?”

“Well, there were some bruises and cuts, but they were okay.”

“How come they are getting along now?”

“I don’t know, sir, but I heard that they had a drink together after the fight, and they eventually got drunk and decided to be brothers.”

“Ha, hmm. I had no idea.”

Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea and walked up to the second floor to his office.

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought a cup of jujube tea.

“Ms. Seon-Hye Yee, please ask Ms. Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo to come to my office now.”

“Yes, sir.”

When the accounting manager entered the office, Gun-Ho asked her, “Are you working on the IR documents for the presentation right now?”

“Yes, sir. We are almost done. It took longer than we planned because Director Kim wanted to make some modifications on the business plan that Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong drafted.”

“Hmm, I see. And, I want you to bring me 300,000 won in cash with an envelope for condolence money.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo brought an empty envelope and clean cash of 300,000 won.”

“Who has beautiful handwriting in our company?”

“Mr. Internal Auditor is excellent at calligraphy, sir.”

“Okay. Leave them at the table, and you can go now.”

At that moment, the internal auditor entered Gun-Ho’s office to give a report.

“Mr. Internal Auditor, I heard that you are really good at calligraphy. Would you write something on this envelope? It’s for condolence money.”

“I’m not really good…”

Despite what the internal auditor said, his handwriting was truly beautiful and neat. He wrote things on the envelope vertically as it was a traditional way to do.

“I’m heading to Manager Ahn’s mother’s funeral, and I’m bringing 300,000 won.”

“That should be enough, sir. The executive officers including me, we all gave him 100,000 won for each. I told Assistant Manager Seon-Hong Park to make sure that the workers make 50,000 won only.”

“Hmm, you did?”

“Sir, I actually came to ask you about the company shares. Have you decided how many shares you are going to increase, sir? We need to write that down on the marketable securities report form to submit it to the Financial Supervisory Service.”

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Chapter 770 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (3) – Part 1

Chapter 770: Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho replied to the internal auditor’s question while smiling, “Since this is a joint venture company, we will have to discuss it with our partner— Lymondell Dyeon. But, I’m thinking about increasing our shares by 30% in registering with KOSDAQ.”

The internal auditor nodded his head.

“30% sounds very reasonable. If we increase greatly the number of shares, the company will get more funds, but its major shareholders’ portion in the company ownership will decrease accordingly. And, if we increase the number of shares so little, what would be the point of going public?”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee.

“Please ask Mr. Vice President Adam Castler and the interpreter— Mr. Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae— to come to my office now.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Mr. Adam Castler and Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Please have a seat,” Gun-Ho told them.

Mr. Adam Castler said as he sat on the sofa, “I let the head office know that our preliminary application to go public has been approved, and we received an official letter from the head office to congratulate us. Also, they want to thank Mr. President Goo and Dyeon Korea’s executive officers. They are highly recognizing their efforts and work in this matter.”

“Really? That’s nice. Mr. Vice President Adam Castler, I asked you to come to my office, so we can discuss the increase in the company shares as we register with KOSDAQ. How many shares do you think we should offer to the public?”

“Well, I don’t know, sir. I’m sure that you— Mr. President Goo— and Mr. Internal Auditor here are the experts in that area with extensive knowledge about it. I think you should determine it, sir. Also, I will have to ask for the head office’s opinion about it as well, so, this is not where I can freely exercise my discretion. I’d like to know more about Korea’s law applying to the Securities and Exchange.”

The internal auditor said as he opened a folder that he brought with him, “In Korea, when a company goes public, it has to offer at least 30% of the company shares to the public, or it has to be more than 5 million shares which are more than 10% of the entire company shares.”

“Is it mandatory?”

“It is required in offering the company shares to the public for the first time. The purpose of this practice is that companies could receive funds by offering their shares to the public, so they could use those funds in expanding their business or production to grow.”

After sipping his jujube tea, Gun-Ho said as he crossed his legs, “I just discussed it with Mr. Internal Auditor here about it before you came to the office, it seems that due to the mandatory rules, we can’t increase our shares only by a small number, nor can we increase the number of our shares substantially because that would affect our management right. So, I think increasing the shares by 30% would be adequate.”

“30%, sir?”

“Yes. Our capital is currently 20 billion won, and we have 2 million shares in total. I want to offer 600,000 shares to the public which would be 6 billion won worth and which is 30% of our capital.”

“I see. I will let the head office know about it, and will let you know what they think about it.”

“We have the due date coming soon, so we need to make the decision as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho said with a smile as he straightened his posture, “I’m about to head out to attend Maintenance Manager Ahn’s mother’s funeral. If you prepared some condolence money for him, I will deliver it to him for you, Mr. Vice President Adam Castler.”

“I actually asked Mr. Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae about Korean culture with funerals, and I learned that people give condolence money to the decedent’s family. I will prepare my condolence money for Manager Ahn. Also, I’d like to visit the funeral as well. I’d like to know more about Korean culture related to funerals.”

“Well, you don’t have to be there… Your condolence money will suffice.”

“I insist, sir. I really want to attend the funeral. If you go there, sir, I will join you.”

The internal auditor who was sitting next to Mr. Adam Castler laughed and said to Gun-Ho, “Sir, why don’t you take him with you? Mr. Adam Castler seems to be curious about our funeral culture.”

Gun-Ho said to Mr. Adam Castler “Once you visit the funeral, you have to make a full bow to the decedent, and you have to eat Yukgaejang (Korean spicy beef soup) while sitting on the floor. Do you think you can handle it?”

“I can sit on the floor. I’m getting used to it now. I heard that if you are a Christian, you don’t have to make a full bow to the decedent at a funeral, but you can just give a simple bow while standing.”

“Right, you can choose to give a brief prayer to the decedent while standing, but you have to give a full bow to the first son of the decedent, and he will do the same to you. That’s our culture.”

“Oh, I will follow whatever you do, sir.”

“Okay, then. I will take you with me.”

The internal auditor asked Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae, “Mr. Chae, have you been to a funeral before? Do you know how to eat a bowl of Yukgaejang?”

“I’m not sure, sir.”

Gun-Ho looked at the internal auditor’s face; he wanted to hear what the internal auditor had to say about Yukgaejang, out of curiosity.

“We used to eat a bowl of red bean porridge at a funeral in the past. We believed that the red color of it expels ghosts.”

“Oh, really?”

“Now, we replaced the food at a funeral with a bowl of Yukgaejang. It has a red color in it anyway. So, by having Yukgaejang, we can still expel ghosts, and we don’t have to cook additional soup that goes with cooked rice.”

“I didn’t know that. It’s my first time hearing about it. Thank you for the information, sir.”

Gun-Ho and Mr. Adam Castler headed to Manager Ahn’s mother’s funeral at Dankuk University Hospital. It was around 4 pm when they arrived there. Since it was before evening time, the funeral was not crowded with visitors just yet. There were a few flower wreaths standing at the entrance. The first one was from Dyeon Korea with Gun-Ho’s name. The one next to it was from GH Mobile under President Song’s name. When Gun-Ho and Mr. Adam Castler, who obviously looked different from Koreans, in a business suit entered, people in the room looked at them all together.

“Oh, sir, you came.”

“My condolences to you and your family for your loss.”

“Thank you for coming, sir.”

Manager Ahn, who was wearing a black suit with an armband indicating that he was the first son of the decedent, looked surprised when he saw Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho picked up an incense stick and burned it, and then he placed a cluster of chrysanthemum on the altar. Mr. Adam Castler, who was standing behind Gun-Ho, watched what Gun-Ho was doing closely, and then he followed the exact same procedure when it was his turn.

Gun-Ho was not a Christian, but he gave a brief and silent prayer to the decedent instead of making a full bow because he knew Mr. Adam Castler would follow his action. And then, he exchanged a full bow on the floor with Manager Ahn. Mr. Adam Castler followed the same procedure even though the way he moved looked a bit awkward. Manager Ahn’s family stared at Mr. Adam Castler. Having a foreigner at the funeral was interesting enough to draw attention.

After exchanging the full bow, Gun-Ho asked the first son of the decedent— Manager Ahn, “I’m sorry for your loss. How old was she?”

“She was 88 years old.”

“She could have lived longer than that. It’s a shame. Which cemetery is she going to?”

“It’s in Gimcheon City, North Gyeongsan Province.”

“Oh, I see.”

Manager Ahn introduced his siblings and his wife to Gun-Ho. When his family learned that Gun-Ho and Mr. Adam Castler were the president and vice president of the company that Manager Ahn was working for, they were startled and greeted them with great respect.

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Chapter 771 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (3) – Part 2

Chapter 771: Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and Mr. Adam Castler had several pieces of rice cakes and fruits with a glass of soju before leaving the funeral.

Mr. Castler said with a smile, “Visiting a Korean funeral is doable. It was not difficult at all.”

“Really? Dyeon Korea has a lot of employees now. You will encounter an occasion like this from time to time in the future. You can do the same thing then as you did today.”

“Thank you, sir,” Mr. Adam Castler said in Korean.

“You are learning the Korean language, huh? I guess you can live in Korea forever and start your family here.”

“Haha, Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho said as he extended his hand to Mr. Adam Castler for a bye-bye handshake, “I guess I’m leaving for today. I’m heading home to Seoul now.”

“I will make a report to the head office about the 600,000 shares that we will offer to the public as we register with KOSDAQ.”

“Sounds good.”

“I have one question for you before you go, sir. Once we issue the 600,000 additional shares, the price per share will be determined then?”

“That’s correct. We are going to give a presentation to institutional investors about our business and plan. We are currently preparing for the presentation. You are aware of it, aren’t you?”

“Do I have to attend the presentation?”

“You don’t have to, but it’s preferable that you would be there. I actually want you to be there, so it’s clear for the investors that Dyeon Korea is a joint venture company with an American company.”

“No problem, sir.”

It was Tuesday. Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. Gun-Ho turned on his computer and checked his email. There was a new email from President Baogang Chen of Huanle Shiji Production Company in China.

“I almost deleted his email. I thought it was a spam email. Let me see what he wants from me this time.”

Gun-Ho clicked on his name to open the email.

[The TV drama— Shiguang Ru Meng— ended last month. The revenue coming from the broadcasting station for the drama is paid one month after the drama is aired, so I’m giving you the report to you now.]

The email contained a document showing the revenue made through the TV drama production, including the revenue from the broadcasting station, VOD, and other media distribution systems such as Internet TV. Since they were still working on selling it in the international market, the potential revenue wasn’t included yet.

[Mr. President Goo, you have invested 1 billion won in our TV drama production. Your investment fund had been treated as an advanced payment from GH Media, rather than being added to increase our company’s capital in sharing the company’s ownership interest. As a result, you will be receiving 1.5 Korean won as we share the profit from this TV drama. And, this amount is being reinvested to our subsequent movie production, and it is recorded as our company’s short-term loan from you. Once the movie— Menghuan Yinghua— is completed, I will get back to you with the amount of profits that you will be receiving.

Please note that we’ve already discussed and agreed about the portion of your profit from our previous TV drama production being used for our subsequent movie production.]

“Ha! So, I’m not getting anything in my hand for the investment money that I put for their drama production even though the drama ended already. Well, since he said he would get back to me again about my profit combined with TV drama production and movie production, I believe he intends to share the profit. He’s not going to try to erase my first investment fund for the TV drama.”

Gun-Ho replied to President Baogang Chen’s email with a brief sentence saying he acknowledged what he said.

Gun-Ho went up to GH Building’s rooftop to get some fresh air for the first time in a long time. The book café seemed to be still doing okay, and young workers from the companies that were occupying offices in the building were seen there smoking as usual. When Gun-Ho was enjoying the view of Sinsa Town and Apgujeong Town from the rooftop, he received a call from China. It was Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“The movie production of Menghuan Yinghua is doing good, sir. I believe we will finish shooting early next month.”

“Is Mori Aikko doing okay? Did her acting improve?”

“It was a bit awkward in the beginning, but she is doing fine now.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Mori Aikko’s dancing scenes are so good though. One of the scenes depicts a geisha dancing in front of Japanese high-ranking military officials during the Second Sino-Japanese War. When we shot that scene, everyone couldn’t even breathe watching Mori Aikko dancing.”

“Hmm, really? Please make sure again that she stays there safely.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir. Huanle Shiji Production Company hired a female bodyguard for her already. She is excellent at martial arts.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“And, I wanted to thank you, sir.”

“For what?”

“I received my monthly wage of 1.5 million won. Thank you for the raise.”

“Oh, that.”

“As soon as I verified that my monthly wage came into my bank account, I made the payment of 850,000 won to the court first.”

“That’s good.”

“Aren’t you visiting Shanghai anytime soon, sir?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Mori Aikko sometimes asks me when you are coming to Shanghai, sir.”

“Hmm, I see. I will try to make the time for the trip.”

After talking on the phone with Director Woon-Hak Sim at the rooftop, Gun-Ho came down back to his office. As soon as he entered his office, his phone started ringing again. It was from Mr. Adam Castler.

“Oh, Mr. Vice President Adam Castler.”

“I will let Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae talk to you, sir.”

Assistant Manager Chae said, “Lymondell Dyeon agreed to increase the company shares by 30% to offer them to the public, as you suggested, sir.”

“Hmm, really? Okay. Please tell Mr. Adam Castler that I said okay.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You have the company’s registered stamp with you, don’t you?”

“Yes, I have it right with me.”

“Please fill out the report form on the marketable securities to file with the Financial Supervisory Service. Lymondell Dyeon agreed to the amount that we talked about yesterday.”

“Oh, that’s good, sir.”

“You don’t have to attach this year’s semiannual financial statements to the submitting documents, but take the last year’s financial statements.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The total amount of our initial public offering shares is 6 billion won.”

“Yes, sir. I’m aware of it.”

“Put your name where you put the name of the person who is in charge of the form submission, Mr. Internal Auditor.”

“Oh, my name, sir? Oh, okay.”

“Have we completed the documents for the IR presentation?”

“Yes, sir. We are ready to give the IR presentation for institutional investors. Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo and Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong did a great job.”

“Please praise them for their effort and work, and buy them dinner or something.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, make sure that Ms. Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo and Mr. Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong attend the presentation. Also, have Mr. Vice President Adam Castler be there too.”

“Yes, sir, I will do that. I have one thing that I want to make sure with you, sir. When we offer our shares to the public for the first time, we don’t offer any shares that we already have, do we?”

“It’s a joint venture company. I don’t think either partner wants to sell their shares at this moment. If I don’t sell my portion, Lymodell Dyeon won’t sell theirs either.”

“Understood, sir. Then, we will offer only 600,000 new shares to the public for now. What if they request to split the share into two, so the price per share is 5,000 won instead of 10,000 won?”

“Well, they might ask for it given the available stocks to trade in the market. But, we will firmly proceed as we planned for now.”

“Understood, sir.”

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Chapter 772 - Marketable Securities Transfer (1) – Part 1

Chapter 772: Marketable Securities Transfer (1) – Part 1

It was Wednesday when Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in GH Development in GH Building, Sinsa Town. The following day, on Thursday, he would go to work in GH Mobile, Jiksan Town, and Dyeon Korea, Asan City. When Gun-Ho arrived in his office in GH Building, he had his coffee that Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought to him. While enjoying his morning coffee reading an economic newspaper, he received a call from President Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“It’s me, Jae-Sik Moon.”

“Oh, President Moon. How are you?”

“They completed the terminal building up to the third floor now, and they will soon start constructing the fourth floor. The building looks already majestic.”

“Really?”

“We have tons of intercity bus service companies who want to have their business in our terminal. Our income from ticket sales fees is on the rise accordingly.”

“Our bus service company doesn’t really get financially involved in the terminal construction, does it?”

“The terminal construction doesn’t really affect our bus service business. We handle the bus service and terminal construction separately. We have a construction team though, and we pay for their wages. Other than that, all the construction cost is coming from the construction account.”

“Are we still keeping the same number of bus lines as we talked about last time?”

“Yeah. We received two additional bus lines last time, so we still have nine bus lines in total. The words about our bus service are now well spread, and we have a good number of customers now. We are making from 50,000 Yuan to 60,000 Yuan per day if counting only the income from the intercity bus service business running 9 buses. This doesn’t include the revenue from ticket sales fees.”

“How much are we making per month then? Is it around 1.5 million Yuan to 1.8 million Yuan?”

“That’s correct. It’s around a bit less than 300 million Korean won per month.”

“It’s about the amount that we make by running that KFC restaurant, huh?”

“You need to take into account the cost of ingredients for the KFC. On the other hand, we don’t spend much on the ‘ingredient costs’ for the bus business. We just pay for the gas, bus maintenance, and bus depreciation cost. That’s all. Oh, the labor cost takes more for the bus business than the KFC.”

Jae-Sik Moon continued, “Our joint venture’s board chairman—President Runsheng Yan—came and talked to me yesterday. He said that the board meeting for the second half-year won’t be held since according to him, it’s pointless to have the board meeting when the Korean partner refuses to send the investment funds.”

“Tell him that the Korean partner will send the investment funds right away once the ownership of the land is transferred to the joint venture’s name.”

“I know. I’ve been telling it to them.”

“Yeah, we just need to tell them every time they bring up the issue.”

“With the upcoming Thanksgiving Day, two additional bus lines connecting to Guiyang City became available, and Antang City’s transportation company took them all without sharing it with us.”

“Jerks!”

“By the way, GH Food company’s revenue for the last month has increased. We made 900,000 Yuan in August. It’s about 150 million Korean won.”

“Hmm, very well done.”

“Oh, GH Mobile’s President Song called me the other day. He asked me about the price of training outfits in China.”

“Training outfits? For what?”

“It seems that he is planning to include training outfits for Thanksgiving Day gifts to the employees, in addition to some foods. He is going to tell the workers that they should not only eat healthy food but also should exercise in order to stay healthy as he gives them training outfits.”

“Hmm.”

“He sent me a photo of a training outfit as a sample. The training outfit in the photo is being made in China anyway, and being sold in Korea for 40,000 won. And the same training outfit is selling here for 20,000 won. He wants me to find where he can purchase them.”

“Really?”

“And, I found the place to buy those training outfits already. I ordered 600 of them for 20,000 won per piece. So, it’s 12 million won in total.”

“That’s nice. Can you buy more? I want 200 of them. Please send them to Dyeon Korea. I will give them to Dyeon Korea’s employees as well.”

“Do you want me to add Dyeon Korea’s logo on the outfit? Many workers don’t like to have a company logo on their training outfits though.”

“Well, then don’t do it.”

“Okie dokie. I will send 200 training outfits to Dyeon Korea. Once I ship them to Korea, you will need to pick them up at the customs office in Cheonan City after making an import report. The seller of the training outfits will be listed as GH Food Co., Ltd. since we will find the items and sell them to GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea. It will be a neat transaction.”

“You know what? I want 100 more of them for GH Development as well.”

“To GH Development? GH Development has less than 20 workers, doesn’t it? What are you going to do with the other 80 training outfits then?”

“I’m going to give some to GH Media’s workers and some to the truck drivers of GH Logistics.”

“Really? Well, you will still have several outfits left. Anyway, I will send 100 to GH Development. For the items sent to GH Development, you will have to pick them up at the customs office in Seoul.”

“Will the customs office call us once the shipment arrives?”

“Yeah, they will contact your office. You will probably receive a mail from them with the instruction on how to pick them up. Sometimes, you will also be contacted by some customs agencies asking if you need help with the process. Those agency companies are providing full service. They will take care of everything from reporting to delivering to your office.”

“Haha, really? What a convenient world.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s Director Yoon.

“We are planning to give out presents to our employees for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day, aren’t we? Did you decide what kind of gifts we are going to give away?”

“We haven’t decided it yet, sir, but I was thinking of a gift set of some processed food like hams or cans.”

“Let’s add something else to that food gift set. What do you think of training outfits? GH Mobile is preparing training outfits for their employees. Dyeon Korea should do that too. You will receive 200 training outfits from China. President Jae-Sik Moon will ship them to our company.”

“Mr. President Moon, sir? I guess we will have to pick them up at the customs office in Cheonan City then. I will be expecting the shipment, sir.”

“Is Mr. Internal Auditor in the office now?”

“He is out to visit the stock brokerage company.”

“Hmm, really? Okay.”

In that afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from the internal auditor.

“I’m at the stock brokerage company, sir. I came here to hand the report on our marketable securities to them to file.”

“Good.”

“There is one thing that I’ve noticed now though. Our company share is already split into two, so the price per share is 5,000 won. Give me one second, sir. I will have the branch manager here to explain to you about it.”

“Sir, it’s me, the branch manager.”

“Oh, Mr. Branch Manager. How are you?”

“One of the requirements that need to be fulfilled before applying for the preliminary examination is reducing the face value of the company shares. Therefore, we, as your company’s agency in this matter, already split the share into two with the price of 5,000 won. 5,000 won is the upper limit.”

“Hmm, really?”

“We can split the shares to make its price 100 won, 200 won, 1,000 won, 2,500 won, or 5,000 won. We make it 5,000 won for now, and you can do a stock split later.”

“A stock split…”

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Chapter 773 - Marketable Securities Transfer (1) – Part 2

Chapter 773: Marketable Securities Transfer (1) – Part 2

The stock brokerage company’s branch manager said to Gun-Ho, “You have been trading stocks, sir. You should be familiar with stock splitting. Once a stock split occurs, its price fluctuates again. That’s why many large and stable companies start with 5,000 won in order to make it easier for them to do a stock split later.”

“We have 2 million shares, and if we add the initial public offering shares of 600,000, we will have 2.6 million shares. If we split the share into two for the price of 5,000 won, the total number of stocks will be 5.2 million.”

“That’s correct, sir. But the publicly available shares to be traded in the stock market will only be 1.56 million. It’s going to be a very desirable number of shares to play with.”

“With the total number of 2.6 million won, I own 900,000, Lymondell Dyeon owns another 900,000, and our employees own 200,000. And the public offering shares are 600,000. After splitting the share into two, I will have 1.8, Lymondell Dyeon will equally own 1.8, our employees will have 400,000, and the public offering shares will be 1.2.”

“Right, sir, assuming you are not selling your old shares in addition to the initial public offering shares that will newly be issued.”

“Does a new public company often sell their old shares as well?”

“Of course, sir. A lot of companies that are newly registered with KOSDAQ sell their old shares too. What you—Mr. President Goo—and Lymondell Dyeon currently own are old shares. After going public, if you sell even only 10% of them, the company will procure a substantial amount of funds.”

“Hmm.”

“However, since Dyeon Korea is a joint venture, you and your partner will probably be very careful in selling your shares because of the management right. You and Lymondell Dyeon own equal shares right now. If you sell 10% of your shares, your ownership interest will be less than what Lymondell Dyeon owns.”

“Mr. Branch Manager, how do you predict the price of our initial public offering shares?”

“We will know that after the presentation on the company business is given to institutional investors and the subsequent demand estimate comes out.”

“Well, still, from your extensive experience in this area, what price would be adequate?”

“Well, it’s 5,000 won per share now. I would say it will be around 25,000 won per share.”

“That means… I currently own 1.8 million, and it will be worth 45 billion won…”

“I can’t say it for sure. We have to wait until the demand estimate comes out.”

“We are going to offer 600,000 shares to the public as initial public offering… Well, since we are splitting them into half, it’s going to be 1.2 million shares. Will these shares be offered to little investors?”

“No, sir. 50% of them will be taken by institutional investors while the other 50% will be offered to little investors. Since Dyeon Korea’s shares are already dispersed among the employees—little investors—we can offer less number of shares to little investors though. Well, I’m going to submit this report on the marketable securities that Mr. Internal Auditor brought to our office. In the meantime, you probably want to let your employees, who own your company shares, to start the marketable securities transfer process.”

“Marketable securities transfer?”

“Well, since Mr. Internal Auditor is handling the employees’ shares now, I will let him explain to you about it.”

“Sir, it’s Mr. Internal Auditor.”

“Mr. Branch Manager mentioned the word—marketable securities transfer. What does that mean?”

“Oh, that’s… what our employees need to do to enable themselves to sell their shares in the stock market once our company goes public. The employees, who own the company shares, must open a stock trading account individually. And then, they will request us to transfer the shares to their stock account. We then talk with the stock brokerage company to handle the transfer process, and we transfer each employee’s shares to each of their stock trading accounts—the exact number of the shares that they own. Once the company goes public, the employees can freely trade their shares in the stock market then.”

“Hmm, so, each employee must open a stock trading account which sounds already complicated.”

“It’s a simple task actually. They can open a stock trading account with a bank these days.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“I will come back to the office once I finish things here with the branch manager.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho was lost in thought sitting on the sofa. Gun-Ho then asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring him one more cup of coffee. While having his coffee, he closed his eyes.

‘I’m sure that the employees will sell their shares once the company goes public since the price of the share is high enough for them to make a lot of money. They are not big players in this field nor are they professional stock traders. They are the people who make their living by their monthly wages. They will definitely sell their shares when they can once they know that they will make profits, just like I did in the old days.

Once our employees start selling their shares, and our shares become available in the stock market, it will attract the stock manipulators. Before the stock manipulators reach those shares, maybe I should buy them all. The problem is since I’m considered as a person with insider information, I’m not supposed to trade Dyeon Korea’s shares in the stock market. My trading of Dyeon Korea’s shares will be deemed as illegal insider trading, and I will be arrested.

Maybe I should ask someone, who is not related to Dyeon Korea at all, to purchase the shares for me. Well, I will have to lend my money to that person to buy the shares then. What if something goes wrong? And, if someone finds out that I asked someone to buy the shares, I will be in trouble. Should I discuss this with the stock brokerage company’s branch manager?’

While trying to figure out what to do about it for quite a while, Gun-Ho felt a headache, and he wanted to take a break from all of his businesses. He took the subway by himself and headed to Youngpoong Bookstore that was located at the Gangnam Express Bus Terminal. He picked up a few books related to raising a child. He also bought an educational book for English conversation. Also, he picked a few magazines for Young-Eun before leaving the bookstore.

When Gun-Ho came home that day after work, Young-Eun was in the bed fully covering her body.

“Young-Eun? Are you not feeling well?”

“No, I think I caught a cold or something. I think you should have dinner by yourself tonight.”

“You are a medical doctor. You are not supposed to be sick.”

“I’m sorry, but can you sleep with Sang-Min tonight? I don’t want Sang-Min to catch a cold because of me.”

“Is that because of your part-time job? You are probably too tired of raising the kid and working part-time.”

“Maybe. I had to work late today. Maybe that’s why…”

“I thought you work only in the morning.”

“We had so many patients in the hospital today. I just couldn’t get out when my time was up. I stayed there until 4 pm today.”

“I guess the helper lady stayed home with Sang-Min until then today, huh?”

“Actually, my father visited here from Silim Town. He took care of Sang-Min while I was not here.”

“Really? That’s very nice of him.”

Gun-Ho spent the night with Sang-Min that day. He had his dinner with his boy and watched TV with him too.

He woke up several times in the middle of the night because of Sang-Min who was sleeping with him. He had to feed him and change his diapers several times too.

“Oh, my. Taking care of a baby is a handful of work.”

When Gun-Ho realized how hard it was to take care of a baby while feeding his son, he heard Young-Eun’s voice coming from the master bedroom.

“After you feed him, don’t forget to tap his back.”

Okay. So, Gun-Ho had to feed him, tap his back for a while, and change his diapers several times in the middle of the night. He managed to take some sleep somehow that night, but he felt so tired when he woke up the next morning.

“This has been Young-Eun’s night routine ever since Sang-Min came out to the world…”

Gun-Ho felt sorry for Young-Eun, and he also felt grateful that Young-Eun was there with him. When Gun-Ho went to the kitchen in the morning, Young-Eun was preparing breakfast. The boy was already fed.

“How are you feeling this morning? Why don’t you take a day off?”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

“I’m okay.”

Young-Eun didn’t look fine at all. She looked terribly exhausted. Gun-Ho thought that maybe it was time for him to open a hospital for her. He wanted to build a sizable hospital with several medical doctors who would work for Young-Eun.

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Chapter 774 - Marketable Securities Transfer (2) – Part 1

Chapter 774: Marketable Securities Transfer (2) – Part 1

It was Thursday. Gun-Ho headed to Jiksan Town to work in GH Mobile.

“Chan-Ho, the weather is nice these days, huh? It’s no longer hot.”

“Right, sir. Even the air feels fresher. I do like driving in this cool weather.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile, he initially thought of stopping by the second factory first, and then he decided to visit the storage building where the general affairs director made a lease contract to use its parking lot. Tons of cars were parked in the large open space, and there was a sign. Gun-Ho went closer to the sign to read it.

[Private Parking. No Public Access. – GH Mobile Corp.]

Gun-Ho smiled as he read the sign. The storage building looked hideous. Its front door was half broken, and some construction materials were piled up inside. The door was locked to prohibit public access.

“It looks like we won’t be able to use that building even for storage.”

Gun-Ho looked at the church building next to it. It was a newly constructed modern building. It looked majestic and beautiful.

“It’s a shame that that beautiful building came out to the auction market.”

After stopping by the second factory, Gun-Ho came to the first factory, and he went to the production site 1. Jong-Suk Park was talking with someone there, who looked like a person from outside. When Director Park saw Gun-Ho and tried to walk toward him, Gun-Ho gestured that he didn’t have to come. Gun-Ho then went to the production site 2 where assembly works were in progress. The production manager for the production site 2 came to Gun-Ho to greet him.

Gun-Ho asked, “Who is the person talking with Director Park?”

“He is from the city’s environment department, sir. He is here to inspect our factory’s noise control and sewer system.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho asked the production manager as he walked around the production site with him, “As the weather is cooling down, are we receiving more production orders from A Electronics for their door assembly work?”

“Yes, sir. Their production order has increased a lot. We are working with our vendor companies to fulfill their production order and outsourcing the work as well. We only handle assembly work in this location, and our factory manufactures the essential parts only.”

“And the essential parts are being manufactured at the production site 1, and sent to this production site 2 for the assembly work?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

When Gun-Ho was talking with the production manager at the production site 2, Director Park joined them. Once Director Park came, the production manager went back to his work.

“Is the visitor gone?”

“Yeah.”

“Is he the person from the city hall?”

“Yeah, he is from the city’s environment department.”

“Why was he here?”

“He came to inspect our environment management system. It’s not very usual though, but whenever they come, they always want to meet either the president or the plant manager.”

“Was there anything that he pointed out to correct?”

“Our rainwater drainage pipeline behind the production site 2 is covered with a net right now. He wants us to cover it completely with a solid lid.”

“But, we want rainwater to go into that drainage. With a solid lid, what’s the point of having it there?”

“Well, his concern is that our wastewater could go in there too.”

“Let me take a look at it.”

Gun-Ho and Director Jong-Suk Park went to the place behind the production site 2.

“This area is very nice. We can place some tables and chairs, and have a barbecue with pork belly meat.”

“Yeah, we used to have a few chairs here, and the workers used to spend some time during their break chatting and stuff.”

“I don’t see chairs now.”

“President Song asked to clear the area once he found out that some workers smoke in this area.”

“Well, yeah, he is right. They shouldn’t smoke around the factory.”

“Bro, this is it. This is what the city hall person asked us to cover completely.”

“Our wastewater doesn’t come near this area, but he still wants us to close it, huh?”

“I think he thought some wastewater could come to this area flowing from the production site 1. They do produce some wastewater.”

“Our production site 2 is doing assembly work only. He is being overly fastidious. Well, we’d better close it though. Otherwise, the city will issue a correction order.”

“Okay. I will have the maintenance team place a solid lid on it.”

“Speaking of the maintenance, did we receive the twin screws from West Moulding Corp. in the U.S., that you placed an order the other day?”

“We ordered ten of them, and I’m expecting to receive them soon.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“You have built eight new machines for Dyeon Korea so far, haven’t you?”

“Right, we sent them 8 brand new machines to Dyeon Korea.”

“Each machine comes with all the necessary accessories like a big package, right? And, it is priced for 150 million won. Since we sent 8 of them, the total price for 8 is 1.2 billion won. I wonder if GH Mobile received 1.2 billion won from Dyeon Korea.”

“I don’t track bills and payment stuff. You will have to check with the accounting department.”

“And, Jong-Sik, I’m telling you this since no one is around. I want you to keep what I’m going to tell you between you and me.”

“What is it?”

“You said that you purchased 16,000 shares when we had the Employee Stock Ownership Program, right?”

“That’s right. It was 10,000 won per share, and I spent 160 million won for 16,000 shares. When my mom found out that I took out a loan using my condo as collateral to buy company shares, she was mad. She said that I must be out of my mind.”

“Haha, she said that?”

“She said there are tons of people who ended up losing everything they had because of their investment in the stock market. And, she said that I should sell the shares right away.”

“Okay, now, listen to me very carefully. Dyeon Korea is going public very soon. Once that happens, Dyeon Korea’s stock will be available for anyone to trade. I want you to sell all of your Dyeon Korea’s shares on the first day when it goes public.”

“You want me to sell all of them?”

“On the day when it goes public, sell them all at 9 am. The stock market opens at 9.”

“I don’t know how to do it.”

“Just ask the stock brokerage company’s staff to sell your shares on behalf of you. You have to make the request in advance.”

“I have to make the request to the stock brokerage company to sell my shares, huh?”

“When you have time, go to a stock brokerage company nearby and open a stock account with them. You can do that by visiting a bank as well. And then, go to Dyeon Korea’s Employee Stock Ownership Association and ask them to transfer your shares to your stock account. It’s called marketable securities transfer.”

“Marketable securities transfer?”

“You will receive an official letter from Dyeon Korea’s Employee Stock Ownership Association about it soon. It will say that you will have to make a request to them for the marketable securities transfer if you want. Once you receive it, you should do it.”

“Where can I find Dyeon Korea’s Employee Stock Ownership Association?”

“It must be within the accounting department. When you go there, there will be someone who is in charge of it.”

“I see.”

“Once you make your request for the transfer to the person in Dyeon Korea’s Employee Stock Ownership Association, they will move all of your shares that you purchased to your new stock account. You are then ready to trade your shares in the stock market.”

“Does it mean that I will have all of my 16,000 shares in my stock account?”

“Actually, you will see 32,000 shares in your account. You bought them when it was 10,000 won per share. It will be split into two, so one share would cost 5,000 won instead of 10,000 won.”

“Hmm, really? How much will it be per share when everything is set for me to sell?”

“I don’t know its price yet. The price will be determined by its demand and supply as usual. It could be 10,000 won per share or 4,000 won per share. If the price of the share is 10,000 won, your 32,000 shares will be worth 320 million won.”

“Whoa! 320 million won?”

Director Jong-Suk Park’s eyes widened in surprise and excitement when he heard of the amount—320 million won.

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Chapter 775 - Marketable Securities Transfer (2) – Part 2

Chapter 775: Marketable Securities Transfer (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued, “That’s just an example. No one knows yet how much Dyeon Korea’s share would be once it goes public. We will see it for sure on the day when the company shares become available to trade in the stock market.”

“Why are you saying that I should sell my shares on the first day as soon as the stock market is open?”

“How many employees purchased the company shares? Most of Dyeon Korea’s and GH Mobile’s employees participated in the employee stock ownership program, right? So, it would be about 500 people. Of course, some of them gave up their opportunity to own the shares, and that’s how you could buy their shares.”

“Yeah. I don’t think it would be 500 people, but it should be at least 450 people.”

“Okay, then, say the price of the share increased. Those 450 people will compete with each other to sell their shares right away, right?”

“I think so.”

“A stock price is determined by its demand and supply. If 450 people try to sell their shares at the same time, what do you think would happen to its price? Will the price increase? Or decrease?”

“Oh, I see. The price will decrease, of course.”

“That’s why you should sell your shares as soon as the stock market is open. The trade is done digitally, and if you think you are slow with handling the computer in selling your shares, you would probably want to ask one of the staff in the stock brokerage company to do it for you. You have to sell yours before anyone else starts selling theirs once the stock market opens in the morning.”

“Bro, will you come to my office for a second?”

“Why?”

“I think I have to write down what you just said.”

“Man, I didn’t say anything difficult. There is nothing to write down.”

“I think I still have to write it down somewhere. I’m not good at stock trading stuff. I feel like I understand what you just said, but I will probably not remember it later.”

“Okay, let’s go to your office.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park entered the plant manager’s office.

“Bro, you want a cup of coffee?”

“I’m good. Will you close the door?”

Once Gun-Ho sat on a chair, Jong-Suk Park brought a pen and a piece of paper, and he started writing things on it.

“You said that the first thing I have to do is to open a stock account, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And then, I have to request something to Dyeon Korea’s Employee Stock Ownership Association. What was the thing that I need to request to them?”

“It’s marketable securities transfer.”

“Oh, that’s right. I have to request them for a marketable securities transfer. And then, I need to sell all of my shares on the first day when Dyeon Korea’s stock becomes available in the stock market!”

“That’s right. Once again, remember that you must keep this between you and me. You can’t tell anyone about this, okay?”

“Okay. Do you think I can make money from this?”

“I think so. But you have to keep in mind that stock price increases and also decreases. Once you sell your shares on the first day, its price will probably drop. However, it can go up again later. No one knows the time when its price will go up or down. Only God knows about it. That’s why people say that stock market fluctuations are within God’s territory.”

“Hmm.”

“Stock trading is an art of timing. If you pick the wrong timing in trading your stocks, the subsequent damage could be enormous. So, I recommend that you should stay away from the stock market once you sell your shares this time.”

“I agree with you. I feel confident when I work with machines, but I have no idea when people talk about marketable securities, transfer, or whatever. It gives me only a headache.”

“And, did you go to the funeral in Gangjin Town, South Jeolla Province last time?”

“Yeah. I went there with the team lead, supervisor, and manager of the production team which that lady worker is working at.”

“Good.”

“She looked delighted to see us at the funeral.”

“Of course. You went all the way to South Jeolla Province to attend her family funeral.”

“After attending the funeral, we stopped by a restaurant called Malyang in Gangjin Town, and we had raw fish dishes there.”

“That’s nice.”

“For Manager Ahn’s mother’s funeral, I wanted to stay with him until his mother is moved to the cemetery. But, he said that I shouldn’t because the cemetery would be in Gimcheon City which is far. Instead, I stayed overnight with him.”

“You must be very tired. Your position with the company requires you to do a lot of other works that are not directly related to the work itself, huh?”

“Well, President Song actually raised my limit of allowable expenses by 200,000 won. I was impressed. 200,000 won is a lot for a cheap man like him.”

“Is he cheap?”

“Don’t get me started. If you print out a piece of paper and throw it out once you read it, you will see President Song starting out nagging at you, pointing out that you didn’t use the other side of the paper as a scratch paper. He is giving a lot of headache to the workers for a tedious thing like that.”

“Haha, really?”

After talking with Director Park, Gun-Ho went up to his office on the second floor.

His secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—brought him a cup of green tea.

“Please put the green tea on the table, and I’d like to have a cup of coffee as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And ask Ms. Accounting Manager Min-Hwa Kim to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho was having his coffee, the accounting director entered the office.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Did we receive the payment from Dyeon Korea for the machines that we built for them?”

“Yes, sir. It was 150 million won per machine, and we received 1.2 billion won in total which doesn’t include VAT (Value Added Tax).”

“They are not using the B2B payment, are they?”

“No, sir. We received the payment in cash.”

“What about the twin screws that we ordered from West Moulding Corp. in the U.S. Did they ship the screws to us already?”

“Yes, they did. We will receive 10 twin screws from them soon, and it cost us 200 million won. It’s FOB (Free On Board) price.”

“This price shouldn’t be disclosed to anyone outside the company, especially, Dyeon Korea shouldn’t know about it.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea in the afternoon.

The internal auditor came into Gun-Ho’s office carrying some documents.

“We are done with the marketable securities form, sir.”

“Good. What are those that you are carrying?”

“Oh, this is the business plan that will be used during the presentation to institutional investors. This is a copy for you, sir.”

“Are they done?”

“Yes, sir. Please review it, and let me know if you find anything that needs to be corrected or modified.”

“Hmm, this is done in PowerPoint.”

Gun-Ho reviewed the business plan.

“I see the business outline, environmental analysis… I do like what you put in the market tendency. It has good details. Good. The marketing strategy looks good too. Our financial status looks accurate as well. Let’s adjust the estimated profit and loss for the future, a little bit. We can make it sound more positive; they are just estimates after all.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Okay, it looks good overall. If I find anything to add later, I will just explain them verbally during the presentation. So, the document doesn’t have to be changed further. We will use it as it is.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How long would it take to process our marketable securities form?”

“According to the stock brokerage company, it usually takes 1 week, sir.”

“Okay.”

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Chapter 776 - Dyeon China – Part 1

Chapter 776: Dyeon China – Part 1

It was Friday. The by-election campaign came halfway, and the voting gap between Minister Jin-Woo Lee and his opponent— the former news anchor— was getting smaller again.

“According to the public opinion poll, it’s 48:52 now. Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s campaign camp must be anxious about the current status.”

After his past comment became a hot issue, which said, “While the women living in Gangnam District are all beautiful, the women in other areas are so ugly, and that’s why I’m living in Gangnam District,” the former news anchor candidate lost a lot of supporting votes; however, he was gradually recovering.

His fan club was mighty and showed their unchanged solid bonds.

“Oppa, cheer up. We are here for you.”

This candidate’s good look was certainly playing a critical role in keeping his popularity even in politics. The female members in his fan club were enthusiastic in supporting him unconditionally even though they had their husbands at home. Even for the people outside his fan club, some of them were sympathetic to him, and saying that it was not fair for him to be criticized for the comment that he made decades ago.

Some people even attacked the candidate— Minister Jin-Woo Lee— instead, by questioning if he had done anything for the community ever, so far.

Accordingly, at this moment, no one could tell for sure which candidate was leading the election.

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town, Gangnam District when he received a call from Minister Jin-Woo Lee. It was unusual for him to call someone first. He had been arrogant enough not to ask for anyone’s help until then. He probably realized by then that he was in a situation that urgently required someone’s help.

“Mr. Class Manager? It’s me, Jin-Woo Lee.”

“Oh, sir, how have you been?”

“I need your help.”

“I have one more thing to reveal, that could well do the job that we want, but I’m going to open it to the public maybe in the middle of this month.”

“What about now? Can you do it now?”

“It will have about the same effect as the first one. If we open it now, we are giving enough time to recover again.”

“You think so?”

“Don’t worry about it, sir. I’m certain that you will win at the end. We just need to keep doing things as we have done so far.”

After getting off the phone with Minister Jin-Woo Lee, Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Ho Kang.

“The thing that I asked you to do… Do you think we’d better wait for later? Or will now be good timing?”

“Of course we have to wait. Midmonth would be perfect.”

“Hmm, I agree with you.”

“Given the current situation, it seems we are doing well. We don’t have to worry much.”

“I’m relying on you on this.”

After getting off the phone with Min-Ho Kang, Gun-Ho was thinking about whether he should send the fund to Better Society Community’s two workers and Min-Ho Kang now. And then, he decided to do it later.

“I will send them the second payment later when they actually start working on our second attack.”

Gun-Ho went back to reading the economic newspaper that he was reading before he received the call from Minister Lee. At that moment, his phone started ringing again. It was from Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“President Goo? It’s me, Min-Hyeok Kim.”

“Oh, President Kim. It has been a while.”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t give you a call more often.”

“It’s okay. We don’t have to talk all the time. I just need to hear the final outcome of the business at the end of the year. Don’t I?”

“Well, still, I should give you a regular report on how things are going here. You are the major shareholder of the company after all.”

“I’m sure it’s going well. I don’t worry a thing about the company in Suzhou City because I have you there— Mr. Business Wizard Min-Hyeok Kim.”

“Haha. Mr. Business Wizard? You are silly. I’m not near the wizard level. When Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim visited us in China last time to help us with Dyeon China’s establishment, I begged him for his help.”

“Begged him for what?”

“Since he was in China, I asked him so badly to help our company with sales.”

“Did you get what you asked for?”

“He visited five potential client companies for us in the area, and successfully procured three client companies for us.”

“He is very good.”

“I was with him when he visited those companies. He has his own strategies and tactics in doing his sales. He was using the element of fear in earning the business.”

“Are you saying that he was scaring them?”

“Yeah. He mostly criticized the products that they purchased from their current vendor companies, saying that if they keep using bad products like that, they will soon encounter numerous problems even though they don’t see any now. When he talks, he uses some fancy technical terms, and that makes him look highly knowledgeable and more convincing apparently.”

“Really?”

“He once said like… ‘We can’t even imagine using a product of this quality in Korea. I know the vice president of your head office in Korea very well. If he finds out that you are using a bad product like this, he will be really mad.’ Basically, that’s how he scares them.”

“Well, whatever tactics he uses, that worked, right? And you got several new product orders. Congratulations.”

“Dingding earned a couple of business for us as well.”

“It’s really nice to see you and your spouse helping each other’s business. So, how much monthly revenue are we making now?”

“GH Parts Company made about 1 billion Korean won last month.”

“1 billion won? That’s not bad at all. It has been three years since you moved to China, right? You must be well settled in there by now, and I’m sure you speak Chinese very well too. I guess your belly became larger as well, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. I need to watch my diet. My belly is getting bigger because of the oily Chinese food that I’m having every day, I guess.”

“You said that we have about 100 workers there, right?”

“Yes. We usually maintain about 100 workers. If the company was in Korea, we would probably have 40 or 50 workers considering the size of the revenue. We can have 100 workers because we are in China. I treat my workers very well, and I don’t go crazy power tripping, and maybe that’s why we have an extremely low turnover rate. Once they work at our company, they stay here.”

“Having a low turnover rate is very good. That shows how well you are running the company.”

“I hope this company generates 30 billion won annually.”

“I believe you will achieve that goal sooner or later.”

“How’s Dyeon China doing?” Gun-Ho asked.

“They have four machines fully working right now, and they have good production capacity. They receive the first raw materials directly from Lymondell Dyeon in the U.S.”

“That’s good. You don’t have to get the first raw materials through Dyeon Korea since it will cost more. They haven’t made any sales with the products that they manufactured yet, right?”

“Actually, they sold some of the products already. Several large Chinese companies purchased the products that Dyeon China manufactured locally, trusting the brand name— Dyeon.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“You will receive an official report about it soon. Dyeon China is providing the products to Dyeon Korea’s old client companies in China with the products that they manufactured in their new factory.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Dinding joined the club last week, where all the female presidents from the companies in the industrial park gather together on a regular basis. She already made some friends from that club, and those women are willing to help Dingding’s business.”

“Hmm, really? That’s very nice.”

“There is one female president of a large company among the club members, and she likes the fact that Dingding speaks English fluently. She often asks Dingding to get together, and she even visited Dyeon China’s factory the other day.”

“Really? Well, any connection or network there at this moment will be helpful. I hope Dingding is also having fun with them.”

“Yeah, but since Dingding is now seven months pregnant, she can’t be as active as before. She is trying to reduce her activity level.”

“Oh, that’s right. She is pregnant. Your role as her husband is critical at this time, you know that, right?”

“Her father and mother often visit us here, so she should be okay.”

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Chapter 777 - Dyeon China – Part 2

Chapter 777: Dyeon China – Part 2

Min-Hyeok Kim continued, “I watched the TV drama— Shiguang Ru Meng— that was aired in Shanghai City. You know, the drama that you invested in. The Korean actress— Lial Zhiang— became very popular after Shiguang Ru Meng aired in China. But, I don’t see her any longer.”

“Lial Zhiang? Oh, you mean Lia, right? We don’t work with her anymore. After she gained popularity, she asked for a higher pay. I guess many TV drama production companies are not willing to pay her that much.”

“That’s one of the big problems with actors and actresses. Once they become popular, they ask for too much stuff.”

“Have you heard of anything about a movie— Menghuan Yinghua? Have you seen any news about the movie production?”

“I think I have. I’ve been keeping my ear out for that movie since I know that you are investing in that movie production. It seems that the actress who plays the lead female role is Japanese, not Korean.”

“That’s right. She is Japanese.”

“I read news coverage about the movie in a newspaper and also on the internet. People seem to be intrigued by the fact that a real Japanese geisha is playing the geisha role in the movie.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I watched their movie production presentation as well on TV. That girl is gorgeous. And she looks very Japanese.”

Gun-Ho felt good hearing Min-Hyeok highly speaking about Mori Aikko.

“I invested in that movie production significantly. 50% of their production cost is coming from me.”

“How much is that?”

“I initially intended to invest 2 billion won in the TV drama, but I didn’t have to since the TV drama was successful. I ended up investing only 1 billion won there. And, I put an additional 5 billion won in the movie production.”

“5 billion won? That makes your total investment funds in China 9 billion won, including 3 billion won for the terminal project where Jae-Sik Moon is working at.”

“Actually, I had purchased 5 condos in Antang City, Guizhou Province. So, it’s going to be more than 10 billion won.”

“10 billion won? President Goo, you are indeed a rich man. I sometimes wonder if you are the same Gun-Ho Goo who I had known before.”

“Don’t be silly. I will talk to you later, okay?”

After getting off the phone with Min-Hyeok Kim, Gun-Ho was lost in thought with his legs crossed.

‘GH Parts Company that Min-Hyeok Kim is running seems to be doing well. I’m not trying to make a big money through that company, and I’m sure that it will gradually and stably grow. It was the right decision that I didn’t establish that company as a child company of GH Mobile. If GH Mobile was its mother company, there would have been tons of paperwork to handle just to make a report to it, not to mention a lot of interference from it in running that company. Min-Hyeok Kim is managing that company independently and freely which is very nice.

If that company achieves a yearly revenue of 12 billion won this year, a dividend will have to be distributed with a higher amount than last year’s. Because of the dividend, Min-Hyeok Kim is working so hard in making more revenue and reducing production costs. I believe giving him 5% of the company ownership interest was the right decision.

Dyeon China that his wife— Dingding— is running and GH Parts Company are cooperating with each other for their businesses, and that’s very good.’

Gun-Ho felt good that day. Even the tea that he was having tasted exceptionally good. Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“This Chinese tea— Longjing tea— is very tasty. I think maybe because you are good at making the tea. I’d like to have one more cup of Longjing tea please.”

Gun-Ho took enough time enjoying the Longjing tea that Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought to him.

Gun-Ho received a call from President Jae-Sik Moon in Antang City, Guizhou Province later that day.

“President Goo? It’s Jae-Sik Moon. I have good news for you.”

“What is it?”

“I received a call from Fang Di Chan (real estate agent). A 30 pyung large condo in Huaxi Huayuan is now selling for more than 200 million won. According to him, there are a lot of people who want to buy a condo there, but there are not many condos available to sell.”

“Hmm, really?”

“We bought the condo for 160 million won, so you can say that we already made 40 million won per unit. And we have 5 of them, so if we sell them all now, we will make 200 million won. It has been only several months since we bought those condos. We did great since we made 200 million won in a few months, right?”

“You said that there are not enough condos to fulfill the demand, right? The price will go up higher soon.”

“The problem is that people don’t move out from that condo community once they move in. Moreover, many units there are owned by investors who lease them out, just like you are doing, President Goo. The person who is living next to mine is renting that unit as well. He said that his landlord is a rich man from Hong Kong, and he owns 10 units there. I don’t think those investors/landlords will not put their condos on the market to sell anytime soon.”

“Well, since no one would sell, the price will go up even higher.”

“I agree with you. Huaxi Huayuan is like Gangnam District in Korea. There is high demand and very low supply. Even a layperson like me could see that the price will increase substantially.”

“Have you heard anything about raising property tax there?”

“No, I haven’t. In China, newspapers don’t really talk about real estate. It’s like Korea in the 90s.”

“Hmm, really? That’s good. It’s better having the real estate price rising quietly.”

“Oh, and the president of the construction company that is building the terminal here wants to see you in person.”

“For what? Is that about the construction cost? That’s between me and our Chinese partner of the joint venture. It has nothing to do with the construction company that undertook the terminal construction work for the joint venture.”

“No, it’s not about the construction cost. He wants to play golf with you. It’s his personal interest, I guess.”

“Playing golf?”

“There is a 72-hole golf course in Guiyang City, and he is looking for a friend to play golf with there. He said that when you come and visit the area to attend the board meeting or something, he’d like to have a round of golf with you.”

“Haha. Did you say 72-hole? That must be a giant golf course. I didn’t know Chinese people enjoy playing golf. A golf course in Guiyang City must be in an isolated area.”

“When I told him that the upcoming board meeting has been postponed because of the issues with the terminal construction cost, he looked very disappointed.”

“Really? Well, I don’t have any business interest intertwined with him, so I guess I can play golf with him when I have a chance, or not.”

“For now, when he brings up the topic again, I will just tell him that when you have a chance to visit the area, you will play golf with him.”

“Okay. That’s fine.”

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho thought about the construction company that was building the terminal in Antang City.

‘It must not be a small company since it undertook the construction work building the terminal. That company’s president must have good business connections in the area.

But, why does he want to play golf with me? He probably wants to ask me to make an investment in his business or something. We’ve never met before; there is no way that he is purely interested in hanging out with me. When a person, who doesn’t even know me, wants to play golf with me, that means he has some other agenda other than golf.

I have no intention to make any more investment in China though. I’ve been putting too many funds there. There will be no new investment this year for me. I might reinvest there with the funds that I would make in China, but I won’t transfer any of my funds from Korea anymore.’

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Chapter 778 - IPO Presentation (1) – Part 1

Chapter 778: IPO Presentation (1) – Part 1

One week passed. Gun-Ho received a call from the branch manager of the stock brokerage company in Gangnam District.

“I just received a confirmation from the Financial Supervisory Service that they received Dyeon Korea’s report on its marketable securities. What do you think of having the business presentation for IPO on September 10th?”

“Sounds good.”

IPO (Initial Public Offering) presentation refers to a presentation made by a company right before going public. The presentation is given to public investors to explain about their business.

“As for the venue, we probably want to hold the presentation in Yeouido Island rather than Gangnam District since many people in the financial field are found in Yeouido Island. What do you think, sir?”

“Yeouido Island sounds good to me.”

“What about the convention center in 63 Building— Grand Ballroom— in Yeouido Island?”

“63 Building? That’s fine.”

“I guess the presentation document is prepared already. The presentation itself has to be done by the president, sir.”

“Do I have to have a Q&A session after the presentation?”

“Yes, sir. I want to remind you that you chose not to sell the old shares when we offer the company shares to the public for the first time. Once the company shares become available in the stock market, you can’t sell your shares for the next 6 months. There is a 6 month IPO lock-up period. That requirement is there to prevent a company’s major shareholders from selling their shares after an IPO just because the share price went up.”

“Hmm, I have no intention to sell my shares anytime soon.”

“In order to protect Bona Fide public investors, the shares, which were distributed among the employees per their employee stock ownership program, cannot be sold for the next 1 year either. That will work as a safeguard preventing the share’s price from dropping.”

“Huh?”

Gun-Ho was dumbfounded. It was his mistake.

‘Shoot. I told Director Jong-Suk Park that he should sell his shares on the first day when the company shares become available in the stock market. What am I going to do?’

Gun-Ho asked the branch manager of the stock brokerage company, “Is there any exception to the rule, so an employee could sell his shares within a year from the date of IPO?”

“There is. If the employee’s employment is terminated with the company, he can sell his shares in the stock market since the rule no longer applies to the non-employee.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, there are very limited situations that allow an employee to sell the shares such as an act of god or illness, etc. They will have to prove the situation with supporting documents though.”

“Hmm, I see.”

After getting off the phone with the branch manager, Gun-Ho was lost in thought again. After quite a while, Gun-Ho abruptly stood up from his seat.

“My head hurts. I will go to a sauna. There won’t be many people there since it’s a weekday.”

He went to a sauna that was located inside the Education Community Center building in Yangjae Town. He was relaxing in the bath with his eyes closed while continuing to think about Director Jong-Suk Park’s shares.

‘Jong-Suk Park. What am I going to do with him? He is like my little brother. I want to look after him.’

After a while, Gun-Ho nodded his head with his lips firmly closed. It seemed that he made a decision.

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. His usual routine when he arrived in GH Mobile in the morning was to stop by the production site first. It was a natural course of action of his since he always stressed the importance of the production site in a manufacturing company. But that day, he skipped this routine.

When he came up to his office on the second floor, he received a brief report on the current status of the company from President Song. After a while of staying in his office by himself, he made a call to Director Jong-Suk Park.

“Director Park? It’s me.”

“Huh? Bro! I thought you are coming to work in GH Mobile today. I haven’t seen you on the production site this morning. Are you not here?”

“I’m in GH Mobile. I came straight to my office today. I want to have lunch with you today quietly.”

“Just you and me?”

“Yeah. Don’t tell anybody that you are having lunch with me, but just meet me outside. I have something that I want to talk to you about.”

“What is it?”

“I will tell you when I see you.”

“Where to?”

“Come to the café alley near the reservoir in front of Dankuk University. Let’s have a pork cutlet for lunch.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park were sitting at a table next to a large window in the restaurant, facing each other. The window was overlooking the view of the reservoir.

“Bro, what’s the occasion? It is unusual for you to ask me to meet at a restaurant like this.”

“I just want to talk with you in a quiet place.”

“This restaurant looks great, by the way. I like the water view from this window seat and the feeling of tranquility that this place offers. I think I’m going to take my wife here for lunch some time.”

Gun-Ho said as he was having the pork cutlet that he ordered.

“Is there anyone who is talking bad behind your back at work?”

“No. There were a lot in the beginning when I first joined the company, but now no. Since I’m very polite to the people who are older than me regardless of their positions, I haven’t seen anyone having problems with me, at least as far as I know of. I’m not sure what they think in their minds though.”

“Have you thought of running your own business?”

“Having my own business? No way. I don’t have an aptitude for it.”

“I think you do. You are overly able to run your own company.”

“I’ve seen what President Song has been doing to run the company. I don’t think I can do that. A business owner must know everything, not just certain and limited skills, right?”

“President Song had his old days when he was younger in this field. He used to be rebuked a lot by his boss as well.”

“Whatever. I don’t think I can do it. What kind of business would I open?”

“We are building the machines for Dyeon Korea using the twin screws that we bought from West Moulding Corp. in the U.S. I’m thinking of opening a new company that builds machines like that.”

“You mean a manufacturing company that builds the machines that Dyeon Korea is using?”

“Yeah.”

Jong-Suk seemed to be dumbfounded. He stared at Gun-Ho vacantly.

“We buy the twin screws from West Moulding for 20 million won. And, we build a machine using those twin screws and all other parts that we purchase from other companies. Once we completely build a machine, we sell it to Dyeon Korea for 150 million won.”

“150 million won? I didn’t know we charge them that much.”

“I’m not asking you to work for me as a CEO of my new company. I’m proposing you to work with me as a business partner.”

“A business partner?”

“Yeah. You and me work together as a partner. You are not just being paid with a monthly salary, but we will share the profits too.”

“Hmm.”

Jong-Suk Park seemed to take some time to think about it. After a while, he said, “It’s not difficult for me to build a machine for Dyeon Korea. It’s a simple task for me, and I can run a company that does that specific job.”

“That’s good enough.”

“But, it takes money to open a new business, doesn’t it? We need to buy machines, build systems, and stuff. If this is a partnership, I have to come up with some investment money as well. But I don’t have money.”

“Once you sell the company shares, you will have money.”

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Chapter 779 - IPO Presentation (1) – Part 2

Chapter 779: IPO Presentation (1) – Part 2

Jong-Suk Park said, “That shouldn’t be enough. Opening a new factory must take a huge amount of money.”

“If you put your funds as much as the amount that you can handle, I will put the rest of the necessary funds. I will take care of it.”

“So, if I invest 100 million won, you will invest 900 million won, and then we share the profits accordingly, huh?”

“Of course. You will have your monthly salary to the level of a president since you will be the one who is running the company. At the end of each year, we will share the profits proportional to the amount that we invested. Say, you invested 100 million, and I invested 900 million, and the company generated a profit of 1 billion won, you would take 100 million won per profit sharing.”

“Hmm.”

“I really want you to do this. Once you start running your own business, you will learn a lot of things, and you will also be able to see a lot of things as well. You can start as a small company with one worker who will handle the accounting. You will learn a lot. I can tell you that.”

“Hmm.”

Jong-Suk Park ate his pork cutlet without saying anything for a while. He then said, “By when do I have to give you my answer?”

“I’m hoping you can let me know by tomorrow. You need to quit GH Mobile, so you could sell your shares. The shares obtained through the employee stock ownership program cannot be sold for a year.”

“Really? That’s why you asked me to sell my shares? You already planned that I open my own business.”

“You can say that. Jong-Suk! You have to know this. You don’t need a lot of money to start your own business. You can rent a factory, and you can hire only a few essential workers who would handle machines and one accounting staff.”

“Hmm.”

“We can name the company as GH Machines or anything that you want to call it.”

“GH Machines? That sounds great. I do like the name. I feel like you have been planning this business for a long time.”

“Not really. You can just build those machines for Dyeon Korea for a while at first, and then you can expand the business by building other kinds of machines. A lot of companies including GH Mobile and its client companies like S Group, Egnopak, Mandong Company, etc. need machines. We can build machines for them too.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, we can buy machines for a very low price from the factories that went broke, and we repair or refurbish them and sell them. We can make money that way too.”

“Hmm.”

After finishing his pork cutlet, Jong-Suk Park said as he was wiping off his mouth with a napkin, “What do I tell President Song when I quit the company?”

“Well, you can come up with a nice excuse.”

“Maybe I will tell him that it has not been easy to work with a manager who is a lot older than me.”

“Well, you can say that, but I would tell him that you want to start your own business— GH Machines. Say that it was your idea of opening a new business, and I helped you a little bit financially.”

“Hmm, that sounds good. I understand that I have to quit GH Mobile if I want to sell my shares. I will give you my answer by tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea after lunch.

When he stopped by the production site, the maintenance team’s manager— Manager Ahn— quickly came to greet him. He then gave a 90-degree bow to Gun-Ho.

“Sir, I went to your office after my mother’s funeral ended to thank you, but you were not there.”

“You don’t have to thank me for it. It must have been hard for you for the past several days.”

“I truly appreciate you and others who came to the funeral. Thank you, sir.”

“I talked with Director Jong-Suk Park earlier. He felt sorry that he couldn’t stay with you longer during the funeral period, especially, he thinks he should have been with you at the cemetery in Gimcheon City for burial. He had another funeral that he had to attend at that time for the lady worker in GH Mobile.”

“Director Park stayed with me for two nights. I don’t know how to thank him for it. I was the one who asked him not to come all the way to Gimcheon City.”

“Oh, I see. How is the maintenance team lead in China doing? I wonder if he is handling the work there without any problems.”

“He is good. He can handle most machines. Also, GH Mobile’s former plant manager is working in Suzhou City, China. He is providing some advice to the workers in Dyeon China now. I believe we don’t have to worry about it.”

“Oh, that’s right. GH Mobile’s former plant manager is working with President Min-Hyeok Kim there. Well, I guess I shouldn’t take more of your time. You can go back to work, Mr. Manager Ahn.”

“Thank you, sir.”

When Gun-Ho went into the production site, Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo was measuring a product’s hardness with a portable testing device.

“Mr. Manager Yoo, how are you?”

“Hello, sir.”

“I guess I haven’t seen you since you came back from India. I wonder how the workers in China and India are doing.”

“They should be okay. I left the procedure and work manuals with them, and gave them hands-on training several times while I was there. 80% of the products that we are manufacturing here can be handled by those workers overseas.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Since we lost two workers at the research center by sending them overseas, I filled up those two positions right away. Mr. Director told me that we should train many workers at the research center since we will probably open more factories in other areas in the future. So, I was thinking of bringing two or three more workers to the research center soon.”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea.”

“I told those workers in India and China to give me a call at any time when they need my help, but I haven’t received any call from them until now. I guess they are doing fine.”

“Hmm, that’s good to know.”

Gun-Ho went up to his office on the second floor.

The internal auditor followed him to his office.

“The IPO presentation has been scheduled.”

“Right. I received a call about it too.”

“It will be held in 63 Building, and we should be there.”

“Give me a copy of the presentation document. I think I’d better practice giving the presentation, at home. I’m not very good at doing a presentation…”

“We just need to show our company’s current status to the investors, and also show them that our company has a great potential to grow.”

“Hmm.”

“So, I added several photos of our research center, and the large extruding machines producing our products to the presentation materials. Also, the photos of our factories in China and India were added too.”

“Good. Maybe we should show them the photos of our various certificates that we recently obtained as well.”

“We did. We attached the photo of our environmental management system certificate, and also the technical evaluation report that we obtained when we were officially recognized as a start-up company with technology.”

“Well done.”

The internal auditor said, “I guess you will make a substantial amount of money soon, sir.”

“The company’s value will go up, but it’s not like I will have cash coming into my pocket, is it?”

“You make money as the company’s value goes up, sir. Our company will be infused with funds through the stock market, and we can expand our business by building more factories here and there overseas. That means that our revenue will increase, and we will make more profits.”

“That’s true, but since GH Mobile is the major shareholder of Dyeon Korea, the profits will flow into GH Mobile, and GH Mobile’s dividends will be distributed.”

“Speaking of which, GH Mobile is doing exceptionally great this year. Their revenues are strikingly high.”

“That’s because the product orders from S Group and H Group have increased substantially.”

“GH Mobile hasn’t distributed its dividends for the past two years. Are you planning to do it this year?”

“I’m still reviewing the possibility. Oh, I wanted to ask you about this. It’s about the shares purchased through the employee stock ownership program. I was told that those shares cannot be sold for the next 1 year after the shares become available to trade in the stock market.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“If we happen to have some workers who wish to no longer work with us or have some other unavoidable circumstances, please proceed with their marketable securities transfer request.”

“Okay, sir. Those are the exceptions to the rule. I believe we might see maybe one or two workers with the situation, if any. I will proceed as such if I see one though.”

“Sounds good.”

“Why don’t you distribute GH Mobile dividends this year since it will generate good profits this year? I believe Lymondell Dyeon wants to receive their dividend too.”

“I will take it under consideration.”

“Okay, sir. I will get back to my work now. And, I will bring you the presentation document right away.”

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Chapter 780 - IPO Presentation (2) – Part 1

Chapter 780: IPO Presentation (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho headed home after work, carrying the presentation document that the internal auditor had handed to him.

When he arrived at home, Gun-Ho started practicing giving the presentation for tomorrow.

“Well, hello to you all. I’m the president of Dyeon Korea—Gun-Ho Goo. Our company is a joint venture company having a partnership with the world-renowned chemical company in the U.S.—Lymondell Dyeon…”

At that moment, Young-Eun came into the room and watched Gun-Ho practicing his presentation. When he saw Young-Eun in the room, he said to her feeling embarrassed, “I have a presentation tomorrow. It’s an IPO presentation. I have to speak in front of public investors.”

“Where will the presentation be held?”

“It will be in the Grand Ballroom in the 63 Building.”

“Haha. You picked a nice place. I guess it’s an important presentation, huh?”

“How is your cold? Are you feeling better now?”

“I’m fine.”

“I feel so relieved that you are good now. I was worried about Sang-Min.”

“So, you are saying that you are glad that I’m okay now because of Sang-Min, not for me, huh?”

“Both,” said Gun-Ho as he grabbed Young-Eun’s hand and pulled her close to him into his arms, and then he kissed her.

“Oppa, seeing you practicing for tomorrow’s presentation, I feel like you are just an employee of a large company rather than a wealthy business owner.”

“I think you told me that when we met for the first time.”

Gun-Ho later fell asleep while preparing the presentation for tomorrow.

When Young-Eun stopped by Gun-Ho’s room later, she found Gun-Ho lying down on the bed with some papers scattered on the bed around him.

After picking up the papers and placing them on the table, Young-Eun kissed Gun-Ho on the cheek, and then she turned off the light before leaving the room.

The following day when Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town, he reviewed the IPO presentation materials again.

At that moment, he received a call from GH Mobile’s President Song.

“It’s me, sir, President Song.”

“Oh, hi. I didn’t expect to receive your call in the early morning.”

“Director Jong-Suk Park gave me his resignation letter this morning. He said that he wants to start his own business. He said he would open a company that builds machines.”

“I think he told me about having his own business before. Well, I guess he finally decided to carry out his plan.”

“I refused to accept his resignation letter and tried to convince him to stay with us, but he is adamant about quitting his job. He also said that working with people who are older than him but in a lower position than him has not been easy for him. He said that he felt embarrassed when he had to ask them to do things. He also mentioned that he didn’t want to be a burden to you, sir.”

“I think he feels confident working with machines, and he believes that he can handle the machine manufacturing work on his own. That’s why he wants to start his own business feeling he is ready.”

“We really need Director Park in GH Mobile, sir. Our factory will be in trouble without him.”

“He told me before that if he opens his own business, he would find a factory near GH Mobile. Since he would be close to GH Mobile, if GH Mobile needs his help, he would come and help us. He won’t be with us all the time, but he will be around for sure.”

“Starting his own company would cost him a substantial amount of money. I wonder if he is ready financially.”

“Director Park makes a living fine, but he doesn’t have a large amount of money to handle it by himself. He asked me to make an investment in his business, and he said he would call his company GH Machines.”

“Hmm, if his new business would be connected with GH Mobile in some way, and he would still maintain close contact with us like part of GH companies, maybe it’s better for us.”

“You think so?”

“Think about it, sir. The chief research officer and I are in our mid-50s, and other directors like the general affairs director, the accounting director, and the new director in the quality production department, they are all in their early 50s. After ten years, these people including myself will reach their retirement age. Once we leave the company, who’s going to lead GH Mobile on a daily basis?”

“Well, we can find a new person, can’t we?”

“Sure. We can find someone from outside through a headhunter or something, but even in that case, we need someone who knows our company inside and out thoroughly. If Director Park stays with GH Mobile in his current position for the next ten years, he will only know well about the production field. It’s hard to grasp a whole picture of the business at his current position. On the other hand, if he runs his own business even though it’s a small company in size, he will definitely learn to be a good CEO.”

“But, once he quits our company, there is no guarantee that he would come back.”

“Well, if he calls his company GH Machines, we can make his company as part of us. Moreover, you said you would invest your funds into his business, right? Your funds will be in his company, and his company’s name contains the word—GH—then we can make it work.”

“How?”

“We can later merge two companies—GH Mobile and GH Machines. Once we merge the two companies, we can place him in a senior director or vice president position, and eventually, give him the CEO position to run the entire company. Of course, you will have to recognize him then as someone who could successfully run GH Mobile, sir.”

“Hmm, merging the two companies…”

“Once he starts running his own company, he will desperately learn all sorts of business activities that are going on in every single business such as finance, general affairs, production quality control, sales, etc. He is currently taking night classes at a university after work. He has the will to learn and improve himself. He is rough sometimes, but I know that he is a decent person. He is simple and loyal. I’m sure he will be loyal to you. He is not someone who would betray you later. He will be an excellent right-hand man of GH Mobile.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, please accept his resignation for now.”

“Okay, sir.”

After getting off the phone with President Song, Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘That’s right. I can merge the two companies later. I can always make him come back to GH Mobile by merging.’

Gun-Ho opened the internet.

Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s upcoming by-election was still in play. The voting gap between him and his opponent was fluctuating. Minister Jin-Woo Lee was leading right now, but it could change at any time.

Gun-Ho thought, ‘Minister Jin-Woo Lee must feel very anxious right now. He probably wants to call me, but since I already told him that the second attack will take place in the middle of this month, he wouldn’t call me until then. He should have done a better job for the constituents in his election district by participating in volunteer work or something like that. He had been actually ignorant about the community. He could have done better than this.’

The media already talked about Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s future path that he could take once he was elected in the upcoming by-election. They said that he would take the leadership of his political party—Gonmyeong Party—leading the party.

It was the day of the IPO presentation.

The internal auditor left for the presentation venue in Youido Island earlier than the scheduled time, taking Ms. Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo and Mr. Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong with him, who drafted the presentation materials. He wanted to check the place of the presentation in advance before the public investors arrived. The agency which had been and also would be helping Dyeon Korea through the process until it successfully would go public—the stock brokerage company—was supposed to make all the arrangements for the presentation, but the internal auditor wanted to verify everything on his own to be sure. Gun-Ho also arrived at the place earlier, and he tested the microphone and the PowerPoint presentation materials as well. Mr. Vice President Adam Castler was seen there as well. He maintained his smiling face while sitting on a chair.

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Chapter 781 - IPO Presentation (2) – Part 2

Chapter 781: IPO Presentation (2) – Part 2

The convention center was large in size, and Gun-Ho didn’t expect to see it fully filled with people. But, to his surprise, a lot of people came to see the presentation. Most of them were actual institutional investors, investment consultants, and people from various stock brokerage firms. Economic reporters came as well.

Gun-Ho felt calm when he held the microphone to give his presentation.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming. I truly appreciate that you make time to come given your busy schedule. My name is Gun-Ho Goo. I’m the president of Dyeon Korea.”

Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong was busily taking pictures in the back of the room.

Gun-Ho continued, “Dyeon Korea is a manufacturing company that produces PP compounds and engineering plastics. We manufacture the raw materials that are used to make auto and electronic devices’ parts. We recently started producing eco-friendly materials…”

The attendees were listening to Gun-Ho’s speech silently. There were some people making a note from time to time while listening, but no one raised any questions.

When Gun-Ho talked about the company’s financial situation, he explained it very well and professionally without even looking at a document or a PowerPoint slide since he remembered all the numbers.

“Our company has been in business for less than three years; however, our annual sales growth rate is more than 30%. Dyeon Korea’s partner is the world-renowned American company—Lymondell Dyeon. We have the exclusive right to manufacture and sell the products in the entire Asia market. The company has no debt, and it generates profits. We have our factories overseas as well, specifically in Chennai, India, and Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province in China.

The Asia market is currently bigger than the markets in Europe, South America, or North America. Since India and China is a huge continent, we are planning to build more factories there. We will also expand our business to Indonesia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and the Middle East. In order to build additional factories in these countries, we need funds. This is the main reason why we decided to go public.”

Once Gun-Ho finished his presentation, he started the Q&A session giving the attendees the opportunity to ask any relevant questions. However, not many people had a question. Only a few asked about if the company had a competitor, and in what percentage the joint venture’s two major shareholders own its ownership interest. When Gun-Ho looked at the exit door in the back, there were a lot of people standing there. They were probably those who arrived at the presentation a bit late and couldn’t find a seat. They attentively listened to Gun-Ho’s presentation while standing in the back.

When the presentation was over, the branch manager of the stock brokerage company extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“It was a nice presentation, sir.”

“I hope I didn’t make any mistakes.”

“You didn’t. You did very well. You looked calm and stable which must give a good impression to the investors. When you talked about the company’s financial status, I’ve noticed that you didn’t even look at any documents. I thought it was very you.”

“Do you think we will have many investors who would show their interests?”

“A lot of investors certainly looked very interested in the company’s stock. Given the low number of available shares to buy, the price of the share will be high, I guess. Haha.”

“You think so?”

Gun-Ho took Dyeon Korea’s employees from Asan City, who came to help with the presentation, to a Korean restaurant called Roof Garden in the 63 Building for lunch. He ordered two bottles of beer as well.

“You all did a great job making the presentation materials. Let’s have a glass of beer together.”

“It was a great presentation, sir.”

Accounting Manager Myeon-Sook Jo said as she clinked her glass of beer to Gun-Ho’s, “I didn’t know you were such a good speaker, sir, since you are usually very quiet. I was startled when you gave all the numbers accurately without referring to any documents when you explained about our financial status.”

The internal auditor added with a smile, “That’s why you have to be extra careful when you talk about numbers in front of our president. If you give a wrong number, he will know it right away.”

The employees seemed to truly enjoy the lunch, maybe because they felt relieved since the presentation was over. Gun-Ho felt good as well. He said, “Dyeon Korea is going public. You can all feel proud of being part of a public company.”

Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong, who was sitting at the end of the table, said “Sir, I have our company shares. I purchased them for 2 million won through the employee stock ownership program. The price of the share will increase substantially, right?”

The internal auditor answered his question on behalf of Gun-Ho, “You have to wait for a year in order to sell your shares since it was purchased through the employee stock ownership program. After a year, the shares would become gold. Many business owners sell their company shares to their employees at the price around the public offering price, but our president let us buy the shares at the face value. You will see. After one year when you are ready to sell your shares, there will be news coverage about Dyeon Korea’s employees who would make a fortune because the price of the share increased significantly.”

Assistant Manager Il-Gi Seong smiled broadly in excitement.

After lunch, Gun-Ho let the employees go back to work in Dyeon Korea, Asan City, and he came back to his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. Since he had a glass of beer with lunch, he felt sleepy. He then took a brief nap for about 10 minutes. Feeling refreshed, he gulped down a bottle of water.

‘The initial price of the company shares will be determined based on the estimated demand after the presentation. I wonder how much it would be. The branch manager of the stock brokerage company predicted that the price would be around 25,000 won. It’s not like he just picked a random number, but it was based on his careful calculation considering Dyeon Korea’s asset value, the value of its revenue, business value, etc. The value of the company evaluating all was 25,000 won per share. The actual stock price will be more or less of that price.

The branch manager pointed out today that our shares that would be available to trade in the stock market wouldn’t be a lot, and that will make the price even higher. That means that the price will be on the rise once it becomes available in the stock market. Director Jong-Suk Park should wait to sell his shares then. The price will go up.’

Gun-Ho made a call to the branch manager of the stock brokerage company.

“I called you to thank you for your help in the process of coming to the IPO presentation today. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, sir. We just managed some paperwork for you; that’s all. I’m so glad that the presentation today was successful.”

“I have a question for you. You said at the presentation that Dyeon Korea’s stock will be strong even in the beginning when it becomes available to trade in the stock market.”

“Yes, I said that. But, the price could also drop if some stock manipulators start playing a game with it. I’ve seen one today at the presentation.”

“Stock manipulators?”

“There are a lot of clubs with members, that act as stock manipulators. Some clubs have tens or even hundreds of members. They try to make money by controlling a company’s stock price with their members’ funds.”

Gun-Ho knew about the existence of a stock manipulator and such a club since he had been investing in the stock market as well. He once thought that those sorts of clubs were like cancer in the stock market, but he also thought that without them, the stock market could be boring as well.

‘So, the branch manager of the stock brokerage company recognized a stock manipulator. I guess this could make a very interesting situation.’

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Chapter 782 - GH Machines – Part 1

Chapter 782: GH Machines – Part 1

It was Monday. Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

700 people were currently working at GH Mobile, but the workplace was very organized and well arranged. There was nothing found that seemed to be distracting or disordered. Thanks to President Song who established GH Mobile’s systematic work environment by implementing procedures and policies that everyone must follow.

The production manager at the production site 1 was walking around his production site when he saw Gun-Ho coming there. He went close to greet Gun-Ho.

“Is everything fine here?”

“Yes, sir. Mr. Director Park is in his office right now.”

Gun-Ho went to Director Park’s office. He was writing down something at his desk.

“What are you doing there?”

“Oh, bro. You are here.”

“I was told that you submitted your resignation letter.”

“Yeah, I did, and it has been processed. Since I’m about to quit this job, I feel like I shouldn’t walk around the production site as if I still manage the place. So, I’m just staying in this office.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“President Song told me that I can stay in this office until I find my own place to work, but I don’t know. I’m not sure how this can be perceived by the workers here.”

“You don’t have to think that way.”

“Maybe it’s better for everyone that I quit the job. The production manager at the production site 1 has been in his current position for three years now. Since I’m a director, he had to wait for his next promotion until I get promoted to a level higher in position. The thing is that I can’t be promoted to a senior director position for quite a while because it would be too quick. Moreover, the general affairs director, the director in the product quality control department, and the accounting director are in their 50s, and they need to be promoted to the senior director position before I can.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Of course, I can be promoted if you say so, but we don’t want people to talk behind our back that it’s not fair. Now that I think of it, it was a good decision to quit the job. Turning in my resignation letter was good, but I don’t know where I should spend my day after that.”

“That’s why you are sitting here all day long?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you start your search for a factory around here, that you can rent?”

“I saw one place, but I don’t have money now… I have to wait until I can sell my company shares. Even if I find a good place, I can’t hold it without giving them a deposit.”

“I will lend you money. You can pay me back once you sell your shares later.”

“Are you serious? It will be a significant amount of money.”

“I will lend you funds as much as you need. This is part of my investment anyway.”

Gun-Ho said as he crossed his legs sitting on the sofa in the production director’s office, “Which factory did you visit around here?”

“One of the factories is on the market for lease in the Baekseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex.”

“If it’s in an agricultural and industrial complex, it should have good infrastructure to run a factory. The environment should be good.”

“Yeah, it seemed to be good. There are many other factories there, and the roads are all paved. They have their own wastewater treatment facility inside the complex, and the electric power capacity is good too.”

“How large is it?”

“Since the factories are inside the industrial complex, many of them are large in size. The one that I am interested in renting is 1,100 pyung large. It’s a two-story building. I was told that its total floor space is 560 pyung. The Baekseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex is close to downtown, so its rent is relatively expensive. That is the one that makes me hesitate to choose the place.”

“How much are they asking?”

“The monthly rent is 5 million won with a security deposit of 50 million won.”

“Hmm, really?”

“It is expensive, isn’t it?”

“Well, if you like the place, then take it. Before you sign the lease contract, make sure that you verify whether it has a lien on it or any other encumbrances.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Other than the security deposit, you will need money to buy the twin screws from West Moulding in the U.S. and all other necessary parts from other companies. You also need to buy some machines, right? How much do you think you need to start the business?”

“Let me see… I believe it takes at least 50 million won to purchase the parts that are necessary to build one Dyeon Korea’s machine, including the twin screws. There are various small devices that need to be attached to the machine as well, so it’s like a big package containing the main machine; that’s why it is expensive to build. If we build five machines, it will cost 250 million won at a minimum. So, with the security deposit of 50 million won for the place and 250 million won for the parts to build 5 machines to start, I will need at least 300 million won. So, the company’s capital would be 300 million won.”

“You will need more than that. You will have to buy this and that when you open your own place. I think you will need at least 500 million won to start. How much do you think you can bring in?”

“Well, I don’t have money right now, and I’m not sure how much I can make when I sell my shares. So, I would say that I can bring in maybe 50 million won. That’s after I sell my shares.”

“50 million won is 10% of the capital of 500 million won. So, are you saying that you are going to take 10% of the ownership interest of the company?”

“Maybe I should take only 5%. What do you think? I heard that Min-Hyeok bro and Jae-Sik bro owns 5% of the companies that they are running in China.”

“You are different from them. You are not just bringing cash into this business, but you are contributing your skills in handling machines. I want you to have more ownership interest. Let’s make it 20%. What do you think?”

“20%?”

“Yeah, 20%. You will get paid a monthly salary as the president of GH Machines. After one year, you will take 20% of the profits that would be generated from the business.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Have I ever lied to you?”

“That sounds great.”

“But you have to know that you can’t expect to get paid as much as GH Mobile’s President Song gets since GH Machines is a small company. You will be paid the same amount that you are being paid now as the plant manager of GH Mobile.”

“That’s good. I get paid the same amount as I do now which is good.”

Jong-Suk Park smiled broadly in excitement, and he looked relieved as well.

“When I get back to my office, I will send you 500 million won to your bank account. Text me with your bank account number through KakaoTalk.”

“500 million won? Right now? That much?”

“Yeah, I have that much money. Once you rent the factory in the Baekseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex, I want you to establish a business entity and get the business license yourself. If you have a question, ask the certified legal consultant’s office or tax accountant’s office. You will learn a lot by going through all of the processes yourself.”

“Okay.”

“I determined your salary to the level of the president of GH Machines. You will have to determine the salary of your future workers yourself. I don’t get involved in a salary determination for the workers in GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea either. I handle things that are related to executive officers only like hiring and promoting them of those companies.”

“Hmm, I think I’ve heard about it.”

“I want you to experience running your own business. It’s not an easy job running a company. You might feel more difficult working as a president than handling machines.”

“I think I would.”

“I want you to grow to be a leader and business owner.”

“Thank you, bro.”

“Well, I will get back to my office now. Don’t forget to send me your bank account number. I will transfer 500 million won to your account right away.”

“Does that mean I can sign the lease contract for the place today?”

“It’s all up to you from now. I just want you to remember that the ownership interest is divided as I own 80% and you own 20%. Don’t forget about it.”

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Chapter 783 - GH Machines – Part 2

Chapter 783: GH Machines – Part 2

Gun-Ho went up to his office on the second floor. Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought a cup of green tea for him.

“Please ask Mr. President Song to come to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, President Song entered Gun-Ho’s office carrying a paper to be signed by Gun-Ho.

“I need your signature on this. It’s about one of our executive officers.”

“Is it about Director Jong-Suk Park’s leaving our company?”

“Yes, it is, sir.”

Gun-Ho signed the paper and asked President Song, “Did we report about Director Park’s losing his Four Major Public Insurance?”

“Not yet, sir. We will do it after we get your signature on this.”

“Please do it within today, so he could sell his company shares. He needs that money to start his business.”

“Understood, sir.”

“I just talked with Director Park before coming to my office. He wants to rent a factory in the Baekseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex.”

“An agricultural and industrial complex usually has a good infrastructure. It will be very convenient to work there. But, since the location is close to downtown, the rent must be high.”

“The factory that he wants to rent is 1,100 pyung large, and they are asking for 5 million won for a monthly rent with a security deposit of 50 million won.”

“That sounds about right given the location.”

“After Director Park leaves the company, you will need to stop by the production site more often, I guess, Mr. President Song.”

“I’m preparing to manage the production site after he leaves. I’m going to preside over the regular meeting for the management people in the production department.”

“You will have to take care of everything after he leaves, including hiring a production director if necessary, or promoting someone to the position within the company.”

“I will consider picking someone to promote to that position. We have many managers and senior managers in the production department. Bringing a new person from outside will cause more grievance among our workers. Our management workers in the production site are doing a great job. I will promote one of them to fill up Director Park’s position. It’s September now, and I will select someone before our end of year promotions in December.”

“Sounds good. Have we received the ten twin screws that we ordered from West Moulding?”

“We received a call about it. They are at the customs office now. Assistant Manager Seo at the sales department will handle the import process.”

“Once GH Machines is established, please hand over those ten twin screws to it.”

“Of course, sir. I will do that.”

“Well, when we hand over them to GH Machines, take a 10% profit from the transaction.”

“Sir, I will just ask Director Park to pay the same price that we paid for those screws. He is opening his own business, and we know it will cost him a lot of money. I want to help him. I think we shouldn’t charge him for the screws. That’s the least we can do for him. By the way, have you decided how much capital GH Machines would start with?”

“It’s going to be 500 million won.”

“That sounds reasonable. That should be enough to start.”

“I did everything I could do to help Director Park for his new business. Now, it’s up to him.”

“Haha, he will do fine. I have no doubt that he will succeed.”

After President Song left the office, Gun-Ho called for the accounting director—Ms. Director Min-Hwa Kim.

“Did you want to see me, sir?”

“How much do we have in our reserve as of today?”

“We have 9.5 billion won, sir.”

“What do you think? Do you think we are going to make net earnings of 10 billion won after paying corporate tax, at the end of this year?”

“It’s not going to be easy, sir.”

“Hmm… Please put 500 million won into my personal bank account. You can record it as a temporary receipt by the president.”

“Can I send the amount to your bank account where you receive your monthly salary, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, sir.”

The accounting director pulled out a disbursement approval form from her folder and placed it on Gun-Ho’s table. Gun-Ho wrote 500 million won on the form and stated it was for a temporary receipt by an executive officer. He then signed the form.

The accounting director briefly verified the form and said, “I will send the amount to your account right away, sir.”

After the accounting director left the office, Gun-Ho received a text message on the KakaoTalk application. It was from Director Park. He sent his bank account number. Gun-Ho then transferred the 500 million won that the accounting director had just sent to his account, to Jong-Suk’s bank account.

Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea in Asan City in the afternoon.

When he went up to his office on the second floor, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought a cup of jujube tea as usual. When Gun-Ho noticed that she was wearing light makeup, he asked her, “Ms. Seon-Hye Yee, you seem to be getting prettier every day. Are you seeing someone?”

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee’s face blushed. Her face turned as red as the jujube tea that she brought to him.

“Ms. Seon-Hye Yee, can you go to the accounting manager—Ms. Manager Myeong-Sook Jo—and ask her to come to my office now?”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Manager Myeong-Sook Jo entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Dyeon Korea’s registration with KOSDAQ will soon be determined. Once it is done, the company shares will be available to trade in the stock market. You have been trained with the requirements and the duties that a public company must fulfill, right?”

“Yes, sir. I had my training at Yeouido Island provided by KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association.”

“You know how many public notices are required to be made by a public company, right?”

“As far as I know, sir, there are 54 types of public notices that a public company must make about its management. And there are notices that could be made voluntarily as well.”

“If we don’t make the required public notices or delay the notice, a penalty will be issued. Some of the violations of this requirement are serious enough to be deemed as a criminal offense. I want you to take care of fulfilling this requirement, and when you make any public notice, get an approval from the internal auditor.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Once our company is successfully registered with KOSDAQ, disclose our second half-year’s financial document for this year, which wouldn’t be shown on the Financial Supervisor Service website—DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System)—yet.”

“Yes, sir.”

“It’s September now. When we obtain our financial document for the third quarter period later, we will have to post it as well.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Your workload is about to increase a lot, Ms. Accounting Manager Jo. Share your works with others within the department.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We have someone who handles the employee stock ownership program, don’t we?”

“We do, sir.”

“Since we now have our factories in India and China, we have less export work, don’t we?”

“We don’t make an export to China as much as before, but we still send our products to India.”

“The companies in India and China are independently established business entities in their current locations. Therefore, once we receive their year-end financial statements, we will have to make consolidated financial statements.”

“I’m aware of it, sir.”

“If you feel like you need training on it, make a request to the internal auditor. Also, you can ask for help from the Anchang Accountant Office. They are working with us for our tax and others anyway.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Dyeon Korea’s accounting work would become very complicated, possibly more complicated than GH Mobile’s. Your role in this change is critical, Ms. Manager Jo.”

“Understood, sir.”

“If you handle the work well, you can be promoted to a senior manager position in the accounting department since it’s vacant now. However, if you can’t handle the work, and if we determine that we need help there, we will have to hire someone for the senior manager position in the accounting department from outside. I don’t want that to happen.”

“Understood, sir.”

“We will provide you with training as often as you need. Mr. Internal Auditor often told me how well you are handling your work at the department. I do highly expect from you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

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Chapter 784 - Determination of Public Offering Price (1) – Part 1

Chapter 784: Determination of Public Offering Price (1) – Part 1

A moment after Manager Myeong-Sook Jo left the office, the internal auditor came into Gun-Ho’s office. A smile was on his face.

“Sir, I just received a call from our agent— the stock brokerage company. Tomorrow, they are opening the estimated demand for our share price which would reflect the institutional investors’ interest in our company.”

“Tomorrow? I wonder how many of them participated in it.”

“I heard that there are more than 300 institutional investors who participated in calculating our initial share price.”

“Opening it tomorrow means that it’s sealed, huh?”

“That’s right, sir. Would you like to go and see the opening tomorrow?”

“Who’s coming tomorrow to see the result?”

“The participating institutional investors will be there. Also, the people from the stock brokerage company and related people will be there too. Oh, the auditor from the stock brokerage company must attend as well.”

“I think you should go there too, Mr. Internal Auditor. The price will be determined by the average price from the estimated demand coming from the participating institutional investors anyway.”

“That’s right, sir. I will go there tomorrow and will let you know the result as soon as I find it out.”

“We have to announce the result, right?”

“Of course, sir, we have to. Even if we don’t, our agent— the stock brokerage firm— will probably send the result to the media. The public investors need to know it.”

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. When Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office, he received a call from GH Mobile’s Director Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro? It’s me. I signed the lease contract for the factory in the Baekseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex. The thing is that they charged me a lot for their real estate commissions. Son of b*tches.”

“It’s probably because the transaction is for a factory building. That sort of transaction is not very usual anyway.”

“Well, I shouldn’t talk badly about real estate agents. My father-in-law is running a real estate agency office.”

“When are you supposed to pay the entire purchasing price?”

“Since the factory is vacant, I can use it right away once I pay the price. So, I told them that I would pay after a week.”

“When you form and register the business entity— GH Machines, you can use that address then.”

Jong-Suk Park said, “President Song told me that I can take the ten twin screws that GH Mobile purchased from the West Moulding in the U.S. for the same price that they paid. I was surprised when he offered me to buy them for the same price. It’s not usual for a cheap person like him.”

“Oh, really? That’s really nice. You probably want to leave those twin screws in GH Mobile for a while though until your place is ready, while keeping them unpacked.”

“I think so. I will have to wait at least a week to occupy the factory.”

“Well, I recommend you that you take a deep rest until you move into the new factory in the agricultural and industrial complex.”

“Bro, while I’m waiting for the factory ready, can I visit Min-Hyeok brother in China for fun?”

“Sure, why not? Why don’t you take your wife with you then?”

“Well, I’d better go on the trip by myself. My wife needs to stay at home with our baby. Min-Hyeok brother has kept asking me to visit him in China when I have time, whenever I talk with him on the phone.”

“Sounds good. You can also visit Dyeon China while you are there. Dyeon China will be your client company after all. And, let our new company— GH Machines— pay for your first trip to China.”

“Are you sure? Haha. Thank you so much.”

In that afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from the internal auditor.

“We have our company share’s public offering price now, sir.”

“How much is it?”

“It’s 26,000 won per share, sir.”

“Haha. It’s very close to what we expected. Good job.”

“I will post the price as 26,000 won per share then, sir.”

“Sounds good. So, once Dyeon Korea is completely registered with KOSDAQ, and once the stock market is open, our stock will be offered at 26,000 won?”

“Not necessarily. The opening price will be the price of our share that is actually traded on the first trading day.”

The next day, every single one of the economic newspapers covered Dyeon Korea’s going public, and that made Dyeon Korea become widely known. Even if Dyeon Korea was a joint venture company with a partner, it was now a public company that was registered with KOSDAQ, and Gun-Ho was its president. Gun-Ho was not its CEO who was just hired to operate the company, but he was the president who was also the company’s major shareholder.

Gun-Ho was having his tea that Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought to him earlier, with his legs crossed in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town, when he read the news coverage on the newspaper.

[Dyeon Korea’s public offering price has been determined as 26,000 won per share. It was determined based on the base data that was collected from various domestic and international institutional investors throughout the past two days on September 6th and 7th, and as a result, the price was finalized to 26,000 won. It was officially announced during their public notice for September. Accordingly, Dyeon Korea’s market capitalization would be 135.2 billion won. In this public offering price determination, 360 domestic and international public investors participated, and the competition rate is 9.42.

Dyeon Korea is a manufacturing company that produces raw materials for engineering plastics. As the company goes public, it can now aggressively expand its business to the entire Asia market, and the brand name— Dyeon Korea— will be soon widely well recognized.

Dyeon Korea’s stock will be offered to public investors on September 12th and 13th, and 600,000 shares will be available. Dyeon Korea will make its official entry to KOSDAQ market on September 25th.]

Once the newspapers started talking about Dyeon Korea’s going public, a lot of articles about it began to appear on the internet as well. Gun-Ho’s phone started busily ringing accordingly.

The first call that Gun-Ho received was from Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim & Jeong Law Firm.

“Congratulations, man. I just saw the news on the internet. You are incredible, Gun-Ho Goo!”

A lot of calls ensued after Young-Jin Kim’s. Gun-Ho received calls from GH Mobile’s President Song and also from Minister Jin-Woo Lee. Many of his classmates from the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University called Gun-Ho as well to congratulate him on his company going public. Also, the calls from H Group’s CEO, A Group’s CEO from its department of planning and coordination, Egnopak’s president, and Mandong Company’s president, and S Group’s CEO came through as well.

On the other hand, he received only one congratulatory message from his high school friends. It was Won-Chul Jo. He didn’t call, but instead, he sent a text message to Gun-Ho in congratulating him. Maybe Gun-Ho’s high school friends didn’t read economic newspapers on a daily basis, or they were not so interested in how companies were doing in the country. Anyway, Gun-Ho was feeling great as he read the news article about Dyeon Korea, but he expressed his delightedness by being rather humble.

“Why are they making a big deal out of this? I own only half of the company since it’s a joint venture. Maybe I should have GH Mobile go public as well. Hmm, maybe not. GH Mobile is somewhat related to Minister Jin-Woo Lee, and we don’t want the company to draw attention from the public. I’d better keep a low profile with GH Mobile.

Maybe I’d better keep GH Mobile as a private company forever. Instead, I can focus on making money from it. Then, which company should I make a public company next? GH Media? GH Development? Nah. These companies are too small to go public, and they won’t be able to fulfill the requirements. What about GH Machines that will soon be open? If GH Machines go public later, Jong-Suk Park will make a fortune with his 20% ownership interest in it.”

Gun-Ho was feeling sore in his throat after answering numerous calls that day. He asked for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Do we still have Chinese tea?”

“Do you mean Longjing tea, sir?”

“Hmm, yes. Please bring me a cup of that tea.”

“Yes, sir. Coming right up.”

When Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh opened Gun-Ho’s office door to leave, Director Kang stuck his head in and said, “Sir, I read the news. Congratulations.”

Manager Hong who was in charge of accounting work in GH Development also said loudly, “Congratulations,” from her seat. On the other hand, Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong and Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh looked puzzled wondering what was going on.

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Chapter 785 - Determination of Public Offering Price (1) – Part 2

Chapter 785: Determination of Public Offering Price (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was having a cup of hot Longjing tea in his office in GH Development. At that moment, he received a rather unexpected call. It was from his sister.

“Congratulations, Gun-Ho. Dyeon Korea is going public, huh?”

“Oh, you saw the news?”

“Yeah. Actually, I learned it from my husband first. He heard about the news when he visited Dyeon Korea for work earlier. He told me that the workers there were vigorously talking about it.”

“What were they saying?”

“The talks actually started last week. People talked about Dyeon Korea going public, and said that those, who purchased the company shares through the employee stock ownership program earlier, would make a lot of money soon.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“And, when I was surfing the web as it’s one of my usual routines, I saw the word— Dyeon Korea. When I clicked it to find out what was going on, I learned about it going public. My husband told me that Dyeon Korea opened new manufacturing facilities in China and India. According to him, it will soon open additional factories in Southeast Asia as well.”

“Yup, that’s the plan.”

“I’m so proud of you, my brother. I’m really impressed. You grew into this great businessman. If you think about the old days even a few years back, you and I couldn’t even find a decent job in a public company. Whenever we heard of someone who got a job in a public company, we were so envious of them. And, now, you are not just working for a public company, but you are the president of a public company, who is running it. I still can’t believe it.”

“Okay.”

“So, now, my question is… Can ordinary people sell and buy Dyeon Korea’s stock?”

“Yes, it’s possible.”

“Oh, haha. You remember my friend— Seung-Hee— right? She is here with me in my office right now. She is saying that she is so sick of even hearing about investing in the stock market.”

“Why is that?”

“She invested this lump sum money that she was going to use as a security deposit for her rental home, and she lost it all when she invested it in the stock market. That’s how she started her current job selling insurance policies. She is here with me for insurance.”

“Haha, really? Well, I hope you have fun with your old friend there. I have to go now. You know, I’m busy.”

“Oh, okay, no problem. I will talk to you later.”

After getting off the phone with his sister, Gun-Ho thought about Seung-Hee Park sister while having his Longjiang tea.

‘Seung-Hee sister was very popular when we were all in high school. She was rather a conceited girl back then.’

Seung-Hee Park was Gun-Ho’s sister’s best friend in high school. She was pretty and popular among the boys in the area. She was making good grades in school, and her family was doing better financially than Gun-Ho’s family. Her father was working for a tax accountant office or something. Gun-Ho also remembered that he had heard about her father’s affairs with another woman, and he started a new family in another area or something.

In those old days, Gun-Ho had thought that if he had to marry, he would marry someone like Seung-Hee sister. However, when he saw her again for the first time in a long time when he was running several OneRoomTels in Seoul, he was very disappointed by her look. She changed a lot, and Gun-Ho almost couldn’t recognize her. First, she was not as pretty as he remembered. Also, she looked shorter than he remembered, and she seemed to have grown into a mediocre middle-aged woman who could be often seen on the street. Seung-Hee Park visited Gun-Ho’s tiny office at that time to sell fire insurance.

‘So, Seung-Hee sister was once into stock trading, huh? Ha. Last time I saw her, she looked like a middle-aged woman who had no particular interest or sense in the business world or anything like that. I wonder how she had gotten into stock trading. Maybe, she simply put her money there when she heard of some information from someone. And that probably was how she lost her entire money that she was going to use to rent a condo.’

When Gun-Ho was thinking about Seung-Hee sister, he received a call from his wife— Young-Eun— which was unusual.

“Oppa? It’s me.”

“Huh? I’ve never expected to get a call from you at work. What’s up?”

“Is it a good time to talk?”

“Yeah.”

“Dyeon Korean is your company, isn’t it?”

“Honey, you don’t know what company your husband owns? Please have some interest in what your husband does.”

“Well, hubby, I’m not interested in what company you are running. You and I already know that, right? The thing is that there are people who show their interests in what you do, around me.”

“Who is that?”

“I received a call from a friend from college. He was senior to me. He asked me if Dyeon Korea that is going public is the company that Sang-Min’s father is running.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him that it looks like it is.”

“And?”

“He asked if he can buy the company stock now.”

“I don’t know that yet. He will have to wait until the stock becomes available in the stock market.”

“Okay. I will let him know.”

Gun-Ho felt a bit disappointed in Young-Eun’s indifference in his work. He didn’t expect for Young-Eun to get all excited about his company going public and making a fuss about it, but she could at least tell him to congratulate him quietly. But that was okay with Gun-Ho because they had a baby together. when he thought about his son— Sang-Min— laughing while waving a rattle toy, a smile spread across his face as well.

Later that day, Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor again.

“It’s me, sir. I just came back to the office.”

“You are very quick. You did a great job today, Mr. Internal Auditor.”

“Mr. Vice President Adam Castler is asking if he can inform the head office about the public offering price of our company share.”

“Sure, why not? It’s not a secret. The price has been publicly announced already.”

“They are also asking about the IPO lock-up period for major shareholders.”

“They should know about it. I wonder why they are asking us such a question.”

“They probably want to hear from us as a confirmation, sir. Haha.”

“Tell them that it’s 6 months.”

“Yes, sir. They are also asking if we have any plans to do a stock split later. Lymondell Dyeon is asking about it.”

“They asked about a stock split?”

“Do you want me to tell them that we have no plan to do it yet?”

“That sounds good. It seems that Lymondell Dyeon is very interested in the company going public and probably the following increase in value of their ownership interest.”

“It is true that they are showing their acute interest in it, particularly at this time. Mr. Vice President Adam Castler emphasized twice to me that these questions are from Lymondell Dyeon.”

“I’m sure that it is very possible that they will try to manipulate the stock market with help from the global investment banking companies such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, or Bear Stearns. They won’t miss any opportunities to make money by investing in the stock market. They are professionals in this field.”

“Even if that’s their intention, since this is a joint venture company, both parties must let the other party know in advance about their move, right?”

“Of course, we should. Well, tell them that we haven’t planned anything about splitting the stock for now, but if we do later, we will discuss it with them.”

“Yes, sir. I will let them know as such.”

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Chapter 786 - Determination of Public Offering Price (2) – Part 1

Chapter 786: Determination of Public Offering Price (2) – Part 1

Several days passed by.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk Park who just came back from his trip to China.

“Bro? It’s me. I’m back. The trip was really nice.”

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah. I stayed in Min-Hyeok brother’s home. Haha.”

“Did Min-Hyeok bought you delicious Chinese food?”

“Oh, my. I had deep-fried freshwater crabs. It was really good. He even took me to a place where a snake dish is served.”

“A snake?”

“Yeah. The chef there cut a live snake into pieces in front of us.”

“Really?”

“Min-Hyeok brother seems to be doing great in China. He is a successful businessman there. I still remember the old days when he was often beaten up by Suk-Ho and the Won-chul brothers, and cried a lot afterwards. I was impressed by his fluent Chinese. He sounds like a Chinese man. He doesn’t seem to have any problems even arguing with Chinese people.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He is driving an Audi. He looked like a rich man there. I visited his factory too. I’m sure there are more than 100 workers working there. His office is well decorated; it looks luxurious enough for the president’s office of a company. I saw several Chinese paintings and vases there too. He is also playing golf as well. He said that I should learn how to play golf.”

“I agree with him. You should play golf, if not for fun, do it for your business.”

“We went to a karaoke one night.”

“You really had a good time, huh?”

“The Korean-Chinese ladies working in the karaoke were all wearing Qipao, and they were gorgeous. They are all in a very good shape as well.”

“I guess you won’t have any problems living in China.”

“Well, I don’t have any intentions to live there though. When I came back to Korea, I felt so relieved and peaceful. I love my country. It’s a beautiful country.”

“Haha, okay.”

“I fixed one of the machines for Min-Hyeok brother when I visited his factory there. So, I kind of paid for the hospitality that he had shown to me during the trip.”

“The GH Mobile’s former plant manager is working there. Can’t he fix it?”

“People have their own areas that they are good at. Fixing machines is my area of expertise.”

“Okay. I guess you paid for the food that you ate there at a minimum with your skills.”

“I also went to Dyeon China as well.”

“How are they doing?”

“The team lead person who was dispatched from Dyeon Korea asked me to take a look at a machine there. He said that the machine started making an unusual noise recently. Well, guess what? I fixed it for them too.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Min-Hyeok brother took me to two more factories where a couple of machines require some repair, and I fixed them all as well. Min-Hyeok brother introduced me to the people in the area, referring me as the president of GH Machines, and many business owners of factories in the area said that they want my company to build machines for their factories.”

“Haha. I guess you already procured several clients even before opening the company. It seems that you will need to build machines not just for Dyeon Korea but also for other factories.”

“I can’t just laugh about it, bro. I will have to think deeply about the possibility.”

“Really? I guess those business owners were serious about it, huh? Did they buy you a drink to thank you for your repairing service?”

“Actually, they gave me some money saying that it was a small token of their appreciation for me. And, I used that money for the trip to visit Suk-Ho brother in Shenyang City.”

“Oh, really? You went all the way to Shenyang City to see Suk-Ho Lee?”

“Yeah. Suk-Ho brother is running a karaoke near Shenyang Xita. I’m not sure if he is making enough money from that business to make a living though.”

“Why? The ladies working there were not your type?”

“The karaoke that Min-Hyeok bro took me to in Suzhou City was the best. The place was luxurious, neat, and fresh, not to mention those stunningly beautiful ladies there. On the other hand, Suk-Ho brother’s place was in the basement, and I could smell some unpleasant odor as well. He had a few ladies working for him there too, but they were not pretty at all, and I wasn’t willing to spend time with them.”

“Hmm, really?”

“When Suk-Ho brother saw me, he looked genuinely excited to see me. I guess he is lonely.”

“That makes sense. It has been a while since he stayed in China away from home in Korea.”

“Suk-Ho brother also introduced me to some businessmen in the area, but they were just small business owners. One was running a Kimchi factory, and another person was selling Korean products there. Oh, there was this person who exports agricultural produce to Korea. I couldn’t smell money from them.”

“Did you pay for the time you spent in his karaoke? You should have.”

“I did. He was delighted when I paid for it. He said that most of his friends, who came to see him in China, were expecting him to provide them with everything during their stay. And, he said that I was different, and that he loved it. He even kissed me on the cheek, which was awkward.”

“Haha, I see.”

“He asked me to say hi to you. Suk-Ho brother is obviously jealous of Min-Hyeok brother in Suzhou City and Jae-Sik brother in Guizhou Province, being so successful. But, he has no harsh feelings toward you at all. He even said he admired you.”

“Admiring me? What the…!”

“Suk-Ho brother has several rooms with a bed on the second floor in his karaoke building, so the customers, who come to his karaoke, can have fun with the lady workers if they like them. He offered me to have a ‘special time’ there with one of the ladies, but I refused his offer. I didn’t like that lady anyway.”

“Isn’t it illegal?”

“Well, he was so confident that he won’t get in any trouble for the business like that since he knows people in the public security office.”

“Hmm, well… I don’t have a good feeling about it.”

“By the way, I’m making the final payment for the factory in Baekseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex the day after tomorrow. Once I settle there and get ready to open the business, I will contact you.”

“Sounds good. Don’t forget to form the business entity and register it.”

“No problem. Speaking of which, I have an appointment with a certified legal consultant’s office this afternoon.”

“Good.”

Gun-Ho opened an internet news page.

“What? The former news anchorman might win over Minister Jin-woo Lee?”

[The former Minister Jin-Woo Lee has been leading the election until now, over his opponent candidate— the former news anchor. However, as we are getting closer to the election day, many people predict that the result would be possibly reversed. The former news anchor candidate had his hard time with unfavorable rumors and issues, but the current supporting votes for him show that it’s all recovered. The public opinion poll now shows a 50:50 voting gap. This congressional race is becoming a nip-and-tuck match as it gets closer to the final day.]

Gun-Ho giggled as he was reading through the news on the internet.

‘He doesn’t need money since he is already rich, and he is also a well-respected person as a former minister in the government. What does he want to achieve further by becoming a congressman? He is paying a high price by going through the process to be one. If I was him, I would have just opened a business and lived a happy and relaxing life. Since his father-in-law has a conglomerate, he could ask him to give him one of its subsidiary companies. I just don’t understand why he is doing this.’

Gun-Ho made a call to Min-Ho Kang who was working for a civic organization.

“It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, President Goo. I read the news about your company going public. It’s amazing. I didn’t call you to congratulate on it because I thought you would be very busy.”

“Don’t worry about it! By the way, are we ready to launch our second attack?”

“Oh, that? Oh, it’s already mid-month? Huh? It is already mid-month. I have lost track of time these days. Well, I will do it today.”

“Okay, then I will send you that thing today too.”

“Really? Thank you. The two administrators here at work are so excited because of the ‘energy drinks’ that you send to us.”

“Haha, is that right?”

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Chapter 787 - Determination of Public Offering Price (2) – Part 2

Chapter 787: Determination of Public Offering Price (2) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho dialed Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s phone number, he got a busy signal. He tried again after ten minutes. The line was still busy.

“Is he going to be talking over the phone all day long? Maybe he is calling everyone in his election district to ask them to vote for him.”

After a while, Gun-Ho received a call from Minister Jin-Woo Lee.

“I’m so sorry. I just saw that I missed your call twice today.”

“I guess you’ve been very busy today, sir.”

“I’ve been busy making calls to the local officials and influencers for help.”

“Our second attack will be launched today. And, we will see the effect within a few days.”

“Really? Thank you so much. You are my Zhang Liang, Mr. Class Manager.”

“I can’t dare to be compared to Zhang Liang, sir.”

“Of course, you can. To me, you are Zhang Liang. I’m hoping to keep our good relationship for a long time.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s accounting manager— Manager Myeong-Sook Jo.

“You remember that we’ve sent funds to three people in a civic organization last month, right?”

“Yes, I do, sir.”

“Please once again send the same amount to the same people just like you did last time.”

“Yes, sir. I will send 1.8 million won to one person, and 1.6 million won to the other two people.”

“This will be the last payment for them. We won’t have to send any funds to those people again.”

“Understood, sir.”

A few days later, an interesting story about one of the candidates for the upcoming by-election started appearing on the internet.

[Legitimacy of one of the upcoming by-election’s candidates’ exemption reason from his duty serving in the military became a hot issue.

One of the former news anchor’s comments made in the past raised an important question again. During his college years, he allegedly claimed that whenever he saw the girl, who he disliked at that time, in a 10-meter radius, coming towards him, he always left the scene as fast as he could to avoid her. The reason why he didn’t have to serve in the military came under suspicion because of this comment.

This candidate is known to have high myopia, and that was how he could be exempted from his duty to serve in the military at that time. In addition to many netizens, even those from the Military Manpower Administration pointed out that it could be a problem. The Military Manpower Administration hasn’t yet made any official statement about it.]

The following day, a lot of comments criticizing the former news anchor candidate spilled out to the media and internet.

[Mr. Candidate, are you able to see me?]

[Oh, my, he used to work as a news anchor. A news anchor is supposed to read the subtitles, right? How could he perform his job then? Does he really have high myopia?]

[I can’t even discern a girl in a 5-meter radius. Can I be exempted from my duty to serve in the military?]

[He should step down from the candidacy of the upcoming by-election.]

The next day, criticizing the candidate continued. His supporting votes certainly shrank accordingly.

[That sh*thead! You said you were living in Gangnam District just because the women in the area were pretty. And, you said you left the scene as quickly as you could when you saw the girl in a 10-meter radius, who you hated, coming in your direction, huh? It seems he is enjoying all the privileges that he doesn’t deserve. He didn’t have to serve in the military, and he is living in Gangnam District.]

[I guess I’m voting for Jin-Woo Lee. I’m not a big fan of him either, but I guess he is more experienced than the other one since he has been working as a minister in the government. People say that he is a rich guy, but actually, it’s not him who is rich, but his father-in-law is a wealthy man.]

Someone posted on the internet a photo of the former news anchor candidate when he was studying for the admission exam for college after graduating high school. He didn’t have an attractive look back then. He was very skinny, and he was wearing thick glasses. He definitely looked totally different from now. The person in the photo was ugly enough to disappoint his female supporters.

While reading the comments on the internet, Gun-Ho smiled. The two candidates’ voting gap became 45:55 again.

“My well-respected Minister Jin-Woo Lee must feel relieved by now.”

Gun-Ho wanted to make sure that Minister Jin-Woo Lee understood what he was capable of. He made a call to Minister Jin-Woo Lee right away.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo, sir.”

“Oh, President Goo. I’m glad that you called.”

Minister Jin-Woo Lee seemed to be in a good mood. Gun-Ho could feel the confidence from his voice again.

“How do you like my work?”

“I love it. Thank you so much. I really mean it.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the branch manager of the stock brokerage company.

“Dyeon Korea’s stock will be available to trade in the stock market starting tomorrow.”

“I really appreciate your effort and work bringing this positive result.”

“Haha. I haven’t done much, sir. As I mentioned before, the price will be determined by its demand and supply. But, I would say that the price might not be as high as you expect at first.”

“Don’t we already have the public offering price?”

“I mentioned this to you before. I told you that I saw a few stock manipulators during the presentation. Those people will play a game once the stock market opens. Since the number of Dyeon Korea’s available shares to trade is rather low, it is possible that they might buy them all.”

“Hmm, really?”

“You don’t have to be concerned about the stock price though. You can just ignore whatever they do. The stock price fluctuates every day, and it is often manipulated by those people.”

“So, when they sell Dyeon Korea’s shares, I can buy them, right?”

“I wouldn’t, sir. It could be seen as illegal insider trading. It could be considered as a criminal offense.”

“Haha, I’m aware of it. I’m just saying.”

After getting off the phone with the branch manager, Gun-Ho made a call to Jong-Suk Park.

“Did you form and register the company?”

“Yeah, it’s done. And, I just sent those documents to you via fax. They are GH Machines’ registration and business license. Please verify them.”

“How do you like taking care of those jobs yourself?”

“I learned a lot. I realized that there are things that I’ve never experienced before. I was thinking that if I stayed as the plant manager of GH Mobile, I wouldn’t have had a chance to do such a thing.”

“You are aware that Dyeon Korea’s stock will be available in the stock market tomorrow, right?”

“Of course, I am. I already talked to Dyeon Korea’s staff who is in charge of handling company shares. I told him that I no longer work for GH Mobile, and I want my Dyeon Korea’s shares to be transferred to my stock account. Also, I downloaded the stock trading program on my computer, so I can be ready to trade stocks. It was complicated though.”

“So you are ready?”

“Yeah. I checked my stock account. I have 32,000 shares. I had purchased 16,000 shares for 10,000 won for each, but as you mentioned before, the shares split into two, so each share is 5,000 won. So, a total of 32,000 shares are in my stock account right now.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“So, I can sell these tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, you can. Since you haven’t bought or sold stocks in the stock market before, you could be slow though. I think you should go to the stock brokerage company where you opened your stock account. You have to be there before 8:30 in the morning. You have to put your shares for sale before the stock market opens.”

“8:30 am? Well, I will be there at 8 am.”

“When you get there, buy a staff member a box of beverage or something, and tell him or her that you have 32,000 Dyeon Korea’s shares, and that you want to sell all of them as soon as the stock market opens.”

“Hmm, got it.”

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Chapter 788 - Determination of Public Offering Price (3) – Part 1

Chapter 788: Determination of Public Offering Price (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“There has to be a fax received for me. It’s a company’s registration and business license. Please bring them to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh brought the documents, Gun-Ho started reviewing them.

“Hmm, let me see… there is no internal auditor listed in the registration. Only Jong-Suk Park and myself are listed. The company share is priced for 10,000 won, and there are 50,000 of them. The company’s purpose is defined as a manufacturing business, specifically manufacturing machines… Well, it looks good.”

Gun-Ho was wondering how Dyeon Korea’s stock price would fluctuate once the stock market opened tomorrow.

‘I will add Dyeon Korea to the list of stocks of interest in my stock account, and buy ten shares of them just to watch its daily price. It should be okay if I buy only 10 of them and as long as I don’t actively trade them. What if I happen to want to buy a significant number of shares? Should I open another stock account for the transaction under Young-Eun’s name? Well, that would probably not be a good idea since she is my family.

What if I use my mom’s or dad’s name? Well, they are my parents. It shouldn’t work either. Let me think… Maybe I can use Seung-Hee sister’s stock account for the transaction. She said that she lost a lot of money in the stock market before, meaning that she has a stock account. I should ask her to let me use her stock account. It’s not risky for her to allow me to use her stock account since it’s not like I can use her money through that account.

But, I wonder if she would let me use her stock account anyway. Even though she doesn’t use it anymore, since it’s still under her name, she might not be willing to let someone else use it…’

Gun-Ho made a call to his sister to her office at GH Logistics where she was working as a director.

“It’s me.”

“Huh? Why are you calling me at this hour?”

“You said your friend—Seung-Hee sister—comes to your office pretty often, right?”

“Yeah, she does. She was actually here a few minutes ago. She had lunch with me.”

“You also said that she lost a lot of money by investing in the stock market before, right? So, she probably still has her stock account, doesn’t she?”

“I don’t know. She probably has it.”

“Do you think I can borrow her stock account?”

“Well, I will have to ask her about it. Why do you need to use her stock account?”

“There are some stock manipulators out there. They sometimes disturb the stock market by raising or decreasing certain stock prices intentionally, and they do short selling as well. I want to watch their move.”

“What is short selling in stock?”

“It’s a trading strategy.”

“Whatever. I will ask her if she is willing to let you use her account. I’m one of her major clients now; I bought a lot of insurance policies from her. She will think about it in my favor.”

“Really? Well, just let me know what she says, okay?”

About 30 minutes later, Gun-Ho received a call from his sister.

“I just talked with Seung-Hee. She doesn’t have any problems with you using her stock account since it is for you—her best friend’s little brother. But she is asking you to buy some insurance policies from her or something, in return. She said she was kidding, but I think she needs money. She is not doing well financially.”

“She is living by herself, right? I believe she can fend for herself by selling insurance.”

“Don’t tell anything that you hear this from me. She is actually raising a child. She got full custody of her son when she divorced her husband.”

“Really?”

“Her son is the same age as my Jeong-Ah. Also, she is living with her elderly mother as well.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“You probably have no idea about her family background. Her father had an affair with another woman and eventually started a new family with that woman. Her mother was heartbroken feeling betrayed. And a very similar thing happened to Seung-Hee as well, which is sad.”

“So, her husband had an affair as well?”

“Not that. He was just incapable of making money. Everything that he tried during the marriage failed, and when they divorced, Seung-Hee took over the debt that her husband incurred.”

“So, she divorced her husband just because he wasn’t making enough money?”

“Yeah, but you have to think about the consequences that would follow when you suffer from an acute financial difficulty. People become extremely sensitive and cranky when they don’t have enough money, especially when the situation lasts for a long while. Some people show anger management issues under that kind of pressuring situation. Married couples with a harsh financial situation naturally start hating each other sooner or later.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

After getting off the phone with his sister, Gun-Ho went to the bathroom. When he came back to his office, he received a call from Seung-Hee sister.

“President Goo? It’s me, Seung-Hee sister.”

“Oh, hi. How have you been?”

“Gun-Sook told me that you want to borrow my stock account for a while?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. I asked my sister to ask you if you don’t use your account.”

“Of course, I should let you use my stock account. You’ve been helping me a lot. Moreover, I don’t use that account any longer at all. Holding it doesn’t do any good to me anyway. I will bring you a flash drive that contains all the information about the account, to your office tomorrow.”

“Thank you, sister.”

“Okay, I will be there by 10 am tomorrow.”

Gun-Ho made a call to the branch manager of the stock brokerage company.

“Hello, this is the branch manager. How may I help you?”

“This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, sir.”

“You told me the other day that you saw the leader of a stock manipulating club at our presentation. I was wondering if I could have his contact number.”

“The stock manipulator, sir? They are very rough people. You might not want to get involved with them.”

“I just want to prevent certain unfavorable things from happening in advance, such as a short selling.”

“His club is not the only stock manipulator in the stock market in this country. There are a lot of clubs like that. Many of them are punk and swindlers.”

“I’m well aware of it. I’ve been trading stocks for a long time. I know how they play in the market. I’m not planning to meet any of them in person. I just want to have a contact information just in case.”

“Well, if you insist, sir. I will text you with his phone number.”

About 5 minutes after Gun-Ho got off the phone with the branch manager, he received the text message with the stock manipulator’s phone number.

Gun-Ho glanced at the clock on the wall.

“It’s after 4 pm. The stock market is closed for today. If I contact this person now, he would reply to me back then.”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to the leader of the stock manipulating club.

[Gun-Ho Goo: I’ve been given this number by someone I know. I’m interested in joining your club, and I’d like to know what you need from me to join your club. Also, I’d like to know how many members are in the club.]

[Club Leader: Please forgive me if I’m being blunt. But how much fund are you going to play with?]

[Gun-Ho Goo: I’m thinking about bringing in 40 million won.]

[Club Leader: Our club is actually an investment advisory business entity that is registered with the Financial Supervisory Service. We currently have 50 members, and our VIP team is composed of 30 members, and we provide this small VIP group with information about the stocks whose price will go up in a short period of time.]

A moment later, he sent Gun-Ho another text message.

[Club Leader: The membership fee for a regular member is 1 million won per month. The monthly membership fee for the VIP is 3 million won. We provide VIP members with information about those stocks with which they can make money in a short period of time continuously until every member actually makes money. Also, we let our members know the timing when they have to sell the stocks.]

[Gun-Ho Goo: Thank you for the information. I will think about it and will contact you again through this number.]

[Club Leader: We only accept a limited number of people to join our club. If you contact us later, we might not have an available spot for you.]

[Gun-Ho Goo: I understand. Thank you.]

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Chapter 789 - Determination of Public Offering Price (3) – Part 2

Chapter 789: Determination of Public Offering Price (3) – Part 2

After sending his last text message to the stock manipulator, Gun-Ho giggled.

“So, according to him, I might not be able to join his club if I try later? Bullsh*t. By the way, he said that he is charging 3 million won per month for the members in their VIP group. If they have 30 members in the group as he said, how much does he make? Whoa! It’s 90 million won per month. Well, he might not have 30 members though. Say, he has 15 members there. Even with only 15 people, he is making 45 million won per month. Wow. It’s easy money for him.”

Gun-Ho thought about the old days when he had worked as a factory worker in Yangju City. At that time, he was making in the range between 1.6 million won and 1.8 million won per month. If he worked overtime, he could make a little bit more than that. What about the workers at the civic organization where Min-Ho Kang was working? Those two workers were being paid 1.6 million won per month. GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea’s production workers received 1.8 million won in their first year with the company. And, this team leader person of the stock manipulating club was making at least 45 million won on a monthly basis, if not 90 million won. That certainly surprised Gun-Ho.

“I heard that a team leader person of a club like this owns 10 billion won of assets. I guess it was not a lie.”

At that moment, what Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town had previously told him crossed Gun-Ho’s mind.

[You should stay away from investing in the stock market. You shouldn’t play the game where you can’t figure out the other player’s cards.]

Gun-Ho mumbled to himself.

“Yes, sir. I don’t do stocks anymore. I only do it when I can see the other player’s cards, and I quickly get out afterward.”

The following day, Gun-Ho kept his computer monitor on with the stock trading application showing his stock account. He was observing the movement with Dyeon Korea’s shares.

“Those punks started their move. I wonder how they’ll play.”

The initial price of Dyeon Korea’s share at 9 am that day was 25,200 won, and then, it quickly increased to 28,000 won. When it was 9:30 am, the shares were quickly sold. When it was 10 am, the price was moving up and down around 23,000 won.

“I’m not sure if Jong-Suk sold his shares by now. The transaction of Dyeon Korea’s stock seems to be a bit dramatic for its first day in the stock market. I guess the media will start talking about it with their very subjective speculation, this evening.”

Gun-Ho turned off his computer.

“More than 10% of the shares are sold. I believe the same pattern will continue tomorrow too. I guess the shares will be steadily sold for a week at least.”

Gun-Ho sat on the sofa in his office. He then lifted his arms with his palm upward, and he inhaled in deeply before exhaling.

“This is how the spiritual masters mediate in the old days when they want to get recharged, huh?”

When Gun-Ho was practicing the breathing, he received a call from Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro, it’s me.”

“Did you sell all of your Dyeon Korea’s shares?”

“Yeah, I did. I asked one of the staff at the brokerage firm to sell my shares for me, and I waited there until it’s done. I just came back to my office from there.”

“At what price, did you sell them?”

“I didn’t ask that. The staff who helped me looked so busy, and I didn’t want to bother him.”

“You, idiot. That’s the most important thing that you have to know when you sell your stock.”

“I have a question for you though.”

“What is it?”

“When I opened my stock account in my office, my 32,000 shares are gone.”

“Hmm, yeah, that means they are all sold out. You should now see the estimated fund listed under your account.”

“My estimated fund? Let me see… Well, it says 816,254,060. What does this mean?”

“That’s good! that’s good! Your Dyeon Korea shares were sold at 816 million won!”

“What?”

“Meaning that you put your 160 million won in, and you now have 816 million won!”

“You are kidding, right? How can I possibly make 816 million won with 160 million won?”

“You can withdraw that amount in cash, or you can transfer the amount to your bank account as well.”

“Are you serious? This is really my money? I can take them all out now?”

“Not today though.”

“See? It’s weird.”

“You can’t take the fund out today, but you can do it the day after tomorrow.”

“I’m still not sure if what you said is true.”

“You can ask your stock brokerage firm about it.”

Jong-Suk Park was very skeptical about the whole thing when he hung up the phone.

Seung-Hee sister visited Gun-Ho’s office in GH Building, Sinsa Town in the afternoon.

“I believe this is my first time coming to this building. It’s a nice building. I visited your office near Gangnam Station several times before though.”

“I believe so.”

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring two cups of Chinese tea.

“Manager Kang and Ms. Ji-Young Jeong are still working with you.”

“He is now Director Kang, and she is Assistant Manager Jeong.”

“Oh, really? It’s good that I didn’t mention their job titles when I said hi to them on the way to your office. Haha.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought the tea.

“Please have some tea. It’s Chinese tea.”

“Oh, really? By the way, I heard that one of your companies became a public company. Congratulations. I’m so proud of myself for having someone like you in my close social network. You are my best friend’s brother after all.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, I brought the necessary information for you to have access to my stock account. Here is the flash drive. Check it.”

“I will do it later. I just need your login id and password, and also the public certified number. I will change the public certification.”

“Okay. I wrote down my login id and password here. Also, this is the stock trading card. Oh, I have my passcode here too. Let me give you my public certification number…”

“I will change the public certified number right now while you are here.”

Gun-Ho walked to his desk and turned on his computer. He then clicked the stock trading application icon on the screen to open it.

“Is your account with Gangnam Stock Brokerage firm?”

“Yes, it is Gangnam Stock Brokerage firm.”

Gun-Ho entered Seung-Hee sister’s login id, password, and passcode. He then had her public certification reissued with a new number.

Once he entered the new public certification number, he could open Seung-Hee sister’s stock account.

“Okay, I am in. You have an outstanding balance of 960 won.”

“Haha. That sounds right.”

“Sister, can I use this account for a year? After one year, possibly before that, I will return this account to you.”

“I trust you, President Goo. You can use it as long as you need.”

“Thank you.”

Seung-Hee sister said with a smile, “How are you going to pay me for the use? If you could buy an insurance policy from me for your company, I would really appreciate that. Doesn’t your manufacturing company that recently went public need fire insurance?”

“That factory is… We already have fire insurance. When one of our client companies that we provide with raw materials had requested fire insurance at the beginning of our business, we bought it. And, as to this building… Director Kang’s sister-in-law handled its insurance already. What else… Oh, well, I’m opening a new company in Cheonan City, called GH Machines. I will buy fire insurance from you for that new factory.”

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Chapter 790 - Win the By-Election (1) – Part 1

Chapter 790: Win the By-Election (1) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho said that he would buy fire insurance from Seung-Hee sister for his new factory, her eyes glittered with excitement.

Gun-Ho asked her, “Don’t you need to visit the factory in order to produce a price quote?”

“Not necessarily. I just need the company’s registration document, the lease agreement of the factory, and several photos of the interior and exterior of the factory. If we need more documents, we can make a request to the appropriate government office that could issue them.”

“Hmm, really? Okay, then.”

At that moment, the wrinkles around Seung-Hee sister’s eyes came into his view. Gun-Ho felt sorry for her knowing the hard life that she had had. He wanted to help her if there was anything he could do for her.

“My new factory is not a large one. The fire insurance will cost around several million won only, and I know that most of that amount would go to the insurance company, not you. I’m sure that you—as their agent—wouldn’t make much money from this transaction.”

“What can I do about it? If I can make money, I’ll do the job. At my age, I can’t find a decent full-time office job with which I can make good money.”

“I will make a monthly payment of 300,000 won to you for this stock account that I’m borrowing from you.”

“300,000 won? You don’t have to do this.”

“It’s okay. Please accept it. That’s the least I can do for you who let me use the account. And, I don’t intend to use the account heavily. I probably make one or two transactions per year, and I will return it to you. I won’t do day trading on a daily basis at all.”

“Okay. I will text you later with my bank account number then. I have no problem letting you use my stock account for free, but since you insist and since I haven’t made as many insurance sales as I want these days, I will gladly and thankfully accept your offer. I need money anyway. Thank you.”

“Thank you. This way is better for both of us.”

After Seung-Hee sister left the office, Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk Park. He sounded urgent.

“Bro, you were right!”

“I was right on what?”

“I went to the stock brokerage firm to ask them about the number shown in my stock account. They confirmed that I have 816 million won in my account, and I can withdraw them after two days!”

“Keep your voice down. My ear hurts.”

“I just can’t believe this is happening to me.”

“So, you don’t believe what I said, but you totally believe what the staff at the stock brokerage firm said, huh? Anyway, congratulations. You made a lot of money.”

“Bro, thank you.”

Jong-Suk’s throat seemed to be choked with emotion. He couldn’t say anything further.

“Jong-Suk! Are you there? Hello?”

“I’m still here.”

“You sometimes make a lot of money unexpectedly in life, and you also sometimes lose money unexpectedly. That’s life. Try not to lose the money that you made though.”

“Thank you, brother.”

“What’s wrong with you? You are a tough guy. It doesn’t suit you being choked with emotion. Once we make GH Machines go public in the future, you will even make a larger amount of money.”

“Do you really think we can make GH Machines go public someday? And its share price could strikingly go up just like Dyeon Korea’s?”

“Of course. We just need to diligently grow the company.”

“Okay, bro.”

“I’m going to work in Jiksan Town tomorrow. I will stop by your office in Baeseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex.”

“Sounds good. Here is the direction to the factory. Once you enter the complex, go straight until you see the business sign saying Dooyoung Tech. Go further inside the complex, then you will see a sign—Joyang Industry. That’s our factory. I haven’t changed the business sign yet.”

“Got it.”

“Bro, once I take out my money from my stock account, I will first pay off the loan of 160 million won that I took out from Kukmin Bank using my condo as collateral, and then I will send 100 million won to you for my 20% ownership interest of GH Machines.”

“Sounds good.”

In the afternoon, GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin visited Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor.

“Since Dyeon Korea became a public company, your information appears on the internet if I search your name. Your photo is there too.”

“But, I haven’t provided anyone with my photo.”

“I can see your photo, your educational background, work experience, and etc. Your occupation indicates that you are a business person.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho walked to his desk and entered his name in a search engine on the internet with his desktop computer. President Jeong-Soo Shin was right. His photo popped up. It said that he graduated from Zhejiang University majoring in accounting and that he was the president of Dyeon Korea and GH Mobile.

“See that?”

“Yes, you are right. I didn’t know I could search someone’s name and see their information. By the way, the photo here is an old one. I look younger in this photo.”

“You are still young. Haha.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought tea to the office even though Gun-Ho didn’t ask her for it. President Shin was one of Yeon-Soo’s favorite persons. President Shin was highly knowledgeable of arts and culture in general, and she had a discerning eye on art pieces. And Yeon-Soo admired her for it. Yeon-Soo Oh actually preferred to spend time in GH Media downstairs where many of the workers were young ladies like her, rather than staying at her workplace—GH Development. Whenever she had spare time, she often went down to GH Media’s office on the 17th floor and stayed there. She was eventually reprimanded for it by Director Kang several times already.

GH Development had a different atmosphere from GH Media. Because of its nature of business—managing the building—they often had a visit from the cleaning crew, security officers, and sometimes the tenants who came to argue with Director Kang for their rent problems. Yeon-Soo didn’t like it.

When President Shin visited GH Development, Yeon-Soo Oh prepared green tea quickly and brought it to President Song in Gun-Ho’s office with a broad smile.

Noticing Yeon-Soo Oh being in a good mood, Gun-Ho said, “Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh, you look happy whenever you see President Shin here.”

President Shin said, “Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh and I are getting along very well. She speaks English very well, and she is pretty, and she is also very good at handling things. I get help from her very often too.”

“Really?”

Yeon-Soo Oh blushed in embarrassment when she heard President Shin speaking highly of her in her presence. She quickly left the office.

“Oh, umm, I actually came to ask you about this. Did you establish a new company called GH Machines, sir?”

“Yes, I did.”

“A man, who introduced himself as Mr. Jong-Suk Park, called our office requesting to design his company’s business sign and business card. He talked with our design team lead.”

“Please do as he requested.”

“What’s the nature of that company’s business? By its name, I can tell it has something to do with machines.”

“That’s right. That company is manufacturing large extruder machines using twin screws and also some machine tools.”

“What is a twin screw?”

“It’s just a part that goes into the extruder machine.”

“Oh, I see. So, the Jong-Suk Park person is the president of that company?”

“Yes, he is.”

“I think it’s about time that you take a chairman position, probably at the end of this year, and make a group with all GH companies. There are a lot of them now. The job title—President— doesn’t suit you any longer. I’m a president as well. Haha.”

“Well, I’m not sure. I am too young to take a chairman position…”

“That’s not true. You will soon turn 40 years old, right? You have now 6 GH companies—GH Mobile, Dyeon Korea, GH Machines, GH Development, GH Media, and GH Logistics. In addition, you have two additional companies in China in Suzhou City and Antang City in Guiyang Province. If we include those two companies in China, you have 8 companies already. I guess you should take the chairman position for all of these companies.”

“It’s true that there are 8 companies, but they are all small companies… I wish I had one large company rather than having 8 small companies. People say these days that you’d better own one good condo in Gangnam District rather than having several not so good condos.”

“In my eyes, GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea are large companies.”

“Haha, you think so?”

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Chapter 791 - Win the By-Election (1) – Part 2

Chapter 791: Win the By-Election (1) – Part 2

President Jeong-Sook Shin said as she stood up from her seat getting ready to leave, “Director Woon-Hak Sim called me the other day from Shanghai City. He is doing well, and the movie production is going well too. According to him, the movie shooting will be completed in the middle of next month, and they will enter the editing phase.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“And, just to let you know, GH Media will send a bill to GH Machines for the designing work for their business sign and card.”

“Of course, you should. I have GH Machines’ business registration that I received via fax the other day. I told Manager Hong to keep the registration in a file. So, on the way out, please ask Manager Hong to make a copy of the business registration for you. You will need it to send a bill to GH Machines.”

“Understood, sir.”

It was Friday. Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile.

Gun-Ho went to the production site first. Jong-Suk Park was no longer there, and the position that he was holding as its plant manager and director was vacant. The production managers seemed to work noticeably harder than before, hoping that they got a chance to be promoted to that empty position. It was September, and the promotions would be made at the end of the year in December. It was only three months away, and the production managers were working harder knowing that Gun-Ho was there. They wanted to show Gun-Ho that they deserved the promotion. Gun-Ho was the one who would make the decision of selecting one of them for promotion since it was for an executive officer’s position.

After taking a round at the production site, Gun-Ho went up to the second floor where his office was located.

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park was correcting her makeup while looking into her small hand mirror when Gun-Ho arrived on the second floor. She quickly stood up from her seat when she saw Gun-Ho in startlement.

“Please bring me a cup of coffee.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho was having his morning coffee, President Song entered his office.

“Ever since Dyeon Korea went public, and its shares became available to trade in the stock market, our employees are busy checking their stock price at work without working.”

“I just came from the production site. The workers seemed to work hard.”

“The production workers are working hard because they have work assigned that is supposed to be completed in time. The problem lies with the office workers here. They seem to be very distracted because of their Dyeon Korea’s shares. The price changes now in real-time in the stock market and they talk about it all day long. I had to give them a warning by posting an announcement on the board.”

“What announcement?”

“It says that those who check the current stock price with their smartphone during the work hours, and those who are chit-chatting about stocks during work hours will be severely penalized pursuant to the company regulation.”

“That’s good.”

“Well, I posted that warning on the board myself, but I guess I have to talk to you about the stock now. When I checked the stock market this morning, Dyeon Korea’s stock showed a blue light. There was a price decrease by about 7%. It is common that a stock price goes up and down constantly. I guess the price will go up soon again. I believe Dyeon Korea received a substantial amount of funds after it went public, didn’t it?”

“I believe that it did.”

“Assuming the current price of the share is 25,000 won, GH Mobile is holding their shares worth 45 billion won. After the IPO lock-up period ends, if GH Mobile sells all of its shares, we will have funds of 45 billion won.”

“Theoretically, that’s right.”

“I guess Director Jong-Suk Park must have made a lot of money with the stock. I’m not sure if he sold his shares that he purchased through the employee stock ownership program, but if he did, he must have made big money this time.”

“I think he told me that he sold his shares already.”

“When he had told me that he wanted to purchase all of the forfeited shares, I thought about something.”

“Thought about what?”

“I thought that there must be someone who is guiding him on this because Director Jong-Suk Park is not smart enough to come up with that kind of idea in the first place. He is a smart man in his field, but not savvy in the stock and other finance fields.”

“Haha, is that right?”

“Anyhow, it’s good that one of our people made money. I actually went to GH Machines yesterday.”

“Oh, you did? How is their factory?”

“The factory is cozy and nice. The size is adequate for the work building machines. The building itself looks fine from the outside, but it’s a bit old. But, it’s good enough.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“When I visited that factory, I brought him an orchid plant with my name on it with a ribbon saying wishing him prosperity with his new business. He looked delighted to have the plant and gave me a 90-degree bow. Also, I sent him the twin screws that we purchased from West Moulding and asked him for the same price that we had paid. And he looked even happier.”

“Haha, really?”

“I like the fact that Director Park is young and passionate about what he does. I believe that he won’t disappoint you, sir.”

“He will need help as he starts his own business by himself. Please give him any help or assistance that he needs.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I just talked with Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim before coming to your office. He said that he would send an orchid plant with Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Adam Castler’s name to congratulate his new business opening.”

“Hmm, really? GH Machines need workers as soon as possible. I wonder if he even posted a job opening.”

“It seems that he already hired an office worker who would handle the accounting.”

“Really? That’s good. I feel relieved that Director Park—Oh, well, he is now President Park—has someone in the company who can assist him.”

“And, about the by-election, Minister Jin-Woo Lee is leading the election again. People say that he has a high chance to win the election. There had been hard days when he wasn’t so sure if he could win the election because of the opponent candidate who was receiving enormous support.”

“That’s right. I saw the news on the internet as well. He is turning the tables and winning this congressional race now.”

“While I’ve been observing what’s going on with this election, something crossed my mind.”

“What was it?”

“I think Minister Jin-Woo Lee has someone close who plays the role of his strategist, and this person must be very good. You know, like Zhang Liang.”

“Haha, Zhang Liang?”

As President Song mentioned the name—Zhang Liang—Gun-Ho thought about what Minister Jin-Woo Lee had told him the other day. He said to Gun-Ho, “You are my Zhang Liang.”

Zhang Liang had been deemed to be the best strategist in the history of China, who helped Liu Bang in establishing the Han Dynasty. Minister Jin-Woo Lee was impressed by how Gun-Ho helped him in the upcoming by-election, and he truly appreciated his help. And he praised Gun-Ho by referring to him as Zhang Liang. Gun-Ho heard that name again that day from President Song, and that made him smile.

“The way that the Zhang Liang person designed the strategy for Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s election reminds me of a bullfighter in Spain. He is aiming and killing the bull by plunging his sword on its forehead.”

“Haha, did you say bullfighter in Spain? Well, I did hear that the word—matador—came from the word—killer—anyway.”

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Chapter 792 - Win the By-Election (2) – Part 1

Chapter 792: Win the By-Election (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was heading to GH Machines in Baeseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex.

“Jong-Suk Park said it should be somewhere around here,” Gun-Ho mumbled.

Chan-Ho Eom said, “Oh, over there. I see the business sign; it says Joyang Industrial.”

“That’s the one. Let’s go there.”

In the front yard of the factory, Jong-Suk Park was talking with a truck driver. When he saw Gun-Ho, he greeted him delightedly.

“Bro, you came.”

“The factory looks cozy. Did you post job openings? You need workers as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, I posted job openings in WorkNet. Our office manager is very good at things like that.”

“Oh, that’s right. I heard you hired an office worker for an accounting job.”

“Yes, I did.”

Jong-Suk then yelled toward the office, “Ms. Gyeong-Ae Han! Would you please come out to the front yard? I want you to meet someone.”

A lady, who looked like she was in her early 30s, came to the yard.

“This is President Goo. He is the major shareholder of our company.”

“Hello, sir. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you, sir.”

“It’s nice meeting you too. Are you living around here in Cheonan City?”

“Yes, sir. I graduated from Cheonan Girls’ Commercial High School.”

“If you graduated from a commercial high school, you must have extensive work experience in accounting.”

“Yes, sir. As a matter of fact, I used to work at a plastics molding manufacturing company, handling their accounting.”

Jong-Suk Park chipped in, “You know Secretary Hee-Jeong Pak in GH Mobile, right? She is a friend of hers.”

“Oh, really? That’s very nice.”

She was a mediocre-looking lady. Gun-Ho liked the fact that she had work experience in a manufacturing company.

“Since it is a newly established company, things are not organized and arranged well. You might feel not so comfortable working here for now before things are settled. But, if you work hard to assist President Jong-Suk Park in this situation, I’m sure that President Jong-Suk Park will compensate for your effort.”

“Thank you.”

The lady looked up to Gun-Ho Goo as she smiled.

Jong-Suk said, “Bro, let’s get inside. We can talk there.”

Gun-Ho followed Jong-Suk to his office. There were already four desks placed, and two computers were sitting on the two of the four desks.

“Right now, there are only two people working here— the office manager and myself— but I placed four desks in the office anyway. I bought two computers, and I brought my own computer. So, we now have three computers in this office. Haha.”

“Which one is your office?”

“It’s this way.”

Jong-Suk showed Gun-Ho the president’s office.

“It looks like GH Mobile’s director’s office— the one that you used to occupy. Why didn’t you decorate it like President Song’s office?”

“I can’t have an office that looks like President Song’s office. I should cut my coat according to my cloth. This office is more than enough for me.”

“What is the one next door? Is it a meeting room?”

“No, it’s your office, bro.”

“My office? I don’t need an office. I don’t work here.”

“But, you have your own office in GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea.”

“Those two companies are different. They have several hundreds of workers, and they need my presence sometimes. Use this room for something else. I don’t need an office here. A meeting room would be perfect.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You should use that office as a meeting room.”

Gun-Ho noticed a business sign on the floor, leaning on the wall, in the president’s office.

“Is this our business sign? Good, you need to remove the sign— Joyang Industry— and hang this one instead.”

“Yeah. It just arrived. I’m going to hang it soon. You want to see my business card? It came with the business sign.”

Jong-Suk’s new business sign had the familiar GH logo on it. It said his title as President Jong-Suk Park of GH Machines Corporation.

Jong-Suk said, “In order to succeed in sales, I need the GH logo in my business card. The potential client companies would recognize the name, and consider it is a stable company. If I don’t have the GH logo in my business card, they would think that I was fired from GH Mobile and opened a small company just to make a living.”

“How many workers are you planning to hire?”

“I posted a job opening for 6 positions for now. Shelves and a milling machine that I ordered will soon arrive too. I’m going to carve some small parts for a machine in this factory. Oh, I also hired a security guard for night work.”

“You need someone guarding the factory at night?”

“Yeah. The factory will have several expensive machines in place, and I need someone to watch the factory at night. Otherwise, the machines can possibly be stolen.”

“Who’s going to steal those machines? They are too heavy to carry. I don’t think that would happen.”

“You have no idea. These days, a group of people with a truck stops by a factory to steal and take expensive machines.”

“Really?”

“My father-in-law introduced this person for the security guard position. He used to work at the building where my father-in-law had a real estate office. He worked as a security guard there too. He also has a certificate for electrical safety and managing facilities, which was the decisive factor for me to hire him.”

“Where do you eat? Is there a place where you can have lunch around here?”

“I saw the workers working next door factory receiving a food delivery during lunchtime. I think we will do the same. They won’t provide a delivery service for one person, but if I order lunch for 8 people, they will deliver it. Or, there is a restaurant next to the managing office for this agricultural and industrial complex. We can have lunch there too. It’s within walking distance.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim came here this morning. I already have a product order for four machines. I will have an interview for the job candidates on Monday, and once I hire workers, I will start building the machines right away.”

“How much do you make by selling four machines?”

“6 types of machines compose one package of the machine that goes to Dyeon Korea, and it is priced for 150 million won. If I sell four of them, I will make 600 million won. Assuming that I make 600 million won every month, it’s going to be 7.2 billion won per year already. Min-Hyeok bro told me that his company barely makes 10 billion won per year. I guess this company will generate that much in no time.”

“Hmm, really? Let me take a look at the production site.”

“There is nothing there yet.”

Gun-Ho followed Jong-Suk Park to the production site. Indeed, there was nothing; it was just an empty space except in the corner, there were those twin screws from West Moulding piled up.

“Did you receive all of ten twin screws?”

“Yeah. I haven’t paid GH Mobile for them though. I need to pay them soon since they don’t make any profit by handing those twin screws to me.”

“Hmm.”

“The accounting department in GH Mobile requested me to send them the company’s business license, so they could issue a tax invoice. So, I sent it to them by email.”

Gun-Ho said as he looked up the ceiling of the production site, “The overhead crane is in place, which is good.”

“Yeah, it’s a suspension overhead crane. It has a hoist too. I’m going to place shelves on this side of the wall, and place all machines over there such as a milling machine, cutting machine, and a grinder. I need a shelf where I can store toolboxes and safety materials too. I will do the welding work in the front.”

“Since tools and machines are quickly being developed, you will need to get updated information on a regular basis, right?”

“Speaking of which, there is an exhibition held every year. It’s called IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show). They already had one for this year. I’m going to be there next year for sure.”

“IMTS?”

“Yeah, it’s an exhibition where you can see all sorts of machines from all over the world. The exhibition for this year was held in Chicago, and I missed it; I was busy and all that. I should have been there rather than China…”

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Chapter 793 - Win the By-Election (2) – Part 2

Chapter 793: Win the By-Election (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho said to Jong-Suk, “This company will succeed. You just need the machines that you need to start the business and a bit of marketing. It’s not like anyone can open a business like this just because they are willing to. This is different from GH Mobile. As a matter of fact, the moulding product manufacturing industry is very competitive.”

“I have well kept the 500 million won in the business bank account that you sent to me. I’m purchasing necessary things with the money now. On Monday when I take out my money in the stock account, I will send you 100 million won.”

“Okay. Take your time. You don’t have to rush.”

“When I worked in GH Mobile, there were so many people who I had to manage, which was not easy. Here, I will have 6 people to start with, which I feel so comfortable about. I like that. I’m going to make this place a very friendly work environment. I’m hiring experienced workers mostly, and I guess there will be people who I can learn something from.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Some of the workers in the GH Mobile’s maintenance team asked me if they could work with me. They said that they are willing to join me if the pay is good. I rejected their offer though. I didn’t want President Song to think that I’m taking people from GH Mobile.”

“That is a possible misunderstanding. Once you receive the machines that you need, create a company’s website as well. You can ask about it to the design team lead of GH Media that designed your business sign.”

“Hmm, really? Yeah, I probably need a website too. You know what? I can’t do this right now, but I’m planning to make the twin screws myself that we purchase from West Moulding in the U.S.”

“That’s very nice. You have all my support on it. I’m so proud of you, Jong-Suk!”

Gun-Ho tapped Jong-Suk Park’s back in encouraging him, and then he headed to Dyeon Korea.

While heading to Dyeon Korea in the car, Gun-Ho said to Chan-Ho Eom, “Chan-Ho, we now have one more factory that we have to stop by whenever we come to this area to work. That means there will be more driving for you.”

“No problem sir. It’s an easy drive to GH Machines. It’s on the way to Dyeon Korea anyway. Moreover, Mr. Director Park is, well, Mr. President Park is my favorite person. He is simple and direct. I like it a lot. Tae-Young bro like him too.”

“Hmm, really?”

While still in the car, Gun-Ho opened his smartphone. There was a recent public opinion poll about the upcoming by-election.

“42:58? That’s good. We are in the safe zone.”

Gun-Ho grinned as he turned off his smartphone.

When he arrived at Dyeon Korea, there were many freight trucks. As Gun-Ho’s Bentley arrived at the front gate, the security guard opened the gate right away after raising his hand for a salute. Director Kim was in the yard.

“What are those freight trucks?” Gun-Ho asked him.

“Ever since our company went public, we have seen an acute increase in product orders, which is very sudden. I figured that there were a lot of people who knew the brand— Dyeon— but had no idea that there was a joint venture company in Korea with Dyeon.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho walked up to the second floor with Director Kim and entered the president’s office. The internal auditor and Director Yoon joined them soon.

Realizing that there were 6 executive officers in Gun-Ho’s office, Director Kim made a joke, “Do I have to call for Vice President Adam Castler as well? Since all of the executive officers are here, maybe we should have an executive meeting now.”

“Haha. We don’t need to have a meeting now, but since we all worked hard to have our company go public, let’s ask Mr. Adam Castler to join us to have tea with us. We can have time to talk freely about our company’s future and plan while enjoying tea.”

“Maybe we should ask Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo to join us too.”

“Sure.”

After a moment, Mr. Vice President Adam Castler entered Gun-Ho’s office, accompanied by the interpreter. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo soon came into the office as well. Gun-Ho’s office was packed with people.

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Seon-Hye Yee, “Please bring us seven cups of jujube tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

A moment later, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought the jujube tea for everyone in the office. Gun-Ho said as he sipped his tea, “We’ve achieved our goal having our company go public, and I appreciate all of your hard work that brought us this positive result.”

“We haven’t done much, sir. Mr. Internal Auditor and you did all the work, sir.”

“It wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t have you all here.”

Gun-Ho continued as he took another sip of his jujube tea, “Now, Dyeon Korea is a public company. There will be more eyes watching our every move from now on. We will keep our business as transparent as we can. Since we are not having an official meeting, you can talk freely as you enjoy your tea. This jujube tea is from Ms. Secretary Seon-Hye Yee’s home. Her mother made it herself.”

“Oh, that’s why… I thought that there was something different about this tea.”

Director Kim said, “Sir, since we have more funds now, I think we should expand our business to having more factories in other countries. It was the very purpose of our company going public after all.”

“That’s right. We should establish additional factories abroad.”

“I think that we need another factory for Dyeon China in the Beijing area in China.”

“Currently, we have Dyeon China’s factory in Suzhou City which is close to Shanghai City, but pretty distant from Beijing. I think eventually we will need one in Beijing too.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“What about India?”

“If we have a factory in Noida which is close to Delhi in India, that would be nice. Samsung Electronics has its facility in Noida. Our Dyeon India’s factory is in Chennai which is in the southern area while Noida is situated in the northern area. It’s a good location to have our second Dyeon India’s factory. Manager Jong-Geun Lee can move to that location.”

“What about Indonesia?”

“I think we should open one in Vietnam before Indonesia. There is a good industrial complex in Vietnam called Loc An Binh Son. We can rent a factory building there. I saw several factory buildings on the market for lease in that complex.”

“Where is Loc An Binh Son located in Vietnam?”

“It’s close to Ho Chi Minh City. The location is good. It’s in the vicinity of Samsung Electronics, a harbor, and an airport. I’m sure many first vendor companies of Samsung Electronics are already there.”

“Vietnam is a community country. I guess the land where a factory is sitting on is not for sale, but we can only lease it, right?”

“It is for rent. If we don’t plan to take out a loan using the property, renting it should be good. Mr. Internal Auditor, how much funds do we have now?” Director Kim asked the internal auditor.

The internal auditor glanced at Gun-Ho before answering Director Kim, “We received 31.4 billion won so far.”

Director Kim had a rough idea how much it would be, so he wasn’t surprised, but Director Yoon and Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo looked startled. The internal auditor quickly changed the topic.

“What if we diversify our business a little within the industry? What if we acquire a pigment manufacturing factory? We use a lot of pigments in our compound room.”

“A pigment manufacturing factory? It is true that we use pigments in our research center, but we don’t use them that much, I believe. Also, a pigment manufacturing company is usually small in size, isn’t it? Mr. Manager Yoo, you probably know a lot about pigments. Can you explain more about it?”

“Organic pigments are produced domestically, but expensive pigments are mostly brought in from multinational large companies.”

“Really?”

“There is a large domestic company called Wookseong Chemical. It generates almost 100 billion won of annual sales revenue. Another large company— Cosmo Chemical— is making more than 400 billion won yearly.”

“Wow. I didn’t know there were chemical companies in that large size.”

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Chapter 794 - Win the By-Election (3) – Part 1

Chapter 794: Win the By-Election (3) – Part 1

It was the by-election day.

Gun-Ho stayed in his office in the GH Building in Sinsa Town watching TV. According to the exit polls, the candidate— Jin-Woo Lee— was still leading the election comfortably. Gun-Ho was sure that Jin-Woo Lee would win the election, and he was wondering how big he would win.

When Gun-Ho went home after work, he sat in the living room in front of the TV for the entire evening that day. He patiently waited for the election result while having fruits and watching TV. Once the 9 o’clock nightly news ended, finally there was a subtitle that appeared giving the latest news on the by-election. It said,

[Candidate Jin-Woo Lee’s victory is confirmed!!!]

At the moment, Young-Eun joined Gun-Ho in the living room after placing their sleeping son in the crib.

“Do we have the election result?”

“His win is just confirmed.”

“That’s very good. Now, he needs to win the position of leader in his political party, huh?”

“I didn’t know that you are interested in politics. You know about the competition to get the leader’s position in a political party, huh?”

“Nah, I’m not interested in politics at all. I just know those things just because you talked about it a lot.”

“Oh, I did?”

“You should send him a congratulatory message.”

“Maybe I should.”

Gun-Ho quickly texted Mr. Jin-Woo Lee congratulating him on his victory in the election.

[I just saw the confirmation of your win on the election. I truly congratulate you on your win.]

Once the text was sent, Gun-Ho’s phone started ringing right away.

“President Goo?” It was the former Minister Jin-Woo Lee.

“Yes, sir. Congratulations.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to make it without your help. Once things are settled here, I will invite you over for dinner or something.”

“I haven’t done much. The constituents in your election district recognized your devotion to the community, and they have confidence in you, sir. That’s how you won this election.”

“Thank you. I truly mean it. Are you at home right now?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, I hope you have a great evening then, with your family. I don’t want to take any of your family time. We can talk later. Have a good evening.”

“Thank you.”

Once he got off the phone with the former Minister Jin-Woo Lee, Young-Eun asked with a curious look on her face, “Who was it? Was it Minister Lee?”

“Yeah. As soon as I sent him the congratulatory text, he called me right away.”

“Did you help his campaign or something?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then what did you mean when you told him that you hadn’t done much?”

“I was just saying it.”

“Having him in Congress would help your business? Like he would make a favorable environment for business owners to run a business more efficiently or something?”

“I doubt that we would see any huge difference that benefits me or other business people just because Minister Lee is now in Congress, but it’s nice to know someone who is an incumbent member of Congress, isn’t it?”

“Have you met his spouse before?”

“Yes, I have seen her once. We played golf together.”

“With you, oppa?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. I guess you are an important figure. You had played golf with the daughter of a conglomerate, huh?”

“It’s no fun playing golf with people like them. I will have way more fun if I play golf with you. Why don’t you learn how to play golf?”

“I don’t have time for it. Not now. I have to work in the hospital in the morning, and I have to take care of our baby in the afternoon.”

It was Monday, but Gun-Ho didn’t go to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town or Dyeon Korea in Asan City that day, but he stayed in Seoul.

“GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea are doing well without me. I don’t need to be there as often as I used to be. GH Machines also should be well handled by Jong-Suk Park. As he said he would, if he hires experienced production workers who had worked with machines, and get the necessary assistance that he needs from them in running that new company, it will be just fine. He just needs to build and sell several machines to maintain the company.”

Gun-Ho was enjoying his morning coffee in his office on the 18th floor in GH Building, Sinsa Town when Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought him an economic newspaper.

Gun-Ho crossed his legs sitting on the sofa and started reading the newspaper. There was a news coverage about Dyeon Korea.

[Dyeon Korea’s stock price has been dropping ever since it became a public company. Its downtrend is explained by the recent supply surplus occurring in the global chemical industry intertwined with the slowdown of growth in both the auto industry and home appliance industry. Dyeon Korea’s public offering price was set to 26,200 won per share, but its share is currently being traded at 16,000 won which was the closing price as of yesterday, due to investors’ disregard of the stock.]

“Ha! Those shi*ty journalists wrote fiction about Dyeon Korea’s stock movement. I’m sure that public investors will gradually start buying the stock thinking that the price is low enough to purchase, so they could make money. Once enough little people buy the stock, those stock manipulators will shake off again, and those public investors will get startled.”

Gun-Ho deposited 100 million won in the stock account that he borrowed from Seung-Hee sister, for now.

Someone knocked on Gun-Ho’s office door, and Director Kang entered the office.

“Sir, President Jae-Sik Moon from Antang City in China sent us 100 pieces of training outfits to us.”

“Mr. Director, please distribute the training outfits to GH Development’s employees and GH Media’s employees.”

“There are only 30 workers even if we combine all of the workers in GH Development and GH Media. What should I do with the rest of the training outfits?”

“Please send the remaining outfits to GH Logistics. GH Logistics has a lot of truck drivers. They will need at least 40 of them. And also, please send 10 of them to GH Machines.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Oh, please have Chan-Ho Eom take 15 training outfits and put them in my car trunk.”

“Yes, sir. As to the payment for these training outfits, I haven’t heard anything about the price of them from President Jae-Sik Moon. When I asked GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea about it, they said that they received 700 pieces and 200 pieces respectively, and they both paid 20,000 won per piece. Should we pay the same price?”

“Well… I will let you know later. Don’t make the payment just yet.”

“Yes, sir.”

After lunch, Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Please ask Chan-Ho Eom to get ready to leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho went down to GH Building’s lobby, his Bentley was already parked at the building entrance. As a matter of fact, no one was supposed to park at the entrance of the building, but Gun-Ho was an exception. When the security guard saw Gun-Ho coming down to the lobby, he opened the door for him.

Chan-Ho turned around to see Gun-Ho and asked, “Where are we heading, sir?”

“Let’s go to Shinsegae Department Store near Seoul Express Bus Terminal. I need to buy several things, and I need your help to carry them. Those are heavy.”

“Of course, sir. I will park the car in the paid-parking lot there then.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, the training outfits are in the trunk. There are 15 of them.”

“Hmm, I see. Take 10 of them with you.”

“Me, sir?”

“Give them to Tae-Young Im. Tell him that those are Thanksgiving gifts from me.”

“These are for Tae-Young bro, sir? Thank you, sir.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at the Shinsegae Department Store, he picked 4 boxes of the most expensive semi-dried persimmon in the department store and 2 boxes of short ribs.

“Chan-Ho, I want you to do something for me. After dropping me off at GH Building, move 2 boxes of semi-dried persimmon to my office.

“Yes, sir.”

“And, take the remaining 2 boxes of semi-dried persimmon and 2 boxes of short ribs to my home, and give them to Sang-Min’s mom.”

“To your wife, sir? Okay, I will do that.”

“Also, give her 5 training outfits too.”

“Yes, sir.”

A while later, Gun-Ho’s Bentley stopped at GH Building’s front entrance. Gun-Ho got out of the car and went up to the 18th floor. After a moment, Chan-Ho Eom followed him to the president’s office on the 18th floor carrying 2 boxes of semi-dried persimmon.

“Please put them here, and you can leave now.”

“Yes, sir. I will be heading to TowerPalace.”

“Hmm, okay.”

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Chapter 795 - Win the By-Election (3) – Part 2

Chapter 795: Win the By-Election (3) – Part 2

After Chan-Ho Eom left the office heading to his home, Gun-Ho called for Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong. He said to her as he gave a piece of paper, “Here are 2 boxes of semi-dried persimmon. I want you to go to the post office and mail one of these to the address written on this paper. The place’s name is Cheonghakjeongsa in Goesan Town, North Chungcheong Province. The name of the recipient is Mr. Pan-Soo Park.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And here is another address where I want you to mail the other one. It’s for Chairman Lee in Cheongdam Town,” Gun-Ho added as he gave another piece of paper to the secretary with an address on it.

“Cheongdam Town is close to here. If you want, I can deliver this to him in person.”

“Did you bring your vehicle to work today?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay then. Maybe it’s better if you could take it to his address in person. It’s actually his office address. His office is in a 22 story building in Cheongdam Town. When you reach Cheongdam four-way intersection, continue in the direction of Yeongdong Bridge. The building will be on your left. If I were you, I would put the address in the GPS navigator before leaving.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho gave a call to his wife at home.

“It’s me. Chan-Ho Eom will soon arrive there. He will bring boxes of semi-dried persimmon and short ribs. Just take and keep them at home, okay?”

“Semi-dried persimmon and short ribs?”

“Yes, he will be carrying two boxes for each. One is for my parents in Guweol Town, and the other one is for your father in Sillim Town.”

“Oh, I see. Okay.”

While having a cup of tea, Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s Director Yoon.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want to give our executive officers a gift. They have done tremendous work. Please purchase a gift card for them. A gift card from a department store would be perfect, so they can buy shoes or something. And, I will give the same gift to the chief research officer and Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo as well.”

“How much would be adequate, sir?”

“Hmm, get them three gift cards of 100,000 won for each.”

“Yes, sir. Then I will distribute gift cards of 300,000 won to them.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to GH Mobile’s general affairs director.

“This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Thanksgiving Day is coming around the corner. I want to give a present to our executive officers who have done a splendid job this year. I want you to buy them gift cards from a department store.”

“Yes, sir. How much should I put in the gift card, sir?”

“Each person will have three gift cards worth 100,000 won each.”

“Yes, sir. And, umm…, I think we should make the same gift to Director Jong-Suk Park as well, sir. He is no longer with us, but he had done a lot of work contributing to our recent success.”

“Sounds good.”

“Thank you.”

In that afternoon, GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin came up to Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor. She was carrying a paper gift bag.

“What is it?”

“It’s a gift that I’m giving to all of the employees at GH Media.”

“If so, why did you bring it here?”

“You are being paid by GH Media as well, sir, as a managing director. So, this is for you. Haha.”

“You don’t have to make a gift for me.”

“Many companies usually give out some food or kitchen gadgets to their employees as Thanksgiving gifts, but I prepared cosmetics for our employees this year. This is not expensive though.”

“Cosmetics? I like that.”

“I put two cosmetics in the bag. You can give one of them to your chauffeur. If you have specific cosmetics that you use, and you don’t like the one that I picked for you, please feel free to give this to someone else.”

“Oh, I was going to tell you this. I just talked with the general affairs department in GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea, and told them to prepare gift cards of 300,000 won for all of their executive officers. Why don’t you buy gift cards for your people too?”

“I was actually thinking of getting a gift card of 100,000 won for Mr. Yoshitaka, the chief editor, and design team leads.”

“You can’t even buy shoes with 100,000 won these days. Isn’t it too small?”

“They can buy something else like food; it doesn’t have to be shoes. I think 100,000 won is appropriate given the size of our company. GH Media is not a large company like GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea.”

“Well, it’s your call.”

It occurred to Gun-Ho that he was preparing gift cards for the executive officers of most of his companies, except GH Development. He asked for the accounting manager— Manager Hong.

“I want you to go to Shinsegae Department Store near Seoul Express Bus Terminal now, and make a purchase of their gift cards— 7 gift cards of 100,000 won each. Don’t forget to take the business credit card with you. If you pay with that credit card, Shinsegae’s gift card department will issue you a receipt.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, this is my personal credit card. I want you to buy 20 gift cards of 100,000 won as well with this credit card.”

“It’s going to be 2 million won in total, sir. For which company should I ask them to issue a receipt?”

“These are for my personal gifts. I don’t need a receipt for them. I want you to go now, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho receives a call from Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town.

“President Goo, one of your employees just stopped by my office and gave a gift saying it’s from you. You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“It’s just a small gift, sir. I hope you like it.”

“Thank you. I know I will enjoy this semi-dried persimmon. And, I want to congratulate you on your Dyeon Korea becoming a public company.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I believe that the company has not been in the business for a long time. Since it still successfully went public, I guess it was officially recognized as a start-up company with technology, wasn’t it?”

“That’s correct, sir. That was the only way that I could have it go public earlier.”

“I know that it’s not easy for a company to be officially recognized as a start-up company with technology. It requires an assessment of technology as well.”

“Our employees had worked so hard to make it work.”

“Since it’s a joint venture company, you should have 50% of the ownership interest. Well, since you probably already offered the company shares to the public, and also possibly gave some shares to your employees through the employee stock ownership program, your ownership interest should be decreased to 35% or 40% by now.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“What was the company’s capital before you offered the shares to the public and to the employees through the employee stock ownership program?”

“The capital was 18 billion won, sir.”

“That means you had your 9 billion won there. It should be well worth at least 50 billion won, huh?”

“No, sir. It’s not that much. After the company shares became available to trade in the stock market, the price has been going down steadily.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. The price will go up as time goes by. When you made the joint venture contract, was there a stipulation about transferring the company shares? Specifically, does it say that you can transfer the joint venture company’s shares to a third party?”

“Yes, we have that stipulation in our contract.”

“Haha, is that right? Well, I guess we will see something very interesting happen in the future.”

“Thank you.”

After hanging up the phone, Gun-Ho smiled.

‘Mr. Chairman Lee… He is, of course, a master in the business field.’

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Chapter 796 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (1) – Part 1

Chapter 796: Fight Against Stock Manipulators (1) – Part 1

It was Korean Thanksgiving Day.

Gun-Ho’s family headed to Gun-Ho’s parents’ home in Guweol Town, Incheon City. His car was loaded with the gift that Gun-Ho prepared for them—a box of semi-dried persimmon and another box of short ribs. Because of the memorial service for the ancestors that his family conducted on Korean Thanksgiving Day every year, Gun-Ho went there early in the morning. When Gun-Ho arrived at his parents’ home with his wife and son, Gun-Ho’s mother and father happily greeted Sang-Min without even laying a glance on their son and daughter-in-law.

“Oh, my. My Pumpkin is here.”

Gun-Ho’s mother and father competed for holding their grandson first. Sang-Min laughed watching his grandparents, and he looked incredibly cute.

When Gun-Ho noticed that his sister was not there, he asked his mother, “Mom, where is Gun-Sook sister and her husband?”

“They went to his parents’ home.”

“Oh, her parents-in-law’s home? Isn’t it in Jeongeup City, North Jeolla Province?”

“Their home is quite distant from downtown Jeongeop City. He told me the name of the town, but I don’t remember what it was.”

Gun-Ho’s father chipped in while holding the baby, “It’s Taein Town.”

“That’s right. It’s Taein Town.”

Gun-Ho had never been to Taein Town, Jeongeup City before. All he knew about it was that the town was quite far from where he was. But, he heard of Jeongeup City before. He remembered that YS Tech’s president told him that he had grown up in downtown Jeongeup City. Gun-Ho wondered if his brother-in-law and YS Tech’s president knew each other since they grew up in the same city.

“His parents must be very old, aren’t they?”

“They are. Your sister couldn’t often visit her parents-in-law for quite a while until now because she was so busy making a living. But, this year, she went there with her husband and Jeong-Ah, carrying a lot of gifts for them.”

“They must be very happy to see their son and his family.”

“They cherish Jeong-Ah so much whenever she visits her grandparents there. Jeong-Ah told me once that she feels like she became a princess when she was with her grandparents there.”

“Haha, really?”

Realizing that the conversation between Gun-Ho and his mother wouldn’t end soon, Young-Eun stood up from her seat.

“I will start preparing the food for the memorial service.”

“It’s all done already. We don’t cook every single dish for the memorial service these days. We order most of them from a store. Those rice cakes and stuff over there are all from a store. We just need to warm those foods.”

“Starting next year, Sang-Min’s mom and I will come on the day before Thanksgiving Day to help you with the preparation of food since Gun-Sook sister won’t be here to help you.”

“You don’t have to do that. You have a baby to take care of. A child at his age can be a handful, and he requires your full attention. Just come on Thanksgiving Day as you did today. We don’t cook much at home as we used to in the past anymore.”

“But, it’s Thanksgiving Day, mom.”

“I insist, son. We don’t cook a large quantity of food any longer either these days because we have only a few family members who would attend the memorial service. We don’t want to waste food.”

Even though Gun-Ho’s mother stated that she bought most of the dishes this time, there were still things that needed to be taken care of. Gun-Ho’s mother and Young-Eun put on an apron and began to set the table, and Gun-Ho’s father watched the baby. Gun-Ho was watching the TV in his parents’ bedroom for a while, but knowing that everyone was busy doing something to get ready for the memorial service for the ancestors, he didn’t feel comfortable doing nothing. He eventually walked out to the kitchen and asked if they needed his help.

“Umm, is there anything that I can do to help?”

“Nothing. You are not supposed to come into the kitchen. You are a man,” Gun-Ho’s mother replied.

Young-Eun chipped in, “You know what? These days, if a man doesn’t come into the kitchen to do kitchen work, he could be kicked out of his home.”

“Really? Haha. I can’t let that happen to my son. Gun-Ho, do this for us then—put the large floor table in the living room and place these dishes on it.”

Gun-Ho placed two large floor tables side by side in the living room to make a larger table and started putting the dishes on it.

Young-Eun was placing fruits on a plate when she received a call.

“Sister?”

From the way that Young-Eun referred to the person on the other line, Gun-Ho could tell that the call was from his sister. After a brief conversation, Young-Eun hung up the phone and resumed what she had been doing.

“Was that Gun-Sook sister? What did she say?”

“She said that she felt sorry that she couldn’t be here to help us.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“And she talked about how things were going there—her parents-in-law’s home. According to her, they are having lots of visitors maybe because it’s in the countryside, and she is having a hectic day. She went there two days ago and started preparing food for the memorial service for the past two days. She is having back pain now.”

“Really? Can they just make the process simple?”

“Well, her parents-in-law are following Korean tradition. While people in a city tend to simplify the procedure, most of the people in the countryside still follow the way that our ancestors had done. She said that her parents-in-law looked extremely happy when they saw Jeong-Ah.”

“That’s good.”

Gun-Ho’s mother chipped in, “Jeong-Ah’s dad’s uncle and other family members didn’t show enough respect to him before. But, now the same people are trying to flatter him whenever he visits there.”

“Haha, really?”

“Of course. He now has a good social position, doesn’t he? He is running a transportation company. He is driving an expensive car. And, he always brings a lot of presents for everyone there. They’d better respect him. He paid for his father’s medical bill for his denture too.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Also, I was told that he hired four truck drivers who are from the same town where he grew up.”

“I guess he is helping the community too.”

“They hadn’t enjoyed visiting his parents’ home before, but I guess they will go there on every occasion from now on since they are making a good living.”

“That makes sense. When people don’t have stable financial situations, they can’t even afford to visit their parents’ home, most of the time.”

“They should keep in mind that they are financially doing great because of you, Gun-Ho.”

“Don’t say that, mom. Gun-Sook sister and her husband are working hard to make a good living.”

Gun-Ho’s mother and Young-Eun continued to prepare food in the kitchen, and Gun-Ho moved those dishes to the living room and placed them on the floor table there. And Gun-Ho’s father was playing with Sang-Min in the bedroom.

The memorial service for the ancestors for this Korean Thanksgiving Day started. It was for Gun-Ho’s ancestors, and Young-Eun as a new addition to Gun-Ho’s family made a full bow to the ancestors who she hadn’t even met before.

Observing the way that Young-Eun gave a full bow, Gun-Ho’s father gave a compliment to her, “Young-Eun is doing very well. Her parents must have taught her well at home.”

After the memorial service, they sat at the dining table and had their first meal of the day. It was just four of them since Gun-Ho’s sister’s family were not there this year.

“This home feels empty without Gun-Sook sister’s family,” Gun-Ho said.

“I think you two should have one more child.”

“Young-Eun won’t be able to get back to her career as a medical doctor with two children.”

“We really feel like you need to have more children, son.”

“Not many married couples these days have more than one child. It’s hard and expensive to raise even one child.”

“That’s true. It used to be an easy job to bring up a child when we raised you. Watching what Gun-Sook does in raising Jeong-Ah, I know how hard it is. Moreover, it takes a lot of money too. Jeong-Ah takes a piano lesson from a private tutor. She also gets help for her study in school as well. But, you can afford more than that, Gun-Ho. I really think you should have one more child.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun didn’t even try to reply to what Gun-Ho’s mother suggested, but they just quietly had their meal.

When Gun-Ho’s mother noticed that she was making her son and his wife feel uncomfortable, she dropped the topic right away.

“You brought us semi-dried persimmon and short ribs, right? You don’t have to spend your money on gifts for us. When you visit us next time, do not bring anything.”

“I don’t want to come to see my parents empty-handed, mom, especially when it’s a holiday.”

“Then, bring us fruits or some liquor instead, so we can use them to set the table for the memorial service for our ancestors.”

“Fruits?”

“Yeah, fruits and liquor are heavy to carry all the way from the supermarket to home anyway.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

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Chapter 797 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (1) – Part 2

Chapter 797: Fight Against Stock Manipulators (1) – Part 2

Noticing that Gun-Ho’s father was watching something on his smartphone, Gun-Ho’s mother asked him, “What are you watching?”

“I took a few photos of Sang-Min earlier. I’m just checking them.”

Gun-Ho’s mother said to Gun-Ho, “Your father is taking a lesson these days about how to use a smartphone in the community center.”

“He can just use the smartphone. Why does he need a lesson for it?”

“I took the lesson with him once. There are so many functions and things that I can do with a smartphone, that I had no idea that I could. I don’t know who created smartphones, but these are something else.”

“Do you surf the internet with it as well?”

“Of course. We watch the news too.”

“Dad, open the search engine and enter my name—Gun-Ho Goo.”

Gun-Ho’s father and mother simultaneously pulled out their smartphones and searched Gun-Ho’s name.

“See? I can type too,” Gun-Ho’s mother said after typing Gun-Ho’s name in.

“Press the enter key, mom.”

“Enter? Oh, oh, wow. I see my son’s face here.”

Gun-Ho’s father looked amazed as well.

“That’s right. It’s a large photo of him.”

Young-Eun was curious too. She pulled out her smartphone and put Gun-Ho’s name in the search engine. Gun-Ho’s photo appeared, and it said that he was a business person.

Gun-Ho’s mother was impressed to see her son’s profile on the internet.

“Oh, my gosh. It says that you are the president of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea. You are famous now, huh?”

Gun-Ho’s father asked, “What does Dyeon mean?”

“It’s just the name of an American company. I’m doing a joint venture with that company. That’s why the company’s name is Dyeon Korea.”

“Oh, I see. Gun-Sook told me that the company is now a public company.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m so proud of you, son. I guess our ancestors are helping you a lot.”

Gun-Ho’s father filled an empty glass with liquor and handed it to Gun-Ho. When Gun-Ho took a sip of the liquor, Young-Eun nudged him lightly and reminded him by saying, “You will need to drive. We have to go to Sillim Town later. Just drink a little, okay?”

When they were almost done with the meal, Gun-Ho’s aunt visited them.

“I’m here because I could smell the food. I actually wanted to see Gun-Ho’s son.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun stood up and greeted her, “Hello, aunt. How have you been?”

Gun-Ho thought that his aunt looked way older than before. She was about the same age as his mother, and she used to look younger than his mother, but not anymore. Gun-Ho’s mother looked noticeably younger than her, with firm skin now. Money could do a lot of things. It seemingly helped to take a few years off Gun-Ho’s mother’s face.

Gun-Ho’s aunt smiled broadly as she saw Sang-Min.

“Oh, my. He has these glittering eyes that just looked like his mom’s.”

When Gun-Ho’s aunt held Sang-Min’s tiny hand and shook it, Sang-Min laughed.

Sang-Min’s laugh made everyone laugh out loud happily.

Gun-Ho asked, “How is Jae-Woong doing, aunt?”

“He is probably doing well with his wife.”

“You haven’t seen him for this Thanksgiving Day?”

“He visited my home briefly early in the morning and left right after giving a full bow to the ancestors. His wife didn’t even come making an excuse that she is sick.”

“Oh, maybe she is actually sick.”

“I don’t think so! It’s just an excuse, I’m pretty sure.”

“Jae-Woong is still working at the Department of Labor, isn’t he?”

“I think so. I’m actually regretting that I pushed him to become a government worker.”

“Why do you say that? A government job is a very stable job that many people dream to have.”

“It is true that he can make a living, but that doesn’t do more than that. I wish he succeeded as much as Gun-Ho did.”

At that moment, Young-Eun chipped in, “Why don’t you join us at the table?”

“I’m good. I already ate. But I’d love to have some fruits though.”

Young-Eun prepared fruits and brought them to Gun-Ho’s aunt. While having the fruits, Gun-Ho’s aunt kept glancing at the boxes of semi-dried persimmon and short ribs that were placed in the corner of the living room.

All of a sudden, Gun-Ho’s mother thrust her smartphone before Gun-Ho’s aunt’s face and said, “Look at this. A photo of Gun-Ho appears if you search his name on the internet.”

“Huh? That’s true. Let me see. Wow! Gun-Ho, you indeed succeeded in life. You became a famous person. Now, I can see you on the internet too, huh? It says that you are the president of GH Mobile. So, your company’s name is GH Mobile, huh? Wow!”

Gun-Ho’s aunt suddenly started talking badly about her daughter-in-law, and Gun-Ho’s mother and father were listening to it while having a cup of coffee. Young-Eun quietly stood up from her seat and started cleaning the dining table, feeling that she shouldn’t hear the gossip. Gun-Ho came and helped Young-Eun.

Gun-Ho’s aunt said, “My daughter-in-law should learn from Young-Eun about how to behave around elderly family members.”

Gun-Ho’s father stopped her sister, “Stop talking bad about your daughter-in-law. Try to think positive and say positive things. All I hear from you all the time is bad things about your daughter-in-law.”

“My brother, you have no idea how I feel when I’m with my daughter-in-law. If she behaved well like Young-Eun, I would have been a positive person all along.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho’s mother went to the kitchen.

“You already finished washing dishes.”

“Yes.”

“Well, I think you should now go to your father’s in Sillim Town. He must be waiting to see Sang-Min.”

“We can stay here a bit longer.”

“And, take those semi-dried persimmon and short ribs and give them to your father.”

“We have those for my father in the car trunk.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho’s mother took out some persimmons and short ribs and put them in a separate food container. And then, she gave them to Gun-Ho’s aunt and said, “Gun-Ho brought some semi-dried persimmon and short ribs. These are for you. Take them with you when you leave later.”

“Oh, you are sharing this with me? Haha. I love short ribs.”

Gun-Ho’s aunt smiled broadly.

Gun-Ho’s mother reminded her, “Don’t forget to bring me back the food containers. You haven’t returned that food container that I gave to you last time for Kimchi.”

“Oh, I haven’t? I will bring them to you next time. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho thought that he should prepare a gift for his aunt too for next time. But, if he gave her a gift, that would work as a trigger that she would start talking bad about her son’s couple again. Gun-Ho didn’t want that to happen.

At that moment, the training outfits in his car crossed his mind. He had 15 of them, and after giving 10 to Chan-Ho Eom, he must still have 5. Gun-Ho quickly went down to the parking lot and brought 4 training outfits.

“Mom and dad, these are training outfits for you. And, Aunt, I want you to take two of these as well. You and uncle could use them when you go jogging in the morning.”

“Oh, thank you. It’s very sweet of you, Gun-Ho. Whenever I visit your mom’s home, I seem to always get something. Haha.”

Gun-Ho and Young-Eun headed to Young-Eun’s father’s home in Sillim Town. After Thanksgiving Day and once he would go back to work, Gun-Ho wanted to pick a fight with those stock manipulators including the club that he had contacted the other day. When he was thinking about the strategy of how he would fight with them, Young-Eun said to him, “Oppa, are you feeling okay? You took several sips of liquor, right?”

“I’m good. I took only one tiny glass of Jeongjong (a clear and refined rice wine).”

“Can you bring me two more training outfits?”

“For what?”

“We have one training outfit left in the car, which is for my father. I want to give one to my aunt in Yangpyeong County and one to our helper lady.”

“Oh, okay. I will get you two more. And, I want to thank you for today, Young-Eun. You cleaned the dishes and all that.”

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Chapter 798 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (2) – Part 1

Chapter 798: Fight Against Stock Manipulators (2) – Part 1

The Korean Thanksgiving Day passed by, and it was October already. Gun-Ho felt anxious.

“I previously made a goal to make 1 trillion won before turning 40 years old. But, what am I doing now? The companies that I own are still too small to achieve that goal.”

Gun-Ho was beating his brains out to figure out how to grow his GH companies.

“It’s October now, and I am 38 years old. Within 2 months, I will turn 39. Do I have to give up attaining my goal?”

While sitting in the car heading to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town to work, Gun-Ho kept thinking with his eyes closed.

“Sir, you haven’t had enough sleep last night?” Chan-Ho asked as he glanced at Gun-Ho through the rearview mirror.

“Huh? Oh, no, I was just thinking about something.”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes again. His Bentley was continuously driving on the expressway.

While keeping his eyes closed, the old days when he was studying at Zhejiang University crossed his mind. It was a day in the fall. The young and smart Professor Jien Wang was giving a lecture. He was talking about Maslow’s five basic human needs.

[We, as a human, have five basic needs which were first introduced by an American psychologist—Maslow. The most basic needs are physiological needs according to him. Once these needs are satisfied, humans are motivated to fulfill the next need—safety. Once these are met, they want to satisfy the needs of belongingness and love. The next one is esteem needs, and the last and the highest needs are self-actualizations. These five needs are hierarchically ranked, and humans move on to the next level once the needs at the lower level are fulfilled.]

‘That’s right. I haven’t reached the highest level of needs—self-actualization—yet. I’m probably on the fourth highest rank—esteem needs—where I desire to be respected by others. I can tell that because all I can think of these days is to achieve my goal of making 1 trillion won as I become the chairman of a group of my companies.

Which level of the needs in the hierarchy would Chairman Lee be now? He has everything already. He has enough money, and he is well respected. But, he is spending a lot of time running that facility for the children with special needs, in Pocheon City. He is probably at the very top in the hierarchical rank—being motivated to fulfill the self-actualization needs.’

When Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, he went straight to the production sites in the second factory and the first factory in the order. Despite Director Jong-Suk Park’s absence, the production managers were genuinely working hard. They were all motivated by the possibility to be promoted in a few months. The only problem that was noticed was that there were unresolved conflicts and discords between those production sites, probably because there was no director at the production department who would require them to cooperate, at the moment.

Gun-Ho asked, “Why are those waste piled up over there?”

“Oh, those are not our production site’s, sir. They belong to the production site 2. I will ask them to move them out of this location.”

“How come the trucks over there from our vendor companies are parked in a disordered manner?”

“Those trucks came from the production site 2. I will give them a warning.”

Whenever hearing the production managers pointing fingers at each other, Gun-Ho was tempted to antedate the year-end promotion.

Gun-Ho went to his office on the second floor. Secretary Hee-Jeong Park seemed to be glad to see Gun-Ho since it had been a while.

“Hello, sir.”

“Hmm, how are you?”

“Would you like to have a cup of coffee, or do you feel like having green tea today?”

“I will have a coffee, please. Also, please bring me an economic newspaper too.”

“Yes, sir.”

A moment later, President Song entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Currently, our sales revenue from A Electronics and H Group equally takes up more than 30% of our total sales revenue respectively.”

“Hmm, really? I guess our monthly revenue must be about 15 billion won then.”

“At times, we make 16 billion won, but I can tell that we do make at least 15 billion won for sure on a monthly basis. We often generated 12 billion won per month in the first half of this year, so we anticipate that this year’s annual sales revenue would be a bit more than 180 billion won.”

“How many employees would be promoted to an executive officer position this year?”

“The directors in the departments such as the general affairs, the accounting, and the quality control were promoted to the current positions not long ago. So, we just have one executive position to be filled, which is for the production department. We will select one of the two production managers and place him in the position.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I think we should promote the production manager at the production site 1 to the director’s position, and send the other production manager at the production site 2 to our second factory.”

“What are we going to do about the production manager’s position at the production site 2 then? It will be vacant.”

“We have a low-level manager in the second factory. He is a candidate for the promotion this year. I want him to take the production manager position at the production site 2.”

“Wouldn’t the current production manager at the production site 2 have a grievance about his relocation to the second factory, because he has to keep the same job title, but he will be moved to another location?”

“We will hire more and more workers at the production site 2. Once we send him there, I will give him the job title of plant manager for the second factory.”

“That means that he would be the plant manager holding a manager level.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“I will talk to him in private, telling him that we need him in the second factory to oversee the entire work in that location since we will increase the number of workers there soon and that we will place him in the plant manager position. A plant manager gets paid an additional monthly fund of 300,000 won, so he would probably be content with it.”

“Hmm, it sounds good enough.”

“And, our chief research officer is at the director level right now.”

“Hmm, that’s correct.”

“He has contributed tremendously to our product developments for not only S group’s products but also for A Electronics’ new product and H Group’s new product. I want to promote him to the managing director level.”

“Hmm…”

“He has a Ph.D. from the Technical University of Munich in Germany, and he used to work at BMW’s research center. And, he had worked at H Group’s research center before joining our company. Most of his colleagues from his previous employment are in the position of either a managing director or a vice president right now. Given his extensive work experience in the field and his level of contribution to our company, I believe that he deserves the managing director position.”

“Okay. Well, please proceed as you suggested. And, we both know that we shouldn’t reveal any of this to anyone until the day of the promotion, right?”

“Of course, sir.”

At that moment, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought two cups of green tea to Gun-Ho’s office. And she picked up the empty cup that Gun-Ho used to have his coffee earlier in the morning, on her way out of the office.

President Song said after taking a sip of his green tea, “I visited GH Machines the day before yesterday.”

“How is Jong-Suk Park doing?”

“He already hired workers in the production site and started building the machines for Dyeon Korea. Since he just began his business, I told him that he didn’t have to pay us for the twin screws right now, but he could do so a month later after he sells the machines, that they are building, to Dyeon Korea. He looked so relieved and happy.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I also told him to buy a die casting machine.”

“A die casting machine?”

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Chapter 799 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (2) – Part 2

Chapter 799: Fight Against Stock Manipulators (2) – Part 2

President Song continued, “The door assembly work that we do for A Electronics requires a zinc alloy ring as one of its parts. We need a lot of them, and we are getting those parts from a few vendor companies. I’m thinking of giving this work to GH Machines.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I believe President Jong-Suk Park bought a used die casting machine by now as I requested.”

“Is it okay to buy a used machine? Don’t we have to worry about it being easily broken?”

“Sir, the workers at the production site in GH Machines are composed of engineers who build machines for a living, including President Jong-Suk Park. If the machine is broken down, they will repair it and even improve it to make it better in no time.”

After President Song left the office, Gun-Ho was reading the economic newspaper. At that moment, the general affairs director came in, and he gave an envelope to Gun-Ho.

“What is it?”

“These are gift cards.”

“Gift cards? Why are you giving these to me?”

“Before Korean Thanksgiving Day, you told me to distribute gift cards to our executive officers—300,000 won worth gift cards for each person. And, this is for you, sir.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to include me.”

“You are one of this company’s executive officers, sir, as the co-president, and your name is clearly shown on our business registration. If we purchase things with the company’s funds, you should take your share, sir.”

“Haha, okay. I will give out these to my chauffeur and secretary then.”

“I will get back to my work now, sir.”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Hee-Jeong Park.

“I’m leaving for GH Machines soon. Let Chauffeur Eom know that.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, this is a gift card that you can use in Shinsegae Department Store. I want you to buy something nice for yourself with it.”

Gun-Ho gave one of the three gift cards, that the general affairs director just handed to him earlier, to Secretary Hee-Jeong Park. It was worth 100,000 won.

“Thank you, sir.”

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park took the gift card gladly with a broad smile.

Chan-Ho Eom was waiting for Gun-Ho at the front entrance.

“Let’s go to GH Machines,” Gun-Ho said to Chan-Ho once he got into the car.

Gun-Ho then pulled out the gift cards that he received from the general affairs director earlier. There were two 100,000 worth gift cards left after giving one to his secretary. Gun-Ho gave them to Chan-Ho.

“These are for you.”

“What are these, sir?”

“These are gift cards that you can use at Shinsegae Department Store. Get yourself clothes or something.”

“Thank… Thank you, sir.”

Chan-Ho Eom seemed to be feeling good and energetic after he received the gift from Gun-Ho. Chan-Ho vigorously pressed the accelerator pedal in excitement.

“Chan-Ho, let’s drive smoothly.”

“Oh, my apology, sir.”

Gun-Ho arrived at GH Machines located inside Baekseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex. The business sign was changed from Joyang Industry to GH Machines. It looked fresh and neat. Chan-Ho made a comment when he noticed the new business sign.

“Sir, I love our company’s logo.”

“You do? Do you know who made the logo?”

“Who did it?”

“GH Media’s team lead in the design team created it.”

“Oh, that woman in GH Media. The people at GH Media are good at things like that, right? Maybe I should ask them to make a logo for Tae-Young bro’s staffing company too, maybe in the not-so-distant future.”

“Haha, that would be good.”

Jong-Suk Park was not at the production site, but he was standing next to the officer manager’s desk watching the computer screen with which the officer manager was working.

“Huh? You are here, bro.”

“What are you doing?”

“I was watching to learn how B2B works.”

“Hmm, really? Well, you just continue doing what you were doing. I will go and take a look at the production site.”

“Wait for me. I will come with you. We have new workers there, and they won’t recognize you yet. I will introduce them to you.”

Several workers at the production site were building the machine for Dyeon Korea.

“They are working under my direction and guidance for everything for now, since they all are new here.”

“I see.”

At that moment, Jong-Suk Park said loudly toward a man at the production site, “Hey, you need to tighten it one more time, and coat it with tapping oil!”

Gun-Ho said to Jong-Suk Park, “You should talk to your workers with more respect. Don’t you think?”

“It’s okay. He is younger than me.”

“That could well develop a grievance against you.”

“I don’t think it would because I’m very friendly with my workers. I’m not being disrespectful with them, but I just want them and also myself to feel comfortable around each other while working.”

There are 7 workers at the production site.

“I thought you wanted 8 production workers.”

“I did, and I hired 8 people at first, and I had to let one of them go. I had made sure that I hired only experienced workers, but once I started working with them, I realized that one of them was not good enough. Workers like him wouldn’t be of help around here, and also he could become trouble to us, eventually leading to an accident in the factory. I had to let him go quickly.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“I selected two among 7 new workers, who had extensive work experience and competency at work, and gave them a team lead position. These 7 people are all good workers. Half of them are older than me. The work in this industry is tough, and maybe that’s why I don’t see many young talented workers who are looking for a job in this field.”

“Hmm, I see.”

While walking around the production site, Jong-Suk Park asked for one worker and told him, “Brother! You need to place a wood pedestal before you work on this. It’s too slippery without it.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

“And, I have someone here that I want you to meet. This is President Goo. He is the major shareholder of our company.”

“Hello. It’s nice meeting you, sir.”

The man took off his hat and gave a bow to Gun-Ho. His bald head revealed, which was shining. He looked like he was at least 50 years old.

Gun-Ho asked Jong-Suk Park, “What are the machines over there? Are they die casting machines?”

“Haha. Yeah. I bought two of them. They are Toshiba hot chamber machines made in Japan.”

“Are those the ones that President Song asked you to buy?”

“That’s right. When I worked in GH Mobile, I sometimes encountered defective parts that are used to assemble A Electronics’ doors. Those parts are provided by some vendor companies. And I raised the problem to President Song at that time. He now wants me to make those parts here for GH Mobile.”

“Really?”

“With those hot chamber die casting machines, there is no problem making zinc alloy parts or lead alloy parts which have a relatively low melting point.”

“How much did you pay for those machines?”

“For two of them, it was 78 million won. I have to make a full payment for them within two months.”

“You probably need a worker who can handle those machines, huh?”

“See the two workers over there? Those two workers have work experience handling die casting machines.”

“How much sales revenue do you think this new work will bring in?”

“I believe it will be at least 200 million won per month. That amount will well cover the wages of the workers here. Haha.”

“Who is the young man over there? He just entered the office, the one who is wearing a business suit.”

“I hired two more people for the office positions. One is handling the general affairs, and the other will handle the sales work. They are all experienced workers. I needed someone who will take care of Four Major Public Insurance for our employees, and who will make a trip to the government office if necessary. That guy graduated from Dankuk University on Cheonan campus. The one who will handle our sales activities majored in engineering in college, so he is knowledgeable enough to handle the sales in this technical field. He graduated from Korea University of Technology and Education which I’m taking classes from right now. They both are younger than me and enthusiastic.”

“Is that right?”

“Bro, I’m learning a lot of new stuff these days. I’m getting the documents that require my approval and signature, and those documents are from all sorts of different fields, including accounting, general affairs, and sales. I do learn a lot because I have to read them all to make sure that I understand what they are about before signing them.”

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Chapter 800 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (3) – Part 1

Chapter 800: Fight Against Stock Manipulators (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park went into the office.

“Hey, come here,” Jong-Suk said to the workers in the office.

The two young men, who were looking at their computer monitors, stood up from their seats.

“This is the major shareholder of our company— Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Hello, sir?”

“You all look very smart. My name is Gun-Ho Goo.”

Gun-Ho extended his hand to the office workers for a handshake. While looking at the two young workers in the small office at GH Machines, Gun-Ho thought about the old days when he had worked for Bangil Gas in Yangju City. He worked as a bookkeeper.

‘I was about the same age as these young men at that time…’

Bangil Gas’ owner referred to Gun-Ho as Goo Jooim as it was his job title, and Gun-Ho thought that it sounded so obsolete that it was probably used during the Japanese colonial period. Gun-Ho was the only employee in its container office. A few years back, Gun-Ho once tried to visit Bangil Gas only to find out that the business was closed. The owner was running a hardware store instead.

Gun-Ho said to the two young workers while having a handshake with them, “As the company grows, you will be considered as the founding members of this company. President Jong-Suk Park is direct, blunt, and sometimes rough, but he is actually warmhearted, and I’m sure that he will look after you. I hope you enjoy working with us.”

The two young workers seemed to be feeling honored to have an opportunity to meet with the major shareholder of the company that they just started working for.

Gun-Ho then went into GH Machines’ president’s office. The lady worker, who was handling accounting work, brought a cup of green tea for Gun-Ho.

“Bro, please have a seat,” Jong-Suk said.

“So, for this month, you have 4 Dyeon Korea’s machines to build, and you need to make small parts for GH Mobile using those die casting machines, right?”

“It doesn’t sound much, but it’s already 800 million won. Say, I will do the same work every month for 1 year, then our annual sales revenue would be almost 10 billion won which is huge. We have only 12 people working here, and we could generate 10 billion won per year. President Song said that is amazing.”

“That’s true.”

“The last time when Director Kim was here, he introduced me to several factories around the area. Those factories are in need of someone who could visit their factories on a regular basis maybe once or twice per month, and check their machines.

“Do you think you will have time for it?”

“If those factories are large ones, I’m interested in the work. Checking their machines won’t pay me much, but it could lead to a lucrative business of repairing machines since I would be the first person who would find a broken machine.”

“I thought that factories usually take care of their own machines themselves.”

“They could, but they might not have the right parts to fix a machine, or it takes too long to fix it. If that happens, they would prefer someone else to fix their machines for them. That sort of job is commonplace in this industry. I’ve been previously offered a job to fix a few machines from a couple of factories, but I turned it down.”

“Hmm, I see. It’s like an auto repair shop, huh? Like a maintenance service for production machinery.”

“Exactly. Haha.”

“You seem to have a lot of paperwork piled up on your desk.”

“I have to review and approve them. GH Mobile’s Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim sent their assistant manager in the accounting department to us the other day and showed us how to handle the accounting work. She recommended that we use an accounting program, given the number of employees and monthly sales revenue of our company. So, I installed the program, and it cost me 2 million won.”

“That’s good.”

“So, most of these papers here are the documents printed from that accounting program. All the receipts are attached to these documents. You probably know what these are since you used to work in the accounting field.”

“Yup. I can see the overall picture of this company by looking at these documents,” Gun-Ho said as he was briefly reviewing the papers. He then said, “You are doing great. I’m proud of you.”

“Bro, also, I sent you 100 million won to your bank account. I took out funds from my stock account, and paid off the loan of 160 million won that I borrowed from Kukmin Bank using my condo as collateral, and sent you the 100 million won as well.”

“Oh, really. That’s nice.”

“I have 550 million won left, and I was thinking of buying a condo in Seoul with that money.”

“A condo in Seoul? You are living in Cheonan City. Why do you want a condo in Seoul?”

“It’s for investment. As you know, my father-in-law is a realtor. He strongly suggested that I should buy a condo in Seoul since that’s the area where I can expect to see an acute increase in price for a real estate property. He told me that I could just rent it out.”

“You know that you have to pay the property tax, right? The tax amount wouldn’t be insignificant.”

“My father-in-law told me that even though I have to pay the property tax, it’s worth buying a condo if it’s in Seoul. He particularly recommended Gangnam District. But, I don’t think I can buy a condo in Gangnam District.”

“Why not?”

“The condos in Gangnam District are too expensive for me.”

“Hmm, in fact, people say that the price of a condo in Gangnam District is insanely high.”

“Bro, your condo in TowerPalace Condo Complex in Dogok Town, its price increased substantially already, right?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t checked its current price,” Gun-Ho replied as he smiled.

‘Of course, I don’t check the price of my condo in Dogok Town, because it’s a small amount of money compared to the price increase with my building in Sinsa Town. I acquired GH building for 205 billion won even though I have a mortgage loan of 160 billion won for that building. The loan interest is being paid by GH Development, and that’s why I don’t really make profits from GH Development right now. However, I’m certain that GH Building’s price has increased substantially by now.’

“Bro, why are you smiling? Did I do something stupid again?”

“Huh? Oh, no, no. I’m just happy for you that you make money.”

“So, instead of a condo in Gangnam District, I acquired land in Pyeongtaek City. I was told that the real estate market in Pyeongtaek City is hot lately. The land that I purchased is on a two-lane road. I paid 600 million won for it with a mortgage loan of 50 million won. The interest rate was low.”

“How large is it?”

“It’s 120 pyung large. The land has been approved for a commercial building. For now, I leased it to a realtor who is using the land for his business with a container office.”

“I guess you can pay for the loan interest with the rent, huh?”

“Haha. That’s the plan. Now, I am a landowner too. My mom and dad were so happy and excited when I took them to the land. My mom even danced. She said that I’m making way more money than her who ran a Seolleongtang (an ox bone soup) restaurant for 20 years.”

“Haha, she said that?”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat getting ready to head out to Dyeon Korea.

“President Park, I’d better get going now. I have to go to Dyeon Korea. GH Machines is located in the area between GH Mobile in the east and Dyeon Korea in the west. These two good companies will support your business. If I didn’t have GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea, I wouldn’t have recommended that you should open your own business. Keep up the good work.”

“I know that. Thank you, bro.”

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Chapter 801 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (3) – Part 2

Chapter 801: Fight Against Stock Manipulators (3) – Part 2

On the way to Dyeon Korea in his car, Gun-Ho checked Dyeon Korea stock with his smartphone.

Dyeon Korea stock started with the public offering price of 26,200 won, and the price had continuously decreased, and now it was 18,000 won more or less. The number of Dyeon Korea’s shares that were available to trade in the stock market was relatively low, and many little people had bought the stock with high expectation for an acute price increase because it was part of the global company—Lymondell Dyeon. However, those little people couldn’t withstand the downtrend of its price and eventually sold their stocks.

“Let me check Naver.com.”

Gun-Ho opened Naver.com to find out what people would say about Dyeon Korea in a stock discussion forum.

“Gun-Ho Goo, son of b*tch, you don’t even try to manage your company’s stock price?”

“Dyeon Korea is located in Asan City. Let’s all go there and overturn their office or something.”

“Where are those stock manipulators? Are they not interested in this stock yet?”

“Guys, remember the day when Yongpyong Resort’s stock became available in the stock market? It started with 15,000 won on the first day, and the price dropped to 9,000 won. Before you lose more money on Dyeon Korea stock, you’d better sell them all.”

“Is something bad going on with Dyeon Korea? What’s wrong with it?”

“Gun-Ho, when are you going to split the share?”

“The price dropped badly, and it’s going down entering underground. You su*kers should know that an underground floor has multiple levels, meaning that the price could drop even lower than now.”

Gun-Ho turned off his smartphone and turned his gaze outside the window. A field filled with wild chrysanthemum came into his view.

“Maybe it’s time that I have to step in. If I get into this game, the stock manipulators who are playing with Dyeon Korea stock right now would be surprised, thinking that some other stock manipulators just join the game.”

Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea, and he went to the production site. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo was walking around the production site while tying his hands together behind his back.

“Mr. Manager Yoo!”

“Oh, sir. How are you?”

“Do we have enough work to have all of our machines fully work?”

“We do, sir. Currently, all of our 16 machines from machine no.1 to machine no. 16 are working 100%.”

“The workers don’t have to work overnight though, do they?”

“No, sir. We don’t want that to happen because we have to pay them higher for their work hours at night. We indeed have so many machines now that it takes several people to warm up those machines and change cooling water. Those work used to be handled by the maintenance team’s manager alone.”

“Have we received any request for help from our factories in China or India?”

“No, not yet, sir. Both factories have two machines for each right now, and they requested us to send them two additional machines. GH Machines is working on building machines for them right now.”

“Hmm, I see the location of the maintenance team changed.”

“Right. We moved their location from the front area to the rear area for safety reasons. The maintenance team often conducts jobs that require an isolated area to protect others, such as welding. The workers in the maintenance team feel more comfortable working in their new location.”

Gun-Ho walked to the rear area where the maintenance team was now situated. The maintenance team’s manager was building something like a pedestal with two other workers.

“How is it going here?”

The manager stopped his work and quickly greeted Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho went to his office on the second floor.

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought a cup of hot jujube tea to Gun-Ho’s office.

Being notified that Gun-Ho was in his office, Vice President Adam Castler came to Gun-Ho’s office, accompanied by the interpreter— Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae. He was carrying the reports that were written in English, sent from Dyeon India and Dyeon China. A translated version of the report was attached to each report.

“These are the reports that we received from our companies in India and China. According to these reports, they are now successfully producing the products locally, and those products are being sold in the local market. Dyeon China is doing a bit better than Dyeon India since it has established their clientele in its previous location.”

“How much are they selling per day?”

“The reports are indicating the quantity of their sales on a weekly basis, rather than daily basis. Dyeon India is selling about 15 tons while Dyeon China is selling 25 tons per week.”

“Hmm.”

“As soon as GH Machines finishes building our machine, we will ship it to Dyeon China first before Dyeon India.”

“That sounds right.”

“I think we should send Director Kim to Dyeon India in the near future, and help them with sales work. There are Korean companies in the area, and with his help, Dyeon India will be able to procure more clients.”

“Hmm, did Mr. Director Kim have a chance to review these reports?”

“I brought these reports to you for your review first, sir. Mr. Director Kim is in a lower position than mine, and once you finish your review, I will give them to Director Kim.”

“Let’s do this. It would be more efficient. When a report from Dyeon China or Dyeon India is received, Mr. Assistant Manager Myeon-Joon Chae, you stamp the approval form on their cover page. You then sign your name there, and give them to Director Kim first. After Director Kim’s review, you can give them to Vice President Adam Castler. Director Kim’s role is critical here because he is the expert in the sales field.”

“Sure, sir. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho continued, “You don’t have to bring the weekly reports to me. Vice President Adam Castler will be the final reviewer of the reports. Please bring me the monthly reports, and any other reports under special circumstances only.

“Yes, sir. And I have one more report to make to you.”

“Please go on.”

“The head office stated that they will announce the new appointments on December 15th.”

“Who are they going to send for Dyeon Korea’s president position?”

“We are not sure yet, sir. They are expecting that you will decide the personnel in all of Dyeon Korea’s executive positions by that day.”

“I see. We will finish the selections of the people by early December, and we will make the final decision around December 10th through the meeting. Mr. Vice President Adam Castler, please join the meeting too.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Mr. Adam Castler left Gun-Ho’s office, Director Yoon came in.

“We gave away Thanksgiving gifts to our employees with a set of canned tuna and the training outfits from China. They loved them.”

“Really?”

“And this is for you, sir,” Director Yoon pulled out an envelope.

“What is it?”

“3 gift cards are in the envelope. These are your share of the gift cards, sir.”

“You reserved the gift cards for me too, just like GH Mobile did for me. As I told GH Mobile, you don’t have to do this. But, thank you. I will give these away to other people.”

“I will leave it on the desk, sir.”

After a while, the internal auditor came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“We are getting a lot of calls at the accounting department, specifically to the staff who is in charge of the stock matter.”

“They are probably individual investors with a relatively small amount of funds.”

“The calls are not very pleasant. They cursed and yelled at Assistant Manager Kim who is handling matters related to our shares.”

“I’m sure that they also used bad words while referring to my name.”

“Some of them actually accused you of doing something unlawful or wrongful that resulted in the decrease of the stock price. Assistant Manager Kim protested severely that they were making a groundless accusation, and they’d better stop doing it. And, those people called our Assistant Manager Kim with the word b*tch and stuff. And, Assistant Manager Kim eventually came to me crying and asked me to move her position to some other department.”

“Hmm. Ms. Assistant Manager Kim will be fine.”

“Do you think those investors would make an official disclosure request?”

“They can if they want. It doesn’t matter. As Assistant Manager Kim mentioned, they are making a groundless claim. That would be our answer.”

“I don’t understand why the price of our share is decreasing this much. Every single call that we are receiving right now about our stock is saying that we should manage our stock price properly.”

“Our business is doing just fine as usual without any problems. My guess is that some investors are trying to lower the stock price, so they could purchase them at a good price. The price will go up again. Just give it time. That’s how the stock market works.”

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Chapter 802 - Night in Shanghai City (1) – Part 1

Chapter 802: Night in Shanghai City (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho called for Ms. Assistant Manager Kim from the accounting department, who was in charge of the matters related to the company shares.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

Assistant Manager Kim was not someone who Gun-Ho usually called for because if he needed someone to talk to regarding any accounting matters, he would talk with the accounting manager or director. Ms. Assistant Manager Kim looked very nervous when she entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“I was informed that you are having a hard time at work, Ms. Assistant Manager Kim.”

“Yes, sir. I’ve been getting numerous calls every day.”

“Those people are probably experiencing losing money because our stock price has constantly dropped. They are just looking for someone to vent their anger on. Whenever you receive a call like that, just tell them that the company is doing just fine as usual.”

“Yes, sir. I’ve been telling them as such so far.”

“And, I want you to get the same training that Ms. Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo took, which is being provided by KOSDAQ Listed Companies Association.”

“I’ve already taken that training, sir. Mr. Internal Auditor previously instructed me to take it.”

“That’s good. Well, then you know what to do with the public notification requirement. You will be instructed by either Mr. Internal Auditor or myself when it’s time to make a notification to the public.”

“Understood, sir.”

“We’ve already published our first half-year’s financial documents after our company became a public company, haven’t we?”

“We have, sir.”

“We have to publish our financial documents for the third quarter period as well. Do we have the documents ready?”

“We are still waiting for a few necessary data for it, sir.”

“Just get the third quarter period’s financial documents ready, and publish them when you hear from me. And, if you receive more calls from public investors, try to be kind to them, and tell them that there is nothing for them to worry about because our business is doing just fine as always. If they ask you a complicated question, you can just tell them that you don’t know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“As you know, Ms. Assistant Manager Kim, our company is doing well.”

“I know that, sir.”

“How long have you been with us at the accounting department?”

“I have worked at the department for four years, sir.”

“Keep up the good work. Whenever you see an opportunity to receive a training on accounting or finance, take it as much as you can. I will talk to Mr. Internal Auditor about it, and our company will fully support any relevant training for your position.”

“Thank you, sir.”

It occurred to Gun-Ho that he should do something about the situation that Dyeon Korea was experiencing with its stock price. The stock manipulators were obviously making the stock price too low intentionally.

Gun-Ho was ready to go home after work. On the way out of his office, Gun-Ho said to Secretary Seon-Hye Yee as he gave one gift card to her, “I’m leaving for today.”

“Have a good evening, sir. Thank you.”

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee gave a deeper bow to Gun-Ho than her usual days. She must feel appreciative of the unexpected gift from Gun-Ho.

It was Tuesday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. The first thing that he did when he arrived at his office was to turn on his computer at his desk and open the stock trading application.

“These jerks are still trying to lower the stock price.”

Gun-Ho started buying Dyeon Korea shares using Seung-Hee sister’s stock account. The initial fund of 100 million that he had previously put in the stock account was quickly exhausted. He deposited an additional 1 billion won to the account.

“Okay. I’m going in with the fund of an additional 1 billion won.”

Gun-Ho purchased 50,000 Dyeon Korea shares over the following four-day period until Friday at 18,000 won more or less. It cost him 900 million won. The price didn’t seem to be dropping any longer. Gun-Ho was not sure if it was because of his purchase, or because other stock manipulators joined the game and influenced the price. But, the number of trading substantially decreased.

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in Shanghai City, China.

“The movie shooting will be completed next week, sir.”

“Oh, really? Good job. Once the shooting is done, what would be the next step?”

“We will enter into the editing phase, sir. We will have to produce release prints as well as getting ready to release the film. It’s early October now, and I think we can release the film by the end of this year.”

“Is that right?”

“We could save time and money by using the film park in Shanghai City— Yingshi Leyuan. Once the shooting is finished next week, Mori Aikko won’t have to stay in Shanghai City and return to Japan.”

“Did they fully pay Mori Aikko already?”

“I’m not sure about it, sir. It’s Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen who is handling all the payment matters.”

“Hmm, I see.”

After getting off the phone with Director Woon-Hak Sim, Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘Mori Aikko has been traveling back and forth between Shanghai City and Japan for more than three months now, and I haven’t visited her even once until now. The shooting is almost over, and I think I should be there for her this time. I also want to make sure that they pay Mori Aikko the right amount that they initially promised as well.’

Gun-Ho was not as busy as before these days. He had spare time, and he wanted to spend the time with Mori Aikko in Shanghai. He made a call to Director Woon-Hak Sim again.

“It’s Gun-Ho’s Goo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I will be in China next week for business. I will stop by Shanghai as well.”

“Yes, sir. I will inform President Baogang Chen about it.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda, who was working in GH Media on the 17th floor, came to Gun-Ho’s office in GH Development on the 18th floor.

“How have you been, sir?”

“Please come on in. How are you, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda?”

“I’m going on a business trip to Japan next week. I will be meeting with the people from several Japanese publishing companies to discuss a publishing contract.”

“I hope you find many good books to select from.”

“My trip this time is not limited to Japanese books, but I also go there to introduce a few books authored by Korean writers to the Japanese publishing companies as well.”

“Oh, really? That’s nice.”

“I provide them with the synopsis of the Korean books. Once they decide to make a contract for those books, we will have the books translated into the Japanese language, and we can receive a subsidy from Korean government for the translation work as well.”

“Hmm, really?”

“And, I received a call from Segawa Joonkko yesterday.”

“Do you mean Mama San?”

“Yes, sir. According to her, Mori Aikko was supposed to receive her pay for the movie on a three separate payment schedule— one in the beginning, one in the middle, and one final payment. And, she hasn’t received the last payment yet.”

“Maybe, that’s because the movie shooting is still ongoing.”

“The shooting will be done next week, and Segawa Joonkko is worried that they might refuse to make the final payment since they will no longer need Mori Aikko. She said that she couldn’t trust what those Chinese people said.”

“I don’t think they would. They have been working on the movie production without worrying about funds because they reserved 100% funding from the beginning.”

“That’s relieving to hear. Segawa Joonkko actually made me promise not to tell her concern to you, Mr. President Goo, but I just had to let you know in order to figure out what to do if her concern becomes true.”

“As a matter of fact, I’m leaving for Shanghai City next week. I’m going to pressure Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President tacitly to make sure he makes the full payment to Mori Aikko.”

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Chapter 803 - Night in Shanghai City (1) – Part 2

Chapter 803: Night in Shanghai City (1) – Part 2

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda continued, “I have one more thing that I’d like to talk to you, sir. The world-renowned Japanese engineer— Mr. Sakata Ikuzo— requested me to have a meeting with him.”

“Do you know what it is about?”

“No, sir. He told me that he will talk to me when he sees me.”

“He is a retired engineer. I’m not sure why he wants to meet you. Is that probably about his art exhibition with wood-carved figures?”

“It didn’t seem to be about his artworks. He said it was about something related to GH Mobile.”

“GH Mobile? Well, I guess you will have to see him to find it out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho pulled the 100,000 won worth gift card from his pocket and said as he handed it to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsuda, “Please buy a box of dried persimmon from Shinsegae Department Store with this, and bring it with you when you meet Mr. Sakata Ikuzo. And, tell him that it’s Korean dried persimmon from President Goo.”

“Hongshigake (dried persimmon), sir?” Thank you. I will get him a box of dried persimmon from the department store.”

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town and Dyeon Korea in Asan City, but he decided not to. He made a call to the secretaries in both companies telling them that he wouldn’t be there that day because he had other business that requires his attention. He, instead, headed to Shanghai City. When he arrived at Pudong Airport, Director Woon-Hak Sim was waiting for him at the airport to pick him up.

“It has been a while, sir.”

“You look great, Mr. Director.”

“I’ve been doing fine. I thank you for that, sir. I’ve been feeling alive again ever since my general rehabilitation was accepted by the court.”

“Haha, I see.”

“I haven’t reserved a hotel room for you as you instructed, sir.”

“I reserved a room with Grand Central myself from Seoul. I chose it because it’s a five-star hotel.”

“Are you not going to visit the office of Huanle Shiji Production Company?”

“Probably not. The office must be very busy now, and I don’t want to interrupt their work. Once I arrive at the Grand Central Hotel and check-in, I will let you know with my room number. Please then tell Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen to come to my hotel room.”

“Understood, sir.”

The car drove on Nanpu Bridge crossing Huangpu River, then it entered Zhongshan South Road. Director Woon-Hak Sim, who was sitting on the front passenger seat, turned around and said to Gun-Ho, “Sir, I saw the news. Congratulations on your company— Dyeon Korea— becoming a public company.”

“Oh, that? Thank you.”

“When I saw the news about one of your companies— Dyeon Korea— going public, I was with Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen. He looked startled when he learned the fact. Becoming a public company means that it’s no longer a small company, even in China as well. As we have KOSDAQ, China has CHASDAQ (Chuangye Ban).”

While they were making a conversation, the car arrived at the Grand Central Hotel. Since Gun-Ho reserved a suite room with the hotel, the hotel staff at the front desk was extremely polite with Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho said to Director Sim as he gave him his room number, “Is Mori Aikko staying in this hotel as well?”

“No, sir. She will be here tomorrow though. Since you are here, Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen will move Mori Aikko’s place to this hotel.”

“Hmm, really? Has everyone at Huanle Shiji Production Company been nice with you, Mr. Director Sim? Have they ever been mean or unfair to you while you were here?”

“Not that I know of, sir. I can’t tell what they really think inside their mind, but they have been kind to me so far.”

“That’s good.”

“I’m giving them a lot of advice about movie technique and technologies, so they have been showing me adequate respect while I’m working with them. Also, I have connected them with the movie directors in Seoul as well if necessary, so they have been using my connections as well.”

“Hmm, I see.”

After Director Sim went back to his office, Gun-Ho went to his hotel room. After changing his outfit into something more comfortable, he had his tea. Since he was staying in a suite room, he could enjoy his tea in the living room next to the bedroom.

When he was having oolong tea, he received a call from Director Seukang Li.

“Gun-Ho Goo! I heard that you are in Shanghai City now. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“How did you find it out?”

“Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen informed me that you would be here.”

“Really?”

“Which hotel are you staying at? I think he told me that you are staying in the Grand Central Hotel.”

“Yeah. I just arrived at the hotel.”

“I was told that the shooting for the movie— Menghuan Yinghua— will be done this week. I really appreciate your investment into this movie production.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m doing this for my own benefit— making money.”

“Haha, really? Well, I will stop by your hotel after work today. Let’s have dinner together. Grand Central Hotel is not far from the city hall where I work anyway.”

“I’m actually supposed to meet with Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen later this afternoon.”

“Is that right? That’s even better. Let’s meet altogether and have dinner. Why don’t we invite Director Yan Wu and the Korean director— Mr. Director Sim— as well? I will make a call to Baogang Chen to arrange the dinner.”

“Sounds good. I will see you at 6 pm then.”

When it was 6 pm, Baogang Chen came to the hotel where Gun-Ho was staying. He was with Director Sim.

“Mr. Chairman, it has been a while.”

Baogang Chen always referred to Gun-Ho as Mr. Chairman rather than Mr. President.

“I was informed that the movie shooting is almost done. You have been doing a great job.”

“We received a lot of help from Director Sim from Korea. And, also we are getting overwhelming attention from movie lovers already because of the actress who you introduced to us.”

“Is that right?”

“I received a call from Director Li earlier that we are having dinner together. I’ve reserved a restaurant nearby this hotel.”

“Thank you.”

The name of the restaurant is Waitan Canting. Director Li and Director Yan Wu will join us at the restaurant.”

“Really? I guess we’d better leave for the restaurant now. It’s almost time.”

Gun-Ho, Baogang Chen, and Director Woon-Hak Sim headed to the restaurant called Waitan Canting. The restaurant was huge in size, and it specialized in seafood. A private room was reserved for Gun-Ho’s party. When Gun-Ho went into the room, Director Li and Director Yan Wu were already there waiting for them.

“Hey, Director Li!”

“President Goo! Good to see you.”

The two men hugged each other and shook their hands in delightedness.

The food started coming out, and they enjoyed the food with several glasses of Baiju. Director Seukang Li turned his head to see President Baogang Chen and asked him, “So, the movie shooting is done, huh? And you are moving into the editing stage? How long would it take before you could release the movie?”

“It usually takes 3 months until we could release the movie from the phase where we are right now, but I’m thinking of releasing our movie within 2 months. I want the movie to be shown in theaters at the end of this year.”

“Did you decide which film distributor that you want to work with?”

“I didn’t yet. Speaking of which, I wanted to discuss it with you, Mr. Director Li. We need your help in finding a good film distributor.”

“Are you thinking of Ying Lian Chuanmei Media or Bo Na Ying Ye Pictures?”

“It would be splendid if we could work with a large film distributor like those two, but I would be satisfied if we could work with a film distributor among any top 20 distributors.”

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Chapter 804 - Night in Shanghai City (2) – Part 1

Chapter 804: Night in Shanghai City (2) – Part 1

Director Seukang Li asked Baogan Chen, “How much fund for the production cost did you collect through the crowdfunding for the movie—Menghuan Yinghua?”

“It’s 10 billion won. Mr. President Goo here invested half of it—5 billion won.”

“Hmm, President Goo, you put a lot of money in it.”

Gun-Ho said with a smile, “To clarify, it’s not just 5 billion won. If I add the fund that I previously invested in Huanle Shiji Production Company for the TV drama production, it should be more than that.”

“What are you saying?” Seukang Li asked.

“I previously invested 1 billion won into the TV drama production, and I haven’t received any returns from this investment yet, but instead, it was added to the movie production cost.”

Seukang Li’s face hardened all of a sudden. He said as he glared at President Baogang Chen, “Is it true?”

“Ye… Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho didn’t mean to upset anyone in the room, so he tried to ease the tension that filled the air in the room by saying, “President Baogang Chen had promised me that he would send me 1.5 billion won when he had made money from the TV drama. I still have his email saying it. I later agreed that he used that amount to his subsequent movie production.”

“Is that right?”

As Gun-Ho further explained the situation, Seukang Li looked a bit comfortable. Seukang Li asked Baogang Chen, “I understand that I’m not in a position to ask this, but how much money did you spend in producing the movie?”

“70% of the fund that we reserved for the movie production has been exhausted. A large portion of it was used to pay the actors and actresses.”

Gun-Ho chipped in, “The leading actress—Ms. Mori Aikko—is supposed to receive 200,000 dollars. Is that amount fully paid to her?”

“The movie production has not been completed yet, so, we haven’t fully paid her yet either.”

“How much did you pay her so far then?”

“I will have to look at our company’s account book once I go back to the office in order to give you the exact amount.”

Seukang Li turned his gaze to Baogang Chen and said, “200,000 dollars is low for an actress who is playing a leading role. You wouldn’t have been able to work with an actress for the amount if she was Chinese. You should make sure that you pay her the full amount that you promised.”

“Of course, sir.”

Seukang Li continued, “As you know well, President Goo is a very close friend of mine. When I learned that Huanle Shiji Production Company was in a financial crisis, I asked him for help. That’s how he decided to make an investment in your production company. As you have already heard about him, he owns a public company as well. He doesn’t need to invest in a movie production company to make money, but he did anyway because I asked him for it. You should keep that in mind, and please don’t make any mistakes in working with him.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho talked to Director Yan Wu, who was sitting on the last seat at the table while having his liquor, “Mori Aikko is a dancing geisha, and she hadn’t taken any lessons for acting before. I wonder how she handled her part.”

“Well, I can’t tell that she was good from the beginning, but she eventually played her role satisfactorily. In addition, her beautiful look and dance covered any deficiency if she had any. I’m pretty positive that this movie will become a box office hit.”

“That’s really good to hear.”

“I just feel sorry for her that she had to play the traitor role in the movie, who betrayed her country for love.”

Gun-Ho said, “As you just mentioned, Mori Aikko played a geisha in the movie, who betrayed her country—Japan. Japan is an open society, and they consider a movie as an artwork. When they look at an actor or actress in a movie, they focus on how well those actors played their role; they don’t concern much about what kind of role that an actor or actress played. Even so, I believe that the role that Mori Aikko played shouldn’t have been a desirable or pleasant role for her.”

“That might be true.”

“I just want to remind you of Mori Aikko’s efforts despite this situation, and pay her full amount that was promised in time.”

As Gun-Ho mentioned the money that they had to pay Mori Aikko, Director Yan Wu looked at President Baogang Chen, and Baogang Chen said, “Of course, we will, sir.”

As he placed his glass of liquor back on the table, Gun-Ho did the math.

‘This must have given them enough pressure for them to pay Mori Aikko the exact amount in time.’

Gun-Ho thought that he had better make sure that President Baogang Chen clearly understood the deal between him and Gun-Ho when other people such as Director Seukang Li, Director Yan Wu, and Director Woon-Hak Sim were present; they could be good witnesses.

“The movie—Menghuan Yinghua—is explicitly spurring Chinese viewers on patriotism. It will, of course, succeed given the current trend in China and Chinese people’s disposition. I strongly believe that the movie can be well exported to other countries that share Chinese culture and language such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. And, maybe we can think of expanding to even Europe as well.”

“We agree with you, Mr. President Goo.”

“The total amount of fund that I invested in your production company is 6.5 billion won which includes the fund that I was supposed to receive as an investment return from the TV drama production. In other words, I take up 65% of your crowdfunding of 10 billion won.”

“That… that’s true.”

“That means that 65% of the profits that you would make out of this movie, including the profit that you would make from exporting the movie to other countries should be sent to me. Of course, it would be after you subtract relevant expenses.”

“Of course, sir.”

Seukang Li chipped in.

“I’m also curious about how the profits would be shared. Mr. President Baogang Chen, when you have those in paper later, can you send me a copy of it?”

“Su… Sure, sir.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head.

‘Seukang Li is watching my back, which is very important in China. He is my Kkwansi (connections) in this country. He was the leader of the Community Youth League of China, and he is currently a high-ranked government officer. Baogang Chen won’t do anything stupid as long as Seukang Li is paying attention to what he is doing.’

Director Woon-Hak Sim said to Gun-Ho in a low voice in Korean since no one in the room would understand what he was saying—Gun-Ho and Director Sim were the only Koreans there, “Sir, it was a good idea to clearly state the matter at this time with all these people in this room. Chinese people act carefully when there is a government officer present. China can be very brutal as it is a communist state. Even a very famous actor can be dragged to somewhere by the government without going through the legal procedure if the government doesn’t like what he or she did.”

“You don’t say.”

Noticing Gun-Ho and Director Sim were talking in Korean, Seukang Li said, “Hey, Gun-Ho Goo. If you are talking with Director Sim about something interesting, please share it with us.”

“No, it’s nothing. Since Director Sim doesn’t completely understand Chinese, I was just telling him stuff in Korean.”

Gun-Ho said to President Baogang Chen as he filled up his empty glass with Baiju, “What scenes are you planning to shoot tomorrow with Mori Aikko?”

“She will have her last dance before committing suicide. It will be shot at the film park in Shanghai—Yingshi Leyuan. A lot of people now recognize Mori Aikko, so we can’t use the film park during the daytime when visitors are still there. We are going to shoot the scene tomorrow after 5 pm when the film park becomes quiet.”

“While she is dancing, I believe you need someone to play the musical instrument—Shamisen. Who is playing it?”

“We will have our actors pretend to play Shamisen, and we will use the sound that would be recorded in Japan.”

“Hmm, I see.”

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Chapter 805 - Night in Shanghai City (2) – Part 2

Chapter 805: Night in Shanghai City (2) – Part 2

Director Yan Wu continued, “We have several scenes to shoot tomorrow during the daytime as well, such as the scene where she is thinking about something, changing her outfit, harboring a knife, etc. Those scenes will be shot in our movie studio.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Realizing that Mori Aikko had a hectic schedule, Gun-Ho thought that maybe he wouldn’t be able to spend as much time as he wanted with Mori Aikko during this trip.

‘I will have to stay here longer than I planned. I don’t think I can go back to Korea tomorrow as initially planned. What am I going to tell Young-Eun? I have to come up with a very convincing and understandable excuse…’

Gun-Ho didn’t drink much that evening because he knew by experience that he would feel terribly tired if he drank during a trip. Seukang Li seemed to restrain himself from drinking too much as well because he had to go to work the next morning. Director Yan Wu and Director Woon-Hak Sim also seemed to drink only a few glasses of liquor.

Director Woon-Hak Sim wasn’t very comfortable with speaking the Chinese language yet, but he seemed to have any problems communicating with Director Yan Wu particularly. They sometimes used Chinese letters to communicate, with a piece of paper on the table. Since they were in the same field, they probably didn’t need tons of words to explain something to understand what each other meant.

Seukang Li finally called it a night.

“President Goo flew here from Korea today. It must be a tiring trip. He probably feels exhausted by now. Let’s call it a night, and go home and take a rest.”

Everyone stood up from their seats to leave.

Director Sim said to Gun-Ho, “Mori Aikko will arrive at Pudong Airport around 11 am tomorrow. It will not be me who will pick her up at the airport tomorrow, but Director Yan Wu will go to the airport to pick her up this time with an interpreter.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I was told that Mori Aikko will be staying in the Grand Central Hotel which you are staying at, sir. Once she checks into the hotel, someone will contact you to let you know.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho came back to his hotel.

Lying down on the bed by himself in the hotel room, Gun-Ho couldn’t easily fall asleep. All he could think about was Mori Aikko. Gun-Ho eventually fell asleep around 2 am after watching several different Chinese programs on the TV.

The next day, Gun-Ho woke up after 10 am. He must have been very tired. It was not a long-hour flight from Korea to Shanghai, but it certainly made him exhausted anyway. Also, the fact that he fell asleep very early in the morning must have been attributed to him oversleeping. After washing himself, he walked out of the hotel. He then took a walk in People’s Square.

“I didn’t know People’s Square is right next to the hotel.”

Gun-Ho wanted to have a bowl of oxblood hangover soup for breakfast, but he knew that it would be almost impossible to find a restaurant offering that particular dish in the very area where he was standing.

“I want the hangover soup from Cheongjin Town or Yangpyeong Town…”

At that moment, a small restaurant came into Gun-Ho’s view.

“Huh? I see the letter Zhou (porridge). They must be selling porridge. I will have porridge for breakfast.”

After indulging a bowl of porridge, Gun-Ho came back to the hotel. When Gun-Ho was having his morning coffee while watching the TV, he received a call through the hotel phone. It was Director Yan Wu.

“Mr. Chairman Goo?”

“Yes, this is he.”

“I’m Director Yan Wu. I’m in the lobby with Mori Aikko right now. She is checking into her room.”

“Really? I will be right there.”

Gun-Ho went down to the lobby.

A young woman in a beige trench coat was standing there. She was holding a luggage. It was Mori Aikko. The Mori Aikko who Gun-Ho missed so much.

“Aikko!”

“Oppa!”

Gun-Ho desperately wanted to hug her tight, but he couldn’t do it because they were in a public place where a lot of people could see them. When Gun-Ho was looking around to see how many people were there, Mori Aikko came to Gun-Ho and hugged him.

“How have you been?”

“How are you, Mori Aikko?”

Gun-Ho looked at Mori Aikko’s face. She looked pale for some reason. But her lips were noticeably red.

“You seemed to have lost some weight. Is that because of work?”

“You seemed to have gained some weight, oppa,” Mori Aikko said, and she laughed out loud. She looked so cute. Gun-Ho terribly wanted to kiss her.

After checking-in, Director Yan Wu came to Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko with an interpreter.

“You’ve met already, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Mori Aikko’s room number is Yiqian Sanbai Ling Ba (1308). We have to go back to the film studio for shooting right after dropping her luggage in her room.

“Really? Well, please do so then.”

Mori Aikko and the interpreter took the elevator to go to her room, carrying her luggage while Gun-Ho and Director Yan Wu waited for them at the lobby.

Gun-Ho said to Director Yan Wu, “Since you have been in the movie industry for a long time, I’d like to ask you a question.”

“Huh? What do you want to know, sir?”

“You told me yesterday that you are pretty positive that this movie will succeed. Can I trust your assurance?”

“I can tell you this for sure. First, the story is very good. The author—Ms. Ailing Feng—is a tremendously famous writer in China, and an overwhelming number of her work has succeeded so far. Moreover, China has a history of being attacked by Japan and the Western Powers numerous times, and as a result, a movie that appeals to Chinese people’s patriotism usually succeeds. In addition, because of the element of patriotism in the movie, the government will support us. ”

“Hmm, really?”

“Because of the patriotism that we expressed in the movie, the government will actively support us by maybe pressuring movie distributors to release our movie in an increased number of times, for example. That is why President Baogang Chen mentioned movie distributors to Director Seukang Li yesterday at the restaurant. President Baogang Chen has connections to find a good movie distributor, of course, but he wants to receive active support from the government.”

“Does Director Seukang Li have that kind of power? He is not the only director in the city hall. There must be several people in the director position.”

“A director in Shanghai City can be deemed as a party secretary in a provincial city like a small town. He could well take a party secretary position in a small city as well. Moreover, Director Seukang Li was the leader of the Communist Youth League of China.”

“Hmm.”

“Having been a leader of Gong Qing Tuan (Communist Youth League of China) in Shanghai City is huge. Moreover, he is now the director of Shanghai’s Bureau of Radio, Film, Television, Media, Arts, and Culture. No one in the industry wants to fall into a position of his disfavor.”

As Gun-Ho was talking with Director Yan Wu at the hotel lobby, Mori Aikko and the interpreter joined them. The interpreter looked curious about Gun-Ho; she often glanced at him. Noticing it, Gun-Ho smiled and extended his hand to the interpreter for a handshake.

“Ni Hao (Hello). I guess you probably studied in Japan.”

“Yes, I did.”

“I’m GH Media’s Dongshi Zhang (Chairman) from Korea.”

The interpreter blushed a bit and gave him a light nod as she was having a handshake with Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho thought, ‘Usually, Chinese women don’t blush. But this woman blushes, and she knows how to give a light nod like Japanese women. Maybe while she was studying in Japan, she naturally picked up a few cultural behaviors from there.’

At that moment, Director Yan Wu said as he was looking at his watch, “It’s almost time. We have to go now to the film studio.”

Gun-Ho quickly said to Mori Aikko, “Okay, Aikko. I will see you later, maybe tomorrow. I will be staying in this hotel.”

Mori Aikko waved her hand at Gun-Ho with a smile, and she walked out of the hotel.

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Chapter 806 - Night in Shanghai City (3) – Part 1

Chapter 806: Night in Shanghai City (3) – Part 1

After seeing off Mori Aikko leaving for the film studio, he found himself being left alone in the hotel having nothing to do. He was supposed to go back to Korea, but he didn’t want to.

“Well, I don’t have anything specific that I have to do even if I go back to Korea anyway.”

As a matter of fact, Gun-Ho’s companies were doing fine without his presence. Each company had its own competent management people who were running the company’s daily operation, and Gun-Ho didn’t worry about a thing about those companies’ businesses. Maybe it would be better that Gun-Ho wasn’t there physically; he didn’t want to interrupt their work.

Gun-Ho’s role with these companies was to evaluate the management workers’ work performances after hearing the report on each company’s business, and either praise them or penalize them subsequently.

Gun-Ho watched the TV in his hotel room for a while, and then he walked out of the hotel; he was in a comfortable outfit.

“I will just go out and take a walk around the area. It has been a while since I walked around a city in China.”

Gun-Ho went to Nanjing Lu Street where a lot of commercial stores were found.

“Wow. It’s so crowded here. I can see how densely populated this country is whenever I come to visit this area.”

Gun-Ho walked for quite a while until he found himself standing at Anseo Street.

“I see a business sign for Wang Ba (Internet café) over there. I’m going to spend some time there playing online games maybe.”

Gun-Ho went into the Wang Ba. Instead of playing online games, he checked the Korean stock market on the internet.

“I don’t see any changes in Dyeon Korea’s stock. The price hasn’t moved but stayed at the same low price. I should wait until the stock manipulators start fiddling with the stock. If I buy or sell Dyeon Korea’s stocks enough to affect its price while not many people are trading this particular stock, my move will stand out. And, it could be seen as an effort to manipulate the price, and subsequently, the Korea Stock Exchange may designate Dyeon Korea stock as a stock that must be traded with extra care.”

After spending his day in Wang Ba, Gun-Ho came back to the hotel in the evening.

He received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in Suzhou City.

“I heard that you are in China right now. Which area are you in?”

“I’m staying at the Grand Central Hotel in Waitan.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? We should meet. Let’s go to a karaoke or something.”

“You don’t have to come here to meet me. I came here to take care of some business.”

“I can leave now with my car to see you. It doesn’t take long to get to Shanghai City from where I am—Suzhou City.”

“Please don’t. Seriously, I am here on business.”

“Are you sure? I thought that it would be nice to have a drink or something with you. Well, if you are on business, then I will leave you alone.”

“I’m sorry, man. How’s your business there?”

“It’s going well. Dyeon China is experiencing a steady increase in sales. It’s becoming stable.”

“Hmm, really? I know Dingding is good at running the company.”

“Dingding has a lot of friends here now. She is popular. She is deemed to be the president of a large company in this area. I can see her feeling proud of herself when she goes to work every morning.”

“Haha, really?”

“If she finds out that you are in China, she will definitely go to see you—the chairman from Korea.”

“Is that right? Well, I feel relieved knowing that I have two reliable friends and also business partners in Suzhou City, who are running the companies with great care. And, I thank you both for it.”

“Don’t mention it. Thank you.”

“The fact that Dingding speaks English fluently is very helpful to us.”

“Dingding has been talking with Mr. Adam Castler in the head office in Korea in English about the business report. I saw her talking with Dyeon India’s President Brandon Burke on the phone in English the other day as well. He was asking her to come to visit him in India.”

“Hmm, really?”

“So, Dingding asked Mr. Brandon Burke to visit Dyeon China when he had a chance.”

“It should be a good experience for both of them to visit each other’s company. They will find something to learn from each other’s system and policies.”

“Dingding is feeling more proud of herself running Dyeon China these days since Dyeon Korea became a public company. She talked highly of you, President Goo, saying that you are an amazing businessman.”

“Me? Haha. She is so sweet. Well, I guess I’d better let you go now, so you can take a rest for tomorrow. I will talk to you later.”

“Okay. You have a wonderful night in Shanghai City. I really recommend that you visit karaoke there. It will be fun.”

“Haha. Okay.”

Gun-Ho received a foot massage before having his dinner at the restaurant inside the hotel. When he was enjoying his food, he received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in Antang City, Guizhou Province.

“I was told that you are in China. Aren’t you going to visit me here?”

“I can’t go there. I even turned down Min-Hyeok’s offer to visit me here.”

“Really? Why? Are you going back to Korea soon?”

“I will stay one more day here, but I have some business that I have to take care of.”

“Is that about the movie production?”

“Yeah, that and also I have some personal matters too.”

“I see. The Chinese partners want to hold a board meeting soon.”

“Didn’t they say that they are going to skip the board meeting this year because I didn’t send the second investment fund?”

“I know. They are still nagging me about us not sending the investment fund. I told them that one of President Goo’s companies is a public company, meaning that he has enough funds to build the terminal here. So, it’s not a matter of whether he has funds ready or not, but it’s a matter of whether they keep their promise to transfer the ownership of the land to the joint venture’s name or not. I also told them that once the land issue is taken care of, President Goo will send the fund right away.”

“Good.”

“The terminal building is almost completed, leaving some finishing-up work which will cost a lot. And they are worried about the necessary fund to finish up the building.”

“If they ask you again about not sending the investment fund, just tell them that President Goo was about to send the second investment fund, and when he found out that the ownership of the land hadn’t transferred yet, he bought five luxurious condos in Antang City instead.”

“Should I let them know about our restaurant business with the KFC, the pizza restaurant, and the deep-fried chicken restaurant as well? They probably already suspect that I’m running some other businesses in the city, but I haven’t publicly talked about it with them. Maybe I should tell them about it, and also let them know that President Goo invested in this restaurant business too.”

“Hmm, just let them believe that your wife is running those restaurants by herself, without mentioning my involvement. That way, they will respect you more thinking that the joint venture is not the only income that you have.”

“Oh, you know what? The condos in Huaxi Huayuan… There is no more unit for sale on the market. Every unit on the market was sold before Thanksgiving Day. It seems that the demand is very high.”

“Really?”

“I heard that you can name the price. There will be always a buyer who is willing to pay a high price. The market for the condos in Huaxi Huayuan reminds me of the housing market in Gangnam District in Seoul City.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“It seems that a lot of buyers bought not just one unit but bought several units at once. I heard that one rich man from Hong Kong purchased several of them, and also some high-ranked government officers bought multiple units as well.”

“I guess they are making money by renting those units out, huh? Just like me.”

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Chapter 807 - Night in Shanghai City (3) – Part 2

Chapter 807: Night in Shanghai City (3) – Part 2

Jae-Sik Moon said, “The government here is already talking about raising Yongyou Shui (property tax) as the gap between the rich and the poor is being intensified. They also mentioned that they have to stop the acute increase in the price of luxurious condos such as Huaxi Huayuan.”

“Really?”

“But the Fang Di Chan (real estate agents) here made a fuss saying that if the government raises Yongyou Shui (property tax) by 1,000 won, the price of the condo here will increase by 1 million won.”

“Haha, really? Well, that’s probably true. Imposing a higher property tax won’t be able to stop the increase of real property price. The provincial government there will try to intimidate investors or real estate buyers by raising the property tax and limiting the mortgage loan service as well. But, the real estate price will stay the same only for a while until things become quiet again, and then the price will start increasing again.”

“You think so?”

“Think about it. The high-ranked government officers in that provincial government are living in a luxurious condo themselves, aren’t they?”

“That’s true. There are a lot of high-ranked officers in our condo community as well. My wife told me that she has met many housewives in the community meeting, whose husbands are high-ranked government officers.”

“So, their personal interest is at stake. They won’t support government policies that would diminish their personal gain. In fact, they would love to see the price of those luxurious condos going up substantially.”

“That makes sense. They are humans after all.”

“I know the price of the condos there will keep increasing, and I will hold them for a while without selling.”

“Because of the ongoing China – US trade friction, an increasing number of businesses here in China are closing their doors. Given the current situation, do you still think the price will keep going up? Moreover, the youth unemployment rate is high these days.”

“Well, still, the price of the condos in Huaxi Huayuan will keep increasing despite those facts.”

“You really think so? A high-ranked officer in the municipal government here one day appeared on TV and said that ‘everyone doesn’t have to live in Huaxi Huayuan. I know that because I used to live there.'”

“Hmm, really?”

“You know what? My wife recognized that particular high-ranked officer. She said that he is still living in Huaxi Huayuan with his wife. She knows his wife very well. Hahaha.”

“The area where the Huaxi Huayuan condo community is sitting on has good infrastructure. That’s why I can tell for sure that the condo price in the community will keep going up.”

“Well, I believe in you. You are a businessman with incredible insight.”

“Haha. You are silly. Well, keep up the good work. I will talk to you later.”

After finishing his dinner, Gun-Ho went up to his room. He was watching the TV lying on the bed when he received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“I’m calling because Mori Aikko asked me to give you a call to let you know about her schedule, sir.”

“Okay. Please go on.”

“Mori Aikko will have to shoot several scenes until 2 am today. She will then stop by the hotel for a brief sleep until 7 am before coming back to the movie studio. Her part will be finished around lunchtime tomorrow.”

“Is that right? Well, please tell her to focus on the work for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

The following day, Gun-Ho spent the day by himself again. He went to an art gallery in Shanghai City and visited Dongfangmingzhu Tower as well. When he was having lunch, Mori Aikko called him.

“Oppa?”

“Are you done with the movie shooting?”

“Gogo 2-ji koro ni audeshou ka? (Shall we meet around 2 pm?)”

“You must be very tired after shooting the movie without having enough sleep at night. Why don’t you take a nap and meet me around 6 pm instead? I’m away from the hotel anyway.”

“Sounds good. I will see you at 6 then.”

“Okay. I will be waiting for you in the lobby at 6. I will buy you a delicious dinner.”

“Thank you.”

After getting off the phone with Mori Aikko, Gun-Ho thought of his family in Korea—Young-Eun and their baby boy. He felt sorry for Young-Eun, and he decided to give a call to her.

“Young-Eun? How are you?”

“I’m good.”

“I’m afraid that I will have to stay here one more day. I actually wanted to return to Korea today, but it didn’t work out that way.”

“That’s okay. Take care of your business there. You don’t have to rush into coming back home.”

“I love you. And, please tell Sang-Min that his daddy loves him so much too.”

Gun-Ho felt somewhat relieved after talking to Young-Eun.

After stopping by one more tourist spot, Gun-Ho headed back to the hotel. When he arrived at his hotel room, he took a brief break, and then he went down to the lobby. It was around 6 pm. Mori Aikko was not there yet. Gun-Ho waited and waited, but Mori Aikko didn’t show up in the lobby. He finally decided to give her a call.

“Maybe she is asleep.”

Gun-Ho called her around 6:30 pm. Mori Aikko’s sleepy voice was heard on the other line.

“Ima 6 shiya (it’s 6 pm now).”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“I guess you are too tired to get out of bed. I want you to get some more sleep.”

“No, no. I’m up already. I will be right down there.”

It was almost 7 pm when Mori Aikko showed up in the lobby. When Mori Aikko spotted Gun-Ho, she smiled broadly and ran toward him and held his arm.

“I’m sorry, oppa.”

“Don’t say that. I know you are exhausted. I should have let you sleep more rather than making you come down to have dinner with me.”

“It’s okay. I had enough sleep.”

Mori Aikko seemed to be so excited to see Gun-Ho, especially in a place away from home. She couldn’t stop smiling.

“We should eat, right?”

“Yes, yes. I want to have delicious food.”

“Okay. Let’s get out of the hotel.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko took a taxi. Gun-Ho said to the taxi driver in fluent Chinese, “Dao Ming Xuan (Please go to Ming Xuan)”

“Hao De (okay).”

Ming Xuan was a famous restaurant located in Xujiahui District in Shanghai City. The restaurant was in a renovated building of a western-style structure. It was serving primarily traditional Chinese food. Many high-ranked government officers and rich businessmen from all over the country often visited this restaurant. It had hundreds of chain restaurants scattered all over the continent of China.

Mori Aikko seemed to like the restaurant.

“This restaurant looks fancy. I didn’t know there is a restaurant like this in this area.”

Gun-Ho told a restaurant staff that they wanted to sit in a Baoxiang (special room). They were then shown to a private room. Gun-Ho picked several dishes that Mori Aikko would love, and he placed an order.

“San Huangyou Ji (deep-fried chicken), Hongshao Hui Yu (grilled braised catfish), and …”

While Gun-Ho was placing an order in fluent Chinese, Mori Aikko watched him with an amazed look on her face.

“Whoa, oppa, you sound like a native Chinese man.”

Hearing Mori Aikko speaking Japanese to Gun-Ho, the restaurant staff started talking to Gun-Ho in Japanese. He probably thought that Gun-Ho was Japanese.

“I’m Korean,” Gun-Ho told the restaurant staff.

“Oh, really? You speak Chinese very well, sir.”

The restaurant staff seemed to be surprised by the fact that Gun-Ho was Korean.

The staff asked Gun-Ho, indicating Mori Aikko, “She is a beautiful lady. Is she, by any chance, an actress?”

“Yes, she is.”

“Oh, is that right?”

The staff quickly pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, and he asked Mori Aikko for an autograph.

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko had a delicious dinner. Mori Aikko seemed to enjoy the food that Gun-Ho ordered for her. She was probably feeling hungry after long hours of work.

“It’s good, right?” Gun-Ho asked her.

“Yeah.”

“Eat more.”

Gun-Ho picked up several pieces of food and put them on Mori Aikko’s plate. Gun-Ho then ordered a bottle of wine.

“These dishes will go very well with a glass of wine.”

A female restaurant staff came into the room carrying a bottle of wine.

“This is a wine made in France. Would you like to try it?”

“Sure.”

Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko took enough time to indulge in the traditional Chinese dishes with wine that evening.

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Chapter 808 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 808: Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (1) – Part 1

After walking out of the restaurant— Ming Xuan—, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko headed to Waitan, Shanghai City. It was getting dark. The lights from the high-rise buildings along the Huangpu River were illuminating the street. It was beautiful, and it was certainly creating a romantic vibe.

Gun-Ho said to Mori Aikko as he was wrapping his arm around her.

“This place is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

The area of Waitan used to have concession territory, and old constructions were often seen as the evidence of the old days. The city was decorated with colorful street lights by the local government in Shanghai City. It was not clear whether the decoration was aimed at tourists who were visiting the area, or whether they just wanted to make the area beautiful. Regardless of their goal, it certainly added a fantastic vibe to the area.

Mori Aikko narrowed her eyes; a satisfactory look appeared on her face. She seemed to be fully enjoying the night view of Waitan and the moment. And Gun-Ho was looking at Mori Aikko and her facial expressions; she was certainly an enchanting girl. Gun-Ho held her in his arms and kissed her.

“I Love you, Aikko.”

Mori Aikko closed her eyes. Gun-Ho could hear and feel her breathing in his arms.

Gun-Ho held Mori Aikko’s hand, and the couple continued walking.

It was a night in October. It was warm during the day, but it was chilly after dark. Gun-Ho held Mori Aikko’s hand tighter and asked her, “Are you cold?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Did you get paid with the full amount that they initially promised for your part in the movie?”

“Yes, I got fully paid yesterday.”

“How much did you receive?”

“They told me that they would send 150,000 dollars to my bank account. It should be there by now.”

“That means that they had paid you 50,000 dollars before yesterday.”

Mori Aikko nodded her head.

“Those jerks made you work hard until now with only 50,000 dollars, huh?”

“They eventually paid me the full amount, so it’s okay,” Aikko said as she smiled naively.

“How do you share your earnings with Segawa Joonkko?”

“Mama San gives me a lot.”

“So, how much?”

“Rokuju Pasento (60%).”

“Hmm, really?”

After continuing to walk for a while, Gun-Ho asked Mori Aikko, “Until when you should share your earnings with her?”

“Sanju Made (Until 30 years old),” Mori Aikko replied as she held up three fingers with a smile. Mori Aikko’s innocent smile and her body gesture reminded Gun-Ho of his son— Sang-Min. He kissed her on the cheek. At that moment, a few people were passing by Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko as they glanced at them.

“You should work hard to make as much money as you could until then, I guess.”

Mori Aikko smiled without saying anything.

Gun-Ho thought that the golden time when Mori Aikko could have a chance to make money as a dancing geisha must be until she turned 30 years old. That must be why Segawa Joonkko set the age to 30 for sharing the earnings with her. Once she hit 30, her “product value” would be diminished substantially.

It wasn’t far from Waitan to the Grand Central Hotel. It was somewhat within walking distance. Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko finally arrived at the hotel; they were still holding each other’s hand. The hotel’s doorman opened the door for the couple with a smile.

“Aikko, which floor are you staying on?”

“My room is on the eighth floor.”

“Why don’t you come to my room and have a hot tea with me?”

Gun-Ho took Mori Aikko to his room.

“Your room is big and nice, oppa.”

“Take a seat. I will bring you a cup of hot tea.”

Gun-Ho prepared the Longjing tea that he had previously purchased at a shop in the hotel.

“Try this tea. It should taste better than Oolong tea that you probably have in your hotel room.”

“Yes. It’s good,” Mori Aikko seemed to like the tea, and she demanded Gun-Ho to pour more hot water in her cup.

“There are several canned beers in the refrigerator. Would you like to have one?”

Mori Aikko nodded her head.

Gun-Ho pulled out a couple of canned beers and some snacks like peanuts from the mini-refrigerator in the hotel room. The two drank the beer for a while without saying anything. While having his beer, Mori Aikko’s gorgeous profile came into Gun-Ho’s view. She had long eyelashes, and she was stunningly beautiful. But, she looked listless for some reason. She seemed to be lost in thought. After a moment, Mori Aikko blurted, “You are married, right?”

“Ma… married?”

Gun-Ho was too stunned to reply to her right away. He couldn’t quickly come up with an idea of how to answer that question. He didn’t want to lie because that would lead him to another bunch of problems later.

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

Gun-Ho said with a smile pretending that he was calm. As Gun-Ho didn’t deny it, Mori Aikko’s face hardened.

Gun-Ho said, “If I say I am not married at my age, it would be a lie.”

“So, you are married. You probably have a child as well then.”

Gun-Ho nodded his head slowly.

At that moment, Mori Aikko abruptly hugged Gun-Ho, and said, “Does that mean we can’t go to Otaru City together ever again?”

“Otaru City? I can visit the city once or twice, but I can’t live there because I have a business to run.”

“Oppa, let’s go to Otaru City.”

Gun-Ho let Mori Aikko, who was sobbing, lay down on the bed. Her face was reddish, probably because of the beer that she just had.

“We don’t have to go to Otaru City to be together. We are here having each other, aren’t we?”

Mori Aikko was sometimes not realistic, maybe because she had spent most of her life dancing rather than interacting with other people in the society. And, since Gun-Ho was the first man to her, she seemed to have a fantasy about him.

“I don’t want to be an actress. I don’t like dancing at the Matsuri (festival)!”

Mori Aikko kept sobbing. Gun-Ho tried to comfort her as he was undressing her as well. Mori Aikko didn’t reject Gun-Ho’s touch. Gun-Ho took off his clothes, and he dragged Mori Aikko into the bed. He then started caressing her who was still sobbing.

The following day, Gun-Ho had to head out of the hotel before Mori Aikko would, because his flight to Korea was scheduled that day. When it was about 10 am, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko were standing in the hotel lobby.

Gun-Ho said, “I have to leave now heading to the airport. I’m afraid that I have to say bye here.”

Mori Aikko looked sad and lonely even though she was smiling.

“Aikko, you said that Director Yan Wu would be here by noon to pick you up, right? Take care of yourself, okay? I want you to stay healthy, and don’t forget that I’m a phone call away for you.”

Gun-Ho tapped Mori Aikko’s back a few times lightly before heading out of the hotel. When he reached the front door, he turned around and waved at Mori Aikko, who was still standing there. Mori Aikko waved back at him.

Gun-Ho thought about buying gifts for Young-Eun at the duty-free shop at the airport, and then he decided against it. If he bought a gift to butter her up, Young-Eun might suspect something was going on. He just picked a few toys for Sang-Min at the shop.

When he arrived at Incheon International Airport, Chan-Ho Eom was waiting for him at the airport.

“How are you? Is everything good?”

“Yes, sir. Everything is fine.”

“Let’s go to GH Building in Sinsa Town.”

“You are not going to stop by your home in TowerPalace first?”

“I have things that I have to take care of at the office in GH Building.”

“Okay, sir.”

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Chapter 809 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 809: Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (1) – Part 2

When Gun-Ho opened the office door, Director Kang was talking with a customer at his desk. When he saw Gun-Ho entering the office, he stood up from his seat to greet him.

“Are you coming straight from the airport, sir?”

“Yes, I am.”

Director Kang followed Gun-Ho to the president’s office and said, “You look pale, sir. You must have been very busy in China because of your business there.”

“A little bit,” Gun-Ho said as he released a small burst of laughter.

‘I was indeed very busy. I was actually tiringly busy all night.’

Gun-Ho said to Director Kang with a smile, “I’ve noticed that you have a customer waiting for you at your desk.”

“Oh, yes, he is the employee of one of our tenant companies in our building. He is here to make a request for us to reissue the tax invoice for their office rent. They lost it.”

“Well, you can go back to your work.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Director Kang left the office, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh came in to see if Gun-Ho needed anything.

“I’d like to have a cup of warm Solomon’s tea, please.”

“Yes, sir. It’s coming right up.”

Gun-Ho leaned back in his large and comfortable president’s office chair and turned on his computer.

“Let me check how Dyeon Korea stock is doing. Hmmm. It seems that the stock manipulators are shaking off to remove the little investors at a steady low price. The price is now even lower than the last time I checked by 7%. The small investors holding Dyeon Korea stock must be devastated.”

Gun-Ho opened Naver.com and entered the stock discussion forum specifically where people would talk about Dyeon Korea’s stock. As expected, individual small investors were crying out about losing money on Dyeon Korea stock.

“I guess I will have to step in now. Maybe I will raise the price until the price reduction rate reaches around -3% from -7%. The current price is too low.”

Gun-Ho started accumulating the stock. Dyeon Korea stock’s trading volume was relatively low, so Gun-Ho had to spend only 10 million won to raise the price, so the reduction rate became -3% as he aimed.

It was advisable for stock traders that they should invest in the stock market with surplus funds. Those who didn’t have surplus funds, and took out a loan to invest in the stock market, would be devastated and feel hopeless if the stock price that they bought dropped by 3% or even 7%.

“The little investors who are still holding Dyeon Korea stock must be feeling wrecked because of the price drop. They probably had thought that the price was at the lowest when they bought it, but the price is unexpectedly dropping even lower.”

Gun-Ho watched the stock chart closely.

“The stock price is low enough for stock manipulators to join the game. I will probably be able to see their move starting Monday at the earliest.”

Gun-Ho gave a call to the stock brokerage firm’s branch manager in Gangnam District.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, sir. How are you?”

Gun-Ho was, in fact, an experienced stock trader, but he asked the branch manager a question as he was a layperson in the stock trading field, “I just noticed that Dyeon Korea’s stock price keeps dropping. Why is this happening?”

“The price is falling? Let me take a look at it, sir. Bear with me.”

It took some time until the branch manager got back to Gun-Ho; he probably carefully checked Dyeon Korea’s stock movement to see any irregularities that required his concern.

“It’s true that the price dropped a lot, sir. Well, I guess, at this point, we can expect to see the price going up again. I think it’s low enough now. There is no change or bad news with the company, right?”

“Not at all.”

“Well, then leave it as it is. The price will go up anytime soon.”

“Maybe I should step in. What do you think?”

“You could accumulate the stock and raise the price. But, that could be what the stock manipulators are waiting to happen. Once you as the company’s major shareholder accumulate the stock, and once the price goes up consequently, those stock manipulators will probably sell their stock at the increased price, so they could make money.”

“That makes sense even though I’m not sure whether stock manipulators actually exist.”

“And, sir, I don’t recommend that you step in anyway. If you purchase your own company’s stock, you have to put the public on notice for it. And, if your business partner— Lymondell Dyeon— finds out that you own more shares by purchasing them in the stock market, they wouldn’t like it, because you two no longer own an equal amount of company ownership interest.”

“Hmm.”

“And, you probably want to monitor the stock movement to see if any foreigners acquire the shares. It could be Lymondell Dyeon.”

“I checked it, and the current trading volume by foreigners is insignificant.”

“I guess Lymondell Dyeon doesn’t intend to change the portion of the company’s ownership interest then. I would leave it, sir. As long as your company is doing well, you don’t have to worry about the stock price fluctuation.”

“If there are actually stock manipulators, don’t I have to warn them by stepping in?”

“Haha. I’m sure you are more than capable of doing it by yourself, sir. It’s an open market where anyone can buy or sell the stock, and anyone could lose or make money as well. However, it wouldn’t certainly help your company’s public image that you as the major shareholder step in and participate in manipulating the stock price.”

“You think so?”

“When you are ready to split the share, just let me know. We can expect to see a significant change in Dyeon Korea’s stock price then.”

“Okay. Thank you for your advice today.”

“If you are interested in purchasing other stocks, I can send you the list of the stocks that I recommend, sir.”

“That wouldn’t be necessary. I’m good. I’m not interested in investing in the stock market right now, but thank you. I called you today because I was concerned about Dyeon Korea’s stock. Because its price seems to be dropped so low, I wondered if I had to worry about it.”

“Stock price goes up and down every day. It’s normal. We don’t have to try to figure out what those movements mean.”

“Thank you again for your advice.”

Gun-Ho mumbled to himself as he hung up the phone, “His response is like reading from a textbook, nothing new.”

Gun-Ho leaned back in his cozy president’s office chair and thought about it.

‘I don’t have to play against stock manipulators. As the branch manager mentioned, if I want, I can play with Dyeon Korea’s stock the way that I want to, since the total value of the stock is a bit over 100 billion won, and I have 170 billion won in cash.

I should play along with those stock manipulators, so I don’t stand out. I will buy the shares when they buy them, and I will sell them when they sell them. I’m sure I have more funds than they have even as a group. I don’t have to feel pressured or anxious. I’m in a way better position than they are. For today, maybe I will buy some more shares to make the red color appear on the Dyeon Korea’s stock chart.’

Gun-Ho opened the stock trading application. The stock market wasn’t moving.

“Hmm, that’s right. It’s already after 3:30 pm. The market is closed already for today.”

The stock market was open at 9 in the morning and closed at 3:30 in the afternoon. Dyeon Korea’s stock closing price that day was the price that Gun-Ho set earlier by raising the price reduction rate to -3% from -7%.

“I can still make the red color shown on Dyeon Korea’s stock chart by buying some shares during the after-hours trade. Should I do that?”

After-hours trading occurred outside regular market hours between 4 and 6 in the afternoon. It was not a real-time trading though as regular trading was, and it was done every 10 minutes.

“I have enough time to trade in the after-hours trading now.”

Gun-Ho stretched himself and then walked out of his office. He wanted to get some fresh air before starting his after-hour stock trading. He went up to the rooftop.

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Chapter 810 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 810: Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went up to the rooftop in his office building and took a deep breath. He then went into the book café. It seems the café added more books to their bookshelves than before. There was no customer in the café when Gun-Ho entered it. He ordered a cup of coffee.

The lady, who was working at the book café as she filled up the position that Jae-Sik Moon’s wife left behind, was a friend of GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin. She didn’t seem to recognize Gun-Ho who was the owner of the building and the book café. However, she kept glancing at Gun-Ho as he looked a bit different from other workers in the building— the regulars who often came up to the rooftop to smoke or have a break while having a coffee. His luxurious business suit probably looked different from others.

After having a cup of cappuccino, Gun-Ho came down back to his office on the 18th floor.

Gun-Ho sat at his desk in front of his computer monitor. He then logged into the stock trading application, intending to purchase Dyeon Korea stock at the after-hours trading market.

“Huh? Someone already raised the price by 3%. Well, I will purchase 3,000 shares then, so the increased price can be maintained.”

Gun-Ho made a purchase request at the price of the already-increased-price before leaving for the day.

When Gun-Ho arrived at home, his father-in-law was visiting Gun-Ho’s home.

“Hello, father. I didn’t know you were coming today.”

“How was your day?”

Gun-Ho’s father-in-law was holding Sang-Min, and Young-Eun was preparing dinner in the kitchen. When she heard Gun-Ho’s voice, she came out to the living room, and said with an impassive look on her face, “Since you were away from home for a couple of days, I asked my father to come over and stay with me.”

“That’s good,” Gun-Ho then turned his gaze to his baby boy and said delightedly, “Hi, Sang-Min, daddy is home.”

Gun-Ho picked up his son and kissed him on the cheek. Sang-Min fiddled with Gun-Ho’s tie in Gun-Ho’s arms, and said something that no one could understand. Young-Eun’s father laughed and said, “I guess Sang-Min is saying ‘Dad, welcome back home.'”

“Haha, maybe so.”

Young-Eun said with the same impassive look on her face, “Go and wash yourself. Dinner is almost ready.”

“Oh, okay.”

While taking a shower, Gun-Ho wondered why he couldn’t read any emotion on Young-Eun’s face; she acted weird.

“The last time when I came back home from the trip to Guizhou Province in China, she was happy to see me, but she is different today. Is she suspecting something?”

Gun-Ho smelled his clothes that he had taken off, to see if it reeked anything that could be linked to Mori Aikko. He, in fact, had hugged Mori Aikko several times in the same outfit, and she jumped into his arms several times too. It was very possible that his clothes were smeared with her make-up or perfume. Gun-Ho couldn’t find anything on his clothes, but he put them all into the washing machine anyway.

As he walked into the kitchen, he said, “It smells really good.”

Young-Eun replied, “It’s Galbi-jjim (Korean style beef short ribs dish). I cooked the beef short ribs that we had brought to my father last Thanksgiving Day.”

“Oh, that’s right. Father had brought it back to us saying he doesn’t know how to cook beef short ribs. I didn’t know we still have them.”

Gun-Ho pulled out a bottle of liquor that he purchased at the duty-free shop at the airport. It was Johnnie Walker. When he opened the bottle, his father-in-law quickly stopped him and said, “You don’t have to open the new whisky for me. It’s an expensive one. Open it when you have a guest in your home or on another special occasion.”

“Father, this is not expensive. I brought it because I want to share it with you. Please let me fill up your glass with it.”

Gun-Ho and his father-in-law exchanged several more glasses of Johnnie Walker during the dinner. Galbi-jjim with a glass of liquor tasted heavenly. It was the first Korean food that Gun-Ho had eaten in two days after constantly eating oily Chinese food.

Gun-Ho was getting drunk quicker than usual that evening, probably because his body was exhausted from the trip.

“Are you feeling okay?” Gun-Ho’s father-in-law looked worried.

“Father, tomorrow is Saturday, and I don’t have to go to work, so it’s okay. You will stay here with us tonight, right, father? Please drink as much as you want.”

“Hmm, I’m doing it.”

“Father, I’m afraid that I have to excuse myself for the rest of the evening. I guess I’d better go to bed now. I came straight from the airport, and I guess I’m feeling too tired to stay up.”

“Please do so. You do look exhausted,” Gun-Ho’s father-in-law then turned to Young-Eun and said, “Young-Eun, why don’t you prepare the bed for him?”

“It’s okay, father. I will set the bed myself.”

As soon as he went into his room, Gun-Ho collapsed on the bed and fell asleep right away.

When Gun-Ho woke up, it was 7 o’clock in the morning.

“It’s 7 am already. Chan-Ho Eom will soon arrive to pick me up to go to work. I’d better get up now to get ready. Oh, let me think…, it’s Saturday, isn’t it? That’s right. I don’t have to go to work today. Well, I will get back to bed, and sleep more.”

Gun-Ho fell asleep again. He dreamed about Mori Aikko. In his dream, Mori Aikko was packing her luggage. She then headed to the airport saying that she would go to Otaru City by herself. She was crying hard.

“Aikko!” Gun-Ho uttered Mori Aikko’s name and woke up startled at his own sound.

“Shoot. I’m home now. Thank God that Young-Eun and I are using separate rooms. She would have heard me blurting another woman’s name if she was here with me.”

Gun-Ho got up, walked out of the room, and sat on the sofa in the living room for a while before walking into the kitchen to drink some water; he felt thirsty. He wanted to have cool and fresh barley tea that he knew was always available in the refrigerator.

“You got up?” Young-Eun was in the kitchen cooking something.

“What are you cooking?”

“You need to have a hangover soup for breakfast, don’t you? You drank a lot last night. I’m preparing a hangover soup with bean sprouts and beetroot.”

“A hangover soup with bean sprouts and beetroot?”

“Yeah. Your mother told me that’s your second favorite dish. The first one is your mother’s Doenjang-jjigae (a Korean soybean paste stew), isn’t it?”

“You need to add Manila clam to the soup to make it perfect.”

“I did. Thanks for the tip. I will set the table.”

“I will ask father to join us for breakfast.”

“He left already.”

“Really? When?”

“He left yesterday. Since you came back home, he said he would go to his home.”

Gun-Ho went into the master bedroom. Sang-Min was sleeping while gently breathing. Sleeping Sang-Min looked like an angel. Gun-Ho walked toward him closely intending to give him a kiss when Young-Eun stopped him.

“Leave him alone. He just fell asleep. You will wake him up by touching him. Let’s have breakfast.”

Gun-Ho sat at the dining table.

“This soup smells really good.”

Gun-Ho scooped the soup with his spoon and tasted it. It was a soup with bean sprouts and beetroot, with a touch of soybean paste.

He said as he was nodding his head, “It tastes refreshing.”

“You put all of your clothes including your underwear into the washer, huh?”

“Yeah. Well, let me see, I guess I forgot to put my socks in there.”

“Why am I smelling strong cosmetics from the clothes that you wore during the trip in the washer?”

“Cosmetics? I have no idea. Oh, maybe it was that woman.”

“What woman?!”

“I tried to take a taxi at Nanjing Road in China. When I couldn’t find any taxies available, I had to take the subway instead, which was packed with passengers that day. And a lady, who was wearing really heavy makeup, was closely standing next to me, and she bumped into me several times. I think it was intentional because I was the most good-looking man in the subway that day.

Young-Eun giggled.

“I trust you, oppa.”

“It is totally up to you whether you trust me or not, but I don’t like Chinese women; that I can tell for sure. I love Korean women, and you are the one that I love the most among them.”

Young-Eun giggled again.

“You want some more soup?”

“Nah, I had enough. It was really good. I love the food that you cook for me.”

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Chapter 811 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 811: Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was sitting in the living room having a cup of coffee after breakfast. He opened Naver.com with his smartphone to see the stock discussion forum.

People were vigorously talking about Dyeon Korea stock.

“The price that was reduced by 3% yesterday will be recovered on Monday. I’m sure about it.”

“If the price falls even lower than now, Gun-Ho Goo will have to be careful when he walks around after dark. Someone will hit the back of his head.”

“The price increased and reached the upper limit during the after-hours trade!!”

“You stupid idiots! It did not hit the upper limit at all. The price was raised by 3% during the after-hours market; that’s all.”

“That stupid Dyeon Korea, when are they going to publish their third-quarter period’s financial documents?”

Gun-Ho laughed while reading the discussion forum. He found the way that some people talked funny.

“What are you laughing at?” Young-Eun asked.

“Dyeon Korea’s stock price dropped, and a lot of people talked badly about me. You want to see?”

Gun-Ho showed Young-Eun his smartphone screen. As she read the stock discussion forum, Young-Eun laughed out loud along with Gun-Ho.

“Someone said that Gun-Ho jerk person would better be careful when he walks on the street after dark. Hahaha. Oppa, you became famous.”

Gun-Ho liked it when Young-Eun laughed. He liked it when women laughed in general. Gun-Ho quickly kissed Young-Eun on the cheek.

After finishing his morning coffee, Gun-Ho stayed in the living room watching the TV with Young-Eun. At that moment, they could hear Sang-Min crying. He must have woken up.

“He has a wet diaper.”

Young-Eun changed Sang-Min’s diaper and started breastfeeding him in her arms. While being breastfed, Sang-Min grabbed Young-Eun’s other breast to play with it. The baby and his mother both looked happy, and Gun-Ho wanted to catch the moment by taking a picture of them. He pulled out his smartphone and captured the happy moment.

After finishing his meal, Sang-Min seemed to be in a good mood; he started saying things in a way no one would understand yet, but probably his mother would.

“What is he saying?” Gun-Ho asked.

Young-Eun replied, “He wants to go outside.”

“Sure! Let’s go out.”

Gun-Ho gave a bunch of kisses on his son’s face before getting ready to go out.

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho was going to accumulate Dyeon Korea’s stock that day. He transferred cash of 3 billion won to the stock account that he borrowed from Seung-Hee sister, through several separate transactions.

‘The share price is now around 18,000 won. I’m going to keep purchasing the stock until the price is raised to low 20,000 won. I bought 50,000 shares so far. I’m going to purchase 150,000 shares more.’

Gun-Ho spent his entire morning trading the stock. Once he started buying the stock, the stock manipulators started selling their shares aggressively, and that made the price drop by 10%, but Gun-Ho didn’t mind; he purchased them all.

‘Bring it on. I’m ready. I’m loaded with more cash than you all.’

Gun-Ho poured a substantial amount of cash into buying Dyeon Korea’s stock, and Dyeon Korea appeared on the stock chart with a red light. The volume of the stock trading began to increase.

Gun-Ho opened the stock discussion forum on Naver.com to see the public investors’ reaction.

“Guys! A big player seemed to join to trade Dyeon Korea stock. It’s moving.”

“I told you so, didn’t I? I predicted that the price would increase starting today!”

Gun-Ho raised the price by 3%, and there seemed to be no noticeable movement from the stock manipulators’ side yet. The purchasing was slow. Gun-Ho purchased Dyeon Korea as soon as someone put it available on the market.

At that moment, Gun-Ho received a call from Seung-Hee sister.

“President Goo? It’s me, Seung-Hee sister.”

“Yes, sister. How are you?”

“I just got a call from the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm where I had opened my stock account. During all these years, I’ve never received a call from anyone even from a staff in that stock brokerage firm. It is certainly unusual that the branch manager gave me a call. Is something going on with my stock account?”

Gun-Ho instantly thought that it was probably because of the 3 billion won that he had deposited in her stock account for Dyeon Korea stock accumulation.

Gun-Ho asked her, “What did you tell him?”

“I told him that I was in the middle of something and would give him a call later. I wanted to talk to you first about it before I talk with him.”

“I deposited a significant amount of money in your stock account today in order to purchase some shares. I guess that’s why he gave you a call. He probably wanted to make some recommendations to you about which stock is hot these days. I’m pretty sure about it. That’s what they do.”

“Really? What should I do then?”

“Tell him that you have no intention to let anyone trade stocks on behalf of you, and also tell him that you can’t leave your home because you are handicapped. Tell those things if he calls you again. You don’t have to make a call to him to tell that though.”

“You think that will do?”

“Yes, I believe he will go away.”

“Okay. I will tell him if he calls me again.”

After spending the entire morning trading the stock intensively, Gun-Ho felt a headache. He asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring him a cup of coffee.

“I will take a break while having a coffee before continuing the stock trading.”

While having his coffee, Gun-Ho looked at the stock account.

“I initially deposited 100 million won to this Seung-Hee sister’s stock account. And then, I deposited an additional 1 billion won to the account, and then added another 3 billion won very recently. So, I put in a total of 4.1 billion won there.

I currently have 80,000 shares with this stock account. The average price that I paid for them per share is 18,600 won. I spent a total of 1.488 billion won. I’m going to continuously purchase the shares until I accumulate 200,000 shares.”

Gun-Ho looked at the profit and loss window for the account.

“Fu*k. I lost 37,200,000 won so far. It’s a 2.5% loss.”

If he sold all of the shares that he purchased with this specific stock account at the current market price, the estimated value would be 4,062.8 million won.

Gun-Ho invested 4.1 billion won, and he lost 37,200,000 won within 2 days. He didn’t lose much with the previous purchase, but most of the loss incurred during today’s transaction. However, it was okay with Gun-Ho. His plan was to catch a big fish using a small bait of 37,200,000 won.

“I cast the bait. The stock manipulators would assume that big and small investors started buying the stock, and they would join the trade soon.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho thought about Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town.

Gun-Ho mumbled to himself giggling, “Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town will be probably casting a bait at the fishing site in Pocheon City while I’m casting my own bait here in my office.”

Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“Hmm, it’s almost noon. Some stupid investors are probably selling their stock thinking that the price increased enough, by now.”

Gun-Ho opened the stock market application, and he found that the 10,000 shares that he requested to purchase earlier that day around 10 am had been shrunk to 5,000 shares. That meant that he successfully purchased 5,000 shares. He immediately added an additional 5,000 shares to his purchase request.

Gun-Ho then entered the stock discussion forum on Naver.com.

“Hey, someone made a request of purchasing 10,000 shares. I guess an institutional investor wants to buy that many shares.”

Gun-Ho— a big player from Gangnam— was now deemed as an institutional investor.

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Chapter 812 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (3) – Part 1

Chapter 812: Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho had lunch outside his office building that day and came back to the office afterward. He was having a cup of coffee sitting on the sofa when GH Media’s Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui knocked on the door and entered his office.

“Oh, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui. Please come in.”

“I thought you went to work in Jiksan Town and Asan City today, sir.”

“Right. Since it’s Monday, I was supposed to be there for work, but I decided to stay in Seoul to take care of other businesses.”

“I see.”

“How was your trip to Japan?”

“It was good. We signed a contract with a Japanese publishing company for four different books about self-development. The advancement payment for each book is set for less than 3,000 dollars.”

“Good job.”

“And, I had a chance to talk with Mama San Segawa Joonkko while I was in Japan. She told me that Mori Aikko hadn’t been fully paid for her part in the movie from the movie production company.”

“Really?”

“When Mori Aikko signed the contract with Huanle Shiji Production Company, she received 20,000 dollars, and later, she received an additional 30,000 dollars. And that was it.”

“I just came back from my trip to China only a few days ago, and while I was there, I pressured them to pay Mori Aikko with the full amount that they promised in time. I believe they sent her the pay by now. Please check with her again.”

“Oh, really? I will check with her right away, sir.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui made a call to Segawa Joonkko on the spot.

“Moshimoshi (hello),” Segawa Joonkko picked up the phone.

“Oh, Mama San desu ka?”

“Hai!”

“Watashi wa kankku no Matsui Yoshitaka desu (I’m Yoshitaka Matsui from Korea).”

“Oh, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui.”

“As for Mori Aikko’s pay, Mr. President Goo seemed to have given some pressure to the production company during his recent trip to China. Did Mori Aikko receive the full payment?”

“Yes, she did. We verified the amount. If you see Mr. President Goo, please tell him that I really appreciate his help on this.”

“Okay, I will do that. Thank you.”

“Thank you.”

After getting off the phone with Segawa Joonkko, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui turned to Gun-Ho and said with a smile, “She confirmed that they received the pay.”

“That’s good to know.”

“It could have become big trouble for them. Your visit there certainly resolved the issue neatly.”

“Well, they had to pay since the movie shooting was completed.”

“They were supposed to pay her at least half of the promised pay which would be 100,000 dollars when they reached the halfway of the estimated production period. Those Chinese people didn’t handle the pay matter right this time.”

“That’s true, but she got paid now, so it’s good.”

“I met one more person during the trip. I met with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo in Motomachi, Yokohama City.”

“How is he doing?”

“He seems to be doing very well. He is still carving wood and metal pieces.”

“That’s really good to know.”

“And, he mentioned someone in GH Mobile. His name is Jong-Suk Park. Do you have someone by the name in GH Mobile, sir?”

“Yes, we do. Well, he no longer works for GH Mobile though. He is now running a company called GH Machines. He is the president of that company.”

“Oh, really? Mr. Sakata Ikuzo is hoping that you—Mr. President Goo—visit him in Yokohama City with the Director Park person, and he wants the meeting to be private and quiet.”

“Yokohama City? For what?”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo has a friend who is running a factory in the precision machinery industry. The company’s name is Miura Machines. The company is possessing exceptionally well-enhanced technology. The thing is that this company is closing its business soon.”

“Why would a company with exceptional technology close their business?”

“There is no appropriate successor who would take over the company.”

“This company manufactures things like a camshaft and valve by carving metal with a machine, and the owner president’s son and daughter seem to have no interest in the work at all.”

“He should have someone good and competent among his employees. He could let that person run the company.”

“There is no young employee working in the factory; every worker there is 60 or above. There are some workers who are willing to take it over, but they want it for free; they don’t want to pay to acquire the company. They are saying that it’s really hard to find young workers in the industry, so it wouldn’t be easy work running a company like that.”

“Japan has that sort of issue too, huh?”

“Right. It’s really hard to find people who would be willing to work in 3D professions that require hard physical labor, in Japan and also in Korea.”

“What does it have to do with seeing me and Director Park?”

“The owner president is willing to hand over his company to you if you can financially guarantee his income after he retires. He’s not going to transfer the land to you, but he will give you the machines and technology.”

“Hmm.”

“He wants to meet with you and Director Park. He will talk about money with you, and talk about technology with the Director Park person.”

“The company—Miura Machines—is located in Yokohama City?”

“Yes, it is, sir. Miura is actually the name of a small city in the suburbs of Yokohama. My guess is that the owner president is from Miura, and he probably named his company after the city that he was from. It’s like someone would name his company Jiksan Machines because he grew up in Jiksan Town. There is the last name—Miura—in Japan as well.”

“Last name as Miura?”

“Yes, sir. My name is Yoshitaka Matsui, so if I have the last name of Miura, my name would be Yoshitaka Miura. As a matter of fact, my last name—Matsui—is the name of an area as well.”

“Oh, really?”

“So, sir, are you willing to meet with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo?”

“I don’t know. I will have to talk with GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park first.”

After Yoshitaka Matsui left the office, Gun-Ho opened the stock trading application. His request to purchase 10,000 shares at 18,600 won, which he submitted earlier that day wasn’t fully satisfied yet. Since Gun-Ho was present in the stock market with loaded cash being ready to be spent to purchase any available Dyeon Korea shares as soon as it showed up in the market, the price didn’t drop lower than 18,600 won.

Gun-Ho mumbled to himself but toward the stock manipulators, “You cheap sh*thead, throw the stock as many as you can, I will take them all.”

When it was after 3 pm, someone placed a chunk of Dyeon Korea’s shares in the market to sell.

“Alright. Those stock manipulators are trying to keep the price low. I won’t let them get what they want.”

The purchase request of 10,000 shares that Gun-Ho had previously made was quickly fulfilled. Once Gun-Ho’s purchase request was satisfied, the stock price began to drop rapidly.

The stock discussion forum became vibrant with heated discussion again in talking about the changes that were occurring with Dyeon Korea’s stock trading and price.

“The price will definitely go lower than 18,000 won today.”

“It could well drop even below 17,000 won. Gun-Ho, don’t you care about your company’s stock? Do you even watch what’s going on? Do something about it.”

“Gun-Ho jerk, he is so bad at managing his company.”

The Dyeon Korea’s stock chart was showing a blue light again.

Gun-Ho grinned.

‘I will take all that you are throwing in the market.’

Gun-Ho made an additional request to purchase 10,000 more shares at 18,600 won. The stock price remained calm again. Gun-Ho then put the purchase request for another 10,000 shares at 19,000 won this time. Dyeon Korea’s stock price increased by 2.15%, and the red light appeared on its stock chart. Investors felt encouraged to purchase Dyeon Korea’s stock by the change that Gun-Ho made, because the stock price was on the rise, and they would make money by holding the stock for a while, and sell them when and if the price would go up higher. The people in the stock discussion forum started giving different opinions from the time prior to Gun-Ho’s active involvement.

“The stock price increased by 2%. This is the max that this stock could go up. You’d better sell what you have now if you don’t want to regret it later.”

“Don’t raise the price by a small amount, but show me the shiny red thick stick on the stock chart.”

“If the price goes up higher and hits the upper limit, I can recover what I lost so far which doesn’t seem to happen anytime soon though.”

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Chapter 813 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (3) – Part 2

Chapter 813: Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (3) – Part 2

The following day, Gun-Ho successfully sustained Dyeon Korea’s stock price at the 19,500-won level. Every time when stock manipulators placed their Dyeon Korea’s shares on the stock market for sale, Gun-Ho purchased them all right away. After repeating the same process over and over again, the stock manipulators became seemingly tired. Consequently, the volume of Dyeon Korea’s shares that were placed for sale on the market decreased conspicuously.

Stock manipulators were not necessarily those who conspired to manipulate a stock price with an intent to make it happen. But, it could be an institutional investor who wanted to purchase or sell a substantial number of shares, or it could be a club where people gathered together to exchange information and trade the same stocks with a plan. Or, it could well be just a group of small individual investors who just happened to purchase or sell the same stock.

“That guy told me that his stock manipulating club is composed of 30 members. That’s not a lot, and they wouldn’t be able to bring in a substantial amount of money to create a huge impact on the stock market. Say, one person brings in 50 million won. They can only collect 1.5 billion won from 30 members.”

Gun-Ho was not afraid of that sort of club. But, if an institutional investor has an eye on Dyeon Korea stock, that could be a problem. Dyeon Korea was a debt-free company, and it was a joint venture company with a world-renowned firm—Lymondell Dyeon. Dyeon Korea was attractive enough to draw acute interest from institutional investors. Moreover, the current stock price was low enough to purchase if someone intended to buy a substantial number of shares.

“But, the number of Dyeon Korea’s shares available to trade in the stock market is too low for an institutional investor. They could end up raising the price so high without gaining much from the effort,” said Gun-Ho as he grinned.

“It’s just perfect for me to play with though.”

The next day, Gun-Ho raised the stock price to 20,000 won. A lot of little investors started selling their Dyeon Korea stock as soon as they realized that they could sell them at 20,000 won. The very fact was showing that many people had purchased Dyeon Kroea stock around 20,000 won in the first place, and they had been waiting for the price to be recovered to that level, so they could sell them without losing money. On the other hand, there were some people who just sold their stock even though the price hadn’t reached their original purchasing price. Those people were probably scared that the stock price might drop again anytime soon.

Gun-Ho had been busy from Monday until Wednesday raising and stabilizing Dyeon Korea’s stock price. Its stock chart looked good. The moving average finally indicated an upward direction.

Once a turnaround of Dyeon Korea’s stock price was observed, stock analysts started recommending people to buy Dyeon Korea’s stock.

[After hitting the low point, Dyeon Korea stock changed its course to the direction of upward. Dyeon Korea is a debt-free and financially stable company with good reserves. This company possesses the exclusive right to sell in the entire Asia Market, which they obtained from the global enterprise—Lymondell Dyeon. This company has a great potential to grow even further, and I do recommend its stock for your next investment.]

Gun-Ho went into the stock discussion forum to check people’s reactions.

“I received the green light from my stock club. They said it’s okay to buy Dyeon Korea stock now.”

“Do not buy Dyeon Korea stock. You will lose everything. If you want to buy it, you probably want to do so maybe next year to be safe.”

“By the way, how come they are not publishing the company’s third-quarter financial documents yet? Are they hiding something?”

Gun-Ho smiled and looked at his stock account again. He had already accumulated 215,000 shares so far. The average price that he spent per share was approximately 19,000 won.

Gun-Ho closed the stock trading application, and he opened a news section on the internet.

“Huh? Candidates are being nominated for the leader position of the political party—Gongmyeong Party?”

[A political convention for Gongmyeong Party is around the corner. Candidates are being nominated who would compete to be elected as the leader of the party. The competition is expected to be fierce because of the power that will be given to the party’s leader. The person who is leading a political party will secure the right to nominate the candidate for a congressional election. The leader will also be in an absolutely advantageous position to become the candidate for the next presidential race as well.]

Gun-Ho had not been very interested in politics until recently because he believed that whoever seized power, it wouldn’t make any difference to ordinary people’s life and economy. This belief had been formed over the years while he lived his life, from his high school years when he was a boy from a poor family in Juan Town, Incheon City to the old days when he studied for the government job exam in Noryangjin Town, and to those hard years when he worked at a factory as a production worker in several different areas such as Hwaseong City, Pocheon City, and Yangju City.

However, he started becoming interested in politics because of Minister Jin-Woo Lee. GH Mobile was looking at its very possible prospective goal of generating an annual revenue of 200 billion won right now. Without Minister Lee’s help, it wouldn’t have been possible, or it would have taken years and years to achieve that goal. Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s help and his power obviously made it happen.

Gun-Ho leaned back in his comfy office chair and closed his eyes. He thought about the slush fund that would go to Minister Jin-Woo Lee for his political activities.

‘If GH Mobile generates net earnings of 10 billion won this year, his father would receive 1.5 billion won as a form of a dividend. Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father—Mr. Beom-Sik Lee—owns 15% of GH Mobile’s shares after all. I don’t know much about politics, and I wonder how much money would be necessary for political activities.

If he is elected as the leader of his political party and eventually runs for President, he would probably need a substantial amount of funds for his campaign. Since he is the son-in-law of A Group’s chairman, people will keep a close eye on A Group. I wonder if A Group would be able to provide him with monetary support for his political activities in that situation. I’m pretty sure that Minister Jin-Woo Lee will try to heavily rely on me financially. Where should I draw a line in helping him if that happens?’

At that moment, Gun-Ho’s phone started ringing. It was from the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm in Gangnam District.

“Sir, it’s me.”

“Oh, yes, how are you, Mr. Branch Manager?”

“Congratulations, sir. Dyeon Korea’s stock price is going upward.”

“I know. I noticed that this morning.”

“Is there any good news with the company, which probably affected the stock price?”

“Not that I know of. The business has been going well as usual. Our sales in the domestic market keep increasing as expected, and our newly established companies—Dyeon China in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province and Dyeon India in Chennai—started producing products in their local factories and began to sell them in the area. That’s about it.”

“Oh, that’s right. Dyeon Korea invested in those two companies—Dyeon India and Dyeon China—right?”

“That’s correct. They are not a joint venture with an Indian company or a Chinese company, but you can say that those two companies partnered with Dyeon Korea since the funds to establish those companies came from Dyeon Korea.”

“That could be good news for Dyeon Korea’s stock.”

“What are you saying? Are you intending to release that information to influence the stock price?”

“Why not? It’s good information that will benefit the company. I will release it.”

“Well, if you want to do so, please release that information once Dyeon Korea’s stock price exceeds 25,000 won.”

“Okay. I will do that, sir.”

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Chapter 814 - Miura Machines in Japan – Part 1

Chapter 814: Miura Machines in Japan – Part 1

It was Thursday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. As usual, Gun-Ho stopped by GH Mobile’s second factory first. GH Mobile had acquired this additional factory when it had reached the limit of the capacity of the first factory. The second factory was situated right next to the first factory. It used to be a packaging company for food such as cookies and candies.

The second factory was 2,500 pyung large, and Gun-Ho acquired it for 4 billion won. 3 billion won out of 4 was from Dyeon Korea for the building that GH Mobile contributed for that company. And, the remaining 1 billion was part of the cash that GH Mobile had in its reserve.

“It was definitely the right decision that we acquired this second factory”, said Gun-Ho as he was looking at the exterior of the factory building before walking into it.

“Because of this additional space, the first factory could and still can have enough room to make the work environment more efficient. In addition, the parking problem was resolved as well.”

When Gun-Ho entered the factory building, President Song was there, which was unexpected.

“You are here, Mr. President Song.”

“Yes, sir. I was on my way out after rebuking the manager here. We found a few defective products.”

Gun-Ho noticed that President Song was carrying some products. They were probably those defective products that President Song just referred to.

“Is it serious? Do I have to worry about it?”

“No, sir. But, it’s not ignorable either.”

“Does that mean we should expect to get a defective product claim for the entire already-produced quantity?”

“These are still usable, and I already talked with the client company for this product about the defect. They agreed to take the product by making some adjustments on the product cost.”

“Which client company is that?”

“It’s Mandong Company.”

“We haven’t had defective products for a long time, have we?”

“Right. President Jong-Suk Park from GH Machines came earlier this morning to help us find out the cause that led to the defect. According to him, it was the speed with which the product was cooled. They have to let them cool quickly, but the cooling happened slowly when the defect occurred, which caused the problem.”

“Is President Park still here?”

“No, sir. He just left.”

Gun-Ho and President Song headed to the office walking side by side, and the employees there stood up to give a bow to them, on the way. When they arrived at Gun-Ho’s office, President Song followed Gun-Ho to his office.

Gun-Ho said, “Please have a seat. Let’s have a cup of tea together.”

“Sure, sir.”

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Hee-Jeong Park to bring two cups of tea. After taking a sip of his tea, President Song said, “The sales are steady. We are making a sales revenue in the range between 530 million won and 550 million won every day.”

“So, our monthly sales revenue should be more or less 1.6 billion won.”

“That’s correct. GH Mobile is currently at proper production capacity with the two factories, but once our annual sales revenue reaches 200 billion won, it will have to be working at full capacity.”

“Hmm.”

Proper production capacity included currently running equipment and the equipment that could be added to the production line right away if necessary. A production facility’s full production capacity included idle equipment and stand-by equipment.

Gun-Ho said to clarify what President Song just said, “You mean we will soon need an additional factory—the third production facility.”

“That right, sir.”

“Do you think we’d better have our third factory in Changwon City?”

“Changwon City would be good, but Dangjin City is better for our current situation, given the increased product orders from A Electronics.”

“Hmm.”

“Dangjin City has several agricultural and industrial complexes. There are Seokmoon Agricultural and Industrial Complex and Songak Agricultural and Industrial Complex, for example. If we either acquire or rent an already-built factory in an agricultural and industrial complex, we don’t have to build our production facility from scratch.”

“Since we haven’t reached our maximum production capacity yet, let’s talk about this again next fiscal year.”

President Song smiled faintly because he understood what Gun-Ho said as he had no intent to invest any funds in expanding the business this year. That meant that it was highly possible that he would receive a dividend this year with net earnings. That was probably why President Song smiled.

Gun-Ho continued, “If we establish the third factory next year, we would have more than 1,000 workers in total.”

“That’s right, sir. GH Mobile will become a big company with a yearly sales revenue of 200 billion won, and which has Dyeon Korea as its subsidiary company—a registered firm with KOSDAQ.”

“GH Mobile owns 900,000 Dyeon Korea’s shares. Well, since we split a share in half, we have 1.8 million Dyeon Korea’s shares to be exact, and a share is worth 5,000 won.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Our account book must be indicating our Dyeon Korea’s shares as investment assets of 9 billion won.”

“That’s right, sir. Dyeon Korea’s stock price is currently in the range between 20,000 won and 30,000 won. But, our account book is still showing the initial price of 10,000 won with 900,000 shares.”

“Hmm.”

President Song continued as he placed his cup of coffee back at the table, “If we sell our Dyeon Korea shares at this very moment, since the current market price is 20,000 won, we will make 36 billion won. Since the price is on the rise lately, we might be able to sell the shares at 30,000 won as well. If we do that, we will make 54 billion won.”

“That sounds about right.”

“If we sell our Dyeon Korea shares to an institutional investor such as National Pension Service or Korea Development Bank when its price hits 30,000 won, we would make 54 billion won, and that amount will come to GH Mobile.”

“GH Mobile’s cash assets will increase then.”

“That’s right, sir. If that happens, GH Mobile would make a disposition gain on investment assets of 45 billion won. We initially invested 9 billion won in Dyeon Korea, and its stock price increased, and that made our Dyeon Korea shares worth 54 billion won. If we subtract our original investment funds of 9 billion won from 54 billion won, our profit would be 45 billion won.”

“Our financial statements that would be shown in the audit report will then indicate that GH Mobile’s profit on investment assets is 45 billion won.”

“That’s correct. 45 billion won is enough money to pay off GH Mobile’s entire debt.”

“Hmm.”

“Well, you are the expert in this field, sir. I know that you probably already pictured it in your head at some point. I guess I was like holding a candle to the sun.”

“Haha. Well, let’s have some more tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

After President Song left the office, Gun-Ho checked the current price of Dyeon Korea stock with his smartphone. Dyeon Korea’s current market stock price was 22,000 won.

“22,000 won… I still have a long way to go.”

Gun-Ho turned off his smartphone, and he headed out to GH Machines in Baekseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex.

When Gun-Ho arrived at GH Machines, the workers there were busily building up machines for Dyeon Korea. Jong-Suk Park was involved in building a machine only partially these days. After he reached the point where he had to use the twin screws, he let other engineers finish the remaining process. The usual noises that could be heard in a healthy and vigorously working factory were resounding in GH Machines’ production site. Gun-Ho could hear the noises of a die casting machine, welding, hammering, etc.

“President Park. How are you?”

“Bro! Good to see you!”

“It looks good that all of the workers here are wearing a uniform that says GH Machines. The worksite looks very organized.”

“We finished building two sets of machines for Dyeon Korea and sent them already. Haha.”

“Did you receive the pay for those two machines?”

“I was supposed to receive the pay after a month according to the usual practice in the industry. But, I talked to Director Kim about my situation. I told him that GH Machines is a newly established company, and we don’t have cash in the reserve just yet, so if he could send us the pay now, it would be enormously helpful. We are close enough to call each other brothers after all. Well, that worked. He sent me the pay.”

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Chapter 815 - Miura Machines in Japan – Part 2

Chapter 815: Miura Machines in Japan – Part 2

Gun-Ho was talking with Jong-Suk Park at GH Machines.

Gun-Ho asked Jong-Suk, “Do you have any funding problems with the company?”

“It’s manageable. We already paid GH Mobile for those 5 twin screws.”

“Is it 100 million won?”

“Yeah. I received 300 million won from Dyeon Korea for those two machines that we just built and sent to them, and I sent 100 million won back to them for the twin screws. I have 200 million won left, and it should be enough to run the company for now.”

“I see. Well, let’s have a cup of coffee in your office, and we can talk more.”

“Sounds good.”

The office manager lady who was handling accounting work there brought two cups of coffee for Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk. If he remembered correctly, Gun-Ho had his coffee in a paper cup the last time when he visited Jong-Suk’s office, but this time, she brought coffee in a ceramic coffee mug.

“Bro, I’m being treated exceptionally well by my parents-in-law these days.”

“They didn’t treat you well before?”

“I’m saying… You know, I made money by selling Dyeon Korea shares, and I bought land in Pyeongtaek City for 500 million won with some of those funds. Once my mother-in-law found out about it, she started treating me differently.”

“How differently?”

“I’m like her precious son-in-law now. She even bought me some restorative herbal medicine.”

“I guess she thought you needed it. You probably look like you need help with your stamina.”

“What are you talking about? I have a lot of stamina, bro.”

“Why would your mother-in-law send you restorative herbal medicine if not for your stamina?”

“My parents-in-law said that I’m in an important position in the company and that I have to stay healthy. That’s why they bought a box of restorative herbal medicine.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“My wife told me that her parents are so proud of me and talked about me a lot to their friends. Well, I own a 30 pyung large condo in Purgio Condo Community, and I have land in Pyeongtaek City as well. Moreover, I’m running my own business. I totally understand why they are proud of a son-in-law like me.”

“Yeah, I think so. I would feel proud if I have a family member like you as well.”

“I’m feeling pressured for one thing though.”

“What pressure?”

“As you know, my parents and my wife’s parents love to have more grandchildren. They are giving me pressure to have one more child with my wife. My parents and parents-in-law tell me to have a son, whenever they see me.”

“Have one more child then. What’s the problem with it?”

“Man, it’s not easy to raise a child. My wife and I got our hands full already with our kid. If we have one more child, my wife will have to quit her job and stay home as a full-time mom.”

“Your parents or her parents can help you with taking care of your children, can’t they?”

“Well, they said they would, but we can’t completely rely on them in raising our children, don’t you think? Our child is our responsibility.”

“If I were you, I would have one more child since they want it so desperately.”

“I don’t know.”

“And, President Park, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo in Japan wants to see you.”

“Mr. Sakata Ikuzo? Umm, hmmm, I can’t go on a trip to Japan now. I have tons of work to take care of here. The company needs me here, especially at this time.”

“He is not asking you to come to see him for fun. He made a proposition asking if we want to acquire a factory.”

“A factory? I just opened my own factory here. I’m busy enough with one. I don’t think I can handle one more factory business. Moreover, he is talking about a factory in Japan, right? It will probably cost a tremendous amount of money to acquire it. Are you willing to make an investment there too?”

“One of Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s friends owns a company called Miura Machines.”

“What’s the nature of the business of that company?”

“It seems that they make things like a camshaft and valve.”

“That sort of work requires certain high technology.”

“The owner president of that company is willing to give us the technology. He is not selling us the land and building of the factory, but he wants to sell the company’s machines and manufacturing technology.”

“I wonder why he wants to sell that sort of business. And why does he want to sell it to someone in Korea?”

“I was told that there is no one who would take over the company.”

“I see.”

“It seems that Japan has the same problem as Korea. Young people are reluctant to take hard physical labor jobs. I was told that the owner president’s children don’t want to work in that business either. Moreover, all of the current workers in that factory are 60 years old or above. They just can’t find someone who can continuously run the business.”

“Hmm.”

“Since they are not selling real property like the factory building and the land that the factory is sitting on, it shouldn’t cost much for us in acquiring the business. He is suggesting that you and I come to see him and review the possibility. You would understand their technology, so you can assess the value of the business for me.”

“Hmm.”

“What do you think? Are you interested?”

“Hmm.”

“Stop saying ‘hmm’, and give me an answer. Didn’t you point out the other day that I say ‘hmm’ too often?”

“Now I totally understand why you had to say ‘hmm’ that often. I can’t think of anything but ‘hmm’ when I need time to think before giving an answer because I can’t make a decision right away sometimes.”

“Then think about it.”

“Well, if it was Mr. Sakata Ikuzo who made the recommendation, that should be probably because the technology that the company has is too great to abandon. It’s a shame to let the technology go to waste just because they couldn’t find a proper successor. I’m sure their technology must be a highly advanced one.”

“You think so?”

“In addition, acquiring their technology and machines only without their factory building and land makes the offer more attractive.”

“So, are you saying that you are willing to visit him in Japan with me?”

“I’m not sure… I can’t go right now though. I want to finish building and shipping 8 machines to Dyeon Korea first. I will then have some time to think about other stuff. It will be around mid-month…”

“No problem. Let’s go to Japan in the middle of this month then. It will be fun. If we don’t like the business, we can turn down the offer.”

“There is one more thing that we need to consider. Even if we could beautifully carve out camshafts and valves, if we can’t find clients who need those parts, it could be a problem.”

“Clients?”

“That sort of product goes to an auto manufacturing company or their first vendor companies. GH Machines is a small company with about 10 workers, and we can’t be a vendor company for those large companies. To be a vendor company of an auto manufacturing company or a first vendor company, you have to fulfill certain requirements to pass their inspection such as a certain level of labor and equipment.”

“That makes sense.”

“Moreover, we need certifications such as ISO 16949 or SQ.”

“That can be a problem.”

“There is a way to make it work though. We might be able to supply those large client companies with the products if we do that through GH Mobile. GH Mobile has systems and labor good enough to pass their inspection.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“That wouldn’t be easy either though. The people who would come to inspect the production facility might not be content with what GH Mobile has either. GH Mobile could be considered not big enough in their eyes.”

“Well, as you just said, if we can’t find markets, it’s pointless to have their allegedly great technology.”

“An ideal situation would be to keep the current clients in Japan…”

“Once we go on a trip to Japan later this month, we will have to check that possibility first.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park was lost in thought with their arms crossed simultaneously.

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Chapter 816 - Expanding Business by Having More Subsidiary Companies Overseas – Part 1

Chapter 816: Expanding Business by Having More Subsidiary Companies Overseas – Part 1

Gun-Ho left GH Machines and headed to Dyeon Korea. When he arrived there, Director Kim was still in his office; he was usually out in a meeting with a client. So Gun-Ho decided to have an executive meeting.

All of Dyeon Korea’s executive officers including Director Kim, Director Yoon, the internal auditor, Manager Yoo, and Mr. Vice President Adam Castler came to Gun-Ho’s office per Gun-Ho’s request.

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park prepared 7 cups of jujube tea. There were 6 executive officers including Gun-Ho, but she brought one more tea for the interpreter— Myeong-Joon Chae.

Gun-Ho was sitting in the middle at the table. He said first after sipping his tea, “I can tell that Dyeon Korea is experiencing a lot of changes ever since it became a public company. We are getting a lot of calls and visitors as well. This is a very important time for us to build up our company’s public image. We will have to train and educate our employees to behave accordingly. I’m sure our sales have increased lately. Am I right? Mr. Director Kim, how are we doing with the sales?”

“We are making more than 200 million won comfortably on a monthly basis. The average daily sales revenue is a bit short of 250 million won.”

“It would make our monthly sales revenue by about 7.5 billion won.”

“What about our business abroad? Mr. Vice President Adam Castler, please tell us how we are doing overseas.”

“Both Dyeon India and Dyeon Korea sell equally 4 tons of products per day. Each company is selling about 120 tons on a monthly basis.”

“How much would that make our monthly sales revenue?”

“The monthly sales revenue is 540 million won. As you know, Dyeon India is a recently-formed company, unlike Dyeon China. Dyeon India’s Mr. President Brandon Burke has been working so hard in establishing its client base by procuring businesses with mostly European companies in the Chennai area. As a result, Dyeon India is now generating about the same sales revenue as Dyeon China.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“As far as I know, there are a lot of Korean companies in Chennai, India, and those are certainly Dyeon India’s potential clients. I mentioned it last time that if Director Kim could visit Dyeon India and help them with earning business with those Korean companies, that would be enormously helpful. I understand that Director Kim has been extremely busy with having Dyeon Korea go public successfully and that he didn’t have time to go on a trip to India yet. I would like to make an official request again for Director Kim’s trip to India.”

Gun-Ho turned his gaze to Director Kim, and he asked, “What do you think, Mr. Director Kim? If you have time, why don’t you go on a trip to India and help them out? What about next week?”

“Next week sounds good, sir. I will do that.”

Mr. Vice President Adam Castler added, “And, Dyeon India and Dyeon China both requested two additional machines for each. So, we placed an order of 4 sets of machines to GH Machines, and they finished building 2 of them so far. We shipped 1 machine to each company abroad— Dyeon India and Dyeon China.”

“Hmm, really?”

Gun-Ho then looked at Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo from the production department and asked him, “Director Kim stated that we are making about 250 million won per day from sales. We don’t have any problems with production fulfilling the current production demand, do we?”

“We are doing fine for now, but I think we will need to hire more production workers sooner or later. I’ve already submitted the request to hire 30 more workers, to Mr. Director Yoon.”

When Gun-Ho turned his gaze to Director Yoon to hear his response, Director Yoon straightened up his posture and cleared his throat, and said, “We had placed our job openings on WorkNet earlier per Manager Yoo’s request, and we have already completed paper screen for the job applicants so far. Our first interview for those who passed the paper screen is scheduled for tomorrow.”

“So, we are planning to hire all of 30 workers this time, right?”

“Yes, sir. Our company is now recognized as one of the companies that are registered with KOSDAQ, and that is clearly shown in our job postings with WorkNet. As a result, we received tons of applications, way more than before. And, one more change that I observed is that we see many young people applying for the positions.”

Director Kim chipped in, “I don’t think old people will even try to apply for the positions with our company because they probably assume that we wouldn’t hire them because of their age. Since we are a public company now, they probably presume that the competition for the jobs would be highly competitive, and many of them would just give up applying for the job that they have a low chance to get.”

Director Yoon further described the situation with hiring new workers, “We have 30 open positions, and we received 750 applications. 60 out of 750 applicants were selected during the paper screen, and we will conduct face-to-face interviews with them.”

“Once we hire 30 new workers, Dyeon Korea will have 230 employees in total?”

“If we include the workers abroad in China and India locations, the total number of our workers will be around 300.”

Gun-Ho affirmed, “Dyeon Korea will grow continuously, and we will grow large enough to have more than 1,000 workers within 3 years.”

Director Kim nodded his head and said, “I believe so, sir.”

Gun-Ho continued, “Mr. Director Yoon, I want you to make a plan to provide our management personnel with appropriate management training. As we are growing with an increased number of workers that we have to manage, the management personnel will need training to make an efficient and organized work environment.”

“Understood, sir. The manager in our general affairs department is currently working on planning and scheduling the training of our workers for next year. Once it’s completed, I will give you a report about it, sir. The training plan is being designed according to different levels of positions.”

“Hmm, that sounds good.”

“We will include job training as one of the requirements to have a chance to be promoted, so those, who didn’t take relevant job training, will be excluded from the next promotion opportunities.”

“Please do so.”

As he was wrapping up the tentative meeting for the day, Gun-Ho asked the last question which was directed to the internal auditor, “If we combine the operating profit from our sales activities this year and the funds that we receive from the stock public offering, the amount must exceed 30 billion won. Am I right, Mr. Internal Auditor?”

“Yes, we have more than 30 billion won, sir.”

When the internal auditor confirmed that the company made more than 30 billion won, the people in the office except for Gun-Ho and the internal auditor groaned with surprise.

“Wow! 30 billion won!”

Gun-Ho quickly did the math in his head.

‘We initially planned to offer our stock to the public for 600,000 shares at 10,000 won, but we ended up splitting a share in half, so we actually made the public offering of 1.2 million shares at 5,000 won. 1.2 million shares were sold at 26,200 won, and we made 31.44 billion won from it. In addition, we have about 10 billion won in the reserve from our sales.

Once the meeting is over, I’m going to ask Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo to bring me the statement of cash flows and bank statements.’

Gun-Ho said to all of the executive officers in the office, “The main purpose of Dyeon Korea going public was to collect necessary funds to establish more subsidiary companies overseas. As you all know well, Lymondell Dyeon gave us the exclusive right to sell in the entire Asia Market. This is clearly stipulated in our joint venture contract. We want to make the most out of it.”

“That’s true, sir,” Mr. Adam Castler agreed.

Gun-Ho took a sip of his jujube tea before continuing to say, “Therefore, I want to have two more manufacturing facilities overseas as a start.”

Everyone in the office looked at Gun-Ho’s face.

“For the countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and the Middle East, we are not yet equipped with enough experts in our company to enter the market. Therefore, I want to have two additional factories in the northern area of India— Noida— and in the suburb of Beijing in China.”

Gun-Ho could only hear dry coughs, but no reply, no opinion, nor comment.

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Chapter 817 - Expanding Business by Having More Subsidiary Companies Overseas – Part 2

Chapter 817: Expanding Business by Having More Subsidiary Companies Overseas – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued to speak to the executive officers, Noida is an area close to Delhi in India. Our Manager Jong-Geun Lee is located in the Delhi area now, so it won’t be difficult to establish a manufacturing facility in Noida. We can appoint Manager Jong-Geun Lee as overseas president of the new factory in Noida. I would like to hear what you all think about this.”

No one said a thing. After a moment or two, Director Kim finally broke the silence by saying, “Noida is a good area for our next manufacturing facility. As you just mentioned, sir, we already have our man— Manager Jong-Geun Lee— there. It should be enough. The current company that Manager Lee is running in the Delhi area can be merged into the new company in Noida. I fully agree with the plan.”

Everyone agreed to Gun-Ho’s suggestion, and Mr. Adam Castler even said that they should have done this earlier.

Gun-Ho continued, “As to the new manufacturing facility in Beijing area, Dingding in Shanghai will take care of it. She has good connections in China including friends and government officers. Moreover, President Min-Hyeok Kim can help us in China as well. I will let them find a good factory in the Beijing area for our next manufacturing facility.”

Director Kim added, “There are a lot of Korean companies in the Beijing area. Once the new factory is established, I will go there and support their sales.”

“Hmm.”

“Shunyi District of Beijing would be good too. Hyundai Motor Company has their office in Shunyi District as well.”

“Where is Shunyi District situated around Beijing?”

“It’s northwest of Beijing. Beijing Hyundai Motor is headquartered there. In addition to Beijing, I think we should consider the area called Tianjin City as well.”

“Tianjin City?”

“Tianjin City is close to Beijing City as well. Moreover, because it is a major port city, a lot of well-established industrial complexes are found there, especially in Tianjin Economic-Technology Development Area.”

“Tianjin City sounds good too.”

“There is a Korean industrial complex in Tianjin City, which was developed by Korea Land & Housing Corporation. Additionally, there are Typhoon Industrial park and Germany Industrial Park there as well. So, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a factory there.”

“I see. I will ask Dingding and President Min-Hyeok Kim to find a factory in those areas in China, and also I will talk to Manager Jong-Geun Lee for the factory in India as well.”

“Sounds good, sir.”

“Okay then. If you don’t have anything else to talk about, we will end the meeting now. You all have a good day.”

Once the executive officers left the office, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee came into the office to clean the table. Empty teacups were scattered all over the table.

Gun-Ho said to the secretary, “Please have Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo come to my office now.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Manager Myeong-Sook Jo entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“I want you to give me a report on the current status of our cash flows and bank transactions, as of today.”

“I bought the relevant documents with me, sir.”

“Oh, you did? But, I didn’t even ask you what I wanted to know.”

“Today is the day you come to the office, sir. I knew that you would wonder about the status of cash flow, and Mr. Internal Auditor told me to prepare these documents as well.”

“Hmm, really? Thank you. Please leave the documents on the table, and you can go back to your work.”

After Manager Myeong-Sook Jo left the office, Gun-Ho sat on the chair crossing his legs, and started reviewing the documents slowly.

“Hmm, the numbers are the same as I thought.”

Gun-Ho put the documents back on the table and made a call to Manager Jong-Geun Lee in India right away.

“Mr. Manager Lee?”

“Oh, sir. How are you?”

“How are things going in India?”

“I’m doing my best here, sir. And, I’m sorry that I couldn’t make the sales as much as you expected, sir.”

“Don’t say that. You are doing great. I’m calling you to let you know one thing that we discussed during the executive meeting today.”

“Oh, sure, sir. I’m listening, sir.”

“We want you to find and purchase a factory in the Delhi or Noida area. About the size of our factory in Chennai would be enough.”

Manager Jong-Geun Lee seemed to be surprised.

“What’s going to happen to me then, sir?”

“What do you mean? You will run the new factory as overseas president.”

“Huh? Overseas president, sir?”

Manager Jong-Geun Lee seemed to be truly surprised.

“Yes, sir. I will get to work on it right away.”

“You are aware that Dyeon Korea is now a public company, right?”

“Yes, sir. I was informed about it.”

“We have enough funds now earned from the initial public offering of our stock. So, if you find a nice factory that is a bit larger than the one in Chennai, that should be okay too. I want you to focus on the accessibility and convenience of the new factory’s location. We don’t want constant heavy traffic around the factory, and we need to be able to easily find workers as well. Also, don’t forget to check the power capacity.”

“Understood, sir. How many days do I have, sir?”

“There is no due date for it, but sooner would be better. Well, I’m relying on yon on this, okay?”

“Don’t worry about it, sir. I will get back to you as soon as I find a good one.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Min-Hyeok Kim in China.

“It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, President Goo. How’s it going?”

“I’m in Dyeon Korea right now. We had an executive meeting this morning, and I was told that Dingding’s company is doing great with increased sales.”

“It seems that she no longer imports products from Korea, but her factory is producing enough products to sell to the market here.”

“Right, I’m aware of it. Ever since Dyeon Korea became a public company, Dyeon China has been selling about 120 tons per month. Dingding is indeed doing great.”

“Is that right?”

“And, we concluded our meeting today with the decision to establish one more factory either in Beijing City or Tianjin City.”

“Beijing or Tianjin City?”

“China is huge in geographical size, and we determined that we need one more manufacturing facility in Beijing area. We have enough funds from offering our stock to the public. So, you don’t have to worry about funds.”

“Is that right?”

“Please tell Dingding to find one more factory in either of those two cities.”

“Who’s going to run the new factory? Do you have someone in mind already?”

“I was hoping that Dingding would recommend someone good. She has connections there, and she knows better than any of us here about the business environment in China. She is the president of Dyeon China after all.”

“Okay. I will discuss it with Dinging and let you know.”

Gun-Ho was about to check the stock market with his smartphone when the internal auditor entered his office.

“Sir, you received the report on our current cash flow from Manager Myeong-Sook Jo, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“As you then know, we have more than 30 billion won in cash in our reserve, and I think it’s a waste to keep that much cash in the reserve without doing anything. I came to you to suggest that maybe we want to invest 20 billion out of them in short-term bonds.”

“Investing in short-term bonds is not risk-free. We could lose our money.”

“That’s true, but I just think that we should do something with the funds in the reserve rather than letting them just sit there.”

“Give me some time. I will think about it.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the internal auditor left the office, Gun-Ho checked Dyeon Korea’s stock price.

“The stock market closed with 22,500 won. This is perfect. I don’t want the price to go up substantially in a short period of time anyway.”

Gun-Ho smiled as he closed his smartphone.

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Chapter 818 - Rumors from Financial District (1) – Part 1

Chapter 818: Rumors from Financial District (1) – Part 1

It was Friday.

Dyeon Korea’s stock price went up again, and it became 23,000 won. Gun-Ho stayed in his office in GH Building, Sinsa town most of the time trading stocks using Seung-Hee sister’s stock account all day long. Gun-Ho had purchased 215,000 shares at the average of 19,000 won. If he sold all of them at the current price, he would make 4.945 billion won. He initially spent 4.1 billion won to purchase those Dyeon Korea’s stock, so he would have made a profit of 845 million won within 2 weeks.

“I didn’t start this to make 845 million won.”

Gun-Ho wanted to raise the trading volume of Dyeon Korea’s stock, and he repeatedly purchased and sold the stock over and over again in an effort to increase the trading volume. Even when he threw 5,000 shares to sell to the stock market, the price didn’t decrease much because of the high trading volume.

“I’m going to buy the 5,000 shares back, that I just placed on the market to sell.”

Once Gun-Ho bought 5,000 shares, the stock price jumped up to 24,150 won at a breath. The stock market closed for the day after Dyeon Korea’s stock price increase of 4.7%.

“The trading volume looks perfect.”

Gun-Ho eventually had bloodshot eyes from fatigue after looking at the computer monitor all day long. He felt a minor pain with his eyes as well. He went to a drug store and bought eye drops and put them into his eyes. He felt mild fever as well.

“I guess I’ve been looking at the computer screen for too long concentrating intensively on trading stock. Well, it’s alright; it’s about money, isn’t it? I collapsed once when I invested in the stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project. Speaking of which, I guess MB (Former President— Myung-Bak Lee) made me become rich. Hahaha.”

It was Saturday, but Gun-Ho didn’t go outside to have fun with his family as he usually had done, but he instead stayed home taking a rest. Young-Eun also told him that he seemed to be under a lot of stress lately, by looking at his eyes, and told him that he should stay home.

“Blurry eyes could be a sign of a problem with your liver. You should take a rest.”

Gun-Ho spent the entire weekend playing with Sang-Min at home.

When Gun-Ho was having fun with his baby boy while lying on the bed in his room, Young-Eun, who was watching his husband and son playing from the living room, laughed and said, “Haha. You two look so alike.”

Gun-Ho spent the entire Sunday playing with Sang-Min as well.

The boy’s baby teeth already came in, and they showed when Sang-Min laughed, and that made Gun-Ho relieve fatigue completely. Gun-Ho gave his son a bath for the first time that day. It was always Young-Eun who gave him a bath. Sang-Min didn’t stop crying while Gun-Ho was bathing him with soap, but once it was done, and once Gun-Ho placed him on the floor after drying him, he started rolling around happily and sucking on his toes. He looked like a puppy, Gun-Ho thought.

“Our baby is so pretty; don’t you think?”

“Yeah, he is certainly a pretty boy. Maybe that’s because he takes after his father.”

“Ha, I think he takes after me.”

Gun-Ho felt much better on Sunday. He seemed to recover his energy after spending two days at home with his baby boy. He slept with Young-Eun in the same bed on the weekend as well. They hadn’t shared the bed for a while before that day.

Gun-Ho said to Young-Eun, “Honey, I’m going to make a lot of money.”

“Money? You, Sang-Min, and I, we are happy with what we have. I think we are rich enough even now. I don’t want you to abuse yourself to make more money, oppa.”

“I want to make more money for Sang-Min. I don’t want him to experience what I had to experience as I grew up. I want to give him the best environment to grow up in. Poverty doesn’t only let you eat less or spend less, but it could damage your ego; people would look down on you, and you wouldn’t get the respect that you deserve if you are poor.”

“You look tame and soft most of the time, oppa, but sometimes I feel like you have some rage hidden inside you.”

“Society made me like that. I had a very hard life, hard enough to think of ending my life.”

“You have me and Sang-Min now. Stop thinking about the past and anything negative. You are scaring me sometimes.”

“I have to be strong and become a scary person even for you and Sang-Min to protect you from the harsh society.”

“I don’t want that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I will make you and Sang-Min have a happy life.”

Gun-Ho held Young-Eun in his arms and kissed her. Young-Eun closed her eyes and hugged Gun-Ho.

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho continuously worked on trading Dyeon Korea stock using Seung-Hee sister’s stock account. Whenever the stock manipulators placed a purchase order, he placed his purchase order as well. If they sold their stock, he sold his stock too. Gun-Ho successfully maintained Dyeon Korea’s stock price that day. When the stock market closed, the price was 24,150 won— the same as the price last Friday.

Once the regular-hour stock market closed, Gun-Ho kept trading Dyeon Korea stock in the after-hours trading. He eventually and successfully raised the price. The stock discussion forum talked vigorously about the recent unusual activities with Dyeon Korea’s stock.

“What’s the matter with Dyeon Korea stock? Its price unexpectedly increased.”

“Dyeon Korea has hit the bottom, and it’s on the way up now, I guess. We will finally see the shiny red thick stick on the Dyeon Korea’s stock chart tomorrow.”

“It looks like the stock trading club members joined us. It’s time to start picking up Dyeon Korea’s stock.”

Tuesday passed by, and it was Wednesday. When Dyeon Korea’s stock price increased to 26,000 won, the rumors from the financial district appeared.

[Dyeon Korea’s stock price has been dropping after it first appeared on the stock market as a public company. However, it seems that it just changed its direction upward. As a matter of fact, there was no reason why Dyeon Korea’s stock price had to drop anyway. The company has been doing great with a growth rate of 30% every year. Its subsidiary companies are all doing great as well. This company definitely has potential and the expectation on this company is high.]

[Dyeon Korea is partnered with the global enterprise— Lymodell Dyeon, and it has the exclusive right to sell in the entire Asia Market. Many institutional investors already grasped the fact and its potential, and they are showing great interest in accumulating the stock.]

Gun-Ho received a call from the stock brokerage firm’s branch manager in Gangnam District.

“We issued a press release today to economic newspapers. Our firm usually selects three strong companies that we recommend to make an investment, and we included Dyeon Korea to the list this time. I also implied why we included Dyeon Korea as well.”

“Are you saying that you played a part in creating rumors coming from the financial district?”

“Haha. No, sir, I’m not participating in creating rumors at all. It was an official statement from our company as a stock brokerage firm for members of the news media. We didn’t say anything that is not true. It’s certainly not a rumor.”

“Well, I guess I can expect to see a price increase with Dyeon Korea’s stock tomorrow.”

“That… we will have to see. Even though we would see an increase in price tomorrow morning, if the stock manipulators threw a substantial amount of shares to the stock market to sell, the price could decrease again showing a blue light. That’s how the stock market works anyway. However, in the long-term, Dyeon Korea’s stock price will increase because the company is actually doing great.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho spoke on the phone with the branch manager as if he took no part in the recent changes with Dyeon Korea’s stock price.

He thought, ‘I’ve been monitoring Dyeon Korea stock for the past three weeks. The stock manipulators haven’t shaken off as hard as they wanted to yet. They tried to decrease the price, but they couldn’t achieve their goal because I accumulated the stock. I’m pretty certain that the price will go up even higher soon.’

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Chapter 819 - Rumors from Financial District (1) – Part 2

Chapter 819: Rumors from Financial District (1) – Part 2

It was Thursday, but Gun-Ho stayed in Seoul instead of going to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town and Dyeon Korea in Asan City, because he wanted to continue to play with the stock.

When Gun-Ho went into the stock market that day, Dyeon Korea’s stock price had already increased by 12%, maybe because of the rumor that flowed out of the financial district. The price broke through 30,000 won, and the market closed that day with the closing price of 28,600 won; it seemed that many little investors, who were holding Dyeon Korea’s stock, sold their once the price hit 30,000 won because that probably was the price with which they could make profit, and that was why the price decreased a little bit.

Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim.

“Sir, I thought you would come to work in Dyeon Korea today.”

“I had some business that I needed to take care of here.”

“You won’t come to Dyeon Korea tomorrow either, will you, sir?”

“No, I can’t. I won’t be there tomorrow.”

“I’m leaving for India, sir. I just wanted to see you before leaving. I will stay there for four nights and five days. I guess I will see you after the trip, sir.”

“Oh, that’s right. I almost forgot. India is a bit far, and you will have to spend long hours in the flight, and you might not have enough time working in India.”

“I’m aware of it. I’m planning to visit several Korean companies there in the Chennai area, and also want to visit Delhi and Noida. My schedule will be very tight.”

“I believe so.”

“I asked Manager Jong-Geun Lee to go to Chennai and wait for me. I want to visit the factory in Chennai with him, and he will have to interpret for me while I’m there.”

“Good. I know that it won’t be an easy trip.”

“I will do what I can do. If I see any changes, I will give you a call, sir.”

The stock price on Friday dropped a little bit by 2% since it had increased a lot on the previous day.

Gun-Ho spent the following weekend at home taking a deep rest again as he had done the previous weekend. He then went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town on Monday. He was supposed to go to work in Jiksan Town on Monday, but he didn’t. It was not an enormous increase in price with Dyeon Korea yet, but since the price increased anyway, Gun-Ho expected to see people including the stock manipulators started selling their stock, and Gun-Ho intended to sell his along with them. Gun-Ho was intensively glaring at his computer monitor observing the movement with Dyeon Korea stock when the secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— entered the office with a cup of tea.

She asked, “You seem to be extremely busy, sir. Could I ask what it is about?”

Gun-Ho had recently stayed in his office quietly without stepping out of his office, but he had sat at his desk, not on the sofa, looking at the computer monitor all day long. Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh thought that there was something intense going on with Gun-Ho’s business.

“I’m working on something. Please do not let anyone come into my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

When it was around 2 pm, Gun-Ho detected movement with Dyeon Korea’s tick chart.

“The stock manipulators seemed to just join. I will move along with them.”

As they did, Gun-Ho constantly bought Dyeon Korea’s stock, one share after another. Its bar chart started showing red lights indicating price movements upward. Gun-Ho continued to buy the stock as the small investors placed theirs on the market to sell, and that helped what the stock manipulators were doing— raising the stock price. After the price increased by more than 15%, the trading volume started growing noticeably as well. The market closed that day with 32,000 won.

Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s Accounting Manager Myeong-Sook Jo.

“I want you to publish our financial documents for the third quarter tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, post the announcement that our sales have increased by 30%, separately.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You know how to do it, right?”

“I do, sir.”

“Since our stock price is on the rise, I guess we are not getting calls from dissatisfied investors, are we?”

“No, sir. Assistant Manager Kim, who is in charge of handling matters related to our stock, told me that her workload significantly decreased recently.”

“Haha, really? Okay.”

The following day on Tuesday, Dyeon Korea’s financial documents for the third quarter period were posted along with a separate posting about its sales increase by more than 30%. With news like this, usually, the company’s stock price would go downward because people would think that the company was out of good news then that would increase the stock price again. However, Dyeon Korea’s stock price didn’t drop. That was because there was no large quantity selling yet.

“Dyeon Korea will grow tremendously in the future.”

“Dyeon Korea is heading towards achieving a sales revenue of 3 trillion won, and it will succeed within 3 years. We’d better buy Dyeon Korea’s stock now; this might be the lowest price.”

Groundless rumors were spread out, which were made by the stock manipulators. The price started going up fiercely. Its tick chart began moving again as if someone was pushing hard. Gun-Ho participated in the movement. Since the number of Dyeon Korea’s stock available to be traded in the stock market was relatively low, the price hit the ceiling quickly.

“Dyeon Korea finally hit its upper limit price for the first time.”

The price hit the ceiling at 2 pm that day, and a request to buy the stock started accumulating.

“Haha. We will keep this price for the rest of today.”

Dyeon Korea’s closing price that day was 41,600 won. The price stayed the same during the after-hours trading as well. Gun-Ho had purchased 215,000 shares with 4.1 billion won. His shares were now worth 8.944 billion won.

Once the stock market closed for the day, Gun-Ho let out a sigh, and he put in eye drops. He then drank a bottle of Ssanghwa-tang*, and walked to the sofa and sit on it. He then closed his eyes to feel relaxed.

It was Wednesday.

Yellow discharge appeared from Gun-Ho’s eyes. His eyes were red and swollen. Young-Eun was worried, and she said, “You probably worked too much these days. You should go and see a doctor. Your eyes are swollen.”

“It’s alright. All these symptoms will go away by the end of today. I will be fine.”

On the way to work, Chan-Ho showed his concern as well.

“Sir, your eyes are swollen. Are you sure that you don’t want to see a doctor?”

“I’m good.”

Gun-Ho leaned back in the rear seat with his eyes closed, and he thought about the strategy that he would execute today. At that moment, he felt pain in the eyes. But, he didn’t have time to see a doctor because it was a critical day for Dyeon Korea’s stock. He was going to sit at his desk and observe the stock movement by glaring at the computer monitor again.

When he arrived at his office, Gun-Ho turned on his computer. The price of the first Dyeon Korea’s stock trade that day was the upper limit price. Most of the little investors couldn’t afford the price, and their requests to buy it at a lower price were being accumulated.

Gun-Ho felt like, after today Dyeon Korea’s stock might be designated as a stock that must be traded with extra care. This sort of warning was issued by the Korea Stock Exchange when a particular stock whose price had continuously increased for the past 15 days, and the trade was mostly managed by a few investors. The warning was also issued in the event where the closing price was more than 75% higher than the closing price 15 days ago. The purpose of the warning was to protect investors in general.

“Dyeon Korea’s stock price yesterday was 41,600 won, and it increased even higher to 54,080 won with a 30% price increase. I should start selling my stock slowly before the stock manipulators start selling theirs.”

Gun-Ho carefully began selling his stock at around the upper limit price, and he sold 100,000 shares. The stock manipulators, at first, tried to maintain the price by buying the stock that Gun-Ho was selling, and then once they realized that the number of stock that Gun-Ho was selling was too great, they started selling theirs too.

“Huh? They are shaking off theirs too.”

Gun-Ho then began to sell all of his shares aggressively. The market closed that day with the closing price which increased by 6%. Gun-Ho sold all he had. He sold all of his 215,000 shares for 50,000 won more or less, and his cash available in the stock account now was 10.6 billion won. He had invested 4.1 billion won, and he made a profit of 6.5 billion won. He suddenly felt a craving for a glass of draft beer.

Note.

Ssanghwa-tang – A traditional Korean tea which is known to help recover from fatigue.

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Chapter 820 - Rumors from Financial District (2) – Part 1

Chapter 820: Rumors from Financial District (2) – Part 1

From the day after Gun-Ho sold his Dyeon Korea’s stock that he had purchased using Seung-Hee sister’s stock account, the stock price started going down. The stock manipulators seemed to still try to raise the price at first, and then they eventually threw all of their Dyeon Korea’s shares to the stock market. The little people, who missed the opportunity to sell their stocks before the price started going down, cried out loud.

An economic newspaper covered the latest changes with Dyeon Korea’s stock price.

[Dyeon Korea’s stock price is going downwards again after having previously experienced a substantial increase in value for the past several weeks. The price had increased excessively before it dropped today, and the recent fall in value is attributed to the subsequent profit-taking. The price kept falling to its lower limit for the day right until the investors loaded with a substantial amount of funds came in and bought a significant amount of the shares; it happened 5 minutes before the market closed. They successfully raised the stock price, and when the market closed, Dyeon Korea’s stock price dropped only by 17%.]

[Stock market experts expect to see more price drops and maybe a little bit of increases for a while before it could actually rebound. However, as Dyeon Korea’s financial statements and its growth rate are clearly showing that the company’s business is doing great regardless of the recent fluctuation in its stock price, the experts are positive that its stock price will eventually go up.]

Gun-Ho withdrew the funds of 10.6 billion won from Seung-Hee sister’s stock account and deposited the funds in his personal bank account.

The news coverage about the primary election for the leader of the political party—Gongmyeong Party—appeared on the internet. Gun-Ho usually wouldn’t read political news, but since the news was related to Minister Jin-Woo Lee, he clicked the news title to see the contents.

[Gongmyeong Party has 9 candidates who will be competing with each other for the position that will be leading the party. 3 candidates will be on the final list. As the competition for the party leader heats up, it is drawing public attention.]

“Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s name is on the list with 8 other candidates, and there are more than 500 voters who will be participating in this election. I wonder how it works. Hmm, they are using a cut-off method. The candidate, who doesn’t gain a certain score, will be eliminated from the competition. It’s like a golf competition.

Half of the candidates are well-known people. Minister Jin-Woo Lee served the country as a member of congress several times, and he also worked as a minister at the government. I’m certain that he will be easily on the final list with 2 other candidates. But, I’m worried about the competition after that.”

As he was turning off the computer, Gun-Ho thought that he would better go on a trip to Japan to visit Mr. Sakata Ikuzo in Yokohama City, with Jong-Suk Park since he had no urgent or important matters for now that required his full attention.

When he was about to give a call to GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park to schedule for the trip, he received a call from A Group. It was CEO Park at A Group’s planning and coordination department.

“Mr. President Goo, how have you been?”

“Oh, Mr. CEO Park, how are you?”

“How is GH Mobile doing with sales these days?”

“The sales have increased, and I thank you for your help.”

“Do you think the company will make 200 billion won now?”

“Well, I can’t tell for sure until I see the year-end financial documents, but I think 200 billion won would be difficult to achieve, but we will make an annual sales revenue of 180 billion won comfortably though.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“It’s too early to have last quarter’s earnings yet. If you want, I will inform you once the documents become available.”

“According to the Financial Supervisor Service’s DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System), GH Mobile achieved net earnings of 5.85 billion won last year.”

“That’s correct. Our net profit ratio is more or less 5%.”

“Can I expect to see the same net profit ratio this year as well?”

“I believe so. As you well know, it’s hard for a manufacturing company like us to make a high net profit ratio.”

“Assuming the company makes 200 billion won for the year, the profit would be about 10 billion won. If it makes 180 billion won, the profit would be 9 billion won.”

“That sounds correct.”

“What’s your plan with distributing dividends? You don’t think that you would be able to distribute 100% of the profit, do you?”

“Well, GH Mobile still has a financial debt of 45 billion won. We will have to repay at least a part of the debt first. Therefore, the amount that will be available to be distributed to the shareholders as dividends will be reduced.”

“Hmm.”

“Assuming that we make 180 billion won, and we distribute the entire profit of 9 billion won to our shareholders, Minister Lee’s father—Mr. Beom-Sik Lee—would receive 1.35 billion won as his dividend. Of course, the amount is the one before tax.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho could hear a deep sigh on the other line.

Gun-Ho said, “Once we determine the amount that will be distributed to our shareholders, I will let you know, sir.”

“I believe that Dyeon Korea secured a significant amount of funds as it was successfully registered with KOSDAQ.”

“Yes, a bit. Dyeon Korea intends to reinvest those funds by establishing additional manufacturing facilities overseas.”

“How much ownership interest does GH Mobile have for Dyeon Korea?”

“Dyeon Korea is a joint venture company with Lymondell Dyeon in the U.S., and the two partners used to own the company in equal portion—50:50.”

“Since the company shares have been offered to the public, the ownership interest owned by those two partners must have been shrunk.”

“Right. GH Mobile currently owns 34.6% of the ownership interest after the company shares were offered to the public, and also to its employees per the employee stock ownership program.”

“Hmm.”

“Pursuant to the joint venture contract, I will resign from the president position with Dyeon Korea in December this year. A new president will be appointed by Lymondell Dyeon.”

“What is the… market capitalization of Dyeon Korea right now?”

“Dyeon Korea’s total number of issued shares is 5.2 million. The par value is 5,000 won, so the capital would be 26 billion won. The stock price fluctuates every day, so if we assume the price is the same as the price of our initial public offering of 26,200 won per share… Let me bring my calculator. Give me one second, sir”

“Hmm.”

“Dyeon Korea’s market capitalization would be 136.24 billion won.”

“That means that if someone wants to buy Dyeon Korea, it would cost him 136.24 billion won.”

“If that person buys it at this very moment, yes it would cost him that much. However, who would sell a company at this moment. I would grow the company further, and sell it at a much higher price.”

“You are an incredible man, Mr. President Goo. A CEO like me, who is employed to run a business, can’t do what you have been doing.”

“Thank you, but I actually admire you, Mr. CEO Park. You are a highly well-known figure in the industry, who often appears in the media. You are one of the best economic experts and professional executives.”

“It’s much better to have your own business even though it’s not a large company. I envy you, Mr. President Goo.”

“You are embarrassing me today with excessive compliments, Mr. CEO Park.”

“Well, I guess I got the answer that I was wondering about. Thank you for talking with me today.”

“Thank you.”

After getting off the phone with CEO Park, Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘Why did CEO Park ask about Dyeon Korea’s market capitalization all of a sudden? Moreover, he can find it out easily by googling too. And, selling and buying the company is totally up to me as its owner. Even though he helped the company with increasing its sales, he is in no position to talk about selling the company.

By the way, should I let GH Mobile distribute the entire profit to its shareholders without paying for its financial debt? If I assume that the net income is 9 billion won, Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father will receive his dividend of 1.35 billion won, and since I own 82%, I will receive 7.38 billion won. Should I do that?

President Song will be a part of this distribution as well; he owns 3% of the ownership interest, and he will receive 270 million won as a dividend. I’m sure he is expecting it this time.’

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Chapter 821 - Rumors from Financial District (2) – Part 2

Chapter 821: Rumors from Financial District (2) – Part 2

GH Mobile’s ownership interest was divided among three shareholders—Gun-Ho owned 82%, President Song owned 3%, and Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father owned 15%.

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park.

“President Park? It’s me.”

“Oh, bro. I will have to call you back in 5 minutes, okay?”

“I guess you are very busy there. Take your time. You don’t have to rush in getting back to me.”

About 20 minutes later, Gun-Ho received a call from President Jong-Suk Park.

“I’m sorry that I had to hang up on you earlier, bro. I was balancing the twin screws when I picked up your phone.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your work like that.”

“It’s alright.”

“How many machines have you built and sold to Dyeon Korea so far?”

“I have shipped 4 of them so far, and we received an additional order for 4 more machines. We are currently working on them right now, and the machines are almost built up already. The workers here became familiarized with building Dyeon Korea’s machine as they worked through the process of building those 4 machines. They are all skillful engineers who have been in this machine industry for more than 10 years. Every one of them is a competent worker.”

“Hmm, really?”

“The workers here became all excited once they found out that our company is affiliated with GH Mobile and also Dyeon Korea—a public company. I guess they are satisfied with the work environment here with me. I don’t pay them as much as GH Mobile pays its production workers who are handling machines, but I do pay them 10% higher than other companies in the industry.”

“Why are they excited about being part of GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea?”

“You don’t know, bro? That’s obviously because they don’t have to worry about being unpaid. Remember those days when we were working in Pocheon City? We went to the department of labor in Uijeongbu City several times for our unpaid wages.”

“That’s right. I remember that.”

“Factory workers usually make their living paycheck to paycheck. If they don’t get paid even for a month, their life would be greatly affected; many of them without savings would have to be worried about their rent, utility bills, etc. Bro, we shouldn’t forget what had been through in the past.”

“You are right.”

“That’s why I prioritize the workers’ wages. I try to pay them on time under any circumstances.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you. By the way, have you thought about the thing that I told you about the other day?”

“You mean going on a trip to Japan with you? Let’s go. We can hear what they have to say first, and we can make our decision then.”

“You think you can make time for the trip?”

“Yeah, I’m good now. There is no urgent work left for me at this time. The additional four machines will be completely built by the end of today. The rest of the work can be handled by the workers here without my presence.”

“Really? That’s perfect. What about coming Tuesday then?”

“Sounds good. Once you reserve the flight ticket, just let me know. I will meet you either at Gimpo International Airport or even at Incheon International Airport.”

“Okay.”

After getting off the phone with Jong-Suk Park, Gun-Ho made a call to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui who would join them for the trip.

“I just talked with GH Machines’ President Park on the phone about the trip to Japan. He is okay with it.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“I’m thinking about leaving for Japan this upcoming Tuesday. What do you think?”

“I will give a call to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo in Yokohama City first, and let him talk with Miura Machines’ president about the schedule. And, once I hear them, I will give you a call right away, sir.”

“Sounds good.”

About 30 minutes later, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui called Gun-Ho.

“They confirmed that Tuesday is good.”

“Good. Since we are going to Yokohama City, we’d better take a flight that arrives at Haneda Airport, right?”

“Yes, sir. Haneda Airport would be more convenient for our destination—Yokohama City.”

“You said that Miura Machines is located downtown Yokohama City, isn’t it?”

“It is actually located in Takada Nishi which is a little bit distant from downtown Yokohama, but it’s not far at all.”

“I see. So, we three—you, President Jong-Suk Park, and I—will leave for Japan coming Tuesday.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho called for Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong, and he asked her to purchase three flight tickets departing at Gimpo International Airport and arriving at Haneda Airport in Japan.”

“Please purchase three plane tickets for Gun-Ho Goo, Jong-Suk Park, and Yoshitaka Matsui.”

“Yes, sir.”

“When you talk with the travel agency for the trip arrangement, use the company name of GH Machines, and get the receipt accordingly. Manager Hong must have a copy of GH Machines’ business registration.”

“Understood, sir.”

It was Tuesday.

The three men arrived at Gimpo International Airport.

“Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, this is President Jong-Suk Park.”

“I think we’ve met once before. I’m Yoshitaka Matsui.”

“Hi. I’m GH Machines’ Jong-Suk Park.”

Jong-Suk Park and Yoshitaka Matsui had a handshake and exchanged their business cards.

The three men were sitting in a lounge in the airport since they had some spare time before the boarding time. Jong-Suk Park stood up from his seat and said, “Bro, I will be right back. I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Okay.”

While Jong-Suk was not there, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui said to Gun-Ho in a low voice, “That President Jong-Suk Park person looks like a Samurai in Japan. He has a warrior’s eyes.”

“Haha, really? You know what? As a matter of fact, he is a good fighter.”

“If he gets his hair cut shorter, he will definitely look like a member of Yamaguchi-gumi, you know the yakuza organization.”

“Haha, really? Once he comes back from the restroom, I will tell him what you just told me, that he looked like a member of yakuza in Japan.”

As Gun-Ho declared that he would tell Jong-Suk Park what Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui had just told him, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui was startled. He then said, “No, sir. You can’t tell him that. I don’t want him to misunderstand what I said.”

Gun-Ho asked Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, “Once we arrive at Haneda Airport, we can easily rent a car there, can’t we?”

“Of course, we can, sir.”

“Let’s rent a car for three days then. It will make our trip more convenient.”

“No problem, sir. I will take care of it. Do you want to rent a car with a chauffeur service too, sir?”

“Of course. We will definitely need a chauffeur.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho added, “Since we will have to pick up Mr. Sakata Ikuzo on the way, we will need a large vehicle with enough room inside, so four men could sit comfortably through the entire trip. A van would be nice.”

“No problem, sir.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui seemed to be curious about Jong-Suk Park and the new company—GH Machines. He asked Gun-Ho, “Umm, sir. I’ve noticed that Mr. Jong-Suk Park calls you brother. Are you two related by blood?”

“No. He is a good friend of mine from my hometown. We grew up together in the same town.”

“Oh, I see. And, the company name of GH Machines has your name initials in it, sir. Does that mean you are the major shareholder of that company?”

“President Jong-Suk Park and I own the company together as business partners. I own 80% of GH Machines, and President Jong-Suk Park owns the other 20%. Even though he looks like a member of the yakuza, he is actually an excellent engineer. He is contributing not only his skills but he also invested his funds in GH Machines as well.”

“I see.”

At that moment, President Jong-Suk Park came back from the restroom.

“I’m sorry if I made you all wait.”

The three men picked up their luggage and started walking towards the boarding gate.

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Chapter 822 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (1) – Part 1

Chapter 822: Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (1) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho, Jong-Suk Park, and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui arrived at Haneda Airport, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo was waiting for them at the airport.

“Sir, how have you been?!” Jong-Suk said as he spotted Mr. Ikuzo and quickly went to him.

“Hey, Mr. Jong-Suk Park!”

Jong-Suk Park and Mr. Sakata Ikuzo seemed to be thrilled to see each other. They exchanged hugs.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo also delightedly greeted Gun-Ho and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui.

“Shacho San (Sir), it has been a while. It’s really good to see you again,” He then looked at Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui and said, “Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, I’m so glad to see you.”

Gun-Ho thought that Mr. Ikuzo looked healthy and energetic. He was wearing overalls and a beret. His outfit was definitely not for an engineer, but he looked like an artist, maybe a painter.

“I’m so happy to see you, Mr. Ikuzo. You look healthy.”

Mr. Ikuzo smiled broadly in response, and he said, “I was told that Dyeon Korea became a Ppabeurikkeu Campani (public company). Congratulations.”

“Thank you. We finally made it happen through a lot of people’s hard work.”

Gun-Ho also broadly smiled because the way that Mr. Ikuzo said the English word—public company—was funny to him.

Gun-Ho pulled out his credit card and handed it to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, and he told him, “Please use this credit card to rent a vehicle.”

“Hai. I’m on it.”

“Car rental companies are located at the airport, aren’t they?”

“They have a Toyota rental company here at the airport.”

After a while, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui came back with a Toyota Isis minivan. He was with a chauffeur. Gun-Ho thought that the car looked petite and cozy.

‘This minivan looks like Japanese people.’

The vehicle featured sliding doors. And it had enough room for four men to sit comfortably in the car. Since its trunk didn’t have enough space to load everyone’s luggage, some of them had to sit on an empty seat.

“Please go to Takada Nishi,” Mr. Ikuzo, who was sitting on the front passenger seat, said to the chauffeur. He would be the guide to the destination for the day.

Gun-Ho enjoyed the scenic view through the window for a while, and then he asked Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, “This car is an Isis, right? What does it mean?”

“I don’t know, sir. Let me ask the chauffeur. He might know it.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui asked the chauffeur, who looked like he was in his 50s, “Doraiba San (Mr. Driver), do you know, by any chance, what Isis means?”

“Isis? It’s the name of the ancient goddess of fertility in Ejiputo (Egypt) mythology.”

It took a good while until they finally arrived in Takada Nishi.

As they were in the area, Mr. Ikuzo gave further directions to the chauffeur, “Please make a left turn at the intersection over there. We want to go to the second factory.”

When they arrived at Miura Machines, two old workers in uniform were waiting for them at the entrance. They seemed to be expecting Gun-Ho’s party. Those two senior workers looked neat and clean even in a factory uniform. The first impression that Gun-Ho had for those two workers was that they looked like a senior professor in a college rather than a worker in a factory.

“Good to see you, Ikuzo.”

“How are you, Tsuyoshi-shi Miura.”

Sakata Ikuzo and Tsuyoshi-shi Miura were good friends. They seemed to be delighted to see each other. After shaking hands, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo introduced Gun-Ho to Mr. Miura.

“This is President Gun-Ho Goo of GH Mobile from Korea. Mr. President Goo, this is President Miura of Miura Machines.”

Gun-Ho gave a deep bow to President Miura as he said, “Nice to meet you, sir. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Mr. Miura also gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho and said, “Thank you for coming.”

As two business owners—One was in his late 30s and the other was in his late 60s—gave a deep bow to each other at the same time, they almost hit each other’s head. Gun-Ho thought that Japanese people seemed to be very polite as he expected.

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo continued to introduce the visitors to President Miura.

“This is Mr. Jong-Suk Park. He used to work as a plant manager at GH Mobile. He is now running GH Machines.”

“Oh, really? It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Mr. Ikuzo continued, “This is Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui from GH Media in Korea.”

“You are Japanese. Nice to meet you, sir.”

President Miura then introduced the man, who was standing next to him, to Gun-Ho’s party.

“This is Yanagi Masatoshi. He is Miura Machines’ plant manager.”

They gave a deep bow to each other.

President Miura led the group to the inside of the factory.

The factory was not large in size. It was probably a bit smaller than GH Machines that Jong-Suk Park was running, in the agricultural and industrial complex. Some machines were being operated, but they were not making loud noises. Gun-Ho could spot workers handling the machines.

“Machine parts like bearings and bolts are being produced here, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“I thought your factory manufactures things like a camshaft as well.”

“Oh, we do. You will be able to see those being manufactured over there.”

Jong-Suk Park intuitively knew that they were using ceramic rollers in their machines, given the fact that he couldn’t hear a loud noise and couldn’t feel intensive vibration either.

“They are ceramic rollers, right?”

“That’s correct. We are using ceramic roller bearings.”

“Where did you purchase this machine?”

“I actually built that machine myself.”

“Oh, is that right?”

Jong-Suk nodded his head as he looked around.

At that moment, Gun-Ho asked Jong-Suk Park in a low voice, “What do you think? Does this factory look good?”

“As a matter of fact, it is good. Machines here are working at a high speed, but we can’t hear noises. You noticed that too, right?”

“Oh, they are moving to another area. I guess they have an additional production site over there.”

In the area where the group was led to, CNC (computer numerical control) machines were sitting on worktops along with boring machines. Several milling machines that seemed to have been built in-house were seen as well. Camshafts were probably being produced in this area. The workers there all looked old as well.

Gun-Ho asked Jong-Suk Park again, “So, what do you think? Do you think it’s worth acquiring?”

“Well, I thought they would be building machines manually, but everything here is automated. Usually, these works are handled by young workers, but everyone here seems to be old for the job.”

“What if we remove these machines from here and install them in GH Machines?”

“I can’t handle these machines by myself. I will need to hire workers who have been trained to handle CNC machines, and also the Japanese workers here will have to come and stay with us in GH Machines for several months to train our workers too.”

“I see. So, what do you think?”

“I actually like what I see here…”

“Well, then let’s buy the business.”

“It’s only a matter of time to learn how to build the parts that they are manufacturing here with these machines, but the problem is sales. We will need a competent salesperson just like Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim.”

“Is that so?”

“Directory Kim didn’t major in engineering in college, but he is tremendously knowledgeable even in theory about machines and stuff. That must have been developed throughout his career in this field for several decades. Moreover, he has inborn talent in communicating with people, and he can be very convincing too. With a salesperson like him, this business can work.”

“Sales…”

At that moment, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui came close to Gun-Ho and said, “Mr. President Miura is suggesting that we should go to his office and have a cup of tea together.”

“Of course. That would be nice.”

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Chapter 823 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (1) – Part 2

Chapter 823: Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho’s group followed President Miura to his office.

Besides a desk made of Paulownia wood, there was a large meeting table where several people could sit together. Once everyone sat at the meeting table, Japanese traditional tea—Matcha—were served.

President Miura spoke first, “As you have noticed, the factory is small and narrow. I hope you are not disappointed by its size.”

“Not at all. The factory is extremely clean and neat, and the technology that you have here seems to be advanced. Especially, I was impressed by the quietness of the factory.”

“We used to make loud noises like any other factories about ten years ago. At that time, we received a lot of complaints from the residents in the area. It took us ten years to make this place quiet. Once we succeeded in finally making a quiet factory, I found myself aged. Haha.”

President Miura smiled faintly.

Gun-Ho had a question.

“Could I ask you how much sales revenue you are making annually if you don’t mind me asking?”

“We currently have 12 workers here, and this business generates about 7 million U.S. dollars per year.”

“What is your major client company then?”

“It’s Toyota Motor Company.”

“Do you directly provide them with your products?”

“No, we actually send our products to Isehara Machines which directly ship our products to Toyota Motor Company.”

“Where is that Isehara Machines company located?”

“It’s around here.”

“Generating 7 million dollars per year with only 12 workers doesn’t sound bad at all. I wonder why you want to sell your business.”

“I’m actually suffering from a chronic disease. Because of the condition with my kidney, I need dialysis regularly. I had good days and bad days with this factory. I think I spent enough time running it. I’m now hoping someone can take over this business, and I want to take a rest.”

Mr. Ikuzo, who was sitting next to President Miura, chipped in, “You started working with this business when you were 19 years old, didn’t you?”

“Right. I was only 19 years old. Ever since I graduated from a technical high school, I’ve been devoting my entire life to this company. It has already been 50 years.”

“You have worked with this particular company for 50 years, sir?”

“Yes, I did.”

Solemn silence filled the air. Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park admired President Miura who devoted 50 years of his life to one business. They respected his persistence and devotion.

President Miura continued, “During my senior year in high school, I came to this company for the first time as a trainee. That was how I started my work with this particular company. When I turned 48 years old, the previous president transferred the business to me. And, I’ve been working here as its president for more than 20 years ever since.”

While looking at President Miura’s face as he was talking about his days with the company, Gun-Ho thought that he saw President Miura’s eyes being welled with tears.

“I was told that your son is not interested at all in taking over the business. Is it true?”

“That’s true. My son and daughter, they are artists, and they have no interest in running the company.”

“You have 12 employees here. Is there anyone among them who wants to acquire the business?”

“As you have noticed, all of my employees here are 60 or above. Well, the youngest one is almost 60 years old; he is in his late 50s. They all feel more comfortable working as an employee with a salary rather than running the business. Even if some of them are interested in taking over the business, they are not willing to pay for it.”

“They could take out a loan to pay for the business, no?”

“Even though they can take out a loan, it would be inevitable to spend their own money in the process and also in running the company afterward. To make the situation even worse, this particular area is designated as an area that will soon be redeveloped, so the factory has to move to somewhere else. That’s why I’ve been looking for someone who could take this business, and I was very open to sell it to one of my employees. But, no one wants to take out a loan just to buy the business at their age—60 something years old.”

“If you sell your business to someone in Korea, can you arrange that they could keep your current clients such as Isehara Machines?”

“The president of Isehara Machines is a friend of mine. That company is large in size, and his son is now working there as a director; he will eventually take over the business. That guy is lucky. So, I asked my friend a few days ago if he would still keep the business with us even though I sell the factory to someone in Korea or Taiwan. He confirmed that as long as whoever takes over the business could keep the same good quality and price, he will keep the business as it is now.”

“Do you have a specific price that you have in mind in selling this business, sir?”

“Haha, well…”

Gun-Ho took a sip of his tea and said, “You are not selling real property like the land and the factory building, but you are selling machines here with a little of inventory. Even though you would include services such as sending your personnel to us for training, the price shouldn’t be high.”

“How much do you think would be adequate then, Mr. President Goo?”

“Haha. Well, I would like to hear your offer price, Mr. President Miura.”

As President Miura scratched his head while thinking of his offer price, Jong-Suk Park, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, quickly showed Gun-Ho his smartphone screen. There was a note that Jong-Suk Park just wrote down. It said 300 million won.

President Miura finally gave his offer price, “Well, I would like to receive 500,000 dollars.”

Gun-Ho shook his head, and asked, “Do you have, by any chance, a list that shows all of the items that would be included for the sale?”

The plant manager person, who was sitting next to President Miura, replied, “We do have the list.”

He then brought the list and handed it to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park looked at the items in the list. Gun-Ho then said, “The machines here are too old. Even though you would include the technology that you’ve developed in-house and training, I don’t think it can be more than 300,000 dollars.”

President Miura responded, “300,000 dollars is too low. The price difference between yours and mine seems to be too big.”

Gun-Ho said, “As you know well, there is no free trade agreement signed between two countries—Japan and Korea. Therefore, the import tariff is very high. Once I go back to Korea, I will have to check the HS codes (Harmonized System Codes) with Korea Customs Service.”

“In the meanwhile, I will talk with a company from Taiwan about the acquisition. Someone from that company is coming to see us tomorrow.”

“Well, please do so. There has to be a meeting of the minds between a seller and a buyer after all anyway. If we are meant to reach the agreement for the deal, we will see each other again.”

Gun-Ho’s party then walked out of the company after exchanging a bow with President Miura and the plant manager to say goodbye. When they arrived downtown Yokohama City, Gun-Ho suggested, “Let’s have lunch somewhere around Motomachi where Mr. Ikuzo lives.”

Mr. Ikuzo said, “Sounds good. There is a nice fish cake restaurant in the Kannai area, called Noge. That restaurant is more than 100 years old.”

“100 years?”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park looked at each other in surprise.

“Is that restaurant popular?”

“It is, sir. That’s why it has been in business for more than 100 years.”

“Things like that can’t happen in Korea.”

“Why not? If a restaurant serves good and tasty food persistently, it can stay in business for a long time, can’t it?”

“Problems that restaurant businesses can face are not limited to their customers. They also have to deal with landlords of the space that they are renting. In Korea, if a restaurant becomes so popular, and a lot of customers start coming to the restaurant, its landlords will raise the rent. That happens commonly. We say in Korea that building owners are sitting above the Creator. That’s why it is almost impossible to see an old restaurant like the one that we are heading to, in Korea.”

“Oh my. Are they not interested in using a win-win approach?”

“That’s why building owners are getting richer while tenants are getting poorer. To make the problem worse, the price of real property in Korea is increasing constantly.”

“Korea is experiencing a decrease in population as well, right? If there are fewer and fewer people, why would the price of real property increase? The value of real property in Japan keeps decreasing for this reason.”

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Chapter 824 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (2) – Part 1

Chapter 824:

Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho’s party headed to the fish cake restaurant called Ige, located near the Kannai Station.

“Wow. So this restaurant has been in business for more than 100 years, huh?”

“This restaurant actually started its business in Meiji 36 (year 1903). Isn’t it amazing?”

The dishes that the restaurant offered were simple and neat. Dishes such as minced chicken, boiled radish, and fish cakes must be very appealing, especially to old people. That was probably why Mr. Sakata Ikuzo wanted to come to this restaurant for dinner that day.

“How come the color of this cooked rice is not white?”

“Because it’s Chameshi (tea rice). They used tea in cooking the rice, instead of plain water.”

“That’s why…”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo asked Jong-Suk, “So, you quit your job with GH Mobile, and opened your own business— GH Machines?”

“Yes, I did, sir. Mr. President Goo invested 80% of the fund in establishing the company, and I invested 20% which is the portion of my ownership interest. We are building machines for Dyeon Korea.”

“Oh, those machines that Dyeon Korea is using? It’s probably impossible to build those machines without twin screws.”

“We import twin screws from the U.S. And, we buy other necessary parts domestically.”

“Oh, I see. Then it makes sense. But, it’s very unusual if Lymondell Dyeon disclosed the factory where they buy the twin screws, did they?”

“We actually figured it out on our own, which was not easy as you expected. I believe we are paying a higher price than Lymondell Dyeon in purchasing those twin screws. But, we are trying to save production costs by reducing the cost from labor and other machine parts.”

“Hmm, I see. Which company do you buy those screws from?”

“It’s West Moulding in Seattle in the U.S.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo nodded his head.

Gun-Ho said to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, “These fish cakes are light but very tasty. I do like this rice that is cooked with tea as well, not to mention these pickled cabbage and miso soup.”

“Haha, really? I’m glad that you like the food here. Please have some more,” Mr. Sakata Ikuzo continued, “Mr. President Goo, do you intend to acquire Miura Machines’ equipment?”

“Well, I need to hear first what President Jong-Suk Park thinks about it before I can make my decision. I’m a businessman, not an engineer. I need to hear an opinion from an expert in machines and relevant technology.”

Jong-Suk chipped in as he finished his fish cake soup, “It is almost an automated manufacturing facility. If I get some time to learn how to operate it, I think I can handle those machines and productions. I was very impressed when I heard that most of the machines in the factory were manufactured in-house, especially because all of the workers there are all seniors.”

“Miura Machines’ President Tsuyoshi-shi Miura grew up in a poor family just like I did. Dakai No Sedai (baby boomer generation) like us had lived in an era where everything was insufficient, even basic commodities. Life at the time for many of us was harsh. Tsuyoshi-shi started his career in that company right out of a technical high school as a trainee. Trainees in those days were not treated with respect, and he learned work skills there as he worked. In working and learning as a trainee at a factory, physical punishment from his boss or other workers who came before him was common. He was often beaten up.”

“He was beaten up at work?”

“Physical punishment is no longer allowed in our society, but it was commonly used as one of the effective methods to teach someone. Especially in a work environment where safety issues are critical because people have to work with machines, it was common. If you are not being highly cautious in handling machines, you can get injured severely. That’s why it was usual that you get slapped in the face if you make a mistake while working.”

“Is that right?”

“As I said, that sort of physical discipline is no longer allowed under any circumstances these days. If you hit someone at work to teach him a lesson, that worker will definitely quit the job right away and go home. Haha.”

“Well, I believe that the worker who was beaten wouldn’t just quit and go home, but he will kick the shin of that person who hit him first.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo scooped his miso soup with his spoon and tasted it deliciously, and then he asked Gun-Ho, “Mr. President Goo, do you happen to know the Korean businessman in the cotton-spinning industry— Gaab-Ho Seo?”

“Gaab-Ho Seo? It doesn’t ring a bell.”

“He was the president of Sakamoto Spinning Company.”

“Sakamoto Spinning Company? Is it a Japanese firm?”

“No, it was a Korean company located in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul City. It was later renamed to Banglim Spinning Company though.”

“It’s my first time hearing the name— Banglim Spinning Company.”

“Well, I understand that since you were probably too young to remember when that company was in business. Do you then know Time Square in Yeongdeungpo District?”

“Of course I do. I used to buy clothes and stuff in that area.”

“Banglim Spinning Company used to be there before.”

“Really?”

“The reason why I brought up Mr. Gaab-Ho Seo is that he learned skills in the cotton spinning industry while working in a spinning mill in Japan, and he was often physically punished by other Japanese workers as well.”

“Hmm, really?”

“When he finally became a president of his own business, his body was already covered with scars from being beaten by a leather belt. He described his scars as that they looked like centipedes crawling on his body.”

“Is that a true story?”

“Mr. Gaab-Ho Seo had come to Japan by himself during the Japanese colonial era and learned cotton spinning skills while working at a spinning mill in Osaka City. You probably remember when I said Isshokenmei (I would put everything into this to the extent that I risk my life). Mr. Gaab-Ho Seo was actually the person who practiced that before I did. He eventually became the president of Sakamoto Spinning Company in Osaka City, Japan, and he later established Banglim Spinning Company in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul City.”

“I see.”

“I believe that for a person who has a strong will to learn a certain skill that he wants, getting beaten up wouldn’t be a high price to pay for it. Tsuyoshi-shi paid that price to come this far, and he is now aged, and he needs dialysis regularly because of his kidney failure. And he is selling his machines as a consequence. This makes me sad greatly. And, I’m hoping that President Jong-Suk Park, who was my favorite apprentice, will take over his machines and technology.”

“Hmm.”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo continued, “I saw my good friend— Tsuyoshi-shi Miura— shedding tears when he told me that he would have to sell his machines and close his business. I broke into tears as well at that time.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park closed their eyes simultaneously. And, they both thought about the situation where they had to sell the production machines in GH Mobile or GH Machines. They both were sure that they would shed tears as well.

Solemn silence filled the air for a while after Mr. Sakata Ikuzo talked about President Miura’s situation and his tears. The four men at the table all ate fish cake without saying a word.

After a while, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui finally tried to lift the mood. He said with a broad smile after wiping off his mouth with a napkin, “Every time I look at Mr. Sakata Ikuzo or President Jong-Suk Park, I think of a Samurai. You two remind me of a Samurai. It’s not any Samurai, but the legendary samurai— Miyamoto Musashi who was the best swordsman in Japan.”

Mr. Ikuzo laughed out loud and said, “I love and admire the Meijin (master) of Niten Ichiryu (double-bladed swordsmanship)— Miyamoto Musashi.”

After lunch, they dropped Mr. Sakata Ikuzo at his home in Motomachi first.

“We are now heading back to our hotel.”

“Are you going back to Korea tomorrow?”

“No. We still have one more night, and we are planning to visit Tokyo for a tour. President Jong-Suk Park has never been to Tokyo before. I want to show him the city. Why don’t you join us, Mr. Sakata Ikuzo?”

Mr. Sakata Ikuzo replied, “Haha. I’m good. Thank you. I will rather stay home. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip in Japan.”

“Thank you.”

“If you decide to acquire Miura Machines, please just let me know.”

“I will do that. We want to review the possibility once we go back to Korea first.”

Gun-Ho, Jong-Suk Park, and Yoshitaka Matsui headed to Royal Park Hotel that was overlooking Yokohama Port.

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Chapter 825 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (2) – Part 2

Chapter 825: Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (2) – Part 2

The following day, Gun-Ho, Jong-Suk Park, and Yoshitaka Matsui went to Tokyo City for sightseeing.

They first stopped by Tokyo Tower and enjoyed the great city view that it was offering. They then visited Yasukuni Shrine which always reminded Korean people of their sad and upsetting history. On the way to the next tourist spot in the car, Gun-Ho asked Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, “Don’t you sometimes miss Mama San Segawa Joonkko in Shinjuku City, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui?”

“Why do you suddenly bring her up, sir?”

“In Shinjuku City, I have my lover, and also you have your lover too.”

“Haha. Your love is still ongoing, I believe, sir. But mine is already in the past.”

“Well, still, since you are here, why don’t you see her?”

“Seeing her wouldn’t do much for both Segawa Joonkko and myself. It’s not like I can spend a lot of money in her bar letting her make money. I can’t afford to have a drink in her bar.”

“Please make a reservation with her private bar. Let’s have today’s dinner there together.”

“Huh? You are coming too, sir?”

“Since I’m here too, I need to see Mori Aikko, don’t I?”

“That… is true…, but I’m not sure if I can join you…”

“Let’s all three of us go there together and have dinner. Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, please make a reservation for me.”

“Umm, sure, sir. I will do that.”

Jong-Suk Park, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, asked, “Bro, I could catch the word— a private bar— while you were talking with Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui. What were you talking about with him?”

“Well, I told him that we should visit a private bar in Japan as well since President Jong-Suk Park is here in Tokyo.”

“A private bar?”

“As a man, you should experience a private bar in Japan at least once. Don’t you think?”

“As far as I know, spending time in a private bar in Korea can cost you a fortune. And, I’m pretty sure a private bar in Japan will be enormously expensive.”

“It is indeed expensive. That’s why I am going to take you there and let you have fun.”

“No, bro. You will get ripped off in a place like that. I don’t want it for you.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. We are not going to a random private bar, but Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui knows the owner of this bar where we are going.”

Jong-Suk Park asked Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, “Mr. Matsui, how much usually should I expect to spend for a one time visit to a private bar in Japan?”

“Well, I can tell you that it would be more expensive than a private bar in Korea. The food should be more luxurious, and we will see some private dancing performances as well.”

“A dancing performance?”

“We will see geisha Odoris who will be dancing along with the melody from Shamisen.”

“Did you say geisha Odoris? Wow. I would love to see them. I don’t think those brothers— Won-Chul Jo, Byeong-Chul Hwang, and Suk-Ho Lee— haven’t been in a place like that either, even though they think they are better than me. They wouldn’t even dream about going to a place like that, knowing that it could cost them a fortune.”

Jong-Suk Park then glanced at Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho smiled and looked at Jong-Suk as he thought, ‘Jong-Suk, I recently made 6.5 billion won by repeating the process of buying and selling Dyeon Korea’s stock, and it didn’t take me even a month. It’s not just that I can afford to go to a private bar in Japan, but I can even afford to buy several private bars in Japan.’

Gun-Ho then tapped Jong-Suk’s back and said, “Don’t worry about it. You are my beloved little brother, President Jong-Suk Park. I want to have you experience a private bar in Japan. You don’t have to worry about a thing. Just enjoy it, okay?”

“Really, bro? Haha.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui was talking to someone on the phone in his fluent Japanese. He was probably talking with Mama San Segawa Joonkko at Pine. His voice sounded very manly.

Once he hung up the phone, Gun-Ho asked Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, “Did you talk to Mama San?”

“Yes, sir. When I told her that President Gun-Ho Goo would be there, she was startled.”

“Really?”

“She didn’t at first sound very excited when I— her old flame— called her, but she sounded thrilled when I told him that I would be there with President Goo.”

“Haha, is that right?”

“She asked me how you want to see Mori Aikko during dinner. I told her that since we are going there with another guest, she can just show us her dance performance just like she does to any other customers in her bar.”

“That would be nice.”

When it was after 6 pm, the three men arrived at Pine in Shinjuku City, by the rental car— Isis.

“Irasshaimase (Welcome).”

Mama San Segawa Joonkko was wearing a colorful outfit that day with light makeup.

“It has been a while, Mama San. It’s good to see you.”

“President Goo, it’s good to see you too, sir. Please come with me. I will show your private room with a tatami floor.”

Once the three men sat on the tatami floor, Segawa Joonkko gave a full bow to them. She was doing it, maybe because Jong-Suk, who was the first time guest to the bar, was there.

“I’m Mama San Segawa Joonkko, sir.”

Jong-Suk Park didn’t know what to say or how to react to the lady owner’s full bow toward him. In responding, he was about to give a full bow back to Mama San when Gun-Ho quickly stopped him by grabbing his nape and said, “Just sit still.”

After Segawa Joonkko finished her bow, she lifted her head. Gun-Ho said with a smile— Gun-Ho could speak simple Japanese now as he picked up a few Japanese words while dating Mori Aikko, “Mama San, you look ten years younger today. That colorful outfit looks very nice on you. I can tell how beautiful you were when you were younger.”

“Thank you, sir. Actually, the pattern in my Kimono is Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui’s favorite a long time ago. I chose this Kimono for him today.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui looked happy. He seemed to be indulging in reminiscence of those old days with Mama San. His eyes were glittering.

Traditional Japanese food started coming out along with Japanese liquor— sake.

Mama San introduced the liquor that she chose for Gun-Ho’s party, “This sake is called Kubota Manju. I picked this liquor to serve you during dinner. This was actually Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui’s favorite liquor in the old days.”

“Really? Well, it seems that everything was set for Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui today here. I guess Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui should pay for today’s dinner.”

“Me, me, sir? I don’t have that kind of money.”

Everyone laughed out loud. Mama San Segawa Joonkko covered her mouth while laughing.

Segawa Joonkko filled up Gun-Ho’s empty glass with Kubota Manju first. She then told him, “I do appreciate, sir, your help with Mori Aikko’s work with the movie shooting in China. Given the current sluggish economy everywhere, the lump sum money that Mori Aikko received from the movie production company helped us a lot. Thank you so much. You have been a great help for Mori Aikko and me as well, sir.”

“Haha, don’t mention it. She got paid for her work. I’m just hoping that the movie succeeds.”

“I was told that you— Mr. President Goo— invested a significant amount of funds in that movie production. This glass of liquor is to wish for your success, sir.”

Jong-Suk Park had no idea what Gun-Ho and Mama San were talking about since they were speaking in Japanese. He was just sitting there blinking his eyes with a perplexed look on his face.

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Chapter 826 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (3) – Part 1

Chapter 826: Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (3) – Part 1

After taking several glasses of liquor at Pine, Gun-Ho, Jong-Suk Park, and Yoshitaka Matsui felt good. At that moment, three middle-aged ladies came into the room. They were carrying Japanese musical instruments— Shamisen. And Mori Aikko, who Gun-Ho was eagerly waiting to see— followed those three women to the room. She was wearing a stunningly colorful flower-patterned Kimono. She was also wearing heavy makeup.

Gun-Ho was sitting in the middle at the table, and Jong-Suk Park and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui were sitting on each side of Gun-Ho. Jong-Suk Park, who saw Mori Aikko for the first time, was amazed by her beauty.

“So, she is a geisha? She is incredibly gorgeous.”

Mori Aikko sat on the tatami floor carefully in a kneeling position in front of Gun-Ho’s party as she always did to any other guests in the bar. A faint smile appeared on her face, and then she placed her head on the floor as she was giving a deep bow to the party.

She said, “I am Mori Aikko.”

“Hmm, it has been a while, Mori Aikko,” Gun-Ho said.

Segawa Joonkko filled up Gun-Ho’s empty glass with liquor. The sound of Shamisen started filling the air in the room. The sad-sounded melody from Shamisen resonated in the room. The title of the song was Gion Kouta which was depicting a geisha’s sad love story.

Mori Aikko slowly stood up and began dancing along with the melody from Shamisen. Jong-Suk Park seemed to be completely mesmerized by her beautiful look and her dance performance.

[The moon hung above Higashiyama (mountain) faintly; every night, under the hazy light from a lantern, the red Sakura flower hesitates even in her dreams. Conceiving her secret feeling on the edge of her Kimono Furisode; Oh, the love of a geisha, the Tti (belt) was drooping feebly.]

Gun-Ho thought that the melody was so plaintive and sad. Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, who was sitting next to Gun-Ho, was already wiping tears off his cheeks after taking off his glasses. Looking at Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui’s tears, Segawa Joonkko was also shedding tears.

Segawa Joonkko said as she filled up Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui’s glass with liquor, “Please accept this glass of liquor for me.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui finished the liquor that Mama San handed to him at once.

Segawa Joonkko asked him, “Please fill my glass with liquor too.”

It was very unusual to see Mama San Segawa Joonkko drinking a glass of liquor when she was with her customers because that was against her policy, and she was not supposed to drink during business hours. However, she made an exception that day since she was with her old flame— Yoshitaka Matsui.

After having a glass of liquor, she picked up her hand fan and stood up. She then started dancing next to Mori Aikko along with the melody from the Shamisen. The song of Gion Kouta was halfway finished. A fairly-like young woman in her early 20s and a very attractive mid-aged lady in her late 40s danced together along with the sad melody that was filling the air in the room.

[Covering the fair-skinned nape of her neck with a hand fan, her tears that she tried to hide wet her Kuchibeni (lipstick). Oh, the love of a geisha, the Tti (belt) was drooping feebly.]

Segawa Joonkko was whimpering while dancing, surprisingly so was Mori Aikko. They both had or were having hopeless love, and they were shedding tears over their sad reality.

Long time ago, the young newspaper journalist— Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui— had loved the young geisha— Segawa Joonkko— in their old days, but Segawa Joonkko couldn’t accept his love because he wasn’t a wealthy man. It was prohibited for a geisha from falling in love with a mediocre man who wasn’t rich because she wouldn’t be able to receive financial support from a rich sponsor. A geisha grew up with an obligation to pay her debt incurred while they were raised by Gion (Kyoto’s famous geisha district). Segawa Joonkko had to find her rich sponsor instead as any other geisha would, to pay off the debt. Consequently, Segawa Joonkko accepted a sponsorship proposal by an old man who was running a company in the mining industry. He was almost as old as her own father. As a result, the love between Segawa Joonkko and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui couldn’t take place.

Mori Aikko also would have to leave Gun-Ho someday. Gun-Ho, who was in his late 30s, had a wife and a child. Mori Aikko’s love for him couldn’t last for long. The melody from Shamisen continued to fill the air in the room. Gun-Ho’s eyes started being welled with tears as well. When he saw Mori Aikko’s red lips being wet with her tears, he almost burst into tears.

On the other hand, Jong-Suk Park just couldn’t take his eyes off from these two seductive geishas who were dancing.

Once the dance performance was over, Gun-Ho applauded enthusiastically. Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui and Jong-Suk Park joined Gun-Ho in applauding for their touching dance performance. The three mid-aged Shamisen players left the room, and Mori Aikko was getting ready to leave as well.

At that moment, Gun-Ho said to Mori Aikko, “Aikko, please sit with me, and fill up my empty glass with liquor.”

Mori Aikko was still in a kneeling position on the floor, and she looked up at Segawa Joonkko with a tear-stained face waiting for her approval. Segawa Joonkko nodded her head giving her a sign meaning okay. The two ladies’ heavy makeups were smudged because of their tears.

Mori Aikko sat close to Gun-Ho with a lovely smile.

“Oppa, when did you come to Japan?”

“I came yesterday. I had a business to take care of, and I stopped by here to see you.”

Jong-Suk Park was frightened when he heard Mori Aikko speaking Korean while asking Gun-Ho when he arrived in Japan. This fairly-looking lady could speak Korean.

Jong-Suk Park then realized that Gun-Ho was a regular to this private bar, and the beautiful Mori Aikko was his lover who he didn’t tell anyone in Korea.

‘Wow. Gun-Ho bro is unbelievable. In fact, he was the one who told me to buy those forfeited shares of Dyeon Korea, and then asked me to form GH Machines, so that I could make money and run my own business with an already-established client because of him. He is an exceptionally unique and incredible person.

Moreover, he speaks Chinese fluently, and he has his successful business in China too. And, now, I see him hanging out with these incredibly beautiful ladies. I can’t even dream to compete with him in this life. I guess I am a lucky man having a close friend like Gun-Ho bro.’

After filling up Gun-Ho’s glass with liquor, Mori Aikko moved backward in a kneeling position. She then placed her head on the floor again and gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho.

“Mori Aikko is retreating for now.”

Once Mori Aikko left the room, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui extended his hand to Mama San Segawa Joonkko.

“Thank you, Segawa Joonkko. I’ve been dreaming about watching you dancing along the music— Gion Kouta— while having a drink or two in your bar. My dream came true today.”

“I picked this particular Kimono with your favorite flower pattern and wore heavy makeup today for you, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui. I don’t think my sincerity toward you for today wouldn’t pay off what you have done for me, but I hope you have a good time.”

“Thank you.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui held Joonkko’s hand firmly.

It was mid-October.

Gun-Ho didn’t go to Jiksan Town or Asan City to work that day, but he stayed in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town watching the movement of Dyeon Korea’s stock. Ever since Gun-Ho sold all of his Dyeon Korea’s stock that he had purchased using Seung-Hee sister’s stock account, the trading volume noticeably decreased, and the price stayed around the initial public offering price of 26,200 won.

‘This is the original position that it is supposed to maintain.’

The number of Dyeon Korea’s stock available on the stock market was very limited. And, without the presence of stock manipulators, the daily trading volume of Dyeon Korea’s stock was low; about 10,000 shares were being traded per day. When Gun-Ho opened the stock discussion forum, people were talking about splitting the stock.

“Hey, Gun-Ho Goo! Are you there? Aren’t you going to do the stock split?”

“If you were going to let the stock available on the stock market in this low volume without splitting them, why did you decide to go public in the first place?”

“You should do a stock split. So, more shares would be available to trade on the stock market. What are you going to do with this low trade volume?”

“If you are not willing to let more shares available to trade on the stock market, then make your company private again. That would make more sense.”

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Chapter 827 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (3) – Part 2

Chapter 827: Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho deposited some funds in Seung-Hee sister’s stock account again. He transferred a small amount of money to the account through several transactions rather than depositing large funds at once. He then made a call to Seung-Hee sister.

“Seung-Hee sister? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, President Goo.”

“Did you get a call from your stock brokerage firm again, maybe last month?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, I received a call from them once.”

“What did they say?”

“They made a recommendation saying that I shouldn’t do single stock trading because that would put me at a high risk of losing money. I’ve done single stock trading before, so I knew what they were talking about. I just told them that I would keep that in mind. After the call, I haven’t received any other calls from them yet.”

“Haha, really?”

“Oh, you know what? I received another call from them once later. Their branch manager gave me a call the other day, asking why I had to withdraw all of the funds from my stock account. And, he said he had several good stocks that he is recommending for me. I told him that I had to use the funds somewhere else. I didn’t want to bother you with these trivial matters, so I didn’t call you at that time. I can handle things like this without bothering you.”

“Haha, thank you, sister. I will see how much profit I would make through the stock trading with your stock account, at the end of this year. And, I will definitely compensate you for letting me use your account.”

“You don’t have to do that, Gun-Ho. You already paid me by having GH Machines purchase a fire insurance policy from me.”

“That is that, and this is another one.”

“Well, I hope you make a lot of money by trading stock with my stock account, even though I didn’t. I’m now so sick and tired of stock trading. But you are different from me. You know things far better than me. You will be fine.”

“Thank you.”

“Since you are rich and all that, are you playing with maybe 100 million won? Don’t put too much money in the stock market. Look at me. You don’t want to lose too much money like I did.”

“I will keep that in mind, sister.”

After getting off the phone with Seung-He sister, Gun-Ho smiled.

‘If Seung-Hee sister had a chance to look at her stock account, she would have been startled. I was playing with about 10 billion won, not 100 million won. If I make profits at the end of the year, I will have to pay for tax on the realized profit. I don’t have to worry about taxes while trading stocks, but if my realized profit exceeds 2 billion won, I will have to worry about tax.

I should file the tax proactively, especially for this matter since this is Seung-Hee sister’s stock account. I don’t want her to be surprised by the amount of taxes incurred on her account. It is wise to pay my taxes on time accurately, especially when it is about a large amount of money. I was not supposed to use someone else’s account in stock trading, and I can be subject to a penalty for it. So, I’d better comply with the tax regulation without drawing any attention.

People say that Chairman Kun-Hee Lee of Samsung Group has more than 1,000 accounts with someone else’s name. That’s indeed an immensely large number of accounts. I’d better make this use of Seung-Hee sister’s stock account my last use of someone else’s name. At the end of this year, I will properly compensate Seung-Hee sister for letting me use her account. I’m sure that she would greatly appreciate it since she is in need of money.’

Gun-Ho again began to buy in Dyeon Korea’s stock; the price was around 26,000 won. When he bought 10,000 shares, the stock price started increasing. Because of the limited number of stocks available for trading, Gun-Ho didn’t have to purchase a large number of shares to affect the price.

“The price already increased to 30,000 won. This is too high. I don’t need to buy the stock at 30,000 won.”

Gun-Ho sold the 10,000 shares that he had just bought. Subsequently, the price dropped rapidly, and it eventually reached the price below 26,000 won. Gun-Ho then bought back the stock again at the decreased price.

When Gun-Ho was completely lost in stock trading, he received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim.

“Sir, it is a good time to talk? It’s Director Kim.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“We found a good factory in Noida, India and also in Tianjin City, China. I received a call from Manager Jong-Geun Lee earlier about the factory in India. Also, Dingding found a nice factory in China as well.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“Both factories are sitting on about 5,000 pyung large land, and both of the factory buildings are around 3,000 pyung large. The buildings are less than 10 years old, so we can just move in without conducting any major repairs. They also have enough electric power capacity for our use.”

“We haven’t signed the purchase agreement yet, right?”

“Of course not, sir. We need your approval to proceed with the acquisition. I will send you several photos of those two factories through KaTalk.”

“You haven’t been to those factories, have you?”

“I actually visited the factory in Noida, India during my last trip to India. It looks like our factory in the Chennai area. For the factory in China, I haven’t been to the factory, but I just saw its pictures with description.”

“How much are they asking for the factory in India?”

“It’s 3.2 billion won, sir.”

“Since you have already visited the factory in India, and you find it appropriate for our business, I think we can just go ahead and buy it. Please tell Manager Jong-Geun Lee to proceed with the purchase and sign the sales & purchase contract. We will take it. For the down payment, you can ask Mr. Internal Auditor to send the funds to India.”

“Sir, you don’t want to see the pictures first?”

“I don’t need to. I trust your judgment on this. You already visited the factory, and if you say it’s good, then it’s good for me.”

“What about the one in China, sir?”

“I think someone from our side has to see the factory before we make the purchase contract. Why don’t you make a trip to Tianjin, China to visit the factory, Mr. Director Kim?”

“I can certainly do that, sir, but what if we send Mr. Vice President Adam Castler to China instead this time?”

“That sounds good too. If he is okay with going on a trip to China, then I’m fine with it.”

“Okay, sir. I will let Mr. Adam Castler know.”

After getting off the phone with Director Kim, Gun-Ho turned his gaze back to the computer monitor to continue his stock trading. At that moment, his phone started ringing again, and it was from GH Media’s Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui.

“It’s Yoshitaka Matsui, sir.”

“Yes.”

“I just received a call from Japan. Miura Machines’ president wants to visit us in Korea.”

“Really?”

“He wants to visit GH Machines, and he has something that he wants to talk to you about, sir.”

“Well, if he wants to travel to Korea, that’s his decision. I don’t mind at all.”

“When he comes to Korea, he will be accompanied by Miura Machines’ plant manager— Mr. Yanagi Masatoshi.”

“Okay. Once they arrive here, I will show them GH Machines myself. In the meanwhile, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, please make an arrangement for their accommodations for their stay in Korea.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

“When we visit GH Machines with them, you should come with us, too.”

“Of course, sir. I will adjust my schedule to it.”

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Chapter 828 - Stock Split (1) – Part 1

Chapter 828: Stock Split (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho gradually purchased Dyeon Korea’s stock at the average price of 26,000 won. He bought almost 200,000 shares this time, and it cost him approximately 5.2 billion won. Even after he spent 5.2 billion won, he still had 5.4 billion won left in Seung-Hee sister’s stock account, but he decided to take a pause there. That was because, if he purchased and held too many shares, the number of Dyeon Korea’s shares available to trade on the stock market would noticeably decrease.

“This should be enough.”

At that point, Gun-Ho reviewed the possibility of Dyeon Korea’s stock split.

Gun-Ho had lately been sitting at his desk in his office doing stock trade every day. Once he decided to take a pause on stock trading, he felt somewhat liberated and relaxed. He stood up and walked toward his sofa, and he sat on it. He then called for his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Please bring me a cup of coffee.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yeon-Soo Oh brought a cup of coffee to Gun-Ho, and Gun-Ho turned on the TV while sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. He was ready to enjoy his coffee while watching TV. He turned the news on.

[The candidates for the leader of the political party—Gongmyeong Party—have reduced to the final three. The first person of the three final candidates is the former minister who also previously served our country as a member of Congress three times—Mr. Jin-Woo Lee…]

“Hmm, okay, he is one of the final candidates, as expected. The real competition starts now though.”

[The competition among the final three candidates for the Gongmyeong Party’s leader position is expected to be fierce. Each candidate will put their best effort into this competition. The political convention for Gongmyeong Party will be held next month, and the next leader of the party will be elected.]

“Whoever gets elected as the leader of the party will surely expect to run for President. Regardless of the election result, that person will be known widely across the nation.”

Gun-Ho sent a text message to Minister Jin-Woo Lee.

[Congratulations on being on the final list. I sincerely wish that you become the leader of your political party.]

Minister Jin-Woo Lee replied right away with a smiley face.

[Thank you. 🙂 ]

It was Thursday. Gun-Ho was getting ready to go to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, and Dyeon Korea in Asan City.

“I will have an executive meeting at Dyeon Korea today.”

On the way to work in the car, Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s Director Yoon.”

“This is Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, sir. It’s Director Yoon.”

“Did Mr. Director Kim come back from his trip to China?”

“Yes, sir. He came back yesterday.”

“We will have an executive meeting today at 2 pm. Please make an arrangement for it.”

“2 pm today, sir? Okay, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho went to GH Mobile first. It had been a while since he was there last time. When he arrived at the factory, there were several guests, who were wearing business suits at the factory yard, with GH Mobile’s director in the quality control department.

“What is going on here?”

“We are having an external audit today from the production quality certification authority.”

“Hmm, really? Please cooperate with them as much as we can.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho went straight up to his office on the second floor that morning without stopping by the production site since the site would be busy because of the visit for the audit.

“Sir, how have you been? It has been a while.”

Secretary Hee-Jeong Park greeted Gun-Ho with a broad smile.

“How are you?”

“Would you like to have a cup of coffee, sir?”

“I will have a cup of green tea instead. Thank you. I already have my morning coffee on the way here at Giheung Rest Area.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once Gun-Ho settled at his desk to start his day, the executive officers came into his office to greet him, one after another.

“It has been a long while, sir. How are you?”

The accounting director and the general affairs director stopped by Gun-Ho’s office after they were informed of his presence, and the chief research officer also came to his office. President Song was busy with visitors that morning, so he swung by the president’s office a while later.

“I’m sorry, sir, that I couldn’t come to see you earlier. The product quality certification authority checked our management, so I had to be there.”

“Did they point out a lot of things that we need to correct?”

“Well, they brought a checklist for things that they needed to look at. So, most of them are questions for any business.”

“How was everything here?”

“The business has been going well as usual, sir. And, I just received a call from Egnopak’s secretary’s office. Egnopak’s president’s mother passed away, sir.”

“Oh, I didn’t know his mother was still alive. She had to be at least 90 years old given Egnopak’s president’s age…”

“She was 96 years old. Her funeral will take place at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.”

“Well, we need to send a flower wreath to her funeral. Why don’t you send a flower wreath with your name, Mr. President, as the president of GH Mobile? And please have the general affairs department send another flower wreath under my name as the president of Dyeon Korea.”

“Yes, sir. I will make the arrangement.”

“And, how much should we prepare for condolence money…”

“Usually, we have made it 100,000 won for our client or vendor companies in the event of a ceremonial occasion so far, such as weddings, funerals, ancestral rites, etc. But, Egnopak is one of our major client companies, so maybe we should make it more. I’m not sure how much more would be adequate though.”

“Mr. President Song, I think we should make it 200,000 won then. It’s not really about the amount of money, but it’s about showing him our sincerity and care.”

“Understood, sir. I will have the general affairs department take care of it. I will have them prepare an envelope with 200,000 won under my name, and another one with 300,000 won with your name, sir.”

“When are they going to carry the coffin out?”

“It will be the day after tomorrow, in the morning. I have things that I need to take care of tomorrow, so I will pay my visit to the funeral this evening. Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim will probably be there today as well.”

“Well, I will be there the day after tomorrow, in the evening time then.”

Gun-Ho headed out of his office to go to President Jong-Suk Park’s GH Machines. When he walked down to the front entrance, his Bentley was waiting for him. He was almost getting into his car when the general affairs director quickly came close to him.”

“Sir, you need to take this…”

The general affairs director handed a white envelope to Gun-Ho.

“What is this?”

“It’s condolence money for Egnopak’s president’s mother’s funeral.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho took the envelope with a smile.

When Gun-Ho arrived at GH Machines in Baekseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex in Cheonan City, he heard someone quarreling. When he looked around to find the source of the quarreling sound, he saw President Jong-Suk Park standing with another man. He was arguing with that person. Gun-Ho didn’t want to interrupt Jong-Suk’s business regardless of whatever it was about, so he quietly went to Jong-Suk’s office.

When Gun-Ho settled in GH Machines’ president’s office, the office manager who Gun-Ho had met once before brought a cup of green tea with a smile.

Gun-Ho asked her, “What is going on outside? I saw President Park with someone.”

“He is from one of our vendor companies. They sent us defective products, and Mr. President Park is mad.”

“He didn’t have to quarrel for it.”

After a while, Jong-Suk Park came to his office. He was breathing heavily, still feeling angry.

“You don’t have to be that upset about it, not to mention that you don’t have to quarrel with someone. You can calmly talk with him about the problem.”

“That son of bi*ch sent us defective products and denied the fact. When I told him that I won’t pay him for those defective products, he said he would file a lawsuit against me. That made me very upset. I’m sorry, bro, that you had to see the unpleasant scene.”

“You still have to stay calm. You are the president of this company, and your workers can see your every move. You don’t want them to think that you get upset so easily.”

“Well, I could get more upset. I tried to suppress my anger because of my workers. I would have already kicked his as* if I was my old self.”

“So, did you settle with him?”

“Yeah. We agreed that I pay him only half of the price that I promised.”

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Chapter 829 - Stock Split (1) – Part 2

Chapter 829: Stock Split (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park, “How many machines did you send to Dyeon Korea so far.”

“Four were sent to Dyeon Korea, and we received an order for another 4 machines. And, I placed a new order of twin screws with West Moulding in the U.S. I ordered ten of them. Since I didn’t know how to place an order with them, I asked for help from GH Mobile’s Manager Chang-Hoon Seo from the sales department.”

“You did?”

“Actually Manager Seo visits me here sometimes. He came here yesterday, and had lunch with me.”

“I see. I don’t see some of your workers today. Did they go somewhere?”

“Yeah. They went to visit a factory nearby to fix their machines. We are getting paid for the service.”

“Hmm, really?” Gun-Ho continued, “Miura Machines’ president in Japan is coming to visit us here.”

“Here? You mean GH Machines?”

“Yeah. He probably wants to see the company that would take over his machines and technology, and he wants to make sure we are worthy. He is coming with his plant manager.”

“Does that mean that he would accept our offer price—300 million won?”

“We haven’t talked about it yet. Once he arrives here, we will negotiate the price.”

“Speaking of money, bro, I received the payment from Dyeon Korea for the machines, but I have several places that I need to spend the money for. I need to buy twin screws from West Moulding, not to mention other necessary parts that I’m planning to purchase. Even though he agrees to 300 million won, I’m not sure if I can come up with that amount. What should I do?”

“I will send 300 million won to GH Machines. Just make it as temporary accounts receivable.”

“Temporary accounts receivable?”

“Just tell that to your worker who is handling accounting work here. She will know what to do. It doesn’t mean that we are increasing the company’s capital with that money, but it’s more like a temp fund that the company can use until it is ready to pay it back. You just need to record the money as temporary accounts receivable.”

“Hmm, really?”

“And, if the deal of acquiring Miura Machines goes through, you will need to hire one more worker who can exclusively handle the work in supplying products to the companies in Japan. I mean a worker who will be in charge of trading.”

“I agree with you. I do think that we need someone who handles trading, so that person can also take care of purchasing twin screws from West Moulding. I can’t ask GH Mobile to help me with it forever.”

“That’s right. And, before Miura Machines’ president arrives here, you will need to clean your office and factory. Make it neat and organized. You know, Japanese people love things that are clean and placed in an orderly way.”

“Bro, what do you think about GH Machines getting TS 16949 (automotive quality system)? I talked with a consulting service company yesterday, and they said that they would help us with getting TS 16949 and ISO 9001 (quality management system), and ISO 14001 (environment management system) simultaneously.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“So, I told them that we are a small company with only 12 workers. They said that even smaller companies with 5 or 6 workers get those certifications as well.”

“Well, I think you should do it then.”

“One of my workers here is young and has a good education background. I was thinking about having him handle the certification matter.”

“Well, it’s your call.”

“Hmm, okay. I guess I will take some time to think about it.”

Gun-Ho asked, “How is it going with your plan to create a website for GH Machines?”

“Oh, I almost forgot about it. I talked with GH Media’s design team lead the other day on the phone about it, and that was it. I have so many things that I need to take care of, as a business owner. I guess I will have to talk to her again soon.”

“Yeah.”

“Speaking of which, I admire you for it, bro. It’s not like you own only one business, but you have several of them, and you are handling them very well. Moreover, you are always one or two steps ahead of everything.”

“Thanks.”

“Is it okay that I get back to you on the website matter after we complete the deal with Miura Machines?”

“Sure.”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat getting ready to leave.

“Well, I should let you go back to your work. I’m heading to Dyeon Korea now. I have an executive meeting to attend there this afternoon.”

“Why don’t you have lunch with me before going there?”

“There is no good restaurant around here, isn’t there?”

“There is one if we go to the area around the industrial park for foreign workers. Fish dishes there are really good.”

“Sounds great. Let’s take my car.”

After having lunch with Jong-Suk, Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Kroea.

When it was 2 pm, Gun-Ho convened an executive meeting as previously scheduled.

Gun-Ho spoke, “I’d like to hear first about how we are doing with the acquisition of the manufacturing facilities in Noida, India, and Tianjin in China.”

Director Kim started his report on those.

“We signed the purchase & sales contract for a manufacturing facility in Noida, India. It’s 5,100 pyung large, and our purchasing price for this facility is 3.2 billion won. We will make the full payment by the end of this month. For installing necessary machines there, we request the work to GH Machines. As a start, we will install two machines.”

“Even though GH Machines will handle the installation of machines, we will need to select a worker who will operate those machines.”

“Yes, sir.”

“In addition, Mr. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo will need to select someone from the research center and send him to India. That person will handle the compounding work.”

“Yes, sir.”

Director Kim continued, “As to the manufacturing facility in Tianjin, China, I asked Dingding to buy the factory that she found. I believe she will sign the contract today. Mr. Vice President Adam Castler received the report from Dingding this morning that she was heading to Tianjin.”

“Is the factory located inside an industrial complex?”

“Yes, sir. Our purchase price is 2.8 billion won, and it is a 4,950 pyung large facility.”

Gun-Ho turned his gaze to the internal auditor and said, “Once the stock market closes today, I want you to post a public announcement. The announcement is about our new factory in India. Include the size of the manufacturing facility, purchase price, and its location.”

“Understood, sir.”

“For the facility in China, we will make a separate announcement later, maybe coming Monday or Tuesday.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, are we hearing anything about stock split from investors these days?”

“Of course, we are, sir. We are getting calls from investors inquiring about our plan for a stock split. Some people from investing clubs even visited our company in person for that matter.”

“Considering the low volume of our stock available to trade on the stock market, we should do a stock split, shouldn’t we?”

“I suppose so, sir.”

“How do we split our stock? What do you all think about it?”

After asking for opinions from the executive officers in the room, Gun-Ho looked around.

‘We have about 7 people here in the executive meeting today including the interpreter. The fact that we reviewed the possibility of a stock split will reach some people outside the company one way or another, especially to the stock market. The executive officers here might not realize it, but the investors outside our firm are keeping their eyes and ears open about it. The stock price will increase once stock split occurs.’

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Chapter 830 - Stock Split (2) – Part 1

Chapter 830: Stock Split (2) – Part 1

Stock split was one of the ways to increase the number of stocks available to trade on the stock market. It was deemed to be good news within the stock market, and the price of the stock increases accordingly. Therefore, when people from investing clubs visited Dyeon Korea in person and talked with the internal auditor, it was probably to procure important information that could affect the stock price before anyone else.

That was why Gun-Ho was talking about a stock split at Dyeon Korea’s executive meeting today knowing this fact.

The internal auditor said, “The number of our company stock had been 2 million before we went public. We then issued an additional 600,000 shares and offered them to the public to trade. That made our total number of shares 2.6 million, and then we split them in half to lower the price per share to 5,000 won from 10,000 won. So, now the total number of stocks is 5.2 million which is twice of 2.6 million.”

“That’s right. That’s what we did.”

The internal auditor continued, “However, given the number of stock that is reserved and not available to the public because they are owned by our major shareholders, and our employees through the employee stock ownership program, the number to stock that is actually available on the stock market to trade is 1.2 million. And, I think this doesn’t accurately reflect the real number of stock available on the stock market either because we have to consider the stock that is held by institutional investors as well. So, I believe that only 600,000 shares more or less are actually ready to trade on the market.”

“Hmm.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘It shouldn’t be even 600,000 shares, because I’m holding 200,000 shares in Seung-Hee sister’s stock account. That makes the actual number of shares that are practically available on the stock market only around 400,000.’

“Please continue,” Gun-Ho said.

“This low number makes our stock vulnerable to stock manipulators. They would be able to make our stock price hit the upper limit or bottom limit as they wish. We don’t want that to happen to our stock. Therefore, I agree with the idea of stock splitting 100%.”

Gun-Ho asked the other executive officers in the room for their opinions, “What do you all think about it?”

“I agree as well.” It was Director Kim.

While Director Kim clearly expressed his consent, Director Yoon and Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo were hesitating to give their opinion, probably because they didn’t quite understand what was going on with the stock. Mr. Vice President Adam Castler, on the other hand, seemed to have a lot to think about.

Gun-Ho asked him, “We are a joint venture company, and we need to discuss matters before making any major decisions with our partner—Lymondell Dyeon. So, Mr. Vice President Adam Castler, what do you think about stock splitting?”

“I also agree to a stock split as long as that doesn’t cause any changes in our capital. But, we need to inform this to the head office.”

“The price per share is now 5,000 won, and we have 5.2 million of them. If we make our unit share price 500 won by a stock split, the number of our stock will increase to 52 million. That will result in a substantial increase in the number of our stocks ready to trade on the stock market. But, I think 500 won is too low, and I think 1,000 won sounds more adequate. What do you all think?”

“That sounds reasonable, sir. So, our 5,000 won worth of share will become 1,000 won worth, and it will increase the number of shares available on the stock market by five times.”

Director Yoon asked the internal auditor, “Does that mean the total number of our company shares will increase from 5.2 million to 26 million?”

“That’s correct. I mentioned earlier that the actual number of our stocks ready to trade on the stock market was only 600,000 considering all of the shares currently held by our shareholders, employees, and institutional investors. If we split the stock this way, it will increase the number 5 times more, so it will be 3 million.”

Gun-Ho looked at the internal auditor while keeping a smile on his face, “Once we split our stock, the price will increase, and that will motivate the institutional investors that are possessing our stock, to sell theirs. If that happens, the number of stocks available to trade can be more than 3 million.”

“That’s true. Our stock price will increase due to the stock split, and some of the institutional investors will sell their shares. That will subsequently increase our company’s available stocks on the market.”

Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo asked with a puzzled look on his face, “With the stock split, the number of stocks that an investor is holding will increase by five times, and the unit share price will decrease by five times. I understand that. But, why would the stock price increase?”

Director Kim replied, “I will explain it to you. The current stock price is 26,000 won, and this price will decrease by five times which is 5,200 won after the stock split.”

“Yes, I understand that part.”

“The people, who consider the stock price of 26,000 won per share expensive, will think 5,200 won is more than affordable. Those people will still buy the share even if the price is 6,000 or 7,000 won, won’t they? Am I correct, Mr. Internal Auditor?”

“That’s exactly right. That’s why we expect the institutional investors, who bought our shares during the initial public offering at 26,000 won, to sell their shares once the price increases. Since institutional investors trade a large volume of stock, they will make a significant amount of money from this, with a small increase in the unit share price.”

Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo nodded his head as he finally understood.

Gun-Ho said after taking a sip of his tea, “Well, let me summarize what we just discussed at this meeting today. We will do the stock split on Dyeon Korea stock, so we can make 5,000 won worth unit share price to 1,000 won. The decision on a stock split is supposed to be made through a board meeting.” Gun-Ho then turned his gaze to the internal auditor and said, “Mr. Internal Auditor, please make a board meeting minute as if we had a board meeting today, and also draft a board resolution as such.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho continued, “Also, we are supposed to make a public notice whenever we split stock. Please have our man, who is in charge of stock-related matters, inform this decision to our shareholders listed on our shareholder register. Mr. Internal Auditor, please notify our agency—the stock brokerage firm—about this decision as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We also need to file this change on our registration. Please proceed as such.”

“Yes, sir.”

The meeting was over, and Gun-Ho was having a cup of jujube tea in his office when Director Kim came in.

“Sir, you have heard that Egnopak’s president’s mother passed away, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I have.”

“I talked with GH Mobile’s President Song on the phone this morning. They already sent a flower wreath to the funeral with GH Mobile’s President Song’s name.”

“Dyeon Korea doesn’t have to worry about it. GH Mobile already sent a flower wreath under Dyeon Korea’s name by now.”

“I was told that your condolence money was also taken care of by them as well.”

“That’s right.”

“We prepared the condolence money that you would take to the funeral as well. Well, we feel sorry that they had to take care of things that we were supposed to do.”

“You will need to prepare your condolence money as well, Mr. Director Kim. Are you planning to go there today?”

“I’m going there tomorrow, sir.”

“I was told that his mother was 96 years old. I think she had a good and long life.”

“I believe so, sir.”

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Chapter 831 - Stock Split (2) – Part 2

Chapter 831: Stock Split (2) – Part 2

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

He had his morning coffee while reading an economic newspaper as usual. When it was around 10 am, he sat at the desk and turned on his computer. He then opened the stock trading application.

Dyeon Korea’s stock price increased a lot.

“Well, the things that we discussed during the executive meeting yesterday seemed to be spread out already. There were seven people in the meeting, and everyone who is paying attention to our stock seems to know about the stock split already, such as the person, who is in charge of stock matters, the staff in the accounting team, the certified legal consultant’s office, and the stock brokerage company.”

It was actually what Gun-Ho intended when he purposefully talked about the stock split during the executive meeting yesterday. Gun-Ho didn’t have to so openly discuss about that matter during the meeting, but he could have just proceeded with it privately only with the internal auditor. Since it was a joint venture company, he would have to let Mr. Adam Castler know about it at most. However, Gun-Ho wanted the news to be spread out widely because he had his 200,000 shares using Seung-Hee sister’s stock account. The stock price increased by 7.5% already.

Gun-Ho logged into the stock discussion forum on Naver.com, and he entered into the Dyeon Korea forum.

“What’s going on with Dyeon Korea? Stock manipulators started playing with it?”

“Oh my, its chart is erected red this morning.”

“Hey, guys. They are talking about their stock split. It’s time to buy their shares now.”

“The one above, you as*hole, if you are spreading a rumor that is not true, I will kick your as*.”

“I asked their staff earlier who is in charge of stock. She said she doesn’t have any information that is available officially for investors, but she confirmed that it is true that the company talked about a stock split. So, something is going on for sure.”

“You know what? I just received a message from my investing club. They said it is very possible that Dyeon Korea would split their stock.”

After reading the stock discussion forum, Gun-Ho smiled, and he logged out of the forum. And, it suddenly came to his memory what Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town had told him.

[You should stay away from investing in the stock market. You shouldn’t play a game where you can’t figure out the other player’s cards.]

“He is absolutely right. The small individual investors recklessly invest in the stock market without knowing the other party’s cards.”

Gun-Ho leaned back on the sofa and had his cup of coffee that was already cooled down. At that moment, he received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“It’s Director Woon-Hak Sim in China, sir.”

“Oh, Director Sim. You are in the post-production period, aren’t you?”

“That’s correct, sir. We are in the process of editing right now. And, for now, we will be working with the movie distributor—Yang Guang Pictures. It’s not a large top 1 or 2 movie distributor like Ying Lian Media or Bona Pictures, but it is within top 10 in China.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“In China, the top 15 movie distributors dominate the Chinese film market—90% of them—for the movies that were produced domestically.”

“Really?”

“It was Director Seukang Li who helped us have business with Yang Guang Pictures.”

“Oh, really? I hope it goes well.”

“My expectation is high as well, sir, because China’s cinema market is huge.”

“How large is it?”

“The movie market is huge because the country is huge with high population density. The box office revenue in Korea amounts to around 2 trillion won, and it’s exceeding 10 trillion won in China. The box office revenue from domestically produced films alone in China is more than 5 trillion won.”

“That’s enormous.”

“And, sir, I have to visit Korea next week.”

“Is it for your personal reasons?”

“No, it’s not about my family or anything like that, but it’s about editing. I need to get help from BM Entertainment.”

“Sure. Please do what you have to do.”

“I will stop by your office, sir, while I’m in Korea. I need to see GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin anyway.”

“Sounds good.”

In the evening, Gun-Ho headed to Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. He wanted to visit Egnopak’s president’s mother’s funeral.

“Chan-Ho, you will have to get off work very late today since I need to go to Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.”

“That’s my job, sir. And, I get paid for those extra hours too.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“I keep up with my timesheet and submit it to GH Mobile’s general affairs manager on a regular basis.”

“Really?”

“I’m even supposed to bring it to the general affairs manager on time.”

“Haha, I see.”

When he arrived at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, tons of flower wreaths came into Gun-Ho’s view. Of course, Egnopak’s president had a wide social network. Most of them were from business owners of large companies, ministers from the government, and congressmen. Gun-Ho could see the flower wreath that he had sent under Dyeon Korea’s name and also GH Mobile’s President Song’s among them.

Gun-Ho placed a cluster of chrysanthemums on the altar and made a full bow on the floor to the decedent’s family. After finishing the traditional way to show his condolence, Egnopak’s president greeted Gun-Ho delightedly.

“Oh, President Goo, thank you for coming.”

“My condolences to you and your family for your loss, sir.”

“President Song visited here yesterday, and Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim just left as well. He was with an American man… Adam something. I do appreciate that people from GH companies came for me. Thank you.”

Egnopak’s president then introduced a man who was standing next to him; he looked like he was in his 50s. Gun-Ho could see a resemblance between Egnopak’s president and that man. He looked like a gangster member just like Egnopak’s president.

“It’s my brother.”

Next to Egnopak’s president’s brother, his problematic son was standing. Gun-Ho greeted him as well.

“It has been a while.”

Egnopak’s president’s problematic son was wearing a black suit with a black tie. He politely greeted Gun-Ho.

After seeing the decedent’s family, Gun-Ho went to the area where all the visitors gathered, by himself. He looked around to see if Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim was still there. At that moment, someone raised his hand and waved at Gun-Ho, and gestured to come and join him. Surprisingly, it was A Group’s CEO Park from its department of planning and coordination.

“You came, sir?”

“Of course. I had to give Egonopak’s president my condolences. Please join and have a seat with me.”

Gun-Ho sat at the table facing A Group’s CEO Park.

“I didn’t know you know Egnopak’s president. Are you close to him?”

“No, not really, but we’ve met a few times before. I actually came here today on behalf of Minister Jin-Woo Lee, I mean Congressman Jin-Woo Lee. Congressman Jin-Woo Lee wanted to come, but he is trying not to draw any attention from the media for personal matters.”

“I guess Congressman Jin-Woo Lee and Egnopak’s president are close.”

“They are. Egnopak’s president also sent ‘that’ to his political party, and he appreciated him for it.”

‘Hmm, Egnopak’s president seems to have contributed some money to Gongmyeong Party as well.’

Gun-Ho opened a bottle of soju and said, “Please let me fill up your glass with soju.”

“Thank you. I will fill up your glass with liquor too.”

A Group’s CEO Park then introduced the man who was sitting next to him.

“Oh, I want you to meet this person. He is the secretary-general of Gongmyeong Party.”

“Oh, really? I’m Gun-Ho Goo. Nice to meet you.”

When Gun-Ho handed his business card to the secretary-general person, he seemed to be surprised.

“Oh, you are GH Group’s President Goo. I’ve heard a lot about you, sir. GH Mobile’s President Jang-Hwan Song is a friend of mine from college.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“The Gongmyeong Party appreciate your contribution to our party, sir”

He was talking about the 100 million won that Gun-Ho had contributed to Gongmyeong Party when Congressman Jin-Woo Lee was running for Congress during the by-election.

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Chapter 832 - Stock Split (3) – Part 1

Chapter 832: Stock Split (3) – Part 1

As Gun-Ho filled up the Gongmyeong Party’s secretary-general’s glass with liquor, the secretary-general said, “Thank you, Mr. President Goo. You are indeed so young as I heard about it. People told me that you are a young business owner, and I’ve been wondering how young you are. I envy your youth.”

“As I am relatively young, I still have a lot to learn. I do actually learn a lot from A Group’s CEO Park here who has extensive experiences with work and also life.”

CEO Park seemed to be in a good mood. After finishing half a glass of his liquor, he chipped in, “Mr. Secretary-general, you probably want to pay attention to Mr. President Goo here. He will soon emerge as a successful businessman in the field. Well, he is actually already a successful businessman who owns a company that is registered with KOSDAQ.”

Gun-Ho smiled without saying anything in response.

CEO Park asked Gun-Ho, “President Goo, how much worth is Dyeon Korea’s stock that recently became a public company?”

“It is maintaining about the same price as the initial public offering price. We are splitting the stock soon, and the price will increase a little bit as a result.”

“If you split the stock, how many shares will it make?”

“Its unit share price is now 5,000 won, and we want to lower that price to 1,000 won by a stock split. After this stock split, the total number of stocks will increase to 26 million.”

“I believe that its current price is 20,000 won something, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s 26,000 won to be exact.”

“So, if you divide the current price by 5, then the unit share price will be 5,200 won… This price can easily increase to 10,000 won even with a small good news about the company.”

“We will have to see…”

“Does it make Dyeon Korea’s market capitalization 260 billion won? How much of them are you owning, Mr. President Goo?”

“It’s a joint venture company, and given the shares that we previously offered to the public, and to our employees through the employee stock ownership program, my ownership interest should be a bit more than 30%.”

“So, you own at least 80 billion won.”

“Theoretically, that’s correct.”

The secretary-general, who was sitting next to CEO Park, laughed and said, “I don’t know much about how things work with the stock market, but if Dyeon Korea’s stock price increases to 20,000 won later, the shares that you own would be well worth of 160 billion won, wouldn’t it, Mr. President Goo?

“Haha, that’s correct if— and it’s a big if— the stock prices increase that much, but I’m not sure if that would happen. We have to consider the size of the company, and a company’s stock price can’t just increase limitlessly.”

CEO Park smiled and asked, “Mr. President Goo, let me ask you this; this is just for fun. If A Group offers you to buy your ownership interest in Dyeon Korea for 20,000 won per share, would you sell it to us?”

“Did you say 20,000 won per share, sir? Of course, I would sell it for that high price. But, why would A Group want to acquire my shares in Dyeon Korea? First of all, the price is unreasonably high, and secondly, since it’s a joint venture company, A Group could only own half of Dyeon Korea by acquiring my portion only.”

“Haha. I’m just saying for fun.”

Gun-Ho thought that A Group’s CEO Park seemed to be particularly interested in Dyeon Korea’s stock.

‘He showed his interest in Dyeon Korea’s stock last time we talked as well. He is asking about it today too. Does that mean A Group is actually interested in acquiring Dyeon Korea? Even though he said that he was just asking for fun, maybe they are seriously considering purchasing Dyeon Korea. Well, I doubt that though. It is true that Dyeon Korea is generating profits, but it’s still a small company with small volume of sales. 20,000 won per share is ridiculously high for a company of this size.

Moreover, a large portion of Dyeon Korea is owned by its another major shareholder— Lymondell Dyeon— as well, with the same ownership portion as mine. That means that they can’t even exercise full management right to the company either. Why are they constantly showing their interest in Dyeon Korea then? It’s fishy… There must be a reason other than wanting to acquire a good business entity.

Maybe… If I sell Dyeon Korea— that means GH Mobile sells it since technically it is a major shareholder of Dyeon Korea— to A Group for 20,000 won per share, GH Mobile will receive the proceeds from the sale, which would be 160 billion won. If that happens, those funds can be distributed among the GH Mobile’s shareholders as investment gains. Is it what they are trying to achieve as a way of making slush money for Congressman Jin-Woo Lee? Since his father— Mr. Beom-Sik Lee owns 15% of GH Mobile, he will possibly get a significant amount of funds from the dividend distribution.

That’s right. 15% of 160 billion won is 24 billion won. 24 billion won! This amount must be big enough for slush money that he needs for his political activities! Is that what they are thinking about? I’m not sure. Maybe I’m stretching it too far. It’s probably my ridiculous speculation.’

“Mr. President Goo, what are you thinking?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Would you like to have one more glass of liquor?”

“Oh, I’m good. Thank you.”

“Well, how about you, Mr. Secretary-general Lee? Please take one more glass of liquor.”

As A Group’s CEO Park filled up the secretary-general’s empty glass with soju, he said, “Hang in there, Mr. Secretary-general. Even though your party hasn’t received enough contributing funds yet, everything will be fine.”

The secretary-general sipped his liquor, and then he said, “we have a significant number of members in our political party, not to mention that we have so many places that we have to spend money on. But, not enough number of companies have contributed funds to our party. There are just a few of them including Egnopak and GH Mobile. I understand that A Group can’t make a large contribution to the party even though it wants to, because of the connection with Congressman Jin-Woo Lee.”

“That’s true. We don’t want to take a risk of being attacked for it by the opponent party.”

Gun-Ho asked, “How many members does Gongmyeong Party currently have?”

“We have more than 1 million members with rights.”

“What do you mean by members with rights?”

“Those members are the ones who pay the membership fee of 1,000 won per month.”

“It’s 1 billion won then.”

“It’s obviously insufficient to run our political party. The fund that GH Mobile contributed to us last time helped our party substantially, and we appreciate it greatly.”

More and more visitors were flowing into the funeral. Some of the condolers who arrived later had to wait for the next available seat while standing in the back of the room.

“Well, I guess we’d better leave, so other people could sit.”

“Sure, let’s leave.”

As the three men stood up from their seats, the secretary-general extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake and said, “It was very nice meeting you, Mr. President Goo. I hope you could help our political party continuously. If your business needs our help, we will definitely give you support as much as we could.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

CEO Park also offered his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake.

“I’d better get going as well. Please keep it close with the secretary-general here. You both will benefit from this good relationship. I believe that Dyeon Korea will become a very interesting company.”

‘An interesting company? What does that mean? What is he talking about?’

CEO Park didn’t say Dyeon Korea would do better, but instead, he said it would become a very interesting company. That sounded weird, Gun-Ho thought. It didn’t sound very pleasant either. Gun-Ho thought that CEO Park was evaluating his company carelessly.

‘Well, he said it would be a very interesting company, and that should be something positive on my side. So, I will get some benefits from whatever he is thinking, and it won’t cause any damage to me. That’s how I understand what he said at least.’

Gun-Ho decided to take what CEO Park said lightly without giving significant meaning.

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Chapter 833 - Stock Split (3) – Part 2

Chapter 833: Stock Split (3) – Part 2

On the way out of the funeral after saying bye to CEO Park and the secretary-general, Gun-Ho ran into his friend from high school— Byeong-Chul Hwang. It was an unexpected encounter.

“Huh? Byeong-Chul Hwang? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, Gun-Ho. The company that I’m working for is doing business with Egnopak. So, I came here on behalf of our chief research officer. He couldn’t make it since he is on a business trip right now.”

“Hmm, I see. Did you eat? I just finished mine, and I was about to leave.”

“Yeah. I’m leaving too. Your face is red, Gun-Ho. Did you drink? You’d better watch out field sobriety test posts scattered everywhere at this late hour on the way home.”

“It’s okay. I have a chauffeur who will drive for me.”

“Oh, that’s right. You have your own chauffeur.”

Byeong-Chul Hwang was making a face that didn’t clearly show what he was thinking.

Gun-Ho asked Byeong-Chul Hwang, “What kind of business is your research center doing with Egnopak?”

“Egnopak’s research center sometimes makes a request to us for some research work on properties of a material. Well, I believe that your company does an actual business with them, not a research work like us.”

“That’s right.”

“Is the man, who just left, the one who was the CEO of A Electronics? Do you know him personally?”

“Yeah, I do know him. He is now A Group’s CEO in its department of planning and coordination. My company is doing business with them as well, and also I’ve played golf with him a few times.”

“Is that right?”

Byeong-Chul smiled, but it was bitter.

At that moment, S Group’s vice president and Mandong Company’s president came in.

“Hey, President Goo, you came, huh?” They delightedly greeted Gun-Ho as they spotted him there. While Gun-Ho was exchanging pleasant greetings with them by having a handshake, Byeong-Chul Hwang quickly disappeared from the scene.

A new week started.

Gun-Ho was monitoring the stock market in his office in GH Building, Sinsa town. Because of the news about Dyeon Korea’s stock splitting, its stock price was on the constant rise.

“Other than the possibility of stock splitting, we also announced that we are establishing additional manufacturing facilities overseas such as India and China, but investors seem to not care much about that news. The stock price is increasing solely because of the possibility of stock splitting.”

Dyeon Korea’s stock price was exceeding 30,000 won already. On Friday, the price increased to 36,000 won, and when the market was almost closed that day, selling requests of Dyeon Korea’s stock were piled up for more than 200,000 shares, and then requests to purchase the stock started coming in. Consequently, the price increased to 40,000 won.

On Monday, Dyeon Korea’s official announcement was published. It was about the stock split. And, a subsequent dormancy stage started where stock trade of Dyeon Korea was prohibited for the next 15 days.

“After 15 days, the stock market for Dyeon Korea will be fierce.”

Gun-Ho decided to forget about the stock market for a while since no one wouldn’t be able to sell or buy Dyeon Korea’s stock for the next 15 days anyway.

“Well, I will come back to this in 15 days later.”

Gun-Ho received a call from the branch manager of the stock brokerage company.

“I just saw the official announcement about the stock split, sir. It will be fun to watch the stock market after 3 days.”

“What do you mean by 3 days?”

“Dyeon Korea’s stock will be available again on the stock market after 3 days.”

“I thought we would have to wait for 15 days.”

“Oh, that was changed from 15 days to 3 days.”

“Is that right?”

“Sir, did you buy additional Dyeon Korea’s stock, by any chance?”

“No way. I can’t do that because it would be deemed as illegal insider trading.”

“Haha. I’m just asking.”

Later that day, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui visited Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor.

“You seem to be in a good mood, sir. Is there any good news that you want to share with me?”

“Haha. I’m just trying to stay positive and be happy.”

“I’m trying to be positive as well, but it’s not easy.”

“What brought you to my office today, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui? Is it about Miura Machines?”

“Miura Machines’ President Tsuyoshi-shi Miura informed us of their intention to visit us in Korea the other day. They are still waiting for your response, sir.”

“Oh, that’s right. I’ve been extremely busy these days. I still have things that I need to take care of this week, this week wouldn’t be good. I think next week will be fine. Any days after Monday would be perfect.”

“I will let them know about your schedule, sir.”

“I remember him saying that they would meet with someone from a Taiwanese company. I guess that didn’t work out very well.”

“Well, I don’t know about it, sir. I didn’t ask them. But, given the fact that they insist on coming and visiting us here, I guess it probably didn’t work with the Taiwanese company.”

There was a reason why Gun-Ho wanted President Tsuyoshi-shi Miura to come after Monday. Dyeon Korea stock’s 3-day dormancy period would be over on Friday. He would have to focus on monitoring Dyeon Korea’s stock price movement that day. Since he already purchased 200,000 shares of Dyeon Korea, a substantial amount of money was at stake for him.

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui gave a call to Japan right away.

After speaking on the phone in Japanese for a while, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui turned his gaze to Gun-Ho and said, “President Miura is asking if Tuesday would work for you, sir.”

“Tuesday is good.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui said something in Japanese on the phone, and then he hung up.

“President Miura will arrive at Gimpo International Airport this Tuesday, sir.”

“Hmm, okay.”

“I will go to the airport to pick them up on Tuesday.”

“Take my car to the airport. You can use my car to pick President Miura’s party.”

“Oh, my. Are you sure, sir? Thank you so much.”

Gun-Ho asked, “I believe Mr. President Miura needs dialysis treatment on a regular basis. I’m not sure if it is okay for him to make a trip to Korea.”

“Speaking of which, he told me that he would take dialysis on Monday and come to Korea the following day on Tuesday. It seems that a short trip is okay even with his medical condition.”

“I see.”

“My guess is that President Miura would accept your offer, sir. You know the 300 million won to purchase their business. He probably doesn’t have time to wait for a better offer because of his medical condition.”

“Hmm, he is seemingly such a nice person. I feel sorry that he had to suffer from his kidney failure.”

After Mr. Yoshitaka Masui left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho made a call to GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park to let him know about the visit from Miura Machines.

“President Park, the president of Miura Machines is coming to Korea to visit us next Tuesday.”

“Is that right? I will have GH Machines ready to be shown. I will clean the place.”

“I have one more thing to talk to you about. I need you to send me a text with your bank account number. It has to be your personal bank account. I will transfer 300 million won to your bank account. It’s for the acquisition of Miura Machines.”

“You mean my personal bank account, not GH Machines’ business bank account?”

“This is how we do this. I will send 300 million won to your personal bank account, and you will have to send that amount to GH Machines’ business account, so it can be used in acquiring Miura Machines. That way, that amount can be recorded as temporary accounts receivable.”

“Hmm, really? Okay. I will follow your instructions. Give me a second. I will text you with my bank account number right away.”

After a moment, Gun-Ho received a message from Jong-Suk through KaTalk. He sent his personal bank account number. Gun-Ho sent 300 million won to him right away and sent a text message to him to let him know about it through KaTalk.

Gun-Ho sat on the sofa and enjoyed his cup of coffee. He then thought about the stock split and what would happen once the 3-day dormancy period ends.

“Stock manipulators won’t just sell their stock without a plan. They will first raise the stock price before putting their stock on the market for sale. I will join them in raising Dyeon Korea’s stock price then. Let me see… In this case, am I considered as a stock manipulator then?”

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Chapter 834 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (1) – Part 1

Chapter 834: Acquisition of Miura Machines (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho couldn’t concentrate on his work on Wednesday and Thursday, so he decided to spend those days without working. He went to see a movie, go swimming in a swimming pool, and also went to an indoor golf practice facility as well, all by himself. The boring Wednesday and Thursday passed by, and finally, it was Friday.

“Dyeon Korea’s stock trade will be resumed today. It’s the first trading day after the stock was split. The stock manipulators will not sell their stock at only 8,000 won per share. They haven’t been investing in the stock market just to make that much money.”

As expected, Dyeon Korea’s stock price hit the upper limit that day.

“I knew it.”

It occurred to Gun-Ho that he had to carefully monitor the changes in Dyeon Korea’s stock price, especially he had to see when the upper limit price would turn downward. That was because once it happened, the stock manipulators would start throwing their stock for sale, and that was the moment when Gun-Ho would have to sell his stock as well. Gun-Ho had previously purchased 200,000 shares, and that was before the stock split. He now had five times of that number of stocks, which was 1 million. It was critical for him to find the right timing to sell his 1 million shares that were in his possession.

“Fortunately, there are still 2 million shares to be purchased at the upper limit price.”

Gun-Ho was hesitating to realize profits. Dyeon Korea’s stock price was 10,400 won that day.

‘The stock price was 26,000 won before I leaked the information about the stock split, and once the information was spread out, the price jumped to 40,000 won. With the stock split, the number of shares increased by 5 times, and the price per share was reduced by 5 times to 8,000 won from 40,000 won. That 8,000 won hit the upper limit today and became 10,400 won. I have 200,000 shares; well, it’s now 1 million shares after the stock split, and their total value is worth 10.4 billion won if I sell them now. It’s not bad at all, isn’t it?

However, there are still 2 million stocks on purchase requests that are piled up in the stock market. I should watch and wait until those requests are fulfilled first.’

Gun-Ho even skipped his lunch that day in order to keep an eye on the stock market. He wanted to wait until 3:30 pm to eat something because that was the time when the stock market would be closed for the day. Gun-Ho felt butterflies in his stomach.

“No one would believe that the president of a public company skips a meal bearing hunger. But, I don’t have time for lunch today.”

Dyeon Korea was able to keep the same upper limit price that day— Friday.

The media talked about Dyeon Korea’s stock favorably.

[Dyeon Korea hit the upper limit today. Dyeon Korea which is a chemical company had a dormancy period for the past three days because of its recent stock split, and the trade for the stock resumed today. As soon as the trade resumed, Dyeon Korea’s stock price skyrocketed and attained 10,400 won which is an increase of 29.93% of its previous price.]

[The stock market has shown a tendency of hitting the upper limit and maintaining the price for a while when a company splits their stocks. Many companies such as Seoul Food, Nanos Co., LEED, Arion Technology, Kanglim Co. Ltd., Chemknock Inc., Crown, hit the upper limit on the first day after coming back to the stock market from its dormancy stage because of their stock split. Stock split is certainly accepted as good news on the stock market.]

After the stock market for the day closed around 4 pm, Gun-Ho finally walked out of his office to eat something. He went to a small restaurant and had a bowl of lomein with Gimbab (cooked rice and other ingredients rolled in dried seaweed). They tasted heavenly to him.

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho felt determined that morning.

‘I’m going to a battlefield today just like a bullfighter does. Either me or my opponent will bleed out today.’

Gun-Ho was sitting on the back of his Bentley with his eyes closed. His face was hardened. Chan-Ho Eom, who noticed that Gun-Ho was different that day, asked him, “Sir, are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“You look different today.”

“I’m going to a battlefield today.”

“Huh? Are you going to get into a fight with someone? I can call Tae-Young bro to come and help you.”

“No, no. It’s not about a physical fight, but I’m fighting with people using a computer.”

“Sir, are you talking about an online game?”

“No, not that. Chan-Ho, just drive, okay?”

As soon as he arrived at his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town, Gun-Ho turned on his computer, and then he called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Don’t let anyone come into my office from now until noon. Also, if someone calls to talk to me, just tell them that I’m not in the office. I didn’t sleep last night, and I want to take a nap until then.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho sat at his desk in front of the computer. He looked at the computer monitor with glittering eyes.

Dyeon Korea’s stock price increased by 12% compared to the price yesterday. It was maintaining the price without going up some more.

“It seems that it needs my help.”

Gun-Ho started selling his stock little by little. Once Gun-Ho sold about 100,000 shares, the stock price dropped by 10%. Gun-Ho took a break then. After a while when the stock price started going up again, Gun-Ho sold more of his stock. He sold 1,000 shares, and then sold 2,000 shares, and then 10,000 shares.

“It’s 10 o’clock already.”

When Gun-Ho sold 500,000 shares, it was a bit after 10 am. By then, it seemed that the stock manipulators determined that the stock price wouldn’t go up any higher. They then finally began to sell their stock. As Gun-Ho realized the stock manipulators started selling their stock, Gun-Ho joined them in selling his stock as well.

“I see a blue light now.”

Gun-Ho threw the rest of his shares of 500,000 to the stock market, and the blue light appeared.

Gun-Ho eventually sold all of his 1 million shares that day.

“Let me see what the average purchasing price was per share.”

It was 11,000 won. Gun-Ho sold his shares at the average price of 11,000 won. He had 11 billion won in the stock account in cash available to take out.

‘I had 10.6 billion won in Seung-Hee sister’s stock account. I spent 5.2 billion won from it when I bought 200,000 shares at 26,000 won before the stock split occurred. So, if I subtract 5.2 billion won from 10.6 billion won, I had 5.4 billion won left in her account. I then sent 300 million won out of 5.4 billion won to Jong-Suk, so he could use it in acquiring Miura Machines. So, I had 5.1 billion won left as of yesterday.

Now, I have an additional 11 billion won from the sales of the stock today, so if I add that amount to 5.1 billion won, I currently have 16.1 billion won. I will withdraw 15 billion won of them in cash from this account and move it to my stock account with the stock brokerage company in Gangnam.’

The amount of money in Gun-Ho’s personal stock account with the stock brokerage company in Gangnam would be 180 billion won once this 15 billion won was deposited to it. Gun-Ho was supposed to have 185 billion won in his own stock account if he hadn’t used 5 billion won in investing in the movie production of Menghuan Yinghua. Because of the 5 billion won that he spent for the movie production earlier, he had 180 billion won in his stock account.

‘The effect of stock splitting on the stock price would expire soon, and the stock price will decrease for a while. The initial public offering price was 26,200 won, and as the stocks were split, the price per share would drop to 5,240 won.’

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Chapter 835 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (1) – Part 2

Chapter 835: Acquisition of Miura Machines (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho decided to stay away from the stock market and come back to it to watch Dyeon Korea’s stock movement, maybe 10 days later. He wanted to focus on his business until then.

Gun-Ho called for Chan-Ho Eom. He was feeling somewhat relieved.

“Hey, Chan-Ho, let’s take the expressway.”

“Huh? Are we heading to Jiksan Town, sir?”

“Let’s have lunch.”

“Where to, sir?”

“Let’s go to the restaurant— Suwon Galbi. We will have Galbi (Korean grilled beef ribs) today. That’s your favorite, right?”

“Galbi, sir? Of course I would love to, sir.”

Chan-Ho Eom looked excited. Chan-Ho was not a big fan of food like sushi. His favorite food was Korean grilled beef ribs or pork belly.

Gun-Ho made a significant amount of money that morning by selling his Dyeon Korea stocks that he bought using Seung-Hee sister’s stock account. He was in a good mood. After having the short ribs, Gun-Ho headed back to his office in GH Building. Since it was a bit after 3 in the afternoon, he thought about going straight home for the day, and then he decided to go to his office.

When he arrived at his office on the 18th floor in the GH Building, Director Woon-Hak Sim was waiting for him; he came from China.

“How have you been, sir?”

“Oh, Mr. Director Sim, how are you?”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh said to Gun-Ho with a smile, “Mr. Director Woon-Hak Sim has been waiting for you, sir, for about 2 hours.”

“Oh, really? You should have given me a call earlier, so I could expect you. I had lunch today at a restaurant that is a little bit far from here, and that’s why it took some time for me to come back to the office. Well, let’s go into my office.”

When Director Woon-Hak Sim settled on the sofa, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought two cups of coffee to Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho asked Director Sim, “How’s everything in China? It has been a while since you moved to China. I hope you’ve enjoyed staying there and like the work.”

“We have almost finished editing, and once we produce a release print, we will have to focus on marketing. We are reviewing the possibility to bring Mori Aikko to China again when we preview the movie.”

“Does Mori Aikko have to be there?”

“Her presence at the movie preview would certainly be very helpful for marketing. If we can hold a fan signing event with Mori Aikko, that will be great. We are expecting to have a lot of journalists at the movie preview, and it could lead to effective marketing.”

“Huanle Shiji Production Company will have to contact Mori Aikko for it. She will decide whether she will participate in it or not.”

“As to a movie distributor, I wanted to work with the top movie distributors such as Ying Lian Media or Bona Pictures. But, when I contacted them, they were already full with their work with other movies. Fortunately, we could get a hold of Yang Guang Pictures which is good too.”

“Well done.”

“I was told that most of the movie theaters in the Huadong area, which is a densely populated area, already decided to show our movie— Menghuan Yinghua— in their theaters. The government seems to be interested in our movie as well.”

“Is that right?”

“I heard that Director Seukang Li spoke highly of our movie to the party secretary in Shanghai City and also to the members of the Executive Committee of the Communist Party as well. He told them that a very good movie was produced in Shanghai. I believe several high-ranking officers of the government will attend our movie preview.”

“That sounds great. I hope things go very well with our movie.”

Gun-Ho asked, “Have you had a chance to meet GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin?”

“I haven’t sir. I wanted to see you first before I see anyone else, so I came to your office first straight from the airport.”

“Well, you didn’t have to…”

“I have a question for you, sir, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“What is it?”

“If this movie succeeds, do you intend to make another investment in the movie production again?”

“I haven’t thought about it yet. The investment in the movie production has been done through GH Media, and to be honest with you, GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin feels pressured about it. As you know, her expertise is not with the movie production field.”

“That I know, sir.”

“GH Media is generating good profits with its publishing work and running the art gallery. It doesn’t need additional business to generate more profits. President Shin is not sure if the movie business is worth taking a high risk for GH Media, by investing in the movie production under the circumstance. She is worried about causing a loss, in case the movie business doesn’t go well. Since she is a woman, she worries a lot more than I am.”

“The reason that I asked you about it, sir, is that I have a movie that I really want to make. It’s a historical movie. I haven’t talked with Huanle Shiji Production Company yet, but if I can work with the Chinese movie production company for making this movie, I’m sure that I would produce a fantastic movie.”

“Hmm.”

“Of course, I want Mori Aikko to take the leading female role in the new movie.”

“Is it about betraying her country— Japan— again?”

“No, sir. The female leading role that Mori AIkko would be taking would actually work for her country— Japan— very hard.”

“Well, we will have to come back to this discussion after we see how things go with the movie— Menghuan Yinghua. If we don’t succeed in this movie, I won’t make any more investment in the movie production again.”

“Understood, sir. I will do everything that I can do to make the movie— Menghuan Yinghua— successful, and then I will come back to you to discuss the next movie, sir.”

It was Tuesday.

On the way to work in the morning, Gun-Ho told Chan-Ho Eom to go to an airport.

“You will need to go to Gimpo International Airport today around 10 am.”

“Yes, sir. I will be waiting for you at the front entrance at 10 am.”

“It’s not me who is going to the airport. I want you to take GH Media’s Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui to the airport.”

“Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, sir?”

“Yes. We are having visitors from Japan today. The president and the plant manager of a company called Miura Machines will be visiting here. I want you to pick them up at the airport and bring them here.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at his office, he called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“You know GH Mobile’s secretary and Dyeon Korea’s secretary, right?”

“Yes, I do, sir.”

“Please let them know that I will be there in the afternoon. I was supposed to go there to work yesterday, but I couldn’t make it because of some other businesses.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, also let GH Machines know that I will be there too.”

“I don’t know GH Machines’ secretary, sir. Do you have their secretary’s name, sir?”

“They don’t have a secretary yet. You can directly talk to the president— Jong-Suk Park— and tell him that I will be there with the Japanese president in the afternoon.”

“Japanese president, sir?”

“Yes, tell him that I will take Miura Machines’ president there.”

“Understood, sir.”

When it was almost noon, Miura Machines’ President Tsuyoshi-shi Miura and Plant Manager Yanagi Masatoshi arrived at GH Building.

“Mr. President Goo, it’s good to see you again.”

“Welcome to Korea. It’s good to see you too, Mr. President Tsuyoshi-shi Miura and Mr. Plant Manager Yanagi Masatoshi.”

“You look good, Mr. President Goo.”

“Thank you. Please take a seat.”

Once Miura Machines’ president and its plant manager sat on the sofa, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui told them, “Mr. President Goo’s factories are located in Cheonan City and Asan City. This building is owned by Mr. President Goo as well.”

“This building belongs to Mr. President Goo? Oh, really? Sodesu Ka (is that right)? Wow. It’s incredible. A building at this size in this location in Seoul must be tremendously expensive.”

Miura Machines’ president and plant manager looked truly surprised.

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Chapter 836 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (2) – Part 1

Chapter 836: Acquisition of Miura Machines (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho took Miura Machines’ president and its plant manager to the restaurant across the street from the GH Building in Sinsa Town.

“It takes about 1.5 hours to get to Cheonan City from here. We can leave for Cheonan City after lunch. There is a nice Japanese restaurant across the street. Their sushi is very good.”

“Oh, there is a sushi restaurant around here; I see.”

When they arrived at the restaurant, Gun-Ho ordered sushi dishes. While having lunch, Gun-Ho made a call to GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park.

“President Park? It’s me.”

“Yeah, bro. Did those Japanese people arrive?”

“Yeah. They are having lunch with me right now. We will leave right after lunch. We will probably arrive there before 2 pm.”

“I guess several people have to sit in the car altogether. With Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui who is interpreting for them, your car must be packed.”

“That’s fine. I will sit on the front passenger seat, and the other three people can sit in the back. It won’t be so bad.”

Jong-Suk made a suggestion, “I can bring my car to the Giheung Rest Area and pick them up from there. So, everyone including you can sit more comfortably while coming to GH Machines.”

“That wouldn’t be necessary.”

“I insist. I’m leaving for the Giheung Rest Area right now. I will have a bowl of Udong and a cup of coffee while waiting for you there. So, you don’t have to rush, but drive safe.”

“Okay then. I will see you at the Giheung Rest Area soon.”

Gun-Ho asked Miura Machines’ president, “How do you like sushi in Korea?”

“It’s good. I find it very tasty.”

There were four of them in Gun-Ho’s party. And, the chef at the restaurant sent a lot of Tsukidash (side dish) to Gun-Ho’s table as free service, probably because Gun-Ho’s party came as a group of customers. As dishes came out seemingly constantly, President Miura seemed to be worried and said to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, “We don’t need these many dishes. It will cost a lot.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui laughed and said, “Please have as much as you want. In Korea, they don’t charge for each dish of Tsukidash, unlike Japan. These are all free of charge.”

“Oh, really? So Desu Ka (Is that right)? I didn’t know that.”

After lunch, the four men got into Gun-Ho’s Bentley. Gun-Ho sat on the front passenger seat while everyone else sat in the rear seat.

“Is everyone alright in the back? Is it not too cramped back there? If the traffic is not so bad, we can get there in an hour. I will try to make the trip as short as possible.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about us, Mr. President Goo.”

When the Bentley that Chan-Ho Eom was driving entered the expressway, the two Japanese visitors started dozing off in the rear seat.

A while later, they arrived at the Giheung Rest Area. President Jong-Suk Park was waiting for them.

“Hahaha. It’s good to see you, Mr. President Tsuyoshi-shi Miura and Mr. Plant Manager Yanagi Masatoshi.”

Miura Machines’ president and plant manager were surprised when they saw Jong-Suk Park at the rest area. They didn’t expect to see Jong-Suk Park on the way to GH Machines.

Gun-Ho smiled and told his guests, “President Park came all the way to this rest area, so he can meet our important guests as soon as he can.”

The two Japanese visitors seemed to be touched.

“Thank you for welcoming us so warmly.”

Gun-Ho sat with Jong-Suk Park in Jong-Suk’s car while Miura Machines’ president, its plant manager, and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui sat on Gun-Ho’s Bentley, and they all headed to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town first. President Song was expecting them; he was waiting for them at the front entrance.

“Welcome to GH Mobile. It’s very nice to meet you.”

President Song gave a tour of GH Mobile’s factory to the guests from Japan himself. Miura Machines’ president and plant manager seemed to be impressed by its cleanliness and the highly organized production site, not to mention the workers who were busily working while focusing on their work.

“Very nice. The workers seemed to know how to handle machines neatly and efficiently. I can see their proficiency in their work.”

“Is that right?”

“I can also tell that this manufacturing facility has been managed meticulously in a very organized way by Mr. President Song. And, I admire you, Mr. President Goo, for running a large factory like this one, especially at your young age.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui was impressed by the factory as well. He looked at Gun-Ho with respect. He then said, “I didn’t know GH Mobile is this large with this many workers. GH Media—compared to GH Mobile—is the size of a department of GH Mobile. How many workers does GH Mobile have?”

“We have 700 workers here.”

“Haha, GH Media has 15 workers.”

Gun-Ho laughed at Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui’s comparison with GH Media.

After finishing the tour at the factory, President Miura gave a gift that he brought from Japan to President Song. It was a necktie made of silk.

“Thank you, sir, for showing us the factory. And, I appreciate your time for us as well.”

President Miura gave a bow several times to President Song. The gesture expressing his gratitude was certainly showing that he was Japanese.

Gun-Ho’s party then headed to GH Machines that was located inside Baekseok Agricultural and Industrial Complex. It seemed that the factory was cleaned to welcome the visitors. Gun-Ho noticed that it looked cleaner than usual. The tools and machines parts that were usually scattered here and there, were all placed on shelves in an organized way.

Gun-Ho laughed quietly.

‘It seems that Jong-Suk organized everything by items, getting ready for the inspection to obtain the certification such as ISO 14001 and TS 16949.’

The workers there glanced at the Japanese visitors from time to time while working, and they seemed to pretend to work even harder. They had rollers working and doing welding work and stuff.

Miura Machines’ president looked around the facility and nodded his head. He, especially, showed great interest in the experiment tools. He carefully looked at them and touched them as well. Gun-Ho noticed that some of them seemed to be recently placed there because he hadn’t seen them before at GH Machines. So, he asked Jong-Suk Park in a low voice, “Jong-Suk, Are those machines new? I haven’t seen them before. Do you use those machines here too?”

“Haha. I actually borrowed them from GH Mobile. I want to make sure that GH Machines’ factory looks very well equipped and professional.”

After finishing the tour of GH Machines’ factory, Miura Machines’ president asked Jong-Suk Park, “Did you make those twin screws here? I don’t think this factory is properly equipped to produce that sort of twin screws.”

“Oh, we actually purchased those twin screws.”

Miura Machines’ president said after closely looking at the screws, “I’m not sure where you purchased these, but I guess that Korean company must be highly skillful.”

“Those screws were not manufactured in Korea. We bought them from West Moulding in the U.S.”

“Oh, I see. I know of West Moulding. Isn’t it the company situated in Seattle, U.S.?”

“That’s right.”

“We once competed for a job with West Moulding before. The work was for Boeing Company. We lost it over them.”

“Is that right?”

“It was about camshafts. I believed that our product was superior to West Moulding’s, but their price was lower, and Boeing Company chose theirs. We were in an unfavorable position for the work since we had to ship our products that were manufactured in Japan to the U.S. and had to pay for VAT as well, which raised our production cost. If we obtained that contract, we would have been in a much better position now.”

“I see. That means if we acquire Miura Machines, we would have a chance to obtain a contract for the work with Boeing Company later.”

“For camshafts, yes, you will have a chance. But I’m not sure about labor costs in Korea though. If you can manufacture the products at a low cost, you will be able to get the work.”

Jong-Suk Park led them to his office in GH Machines.

The office manager lady brought green tea in white ceramic cups. She seemed to wear some makeup that day, probably because she wanted to look neat and professional to the guests from Japan. Gun-Ho thought that she probably did her hair as well.

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Chapter 837 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (2) – Part 2

Chapter 837: Acquisition of Miura Machines (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho spoke first while having his green tea, “What do you think, Mr. President Miura? Do you think we can take over Miura Machines’ production and successfully perform the work here in this factory?”

“The factory’s size and its power capacity look good. You have 12 workers now which is enough as well. And, most of the workers here are in their 40s. They are younger than the workers in Miura Machines, which is nice as well.”

“You think so?”

“The only concern that I have is that our machines in Miura Machines are a bit more advanced than the machines here. The machine operators here will have to receive adequate training before they begin handling our machines.”

“Hmm.”

“Also, most of the work here seems to be assembly work rather than carving a piece of metal to make machine parts. Assembly work, of course, requires advanced skills; however, its level of difficulty is lower than carving skills.”

“You are right.”

“So, if GH Machines acquires Miura Machines, you will probably want some of our Japanese engineers to stay in this facility for quite a long while to train your workers.”

“How long do you mean by ‘quite a long while’?”

“I would say, you will need 3 or more engineers for at least 6 months.”

Gun-Ho looked at Jong-Suk Park’s face to find out what he was thinking about President Miura’s recommendation. At that moment, Jong-Suk Park nodded his head and said, “I think you are absolutely right, Mr. President Miura. I agree with you.”

Jong-Suk Park immediately accepted President Miura’s suggestion.

Gun-Ho said, “I don’t know about the engineering side of the business. Accordingly, if Mr. President Miura and GH Machines’ President Park agree to it, I will accept it, and I will take it into consideration if I decide to acquire Miura Machines.”

President Miura said, “The next important issue is the price for the acquisition.”

Gun-Ho replied, “I’ve offered 300 million won the last time we visited Miura Machines in Japan.”

“The Taiwanese company actually offered the same price to us as you did, Mr. President Goo. But, their company didn’t seem to be financially stable, and their manufacturing facility is located in the countryside. I believe that company is less competitive than GH Machines.”

Gun-Ho added, “Speaking of location, GH Machines is also conveniently located in a city very close to Seoul, and Pyeongtaek Port is nearby.”

“Additionally, GH Machines seem to have an excellent labor force that could handle Miura Machines’ production, definitely better than the Taiwanese company. Moreover, GH Machines has President Park who the world-renowned engineer—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo highly spoke of. So, I do hope that GH Machines acquire Miura Machines.”

“Does that mean that you will accept my offer price—3 million won?” Gun-Ho asked.

“I will, under one condition though. It’s about the right to sell our products. We have a major client company—Isehara Machines. We’ve been providing them with our products for more than 30 years. I want to sell this right to sell our products to Isehara Machines for an additional price”

“How much do you want to sell it for?”

“I’d like to receive 100 million Korean won.”

Gun-Ho shook his head from side to side.

“100 million won for a right to sell is not possible. Moulding companies like GH Mobile always retain a mold for each of their client companies, so it’s almost guaranteed that those client companies will continue the business with them. However, Miura Machines is different. It doesn’t have a customized mold for each of its client companies because the work is to skillfully carve a piece of metal in manufacturing its products. Demanding an additional price for giving us its major client company doesn’t sound reasonable.”

Miura Machines’ president handed a document to Gun-Ho.

“This is the certification issued by Isehara Machines for the products that we’ve been providing them with.”

“I see, but this is not enough.”

“What about the supply contract for our products with Isehara Machines? According to the contract, in the event that Miura Machines is not able to perform its contractual duty providing the said products, it can designate a company who would do the work instead, that is properly equipped with adequate technology, facility, and labor. That will last as long as the contract is still valid.”

“When will the contract expire?”

“It has 2 more years left.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho thought about it for a while, he then said, “Let’s take a 10-minute break, and we can talk about it again then.”

“Sounds good.”

President Jong-Suk Park walked out of the office, and then he smoked a cigarette. Gun-Ho walked toward Jong-Suk and asked him, “Hey, what do you think?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see that coming. I mean, I haven’t expected that they would want to sell the right to sell to their major client company—Isehara Machines.”

“Do you want to acquire Miura Machines even though we might have to pay for their major client with an additional cost, or do you rather want to give up acquiring Miura Machines?”

“I’m not sure.”

Jong-Suk kept smoking his cigarette without saying anything further.

“Hey, Jong-Suk. You are a tough guy who knows what you want. How come you just smoke cigarettes without giving me a clear answer? It’s not like you.”

“Well, I don’t know.”

The acquisition negotiation resumed.

Gun-Ho said, “We are not intending to acquire Miura Machines by overpaying for it. I think 100 million won for a right to sell is unreasonable.”

“If we sell this right to sell products alone to Isehara Machines in Japan without selling anything else, we can easily get 100 million won for it.”

“Well, I guess we don’t have the necessary meeting of the minds to continue our negotiation here.”

President Miura let out a deep sigh, and President Jong-Suk Park sighed deeply as well. Silence filled the air for a while. Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui finally chipped in.

“I know that I’m not in a position to chip in, but may I make a suggestion? What about you two meet halfway? What if Miura Machines sells the right to sell to Isehara Machines to GH Machines for 50 million won, instead of 100 million won?”

Everyone’s eyes were glittering, but no one said anything. Silence filled the air again. Finally, President Miura nodded his head. Gun-Ho then said, “Okay. I will pay 50 million won for the right to sell. I own businesses other than GH Machines. I am not desperate to make this deal work out. If we sign the acquisition contract now, I will send the down payment for the contract today.”

President Miura pulled out some documents from his briefcase.

“Well, I’m not fully satisfied, but I will accept the deal. I prepared and brought the acquisition contract. Also, I have the supply contract with Isehara Machines as well.”

Gun-Ho suggested, “Let’s make a contract as if GH Machines purchased Miura Machines’ equipment, rather than make an acquisition contract to acquire the entire company of Miura Machines. That would be easier and simpler.”

President Miura replied, “I understand what you mean. The acquisition contract that I brought is for the equipment, not for the entire business. So, it should work.”

“Hmm.”

“As you see, you can find all the necessary terms in the contract such as delivery period, the duration where we cover any problems with the machines that we will transfer to you, and the event that leads to termination of the contract.”

“Have you, by any chance, brought the list of the machines?”

“Of course.”

Plant Manager Yanagi Masatoshi, who was sitting next to President Miura, pulled out thick documents from his bag.

“This is the list of the machines that you will take over. There are 30 types of machines. The document shows each machine’s production year and price. We have attached the appraisal of those machines, done by an independent appraisal organization with public confidence as well.”

“Hmm, that’s nice.”

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Chapter 838 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (3) – Part 1

Chapter 838: Acquisition of Miura Machines (3) – Part 1

After reviewing the list of the machines that Miura Machines’ plant manager prepared and brought to show GH Machines, Gun-Ho said, “About the right to sell, it’s not very clear how we should handle it in accounting here. So, I was thinking that if you could include it in the list of the machines that we are taking over, that would be more convenient; I mean we include the right to sell as if it is one of those machines that we buy. What do you think?”

“You mean, for example, if one of the machines is worth 40 million won, we list it as 50 million won to cover the price of the right to sell?”

“That’s right. If we list maybe five machines of them with a higher price just for the record, it will do.”

“I understood what you mean. I will do that.”

Miura Machines’ President Tsuyoshi-shi Miura and GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park sat at the table facing each other, and they signed the purchase and sales contract. It was not a contract establishing a joint venture, but it was about one company taking over all of the machines that the other company owned, so they needed people there as witnesses. Gun-Ho, Miura Machines’ Plant Manager Yanagi Masatoshi, and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui who came along with them as an interpreter sat at the table with the contract signers as witnesses. And, GH Machines’ office manager took pictures of the scene with a smartphone for record.

For Jong-Suk Park, it was his first time signing a contract on a business entity level. His face hardened, and he looked dead serious. Each signer signed the contract and exchanged it with the other. Jong-Suk Park and Miura Machines’ President had a handshake and completed the business deal.

President Miura looked at Gun-Ho and said, “We are expecting to receive the intermediate payment after 10 days, and once we receive it, we will ship the machines to GH Machines through FOB (Free on board) shipping. Once the machines arrive at the port in Korea, we expect you to send us the final payment.”

“We will do that.”

“Also, we will send three of Miura Machines’ engineers here, who will operate the machines as well. I will make sure that they arrive right after we receive the final payment. We’d like GH Machines to take care of those three engineers’ accommodations and food.”

“We will do that.”

“As to their wages, I understand that Korea and Japan have very similar economic power now, but even so, I want you to pay them 1.3 times more than what they are currently receiving in Japan. I think that’s reasonable given the situation where they work while staying away from their home country.”

“I see. How much do the workers in Miura Machines make?”

“Our managers get paid 350,000 Yen. If they work overtime, they receive an additional 1,300 Yen per hour. The workers holding positions below manager receive a little bit less than this amount, and the workers above managers make a bit more than that.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“We will send the personal information and the payment slips of those three engineers to President Park by mail.”

“Sounds good.”

After completing the deal selling his business to GH Machines, Miura Machines’ president seemed to have mixed feelings. He was sitting on a chair gazing vacantly into space.

Gun-Ho asked him, “How’s your health?”

“It’s not very good, but I can still make a short trip like this one.”

“Are you not planning to continue to work anymore?”

“I can’t even though I want to. Of course, my health condition is the major reason why I can’t continue to work, but also, I’m about the age to retire as well anyway. Many people retire at my age. I’m going to spend the rest of my life relaxing at home. I want to read books, and also, I’m planning to spend some time with my friend—Sakata Ikuzo—who is living in Motomachi, Yokohama City, playing Asian chess with him.”

President Miura sounded pitiful, Gun-Ho thought.

Gun-Ho said, “Why don’t you visit Korea from time to time if your health allows it? You can stop by GH Machines and give them some advice and guidance. We would greatly appreciate it. The area has good hot springs as well; I’m sure you will like it.”

“Thank you, Mr. President Goo. Even though the three engineers from Miura Machines will stay here for a short period of time, I do appreciate you for having them here. Our plant manager—Yanagi Masatoshi—is actually one of them. I hope you enjoy his company and his work.”

“Oh, Mr. Plant Manager Yanagi Masatoshi will be here to train our workers too? We are so happy to work with you, Mr. Plant Manager. Thank you.”

Plant Manager Yanagi Masatoshi smiled feeling embarrassed.

The Japanese visitors had a tour at Dyeon Korea as well. Dyeon Korea’s senior chief research officer could speak Japanese, so he showed them a group tour around Dyeon Korea’s manufacturing facility.

While having a tour, President Miura noticed that there were a lot of senior workers at the worksite including the chief research officer and the internal auditor. President Miura held Gun-Ho’s hand tightly and said, “You seem to respect seniors, Mr. President Goo, and let them continue to work. I appreciate that.”

Gun-Ho replied, “They have extensive work experience which is an important asset to our company.”

The Japanese visitors nodded their heads as they looked around Dyeon Korea’s research center and the production site with 16 huge extruding machines.

“Dyeon Korea is a public company,” Gun-Ho told them.

“It’s just unbelievable that you established all of these companies in a short period of time, Mr. President Goo. I believe you can become a great industrialist like Karanosuke Matsushita.”

“Karanosuke Matsushita? He is a legendary industrialist. I can’t possibly be like him.”

Gun-Ho said as he laughed.

Karanosuke Matsushita was a Japanese industrialist who founded Matsushita Denki (Matsushita Electric Industrial Company). He had 570 companies scattered world-wide with 190,000 workers. Gun-Ho once read a biography book about Karanosuke Matsushita, in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

Karanosuke Matsushita was born into a wealthy family, but as his family collapsed when he was still a child, he could only finish elementary school. He worked as a clerk at a bicycle store before getting into the business field. There was a reason why Gun-Ho liked Karanosuke Matsushita. That was because he was also the founder of Matsushita Seikei Juku (the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management).

The Matsushita Institute of Government and Management was a Shinjuku (private school) that Chairman Karanosuke Matsushita founded. It was established for the purpose of fostering young Japanese elite politicians hoping that they could give rise to the second Meiji Restoration. In Korea, if a person, who didn’t have a rich family background or didn’t have a prestigious education background, became successful, that person most likely threw the “ladder” to the ground, that was used by others with a similar background to climb up to a higher position. In other words, that person would hinder those with the same disadvantageous background in society becoming successful like himself. However, the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management embraced everyone without discriminating against their age, education background, or gender.

‘If that school was in Korea, it would have required an education background of at least four-year college graduate or higher. And it would also have asked for all sorts of papers from the applicants, showing their college grades, certificate for a second language, etc. This is why I like Chairman Karanosuke Matsushita.’

Gun-Ho took the Japanese visitors to Onyang Hot Spring Hotel.

“This hotel has hot springs. You can take a deep rest in this hotel tonight, and leave for Seoul City tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Mr. President Goo.”

“Please drop your luggage in your room. I will meet you at the lobby in a moment. We will have dinner at a Korean restaurant that specializes in Korean beef short ribs. I want you to taste Korean tender beef that is similar to Japanese Wagyu beef.”

A moment later, Gun-Ho’s party headed to a popular Korean restaurant in Asan City that offered delicious Korean beef short ribs.

The Japanese guests seemed to truly enjoy the dinner. They might be feeling relieved after achieving the goal of their trip which was to sign the sales contract. They ate a lot.

“How do you like it? Is it good?”

“Hai, Oishidesu (It’s tasty).”

President Miura raised his thumb up.

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Chapter 839 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (3) – Part 2

Chapter 839: Acquisition of Miura Machines (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho asked Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui who was there to interpret for them, “What is their schedule for tomorrow?”

“The business deal that they came for was closed earlier than they expected. So, they want to have a city tour of Seoul tomorrow. After spending a day in Seoul City, they will take a flight to Japan at Gimpo International Airport the day after tomorrow.”

“It is a good idea to have a tour since they are here anyway.”

“They want to visit Namsan Tower, Changdeok Palace, and Bukchon Hanok Village.”

“Oh, is that right? I can lease a car for them if they want.”

“That would be great, sir.”

Gun-Ho said to Jong-Suk Park who was having his beef short ribs deliciously, “Hey, President Park. Our guest will have a tour in Seoul tomorrow. Why don’t you lease a car for them?”

“Okay, I will do that.”

“Since they are seniors, you probably want to rent a car that has good ride comfort.”

“I will rent a Genesis for them, with a chauffeur.”

Gun-Ho said, “And, President Park.”

Jong-Suk Park looked at Gun-Ho’s face to listen intently to him, and Gun-Ho continued to say in a low voice, “Maybe this could be the last international trip for President Miura given his medical condition requiring dialysis on a regular basis.”

“I guess so.”

“They are leaving for Japan the day after tomorrow. So, I was thinking that maybe I want to make this trip memorable for him. Maybe we should take them to the private bar that Ms. Jang is running in Hannam Town.”

“Well, if you want that, I’m in. If you do that, it might be easier for us to get some technical support from them later. For that reason, I am definitely in.”

“Okay then. You’d better take KTX (Korean Tran Express) when you come to Seoul tomorrow rather than driving your own car since we will drink some liquor.”

“Okay, I will do that. Should I be there by 7 pm?”

“I would say 6:30 pm.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho then said to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui in a low voice, “A rental car will arrive at the hotel tomorrow morning. President Park here will make sure of it.”

“Hai. Thank you. I will stay here with them today, and I will take them to Seoul tomorrow.”

“After finishing the tour tomorrow, I want you to bring them to the Soonchunhyang Hospital by 6:30 pm. I will meet you at the front entrance. I want to treat them to dinner tomorrow. Today’s dinner is on GH Machines’ President Park.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Since President Miura might not be able to often travel internationally from now on, I want to make this trip meaningful for him.”

“Hai, thank you.”

Gun-Ho dropped off the Japanese guests at the Onyang Hot Spring Hotel and headed back to Seoul with Chan-Ho Eum.

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

He turned on his computer to check Dyeon Korea’s stock. The stock price dropped by 15%. An economic newspaper already covered the fact.

[Dyeon Korea’s stock is bearish today. After its stock split, its stock price jumped to hit the upper limit on the first day after the dormancy period due to the stock split. But, as a lot of investors chose to realize profits by selling their Dyeon Korea’s stock, it resulted in its price drop by 15% today.]

“The price will continue to decrease even tomorrow. It will take another 10 or 15 days to recover the initial public offering price of 26,200 won. Well, since the stock was split as 5:1, the price would be 5,240 won.”

Gun-Ho opened Seung-Hee sister’s stock account. The cash that was immediately available to be withdrawn was 16.1 billion won. Gun-Ho stared at the number—16.1—and got lost in his thoughts.

‘I was going to take out 15 billion won out of 16.1 billion won from this account, and move that fund to my personal stock account. That would make the total fund in my personal stock account 180 billion won. Should I make the transaction today? Well, that won’t be necessary. When Dyeon Korea’s stock price drops to 5,240 won, I will buy them again. I think I can purchase around 3 million shares with the fund here.

However, maybe it’s not a good idea to purchase 3 million shares as an individual. It’s a significant number of stocks for an individual, and I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention. What should I do? Well, I will discuss it with the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm in Gangnam.’

Gun-Ho pulled out his smartphone to call the branch manager, and then he decided not to.

“I don’t have to rush. I will take some time to think about it. I can talk to the branch manager after the Japanese visitors go back to Japan.”

Gun-Ho spent the rest of the day in his office reading newspapers and magazines, and also watching TV, and taking a nap as well. Even though Gun-Ho had a relaxed life like this, his GH companies were working vigorously while making Gun-Ho’s pocket thicker and thicker every day. Gun-Ho’s goal of making 1 trillion won didn’t seem to be impossible.

1 trillion won! It was an astronomical figure. A regular person could make that much money if he won the lottery maybe a thousand times. Gun-Ho wanted to retain this much funds as his personal money, not as his company’s fund, or through real estate properties.

Instead of making a call to the stock brokerage firm’s branch manager in Gangnam, Gun-Ho made a call to Ms. Jang at the private bar in Hannam Town.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh my, Mr. President Goo. I barely remember your face now. Why don’t you come to visit my bar more often?”

“As a matter of fact, I will be there this evening. I will come with three Japanese men and one more Korean man.”

“Do you want me to have the girls ready, who can speak Japanese, sir?”

“We will need two ladies who can speak Japanese. The other Japanese man is an interpreter himself, so it wouldn’t be necessary.”

“Understood. I will have things ready for your pleasant evening here, sir.”

“We will be there by 6:30 pm.”

Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“It’s only 3 in the afternoon.”

Gun-Ho sat at his desk and turned on the internet.

“The news in the political section is saying that Minister Jin-Woo Lee is still having his tour in the provincial cities in preparation for his upcoming race to become the leader of his political party. Well, he seems to be trying hard. Huh? Isn’t it Seol-Bing’s picture? What’s up with her?”

Gun-Ho clicked Seol-Bing’s picture to read the news content.

“Seol-Bing’s picture before and after her cosmetic surgery?”

The picture that was depicted as her picture before her plastic surgery had been performed was a picture of her when she was a teenager. As soon as he saw her old picture, Gun-Ho regretted that he clicked her news coverage to see that photo.

“Wow. She was not a beautiful woman at all before she had her cosmetic surgery. So, this is the woman who I kissed.”

Gun-Ho frowned.

“By the way, I think Korea offers one of the best cosmetic surgeries. I can’t believe this is the same woman who I met before. Mori Aikko is a natural beauty. I know that she had never had cosmetic surgery before. Oh, I remember that Director Woon-Hak Sim wants to produce his move and wants Mori Aikko to take the leading female role in it. Should I make my investment in his movie production or not? Well, I will see how things turn out with the movie—Menghuan Yinghua. I will then decide whether I will work with Director Woon-Hak Sim for his new movie or not.”

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Chapter 840 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (4) – Part 1

Chapter 840: Acquisition of Miura Machines (4) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was waiting for Jong-Suk Park and the Japanese guests at Soonchunhyang Hospital in Hannam Town.

While waiting for them in his Bentley, Gun-Ho made a call to President Jong-Suk Park, “President Park? Where are you right now?”

“I arrived at Seoul Station a few minutes ago, and I’m on my way there.”

“Are you taking the subway?”

“No, I’m in the taxi. I’m in Itaewon Town already. I will be there soon.”

Gun-Ho was listening to music while waiting for the others in his car. He then saw Jong-Suk Park getting out of a taxi. Chan-Ho Eom quickly got out of the Bentley and walked toward Jong-Suk Park.

“Mr. President Goo is in the car.”

“Oh, okay.”

Jong-Suk Park asked Gun-Ho as he got in the car, “Bro, where are the Japanese visitors?”

“They are not here yet. I guess the traffic is bad since it’s the after-work rush-hour.”

“Really? Okay. We should wait here for them then.”

“Chan-Ho, let’s go to the bar. We will be waiting for our Japanese guests there.”

“After I drop you off at the bar, I will come back here to pick them up, sir.”

When Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park arrived at the bar, Tae-Young Im and his subordinates came out to greet them.

“Big brothers, it has been a while. Welcome to Pine.”

“How have you been, Tae-Young?”

“It’s really nice to see both of you.”

“How’s your business. Is it going well?”

“Yes, it’s going alright.”

“My Japanese guests will arrive here soon. Please show them the room where I would be sitting when they are here.”

“Don’t worry about it. I will do that, big brother.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park entered Pine. Ms. Jang made a fuss about their visit.

“Welcome to Pine. Oh, you brought the Samurai-looking man again, haha. Well, I hope you enjoy your time here with us this evening.”

Jong-Suk Park had actually been there before.

Jong-Suk was wondering, “Why am I a Samurai-looking man?”

“Your eyes give the impression of a Samurai. Even Tae-Young wouldn’t even think of challenging you. Haha.”

As always, Ms. Jang brought floor cushions that were embroidered with a crane.

“I guess your Japanese guests are not here yet. I will get you warm tea.”

After a moment, Gun-Ho could hear people talking outside the room. It seemed the Japanese guests had arrived.

Miura Machines’ president entered the room with the plant manager, where Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park were sitting. He was smiling broadly. Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park stood up from their seats to greet them.

“I hope I didn’t make you wait too long, Mr. President Goo and Mr. President Park. The traffic was so bad.”

“Please take the seat in the middle. I saved it for you.”

“You are supposed to take the middle seat, aren’t you, President Goo?”

“No, sir. You are my guest here. You should sit in the middle.”

Gun-Ho let Miura Machines’ president sit in the middle at the table. A moment later, Ms. Jang, who was wearing a Korean traditional dress— Hanbok— neatly, entered the room.

“Thank you for coming to Pine.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, who was sitting next to President Miura, introduced Ms. Jang to President Miura, saying that she was the owner of this private bar.

“Oh oh, Mama San Desukka?”

Ms. Jang looked at Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui with a smile.

“Mr. Yoshitaka Masui, it has been a while. It’s good to see you again.”

“You haven’t changed, Ms. Jang. You are still beautiful.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui and Ms. Jang seemed to know each other. Gun-Ho asked them, “You two know each other?”

“Of course, we do, sir. When Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui worked as a correspondent for a Japanese newspaper here in Korea, he came here with Japanese high-ranking officers several times.

“I see.”

“Moreover, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui and my sister in Akasaka, Japan are very close friends.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, I guess this is a good day for everyone here. Let’s drink. Please bring all of the dishes that you recommend here in Pine.”

“Haha. Mr. President Goo, you seem to well grow into a very successful industrialist. I still remember the day when you came to Pine for the first time. You were a young and naïve man at that time. You obviously have changed.”

“I guess I am not that naïve anymore,”

“Haha. I was saying that you became more sophisticated and mature. I heard the news that one of your companies became a public company. Congratulations, sir.”

“Thank you.”

“I will bring the food.”

Miura Machines’ president was closely looking at the decoration in the room such as the embroidered folding screen, the stationery chest, and traditional Korean paintings hanging on the wall.

“This place looks like a luxurious private bar. I’ve been to Korea several times in the past for business, but I haven’t been to a luxurious bar like this one before. Thank you, Mr. President Goo, for giving me an opportunity to experience this.”

Two young men in a white shirt and bow tie brought a big floor table. The table was already set with all sorts of Korean food and liquor such as Sinseollo*, Galbi-jjim*, grilled bellflowers, and roasted button mushroom. The liquor that Ms. Jang chose for Gun-Ho’s party was Andong soju. It was served in a ceramic pear-shaped bottle.

Everyone lifted their glass of liquor and yelled, “For GH Machines!” “For President Tsuyoshi-shi Miura’s health!”

When the party finished a couple of glasses of liquor, two ladies came into the room. They were carrying Gayageums*. The Japanese guests watched the ladies playing Gayageums with a curious look on their faces.

As the sound of Gayageums resonated in the room, Miura Machines’ president and its plant manager looked content. They commented that the music didn’t sound foreign to them, and they liked it a lot. At that moment, the room door was open and several young ladies in a traditional Korean dress entered. They were all pretty.

“We hope you all have a good time in Pine.”

When young ladies, who were in their 20s, sat next to each man, Miura Machines’ president and its plant manager looked a bit uncomfortable at first, but they soon started enjoying the company, especially when they found out that the ladies could speak Japanese fluently.

“Wow. You sound like a Japanese lady.”

Miura Machines’ president and its plant manager were soon mesmerized by the sensational music and beautiful young ladies.

It was Thursday. Gun-Ho was supposed to go to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town and Dyeon Korea in Asan City, but he decided to stay in Seoul.

“Chan-Ho, we are not going to Jiksan Town today. Let’s head to GH Building in Sinsa Town.”

“Yes, sir.”

“After dropping me off at the GH Building, I want you to pick up our Japanese guests from their hotel and take them to Gimpo International Airport. President Jong-Suk Park took the rental car when he left for Cheonan City yesterday. Our Japanese guests need a ride to the airport today.”

“Haha. It must be convenient for President Park to take the car to Cheonan City.”

As soon as Gun-Ho arrived at his office in GH Building, he turned on his computer. Dyeon Korea’s stock price had dropped a lot recently, and the trading volume decreased accordingly, and it was currently maintaining the same low price.

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park.

“Did you arrive home safely last night?”

“Haha. Yeah. I took the rental car with a chauffeur that we leased for the Japanese visitors to get home. It was very comfortable and convenient.”

“That’s good.”

“GH Mobile’s Assistant Manager Seo is here with me. He is showing me how to send funds to Japan, you know the first payment to acquire Miura Machines.”

“Really? I think you need to hire someone who will handle trading at your company.”

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Chapter 841 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (4) – Part 2

Chapter 841: Acquisition of Miura Machines (4) – Part 2

Jong-Suk said, “I was going to post a job opening for the position that would handle trading work here in GH Machines, but Assistant Manager Seo has someone who he wants to recommend to us— his little brother.”

“His brother? Does he speak English?”

“I believe so. His brother studied in the U.S. He also had done some business with companies in Japan before, so he can also speak Japanese as well.”

“Is that right? Well, I think you should interview him for the job.”

Jong-Suk Park continued, “Bro, I’m going on a trip to India and China next week.”

“Is that about installing machines there for Dyeon Korea?”

“I’m going to stay in the new factory in Noida, India for three days. Director Kim told me that they were having a hard time finding an engineer in the local job market, so he was asking if I can find someone from my workers here.”

“Hmm, really? Do you have such a person in GH Machines?”

“When I told my workers that the pay would be higher about 1.5 times, two of my employees volunteered for the job.”

“Really?”

“One of them served as a non-commissioned officer in the military before. He is a certified auto mechanic, and he also has a certificate for welding work. He is good with electric work as well. He has been in the field for about ten years now. He volunteered for the job because he needs money for his kids’ education.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, it’s your call. You should decide who would be the adequate engineer to work in our factory in India.”

“I know. I decided to take him with me on my next trip to India. While I am away from GH Machines, the plant manager will take care of business here.”

“You have a plant manager?”

“Haha. I know that there are only 12 workers in GH Machines, but we still need to give each of them their proper job titles, don’t we? Each person’s work experience was a major factor in giving them an adequate job position. We have a plant manager, a senior manager, a manager, and a teal lead, etc. Do you remember the old guy who was carving a piece of metal? He is our new plant manager. He has been in the field for more than 20 years.”

“I see.”

“He actually worked as a plant manager in his previous employment. He is good.”

“That’s nice.”

“So, I’m planning to send him to Dyeon China in Tianjin City to work there for a while. He has been building 8 machines for Dyeon Korea so far, so he knows very well about the machines.”

“Is that right?”

“I might not be able to make a trip to China though. Once I come back from the trip to India, Miura Machines’ machines will arrive here already. I will be extremely busy then.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“Once we receive the machines from Miura Machines, Director Kim said that he would introduce a few factories that he knows for valves and bearings.”

“Really?”

“GH Machines will grow a lot as we start providing the machine parts to Isehara Machines in Japan as many as Miura Machines have been providing with, and also we will expand our clients in Korea market as well.”

“Sure. Keep up the good work. I feel so happy to see you working hard with passion.”

After getting off the phone with GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park, Gun-Ho took some time relaxing on the sofa. At that moment, Director Woon-Hak Sim came in.

“I’ve completed the business that I came for in Korea, sir. I am ready to leave for China now.”

“Once they start playing the movie— Menghuan Yinghua— in China, I will probably go and watch it.”

“I have a good feeling about the movie, sir. My expectation for the movie is high. I greatly hope that the movie is successful because I can then proudly make a proposition for you, sir, about the new movie production that I’m planning.”

“Haha, you are saying that again to the person who is not so interested in making another investment in the movie production.”

“I understand that you are busy enough with your business and also with the company that was recently registered with KOSDAQ, so you are not very interested in the movie production business. However, I can tell you for sure that the second movie will become a box office hit. Whether you make money in the movie business or in the manufacturing business or whatever, if you can earn foreign currency, that’s good for our country too, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve already made a request to the famous screenwriter— Ms. Ailing Feng— for the movie scenario for the second movie. Ms. Ailing Feng gladly accepted my offer. I believe she already started writing for the movie by now.”

“But I didn’t even decide whether I would make an investment in it or not. You could just end up paying for the movie scenario without actually being able to produce a movie with it. Why are you so obsessed with producing that movie?”

“The movie is about the Battle of Noryang.”

“Battle of Noryang? You mean the Battle of Noryang where Korean Admiral Sun-Shin Yi played a critical role? Why do you produce that movie in China? Aren’t you supposed to do it in Korea?”

“Chinese admirals participated in that warfare as well. Admiral Chen Lin and Deng Zilong were there, and Admiral Deng Zilong died during the battle.”

“Is that so?”

“The hero of the Battle of Noryang is, of course, Admiral Sun-Shin Yi. It is true that the admirals of the Ming Dynasty were passive at the war. However, Admiral Chen Lin and Deng Zilong are currently being worshipped by Chinese people for their anti-Japanese acts. Their statutes are built in their hometowns.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“It’s an effort of Chinese people trying to feel proud of themselves again about their defeat during the Second Sino-Japanese War. My movie will highlight it.”

“Did they really build a statute for them?”

“A large statue was built in Admiral Chen Lin’s hometown— Guangdong Province—
for him, and Admiral Deng Zilong’s statue was also built in his hometown— Fengcheng City, Jiangxi Province. It’s huge.”

“Hmm.”

“Since it’s going to be a Chinese movie, we will exaggerate a bit about their participation in the battle. Luckily, there is a good film park in Wuxi City close to Shanghai City, which we can use for shooting the movie.”

“That’s true.”

“The film park in Wuxi City was built by the Chinese national broadcasting station— CCTV. They elaborated on building it. It’s called Wuxi Yingshi Cheng.”

“I’ve been there too.”

“The famous movies— the Smiling, Proud wanderer, and The Legend of the Condor Heroes— were also shot at this place as well. The place is close to the huge lake— Lake Taihu, so it’s a very suitable place to shoot naval battle scenes. We will have a lot of scenes like that since the movie is about the Battle of Noryang.”

“What role would Mori Aikko play in that movie then?”

“She will play a concubine of a Japanese admiral. The concubine will also fight at the battlefield for her lover who would be shot by an arrow, even though she is a physically feeble girl. She would eventually get killed heroically at the battle. She will play a Japanese girl who would die for her country— Japan— in this movie.”

“Well, the idea of the movie seems to be not bad at all, but I wonder if it would succeed though.”

“I’m pretty sure that it will succeed, sir.”

“Also, I’m not very comfortable about our Admiral Sun-Shin Yi being treated as a minor participant in the battle. He was actually the true hero of the Battle of Noryang.”

“Admiral Sun-Shin Yi will still show in the movie. He will be depicted as the hero of the Joseon Dynasty.”

“Well, let’s talk about it further later. For now, let’s focus on making our current movie— Menghuan Yinghua— successful.”

“Yes, sir. Well, if you don’t have anything else, sir, I’d better head to the airport now.”

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Chapter 842 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 842: Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (1) – Part 1

After Director Woon-Hak Sim left for the airport heading to China, Gun-Ho started thinking again about what to do with Seung-Hee sister’s stock account.

“I have to move a significant amount of money from that account. I should do it quietly without drawing any unnecessary attention…”

At that moment, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh knocked on the door.

“Sir, someone is on the phone for you. It’s from BM Entertainment’s secretary’s office.”

“BM Entertainment? He could have just given me a call directly; he didn’t have to go through his secretary’s office just to talk to me. Well, please let him through.”

When Gun-Ho picked up the phone, he could hear a woman’s pretty voice on the other line.

“Is it Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo?”

“Yes, he is speaking.”

“BM Entertainment’s President Hyeon-Man Yee would like to talk to you, sir.”

After a moment, Gun-Ho heard a man’s voice. He sounded like a man in his late 50s.

“Hello, Mr. President Goo. This is Hyeon-Man Yee.”

“Oh, Mr. President Yee. How have you been?”

“Director Woon-Hak Sim was here this morning. He told me that the movie is ready to show. They are preparing to release the movie right now.”

“I’m aware of it. I received a report about it.”

“I’ve been busy with traveling internationally, so I learned about your company going public only recently. Your chemical company went public, didn’t it? Congratulations, Mr. President Goo.”

“Thank you. It is true that the company is registered now with KOSDAQ, but it’s still a small company. On the other hand, BM Entertainment is a huge company with its market capitalization of almost 1 trillion won, isn’t it?”

“Well, our sales revenue is not so great though.”

“I’ve noticed that several group singers, that BM Entertainment is managing, are on the Billboard charts. It’s amazing. Many popular K-pop stars belong to BM Entertainment, don’t they?”

“Even if I count every single penny of our sales revenue, it would be only a bit more than 200 billion won.”

“Is that right? Well, it is still substantial. One of my companies that just became a public company generates less than 100 billion won only. After next year, it might exceed 100 billion won of sales revenue. Also, it’s a joint venture company. I have to share everything with my business partner.”

“You have another company with really solid business too, Mr. President Goo.”

“Are you talking about GH Mobile? Its sales revenue is not so high either.”

“How much does it make?”

“Well, it will barely reach 200 billion won this year.”

“Did you say 200 billion won? Wow. That’s really good. I’m considered as a godfather in the entertainment field now, but I wasn’t like this when I was at your age, President Goo.”

“You are being so humble, Mr. President Yee.”

“I know that we don’t meet pretty often since we are working in different fields, but I hope we could stay in contact, even via the phone. Also, I’m hoping that you could continue to work with Director Woon-Hak Sim. I was told that you have been helping him a lot.”

“Haha. I haven’t done much.”

“Don’t be so humble, Mr. President Goo. The reason why Director Woon-Hak Sim is doing what he is doing right now is because of your help. Well, I will be in touch, and will talk to you later.”

When Gun-Ho got off the phone with BM Entertainment’s President Hyeon-Man Yee, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh voluntarily brought a cup of Chinese tea even though Gun-Ho didn’t ask for it.

“Umm, sir, was that BM Entertainment’s president?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Oh my. Really?”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh blushed as Gun-Ho confirmed that he was talking with the president of BM Entertainment. And she seemed to be hesitating to say something.

Gun-Ho asked her, “Is there anything that you want to talk to me about?”

“No, sir. Umm, it’s just that there is a group singer that belongs to BM Entertainment, and one of the male singers is my favorite.”

Gun-Ho didn’t even make a comment to Yeon-Soo Oh about what she just said. It was so trivial to even reply to. Gun-Ho got back to his thoughts about what to do with Seung-Hee sister’s stock account.

Gun-Ho then made a call to the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm in Gangnam.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Oh, sir. How are you?”

“Can we have lunch tomorrow? Will you have time for me tomorrow?”

“Of course, sir. I always have time for you. You are one of the most important VIP clients to me. Just give me the place and time where I should be, sir. I will be there.”

“We can meet somewhere close to our offices. What about Le Meridien Seoul? The one in Yeoksam Town. I believe it is within walking distance from your office. I will see you at its Japanese restaurant. We can meet there at noon.”

“Yes, sir. I will be at the Japanese restaurant there— Hanazono.”

After work when Gun-Ho went home, his father and mother were waiting for him.

“You are all here.”

“Yeah, we came to see Sang-Min.”

“Did you have dinner?”

“Yes, we already had dinner with Sang-Min’s mom. We couldn’t wait for you because we were not sure when you would be home.”

“That’s good.”

Young-Eun said to Gun-Ho as she brought fruits to the living room, “They bought some stuff for Sang-Min such as his clothes, a baby walker, and EduBall (educational toy).”

“Haha, really? We have a baby walker at home already. I bought one for him the other day. Now, we have two of them.”

After having his dinner, Gun-Ho came to the living room to join his father and mother.

Gun-Ho’s mother said, “Well, I guess we’d better take off now. It was nice to see you and Sang-Min, Gun-Ho.”

“Why don’t you sleep here and leave tomorrow?”

“Thank you for saying that, but we have to go home. It’s more comfortable that way.”

“You didn’t bring your car, did you?”

“We took the subway. It’s free of charge for us anyway. We won’t feel bored because your dad and I can talk on the way home.”

“Okay then.”

Young-Eun brought Korean medicinal tea and nuts to the living room and placed them on the coffee table.

She asked “How’s his sister’s family doing? They are doing well, aren’t they?”

“Yes, they are good. Her husband is drinking too much though. That’s the only concern that I have about them.”

“Yeah, he should control it. It’s good if he can drink an adequate amount of alcohol, but he shouldn’t drink too much.”

“The company that he is running has 30 truck drivers, and he has to attend the ceremonial occasions of his workers, such as weddings, funerals, ancestral rites, etc. And, he drinks when he meets people like that.”

“Mom, do you remember Seung-Hee sister? She used to come to our home pretty often when we were in school.”

“Seung-Hee? Yeah, she still comes to our home sometimes. It seems that Gun-Sook is the only friend to her. They have been close friends since high school, and they still meet pretty often even these days.”

“I was told that she is single now.”

“Yeah, she is divorced. Ever since she divorced, Gun-Sook and Seung-Hee spend time together even more often.”

“Do you know why she divorced her husband?”

“He couldn’t make enough living, and that was the main reason for the divorce, I guess. He also became violent whenever he was drunk as well. It was impossible for her to go on like that at that time. When she was younger, she was pretty and smart. Her life changed when she met that bastard.”

“What did he do for a living?”

“He had an office job before, and then after he quit that job, he ran a karaoke.”

“A karaoke?”

“Yeah. He should have kept his office job. I don’t understand why he quit the job and started karaoke. He lost all of his money doing it. And, to make the story worse, he had an affair with the girl who was working in his karaoke. It was a good decision that Seung-Hee divorced him, and he deserved it.”

“I was told that they have a son.”

“Yeah. She left home with her son. That was all she had at that time.”

“Are they legally divorced? Or just separated?”

“I don’t know. Gun-Sook must know about it.”

“I guess I’d better help her. She had a hard life.”

“You don’t have to do that. There are tons of people who are having a hard life in this world.”

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Chapter 843 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 843: Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (1) – Part 2

The following day, Gun-Ho met the stock brokerage firm’s branch manager at Le Meridien.

Gun-Ho and the branch manager sat at the table of the Japanese restaurant— Hanazono— facing each other. They were having sushi with a glass of beer.

The branch manager said, “Dyeon Korea’s sales revenue must have increased a lot, haven’t it?”

“That’s correct.”

“How much does it generate on a monthly basis these days?”

“It’s making around 7.5 billion won monthly.”

“I guess that it will reach 100 billion won of annual sales revenue next year.”

“I guess so, unless something major comes up.”

“I’ve read a public announcement about new manufacturing facilities in India and China.”

“Right. We had a factory in India and China before, and we added an additional manufacturing facility in each of the locations.”

“Oh, I see. So, your company has factories in those two countries too— China and India.”

“That’s right. We have one in Suzhou City next to Shanghai City, and another one in Tianjian City that is close to Beijing. We are planning to establish one more manufacturing facility in Guangdong Province in China later.”

“I understand that since China has a huge continent.”

“Also, I’m thinking about expanding our business to Vietnam as well.”

“Dyeon Korea is a debt-free company, and I believe that it is currently loaded with a significant amount of funds after it became a public company. It wouldn’t be a problem at all establishing several factories overseas. If you include the sales revenues from the companies abroad, Dyeon Korea’s total sales revenue will reach 200 billion won in no time.”

“Haha, well, I don’t know.”

“With the annual sales revenue of 200 billion won, and assuming the net profit after tax would be 5%, you will make a profit of 10 billion won every year. You can open a new company every year with the profit. I’m so jealous, Mr. President Goo.”

“As you know, Dyeon Korea is a joint venture company. It’s not like I can take 100% of the profit.”

“That’s true since it’s a joint venture company with a partner. I’m curious about something, sir.”

“What is it?”

“You own another company— GH Mobile. I believe that company is doing very well too. I’m wondering why you are not trying to make that company a public company. As far as I know, you are the major shareholder of that company, aren’t you, Mr. President Goo?”

“Well…”

“I had a chance to look at GH Mobile’s financial statements before coming here to meet you today. I understand that the company has some debts, but I believe that once it goes public, it will be able to pay off the debt in no time. Or, you can use the funds in expanding the business or making an investment in some other fields. I don’t understand why you haven’t made the company go public yet.”

“I actually don’t want it. I just want to keep GH Mobile private and run it quietly. That’s nice too, don’t you think so?”

“Well, if that’s what you want, what can I say? I’m not in a position to tell you to do anything about your company, but I’m telling you because I just think you could do a lot of things by going public.”

“I might change my mind, but for now, I have no plan to have GH Mobile go public.”

“That company makes more than 100 billion won yearly, doesn’t it?”

“Actually, we are anticipating making 200 billion won this year.”

“Wow. That’s great. A lot of companies don’t even make 10 billion won per year, but their business owners act like they are owning a large company. Those business owners sit back and don’t perform the daily operating work as the chair of their company, and let a CEO do the job for them. They usually drive an expensive luxurious car and would be on a power trip.”

“That’s right. I’ve seen some of them.”

“When I was told that you are a big player from Gangnam, Mr. President Goo, I thought you are someone who is just making money using money by buying and selling real properties or investing in the stock market. I didn’t know you are running large manufacturing companies. I do admire you, sir.”

“Don’t say that. You are embarrassing me.”

“Our company is part of a large brokerage firm that provides total service in the financial field. We are its branch office in Gangnam District. I would like to make an arrangement for a meeting between you and our branch office’s president.”

“The president of your branch office? You don’t have to do that. It’s not like I need to take out a substantial amount of loan or something, is it?”

“Well, that’s true. But, if you want to launch a large project in business, you need help from a financial institution like us.”

“I might in the future, but I have no plan to do it for now.”

“I understand what you mean. Well, please just disregard what I just said then. We can talk about it again when you need it.”

Gun-Ho dipped a piece of sushi into the soy sauce and then sipped his beer. He then said, “Actually, I have a question for you.”

“Sure. Please feel free to ask me any questions you have for me.”

“When I started this joint venture company, I owned 50% of the company and my partner owned the other half.”

“That sounds correct since it’s a joint venture.”

“And, as the company went public, we offered a part of the company shares to the public. Dyeon Korea has a total of 26 million shares now, and my portion is only 9 million.”

“I see. Lymondell Dyeon also owns the same number of shares— 9 million, doesn’t it?”

“According to the joint venture contract, the parties are free to sell the company shares that each owns in their sole discretion. I don’t think this is going to happen, but what would happen if Dyeon Korea sells its entire shares to another company, and they cooperate to take over the operation right? I could lose my management right.”

“Theoretically, that’s possible.”

“Lymondell Dyeon initially invested 4.5 billion won in establishing Dyeon Korea. It was not a cash contribution though, but their contribution was made with old machines.”

“They made a lot of money when the company went public, right? After the company split the stock, the unit share price was 5,240 won. Assuming Lymondell Dyeon owns 9 million shares, the value of their shares is 47.16 billion won. That means that Lymondell Dyeon made 47.16 billion won after having invested 4.5 billion won.”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm, 47.1 billion won is not an insignificant amount of money, but a global investment banking company such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley would be able to acquire Lymondell Deyon’s entire shares. If one of them purchases about 4 million shares and then acquires Lymondell Dyeon’s shares at 47.1 billion won, I could lose my management right.”

“That’s possible. It would cost them only 21 billion won to buy 4 million shares. So, they just need 68 billion won to own Dyeon Korea’s 4 million shares plus the shares that Lymondell Dyeon is currently possessing. Dyeon Korea is a debt-free company with a sales revenue of more than 100 billion won. If it can make a net profit of more than 5%, those investment banking companies would be willing to acquire the shares.”

“Those global investment banking companies usually make profits by buying and selling a company like Dyeon Korea. Say, it invests 68 billion won to buy Dyeon Korea’s interest, and it sells it to another chemical company who wants to do M&A for 80 billion won or 90 billion won. Those banking companies could easily make the deal highly desirable for the buyer company by offering that they would lend money to the buyer company for the acquisition. For example, the buyer company can bring in only 40 billion won and take out a loan of 5 billion won to purchase a company that is worth 90 billion won.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

“So, Lymondell Dyeon disappears from the picture by selling their ownership interest for 47.1 billion won, and those global investment banking companies make 20 billion won in the process. Well, I guess Dyeon Korea is a very attractive company for them to make money.”

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Chapter 844 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 844: Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (2) – Part 1

As he filled the stock brokerage firm’s branch manager’s empty glass with beer, Gun-Ho said, “To be honest with you, I do want to increase my ownership interest in Dyeon Korea without letting anyone know. I am loaded with enough cash for it.”

“There are several ways with which you can increase your ownership interest in the company. You can simply purchase more shares in the stock market, or you can contact the institutional investors who acquired the shares during the initial public offering period and buy their shares.”

“That is true.”

“But, if you publicly acquire more shares of Dyeon, your partner—Lymondell Dyeon—wouldn’t like it.”

“That’s why I wanted to discuss it with you, Mr. Branch Manager.”

“You probably want to consider using Private Equity Fund companies for it.”

“Private Equity Fund companies?”

“One thing that we need to keep in mind is that they are serving themselves; they are not working for us. We wouldn’t know how much they paid for the shares that we want when they bought them. And when they are ready to sell them to us, they might ask for a very high price, and we might end up not making enough profits.”

“You are saying that I have to take a risk when I use existing Private Equity Fund companies, right?”

“That’s right, because they are serving their own interests which wouldn’t necessarily serve our interests. If you want a safer way, you can establish a new private equity fund company. You can appoint your person to the director position, who can make an investment with a significant amount of funds on your behalf.”

“Since it’s a private equity fund company, I will need to recruit investor members, won’t I?”

“As I said, you put your man there who will make a major investment, and then you can add several people to the company in order to make it look like a private equity fund company. You will control the company behind the scene.”

“Hmm.”

“One of the requirements in establishing a private equity fund company is that you need to recruit investors less than 50 people. If you bring your man, I will take care of the rest of the investor members.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I can find a good investing club, and then we can recruit its club members as our investor members in your private equity fund company. They don’t have to make an actual investment; we just need their names to use. We will pay them for using their names, of course.”

“Do you think that is possible?”

“Trust me, Mr. President Goo. I’m the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm in Gangnam District.”

“Hmm. Private Equity Fund Company…”

“You will need to register the company after forming it though. Also, you need to file a report about the new company with the Financial Supervisory Service within 2 weeks after establishing it.”

“I need to put some funds in it as its capital, don’t I?”

“Of course, sir. It’s an investment company after all. The relevant law states that such a company should have at least 3 billion won as its starting capital.”

“3 billion won… I guess I need an office for the company, right?”

“You can lease an office-tel, and place a desk and chair there, and hire someone who can stay in the office during work hours. The only purpose that this particular private equity fund company would be to make an investment in Dyeon Korea only, so you don’t actually need any employees. Also, it’s not like you want to invite investors in order to raise funds to make an investment either. Moreover, once your purpose is served, you want to dissolve the company, so you shouldn’t bring in actual investors.”

“Hmm, leasing an office-tel…”

“A private equity fund firm collects funds from a few wealthy investors privately and makes an investment in real estate or in the stock market. So, building a private equity fund company to serve your personal goal and run it as I just explained would work fine.”

“Hmm.”

“There are tons of office-tels that you can lease at a low cost around here. Many of them would let you use their place for a monthly rent of less than 1 million won with a security deposit of 10 million won. Also, I can find someone who you can trust. He will run the office for you. He used to work as a team lead at the global asset strategy department of Gangnam Bank until he was laid off during the last company restructuring. He is currently unemployed. If you ask him to work for you, he will be more than happy to assist you, sir.”

“Well, I heard what you suggested. I will do my own research and let you know.”

“I think this is the perfect time to do it, sir. Dyeon Korea is currently experiencing a price adjustment phase. This is good timing. Stock prices are going down after they decreased, and going up after they increased. Once Dyeon Korea’s stock price increases a lot, even placing a request to buy the stock would be difficult.”

“That sounds right.”

“Of course, you can use someone else’s name to acquire Dyeon Korea’s stock, but it’s not practically feasible because you want to buy several million shares, unlike little investors who usually invest several tens of million won. If you do it individually on your own, you will have to sit at the desk with your computer and purchase a small number of shares every day until you reach your goal. That’s not how you want to spend your day as a big player in Gangnam District.”

Gun-Ho recoiled as he thought of what he did using Seung-Hee sister’s stock account.

The branch manager said, “You want to let someone do the work for you.”

“Hmm.”

“Using someone else’s name to purchase a significant number of stocks is not desirable at all. It might not cause any problems for now, but if it does, it would complicate things to a great extent. With the scheme that I just recommended that you want to use, all you need to do is to pay the person who would do the work for you and also pay some taxes. It would be safe and convenient.”

“If I establish a private equity fund firm, I will have to put my funds in it anyway. I’m not sure if that would be okay.”

“If you don’t want people to know that you place your investment funds in the company, you can use a different path with your money transfer. For example, you can put your funds in someone else’s bank account, who you trust, and move the funds from that account to the company. Or you can use any other way that works for you.”

“I see what you mean. I will think about it, and will give you a call within a few days.”

The branch manager said, “Today’s lunch is on me, sir.”

“I will pay for it. It’s a restaurant in a hotel, and it will cost a lot.”

“I brought my bank’s business card. You are my VIP client, sir. You should let me pay for our lunch today; otherwise, I would be seen as someone who doesn’t treat his VIP clients right.”

“Haha, I see. Well, then thank you for lunch, Mr. Branch Manager.”

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you, sir.”

It was the end of October.

Dyeon Korea’s stock price seemed to be stabilized after it had hit the upper limit due to the stock split. It maintained around 6,000 won per share.

“It is still above the initial public offering price. (Dyeon Korea’s public offering price was 26,200 won, and since the stock was split as 5:1, the unit share price was 5,240 won.)”

Gun-Ho turned off his computer. When he then thought about giving a call to Seung-Hee sister, he received a call from Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro? It’s me. I’m on my way to Incheon International Airport.”

“Incheon International Airport?”

“Yeah. I’m leaving for India. You know, my business trip to Dyeon India. Dyeon Korea’s Manager Jong-Geun Lee, who is working in India now, called me that they received the machines.”

“Are you going there by yourself?”

“I’m with a team lead here, who volunteered to work in our India location. I told you about him last time we talked. You know, the person who served as a non-commissioned officer in the military before and has been in the field for a while.”

“Yeah, I think I remember you told me that before. Well, enjoy your trip and be safe.”

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Chapter 845 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 845: Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho made a call to Seung-Hee sister.

“It’s Gun-Ho.”

“Oh, President Goo.”

“Are you busy right now? Can we talk?”

“I’m good.”

“Where are you right now?”

“I’m in Guro Town. I had a meeting with a client for insurance. I was about to head to Bucheon City.”

“You are living in Bucheon City?”

“Yeah. I moved there from Incheon City.”

“I have something that I’d like to talk to you about. Can we meet?”

“Sure. I can go to your office in Sinsa Town. I don’t want you to make a trip just to meet me. You must be a lot busier than me since you are running a large business.”

About an hour later, Seung-Hee sister came into Gun-Ho’s office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. She was carrying a box of beverages—Vita 500.

“You didn’t have to bring things like this when you come to see me.”

“Well, you are my client. You bought insurance from me. I didn’t want to come empty-handed.”

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring two cups of Longjing tea.

“This is Chinese tea. Be careful. It’s hot.”

“Oh, this must be an expensive tea. Thank you.”

“I’ve traded stocks using your stock account several times.”

“You didn’t lose money, did you?”

“I didn’t lose money, but make some profits.”

“Haha. That’s good to know.”

“The thing is that I have a substantial amount of money in your stock account right now. It’s not just my money, but it contains other people’s money too, who did some stock trading with me together.”

“Is it several hundred million won when you said ‘a substantial amount of money’?”

“I need to open the account to see the exact amount of money.”

“I see.”

“It occurred to me that I shouldn’t use your account any longer in investing in the stock market. It’s not right. So, I’m thinking of establishing a private equity fund company.”

“A private equity fund company? I have heard the word before, but I’m not sure what it does.”

“It’s like several people get together with funds in making an investment in real estate or in the stock market.”

“Oh, I see. You mean that you are not going to use my stock account any longer, but instead, you want to use the private equity fund company in investing in the stock market, right? That sounds good.”

“In order to do so, I need to transfer all of the funds that are in your stock account to the private equity fund company’s account. The amount is too great to do the fund transfer online, but the account’s owner should go to the stock brokerage firm to make the transfer.”

“Should I go there today?”

“Not today. I need to form a private equity fund company first, and I also need to lease an office-tel as well. I will let you know once they are all ready. The company will be run by a person who used to work in a bank as a high-ranking officer. Once the purpose of the private equity fund company is fulfilled, the firm will be dissolved. It will take about 1 year.”

“I see.”

“I want you to take a director position of my private equity fund company until it is ready to be dissolved. It’s not a full-time job, and I will give you a wage for it. What do you think?”

“I will get paid for it? But I have no idea what I should do in that company.”

“That’s why it’s not a full-time position. You don’t even have to come to work either, but you just make a fund transfer when necessary.”

“Hmm, really? Should I worry about getting an unexpected bill for tax or something like that?”

“I will take care of all taxes and fees related to it. I will write a statement about it for you, so you can feel comfortable working with me on this.”

“Well, I will do it then.”

“I’m going to lease an office-tel in Gangnam District and place a desk and a chair there. You can take a rest in the office whenever you feel like it. You can have tea and spend your time there being relaxed. You probably want to use the space to take a break after moving around busily to sell insurance.”

“Really?”

Seung-Hee sister smiled broadly.

Gun-Ho continued, “Okay then. I will contact you when I need documents or something in forming a private equity fund company. Also, I will let you know once I find an office-tel.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho then stood up from his seat, opened his desk draw, and put 1 million won in an envelope.

“I made some profits from my investment in the stock market using your stock account. I want you to accept this for me. It’s a million won. Buy clothes for your son or something.”

“1 million won? Wow! You don’t have to do this. All I did was to let you use my account that I don’t even use.”

Seung-Hee sister didn’t strongly refuse to take the money though. She put the envelope in her bag. Gun-Ho thought that she was probably in need of money.

Seung-Hee said, “You know what? I had a dream last night. I went to a mountain in my dream and collected a lot of acorns. I guess it was telling me that I would get some free money today. Haha. Well, just let me know when you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you, President Goo. You are the brother of my best friend. I wouldn’t mind letting you use my account for free. I’m not sure if I can just accept this.”

Gazing at Seung-Hee sister leaving the office, Gun-Ho thought that he would help her again big time.

Gun-Ho then made a call to the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm in Gangnam.

“Can I meet the man who you mentioned the other day, in person? You know, the man who used to work at the global asset strategy department of Gangnam Bank as a team lead. Where is he living right now?”

“He is living in Cheonho Town. I will tell him to go to your office in Sinsa Town to meet you, sir.”

“I’d like to meet him today. I probably won’t be here tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I will need to go to work in Jinsan Town and Asan City.”

“Understood, sir. I will give him a call right away. I’m sure he will come to your office in no time.”

After 3 pm that day, a man who looked like he was in his 50s came to Gun-Ho’s office. He was slim and wearing glasses.

“The stock brokerage company’s branch manager in Gangnam told me to see you here, sir.”

“Are you the one who used to work at Gangnam Bank before?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please have a seat. My name is Gun-Ho Goo.”

Gun-Ho gave his business card to the man. It said that Gun-Ho was the president of three different companies.

The man said, “I don’t have a business card for now, but here is my old business card when I worked for Gangnam Bank as a team lead of their global asset strategy department. My name is Geun-Soo Son. I’ve heard a lot about you, sir, from the branch manager.”

“Since you used to work at the global asset strategy department, you probably have extensive experience in making an international investment.”

“I had chances to do several of them, sir.”

“You seem to be too young to retire. Why did you quit your last job with Gangnam Bank?”

“Banks often go through restructuring processes, and they lay off people accordingly. Once you are older than 50 years old, you become a worker that’s not so desirable for them.”

“It’s their loss letting people like you go, who have extensive work experience that would benefit their companies.”

“I was told that you are interested in establishing a private equity fund company, sir. Is that right?”

“That’s correct.”

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Chapter 846 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (3) – Part 1

Chapter 846: Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (3) – Part 1

While Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh was serving a cup of tea, Gun-Ho and the man, who was introduced by the stock brokerage company’s branch manager, stopped their conversation for a moment. Once she left, they resumed their conversation.

The man who used to work at Gangnam Bank as the team lead of its global asset strategy department—Mr. Geun-Soo Son—asked Gun-Ho, “Mr. President Goo, you are aware that in order to establish a private equity fund company, you need to bring in at least 3 billion won, aren’t you?”

“I know that.”

“So many investment consulting firms have been formed these days. Accordingly, it became difficult to find investors to join a private equity fund company like ours. Can I assume that you have enough cash to make an investment?”

“The required funds of 3 billion won will be sent under the name of Seung-Hee Park. It’s a lady. She has been doing management business with investors. She is managing their funds mostly. She now wants to use the service of a private equity fund company.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“The thing is that the private equity fund company that I am about to establish is supposed to make an investment in a company that I select only. No employees should be able to accept investors to join the company or choose a company to invest in, at his or her own discretion.”

As Gun-Ho clearly stated his intention about the purpose of his soon-to-be-established private equity fund company, Mr. Geun-Soo Son smiled and said, “That would be actually more convenient for us as long as we get paid.”

“It’s almost the end of the day, so starting tomorrow, please start finding an office-tel for the company around the Gangnam Station area. We will need its address to register the company with the government.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that. How much monthly rent do you think would be adequate, sir?”

“I want an office-tel with a monthly rent of 1 million won or less with a security deposit of 10 million won max.”

“Understood, sir.”

“I want to name the private equity fund company as ‘Winners Investment Partners.’ If the name is already taken, you can change it a little bit when you register the company.”

“Yes, sir. I will research register offices online to see if the name is still available.”

“The two directors for the company will be Ms. Seung-Hee Park and you—Mr. Geun-Soo Son. You probably want to prepare papers such as your certificate of resident registration, certificate of seal impression, a copy of your bank account, etc. by tomorrow. In case, you probably want to prepare two copies of everything.”

“Understood, sir.”

“And… We need to talk about your wage too. How much do you expect to get paid?”

“As you said earlier, I won’t have to look for good companies to invest in, but you will give me an instruction which company we should make an investment in, which would make my job a lot easier. So, I think a monthly wage of 3 million won would be sufficient.”

“Okay, 3 million won per month then.”

After Mr. Geun-Soo Son left the office, Gun-Ho made a call to Seung-Hee sister.

“Can you bring your certificate of resident registration, certificate of seal impression, and a copy of your bank account to my office tomorrow? I need them in order to open the private equity fund company that I told you about last time.”

“Tomorrow? Okay, I will bring them to your office tomorrow morning.”

In the late afternoon when Gun-Ho was ready to go home for the day, he received a call from Mr. Geun-Soo Son who used to work in Gangnam Bank.”

“Sir, this is Geun-Soo Son who used to work for Gangnam Bank. I went to your office this morning.”

“Yes, Mr. Son.”

“I talked with a realtor on the way home today to see if there is a good office-tel available around the Gangnam Station area. There is one office-tel which is called Daewoo The O’vill Plus. It’s very close to the Gangnam Station. It looks good and spacious enough to place three desks.”

“How much are they asking?”

“The monthly rent is 900,000 won with a security deposit of 10 million won.”

“Sounds good. Once you bring a copy of your bank account, I will send the necessary fund to that account to set up the office. I want you to sign the lease agreement for the office-tel as an individual for now since the company hasn’t been formed yet. Once the company is established, we will change the tenant’s name to the company.”

“Understood, sir.”

‘He is so quick. I guess he is so eager to start working since he has been unemployed for a while.’

The daily temperature range became great. It was chilly in the morning.

“Chan-Ho, you are wearing a jacket. It’s getting cold, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir. I took out this jacket this morning from my out-of-season’s clothing drawer. It’s time to wear a jacket.”

“Your jacket looks good. How much did you pay for it?”

“Haha. Actually none, sir. I bought this using the department store’s gift card that you gave to me last Thanksgiving Day.”

“Is that right?”

As soon as he arrived at his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town, Gun-Ho checked Dyeon Korea’s stock price first. The price was moving slightly up and down around 5,800 won.

“5,800 won per share… The total number of Dyeon Korea’s stock issued so far is 26 million. That means its market capitalization is 105.8 billion won.”

Gun-Ho turned off his computer and sat on the sofa. He then enjoyed his morning coffee while sitting on the sofa. When it was after 10 am, Mr. Geun-Soo Son, who used to work for Gangnam Bank, came to Gun-Ho’s office. He was carrying some papers that were necessary for establishing a private equity fund company.

“Would you like to review the papers that I brought, sir?”

There was Mr. Geun-Soo Son’s resume among the papers, and Gun-Ho closely looked at it. He used to work in a bank as a high-ranking officer, and he also worked at a stock brokerage firm before that. It was a unique combination of work experience, Gun-Ho thought.

“I won’t need to look at other papers. Please take those documents to the certified legal consultant’s office. They will need them to form the company.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I will make a copy of your bank account and keep it in this office, in case I need it when I send funds to you.”

“Of course, sir.”

Gun-Ho called for Accounting Manager Hong.

“Please make a copy of Mr. Son’s bank account information and keep it in the file. We will probably need it later. Well, let’s make a copy of his certificate of resident registration as well. We might need it too. Don’t forget to include his resume.”

“Yes, sir.”

Accounting Manager Hong took a copy of Mr. Geun-Soo Son’s bank account and his certificate of resident registration before walking out of Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho asked Mr. Son, “Is the name ‘Winners Investment Partners’ available for us to use?”

“There is a company using that name already. We won’t be able to register our company under that name, sir. So, I was thinking of ‘Win Win Investment Partners,’ but that name is taken already as well.”

“Well… Then, please use the name—SH Investment Partners.”

“Huh? SH Investment Partners, sir? What does SH stand for, sir?”

“A middle-aged lady, who will be our company’s major investor, will come to visit this office later today. Her name is Seung-Hee Park, so we will use her initials in our private equity fund company’s name.”

“Oh, so, that lady will bring in entire investment funds to the company, and you won’t make an investment in it, sir?”

Gun-Ho didn’t reply to the question, but he just smiled. At that moment, it occurred to Mr. Guen-Soo Son, what the branch manager in Gangnam told him earlier. Mr. Geun-Soo Son realized that he wasn’t supposed to ask Gun-Ho that sort of question. The branch manager told him,

[You should be very careful in asking questions to big players in investment. You should never ask them about the amount of investment funds, neither about the source of the funds. They usually don’t talk much, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t know things. They are always one or two steps ahead of everything, compared to ordinary people like us. Be careful not to make any mistakes in talking to them.

What? Are you asking how wealthy and bold President Goo is, in terms of his investment funds? The fact that you are asking me that question shows that you are not listening to me. You shouldn’t try to know things like that. Try not to be curious. Just know that he is a huge player in the investment field. That’s all you need to know.]

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Chapter 847 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (3) – Part 2

Chapter 847: Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (3) – Part 2

When Mr. Geun-Soo Son worked at Gangnam Bank before, he had a chance to meet and work with a lot of VIP clients. He often gave consultation to those who owned tens of billions of won several times. But Gun-Ho Goo, who was sitting in front of him, didn’t look like one of those people. Gun-Ho looked more like a manager or a senior manager in a large company. His young age and the way he dressed gave Mr. Geun-Soo Son such an impression.

‘But, he is the owner of the building that I’m sitting in right now. Moreover, he owns a public company that is registered with KOSDAQ. I saw three companies listed on his business card. I wonder what kind of companies they are. I wonder how he has built all those companies at his young age.’

Mr. Geun-Soo Son was sitting on the sofa in Gun-Ho’s office feeling complicated. At that moment, Accounting Manager Hong brought a copy of his bank account and the original certificate of resident registration after making copies of them.

Mr. Son thought, ‘He is a meticulous man. He said he would need a copy of my bank account information as it is necessary to transfer funds to me, but he ended up making a copy of my certificate of resident registration as well. I think he is worth serving. I think I can make my living as long as I work for him.’

Mr. Geun-Soo Son smiled and said, “Okay, sir. I will register our private equity fund company with the name—SH Investment Partners. I’m pretty positive that the name is available for us to use.”

“Ms. Seung-Hee Park will soon come to the office with necessary papers such as her certificate of resident registration and certificate of seal impression. You probably want to wait for her here and take her papers with you.”

“Understood, sir.”

“The office-tel that you said you found for us… Is that office-tel vacant right now?”

“Yes, it is currently vacant, sir. We can move in right away after signing the lease contract.”

“Then, please sign the contract today.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You can wait for Ms. Seung-Hee Park while having a cup of coffee or something in the book café on the rooftop. You will probably feel bored staying in this office until then. I will give you a call as soon as Ms. Seung-Hee Park arrives here.”

“Oh, there is a rooftop book café in this building? Sounds great. I will have a cup of tea there. Thank you.”

About an hour later, Seung-Hee sister entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“I’m so sorry that I came late.”

“You brought all the necessary papers with you, right?”

“Yeah, I did.”

Gun-Ho called for Accounting Manager Hong and handed Seung-Hee sister’s papers to her to make a copy of them. There were her bank account information and her certificate of resident registration.

Gun-Ho said, “We named the private equity fund company as ‘SH Investment Partners.’ SH is your name initials.”

“Oh, is that right? I don’t have to worry about anything by using my initials in the company name, do I?”

“No, you don’t have to worry about a thing. If you feel uncomfortable using your name initials in the company’s name, I will remove it right away.”

“Haha, I didn’t mean that. I trust you, President Goo.”

“Someone is waiting for you in the rooftop book café here. He is the one who will take care of establishing the private equity fund company.”

“Oh, you mean the person who will take the president position of the company?”

“Yes. He is a former team lead at the global asset strategy department of Gangnam Bank.”

“I see. Well, I believe we can trust former high-ranking officers at a bank.”

Gun-Ho intuitively knew that Seung-Hee sister tended to be skeptical about everything. That was probably because she had a hard life, especially from a financial standpoint.

“That person found a good office-tel around the Gangnam Station area. He will sign the lease agreement today. You and that person will be the two directors of our new private equity fund company. He will work full-time, and your position is part-time.”

“I think you told me about it the other day.”

“Since he is working all day long every day at the company, his monthly wage will be 3 million won while your wage will be less than that.”

Seung-Hee sister swallowed heavily as Gun-Ho was talking about her wage. She looked at Gun-Ho with all ears.

“I will give you 1.5 million won per month.”

Seung-Hee sister’s eyes widened. She was working as an insurance salesperson, and she was being paid about 1 million won per month because she was not very good at her work. Now, Gun-Ho was offering her that he would pay her 1.5 million won per month, and she didn’t even have to be at the office. It was definitely a windfall for her.

“Wow, are you going to pay me that much?”

Gun-Ho handed Seung-Hee sister’s stock account’s card to her and said, “Your stock account is holding 16.1 billion won right now.”

“Sixteen what?”

“Sixteen point one billion won.”

“What? Oh my! Did you say 16.1 billion won?!”

“Of course, they are not all my money. Only part of them is mine. As I mentioned before, the funds belong to several investors who I’ve been working with in making investments in the stock market. Just know that, and also, you shouldn’t tell anyone about this.”

“Is my hand shaking? I can’t stop shaking after I heard of 16.1 billion won.”

“You don’t have to feel nervous. Those are other people’s money after all.”

“I don’t know why I’m shaking. I just never heard of that much amount of money before.”

Gun-Ho called for Accounting Manager Hong again.

“You have a copy of Mr. Geun-Soo Son’s bank account, right? I need his bank account information now. I need to transfer some funds to him.”

“Yes, sir.”

A moment later, Manager Hong brought a memo with Geun-Soo Son’s bank account information.

Gun-Ho said to Seung-Hee, “I need you to send 15 million won from your stock account to his bank account. Here is your stock account card. You can take it with you and transfer the fund using the ATM downstairs. There is a bank in the building next to us. He will need the money to lease the office-tel and buy computers and stuff.”

“Okay.”

“When we need to transfer funds again in the future, I expect that you come to this office. A large amount of money cannot be transferred via ATM, but you should be at the stock brokerage company in person.”

“No problem. I can do that.”

Seung-Hee sister was heading out of the office carrying her stock account card, and then she turned around and quickly walked to the sofa on which she had been sitting on and said urgently, “Shoot, I forgot my bag!”

It seemed that she left her bag in Gun-Ho’s office and quickly came back to pick it up. She looked nervous. She was still startled by the amount of money that was saved in her stock account—16.1 billion won, and also she was so excited by the idea of being paid for 1.5 million won per month.

Gun-Ho smiled at Seung-Hee sister.

After a while, Seung-Hee sister came back to Gun-Ho’s office. She brought the fund transfer receipt of 15 million won and the stock account card.

“I will keep the account card in this office for now.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Mr. Geun-Soo Son, who was spending his time in the rooftop café waiting for his call, “Ms. Seung-Hee Park is here. You can come down to the office now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mr. Geun-Soo Son entered Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho said, “This is Ms. Seung-Hee Park, and this is Mr. Geun-Soo Son. You two will be the directors of our SH Investment Partners.”

“I’m Geun-Soo Son. Pleasure meeting you.”

“I’m Seung-Hee Park. Nice to meet you.”

Geun-Soo Son, who was a former bank officer, felt disappointed when he saw Seung-Hee.

‘I thought I would meet a wealthy lady. It seems that she is just an ordinary worker who will do the job on behalf of President Goo.’

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Chapter 848 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (4) – Part 1

Chapter 848: Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (4) – Part 1

Gun-Ho said to Mr. Geun-Soo Son as he handed Seung-Hee sister’s certificate of resident registration and her certificate of seal impression to him, “Please proceed with establishing the private equity fund company. Ms. Seung-Hee Park just sent you— Mr. CEO Son— 15 million won. Please sign the lease agreement for the office-tel and buy necessary furniture and supplies for the office with it.”

“Oh, the fund has been sent already? Yes, sir. I will proceed with it.”

“Once you register the company with the government, please open its business bank account, and bring a copy of the bank account information to Accounting Manager Hong here. Manager Hong has a tax accountant license.”

“Oh, she is a tax accountant?!”

“Don’t forget to register the company with the Financial Services Commission. It is required for a private equity fund firm.”

“I’m aware of it, sir.”

Gun-Ho sipped his tea and said, “And, I have things that I’d like to talk to you both.”

Mr. Geun-Soo Son, who used to work at Gangnam Bank as a team lead of their global asset strategy department, and Ms. Seung-Hee Park, who was working as an insurance salesperson, looked at Gun-Ho’s face. They were ready to listen to Gun-Ho intently.

“SH Investment Partners can make a recommendation to investors about investing in a certain real estate, bonds, stocks, etc., once it is legally established. However, I don’t intend to run the company as such. We will not give a consultation or recommendation to investors. Doing so could put us in a very risky position.”

Mr. Geun-Soo Son and Ms. Seung-Hee Park nodded their heads.

Gun-Ho continued, “If we make a certain investment recommendation to investors, and those investors make their investment accordingly as we recommend, and they end up losing money as a result, they would be upset and vigorously blame us on it. We could even be sent to a prison in some circumstances as well. There are a lot of precedents like that. Therefore, I want to make sure that you understand my intention with this company. If any of you bring an investor or make an investment in the stock market, bonds, and others, as opposed to my specific instruction, I will dissolve SH Investment Partners right away.”

Gun-Ho continued, “Investing in the stock market is a game where you play without knowing the other player’s cards. It’s reckless to invest in the stock market relying on your intuition or data that is not accurate, and you shouldn’t do that. You are putting your money— real money— in investing in the stock market, meaning that it is a real battlefield.”

Both Mr. Geun-Soo Son and Ms. Seung-Hee Park had a bad experience with stock investment. They had tried to make money from it but ended up losing money. So, they totally agreed to what Gun-Ho just said. Especially, when Gun-Ho said, ‘you don’t know the other player’s cards in the stock market,’ they couldn’t agree more with Gun-Ho. It was originally said by Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town to Gun-Ho.

“Our private equity fund company— SH Investment Partners— is initiated and established by Ms. Seung-Hee Park, but Mr. Geun-Soo Son will run the business as its CEO.”

Gun-Ho then looked at Seung-Hee sister and said, “Ms. Seung-Hee Park, once a business bank account is open for the company, please send 3 billion won to the bank account.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

“Well, I look forward to working with you all.”

Gun-Ho then gave a deep bow to two directors of his new private equity fund company. And, Mr. Geun-Soo Son and Ms. Seung-Hee Park did the same to Gun-Ho in response.

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in Antang City, Guizhou Province, China, later that afternoon.

“Our Chinese partners sent us an official letter. It looks like an ultimatum.”

“What is it about?”

“It’s saying that if we don’t make the second investment fund for the terminal construction by the 15th of next month, they will terminate the joint venture, and they expect us to take our hands out of the project accordingly.”

“Is that right?”

“I will make the translation of this letter and send it to you via fax. Well, I’d better send it to you through email as well; that will give you a clear view of the letter.”

“Okay, I will wait for it.”

A while later, the official letter from the Chinese partners was received via fax and also email. The translation into Korean was attached to the letter. The letter was signed by Antang Joint Venture’s co-venturer— President Runsheng Yan of Antang City’s intercity bus business and the terminal. The letter was also stamped with a large star on it, which looked very Chinese.

[Dear Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo— the president of GH Logistics:

GH Logistics and Antang City’s intercity bus and terminal company have established a joint venture with the purpose of running an intercity bus business and building the city’s terminal.

However, your company has continuously delayed sending us the second investment fund that was previously and clearly promised before. The fund is intended to be used to build the terminal. As a result, the terminal construction has been delayed greatly.

A joint venture must be built on trust between its partners, but the way that you broke your promise and your contractual duty on this is leaving us with a doubt on your true intention with the joint venture.

We are requesting you to send the second investment funds to the joint venture by November 15th. If we don’t receive it by then, we have no choice but to dissolve the joint venture.

From President Runsheng Yan of Antang City’s bus company.]

Gun-Ho replied to the letter right away.

[Dear Mr. President Runsheng Yan of Antang City’s bus company,

I’ve received your letter.

The reason why we haven’t sent the second investment fund is due to your breach of contract. Accordingly, we are not at fault here.

The land where the terminal is being built on must be Zhuan Liang (transferrable land), and the ownership must be transferred to the joint venture. The ratification by the Construction Bureau issuing the permission to use the land is not enough for us to send the second investment fund.

Therefore, you are responsible for breaching our joint venture contract, not us.

However, we don’t intend to go through a legal proceeding to settle the issue with you. We are expecting, instead, to hear an acceptable resolution from you.

From President Gun-Ho Goo of GH Logistics in Korea.]

Gun-Ho stated in the reply that he didn’t want to go through a legal proceeding, which he purposefully mentioned in the letter to his Chinese partners. It implied that he could file an international lawsuit on the issue.

Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.

“President Moon? I just sent my reply to their letter. I want you to deliver my response to the Chinese partner either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay. I will check if it arrived.”

“How’s your business doing with KFC?”

“Its sales revenue is not as high as before when it just opened the business. But, the deep-fried chicken restaurant is doing great; it’s doing better than before. Its sales revenue has gradually increased, and it’s now generating around 7,000 Yuan per day.”

“How much are those restaurants making in total?”

“With three restaurants— KFC, the deep-fried chicken restaurant, and the pizza restaurant— we are making about 30,000 Yuan on a daily basis. It’s approximately 5 million Korean won.”

“It’s not bad at all. You still make profits out of them.”

“Haha. That’s true, I do make profits. The other business that we are doing— the real estate investment is doing much better actually. The condo price in Huaxi Huayuan went up a lot.”

“How much do they cost now?”

“The condo price jumped high after Thanksgiving Day, and it’s still on the rise. The local newspapers are talking about it every day. As the government is planning to suppress real estate prices, many people are trying to own a good real property that would bring a great profit in the future. And they think the condos in Huaxi Huayuan are ‘good’ real estate properties to invest in for the purpose. Currently, it costs 220 million won per unit.”

“How much did we pay when we bought them?”

“It was 160 million won per unit at that time. I guess that investing in real estate brings a significant return usually.”

“Since we bought 5 of them, we made 300 million won so far, right?”

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Chapter 849 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (4) – Part 2

Chapter 849: Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (4) – Part 2

Jae-Sik Moon said, “That’s right. When we bought those five condos, we took out a mortgage loan of 330 million won, and we have paid for the loan interest with the rent that we are getting by renting them out. It’s a successful investment, I would say. I’m thinking of raising the rent for those five condos around next Spring, so we could actually make money even after we pay for the loan interest.”

“Hmm, really?

“So, you are getting rent payments from those five condos, and the price of those five condos keeps increasing. You are making good money, President Goo. Congratulations.”

“I should have purchased 100 of them, not just 5. Some professional landlords in Korea own several hundreds of real properties. I read a newspaper the other day about an old man in his 60s who owns 300 real properties in Gwangju City.”

“Wow, 300 real properties? My dad has never had his own home before. In Korea, real properties are unfairly distributed— the rich have a lot and the poor have none.”

Gun-Ho thought for a second of purchasing maybe 2,000 condos in China as an investment, and then he decided not to.

‘I have so many businesses and investments ongoing in Korea. That should be enough for now.’

It was early November.

Gun-Ho received a call from CEO Geun-Soo Son at Daewoo The O’vill Plus that was located next to the Gangnam Station.

“It’s Geun-Soo Son from SH Investment Partners, sir. The company is now registered, and it is filed with the Financial Services Commission as well. We have our business license too.”

“Well done.”

“And, I just verified the 3 billion won in our business bank account, that was sent by Ms. Seung-Hee Park.”

“Mr. CEO Son, I want you to open a stock account under the company’s name with the Gangnam Stock Brokerage Firm. I will stop by there around lunchtime today.”

“Our office is on the 6th floor. The office number is 6XX, sir.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro? I just came back from my trip to India.”

“Really? Welcome back. How was your trip?”

“I left one of my employees there, who accompanied me during the trip. He is now an employee of Dyeon Korea, instead of GH Machines. I terminated his employment with GH Machines, and let Dyeon Korea hire him.”

“Good. I guess you need to hire someone to fill up his position, huh?”

“Yeah, I’ve already posted a job opening. I’m going to hire several more workers, not just one. Since we are expanding our business to include the work of Miura Machines, we need more people who will be handling new machines from them and all. Oh, I hired someone for the trading work. He already started working with us.”

“I remember that you told me about Assistant Manager Seo’s little brother. Did you hire him for the position?”

“Right. He is smart. He is doing very well.”

“Is that right?”

“And I sent our plant manager to Dyeon China. They said that they didn’t want someone from Korea to stay there taking a permanent position, so I sent our plant manager to train workers there.”

“I wonder if that will work.”

“Our plant manager used to work at a factory in Suzhou City before. According to him, the workers there are working fine.”

“Really? That’s good then.”

“Bro, you are not coming to my office?”

“I will be there maybe tomorrow.”

Around lunchtime that day, Gun-Ho visited Daewoo The O’vill Plus next to the Gangnam Station. When he arrived there, the branch manager of the stock brokerage firm was in the office. It was an unexpected encounter.

The branch manager greeted Gun-Ho when he saw him coming into the office, “Haha, Mr. President Goo. Congratulations on your new private equity fund company.”

“Thank you for stopping by. Oh, you brought an orchid plant. Thank you.”

There was an orchid plant on the round table that would be used by visitors to the office mostly. A congratulatory message was written on a ribbon that was hanging on the plant.

Gun-Ho looked around the office. There were three desks and chairs, and each desk has a computer on it. One computer monitor was huge. It seemed that it would be used to observe movements of the stock market. A bookshelf and a clothing hanger rack were placed as well.

The branch manager asked, “Sir, you said that we won’t try to bring investors, right?”

“Correct. We won’t do that because we don’t want to take any responsibilities for the investors who we bring in.”

“I guess that will make Mr. Geun-Soo Son’s job much easier.”

Gun-Ho said to the branch manager, “Are you going to buy us lunch? Since I’m a VIP client to your stock brokerage company.”

“Of course, sir. Whenever I get a chance to have lunch with you, it will be on me. Please let’s go out to have lunch.”

“Last time, you bought me lunch at Le Meridien Hotel. I will buy you lunch today. Oh, you know what? Mr. CEO Son, we have our funds of 3 billion won in our business bank account, don’t we? Mr. CEO Son, you should pay for our lunch today with SH Investment Partners’ business credit card.”

“Yes, sir.”

The branch manager of the stock brokerage company in Gangnam smiled and said, “Well, I guess I’m in a client position today. Haha.”

The three men walked out of the office-tel, and they headed to a Korean restaurant that specialized in an octopus stew dish, for lunch.

While having lunch, Gun-Ho said, “Mr. CEO Son, did we create a stock account with Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company with our company’s name?”

“Yes, we did, sir.”

“You have been trading stocks a lot, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I have, sir.”

The branch manager who was sitting next to CEO Son said, “CEO Son is an experienced day trader. He was once an active member of a stock trading club, but since he has a limited fund to play with, he couldn’t make enough money. Haha.”

“Hmm, really?”

The branch manager continued, “Mr. President Goo, I’ve noticed that Dyeon Korea’s stock price dropped a little bit. It was around 5,600 won per share when I checked last time this morning.”

“It sounds about right.”

“Are you interested in creating a stock trading club on your own? If we bring in 50 members to the club, we will have enough power to the price of Dyeon Korea’s stock. It would be helpful for you, sir. You don’t have to expose yourself, but CEO Son can manage the club.”

“No, I’m not interested in it. I would have to worry about the members of the club, so they don’t lose their money but make money. Otherwise, the club wouldn’t last for long, would it?”

“If the club members leave, we can bring in new members. We can maintain a certain number of club members even though they are not always the same people.”

“Well, still, I’m not interested in it. I want to make an investment with more stability and safety, such as long-term bonds and stocks.”

“Maybe that’s better. As a matter of fact, several hundred small individual investors can’t defeat a stock trading club that is composed of only several tens of investors. And that sorts of clubs can’t defeat one big player in the stock market. That’s how the stock market works, doesn’t it? There is a saying in the stock market— Jak Cheon Seong Bool Yeo Hak Il Seong.”

“Jak Cheon Seong Bool Yeo Hak Il Seong?”

“It means that the sound of a thousand sparrows cannot be louder than the big sound of one crane. In other words, even though a thousand small investors busily work to trade stocks in an effort to make money, if they encounter one big player in the stock market, they can’t win. Haha.”

“Hmm, that’s an interesting way to put it.”

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Chapter 850 - Isehara Machines (1) – Part 1

Chapter 850: Isehara Machines (1) – Part 1

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho was heading to work in GH Mobile, Jiksan Town. Chan-Ho Eum said to Gun-Ho, “Sir, I feel like it has been a while since we drove on the expressway.”

“You do? I guess I’ve been busy lately with the businesses in Seoul.”

“Cosmos flowers are still in full bloom.”

“Maybe we should stop by Giheung Rest Area. I need to use the bathroom.”

“Actually, we just passed that rest area. We can stop by the next one— Anseong Rest Area instead.”

“Sounds good.”

When they arrived at Anseong Rest Area, Gun-Ho went to the bathroom first, and then he made a call to CEO Geun-Soo Son at SH Investment Partners.

“CEO Son, are you in the office right now?”

“Yes, sir. But, I don’t have work to do here yet.”

“You’ve opened the company’s stock account with Gangnam Stock Brokerage Firm already, right?”

“Yes, I did, sir.”

“Starting from today, I want you to buy Dyeon Korea’s stock when its price per share is below 5,500 won. You can place a limit buy order at 5,500 won if the price is above 5,500 won.”

“Understood, sir.”

“You can use as much funds as necessary.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, you can just give me a report at the end of the day on a daily basis once the stock market is closed, with the number of shares that you bought and the price that you paid per unit.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. At the front gate, the security guard quickly approached Gun-Ho’s Bentley without opening the gate. He acted very carefully though because the car was an expensive Bentley. He gave a military salute to Gun-Ho as he carefully looked at Gun-Ho’s face. Gun-Ho also looked at the security guard. He seemed to be a new hire since Gun-Ho hadn’t seen him before. At that moment, Chan-Ho Eum yelled at the security guard, “Hey! You don’t even recognize the president of the company that you are working for?”

“Huh?”

“He is the president of this company!”

The security guard quickly pulled out his note and looked for the license plate number of the company’s owner president’s car. He was startled when he found out that it was his car.

“I’m so sorry, sir.”

He rapidly opened the gate for Gun-Ho’s Bentley.

“That stupid son of bi*ch doesn’t even know his big boss’ face!”

“That’s fine. I guess he is new. And, we haven’t come to the company lately.”

Gun-Ho stopped by the production site before heading to his office.

The production managers from the production team 1 and 2 quickly came out to greet Gun-Ho. They gave a deep bow to him.

“Sir, you are here.”

“Is everything okay around here?”

“Yes, sir. Everything is going fine.”

“Which client company are we selling our products to the most?”

“Of course, it’s A Electronics, sir. But, it seems to be possible that H Group would surpass it soon. H Group’s product order is increasing steadily.”

“Hmm, really?”

Gun-Ho walked around the production site with the two managers. The workers were busily moving, and the products were coming out of the machines, and the finished products were being sent to the test center.

Gun-Ho walked into the test center accompanied by the two production managers. The team lead at the test center stood up quickly from his seat when he saw them coming in and greeted Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho asked him, “How are we doing here? What’s the defect rate these days?”

“It’s 0.1%, sir.”

“What defect rate did I say we should achieve?”

“It’s zero sir.”

Gun-Ho smiled satisfactorily and tapped the test center’s team lead’s shoulder.

“Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The two production managers who were standing along with Gun-Ho smiled.

Gun-Ho stopped by the assembly line and maintenance team before going up to his office on the second floor. He didn’t visit the second factory that day.

President Song came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“It seems that you have been very busy lately, sir.”

“Yes, I have.”

“There was a meeting held for H Group’s vendor companies last week. I had a chance to talk with H Group’s CEO Choi there, and he asked me how you are doing, sir.”

“Mr. CEO Choi?”

“Yes. He asked about you when all other presidents and CEOs of H Group’s vendor companies were present.”

“Hmm, really? Well, when you have a chance to see him again next time, please give my kind regard to him as well.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

“We are currently generating more than 16 billion won on a monthly basis, aren’t we?”

“Our sales revenue has exceeded 16.2 billion won last month.”

“And, the funds in our reserve must be more than 10 billion won, isn’t it?”

“It is 10.5 billion won to be exact, as of today, sir.”

“And, the labor union has been quiet lately, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, they are good. It seems that they are satisfied with the pay, bonus, and the fringe benefits that we provide.”

“That’s good to know.”

“I’ve often seen discords among themselves though.”

“What problems do they have?”

“I guess many of the members want to take the leader position, because the leader of the labor union doesn’t really have to work, but he could just stay in the office while sitting at the desk.”

“Did we receive the pay for the 10 twin screws that we sold to GH Machines?”

“Yes, we did. I initially intended to receive the pay only for 5 twin screws, and send a bill for the other 5 later because I wanted to give them enough time to prepare for the money, but President Jong-Suk Park paid for all of them at once. I guess that his business is doing great even though the company just started its business.”

“I believe they made good money by selling the machines that they built using those twin screws, to Dyeon Korea. And, Dyeon Korea pays them pretty quickly.”

“I’m sure that President Jong-Suk Park is learning a lot as he runs his own business after quitting GH Mobile.”

“You are right. He hadn’t had any experiences with sales, finance, product quality, human resource, etc. until he started running his own company. And he told me the other day that he was learning a lot. But, he still needs your help, Mr. President Song. It’s still a small company. Please give him assistance as necessary. I will tell President Park to seek help from you if he encounters any difficulties in running the business.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

Gun-Ho then headed to GH Machines. There was a large banner in front of the factory’s front entrance.

It said, [Product Quality First, GH Machines] [Polish, Tighten, and Grease]

Gun-Ho smiled as he entered the company. The worksite seemed to be packed with a lot of people. Gun-Ho at first wanted to look around the production site, but he decided to go to the office since there seemed to be so many new faces in the production site.

“Sir, you came,” the office manager who had seen Gun-Ho several times before came out and greeted him.

“Is President Park not here?”

“He went to a bank. He will be here soon.”

“Does President Park handle matters with a bank on his own all the time?”

“He went to a bank today to open an account. That’s why he had to be there in person. There is one client company that wants to send their B2B payments through Hana Bank. The thing is that we don’t have an account with Hana Bank. So, he went there to open an account with them.”

“Hmm.”

“When opening a new bank account, it is simpler and quicker to process if the president of a company is there with his ID. I could go there to do the same work, but I will have to prepare the power of attorney, and also carry the president’s ID, and so on. So, he decided to take care of it himself instead of making the work unnecessarily complicated by sending me there.”

‘Jong-Suk Park is trying a lot of different things that he hasn’t done before. That’s good for him. He is certainly learning a lot.’

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Chapter 851 - Isehara Machines (1) – Part 2

Chapter 851: Isehara Machines (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was sitting in the president’s office at GH Machines while waiting for Jong-Suk Park. At that moment, a lady worker, whom Gun-Ho hadn’t seen before, came into the office and served a cup of tea. She looked like she was in her 20s, and she looked sophisticated.

‘Did Jong-Suk hire a secretary already? He doesn’t need a secretary yet. Did he really hire a secretary?’

When Gun-Ho was spending time with his smartphone while having his tea, Jong-Suk came back from the bank.

“Oh, bro. I’m sorry for having kept you waiting. I had to visit a bank.”

“I was told that you went to Hana Bank.”

“Yeah. One of our new client companies is using their service. The amount that we receive from them is not so high, but that company insists that they are using B2B payment.”

“You seem to have a lot of workers here.”

“Oh, that’s right. I guess that you haven’t met them. We have now 3 Japanese engineers from Miura Machines. Its former plant manager— Mr. Yanagi Masatoshi— and two other Japanese engineers who are in their early 60s are here.”

“You have the machines from them as well, huh?”

“You haven’t seen them yet? They are all in place in the production site. We can go there now to see them.”

“Let’s do that later. And, did you hire a new secretary already?”

“A secretary? No, I didn’t.”

“A young lady brought me a cup of tea earlier.”

“Ohh, that must be Ms. Mi-Ran Yang. She is not my secretary, but she is an interpreter for the Japanese engineers.”

“An interpreter for Japanese?”

“We have three Japanese engineers here. Of course, we need an interpreter to communicate with them. I initially expected Assistant Manager Seo’s little brother to handle the interpretation since he did some business with Japanese companies before. You know that I hired him to take care of our trading work, right? It turns out that he speaks English fine, but his Japanese is not so good. So I decided to hire a worker who can do the interpretation work and also handle general affairs here. I hired her through WorkNet.”

“Hmm, really? How many workers do you have now?”

“We started with 12, and one worker was sent to India, so we were 11. And, now we have 23.”

“23 workers? You have that many now?”

“When those 3 Japanese engineers joined us, we hired 6 additional engineers who can assist them. The Japanese engineers told me that I would need that many additional workers in order to handle the amount of the work necessary in providing Isehara Machines with products. I think we need that many workers anyway in order to learn skills and technology from the Japanese engineers. So, I hired two workers per each Japanese engineer.”

“I see.”

“So, that was how I have 9 more workers. And, I hired Assistant Manager Seo’s little brother, the interpreter lady, and a cooking lady as well. That made 12 new hires. If I add them to our existing 11 workers, we now have 23 workers in total.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“I need to hire a security guard as well, but it would cost me too much, especially if I consider those additional labor costs for the recent new hires. So, I’m thinking about installing some locks instead, from a security company.”

“Hmm.”

“The papers related to trading are not written in Japanese but written in English. So, the paperwork is being handled by Assistant Manager Seo’s little brother now. He is also taking care of ISO 14001 and TS 16949. Because of his heavy workload, he often works till late at night these days.”

“Hmm, really?”

“As we have more and more work, I will probably need one more worker later, who can handle the production quality. But, I’m not sure if I can handle the labor cost.”

Gun-Ho grinned as he saw Jong-Suk Park worrying about labor cost.

At that moment, Jong-Suk Park stood up from his seat and opened the office door, and shouted loudly, “You two over there, please come to the office.”

A man, who looked like he was in his mid-30s, and the lady, who had brought a cup of tea to Gun-Ho earlier, entered the office.

Jong-Suk introduced Gun-Ho to them, “This is Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo. He is our company’s major shareholder.”

“Hello, sir.”

The two workers gave a bow to Gun-Ho simultaneously. They were two good-looking young workers, and the office seemed to look pleasant with their presence.

Jong-Suk introduced them to Gun-Ho, “He is taking care of our trading matters and production quality, and the lady here handles interpretation for our Japanese engineers and also general affairs around here.”

Jong-Suk was being very formal when he talked to Gun-Ho since other people were present. Gun-Ho stood up from his seat and extended his hand to them for a handshake.

“It’s very nice to meet you two. You are a very handsome young man and a pretty young lady. This company just opened its business, but it will grow as large as GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. I hope you enjoy working with us here.”

The two young workers felt so grateful, and they bowed deeply to Gun-Ho while shaking his hand. At that moment, Jong-Suk Park, who was standing next to Gun-Ho, explained further about Gun-Ho, “Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo is the president of GH Mobile in Jiksan Town as well. Also, he owns Dyeon Korea in Asan City, which is a public company proudly registered with KOSDAQ.”

Gun-Ho smiled while his hands together behind his back.

Gun-Ho turned his gaze to Jong-Suk and said, “Let’s take a walk around the production site.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk headed to the production site, and the interpreter— Ms. Mi-Ran Yang— followed them holding her diary.

When they arrived at the production site, Gun-Ho could notice the machines from Miura Machines. They were all installed nicely.

“We received all of the 30 machines shown in the list. Two of them were damaged during the shipping, but we successfully repaired them.”

At that moment, Mr. Yanagi Masatoshi from Miura Machines, who was working, came quickly to Gun-Ho when he spotted him. He was delighted to see Gun-Ho again.

“Sir, you came.”

“How are you, Mr. Yanagi Masatoshi?”

Gun-Ho and the former plant manager of Miura Machines exchanged handshakes.

The former plant manager— Mr. Yanagi Masatoshi— introduced the other two Japanese engineers to Gun-Ho, who were standing next to him.

Gun-Ho said to the two Japanese engineers, “It’s very nice meeting you. How is your stay in Korea? Is there anything that I can do to make your stay more comfortable?”

“Mr. President Jong-Suk Park has been helping us a lot to make our stay pleasant. We are doing very good here.”

Jong-Suk Park said, “I rented a large condo for them, so they can stay together.”

“Is that right?”

“The condo is not far from here at all. It’s within a walking distance. It’s inside the Byeoksan Blooming Condo Complex across the street from our agricultural and industrial park.”

“Really? That’s nice.”

“It’s a 30 pyung large condo. We are paying 600,000 won per month with a security deposit of 20 million won.”

Jong-Suk Park then introduced the 6 additional engineers to Gun-Ho.

“I want you all to meet Mr. President Gun-Ho Goo here. He is the major shareholder of our company.”

The 6 workers gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho at the same time. One of the 6 workers, who looked like the oldest among them, said, “I saw a Bentley parked outside, and I was wondering who would be the visitor riding the Bentley. It’s a pleasure meeting you, sir.”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with each of the 6 engineers.

Gun-Ho then asked President Jong-Suk Park, “Are we already manufacturing the products that go to Isehara Machines?”

“Not yet. We actually just installed the machines here. We are producing some samples at this time.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I received a call from Miura Machines’ President Tsuyoshi-shi Miura yesterday. He suggested that maybe I want to visit Isehara Machines to introduce myself to its president. So, I’m planning to go on a trip to Japan with the plant manager here.”

“Of course, you should.”

“I asked GH Media’s Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui to come with me for the trip, so he can interpret for me. He seems to be busy with his work there. He said he had to finish editing the costume play magazine stuff, and it would be done either tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I have an interpreter here— Ms. Mi-Ran Yang— but, I think I’d better be accompanied by a male interpreter.”

“I think you can go with Manager Assistant Seo’s little brother. He is handling trading work here anyway.”

“Do you think that would be better?”

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Chapter 852 - Isehara Machines (2) – Part 1

Chapter 852: Isehara Machines (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park walked out of GH Machines’ production site.

Gun-Ho said, “I’d better head out to Dyeon Korea now.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you this. We received the pay for the 8 machines that we built and sold to Dyeon Korea.”

“Hmm, really? It’s 1.2 billion won in total, right?”

“Yeah. And, we paid GH Mobile for the 10 twin screws that we purchased earlier too.”

“Good. Once Dyeon Korea gets all the machines that they need, you won’t receive any product order from them for quite a while. When it happens, do you have a plan on how to pay your 23 workers here?”

“It won’t be easy. I know that. It costs me 70 million won per month for the wages alone for my workers”

“How much do you make with other clients, such as the ones that you build machines for and those that you provide maintenance services?”

“We make about 100 million won on a monthly basis from them.”

“Without Dyeon Korea’s work, I guess GH Machines will suffer from deficits.”

“The good thing about this business is that it doesn’t cost us much to buy materials to build machines. We make money with our labor mostly. For now, I want to focus on the work for Isehara Machines, and once that is settled, I will actively try to procure domestic clients.”

“How much are you expecting to make per month with Isehara Machines?”

“I was told that I can expect to make about 2 billion won on a monthly basis. Miura Machines’ former plant manager—Yanagi Masatoshi—told me that.”

“It would be very nice if the company steadily makes money by providing Isehara Machines with products.”

“I am very hopeful actually. Isehara Machines’ plant manager knows Mr. Sakata Ikuzo in Yokohama City personally as well, and he is junior to him.”

“If Mr. Sakata Ikuzo gives him a personal call to him for us, that would be really nice.”

“Speaking of which, I’m thinking of taking Mr. Sakata Ikuzo with me when I go to meet with Isehara Machines’ president. So, three of us—Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, and me—will go to visit Isehara Machines together.”

“Hmm.”

“But, the thing is that even though we successfully get the business with them, I’m not sure how much I should charge them for the machine parts that we would be building for them. For now, I’m trying to make an estimate on the production cost of sample products.”

“Who is doing the estimate?”

“I am doing it. Once I’m done, I’m going to show it to Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim. He promised that he would review it for me. Director Kim has tons of experience in estimating production costs.”

“Sounds good. By the way, you are still going to the classes in college, right?”

“Yeah. I sometimes have to miss a class or two, but I keep on going. I never miss even a single exam. I have to graduate from that university, so I can obtain my bachelor’s degree. If I don’t finish college this time, I will never be able to do so, given my age. So, I’m doing my best to finish college even though I don’t think my grades will be so great.”

“How many semesters are left before graduation?”

“I will be a senior next year, so I have 1 year left. Winter vacation is coming up next month.”

“You are doing great. I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m not feeling so great though. I should have done this when I was in my early 20s. My mom begged me to study hard to get a college degree at that time, and instead of doing so, I enjoyed my life getting into fights with people and stupid stuff. I guess I’m paying for my mistakes right now.”

“Haha, you think so?”

“I’m not sure if I told you this before. When I was admitted to a low-ranked college in my early 20s, I didn’t want to go to that college. So, I dropped it right away and took the refund on my tuition without telling my parents, which was previously paid by my parents of course. And, I spent that money, all of it.”

“You were a bad son at that time, huh?”

“My mom doesn’t know that I dropped out of college even before my first day in college. I didn’t even take a single class. Even now, she believes I went to college for one full semester.”

“Really?”

“I’m learning the Japanese language these days. I think Japanese is more useful for me rather than English since we are going to deal with Japanese companies. The lady worker who is doing interpretation work in the office teaches me the Japanese language. I can write Hiragana and Katakana.”

“Haha, is that right? That’s good for you. Well, keep up the good work now. I’d better take off. I’m heading to Dyeon Korea.”

“I will keep you updated, bro. If you want, I can give you a weekly report as Min-Hyeok bro or Jae-Sik bro does from China.”

“You don’t have to do that. Just send the monthly profit and loss report to GH Development’s Accounting Manager Hong regularly.”

“Okay, bro. I will do that.”

On the way to Dyeon Korea, Gun-Ho stopped by a restaurant for lunch with Chan-Ho Eom and had a bowl of Korean ginseng chicken soup.

When he arrived at his office in Dyeon Korea, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee greeted Gun-Ho delightedly.

“Sir, I supposed that you had your lunch on the way here. Would you like to have a cup of coffee now?”

“I had my coffee as well already, the one from a vending machine. I’d like to have a cup of jujube tea instead. Thank you.”

“No problem, sir.”

“And, as to the cost of jujube tea, you can take the receipt to the accounting department. They will take care of the cost for you.”

“But, it’s not much, sir.”

“Still, you shouldn’t spend your personal money on this. I will be able to enjoy the tea better that way. The company should pay for it, not you.”

“Understood, sir. Thank you.”

When Gun-Ho was enjoying a cup of warm jujube tea in his office, Vice President Adam Castler entered Gun-Ho’s office with his interpreter.

“Here are the monthly profit and loss reports of Dyeon India and Dyeon China, sir.”

“We don’t have anything from the new factory in Noida and the one in Tianjian yet, right?”

“They will be able to report their monthly loss and profit starting next month. The report that I brought you today is from the factory in Chennai, India and the one from Suzhou City, China.”

“Can you tell me their sales figures only?”

“The factory in India made 120 tons, and the factory in China made 130 tons last month.”

“They will have to set their goal to more than 200 tons for next year, so their yearly sales can exceed 10 billion won.”

“I actually came to talk to you about that, sir. I want to send out an official letter to them requesting to submit this year’s sales performance along with next year’s business plan by the end of this coming December. I can’t do that with my name, so I wrote the request letter with your name, sir. Would you like to review it?”

Mr. Adam Castler handed the official requesting letter to Gun-Ho.

“Oh gosh, this is written in English. Mr. Brandon Burke in India and Dingding in China will be able to read this letter, but I can’t.”

“There is a Korean version attached to the letter, sir.”

“Hmm, is this translation done by Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho reviewed the letter that was translated into Korean, and then he signed the letter.

After Mr. Adam Castler left the office, the internal auditor came in.

“We are not receiving many calls from investors at all these days, sir.”

“I guess those investors already made their money using Dyeon Korea’s stock. What’s our stock price today? I don’t usually monitor our stock price.”

Even though Gun-Ho checked Dyeon Korea’s stock price every single day, Gun-Ho told people that he didn’t.

The internal auditor said, “It’s about 5,500 won, sir. The price is moving up and down within the range. If the price goes up today, it will go down a bit tomorrow. And, if the price goes down, I usually see a lot of buy orders the next day.”

“That’s what they do, right? Those investors in the stock market buy and sell.”

“That’s true.”

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Chapter 853 - Isehara Machines (2) – Part 2

Chapter 853: Isehara Machines (2) – Part 2

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought another cup of jujube tea to Gun-Ho’s office and served it to the internal auditor. The internal auditor took a sip of the tea and said to Gun-Ho, “Since we are now a public company, we should distribute dividends, shouldn’t we, sir?”

“I think we should. How much do you think would be adequate?”

“I’m not sure, sir. We will have to see the year-end financial statement to be certain about the amount for dividends, but my guess is that each shareholder will probably get about 350 won per share.”

Gun-Ho, who was always good and quick at mental computation, took out a calculator this time.

“Assuming we make net earnings of 10 billion won this year… since the total number of stocks issued is 26 million, that will make it 384.6 won to be exact.”

The internal auditor took the calculator that Gun-Ho just used, and he calculated something and said, “GH Mobile owns 9 million shares, so it will receive 3.46 billion won as a dividend this year then.”

“We have now a higher estimated value per share, but the dividends don’t seem to be high.”

“Sir, it is high enough. There are tons of companies that are suffering from loss. They can’t even dream about distributing dividends. Some business owners of mid-size companies said that they want to make enough money to pay for corporate tax. Many of them don’t even have to pay for corporate tax because their earnings are very low.”

“Really?”

“If GH Mobile receives a dividend from Dyeon Korea this year, are you going to use it to pay for its debt?”

“I’d better pay for the debt.”

“GH Mobile’s debt seems to decrease a lot. I believe it has around 45 billion won of debt now. That is not bad at all. I think it can keep it as it is.”

“I don’t know.”

“President Song told me the other day that he is anticipating that GH Mobile will make more than 180 billion won this year. If that’s true, their debt of 45 billion won is nothing, sir. Assuming the loan interest is 2%, the monthly interest to pay is only a bit more than 200 million won. Moreover, half of 45 billion won of debt has zero interest rate. That means, the actual monthly loan interest is about 100 million won, which is not big enough to worry about. I think you should take your dividend from GH Mobile this time, sir.”

“Well, I will think about it.”

After the internal auditor left the office, Gun-Ho leaned back on the sofa and thought about it with his eyes closed.

‘If GH Mobile’s net profit after tax is 10 billion won, its profit for this year will be 13.4 billion won including the dividend of 3.4 billion won from Dyeon Korea. If we don’t use any of those to pay for debt this year, how much will I receive for my dividend?

I own 82% of GH Mobile after subtracting the ownership interest of Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father—Mr. Beom-Sik Lee—and President Son. Then how much will I receive? Let me see…’

Gun-Ho took out the calculator again. It was 10.988 billion won.

‘So, more than 10 billion won will be put in my pocket. I will have to pay tax for the amount though.’

While thinking about the dividend sitting on the sofa, Gun-Ho felt sleepy. He soon fell asleep and started snoring. After a while, he woke up to the sound of his smartphone. Someone sent him a text message. It was from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Oh, gosh. It’s already after 4 pm.”

Gun-Ho read the text.

[We bought 10,200 shares today, at 5,400 won per share.]

Gun-Ho replied to the text right away.

[Well done.]

After drinking a bottle of water, Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee.

“Please have Chan-Ho Eom wait for me at the entrance. I’m going home for the day.”

“Yes, sir.”

On the way home in his car on the expressway, Gun-Ho made a call to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“I received your text message earlier. I want you to keep on doing the same thing tomorrow and the day after tomorrow until the funds are exhausted.”

“Understood, sir.”

“And, since the company is legally established, I want you to file the Four Major Public Insurance for you and Ms. Seung-Hee Park.”

“The Four Major Public Insurance, sir?”

“I want everything to be done in a lawful way. You can ask Ms. Seung-Hee Park to take care of filing the Four Major Public Insurance. She used to work for an insurance company, so she should know how to handle it.”

“Yes, sir. We have two empty desks here. She can use one of them. I will ask her to stop by the office to take care of it. And, sir, I know how much I get paid, but how much Ms. Seung-Hee Park will be paid?”

“Ms. Seung-Hee Park is working part-time only, so she is getting paid 1.5 million won per month, while you receive 3 million won on a monthly basis.”

“Yes, sir.”

Two days passed.

Gun-Ho was sitting in his office at GH Building on the 18th floor when Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, who was working on the 17th floor at the same building, came up to see Gun-Ho.

“Sir, I’m leaving for Japan today.”

“Is that about the business trip to visit Isehara Machines?”

“That’s right, sir. I’m meeting Mr. President Jong-Suk Park at the Gimpo International Airport.”

“I was told that Mr. Sakata Ikuzo in Yokohama City would join you for the trip.”

“Not just Mr. Sakata Ikuzo, sir. But, the former Miura Machines’ plant manager—Mr. Yanagi Masatoshi—is coming with us as well.”

“Who are you meeting with in Isehara Machines?”

“We will meet with its president, their executive officers from the purchasing department, and also their plant manager, sir.”

“I appreciate your help, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui. Ever since you joined GH Media, you’ve been helping us a lot with other matters that are not directly related to GH Media’s work.”

“Don’t mention it, sir. I’m not doing this for free, but I get paid per day as GH Machines is outsourcing the work to me.”

“That pay is going to GH Media, instead of going to your pocket. You are disappointed about it, aren’t you?”

“Not at all, sir. GH Media pays that amount as an expense for my business trip after deducting applicable taxes, sir.”

“Well, that can be deemed as extra work for GH Media then.”

“GH Media is part of GH companies. I’m just grateful that I have a job that I like at my age.”

“Haha, really?”

“Well, sir, I will leave for the airport now if you don’t have anything further to talk to me about.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro? It’s me.”

“Yeah. I just heard about your trip to Japan from Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui. Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah. I’m on my way to the airport. I’m going with the worker who is handling trading work in GH Machines. I’m supposed to meet Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui at the Gimpo International Airport.”

“Have a safe trip.”

“Thank you.”

“Did you prepare some gifts for the people in Isehara Machines?”

“Yeah. I thought I should bring something for them, and I bought some ceramics.”

“Ceramics?”

“Yeah. I didn’t know what to prepare for them. I was not sure what Korean stuff that Japanese people like, so I just bought some ceramics. I can’t give them dried seaweed or Gimchi, can I? Those could look too trivial especially at the business level, don’t you think?”

“Ceramics sound good.”

“The thing is that they are so heavy. My arms are feeling so tired already. The worker who is handling trading work is helping me to carry them. With his help, it’s much easier to carry them around. Haha.”

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Chapter 854 - Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (1) – Part 1

Chapter 854: Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (1) – Part 1

On the same day when GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park flew to Japan, Gun-Ho received a text message from SH Investment Partners, saying that he purchased Dyeon Korea’s stock of 45,000.

Gun-Ho made a call to President Geun-Soo Son right away.

“How many shares have we purchased so far?”

“We have now 113,000 shares, sir.”

“Good.”

“From now on, I will include the total number of shares accumulated when I send you a daily report, sir.”

“That will be nice. And, did you file the Four Major Public Insurance?”

“Yes, we did, sir. Ms. Seung-Hee Park was here earlier and finished filing it.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“Ms. Seung-Hee Park often stops by the office these days, and she does her own work here, like making phone calls to solicit insurance. She is also making insurance contracts here as well.”

“Doesn’t it distract your work? Her making calls to solicit insurance can be noisy enough to interrupt what you do there, doesn’t it?”

“That’s totally fine with me, sir. I’m not easily distracted with my work since I only deal with one type of stock—Dyeon Korea. I will need to stay focused though when I have to sell them. And, Ms. Seung-Hee Park doesn’t usually stay long in the office anyway.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“If Ms. Seung-Hee Park asks you what you do at work, just tell her that you are buying and selling bonds, stocks, and things like that. You shouldn’t tell her specifically what stock that you are dealing with.”

“Of course, sir. I know what I’m doing here. I will never disclose what I do here to anybody. It’s for myself as well.”

“You can use the company’s business credit card to pay for your lunch.”

“Can I pay Ms. Seung-Hee Park’s lunch with the credit card as well, sir?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I want you to understand that even if you see any good stocks that you strongly believe we could make a lot of money with, you shouldn’t pay attention to it, but just focus on what I specifically instructed you to do.”

“I know that, sir. I don’t even check other stocks. If I do, that will distract my work here.”

“It seems that the branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Firm introduced me to a very good person.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After getting off the phone with SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son, Gun-Ho was sitting at his desk. At the moment, he received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in China.

“It’s Director Woon-Hak Sim, sir.”

“Yes. It’s Gun-Ho Goo. How are you?”

“A movie review for our movie—Menghuan Yinghua—is scheduled to be held in Shanghai City this coming Friday. Huanle Shiji Production Company is officially inviting you to the movie preview, sir.”

“A movie preview? The place will be packed with so many people, won’t it? And I’m sure there will be a lot of reporters as well.”

“It will be, and Ms. Mori Aikko will be there too, sir. I thought I should let you know that.”

“Mori Aikko will be there… I’ve seen movie previews without their female leading actress, but I guess Mori Aikko decided to attend it.”

“Her presence will make a huge difference in our marketing effort. As you mentioned, a lot of reporters will be there, and that gives us a good opportunity to advertise our movie.”

“I will think about whether I will be there or not, and will let you know.”

“If you decide to come, I will be at the airport to pick you up, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Director Woon-Hak Sim, Gun-Ho thought about going to the movie preview.

‘I’m not very busy these days anyway. Each of my companies is being run by its other presidents or its executive officers, and they are doing fine. I don’t have to be here. Maybe I should go to China for a trip. I can meet Mori Aikko there. But, Jong-Suk Park is coming back from his trip to Japan this Friday though…

Maybe I should make a one-day trip to China. I go there on Friday and see Mori Aikko, and then come back to Korea on the same day. Mori Aikko must feel tired after the movie preview though. It wouldn’t look good if I ask her to come to a hotel when she was busy with her work.’

Gun-Ho made a call to Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo. I will come to the movie preview this Friday. Mori Aikko is in the movie, I think I should be there to support her.”

“Yes, sir. When you make a flight reservation, please let me know. I will be at the airport waiting for you. Which hotel would you like to stay, sir? Does the Grand Central Hotel sound good? That is the hotel that you stayed in last time. I will make a room reservation for you.”

“I don’t need a hotel room. I will return to Korea on the same day. Huanle Shiji Production Company doesn’t have to make any arrangements for me. I want to make this trip quiet.”

“Understood, sir. I will let them know that.”

It was Friday.

Gun-Ho left Korea from the Incheon International Airport and arrived at Pudong Airport in Shanghai City, China. Director Woon-Hak Sim was waiting for Gun-Ho at the airport, just like he said that he would. He was wearing a neat outfit since he would attend the movie preview as one of the movie directors.

“Where is the movie preview held?”

“It will be held in Qun Yi Guan on Nanjing Road. Everyone from Huanle Shiji Production Company is there right now.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“Huanle Shiji Production Company have been working so hard for this movie. For them, their company’s continuing business depends on the success of this movie.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho arrived at the place where the movie preview was being held. The building looked a bit outdated. Its architectural style was showing it. There were a lot of people who came to attend the movie preview. Some of them were reporters, and some of them were celebrities. At the entrance, the staff from Huanle Shiji Production Company was sitting at a desk and greeted each visitor.

“Can I see your invitation letter, sir, please?”

The staff didn’t seem to recognize Gun-Ho, and she asked him to show his invitation. Director Sim had handed Gun-Ho the invitation letter on the way from the airport in the car. Gun-Ho showed the staff that invitation letter. After checking the invitation letter, the staff lady placed a sticker on the right side of Gun-Ho’s shoulder.

“What is this?”

“You need to keep that sticker, so you can pass the next door.”

Gun-Ho and Director Sim entered the event hall. Another door was open for them, and another Huanle Shiji Production Company’s staff distributed some snacks and beverages while busily making small talk. Before giving the snack, they made sure that everyone had a sticker on their shoulder.

Gun-Ho took the popcorn, cookies, and a beverage, and he headed to the first row where all the VIP seats were placed. Some of them were vacant. Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen and Director Yan Wu were already sitting on one of those seats. The screenwriter lady—Ms. Ailing Feng—was there as well. Gun-Ho could quickly recognize her because of her grey hair that stood out.

“Hey, Mr. President Goo. Thank you for coming.”

Gun-Ho exchanged greetings with President Baogang Chen, Director Yan Wu, and Ms. Ailing Feng.

“We are finally here. You’ve done great work,” Gun-Ho said.

“I’m so grateful for your financial support while we made our movie, sir.”

Gun-Ho sat on a chair in the front row and looked at the stage. A very long table and several chairs were placed there. Those were probably for the actors and actresses of the movie. A banner was hanging behind the table as well. Gun-Ho read what was written on the banner.

“‘Presentation for Menghuan Yinghua’s Theme’? That’s how Chinese say for this event? It sounds like some part of exam questions.”

Above the writing, the name of the movie production company was written as Huanle Shiji Production Company, and below it, it said that Tong Gan Gong Fu; it was written in red.

“Tong Gan Gong Fu? Does that mean study together and be rich?”

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Chapter 855 - Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (1) – Part 2

Chapter 855: Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (1) – Part 2

At that moment, a large screen began coming down from the ceiling.

Gun-Ho turned around and looked at the back area of the hall behind his seat. Every seat was now occupied with someone. The hall was filled with a lot of people.

“Hey, Mr. President Goo. You are here.”

Gun-Ho turned his gaze to the source of the sound. It was Director Seukang Li.

“Thank you for coming, President Goo. Because of you, we could make this great movie.”

“Don’t mention it. It was part of my business anyway.”

When the movie preview started, Gun-Ho and Seukang Li had to stop their conversation. The moderator made an announcement in Chinese for quite a while, informing the movie will soon start. Eventually, the movie screen completely came down from the ceiling, and the movie finally started.

Gun-Ho enjoyed the movie while having the popcorn that was distributed to every audience at the movie preview. He also drank the beverage. He could hear other people in the back having their snacks and beverages as well. Those people were also talking in a low voice, and that distracted Gun-Ho greatly. He couldn’t focus on watching the movie.

“They are being so loud.” He felt irritated.

Gun-Ho watched the movie for a while and then dozed off for a while until the movie finally ended.

The movie was over, and the screen went back up to the ceiling. On the stage, the actors, actresses, and movie directors were already sitting at the table.

The moderator made an announcement for quite a while again, and then he started introducing the people on the stage to the audience. Everyone’s attention was, of course, drawn to the leading actress—Mori Aikko—who was sitting in the middle of the table. Gun-Ho also craned his neck out to see Mori Aikko better.

Mori Aikko was wearing a white blouse. Gun-Ho couldn’t see whether she was wearing a skirt or pants because her bottom was covered by the table. Mori Aikko in a white blouse looked more like an office worker lady rather than a celebrity, most of whom usually enjoyed wearing conspicuous colorful clothes. The neat and simple dress made Mori Aikko look more Japanese.

“Let me introduce the leading female actress—Ms. Mori Aikko.”

Mori Aikko stood up from her seat. And, she made a deep bow to the audience, a deeper bow than other Chinese actors or actresses did. She was wearing a long black skirt which Gun-Ho could see now.

“I’m so happy to be here and be on this good movie.”

Mori Aikko continued to talk for a bit before sitting back in her seat. The reporters busily took pictures of Mori Aikko, and they also started pouring all sorts of questions for her. Because of an overwhelmingly great number of questions that Mori Aikko received, the moderator had to announce that they would accept questions for her from three reporters only.

The first question was thrown, “When did you begin learning the dance?”

And other questions followed, “What is the requirement to be a dancing geisha in Japan?”

“Does a geisha not go to school, and just learns how to dance?”

“Does a geisha have to serve alcohol to clients as well?”

All sorts of questions including difficult ones to answer were addressed to Mori Aikko, but she stayed calm. She answered every question while keeping a warm smile on her face all the time. Gun-Ho heard the Chinese people, who were sitting behind him, saying, “She looks like a graceful lady.”

“She surely does. Her face is so pretty, and she looks very elegant. Chinese actresses are spoiled compared to her. They should learn from her.”

At that moment, a man among the audience suddenly screamed loudly, “Let’s see how well Mori Aikko can dance! I want to see her dancing in person.”

As the man made the suggestion, everyone started screaming for the same request. At that moment, a man jumped on the stage and dragged Mori Aikko to the middle of the stage. Mori Aikko looked perplexed. The reporters started taking pictures of her again.

Gun-Ho remembered how Mori Aikko danced at the private bar.

“Mori Aikko’s dance is sad and plaintive.”

Gun-Ho thought that her dance wouldn’t satisfy the audience here because they looked so excited, and they must expect some dance that had similar vibes—excitement. Her dance certainly wasn’t one of those.

In the meanwhile, someone seemed to bring a Japanese song. When it was turned on, seemingly traditional Japanese music came out.

“Let us see you dance, Ms. Mori Aikko!”

“We want to see!”

Mori Aikko still looked perplexed. After a moment, she looked determined and grabbed the microphone and said, “This is certainly not an ideal setting for my dance, but since you all want it, I will make a brief dance performance, like 2 or 3 minutes long.”

A big round of applause ensued.

“I heard the music—Hanagasa Ondo—as one of the music that someone prepared. I will dance along to that music.”

Mori Aikko then picked a tray that was placed on the table to get ready for her dance.

“She picked up a tray? Is that because she needs a hand fan, but she doesn’t have it now? Is she going to dance with a tray?”

Loud music started, and Mori Aikko began her dance along with the music. Other than the sound of the music, it was dead quiet. Her dance was different from what Gun-Ho remembered. The music was rhythmical, and Mori Aikko didn’t look sad at all. She was smiling while dancing. She even lifted her leg a little bit from time to time while dancing. It was certainly not the dance that Gun-Ho had seen before. She looked so great. Her dance was great. The vibe and atmosphere that her dance was exuding was excitement. It certainly was what the audience expected.

“Wow!”

The people were impressed, and they started clapping enthusiastically. The sound of camera shutters was heard here and there. People were being exhilarated, and they were saying that they wouldn’t be able to see a dance like that elsewhere even though they would be willing to pay for it.

Mori Aikko’s dance lasted for 3 minutes. The following clapping sound from the audience seemed to last more than that.

The movie preview was finally over.

Some of the audience left the place, and some still-excited people stayed and asked Mori Aikko for her autograph.

“Umm, sir.”

Gun-Ho turned around to see who it was. It was Director Woon-Hak Sim. He was holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Sir, I prepared these flowers for you. You probably want to bring these flowers to Mori Aikko when you congratulate her.”

Gun-Ho thought that Director Woon-Hak Sim was a very thoughtful man.

Gun-Ho pulled out an envelope, that he prepared, from the inner pocket of his jacket. And then, he went up to the stage holding the bouquet of flowers that Director Sim handed to him. He then walked toward Mori Aikko.

“Aikko, congratulations.”

“Oh, oppa!”

Mori Aikko, who was giving her autograph to one of her fans while sitting at the table, jumped up from her seat when she saw Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho gave her the bouquet of flowers and the envelope. There were 3,000 dollars in the envelope.

“Thank you, oppa.”

“I came to congratulate you, Mori Aikko. You did fantastic work. I have to go back to Korea today. I want you to enjoy the rest of the evening. I will talk to you later.”

Mori Aikko smiled and waved at Gun-Ho.

‘If there was no one around us, I would have hugged her so tightly.’

Gun-Ho wanted to hold her so badly. She looked so cute. What she did, what she said, and everything about her felt so cute for Gun-Ho.

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Chapter 856 - Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (2) – Part 1

Chapter 856: Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho said to Director Seukang Li that he should take off now.

Seukang Li asked Gun-Ho, “Are you heading to the hotel already? Are you feeling tired?”

“No, I’m actually going back to Korea now. I’m heading to the airport now. I have things that I have to take care of today.”

“Really? I was going to ask you to have dinner with me. Well, I guess we should do it next time.”

“Yeah, we can have dinner later. And, I’m hoping that you would help the movie production company in distributing the movie.”

“Don’t worry about it. I already talked with the president of Yang Guang Pictures. The movie seems to be very well made. I really enjoyed watching it during the movie preview. I’m sure the movie will succeed.”

“Thank you. As a matter of fact, if you were not here to help it, I wouldn’t have made my investment in this movie production at all.”

“Haha. Is that right?”

When Gun-Ho was getting ready to leave, Director Seukang Li seemed to be ready to walk out of the event hall with him.

Gun-Ho said, “You can stay here.”

“I forgot to tell you this. I received a call from the deputy mayor of Antang City in Guizhou Province— Lixian Zhang. You know that he is a friend of mine, right? He told me that there would be some adjustments soon on Antang City’s joint venture company for the terminal project.”

“What does he mean by some adjustments?”

“He said that since two partners of the joint venture are claiming two different things, it would be difficult for the joint venture to go on. They probably will continue the terminal project on their own without a partner.”

“Is that right? That would be possible. Maybe that’s what should be done since the partners don’t seem to be able to reach an agreement. Since the building is almost done, they will be able to take out a loan using Ji Cheng Gao even if the terminal is not completely constructed.”

“Maybe.”

“The issue now is whether the two partners will be able to keep the intercity bus business.”

“President Goo, I believe you can continue to run the intercity bus business. The Korean partner has invested 3 million something dollars for the purpose of the terminal project so far. The Chinese partner doesn’t have money to give that amount back to the Korea partner. That fund is already spent in building the terminal.”

“According to their letter, I won’t be able to continue the bus business if I don’t send the second investment fund for the terminal project.”

“Haha. I don’t think that will happen. They are just saying it for now. I believe that before this year ends, they will suggest having a board meeting.”

“You think so?”

“They must want to settle the problem with you. They will probably come up with some sorts of solutions about it, and make a suggestion to you. You will see.”

“Okay. I will wait and see what they would say.”

As Gun-Ho and Director Li walked out of the event hall while having a conversation, Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen and the movie director— Director Yan Wu— followed them out.

“Are you heading to the airport, sir?”

Gun-Ho replied, “Yes, I am. You have done a great job. I enjoyed the movie.”

“Thank you, sir. The movie preview seems to be successful. We didn’t actually expect to see Mori Aikko dancing during the movie preview. I’m sure that the reporters will cover her unexpected dance performance with a great interest. I’m pretty positive that the movie preview is successful.”

“I agree with you.”

“The president of our movie distributor— Yan Guang Pictures— attended the movie preview today, and he told me that the movie would be successful.”

“Please make Mori Aikko’s stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible, with her accommodations and all that.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir. We will do our best.”

Gun-Ho had a handshake with them before heading out to the airport with Director Sim.

Gun-Ho had his lunch in the flight while flying to Seoul, and he arrived at the Incheon International Airport later that day. He then canceled the international data roaming service in his cell phone and checked the stock market. Dyeon Korea’s stock price was about 5,600 won. Its trading volume was very low. Gun-Ho sent a text message to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

[You can buy the stock at a little higher price— 5,800 won.]

His reply arrived right away.

[It’s okay, sir. It seems that we don’t have to raise our price limit yet. I am buying it with a limit buy order at 5,600 won.]

At that moment, someone approached Gun-Ho and said, “Sir, I’m here.”

It was Chan-Ho Eom. He was smiling.

Gun-Ho got into his Bentley and continued to monitor the stock market with his smartphone again. He then noticed that there was a missed call from Jong-Suk Park. He made a call to President Jong-Suk Park in his car.

“President Park? You came back to Korea from your trip to Japan, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I arrived in Cheonan City. I’m in my office at GH Machines already.”

“How did it go with Isehara Machines?”

“They seemed to be satisfied with the sample products that we had brought to them. They confirmed that they would do the business with us as long as we could provide the same products at the same price as Miura Machines had provided them at.”

“Do you think we can provide the products to them for the same price?”

“It’s giving me a bit of headache actually. The purchasing department of Isehara Machines in Japan is saying that they have to pay for the import tariff to Yokohama for the products that we would provide them with. So, they are asking to lower the price that I suggested to them by 4 %. Sh*t.”

“Really? Are we still going to make some profits by the deal?”

“We will, but it won’t be much, which upsets me. Isehara Machines’ trading department stated that they didn’t have to pay for the import tariff when they bring products from countries such as the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam. But, they are subject to pay for the import tariff when they import things from developed countries like Korea.”

“Really?”

“The thing is that even though Taiwan is a developed country, they don’t have to pay for the import tariff when they bring items from it.”

“How come?”

“I think that Japan is encouraging business with Taiwan. People say that Taiwanese people are very amicable with Japanese people.”

“Hmm, really? Well, so, the import tariff in Japan is 4%, huh?”

“It’s not exactly 4%, but it’s 3.9% to be accurate for nonmetal products. They are just saying 4% to be convenient.”

“Nonmetal products? GH Machines manufacture camshafts and valves. Those are not nonmetal, aren’t they?”

“They are nonmetal.”

” ‘Nonmetal products’ mean that they are not made of metal, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, no, that’s not what it means. It means different types of metal products.”

“How different do you mean?”

“They are still metal products, but they are made of imperfect metal. Those metals are easily oxidized. Most of the metal products that we commonly use in our daily life are this type of metal. As you know, they rust as time goes by.”

“Hmm, really? Well, whatever it is, if you accept a 4% price discount, you might have to assume some financial loss.”

“Nothing much I can do about it, I guess. The good thing is that if we start providing Isehara Machines with our products, we will gain a good reputation in the industry. I was told that it is commonly known in the industry that it’s really hard to make a business deal with Isehara Machines.”

“You visited their factory too, right? Do they have a large factory?”

“They have a huge factory. I believe that they have more than 3,000 workers.”

“Is that right? It is indeed a huge company then.”

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Chapter 857 - Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (2) – Part 2

Chapter 857: Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (2) – Part 2

Jong-Suk said to Gun-Ho, “Oh, you know what? An executive officer from their purchasing department and a manager want to visit GH Machines in the near future. I’d better start cleaning and organizing our factory, getting ready for their visit.”

“I guess you will be very busy.”

“I am. It’s actually driving me crazy. I have too much work to do, and I feel like I don’t have enough time to do it all. I have to make an adjustment on the production cost for Isehara Machines, and I have to prepare to obtain the certificate— TS 16949. Also, I have to oversee the production in GH Machines, listen to my workers to see if they have any complaints about the work environment, check our company’s loss and profit and approve the relevant documents, do sales work and things like that. I am extremely busy these days.”

“Hmm, yeah, it sounds like you have a very tiring life now.”

“Looking back at my life, I had a happy life when I worked at GH Mobile. Now I totally understand what kind of distresses President Song has been going through. I used to talk badly about him behind his back, but now I realize what I had seen before was not all.”

“Haha. I guess that you are experiencing growing pains. Just hang in there, you will have a good outcome soon.”

“Sometimes, I want to run away from all of these. I feel like who cares about being the president of a company.”

“Don’t be silly. By the way, how did Assistant Manager Seo’s little brother do during the trip? Was he helpful?”

“It was a good decision to bring him with me to Japan. He is very social, and he seemed to easily get close to one of the staff at Isehara Machines’ trading department. Since they both work in the trading area, they speak English, and it seems they hit it off as well. I think that our Manager Seo will be able to directly deal with Isehara Machines’ trading department in shipping our products. They won’t have any problems talking through the phone.”

“You gave him the position of manager?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t introduce him to the people in Japan as just staff of our company, so I appointed him as a manager in our trading team. I already printed out his business card accordingly. I’m paying him the wage to the level of a staff member, but his job title is a manager.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The people in Isehara Machines commented that our company’s business cards look pretty. I guess that GH Media’s design team lead did a great job in making our business cards.”

“Okay. Well, you are probably very tired from the trip to Japan. You should go home early today and take a deep rest.”

“Thank you, bro.”

As he got off the phone with Jong-Suk, Gun-Ho chuckled.

‘I can see Jong-Suk is suffering as he runs his own business. He will be fine. He just needs to keep on going like that for a year.’

At that moment, Gun-Ho received a call from Jong-Suk Park again.

“Bro, I forgot to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“When I was having a meeting with the executive officer in Isehara Machines’ purchasing department, its president stopped by the meeting room to greet me. He then gave an instruction to that executive officer.”

“What instruction?”

“He told the executive officer at their purchasing department that he should meet with President Gun-Ho Goo when he visits GH Machines in Korea.”

“Meet with me? How does Isehara Machines’ president know my name?”

“I guess that Miura Machines’ president told him about you.”

“How old do you think is Isehara Machines’ president?”

“I think he is in his 70s at least. He has some dark spots on his face. I was told that he is the owner president of that company.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Their plant manager, who Mr. Sakata Ikuzo knows well, seems to be in his 60s as well.”

“Oh, how is Mr. Sakata Ikuzo doing? Is he well?”

“He looked healthy. He asked me to say hello to you for him.”

“I see. I appreciate his effort to help us deal with the Isehara Machines.”

“I gave a present to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo; you know the ceramic vase. He liked it a lot.”

“Is that right? That’s good.”

Gun-Ho’s Bentley arrived at GH Building in Sinsa Town. Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“Chan-Ho, it’s almost 5 pm. Let’s just go home for the day.”

“Yes, sir.”

On the way home in his car, Gun-Ho received a text message from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son. It was the daily report.

[Purchased 34,800 shares at 5,620. We are now holding 214,000 shares.]

Gun-Ho replied to him right away.

[Well done.]

Gun-Ho took a rest at home on Saturday and Sunday. He spent time with his boy— Sang-Min during the whole weekend. Sang-Min was almost 9 months old. He crawled on the floor. He could say the words— mom and dad. He grabbed whatever he could reach, and put them in his mouth if he could.

Gun-Ho played with him under the comforter or under the bed playing hide-and-seek.

On Sunday, Young-Eun’s aunt came to Gun-Ho’s home to visit them.

“Oh, my goodness. Sang-Min grew up a lot. Sang-Min, let me hug you. Come here, boy.”

Sang-Min started crying. It seemed that he recognized Young-Eun’s aunt as a stranger. Young-Eun laughed and said, “Auntie, Sang-Min is a shy boy. He only knows his mom, dad, and our helper lady. Everyone else is a stranger to him for now.”

Gun-Ho added with a smile, “Haha. Sang-Min doesn’t know his little grandma yet. He doesn’t seem to recognize her.”

Young-Eun’s aunt screamed, “What did you say? A little grandma? Oh, my gosh. Am I a grandma already?!”

Young-Eun laughed.

“Auntie, you are a grandma to Sang-Min.”

“You’re right. I am a grandma to him, but I don’t know. I don’t feel like a grandma yet. I’m not even married yet.”

“It doesn’t matter. Regardless of your marital status, you are a grandma to him.”

“Stop saying that. I feel hungry. Let me get some food.”

Gun-Ho laughed out loud as Young-Eun’s aunt seemed to be sensitive about her being a grandmother.

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho didn’t go to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town nor Dyeon Korea in Asan City. He, instead, went to GH Building in Sinsa Town to work.

When he was enjoying his morning tea while reading an economic newspaper, Director Kang entered the office with a smile.

“Sir, I was wondering who were those people who came to visit our office last time.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“You know, two people visited our office last week, one lady and one man. I think I recognized the lady. She once visited our office when we were running a business with OneRoomTels. I believe that she used to sell fire insurance. But, I have no idea who the man is.”

“Oh, them. I’m running an investment company, and they are working for me. That man used to work in a bank before, just like you, Mr. Director Kang.”

“Is that right? Which bank was it, sir?”

“He used to work for Gangnam Bank.”

“Oh, I see.”

After Director Kang left the office, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in China.

“It’s Woon-Hak Sim, sir. The media here covered our movie preview that we had last Friday, as expected. It certainly drew a lot of public attention.”

“Is that right?”

“Mori Aikko looked gorgeous in the photo on newspapers. They referred to her as a fairy from Japan.”

“A fairy? Haha.”

“Mori Aikko seemed to draw more attention than Lia— you know the Korean actress who we worked with before.”

“Is that right?”

“Chinese people are usually not very favorable toward Japanese people, but many of them like Japan individually. Those people are big fans of Japanese products such as their vehicles, home appliances, actors and actresses, etc. Even though they seem to boycott Japanese products all the time, a lot of Japanese vehicles are often seen on the roads in China.”

“That’s true.”

“When you have time, sir, please check Chinese web portals. There is a video clip recorded during the movie preview.”

“What video clip are you talking about?”

“You remember that Mori Aikko did a short dance performance during the movie preview, don’t you? Her dance video clip has been uploaded to Chinese web portals.”

“Really?”

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Chapter 858 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 1

Chapter 858: Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

“President Goo? It’s me. The Chinese partner wants to hold a board meeting this coming Thursday. Is it okay with you? You should be here. Their National Congress of the Communist Party of China will be held soon, and they want to finish the board meeting before that. If you can’t make it this Thursday, they want to know when you would be available for the meeting.”

“Is the terminal building completed?”

“The building itself is done. They are doing some finishing work inside the construction now, which cost a lot.”

Gun-Ho hadn’t been busy lately. He had plenty of spare time, so he thought that it would be nice to go on a trip to Guizhou Province, China.

“Did you say Thursday? That sounds fine. I will be there.”

“I will prepare the profit and loss documents as of October. I will make the report by the board of meeting.”

“Sounds good. After the profit and loss report is made in the meeting, we will need to talk about any issues that either party has. Did they mention anything about it?”

“I was wondering about it as well, so I asked around, but I couldn’t find anything yet. If I learn something about it before the board meeting, I will give you a call.”

“Okay. Since the board meeting will be held on Thursday, I will arrive in Guizhou province, China on the day before that— Wednesday. Sent me a car to the Guizhou airport by then.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho gave a call to President Geun-Soo Son in SH Investment Partners.

“I’m going on a trip to China this Wednesday. Do we have enough funds to handle the stock during my absence?”

“Will it be okay that I give you a call about it after today’s stock market is closed? There are some people who are selling a significant volume of the stock today. I’m buying those stocks right now, so I will have to see how things go at the end of today.”

“Do you think that those people are institutional investors?”

“I’m not sure, sir. I don’t know what types of investors they are, but I’m trying to maintain the stock price around 5,600 won by buying their stock.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ve been monitoring the stock movement all day today, and I’ve noticed that they stop selling their stock when the price goes below 5,600 won before resuming their selling activities. I think that they set up the automated selling request.”

“Hmm. Buy the stock at 5,600 won as well.”

“Yes, sir. I will give you a report on it as soon as the stock market is closed for today.”

Gun-Ho looked outside the window from his office on the 18th floor. The weather was warm today. Gun-Ho walked out of his office building without any specific plan about what to do. He then took the subway. It had been a while since the last time he took the subway.

“How much is the subway fare these days? I have no idea how much it is.”

Gun-Ho took the subway line no. 3 and got off at the Dongguk University Station.

“I will get off here and have lunch. I will then take a walk at the Jangchungdan Park.”

Gun-Ho had his lunch at Hamheung cold noodle restaurant located near the Dongguk University Station, by himself. After having a cup of coffee to finish his lunch, he took a walk at the Jangchungdan Park.

“A lot of people are here, maybe because of the path to Nam Mountain. I see many office workers too. They seem to take a walk here during their lunchtime.”

Gun-Ho was walking at the park along with many other office workers. After a while, Gun-Ho felt warm, and took off his jacket; he then hung his jacket on his shoulder.

“I see other people who are doing the same thing.”

Some of the office workers, who were walking near Gun-Ho, glanced at Gun-Ho from time to time. It seemed that they were wondering if Gun-Ho was working at the same company as them. Gun-Ho actually looked like a typical manager or a team lead in a company. That reminded Gun-Ho of what Young-Eun had told him before.

She had said, “You looked like a mediocre salaryman who was working for a big company.”

Gun-Ho took it as he looked like someone who adjusted himself well in an office worker’s life, rather than a businessman. As a matter of fact, he acted as such a person. For example, he rarely yelled at people. He barely got upset either. He tended to pay attention to people when they talked, and he often gave feedback to them by saying, “Hmm, really?” or “Hmm, I see.” He was not tall or short either. His weight was normal for his height as well.

“I look mediocre. Is that why Young-Eun liked me at the beginning of our relationship?”

In fact, Young-Eun felt comfortable when she met Gun-Ho for the first time. He didn’t look rich, but he looked like a mediocre office worker. He didn’t look arrogant either like some medical doctors did in her work field. He wasn’t very attractive to her though. But, as she got to know Gun-Ho better, she learned that he was unexpectedly a wealthy man who knew how to respect women.

Gun-Ho seemed to be someone who had a strong ability to make a living. Young-Eun thought that he was a good man as a spouse because he wouldn’t let his wife suffer in life. She had seen a lot of medical doctors who opened their own practice and failed. Most of them eventually became someone with a low credit score. Those people seemed to know how to get a good grade in school, but not very good at making a living. Also, Gun-Ho looked like someone who would limitlessly understand and respect her choices in life such as keeping her career as a medical doctor and other stuff.

Young-Eun had a better educational and family background than Gun-Ho, but he seemed to be superior to her in other areas in life. Also, she was certain that he would respect her family as well.

Gun-Ho hadn’t disappointed her so far. He was doing very good as a husband. Moreover, Young-Eun’s friends were jealous of her having a husband like Gun-Ho who owned a public company that was registered with KOSDAQ, and also owned a building in Gangnam District. Her friends were melted in Gun-Ho’s thoughtfulness and care towards Young-Eun when he bought her a luxurious vehicle— Genesis.

Young-Eun was also a very good wife to Gun-Ho. She was intelligent, and she was not arrogant. She wasn’t very high maintenance either. She hadn’t changed after marrying Gun-Ho either.

Gun-Ho kept walking in the park. The office workers, who were walking there as Gun-Ho, were probably thinking about how to get a better position at their work and make more money, so they could buy a home someday. On the other hand, Gun-Ho was thinking about how to make 1 trillion won.

‘I don’t want to make that much money through my business, but I want to possess 1 trillion won as an individual. In order to achieve that goal, I’m putting my foot forward one step after another every day.

I started the joint venture, and made one of my companies a public company. And, I recently established a private equity fund firm, and I’m buying the stock like a crazy person. This is my first step to get closer to my goal— 1 trillion won. I will someday help my neighbors and other people who are in need of help, and also I want to contribute to society. But that will have to wait until I achieve my 1 trillion won goal.’

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Chapter 859 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 2

Chapter 859: Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 2

After one and half hour’s walking in the park, Gun-Ho took the subway line no. 3 again, and came back to his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. When it was almost 4 pm, Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son. He usually sent a text message at the end of the day to give a brief report to Gun-Ho, but that day, he gave him a call instead.

“We are currently holding 530,000 shares. The average price that we had spent per share is 5,600 won.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The funds that we have invested in the stock market so far is 2.968 billion won, sir. The 3 billion won that Ms. Seung-Hee Park had sent to the company’s business bank account is almost depleted. What do you want me to know starting tomorrow, sir?”

“I want you to do the same work from tomorrow as well. I will send you an additional fund of 5 billion won.”

“Huh? Did you say 5 billion won, sir?”

President Geun-Soo Son couldn’t say a word for a moment. He was startled at the significant amount of money that Gun-Ho just mentioned. He had worked at a bank for a long time before, but he hadn’t seen many people who were able to transfer a substantial amount of money like 5 billion won like Gun-Ho, even among rich VIP clients.

‘How much money on earth does this young business owner possess?’ President Geun-Soo Son thought, and then he said, “Yes, sir. I will continue my work buying the stock as I receive the funds tomorrow.”

“You have done well today in procuring the stock. I want you to go home now to take a rest. Your eyes must feel tired. You probably want to have a glass of cool beer before going home, and take a sauna.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After getting off the phone with President Geun-Soo Son, Gun-Ho made a call to Seung-Hee sister.

“I want you to transfer a fund of 5 billion won early tomorrow morning.”

“Did you say 5 billion won?”

“It is a substantial amount of money, and for that reason, you need to give the stock brokerage company a heads-up about the intended fund transfer in advance. You will have to come to my office tomorrow morning since you need to go to the stock brokerage company in person with the stock account card.”

“Okay. I will be there by 9 am tomorrow. And, thank you.”

“Thank me for what?”

“You let me file for Four Major Public Insurance. It was actually burdensome for me to pay for my medical insurance every month. Now, I don’t have to do it since the company takes care of it for me. Also, since my record is now showing that I’m working, I can later apply for the pay for suspension of work. I’m so grateful for all of these benefits that I can enjoy now, even though I don’t do much for this job.”

“Don’t say that, Seung-Hee sister. You’ve been helping me a lot. Well, I will see you tomorrow then.”

Later that day, Gun-Ho received a message through KakaoTalk from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son. He sent a picture of the company’s stock account. It showed the total number of shares that the company owned, the estimated value of them, etc. Gun-Ho replied to him stating that well received.

The following day, Seung-Hee sister showed up at Gun-Ho’s office in the GH Building. She looked vibrant and relaxed.

“Give me the stock account card. I will go to the stock brokerage firm now.”

Gun-Ho smiled as he handed her the stock account card. About 30 minutes after Seung-Hee sister walked out of Gun-Ho’s office heading to the stock brokerage firm, Gun-Ho received a text message from President Geun-Soo Son.

[I just verified that the fund is received. I’m seeing some automated selling requests for the stock today again. I will buy them.]

Gun-Ho arrived at the airport in Guiyang City which was the capital of Guizhou Province in China. He went there to attend the board meeting of his joint venture company. Jae-Sik Moon was waiting for him at the airport to pick him up.

“President Goo!”

“President Moon!”

The two men hugged each other delightedly.

“Hey, you gained some weight, didn’t you?” Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik.

“I guess I’ve been eating too much oily Chinese food here.”

“How is your family doing? Did your baby grow a lot?”

“Yeah, they are fine. Soon-Young’s mom had been eating the same food as me, but she hadn’t gained any weight. I guess that’s because she works a lot by busily moving around. I’m the only one who gained weight. President Goo, your belly is bulging too.”

“Yeah. I need to work out. I guess I’m taking too much nap while sitting on the sofa in the office.”

“You can see and know everything even while you are taking a nap, huh?”

“Let me beat you up a bit, man.”

“Haha. I’m just saying.”

While having a conversation, the two men arrived at the area where Jae-Sik Moon’s Audi was parked. His chauffeur quickly got out of the car and gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho, in a Korean style.

“Haha. This man knows well how to greet someone in a Korean style.”

“Haha, yeah, I guess so. He has been driving for a Korean boss for a long time after all.”

In the car, Gun-Ho asked Jae-Sik Moon.

“Did you hear anything from the Chinese partners?”

“I heard that they want to terminate the joint venture, and finish the terminal project on their own.”

“What about the intercity bus business?”

“I think that will be the main issue to discuss during tomorrow’s board meeting.”

“Hmm.”

“To be honest with you, I used to be worried a lot about if they would decide to terminate the joint venture.”

“What about now?”

“Now, working for the joint venture is not the only job that I have here, but I’m running the KFC, the deep-fried chicken restaurant, and the pizza restaurant. So, I’m okay even though I would have to quit the joint venture company. But, I will have to move out from the condo where I’m living now since it was bought with the name of the joint venture. Also, I will have to return this Audi as well.”

“Don’t worry about it. It wouldn’t be that easy for them to drive us out of the intercity bus business. Terminating the joint venture is maybe more difficult for them to do than for us. They are government employees, and in order to terminate the joint venture, they will have to make a long report to the government and get approval and ratification stuff. They have to comply with their own procedure to do it. They are in a different position from us. So, the process would be more complicated and difficult for them. That is probably good for us.”

“That sounds right, but…”

It usually took 3 hours from Guiyang City to Antang City, but with the automobile-only road, it only took 2.5 hours.

“Huh? That’s our bus.”

An express bus passed by the Audi that Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik were sitting in. On the side of the bus, Gun-Ho could clearly see the bus company’s name— GH Antang Transportation Company. Gun-Ho felt pleased to see it.

“We are not in Antang City yet, but I still can see a bus with GH logo on.”

“Of course. We will see the GH logo everywhere in the world soon, don’t you think? Korean people feel content and proud when they see the Samsung or Hyundai logo when they are overseas, like in the European countries, for a trip or something. GH logo can be one of them.”

“Hmm, you are right.”

The Audi continued to drive. They passed by enormous open fields, huge mountains, and a sunshiny river. Gun-Ho, who was enjoying the scenic view, asked Jae-Sik Moon.

“What time will the board meeting be held tomorrow?”

“It’s scheduled for 10 am. Once we arrive in Antang City today, you will check in to the hotel, and then we will head to GH Food Company.”

“Oh, that’s right. I can stop by the restaurants as well.”

“Of course. You should see our KFC, deep-fried chicken restaurant, and the pizza restaurant. They are huge in size unlike similar restaurants in Korea. If I ran restaurants in those sizes in Incheon City or Bupyeong District in Korea, I would have been deemed to be a rich man.”

“Well, you can have that sort of restaurant in Bupyeong District after you retire.”

“You probably want to stop by and see the condos in Huaxi Huayuan as well. The area is well developed now. A lot of powerful people are living there such as high-ranking government officers. Maybe that’s why the area is now very well developed like well-paved roads to give them more convenience or something.”

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Chapter 860 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 1

Chapter 860: Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho visited GH Food Co., Ltd. The office was located on the 4th floor in the same building where the KFC was situated. The office was about 20 pyung large. There was no separate president’s office, but its desk was separated from the rest of the office space by partitions. They had a few workers in the office. And, there was a round table and chairs placed for visitors as well.

“Hi. How have you been?”

Jae-Sik Moon’s wife greeted Gun-Ho with a smiley face. She quickly dragged one of the chairs at the round table and recommended Gun-Ho a chair to sit.

“The office is not very large. I hope you don’t feel uncomfortable sitting here.”

“Not at all. I’m good. Thank you.”

As soon as Gun-Ho sat at the round table, a lady worker brought a tea which he had never had before.

“This tea is popular among one of China’s ethnic minorities. It doesn’t taste bad at all. Please try it.”

Gun-Ho took a sip of the tea. It tasted like an arrowroot in Korea.

Jae-Sik Moon’s wife then introduced a man to Gun-Ho, who looked like he was in his late 20s.

“This is my little brother. He is handling trading work in the office.”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat and extended his hand to him for a handshake. The young man showed Gun-Ho great respect as he held Gun-Ho’s hand for a handshake.

“How is the trading work here?”

“We import products from Korea and sell them here locally. That business is generating about 100 million won per month, sir.”

“How much profit does the business make then?”

“We make about 10 million won on a daily basis.”

“Do you ship Chinese products to Korea to sell them in the Korean market as well?”

“We sell some agricultural products to Korea, but they are marginal.”

There were a lot of empty boxes in various sizes, piled up in the office. They were probably used to ship products that they were selling online. Gun-Ho looked around the office and felt a bit suffocated because of its small size.

“Can I take a look at the restaurants?”

“I will show you around,” Jae-Sik Moon’s wife said as she stood up from her seat. She was in good shape. She was agile and quick. She seemed to be a diligent businesswoman who moved around busily all the time. She also looked sophisticated with high-end designer clothes and all.

Gun-Ho stopped by the KFC first. It was spacious, and the restaurant was packed with a lot of customers. Jae-Sik Moon’s wife explained about the status of the business.

“This KFC restaurant generates approximately 20,000 Yuan on a daily basis. When we opened the restaurant, we received tons of customers for a while, and then we lost some of them as time went by as well. After a high-rise residential building was constructed across the street, and a lot of people moved in there, we recovered our sales about the same as the beginning of our business. We are leasing a space of 200 pyung from Antang Engineering College for this KFC restaurant, but we are sharing the space with the café next door.”

“Since GH Food’s office is located in the same building, it’s convenient to manage the restaurant, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. I travel back and forth between the office and the restaurant several times in a day.”

“That must be a good exercise for you too since you have to use the stairs. There is no elevator in the building, isn’t there?”

“Haha, right. There is no elevator. I keep asking Soon-Young’s dad to do some exercise too, but he never does. He gained a lot of weight recently.”

“Haha, really?”

Jae-Sik Moon’s wife showed Gun-Ho the deep-fried chicken restaurant next door. Gun-Ho was expecting to see a typical deep-fried chicken restaurant that served beer as well, which could be often found in Korea, but it looked more like a café. The interior was decorated with vibrant colors, and it reminded him of a bar. They also served simple snacks such as fruits and beef jerky along with the main dish—deep-fried chicken. They offered dried duck meat as well, which was a very Chinese dish, Gun-Ho thought. Several customers were scattered in the restaurant. Most of them were young people.

“This is a popular café among young and sophisticated people in Antang City. But, it’s only generating around 7,000 Yuan per day. Unlike the KFC, we don’t provide a to-go service, and many customers tend to spend a long time sitting at a table. That is probably the reason why it doesn’t make as much money as the KFC.”

“Draft beer here must be very popular, isn’t it?”

“As a matter of fact, draft beer is the most popular menu here. Haha.”

Jae-Sik Moon’s wife always covered her mouth with her hand whenever she laughed. She didn’t look depressed at all as she used to look when she had worked in the book café on the rooftop in GH Building, Sinsa Town, Korea. She looked vibrant now.

“Thank you for showing me around.”

“You should see the pizza restaurant too.”

“Sure. Shall we?”

The pizza restaurant was also very roomy as well. A pizza restaurant in Korea cannot be compared to this one. It was huge. The restaurant even had a small playground for children as well in the back of the restaurant. Maybe that was why Gun-Ho could see a lot of young mothers with kids.

“Hmm, I see a lot of children too.”

“Just like kids in Korea, children here love deep-fried chicken and pizza. The sales of this pizza restaurant is on the rise. Its monthly sales increased about 7,000 Yuan recently. Its daily sales are exceeding 2.5 million Korean won per day.”

“I see you have a salad bar where customers freely serve themselves.”

“Right. Ever since we started offering the salad bar, we always have had customers in the restaurant.”

“I think you are an incredible businesswoman. You are managing three restaurants by yourself. You also run a trading business as well.”

“I have you watching my back, Mr. President Goo. I can’t do all these by myself. Hahaha.”

Jae-Sik Moon’s wife laughed a lot, Gun-Ho thought. She wasn’t like that when she was in Korea.

Jae-Sik Moon seemed to be proud of his wife. He said, “My wife is doing better than me in China. She is now considered a public figure in this area, as the president of GH Food Company.”

“Is that right?”

“When there was a flood in the area, she helped local people who were in need of help by distributing relief goods and supplies with her employees. She was on TV and newspapers at that time.”

“Really?”

“They said that a Korean business owner lady who is running a KFC and a pizza restaurant in Huaxi Road helped the local people who are desperately in need of help by distributing relief goods and supplies, with her workers. They also stated that she was praised by the local community for her efforts, support, and contribution in this difficult time, in recovering from the disaster. I sent the relevant newspaper clipping to my friends in Korea at that time.”

“Oh, you did?”

“The company was, at that time, selected as one of the excellent firms in the area, by the municipal government.”

“Haha, really? Maintaining good relationships with the local community is very important for the business so is their good evaluation of the business. Very well done. In that regard, I think your wife is way better than you, President Moon.”

Jae-Sik Moon smiled as Gun-Ho highly spoke of his wife.

Jae-Sik Moon said, “Let’s go out and have dinner. There is a new Korean restaurant around here.”

“A Korea restaurant? A Korean person moved in the area and opened a restaurant around here?”

“He is not Korean, but he is actually Korean Chinese. He saved a lot of money working in Korea as a labor worker and opened a restaurant here. Their food is not bad at all. He is running the restaurant with his wife, they hired a few workers. The restaurant is gaining popularity right now.”

“I see. Well, let’s go there then. We want to ask your wife to join us for dinner too.”

“I’m good, but thank you,” Jae-Sik Moon’s wife said.

“You should join us. I insist.”

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Chapter 861 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 2

Chapter 861: Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 2

Jae-Sik Moon’s wife was calling home. She probably wanted to talk to a helper lady at home.

“Auntie? It’s me. I have a guest from Korea today and will have to have dinner outside. I’m sorry that you need to stay there a bit late today. Oh, the baby is sleeping right now? Why don’t you have dinner there then? If you go to the veranda, there is dried duck meat. You can have that.”

Listening to Jae-Sik Moon’s wife speaking with a Chinese helper lady on the phone, Gun-Ho was very impressed by her fluency in Chinese. Her pronunciation sounded perfect just like a native Chinese speaker, and also, she was talking very fast. Gun-Ho knew several people who could speak Chinese well in GH companies, and she was definitely the person who was the most fluent in Chinese among them.

“I think I mentioned this before. You speak Chinese unbelievably fluently. It’s amazing given the fact that you haven’t been in China for a long time at all.”

Jae-Sik Moon smiled and said, “I think she was Chinese in her previous life.”

“Her Chinese is definitely the best among us. Min-Hyeok Kim is the next, who is living with a Chinese wife. I guess you and I are the ones who need to practice more.”

“You are good. I’m the one who needs to study.”

Jae-Sik laughed in embarrassment.

“Oh, you know what? Maybe we should ask Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo to come and join us for dinner in the Korean restaurant. You know, the interpreter lady.”

“Sounds good. She is Korean Chinese as well. Maybe the restaurant owners will be delighted to see another Korean Chinese.”

“Yeah. She loves to go to that restaurant whenever I ask her to go there.”

Gun-Ho, Jae-Sik Moon, and his wife headed to the Korean restaurant. Since he was told that it was a Korean restaurant, Gun-Ho expected to see cooked rice with some popular Korean dishes such as Bulgogi*. But, surprisingly their main dish was dog meat. The restaurant business sign was written in red. It said ‘We offer dog meat.’

“People here could misunderstand by looking at their business sign that every Korean person enjoys dog meat.”

Gun-Ho said as he felt embarrassed. Jae-Sik Moon laughed and said, “I know, right? I once received a gift from the workers in the terminal. They gave me dog meat.”

“They gave you dog meat as a gift?”

“They grilled dog meat and wrapped it with a newspaper and brought it to me. When I took it home, Soon-Young’s mom screamed.”

“Haha. Yeah, she must be frightened.”

“The thing is that I took her to this restaurant later and had dog meat with her. Now, she eats dog meat.”

“Really? Well, let’s try their dog meat then today. I guess they don’t call the dish as dog meat soup like we do in Korea, huh?”

“No, they don’t make a soup with dog meat, but it’s just Gourou (dog meat).”

Gun-Ho entered the restaurant as Jae-Sik Moon showed him. The restaurant was about 50 pyung large.

“Mr. President Goo, it has been a while.”

It was Eun-Hwa Jo. She was already in the restaurant waiting for Gun-Ho’s party.

“Oh, Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo. How have you been?”

Gun-Ho and Eun-Hwa Jo had a handshake delightedly.

“We will have a board meeting tomorrow. I guess you will be busy tomorrow, Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo.”

“That’s my job. It’s okay. By the way, Mr. President Goo, you look good.”

“Haha, really? Thank you. You look fine yourself too, Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo.”

At that moment, a man who looked like he was in his 50s came to Gun-Ho’s party’s table and greeted them.

“It’s very nice to meet you. I’ve been to Korea for a long time before. I used to work there.”

“Oh, you are the owner of the restaurant. Nice to meet you too.”

“I came to this area and opened this Korean restaurant because I was told that there was no Korean restaurant here.”

“Oh, I see. How’s the business doing?”

“It’s doing okay. President Moon comes to our restaurant from time to time and gives me a lot of support.”

“Really? It seems that your restaurant’s main dish is dog meat, isn’t it?”

“In the beginning, we offered other seemingly popular Korean dishes such as Doenjang-jjigae* and Kimchi-jjigae. But we didn’t have enough customers back then. Once we started serving dog meat, we have been getting more customers. We need to target Chinese customers rather than Korean customers here after all.”

“Well, I’d like to try your dog meat dish today.”

“Our two popular dishes are sliced boiled dog meat and soup. I will prepare them for you.”

There was no customer when Gun-Ho’s party sat at the table there. Gun-Ho, Jae-Sik Moon, his wife, Eun-Hwa Jo, and Jae-Sik Moon’s chauffeur who drove his Audi were the only customers at that moment. Those five people sat at a round table and enjoyed boiled dog meat and soup. They tasted not bad at all. Eun-Hwa Jo and Jae-Sik Moon’s wife seemed to love the dishes. The chauffeur ate a lot as well.

“Hao Chi (It’s delicious).”

The chauffeur raised his thumb and kept saying ‘Hao Chi’ several times while eating the food.

The following day was the day when GH Antang Transportation Company’s board meeting would be held. It was held in a meeting room of a hotel near Antang City’s terminal, called Hong Feng Fandian.

Antang City’s Changtu Qiche (intercity bus company)’s President Runsheng Yan and the joint venture’s Vice President Chun Chang were in the meeting room already.

“Hey, President Goo.”

“President Yan! It has been a while. Vice President Chang, it’s good to see you again.”

They had a handshake delightedly for the moment even though they had unsettled issues between them. When Gun-Ho saw the office manager and the accounting manager, he extended his hand to them for a handshake as well.

In the meeting room, the Chinese partners—the president, vice president, and the accounting manager—and the Korean partners—Gun-Ho, Jae-Sik Moon, and Eun-Hwa Jo—sat at the table facing each other. The office manager was standing to lead the board meeting.

The office manager lady announced that the board meeting would start now.

“Antang GH Yunshu Youxian Gongsi Dongshihui Huiyi Kaishi (Antang GH Transportation Company’s board meeting will begin).”

She continued, “We will start with the joint venture’s report on this year’s performance. The joint venture’s president—Mr. President Jae-Sik Moon—will give the report.”

Jae-Sik Moon stood up from his seat and distributed relevant documents to the attendees. Several papers were stapled together. He then began giving the report.

“Our joint venture is currently owning 9 buses in total, and we are providing transportation services in the area here and there… Banche Hui Shu (number of operational buses) is…”

As Jae-Sik Moon gave the report in Korean, Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo’s interpretation into the Chinese language ensued. That made the meeting long enough to make Gun-Ho feel bored. Gun-Ho Goo, who could understand both languages—Korean and Chinese—wanted to ask them to skip the interpretation part, but he couldn’t do that since it was a board meeting of a joint venture company where Korean and Chinese partners worked together.

“Well, you don’t have to give us all the details, but please tell us only the sales that the company made.”

As Gun-Ho made the request, Jae-Sik Moon gave the amount of the sales revenue and the operational cost. That alone took them 1 hour. After taking a ten-minute break, the meeting resumed. It was around 11 am.

The office manager announced that the board meeting would resume.

“We will now continue our board meeting. Next, we will hear the business plan for the next year. Mr. President Runsheng Yan, please give us the business plan on the terminal project.”

Runsheng Yan started making complaints and grievances on the things related to the terminal project. It seemed to be well planned.

Note*

Bulgogi – Grilled beef which was marinated with all sorts of vegetables and soy sauce.

Doenjang-jjigae – A Korean soybean paste stew.

Kimchi-jjigae – A Korean stew made with Kimchi.

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Chapter 862 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 1

Chapter 862: Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 1

President Runsheng Yan, who was speaking while representing the interest of the Chinese partners of GH Antang Transportation Company, sounded a bit upset.

“The reason why we decided to work with a foreign business partner in the form of a joint venture in the first place was to use their advanced management skills and methods in running the transportation business and constructing the terminal. However, nothing seems to be achieved here. Korean business partners didn’t even keep their promise, by refusing to send the second investment funds. As a result, we are having difficult times.”

“Please go on.”

“The terminal that we are constructing right now is there to serve the public interest, meaning that we can’t buy or sell the property without limitations or restrictions. Antang City’s municipal government already ratified its construction and its use for the terminal, and they approved that the project would be done by the joint venture with Korean partners. However, our Korean partners have kept asking to change the status of the property to Zhuanrang land, and I don’t understand why this is so important for them. I can’t think of any other reasons for their request on this than intending to transfer the land to someone else, or taking out a loan using the land as collateral.”

Gun-Ho replied, “We are still keeping our stance on it. We want the land to become Zhuanrang land. Whether we are going to use the land to take out a loan or not is not the issue here. We want that to happen before we send our second investment funds.”

“Korean partners are so ignorant about the law and systems in China.”

“We are not talking about Korean or Chinese law or systems, but we need to comply with international custom and practice.”

“Please direct me to a relevant international law that states that the Chinese land has to be transferred to Zhuanrang land to continue the business.”

“It is common sense in business. You have to own the land in order to do something with it, don’t you think?”

Gun-Ho and President Runsheng Yan raised their voices, and that created an intimidating atmosphere in the meeting room. The other attendees at the meeting didn’t say a word.

President Runsheng Yan finally said, “We can’t continue our joint venture like this. I will let the Chinese partners finish constructing the terminal, and once the terminal is completed, I will dissolve Jianshe Xiaozu (construction team) within Antang City’s intercity bus company. At the same time, I intend to make a request to the municipal government that we will terminate the joint venture.”

“Terminating the joint venture? That’s fine. We just need the investment funds of 3 million dollars back, that we have invested in it so far.”

“We don’t have to give the funds back to the Korean partners because it is the Korean partners that breached the joint venture contract. The Korean partners didn’t have the intent or will to continue the joint venture in the first place anyway, did you?”

“Look, which contractual duty did the Korean partners breach? It was actually the Chinese partners that breach the contract. I had my investment funds ready, and I was going to send the second investment funds, and then I used those funds in purchasing five condos in the area instead because I couldn’t trust the Chinese partners. Are you still accusing me that I had no intent or will to continue the joint venture?”

As Gun-Ho and President Runsheng Yan raised their voices and continued to argue fiercely, the joint venture’s Vice President Chun Chang requested to take a break.

“You two need to take a break to calm down. Let’s take a ten-minute break and resume the meeting.”

“Okay. Sounds good.”

The Chinese partners walked out of the meeting room, and they seemed to have their own private meeting outside the room. The Korean partners, that stayed in the meeting room, looked dead serious with their arms crossed. The interpreter—Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo—seemed to feel very uncomfortable.

She asked, “What would happen to us if the joint venture is terminated?”

“Sons of bi*ches, do they think we can’t make a living without this joint venture business?”

As Gun-Ho blurted, Ms. Eun-Hwa Jo seemed to feel more uncomfortable.

Eun-Hwa Jo eventually walked out of the room. At that moment, Vice President Chun Chang asked Eun-Hwa Jo to talk with him.

“Hey, what did the Korean partners say about the situation?”

“They said that they can still make a living without the joint venture, and also said Wangba Dan (sons of b*tches).”

Vice President Chun Chang looked uneasy as he was hearing what Eun-Hwa Jo said. President Runsheng Yan, on the other hand, who was standing next to Vice President Chun Chang, smiled slightly in a way that no one would notice his smile.

President Runsheng Yan was currently running a group of Antang City’s transportation companies that had 10,000 workers. Many related businesses belong to those companies, such as an intercity bus business including passenger transportation and also cargo transportation, a terminal business, gas stations, etc.

Bus terminal businesses and bus businesses in China were ordinarily owned by the government. Therefore, President Runsheng Yan was a government worker. He had worked as the chief officer of the transportation department in Antang City before, and he was an expert in the field.

The board meeting continued.

President Runsheng Yan said with a smile, “Mr. President Goo, with all due respect, I’m asking this to you for one last time. I was told that you own several companies, and one of them became a public company very recently. You are a progressive businessman. Are you going to send the second investment funds?”

“I said this several times already. When two business partners with two different cultural backgrounds work together in the form of a joint venture, we need to comply with the basic common sense, and have the same goal and interest.”

“Can I take it as you agree to dissolve this joint venture?”

Vice President Chun Chang, who was sitting next to President Runsheng Yan, said, “The joint venture has more than 100 workers now. These people don’t want to terminate the joint venture. Even if the Korean partners give up on the terminal project, I think we should keep the intercity bus business.”

President Runsheng Yan crossed his arms in front of his chest, pretending that he was thinking about what Vice President Chun Chang just said.

“Hmm, even if they don’t work with us for the terminal project, we should let the intercity bus business go on?”

President Runsheng Yan released his arms and looked at Gun-Ho. He then said, “What do you think, Mr. President Goo? I mean what do you think about the suggestion that Vice President Chun Chang just made? You can take your hands off the terminal project, but you can keep the intercity bus business and not ask for the 3 million dollars back. The joint venture will continue then to the extent of the intercity bus business only.”

“Well… If that’s not what President Runsheng Yan insists as an individual, but that’s what those 100 workers want, I will have to think about it favorably for them.”

When President Runsheng Yan and Gun-Ho mentioned what the 100 workers wanted, it was just an excuse for them to achieve what they really wanted. They both were serving their own interests inside their heads. The two men pretended to start thinking hard with their arms crossed.

As Gun-Ho and President Runsheng Yan were seemingly lost in thought with their eyes closed, the other attendees in the meeting room kept staring at them vacantly without saying a word.

Finally, Gun-Ho opened his eyes as he released his arms.

“So, the joint venture for the intercity bus business will last 20 years?”

“The joint venture has run the business for a year now, so we have 19 more years left.”

“How many Xianlu Pai (bus lines) are you going to give us?”

“We will let you run 20 buses. It’s not what I decided, but it was a decision made by the city’s transportation department, meaning that there is nothing much I can do about it.”

“So, you are saying that instead of taking our 3 million dollars back, which we initially invested in the joint venture, we can keep the intercity bus business for the next 19 years by running 20 buses even though we don’t get involved in the terminal project.”

“That’s correct.”

“If we don’t make enough money by running 20 buses, I will lose my 3 million dollar investment funds.”

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Chapter 863 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 2

Chapter 863: Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 2

President Runsheng Yan said, “We don’t indiscreetly allow others to run bus lines in China. We carefully estimate the demand for the service before making the determination. That way, we can stabilize the employment of our people in the industry. I know that in Korea, a few large companies monopolize airline services and intercity bus services, but it’s different in China. We prioritize stable employment for our people.”

“Hmm.”

“The joint venture that President Jae-Sik Moon is running right now has only 9 buses. That’s why it doesn’t generate enough profits yet. Once it starts running 20 buses, it will generate 6 to 7% profits after tax, even after it pays 300 workers. I can guarantee that.”

“Hmm.”

“The profits reflect ticket sales fees.”

“Ticket sales fees?”

“Since the joint venture gives up participating in the terminal project, it has to pay us ticket sales fees. We are the ones that will run the terminal after all. The profits of 6 to 7% that I mentioned are reflecting the operational cost that includes these fees.”

Gun-Ho closed his eyes pretending that he was thinking about it.

After a while, Gun-Ho opened his eyes and said, “Okay. Let’s do it.”

“Alright. I don’t want the joint venture to be dissolved. It’s a shame that we can’t continue to work together for the terminal project, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t work together at all.”

“I agree with you. I prefer to terminate the joint venture and withdraw the business, but since the workers want to keep the company, I seem to have no choice. I’m expecting to receive a lot of help from President Runsheng Yan for the bus business, so we can safely have 20 buses.”

Everyone in the meeting room seemed to feel relieved by then. Gun-Ho initially expected to run the terminal as part of the joint venture’s business, but the joint venture became a smaller business as it gave up the terminal project. But, it was okay. The joint venture would continue without being dissolved anyway.

The office manager and the accounting manager smiled feeling relieved that the joint venture wouldn’t be terminated.

President Runsheng Yan asked for the office manager and said, “Please make a document with what President Goo—our Korean partner—and I just agreed on, and add it to Huiyi Jiyao (minutes of the meeting), and bring it to me. You brought your laptop, right?”

“Yes, sir. I will work on it right away, sir.”

Vice President Chun Chang announced, “We will take a break while the minutes of the meeting are being drafted.”

Gun-Ho and President Runsheng Yan stood up from their seats and had a handshake. They both grinned while looking at each other. It seemed that it was what they both wanted. Gun-Ho thought while looking at President Runsheng Yan’s greasy face, ‘He will be able to take out a loan from a bank using Ji Cheng Gao (a loan for the completed portion of an incomplete building) since the construction is almost finished. He already made a contribution to the government as he started building the terminal with a foreign investor’s funds. His contribution is already highly recognized by the government along with the director of the transportation department. He will safely keep his current position as the president of the group of transportation companies. Congratulations, President Runsheng Yan. I guess you achieved what you aimed for.’

President Runsheng Yan was thinking as well while gazing at Gun-Ho’s face.

‘This young man is very smart. He knows that the terminal project costs an enormous amount of money, and it will take forever to get his investment return from it. He can still make money by running the intercity bus business. It’s a good investment for him, compared to the money that he could make by leaving the same amount of funds in the bank and receiving interest income from the bank. So, he just wanted to keep the intercity bus business. Did he say that he had no choice but to keep the joint venture just because that’s what the workers desire? For the workers my as*. He and I are the same types of people. We don’t care about what workers want. We only care about what we will gain. Well, you will make your money as expected, President Goo. Congratulations.’

After about 20 minutes, the board meeting attendees gathered in the meeting room again. Gun-Ho and President Runsheng Yan signed the minutes of the meeting, and they had a handshake. The other meeting attendees clapped with a smile.

Vice President Chun Chang said, “Because the board meeting took more than we expected, it’s already past lunchtime. I will show you the restaurant for lunch today. The restaurant is located across the street from this hotel. It will only take 5 minutes to get there. We can walk. The name of the restaurant is ‘Jah Woon Chan Cheong.'”

The restaurant—Jah Woon Chan Cheong—was surprisingly huge in size and luxuriously decorated.

They were shown to a special room where they could see the restaurant’s garden. The room was large enough to accommodate 20 people. There was a round table in the middle of the room. President Runsheng Yan let Gun-Ho sit on a seat that was usually reserved for the most important person in the room. Gun-Ho expected President Runsheng Yan to sit next to him, but he left two seats vacant between him and Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho asked him, “Why don’t you sit next to me? We don’t have to keep distance like that. Please take the seat next to me. Do you dislike me that much?”

“Haha. That’s not what it is. The deputy mayor and the transportation department’s director will join us here for lunch today.”

“Deputy mayor and the director of the transportation department?”

Hot tea was served first, and side dishes ensued. Baiju that was made in Guizhou Province was served as well, and the food started coming out. At that moment, Deputy Mayor Lixian Zhang and the transportation department’s Director Shouyi Hu arrived.

“Hey, President Goo.”

“Oh, Deputy Mayor Lixian Zhang, and Director Shouyi Hu.”

Gun-Ho, the deputy mayor, and the transportation department’s director had a handshake in greeting with pleasure. The deputy mayor and the transportation department’s director also had a handshake with Jae-Sik Moon and asked him if he was doing okay with his business and all.

Once the deputy mayor and the transportation department’s director sat at the table, President Runsheng Yan gave them a report about the board meeting. The two men kept saying “hmm” and “hmm” while listening to him. At the end of the report, President Runsheng Yan showed them the minutes of the meeting which Gun-Ho and President Runsheng Yan signed. After looking at the minutes of the meeting for a long while, the deputy mayor handed it to the director of the transportation department and said, “Keyi (okay).”

The deputy mayor collected all of the empty glasses and placed them in front of him, and started filling them up with clear Baiju. He then distributed them to each person at the table.

“You all have done a great job today at the board meeting. It would have been nice if the joint venture company could continue to participate in the terminal project. It’s a shame that the joint venture had to withdraw from the project. However, President Runsheng Yan, who is sitting next to me, is showing his strong will to finish constructing the terminal on his own without help from the joint venture. And also, President Goo, who is representing our Korean partners, wants to keep the joint venture business as its workers strongly want it. It’s not a 100% satisfactory outcome, but the agreement that both parties reached is acceptable. Well, you all must have had a tiring day. Let’s drink! Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

The deputy mayor again filled up all of the glasses with Baiju for the second round.

“We will drink our next glass of liquor to wish the prosperity of the joint venture that we all decided to keep. Even though I might not be here, the transportation department’s director and President Runsheng Yan will support the joint venture in procuring as many bus lines as possible. Let’s drink for the joint venture! Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Gun-Ho looked at the deputy mayor with a surprising look on his face. He asked him, “Are you moving to somewhere else?”

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Chapter 864 - Stock Influenced by Politics (1) – Part 1

Chapter 864: Stock Influenced by Politics (1) – Part 1

The deputy mayor seemed to be in a good mood. He said after taking a sip of his Baiju, “I will be working in Changsha City, Hunan Province.”

“Changsha City?” Gun-Ho asked.

“Changsha City is the capital of Hunan Province. It has a population of more than 1.2 million. I will be working for the city. If you have a chance to visit there, please come and see me as well.”

“We have a region in Korea called Hunan. China has a province with the same name.”

“There is a large lake there, called Dongting Lake. We call the province north side of the lake as Hubei, and the south side of the lake as Hunan. The area around Dongting Lake is the Jingzhou that is depicted in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

“Oh, Dongting Lake and Jiangzhou are right there, I see. I guess I should go and visit the area someday.”

Gun-Ho drank alcohol more than usual that day. He wanted to. He felt somewhat relieved as he didn’t have to worry about what to do with the joint venture for the terminal project any longer. He felt like he could now fully focus on collecting Dyeon Korea’s stock. The only thing that bothered him a little bit was that the joint venture was no longer involved in the terminal project but only would be running the intercity bus business. The size of its business became smaller than he initially expected.

He asked Jae-Sik Moon, “President Moon, how are you feeling about giving up the terminal project?”

“I’m feeling alright.”

“You could have participated in running a large and advanced terminal here. That would have made you look really nice, wouldn’t it?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I have some people here who I want to impress. As Xiang Yu from the Warring States Period said, it would have been like walking in a rain wearing an outfit made of silk. I think it’s better this way. It made our business simpler which is good, I think. If we can run 20 buses as President Runsheng Yan said, we can make good money even with only the bus business. In addition, since it’s a bus business, we don’t have to worry about losing money. The business will never go down.”

Jae-Sik Moon drank a lot that day as he always did on every occasion.

The Chinese partners enjoyed drinking that day as well. The deputy mayor had a lot of drinks celebrating his leaving for the new position in another city. The department’s director and Antang City’s transportation company’s President Runsheng Yan also drank a lot, feeling relieved that the terminal project was now going in the direction as they wanted.

The following day, Gun-Ho went sightseeing as Jae-Sik Moon insisted that he should. Gun-Ho was usually not interested in visiting tourist spots even when he was traveling abroad, but this time, Jae-Sik Moon strongly recommended that he should see Huangguoshu Waterfall, especially because it was located in the vicinity of the area.

“As a matter of fact, my parents and also my parents-in-law visited this waterfall when they were here. Soon-Young’s mom and I showed them around.”

“Hmm, really? That’s nice.”

“They are familiar with small waterfalls in Korea. When they saw this waterfall, they couldn’t close their mouths in amazement. This waterfall is 77.8 meters high and 101 meters wide.”

“Haha. Is that right?”

“That’s why I insisted that you should see it since you are in the area anyway.”

“Your parents and parents-in-law must have been very happy when they traveled around with you.”

“They were indeed. They were so impressed when they saw me driving a luxurious car and living in a luxurious condo. Moreover, I am running a company here, being my own boss, which impressed them as well.”

“Haha, really?”

“My mother-in-law and father-in-law didn’t 100% believe when her daughter bragged about her husband running a company in China and about us living in a luxurious condo. They were startled when they saw us living large in China.”

“I can imagine how happy they were.”

“I will focus on running the intercity bus business and also operating GH Food Company from now on.”

“Yeah. I feel so relieved knowing that you are handling the work here in China.”

“GH Logistics is taking care of my Four Major Public Insurance as they still pay my salary as one of their employees. I believe I will be able to receive a national pension once I reach the age of retirement.”

“You probably wouldn’t have to rely on your national pension later. As you are doing very well here, I think you will be stabilized here within 10 years.”

“Thank you.”

As he entered the area to see Huangguoshu Waterfall, Gun-Ho bought some souvenirs. There were many merchants selling souvenirs to tourists at the entrance. They were not very well made, but when Gun-Ho gave them to Young-Eun and Chan-Ho Eom later, they seemed to be excited.

It had been several days since Gun-Ho came back from his trip to China. It was November 10th.

Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“The funds that you had sent to invest— 16.6 billion won— have been exhausted. What do you want me to do next, sir?”

“How many shares are we holding right now?”

“We have 2.87 million shares now, sir. Since the volume of the shares available to be traded in the stock market is very low now, I don’t see many selling request orders as many as before.”

“I will send you an additional amount of 1 billion won. I want you to buy more of them to make 3 million shares.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho already spent all of the funds that he had in Seung-Hee sister’s stock account, in buying Dyeon Korea’s stock. Now, he was about to invest an additional 1 billion won for it as he sent the fund to President Son to buy more shares. Once he sent 1 billion won to him, Gun-Ho called him right away.

“I just sent 1 billion won. Once you make our total shares of 3 million, just take a break for a while. You don’t have to work. You can read books or do something else that pleases you in the office until I give further instruction.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho was watching the news online.

They were talking about the election day of Gongmyeong Party for their leader. As the election day came close, they said that the candidates for the leader position were competing each other fiercely. This political party’s leader would be elected by voting of representatives, hundreds of thousands of Gongmyeong Party’s members with rights, and ARS voting.

‘The candidate— Jin-Woo Lee— is known to be a strong candidate for the leader position in his political party— Gongmyeong Party. If he gets elected as expected, and if he implies his intention to run for President, A Electronics’ stock price will go up high. With him becoming the leader of Gongmyeong Party, A Electronics wouldn’t directly get benefitted, but people might think differently. However, A Electronics’ stock price is high for little investors to make their investment in it. For that reason, maybe other stocks will become popular if those are somewhat related to Jin-Woo Lee.

The former Minister Jin-Woo Lee might not actually run for President even after he implies his intention to do so. But he would show people the possibility that he might run for President, which is good enough to affect some stock prices. Which stocks would be deemed as ‘Jin-Woo Lee’s stocks?’ There were stocks attached to Ki-Moon Ban, Cheol-Soo Ahn, even Seung-Min Yoo, and also Se-Hoon Oh.’

Gun-Ho suddenly felt goosebumps on his skin.

‘Dyeon Korea ‘stock might become “Jin-Woo Lee’s stock.” Jin-Woo Lee presided over Dyeon Korea’s president’s wedding. If the public learns about it, that could be a good factor that would affect the price of Dyeon Korea’s stock. A Electronics’ market capitalization is very high now, and that would make little investors hesitate to buy its stock. However, Dyeon Korea is low in stock price. Maybe Dyeon Korea’s stock price will be skyrocketing. Who knows?’

Gun-Ho had been buying Dyeon Korea’s stock covertly. After December, Dyeon Korea would make a public announcement about its performance this year. Gun-Ho knew that its operating income would be as high as 20% and that it would distribute the dividends with the profits. That would definitely make the stock price jump high. Moreover, it would have to make a separate announcement about its sales increase by 30%, which would also affect its stock price positively and greatly. Dyeon Korea’s current stock price was around 5,600 won, and it would jump to 7,000 won or even to 8,000 won.

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Chapter 865 - Stock Influenced by Politics (1) – Part 2

Chapter 865: Stock Influenced by Politics (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho thought about Dyeon Korea’s stock price.

‘Say Dyeon Korea’s stock price increases to 7,500 won. I’ve bought 3 million shares, and I will make more than 5 billion won from it then. SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son and Seung-Hee sister have been working for me in buying the stock, and I paid less than 1 million won for their labor cost, combined. The investment is successful. SH Investment Partners is working for my personal interest without letting the public know about it.’

Gun-Ho also thought about what would happen if Dyeon Korea’s stock was accepted by the public as “Candidate Jin-Woo Lee’s stock?” Gun-Ho couldn’t even guess how high Dyeon Korea’s stock price would increase if that happened.

At that moment, Gun-Ho received a call from GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro, how come you don’t come to GH Machines anymore?”

“I’ve been busy lately.”

“How was your trip to China? Did you see Jae-Sik bro there? He is doing alright, isn’t he?”

“He gave up the terminal project. He will focus on the intercity bus business only for now.”

“How did that happen?”

“A terminal project usually takes hundreds of millions of won. And, it wouldn’t give us a good investment return in the end anyway. Also, it will take forever to get the return as well.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know that. I’m not good at those things. I need to learn how to analyze profitability along with the investment returning time and stuff, just like you, bro. I’ve been spending my time doing welding work and stuff in the production field so far without having a chance of thinking about those things.”

“You are taking classes in college right now. You are learning it.”

“No, bro. The classes that I’m taking do not teach those things. They talk about production management, product quality control, and things like that only.”

“Those things are very important too.”

“I’m so sick and tired of hearing about production, process, quality control stuff.”

“Well, I think you should pursue an MBA once you graduate from college then.”

“MBA? But I didn’t even major in commerce or business.”

“An MBA degree is for people like you. You will meet a lot of people there, who majored in engineering, music, arts, and things that are not related to business. As long as you will be running a business, then it’s for you. Dankuk University has a good MBA program.”

“Really? Well yeah. I will think about it. Let me give you a report now.”

“What report?”

“I registered with the Korea International Trade Association for GH Machines’ trading business. We now have an ID for our trading work. And, we’ve manufactured our first 200 camshafts.”

“You can still make profits considering the wage and production cost?”

“Yeah, it’s okay. Our labor cost is lower than the cost in Japan, so it seems to be working out fine. I just need to watch out with the currency exchange rate.”

“Haha. You sound like a businessman, Jong-Suk. You grew a lot. Now, you know that you have to be concerned about the currency exchange rate in the trading business.”

“Of course, bro. I’m in the international trade industry now. As Manager Seo gives me export declarations and invoices for my approval, I do carefully review them every time.”

“I guess you would be able to get the award for your trading work from the government; you know like receiving a small tower figure for your contribution to our country’s trade business.”

“I didn’t know there is such an award issued by the government.”

“Of course there is. You are making dollars and bringing them into our country. You are a patriot.”

“Am I?”

“Of course you are. Think about your contribution to the business in Korea. You are making dollar money. You hire people by creating jobs in manufacturing products. You are definitely a patriot in that sense.”

Jong-Suk giggled.

“I thought I was trash. I used to get involved in a fight all the time when I was younger. I guess I am not trash.”

“You can be proud of yourself, Jong-Suk.”

“Thank you, bro.”

After getting off the phone with Jong-Suk Park, Gun-Ho sat on the sofa in his office, and then he stretched himself. When he was enjoying Longjing tea that Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh had brought to him earlier, he received a call. It was CEO Park of A Group’s planning and coordination department.

“It’s CEO Park.”

“Hello, sir. It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been good.”

“If you have time today, can we have a cup of coffee?”

“A cup of coffee?”

“Yes. We can get some fresh air together outside the office. I have things that I’d like to discuss with you anyway.”

“What is it about? Can you tell me what it is about over the phone first?”

“I want to see you in person. Why don’t you get some air with me at Nam Mountain after lunchtime today?”

“Alright then. I will be there by 2 pm.”

“Please meet me at the parking lot of the Namsan Public Library. We met each other there last time.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up the phone, various thoughts crossed his mind.

“What does he want from me this time?”

Meeting at Nam Mountain probably meant that he wanted to talk about something secret. Gun-Ho had a set menu with braised cutlassfish for lunch that day, with Director Kang. After lunch, he had his afternoon coffee in his office. He then headed out to the Namsan Public Library. When he arrived there, he saw CEO Park waiting for him at the entrance.

“You came early, sir.”

“I just arrived.”

“What is it that you are holding in your hand?”

“These are canned coffee. I wanted to have coffee with you while talking about things that are going on in life, with you.”

“I think I’m too young to talk about life with you, sir.”

“You are special, President Goo. You are not an ordinary young man.”

“Haha. Thank you for saying that, sir.”

CEO Park and Gun-Ho walked toward the Ahn Jung Geun Memorial Hall. When they found an empty bench on the way, they sat there. CEO Park handed one of the canned coffee to Gun-Ho. As he sipped the coffee, he asked Gun-Ho, “President Goo, do you think Candidate Jin-Woo Lee will be elected as the leader of his political party— Gongmyeong Party?”

“Well, I’m not very knowledgeable about politics, but the media is anticipating that he would get elected, aren’t they?”

“If he gets elected this time, he can run for President. What do you think, President Goo? Do you think he will be able to win the next presidential election?”

“The next presidential election, sir? That wouldn’t be easy. His opponent is a very powerful man, as you know. It would be possible though for him to win the one after the next presidential election, or later, but probably not the next one. I believe he will safely be elected as the leader of his political party, without any problems. But, I don’t know. We can’t be sure before we see the result, right?”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

CEO Park took a sip of his coffee, and then he looked up at the sky. The weather was sunny and clear with only a few clouds. After staring at the sky for a while, CEO Park said in a low voice. He sounded calm.

“The reason why I wanted to see you today, President Goo, is… that I want you to take someone in your company.”

“Someone? Who is it?”

“I’m going to recommend someone for you. Would you keep him in your company for the next two years?”

“Who is it, sir? If he is a decent worker, I can have him in my company for even 20 years, not just 2 years. What’s his specialty?”

“I want him to be an executive officer in your company.”

“Huh? An executive officer?”

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Chapter 866 - Stock Influenced by Politics (2) – Part 1

Chapter 866: Stock Influenced by Politics (2) – Part 1

CEO Park took a sip of his canned coffee before continuing, “The person who I want to recommend for you as an executive officer in your company is someone who used to work at an investment bank after having studied in the U.S.”

Gun-Ho waved his hand and said, “Oh, no. I don’t have a position in any of my companies for such a high qualified worker. As you know well, sir, all of my companies are small manufacturing companies. None of the positions in my companies require such high qualifications. I think A Electronics probably has a lot of positions that require people like him.”

“The thing is that… he is former Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother.”

“Huh? His little brother? That’s even better, isn’t it? A Group’s chairman is Candidate Jin-Woo Lee’s father-in-law. He will gladly hire his son-in-law’s little brother. The qualification that he has, such as his educational and work experience will better suit a large company like A Electronics.”

“The chairman wants things to be settled quietly. He doesn’t want to draw any unnecessary public attention.”

“I don’t think it would. He is hiring someone for his own company, who is well qualified for a position.”

“That’s not how it works practically. If Candidate Jin-Woo Lee becomes the leader of his political party and intends to run for President subsequently, A Group will be brought to public attention. That’s inevitable. If his brother works for A Group, it will attract even more people’s attention.”

“Candidate Jin-Woo Lee’s becoming the leader of his political party and running for President will bring benefits to A Group, doesn’t it?”

CEO Park of A Group’s planning and coordination department shook his head from side to side.

“It’s not good for a company to have close connections with political power. It could bring benefits at first temporarily, but eventually, it will put the company at risk, especially after a new administration arrives. A business should not keep a close or distant relationship with politicians or political power.”

“Worrying about possible negative impacts on his business, A Group’s chairman could have dissuaded his son-in-law from entering into the political sphere, couldn’t he?”

“People, who already decided that he had things to do by becoming a politician, wouldn’t stop trying to become one just because someone tells him not to do. And, we can obtain actual profits from the connections quietly.”

“Hmm, obtaining actual profits? What sorts of profits would that be?”

CEO Park grinned without replying to Gun-Ho’s question, but he just looked up at the sky with a smile on his face. After a while, CEO Park said, “What is the term for a member of Dyeon Korea’s board of directors?”

“According to the joint venture’s code, it’s two years.”

“Dyeon Korea has been in business for more than two years now, meaning that some members of its board of directors have been changed or reappointed, right?”

“That’s correct. I will be stepping down from the president position soon and becoming the chairman of the board of directors. As you know, the board of directors doesn’t get involved in the company’s daily operations, but it handles material issues of the company.”

“Does that mean the American partner will send someone for the president position?”

“Right. They will appoint someone for the president position, and we will appoint our person for the vice president position.”

“A vice president is also a member of the board of directors?”

“Not necessarily. But, the vice president is representing the Korean partner’s interest, so it would be beneficial for us to have him as a member of the board of directors.”

“I will be direct with you, Mr. President Goo. I strongly recommend Candidate Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother— Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee— for Dyeon Korea.”

“That’s absurd, Mr. CEO Park. You said yourself that he used to work in an investment bank, not in the manufacturing industry. His work experience is not related to Dyeon Korea’s business. Dyeon Korea currently has 250 employees, and the number keeps growing. Do you think someone with work experience in an investment bank can handle managing 300 to 400 workers?”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, we already have a senior director who is expected to take the vice president position, not to mention other high-level officers below that person. I’m sure that they wouldn’t be happy if I bring someone from outside and place him in the position above them. I don’t want to cause any disturbance inside the company.”

“What about the position of senior director then?”

“I just don’t understand why he would want to work for a small manufacturing company like Dyeon Korea. With his work experience and educational background, he can surely have plenty of companies to choose from.”

“As a matter of fact, he worked as a manager in an investment bank. As the investment bank tried to reduce the number of their workers, he was laid off recently. If he gets a job from another investment bank, he will have to keep the same position as a manager. But, if he works in a company like Dyeon Korea with a higher position like a senior director for maybe two years or so, I think he can take a position of the same level in a large company later on.”

“Hmm.”

“As you mentioned, the term for Dyeon Korea’s board members is two years. If you let him work for Dyeon Korea for the next two years, A Group or Candidate Jin-Woo Lee will pay you back for your help in any forms possible later on.”

“We will have our end-of-year promotion at the end of this year. Our American partner will make their announcement about who they chose for the vice president position on December 15th. What if we bring Candidate Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother— Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee— to Dyeon Korea after that?”

“It has to be now. Once Candidate Jin-Woo Lee becomes the leader of Gongmyeong Party and placed in the center of public attention, his little brother’s subsequent job placement afterwards can be criticized by the public, saying that Candidate Jin-Woo Lee placed his little brother in the position with Dyeon Korea. The timing has to be now. That’s why I wanted to see you today, Mr. President Goo.”

“Hmm.”

“I know what I’m asking you is not an easy one.”

“It won’t be easy for me to calm down the internal resistance about having someone from outside. Also, I’m not sure what kind of work he can handle in Dyeon Korea considering the nature of its business.”

“I was told that Dyeon Korea is vigorously expanding business abroad. Given that situation, what about placing him in an executive officer position in the trading and development of the international market? He obtained his MBA degree from one of the IVY league universities anyway.”

“Even if I try hard to place him within Dyeon Korea, I can give him a director position, but not a vice president position. That would be impossible.”

“I understand that. A director position is good enough as long as he is also placed as one of the board members.”

“Okay then. I will keep him in Dyeon Korea for two years and let him go after that.”

“Don’t fire him though, but just let him go after two years.”

“Of course, I will. But, I will have to discuss it with Dyeon Korea’s current executive officers before I give you the answer for sure. I will contact you.”

“Sounds good.”

“By the way, how old is that person?”

“He just turned 50.”

“Well, can you send me Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee’s resume via email? And please give me some time until I contact you.”

“I will expect to hear from you within this week if that’s okay with you. Once you hire him, please make sure that you get him Four Major Public Insurance as well.”

“I will do that.”

“You will see a lot of benefits in the future as you hire him in your company, Mr. President Goo.”

“Well, I’m receiving a lot of help from you now too.”

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Chapter 867 - Stock Influenced by Politics (2) – Part 2

Chapter 867: Stock Influenced by Politics (2) – Part 2

After having a meeting with CEO Park, Gun-Ho came back to his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

While enjoying his warm black tea sitting on his sofa, Gun-Ho smiled.

‘It seems very possible that Dyeon Korea’s stock becomes the stock that is affected by political power.’

Gun-Ho then felt relieved.

‘It was a perfect decision that I bought 3 million Dyeon Korea’s stock. Should I go ahead and procure more of them? Well, probably not. I have to leave enough volume of Dyeon Korea’s stock available to be traded in the stock market. I shouldn’t be greedy, which can always bring me more damage later on. I’d better stop here.’

Gun-Ho then thought about the possible resistance within Dyeon Korea.

‘I can’t possibly place Candidate Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother— Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee— in the vice president position of Dyeon Korea. Maybe I should give him a senior director position. If I do that though, Director Kim will fiercely oppose it. As a matter of fact, Director Kim is the one who is handling everything in Dyeon Korea. If I bring someone from outside to the same level as his, Director Kim will definitely be feeling treated unfairly.

Mr. Adam Castler won’t say anything about it since it’s a matter between Korean partners… I was actually going to put Director Kim in the vice president position at the end of this year as Lymondell Dyeon Brings in their person for its president position. Maybe I should make an official announcement about it sooner like now. Dyeon Korea’s current board members are Mr. Adam Castler and me, that’s it. If I have to add Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee to the board members, I will have to add Director Kim to it as well as he becomes our vice president.

Let me see. I haven’t placed the internal auditor in the board of directors yet since he is old, and also his position is more like an advisory position. In fact, a public company is supposed to have an internal auditor. Maybe I should put him to the board as well. That means that I should keep him for the next two years at least. Well, since he contributed a lot to Dyeon Korea’s becoming a public company anyway, maybe I should do that.

Speaking of which, Dyeon Korea will have many board members even though it’s a small company. I will be one of them of course. And, I will need to add Director Kim, the internal auditor, and Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee, and Mr. Adam Castler is already one of them. Dyeon Korea will have five members of board of directors then. Do I have to worry about Lymondell Dyeon complaining about having too many board members?

If I decide to hire Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee, I should do it now. As CEO Park mentioned, once Candidate Jin-Woo Lee becomes the leader of his political party and shows his intention to run for President, it would be too late for me to bring his brother to Dyeon Korea. I don’t want unnecessary public attention to the business. If that happens, Dyeon Korea might become in danger later, once a new administration arrives. Now, Candidate Jin-Woo Lee doesn’t draw public attention much. This is perfect timing to hire his little brother.’

After staying on the sofa having his black tea for a while, Gun-Ho walked to his desk and turned on his computer. He then checked Dyeon Korea’s stock price. The price was moving up and down around 5,900 won.

“Oh, maybe I should check my email now to see if Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee’s resume arrived. CEO Park is quick at this kind of thing.”

Gun-Ho opened his email. CEO Park already sent him Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee’s email, as expected.

“So, he obtained his bachelor’s and also master’s degree in the U.S. And, he worked in a multinational investment bank for a while. He certainly is a highly qualified worker in the field. He must speak English very well too. I guess he will get along with Dyeon Korea’s next president who Lymondell Dyeon will pick.”

Gun-Ho made a call to CEO Park.

“I received his resume. I’m planning to go to Dyeon Korea in Asan City tomorrow and convene an executive meeting. Before I go there, I’d like to meet with the person.”

“That wouldn’t be a problem at all. I will send him to your office in Sinsa Town by 9 am tomorrow then,”

The next day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He then gave a call to Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim immediately.

“Mr. Director Kim, I will be in Dyeon Korea today by 11 am. I have something that I’d like to discuss with you.”

“With me, sir? Do you need other people in the meeting as well?”

“I just need to talk to you, Mr. Director Kim. It doesn’t matter whether we will have others in attendance or not. Since you are often not in the office to meet with clients, I wanted to let you know that I will be there to talk with you today. But, please tell other executive officers that I will be there too.”

“Understood, sir.”

As soon as he got off the phone with Director Kim, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh knocked on the door and entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Sir, a man who introduced himself as Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee is here to see you.”

“Please let him in.”

A 50 years old man of sturdy build came into Gun-Ho’s office. He gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho, who was in his 30s, showing his great respect.

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo. I’ve heard a lot about you. Please have a seat.”

As Mr. Hyeong-Soo Lee sat on the sofa, Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring them two cups of coffee.

“I certainly see the resemblance between you and your brother.”

“Haha. I’ve heard that a lot.”

“So, you want to work for Dyeon Korea?”

“Yes, sir. I don’t have any work experience in the manufacturing industry. If I could have an opportunity to work in this industry and accumulate work experience there, it would be great.”

“Dyeon Korea is a small company which just went public. If you join us, you will see a lot of inconvenience around here as you work with us.”

“It doesn’t matter, sir. I will greatly appreciate it if you give me a chance to work here.”

“You might not get a position that you want, or you will have to work that could be something that you don’t want to do. Are you still sure that you want to work with us?”

“As long as I become one of the board members in Dyeon Korea, I will take any position. I’ve heard that Dyeon Korea is planning to expand its business abroad by establishing more factories in foreign countries. I’d like to participate in that expansion plan if I could.”

“I see. You seem to be a decent worker, and I’m sure that you speak English fluently. I believe you will be an asset to our company.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“One thing that I want you to keep in mind that Dyeon Korea has several directors and senior directors already; they have worked for Dyeon Korea for a while. They might not take the fact well, that I’m bringing someone new from outside as another executive officer in the company. I’m going to Dyeon Korea today, and I will talk to them about the necessity of bringing someone from outside.”

“I understand that, sir.”

“I will give you my decision to work with you or not within this week.”

“Yes, sir. I will do my best if I get the opportunity to work with you.”

As Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee walked out of the office, Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“I’m going to Asan City now. Please have Chan-Ho Eom be ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho was getting ready to head out to the lobby, GH Media’s President Jeong-Soo Shin entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Oh, are you leaving, sir?”

“Yes, I’m heading to Asan City. Do you have something that you want to talk to me about?”

“Not really, sir. I just wanted to see you in person and have a cup of tea with you or something since it has been a while. Haha.”

“Well, I have to go to Asan City now. I will have a nice tea with you once I come back from there.”

“Haha. No problem. Well, enjoy your day.”

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Chapter 868 - Stock Influenced by Politics (3) – Part 1

Chapter 868: Stock Influenced by Politics (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho arrived in Asan City. It was probably the interview day for new hiring in Dyeon Korea. Gun-Ho could see a lot of young people gathering at the building entrance, who were not wearing a uniform, showing that they were not Dyeon Korea’s employees. When Gun-Ho’s Bentley stopped at the gate, and the security guard quickly opened the car door, those young people simultaneously watched to see who would get out of the car.

“Wow, nice car. He is probably the owner president of this company.”

“He looks young though. He probably inherited the business from his father or something.”

“No, he didn’t. I read his story in a magazine before. He is a self-made successful man.”

As Gun-Ho entered his office, he called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee.

“Why do I see a lot of people at the entrance?”

“We are hiring more production workers. Today is the interview day for them, sir.”

“Who is included in the interview committee? Is Director Kim in it?”

“No, sir. Mr. Director Yoon and Mr. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo are interviewing them today.”

“Okay then. Please have Mr. Director Kim come to my office.”

Secretary Seon-Hye Yee was about to leave the office to call for Director Kim when Director Kim entered the office already.

Director Kim said as he took a seat, “Things seem to be busy around here today, sir, because of the interview.”

“I guess we have a lot of applicants for the jobs, huh?”

“We are hiring about 30 workers, and we received more than 500 applications. Since we are a public company, we see so many young people applying for jobs with us.”

“So, once we finish the hiring process, how many workers will we have in total?”

“We will have 280 workers.”

At that moment, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee brought two cups of jujube tea.

“As the company grows with more workers, you will become busier and busier, Mr. Director Kim.”

“It would be okay for me, sir. We will definitely have more production workers, and Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo will manage them mostly. I will be totally fine.”

“I asked you to come to my office today because I want to discuss with you about moving people within our company.”

“Umm, moving people within the company, sir? But, we will have our end-year promotion in December. We can talk about it then. We don’t even know who we are going to have as our new president anyway.”

“I’m expecting that Lymondell Dyeon will appoint Mr. Adam Castler as our next president.”

“Well, that’s what I’m thinking as well, but we will know for sure when they make it public.”

“Since our American partner will send their person to take the president position, we will have to come up with someone on our side for the next vice president position.”

As Director Kim heard what Gun-Ho was concerned about, he seemed to be feeling anxious. Director Kim’s face hardened, and he looked at Gun-Ho’s face.

“Whoever we will have as our new president, he won’t have actual power or authority around here. He will just sit at his desk and sign some documents. All the actual work in this company will be done by us, and the vice president will lead the work. Who do you think would be adequate for the vice president position?”

“Well, sir… That’s a decision that you should make, isn’t it?”

Director Kim was very good at communicating with people as he had been an excellent expert in sales, and stammering was never his thing. But, Director Kim was stammering at the moment.

Gun-Ho continued, “Once I take the position as the chairman of the board of directors, you will have a lot of work to do here. You are actually the only person who I can think of for our next president.”

“Thank, thank you, sir.”

“It has been only 2 years since you were promoted to the current position—senior director. I’m not sure what the executive officers in GH Mobile would think about your next promotion, but it doesn’t matter. You are definitely the person who made Dyeon Korea grew this much. No one would say anything against it.”

“Thank, thank you, sir.”

Director Kim blushed as he was feeling embarrassed. He just kept sipping his jujube tea.

Gun-Ho added, “And, I want to bring someone from outside.”

“What do you mean by bringing someone from outside, sir?”

“He’s going to work on developing our market abroad. Someone who I owe a lot recommended this person to work with us. I couldn’t say no to him. Also, I believe this person will be an asset to our company. He will be very helpful around here.”

“If he joins us, which position are you thinking of giving to him?”

“He will be placed as a senior director. We will have two senior directors at the moment, but it wouldn’t matter since you will be appointed to the vice president position at the end of December.”

Director Kim felt relieved. Gun-Ho already mentioned twice that Director Kim would be promoted to vice president. Director Kim had no reason to say anything negative about Gun-Ho’s decision at the moment.

Director Kim said, “If that’s what you decided, sir, I will go with it, no problem.”

“I will make an official announcement about our new executive officer next week, and we will make everything official at the end of December. For promotions for managers and other positions, I want you to take care of it with Mr. Adam Castler.

“Understood, sir. We will make decisions about them during our next executive meeting. However, for the promotions for executive officers, we need your opinion and decision.”

“I am open to any suggestions and opinions for it.”

“Well, sir, it would be a lot easier for us, if you can just tell us what you are thinking.”

“Well, I want Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo to be promoted to a director.”

“I am definitely with you on it, sir. I understand that Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo has been a manager only for two years now, but he has contributed to the company enormously, especially in the production site.”

“The thing is that once we promote Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo to a director position, we will have to terminate the temporary advisory position that our chief research officer is in now.”

“Hmm, that’s right, sir. That is sad. But what has to happen has to happen for the company, doesn’t it?”

“Also, I want to talk about Mr. Internal Auditor as well. He is in his late 50s now, and his contribution to the company in growing it is undeniably immeasurable. I want to extend his contract with us for two years. What do you think?”

“I agree with you on that too, sir. As a matter of fact, I haven’t worried about the financial part of our company because I know Mr. Internal Auditor is taking good care of that part.”

“That’s very nice.”

After letting Director Kim leave the office, Gun-Ho asked Mr. Adam Castler to come to his office.

After a while, Mr. Adam Castler entered Gun-Ho’s office with the interpreter—Mr. Myeong-Joon Chae.

“Mr. Vice President Adam Castler, you don’t know yet who’s going to be sent for the next vice president position from the head office, do you?”

“Actually, I have no idea, sir.”

“Well, we usually should hear something from them. Someone must have leaked information about it by now. But, you haven’t heard anything at all about it, huh?”

“It looks like it, sir.”

“I’m really hoping that you become Dyeon Korea’s next president, Mr. Adam Castler. I’ve been working with you for the past 2 years, and I know that you are capable and highly competent in managing business and workers. Also, you have contributed to the growth of Dyeon Korea.”

Adam Castler seemed to be pleased to hear the compliments from his boss—Gun-Ho.

“Haha. I know that you have worked hard to make Dyeon Korea this large, sir. I haven’t done much but assist you.”

“I’m serious, Mr. Adam Castler. You are an excellent CEO. You also harmonize very well with Korean workers here. I’m pretty sure that they all sincerely hope that you become our next president.”

“Thank you, sir.”

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Chapter 869 - Stock Influenced by Politics (3) – Part 2

Chapter 869: Stock Influenced by Politics (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was talking with Mr. Vice President Adam Castler.

“And, we will have an end-year promotion in December. We—Korean partners—will select someone to replace your current position—vice president.”

“Of course, sir.”

“I’ve been thinking about this, and I want to find someone within the company rather than bringing someone from outside. I’m thinking about promoting Director Kim to the vice president position. What do you think?”

“I don’t take any part in matters that are supposed to be handled by Korean partners only, and selecting someone for the next vice president is one of those matters. Whoever is selected by Lymondell Dyeon, that person will be the next president, and a vice president will be appointed by the Korean partners. However, if Mr. Director Kim is appointed to the vice president position, I would personally be very happy. I’ve been working with him, and I do like to work with him. I prefer to work with someone who I know rather than someone who I need time to get to know.”

“There is one more thing that I want to let you know, Mr. Adam Castler. I’m going to bring a new person from outside, and he will be appointed to a senior director position.”

“Huh? A new senior director, sir?”

“The next president and vice president will have to focus their work on managing Dyeon Korea’s entire business. We need someone who can solely contribute his time in developing our new markets, especially international markets. So, I decided to put someone in a senior director position, who had studied in the U.S.”

“Studied in the U.S.? Well, I like him already. As I mentioned before, sir, I take no part in promoting or terminating someone below a vice president position. If that’s what you decided, I will accept it as it is.”

“Once the new person joins us, I’m certain that you will feel easier to work with him since he speaks English fluently.”

“Haha. Well, if I get to stay here, then yes, it will be great. But, we are not sure yet about where I would be placed in—I might stay here or have to go back to the U.S.”

“I want to remind you that you can’t tell anyone about what we just discussed today. This is not official yet.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Mr. Manager Myeong-Joon Chae, you are well aware that you can’t disclose things that you learned during your interpretation work, to anyone. You understand that, right?”

“Of course, sir.”

Once Mr. Adam Castler left the office, Gun-Ho called for Secretary Seon-Hye Yee.

“Please tell Director Yoon to come to my office if the interview is completed, and he is available accordingly.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Director Yoon came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“Please have a seat.”

Director Yoon was gazing at Gun-Ho’s face, wondering what this was about, as he took a seat on the sofa.

“Are we done with interviewing people today?”

“Yes, sir. We selected 30 productions workers. They will start working with us next Monday.”

“Good job. The reason why I wanted to talk with you today is about changes in executive officer positions.”

“Changes, sir?”

“I think you should know this before it becomes official. As you know, our American partner will select their person for our next president, while we select our person for our next vice president position. I think Director Kim should take the vice president position.”

“Of course, sir. He is the highest-ranked executive officer now after the vice president.”

“Also, we will need an executive officer in the production department. I’m intending to promote Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo to a director in that department.”

“Well, that’s what we all have expected all along, sir.”

“I guess we will have to talk about your promotion next time, Mr. Director Yoon.”

“I totally understand that, sir. My area of expertise lies with construction, but since we don’t currently have any construction going on within the company, I’ve been doing management work. I’m just grateful that I can still work here in Dyeon Korea.”

“One last thing that I need to let you know is that we will have someone from outside, who will be placed as a senior director. He will be handling our market development overseas.”

“A new senior director, sir?”

Director Yoon took the news seriously. His face hardened a bit since a new person from outside will join the company with a position higher than himself.

“You and this new person will be working in a different department. You won’t see him very often. Even the approval path will be different.”

“Well, if the approval path is different, then I don’t mind at all, sir.”

“Thank you for understanding it.”

“Where did the new senior director used to work before joining us?”

“He graduated college in the U.S., and he used to work in an investment bank. I believe that he is about the same age as you, Mr. Director Yoon.”

“I see.”

“The new senior director will join us starting next week, but our official end-year promotion will be held next month in December. So, I want you to keep this between you and me until then.”

“Understood, sir.”

“As to the promotions for other mid or low level management personnel, I want you to make a list with adequate candidates.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then asked for the internal auditor. He would be the last person who Gun-Ho wanted to talk about the promotion news.

“We need to announce that we will be holding a tentative board meeting.”

“Huh? You mean that we need to let the Korea Stock Exchange know about the meeting?”

“Right. Please take a note about it.”

As Gun-Ho, who was in his late 30s, asked the internal auditor, who was in his late 50s, to take a note, the internal auditor took out a pen and a paper.

“The main issues that will be discussed during this tentative board meeting will be about having a new senior director and also setting a limit for the amount of pay for executive officers.”

When he heard the word—a new senior director—from Gun-Ho, the internal auditor looked tensed up. He looked at Gun-Ho’s face.

“For the new senior director, I will appoint a person named Hyeong-Woo Lee. I have his resume here. You will find all the necessary information about him there.”

“Oh, we are bringing a new senior director from outside, I see.”

“Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee will join us next week. He will be handling our expansion of international markets. I’ve already informed Mr. Vice President Adam Castler, Director Kim, and Director Yoon about this.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, I want to talk about the internal auditor position.”

“Huh, sir? Are we expecting to have one more person from outside as well?”

The internal auditor’s eyes widened in surprise.

“No, no. We are not bringing any new person for the position. As we became a public company, we were supposed to add our internal auditor as one of our board of directors, but we haven’t done it yet. So, I want to point it out during our next board meeting to make it official. We will add you, Mr. Internal Auditor, as one of our board of directors.”

“Huh, sir, me?”

“Yes. The term for our new senior director and you—Mr. Internal Director—is two years.”

“T-two years, sir? Thank… thank you, sir.”

“The limit of the pay for our executive officers can be set according to the current pay of Director Kim and yours. After the tentative board meeting is over, please register these two additional officers to our board of directors.”

“Umm, sir, Mr. Director Kim is not currently registered as a board member, either.”

“We will take care of others later when we do our end-year promotion.”

“Understood, sir.”

“After you make the registration, please bring me a copy of the company’s registration reflecting the change.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the internal auditor was confirmed with his term extension by Gun-Ho, he looked excited. He walked out of Gun-Ho’s office with a happy smile on his face.

Gun-Ho stayed sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. He then enjoyed his jujube tea.

‘Alright. I guess we are now ready to bring Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee as our new senior director. He can come to work starting next Monday. The former Minister Jin-Woo Lee will become the leader of his political party, and he will need to show his intention to run for President after that. That will increase Dyeon Korea’s stock price as it will be most likely affected by politics soon.’

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Chapter 870 - Commodity Channel Index (1) – Part 1

Chapter 870: Commodity Channel Index (1) – Part 1

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho received a call from Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee who would be starting working that day in Dyeon Korea as its new senior director.

“It’s Hyeong-Woo Lee. I’m on my way to Asan City right now. My work starts today.”

“Can you come to Jiksan Town first? Before heading to Dyeon Korea in Asan City to work, I want you to meet with the executive officers in GH Mobile. I will text you with the GH Mobile’s factory address.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

“And, you are bringing a copy of your resident registration certificate, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I’m carrying my resident registration certificate along with my resume. I also prepared photos for ID as well, just in case.”

Gun-Ho was also on his way to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town at that time. On the way to his car, he received another call. It was from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Good morning, sir. I’m calling you to make sure that you have no work instruction for me today. You told me last time that I can just sit in the office and read books or spend the day doing no work today. I just wanted to make sure again that you don’t have anything that you want me to do today.”

“Do we have some funds left in the company’s business bank account?”

“Yes, sir. We have about 10 million won left.”

“Then, play with Dyeon Korea’s stock today with the funds by repeatedly buying and selling it, and watch the stock market closely to see if stock manipulators start their moves again with Dyeon Korea’s stock.”

“Understood, sir.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at GH Mobile in Jiksan Town, Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee was waiting for him while standing next to the gate with his car parked there. He was driving a Passat from Volkswagen.

“Sir, you are here.”

“Why didn’t you go into the office? Why are you waiting for me outside here?”

“I just thought that it would be better that I go in there with you.”

Once they entered into Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho first called for President Song.

“This is Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee. He is Dyeon Korea’s new senior director. He will be handling its international market development.”

“Oh, is that right? Very nice meeting you. I was wondering who is the new senior director at Dyeon Korea. I saw the announcement about the tentative boarding meeting today, and one of the main issues was about having a new senior director. My name is Jang-Hwan Song, by the way.”

After President Song left Gun-Ho’s office, Gun-Ho called for the general affairs director next.

“I want you to meet with Dyeon Korea’s new senior director. He will be working with market development, especially international markets.”

The two men had a handshake in greeting.

“Mr. General Affairs Director, can you give him a tour of the GH Mobile’s production site?”

“Of course, sir.”

Gun-Ho then turned his gaze to Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee and told him, “Go with the general affairs director. He will show you around. After finishing your tour at the production site, please come up to my office right away.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the general affairs director and Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee headed out to the production site downstairs, Gun-Ho picked up an economic newspaper to read while enjoying his morning tea. About 30 minutes later, Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee and the general affairs director came back to Gun-Ho’s office.

“Thank you, Mr. General Affairs Director. You may go back to your work now.”

After the general affairs director walked out of the office, Gun-Ho asked Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee, “So, what do you think about the production site here in GH Mobile?”

“I am very impressed actually. This is my first time visiting the production site of a manufacturing company. I didn’t expect to see so many people working there. Also, I was amazed by the great facility and equipment.”

“This company is not registered with KOSDAQ, but it is a private company. GH Mobile is not using public investors’ funds through the stock market in expanding its business or in establishing its subsidiary companies overseas. They use only the profits that they make from the sales of their products.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“If this company becomes a public company, we will have many shareholders who would try to intervene in managing the company. I didn’t want that to happen, so I decided not to register it with KOSDAQ.”

“I see…”

“Your father—Mr. Beom-Sik Lee—is one of this company’s shareholders. He owns 15% of the ownership, Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee. Are you aware of it?”

“Yes, I’ve heard about it from Mr. CEO Park of A Group’s planning and coordination department.”

“GH Mobile is currently owned by three shareholders. Mr. Beom-Sik Lee owns 15%, and President Song, who you met earlier, owns 3%, and I own 82%.”

“Oh, I see.”

“President Song used to work in S Group as its vice president before joining GH Mobile.”

“S Group is a large company, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. I asked him to come and work with me in GH Mobile. I offered him a stock option of 5% when I asked him to join us here. But later, I decided to transfer 5% of the ownership to him, instead of giving him a stock option. I did that because that seemed to be more convenient and less complicated.”

“Maybe that’s better for him.”

“President Song has been working hard in GH Mobile, and because of him, this company became this large and stable.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“GH Mobile is one of the major shareholders of Dyeon Korea. It officially owns 9 million of Dyeon Korea’s shares.”

“Oh, is that right? Is it 26 million shares that Dyeon Korea issued so far in total? I read about it online. Is it right?”

“Yes, it’s correct. Dyeon Korea’s business partner—Lymondell Dyeon in the U.S.— owns the same portion equally as Dyeon Korea. Both of them own 34.6% each.”

“They must have owned 50:50 at first, but as it became a public company and subsequently offered its stock to the public, their ownership portion has decreased, I guess.”

“That’s exactly what happened.”

Gun-Ho continued, “Well, I think we are done here. Shall we head out to GH Machines now?”

“Oh, there is another company called GH Machines? A Group’s CEO Park told me about GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea before I came here, but I’ve never heard of a company called GH Machines.”

“GH Machines manufacture all of the machines that are used by Dyeon Korea.”

“Really? I thought Dyeon Korea imports their machines from Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle, U.S.”

“It is true that we did import machines from them in the beginning. But, as we wanted to save the cost—their price was too high—we started building necessary machines on our own.”

“Oh, is that right?”

Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee seemed to be astonished.

“Who is running GH Machines then? I guess that it has to be someone who is extremely knowledgeable and competent in building machines.”

“GH Machines’ current president used to work in GH Mobile before, as its plant manager. He is now successfully running GH Machines.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho took Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee to GH Machines.

“Mr. President Park, please meet Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee. He is a new senior director at Dyeon Korea. He will be developing international markets for it.”

“Developing international markets? Really?”

Jong-Suk Park smiled and extended his hand to Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee for a handshake.

“I’m Jong-Suk Park in GH Machines.”

At the moment, someone called Jong-Suk Park at the production site for his presence. While Jong-Suk Park was away from the office for a moment, Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee said to Gun-Ho in a low voice, “GH Machines’ president is way younger than I expected. When I heard that he used to work as GH Mobile’s plant manager, I thought he would be at least a mid-aged man. When I took a tour at the GH Mobile’s production site earlier, I met most of their management people, and they were in their mid-40s or 50s. So, Mr. President Jong-Suk Park used to work at GH Mobile managing those people even though he was a lot younger than them.”

“Even though he is young, President Park is equipped with seven technical licenses and certificates. There was a Japanese world-renowned engineer from Lymondell Dyeon. His name is Sakata Ikuzo. He highly spoke of President Park’s competency in the field when he worked with him in GH Mobile.”

“Is that right? Well, I’ve noticed that his eyes are unusually glittering. I can tell that he is not an ordinary man for sure.”

“He started his career in this field right after he completed his military service. He was about 25 years old at that time. He started as a welding engineer. So, he has been in the field more than ten years now.”

“Hmm, I see.”

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Chapter 871 - Commodity Channel Index (1) – Part 2

Chapter 871: Commodity Channel Index (1) – Part 2

As Jong-Suk Park wasn’t coming back from the production site, Gun-Ho decided to take Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee to the production site by himself. When they arrived at GH Machines’ production site, Jong-Suk Park was installing twin screws, and he was surrounded by several engineers who were closely watching how Jong-Suk Park installed the twin screws. As he saw Gun-Ho at the production site, he smiled at him.

“I’m so sorry. I was about to go back to the office once I finished placing these main twin screws into the machine.”

“It’s okay. Just do what you have to do here.”

Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee nodded his head as he saw Jong-Suk working in the production site. He also saw the Japanese engineers who were working with the machine parts that would be sent to Isehara Machines. The plant manager—Mr. Yanagi Masatoshi—greeted Gun-Ho delightedly when he spotted him.

“Sacho San (Mr. President), you are here.”

“How have you been? How are we doing with the products for Isehara Machines?”

“It’s going very well as usual.”

“Keep up the good work.”

The scene at the production site looked very interesting to Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee.

He asked Gun-Ho, “The products that are being manufactured here will be all shipped to Japan?”

“That’s right. We are shipping the products here to a company in Yokohama City, Japan. The company’s name is Isehara Machines.”

“I see. I think this company is going to be very interesting.”

“What do you mean?”

“I see great potential here. It can grow enormously later.”

“When you do sales activities in expanding Dyeon Korea’s markets overseas once you start working with us, I’m asking you a favor to help with GH Machines’ sales as well.”

“Haha. I understand what you mean. I’m not sure if I would have a chance to do it, but if I do, I will of course help.”

President Jong-Suk Park finally came back to the office.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Senior Director. I had to be at the production site. Dyeon Korea is the major client of GH Machines. Our primary work is to build machines for Dyeon Korea. I look forward to working with you, Mr. Senior Director.”

After having a cup of tea, Gun-Ho and Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee headed out to Dyeon Korea.

Gun-Ho convened the tentative board meeting when he arrived at Dyeon Korea that morning.

“As I said previously, we now have a new senior director who will be handling our international market development. Please welcome him with a round of applause.”

As Dyeon Korea’s executive officers clapped in welcoming the new senior director, Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee stepped forward and said, “I’m honored to be working with you all. I sincerely look forward to working with you.”

Gun-Ho introduced each of the executive officers of Dyeon Korea to Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee.

“Mr. Director Yoon will buy a new executive desk for you, Mr. Senior Director Lee. And, you can use the small meeting room as your office for now. It is just a temporary setting until your office becomes ready for you to use. I will vacate my office next month after December 15th. I want you all to discuss how you are going to rearrange the office spaces among the executive officers then.”

Director Kim said, “Can we leave your office as it is, sir? Maybe we can just change the job title hanging on the office door from ‘President’ to ‘Chairman of the board.'”

Gun-Ho grinned and replied, “That’s not possible. We don’t want to make the next president feel uncomfortable in such a setting. I will surely vacate my room. Instead, whenever I visit here later on, I can stay in the president’s room or the vice president’s room for some time.”

“That can be arranged, of course, sir. But, we don’t want you to feel uncomfortable coming here.”

“I will be fine.”

Gun-Ho turned around to see the internal auditor and asked him, “Mr. Internal Auditor, did we set the date for the board meeting to today?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, then let’s pretend that we had the board meeting as we are having the executive meeting right now. You already got the power of attorney from the shareholders, right?”

“Yes, sir. I have them with me.”

“After this meeting is over, please make the announcement with the outcome from this meeting, saying that everything has been approved.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, Mr. Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee, I guess this location is probably not very convenient for you to commute from Seoul. Are you going to find a place to stay around here like a OneRoom or a condo?”

“Actually, as I expected to work in this location, I came to the area last Sunday to look for a place to stay. There is an office-tel called PenthaPolis Office-Tel near the Asan Station in Cheonan City. I signed the lease for a 13 pyung large office-tel. It’s located very close to the KTX train station, so it will be extremely convenient for me to go to Seoul. I have one room with a separate living room.”

“Oh, you did? That’s nice.”

Gun-Ho looked at his watch, and then he wrapped up the meeting.

“Well, I guess we are done with the meeting today. Mr. Director Yoon, please do the paperwork for Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee, so his employment is recorded as it starts today. His Four Major Public Insurance will start today as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, Mr. Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo, please show our new senior director around the company, and introduce our mid-level managers to him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho then headed out to Seoul leaving Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee behind in Dyeon Korea.

‘Well, I introduced everyone to him. He can take care of himself.’

The next day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

The first thing that he did in the office was to check to see if Dyeon Korea’s public announcement was actually made. The announcement about the outcome of the board meeting was in place.

‘The internal auditor is quick in doing things, especially when they are related to him.’

Gun-Ho then turned on his computer and opened the stock trading application to check Dyeon Korea’s stock price movement.

“Dyeon Korea’s stock price is exceeding 6,000 won today.”

At the moment, Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Sir, I’m calling you because I’ve noticed that the stock price moves strangely today.”

“How strange is it?”

“I’m seeing a lot of buy requests for it, and the stock price is increasing accordingly. The volume of the stock trading is also unusually increasing. Its commodity channel index is also rising.”

“Since it’s almost December, the little individual investors are probably trying to obtain the stock as they will soon see the company’s year-end performance report.”

“That could be possibly one of the reasons, but what I’m seeing now in the stock market looks different. It’s very unusual, sir.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I think stock manipulators started playing with our stock. They, at first, tried to buy the stock at a low price as possible, and once they figured that it wouldn’t work, they are buying at a higher price now.”

“I’ve noticed the price increase as well. It’s exceeding 6,000 won now. That can well happen, can’t it? 6,000 won is not unusually high.”

“It’s not just about the stock price, but what is happening around the stock overall looks unusual, sir. The trading volume is very high. If not the stock manipulators, someone else is buying the stock.”

“We don’t care who is buying the stock, do we? It’s good as long as the stock price is on the rise. I guess the estimated value of the stock that we are holding right now is great by now, huh?”

“Do you want me to realize some of the profits now?”

“If someone is intentionally collecting the stock, we don’t have to let the person take the stock that we are holding too. Let’s observe the market for a while until we are sure about what is going on here.”

“Understood, sir.”

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Chapter 872 - Commodity Channel Index (2) – Part 1

Chapter 872: Commodity Channel Index (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper sitting on the sofa in his office in Sinsa Town. He felt suddenly wondering what was going on with Dyeon Korea’s stock. He walked to his desk and turned on his computer and opened the stock trading application to check the status of Dyeon Korea’s stock.

“It is true. Once someone put some shares to sell in the stock market, someone else took them right away. I’m happy since the stock price goes up, but I wonder who keeps buying any available Dyeon Korea’s stock these days. Is it a stock investing club? Or a big player in the stock market? Or an institutional investor?”

When Gun-Ho was lost in thought about Dyeon Korea’s stock, GH Media’s Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui entered Gun-Ho’s office that was located on the 18th floor.

“Come on in, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui.”

“Isehara Machines contacted me. When I visited Isehara Machines with you and President Jong-Suk Park in Japan last time, I gave my business card to their executive officer in the purchasing department. He gave me a call today.”

“Oh, is that right? What was it about?”

“They want to visit GH Machines.”

“Oh, really? I will have to let President Jong-Suk Park know about it then. So, the purchasing department’s executive officer will visit here by himself?”

“No, sir. Actually, its president wants to come and visit GH Machines.”

“Its president? He is the president of the large company— Isehara Machines— that has more than 3,000 workers. And, he wants to visit one of his small vendor companies in Korea himself?”

“That’s right, sir. There seems to be an event for Korean and Japanese businessmen held in Korea soon, and its president is planning to attend it. He is coming with the congressmen of the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan. So, since he will be here anyway, he would like to visit GH Machines as well.”

“I see.”

“And, he wants to meet with the GH Machines’ major shareholder as well, sir.”

“Oh, he wants to meet with me too, huh? Umm, sure.”

“He will be arriving in Korea tomorrow to attend the event. The next day, he will have lunch with those congressmen on Yeouido Island. After lunch, he said he would have no schedule, so he is asking if you will be available to meet with him in the afternoon the day after tomorrow.”

“Umm, sure. I will be available tomorrow afternoon.”

“Okay, sir. I will let them know then.”

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui left the office, and Gun-Ho made a call to Jong-Suk Park.

“President Park? It’s me.”

“Oh, bro.”

“Isehara Machines’ president will come and visit GH Machines the day after tomorrow in the afternoon.”

“Isehara Machines’ president? Not its executive officer in the purchasing department? He is coming here himself?”

“It seems like it.”

“Hmm, really? I don’t understand. Why would the president of a large company in Japan want to visit their small vendor company in Korea? They must have tons of vendor companies that they are dealing with, haven’t they?”

“He is not actually coming to Korea to visit GH Machines, but he has an event to attend in Korea anyway. It’s an event for Korean and Japanese businessmen. He will be accompanied by Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party’s congressmen. So, since he will be in Korea anyway, he wants to visit GH Machines as well.”

“Hmm. I see. If you remember Isehara Machines’ president’s name, give me his name. I will hang a banner welcoming him or something at the company’s entrance.”

“A banner to welcome him?”

“Yeah, like a banner saying ‘we welcome Isehara Machines’ President someone.'”

“I don’t think that would be necessary. Do you think that’s necessary?”

“People do that, bro. I saw the pharmaceutical company next door having placed a banner welcoming a visitor before. That looked actually nice.”

“Haha, okay then. I will ask Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui to send you Isehara Machines’ president’s full name.”

After getting off the phone with Jong-Suk Park, Gun-Ho gave a call to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui.

“What is the name of Isehara president’s full name, who will be visiting us soon?”

“His name is Nishimura, Shinichi, sir.”

“How do we write his name in Chinese characters?”

“I will text you with it, sir.”

“Sounds good. Thank you.”

“Sir, I received a call from them again. They asked if we can send a car to the national assembly building in Yeouido Island for Isehara Machines’ president the day after tomorrow, probably around 1:30 pm.”

“I will send my car there for him. You are going to interpret for us that day, aren’t you?”

“Of course, sir. I will do that.”

After getting off the phone with Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, Gun-Ho continued to gaze at his computer monitor.

“I guess that whoever is buying Dyeon Korea’s stock must be loaded with a lot of money. They are not even trying to buy the stock at a lower price.”

Dyeon Korea’s stock trading volume had not been high at all from the beginning. In addition, as Gun-Ho gathered 3 million of them recently, the trading volume even decreased more lately. That was why they didn’t even try to buy the stock at a low price, but they actually let the price go up first to make more stock available in the stock market, and then they bought it at a high price. They didn’t start the trade this way from the beginning. They at first tried to scare the little investors, who were holding Dyeon Korea’s stock, by decreasing the price by 10%. However, the little investors didn’t sell their stock as they expected, and the volume of Dyeon Korea’s stock became very low. So, they decided to raise the price first to induce more stock available in the stock market and then bought them as they saw them.

“Dyeon Korea’s business is doing great now, but even so, I wonder if they would be able to make profits by purchasing the stock at this high price and selling them later.”

The following day, Dyeon Korea’s stock price continued to increase. It kept increasing on the following days in a low— Tuesday and Wednesday.

“The price is inevitably increasing since someone wants the stock so desperately like this.”

Gun-Ho did his math to figure out how much his stock that he purchased via his private equity fund company increased in price considering the price that he originally had paid for.

“The price increased by 15% at least. Should I tell President Geun-Soo Son to get ready to sell our stock? Hmmm, probably not. I will probably keep them for a while. I’d better wait until Dyeon Korea makes its public announcement on its end-year performance. By then, the price will probably increase by 30%. I will wait and see until then.”

It was Thursday. It was the day when Gun-Ho was supposed to pick up Isehara Machines’ president on Yeouido Island to bring him to GH Machines.

Gun-Ho at first planned to send his car and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui only to Yeouido Island to pick him up, but he decided to go with them himself.

When Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui came into Gun-Ho’s office that morning before leaving for Yeouido Island, Gun-Ho told him, “I will go with you.”

“Oh, you want to come with me to Yeouido Island yourself, sir?”

“I think I should be there to welcome him. He is an important figure for my business anyway. For an important guest, even the President goes to an airport to welcome his guest, doesn’t he?”

Gun-Ho and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui headed to Yeouido Island in Gun-Ho’s Bentley. When they arrived at the national assembly building, they met Isehara Machines’ President Shinichi Nishimura. Gun-Ho walked toward him and gave him a deep bow.

“I’m Gun-Ho Goo, sir.”

“Oh, you are the Mr. President Goo. I’m Nishimura, Shinichi.”

Isehara Machines’ president also gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho. He was wearing a sleek business suit with a blue-colored tie. He looked neat. There were several signs that were telling that he was in his 70s. Gun-Ho could see some age spots on his face, and he had grey hair. But, he still looked nice.

“You didn’t have to come to pick me up yourself, Mr. President Goo. I was expecting only a car for me to take.”

“Of course, I should, sir.”

“You look a lot younger than I expected. I can see that you are at that age to run your business vibrantly.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho and Isehara’s president exchanged their business cards. At that moment, a man, who was standing next to the Isehara’s president, also gave his business card to Gun-Ho. He was a tall man.

He introduced himself to Gun-Ho as he handed his business card to him, “I’m the president of the Korean-Japanese businessmen association.”

“Oh, I see. I’m Gun-Ho Goo.”

“My association is supposed to take care of President Shinichi Nishimura during his stay in Korea, and now I should let him go with you, Mr. President Goo. Thank you for taking care of him.”

“Don’t mention it. President Nishimura is the president of our major client company.”

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Chapter 873 - Commodity Channel Index (2) – Part 2

Chapter 873: Commodity Channel Index (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho’s Bentley drove an expressway with Gun-Ho and Isehara Machines’ president in it. Isehara’s president said, “There are a lot of large buildings along the expressway now. It looked a lot more developed than the time when I visited here a few years ago.”

After he made a comment about the area, Isehara Machines’ president started dozing off in the car.

When it was around 3 pm, Gun-Ho’s group arrived at GH Machines in Baeseok agricultural and industrial park in Cheonan City.

As Gun-Ho entered the factory’s gate with Isehara Machines’ president in his car, the security guard in a uniform gave a military salute to them.

There was a banner hanging at the entrance welcoming Isehara Machines’ president, just like Jong-Suk Park told Gun-Ho that he would make it. Isehara Machines’ president smiled when he saw the banner. The banner said in a large font that “Welcome Isehara Machines’ President Shinichi Nishimura for his visit.”

At the entrance, President Jong-Suk Park and other executive officers of GH Machines were waiting for them.

“Welcome to GH Machines.”

Jong-Suk Park, who was wearing a uniform neatly, quickly came to Isehara Machines’ president and gave a deep bow to him. Isehara Machines’ president smiled and offered his hand to Jong-Suk Park for a handshake. It was not their first time to meet each other. They had met before.

“My factory is not big, and we have a limited number of workers here. I’m honored to have you here, sir.”

Gun-Ho giggled without showing it to others.

‘Jong-Suk grew up to be a true businessman now. He knows how to welcome his major client, and he knows what to say in a mannerly way. He is doing great as the president of his business.’

Jong-Suk Park introduced GH Machines’ plant managers to Isehara Machines’ president.

“Our factory has two plant managers. One is overseeing the production department for manufacturing machines for Dyeon Korea. The other plant manager focuses only on the work producing Isehara Machines’ camshafts and valves.”

The two plant managers gave a deep bow to Isehara Machines’ president.

Isehara Machines’ president said, “This plant manager looks familiar to me.”

“That’s right, sir. He used to work in Miura Machines in Japan as their plant manager. He is Plant Manager Yanagi Masatoshi.”

“Oh, is that right?”

Jong-Suk Park continued to speak in a calm voice, “You can tell that the entire Miura Machine moved to this place. We have their engineers and equipment all here. You will be able to meet with several other engineers from Miura Machines here too.”

As he listened to Jong-Suk Park’s explanation, Isehara Machines’ president nodded his head; he seemed to trust what Jong-Suk Park said and his work here for Isehara Machines’ products.

At that moment, the lady worker, who was handling general affairs around there and also did interpretation work, brought tea to the office. It was Ssanghwa-tea*. She also brought some snacks like walnut cookies on a plate, which were famous cookies in Cheonan City.

Jong-Suk Park smiled and said, “This tea is called Ssang-hwa tea. It’s very good for health. And, the cookies on the plate are walnut cookies. They are famous regional product of Cheonan City.”

As Gun-Ho was observing Jong-Suk Park and how he acted around his major client, he felt proud of Jong-Suk Park.

‘He is very good. Considering Isehara Machines’ president’s old age, he prepared a cup of warm Ssang-hwa tea along with walnut cookies. Excellent choice.’

Isehara Machines’ president took a sip of Ssang-hwa tea and took a bite of one of the walnut cookies, and then he nodded his head. Jong-Suk Park then introduced the lady who brought the tea and now who was sitting in the corner of the office quietly.

“She is one of our workers in the office. She studied in Japan.”

As the lady worker gave a bow to Isehara Machines’ president, Isehara Machines’ president extended his hand to her for a handshake with a smile.

“Which part in Japan did you study in?”

“I studied at the University of Tsukuba, sir.”

“Oh, is that right? It is a university located in Ibaraki. I’m glad to meet you, young lady.”

Jong-Suk Park then handed a document to Isehara Machines’ president. It was a PowerPoint document depicting the business of GH Machines.

“We haven’t prepared our company’s catalog yet, but this is a PowerPoint document describing GH Machines’ business.”

President Jong-Suk Park then started briefly explaining about GH Machines. The lady worker interpreted what Jong-Suk Park was saying, instead of Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui.

As Jong-Suk Park pulled out the PowerPoint document that he prepared, Gun-Ho smiled and thought, ‘Jong-Suk is doing great indeed. He prepared a PowerPoint document in preparation for Isehara Machines’ president’s visit to his company. Very well done, Jong-Suk Park.’

After giving the visitor a brief presentation about his company, Jong-Suk Park took Isehara Machines’ president to the production site. Isehara Machines’ president watched the process of building and assembling the machines for Dyeon Korea for a while, and he made a comment looking at the twin screws, “These are very well carved. Nice work.”

Isehara Machines’ president thought that the twin screws, that GH Machines purchased from West Moulding Company in Seattle, U.S., were made in GH Machines. Jong-Suk Park showed Isehara Machines’ president to the area where the workers were working on the machine parts for Isehara Machines. The workers there all stood up simultaneously when they saw Isehara Machines’ president coming into the work area and greeted him in the Japanese language. Isehara Machines’ president seemed to be surprised.

“It seems that there are several Japanese engineers here, as I was told.”

Isehara Machines’ president then talked with several Japanese engineers there, and he asked them, “So, you used to work in Miura Machines before, huh?”

“Yes, sir. All of the machines and equipment of Miura Machines were moved here, and we came along with them to work here as well, sir.”

Isehara Machines’ president seemed to be satisfied. He smiled broadly.

Gun-Ho asked Jong-Suk Park, “It will be soon dinnertime, and Isehara Machines’ president will probably have dinner here with us. Did you make a reservation with a restaurant here, by any chance?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. I made a reservation with Seungjiwon in Baekseok Town. They are providing a Korean traditional full course meal. The three Japanese engineers working here will join us for dinner as well.”

Gun-Ho then said to Isehara Machines’ president, “President Jong-Suk Park seemed to make a reservation with a restaurant for our dinner today already. It’s a bit early for dinner now, so, would you like to visit GH Mobile as well since you are in the area before dinner? It’s not far from here at all.”

“Oh, the company is around here? Sure then, I’d love to see GH Machines.”

Gun-Ho made a call to President Song right away and told him, “I’m heading to GH Mobile now with Isehara Machines’ president, which is GH Machines’ major client company. Will you be there?”

“Yes, sir. I will be here. I’m in the factory right now.”

As Gun-Ho was heading to GH Mobile with Isehara Machines’ president, while sitting in the car, Gun-Ho opened Paxnet with his smartphone. He wanted to check the stock market to see any changes with Dyeon Korea’s stock movement.

“Hmm, Dyeon Korea’s commodity channel index movement is above 100 constantly. Does this mean that those who keep buying Dyeon Korea’s stock, are still trying to buy it as many as they can?”

Note*

Ssanghwa-tea – A traditional Korean tea which is known to help recover from fatigue.

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Chapter 874 - Commodity Channel Index (3) – Part 1

Chapter 874: Commodity Channel Index (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho, Isehara Machines’ President Shinichi Nishimura, and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, who came along with them to interpret for them, arrived at GH Mobile.

At the entrance of its building, several executive officers including President Song, the chief research officer, the general affairs director, the product quality assurance director, and two production managers were standing, waiting for them.

Gun-Ho introduced each of GH Mobile’s executive officers to Isehara Machines’ president. President Song among the GH Mobile’s executive officers seemed to know about Isehara Machines already. When he was introduced to Isehara Machines’ president, he said, “I’m so honored to meet the president of a well-known company— Isehara Machines.”

President Song handed his business card to Isehara Machines’ president. And, Isehara Machines’ president gave his to President Song. President Song didn’t forget to give his business card to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, who came along with Isehara Machines’ president to interpret for him.

“It’s almost closing time. Why don’t we take a look at the production site first before we close?”

“Sounds good.”

President Song led Isehara Machines’ president to the production site. Several hundreds of production workers were working at the site in an organized and systematic way. Isehara Machines’ president nodded his head as he was observing the workers and the site. The machines there were well maintained; they looked very clean. Thanks to the My Machine program that GH Mobile’s factory had adopted a long time ago. Isehara Machines’ president looked impressed by the cleanliness and efficient setting of the production lines, and he wasn’t shy about giving his compliments about it. The group then moved to the research center to visit as well.

“I had visited several factories in Korea in the past, like 10 years ago, and I can tell that I’ve never seen a factory this clean in Korea before. I guess Korea has developed a lot for the past 10 years.”

President Song smiled and replied, “When I joined S Group about 20 years ago, which was my first job in this industry, we often said that we should learn from Japan. That’s why the workers in the industry were often sent to Japan to learn Japan’s TQC (Total Quality Control).”

“Hmm, I do remember those days too.”

President Song continued, “I still remember like it was yesterday that I learned Japan’s TQC and drew Ishikawa diagrams (A type of diagram that was used to analyze data. It is also called a fishbone diagram because of the fish skeleton-like shapes that it was using).”

“As a matter of fact, Isehara Machines was one of the exemplary companies for the TQC program. We are adhering to the tradition as we still use TQC when we find some problems in the production site.”

President Song and Isehara Machines’ president seemed to hit it off well unexpectedly. All Gun-Ho cared about a business was sales revenue and operating income. When he heard some technical terms like TQC and some sorts of diagrams called Ishikawa diagrams, he had no idea what they were. Whatever they were, Gun-Ho was satisfied with the fact that President Song and Isehara Machines’ president seemed to get along well.

After finishing his tour at GH Mobile’s factory, Isehara Machines’ president extended his hand to President Song and shook his hand vigorously.

“Thank you for showing me around. When I see a production site, I can also see its CEO’s mindset and philosophy. I’m impressed today. You’ve done an excellent job here, Mr. President Song. If I have a chance, I will let the industry in Japan know that there is a great Korean company in the same industry called GH Mobile.”

“Thank you, sir. Thank you for recognizing our company’s value.”

“GH Mobile has two critical presidents— President Goo, who is a shrewd businessman, and President Song, who is an excellent manager. I can tell that GH Mobile will grow greatly.”

“Thank you.”

At that moment, an announcement came out from a speaker in the production site with a melody. It was informing that it was time for everyone to go home, so it was asking everyone to get ready to leave for the day to spend precious time with family.

As Isehara Machines’ president was hearing the announcement, he asked Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, “What is it about?”

“It’s telling the workers to get ready to go home, and it’s also saying to have a great evening with family.”

After he listened to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui’s explanation, Isehara Machines’ president grinned.

Gun-Ho’s group including Isehara Machines’ president and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui headed to the Korean restaurant— Seungjiwon— in Baekseok Town. President Jong-Suk Park and the Japanese engineers were already there waiting for Gun-Ho’s group.

Isehara Machines’ president seemed to be in a good mood. He enjoyed the traditional Korean food and had a few glasses of liquor as well. The three Japanese engineers at the table looked excited during the dinner since they were having dinner with Isehara Machines’ president who they admired and couldn’t even dare to dream about sitting at the same table before. Isehara Machines’ president asked them, “You all used to work in Miura Machines in Japan before. And, you have probably been experiencing difficulties living and working away from your home country. How are you all doing here? Do you like Korean food? How is the accommodation arrangement?”

Plant Manager Yanagi Masatoshi replied, “Mr. President Jong-Suk Park found a good place near the factory for us to live. It’s comfortable living here. We can have a very relaxing after-work life; we drink a glass of beer after work, or go to an indoor golf practice facility, or take a hot spring bath sometimes.”

“A hot spring bath?”

“Yes, sir. There is a famous hot spring place around here, called Onyang hot spring.”

“Oh, is that right?”

After dinner, Gun-Ho dropped Isehara Machines’ president off at the Garden Hotel in Mapo District, Seoul City. Isehara Machines’ president had a good impression about Gun-Ho, GH Mobile, and GH Machines, and he left for Japan the following day.

It was Friday.

Gun-Ho had been sitting at his desk all day long in his office, Sinsa Town, observing Dyeon Korea’s stock movement, as usual.

‘It is weird. It’s too early to see an increase in the stock price, but Dyeon Korea’s stock price is increasing already. The stock price is supposed to increase at the end of each year, not now. I see a lot of buy requests every day for Dyeon Korea’s stock. The trading volume is on the rise as well.

I’m worried about this unusual movement. What if Dyeon Korea’s stock price wouldn’t increase at the end of this year while all of the other stock prices are on the rise? The audit report that we have to publish on the Financial Supervisory Service’s website will be ready in March next year. Maybe I should make the public announcement about our performance report for the fourth quarter in early January.

Commodity Channel Index continuously shows high positive today.’

Commodity Channel Index showed the difference between a stock’s current price and its historical average price over a given period of time. It was used for identifying a new trend.

When Gun-Ho was watching the movement going on around Dyeon Korea’s stock, he received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“It’s Geun-Soo Son, sir. Have you had a chance to look at Dyeon Korea stock’s market price today?”

“Yes, I have.”

“We continuously see so many buy requests on the stock today. What do you want me to do about it, sir? Do you want me to start selling our stock in the stock market?”

“Don’t. I think we should wait and see for a while.”

“The number can be changed rapidly even later today if we don’t sell the stock right now.”

“We will have another good chance to sell the stock at the end of the year. We don’t have to worry about it. Let’s see what happens for the moment.”

“We have procured 3 million shares. If we sell them all at the current high price, we can make at least 3 billion won. It’s worth trying, sir.”

“I will let you know when we should sell our stock. I will give you a call when it is the time.”

“Understood, sir. I will then sit back and read a book or something until I receive your call later, sir.”

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Chapter 875 - Commodity Channel Index (3) – Part 2

Chapter 875: Commodity Channel Index (3) – Part 2

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.

President Song came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“I received a call from GH Media’s Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui this morning, sir.”

“Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui? What did he say?”

“Isehara Machines’ president highly spoke of our factory in GH Mobile, according to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui. He mentioned about our factory twice to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, saying that the way that we arranged the factory was very efficient, and we were running the factory in the right way too.”

“Haha, really? I’m not surprised. I know how well you have been operating GH Mobile, Mr. President Song. You deserve the compliment.”

“By the way, I’ve noticed that Dyeon Korea’s stock price has been increasing these days.”

“It is usual, actually. Stock prices tend to increase when it’s close to the end of the year. Many investors buy stocks because of dividends.”

Gun-Ho continued, “Speaking of Dyeon Korea, why don’t we talk about Dyeon Korea’s upcoming promotions?”

“We still have a lot of time to talk about it, sir. We can discuss it maybe early December, can’t we?”

“That’s true, but I want to have a rudimentary outline about it. So, we can later have a clear picture. The promotions for executive officer positions are determined by its board anyway. GH Mobile is one of the major shareholders of Dyeon Korea, and there are three board members in GH Mobile— President Song, me, and my father who is living in Incheon City.”

“That’s right. We do have three board members as such.”

“Since you and I are here talking about some issues, it can’t be considered as a board meeting. GH Mobile’s two of the three board directors are present in the meeting.”

“Haha, I see what you mean, sir. Oh, speaking of which, your father is registered as an outside director and receiving 3 million won per month. Is it enough? We can raise his salary. I’ve heard that old people these days need more money than their counterparts in the past, to enjoy their life. They need money to make trips internationally for fun and to pay for their hospital bills.”

“That’s fine. We can talk about his position and salary when we talk about promotions for GH Mobile, probably early December.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho continued after taking a sip of his tea, “I will stay as the president of Dyeon Korea until December 15th. I will have to resign myself from the position then as the American person, who Lymondell Dyeon will appoint, will take the position. I will have to stay behind the scene as the chairman of the board then.”

“Yes, sir. I’m well aware of it.”

“I’m not so sure about who’s going to be our next president. It could be someone totally new who will be sent by Lymondell Dyeon, or it could be our current vice president— Mr. Adam Castler— who could be promoted to that position. It seems that Mr. Adam Castler is hoping to be appointed to the president position and stay in Korea.”

“That’s understandable, especially because he is dating the native English-speaking teacher from Hoseo University.”

“And we need to come up with someone who can be placed in the vice president position. For now, I can’t think of anyone else but Director Kim. He is the most adequate person for the position.”

“I agree with you, sir. He is currently the highest-ranked executive officer after the vice president. We don’t have any better candidates even in GH Mobile, who we can send to Dyeon Korea for the position.”

“The only thing that I am concerned with is about the arrangement that it has been only two years since he was promoted to his current position— senior director. It might be deemed too early to give him another promotion, by a lot of people in the company.”

“If the circumstance requires it, that’s what we have to do. I’m pretty positive that no one will object to Director Kim becoming Dyeon Korea’s next vice president.”

“That’s why I picked Director Kim. Also, we need a new executive officer who can lead the production site. I’m intending to promote Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo to a director in the production department.”

“Manager Yoo also was promoted to his current position— manager— two years ago, but since he is performing a dual role by working as a plant manager, I do believe that he is the right candidate for the position. If Manager Yoo is promoted to the director position, we will have to let the current chief research officer go, who is holding a temporary advisory position. He is actually lucky to hold his current position for the past two years anyway. He should be grateful for the opportunity. Many people retire earlier than their usual retirement age these days, and he has been working for two years even after he reached his retirement age. He must feel grateful for you, sir.”

“And, we will keep Director Yoon at his current position without any changes for now. For the internal auditor, I want to extend his work contract for two more years. We still need him in Dyeon Korea. He has contributed enormously to the growth of Dyeon Korea anyway, and without him, the company’s finance department will be weakened.”

“That’s true. They have Manager Myeong-Sook Jo in the accounting department, but we can’t solely rely on her, especially since the company is now a public company. I do agree with you on extending the work contract with the internal auditor, sir. We will also have to place him in the board of directors for Dyeon Korea.”

“Dyeon Korea will have four board directors then, even though it’s a small company.”

“Huh? Four board directors? Who are they?”

“Since Dyeon Korea is a joint venture company, each partner should have their own person in the board representing their interests. And, if Director Kim becomes its vice president, he will be added to the board as well. So, we will have Director Kim and Mr. Adam Castler in the board. And, since I will be the chairman of the board, I will be one of them, of course. Now, we are adding the internal auditor there. Therefore, there will be four board members.”

“I see. Well, what we just discussed here today can be publicly announced on December 15th, can’t it?”

“That’s what I’m planning.”

“If so, GH Mobile will make an announcement about the decision on its promotions on the same day too then. We only have one promotion intended for executive officers. We will promote one of our production managers to director.”

“I’m hoping that you will finish the arrangement with the promotions for the mid-level managers by then.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho headed to GH Machines. When he arrived there, President Jong-Suk Park was having a meeting with its executive officers in the president’s office. GH Machines didn’t have a separate office for Gun-Ho, so Gun-Ho was not sure where he should sit while waiting for Jong-Suk Park. When Gun-Ho was wondering where to sit, a lady worker came to him and suggested, “Let me show you to our meeting room, sir. Do you want me to inform Mr. President Park that you are here, sir?”

“That won’t be necessary. I guess that he is having an important meeting right now. I don’t want to interrupt it. I will just wait here. Can you bring me a newspaper, instead?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper while sipping a cup of tea that the lady worker brought to him earlier, when someone opened the meeting room without knocking on the door.

“Huh? Someone is here. We’d better find someplace else to talk.”

One of the workers there seemed to open the meeting room’s door thinking it was available to use, and he closed the door right away with his co-worker when he saw Gun-Ho there.

‘Haha. I guess I should have asked Jong-Suk to have a separate office for me here. Well, that wouldn’t be a good idea. It is a small company, and I can’t ask him to have another president’s office here so they would have a President Park’s office and a President Goo’s office, which sounds ridiculous. On December 15th, maybe I should take a chairman position.’

After a while, President Jong-Suk Park entered the meeting room where Gun-Ho was sitting.

“Bro, when did you come? If you told me in advance that you would come, I would have a meeting in this room instead, so you can stay in my office. It doesn’t look good that you wait in this small meeting room for me. You are the owner chairman of the whole GH Group after all.”

“I’m okay.”

“Well, let’s go to my office. The meeting is over.”

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Chapter 876 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (1) – Part 1

Chapter 876: Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park went into Jong-Suk’s office in GH Machines.

Gun-Ho asked Jong-Suk as he was sitting on a chair, “Was it an important meeting that you just had?”

“We are experiencing an unexpected increase with the product order from Isehara Machines. So, we talked about a plan on how to handle the increased production.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I guess I will be able to pay my workers even if Dyeon Korea stops placing their product order with us.”

“How much do you expect to make per month with the business with Isehara Machines?”

“I think it should be at least 200 million won.”

“Hmm, is that right? So, if we include the current product sale to Dyeon Korea, the monthly sales revenue should be more than 350 million won.”

“Other than Dyeon Korea and Isehara Machines, we also provide maintenance services to a few factories around here. With the income from them, our monthly revenue will probably be about 400 million won.”

“Hmm, that means that the company’s yearly sales revenue is around 4.8 billion won, huh?”

“How much does GH Mobile make per year?”

“It’s generating almost 200 billion won per year.”

“Wow! 200 billion won?!”

“Keep up the good work. I’m sure you can grow this company that large.”

“In order to increase our sales revenue to 4.8 billion won, I have worked so hard like I couldn’t even sleep at night sometimes. How much more effort should I put to make 200 billion won per year then?”

“You just need to procure more clients and increase the number of workers here. That will do. By the way, do you have some funds currently available?”

“Funds? Why are you asking about funds? We just started shipping our products to Isehara Machines. We haven’t received the payment from them yet. We had 600 million won that Dyeon Korea had paid to us earlier, and we spent some of it to purchase machine parts and stuff. We now have about 400 million won left, I guess.”

“I want you to buy a car for yourself. I noticed when Isehara Machines’ president visited here that your car looked too humble. You need a new one.”

“It won’t be necessary. My car still works perfectly fine. I don’t need a new vehicle. I need to save money for GH Machines anyway.”

“Saving money for what?”

“We are currently leasing this factory. I want to buy a nice factory that is owned by GH Machines. You know that my father-in-law is in the real estate industry, right? He told me that he sometimes sees good factories available for sale at public auction. If I can buy one of them, that will be really nice.”

“That’s right. Your father-in-law is running a real estate office, huh?”

“He is the one who found the condo inside the Byeoksan Blooming Condo Complex that those Japanese engineers are living in, for me. Haha.”

“Really?”

“I wanted to pay him 200,000 won for the service, but he refused to take it from me. So, it was a free service. Haha.”

“You should still have paid him. He provided you with his professional service.”

“The lease term for this factory is two years. I want to save enough money before the lease expires, so I can move to our own factory then. I will hold the thought of buying a new car until then.”

“Okay. I’m proud of you, Jong-Suk. Keep up the good work. You are running a factory that makes an annual sales revenue of 4.8 billion won. The factories that we had worked in Pocheon City or Yangju City years ago were smaller than GH Machines. You can make it even larger than now. I know that you can do it.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

“And, about the PowerPoint documents that you showed to Isehara Machines’ president when he visited here, did you prepare it yourself?”

“I collected necessary information and data myself, but the students in my class edited and made the final version of the document.”

“The students in your class?”

“Yeah. Those who are taking classes with me in Korea University of Technology and Education helped me with the document.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I actually threw a party for them with deep-fried chickens, showing my appreciation for their help. Haha.”

“That’s good.”

“They actually visited GH Machines before, and they are still making a fuss about it.”

“About what?”

“They want to work for me after they graduate college.”

“If you see decent people with potential, hire them. But, don’t they want to work for a larger company?”

“Some of them want to work in GH Machines because it is part of the same GH Group with GH Mobile.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

Gun-Ho headed to Dyeon Korea with a satisfied smile on his face. He indeed felt proud of Jong-Suk Park.

‘I thought he would suffer for a while by running his own business and making a lot of mistakes, but he is doing a lot better than I expected.’

Chan-Ho Eom, who was driving, said as he looked at Gun-Ho through the rear-view mirror, “President Park spent his 20s like a gangster member like I did, but since he is so skillful and knowledgeable in a certain field, he is now running his own company. Tae-Young bro and I should do the same as him, but it’s not easy.”

Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea.

Director Kim was not in his office as usual; he was probably on a client site. The internal auditor entered Gun-Ho’s office. He was carrying a document.

“This is a certified copy of the corporate registration.”

Gun-Ho took a close look at the corporate registration.

[The unit share price is 2,000 won. The total number of shares issued is 26 million. President Gun-Ho Goo. Inside Director Adam Castler (U.S. national). Inside Director Dong-Chan Kim. Inside Director Hyeong-woo Lee. Internal Auditor Hee-Seok Goh.]

Other than the president, every executive officer including the vice president and the senior director was listed as an inside director without specifying their actual job title.

“Mr. Adam Castler and I are shown as continuing officers, and Director Kim and Director Lee are shown as new officers.”

“That’s correct, sir. I am also shown as a new officer.”

“We have made this public already, haven’t we?”

“Of course, we have, sir. We clearly stated that the board meeting was held, and the board approved those executive officers to be added to the board of directors.”

“Well done.”

“And, sir, I want to thank you for extending my work with Dyeon Korea for an additional two years. My wife was so happy when I gave her the news.”

“Haha, really?”

“I have a daughter. She is still single. And, my wife wants our daughter to get married while I’m still working. She thinks that will make our daughter’s wedding fuller with more guests and all that.”

“Haha, I see.”

“It seems that Dyeon Korea’s stock price keeps rising these days, sir.”

“I guess there are investors who are buying the stock because of the end-year dividends.”

“I will give you a separate report on the dividends after we get the end-year financial document, sir.”

“Sounds good.”

“I feel sorry for our new senior director—Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee—that we haven’t prepared a separate office for him yet. I’m thinking about building temporary walls in the corner of our general office to give him a separate and private office space for now.”

“Please don’t. I will resign from the president position soon, and this room will be available to use anyway.”

“Understood, sir.”

“What is Director Lee doing now?”

“It seems that he is working on finding a new market overseas. He asked me to show him the documents about our recently established factories in Tianjin, China and Noida, India.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Since he speaks English fluently, he spends a lot of time with Mr. Adam Castler. They often have lunch together, and they also drink beer after work sometimes. He gets along with Director Yoon as well.”

“Hmm, I guess he is outgoing and social. That’s nice.”

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Chapter 877 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (1) – Part 2

Chapter 877: Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (1) – Part 2

A while after the internal auditor left the office, the new director—Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee—entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“How are you, sir?”

Director Hyeong-Woo Lee greeted Gun-Ho in a respectful way as he entered the office.

“How’s your work here so far?”

“It’s good, sir. I don’t have a lot of work to do yet anyway. Most of the time, I just sit at my desk surfing the web.”

“I understand that you are using the small meeting room as your temporary office. It must be uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay, sir. It’s not like I need a nice office, so I can have clients coming over to see me here.”

“It’s almost the election day for the leader of Gongmyeong Party, isn’t it? Oh, well, it’s actually tomorrow.”

“Speaking of which, I have something that I’d like to talk to you about, sir.”

“Please go on.”

“Once and if my brother is elected as the leader of Gongmyeong Party tomorrow, people will vigorously talk about anything around him.”

“Like what?”

“Those incompetent reporters from newspapers will talk about anything on my brother based on their speculations. That’s very possible. Even though he hasn’t mentioned anything about running for President, they will persistently ask him questions related to it and write their cover story as if my brother is determined to run for President or something like that.”

“Hmm.”

“If that happens, Dyeon Korea can draw public attention as well.”

“Dyeon Korea? Why would that happen? Dyeon Korea is a business entity. It has nothing to do with politics.”

“It is very possible that those jerks playing with stocks will try to tie Dyeon Korea’s stock to politics in any way that they could think of.”

“Hmm.”

“Dyeon Korea will be targeted because my brother presided over your wedding, sir. That’s the link that they could think of between Dyeon Korea and politics.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho thought, ‘It’s not about your brother presiding over my wedding years ago. It must be about you. You joined Dyeon Korea, and you are the little brother of his. Isn’t it what you wanted? Also, that’s what I want too.’

Gun-Ho smiled and said, “Well, we just do what we can do, right? We just work here.”

“So, I was thinking that maybe I should stay away from Korea for a while by going on a business trip abroad. I can work on developing the international market for Dyeon Korea in another country.”

“Which country do you have in mind for your trip?”

“A country where a lot of moulding companies are found would be an ideal place for me to start with, in expanding our overseas market. Therefore, I was thinking of Guangdong Province in China, or Vietnam.”

“Hmm.”

“I know that you already have several companies in China such as a company in Suzhou City, Guangdong Province, and also a factory in Tianjin City, not to mention the intercity bus business in Antang City, Guizhou Province. If we can get help from the people from these companies, there wouldn’t be a problem acquiring a factory in Guangdong Province.”

“That’s not necessarily a plausible plan though. Those people are already extremely busy working hard all day long in running those companies. We can’t expect them to stop their work and travel back and forth between their area and Guangdong Province in searching for a factory. You should do the work, Director Lee. We can establish a factory in Guangdong Province, China first, and then we move on to find another one in Vietnam. Don’t you think that sounds more reasonable?”

“You are right. That is actually the job that an executive officer of the international market development department is supposed to do.”

“You can stay there until we establish a factory. We will still support your stay even if that would take a long time. The company will pay for your stay and salary, of course.”

Directory Hyeong-Woo Lee smiled.

Gun-Ho continued as he was sipping his jujube tea, “Once your brother becomes the leader of his political party, it only takes a slight implication of your brother that he might run for President, to make A Group’s stock and Dyeon Korea’s stock to be considered closely connected to politics. I’m sure that you know that.”

“That is very possible.”

“Moreover, you should know this better as well since you had worked for a global investment bank for years. A Group’s stock is ‘heavy’ in a sense that the significant number of their stock and the high price per share. So, more investors will probably be attracted to Dyeon Korea’s stock.”

“You are absolutely right, sir. I’m impressed.”

“So, I agree with you on you staying in another country for a while, Director Lee. In addition, if you stay in Guangdong Province, China or in Vietnam for work at this time, that will seem to be understandable and reasonable. The timing is right as well.”

“That’s true, but…”

“What is it? Is there something that I’m missing here?”

“If I go to Guangdong Province in China and fail to establish a new factory in a short period of time, my ability to handle the work in my position can be questioned, and subsequently, I can be attacked by the executive officers here in Dyeon Korea. That’s the concern that I have now.”

“I will cover for you. You don’t have to worry about it. And, once your brother is elected as the leader of the political party, and Dyeon Korea’s stock is deemed to be a stock that is influenced by politics, then they will understand why you had to stay away from Korea for a while.”

“I’m very impressed by your insight, sir.”

“Alright. Go to Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, and do some research work in the area with the purpose of acquiring a factory or other real estate in the future. I would say that a 5,000 pyung large factory should be adequate. Our factories in Chennai, India, and the one in Noida, India, and also the factories in Suzhou City and Tianjin City in China are all about the same size—more or less 5,000 pyung large.”

“Understood, sir.”

“For your stay in China, Director Yoon will take care of all monetary matters including the travel expense, living expense, accommodations, and etc.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, since I’m here today, I will talk to Director Yoon about it.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to Director Yoon right away using the interphone. He asked Director Yoon to come to his office now. It didn’t even take 5 minutes for Director Yoon to show up in Gun-Ho’s office.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Our new Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee here will work on developing overseas markets. If he has to go on a trip abroad or stay in another country for a while, please take care of all the necessary expenses including a place to stay and living expenses. We do have a policy about our executive officers’ travel, don’t we?”

“We do, sir. If you could let me know the area and the duration of stay, I will handle the expenses. The necessary amount of money varies depending on which area you are traveling to, so I need that information in advance.”

“In case that he has to go on a trip to China, please get him a visa to China as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Director Yoon gave a bow to Gun-Ho and left the office, Gun-Ho looked at Director Hyeong-Woo Lee and said, “Once the area is determined, you will have to fill out the travel request form for approval.”

“I will do that, sir.”

“Write down the area that you will be traveling to and the duration, and then get an approval signature from Vice President Adam Castler, and then give it to me. Since it is a joint venture company, we need to get a signature from the person who our American partner sent here.”

“I’m well aware of it, sir. I will follow the procedure.”

“And then, you will need to take the signed request form to Director Yoon. He will handle the cost.”

“Yes, sir.”

Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee gave a bow to Gun-Ho in a respectful way before walking out of the office. Gun-Ho then picked up his smartphone from the table and checked Dyeon Korea’s stock.

‘The price is now exceeding 6,000 won. The trading volume is continuously increasing even today. Is that Director Hyeong-Woo Lee who keeps buying Dyeon Korea’s stock these days? Or anyone related to him?’

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Chapter 878 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (2) – Part 1

Chapter 878: Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (2) – Part 1

One week passed by. Dyeon Korea’s stock price had been increasing until it hit 7,200 won that day.

Gun-Ho was doing his math with his calculator while sitting in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town, by himself.

“I’ve purchased 3 million Dyeon Korea’s stock at the average price of 5,600 won per share. The unit share price today is 7,200 won, so the price has increased by 28.5% from my purchase price.”

Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son later that day.

“Sir, the stock price seems to be stabilized today. Would you like to sell some of our stock today?”

“I’m not sure about it yet.”

“If the price starts moving again, and by the time when we see another price stabilization again, the price could be lower than this. 7,200 won is not bad at all. We paid 5,600 won per share on average, and if we sell them at 7,200 won, we will make 1,600 won per share.”

“That’s correct.”

“We have purchased 3 million shares so far, so if I multiply 3 million by 1,600 won, it will be 4.8 billion won. The stock trading volume seems to be on a downturn. Maybe those people, who have kept buying the stock, probably reached their goal and no longer purchase the stock. If we wait to make more money, we could miss the opportunity to make 4.8 billion won, sir. I do recommend to start selling the stock that we are holding.”

Gun-Ho smiled and thought,

‘Mr. President Son, do you think I’ve done this just to make 4.8 billion won? Once Candidate Jin-Woo Lee is elected as the leader of his political party, and if he shows his intention to run for President, Dyeon Korea’s stock price will start fluctuating. I can’t tell all of this to you, but we should wait. Stop whining, please.’

Gun-Ho said to President Son with a smile, “President Son, you have played Go-Stop (Korean card game), haven’t you?”

“Huh? Umm, yes, I have, sir.”

“When we play Go-Stop, we sometimes say that ‘Even though we can’t eat, we just Go.’ I’m pretty sure that it is okay to wait until December to sell our stock. Let’s wait until then.”

President Son seemed to feel a bit uneasy about waiting since the stock price was good. He believed that it was time to sell the stock to make money. But Gun-Ho didn’t seem to be convinced at all, and he was insisting to wait more.

President Son thought, ‘Well, it is his money anyway. He is the one who wants to wait, against my professional advice. Nothing much I can do about it. Even if we see the stock price going down later, he wouldn’t be able to blame me for it anyway.’

President Son replied, “Yes, sir,” before hanging up the phone.

Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Director Hyeong-Woo Lee.

“It’s Hyeong-Woo Lee, sir.”

“Yes, Director Lee.”

“Sir, I’m leaving for Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China tomorrow. I’m reporting it to you before I leave, sir.”

“Where in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province are you heading to?”

“I have a friend in the area, who used to study with me when I was in the U.S. He is working in an investment bank there. I’m heading to Dongguan City next to Guangzhou City. According to my friend, there is an industrial park called Ping Qian.”

“I’ve heard that there are a lot of manufacturing factories in Dongguan City. You are going to have hard days for a while.”

“I will be fine, sir. It’s my job.”

The next day after Director Hyeong-Woo Lee left for Guangdong Province, China, the election for the leader of Gongmyeong Party took place. And, as expected, Candidate Jin-Woo Lee was elected as the party’s leader. Only 50% of the entire votes were from the party’s representatives and members with rights, and Mr. Jin-Woo Lee won the election by gaining 40% votes over other candidates. He had been elected as a congressman four times before, and he had worked as a minister with the government. His extensive experience and contribution to the country must have been highly recognized by the voters.

Gun-Ho sent him a text message only, to congratulate him on his election.

[My sincere congratulations on your election to the leader of Gongmyeong Party. I expect your further contribution and efforts to work for the people and the country.]

Gun-Ho received his brief reply right away.

[Thank you.]

It occurred to Gun-Ho that it was the right decision to send Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother to Guangdong Province in China.

“Since he is not in Korea, but China for work, people won’t talk about Dyeon Korea where he is working now.”

The following day, Gun-Ho checked the stock price of A Group’s A Electronics. The price had already increased by 10%. Its market capitalization was tens of trillion won. For a company with that much market capitalization, a 10% increase in its stock price was huge. An economic newspaper already covered the fact.

[As Candidate Jin-Woo Lee is elected as the leader of Gongmyeong Party, A Electronics’ stock price skyrocketed by 10%. A Electronics’ chairman was known to be Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s father-in-law. However, it is told that A Electronics’ chairman was not very thrilled by his son-in-law’s decision in getting into politics.]

The company that received the most benefits from Mr. Jin-Woo Lee’s election at the moment seemed to be his friend’s apparel company called Gdano. They graduated from the same college, and Mr. Jin-Woo Lee was junior to the company’s owner president. This company hit the upper limit in its stock price that day. It was not a large company, with a market capitalization of only around 300 billion won. Gun-Ho opened the stock discussion forum for Gdano to see what people were saying about it.

“That greedy Jin-Woo Lee will definitely run for President. Let’s buy as many Gdano’s shares as possible while we can. Its stock price will go up even higher. This is just a start.”

“Gdano’s president went to the college three years before Jin-Woo Lee got in there. They went to the same college and studied the same major. I was told that they even participated in the same extracurricular activity.”

“I’m sure that the stock price will decrease tomorrow. You all should sell your stock now. You’d better listen to me on this.”

“Hey, Jin-Woo Lee’s cousin is working for Songmal Construction. Their stock price is about to increase as well.”

“I heard that A Electronics’ chairman doesn’t even want to see his son-in-law’s face now. I don’t think their stock price will go up continuously. I will bet on Gdano.”

Theme stocks around Jin-Woo Lee seemed to be in the process of being shaped. It was true that Gdano’s president went to the same college as Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee, and he was three years senior to him. However, they barely met each other after college, and Gdano’s president had no reason to get help from Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee in running his business. But, his company’s stock price hit the upper limit that day. The investors were shaping the trends with some stocks that could benefit from Jin-Woo Lee’s election. Dongmal Construction was one of those companies that were included in the trends.

Gun-Ho grinned.

‘This phenomenon will explode once Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee plausibly mentions his intention about running for President. When Ki-Moon Ban, who was at that time the Secretary-General of the United Nations, indicated that he might run for President, the stock manipulators made tons of money by making a trend with so-called Ki-Moon Ban’s theme stocks. His theme stocks included Bosung Power Technology, Seongmoon Electronics, Hanchang, and YBMNET. Their stock price at that time fluctuated enormously. Bosung Power Technology’s stock was the noisiest one just because Ki-Moon Ban’s little brother worked there.

People are probably searching for Jin-Woo Lee’s theme stocks desperately. If they eventually found out that Jin-Woo Lee presided over my wedding before, Dyeon Korea’s stock price would skyrocket. Further, if they find out Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother is working in Dyeon Korea, its stock price will keep jumping up without a break. Well, it’s not the time to give them a hint about it yet. I will wait and see for a while.’

Gun-Ho had no doubt about Dyeon Korea’s stock being the major stock among Jin-Woo Lee’s theme stocks.

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Chapter 879 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (2) – Part 2

Chapter 879: Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (2) – Part 2

A few days passed by. There were no dramatic changes in Dyeon Korea’s stock price yet. It stayed about the same price. It seemed that no one was really paying attention to Dyeon Korea yet, and its trading volume was noticeably nominal. However, it was maintaining the price around 6,500 won which was an increased price from 5,600 won.

Gun-Ho was sitting at his desk in his office in Sinsa Town. While staring at Dyeon Korea’s stock chart, Gun-Ho said, “The moving average is breaking away. Someone seemed to finish buying the stock, and he is holding it without putting it back to the stock market. That’s why the stock price is not increasing nor decreasing. It’s about the time when Candidate Jin-Woo Lee said something about his intention to run for President.”

The stock price of the clothing company—Gdano—was at a record high three days in a row, and then the increase seemed to stop, while Dongmal Construction’s stock price, where Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s cousin was working, was still on the rise. Its stock price has already doubled. Gun-Ho thought that it was ridiculous to see a company’s stock price fluctuating just because someone in the company was related to a politician.

“A company’s stock price is supposed to move up and down based on the potential or expectation of that company’s future business. That’s how investors are supposed to look at when they make their investment decision. Stock price fluctuation based on relationships with some politicians is not right!”

Gun-Ho opened the Financial Supervisory Service’s website to see those two public companies’—Gdano and Dongmal Construction—financial statements.

“These companies are not worth that price at all. They both have high debts, and their sales have stayed the same for a while. Their business is actually losing money. So, those stock manipulators included these shi*ty companies as theme stocks and made money out of it. It’s absurd. The little investors, who read this stupid trend and bought these companies’ stocks, will soon lose money.”

It didn’t take long for Dyeon Korea to be included as one of Jin-Woo Lee’s theme stocks.

A popular American journalist visited Korea to talk with Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee. He wanted to know more about the new political party’s leader’s—Jin-Woo Lee—political view.

The talk between them went well. Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee clearly showed that he took seriously the friendly relationship between the U.S. and Korea. So far so good. The journalist posed his last question to Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee.

“You are now leading your political party—Gongmyeong Party. People say that you are a strong candidate for the next president. Can I ask if you intend to run for President?”

“It’s too early to talk about my intention about running for President. However, if our people want me to be, then I will be ready to run for President.”

Jin-Woo Lee’s statement started being widely spread out. And it made national headlines the following day.

[Gongmyeong Party’s Leader—Jin-Woo Lee—seemed to make his decision to run for President.]

What he really said was that he would be ready to run for President if people wanted him to, but that was interpreted by news reporters as he actually was determined to run for President. And it was widely spread out nationally by newspapers.

[Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee had a talk with the American daily newspaper reporter and also a famous journalist—Mr. Thomas Woods—yesterday morning, and during the talk, he showed his strong will to run for President. Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee clearly stated that he would be ready to run for President if Korean citizens want him to.]

When Jin-Woo Lee’s friend’s apparel firm’s—Gdano—stock price increased three times higher, and Dongmal Construction Company’s stock price hit the upper limit for the day, the stock manipulator started selling those stocks. While little investors thought that those two companies’ stock prices just started increasing because of Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s statement about his possibility of running for President, the stock manipulators were ending the price increase.

Not many people seemed to know about Dyeon Korea being somewhat related to Jin-Woo Lee. But, its stock price increased by 10%, maybe some learned about the connection between the two. When Gun-Ho noticed the price increase, he quickly opened the stock discussion forum for Dyeon Korea.

“Huh? What is going on with Dyeon Korea’s stock? Are they doing fantastically well with their factories overseas?”

“I guess its president—Gun-Ho Goo—realized that he had to manage the company’s stock price, so maybe he bought some for himself to increase the price.”

“You know what? I heard that Dyeon Korea is linked to Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee.”

“Hey, the one above, you’d better be right about what you said about the rumor. Otherwise, I’m going to kick your a*s.”

“Oh, please. I’m sure Jin-Woo Lee is at least 20 years older than Gun-Ho Goo. How can they be friends? Or, are they connected in other ways?”

“Someone reports that guy who is spreading the ungrounded rumor.”

Gun-Ho giggled, and then he left the stock discussion forum.

Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“The stock price suddenly went up by 10%. Is there any good news with the company, sir?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Sir, I think this is the time to sell the stock. It seems there are lots of buy requests accumulated already for the stock.”

“As I told you before, I want to wait until the end of the year.”

Gun-Ho received another call from the branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company. It had been a while since he talked to him.

“Dyeon Korea’s stock price increased by 10% today, sir. I guess that it is slowly becoming one of the theme stocks.”

“You didn’t leak the information about it to the stock clubs, did you?”

“Oh, my, sir. I would never do such a thing to you, sir. I’m hurt. I’ve made recommendations a few times as Dyeon Korea is a good stock to invest in though. And, I also once introduced Dyeon Korea’s stock as one of the good stocks for investment, during an online stock program. That is it.”

“Hmm.”

“Dyeon Korea is a debt-free company with sales growth of 30%. So, I often stated that it is a good stock to hold. But, I’ve never mentioned it as a stock possibly influenced by politics. Moreover, a stock brokerage company never recommends its investors a theme stock for them to invest in.”

“I know that. I was just saying it because the stock price unusually increased without a plausible explanation.”

“Some observant investors probably already took a hint about the connection between you and Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee. There has to be a reason when we see a 10% increase in a stock price, especially, its trading volume increased substantially as well.”

“Hmm, you think so?”

“If we see another 10% increase in the stock price tomorrow, that means that Dyeon Korea’s stock became one of the theme stocks. I’m sure of it, sir. And, we will hear the rumor about the connection probably the day after tomorrow.”

“Hmm.”

“With the rumor going around, Dyeon Korea’s stock price will keep increasing for quite a while since it is the major theme stock.”

“Well, if you know that much to predict the price increase so firmly, why didn’t you buy some of Dyeon Korea’s stock for yourself?”

“Oh, my, sir. Don’t even make a joke about it. I don’t want to get arrested. I didn’t even ask SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son about which stock the company is buying even though I know him personally. He wouldn’t let me know even if I asked. The branch manager of a stock brokerage company shouldn’t try to know things like that if he wants to work in this industry for a long while.”

“I see. I’m sorry to ask you that. Well, I have a small favor to ask you. If Dyeon Korea’s stock price increases by 10% again tomorrow, will you give a hint about Dyeon Korea’s stock being a theme stock, to SH Investment Partners’ President Son? I don’t think I can tell that to him myself.”

“Of course not, sir. You must not say that to anyone other than yourself, sir.”

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Chapter 880 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (3) – Part 1

Chapter 880: Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (3) – Part 1

The next day, once again, Dyeon Korea’s stock price increased by about 10%. After the price increased two days in a row, Dyeon Korea’s stock price reached 7,800 won per share.

SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son thought that the recent increase in the price of Dyeon Korea’s stock was strange, so the fact was, that Gun-Ho insisted on not selling the stock yet.

“I guess that I underestimated the person— Gun-Ho Goo. As the branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company told me, President Goo is probably a big player whose wealth or power I can’t even assess.”

When President Geun-Soo Son was thinking about it, he received a call from the branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company.

“President Son, how do you like your new work?”

“It’s okay. I don’t do anything special or particularly interesting here. I just buy a specific stock that President Goo picks, and sell a specific stock that is also selected by President Goo.”

“Did you buy some of Dyeon Korea’s stock as well? Its price is steadily going up these days.”

“I can’t tell you that because of the confidentiality problem and stuff due to the nature of my work.”

“I understand that. It’s my bad asking you about it. By the way, do you have any idea why Dyeon Korea’s stock price keeps increasing these days?”

“I was thinking that maybe there is some good news with its business which I don’t know.”

“I can give you a hint about it. Do you want to hear why Dyeon Korea’s stock price is going up lately?”

“Well, I don’t know…”

“Dyeon Korea’s stock will soon be included as a stock that is influenced by politics. It will actually become a theme stock of Jin-Woo Lee.”

“Is that right? Is that what you hear from the people in the Yeouido stock street?”

“So, you didn’t know about it, huh? When President Gun-Ho Goo married, Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee was the one who presided over his wedding.”

“Really?”

President Geun-Soo Son felt like getting hit by a hammer or something. It was a strong feeling of realization as an epiphany.

‘That was it. That was why President Goo adamantly kept insisting on not selling Dyeon Korea’s stock. I’d better restrain giving my opinions to President Goo from now on. I will just accept and do things that President Goo asks me to do.’

President Geun-Soo Son felt a bit gloomy after getting off the phone with Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company’s branch manager. He had worked in a bank handling financial matters, even to the international business level sometimes. He was an excellent analyzer with client businesses. There was a reason why a person like him couldn’t make money by investing in the stock market.

‘The stock market is a playground for people like Gun-Ho Goo who can manipulate the stock market or read other people’s manipulation. There is no way that an ordinary man like me makes money in the stock market. I’m not loaded with a massive amount of cash or information which only a limited number of people have access to. Look at Gun-Ho Goo. He will use a grapeshot if he doesn’t have a bullet. No one will win over him in a battlefield.’

President Geun-Soo Son just sat at his desk and spent his day reading a webtoon or web novel.

The next day, Dyeon Korea’s stock price hit the upper limit. Its price per share was exceeding 10,000 won. It had been increasing two days in a row by 10% per day, and it finally hit the upper limit. Those people, who had access to the information, bought the stock when the price increased by 10% without an apparent reason for the first time in the past few days. And, some people without information also purchased the stock when they noticed that the trading volume increased; these were the lucky ones. Hitting the upper limit that day was a clear signal flare telling that Dyeon Korea’s stock was a theme stock of Jin-Woo Lee.

Every single of the stock discussion forums was talking about Dyeon Korea’s stock.

“Those who have no idea what is going on, I will tell you what’s going on. When Gun-Ho Goo married years ago, Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee presided over his wedding. You didn’t know that, huh? You morons.”

“Haha. I don’t know what to say to the people who sold their Dyeon Korea’s stock yesterday.”

“Hey, I purchased 10,000 Dyeon Korea’s stock today.”

“Is it true that Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee took the same class as Gun-Ho Goo at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University? That is the rumor that I heard, coming from the Yeouido stock street.”

“Guys, I just received a text message from my stock investment club. They said that we should buy Dyeon Korea’s stock as many as we can.”

“Wow. 3 million shares are needed to satisfy the current buy requests.”

“Oh, fu*k! I sold my stock yesterday, and its price hit the upper limit today!”

Gun-Ho grinned as he was reading the stock discussion forum.

At the same time, SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son was also reading the same stock discussion forum in his office. And, he was having goosebumps, instead of a smile.

“The current buy requests in total for Dyeon Korea’s stock is 3 million. Even if I assume that there are some requests that have no intention to buy it at all, the stock price will hit the upper limit again tomorrow. How much money President Goo would make from this? If he sells his stock now, he will make more than 20 billion won.”

President Geun-Soo Son felt dejected.

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh, because he suddenly felt a craving for a cup of coffee.

“Please bring me a cup of coffee.”

“Sir, you just had your coffee. Would you like to have a cup of Longjing tea instead?”

“No. I want to have a coffee with a double shot, please.”

Gun-Ho leaned back on the sofa and enjoyed his coffee.

“President Geun-Soo Son didn’t call me today even with all these new updates with Dyeon Korea’s stock. That tells me that he now knows that Dyeon Korea’s stock became a theme stock.”

The next day, Dyeon Korea’s stock price hit the upper limit again. It was well expected by looking at the buy requests that were not fulfilled yesterday. As Dyeon Korea’s stock price rose steeply, KOSDAQ Market Division of Korea Exchange issued a trading warning on Dyeon Korea’s stock.

Gun-Ho was reading a morning economic newspaper meticulously, that Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought to him. A news article about Dyeon Korea caught his eyes.

[Dyeon Korea’s stock hit the upper limit. As the fact that Dyeon Korea’s president Gun-Ho Goo’s (38 years old) wedding was presided by the leader of Gongmyeong Party— Jin-Woo Lee— was known to the public, the price of the stock skyrocketed.

Dyeon Korea’s President Gun-Ho Goo and Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee used to take classes together at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University as well.]

Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son later that day.

“Sir, congratulations on the stock hitting the upper limit two days in a row. I kept insisting on selling the stock without realizing that it was a theme stock. I’m calling today to ask you about what you want me to do with the stock tomorrow. I think that those current buy requests will diminish, and people will start selling their stock to make profits.”

“I will keep the stock.”

“Understood, sir. A trading warning was issued by KOSDAQ Market Division today. With this warning, it will take about two or three days before the price goes up again.”

Gun-Ho asked a question to President Geun-Soo Son, “Do you happen to know about a company called Winnova?”

“Of course, sir. That company’s stock was classified as Jae-In Moon’s theme stock before.”

“Winnova’s stock was one of Jae-In Moon’s theme stocks, and when its price increased too high in April 2015, it received a trading warning from KOSDAQ Market Division.”

“I am aware of it, sir. I bought that specific stock myself at that time.”

“I believe that the trading warning lasted for ten days. Do you remember what happened to that stock after ten days?”

“Yes, sir. Its price skyrocketed again and hit the upper limit as soon as the trading warning was lifted. A theme stock tends to go on until the source that made the stock as a theme stock in the first place depletes.”

“I see. Well, in that case, I will keep my Dyeon Korea’s stock for a while.”

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Chapter 881 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (3) – Part 2

Chapter 881: Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued to talk to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son, “In investing in the stock market, if you don’t know the other player’s cards, but if you still want to invest in it, you’d better buy blue-chip stocks and keep them for a long-term. A theme stock that is influenced by politics is not a good stock to invest in.”

“I agree with you on that, sir.”

“Winnova Company, which was known to be Jae-In Moon’s theme stock, didn’t have financial stability at that time. It was actually in a very bad financial situation.”

“I believe that Winnova Company was eventually delisted.”

“That company was an OEM cosmetic manufacturing company. The company was suffering severe capital impairment at that time. The company had nothing to do with the then-presidential-candidate— President Jae-In Moon— but the stock manipulators took advantage of it to make money.”

“I suppose so.”

Gun-Ho continued, “The company was eventually delisted as you know. The reason why I have purchased Dyeon Korea’s stock is to protect it from those malicious stock manipulators. It is true that Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee officiated my wedding years ago; however, his political activities or views have nothing to do with Dyeon Korea’s business. Dyeon Korea takes no part in the government’s business or projects, and we are not receiving any benefits from the government either.”

“Those stock manipulators are just using people’s psychological state to make money.”

“I want you— President Son— to enjoy your days in your office by reading books or having delicious food for a while.”

“Haha. Understood, sir.”

As President Son predicted, Dyeon Korea’s stock price was on a downward the following day. In the morning, a red light was shown as if the price would go up again for a while, and then it began decreasing in the afternoon. Those same investors, who had known the decisive information in advance about the price increase, seemed to be selling their stock at this time.

“The people who are selling their stock now already experienced the upper limit twice for the past two days. They will at least make money 60%.”

Gun-Ho looked at the trading volume.

“Someone purchased a significant number of Dyeon Korea’s stock at 6,000 won, but I don’t see that many stock available in the stock market yet. I guess whoever it is, he is still holding the stock, hoping that the price will go up higher. I’m pretty sure that he is not an amateur.”

Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“As you said, sir, the stock price will seemingly go up further in the near future. I don’t see enough stock available in the stock market yet.”

“Hmm, really?”

“There was a large purchase made at 6,000 won by someone, but I don’t see that many shares available to trade in the stock market yet. I would say that person is still holding the stock, and he will probably sell his when we see another dramatic price increase.”

“That’s possible if we don’t see those number of shares in the stock market as you said.”

After getting off the phone with President Geun-Soo Son, Gun-Ho thought about it.

‘When are we going to see another price increase? Director Hyeong-Woo Lee could be the stimulant to push the next price increase of Dyeon Korea’s stock. During the previous public announcement, we included news about his joining in Dyeon Korea. I’m sure that stock manipulators will soon dig in about him.”

Speaking of which, Gun-Ho received a call from Director Hyeong-Woo Lee, who was in Guangdong Province, China.

“Sir, it’s me, Senior Director Hyeong-Woo, Lee.”

“Are you in Dongguan City right now?”

“Yes, sir. I’m visiting development zones here in search of a good factory.”

Dongguan City was an industrial city situated next to Guangzhou City which was the capital of Guangdong Province. As an industrial city, there were numerous factories there. It was like Asan City next to Seoul City in Korea.

“Have you found any good one?”

“I’ve found three good factories, and I’m comparing them to select the right one for us. I’ve seen several factories which came out to the market for sale due to going out of business. Most of them were in the exporting business. Since we are a chemical company, I’m looking for a factory that has good power capacity with already-installed overhead cranes.”

“Of course. Those features are essential for our business.”

“If I find a good one, I will take a picture of it and send it to you right away, sir.”

“Sounds good.”

Three days passed by. It was already after mid-November. Dyeon Korea’s stock had been quiet for the past three days, and its price started fluctuating again that day. On the fifth day, the price hit the upper limit again.

[Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother is working in Dyeon Korea as a senior director.]

It turned out that this fact was very effective in increasing Dyeon Korea’s stock price. The next day, Dyeon Korea’s stock price hit the upper limit once again, and the price exceeded 20,000 won. Gun-Ho quickly did his math.

“The total number of shares issued so far is 2,600. Assuming the unit share price is 20,000 won, Dyeon Korea’s market capitalization is 520 billion won. If Dyeon Korea’s stock is really the major theme stock of Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee, the price will go up even higher.”

SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son was watching the news about Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother working for Dyeon Korea in a senior director position.

‘Oh, my. This was it. Dyeon Korea’s stock price increase is Gun-Ho Goo’s planned work.’

Even though President Geun-Soo Son would make money by this, he felt scared rather than blindly happy.

Gun-Ho felt like he would soon have to sell his stock. He was thinking that news reporters would soon show up in Dyeon Korea to ask questions about Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother, if he actually was working for Dyeon Korea. Gun-Ho gave a call to Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo. We are receiving a lot of calls for the matters related to our company stock, aren’t we?”

“We do receive a lot of calls lately. But, most of them are not from investors, but actually from the media like newspaper publishers. They all want to talk with you, sir. So, we told them that you are on a business trip right now.”

“Good.”

“What are we going to do if they actually visit our company, sir?”

“I will go to work there starting tomorrow.”

“A lot of news reporters are asking if Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee is really the little brother of Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee, and also asking about his job title with Dyeon Korea and the location where he actually works. They are aggressive and persistent in asking questions about him.”

“Really?”

“We always tell them that we don’t know.”

“That’s good.”

Dyeon Korea’s staff who was in charge of the company stock was receiving numerous calls per day, asking about Director Hyeong-Woo Lee. And, she always told them that she had no idea and that only the president would know about it. And, she also told them the president was on a business trip and would come back the next day.

Despite the trading warning issued by KOSDAQ Market Division, Dyeon Korea’s stock hit the upper limit in price again. Newspapers continuously talked about Dyeon Korea accordingly.

[Dyeon Korea’s stock price again hit its upper limit day after day. As the rising presidential candidate’s— Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee— little brother was known to be working for Dyeon Korea as its senior director, Dyeon Korea’s stock price increased again and eventually hit the upper limit. Dyeon Korea is a joint venture company partnered by the American multinational company— Lymondell Dyeon— and the Korean company— GH Mobile. It is a mid-sized company that is anticipating making an annual sales revenue of 100 billion won this year.]

On the way to Dyeon Korea in Asan City, Gun-Ho made a call to the internal auditor, in his car.

“If newspaper reporters visit Dyeon Korea today, please show them to our meeting room and serve them with some tea. I can’t meet with them individually one after another, so tell them that I will meet with all of them at once at 11 am.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 882 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (4) – Part 1

Chapter 882: Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (4) – Part 1

SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son was reading a news article from a newspaper. It was about Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother working for Dyeon Korea as its senior director. President Geun-Soo Son flung the newspaper down on the table and leaned back on the sofa.

He then mumbled, “Dyeon Korea’s stock price hit the upper limit again today. It reminds me of Bosung Power Technology. That company is producing materials and equipment in the power industry, and its stock price also skyrocketed just because Ki-Moon Ban’s— a former Secretary-General of the United Nations— little brother was working for that company. I believe that Mr. Ki-Moon Ban’s little brother was the vice president of Bosung Power Technology at that time. Mr. Ki-Moon Ban implied that he might run for President at that time without giving a clear decision to the public yet.

Bosung Power Technology was and still is located in Chungju City which is Mr. Ki-Moon Ban’s hometown. That company was not a large company at all at that time; its sales revenue was not even 100 billion won. How much was its stock worth at that time? I made a note about its price somewhere… Oh, that’s right. It used to be 500 won per share, and it jumped to 15,000 won in no time after it became Ki-Moon Ban’s theme stock. If that is the case, how much would Dyeon Korea’s stock become worth? It’s 2,000 worth of stock. I guess it can well increase to 60,000 won. Well, maybe a little less than that.”

President Geun-Soo Son kept staring at his computer monitor. It was showing Dyeon Korea’s stock chart. The stock price was still on the rise.

Gun-Ho was in his car on the way to work in Dyeon Korea in Asan City when he received a call from GH Mobile’s President Song.

“Sir, we have several news reporters here looking for you.”

“They probably want to ask me things about Dyeon Korea. Please send them to Dyeon Korea. I’m having a press conference in Dyeon Korea today at 11 am. They must be all economic news reporters.”

“Understood, sir. I will send them all to Dyeon Korea.”

After getting off the phone with Gun-Ho, President Song thought about Gun-Ho.

‘President Goo intentionally brought the Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee person in Dyeon Korea in the first place in order to make Dyeon Korea’s stock a theme stock. I suspect that he probably bought Dyeon Korea’s stock personally. Maybe he bought around 100,000 Dyeon Korea’s stock using someone else’s name.’

President Song had no idea about the fact that Gun-Ho hand bought 3 million Dyeon Korea’s stock when it cost only 5,600 won per share. If he knew the fact, he would have collapsed in surprise.

When Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea and entered his office, several people followed him and greeted him. The company was desperately in need of Gun-Ho’s presence for matters other than a daily operation. The internal auditor came into Gun-Ho’s office and said, “We have several news reporters here already, and I told them that you would come to the meeting room at 11 am.”

“How many news reporters do we have?”

“We have 6 reporters so far. They are all economic news reporters from Seoul City.”

“It seems that some news reporters went to GH Mobile, and I asked them to come to Dyeon Korea. Once they arrive here, I will go and meet with them in our meeting room. Tell Secretary Seon-Hye Yee to bring them some snacks.”

“Yes, sir.”

When it was 11 am, Gun-Ho went to the meeting room. He was accompanied by Vice President Adam Castler and the internal auditor, and he also brought Director Yoon with him. There were about 9 news reporters in the meeting room waiting for Gun-Ho.

“Gentlemen, I’m Dyeon Korea’s President Gun-Ho Goo. I understand that you all came all the way from Seoul City, but I’m afraid that there is nothing much interesting that I can tell you.”

Some news reporters prepared a recorder and placed it on the table, and some of them started taking pictures of Gun-Ho. The reporters began asking questions.

“Dyeon Korea’s stock price is hitting the upper limit every day. Do you happen to know the reason why?”

“Well, I don’t know. I’m also wondering about it. As you can see, our company has been doing our business as usual without any changes. We are doing the same work as we did yesterday, and we will continue to do the same work tomorrow. If any of you can tell me why our company’s stock price is increasing dramatically, I would really appreciate it.”

“Are you personally close to Gongmyeong Party’s Leader Jin-Woo Lee, sir? I heard that he was the one who presided over your wedding, sir. Is it true?”

“Yes, it is true. When I took classes at the Advanced Center for Administrative Development at Seoul National University, he was the class president. And, I was the class manager. That was how he came to my wedding and officiated it. After my wedding, I haven’t seen him. We are working in a different field as you know.”

“Is it true that Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother is working for this company as a senior director?”

“Yes, that’s correct. He is our senior director handling the international market development. He is now in Guangdong Province, China. He is not here in Korea.”

“How did Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s brother end up working for Dyeon Korea?”

“Well, he studied in the U.S., and he was well qualified for the position— a senior director in the market development department. That’s how he joined our company, and when he joined us, Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee was just a member of that political party. It happened before he was elected as the party leader. There was no request or anything to me from Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee about his brother. We were in need of a competent worker to develop our overseas market, and he happened to be the person who we found.”

“Why is he in Guangdong Province, China right now? Is he there to have some sort of a deal with the Chinese government or anything like that?”

“Not at all. He is our company’s senior director, and he is in China to perform his work duty. He is there to find our new factory there.”

“New factory?”

“Our company has an exclusive right to sell Lymondell Dyeon’s products to the entire Asia. As you know, Lymondell Dyeon is our partner, and it’s a world-class American company. We currently have several manufacturing facilities abroad, including Chennai and Noida in India, and also Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province and Tianjin City in China. We are planning to expand our market to Guangdong Province in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Uzbekistan. Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother— our Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee— is handling this plan now.”

“How is Dyeon Korea’s ownership interest distributed among its shareholders?”

“You can easily find that out by opening the Financial Supervisory Service website— DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System). I and my partner— Lymondell Dyeon— in the U.S. each of us own 34.6%.”

“Does anyone related to Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee share the ownership, such as his family or his in-laws like A Electronics?”

“Not at all.”

“You invested in Dyeon Korea through your other company— GH Mobile—, sir. GH Mobile’s annual sales revenue exceeded 100 billion won last year. How did you manage to own a company of that size at your young age, sir? A company that generates 100 billion won per year is certainly not a small company. Have you ever received any financial support or investment for your business from Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee or A Electronics, by any chance, sir?”

“I acquired a company called Mulpasaneop that was under the court receivership; it had a lot of debts. GH Mobile started from that company. Our primary client is H Group.”

“In conclusion, do you have anything that you’d like to tell the investors out there?”

“As you all well know, Dyeon is an internationally recognized global brand name. Because of the name, Dyeon Korea’s business has been very successful, and our sales constantly increase every year by 30%. We are a steady and healthy manufacturing company. We are currently expanding our manufacturing facilities and markets abroad, and we are anticipating making more than 100 billion won next year. Also, Dyeon Korea has no debt.”

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Chapter 883 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (4) – Part 2

Chapter 883: Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (4) – Part 2

Gun-Ho continued to speak to the news reporters in the meeting room, “Dyeon Korea is a financially stable company with a successful business. I have no idea why our company’s stock was recently tied to politics and considered as a theme stock. I hope that investors do not go along with the stock manipulators that are disturbing the stock market intentionally. I want to make it clear that Dyeon Korea has nothing to do with Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee.”

The next day, every economic newspaper covered what Gun-Ho had said.

[During the press conference yesterday, Dyeon Korea’s President Gun-Ho Goo admitted that Gongmyeong Party’s Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother is working for Dyeon Korea as its senior director. Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother— Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee— studied in the U.S, and he joined Dyeon Korea to handle the company’s expansion to overseas markets. He is currently in Guangdong Province, China to establish a manufacturing facility for Dyeon Korea there.

Dyeon Korea’s President Gun-Ho Goo stated that he had no idea why Dyeon Korea’s stock price is substantially increasing recently, and he was surprised himself when his company was deemed to be connected to Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee. He then added that Dyeon Korea had nothing to do with Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee.]

Once the news was published, Dyeon Korea’s stock became even more popular. Gun-Ho’s statement was meant to make the fact straight and calm the investors, but it worked as adding fuel to the fire.

“So, it is true that Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother is working for Dyeon Korea as a senior director, huh? The company’s president just admitted it.”

“Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s brother being in Guangdong Province, China might have something to do with his brother’s political activities like making a secret agreement with the Chinese government or something, huh?”

All sorts of speculations were being made among the investors, and Dyeon Korea’s stock price kept hitting the upper limit two days in a row. The stock price was now exceeding 36,000 won. KOSDAQ Market Division finally issued a trading warning with an order to make the stock unavailable to trade for ten days.

However, once the warning was lifted, Dyeon Korea’s stock price hit the upper limit again. As the stock price kept increasing as if it had no limit, even Gun-Ho was stunned.

“The stock market is crazy.”

The stock market seemed to become out of control. Gun-Ho made a call to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Let’s sell the stock now.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The stock market is not normal. Let’s sell all of the stock that we have.”

As a matter of fact, it took more than 15 days for SH Investment Partners to purchase 3 million Dyeon Korea’s stock for Gun-Ho. It would usually take several days to sell them as well, but there were so many buy requests for Dyeon Korea’s stock, and it took only 2 days to sell all of Dyeon Korea’s stock that SH Investment Partners was holding. The stock price was still high. It wasn’t hitting the upper limit, but it was still increasing by 3% to 7% constantly.

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from President Geun-Soo Son.

“We sold all of it, sir. It took me only 2 days to sell them all though. I can’t believe that there were this many buy requests for the stock. As we put 300 million shares back to the stock market, the price no longer hit the upper limit again.”

“For how much did we sell our stock on average?”

“We sold it at 45,600 won per share, sir.”

“How much did we make then?”

“It’s 136.8 billion won, sir.”

“Okay. Well, you did a good job today. You can take a day off tomorrow, and take a deep rest.”

After getting off the phone with President Geun-Soo Son, Gun-Ho did his math.

‘SH Investment Partners is a legal entity, so it has to pay corporate tax. I invested 16.8 billion won and made 136.8 billion won. After paying corporate tax and my income tax from dividends, how much money will fall into my hands? It should be less than 100 billion won.

Say, I will make 90 billion won. I have cash of 160 billion won in my account with Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company. So, that would make my cash 250 billion won in total. I still have a long way to go to achieve my goal of 1 trillion won. Well, I can use 250 billion won as my seed money to make 1 trillion won. It won’t take too long. I can do it.’

Gun-Ho looked at his watch. It was little after 2 pm. Gun-Ho didn’t even have his lunch that day yet. Gun-Ho thought that President Geun-Soo Son hadn’t had his lunch yet either. They both had a very busy morning because of Dyeon Korea’s stock. Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“I’m going to make a call to Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Adam Castler now and ask him to meet me this afternoon. I want you to interpret for me.

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho called Mr. Adam Castler.

“Hello? Adam Castler?”

“Oh, boss. An Nyeong Ha Seh Yoh (How are you)?”

Mr. Adam Castler greeted Gun-Ho in Korean. He seemed to be having fun doing it. Gun-Ho handed the phone to Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Mr. President Goo would like you to come to Seoul right now. He has something to discuss with you urgently. He wants to meet you at the Seoul Station. You can take a KTX and get off at the Seoul Station.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh interpreted what Gun-Ho told her to tell Mr. Adam Castler. She then asked Gun-Ho in a low voice while covering the phone with her hand, “He is asking what urgent matter you want to discuss with him?”

“Just tell him that I will talk to him when I see him. Tell him that I will go to the Seoul Station with Ms. Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh. I can meet him at Caffe Pascucci inside the Seoul Station.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh interpreted what Gun-Ho just said and then hung up the phone.

Gun-Ho said to her, “Please get ready to leave for the Seoul Station. You are coming with me. And, tell Chan-Ho Eom to bring the car to the building entrance.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho and Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh arrived at the coffeehouse in the Seoul Station early. About 30 minutes later, Mr. Adam Castler entered the coffeehouse.

“Hi, boss.”

Mr. Adam Castler grinned as he was waving his hand at Gun-Ho. He then sat at the table feeling curious about what was going on, because Gun-Ho looked serious.

“What’s the matter, sir?”

“Why don’t you catch your breath first? We can talk after we make an order for coffee or tea.”

Three people at the table ordered three cups of black tea. Gun-Ho said after taking a sip of his tea, “Dyeon Korea’s stock price has steeply increased recently, and we subsequently received a trading warning. You are aware of it, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir. I was told about it by the internal auditor and also by Interpreter Myeong-Joon Chae as well.”

“KOSDAQ Market Division issued a trading warning— not a trading caution— with an order to remove our stock from the stock market for ten days.”

“I am aware of that too, sir.”

“Despite the ten days without trading, as soon as the warning was lifted, the stock price hit the upper limit again. Today was relatively a bit slow, but we don’t know what would happen tomorrow. The stock price is currently 46,000 won. The stock market is going crazy.”

“I’ve noticed that it’s not normal, I mean what is currently going on with the stock. I already made a report about it to the head office, sir.”

“It is usually not a good sign when a business has its stock price moving irrationally. We could be put under the government’s investigation or get an audit. We should get ready for those possibilities.”

“What should we do, sir?”

Vice President Adam Castler looked at Gun-Ho’s face with an anxious look on his face.

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Chapter 884 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (1) – Part 1

Chapter 884: Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho fixed his eyes on Mr. Adam Castler as he said, “We will have to lower the stock price. It’s way overheated.”

“Lowering the stock price?”

“We sell our stock as a major shareholder in the stock market.”

“Selling our stock? We will need approval from the head office.”

“That’s why I wanted to see you urgently today. Each partner had 50% of the company ownership in the beginning, but as the company became a public company, we had to do public offering and also gave some to our employees through the Employee Stock Ownership Program. Now, we each own 34.6% instead of 50%. The total number of stock issued so far is 26 million. Lymondell Dyeon owns 9 million of them, and GH Mobile owns the other 9 million.”

“That’s correct.”

“I’m suggesting that each of us sells 5% of their shares in the stock market. I believe that will stop this crazy increase in our stock price. If selling 5% of the shares doesn’t calm the stock price, then we will sell 10%.”

“That… That will make our management right weakened, won’t it?”

“Not necessarily. Even if each partner sells 10% of their ownership, we each will still hold 20%, and that is enough to exercise our management right. Look at Samsung and Hyundai, for example. Their chairmen hold less than 5% of the company ownership, but they are still running the company as their own.”

“I… umm, yes, I heard about it.”

“The stock price per share is currently 46,000 won. We sell 1 million shares at this price, and once the election is over, and the stock price comes back to its normal price—6,000 won—then we can buy back our stock.”

“Hmm, that will create some profits.”

“It will create profits of about 40,000 won per share. So, if we sell 1 million shares, we will make 40 billion won. Of course, we will have to make a public announcement about our selling stock since a major shareholder’s stock selling must be put on notice to the public. It will lower the stock price, and maybe the price will be lowered to 30,000 won. Even so, we can make 30 billion won by selling some of our stock and buying them back later.”

“Hmm.”

“I understand that you have worked in various countries before, but I’m sure that you have never seen a situation like this, where you can make special profits unexpectedly.”

“That’s true.”

“We can’t predict for sure how the stock price will change even tomorrow, so I want you to talk to the head office as soon as possible and get their response. We don’t want to delay this. We want to act before any complicated matters happen to the company.”

“I’m wondering, sir, if it is true that Director Hyeong-Woo Lee’s—who is in China right now—brother will run for President.”

“That I don’t know. The only person who can answer it should be Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee himself.”

“Understood, sir. I will give a call to the head office first thing in the morning tomorrow.”

“Please make sure that they understand that each party—Lymondell Dyeon and GH Mobile—will have to sell and buy the same number of shares in the stock market. Dyeon Korea is a joint venture company, and we have to keep it that way.”

“Understood, sir.”

Mr. Adam Castler headed back to Asan City by KTX. Gun-Ho also went home in TowerPalace, Dogok Town after dropping off Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh in Apgujeong Town where she was living.

When Gun-Ho opened the door to his home, there were a man’s shoes that he couldn’t recognize.

“You are home,” a man in a thick voice said.

Gun-Ho lifted his head to see who that was. It was his father-in-law from Silim Town. He probably came to see his grandson.

“Father, how are you?”

“What happened to your face, Gun-Ho?”

“Huh? Something wrong with my face?”

“You seemed to lose a lot of weight, and you look pale. You must have been extremely busy at work these days, huh?”

“Umm, yes. It is true that I’ve been very busy lately.”

“I read it from a newspaper. Your company’s stock became a theme stock, and it caused the stock price to go up dramatically. And, you had to have a press conference about it talking to the news reporters. Isn’t it a good thing though to see your company’s stock price going up like that?”

“It makes so much noise about my company, but it’s not like I make money from it. I have to sell my stock to make money.”

Young-Eun came to the living room and said to her father, “Dad, stop talking about business. Sang-Min’s dad has to wash and have dinner.”

“Oh, that’s right. I won’t bother him. Let’s have dinner.”

After placing Sang-Min, who was sleeping already, in his crib, everyone sat at the dining table. Gun-Ho’s father-in-law visited Gun-Ho’s home in TowerPalace pretty frequently since he was living by himself. He had no wife, and Young-Eun was his only child. Gun-Ho often felt sad when he saw his father-in-law living alone, so he always had a drink with him whenever he came to his home.

“Father, let’s have a drink. I still have the Chinese liquor left that we had last time together.”

“Oh, you mean Maotai, huh? Let’s have one glass of that liquor then. It’s really good liquor.”

Young-Eun placed delicious side dishes in front of her father and Gun-Ho, so they could have them while drinking.

Young-Eun’s father said, “Young-Eun, you will have to take good care of your husband. Gun-Ho looked exhausted and pale.”

Young-Eun smiled and replied, “I think that’s because of his company—Dyeon Korea. As its stock is classified as a theme stock, he had to deal with a lot of people that he didn’t have to before. It has been about a month, I guess.”

Gun-Ho grinned as he was hearing what Young-Eun said about him. He then thought about it.

‘It’s not that, Young-Eun. I’ve been extremely busy, and sometimes, I had to skip my lunch because I was buying 3 million Dyeon Korea’s shares and also selling them.’

Young-Eun’s father asked, “Is it true that Mr. Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother is working for your company right now?”

“Yes, father. That’s true. He is our senior director handling our international market development. He is not in Korea right now though. He is in Guangdong Province, China.”

“I read it from the newspaper that Dyeon Korea has multiple manufacturing facilities in India and China. Are they all part of your company?”

Young-Eun seemed to be interested in what Gun-Ho would have to say about it. She was all ears.

“Yes, that’s correct. We have a factory in Chennai and Noida in India as well, and also one in each city in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, and Tianjian City, China.”

“You mean there are 4 factories in other countries, huh?”

“That’s right.”

“A manufacturing facility must require a large land to sit on. That must cost a lot. I believe that you need at least 1,000 pyung large land per factory, huh?”

“The land for each factory is about 5,000 pyung large. Since they are chemical manufacturing facilities, we need land in that size.”

“Whoa! 5,000 pyung?!”

Gun-Ho’s father was astonished when he heard that each factory had 5,000 pyung large land. When he had worked as a school teacher before his retirement, the school had about the size of 5,000 pyung. Gun-Ho had about the same size of land in four different locations overseas. That was amazing. Gun-Ho’s father realized how wealthy Gun-Ho was.

“Hmm, really?”

When Young-Eun had brought Gun-Ho home to introduce him to her father saying she wanted to marry him, Young-Eun’s father wasn’t very satisfied with his daughter’s decision. He actually wanted her daughter to marry someone who was working in the same medical field as she was. The ideal husband for her daughter would be a medical doctor who graduated from Seoul National University as Young-Eun did, Young-Eun’s father thought. But, Gun-Ho was a businessman, and Young-Eun’s father didn’t like it at first. He didn’t want his daughter to marry a businessman because most business people around him failed their businesses at some point in their lives. So, he wanted someone who would have a more stable life such as a medical doctor or a lawyer, maybe. When Young-Eun’s aunt strongly recommended Gun-Ho as Young-Eun’s husband, she said to him, “I was told that he has a building in Gangnam District, and he is a really wealthy man. He looks decent too. You will know what I mean when you meet him in person. He doesn’t look like a businessman, but he looks more like a salaryman in a large company, maybe a manager or some other high position. You should meet him before saying anything further. Young-Eun didn’t say anything negative about him either.

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Chapter 885 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (1) – Part 2

Chapter 885: Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (1) – Part 2

Young-Eun’s father thought that Gun-Ho was just a businessman who was running a small company, and he made his money by investing in the stock market or trading some real properties. But, when he had met Gun-Ho in person, he looked like a decent man. He seemed to be a sensible man who would respect his in-laws as well. That was how Young-Eun’s father accepted Gun-Ho as part of his family and approved Young-Eun’s marriage with him.

Gun-Ho’s father-in-law often received questions about his son-in-law from his friends or others whenever he attended a social gathering with them. They asked what his son-in-law was doing for a living, expecting to hear that he was either a medical doctor or someone in the legal field with a law license. Whenever Young-Eun’s father told them that his son-in-law was running a small business, they looked disappointed; those people didn’t even try to hide their disappointment.

“Your daughter is a smart girl who graduated from a top university—Seoul National University—and she is a medical doctor. And, she is a pretty girl too. I’ve never thought that she would marry a businessman who is running a small company.”

Seeing that sort of reaction made by his friends certainly wasn’t pleasant to Young-Eun’s father. But, things became different once those people started learning that Young-Eun was living in a condo in TowerPalace Condo Complex driving a Genesis that her husband bought for her, also that Gun-Ho owned a large building in Gangnam District. They began to look at Gun-Ho’s father-in-law with a different look.

[You know the company called Dyeon Korea, that people talk about a lot lately because it is a theme stock. His son-in-law owns that company.]

[Is that right? Should we buy its stock now, so we can make money?]

Moreover, the company, that was receiving a lot of public attention recently because it was deemed to be a theme stock, was the company that his son-in-law was running. And, it was not the only company that his son-in-law owned, but he had several other businesses as well. Gun-Ho’s father-in-law’s friends and people around him were now jealous of him. Some of them asked him if it would be a good idea for them to buy his son-in-law’s company stock.

Gun-Ho’s father-in-law enjoyed buying a drink for his friends. He had worked as a teacher in a public elementary school before he retired, and he had a good pension with which he was receiving 3 million won per month. That was not the only source of money for him. His daughter often gave him money as well. Young-Eun was making good money by working as a medical doctor, and she also received a good amount of living expenses from Gun-Ho as well. So, she had enough money to share with her father. Since Young-Eun’s father seemed to be financially affluent, and he was willing to spend money for his friends, his friends forced him to lead their regular social gatherings.

After dinner, Gun-Ho, Young-Eun, and Young-Eun’s father were watching TV in the living room. At that moment, they could hear Sang-Min crying in the master bedroom; he probably woke up. Young-Eun quickly ran into the master bedroom and held Sang-Min and brought him to the living room.

“Look, your daddy is here.”

Gun-Ho held Sang-Min and gave a bunch of kisses on his cheek. Every parent loved their kids no matter what, and Gun-Ho was not an exception to it. The baby was laughing happily. Gun-Ho took Sang-Min to his bed and let him lie down comfortably. He could smell Young-Eun from the baby. For Gun-Ho, spending time with his baby boy was the happiest moment in his life. He soon fell asleep with his boy next to him.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He sat at his desk and turned on his computer. He then opened the stock trading application. Dyeon Korea’s stock price was still on the rise. There was not even a slight indication that it would turn downward.

“Hmm, this is too much. The price is going up way too high. If we keep going like this, I’m sure that we will hear small investors’ crying later.”

Gun-Ho felt worried about the possible and very plausible consequences that would ensue this unusual price increase of his company’s stock. He then started reading economic newspapers. There were several news articles about Dyeon Korea.

[Stock market experts are warning investors about investing in the stock market by purchasing theme stocks without having enough information about the companies. Dyeon Korea’s stock price was 5,600 per share a month ago, and the price increased substantially recently, and its unit share price is now exceeding 46,000 won. Stock market experts keep telling the public that they should be extra careful when they decide to buy theme stocks. Dyeon Korea is a financially stable company with a strong business; however, they stated that even so, its market capitalization does not exceed 1 trillion won.]

Gun-Ho stood up from his desk and walked to the sofa and sat there. The sofa was comfortable enough to make him sleepy. Gun-Ho dozed off on the sofa for a while and then he fell asleep. He didn’t have enough sleep last night because his son woke up and cried in the middle of the night.

He woke up to the sound of his smartphone. Someone was calling him, and he quickly answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Hi. We have an excellent promotion going on with our internet service. We provide up to 50% discount if you are a new customer…”

“Sh*t! It’s just a telemarketing call.”

At that moment, his smartphone started ringing again.

“How come am I receiving this many telemarketing calls?”

When he looked at the telephone number shown on his phone, it was from Mr. Adam Castler.

“Good morning, boss. I will let my interpreter talk to you, sir.”

Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae took the phone.

“It’s Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae, sir.”

“What is it about?”

“Mr. Vice President Adam Castler made a call to the head office last night right after he met with you at the Seoul Station. Since there was a time difference between here and the U.S., he could manage to call them at night.”

“Hmm, he did?”

“And, he received a response from the head office early this morning. They told him to go ahead selling the stock, the same number of shares that GH Mobile would sell. Try to sell 3%, and if that doesn’t stabilize the stock price, we can sell the stock up to 10%. But, we have to make sure that we keep the same portion of the ownership interest as GH Mobile.”

“I see. Well done.”

Gun-Ho made a call to the branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company.

“Sir, to what do I owe the pleasure of the call?”

“I want to calm the stock price, and I want to sell some of Dyeon Korea’s shares owned by its major shareholders, in the stock market.”

“That is a good idea, sir.”

“I will let Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company handle the work.”

“Thank you, sir. I will work on it right away. Actually, I was going to make a recommendation for it, sir. If the stock price goes up irrationally high, a lot of small investors will get hurt at the end, and we don’t want that to happen.”

“Let’s start selling 100,000 shares, and later 200,000 shares, and up to 500,000 shares. But, you have to keep in mind that since we are a joint venture company we have to keep the same portion of company ownership interest with our partner. GH Mobile and Lymondell Dyeon must keep the same amount of ownership interest. So, we have to sell our stock with an equal amount of shares.”

“I understand what you mean, sir. Usually, when major shareholders start selling their shares, the stock price gets stabilized.”

“Let’s start it today.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 886 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (2) – Part 1

Chapter 886: Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho had a large lunch that day. After he came back to his office, he had his afternoon coffee before sitting at his desk. Once he sat at his desk, he opened the stock trading application.

“Hmm, Dyeon Korea’s stock buy requests have noticeably reduced.”

Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company was using a different strategy in selling Dyeon Korea’s stock. When SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son was selling Gun-Ho’s 3 million Dyeon Korea’s stock, he let other sellers have a chance to sell their stock as well, but this time, whenever they see buy requests, they threw a massive number of the stocks at once in the stock market and made the market quiet. Gun-Ho opened the stock discussion forum for Dyeon Korea’s stock.

“Evacuate, everyone. So many sell requests are pouring into the stock market now.”

“Who the f*ck is selling that many?”

“Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company is throwing a massive amount of stock. Mirae Asset, KB Investment & Securities, Shinhan Investment, and Yuanta Securities Korea are trying to buy them all, but the amount that they are selling looks limitless.”

“Are we going to see a huge price drop today?”

“Sh*t. I just bought Dyeon Korea’s stock today. It’s my first day. T.T”

The following day, the media reported about Dyeon Korea’s major shareholders’ selling their stock.

[As a response to the recent dramatic price increase of Dyeon Korea’s stock, Dyeon Korea’s major shareholders are selling their stock. Its stock price went up to 48,000 won per share, and now the price is rapidly decreasing due to its major shareholder’s sale of their own stock. Dyeon Korea’s stock price is now 42,000 won. Dyeon Korea’s stock was recently classified as a theme stock.]

As Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company continued to sell Dyeon Korea’s major shareholders’ stock in the stock market, the stock manipulators started selling their Dyeon Korea’s stock as well. It seemed that they gave up fighting against it, and the current price was good enough for them to make profits anyway. Every stock discussion forum designated for Dyeon Korea’s stock was noisy with complaining and blaming Gun-Ho.

“Gun-Ho Goo, you son of b*tch, he is selling his own stock.”

“That bastard is trying to make money not by running his business but investing in the stock market. He is an a*shole.”

“Are those two—Dyeon Korea and the politics—working together to make money?”

“When is their next board meeting? Let’s protest.”

“Oh, my. What am I going to do? I bought the stock at 47,000 won because my friend recommended it to me. The price has dropped to 36,000 won.”

“The one above, you’d better sell the stock now while you can. The price will keep falling.”

With the substantial amount of the stock that Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company was putting in the stock market for sale and the stock that other people who decided to play along with them, Dyeon Korea’s stock price dropped dramatically.

Gun-Ho received a call from the branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company.

“We completed selling Dyeon Korea’s stock of 500,000 that GH Mobile was holding and another 500,000 that Lymondell Dyeon had.”

“So, we’ve sold 1 million Dyeon Korea’s stock so far.”

“Yes, sir. And, I notified this to the Internal auditor at Dyeon Korea, so he can make a public announcement about it.”

“How much did we sell per share on average?”

“We started with the price of over 40,000 won, and later, we sold 30,000 won something after the price had dropped. So, the average price that we sold them for was a little bit over 40,000 won, sir. After deducting relevant stock exchange tax and fees, I will deposit 40 billion won in Dyeon Korea’s business bank account today.”

“Good job, Mr. Branch Manager.”

Right after getting off the phone with the branch manager, Gun-Ho gave a call to the internal auditor.

“Have you received a call from the branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company, about the public announcement that we have to make on the major shareholder’s shares sold?”

“Yes, sir. I already made the announcement immediately after I received his call.”

“We are expecting to receive 40 billion won in our company’s business bank account soon. Please verify it, and once you are confirmed with the receipt, inform that to Mr. Adam Castler.”

“Yes, sir.”

“When you talk to Mr. Adam Castler, make sure that he understands that each party—GH Mobile and Lymondell Dyeon—sold 500,000 shares, and that left each with the company ownership interest of 32.69%.”

“Understood, sir.”

“The last time when we conducted our initial public offering, the amount of the fund that we made from it was 15.6 billion won. Is it correct?”

“Yes, it is correct, sir. At that time, we issued 600,000 shares, and we made 15.6 billion won out of it.”

“As we are adding 40 billion won to it, the company currently has 55.6 billion won, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Open a separate company’s bank account, and transfer that 55.6 billion won to it.”

“Yes, sir. Do you want the fund that we made by selling the products to the new bank account as well?”

“No, don’t do that. We will keep that fund in our current bank account.”

“Understood, sir.”

Dyeon Korea had 55.6 billion won that was made as capital earnings, in addition to their income from their business activities. The amount of 55.6 billion won was more than enough money to open a few additional new companies or acquire another business by M&A. Dyeon Korea could do anything with that money. Gun-Ho was thinking about what he would do with that money when he received a call from the branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company again.

“Sir, I just transferred 40 billion won to the company’s bank account.”

Suddenly, Gun-Ho felt like he might have taken someone else’s money, and he didn’t feel good about it. Gun-Ho believed that when he made money, someone else would lose that much money, just like a zero-sum game.

“I feel bad when I think about those people who bought Dyeon Korea’s stock very recently.”

“Oh, my, sir. You shouldn’t think that way. Otherwise, it would become really difficult for you to continue to invest in the stock market. People sometimes make money, and also they sometimes lose money too. That’s the risk that everyone knowingly takes when they invest in the stock market.”

“Hmm.”

“Sir, since Dyeon Korea is now loaded with enough funds, would you like to acquire a good company through M&A? Or, I have a good CB (convertible bond) that I want to recommend to you, sir.”

“Well, I will have to think about it.”

“Of course, sir. When you decide, please give me a call at any time. I will be ready here for your request, and I will provide you with the best service, sir.”

“When we made our initial public offering, the unit share price was 26,000 won, and then as we split it into 5, the unit share price became 5,200 won. Do you think Dyeon Korea’s stock price will drop to that low someday?”

“Are you thinking of buying them back, sir? I believe that it would be very hard to see 5,200 won again. Moreover, the stock is already classified as a theme stock. With that fact, even though its major shareholders sell all of their stock and the stock price drops substantially, Dyeon Korea’s stock will still be popular.”

“You think so?”

“Think about it, sir. Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee implied that he might run for President even though he didn’t clearly give his decision about it. Moreover, his little brother is currently working for Dyeon Korea as its senior director. As long as his little brother is holding his senior director position with Dyeon Korea, the company’s stock price will never go down below 20,000 won. In other words, the source that made Dyeon Korea as a theme stock in the first place hasn’t depleted yet. Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s other future statement will well make Dyeon Korea’s stock price fluctuate again. You will see.”

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Chapter 887 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (2) – Part 2

Chapter 887: Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (2) – Part 2

After getting off the phone with the branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company, Gun-Ho thought about it with his eyes closed.

‘The total number of shares that were issued so far is 26 million. Assuming that the unit share price is 20,000 won, Dyeon Korea’s market capitalization is 520 billion won…’

When Gun-Ho was lost in thought, he received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in China.

“Sir, it’s Woon-Hak Sim in China.”

“Oh, hi. How have you been? Did they start playing the movie?”

“We have just finished counting the movie production cost taken by the movie production company. The movie will start showing everywhere in China starting next Monday.”

“So, can I expect to see money coming in?”

“We should have taken the role as an investment company for the movie production. Since all happened in China, we couldn’t do it. It’s a shame.”

“We have Huanle Shiji Production Company.”

“Huanle Shiji Production Company is a movie production company. Technically, it’s not an investment company. We didn’t have people or connections here in China to establish an investment company, so it’s like Huanle Shiji Production Company is doing the dual role of a movie production company and also an investment company.”

“It doesn’t matter which company is an investment company, does it? We just need to make money. So, when can I expect to see money coming in?”

“We will have to wait another two or three months after the movie finishes its run. We will then calculate the money that we made from the movie.”

“Hmm, that’s kind of slow.”

“Once a movie starts showing, the movie theaters that show the movie takes 50% of the earnings after deducting movie development support funds and taxes. The movie distributor—Yang Guang Pictures—which we made the movie distribution contract with takes 10% as their fees, and the investment company takes 60% of the profits while the movie production company takes the other 40% of the profits.”

“Hmm.”

“If the movie becomes a box office hit, we will see substantial profits. In fact, the major investor of this movie production is you, sir. So, once profits generate, most of them will go into your bank account, sir.”

“Mori Aikko won’t receive any additional money, will she?”

“Actors, actresses, and the screenwriter are already paid for their work, sir. We are not paying any additional amount of money to them. The pay for these people is included in the movie production cost.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Sir, I think I should stay here longer even though the movie production is over. I will make sure that you receive your investment return.”

“Sounds good.”

“I understand that if I stay here longer, it will cost you, sir. And, I feel sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. I want you to stay there to watch the investment return.”

“Yes, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Director Woon-Hak Sim, Gun-Ho made a call to GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin asking her to come to his office. After a moment, President Jeong-Soo Shin, who was working on the 17th floor in the same building as Gun-Ho, showed up in Gun-Ho’s office on the 18th floor.

“Last time you came to my office to have a cup of tea with me, and I had to let you go without having a tea at that time. I want to make it up to you today. I have plenty of spare time today.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh and asked her to bring two cups of Longjing tea. When Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh was about to leave the office to bring tea, President Shin said to her, “I’d like to have a cup of black tea instead of Longjing tea, please.”

Gun-Ho smiled and said to President Shin, “I thought you liked Longjing tea.”

“Oh, umm, for me, Longjing tea is too mild…”

“It has been a while since we had a cup of tea together.”

“You have been so busy lately, sir. I was waiting for your call to have a cup of tea.”

“Haha, really?”

“As a matter of fact, I wanted to visit your office last week, but I knew you would be very busy because of Dyeon Korea’s stock matters. Someone actually asked me about it the other day. He asked what I think would happen to Dyeon Korea’s stock price.”

“Why is he asking you about Dyeon Korea’s stock?”

“I believe that he thought that I might have some inside information about Dyeon Korea since I am close to you, sir. I told him that I have no idea at all.”

“I don’t recommend investing in the stock market ever.”

“When I checked Dyeon Korea’s stock price this morning, it dropped to 25,000 won. And, when I saw Dyeon Korea’s market capitalization on Naver.com, I was startled.”

“Why were you startled?”

“Oh my, Dyeon Korea’s market capitalization is 650 billion won.”

“That sounds about right. The total number of issued stock is 26 million, and the current stock price per share is 25,000 won, so that’s about right.”

“Since it is a joint venture company, you own half of it, right? That means that your portion is more than 300 billion won. Oh my goodness!”

“Well, we need to take into account the shares that we offered to the public and also those that went to our employees per Employee Stock Ownership Program. So, my portion won’t be that much. By the way, the movie will start showing in China next week, but we won’t see money coming in until next year. Will it be okay with you?”

“I’m aware of it, sir. It doesn’t matter whether I receive money this year or next year as long as I get it.”

“I believe it would be around Springtime.”

“I suppose so.”

Gun-Ho was drinking a cup of Longjing tea while President Shin was enjoying a black tea.

“What is going to happen to Director Woon-Hak Sim then? Is he coming back to Korea anytime soon?”

“I told him to stay there longer to make sure we collect our investment return. Why are you asking about him, President Shin? Is it about his wage and expenses?”

“It is true that GH Media is paying his wage, but it’s not high enough to make me concerned.”

“Are you concerned about the amount of your dividend? You think it could get reduced because of his prolonged stay in China?”

“Haha. Not at all, sir. GH Media’s sales revenue has increased this year compared to last year. But, because of the investment that we made in the movie production and also the TV series production, we could make good deductions with some expenses like wages and travel expenses. So, our net income after tax this year will be similar to the one last year.”

“That means that the number of dividends to the shareholders will be about the same as well.”

“I believe so, sir.”

“How much did I receive last year from GH Media for my dividend?”

“It was 1.14 billion won, sir.”

“Oh, that’s right. That’s the amount that I received last year. So, I can expect to receive about the same amount this year too, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

It occurred to Gun-Ho that even though GH Media was a small company, it was lucrative as well. He had received his dividends from GH Media three years in a row, and he was very pleased with the fact.

On the other hand, President Jeong-Sook Shin was feeling sorry for Gun-Ho. She knew that she didn’t have to compete with other companies that Gun-Ho owned, but she couldn’t just ignore the fact that Gun-Ho’s other companies such as GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea would bring way more money to Gun-Ho. They were big companies generating 100 billion won per year after all. What she brought to Gun-Ho with GH Media looked so small compared to those other GH companies.

President Shin said as she was taking a sip of her tea, “Umm, sir, once we receive earnings from the movie production next year, how do we account for them? My staff in the accounting team is asking about it.”

“Once you receive the earnings, you classify the amount that is the same as our initial investment fund as a retrieval of our investment fund, and the remaining amount of funds need to be classified as investment profits.”

“Oh, so we should divide the earnings into two.”

“That’s right. That will make the accounting work more convenient.”

“Haha. It’s easy enough. You just resolved the issue that my accounting staff, and I have been trying to figure out for a long time. Thank you, sir.”

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Chapter 888 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (3) – Part 1

Chapter 888: Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (3) – Part 1

As Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company’s branch manager predicted, Dyeon Korea’s stock price continued to drop until it reached 20,000 something won, and it was maintaining that price range. Both buy requests and sell requests had noticeably reduced, resulting in a dramatic decrease of its trading volume.

Moreover, there was no additional input to the stock market from Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee or his political party.

“It is going in the direction just like the branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company said.”

Gun-Ho was thinking about what he would do with the funds that were accumulated in Dyeon Korea’s reserve.

‘We have 55.6 billion won in addition to the funds that we made from our sales activities. Should I distribute all of them to the shareholders as dividends? But, since it is a joint venture company, I have to share it with Lymondell Dyeon. GH Mobile and Lymondell Dyeon will receive 27.8 billion won for each.

All Lymondell Dyeon invested in Dyeon Korea are those old and rusty machines that they claimed worth 4.5 billion won. If they get 27.8 billion as their dividend this time, they are making way more than they invested. That American company will take a lot of money from Korea.

I can acquire a good business entity through M&A instead of distributing to the shareholders. 55.6 billion won is enough to do it. With 55.6 billion won, I’m sure I can acquire even a public company that is already registered with KOSDAQ. But, that I have to share with Lymodell Dyeon too. Dyeon Korea is a joint venture company where I have to share everything with Lymondell Dyeon. I will have to share the management right equally with them as well. That won’t be fun.

Maybe I should distribute 55.6 billion won as dividends, and once GH Mobile gets its dividend of 27.8 billion won, I acquire a company with that money via M&A then. Or, I can distribute that 27.8 billion won as dividends again, and I get the money to my personal account. I have 82% of GH Mobile’s ownership interest, so I will receive at least 22.8 billion won. Well, I will have to pay for corporate tax and income tax for the dividend and stuff, so the amount that will actually fall on my hand will be about 15 billion won.’

Gun-Ho was thinking about all sorts of possibilities on how to utilize that 55.6 billion won sitting in Dyeon Korea.

“It’s cumbersome to do things in a way that I want, in a joint venture setting. I can’t just take out money as I please because it is a joint venture.”

Dyeon Korea was not owned by an individual— Gun-Ho Goo, but it was owned by two major shareholders— GH Mobile and Lymondell Dyeon. Gun-Ho couldn’t just take the company’s profits as he wished. If he wanted to take the funds, he had to do it through GH Mobile, in a way that Dyeon Korea would distribute the profits to GH Mobile, and then GH Mobile would distribute to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho then thought about dissolving SH Investment Partners since its purpose was already served.

‘I achieved my goal with SH Investment Partners. I no longer need that company. On papers, SH Investment Partners is wholly owned by an individual— Seung-Hee Park. So, in order to retrieve the funds, the funds have to go to Seung-Hee Park first and then come to me.

SH Investment Partners is currently holding my money— 136.8 billion won. That money was made from selling my 3 million Dyeon Korea’s stock at 45,600 won per share on average. I wonder if I can just move the funds around like that; it’s a substantial amount of money. I hope it doesn’t cause any problems. Because I used someone else’s name to trade stocks and make money, if I get caught, I will be subject to a huge amount of fine.

I will have to educate Seung-Hee sister when I see her next time, so she won’t cause any problems. She will have to know what to say if someone asks her about the funds. She needs to say that those funds are from multiple investors since she is running an investment company. Let’s move the funds to my bank account as soon as possible. It is never a good idea to let my money sit in someone else’s account under their control. It usually brings a new problem. I will transfer that fund to Seung-Hee sister’s account, and then I will transfer it to my account. I will take care of the corporate tax and income tax stuff later when they are imposed next year. I’d better move the fund to my account for now.’

Gun-Ho pulled out Seung-Hee sister’s bank book from his desk drawer to verify the account number, and then he sent a message to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son through KakaoTalk.

[Mr. President Son, I hope you are doing well.

Since we sold all of our stock, many of our investors want to retrieve their investment profits as soon as possible. For now, I want you to transfer the entire fund that we have in our company’s business account to Ms. Seung-Hee Park’s bank account. I’m sending you her bank account information.]

Gun-Ho never said that those funds were his money. He ensured that President Son understood that money belonged to other investors.

As soon as he sent his KakaoTalk message to President Son, he received a call from him right away.

“It’s me, sir. Do you want me to transfer all of the 136.8 billion won like every penny?”

“Yes, that’s what I want you to do.”

“But, sir, SH Investment Partners needs operating funds. We are currently using the company’s business credit card, and we have to pay the rent for the office as well.”

“Well, then leave 100 million won, and transfer the remaining 136.7 million won to Ms. Seung-Hee Park’s account. Our investors want to retrieve their investment funds and profits as soon as possible.”

“Understood, sir. I will send the entire 136.7 million won to Ms. Seung-Hee Park’s bank account, leaving 100 million won in the company’s business account.”

“Do not send the fund at once, but send them through several days.”

“Yes, sir. Once the transfer is completed, I will give you a report, sir.”

“I won’t work until the end of this year, so I want you to take a rest too, reading a book or something in the office.”

“Yes, sir. But, I feel sorry that I get paid without working.”

“You don’t have to think that way. You’ve done a lot of work for SH Investment Partners already.”

It was December.

Things were quiet in GH companies. Things were quiet in politics as well as the including Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee and his political party. Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee was very careful whenever he was asked about the possibility for him to run for next President, and he was very skillful in doing so.

Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee found a good factory in Dongguan City next to Guangzhou City in Guangdong Province, and he made a verbal contract for it. The factory was 2,600 pyung large sitting on 5,200 pyung large land. The factory building was well equipped with good power capacity and water supply. It was located in an industrial park, so it can be assumed that its infrastructure was good as well.

Gun-Ho was looking at the pictures of the factory, that were sent by Director Hyeong-Woo Lee. There were several of them.

After reviewing them, Gun-Ho made a call to Director Hyeong-Woo Lee. Director Lee’s voice was cheerful for some reason.

Gun-Ho said, “I received the pictures of the factory that you had sent. How much are they asking for the factory?”

“They are asking for 2.8 billion Korean won, sir. Real properties in China are pricey, especially given the fact that we won’t own them, but we are just buying the right to use them. This country is a socialist country after all.”

“Well, I will send Director Kim to the location. Director Kim has extensive experience dealing with acquiring a factory building. He will be more helpful than me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How are you doing there? You don’t have an office there, and you don’t have a car either. It must not be a comfortable setting for you.”

“It’s okay, sir. It’s not like I have to work all day long.”

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Chapter 889 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (3) – Part 2

Chapter 889: Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho was talking with Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee on the phone.

“Ever since you joined our company, Mr. Director Lee, Dyeon Korea has experienced significant fluctuation in its stock price recently. You are aware of it, aren’t you?”

“I just heard about it, sir. Since I’m away from Korea, I am not very quick in getting news on things that are going on in Korea these days.”

Gun-Ho smiled bitterly as Director Hyeong-Woo Lee said that he didn’t know about it until recently.

‘I don’t buy it. I’m sure you joined Dyeon Korea with a purpose. When Dyeon Korea’s stock was 6,500 won per share, someone bought a massive number of shares. I suspect that it was you, Mr. Director Heyong-Woo Lee. Well, I made my money as well.’

Gun-Ho didn’t believe what Director Hyeong-Woo Lee said, but he continued to talk to him with a smile, “As you joined our company, and because of the subsequent price increase of our company’s stock, we made profits when we sold our major shareholders’ company stock.”

“That’s right. I heard about it as well. I read it from the news online too. It was talking about Dyeon Korea’s recent sales of its major shareholder’s stock in the stock market.”

“You know how to establish a business entity in China, don’t you?”

“I haven’t done it before, but I know how to do it, sir.”

“While you form a business entity in China, if you have a question, you can always give a call to President Min-Hyeok Kim in Suzhou City and ask him. I will talk to him, so he can expect your call.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After getting off the phone with Director Lee, Gun-Ho made a call to Director Kim.

“Director Hyeong-Woo Lee sent me the pictures of a factory that he found in Guangdong Province.”

“I received them too, sir.”

“I think you should go there to check it.”

“You are not going there, sir?”

“I will soon resign from my position as president. I have only 15 days left. I think you should go to Guangdong Province, China and make sure that we have the right factory there.”

“Understood, sir. I will make a trip there. And, I will take Mr. Adam Castler with me.”

Gun-Ho received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in Shanghai, China later that day.

“It’s Director Woon-Hak Sim, sir.”

“Yes, Mr. Director. How are you?”

“I think our movie— Menghuan Yinghua— will be a big success. It has been only 1 week since we started showing the movie, and more than 4 million people came to watch our movie already.”

“Hmm, really? How much do you think would be our movie’s— Menghuan Yinghua— break-even point?”

“According to Chinese people here, when we see 6 million audiences, it will be our break-even point.”

“If we see more than 10 million people coming to see the movie, can we consider the movie a box office hit?”

“Sir, we have to keep in mind that the movie is showing in China, not Korea. If a movie is top 10, that means more than 50 million people watched that movie.”

“Hmm, I see. I guess that’s because China is a huge country.”

“For example, one of the most successful movies in China— Zhan Lang (wolf warrior)— was watched by 150 million people. The staff here are hoping that our movie— Menghuan Yinghua— attracts well above 30 million people. I went to a temple with the staff here yesterday to pray for our movie’s success.”

“Haha, you did?”

“Yes, sir. We even burned incense sticks in prayer.”

Right after Gun-Ho got off the phone with Director Woon-Hak Sim, his phone rang again. It was from President Jong-Suk Park.

“Bro? Is it a good time to talk?”

“Yeah, it’s good. What’s up?”

“Today is GH Machines’ payday, and I noticed that I missed something in calculating everyone’s wage.”

“What did you miss?”

“Your wage, bro. I forgot to determine the amount of your wage.”

“If you need more time to stabilize the business and its financial situation, you can start paying my wage later.”

“We are making money, bro. Of course, I have to pay your wage. I was told that all other GH companies including GH Development and GH Media are paying your wage as well. I can’t make it high, but I will still pay you.”

“How much profits do you think GH Machines is making?”

“The product orders from Isehara Machines are steadily increasing. We are making more than 200 million won per month. We are also making 100 million won on a monthly basis from the maintenance service that we provide several factories in this area. Also, we received a new product order from Dyeon Korea. They need machines for their future factory in Guangdong Province in China. We are working on it right now.”

“Okay. Well, you determine my wage then, considering the company’s financial ability.”

“How does 5 million won per month sound? Since you don’t come to work here every day, it’s less than what I receive.”

“Haha. Sounds good. Thank you.”

“Haha. You are the owner of GH Machines. Don’t thank me.”

“I’m not the sole owner of GH Machines. You are its co-owner.”

“That’s not a fair statement. You are the one who is holding 80% of GH Machines’ ownership interest. Also, GH Machines is generating profits because of the help from other GH companies.”

“So, can I expect to get my wage starting this month?”

“Yeah. As I said earlier, today is our payday. You will receive your wage along with all of my employees here.”

After getting off the phone with Jong-Suk, Gun-Ho did the math.

“I’m receiving my monthly wage from GH Mobile, Dyeon Korea, GH Development, GH Media, GH Logistics, and now GH Machines. I believe my monthly wage combined with them all will be about 40 million won. That amount is enough to cover my living expenses and other personal spending.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Seung-Hee sister.

“Can we talk? Are you busy right now like being with a client or something?”

“I’m good. We can talk. I’m actually in the SH Investment Partners’ office. I was working on an insurance contract for one of my clients.”

“That’s good. Can you then come by my office after you are done with your work there?”

“I can come now. My work is done here. I was about to leave for the day and go home in Bucheon City.”

After a while, Seung-Hee sister entered Gun-Ho’s office. She was carrying a box of beverages.

“You brought beverages for me?”

“Haha. I’m receiving my wage from SH Investment Partners. I want to bring something for you to show my gratitude.”

“Thank you. Well, please take a seat.”

As Seung-Hee sister sat on the sofa, Gun-Ho took a sip of the beverage that Seung-Hee sister had brought, and he said, “This is your bank book that I’ve been keeping with me temporarily, Seung-Hee sister. A significant amount of money will be transferred to this bank account soon.”

“How significant will it be? Around 1 billion won, maybe?”

“The exact amount will be 136.7 billion won.”

“What?! 136.7 billion won? How is that possible?”

“That fund is our investors’ money. We invested their money in the stock market and made profits. We have to return the fund to them.”

“I guess there are a lot of investors who participated in the investment, huh? It’s a huge amount of money.”

Seung-Hee sister was not shaking her body in surprise as before.

“Once the fund is transferred to your bank account, the fund will again have to be transferred to my stock account. I will have to return some of the fund to some investors who want to get their money now, and I will continue to make investments with the remaining fund for the investors who want to make another investment with me”

“Sure. I will transfer the fund to your bank account. I have to do it, right?”

“If you can come and make the transfer while being present at your bank, that would be great. The fund will come to your bank account throughout the period of several days, and you just need to send them to my account as they arrive. And, I’m pretty certain that your bank will ask you about the source of the money.”

“Should I tell them that I don’t know?”

“You can’t do that. I want you to tell them that you had collected the funds from several investors to make an investment for them, and as your investment plan had been cancelled, you will have to return the funds to those investors.”

“I wish even a small portion of those funds is mine. I would be so happy with one-tenth of the funds.”

“Haha. Many people would be happy with the money too.”

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Chapter 890 - Big Deal (1) – Part 1

Chapter 890: Big Deal (1) – Part 1

It was December, but it still felt warm with all the natural lights coming through the windows in the office. There was a big announcement from the opponent party of Gongmyeong Party. They brought in a tycoon-level figure to their political party. That person took a tour all over the country giving a lecture to people while implying that he might run for next President.

It seemed that Gongmyeong Party’s Leader Jin-Woo Lee had to do something, not to lose the public support for him, to that new face in the opposing party. However, Jin-Woo Lee’s political party was quiet for now.

The very same day, Gun-Ho was offered with another shocking suggestion. It was again from A Group’s CEO Park at the planning and coordination department.

When Gun-Ho recognized the phone number from his ringing phone, he quickly answered it.

“Mr. President Goo? It’s A Group’s CEO Park. It’s almost the end of the year. As we are wrapping up the year, would you like to have a cup of tea with me?”

CEO Park was one of those people who often surprised Gun-Ho with an unexpected offer. Gun-Ho was curious about what he would bring to Gun-Ho this time.

“Where can I meet you? I can go to the Namsan Public Library where we met last time.”

“Well, let’s meet at Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel across the street from the Namsan Public Library.”

“Okay, I can meet you at Gallery Café there then.”

“Instead of Gallery Café… I will reserve a hotel room for us. I will text you with the room number.”

“Sounds good.”

After a while, Gun-Ho received a text message from CEO Park. He sent him a room number as he said he would. The appointment with him was set at 11 am that day. Gun-Ho should get ready to leave now if he wanted to arrive there on time. Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to ask Chan-Ho Eom to stand by at the building entrance with his car.

Gun-Ho went to the Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel in Namsan, and he went straight up to the room that CEO Park asked him to come to. When he arrived at the room, its door was already open as if it was waiting for Gun-Ho, and all lights were on inside the room. Gun-Ho still knocked on the door before entering.

“Please come in.”

When Gun-Ho entered the room, CEO Park was sitting on the sofa by himself having a cup of tea.

“You came early, sir.”

“I just arrived as well. Well, please have some tea. It seems like we have red tea and black tea in this room, prepared for guests.”

As CEO Park offered tea, he pressed the button on an electric kettle to boil the water. The two men were sitting on the sofa waiting for the water to be boiled. They both didn’t say a word, letting silence fill the air. Gun-Ho thought that the room seemed to be a perfect place to have a private conversation without worrying about being interrupted by anybody. There were only two of them in the room.

“This room has a very nice view.”

One side of the hotel room’s walls was a large window wall. Gun-Ho could see Han River from the room. He thought that the view would be even more beautiful at night.

“You are right. This room has a great view.”

CEO Park poured hot water into Gun-Ho’s cup and said, “Dyeon Korea’s stock price fluctuated greatly after Mr. Hyeong-Woo Lee had joined the company, didn’t it?”

“Well, because of it, the company sold its stock at the highest price as an effort to calm the price down.”

“That’s right. I read the public announcement about it. The company’s major shareholders sold their stock 1 million each, right?”

“Right. After that, the stock price seems to be stabilized. It is now around 20,000 won per share.”

“What is the total number of shares issued so far?”

“It’s 26 million, sir.”

“That means that Dyeon Korea’s current market capitalization is about 520 billion won, right?”

“That’s about right. Dyeon Korea is a financially stable company with good business. It has no debt, and its sales are continuously increasing every year by 30%. If it was not classified as a theme stock, its stock price would still have increased that much after, say, 3 years.”

“The company is relatively a newly established firm. Given the fact, it’s amazing that Dyeon Korea is worth that much already. Congratulations.”

“In fact, drawing unnecessary public attention to the company as it became a theme stock was not what I wanted. We had decided to sell the major shareholders’ stock in order to diminish the loss that the little investors would have borne. That was one of the main reasons why we sold our shares.”

“I believe that Dyeon Korea is now loaded with good funds after selling the major shareholders’ stock.”

“We have now accumulated an additional 40 billion won. We haven’t touched any other major shareholders’ stock, but only GH Mobile and Lymodell Dyeon sold their stocks in an equal number.”

“I believe that a substantial amount of funds must have brought in when it initially offered its stock to the public as it became a public company, as well.”

Gun-Ho felt a bit offended by the statement made by CEO Park. It certainly didn’t give him a pleasant feeling to listen to a third person talking about his company’s funds in the reserve. CEO Park seemed to notice how Gun-Ho felt.

He said, “Haha. I’m just saying.”

“Well, that’s fine. It’s not like I’m trying to hide something here. We had made 15.6 billion won during the initial public offering, and we made an additional 40 billion won this time. So, we now have 55.6 billion won in cash. If I give you an accurate picture of the funds, the amount that we made by selling the major shareholders’ stock can be sent to each company— GH Mobile and Lymodell Deyon. However, the amount made from the initial public offering has to stay in Dyeon Korea.”

“That means that 20 billion won out of 40 billion won can be retrieved by GH Mobile as collecting its investment.”

“That’s right.”

Silence filled the air for a moment before Gun-Ho spoke again.

“I’ve thought about it. When there were problems with little investors, I reviewed the possibility of revoking our stock registration, because that could make profit-sharing more complicated.”

“Just like Denso Korea Automotive Corporation that did a joint venture with a Japanese company, huh?”

“Denso is generating a substantial amount of revenues, but it’s a private company. It hadn’t registered its stock with KOSDAQ. Was Denso Automotive ever a public company before?”

“Well, I’m not so sure about it. I don’t remember clearly.”

An awkward silence filled the air again.

‘I wonder what CEO Park has in mind. What does he want to tell me about? He didn’t set up this meeting with me by going to all that trouble reserving a hotel room, just to find out how much funds that Dyeon Korea currently has.’

After taking a sip of his tea, CEO Park said, “I remember what you told me before, Mr. President Goo. You said that Dyeon Korea’s shares are transferable according to the joint venture contract. You also said that if someone offers you to buy Dyeon Korea at a high enough price, you are willing to sell it.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Are you still willing to sell your portion of the company ownership interest? Say, someone made an offer to buy your 32.7% ownership interest in Dyeon Korea with a very desirable price for you, would you sell your portion?”

“Wh, what? Oh, selling my ownership interest in Dyeon Korea?”

“Yes. The current market capitalization of Dyeon Korea is 520 billion won. 32.7% of 520 billion won is 170 billion won. That’s a substantial amount of money.”

“Well, I can sell my portion of the ownership, but the price doesn’t seem to be right.”

“How come? Dyeon Korea’s market capitalization has increased that high because its stock became a theme stock.”

“Think about it. The company has no debt at all, and it’s generating net earnings after tax of more than 10 billion won every year steadily. Since the company is constantly growing with its sales revenue, it will highly possibly generate even 100 billion won after 5 or 10 years from now. In addition, it is loaded with a significant amount of cash right now. It can expand the business too.”

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Chapter 891 - Big Deal (1) – Part 2

Chapter 891: Big Deal (1) – Part 2

CEO Park said to Gun-Ho, “That is true, but Dyeon Korea currently hit its highest market capitalization. This is an incredible opportunity for you to walk away with a massive amount of cash in your hands.”

“Even if we assume that the current market capitalization is more than what the company is actually worth right now, when you evaluate a company’s value, you have to take into account its future business value as well. The price that you offered is solely based on the company’s current value. It didn’t consider its potentials at all, which is certainly not ignorable.”

“Hmm.”

Gun-Ho asked, “Is A Electronics seriously intending to acquire Dyeon Korea?”

CEO Park replied, “It’s actually not us that wants Dyeon Korea, but, there is a company that is interested in acquiring Dyeon Korea. I’m just trying to make a bridge between the two.”

“Which company is that?”

“I can’t tell you that now. I can tell you though that the company that is interested in buying Dyeon Korea also owns a chemical manufacturing facility. And, they expect that they could create the synergy if they acquire Dyeon Korea.”

It suddenly occurred to Gun-Ho, at that moment, how much slush money that Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee was in need for his next move in politics.

‘Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s father— Mr. Beom-Sik Lee— owns 15% of GH Mobile’s ownership interest. His father could receive only 1.5 billion won as dividends this time. Even though GH Mobile is doing great, its net earnings after tax will be around 10 billion won.

The amount of money that Dyeon Korea could distribute to its shareholders as dividends will not exceed 10 billion won either. GH Mobile owns 32.7% of Dyeon Korea, so even if Dyeon Korea’s 10 billion is distributed among its shareholders, GH Mobile will only receive 3.27 billion won. Out of 32.7 billion won, Mr. Beom-Sik Lee’s portion will be only a few hundred million won. That’s not enough at all to use for someone who is running for President. That’s right. He is running for President, not for Congressman.

In addition, I can’t just make a decision about what to do with the fund that Dyeon Korea made by selling the major shareholders’ stock. I will have to discuss it with Lymondell Dyeon. If Lymondell Dyeon strongly insists on using the fund in extending our current manufacturing facility or acquiring another company by M&A, nothing much I can do about it either. If that happens, Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee would experience an acute deficit in his slush money. It is true that Jin-Woo Lee has a rich father-in-law, but since his father-in-law hates politics and hates his son-in-law being in politics, his chance to get some financial support from his father-in-law looks very slim if now zero. I am probably his only chance in creating his slush funds.

By pushing his brother into Dyeon Korea, how much money did he make? I wonder how much Dyeon Korea’s stock his little brother— Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee— successfully bought and sold. Was it 100,000 shares? Or 1 million shares? Since he joined later in time, maybe he couldn’t buy as many as he wanted or planned. Maybe that’s why they are asking me to sell my ownership in Dyeon Korea claiming that the company’s current value is high enough. They can get dividends from it anyway.’

As Gun-Ho was being quiet, busy in thinking of various matters, CEO Park laughed and said, “I guess you have a lot to think about. I understand that my offer was so sudden and unexpected. I will talk to the chemical company that is interested in acquiring Dyeon Korea, and tell them that you want to include the company’s future business value to its sales price.”

“It sounds like that chemical company is a large company. Its owner president can make a decision to buy another company on his own, but I believe that their planning and coordination department will probably conduct a thorough research and investigation about the target company, so its president could make an informed decision. I wonder if they would be able to fully understand the value of Dyeon Korea’s future business and its potentials”

“I personally think that it is not a bad idea at all for that chemical company to acquire Dyeon Korea. Once they acquire Dyeon Korea, they will have full access to its technology and know-hows on its chemical compounds. You have excellent skills in business, Mr. President Goo. I’m sure that you can start a new business or expand your other companies with 170 billion won.”

“Well, I won’t sell Dyeon Korea if the price doesn’t reflect the company’s future business value.”

“How much more do you want to ask for its future business value?”

“Umm, well, I don’t know yet. I will have to analyze data.”

“I see. I will relay the message to the owner president of the chemical company. In the meanwhile, I want you to think more about the offer as well, Mr. President Goo. I will be in touch with you within a few days.”

“Sounds good. It’s almost lunchtime, and I would like to ask you to have lunch with you, but it’s probably not a good idea for us to be in the public eye together. I will just head to my office in Sinsa Town from here.”

“I have another appointment. I will stay here for a while before leaving. Thank you for coming today, President Goo.”

It was almost noon when Gun-Ho headed out from Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel.

Chan-Ho Eom asked Gun-Ho while looking at him through the rear-view mirror in the car, “Where would you like to go, sir?”

“Let’s have lunch first. Let’s have a bowl of hot soup with rice in the Samgakji area.”

“Are you thinking about the restaurant— Pyeong-Yangjib, sir?”

“Yeah, that is it. Let’s go there. I prefer food in a restaurant like that than the ones in a hotel.”

“Haha, I do fancy food like it too, sir.”

On the way to the restaurant in the Samgakji area, in his car, Gun-Ho leaned back on the rear seat and closed his eyes.

‘If I decide to sell Dyeon Korea for 170 billion won, that amount will be brought into GH Mobile. If that happens, how much Mr. Beom-Sik Lee would be able to receive? If I don’t take tax into account for now to make the calculation simple, it would be about 25.5 billion won. That’s a good amount for his son’s slush funds.’

Gun-Ho suddenly felt goosebumps on his skin.

‘They are indeed scary people. They must have thought about it this far. I guess that they couldn’t make as much money as they wanted, as they put Director Hyeong-Woo Lee in Dyeon Korea. That’s how they came up with this idea. Well, I am a businessman. If I can make good money, I can sell the company, of course.

I wonder which chemical company wants to buy Dyeon Korea. Is it really part of a large company? Or, maybe they decided to buy Dyeon Korea under the pressure made by someone in politics, someone who knows the weak point of that chemical company’s owner president. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t be safe either. If I resist selling my ownership portion of Dyeon Korea, they could do the same thing to me. They will look for weakness in me. I’d better be very careful.’

At the moment, what Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town had told him before crossed Gun-Ho’s mind.

He said, “In doing your business, you shouldn’t have a close or distant relationship with politicians. If you stay too distant from politicians, it will be hard for you to make good money. On the other hand, if you stay too close to politicians, you will suffer from their never-ending constant requests. You should keep this in mind. Be careful.”

‘But, 170 billion won is a good amount. It’s certainly tempting. If 170 billion won comes into GH Mobile, I can do a lot of things with it. As I told him that I need to add the company’s future business value to the price, they will pay me more than 170 billion won, at least.’

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Chapter 892 - Big Deal (2) – Part 1

Chapter 892: Big Deal (2) – Part 1

It was December 5th.

Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim.

“I came back from the trip to Guangdong Province, China, sir. The factory that Director Hyeong-Woo Lee picked looks fine. He was holding it by a verbal contract, and I signed the contract before leaving the area.”

“Well done.”

“Also, the paperwork for establishing a subsidiary company there is completed as well. I understand that Director Hyeong-Woo Lee will not stay there to manage the company, but for now, I listed his name as the president of that company.”

“Sounds good. We can update it later once someone is officially appointed to the position.”

“And, we have now the last month’s profit and loss statements for our manufacturing facilities overseas, including the one in Noida, India and the one in Tianjin City, China.”

“Really? So, they already sold some products, huh?”

“I will give you the last month’s performance reports on our four factories abroad. The factory in Chennai, India made 300 million won last month while the one in Noida, India generated 400 million won. Even though the factory in Noida started its business later than the one in Chennai, its sales revenue is greater than the Chennai location because the sales that Manager Jong-Geun Lee had made were added to it. That’s how its sales revenue for the last month came out as 400 million won.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“For the factories in China, the Suzhou location made 400 million won, and Tianjin location made 200 million won.”

“What is our total sales revenue if we combine them all?”

“It’s 1.3 billion won, sir.”

“That is for the last month, so assuming that they will continue to make the same amount for a year, their total annual sales revenue will be 15.6 billion won.”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“But, even if we combine those overseas sales revenues with our domestic sales revenue, it won’t reach 100 billion won yet.”

“We are anticipating making over 100 billion won next year, sir.”

“Of course, we should.”

“As we signed the contract for the new factory in Guangdong Province, China, we placed an order for 4 new machines with GH Machines. When I stopped by GH machines yesterday, they already finished building up those 4 machines. I’m going to ask them to ship the machines to China as soon as we make the full payment to them for those machines.”

“Okay. Good job.”

Later that day, Gun-Ho received an expected call. It was from Lymondel Dyeon in Seattle, U.S.

“Hello?”

“Hi. This is Angelina Rein from Lymondell Dyeon.”

“Oh, Ms. Angelina Rein. It has been a while. How are you?”

“I called because I have something that I want to discuss with you about.”

“Please hold one second. I will bring my interpreter.”

Gun-Ho quickly called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh. But, instead of Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh, Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong from the general affairs department entered the office. She said, “Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh stepped out right now. She went to the lady’s room, sir.”

“The lady’s room? Well, I need her right now. Can you go to the lady’s room and tell her to come to the office as soon as possible? I have someone on the phone right now from the U.S.”

“Yes, sir.”

While waiting for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh, Gun-Ho spoke to Ms. Angelina Rein several times that he was sorry for keeping her waiting.

“I’m sorry. Just a moment.”

“Okay. No problem.”

After a while, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“It’s Ms. Angelina Rein from Lymondell Dyeon. Talk to her, please.”

After listening to what Ms. Angelina Rein said for quite a while, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh turned her head to Gun-Ho and said, “She is asking about what you think of Mr. Adam Castler who is working here right now. She wants to hear your opinion on his leadership, work ability, and interpersonal skills, etc. She is asking if you could give him a score on a scale such as A, B, and C for each.”

“Well, tell her that I would give him all A.”

“Yes, sir.”

In the afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from A Group’s CEO Park.

“Have you thought about selling your ownership interest on Dyeon Korea?”

“As I mentioned to you the other day, I can’t sell it for 170 billion won. Dyeon Korea is a financially strong company without any debts. Moreover, it has a significant amount of cash piled up in the reserve right now.”

“We will have to emphasize the fact that the company is loaded with a substantial amount of cash in the reserve, to the potential buyer then. Would you like to have a meeting with the potential buyer tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Do you have necessary documents already prepared, by any chance, that you could present to the potential buyer?”

“Yes, I do have them.”

“Good. Then, please bring the certified copy of corporate registration and those documents about the company business to W Group’s secretary’s office. You know the W Group that is located in Euljiro, right? I will schedule the meeting at 2 pm.”

“W Group?”

“Yes.”

After getting off the phone with CEO Park, Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo. We have IR documents that we prepared for the presentation targeting institutional investors last time, as part of Investor Relations, right?”

“We do have them, sir. They are PowerPoints documents.”

“I need the introduction section that is describing the company and its business. Can you update the numbers there, and send them to me now? Oh, you know what? Please send it to GH Development’s Manager Hong.”

“Yes, sir. I will work on it right away.”

Gun-Ho called for Accounting Manager Hong.

“You will receive company documents from Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor soon. Please make 5 copies of those documents and bring them to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

The following day, when Gun-Ho arrived in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town, the Dyeon Korea’s documents that he requested to print out and make 5 copies of them were sitting on his desk. A certified copy of Dyeon Korea’s corporate registration was placed next to the documents as well. Accounting Manager Hong must have left them on Gun-Ho’s desk. Gun-Ho started reviewing the documents.

“These are all in color. Looks good.”

After lunch, Gun-Ho had his afternoon coffee in his office as usual. He then brushed his teeth and put those Dyeon Korea’s documents and the certified copy of corporate registration in a large envelope. He then headed out to W Group in Euljiro.

On the way to W Group, in his Bentley, Gun-Ho thought about W Group. W Group’s president was infamous for his arrogant attitude. He was also known as someone who was often on a serious power trip, to an abusing level. He often slapped his employees’ faces and kicked their shin whenever he was not satisfied with them or with their work. His horrible behavior toward his employees was worse when he was younger.

Gun-Ho chuckled and thought, ‘Min-Hyeok Kim actually tried to get into W Group hoping to work for them, and he failed twice. At least, he was able to apply for a job opening with them because he graduated from a college located within Seoul City. On the other hand, I, who graduated from a low-ranked college in the countryside, couldn’t even dream to submit a job application with them.’

He continued to think, ‘Who will I be talking with today. Will they send their chief secretary? Is W Group’s chief secretary considered at the same level as its president? Or senior director? Oh, that’s right. W Group has W Chemicals. W Chemicals’ CEO probably will be at the meeting with me. But W Chemicals is a large company that generates more than 1 trillion won yearly. I wonder if its CEO will be there to meet with me.’

When Gun-Ho arrived at W Group, and when he was about to enter its building, he recoiled from the scene that there was some sort of gate at the lobby where only the people with an ID card could pass. All of the employees, who were walking in and out of the building, were wearing an ID card around their necks.

“How do I get in there then?”

When Gun-Ho was standing there trying to figure out what to do, a security guard approached him and said, “If you are visiting someone in our building, you can get a visitor’s pass from the front desk over there, sir.”

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Chapter 893 - Big Deal (2) – Part 2

Chapter 893: Big Deal (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho had to write down his name and contact number to get a visitor’s pass. When he finally entered the secretary’s office, there were two ladies sitting at a long desk. The office was very spacious, and those two lady secretaries were pretty. As Gun-Ho entered the office, the two ladies quickly stood up.

“How can I help you, sir?”

“I’m the president of GH Mobile.”

One of the lady secretaries led Gun-Ho to a small meeting room. And, a moment later, a man entered the room and greeted Gun-Ho while showing an acute respect to him.

“Are you President Gun-Ho Goo, sir? I’m the chief secretary.”

The chief secretary gave his business card to Gun-Ho, and Gun-Ho stood up and gave his to the chief secretary as well. He didn’t look like holding a position at the same level as a president, but maybe about the same level as a senior director.

After a moment when Gun-Ho was waiting in a small meeting room, A Group’s CEO Park entered the room along with a man with full grey hair, who looked like he was in his mid-50s.

“Hey, President Goo, you came. This is W Group W Chemicals’ CEO.”

Gun-Ho stood up from his seat and greeted him and gave his business card to the man.

W Chemicals’ CEO said, “Did you bring the documents about your company?”

“Yes, I did.”

Gun-Ho handed the documents and the certified copy of corporate registration to the man. W Chemicals’ CEO started reviewing the documents thoroughly.

The man asked, “The anticipated sales revenue for this year is 84.5 billion won. Is it correct?”

“Yes, it is.”

“This year’s sales revenue seems to have increased substantially compared to the previous one.”

“Even a new restaurant makes a lot of money at the beginning of their business. I guess this company is no exception.”

The two CEOs laughed out loud at Gun-Ho’s joke.

W Chemicals’ CEO said, “So, the company has no debt, and it is holding a significant amount of cash in its reserve right now.”

“That’s correct.”

“If you sell your ownership interest in this company, how much do you want to receive?”

“I told Mr. CEO Park about this before. GH Mobile currently possesses 8.5 million of Dyeon Korea’s shares. The current stock price per share is 20,000 won, so there is 170 billion won right there. If I include the company’s fund in its reserve, which is 55.6 billion won, and the profits that it made for the past two years, which is 15 billion won, it’s 240 billion won. I want to get 240 billion won plus alpha.”

“Hmm.”

“Starting next year, the company will make additional sales revenues from its factories overseas. Its sales volume will increase as well. I’m pretty sure that you can have the full amount of your investment return within 10 years. Therefore, I don’t think that my price is unreasonable.”

“Hmm.”

At that moment, W Chemicals’ CEO stood up from his seat and opened the door, and then he called for the chief secretary.

“Is the chairman available?”

“Yes, he is in his office, sir.”

W Chemicals’ CEO turned around and said to Gun-Ho and CEO Park, “Well, let’s go to see the chairman. Please take the documents with you.”

Gun-Ho and A Group’s CEO Park followed W Chemicals’ CEO out of the meeting room and walked to the chairman’s office. It was the first time for Gun-Ho to be in the chairman’s office of a conglomerate.

The chairman’s office was very spacious, and its floor was covered by a high-end luxurious carpet. Behind the chairman’s desk, there was a shelf, and several Korean traditional ceramic pottery were displayed. The chairman was not at his desk, but he was sitting at a large conference table in his office. He was reading a newspaper, wearing his reading glasses.

“Hello, sir.”

W Chemicals’ CEO and A Group’s CEO Park gave a 90-degree bow to him. The chairman placed his newspaper on the table and lifted his head to see his visitors.

“Oh, A Group’s CEO Park? How is A Group’s chairman doing these days?”

“He is well, sir. As I mentioned before, sir, I came here with Dyeon Korea’s President.”

The chairman glanced at Gun-Ho over his glasses. Gun-Ho thought that the chairman looked very similar to Egnopak’s president. He had a round face that looked swollen. He seemed to have a short temper just like Egnopak’s president as well. Gun-Ho could well picture him kicking his employees when he was younger. The chairman said to Gun-Ho with an impassive look on his face, “Please have a seat.”

W Chemicals’ CEO introduced Gun-Ho to his chairman.

“This is President Gun-Ho Goo from GH Mobile that has a joint venture company with Lymondell Dyeon. He is one of the major shareholders of Dyeon Korea.”

“It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

Gun-Ho gave the chairman a deep bow.

“Hmm, you look very young. Please take a seat.”

The three men sat at the table carefully.

The chairman pressed a speaker button on the table and said, “Bring us four cups of tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

A moment later, a lady secretary brought four cups of tea. She was so pretty. Gun-Ho thought that she looked like an actress.

W Chemicals’ CEO said as he was handing over the company documents and certified copy of corporate registration that Gun-Ho had brought, to the chairman, “The company’s anticipated sales revenue for this year is 84.5 billion won. And, this amount doesn’t include the sales revenue from its factories overseas.”

“Hmm.”

“This company has no debt at all, and holds a good amount of cash in its reserve.”

“The company has no debt? That’s odd.”

“Lymondell Dyeon and President Goo here are the two major shareholders of this company. Each owns 32.7%. The remaining is owned by small stockholders.”

“So, the portion that he could transfer is 32.7%?”

“Yes, sir.”

“If this is a joint venture company, it needs to be discussed with its partner, doesn’t it?”

CEO Park chipped in.

“According to their joint venture contract, each partner can transfer their ownership interest at its discretion.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

W Chemicals’ CEO continued to explain about Dyeon Korea as he was looking at the documents, “The total number of the shares issued so far is 26 million, and President Goo owns 8.5 million of them. Since its current stock price per share is 20,000 won, his portion is worth 170 billion won. According to their balance sheet (B/S), the total amount of assets owned by this company is 120 billion won, including its real properties, goods in stock, and goods-in-process.”

“Hmm. What is the price that President Goo is asking?”

Gun-Ho looked at the chairman’s face and said, “As W Chemicals’ CEO just said, the company’s market capitalization is 170 billion won, and its total assets are 120 billion won. That is all correct. However, this number doesn’t reflect the company’s future business value and its exclusive right to sell in the entire Asia market which the company procured from Lymondell Dyeon.”

The chairman was intently listening to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho continued, “If W Chemicals wants to acquire Dyeon Korea, I want to receive its market capitalization of 170 billion won, plus its cash assets of 70 billion won, plus its future value. So, it would be 35,000 won per share.”

The chairman stood up from his seat, still wearing his reading glasses, and walked toward his desk to pick up his calculator.

He asked, “How many shares you said you are holding right now?”

“It’s 8.5 million shares, sir.”

“You want 35,000 won per share for your 8.5 million shares…”

The chairman started doing his math with his calculator. Before he finished his calculation, Gun-Ho gave him the number.

“It’s 297.5 billion won.”

The chairman stopped pressing buttons on his calculator and said, “Did you say 297.5 billion won? Even if we consider the company’s future value and its exclusive right to sell in the entire Asia market, that’s too high. The company’s total assets are 120 billion won, and its annual sales revenue is not even 100 billion won. Investing almost 300 billion won in a company like that is not reasonable. Don’t you think?” The chairman looked at W Chemicals’ CEO and asked for his opinion.

“I agree with you, sir. 35,000 won per share is excessive.”

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Chapter 894 - Big Deal (3) – Part 1

Chapter 894: Big Deal (3) – Part 1

Looking at W Group’s chairman doing his math using his small calculator with his thick hand somewhat amused Gun-Ho. He looked like a bear fiddling with his tiny prey.

‘Well, at least he is doing his calculation himself even though he has to wear his reading glasses to see the small numbers, without asking someone else to do the job for him.’

Gun-Ho remembered that he read a news article the other day about W Group’s chairman. He had an interview with a news report.

In that interview, W Group’s chairman claimed that technically he was not a second-generation rich kid. In fact, he inherited 1 trillion won worth of business from his father, and he grew it to a 10 trillion won worth of business. That was the reason why he insisted that he was a first-generation of wealth that he built. Gun-Ho remembered that Egnopak’s president made about the same statement before as well. This news article written based on the interview with W Group’s chairman made Gun-Ho smile sarcastically when he read it.

At that time, Gun-Ho thought, ‘What? He is saying that he is not a second-generation rich kid because he grew the company to its current 10 trillion won worth, which was worth only 1 trillion won when he had inherited it from his father? He described himself as a pioneer of the entrepreneurial spirit, which is bullsh*t. Has he ever eaten a tear-soaked bread before? Has he ever lived in a tiny room that has no private toilet and no window?

Look. It’s extremely difficult for a person to make 100 million won, who has no money at all. And, it is also difficult for a person to make 1 billion won, who has only 100 million won. However, it is not difficult at all for a person, who has 1 trillion won, to make 10 trillion won. Once you reach that level, you don’t really have to do much, but by letting the company do its work, it will grow along with the country’s economic growth. The CEOs that you hire to run your business will do the job for you. So, stop talking nonsense.’

This was the impression that Gun-Ho had about W Group’s chairman even before he had a chance to meet him in person. Now, by looking at him doing his math with his own hands by diligently pressing buttons on his calculator, Gun-Ho thought that he was someone who would do his job himself at least.

W Group’s chairman asked Gun-Ho, “What about 30,000 won per share? In my view, even though I have to take into account every possible value of Dyeon Korea, including the right to manage, the right to sell, and the company’s future business value, 30,000 won per share would be a generous offer. If the price is higher than that, I wouldn’t be able to make much out of this deal. Don’t you think?” The chairman turned his head to W Chemicals’ CEO and CEO Park to seek for their agreement.

“You are absolutely right, sir. Your view gives a clear perspective to this matter, sir,” The two men replied simultaneously as if they planned to do so.

Gun-Ho said, “30,000 won per share would make the total price 255 billion won. I think you undervalued the company’s future business, its right to manage, and its right to sell, sir.”

“You are one greedy young man,” said the chairman.

Silence filled the air for a while.

The chairman said to W Chemicals’ CEO, “If we acquire Dyeon Korea, would it be really helpful for our company’s business?”

“Yes, sir. It would be absolutely beneficial. As you know, sir, Lymondell Dyeon’s compounding technology is world-class. If W Chemicals owns this company, it will definitely create synergy.”

“Hmm.”

“In addition, our company has numerous distributors scattered all over the country. We can use our sales networks in selling Dyeon Korea’s products, and it will increase our sales substantially in a short period of time. However, if we have to buy the company for 35,000 won per share, then it wouldn’t be a very attractive business deal for us. We can consider acquiring it if the price is 30,000 won per share, but if it is firmly priced for 35,000 won per share, then I believe there is no payability for us.”

A Group’s CEO Park, who had been quiet the whole time, chipped in, “President Goo, it is true that W Chemicals will benefit from acquiring Dyeon Korea, in selling products and expanding its businesses. Moreover, the acquisition will definitely contribute to bringing Lymondell Dyeon’s compounding technology into Korea’s market. So, the acquisition is desirable for the company and also for the country. Why don’t you lower your price a little bit? Your price does seem to be excessive.”

“I don’t know.”

Gun-Ho was thinking, ‘Is my asking price that excessive?’

Gun-Ho then did his math considering various factors with his calculator. The chairman, who was looking vacantly at Gun-Ho doing his calculation, seemed to make his determination and said, “Let me be straight here. I like to be direct and bold. Let’s make it 32,000 won per share. So, the total price will be 272 billion won. What do you say?”

A Group’s CEO Park quickly chipped in.

“That sounds very reasonable. I can see the chairman trying hard to reach an agreement, President Goo.”

W Chemicals’ CEO added, “That wouldn’t still be an ideal price for us, but 32,000 won per share is doable.”

Gun-Ho looked up at the ceiling and then he firmly said, “Okay. Let’s do it.”

The chairman laughed feeling satisfied, and he extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake. Gun-Ho held the chairman’s hand showing his acute respect toward him.

“You are a well-mannered young man as well. Where is GH Mobile located, by the way?”

“It’s in Jiksan Town, Cheonan City, sir,” said Gun-Ho as he handed his business card to the chairman.

“Since GH Mobile is the one that invested in Dyeon Korea, once Dyeon Korea is sold, I guess that the money will flow into GH Mobile. How much ownership interest are you holding in GH Mobile, President Goo?”

“I own 82% of GH Mobile, sir.”

“Who owns the rest of the ownership interest?”

“I have a co-president—President Song—there. He owns 3%, and the remaining 15% is owned by another individual.”

“Oh, it’s not an institutional investor but it’s an individual who owns 15%, huh?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

A wicked smile appeared on W Group’s chairman’s face; he was nodding his head. It seemed that he figured out something at that moment.

“Hmm, I see.”

The chairman’s smile froze Gun-Ho’s blood for a second. The act of nodding his head as if he knew everything that was going on certainly didn’t give Gun-Ho a pleasant feeling. Gun-Ho thought that maybe the chairman knew that it was Mr. Beom-Sik Lee who owned 15% of GH Mobile.

W Chemicals’ CEO said as he was standing up from his seat, “Well, since we have reached an agreement for the sales price, we will proceed with it as such. We will work on the paperwork now, sir.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho was walking toward the door to leave the office after giving a 90-degree bow to the chairman when the chairman said to Gun-Ho, “Your name is Gun-Ho Goo, right, President Goo? I will remember your name for a long time.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho, W Chemicals’ CEO, and A Group’s CEO Park walked out of the chairman’s office, and they headed back to the meeting room where they had met for the first time that day. In the meeting room, they drafted the stock transfer agreement.

W Chemicals’ CEO said, “Today is December 6th. We will send you our payment on December 15th. As you know, 272 billion won is not a small amount of money. We need time to prepare that amount.”

“I understand. In the meantime, I will have to talk with the company’s executive officers about this deal anyway.”

“Well, please keep me posted with how things go with its executive officers. Also, our people will pay a visit to the company soon in order to verify the actual status of the company and all that. It’s a usual procedure to make sure that all the assets are there as claimed in its financial statements.”

“Of course.”

“After we conduct our investigation, if we find a large gap between the facts shown in the documents that you showed us today and the actual assets, the contract will be void.”

“I see what you mean.”

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Chapter 895 - Big Deal (3) – Part 2

Chapter 895: Big Deal (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho came back to his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He felt somewhat extremely exhausted, and he also felt like he would catch a cold or flu.

“I was going to convene an executive meeting with Dyeon Korea’s executive officers tomorrow, but I guess that I will have to postpone it. I’m not feeling well.”

Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor, and let him know that there would be an executive meeting the day after tomorrow.

“I want to have an executive meeting the day after tomorrow, at 10 in the morning. Please make an arrangement as such.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho took medicine before going to bed that night. The following day, he got up late and went to work late as well in GH Development in Sinsa Town. When he arrived there, it was around 10 am.

Gun-Ho was having a cup of hot Ssanghwa-tea* sitting on the sofa in his office when his phone started ringing. It was a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Sir, it’s Geun-Soo Son. Have you had a chance to look at Dyeon Korea’s stock price today?”

“No, I haven’t. Why? Is something going on?”

“Dyeon Korea’s stock price has been stable until today, at about 20,000 won, and I’ve noticed that its price suddenly increased by 5% today. Also, its trading volume substantially increased as well. It seems that someone is buying a massive number of shares today.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho felt like he was hit by a hammer or something. It must be W Chemicals’ CEO and A Group’s CEO Park who were the only people who knew about the acquisition except W Group’s chairman.

‘Once we make a public announcement about the stock transfer, Dyeon Korea would be owned by W Group, instead of GH Mobile. That will certainly raise the stock price. Why didn’t I think about this earlier? It is highly possible that W Group and A Group’s CEO Park is covertly buying Dyeon Korea’s stock.’

GH Mobile was not a well-known company to the public, and if Dyeon Korea’s owner would be changed from GH Mobile to a large and well-known company—W Chemicals—its stock price would, of course, increase. With W Group’s financial strength, their people, their technologies, and their strong and well-established sales abilities, Dyeon Korea would grow dramatically. Say, there was a rumor about Samsung Group buying a company. That company’s stock price would definitely increase significantly.

President Geun-Soo Son asked, “Is there good news about the company’s business? Is that why its stock price is on the rise again?”

“Well, I’m not so sure. Let’s buy some of them for us too. I will send you the fund of 10 billion won today.”

Gun-Ho had previously moved all of the fund—132.7 billion won—that was sitting in Seung-Hee sister’s stock account to his personal bank account. Gun-Ho sent 10 billion won out of that amount back to Seung-Hee sister’s stock account that day, so it could flow into SH Investment Partners’ business bank account. Gun-Ho didn’t want to use his name in transferring funds because he could be well accused of illegal insider trading. Insider trading at this point would be deemed illegal, and harsh consequences would occur if he was caught, such as an enormous amount of fines. The insider could also face jail time.

“It is certainly cumbersome to transfer funds this way, but I see no other way to do it.”

Later that day, Gun-Ho received a call from Ms. Angelina Rein from Lymondell Dyeon in Seattle, U.S. The position of vice president at the international business development department with Lymondell Dyeon was still vacant after Mr. Brandon Burke retired, so Ms. Angelina Rein seemed to be doing the job for the moment. Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh picked up the phone on behalf of Gun-Ho, and after talking with Ms. Angelina Rein for a while, she said to Gun-Ho, “Lymondell Dyeon had a meeting yesterday, and they decided to appoint Mr. Adam Castler to the position of president for Dyeon Korea.”

Gun-Ho said, “That’s good. Tell her that we welcome him as the company’s president.”

Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh said something on the phone, and Gun-Ho could hear “Thank you” from the other line. Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh continued to talk on the phone with Ms. Angelina Rein for a while, and then she turned around and said to Gun-Ho, “His first day of work as the president will be December 15th, so they will send the official letter about his appointment on December 14th via fax.”

“Tell her that we are good with it.”

The following day, Gun-Ho got up early and headed to Jiksan Town. He then talked with President Song in GH Mobile.

“We need to sell our Dyeon Korea’s shares that are currently owned by GH Mobile.”

President Song seemed to be frightened by Gun-Ho’s unexpected declaration.

“Huh? Sir? Why are we selling Dyeon Korea’s stock, sir? Why would we want that? The company’s sales are constantly increasing every year.”

“Dyeon Korea’s stock was classified as a theme stock, and ever since then, it is drawing too much public attention, and I don’t like that.”

“Well, still, it is a good company with good business.”

“If it is that good, we can ask for a very high price reflecting its genuine value.”

President Song grinned.

“I see what you mean, sir.”

“Mr. President Song, please draft a resolution of GH Mobile’s board of directors about the stock transfer, and backdate the document; 5 days before today would be perfect.”

“Understood, sir. I guess that a stock transfer agreement was already made for this transaction. Which company is buying our ownership interest in Dyeon Korea?”

“I will give you all the details later. They want to conduct their own investigation before sending us the payment. So, the deal is not yet completed.”

“I see. I will make the board of director’s resolution as we are collecting our investment.”

“Don’t tell anyone about it yet though. I have an executive meeting at 10 am today in Dyeon Korea. I’m heading out now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea. The executive officers in uniform were gathering in a small meeting room.

Gun-Ho saw Mr. Adam Castler sitting in the front row. He seemed to be in a good mood. When their eyes met, Mr. Adam Castler gave Gun-Ho a wink.

‘That dude must have known that he will be appointed as the president of Dyeon Korea. He seems to have a hard time hiding his excitement.’

Gun-Ho started speaking, “Today is December 8th. We are closing another successful year. You have done excellent work this year.”

At that moment, Secretary Seon-Hye Yee came into the meeting room and placed a cup of jujube tea in front of each executive officer at the table.

“We have 5 people in the room including myself. Well, we are actually 6; Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae is here with us to interpret for our vice president. Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee couldn’t join us today since he is in China right now.”

Everyone was listening to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho continued, “As our joint venture contract stipulated, I will resign from Dyeon Korea’s president position as of December 15th, and a new person will take the position, who will be sent by Lymondell Dyeon. I talked with someone from Lymondell Dyeon yesterday, and they will send their official letter about it on December 14th via fax. I have strongly recommended Vice President Adam Castler here as our new president, to Lymondell Dyeon.”

At that moment, Mr. Adam Castler let out a dry cough in embarrassment.

“Today, I want to make an announcement on the upcoming changes in Dyeon Korea’s executive officer positions except for the president position which we will find out on December 14th. I will make the announcement today, but the official effective date will be December 15th. These were not determined by myself alone, but they were fully discussed with some of the people here in advance.”

Everyone seemed to be feeling anxious, and they were all staring at Gun-Ho.

Note*

Ssanghwa-tea – A traditional Korean tea that is known to help recover from fatigue.

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Chapter 896 - Rumors About Acquisition (1) – Part 1

Chapter 896: Rumors About Acquisition (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho started making his announcement in a calm voice in front of the executive officer.

“First of all, as you all know, Mr. Senior Director Kim has tremendously been contributing to growing Dyeon Korea to its current status. He will be promoted to vice president.”

“I haven’t done much, sir… Thank you,” said Director Kim.

Director Dong-Chan Kim knew about his promotion already since Gun-Ho had previously told him about it in person, but his face still brushed when the promotion was confirmed in front of other executive officers.

“Next, Mr. Hee-Yeol Yoo, who has been doing an excellent job in supervising our production site, will be promoted to a director position. He will still perform dual duties as a plant manager as well.”

“I will do my best, sir.”

Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo also blushed and gave a bow to Gun-Ho. The people in the room were not surprised by the promotions for these two people. It was expected and obvious.

Gun-Ho continued, “Mr. Internal Auditor, Mr. Director Yoon, and Mr. Senior Director Hyeong-Woo Lee, who is currently working in Guangdong Province, China, will maintain their current positions this year. I’m hoping to give good news for these three next year. Mr. Director Yoon, please make these promotions official when you receive the appointment letter from Lymondell Dyeon for the president position on December 14th. I will be resigning from the president position by then, and will take the board of directors’ chairman position, so add to the official announcement as such. And, Mr. Chief Research Officer has been with us in the advisory position for the past 2 years, and it will expire at the end of this year. I understand that he has contributed to our company greatly, but we will have to let him go complying to our company’s policies.”

“Yes, sir.”

“For those who got promoted, I want you to keep in mind that, with your promotion, you will enjoy benefits such as receiving a higher salary, but don’t forget that it comes with heavier responsibilities as well. Congratulations to all. For those who didn’t get their promotions this year, I will expect to have good news next year for you. For the people in the position of mid-level management, I want you to discuss and take care of their promotions with Mr. Vice President Adam Castler here.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Also, we are expecting to have visitors from W Group’s planning and coordination department sometime this week. They will conduct their investigation on our assets.”

Everyone in the meeting room looked at Gun-Ho with questioning looks on their faces. A visit from an external auditor would make sense, but they didn’t understand why investors from W Group would visit the company.

“We are doing some projects with W Group, and it’s a necessary procedure for it. You will hear a full explanation once their investigation is completed.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, Mr. Internal Auditor, since I won’t come to work here starting the 15th of this month, please send the company’s performance report to me via email when it becomes available.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, if our operating income this year increased by more than 20% as we had achieved last year, please review the possibility of giving a year-end bonus to our employees.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright. We will end our meeting here today. Mr. Director Hee-Yeol Yoo, would you go downstairs and tell Mr. Chief Research Officer to come to my office?”

“Yes, sir.”

The executive officers in the meeting left the room, and they seemed to have a lot of questions.

“Why would W Group want to know about our company’s assets all of a sudden?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Are they going to place a huge product order for us?”

“Well, I don’t know. When a client company wants to start business with a vendor company, they usually ask the vendor company to produce financial statements. They don’t conduct investigations on the vendor company’s assets. This is certainly unusual.”

“Did you hear Mr. President Goo asking the chief research officer to come to his office? I guess he wants to tell the chief research officer about leaving the company, in person.”

“That sounds about right. I guess it’s not easy to work as the president of a company. It’s certainly not a pleasant job telling someone to go home and not come back.”

“Anyway, Mr. Director Kim, and Mr. Manager Yoo, you can’t just go home today. We have to celebrate your promotions.”

After a while, the chief research officer entered Gun-Ho’s office. He looked pale. He probably heard the news about his job being terminated.

“You asked to see me, sir?”

The chief research officer, who was in his early 60s, gave a deep bow to his president, who was in his late 30s, as he entered the office.

“I just wanted to have a cup of tea with you. Ms. Seon-Hye Yee’s jujube tea is great.”

Gun-Ho then asked Secretary Seon-Hye Yee to bring two cups of jujube tea. As Gun-Ho looked at the chief research officer’s face from a close distance, he could see his deep wrinkles on his face. The wrinkles on his forehead and neck were very noticeable.

“I guess your children are all married, Mr. Chief Research Officer.”

“One is married, and the other one is still single.”

“I see.”

As Gun-Ho let out his sigh without realizing it, the chief research officer smiled and said, “It is okay, sir. You don’t have to feel so difficult to let me go. As a matter of fact, the two years with the company in an advisory position were good years for me. I do appreciate it. When I heard Manager Yoo being promoted, I knew what I had to do. I was going to come to your office to thank you, and let you know that I wouldn’t come to work starting tomorrow.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Chief Research Officer. Manager Yoo’s promotion to a director position has been confirmed. With his promotion, we now have an executive officer in the research center, and it wouldn’t be reasonable to keep the position that you are holding in this setting. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, but this is my final decision.”

“I completely understand, sir. I’m just grateful for the opportunity that I had with the company for the past two years. Thank you, sir.”

“Thank you. There is no severance package for an advisory position according to our company policy, but, we will give you something similar to it for your two-year service with us. I will talk to Director Yoon about it.”

“Thank you so much, sir.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho’s smartphone started ringing, and the chief research officer quickly stood up to leave.

“I will go back to my office now, sir.”

“I hope you the best.”

Ignoring his smartphone ringing, Gun-Ho also stood up from his seat and gave a 90-degree bow to the chief research officer; it was his own way to give a farewell to the old man.

After the chief research officer left the office, Gun-Ho answered his phone. It was from W Chemicals’ CEO.

“I will send our people there tomorrow by 10 am.”

“How many people are we expecting?”

“Two will be there. They are the staff from our planning and coordination department. They will check the company’s bank statement for cash assets. For them to verify the company’s fixed assets, if you could prepare a certified copy of corporate registration or similar documents, we would appreciate it.”

“Okay.”

“They will also need to review documents about your manufacturing facilities overseas. A lease agreement, sales contract for the real property, or government-issued approval document for the use of the land would be sufficient. They will also need to check the goods in stock, piled up inside the factory.”

“Understood. And, when we drafted our stock transfer agreement, we missed one thing.”

“What is it?”

“I want you to keep the current workers and executive officers when you acquire this company. You must not leave out even one single person. If that cannot be promised, I can’t sign the agreement either.”

“Haha. Don’t worry about it. We will keep everyone there.”

Gun-Ho said, “Can you make it in writing?”

“In writing? Sure. I will send it to you via email. I can use the email address shown in your business card, right?”

“Yes, that’s my email address. If you could send it to me today before your investigators arrive here would be great.”

“Okay.”

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Chapter 897 - Rumors About Acquisition (1) – Part 2

Chapter 897: Rumors About Acquisition (1) – Part 2

After getting off the phone with W Chemicals’ CEO, Gun-Ho continued enjoying his jujube tea. At that moment, he received a call from W Chemicals’ CEO again.

“When our people arrive there, they will request to take a look at the company’s organizational structure and a list of the workers there. You can just hand to them a list of the workers that you currently have. We will need a list that includes everyone from the executive officers to cleaning crew.”

“Understood. When they come here, they probably want to talk to our internal auditor here since our vice president is a foreigner who can’t speak Korean.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho asked for Mr. Adam Castler later that day.

“Dyeon Korea’s stock has been categorized as a theme stock as you have already noticed. I think we will see another huge price fluctuation again soon.”

“Is that right?”

“And for that reason, many people suspect that I am somewhat related to politics. I think I’d better remove myself from Dyeon Korea’s business.”

“Huh? What are you suggesting?”

“I think I’d better transfer my ownership interest in Dyeon Korea to a third party. I don’t want to be the center of public attention.”

“Oh, my God!”

“According to our joint venture contract, each partner can transfer their ownership interest at their own discretion. You can inform the head office about my intention to dispose of my ownership interest. I won’t transfer my ownership interest to just anyone, but I am carefully selecting the right buyer. It will be a company that has better financial strength and that is composed of people who have higher business ethics than me.”

“How much per share are you going to sell your shares for?”

“I am still negotiating the price right now.”

“I am interested in the price per share that you would sell yours at. Well, for now, I will tell the head office that our Korean partner is planning to sell his ownership interest to a third party for political reasons.”

“Sounds good.”

After Mr. Adam Castler left the office, Gun-Ho called for the internal auditor. Gun-Ho thought that at least he had to let the internal auditor know about his plan.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yes. Please have a seat.”

Gun-Ho explained the situation and his intention to sell his ownership interest in Dyeon Korea, to the internal auditor. The internal auditor seemed to be surprised, even though he was already suspecting that something was going on. When he heard about the upcoming visit by W Group’s investigators during the executive office earlier, he knew there would be a big change in the company.

“I did actually suspect the possibility, sir. I guess it turned out to be true. And, I understand that you don’t want to be involved or linked with politics in any forms, given your personality, sir.”

“Well, I feel sorry for the workers here that things have to turn out like this.”

“If a word about W Group acquiring Dyeon Korea is spread out, Dyeon Korea’s stock price will increase again substantially.”

“That’s what I’m expecting as well. And, we have to be careful about it. With the possible acquisition, Dyeon Korea’s stock price will skyrocket. But, if the acquisition fails at the end, we will see a massive price drop. And, that will result in a lot of little investors losing money.”

“That’s why I don’t invest in the stock market at all, sir. We can never know the other party’s cards in this game, can’t we? I’ve been receiving a lot of calls lately from my friends after Dyeon Korea’s stock became a theme stock. And, I always tell them that they shouldn’t invest in the stock market.”

“No stock, no worry, huh?”

Gun-Ho and the internal auditor laughed out loud simultaneously.

After having a good laugh, Gun-Ho said, “I received a call from W Group before you came to my office. They are going to send their people here tomorrow around 10 am. There will be two people showing up. We just need to be kind with them and provide them with documents that they request.”

“The purpose of their visit is to verify the company’s assets, isn’t it? I will have papers ready, which are relevant to our asset status. I will explain to them about our liquid assets and fixed assets.”

“They will also need to look at our organizational structure and a list of our employees.”

“Understood, sir.”

“And, I ensured that they wouldn’t terminate anyone’s employment. I mean any of our workers from our executive officers to the cleaning crew. I asked them to make it in writing. They know what is at stake here. If they don’t keep their words, this acquisition deal will be off.”

“Thank you, sir. I was actually worried about losing my job. For a new owner, an old internal auditor is probably the number one in their list that they want to get rid of.”

“Once they send me the agreement about our employee’s job security, I will give you a copy of it. Instead of trying to remove you from the company, they will talk to you often trying to understand the current status of the company’s business.”

“I am ready for it, sir.”

“You have contributed so much to growing this company. I wish I compensated better for your effort.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked for this company, sir. Because of you, my time with the company has been extended for two more years. I appreciate it.”

After the internal auditor left the office, Gun-Ho lay down on the sofa.

“Am I done talking with essential people getting ready for the acquisition?”

Gun-Ho stretched himself, and then he extended his legs under the coffee table. At that moment, his phone started ringing. It was from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Have you checked Dyeon Korea’s stock price today, sir?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ve been busy with an executive meeting today. Is something going on?”

“Someone is aggressively buying Dyeon Korea’s stock again today.”

“Really?”

“The funds that you sent the other day are almost depleted.”

“Okay. I will send you more tomorrow.”

“Dyeon Korea’s stock price is still expensive like over 20,000 won. I wonder why this person is buying that many shares now.”

“Well, he could raise the price all the way up and then throw out all of them that he has. Who knows?”

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He moved 20 billion won from his personal bank account to Seung-Hee sister’s stock account, and then had her transfer that fund to SH Investment Partners’ business account. Once the fund transfer was done, Gun-Ho made a call to President Geun-Soo Son.

“I sent you 20 billion won.”

“It seems that the person slows down a bit. He probably thinks that the price has been raised too high. I’m buying as many shares as I can right now, sir.”

“I guess you will be pretty busy today.”

“No problem, sir. It’s my job.”

Gun-Ho thought that hiring President Geun-Soo Son for the job that he was currently doing was the right decision.

‘Trading stocks is easier said than done. He has to use 10 and 20 billion won to buy and sell the shares. It takes a lot of time, not to mention that it is a very time-consuming work. His eyes will hurt. He probably is having a headache too, and maybe his shoulder as well.’

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Mobile’s Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim.

“Ms. Director Kim?”

“Oh, sir. I will need two more days before I can finish this year’s performance report. I have a few things that require some modifications.”

“Hmm, alright. I’m calling you today to ask you for something else. Do we have a bank account that we don’t really use?”

“We have five business bank accounts, but they are all in use, sir.”

“Okay, then open one more business bank account, and send me the account information via email.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I need a maximum wire transfer limit for the new bank account. Also, please bring me the OTP device as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho wanted to have a separate bank account where he could deposit and manage the fund that he would receive once he sold his ownership interest in Dyeon Korea, which would be 272 billion won.

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Chapter 898: Rumors About Acquisition (2) – Part 1

Chapter 898: Rumors About Acquisition (2) – Part 1

W Group's staff from its planning and coordination department visited Dyeon Korea and conducted their investigation on the company's assets. As their investigation was completed, Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea's internal auditor.

"Sir, W Group's investigation is over."

"Was there anything particular that they pointed out?"

"No, sir. They sent one senior manager and a manager to our location. They did a cursory review of the documents that we provided them with, and their check with our products in our storage was not thorough either."

"They took a copy of our organizational structure and a list of the employees."

There would be a meeting in GH Mobile tomorrow. Gun-Ho was expecting to receive this year's performance report and next year's business plan during the meeting.

"Maybe I should make an announcement on promotions in GH Mobile tomorrow right after I receive the report."

At that moment, Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners' President Geun-Soo Son. His voice was telling that it was about an urgent matter.

"Sir, do you know that Dyeon Korea's stock price hit the upper limit today?"

"There are rumors that are widely spread in the stock market, that Dyeon Korea will be acquired by W Group."

"You must know something about the rumors."

"Well, nothing is confirmed yet. It's too early to say anything about it for sure. How many shares of Dyeon Korea have we bought so far?"

"We have purchased 3.2 million shares, sir. Our purchasing price per share on average is 25,000 won. When the price exceeded 30,000 won, I stopped the purchase. And, now the price is 36,000 won."

"If we purchased that many shares, I guess that you've already made a public announcement about it, right?"

"Of course, sir. It has been announced that SH Investment Partners is holding 32 million Dyeon Korea's shares. I've also noticed that an entity called OA Holdings bought 1.5 million of Dyeon Korea's shares as well, which is on public notice as well."

"OA Holdings? Do you know anything about that company?"

"No, sir. I've never heard of that name before."

"Well, I can tell you this about the rumors. I am currently dealing with W Group for the acquisition matter, but the deal hasn't completed, and I haven't received the payment yet. I want you to keep this to you until it is all done."

"I believe that you need to make a public announcement about the acquisition rumors if the stock price hit the upper limit again tomorrow."

"Well, if we receive a request to make an announcement about it, then yes, we should. If the stock price hit the upper limit again, I want you to watch the volume of buy requests carefully, and sell all of the shares that we are holding now if buy requests are not high enough."

"Yes, sir."

"If buy requests seem to be accumulated more than enough, hold our shares until the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, sir. I'm wondering, sir. Was that you that leaked the rumors about the acquisition to the stock market?"

"No, I didn't do it. I have never done such a thing before."

"In that case, it was probably W Group then that leaked the rumors."

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile. As they had a meeting for this year's performance report and next year's business plan, every single executive officer gathered in a small meeting room. As to this year's performance report, since it was still December, and the month of December's performance was not yet completed, the report on the December portion was based on estimation only.

As Gun-Ho was entering the meeting room, he received a call from SH Investment Partners' President Geun-Soo Son.

"Dyeon Korea's stock price hit the upper limit again today, sir. Newspapers are talking about the rumors of W Group acquiring Dyeon Korea, and they said that that's why Dyeon Korea's stock price hit the upper limit two days in a row."

"Are there a good number of buy requests piled up?"

"Yes, sir. There are buy requests accumulated for about 2 million shares right now."

"Add additional buy requests to it, maybe about 1 million. We are not going to buy more shares, but just pretend that we would."

Gun-Ho entered the meeting room and sat at the table. At that moment, his phone started ringing again. It was from Dyeon Korea's internal auditor.

"Sir, we just received a request that we have to make a public announcement. KOSDAQ Market Division is asking us to explain about the rumors on W Group acquiring Dyeon Korea's ownership interest."

"How much time do we have until the due date?"

"They want us to make the announcement by tomorrow noon, sir."

"Okay. I'm about to begin an executive meeting in GH Mobile right now. I will give you a call after the meeting."

Gun-Ho was sitting at the middle of the table in the meeting room. As he looked around, he could see President Song, the chief research officer, the accounting director, the general affairs director, and the production quality control director. Director Jong-Suk Park was not there, of course, and Gun-Ho stared at the seat that Jong-Suk used to sit on, for a moment. The accounting director started giving the performance report.

"As the product orders from H Group and S Electronics Group increased this year, our sales performance…"

Gun-Ho chipped in, "Just give us the numbers. And, please speak up as well."

"This year's total sales revenue is 187.4 billion won."

Hearing the number— 187.4 billion won— people at the meeting room let out a low moan of surprise. Compared to the sales revenue in the previous year, the sales revenue increased by 70%. Thanks to Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee. The volume of product orders from H Group and S Electronics Group increased substantially this year, and that made this amazing growth in sales possible.

"The cost of sales is 149.9 billion won, and our total amount of profit is 37.5 billion won. Our general administrative expenses are 18 billion won, and the non-operating expenses are 2.4 billion won. Therefore, our operating income is 17.1 billion won and the operating profit to sales ratio is 9%."

"After paying the corporate tax, our net profit would be 13.3 billion won, resulting in 7% of net earning rate."

The 13.3 billion won, that the accounting director gave in her last sentence of her presentation, was the amount of money that can be used. After setting aside a legal reserve requirement, they could use this money to distribute dividends among the shareholders or to pay for the company's debt.

After taking a sip of his water, Gun-Ho said, "We might see some updates on the yearly profit and loss statements that we just received, because we might be able to retrieve our investment."

The attendees of the meeting all lifted their heads and looked at Gun-Ho.

"We are reviewing the possibility of selling our ownership interest in Dyeon Korea. Until the acquisition is completed, you shouldn't disclose this to anyone outside this room as this fact is greatly affecting the stock price of Dyeon Korea right now."

President Song resumed the report by giving his presentation on next year's business plan.

"I will now talk about our business plan for next year. Our sales goal for next year is 247.6 billion won. It's a 30% increase from this year's sales revenue. We are planning to develop a new product…"

It took exactly 1 and half hours to listen to this year's performance report and the business plan for next year. Gun-Ho wrapped up the meeting and walked out of the meeting room.

Once he came back to his office, Gun-Ho called for President Song.

"Today is December 10th. As we are done with this year's performance report, why don't we make a confirmation on promotions for this year as well?"

"I was told that Dyeon Korea already made their decisions on this year's promotions, and they would make it official on the 15th of this month."

"Director Kim and Manager Yoo will be promoted in Dyeon Korea."

"That's what I expected."

"And, it is highly possible that Mr. Adam Castler is appointed to be its next president."

"I'm glad to hear that. We feel very comfortable working with him anyway, don't we?"

"The internal auditor will stay in the same position, and we are letting the chief research officer go this time."

"That's what I expected as well."

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Chapter 899 - Rumors About Acquisition (2) – Part 2

Chapter 899: Rumors About Acquisition (2) – Part 2

“As we discussed the other day, let’s promote the production manager in team 1 to a director position, and give a senior director position to the chief research officer here.”

“Sounds good, sir.”

“And, as of December 15th, I’m taking the chairman position of Dyeon Korea’s board of directors. That wouldn’t mean much if the acquisition goes through successfully. So, as Dyeon Korea did, I want to make the promotions in writing for now, and make it official on the 15th.”

“Okay. I will ask the general affairs director to come to the office to proceed with it.”

“There is one more thing, Mr. President Song. I want to resign from the president position in GH Mobile.”

“Huh?”

“I want to step back from the daily operations of GH Mobile and take the position of chairman. So, I want you to add my name on the promotion list saying that I am resigning from the president position and appointed to chairman.”

“That…, that…”

“It has been onerous for me to commute all the way here from my home in Seoul anyway. And, GH Mobile has you, Mr. President Song. I think you should run this company on your own.”

“The idea of running the company by myself is a bit scary, but all presidents of GH companies have been saying that you should take the chairman position overseeing all GH companies.”

“Is that right?”

“You are the owner of those companies, and we are just employees. I guess that they have been feeling a bit embarrassed when they are holding the same job title as you, sir.”

“Well, you can use my office, Mr. President Song, or you can make it a meeting room or something as you please.”

“Sir, you will probably need an office here even though you are not coming to work every day.”

“I can use the small meeting room, or I can also stay in your office whenever I have to be here. If I leave my office here, I would feel pressured to come to work often, which is not good.”

“You are not going to come here often?”

“I don’t have to since the company has you, Mr. President Song. I just need to receive profit and loss statements on a regular basis.”

“What if we form a new department— planning and coordination department— for all GH companies, in the building, Sinsa Town?”

“I will think about it. Well, let’s talk to the general affairs director now.”

“Okay, sir.”

The general affairs director entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Please write this down. This is about this year’s promotions. This was determined by Mr. President Song here and myself after full discussion.”

The general affairs director quickly pulled out a pen and a paper.

Gun-Ho continued, “Those who will be promoted are the following two executive officers. Chief Research Officer Gil-Hoon Bang will be promoted from director to senior director.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The production manager in team 1 will be promoted to production director.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, President Gun-Ho Goo will be removed from the president’s office.”

“I’m sorry, sir?”

“GH Mobile will be run by Mr. President Song alone.”

“Yes, sir…”

“And, Gun-Ho Goo will be appointed chairman. When you make an official announcement, include this new appointment as well. I want you to make this in writing and bring it to me. Its effective date will be December 15th.”

“Understood, sir.”

After President Song and the general affairs director left the office, Gun-Ho called for the accounting director.

“Please bring me the new bank account information that I asked you to open the other day. Also, bring me the OTP as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, the accounting director came into Gun-Ho’s office.

Gun-Ho said to her, “From now on, we will receive the payment to this bank account, as we sell our Dyeon Korea’s stock. Once you receive the fund, inform me of the amount.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho asked the accounting director, “The amount that we invested in Dyeon Korea was 4.5 billion won and the building. As we receive the fund in this bank account, we can classify this as investment fund retrieval, and the rest of the fund will be classified as investment profit. Is it correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“We will have to pay transfer tax in disposing of our stock. It will be a lot, right?”

“If the period of possession is short, then yes, the transfer tax will be expensive. We can expect up to 30%, sir.”

“So, we have to pay for transfer tax, and then the rest of the fund will be subject to corporate tax, I guess.”

“As we will make it an extraordinary gain, it will change the amount of our operating income. So, yes, that amount will be subject to corporate tax.”

“I guess after we pay transfer tax and corporate tax, nothing much will be left, huh?”

“Haha. That’s how it works, sir. Nothing much we can do about it at this point. But, if we make a lot of money, then the fund after taxes will be a lot too.”

“Hmm, okay. Good job.”

Later that day, the general affairs director brought the approval paper of promotions. It was already signed by President Song.

“It’s already done, huh?”

“Heh heh. Yes, sir.”

“Since the effective date is December 15th, let’s announce it on 13th or 14th. Send it to each department then.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, if President Song wants, let him use my office.”

“You are not coming here anymore, sir?”

“I will come from time to time. I won’t be here as often as I have been though. Why are you asking? Me coming here very often is not good, right?”

“No, no, sir. I didn’t mean that, sir.”

“How are things going with the promotions with mid-level managers? Do we have the final list?”

“Yes, sir. We just need to finalize the decision. We will announce that after we announce the promotions of executive officers.”

“How many people will be promoted?”

“25 people, sir.”

“Is the assistant manager in the production team 2 included in this year’s promotions?”

“Yes, he is, sir. We will see a lot of promotions in the production department. I guess they will have a big party celebrating it.”

“Haha, really?”

Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“This is how we are going to respond to the request of making a public announcement about the acquisition matters.”

“Give me one second, sir. Let me grab a pen and a paper.”

“It is true that our company discussed with W Group about the possibility of acquisition; however, there is nothing to confirm at this time.”

“Okay, sir.”

“If the situation develops, and we have a confirmed update on the said matter, we will make another public announcement. This current announcement is our response to the request of KOSDAQ Market Division of Korea Exchange dated on December 10th.”

“Done.”

“Response from President Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Got it, sir.”

“That’s it.”

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park.

“Hey, let’s have lunch together.”

“Bro, how come you no longer come here often?”

“Me being there is not very helpful. I don’t want to interrupt your work. But, we need to eat, right? Let’s eat together. I had a meeting in GH Mobile. We talked about the report on this year’s performance, and also next year’s business plan. I feel starved after the meeting. Why don’t you buy me lunch today?”

“No problem. Come to the Korean restaurant that we went to together last time. You know the grilled fish restaurant. I will meet you there.”

On the way to the restaurant to meet with Jong-Suk, in the car, Gun-Ho received a call from W Chemicals’ CEO.

“I’ve noticed that there was a request from KOSDAQ Market Division for Dyeon Korea, about the rumors on W Group’s acquisition of Dyeon Korea. How are you going to respond to it? It seems that you have until tomorrow to respond.”

“Since we haven’t received the payment for the acquisition yet, I’m going to tell them that we have reviewed the possibility of the acquisition, but nothing has been confirmed yet.”

“Hmm, that sounds good. I will make sure that the payment is sent on the 15th of this month as promised.”

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Chapter 900 - Rumors About Acquisition (3) – Part 1

Chapter 900: Rumors About Acquisition (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho arrived at the grilled fish restaurant where he was supposed to meet Jong-Suk. President Jong-Suk Park was already there sitting at a table waiting for Gun-Ho. He saw Gun-Ho first, and he raised his hand as Gun-Ho entered the restaurant.

“Over here.”

“Hey. Did you order for us already?”

“No, I was waiting for you, so we can order together.”

President Jong-Suk Park handed the restaurant menu book to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho picked several different grilled fish dishes such as mackerel, tuna, etc.

After they placed their order, Gun-Ho said, “President Park, you know that I decided to sell my ownership interest in Dyeon Korea, right?”

“What? What about me? What’s going to happen to me then?”

“What does me selling the ownership interest in Dyeon Korea have to do with you?”

“Dyeon Korea is GH Machines’ major client. We are building and selling machines to them.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. Whoever takes over my ownership interest, Dyeon Korea will continue to do business with GH Machines. And, they have Director Kim who you are very close to, oh, I should refer to him as Vice President Kim since he will soon be promoted to vice president.”

“Huh? Director Kim will be promoted to vice president?”

“Yeah, as of December 15th, he will be Dyeon Korea’s vice president. We haven’t made it official yet, so just keep it to yourself until then.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Director Kim will be vice president, and Manager Hee-Yeol Yoo will be promoted to a director position. The chief research officer will no longer work with us, and the rest of the executive officers will stay with the same positions.”

“What about the president?”

“Lymondell Dyeon is supposed to appoint someone and let us know it on the 15th. I think Mr. Adam Castler will be Dyeon Korea’s next president.”

“Will GH Mobile announce their promotions on December 15th as well?”

“Yeah, same as Dyeon Korea. Its chief research officer will be promoted from director to senior director, and the production manager in team 1 will become director.”

“Yeah, I don’t see any surprises there.”

“And, starting on December 15th, GH Mobile will be run by President Song alone. I’m resigning from the president position this time.”

“What? What does that mean?”

“I will sit back as chairman. For Dyeon Korea, I will hold the chairman position of its board of directors until the acquisition is completed.”

“Chairman? Yeah, you should have done that sooner. It didn’t sound right when you and I are holding the same job title—president.”

“Does chairman sound better?”

“Of course! GH is a group that is composed of many companies already. It’s very natural that you take the group’s chairman position. I feel somewhat better and relieved that you decided to take the chairman position. Well, I guess I will have to start showing you more respect from now on, Mr. Chairman.”

“Stop being silly.”

“No, I’m serious, bro. We have to think about the people around us. Well, Mr. Chairman, would you like to have a glass of beer?”

“No, I can’t. I have to go to Dyeon Korea after lunch.”

“I guess Director Kim, well, I mean Vice President Kim will miss you a lot if you don’t show up in Dyeon Korea any longer.”

“W Group will take over my ownership interest in Dyeon Korea, so Dyeon Korea will do just fine. With their already-established network in sales, Dyeon Korea will grow faster and also grow substantially.”

“Oh, it is W Group that will acquire Dyeon Korea, huh? Wow.”

“Maybe it’s better for the employees there.”

“Well, I guess Director Kim should be happy about the acquisition. He used to work for a mid-size company—Mulpasaneop—as its senior director, and he is about to be the vice president of one of W Group’s companies. That’s a big jump in his career.”

“President Park, I don’t want you to feel sad or disappointed about me selling Dyeon Korea. Your business will not be affected by it. Dyeon Korea’s machines cannot be built by any company, but only GH Machines has necessary technology and know-hows on how to build them.”

“Speaking of which, we shipped the machines to Guangdong Province already. Our plant manager will be there to install them. After testing those machines, Dyeon Korea’s new factory there will be ready to start their business in no time. I’ve noticed that that location’s president is someone by the name of Hyeong-Woo Lee and that he has no experience with manufacturing facilities. Will it be okay?”

“Dyeon Korea will probably send someone there, who is experienced and who can help the president with running the factory.”

“Dyeon Korea’s sales revenue increased a lot this year, right?”

“It generated 84.5 billion won.”

“84.5 billion won? Wow. That’s impressive. What about GH Mobile?”

“GH Mobile made 187.4 billion won.”

“187.4 billion won? Wow. How much profit did it make then?”

“Its net earnings after tax is 13.3 billion won.”

“Whoa. You can distribute all of the profit among shareholders as dividends, right?”

“I haven’t decided what to do with that fund. I can pay for the company’s debt with it, or I can set aside the required reserve and distribute about 10 billion won among the shareholders as dividends.”

“You said that President Song has some ownership interest in GH Mobile, right?”

“Yeah. He owns 3%. So, he will be able to receive about 300 million won for his dividend this year.”

“300 million won? Wow, that’s huge.”

“You can grow GH Machines like that. You own 20% of GH Machines, so if GH Machines generates as much as GH Mobile does, you can take your dividend of 2 billion won.”

“Wow, 2 billion won, huh? Well, the reality is that even GH Machines’ sales revenue is less than GH Mobile’s net earnings. How long will it take for me to grow GH Machines like GH Mobile?”

“Why don’t you hire someone who can only devote himself to sales? Also, take advantage of Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Kim. Think about giving him a commission if he brings you a client or makes some connections between a client and GH Machines for you.”

“A commission? Hmm, that sounds a very good idea. You will no longer own Dyeon Korea anyway, so maybe I can use some of his time and effort.”

Gun-Ho went to Dyeon Korea after lunch.

As he was entering his office, he asked Secretary Seon-Hye Yee to bring him a cup of coffee instead of jujube tea. While having his coffee, Gun-Ho made a call to the internal auditor through the interphone; it seemed that something occurred to him.

“Did you send our response to the request for a public announcement?”

“Give me one second, sir. I will verify it with the staff who is in charge of stock. I told her to make the announcement earlier. I’m not sure if she completed it or not.”

“If she hasn’t made it yet, then tell her to do it tomorrow around 11 am. We still have time until noon tomorrow, I believe.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, the internal auditor came into Gun-Ho’s office.

“She hasn’t made the announcement yet. So, I told her to do it tomorrow at 11 am as you instructed, sir.”

“Good.”

After the internal auditor left the office, Gun-Ho smiled faintly.

‘If we make the public announcement about the acquisition rumors tomorrow, Dyeon Korea’s stock price will maintain its upper limit at least today.’

Gun-Ho was finishing his coffee when the soon-to-be Vice President Kim entered the office.

“Oh, Mr. Vice President Kim, please come in.”

“Umm, sir. I do appreciate that you are promoting me to vice president. But, I’m a bit disappointed as well, sir.”

“Why are you disappointed?”

“I’ve never expected that you would sell your ownership interest in Dyeon Korea.”

“Don’t be. Dyeon Korea will become a part of a large company, which is really nice. Since I haven’t received the payment for the acquisition yet, I can’t be sure yet, but, if the deal goes through, you will all be part of W Group. I think that’s better for everyone.”

“Maybe it’s better for other employees, but probably not for me. The new owner would possibly want their person in the vice president position.”

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Chapter 901 - Rumors About Acquisition (3) – Part 2

Chapter 901: Rumors About Acquisition (3) – Part 2

Gun-Ho said to Vice President Kim, “I already took care of it. Keeping every single current employee is part of the deal. So, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Since W Group is a large company, I’m also a bit worried about how they would treat us; I mean possible power tripping and stuff.”

“I doubt that. I had a meeting with W Group’s chairman and W Chemicals’ CEO the other day. They seemed to be all good people.”

“You met with W Group’s chairman, sir? Isn’t that the one who is infamous for treating his employees so badly like kicking their shin?”

“Well, that happened a long time ago when he was a lot younger. He is an old man now, and I doubt that he would still do that now. Things are different these days. That sort of behavior doesn’t work with the younger generation.”

“That’s true…”

Vice President Kim seemed to still be concerned about possible new changes that were coming.

“W Group’s W Chemicals have extensive sales networks all over the country. They do have sales networks abroad as well. Dyeon Korea can quickly grow using its network. Your salary will increase rapidly along with it. Moreover, after two years when the American president has to resign from the president position, maybe you would be appointed to that position. Who knows?”

Vice President Kim smiled.

“So, don’t worry about it. And, I have a favor to ask you. I want you to help Jong-Suk Park.”

“President Jong-Suk Park, sir? What about him?”

“As you know, his area of expertise is to build machines. He has no experience with sales. If you could guide him or help him with sales, it would be great. Or, maybe you can introduce someone to him, who is good at sales.”

“Introducing someone to him? I actually have someone who I want to recommend to him.”

“Who is it?”

“There is a company called Oshin Tech. It’s one of our client companies. It’s a moulding company. One of their assistant managers is really good. He is younger than President Park, by maybe 1 or 2 years. So, they both would feel comfortable working together.”

“He is working for that company right now. Will he be willing to quit that company and move to GH Machines?”

“Whenever I see him, he has always asked me to connect him to a new job. It seems that he has some issues with his direct boss—manager.”

“What kind of issues does he have? Did he tell you?”

“He is a smart guy, and the manager didn’t like it. So, whenever the manager sees an opportunity, it seems that he gives him all sorts of troubles. That manager is the brother-in-law of that company’s owner president, so practically there is nothing much that assistant manager can do about it.”

“I see. Well, can you set up a meeting between him and President Park without letting anyone know about it?”

“Yes, sir. I will do that. And, sir… when will GH Mobile make an announcement on their promotions?”

“They will announce it on the same day as Dyeon Korea will, which is December 15th. Two of their executive officers will be promoted this year.”

“Two executive officers, sir?”

“Their chief research officer is holding a director position right now. He will be promoted to senior director. And, the production manager of team 1 will be promoted to director.”

“Hmm, I see no surprise there. Their production manager in team 1 has been with the company for a long time. He is now 50 years old, I believe. I think he deserves the promotion.”

“When Jong-Suk Park was working there as their plant manager, the production manager of team 1 was probably stressed a lot. Jong-Suk Park is way younger than him, and he was his boss.”

“As a matter of fact, when President Jong-Suk Park joined GH Mobile, the production manager came to me and complained about having a boss who was way younger than him. He even told me that he didn’t want to work for the company any longer.”

“Oh, he did?”

“And, it didn’t even take a month for him to start liking President Jong-Suk Park. President Park is excellent at what he does, and he also treats people around him as if they are his family, and he calls everyone, who is older than him, as big brother. And his eyes… it’s not hard to figure out that President Park is the type of person who wouldn’t back down from fights and he would always win, by looking at his glittering eyes. No one would want to challenge him.”

“That fighter is having a hard time in his life right now, in running his business.”

“Haha. I can see that, sir. Running one’s own business is a job not for everyone.”

“And, I decided to sit back from being involved in daily operation of businesses, and take the chairman position. It will be announced when GH Mobile makes an announcement on promotions. GH Mobile will be run by President Song alone. I think it’s better that way.”

“Sir, you made the right decision. The presidents of all GH companies have felt uncomfortable about you holding the same job title as them. When I visited China, President Min-Hyeok Kim and President Jae-Sik Moon told me about it too. I think it’s the right decision.”

It was Friday.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. As soon as he entered his office on the 18th floor, he turned on his computer and opened the stock trading application.

“Dyeon Korea’s stock price didn’t hit the upper limit today, but the price is high. It’s around 50,000 won. The public announcement about the acquisition is scheduled at 11 am today, so the price of 50,000 won will be maintained until then.”

Since everyone was expecting to see Dyeon Korea’s response to the rumors on acquisition later that day, investors in the stock market seemed to be careful in buying or selling Dyeon Korea’s stock at the moment.

Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Sir, it’s me, Geun-Soo Son. Did you have a chance to check Dyko’s stock price today?”

“Dyko?”

“Small investors in the stock market call Dyeon Korea as Dyko these days.”

“Ha, really?”

“Dyko’s stock price increased a lot today, but its trading volume decreased. I think they are being careful at this point.”

“I want you to sell some of Dyeon Korea’s stock today. And, do that before 11 am.”

“Yes, sir.”

After 11 am, Dyko’s stock price started dropping, and by the end of the day, the price dropped by 5%. By reading Dyeon Korea’s public announcement on the acquisition rumors, investors assumed that the acquisition by W Group would not happen, and they were disappointed. In fact, the announcement stated that the possibility of acquisition was reviewed, but there was nothing that they could confirm at this time.

Gun-Ho had a pork cutlet for lunch that day. When he came back to his office after lunch, he received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“We sold 500,000 shares at the average price of 52,000 won, sir.”

“Well done. What’s the current price per share?”

“It’s 46,000 won, sir.”

“From now on, whenever the price goes below 40,000 won, buy them. We will see another price peak soon.”

“I agree with you, sir. Many investors are still holding Dyeon Korea’s stock. It occurred to me that those people are still expecting good news.”

After getting off the phone with President Geun-Soo Son, Gun-Ho went to the bathroom. On the way back to his office, he heard Director Kang letting out a moan of surprise.

“What is it, Director Kang? What are you looking at?”

“Oh, haha. I just saw a single house in Bangbae Town on the market for auction sale. It’s priced for 9 billion won.”

“I didn’t know there are single houses in Bangbae Town. I thought that town has only condos.”

“There is a village called Seorae Village behind the National Library of Korea in Bangbae Town. This single house for sale is located in that village. I was surprised by its high price.”

“How large is it?”

“The land is 300 pyung large, and its floor space is 80 pyung large, sir. It has a very nice garden.”

“Did it just came out?”

“It failed to be sold once. It started with the price of 9 billion won, and now its price is 7.2 billion won.”

“Hmm, really? It is expensive for a house. I guess that that’s why it’s having a hard time to find a buyer.”

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Chapter 902 - Inaugurated as Chairman (1) – Part 1

Chapter 902: Inaugurated as Chairman (1) – Part 1

When Gun-Ho checked his email, there was a new email waiting for him. It was from W Chemicals’ president with an attachment of a letter promising that W Chemicals would keep every single employee of Dyeon Korea even after it acquired its ownership interest.

“I’m going to forward this to Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Kim and the internal auditor.”

Gun-Ho forwarded the email from W Chemicals with the attachment of the letter, to Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Kim and its internal auditor.

Even though Gun-Ho made sure with W Chemicals’ President that W Chemicals would keep every current employee of Dyeon Korea including its key executive officers such as the vice president and internal auditor, Gun-Ho knew that it wouldn’t necessarily guarantee the authority and autonomy that these positions would usually have. In fact, W Chemicals could change their positions, or add an equivalent or higher position to Deyon Korea, in order to plant their own people. There were tons of ways that they could do in order to control the management.

After work, when Gun-Ho went back home, Young-Eun was laying down on the bed. She usually came out to the front door to greet him whenever he arrived at home.

Gun-Ho asked her, “Are you feeling alright?”

“No, I’m not feeling well. I couldn’t sleep last night because Sang-Min woke up several times. And, I had a hectic day at the clinic, which is usual since it’s Friday. I had to stay late at work. You know what? When I worked for Seoul National University Hospital, I didn’t easily feel tired like this, but ever since I started working at this small clinic, I always feel exhausted.”

“You didn’t have a child when you worked for Seoul National University Hospital. You are a mom now. You drive your car to commute, right?”

“I sometimes leave my car at home and use public transportation. The clinic has a very limited number of parking spaces, so sometimes it’s more comfortable taking the subway.”

“You take the subway to go to work?”

“Yeah. I take the subway at Dogok Station and change to line no. 2 at Seoul National University of Education Station.”

“That clinic is not located close to the subway station where you get off, isn’t it?”

“I have to walk about 1 kilometer after getting off the subway.”

“1 kilometer?”

“Oppa, I think you should have your dinner by yourself today. I’m sorry. The helper lady cooked a stew. You just need to warm it before eating it.”

“Don’t worry about me. Just take a rest and get better. Do you want me to raise the room temperature?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Gun-Ho placed the back of his hand on Young-Eun’s forehead.

“Young-Eun, you have a fever. I will go out and buy some medicines for you.”

“I already took pills.”

Gun-Ho went to the kitchen to have his dinner. He heated the stew that the helper lady had cooked before leaving for the day. He then pulled out several side dishes from the refrigerator.

When Gun-Ho was eating the food sitting at the dining table by himself, Young-Eun came to him. She was a bit staggering.

“Why did you get up? You should stay in bed.”

“I heard you eating, oppa. I think I want to have some too.”

Young-Eun scooped cooked rice and put it in a bowl for herself. She then fried two eggs.

“When you take the subway to work, there must be a lot of people there, isn’t it?”

“Of course. It’s filled with people all the time. Sometimes, it’s hard to get off at the station where I’m supposed to be off.”

“Is it the same when you come home too?”

“It’s better than morning time. But, if I get off work late like today, it’s very crowded. That’s usual.”

“What do you think about us moving to Bangbae Town?”

“Bangbae Town? Well, we don’t have to move just to make my commute easier…”

“What about living in a single house in Bangbae Town?”

“A single house? Is there a single house in Seoul City these days? I guess we can still see several single houses in Seongbuk Town where we used to go to visit Gilsangsa Temple when we were still dating.”

“You heard about Seorae Village, right?”

“Seorae Village? Of course. One of my friends from college used to live there. Oh, that’s right. I think I saw some single houses there too when I walked from Banpo Town to Bangbae Town… Some of them looked like a castle. I guess the people living there are rich people like the owner family of a conglomerate or something.”

“You are right on that. The founder of Daewoo Group—Chairman Woo-Choong Kim—used to live in that village too.”

“Really? Is Chairman Woo-Choong Kim still living there?”

“Nah, he no longer lives there as he went bankrupt. Well, I remember this. I read it in a newspaper a long time ago. Chairman Woo-Choong Kim sold his single house in Bangbae Town at an auction.”

“You seemed to be intrigued by various things, oppa.”

“My life goal was to become the owner of a conglomerate.”

Young-Eun giggled.

“You dreamed big, huh?”

“Because I dreamed big, I could come this far, don’t you think? I’m running my own business now even though it’s small.”

“Haha. Maybe it is so.”

“You seem to be feeling better now, right? You laugh a lot.”

“I guess I feel better because I ate some food. I’m still having an acute headache.”

“So, what do you think about us moving to a single house in Bangbae Town?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a single house in a provincial city is affordable, but a single house in Seoul City must be very expensive. Maybe a tiny single house in Gangbuk District is reasonably priced, but a single house in Seongbuk Town or Gangnam District should be extremely expensive.”

“Maybe we can afford it.”

“Well, it will be nice to live in a house with a garden. We can plant some flowers there, and maybe we can have a dog too. Growing up with a dog can probably benefit our baby, you know like stabilizing his emotional state and all that. Sang-Min can have a better life there, rather than living in this packed condo complex.”

“Let’s do that then. Let’s plant flowers and fruit trees, and we can also have a lawn with grass.”

“Is there such a house?”

At that moment, the couple could hear Sang-Min crying. Young-Eun quickly ran toward the room where Sang-Min was sleeping.

“Mom is coming.”

Gun-Ho thought that the main reason why Young-Eun was feeling sick that day was probably her lack of sleep because of the baby, rather than her work in the clinic or commute through the packed subway.

‘I think I should seriously consider moving to a single house. I heard that many celebrities are living in Seorae Village as well, like Joong-Ki Song, Hyo-Joo Han, Hyun-Jung Go, Min-Soo Choi, etc. That single house is sitting on a large lot which is 300 pyung large. I can later build a residential building or something, and that will create tens of residential units. This can be a good investment opportunity.’

It was Monday.

Gun-Ho didn’t go to work in Jiksan Town or Asan City that day, but he stayed in Seoul.

Dyeon Korea’s stock price dropped by 3% after there was no clear confirmation about W Chemicals’ acquisition of Dyeon Korea. It resulted in many disappointed investors having sold their Dyeon Korea’s shares. The following day, the stock price stayed the same for a while, and then the price started decreasing again slowly. The stock candlestick was showing blue light as the price had declined.

‘Of course, the price is dropping. Once I get the payment for the acquisition from W Group, people will talk about the acquisition again, and subsequently, Dyeon Korea’s stock price will hit the upper limit again.

If I don’t tell anyone, no one would know about it. Well, W Group might leak the information, if they already bought enough number of Dyeon Korea’s shares.’

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Chapter 903 - Inaugurated as Chairman (1) – Part 2

Chapter 903: Inaugurated as Chairman (1) – Part 2

It was December 14th. Gun-Ho received a call from Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Kim.

“Sir, we received a fax from Lymondell Dyeon. Mr. Adam Smith’s appointment to the president position has been confirmed.”

“Oh, is that right? Please tell Mr. Adam Castler that I congratulate him on it. Well, I will give him a call myself.”

“We will then go ahead and make the announcement on the promotions as we discussed and prepared earlier, sir. We will announce the promotions for mid-level management as well, along with the ones for our executive officers.”

“Sounds good.”

“Since the acquisition by W Chemicals hasn’t been completed yet, we will just make the announcement about your position that you will be removed from the president position and be appointed to chairman.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

Gun-Ho could picture Mr. Adam Castler laughing with excitement and satisfaction with his appointment to Dyeon Korea’s next president.

“It seems that it is hard for Americans to suppress their emotions. If they are excited, then they seem to have to show it. Mr. Brandon Burke in Chennai, India is now working under Mr. Adam Castler. When Mr. Brandon Burke was working for Lymondell Dyeon as its vice president, Mr. Adam Castler seemed to be nervous around him because he was the boss. Now, their roles are reversed, which is interesting.”

At that moment, Gun-Ho received an unexpected call from GH Mobile’s Chief Research Officer.

“Mr. Chairman, Umm… It’s GH Mobile’s chief research officer.”

“Oh, Mr. Chief Research Officer.”

“I just found out today that I’ve been promoted from director to senior director. I’m calling to show my gratitude for you, sir. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. You earned it.”

“I wanted to thank you in person if you would come to GH Mobile today, but since you are not coming, I’m calling you instead, sir. Thank you again, sir. I will do my best.”

After getting off the phone with GH Mobile’s chief research officer, Gun-Ho thought that GH Mobile made the announcement on promotions that day already. At that moment, he received a call from GH Mobile’s general affairs director.

“It’s General Affairs Director Joon-Young, Choi, sir.”

“Hmm, okay.”

“As we made the announcement on our end-year promotions, I was wondering that maybe we should inform all GH companies that you will be inaugurated as Chairman.”

“Well, I’m not sure if that would be necessary…”

“We want to make sure that people don’t make a mistake in referring to you, sir. They should refer to you as Mr. Chairman, not Mr. President, from now on.”

“Well, then, okay. Please do so.”

“I already drafted the official letter about it addressing all of the GH companies. The subject line is read as ‘Informing of President Goo’s Inauguration as Chairman.’ I will read the contents.”

“Alright.”

“We are informing you that President Gun-Ho Goo has been elected as Chairman of all GH companies, according to GH Mobile’s and also Dyeon Korea’s board of director’s resolution. The effective date is December 15th. Please make sure that his job title is chairman when you refer to him. From GH Mobile’s President Jang-Hwan Song.”

“Sounds good.”

“This official letter will be sent to GH Development, GH Machines, GH Media, GH Logistics, GH Parts Company in Suzhou City in China, and GH Antang Transportation Company in Antang City in China. I will also send it to Dyeon Korea as well for the record.”

“Alright.”

“This will be sent via email and also through fax. And, we will also send it to our major vendor companies as well.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho was reading a newspaper in his office when someone knocked on the door. It was Director Kang. He was smiling broadly as he entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Mr. Chairman, congratulations.”

“You have received the letter already?”

“Yes, sir. It just came in via fax. As a matter of fact, this should have happened earlier. I gave the official letter to Assistant Manager Jeong, so everyone in the office can read it.”

“It’s just a job title. It’s not like having a job title of chairman changes the portion of my ownership interests in GH companies. I’m a bit concerned about whether it is viewed as adequate to take the chairman job title at my young age. I don’t want people to talk badly behind my back.”

“Not at all, sir. There are a lot of chairmen at a young age. Most of them are second-generation rich kids though.”

Later that day, Gun-Ho received another visit at his office. It was from GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin, its chief editor—Cheon-Young Pi—and Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui.

“Mr. Chairman, congratulations on your inauguration, sir.”

“Thank you, but it’s not really a big deal becoming a chairman. It’s not like my salary has been raised.”

“It is a big deal, sir. I’ve been feeling embarrassed whenever I had to refer to you as Mr. President. We all now feel much more comfortable as we can now call you Mr. Chairman instead of Mr. President.”

“Well, since you are here, let’s have a cup of tea together.”

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring four cups of black tea to the office.

Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui said after taking a sip of his tea, “I read the official letter before coming up to this office. What drew my attention was that there were so many recipient companies for the letter. I was so surprised by the fact that there are a lot of GH companies. I didn’t know that until now.”

“Haha, is that right? Maybe we should produce a company catalog listing all GH companies as one group, and I believe that GH Media is the one that should undertake the job.”

GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin quickly responded, “That will be great, sir. I was thinking about it as well. We definitely should have a catalog on GH companies. Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui here can take necessary photos, and our Chief Editor Cheon-Young Pi here can take care of writings and editing. And, our Design Team Lead Min-Soo Oh will handle the design. I believe that we would produce one fabulous GH group’s catalog.”

“Hmm.”

“Once the catalog is completed, I will make an English version of it as well. I know of several good translators who can do the work. Such a catalog will be very helpful for each GH company’s president in doing their business. When they meet with a potential client, they usually bring some documents that describe the company. And, carrying a company catalog describing all of GH companies will certainly give a good impression to potential clients. A printout of PowerPoint documents in a transparent folder, introducing the company, as they are doing right now, is not good. It will make potential clients think that it’s a small company.”

“That’s true.”

“For the cost of catalog production, we can share the cost with other GH companies equally.”

“Well, let’s proceed with it then. It’s mid-December now, so a catalog starting the new year will be good. One thing that you should know is that I am reviewing the possibility of selling Dyeon Korea, so do not include Dyeon Korea in the catalog.”

“Oh, are you selling Dyeon Korea? You registered the company with KOSDAQ very recently, and it just became a public company.”

“Its stock is classified as a theme stock, and that will make things complicated. Sales of that company is under consideration, and it hasn’t been determined yet though.”

“That’s a shame. It was just registered with KOSDAQ very recently. That company generates a substantial amount of sales revenue, doesn’t it?”

“It made 84.5 billion won this year.”

“Whoa! 84.5 billion won!”

The three GH Media’s people were astonished at once. As a matter of fact, the number was so great that the publishing company’s—GH Media—sales revenue was not even near it.

“Is it that surprising? GH Mobile is actually making more than that.”

“Really? How much sales revenue did GH Mobile generate this year, sir?”

GH Mobile made 187.4 billion won this year.”

“What?! Did you say 187.4 billion won, sir?”

President Jeong-Sook Shin turned to her employees—Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui and Chief Editor Cheon-Young Pi—and said, “See that? I told you. For Chairman Goo, GH Media’s sales revenue doesn’t mean much.”

Gun-Ho laughed and said, “Please don’t say it like that. GH Media is a small publishing company with a very limited number of workers. But, it still makes a good amount of sales revenue. I always think that GH Media is an amazing company with excellent and decent workers.”

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Chapter 904 - Inaugurated as Chairman (2) – Part 1

Chapter 904: Inaugurated as Chairman (2) – Part 1

After GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin’s party left the office, Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“I’m going to make a call to Dyeon Korea’s Mr. Adam Castler now. I want you to interpret for me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Mr. Adam Castler? Congratulations on becoming Dyeon Korea’s president. We are very happy to have you as our president.”

“Haha, thank you, sir. I want to thank you all for your support and help, especially you, Mr. Chairman.”

“Did you hear anything from Lymondell Dyeon about my decision to sell my ownership interest in Dyeon Korea?”

“They said that there is no restriction on disposing of each partner’s ownership interest. It’s strictly up to each partner according to the joint venture contract. So, it’s up to GH Mobile. However, they are concerned about the fact that the buyer— W Group— has its own chemical company. They are worried about possible leaks of their technology.”

“W Group doesn’t seem to be interested in Dyeon’s technology, but they are focusing on its brand name since they have an already-established sales network. They want to sell the products under Dyeon’s name using their sales network, hoping that they could create the synergy.”

“I see what you mean, Mr. Chairman. Lymondell Dyeon wants to be in the loop for any updates on acquisition and also any public announcements that Dyeon Korea would make in the future since it is a joint venture company after all.”

“Sure. I will make sure that we keep them in the loop from now on.”

After getting off the phone with Mr. Adam Castler and letting Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh leave the office, Gun-Ho made a call to Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor right away.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Yes, Mr. Chairman.”

“Whenever we make a public announcement in the future, I want you to inform Mr. Adam Castler about it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, make a public announcement saying that we will soon have a shareholders meeting. As Mr. Adam Castler is appointed to Dyeon Korea’s next president, we need to comply with the procedure of a joint venture company for it. An appointment of a new president must be approved by shareholders meeting anyway.”

“I was actually going to ask you about this, Mr. Chairman. I will put the public on notice about it right away.”

“And, also schedule the shareholders meeting.”

“Yes, sir.”

After getting off the phone with the internal auditor, Gun-Ho asked Director Kang to come to his office.

“About the single house in Bangbae Town that you mentioned to me the other day… How much did you say it was priced for?”

“Its appraised value is 9 billion won. But, as its first auction failed, the price dropped to 7.2 billion now.”

“I believe that we rarely see an expensive single house in Seoul City on the market for sale. I will give you power of attorney. I want you to make a bid on the property on behalf of me on the next auction day. I want to buy it for myself as an individual.”

“Oh, it will be under your name, Mr. Chairman?”

“Yes. The area is nice. I could actually move in the property to live, or I could later build a residential building there. It seems to be a good investment.”

“Yes, sir. I will do that.”

“There could be a few competitors for the property, so I want you to write down 8 billion won to be safe. I will send you the necessary fund to your personal bank account, Mr. Director Kang, including relevant expenses and fees. Before submitting our bid, I want you to visit the property.”

“Yes, sir. I will stop by the property today right after lunch. I will need your certificate of seal impression, two of them please.”

As the news about Gun-Ho’s inauguration as chairman was spread out, Gun-Ho received numerous calls from various people.

GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park knew about it before it was announced, but he still gave Gun-Ho a congratulatory call for it. Gun-Ho also received calls from China— from President Min-Hyeok Kim and President Jae-Sik Moon.

“Mr. Chairman? It’s Jae-Sik Moon. Congratulations. You should have done this a long time ago. I sent an official letter to our Chinese partner here about your inauguration as chairman of GH Group. President Runsheng Yan of the intercity bus terminal in Antang City sent me some money saying that he wanted me to send you an orchid plant for him.”

“An orchid plant? He doesn’t have to. Send the money back to him.”

“That could hurt his feelings. He wants to congratulate you. If you refuse to accept his gift, he would misunderstand you.”

“Oh, really? Well, then just tell him that you sent an orchid plant to me, and use that money to have lunch or something.”

“I will take care of it.”

After lunch, when Gun-Ho came back to his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town, there were about 10 orchid plants waiting for him in his office.

“What are these?”

Gun-Ho looked for Director Kang to ask him about the plants in his office, but he was not at his desk. Gun-Ho then asked Assistant Manager Jeong about it.

“Ms. Assistant Manager Jeong! What are these?”

“Those are gifts for you, sir, to congratulate you on your inauguration as chairman.”

“These are very unnecessary.”

Gun-Ho checked the ribbons hanging on each of the orchid plants to find out who sent those to him. Most of them were from vendor companies, and some of them were from branch managers of the major banks that GH companies were working with. One was from the Anchang Accountant Office, and even Director Seukang Li in China sent one for Gun-Ho as well.

“Huh? This is from Seukang Li. How did he know?”

Gun-Ho made a call to Director Seukang Li right away.

“Director Li? It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo. You sent me an orchid plant, huh?”

“Yeah. I heard that you became chairman. Congratulations. Director Woon-Hak Sim told me about it this morning.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I was told that there are 8 GH companies. That’s impressive. I admire you, friend.”

“They are all small companies. There are 8 of them, but having one large company would be better than having several small companies.”

“I’ve always admired your humbleness too, Chairman Goo. That’s why I like you a lot.”

“Well, thank you for the orchid plant.”

“And, I was told by Huanle Shiji Production Company’s president that the movie— Menghuan Yinghua— already passed its break-even point. Congratulations on it as well.”

“I thank you for it, Director Li. I know you’ve been helping us a lot.”

“Don’t mention it. I didn’t do much. The movie itself is a very well-made good movie. Well, I had a meeting last week in Tianjin City. I actually talked about the movie during the meeting since the movie’s content is really good. They want to bring their government workers to the theatre to watch the movie. Well, in that sense, you can say that I raised the number of moviegoers a little bit. Even if it’s not a box office hit, it would be still successful.”

“Really? If I make some profits by the movie production, I will buy you a drink.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

When it was around 3 pm, Gun-Ho received a text message from Director Kang through KakaoTalk. He seemed to be sending the text message while visiting the single house in Bangbae Town. He sent several photos of the property as well.

“These photos are taken from outside the property. I couldn’t take pictures of the inside since I couldn’t enter the property. According to my research, the 300 pyung large land includes an access road. So, the land that you can actually use is about 256 pyung large. There are two liens held by Kukmin Bank and Export-Import Bank of Korea; the amount of the liens is 8 billion won. It looks like someone is living there, probably a tenant. The property is locked from inside. I’ve talked with several real estate agents in the area. They all said that this is a very rare property.”

Gun-Ho replied to Director Kang’s text message thanking him for his work.

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Chapter 905 - Inaugurated as Chairman (2) – Part 2

Chapter 905: Inaugurated as Chairman (2) – Part 2

Later that day, Gun-Ho received a call from someone who introduced himself as a manager of an economic newspaper publisher.

“Mr. Chairman, I just saw the public announcement made by Dyeon Korea, on having a new president. Is it related to the acquisition rumors, by any chance?”

“As our previous public announcement stated, we reviewed the possibility of acquisition, but nothing hasn’t been decided yet.”

“Then, why is a new president coming in at this point?”

“Oh, that’s according to our joint venture contract. American partner and we take turns every two years producing a new president. My term as its president will soon expire.”

“I heard that you will be inaugurated as chairman, sir. According to the Financial Supervisory Service Website— DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System), you also own companies— GH Mobile and GH Development. Are you resigning from the president position of those companies as well?”

“We have competent CEOs.”

“How many companies are there under GH’s name?”

“I beg your pardon? Oh, do I have to disclose things like that too?”

“You don’t have to, sir, but it’s no secret either, is it?”

“Well, I have a few more companies in Korea, and two companies in China. They are all small companies.”

“Can I have those companies’ names, sir? I’m sorry if I’m taking too much of your time.”

“GH Machines, GH Media, and GH Logistics. These are all located in Korea. In China, I have GH Parts Company in Suzhou City, and GH Antang Transportation Company in Antang City.”

“You have many businesses, sir. This will be my last question for you, sir. Dyeon Korea has a great business, and its sales revenue is rapidly increasing even at this very moment, I believe. Why are you selling your ownership interest in this very lucrative business, sir?”

“Dyeon Korea’s stock has been classified as a theme stock, and I don’t enjoy getting public attention.”

“Haha, I see. Well, thank you for your time today, sir. I appreciate it.”

It was December 15th.

“I’m supposed to receive the payment for my ownership portion in Dyeon Korea. I wonder if W Chemicals would send it today as promised. Well, I hope they keep their words.”

Gun-Ho sat at his desk in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He then turned on his computer and checked Dyeon Korea’s stock price. The price was still decreasing.

Gun-Ho made a call to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“The price is decreasing today again.”

“Yes, sir. I’m monitoring it right now.”

President Geun-Soo Son asked, “Sir, Ms. Seung-Hee Park told me that you are no longer president, but you became chairman. She said that she heard about it from a friend.”

“Really?”

Gun-Ho thought that the friend who Seung-Hee sister heard the news from was probably his sister— Gun-Sook— who was working in GH Logistics.

“Mr. Chairman, there is news coverage about you in an economic newspaper. I also read one from the Internet as well. Have you seen the news, sir?”

“No, I haven’t. I didn’t know.”

After getting off the phone with President Geun-Soo Son, Gun-Ho searched for news about himself.

[Dyeon Korea’s President Gun-Ho Goo, who is receiving a lot of public attention these days because of his company’s stock which is classified as a theme stock, has been inaugurated to chairman. It was said that he was removed from the president position of Dyeon Korea according to the joint venture’s policy. Chairman Gun-Ho Goo currently owns GH Mobile, GH Development, GH Machines, GH Media, and GH Logistics, and he also owns two companies in China— GH Part Company which is an auto parts manufacturing company in Suzhou City, and GH Antang Transportation Company; it’s an intercity express bus service provider located in Antang City.

As Chairman Gun-Ho Goo officially took the chairman position, the companies under GH’s name seem to form a group. It is known that Chairman Gun-Ho Goo recently reviewed the possibility of selling his ownership interest in Dyeon Korea. And, it seemed that he hasn’t felt comfortable about receiving a lot of public attention since the company’s stock was classified as a theme stock, and that probably motivated him to consider disposing of his ownership portion.]

Gun-Ho somewhat felt embarrassed by reading the newspaper that was talking about him.

“Sh*t. Where did they get my photo? It’s huge. I feel so embarrassed that my photo is published in a newspaper. I should have hung up the phone when I received the call from that economic newspaper journalist.”

Gun-Ho then opened the Internet news. The news about him could be found everywhere online, including Naver.com and Daum.net. Some netizens commented on the news.

“Is there a job opening for this company?”

“I’m sure that he is a second-generation rich kid.”

“He is now a chairman, and he is only 38 years old. Man… I am unemployed, and I spend most of my days playing online games. He is the same age as me. I’m jealous that he was born into a rich family.”

“I saw the company when I was passing by the area. I heard that you have to work really hard, but their pay is really good too.”

“Hey, Chairman Gun-Ho Goo, why don’t you make some donations to help others since you seem to be making a lot of money.”

“So, he is feeling uncomfortable that his company was classified as a theme stock being influenced by politics, huh? Yeah, I think people are better off by staying away from politics.”

“Hey, the news reporter who wrote this news article, so what are you saying? What’s your point?”

Gun-Ho giggled as he was reading the comments made by people who read the news.

At that moment, Gun-Ho received a call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim & Jeong Law Firm.

“Wow, Chairman Goo. I didn’t know that you were such an amazing person. I didn’t know you own 8 companies. You are the chairman of a conglomerate company.”

“Don’t be silly. I just have a few tiny businesses. You don’t call that person as the chairman of a conglomerate company. Well, since you are an attorney, you should know better. In order for a company to be deemed big enough with the duty to make public announcements for each of its material events, its assets have to be more than 10 trillion won. You know that, right? The Fair Trade Commission determines that status on May 1st every year, don’t they?”

“Whatever it is, the fact that you are an unbelievable man doesn’t change. I’m so proud of myself now who has a friend like Chairman Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Those news reporters exaggerated when they wrote those news articles. Don’t believe everything you read from a newspaper.”

“You are indeed incredibly amazing. I’m going to call Professor Jien Wang and the professor friend in Washington University in Seattle, and share this news with them. They will be proud of you, my friend, as I am.”

“Stop it. You make me feel embarrassed.”

Won-Chul Jo, who was Gun-Ho’s high school friend, was talking on the phone with another high school friend— Byeong-Chul Hwang— who was working in a research center. Won-Chul, Jo was recently promoted at work, and he called Byeong-Chul Hwang to share his excitement.

“Hey, now I am a manager. From now on, I won’t feel so embarrassed to tell people around me about my job title at work. How are you doing? Did you get a promotion to a lead researcher?”

“No, not yet. Being a lead researcher or a manager doesn’t seem to be a big deal any longer. Read today’s economic newspaper. They have a news article about Gun-Ho Goo. It covered the front page.”

“What about Gun-Ho Goo? He is doing great, right?”

“Not just great, man. It looks like he will soon become the chairman of a conglomerate company.”

After getting off the phone with Byeong-Chul Hwang, Won-Chul Jo read the newspaper about Gun-Ho.

“Wow, I can’t believe this. His father used to work as a security guard in a factory or something, and he is running several companies now, and he is forming a group of companies. I don’t understand this. He graduated from a low-ranked college, and he used to study desperately to become a level-9 government employee, in Noryangjin Town, while eating cheap and crappy food. How could this happen? I guess that smartness shown in school doesn’t really have something to do with money-making skills,” Won-Chul let out a deep sigh.

Won-Chul Jo felt depressed that day. He felt like he was a stupid loser. In fact, he graduated from a top university and got a job in a large company. People around him envied him. He thought that he was better than anybody, especially among his friends from high school. That day, he felt so small.

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Chapter 906 - Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (1) – Part 1

Chapter 906: Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho went home after work. He had a very satisfactory dinner that day. The food that Young-Eun prepared was delicious.

Young-Eun seemed to be feeling better. She seemed to be in a good mood too. With a light make-up, she looked pretty.

“Today is someone’s birthday?”

“You are chairman now, huh? I read it online.”

“Oh, that. Well, it’s just another job title. Nothing much would be changed.”

Sang-Min was now more than 10 months old. He already learned how to crawl on the floor. Sang-Min was crawling toward Gun-Ho while laughing happily.

Young-Eun said in a delighted voice while clapping, “Sang-Min! Your chairman daddy is home.”

Gun-Ho picked up Sang-Min and tossed the baby in the air to make him laugh even more. While being held in Gun-Ho’s arms, the baby kept pulling Gun-Ho’s tie.

Young-Eun said while having dinner, “I received a lot of calls today.”

“Calls from whom?”

“From friends from college. They were saying that they thought that I married a businessman who was running a small company, but it turned out that I married a man who owns a conglomerate company, well, according to them.”

“Is that right?”

“Also, my dad called me today. He read news about you from an economic newspaper. He said that he made a newspaper clipping too.”

“Why would he do that?”

“My dad said that he didn’t know his son-in-law owns that many companies. He seemed to be genuinely surprised.”

“Really?”

“As a matter of fact, I didn’t know you have that many companies either, oppa.”

“They are all just small companies. Except for GH Mobile, they are all tiny businesses. And, Dyeon Korea was a bit larger than the others, but I sold it.”

“Speaking of which, several of my friends from college asked me about when you would close the acquisition deal.”

“If they ask you again about it, just tell them that you have no idea. They might buy Dyeon Korea’s stocks based on what you tell them, and if the stock price drops, they would probably blame you for it. You don’t want that to happen.”

“I still remember the way they looked at me when I married you. They had this very questioning look on their faces. They just couldn’t understand why I chose to marry a guy who was running a small business. Now, knowing that one of your companies is a public company, they said that they truly envied me.”

“I didn’t know that people who graduated from the top university— Seoul National University— were money-oriented people.”

“I know, right? They were not like that when we were in college, but as they had to face the reality, they realized that money is extremely important.”

That evening, Gun-Ho and Young-Eun put their baby boy to sleep, and they had a good time for the first time in a long time.

The following day, Gun-Ho received a call from W Chemicals’ CEO.

“We are supposed to send you the full payment by today, but I’m afraid that we could only send you part of the payment. I’m so sorry about that. We sent 40 billion won to your bank account.”

“Hmm, really? I will verify it.”

“We will send you the rest of the payment within 3 days. We are taking out a loan from Korea Development Bank which was already approved, and W Chemicals has convertible bonds (CB) issued as well, so you don’t have to worry about the rest of the payment. It just takes longer than I expected. Oh, and, congratulations on your inauguration as chairman.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho had asked GH Mobile’s accounting director to open a new business account last week for the purpose of receiving the payment from W Chemicals for selling Dyeon Korea’s shares. Gun-Ho opened the bank’s website and checked the balance of the new account. 40 billion won was there.

“W Group is supposed to be loaded with a substantial amount of cash since it’s a large company. But they are not sending me the payment at once, but they are trying to divide the payment into several pieces. Hmm, that’s right. Maybe they want to spend the money buying Dyeon Korea’s shares in the stock market.”

Gun-Ho quickly made a call to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Mr. Chairman? I was actually going to give you a call. Dyko’s stock price is now around 36,000 won, and someone is crazily buying all of the stock available in the stock market.”

“We will buy them too.”

“But, it’s too risky, sir. The price will soon increase to 40,000 won. That’s too high.”

“We sold 500,000 shares last time when the unit share price was 52,000 won, right?”

“Yes, we sold 500,000 shares, and we still have the proceeds.”

“As long as the price per share is below 40,000 won, buy them.”

“Yes, sir.”

The next day, Gun-Ho received a call from W Chemicals’ CEO again.

“We just sent you 100 billion won. That’s the fund that we had received for our CB. Please send us your confirmation on the receipt.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

When Gun-Ho checked the bank account, an additional 100 billion won was deposited. That made the account’s current balance 140 billion won.

Gun-Ho then checked Dyeon Korea’s stock price. It was 42,000 won.

At that moment, SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son called Gun-Ho.

“Sir, I could buy only 100,000 shares since the price per share increased rapidly and hit 40,000 won. Strangely, I don’t see enough shares available to trade in the stock market right now.”

“You said that the current price is 42,000 won, right? Buy more as long as the price is below 45,000 won.”

“Mr. Chairman, it’s too risky. Dyko’s stock is good, but even with the current price per share, its market capitalization is exceeding 1 trillion won. Even though it is a theme stock, this is already too high. It’s time to sell, not time to buy, sir.”

“Just buy them as I said. And, buy them as many as you could.”

“Sir, I will just do as you asked even though I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

On the third day in the morning, W Chemicals’ CEO called Gun-Ho to inform him that they had sent the rest of the payment that day.

“I’m sorry for the delay. We just sent you the remaining payment.”

“You know how much money that you had to send, right?”

“Of course, I do. We bought Dyeon Korea’s shares that GH Mobile owned, which was 8.5 million shares. We are paying 32,000 won per share. So, the total price is 272 billion won. We had sent you 140 billion won so far, and today we sent you the rest of the amount— 132 billion won. We are coming to Dyeon Korea tomorrow at 10 am. Please gather its executive officers in a meeting room. I would like to meet them.”

“Let me verify the fund first, and then, I will give you a call after that.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho checked the bank account. An additional 132 billion won came in that day, so there were 272 billion won in total. Gun-Ho made a call to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Did you buy all of the 500,000 shares?”

“Yes, I did, sir.”

“What was the purchase price per share on average?”

“We bought them at 42,000 won on average.”

“So, the total number of shares that we have purchased so far is 3.2 million, right?”

“Yes, sir. We initially bought 3.2 million shares at 25,000 won on average, and subsequently, we sold 500,000 shares at 52,000 won, and then we bought 500,000 shares again today.”

“Okay. Well done. You need to keep monitoring the price change from now on, okay?”

“Of course, sir. I bought 500,000 shares today because you told me to do so, but I still think our purchasing price was too high. I’m not feeling comfortable about this.”

Gun-Ho made a call to W Chemicals’ CEO.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Mr. Chairman Goo. I’ve been waiting for your call.”

“I’m confirming that we have received the full amount of the payment as of today, which is 272 billion won. So, W Chemicals acquired GH Mobile’s ownership interest in Dyeon Korea as of today.”

“I guess that you might feel sad a little bit. I know that you grew that company from the beginning.”

“Right. I worked so hard to start that company and also in growing it this far. I’m experiencing mixed feelings right now.”

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Chapter 907 - Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (1) – Part 2

Chapter 907: Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (1) – Part 2

W Chemicals’ CEO said, “But you sold this precious company for a very good price. I want you to know that, and I hope that makes you feel better. With that money, you can acquire any companies, even a public company through M&A.”

“I believe that I can find a lot of companies that I can acquire through M&A now, but the thing is that I’m not quite sure that those companies would generate good profits like Dyeon Korea does.”

“You have a terrific insight in business, Mr. Chairman Goo. I have no doubt that you will find another excellent business.”

“So, you are coming to Dyeon Korea tomorrow morning at 10 am, right? I will summon all of Dyeon Korea’s executive officers by then.”

“Please do so. And, please make a public announcement on the acquisition right after the stock market closes today.”

“You want to announce it today?”

“Yes. Around 5 o’clock would be perfect.”

“Okay. Consider it done.”

‘Sons of bi*ches! They want Dyeon Korea’s stock price to continue to go up and eventually hit the upper limit during the after-hours stock trading market.’

Gun-Ho informed Mr. Adam Castler that the Dyeon Korea’s ownership interest that GH Mobile owned, which was 8.5 shares, had been sold to W Chemicals that day. He also let Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Kim know about it, by sending him a text message.

Gun-Ho then made a call to Dyeon Korea’s internal auditor.

“As of today, GH Mobile’s ownership interest in Dyeon Korea was transferred to W Chemicals. They are 8.5 million shares. Please make this information public at 5 o’clock today.”

“Yes, sir. Sir, is it okay if I make the announcement right now?”

“I prefer to do it after the stock market closes for today. When it comes to very critical information, it’s better to announce it after market hours. If we put the public on notice during the stock market hours, it will create a lot of noises.”

“Understood, sir.”

“And, W Chemicals’ CEO will come and visit Dyeon Korea tomorrow. He will be there at 10 am. Please let the executive officers know about it and have them ready.”

“Tomorrow 10 am, sir? Got it.”

When it was around 6 pm, Gun-Ho was ready to go home for the day. When he stood up from his seat to leave, he received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Mr. Chairman, Dyko’s stock price hit the upper limit during today’s after-hour stock market. Do you have any idea why this is happening, sir?”

“If the price hit the upper limit again tomorrow, I want you to sell all of our 3.2 Dyeon Korea’s shares.”

“All of them, sir?”

“Yes. Tomorrow, we will see the last fireworks.”

“I see what you mean, sir.”

“When you sell those shares, you have to be careful though, not to cause a price drop. We want to maintain the upper limit price until we sell all of our shares.”

“Got it, sir.”

The following day, on the way to work in Dyeon Korea, in his car, Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“Sir, the buy requests for Dyeon Korea’s stock started being accumulated even though the stock market hasn’t even opened yet. I think that’s because of the public announcement on the acquisition that was made yesterday.”

“Sell all of 3.2 million shares today.”

“Given the contents of the public announcement, I think Dyeon Korea’s stock will stay strong even tomorrow.”

“Sell all of them today. It’s better that way. We want to sell all of 3.2 million shares today. And, we will let others make money tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho arrived at Dyeon Korea, it was around 9:30 in the morning. Gun-Ho was somewhat feeling relieved since he already sold his ownership portion in Dyeon Korea, and he was selling his Dyeon Korea’s shares that he had purchased separately, at the highest price. However, Dyeon Korea’s executive officers look anxious. Their faces were hardened, which was understandable. They were about to meet a new owner that day. That gave Gun-Ho broken heart feelings.

‘I’m sorry that it had to be this way. But, we are living in a capitalist society, and it is what it is.’

Vice President Kim said to Gun-Ho, “Sir, I think we should wait for W Chemicals’ CEO at the building entrance, rather than waiting for him in this president’s office. We want to give him the feeling that we welcome him and show our respect. Mr. Chairman and Mr. President Adam Castler can wait here, but all of the other executive officers should be at the building entrance.”

Gun-Ho said, “Well, I will be waiting for him with you all then.”

Gun-Ho and other executive officers went down to the building entrance. Mr. Adam Castler joined them later since he didn’t know what was going on until the interpreter explained it to him.

When it was 10 am sharp, 2 luxurious black sedans came into Dyeon Korea’s factory yard. The general affairs director and its staff quickly approached the vehicles and opened the doors for them. There were 6 of them with 2 chauffeurs.

‘I thought W Chemicals’ CEO would be here by himself, but he brought 5 of his people.’

Gun-Ho went to W Chemicals’ CEO to greet him with a broad smile on his face and said, “Welcome to Dyeon Korea, Mr. CEO.”

“Oh, you were all waiting for me at the building entrance? You didn’t have to do that, but thank you for your warm welcoming.”

Gun-Ho introduced every single executive officer of Dyeon Korea to W Chemicals’ CEO.

“This is Dyeon Korea’s new president— Mr. Adam Castler. He is American.”

“How do you do? It’s very nice to meet you. I’m W Chemicals’ CEO.”

“This is Vice President Kim. He is overseeing the management as a whole.”

“Oh, Mr. Vice President. It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

Gun-Ho continued to introduce the rest of the executive officers to W Chemicals including the internal auditor, Director Yoon, and Director Hee-Yeol Yoo.

When everyone on Dyeon Korea’s side was all introduced, W Chemicals’ CEO introduced his people. He came with 2 directors and 3 managers. Those 3 managers seemed to be there to understand the actual work of Dyeon Korea’s accounting, sales, and production.

“Well, let’s go to a meeting room upstairs. Shall we?”

Gun-Ho showed them to a small meeting on the second floor. Dyeon Korea’s executive officers sat on one side of the table while W Chemicals’ people sat on the other side of the table, so they could face each other. Once everyone was seated, Gun-Ho once again told W Chemicals’ party about each Dyeon Korea’s executive officer’s name and their responsibilities at work. He then stood up from his seat. He seemed to be ready to leave.

“Well, I guess you don’t need me here anymore. I’d better get going.”

He then turned around to face Dyeon Korea’s executive officers and said, “I want to say thank you all. You have worked so hard to grow this company this far, and I will never forget your faces, your hard work, and your efforts. As you can see, W Chemicals’ CEO is a decent man with a terrific business mindset and philosophy. I hope you all continue to enjoy working here.”

As Gun-Ho gave the last speech to Dyeon Korea’s executive officers, they all stayed quiet. Gun-Ho then held each executive officer’s hand for a handshake one after another. Once Gun-Ho finished having a handshake with the executive officers, W Chemicals’ CEO made a suggestion, “I think we can’t just let Mr. Chairman Goo go like this. W Chemicals’ team and Dyeon Korea’s team have been introduced to each other, so let’s now take a 10-minute break before we resume this meeting. And, during the break, someone might want to take Mr. Chairman Goo to other offices to give farewells to other employees here in Dyeon Korea.”

“I am from the general affairs department. I will take him to the other offices.”

Director Yoon followed Gun-Ho out of the meeting room. Gun-Ho and Director Yoon walked down to the production site. There, Gun-Ho shook everyone’s hand and said goodbye. Manager Ahn from the maintenance team cried while holding Gun-Ho’s hand.

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Chapter 908 - Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (2) – Part 1

Chapter 908: Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho left Dyeon Korea.

When he drove about 150 meters away from it, Gun-Ho asked Chan-Ho Eom to stop the car. He then got out of the car and turned around to see Dyeon Korea. He did seem to have mixed feelings.

‘In order to win, I have to abandon.’

The line was from a book that he read before. It was saying that one had to know when to leave things behind resolutely if he wanted to have a victory in his life. Chan-Ho Eom who was standing next to Gun-Ho asked, “Mr. Chairman, we are not coming back here again, are we?”

“No, we won’t.”

There were a few clouds floating above the Dyeon Korea’s factory building.

Gun-Ho thought about going to work in GH Mobile after stopping by GH Machines, but then he changed his mind. He wanted to have a drink instead.

He said to Chan-Ho Eom, “Let’s go to the sashimi village near the Asan Bay Seawall.”

“Umm… where did you say, sir?”

“I will buy you a clam stew.”

“You are not going to GH Mobile today?”

“Let’s go there next time, not today. I want to have sashimi today. I don’t know why.”

When Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho Eom arrived at a sashimi restaurant, they ordered a clam stew and sashimi along with soju. When Gun-Ho finished half a bottle of soju, he said, “Chan-Ho, since you have to drive, you shouldn’t drink soju. Get some coke instead.”

“Yes, sir. And, I’m going to order a sea squirt dish as well. I love sea squirt.”

“Sounds good.”

After lunch, they headed back to Seoul City. On the way to Seoul, Gun-Ho opened Paxnet with his smartphone to check Dyko’s current stock price.

“Hmm, they are still holding the upper limit price.”

Because of the soju that he had during the lunch, Gun-Ho fell asleep in the car. When the car was passing through the tollgate heading to Seoul City, Gun-Ho woke up. He then picked a bottle of beverage in the car to ease his thirst. At that moment, his smartphone started ringing. It was A Electronics Group’s CEO Park.

“You seemed to take your hands off Dyeon Korea completely. I just saw Dyeon Korea’s public announcement about the acquisition.”

“Yes, I did.”

“You probably feel a bit hollow by now.”

“Right, just a little bit.”

“Do you have any plans about what you want to do with the investment profits that you made by selling your ownership interest in Dyeon Korea?”

At that point, Gun-Ho felt like CEO Park was almost crossing the line. What he was going to do with his company’s investment profits had clearly nothing to do with CEO Park. Unlike Gun-Ho, A Electronics’ CEO Park and W Chemicals’ CEO were CEOs—an employee—not an owner president. But, even so, Gun-Ho couldn’t take them lightly. Having a good relationship with these people was important for his business. Otherwise, GH Mobile’s sales revenue could get cut in half.

As Gun-Ho didn’t say anything for a while, CEO Park laughed and said, “Haha, well, I shouldn’t have asked you about it. It’s none of my business anyway. You could acquire another company through M&A, or you could just keep the fund in the company reserve. That shouldn’t be my concern. By the way, will you be available tomorrow? I’d like to meet with you tomorrow. I have something that I want to talk to you about.”

“Okay. I can meet you tomorrow.”

“Meet me in front of the Namsan Public Library then, at 11 am.”

“Sounds good. I will see you there.”

CEO Park was the type of person who always brought an unexpected offer to Gun-Ho whenever they met in person. As a matter of fact, Gun-Ho could get to know H Group’s CEO and W Chemicals’ CEO because of CEO Park. It was obvious that CEO Park had an extensive network in business and probably in politics as well.

As Gun-Ho’s vehicle entered Seoul City, Gun-Ho looked at his watch.

“The stock market is still open.”

Gun-Ho headed to GH Building in Sinsa Town.

Gun-Ho was sitting in his office enjoying a cup of Longjing tea that Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh had brought to him. At that moment, he received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“The stock market just closed for the day, sir. We sold 2 million shares today.”

“Good job.”

“If the price hit the upper limit again tomorrow, we might regret that we sold too many shares today.”

“We don’t have to aim for the highest possible price in selling our stock. We say ‘buy it on your knee and sell it to your shoulder.’ That perfectly applies to trading stocks. We will leave the area below the knee and the neck area for other people.”

“That’s true, sir.”

“I want you to sell the rest of our stock tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, sir.”

The following day, Gun-Ho woke up to the sounds of birds; well, at least that was what he thought.

“This is a high-rise condo building in a city. How can I possibly hear the sounds of birds?”

They were probably hallucinated sounds. When he woke up completely sober, he could no longer hear the sounds of birds.

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town that day.

He sat at his desk and turned on the computer. He then checked the stock price.

“The entire stock market today is not good. I see blue lights everywhere.”

As the U.S raised interest rates, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined. And the stock market in Korea was affected accordingly. However, Dyeon Korea’s stock price was still on the rise. Thanks to the good news of acquisition by a conglomerate company. But, it was still slow though.

‘I will still be satisfied if Dyeon Korea’s stock price stays the same as the price that we sold our stock at yesterday.’

Gun-Ho turned off the computer. He then thought about giving a call to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son for a moment, and then he decided not to.

“He is probably very busy monitoring the stock price. I don’t want to distract him by calling him. Once he successfully sells all of my stock, I’m sure that he will give me a call.”

When it was about 10:30 am, Gun-Ho walked out of his office. He then headed out to meet with CEO Park. He was supposed to meet him in front of the Namsan Public Library that day.

When Gun-Ho’s vehicle arrived at the Namsan Public Library’s parking lot, there were not many cars parked. It was a cold day, and it seemed that the library wouldn’t have many visitors that day because of the weather.

At that moment, Gun-Ho saw a new black Genesis model coming into the parking lot. Gun-Ho stared at the car thinking that maybe it was CEO Park’s car. And then, his phone started ringing, and it was CEO Park.

“Please come and get into my car. I am in the new Genesis that just arrived at the parking lot.”

Gun-Ho got out of his Bentley and then walked to the Genesis. Someone in the driver’s seat rolled down the window. It was CEO Park.

“Please get in the car.”

Gun-Ho opened the car door and looked inside of the car. CEO Park was the only person in the car. It turned out that he didn’t come with his chauffeur.

“You are driving yourself today.”

As Gun-Ho got into the car, CEO Park pulled out a warm bottle of Ssanghwa-tang*.

“It’s cold outside, right? Please try this. It will warm your body.”

CEO Park opened the bottle before handing it to Gun-Ho.

While Gun-Ho was having the Ssanghwa-tang, CEO Park said, “We are the only ones in the car right now. I guess this is not a bad place at all to have a private conversation. There is no one around us who can hear us.”

“Do you need privacy today to talk with me? I guess you have something very important to talk about.”

“Haha. As a matter of fact, I do.”

As Gun-Ho finished his bottle of Ssanghwa-tang*, CEO Park continued, “I am hoping that you can give a lot of help to Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee, Mr. Chairman Goo.”

“Of course I should. He helped me a lot as well.”

“GH Mobile has been experiencing an acute increase in its sales revenue lately, hasn’t it?”

Note*

Ssanghwa-tang – A traditional Korean tea that is known to help recover from fatigue.

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Chapter 909 - Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (2) – Part 2

Chapter 909: Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho and CEO Park were talking inside CEO Park’s car. Gun-Ho said to CEO Park, “Yes, GH Mobile’s sales revenue has substantially increased recently. The company made 187.4 billion won this year. And, I do appreciate your help for it.”

“In fact, Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee put a lot of effort in helping GH Mobile behind the scene. He talked to H Group’s chairman himself, so H Group could start a business with GH Mobile. Moreover, Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s wife—Mrs. Lee—also talked to A Electronics’ president, so they could continue to have a business with GH Mobile on favorable terms for GH Mobile.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Even with all these efforts, GH Mobile hasn’t reached 200 billion won of sales revenue this year. I know that a parts manufacturing company in the auto industry or electronics industry doesn’t usually make a high-profit rate. If such a company makes over 6% of profit rate after taxes, that company would be deemed having done a very good job that year.”

“We actually made 7% this year. Our net earnings after taxes this year is 13.3 billion won.”

“Hmm. Are you going to distribute those net earnings among the shareholders as dividends? Or, are you planning to pay for the company’s debt with the money?”

“I am leaning toward distributing those earnings as dividends. In fact, GH Mobile hasn’t distributed its dividends to its shareholders for the past 3 years. We had to use all of our earnings to pay for the company’s debt and also to expand our business. So, I want to distribute dividends this year.”

“After setting aside the legally required reserve, I believe that you can distribute about 10 billion won out of 13.3 billion won to the shareholders.”

“That’s the plan.”

“If that happens, Mr. Beom-Sik Lee, who owns 15% of the ownership interest, would be able to receive 1.5 billion won.”

“That sounds correct.”

“And, he will have to pay taxes out of that 1.5 billion won.”

“That’s right.”

Silence filled the air for a moment until CEO Park started speaking again.

“I’m going to tell you something now, and I want you to be open-minded, and try not to misunderstand what I’m going to say.”

“Sure. Please go on.”

“I need you to give a big help to Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee this time.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“If he runs for President, he will need a massive amount of money. This is different from running for Congressman or some other positions. He will have to cover the entire nation, not just a certain district. That’s why he hasn’t actually started his campaign yet.”

“Hmm.”

“Many people believe that Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee wouldn’t have any money problems just because his father-in-law is the owner of a conglomerate company. But, that is simply not true. As you probably know already, A Group’s chairman is a very stubborn man. And, he hates politics.”

“I think that I heard about it.”

“So, we really need your support, a big one. I want you to distribute the fund that you received from selling the ownership interest in Dyeon Korea, among the shareholders as dividends.”

“What?”

“The money that you received from W Chemicals for the ownership portion in Dyeon Korea. I want you to distribute that amount to GH Mobile’s shareholders.”

“A company has to reserve some cash out of its profits or earnings in preparing for the future. Also, we need to pay for the company’s debt, and if necessary, we have to use that fund to acquire another company through M&A. That’s how it works for a business. We can’t just distribute all of the money that we have to the shareholders as dividends.”

“I understand what you mean, Mr. Chairman Goo. But, we are in a special situation right now. The opportunity to run for President is not given to everyone, and it is a lifetime opportunity. That’s why we are asking for your help.”

“You are putting me in a very difficult position.”

“Do you have any idea who was behind that W Chemicals’ acquisition of Dyeon Korea?”

“I have a good guess, so you don’t have to tell me.”

“GH Mobile received 272 billion won by selling its ownership interest in Dyeon Korea to W Chemicals. Of course, it will have to pay for transfer tax which will be high since the period of possession for the ownership interest was short. But even so, you can still use at least 200 billion won to distribute among the shareholders.”

Gun-Ho’s voice was raised a little bit when he responded to CEO Park’s request.

“You can’t just tell me that I should distribute that fund to the shareholders as dividends, and expect me to follow it. It’s the decision that I have to make.”

“Of course. It should be decided by GH Mobile’s board of directors. And, since you are the major shareholder, it would be your decision. I understand that no one can interfere with your management right here. That’s why I said that we needed your help.”

At that moment, CEO Park grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand.

“Mr. Chairman Goo, please help us. This kind of opportunity doesn’t come to you every day. This can be one opportunity in your lifetime.”

“I’m aware that Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee and you—Mr. CEO Park—had helped me a lot with my business. And, of course, I want to help you. But, to be honest with you, the amount that you are requesting is way too much.”

“If you distribute 200 billion won to the shareholders, Mr. Bom-Sik Lee will receive 30 billion won as his dividend. I’m not sure how much money is needed in politics, but I believe that 30 billion won would be good enough to start his campaign.”

Gun-Ho leaned back in his seat and thought about it for quite a while. Silence filled the air in the car for a while. Gun-Ho kept thinking with his eyes closed.

‘We have 272 billion won that we received from selling Dyeon Korea. And, GH Mobile made a profit of 13.3 billion won this year. If I combine them together, it will be 285.3 billion won… 272 billion won will be classified as an extraordinary gain, and the corporate tax rate would be 22% then… We have to pay transfer tax and also corporate tax, which would be a lot…

If we distribute 200 billion won to the shareholders, Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s father—Mr. Beom-Sik Lee—would receive 30 billion won. And, I, with my 82% ownership interest, will take 164 billion won. President Song will also get a good amount. With his 3% ownership interest, he will receive 6 billion won. President Song didn’t really contribute to selling Dyeon Korea, and most of this fund is from investment profits. Would he still insist on getting the full 6 billion won? Well, that should be his rightly portion anyway.

What CEO Park said is absolutely right. It’s not like anybody could run for President. And, a political party’s leader is not randomly selected either. This could be my lifetime opportunity too. This is one-time help. Maybe I should help him big this time.’

After a while, Gun-Ho opened his eyes and looked straight at CEO Park and said, “If I decide to use 200 billion won in distributing dividends among GH Mobile’s shareholders, Mr. Beom-Sik Lee will take 30 billion won. If that happens, what would you do for me? What’s in it for me?”

As Gun-Ho asked what he would gain from it, CEO Park grinned.

“You shouldn’t underestimate the power that a presidential candidate would have. Gongmyeong Party is a powerful political party, and its Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee will run for President with that party’s support. Regardless of the fact that he would actually win the election or not, while he is a presidential candidate, he will have great power.”

“I know that.”

“We will give you the presidential candidate’s mouth.”

Gun-Ho laughed out loud. He then extended his hand to CEO Park for a handshake, and said, “I will distribute that money among the shareholders as dividends.”

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Chapter 910 - Dividend (1) – Part 1

Chapter 910: Dividend (1) – Part 1

When CEO Park said to Gun-Ho that he would give the presidential candidate’s mouth, he meant information. For a businessman, especially, who was running a large company, information was money. At this point, very useful and hard-to-get information was essential to Gun-Ho in order to increase GH Mobile’s sales. That kind of information was more important than making a connection with some potential client companies at this stage.

Gun-Ho thought, ‘Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee is one of those people who are of the highest levels of wealth and social status, like the conglomerate family such as A Electronics Group, W Group, and H Group.’

Gun-Ho believed that these people with the highest levels of wealth and social status must have access to all sorts of information that Gun-Ho couldn’t get.

Gun-Ho’s decision to distribute dividends with the acquisition proceeds of Dyeon Korea, so Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s father could receive 30 billion of dividend was a trade in exchange for that sort of information.

A Electronics Group’s CEO Park and Gun-Ho parted satisfactorily.

Chan-Ho Eom who was driving Gun-Ho with his Bentley asked Gun-Ho while looking at him through the rearview mirror, “Where would you like to go, sir?”

“It’s almost lunchtime. What do you want to eat? You like Chinese food, don’t you?”

“I do, sir.”

“Let’s then go to the Chinese restaurant—Chew Young Roo—at the four-way intersection in Nonhyeon Town.”

“Yes, sir.”

On the way to Chew Young Roo, in his car, Gun-Ho thought about it while leaning back in his seat, ‘As a matter of fact, I also wanted to distribute that acquisition money as dividends. By distributing 200 billion won, I can take 164 billion won since I possess 82% of the ownership interest. Whenever there is an opportunity to get cash as my personal fund, I have to take it, especially when it is an investment return. If I let it sit and be mixed with other funds in the company that was earned by the company’s business activities, people would misunderstand that all of them are the money that was earned by the company’s workers working really hard.

If that happens, and the labor union finds out that we have a substantial amount of cash assets, they would most likely start demanding to share the money with the workers, or they could constantly demand things for the employees’ wellbeing one after another. The fund that was just added to GH Mobile’s bank account is clearly the proceeds made by selling the ownership interest in Dyeon Korea. So, I’d better take it out while I can.

If I receive my dividend, how much cash will I have in total? It must be more than 500 billion won. Let’s wait to get an accurate number for it until I find out how things go with selling Dyeon Korea’s stock. SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son will give me a report about it today.’

After having his lunch at Chew Young Roo, Gun-Ho went to GH Building in Sinsa Town. He then called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Please bring me a cup of coffee.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a moment, Gun-Ho heard someone knocking on the door. He thought it was Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh with his coffee, but it was Manager Hong who was in charge of accounting.

“Umm, sir. We received each GH company’s this year’s performance report and next year’s business plan.”

“Which GH companies sent their papers so far?”

“They are GH Development, GH Media, GH Logistics, and the two companies in China—GH Parts Company in Suzhou City and GH Antang Transportation Company in Antang City. Oh, GH Machines sent their papers as well.”

“Oh, GH Machines sent theirs too? Okay. You can leave the papers on my desk. I will take a look at them after having my coffee.”

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Hong placed the documents on Gun-Ho’s desk and left the office after giving a bow to Gun-Ho.

‘Beginning next year, I think I will convene a meeting for all GH companies here in my office, and have each president of the companies come and give a report on the performance report and business plan themselves. So, they can compete with each other. I will set a date for it around mid-December each year. Maybe I can reserve a hotel conference room for the meeting, and have them all come to Seoul.’

Gun-Ho was reviewing the documents that Manager Hong left at his desk as he was sipping his afternoon coffee with his legs crossed.

He looked at GH Development’s papers first, which was operating GH Building in Sinsa Town. It achieved an annual revenue of 10.1 billion won this year. It was the first time it exceeded 10 billion won. However, it seemed to cost a lot to run the building, so it left net earnings after tax with 50 million won only.

Every performance report and business plan of GH companies were made with a unified form that Manager Hong had sent out to each company. So, it was easier for Gun-Ho to read them.

“I’m more than content with what GH Development achieved this year. It generated profits anyway even though it has a large debt of 150 billion won. The loan interest that it is obligated to pay is enormous anyway.”

In fact, GH Development had a debt of 165 billion won. The loan from a bank was 150 billion won with a security deposit of 15 billion won. When it acquired GH Building, it bore the security deposit as well, but it didn’t have enough money to pay off the security deposit yet.

GH Media made 3.1 billion won this year, and its net earnings were 1.2 billion won.

“Even though its sales revenue increased this year, it also spent a lot of money. So, in the end, it made about the same profits as last year. I guess that it’s because of the expenses that it had to bear for Director Woon-Hak Sim’s work. I believe that the amount of dividends for this year would be about the same as last year.”

GH Logistics’ sales revenue was 1.6 billion with net earnings of 300 million won.

“I’m more interested in the land that GH Logistics is using right now for its business. I hope I can later buy the land through Onbid with GH Logistics’ profits.”

GH Parts Company in Suzhou City, China, that Min-Hyeok Kim was running made 11 billion won with net earnings of 1.8 billion won.

“Huh? Their sales revenue increased. I guess that Min-Hyeok Kim has worked so hard hoping to receive a good amount of his dividend this year.”

GH Antang Transportation Company that Jae-Sik Moon was running made a sales revenue of 7.5 billion won this year. Its net earnings were 300 million won.

“Well, this is the sales revenue for the past 6 months only. Considering the short period of time of its business, the number doesn’t look bad at all. But, the profit is a bit lower than I expected.”

In Antang City, Jae-Sik Moon’s wife was running GH Food Co., Ltd. Its sales revenue was 3.5 billion won, and its net earnings were 700 million won.

“Well, it’s not bad either. This company has been in the business for about 6 months as well. I guess that Jae-Sik Moon’s wife will take some dividend this year too.”

The last document was from GH Machines that Jong-Suk Park was running. Gun-Ho giggled while reviewing the paper.

“This company has been in business for 2 months only, but he still sent the paper. Hahaha. It made 1.4 billion won with net earnings of 20 million won. Haha. Well, it made something at least.”

Gun-Ho called for Manager Hong.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

“I want you to write this down, please.”

Manager Hong quickly pulled out a pen and a piece of paper.

“I want you to send out an official letter to each GH company. The subject line should read as ‘Re: performance report.'”

“Yes, sir.”

“Here goes its content. I thank each and every one of you for your effort and dedication to achieve the sales goal this year. I do appreciate your effort and contribution. I expect you to do the same for next year to achieve the goal set as stated in your business plan.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And add this. For dividend distribution, we will proceed with it after the external audit document becomes available. We will discuss it then.”

“Yes, sir.”

“From GH Chairman Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Got it, sir.”

When Manager Hong was about to leave the office, Gun-Ho added, “At the end, please add P.S. And say that I will be expecting to receive 2 copies of the external audit document from each company by March 30th.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 911 - Dividend (1) – Part 2

Chapter 911: Dividend (1) – Part 2

Later that day when it was almost evening, Gun-Ho received a call from SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“We completed selling all of our 3.2 shares as of today, sir. But, now someone seems to be raising the price again.”

“It’s fine. We sold all of ours already, and we are done. Let others play with it. So, what’s the average price that we sold our shares at?”

“It’s 58,000 won per share, sir.”

“So, since we sold 3.2 billion won, we now have 185.6 billion won?”

“No, sir. Do you remember when we repeatedly bought and sold 500,000 shares? We made some more profits from those transactions. The balance that we can take out right now in cash is 188.6 billion won, sir.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

‘Last time, I made 132.8 billion won through SH Investment Partners as Dyeon Korea’s stock was classified as a theme stock. At that time, I moved that fund to Seung-Hee sister’s stock account, leaving only 100 million won in SH Investment Partners’ business bank account. So, I had 132.7 billion won in Seung-Hee sister’s stock account. And then, I sent 80 billion won to President Geun-Soo Son out of 132.7 billion won, in order to buy 3.2 Dyeon Korea’s shares at about 25,000 won per share. So, I have 52.7 billion won left.

Now, I have an additional money of 188.6 billion won. If I combine that with 52.7 billion won, I have 241.3 billion won in total.

As far as tax is concerned, there is really nothing that I can claim as expenses to get deductions, so I guess that I will have to pay corporate tax at the rate of 22% for this entire amount. Hmm. The tax itself would be 53 billion won. Maybe this is why the workers in the finance sector get a relatively high salary since they will have nothing much to claim to get deductions.’

Gun-Ho closed his eyes and thought about the amount of entire money that he was currently holding personally.

‘I have 160 billion won in my stock account with Gangnam Stock Brokerage Firm. There were initially 180 billion won, but I used some of them to make an investment in China and in the stock market, so I have 160 billion won there right now. If I add the money that I made via SH Investment Partners and also the dividend that I will receive from GH Mobile for the sales proceeds of Dyeon Korea’s ownership interest, my personal cash asset would be at least 500 billion won.

500 billion won is not enough. My goal is 1 trillion won of personal cash, in addition to my company. I came halfway now with 500 billion won.’

Gun-Ho was still on the phone with President Geun-Soo Son. Gun-Ho asked him, “Closing this year at the end of December, we will have to pay a lot of tax, right?”

“I believe so, sir. I don’t see anything really to claim as expenses for tax deductions.”

“Well, for now, get an external audit to close this year’s accounting. We won’t make any more investment until the end of December. So, we are closing this year’s business as of the end of December.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, I want you to take a break for the rest of the month. You have done a lot of work to trade 3.2 million shares. You must feel exhausted by now.”

“Haha, thank you, sir.”

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Mobile.

As soon as he arrived at his office, he called for President Song.

“I told you to vacate my office. How come I’m still seeing everything in the same way when I left here last time?”

“We want to leave it as it is until the end of this year, sir.”

“Alright. Then leave it until then. You can use my office, President Song, you know that, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“After we receive the external audit document, we will pay corporate tax, and then we will distribute dividends.”

“Are we not paying for the company’s debt this year, sir?”

“Let’s distribute dividends first, and then we will review the option to pay the company’s debt with the remaining fund. We also need to set aside the required reserve. Considering that, what do you think about distributing 10 billion won this year?”

“Well, sir. That should be decided by you—Mr. Chairman. You are GH Mobile’s major shareholder after all.”

“You can still tell me what you think.”

“I think 10 billion won sounds good.”

“The thing is that we already received the full amount of the payment from W Chemicals for the acquisition proceeds of Dyeon Korea’s ownership interest.”

“Huh? We already received the full sales proceeds, sir?”

“Yes, we received 272 billion won.”

“Oh, I see. I saw the sales price from the public announcement online.”

“Since we received the sales proceeds of 272 billion won before December 30th this year, we need to include it in this year’s accounting.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Since we made that money by transferring stock, we need to pay transfer tax for the amount. Since the period of possession of the ownership interest was short, the tax will be high.”

“I suppose so.”

“Say, the transfer tax rate for us would be 30%. Then, we will have to pay more than 80 billion won as tax. After subtracting that amount from 272 billion won, we will be left with only 190 billion won.”

“That sounds correct, sir.”

“And, it will be considered as an extraordinary gain, and we will have to pay corporate tax as well. In the end, we will be probably left with only 150 billion won.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of tax, indeed.”

“What do you think? Do you think we should distribute this 150 billion won as dividends as well?”

“Huh? Dividends, sir? Well, umm… That’s up to you, sir.”

“If we distribute 150 billion won, you will receive 4.5 billion won as your dividend since you have 3% ownership interest, Mr. President Song.”

As he heard that he would receive 4.5 billion won as his dividend with his ownership interest of 3% in GH Mobile, President Song was startled.

“No, sir. It shouldn’t be like that. I can’t take that dividend, sir. I deserve only a dividend that comes from the profits that this company made with its business activities. I don’t deserve a dividend from investment returns. I played no part there, sir.”

“You are legally entitled to that sort of dividend too. That dividend will be sent to your personal bank account, President Song.”

“Even if I receive that money in my personal bank account, I will have to send it back to you, Mr. Chairman. I made no contribution to the investment in Dyeon Korea. I didn’t do anything to earn that investment return. That’s the earnings from the investment that you solely made with your sole effort, sir.”

“Hmm.”

“I would still feel that I’m receiving more than I deserve if I receive my dividend of 300 million won as a result of distributing GH Mobile’s profits of 10 billion won out of its total profits of 13.3 billion won. Me receiving 4.5 billion won as this year’s dividend is ridiculous, sir.”

“Then, do you think that I should leave the sales proceeds of Dyeon Korea in GH Mobile’s reserve, and later, we can use it to acquire another company through M&A or something?”

“I think you should still distribute that sales proceeds as dividends. It’s the money that was made through investment, not through business activities. If the workers find out that there is that much money in the company’s reserve, they will demand some benefits asserting the importance of their wellbeing. You should distribute it as dividends this time.”

“Hmm.”

“The timing is good. If you don’t distribute it now, it will be hard to do it later.”

“The thing is that the taxes that we have to pay is too high.”

“I have an idea.”

“You have an idea?”

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Chapter 912 - Dividend (2) – Part 1

Chapter 912: Dividend (2) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was all ears when President Song said that he had an idea about resolving the high tax problem. President Song smiled and said, “I’m not talking about tax evasion, sir. I think that we can pay taxes in installments.”

“Pay taxes in installments?”

“GH Mobile’s current net earnings after tax are 13.3 billion won, but without considering tax, our net earnings are 17.1 billion won. If we combine this amount with the acquisition proceeds for Dyeon Korea of 272 billion won, it’s 289.1 billion won. In other words, the amount of 289.1 billion is subject to tax.”

“That’s right.”

“If we subtract transfer tax and corporate tax from this amount, the amount of money that we can distribute as dividends will be reduced almost in half. It could be even less than 150 billion won.”

Gun-Ho let out a sigh.

“So, I’m suggesting that we should distribute 200 billion won among the shareholders as dividends for now, and when the time comes to pay taxes, we can pay them in installments. If the amount of taxes is high, they allow us to pay them in installments. The amount of 289.1 billion won will be subject to tax, and after we distribute 200 billion won, we will still have 89.1 billion won available. We can pay taxes with it. We don’t have to distribute dividends every year, so, if we distribute 200 billion won this year, we can skip distributing dividends for the next 2 to 3 years. As we pay our taxes in installments, we can also research on the ways to reduce our tax amount.”

“Hmm.”

“Once 200 billion won is distributed among the shareholders, I will take only 300 million won which comes from the earnings made by business activities, and I will return to you the rest of the amount.”

“Alright. Let’s think about it since we still have time.”

After President Song left the office, Gun-Ho called for Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim.

“When do we send out our financial documents for an external audit?”

“It will be around mid-January, sir. It takes time for us to prepare the financial documents on our side.”

This year’s performance report that Gun-Ho received was based on estimates since it was still December. The exact numbers would be available in mid-January. However, the numbers were expected to be about the same as the estimates.

Gun-Ho showed the company’s bank account to the accounting director, that was holding the acquisition proceeds of Dyeon Korea.

“We received the sales proceeds for selling GH Mobile’s ownership interest in Dyeon Korea. It’s 272 billion won.”

“Wow! It’s a lot of money, sir.”

“One-third of them will be gone once we pay the transfer tax.”

“The amount of tax is a lot too.”

“GH Mobile invested in Dyeon Korea with 4.5 billion won in cash and another 4.5 billion won by contributing its current building. So, as to this 9 billion won, you can say that we are retrieving our investment fund. Accordingly, it will need to be recorded as such.”

“Yes, sir.”

“263 billion won, which is 272 billion won less 9 billion won, will be our investment profits. I want you to add these numbers to our accounting this year.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I can hold this bank account book in my office, right?”

“Yes, sir. I just need a copy of the deposit statement. I will make a copy of it.”

After the accounting director left the office, Gun-Ho started dozing off on the sofa in his office. At that moment, his phone started ringing, and it was Jae-Sik Moon.

“Mr. Chairman Goo? It’s me, Jae-Sik Moon.”

“Oh, President Moon. How are you?”

“Did you receive this year’s performance report that we had sent to you?”

“Yes, I received it. And, you did a good job.”

“Antang GH Transportation Company didn’t make a good profit this year, but I’m sure that we will make more next year. We had to pay for the terminal workers in their construction team as they still belong to the joint venture. But, the team will be dissolved in February next year, so we don’t have to pay their wages, and our profits will increase accordingly.”

“How many workers are there in the construction team right now?”

“There are 7 of them. Some of them are Gongchengshi (skilled engineers) with a license, and we are paying them a high salary. So, once the team is dispersed, we will save good money there. Also, we are planning to add a few additional buses, so our sales revenue will increase as well. I think we can begin to send profits to you in Korea starting next year.”

“Hmm, really? That’s good to know.”

“And about GH Food Co., Ltd., we worked hard, but its sales revenue this year is 3.5 billion won with a profit of 700 million won only. I’m sorry about that. Hehe.”

“Don’t say that. I think you and your wife are doing great. If the 700 million won is a profit after tax, I want you to distribute it as dividends.”

“Really? Thank you. I will let Soon-Young’s mom know that.”

“I believe that you— President Moon— will take 70 million won, and your wife will take another 70 million won, and I will receive 560 million won as dividends, right?”

“That’s correct since I own 10% of GH Food Co., Ltd., and my wife owns another 10%, and you own the remaining 80%. So, the numbers are correct.”

“Well, tell your wife that I thank her for her hard work this year.”

“Okay, I will. I’m going to pay off the loan that I took out from a bank using the condo in Incheon City as collateral, with the dividend money.”

“Oh, that’s right. You and your wife borrowed that investment fund from a bank using your condo as collateral and made your investment in GH Food with the loan. Well, I think it is a good idea for you to pay off the loan with the dividend money, otherwise, you will have to keep making a payment to the bank for the interest loan.”

Gun-Ho noticed that Jae-Sik Moon sounded cheerful lately, and Gun-Ho was happy for him.

‘It seems that Jae-Sik Moon gained some confidence in himself. He had a hard life living in a basement just because he was born into a poor family. Now, he is making good money and also establishing a good social status, which is really nice. I’m happy for him.’

After getting off the phone with Jae-Sik Moon, Gun-Ho stretched himself.

“Maybe I’m going to stop by GH Machines. I no longer have to go to Dyeon Korea, so I will just go to see Jong-Suk Park instead.”

Gun-Ho told Secretary Hee-Jeong Park that he was about to leave, and he asked her to have his car ready.

Gun-Ho was walking out of the building to go to his car when he saw President Song also walking to his car in the parking lot.

“Are you going somewhere, Mr. President Song?”

“Oh, sir. Yes, I have a lunch appointment with S Group’s vice president.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“Where are you heading to, sir? Are you going to GH Machines?”

“Yes. I want to see how President Jong-Suk Park is doing.”

“It seems that President Park is doing good. I can tell that he works really hard.”

“That problem is that the company’s sales revenue is still low. They made 1.4 billion won this year according to their performance report. Well, I have to consider the fact that they have been in business for 2 months only.”

“I still think he is doing great. It’s just a start, and it looks to be a good start. I have no doubt that their sales will steadily increase.”

“Jong-Suk Park is an excellent engineer; I know that. The thing is that the sales area is new to him. That’s my concern.”

“I see your point, sir. It is true that many engineers are stubborn, and they don’t know how to effectively communicate and deal with potential buyers. What if we do this?”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’m on my way to meet with S Group’s vice president for lunch. While having lunch with him, we are going to discuss a product using EP rubber that GH Mobile will supply S Group with. The thing is that we need to insert a double metal ring to the product before shipping it to S Group. And, I asked GH Machines to build this double metal ring for GH Mobile.”

“Building metal rings won’t bring in much revenue, will it?”

“It will be around 15 million won per month, sir.”

“15 million won per month would add only less than 200 million won to its annual sales revenue. Well, it could be just a start. And, GH Machines need more work to increase its sales anyway.”

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Chapter 913 - Dividend (2) – Part 2

Chapter 913:Dividend (2) – Part 2

President Song said to Gun-Ho, “That’s not exactly what I was saying, sir. I was thinking that GH Machines makes a final product by inserting the double metal ring that they would build, on their own, and they directly supply S Group with the product, without going through GH Mobile. In other words, we— GH Mobile— supply GH Machines with the EP rubber product, and GH Machines add those double metal rings to the products and send them to S Group. That way, GH Machines becomes S Group’s vendor company, instead of being GH Mobile’s vendor company.”

“So, you are saying that S Group asked GH Mobile to build an EP rubber product for them with some metal rings attached, but you will give that business to GH Machines. And, GH Mobile will build the EP rubber product for GH Machines, so they can just manufacture the metal rings and add them to GH Machines’ product, and send directly to S Group, right?”

“That’s right. If this product order was for auto parts, then GH Machines would have needed to get some quality or system certification such as SQ or five-star quality certification, to be a vendor company. But, since most of S Group’s products are home appliances, GH Machines can supply S Group with their products without any problems.”

“Hmm, I think that’s a good idea. How large is that EP rubber product order with S Group?”

“It will bring us about 1 billion won per month. So, it’s around 12 billion won per year. GH Machines’ entire annual sales haven’t even reached 10 billion won now. If they can get this product order from S Group, they can anticipate easily making 20 billion won per year. And, it won’t be a small company anymore.”

“Hmm.”

“GH Machines has no debt. If they work really hard for a year and achieve an operating profit of 15%, it will make 3 billion won. That’s more than enough money to buy a factory, so they can have their own factory.”

“Hmm.”

“With an annual sales revenue of 20 billion won, it can open a research center as well. And, the company will continue to grow like that. In the meanwhile, they might want to get a product quality certification like SQ. It will grow as big as Mulpasaneop in no time. Once they grow that big, they can prepare to go public too.”

“S Group is a large company. Do you think they will take the products that were built by a small and not-very-well-known company like GH Machines?”

“You don’t have to worry about it, sir. S Group’s plant manager knows President Jong-Suk Park. It’s not like GH Machines has to prove itself to earn the business with S Group. S Group’s plant manager and engineers there are well aware of President Park’s competency at work and the good product quality that he produces. When I meet with S Group’s vice president today for lunch, I will talk to him about it.”

“Haha. I hope it works well, but I’m not sure if S Group’s vice president will take the deal though.”

“S Group’s vice president was junior to me when I had worked there. I was supposed to be promoted to the vice president position at that time, but he took the position instead. He feels like he owes me because of it. Also, he is a relative of the S Group’s owner family; he has good authority to make a decision on his own for a business like this. I’m positive that he will take the deal for me.”

“Well, I’m crossing my fingers.”

Gun-Ho felt hopeful.

‘I’ve been worried about GH Machines. I guess President Song found a solution. I will probably be able to raise Jong-Suk Park’s salary.

As President Song suggested earlier, I should distribute 200 billion won to GH Mobile’s shareholders as dividends, and we can pay taxes in installments throughout a period of several years. And, giving GH Mobile’s product order that goes to S Group to GH Machines sounds really good. Hmm, President Song deserves receiving his dividend.’

Gun-Ho went to GH Machines pleasingly. When he arrived there, Jong-Suk Park was talking with a young man in the president’s office. As Gun-Ho entered the office, Jong-Suk Park quickly stood up from his seat and gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho and said, “Mr. Chairman. You are here, sir.”

Gun-Ho almost yelled at him, “Cut it out, man,” but he couldn’t since they were not alone. He just sat on the sofa in the office without saying anything.

Jong-Suk Park introduced Gun-Ho to the young man, “Please meet GH Group’s Chairman Gun-Ho Goo.”

“Hello, sir. I’m Hee-Young Noh.”

Jong-Suk Park continued to show his acute respect to Gun-Ho.

“This is our new employee, sir. He will handle our sales work. Dyeon Korea’s Vice President Kim recommended him. He used to work in Oshin Tech as an assistant manager in its sales department before joining us.”

“Oh, really? It’s nice to meet you.”

As Gun-Ho extended his hand to the Hee-Young Noh person, he held Gun-Ho’s hand while giving a deep bow to Gun-Ho.

“How old are you?”

“I’m 33 years old, sir.”

“Hmm, it’s a good age.”

After Mr. Noh left the office, Jong-Suk Park called for the interpreter lady.

“Ms. Mi-Ran Yang! Please bring us two cups of green tea.”

Jong-Suk Park’s voice was loud and brisk as always.

“Hey, you don’t have to shout all the time. That hurts my ears, man.”

“Hehe. Did I?”

When they were alone, Jong-Suk Park talked with Gun-Ho comfortably.

Gun-Ho said while sipping the green tea that the lady worker had brought to the office, “That new employee is a good-looking man. Is he 3 years younger than you, President Park?”

“Yeah, he is 3 years younger than me. I’m treating him like my little brother.”

“That’s good. When you worked in GH Mobile, everyone around you was older than you, and you had to call all of them as big brothers, right? Here, you are a big brother. You must enjoy that, do you?”

“Hehe. They don’t call me a big brother. They shouldn’t do that at work. They always address me as Mr. President.”

“I reviewed GH Machines’ profit and loss statement that you sent to me. GH Machines made 1.4 billion won this year. So, it made 700 million won per month since it has been in business for 2 months now. You did a good job.”

“We could make that much because of the machines that we built for Dyeon Korea. The thing is that Dyeon Korea doesn’t need new machines every month, and I think I’m screwed for the months when we don’t receive any product order from Dyeon Korea. I sometimes can’t sleep at night worrying about the company. I think that I was a lot happier when I worked as a plant manager in GH Mobile.”

“Hmm, you think so?”

“When I worked for GH Mobile, all I had to worry about was to build machines and fix machines. But, here, I’m worried about sales and revenues all the time, and I am stressed a lot. I feel anxious all the time. What if I don’t make enough money to pay my workers out there working now. I sometimes feel terrified thinking about possible bad scenarios that I could confront while running this company.”

“I see you striving to keep this business going.”

“I sometimes thought about going to see you and tell you that I want to resign from this president position. I truly think that all business owners have to be respected for their hard and very stressful work.”

“You received a product order from President Song, right? Manufacturing double metal rings.”

“That wouldn’t help much. We are supposed to manufacture 100,000 pieces of the double metal rings per month, and it will bring us about 15 million won. That’s it. Well, it’s still work for us, and we still make money from it anyway, so of course we will build them for GH Mobile. I’m pretty much taking any work at this point, that will bring revenues.”

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Chapter 914 - Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 914: Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho looked at Jong-Suk Park’s profile while having his tea. He looked emaciated, probably by the worries that he had about his business.

“President Park, what is that product called? The product that requires a metal double ring added to it.”

“They call it JA O-Ring Cable. Why are you asking?”

“According to President Song, he is not suggesting that GH Machines just inserts those metal double rings to GH Mobile’s products after manufacturing them and send them back to GH Mobile, so it can ship the final products to S Group. But, rather, he wants GH Machines to take over the product order from S Group and directly supply them with the final products, meaning that GH Mobile will provide GH Machines with its EP rubber products as GH Machines’ vendor company, so it can add metal rings to them before shipping them to S Group. In other words, the roles would be reversed for this product order.”

“Really? Did President Song really say that?”

Jong-Suk Park’s eyes widened, and he dragged his chair close to Gun-Ho.

“He really said that he would let GH Machines supply the product directly to S Group?”

“It’s not confirmed yet though. When I talked to President Song last time, he was on his way to meet with S Group’s vice president for lunch, and he told me that he would make that suggestion to him.”

Jong-Suk Park’s jaw dropped in surprise.

“I believe that the amount of possible revenue from even that single product order is substantial.”

“I was told that it will be about 1 billion won per month.”

“Whoa. If we can get that product order, GH Machines will be stabilized in no time. I’m going to ask him again for it.”

“Just give him some time to work it out. He said that he would discuss it with S Group’s vice president. Let’s just wait and see how that goes.”

After having a tour of GH Machines’ production site, led by Jong-Suk Park, Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park went out for lunch. They were having an octopus stew dish in a restaurant when Gun-Ho’s cell phone started ringing. It was from GH Development’s Director Kang.

“Mr. Chairman, this is Director Kang. We got the single house in Bangbae Town.”

“Oh, really? How much did we get it for?”

“It’s 8.21 billion won and 100,000 won, sir.”

“Very good.”

The month of December passed by and new year had begun. Gun-Ho turned 39 years old this year.

As new year had begun, Gun-Ho made several calls to the people that he felt grateful for, such as Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town and Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee. When he called Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee, he seemed to have a hoarse throat. That was probably because of the numerous lectures that he had been giving lately as part of his political activities.

“Your voice sounds different, sir. I hope you are doing well.”

“Thank you, Chairman Goo. Since you called, I want to thank you for helping CEO Park with what he is doing, and I hope you could continue to assist in the same matters.”

“Haha. Yes, I will, sir.”

When Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee mentioned “what CEO Park was doing” meant the dividend distribution to his father— Mr. Beom-Sik Lee.

Gun-Ho was hesitating to give a call to A Electronics Group’s CEO Park to give him new year’s greeting. He had done it last year without any problems, but for some reason, he didn’t want to do it this time. Ever since Gun-Ho took the position of chairman, he just didn’t feel as respectful as he had felt before, toward CEOs who were just employees.

However, A Electronics was a very important client to GH Mobile. The product order from that company was taking up a large part of GH Mobile’s entire sales revenue. Gun-Ho was pretty sure that President Song would give CEO Park a call giving him a new year wish message, on behalf of GH Mobile, but that couldn’t be the same as getting a call from Gun-Ho who was the owner of GH Mobile. So, Gun-Ho decided to give him a call himself.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo. I wish you a happy and healthy New Year, sir.”

“Oh, Mr. Chairman Goo. Thank you for giving me a call. I believe that I will have another good year because of your wish for me.”

“The thing that you talk to me about the other day… I decided to do it.”

“So, I can expect the dividends to be distributed once an external audit is completed in March, can’t I?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you for everything, Chairman Goo. A Electronics will continue to be a good business partner with GH Mobile this year. It will help GH Mobile to grow further.”

“Thank you.”

As a matter of fact, Gun-Ho had had his plan with the sales proceeds of Dyeon Korea. He was going to have GH Mobile acquire GH Building with the proceeds. However, since he had to let Mr. Beom-Sik Lee receive dividends, he decided to distribute the proceeds among GH Mobile’s shareholders instead.

‘It’s not like I often see people around me, running for President. This can be my lifetime opportunity. I should grab the opportunity when it comes to me. If I don’t help them when they ask me for help, they could cause adverse effects on my business. It would rather hinder my business growth.

However, if I help them, and they are satisfied with my help, they will surely compensate me for it. CEO Park promised that he would give me Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s mouth. Let’s see what sort of mouth he was talking about.’

Gun-Ho called for Director Kang.

“Our office and GH Media’s office are situated on the two floors— 18th and 17th. And, I want to leave these two floors for our exclusive use. So, if the office rent for any other companies on these two floors expires, just let them go. Do not renew their rent or bring in a new tenant on the 18th and 17th.”

“The company that is using the office space across the hall from our office was supposed to vacate their office last year as their lease expired. I told them to vacate the office last year, but they refused to leave.”

“Is that right?”

“So, I told them to move the office to the 9th floor if they want to stay in this building. One office on the 9th floor is about to move out, and they will use that space instead.”

“Hmm.”

“So, that company on the 18th floor will move to the 9th floor on the 15th of this month.”

“That’s good. And also, if the leases for the offices on the 16th floor expire, let them move out too, and do not lease the spaces on that floor in the future either.”

“You want to vacate the 16th floor as well, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Understood, sir. There are currently three companies occupying the 16th floor. I will check when their leases expire.”

“Did the mandatory period of the filing of the appeal given to the owner or anyone with an interest in the property, on the single house in Bangbae Town end already?”

“Yes, sir. When the mandatory period ended, I went to see the occupant in the property, but the property was firmly locked, and I had to come back without seeing that occupant. So, I sent the certification of contents requesting to vacate the property, to the person residing in that address.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“And, it was confirmed that the certification of contents was delivered. I’m going to stop by the property after work today.”

“We don’t want to unnecessarily upset the person there whether it’s the owner or a tenant. Let’s make the eviction as peaceful as possible.”

“Understood, sir.”

Later that day, Gun-Ho made a call to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son.

“If you are not busy today, let’s have a cup of tea together.”

“Right now, sir?”

“Yes. I’m in my office in the GH Building right now.”

“Yes, sir. I will be right over there.”

About an hour later, President Son entered Gun-Ho’s office in the GH Building.

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring two cups of coffee for them.

“How are you doing these days?”

“I’m doing fine, sir. I’m taking a good rest these days reading books and stuff as you instructed.”

“What do you think about dissolving SH Investment Partners, and establish a new business entity?”

“That is a good idea, sir. I think we’d better close this private equity fund company as it already served its purpose, and also as we don’t want to leave a chance for someone to poke around. We can start with a new company.”

“It doesn’t look good that funds are moving between the company and Ms. Seung-Hee Park’s bank account back and forth like that, right?”

“I believe so, sir.”

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Chapter 915 - Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 915: Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho said to SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son, “The office space on this floor across the hall from this office that I’m using right now will be available starting on the 15th of this month. The occupying company is moving to the 9th floor. I want you to move into that office. Let’s open a new asset management company. This time, we actually accept other investors’ funds.”

“Move into this building, sir? Alright, sir.”

“And hire two additional workers who have work experience handling financial matters to the international business level. We want to hire young people.”

“Yes, sir. How much capital are you planning to invest in the new company, sir?”

“What is the minimum requirement for capital in order to establish an asset management company?”

“If you want to manage REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts), we will need at least 7 billion won to start. But, other than that, 2 billion won will be sufficient.”

“That’s not much at all.”

“That’s why we see so many asset management companies here and there. As a matter of fact, half of the asset management companies in Korea are not generating profits right now.”

“Let’s start with 10 billion won of capital.”

“Huh? 10 billion won, sir? Oh, umm, okay, sir.”

“This time, I won’t be able to guide you through. I don’t have good information. I want you to manage the company on your own, Mr. President Son.”

“One thing that I want you to know is that we can’t expect to hit a jackpot as we did with SH Investment Partners. In this industry, if we make 10% profits, that is deemed to be a great achievement.”

“Just try not to lose money.”

“Yes, sir. About the name of the company… To be honest with you, sir, we can’t expect to attract investors with an unfamiliar company’s name. This is from my experience, sir. As you know, I’ve handled a lot of financial matters including international business.”

“This new asset management company will be part of GH companies. One of GH companies and I will make an investment in this new company.”

“Got it, sir.”

Gun-Ho continued after taking a sip of his coffee, “We currently have 188.6 billion won in SH Investment Partners’ business bank account, right?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Transfer all of them to Ms. Seung-Hee Park’s bank account.”

“All of them, sir?”

“I believe that we left 100 million won in the company’s bank account for operating expenses, right?”

“Yes, sir. We now have about 90 million won left after spending some to run the company.”

“Leave that amount there, and move the rest of the fund to Ms. Seung-Hee Park’s bank account.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, I believe that we already requested a CPA to do our accounting as we close the year, did we?”

“Yes, we did, sir. I’m not sure yet how much corporate tax we have to pay though.”

“Tell the CPA that we will pay the corporate tax as the amount of the corporate tax is confirmed. When we receive the bill, I will deposit that amount to the company’s bank account. We will keep SH Investment Partners’ bank account until we completely pay for the corporate tax.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright then. Let’s record it as that SH Investment Partners was dissolved as of December 31st last year, and file it with the government as such.”

“Yes, sir.”

The following day, SH Investment Partners’ President Geun-Soo Son transferred the amount of 188.6 billion won to Seung-Hee sister’s bank account. With the previous balance of 52.7 billion won in her account, there was now 241.3 billion won in her bank account. Gun-Ho called Seung-Hee sister and asked her to meet him in his office.

“I’m giving you back your bank account book. It has been very helpful. Right now, this bank account is holding 241.3 billion won.”

“Huh? 241.3 billion won?!”

Seung-Hee sister’s jaw dropped, and she couldn’t close it for a while.

“I wish those funds were all mine. We have more than 100 investors, and some of them are insisting on having their money back. So, I want to return all of their funds to the investors this time. Here is my personal bank account information. I want you to transfer all of the money in your account to this bank account. Since the amount of funds is substantial, you probably need to transfer them throughout the next several days. If a bank staff asks you about the funds, just tell them that you are returning the investment fund to investors. And, do not answer any other questions. This will be the last time that I use your personal bank account.”

Seung-Hee sister looked startled, and she asked, “Does that mean that I will no longer receive my salary from SH Investment Partners?”

“You will receive your salary for a while. Don’t worry about it.”

Gun-Ho opened a new stock account with Gangbuk Stock Brokerage Company. Once he received 241.3 billion won in his personal bank account, he moved 240 billion won out of 241.3 billion won to the new stock account, leaving 1.3 billion won in his personal bank account. Once he made the transfer, he immediately received a call from the branch manager of Gangbuk Stock Brokerage Company. The branch manager would like to meet with Gun-Ho, but he told him that he wouldn’t be able to meet him because he wasn’t feeling well that day. Gun-Ho intended to make money by using these 240 billion won, so he could pay the corporate tax of SH Investment Partners with the profits.

As of that day, Gun-Ho had 160 billion won with Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company and had 240 billion won with Gangbuk Stock Brokerage Company. He had 400 billion won cash in total. Gun-Ho was 39 years old at that time, and it was January that year.

Director Kang was giving a report to Gun-Ho about the matters with the single house in Bangbae Town. He said he had met with the property owner.

“I finally met with the property owner, sir. He is a businessman running his own business. Because of the company’s debt, he had taken a loan from a bank using that house in Bangbae Town.”

“I guess he has been suffering from harassment of his creditors just like Mulpasaneop. He should have dissolved his business before he took out the loan using his personal property as collateral. So, is he going to vacate the property?”

“He was asking if he could move out after the Lunar New Year’s Day since the weather is so cold these days.”

“Let him do that. It’s not like I need to move into the house right away.”

Gun-Ho asked, “Did he ask about the moving expenses?”

“No, he hasn’t asked about it yet, sir.”

“Well, as soon as he vacates the property after the Lunar New Year’s Day, start the renovation right away. According to its building register, it’s an old building.”

“Right, but it is a very well-built single house with all sorts of customization. The house is still in a very good condition, sir. I could take several pictures of its interiors with the owner’s consent. I told him that I need to show the pictures to the new owner.”

Director Kang showed a few pictures of the house that was stored in his smartphone.

“What do you think, Mr. Chairman? It’s not bad at all, is it?”

“Hmm…”

“I think that it doesn’t need a full renovation. With a few touch-ups inside the building and some landscape, it will be very nice.”

“Hmm.”

“I will ask the interior design company that helped with GH Gallery’s interior work to work on the property’s interior. And for the landscaping, I will ask the construction/landscaping company that made our rooftop garden in this building.”

“By the way, the rooms look a bit dark from these pictures.”

“They are actually very bright with a lot of natural sun lights. It’s just the pictures that were taken that way.”

“Okay. Well, do the interior and landscaping as you suggested.

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Chapter 916 - : Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 916: Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (2) – Part 1

The company that was occupying the office across the hall from Gun-Ho’s office moved to the 9th floor when it was almost the end of January. And then, President Geun-Soo Son moved into that office space.

“This office is so spacious that I guess I can have a separate meeting room as well.”

“Make a president’s office too.”

“I don’t need a separate office, sir.”

“Make one even if it has to be small. Also, add some space partitions, so each worker can have privacy. The workers here will most likely work as an analyst, and they will need some privacy to concentrate on their works.”

“Yes, sir.”

While President Son was still in the office, Gun-Ho asked Director Kang to join them.

“You two have met each other already, haven’t you, Director Kang and President Son?”

President Son replied, “I’ve seen him several times before whenever I visited this office to see you, Mr. Chairman, but we haven’t officially met yet though.”

“Oh, then allow me to introduce you two to each other.”

Gun-Ho introduced them, “Mr. Director Kang here used to work in a bank as a manager before he retired. He has been working with me for several years now in GH Development. He has several relevant licenses including real estate license, building management license, and real estate asset management license. You can tell that he is an expert in the real estate field.”

“It’s very nice to meet you.”

Gun-Ho continued, “This is President Geun-Soo Son. He worked in Gangnam Bank as a team lead in its global asset strategy department. He will be working with us by running one of the GH companies which would be an asset management company.”

“Oh, you worked in a bank as well. A team lead in the asset strategy department in a bank is a hard-to-get position. Well, It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

“Mr. Director Kang, you seem to be senior to me.”

“Haha. But, I used to work as a manager in a bank while you worked there as an upper-level manager. I look forward to working with you.”

Gun-Ho looked at Director Kang and said, “Their office will need some renovations. Give President Son the contact number of the interior design company that we are working with.”

“Yes, sir.”

“President Son will be running an asset management company that will also be part of GH Companies. However, since they are leasing an office here in our building, we will need to receive their rent every month for the space.”

“Understood, sir.”

“GH Media on the 17th floor, they are paying their rent on time, right?”

“Of course, sir. They have never been late in paying their rent so far. Also, GH Gallery in the basement and also the rooftop book café, which are part of GH Media, are paying their rent on time too.”

“Hmm, okay.”

After Director Kang left the office, President Son handed a paper to Gun-Ho, showing that SH Investment Partners was officially dissolved.

“I filed dissolution papers with the government, and this is the paper.”

“Hmm, well done. Do we have a name for the new company that we are about to establish?”

“I haven’t decided it yet, sir. I’m thinking of choosing a name either Rich Investment Partners or Win Win Investment Partners.”

“What is the largest asset management company in Korea?”

“Samsung Asset Management Co., Ltd. and Mirae Asset Financial Group are the two tops, sir. KB Asset Management Co., Ltd. and Shinhan Asset Management take the third and fourth position in size.”

“Is that right?”

“Even though they are within the top 5 in Korea, they are not even in the top 100 internationally.”

“Which asset company is the largest globally then?”

“BlackRock and The Vanguard Group, sir.”

Gun-Ho thought about it for a moment with his eyes closed, ‘Rich Investment Partners? Or Win Win Investment Partners? Those two all sound like an amateur. This will be part of GH companies, and I’m not hiding anything in running that company. Maybe I should just use my name like all other GH companies.’

Gun-Ho said as he opened his eyes, “Well, let’s just name the company GH Asset Management Company.”

“GH Asset Management Company, sir? Alright. I will then form a company with the name and file it with the government.”

“Its capital will be 10 billion won. The company will be owned by 6 shareholders. GH Mobile will own 3%, GH Machines will have 3%, GH Development will take 2%, GH Media will take another 2%, GH Logistics will own 2%, and Gun-Ho Goo will have 88% as an individual.”

“Yes, sir.”

“After you open a business bank account, please bring me a copy of the bank account information. I will then ask each of the shareholders to send the investment fund to that bank account, according to their ownership interest.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How do you plan to hire workers? Are you going to place a job opening in WorkNet?”

“WorkNet? I will rather place a job advertisement in economic newspapers saying that we are inviting a fund manager who will be working with us.”

The renovations in GH Asset Management Company’s office started, and it made a lot of loud noises. Gun-Ho could clearly hear those loud noises because it was right across the hallway from his office.

“Wow. It’s really loud since they are doing the work right there.”

Gun-Ho picked up his coat and walked out of the office by himself. He spent the day going to a theater and watching a movie and walking around a traditional Korean market. When it was almost evening, he came back to his office.

Gun-Ho thought that the renovations would have been completed, but it continued the following day. Gun-Ho again walked out of the office by himself to avoid the loud noises. He went to Noryangjin Town where he used to spend his youth studying for a government job exam. He went to the OneRoom where he used to live at that time. Nothing much seemed to be changed. Students and exam preparers, who all looked pale, were walking around the area.

“These young people are spending several years of their youth in this place solely to study for an exam. I’m not sure if this is the right way to spend their young years like this.”

Gun-Ho walked on the street where all sorts of Cupbabs (Cooked rice with other ingredients served in a paper cup) were found. The street vendors that were selling cupbabs were now selling on a neat and nice tented cart on the street. They probably received some support from the district office in the area. The food looked the same as before. Several exam preparers were having their cupbabs in the cold weather standing in front of the tented cart.

“Maybe I should try that too, like the old days.”

Gun-Ho walked to one of the tented carts, but when he actually saw the food, he was not sure if he wanted to eat them. In the old days, cupbabs were desirable meals for him. Sometimes he couldn’t even afford to have cupbabs, but now, Gun-Ho didn’t want to eat those cheap foods. He certainly changed.

“That doesn’t look so clean.”

Gun-Ho went to the townhouse behind the Dongjak District Office, where he used to live when he was running a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant behind the gas station. The alley looked spacious at that time, but now it looked so narrow and dirty. The townhouse looked unchanged. It was still old and rusty.

“I wonder if I would be able to live in this place again if I have to.”

Gun-Ho thought that he would never be able to live in a place like that. In the old days when he had moved to this townhouse, he was so happy because he was getting out of the OneRoom where there was no window. It felt like a million years ago.

“How did I live in a place like this before?”

Gun-Ho was walking out of the alley, and several old men were passing by. They were holding black vinyl bags, and they looked familiar. They were Gun-Ho’s neighbors in the old days. Gun-Ho lowered his head and kept walking. The weather was cold, and the wind was blowing.

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Chapter 917 - Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 917: Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He no longer went to work in Jiksan Town or Cheonan City. President Geun-Soo Son brought the new company’s business license, business registration, and business bank account to Gun-Ho’s office—the originals and its copies. GH Asset Management Company was established.

“Good job, Mr. President Son.”

Gun-Ho then visited the new office of the new company. The renovations were already completed. The inside of the office was very well decorated. It looked luxurious enough to attract potential investors. The furniture and wall decorations all looked rich. The space partitions were also placed as Gun-Ho instructed.

“Doesn’t your office feel a bit small?”

“It’s large enough for me, sir.”

Gun-Ho called for Manager Hong.

“I want you to send an official letter to all GH companies, letting them know that we have one more GH company now, which is GH Asset Management Company.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And take these papers with you and keep them in the office. These are the copies of GH Asset Management Company’s business license, business registration, and business bank account. Oh, and also, this is President Geun-Soo Son’s resume. When you send out the letter, please give them a brief introduction about him as well, since he is the one who’s going to run the new company.”

“Understood, sir.”

After a while, Manager Hong came back to Gun-Ho’s office. She was carrying the official letter that she was about to send out to GH companies.

“I finished drafting the letter, sir.”

The letter said,

[Regarding the newly established asset management company.

In order to help with GH companies’ sound finance stability, an asset management company has been established as part of GH companies.

Business Name: GH Asset Management Company.

President: Geun-Soo Son.

Capital: 10 billion won.

Address: 18th floor GH Building, Sinsa Town, Gangnam District, Seoul City.

<About the president>

– Graduated from Seoul National University majoring in Business Management.

– Worked in Gangnam Bank as a team lead of the global asset strategy department.

– Worked in Gangnam Investment Company as a vice president.

From Chairman Gun-Ho Goo.

Recipients: GH Mobile, GH Machines, GH Development, GH Media, GH Logistics, GH Asset Management Company, GH Parts Company, GH Antang Transportation Company.]

After reviewing the drafted letter, Gun-Ho signed it.

The following day, Gun-Ho started making calls to the president of each GH company. He called GH Mobile’s President Song first.

“As you already received the letter, a new company—GH Asset Management Company—has been established. And, I need GH Mobile to invest 300 million won in that company.”

“No problem, sir. But, would 300 million won be enough?”

“300 million won should be good. I will email you with the company’s bank account information, so you can send the fund to that account.”

GH Mobile had enough cash in the reserve. Of course, it didn’t complain about coming up with 300 million won even though it was such a sudden unexpected request.

The next call was for GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park.

“You received the letter from GH Development about the asset management company, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I received it. What does an asset management company do?”

“They are managing assets.”

“What kind of assets are they managing?”

“I can’t explain with all the details right now. How much money do you have in GH Machines?”

“We have 600 million won.”

“Send 300 million won to GH Asset Management Company.”

“300 million won?”

“The company will return you with greater than 300 million won later for GH Machines. Just send it.”

“If we send 300 million won to them, we will be left with only 300 million won…”

“If you need additional funds later, I will send you money. So, for now, just send 300 million won to that company.”

“Okay.”

“You won’t regret it. I guarantee you. The 300 million won will come back to you with additional profits.”

“Really? Bro, oh, I mean Mr. Chairman, can I record what you just promised to me?”

“How is it going with the Ring Cable product order for S Group?

“It’s going well. We hired an additional 20 workers in order to stably fulfill the product order. GH Machines now have 50 workers already.”

“So, you will receive the payment from S Group next month?”

“I do expect to receive it next month, but they will make the payment through B2B.”

“How much do you expect to receive?”

“It will be around 500 million won. Given the cost of raw materials and labor, I don’t think it will bring high profits.”

“When you need money urgently, just let me know, I will send you money. For now, just pay the B2B discount fee and use the fund.”

“You are assuming that I might need money soon. Is that because of the 300 million won that we have to send to the new company? GH Machines will work fine without 300 million won. And, about that 300 million won… It’s kind of an investment fund that GH Machines put in the new asset management company, isn’t it? Just like GH Mobile had made its investment in Dyeon Korea before.”

“That’s right. Now, you see how things work.”

“Hehe.”

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin as well

“I need you to send 200 million won to GH Asset Management Company with GH Media’s name. If necessary, you can use 200 million won from my dividend.”

“We can afford to make 200 million won investment, sir. It’s for our own good anyway. Haha.”

Gun-Ho then made a call to his sister in GH Logistics. His sister picked up the phone.

“How much money do you have in GH Logistics right now?”

“We have about 300 million won. We are expecting to receive some payments from our clients the day after tomorrow though.”

“I want you to send 200 million won to GH Asset Management Company. GH Logistics will be making an investment in the asset management company.”

“We need to save money to buy the land through Onbid later, no?”

“Yeah. I will send you money when you buy the land.”

“Okay then. Consider it done.”

Gun-Ho asked GH Development’s Director Kang to send 200 million won to the asset management company.

“We have cash in the reserve for the depreciation cost, right? Let’s take out 200 million won from it and send it to the asset management company. GH Development is going to make an investment of 200 million won in that asset management company.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, I believe that we used the company’s fund when we bought the single house in Bangbae Town at auction. I will send the amount by the end of today.”

“Sounds good, sir.”

Gun-Ho withdrew 20 billion won out of his stock account with Gangbuk Stock Brokerage Company where he had 240 billion won. He then returned the amount that he used to buy the house in Bangbae Town, and he also transferred 8.8 billion won to GH Asset Management Company since he would be owning 88% of it.

The asset management company’s President Geun-Soo Son came to Gun-Ho’s office. He was carrying a bunch of papers.

“What are those?”

“We received 76 job applications in response to our job advertisement. And these are the job applications from the final 10 candidates.”

Gun-Ho looked at the job applications. All of the 10 applicants’ academic background and their work experiences looked splendid.

President Son said, “Since we are only looking for people with previous work experiences, and we clearly stated as such in our job advertisement, the applicants’ ages are in the range from 35 to 40.”

“Hmm.”

All of the candidates graduated from national top universities, a.k.a. SKY, or from the IVY league universities. Some of them had worked in a global investment bank as well. What Gun-Ho found interesting was that most of the candidates in the final list were residents of Gangnam District.

President Son said, “We will have an interview with these 10 candidates the day after tomorrow. It will be held at 10 am. If you could come and join me to interview these people, it will be great.”

“Alright, I will be there. I want you to prepare an envelope with 100,000 won in it for each of those 10 interviewees. We will pay for their transportation. I will send GH Development’s Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to assist the interview process.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Chapter 918 - Distribution of Dividends – Part 1

Chapter 918: Distribution of Dividends – Part 1

Gun-Ho asked GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin to come to his office. He wanted to introduce the asset management company’s President Geun-Soo Son to her.

“I want you to meet President Geun-Soo Son. He will run GH Asset Management Company.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jeong-Sook Shin from GH Media.”

Gun-Ho smiled and said to President Son, “GH Media is one of the shareholders of GH Asset Management Company. It owns 2% of the ownership interest.”

“I will work hard to earn a higher return on your precious investment,” said President Geun-Soo Son as he gave a deep bow to President Jeong-Sook Shin.

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to come to the office, and said, “GH Asset Management Company will conduct an interview with job applicants the day after tomorrow at 10 am. I want you to assist him with the interview process.”

“Yes, sir.”

“There won’t be many people coming for the interview. There will be only 10 interviewees. You can send 3 to 4 people as a group to the interview room at once.”

“Yes, sir.”

Later that day, when Gun-Ho was on his way back to his office from the restroom, President Geun-Soo Son was placing his company’s business sign with the person from a commercial sign company. The business sign was made with the same unified design as all other GH companies had.

Gun-Ho asked, “How did you know that we are using this particular design for all of our GH companies?”

“Mr. Director Kang gave me the contact number for this sign company.”

The business sign—GH Asset Management Company—was in place, and it looked nice.

Two days later, it was GH Asset Management Company’s interview day. President Geun-Soo Son came to GH Development to notify Gun-Ho that the interview would soon start.

“We will have the interview in the meeting room in our office in the asset management company.”

“I see. Let’s go then.”

When Gun-Ho entered the asset management company, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh was already sitting at a desk at the office entrance. She was wearing a light makeup with a business suit.

As he was sitting at the table in the meeting room, Gun-Ho said to President Son with a smile, “Actually, I don’t usually participate in interviewing job candidates even for all other GH companies. I decided to join you today because I didn’t want you to do this by yourself. I don’t want you to feel alone in this.”

“Thank you, sir.”

At that moment, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh came into the meeting room and placed two cups of warm tea on the table.

President Geun-Soo Son said in a low voice, “When I worked for Gangnam Bank, I conducted several interviews to hire staff there. One of the criteria that were used to screen job applicants in Gangnam Bank was their family background.”

“Does family background have to do with their job performance? People can be smart and competent at work regardless of their family background. Isn’t it a sort of discrimination?”

“That’s true. But even so, Gangnam Bank wouldn’t hire someone who was from a poor family even though that candidate graduated from a top university. Bankers are dealing with cash every day all day long, and it was Gangnam Bank’s effort to eliminate any possibilities that could lead their employees to steal their clients’ money. Seeing cash in plain sight could be extremely tempting for certain people.”

Gun-Ho recoiled from the memory that he once put his hand on someone else’s money because he desperately needed money. It was when he worked in an accounting department of YS Tech in Asan City. Gun-Ho then thought that what President Son said kind of made sense.

President Son said in an even lower voice, “Foreign financial institutions that are doing their business in Korea, especially those global investment banking companies, thoroughly review their job applicants’ family background when they hire their employees. I was told that some of them even require a surety, and they want to see the surety’s property and income tax statements.”

Gun-Ho felt bitter while hearing what President Son was saying, as he was himself was born into a poor family.

The interview began.

Most of the interviewees were younger than Gun-Ho by three or four years. They all seemed to be smart with extensive work experiences. Gun-Ho was not sure who he should select since they all looked equally qualified, so he listened to President Son’s opinions most likely. Those workers would be working with President Son anyway, not with Gun-Ho. The final list was reduced to three candidates—two men and one lady.

Gun-Ho suggested, “If you are having a hard time selecting two of those three candidates, why don’t you hire all of the three?”

“Can I do that, sir?”

“You will start the company with a capital of 10 billion won. If you are confident that you will make enough money to pay for those three people’s salaries, then why not? Hire them.”

“I will have to pay them with a relatively high salary since we are in the finance industry. But, I want to hire all of those three people.”

“You will need someone for accounting work and also someone who will handle general affairs, in addition to fund managers.”

“I have someone in mind already for the bookkeeping position. The branch manager of Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company recommended somebody to me.”

“Really? Well, you are the one who will be running this business, so hire the people who you want to work with.”

“Yes, sir.”

GH Asset Management Company finally opened its door for business. Gun-Ho just let President Son operate the business without giving any interruption or involvement. The three new hires were all good-looking and young people. Their presence made the 18th floor brighter and vibrant. Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh started dressing up and wearing makeup when she came to work as two handsome young men were working in the neighboring company.

The Lunar New Year’s Day passed by, and Director Kang let the people move out of the house in Bangbae Town. The previous owner, who resided in that house until then, didn’t request to pay for his moving expenses. But, Gun-Ho gave them the moving expenses of 10 million won through Director Kang. The interior renovations started in the house, and its garden was being landscaped professionally as well. Because it was still winter, they couldn’t plant certain trees in the garden yet though.

Once the renovations and landscaping work were done, Director Kang gave the passcode to the keyless entry lock system of the house to Gun-Ho.

“This passcode is for the front entrance, sir. All other keys for the rooms can be found in the cabinet drawer sitting on your left at the entrance.”

Gun-Ho went to the house accompanied by Director Kang and looked around the interior and exterior of the house. Looking at the spacious garden, Gun-Ho thought that he would want to grill pork belly, maybe during summertime.

“Thank you, Director Kang. The house looks good.”

“I didn’t do the work, sir. The interior design company and landscaping company did all the work.”

“But, still, you had to be here and supervise their work. Thank you.”

Gun-Ho told Young-Eun to place their TowerPalace condo that they were living in right now on the market for sale.

“The single house in Bangbae Town is ready to move in. The interior work is completed. Let’s put this condo on the market to sell. I will take you to the house in Bangbae Town the day after tomorrow. That would be Saturday.”

“I still can’t believe that we will be moving into that house in Bangbae Town. I saw the pictures that you had sent to me. It has a beautiful garden. Is that really our house, oppa?”

“Of course. We will be living there—you and I, and Sang-Min.”

As Gun-Ho confirmed that they would be living in the house in Bangbae Town, Young-Eun smiled broadly. She looked happy.

“I want to see the house as soon as possible. The garden looks so lovely in the picture.”

It was Saturday. Gun-Ho and Young-Eun went to their new house in Bangbae Town. When they arrived at the front entrance, Young-Eun stopped and just stood there with her eyes widened. Gun-Ho, who expected to see Young-Eun jumping around happily, wondered and asked Young-Eun, “What are you doing? Let’s get in.”

“This doesn’t look like a home. It looks more like a government building. It’s huge.”

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Chapter 919 - Distribution of Dividends – Part 2

Chapter 919: Distribution of Dividends – Part 2

Once she was inside the house, Young-Eun checked everything. She opened all the drawers and cabinets and turned on the faucet to see the water flow. She also stared at the control panel of the gas boiler system for heating for a while.

“I can’t wait for summertime. It will be really nice.”

“Does that mean, it’s not that good right now?”

“The house is huge. I guess we should expect to receive a high utility bill.”

Young-Eun was looking at the garden through the large window in the living room. Since it was wintertime, the garden was not greenish even though it was very well organized. But, Young-Eun liked it anyway. The view and the fresh feeling that it was offering seemed to be priceless for Young-Eun who had always lived in a condo.

“Oppa, I’m going to plant flower trees over there. And, you see the juniper tree over there? I will plant a maple tree and a jujube tree next to it.”

Young-Eun looked excited. She was holding her hands up covering her mouth as if she was trying to keep her excitement from leaking out of her body.

She then came close to Gun-Ho and held him with her arms; she kept that position for quite a while. “Oppa, thank you.” She was crying. Gun-Ho wiped the tears off her face with the back of his hand. He then pressed his lips against Young-Eun’s pink lips for a while.

Sometime after Gun-Ho’s family moved into the house in Bangbae Town, they celebrated Sang-Min’s first birthday. Gun-Ho invited his relatives along with his father-in-law and Young-Eun’s aunt in Yangpyeong County. The guests, who came to celebrate the child’s first birthday, were all startled when they saw Gun-Ho’s new house.

“Wow. I’ve never thought that I would see an enormously huge house like this in Bangbae Town, Seoul City.”

Sang-Min was born into a wealthy family. His father was a rich businessman, and his mother was a medical doctor. Sang-Min was wearing a traditional Korean baby boy’s outfit on his first birthday. A table full of food was set. Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui was there to take pictures of the event. He took pictures of the baby and the family.

When the guests were leaving for the day, they all looked satisfied. The place was more than comfortably spacious, and the food was good, and the baby was so cute.

It was March.

Each GH company sent two copies of their external audit document to GH Development addressing Gun-Ho, and they distributed the dividends as previously instructed by Gun-Ho. The first company that distributed its dividends was GH Food Company in China. Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon.

“Mr. Chairman? It’s me. We finished the dividend distribution today.”

“Good. I received your external audit document. You did a good job.”

“I sent you your dividend of 560 million won to your personal bank account. Please verify it when you have time.”

“Hmm, okay.”

“And, as to the number of our dividends, I took 70 million won, and my wife took 70 million won. I’m sorry that Antang Transportation Company didn’t make enough profits to distribute dividends. I’m sure that we will be able to do that next year.”

“Alright. Keep up the good job.”

Gun-Ho then received a call from Min-Hyeok Kim in Suzhou City, China.

“We distributed the dividends today. You will see your 1.71 billion won in your bank account. Check it and let me know. Mine is 90 million won.”

“I guess you will pay off your condo in Suzhou City with the money.”

“It’s almost paid off. I will work harder this year.”

“Alright. Keep up the good work.”

GH Development had no profits to distribute dividends, and so did GH Logistics. GH Media sent Gun-Ho 1.14 billion won for his dividends.

Gun-Ho’s TowerPalace condo was sold, and he had the sales proceeds of 2 billion won in his bank account.

‘If I add all these dividends sent by Min-Hyeok Kim, Jae-Sik Moon, and President Jeong-Sook Shin to the sales proceeds of my condo, it will probably exceed 5 billion won. I guess I will deposit 5 billion won in my account with Gangbuk Stock Brokerage Company.

Wait a minute. It’s March already, and I think I should hear from Huanle Shiji Production Company in Shanghai City soon about my investment return for the movie. I will wait until I receive it, and combine it with 5 billion won before making a deposit.’

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Mobile’s President Song.

“I just want to remind you that GH Mobile is distributing 200 billion won to its shareholders as dividends. That amount includes GH Mobile’s net earnings after tax and the sales proceeds of its ownership interest in Dyeon Korea. Make a resolution of our shareholders meeting accordingly, and keep it in the file.”

“Is the distribution day today, sir?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Okay. I will work on it right away, sir.”

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Mobile’s Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim to let her know as well.

“We are distributing dividends today. We will distribute the sales proceeds of Dyeon Korea, which I’m holding right now. After distributing the dividends, I will send you the transfer receipt.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do not file the relevant transfer tax and other taxes yet, but just prepare the necessary papers for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gun-Ho at first sent 164 billion won to his personal bank account as his dividend from GH Mobile. He then sent 30 billion won to Gongmyeong Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s father—Mr. Beom-Sik Lee. And then, he sent 6 billion won to President Song.

Once the dividend distribution was done, he made a call to A Electronics Group’s CEO Park.

“GH Mobile just finished dividend distribution.”

“Oh, really? I have actually been waiting for your call. How much is Mr. Beom-Sik Lee receiving for his dividend?”

“It’s 30 billion won.”

“Wow! Thank you. Thank you so much. I will give you a call later.”

Gun-Ho thought about giving a call to President Song, and then he decided not to.

“I sent him 6 billion won. He had told me that he would keep only 300 million won out of it and return 5.7 billion won to me. I will see if he keeps his words. Oh, shoot. I shouldn’t test my people. I trust President Song. Even though he keeps the full amount of 6 billion won, I won’t blame him. That’s the trust between a master and servant that I’m looking for.”

Gun-Ho printed out the transfer receipts for the dividends. He scanned it and sent it to Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim via email.

The following day, Gun-Ho was about to send the dividend that he received from GH Mobile to his stock account with Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company when he realized that President Song had already returned 5.7 billion won to him.

“He kept his words, and he precisely kept 300 million won for himself, that was from GH Mobile’s earnings from its business activities, and he returned the remaining 5.7 billion won to me. I shouldn’t have been skeptical about him. He is someone who I do trust. It was my bad that I thought about testing him even for a second.”

Gun-Ho’s bank account was holding the dividends of 3.41 billion won received from Jae-Sik Moon, Min-Hyeok Kim, President Jeong-Sook Shin, and the sales proceeds of 2 billion won by selling his TowerPalace condo, and also the dividend from GH Mobile which was 164 billion won, not to mention the 5.7 billion won that President Song returned to him. In total, he had 175.1 billion won. He moved 170 billion won out of this amount to his stock account with Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company.

‘The previous balance of my account with Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company was 160 billion won. I just transferred an additional 170 billion won to it, so the current balance should be 330 billion won. I have 220 billion won in my account with Gangbuk Stock Brokerage Company, so if I combine them together, I have 550 billion won. That’s the cash that I currently have. I guess that my goal of possessing 1 trillion won wouldn’t be just a dream after all.’

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Chapter 920 - Gift (1) – Part 1

Chapter 920: Gift (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho received a call from Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen in China.

“I’m calling to inform you about the profit-sharing by Yang Guang Pictures, sir.”

“Please go on.”

“You invested 6.5 million dollars in our production company, Mr. Chairman Goo. Your investment fund was 1.5 million dollars for our TV series— Shiguang Ru Meng— and an additional 5 million dollars that you sent to us later.”

“Hmm. The amount of 6.5 million dollars sounds correct.”

In fact, Gun-Ho initially invested 1 billion won in the production of the TV series— Shiguang Ru Meng— and he was supposed to receive 1.5 billion won for his investment retrieval and profits when the TV series were aired. But, at that time, Huanle Shiji Production Company wanted to produce a movie, and Gun-Ho let them use that 1.5 billion won for their movie production.

“We were hoping to see 20 million people coming to watch our movie— Menghuan Yinghua— but it turned out that only a little bit over 10 million people actually watched our movie. Our government liked our movie, and they promoted it, so more and more people saw the movie. However, there was another very popular movie that competed with us, and as a result, we didn’t succeed as much as we initially expected. But, you can still tell that it was successful.”

“So, how much are you saying you made with the movie production?”

“We are returning your investment return of 16.7 million dollars which includes your actual investment fund of 6.5 million dollars.”

It would be approximately 17 billion Korean won. So, with his investment fund of 6 billion won, Gun-Ho made around 10.5 billion won of profits from the production of the TV series and the movie.

“Hmm, really?”

“We will send that amount to you within 3 days, to GH Media’s business bank account that is shown in our contract.”

“Sounds good.”

“And, as for Director Woon-Hak Sim, we desire to continue to work with him, but he wants to discuss it with you, sir, before making his decision.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho didn’t mind Director Woon-Hak Sim continuously working with Huanle Shiji Production Company. However, if he would work with Huanle Shiji Production Company, and Gun-Ho no longer would have a business with them, there was no reason or justification for GH Media to continue to pay Director Woon-Hak Sim his salary in Korea. That could be one of the issues that Gun-Ho could think about from the new arrangement.

‘I’m happy for Director Woon-Hak Sim that the Chinese movie production company recognized his abilities and value, and wants to continuously work with him. But, the salary that they are paying in China alone wouldn’t be enough for Director Woon-Hak Sim once GH Media stops paying him in Korea. GH Media can’t continue to pay him 1.5 million won per month since he wouldn’t be working for us, but he would work for the Chinese movie production company. That’s probably why Director Woon-Hak Sim couldn’t yet give his answer to President Baogang Chen’s job offer.

I wonder what Director Sim wants to discuss with me about. He mentioned a historical movie that he wanted to make, last time we talked. Is he going to ask me to make my investment in that movie production? If so, my investment return of 16.7 million dollars would have to be used in China again, and that means that I won’t see my 16.7 million dollars for a long while.’

Gun-Ho asked President Jeong-Sook Shin to come to his office.

“I just received a call from Huanle Shiji Production Company’s president in China.”

“Oh, really?”

“We made 16.7 million dollars from our investment in the movie, including our investment fund. They will send us that amount within a few days.”

“Wow! Is that right?”

“I believed that I previously sent 6 billion won to GH Media for the TV series and movie investment.”

“That’s correct, sir. You at first transferred 1 billion won, and then an additional 5 billion won later. So, the amount of funds that you sent to GH Media was 6 billion won in total.”

“When you receive the investment return from Huanle Shiji Production Company— they said they would send it within 3 days or so— please set aside 6 billion won of my money, and record the remaining fund as GH Media’s investment profits.”

Gun-Ho continued, “You know what? Director Sim wants to make another movie. We might have to make another investment in a movie production again.”

“Again, sir? That means that GH Media will not have any investment profits this year.”

“They will send us 16.7 million dollars, and it would be around 17 billion won. Setting aside my investment fund of 6 billion won, it will be 11 billion won which will have to be classified as investment profits. If we decide to make another investment in a movie production, we will use that money.”

“So, for the new movie, GH Media will not borrow funds from you, sir, but it will reinvest this investment profits that it just made.”

“That’s correct.”

“Hmm.”

President Jeong-Sook Shin seemed to have a lot going on in her mind.

Gun-Ho said, “But the thing is that I have no intention to make another investment in a movie production, at least for now. There is no guarantee that the movie will succeed. I could lose money this time— it would be the money that we just made. Investing in a movie production is tempting; I can give it that. But, it’s not an area of my expertise. My field is in the manufacturing industry.”

“If you decide not to make another investment in a movie production, what would happen to Director Sim?”

“If that happens, we will have to let him go. GH Media will terminate his employment.”

“Hmm.”

“The Chinese movie production company wants to hire Director Sim. But, as you know, the salary that they pay him is low, and Director Sim seems to hesitate to accept their job offer for that reason. If he decides to work with the Chinese movie production company, he will no longer work with us, and his employment with GH Media will be terminated.”

“Hmm, that’s right, sir.”

Dyeon Korea’s stock price skyrocketed for a while after W Chemical acquired the company, and then it started dropping as the source that made Dyeon Korea as a theme stock in the first place had depleted. Moreover, stock manipulators seem to move on from Dyeon Korea’s stock, and its trading volume became low.

Gongmyeong Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee began actively making his political activities as his slush fund was filled with the dividend money that Gun-Ho had sent.

GH Asset Management Company’s President Geun-Soo Son stopped by Gun-Ho’s office later that day.

“Mr. Chairman, Dyeon Korea’s stock price is currently about 20,000 won. The price was on its peak last December as W Chemicals acquired GH Mobile’s ownership interest in Dyeon Korea. And, then the price has been downward ever since for the past 3 months.”

“I see. I haven’t checked Dyeon Korea’s stock lately.”

“Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s little brother is still working for Dyeon Korea. Do you want me to make our investment in Dyeon Korea’s stock again, sir?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have any useful inside information to make our move for it.”

“If Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee mentions the possibility that he might run for President either directly or indirectly, Dyeon Korea’s stock price will increase again, but he hasn’t said anything about his next move. The trend in the stock market these days is the theme stocks of the opposing party’s politician.”

“I think we should turn our gaze to blue-chip stocks rather than clinging to theme stocks. What do you think? I want you to discuss it with your fund managers and make an investment in the stock market again.”

“We are doing it, but our profit rate is not very satisfactory.”

“But that is what we are supposed to do as an asset management company, isn’t it? For now, focus on not losing any money rather than making profits. That’s more important at this point.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been telling my workers during our daily coffee time in the morning. But the fact that our profit rate is low bothers me. I don’t want to disappoint you, sir.”

“I won’t blame you for it. Don’t worry about it. I want you to keep on doing what you are doing now with your discretion.”

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Chapter 921 - Gift (1) – Part 2

Chapter 921: Gift (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho went back home after work.

Sang-Min was sitting in the living room sucking on his toes, while Yong-Eun was cooking in the kitchen.

“What are you cooking, Young-Eun?”

“Oh, you are home.”

“It smells good.”

“I’m making Korean traditional pancakes.”

During dinner, Young-Eun said to Gun-Ho, “Oppa, what do you think about bringing in a puppy to our family? I sometimes feel scared alone with Sang-Min being in this huge house.”

“A puppy? They shed a lot, don’t they? And, they are not clean either.”

“We can keep the puppy outside in the yard. The weather will be warmer soon.”

“With a puppy at home, Sang-Min will be intrigued by the puppy with his curiosity, and he will keep trying to touch it. I already see two problems there— safety and hygiene.”

“I always dreamed about living in a large single house, but as I’m living in a huge single house right now, I realized that cleaning the house alone is not easy work, not to mention that I feel scared when I’m by myself with the baby.”

“We can always hire a helper lady who can live with us in this house and help you with the house chores.”

“A helper lady who would live with us? That’s a good idea, but will we have enough privacy with her constant presence under the same roof?”

“You can spend more time with me in my study on the second floor. And, maybe we can try to have our second child since Sang-Min is now 1 year old.”

“A second child? With another child, I’m afraid that I will have to stay at home for the rest of my life as a full-time mom raising 2 kids. I won’t be able to work as a medical doctor ever again.”

“You don’t have to work. I’m making enough money for our family.”

“It’s not just money that I want from working as a medical doctor. I want my own career as well. I got my education, and I want to utilize it, and participate in the society that way. I have my own achievement need too.”

“I still think we should have another child. I don’t want Sang-Min to grow as an only child. He will feel lonely.”

The possibility that Sang-Min could grow up lonely seemed to touch Young-Eun’s heart. Young-Eun looked lost in thought for a while.

Gun-Ho continued, “Some people say that if a house is too big given the number of people living in it, its energy could dominate the people’s energy, who are living there. I want you to find a helper lady who can live with us in this house. And, let’s have one more child too. Then, you won’t feel this house is so big anymore.”

“Hmm.”

“And, let’s plant a maple tree and a jujube tree in the yard as you said before. Our children will enjoy playing in the garden, which will be very nice. I’m sure that you will love watching our kids at home rather than taking care of sick patients in the clinic.”

“Hmm.”

“By the way, it’s much easier now to commute to the clinic that you work for, from this house, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. But, I think I will lose my job soon.”

“How come?”

“They are moving to Suwon City soon.”

“Suwon City? Why are they moving? They are not making enough money in this area or something?”

“Since it’s within Gangnam District, the lease rent for the clinic space is expensive. And, they are having a hard time finding workers in this area too.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Oh, oppa, if you have time tomorrow, let’s go to the Seoul Arts Center with me.”

“The Seoul Arts Center? I have to work tomorrow.”

“My aunt in Yangpyeong County is having an art exhibition there with other artists.”

“Oh, really? Let’s go there on Saturday then.”

“The exhibition will end on Friday…”

“Okay then, I will make time for a few hours tomorrow then.”

“I will meet you in front of Seoul High School around 2 pm tomorrow.”

“Why are we meeting there? We can meet at the Seoul Arts Center.”

“I won’t drive my car tomorrow. Finding a parking space in that area is extremely stressful, so I will take a bus instead, and I will get off in front of Seoul High School.”

“Really? Alright then. I will meet you there.”

The next day, Gun-Ho picked up Young Eun at the entrance of Seoul High School, and they headed to the Seoul Arts Center. The art exhibition was jointly held by several artists. And, they couldn’t find Young-Eun’s aunt there that day.

It occurred to Gun-Ho that maybe he should buy a painting there. He wanted to hang a painting on the empty wall in his huge house. Also, if he bought Young-Eun’s aunt’s painting, that would also help Young-Eun’s aunt financially. Gun-Ho asked one of the staff at the exhibition about the price of one of Young-Eun’s aunt’s watercolor paintings.

“This particular artist depicts Korean farm village strikingly well. And, this painting here is 2.5 million won. If you sign the contract to buy the painting and send us the price, we will ship the painting to your address once this art exhibition closes.”

As seeing Gun-Ho buying her aunt’s painting, Young-Eun’s eyes widened, and then she looked delighted.

“Thank you, oppa. My aunt will be extremely pleased that you bought her painting.”

Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun, “You are done for the day, right?”

“Yeah, I can go straight home.”

Gun-Ho was driving heading to the house in Bangbae Town with Young-Eun. He asked her, “Where is the clinic that you are working for right now?”

“Do you see an intersection over there? If you make a right turn there, you will see a building with a coffee shop on the second floor. The clinic is in the same building.”

The building where the clinic was located was a small building, and the clinic was on its third floor. Gun-Ho thought that it was not a good location for a clinic.

“The location doesn’t seem to be good for a clinic business, but the building owner still asks for a high rent, huh?”

“Yeah. The location is not good, and the landlord keeps raising the rent. That’s why the clinic wants to move to another location.”

“I think the building across the street looks good.”

“That’s an office building. They won’t lease a space to a clinic.”

“Someone can buy the entire building, then lease a space to the clinic then.”

“Buying the entire building? That building is not for sale. And, who’s going to be able to buy a building like that, unless an owner family of a conglomerate. And, I don’t think they would sell the building anyway.”

“Hmm, probably so.”

The following day, Gun-Ho prepared three checks of 100 million won. He then went to GH Mobile for the first time in a long time.

As his Bentley was passing the gate, the security guard opened the gate and gave a military salute to Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho got out of the car once his Bentley stopped in front of the building entrance. He then went up to his old office. It was now being used by President Song.

“Sir, you are here,” said President Song who was sitting at the middle of a conference table. When he saw Gun-Ho entering the office, he quickly stood up from his seat to greet him. He showed his seat to Gun-Ho.

Gun-Ho sat at the seat where President Song was sitting before he came in.

He then said, “I saw you returned 5.7 billion won, Mr. President Song.”

“Oh, that. Of course, sir. It’s not my money anyway.”

“We might not be able to distribute dividends for the next 3 years, President Song. Will it be okay with you?”

“Well, even though we won’t distribute dividends for the next 10 years, that money is not mine, sir.”

Gun-Ho smiled and gave an envelope to President Song.

“I’m pretty sure that we won’t make any dividend distribution for the next 3 years. And, in the meanwhile, I will compensate you with 100 million won per year. This is 300 million won for you for those 3 years. I want you to have it.”

“You shouldn’t do this, sir.”

“There is a gift that I want to receive from you in exchange for this though, President Song.”

“Well, I actually have a gift for you.”

“What is it?”

“Tell me what gift that you want to receive from me first, sir?”

“Let’s then write down the gift that we have in mind on our palms.”

“Shall we?”

The two men wrote down the gift that they were thinking about, on their palms with a sharpie. The scene reminded of a scene in Romance of the Three Kingdoms where Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu did before the Battle of Red Cliffs.

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Chapter 922 - Gift (2) – Part 1

Chapter 922: Gift (2) – Part 1

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the state of Shu Han’s Zhuge Liang and Wu’s Zhou Yu presented their war strategy by writing it down on their palms, and showed it to each other. They were fighting against Cao Cao’s army at that time. When they each showed his palm to the other, they figured that both of them had written the same word, “Fire.” They both thought of the same strategy for the Battle of Red Cliffs. As they were surprised by knowing that the other person was thinking about the exact same tactics, Zhou Yu determined that he would have to kill Zhuge Liang later because Zhuge Liang seemed to be so smart that he might be a threat to him in the future.

Just like Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Gun-Ho and President Song opened their palms and showed it to each other. They both wrote the same word, “Building.” They looked at each other’s faces with a surprised look. President Song said, “I am so impressed, sir.”

Gun-Ho laughed and said, “Mr. President Song, you are an amazing businessman. You are indeed one of the best strategists in this industry.”

“Am I qualified to be your Zhang Liang, sir?”

“You are more than qualified, Mr. President Song.”

At that moment, Secretary Hee-Jeong Park brought two cups of green tea to the office. While having his tea, President Song said, “GH Mobile currently has a debt of 35 billion won. Since we used the proceeds that we made from the Dyeon Korea acquisition in distributing dividends, we will be able to use our operating income to pay some of the debt this time. We will use 5 billion won to reduce our debt, so GH Mobile’s debt would be 30 billion won.”

“Hmm.”

“GH Mobile made a sales revenue of 187.4 billion won with net earnings of 13.3 billion won last year, and it will continue to generate that much or even more. A debt of 30 billion won for a company like this is nothing. GH Mobile’s current credit rating is A0; it was A-. Our major bank told me that they are willing to lend us as much funds as we need.”

“Hmm.”

President Song continued, “Let GH Mobile acquire GH Building in Sinsa Town, sir. We will buy the building assuming its debt.”

Gun-Ho replied, “But, its debt is so high. It’s almost 150 billion won.”

“Its monthly loan interest is being covered by its rental income from the building. Even if we decide to take an additional loan of 100 billion won, GH Mobile will be able to handle it. With the loan of 100 billion won at a loan interest rate of 6%, the loan interest is only 6 billion won per year. It will be 500 million won per month.”

“GH Mobile’s net earnings after tax last year was 13.3 billion won. How much were its net earnings before tax?”

“It was 17.1 billion won. GH Mobile can set aside 6 billion won out of this 17.1 billion won to pay the loan interest. A bank surely would know that GH Mobile is more than able to handle that much loan.”

The word, “Building” that both Gun-Ho and President Song had written on their palms earlier meant GH Building in Sinsa Town. Gun-Ho wanted to sell that building to GH Mobile, and GH Mobile’s President Song explicitly expressed his willingness to take over that building knowing that Gun-Ho would want it.

Gun-Ho had acquired GH Building in Sinsa Town for 205 billion won. In preparing this 205 billion won at that time, Gun-Ho paid 40 billion won out of his pocket, took out a loan of 150 billion won from a bank, and he finally added 15 billion won that came from security deposits of the tenants in the building. If Gun-Ho sells GH Building to GH Mobile now assuming that GH Mobile would buy it with its current loan attached to it, Gun-Ho would get his 40 billion won back. In addition, since Gun-Ho was the major shareholder of GH Mobile anyway, even after GH Mobile acquired GH Building, Gun-Ho would be able to continue to use the building as he had done.

GH Mobile didn’t have a whole lot of money in the reserve after it had distributed a substantial amount of money to its shareholders recently. However, GH Mobile didn’t have a lot of debt on its own given its high and stable sales revenue. Therefore, President Song determined that the company was more than able to bear an additional debt. When President Song mentioned that GH Mobile could take out an additional loan of 100 billion won even after it acquired GH Building, he implied that GH Mobile wouldn’t have any problems giving 40 billion won to Gun-Ho, and also that it could even afford to give out more than 40 billion won.

After taking a sip of his tea, President Song said, “When you bought GH Building, you probably received an appraisal. It has been two years since then, and I’m sure that the value of that building has increased. So, I recommend that you get a new appraisal reflecting that building’s current value. When you do that, try to get the value as high as possible. GH Mobile will acquire the building for that high price as the new appraisal would indicate.”

Gun-Ho smiled. That was exactly what Gun-Ho wanted, and President Song explicitly stated that for him. Gun-Ho appreciated it.

“Sure. I will have it appraised.”

Gun-Ho took out GH Mobile’s bank book which he was holding until now. That was for the newly opened bank account where GH Mobile had received the sales proceeds of its ownership interest in Dyeon Korea.

“This is the bank account where we received the acquisition proceeds of Dyeon Korea. Its initial balance was 272 billion won, and after we distributed 200 billion won to the shareholders as dividends, it was reduced to 72 billion won. I want you to keep this account and use the funds to pay transfer tax and corporate tax later. I will give you its OTP device as well.”

President Song took the bank book with two hands showing his respect to Gun-Ho. He then called for Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim.

When Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim entered the office, President Song handed the bank book and the OTP device to her, and he said, “This is one of our bank accounts’ book that Mr. Chairman just handed to us. We received the sales proceeds of Dyeon Korea through this account. We then used 200 billion won to distribute dividends. The account is currently holding 72 billion won.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want you to keep this bank book in the office, and use the funds in the account when we have to pay for the transfer tax and corporate tax. If the amount of the taxes is too high to pay at once, you can make a request to the government for an installment payment plan.”

“Understood, sir.”

Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim, who picked up the bank book, gave a 90-degree bow to both Gun-Ho and President Goo, and then she walked out of the office.

After Accounting Director Kim left the office, Gun-Ho stood up from his seat getting ready to leave as well. That office was no longer Gun-Ho’s, but it was being used by President Song, and Gun-Ho had no reason to prolong his stay there unnecessarily.

“I’d better get going now. I will be heading back to Seoul after briefly stopping by GH Machines.”

“I believe that GH Machines is very busy right now with the new product order from S Group, with their Ring Cable. They would make 500 million won in the first month, but it will gradually increase until it reaches 10 billion won.”

“I’m sure that Jong-Suk Park is excited about the new product order.”

“And, this is…,” mumbled President Song as he was determining the contents of the envelope that Gun-Ho had given to him earlier.

Gun-Ho said, “That is the compensation that I prepared for you for the next three years since you won’t receive your dividends for a while. I want you to accept it. I received a huge gift from you today anyway.”

“Well, sir, if you insist. Thank you.”

President Song slipped the envelope with 300 million won in it into the inner pocket of his jacket. He then gave a deep bow to Gun-Ho.

This year, President Song made an extra 600 million won in total– 300 million won was his dividend, and another 300 million won was from Gun-Ho contemplating the possible upcoming years without a dividend. President Song looked excited with an additional income of 600 million won.

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Chapter 923 - Gift (2) – Part 2

Chapter 923: Gift (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho headed to GH Machines with his chauffeur— Chan-Ho Eom. When he entered the president’s office, Jong-Suk Park was not there. At that moment, the interpreter lady— Ms. Mi-Ran Yang— came to Gun-Ho and greeted him. She saw Gun-Ho several times in the office before.

Gun-Ho asked her, “Where is the president?”

“He is in the production site, sir. You will find him in the area where all the assembly work is done.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Gun-Ho went to the production site. The workers there were inserting double metal rings to GH Mobile’s products. There were about 20 of them. Jong-Suk Park was standing next to the worker who was inspecting final products.

“They look good,” said Gun-Ho.

“Mr. Chairman, you came.”

Jong-Suk Park seemed to be in a good mood. He was smiling broadly.

“Let’s go to my office.”

Gun-Ho and Jong-Suk Park were walking toward the president’s office when they ran into the plant manager— Yanagi Masatoshi. He seemed to be on his way back to work after stopping by the restroom.

“Hello, Sajjo-san (Mr. President). Oh, I should say Kaichou-san.”

“How have you been, Mr. Yanagi Masatoshi?”

“I’m doing great, sir. Mr. President Park has been very kind to me.”

“Since we have you here, I don’t worry a thing about the products that are being shipped to Isehara Machines.”

“Haha. Thank you, sir.”

As Gun-Ho sat on the sofa in the president’s office, Jong-Suk Park called for the Japanese interpreter lady worker— Ms. Mi-Ran Yang.

“Please bring us two cups of black tea.”

After a moment, Ms. Mi-Ran Yang came to the office and placed the tea on the table. As she walked out of the office, Jong-Suk Park said, indicating the lady worker who just left the office, “She is being very helpful around here lately. I hired her as an interpreter for the Japanese workers here, but since she doesn’t have to do the interpretation work for them all day long, she does other work too. She works as a secretary when we have visitors, and she is also taking care of our general affairs as well.”

“Really?”

“She records the number of days that each of our production workers worked for. She also calculates the wages for them. I think I should promote her to a manager or something next year.”

“It’s nice to have a competent worker in the office.”

“Bro, our sales have increased a lot, I mean really a lot. We are making 1 billion won per month now. Hehe.”

“GH Mobile’s President Song told me that GH Machines’ sales revenue from S Group’s product order will soon increase from 500 million won to 1 billion won.”

“Hehe. I’m planning to hire 10 more workers for the work. We are currently doing some assembly work, but that’s not GH Machines’ job. We are doing it because we need work. I’m trying to get into the defense industry to earn a business there.”

“Is that right?”

“Our new sales manager— Mr. Hee-Young Noh— is contacting H Heavy Industries. We want to provide them with screws and valves.”

“Really?”

“Manager Noh already procured a new client— Army Logistics Command. The amount that we will make from it is not much for now, but I believe that if we persistently do a business with them, we will later earn a large project from them.”

“Hmm, I see. Does he have a connection with the Army Logistics Command?”

“The bidding on a government project is done publicly these days while it had usually done through a connection in the past. We made our bid for the work on their website—Korea Defense Online E-Procurement System. It’s a 20 million won project for us.”

“Is that work for Public Procurement Service?”

“It’s different. It’s actually for the Ministry of National Defense.”

“How many clients do you have right now then?”

“We Isehara Machines; we make about 200 million won from the work for them. For Dyeon Korea, we don’t get work regularly, so I can say that we make 150 million won per month. And, now, we make 500 million won with S Group’s product work, and with other small services that we provide here and there, we make an additional 150 million won. So, we generate 1 billion won on a monthly basis now.”

“That doesn’t sound bad at all.”

“I feel very hopeful these days. I want to grow this company, so, someday, I can make GH Machines go public. And, I want to acquire a company in the heavy industry later.”

“Haha. I like your goal.”

The following day, Gun-Ho went to work in GH Building, Sinsa Town.

He called for Director Kang.

“We don’t have a current appraisal of this building, do we?”

“The only appraisal that we have is the one that we received when we bought the building, sir.”

“I want you to have the building appraised again then. We will use the appraisal in taking out a loan from a bank. So, we want to receive as high appraised value as possible.”

“A loan, sir? But GH Development can’t handle an additional loan payment, sir.”

“I have a plan. Don’t worry about it. Just get a new appraisal.”

“Are you trying to…”

“You want to ask me if I plan to sell this building? Haha. I won’t. Don’t worry.”

Director Kang seemed to be startled for a moment. If Gun-Ho sold the building to a third party, he would probably lose his job.

As he was trying to calm himself, Director Kang said, “The price of real properties in Gangnam District recently increased greatly. I’m sure that this building’s value has increased enormously too.”

After Director Kang left the office, Gun-Ho made a call to A Electronics Group’s CEO Park.

“It’s Gun-Ho Goo. Can we talk?”

“Sure.”

“Since a massive amount of funds was distributed among the GH Mobile’s shareholders already, I think it’s better for ‘him’ to dispose of his ownership interest in GH Mobile. Because of a huge amount of taxes that the company is facing now as a result, we won’t be able to distribute dividends for the next several years anyway.”

“Hmm, I see your point, and I understand your view. I will discuss it with the relevant party, and I will give you a call.”

“When he acquired the ownership interest in GH Mobile, he paid with his personal funds. I will return that amount.”

“How much was it?”

“It was 750 million won for his 15% ownership interest.”

“Alright.”

Two days later, an appraisal and assessment institute conducted an appraisal on GH Building. And, later that day, Gun-Ho received a call from A Electronics Group’s CEO Park.

“Mr. Chairman Goo? It’s A Electronics’ CEO Park.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I discussed it with him. He agreed to transfer his ownership interest of 15% in GH Mobile to you.”

“Really? Thank you.”

When CEO Park said that “he” agreed to transfer the ownership interest to Gun-Ho, he was referring to Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s father— Mr. Beom-Sik Lee. He was holding a 15% ownership interest in GH Mobile, and GH Mobile was a company with a capital of 5 billion won. Gun-Ho wanted to cease the connections with politics if possible. Once a new administration arrived, things could change in an unexpected way, and Gun-Ho didn’t want to put himself and his business in a position that could be swayed by politics. He helped them in every way he could, and he didn’t want to continue to be involved with politics.

CEO Park said, “You are going to send him 750 million won after he transfers that ownership interest to you, right?”

“Of course, I will make sure that he receives that amount.”

“Alright then.”

“I will send you the contract to transfer the ownership interest via express mail. After having him sign the contract, please send it back to me. Also, I will need a copy of his certificate of seal impression as well.”

“No problem. I will take care of it.”

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Chapter 924 - Dissolution of GH Development (1) – Part 1

Chapter 924: Dissolution of GH Development (1) – Part 1

It was almost the end of March. The weather was getting warmer as spring was around the corner.

GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin called Gun-Ho to give him a report about the investment return that they received from Huanle Shiji Production Company in China, for their investment in the movie production. An amount of 17 billion won was received in GH Media’s business bank account.

Gun-Ho could hear President Shin’s excited voice over the phone.

“Mr. Chairman, now I can tell how immensely lucrative the movie industry could be. So, a successful movie can bring in this much revenue. It seems to be more lucrative than a publishing business.”

“The thing is that it’s not easy to be successful in the movie industry, and it is a very risky business. You have to be very careful with it.”

“Well, the money is in our business bank account now. I will keep it safe there. Haha.”

“Please do so.”

Since he collected his investment return, Gun-Ho wanted to inform that to Director Seukang Li in Shanghai City, China. He was the one who had connected Gun-Ho to this investment opportunity and who had also helped him throughout the process, after all.

“Wei, Ni Hao! Director Seukang Li?”

“Oh, Chairman Goo. It has been a while. How have you been?”

“I just received my investment return for the movie—Menghuan Yinghua. I wanted to say thank you for all of your help.”

“I actually received the report about it from Huanle Shiji Production Company as well. Congratulations.”

“I want to buy you a drink, friend. Maybe I will go on a trip to China in the near future.”

“Haha. Sounds great.”

Not just a drink, but Gun-Ho was indeed willing to offer even monetary support to Director Seukang Li to show his gratitude to him for everything that he had done for him. Even though Seukang Li was a high-ranked government officer in China, he was a government employee who was receiving a relatively not-so-great salary.

Gun-Ho was sitting on the sofa in his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He was actually waiting for the appraisal report on the building that he was sitting on. A moment later, someone knocked on his office’s door. Gun-Ho thought that it was Director Kang since he was expecting him. But surprisingly, it was Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“Huh? Director Sim? I didn’t know that you are in Korea.”

“I arrived here yesterday, sir.”

“Please have a seat. You have done a great job in China.”

Gun-Ho asked Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to bring some tea to the office.

Director Woon-Hak Sim sat on the sofa in an acute polite position with his hands on his lap, and said, “Sir, I came here to ask you to help me produce a historical movie that I talked to you about last time. You won’t regret the decision to make an investment in this movie production. I’m sure that this movie will be a success. In fact, it has every factor that would make this movie successful; it’s trendy and appealing to Chinese people’s sentiment. Moreover, its scenario was written by the famous screenwriter—Ms. Ailing Feng. As you now know well, most movies with her scenario have been successful, including our last movie—Menghuan Yinghua.”

“Hmm.”

“The movie scenario is already completed. And, Menghuan Yinghua’s Director Yan Wu will participate in the movie production. The entire movie production team for Menghuan Yinghua will work with me. You can assume that the pre-production stage is already done. We can show the movie before this year ends.”

“I don’t know. I am a businessman in the manufacturing industry, and I’m not so interested in the movie production business.”

“Mr. Chairman, the title of the movie is Kang Wo Yingxiong (anti-Japanese hero). As China is currently experiencing conflicts with the U.S. and Japan, patriotism is still trendy in China. The government will also help promote a movie like that.”

“Hmm.”

Director Sim continued, “It’s a historical movie with Joseon Dynasty’s Admiral Sun-Sin Yi, Japan’s Konishi Yukinaga, and China’s Admiral Chen Lin in it, not to mention China’s Admiral Deng Zilong. Each of them—Sun-Sin Yi, Konishi Yukinaga, Chen Lin, and Deng Zilong—are greatly admired by their people in their countries, and they all have their own statutes in their countries as well. The movie will be posing questions such as ‘what really means a war between neighboring countries,’ and also ‘how much and what sort of damages and injuries would it cause to the country’s citizens and soldiers.'”

“I don’t know. I am not so intrigued by it.”

Director Woon-Hak Sim continued to make his sales pitch; this time, it was more vigorous and supposedly more effective, “Mr. Chairman, our lead female role will be played by Ms. Mori Aikko. In her previous movie—Menghuan Yinghua—she played the role of a geisha who betrayed her country for love, but in this movie—Wo Yingxiong (anti-Japanese hero)—she would sacrifice herself for her country—Japan.”

“Hmm.”

“In planning to produce this movie, Huanle Shiji Production Company’s President Baogang Chen and Director Yan Wu absolutely agreed on everything that this movie would offer, and Mr. Director Seukang Li also said that it would be great if a movie like this one is produced. Mr. Chairman, this movie’s success is guaranteed. We’ve spent 6 months planning this movie.”

“Well, I’m not sure. I am really not interested in making another investment in a movie production.”

As Gun-Ho seemed to be clearly unconvinced even after his strong sales pitch, Director Woon-Hak Sim stood up from his seat and then kneeled on the carpeted floor in front of Gun-Ho.

“Sir, please help me.”

As Director Woon-Hak Sim kneeled on the floor, Gun-Ho was startled.

“What… Please don’t do this.”

“Sir, Huanle Shiji Production Company wouldn’t totally take over this movie’s production this time, but I intend to establish a separate business entity for it. In other words, its revenues and expenses will be transparent. Please help me.”

Gun-Ho was perplexed as a man, who was more than 10 years older than him, kneeled on the floor before him.

“Please get up. It won’t resolve anything.”

It reminded Gun-Ho of his old self when he had kneeled on the floor in YS Tech’s president office years ago. He, at that time, touched the company’s money and begged for the company’s president’s forgiveness while kneeling on the floor with his head on the floor as well.

“You are a lot older than me, Director Sim. This makes me feel very uncomfortable. Alright, I will review your proposal.”

As Gun-Ho said that he would think about it, Director Sim got up and sat on the sofa.

Gun-Ho took some time to think about what Director Sim proposed with his eyes closed. After a while, as he opened his eyes, Gun-Ho said, “I want you to go back to China and open a separate investment company. And, try to find investors and get funding from them. If you are still short of production cost then, I will fill that gap by making an investment in your movie.”

“Thank you, sir. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.”

“But, I don’t want you to use the name of GH for your new investment company though. I don’t want to be continuously involved in that business.”

“Got it, sir.”

Later that day, the appraisal on GH Building finally came out.

GH Development’s Director Kang brought the appraisal to Gun-Ho’s office.

“How much is it?”

“Its value has increased a lot, sir. It is now worth 285 billion won. The assessed value of its land is high.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

Gun-Ho closely looked at the appraisal document.

After finishing his review of the document, Gun-Ho smiled and said, as he was crossing his legs, “You know President Song in GH Mobile, right, Mr. Director Kang?”

“I’ve seen him several times, but I haven’t really had a chance to actually talk with him.”

“I want you to take this appraisal to GH Mobile in Jiksan Town.”

“Me, sir?”

“Yes. I want you and President Song to get to know each other.”

“But, he is in the manufacturing industry. I don’t see any connections between him and me, sir.”

“I’m going to have GH Mobile acquire this building, like selling it to them.”

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Chapter 925 - Dissolution of GH Development (1) – Part 2

Chapter 925: Dissolution of GH Development (1) – Part 2

GH Development’s Director Kang was surprised when Gun-Ho told him that he would sell GH Building to GH Mobile.

“Huh? Are you selling this building, sir?”

“Of course I will keep everyone here and the office as it is now. GH Development will be dissolved, and this office will become part of GH Mobile like its building management department or something. So, this building will be GH Mobile’s property, and you will continuously stay here and work in the same office.”

“Oh, I see.”

“This office will be under President Song’s management, and that would be a big change that you will all soon experience, and you also will have to adjust yourselves to that change. However, your salary will increase. Mr. Director Kang, you will be an executive officer of GH Mobile that has 600 workers. It is a big promotion for you since you are promoted from an executive officer of a small company with a few workers, which generates only a small amount of annual sales revenue to an executive officer of GH Mobile. You will be a director of a manufacturing company that makes a yearly sales revenue of 180 billion won. So, even though you will have to go through the possibly onerous process of adjustment, please understand my decision, thinking that you will be compensated with a big raise in your salary.”

“Would you like me to visit GH Mobile by traveling to Jiksan Town today with the appraisal, sir?”

“Please make sure that you talk to President Song on the phone first before making the trip.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Director Kang left the office carrying the appraisal, Gun-Ho made a call to President Song.

“We have the current appraisal on GH Building.”

“How much is it worth now, sir?”

“It’s 285 billion won.”

“What did you say the loan amount was, sir?”

“It’s 150 billion won. The security deposits of the tenants in the building are 15 billion won.”

“Give me one second, sir. Let me make the calculation.”

“So, after subtracting its current loan of 150 billion won and the security deposits of 15 billion won from the current value of the building—285 billion won—we have 120 billion won left.”

“That sounds correct.”

“Okay, sir. After GH Mobile acquires GH Building, we will take out an additional loan of 120 billion won from a bank, and we will send that amount of money to you, Mr. Chairman. Maybe, it’s better that we send that additional loan amount to GH Development’s business bank account first, and then as the company is dissolved, the money would be sent to your personal bank account.”

“We will see a high transfer tax, won’t we?”

“Haha. I believe so, sir.”

“And, you remember Director Kang here in GH Development, right?”

“I think I’ve seen him several times before.”

“He will bring the appraisal document to GH Mobile today.”

“Alright, sir. I’m going to ask him to bring GH Development’s registered stamp as well. While he is here, we can make the sales and purchase contract.”

“That’s so quick. Haha. Well, thank you.”

“And, I will introduce him to the executive officers here as well.”

“As GH Mobile acquires GH Building, I want it to keep everyone here in GH Development too. You can let them keep the same job titles.”

“Understood, sir.”

“And, pay their salaries to the same level as GH Mobile’s.”

“Alright. The thing is that since GH Development’s workers will be recorded as new hires with GH Mobile, it will be difficult for us to keep their retirement plan with continuity.”

“I will let GH Development prepare their severance package before it is dissolved. You won’t have to worry about it then.”

“Thank you, sir. I will discuss the details with Director Kang once he gets here.”

Director Kang was about to make a call to President Song. President Song would be his new boss soon, so Director Kang wanted to give a good impression to him. He cleared his voice before making the call.

“Hello, sir. I am GH Development’s Director Kang.”

“Oh, Mr. Director Kang. I received a call from Mr. Chairman about the matters.”

“I can bring the appraisal document to GH Mobile now. Will you be available this afternoon, sir?”

“Sure. Please come down to Jiksan Town. I will be in my office. And, when you come, I want you to bring a few other documents as well. Please bring GH Development’s registered stamp, a copy of its business license, and business registration.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and I want to see the list of the current workers of GH Development as well.”

“No problem, sir.”

Director Kang put all the necessary documents in a large envelope, and then he entered Gun-Ho’s office before leaving for Jiksan Town.

“Sir, I’m ready to leave now.”

“Did you talk with President Song on the phone?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did he ask you to bring the company’s registered stamp as well?”

“Yes, he did, sir.”

“When you get there, if they ask you to make the sales and purchase contract, you can just stamp on it on behalf of GH Development.”

“Sales and purchase contract, sir? Oh, okay, sir.”

Gun-Ho was leaning back on the sofa. He was doing the math about how much he would have in cash once GH Mobile acquired GH Building, and once President Song sent him the additional loan of 120 billion won using GH Building as collateral.

‘I have 330 billion won in Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company. And, with Gangbuk Stock Brokerage Company, I have 220 billion won. Once I receive 120 billion won after GH Building is acquired by GH Mobile, the total cash that I have will be 670 billion won.

Since I have already 670 billion won, I feel confident that I will be able to achieve my goal of 1 trillion won in the future. It would be easier with “Gongmyeong Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s mouth” that was promised to me. It has been a hard and long journey for me to come this far. I’m going to focus on making 1 trillion won first for now, and then I will worry about the relevant taxes and making a gift to my family or things like that later.

I think that it’s time for me to hire professionals at this point, like a legal team and business planning team. I will need their knowledge, analysis, and opinions. I don’t have a good education, and I am not very knowledgeable in a lot of things, but I can still use someone else’s.’

Director Kang arrived at GH Mobile and met with President Song.

President Song said as he was reviewing the appraisal document, “We can’t get a higher appraised price on this, can we?”

“No, sir. It’s the maximum amount that we could get, sir.”

“You brought the company’s registered stamp, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did, sir.”

President Song made a call to Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim and asked her to come to the office.

“Please come to my office with our registered stamp now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim came to President Song’s office with GH Mobile’s registered stamp.

President Song turned his gaze to Director Kim and said, “You haven’t met Mr. Director Kang from GH Development in Seoul, have you?”

Director Kim looked at Director Kang.

“It’s my first time to meet him, sir.”

“He has been working with Mr. Chairman Goo for a long time. We are acquiring GH Development’s GH Building. We will make the sales and purchase contract today. The acquisition price is 285 billion won.”

“285 billion won, sir?”

“I will take care of the necessary loan to pay for the building. I want you to meet Director Kang, Ms. Director Kim. He will be working with us. Well, the entire GH Development will be absorbed into GH Mobile.”

“Oh, is that right?”

Director Min-Hwa Kim looked at Director Kang and said, “It’s very nice to meet you.”

Director Kang quickly stood up from his seat and said, “I look forward to working with you.”

Director Kim said, “I know the accounting manager in GH Development—Ms. Manager Hong. We have a regular meeting among the accounting workers in GH Companies.”

“Oh, really?”

President Song pulled out the sales and purchase agreement for GH Building and placed it on the table. It was previously prepared by him.

“Let’s make the contract now.”

Director Min-Hwa Kim and Director Kang stamped on the contract with GH Mobile’s and GH Development’s registered stamps before President Song.

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Chapter 926 - Dissolution of GH Development (2) – Part 1

Chapter 926: Dissolution of GH Development (2) – Part 1

President Song asked Director Kang, “Do you have, by any chance, documents like a copy of the building’s real estate register, GH Development’s certificate of a registered seal, or a building register, with you?”

“Yes, I do have them with me.”

Director Kang showed all of the documents that he had brought to President Song. President Song said as he was thoroughly reviewing the documents, “You are very well prepared, Mr. Director Kang. Do you mind me asking where you worked when you were younger? I mean before you joined GH Development?”

“I worked in a bank as a deputy general manager. After I quit that job, I opened my own real estate office—I had my real estate license—and I met Mr. Chairman at that time.”

“Hmm, I see. That’s why you are very meticulous with the work that you are doing.”

President Song handed all the documents that Director Kang had brought to Accounting Director Min-Hwa Kim, and said to her, “Take all of these documents. And, give them to the certified legal consultant’s office that we are working with, and let them start the process with the building acquisition.”

“Yes, sir.”

President Song then called for the general affairs director.

“Mr. Director, I want you to meet Mr. Director Kang here. He is from GH Development in Seoul. As we are acquiring GH Building that GH Development is managing right now, Mr. Director Kang will be working with us.”

“Oh, really? It’s very nice to meet you. I’m General Affairs Director Joon-Young Choi.”

“I’m Seong-Il Kang. Pleasure meeting you.”

President Song looked at Director Kang and said, “You also brought us the list of GH Development’s workers, right?”

“Yes, I did. Here it is.”

President Song handed the list to the general affairs director. There were about 15 people’s names listed.

“All of these people will be GH Mobile’s employees. Their employment with GH Mobile will start April 1st.”

“Understood, sir,” said the general affairs director.

“And, for those who are holding management positions like an assistant manager or a manager, include them in our company’s salary class accordingly.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Director Kang here will join our executive meetings from now on as one of GH Mobile’s executive officers. So, whenever we have an executive meeting scheduled, inform him about it. GH Development will be dissolved, and their current office and personnel will be absorbed into GH Mobile’s new department—the building management department.”

“Yes, sir.”

“For further details and implementation, I want you to discuss them with Director Kang.”

“Understood, sir.”

President Song then took Director Kang to the production site. And, he introduced him to the product quality director, production director, and the chief research officer respectively. It was not the first time that Director Kang visited GH Mobile’s production site, but he felt like something was different from the last time.

‘I can see that the number of machines along with the number of workers in the production site has increased. This is huge. I just don’t understand how Chairman Gun-Ho Goo established this factory in only a few years. He and I used to purchase a few office-tels and manage those small residential buildings in Gangnam District. I had no idea that he was building a large business like this.’

President Song was thinking about Gun-Ho Goo at that time as well.

‘Once Chairman Goo gets 120 billion won after selling GH Building to GH Mobile, he will have cash of about 300 billion won combined with the dividend that he recently received. Wow. 300 billion won… That is an enormous amount of money. I can’t believe he is holding that much cash at his young age. He is indeed one of the big players in Gangnam District.’

The fact was that Gun-Ho would own cash of 670 billion won, not 300 billion won, after receiving the 120 billion won as a result of the GH Building acquisition. President Song had no idea about it. Well, it was not just President Song, but no one in the world knew that Gun-Ho would have 670 billion won in cash.

President Song said as he was walking in the factory yard with Director Kang, “GH Development is currently using the 18th floor of GH Building for its office space, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir. The 18th floor is occupied by GH Development’s office, the chairman’s office, and GH Asset Management Company that was recently established.”

“I was told that GH Media has its office on the 17th floor.”

“That’s correct, sir. There are three companies sharing the 17th floor right now. There are two tenant companies and GH Media.”

“As to the two tenant companies on the 17th floor, when their lease expires, do not renew them but let them vacate the offices. And, move GH Development’s office to the 17th floor. I want the chairman’s office and a secretary’s office only on the 18th floor. GH is not yet large enough to be a group company, but Mr. Chairman Goo has 7 companies including those in China. I believe that that setting will suit his current position.”

“Understood, sir. And, I absolutely agree with you. One of the tenant companies’ leases on the 17th floor will expire this coming June. I will inform them to vacate the office space once their lease expires. As a matter of fact, GH Development’s office is usually busy with workers and visitors who are coming and going, such as security officers, cleaning crew, tenant companies, etc. We don’t want to bother Mr. Chairman Goo with those frivolous chores.”

“Mr. Chairman Goo is not an old man, but he is not a demanding person either. We should make his surroundings as comfortable as possible even though he doesn’t say anything about it.”

Director Kang thought that President Song was a very thoughtful person.

It was Friday. Gun-Ho was sitting in his office when he received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim in China.

“It’s Woon-Hak Sim, sir. We need to determine the amount of capital for our new movie investment company here. How much do you think it should be?”

“Well, I don’t know. What do you think?”

“Huanle Shiji Production Company is suggesting that we should start a joint venture entertainment company since they will be deeply involved in the movie production as well. They said that a joint venture setting would be more beneficial since the production and distribution of the movie would be done in China.”

“That sounds reasonable.”

“Huanle Shiji Production Company suggested that they would invest 1.5 billion won since they can afford it with the revenues that they recently made with their previous movie.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“In addition, Director Yan Wu is willing to make his own investment in this movie production as well. He wants to put the entire fund into this, which he made from the last movie, which would be 150 million won.”

“150 million won…”

“The new business entity that we are about to establish here is a movie investment company which needs to be distinguished from a movie production company for its purpose and function. So, as we work with Huanle Shiji Production Company, it would be like we outsource the movie production work to them.”

“Is it so?”

“And, once the movie production is completed, we will be the one that handles the contract with movie distributors. A movie production company’s work is limited to production only. They will have no right or authority beyond that.”

“That means that the movie distributor will send the revenue to our new company, not Huanle Shiji Production Company, right?”

“Of course, sir.”

“Hmm, in that case, I want you to make the company’s capital 10 million dollars. If you think that you need 15 million dollars for production cost, try to collect 5 million won from investors. If you need 20 million dollars of production cost, get 10 million won from investors.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I will have GH Media send you the fund right away.”

“As to the structure of the company’s ownership, the new movie investment company will be owned by three parties—Huanle Shiji Production Company owns 15%, Director Yan Wu owns 1.5%, and Mr. Chairman owns 83.5%”

“Well, I will have 80% of its ownership interest. You take 3.5%, Mr. Director Sim.”

“I will have my own portion in this, sir?”

“I previously promised to give you 2% if the movie—Menghuan Yinghua—succeeded. Giving you 3.5% of the ownership interest in the new movie investment company would do it, I believe.”

“Thank… Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

It was Monday.

Director Woon-Hak Sim named the new movie investment company “Menghuan Entertainment.”

“Menghuan Entertainment?” Gun-Ho asked.

“Since the word ‘Entertainment’ in Chinese is Yule, I will just name the company as ‘Menghuan Yule’ and register it with the Chinese government as such.”

“Hmm, really?”

“As our previous movie—Menghuan Yinghua—was successful, I want our business name to reflect that, so the same investors, who previously invested in Menghuan Yinghua, would again make their investment in our new movie too. Menghuan is very well known anyway.”

“Alright. I will have GH Media to send you 8.35 billion won.”

“Thank you, sir.”

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Chapter 927 - Dissolution of GH Development (2) – Part 2

Chapter 927: Dissolution of GH Development (2) – Part 2

Gun-Ho made a call to GH Media’s President Jeong-Sook Shin.

“We had received 17 billion won from Huanle Shiji Production Company the other day as our investment return. Do we currently have 11 billion won left?”

“That’s correct, sir. After paying you back your personal fund of 6 billion won out of it, we have now 11 billion won in our bank account, sir.”

“I want you to send 8.35 billion won out of 11 billion won to Director Woon-Hak Sim in China. He is opening a new movie investment company. He will produce a historical movie.”

“A historical movie, sir? Alright, sir, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho then called for Director Kang.

“How did it go with the meeting with President Song last week?”

“It went well, sir. I gave him all of the necessary documents already. I believe they are proceeding with the building acquisition right now.”

“Did you have a chance to meet with all of GH Mobile’s executive officers while you were there?”

“Yes, sir. They all seemed to be very nice people. President Song showed me around the company and introduced the executive officers there to me himself.”

“Well, that’s good. Well done, Mr. Director Kang. Let me buy you lunch today. Ask Chan-Ho Eom to get ready to leave for lunch.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Gun-Ho, Director Kang, and Chan-Ho Eom headed to a restaurant called MoMoKo located in Seocho Town, nearby Seoul Arts Center. Gun-Ho ordered Teriyaki chopped steak.

“Enjoy it.”

“Mr. Chairman, do you remember the old days when we were using an office-tel as our office around Gangnam Station? We sometimes grilled meat ourselves in the park in Cheonggye Mountain with the entire staff of the company. For some reason, this lunch reminds me of those days.”

“Haha, really?”

After lunch, on the way back to the office, Gun-Ho asked Chan-Ho Eom to drive in the direction of Bangbae Town. When they were close to the clinic where Young-Eun was working, Gun-Ho said, “Chan-Ho, drive slowly. I want to see something here.”

Gun-Ho then pointed to the building across the street from the clinic and said to Director Kang, “Mr. Director Kang, do you see the 4-story building over there?”

“Yes, sir. It looks like an office building.”

“Can you get that building’s address and get me its real estate register?”

“Sure, sir. Well, I need to get closer to see the building number.”

In that afternoon, Gun-Ho was dozing off sitting on the sofa in his office when he heard someone knocking on the door. It was Director Kang.

“Sir, I brought the real estate register for the building that you mentioned earlier.”

“Who owned that building?”

“It is owned by a company—Style Apparel Corporation. It’s probably some clothing company that owns that building, sir.”

“Hmm.”

“Its land is 220 pyung large, and its total floor space is 620 pyung large. There is a lien attached to it by Kukmin Bank for the amount of 4 billion won. But, given the current market value of that building, it’s not much.”

“I want you to find the contact number of the owner of that apparel company, and ask him if he is willing to sell that building.”

“That building, sir? It looks like an office building, and I don’t think it can be used for any other purposes.”

“Well, just ask the owner and see what he or she would say. I understand that you would look silly and weird if you ask him to sell his building out of nowhere when the building is not even on the market for sale. But, just try it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Later in that afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from GH Mobile’s President Song.

“GH Mobile has applied for an additional loan with GH Building for the amount of 120 billion won. The bank staff might visit the building in the near future for their investigation, sir.”

“Hmm, that’s fine.”

“They will evaluate our loan application after they see the building themselves. We got their verbal approval for the loan already though. With this additional loan of 120 billion won, GH Mobile’s total debt would become 150 billion won since we currently have a debt of 30 billion won. The branch manager of the bank said that they would apply the loan interest rate of 6.5% for this particular loan. So, our monthly payment for the interest will be a bit over 800 million won. GH Mobile is more than able to handle it, sir.”

“If GH Mobile was a public company, this kind of thing can’t easily happen like this right?”

“Of course, sir. All the little investors would have opposed it. They would have clamored their complaints about it. For things like this, keeping a company private is much better. Oh, and I had to take our current business registration to the bank. And, I’ve noticed that Mr. Beom-Sik Lee who used to own 15% of the ownership interest in GH Mobile has been removed. Your ownership interest in GH Mobile is now 97%, sir, as it was before.”

“I’m aware of it.”

It was the end of March.

Young-Eun decided to hire a helper lady who would live in the house with them. It seemed that Young-Eun was still feeling scared staying in the huge house by herself with her child. She was thinking about hiring a Korean Chinese lady at first, but considering the cultural difference and all that, she decided to hire a Korean helper lady who was in her 60s. She was an old lady who was living by herself after her son married and moved out of her home.

Gun-Ho felt a bit uncomfortable living with a stranger old lady. He couldn’t walk around his home without his shirt on. So, Gun-Ho usually stayed on the second floor in his study, and he came down to the first floor only when he had to.

Gun-Ho asked Young-Eun who came to the second floor.

“When did you say the clinic that you are working for move to Suwon City?”

“They planned to move in April. But, the thing is that it seems to be hard to find a tenant for the space that they are using right now. The director of the clinic is worried a lot these days.”

“I saw you talking a lot with the helper lady. You two seem to heat it off.”

“Yeah. We mostly talk bad behind other people’s backs. The helper lady mostly talked about her daughter-in-law. It’s fun to listen to all those episodes with her daughter-in-law.”

“You don’t talk about me with her, do you?”

“Why are you asking? Do you think you have done something that I might talk bad about behind your back? If you are concerned, you’d better start behaving yourself, honey.”

“I can open a clinic for you if you want, so you can have your own practice.”

“I don’t know. Watching the director in the clinic running his own clinic, I know it’s not easy to run my own practice.”

The following day, Director Kang came to Gun-Ho to give him a report about the meeting with the apparel company’s president who owns the building in Bangbae Town.

“I met with the building owner yesterday, sir. It was a female president of an apparel company. She said that the building is not for sale, and she has no intention to sell it.”

“Hmm, of course, she would say that.”

“And then, she later said that she might sell if we pay her 30 billion won. I was almost snapped out by her unreasonable offer. It was hard for me to suppress it. That building has no commercial stores, and she is asking for 30 billion won for that no-so-very-useful building. That’s ridiculous.”

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Chapter 928 - Big Fish (1) – Part 1

Chapter 928: Big Fish (1) – Part 1

Gun-Ho opened the Financial Supervisory Service’s website— DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval, and Transfer System)— to check the Style Apparel’s audit report. That company owned the building in Bangbae Town that Gun-Ho wanted to buy. That apparel company was generating an annual revenue of 30 billion won. The company had some debts, but it was not high. It had a good amount of assets as well.

“So, this company has no reason to sell its building.”

On the way back from the restroom, Gun-Ho stopped by Director Kang’s desk.

“Is that apparel company’s owner working in the building in Bangbae Town?”

“No, sir. She has a small office building in Cheongdam Town, and she is working there. The building in Cheongdam Town has their own retail store as well.”

“Hmm, really?”

Gun-Ho thought about it while having his coffee in his office.

‘That apparel company seems to be a financially stable company, and I can see that she doesn’t need to sell the building in Bangbae Town for money. However, since she has another building in Cheongdam Town, she might be interested in closing the building in Bangbae Town and focusing more on the building in Cheongdam Town. The location in Bangbae Town doesn’t appear to be suitable for clothing selling anyway. She has a way higher chance to succeed in the clothing industry with the location in Cheongdam Town.

Since her business is with apparel, she is surely interested in opening additional retail stores. Cheongdam Town is good for her business, and also Myeongdong Town and the area around Dongdaemun will be good too.’

Gun-Ho asked Director Kang to come to his office.

“I want you to meet with the owner of that apparel company again.”

“You are aware that she is asking 30 billion won for that building, right, sir?”

“When you meet her for the second time, I want you to show her that we are serious about buying her building, and that we are not just poking around fishing. Tell her that someone wants to open a clinic there, and the potential buyer is willing to pay for up to 25 billion won. And, leave your business card with her and ask her to contact us if she is interested in selling it, then you will set up the meeting between her and the person who is actually interested in buying it.”

“What if she doesn’t contact us?”

“That’s fine as well. We just do what we can do, and if she doesn’t want to sell, then that’s it. Nothing much we can do about it then.”

“Mr. Chairman, there are tons of nice buildings for 25 billion won in the area such as Anyang City, Seongnam City, or even in Bongcheon Town in Seoul City where I’m living right now. I’m not sure why it has to be that particular building in Bangbae Town.”

“Well, let’s try this first, and if that doesn’t work, we can seek another building in other areas.”

“I guess that you want to buy a building for your wife’s clinic. She can commute to Anyang City or Uiwang City from your home in Bangbae Town. If you find a chauffeur for her, then she doesn’t even have to drive.”

“Well, let’s revisit that option later. For now, go and see that apparel company’s owner in Cheongdam Town.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was early April.

Gun-Ho received an email from Director Woon-Hak Sim in China. He attached the business registration of their new company— Menghuan Yule— to the email.

When Gun-Ho was reading the email, he received a call from Director Woon-Hak Sim.

“Mr. Chairman, did you receive my email with the business registration?”

“Yes, I did.”

“We are making a contract with Ms. Mori Aikko. And, we raised her pay dramatically higher than last time.”

“How much did you offer her this time?”

“We offered her 500,000 dollars, sir.”

“How much did you pay her for the previous movie— Menghuan Yinghua?”

“We paid her 200,000 dollars at that time.”

“Hmm, well, I can see the raise.”

“Ms. Mori Aikko is now doing a lot better in her acting than last time. And, she is also well-known and popular as well since the movie— Menghuan Yinghua. She deserves 500,000 dollars.”

“Hmm, is that right?”

“We will sign the contract with her on April 5th when she visits here in Shanghai City.”

“You asked her to travel to Shanghai City to sign the contract, rather than you traveling to Tokyo and see her there, huh?”

“Well, the location was not determined based on convenience, sir. The signing event can be used as part of marketing too. The news reporters will be in the signing event too. Otherwise, we will have to take photos, and make documents, and send them to journalists ourselves. They will certainly be intrigued by the fact that the same actress who starred in Menghuan Yinghua will take a leading female role again in a new historical movie— Wo Yingxiong.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Sir, if you could visit us on April 5th in Shanghai City, that would be great.”

Gun-Ho indeed missed Mori Aikko. But, he hesitated. Gun-Ho was concerned that people including Huanle Shiji Production Company’s staff and even Director Woon-Hak Sim looked at Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko with a suspicious gaze, like they were having an affair, or having an inappropriate relationship or something. So, he thought that it would be wise to see her privately later without letting others know.

“I can see Mori Aikko maybe next time. Please say hello to her for me.”

“Alright, sir. I will also tell her that Mr. Chairman Goo greatly contributed to raising her pay this time.”

Gun-Ho received a call from GH Mobile’s President Song.

“The loan of 120 billion won has been successfully processed. That amount of fund will be deposited in GH Development’s business account later today. Also, as of today, every single employee of GH Development is hired by GH Mobile as our new hires.”

“Good job. Thank you.”

“The thing is that many works that have been handled by Manager Hong and Assistant Manager Jeong would be handled by our relevant departments in GH Mobile. For example, handling the Four Major Public Insurance for employees will be taken care of by our general affairs department. And, the accounting work that has been handled by Manager Hong will be handled by our accounting department.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

“That means that I’m afraid that we will need to let one of them go. Will it be okay with you, sir?”

“They have been working with me so closely for years…”

“If you want to keep both of them, we can reassign their job then. We can have Assistant Manager Jeong assist Director Kang in managing the tenant companies’ rent. She can also manage the cleaning crew and security guards.”

“What about Manager Hong?”

“What if we make a new department that will directly report to you, sir, like the planning and coordination department? And, have Manager Hong work in that department. She has a tax accountant license. I think she can handle tax matters, manage GH companies, and also assist you to manage your assets too, sir.”

“Hmm.”

“Other than that, we have to let one of them go.”

“Let’s make a personal secretary office for the chairman, rather than a planning and coordination department. And, let Manger Hong work as a manager in the new department, and relocate Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh to the same department as staff. Manager Hong will handle financial matters while Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh will handle secretary work. When you assign them to the department, make sure that you write their brief job description on the paper.”

“Yes, sir. That sounds good.”

Gun-Ho called for Manager Hong, Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh, and the maintenance team lead— Mr. Soo-Nam Jeong. The four employees came to the chairman’s office and stood up in front of Gun-Ho in a row.

Gun-Ho smiled and said, “Is Director Kang currently not in the office?”

“He went to Cheongdam Town, sir.”

“You are now working for GH Mobile, not GH Development. You are aware of it, right?”

“Yes, sir. We were told by Director Kang.”

“This office will be called the Building Management Department. Even though now you are working for GH Mobile, nothing much would be changed. I just wanted to tell you that you just need to keep up the good work as you have done.”

“Yes, sir,” said the four workers simultaneously.

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Chapter 929 - Big Fish (1) – Part 2

Chapter 929: Big Fish (1) – Part 2

Gun-Ho added, “For Manager Hong and Assistant Manager Jeong, most of your work will be transferred to the relevant departments of GH Mobile in Jiksan Town. So, you two will see slight changes in your job duty. Ms. Assistant Manager Jeong, I want you to mostly assist Director Kang with his work.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, Ms. Manager Hong, you will be handling managing losses and profits of the entire GH companies and their tax-related matters. Also, you will get work assignments directly from me from time to time.”

“Understood, sir.”

Gun-Ho then said while looking at each of the four workers in the office, “I’m pretty sure that Manger Hong knows this well already since she has handled our accounting here. GH Development hasn’t really generated enough profits so far. However, GH Mobile is a big company with 600 workers, and it generates good revenues, meaning that you will all be treated better as an employee of GH Mobile, especially money-wise.”

The four workers kept their heads low without saying a word.

“Yesterday, Director Kang gave me the approval form for your severance package for the time that you have been working with GH Development. Director Kang and Assistant Manager Jeong will receive their severance package for their past three years, and Team Lead Jeong will get his two years while Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh will have her severance pay for the past two years of her time with us. Unfortunately, Manager Hong is not qualified for this benefit since she has been with us for less than a year. Because you are moving to another company which is a different legal entity, we couldn’t keep accumulating your severance pay. I’m sorry about that.”

The four employees in the office stayed silent again.

Gun-Ho continued, “You might want to confirm this with Director Kang, but GH Mobile’s President Song, who you will be working for, is a decent and very reasonable man. I have no doubt that he will provide you with proper treatment as his employees. Also, I will talk to him about that too. Let’s continuously keep up the good work.”

Gun-Ho saw the four employees of the former GH Development smiling before they walked out of his office. They seemed to not care much about which company they were working for as long as they were being properly paid for their work.

Director Kang came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“I met with the apparel company’s owner president again, sir, and I left my business card with her.”

“What did she say? I mean the apparel company’s female president?”

“She actually didn’t say anything. When I gave her our offer of 25 billion won for the building, she didn’t give me any explicit response. She just stared at my business card for a while. So, I left her office after making sure that she has my business card.”

“Okay. Good job. If she wants to sell the building, she will give us a call.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. We received 120 billion won in the GH Development’s business bank account, sir. What do you want me to do with it, sir?”

“Please send the entire fund to my personal bank account.”

“Yes, sir.”

“GH Development is not subject to corporate tax this year, isn’t it?”

“We have to make profits in order to pay taxes, right?”

“Well, that’s true. I guess that we don’t have to worry about taxes then.”

“That’s right.”

“How are our workers taking the news about moving to another company? Is there anyone who is complaining about it?”

“No, sir. I thought that they would be dissatisfied with receiving their severance package now since it has to stop being accumulated. I thought that they would prefer to continue their severance pay program even with GH Mobile. But, against my expectation, they seemed to be even happy with the fact that they would receive a lump sum of money now. It’s extra cash for them anyway.”

“Haha, really?”

“In the long term, it’s better to have their severance pay be continuously piled up until they retire. But it seems that everyone needs money at this very moment, and that’s why they looked happy to receive the money now. They seemed to find it as a windfall.”

“I feel sorry for Manager Hong. She wouldn’t be getting the money.”

“I told Manager Hong that Mr. Chairman might have important work for her. Who knows? Well, Manager Hong looked excited for the possibility. I was already told by GH Mobile’s President Song about some of our workers’ new job assignments.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“And, one of the office spaces on the 17th floor will be vacated in June, and the building management department will move to that office.”

“What about all the spaces here?”

“As a matter of fact, Mr. Chairman, your office is way too small. When I visited GH Mobile, I went to the president’s office, and that office was larger than yours here, sir. So, we will have a larger chairman’s office and a secretary’s office on the 18th floor. Actually, President Song made this suggestion.”

“I’m okay with what I have here.”

“We insist that you should have a large and quiet office, sir.”

“Well, let’s think about it again when it’s close to June.”

Gun-Ho was dozing off in his office when he received a call. It was from A Electronics Group’s CEO Park.

“Mr. Chairman Goo, how have you been?”

“It’s good to hear from you, Mr. CEO Park.”

“I’d like to meet you tomorrow at the parking lot of the Namsan Public Library. 11 am would be perfect.”

“Are you going to give me a gift?”

“I’m not sure if it would be a gift. I will talk to you about it tomorrow.”

“Alright. I wanted to get some fresh air in April anyway. Namsan Mountain will provide plenty of fresh air that I need.”

Gun-Ho was curious about what CEO Park would offer him this time.

He walked around in his office with his hands tied behind his back.

“What is he going to offer me this time? His offer should be compatibly good compared to the 30 billion won dividend that I had given to them. Otherwise, I won’t accept it.”

Gun-Ho had his hope high for a second, and then he lost his faith to the reality that he had experienced so far.

“Politicians are not trustworthy. There are tons of trash people in politics without loyalty or fidelity. I shouldn’t expect much. I don’t want to get disappointed.”

The following day, Gun-Ho somewhat felt hopeful. He headed to the Namsan Public Library with Chan-Ho Eom around 10:30 am. CEO Park’s car was already parked in the parking lot. CEO Park rolled down the window a little bit and waved at Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho got out of his Bentley and walked toward CEO Park’s car. CEO Park was alone inside his Genesis without his chauffeur, just like last time when they met.

“You drove yourself again today, sir.”

“I sometimes enjoy driving myself around Namsan Mountain. When I was younger, I often took a walk around here with my then-girlfriend.”

“Haha. You seem to have a good memory about this area.”

CEO Park glanced at his watch and then said, “As you received your dividend from GH Mobile last time, I guess that you must be loaded with a terrific amount of cash now.”

“Well, even though I had a good amount of money, I had to spend a lot as well.”

“Haha, I see.”

Gun-Ho kept staring at CEO Park’s face waiting for what he had to say. While looking at his face, Gun-Ho thought that CEO Park must be a handsome man when he was younger.

CEO Park finally spoke, “Gongmyeong Party’s Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee is scheduled to give a special lecture in Gwangju City soon. It will be held ten days later.”

“Oh, is that right? I’m not acknowledged with current affairs these days. I didn’t have time to read newspapers lately.”

CEO Park lowered his head and said in a low voice, “Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee will announce his intention to run for President during that particular lecture.”

“Oh, really?”

Gun-Ho thought, ‘This information is clearly a big fish!’

Gun-Ho felt goosebumps on his skin all over his body.

‘This is really good! Once I see a big fish bite, I will pull it with all of my strength!’

As Gun-Ho eased his tension, he said, “Haha, it seems that Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee has been and will also be very busy lately.”

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Chapter 930 - Big Fish (2) – Part 1

Chapter 930: Big Fish (2) – Part 1

CEO Park quickly changed the subject.

“How is your business with H Group? Did they increase the volume of their product order?”

“Yes. It’s steadily on the rise.”

“I wanted to see you today, Mr. Chairman Goo, because it has been a while, and also I wanted to ask you to focus more on the product quality for our product order.”

That was obviously a pretense. The very reason why CEO Park wanted to see Gun-Ho in person that day was to let him know about Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s special lecture in Gwangju City, and what information was about to spread out.

Gun-Ho played along with him.

“Don’t worry about it. We are striving to produce good quality products every day for our client companies.”

“Well, I should get going now,” said CEO Park as he started the engine of his car. Gun-Ho got out of the car and walked toward his Bentley.

“Chan-Ho, what do you think about us having lunch in Itaewon Town today?”

“That sounds good, sir. But, the thing is that many restaurants in Itaewon Town are open starting dinnertime because there are a lot of bars there.”

“Really? Well, we certainly don’t want to search around for a parking space for nothing. Let’s just have a bowl of hot soup with rice in the Samgakji area then.”

“Yes, sir.”

After having a soup with rice in the Samgakji area, Gun-Ho came back to his office in GH Building, Sinsa Town. He decided to make a strategy about how he was going to use the information that CEO Park had given to him earlier that day, while having his afternoon coffee. At first, he moved 120 billion won that he had received from GH Mobile to his stock account with Gangbuk Stock Brokerage Company. With the previous balance of 220 billion won, he now had 340 billion won in his account with Gangbuk Stock Brokerage Company. He had an additional 330 billion won in Gangnam Stock Brokerage Company.

“Alright. I have 670 billion won now.”

Gun-Ho checked Dyeon Korea’s stock price in the stock market. The price was around 25,000 won as before. But, Gun-Ho knew that it was not a good idea to purchase a massive number of Dyeon Korea’s shares in a short period of time, since its trading volume was usually low.

‘The number of Dyeon Korea’s shares that can be available to trade in the stock market is only 6 million. Its major shareholders— W Chemicals and Lymondell Dyeon— are holding most of its shares anyway. So, the value of its stock available in the market is only 150 billion won assuming that the unit share price is 25,000 won.

I wonder how many of its shares I can purchase within 10 days; that’s the time given to me until Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee announces his intention to run for President. It seems that there are currently not many shares in the stock market. No one seems to have that inside information to push the stock market to become vigorous again for Dyeon Korea’s stock. What am I going to do then?

In addition, if I purchase a substantial number of its shares, I will become a major shareholder of Dyeon Korea, and I will have to make a public announcement about it. And, my name— Gun-Ho Goo— can be popped out in the process. That wouldn’t certainly look good. I can be accused of illegal insider trading. Even though I no longer have nothing to do with Dyeon Korea. In the public eyes, I am a former president of Dyeon Korea, which sounds somewhat like I am still related to the company. Especially, if I buy a significant number of Dyeon Korea’s shares at this point, they will surely investigate me and my practice on it.’

The information that A Electronics Group’s CEO Park had given to Gun-Ho was certainly very good inside information; however, Gun-Ho thought that it might not be as useful as it sounded for him in his current situation. The best he could do in order to use the information to make money was to buy Dyeon Korea’s shares of maybe about 3 million, just like he did last time. But, Gun-Ho was now loaded with 670 billion won. The stock market with Dyeon Korea’s stock looked to be a small playground for him.

“The stock market is certainly a good playground for me, but Dyeon Korea’s stock wouldn’t bring me as much profits as I desire with my current capacity. If I can put my hands on large cap stocks such as A Electronics Group’s stock, that would be great. But, the thing is that A Group’s Chairman is already known to not be involved in politics at all. So, its stock price won’t be affected by political information such as his son-in-law’s declaration to run for President.”

But, Gun-Ho still checked A Electronics Group’s stock price.

“Huh? What is this?”

The trading volume of A Electronics Group’s stock already started increasing substantially, which was unusual. Because of its expensive unit share price, its stock price increased only by 4% though.

Gun-Ho thought, ‘Someone is purchasing A Electronics Group’s stock for a substantial number of them. Someone is gathering several hundreds of billions won worth stock right now!’

A Electronics Group was a conglomerate company with 15,000 workers and an annual sales of 15 trillion won. Its unit share price was 120,000 won. It was definitely a large cap stock. Its market capitalization was 8 billion won.

“Well, even though I put all of my 670 billion won in purchasing this stock, it will only take me 3 days to spend them all.”

Gun-Ho was hesitating though. He was not sure if it was an absolutely good idea for him to put all of his money to buy A Electronics Group’s stock, and whether it was a good time to do so.

‘Its stock price increased already very recently. Someone already started buying the stock, and the price increased steeply already. This stock is being purchased by little investors, not institutional investors such as the Military Mutual Aid Association or National Pension Service; they are not even foreign investors. There has to be something that I don’t know, which is affecting it. Maybe there was a rumor about it that I’m not aware of.

If I enter into this stock market right now, maybe I wouldn’t be able to make as much money as I would have made if I joined earlier. Its price is already too high. However, assuming that A Electronics Group’s CEO Park had said was true, its stock price will continuously increase until the announcement day!

Okay. Let me think… I don’t have to worry about being accused of illegal insider trading with A Electronics Group’s stock. Even though people find out that I purchase a massive number of its stock, that is fine. It is true that I’m the president of one of their vendor companies. But, that’s not enough to accuse me of illegal insider trading. I’m going to buy this stock on my knee and will sell it to my shoulder.’

Gun-Ho began to buy A Electronics Group’s stock right away. His purchasing continued the following day. All he could think of and focus on was to buy the specific stock. A small company’s stock such as Dyeon Korea’s fluctuated easily. Its price went up quickly and also went down quickly. However, large cap stocks such as A Electronics Group tended to move slowly in price and also in their trading volume. But, because of the information that Gun-Ho had, Gun-Ho was confident that he would make at least 30% out of this.

Gun-Ho called for Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh.

“Please go to the next-door office and ask President Son to come to my office.”

As she realized that she would have to visit GH Asset Management Company next door, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh took out her mirror and checked her appearance. She probably wanted to look pretty to the young fund managers working in that office.

A moment later, President Son entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“How is the business going? Are the new hires doing good?”

“They don’t make mistakes; I can tell you that, sir. But, they are also too careful in making an investment. So, they are not really making enough profits right now.”

“Hmm, really?”

“The good thing though is that they make their investment decision strictly based on charts, data, and analysis on a stock’s trading volume. They don’t even trust the rumors from Yeouido stock street.”

“That’s the investment methods that we need to promote, isn’t it? That’s good. It’s important to make profits, but we shouldn’t lose money either.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“Umm, I want you to buy some Dyeon Korea’s stock.”

“Do we have reliable information about it, just like last time, sir?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

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Chapter 931 - Big Fish (2) – Part 2

Chapter 931: Big Fish (2) – Part 2

President Song said, “Understood, sir. Our fund managers will certainly trust your words in making an investment decision.”

“You said that they don’t even trust the rumors from Yeouido stock street, but will they take my words?”

“Mr. Chairman, we believe that business owners are the ones who have the highest quality and the most useful information.”

“Is that right?”

“Our workers got together last time for dinner. One of the new fund managers— you know the tall guy who graduated from Stanford University— said at that time that we can’t trust the rumors out of Yeouido stock street because those rumors often turned out to be false; however, business owners especially chairmen usually have access to a lot of information that ordinary people can’t have. So, he was saying that the information coming from owner chairmen are the most reliable ones.”

“Well, I guess he was talking about the chairmen of a conglomerate company. But, I am just a chairman with a few small companies.”

“That’s not true, sir. You are the master in this field, sir. I was amazed when you made profits with Dyeon Korea’s stock last time. Even though we could form a group of 100 most intelligent and educated people who graduated from the top university and who had work experience in global investment banking companies like myself, we won’t be able to beat you, sir. Well, I should go back to work now to tell my workers to purchase Dyeon Korea’s stock.”

“Oh, I have one more thing to let you know about before you leave. GH Mobile is providing A Electronics with some products now. And, I’ve noticed that the volume of their product order has noticeably increased recently. You might want to pay attention to this company’s stock. Ask your workers too. Since it’s our client company, I’m interested in changes in that company.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Gun-Ho purchased A Electronics Group’s stock that morning— 400 billion worth of them to be exact—, President Son came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“My fund managers sold all of their stock and purchased Dyeon Korea’s stock instead right after I told them that it was Mr. Chairman’s idea. The fund that we can use is only 10 billion won, and the investment is not from an individual, but we are a legal entity, so I believe that we don’t have to worry about inside information thing.”

“Hmm, really? Well, if Dyeon Korea’s stock price doesn’t go up, I will be embarrassed.”

“You don’t have to think that way, sir. We say that stock market fluctuations are within God’s territory, not human being’s.”

“Did you have a chance to take a look at what is going on with A Electronics?”

“Actually, our fund managers were monitoring that particular stock for some time now. According to them, when a large cap stock makes a big move like this without any rumors from Yeouido stock street, most likely there is a big deal going on.”

“If that’s true, we should buy their stock too. What do you think?”

“A big deal can be broken, sir. For example, an acquisition deal is going on, or an innovative huge project is about to implement, or it could be a huge drop in crude oil prices, etc. We just don’t know which big deal is involved in the current situation.”

“Hmm.”

“The conclusion is that it’s not a bad idea to purchase the stock at this point. Its trading volume is increasing and the chart supports it. We can buy some of this stock. But if the global market indices are bad, this stock can be affected. So, the most attractive stock, for now, is Dyeon Korea. Its market capitalization is not very high, so it is very possible to see a huge increase in its price. Of course, the opposing scenario is very possible as well.”

“Hmm.”

“To be safe, we can get into A Electronics’ stock trading now. As long as we don’t become greedy in investing in that stock, we will be able to make more profits than making interest income by putting the same amount of funds in a bank.”

Gun-Ho grinned.

‘Well, you are absolutely right, President Son. I would give you the score of 90 out of 100 even though I can’t give you the full 100.’

Gun-Ho said as he nodded his head, “I think you are right.”

“Well, since we finished buying Dyeon Korea’s stock, I will take my workers outside to have some fresh air now.”

“Alright. Please go ahead.”

After the asset management company’s President Son left the office, Gun-Ho started buying A Electronics’ Group’s stock aggressively.

‘I shouldn’t miss the opportunity to catch a big fish!’

Eventually, Gun-Ho could manage to buy A Electronics’ stock worth of 600 billion won within 3 days. Even though 600 billion won was a lot of money, since A Electronics Group’s stock was a large cap stock, and it only took 3 days for him to spend them all to buy its stock.

“I spent 600 billion won out of 670 billion won. That’s all I had. Now, all I can do is to pray.”

Big caps rarely hit lower limits even though the stock’s trend was downward. For this reason, Gun-Ho didn’t feel anxious about losing all of his 600 billion won.

After spending extensive hours in front of his computer for the past 3 days, Gun-Ho’s eyes became blurry. He bought and put Hainoon— eye drops— in his eyes to ease the symptom. When he was blinking his eyes after applying the eye drops, GH Media’s Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui entered Gun-Ho’s office.

“Hi, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui.”

“I just received a call from Segawa Joonkko from the private bar in Shinjuku City, sir.”

“You mean Mama San?”

“Yes, sir. She wanted to tell you that she thanks you for your help, Mr. Chairman.”

“Really?”

“Mori Aikko will be starring again in a Chinese movie— Wo Yingxiong. Segawa Joonkko is very happy about it and also feeling grateful. Moreover, she’s going to receive 500,000 dollars.”

“Well, Mori Aikko is popular now, and that’s how she is receiving that much pay. Neither of them doesn’t have to thank me for it.”

“Segawa Joonkko believes that all of these could happen because of you, Mr. Chairman Goo. And, I agree with her.”

“Well, I didn’t really do anything.”

“Mama San is planning to let Mori Aikko go by the end of this year. So, she can independently make her own money. Usually, Mama San keeps her geishas until they reach 30 years old, but Mori Aikko is exceptional. She has made more than enough money for Mama San to retrieve her fund that was invested in raising Mori Aikko. So, she decided to let her go earlier.”

“What is going to happen to Mori Aikko then?”

“Once she is no longer under Mama San’s umbrella, whatever she makes will be hers like 100%. Everything that she earns from then will straight go to her personal bank account. It’s like a freelancer.”

Gun-Ho looked at his calendar.

“There are still 6 days left before Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee’s special lecture in Gwangju City. I think I should go and see Mori Aikko quietly.”

Gun-Ho made a flight reservation online for tomorrow right away heading to Tokyo, Japan. And, he let Mori Aikko know that he would be visiting her tomorrow.

As he decided to see Mori Aikko in Tokyo, Sang-Min’s face popped in her head. His baby boy’s smiley face crossed his mind. His tiny hand often grabbed Gun-Ho’s tie while he was holding the child in his arms.

“I feel sorry for Young-Eun that I will go on a trip to see another woman, but I feel sorry for my baby boy— Sang-Min— for some reason.”

Gun-Ho decided to restrain his urge and desire to see Mori Aikko. But, since he already told Mori Aikko that he would be there with her tomorrow, he had to go to Tokyo tomorrow. He just couldn’t get rid of the image of Mori Aikko from his head, with her fair skin and full lips. Young-Eun’s body was changed after she gave birth to Sang-Min. She gained some weight too. Gun-Ho missed Mori Aikko’s young body and skin and her small waist. It was really hard for Gun-Ho to suppress his urge to see Mori Aikko.

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Chapter 932: Big Fish (3 - Part 1

Chapter 932: Big Fish (3) – Part 1

Gun-Ho was heading to Gimpo International Airport to catch the flight for Japan.

On the way to the airport in his car, Gun-Ho opened Paxnet with his smartphone to check the stock market. A Electronics’ stock price increased by 12.5% as its trading volume burst out increasing as well. Its stock price didn’t seem to skyrocket rapidly as many small company’s stocks would, but it was steadily increasing. And the price was already higher than the price that Gun-Ho had purchased them for.

As getting into the flight, Gun-Ho picked up an economic newspaper. He then started reading the newspaper as soon as he settled in his business seat. There was a news article about A Electronics’ stock whose price substantially increased very recently.

[A Electronics’ stock price is on the rise. The recent increase in its stock price could be attributed to the increase in their export to international markets such as Europe, and Central and South America. Especially, the company is currently taking center stage in these markets because it is overtaking its competitors, not just other Korean companies, but also Japanese companies such as Hitachi, Toshiba, Fujitsu, etc.

Stock market experts are not sure when this price increase would stop, but since the price is already high enough, they do not recommend investors to make an investment without going through careful consideration.]

Gun-Ho snorted with laughter as he was reading through the news article.

“Expanding their markets to Europe, and Central and South America? Ha! Wrong, you stupid news reporters. There is another reason for it. Duh!”

Gun-Ho finally met Mori Aikko in New Otani Hotel. The suite room that Gun-Ho reserved for them had a view of Japan’s State Guest House. Mori Aikko looked even prettier than before, maybe because she was financially doing better, or because she had been known to the public now and treated as a celebrity. Anyhow, she looked gorgeous and sophisticated.

“Oppa.”

Mori Aikko didn’t seem to feel shy even though it had been a while since they saw each other. She jumped into Gun-Ho’s arms without hesitation.

“How have you been?” said Gun-Ho as he was holding Mori Aikko. He then pressed his lips against hers.

“Wasn’t it hard to shoot the movie?”

“It was doable. When a night shooting was scheduled, I felt like this is hard work because I couldn’t sleep. Other than that, it was good.”

“Your next movie is a historical movie, right? It will probably be harder than the previous one. It can take even hours to receive makeup.”

“That is fine with me. But, I was told that once the weather becomes warm, it will be hard.”

“Hmm, I guess that’s probably because of the costume that you should wear. Traditional outfits are usually composed of multiple layers.”

As Gun-Ho was explaining things to Mori Aikko, he was also undressing her by one layer after another.

An hour later, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko were laying down on the bed side by side with their underwear only.

Mori Aikko said, “Mama San asked me to stay in Tokyo with her for a long time. And, she wants to pass on her private bar to me once she retires. But, I want to move back to Otaru City.”

“You are still thinking about Otaru City?”

“Well, I understand why you are saying that. I am like the flower petals of Azami that have to travel in the direction where the wind is blowing.”

“Azami?”

“Yeah, Azami. You don’t know Azami, oppa?”

Mori Aikko searched Azami with her smartphone and showed a picture of Azami. It was a thistle.

Gun-Ho thought that he saw the flower before in Korea.

Gun-Ho spent the day with Mori Aikko by going to a movie theater, shopping, and etc. They went to a nightclub at night as well. They had a good time dancing together. Gun-Ho wanted to stay with Mori Aikko in Tokyo for a few days more, but he also wanted to check A Electronics’ stock movement as well. He decided to stay one more night in Tokyo before going back to Korea.

The day when Gun-Ho traveled back to Korea from Tokyo, A Electronics’ stock price dropped for a few hours, and then it started going up again.

“Someone is still buying the stock. I wonder who keeps buying this stock until now. There was no public announcement that could affect its stock price… It is certainly not an institutional investor or an individual… Maybe someone is purchasing this stock by borrowing many people’s names.”

A Electronics’ stock price was now 230,000 won per share.

“230,000 won? Wow. The price certainly increased a lot. What would this make the company worth? The total number of this company’s issued stocks is 68 million…. Whoa! Its market capitalization is now 15 trillion and 65 million won! It’s about the same figure as the company’s annual sales revenue.”

Tomorrow would be the fifth day since Gun-Ho purchased A Electronics’ stock. Since Gun-Ho now possessed 7% of A Electronics’ stock, he had to report it to the Financial Services Commission and Stock Exchange. He also would have to explain the purpose of holding that much ownership interest in A Electronics.

Pursuant to the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act, anyone who owned a company’s shares of 5% or more had to report it within 5 days.

Gun-Ho indicated that his purpose of possessing A Electronics’ stock was for mere investment, not for participating in the management or anything else. As Gun-Ho’s investment in A Electronics’ stock was made open to the public, Gun-Ho received a call from A Electronics Group’s CEO Park.

“Mr. Chairman’s capacity with investment funds is beyond my expectation.”

Gun-Ho quickly cooked up an excuse, “Those funds are not all mine, of course. Four people, who are deemed as the members of a group of big players in Gangnam District, got together and bought the stock. As you know, people like them do not want to disclose their identities.”

“A group of 4 big players in Gangnam District?”

Gun-Ho obviously improvised it. He just made up as if there was a group of big players in Gangnam District who were loaded with a lot of cash.

“You didn’t know? There are 4 members in the group, including Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town. You probably haven’t heard about him, but in the old days, he was a very well-known figure in the hard money industry.”

“I had… no idea about people like them. Well, congratulations anyway.”

After getting off the phone with CEO Park, Gun-Ho snorted with laughter.

“CEO Park is the brain in A Electronics’ Group. He is the CEO of its planning and coordination department. Well, he doesn’t seem to be that smart though. He doesn’t even realize that I—a former factory worker—just made up that group thing.”

The announcement day was getting closer when Gongmyeong Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee was supposed to declare his intention to run for President. Gun-Ho thought that the opposing party to Gongmyeong Party had a mighty candidate who would probably win over Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee. Gun-Ho thought that it would be a smart move for Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee to consider running for President maybe next time. However, 2 days before Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee made his declaration, the opposing party’s candidate’s vulnerable point surfaced.

The media stated that he “had once received a bribe from K Construction’s president before he had left for America. The amount of the bribe was 200 million won.”

The candidate immediately denied the accusation.

As K Construction’s president fled overseas to avoid any possible investigation on him, Gongmyeong Party didn’t miss the opportunity to taint that opposing party’s candidate. They ferociously attacked the candidate. Even though that candidate consistently denied the accusation, his supporters started leaving him one by one.

Gun-Ho laughed as he was reading the news.

‘Of course. It was a smart move for Gongmyeon Party to damage the opposing party’s candidate before its candidate made his declaration.’

It was the day when Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee would give a special lecture in Gwangju City. Many news reporters attended his lecture.

[I am ready to devote myself to our country with clean politics. To be honest with you, we currently do not have any trustworthy politicians in this country. They often accept bribes and deny them later. I am willing to run for President if my country and people need me.]

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Chapter 933-END - Big Fish (3) – Part 2 <Final Episode>

Chapter 933: Big Fish (3) – Part 2 <Final Episode>

Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee didn’t state that he would run for President, but he said he was willing to run for President, as he was indicating his intention. He was a politician already, who always prepared a way to escape from everything if the situation changed. However, his statement was powerful even though he didn’t show his absolute intention and strong will to run for President. News reporters started covering his story with a subject line that read as, [Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee implied his intention to run for next President.]

As soon as the news became available to the public, Dyeon Korea’s stock hit the upper limit right away. A Electronics’ stock price also increased by 7.5%. Dyeon Korea hit the upper limit again the following day, and A Electronics’ stock increased again by 4%. At that point, an unexpected thing happened. No one saw it coming. It was A Electronics Group’s chairman. He said,

[I naturally do not like politics. However, if my son-in-law—Jin-Woo Lee—who is a decent public officer and also Gongmyeong Party’s leader, runs for President, I will support him within my power. A son-in-law is also my son.]

As this news was spread out, A Electronics’ stock price increased by another 12%.

The response to this news was different among the investors with Dyeon Korea’s stock and A Electronics’ stock. The investors who were holding Dyeon Korea’s stock mostly sold the stock to make profits, and that made the stock price start dropping. On the other hand, A Electronics’ stock price kept increasing.

Gun-Ho found it weird that A Electronics Group’s chairman made that statement, especially at this very specific timing.

‘What? A son-in-law is also his son? So, he’s going to support him all of a sudden? He has kept his silence all this time, and he made that statement just now. Maybe Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee and A Electronics’ Group chairman planned this together, so they could make huge money out of it. That crafty old man!’

Gun-Ho thought about A Electronics Group’s chairman who he met once before, and also Chairman Lee from Cheongdam Town.

‘They are awfully smart masters in this field. He has clearly kept his stance that he didn’t like politics and that he was displeased by his son-in-law getting into politics, until now. And, he made the statement that he would support his son-in-law, resulting in a steep increase in his company’s stock price. Maybe the one who kept purchasing A Electronics’ stock all this time is probably them. Well, it is true that I made good profits out of it as well. It is actually a good strategy.’

Gun-Ho decided to sell all of his A Electronics’ stock by next week.

‘The people who have been gathering A Electronics’ shares will soon slowly start selling them in the stock market. I should do it before they do. The opposing party wouldn’t stay quiet. They will find a vulnerable point of Party Leader Jin-Woo Lee and attack him. That’s how politics work, isn’t it? I’d better sell my A Electronics’ stock before that happens.’

One week later, Gun-Ho sold all of his A Electronics’ stock that he was holding. Because of its massive number of shares, it took him another 3 days to sell them. With 600 billion won of investment, he made profits of 85%. It didn’t double or triple his initial investment funds like a small company’s stock might have, but once he sold them all, he had 1 trillion and 110 billion won in his stock account. If he combined the amount with the leftover of 70 billion won in his stock account, he now had 1 trillion and 180 billion won in cash. Gun-Ho was 39 years old at that time, and it was April.

Gun-Ho felt grateful for everyone and everything. He finally achieved his lifetime goal. He decided to turn his focus on protecting his money and spending some to contribute to society, rather than on making more money. Also, he needed to figure out how he could save taxes that would be soon imposed on him and his business.

Gun-Ho made the public announcement that he no longer owned A Electronics’ stock.

GH Asset Management Company’s President Son came to Gun-Ho’s office.

“As you guided us, sir, we made profits by investing in Dyeon Korea. We sold them all after its price hit the upper limit twice.”

“Did you make the profit of 60% then?”

“No, sir. The price had increased already before it hit the upper limit, so we made 100% profits.”

“So, the asset management company is now loaded with 20 billion won, right?”

“Yes, sir. It’s 20 billion won.”

“We won’t distribute dividends next year, but I will increase the company’s capital with its profits. So, keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gun-Ho decided to reinvest the profits in the company, that the asset management company made because the investment funds that they were using seemed to be not enough. Gun-Ho already had enough cash, more than 1 trillion won, so he didn’t have to collect that profit.

It was May. The air was filled with the scents from Acacia flowers.

Director Kang received a call from Style Apparel’s owner president.

“I was just saying when I told you that I would sell the building in Bangbae Town for 30 billion won. Here is my serious offer. I will sell my building for 28 billion won.”

Her reason to sell the building in Bangbae Town was to expand her store in Cheongdam Town. Director Kang insisted that the building was overpriced and that the building was not that worth that much. But, Gun-Ho told him to prepare the sale and purchase contract.

Gun-Ho bought that building in Bangbae Town with Young-Eun’s name. Young-Eun was staying home, at that time, after the clinic that she was working for moved to another city. She was taking a rest at home while working as a full-time mother.

“Young-Eun, do you remember the building across the street from the building where you worked? I purchased that building, I mean the entire building.”

Young-Eun was startled. It was hard enough to lease a space in a building, but Gun-Ho bought the entire building. That was not all. Gun-Ho bought the building with Young-Eun’s name. Young-Eun didn’t know what to say.

Gun-Ho said, “A businessman always has to take a risk to a certain extent; it’s part of the nature of a business. That’s why your father wanted you to marry another medical doctor, not a businessman. If I broke someday, I want you to be left with at least this building. That’s why I bought it under your name. This is for you and our boy—Sang-Min.”

Young-Eun burst into tears.

After finishing renovating the building, Young-Eun established a medical corporation. She then brought her friends from college who were also medical doctors to the hospital and worked together. She set up 3 clinical departments—neurosurgery, endocrinology, and rehabilitation— and she took the chairman position of board of directors for this hospital. Her hospital was introduced to Seoul National University’s newspaper, and Young-Eun was depicted as a proud alumna.

It was June.

GH Mobile’s building management department moved its office from the 18th floor to 17th floor, and Gun-Ho’s office was expanded to be a lot larger in size than before. A new office was also opened next to Gun-Ho’s office, which was the personal secretary office for the chairman. The office was redone with a more luxurious interior. The 18th floor was now occupied by the chairman’s office, the personal secretary office for the chairman, and GH Asset Management Company. Gun-Ho spent most of his days reading a book in his office.

All communications between GH companies and Gun-Ho were done by Manager Hong, such as matters related to each company’s loss and profits, official announcement letters, and taxes. Gun-Ho once received a request from W Group to make a pretense of participating in acquiring a building called Star Building. He wrote a letter of intent for them, but he made it brief. Star Building was worth 500 billion won, and Gun-Ho’s name appeared again on newspapers for it. News reporters wanted to cover the story of Gun-Ho as they were curious about who was the big player who could afford to buy that building.

Three years passed by, and GH Mobile paid most of its debt, and it finally went public. GH Machines also succeeded in getting into the defense industry and eventually became a public company as well. After going public, GH Mobile and GH Machines were loaded with a substantial amount of cash, and with that fund, they expanded their business to construction, electronics, and heavy equipment by acquiring existing companies. Gun-Ho didn’t have to spend his personal fund of 1 trillion won to make these happen.

When Gun-Ho turned 48 years old, GH companies’ assets were over 10 trillion won, and he finally declared that GH companies became a conglomerate company. Gun-Ho finally and officially made GH Group.

-THE END-

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Table of Contents

Information

Chapter 1 - Prologue

Chapter 2 - An Encounter At The Fishing Site (1)

Chapter 3 - An Encounter At The Fishing Site (2)

Chapter 4 - An Encounter At The Fishing Site (3)

Chapter 5 - Got A Job (1)
Chapter 6 - Got A Job (2)
Chapter 7 - Got A Job (2)

Chapter 8 - Master Park, A Fortune Teller From Gangnam (1)

Chapter 9 - Master Park, A Fortune Teller From Gangnam (2)

Chapter 10 - Master Park, A Fortune Teller From Gangnam (3)

Chapter 11 - Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (1)

Chapter 12 - Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (2)

Chapter 13 - Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (3)

Chapter 14 - Chairman Lee, Cheongdam Town Building Owner (3)

Chapter 15 - Gun-Ho Goo Started Studying Accounting (1)

Chapter 16 - Gun-Ho Goo Started Studying Accounting (2)

Chapter 17 - Getting A Job In Bookkeeping (1)
Chapter 18 - Getting A Job In Bookkeeping (2)
Chapter 19 - Getting A Job In Bookkeeping (3)

Chapter 20 - Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (1)

Chapter 21 - Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (2)

Chapter 22 - Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (3)

Chapter 23 - Factory Worker Working As A Bookkeeper (4)

Chapter 24 - Moving to Asan, Chungnam (1)
Chapter 25 - Moving to Asan, Chungnam (2)
Chapter 26 - Moving to Asan, Chungnam (3)
Chapter 27 - B2B Electronic Payment (1)
Chapter 28 - B2B Electronic Payment (2)
Chapter 29 - B2B Electronic Payment (3)
Chapter 30 - B2B Electronic Payment (4)
Chapter 31 - B2B Electronic Payment (5)
Chapter 32 - Seed Money Soaked With Tears (1)
Chapter 33 - Seed Money Soaked With Tears (2)
Chapter 34 - Seed Money Soaked With Tears (3)
Chapter 35 - Seed Money Soaked With Tears (4)
Chapter 36 - Seed Money Soaked With Tears (5)

Chapter 37 - Preparation for Starting a New Business (1)

Chapter 38 - Preparation for Starting a New Business (2)

Chapter 39 - Preparation for Starting a New Business (3)

Chapter 40 - Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (1)

Chapter 41 - Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (2)

Chapter 42 - Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (3)

Chapter 43 - Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (4)

Chapter 44 - Open a Restaurant in Noryangjin (5)

Chapter 45 - Going to China (1)
Chapter 46 - Going to China (2)
Chapter 47 - Going to China (3)
Chapter 48 - Going to China (4)
Chapter 49 - Going to China (5)

Chapter 50 - Acquiring a Korean Restaurant in China (1)

Chapter 51 - Acquiring a Korean Restaurant in China (2)

Chapter 52 - Alibaba President Marwin’s Condo (1)

Chapter 53 - Alibaba President Marwin’s Condo (2)

Chapter 54 - Alibaba President Marwin’s Condo (3)

Chapter 55 - The Branch Manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (1)

Chapter 56 - The Branch Manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (2)

Chapter 57 - The Branch Manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (3)

Chapter 58 - Transfer to a college in China (1)

Chapter 59 - Transfer to a college in China (2)

Chapter 60 - Transfer to a college in China (3)

Chapter 61 - The Result of The Real Estate Investment (1)

Chapter 62 - The Result of The Real Estate Investment (2)

Chapter 63 - The Result of The Real Estate Investment (3)

Chapter 64 - The Result of The Real Estate Investment (4)

Chapter 65 - Hit A Jackpot With Foreign Exchange (1)

Chapter 66 - Hit A Jackpot With Foreign Exchange (2)

Chapter 67 - Hit A Jackpot With Foreign Exchange (3)

Chapter 68 - New Start in Korea (1) – PART 1
Chapter 69 - New Start in Korea (1) – PART 2
Chapter 70 - New Start in Korea (2) - PART 1
Chapter 71 - New Start in Korea (2) - PART 2

Chapter 72 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (1) – PART 1

Chapter 73 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (1) – PART 2

Chapter 74 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (2) – PART 1

Chapter 75 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (2) – PART 2

Chapter 76 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (3) – PART 1

Chapter 77 - Hit a Jackpot with Four Major Rivers Project (3) – PART 2

Chapter 78 - Secret Bar at Hannam Town (1) – PART 1

Chapter 79 - Secret Bar at Hannam Town (1) – PART 2

Chapter 80 - Secret Bar at Hannam Town (2) – PART 1

Chapter 81 - Secret Bar at Hannam Town (2) – PART 2

Chapter 82 - Moving to Gangnam (1) – PART 1
Chapter 83 - Moving to Gangnam (1) – PART 2
Chapter 84 - Moving to Gangnam (2) – PART 1
Chapter 85 - Moving to Gangnam (2) – PART 2
Chapter 86 - Starting a Company (1) – PART 1
Chapter 87 - Starting a Company (1) – PART 2
Chapter 88 - Starting a Company (2) – PART 1
Chapter 89 - Starting a Company (2) – PART 2
Chapter 90 - Land Auction – PART 1
Chapter 91 - Land Auction – PART 2
Chapter 92 - Professor Jien Wang (1) – PART 1
Chapter 93 - Professor Jien Wang (1) – PART 2
Chapter 94 - Professor Jien Wang (2) – PART 1
Chapter 95 - Professor Jien Wang (2) – PART 2
Chapter 96 - Flavors of Life (1) – PART 1
Chapter 97 - Flavors of Life (1) – PART 2
Chapter 98 - Flavors of Life (2) – PART 1
Chapter 99 - Flavors of Life (2) – PART 2

Chapter 100 - Conversation with a Wise Man (1) – PART 1

Chapter 101 - Conversation with a Wise Man (1) – PART 2

Chapter 102 - Conversation with a Wise Man (2) – PART 1

Chapter 103 - Conversation with a Wise Man (2) – PART 2

Chapter 104 - Buying Out The Other Tenant in Common – PART 1

Chapter 105 - Buying Out The Other Tenant in Common – PART 2

Chapter 106 - Letter of Intent (1) – PART 1
Chapter 107 - Letter of Intent (1) – PART 2
Chapter 108 - Letter of Intent (2) – PART 1
Chapter 109 - Letter of Intent (2) – PART 2
Chapter 110 - Selling the Land (1) – PART 1
Chapter 111 - Selling the Land (1) – PART 2
Chapter 112 - Selling the Land (2) – PART 1
Chapter 113 - Selling the Land (2) – PART 2

Chapter 114 - Presentation to Attract Companies into the Industrial Park – PART 1

Chapter 115 - Presentation to Attract Companies into the Industrial Park – PART 2

Chapter 116 - Joint Venture (1) – PART 1
Chapter 117 - Joint Venture (1) – PART 2
Chapter 118 - Joint Venture (2) – PART 1
Chapter 119 - Joint Venture (2) – PART 2
Chapter 120 - Requital (1) – PART 1
Chapter 121 - Requital (1) – PART 2
Chapter 122 - Requital (2) – PART 1
Chapter 123 - Requital (2) – PART 2

Chapter 124 - Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (1) – PART 1

Chapter 125 - Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (1) – PART 2

Chapter 126 - Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (2) – PART 1

Chapter 127 - Global Enterprise Lymondell Dyeon (2) – PART 2

Chapter 128 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (1) – PART 1

Chapter 129 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (1) – PART 2

Chapter 130 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (2) – PART 1

Chapter 131 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (2) – PART 2

Chapter 132 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (3) – PART 1

Chapter 133 - Dreaming about Having a Manufacturing Company (3) – PART 2

Chapter 134 - Geisha Mori Aikko (1) – PART 1
Chapter 135 - Geisha Mori Aikko (1) – PART 2
Chapter 136 - Geisha Mori Aikko (2) – PART 1
Chapter 137 - Geisha Mori Aikko (2) – PART 2

Chapter 138 - Company in Rehabilitation (1) – PART 1

Chapter 139 - Company in Rehabilitation (1) – PART 2

Chapter 140 - Company in Rehabilitation (2) – PART 1

Chapter 141 - Company in Rehabilitation (2) – PART 2

Chapter 142 - Company in Rehabilitation (3) – PART 1

Chapter 143 - Company in Rehabilitation (3) – PART 2

Chapter 144 - Preparation for M&A (1) – PART 1

Chapter 145 - Preparation for M&A (1) – PART 2

Chapter 146 - Preparation for M&A (2) – PART 1

Chapter 147 - Preparation for M&A (2) – PART 2

Chapter 148 - Preparation for M&A (3) – PART 1

Chapter 149 - Preparation for M&A (3) – PART 2

Chapter 150 - Business Acquisition (1) – PART 1

Chapter 151 - Business Acquisition (1) – PART 2

Chapter 152 - Business Acquisition (2) – PART 1

Chapter 153 - Business Acquisition (2) – PART 2

Chapter 154 - Business Acquisition (3) – PART 1

Chapter 155 - Business Acquisition (3) – PART 2

Chapter 156 - Business Acquisition (4) – PART 1

Chapter 157 - Business Acquisition (4) – PART 2

Chapter 158 - Business Expansion (1) – PART 1
Chapter 159 - Business Expansion (1) – PART 2
Chapter 160 - Business Expansion (2) – PART 1
Chapter 161 - Business Expansion (2) – PART 2
Chapter 162 - Business Expansion (3) – PART 1
Chapter 163 - Business Expansion (3) – PART 2

Chapter 164- PART 1 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (1)

Chapter 165- PART 2 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (1) – PART 2

Chapter 166 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (2) – PART 1

Chapter 167 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (2) – PART 2

Chapter 168 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (3) – PART 1

Chapter 169 - Mama-san Segawa Joonkko (3) – PART 2

Chapter 170 - Company Restructuring (1) – PART 1

Chapter 171 - Company Restructuring (1) – PART 2

Chapter 172 - Company Restructuring (2) – PART 1

Chapter 173 - Company Restructuring (2) – PART 2

Chapter 174 - ConferenceCompany Restructuring (3) – PART 1

Chapter 175 - Company Restructuring (3) – PART 2

Chapter 176 - Company Restructuring (4) – PART 1

Chapter 177 - Company Restructuring (4) – PART 2

Chapter 178 - Company Restructuring (5) – PART 1

Chapter 179 - Company Restructuring (5) – PART 2

Chapter 180 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (1) – PART 1

Chapter 181 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (1) – PART 2

Chapter 182 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (2) – PART 1

Chapter 183 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (2) – PART 2

Chapter 184 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (3) – PART 1

Chapter 185 - State-of-the-Art Factory Construction (3) – PART 2

Chapter 186 - World-Renowned Engineer (1) – PART 1

Chapter 187 - World-Renowned Engineer (1) – PART 2

Chapter 188 - World-Renowned Engineer (2) – PART 1

Chapter 189 - World-Renowned Engineer (2) – PART 2

Chapter 190 - World-Renowned Engineer (3) – PART 1

Chapter 191 - World-Renowned Engineer (3) – PART 2

Chapter 192 - Establishing GH Chemical (1) – PART 1

Chapter 193 - Establishing GH Chemical (1) – PART 2

Chapter 194 - Establishing GH Chemical (2) – PART 1

Chapter 195 - Establishing GH Chemical (2) – PART 2

Chapter 196 - Establishing GH Chemical (3) – PART 1

Chapter 197 - Establishing GH Chemical (3) – PART 2

Chapter 198 - Establishing GH Media (1) – PART 1

Chapter 199 - Establishing GH Media (1) – PART 2

Chapter 200 - Establishing GH Media (2) – PART 1

Chapter 201 - Establishing GH Media (2) – PART 2

Chapter 202 - Establishing GH Media (3) – PART 1

Chapter 203 - Establishing GH Media (3) – PART 2

Chapter 204 - New Product (1) – PART 1
Chapter 205 - New Product (1) – PART 2
Chapter 206 - New Product (2) – PART 1
Chapter 207 - New Product (2) – PART 2
Chapter 208 - New Product (3) – PART 1
Chapter 209 - New Product (3) – PART 2
Chapter 210 - Business Plan (1) – PART 1
Chapter 211 - Business Plan (1) – PART 2
Chapter 212 - Business Plan (2) – PART 1
Chapter 213 - Business Plan (2) – PART 2
Chapter 214 - Business Plan (3) – PART 1

Chapter 215 - ConferenceBusiness Plan (3) – PART 2

Chapter 216 - Moving to the New Location (1) – PART 1

Chapter 217 - Moving to the New Location (1) – PART 2

Chapter 218 - Moving to the New Location (2) – PART 1 !

Chapter 219 - Moving to the New Location (2) – PART 2 !

Chapter 220 - Moving to the New Location (3) – PART 1

Chapter 221 - Moving to the New Location (3) – PART 2

Chapter 222 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 1

Chapter 223 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 2

Chapter 224 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 1

Chapter 225 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 2

Chapter 226 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 1

Chapter 227 - RiverStar Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 2

Chapter 228 - Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (1) – PART 1

Chapter 229 - Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (1) – PART 2

Chapter 230 - Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (2) – PART 1

Chapter 231 - Acquiring a Storage Building in Suzhou Industrial Park (2) – PART 2

Chapter 232 - Lymondell Dyeon’s visit (1) – PART 1

Chapter 233 - Lymondell Dyeon’s visit (1) – PART 2

Chapter 234 - Lymondell Dyeon’s Visit (2) – PART 1

Chapter 235 - Lymondell Dyeon’s Visit (2) – PART 2

Chapter 236 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (1) – PART 1

Chapter 237 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (1) – PART 2

Chapter 238 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (2) – PART 1

Chapter 239 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (2) – PART 2

Chapter 240 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (3) – PART 1

Chapter 241 - Egnopak’s President is Furious (3) – PART 2

Chapter 242 - GH Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 1

Chapter 243 - GH Building in Gangnam (1) – PART 2

Chapter 244 - GH Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 1

Chapter 245 - GH Building in Gangnam (2) – PART 2

Chapter 246 - GH Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 1

Chapter 247 - GH Building in Gangnam (3) – PART 2

Chapter 248 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (1) – PART 1

Chapter 249 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (1) – PART 2

Chapter 250 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (2) – PART 1

Chapter 251 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (2) – PART 2

Chapter 252 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (3) – PART 1

Chapter 253 - Hiring New Workers for GH Development (3) – PART 2

Chapter 254 - Lynch (1) – PART 1
Chapter 255 - Lynch (1) – PART 2
Chapter 256 - Lynch (2) – PART 1
Chapter 257 - Lynch (2) – PART 2
Chapter 258 - Lynch (3) – PART 1
Chapter 259 - Lynch (3) – PART 2
Chapter 260 - Lynch (4) – PART 1
Chapter 261 - Lynch (4) – PART 2
Chapter 262 - Job Appointment (1) – PART 1
Chapter 263 - Job Appointment (1) – PART 2
Chapter 264 - Job Appointment (2) – PART 1
Chapter 265 - Job Appointment (2) – PART 2
Chapter 266 - Tokyo Planning (1) – Part 1
Chapter 267 - Tokyo Planning (1) – Part 2
Chapter 268 - Tokyo Planning (2) – Part 1
Chapter 269 - Tokyo Planning (2) – Part 2
Chapter 270 - Recruit (1) – Part 1
Chapter 271 - Recruit (1) – Part 2
Chapter 272 - Recruit (2) – Part 1
Chapter 273 - Recruit (2) – Part 2
Chapter 274 - Recruit (3) – Part 1
Chapter 275 - Recruit (3) – Part 2

Chapter 276 - Vice President Adam Castler (1) – Part 1

Chapter 277 - Vice President Adam Castler (1) – Part 2

Chapter 278 - Vice President Adam Castler (2) – Part 1

Chapter 279 - Vice President Adam Castler (2) – Part 2

Chapter 280 - Vice President Adam Castler (3) – Part 1

Chapter 281 - Vice President Adam Castler (3) – Part 2

Chapter 282 - Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (1) – Part 1

Chapter 283 - Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (1) – Part 2

Chapter 284 - Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (2) – Part 1

Chapter 285 - Plant Manager— Director Jong-Suk Park (2) – Part 2

Chapter 286 - Plant Manager — Director Jong-Suk Park (3) – Part 1

Chapter 287 - Plant Manager — Director Jong-Suk Park (3) – Part 2

Chapter 288 - Conversation at Shade House in a country club (1) – Part 1

Chapter 289 - Conversation at Shade House in a country club (1) – Part 2

Chapter 290 - Conversation at Shade House in a country club (2) – Part 1

Chapter 291 - Conversation at Shade House in a country club (2) – Part 2

Chapter 292 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (1) – Part 1
Chapter 293 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (1) – Part 2
Chapter 294 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (2) – Part 1
Chapter 295 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (2) – Part 2
Chapter 296 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (3) – Part 1
Chapter 297 - Top Star—Seol-Bing (3) – Part 2
Chapter 298 - Art Exhibition (1) – Part 1
Chapter 299 - Art Exhibition (1) – Part 2
Chapter 300 - Art Exhibition (2) – Part 1
Chapter 301 - Art Exhibition (2) – Part 2
Chapter 302 - Meeting in Tokyo – Part 1
Chapter 303 - Meeting in Tokyo – Part 2
Chapter 304 - Joint Venture (1) – Part 1
Chapter 305 - Joint Venture (1) – Part 2
Chapter 306 - Joint Venture (2) – Part 1
Chapter 307 - Joint Venture (2) – Part 2
Chapter 308 - Joint Venture (3) – Part 1
Chapter 309 - Joint Venture (3) – Part 2
Chapter 310 - Joint Venture (4) – Part 1
Chapter 311 - Joint Venture (4) – Part 2

Chapter 312 - Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 313 - Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 314 - Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 315 - Prototype Development of the Joint Venture Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 316 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (1) – Part 1

Chapter 317 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (1) – Part 2

Chapter 318 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (2) – Part 1

Chapter 319 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (2) – Part 2

Chapter 320 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (3) – Part 1

Chapter 321 - Seukang Li’s Suggestion (3) – Part 2

Chapter 322 - Meeting with Top Star – Part 1

Chapter 323 - Meeting with Top Star – Part 2

Chapter 324 - Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (1) – Part 1

Chapter 325 - Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (1) – Part 2

Chapter 326 - Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (2) – Part 1

Chapter 327 - Chairman Lee’s Vacation Home (2) – Part 2

Chapter 328 - Tokyo Sonata (1) – Part 1
Chapter 329 - Tokyo Sonata (1) – Part 2
Chapter 330 - Tokyo Sonata (2) – Part 1
Chapter 331 - Tokyo Sonata (2) – Part 2
Chapter 332 - GH Gallery (1) – Part 1
Chapter 333 - GH Gallery (1) – Part 2
Chapter 334 - GH Gallery (2) – Part 1
Chapter 335 - GH Gallery (2) – Part 2
Chapter 336 - Book Café (1) – Part 1
Chapter 337 - Book Café (1) – Part 2
Chapter 338 - Book Café (2) – Part 1
Chapter 339 - Book Café (2) – Part 2
Chapter 340 - Matchmaking (1) – Part 1
Chapter 341 - Matchmaking (1) – Part 2
Chapter 342 - Matchmaking (2) – Part 1
Chapter 343 - Matchmaking (2) – Part 2
Chapter 344 - Matchmaking (3) – Part 1
Chapter 345 - Matchmaking (3) – Part 2
Chapter 346 - Hiring a Chauffeur (1) – Part 1
Chapter 347 - Hiring a Chauffeur (1) – Part 2
Chapter 348 - Hiring a Chauffeur (2) – Part 1
Chapter 349 - Hiring a Chauffeur (2) – Part 2
Chapter 350 - Strategic Change (1) – Part 1
Chapter 351 - Strategic Change (1) – Part 2
Chapter 352 - Strategic Change (2) – Part 1
Chapter 353 - Strategic Change (2) – Part 2
Chapter 354 - Strategic Change (3) – Part 1
Chapter 355 - Strategic Change (3) – Part 2
Chapter 356 - GH Logistics (1) – Part 1
Chapter 357 - GH Logistics (1) – Part 2
Chapter 358 - GH Logistics (2) – Part 1
Chapter 359 - GH Logistics (2) – Part 2
Chapter 360 - GH Logistics (3) – Part 1
Chapter 361 - GH Logistics (3) – Part 2

Chapter 362 - Meant to Be Together (1) – Part 1

Chapter 363 - Meant to Be Together (1) – Part 2

Chapter 364 - Meant to Be Together (2) – Part 1

Chapter 365 - Meant to Be Together (2) – Part 2

Chapter 366 - Meant to Be Together (3) – Part 1

Chapter 367 - Meant to Be Together (3) – Part 2

Chapter 368 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 1

Chapter 369 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 2

Chapter 370 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 1

Chapter 371 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 2

Chapter 372 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 1

Chapter 373 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 2

Chapter 374 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (4) – Part 1

Chapter 375 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (4) – Part 2

Chapter 376 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (5) – Part 1

Chapter 377 - Joint Venture’s Board Meeting (5) – Part 2

Chapter 378 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 379 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 380 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 381 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 382 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (3) – Part 1

Chapter 383 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (3) – Part 2

Chapter 384 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (4) – Part 1

Chapter 385 - Basecamp For The Transportation Company (4) – Part 2

Chapter 386 - Single House in Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 1

Chapter 387 - Single House in Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 2

Chapter 388 - Single House in Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 1

Chapter 389 - Single House in Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 2

Chapter 390 - Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (1) – Part 1

Chapter 391 - Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (1) – Part 2

Chapter 392 - Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (2) – Part 1

Chapter 393 - Art Exhibition with Original Paintings (2) – Part 2

Chapter 394 - Debt Ratio (1) – Part 1
Chapter 395 - Debt Ratio (1) – Part 2
Chapter 396 - Debt Ratio (2) – Part 1
Chapter 397 - Debt Ratio (2) – Part 2

Chapter 398 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (1) – Part 1

Chapter 399 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (1) – Part 2

Chapter 400 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (2) – Part 1

Chapter 401 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (2) – Part 2

Chapter 402 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (3) – Part 1

Chapter 403 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (3) – Part 2

Chapter 404 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (4) – Part 1

Chapter 405 - Date at Fortress Wall of Seoul (4) – Part 2

Chapter 406 - Lifetime Companion – Part 1

Chapter 407 - Lifetime Companion – Part 2

Chapter 408 - Year-end Financial Meeting – Part 1

Chapter 409 - Year-end Financial Meeting – Part 2

Chapter 410 - First Meeting between the families of the bride and groom (1) – Part 1

Chapter 411 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (1) – Part 2

Chapter 412 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (2) – Part 1

Chapter 413 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (2) – Part 2

Chapter 414 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (3) – Part 1

Chapter 415 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (3) – Part 2

Chapter 416 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (4) – Part 1

Chapter 417 - First Meeting between the Families of the Bride and Groom (4) – Part 2

Chapter 418 - Wedding (1) – Part 1
Chapter 419 - Wedding (1) – Part 2
Chapter 420 - Wedding (2) – Part 1
Chapter 421 - Wedding (2) – Part 2
Chapter 422 - Wedding (3) – Part 1
Chapter 423 - Wedding (3) – Part 2
Chapter 424 - Wedding (4) – Part 1
Chapter 425 - Wedding (4) – Part 2

Chapter 426 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (1) – Part 1

Chapter 427 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (1) – Part 2

Chapter 428 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (2) – Part 1

Chapter 429 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (2) – Part 2

Chapter 430 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (3) – Part 1

Chapter 431 - Minister Jin-Woo Lee as Officiator (3) – Part 2

Chapter 432 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (1) – Part 1

Chapter 433 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (1) – Part 2

Chapter 434 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (2) – Part 1

Chapter 435 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (2) – Part 2

Chapter 436 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (3) – Part 1

Chapter 437 - Life of Newly-Married Couple (3) – Part 2

Chapter 438 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (1) – Part 1

Chapter 439 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (1) – Part 2

Chapter 440 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (2) – Part 1

Chapter 441 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (2) – Part 2

Chapter 442 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (3) – Part 1

Chapter 443 - Visiting Parents after Honeymoon Trip (Shinhaeng) (3) – Part 2

Chapter 444 - Ownership Transfer of Condo (1) – Part 1

Chapter 445 - Ownership Transfer of Condo (1) – Part 2

Chapter 446 - Ownership Transfer of Condo (2) – Part 1

Chapter 447 - Ownership Transfer of Condo (2) – Part 2

Chapter 448 - Collaboration of Transportation Business – Part 1

Chapter 449 - Collaboration of Transportation Business – Part 2

Chapter 450 - Mori Aikko’s Tears (1) – Part 1
Chapter 451 - Mori Aikko’s Tears (1) – Part 2
Chapter 452 - Mori Aikko’s Tears (2) – Part 1
Chapter 453 - Mori Aikko’s Tears (2) – Part 2

Chapter 454 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (1) – Part 1

Chapter 455 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (1) – Part 2

Chapter 456 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (2) – Part 1

Chapter 457 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (2) – Part 2

Chapter 458 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (3) – Part 1

Chapter 459 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (3) – Part 2

Chapter 460 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (4) – Part 1

Chapter 461 - Expanding Logistics Business into Overseas Market (4) – Part 2

Chapter 462 - GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 1

Chapter 463 - GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 2

Chapter 464 - GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (2) – Part 1

Chapter 465 - GH Plastic Co., Ltd. (2) – Part 2

Chapter 466 - Costume Play Magazine – Part 1

Chapter 467 - Costume Play Magazine – Part 2

Chapter 468 - Expanding the Market to India (1) – Part 1

Chapter 469 - Expanding the Market to India (1) – Part 2

Chapter 470 - Expanding the Market to India (2) – Part 1

Chapter 471 - Expanding the Market to India (2) – Part 2

Chapter 472 - Expanding the Market to India (3) – Part 1

Chapter 473 - Expanding the Market to India (3) – Part 2

Chapter 474 - Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (1) – Part 1

Chapter 475 - Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (1) – Part 2

Chapter 476 - Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (2) – Part 1

Chapter 477 - Transfer the Ownership of Dingding’s Sales Company in China (2) – Part 2

Chapter 478 - Business Tour in India (1) – Part 1

Chapter 479 - Business Tour in India (1) – Part 2

Chapter 480 - Business Tour in India (2) – Part 1

Chapter 481 - Business Tour in India (2) – Part 2

Chapter 482 - Wood carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (1) – Part 1

Chapter 483 - Wood Carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (1) – Part 2

Chapter 484 - Wood carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (2) – Part 1

Chapter 485 - Wood carving Exhibition in Yokohama City (2) – Part 2

Chapter 486 - Costume Play Event – Part 1

Chapter 487 - Costume Play Event – Part 2

Chapter 488 - Joint Venture Company for Transportation (1) – Part 1

Chapter 489 - Joint Venture Company for Transportation (1) – Part 2

Chapter 490 - Joint Venture Company for Transportation (2) – Part 1

Chapter 491 - Joint Venture Company for Transportation (2) – Part 2

Chapter 492 - Forming a company in India – Part 1

Chapter 493 - Forming a company in India – Part 2

Chapter 494 - A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 1

Chapter 495 - A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (1) – Part 2

Chapter 496 - A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 1

Chapter 497 - A Little Trip to Yangpyeong County (2) – Part 2

Chapter 498 - Terminal Business (1) – Part 1
Chapter 499 - Terminal Business (1) – Part 2
Chapter 500 - Terminal Business (2) – Part 1
Chapter 501 - Terminal Business (2) – Part 2
Chapter 502 - Terminal Business (3) – Part 1
Chapter 503 - Terminal Business (3) – Part 2

Chapter 504 - Sister and Brother-In-Law (1) – Part 1

Chapter 505 - Sister and Brother-In-Law (1) – Part 2

Chapter 506 - Sister and Brother-In-Law (2) – Part 1

Chapter 507 - Sister and Brother-In-Law (2) – Part 2

Chapter 508 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (1) – Part 1

Chapter 509 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (1) – Part 2

Chapter 510 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (2) – Part 1

Chapter 511 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (2) – Part 2

Chapter 512 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (3) – Part 1

Chapter 513 - Register Farmland After Changing Its Land Use (3) – Part 2

Chapter 514 - Relocation of GH Logistics (1) – Part 1

Chapter 515 - Relocation of GH Logistics (1) – Part 2

Chapter 516 - Relocation of GH Logistics (2) – Part 1

Chapter 517 - Relocation of GH Logistics (2) – Part 2

Chapter 518 - Relocation of GH Logistics (3) – Part 1

Chapter 519 - Relocation of GH Logistics (3) – Part 2

Chapter 520 - Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (1) – Part 1

Chapter 521 - Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (1) – Part 2

Chapter 522 - Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (2) – Part 1

Chapter 523 - Winning Bid at Public Auction—Onbid (2) – Part 2

Chapter 524 - Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (1) – Part 1

Chapter 525 - Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (1) – Part 2

Chapter 526 - Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (2) – Part 1

Chapter 527 - Sale of Logistics’ Real Property (2) – Part 2

Chapter 528 - Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (1) – Part 1

Chapter 529 - Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (1) – Part 2

Chapter 530 - Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (2) – Part 1

Chapter 531 - Jae-Sik Moon’s Family History (2) – Part 2

Chapter 532 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (1) – Part 1

Chapter 533 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (1) – Part 2

Chapter 534 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (2) – Part 1

Chapter 535 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (2) – Part 2

Chapter 536 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (3) – Part 1

Chapter 537 - Wedding Ceremony Later in Life (3) – Part 2

Chapter 538 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (1) – Part 1

Chapter 539 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (1) – Part 2

Chapter 540 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (2) – Part 1

Chapter 541 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (2) – Part 2

Chapter 542 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (3) – Part 1

Chapter 543 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (3) – Part 2

Chapter 544 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (4) – Part 1

Chapter 545 - A Group’s Secret Proposal (4) – Part 2

Chapter 546 - Indemnity Report of Supply (1) – Part 1

Chapter 547 - Indemnity Report of Supply (1) – Part 2

Chapter 548 - Indemnity Report of Supply (2) – Part 1

Chapter 549 - Indemnity Report of Supply (2) – Part 2

Chapter 550 - Indemnity Report of Supply (3) – Part 1

Chapter 551 - Indemnity Report of Supply (3) – Part 2

Chapter 552 - Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (1) – Part 1

Chapter 553 - Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (1) – Part 2

Chapter 554 - Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (2) – Part 1

Chapter 555 - Memory at Hotel in Shinjuku (2) – Part 2

Chapter 556 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (1) – Part 1

Chapter 557 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (1) – Part 2

Chapter 558 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (2) – Part 1

Chapter 559 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (2) – Part 2

Chapter 560 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (3) – Part 1

Chapter 561 - Changes in GH Mobile’s Stock Ownership (3) – Part 2

Chapter 562 - Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (1) – Part 1

Chapter 563 - Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (1) – Part 2

Chapter 564 - Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (2) – Part 1

Chapter 565 - Remittance of 450,000 Dollars (2) – Part 2

Chapter 566 - GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (1) – Part 1

Chapter 567 - GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (1) – Part 2

Chapter 568 - GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (2) – Part 1

Chapter 569 - GH Mobile’s Sales Revenue Increased (2) – Part 2

Chapter 570 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (1) – Part 1

Chapter 571 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (1) – Part 2

Chapter 572 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (2) – Part 1

Chapter 573 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (2) – Part 2

Chapter 574 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (3) – Part 1

Chapter 575 - Soap Opera Production Company in Shanghai (3) – Part 2

Chapter 576 - Building Bus Terminal (1) – Part 1

Chapter 577 - Building Bus Terminal (1) – Part 2

Chapter 578 - Building Bus Terminal (2) – Part 1

Chapter 579 - Building Bus Terminal (2) – Part 2

Chapter 580 - Building Bus Terminal (3) – Part 1

Chapter 581 - Building Bus Terminal (3) – Part 2

Chapter 582 - Singing Together at Karaoke (1) – Part 1

Chapter 583 - Singing Together at Karaoke (1) – Part 2

Chapter 584 - Singing Together at Karaoke (2) – Part 1

Chapter 585 - Singing Together at Karaoke (2) – Part 2

Chapter 586 - Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (1) – Part 1

Chapter 587 - Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (1) – Part 2

Chapter 588 - Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (2) – Part 1

Chapter 589 - Production Expansion of GH Mobile and Dyeon Korea (2) – Part 2

Chapter 590 - Bus Line Permit (1) – Part 1
Chapter 591 - Bus Line Permit (1) – Part 2
Chapter 592 - Bus Line Permit (2) – Part 1
Chapter 593 - Bus Line Permit (2) – Part 2

Chapter 594 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (1) – Part 1

Chapter 595 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (1) – Part 2

Chapter 596 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (2) – Part 1

Chapter 597 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (2) – Part 2

Chapter 598 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (3) – Part 1

Chapter 599 - Certificate of Inno-Biz (3) – Part 2

Chapter 600 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (1) – Part 1

Chapter 601 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (1) – Part 2

Chapter 602 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (2) – Part 1

Chapter 603 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (2) – Part 2

Chapter 604 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (3) – Part 1

Chapter 605 - Drama Production Company— Huanle Shiji (3) – Part 2

Chapter 606 - Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (1) – Part 1

Chapter 607 - Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (1) – Part 2

Chapter 608 - Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (2) – Part 1

Chapter 609 - Investing in Huaxi Huayuan (2) – Part 2

Chapter 610 - Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager (1) – Part 1

Chapter 611 - Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager (1) – Part 2

Chapter 612 - Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager (2) – Part 1

Chapter 613 - Reunion with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Branch Manager

Chapter 614 - Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (1) – Part 1

Chapter 615 - Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (1) – Part 2

Chapter 616 - Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (2) – Part 1

Chapter 617 - Hiring Director Woon-Hak Sim (2) – Part 2

Chapter 618 - Memorandum of Understanding (1) – Part 1

Chapter 619 - Memorandum of Understanding (1) – Part 2

Chapter 620 - Memorandum of Understanding (2) – Part 1

Chapter 621 - Memorandum of Understanding (2) – Part 2

Chapter 622 - Jae-Sik’s Wife is Leaving for China – Part 1

Chapter 623 - Jae-Sik’s Wife is Leaving for China – Part 2

Chapter 624 - Plan to Increase Dyeon Korea’s Capital – Part 1

Chapter 625 - Plan to Increase Dyeon Korea’s Capital – Part 2

Chapter 626 - 626 Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 1 – Part 1

Chapter 627 - 627 Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 1 – Part 2

Chapter 628 - Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 2 – Part 1

Chapter 629 - Participating in producing a Chinese Drama 2 – Part 2

Chapter 630 - Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) (1) – Part 1

Chapter 631 - Chapter 631

Chapter 632 - Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) (2) – Part 1

Chapter 633 - Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) (2) – Part 2

Chapter 634 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (1) – Part 1

Chapter 635 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (1) – Part 2

Chapter 636 - High School Friend—Suk-Ho Lee (2) – Part 1

Chapter 637 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (2) – Part 2

Chapter 638 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (3) – Part 1

Chapter 639 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (3) – Part 2

Chapter 640 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (4) – Part 1

Chapter 641 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (4) – Part 2

Chapter 642 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (5) – Part 1

Chapter 643 - High School Friend— Suk-Ho Lee (5) – Part 2

Chapter 644 - Actress Lia and Aikko (1) – Part 1

Chapter 645 - Actress Lia and Aikko (1) – Part 2

Chapter 646 - Actress Lia and Aikko (2) – Part 1

Chapter 647 - Actress Lia and Aikko (2) – Part 2

Chapter 648 - First Vendor Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 649 - First Vendor Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 650 - First Vendor Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 651 - : First Vendor Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 652 - End of Year Promotions (1) – Part 1

Chapter 653 - End of Year Promotions 1 – Part 2

Chapter 654 - End of Year Promotions (2) – Part 1

Chapter 655 - End of Year Promotions (2) – Part 2

Chapter 656 - End of Year Promotions (3) – Part 1

Chapter 657 - End of Year Promotions (3) – Part 2

Chapter 658 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (1) – Part 1

Chapter 659 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (1) – Part 2

Chapter 660 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (2) – Part 1

Chapter 661 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (2) – Part 2

Chapter 662 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (3) – Part 1

Chapter 663 - Each GH Company’s Year-End Financial Report (3) – Part 2

Chapter 664 - Maternity Leave 1 – Part 1
Chapter 665 - Maternity Leave 1 – Part 2
Chapter 666 - Maternity Leave (2) – Part 1
Chapter 667 - Maternity Leave (2) – Part 2
Chapter 668 - Maternity Leave (3) – Part 1
Chapter 669 - Maternity Leave (3) – Part 2

Chapter 670 - : External Audit Report (1) – Part 1

Chapter 671 - External Audit Report (1) – Part 2

Chapter 672 - External Audit Report (2) – Part 1

Chapter 673 - External Audit Report (2) – Part 2

Chapter 674 - Second Generation of GH Group Family— Sang-Min Goo – Part 1

Chapter 675 - Second Generation of GH Group Family— Sang-Min Goo – Part 2

Chapter 676 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (1) – Part 1

Chapter 677 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (1) –Part 2

Chapter 678 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (2) – Part 1

Chapter 679 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (2) – Part 2

Chapter 680 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (3) – Part 1

Chapter 681 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (3) – Part 2

Chapter 682 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (4) – Part 1

Chapter 683 - Crowdfunding on Movie Production (4) – Part 2

Chapter 684 - Certification of Startup Company with Technology – Part 1

Chapter 685 - Certification of Startup Company with Technology – Part 2

Chapter 686 - Battle (1) – Part 1
Chapter 687 - Battle (1) – Part 2
Chapter 688 - Battle (2) – Part 1
Chapter 689 - Battle (2) – Part 2

Chapter 690 - Dyeon Korea is Applying for the Certificate to be Recognized as Startup Company with Technology – Part 1

Chapter 691 - Dyeon Korea is Applying for the Certificate to be Recognized as Startup Company with Technology – Part 2

Chapter 692 - GH Food Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 1
Chapter 693 - GH Food Co., Ltd. (1) – Part 2
Chapter 694 - GH Food Co., Ltd. (2) – Part 1
Chapter 695 - GH Food Co., Ltd. 2 – Part 2

Chapter 696 - Meeting at the Secret Bar (1) – Part 1

Chapter 697 - Meeting at the Secret Bar (1) – Part 2

Chapter 698 - Meeting at the Secret Bar (2) – Part 1

Chapter 699 - Meeting at the Secret Bar (2) – Part 2

Chapter 700 - : Employee Stock Ownership Plan (1) – Part 1

Chapter 701 - Employee Stock Ownership Plan (1) – Part 2

Chapter 702 - Employee Stock Ownership Plan (2) – Part 1

Chapter 703 - Employee Stock Ownership Plan (2) – Part 2

Chapter 704 - Employee Stock Ownership Plan (3) – Part 1

Chapter 705 - Employee Stock Ownership Plan (3) – Part 2

Chapter 706 - Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (1) – Part 1

Chapter 707 - Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (1) – Part 2

Chapter 708 - Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (2) – Part 1

Chapter 709 - Establishing subsidiary companies in India and in China (2) – Part 2

Chapter 710 - Secret Affair in Seattle (1) – Part 1

Chapter 711 - Secret Affair in Seattle (1) – Part 2

Chapter 712 - Secret Affair in Seattle (2) – Part 1

Chapter 713 - Secret Affair in Seattle (2) – Part 2

Chapter 714 - Secret Affair in Seattle (3) – Part 1

Chapter 715 - Secret Affair in Seattle (3) – Part 2

Chapter 716 - H Group’s CEO Choi (1) – Part 1
Chapter 717 - H Group’s CEO Choi (1) – Part 2
Chapter 718 - H Group’s CEO Choi (2) – Part 1
Chapter 719 - H Group’s CEO Choi (2) – Part 2
Chapter 720 - H Group’s CEO Choi (3) – Part 1

Chapter 721 - : H Group’s CEO Choi (3) – Part 2

Chapter 722 - H Group’s CEO Choi (4) – Part 1

Chapter 723 - H Group’s CEO Choi (4) – Part 2

Chapter 724 - Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 725 - Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 726 - Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 727 - Contract with Stock Brokerage Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 728 - Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (1) – Part 1

Chapter 729 - Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (1) – Part 2

Chapter 730 - Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (2) – Part 1

Chapter 731 - Dyeon Korea’s Production Machines are Being Built (2) – Part 2

Chapter 732 - Director Yan Wu (1) – Part 1
Chapter 733 - Director Yan Wu (1) – Part 2
Chapter 734 - Director Yan Wu (2) – Part 1
Chapter 735 - Director Yan Wu (2) – Part 2

Chapter 736 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (1) – Part 1

Chapter 737 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (1) – Part 2

Chapter 738 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (2) – Part 1

Chapter 739 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (2) – Part 2

Chapter 740 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (3) – Part 1

Chapter 741 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (3) – Part 2

Chapter 742 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (4) – Part 1

Chapter 743 - Mori Aikko’s Audition (4) – Part 2

Chapter 744 - GH Mobile is Growing (1) – Part 1

Chapter 745 - GH Mobile is Growing (1) – Part 2

Chapter 746 - GH Mobile is Growing (2) – Part 1

Chapter 747 - GH Mobile is Growing (2) – Part 2

Chapter 748 - Started Shooting the Movie (1) – Part 1

Chapter 749 - Started Shooting the Movie (1) – Part 2

Chapter 750 - Started Shooting the Movie (2) – Part 1

Chapter 751 - Started Shooting the Movie (2) – Part 2

Chapter 752 - Started Shooting the Movie (3) – Part 1

Chapter 753 - : Started Shooting the Movie (3) – Part 2

Chapter 754 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (1) – Part 1

Chapter 755 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (1) – Part 2

Chapter 756 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (2) – Part 1

Chapter 757 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (2) – Part 2

Chapter 758 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (3) – Part 1

Chapter 759 - Dyeon India in Chennai, India (3) – Part 2

Chapter 760 - Upcoming By-Election (1) – Part 1

Chapter 761 - Upcoming By-Election (1) – Part 2

Chapter 762 - Upcoming By-Election (2) – Part 1

Chapter 763 - Upcoming By-Election (2) – Part 2

Chapter 764 - Upcoming By-Election (3) – Part 1

Chapter 765 - Upcoming By-Election (3) – Part 2

Chapter 766 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (1) – Part 1

Chapter 767 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (1) – Part 2

Chapter 768 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (2) – Part 1

Chapter 769 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (2) – Part 2

Chapter 770 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (3) – Part 1

Chapter 771 - Fulfilling Preliminary Examination Requirement to Go Public (3) – Part 2

Chapter 772 - Marketable Securities Transfer (1) – Part 1

Chapter 773 - Marketable Securities Transfer (1) – Part 2

Chapter 774 - Marketable Securities Transfer (2) – Part 1

Chapter 775 - Marketable Securities Transfer (2) – Part 2

Chapter 776 - Dyeon China – Part 1
Chapter 777 - Dyeon China – Part 2
Chapter 778 - IPO Presentation (1) – Part 1
Chapter 779 - IPO Presentation (1) – Part 2
Chapter 780 - IPO Presentation (2) – Part 1
Chapter 781 - IPO Presentation (2) – Part 2
Chapter 782 - GH Machines – Part 1
Chapter 783 - GH Machines – Part 2

Chapter 784 - Determination of Public Offering Price (1) – Part 1

Chapter 785 - Determination of Public Offering Price (1) – Part 2

Chapter 786 - Determination of Public Offering Price (2) – Part 1

Chapter 787 - Determination of Public Offering Price (2) – Part 2

Chapter 788 - Determination of Public Offering Price (3) – Part 1

Chapter 789 - Determination of Public Offering Price (3) – Part 2

Chapter 790 - Win the By-Election (1) – Part 1

Chapter 791 - Win the By-Election (1) – Part 2

Chapter 792 - Win the By-Election (2) – Part 1

Chapter 793 - Win the By-Election (2) – Part 2

Chapter 794 - Win the By-Election (3) – Part 1

Chapter 795 - Win the By-Election (3) – Part 2

Chapter 796 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (1) – Part 1

Chapter 797 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (1) – Part 2

Chapter 798 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (2) – Part 1

Chapter 799 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (2) – Part 2

Chapter 800 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (3) – Part 1

Chapter 801 - Fight Against Stock Manipulators (3) – Part 2

Chapter 802 - Night in Shanghai City (1) – Part 1

Chapter 803 - Night in Shanghai City (1) – Part 2

Chapter 804 - Night in Shanghai City (2) – Part 1

Chapter 805 - Night in Shanghai City (2) – Part 2

Chapter 806 - Night in Shanghai City (3) – Part 1

Chapter 807 - Night in Shanghai City (3) – Part 2

Chapter 808 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 809 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 810 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 811 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 812 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (3) – Part 1

Chapter 813 - Stock Accumulation of His Own Company (3) – Part 2

Chapter 814 - Miura Machines in Japan – Part 1

Chapter 815 - Miura Machines in Japan – Part 2

Chapter 816 - Expanding Business by Having More Subsidiary Companies Overseas – Part 1

Chapter 817 - Expanding Business by Having More Subsidiary Companies Overseas – Part 2

Chapter 818 - Rumors from Financial District (1) – Part 1

Chapter 819 - Rumors from Financial District (1) – Part 2

Chapter 820 - Rumors from Financial District (2) – Part 1

Chapter 821 - Rumors from Financial District (2) – Part 2

Chapter 822 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (1) – Part 1

Chapter 823 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (1) – Part 2

Chapter 824 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (2) – Part 1

Chapter 825 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (2) – Part 2

Chapter 826 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (3) – Part 1

Chapter 827 - Tears of Miura Machines’ Owner President (3) – Part 2

Chapter 828 - Stock Split (1) – Part 1
Chapter 829 - Stock Split (1) – Part 2
Chapter 830 - Stock Split (2) – Part 1
Chapter 831 - Stock Split (2) – Part 2
Chapter 832 - Stock Split (3) – Part 1
Chapter 833 - Stock Split (3) – Part 2

Chapter 834 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (1) – Part 1

Chapter 835 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (1) – Part 2

Chapter 836 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (2) – Part 1

Chapter 837 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (2) – Part 2

Chapter 838 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (3) – Part 1

Chapter 839 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (3) – Part 2

Chapter 840 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (4) – Part 1

Chapter 841 - Acquisition of Miura Machines (4) – Part 2

Chapter 842 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 843 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 844 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 845 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 846 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (3) – Part 1

Chapter 847 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (3) – Part 2

Chapter 848 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (4) – Part 1

Chapter 849 - Private Equity Fund (PEF) Company (4) – Part 2

Chapter 850 - Isehara Machines (1) – Part 1
Chapter 851 - Isehara Machines (1) – Part 2
Chapter 852 - Isehara Machines (2) – Part 1
Chapter 853 - Isehara Machines (2) – Part 2

Chapter 854 - Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (1) – Part 1

Chapter 855 - Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (1) – Part 2

Chapter 856 - Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (2) – Part 1

Chapter 857 - Movie Preview of Menghuan Yinghua (2) – Part 2

Chapter 858 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 1

Chapter 859 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (1) – Part 2

Chapter 860 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 1

Chapter 861 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (2) – Part 2

Chapter 862 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 1

Chapter 863 - Antang Transportation Company’s Board Meeting (3) – Part 2

Chapter 864 - Stock Influenced by Politics (1) – Part 1

Chapter 865 - Stock Influenced by Politics (1) – Part 2

Chapter 866 - Stock Influenced by Politics (2) – Part 1

Chapter 867 - Stock Influenced by Politics (2) – Part 2

Chapter 868 - Stock Influenced by Politics (3) – Part 1

Chapter 869 - Stock Influenced by Politics (3) – Part 2

Chapter 870 - Commodity Channel Index (1) – Part 1

Chapter 871 - Commodity Channel Index (1) – Part 2

Chapter 872 - Commodity Channel Index (2) – Part 1

Chapter 873 - Commodity Channel Index (2) – Part 2

Chapter 874 - Commodity Channel Index (3) – Part 1

Chapter 875 - Commodity Channel Index (3) – Part 2

Chapter 876 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (1) – Part 1

Chapter 877 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (1) – Part 2

Chapter 878 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (2) – Part 1

Chapter 879 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (2) – Part 2

Chapter 880 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (3) – Part 1

Chapter 881 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (3) – Part 2

Chapter 882 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (4) – Part 1

Chapter 883 - Presidential Candidate’s Little Brother (4) – Part 2

Chapter 884 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (1) – Part 1

Chapter 885 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (1) – Part 2

Chapter 886 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (2) – Part 1

Chapter 887 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (2) – Part 2

Chapter 888 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (3) – Part 1

Chapter 889 - Selling Major Shareholder’s Stock (3) – Part 2

Chapter 890 - Big Deal (1) – Part 1
Chapter 891 - Big Deal (1) – Part 2
Chapter 892 - Big Deal (2) – Part 1
Chapter 893 - Big Deal (2) – Part 2
Chapter 894 - Big Deal (3) – Part 1
Chapter 895 - Big Deal (3) – Part 2

Chapter 896 - Rumors About Acquisition (1) – Part 1

Chapter 897 - Rumors About Acquisition (1) – Part 2

Chapter 898: Rumors About Acquisition (2) – Part 1

Chapter 899 - Rumors About Acquisition (2) – Part 2

Chapter 900 - Rumors About Acquisition (3) – Part 1

Chapter 901 - Rumors About Acquisition (3) – Part 2

Chapter 902 - Inaugurated as Chairman (1) – Part 1

Chapter 903 - Inaugurated as Chairman (1) – Part 2

Chapter 904 - Inaugurated as Chairman (2) – Part 1

Chapter 905 - Inaugurated as Chairman (2) – Part 2

Chapter 906 - Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (1) – Part 1

Chapter 907 - Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (1) – Part 2

Chapter 908 - Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (2) – Part 1

Chapter 909 - Public Announcement on Transferring Ownership Interest (2) – Part 2

Chapter 910 - Dividend (1) – Part 1
Chapter 911 - Dividend (1) – Part 2
Chapter 912 - Dividend (2) – Part 1
Chapter 913 - Dividend (2) – Part 2

Chapter 914 - Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (1) – Part 1

Chapter 915 - Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (1) – Part 2

Chapter 916 - : Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (2) – Part 1

Chapter 917 - Dissolving Private Equity Fund Company (2) – Part 2

Chapter 918 - Distribution of Dividends – Part 1

Chapter 919 - Distribution of Dividends – Part 2

Chapter 920 - Gift (1) – Part 1
Chapter 921 - Gift (1) – Part 2
Chapter 922 - Gift (2) – Part 1
Chapter 923 - Gift (2) – Part 2

Chapter 924 - Dissolution of GH Development (1) – Part 1

Chapter 925 - Dissolution of GH Development (1) – Part 2

Chapter 926 - Dissolution of GH Development (2) – Part 1

Chapter 927 - Dissolution of GH Development (2) – Part 2

Chapter 928 - Big Fish (1) – Part 1
Chapter 929 - Big Fish (1) – Part 2
Chapter 930 - Big Fish (2) – Part 1
Chapter 931 - Big Fish (2) – Part 2
Chapter 932: Big Fish (3 - Part 1

Chapter 933-END - Big Fish (3) – Part 2 <Final Episode>