The Land of Contracts
I followed the city hall official down the corridor.
The sharp tak, tak of my shoe heels striking the marble floor echoed off the high ceiling.
The heavy, solemn air unique to old government buildings hung thick around us.
At last, we stopped before a massive double door of solid oak.
"This is it. The governor is waiting."
Creeeak—
The heavy door swung open, and I straightened my clothes before stepping inside.
"......"
It was a far larger conference room than I'd imagined.
In the center stood a long mahogany table that could easily seat twenty, and at its head rose two flags in dignified array.
The Stars and Stripes, symbol of America.
And the California state flag, with its red star and gray bear.
Beneath those flags, people bustled around the table.
Aides in crisp suits with sharp, piercing eyes tapped at laptops or reviewed documents, all in a frenzy of activity—until I entered. Then, as one, they paused and turned their gazes toward me.
But they weren't what caught my eye.
The head of the table.
There sat a man who dominated even the air around him.
"Oh, Mr. Kim! Come on in."
He rose the moment he saw me and strode over with purpose.
Christopher, the governor of California.
Up close, he exuded a far more profound charisma than on any screen.
His blond hair gleamed softly under the lights, every strand perfectly in place without a hint of disorder. His deep blue eyes, like the California sea itself, radiated a gentle yet intense magnetism.
Above all, his physique at fifty was unbelievably solid.
The navy suit, tailored to perfection and hugging his frame, made it hard to tell if he was a politician or a Hollywood star.
Wow...
I swallowed a quiet exclamation.
He was tall, and the aura he gave off was simply different.
"Handsome" didn't even begin to cover it.
It was the confidence and poise unique to a leader who stood before crowds and guided them.
That completed his presence.
"Great to meet you. I'm Christopher." He flashed a brilliant smile, revealing perfect white teeth, and extended his hand.
A smile straight out of a magazine photoshoot.
Even another man couldn't help but be captivated.
"Have a seat, Mr. Kim."
Governor Christopher gestured to the head seat with a gentle smile.
After some light small talk, he cut straight to the chase without preamble.
"Let me be direct. How about expanding Han Sang across the entire state of California—or even more aggressively?"
It was an unexpected proposal.
I set down my teacup and shook my head politely.
"I'm sorry, Governor, but our current scale makes that impossible right now."
"Impossible? The public's response has been explosive."
"Hot reactions don't mean we can just open stores willy-nilly. We're not churning out fast food from a factory line. Without top-quality ingredients and skilled chefs, we can't maintain Bapsang's taste."
I drew a firm line.
"Managing our current fifty stores is already a full plate. Overexpansion would just poison us."
Even at my refusal, Governor Christopher didn't back down.
He tapped a thick report on the table.
"Mr. Kim, this flu crisis taught me one thing for sure. That 'preventive medicine' you mentioned in your interview... it hit me hard."
His blue eyes gleamed with sincerity.
"California's healthcare costs are skyrocketing every year. People can't afford doctors and go bankrupt from bills. Yet a mere thirteen-dollar soup pulled them from their sickbeds."
"Well, it's not that dramatic..."
"No, the stats don't lie. I'm convinced your food can keep our citizens healthy and ease the state's budget burden. That's why I'm asking: please, help more Californians eat Bapsang."
His plea tugged at my heart.
But reality was reality.
"I appreciate the sentiment, Governor, but as I said, we're short on manpower and land for ingredients. It's just not feasible now."
I started to rise, signaling my refusal again—
"What if we do this instead?"
Governor Christopher stopped me.
I looked at him, puzzled.
"Do what... exactly?"
He grinned confidently and pulled out his ace.
"You said your biggest headaches are people and land, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"The state will handle that for you."
"...Pardon?"
I thought I'd misheard.
Christopher crossed his arms and unleashed a bombshell proposal.
"First, manpower. I hear it's tough getting visas for Korean staff. The state will coordinate with the feds to massively expand special skilled worker quotas for Han Sang. We'll vouch for their backgrounds. Think of it as a free pass."
"......!"
My heart plummeted.
It was my biggest headache.
I wanted talented Koreans, but U.S. visa scrutiny was a wall.
And now the governor was offering to smash it?
But the shocks didn't end there.
"As for land, there's plenty of state-owned vacant lots near Vacaville. We'll lease them to Han Sang long-term."
He paused for effect, then drove it home.
"At next to nothing. Build your smart farms, ingredient factories—whatever you want."
"Pardon?"
I was speechless.
This went beyond favors; it was practically a partnership with the state.
"Of course, there's a condition."
Christopher leaned forward, locking eyes with me.
"Make California the healthiest state in America. I think you can do it, Mr. Kim. What do you say?"
Calculations raced through my head.
Visa issues solved.
Vast land secured.
This could rocket my dreams forward at warp speed.
I clenched my trembling fists and swallowed hard.
An offer I couldn't refuse.
No—shouldn't refuse.
Scratch, scratch.
The fountain pen gliding over paper sounded deafening.
Almost entranced, like under a spell, I scrawled my name on the signature line.
No need for second thoughts or fine print.
"Excellent choice, Mr. Kim."
Governor Christopher smiled in satisfaction and offered his hand.
Dazed, I grasped that large, warm hand.
"Looking forward to working together. California's health is in your hands."
"I'll do my best."
Our brief, firm handshake ended.
The governor swept out with his aides, like a scene from a movie.
Left alone in the empty room, I picked up the contract from the table with shaking hands.
Every printed word hammered my heart.
- Include Han Sang menu items as a mandatory option in all public school lunches statewide.
- Prioritize Han Sang for installation and operation rights in cafeterias of state public institutions.
Insane clauses.
Mandatory school lunches?
It was a terrifying right to shape the palates of the next generation—securing future customers wholesale with Korean food.
And public agencies and companies too.
Americans rarely have company cafeterias like in Korea.
Most pack cold sandwich lunches or grab burgers at fast food joints during breaks.
But the governor vowed to change that.
Full administrative support for Bapsang stores in front of city halls everywhere, plus state recommendations for private firms to use Han Sang lunch boxes for employee health.
Essentially, paving a Han Sang road across all of California.
There's that saying.
A common one in Korea:
"Public enterprises rarely go bust."
Once selected for a government-backed, tax-funded project, it's a smooth highway ahead.
The infamous "iron rice bowl" business.
And now, not in Korea, but in the heart of the world economy—California—I'd secured that iron rice bowl contract.
Complete with massive visa quotas and land leases as bonuses.
"Haa..."
A deep sigh escaped, but it was no sigh of relief—it was overwhelming joy bubbling over.
I clutched the contract to my chest and stood.
My legs wobbled, but my steps felt like walking on air.
I had to get back to the company.
Tell the staff this unbelievable news.
Back at the company, Ji-hoon pushed open the CEO office door to find professional manager John buried in a mountain of approval documents.
"Hey, boss? How'd it go with the governor?"
John glanced up over his glasses casually.
He figured it was just a quick face-time and pleasantries.
But Ji-hoon pulled a thick envelope from his jacket and dropped it on John's desk with a thud.
"Signed the contract."
"Pardon? Contract?"
John's hands froze.
"What contract? Did you commit to some donation pledge or something?"
"Nah. Partnership between Han Sang and the California state government. Mandatory school lunches and all that jazz. Governor slid it over, so I signed on the spot."
"Wait... what?"
John shot to his feet.
His face drained of color.
"You signed a state contract—without lawyer review, without legal team vetting—just whatever the governor handed you?!"
America is the land of contracts.
A single sheet, a single word, could spark multimillion-dollar lawsuits.
Even minor deals demanded lawyers poring over fine print.
And the owner had solo-signed a potentially company-altering state deal?
To John, it was heart-attack territory.
"Boss! Even if—! What if there are poison pills...!"
With trembling hands, John snatched the envelope and tore it open.
His hawk-like eyes scanned the contract for prey.
Let's see. There has to be a trap. Budget splits, liability clauses...
But page one, page two...
The furrows in John's brow smoothed, then his eyes widened like saucers.
"Hm...?"
"Huh?"
"Oh..."
Gasps of admiration spilled from John's lips.
He pulled off his glasses, wiped them on his shirt, and put them back on in disbelief.
The state leases 500,000 pyeong of vacant land near Vacaville to Han Sang for production expansion at near-zero cost for 99 years.
The state allocates special visa quotas for Han Sang's requested expert technicians and guarantees swift entry.
The state covers 30% of facility investment costs from its budget and provides unlimited low-interest policy loans.
Poison pills? Traps?
None, even if you searched with a magnifying glass.
It was the state handing Han Sang everything on a platter.
"This... this can't be real."
John looked up, dazed.
"It's all one-sidedly in our favor. A contract this unequal(?)—and we're the dominant side? Unheard of."
John, with decades as a U.S. CEO and every battle scar imaginable, had never seen anything like it.
Government deals usually came with regulations, restrictions, nitpicky audits.
But this? Pure support, benefits, guarantees.
"Governor said just make California healthy."
Ji-hoon shrugged.
Only then did John truly see the young owner before him.
"Boss..."
John closed the contract and rubbed his dry face.
"Thought you just networked with the governor..."
He glanced at the stack of papers on his desk and let out a hollow laugh.
"You brought back a mountain of work."
The moment this kicked in, the company would explode beyond imagination.
Farm expansions, factory builds, hiring sprees, logistics overhauls.
John's mind flooded with to-dos, but an unstoppable smile crept across his face.