Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Osaka Izakaya (2)
The director crossed his arms and wore a thoughtful expression.
After a while, he uncrossed his arms and spoke to the branch manager.
“If you go to Kyoto, there should be those tea houses where geisha appear, right?”
“There are. In Kyoto’s hanamachi district, there are high-end establishments called ochaya where geisha entertain.”
“How much would it cost to go there?”
“Well. I’m not exactly sure, but it would cost quite a lot. You’d need to have at least the kind of money you’d bring to a room salon in Korea. Looks like you brought quite a bit of business trip funds.”
“I’m thinking of going sometime, even later. If you’re born a man, shouldn’t you experience such places at least once?”
“Places where geisha appear aren’t somewhere you can just go because you have money. You need to make a reservation in advance, and without a regular patron’s recommendation, you can’t get in.”
“A regular patron’s recommendation? Why is that? That’s not very businesslike.”
“Still, there are many wealthy people who seek out geisha. Since the number of geisha is small and demand is high, it only works through recommendations. It means they only accept respectable guests with verified identities.”
“Hm. I see.”
Saying that, the director showed a hint of disappointment as he drank his sake.
The section manager who had come with him smiled and said,
“Branch Manager, since you’ve been working here for a long time, you must have visited one of those ochaya places before, right?”
The director chimed in as well.
“Right. Since you’ve been entertaining VIP guests from Seoul, you must have gone to a place like that.”
“I’ve only been here for two years, and even then I’ve only been once. I took the president of H Electronics when he visited.”
“Did you say regular patron recommendation?”
“The president of H Electronics studied at Kyoto University. So he has connections here. That’s how we were able to go. He’s also very fluent in Japanese.”
“The president of Electronics studied in Japan?”
“He did his undergraduate studies at Seoul National University in Korea, but it seems he did his graduate studies in Kyoto.”
“Then you must have seen that geisha called Yoshiko or whatever in person from the poster.”
“I didn’t see her. Hirose Yoshiko usually appears at official events or as a model for promotional materials. She doesn’t often appear at ochaya places where sake is served.”
“Really?”
“Besides, Yoshiko hasn’t been very active lately. The son of the chairman of Wakayama Steel followed her around and ended up committing suicide.”
“Suicide?”
“His family must have opposed him dating a geisha. And when Yoshiko also refused to see him, he took his own life.”
“I see.”
“Last year that incident caused quite a stir in Kyoto and Osaka. It was widely reported in the media. Because of that, Yoshiko seems to have reduced her public activities lately. Probably by her own choice.”
“I see, something like that happened.”
“Still, she’s so beautiful and talented in dance that she appears at major events. I’ve seen Yoshiko in person myself.”
“You have? Where?”
“I saw her at the Gion Festival.”
“There must have been a large crowd.”
“Many shrine maidens from Miyagawacho came out and performed a dedication dance, but it seemed like tourists focused their cameras only on Yoshiko. There were an unbelievable number of people.”
“You’re lucky. Getting to see events like that.”
“Want to switch places with me? Since we’re from the same hiring cohort, it might be possible.”
“I’d need to understand Japanese first. Stop talking nonsense and just drink.”
At that moment, the Osaka branch manager’s phone rang. He signaled everyone to be quiet.
“It’s a call from the head of the group’s strategic planning office. Everyone stay quiet.”
Everyone fell silent, wondering why there was a call at such a late hour. Since it was a call from the head of the group headquarters’ strategic planning office, they were curious about the reason.
“This is the Osaka branch manager.”
“It’s me. The head of the group planning office. Sorry for calling so late.”
“It’s no problem.”
“It’s about this—Chairman Jeong Hui will be stopping by Osaka tomorrow on her way back from the United States.”
“Chairman Jeong Hui?”
Chairman Jeong Hui referred to Choi Jeong-hee, one of the most powerful figures in H Group, and the chairman’s daughter.
“Chairman Jeong Hui is coming from the U.S. to Korea, and she said she’ll briefly stop in Japan tomorrow. She will be visiting the Osaka Expo.”
“Ah, I see.”
“She will meet with Korean government officials at the Korean pavilion at the Expo.”
“In that case, what time should I arrive at Kansai Airport tomorrow?”
“Be there by 10 a.m. Don’t take your own car—rent a top-class rental car and use that.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Weren’t there many employees from our group companies who came to attend the Expo?”
“Yes. Many have visited. It seems employees from various affiliates have all come through.”
“Are there any employees from our affiliates currently here?”
“Yes. Employees from H Chemicals are here—three people.”
“Good. Then tell them to greet Chairman Jeong Hui in front of the Korean pavilion tomorrow. Since she will only have one accompanying secretary, having our employees there will make the group look more presentable.”
“Understood. I will inform the H Chemicals employees who are on this trip.”
“Not only should they greet her, but it would also be fine if they follow behind while she tours. That would both show respect to Chairman Jeong Hui and help ensure her safety.”
“Understood. I will also mobilize one branch staff member. A total of five people, including myself, will accompany her.”
“No need to arrange hotel accommodations for Chairman Jeong Hui.”
“Pardon? She won’t be staying overnight here?”
“Chairman Jeong Hui will return to Korea in the evening. Her flight tickets have already been arranged by her secretary, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
“Understood, sir.”
“If I had known earlier about her visit to the Expo, I would have contacted you in advance. I only received the notice recently, so I’m informing you now.”
“That’s fine.”
“Her Expo visit is due to a sudden change in schedule. Be sure to handle the arrangements tomorrow without any gaps.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Your voice sounds like you’ve had a drink. Well then, take care.”
The call ended, and the director from H Chemicals widened his eyes and said,
“They want us to attend the Expo? We already finished our visit and planned to go to Universal Studios tomorrow, and return to Korea the morning after...”
“Hey, is sightseeing the issue right now? This is a great opportunity to meet Chairman Jeong Hui.”
“Ha, looks like we’ll have to visit the Expo twice.”
“Take this chance to make your presence known in front of Chairman Jeong Hui. That’s how you move up in the company. From director level onward, you’re an executive not protected by labor laws—one wrong move and you could be out.”
“That’s true, but...”
“Why? Is it because of the rumors that Chairman Jeong Hui is difficult?”
“There are many cases where people who tried to get close to her ended up getting burned...”
It was already well known that Chairman Jeong Hui had a sharp personality. She was said to even make her own husband kneel if he made a mistake.
Being the daughter of a chaebol, she might have seemed domineering, but the chairman actually favored her. In private, he once said that if she had been a son, he would entrust the entire group to her even now.
The branch manager looked directly at the director and said,
“Greater risk brings greater reward. Are you planning to stay just a salaried employee at the director level?”
“If H Chemicals people come, they’ll probably ask all sorts of questions, right?”
“Probably. I guess so.”
“They’ll likely ask about current sales figures, growth indicators, and stability metrics. They wouldn’t ask the Osaka branch manager things like that.”
“Wouldn’t it be good if you answer confidently? Then Director Park from H Chemicals might think you’re sharp. That could secure you a promotion to managing director at the end of the year.”
“Alright. I’ll face it head-on.”
“Make sure you organize key metrics clearly in your head.”
The director’s expression turned tense, as if sobering up.
At that moment, the section manager who had come with him spoke.
“Then we can just do sightseeing tomorrow, right? People like us at the lower level don’t really need to meet high-ranking officials, do we?”
“Didn’t you hear? Since she’s coming with only her secretary, it was said it would be good if others stand in as supporting presence.”
“Th-then I guess we’ll have to visit the Expo again.”
“You already saw it roughly, right? Taking another closer look might be worthwhile.”
Kim Chi-rok wanted to see Chairman Choi Jeong-hee at least once.
He assumed that someone at his level wouldn’t be asked any sharp or difficult questions.
Chairman Choi Jeong-hee was known as the chairman’s daughter and a person with strong business ambition.
Though she was in her early forties, being a chaebol heiress meant she was wealthy, and she had already married in her twenties. She had married the son of a newspaper company president, but there were rumors that her husband lived under her shadow.
Kim Chi-rok was curious to see just how strong the aura of the chairman’s daughter really was.