Mobilizing the SNU Network (3)
The next day arrived — the day Kim Chirok was to meet the Mitsutec CEO.
He shaved his face clean and combed his hair neatly, then pulled a white dress shirt from the hanger and put it on. He knotted the tie he had bought at a duty-free shop on a previous business trip to Japan. After slipping into his suit and spraying on cologne, he studied his reflection in the mirror.
Not bad. I could pass for a handsome man myself.
He now looked every bit the elite from a conglomerate's Strategic Planning Office. The reality, however, was that he still lived in a shabby studio apartment in a rural township, and his car was one breakdown away from the scrapyard.
Kim Chirok drove that rattling car to work.
The Plant Manager and Manager Cho's eyes went wide when they saw him in a full suit.
"Heading to a wedding hall today?"
"No. I'm meeting the Mitsutec CEO this afternoon."
"Hah. There's just no talking you out of this, is there? What are you going to do if you go there and something ugly happens to you? That company's got eight hundred and fifty employees."
"Don't worry. I'll tell the CEO that we're the people who took over from Hyangnam Tech."
"Aigoo, I don't know about this. We'll just go out and mold the MC24-006 parts we already have orders for."
"Yes, please do that."
"Manager Cho! You take the foreign workers and get started. I'm heading over to Ilryung Precision to place an order for the rings."
Afternoon arrived. Kim Chirok made his way toward the Poseung National Industrial Complex in Pyeongtaek to meet the Mitsutec CEO.
What am I supposed to say when I meet him?
He considered grabbing the CEO by the pant leg the way the Plant Manager had done with the purchasing manager. He thought about pleading that this junior alumnus was trying to make products with just a handful of injection molding machines, and asking the man to throw him a bone so he could put food on the table.
But that felt too pathetic, too undignified. Better to just meet him calmly, he decided.
Kim Chirok arrived at Mitsutec. He parked on the main road running past the factory and walked to the front gate.
Uniformed employees from partner vendors streamed in and out. Kim Chirok squared his shoulders and strode toward the security office with a confident gait.
The guard took one look at the handsome young man in a suit and wondered who he was. He seemed to think the visitor might be a city hall official.
Kim Chirok spoke with quiet dignity.
"Excuse me."
"Where are you visiting from?"
"I'm here to see the CEO."
"The CEO?"
"We spoke on the phone yesterday. We arranged to meet today. If you mention that I'm a junior alumnus from Seoul National University, he'll know who I am."
"A junior from Seoul National University? Ah, I see. I'm sorry, but would you please write your name and phone number in the visitor log?"
Kim Chirok wrote down his name and number. The guard handed him a visitor's badge to clip to his chest.
"Where is the CEO's office?"
"Third floor of the building on the left."
Kim Chirok puffed out his chest and headed up to the third floor.
Uniformed people came and went in a steady stream. They glanced at the young man walking among them without a uniform, wondering who he was.
When he entered the CEO's office suite, a female secretary rose from her seat.
"I'm the one who called yesterday."
"Would you happen to be from Seoul National University...?"
"Yes, that's right. I'm a junior alumnus of the CEO's."
"Please wait just a moment. There's a guest inside, but they'll be out shortly."
The secretary kept glancing at him — perhaps because the visitor was a handsome Seoul National University graduate. Color seemed to rise in her cheeks for no particular reason.
After about five minutes, the guest left and the secretary went into the CEO's office. She appeared to be reporting that a junior from Seoul National University had arrived.
She came back out with a bright smile.
"He says to come in."
Kim Chirok stepped into the CEO's office. In the spacious room sat a slightly heavyset man who looked to be in his late forties.
Kim Chirok bowed at a full ninety degrees.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kim Chirok, class of '00, Department of Business Administration at Seoul National University."
"Have a seat. Did you come from Seoul?"
"No, I came from Hyangnam-eup. I actually run a small injection molding factory there."
As he spoke, he presented his newly printed business card with both hands.
The CEO looked at the card, then spoke.
"When I heard it was an SNU junior, I thought you'd come about some school event."
"I'm sorry. I apologize for coming to see you about something else."
"How old are you, anyway? You look quite young."
Kim Chirok gave his age, then stated his graduation year once more.
"There's a Professor Kim Jae-bok there, isn't there?"
"Yes, there is. He lectures on human resource management and organization theory."
"Professor Kim and I were classmates. He's an assistant professor now — or has he made associate professor?"
"He's very popular with the students. I believe he studied at Indiana University and Yale."
"That's right. You know your stuff."
The CEO smiled. He called the secretary in and had her bring two cups of tea.
They drank, and the CEO spoke again. He had the kind of face that looked blessed with every fortune in the world — perhaps because he was, after all, the son of a major company's chairman. Kim Chirok couldn't help feeling that every blessing on earth had landed on this man, and every misfortune on himself.
The CEO glanced at Kim Chirok's business card once more.
"Young people these days go into startups or finance, but President Kim doesn't seem to be that type. You've gone into manufacturing, of all things — a traditional smokestack industry."
He beamed as he said it. The CEO seemed genuinely intrigued that this young, good-looking junior of his had come to him talking about traditional manufacturing.
Kim Chirok smiled warmly.
"I've always wanted to try my hand at manufacturing."
"Manufacturing isn't easy."
The CEO had now dropped all formality, speaking to him as one would to a younger brother.
Kim Chirok lifted his head and went on.
"I've always believed the country itself ought to foster manufacturing. A nation is only as strong as its industrial roots."
"Heh. Is that so?"
"And manufacturing is the industry that employs the most people. I wanted to stand tall in manufacturing. We're still a small company with just four injection molding machines, but I intend to grow it."
"There's a serious aversion to manufacturing these days, so I'm grateful you've taken an interest in this field. Did you start the company right after graduation?"
"No. I worked in the Strategic Planning Office at H Group before I left. Then I came down to the industrial complex in Hyangnam-eup to learn the realities of small business."
"You mean you resigned from H Group?"
"That's right."
"Huh. You're an interesting one."
The CEO looked him up and down. Kim Chirok cut a handsome figure — handsome enough that Oh Ha-young, the hotel owner's daughter, had fallen for him, and handsome enough that even Bang Mihee, a conglomerate chairman's secretary, had taken a liking to him.
"I came down to Hyangnam-eup and worked at Hyangnam Tech."
"Hyangnam Tech? Isn't that the company that went bankrupt recently?"
"Yes. Hyangnam Tech was a Mitsutec partner vendor. It had too much debt and shut down. So I joined forces with a few of the technicians from that factory and started a small company."
The CEO turned the business card over in his fingers.
"So that's what this Hyangdong Tech on your card is about."
"We're still a small company with four injection molding machines. We don't have the scale yet, so we haven't been registered as a Mitsutec partner vendor."
"So in the end, you came to see me because you want help getting registered as a partner vendor?"
"To be honest, yes. As a newly established corporation, we haven't obtained any of the various international certifications. But our floor technicians are all veterans with ten, twenty years of experience. We can produce the parts with confidence."
"You can't run a factory on enthusiasm alone. That said, since the president is a business administration graduate, I can give high marks for managerial ability."
"Sir? Managerial ability?"
"When we evaluate partner vendors, we put a lot of weight on the owner's managerial capability. And you're young, with experience at both a conglomerate and an SME, so I'll give you high marks."
"Th-thank you, sir."
The Mitsutec CEO handed Kim Chirok his own business card, then called for the secretary. When she came in, he said,
"Go tell the Purchasing Director and the team head to come in."
"Yes, sir."
A short while later, the Director and the Department Head who led the purchasing team entered the CEO's office. The CEO addressed them both.
"This man is my university junior."
"Ah, is that so?"
The Director and the Department Head greeted Kim Chirok.
"He was in the Strategic Planning Office at H Group, then decided he wanted to try running a small business and started a company. Oh, and he was at Hyangnam Tech when it went under recently, so you might recognize his face."
The Director spoke up.
"Ah, is that right? I... I don't believe I've seen him before?"
The Department Head, still blinking, added,
"I don't think I've met him either."
In truth, Kim Chirok had only briefly encountered the Purchasing Manager. There was no reason the Director or the Department Head would know his face.
The CEO went on.
"He started a company with a few of the technicians who were at Hyangnam Tech."
Kim Chirok bowed and offered his business card to the Director and the Department Head.
The Director accepted it and handed over his own in return.
The Department Head, however, took Kim Chirok's card and his expression went stiff. Printed on it were the words Hyangdong Tech, Representative Director, Kim Chirok. Just yesterday, Hyangdong Tech's Plant Manager had grabbed this very man by the pant leg and wept, kicking up a whole scene.
"Whoa — Hyangdong Tech!"
The Department Head stood there holding the card, his face frozen, not even thinking to offer his own in return.
The Mitsutec CEO smiled.
"He's a young man who started a company on nothing but drive, but it seems he hasn't built up the scale yet. He wants to register as one of our partner vendors. Look into it."
"Yes, sir."
"Help him with the partner vendor registration, and let him take care of the various international certification procedures over time. Since the president is a business administration graduate, his managerial ability should be outstanding. Honestly, not many of our partner vendor presidents majored in business administration, did they?"
"Th-that's true."
The Mitsutec CEO turned to Kim Chirok.
"Then you go with our Purchasing Director. He'll walk you through the partner vendor registration."
"Thank you, sir."
"You really are something. A Seoul National University business administration graduate starting a traditional manufacturing company. Do well."
With that, the Mitsutec CEO even held out his hand for a handshake. Kim Chirok bowed at the waist in a respectful farewell.
He followed the Purchasing Director out. The Director had an office of his own — smaller than the CEO's, of course, but a proper room with a desk and even a conference table. The Department Head came along as well.
The Director turned to the Department Head.
"Wasn't the fellow who came here yesterday and raised hell the plant manager from Hyangdong Tech?"
"That's right. He used to be the production department head at Hyangnam Tech."
The Director looked at Kim Chirok.
"I never dreamed that the president of the newly formed Hyangdong Tech was our CEO's university junior."
"I'm sorry."
"Why didn't you tell us sooner? We would have helped you."
"I felt it would be too much of an imposition."
Now the Department Head who led the purchasing team spoke up. He was a man with a nickname: the Grim Reaper of partner vendors.
"Hyangdong Tech took four of our molds. Those molds belong to us, but they haven't returned them and are saying they'll produce the parts themselves."
"We can't give them work if they aren't registered as a partner vendor. Call the Purchasing Manager in."
The Purchasing Manager entered the Director's office. The Director said,
"You were in charge of Hyangnam Tech, so you should know this gentleman. He was at Hyangnam Tech and then founded Hyangdong Tech."
The Purchasing Manager blinked at Kim Chirok. In truth, the two of them had never even had a proper conversation.
"He looks familiar, but I can't quite place him."
"This is the president of Hyangdong Tech. And he's also our Mitsutec CEO's university junior."
"What?"
"He graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Seoul National University."
"I-is that so?"
The Manager's eyes went wide, and he looked at Kim Chirok all over again.