More Outstanding Than Expected
"No, sir. Relocating the company and streamlining the staff through severance packages is only the beginning."
"Only the beginning? Does that mean you've already prepared something more?"
"Yes. Simply cutting away the rotten branches will never allow the tree to bloom and bear fruit. We have to change the roots if we want a true fresh start."
"Oh-ho. Change the roots? And how do you propose we do that?"
Lee Tak-hyeon let out an intrigued murmur and leaned back against his chair, then gestured for Kim Seong-ho to continue.
Seong-ho glanced briefly at Lee Chang-jong before speaking in a measured tone.
"I believe we need to lower component costs by securing new suppliers rather than relying on the existing ones. To that end, Ilhyeon Watch must diversify the companies that provide its parts."
"Hold on, Kim."
Lee Chang-jong, Vice President of Ilhyeon Distribution, jumped in with an immediate objection.
"You haven't forgotten how Ilhyeon Watch was founded, have you? The Chairman himself went to Japan and personally asked a Japanese firm to transfer their technology so he could establish this company. For more than twenty years we've carefully maintained those relationships and received our parts from them. And now you want to switch suppliers? Have you lost your mind?"
Seong-ho remained unfazed by Chang-jong's outburst and kept his eyes fixed on Lee Tak-hyeon.
"Twenty years ago our country's technology was lacking, so we had no choice. That is no longer the case. I've already confirmed that we can source the same components domestically at far lower prices."
"And what about the Japanese company that gave us the technology? What do you plan to tell them?"
Chang-jong kept harping on the Japanese watchmaker, demanding to know how Seong-ho intended to handle them. Seong-ho, however, continued to ignore him completely, his gaze locked on the Chairman.
"I believe the time has come to sever our relationship with Japan's Seimo."
"Hey! Kim Seong-ho! What the hell are you saying?!"
Chang-jong shot to his feet, shouting. Lee Tak-hyeon, who had been listening carefully to Seong-ho, looked up at his son.
"Why are you getting so worked up?"
Only then did Chang-jong realize that every eye in the room was on him.
"No, I just..."
"I was the one who negotiated with Seimo and brought in the technology. I am also the only one who can decide whether to end that relationship. So why are you the one getting excited?"
"Well..."
Chang-jong's mind raced. He scrambled for an excuse and finally managed an awkward reply.
"If we cut ties with Seimo, we'll also lose every parts supplier connected to them. I was simply worried that might create even bigger problems..."
Unable to finish the sentence, he hung his head.
"I apologize. I spoke out of turn."
Lee Tak-hyeon regarded his son in silence for a moment, then turned back to Seong-ho.
"Know your place before you open your mouth next time."
"...Yes, sir. I'll keep that in mind."
Chastened, Chang-jong slumped back into his seat. Seong-ho watched him with a private smile.
That must be eating him alive. I know exactly why he's reacting like this.
Seong-ho understood perfectly why Chang-jong had erupted at the mere suggestion of ending the Seimo relationship. Executives like Do Eun-cheol had been collecting kickbacks from the parts suppliers and funneling them straight to Chang-jong. Having anticipated the outburst, Seong-ho simply smiled when it came exactly as expected.
Lee Mun-jong and Lee Sang-jong, however, had no idea what to make of their brother's reaction.
"What's wrong with him?"
"No idea."
Sang-jong could only shake his head at Mun-jong's question.
Lee Tak-hyeon sat in silence, studying first his bowed son and then the calm, composed son-in-law across from him. After a long moment he gestured toward Seong-ho.
"Continue."
"Yes, sir."
Seong-ho picked up where he had left off.
"Domestic companies have raised their standards considerably. If we manufacture our watches using parts produced here at home, we can cut unit costs by at least thirty percent."
"At least thirty percent?"
"Yes. Thirty percent is the minimum. I've already prepared a full report; Secretary Hwang can have it on your desk first thing tomorrow."
"You already finished the report?"
Lee Tak-hyeon let out a short, incredulous laugh and turned to look at his sons.
"This is the kind of drive I've been waiting for."
His expression soured as he regarded his children.
"How long have you been working under me, and how little have you actually learned?"
Mun-jong and the others fell silent, staring at the floor like mutes who had swallowed honey. Tak-hyeon continued in a voice thick with disdain.
"Decades. Decades of experience. And yet Kim here has been doing real work for less than a year and already brings me better results than the lot of you. Fine. Who am I to blame? I should blame my own foolishness."
"Father..."
"Be quiet."
He glared at Sang-jong, then softened his gaze as he looked back at Seong-ho.
"If the analysis is already complete, I assume you're ready to move the moment I give the word."
"Of course. We've already obtained samples from one domestic firm and begun testing. If the results check out, we can start receiving domestic parts and begin production even before the company relocates."
"You're already running tests?"
Tak-hyeon stared at Seong-ho in open astonishment. Then, half expecting nothing, he posed another question.
"Suppose we reduce our debt through the relocation and lower production costs by switching suppliers. Even then, we still have to sell the watches if we want to make a profit... Have you given any thought to increasing sales as well?"
He asked without real hope. The relocation, the staff reduction, and the supplier switch alone were already startling reforms; he never expected Seong-ho to have a sales strategy prepared as well. Yet some inexplicable sense of anticipation made him toss the question out.
Seong-ho answered that unspoken hope without hesitation. He had already prepared a plan to increase sales volume before he ever sat down with Lee Tak-hyeon.
After the meal ended, Lee Tak-hyeon retreated to his study and sat in his chair, still wearing an expression of disbelief. Hwang Do-beom spoke carefully.
"Assistant Manager Kim... truly remarkable. How did he conceive of so many measures in such a short time?"
Hwang glanced toward the living room, where voices could still be heard, and continued.
"The way he answered every one of your questions without the slightest hesitation—it was as if he had prepared for them in advance."
"He's far beyond 'remarkable.'"
Tak-hyeon stroked his chin, lost in thought.
"Exactly as you say—he answered as though he already knew what I would ask. And every answer was a method no one else had even considered. Words fail me."
Recalling Seong-ho's performance, which had long since passed mere surprise, Tak-hyeon rose and walked to the window. Even as he moved, the image of Seong-ho from moments earlier lingered in his mind, and he found himself speaking of him again.
"Do you remember? When I first sent him to Ilhyeon Watch, I told myself I would praise him if he simply exposed the executives' corruption."
"Yes, I remember. You said that alone would be more than enough."
"I did. And yet..."
Standing at the window, Tak-hyeon gazed at the night landscape beyond the glass.
"I thought that would be sufficient—and instead he arrives with a plan that can completely transform the company. How am I supposed to..."
He trailed off, then turned to Hwang.
"How am I supposed to take this?"
His brow furrowed with the confusion of a man who had received a result he never anticipated.
"All I wanted was that one thing, and he found every other method while leaving that one out..."
By any objective measure he should have been delighted. Seong-ho had returned with a way to revitalize a company that had seemed unsellable. Yet the complete absence of the one measure Tak-hyeon had originally demanded left him with a strange unease.
"He can't possibly be unaware... can he?"
Still staring out the window, he directed the question at Hwang. The chief of staff stepped closer.
"Perhaps that's why he brought up the supplier change?"
Tak-hyeon's brow tightened further.
"So he's suggesting we simply look the other way with those parasites?"
The executives of Ilhyeon Watch were little better than blood-sucking leeches. Tak-hyeon had no intention of letting them off, and his expression made that plain. Hwang carefully took Seong-ho's side.
"I don't believe that's the case. Assistant Manager Kim surely understands that a tree with rotten roots will not survive simply by being transplanted."
"Then what?"
"He may have thought of another approach and simply set it aside for the moment."
"Set it aside?"
"Yes. Because it's not something that should be touched just yet."
"Hmm..."
Tak-hyeon let out a short hum. Hwang's words made a certain sense. And from that thought another quickly followed.
"But was Kim really this capable all along?"
Hwang answered the half-muttered question with care.
"One thing is certain: everyone has completely misjudged Kim Seong-ho."
"Yes. You're right."
Tak-hyeon clasped his hands behind his back and stared blankly out the window.
"We had him completely wrong."
Beyond the glass, Kim Seong-ho stood in the courtyard speaking with Lee Chang-jong.
Seong-ho looked at Chang-jong with mild curiosity.
"Do you truly believe we shouldn't change suppliers?"
"We've worked with them for nearly twenty years. How can we just drop them overnight?"
"They've been taking more than a thirty-percent markup for over twenty years. I would call that more than enough. We can't keep yielding forever while the suppliers gouge us."
"I'm not saying we should keep yielding..."
Chang-jong stopped mid-sentence and scrambled for a better reason. Seong-ho watched him struggle and thought to himself,
No matter how hard you rack your brain, a reason that doesn't exist will never appear.
He shook his head and spoke first.
"As you know, the Chairman has already given his approval. I don't believe the decision can be reversed. I'm sorry."
At the mention of the Chairman's consent, Chang-jong could only chew his lip. He no longer had any grounds to insist they keep the old suppliers. After several aborted attempts to speak, he finally muttered a curt acknowledgment and walked away.
Lee Gyeong-eun, who had come outside to see her brothers off, stepped up beside Seong-ho and watched Chang-jong's car disappear down the drive. Once it was gone she turned to her husband.
"Why did the youngest look so upset?"
"Probably because his income is about to take a hit."
"His income? Did Father say he was cutting salaries at Ilhyeon Distribution?"
"No. I meant the side business he runs is about to dry up."
"Oppa has a side business?"
Gyeong-eun's eyes went round at the unexpected remark.
"Haha, never mind. Let's go inside."
Amused by her expression, Seong-ho laughed softly and turned toward the house.