The Effect of Connections, Part 2
“This is really impressive.”
In the conference room of Hanil Global’s brand strategy team, the Tokyo line samples that had just arrived from Haesol Textile were spread out across the table.
Executive Director Kang Ho-yun looked over each piece of clothing, then furrowed his brow.
Not because he thought they were poor, but because, compared with the designs produced by Hanil Global’s large staff, these garments from a designer he had never even heard of were no worse at all.
“It does seem like exactly the kind of style Japanese customers would like, but...”
Neat piles of clothing in calm shades of black, gray, and navy sat on the table.
What stood out in particular were the jackets and trousers with their unusual pocket designs.
Marketing Manager Kim Ji-hyun picked up a jacket and examined it closely.
“Look at this pocket design. From the outside it looks minimal, but the hidden storage space inside is really ingenious. It’s the kind of detail Japanese consumers would love. And here, they’ve named it the ‘Pocket Series.’ It feels like they’ve targeted Tokyo’s lifestyle with perfect precision. It’s designed to store things efficiently even in tight spaces.”
Everyone gathered in the conference room was impressed by the Tokyo line’s design.
The monochrome color palette, the minimal yet functional details, and the silhouettes that reflected Japanese tastes with uncanny accuracy.
“Isn’t there only one designer registered at Haesol Textile? Who is it?”
Marketing Manager Kim Ji-hyun checked the materials and answered.
“A designer named Lee A-young. They say she built Lesser Factory from the ground up, and apparently she handled this Tokyo line too. According to the attached materials, she has no career history at all. She didn’t even study art or fashion at university.”
Executive Director Kang Ho-yun tossed the garment he had been holding down onto the table with an irritated look.
“Is she just lucky, or are we the idiots here? We review and screen everything from start to finish before we select anything, and still our results are mediocre. How the hell is Lesser Factory turning out quality like this?”
“We’ll do better too, sir.”
The lower-ranking staff had nothing to say, naturally.
It wasn’t as if they had any answer to give when the question was being asked of marketing people like themselves.
“Send the samples to the Japanese subsidiary and have them bring back a promotion schedule and concept. Tell them to decide whether they’re going to use Han Saet-byeol and report back too.”
“Understood.”
The meeting ended, and the people in the room began filtering out one by one.
At last, Assistant Manager Seo Ji-hoon of the marketing team, who was the only one left, looked around the room and quickly pulled out his phone.
He drafted a short message, attaching several photos of the Tokyo line designs.
Haesol Textile Tokyo line designer: Lee A-young (27). In charge of the entire Lesser Factory line.
After sending the message, Seo Ji-hoon quickly slipped the phone into his pocket and left the conference room.
*
At Le Cinq, a high-end restaurant in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, Bernard Arnault, chairman of the LVMH Group, was having dinner with his eldest daughter, Delphine Arnault, CEO of Christian Dior, after a long time apart.
It was a formal meal paired with wine beneath the glittering chandeliers of the Michelin three-star restaurant, but neither of them wore the smile or the easy satisfaction one normally had when eating something delicious.
“How are Frette’s recent numbers?”
Bernard asked in a tone as casual as ever.
Delphine elegantly lifted her wineglass, took a sip, and replied, “Overall, they’re fine. Since the company’s value grew by another 30 percent after the acquisition, I’d say the investment was a success.”
“Sales have risen and the company’s value has gone up, but lowering the bedding prices weakened the brand. What do you make of that?”
“...It was a temporary measure to increase market share. We’ll start raising prices again soon.”
At that moment, a message arrived on Delphine’s phone.
Haesol Textile’s Jung Seung-hyun is currently meeting with Antoine. He is scheduled to stay at the Ritz Hotel.
The moment Delphine saw the message, her expression hardened.
She had heard that the Polish goose farm Frette had worked so hard to secure had been taken by some company, and the fact that the company in question turned out to be Haesol Textile had made her furious beyond measure.
And now the head of that company was here, in Paris?
Delphine began to suspect that Antoine may have had something to do with the young Korean CEO taking the goose farm in Poland.
“What is it?”
Seeing the change in his daughter’s face, Bernard asked.
“Nothing. It’s just... I heard the Korean textile company Frette acquired is in Paris.”
“Ah, the young CEO of Haesol Textile? But why do you look so displeased?”
After a brief hesitation, she finally spoke her mind.
“There was an incident yesterday where some company snatched the goose farm Frette had its eye on. But it turns out that company was Haesol Textile, and that CEO is meeting with Antoine right now. What do you think?”
Seeing the bitter look in his daughter’s eyes, Bernard only smiled.
“Oh? So you think Antoine was pulling the strings from behind?”
“I can’t say for certain, but doesn’t it at least look like he helped them take the farm? How could a CEO from Asia happen to find such a lucrative goose farm in Poland on his own? Without Antoine’s help, it would be impossible.”
Bernard looked at his daughter’s venomous gaze and nodded easily.
“That could be. So?”
“So?”
When he asked what she intended to do about it, Delphine suddenly found herself unable to answer.
There was no hard evidence, and in business these things happened countless times; it was the sort of ambiguous situation that made her angry but left her with nothing concrete to say.
Seeing that, Bernard said to his daughter, “You look impatient, Delphine. A manager should speak through results, not emotions. Don’t get too hung up on a small contest. You need to see the bigger picture.”
“Are you telling me to accept that I lost?”
“If you wanted that farm so badly, you should have made a bigger bet. If you didn’t realize it might be taken from you, then you know that was your mistake.”
“I know.”
“I’m glad you do. Then stop worrying about useless things and focus on your own work. Frette is important, but you should pay more attention to Dior’s sales, shouldn’t you?”
“Yes...”
Delphine outwardly accepted her father’s words, but inside, resentment welled up.
It’s always Antoine, never me.
Though she thought this, she never showed a trace of it on her face.
“Thinking about it again, I was too sensitive. I’ll focus on work.”
Bernard smiled. “You’ve always been an excellent executive. I know that better than anyone. But sometimes you need to step back and look at the situation objectively. Keep that in mind, and you won’t make mistakes.”
Delphine nodded, but inwardly she thought that if it had been Antoine, he would not have said such a thing.
She lifted her wineglass, took another sip, and changed the subject.
*
After arriving at the Ritz Hotel, Seung-hyun was overwhelmed by the highest level of service he had ever experienced in his life.
After passing through the lavish lobby and being led to the Grand Suite, what opened before his eyes looked like a scene from a film.
“This way, sir.”
The personal butler guided him respectfully and explained the room.
In the more than 150-square-meter space, antique furniture and works of art had been arranged in perfect harmony.
The bedroom and living room were separate, and the marble-clad bathroom even came with a jacuzzi.
“How would you like dinner arranged? Would you prefer a restaurant reservation, or should I have room service prepared for you?”
Seung-hyun thought for a moment and answered.
“I’m a bit tired today, so room service, please.”
After the butler left, Seung-hyun flung himself onto the bed and let out a long breath.
Looking up at the extravagant chandelier on the ceiling, he thought back to the time, only a few years earlier, when he had inherited his father’s small factory.
Back then, he had never imagined he would one day experience luxury like this.
“Dad, your son made it, I think. Good grief, what is this?”
He muttered to himself with a smile.
It was the result of the technology his father had left behind, combined with his own effort.
Seung-hyun stepped out onto the balcony and looked out over the Paris nightscape.
The glittering Eiffel Tower felt almost dreamlike.
Dinner was even grander than he had imagined.
The French course meal delivered by room service was plated like a work of art, and a sommelier came in person to recommend a wine.
After the meal, cognac was served along with a specially prepared dessert.
Seung-hyun soaked away his fatigue in the jacuzzi and looked back on everything since arriving in Europe.
His meeting with Antoine, the goose contract in Poland, and this very moment... He felt newly grateful that all of it was his reality.
Perhaps because he had relaxed in such warm water, he drifted off to sleep before he knew it, and when he opened his eyes, morning sunlight was shining into the hotel.
“I hope I can live like this forever.”
That was the first thing Seung-hyun said when he got up.
The breakfast delivered by room service tasted so good that he started the morning in high spirits, dressed himself neatly, and strolled through the streets of Paris.
Only when the promised lunch hour finally arrived did he return to the hotel.
Smiling as he entered the restaurant, intending to thank Antoine for letting him enjoy such a fine hotel for free, Seung-hyun was greeted by something unexpected.
“Mr. Antoine has already arrived and is waiting for you.”
Following the staff member’s guidance, he went inside, and to his surprise, there was another person sitting at the table besides Antoine.
“I’m late?”
“No, we just got here too. This is Thibault Girard.”
The white man, who looked much older than Antoine, extended a hand to Seung-hyun.
He thought the name sounded funny, but he gave no sign of it and returned the greeting.
“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You heard about me? Ah, yes. It’s nice to meet you too.”
Hearing that Antoine had talked about him left Seung-hyun both puzzled and curious.
But before he could even ask, the dishes began to arrive one after another.
As he enjoyed the food coming out course by course, it wasn’t Antoine but Thibault Girard who kept throwing questions at him.
“Since you know Antoine, this isn’t your first time in Paris, is it?”
“That’s right. I came once before and left deeply impressed. I think it’s a beautiful place, full of artistic sensibility. Especially at night, it feels almost fantastical.”
“You’re only mentioning the good parts.”
“Haha, well, aside from the fact that it smells a bit... and there are quite a lot of rats...”
Thibault burst out laughing.
“Hahaha, yes, that’s true. It is quite a headache for us too.”
Thibault relaxed the atmosphere by talking about wine and French food culture.
Seung-hyun gradually grew more at ease, but he still couldn’t figure out the purpose of this meeting.
What he especially didn’t understand was why Antoine, who normally talked so much, had his mouth shut tight.
Then, at last, Antoine spoke.
“The thing is, this gentleman isn’t actually in the fashion industry.”
Seung-hyun tilted his head at the long-awaited words.
“Pardon?”
“He’s a politician.”
“A politician?”
“Yes, a member of the National Defense Committee.”
When Seung-hyun turned to look, Representative Thibault Girard smiled faintly and said, “President Jung, from what I’ve heard, Haesol Textile is supplying the U.S. military with combat uniforms made from fabric your company developed. As a licensing agreement, correct?”
“Ah... yes.”
“Would you perhaps be open to having Haesol Textile’s combat fabric tested and evaluated in France as well?”
Only then did Seung-hyun understand why Antoine had told him not to go to Korea and to stay here today no matter what.
Incredibly, he had arranged for a French member of parliament to sit down and set up an additional contract for them.