A New Tide (1)
Haesol Textile’s office was busy from the morning on.
The employees were packing boxes, sorting documents, and moving briskly through the preparations for the relocation.
It was the day the office, long tucked into one corner of the factory, would finally move into a place of its own.
Seung-hyun stood by the window and looked out over the factory grounds.
This was the place his father had built and he had inherited, and now that Haesol Textile had grown into a mid-sized company, a complicated feeling filled his chest, one that was hard to put into words.
"Everyone says they’ve checked their own things already. We should be able to move everything as is."
Park Han-soo, beads of sweat gathered on his forehead, came over to him.
"You’ve worked hard. So we just need to head over as we are?"
"Yes. The moving company says they’ll transfer it exactly like this, so you should be able to head straight over, President. I’ll just check once more to make sure the movers didn’t leave anything behind."
"When do we start construction after we clear this place out?"
"The interior firm is already booked, so the demolition crew will come in tomorrow and start tearing it down right away."
"Will the dust control be enough with just the containment sheets?"
"The factory manager thinks there shouldn’t be any major problems. They’ll be using a wet demolition method and spraying water continuously while they work... We’ll inspect it, and if there’s any issue, we’ll have it corrected immediately."
"We can pay more if we need to, so please make sure the leftover waste and dust are handled properly."
"We already paid extra for that reason, so if there’s any problem I’ll point it out right away."
Just the thought of moving to a new place made Seung-hyun’s heart race.
Was this why people always wanted to move into a better house?
"I’m a little worried we might be moving somewhere too good."
"Haha. It is nice. The employees like it even more, though I suspect even that place will feel too small after a few years."
The place they were moving to was a four-story building in Hapjeong-dong.
Since they were a textile company, he had thought a location near Hongdae, where young people gathered, would fit the company’s identity better, and then, just as if it had been waiting for him, he spotted a brand-new building available for a full-building lease.
Its exterior had a stylish, distinctive feel instead of the usual flat, boxy look, and Seung-hyun had decided at once that it was the one and signed the lease quickly.
"Now that we’re moving, from tomorrow you’ll be an executive, Manager."
"Haha, thank you. I’ll work even harder."
Under the reorganization plan, Park Han-soo was to have his title changed to Executive Director of Strategy and Planning, while Factory Manager Park Han-soo would become Executive Director of Production Operations.
As the company grew, it needed a more systematic organizational structure, and this restructuring was the first step.
"How is Lee A-young doing? Has there been any response to the salary offer?"
Hwang Seok-jae hesitated for a moment before answering.
"No clear response yet. She said she needed time to think..."
"Was it less than she expected?"
"She seemed to have a lot on her mind, but it didn’t feel like the salary itself was the issue. Still, I’m not certain, so I think we’ll have to hear it from her directly."
After a short pause, Seung-hyun nodded.
"All right. Let’s not rush her. We’ll wait for her decision. For now, let’s move."
"Yes."
Seung-hyun and Hwang Seok-jae, now newly promoted to executive, loaded only the important items into their respective cars and headed for Hapjeong-dong, where the new office awaited them.
*
While the employees of Haesol Textile were busy with the move, Lee A-young had finished moving her things a little earlier and was lying on her bed in her small one-room apartment, staring up at the ceiling.
On the table sat Haesol Textile’s new salary offer.
It was nearly twice her previous pay, and the title "Lesser Factory Creative Director," though still smaller than Taesung Apparel’s offer, was an amount far beyond what she had expected.
Do I really have the worth to receive that much for a position like that?
When the headhunting agency first brought her the transfer offer, she had been nothing but happy. Now, though, she was slowly turning the question back on herself.
She had stepped into the world of design through Lesser Factory, but in some ways, she also recognized that she had been very lucky.
Once she realized that, the new salary offer from Lesser Factory began to feel a little burdensome.
She had never received formal fashion design training, nor had she built experience at another company; she had simply been given an opportunity at Haesol Textile and grown from there.
Could someone like her really bear the pressure of sitting in a lead designer’s seat at a company growing this fast?
Any mistake she made now would be a devastating blow to the company.
Lying there, she kept worrying, and worrying, and worrying some more.
*
Time flew by, and before long, a month had already passed.
In the lobby of a luxury hotel in Jongno District, Seoul, a special meeting was taking place.
French National Assembly member Thibault Girard was shaking hands with South Korea’s Minister of National Defense, Kim Pil-yeon.
Camera flashes from the journalists surrounding them burst nonstop.
"Korea’s Dualtex technology is truly remarkable. If our military were issued combat uniforms made from such an extraordinary material, I believe it would be a tremendous help."
At Thibault Girard’s words, Minister Kim Pil-yeon smiled with visible satisfaction.
"I’m pleased that the excellence of Korean textile technology is being recognized worldwide. Haesol Textile’s Dualtex fabric is already being supplied to the U.S. military, and now that the French military is also acknowledging its value, it is a source of pride for our textile industry."
It was a very obvious exchange, but for Minister Kim Pil-yeon, the important thing was for that obvious exchange to be widely reported and spread.
There were already rumors that Kim Pil-yeon’s name might appear as a candidate in the next general election in his district, so for him, Haesol Textile was practically a benefactor.
After the press conference ended, Thibault Girard visited Haesol Textile’s new office in Hapjeong-dong.
The cleanly remodeled four-story building was equipped with sleek interiors and the latest facilities.
In the showroom set up in one corner of the first floor, a variety of Lesser Factory products were on display, and in a specially arranged space, samples of military uniforms made with Dualtex fabric were exhibited.
"President Jung, this is truly an impressive space."
Thibault, who had come with several aides, toured the building with Seung-hyun and admired it openly.
"Thank you. The combat uniform you’re taking such interest in is made from the very same type of fabric that is being licensed and produced for the U.S. military. It’s a shame we can’t bring an actual American combat uniform over, though."
"It would have been nice to see one, but there’s nothing to be done. It’s the same fabric anyway..."
Along with his aides, he handled the Korean military uniform and discussed it at length.
Among the aides was also a representative from the French Ministry of Defense.
They moved to a conference room on the fourth floor and began discussing in detail the supply of combat uniforms to the French military.
The presentation prepared by Director Hwang Seok-jae laid out a plan to develop customized fabric tailored to the operational environment of French special forces.
"Once the testing evaluation is complete, we hope to supply it through a licensing agreement, just as we did with the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency."
They did not even bring up technology transfer from the start.
It seemed they had already decided that asking would probably get them nowhere.
"Of course. If it proceeds exactly as it did with the contract we signed with the U.S. military, then we have no reason to refuse."
"Good. Once I return, I’ll arrange the testing schedule with the Ministry of Defense officials."
The meeting continued very smoothly, and Seung-hyun felt his heart stir again at the thought of Lesser Factory entering France.
*
In the lobby of the Okura Hotel in Tokyo, even on a weekday afternoon, the place was crowded with people waiting to check in.
The hotel staff were busy nonstop, attending to guests without a moment’s rest.
From his office window, President Okada Sota looked out at the line of taxis waiting at the hotel entrance and smiled.
It was a sight he could not have imagined just a few months earlier.
"President, I’m here with the April reservation report."
His secretary came in and handed him a tablet. On the screen, the hotel’s room reservations were displayed as a graph, and most of the dates were marked in red.
It meant fully booked.
"Good! That’s exactly what I wanted!"
He shouted in a booming voice, but the secretary, long accustomed to this kind of reaction, remained calm and continued her report.
"Word of mouth for the Solinen Sweet Dream package is driving it. Especially among guests struggling with insomnia, Okura Hotel’s bedding has now become a brand in its own right."
Okada nodded with satisfaction.
"What’s the level of customer complaints?"
"Some guests posted complaints saying they had expected to sleep soundly but were disappointed."
"Hmph. What, do they think this is some kind of sleeping-pill prescription? How many are there?"
"By ratio, about 3 percent."
It was neither a particularly high nor particularly low figure, but when he considered how many people simply hadn’t bothered to complain because it was too much trouble, he guessed the dissatisfied customers were probably within 10 percent or so.
Still, that level was more than enough to satisfy him.
"And customers who were satisfied?"
"About 36 percent."
It might have been an ambiguous number, but Okura found that satisfying enough too.
Those 36 percent would keep spreading good reviews everywhere they went.
And wasn’t that result right there in front of his eyes?
Now, not only in Tokyo but in other cities as well, people suffering from sleeplessness kept trying to make reservations.
If things continued like this...
"Heh-heh-heh... they’ll all be green with envy..."
The secretary, as if she had been waiting for that exact line, rushed to flatter him.
"There are a great many people inquiring about our bedding. Some are ordinary customers, but quite a few seem to be from the hotel industry."
Okada folded his arms and shook his head with mock regret.
"Hmph. If I’d known this would happen, I should have pushed for a true exclusive contract, even if it meant paying more. A pity, but there’s no helping it. Oh, and that Marunouchi Hotel that’s been struggling financially lately?"
"Yes? Ah, yes..."
"Find out what price they’re putting it up for."
"You don’t mean... an acquisition?"
Sinking back into his chair, eyes flashing, Okada muttered in a low voice.
"Even if other people start copying us, this trend will hold for a while. Meanwhile, everyone else will bleed out faster. We’ll use this chance to pick off the ones who are dying, one by one."
The secretary nodded, admiring the scale of Okada’s ambition.
"Understood. I’ll find out right away."
*
In Haesol Textile’s new office in Hapjeong-dong, Seung-hyun sat across from Lee A-young in his office.
He had not expected the salary offer to lead to such a long period of hesitation, so he watched her with some tension.
"President, first of all, thank you for making time like this."
There was clear nervousness in A-young’s voice.
Carefully, she placed the document envelope she had been holding onto the table.
"Of course. But you really have been thinking about it a lot, haven’t you?"
She lowered her head shyly.
"Yes... I’m always grateful for the trust and opportunity you’ve shown me, President. But I kept wondering whether I even belong in a position like this, and whether I really have the ability for it."
Honestly, Seung-hyun couldn’t tell whether her words were sincere.
They might just be an excuse to decline.
If another company had made her a better offer, then of course it was only natural that she would hesitate.
"From my point of view, I thought you were absolutely the right person for it, so that’s why I made the offer."
"Thank you. But I really, really thought about it a lot... and I’m still not confident that I can handle a role like that in such a big company."
"So then...?"
"I think I’ll resign and go study abroad."
"Study abroad?"
"Yes. I don’t have much experience yet, but I’ve gained some, and I also want to properly study fashion."
Seung-hyun actually felt relieved that she was choosing study abroad instead of another company.
Recognizing one’s own shortcomings and deciding to study was, in a way, something that deserved praise.
"Have you decided on a school?"
"Not yet... I’m thinking about Europe or the United States."
"Hmm... then I’ll ask a favor for you."
"Pardon?"
"Someone like Antoine should be able to recommend you to a decent school."
At that moment, A-young’s eyes filled.
"Thank you so much."
"You’ve contributed a great deal to our company until now, so this is the least I can do."
It was disappointing, but Seung-hyun accepted the fact that A-young would be going abroad.
She had helped shape the backbone of Lesser Factory, but in the fashion world, designers came and went.
What mattered was whether they could create a new current with another designer and keep leading the industry forward.
In that sense, Lesser Factory had now taken on a new challenge, but for some reason Seung-hyun did not feel weighed down by it. Instead, he found himself looking forward to seeing what kind of designer would come to him with a gift.
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