Advance, Part 2

After Jo Han-gyeol’s funeral was over and done with, Haesol Textile received something unexpected: an official notice.

"What is this?"

Park Han-soo, the factory manager, stared at the document in bewilderment.

Until Taesung Apparel made its move in earnest, Seung-hyun had kept his mouth shut at the company and thrown himself into research. Now that the notice had arrived, he explained what he had done at Taesung back then.

"So... you went to Taesung Apparel and did that...?"

Park Han-soo looked as if he were dreaming, hearing the sort of thing that should have been outrageous but was being discussed with such calm satisfaction, as though Seung-hyun had just come back from a hearty lunch.

"I considered taking legal action, but what good would it do for a small company like ours to sue a conglomerate? I’ve never once seen a small business beat a big one in the news, so I decided to handle it this way. I can pay back the anger later through results."

It was basically saying that slapping someone was better than reporting them, and while it sounded wrong, it also somehow sounded right.

"Still... weren’t you worried about retaliation?"

"Ah, you mean whether Deputy Director Lee Sang-moo might sue because a subcontractor's boss slapped him? He can’t. Even if he tried, it wouldn’t matter. We already cut ties with Taesung Apparel, so there’s no need to worry about losing business. At worst, it would just be a fine for assault. But Taesung? If that recording gets uploaded to YouTube, I have no idea what kind of fallout it would cause. Do you really think Taesung would sue me? Deputy Director Lee wouldn’t dare either, not when he’s afraid of Taesung."

Park Han-soo felt that, maybe because he had worked for subcontractors for so long, he had boxed himself into thinking too narrowly. His expression brightened as he realized his worries might have been pointless, confirmed by the notice in black and white.

"That’s true. You really handled it well. And to think nearly 1.9 billion won is coming in all at once... it feels like a dream. We weren’t exactly short on orders, but 1.9 billion in pure cash is really huge."

"It worked out, then. Ah, and what’s happening with the additional dyeing for the high-density silk blend? Is the color coming through?"

The exhibition was just around the corner, and if they couldn’t produce the right color when Daeryung Sangsa came with an order, they couldn’t take it.

"It’s still in progress, but I wouldn’t say it’s perfect yet."

"Hmm... all right, I understand for now. Please keep researching."

"Yes, sir."

After the factory manager left, Seung-hyun fixed his gaze on the monitor.

It was encouraging that they had managed to shake off a significant part of the danger threatening the company with just one recording, but Seung-hyun only felt relieved in a modest way. He wasn’t especially happy.

What he regretted most was that he hadn’t been able to slap Kim Ho-yeol, the executive director, right then and there.

There had been no mention of him at all in the recording, so even though Seung-hyun had his suspicions about Kim, there was nothing he could do.

Still, he thought the day was not far off.

He would get his chance to bring down Kim Ho-yeol, or Kim In-hyuk, sooner or later.

1.9 billion... what could I do with 1.9 billion?

Seung-hyun worried, and worried again.

The days flew by in a blur.

They succeeded in delivering all 4,000 yards of high-density silk blend fabric for Daeryung Sangsa without a single problem, and they also sold off every last bolt of the Tencel fabric sitting in the warehouse as bedding.

It had been almost a war.

Thanks to that, the balance in Haesol Textile’s corporate account swelled to a level that could only be described as excellent.

With it, they repaid a substantial portion of the bank loan they had extended by six months, clearing away the short-term risk.

On the surface, everything seemed fine, but a large number of the factory lines were still sitting idle.

That was why this exhibition mattered so much to Haesol Textile.

Over the roughly two days they had left, a large portion of the factory staff spent their time making countless fabric samples and preparing for the exhibition, which meant the number of samples loaded into the car was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠considerable.

"Did you get everything?"

Lee A-young handed him the final set of documents.

"If we take this, we’re done."

The file she passed over organized the price list and technical materials they would use for construction and interior companies.

She had a quiet sense for these things and made very few mistakes, and the more Seung-hyun watched her work, the more convinced he became that she really had been a brilliant hire.

"Good. Manager Park, I’m counting on you."

With that, and a final word to the factory manager to look after the remaining staff, Seung-hyun headed for the exhibition hall.

"Oppa!"

It was barely 9:30, yet amazingly, So-hee had already arrived in front of the venue.

She had dressed neatly in a black suit, the skirt falling to her knees, and it suited her so well that she looked both tidy and beautiful.

"Why are you here so early?"

So-hee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quickly scanned Lee A-young, who was following behind Seung-hyun with an armful of samples, and said, "I had to come early anyway. I’m supposed to call you 'boss' today, right?"

"Haha, just for today. Please."

"Of course. You’re the one paying me for the day. And this is..."

Seung-hyun introduced her quickly when he saw Lee A-young smiling awkwardly.

"Oh, this is Lee A-young, one of the junior staff at our company. She’s helping me today."

Lee A-young’s eyes went wide when she saw that Seung-hyun hadn’t introduced her as a part-timer.

"Ah, yes. Hello. I’m Jang So-hee, your senior at university, Seung-hyun oppa."

"Yes... I’m Lee A-young."

Feeling awkward about the title of "junior staff" too, Lee A-young merely bowed, and Seung-hyun led them into the exhibition hall.

"Come on, let’s not stand around here. Let’s head to the booth first."

When they entered the hall, the booths were still being set up.

Since everyone there was from a company, the place was already thick with the mood of a full-scale promotional war.

At the neighboring booths, major furniture companies had arranged massive sofas and tables, while construction material companies showed off the latest interior panels as they prepared to greet buyers.

Haesol Textile’s booth was comparatively small and tucked away in a corner, but Seung-hyun didn’t mind.

He had shimmering silk, sturdy blended fabrics, and even his own flame-retardant finishing technology, so he felt confident enough.

The main customers at this event were corporate employees, but ordinary visitors had also come out of curiosity.

The company people in suits were easy to spot as they handed out business cards, introduced their firms, and asked what price range the fabric fell into and how much could be produced in bulk.

"We used to focus mainly on apparel fabrics, but this time we launched a new line specifically for interiors. As you can see here..."

The response was better than expected.

A representative from a mid-sized hotel chain showed interest, saying that if they could produce curtain fabric with this much sheen and durability, it would likely be competitive in price compared to imported overseas materials.

And just like that, time flew by, and lunch was already long over.

"Boss, go take a break. I’ll handle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠things now."

Seung-hyun was about to say no to Lee A-young, who had returned from lunch, when he suddenly realized he had missed something important.

He had arrived at the exhibition and still hadn’t visited the booth he absolutely had to stop by.

"Ah, then could you watch things for a moment? I’m not leaving the venue, so call me right away if anything comes up."

"Yes, understood."

Leaving the booth in Lee A-young’s and Jang So-hee’s care for a moment, Seung-hyun hurried across the exhibition hall.

Knowing exactly where he was headed, his steps were brisk and unhesitating.

Aureum

The place Seung-hyun arrived at was Daeryung Sangsa’s booth.

The booth for Daeryung Sangsa’s interior brand, Aureum, had the name splashed across it in huge letters, and even at lunchtime, plenty of people were gathered there.

In particular, this booth had actual sofas, furniture, and interior accessories on display, so even ordinary visitors were stopping by to look around.

Just then, he spotted Director Choi Jin-a speaking with a buyer on one side of the booth.

Dressed in a deep navy suit, she looked sharper than before as she explained inventory and delivery schedules.

"Oh, the CEO of Haesol Textile. You came!"

After handing over the materials to the buyer, Director Choi called out to Seung-hyun warmly.

Seung-hyun, in his neat suit, approached with a slight smile.

"I just dropped by since it’s lunch. How are things... is the response good for products made with our fabric?"

He had read the fabric’s marketability through appraisal, but he was still curious to hear the practical impressions of Director Choi, who was facing customers on-site.

"Yes, someone was showing a lot of interest just now."

As she said that, Director Choi introduced the middle-aged white man sitting at the table.

"This is Brian from Lemon Design. Think of him as a well-known European furniture importer. And this is the CEO of Haesol Textile, the supplier of the material we showed today."

She introduced Seung-hyun in fluent English.

At the mention of the fabric supplier, Brian smiled and offered his hand.

"Nice to meet you. This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠silk-blend fabric in Aureum’s premium line is remarkably unique."

After his year of language study in Australia following his military service, Seung-hyun’s English was fairly good.

So after understanding everything Brian said, he examined the sofa fabric sample on the table.

It was clearly the high-density silk blend he had overseen on the factory line and delivered to Daeryung Sangsa.

It was ironic that the product Taesung Apparel had demanded, then rejected as defective, was being praised so highly here.

"Thank you."

Brian nodded and toyed with the sample cloth laid over the sofa.

"The feel is definitely good. If we apply it to our hotel line of furniture, it would look luxurious and still be easy to maintain... Though, would it be possible to supply just this fabric separately? Not through Daeryung Sangsa."

At once, the smile vanished from Director Choi Jin-a’s face.

Even if he wanted the fabric, proposing it directly in front of them was bad manners.

Seung-hyun, naturally, drew a line as well.

"You mean this fabric? Since Haesol Textile supplies it exclusively to Daeryung Sangsa, at present you’ll only be able to get it through Daeryung Sangsa."

"That’s a pity."

Buyers really did seem to think they held all the cards; their words and actions were blunt and unrestrained.

Brian nodded, then turned to Director Choi again.

"Then would it be fair to say you can’t find this sort of fabric in other products?"

"Of course. Only Aureum can create this kind of feel."

Apparently liking that answer, he smiled faintly.

"Good. And the price was...?"

As if she had been waiting for it, Director Choi beamed and led him back to the table.

It seemed as though everything was about to end on a warm note, when...

"You’re supplying this fabric exclusively?"

Seung-hyun turned toward the voice from beside him.

Some distance away stood a man who looked to be in his mid-forties, with the steady gaze of someone experienced.

How long had he been listening...?

"Ah, yes."

"What company are you with?"

Seung-hyun quickly handed over the business card he had brought.

The man glanced at it and frowned slightly.

"You’re the CEO. Young, too... But Haesol Textile? Wait, aren’t you the supplier for Taesung Apparel?"

"You know about that? We used to be."

A strange curiosity settled over the man’s face.

"Used to be? So you’re not anymore?"

Seung-hyun smiled meaningfully and asked in return, "Is there a reason you’re asking?"

"I was just curious. When it comes to Taesung Apparel, we tend to get a little... sensitive, if that makes sense."

"Which company are you with, then...?"

"Hanil Global."

"Ah... that would make sense."

Seung-hyun nodded with a quiet smile.

Hanil Global.

A giant company that, together with Taesung Apparel, divided the domestic fashion industry between them.

"Did you come to the exhibition as well?"

"Yes."

"Then would you like to have a look around?"

There was no reason not to.

"Of course. This way."

Wondering about the man’s intent, Seung-hyun headed back toward his own booth.