Chapter 2
I’m translating the chapter now and keeping the special ability readouts in styled HTML so the output stays valid for publication. I’ll preserve the chapter flow and render the internal fabric appraisal windows as in-universe display blocks rather than plain narration.CHAPTER_TITLE: Challenges and Hope (1)
A week passed in a blur.
He was so busy handling inheritance documents at the judicial scrivener’s office, negotiating a loan extension with the bank, and filing the business registration change at the tax office that he barely had time to think.
The bank had granted him only a six-month extension.
Even that had been possible only because Seung-hyun was still a college student, which meant his credit was still intact and in good standing.
Only after every document had been processed did the reality finally sink in.
Starting today, he was the CEO of Haesol Textile.
The title of CEO at twenty-five felt unbearably lonely.
He had lost his father, and now he stood alone with that title, as if the weight of it only made the grief sharper.
“You’re here, sir.”
Even though he had arrived early, Manager Park Han-soo had already beaten him to the factory.
The address “sir” still felt so awkward that it made his skin prickle.
But Seung-hyun was not foolish enough to say, here at the company, that they should not call him that and should just treat him as they always had.
“Yes. Good morning.”
“Will you be greeting everyone at the morning assembly?”
He asked it as a question, but the look in the man’s eyes made it plain that of course he should.
Seung-hyun had no intention of avoiding it either.
No, he had come prepared.
“Yes, I will.”
His voice trembled.
He had spent all night preparing what he wanted to say, but now that the moment was here, his mind had gone blank.
“Don’t worry. Everyone here has known you since you were little.”
That only made him worry more.
To them, how unsettling must it be that the child who used to run around the factory all day had now become their boss?
At 8:50 a.m., the employees began gathering one by one.
Familiar faces filled the room.
Mr. Kim the driver still had that dark, weathered complexion, and Section Chief Lee’s hair seemed even whiter than before.
“Now, before we begin, as you all know, everyone was uneasy after the previous boss passed away. Some of you may think the new boss is too familiar a face and too young, but he is the rightful heir to the old boss and the company’s majority shareholder. So let’s start by congratulating him with a round of applause.”
Clap, clap, clap!
When Factory Manager Park started applauding first, the employees joined in, still looking a little stunned.
“All right, now the newly appointed CEO will say a few words.”
Fifty-odd pairs of eyes turned to Seung-hyun at once.
He took a deep breath and spoke the words he had prepared.
“Good morning.”
His voice shook faintly.
He had always hated speaking in front of other people. Even in group projects, he had never been the one to step up and do the PowerPoint presentation, and yet here he was, standing before the staff as the company’s CEO.
“First, I’d like to thank my father for all the love and care you showed him over the years. I... I...”
The words he had prepared scattered the moment he actually faced the employees.
Seung-hyun drew a steadying breath and tried again.
“I’m deeply grateful that, even without my father here and even in such uncertain times, you all held your posts and endured in silence. I’m sure you all feel the same way, but I’m still lacking in many ways. There’s so much I don’t know about textiles and even more I don’t know about management. But I want to protect Haesol Textile above all else. I’ll need your help.”
He bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
When he lifted his head again, he could see their expressions.
Pity, concern, and a little irritation...
He understood it.
Their livelihoods were on the line, and some kid who had not even graduated from college yet had come along claiming he would sit in the CEO’s chair. Of course they’d be annoyed.
“All right, then. Starting today, let’s begin by taking stock of the production lines.”
At Factory Manager Park’s words, the employees dispersed in small groups, and soon the sound of machinery began to roll through the building.
“Let’s start by going around the lines.”
The first stop was the fabric inspection room.
Section Chief Kim Young-sook, who had held this post for more than twenty years, was examining the cloth.
“This is the fabric we’re producing now.”
The moment Seung-hyun touched the roll Kim handed him, the appraisal flashed in his mind.
Yarn Quality = 67.8%
Weave Condition = Defective
Uniformity = 72.3%
Durability = C-Grade
Estimated Lifespan = 65% of normal
The moment he touched the fabric, Seung-hyun blurted out, “This fabric... I think there’s something wrong with the yarn.”
Yarn was the most basic thread used in textiles and clothing. The main criteria for evaluating yarn quality were strength, uniformity, purity, elasticity, and luster. For example, in silk fabric, pure silk thread that was uniform and strong would be considered high quality, while thread with weak strength or mixed with other fibers would be considered low quality.
Kim’s eyes widened at the unexpected remark.
“No, Seung-hyun... Ah, I’m sorry, sir. How did you know? We just got the yarn quality test results.”
Seung-hyun, now the one flustered, quickly changed the subject.
“Ah, I just had a feeling...”
“You’re right. Lately, these defects have been happening often, and the quality of the yarn we get from Dongil Sangsa has been all over the place...”
Seung-hyun touched another fabric nearby.
Yarn Quality = 98.5%
Weave Condition = Good
Uniformity = 96.7%
Durability = A-Grade
Market Value = 1.5 times the expected price
“This one’s completely different.”
“Yes. Even though it’s from the same Dongil Sangsa batch, the difference is this big. It’s gotten worse lately too.”
Seung-hyun frowned.
Something was wrong.
It was not normal for products from a single supplier to vary this drastically in quality.
“Manager Park, could I look at the delivery records from Dongil Sangsa and the defect-rate trend?”
Park Han-soo brought over the records.
At a glance, it was obvious that the defect rate over the past three months had surged from 12 percent to 35 percent.
“This is serious. At this rate, this year’s sales target is going to...”
He forced down the sigh that was trying to escape and turned to the factory manager.
“Where are the defective fabrics being kept?”
“We’ve stacked them all in Warehouse No. 3. The returns from Taesung Apparel are there too.”
Seung-hyun headed for the storage warehouse.
Fabric was piled up like mountains.
He began touching them one by one.
Lot No. 1
Yarn Quality = 63.2%
Weave Condition = Defective
Sale Value = None
Lot No. 2
Yarn Quality = 97.8%
Weave Condition = Good
Market Value = Twice the current price
Trend Fit = 95% for next season
Lot No. 3
Yarn Quality = 95.5%
Weave Condition = Good
Taesung Apparel Return Reason = Quality defect
Market Competitiveness = 95.7%
Expected Demand = Three times current orders
“That’s strange,” Seung-hyun muttered.
“What is?”
“Not everything here seems to be defective. In fact, some of these are excellent products... and the ones Taesung Apparel returned seem perfectly normal in quality...”
Seeing him speak with such certainty when he seemed to know so much, Park Han-soo grew curious and stepped closer to inspect the fabric.
But who better than him to know Haesol Textile’s fabric? The only reason he had assumed Taesung Apparel had rejected it as defective was that there must have been some reason for it. Still, it was strange to hear Seung-hyun, who had not even graduated from university yet, speak with such confidence.
“You’re right, sir. You mentioned it yourself too. Recently, Taesung Apparel’s quality inspections have been strange. They’ve been declaring goods defective without any clear standards.”
Seung-hyun fell into thought for a moment.
At least two problems were now clear.
One was the instability of the yarn supply.
The other was Taesung Apparel’s suspicious behavior.
“Manager Park.”
“Yes?”
“For now, I think we need to conduct a full inspection of all these fabrics. We should separate the truly defective ones and find another way to sell the good stock.”
“A full inspection? That’s going to take quite a while...”
“I know. But we can’t not do it. If we leave it like this, storage fees alone will keep piling up...”
Seung-hyun let out a slow breath.
On his very first day, problems had already stacked up in front of him.
Still, at least now he could begin to see what needed to be done.
“Manager Park, could I see the list of our clients?”
“Huh? Ah, yes...”
Park Han-soo brought over the client list.
As Seung-hyun flipped through the names of the companies other than Taesung Apparel, Park Ju-yeol watched him carefully.
Originally, he had planned to explain everything one by one when Seung-hyun arrived, starting from the night before.
He had even gone back through the client list himself the night before so he could show it to him today and explain what should be done from here on.
He had thought that, since the boy would surely know nothing, that was how it would have to be. Yet even so, he had been full of worry...
But the sight of Seung-hyun as CEO was enough to wash away every fear he had imagined.
In some ways, it was almost funny that a fabric veteran with thirty years of experience was the one being led around.
“I think I’ll need to visit these small clothing companies myself. Especially these fabrics...”
Seung-hyun touched the fabrics that had been graded as normal once again.
Trend Fit = Rising
Marketability = Suited for the spring season
Expected Buyer = Small and mid-sized fashion malls
“These look perfect for next season. There’s definitely a market for them somewhere.”
“But right now, the capital...”
“Yes, I know. That’s why we need to move even faster. If we can sell these good fabrics at full price, wouldn’t that cover the immediate wages and outstanding debts?”
Park Han-soo’s eyes widened.
In Seung-hyun’s tone, he caught a trace of his father.
That same look, caring about the employees while also seeing something further ahead.
“And I should meet with Dongil Sangsa too. There has to be a reason the yarn quality has been so inconsistent.”
“I’ll organize tomorrow’s schedule.”
“Yes, and keep the Taesung Apparel returns stored separately. I may need them later.”
As Seung-hyun continued to study the client list, his eyes sharpened with a cold glint.