Advance (3)
He came to the Haesol Textile booth and, at first, said nothing at all. He simply stood there, taking in the display for a long while.
Then he began handling the various samples, turning them over as if something had caught his attention. Seung-hyun kept his distance, sorting pamphlets and pretending not to notice until the man spoke first.
Hanil Global.
The company that had divided the South Korean fashion industry for decades, locked in a fate-like rivalry with Taesung Apparel, was not exactly close to Haesol Textile. Since Haesol had originally been tied deeply to Taesung from the day it was founded, even if they had wanted to do business with Hanil Global, they had always had to mind Taesung’s mood.
So he was curious.
What did they want, and how did they work?
The man finally spoke only after more than thirty minutes had passed since he arrived at the booth.
Only after he had nearly finished examining all the samples Haesol had prepared did he lift his head.
“President Jung Seung-hyun?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself properly. Here’s my business card.”
Seung-hyun checked the card he was handed and was slightly surprised.
[Kim I-su, Managing Director]
[Hanil Global Sports & Leisure HQ]
Unexpectedly, he was an executive at Hanil Global.
“So you’re a managing director.”
The man gave a faint smile and said, “I looked through the samples. Most of them seem to be for furniture and interior use. Wasn’t your main business originally apparel fabric?”
“That’s right. It was. But now we’re trying to move into a broader range of fields. It’s hard for the textile industry to survive by staying still.”
“Haha, fair enough. I know how hard it is for small and medium-sized companies. Hmm... one thing I’m curious about... You used to supply a lot of fabric to Taesung Apparel, didn’t you? Is there a reason you haven’t been doing business with them recently?”
No matter how much he disliked Taesung Apparel, Seung-hyun wasn’t stupid enough to spill everything to a stranger.
“We decided internally not to renew the contract. The details are complicated, but there were parts that didn’t fit between the two sides.”
Managing Director Kim nodded, then held out the pamphlet he had circled.
“Then this fabric you’re showing now, if Hanil Global were to place a large order, would Taesung try to make trouble over it? For example, over licensing or technical royalties...”
Seung-hyun looked at the pamphlet and was slightly startled, but he casually brushed the dust from his sleeve and answered firmly.
“That won’t be an issue. Our deal with Taesung Apparel was never an exclusive supply contract, and we’re already done with them, so there’s no room for either side to claim rights. We developed this fabric technology ourselves, so we’re free to supply it wherever we like.”
“Hmm... I see.”
As he flipped through the pamphlet, Managing Director Kim asked another question.
“Which facility do you produce this blended fabric on, exactly? In terms of breathability and elasticity, it seems like a much trickier process than standard production.”
“That’s correct. That’s why we only handled it on a small line at first. We’ve gradually modified the equipment and stabilized it for our premium line, so if an order comes in, I believe we can handle it without issue.”
“Good. And if another large company, like Taesung Apparel, approached you, that wouldn’t be a problem either, right?”
Seung-hyun let out a wry smile.
“As you said, anyone can approach us, but if it’s Hanil Global, we’d be willing to consider a more active collaboration. That said, as you know, Haesol Textile is still a small company. We can’t absorb unreasonable conditions.”
“Of course. I understand.”
Managing Director Kim smiled meaningfully. “I’ll report this to headquarters. Our president will be waiting for your call, too.”
“Of course.”
Taking the card, Seung-hyun felt a strange premonition. Now that he was free of conflict with Taesung, it felt as if a new path might be opening.
After Managing Director Kim withdrew from the booth with a parting greeting, So-hee came over and whispered with a curious expression.
“Oppa, what was that conversation about? You look pleased.”
Seung-hyun smiled faintly and picked up his cup.
“Who knows? We’ll see how it goes.”
Until a contract was stamped and signed, anything could happen.
Seung-hyun quickly put the meeting out of his mind.
There was too much in front of him to get excited over wishful thinking.
*
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
“So the exhibition is finally over.”
As they finished tidying the Haesol Textile booth and stepped out, Lee A-young let out a light sigh.
In her hands was a card case packed full of business cards.
It was a valuable result from walking the floor of the venue.
Beside her, Seung-hyun carried a large document envelope and looked around the corner of the booth.
A portable laptop, pamphlets, sample fabrics, and a mountain of other things still had to be packed away, but after holding out for so long, the two of them had finally sorted everything into order.
From behind the worktable, So-hee waved.
“Oppa, it’s fine over here. I’ve already finished sorting everything.”
Dressed neatly in a black suit, So-hee had spent the entire exhibition actively receiving buyers, and by now she looked like a seasoned promotions assistant.
“Good work. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the two of you, I’d have been completely swamped on my own.”
Seung-hyun looked back and forth between them and smiled with genuine thanks.
The exhibition had gotten off to a messy start, but if he looked only at the results, it had gone quite well.
Dozens of buyers had visited the booth over the three days, and more than five companies had already agreed to continue discussions.
It was an encouraging result, but Seung-hyun focused first on Daeryung Trading.
The factory manager had said that the high-density silk blend dyeing technology had improved significantly, and that the dark gray tones Daeryung wanted were now fully achievable.
But the first company to contact them after the exhibition ended was, surprisingly, not Daeryung Trading.
“No way, you came here personally?”
The man who casually showed up at the company around lunchtime on Monday was none other than Kim I-su, Managing Director of Hanil Global.
“President Jung, I came without calling ahead. Is that all right?”
Even as he spoke, his sharp eyes were already sweeping over the factory.
“Yes, of course. Shall we go inside?”
When Seung-hyun led him to the president’s office, Factory Manager Park Han-soo, who had already noticed that he was someone important, quickly brought tea before leaving the room.
As he sat down on the reception sofa, Managing Director Kim pulled a sheet of paper from his inner pocket and set it down, getting straight to the point.
“President, to be honest, we’ve been interested for some time in the cotton composite fabric your company makes.”
He already knew.
The fabric he had pointed out on the pamphlet at the exhibition was the cool cotton composite fabric.
Haesol Textile’s own technology, a material they had supplied to Taesung Apparel for years, was used mostly for outdoor wear.
“Oh, really?”
Seung-hyun brushed past the mention of Taesung Apparel without lingering on it.
The fabric contained Haesol’s proprietary technology, but it wasn’t as if nothing like it existed anywhere else in the world.
There were quite a few places producing similar materials, even if none were exactly the same.
Managing Director Kim unfolded the document he had brought.
Hanil Global Summer Golf Wear New Product Plan
Seung-hyun’s eyes lit up.
“Unlike our competitors, who center on polyester, we’re trying to launch a premium cotton-based line. Customers always ask, ‘Cotton is comfortable and soft, but won’t it be too hot in the summer?’ So we wanted something that could satisfy both eco-friendliness and comfort.”
“So that’s why you’ve been paying attention to our blended fabric.”
“Exactly. To be honest, we’ve had our eye on it for a while. Especially now, Hanil Global needs a new card to play in the premium golf segment, and I judged your cotton blend material to be the best fit.”
“Thank you. But at this stage, our product is still only at the level of being more breathable than ordinary cotton and having slightly better stretch. It isn’t fully cooled, or specialized for other functions.”
At Seung-hyun’s words, a quiet smile spread across Managing Director Kim’s lips.
“That’s exactly what this is for.”
He took another file from his bag.
Aero Coolbreeze - Weaving Process Manual for Air-Layer Formation
Seung-hyun looked at it with mild puzzlement. It even bore the words “collaborative research material, confidential.”
“...Did you develop this yourselves?”
“More precisely, it’s a weaving and finishing technology currently being researched jointly with a Japanese subsidiary under Hanil Global. Through a special double-weave method, we form a microscopic air layer between the fabrics, allowing sweat and heat to escape quickly in summer while blocking the hot air outside, lowering the perceived temperature. We named it ‘Aero Coolbreeze,’ though it’s still in the experimental stage. But I thought it might create synergy with your cotton blend.”
As Seung-hyun leafed through the file, he couldn’t hide his surprise.
He saw more than a few places that reminded him of the structure his father had once researched in Dual-Tex.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly the same as his father’s notes, but the basic idea of an air layer within the fabric was strikingly similar.
“If this air layer is formed properly, then you can preserve the soft feel of cotton while also improving ventilation and quick drying.”
“Yes, exactly. If Haesol Textile is willing to collaborate with us, we’d like to combine this Aero Coolbreeze technology with your cotton blend and create a new golf-wear fabric. We’d like to call it the Aero Coolbreeze Cotton Line.”
Seung-hyun swallowed hard.
This... overlaps with Father’s Dual-Tex in more ways than one...
His heart began to pound faster.
This was not just a small company acting as OEM for a large corporation.
If Hanil Global was offering technology and asking them to develop it together, then if Haesol Textile took the lead, this could become an opportunity to rise from a mere manufacturer to a development partner.
Managing Director Kim put the confidential manual back into his bag and said, “Of course, to mass-produce this, your facilities would need some modification. For example, you’d need settings for air-layer formation during weaving, and the temperature and humidity controls during finishing would need to be handled differently...”
“That’s something we can discuss anytime.”
Seung-hyun answered with confidence on the spot, though inwardly he was already cheering.
If he could learn a similar yet different method of forming air layers, there was a strong chance he could find a clue that would help perfect the Dual-Tex his father had never managed to complete.
“President Jung, our company doesn’t do business that loses money, either. It’s collaboration, yes, but since we’d be opening up a significant amount of our technology, we may want exclusive rights to the fabric. What do you think?”
Managing Director Kim’s tone turned slightly harder.
Seung-hyun responded calmly for now.
“If by exclusive rights you mean something like the term or production volume, then we’d need to negotiate the details. Being dragged along unconditionally would be difficult. We’re a company too, and we need to make our own equipment investments.”
“Of course. That’s something the contract should define. I’ll report back to headquarters tomorrow, and I’ll contact you again sometime next week.”
“All right. That sounds good.”
After seeing Managing Director Kim out, Seung-hyun returned to the president’s office and found Factory Manager Park Han-soo entering with his face full of expectation.
“President, what on earth did Hanil Global come here for?”
“Well...”
After slowly explaining his conversation with Kim I-su, Seung-hyun watched the factory manager leave the office brimming with anticipation, then wrote one thing in his notebook.
Aero Coolbreeze + Dual-Tex = ???
For some reason...
He had the feeling that if he could confirm the Aero Coolbreeze technology, something would come to him.
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