Someone Else’s Bowl of Rice Cake (3)
After the weekend passed, Monday morning came around.
A rather battered domestic SUV pulled up in front of the Louis Vuitton store standing elegantly on the luxury street in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam.
When he climbed out awkwardly in front of the store, a man in a suit took the keys without a word and valet-parked the car.
Seung-hyun looked a little stiff, but Director Hwang Seok-jae seemed used to this sort of thing and naturally led the young president toward the entrance.
“This way, sir.”
“Yes.”
As soon as they opened the glass door and stepped inside, a distinctive, faint luxury perfume drifted to the tip of his nose.
High heels and dress shoes crossed the crisp marble floor, and Louis Vuitton’s signature monogram logo caught his eye here and there.
Amid the staff’s fluid, practiced movements, Jung Seung-hyun took a moment to look around.
Then he met a familiar face, and the man approached with a bright smile.
“Welcome, President Jung Seung-hyun. And Director Hwang Seok-jae, I presume?”
Gabriel Moreau came forward warmly and extended his hand first.
Beside him stood several LVMH Group representatives in black suits.
Since they had already visited Haesol Textile’s factory for an on-site inspection once before, there was more friendliness than awkwardness between them.
“Pleased to meet you. Thank you for inviting us today.”
“Not at all. Please, have a seat. Choose whatever you’d like to drink, tea or otherwise.”
Since they were invited guests, they were seated in the VIP lounge, unlike the rest of the store, with one wall of floor-to-ceiling glass.
Under refined, cozy lighting, antique furniture had been arranged with tasteful precision.
Gabriel Moreau leaned forward slightly and looked from Seung-hyun to Hwang Seok-jae.
“First, I’d like to inform you both that LVMH’s decision-making division at headquarters has given official approval to actively review an investment in Haesol Textile.”
“Official approval, you say...?”
Gabriel nodded and continued.
“Yes. Of course, negotiations are still needed before we sign a concrete contract, but both the review committee and the key divisions at headquarters have judged that Haesol Textile aligns very well with our future strategy. This was based not only on your material technology, but also on the philosophy and direction behind the company itself.”
At that, Hwang Seok-jae asked carefully, “I’m curious about this ‘future strategy’ you mentioned. Why Haesol Textile in particular? I’d like to hear the reason clearly.”
Gabriel smiled lightly and gestured toward the man seated beside him.
The East Asian man there took over gently in slightly awkward Korean.
“We are leading the global luxury market, and over the past few years we have been attempting to expand into art and lifestyle. Beyond simple fashion or leather goods, we are also steadily developing the high-end furniture and interior design sectors. The art fabric Haesol Textile has shown is very much in line with the direction we are pursuing.”
Seung-hyun’s expression gradually brightened.
As he nodded firmly, Gabriel spoke again.
“There is also Haesol Textile’s distinctive brand identity. As we saw during the factory inspection, the process of incorporating painting, illustration, and Eastern aesthetics into the fabric was highly innovative. I was deeply impressed by the attempt to combine artistic value that had not existed before with textile manufacturing.”
At that moment, Hwang Seok-jae asked pointedly, “I heard you also examined the Aero Coolbreeze fabric, but are you not particularly interested in that side?”
One of the LVMH representatives shook his head with a faint smile.
“There’s no doubt that Aero Coolbreeze is an excellent functional material. However, as I understand it, it is already closely tied to Hanil Global’s brand products. We place much more weight on the ‘creativity and potential for generating cultural value’ that Haesol Textile possesses, rather than on the material itself.”
Seung-hyun felt almost moved by that answer.
They were seeing exactly the direction he wanted as a company that could realize artistic value.
“Then what specific role do you expect Haesol Textile to play through this investment?”
Hwang Seok-jae brought the conversation back to the main point once more.
As if he had been waiting for the question, Gabriel unfolded a document.
Inside were a rough outline of the investment amount, equity structure, and scope of cooperation.
“To put it simply: through joint projects with global luxury brands, we will open the path for Haesol Textile’s art fabric to collaborate in the future with various luxury lines, such as Dior Home and Louis Vuitton Home Collection.
“We will also support expansion of your production infrastructure, helping you acquire quality machinery and high-grade finishing equipment for mass production.
“And through sharing our design and marketing network, we will help create a path for Haesol Textile to participate as an official partner in luxury fairs and art events held in major cities around the world, including throughout Europe. It’s a stage that small and medium-sized Korean companies would normally struggle to enter at once, but with LVMH, the story changes.”
Seung-hyun and Hwang Seok-jae exchanged glances.
It was clearly an attractive proposal.
But the director remained cautious.
“It is a very interesting offer. However, from Haesol Textile’s perspective, we are also concerned that this could excessively restrict our proprietary technology or future management. For example, there must not be any clause suggesting that LVMH could freely alter or use the core process of the art fabric or our own brand at any time.”
Gabriel nodded.
“Of course. We have no intention of taking your technology away in its entirety. Trust and cooperation are the only way we can grow together over the long term. That said, the draft will include certain items, such as a degree of design licensing or a right of first negotiation when developing new materials. How much of that we can agree on will be something we have to adjust going forward.”
Seung-hyun let out a long breath, then smiled cautiously and said, “There is one thing we’re curious about. Beyond art fabric, we do plan to expand our technology further in the future... Would LVMH have any intention of being deeply involved in that as well?”
Gabriel and the others exchanged interested looks.
“Hmm... if we determine it could be even more innovative than Aero Coolbreeze, then of course we’d be interested. But only after consulting with Haesol Textile, and only in a form such as joint development or creating a cooperative product line.”
Gabriel let the end of the sentence trail off before emphasizing one last point.
“In the end, what LVMH wants from Haesol Textile is joint growth based on originality. Whether you want rapid growth or selective expansion grounded in craftsmanship, we will invest and support you accordingly. In exchange, the important thing is that both sides must win in the long run. Since our group holds such a strong position in the global luxury market, Haesol Textile will have the opportunity to become a powerful partner on that stage.”
When the lengthy explanation ended, a heavy silence settled over the table.
Seung-hyun felt his chest swell at the opportunity in front of him, and alongside the excitement came an even sharper sense of tension.
Director Hwang leaned close enough to whisper in his ear.
“President, I think you should review it very carefully before making any decision.”
Seung-hyun nodded and smiled at Gabriel.
“Thank you for the detailed explanation. We’ll also examine everything thoroughly on our side. Even so, the parts you mentioned, like global expansion of the art fabric, sound very attractive, to be honest.”
Gabriel gave another small smile, his eyes courteous.
“Any time is fine. Review the proposal, and if you have revisions, we can discuss them again with headquarters.”
Before long, even as they tucked the draft investment documents from Gabriel’s group into an envelope and left the VIP lounge, Jung Seung-hyun and Hwang Seok-jae both felt as if they were dreaming.
*
Back at the company, as Seung-hyun was still struggling to calm the excitement in his chest, Director Hwang Seok-jae said quietly, “I’ll review the contract and report back to you. But first, I’d like to say this: in an investment like this, what matters is not the conversation, but the documents.”
“You mean things can be different on paper than they seem in person?”
“Not merely that. There is always the possibility that something hidden lies behind a sweet proposal. Whether intentionally or not.”
“I understand. Please take a close look.”
“Yes.”
If Director Hwang hadn’t come in, there would have been no one he could trust with this, and once again Seung-hyun felt that the accident back then had been a tremendous blessing.
But before long, he put the LVMH investment out of his mind.
Then he immediately activated the weaving program he had spent days living at the factory to assemble.
“Factory Manager, could you produce it according to this?”
Factory Manager Park Han-soo had already heard from Seung-hyun the day before that he was attempting to make Dual-Tex, the fabric his father had tried to create but ultimately never completed, and he had already confirmed most of the actual process stages.
“Yes, we were already preparing for it.”
Since they had been getting ready to produce a sample as soon as he returned from today’s meeting, Seung-hyun headed straight for the set-up machine with him.
Precise mechanical sounds, and yarns intertwining like magic.
No matter how many times he saw it, the sight of fabric being made was always fascinating.
“What do you think?”
Watching the fabric being woven, Seung-hyun asked the factory manager casually.
“Shouldn’t it come out well? The theory was perfect, and the process itself doesn’t seem particularly unstable... From what I can see, nothing appears to be lacking. Of course, as always, you never really know until the fabric comes out, so I can’t say for certain.”
“Right.”
How long had they stayed there, never leaving their spots and staring only at the machine and the fabric?
“It’s out.”
Factory Manager Park Han-soo and several workers carefully lifted out the fabric.
Seung-hyun took it with a tense, uneasy feeling.
The first piece he had designed himself from scratch, based on the Dual-Tex concept his father had left behind, aligning the process chart down to the smallest detail.
With a pounding heart, he examined the surface.
But—
“Ah...”
Unlike his expectations, the outer layer of the fabric felt somehow dull and rough.
The inner layer had also failed to bond as stably as intended.
Before even sewing, the air layers between the woven threads had formed unevenly, leaving the middle sections feeling lumpy.
Though invisible to the eye, the sensation under his delicate fingertips told him it was not the quality he had hoped for.
Quality Suitability = 83.5%
Uniformity = 75.1%
Market Value = 80.3%
Quality suitability and market value were higher than expected, but just by looking at the uniformity, it was clear this fabric had failed.
Noticing Seung-hyun’s disappointed expression, the factory manager glanced at him cautiously and said, “It’s a little... lacking, isn’t it?”
“It is. The color also feels like it’s died more than I expected.”
Factory Manager Park Han-soo and the workers all wore troubled expressions.
Seung-hyun did his best to hide his disappointment as he kneaded the fabric with his fingertips.
“Honestly, this isn’t at a level I could put on the market. I guess I rushed too much.”
“President, why not test it once more? It’d be a shame to throw it out right away.”
“Hmm... all right. Let’s discard just these samples for now, reset the process, and try again tomorrow.”
It was disappointing, but he forced himself to swallow it down, telling himself that these kinds of setbacks were only natural when making a new fabric.
Seung-hyun was about to glance idly at the machine and turn back when Mrs. Yoon Jeong-mi from the sewing section came over quietly.
“President, hold on a second.”
“Yes?”
“Are you throwing all of this away?”
“Yes. You saw it yourself, didn’t you? To be honest, in this condition, the quality is... far too lacking to put on the market.”
“It’d be such a waste to throw it away. Why not make work uniforms for the factory staff?”
“Work uniforms?”
Seung-hyun paused at the unexpected suggestion.
Mrs. Yoon Jeong-mi fiddled with the fabric, her eyes bright.
“I heard the factory manager explain the composition today. Even if the outer color doesn’t come through as strongly, it’s pretty resistant to scratches, right? And the inner layer does absorb sweat to some extent. In that case, it should be fine for active wear or work uniforms... And you may not know this, but if employees are standing in front of machines and working every day, they have to wash their clothes constantly because of sweat, and clothes wear out fast.”
Seung-hyun understood that if clothes wore out quickly, it meant they had to be bought often, which in turn meant a heavier financial burden.
“Ah, then would you like to make a set and try it? Since the fabric was going to be discarded anyway, that should be fine... But you’re good at sewing. Who would handle the design...?”
“My daughter. She’s not only good with numbers, you know. Her hands are incredibly deft. Hohoho~”
At the sudden praise for her daughter, Seung-hyun gave an awkward laugh.
“Ah, yes. Please do that. If you don’t have enough fabric, you can pull a few more yards.”
After showing that generosity, Seung-hyun headed into his office to check where the problem had occurred in the program.
And Yoon Jeong-mi, carrying the freshly produced sample fabric, wandered around with a beaming smile, announcing that she would soon make clothes for the staff.
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