Exchange (2)
By the time noon was approaching, Seung-hyun had come out at Hongik University Station.
After climbing up from the subway and walking for a few minutes, he found himself in the middle of a busy crowd of young people, with the streets unfurling around him in a landscape full of personality.
There were restaurants serving food that looked both unusual and delicious, street fashion shops tucked into every alley, and the occasional offbeat cafe or pub peeking out from between them.
It felt strangely opposite to the refined, luxurious atmosphere of the Roche Bobois showroom he had seen until yesterday.
Following the address she had sent on the map app, he kept going until he reached the agreed meeting place.
Then,
"Mr. Jung, over here!"
At the bright voice that suddenly came from behind him, he turned and saw Cha Hee-ju walking toward him with her hand raised in a wave.
As always, she wore a simple, neat suit.
She approached with lively, almost bouncing steps, then flashed a bright smile and said, "What do you think of this place?"
"Hm? Of what...?"
"This building. What do you think?"
She asked while pointing at it out of nowhere.
Since she had asked, there was no way not to answer, so he looked up again. It seemed to be more than ten stories high.
The building sat in a key commercial district between Hongdae and Hapjeong Station.
It did not seem to be very old, because even its exterior still carried that new-building look.
The first floor was made of floor-to-ceiling glass, and although the interior was empty, it looked fairly spacious.
"It's a good building."
"Really?"
"I have no reason to lie."
At that, she smiled faintly and said, "Have you eaten? It's a little early, but..."
He did not especially want to have another long meal with her and keep talking, but it was only eleven, so saying he had already eaten would be a stretch.
"Not yet, but..."
"Then how about ramen over there? It's decent."
"Sure. Let's do that."
They went into the ramen shop on the second floor right in front of the building, and even though it was only eleven, there were already a few customers inside.
As they were ordering the menu in a casual way, she asked, "I tried on the clothes you sent."
"Yes."
"They were nice."
As she said that, she stared straight into Seung-hyun's eyes with an unreadable look.
Seung-hyun thought she was a little unusual.
It was because her eyes seemed full of curiosity, almost like a child's.
"Really?"
"Honestly, when I met with Jean-Louis, I was really curious about that bedding. Hearing that Davide Sozzi was drawn to limited-edition bedding made me think... well, maybe there was no need to go with your company at all and we could have used another one. That was before I looked at Michelle Lacroix's Instagram."
"..."
"But after I saw that video on Instagram, I was a little shocked. You used those East Asian embroidered patterns so impressively. It felt even more striking because Haesol Textile didn't have that kind of history. So I was already curious when I tried on the clothes you sent, and then... the feeling was completely different. It was like... I don't know, Dr. Jekyll and Hyde? Two sensibilities that can't exist in the same person? One is so traditional, and the other is so modern and clean. How did you make that happen?"
Seung-hyun shrugged.
"I didn't design the Lesser Factory line."
"Ah, so Haesol Textile has separate designers? For both lines?"
"Only for Lesser Factory. I designed the bedding."
"Ah... oh, your food's here, isn't it?"
The conversation paused as the ramen arrived.
Since it was almost lunch anyway, Seung-hyun ate heartily, and to his surprise Cha Hee-ju also wiped out a very large bowl of ramen.
Just as he was marveling at how all of that could fit into such a slender frame, she grinned and said, "Shall we each grab a coffee and get to the point?"
"Let's. I'll buy the coffee."
"No. Since I'm basically the one hosting this meeting, I'll buy it."
"...Well, if you insist."
They bought coffee from a nearby cafe, each carrying a drink in one hand, and then Cha Hee-ju said, "Come on."
"Where to?"
"That building from earlier."
Back at the building where he had first met Cha Hee-ju, Seung-hyun ended up following her inside in a daze as she opened the still-empty glass door on the first floor and went in.
"Would you believe me if I said this building belongs to me?"
She spun around once like a model, then smiled.
For the first time, she looked genuinely cool.
"Wow, really?"
The inside of the building was wider than he had expected, and the ceiling was fairly high as well.
The concrete floor was left exposed, giving it something of a factory feel, and several iron columns stood in the center.
"I bought it last year, but not long after that, the mobile phone shop on the first floor pulled out. Honestly... I should've looked into the place more carefully when I bought it, but who would have expected it to leave so quickly? Anyway, after that the economy got so bad I still haven't found anyone to move in. What do you think? This place?"
"Could it be...?"
"It's hard to give a space this large to a department store. For bedding, I could somehow arrange about one unit, but after trying on the clothes, it feels like a SPA brand. Am I right?"
Seung-hyun nodded.
"That's the direction I'm planning."
"Then you need a big space to display a lot of products. That way sales will be better too. Honestly, how about this place instead of a department store? There are so many more young people passing through here. If you can get this for fifty million won a month, I think it could do very well."
She had a remarkable way of putting things.
As she said, a location like this could not be compared to a department store.
The problem was...
"How much is the rent?"
"Fifty million won."
Seung-hyun let out a dry laugh.
At fifty million won a month, it was a burden Haesol Textile could barely shoulder from its current fabric profits.
Six months would mean three hundred million won.
If things went wrong, he could easily wipe out all the profit gained from the GyeolBit bedding and Versailles fabric with the Lesser Factory rent and inventory alone.
"Ha. So you're basically looking for someone to rent your own building, and yet you make it sound like you're doing me some huge favor? You said it had been sitting vacant for ages, didn't you?"
"Then what, did you think department stores come in for free? Do you know how expensive the fees are at a department store or an outlet? You have to sell a ton just to keep much of anything."
"Anyone listening would think I was desperate to get into either a department store or here."
As he scowled, Cha Hee-ju only smiled sweetly and soothed him, saying, "That's not what I meant. I was just speaking in general. Or were you worried I'd forget that I'm the one asking a favor from you?"
"...?"
"I'll give you six months rent-free."
Seung-hyun flinched for a moment, then shook his head again with a bitter look.
"You're talking about a two-year contract, aren't you? Then that's a little..."
"If you want, you can leave after six months."
Seung-hyun's head snapped around.
"Seriously?"
"I'm telling you, yes. I'm the one asking you for a favor, and if I made you sign a two-year contract and insisted you stay the whole two years, wouldn't that be kind of ridiculous?"
"Ahem... so I can use it free for six months, and if it feels like I can't keep it going, I can leave?"
"Yes. But you'll need to sign a contract. If we want to keep the building's value from dropping, a contract for fifty million won a month is essential."
"Well, that's fine..."
With that, a deep smile curved over Seung-hyun's lips.
"What do you think? If you say yes, we'll have to do some interior work."
"It looks like it would need quite a bit of work. Still, the size and location are really good."
Seung-hyun smiled with satisfaction and looked around the building once more.
With the addition of a modern, stylish interior, it felt like they could capture both the street sensibility and Lesser Factory's philosophy at the same time.
"Hongdae is a place where young people gather. Lesser Factory clothes are easy to move in and the prices are reasonable, so I thought they'd fit well here."
Cha Hee-ju said this while gesturing with her hands, roughly sketching the size of the store in the air.
She suggested using one wall as a display zone, and said they could also create fitting rooms and a customer lounge on one side.
Seung-hyun, who had become completely taken with the place, continued staring at the interior for a long while.
On purpose, he put on a slightly nonchalant face and calculated the numbers in his head for a moment.
Six months was half a year.
During that time, interior construction costs, staff wages, and inventory securing would eat up a significant amount of money.
If things went badly, that money would vanish without a trace, but on the other hand, the fact that rent would not be charged for six months was extremely appealing.
"I did think we needed an offline store, but I never imagined one would come up this suddenly."
"When opportunity comes, you have to grab it. I think 'Lesser Factory' is a very interesting brand."
Cha Hee-ju smiled faintly and took a document out of her bag.
It looked less like a contract than a proposal.
Six months rent-free, fifty million won a month starting from the seventh month, no penalty, just vacate the premises, and so on.
"The building is owned under my corporation's name, so I have the authority. Maybe this is less a company proposal and more my personal offer. If you feel pressured, you can turn it down right away. Still, I'm sure it'll be a win-win for both of us. Mr. Jung will be able to properly introduce Lesser Factory within six months, and I'll be able to leave a very deep impression on Davide Sozzi, the CEO of Promemoria."
Seung-hyun scanned the document and then looked toward the entrance, where the cold wind was drifting in.
A young man and woman walked past laughing, then glanced curiously into the building.
At that moment, the thought flashed through his head: if he opened a store here, would it actually draw people's attention?
It seemed as though the free-spirited street culture and fashion sense of Hongdae would solve the problem of brand exposure that had been difficult to handle through online sales alone, while also fitting Lesser Factory's identity perfectly.
"It's good. I just have one concern..."
"The interior cost, right? I know some places and can introduce you. I can also get the construction estimate a little cheaper. Of course, that's only a suggestion, so it'll depend on what you want, Mr. Jung."
As Cha Hee-ju pressed in quickly with sparkling eyes, Seung-hyun let out a small sigh.
"If you're willing to go that far, I don't really have a reason to refuse. It would basically mean giving me a chance to run the store almost for free..."
"Then...?"
She held her breath and waited for his answer.
After a long wait, Seung-hyun nodded.
"Six months... let's try it. If it doesn't work, I can just leave then, so the burden doesn't feel too heavy."
Relief shone clearly in Cha Hee-ju's eyes.
"You made a good decision. I was worried because you seemed to be worrying more than I expected, but thank you!"
"Haha, I should be the one thanking you. Rent-free in a location like this? Honestly, it's the first time I've heard of it, and I still can't quite believe it."
She shrugged as if it were nothing, but inside she was blooming with happiness.
"So, when should we draw up the contract?"
"Let's do it tomorrow."
"Good. Then I think I've done what I needed to do here... and now it's your turn, Mr. Jung?"
Watching her look so excited, it was obvious they had each gotten what they wanted.
"Let's go."
"Great! Oh, if you came on foot..."
"Yes. Let's go to your car, Hee-ju. Hongdae is hard to park in, so I took the subway."
"Good call. For the record, the building comes with one free parking space!"
She led Seung-hyun down to the underground parking garage, cheerful and buoyant.
The subway ride had been brief, but by car it took more than thirty minutes to get from Hongdae to Chungmuro.
Since it was after lunch, there were not many people at the factory.
"Oh, is this it?"
"Yes. This way..."
Seung-hyun led Hee-ju inside the factory and took her to the company sample room.
Her eyes sparkled when she saw the various patterned fabrics laid out there.
Just as she was about to start looking around at everything, Seung-hyun spread out a bedding set as white as snow across a neatly arranged table.
"This is it."
"Woooow."
Feeling the softness of the bedding fabric, she became deeply absorbed in the black, classical embroidery pattern.
It was the same bedding she had seen on Michelle Lacroix's Instagram.
"This is currently one of our export items, and there are two areas where we can make changes. If we're going to make a special limited edition for Davide Sozzi, though... we'll need time."
"As long as I give you time? How much time?"
"I don't know. I have to find the inspiration first. If you give me a lot of information about him, it might go faster."
"I'll help. If you want, I'll even find his first love."
The fire in her eyes burned hotter and hotter, full of determination.