The Path Opens (2)
Haesol Textile’s sales representative did not dare answer Seung-hyun’s provocation. Instead, he muttered that he could not accept this kind of business and fled the conference room as if he were running for his life.
Choi Jin-a was not naive enough to miss what that meant.
They had come in with a sample they could not honestly defend, and when the truth came out, their company would take a serious blow. That much was obvious. He had been too afraid to take the bait because if the fabric were tested at the factory and the results exposed the flaw, Haesol Textile would be hit where it hurt.
“Amazing. I really had no idea.”
Once they were left alone, Director Choi looked at Seung-hyun with fresh eyes.
“It’s nothing. People like us in the fabric business can tell at a touch.”
That was not his usual personality, but Seung-hyun had heard his father say it over and over: when you meet a client, you have to look confident. So he deliberately projected a little more confidence than felt natural.
It had clearly worked.
That slightly excessive confidence had mixed with the machinery demonstration from a moment ago and produced a strong effect.
“Can you really feel that?”
“Of course.”
“How old are you, by the way? I’m just curious. At a glance, you look mid-twenties? Something like that.”
Director Choi’s eyes were unmistakably different from when they had first met.
She had thought she knew a thing or two about fabric, but when she touched the sample she had not been able to tell any difference at all. Yet this young president had brushed it once and immediately spoken about the silk content, so she could not help asking his age.
“I was actually in my final year of college, but my father passed away unexpectedly, and I ended up taking over the factory. Still, since I was little, my playground was my father’s factory.”
“Ah... then...”
“Yes. Fabric was my toy when I was a kid. So I can tell what a machine is set to produce just by looking at the setup, and whether the color coming off the line is defective or not.”
That was, of course, a complete lie.
He had played around at the factory a lot as a child, but he had not cared about fabric. He mostly spent his time with Happy, the dog the factory kept.
“Oh my, that’s incredible!”
“Anyway, our company may not know everything, but at the very least we’ve come this far with absolute confidence in our quality. My father’s honor is at stake, so our motto is that we never, ever play games with fabric.”
“Yes... but...”
Director Choi hesitated for a moment, then continued.
“The reason we were positively considering Haesol Textile was, above all, the price. We weren’t planning to do only 2,000 yards.”
Seung-hyun forced his face to remain composed so his excitement would not show, then nodded.
“I see.”
“Thirty thousand won is honestly a bit burdensome, and if we try to raise our brand, Aureum, into the ultra-luxury range, there are a lot of practical difficulties. So we really have no choice but to go with good quality at a reasonable price.”
“In that case... how about 280,000 won per yard? If you pay half the total up front as a deposit, we can stabilize our production line and deliver faster.”
In truth, he could simply have handed over what was already in storage, but if he did that, Daeryung Sangsa might feel cheated. So he said they would run the line and make it properly.
“280,000 won... can’t you do any better than that?”
Director Choi asked lightly, but Seung-hyun shook his head and drew a polite line.
“If we go any lower, we can’t maintain quality. And if you’re planning to keep working with us over the long term, I think that level of investment is actually reasonable.”
“I’ll do 250,000 won and pay 25 percent of the total as the deposit. We’ll contract for 4,000 yards.”
Seung-hyun swallowed hard.
At 250,000 won for 4,000 yards, the deal came to 1 billion won.
But thinking about how he had come this far because he did not want to hand it over at 240,000 won, he felt 250,000 won was still too cheap.
“Let’s do 270,000 won and 35 percent of the total as the deposit.”
“Paying 35 percent all at once is too much. ...Fine. 260,000 won. We’ll do 260,000 won with 35 percent as a deposit and pay it in one lump sum.”
260,000 won was a little disappointing, but just securing a 4,000-yard contract was more than enough to satisfy him.
“Yes, that works. Let’s do that.”
“...But can you move quickly on the quantity? We need this fabric for an exhibition that’s coming up soon.”
“If you give us the schedule, we’ll do our best to meet it.”
“Haa, fine. You’re not making this easy.”
There were already 2,000 yards sitting in the warehouse, so he could take his time and produce the rest at a relaxed pace.
Seung-hyun nearly cheered inside, but he kept his voice as calm as possible and took out the contract.
“Then I brought a simple contract form. Sign here, and if there’s anything you need changed, we can revise it.”
“Yes, President. I’ll transfer the payment tomorrow.”
As Director Choi signed, she smiled again.
“Thank you. Ah, would it be all right if I came to the exhibition too?”
“Hmm... instead of that, why don’t you participate in the exhibition yourself? I was talking with the Small and Medium Business Promotion Association, and just before the exhibition a few companies suddenly canceled. They asked if I knew any other companies that might be interested.”
“Oh, really?”
“I asked about it just recently, so it should still be possible. I’ll say a word for you, so go ahead and ask directly and see if you can join. It should be a good opportunity.”
“Thank you.”
“To be honest, I was suspicious until yesterday. A young president, after all. But seeing you today, your knowledge of fabric is incredible. I trust you now. Please take good care of us.”
“Thank you. I hope we build a good partnership.”
After they signed side by side on the contract, they shook hands.
That was how Haesol Textile and Daeryung Sangsa sealed their first contract.
*
The next morning, Seung-hyun arrived at the company and quickly held a meeting with Factory Manager Park Han-soo and the accounting manager, who had been waiting in front of the president’s office.
“How did it go?”
Seung-hyun, who had deliberately entered the company expressionless the day before without telling anyone, smiled faintly at Park Han-soo’s face, which held no particular expectation.
“We signed a contract.”
“What? You signed one?”
Park Han-soo could not believe it.
How easy was it to land a contract with another company?
He had thought the fabric rejected as defective by Taesung Apparel might be turning into a deal after a few phone calls, then gone out grumbling because a competitor had beaten them to it, only to come back with a contract in hand...
Seung-hyun held out the contract.
The accounting manager, who had been the most desperate of all, snatched it and pulled it close to his eyes, then gasped in shock.
“Th-this is... 4,000 yards... and 260,000 won?”
“That’s right. They’ll pay 35 percent of the total as a deposit tomorrow. Three hundred sixty million won will hit the corporate account tomorrow. With that, we can clear the overdue wages first and settle some of the outstanding debt as well. And since we cleared all the high-density silk from inventory, the warehouse should have some breathing room.”
At those words, the accounting manager’s expression loosened as though a lump of resentment had finally melted away after ten years.
“Haaah... good. With this, we should be able to cover this month’s payroll and some of the debt right away.”
“How on earth did you...?”
“We got lucky. When I looked at the sample the faster competitor had brought, the difference from ours was huge. It wasn’t just clearing inventory, either. We landed extra business on top of that, so we took a bit of a price hit.”
Park Han-soo could not believe it.
Not long ago, he had thought the company might not be able to get back on its feet.
That was why he had not tried to stop the employees who were leaving.
After the former president passed away, even staying to protect the company had felt temporary, as if it would collapse before long anyway. That had made it easier to remain calm.
Because he had spent so many years with him, he had thought that if they just held out a little longer, the company might eventually buckle on its own.
But now, instead of struggling the way they had when the former president was alive, Seung-hyun was tackling the work one piece at a time and had somehow even covered this month’s wages and part of the debt.
And that was not the end of it. He had also brought in a contract worth another 680 million won going forward.
That alone was impressive, and yet he was saying he had taken a loss because he sold it a little cheap...
“We should let the employees know the good news, right?”
“Of course. They’ve been terribly anxious, so this is great.”
Soon the factory manager gathered the employees.
Seung-hyun raised his voice to the workers who had gathered, wondering what was going on.
“We’ve just signed a new contract with a client. We’ve agreed to sell all of the high-density silk fabric that had been sitting in inventory, and the deposit has already been transferred. Therefore, as promised, this Friday’s wages will be paid on schedule.”
Relieved sighs rose from all around.
But Seung-hyun did not stop there.
“What matters even more, though, is something else.”
The workers’ attention gathered again.
“Until now, we’ve only made fabric for clothing, but from here on, we’re going to open up new markets. If we keep remaining nothing more than Taesung Apparel’s subcontractor, I think the factory’s future will remain uncertain. So from now on, Haesol Textile will do whatever it takes to survive in a difficult market.
“We’ll do whatever is necessary to survive, and for those of you with outstanding ability, we’ll also pay performance bonuses to match. Some of you may be leaving soon, but I promise those who stay will surely be rewarded.”
Seung-hyun bowed his head slightly, then lifted it again and met the eyes of Team Leader Jo Han-gyeol, who looked startled.
But Seung-hyun merely turned away coldly and went back into the president’s office.
*
After lunch, 350 million won in deposit money was transferred into the corporate account.
Even though the contract was signed, Seung-hyun had still been tense, and only then did he feel his stiff body finally give way.
But then.
“President!”
The accounting manager rushed in hurriedly.
“Taesung Apparel’s Manager Lee Sang-moo is here.”
“What did you say?”
When Seung-hyun stepped out of the office, Lee Sang-moo was standing there.
His expression was even colder than when Seung-hyun had seen him at Dongil Sangsa a few days earlier.
“President Jung, do you have a moment?”
Once they moved to the conference room, Lee Sang-moo handed over a single sheet of paper.
“This is the schedule for next season’s quantity. We’d appreciate it if you’d handle quality control properly this time.”
Seung-hyun looked over the document.
The volume was similar to usual, but the deadline was extremely tight.
“If defects come up again this time...”
Lee Sang-moo trailed off, then continued.
“You know how picky Taesung Apparel is about quality. If there’s a problem again, extending the contract will be difficult.”
Seung-hyun could read between the lines.
It was a threat: Listen to us, or we’ll cut the orders.
Seung-hyun slowly set the paper down.
If it had been before, he would have caved immediately to that pressure, but now things were different.
The contract with Daeryung Sangsa had opened a new path, and he had a decent grasp of what Taesung Apparel was really after.
And more than anything, Seung-hyun had unwavering confidence in his own ability.
The interior market was only the beginning, and with good fabric in his hands, he believed he could do anything. That conviction had changed him.
“Manager Lee Sang-moo.”
“Yes?”
“We’re also planning to manage quality control much more strictly from now on. So, frankly, the existing unit price is going to be hard for us. If we’re strengthening quality control, our costs are bound to rise.”
Lee Sang-moo’s eyes widened.
Haesol Textile had never taken this kind of line before.
“You want to raise the unit price all of a sudden... what exactly are you saying?”
“Otherwise, if we’re to keep the existing unit price, I’d like the inspection standards to be clearly documented. If defective judgment is made on vague standards like last time, it puts us in a difficult position too.”
Lee Sang-moo’s face hardened.