Rapid Growth, Part 2
The next day, in the offices of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
Lieutenant Colonel Mok Jae-gyun went to see Colonel Park Sang-cheol, the Procurement Planning Division chief, carrying a black sweatshirt his daughter had given him as her first gift from a part-time job.
“At your service, Colonel. Would you mind taking a look at this?”
Park looked up at the sudden sight of the garment thrust in front of him.
“What is this? Clothes, out of nowhere?”
Colonel Park took the sweatshirt from Mok’s hands and ran a finger over the fabric.
“My daughter bought it for me with the money she earned from her first part-time job when she started college.”
“Oh? Showing it off to me?”
“No, no, it’s not that. But after wearing it, I realized it was practically a functional garment. Just feel it.”
Park examined it more closely, curiosity getting the better of him.
“Hmm... light for a sweatshirt. But it seems pretty sturdy too.”
“Right? It’s a special fabric called Dual-Tex. Apparently, it has excellent breathability and insulation, while also offering a bit of water resistance.”
Park’s expression grew more serious.
“Wait. Don’t tell me...”
Mok nodded.
“If you think about it, every function this Dual-Tex material has is exactly what we want in military uniforms. Couldn’t we apply it to our uniform improvement project?”
Park fell into thought for a moment, then spoke.
“You may have a point. The problems with our current uniforms... the weight, the poor breathability, the restriction on movement... this fabric might solve some of those issues.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Why don’t we show it to Officer Kim Min-ho?”
“Kim Min-ho?”
Park checked the time and nodded.
“Fine. The meeting should be over by now. I’ll call him in.”
Officer Kim Min-ho was a veteran in charge of military equipment and supply procurement.
He promptly saluted Colonel Park and came in, asking, “You needed me?”
“Officer, would you take a look at this?”
Mok held out the sweatshirt.
Kim accepted it with a puzzled look.
“This is... what exactly?”
“A new fabric from the private sector. It’s called Dual-Tex, and I thought it might be suitable for our uniform improvement project.”
Kim looked skeptical, but he began inspecting the garment.
He checked the weave carefully and even held it up to the window to see how it looked in the light.
“Hmm. It is definitely unusual. But to apply a civilian product to the military, we’d need a great deal of verification and approval. And on top of that, the existing suppliers would push back.”
“Of course I know that. But the advantages of this fabric are just too great. It could significantly improve soldiers’ mobility and comfort during operations.”
Kim fell silent, thinking it over.
“For now, I’ll buy a set from the brand and wear it myself. I’ll also send samples to our research team so they can analyze them.”
“Then I appreciate it.”
“Appreciate it? It’s the least I should do.”
After he left, Colonel Park asked, “Do you really think this will work?”
Mok answered confidently.
“I’m not sure. It definitely seems like it would help maintain combat readiness, but the military might not recognize its value. And it could even fail selection if it scores zero on something like flame resistance, meaning how well it withstands fire in the event of an explosion.”
“Fair enough.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Two weeks later, in the Haesol Textile office.
Director Hwang Seok-jae entered Seung-hyun’s office carrying a thick stack of documents.
“President, the second-quarter performance report is ready.”
Seung-hyun looked up at him.
“Good work. How does it look?”
Hwang’s face was full of a smile.
“President, now that Factory 2 is operating normally, the inventory shortage we had has been completely resolved. We’ve caught up with orders and still have room to spare, so at this point it would actually be better to open additional offline stores.”
Seung-hyun took the report and opened to the first page.
The revenue graph was climbing steeply.
“Retained earnings have also grown considerably, so there’s no issue on the financing side. In particular, thanks to the Han Saet-byeol effect and the reviews from YouTubers, online sales came in far higher than expected.”
Seung-hyun reviewed the report carefully and nodded.
“That’s really good news. Where would be the best place to open the next stores?”
“Ideally, I’d want one each in Gangnam and Myeongdong here in Seoul, but the rent would be at least far above the Hongdae store.”
“So there’s symbolism, but it’s too expensive?”
“Exactly. And if this were the old days, we might have swallowed those costs and opened them anyway, but younger consumers don’t buy something just because it’s highly visible or in a big building.”
“That’s true.”
“So I think we should look a little wider. I’d recommend opening one each in Busan, Daegu, and Gwangju as well. We’re getting a lot of inquiries from consumers in the provinces.”
“Good suggestion. Tell the real estate team to start scouting locations. And I think we’ll need to hire more staff too, especially for store management and online marketing.”
“We’re already preparing. HR is getting ready to post the hiring notices.”
Seung-hyun nodded with satisfaction.
“As expected, this wouldn’t have gone so smoothly without you, Director. And honestly, I didn’t expect the company to grow this fast either.”
“It’s all thanks to your foresight, President. If it weren’t for the Dual-Tex fabric, success like this would have been impossible.”
At that moment, Seung-hyun’s phone rang.
When he checked the screen, it was a call from Hanil Global.
“Hello?”
Hanil Global wanted to meet with him?
Was it because Motion-X sales had been sluggish lately?
Or was there some other reason?
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“That works. I’ll come to Hanil Global myself again.”
“Understood.”
After hanging up, Seung-hyun thought for a moment and said, “President Jeong Man-sik from Hanil Global wants to meet personally.”
Director Hwang’s eyes widened.
“President Jeong? Why not meet somewhere outside this time?”
“If we eat together, it’ll just feel awkward. I’d rather finish the business, then leave. That’s more comfortable for me.”
“Ha ha, that makes sense.”
“But why does he want to meet me? Is it because of Motion-X? I saw in the news that golfwear sales have dropped a lot lately.”
“It probably isn’t that. After all, the Aero Coolbreeze we supply from Haesol Textile isn’t even a large volume to begin with, and as of a month ago they stopped placing orders for it anyway. It must be something else.”
“Hmm...”
Seung-hyun nodded and fell into thought.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
In the VIP lounge at Incheon International Airport, 4:00 p.m.
Cha Hee-ju stood watching the arrivals hall with a tense expression.
Today was the day Davide Socci, CEO of ProMemoria, the man she had worked so hard to bring in, was visiting Korea.
After meeting him in person in Italy, persuading him, and waiting for news, she had finally received word that he would come to Korea to seriously consider entering the market.
“Did you double-check the flight?”
At Lee Seo-yeon’s question, Hee-ju took a deep breath.
“I confirmed it just now. Flight FRA 275 that just arrived. The bouquet is ready too.”
Hee-ju took out a mirror and gave herself one last check.
The ivory tailored suit was neat yet elegant, and her hair and makeup were flawless.
This has to work this time.
The arrival hall doors opened, and Davide Socci appeared.
Though in his mid-sixties, he still carried himself with undiminished charisma despite his white hair.
Seeing his unmistakable Italian sense of style, Director Lee Seo-yeon and Hee-ju approached him with bright smiles.
“Benvenuto in Corea, Signor Socci!”
Davide Socci recognized Hee-ju and smiled.
“Ms. Cha Hee-ju, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Hee-ju handed him the bouquet and continued in Italian.
“You must be exhausted after such a long flight. Wouldn’t it be better to rest properly at the hotel and begin the schedule tomorrow?”
Socci shook his head.
“No, I’m fine. In fact, I’d rather see Mirae Department Store right away. It’s the place you praised so highly.”
Hee-ju’s eyes lit up.
“Really? Then let me take you there at once!”
In Gangnam, Seoul, Mirae Department Store VIP Lounge.
Davide Socci stood by the window, looking down at the interior of the department store.
Surprise was written across his face.
“Amazing. It’s much more refined and modern than I imagined.”
Director Lee Seo-yeon smiled and offered him tea.
“Thank you. Mirae Department Store has tried to balance tradition and modernity. This main branch, in particular, was renovated last year, so it feels even newer now.”
Socci took a sip of tea and fell into thought.
“To be honest, at first I was skeptical about the Korean market. High-end furniture brands like ProMemoria have usually found success in Asia mainly in Japan and China.”
“I understand. But Korea’s luxury market has grown tremendously over the past ten years. That’s especially true in home furnishings.”
Socci nodded.
“I see. Touring the department store, I can feel that clearly. The customers seem to have excellent taste.”
At that moment, Hee-ju, standing beside Director Lee, took out her tablet and showed him the material she had prepared in advance.
“This is our analysis of the Korean luxury furniture market. What stands out in particular is the spending pattern of affluent consumers in their forties and fifties. They don’t buy merely for show; they tend to value and invest in real quality and craftsmanship.”
Socci studied the material closely and seemed deeply impressed.
“Impressive. I’m astonished by your passion and preparation.”
Hee-ju lowered her head modestly.
“I simply want to do everything I can to help ProMemoria succeed in Korea.”
After a moment, Socci suddenly asked, “By the way, I have a question. The bedding you gifted me last time... I looked into it, and I found that the GyeolBit brand was only carried at Galeries Lafayette in France. But the bedding I received was something else entirely. It was astonishing, and special. How did you get it?”
“Ah, that bedding. It was made by a small company in Korea, and I was able to get it because I happen to have a special connection with the president of that company. It’s a product of Haesol Textile, a company invested in by the LVMH Group, so I think you’ll be hearing that name more often in the future.”
Socci’s eyes widened.
“LVMH invested in it? Interesting. That bedding really... how should I put it? It felt like the grasslands of my hometown. I slept deeply for the first time in a long while.”
Hee-ju could not hide her delight.
“I’m so glad! As you know, that bedding was a special custom order, and especially a limited edition designed specifically for you, President Socci. I’m even happier that you were satisfied.”
“I was. It was truly moving. To think you cared so much about my insomnia...”
“ProMemoria has given me so much inspiration and emotion. That little is nothing.”
Director Lee Seo-yeon, who had been very pleased with Cha Hee-ju’s manner of speaking, looked at her again with new respect.
They had been treating her well because she was the royal family member who would one day rise above them, but her eye for luxury goods and her way of dealing with people were far better than expected.
“Thank you. So the real meeting starts tomorrow, then?”
“That’s right. Please rest well today, and I’ll come get you at the hotel at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.”
Socci finished his tea and looked out the window.
“This is my first visit to Seoul, and it’s far more charming than I expected. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. And in that case...”
“Yes?”
“I’d also like to meet the representative of the company that made that bedding. Would that be possible?”
Instead of Cha Hee-ju, who froze for a split second, Director Lee Seo-yeon stepped in with a smile.
“Of course. Absolutely possible.”
Hee-ju nearly snapped her head around, but barely managed to stop herself, her pupils trembling.
Tomorrow? Right away?
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