An Important Guest (2)
Seung-hyun stepped out of the taxi that had brought him to the front of the company and checked his appearance once more.
The navy suit he almost never wore felt a little awkward on him, but a place like this called for something more suitable.
“Be polite, but don’t lose myself.”
Muttering to himself, he walked toward the entrance of the Four Seasons Hotel.
Three days earlier, Cha Hee-ju had sent him an invitation to the celebration party marking Promemoria’s agreement to enter the Korean market.
Honestly, he found these kinds of social gatherings painfully awkward and exhausting, but when she said that Chairman Davide Sochi had specially wanted him to come, he couldn’t refuse.
After being guided through the hotel lobby and up the elevator, Seung-hyun thought about the people he would be meeting tonight.
They were key figures in the luxury industry and the high-end market, a world he normally had no reason to cross paths with.
But now Haesol Textile was creating those intersections through GyeolBit and Lesser Factory.
When he reached the entrance to the party hall, Cha Hee-ju seemed to be waiting for him just as he arrived.
“You came! I thought you might not show up.”
She was wearing an elegant white evening dress and looked far more polished than usual.
“I’m honestly awkward enough to die.”
“You don’t look that uncomfortable, though.”
“A suit isn’t a problem since I wear one often, but parties are another matter. Still, if Chairman Sochi called, I couldn’t exactly stay away.”
At Seung-hyun’s words, Hee-ju smiled with satisfaction.
“Exactly. I’ll make sure you can greet Chairman Sochi right away when he arrives. Come in first.”
Once they entered the hall, glittering decorations, refined music, and guests dressed with impeccable elegance came into view.
Seung-hyun was a little tense, but he tried to stay calm.
“Would you like a glass of wine?”
“We’re starting with wine before dinner?”
“There are finger foods. And if you don’t want wine, you can just have a soft drink.”
“No, it’s fine. Since I’m here, I might as well have a drink.”
Taking the glass Cha Hee-ju offered, Seung-hyun looked around.
There were already many people in the hall, drinking wine and talking among themselves.
“There are a lot of people.”
“To be honest, most of them aren’t here to celebrate. They came to use the occasion for networking. Meeting people at a gathering like this can be a huge help later.”
“I see.”
“Director Lee Seo-yeon also pushed me quite hard, saying she really wanted the representative to come.”
“Did she?”
“Mirae Department Store is eager to launch GyeolBit bedding as soon as possible too... you’re not planning to sit on it forever, are you?”
Apparently, the special gift bedding Seung-hyun had once arranged separately for his grandfather had been praised more than once for its quality.
And since people kept asking where it had been bought, it had become a nuisance in its own right, which only showed how much of an impression he’d made on his grandfather.
Even if they had kept pestering him, his grandfather probably never would have revealed where he’d gotten it.
“We’re still busy just handling export orders...”
“Ugh... I hate Lesser Factory.”
“Haha, but you’ve been a big help.”
“Yes, you made good use of Han Saet-byeol. I hope your company gets even bigger soon and produces more bedding. We’d like to sell some too.”
“I’d like that too.”
Just then, someone called out to them.
“Hee-ju. You’ve gotten even prettier after going to work?”
When Seung-hyun turned his head, he saw a man in his mid-thirties wearing a refined suit.
He had an overwhelming air of confidence that made a strong impression the moment he appeared.
“Oh, oppa. You’re here?”
There was a quiet note of pride in Cha Hee-ju’s face and in the way her shoulders lifted straight.
Vice President Kim Jun-hyuk smiled without realizing it, looking at Hee-ju, who had grown noticeably more beautiful than she’d been a few years ago.
“When I first heard you personally led the Promemoria deal, I honestly didn’t believe it. Is it really true?”
“Would I have stolen credit for something the staff did? I’m not that shameless. Anyway, thanks for coming to celebrate, oppa.”
Kim Jun-hyuk gave a bitter smile, stung for no good reason.
“Of course. Promemoria coming in is a big deal. But how did you pull it off? We’ve been trying for years, and Chairman Sochi never even looked our way.”
There was curiosity in Kim Jun-hyuk’s voice, but also a faint trace of jealousy.
Cha Hee-ju only wore a confident smile and didn’t give away her secret.
Then Kim Jun-hyuk’s gaze shifted to Seung-hyun.
“And this person is...?”
Cha Hee-ju hadn’t particularly wanted to introduce him, but their eyes had already met, so there was no helping it.
“Ah, this is Jung Seung-hyun, the representative of Haesol Textile. I specially invited him today.”
Kim Jun-hyuk’s expression changed ever so slightly.
“Haesol Textile?”
“Yes. He’s the representative of a highly promising company.”
The words sounded like praise, but in their circle that sort of expression was not always praise.
“Highly promising” could just as easily imply that the company was still nothing to write home about.
For that reason, Kim Jun-hyuk’s interest visibly cooled.
“I see.”
His tone and expression were openly dismissive, and Hee-ju could barely hide her satisfaction at seeing it.
Seung-hyun, on the other hand, kept his face calm, as though he was used to this sort of thing.
“Yes, we’re just working hard.”
As Seung-hyun answered evenly, Cha Hee-ju quickly cut in.
“If you look down on a small or medium-sized company, it could come back to bite you. Haesol Textile is special.”
“Is that so? In what way?”
Kim Jun-hyuk asked carelessly, raking his eyes over Seung-hyun from head to toe.
Before either Seung-hyun or Cha Hee-ju could answer, a small stir rippled through the entrance of the hall.
Davide Sochi had arrived.
As the hosts went to greet him, Sochi spotted Seung-hyun in the crowd, broke into a broad smile, and immediately came straight toward him.
“Mr. Jung! I’m truly delighted you could come!”
Sochi called out in Italian, warmly taking both of Seung-hyun’s hands.
Cha Hee-ju quickly translated for Seung-hyun, but even without her help, Kim Jun-hyuk, who could understand Italian, froze in astonishment.
A master of the luxury furniture world showing such genuine delight toward the owner of a small and medium-sized company.
“Thank you for inviting me too, Chairman Sochi.”
Seung-hyun replied with a smile.
“If it weren’t for you, this gathering wouldn’t exist at all. The inspiration your special bedding gave me led to today’s agreement.”
At Sochi’s words, Kim Jun-hyuk’s face twisted further in confusion.
Cha Hee-ju was quietly savoring the moment, enjoying his reaction with a sense of victory.
“Then shall we move somewhere quieter and talk? I have some design sketches I’d like to show you, Mr. Jung.”
Sochi took Seung-hyun by the arm and led him toward the VIP area.
Kim Jun-hyuk and the other guests could only stare in stunned silence as the two men disappeared.
Seated in the VIP lounge, Sochi and Seung-hyun began speaking at length about design.
Sochi took out a sketchbook and showed him ideas for a collaboration between Promemoria and GyeolBit.
“Take a look at this. It’s a special-edition bed frame designed with inspiration from the patterns in your bedding. If we pair it with bedding worthy of this frame, the result will be an extraordinary luxury piece.”
Seung-hyun studied the sketches seriously.
“It’s a truly beautiful design. You’ve brought out the qualities of our GyeolBit bedding perfectly.”
Their conversation went on to technical details, and while Cha Hee-ju occasionally helped with translation, most of it flowed in English.
People nearby watched the unusual meeting with curious eyes.
Meanwhile, back in the party hall, Kim Jun-hyuk could no longer hide his discomfort.
He asked the secretary who had come with him to the party, “Who exactly is that Jung Seung-hyun guy from Haesol Textile? Sochi’s treating him like that all of a sudden...”
“I’ll check right away.”
The secretary immediately started making a flurry of calls, and after quite some time he hurried back with a tense expression.
“Haesol Textile is a company invested in by the LVMH Group. They recently launched a SPA brand called Lesser Factory, and it’s said to be growing rapidly after Han Saet-byeol appeared wearing Lesser Factory on social media.”
“A SPA brand?”
“That’s not all. It seems Haesol Textile also launched some kind of bedding brand, but they’re not selling it in Korea. They’re exporting the entire production overseas, and it looks like that’s why LVMH invested.”
“They have a separate bedding brand and export everything? And LVMH made an equity investment because of that?”
“Yes.”
“How much was the equity investment?”
“That hasn’t been disclosed.”
Vice President Kim Jun-hyuk’s face distorted sharply.
It was a complete misstep.
If this were any other time, he never would have made such a mistake.
It was because Hee-ju looked so beautiful after all this time, and because he’d been so easily rattled by how close she seemed to Seung-hyun.
“Damn it...”
“We’ve confirmed the headquarters address for now and sent an inquiry to LVMH. We should have more detailed information within a few days.”
“Find out as fast as possible. That guy is clearly the key to bringing Promemoria into Korea.”
“Understood.”
A mistake was still a mistake.
But if he stopped dead in his tracks after one mistake, then he wouldn’t be Kim Jun-hyuk.
He was a man who had always found a way forward, no matter where or when.
When the party reached its peak, Davide Sochi drew everyone’s attention as he stepped up onto the stage.
Under the brilliant chandeliers, he began his announcement in a powerful voice.
“Thank you to everyone who has joined us today. I am truly delighted that Promemoria will be entering the Korean market.”
Lee Seo-yeon, the head of Mirae Department Store’s merchandising division, translated his words into Korean.
“And today, I would like to share a special piece of news. Promemoria will be releasing a special collaboration line together with Haesol Textile’s GyeolBit brand. Under the concept of ‘a meeting between bedding and furniture inspired by the natural beauty of northern Italy,’ we will present a new experience that combines the strengths of both brands.”
The hall buzzed with surprise and anticipation at the announcement.
Many eyes turned toward Seung-hyun, and even those who had not known who he was now looked at him with curiosity.
After the announcement ended, several people came up to Seung-hyun to hand him business cards and strike up conversation.
Among them was Kim Jun-hyuk of Royal Department Store, but by then Seung-hyun was already surrounded by other important figures and hard to approach.
“Send a request for an official meeting through the company email. Be as polite as possible.”
“Understood.”
Vice President Kim Jun-hyuk watched Jung Seung-hyun carefully as the man accepted the business card with an awkward expression.
At that same moment, in the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
Brigadier General Won Cheong-gyu pressed a hand to his temple and said in a heavy voice, “So you’re saying you can’t do it because your capacity isn’t there?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Ha. Is that so... Maybe it’s because I’ve only ever seen hyenas charging in to gnaw at scraps, but the ones holding out with such dignity are starting to look more tempting.”
“That’s true. Most of them are company presidents who’ll ply you with drinks and throw money around just to get the contract.”
To be fair, if this had been a few years ago, Brigadier General Won Cheong-gyu probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to the item brought in by Lieutenant Colonel Mok either.
Even if the soldiers had a harder time and suffered some loss of combat power, that was simply the reality of being a soldier, and he himself had carried out operations in uniforms like that without any trouble.
But this time was different.
The newly appointed Minister of National Defense was making a point of fostering a military that changed with the times, and he was watching the DAPA openly.
In a situation like this, if there were uniforms made from a new functional fabric unlike anything they had before, the minister would likely be pleased enough just to have something he could show off to the outside world.
“Is there really no way?”
“If they had rejected us by mentioning the supply price, maybe, but...”
“They didn’t even ask about that?”
“No. They didn’t mention it at all.”
“Ha. So they’re completely uninterested?”
“It seems they weren’t interested enough to bother, since they couldn’t make it.”
“Hmm...”
After thinking for a long time, Brigadier General Won Cheong-gyu said lightly, “You remember Hwain Sangsa, the company that got cut off after supplying uniforms before?”
Lieutenant Colonel Mok, who had been narrowing his eyes in thought, suddenly seemed to recall something.
“Do you mean Hwain Sangsa, the one that was replaced five years ago?”
“Yeah. How are they doing these days?”
“Well...”
“You don’t know, do you? Go find out. If they’ve gone under, there’s nothing we can do. But if they’re right on the edge, let’s see if we can hook them in.”
Having grasped the meaning, Lieutenant Colonel Mok tilted his head.
“Do you think Haesol Textile would accept that? They’ll probably worry about the financing burden.”
“Why, we even lend people money when we sell weapons so they can buy them.”
As long as it wasn’t his own money, there was no problem once the deal went through.
“Ah!”
“If we lend it to them interest-free, wouldn’t they show some interest?”
Brigadier General Won Cheong-gyu sincerely hoped this method would work.