License Agreement (1)
Bright sunlight poured over Haesol Textile.
Seung-hyun, who had finally slept soundly through an entire day and night for the first time in a while, felt considerably lighter when he woke. His mind seemed clearer too, and as he headed into the president’s office full of anticipation for how he would revamp the military design he had once picked up as a hobby and then set aside, he spotted Hwang Seok-jae hurrying toward him from far away.
“Mr. President!”
Seung-hyun smiled brightly at the sight of him looking so flustered first thing in the morning.
“Yes, hello. Good morning.”
“Good morning. But have you seen this?”
Hwang Seok-jae thrust a tablet at him without preamble. On the screen was an article from a major financial daily.
“Huh? What is this? Did the sample results already come out?”
Startled, Seung-hyun took the tablet and began reading the article in detail.
As he read, Seung-hyun’s surprise only deepened.
“What is this? We haven’t had any contact from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration or the Ministry of National Defense, have we?”
“No. None at all.”
“Then did the reporter make it up?”
“Shall I ask?”
“Yes, please inquire with DAPA first.”
Given the importance of the matter, Hwang Seok-jae hurried out and made a phone call somewhere.
Some time later, he returned with a much brighter expression and said, “I just confirmed it by phone with DAPA. It’s true. They said they’ll formalize the details in an official document and send it over soon.”
Seung-hyun leaned back deeply in his chair, stunned.
When the sample request first came from the United States, he had thought it was simply for reference. He had never expected it to grow into something this large.
“Wow, this is real? But why did the press get hold of it first?”
“Probably the Ministry of National Defense or DAPA wanted the publicity effect. We should know more once the official notice comes in from DAPA.”
Seung-hyun nodded.
He figured there were internal circumstances in the way state agencies and civil servants handled things that he simply didn’t know. Hard as it was to understand, there was something more important in front of him now.
“We’ll have a lot to prepare.”
“Yes, Mr. President. We need to establish a strategy for the negotiations with the United States. There are many points to review: pricing, production capacity, the scope of technology transfer, and more.”
Is this really happening?
Until now, whenever Seung-hyun had won a deal by doing something well, he had thought it was only natural. But this was different.
Taking part in a U.S. military procurement deal at the national level was on a completely different scale from launching a brand.
That was why the old sense of reality had started to slip away.
Haesol Textile had now reached the point where it could move beyond being a mere domestic company and become a global enterprise dealing directly with the U.S. Department of Defense, and that meant the responsibility and burden had grown all the heavier.
“Let’s wait for DAPA’s official notice first. In the meantime, let’s start preparing everything we can.”
*
In the afternoon, the official notice arrived from DAPA. Seung-hyun and Hwang Seok-jae reviewed it immediately.
“The American defense procurement delegation will visit Korea next Tuesday. They’ll have meetings with the Ministry of National Defense and DAPA, then visit Haesol Textile on Wednesday afternoon.”
Seung-hyun read the document carefully.
The American side was interested in the Dualtex fabric’s production process, technical characteristics, and whether it could be mass-produced.
It also stated that they wanted to import a trial quantity first, then discuss licensed production or technology transfer afterward.
“This is moving faster than I expected. We only have a week to prepare.”
Hwang looked worried.
“I’m not too concerned about the combat uniform quality. They’re coming to inspect everything anyway. But if we fail to have our value properly recognized in this negotiation, that’s the problem we need to handle well, isn’t it?”
“Exactly.”
Nodding, Hwang Seok-jae voiced the points he had already been considering, impressed by the young president’s calm state of mind.
“For now, three things seem most important. First, pricing. We need to ensure sufficient profit for ourselves. Second, technology protection. I don’t think we should hand over the core technology. Third, production volume and schedule. They may ask for more than our current capacity allows. In another deal, we might walk away from something beyond our cap, but we can’t do that here. Somehow, we have to meet their demands. For the company’s future, that’s essential.”
Seung-hyun agreed with Hwang’s assessment, nodding.
“I see. Understood.”
“And there’s one more thing. If the American side wants licensed production, royalty terms will be extremely important. It may be more advantageous to secure long-term royalty income rather than a one-time technology transfer fee.”
“Understood. Then let’s build a strategy for how to respond to their demands in detail. We’ll meet tomorrow morning.”
After Hwang left, Seung-hyun looked out the window and fell into thought.
A contract with the United States was an enormous opportunity for Haesol Textile, but at the same time, it was a tremendous challenge.
The fact that the technical legacy left behind by his father might now be used to protect soldiers from the world’s most powerful country made his chest swell with pride.
*
Tokyo, Japan. Okura Hotel.
Okada Sota carefully opened the package that had just arrived from Korea. Inside was a sample of specialized hotel bedding sent by Haesol Textile.
“Is this the bedding made from that new fabric?”
Shimizu Yuma, the marketing manager, asked with obvious curiosity.
“What else would it be? They said Haesol Textile specially developed it for us ... but did they really have to go as far as developing something?”
At first, Okada had wondered why they didn’t simply send a product they were already selling, and why they had bothered with development at all.
Developing something was not a bad thing, but fabric development was no easy matter.
Japan could rightly be called a country of textiles, possessing everything from classic fabrics to cutting-edge materials.
Because of that, he knew better than most that technical development was never simple, and the claim that they had suddenly developed bedding just for his hotel only made him trust it less.
So when he had been in Korea, he had not expected very much. If it turned out to be poor, he planned to send it right back and ask them to deliver the bedding he had seen at the department store instead.
Okada was the first to read the letter enclosed in the package.
It had been written personally by Jung Seung-hyun, and explained that the bedding had been made from a hotel-specialized fabric called Solinen Prestige, tailored precisely to the size Okura Hotel had requested.
“Hmm ... a grand name for a fabric.”
Having already heard the story, he tossed the letter aside and took out the bedding to feel it with his hands.
“Ah—”
His first impression was unlike anything he had felt before.
The texture was soft yet firm, the sheen was subtle and elegant, and the moment it touched his hand, a clean, refreshing comfort made itself known.
“This is ... truly astonishing.”
Okada could not hide his admiration.
He had handled luxury hotel bedding for decades, but he had never encountered fabric like this.
“Are you saying this is really a newly developed fabric?”
Shimizu Yuma also quietly touched the bedding, then looked up in surprise.
Even to him, it seemed like something truly remarkable.
“Still, we can’t know until we actually use it. Let’s run a washing test.”
He refused to lose his sense of judgment.
The reason he had previously considered using it in a few suites was that he had planned to bring it out only when special guests came. If the durability was excellent, that would be wonderful; even if it was somewhat lacking, he had intended to accept it and move on.
Even if it wasn’t suited for the whole hotel, if it was fundamentally durable, then using it occasionally for VIPs would still be enough to justify the cost.
But now that it was being presented as hotel-specific bedding, the situation was different, and he needed to test it properly.
No matter how good it seemed, it was useless unless its durability in a hotel environment could be proven.
“We’ll proceed immediately.”
A staff member took the bedding sample and headed for the hotel laundry room.
Rather than sending it straight back to Korea if any problem came up, Okada intended to use it in a way that matched its durability.
After a long while, as evening approached, the staff member returned carrying the washed bedding.
“How did the washing turn out?”
“Surprisingly, even after ten consecutive wash-and-dry cycles, there’s no deformation at all. The color is unchanged, and the texture is still soft.”
Okada touched the bedding again.
It was true. He could feel no difference whatsoever from before it had been washed.
“How can this be? Incredible.”
He felt deeply moved.
Bedding of this quality could clearly set a hotel apart from its competitors on the bedding alone.
“Tonight I’m sleeping under this. Is there an empty room available?”
“Yes, there is.”
Okada decided to conduct one final test.
Instead of going home, he would sleep in an empty room, having only the bedding replaced so he could experience it himself.
He showered exactly as a guest would, and turned the air conditioning on cool.
Then he took off his robe, lay down on the bed, and pulled the blanket over himself.
Cool air drifted through the room, and the warm, comfortable blanket wrapped around his body.
That much was standard for any blanket.
After a while, a gentle warmth built up inside the blanket, but strangely enough, it never became too hot.
It stayed at the perfect warmth for sleeping beneath.
At this temperature, one would not toss and turn in the middle of the night because it was too hot.
“Not bad.”
He felt something similar to what he had felt when he had lain down with the blanket in the department store.
If there was any difference, it was that the old blanket had felt cozy because of a faint downy softness, whereas this one gave off a sense of clean comfort instead.
As Okada weighed one sensation after another, he suddenly opened his eyes and realized that bright sunlight was shining directly on him.
Annoyed at having forgotten to close the blackout curtains while evaluating the blanket’s feel last night, he sprang up and walked over to the window.
He pulled the curtains shut roughly, then lay back down on the bed, and it was so comfortable he could hardly believe it.
Before he knew it, a curved smile had formed at the corner of his mouth, and then he suddenly sat up.
“What is this? What on earth is this?”
He stared down at the blanket that kept making him want to lie back down and laughed in disbelief.
Then he finally got up, showered again, and left the hotel room.
The morning meeting had already begun.
As the staff wondered why, for some reason, Okada looked so pleased, he spoke.
“You know the bedding Haesol Textile sent from Korea yesterday?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What do you think ultimate comfort is?”
At the sudden question, none of the staff could bring themselves to answer; they only exchanged glances.
Okada clicked his tongue and said, “Ultimate comfort is the feeling that makes you not want to do anything. That’s what it is! It’s not the kind of thing that has you tossing and turning, waking up from sleep, and then thinking you might as well get breakfast early. It’s the feeling of opening your eyes only to realize breakfast time is already over, and the emptiness that hits you then. That is ultimate comfort!”
It was a somewhat baffling speech, but at Okada’s barked declaration, the staff could only nod.
Then Okada shouted again.
“The bedding Haesol Textile sent yesterday was exactly the kind of blanket that gives you that ultimate comfort. I’ve made up my mind. We’re going to place it in half of our hotel rooms.”
The staff erupted in murmurs.
They were shocked that he intended to replace the bedding in half of the more than five hundred five-star rooms all at once.
Okada was not finished.
“Once the bedding arrives from Haesol Textile, make an event we can promote right away. Something like a package called Solinen Sweet Dream, where guests can experience ultimate comfort. A package that combines breakfast, the pool, and supremely comfortable sleep.”
“Understood. I’ll work out an appropriate price and advertising image.”
Okada had no doubt that this new bedding would lift the stature of his hotel to the next level.