A Pitiful SME? (2)
"Man, I could watch this all day."
Ma Seok-il looked over the stack of applications spread out across his home study. It was a list of factories that had applied for the current project. In truth, none of the big players had applied. He wasn't talking about the top-tier factories, like the primary subcontractors for the nation's biggest conglomerates. It made sense; this contract wasn't for a continuous, long-term partnership, but for a short-term production run of a single product. There was no reason for a factory of any significant scale to salivate over it.
That was exactly why his former company had applied.
'That just goes to show how much the company is wobbling.'
His old company had been at least a mid-sized operation. But looking at their application, it was clear their scale had shrunk significantly.
'Well, the boss was the type who never knew the value of his sales staff anyway.'
As the face of his old boss surfaced in his mind, Ma Seok-il threw a punch at the empty air before letting out a bitter laugh and looking around his study.
'Come to think of it, I’ve really come a long way. Back then, I couldn't even dream of living in a house like this...'
A decent-sized house with a dedicated study. In the past, he would have been reviewing these documents in the living room or the master bedroom.
Recalling the words he used to bark at his children, Ma Seok-il felt a surge of gratitude toward YK for providing him with this environment, and he began to scan the reports one by one.
'For starters, let's exclude startups if possible. YK is already venturing into manufacturing items outside of clothing and food for the first time; we can't afford a high defect rate.'
While there were surely exceptions, startups often had many operational misses, which meant a higher probability of mistakes. Of course, the other side would likely offer unconventional terms, begging, "Please, just let us sign the contract," but this sales operation was fundamentally far from just chasing the "cheapest price possible."
'I mean, cheaper is better, but unless that's the top priority, there's no reason to take the risk.'
For similar reasons, he also excluded overly robust, established firms.
'There's no reason to buy from an expensive place, either.'
Having spent a long time in the sales trenches and having gathered plenty of information while wining and dining reporters, Ma Seok-il had a pretty good grasp of the situation at many companies. He finally settled on one.
'Alright, this one should do.'
But in that instant, Ma Seok-il felt a sharp intuition. A silent warning that he shouldn't choose this place. The gut feeling that had helped him rack up countless sales during his career was telling him, 'This isn't it.'
'Am I missing something?'
Ma Seok-il pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The best part about having a study was that he didn't have to worry about anyone's eyes when he smoked. While it was common for fathers to smoke at home until the 90s, Ma Seok-il was secretly a henpecked husband, so he usually smoked while feeling self-conscious. But since his wife had given him permission to smoke to his heart's content in the study, he sat in his office chair and exhaled a cloud of smoke comfortably.
"Hooo..."
His body was relaxed, but his brain began to spin furiously.
"Ah!!!"
Only then did Ma Seok-il realize what he had been missing.
Seonggang Trading. That was the name of the company where Ma Seok-il used to work.
"Excuse me? Boss, again?"
When the accountant in her late 20s gave a troubled look toward the boss, Kim Hak-su, his face twisted.
"Why are you giving me that look?"
With long hair covering his ears and neck and large, striking eyes, Kim Hak-su was only a year older than Ma Seok-il, but he insisted on a hairstyle that looked like a college student from the mid-80s.
"No, it's just... lately, our factory's purchase orders have been decreasing, so it's a bit difficult to request things like that..."
Kim Hak-su frequently demanded that the bosses of the companies supplying parts to his factory bring him things. It started with money, but included holiday gifts and even the very products the suppliers were responsible for. Of course, the person responsible for collecting these things was this female accountant, and to put it bluntly, she was taking all the heat that the boss deserved.
"What are you talking about! If we cut off the deal, they're the ones who'll be desperate. Did you get something from them or what?"
As Kim Hak-su squinted at her, the accountant looked wronged.
"No, Boss. What on earth are you talking about? How could I do something like that?"
It was Kim Hak-su's personality to check even a 10-won coin meticulously when money was collected from suppliers under the guise of "company dinner expenses." Because of that, the accountant hadn't really experienced any of the "perks" usually associated with her position. In theory, since an accountant was in charge of company money, they could skim a little off the top from small expenses. It was common social practice for bosses to turn a blind eye to such behavior, especially since the accountant was helping them hide their own dirty laundry.
But Seonggang Trading was different. Since it was a daily routine for him to shout at employees for wasting even a single sheet of toilet paper, the accountant had never even imagined embezzling anything behind Kim Hak-su's back.
'I'm going to find a way to quit, even if it kills me.'
Completely oblivious to her thoughts, Kim Hak-su pressed her again.
"Then go collect it! There's no reason you can't, is there?"
"Ugh... fine, I get it. I'll go collect it."
A small act of rebellion from the accountant. However, Kim Hak-su didn't push her any further. In his own twisted way, he considered this showing her some consideration.
"Hmm, once the money comes in, I should change the refrigerator."
The pretext for collecting the money was a staff dinner. But Kim Hak-su had absolutely no intention of spending that money on the staff. It was just a pretext; he had no plans to actually treat his employees to a dinner.
'It looks bad if I tell them to bring money for me to spend, doesn't it?'
Of course, the supplier bosses and their employees were probably cursing Kim Hak-su and the staff of Seonggang Trading to high heaven.
But the employees of Seonggang Trading were just miserable. They had never once experienced a company dinner that didn't cost them money.
Ring-ring!
Suddenly, the familiar 80s telephone bell rang, and Kim Hak-su picked up.
"Yes, this is Kim Hak-su, President of Seonggang Trading."
How many seconds passed with the receiver pressed to his ear? Joy flooded Kim Hak-su's face.
"Yes? Is that really true?!"
Kim Hak-su straightened his body into a stiff line. At the same time, he bent his waist into a perfect 'L' shape.
"Yes! Yes! Of course, we can prepare! Yes! I will do exactly that!"
Even though the person on the other end couldn't see him, he was bowing. It was the very definition of being infinitely weak to the strong.
"Yes! It's done!"
As soon as he hung up, Kim Hak-su clenched both fists, clearly thrilled. Having shown his weakness to the strong, it was now time to show his strength to the weak.
"Managing Director Park!!"
Kim Hak-su's shout from the president's office began to echo through the factory.
"Managing Director Park!!!!!!!!!"
Shortly after the second shout, Managing Director Park could be seen running toward Kim Hak-su in a panic. He was an ordinary-looking man in his mid-50s with salt-and-pepper hair. However, he looked quite stressed, with deep shadows under his eyes.
"Did you call for me, Boss?"
Managing Director Park's attitude was polite, but Kim Hak-su started by pointing a finger at him.
"Managing Director Park, when I call, you should come running immediately. Where the hell were you?"
"I apologize. I was dealing with a guest for a moment..."
"Guest or whatever! I'm the boss! When I call, you should come running immediately, shouldn't you?"
Watching Kim Hak-su's face turn red, Managing Director Park sighed inwardly. But what came out of his mouth was the apology of a common man.
"I apologize. I will be more careful in the future."
Only after receiving an apology from a man 15 years his senior did Kim Hak-su seem to calm down.
"Right, that's how it should be. Managing Director Park, you're a good person, but you lack situational awareness. You have to be able to read the mood of your superiors to succeed."
If you chewed on that, it meant, 'You're living like a loser because you have no situational awareness,' but Kim Hak-su was the type who didn't care at all how the other person received his words. He was nuanced when he was the one receiving, but flat and blunt when speaking to others. In a sense, that was the perfect personality for an SME boss.
"By the way, Boss, what did you call me for? As far as I recall, there's nothing on the schedule that requires your direct instruction."
"Ah, why did I call? There's some good news."
"Yes? Good news?"
Seeing Kim Hak-su's bright smile, Managing Director Park also began to imagine something hopeful. Like a bonus, perhaps. But Managing Director Park viewed Kim Hak-su as too kind a person. Well, that was probably why he had lasted by Kim Hak-su's side this long.
"It's about the supply contract YK announced. It looks like our factory is going to be chosen."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes! An executive in charge is coming to inspect the factory in person tomorrow."
It wasn't exactly good news for him personally, but perhaps because he was a kind person, Managing Director Park offered his congratulations.
"Congratulations, Boss."
"Haha, you. Why would I be the one to be congratulated? 'We' are the ones to be congratulated."
"Ah, yes. Yes, of course."
As Managing Director Park nodded, Kim Hak-su got to the real point.
"So, don't let the staff go home right away today. Give the factory a thorough cleaning."
"Excuse me?"
For a moment, Managing Director Park asked back, wondering if he had heard wrong, and Kim Hak-su, predictably, glared at him.
"I said mobilize the staff and clean the factory. Did you hear me with your ears or your ass?"
"No, well... starting from now?"
"Tsk! You should be working in the factory right now! Aside from the night shift line, do a deep clean. Do you understand?"
"Boss, deep cleaning the factory isn't as easy as it sounds, and the staff needs to go home..."
But Kim Hak-su cut him off.
"Hey! Is this for my benefit? Don't you know we might have to close the factory if we don't land this deal? Do you all want to get fired?"
When he held their livelihood hostage, what could Managing Director Park say? In the end, he had no choice but to nod.
"Understood. I will do that."
"Not a single person is allowed to slack off! I'll be checking in the morning!"
In short, he was telling them to clean until morning. It might sound like a lie, but such bosses were very common in the 80s. Though, the trap is that they still exist in the 2010s.
"Good, you've cleaned it really well!"
Kim Hak-su, who had run his fingers over the factory machines, looked satisfied when no dust came off. Kim Hak-su was even wearing latex gloves. The kind doctors use when performing surgery in a hospital. This was the exact method seniors in the military used to harass their juniors, and Kim Hak-su was using it in civilian life.
"Yes, we worked really hard."
Led by Managing Director Park, whose eyes were hollow, the dark circles under the eyes of all the factory staff were deep; it was clear they had pulled an all-nighter. In fact, Kim Hak-su had checked with his fingers four times during the night. Every time Managing Director Park told him the cleaning was done, he would wake up briefly, run his fingers over the machines, and order them to do it again.
Thanks to this, Kim Hak-su, who was relatively very energetic, praised Managing Director Park once more.
"Yes, you really worked hard."
Seeing Kim Hak-su in a good mood, Managing Director Park spoke up cautiously.
"Boss, we worked really hard yesterday and today, maybe a company dinner..."
"I'll think about it."
With an ambiguous smile, Kim Hak-su brushed it off. Managing Director Park thought about asking one more time, but stopped. He was a boss who didn't keep his word even when he promised, so seeing him say that meant he had no intention of doing it at all.
"Ah, they're here!"
As a somewhat high-end car pulled up outside the factory gate, Kim Hak-su quickly ran toward the car. And a moment later, seeing Ma Seok-il appear as the car door opened, Kim Hak-su's expression turned to one of pure shock.
"Holy crap."