Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

In a luxurious restaurant in China, round tables are usually placed in the restaurant, and the head of this round table is the seat that is facing the entrance door.

“This is your seat, Gun-Ho. You sit here.”

Seukang Li pressed Gun-Ho’s shoulder down to the seat, and Gun-Ho was lightly forced to sit at the head of the table again.

“You must be thirsty, Seukang Li after hastily running to the restaurant to join us; drink this liquor. Mr. Chauffeur, have this coke; it will ease your thirst.”

The chauffeur laughed while sitting at the lowest seat; he was still wearing his black sunglasses just like the last time Gun-Ho saw him. Seukang Li continued to talk while drinking a cup of tea instead of liquor.

“How was the board meeting? Did you get the report?”

“Yes, it was very good. I am satisfied.”

“That’s good. As a matter of fact, it cost us a lot to complete the 3-Flow work in the beginning. ”

“I can see that. During the SOC (Social Overhead Capital) creation, it is expected to incur significant cost. How much did it cost your government for the industrial park?”

“I can’t tell you the amount since it is the expense that the government has to bear, but just know that it did cost us a lot. Our goal is to create more jobs for the city by building the industrial park and invite more businesses.”

“You are a very good government official; I can tell you that. Hey, President Min-Hyeok Kim, don’t you agree?”

“I absolutely agree with you. I’ve met with a lot of Chinese government officials since I came to China, and I am impressed by their sheer effort to enhance their people’s life.”

“President Goo, let’s drink. Confucius once said, ‘don’t you feel delighted when you have a friend from far away.’ That’s exactly what I feel.”

Seukang Li then grabbed Gun-Ho’s hand.

“My friend, I truly thank you. Usually, if we start a joint venture with a Korean company, the Korean company would demand a lot of things and they would intervene in our management. However, your GH Development doesn’t do that. I do recognize your trust and appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. You just take care of President Min-Hyeok Kim for me, who is out here alone working for the joint venture.”

“President Min-Hyeok Kim is doing very well here; I can tell you that. Don’t worry about him.”

While he was saying that, Seukang Li clinked his glass of liquor to Min-Hyeok’s.

They continued to drink.

“President Goo, my industrial park project has been highly praised within the government. I think I will possibly be promoted and be able to move back to Shanghai.”

“Really? That’s great.”

“It hasn’t been confirmed yet. However, once the industrial park is fully occupied with companies, and it creates more jobs that leads a rise in the employment rate, most likely, I will be able to move back to Shanghai.”

“You have all your family in Shanghai, right?”

“Yes, I want to move back in with my wife and kids in Shanghai. However, I do love Kunshan City as well. They have so many beautiful things to offer including—natural environment. My wife is currently working as an official at the customs in Shanghai; if not for her job, I would really want to settle down in Kunshan City with my family. The people here are very nice as well.”

Everyone that day drank a lot including Seukang Li and Gun-Ho. The people from Jinxi Construction Company and Min-Hyeok enjoyed drinking as well.

After having a nice dinner and drink, Gun-Ho’s party walked out of the restaurant. Gun-Ho wanted to sober up, so he asked Min-Hyeok to go to the canal with him.

“Why don’t we go to a lake instead? The canal is not very clean.”

“Either one is fine with me. Let’s go to the lake then.”

Min-Hyeok asked his chauffeur to drive to Yangcheng Lake.

The water of the Yangcheng Lake looked very clean blue.

The light breeze on the lake was shaking reeds.

“This is so nice. I like the lake in China. It is way bigger than a lake in Korea. Min-Hyeok, let’s get off the car and take a walk.”

“Sounds good.”

“I guess there should be a huge poi living in this lake, and it must be tall about our height.”

“China has enormously huge land and lakes; I like it. However, the weather could be nasty.”

Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok walked along the lake while enjoying the nice breeze from the lake without saying anything. After a while, Gun-Ho grabbed Min-Hyeok’s hand.

“Min-Hyeok, I know you are having a hard time here by yourself.”

“No, it’s okay. I work as a president here because of you, and people respect me.”

“How’s your learning the Chinese language going?”

“It doesn’t improve as fast as I want it to. I study with the interpreter—Eun-Hwa Jo every day, but I guess it will take time.”

“You don’t have any problem going to a restaurant or buying food by yourself, right?”

“Yeah, I can do that. I actually took the Chinese Proficiency Test—HSK last time as Eun-Hwa Jo suggested, and I passed the level 4.”

“Oh, really? Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?”

“I wanted to pass the level 6 before telling you. Level 4 is not high enough to show off.”

“Level 4 is high enough; you should be proud of yourself, given the fact that you haven’t been in China for not that long.”

Gun-Ho held Min-Hyeok’s hand tightly.

“I sometimes feel so sorry to you that maybe I shouldn’t have sent you to China. Let’s endure for some more time. We will see a bright day someday.”

“Thank you, Gun-Ho. I’m not sure if I can be of help here. I just don’t impose.”

“Min-Hyeok, I absolutely need you. You, the son of a bus driver, and I, the son of a manual labor worker, we both were born to a poor family. And we both have been through a lot. Moreover, you had worked in a quality assurance department. So, I was thinking you were the perfect person for the position that you are in right now.”

“I am still not sure if I am good enough for the position.”

“Min-Hyeok, you will be actually doing way bigger work in the near future with me. Even though you are currently managing the rental business in this industrial park, you and I will move forward and work in a bigger world.”

“Do you think I can handle it?”

“Min-Hyeok, my dream is to own a manufacturing company. I don’t have money and I am not very smart, so, I don’t think I can compete with smart or talented people in the IT field or in the entertainment business. However, I want to have a gigantic manufacturing company.”

“I see. That’s your dream.”

“And I want to have the same-sized factory in China too. So I do absolutely need you.”

Min-Hyeok quietly let go of Gun-Ho’s hand and looked at his face closely.

“Gun-Ho, my friend, I do admire you. I don’t understand how you made that much money and started your own company at your age. Our friends told me that you made money in a real estate investment in China, but that doesn’t make sense to me either. In order to invest in real estate, you need seed money in the first place. Well, I think you are great and I admire you.”

Gun-Ho recoiled when Min-Hyeok mentioned about the seed money, and wanted to tell him that,

‘My friend, Min-Hyeok, I made my seed money in a way that I am not proud of. Min-Hyeok, since you are in China, you might want to invest in real estate as well just like I did; however, the difference between you and me is that you don’t have seed money to start with. The gap between the rich and the poor starts with the existence of the seed money. In this harsh reality, that seed money I made, as a person who was born to a poor family, is soaked with my bloody tears. Min-Hyeok who has a pure and clean heart just like the water of Yangcheng, don’t follow in my footsteps.’