Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

While Jae-Sik was having a terminal tour guided by the president of the terminal, Gun-Ho had a cup of tea at the president’s office.

After about 30 minutes, Jae-Sik Moon, the president of the terminal, and the planning manager came back to the office from the tour.

“How was the tour?”

“It was good. This terminal reminded me of the terminal I remember from my childhood, the facility itself, and also the buses as well.”

Gun-Ho said to the terminal’s president—Runsheng Yan, “I think we’d better discuss our business tomorrow. We’d like to take a rest at the hotel today since we feel so tired due to the long flight.”

“Of course. We made a reservation for your rooms at the hotel. I agree that you’d better take a good rest today. You must be exhausted.”

“Thank you.”

“A meeting has been set up for 10 o’clock tomorrow morning. The Chinese representatives will be there too. We will pick you up at your hotel at 9:30 am.”

“The director of the transportation department and the deputy mayor won’t attend the meeting, will they?”

“No, because the parties for the joint venture are you—GH companies’ president—and myself—Antang City terminal’s president. We are an entity with several businesses including two terminals, three passenger transportation companies, and two freight transportation companies.

“I guess that the director of the transportation department and the deputy mayor will join us once the meeting ends.”

“That’s right. If we don’t reach an agreement during the meeting, they won’t show up, but if the meeting results in forming a joint venture, they will join us for signing the letter of intent. However, since you are here, they will join you later to meet with you no matter what happens during the meeting.”

“I see.”

Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik were heading to the hotel that the terminal’s president reserved for them. Jae-Sik asked, “Are we expecting to have an intense and heated discussion tomorrow?”

“Not necessarily. The important terms and conditions of the project were already in the business plan that I had reviewed. We will just need to verify a few things before signing the letter of intent. After I and the terminal’s president signed the letter of intent, everyone in the room including the director of the transportation department will stand behind us and take a picture.”

“I’ve seen a picture like that in a newspaper before.”

“I’ve done it several times. I did it when I participated in building the Jinxi Industrial Complex in Jiangsu Province, and also when I opened Dyeon Korea with Lymondell Dyeon. The procedure is all the same.”

“I’m worried. You speak Chinese fluently but I can’t. I’m worried that I would be a burden to you. If you were not here with me, I wouldn’t be able to do anything by myself. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You will learn the Chinese language in no time.”

“I guess I will have to keep looking at your face during the meeting tomorrow.”

“I think we will have an interpreter tomorrow.”

“An interpreter? You said that Korean Chinese people are reluctant to come to this area.”

“I believe they will prepare one for us. They will probably bring a government employee for the job. It’s a joint venture with a company that is owned by the government. I think they will find someone who could interpret for us.”

“Really? You think they have someone who could speak Korean in the government?”

“It could be a Korean Chinese or a Chinese who could speak Korean. If the person is Chinese, he or she must have previously studied in South Korea or even in North Korea; some people go to Kim Il-Sung University in Pyongyang, North Korea.”

“Kim-Il Sung University?”

“We will find out tomorrow.”

While in the car heading to the hotel, Jae-Sik Moon was looking outside the window.

“There are a lot of high-rise buildings.”

“The east area is richer than this area, but this area is vigorously developing right now.”

“Some people are wearing weird hats.”

“They must be ethnic minorities.”

“Is there no traffic light? People are just crossing the road without stopping.”

“It seems that they have now enough traffic requiring traffic lights and median strips. We will see.”

“There are so many people on the street. What do these people do for a living? Huh? There is a KFC as well.”

“That’s right. I guess they have what they need to have.”

“Do you see the Nike store over there?”

“Yeah. I think you will find everything you need here.”

When he arrived at the hotel, Gun-Ho lied down on the bed right away. He felt so tired. On the other hand, Jae-Sik Moon walked out of the hotel and walked on the street. He tried several stores, went to a hidden alley, and also he tried some street food like a pancake as well.

Jae-Sik, who was a literary man, seemed to enjoy the old feelings in a Chinese traditional market, stores, and a shabby alley. He walked around the street until late at night without feeling tired.

“Where did you go? I was waiting for you. Let’s go eat.”

“I just walked around the traditional market and hidden alleys. It’s an interesting town.”

“I guess you really like this place.”

“Who knows? Maybe I used to live here in my previous life like 500 years ago.”

“I’m so tired today. I don’t think I can go out to eat. Let’s just have dinner at the hotel. I saw a restaurant on the second floor. Let’s have a glass of wine too.”

“Sounds good.”

The next morning at 9:30 am, an Audi arrived at the hotel to pick up Gun-Ho’s party. It was sent by the terminal’s president. The office manager lady, who had picked up Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik at the airport yesterday, came with the car as well.

“Did you have a good sleep, sir?”

“Yes, we had a very relaxed night. Thank you for picking a nice hotel for us.”

While in the car, Gun-Ho realized that they were not heading to the terminal.

“Where are we going?”

“We are heading to the head office of the terminal company.”

“Oh, I thought the head office was in the terminal.”

“No, it’s in a separate location.”

“Hmm, really?”

The head office was situated in a large building on its second floor. There were no commercial stores in the building, and the transportation company occupied the entire first and second floors. Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik were led to a meeting room, rather than a president’s office.

When Gun-Ho entered the meeting room, there were President Runsheng Yan and Planning Manager Chun Chang waiting for them.

“Please come in and have a seat. Did you have a good time?”

“Yes, we had a good rest last night. So, this is the head office, huh?”

“Yes, it is. The office here oversees all business activities of two terminals, three intercity bus services, two freight transportation companies, and one auto repair shop for trucks, and three gas stations.”

“I see.”

The planning manager handed a pamphlet to Gun-Ho and Jae-Sik. The design of the pamphlet was not so dramatic, but it had everything that President Yan mentioned earlier. On the table, there were the national flags of two countries—Korean flag and the Chinese red flag with five stars.

“The four of us will discuss the business today? You—Mr. President Yan, Mr. Planning Manager, and us.”

“An interpreter will be here since this is a formal meeting with our potential business partner from a foreign country. Also, Ms. Office Manager will stay with us to record the meeting.”

The office manager lady brought tea for everyone in the room. There were large tea leaves floating in the cup, and Gun-Ho blew them away before sipping his tea.