Chapter 94
Gun-Ho, Professor Wang, Deputy Mayor Li, and Attorney Kim started their second wine bottle at the Italian food restaurant, Porchetta . Gun-Ho ordered additional seafood salad and snacks that went well with the wine . Gun-Ho and Attorney Kim didn't drink more than one glass of wine since they had to drive . Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li enjoyed the wine mostly .
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While Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li were talking to each other in Chinese southern area dialect, Gun-Ho conversed with Attorney Kim in the Korean language .
"How do you usually spend your time on Sundays then? Do you go mountain climbing maybe?"
"I don't do mountain climbing . I sometimes play golf through the field . Why don't you join me in golf, President Goo? Do you like playing golf?"
"Golf? Umm, I… I am not good at golf . "
Gun-Ho had never played golf before . He just didn't have the opportunity, time and money to play it . He had been busy in making money by working at a factory or running a restaurant .
Attorney Kim asked Professor Wang .
"Hey, Professor Wang . Do you play golf in China?"
"I don't have anyone to go with to play golf . "
"Let's play golf together in China someday . It would be nice to play with you guys . "
"Deputy Mayor Li is not a good golf player . I'm sure President Goo is playing very well . "
"Huh? Me? I'm… I'm not good at it either . "
Gun-Ho remembered that the branch manager of the stockbroking firm once suggested Gun-Ho a round of golf . Once again, these friends are talking about golf . Gun-Ho thought he would have to learn it .
"So, are we done here? Let's move to another place . I know a good place in Itaewon Town . "
"Itaewon? It sounds familiar . I think I saw that word in a tour guide book . I'm in!"
At that moment, Attorney Kim grabbed the restaurant bill and headed to the counter .
"No . I will pay for dinner . "
"No, I want to treat you . I will have to say bye here though because I have to get up early tomorrow morning for work . I won't be able to join you for the second round this evening . Instead, I will pay for this bill . "
Attorney Kim insisted on paying the bill for the dinner .
"Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li, I'm sorry that I have to go now . I have an important meeting tomorrow early morning, so I have to work till late tonight . "
"It's okay . We understand . I will see you again later . "
"Okay, then . I'm leaving . I will come to China when I get less busy . Let's have a round of golf . "
"Sure . I will have Deputy Mayor Li practice golf until then . "
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Gun-Ho went down to the underground parking lot with Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li, where his car was parked at .
"Get in . It's my car . "
"Oh, Land Rover! Nice car!"
Gun-Ho's party headed to Itaewon Town .
"Thank you, Gun-Ho . And thank you for volunteering to take me to industrial complexes tomorrow . "
"Why are you going there, by the way?"
"We are developing an industrial complex in Jinxi Town, Kunshan City where I work as a deputy mayor . So, we want to use Korean industrial complex as the benchmark for determining the design, improvement, etc . "
Gun-Ho nodded his head showing that he understood .
Gun-Ho found the bar in Itaewon Town, that Suk-Ho recommended, named 'ArariYo' .
"This area is very popular among foreigners . Look at the pedestrians passing by over there . They are Westerners and African Americans . "
"Oh, I see . "
"Welcome to ArariYo!"
The waiters who were standing at the main entrance of the bar greeted Gun-Ho's party with a loud voice . One of them led Gun-Ho's party to the basement . They passed a long hallway decorated with mirrors on the wall before reaching to the main hall .
They could hear the sound of traditional Korean drums . Gun-Ho looked around; the tables were almost full . In the center of the hall, there was a stage, and a dancer was dancing there . People at the tables around the stage were drinking while watching the performance .
"Kirei! Kirei!" ('beautiful' in Japanese)
Gun-Ho could hear the Japanese language . There might be many Japanese customers here .
Gun-Ho's party sat at a table that the waiter showed . The lighting of the stage was bright while the lighting in the seating area was dim, so people could see the performance on the stage better .
"That's the traditional Korean dance . "
"Oh, really?"
Gun-Ho's table was being set up with fruits, snacks and bottles of beer and the party were enjoying the performance while having beer and snacks . The dancer's dance became intense . She started spinning while dancing with a traditional Korean drum .
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"Kirei! Kirei!"
The Japanese people there seemed to enjoy the performance a lot; they were clapping as the dancer was spinning . Professor Wang looked around the hall .
"I don't see any Chinese tourist here . I only see a lot of Japanese tourists . "
As the sound of the traditional Korean drum became slow, the dancer took off her top . That left her with white underwear . She continued dancing .
"She probably feels hot with all those dancing . "
Deputy Mayor Li said without taking his eyes off the dancing .
The dancer this time took off the underwear and kept dancing naked on top . After a moment, she took off her skirt as well while dancing .
Silence filled the air . Everyone including the Japanese tourists, Professor Wang, and Deputy Mayor Li craned their necks to get a better view of the stage . Gun-Ho could hear swallowing sounds from here and there .
'Hmm, this is why Suk-Ho recommended this bar . It is certainly unique; I give him that . But this is too lewd . ' Gun-Ho thought .
People there were watching the "unique" performance intently without saying a word .
(I am leaving out the description for the rest of the performance . )
Gun-Ho thought he wouldn't be able to drive tonight since he drank a few beers .
"I think I will have to call a paid designated driver . "
"What's that?"
"Oh, it's someone who could drive us to our home for a fee . "
"We could be stopped for a sobriety test on the way at this hour, right?"
"Yeah . If you get caught, the fine is extremely high and you could lose your driver's license . "
"I see . We should be very careful . "
Gun-Ho called for a designated paid driver and after a while, the driver was driving Gun-Ho's car heading to Intercontinental hotel to drop off Professor Wang and Deputy Mayor Li .
"Thank you, Gun-Ho for today . We have a wonderful time . "
"I will come to your hotel by 10 am tomorrow to pick up Deputy Mayor Li . Good night . "
The paid designated driver continued to drive heading to Gun-Ho's TowerPalace condo in Dogok Town .
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The next day, Gun-Ho and Deputy Mayor Li were driving to go to an industrial complex .
Gun-Ho asked Deputy Mayor Li who was sitting in the front passenger seat .
"Do you want to go to Asan City or Pyeongtaek City where the national industrial complex is?"
"A national industrial complex? No, I want to see an industrial complex in a small city in the province . "
"Really? How big is your city planning to build an industrial complex?"
"About 1,000 moo . "
"1,000 moo?"
Gun-Ho couldn't quickly understand the size when Deputy Mayor Li gave the size in a Chinese measuring unit .
"How big would that be?"
"It's a bit less than 700,000 ㎡ .
"What? 700,000 ㎡? Then I guess it's well larger than 200,000 pyung . "
Gun-Ho thought that the Asan Techno Valley in Asan City would be a good one to show Deputy Mayor Li . The YS Tech that Gun-Ho had worked before was located close to that industrial park .
"Let's go to Asan City! After visiting the Asan Techno Valley we can stop by Cheonan Industrial Park too . "
They arrived at the Asan Techno Valley .
"Whoa, this is nice . It's sizable . Korea is not a large country in size but their industrial complex that is located even in a province is huge . How large is this?"
Gun-Ho picked up a pamphlet from the management office .
"Wow! 2,980,000 ㎡!"
Deputy Mayor Li was astonished .
Gun-Ho was surprised by its size too . 2,980,000 ㎡ is over 900,000 pyung .
"According to the pamphlet, this complex includes a place to work, a place to live, and a place to relax . So, I guess there are not only factories here but also a residential community and commercial buildings . That's why it is so big . "
"Hmm . "
Seukang Li seemed to be impressed by looking at the factories and the condo community there .
"This is really nice . Very well planned and built . "
Seunkang Li took out a note and wrote down something on it before taking pictures of the complex .
Gun-Ho, next, took Deputy Mayor Li to the Cheonan Industrial Park .
"Gun-Ho, where did you say you worked before?"
"I worked in a plastic factory as an injection molding worker . Did you say you had worked at a hot-rolled carbon steel manufacturer?"
"Yes, but not for a long time though . After about three years of working at the factory, I became the leader of a labor union . So the plastic factory you worked before is around here?"
"No, I had moved location from one factory to another . "
Gun-Ho showed Deputy Mayor Li the third and fourth subdivision within the Cheonan Industrial Park . He then took him to the subdivision for foreign entities .
"Hmm, there is a separate area for foreign entities . "
Seungkang Li diligently wrote something down and took pictures .
"The sign over there says 'Baeksuk Agricultural Industrial Park . '"
"An agricultural industrial park? Let's go see it!"
Deputy Mayor Li seemed to be excited to see an agricultural industrial park . He seemed to think that he could find something useful there, that he could apply to the industrial park that his small city—Kunshan was planning to build .
Once they arrived at Baeksuk Agricultural Industrial Park, Deputy Mayor Li got off the car and looked around it .
"Is there a management office for this agricultural industrial park?"
"A management office?"
Gun-Ho and Deputy Mayor Li went to the management office after Gun-Ho asked someone who was passing by, about the location of it . Luckily, there was a manager in the office at that time .
"How large is this agricultural industrial park?"
"It's 360,000 ㎡"
Gun-Ho was interpreting for Deputy Major Li .
"President Goo, could you ask him how many entities are occupying the park currently?"
"It started with 50 entities, but now there are about 100 entities already in the park . Some of the occupants share the factory building . "
"I guess the land here should be expensive since it is close to the city . "
Deputy Mayor Li talked to himself .