"Hello?"
Hyunwoo picked up the phone. As if he was strained, Hyunwoo's voice seemed to tremble.
On the other hand, Kwon's voice was calm, just like damp cotton blankets in the rainy season.
"Is this Mr. Jang Hyunwoo?"
"Yes, sir. It's been a long time since we talked."
Hyunwoo brightened his voice as much as he could.
However, Kwon brought up the main topic right away.
"You mentioned the business in Vietnam the other day. Did you hire someone?"
"No, not yet, sir."
Hyunwoo answered quickly, but Kwon didn't say anything for some time even after hearing Hyunwoo's reply, and he then resumed with difficulty, "Then, let me to Vietnam."
Hyunwoo's face was lit up.
Suppressing his excitement, he said, "Would you do so? Thanks so much. I will do my best to make sure your life in Vietnam is not uncomfortable."
"Thanks. By the way, I have one favor to ask of you."
"Yes, please."
"I will go there with my family. Can I?"
Of course.
When Hyunwoo talked with Kwon, Hyunwoo already had that in mind. In his judgment, Kwon's family needed a new life in Vietnam more than Na Sungji needed his skills at his factory.
What was Kwon's biggest wish these days?
It was no other than his son's remarriage. He wished for his son to meet a good woman and have a family. There would be nothing happier for Kwon than holding his grandchildren in his hands.
Kwon Jungsu had the same wishes. What he needed most was not money. He needed something like a strong prop whenever he found his life hard, and he needed a wife for this.
Also, his mother needed a new start in her life, too. In other words, she needed to gain her confidence and recover her lifestyle of yesteryears. In that respect, Vietnam offered an ideal environment for her. Though she would feel lonely because she doesn't know the language and doesn't have friends, she would still not feel compelled to confine herself to home like now.
Hyunwoo replied strongly,
"Of course, you should. Please let me know as soon as you get the passports and visas. I'll find a house there and wait for you in the meantime."
"Sure, I'll get back to you soon."
After the call, Hyunwoo clenched his fist and explaimed,
"Wow!"
Listening to him quietly, Min opened her eyes wide and said,
"What happened? What do you mean you're finding a house in Vietnam?"
"Something is going on now. You'll come to know about it soon."
Hyunwoo grinned at her and then visited the customs office as planned.
Ansan Customs Office was divided into the customs clearance support team and customs duty examination team. The atmosphere of the two teams was different despite their presence in the same building. While the customs duty examination team was noisy but warm, the customs clearance team was businesslike, making it rather hard to get access to.
Nonetheless, when Min Suji entered the office, everybody raised their heads, showing interest in her. When Hyunwoo said she was a colleague at the purchasing team, they treated her well.
"Mr. Yuk, what are you doing? On an occasion like this, a single man like you should treat her to a cup of coffee."
The staff was prodding Yuk, a public servant with the rank of 6th grade. Though single, he looked old enough and unmarried.
"You said Min Suji, right? Do you have a boyfriend?"
Min had a good sense of humor, and she knew how to behave at the customs office.
"No, not yet…"
"Great. Mr Yuk is still unmarried. As a matter of fact, there is no better candidate as a bride than a public servant these days. Don't you think so?"
"Oh, you're right."
"If you have any trouble, consult with Mr. Yuk. He is the expert on import and export stuff."
"Thank you."
Though Hyunwoo looked like a fish out of water, he was still satisfied, for he found out how to make use of the customs clearance team in the future.
Coming out of the office, Hyunwoo tapped her on the shoulder and said,
"Nice job. Your beauty paid off."
"Oh, don't say that."
"By the way, is it true Yuk is thirty five years old?"
"How can a public servant lie?"
"Looks like he has got a crush on you."
"He looks like a good man but seems older than his age. I know a sister who can be a good match for him. I'm thinking of whether to introduce her or not."
"Oh, that's great! Ha ha ha."
The team manager's face lit up.
"Oh, really? Bring me the report."
Hyunwoo gave it to the manager. Reviewing it, the manager's jaws were dropping.
"How much is it then?"
"If things work out as planned, we could save 100,000 dollars in the unit price, and 36000 dollars in customs duty every year."
"Are you sure? We can't afford to see the situation reversed like before."
"I've done reviewed it several times. I'm 100% certain," Hyunwoo said with confidence, and he then added cautiously, "By the way, I have one favor to ask of you."
"What is it? Tell me."
"Right now, I'm trying to find out how to improve the quality of castors at the N&C Factor in Vietnam. In my opinion, their samples could pass our quality standard within three months. Can you ask the president to conduct another review in three months?"
The manager couldn't help but keep smiling. As a matter of fact, that could not be called a 'favor.'
The castor had the most weighted ratio among all the import parts. If that part could be replaced with a Vietnamese part, that would increase the savings of the unit price.
Also, the president would be very happy to hear that, too.
This was a golden opportunity for the manager to take credit for himself with Hyunwoo's idea.
"Okay, let me persuade the president by all means. Come with me to see him now."
"Got it."
Both of them went to the president's office.
The manager asked the president for another test review of the castor, and he okayed it gladly.
However, the president seemed to have a broader perspective on the matter.
"How can you improve the quality of the castor?"
Hyunwoo had no reason to hide the secret. He told the whole truth.
"Do you happen to know Uri Precision Inc.?"
"Uri Precision? Of course."
The president's eyebrows narrowed. It was the company that went bankrupt when Aurum stopped purchasing its parts.
"I've arranged for the president of Uri Precision to go to Vietnam because he has the necessary skill."
Then, the president's eyes opened wide. In fact, he knew a lot more about Uri Precision. Though it went bankrupt because it put skill before the unit price, it was the top in terms of its expertise in producing castors.
"Can you explain more?" asked the president.
Hyunwoo hesitated a bit because it involved Kwon Sangtaek's personal matter. If Hyunwoo had to tell him about it, he would have to reveal the shameful lives about Kwon Sangtaek's family members. Though the president asked for his explanation, Hyunwoo thought it was not proper to tell about him without his consent. Of course, Kwon would not consent it.
"I chased after him for several days to persuade him."
"How?"
"If I have to tell you about it, I have to reveal his private personal affairs, too. I am sorry to say this, but I don't think that is right. What is certain is that he thinks of Vietnam as a new starting ground. He will be a big help to our company."
Hyunwoo made the remarks cautiously, but the president was not persuaded.
"I know it is not right to talk about his personal affairs, but when it involves our business, it's different. I have to get your explanation on that."
Because the president mentioned business, Hyunwoo had no other choice but to reveal the story, for he seemed to know what the president was concerned about. It was Kwon's revenge.
To clear his suspicion, Hyunwoo could not help but reveal the inside story of the Kwon family.
"As a matter of fact …."
Hyunwoo told the whole story, including the issues of Kwon Jungsu's marriage and Kwon Sangtaek's wife. To solve the problem, Vietnam was the best place for them.
Listening to Hyunwoo's explanation prudently, the president nodded his head and said,
"I think I can trust you then. Don't you think you have to go to Vietnam again? This time, go there with a team."
"Yes, sir. I'll make a report to you after forming a team."
Back to the office, the manager left the Vietnam business trip in his hands.
"Hyunwoo, you select the members of the team you want to form for your business trip to Vietnam."
"Do I?" asked Hyunwoo, surprised at his suggestion. But he, too, was expecting it.
Of course, the manager would like to include Yongggu in the team. Though he was supporting Hyunwoo these days, he believed that Yonggu was still the core member of the purchasing team, so he wanted to give Yonggu a chance. Because he knew Yonggu was on bad terms with Hyunwoo, he couldn't pick Yonggu as a member of the Vietnam team. That was why he left it in Hyunwoo's hands.
Anticipating it, Hyunwoo had been thinking it over for several days.
He didn't agonize over who he had to go with. In his heart, he had already decided that he would go with Yonggu. However, the heart of his agony was what to do in Vietnam. It was Hyunwoo's goal to make Yonggu his ally, not enemy, during this business trip. What if his goal failed? Then either Hyunwoo or Yonggu would have to leave Aurum. In other words, this would be the last chance Hyunwoo offered Yonggu.
The team manager nodded his head, saying, "Absolutely. As you initiated, you should be responsible for carrying it out to the end."
Hyunwoo looked around the team members.
Everybody focused their eyes on Hyunwoo, as if each of them earnestly wanted to be selected for the Vietnam team. Min Suji was no exception. She signaled her glittering eyes at him. She didn't seem to think that she would go there only with Hyunwoo if selected.
But the other two thought differently. One of them was Oh Sangho, and the other was Yonggu, the core member of the purchasing team. As a graduate of an elite college in the United States, Oh could not think of being sidelined as a member of Hyunwoo's team. On the other hand, Yonggu wanted to be selected. Wasn't this a project with a guaranteed performance worth more than 100 million won? Joining the team itself could get him a lot of recognition, but he didn't expect him to choose him, thinking, No chance he will select me.
Though it was regrettable, that was reality.
In the meantime, Hyunwoo pointed his finger toward someone he had in mind. His finger was pointing at Yonggu, who fixed his eyes on the files on his desk.
"I think assistant manager Kim Yonggu is the right fit for this job."
Yonggu opened his eyes wide.
'What? Did he call my name?'
He could not believe it. He thought he heard him incorrectly.
Yonggu raised his head and looked at Hyunwoo. Putting down his finger, he was looking at Yonggu. Other members were also looking at him, all with envy.
Only then did Yoggu ask, pointing his finger at himself, "Me?"