Goblin Library - Chapter 208

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 208.

Oh Myeong-seok, who had been listening to the conversation between Lee Gang-hun and Director Oh, looked at him with wide, astonished eyes.
『You’re building a village?』
『Yes.』
『I thought you were selling houses?』
『When you sell enough houses, they become a village.』
『Well, that’s true, but… wouldn’t you need to prepare a lot of things, starting with the land itself?』
『That’s why I need to move quickly from now on.』
At Lee Gang-hun’s words, Oh Myeong-seok looked at him with a bewildered expression and spoke.
『Did you prepare this in advance?』
『I just thought of it today. Might as well go big while I’m at it.』
『That may be so, but wouldn’t it require a lot of capital?』
『The capital should come from that country’s funds. How could I do all that with our money?』
『Funds from that country?』
『Chinese money, I mean.』
『Chinese money…?』
『Let’s get going.』
Oh Myeong-seok stared blankly at Lee Gang-hun for a moment before starting the car.
Vroom!
As the car pulled away, Oh Myeong-seok spoke while driving.
『You don’t have a good relationship with the Chinese, do you?』
『Not all of them—just some of the disreputable ones.』
『So you’ll use the money from the respectable ones?』
『Money doesn’t have character. Money is money.』
Lee Gang-hun continued with a smile.
『I’m going to expand the operation. Expand it…』

Returning to the office, Lee Gang-hun gathered the employees and began the meeting.
『This project’s goal is to create a neighborhood worth living in.』
『A neighborhood worth living in… You mean going beyond just selling a few houses?』
『Yes.』
As I spoke, I placed tablets one by one in front of the employees. When they received them and looked at the screens, they saw photographs of exotic-looking landscapes.
『The area you’re seeing now is about ten kilometers away from the capital.』
『Is that a lake?』
『That’s correct.』
I nodded and gestured for them to swipe to the next photo, and the employees swiped the images to the side.
『I was originally planning to build a house in the area shown on the map.』
『But now you’re changing it from a house to a village?』
『Yes.』
『Money is the issue. Money is….』
Park Young-il, muttering quietly, looked at me.
『A single house and a village require vastly different amounts of capital.』
『The funding will likely cost more than expected.』
『Really?』
『This area is essentially barren land. While there are some houses nearby, we’d need to build everything from scratch—roads, landscaping, everything.』
『Then… why here? If you’re building houses for the wealthy, there must be better locations available.』
『Every customer I’ve spoken with has been drawn to this lake.』
『The lake?』
『Lakes like this are rare in that country. That’s why they want to live near the lake.』
『A lake… but the surroundings look quite barren, don’t they?』
『That will need to be included in the landscaping as well.』
『Landscaping… the landscaping costs will be substantial. And if it’s a neighborhood for the wealthy, it’ll cost even more.』
Park Young-il, speaking with concern, asked me a question.
『Where will you source the funding?』
『China.』
『China? The same China that’s trying to destroy you?』
『There’s a saying in China that if profit is involved, even enemies will shake hands.』
『Profit… How?』
『Chinese people hold their own culture in high regard.』
『That’s true.』
『Chinese people also tend to view things produced from their own land as the best.』
Park Young-il, wondering why I was suddenly saying such things, looked at me before speaking.
『That’s also true.』
『However….』
I glanced around at the employees and continued.
『Most of the cars driven by wealthy Chinese people are foreign luxury vehicles. BMWs, Teslas, Ferraris—imported cars fill the roads. Not only that, but the successful wealthy people and successful young people featured in Chinese dramas also drive imported cars.』
『That’s… true. Even in dramas, the protagonists and their friends all drive imported cars.』
『To compare it to something, it’s similar to the Bradley Effect.』
The Bradley Effect refers to situations where Black candidates show higher support in pre-election polls than White candidates, yet White candidates win when the actual election takes place.
This outcome occurs because many people outwardly present themselves as non-racist, but vote differently when it comes time to cast their ballot.
Chinese people claim to support Chinese culture and say their own products are the best, but if they have sufficient economic means, they purchase foreign goods instead of Chinese ones—this was the comparison I was making.
『So we’ll take money from them and build the houses they’ll live in.』
『You’re saying we’ll sell houses not to the locals, but to Chinese people?』
『We’ll sell to high-ranking officials of that country as well as to Chinese nationals.』
『That does expand our customer base, which is good… but would Chinese people really buy houses in a foreign country?』
『Most of the Chinese currently staying in that country are living in hotels.』
『So instead of staying in hotels… they’d live in houses?』
Park Young-il’s question prompted me to nod in agreement.
『The construction project in that country won’t be completed in just a year or two. We’re looking at a minimum of five years, and if we consider other business ventures, possibly ten years. They can’t stay in hotels the entire time.』
『That’s true.』
『So there will absolutely be people who want homes to live in.』
『You’d sell to them?』
『We’d sell to them or to the companies they work for. From a company’s perspective, it’s more profitable in the long term to have them purchase homes for accommodation rather than pay for hotel stays for several years.』
Park Young-il paused to consider my words before responding.
『If it works out as planned… that would be ideal, but….』
Park Young-il looked at me.
『Will it work out as planned?』
『Everyone makes plans. The important thing is whether you can actually execute them.』
『Hmm….』
Park Young-il glanced at his tablet before speaking.
『So how much capital do you think we’ll need?』
『We won’t need much capital. Funds sufficient to dispatch a few skilled landscapers and several people with solid construction experience should be enough.』
『That’s all?』
『That’s all.』
『Hmm….』
Park Young-il let out a brief sigh before looking at me.
『But even that much would be a significant sum for us.』
『I can’t deny that initial capital will be required. We’ll need to recruit capable contractors and send them to that country. However, once this business gains momentum, it can flow naturally on its own.』
As I spoke, I reviewed my thoughts while looking at the tablet.
『Of course… the biggest challenge and the core issue is drawing that initial momentum.』
『Right. How we generate that initial momentum is the biggest problem.』
『I’ll spend about a week preparing, then head back to that country.』
『Can you do it in a week?』
『That week is just for basic preparation, not to complete everything. The real work will begin once I’m there.』
『You’ll need considerable preparation before starting the foundation work. Plus, you’ll need to obtain permits from that country’s government.』
『I’m aware.』
I nodded and continued speaking.
『First, the two people I need to prepare most urgently are a prefabricated construction specialist to accompany me abroad, and someone with on-site construction experience.』
『What about other personnel?』
『Since we’re not building it ourselves but working through local contractors, I think we can start with just these two people. And once the business progresses smoothly, we can bring a few more specialists.』
Park Young-il nodded at Lee Gang-hun’s words.
『Then let’s do it that way… Oh Myeong-seok, you handle the backup for headquarters and give it a try.』
『Understood.』
『And transfer the projects Oh Myeong-seok was handling to Manager Jang for now. Since headquarters will need to move again to that country, we’ll need to stay busy while we’re here. Alright, meeting adjourned! Let’s get moving.』
As Park Young-il finished speaking, Lee Gang-hun stood from his seat and looked at Oh Myeong-seok.
『I’m going to the prefabricated construction company, so you…』
Lee Gang-hun pulled out something like an album from his desk. When he opened it, business cards were inserted like photographs.
Lee Gang-hun quickly browsed through the cards and pulled out one, handing it over.
『Contact this person, mention my name, and ask them to introduce someone skilled in on-site work.』
『On-site work?』
『We’re building prefabricated structures, so just ask them to introduce someone who seems capable of doing it well.』
『That’s all I need to do?』
『They’ll understand. Oh! Set up a lunch appointment and meet at a good meat restaurant. That person loves meat.』
『Should we do marinated or plain grilled?』
『Either works.』
『Understood.』
After instructing Oh Myeong-seok, Lee Gang-hun grabbed a company car key and headed toward the parking lot.

***

I descended from the airplane as it touched down at the Chinese Airport. Those who have traveled across multiple countries know this well—each nation’s airport carries its own distinctive scent.
Breathing in the unique fragrance of China, I made my way out of the terminal.
『Inhale! Exhale!』
As I drew in a deep breath of Chinese air, a small cough escaped me.
『The air is still hazy.』
Shaking my head, I pulled a mask from my pocket and fastened it, then turned my steps toward the taxi stand outside the airport.
As I surveyed the row of taxis, several drivers approached me, soliciting for fares.
『Where to?』
『Where are you going?』
『I know Korean. Where to?』
A few of the drivers spoke to me in halting Korean. Remarkably, they had immediately recognized that I was Korean.
Well, one needed that kind of keen eye to earn extra money. With such thoughts, I walked past them without a glance until I found the taxi I wanted.
As I approached, the taxi driver smiled and greeted me.
『Where to?』
To the taxi driver speaking in Chinese, I replied with a smile.
『To the Wang Family Residence.』
At the mention of Wang Family Residence, the taxi driver’s body went rigid.
『Are you a guest of the Wang family?』
『I have an appointment with Wang Hong, the Boss.』
The taxi driver quickly bowed and took my luggage, placing it in the trunk.
The Wang Family Residence was the home of Wang Hong, the Boss, with whom I had a connection.
Wang Hong was the owner of the company this taxi driver worked for and also a high-ranking executive of the Triad.
No wonder the taxi driver was nervous.
Of course, I could have taken a different taxi and still arrived at my destination.
However, doing so might have resulted in taxi drivers unfamiliar with Wang Hong taking a roundabout route or overcharging me, causing trouble. So I deliberately chose a taxi from Wang Hong’s company.
After boarding the taxi, I soon arrived at a mansion in an alley of Shanghai.
Unlike the refined buildings surrounding it, this was a structure built in traditional Chinese style.
As I stepped out of the taxi and pulled out money to hand to the driver, he quickly shook his head.
『No, no. If you are a guest of the great Master Wang, then you are my guest as well.』
Smiling, the driver retrieved my luggage from the trunk and set it down.
『No, I took your car precisely because I didn’t want to risk an unreliable taxi. Here is the fare.』
I pressed the fare into the hands of the driver, who was reluctant to accept it, then picked up my luggage and approached the Wang Family Residence.
I knocked on the door of the Wang Family Residence.
Knock, knock, knock!
As I knocked loudly, an elderly man opened the door.
『Master Lee.』
The old man greeted me warmly with a fist salute, and I returned the gesture with a smile.
『It gladdens my heart to see that Master Jang remains as vigorous as ever.』
『Age has caught up with me, so I cannot claim such vigor. The great Master Wang awaits you inside.』
At the old man’s words, I nodded and opened my carry-on. From it, I withdrew a box and handed it to him.
“It’s red ginseng. I prepared it so you may enjoy good health for many years to come.”
“Haha! Thank you so much.”
The elderly man accepted the box of red ginseng with a smile and stepped inside, with Lee Gang-hun following close behind.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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