Goblin Library - Chapter 80

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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 80

It was past eight in the evening when Lee Gang-hun entered a Korean Traditional Restaurant in Seoul with Oh Myeong-seok.
『I’m not sure if I should even be here,』 Oh Myeong-seok said uncertainly.
Lee Gang-hun replied to his hesitant words.
『You know I didn’t bring you here just to eat, right?』
『Yes, I understand.』
『Then why do you think I brought you?』
『For practical experience?』
Lee Gang-hun nodded.
『Eventually, you’ll meet business partners alone and negotiate contracts yourself. That’s why I brought you along—to gain experience. Keep your thoughts to yourself and just listen and observe. And…』
Lee Gang-hun’s expression softened slightly.
『Enjoy the meal.』
『Understood.』
Lee Gang-hun nodded at Oh Myeong-seok’s spirited reply and spoke as they entered the Korean Traditional Restaurant.
『There’s one thing you must always remember when meeting a partner.』
Oh Myeong-seok focused intently on his words.
『Even though we smile and talk pleasantly, both sides are conducting business for profit. So you must verify any favorable terms the other party offers—check them two, three times over. If the conditions are good for us, they’re equally disadvantageous for them. No businessman would propose such terms for a deal.』
『I understand.』
『Conversely, if the terms are unfavorable, you need to verify them even more carefully.』
After finishing his advice, Lee Gang-hun gave his name to the Korean Traditional Restaurant employee, who guided them to a reserved room.
*Whoosh*
As Lee Gang-hun slid open the sliding door smoothly, he could see a man who appeared to be in his fifties seated inside the room.
『President Kang, it’s been a long time.』
Lee Gang-hun entered the room with a smile and bowed lightly, whereupon Kang Chung-shik, the president of Osung Manufacturing, rose with a smile and gestured to the seats.
『It really has been ages. Please, sit.』
Seeing Lee Gang-hun smile and take his seat, Oh Myeong-seok quietly sat beside him.
『And who is this gentleman?』
『A colleague I work with. Since it looks like we’ll be seeing each other often going forward, I brought him to introduce himself. Please allow me to introduce him.』
At Lee Gang-hun’s words, Oh Myeong-seok quickly stood from his seat, pulled out his business card, and offered it.
『I’m Oh Myeong-seok!』
Impressed by Oh Myeong-seok’s spirited greeting, Kang Chung-shik smiled, exchanged business cards, and spoke.
『I’m Kang Chung-shik, running a small manufacturing company.』
『I look forward to working with you.』
『Haha! I should be the one looking forward to it. If business goes well, you’ll be the one selling our products going forward.』
After the introductions, Kang Chung-shik handed over the menu and spoke.
『We have a plum and orchid soup course here—the meat course is excellent if you prefer beef, and the seafood soup is wonderful if you prefer seafood.』
『Beef would be preferable.』
『Then let’s go with the meat course, the Mairan course.』
Kang Chung-shik called over a Factory Employee and ordered the Mairan course as he spoke.
『Before the main dishes arrive, please bring out some simple side dishes first, and four bottles of soju.』
Oh Myeong-seok was startled by the order of four bottles of soju before they’d even begun eating, and he looked at Kang Chung-shik.
Noticing his gaze, Kang Chung-shik laughed and spoke.
『When businessmen want to become close and loosen their tongues, there’s nothing quite like alcohol.』
『That’s true.』
Shortly after, the Factory Employee set out the side dishes and placed four bottles of soju on the table, then spoke.
『The main courses will take about ten minutes.』
『That’s fine.』
Once the Factory Employee left, Kang Chung-shik poured soju and offered it.
『Come now, let’s toast to our meeting with the first round.』
Lee Gang-hun and Oh Myeong-seok each received a glass of soju in turn. Then Lee Gang-hun took a bottle and poured soju into Kang Chung-shik’s glass.
『Let’s have a drink.』
『Of course.』
The three of them drank a light round of soju. Kang Chung-shik picked up a piece of kimchi and put it in his mouth.
He chewed it with a crisp, crunching sound and spoke.
『The kimchi here is excellent. You should try it too, Myeong-seok. They really know how to prepare food here.』
『Yes.』
Oh Myeong-seok looked over the dishes and put some japchae into his mouth.
『It does taste good.』
After they ate the ordered food, and when the four bottles of soju were nearly empty, Kang Chung-shik quietly opened his mouth.
『It seems we’ve eaten enough. Shall we talk about business now?』
Originally, I had been waiting for Lee Gang-hun to bring up business first, but since we were only exchanging idle chatter about politics and such while drinking, I decided to broach the subject before becoming too intoxicated.
『Of course.』
Lee Gang-hun answered and pressed the bell. When the Factory Employee came, Lee Gang-hun spoke.
『Please bring three glasses of ice water and three cold wet towels.』
The Factory Employee left and returned with three cups of water filled with ice and wet towels. Lee Gang-hun distributed the towels and cups one each, then drank the water from his cup.
After drinking the cold water and wiping his face with the wet towel, Oh Myeong-seok followed suit. Watching the two of them, Kang Chung-shik laughed and spoke.
『This routine is always the same, isn’t it?』
『It does help clear the mind somewhat.』
Drinking cold water while the alcohol was in full effect and wiping one’s face with a cold towel did help sharpen one’s senses to some degree.
But that wasn’t the only reason for doing it. When meeting for business and drinking, there were always people who would say foolish things.
They would try to slip something past you once the atmosphere loosened from the alcohol.
So even though I had drunk, I didn’t let my mind slip enough to fall for such nonsense, and this action was meant to show that I conducted business discussions with a clear head.
Watching Lee Gang-hun, Kang Chung-shik chuckled and followed suit, drinking cold water and wiping his face and neck with the cold wet towel.
『It certainly does feel refreshing this way.』
『Then let’s begin.』
At Lee Gang-hun’s words, Kang Chung-shik pulled out a document file from the briefcase beside him and handed it over.
『The work itself is something I’ve always done. However, this time I’m looking to expand into a new country, so I need a Company that can break through there.』
『That’s what we do.』
With those words, Lee Gang-hun accepted the document file. After carefully reviewing its contents for quite some time, he returned the file to Kang Chung-shik.
『The item itself is solid. I’ve also heard there’s been a lot of construction in that country lately.』
『Chinese capital has been pouring in, and they’re actively flipping land and constructing buildings there.』
『Hmm… but when Chinese capital enters a country, Chinese technology and goods typically follow, so what you’re trying to sell will likely overlap with theirs.』
『Exactly. If we could just sell it, we’d move a tremendous volume… but since these are Chinese-funded projects, most components are already being supplied by Chinese companies.』
『It won’t be easy then. And the inventory of prepared components is quite substantial as well.』
At Lee Gang-hun’s comment about the difficulty, Kang Chung-shik laughed and spoke.
『Still, our products are superior. From what I hear, Chinese products have high defect rates and frequent damage. And here’s a comparison between their Chinese products and ours….』
Kang Chung-shik pulled out another document and handed it over. It was comparative data on products from both companies.
『I see. The defect rate on the Chinese side is definitely higher.』
『The prices are similar, but with that defect rate, their products are effectively three times more expensive than ours. While one of our units lasts, they need three over there, plus you’re paying labor and time for repairs.』
『It probably isn’t quite that extreme, but… in any case, setting that aside….』
Lee Gang-hun spoke while reviewing the file.
『What are the contract terms?』
At Lee Gang-hun’s question, Kang Chung-shik laughed and countered.
『Shouldn’t we review the business first before discussing terms?』
『Fortunately, this is a field I’m familiar with, and I have contacts there. So the business should be feasible.』
『Hmm… you’re answering too easily, it seems….』
As Kang Chung-shik crossed his arms with a skeptical expression, Lee Gang-hun spoke.
『I know President Kang is the type who taps a stone bridge hard enough to break it before crossing. If someone like you came to me, it means you’ve already been turned down by several other places.』
At Lee Gang-hun’s words, Kang Chung-shik’s expression stiffened slightly. Seeing this, Lee Gang-hun continued.
『There are probably multiple reasons for the rejections, but it’s likely they were concerned about Chinese sensibilities when trying to insert Korean products into Chinese-funded projects. For large companies handling multiple businesses, Chinese guanxi could become problematic. And your products don’t have enough merit to ignore such guanxi.』
Guanxi is a Chinese term meaning relationships, but it had solidified into a uniquely Chinese cultural concept beyond its literal meaning. Chinese people consider this concept of guanxi extremely important—to the point where they won’t do business unless introduced by someone with whom they have guanxi.
This is why business with China is sometimes called guanxi trade. Guanxi plays such a significant role.
And since guanxi cannot be one-sided, both parties end up taking losses and gains. But getting involved in Chinese business like this could result in seriously damaging relationships with them.
『That’s why you came to me, isn’t it?』
At Lee Gang-hun’s blunt, direct words, Kang Chung-shik poured himself a glass of soju, drank it, and spoke.
『How about this reason instead—I want to help Manager Lee. That would look better and be better for our relationship.』
『I wish that were the case.』
Kang Chung-shik watched Lee Gang-hun answer with a smile, then smacked his lips and spoke.
『You certainly were skilled, Manager Lee.』
Then, with a more serious tone, he asked.
『But Manager Lee, you could potentially damage your Chinese guanxi with this. Can you take on this job?』
『The guanxi I personally have isn’t in this field, so it’s fine. As long as it doesn’t affect their interests, they won’t make an issue of it—that’s how guanxi works over there. And as President Kang knows, I’ve left the company, so immediate opportunities in front of me are more important than what I might eat ten years from now.』
After hearing Lee Gang-hun’s answer, Kang Chung-shik looked at him and asked.
『Can the business be done?』
『I’ll need to do another review once I’m there, but I still have connections in that region. There will be some issues, certainly… but those are things we’ll need to resolve. What matters is… our profit margin.』
Lee Gang-hun pulled out a notebook and pen from his pocket and handed them to Kang Chung-shik.
Kang Chung-shik accepted the notebook and pen, looked at him silently for a moment, then wrote down a figure and slid it across.
“What do you think?”
Lee Gang-hun checked the figures written in his notebook and extended it again.
“Since this was your initial proposal, I’m willing to overlook it.”
Kang Chung-shik responded to Lee Gang-hun’s implicit suggestion to revise the numbers.
“It’s our first transaction, so we have our own risks to consider… If things go well, I’ll make sure to compensate you better next time.”
A brief silence fell, and Lee Gang-hun spoke.
“I trust President Kang.”
“Then…”
“But business is business. If we work based on the profits written in this notebook, we won’t even cover our labor costs.”
“Come now, it’s not that low…”
Lee Gang-hun observed Kang Chung-shik quietly as he insisted the figures weren’t that meager.
“…”
Seeing Lee Gang-hun’s silence, Kang Chung-shik sighed and spoke.
“I hear your business is doing quite well these days, Manager Lee… Are you already in a position to pick and choose which jobs to take?”
“I want to earn what I deserve for the work I do. You don’t drink seawater just because you’re thirsty.”
Lee Gang-hun paused briefly before continuing.
“And once we accept work at these margins, my company will be known for accepting such terms going forward. I want my company to gain a reputation for doing quality work despite its size—not for being cheap and easy to hire.”
With that, Lee Gang-hun picked up the bill folder beside him.
For a moment, the two men locked eyes.
Lee Gang-hun held the bill folder while Kang Chung-shik held the notebook….

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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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