Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

It was Monday.

The office workers seemed to be satisfied with their new office. It was clean and luxurious. They walked around the office carefully not to damage anything. The production field looked good too. It was organized better than the one in the Asan factory.

Gun-Ho had the first meeting with managers and directors at the new building in Jiksan Town.

“How many employees did we lose due to the moving? I understand that there are some workers who said they wouldn’t be able to commute to our new location.”

“We have all of the office workers, but many of lady workers in the production field quit the job. We lost about 30 workers from the production field only.”

“It shouldn’t cause any problem to the production. Please post a job advertisement to fill the vacant positions immediately. We will have to encourage younger people to apply for the jobs, so please list the benefits we could provide them with the job posting.”

“Yes, sir. We will state that we provide lunch, commuter shuttle, a bonus of 400%, and financial aid for their children, etc.”

“Director Yoon, you can start demolishing the factory in Asan City.”

“The factory in Asan City?”

“Yes.”

“The Asan factory is old, but it still can be used. We don’t have to demolish it. Why don’t we just remodel it instead?”

“No, tear it down please.”

“Umm, okay, sir.”

“In Asan City, we will build a new factory that would look exactly the same as the factory here. That factory will be used for a joint venture with Lymondell Dyeon once it is confirmed.”

“Did you say a joint venture, sir?”

“It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Lymondell Dyeon is reviewing our application to do a joint venture with them.”

When the meeting was over, Gun-Ho received a call again from his family. They said they set up the meeting with that elementary school teacher for this coming Saturday. Gun-Ho’s mother added,

“I decided to make you marry someone by the end of this year.”

After mother, Gun-Ho’s sister called. She gave Gun-Ho the place where Gun-Ho was supposed to meet with the girl.

“You will have to come to the café at Ramada Songdo Hotel this Saturday at 2 pm. The school teacher lady will be there. You should come without question, okay?”

Gun-Ho didn’t know what to say, but he felt curious at the same time.

“Who knows? Maybe I will meet a lady who I’ve always dreamt about.”

Gun-Ho didn’t want to upset his family, so he said yes that he would come to see the girl. Gun-Ho thought that he would have to meet Chairman Lee after he met with the elementary school teacher.

Two books written by Japanese authors were published by GH Media. These books were about self-development. President Jeong-Sook Shin sent these two books to Gun-Ho’s office.

They were thin books with about 250 pages.

“Who would read a book like this?”

Gun-Ho called for an accounting manager; she was a lady who Gun-Ho thought might be interested in reading a book like this.

“We just published this book by GH Media. Who do you think would buy this kind of book to read?”

“Wow, it’s a new book. It’s still warm.”

The accounting manager smelled the book.

“People prefer to read a thin book like this these days. If a book is thick, they don’t want to even pick it up from a bookshelf.”

“Really?”

“Can I try it first?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

The accounting manager seemed to be excited to take the book with her.

It was Saturday.

Gun-Ho drove to Ramada Songdo Hotel in Incheon. There were three ladies sitting at the café while waiting for Gun-Ho.

“Hey, Gun-Ho, over here.”

Gun-Ho’s sister recognized Gun-Ho first. There were two other ladies sitting with his sister; one was in her 40s and the other one was in her late 20s or early 30s. Gun-Ho could know intuitively that the lady in her 40s was Jeong-Ah’s homeroom teacher and the other younger lady was the one who Gun-Ho was supposed to meet with.

“Hello.”

“How’s traffic? Please have a seat here. This is the lady I was talking about.”

The older lady made such a fuss.

“Oh, you look so handsome. I was wondering who would be that good-looking man entering the café, and it was the person we were supposed to meet here.”

Gun-Ho’s sister seemed to get her hair done for today, and she was wearing a very colorful outfit. She certainly looked different than those days when she worked at a factory with depressed face. She looked more like a lady from a loyal family. Money did some magic.

The young lady in her early 30s looked up to Gun-Ho quietly. Gun-Ho was looking down at her while still standing. She didn’t look very attractive to him.

Gun-Ho’s sister introduced two ladies to Gun-Ho.

“This is Jeong-Ah’s homeroom teacher, and this lady here is the one who I talked to you about. She graduated from Gyeongin National University of Education. She is very popular in school. Students love her.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Gun-Ho said placidly.

Jeong-Ah’s homeroom teacher said,

“Your brother looks different from you. I thought he was a movie star. Sir, you are running your own business, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“What sort of business do you have? I’ve heard from your sister that you have an auto parts factory.”

Gun-Ho’s sister stopped her there.

“Let’s stop here. We’d better let them talk to each other alone.”

“Oh, that’s right. Haha. I just wanted to get to know him. He is so handsome.”

Jeong-Ah’s homeroom teacher stood up to leave along with Gun-Ho’s sister.

“Okay, we will leave you two here then. Good luck to you two.”

After two ladies left the scene, Gun-Ho was sitting with the lady who was in her 30s. Gun-Ho couldn’t think of anything to talk about with her.

“Please have some tea.”

“Okay.”

The lady seemed that she didn’t know what to say either because she was just fiddling with her cup of coffee.

“Did you study the Chinese language in college?”

“No, I majored in accounting.”

“I was told that you went to a college in China.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Gun-Ho felt like people sitting at the next table were glancing at them. Gun-Ho wanted to leave the café. Gun-Ho started fiddling his cup of coffee as well without saying a word.

Gun-Ho thought he had to say something because otherwise, he could look so rude to her.

“Is Incheon City your hometown?”

“No, my hometown is Suwon City.”

“Do you commute from Suwon then?”

“I stay in a OneRoomTel during weekdays in Incheon and go back to my home in Suwon on weekends.”

“Oh, I see.”

Gun-Ho couldn’t find any other question to make a conversation with her, and he let out a slight sigh.

‘I wish the lady who is sitting in front of me was Mori Aikko.’

Gun-Ho thought of Mori Aikko who was smiling at him.

Gun-Ho felt pressured that he had to say something to the lady.

“How long have you worked as a teacher?”

“It has been five years.”

“You get used to teaching children by now then.”

The lady lifted her head and laughed. It was the first time Gun-Ho saw her laughing. Gun-Ho didn’t think his wife had to be pretty, but he really didn’t like this lady who was sitting in front of him. It seemed that the lady knew Gun-Ho wasn’t attracted to her.

“Maybe we should be going now.”

“Sounds good.”

Gun-Ho stood up and then the lady stood up to leave. She was surprisingly short. Mori Aikko was short, but this lady was way shorter than Mori Aikko.

“It must be hard to teach children, right?”

“No, it’s okay. It’s doable.”

The lady seemed to be disappointed. She expected Gun-Ho to ask her to have dinner or take a walk or something, but he didn’t suggest anything. Gun-Ho felt sorry for her because all he could think of was Mori Aikko.

“Maybe I am too into a geisha. I might lose my opportunity to meet a great girl because of a geisha.”

Gun-Ho then thought,

“Nah. I want a girl who is at least average looking and a bit taller than her.”

Gun-Ho asked the lady.

“Where are you heading to after this meeting?”

“I need to meet with my friend. I am heading to Bupyeong District.”

“Oh, you do? I am supposed to meet with my friends in Seoul too.”

Gun-Ho laughed and the lady laughed along with him.

That was the end of Gun-Ho’s first meeting with a girl, set up by his family, and that didn’t go well.