After lunch, they would get together again in the lobby around 2 pm. They wanted to have a break before then. Gun-Ho usually wanted to have a cup of coffee after each meal, but many Chinese people didn’t seem to enjoy an after-meal coffee, so he had to find a coffee on his own. Gun-Ho went up to the 8th floor where his room was located because he brought an instant coffee mix from Korea.
“I feel so relaxed having a cup of coffee.”
Gun-Ho called for Chan-Ho Eum who was staying in the next room via the phone in his hotel room. When Chan-Ho picked up the phone in his room, he answered in English awkwardly. He thought someone— not Gun-Ho— called him to his room.
“Hello?”
“Did you say Hello? It’s me.”
“Oh, sir.”
“You haven’t had your coffee yet, have you?”
“No, I haven’t. I’m so craving for a cup of coffee right now though.”
“Come to my room. I have a coffee.”
Gun-Ho gave a few packs of instant coffee mix to Chan-Ho.
“You have an electric kettle in your room, right? There should be one since Chinese people use it commonly for their warm tea.”
“Yes, there is one.”
“Then take these instant coffee mixes.”
“Thank you, sir. You are very well prepared. Haha.”
When it was 2 pm, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho went down to the lobby.
The deputy mayor was already there. He said, “The president of the long-distance bus terminals will give you a tour around the terminals. Antang City has two terminals— Xi zhan (west station) and Dong zhan (east station). Dong zhan is small in size, and that is the one that we want to rebuild with our partner in a modernized design.”
The transportation department’s director who was standing next to the deputy mayor added,
“Why don’t you visit the terminals and the town? Then you can take a short break. We will prepare dinner for you. Mr. Deputy Mayor and I will stay here and join you for dinner. Please enjoy your tour.”
In the car, Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho sat in the rear seat while the president of the terminal sat in the front passenger seat.
The car was running in a city. The roads were filled with many municipal buses, taxis, and other vehicles. Even though there were many old cars on the roads, the traffic was heavy. It made sense since the city’s population was about 800,000.
“Antang City has a road system with three Zong (vertical) and three Heng (horizontal), and highways are designed based on them.”
“Hmm. I see.”
“The east station that we are heading to is located a bit off the city; however, three Zong and three Heng is passing right through it, so it is very well connected with bus systems.”
“There is no subway here, isn’t there?”
“Haha. No. In order to build a subway system, we need a population of at least several millions.”
When they entered an area without tall buildings, Gun-Ho saw a sign that said ‘Dong zhan.’ In front of that east station, several taxis were seen, waiting for passengers. Many people were standing around that area as well. Gun-Ho’s party didn’t go to the waiting area, but instead, they headed to the parking lot. A security guard gave them a military salute when he recognized the car. It was their president’s car after all.
The land was 10,000 pyung large, so it was certainly spacious. But, the waiting area was small given to the size of the entire terminal. The terminal construction was a temporary one-story building where a waiting area and a ticket office were located. In its concourse, there were several long-distance buses parked. The busses were old, which looked like the busses in the 80s in Korea.
“This is the waiting area.”
Many country people were sitting there while waiting for their busses, with their luggage beside them.
“This is the ticket office.”
The staff at the ticket office and ticket inspectors gave a bow to their boss— the president of this terminal. People who noticed Gun-Ho’s party started whispering. Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho did indeed look different from local people there in their outfits and all.
“This is the Xingli bu (cargo department). They play the role of Biaoju that was often depicted in an old martial arts novel. Hahaha.”
There was luggage and other cargo piled up, along with a giant scale. The workers there seemed to work harder after they noticed the president’s presence and after giving a bow to him. The department was not very organized and not clean at all. Many lady workers with tough looks were seen as well.
“Here is the police station of the terminal.”
The temporary one-story building has all, even a police station. The police gave a bow to the president as well.
“This is the office for transportation management.”
In the office, there were several people in uniforms that looked like a policeman’s.
“They inspect vehicles from outside the city. Also, they catch illegal activities as well.”
“Hmm, really?”
“Why don’t we go to my office and have a cup of tea?”
The president’s office was located in the north side of the building. His office was constructed in cement with an old-style round window, and there was a red column.
The office was spacious, and a sofa set was placed. When Gun-Ho and Chan-Ho sat on the sofa, the president opened the window and called for someone.
“Yangping! Yangping! Bring us some tea!”
Chinese people often omitted a position title when they call for someone, but they just used a name. If a person’s position was above a manager, then they usually added the position title when they call them, but other than that, they just used the person’s name in calling for them.
“While having a tea, the president asked Gun-Ho.
“So, what do you think?”
“The site is very large.”
“We are going to demolish this building and construct a new modernized terminal. It will include a hotel, and the total floor area will be 15,000 pyung.”
“15,000 pyung! You want a hotel?”
“The terminal itself will be a three-floor building, but at the end of the terminal, there will be a twelve-floor hotel building. The construction costs will be paid off once commercial stores and the hotel is sold.”
“Do you think a hotel business will work at this location?”
“Many long-distance travelers take busses for ten hours or even twenty hours. Since China has a huge continent, the distance between two cities is really far. Therefore, in China, a hotel business nearby a train station or a bus station works very well.”
“Hmm, really?”
“You can easily verify the fact by checking other areas.”
“Once the terminal is completed, how many visitors do you expect to receive per day?”
“I would say 15,000 people. The terminal would be able to accommodate 150 large-size busses on a daily basis.”
“You said the construction design drawing is already done, didn’t you?”
“That’s correct.”
“I see.”
“Okay. I guess the tour is done unless you have any other place you would like to visit. Why don’t you take a rest in the hotel until dinnertime? We will pick you up at the hotel at 6 pm. The deputy mayor and the transportation department’s director will join you.”
“Sounds good.”
