In the afternoon, Gun-Ho received a call from GH Logistics’ Jae-Sik Moon.
“President Goo? I heard that you just came back from your trip to China. Director Park told me that.”
“Right. How is the business there? Any news?”
“The process to combine the pieces of parcels is completed.”
“Oh, really? Then you will soon apply for the land use change?”
“You know what? I was told that we no longer say the term ‘land use change.’”
“Then what do we say?”
“We say that we apply for permission for development activity on land. Since we are changing its land use, we need to pay for the new registration fee accordingly. The thing is that since it’s farmland, we will need to get another permission in order to convert it into non-farming uses beforehand.”
“You will have to go back and forth the town hall for those steps, huh?”
“Well, a construction company or a civil engineering firm can take care of the entire process for us.”
“Then find a civil engineering firm. We will probably need them for other works like flattening the land by filling low spots.”
“Okay, I will do that.”
“How are the sales these days?”
“It’s better than winter. We started getting more work once we entered April.”
“How much increase are you seeing?”
“You can say that we are making about 100 million won of sales revenue by running 27 trucks.”
“Sales work must be hard, isn’t it? Getting more trucks was the easy part.”
“Yeah, it is indeed hard. I have to travel all around the country, and I have to get along with everyone. I admire Dyeon Korea’s Director Kim. I think he was born with the right aptitude and ability for sales work.”
“Haha, you think so? Well, I think you are right. He is very good at buttering up too.”
“Buttering up? He is in his 50s, right? Who would he possibly butter up?”
“Director Kim who is in his 50s butters up Egnopak’s president who is in his 60s. I couldn’t believe it when I witnessed it.”
“Really? He is that good, huh?”
“Director Kim always starts his conversation with Egnopak’s president with the story of their old days. He never goes straight into business.”
“Hmm, that’s how to handle a business with old people, huh?”
“Sometimes he even gives a massage to Egnopak’s president.”
“Wow. He is good.”
“Have you seen a salesperson who is selling medical equipment to old people, which cost several million won? Those salespeople talk with old people in a more affectionate way than their own children.”
“I see. That’s how they successfully sell the equipment to old people, huh?”
“Yeah, they address their potential buyers as father or mother, and they often give a massage to them too. Of course, old people will buy whatever from them.”
“I should learn from them. I’m sorry that I’m not that good.”
“No, don’t say that. You are doing great. You already procured 27 trucks, and you bought farmlands at a low price and combined those to make one huge piece of land. Once the process to convert it into non-farming use is completed, and we add it as part of the business, that is a great success.”
“Haha. Thank you for putting it that way.”
“The reason I went on a trip to China is because I was offered to be a business partner for a transportation project in Guizhou Province in China.”
“A transportation project?”
“Yes. They want to build a bus terminal and do an intercity bus business.”
“Really?”
“They want me to build a terminal with my funds which would be a substantial amount of money, and retrieve those funds by selling commercial stores in the terminal building.”
“What about the bus business? You can keep it?”
“I think so.”
“A bus business should be good as long as you have a license to run it. At least, you don’t have to travel around to find a client.”
“Are you interested in it?”
“Well, not necessarily. I don’t even speak the Chinese language. Also, constructing a terminal building will cost an enormous amount of money. I believe that sort of project can be done by the government like a local government, or a conglomerate.”
“The initial investment funds are 50 billion won— 25 billion won from China and 25 billion won from Korea.”
“See? It should be done by a local government or a conglomerate.”
Gun-Ho went to work at his office in the building in Sinsa Town. He didn’t forget to take the wooden butterfly figure with him, which Mr. Sakata Ikuzo gave for Jong-Suk.
When he entered his office, he asked for Director Kang.
“GH Media’s President Shin wants to move her office into our building. Do we have any available office for her?”
“The construction company on the seventeenth floor is three months behind on rent. I already gave them a notice that if they couldn’t pay the rent by the end of this month, we will start the eviction process.”
“I guess their construction business is not good, huh?”
“They developed a single-family subdivision in Gimpo City, but they seem to have a hard time selling them. I heard that they are thinking of moving their office to Gimpo City.”
“Did you verbally give them the notice for eviction?”
“I actually sent them a written notice with a certification of contents.”
When he heard of the word ‘certification of contents,’ Bangil Gas crossed his mind. About five years ago when Gun-Ho was working for Bangil Gas in Yangju City as a bookkeeper, he once sent a certification of contents to a customer at the post office.
“Please communicate with them in writing. Do not meet with them in person and yell at them or anything like that.”
“Understood, sir.”
Gun-Ho looked at his calendar on his smartphone.
“Today is the day when President Shin comes to the book café. I will send her a text to meet with me.”
Gun-Ho sent a text message to President Shin asking her to swing by his office.
In the afternoon, President Shin showed up at GH Development’s president’s office.
“It seems a 60 pyung large office will become available on the seventeenth floor.”
“Did you say 60 pyung? That’s too big for us. I don’t think we can handle the rent for that size.”
“GH Media will grow soon. Who knows? Get the 60 pyung large office. You will need it. There is no other vacant office anyway.”
“Okay…”
“The company, which is currently occupying that office, is three months behind on rent, and Director Kang already gave them a notice. We will have the answer by the end of this month.”
“Okay.”
“And, I want you to take a look at this.”
Gun-Ho showed President Jeong-Sook Shin the box with Mr. Sakata Ikuzo’s wooden butterfly figure in it.
“What is this?”
“Open it.”
President Shin carefully opened the wooden box.
“It’s a butterfly. Is it taxidermy?”
“Touch it.”
“Oh, my gosh. It’s made of wood.”
“What do you think? It’s very well crafted, is it?”
“This is amazing. It’s delicately carved.”
“He is having an art exhibition in an art gallery in Yokohama, Japan. He will display some of his carved artworks like this one and also a wooden dragonfly, a bird, a frog, etc.”
“Is that so? I guess there are lots of talented people in Japan.”
“Do you know who made this?”
“Who is it? Is he a professional sculptor?”
“He is not a sculptor. He is actually a world-renowned engineer. He used to work in the famous chemical company— Lymondell Dyeon.”
“Lymondell Dyeon… It must be related to your company, right?”
“That’s right. He once worked with us in developing a new product in our factory in Jiksan Town.”
“Oh, I see.”
“So, what do you think? Would you visit Yokohama in Japan next month?”
