Episode 43. Stagnant Water 3.
As Hyeonu bowed politely and walked away, the round eyes of the manager of Production Management Section 1 followed after him.
‘What the hell? Is that guy really going to the director? Seriously, what the hell? That bastard…’
The manager of Production Management Section 1 had only said it because he couldn’t be bothered, and he had never imagined the guy would leave just like that without a single word of protest.
He thought about calling him back, but that felt a bit awkward too.
Since Hyeonu had gone off so boldly, stopping him somehow felt embarrassing.
Usually, guys like that were either lunatics or people with no common sense.
There was no third kind.
In all his long years at the company, he had never seen a third kind.
* * *
The director’s office…
Jang Dongyeop, the general director of Mancheon Apparel, and Kang Jihyeok, the leader of Planning Team 2 at Mancheon Trading, had been sitting on the sofa, arguing back and forth for some time now.
Not long ago, one of his team members had proposed an aggressive strategy to expand their business in the rapidly growing outdoor market.
Thinking it was a fairly decent plan, he had told him to discuss it with Mancheon Apparel, the party directly involved, but he had received a report saying that Mancheon Apparel seemed to have absolutely no intention of doing so.
Since he knew exactly what kind of place Mancheon Apparel was, he had worried things might turn out this way, but because the market situation was so obvious, he had also held some expectations deep down.
But, as expected…
He simply couldn’t let it slide, so he had picked a day and come in person.
His plan was to try persuading them first, and if things went wrong, overturn the whole table.
Given the situation, the atmosphere naturally wasn’t very good.
One side was passionate, while the other seemed languid and annoyed.
Of course, the passionate one was Kang Jihyeok, and the languid one was Jang Dongyeop, the director of Mancheon Apparel.
Kang Jihyeok turned a document covered in various graphs toward Jang Dongyeop and said,
“Look, Director. The current volume of the outdoor market is 5.5 trillion won. But the annual sales of our outdoor brand, ‘In the Nature,’ are 40 billion. Out of a pie worth a whopping 5.5 trillion won, we’re only eating 40 billion. We need to take a bigger bite. There are forecasts saying the outdoor market will grow to 8 trillion in the future. Even if we start preparing now and move quickly, it won’t be too late.”
Jang Dongyeop, who had been quietly staring at the documents, opened his mouth.
“This is data from an economic research institute. If you move based on things like this, your business goes under. Have I only been in this industry for a year or two? No, even three years ago, did anyone know outdoor would take off like this? Then they should have forecast that back then too. At the time, they said women’s casual wear would grow. Something about the number of DINK couples increasing and all that. No, I can’t trust this. I can’t.”
The passion he had felt until just moments ago, hoping to persuade him, began to cool sharply.
Because he sensed a wall that absolutely nothing could penetrate.
“…Then what are you supposed to use to judge market prospects?”
“I know what you mean, Team Leader Kang, but do you think I’ve only seen one or two companies collapse after expanding their brands based on forecasts like this? Fashion isn’t like that. You never know when or what trend it’ll shift to. You just have to properly maintain the brand identity you already have, and supplement it with spot products—products planned and released quickly after reading the situation—that match the trend at the time.”
Kang Jihyeok was at a loss for words.
If the man denied the market projections shown in the graphs from the start and, as an industry expert, declared, “This is how the fashion industry works,” what could he say?
If he forced things through for no reason and it went wrong, he might end up shouldering all the responsibility.
“Then are you saying we should leave the outdoor market as it is?”
“Mancheon Apparel doesn’t have just one brand, does it? I take pride in the fact that there are only a handful of fashion companies in the industry with such a well-balanced portfolio. Whew, you have no idea how much I struggled to set up this portfolio… Anyway, the safest method is to maintain the portfolio properly while preserving each brand’s identity, without being swayed too much by trends.”
‘What kind of bullshit is this? Fuck, I’m saying we should expand the outdoor business, so why the hell is he bringing up freezing-to-death brand identity and business portfolios? Then because of that brand identi—ugh, fuck, it’s hard to even say. Anyway, is he saying that because of that, he’s just going to end the booming outdoor market with “In the Nature,” a brand with half-assed sales and recognition, or what?’
As Kang Jihyeok was thinking this, Jang Dongyeop opened his mouth again.
“Still, outdoor is a terrifyingly strong trend, so I suppose we should put a bit more weight on that side.”
‘What is it? Is he saying he’ll do it or not?’
Kang Jihyeok looked at him with half expectation and half suspicion, and Jang Dongyeop spoke again.
“Let’s try changing the head designer. It seems the current one really doesn’t fit the outdoor side.”
Kang Jihyeok’s temper rose to the point where he was just short of exploding.
‘Should I just throw everything aside and make a huge fucking scene? Whenever something doesn’t work here, they always blame the head designer!’
In truth, it couldn’t be helped, because fashion inevitably involved the designer’s sensory and emotional elements.
Of course, the planning merchandiser did set the direction, but in the end, the shape of the product—the clothes—came from the fingertips of the head designer, so the head designer’s role had no choice but to be important.
That was why it made the perfect excuse.
It was the same principle as immediately firing the coach when the national soccer team’s results were poor.
And it was also the same as spending a huge amount of money to bring in a new coach and talking as if things would be different now.
Kang Jihyeok felt all the strength drain out of him.
The thought currently running through his head was,
‘I shouldn’t have come here. You idiot. You knew it would turn out like this, so what did you think you were going to accomplish by coming all the way here…’
He was truly, properly irritated.
Now, all that remained was to overturn things as much as his anger demanded and never look in this direction again.
Just then, there was a knock.
Thinking that he had found an excuse to send Kang Jihyeok away, the corners of Jang Dongyeop’s mouth lifted slightly.
“Come in.”
But the one who opened the door and came in was some young greenhorn he had never seen before.
That fellow bent at the waist in a ninety-degree bow.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kim Hyeonu from Sales Team 9 at Mancheon Trading.”
Kang Jihyeok’s eyes widened.
“Oh! You’re…”
Hyeonu was startled too.
Because Kang Jihyeok, whom he had never expected to see, was sitting there.
“Oh! Team Leader.”
As the atmosphere began flowing in a strangely odd direction, Jang Dongyeop furrowed his brow.
“Monster—no, what brings you here?”
“I’m thinking of proceeding with a project, and I wanted to ask the director for some advice.”
“What project?”
“I’m thinking of targeting the outdoor market. The market is booming like this, but Mancheon Apparel’s outdoor brand, ‘In the Nature,’ is performing too poorly.”
Jang Dongyeop’s expression twisted in an instant, while Kang Jihyeok’s face went blank before a crooked smile soon appeared on it.
“Right? We need to put some effort into outdoor, don’t we?”
“Yes, Team Leader. The data shows it. It doesn’t make sense that Mancheon Apparel, which isn’t some small or medium-sized company, only has 40 billion in a 5.5 trillion won market.”
“Hahahaha, hey, people kept calling you a monster, and you really do work well. Your head spins fast.”
At Kang Jihyeok’s words, Jang Dongyeop’s twisted face flushed red.
He had said it on purpose to piss him off.
Kang Jihyeok had already given up on Mancheon Apparel in his heart.
According to Gu Hyeongjun, this new hire was a monster-like guy, but what could he possibly do here?
Even he, a planning team leader, couldn’t manage it, so what could a new hire of only one month do?
Since they wouldn’t accept anything he said anyway, he decided he might as well piss them off and take the new hire out with him.
It would be better for this guy too not to mix with this disgustingly stagnant place.
“Hey, come sit here. I happened to be talking about exactly that.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Yeah. Hurry up and sit. It’s better to do it all together at once.”
“Thank you.”
Jang Dongyeop, looking displeased, asked,
“So, what do you want to do?”
[Go ahead and say whatever you want. I’ll smash each and every thing apart for you.]
Jang Dongyeop, the general manager in charge of Mancheon Apparel.
Just from hearing this man’s first words, Hyeonu realized he had no choice but to follow James Wang’s advice.
“If you go in and try to do something, Hyeonu, a clash will inevitably occur.”
A clash with stagnant water…
It was something he absolutely could not avoid, nor could he back down from it.
“In my opinion, I think In the Nature needs to be completely rebuilt. Or eliminating In the Nature and launching a new brand would also be a viable choice.”
“What?”
Kang Jihyeok cut in, his tone somehow irritating.
“But our division head thinks all we need to do is change the design director. When brand identity and the business portfolio are the most important things.”
[You rotten bastard. Let’s see you get taken down by a fresh-faced rookie. It’s an affiliate we can’t even coordinate work with anyway, so what’s the point of getting along? We might as well make things shitty together.]
From Kang Jihyeok’s inner thoughts, Hyeonu felt he understood what had just been going on.
Pretending he knew nothing, Hyeonu opened his mouth calmly and politely.
“In my opinion, replacing the design director does not seem like a fundamental solution.”
He continued, looking into the man’s venomously narrowed eyes.
“Because there is nothing wrong with In the Nature’s designs. Outdoor brand designs are all more or less the same. To my eye, In the Nature’s designs don’t seem that much worse than those of the number-one brand. Of course, since I’m not an expert in fashion, I may have judged incorrectly. If my judgment is wrong, I would appreciate it if you pointed it out. I mean, what exactly is wrong with the design.”
Beside Hyeonu, Kang Jihyeok’s face showed an expression that seemed to say, Oh? Look at this guy, while Jang Dongyeop’s face flushed even redder.
“It isn’t luxurious. Compared to the brands that are doing well, it lacks detail. The completion of a design lies in the details, and it falls short little by little in those areas.”
It was nonsense dressed up in general principles because he had nothing in particular to say.
Of course, such a problem could exist.
After all, there were certainly things invisible to ordinary people but visible only to experts.
Denying that would send the conversation off track.
He had to say only what needed to be said, cleanly.
“That may be so, but I believe the real problem is consumers’ perception of In the Nature.”
“Perception?”
“Yes, sir. They simply don’t particularly want to buy it. It doesn’t make them feel like they want to work a part-time job just to get one outfit, and when they wear it, other people should recognize it and they should stand out somehow, but there is none of that. If all they want is warmth, there’s no need to buy brand-name clothing, is there? A brand image that lets consumers feel satisfied after buying it has to be worn intact on their bodies.”
It was quite a strong statement.
But Hyeonu had toned it down in his own way.
Because what it really meant was, “It’s tacky.”
And then the man said those words himself.
“So the brand image is tacky. Huh... Maybe because you’re from headquarters, but that’s rather harsh.”
When words came out like this, one had to be careful.
Because the issue could shift from the essence of the matter to one of attitude and emotion.
“If I offended you, please forgive me. I absolutely did not mean it that way. I was simply saying that consumers’ perception is like that.”
“On what basis? On what basis are you saying consumers perceive it that way?”
[You’re dead now. No matter how well you answer, it’ll just be your judgment, not an exact answer. The moment you answer, consider yourself dead. You arrogant bastard.]
“Because when consumers think of outdoor wear now, for premium brands they think only of Starfall, for mid-to-high-end Black Face, and for mid-to-low-end Maple Road. That is simply how perception has been formed. What I mean is that unless there is groundbreaking branding work capable of overcoming that perception, the problem will not be solved no matter how many times the design director is replaced.”
His pupils wavered.
Because he had nothing in particular to counter with.
In other words, it also meant Hyeonu’s analysis was not wrong.
But he did not seem inclined to back down so easily.
“Fine. Let’s say you’re right. How are you going to create a brand that overcomes that perception?”
Hyeonu spoke quietly and politely.
“That is why I came here to ask this of you, sir. If you support me with the minimum personnel needed to help with the project, I will make sure to find the answer.”
The corners of Jang Dongyeop’s mouth lifted slightly, and he let out a snort.
“What? So you were saying all that without even having an answer?”
At that moment, Kang Jihyeok cut in.
At some point, the thought of flipping the table and walking out had disappeared from his mind.
Hyeonu was so serious, and the way he was logically pressing Jang Dongyeop made him think that if they supported him properly, something might actually come of it.
“An answer is something you find, isn’t it? That’s what a project is in the first place.”
“No, how is that easy? If overcoming that kind of perception were easy, anyone could create Chanel or Hermès. Anyone can talk. Reality isn’t like that.”
Kang Jihyeok turned his head toward Hyeonu.
“You can find the answer if they support you with just the minimum personnel, right?”
If he could get the special task force James Wang had mentioned, one that would move quickly, he was confident.
“Yes, Team Leader.”
After looking into Hyeonu’s eyes for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“All right. Go wait outside for a bit.”
[I’ll somehow get you the support staff.]
“Yes, Team Leader.”
Hyeonu rose from his seat, bowed to Jang Dongyeop, and left the room.
After Hyeonu left, Kang Jihyeok said,
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea. It doesn’t seem wrong, either.”
Jang Dongyeop opened his mouth with an displeased expression.
“Do you think launching a brand is that easy? Even if we move as quickly as possible, the minimum preparation period is one year. If we do it properly, it takes two or three years. And do you have any idea how much it costs to launch a brand? How can you suggest entrusting that to a rookie?”
“It’s not as if he’s going to launch a brand right away, is it? Mancheon Trading isn’t so sloppy that it would suddenly provide support with nothing to show for it. But there’s no reason to block the project, either. He might find a method we never thought of. Let’s give him a chance for now.”
“...”
“Is even that impossible?”
“Ahem.”
Kang Jihyeok thought Jang Dongyeop was a man rotten to the bone and hardened that way.
With someone like this, he had to speak another way.
Those who were strong against the weak were usually servile before the strong.
“Ah... seriously... I wasn’t going to say this, but he’s the chairman’s parachute hire.”
His eyes widened.
“Our president even attended an event at his family’s home, and he’s the kid who received ten million won in pocket money from President Min Byeongsu in front of everyone.”
“What did you say?”
“How else would I know a rookie from the sales team? I know him because he’s on that level.”
“...”
“Honestly, I don’t even need to say this, but I’m telling you because I’m worried you might suffer something unpleasant over a trivial matter. Don’t risk your life over something small. What’s so hard about assigning him two or three kids...”
Kang Jihyeok stood up.
“I’ll get going, then. I’ll tell him to wait in the consultation room, so if you want to look into it, look into it and decide. Honestly, I didn’t even want to tell you this... Anyway, I’m leaving.”
Jang Dongyeop stared blankly at Kang Jihyeok’s back as he opened the door and left, looking displeased.