Episode 44. Is It Okay to Do This? 1.
The counseling room door opened, and Gang Ji-hyeok stuck his head inside.
"Let's go out. I want to talk over a smoke."
Gang Ji-hyeok exhaled a stream of cigarette smoke.
"What happened?"
"Huh?"
"I asked why you came alone."
"It's my solo project."
Gang Ji-hyeok, who had been about to inhale, froze stiff.
He inhaled the smoke again and exhaled a long breath.
"Phew... Did Team Leader Yang approve this?"
"Yes, we're submitting it for formal approval tomorrow."
"Hoho, well, I'll be..."
[Manager Gu and Team Leader Yang were singing his praises so much I thought they were joking, but this is no joke. A solo project for a month-old rookie? On our team, even guys with over a year are still just assisting. Still, seeing him in front of the division head earlier, he's no pushover. One wrong move and he'd eat you alive. Should I have just let him get devoured? To hell with work and everything else.]
After staring for a long while, the man who'd been speaking to himself finally opened his mouth.
"Hey, are you really going to launch it?"
"If possible, I'd like to."
"Phew..."
[This crazy bastard... I really don't know what to make of this. Manager Gu and Team Leader Yang said we should push this kid unconditionally... but I said I still don't know...]
"Hey, you know what kind of place this is, right?"
"The team leader said it was a place where not even teeth could sink in."
"Heh, you've been well trained."
"..."
"Phew... Go on back inside."
Hyeon-u bowed.
"Then please take care, sir."
As Hyeon-u went into the building, Gang Ji-hyeok took out his phone and made a call.
It was a call to Yang Gyeong-hun.
[Yeah, Team Leader Gang.]
"I met your kid at Mancheon Apparel."
[Hyeon-u? Is he doing well?]
The image of Hyeon-u in the division head's office came to mind, and a short laugh escaped him.
"Heh, the way he spoke clearly and firmly in front of the division head—if you leave him be, he'll really devour you. That kid's got no fear."
[Right? You know Team Leader Jin? The guy who used to lead Business Team 11. I didn't tell you, but he's the one who took him down. He already devoured one guy. Not to mention, the Business Team 6 leader on Executive Director Choi's line got tangled up with him and ended up at the Southern District Prosecutors' Office.]
He had heard the story about the Business Team 6 leader at a drinking session back then, but he hadn't known that it was this kid who had taken down Jin Seong-hun, the Business Team 11 leader.
But it wasn't very surprising.
Because he was a monster, and he had heard people call him amazing so many times it was drilled into his ears.
Not to mention, he had seen it with his own eyes today.
"Kekeuk, he's a total herbicide. A selective one at that, picking off only guys with bad blood toward you."
[That's what I'm saying, isn't it beautiful? We'll probably rank first in performance this year. Because of him.]
"Must be nice, you bastard. Having a good subordinate."
Yang Gyeong-hun didn't know yet, but he really did have that side to him.
Because his subordinate, Kim Byeong-jun, was even from the royal family.
[It's my good fortune, what can I say.]
Gang Ji-hyeok scoffed and said,
"But did you know he's thinking about launching a brand?"
[What?]
"You didn't know... Are you going to approve it?"
[...I'll see when he submits it for approval. I'll probably approve it if it's decent.]
"Tsk, as expected... I'm submitting an outdoor brand launch proposal tomorrow."
[Why are you doing it too? Our kid's doing it.]
"I was planning to do it from the start. Do you think I came to this rotten, stinking place with nothing to do?"
[Aren't you just trying to add your spoon to our newbie's bowl?]
He couldn't say it was one hundred percent not the case.
Because he had been thinking about quitting before the newbie arrived.
"Can't I add my spoon too? I've bitten off and handed you so much."
[Kekekek, fine. But only take a moderate share. This is our newbie's solo project.]
"You bastard, who do you take me for, a beggar? Hey, jerk. Wouldn't it be better for him if there's a proposal sitting pretty in the Planning Team? That's the only way he'll get investment approval easily."
[Hoo... was there such a deep meaning behind it?]
"Deep meaning... It means we help each other, grow the pie, and eat it together."
[As expected of our Team Leader Gang. You really do have a good head for business.]
"Anyway, fine. Contact me as soon as you see how he's drawing the picture. We need to talk again once I see the scale."
[Okay, okay. He said we'll talk officially tomorrow, so let's meet at twelve on the rooftop.]
"Yeah. Hang up."
Gang Ji-hyeok ended the call and lit another cigarette.
Chik, chik, chik.
"Phew... Perception..."
Starfall, Blackface, and Maple Road divided the outdoor market into thirds.
The perception that these three brands were synonymous with outdoor was deeply rooted in everyone.
High-end was Starfall, mid-to-high-end was Blackface, and mid-to-low-end was Maple Road.
What could possibly be the way to overcome this perception?
"Phew..."
'I'll see with my own eyes whether you're really a monster.'
* * *
Jang Dong-yeop, the division head of Mancheon Apparel, set down the receiver.
It was true.
It was well known that he had received a check for ten million won from CEO Min Byeong-su, and it was also true that he was a chairman's parachute appointment.
He hadn't been able to confirm that the CEO had attended a family event for that kid's household, but this wasn't entirely baseless either.
He was probably something like a relative of the chairman's family.
If that kid's backing was certain, then getting investment approval wouldn't be difficult.
Could this really be pushing forward with a brand launch?
That was absolutely unacceptable.
Because this place was his castle.
He could never let an outsider enter and run rampant in this solid castle he ruled.
Because just one such person could disrupt the discipline of the castle that had been running smoothly.
If that kid were to succeed, other guys would appear claiming they were doing projects, and the more that happened, his own position would weaken.
Making sure he couldn't even set foot here was the best method.
But the headquarters planning team leader was applying such pressure, and considering that kid's backing, he couldn't simply ignore him.
He had to make him taste a miserable failure somehow and make him withdraw on his own.
Jang Dong-yeop rose from his seat.
Hyeon-u had been sitting in the consultation room for thirty minutes.
It wasn't particularly boring.
Rather, it was good.
Because he could think about how to proceed with the project.
While he was immersed in thought like that, he sensed a presence and raised his head.
Jang Dong-yeop, the division head of Mancheon Apparel, was looking down at him.
He quickly stood up and bowed.
"Ahem, have you been waiting long?"
"No, sir."
"Everyone's busy cleaning up because of yesterday's product evaluation meeting. I don't think we'll be able to spare personnel to work with you on your project until tomorrow afternoon. Is that alright?"
"Yes. That's fine, Division Head. Then I'll come back tomorrow."
"Very well."
Hyeon-u bowed once more and left the consultation room.
And he mulled over the man's internal words.
[You think having the chairman's backing is everything? From tomorrow on, no matter how hard you work, you'll see a miraculous phenomenon where nothing works out. Making something succeed is hard, but there's nothing easier than making it fail.]
It seemed Gang Ji-hyeok had threatened him with the words 'chairman's backing.'
It was a good method.
Because for a person like this, using power was rather more effective.
* * *
He left the office and pressed the elevator button.
A short while later, the door opened with a mechanical sound, and out came the Production Management Team 1 section chief.
"Hello, Section Chief."
“Oh! You were still here. Heading out now?”
“Yes, Manager.”
“What did the Division Director say? Nothing happened?”
“He said he’d assign someone to help with the project tomorrow.”
His neck stiffened, as if he was quite shocked.
“Really?”
[That can’t be right.]
“Yes.”
“Didn’t he say anything else?”
The Division Director had said a lot.
And he had made it clear, between the lines, that he intended to interfere.
“He did seem uncertain about me because I’m still a new hire, but in any case, he said he would support us.”
He stared at him for a moment with an unreadable, ambiguous expression, then opened his mouth.
“Then you’ll be coming again?”
“Yes, I’ll be here tomorrow as well.”
“······All right. Go on, then.”
Hyunwoo bowed to him as he turned away.
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
The manager of Production Management Section 1 simply couldn’t understand it.
That a green new hire like that was handling a project like this.
That there must surely be someone above him, and yet they had allowed it.
And what was even more incomprehensible was that the rotten-to-the-core Division Director was supporting a new hire’s project.
Either that new hire had something going for him, or that bastard’s higher-up and the Division Director had both gone insane.
Then, in the eyes of the manager of Production Management Section 1, the Planning Department Head could be seen entering the Division Director’s office.
Just as he was about to sit down, the Design Director coming out of the design room caught his eye.
She, too, entered the Division Director’s office.
* * *
Hyunwoo arrived at the office only when it was nearly time to get off work.
“I’m back.”
Yang Gyeonghun, who had been sitting at his desk looking at his monitor, raised his head.
“Hyunwoo, come here for a second.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“You’re preparing to launch a brand?”
He seemed to have heard it from Kang Jihyeok.
“That’s the plan. I’ll have to discuss the scale and timing with the person in charge at Mancheon Apparel, but I’d like to launch as soon as possible.”
“Whew······ a brand launch, huh······. If that’s the case, this is going to get damn big······. Launching a brand is no ordinary task. It’s on a completely different level from simply importing and selling something like Cartibajac, which Assistant Manager Song handles. You’re creating something from nothing. You’re making something out of something that doesn’t exist at all and waging war against existing brands.”
“I know.”
“Are you really sure you can do it?”
“If launching a brand means doing it in the way you just described, then honestly, I’m not confident either. No, that’s not something I can do, and I don’t think it’s something I should be doing.”
“Then how are you going to do it?”
“Not by creating something from nothing, as you just said, but by going from something to something.”
Kim Byeongjun, who had been sitting turned away and listening with only his ears, slowly swiveled his chair around.
Seeing Kim Byeongjun do that, Song Gaeun turned her chair as well.
“I’m going to try creating without creating. In planning, production, promotion, and sales—every aspect—I plan to utilize things that already exist, so if it goes quickly, I’m thinking of launching this month. Of course, I’ll only know for sure after talking with the people in charge.”
Song Gaeun let out a snort of laughter.
For someone like her, who never twisted others’ words or laughed at them, to laugh like this meant it really must have sounded absurd.
“Wow······ Hyunwoo, you really don’t know anything about brands. Today is December 3rd. How are you going to open this month? How are you going to secure stores? Do you know how hard it is to get even one store, whether it’s in a department store or through an agency? And do you know how long product planning and production take? Even if you make a single button, it has to have the brand logo stamped on it. You don’t even have the mold yet—no, you don’t even have a logo.”
“I plan to discuss that with Mancheon Apparel tomorrow. As I said earlier, I’m thinking of using what already exists, so I believe we can minimize the time. Of course, it will depend on how well we coordinate with the person in charge.”
The members of Sales Team 9 couldn’t understand what Hyunwoo was talking about.
From what they could roughly gather, it sounded like he was saying he would use something that already existed somewhere, but that was nonsense.
If compared to a fried chicken shop, it was like buying chicken from another store, putting it in your own packaging, and selling it.
That was something that could never happen for a brand that sold products under its own symbol.
Yang Gyeonghun, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.
“Well, go to Mancheon Apparel tomorrow and give me a detailed report on that afterward. But what are you going to do about the brand? Are you going to bring in an existing one and use that too?”
“Yes, sir.”
Yang Gyeonghun was startled.
He could understand the other things to some extent, but how did it make any sense to bring in a brand and use it?
Yet this guy had answered calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Once again, Song Gaeun’s voice came through.
“Haah······ that’s ridiculous. You’re really going too far, Hyunwoo. Just how do you see fashion······. That’s not launching a brand. That’s making and selling a knockoff, like my puffer jacket. Or buying a license and selling under it.”
“That’s right, Assistant Manager. I’m planning to buy a license and sell under it. It’s not an outdoor brand, but I’ll buy the licensing rights to a brand that can feel even more outdoor than outdoor brands.”
At the strangely nuanced remark, Song Gaeun tilted her head.
“A brand that feels even more outdoor than outdoor brands?”
“Yes.”
Yang Gyeonghun asked.
“What is it?”
“Yesterday, while I was thinking about brands like that, I happened to turn on the TV and saw something like this.”
Hyunwoo walked over to his seat, brought back a file, and held it out to Yang Gyeonghun.
Yang Gyeonghun opened the file and was startled.
“What? You’re going to use this as a brand?”
Kim Byeongjun and Song Gaeun rose from their seats, craned their necks, and hurried over.
What was in the file were documentary channel logos.
‘DISCOVERY, National Geographic, Animal Planet’
“Aren’t these documentary channels?”
“Yes, Team Leader. To me, they feel even more outdoor than outdoor brands. I’m thinking of buying the apparel licensing rights to one of these and using it. We would completely hide Mancheon Apparel and create the perception that the channel itself is entering the apparel business.”