Chapter 53: Storm 4.
Eom Yoseop’s expression hardened.
“What should we do?”
[If it were up to me, I’d like to turn them down flat, but it’s the main branch, so we can’t exactly do that.]
It seemed the cold treatment he had received from the outdoor team leader at the main branch still weighed heavily on him.
Well, they had made him wait forty-five minutes and only given him one minute of their time.
And that was just to reject him.
“Turn them down.”
Eom Yoseop’s eyes went round.
“It’s the main branch, though. The main branch is the symbol of Mancheon Department Store, and its sales are enormous. Just being stocked there has a huge promotional effect.”
Hyeonwoo thought for a moment, then spoke again.
“Then politely turn them down. We have circumstances we can’t help, don’t we?”
“Still, it’s the main branch…”
“Assistant Manager.”
“……”
“The fact that the Gangnam branch came in bowing that low just now means the main branch is in trouble, too. They’ll try to get us in there no matter what.”
“……”
“If we tighten the noose, won’t we be able to drive the terms down even further?”
“What if it goes wrong?”
“Then that’s that.”
“……”
“There’s no need to be scared. We’re the ones holding the initiative.”
Eom Yoseop’s eyes wavered as he listened to Hyeonwoo.
He seemed to be thinking many things at once.
To him, Hyeonwoo added one more sentence in a quiet voice.
“Trust me. All you have to do is say it won’t work and hang up. Just don’t be rude about it.”
His wavering eyes finally stilled, and his lips twitched.
“Damn it. It’s not like we have anything to feel inferior about. Let’s see what happens.”
He answered the cell phone that had been vibrating for quite some time.
“Hello, Team Leader.”
[Ah, Assistant Manager Eom. Why weren’t you picking up?]
“I was in a consultation.”
[Where are you now?]
“At the office. I’m in the middle of a consultation right now, so I’ll call you back later.”
[Wait. It’ll be quick, so just talk for a moment.]
“……”
[It’s nothing else, but, well… that brand we talked about before. Discovery. That one. Shall we bring it in now? Looking at the Jamsil branch, it seems to have been verified.]
A bitter smile escaped him.
He clearly knew the situation, yet he was still trying to maintain a superior attitude.
“Could I call you back in a little while? I’m currently talking with another place about that matter.”
[Another place? What other place?]
“I’ll call you back shortly.”
[Hey! Assistant Manager Eom! You can’t! If you sign with another place…]
He hung up along with the man’s urgent voice.
The call came again from him immediately, but he did not answer.
Then a message came in.
- I’m coming to your company right now. Don’t sign the contract.
Eom Yoseop showed it to Hyeonwoo and gave a small laugh.
“What should I say?”
“Tell him to come. I’ll deal with him. It’d be a little awkward for you to do it, wouldn’t it?”
About thirty minutes later, the outdoor team leader from the main branch, looking frantic, entered the project office where Hyeonwoo was sitting alone.
Hyeonwoo asked,
“Who are you?”
“I’m from the main branch of Mancheon Department Store. I came after making an appointment with Assistant Manager Eom Yoseop.”
“Ah, is that so? Assistant Manager Eom stepped out for a moment. You can speak with me.”
The team leader looked Hyeonwoo up and down.
He looked young, and to anyone’s eyes, he was an ordinary employee.
“And you are…?”
“I’m the person in charge of Discovery.”
His eyes widened.
“Pardon? You are?”
[This kid is the brand manager? Is he joking?]
“Yes.”
“……”
Looking doubtful, he took out a business card and offered it.
“I see. I apologize for not recognizing you. I’m Jang Jihun.”
Since he had given his business card, it meant he was asking for one in return.
Hyeonwoo accepted his card and handed over his own.
“Kim Hyeonwoo, Sales Team 9, Mancheon Corporation”
Not Mancheon Apparel, but Mancheon Corporation, and on top of that, just a regular employee.
To the man who frowned as if wondering what was going on, Hyeonwoo said,
“Discovery is a brand I planned as a project.”
“Ah… is that so?”
[So it was a project plan. No wonder… Well, it is an imported brand.]
“Please, have a seat first.”
“Yes.”
“I heard from Assistant Manager Eom Yoseop that you wanted to stock our brand.”
“Ah, yes. Considering the Jamsil branch’s results, it seemed we could trust it.”
[It seemed Assistant Manager Eom was upset about what happened last time, but this works out well. A guy like this should be easy enough to sweet-talk.]
To the man thinking such things, Hyeonwoo spoke calmly, as if it were nothing.
“I’m sorry, but I think the main branch will be difficult for this season.”
“Pardon?”
“We’ve nearly finished talks with another side. It would have been nice if you’d called a little earlier. What a shame.”
His voice grew urgent.
“Where? Who did you consult with?”
“That’s a little difficult to tell you. In any case, they were quite proactive in wanting us to enter…”
Just then, Hyeonwoo’s cell phone rang.
An unknown number.
“One moment.”
Hyeonwoo answered the call.
“Hello?”
[Are you Kim Hyeonwoo, the employee in charge of the Discovery brand?]
“Excuse me, but who is this…?”
[I’m the executive director in charge of sales for the department store division at Mancheon Department Store headquarters.]
Even Hyeonwoo was slightly surprised by the unexpected call from an executive.
But Jang Jihun would be even more surprised if he knew.
“The executive director in charge of sales for the department store division?”
As expected, he was staring at him with wide eyes, startled.
[That’s right. The reason I’m calling is that the president would like to meet you.]
President Min Jeong-ae?
Once again, he relayed it for the man to hear.
“Pardon? The president asked for me? Excuse me, but may I ask what this is regarding…?”
[It seems to be because of Discovery. I’d like you to come over here right now.]
“…Understood. I’ll go immediately.”
As soon as Hyeonwoo hung up, the man asked in a trembling voice,
“By any chance, did President Min Jeong-ae just summon you?”
“It seems she has something to discuss about our brand.”
Hyeonwoo rose from his seat.
“I’ve been called urgently, so I should get going. Let’s continue our conversation another time.”
He, too, sprang to his feet.
“Um, Director!”
In his urgency, even the word “Director” came out of his mouth.
From his position, he couldn’t very well call him by name, and calling him “Employee” was too strange, so he had used whatever title came to mind.
And then he said this.
“I’ll ask you just this once, so please, let us stock your brand.”
[I have to secure the stocking contract no matter what before he meets President Min Jeong-ae.]
“……”
“Please, I’m begging you.”
“This is so sudden that it puts me in a very difficult position. We’re at the stage right before signing with the other side…”
“We’ll offer you better terms than they do, so please, I’m begging you.”
[This should be enough, so just do it. Do you really have to see my head roll?]
Hyeonwoo looked at the nearly tearful Jang Jihun for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“We’ve been discussing 28% commission with the other branch. Will you do it?”
“Twenty-eight percent? But this is the main branch. How could we possibly...”
[How am I supposed to get approval for this?]
“Then let’s pretend this never happened. I’d like you to leave now. I have to go see the president.”
As I turned away, I heard his voice.
“All right.”
“......”
“Twenty-eight percent... We’ll match it.”
[Damn it, it’ll work out. If it doesn’t, the president said she’ll have my head, so what choice do I have? The department head and managing director will approve it too. The president ordered us to get them in no matter what.]
“Understood. Then I’ll send Assistant Manager Eom over, so please prepare the contract right away.”
I left the office with Jang Ji-hoon.
Just as he’d thought, the higher-ups at the main branch would have no choice but to approve it.
President Min Jeong-ae had told them to bring us in no matter what.
In the end, we had to enter Mancheon Department Store’s main branch.
The reason Min Jeong-ae had summoned me was probably the matter of our department store entry, and since she had stepped forward personally, there was no way we could refuse.
Since we were doing it anyway, I had merely used the main branch’s situation to get us in under better terms.
For now, the issue of entering the main branch was settled. Now it was time to prepare for Min Jeong-ae’s demands.
Most likely, she would say,
Let’s expand the stores, and let’s sign an exclusive contract with Mancheon Department Store...
There was a high chance she would make an offer like that.
It was absolutely not in our interest.
Now that the brand had already been proven to be a huge hit, we could sign contracts with other department stores on sufficiently good terms as well.
Rather, it would only end up limiting the sales network through which we could expand even further.
As I considered all sorts of variables, I arrived before Min Jeong-ae’s office before I knew it.
A security guard checked my identity and pressed the bell.
[Who is it?]
“Mr. Kim Hyunwoo is here.”
The door opened with a click, and the security guard stepped aside as if telling me to go in.
When I entered the office, I saw Min Jeong-ae, just like last time, sitting charismatically with her legs crossed in the seat of honor on the sofa.
Her brow furrowed slightly, and she tilted her head.
“You’re... aren’t you the one? The kid who came with that pretty girl in charge of Cartibajac.”
“Good day, President.”
“You made this brand?”
“Yes. It’s a project I handled on my own.”
Min Jeong-ae, who had seemed bewildered, soon lifted the corners of her mouth.
“Really?”
[He’s more impressive than he looks. Seems like he’s got good instincts.]
“Yes, President.”
“Sit down first.”
Last time, she hadn’t even let me sit, so the fact that she was telling me to meant she seemed quite pleased.
“Would you like some tea?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“You know why I called you, don’t you?”
“I assume it’s regarding Discovery’s entry into the store.”
“That’s right. Bring in more stock. I’ll give you as many stores as you want.”
“Thank you, but since it isn’t an imported brand but a launched brand, I think it will be difficult to suddenly increase volume.”
Min Jeong-ae seemed rather surprised at the words “launched brand” and asked,
“A launched brand? Then are you saying you planned this?”
“Yes.”
“Then what about the brand? Discovery is originally a documentary channel.”
“We paid royalties to Discovery Channel and purchased the trademark rights.”
Min Jeong-ae lifted the corners of her mouth and shook her head.
“Amazing. Truly...”
[Judging by how he addressed that girl so politely as ‘senior’ back then, he seemed like just an ordinary employee. To think a mere employee planned something like this and even launched it...]
“What’s your position?”
“I’m a staff employee.”
“How long has it been since you joined?”
“A little over two months.”
“You’re a new hire?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes, which were always narrowed in a venomous way that made it feel as though she were looking down on people, went round.
Min Jeong-ae was truly shocked.
She knew very well what launching a brand entailed, and at two months in, one should still be fumbling around cluelessly. She couldn’t believe he had put together such an excellent plan and even launched it.
Was he really a new hire?
Min Jeong-ae looked at Hyunwoo once more.
The look in his eyes as he sat still and looked straight at her.
The way he spoke in a calm voice, quietly and logically.
His stable attitude and atmosphere.
He was absolutely not a new employee.
There were plenty of men who held managing director and executive director titles, yet if she tossed out a single remark, they panicked and didn’t know what to do.
There was something about him.
Min Jeong-ae liked this Hyunwoo very much.
Because she could feel quite a lot of that “something” she valued most from him.
“If it’s a launched brand, then you can expand once S/S comes around?”
“I believe so.”
“Then sign an exclusive contract with Mancheon Department Store. I’ll open every store at the same time in line with the season, and I’ll give you S-grade locations right where customers can see them as soon as they come up the escalator.”
It was truly an exceptional offer.
After all, it meant securing stores in the best corners at every branch of Mancheon Department Store, which could be called the top of the three major department store brands, all at once.
But Hyunwoo wasn’t that pleased.
Because gaining Mancheon Department Store meant giving up on the other department stores.
There would likely be some restrictions on high-street retail as well.
However, he couldn’t refuse her offer.
The moment he refused, there was a possibility this would expand from a problem involving Discovery alone into a problem between Mancheon Department Store and Mancheon Apparel.
On top of that, offending her, a member of the Mancheon family, was something he absolutely must not do.
Still, since it was an offer he had already expected, he wasn’t flustered.
Hyunwoo quietly opened his mouth.
“Understood. In exchange, since it is exclusive, I’d like preferential treatment on the commission.”
“Isn’t that only natural? It’s exclusive. Anything else?”
“And I’d like the exclusivity to apply only to department stores, with no restrictions on high-street retail. We’ll have to enter high-street markets in areas where there is no Mancheon Department Store.”
“Fine. Then I’ll call the person in charge, so...”
Hyunwoo cut her off.
Because he hadn’t mentioned the most important thing yet.
“There is one more thing I’d like specified.”
“...Say it.”
“I’d like a clause stating that the exclusive contract applies only to the Discovery brand.”
She furrowed her brow and tilted her head at an angle.
“Why would that need to be specified?”
[What is this? Something feels off. Is there something else?]
It was a clause she could have simply let pass, yet she reacted quite sensitively to it.
She was certainly a person with sharp instincts.
“It’s nothing special. Soon, I’ll be stepping away from this work, and Mancheon Apparel will take it over and proceed with it. I only want to prevent any chance of other Mancheon Apparel brands being affected as well.”
She stared at him with sharp eyes for a moment longer, then asked,
“When will you be stepping away?”
“I’m planning to finish the handover today or tomorrow.”
After thinking for a moment, she relaxed her stiff expression and answered,
“In that case, okay. Got it. When you draft the contract, put that clause in as a separate provision.”
[If that’s the issue, then of course it’s okay. All I need is to secure Discovery. The rest of Mancheon Apparel’s brands are all lousy anyway. Once a kid with instincts like him leaves, where would that lousiness go? It’ll stay the same.]
At last, it was done.
Because he had concluded the negotiations under the best possible terms.
“Thank you, President. Then, if you have nothing further to say, I’ll proceed with the contract together with the person in charge at Mancheon Apparel.”
As Hyunwoo rose from his seat, Min Jeong-ae opened her mouth.
“Do you want to come work for me?”
It was so out of the blue that he was startled.
“Pardon?”
“I like someone with good sense, like you. I’m willing to make you head of the Planning Office, at least. If I like what I see, I’ll move you up even higher. Results are made by people with talent. From what I can tell, you’ve got that talent. I like you.”