Although it has not been a long time, Choi Seon-hwa was once again amazed by Lee Hyun-woo’s extensive knowledge.
“The domestic clothing market, you see, is characterized by the consignment purchase method of distribution companies, a supplier-centered production system, multi-product production, and sensitivity to trends. The key to success is market demand forecasting and marketing responsiveness. So, it’s more advantageous for large companies. Like your company.”
Not only did he explain the current fashion clothing business in detail,
“But it’s not easy. Failing to predict demand increases the risk of inventory. As you know, having clothes as inventory is a headache. Not only do they take up space, but it’s also hard to sell them at their original price once they go out of style.”
He also mentioned things to be cautious about.
“That’s why department stores have the upper hand. They lease out stores to brand companies and safely earn a percentage of sales commission. I bet your department store charges about 30-40% commission on clothing prices, right? This further increases distribution costs, making clothes more expensive.”
Choi Seon-hwa was impressed by his insight into areas she was vaguely aware of.
Then he continued,
“So, the ‘direct purchase’ method might be the best. For example, putting the [Aejeong Apparel] label on clothes made by small and medium-sized enterprises and selling them.”
“That’s outsourcing, isn’t it? We’re already doing that for some items.”
“Not in China or Southeast Asia?”
“No, in Southeast Asia…”
“Not that. Listen to my story.”
Lee Hyun-woo continued with a smile.
“Of course, the clothes must be made in our country. Why? Once the quality of clothing is guaranteed to some extent, the cost decreases. Clothes made in our country are much better than those made in Southeast Asia, right?”
“Well, yes…”
“At the same time, if you sell directly online, you can eliminate the 30-40% commission I mentioned earlier. If you operate your company’s logistics system, you can reduce distribution costs and create a price revolution.”
Lee Hyun-woo was guiding the way to a successful internet fashion mall.
Theory and practice are different, but listening to Lee Hyun-woo made it seem really possible.
Naturally, she couldn’t help but watch Lee Hyun-woo’s mouth closely.
However, neither of them would have dreamed that someone was watching their conversation.
It was none other than Kim Mi-hyun, the head of [Aejeong Group], who came to inspect the department store.
“Isn’t that Seon-hwa?”
She was surprised to see her second daughter having lunch with a man at a Chinese restaurant.
As a mother thinking of sending off her 28-year-old daughter to marry soon, she was even more interested.
So, she motioned the owner and staff, who came to greet her at the entrance, to hold off and moved to a position where she could see the man facing Choi Seon-hwa.
In other words, she was behind Choi Seon-hwa and directly facing Lee Hyun-woo.
“Who is he? He looks familiar…”
Fortunately, her secretary recognized him and whispered to her.
“Madam, that is Lee Hyun-woo, the CEO of [Jungle].”
“……!”
Kim Mi-hyun’s eyes were wide with surprise.
Then, she showed a faint smile.
Lee Hyun-woo was a young entrepreneur who had recently become a huge sensation in the business world.
Moreover, her daughter was writing a legendary story of cosmetics sales in collaboration with [Jungle] and was planning to hold concerts in Taiwan and Hong Kong a few months later.
However, she couldn’t reveal her interest here.
“I can’t interrupt their conversation.”
Kim Mi-hyun turned around slowly, still smiling.
And,
“Please let me know when Chief Choi finishes her meal and leaves.”
She instructed the owner of the Chinese restaurant.
Honestly, she was curious.
About the relationship between Choi Seon-hwa and Lee Hyun-woo.
From the perspective of a mother with a marriageable daughter, even a business meeting had special significance.
Especially since the opponent was the rising star of the business world, Lee Hyun-woo, her curiosity was immense.
“Many people want him as a son-in-law.”
Every wealthy family she met was aiming for Lee Hyun-woo.
Kim Mi-hyun’s imagination was also excessive.
She thought that if they met for business, developed feelings, and liked each other, they would inevitably get married.
She couldn’t tell what kind of turning point [Aejeong Group] would achieve through the union with the outstanding figure Lee Hyun-woo and her daughter.
Even if it wasn’t for that, it would be great if they forged a relationship for her daughter’s happiness.
This led to more imaginative leaps.
“So, that’s why she turned down meeting other people. She already had someone in mind.”
She connected her daughter’s meaningless refusals to Lee Hyun-woo.
Mothers are amazing.
She kept imagining her daughter’s future while inspecting the department store, eventually thinking about grandchildren.
In other words, she imagined that entrusting [Aejeong Group]’s future to a grandchild born between the two would help the company grow even bigger in the new era.
Riiiiing!
At that moment, the secretary’s phone rang.
“Hello? Ah, Miss is leaving now?”
It seemed to be the premonition from the Chinese restaurant owner.
When the secretary made eye contact with Kim Mi-hyun,
“I’ll wait in the CEO’s office, please tell Seon-hwa to see me before leaving.”
“Yes, Madam.”
With a face eager to resolve her curiosity, Kim Mi-hyun quickened her steps.
Shortly after, her daughter, who seemed to have taken some time to drop off Lee Hyun-woo, opened the door to the CEO’s office and walked in.
“Did you call for me?”
“Yes, I happened to see you at the Chinese restaurant earlier.”
“Ah… I was having lunch with a friend.”
“I see, it was a man, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, I think I mentioned it to you a few times, it’s Lee Hyun-woo… the CEO of [Jungle].”
Feigning ignorance, Kim Mi-hyun widened her eyes.
“Isn’t he the one who advised you on your cosmetics?”
“Yes, the product we launched last time was a huge success by eliminating unnecessary ingredients and distribution costs and selling it online.”
“Right. Thanks to that, [Taepyeong Cosmetics] started gaining visibility.”
“It’s not to that extent yet, but we did gain some momentum. So today, I brought him to our department store’s Chinese restaurant to thank him and ask him some questions.”
For reference, the Chinese restaurant they visited was one of the top restaurants in Seoul as well as in [Aejeong Department Store].
“Of course, you should treat him well for that. If someone helps you, you must repay them.”
“Yes, and Mom, speaking of which, without your permission, I shifted [Aejeong Apparel]’s fabric dyeing to Hyun-woo’s father’s company.”
“What? Is his father running a dyeing company?”
“Yes, and the quality isn’t bad. They already supply to [Deokseong Woolen] and [Guseong Woolen], so I thought it would be fine.”
“Good job. You don’t always need my permission when it’s urgent. A leader has to make decisions. I trust you, so it’s okay to handle things first and report later.”
Maybe it was the recent success with cosmetics?
Choi Seon-hwa felt her mother had become more lenient.
Encouraged, she brought up a new business model.
“Mom, I was thinking, how about selling clothes online for [Aejeong Apparel]?”
“Sell clothes online?”
“Yes, simply put, an online shopping mall like [Jungle], but exclusively for clothing.”
“Is that your idea?”
“Yes, I came up with it, but while talking with Hyun-woo earlier, I became more confident.”
Honestly, Kim Mi-hyun didn’t know much about the internet.
She didn’t know how [Jungle] helped with cosmetics, but hearing from her daughter and secretary, it seemed crucial.
Moreover,
“If we establish our own online shopping mall, we can reduce inventory levels and pioneer a new market. We already have logistics warehouses, so we can just ship orders placed online.”
“Is it similar to home shopping?”
“Yes, similar. The difference is that home shopping uses TV, while we use the internet. Since we don’t rely on TV media, the initial costs are much lower.”
Her daughter only highlighted the advantages, making it seem not bad.
“This must be another piece of advice from Lee Hyun-woo.”
However, there was one concern.
“You’re already handling cosmetics, can you manage the fashion side too?”
“Why not? I just need to show the way and make decisions at key points.”
“Right, our management team just needs to do that well. But you know the responsibility is heavy, right?”
“Of course.”
Hearing her daughter take responsibility, Kim Mi-hyun smiled brightly and nodded.
“Alright. I’ll talk to the relevant team, so create another masterpiece.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Ah, do we need to collaborate with [Jungle] again?”
“Yes, we need their search engine, cloud service, and website development… for help.”
Assuming the listener wouldn’t understand everything, her voice trailed off.
Even though she didn’t fully understand, Kim Mi-hyun had a good feeling.
“Building a continuous relationship with Lee Hyun-woo? Not bad.”
She felt that marriage talks might come up soon.
Of course, it was a misunderstanding.
The person she wanted to give the rice cake to didn’t even think about it.
But eager to turn this misunderstanding into reality, Kim Mi-hyun thought to herself,
“There are many people aiming for Lee Hyun-woo, so I need to spread the word that my daughter has marked him.”
So she immediately made an appointment and, accompanied by her secretary and attendants, headed somewhere.
Shortly after, Kim Mi-hyun arrived at the [New World Group], which had recently branched out from the [Guseong Group].
The chairwoman here, Kim Sung-hee, was quite close to her.
Naturally, Kim Sung-hee was the younger sister of the [Guseong Group] chairman. Upon meeting her, Kim Mi-hyun immediately inquired about various people.
The answers came quickly.
“Of course, Sister. My brother is doing well, and so is my sister-in-law. Our nephews are also starting their succession lessons. How about your family? Any news from the kids?”
Women’s conversations often take a long time to reach the point they want to make.
But once a clue emerges, they quickly insert their bragging.
“Everything’s been quite calm, but recently there’s been some good news about my second daughter.”
“About Seon-hwa?”
“Yes, you see, she grew up not knowing much about men.”
“That’s the reputation. She’s known to be very proper.”
In reality, Choi Seon-hwa wasn’t exactly ‘demure’, but she had never been surrounded by bad rumors.
“She’s competent at work, beautiful… I’ve been waiting forever for a chance to introduce her to my son.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Recently, she’s started seeing someone.”
“Oh? Really?”
Even if she hadn’t, Kim Mi-hyun wasn’t keen on [New World Group]’s eldest son.
There were widespread rumors in the business world that he liked celebrities.
There were even reliable sources saying he was dating a Miss Korea.
Compared to him, how was Lee Hyun-woo?
He had a bright future and almost no scandals.
There was a rumor about a singer, but according to her daughter, it was baseless.
The company wasn’t powerful enough to control the media, so reporters wrote whatever they wanted.
Hence, she could proudly say,
“Do you know Lee Hyun-woo? The CEO of [Jungle].”
“Of course. But are you saying Seon-hwa is seeing Lee Hyun-woo?”
“Hohoho, it seems so. I didn’t know, but it looks like she’s been seeing him secretly.”
“……”
The conversation suddenly halted, and a delicate silence ensued.
Kim Mi-hyun looked at Kim Sung-hee’s face when the atmosphere turned silent.
“Does this news not sit well with her?”
She thought her friend felt bad knowing that a man was involved with Choi Seon-hwa, whom she had envisioned for her son.
But that wasn’t the case.
“Sister, that’s not true.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Lee Hyun-woo is not seeing your daughter.”
Kim Sung-hee said firmly, with a serious expression.
“Is she jealous?”
Kim Mi-hyun’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Kim Sung-hee.
