In reality, Woo Sang-won sent an official letter to Japan.
To summarize, it was, “Could you send it after converting it to dollars?”
This led Son Jung-yi to personally call Lee Hyun-woo.
(Is there something going on… This is the first time we are sending money, and you asked to convert it to dollars, so I contacted you after much consideration.)
“Ah…”
Lee Hyun-woo let out a slight exclamation.
This was an unreasonable request, to say the least.
The reason was simple.
It appeared as if they were trying to save even a penny on the currency exchange fee.
“It seems there was a misunderstanding in the communication process. I apologize if there was any confusion.”
(No, not at all. As I mentioned, I was concerned if there was any issue. I wouldn’t have called just because converting to dollars is difficult.)
“There is no issue. If anything, it’s because of the recent abolition of the fixed exchange rate system in Thailand.”
Lee Hyun-woo had to explain the series of events.
In other words, due to financial instability in Thailand, the value of safe assets like the dollar was expected to rise, and thus, the company had issued a directive to fill the internal reserves with dollars.
“In the process, it seems we asked to send the money received from overseas in dollars as well. This was not intentional but a mistake, so you can just send it as usual.”
(No, it’s fine. Whether we convert it to won or dollars, there will be an exchange fee anyway.)
Recalling the details, the burden of the exchange fee was to be borne by each country.
In other words, if we were to send money to Japan from here, 【Jungle】 would bear the fee.
“Then, could you send it in yen just this once? That way, there won’t be any exchange fees.”
They had already created dollar and yen accounts when they expanded to Japan and the U.S.
So, it seemed like a good idea to accumulate in those accounts, hence the suggestion.
“The yen won’t collapse all at once, so holding it during unstable exchange rates might be a good idea. You could also save on fees.”
(It seems like I saved money by complaining.)
“No, it’s actually better this way. We both save unnecessary money.”
(Then let’s do this next time. If there’s a need to send money from Korea, our 【Software Bank】 will cover the exchange fees.)
“Yes, we’ll handle it that way if the situation arises.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled at Son Jung-yi’s counter-offer.
Since the joint venture existed in Japan, there was rarely a need to send money from Korea to Japan.
‘But you never know about the future.’
Who knows?
What if 【Jungle】 ends up running a joint venture when Son Jung-yi sets up one in Korea?
Unpredictability is a common occurrence, which might be why he hoped it wasn’t a rerun.
The same applied when Woo Sang-won was called regarding the exchange fee issue shortly after.
“Ah… I also requested the earnings from 【Jungle USA】 to be sent in dollars…”
It seemed he intended to stockpile all the second-quarter profits from Japan and the U.S. in dollars.
Since he was told to dollarize the funds excluding available cash, he didn’t expect him to be this thorough in accumulating.
He had to respond, so he said,
“That’s fine.”
After saying this with a smile, he continued,
“But demanding the dollar exchange fees from countries we will expand into in the future is something to be cautious about unless it’s pre-included in the contract.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
Such minor mistakes seemed likely to continue.
However, with more experience, Woo Sang-won seemed like he would manage the company well.
Once he set a goal, he would execute it immediately.
Not everyone can do that.
‘By the way, if we keep stockpiling dollars for a while, will we see exchange gains later?’
It’s unknown. The future is hard to predict.
Kim Sung-moo and Kim Tae-hyun were also repeatedly surprised by unpredictable events.
“I didn’t expect Hyun-woo to write an editorial for 【Digital Sejong】. And they say 【Sejong Daily】 is discussing it due to the mention of Thailand’s abolished fixed exchange rate system.”
“What discussion?”
“They proposed a plan to feature popular online articles in the print newspaper.”
“So, that means Hyun-woo’s editorial was well-received.”
“Yes, it was cited by other internet newspapers within a day. Those who make money off writing are quite fast. They know there’s an audience for that content.”
“Hmm…”
“And just now, Japan contacted us. They asked if we also want the second-quarter profits from 【Jungle】 sent in yen.”
“He’s gathering yen as well as dollars.”
“Apparently so.”
“Hahaha…”
Kim Sung-moo chuckled, once again confirming Lee Hyun-woo’s style.
Once he makes a decision, he charges forward without looking sideways.
What’s scarier is that his predictions are also accurate.
Even the recent abolition of Thailand’s fixed exchange rate system was like that.
Although it was known through an editorial, it was first mentioned on Nostradamus’s blog.
‘He sees at least two or three steps ahead of others.’
Kim Sung-moo now felt that he couldn’t let go of Lee Hyun-woo.
In other words, he couldn’t imagine any son-in-law other than Lee Hyun-woo.
The problem was that his company had grown so much that it was hard to imagine it being absorbed into 【Guseong】.
Thinking about that, he couldn’t help but say,
“Such a pity…”
“Sorry?”
“I mean Hyun-woo’s company. It’s grown so big that it’s hard to evaluate its value now. Last year, we might have considered a merger.”
“Ah… Yes… That’s true.”
Unlike Kim Sung-moo, Kim Tae-hyun thought his father didn’t understand Lee Hyun-woo.
‘Do you think he would sell his company?’
He was someone who didn’t consider selling his company even when it was very small.
Lee Hyun-woo probably thought he was hiding it well, but Kim Tae-hyun felt a lot during their conversations.
His dream wasn’t just domestic but global.
Just seeing his expansion to Japan and the U.S. was proof.
‘And forcibly merging him now would be unpleasant for me as well.’
As an heir to a large group, he didn’t want to raise a competitor.
Last year, Lee Hyun-woo and 【Jungle】 were at a size he could handle, but now it seemed like he might swallow them instead.
“Instead, we can leverage the field that 【Jungle】 pioneered. As long as we don’t overdo it.”
Kim Sung-moo quietly nodded, looking at his son.
And he read his son’s mind at once.
‘I know what you’re thinking.’
In terms of dealing with people, Kim Tae-hyun was no match for him.
So he said,
“One day, Ah-young will follow in your aunt’s footsteps. Then Hyun-woo will help her.”
In other words, he intended to make her independent.
This was said in hopes of preventing a management dispute among his children.
‘We should end such disputes in our generation.’
What parent would want their children to fight?
In this regard, Kim Sung-moo was like any other parent.
Luckily, as Kim Tae-hyun’s expression stabilized, he nodded.
“Yes, we’ll make sure to support them.”
“Of course, you have to get married first. Understood?”
“Haha… Yes… I’ll do that.”
Kim Tae-hyun already had someone he was seeing.
Due to his mother’s strong push, he was dating the eldest daughter of a certain company with marriage in mind.
‘Hah, marriage means the end of freedom…’
That was the most regretful part.
Unlike his sister Kim Ah-young, he also wanted to date someone he liked, not someone predetermined by the family.
‘Eh, whatever. Instead, I’ll gain an ally through marriage.’
The company he was marrying into wasn’t as big as 【Guseong】, but it was a well-established one, so it would surely be helpful in the future.
With this thought, Kim Tae-hyun consoled himself.
Kim Ah-young, whom Kim Tae-hyun envied, also met with Lee Hyun-woo after work today.
However, their recent conversations were far from romantic, often revolving around Thailand’s economy and its impacts.
“The Thai baht is appreciating temporarily. Do you think it will really turn out like your blog and editorial predicted?”
“Do you think I’m really Nostradamus? How can I predict the future?”
“But everything has been spot on lately.”
“Instead, the things I wrote in the past were mostly wrong. If you read carefully, I predicted many companies would go bankrupt and fail.”
“But two already have.”
“My prediction was five times that. But it’s not to that extent, so… it’s fortunate.”
“If ten companies go under, our economy will collapse instantly.”
It was a given.
If five big companies, which employed many people, suddenly went under, those people would be out on the streets, causing a reduction in consumption.
Moreover, people would start withdrawing money from banks for their living expenses, depleting the deposits of financial institutions.
If short-term foreign debts started to flow out due to concerns about not being able to get repaid, the anticipated liquidity crunch would occur.
“It’s true that they expanded their appearance with other people’s money. So now is the time to solidify their internal structure step by step.”
“Since many people don’t know this, you are enlightening them through Nostradamus’s editorials?”
“Hey, I’m not that noble. Honestly, I just… hope that people around me don’t suffer because of money? As I mentioned earlier, if financial institutions face issues, big companies will falter, and small companies supplying them will be cut off.”
This had happened to his father’s dyeing factory in his previous life.
Fortunately, now he was growing the company without any loans.
As he reached this thought, Lee Hyun-woo quickly said to Kim Ah-young,
“Oh, right. Have I mentioned my father’s company to you?”
“You don’t need to. I can tell from the situation. The company that 【Jungle】 held an event with is your father’s company, right?”
“Oh? You’re quite perceptive.”
“Actually, I heard it from Jung-woo. We sometimes talk these days.”
“Oh… Did he tell you everything in detail?”
He had noticed that they occasionally contacted each other since the Parents’ Day event.
But,
“Your father is starting to make clothes in earnest, right? He also hired a new designer.”
She knew more details than he thought.
Lee Hyun-woo started to feel a strange sensation.
It was like a hunch he got sometimes.
‘What is this? Why does she know so much about my father’s company?’
Following his rare hunch, he threw a sudden question.
“Do you perhaps have any dealings with my father’s company?”
“Uh?”
Hearing her startled voice, Lee Hyun-woo smiled, feeling the certainty from his hunch.
‘Look at this… What are you and my brother planning?’
