Episode 21: Preparations Beforehand
It was none other than Section Chief Seong Gong-chul from the Central Intelligence Agency who had walked in.
Seeing the unexpectedly familiar face, Lee Chang-jin’s expression brightened, and he quickly greeted him.
“Ah, Section Chief Seong! What brings you here?”
“Haha. I had some business around here and decided to drop by to say hello. I hope my timing isn’t off.”
“Not at all. You came at a good time. How have you been?”
Seong Gong-chul was the son of the elderly man whose life Lee Chang-jin had saved at Hanil-gwan last time. They had kept in touch sporadically since then, and now that he had some free time, Seong Gong-chul decided to visit.
Lee Chang-jin warmly welcomed his guest and guided him to the sofa. Seong Gong-chul shared what had been going on in his life.
“Thanks to you, President Lee, I’ve been well. My father recently underwent heart valve surgery, and the prognosis is very good.”
“Congratulations. That’s truly a relief.”
“It’s all thanks to you, President Lee. If it weren’t for you, it could have been a disaster.”
“I didn’t do much. It was all due to your father’s good fortune.”
Seong Gong-chul softly replied.
“Haha. By the way, I just happened to bump into some people who looked like they were from the Ministry of Labor. May I ask what that was about?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hmm, please don’t hesitate to tell me. Maybe I can help.”
Hesitating for a moment under Seong Gong-chul’s sincere gaze, Lee Chang-jin decided to explain.
“Actually, today, out of the blue, a joint inspection team from the Ministry of Labor came without prior notice, accusing us of unfair labor practices and turning the factory upside down.”
Hearing this, Seong Gong-chul grew angry as if it were his own issue.
“Those are some very despicable people. To cause such a mess over something like that…”
“It’s common in the industry. It’s a ploy to nip the competition in the bud before it grows.”
“That must be tough on you.”
“Haha. How can you run a business if you crumble at this level of hardship? You have to endure it. They can’t pull this stunt every time.”
Lee Chang-jin’s voice was calm as usual. In the world of business, such smear tactics were a regular occurrence.
Having experienced the complete loss of his company in a past life, this kind of challenge was nothing to him.
Impressed by his composed demeanor, Seong Gong-chul felt a sense of duty.
Thinking that it was time to repay the favor, Seong Gong-chul grabbed Lee Chang-jin’s hand and said,
“Don’t worry, President Lee. I’ll handle this quietly.”
“It’s really okay. I’m already preparing a legal response with my lawyer.”
Despite Lee Chang-jin’s repeated refusals, Seong Gong-chul insisted.
“No, let me help. Only then will I feel at ease.”
“Alright then, I’ll take you up on your offer.”
Seeing Seong Gong-chul’s determination, Lee Chang-jin no longer refused. Soon after returning to the Central Intelligence Agency, Seong Gong-chul had his subordinate gather information about Mido Machinery.
Within a day, the subordinate secured the intelligence report and reported to Seong Gong-chul.
“So, did you find out the details?”
“Yes. The president of Mido is quite a dirty guy. Collusion, fraud, embezzlement, extortion, and even having another family—his record is quite colorful. He’s almost been jailed for assault several times, but each time he used his connections to get out of it.”
“Really? I hope this can be resolved easily. If it gets too noisy, it’ll be bad for our reputation.”
“Don’t worry. He’s a typical small-minded person who is weak against the strong and strong against the weak. One call from you will change his attitude immediately.”
“Is that so? That’s good to hear…”
After understanding the situation, Seong Gong-chul took a deep breath and contacted Mido Machinery.
“This is Section Chief Seong Gong-chul from the Central Intelligence Agency. Is President Joo Moon-hyung available?”
“Wh-what? The CIA?”
Startled, the secretary asked again, and Seong Gong-chul replied irritably.
“Hey, the person who answered the phone, I don’t want to repeat myself. Put the president on the line.”
“Y-yes! I’ll connect you right away.”
The secretary, frozen in fear, dialed the number, and Joo Moon-hyung answered the phone politely.
“Hello, this is Joo Moon-hyung from Mido Machinery.”
“Sorry to call when you must be busy. Is this a bad time?”
“No, it’s fine. But what brings someone of your stature to call our company…”
Sensing the apprehension in Joo Moon-hyung’s voice, Seong Gong-chul lowered his tone.
“I received a tip about industrial espionage, or should I say, spies.”
“W-what do you mean? Spies?”
“There are many kinds of spies. It’s not just the ones carrying guns. Those who harm the national economy are also spies. Recently, there have been many malicious individuals trying to sabotage the President’s economic policies. It’s my job to punish such communist scum. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes, I understand.”
The mention of industrial spies and communists made Joo Moon-hyung gulp.
After a long lecture, Joo Moon-hyung was half out of his mind.
Mechanically repeating “yes,” Joo Moon-hyung cautiously asked,
“Yes. But I’m a bit slow… What exactly should I correct?”
“Well, it’s good to work hard on your business, but don’t cause unnecessary trouble. You’re pressuring Daese Group, right? Do you think that’s the right thing to do?”
“N-no, it’s not.”
“Then you know what to do, right?”
How could he dare refuse such an order? Joo Moon-hyung immediately nodded.
“Yes. I will correct it right away.”
“It’s good to see we understand each other. Try to live like this from the beginning, will you? If I hear any more reports or noises about your misdeeds, be prepared. We’ll meet at the Seobinggo branch then.”
Seong Gong-chul finished the call with a threatening tone and hung up.
Joo Moon-hyung, whose legs had gone weak, collapsed into his chair.
His back was wet with sweat from the tension.
After some time, Joo Moon-hyung, regaining his senses, urgently summoned Director Shin.
“Director Shin. Cancel all planned attacks on Daese Industries immediately. Stop the lawsuits too. And don’t touch Woo Seong-chan anymore.”
“What? We’ve finished all the preparations. What about the costs we’ve incurred so far?”
Angry at those words, Joo Moon-hyung snapped.
“Shut up, you bastard. If I say stop, just stop. Why so many complaints? Is it your money or mine? Just do as I say.”
“Sorry… I understand. I’ll address it right away.”
“Good. Handle it quickly before I lose my temper…”
Three days later, news came that the head of the Ministry of Labor’s joint inspection team had been demoted, and the members under him were transferred to local labor offices. Along with that, Yeo Jin-joo reported with relief.
“President, Mido Machinery has withdrawn the lawsuit. They said it was a mistake caused by a misunderstanding and asked for our forgiveness.”
The subordinate staff, unaware of the circumstances, couldn’t hide their confusion at Mido’s sudden change in attitude.
“Those strange guys. It’s like they’re bipolar. Suddenly acting all nice. Did the president eat something bad?”
From Koo Chang-dong’s perspective, it was baffling.
However, Lee Chang-jin, understanding the situation, just smiled.
“It seems they realized that fighting us wouldn’t be beneficial. Everyone, get back to work.”
“Yes, sir.”
In fact, Lee Chang-jin had been prepared for an all-out war over this issue.
But the matter, which he thought would drag on, concluded much more smoothly than expected, leaving him relieved.
“I guess I should send Section Chief Seong some red ginseng. Or would that not be enough?”
The benefits Lee Chang-jin gained were not just this. As the news spread that Mido had withdrawn the lawsuit, partner companies associated with Mido began to reach out.
Having been fed up with Mido’s tyranny, the parts suppliers had been closely watching the outcome of this fight.
According to market principles, the emergence of a company other than Mido was welcome, but due to frequent bullying by Mido Machinery, they had been reluctant to issue orders.
But once they sensed that Lee Chang-jin had strong backing, they were no longer hesitant.
As a result, Lee Chang-jin’s crane orders doubled in no time.
“Now, it’s time to relocate… We might also need to buy some company trucks and cars.”
With his business growing significantly, Lee Chang-jin started thinking about moving out of the salt warehouse.
To manufacture a single crane, he needed a dedicated heavy-duty bending machine for crane production, welding cutters, drilling equipment, as well as a separate painting room and sanding workshop.
Especially for mobile cranes with outriggers, the stability of the crane varies depending on the installation state of the outriggers. If the outrigger cannot be fully extended due to a lack of workspace, the rated load per working radius must be lowered to prevent overturning.
To ensure quality control through performance inspections after manufacturing assembly, it was necessary to secure a site with ample space. Moreover, for smooth orders and manufacturing supplies, factory expansion was essential.
Lee Chang-jin had secured a total floor area of 980 pyeong (approximately 3,237 square meters) by renovating the old warehouse. Although there was still some room, considering the incoming volume, it would soon reach its limit. Given the growth rate, he needed to expand the storage space for raw materials and the manufacturing area.
However, he had to decide whether to leave the current site as it was and secure additional space elsewhere or to move the entire factory to a larger site.
“In terms of efficiency, the latter is overwhelmingly better. But I wonder how much acquisition tax will be… First, I need to check the potential site.”
If the value increased due to a change in land designation, acquisition tax would be imposed. If he remained idle without thinking, he could be hit with unexpected taxes. At that time, when establishing a factory in a metropolitan area, it was advantageous to buy existing properties due to a fivefold increase in the general rate.
Currently, Lee Chang-jin had about 400 million won in cash. After deducting the costs of hiring additional staff, installing new machines, and other detailed expenses.
Considering it was the first year of the startup, it was an astonishing profit margin. However, unexpected events could always occur in business.
Given the cyclical nature of the equipment industry, a few months of downturn could quickly tie up accumulated funds, and if payments were delayed, it could cause cash flow problems. Hence, careful financial management was crucial.
Thus, Lee Chang-jin reviewed all the relevant documents meticulously, considering the repayment of the sale price of the factory site, the possibility of securing additional sites and taking out collateral loans, the relocation costs and new construction costs, the transportation distance of materials, other parts costs, and the additional budget for the next six months.
While Lee Chang-jin was absorbed in reviewing the documents, he heard a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Yeo Jin-joo, the accounting clerk, entered and bowed politely.
“What is it?”
“President, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor? Who is it?”
“A very refined lady. She said she had an appointment with you.”
“Hmm, did I have a meeting today? An appointment suddenly?”
Was there something he might have forgotten in his schedule?
Lee Chang-jin quickly reviewed his documents, but soon the mystery was solved.
“It’s me, President Lee. Long time no see.”
A woman in a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses walked gracefully into the room.
Her polka-dot dress fluttered as she walked in high heels.
Recognizing the familiar silhouette, Lee Chang-jin looked at her as if mesmerized.
“Ah, Chief Jin? What brings you here…”
Jin Seon-ah smiled as she took off her sunglasses.
“I heard you called while I was on a business trip. I was waiting for you to call back, but you never did… So I thought it might be a good time to visit. I hope I’m not intruding.”
Only then did Lee Chang-jin remember leaving a note for Daehung Trading Company.
He had been so busy that he had forgotten. Had she been waiting for his call all this time?
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Lee Chang-jin apologized to her.
“Oh, I’ve been so preoccupied lately that I forgot to call you back. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. People tend to forget things when they’re immersed in work. Besides, it seems like your factory is doing well. There are more employees than I expected. President Lee, no, now it’s President Lee, right? You really are capable.”
Jin Seon-ah looked around the office with interest. Fortunately, the office had been cleaned the day before, so it was spotless. Feeling proud from her compliments, Lee Chang-jin responded modestly.
“It’s still in the early stages. There’s a lot to improve.”
Noticing the situation, Yeo Jin-joo quickly served coffee.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome…”
Seeing Yeo Jin-joo blush at the sight of another woman, Lee Chang-jin once again realized Jin Seon-ah’s beauty.
Her elegant gesture of bringing the cup to her lips was like a painting.
“I can tell how you’ve been doing without even asking. Congratulations once again, President Lee!”
“You’re too kind.”
“But isn’t this place a bit cramped? It seems small compared to the volume of orders you have…”
“Yes, I was actually looking for a site to expand.”
“Really? Can I help? I may not look it, but I’m quite an expert in auctions.”
Intrigued by the offer, Lee Chang-jin showed interest.
“Would it be too much to ask?”
“Well… It’s better than paying with a meal. But of course, it’s not free.”
“Of course. Shall we head out since it’s lunchtime?”
“Sounds good.”
Just as Lee Chang-jin was about to get up, taking his suit jacket, there was a loud crash, and three men fell at the door.
- To be continued in Episode 22 -