Episode 4: Daese Trading Company
Jin Seon-ah asked in a puzzled tone.
“Business? Are you saying you want to quit that company and start your own business?”
“Yes… Not immediately, but I’m planning to start as a side business first.”
“For a side business, you’re starting quite grandly. You seem to think big.”
“Haha, you need a preparation period to do anything properly, right? A salaryman’s income is obvious. To make real money, you have to do business.”
At Lee Chang-jin’s candid answer, Jin Seon-ah tapped the table with her fingernails.
She seemed slightly more interested than before.
“Hmm, I guess you could think that way. So, what business are you planning to do?”
“At first, I plan to simply sell oil…”
“Oil, huh. Oil prices aren’t great these days… Will it be profitable?”
“There’s always demand in the severe cold. I think this winter will be especially cold. I’m planning to seize the opportunity.”
This winter is guaranteed to be exceptionally cold.
Many people will freeze to death.
But Jin Seon-ah, who didn’t know this fact, found such certainty unfamiliar.
People who come here to borrow money are usually intimidated.
Is it because private loans are burdensome?
There are countless people who eventually can’t even pay back the principal.
Most of them feel desperation or self-reproach.
Some exaggerate, while others react nervously.
But Lee Chang-jin didn’t fit into any of those categories.
‘He’s an interesting person…’
Is it calculated bravado or baseless confidence?
But Jin Seon-ah decided not to think deeply about it.
As long as the funds could be recovered, the details didn’t matter.
Jin Seon-ah, who had collected her thoughts, asked gently.
“Hmm… So, how much ammunition do you need?”
“The more, the better.”
“Then, can I get an estimate? If you don’t mind, how much is your salary?”
“It’s about 250,000 won a month.”
Lee Chang-jin handed over his prepared salary statement as if he had been waiting for this.
Jin Seon-ah carefully examined the document.
After a moment, she nodded.
“Hmm. So, 3 million won a year… Considering bonuses, you could manage around 4 million won a year. A loan of up to 5 million won should be manageable.”
“That would be quite insufficient.”
“How much do you need?”
“At least more than 10 million won.”
“Hmm, then you’ll need some collateral. Do you have anything to offer?”
“If I had collateral, would I be here? This is all I have.”
Lee Chang-jin handed over a prepared health examination report.
Jin Seon-ah looked at the document with a peculiar expression.
“What is this?”
“I’m confident in my health. How about organs as collateral?”
Jin Seon-ah looked at Lee Chang-jin as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing, then turned her attention back to the medical chart.
She looked over the contents and snickered.
“Everything looks fine… except your liver levels are a bit off. If you want to live long, you should watch your drinking.”
“I drink a lot for work. I guess that’s why my liver is swollen.”
Finding it hard to hold back, she burst into laughter.
After laughing for a while, she fanned herself and then erased the smile from her face.
“Oh, it was too funny… I’m sorry. But no jokes, Mr. Lee. In this world, there’s no room for empty words.”
Jin Seon-ah’s expression turned serious.
“I’m not joking. If worse comes to worst, I can spare a kidney. It’s not like I’m going to die.”
“Haha, you really are fearless.”
Jin Seon-ah looked at him with an expression that said he was incorrigible.
She had never met anyone who responded so straightforwardly.
Maybe it was because she had only seen people who were anxious or desperate when they couldn’t borrow money.
Seeing someone so confident while borrowing money felt strange.
It felt like dealing with a seasoned veteran, not a corporate newbie.
Sensing positive vibes, Lee Chang-jin quickly continued.
“If I buy oil, there will be no need to worry about collateral. If I can’t repay, you can sell the oil. It’s not something that spoils or deteriorates easily.”
“Hmm… that’s true.”
Jin Seon-ah crossed her legs seductively, a habit she had when she was deep in thought.
Her black high heels peeked out from under her well-shaped legs.
Instinctively, any man would have looked, but Lee Chang-jin didn’t.
He remained upright, staring only into her eyes without any hint of distraction.
Jin Seon-ah found herself more conflicted because of his demeanor.
How much could she trust this novice…
After a brief hesitation, she made a proposal.
“How about this? We’ll increase the loan amount, but you’ll have to repay it in a shorter period. If you can’t repay the loan within six months, we’ll sell the collateral.”
Lee Chang-jin nodded readily.
“That works for me. How much can you lend?”
“Up to 15 million won. That’s the maximum limit. The monthly compound interest will be around 12%.”
Having said her piece, Jin Seon-ah took a sip of her tea.
No further negotiations were to be expected.
Lee Chang-jin’s reflection was visible in her clear eyes.
Lee Chang-jin didn’t avert his gaze. Meanwhile, his brain was calculating furiously.
With a maturity of 180 days and monthly compound interest of 12%. The total comes to 2,664,605 won.
That amount was enough to buy three 42-pyeong Banpo apartments, which had similar status to Tower Palace in the 2000s.
High risk, high return.
It was a burdensome amount, but if things went as expected, there wouldn’t be any problem.
Having finished his thoughts, Lee Chang-jin nodded.
“Alright. Let’s sign the contract.”
“Understood. In that case, we have no reason to refuse.”
Jin Seon-ah pulled out the contract as if she had been waiting.
After both parties stamped their seals, she slung her crossbody bag and stood up gracefully.
“Oh, I almost forgot, we’ll deduct 10% for the advance interest. So, 13.5 million won…”
“Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll repay it on time.”
At Lee Chang-jin’s confident demeanor, Jin Seon-ah smiled gently.
“I hope you do. Oh, one more thing… You might get calls during work hours. If you don’t answer promptly, we might come looking for you. Please keep that in mind.”
“Understood. I look forward to working with you.”
Lee Chang-jin nodded.
The next day, as soon as he arrived at work early in the morning, he received a call.
“Mr. Lee, you have a call on line 3.”
As soon as he picked up the phone, a high-pitched female voice came through.
“Mr. Lee, it’s Jin. I just completed the deposit into your account. I’m calling to confirm.”
“Yes. You didn’t have to call… Thank you.”
“Okay, I’ll call you occasionally, even if it might be a bit bothersome.”
After ending the call, Lee Chang-jin put down the phone. Jeong Pil-joo, the manager, asked curiously.
“Who was that, Mr. Lee? The voice seemed friendly… Is she someone you’re dating? Or is it this?” he asked, raising his little finger suggestively. Lee Chang-jin chuckled.
“Haha, no way. It’s someone I met for business. Don’t misunderstand.”
“Really? It’s the first time a woman has called for you, so I was curious. Anyway, good luck. I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thanks… I appreciate it.”
Responding half-heartedly, Lee Chang-jin focused back on his paperwork.
After a while, noticing the time, Lee Chang-jin went to get approval.
“Mr. Kim, here’s the process report you asked for.”
“What… You’ve finished it already? That’s too fast.”
Manager Kim looked at the report with suspicion.
After a moment, he marveled at the flawless sentences.
“Wow… I could believe a native speaker wrote this. Mr. Lee, great job. When did your English get this good? The guys at Anyang Steel will be on edge…”
“Thank you for the compliment. And… excuse me, may I ask for a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Could I take three days off starting tomorrow? There’s an urgent matter at home… I’ll leave the remaining tasks to Manager Jeong.”
Manager Kim asked in a surprised tone.
“What? I think it would be better for you to finish it…”
It made sense. The project Lee Chang-jin was pushing was almost complete.
If he handed over the report now, he’d be sharing the credit.
Which employee in the world would want to share their achievements with others?
But since Lee Chang-jin had no intention of staying at the company long-term, he wasn’t too concerned.
“Yes. I apologize, but there’s a family emergency… I need to urgently go down to the countryside. My parents’ health isn’t good.”
“Really? Then wait a moment…”
Manager Kim checked the leave records. And he was surprised again.
“Oh, come to think of it, you haven’t taken any leave at all?”
“Yes… That’s right.”
During his time at Mannheim, Lee Chang-jin had never taken a single day off.
He thought rest was a luxury only the affluent could afford.
“Wow. You’ve been working so hard. Amazing.”
Manager Kim, looking at his performance, was stunned. In nearly five years, not a single day of absence or even a tardy.
Seeing nothing to object to, Manager Kim readily agreed.
“Well… If it’s important, there’s no choice. If you’re going to rest, you can take a full week off.”
“Oh, a few days will be enough. I’ve also handled the completion report you instructed earlier.”
“Really? Then you can leave after your external assignment. I’ll approve your leave today.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Thanks to Manager Kim’s kindness, Lee Chang-jin finished his work early and headed to Shinil Bank’s Myeongdong branch.
Thanks to hurrying, he managed to arrive just before the bank closed.
The female employee he had seen a few days ago greeted him with a welcoming smile.
“You’re back, sir. How can I help you?”
“I’m here to withdraw my savings.”
“Could you please show me your ID and passbook?”
“Here you go.”
The female employee, after checking the balance, looked back and forth between Lee Chang-jin and the document with a surprised expression.
“Oh… The amount… It’s quite a lot.”
The account had over 15 million won deposited. This included the 13.5 million won deposited by Daese Group and the funds Lee Chang-jin had saved. It was only natural for the employee to be shocked, as it was a sum that would be hard to save even with 20 years of a bank employee’s salary. Lee Chang-jin spoke.
“Please issue me fifteen 1 million won checks, and the rest in 10,000 won bills.”
The employee hesitated for a moment.
“Are you planning to withdraw all of this at once?”
“Yes.”
“Then… Could you wait a moment?”
High-value checks required the branch manager’s signature.
Shortly after, having visited the manager’s office, she came back with quick steps and bowed her head.
“Sir, I’ll guide you to the manager’s office.”
Upon reaching the manager’s office, a man with a shiny bald head greeted Lee Chang-jin and handed him a business card.
“Hello, sir. I’m Lee Myung-cheon, the branch manager of Shinil Bank’s Jongno branch.”
“Hello, I’m Lee Chang-jin.”
“Would you prefer coffee or tea?”
“Coffee, please.”
“Miss Hong, please bring some coffee for the customer. This way, please.”
The female employee, who seemed to be his secretary, quickly brought out a warm cup of coffee.
As Lee Chang-jin sat down, the branch manager cautiously asked.
“Sir, I heard you want to withdraw all your savings… Did we do something to upset you?”
“No, not at all. There’s no such issue.”
“Then may I ask the reason?”
“I need urgent funds for a business… I’m planning to purchase oil products.”
“Oh, you are in business. Do you need additional funds?”
“That would be nice, but when I inquired a few days ago, I was told the limit is 2 million won.”
The branch manager looked over the document again and smiled.
“Well, I can extend an additional 3 million won under my authority.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m not keen on conditional loans.”
“Which conditions are you referring to?”
“Loans with forced savings…”
Lee Chang-jin politely declined.
‘Forced savings’ refers to the practice of banks requiring customers to buy savings products as a condition for loans. It was common to demand 10-20% of the loan amount as collateral.
But since Lee Chang-jin had sufficient funds now, he didn’t want to take on such a burden.
Seeing Lee Chang-jin’s response, the branch manager shook his head as if he had expected it.
“Haha, you don’t have to worry about that. All we ask is that you designate our branch as your main bank for your business.”
“Hmm… Is that sufficient?”
“Yes. We’ll offer an annual interest rate of 10%. How does that sound? It’s not a bad offer.”
It was indeed a good condition, considering the interest rates at the time. Lee Chang-jin nodded.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
“Haha. Miss Hong, please arrange an additional 5 million won loan for this gentleman.”
Shortly after, the female employee brought the money from the account.
The branch manager himself handed over the bag containing 20 million won.
“We hope to continue serving you at our branch.”
“Haha. Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”
After Lee Chang-jin left, Miss Hong asked the branch manager in a puzzled tone.
“Sir, what makes you trust that man enough to loan him such a large amount?”
“Haha, Miss Hong, it’s simple. The interest on a 5 million won loan is better than on a 2 million won loan.”
“But… I’m worried. Most of that money was deposited just a few days ago. It could be borrowed from somewhere else.”
The branch manager laughed and asked back.
“Haha. Miss Hong, let me ask you. Could you gather over 10 million won in just a few days?”
“No, of course not.”
“See? Even borrowing money is a skill. I bet he’ll repay soon.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Well, I have a knack for judging people. Just wait and see.”
Miss Hong, feeling skeptical, retorted.
“Haha, I don’t believe in your gut feelings anymore. You messed up big last time relying on that.”
“This time, it’s real. Trust me.”
“I don’t know. But if it goes wrong, you’ll have to take responsibility. We might end up with the lowest performance in the branch.”
“Why, Miss Hong, have I done something wrong recently?”
Despite the doubt, Lee Myung-cheon was certain.
This time, it was real…
Meanwhile, having secured the funds, Lee Chang-jin headed to Yeongdeungpo.
- To be continued in Episode 5 -
