62. Jeffrey always has a plan.
“Oh! Already?”
– Actually, I thought it was time you did, so I’ve been taking my time.
Apparently, successful people are always one step ahead of everyone else.
This is what spouses do.
“So, who is it?”
– Her name is Nam Jung-won. She’s from the planning and coordination office of Sasung Group. She’s 49 years old.
“Oh, you’re from the planning and coordination office of Sasung Group?”
– Yes. Two years ago, he was in the Future Strategy Office, the successor to the Sasung Keynote Office, but when it was disbanded, he didn’t go down to the group company, and now he’s in Yain. He said that when he was in the Keynote Office, the then head of the office, Lee Hak-joo, wore him like a handmaiden and pampered him.
This is awesome.
– I put the details in your email, so you can read it.
“No, Jeffrey, but would someone like this come to me?”
– I outlined it, and he was interested, but he’d have to talk to me to finalize it.
“Where? In the United States?”
– Of course, Korea. He’s in Korea right now.
“Then shouldn’t he come to Korea?”
– What can I say, I’ll go in and out.
“Hmph! I’m sorry about this.”
– Okay, he’s coming in two days, so I know he’s coming, and I’ve put his flight schedule in your email, so you can refer to it and pick him up.
“Of course I’ll pick you up, hahahaha!”
– Okay, see you in Korea.
“Yep!”
I hung up the phone with Jeffrey and opened my email.
It was a file of documents from Jeffrey’s research in Korea.
But there wasn’t much in it.
Not surprising, since he’d spent 20 years in the Sasung keynote room after college.
However, it was noted that he was once recognized as the successor to Lee Hak-joo within Sasung, and that he was well-liked by those around him because he was soft-spoken, serious, and kind.
One more thing is that he has a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) license.
A career in the planning and coordination office of Sasung Group, there is nothing more to see.
Now it’s all about verification.
He might be the most important person in Korean business, so he must be verified.
I cautiously touch the beads.
Hwaak!
“Oh! Bright!”
The prayer beads were glowing at almost full power.
There’s nothing more to see.
This is the man to catch at all costs.
“Hey, Jeffrey!”
“Ha, I always hate long flights.”
Arrival hall at Incheon Airport.
I picked up Jeffrey directly, but he shook his head as soon as he exited the arrivals gate.
“No, didn’t you fly first class?”
“No, it’s first class, and I hate long flights.”
“Anyway, it was a long way to get here, let’s stop by the hotel and get something to eat.”
I stopped by the hotel, undressed, and went to the Japanese restaurant where I had met the president of Dongyang Seo Chang-ryul last time.
I had just signed up as a member that day, so I had a reservation.
“What is it? Is this place good?”
“Uh, it’s where I met Mr. Seo last time, and he introduced me to it, so I became a member.”
“What a strange coincidence, how did you meet him after his accident?”
“Well, it wasn’t a big deal, and I became a salesman for Mr. Seo.”
“hahahaha! That’s ridiculous.”
It had been a long time, so we ordered soju and ate some, and then started talking in earnest.
“So, did you have a meeting with that guy Nam Jung-won?”
“Yes, we’re meeting tomorrow evening. He asked me to meet him at the Daesung office, is that okay?”
“It doesn’t matter, my room is small but neat, so we can meet there, right?”
“Sure.”
“How did you know him?”
“I’ve known him since he was in the Sanctuary. He used to work with me a lot.”
“And?”
“Even then, I liked him a lot. He wasn’t very competent in his work, and he was surprisingly quiet and easygoing, so I often hung out with him when he came to the United States.”
“If he’s the handmaiden of the famous Lee Hak-joo, not to mention competent in business, why does he come out and live as a wild man? That’s what I was most curious about?”
“He’s of the Lee Hak-joo line.”
“But?”
“He didn’t get along with the group’s successor, Mr. Li Zhanglong.”
“Really?”
If so, it’s a video.
Now that Lee Jang-ryong is in control, he pushes out his father’s vassals who were pretending to be him.
And his line of vassals, too.
“After that, it’s obvious. Lee Hak-joo lost his power ten years ago, but Chairman Lee Jung-in kept him around because he loved him so much, and when he passed away five years ago, it was over. Still, for a few years, he wasn’t kicked out because he was so competent in his job, but even he became a duck egg in the Nakdong River when the Planning and Coordination Office was eliminated two years ago.”
“No, but at that point, he had plenty of other places to go, didn’t he?”
“Hey, you’re a person with ten fingers in the hierarchy of the four major groups, but is it that easy? You know so many secrets of the four major groups that it’s hard for you to go elsewhere, and you’re a burden on the receiving end, too, because you might earn the hatred of the four major groups.”
“I see—.”
“Besides, you didn’t seem to mind the money you received when you left Sasung. I’ll take care of you, but I’m telling you not to go after other chaebols.”
Oh, those chaebols have complicated lives.
“But are we okay?”
“It doesn’t matter, your business in Korea is just like Hakobang in the eyes of Sasung, at least not yet.”
“Oh, but that’s true. What’s a hakobang, a hakobang?”
“It’s true, isn’t it? You call it hakko, but what do you call it?”
“…”
Well, it’s true.
“So why do you recommend him?”
“First and foremost, he’s reliable. I can vouch for that.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yeah.”
I was actually surprised.
The Jeffrey I knew wasn’t the kind of man who would vouch for his brother or even his own child if they didn’t meet his standards.
“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“Yeah, it’s really good, and I’m recommending him because he’s exactly what you need right now.”
“Why?”
“You don’t need someone to run the company, you need someone to manage and oversee the companies you invest in or acquire on your behalf here in Korea, and you need someone who knows finance and real estate.”
“You’re right.”
“In that regard, you’re the man for the job.”
“I agree.”
“Well, then, I’m tired, so let’s meet at your office tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.”
“But why 5pm?”
“Well, 5:00 pm is a fairly casual time.
It’s usually a good time to invite friends over, hang out for a while, and then go for drinks.
“What do you mean, shouldn’t we have a drink after the meeting? Are you trying to make a point with this?”
“…”
From nob le mt l. co m
Jeffrey always has a plan.
The next day.
About ten minutes before 5:00, Jeffrey brings a tall, stout man his own age into my office.
“Alex, I’ve got you.”
“Oh, good to see you. They call him Steele. In the U.S., we go by Alex Steele.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Chairman. I’m Namjung.”
By the way, since when do people call me Mr. Chairman?
Strangely, I seem to accept it naturally.
I don’t know if it’s because I have a lot of things open.
I said a quick hello and ordered the staff to bring out the tea.
“Yes, Nam Jung-won—. What’s your title over there?”
“Mr. Nam’s last position was president, so you can just call him President Nam.”
“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about Mr. Nam from Jeffrey.”
“hahahaha, I bet he didn’t say anything too nice.”
“hahahahaha, he doesn’t usually say nice things about Mr. Nam.”
“…”
“Humor me, I’m kidding, and to be honest, I haven’t heard you vouch for someone since I’ve known you.”
“Really? This is surprising. Brother Zhang, why did you do that?”
“Shut up, keep talking.”
I see Big Brother Jeffrey is getting embarrassed.
“hahahaha! I’ve never seen you look so embarrassed before. It’s nice of you to say so.”
“Yes, so am I. Anyway, I know you’ve been out of work for about two years since you quit your private practice, and I’ve heard from Elder Brother Jeffrey that there’s a good reason for that, so can you tell me why you’re interested in joining our company?”
Vouched for by Jeffrey’s brother and guaranteed by the beads.
But at least ask the question and pretend to think about it.
You can’t just blindly say yes, can you?
I have my own gao.
“I heard from Brother Zhang, and I won’t spoil it for you, but I heard that once you leave the company, you shouldn’t go to another group company if you can help it. Do you know what I mean?”
“Yes, I understand.”
It was said politely, but it was really half a threat.
Don’t create an uncomfortable relationship.
“Well, I don’t have a problem with that,” I say, “I was a little uncomfortable with the way you went about it, but the fact is, I know too much about private s*x. It’s not like the other chaebols trying to recruit me are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.”
“I suppose so.”
“Besides, I was generously compensated for my services – I was paid more than a salaryman could ever dream of – but you see, my body refused to let me play.”
“What? Your body?”
“Yes. I spent 20 years working 12+ hour days in the planning and control room, and I rarely got a day off. It was a 24/7 standby system, except for the 2010s, when the world changed.”
“Huh? No, I mean, how does a person live with a job like that?”
“You just get by, because you’re definitely getting paid for it.”
Isn’t that crazy?
“Well, yeah, it is, but after living like that for over twenty years, all of a sudden you’re a penniless man. The first month was great, traveling with my estranged wife, playing golf freely, seeing friends I hadn’t seen in years—.”
“Isn’t that what your father said, that you’re going to go crazy after a while?”
“hahahahaha, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chun is right. Besides, I was the one who prided myself on living harder than anyone else, but when you really get down to it, after about three months, it’s like torture, isn’t it?”
“hahahaha, I’m sure it was, and you’re still young, right? Most people your age would be in charge of the department, or at the very least, moving out by now.”
“That’s right. I’m very fast, so my friends are busy, and when I ask them out for a drink, they’re fine at first, but then they’re embarrassed, and then they’re embarrassed for their apartment neighbors.”
“I see.”
“Ha! It was a real eye-opener, having a place to go to work! I realized what a blessing it was after only three months. And then I thought about all the people I’d led in restructuring and let go in the past. At least I was overcompensated and didn’t have to worry about making ends meet, but how hard was it for them? I wonder how hard it was for them.”
“…”
They don’t call unemployment social murder for nothing.
It’s just one person.
“So, I’ve been looking and looking and looking, and there’s really no jobs available. I’m optimized for a group company, but I can’t go to a group company, and the mid-level ones, I’ve been so far up the ladder before that it’s kind of a double whammy.”
“That sounds like it was.”
“So I’ve been wasting away, traveling, learning this and that, and doing a little bit of work, and a few months ago, I went to visit my brother Zhang in the U.S., and I was begging him, and he told me to just hang in there, because the perfect job for me will come along soon.”
“Huh?”
I said.
Had Jeffrey been thinking about this for months?
“Well, I knew he wasn’t one for bullsh*t, so I took him at his word and waited, and then he called me a few days ago and said he had this guy who was like a brother to him, and he wanted me to take over?”
“Poohahahahaha!”
He must have been nervous about what I was doing in Korea.
“So, I heard more about you, Mr. Chairman, and I was like, wow, this is amazing. How did you blossom your talent for investing so late in life?”
“Aww, you’re being flattering.”
“No. Brother Jang didn’t tell me everything, he just told me two things, AMD and Nvidia, and I can only describe it as phenomenal. I just didn’t understand why he was doing it in Korea.”
“So, it was about finding people.”
“Anyway, the moment I heard Jang’s words, I was like, ‘Oh, this position is mine! There’s no reason to clash with Sasung, and I really like the fact that you’re so active in the welfare business. However, as I said before, the for-profit business seems to be quite unorganized, and I think it couldn’t be better if we can control this part.”
Somehow, Mr. Nam seemed to like what I was doing.
It was a job that she had learned all her life and could do well.
Well, let’s end this formal interview.
I had no reason to drag it out, since I was being proactive, contrary to what Jeffrey had said, and I had the assurances of Naya and Jeffrey.
“Mr. Nam, I intend to invest in Korea as much as I do in the U.S., if not more, and I have quite a few things lined up, and I need someone to control all of these Korean operations on my behalf. Fortunately, Mr. Nam seems to be the right person for the job.”
“…”
“How about this? You’ve worked for Sasung for 20 years, why don’t you work for me for the next 20? I’ll give you full authority and treat you the best.”
Suddenly, President Namjungwon stood up and bowed.
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’ll do my best, and I won’t let you down.”
“hahahahaha! Nice to meet you!”
“hahahaha! Nice to meet you!”
I grasped President Nam’s hand firmly.