Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon in China.

"The Chinese partner picked the construction company to build the terminal. The name of the company is Hwajoong Construction Company. They told me that I will need to sign the construction contract tomorrow."

"I know that they put the construction work on an open bid, but I'm pretty sure that it was a pretense. They probably selected that specific construction company for the work, a long time ago."

"That's very plausible because I heard that the construction company's president is a friend of Antang City's director of the transportation department. People say that they were a member of Gong Qing Tuan (the Communist Youth League of China) together."

"Well, just sign the contract. What can we do? They selected the construction company for the work."

"Okay. I will sign the contract tomorrow and will give you a call."

The following day around 11:30 am, Jae-Sik Moon called Gun-Ho.

"I just signed the contract with Hwajoong Construction Company for the terminal construction work. The construction cost indicated in the contract is more than I thought. It's 150 million Yuan."

"Hmm, it's about 25.5 billion Korean won."

"I signed the contract that states that we would pay the cost in exchange for their construction work, but how are we going to come up with that money?"

"We will have a long-term battle with our Chinese partner."

"Really?"

"You will see. Antang transportation company is receiving enormous support from the city's transportation department. The real fight between the transportation company's president— Runsheng Yan— and me will start soon. It will be fantastic."

"I'm scared, man."

"You just sit there and watch. The excavation will start soon. I think you will see several heavy construction equipments coming into the construction site by tomorrow."

"I will keep an eye on the construction process with excavation and everything else for the next couple of days, and then I will visit Korea. The trip this time will be short like three days. My child will have her 100th day celebration in Korea."

"Really? She is already 100 days old? Congratulations."

Two days later, Gun-Ho received a call from Jae-Sik Moon. The phone number was from Korea.

"I arrived in Korea with my wife yesterday. We spent our first night at the condo in East Incheon City."

"That's nice."

"Before I left China, they were doing the excavation."

"Your parents must be happy to see their grandchild."

"Of course. They kept saying to my wife and me 'thank you.' I don't have many female relatives in our family, and my parents are so in love with my daughter."

"I'm sure they are."

"I was surprised when I saw them yesterday. They became totally different people; they were not the same people who used to live in a basement any longer. They now look like the people who have lived affluent lives their entire life. The impact that people receive from their living environment is amazing."

"Haha, really?"

"A basement unit is usually tiny and dark, but the biggest problem with a basement unit is moisture. Bacteria and molds are easily growing in a damp house, which causes allergies and creates other health concerns. My parents and I had been suffering from itching skin and minor breathing problems. We don't have any of those problems now ever since we moved to a condo."

"Is that right?"

"I'm actually planning to take out a loan from a bank using the condo in East Incheon City, for about 100 million won."

"What for?"

"My wife wants to try something in China."

"What about the baby?"

"Since she has the helper lady at home, she can have her own time without worrying about our baby. She has experience with running a book cafe, so she is thinking of opening a small business like a coffee shop or a simple restaurant selling deep-fried chicken with beer; you know the sort of restaurant that can be found everywhere in Korea."

"Hmm, I see."

"My wife has several friends in the condo community— Huaxi Huayuan. It seems that they have been discussing opening a business, and someone suggested to my wife that she open a restaurant that specializes in deep-fried chicken and beer. The Chinese ladies here seem to be fascinated by that type of restaurant since they have seen it a lot in a Korean TV drama. So, my wife is thinking about the business."

"Oh, really? Have you talked with anyone from a bank about the loan? Can you take out a loan that much?"

"They still have the record about my past low credit score, so banks won't lend me any money. But, community credit cooperatives will. I actually visited a community credit cooperative in this town, and they said they would lend me money as long as I use my condo to secure the loan. But their interest rate is high compared to banks'."

"Have you visited your parents-in-law as well?"

"My wife and I are actually in her parents' home right now."

"They are so happy to see all of you three, right?"

"Of course. They were very content when they saw their daughter. My wife looks peaceful and stable since she is not stressed with raising our child, unlike most of the new moms are. Having a helper lady at home is critical. So, my parents-in-law are happy knowing that their daughter is having a comfortable life in China."

"I see."

"Also, my wife bragged about her luxurious life in China to them. She told them that we are living in a 36 pyung large condo, and I am driving an Audi while running an intercity bus business."

"Haha, really? I guess you'd better invite your parents and parents-in-law over to your place in China to confirm what your wife told them."

"My wife's parents actually wanted to visit us in China when my wife's labor was due soon. But I suggested that we would visit them in Korea instead when the baby was born."

"You did?"

"Yeah. They are still working, so they needed to take several days off from their work for the trip. Also, I wasn't fully settled in China myself at that time. Now, everything looks good, and I asked them to take a vacation and visit us in China."

"That's good."

"I'm going back to China the day after tomorrow."

"Take a deep rest while you are in Korea. Why don't you take a few more days off from work?"

"I have to go back to work. There are things that I need to check on regularly. By the way, are you receiving the rents fine from those five condos in Huaxi Huayuan?"

"Huh? The rents?"

In fact, Gun-Ho hadn't checked his bank account for a while, where he was receiving those rental incomes. They were not a significant amount of money, so he had been ignorant.

"My wife— Soon-Young's mom— is collecting the rents from the tenants and depositing them into your bank account after charging 3,000 Yuan as her handling fee."

"Oh, yeah. Sure. I appreciate that."

"The ladies in the same condo community— Huaxi Huayuan— think that my wife is rich. That's understandable because she is managing five luxurious condos, and her husband is running an intercity bus service business. Moreover, they often saw my chauffeur coming to the condo complex to pick me up with an Audi in the morning."

"Haha, really?"

When Gun-Ho came home that evening, he talked about Jae-Sik's family to Young-Eun.

"Jae-Sik's daughter in China is already 100 days old. They are in Korea right now to celebrate her 100th day with their parents."

"Wow. Time flies. It has already been 100 days, huh?"

"The child's name is Soon-Young, so Jae-Sik often refers to his wife as Soon-Young's mom. Anyway, Soon-Young's mom wants to open a business."

"Already? With a 100 days old baby? She is breastfeeding her child, isn't she?"

"If she runs her own business, her schedule will be flexible enough to come home as often as she wants during the work hours to feed her daughter."

"What kind of business does she want to open?"

"She used to run a book cafe when she was in Seoul. So, with that experience, she wants to open a coffee shop or a small restaurant that specializes in deep-fried chicken and beer."

"Well, she has a helper lady at home all the time. Assuming that she will pick a business close to her home, her plan will probably work."