Chapter 24

The Bear's Soup is Now My Turn Chapter 24

024 I'll Eat That Money / Export Rush of Korean Companies

Park Chul, the manager, had never before entered the most expensive room at the Shilla Hotel. He had heard that the accommodation fee was almost equivalent to the price of a car, but he never imagined it would be so opulent. The grand and luxurious atmosphere exuded a sense reminiscent of the Palace of Versailles in France. As he looked around to avoid being noticed by others, his gaze stopped at the shower. 'I'm burning up inside, but that person is completely at ease.' Nicolas, who had been showering for over 30 minutes, was the only one who could solve the problems facing Iryon. Therefore, even if his insides were to rot from the frustration, he had to seek Nicolas' help. Meanwhile, Nicolas meticulously applied cosmetics and leisurely cleaned his ears with a dryer. He then changed his clothes, sat on the sofa, and listened to Manager Park's report. "A Russian company employee visited the local office in Beijing, China." Since the Iryon chairman was of Chinese descent, setting up an office in China would not have been difficult. "However, that company wanted to import chocolate pies. Since we also had plans to export, we quickly signed a contract. But recently, an unexpected problem arose." People, I'm about to suffocate. Manager Park, who had spoken in one breath, looked around as if his throat was dry. "Why is that?" "Some water..." A professional chauffeur brought water from the refrigerator, and after moistening his throat, he continued. "Ahem. Until a few days ago, there were no issues when preparing the invoice." "What happened after that?" "Yes, when the ship carrying the goods from Busan Port arrived at Vladivostok Port and submitted the export-related documents, a problem occurred." "Is that problem related to me?" "That's right." Nicolas knew what it was but didn't need to say it himself, so he just listened. However, Manager Lee, who had grasped the core of the problem, glanced at Nicolas. It's your fault, isn't it? So what are you going to do about it? "The Vladivostok customs said that all goods coming from South Korea must have an invoice issued by the Unicorn Group to be cleared." "..." "Until a few days ago, there was no such clause." Russian style, you know. Even if it's a presidential directive, it usually takes some time to implement, but they did it immediately. Usually, they say 'time flies,' but in this case, they act incredibly fast. Of course, it was a welcome development for Unicorn and myself. "When this happened suddenly, I tried to contact the Unicorn Group... " "Did they say no?" "Yes, I received a response to bring it back. However, the Russian company had already unloaded all the goods from the ship." Neither my grandfather nor my father told me about this. Why didn't they? It could have been resolved with a phone call. Since it's a project I initiated, they might have believed I would handle it well. Or perhaps they thought I would contact them soon since I was the one in a hurry. And from Manager Park's words, it also means that my grandfather didn't mention that I was in Korea. If he had, Iryon would have contacted me sooner. Nicolas asked about the puzzling part. "It seems the Unicorn Group didn't mention my information. Then how did they know I was here?" Looking at him intently, he answered without hesitation. "The company that signed the export contract informed them." "Which company?" "A company called Icos." Huh? Icos? Isn't that the same Icos I saw in the newspaper? Has it already started? Wait a minute. How did they know I was in Korea? Nicolas quickly thought about the situation. 'No matter the reason, the current situation is not bad for Unicorn and me. I'll have to look into Icos when I return to Russia.' Then, he needed to steer this situation to his advantage. Nicolas realized this was an opportunity to achieve 'one stone, two birds' and 'one move, two gains.' Therefore, he decided to handle it carefully and asked more detailed questions. "What were the contract terms with Icos?" "Which part of the contract are you referring to?" "Was the initial quantity contracted separately, or was it a long-term contract over several years?" "Ah, only the initial quantity was contracted separately." "That's fortunate." If it had been a long-term contract, even Nicolas would have been helpless. "Is there any way to resolve this?" Even without Manager Park's desperate and pleading look, this was a situation where they needed to help each other. It's not like they were from different countries; how could they pretend not to know? Nicolas decided to think positively this time. "There's a way... " "..." "I don't think there is." He politely declined. Instantly, Manager Park's and Manager Lee's eyes widened to their maximum. Manager Park was shocked by the sense of despair as if his last lifeline had been cut, while Manager Lee's look meant, 'What are you thinking?' "Is... there really no way?" "I want to help, but..." "Please, I beg you." "If we clear Iryon's goods, it would be a special favor. How can we explain this to the companies we've already contracted with and those we will contract with in the future?" The contracts with '8do' and 'Otoki' were made under very favorable conditions by Unicorn. If we clear Iryon's goods without any conditions, the news would spread quickly, and they might demand changes to their contract terms. To prevent such a disaster, we couldn't clear the goods. "If the initial quantity is too large and cannot be cleared, the company will suffer a significant loss." "How much did you send?" "We sent 200,000 boxes, with each box containing 12 units." "200,000 boxes?" That's 24 million units. Nicolas pretended to be extremely surprised but inwardly smiled. 24 million units were far less than the average monthly sales of Iryon in the original history. If distributed throughout Russia, it would run out in less than a month. However, he maintained a worried expression. "The initial quantity seems too large. Ramen can be considered a meal replacement, and mayonnaise is already widely consumed, but chocolate pies are usually bought by people who have some extra money..." I'll mix in a bit of exaggeration. The point at which companies started entering China was around 1997, right? It's probably correct. From then on, China grew by over 10% annually and eventually became known as the world's factory. Now, Russia might be called the same. Since it's 1993, China is still economically struggling and might be in worse condition than Russia. Therefore, the sales of chocolate pies would not have been high in the original history. "Yes, we also thought the quantity was too large at first. However, we decided to increase the quantity because we planned to send the goods to Ussuriysk, release some in Russia, and send the rest to China via land." The idea was to cross the Chinese border directly from Ussuriysk, which would be cheaper for transportation, so it was a good plan. "We haven't yet sent goods to China, but we planned to start selling there this time." 'It was a bit too greedy.' This was a matter of timing. If it weren't for me, it would have gone smoothly. 'Still, it can't be helped. Timing and luck are crucial in both business and life.' In the situation where Icos is involved, we can't clear the goods. Icos, a company with Chinese capital, contracted with Iryon. Should we clear the goods generously? Unicorn would gain nothing and just clear the goods? For whose benefit? For China's? No way. Nicolas needed to make money quickly and in large amounts to achieve his dreams. Therefore, he planned to take what he could without overdoing it. "Do you know what kind of company Icos is?" "Of course. I knew they have several business entities in Russia and China before signing the contract." "Hmm. As I mentioned earlier, we can't clear the goods because we already have contracts with other companies." "Nicolas!" "Wait here for a moment. I'll call Russia and get back to you." "Ah, yes. I'll wait." Nicolas went to the next room and signaled to Manager Lee. Understanding the signal, Manager Lee followed him into the room. "Do you have something to say?" "Which district of Seoul do you live in, Manager Lee?" "Dobong-gu." "Do you have plans to move to Gangnam-gu?" "Huh?" * * * A short while later, Manager Lee and Manager Park were seated in the next room. Manager Lee's expression was as serious as a CEO facing a significant decision. "Manager Park, we've met a few times for work, and here we meet again." "Yes, why did you call me here separately?" "I thought I could help. " "Oh, is that so?" The mention of 'help' brought a smile to Manager Park's face. "I understand Nicolas' position. If I were in his shoes, it wouldn't be an unreasonable decision. He needs to maintain fairness with the companies we've already contracted with." "That's true, but from our perspective..." As Manager Park was about to argue his company's position, Manager Lee shook his head. "I mean, you need to understand the position of Unicorn and Nicolas." "What do you mean? Can you explain it more simply?" "Can Iryon terminate the contract with Icos?" "There's a clause that Icos will resolve all issues arising in Russia, so we can terminate it." "So, you can contract with other companies?" "That's right." "Then, there's no need to think further. Contract with Unicorn." Manager Lee was following the plan Nicolas had designed. "Of course, we've considered that." "What's the problem, then?" "We received half the amount for the initial quantity in advance. We don't want to return it, but Icos is demanding it back." "Is there a clause in the contract that requires you to return it?" If there wasn't, it would have been easy to resolve. "No, it's not our fault, and if Icos can't resolve the issues in Russia, we don't have to return it." "Is that the only issue?" "Actually, I'm worried about diplomatic issues." "You have to consider Russia's stance because the situation could escalate diplomatically." "That's true. Russia is different from Southeast Asian or African countries. We have to consider their stance. If the Blue House finds out, they will naturally side with Russia." Even if Russia is in a difficult situation, their military power is still among the world's best, so the Korean government can't easily side with Iryon. "So, if we resolve that, it's settled?" "Yes." "Wait here for a moment." "Why are you going back and forth?" Without answering Manager Park's question, Manager Lee quickly went to the next room and discussed with Nicolas. Then, he returned to Manager Park with a solution. "Unicorn will resolve the Russian issue, so please sign the contract." "Is that true?" "Yes, it's certain. However, there's a condition." "What is it?" "Give half of the amount you don't have to return to Unicorn. If you do that, they will contract with you." "Hmm..." So, that's what they were after. But there's no choice. We need to export to Russia, and we can't do it without Unicorn. Thinking of it as a customary payment, it's not too unfair. However, the amount is a bit large for a customary payment. "What will you do? You need to export to Russia, so think about it easily." "But..." "..." "Aren't you an '8do' employee?" Why is an '8do' employee so actively involved in another company's affairs? This question implied more than just curiosity. "I'm helping with domestic issues because we are also contracted." "Hmm..." "What will you do?" "I need to make a call." "I'll wait outside." As Manager Lee left, Manager Park called the chairman. * * * Manager Park agreed to sign the contract according to the conditions Nicolas proposed and left. Before leaving, he convinced himself that this was the best decision. Otherwise, he felt he would have a strange sense of being taken and wouldn't be able to sleep. Nicolas had a reason for using Manager Lee. There should be formality and appearance in business. Even if it's a situation where you need to accept something, there's a clear difference between saying it directly and saying it through someone else. That's why Nicolas used a kind of proxy. Lawyers don't exist for no reason. "Thank you. Thanks to Manager Lee, I feel much better." "I just did what Nicolas asked me to do." "No, Manager Lee's negotiation skills are excellent. I need to visit many companies that Chairman Oh of Oseong Electronics has arranged. If I explain everything myself, my mouth will hurt, and it won't look good. So, please take the lead, Manager Lee." "Me? These are big contracts, and I'm not sure if I can handle them..." Seeing Manager Lee hesitate, Nicolas said, "Gangnam-gu." "I'll take care of it. I'll finish it perfectly." "If this matter is resolved well, I can offer you a good position." * * * The next day, Nicolas, who had signed the contract with Iryon, visited several companies without a break. Each time, Manager Lee, thinking of the new apartment in Gangnam-gu, worked with all his might. "Oseong Electronics has contracted to export TVs. Can 'Lucky Goldstar' just sit by? We have TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, and air conditioners. You need to send them all." "Building a factory locally is what we hope for, but... who decided the royalty calculation method?" "If you don't plan to export to Russia, can we take that as a given?" "That's not the case, but even if we need to go through Unicorn, this is a bit..." He negotiated and gradually accumulated the contracts. Not only the companies affiliated with the Federation of Korean Industries but also other companies, due to the spread of the news, visited. This period marked the starting point where Russia and Korea mutually benefited and rose to become world-leading countries.