-Negotiation is like giving water to a thirsty person. The amount you can get depends on how thirsty you make your opponent. It seems like I got a lot from you.
It was time to return his words that he had swallowed his pride.
“People who are thirsty tend to dig wells.”
Yoo-hyun’s lips curled up.
What was Son Jeong thinking right now?
He didn’t know the details, but he knew that he was very interested in this side.
He had skipped the intermediate process and achieved an amazing result in one breath, so he couldn’t help but be curious.
That’s why Yoo-hyun was sure.
‘He will definitely contact me.’
All that was left was to wait until his throat was more dry.
But he didn’t intend to sit still.
“Shall we get moving then?”
Late morning, Yoo-hyun stretched and got up from his seat.
The place he visited for his appointment was Akihabara Electronics Market.
This place was huge, as it was the largest electronics complex in Japan.
The buildings lined up with large banners as if to ask him to look at them.
-Akihabara Electronics Market Fall Festival!
During the festival period that lasted for two weeks, there were huge discounts and various events planned.
Was it because of that?
It felt more crowded than usual today.
Yoo-hyun walked alone on the busy street with people.
Young part-timers came up with bright smiles and handed out flyers.
“We have a discount event to celebrate the festival. Please stop by Yodobashi Camera.”
“Here’s a coupon that you can use at Ishimaru Denki. It’s only valid today.”
Another part-timer also offered a paper as if he had been waiting.
The flyer ads were no different from those in Korea.
But the part-timers who wore maid costumes and handed out flyers were an exotic sight that could only be seen here.
The unique spectacle was not the end.
As he crossed the road and approached the vacant lot, people who cosplayed as animation characters posed, and behind them, a huge Evangelion robot showed off its majesty.
The people who gathered pressed the camera shutter.
It all looked so natural as if it was part of the culture.
Yoo-hyun passed by the street vendors and entered the large electronics store.
From the entrance, various pamphlets lined up.
Floor guide, discount prices of various products, coupons, etc. Dozens of printed materials were scattered on the floor.
Yoo-hyun picked up a pamphlet that showed the location of the electronics store and muttered.
“These people really love paper.”
As always, the paper was packed with letters.
It would have been neatly organized if they provided information with a mobile app, but they insisted on putting all the information on paper.
Was it because of this deeply rooted conservative culture?
Japan was a developed country in its own way, but it had been slow to develop in the IT field.
They still preferred cash over credit cards, and magazines over internet information.
Things that he used to take for granted now felt different.
What if he could change this?
The opportunity would be endless.
In other words, Japan was a land of opportunity for Korean companies that had advanced technologically.
Yoo-hyun was thinking about this and that as he walked.
He turned his head at the voice that called him and saw Nadoha running towards him with a bright face.
Yoo-hyun asked his neatly dressed brother in Japanese as usual.
“What’s up, you said you were going to shoot, but it was here?”
“Yes. NHK is shooting a special feature on the electronics market festival.”
“Really? What about Shinozaki?”
“She’s over there talking to the PD.”
Nadoha answered without hesitation, as if he was used to Japanese.
Yoo-hyun gave him a thumbs up and looked at where he pointed.
There was Shinozaki Minami, who had white skin, thin eyebrows, and round eyes like a rabbit.
The entertainment magazine editor wouldn’t have come here just to see the electronics products.
“Do celebrities come here too?”
“No. Today’s shooting is just an introduction, so there’s no special guest.”
“Then why did you come?”
Suddenly, Shinozaki Minami came closer and greeted him with a squeaky voice, pushing her face forward.
“Oh my. Steve, long time no see.”
“Yes. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. I always feel this whenever I see you, but Steve has a real actor’s face. How about debuting this time? I’ll push you.”
“You’re saying that again.”
“I’m serious. You have a good personality, good proportions, good skills. You’re really worthy of Doha. I think you two should… Oh? Excuse me.”
Shinozaki Minami, who was babbling in a high-pitched voice, turned around at the call of the PD.
She walked away with a brisk pace, and her back looked very cheerful.
“She looks really happy.”
“She has a reason to be. She didn’t come here to work, but to play.”
Nadoha wrapped around Yoo-hyun, who tilted his head.
“Um… Hyung, aren’t you going up? They said they just set up the Hansung booth.”
“I was going to. But what’s up with you?”
“You’ll see soon. See you later.”
Nadoha pushed Yoo-hyun’s back with a smile.
He was puzzled, but Yoo-hyun moved to the meeting place first.
Yoo-hyun got on the escalator and held up his phone to display the message that came a while ago.
-Mentor, we have entered the electronics store on the 3rd floor, booth A07. Please contact me and I’ll come to meet you.
Yoo-hyun confirmed the content sent by Jang Junsik, who was promoted this year, and muttered.
“You’ve grown a lot, our Junsik.”
He used to be very nervous and ignorant, but now he had grown up and became the person in charge of entering Japan.
Being in charge was not a big deal, but he had quite a few employees from the subsidiary under him.
Kim Hyun-min, the executive of Hansung Display who accompanied him, was also under his control.
‘How did they get tangled up?’
Yoo-hyun entered the third floor with a snicker.
The third floor was a special section for electronic products, where booths were set up in an event format during the festival period.
Hansung Electronics had joined this place, where major Japanese electronic companies had put a lot of effort to secure their spots.
This alone showed the changed status of Hansung.
Would their entry into Japan be successful then?
The location was the problem to begin with.
Hansung’s booth was in the smallest corner of the floor, which made it relatively less exposed.
They had to make people come to them on purpose, but Hansung’s name value was not that high in Japan.
They needed another opportunity, but it was not easy.
Yoo-hyun, who had entered the third floor, opened the IT magazines that were placed next to the escalator.
There was no introduction of Hansung Electronics in any of the major magazines, including Morumoru.
Only the name of the new TV that was launched this time was briefly mentioned.
A man approached Yoo-hyun, who was browsing the magazines.
The man had a checkered shirt, horn-rimmed glasses, and a large round face. He looked at the magazine that Yoo-hyun had opened and asked.
“Mr. Steve, what are you doing?”
“I was just checking how well Mr. Yoshike wrote the article.”
Yoo-hyun smiled, and Yoshike Matsutaka, the editor-in-chief of Morumoru IT magazine, raised his eyebrows.
“It’s very detailed and shows the pros and cons well. I think it will be a good guide for the consumers. But there is a slight regrettable point.”
Yoo-hyun expressed his opinion without hesitation.
“It’s a special article for the festival, but there is no content about Hansung Electronics, who participated here.”
“Well, there is a limit to the space. We have to deal with the competitive companies.”
“Even though Hansung’s TV is competing for the first and second place in global sales?”
Hansung Electronics’ TV had overwhelmed the Japanese companies in the global market, but the atmosphere in Japan was not acknowledging it.
Yoshike Matsutaka, who was in the same position, explained the reason.
“Japan values the picture quality very much. Hansung TV is popular in the world market, but it is weak compared to Sony, Sharp, and Panasonic of Japan.”
“I know that Hansung Electronics did not fall behind in the international picture quality evaluation.”
“That was not a detailed evaluation. The sharpness technology that makes the outline clear, or the local dimming technology that increases the contrast ratio, are far superior in the Japanese companies. And…”
It was a common trait of the Morumoru editors to talk a lot in their fields.
Yoshike Matsutaka, who had been ranting for a while, coughed.
“Ahem. I got excited again.”
“No, it’s very interesting. I also think that the perspectives can be so different.”
“Yes. I think the part you mentioned is not something that the customers can perceive. I wonder if it is right to argue about the superiority of the picture quality with that degree of difference.”
Yoshike Matsutaka’s eyes changed subtly when he heard Yoo-hyun’s answer.
“Mr. Steve, do you still think that the Japanese market is a tilted playground?”
“This is something. How can I explain it so that you can accept it?”
Yoshike Matsutaka scratched his head as if he was troubled.
Yoo-hyun looked at him and recalled the memory of the last drinking party.
He had argued about the Japanese market and expressed his opposite opinion.
-Mr. Steve, I think you have a prejudice against the Japanese market. The reason why Korean products are not strong in Japan is not because the media does not cover them, but because they lack competitiveness. Consumers are wise.
His logic was that if the product was good, the wise consumers would choose it.
He deeply believed that the Japanese market was never biased.
Yoo-hyun’s thought was completely different, but on the other hand, he understood his mind.
‘Because he had been successful like that.’
Yoshike Matsutaka would not pretend to be ignorant.
He had built his reputation with the articles of the products that the Japanese consumers had chosen, so he had no reason to care about the Korean products that they had ignored.
He had not even seen much of the Korean products in the first place.
That’s why Yoo-hyun wanted to expand the Japanese River as soon as possible.
If he could see the fifty thousand reviews that came up on the River, wouldn’t his view change from focusing only on the Japanese products?
He believed that when he treated other products with an equal eye, the change would begin.
Yoshike Matsutaka, who had been tapping his temple and thinking, clapped his hands as he had a sudden idea.
“That’s right! I just remembered that there is a TV comparison demonstration here today.”
“A comparison demonstration?”
“Yes. Customers will evaluate the TVs themselves. Let’s go together. I’ll show you that the Japanese market is fair.”
Yoshike Matsutaka pulled Yoo-hyun’s arm confidently.
The place where the TV comparison demonstration was held was a separate event hall connected to the third floor.
Yoo-hyun had stopped by here before heading to the Hansung booth.
There was a banner at the entrance that announced the event.
-Special event! Major companies TV comparison demonstration!
Comparison demonstration.
This event, where several TVs were compared at the same time, was scheduled to be broadcasted on NHK.
Four companies participated here: Sony, Sharp, Panasonic of Japan, and Hansung of Korea.
That’s why Yoo-hyun was more curious.
Hansung is coming out?
It was an impossible thing when he looked back at the past history.