“I’d better give a call to Jae-Sik Moon to let him know.”
On the way from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in his Bentley, Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon.
“President Moon, is it a good time to talk?”
“Yes, it’s good. I just came back from the executive meeting.”
“Is it a meeting where only the people with a position of manager or above could attend?”
“Yes, it is a regular meeting where we talk about the past week and the next week’s plan. You used to have a meeting like that at GH Mobile. You might no longer attend that meeting and let President Song handle it.”
“Was there any good news?”
“We are sending out our people to Guilin Daewoo today to acquire more buses that will be used to connect Antang City with Yibin City and Anshun City. I won’t go with them this time, but the manager of the passenger transportation department and three bus drivers will go there. They were the ones who went to Guilin Daewoo with me last time, and picked up the buses and drove them all the way here, so they should be good on their own. I’m trying to save some travel expenses by sending only essential people.”
“Haha, I see.”
“Also, our manager at the operations department will visit Yibin City and Anshun City today to finalize the deal regarding Banche, with Xiongdi companies. They came to us to initiate the deal, so it’s our turn to visit them this time to make the final agreement.”
“When you say ‘Banche,’ do you mean the number of bus operations per week for a specific bus route?”
“Right. ‘Banche’ means how many times a specific bus will operate in a certain period of time like per week, for example. ‘Xiongdi companies’ mean other bus companies doing the same passenger transportation business.”
“You seem to have studied a lot.”
“Yeah, I’m learning a lot here. You know what? My wife is here with me now. We safely came home here in Antang City yesterday.”
“I hope the trip was comfortable for your wife.”
“My wife was frightened when she saw the condo in Huaxi Huayuan. She said that this condo is the most luxurious place that she has ever lived in her life. She was so happy.”
“Really?”
“She also took time walking around the neighborhood, and she was impressed by the clean and well-maintained community. She now doesn’t want to go back to Korea but wants to stay here forever.”
“I’m happy for you and your wife.”
“As a matter of fact, my wife and I have never lived in a fancy condo like this one. As you know well, I used to live in a basement for quite a long time until I moved to the two-bedroom rental condo in Mangwon Town with my wife. My wife also used to live in a shabby townhouse in Wonmee Town, Bucheon City until she met me. So, this is our first extravagant living place.”
“You can make a lot of money while you are in China and buy a more luxurious and larger condo in Korea when you come back.”
“Haha. I wonder if I would have a happy day like that in my life.”
“You will, I’m pretty sure about it. Just learn the Chinese language as much as you could while you are there.”
“My wife will start taking the Chinese language lessons from Eun-Hwa Jo. She’s going to teach my wife two hours per day. Eun-Hwa Jo is making good money these days by giving a private language lesson to me and my wife.”
“Haha, really?”
“My wife and I both are her clients, and she is our private tutor.”
“I can picture Eun-Hwa Jo being excited for making extra money by giving a private lesson to two students.”
“She surely looked excited, I can tell you that.”
“I just sent you 400 million won from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China at the Sejong Road location in front of the city hall. I called you to let you know that.”
“You didn’t have to send it that early since we still have time until the due date. Well, I will verify it and let you know.”
“How was your trip to Korea this time? You met your parents, right? How are they doing?”
“Of course. You know what? My mom and dad looked different. They now have a brighter complexion, maybe because they take a bath more often after having moved to the new condo in Incheon City. The living environment does actually matter, man.”
“The townhouse where they used to live has a bathroom where they could take a bath, no?”
“Yeah, but the water heater wasn’t consistently working. Not to mention, the temperature in the bathroom was cold most of the time in winter. So, if you live there, you don’t want to take a shower or bath too often. However, a condo is different. You have constant and steady hot water all the time, and you can keep the temperature warm in every single room. They now have a separate dining room where they eat, and a large living room where they watch TV and take a nap on the sofa. I was happy to see them having a good life there.”
“Haha, really?”
“When I visited Korea this time, I brought two bottles of Maotai. I gave one to my dad and the other one to my father-in-law.”
“Oh, you did?”
“When I told them that Maotai is from the area called Guizhou Province, and that is where I live now, they were like, ‘Is that right?’ They both love drinking, and they both already knew about Maotai.”
“You made your parents happy, huh? Good, son.”
“Haha, I think so.”
“Does your father-in-law still work?”
“Yeah. He drives his truck and sells small things like socks. It’s hard to find a job at his age, and he seems to be satisfied with the small money that he is making now. My dad actually found a job in Incheon City. He is doing some gardening work that was offered by the city. He said that he didn’t want to impose me by making me pay for his debt. He, at least, wants to make the payment for his debt on his own.”
“Your dad and your father-in-law are great people who should be respected for being responsible and independent. They had a hard time in life financially just because they were not lucky enough. They worked hard for their families. So did my dad. We shouldn’t forget that.”
“That’s true. As I get older, I understand my parents better.”
“Well, I will let you go now. Keep up the good work.”
When Gun-Ho came back to his office after stopping by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China at Sejong Road, Director Sim visited his office on the 18th floor.
“I’m leaving for Shanghai City tomorrow, sir. I wanted to see you before I leave.”
“President Min-Hyeok Kim will be waiting for you at Pudong Airport. If you have any questions or concerns while you are in China, you can ask him. He will help you.”
“I spoke with President Min-Hyeok Kim earlier today on the phone. He told me that he would be at the airport with an interpreter.”
“That’s good.”
“President Shin gave me 3 million won in advance, and I also received the flight ticket. I guess I’m all set to leave.”
At the moment, Gun-Ho extended his hand to Director Sim for a handshake as he stood up from his seat.
“The most important thing while you live overseas is your health. Especially, you should watch what you eat. Stay healthy.”
“Thank you, sir.”