GH Mobile’s ownership interest was divided among three shareholders—Gun-Ho owned 82%, President Song owned 3%, and Minister Jin-Woo Lee’s father owned 15%.
Gun-Ho made a call to GH Machines’ President Jong-Suk Park.
“President Park? It’s me.”
“Oh, bro. I will have to call you back in 5 minutes, okay?”
“I guess you are very busy there. Take your time. You don’t have to rush in getting back to me.”
About 20 minutes later, Gun-Ho received a call from President Jong-Suk Park.
“I’m sorry that I had to hang up on you earlier, bro. I was balancing the twin screws when I picked up your phone.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your work like that.”
“It’s alright.”
“How many machines have you built and sold to Dyeon Korea so far?”
“I have shipped 4 of them so far, and we received an additional order for 4 more machines. We are currently working on them right now, and the machines are almost built up already. The workers here became familiarized with building Dyeon Korea’s machine as they worked through the process of building those 4 machines. They are all skillful engineers who have been in this machine industry for more than 10 years. Every one of them is a competent worker.”
“Hmm, really?”
“The workers here became all excited once they found out that our company is affiliated with GH Mobile and also Dyeon Korea—a public company. I guess they are satisfied with the work environment here with me. I don’t pay them as much as GH Mobile pays its production workers who are handling machines, but I do pay them 10% higher than other companies in the industry.”
“Why are they excited about being part of GH Mobile or Dyeon Korea?”
“You don’t know, bro? That’s obviously because they don’t have to worry about being unpaid. Remember those days when we were working in Pocheon City? We went to the department of labor in Uijeongbu City several times for our unpaid wages.”
“That’s right. I remember that.”
“Factory workers usually make their living paycheck to paycheck. If they don’t get paid even for a month, their life would be greatly affected; many of them without savings would have to be worried about their rent, utility bills, etc. Bro, we shouldn’t forget what had been through in the past.”
“You are right.”
“That’s why I prioritize the workers’ wages. I try to pay them on time under any circumstances.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you. By the way, have you thought about the thing that I told you about the other day?”
“You mean going on a trip to Japan with you? Let’s go. We can hear what they have to say first, and we can make our decision then.”
“You think you can make time for the trip?”
“Yeah, I’m good now. There is no urgent work left for me at this time. The additional four machines will be completely built by the end of today. The rest of the work can be handled by the workers here without my presence.”
“Really? That’s perfect. What about coming Tuesday then?”
“Sounds good. Once you reserve the flight ticket, just let me know. I will meet you either at Gimpo International Airport or even at Incheon International Airport.”
“Okay.”
After getting off the phone with Jong-Suk Park, Gun-Ho made a call to Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui who would join them for the trip.
“I just talked with GH Machines’ President Park on the phone about the trip to Japan. He is okay with it.”
“Oh, is that right?”
“I’m thinking about leaving for Japan this upcoming Tuesday. What do you think?”
“I will give a call to Mr. Sakata Ikuzo in Yokohama City first, and let him talk with Miura Machines’ president about the schedule. And, once I hear them, I will give you a call right away, sir.”
“Sounds good.”
About 30 minutes later, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui called Gun-Ho.
“They confirmed that Tuesday is good.”
“Good. Since we are going to Yokohama City, we’d better take a flight that arrives at Haneda Airport, right?”
“Yes, sir. Haneda Airport would be more convenient for our destination—Yokohama City.”
“You said that Miura Machines is located downtown Yokohama City, isn’t it?”
“It is actually located in Takada Nishi which is a little bit distant from downtown Yokohama, but it’s not far at all.”
“I see. So, we three—you, President Jong-Suk Park, and I—will leave for Japan coming Tuesday.”
“Yes, sir.”
Gun-Ho called for Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong, and he asked her to purchase three flight tickets departing at Gimpo International Airport and arriving at Haneda Airport in Japan.”
“Please purchase three plane tickets for Gun-Ho Goo, Jong-Suk Park, and Yoshitaka Matsui.”
“Yes, sir.”
“When you talk with the travel agency for the trip arrangement, use the company name of GH Machines, and get the receipt accordingly. Manager Hong must have a copy of GH Machines’ business registration.”
“Understood, sir.”
It was Tuesday.
The three men arrived at Gimpo International Airport.
“Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, this is President Jong-Suk Park.”
“I think we’ve met once before. I’m Yoshitaka Matsui.”
“Hi. I’m GH Machines’ Jong-Suk Park.”
Jong-Suk Park and Yoshitaka Matsui had a handshake and exchanged their business cards.
The three men were sitting in a lounge in the airport since they had some spare time before the boarding time. Jong-Suk Park stood up from his seat and said, “Bro, I will be right back. I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay.”
While Jong-Suk was not there, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui said to Gun-Ho in a low voice, “That President Jong-Suk Park person looks like a Samurai in Japan. He has a warrior’s eyes.”
“Haha, really? You know what? As a matter of fact, he is a good fighter.”
“If he gets his hair cut shorter, he will definitely look like a member of Yamaguchi-gumi, you know the yakuza organization.”
“Haha, really? Once he comes back from the restroom, I will tell him what you just told me, that he looked like a member of yakuza in Japan.”
As Gun-Ho declared that he would tell Jong-Suk Park what Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui had just told him, Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui was startled. He then said, “No, sir. You can’t tell him that. I don’t want him to misunderstand what I said.”
Gun-Ho asked Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui, “Once we arrive at Haneda Airport, we can easily rent a car there, can’t we?”
“Of course, we can, sir.”
“Let’s rent a car for three days then. It will make our trip more convenient.”
“No problem, sir. I will take care of it. Do you want to rent a car with a chauffeur service too, sir?”
“Of course. We will definitely need a chauffeur.”
“Understood, sir.”
Gun-Ho added, “Since we will have to pick up Mr. Sakata Ikuzo on the way, we will need a large vehicle with enough room inside, so four men could sit comfortably through the entire trip. A van would be nice.”
“No problem, sir.”
Mr. Yoshitaka Matsui seemed to be curious about Jong-Suk Park and the new company—GH Machines. He asked Gun-Ho, “Umm, sir. I’ve noticed that Mr. Jong-Suk Park calls you brother. Are you two related by blood?”
“No. He is a good friend of mine from my hometown. We grew up together in the same town.”
“Oh, I see. And, the company name of GH Machines has your name initials in it, sir. Does that mean you are the major shareholder of that company?”
“President Jong-Suk Park and I own the company together as business partners. I own 80% of GH Machines, and President Jong-Suk Park owns the other 20%. Even though he looks like a member of the yakuza, he is actually an excellent engineer. He is contributing not only his skills but he also invested his funds in GH Machines as well.”
“I see.”
At that moment, President Jong-Suk Park came back from the restroom.
“I’m sorry if I made you all wait.”
The three men picked up their luggage and started walking towards the boarding gate.