Chapter 33: Unreliable Partners

“The items seem good, but…I find it hard to trust those two.”

Lee Sangsub looked at Kang Jin and asked, “Why?”

“Mr. Lee Sangsub…”

Kang Jin hesitated momentarily, unsure how to address him. Seeing this, Lee Sangsub prompted:

“Just call me Sangsub.”

“Don’t you also feel uneasy about them, Mr. Lee Sangsub?”

“I do?” Lee Sangsub seemed puzzled by Kang Jin’s statement.

Noticing his confusion, Kang Jin explained, “When you were conversing with them earlier, I observed slight tension between your eyebrows and forehead, indicating discomfort.”

In response, Lee Sangsub pressed his fingers against his brow and queried, “Are you applying psychology here?”

“Even without psychology knowledge, anyone observant could notice these things about you, Mr. Lee Sangsub. And I believe you also sensed our disbelief towards those two men.”

Lee Sangsub momentarily furrowed his brow before nodding.

“I did feel somewhat uneasy around them.”

Kang Jin glanced at where the two men had been sitting.

“When discussing the product, their expressions appeared relaxed. This indicates their confidence in the kitchen knife, as they claimed.”

“So just by looking relaxed?”

“Yes, and there were a few more signals to observe.” Kang Jin picked up the kitchen knife.

“They positioned it so that we could clearly see its blade. It’s evident they have faith in this knife. However…”

“I’m confident about that. However…when discussing exports and when you asked to verify something, he showed extreme signs of stress.”

“Signs of stress?”

Lee Sangsub’s words prompted Kang Jin to stand up and move to where the suspect had been seated earlier. He then shifted the coffee cup from his side over to between himself and Lee Sangsub.

“He pushed the coffee cup aside while talking about knives. It symbolizes breaking down barriers between him and you, Mr. Lee.”

“A barrier made by a coffee cup?”

“It’s a psychological metaphor. By placing an object between oneself and another person, it creates a sense of comfort. Anyway, as soon as the topic of exports arose, he moved the cup.”

Slide!

Kang Jin placed the coffee cup between himself and Lee Sangsub before explaining:

“He has constructed a psychological barrier using the coffee cup.”

“Considering it that deeply over just a coffee cup…”

Lee Sangsub shook his head and brought his hand to his neck, subtly adjusting his tie before letting his hand drop down. Then he raised his hand again to grip his coffee mug.

“It’s based on their reaction.”

“And is that also a signal?”

“A small reaction, but still a sign of stress building up. It can be seen as a signal to buy time for thinking.”

“Hmm…” Lee Sangsub discreetly touched his own tie and looked at his hand.

‘Buying time to think…

Kang Jin continued, observing Lee Sangsub’s actions.

“I may not have much experience in trade negotiations, but since business involves people interacting with each other… personally, I wouldn’t enter into any deals with someone who sends such signals.”

Lee Sangsub placed his knife down next to Manager Lim Hojin and recounted what had happened at the meeting.

As he listened, Lim Hojin glanced sideways at Kang Jin.

“Mr. Lee Kang-jin.”

At Lim Hojin’s call, Kang Jin stood up and approached them.

“Psychologically speaking, you think he’s untrustworthy?”

“It’s not that he is inherently untrustworthy but rather that I couldn’t trust him under those circumstances.”

“Under those circumstances…”

Lim Hojin pondered Kang Jin’s words for a moment before turning to Lee Sangsub.

“How much was it worth?”

“Ten billion won.”

“Ten billion…” After some thought, Lim Hojin looked deeply at Kang Jin.

“Go ahead.”

Kang Jin returned to his seat as Lim Hojin continued observing Lee Sangsub.

“What do you think?”

“I didn’t get a good vibe from him.”

“How so?”

“It’s understandable to be nervous during business meetings, but…it felt different somehow.”

“Psychologically speaking?”

“No, just instinctively.”

“Instinctively…”

Lim Hojin glanced at the knife set for a moment before saying,

“Don’t cancel it yet; let’s keep an eye on things.”

“Keep an eye on them?”

Although it was a one-billion-won deal, considering the company’s overall scale, it wasn’t particularly significant. Moreover, even if the contract was worth one billion won, their maximum commission would only amount to ten percent—about one hundred million won. Since the effort required remained the same, they could afford to cancel smaller deals and pursue other opportunities if necessary.

Lim Hojin noticed Lee Sangsub’s puzzlement and explained further. “If we cancel this deal just because of a bad feeling…what would happen to our company?”

He picked up the set of knives for closer inspection.

“A billion won is a huge amount for a small company like ours. Let’s test them first before making any decisions.”

“Yes, sir.” As Lee Sangsub made to take back the knives, Lim Hojin raised his hand.

“You said these were good, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll have to get some for my wife.”

At Lim Hojin’s words, Lee Sangsub put down the knives and grabbed the shopping bags from the floor instead. He waved Kang Jin and Choi Donghae over as he headed out with the bags.

“What happens now?” asked Kang Jin.

Lee Sangsub filled Kang Jin in on his conversation with Lim Hojin earlier.

“But wouldn’t that mean canceling the deal?”

“A billion won is a huge sum for a small company, as Manager Lim said. Rejecting it based solely on my gut feeling… Well, considering how many jobs depend on this contract, I need to investigate further.”

“I see.”

As they talked, Lee Sangsub pointed at a door labeled:

EXPORT AGENT TEAM 2

He explained, “This storage room belongs to our team.” He opened the door and led them inside.

Various items were neatly displayed on shelves, while others that didn’t fit were stacked on the floor.

Lee Sangsub carelessly placed a set of kitchen knives on one of the shelves and then turned to Choi Donghae and Kang Jin.

“These are the items our team handles for export. Whenever you have some free time, come here and check out these products.”

Following Lee Sangsub’s instructions, Choi Donghae and Kang Jin began exploring the storage room.

At five o’clock, Kang Jin discreetly looked around. The employees were still at their desks working diligently. He glanced over at Choi Donghae.

“Shouldn’t we leave for the day?”

“I’ll wait until others finish.”

Following Choi Donghae’s cue, Kang Jin approached Lee Sangsub.

“May we go home now, sir?”

“Go home?” Lee Sangsub seemed slightly taken aback but nodded nonetheless. “Yes, you may.”

“We’ll see you tomorrow.” Kang Jin bowed to the other staff members and then turned toward Choi Donghae. Seeing this, Choi Donghae quietly gathered his belongings and left the office with Kang Jin.

As soon as they departed, all eyes in the room followed them.

“Our interns sure are sharp,” Lim Hojin murmured.

Lee Sangsub agreed. “Indeed. When I was a newbie, I had to take cues from others just to use the restroom…”

Lim Hojin pondered Lee Sangsub’s words for a moment before responding.

“Lee Kang-jin might take some time to learn about trade since she’s been focusing on administration.”

“I thought so too, but she seems to be picking it up faster than I expected.”

“Oh?”

“It appears she studied trade prior to joining us. Although not familiar with all the terms yet, she already knows quite a few. And being a psychology major, she takes initiative without needing much direction.”

“What about Choi Donghae?”

“Well…” Lee Sangsub trailed off, prompting Lim Hojin to look at him.

“Is there a problem?”

“He seems rather timid. He struggles to express himself…”

As Lee Sangsub spoke, Lim Hojin mentally pictured Choi Donghae.

His impression wasn’t great.

“It could just be first-day nerves. In any case, keep guiding them well.”

“Yes, sir.”

With that response, Lim Hojin returned to his paperwork, signaling the end of their conversation.

On their second day at work, Kang Jin and Choi Donghae fully immersed themselves in intern life. Their supervisors seemed to think one day was enough for them to grasp how things worked, so they assigned tasks starting from day two.

However, these weren’t exactly challenging assignments. It mostly involved errands, errands, and more errands.

“Lee Gang-jin, could you please make ten copies of this?”

“Lee Gang-jin, there’s Overseas Business Team 1 on the eleventh floor. Go over there and…”

“Lee Gang-jin…”

Lee Kang-jin’s name became synonymous with running errands. Between photocopying documents and assisting others with prep work, it quickly became lunchtime.

“All right, everyone! Let’s take our break now.”

At Manager Lim Hojin’s announcement, employees started getting up from their desks.

“Starting today, Lee Kang-jin and Choi Donghae will join us as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yesterday, Manager Lim had suggested that Kang Jin and Choi Donghae go out separately for lunch together, presumably so they could relax and bond over food. So they’d eaten at a nearby restaurant…but it hadn’t been very relaxing. Choi Donghae was quiet and introverted, leaving Lee Kang-jin to carry most of the conversation with occasional responses from his colleague.

“So what’s on the menu today?” As they exited the office, Manager Lim posed the question.

Lee Sangsub sighed. “I love everything about this company except not having an employee cafeteria.”

“My friend works somewhere with a really good cafeteria…”

“If only having a tasty cafeteria solved all workplace problems. Deciding where to eat is also part of our job, you know?”

As the others chatted, Kang Jin and Choi Donghae followed silently behind them.

In any case, they would decide where to eat, and everyone else just had to follow along.

But…who’s paying for this meal?

Based on Team Two’s overseas business department, it seemed like Oh Seong-sil might pay…but considering their meager salaries, supervisors couldn’t always foot the bill.

I guess either our boss will treat us or we’ll split the cost.

As Kang Jin pondered these thoughts while following his superiors, one female employee clapped her hands excitedly and suggested:

“There’s a new tasty restaurant nearby! Shall we go there?”

“A tasty restaurant?”

“I heard the food is delicious and affordable.”

“Is it close by?”

“I checked the distance last weekend since I planned to visit; it’s only about five minutes away.”

“Let’s head over there then.”

With Manager Lim’s agreement, the female employee led the way, and others followed closely behind.

The female employee led the way, and others followed closely behind her. Soon… Kang Jin felt utterly perplexed as she guided them straight to One Meal Restaurant.

“It’s closed?”

“Is this really a good place?”

“What kind of restaurant closes during lunchtime?”

As the employees whispered among themselves, the female employee looked puzzled at the establishment.

“That’s strange.”

She shook the door handle and peered through the narrow gap. Kang Jin cautiously asked,

“How did you know about this place?”

“I found it online.”

Kang Jin glanced at her before stepping forward.

“Please come inside.”

He unlocked the door with his key, surprising the female employee.

“Huh?”

“This is my restaurant. Please, make yourselves comfortable.”

Kang Jin entered first, and though initially puzzled, the employees followed him inside.

The employees hesitated but followed him inside. Once Kang Jin entered the restaurant, he noticed the puzzled looks from his staff and gestured with his eyes towards them.

Please leave for now.

As Kang Jin subtly mouthed these words, one by one, the ghosts stood up, avoiding the incoming customers as they exited outside. He wanted to prevent people from feeling uneasy or getting goosebumps while eating due to the presence of ghosts.

After confirming that Sung Yongsoo had gone into the kitchen, Kang Jin turned to address the remaining staff.

“Please have a seat.”

Following Kang Jin’s instruction, the employees gradually sat down at the dining tables.