WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Potter

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Regressed Assistant Manager Kim Can Read Minds ◈

Chapter 14

──────

Namdong Industrial Complex, Incheon.

Rows of low, gray factories stood outside the car window.

I’d traveled this road countless times to visit clients in my previous life.

More factories and warehouses had closed as the years passed, but in 2006, the area was busy with trucks and workers.

I slowed down, checking the old signs one by one.

Soon, a familiar company sign came into view.

[Mongsil Latex]

In my memories, Mongsil Latex had been large enough to occupy the building next door as well.

Now, it was a small mattress factory with a faded sign and a single forklift moving in and out.

The fact that no one else had recognized its potential yet made this an even better opportunity for me.

I parked my Avante in front of the factory and got out.

Following the sound of machinery coming through the open entrance, I headed to the office.

When I opened the door, the man waiting inside stood up.

“Assistant Manager Kim Seongjun?”

“Yes. I’m Kim Seongjun from Taeseong Trading.”

“You’re a tall, fine-looking fellow. I’m Kim Inho.”

Kim Inho checked my business card and offered me his hand.

After our brief introductions, he looked toward the back.

“Before we look at the documents, let’s tour the factory. Our discussion will go faster if you know what we make.”

“That would suit me, too.”

I followed Kim Inho onto the factory floor.

Despite its small exterior, the inside was fairly spacious and tidy.

The routes for moving raw materials and finished products were color-coded, and the tools on the workbenches were neatly arranged.

Rrrrrk.

Wire wound endlessly through a machine, turning into mattress springs.

After we passed several noisy machines, one side of the factory became almost unbelievably quiet.

New machines filled a long stretch of wall.

Their spotless surfaces still had bits of plastic wrapping attached.

“This is the equipment we recently brought in.”

Kim Inho tapped the metal casing with his palm.

It was a latex production line that mixed liquid rubber, poured it into molds, and handled everything through washing and drying.

“We couldn’t find this equipment in Korea, so we imported all of it from Japan. It arrived over three months ago, but we haven’t run it even once.”

When my gaze moved to the plastic wrapping on the machines, Kim Inho gave a bitter smile.

“The company that promised to supply the liquid rubber suddenly disappeared. We’re talking to Hando Trading now, but the quantity they’re offering isn’t nearly enough.”

[I spent hundreds of millions of won, and it’s been sitting idle for three months. We could start running it right away if we just had the liquid rubber.]

He had every reason to feel anxious.

When he’d first decided to make latex products, liquid rubber prices hadn’t been nearly this high.

But in 2006, poor rubber tree harvests and a sharp rise in global demand had sent prices soaring to record levels.

Every day the equipment sat idle meant another loss.

“How much production could you manage with Hando Trading’s supply?”

“Just enough for trial production and our existing orders. That’s it.”

Pieces of latex mattresses and a few pillows sat on shelves along the factory wall.

I picked up a pillow and pressed it with my palm.

The dent slowly returned to its original shape.

“Did you make this here, too?”

“We made a few as a test. They turned out well, but we don’t have the materials to keep making them...”

Kim Inho looked regretfully at the pillow in my hands.

Not many people knew about latex products yet, and buying an expensive mattress wasn’t an easy decision.

A few years later, it was these pillows, which people could try without spending too much, that first made Mongsil Latex’s name known.

I set the pillow down and spoke.

“Mr. Kim, why not start with pillows rather than mattresses?”

“With a reliable supply, we could make anything.”

It was time to show him what I had to offer.

“You don’t need to worry about Taeseong Trading’s supply. We get all our liquid rubber from Anantakul Group.”

Kim Inho’s head turned sharply toward me.

“You mean Anantakul in Thailand?”

[...How did Taeseong Trading land a contract with Anantakul? I heard even Hando Trading barely managed to sign with a middleman.]

“Yes. We negotiated directly with the producer, without a middleman.”

“Then the quantity, too...”

“We can supply as much as you need.”

“We shouldn’t be standing around here... Let’s go to the meeting room.”

He walked faster than he had while showing me around the factory.

At the meeting room table, I laid out the latex concentrate test results and supply terms.

Kim Inho quickly read through them.

“...It really is Anantakul. This far exceeds the quality standards we requested. But how on earth did you manage to arrange a direct deal?”

“You wanted to buy it. It’s a salesperson’s job to find it for you.”

“...Wow. That’s impressive.”

Kim Inho looked at me for a moment, then took out a calculator to work through the monthly supply volume and unit price.

His fingers pressed hard on the buttons.

“Assistant Manager Kim, could you supply three times the quantity I originally requested? That would let us keep making our existing products and run the pillow line as well.”

I went over the supply terms Lalita had sent me.

The entire first shipment originally intended for the processing plant in Cambodia was still available. It matched Kim Inho’s new request exactly.

When I finished calculating and looked up, Kim Inho was watching me anxiously.

[Did I ask for too much? What if he says no?]

Once his hopes had built up enough, I spoke.

“We can.”

Kim Inho let out a long breath.

“That’s great. We can start making pillows right away, then. If sales are strong enough, we can increase the next order, too.”

“Have you thought about where you’ll sell them?”

“There aren’t many options for a small company like ours. Supplying a major supermarket chain is our best bet.”

Not many people knew about latex pillows yet, so selling them online wouldn’t be easy, either.

But what I remembered wasn’t a supermarket shelf, but a TV shopping broadcast.

The host placed a bowling ball on a latex pillow, then removed it. The deeply compressed pillow returned to its original shape, and all the stock sold out before the broadcast even ended.

“What about TV shopping?”

“I hear it’s really taking off these days, but they’d have to accept our product first.”

I understood his hesitation.

At the time, TV shopping companies were looking for new products whose strengths they could clearly demonstrate on screen.

“Showing the pillow spring back after it’s pressed down would catch people’s attention. Why not pitch it to them?”

“TV shopping... I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll have to look into it.”

I changed the quantity on the order commitment form to three times the original amount and handed it over.

Kim Inho checked the unit price and monthly supply terms again, then signed in the space for Mongsil Latex.

“I’ll buy a pillow myself once they’re available. It felt good when I tried it earlier.”

“Oh, come on. I should send you one from our first batch.”

It was my first deal where I’d personally connected a supplier and a client, with my own name attached to it.

As soon as I left the factory, I sent Lalita a text.

[Lalita, I’ve sold the entire first shipment you promised to send. How much more could you supply?]

The reply didn’t take long.

[Wow, you’ve already sold all of it? That was much faster than I expected. You really are a good partner! :) Let’s talk on the phone later and work out how much you’ll need for the next shipment.]

* * *

A few days later, a notice went up on the company bulletin board.

The Team 2 staff checked to see whether their names were on it.

[Candidates for Promotion to Manager]

[Overseas Sales Team 2, Assistant Manager Kim Seongjun]

My name was right there on the list.

“Wow, Assistant Manager Kim. You’re up for promotion. Congratulations.”

“It’s about time you made manager.”

“So our team will have two managers now? We’ll finally look like a proper team.”

Oh Sangcheol, who had been reading the notice beside me, patted my shoulder.

The department manager’s voice was louder than mine, even though I was the one up for promotion.

“I still have to take the exam.”

“The exam’s just a formality. After you, it’ll be Manager Han’s turn to make deputy general manager. Our team’s rank chart will finally look respectable.”

Han Gyeongsu didn’t reply, apparently uninterested.

“Look at that... Sometimes you’re like a monk who’s taken a vow of silence. Don’t you think?”

“Manager Han talks a lot after a few drinks.”

“Really? Manager Han’s just as quiet around me. Playing favorites, are we?”

Park Soyeon quietly looked away and muttered,

“Well... that’s because you do the most talking, Department Manager Oh...”

Amid the lively chatter, I studied the notice.

I’d been selected for the promotion review thanks to Deputy General Manager Seo Jeonguk’s recommendation.

It also showed just how much influence Seo Jeonguk had within the company.

The exam covered several subjects, including business English for trade and import-export procedures.

These were things I’d handled in the field for twenty-eight years. As long as I didn’t make any careless mistakes, they wouldn’t be much of a problem.

“Assistant Manager Kim, if you’re busy, share some of your work with the others.”

“I’m fine.”

My desk was piled with client files passed over by Teams 1 and 3, the Mongsil Latex contract, and my existing work.

Most of it was work I’d handled in my previous life, too. With an answer sheet full of correct answers in my head, it wasn’t too difficult.

As I worked through the documents in front of me, my stomach growled.

“Assistant Manager Kim, aren’t you having lunch?”

I looked up to find Kang Minho standing beside my desk.

“Is it lunchtime already?”

“Yes. Everyone else has already gone to eat.”

I marked my place in the document I’d been reading and stood up.

As Kang Minho and I headed toward the company cafeteria, Seo Jeonguk approached from the opposite direction.

I bowed, and Seo Jeonguk gave a small nod in return.

“Assistant Manager Kim.”

I turned to see Manager Shin Jaeuk from Team 3 approaching with a smile.

“Oh, should I call you Manager Kim now?”

“I haven’t even taken the exam yet.”

“If I wait until you pass to act friendly, it’ll be too late. We hardly got to talk during the task force project. Make some time for me. Let’s have a drink.”

Before I could answer, a large figure stepped between us.

The gleaming, thinning head belonged to none other than Department Manager Oh Sangcheol.

“Manager Shin. Why are you keeping our Assistant Manager Kim from lunch?”

“Oh, I wasn’t holding anyone up. I was just suggesting we have a drink.”

“You’ve never even bought our kid a glass of water, and now you’re offering drinks? Stop trying to lure our kid away and get going.”

“Lure anyone away? I just thought we should get along as fellow managers...”

“What do you mean, fellow managers? You’re on different teams. If you’ve eaten, get moving. Shoo, shoo.”

Oh Sangcheol waved a hand as if actually chasing away a fly.

[That crazy bastard Oh. No one’s backing that bastard anymore, so why all the swagger?]

Despite those thoughts, Shin Jaeuk bowed politely and backed away.

Oh Sangcheol watched with a grin.

[If Assistant Manager Kim leaves, who’s going to bring in our team’s sales?]

Oh Sangcheol stood firmly in front of me until Shin Jaeuk was far away.

I had no intention of leaving Team 2 for the time being, so whatever the reason, I was grateful to have someone fend off the approaches for me.

‘Our team’s problem child comes in handy at times like this.’

* * *

Early the next morning.

Once again, I was the first to arrive at the office and turn on my computer.

I checked my work emails, then opened my stock account.

Not long ago, I’d opened an overseas stock trading account at a brokerage branch.

Whenever I had spare money, I’d been gradually buying shares in companies I remembered.

Lately, I’d started enjoying checking my returns.

Two stocks in particular stood out.

[Nvidia +24.6%]

[Mastercard +21.8%]

It hadn’t been long since I’d bought them, but both were already up more than 20%.

I hadn’t invested much, so the unrealized gains weren’t large. Still, just seeing the numbers in red instead of blue made me feel good.

‘Is this why people check their stock accounts every day?’

More importantly, neither company’s growth had even begun yet.

“Assistant Manager Kim, do you invest in stocks, too?”

I turned to see Kang Minho, who had arrived earlier than usual, standing there with two coffees.

Minho set one down in front of me.

“A little. Do you?”

“Yes. I bought a few biotech and resource development stocks.”

“Which ones?”

Kang Minho named a few companies.

I remembered that one of them would be delisted a few years later.

“How are your returns?”

“...Terrible.”

Kang Minho’s sigh told me enough.

“Show me your account sometime.”

“Will you take a look for me?”

“Let me see it first.”

“Yes, Assistant Manager Kim.”

When the workday began, I closed the stock screen and opened my client files.

After working through my backlog until around noon, I went to the company cafeteria with Kang Minho.

We heard Oh Sangcheol shouting before we even opened the office door.

“Assistant Manager Park, are you out of your mind?! How could you place a ten-ton order when it was supposed to be one ton?”

Park Soyeon stood frozen beside the desk, head lowered.

Faxes and order forms lay scattered across the desktop.

“...I’m sorry.”

“Will saying sorry make nine tons disappear? You need to tell me how you’re going to take responsibility!”

Oh Sangcheol threw the shipping documents onto the desk.

One of the scattered sheets slid off and came to rest at my feet.

I picked it up and asked Choi Yeongjin, who was watching nervously, what had happened.

“The initial order was for one ton, but Assistant Manager Park put the annual quantity of ten tons on the purchase order.”

[Confirmed initial order: 1 ton.]

[Estimated annual usage: 10 tons.]

By the time the mistake was discovered, all ten tons had already been loaded onto the ship.

Park Soyeon wasn’t the only one responsible. Oh Sangcheol, whose name was on the approval chain, couldn’t escape responsibility, either.

Sending it back would mean paying shipping costs and a penalty. Bringing it in would leave Taeseong Trading holding all that inventory.

[Damn it. If those nine tons end up as inventory, this year’s performance figures and everything else are finished.]

Oh Sangcheol glared at Park Soyeon, then turned toward Han Gyeongsu.

“Manager Han. Can’t you talk to the supplier again and get them to take back the nine tons? Even if we have to pay a penalty.”

“It’s already on the ship. Once we add shipping costs and the penalty, the loss would be about the same as accepting it as inventory.”

“Then sell it to another client. Don’t you have anyone who could take it?”

Han Gyeongsu shook their head.

“Not right now. And it’s too much for a single company to take.”

“This is driving me crazy. Assistant Manager Park, you’re not a beginner. How could you make a mistake like this...?”

When even Han Gyeongsu had no solution, the office fell silent.

Park Soyeon still couldn’t look up.

I picked up the shipping documents Han Gyeongsu had set down.

The product was EVA resin, used in cushioning materials and household goods.

If I focused only on the quantity, there was no answer.

There was almost no chance that one company would suddenly take nine tons.

I read through the main uses listed beneath the product specifications again.

[Main uses: shoe soles, foam slippers, cushioning materials.]

Foam slippers.

‘Wait. This...’

The moment I saw those words, I remembered the colorful sandals with holes in them that had begun appearing on streets everywhere a few years later.

I looked up from the shipping documents.

“Department Manager Oh.”

“What?”

“I think I can sell the remaining nine tons.”

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