Regressed Assistant Manager Kim Can Read Minds - Chapter 21

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Potter

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◈ Regressed Assistant Manager Kim Can Read Minds ◈

Chapter 21

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As soon as I woke up at the hotel, I organized the contract and site photos from the Anantakul construction site.

I attached the files to an email for Segwang Pump, then called Choi Dongsik.

“Manager Kim, how did it go?”

“I sold eight of the ten pumps we brought. They went to the Anantakul hotel construction site.”

There was a brief pause before Choi Dongsik asked again.

“Anantakul? They really bought eight?”

“Yes. I’ll email you the contract and site photos.”

“Well, I’ll be. We couldn’t sell a single one in six months... I’m glad we put you in charge.”

“It’s only eight so far. If we’re going to sell the 300 in your warehouse, this is just the beginning.”

Choi Dongsik thanked me several times.

Then, as though something had come to mind, they asked another question.

“By the way, Manager Kim, how should I pay your sales expenses?”

“The company covers my travel expenses.”

“No, I mean the separate payment. Manager Shin collected it before every trip.”

That money hadn’t appeared on any of the expense reports submitted to our company.

When I said nothing, Choi Dongsik asked cautiously.

“Is there a problem?”

“Did you give Manager Shin cash directly?”

“Yes. Manager Shin came to our office to collect it before leaving.”

“Can you check when you paid it and how much?”

“I don’t remember everything, but it was company money, so we should have records of the withdrawal dates and amounts.”

“Please put those records together and send them to me.”

I now had another set of records to compare against the business trip details Lalita was checking.

After ending the call with Choi Dongsik, I reported our progress to Oh Sangcheol.

“Oh, hello. Everything going well?”

“Yes. We sold eight pumps to the Anantakul hotel construction site.”

“Well done. You pulled off what Team 3 couldn’t manage in six months. They must be furious. Haha!”

After a good laugh, Oh Sangcheol went straight to the main point.

“What about the natural rubber? That’s the main reason you’re there.”

After Mongsil Latex sold out during its home shopping broadcast, interest in latex products had grown rapidly among Korean companies.

With inquiries pouring in, even people from other teams were coming to me to ask whether they could get Anantakul’s latex concentrate.

“We have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon.”

“Good. Get as much as you can. You’re good at that sort of thing, Manager Kim. Reading the room and knowing how to respond.”

I couldn’t help smiling.

Manager Kim, good at reading the room.

No one had ever said that to me in my previous life.

I heard someone searching for a cigarette pack on the other end.

“Assistant Manager Choi, give me a cigarette.”

“Yes, sir.”

Oh Sangcheol took a long drag before continuing.

“If this goes well, it won’t just boost your sales figures. It’ll open doors for you, too. I’m only telling you this, but the higher-ups are very interested. You know what I mean?”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. You don’t need me nagging you. You’ll handle it. Cough! Assistant Manager Choi, what do you smoke? Why is this so strong?”

“Marlboro...”

“Tsk. You really are a chain-smoker. Smoke Korean cigarettes from now on!”

The call ended with Oh Sangcheol’s grumbling.

Kang Minho, who had been listening beside me, struggled to keep a straight face.

“Nothing seems to have changed back at the office.”

“Apparently not.”

Traveling between the construction site and Ban Chainam had left both of us quite tanned under the Thai sun.

I turned on the television in our hotel room and found a Thai news channel.

I couldn’t understand the language, but I recognized the people on screen and could follow the general subject.

There were still no signs of a coup.

[A country can prosper only when its agricultural sector prospers. We will expand low-interest loan programs for farmers.]

“You only watch the news when that man’s on.”

“Do you know who he is?”

“He looks like a kindhearted Chinese man.”

The man on the screen was Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Few politicians in Thailand divided public opinion as sharply as he did.

He had introduced the 30-baht healthcare scheme and deferred farmers’ debt repayments for three years.

He had also set up a fund of one million baht for every village across Thailand.

“One million baht... That’s over 25 million won. Isn’t that a lot of money here?”

“It is. The annual salary of a university graduate here is currently a little over three million won.”

Thanks to those policies, Thaksin enjoyed overwhelming support from rural communities and ordinary people.

The problem was that all kinds of corruption scandals had followed him throughout his time in office.

The sale of his family’s company, conflicts of interest, and pressure on the media had left his relations with the military, royalists, and urban elite damaged almost beyond repair.

“He’s a hero in the countryside, but to the royal family and the military, he must be a thorn in their side.”

In the end, Thaksin would be ousted while he was abroad attending the UN General Assembly.

The military would seize the capital before he could return, bringing the coup to an end without any major clashes.

“How do you know all that, Manager Kim?”

“I looked up the basics before the trip. Anantakul has close ties to the military going back to its roots.”

“The military?”

“Lalita’s grandfather was a general.”

Kang Minho nodded.

[So learning about the products isn’t enough. I should do some research beforehand next time, too.]

I checked the time and stood up.

“Let’s start getting ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

I took the suit out of my bag.

I had also polished my mud-soaked shoes until they shone.

For a salesperson heading to the negotiating table, clothes were like armor for a knight entering battle.

My suit wasn’t a designer brand, but once I was neatly dressed with my tie on, I felt more composed, too.

When I finished and turned around, Kang Minho was standing in front of the mirror, tying and untying his tie.

“Come here.”

“I could do it at home, but I’m still not used to it.”

“That’s normal.”

Unlike me, who could tie a tie with my eyes closed, Kang Minho was still a new employee.

I undid the knot, adjusted the length, and tied it again for him.

Once I was done, I gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

“...Thank you.”

[I wonder what it would’ve been like to have an older brother like him.]

Suyeon suddenly came to mind.

I loved my younger sister, even if we bickered all the time, but having a younger brother like Kang Minho wouldn’t have been bad, either.

For no real reason, I straightened his tie knot once more.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

I picked up my briefcase and left the room.

* * *

When we came down to the hotel lobby, Athit’s eyes widened at the sight of us.

Considering we had been walking around in short sleeves until the day before, seeing us in suits must have made quite a different impression.

“Where’s Lalita?”

“I’ll take you to her.”

The negotiations for the additional supply would take place at Anantakul Group’s headquarters.

After getting out of the car, Kang Minho looked up along the glass exterior.

Even its size was on a different level from Taeseong Trading’s old office building.

He stared up at it for a while, then slowed as we approached the entrance.

“Nervous?”

“A little, to be honest.”

“Do what I do.”

I took a light breath in and let it out. Kang Minho copied me.

“Here’s a tip. Imagine the other person is someone you feel comfortable around. A comedian or someone funny.”

“Like Department Manager Oh?”

Oh Sangcheol would have hit the roof if he’d heard that.

Still, if Minho could make jokes, he must have relaxed a little.

We followed Athit to Lalita’s office.

When we entered, she was reading a report behind a large desk.

Her private office looked bigger than Team 2’s entire office.

“You’re here. Have a seat.”

Lalita glanced at me, then lowered her eyes to the report again.

It had been two days since I’d seen her, and she looked much more on edge than usual.

There were shadows under her eyes, as though she hadn’t slept properly.

Kang Minho and I sat across from her.

The amount Lalita could supply was probably already decided.

What I needed to secure were the terms that would go into the contract.

I took Mongsil Latex’s home shopping sales data and the proposal for a second broadcast out of my briefcase and handed them over.

Lalita read the documents in silence.

Her finger stopped once at the sellout figures, then again at the order volume for the second broadcast.

“So, how much more do you need?”

“Twice our current supply.”

Lalita looked at me over the papers.

“That’s more than I expected.”

I also presented a clause giving us the first right to negotiate over Korean business.

Lalita underlined it with her pen.

“If a Korean company approaches us, you want us to speak to Taeseong Trading first?”

“If we can’t agree on terms, you’re free to sign with them directly.”

[I can give him this. It’s easier to leave it to Taeseong Trading than deal with every Korean company individually.]

After considering it for a moment, Lalita spoke.

“I’ll include the first-negotiation clause. But I can only give you one and a half times the current volume.”

“Please make it twice the volume.”

Her eyes narrowed.

[Twice is possible. But certainly not at the current price.]

“We can negotiate a new unit price.”

Lalita’s pen stopped.

She watched me without expression, waiting for me to speak first.

In negotiations, silence was a weapon that made the other person anxious.

But it didn’t work on me.

[I can’t accept an increase below ten percent.]

No matter how well she hid her expression, she couldn’t hide her thoughts.

“We’ll accept a ten percent increase over the current unit price.”

“Hmm. You’re accepting that more easily than I expected.”

In return, I added one more condition.

“If any Japanese or European companies delay their contracts or give up their allocated supply, please offer it to Taeseong Trading first.”

For the first time, a questioning look crossed Lalita’s face.

“Why do you want their supply?”

“I’d like to take it if any becomes available.”

“You know that’s never happened before, don’t you?”

“It’s not a bad arrangement for Anantakul, either.”

Getting that promise into the contract was what I wanted most from today’s negotiations.

When the coup happened, Taeseong Trading needed to secure the supply that Japanese and European companies put off taking.

Lalita tapped the table a couple of times with the tip of her pen, then handed the proposed terms to her executive assistant.

“Add it.”

The assistant revised the contract terms.

Twice the existing supply volume.

The right for Taeseong Trading to be consulted first when new demand arose in Korea.

The right for Taeseong Trading to receive the first offer of any supply Japanese and European companies delayed or gave up.

A ten percent increase over the existing unit price.

Lalita read through the revised terms, then looked at me.

Only ten minutes had passed since we sat down at the negotiating table.

“You’re quite experienced, Mr. Kim.”

“That’s because you’ve been so accommodating.”

“And now I see you’re good at flattery, too.”

We stood up and shook hands.

Lalita suggested having dinner together.

“Will you have time?”

“I can make time for that much.”

Once we were outside headquarters, Kang Minho finally let out a long breath.

“Well done, Manager Kim.”

The revised contract arrived at the hotel late that afternoon after a legal review.

The promised doubling of our supply and both priority rights were all there.

* * *

Around sunset, Lalita came to the hotel for our dinner.

She had changed out of her suit into casual clothes and looked much more relaxed.

I was wearing a light shirt myself.

“That’s how you should dress in Thailand. Otherwise, you’ll collapse from the heat.”

“My suit certainly gave me a hard time.”

I got into the car with Lalita, and we headed to Saphan Phut Night Market.

Every evening, long rows of stalls opened beneath Memorial Bridge, which crossed the Chao Phraya River.

Rather than a market neatly arranged for tourists, it was more of a local night market where Bangkok residents gathered after work to eat and browse.

As we got out of the car, the smell of grilling meat and the sweetness of ripe fruit hit us at once.

The market stretched as far as I could see.

Yellow bulbs hanging from each tent lit the narrow paths, which were packed with vendors and customers.

“We should try a little of everything, shouldn’t we?”

Lalita chose the food and desserts.

Moo ping, pad thai, grilled shrimp, and mango sticky rice arrived on our table one after another. Cold Thai beer wasn’t left out, either.

Our table overlooked the Chao Phraya River.

We shared the food while watching the lights spread across the water.

As we drank our beer, a grubby little girl approached our table.

She held several small bunches of flowers.

Their uneven sizes and mixed colors suggested she had picked and tied them herself.

The girl held out the flowers and said something in Thai.

“She’s asking us to buy some flowers.”

I took money from my wallet and accepted a bunch.

The girl checked the money in her hand, then broke into a bright smile.

She pressed her palms together in thanks before running off into the crowd.

“Mr. Kim.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve spent a week in Thailand now. What did you think?”

“The food is delicious, and the scenery is beautiful.”

Lalita smiled and shook her head.

“That’s a tourist’s answer. How did you see Thailand as a salesperson?”

“May I be honest?”

“That’s why I asked.”

I thought for a moment before answering.

“It was a very difficult country to do sales in.”

“Why?”

“Who you know and what kind of relationship you have seem to come before the product or the terms. You have to build trust slowly while helping the other person save face. Even if you notice a problem, you shouldn’t point it out in front of others.”

“Jai yen.”

“That means a calm heart, right?”

Lalita nodded.

It meant staying calm and not getting worked up, whatever the situation.

“I think it’s a good part of the culture. But if everyone focuses only on acting as though nothing’s wrong, it could become difficult to fix what actually is wrong.”

“Yes. That’s what I find frustrating about Thailand.”

Lalita put down her beer glass.

“People pretend everything’s fine even when there’s a problem, and put off uncomfortable conversations. Meanwhile, those with money and connections keep getting opportunities, while those with nothing remain on the outside.”

Her gaze moved to the flowers in my hand.

“That girl isn’t selling flowers because she lacks ability. Without a chance to learn, she can’t even explore a different life.”

“Is that why you set up the study center in Ban Chainam?”

“Yes. I wanted to give them at least a chance to learn. An education can help them see a wider world and find the life they want. In that sense, I envy Korea.”

“Korea?”

“Korea used to be poor, too. But people believed they could have a better life if they studied.”

I set the flowers down on one side of the table.

“It’ll take a long time,” she said.

“But you’ve already made a start.”

Lalita gave a small smile.

“I want Thai children to have that same belief.”

I knew better than anyone how much having a chance to choose could change a person.

I remembered the children in Ban Chainam taking books down from the high shelves and opening them.

* * *

We were on our way back to the hotel after dinner.

Outside the car window, the lights on the Chao Phraya River swayed in long lines.