Chapter 160: Morning in Philadelphia (4)

As the car door opened, the cold wind dug into my face.

The unique salty smell of the port and the smell of metal tangled together, stimulating the tip of my nose.

The evening air in winter was clearly different from the daytime.

It was colder, heavier, and for some reason, there was even a sense of tension.

I got out first.

The hem of my coat wavered in the wind.

Cho Hana followed behind me while holding the briefcase tightly.

Director Choi Seo-jun, Legal Advisor Baek Yu-jin, President Yu Hyeon-seok, and Advisor Hong Jang-gun got out of the car in order and surrounded me.

Everyone lifted their heads without a word and looked up at the headquarters building.

[Philadelphia Marine Systems, Inc.]

The silver letters attached to the gray brick exterior wall sparkled as they caught the faint light of the setting sun.

The five-story building was not grand, but it was exuding the weight it had built up in this industry throughout the long years with its whole body.

I looked at the building and slowly took a breath.

‘Is it starting from here.’

My eyes narrowed.

My emotions settled, but a sharp tension lingered within.

A moment later, the door opened and a woman in a neat suit approached them with a quick pace.

On her chest, a name tag saying ‘Sarah Morgan - Executive Assistant’ was visible.

She was holding a file of documents in her arms.

She wore a smile along with an expression that seemed a bit wary.

She looked kind, but appeared somewhat troubled.

“Are you Representative Lim?”

I answered fluently in English.

“Yes. I am Lim Hyunjun, the representative of HJ Partners.”

Sarah reached out her hand and spoke.

“Welcome to Philadelphia Marine Systems.”

I lightly held her hand.

As I showed a kind attitude, she spoke with relief.

“Representative Brady said to convey that he cannot welcome you personally as he is currently in another meeting.”

The party’s gazes turned toward me simultaneously.

No one spoke, but everyone felt what the meaning contained in that short conversation was.

It was no different from treating an uninvited guest.

I said with a smile.

“It is fine. I am thankful that you are welcoming us like this even though we visited suddenly.”

I remained soft yet maintained my composure.

Sarah nodded lightly and replied.

“The Representative will finish the meeting soon. He asked for you to wait in the office for a while until then.”

Her way of speaking was polite, but it had a strong formal feeling.

It was as if she were reading a pre-prepared script.

Hong Jang-gun narrowed his brows and was about to open his mouth before closing it.

After seeing my expression, he eventually decided not to say anything.

The party followed quietly behind Sarah like that.

As we entered the lobby, blueprints of ships, large and small, and world sea route maps were framed and hanging on the walls.

Old photographs contained the sight of naval vessels and merchant ships anchored side by side.

One could tell what kind of work this company had been doing just by looking at the walls.

However, my gaze was fixed on a large banner hanging on one wall.

[Strategic Partnership Meeting - FMS × Sinoa Marine]

The moment I saw that phrase, my steps stopped for a moment.

‘Sinoa Marine….’

An affiliate of a Chinese state-owned shipbuilding group.

It was a company that had recently jumped actively into the US government’s eco-friendly ship project.

Its capital power was immense, and its political background was solid.

‘They already made the first move.’

My gaze wavered minutely, but I soon regained my composure.

My emotions settled and coldness filled that place.

Choi Seo-jun and Cho Hana, who were following behind, shared the situation with just their eyes.

Cho Hana bit her lip.

Choi Seo-jun still wore a displeased expression.

Hong Jang-gun exhaled a short sigh and muttered in Korean.

“…They were already here.”

I did not answer.

I merely turned my head slowly and glanced at Hong Jang-gun once.

At that time, Sarah said while climbing the stairs.

“This way. The meeting room is on the second floor. Should I prepare some tea for you by any chance?”

I answered as the representative.

“Coffee would be good. Black, please.”

“Yes, I will bring it soon.”

She left a gentle smile and disappeared along the hallway.

The sound of footsteps grew more distant.

As Sarah closed the door and left, the inside of the office was instantly submerged in silence.

The light of the setting sun entered at an angle over the organized desk.

It was a place where only a leather sofa was placed forlornly.

The maritime map hanging on one side of the wall was full of complex sea routes and coordinates.

It seemed to say that this place was not just a simple meeting room, but the center of strategy where numerous deals and negotiations were exchanged.

From outside, mechanical sounds were heard intermittently.

The roar of the crane moving containers, the exhaust sound of a large truck; only those sounds reminded us that this unfamiliar space was actually in the middle of a port district.

Silence flowed for a while.

Then, Hong Jang-gun spoke in a somewhat low voice.

“You saw the banner hanging at the entrance, right?”

Choi Seo-jun answered in a voice that seemed to suppress his emotions.

“Just looking at it, it seemed they were just before signing a contract with Sinoa Marine.”

He walked to the window with both hands shoved into his pockets.

Irritation was mixed in his gaze.

Baek Yu-jin sat on the sofa with her arms crossed and spoke in a calm voice.

“If it's Sinoa Marine, since it's a Chinese state-owned affiliate, their funding power and connections won't be easy to deal with.”

She stopped speaking for a moment and scanned the expressions one by one.

Then she opened her mouth again.

“It seems they had already made contact before we came. No, perhaps there's even a possibility they sat at the negotiation table several times already.”

At those words, Cho Hana added her words.

“I have the same thought. Furthermore, ‘Strategic Partnership Meeting’ was written there. That means it’s not just a simple meeting… but a stage where cooperation discussions have already become concrete. The fact that it’s a strategic partnership is evidence that each other’s interests have interlocked.”

Yu Hyeon-seok laughed bitterly.

“In the end, they made the first move.”

Even he, who was usually optimistic, let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“It seems the market on the US side works this way. It’s not like they preoccupy it and set up the board and then give opportunities to the rest….”

Silence flowed for a moment at those words.

Heavy air dominated the room.

No one could easily continue speaking.

Everyone was experiencing the fact that reality was much harsher than expected.

In that silence, I slowly walked toward the window.

I looked out the window.

Beyond the gray port, the setting sun was slowly sinking.

Red light spread over the sea and clearly revealed the outlines of the containers.

My low voice echoed inside the meeting room.

“It’s true they made the first move. But shouldn’t we see it through to the end?”

The air changed at that one sentence.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward me.

Hong Jang-gun was standing with his head lowered, looking at the ground.

Choi Seo-jun looked at me while frowning.

Baek Yu-jin uncrossed her arms and sat properly.

Cho Hana caught her breath and chewed over my words.

Even Yu Hyeon-seok looked at me with a serious gaze.

I turned my head again and stared out the window.

Anger or hollow confidence did not show in the gaze I was looking with.

Rather, it was full of calm resolve.

I looked like someone who had already fought numerous battles.

Knowing that a war is not decided at the beginning, but at the end.

I turned back and looked at my colleagues.

My gaze brushed each member of the party.

“What we need is strategy. And we need a weapon that only we have.”

Choi Seo-jun asked.

“…If it’s a weapon?”

I laughed briefly.

However, coldness was harbored in that smile.

“It must be something they don’t have.”

At those words, it seemed everyone, including Choi Seo-jun, caught on.

President Yu Hyeon-seok nodded and opened his mouth.

“That’s true. Sinoa Marine is only large in size, but our practical technological power is better. Furthermore, their decision-making structure itself is slow.”

Baek Yu-jin also spoke carefully.

“It’s the limit of being state-owned. The decision-making structure is complex and it’s difficult to respond flexibly. We are ahead in that aspect as well.”

Cho Hana continued her words as well.

“And we already have a track record. There are results proven by data.”

Yu Hyeon-seok finally spoke in a voice that had regained vitality.

“I worried for nothing.”

I said with a smile.

“That’s exactly it. We just need to do our work. In our own way.”

At that time, the door opened cautiously.

Sarah entered while carrying a lot of coffee she had made on a tray.

The faint scent of coffee softly filled the office.

She handed out coffee one glass at a time with a smile.

“I am sorry for making you wait. The Representative will be here soon. Please wait just a moment longer.”

I nodded and accepted the glass.

“Thank you.”

As Sarah closed the door and left, only the quiet sound of breathing remained in the room.

Everyone took a sip of coffee.

The bitter taste spread in our mouths and the tension loosened little by little.

However, the air was still heavy.

As if sensing the coming storm.

Choi Seo-jun put down his glass and glanced out the window.

Baek Yu-jin smelled the scent of coffee and closed her eyes before slowly opening them.

A short while later, the sound of shoe heels approached from the hallway at regular intervals.

Then the door opened.

A low and steady voice was heard.

“Representative Lim, I am sorry for making you wait so long.”

The man who opened the door and entered was William Brady.

Appearing to be in his early 60s, he neatly swept back his hair which had a silver glow.

He wore a dark suit and a somewhat old-fashioned tie.

The smile steeped in the leisure unique to the American style was impressive.

Should I say the first impression was on the favorable side.

His steady eyes and soft American accent made him look gentlemanly.

However, behind that smile, the sharpness that only someone who had survived in the business world for decades could have was hidden.

A man entered with him.

Richard Brannan.

He was the technical lead of FMS.

Appearing to be in his mid-50s, he was a very tall and thin man.

Wearing somewhat comfortable-looking work clothes, the gaze seen beyond his gold-rimmed glasses made him look like a cold and emotionless person.

Every time William smiled, he minutely closed his lips and watched quietly as if analyzing the opponent.

William approached and reached out his hand to me, speaking in a soft tone.

“Representative Lim, welcome to Philadelphia Marine Systems.”

I also shook his hand with a smile and replied with a fluent English pronunciation.

“Thank you for inviting me. It is an honor to meet you like this.”

William smiled softly.

“It is the same for us. I have already heard your name from many places.”

I naturally asked back.

“Is that so? Were they saying good things?”

At my witty remark, William laughed brightly.

In contrast, Richard just stood there expressionlessly by his side and only nodded his head.

Perhaps William wasn’t completely tactless, as he introduced Richard.

“This is Richard Brannan, who oversees the technical sector of our company.”

Richard bowed his head briefly.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Richard Brannan.”

There was no warmth in his voice.

It was extremely stiff, as if a machine were speaking.

I replied with a smile.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Lim Hyunjun, the representative of HJ Partners.”

After that, I also introduced the colleagues of HJ Partners to them one by one.

Once the introductions were finished, they sat down.

As soon as William sat down, he spoke with an apologetic expression.

“It is a regret that I cannot give you good news even though you have come a long way.”