Chapter 166: Morning in Philadelphia (10)

Baek Yu-jin stood up from her seat immediately.

As if she had been waiting for this moment, she touched the tablet a few times and pushed it in front of William.

“Here is the revised contract. The main contents are the same as before. I only corrected the changed matters.”

William raised his head as if surprised.

To the point where Richard and Matthew also widened their eyes at the same time.

It was as if she were shoving a new contract that was already prepared with the matters agreed upon just a moment ago.

Sarah also looked back and forth between me and Baek Yu-jin while feeling suspicious.

The question of whether this was something prepared in advance was revealed intact on her expression.

But I knew.

I said while smiling gently.

“It is because our Advisor Baek is so outstanding. Her progress is exceptional.”

At those words, the HJ Partners team members chuckled and laughed.

As if his tension were released, General Hong let out a small ahem.

Sarah still peeked at the tablet the representative was holding with an expression as if she could not believe it.

However, the conditions I had just presented were accurately reflected on the screen.

9 LNG-powered ships and 7 dual-fuel container ships, and a 10% unit price increase.

William was silent for a moment.

While he was looking at the signature line, Baek Yu-jin said with a relaxed expression.

“You only need to sign. We must return to Washington soon, so please hurry.”

Those words strangely made William rush.

He said while carefully checking the contract details.

“Understood. Ten minutes… no, five minutes is enough.”

Baek Yu-jin said with a cold expression.

“I can wait that much.”

At those words, I turned my head and barely held back the laughter that was about to come out.

“Ahem. Our Advisor Baek hates wasting time most in the world.”

At that moment, a gentle laugh spread through the room.

After scanning through to the last page meticulously, William slowly carved his name into the electronic signature line.

The sound notifying the conclusion of the contract as his fingertip moved over the tablet screen filled the conference room.

As if a tightly pulled rubber band were being released, the tension that had been weighing them down until now began to evaporate slowly.

William’s expression, which had been stiffened with tension, gradually relaxed.

A faint smile spread across his mouth.

The strength that had been put heavily into his shoulders drained away.

Richard and Matthew also let out a long sigh of relief at the same time, as if they had escaped from the pressure.

William said while returning the tablet to Baek Yu-jin.

“I feel at ease now.”

A sincere sense of relief was imbued in his voice.

I said with a gentle smile.

“Negotiation is always a difficult thing. But it is a relief since the result is good.”

A sense of leisure was nested in my calm tone.

Only then did William regain a bright smile all over his face.

“I will only trust you all now.”

They stood up from their seats while exchanging short greetings with each other.

I said to William.

“I will soon form a working-level group and visit the company.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Richard, Matthew, and even Sarah took turns leaving the door and sharing greetings.

The heavy room door made a click sound and closed slowly.

The moment the door closed completely, the emotions that had been suppressed all this time burst out all at once.

President Yu Hyeon-seok jumped up from his seat and shouted.

“Representative, you really pulled it off!”

His voice was trembling greatly with excitement.

General Hong also clenched his fist tight and thundered against the table several times with a thump.

“This is what negotiation is! Wow!”

Cho Hana could not hide her laughter while the corners of her eyes were red.

She wiped the corners of her eyes with her hand and said in a trembling voice.

“To be honest, I really thought it was over. But to flip it completely like this. I saw it all from the side, but I still cannot believe it.”

The drawing room turned into a festival atmosphere in an instant.

Choi Seo-jun and Yu Hyeon-seok cheered while hugging each other, and General Hong thrust his fist toward the ceiling.

The tension accumulated until now was resolved at once, expressing the joy they had held back.

Even in the midst of that, Baek Yu-jin was looking into the tablet while elegantly drinking coffee.

The corners of her mouth were rising minutely.

Choi Seo-jun said to me while calming his excitement.

“Representative, you worked until late last night. Did you perhaps do something related to Sinoa Marine?”

I picked up the coffee cup in front of me, took a sip, and then answered nonchalantly while setting it down.

“I merely did my job as the representative.”

My voice was calm, but joy was overflowing.

Within that short sentence, I made them guess what I had done.

Silence flowed for a moment.

The team members all looked at me.

Soon after, General Hong burst into a loud laugh first.

“Hahaha! It is just like the Representative indeed. It is truly wonderful.”

The other team members also cheered while clapping as if in agreement.

I merely smiled at their reaction.

“Let us celebrate later.”

I said while standing up from my seat.

My voice made the drawing room subside again.

“We must send the working-level group to Philadelphia soon. Since the contract is finished, we must do what we should do for them. The real work starts now.”

At that one sentence, the faces of the team members turned serious again.

The festival-like atmosphere changed into a combat posture in an instant.

Everyone nodded and began to prepare for the next step at their respective spots.

I walked to the window and looked outside.

With my gaze toward the outside, I thought that the first page of the giant project that would unfold in the future had just opened.

‘If the start is good, the end is bound to be good as well.’

A confident smile spread across my mouth.

***

A black SUV moved slowly along the Delaware River riverside road.

A long lingering imagery was still hanging inside the car.

Sarah, who was sitting in the driver's seat, carefully spoke up past the room mirror.

“To be honest, I did not know you would decide so quickly.”

William, sitting in the back seat, let out a short breath.

“I actually did not intend to do that either, but somehow there were no options.”

At that time, Richard nodded his head.

“Realistically, there are only a few companies capable of receiving delivery by the first half of next year. Moreover, in terms of technological power or credibility, there is no place that can follow HJ Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.”

Matthew added while looking out the window.

“That is right. Because the delivery schedules of other companies are already full for nearly two years.”

William nodded his head.

“In the end, it means we do not have the leisure to stall for time. If the schedule goes wrong, we will not even receive the government subsidy and greater losses will occur.”

Sarah asked.

“Then what about the increased number of ships this time? Did you not expand them too hastily?”

William laughed shortly.

“No, that is a quantity that was originally necessary. Although it is true I moved the timing forward a bit, those ships are needed anyway.”

Richard chimed in.

“Still, for some reason, I feel like I lost money.”

William looked at the scenery passing by the window and said.

“That cannot be helped. Still, isn’t it something that we minimized the risk as much as possible. That is much better.”

Matthew muttered quietly.

“To be honest, I think we fell for the proposal from Sinoa Marine too easily.”

William’s gaze blurred for a moment.

“That was the mistake. I judged it as attractive only by looking at the conditions they presented…. Well, although that was not the case in reality. But to think that a person named Lim Hyunjun was seeing through all of that.”

A short silence flowed in the car.

Richard said in a low voice.

“To think he has this level of judgment at that age, I get goosebumps.”

Sarah nodded her head quietly.

“He was definitely not ordinary. Seeing him negotiate, he calmly said everything he had to say.”

William swept his rough chin with his fingertip.

“What I thought was a rational choice was a wrong judgment from the beginning. To think it became a form of just spending more money in vain.”

The SUV quickly left the city.

An easy smile now appeared on their faces.

***

My party and I got into the vehicle waiting in front of the hotel.

Although they were tired from the tight schedule, vitality was nested within them.

It was because the work that had been covered with tension and pressure until the morning had returned as a result.

General Hong sat in the driver's seat.

“Representative, we will arrive in Washington in 2 hours and a half.”

“Good. Let us organize the materials while going.”

The car General Hong was driving slid smoothly over the road.

As the automobile left the port district, the city seemed to be pushed away gradually.

Through the window, cars were seen here and there as the winter sunlight spread.

Choi Seo-jun, sitting in the passenger seat, spoke while looking at a tablet.

“Representative, what shall we do about the briefing draft sent from the Department of Commerce? Are there any parts to modify?”

I thought for a moment and then raised my head.

“Let us include the FMS case we just concluded as well. It is good for us that the results stand out in this presentation.”

Choi Seo-jun nodded and answered.

“I will reflect on it right now.”

His hands moved quickly.

The changed matters began to be newly organized over the tablet screen.

He was currently on the verge of dying from excitement rather than tiredness.

“There is a maritime partner status section on the 3rd page of the existing presentation materials. I added the FMS item there.”

I nodded my head.

“Good. Please also put in a phrase about expanding orders through the restoration of trust, especially emphasizing the part where the contract was changed.”

Choi Seo-jun inputted it quickly.

After that, he spoke again.

“Representative, I will deliver the modified draft to Advisor Baek immediately.”

Baek Yu-jin, who had been looking into her laptop screen, raised her head.

“I received the material.”

Now, the sound of pressing the keyboard continued quietly.

I peeked at her screen for a moment and said.

“Advisor Baek, let us maintain the sentence that came out at the beginning as it is. It would be good to add below it that this FMS negotiation is a practical result.”

“Understood.”

I smiled shortly.

It was thanks to the employees who did things perfectly on their own.

Vitality overflowed in the car as much as tension lingered.

Advisor Baek’s fingers stopped.

“Representative, I sent the finished version.”

“Yes, wait a moment. I will check.”

I picked up the tablet and turned on the screen.

The inside of the car became quiet even if for just a moment.

I quietly scanned the screen and stopped at the last paragraph.

“Good. It is wonderful. Especially the introduction and conclusion are smooth.”

At those words, Baek Yu-jin smiled faintly.

“Since I organized it based on the points you pointed out, Representative, the overall flow was caught at a glance.”

I spoke toward Choi Seo-jun.

“Director Choi, deliver this version to the Department of Commerce.”

“Yes, Representative.”

Choi Seo-jun executed it immediately.

Once he even performed the final transmission, he let out a sigh of relief.

After a moment, General Hong spoke from the driver's seat.

“Representative, we will arrive soon. There is less than ten minutes left until the Department of Commerce building.”

At those words, everyone in the car raised their heads at the same time.

The buildings of downtown Washington were seen through the window.

The winter sunlight reflected on the glass and illuminated my face.

I, who was looking into the tablet, let out a light breath.

“I should prepare to get off now.”

I checked my tie arrangement once more.

The atmosphere in the car became heavy again.

General Hong said while reducing the speed.

“Representative, we have arrived.”

As the automobile stopped, General Hong got out first and opened the car door.

As I got out of the automobile, the cold air awakened my mind.

Following behind me, Choi Seo-jun, Baek Yu-jin, Cho Hana, and Yu Hyeon-seok got out in turn.

Conviction was nested in everyone’s expressions instead of fatigue.

I lightly adjusted my coat and moved my steps toward the building.

My walk was neither fast nor slow.

However, strangely, it drew people’s gaze.

The winter sunlight brushed my shoulders and spread.

It was as if even that light were blessing my path.