Chapter 08
“What would we have done without Assistant Manager Cha? He’s really worth a hundred men. Hoho.”
Yoo A-ri, who was in charge of support, stuck out her tongue.
That’s how frantically busy Cha Ji-hoo had been.
It was because the visitors were oddly concentrated around him.
“I should have studied some Spanish if I knew this was going to happen.”
“Still, most communication is in English, so it’s not a big problem. There are a lot of French people too.”
“That’s because France is right next door.”
When a bit of a lull came to the exhibition hall during lunchtime, the global marketing team colleagues who had come by yesterday to say hello approached Cha Ji-hoo again.
“Wow, Cha Ji-hoo. You worked really hard.”
“We’re all in the same boat, so what.”
“No, we definitely saw it. People were especially crowded around you.”
“That’s because this is a thoroughfare.”
“I don’t think that’s the only reason. Everyone who asked questions went to you. Especially the women, no exceptions. Some of the men went to Assistant Manager Yoo. As expected, you have to be good-looking and handsome. It seems Westerners also feel favorable toward good-looking East Asians.”
“What are you guys talking about? You’re so ridiculous.”
Come to think of it, when Cha Ji-hoo briefly left his spot and someone else was standing there, the situation was quite different.
As expected, their fuss had a reasonable basis.
“Assistant Manager Cha, I’m envious. Really.”
“There was a reason Team Leader wanted to recruit Assistant Manager Cha at all costs. The old man’s eye for talent is indeed excellent.”
“Right. I wish I could be reborn like that too. Sigh.”
“It can’t be just because of looks. Even if you’re handsome, if you come across as rude and cold, it actually backfires. He attracts people because he feels warm and friendly. And on top of that, he speaks well, whether in his native language or foreign languages. He makes people fall for him completely.”
“Kid, it’s a relief you didn’t become a con artist.”
“Oh, another woman is clinging to him. Sigh.”
They watched the scene with jealousy burning fiercely.
Afterward, Cha Ji-hoo barely managed to have a sandwich for lunch and then faced an afternoon that was even busier than the morning.
A villa located in the Pedralbes area on the western side of downtown Barcelona.
Rui Rocksberg, dressed in somewhat stuffy-looking old-fashioned formal wear, went up to the second floor and stood in front of a certain room.
“Princess. It’s Rui.”
“Come in.”
When he opened the door, a blonde beauty was sitting on a wooden chair by the window in the spacious room, reading something.
“Princess. As you instructed, I’ve completed your registration as a visitor to ‘MWCS 2010.’ This is a ‘Press Badge’ issued under the name of a media outlet based in Mohena.”
Rui handed the item to the woman in her early twenties whom he had called ‘Princess.’
“Hang that badge around your neck and you can enter.”
“Got it. You worked hard.”
“Not at all. But, if I may, how about accompanying the Minister of Culture and Economy? I understand he’s scheduled to visit as an official VIP on the third day.”
At that, she shook her head.
“No. I’m going alone. I don’t like attending officially because it’s uncomfortable and bothersome.”
“Ah, I see. Then when are you planning to go? The opening was today already…”
“I know. I heard the opening day is packed with people, so I deliberately avoided it today. I plan to go tomorrow.”
“I think you’ve made a wise decision.”
“It’s a place where I can see and experience smartphones from all over the world in one place. I’m so excited.”
“It will surely be a great experience for you. This exhibition is a showcase of cutting-edge technology and trends.”
“That’s right.”
“But…”
Rui hesitated as he was about to ask something.
“It’s okay. If you have something to say, go ahead.”
“I was wondering if you haven’t decided on your return schedule yet. His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen are eagerly waiting for you, Princess.”
“I want to see them soon too. But I’ve come all this way, so I can’t just give up on my planned schedule and leave. I’ll leave as early as possible after I finish viewing the exhibition. Anyway, once I’m back in the palace, I’ll be stuck there until school starts early next year.”
“Understood. I’ll convey that to them.”
“Thank you.”
After Rui greeted her politely and left the room, the blonde woman put on a curious gaze and flipped through the badge and exhibition pamphlet she had just received.
‘This should be fun.’
A moment later, she shifted her gaze to the laptop on the small table.
‘What should I do? Should I send another email around now?’
‘But if I go back home, it’ll be hard to travel to Korea during winter break. Then even if I send a letter now, it’ll be useless.’
She stroked her flowing blonde hair with her hand, rose from her seat, and walked toward the window.
‘I’m secretly funny. I’ve never been like this before. The heart is such a…’
The stars were twinkling especially vividly tonight.
Someone’s face overlapped on top of them.
“Claire, what’s wrong with you, really.”
Soon, her face flushed red, and she ran to the bed as if embarrassed, flopped down, and kicked her legs in the air.
After doing that for a while, she soon fell into a deep sleep.
The second day of ‘MWCS 2010′ dawned.
Cha Ji-hoo arrived at the venue long before opening, just like yesterday. In the morning, there was a showcase event for Samel Electronics’ ambitious product, the ‘Galaxy M,’ and in the afternoon, there was a seminar he was scheduled to moderate.
‘Today will be even busier than yesterday.’
The presenter for the showcase was none other than CEO Koo Hyun-mo of Samel Electronics.
There has never been a time when that position wasn’t important, but this time in particular, the significance was so great that a heavyweight figure had to appear. This was because it was a public declaration of war against ‘Aimphone,’ which had brought about a revolution in the global mobile phone market with its so-called smartphone.
“I heard Vice Chairman Lee Jin-yong is coming today.”
“Really? Then that means all the group executives are making a full appearance.”
“Today is truly the important day. If we make a mistake or do something that gets us on the wrong side of them, our work life will become difficult, so we need to stay sharp.”
Cha Ji-hoo had never met Vice Chairman Lee Jin-yong, the de facto head of the group, in person, nor had he ever seen him up close. It felt somewhat ironic that he saw his own group’s head more often on TV than in person.
“The CEO is here!”
At someone’s words, everyone froze in place.
Led by CEO Koo Hyun-mo, a procession of Samel Electronics’ top executives began to pass in front of Cha Ji-hoo. He greeted them diligently.
In the midst of this, Executive Vice President Lee Nam-hoon, who had personally awarded him the ‘Employee of the Month’ prize, recognized him as he passed by and gave him a wink. It was only a small gesture, but such an action from a superior can be a source of strength for an employee. Cha Ji-hoo felt proud and puffed up with confidence.
About an hour later, the ‘Galaxy M’ showcase began.
As scheduled, CEO Koo went up on stage and ambitiously introduced Samel Electronics’ smartphone, which he had led the development of, to the world. Reporters captured on camera the moment he calmly declared war on ‘Appple,’ which was not participating in this exhibition.
Now, the ‘Galaxy M’ would be broadcast in real time to global potential consumers. It was for this ripple effect that major global companies participated in such exhibitions. Because they could expect marketing and promotional effects that went beyond investment.
“As expected, it’s magnificent and perfect.”
It was a bit difficult to compare him to Appple’s Steven Hobbs, who was a native speaker and called a master of presentation shows, but even so, CEO Koo’s showcase had its own rough yet sincere charm and appeal.
Cha Ji-hoo learned a great deal by watching that scene. And he also wondered if someday he, too, could stand on such a stage to introduce his company’s products to the world.
The response was hotter than expected, and the attendees responded with enthusiastic applause and cheers.
“The response is amazing.”
“Right. That’s what makes us feel rewarded and energized. Assistant Manager Cha, eat a hearty lunch and come to the seminar room by 1:30.”
“Got it, Team Leader.”
Team Leader Jang of the global marketing team let Cha Ji-hoo leave the booth early. It was because of the afternoon schedule.
“I’ll take care of things here, so don’t worry, take your time eating, and get ready for the seminar.”
“Thanks, Assistant Manager Yoo. I’ll leave it to you then.”
Cha Ji-hoo filled his stomach with a hearty meal instead of a sandwich at the food court inside the exhibition hall, then finished his final data preparation and review work.
He arrived at the seminar venue a little past 1:00.
‘What? It’s a bigger hall than I thought. I thought it was a small room. This is big enough to be called a conference.’
He felt a slight pressure upon seeing that the scale was larger than expected.
About 20 minutes later, Team Leader Jang arrived, followed by the head of Samel Electronics’ U.S. branch and the team leader of the ‘Galaxy M’ development team.
After exchanging greetings with them and discussing key points regarding the proceedings, Cha Ji-hoo took his seat as the moderator.
In the meantime, the audience seats had become so full that it was hard to find an empty spot. This showed how much interest there was in this smartphone’s competitive strategy and sales points. It appeared that the attendees were mainly distributors and tech media reporters.
“Then we will begin the Samel Electronics ‘Galaxy M’ seminar. First, I will introduce the attendees here today.”
Cha Ji-hoo equipped himself with a clear voice and began to speak English with precise and articulate pronunciation. Instantly, the audience raised their heads and turned their attention to him. He was a moderator who drew attention from the start in many ways.
From the back of the audience, Team Leader Jang Ki-ho, watching with his arms crossed, wore a pleased smile.
As the seminar began in earnest, some of the lights in the back of the audience seats were turned off to help focus attention on the stage, and it grew darker.
A little while later, a group of people in formal attire carefully entered through the door. Upon seeing the person at the front of the group, Team Leader Jang was startled and stiffened.
“Vi, Vice Chairman!”
“Shh. Quiet, you’ll be disruptive. Did it start long ago?”
“Ah, no. It’s been less than 10 minutes.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Shall I move you to a seat with a better view…”
“No, this is enough. Now, let’s sit and watch.”
“Yes, yes.”
The rumor turned out to be true. Samel Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jin-yong had appeared.
Of course, this fact was unknown to many employees, including Cha Ji-hoo.
Cha Ji-hoo moderated the seminar by appropriately coordinating the conversation between the U.S. branch head and the development team leader, focusing on the proposed agenda.
The branch head was American, so there was no issue, but the development team leader was not fluent in English, so Cha Ji-hoo interpreted his remarks for the audience one by one. He smoothly translated even highly technical terminology without any difficulty.
“Is the moderator also an IT professional interpreter? Why is his English so good?”
“His pronunciation, intonation, and voice are all clean and pleasant—it’s captivating. He’s surprisingly charming.”
“He seems like a real pro in this field. It’s a relaxed yet clean moderation. A master of communication.”
“First of all, he’s handsome. That alone is likable.”
These reactions came from various places, and the sound reached Vice Chairman Lee Jin-yong’s ears as well. He too had been curious about the moderator. He quietly asked Team Leader Jang Ki-ho.
“Is the moderator an interpreter?”
“No, sir. He’s our company employee.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Vice Chairman. He’s Assistant Manager Cha Ji-hoo from the Home Appliance Division’s marketing team.”
“He’s not even in the global marketing team but a member of the Home Appliance Division?”
“Yes. I judged that he has outstanding skills and a great deal of potential in many ways, so I requested his support.”
“It seems that way to me too.”
Vice Chairman Lee once again turned his gaze toward Cha Ji-hoo.
