Chapter 135
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 135
Chapter 135. You Reap What You Sow (5)
“Why did you do this?”
“It's just that…”
Among those kneeling, the leader hesitated before speaking.
“We fell for the tricks of the Namho Trading Company. They said they would give us a large sum of money if we did as they said. And even if the Miga Trading Company found out, the Namho Trading Company would take us in...”
In short, they had been bribed.
They confessed everything they had done.
“We have committed a capital offense.”
“How could we forget how well the Mi-ga Trading Company has treated us all this time...”
“We are the most ungrateful people in the world.”
They bowed their heads repeatedly and apologized, but my uncle couldn't say a word.
I approached Jin-ho and whispered quietly.
“Brother, I think we can take them out.”
Hearing my words, Jin-ho took them away with his two bodyguards.
I said to my uncle.
“Instead of getting angry at the Trading Company for coming to protest, you should have listened to their side of the story.”
“I should have done that...”
“To be honest, it's a little late, but there's something you must do.”
“What is that?”
“Apologize.”
“Apologize... You want me to apologize?”
“Yes.”
“But how can I bow my head to them? It's against my pride...”
“This situation happened because you refused to believe them and turned them away at the door.”
“....”
“Admit it.”
“....”
I stared at my uncle silently. Perhaps because of my intensity, he finally closed his eyes tightly and admitted it.
“Yes! It was my fault!”
“Then why did you make such a bad decision?”
“....”
I answered for my uncle, who remained silent.
“It was because of your pride.”
“Ugh!”
Nam Ho-sang, the captain of the trading company, knew very well that my uncle had a strong sense of pride.
That's why he used this tactic.
My uncle would fly into a rage without even trying to understand the whole story.
And that's exactly what happened.
“It is true that Mi-ga Trading Company sold mixed herbs. After all, it is a fact that such a thing happened.”
“...
”Then, would it hurt your pride more to go to those trading companies and apologize? Or would it hurt your pride more to let Miga Trading Company lose its credibility?"
I looked my uncle in the eye and said firmly.
“Even if I save this trading company, it will not last long if it has no credibility. You know that very well.”
“...”
“I am not asking you to give up your pride. I am asking you to sacrifice your small pride for a greater pride.”
“...”
“Shouldn't you develop the trading company that our ancestors built into the best brokerage firm in Gyeongju?”
“You're right.”
My uncle nodded.
I chuckled to myself.
What I did was not that big of a deal. I just changed the direction of my uncle's pride.
From experience, I knew that it was difficult to break the pride of a proud person, and even if I did, it would only come back to me.
In that case, it was better to slightly change the direction of his pride.
“So, starting today, please visit those trading companies yourself and apologize. And give them this.”
He handed him the letters he had prepared in advance.
* *
The captain of the Miga Trading Company sighed in his carriage.
“What's wrong?”
The person sitting in front of him was his chief assistant, who had been with him his entire life.
“I feel so helpless because I have to apologize.”
“Apologizing isn't difficult. But it may be difficult for you, as it is your first time.”
“Are you criticizing me?”
“If that's how you heard it, then your ears are still working fine.”
“What?”
“I told you to look into their situation, but you didn't listen to me.”
“Ugh!”
“In the end, I have to apologize.”
There was a moment of silence.
“Really...”
“Yes?”
“Can Seo Ho really save our trading company?”
“At this point, we have no choice but to believe him, don't we?”
Eunjo San could only sigh as he wondered how the situation had come to this.
At first, he thought that Namho Trading Company was just selling their goods at low prices.
However, before he knew it, more than half of his business partners had switched to Namho Trading Company.
The financial situation became more difficult with each passing day.
He no longer had money to buy medicinal herbs, let alone pay his workers' salaries.
So, he sold off his household goods and laid off the workers he could.
Those who remained were those who were willing to work without pay for the sake of the company.
They were truly grateful people.
Eunjo San felt ashamed of himself.
However, as there was still no sign of improvement, he had no choice but to send a letter to Eunhae Trading Company asking for a loan.
Out of pride, he could not write the details in the letter.
Unexpectedly, Eun Jin-ho and Eun Seo-ho arrived and presented unexpected conditions.
They would act as acting captains of the trading company for six months.
And they said they would save the trading company.
To be honest, Eun Jo-san did not understand what Eun Seo-ho meant. He made excuses about being blood relatives, but in the end, it must have been his uncle who asked him to do this.
Suddenly, his uncle's words came to mind.
“Do you know that your pride is just like your father's? In fact, in some ways, your father was better than me. But my father made me the head of the Trading Company. Do you know why?”
“I don't know.”
“It was because of his pride. His pride was too strong.”
“Why is that a problem?”
“A moderate amount of pride is good. But excessive pride will ultimately hurt you. As a merchant, you must learn to be flexible. I hope you learn to bend your pride a little before it hurts you.”
Those were the words his uncle said before returning to Eunhae Trading Company.
And just as his uncle had said, he was now suffering because of his pride.
But Eun Seo-ho told him
to sacrifice his small pride for the sake of his greater pride.
Thinking about it carefully, he realized that those words were true.
Then the chief deputy said
“Captain, did you memorize that? It's the sample apology letter that Acting Captain Seo Ho wrote for you.”
What Eun Jo-san was holding in his hand was “How to Apologize” written by Eun Seo-ho.
It was a piece of paper with examples of how to respond to certain situations.
“If you memorize this well, you won't end up blushing when you go to apologize.”
.
.
.
The next day.
Eunjo-san and his party arrived at the nearest Kim Trading Company.
“Is anyone there?”
“Who are you?”
“We are from Mi Trading Company.”
“Please wait a moment.”
The doorkeeper called someone inside, and after a while, someone came out.
It was the agent he had seen every time he did business there.
“Our captain is out right now.”
“Then when will he be back?”
“I don't know. He'll come back when he wants to.”
The meaning of those words was clear. They were being turned away.
“Then take a look around.”
Bang!
The door closed.
“....”
Seeing that, Eunjo felt something welling up inside him.
“Damn it! I'm being treated like this, and I haven't even apologized yet....”
“Did you think that the Trading Company would easily open the door after being treated so rudely?”
“...”
“Read what the Deputy Captain wrote.”
At those words, Eunjo-san took out the paper he had tucked away and read it.
“...Huh.”
He took a deep breath and said, “Please lay out some straw in front of the door.”
“Please prepare a seat for me.”
“Yes?”
“It is written here. They are telling us to just wait. They are even telling us to stand in the rain.”
It was three days later when Eunjo-san met the captain of the Kim Trading Company.
“So what exactly do you want to say?”
The captain of the Kim Trading Company asked Eunjo-san.
“I'm sorry.”
“What... are you talking about?”
“I shouldn't have done what I did in the past, but my pride got the better of me and I ended up making a big mistake.”
Eunjo-san continued.
“I made two mistakes. One was that I didn't check the situation at our business partner's, and the other was that I didn't manage my employees well.”
“....”
“That is why I came here to apologize. I am truly sorry. And I would also like to compensate you for what happened.”
Eunjo-san took out his pocket and handed it to him.
“This is the price of the medicine that was mixed with poor quality medicine.”
Hearing this, the captain of the Kim Trading Company was surprised and opened the pocket and asked, “Are you sure?”
“You say your business is not doing well, but is this really okay?”
“It is true that business is not going well. But this is a matter of my pride. I cannot sell poor-quality medicinal herbs for money.”
“....”
The captain of the Kim Trading Company nodded and brought up the story he had heard a moment ago.
“But what do you mean by saying that your employees were poorly managed?”
“Actually, some of my employees were bribed by Namho Trading Company and mixed poor-quality medicine into the medicine.”
“Is that true?”
“It sounds like an excuse, but it's the truth. I found out about it too late, so I came here.”
“I see... I see.”
Hearing that, the head of the Kim Trading Company felt sorry for no reason.
He didn't know about it and did it unknowingly, but he came to apologize, even if it was late.
It hurt him to have treated him the same way and made him wait in the rain for three days in front of his door.
At least he didn't get wet.
“I accept your apology. I'm the one who should be sorry.”
“What do you have to be sorry for? I am sorry that I am only apologizing now.”
Then he took a sealed letter from his pocket.
“What is this?”
“Actually, my cousin's son has been acting as the head of the trading company for some time now. He was the one who uncovered the Namho Trading Company's scheme.”
He continued.
“He asked me to give this to you.”
The head of the Kim Trading Company accepted the letter, and Eunjo left the Kim Trading Company after bowing.
He had many places to visit and apologize to.
Meanwhile,
the head of the Kim Trading Company was gradually softening his heart.
“I see. That's why he did that.”
His sense of betrayal disappeared, and now he only felt pity.
Then he noticed the sealed letter on the desk.
“A letter from the acting head of the trading company...”
He opened the letter.
“What?”
For a moment, he couldn't believe his eyes.
[Special discount from the Miga Trading Company: For the next month, the first fifty customers each day will receive medicinal herbs at 70% off the regular price.
Present the enclosed special coupon to receive 70% off the regular price.
*
It had been four days since I became the acting captain of the trading company.
And now, the front of the Mi-Gwa Trading Company was crowded with people who had gathered to trade medicinal herbs.
“Where are you cutting in line?”
“Hey! Don't cut in line!”
“This guy is serious!”
And I could hear occasional voices arguing.
I chuckled at the sound.
As soon as I became the acting captain of the trading company, I lowered the price of medicinal herbs significantly, but I set a limit.
Fifty people on a first-come, first-served basis every day for a month.
I spread this rumor through the waiters at the inns.
As a result, those who came to Guizhou to buy medicinal herbs gathered at the Miga Trading Company.
It was cheaper than Namho Trading Company, which sold at less than half the original price.
And when the other trading companies, whose minds had been changed by my uncle's apology, began to trade with Miga Trading Company, the atmosphere became friendly toward Miga Trading Company in no time.
“But I'm worried.”
“What do you mean?”
I turned my head and looked at Hyung-nim, who was standing next to me.
“It's good to attract customers by selling cheaper than Namho Trading Company, but how long do you plan to sell at such low prices? In a month, the customers will go back to Namho Trading Company.”
“It's okay. I don't plan on doing this for more than a month.”
“Huh?”
“Namho Trading Company knows that we're only selling at low prices for a month, so they'll be hopeful that we'll give up after a month.”
“That's right.”
“But if we say we'll continue for another month after that, what will they do?”
“Huh?”
Hearing that, Jin-ho, who was next to me, looked at me and said,
“That's cruel. Aren't you completely crushing their hopes?”
“But they started it. They refused to fix prices.”
Hyung-nim said with concern.
“Then, is there enough money? You spent so much money...”
“It's okay for now.”
“But the medicine must have cost a lot...”
But I bought the medicine cheaper than the price at the source, and I'm still buying it cheaper.
I bought it from Namho Trading Company.
So it cost much less than you think.
And we bought enough medicine in advance to fill seven jangwon, so we'll be fine even if it takes more than three months.