- Gratitude
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“Ah! I can’t believe I forgot.”
Lee Jeong-seok’s wife, Han Su-jeong, suddenly remembered what she had forgotten.
“Oppa, I haven’t given you your allowance.”
The salary was directly deposited into their bank account.
Then, Lee Jeong-seok and Han Su-jeong would go over their monthly expenses together, cutting back where necessary and increasing where needed.
However, Han Su-jeong had the final say on his allowance.
Each week, she gave him money for meals, transportation, and coffee.
“Last week, you were late in asking for it, too.”
When she asked why he hadn’t asked for his allowance, Lee Jeong-seok had said he still had some left.
She knew that he was frugal.
That was one of the reasons her heart was moved by him.
But it didn’t add up.
Unless he was skipping lunch, his allowance shouldn’t be enough.
“Haa…”
Han Su-jeong sighed.
Being frugal and skipping lunch were two different things.
No matter how much one saves, skipping lunch just to save money wasn’t right in her opinion.
“Health is more important.”
Han Su-jeong went to the bedroom where her mother-in-law, Kim Yeong-ja, was watching the baby.
“Mother.”
Kim Yeong-ja noticed that Han Su-jeong didn’t look too happy.
“Is something wrong?”
“I think Oppa has been skipping lunch to save money.”
Hearing this, Kim Yeong-ja also sighed.
“You must be having a hard time.”
She knew well that Han Su-jeong, who had lived a comfortable life before marriage, was struggling.
They only kept in touch with her family during the holidays.
And they never asked for help.
“How could I be struggling? Oppa is the one struggling more.”
“So, are you thinking of bringing him a lunchbox?”
“Mother, you know me so well.”
Han Su-jeong intended to bring a homemade lunch to Lee Jeong-seok.
She hoped it would encourage him to keep going.
“You’re such a blessing. Don’t worry about the baby; go ahead.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
With a big smile, she happily closed the bedroom door. Watching her, Kim Yeong-ja, holding her grandson, spoke softly.
“Your mom still loves your dad so much, huh?”
When her grandson smiled, Kim Yeong-ja smiled as well.
They weren’t living in abundance, but she hoped these small moments of happiness would continue.
…
Han Su-jeong carefully prepared a lunchbox and went to Samdo General Trading.
She had been there a few times.
Whenever he forgot important documents in a hurry, Han Su-jeong would bring them to him.
She had even visited his office.
So, when she arrived at the building’s lobby, she confidently stated her purpose for visiting, received a visitor’s pass, and took the elevator to the office where Lee Jeong-seok worked.
The elevator stopped at the floor where his office was located, and she got off.
But she couldn’t go any further.
Not far from the elevator, she saw someone familiar sitting at a desk.
He had his head down, as if trying to avoid eye contact with people coming out of the restroom.
Even without seeing his face, she knew.
“O… Oppa!”
At her voice, Lee Jeong-seok looked up.
He quickly stood up.
“Soo-jeong, how… how did you…”
*Thud*
The lunchbox slipped from Han Su-jeong’s hands.
“What is this? Why are you here?”
“That is…”
Han Su-jeong recalled what she had heard before.
She had once heard that companies would try everything to push employees out.
One of the last methods was to place them near the restroom.
At the time, she had thought it was just a joke.
But now, her husband was experiencing it firsthand.
Han Su-jeong marched toward Lee Jeong-seok.
She grabbed his arm.
” Soo-jeong, wait…”
“Get out. Let’s talk outside. I don’t think I can have a calm conversation here!”
Seeing the person she loved being treated like this, she couldn’t help but feel furious.
Her voice began to attract the attention of other employees.
Lee Jeong-seok had no choice but to leave with her.
…
Lee Jeong-seok and Han Su-jeong sat in a café near the company.
“How long has this been going on?”
She tried her best to suppress her anger.
“Not long.”
“Oppa, you know I can tell when you’re lying. Since when?”
In a low voice, she urged him to be truthful.
“About three months…”
“…”
Han Su-jeong was speechless.
For three months, he had endured such treatment.
” Soo-jeong, it’s okay.”
“How can you say it’s okay!”
Unconsciously, she raised her voice.
“No, really, it’s okay.”
“No, I’m not okay. How can I be okay when you’re being treated like this!”
“Calm down.”
“How can I calm down?”
“I’m really okay. So, go home. Let’s talk after work.”
Han Su-jeong knew he was not okay.
He was someone with a strong sense of pride.
If he had to swallow that pride, there had to be a reason.
Only one reason came to mind.
“Oppa, is it because of me and Yeong-jun?”
“No.”
“No,” the words slipped out without him even realizing it.
However, Han Su-jeong, knowing that Lee Jeong-seok was lying again, calmed down.
It was because she understood that Lee Jeong-seok was trying to sacrifice for the family.
“Oppa.”
Her voice was incredibly calm.
Lee Jeong-seok was startled on the inside.
It was moments like this that Han Su-jeong made significant decisions.
“Huh? Why?”
He wondered if she was about to bring up divorce.
Given the hardships they had gone through and the difficult times ahead, was that it?
All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind.
“Quit your job.”
“What?”
“What’s so important about that company…?”
“Su-jeong, then how will we make a living…?”
“As long as we’re alive, we’ll manage to get by.”
“Only just barely. It’ll be tough. If I’m the only one struggling, the rest of the family can be at peace.”
“Is that really peace? Do you think I’ll be comfortable watching you get treated like that every day? Huh?”
“…”
Lee Jeong-seok couldn’t say anything.
“I’ll sell Yakult if I have to. You can look for another job or even think about starting a small business.”
“A business?”
“Yeah, we can both work. Yeong-jun can be taken care of by your mother.”
“How will you sell Yakult? You never even worked a part-time job in school.”
“Is that the problem? You know Hye-mi, right?”
She was an older sister Soo-jeong was close to in college.
She also got married.
“When I met her last time, she told me she had started selling Yakult.”
“Hye-mi did? Why?”
“I thought it was someone else’s story…”
She had married an older man. But when he quit his job, she had no choice but to start earning money.
She shared this with Lee Jeong-seok.
“She said it’s more profitable than you’d think. Her husband also opened a small chicken shop and is working hard.”
“Still…”
“Oppa, she told me that it’s good because you just have to work hard. No need to worry about others.”
“Hmm…”
In truth, Lee Jeong-seok also wanted to quit.
“Or you can work with Seon-su.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Remember when you had drinks with Seon-su the other day? You came back carried on his back, shouting that you really wanted to go to Russia with him.”
“I said that?”
“Yeah.”
Han Su-jeong also knew about Lee Jeong-seok’s work with Russia’s Gazprom.
Lee Jeong-seok had told her.
“It’s not an easy thing to do.”
“I know.”
They had those talks because Han Su-jeong wanted it.
Leaving early in the morning and coming back late at night.
Even on weekends, he went to work, so they rarely had time to talk face-to-face.
So she asked him to tell her whenever there was a chance.
“Quit your job and meet with Seon-su. Go and come back.”
She said this with the hope that the struggling Lee Jeong-seok could clear his mind, even if just for a little while.
She didn’t really think he would end up working with Lee Seon-su.
It was a task even major companies found challenging.
“Quit your job. I mean it.”
“Soo-jeong…”
“Otherwise, I’ll take Yeong-jun and go back to my parents’ house.”
Lee Jeong-seok was startled and waved his hands.
“Where would you go? I’ll quit.”
The thing he feared the most was Han Soo-jeong taking their son to her parents’ place.
“Then go quit right now.”
“Alright.”
Lee Jeong-seok got up weakly.
Smack!
“Ow!”
“Come on, stand tall! Be a man!”
“Okay.”
“Stand up straight!”
Lee Jeong-seok was grateful to Han Su-jeong for giving him strength.
So, he straightened his shoulders and hugged Han Su-jeong tightly.
“What are you doing… People are watching.”
“Let them watch. Thank you.”
Han Soo-jeong’s face turned red.
And she couldn’t say anything.
To her surprise, Lee Jeong-seok’s embrace felt warm and comforting.
For some reason, she wasn’t worried about the future.
…
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
As soon as they turned on their pager at Gimpo Airport, it beeped.
“Did he finally quit? Did his wife drag him out by his collar?”
He had heard how Lee Jeong-seok quit his job.
That his sister-in-law had dragged him out while carrying a lunchbox.
And seeing his sister-in-law selling Yakult from dawn was so pitiful that he gritted his teeth and went to Russia.
“So, he didn’t care about the means.”
He used the name of Samdo General Trading to secure the contract.
“Twelve voice messages. Must’ve been urgent.”
Lee Seon-su walked to the nearest public phone to listen to the voice messages.
[“Seon-su, why aren’t you answering? Call me when you get this.”]
Listening to the latest one first.
“I better make a call.”
Lee Seon-su called Lee Jeong-seok’s home.
The phone rang twice before it was picked up.
…
[Hello?]
It was Senior Lee Jeong-seok’s voice.
[Is this Seon-su?]
“Yes, it’s me.”
[Hey! You little rascal! Have you been abroad or something? Why haven’t you been in touch?]
“I did go abroad.”
[Cut the nonsense and let’s meet up.]
Suddenly, a playful mood kicked in.
“Why?”
[Why, you ask? You remember what you said when we were drinking last time.]
“Yes.”
[Let’s talk about it seriously.]
“Is it urgent?”
[Of course, it’s urgent. Isn’t it urgent for you?]
“Where should we meet?”
[Come to my house.]
This was unexpected.
“Excuse me?”
[Soo-jeong said she only saw you briefly last time and wants to treat you to a meal. My mother also wants to properly see you.]
“Talking business at your house…”
[If we talk outside, it’s noisy, and we just waste money. Come to my house. We’ll have dinner tonight.]
“Senior, if it’s dinner, there’s only three hours…”
[Just come.]
Click.
Lee Seon-su muttered to himself as he looked at the public phone.
“This guy is doing it again.”
A smile naturally appeared.
When there’s something he has to do, he just goes ahead and does it.
Of course, he doesn’t force things that shouldn’t be done.
“He wouldn’t just ask to meet… Let’s see what he has in mind.”
With a sense of anticipation, Lee Seon-su left Gimpo Airport.
…
“Welcome.”
“Hello.”
“Hello, Sister-in-law.”
“You came, Soon-su?”
From some point on, Senior Lee Jeong-seok’s mother had stopped calling him ‘Seon-su’ and started calling him ‘Soon-su.’
“Mother, it’s Seon-su, not Soon-su.”
“Then should I call you Soon-su bachelor?”
“No, please just call me Soon-su.”
“Good to see you.”
Senior Lee Jeong-seok’s mother patted him on the shoulder.
It felt warm.
Upon entering the house, there was a large table in the living room.
On top of it were various dishes.
“Are you having a holiday feast or something?”
“When an important guest comes, you have to serve them properly. It’s been a long time since you’ve had homemade food, hasn’t it?”
“That may be true.”
There were even dishes like japchae and braised short ribs.
(*Japchae (잡채) – A Korean dish made with stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables.)
(*Braised Short Ribs (갈비찜) – A Korean dish made with slowly cooked beef short ribs.)
“Sit down. Let’s eat first.”
“Then, I won’t decline.”
In Singapore, he had been eating different food.
So, He had been craving Korean food.
As they sat down, they talked about various things with Senior Lee Jeong-seok, his wife, and his mother while having the meal.
After they finished eating, Senior Lee Jeong-seok called him to the master bedroom.
“Why not talk in the living room? Why here?”
“It’s … chaotic outside.”
Well, they were busy tidying up the remaining food.
“To get straight to the point… Do you remember what you said when we were drinking last time?”
“About going to Russia if I get betrayed by the company?”
“You’re not serious.”
The words ‘betrayed by the company’ stung.
“Right. Let’s talk after looking at this first.”
Lee Jeong-seok tossed a slightly thick document in front of Lee Seon-su.
“What’s this?”
“What else? It’s a business plan.”
As expected.
He wouldn’t just recklessly propose something without preparation.
“Shall we take a look?”
Lee Seon-su slowly went through the business plan that Senior Lee Jeong-seok had made.
After reading through the last page, he looked up.
“Phew. You sure are thorough.”
“It’s a business plan, after all. But are you confident you can sign a contract with Gazprom?”
“We have to go in with the mindset that we can do it. If you think it’s impossible, you won’t accomplish anything.”
He’s not wrong.
“It’s a well-made plan. But do you really want to do this with me? Is it because of the promise we made while drinking?”
“That’s part of it, but for some reason, I want to do this with you. Even Young-jun’s mother suggested I should try it with you.”
The fact that Han Soo-jeong had encouraged him to try working with Lee Seon-su was a significant motivator.
“I’ve also found a European company willing to buy if we can just sign a contract with Gazprom.”
It was mentioned that this was something they had gauged interest in while at Samdo General Trading.
“The problem is finding a Korean company.”
“Right. We just need a company that can open an L/C. We act as intermediaries and earn commissions.”
This was the most ambitious business plan Senior Lee Jeong-seok could think of.
Since they had nothing, they needed to approach a reputable Korean company and convince them that they would secure a contract with Gazprom and ask to be given the status of an agent.
They even had a buyer lined up.
They had to persuade them that way.
It seemed like he hadn’t thought about using the name of Samdo General Trading to secure the contract.
Maybe the situation had changed.
“Even if we earn just $0.1 in commission, it’s a huge amount.”
True.
They would receive millions of dollars.
Even a commission of just 1 million dollars would be 8 billion won.
“Senior.”
“What?”
“Let’s dream big.”
“Dream Big? What dream?”
“Yes, let’s sign the contract directly with Gazprom.”
Lee Jeong-seok couldn’t understand what Lee Seon-su was saying.
Even though he heard it clearly, he couldn’t grasp the meaning.
“Sign directly? With what money?”
“Do you really need money to sign a contract? You can sign it without money.”
“Talk some sense. Who would trust us when we don’t have money or a company?”
“We do have a company.”
Now, it was time to talk about his business plan.
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