ALL NOVEL 64
“Let’s go over this again.”
Dokyung followed Team Leader Seo Jeonghwan into the conference room.
Seo Jeonghwan had moved to avoid disturbing the other team members’ work. As soon as they entered the conference room, he fixed Dokyung with a stern gaze.
“Wasn’t the client’s original request about an IPO?”
“To be precise, he asked me to bridge a connection with our headquarters’ IB Division for his company’s public offering.”
“Did you comply?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Then why did the client entrust you with 2.5 billion won instead of the initial 1 billion won he mentioned?”
Seo Jeonghwan asked with furrowed brows as Dokyung placed the laptop he had brought on the table.
“I did what I could.”
“So, what you could do was……”
Seo Jeonghwan’s words trailed off as he saw the screen on Dokyung’s laptop. He began flipping through the PPT slides.
“What I couldn’t do was connect him with the IB Division. It’s not a difficult task, of course. But as I mentioned, if it involved using our asset management service as leverage, I believed it would lead to problems eventually.”
“Problems such as……”
“If the company fails to list during the public offering process, the client would naturally withdraw the funds entrusted to us. Of course, he doesn’t seem like that kind of person, but… you never know with people.”
“So, is this presentation what you could do?”
Dokyung nodded at Seo Jeonghwan’s question and continued.
“The client was considering going public because he needed investment funds. I thought this meant the company was struggling enough to consider an uncertain public offering.”
As Dokyung began his explanation, Seo Jeonghwan sat down and looked up at him.
“So I investigated why investors had stopped investing in the client’s company. As far as I knew, the client’s company was a promising enterprise.”
Indeed, Park Hyun-il’s company had always been listed as a promising venture, and Park Hyun-il had even been interviewed by economic magazines as a future business leader who would guide South Korea.
“During our consultation, the client kept talking about innovation. He wanted to invest in places that would lead innovation… saying that innovation is where money goes……”
Of course, there were many people like Park Hyun-il who made preemptive investments in technology stocks that would lead the future world.
“It wasn’t just an investment style; even the client’s company website was plastered with the word ‘innovation’.”
“He thought he was innovating.”
“Yes. And it was innovative, in fact. But for someone like me in the finance industry, innovation isn’t such an impressive word.”
Dokyung didn’t deny innovation itself, but he believed that innovators also needed to make money. What they were doing was both innovation and business.
“So I looked at the numbers. And the client’s company had an excellent financial statement.”
“The EBITDA is high.”
EBITDA.
Market participants called it “ebita,” which stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. In other words, it was an indicator of a company’s actual cash-generating ability.
It was a crucial indicator when evaluating a company’s value.
“Yes. The operating profit margin compared to revenue is unbelievably high.”
“To be honest, the client’s business isn’t really what you’d call innovation……”
“Since it’s a kind of toll collection business, the cash generation power must have been enormous.”
Seo Jeonghwan nodded at Dokyung’s words. After all, it was a business of collecting commissions through the onboarding of cosmetic brands.
“Naturally, I believed that as sales increased, operating profit would increase as well. I explained this point step by step.”
“So……”
“Yes, I advised him to show investors numbers rather than innovation, and the client, understanding my point, informed me today that he received the investment.”
Seo Jeonghwan, still wearing a stern expression, spoke up.
“I understand the situation, but why did you do this?”
“What the client asked of me was something I couldn’t do. So I found something I could do.”
“And this is it?”
“Yes. By doing what I could, I aimed to change the client’s perspective while also making him feel indebted to us.”
Finally, a smile began to form on Seo Jeonghwan’s face at Dokyung’s words.
“Well done. I only recommended that client to see how you would handle rejection. You’ve gone a step further, Yoon Dokyung-ssi.”
“Thank you.”
“Since the client trusted you and entrusted his money, you’ll be managing it as well.”
Dokyung smiled and bowed at Seo Jeonghwan’s words.
“Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. I should be praising you instead. Now, return to the office, create a portfolio for the client, consult with him, and then report back to me.”
Dokyung bowed again and left the conference room. Seo Jeonghwan continued to watch Dokyung’s retreating figure with an intrigued expression.
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“A sense of indebtedness… that’s interesting.”
Meanwhile, Team 3 Leader Seo Jeonghwan was reporting to Center Director Ha Min-jae about the contract Dokyung had secured today.
“We often say to make clients feel indebted, but how many people can actually accomplish that?”
Seo Jeonghwan remained silent at Ha Min-jae’s question, looking at him intently. It wasn’t a question that required an answer.
“And in this manner, no less. At this level, the client might feel like we saved his company rather than just feeling indebted. From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem like we just changed his thinking, but……”
Ha Min-jae smiled as he looked at the contract Seo Jeonghwan had brought, apparently finding it amusing.
“In the end, following our employee’s advice, he changed his presentation approach and received a large investment.”
“That’s right. I looked at the materials Yoon Dokyung-ssi prepared, and they were quite thorough.”
“To persuade someone in business, you need a wealth of data. Our clients are people with clear worldviews and philosophies.”
Ha Min-jae said this as he looked at Seo Jeonghwan.
“It’s a good thing, but you must have been surprised, Team Leader Seo.”
“Yes, I was taken aback. I sent him merely to learn how to refuse a client’s unreasonable request, but he came back with this result.”
“He was already famous, wasn’t he? For seeing what others couldn’t.”
Seo Jeonghwan nodded at Ha Min-jae’s words.
He had heard many stories about Yoon Dokyung even before he came here.
“He seems to be a meticulous and decisive individual. That’s why when others were confused about what was happening during the fat finger incident, he was able to find the reason and even determine the direction.”
Ha Min-jae continued to talk about Dokyung.
“Isn’t this situation similar?”
“Yes, I think so too, Director.”
“Anyway, guide him well. The reason I sent him to Team 3 instead of Team 1 was because I trusted you, Team Leader Seo.”
“……”
“We can’t keep lagging behind Teams 1 and 2 forever, can we?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I heard that he tends to produce better results when he’s trusted and supported rather than being taught something.”
“Who……”
“Ryu Tae-hwa, the Seongnam Branch Manager. He’s the capable person who changed this Leaders Center along with me.”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
Believing his message had been sufficiently conveyed, Ha Min-jae nodded at Seo Jeonghwan’s response.
“You’ve worked hard. You may go now.”
At Ha Min-jae’s dismissal, Seo Jeonghwan bowed and left the office.
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“I’m sorry. I meant to tell you, but it was too urgent.”
That evening, Dokyung was having dinner with his colleague Han Dahyun at a restaurant in front of the Leaders Center.
“It’s okay. Now that I know the reason.”
Having solved the problem thanks to the hint from Han Dahyun’s words, he naturally wanted to thank her as well.
“At first, I thought you were going to accept the client’s request.”
Dokyung put down his chopsticks and focused on Han Dahyun’s words.
“Because you kept asking about it. But you never intended to agree from the start, did you?”
“That’s right. I thought if I asked about the method, something might come up that would allow me to shift my perspective. But the crucial hint came from you, Dahyun-ssi.”
“Come on, what I said was just……”
“I’m serious. I realized that when a person focuses on just one thing, they can’t help but get stuck on it. Both the client and I were fixated on one thing, but your suggestion of a different approach allowed me to think in that direction.”
Han Dahyun smirked at Dokyung’s words, seemingly not displeased.
“You have a knack for making people feel good.”
“I hear that quite often.”
“What did you say?”
Han Dahyun chuckled at Dokyung’s words, as if finding them absurd, and continued eating.
“I feel a bit of admiration, too.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m not sure if it’s admiration or envy, or a mix of both. I can’t say for certain.”
Dokyung looked at Han Dahyun, wondering what she meant.
“You said I gave you a hint, but I was just making a passing comment. If I were in your situation and you had said the same thing, would I have been able to recognize it as the key point?”
“I think you would have.”
“I’m not so sure… I don’t know if I could.”
Han Dahyun continued, looking at Dokyung.
“That’s why I think it’s fortunate.”
“……”
“I can learn from a colleague too, you know.”
“Oh, you’re gilding the lily……”
“I’m serious. If you were just like me, another newbie, we’d probably just be complaining about work to each other. But you’re… how should I put it? A newbie with something to teach?”
Dokyung chuckled at Han Dahyun’s words.
“So I like it. If you had done something I could do, I might have been jealous, but now I don’t even feel like being envious.”
“Well, I’m not sure what to say, but I’m certain you would have done the same, Dahyun-ssi. You mentioned that when refusing the client’s proposal, you found ways to hedge the risks.”
“……”
“The fact that you didn’t outright reject the client’s proposal but looked for what you could do means you went in the same direction as me. So in the same situation, you would have likely reached the same conclusion.”
Han Dahyun smiled, seemingly not displeased by Dokyung’s words.
“I meant to compliment you, but I’m not used to giving praise. That’s why I said it that way. I’m sorry. It turns out I ended up being the one complimented by you.”
“Not at all. I took it as a compliment. I’m really fortunate. To have you as a colleague who started on the same day. It’s great to have a peer who tries to praise rather than feel jealous.”
Han Dahyun looked at Dokyung for a moment before nodding at his words.
“Thank you.”
“As a token of appreciation for the compliment, I’ll buy coffee too.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Dokyung thought his start at the Leaders Center wasn’t bad at all.
The client’s change, recognition from a colleague.
It felt like a day when all the difficulties of the past month—the adaptation period and the troubles with the client—were melting away like snow.