Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

Jae-Sik continued, "Since I have a condo, I asked her to come quickly. She has things that she has to take care of before moving to China, so she will be here around mid-October."

"I see."

"My wife will be astonished once she sees my life here. I'm living in a luxurious condo riding an Audi with a chauffeur, and running an intercity bus business. I thank you, President Goo."

"Don't mention it!"

"I often become philosophical these days looking back at my life. I wouldn't have even imagined that my life would turn out this great. I didn't know a life like this was even possible."

"Haha, really?"

"Oh, and I talked with the salesperson in the sales office of the condo complex. According to her, they have 8 new condos available, and I told her that I want to purchase 5 of them. I said that I'm buying them so the executive officers of my business from Korea can stay there."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she would need the business registration, the confirmation letter about the investment from Korea, and my status here with the certificate of alien registration. So, I brought her the copies of all those documents."

"I see. Well, I will send you the funds to make a contract for five condos then."

Gun-Ho asked his secretary— Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh— to have Chan-Ho Eum to wait for him at the front entrance. Gun-Ho then walked out of his office carrying his bankbook with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the personal stamp, and his ID.

"Where are we heading to, sir?"

"Go to the Seoul City Hall."

"The city hall, sir?"

"Yeah. There is a Chinese bank called Industrial and Commercial Bank of China across the street from the city hall and next to Samsung Headquarters."

A branch office of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China that Gun-Ho was heading to was located on Sejong Road, but the bank had two more branch offices in the area where a lot of Chinese frequently visited such as Daerim Town, Yeongdeungpo District and in front of Konkuk University.

"There is a Chinese bank over there? I didn't know that."

"Yeah, there is one. We will have to find a paid parking lot around there."

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) is a state-owned commercial bank with tons of branch offices scattered worldwide. Gun-Ho had his bank account with them in Yuan, and since he hadn't set up his access to their online banking system, he had to visit their office in person. Also, the amount of funds that he was about to transfer was significant, so he wanted to do it at their physical location.

Gun-Ho quietly opened his bankbook in his Bentley. There was about 1.7 billion won saved in his bank account.

'This is the money that I received when I withdrew from the joint venture at Jinxi Industrial Park. I used part of the funds when I established GH Parts Company that Min-Hyeok Kim is running right now, but I already recovered the funds. Also, I used it to buy Dingding's sales company's storage, but that was recovered as well. So, I still have almost the same amount that I received from Jinxi Industrial Park. I'm short of only 100 million won from the original amount.'

When he arrived at the bank, Gun-Ho wanted to transfer 100 million won to Jae-Sik's bank account. It would be used when he made a contract in purchasing five condos in Huaxi Huayuan.

The bank teller seemed to be surprised when he checked the amount of money saved in Gun-Ho's account. He asked, "Do you, by any chance, speak Chinese?"

The bank tellers at the location were mostly Korean ladies who could speak Chinese fluently. But, the person who was handling Gun-Ho's request that day was a Chinese man.

"Are you interested in a fixed deposit (FD)? Our bank offers a 2.7% interest."

"No, thank you. I will have to use the funds soon."

"Well, if you change your mind, just let us know at any time."

"Okay."

Once he walked out of the bank, Gun-Ho made a call to Jae-Sik Moon right away.

"I just sent you 600,000 Yuan (approximately 100 million won) from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's branch office on Sejong Road. Pick five condos in a good location, and make a contract. I believe 600,000 Yuan should be enough to make a contract, right?"

"Yes, it is enough."

After stopping by the Chinese bank, Gun-Ho made a call to Jien Wang for some reason.

"Hey, do you want to have a drink with me tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Where are you right now? Are you in Shanghai City?"

"Nah, I'm in Seoul."

"What makes you want to travel all the way to Hangzhou City tomorrow then?"

"It's fall. I guess I will be swept by the Autumn breeze to Hangzhou City."

"You are silly. Well, I welcome you here any time. We have a lot to catch up."

When Gun-Ho came back to his office, he searched for a folder holding old business cards that he had received from a lot of people.

"Hmm, here it is."

The business card that he found was the branch manager's— Zhangbingchao— of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. Gun-Ho made his acquaintance with him when he was in Hangzhou City.

He dialed the number shown on the business card.

"Hello? Mr. Branch Manager? I'm not sure if you could remember me. I'm the Korean man who purchased a condo in Hwaganghwawon that was 198 ㎡ large, about four years ago. I received a lot of help from you at that time."

"Oh, hi. I do remember you, sir. Hwaganghwawon is a luxurious condo, so I remember it. Also, since you are a Korean man, I especially remember you and the condo transaction."

"Which location are you working at right now?"

"I'm still at the West Lake. Why don't you come and visit me sometime?"

Unlike Korea, In China, the government workers and the workers in a bank usually held their position for a long time. He seemed to stay at the same branch office with the same position until now.

"I'd like to have dinner with you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is perfect. Which restaurant do you have in mind?"

"I will see you at Wang Hu Bing Guan tomorrow at 6 pm."

"Sounds good. I will see you then."

Gun-Ho reserved a flight ticket to Hangzhou City, China right away. It was not a summer vacation season for schoolers, and it was not a busy season to travel anyway, so Gun-Ho easily found a ticket in the business class.

The following day, Gun-Ho arrived at Hangzhou International Airport around 2 pm. He felt light discomfort with his stomach after having an in-flight meal. Once he landed at the airport, he bought a soda to calm it down, and then he headed to Wang Hu Bing Guan in Hangzhou City.

"I still have a few hours left before the dinner appointment. What am I going to do until 6 pm? Well, maybe I should try a cruise ship to kill time."

Gun-Ho took a cruise ship at West Lake. Hangzhou West Lake cruise ship was notorious for its ripping off practice against tourists. Even though Gun-Ho was a rich man, who could simply ignore the petty money that he would be ripped off with, he didn't want to waste even a penny like that. He haggled twice before reaching the amount that he could accept.

"It will take some time to travel around West Lake in the ship and visit the island there. I guess I will get off just in time to make my dinner appointment."

While on the ship, Gun-Ho made a call to Professor Jien Wang.

"Hey, I'm in Hangzhou City right now. Can we meet at Wang Hu Bing Guan later at 6 pm?"

"Wang Hu Bing Guan? It's just you and me, right? We don't have to eat at a luxurious hotel restaurant just for dinner."

"One more person will join us."

"Who is it? Is it a Korean?"

"No, he is the branch manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China."

"The branch manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China?"