Chapter 34: Saturday’s Promise

The next morning.

Lee Jun-hyuk woke up earlier than usual.

Today was the day the office furniture was to arrive.

It was the day the true ‘framework’ of the company would be set.

After a simple breakfast at the hotel restaurant, he headed for the Fifth Avenue office.

He arrived right at eight o’clock and, to his surprise, found Robert already waiting in front of the door.

“You’re early again today, Robert.”

“It’s a historic day—the day our first furniture arrives! How could I possibly be late?”

At nine o’clock, Thomas also arrived.

“Good morning. At last, this empty space will look like a real office today.”

“That’s true. Working in an empty room had its own poetic charm, but…”

Robert cracked a joke.

Just then, loud sounds of carriages and people’s shouts came from outside.

“They must be here!”

All three of them looked out the window at once.

Two wagons marked ‘Wilson Store’ stopped in front of the building. Sweating laborers carefully began unloading the furniture.

“Mr. Lee!”

The store owner, Wilson, was personally overseeing the scene.

Spotting Lee Jun-hyuk, he took off his hat and waved.

“As promised, I brought them first thing in the morning. I picked out only the finest quality.”

“Thank you, Wilson.”

The workers began to carry the furniture inside.

First, a massive mahogany desk was carried into the president’s office.

Bathed in sunlight, it gleamed with a deep, rich reddish hue.

When he ran his hand over the surface, it felt smooth and cool to the touch.

It was fine wood.

“Move it all the way into the president’s office.”

Thomas guided the workers as if it were his own business.

Next came the employees’ desks, plush-backed chairs, tall bookshelves, and heavy file cabinets…

The echoing emptiness of the office began, little by little, to find its true meaning.

“Where should we put this sofa?”

Robert pointed to a two-seater leather sofa and asked.

“Let’s put it to the right of the entrance. That way, guests can have a waiting area.”

About an hour passed.

All the furniture found its place.

The stark emptiness had transformed into a fitting heart of a real company.

“Wow… it’s completely different now!”

Robert exclaimed in awe as he looked around the office.

“Now it really feels like a proper company. It makes me want to work.”

Thomas also sat at his own desk with a satisfied expression.

“Heh, my tired rear will be living in luxury now. I feel like working all the more.”

Wilson approached.

“Are you pleased, sir?”

“I’m very satisfied. Thank you for picking out such fine furniture.”

“I’m glad to hear it. If you need anything else, just give me a call. I’ll offer you a special discount.”

After Wilson and the workers left,

the three men began organizing their own spaces.

“Oh, by the way…”

Thomas said, as if remembering something.

“When did they say the telephone would be installed?”

“They said Wednesday next week.”

“So it’ll be a bit inconvenient until then. We’ll have to rely on telegrams for important messages.”

“It can’t be helped. At least we only have to wait a week.”

When lunchtime arrived, Lee Jun-hyuk made a suggestion.

“Since today is the company’s true first day, lunch is on me. Let’s go to Delmonico’s.”

“De… Delmonico’s?”

Robert’s eyes widened.

The best restaurant in New York.

A place frequented only by the big shots of Wall Street.

“Isn’t it a bit too expensive, sir?”

“It’s fine. We’re celebrating a new beginning. This isn’t the time to be stingy.”

Delmonico’s was close by.

When they pushed through the revolving door and entered, a whole different world spread before them.

A giant Crystal Chandelier hung from the ceiling.

Snow-white tablecloths and impeccably dressed waiters, not a wrinkle out of place.

The air was thick with the scent of money and power.

“Welcome. Do you have a Reservation?”

“No, three of us.”

The maître d’ glanced at their appearance for a moment, then courteously led them to a table by the window.

“I never imagined I’d be dining here…”

Robert nearly whispered as he looked at the menu.

“One Steak here costs… more than my weekly living expenses.”

“Order whatever you like—today’s my treat.”

Lee Jun-hyuk smiled as he spoke.

All three ordered Delmonico’s Steak.

“By the way, sir,”

Thomas took a sip of wine and asked,

“What’s your concrete plan for the next business venture?”

“I’m thinking of acquiring a Canning Factory.”

“A canning factory?”

“Yes. The food processing industry is bound to grow rapidly. Especially as urbanization progresses, demand for convenient foods will explode.”

Robert nodded.

“That’s right. My mother’s been buying canned food often these days—she says it’s convenient.”

“And…”

Lee Jun-hyuk lowered his voice slightly.

“There’s also a great opportunity to introduce Asian cuisine—still unfamiliar to most Americans—into the US market.”

“When you say Asian food, do you mean Chinese?”

“Chinese food is somewhat known, but there’s still a long way to go. If we could truly capture the flavors of Asia and create proper products in cans…”

Just then, the Steak arrived.

Seeing the juices run down the thick meat made his mouth water.

“Well, let’s eat while we talk.”

It was an excellent meal.

The three of them, in a lively atmosphere, talked about the future of the company that was just beginning to bud.

“Oh, Robert,”

Lee Jun-hyuk said as he ate the ice cream served for dessert.

“Please place a Job Advertisement in tomorrow’s paper. Two Typewriters, and one accounting assistant to help Mr. Green.”

“Understood. Which papers should I use?”

“The New York Times and the Herald, both. We need the best people we can find.”

After the meal, they returned to the office.

They spent the afternoon organizing documents and fleshing out plans for the future.

“Mr. Thomas, please research the current state of the canning factories in Brooklyn.”

“Yes, understood. Should I focus on places that are up for sale?”

“Yes, and check their current operating rates and financial situation as well. We don’t need a company that’s only flashy on the outside.”

“It might take some time, but I’ll do a thorough job as quickly as I can.”

As the sun set,

“Well, let’s call it a day.”

Lee Jun-hyuk said.

“Tomorrow is when the real start begins.”

The next morning.

Lee Jun-hyuk arrived at the office early, as usual.

Seeing the newly arranged furniture in place made him feel proud all over again. It finally felt like his own company.

“Good morning!”

Robert walked in holding a bundle of newspapers.

“Sir, the Job Advertisement has been posted—in both the Times and the Herald.”

“That fast?”

“Yes. I rushed to the newspaper offices yesterday afternoon, and they put it in today’s morning edition.”

When he opened the newspaper, he saw the advertisement for ‘Lee Trading Company’ in the job listings.

[Recruiting Staff] Two Typewriters, one accounting assistant. Fifth Avenue, Forty-second Street. Best treatment in the industry guaranteed.

“Will applicants start coming today?”

“They’ll probably start arriving in earnest from tomorrow. It takes a bit of time to prepare after seeing the ad.”

Thomas entered as he spoke. He was also carrying some documents.

“Sir, here’s the list of canning factories in Brooklyn you asked for yesterday.”

He handed over the papers.

They were neatly organized, as if he had spent all night preparing them. An experienced hand was different, after all.

“Three places are up for sale.”

“Yes. Of those, Brooklyn Canning Company is in the best shape. They mainly made fruit preserves, but were hit hard by the Sugar Crash—raw material prices spiked, so they’re considering selling.”

Lee Jun-hyuk studied the documents closely.

The location was near the harbor, and the equipment list wasn’t bad.

“I’ll have to go see it myself next week.”

“Shall I contact them in advance and make an appointment?”

“Please do.”

Around lunchtime,

the first applicant arrived.

“Uh… I saw the Job Advertisement and came to apply.”

She looked to be in her early twenties.

Though she wore a modest coat, her eyes shone brightly.

She was visibly nervous.

“Are you applying for a Typewriter position?”

Robert responded kindly.

“Yes. I can type about sixty words per minute.”

“Did you bring a résumé?”

“Yes, here it is.”

Robert led her to the inner conference room for a brief interview.

Two more people came in the afternoon.

“There are more applicants than I thought.”

Thomas commented.

“It must be because we’re on Fifth Avenue. The location is good, after all.”

As the sun set,

Lee Jun-hyuk checked his watch.

“I have an appointment today, so I’ll be heading out early. Please finish up here, both of you.”

“Yes, sir. Don’t worry.”

The truth was, he had no appointment.

But he needed some time to mentally prepare for tomorrow’s Korean Association meeting.

Back at the hotel, Lee Jun-hyuk opened his wardrobe.

He had to choose what to wear tomorrow.

“If I dress too extravagantly, it’ll feel out of place… but if I look too shabby, it’ll be hard to earn trust as a businessman.”

After some thought, he chose a subdued silver-blue suit.

Then he sat at his desk and organized his thoughts on how to persuade Yu Ilhan.

He was still young, ambitious, and at the same time, a youth with dreams and ideals.

Just one among the many young men hoping to succeed in the United States.

“First, I need to show him a solid vision that he can make money.”

Vague talk wouldn’t work.

He would have to approach it thoroughly from a business standpoint.

Saturday morning.

Lee Jun-hyuk slept in later than usual.

The Korean Association meeting was at two in the afternoon.

He had plenty of time.

He ate breakfast and read the newspaper.

The economy section was still filled with articles about the aftereffects of the Sugar Crash.

Countless people must be suffering.

He was lucky.

He’d been able to avoid it because he’d known what was coming, but sometimes that fact weighed on him like a heavy sense of responsibility.

He had an early lunch and headed for Brooklyn.

The Korean Association hall that Kim Young-soo had told him about was easy to find.

A two-story brick building.

There was no sign, but the familiar sound of Korean coming from the entrance let him know this was the place.

“Welcome!”

Kim Young-soo was waiting for him at the entrance.

“You’re early, Mr. Lee.”

“I left a bit early since it’s my first time coming here.”

“That was wise. Let me show you inside.”

Inside, about twenty people had already gathered.

Most were middle-aged men bearing the traces of hardship in a foreign land, but there were a few young faces as well.

“Ah, there he is.”

Kim Young-soo pointed to one side.

By the window, a young man was quietly reading a newspaper.

A neat appearance.

He wore a trimmed mustache, and through his round glasses, his eyes looked keen and sharp.

“Yu Ilhan…”

The face he had only seen in black-and-white photos from his previous life.

He was much younger and more ambitious than in those pictures.

“Mr. Yu! Come over here for a moment.”

Kim Young-soo called to him.

Yu Ilhan looked up.

“Oh, Mr. Kim.”

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet. This is Mr. Lee Jun-hyuk. He ran a big business in Cuba and has just settled in New York.”

Yu Ilhan rose from his seat.