Chapter 712: Secret Affair in Seattle (2) – Part 1
Gun-Ho made a call to Attorney Young-Jin Kim at Kim & Jeong Law Firm.
“It’s me, Gun-Ho Goo.”
“Oh, President Goo! It has been a long time, huh? How have you been?”
“Are you busy now? Can we talk?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I’ve heard from Jien Wang about your drama production investment in China. The Chinese TV drama that you invested in is doing very well, huh?”
“I haven’t made any money from it yet. I was told that its ratings are high. That’s it for now.”
“Well, high ratings are the sign leading you to make money later.”
“I wanted to ask you about something. Is your friend still with the University of Washington in Seattle?”
“You mean Professor Soo-Young Han?”
“Right. Your friend at the university whose father was the former prime minister of our country.”
“Yeah, he is still there doing good. His contract with the university is renewed.”
“I’m going on a trip to Seattle tomorrow, and I need an interpreter. Does he have anyone who is studying for a Ph.D. under him and who can provide me an interpretation service?”
“For how many days do you need an interpreter?”
“One day should be enough. It will take about three hours only.”
“I will then ask Soo-Young Han to do the interpretation work. If he is available, he can do the interpretation for you, and then he can have a drink with you in the evening or something.”
“I can’t ask a college professor to interpret for me.”
“It’s okay. Professors do interpretation work for the President as well.”
“I’m not the President of a country, but I’m just a businessman who is running a small business.”
“It doesn’t matter. I will give him a call and ask him about it. I’m sure that he would love to see you. He actually enjoys meeting with business people a lot since he doesn’t really have work experience in the business field, and he wants to hear about the real business world from the actual players in the field. He is very knowledgeable in theory, but he wants to know more about the practical side of it. He also desires to teach his students the real experience.”
“Really?”
“How’s your baby? He must be a big boy by now.”
“Yeah, he grew up a lot already. He had his 100th day not long ago.”
“At that age, babies smile very often. That’s very cute. Maybe about a month later or so, he will start putting things into his mouth, whatever he could reach.”
“Haha, really? That’s what I have to be prepared for, huh?”
About 30 minutes later, Attorney Young-Jin Kim called Gun-Ho.
“I talked with Professor Soo-Young Han. He said that he was so glad to hear from you. He said that he would be waiting for your call tomorrow. You just need to give him a call when you arrive at the hotel. He is not sure though if he could be there for the interpretation work, but if he can’t make it, he will send one of his Ph.D. students for you.”
“Sounds great. Thank you.”
Gun-Ho headed to Seattle. He was just carrying a small suitcase. While flying, he spent his time reading a book and dozing off. Approximately 10 hours later, Gun-Ho arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
“I’m finally here. It has been a while since my last visit to Seattle.”
Gun-Ho took the light rail to get to his hotel— Sheraton Hotel. After the check-in, Gun-Ho went up to his room, and he made a call to Professor Soo-Young Han.
“Mr. Professor Han? It’s Gun-Ho Goo.”
“Oh, it’s really good to hear from you. I received a call from Attorney Young-Jin Kim about your trip to Seattle. Where are you right now?”
“I’m in Sheraton Hotel.”
“I will be available tomorrow from 2 pm. I have things that I need to take care of in the morning though. When do you need an interpreter tomorrow?”
“It’s a business interpretation. I haven’t made an appointment with the other party yet, but I’m planning to suggest him having dinner with me.”
“I’m very interested in a business interpretation. We have several Korean graduate students at the university, but their English is not so great. If it’s for dinner, I can be there to help you.”
“Would you give him a call for me then? I have his phone number.”
“Who is the person?”
“He is Vice President Brandon Burke in the International Business Development Department in Lymondell Dyeon.”
“Oh, Lymondell Dyeon! It’s a multinational corporation. So, you are meeting with one of their main people. It will certainly be fun for me to be there to interpret. I will give him a call now, and I will call you right back.”
Gun-Ho felt exhausted from the 10-hour long flight. He laid down on the bed and almost fell asleep when he heard his phone start ringing. It was from Professor Han.
“I just talked with Mr. Brandon Burke. He said he would be there by 5 pm.”
“Is that right?”
“I will be at the lobby by 5 pm as well.”
“Thank you.”
Gun-Ho could have brought Assistant Manager Myeong-Joon Chae as his interpreter for this trip, but he wanted someone who was not related to his company. When he was in need of an interpreter outside his company, Professor Han popped up in his head, and he called Attorney Kim to ask about it. Gun-Ho looked at his watch.
“It’s not even noon. I will get some sleep until the dinner appointment.”
About ten minutes before five, Gun-Ho went down to the lobby.
“President Goo!”
Someone raised his right hand to draw Gun-Ho’s attention. It was Professor Han. A briefcase was slinging over his shoulder. He looked like a typical scholar type. He extended his hand to Gun-Ho for a handshake as he was smiling with his white teeth.
“It has been a while.”
“Mr. Brandon Burke is not here yet, isn’t he?”
At that moment, a large build man with a bald head entered the hotel lobby through the revolving door.
“Mr. Burke!”
Gun-Ho shouted as he raised his hand. When Mr. Burke saw Gun-Ho, he waved his hand back at Gun-Ho while walking toward him. Gun-Ho introduced Professor Han to Mr. Burke in his broken English.
“This is Professor Soo-Young Han from the University of Washington. He will interpret for us today. He is a friend of mine.”
“Oh, University of Washington!”
Mr. Brandon Burke then asked with an impassive look on his face, “Where are we going?”
Gun-Ho wanted to eat something first. In fact, he didn’t even have his lunch that day. He felt starving. A seafood restaurant crossed his mind; he had king crab there with Professor Han during his last visit in Seattle.
“Let’s go to the seafood restaurant.”
Gun-Ho, Mr. Brandon Burke, and Professor Han sat at a table and began enjoying king crab dishes along with beer. Mr. Brandon Burke said, “How is Mr. Adam Castler? Is he doing a good job there?”
“He has been in Korea for more than 2 years now. He is adjusting himself to the new environment very well.”
“According to his last weekly report, he is going on a trip to India soon.”
“That’s right. He is leaving for India to see a few factory buildings on the market for sale in the Chennai area. I delegated the factory acquisition work to him. He will make a sales and purchase contract once he finds a good property.”
“Hmm, I see.”
After having a few pieces of king crab meat using a fork, Mr. Brandon Burke turned his gaze to Professor Han and said, “You speak English very well. How long have you been with the University of Washington in Seattle?”
“I obtained my Ph.D. from the University of Washington. If I include my student years there, I’ve been with the university for seven years now.”
“If I just hear you talking without seeing your face, I would think that you are a native English speaker.”
During the dinner, Mr. Brandon Burke asked about Dyeon Korea’s daily sales, its production volume, and the volume of products that are exporting to China and India. Those data were already shown on the weekly report that Mr. Adam Castler was sending to him on a regular basis.
The dinner was almost done, but Gun-Ho hadn’t even gotten into the main topic that he wanted to talk about with Mr. Burke. He wanted to do it in a more private and quiet place.