Chapter 31. Something Is Strange About the Commercial District Analysis Team (3)
“This time, instead of moving around together, let’s split up and each come up with a new business idea. You have one week. On Friday evening, we’ll meet and present our ideas. The key is to come up with something that fits Creative Village better than anything else. What do you think? You can do it, right?”
It was a sudden and one-sided order.
Yet the members of the Commercial District Analysis Team had a strange excitement in their eyes.
They had spent all their time analyzing commercial districts.
Now they had been given something completely new.
They were confident they could do well, and it sounded fun.
Seeing an idea of their own become reality was exciting enough to make their hearts race.
It was something any commercial district analyst had probably dreamed of trying at least once.
They were feeling exactly what Jinhyeok had felt when President Baek Kangjin first gave him this assignment.
“Yes, Team Leader! We’ll do our best!”
Jongil took the lead and raised everyone’s spirits.
Seeing Jongil and the others so excited, Jinhyeok continued in a calming tone.
“Don’t get too excited. Find ideas in your own way. I’ll go somewhere higher up and work out the locations of the additional gateways.”
“Additional... gateways?”
“I also received instructions to choose the entrance-gateway locations we should secure in 4-ga.”
The team members’ expressions instantly hardened at the obviously boring assignment.
It was a strange but understandable reaction.
The Commercial District Analysis Team had grown sick of actual commercial district analysis.
“All right! I’ll handle that, so don’t worry about it. Let’s meet back here at five this afternoon.”
“Yes! Understood!”
The team members walked energetically into the alleys of Creative Village.
Manager Park Jongil led the way with more enthusiasm than anyone.
Watching Jongil’s back, which somehow looked far more dependable than before, Jinhyeok headed toward the rooftop of the triangular building.
It wasn’t because he needed to choose the new gateway locations, despite what he had told the team.
The three members each had very different strengths.
Jongil, whom Jinhyeok had watched for years while running around sites together, possessed ridiculous stamina and an almost mysterious ability to get close to people.
It might not sound particularly impressive.
But Jinhyeok knew better.
Jongil’s overwhelming mobility and strange friendliness were powerful weapons that could take him into the deepest corners of Creative Village.
Assistant Manager Oh Ilman had graduated from the public administration department of a prestigious university and was excellent with statistics.
He was a little cold, but he looked at things more objectively than anyone else.
His habit of digging stubbornly through data would produce a very different result from Jongil’s.
Then there was Senior Staff Choi Iseul.
There was almost no need to explain her.
She was so elite that it felt strange for her to be working in the Commercial District Analysis Team.
She had studied the unusual field of strategic design at Parsons School of Design.
Her skills in data visualization and spatial planning were exceptional.
What Jinhyeok looked forward to most was her unconventional imagination.
She also had a unique way of thinking that was very different from ordinary people.
Jinhyeok’s role as team leader was to bring out their strengths as much as possible.
Then came the next part.
Verifying their ideas.
There was no need to fear failure.
Jinhyeok had a secret weapon that could prevent their mistakes.
To Jinhyeok, new business planning came with enormous responsibility.
If the beginning was wrong, everything that followed would become twisted.
Not only could the company suffer losses, but franchise owners who trusted the company and jumped into the business could also be dragged straight into ruin.
Jinhyeok never wanted to create that kind of situation.
He climbed onto the rooftop and opened his laptop.
Should I start drawing the rough outline?
Using the photos from the diary app as reference, Jinhyeok began sketching while looking down at his busy team members.
And just like that, the Commercial District Analysis Team’s new business planning began.
Time passed quickly.
Friday morning arrived.
The team members had spent an entire week exploring Creative Village in their own ways.
The busiest of them all had been Manager Park Jongil, who was more motivated than ever.
Something Kim Seokhun used to tell him constantly had pushed Jongil even harder.
If your brain doesn’t work, at least keep your body moving. Why do you always run around outside? Are you becoming like that Kang Jinhyeok bastard too? Can’t you imagine anything unless you see it yourself?
Jongil had heard it dozens of times.
The person who said those things had eventually run away after being completely destroyed.
Even so, Jongil wanted to prove something.
If only for himself.
Then an idea came to him.
An idea he personally thought was brilliant.
It had kept him almost dancing with excitement all week.
Just like every other day, Jongil arrived in Creative Village as soon as the sun rose.
He ran toward the sheet-metal shop whose owner was probably the hardest-working person in the district.
“Good morning, President! What a beautiful morning!”
“Oh my. Looks like you even beat me here today.”
“Hahaha! The early bird gets the best food! Let me help you!”
Rattle!
Jongil quickly ran over and lifted the metal shutter.
The owner burst into laughter.
“Hahaha. You’re ridiculously energetic. If you have time, stay for a cup of coffee.”
“Oh! Really?”
“Of course. I come this early out of habit. There are barely any customers at this hour.”
Many factories had already moved to the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
Naturally, fewer people came into Mullae-dong to buy materials now.
Jongil entered the small office and poured hot water into a paper cup as if it were his own place.
“Ahh. Nothing beats instant coffee on an empty stomach.”
“Haha. Young people these days avoid that stuff because they care about their health. You’re a strange one. By the way, did you visit that place yesterday? Samjin Metal?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, I think I found the perfect place. I’m meeting the owner again today.”
“Really? That man is famous for being picky about people. You’re something else.”
“Hahaha. Take away my friendliness and there’s nothing left of me.”
It was true that Jongil was easygoing and naturally got along with people.
Still, becoming close to the owner of Samjin Metal hadn’t been easy.
Perhaps he had once been scammed.
The owner hated men in suits and had practically thrown Jongil out when they first met.
But Jongil had no choice.
He had to win the man over.
