Chapter 165: Morning in Philadelphia (9)

William gave a friendly smile and swept up his disheveled hair.

However, that smile was somehow awkward.

Fatigue and tension were visible on his face.

“I am truly sorry about yesterday. I think I acted too rudely.”

Cho Hana looked at William with surprised eyes.

Choi Seo-jun made an expression as if he could not believe it.

Yu Hyeon-seok uncrossed his arms and tilted his head.

Even Baek Yu-jin narrowed her eyes for a moment and then adjusted her glasses.

It was an unexpected twist for everyone that the representative who had acted cold and arrogant until only yesterday would bow his head like this.

However, I, Lim Hyunjun, was strangely calm.

I looked at William for a moment and then gestured smoothly.

“Please sit. It must have been a long night.”

William and his party came inside and took their seats.

Their gestures still held a hint of nervousness.

Among them, Matthew looked clearly tense.

I spoke toward Secretary Cho.

“Secretary Cho, please prepare some tea.”

“Yes, Representative. What shall I give you?”

As soon as those words fell, William answered quickly.

“Coffee, please. Make it strong.”

Even desperation was felt in his voice.

Beside him, Sarah carefully raised her hand.

“I will have hot black tea, please.”

“Understood.”

Cho Hana nodded and stepped out of the drawing room for a moment.

After that, silence flowed.

The table was full of laptops and documents as they had been conducting a meeting until now.

Choi Seo-jun and a few others organized the area.

In the meantime, I slowly opened my mouth.

“It is a relief you came without being late.”

William looked at me as if surprised.

“Actually, we were planning to move to Washington soon. If you had been a little later, we would not have been able to meet in person.”

Upon hearing those words, the sweat formed on William’s forehead flowed down.

He took a handkerchief out of his pocket, wiped his forehead and the back of his neck, and let out a sigh of relief.

“Ah, I see. That is a relief indeed.”

He dropped his shoulders once and then raised his head for a moment to look into the air.

“Last night was quite long. Many things happened.”

His voice was low and husky.

Richard did not say anything.

Matthew was the same.

Regret was full on the faces of those who had stayed up all night.

I looked at them for a moment and then smiled faintly.

“I see. Tell me slowly what happened yesterday.”

At that time, Cho Hana came in with freshly brewed coffee and black tea.

At that moment, warmth lingered in the room again.

William held the coffee cup in his hand and hesitated for a moment.

Warm steam rose up.

He bit his lip once and let out a low sigh.

“Representative Lim, actually, we decided not to proceed with the contract with Sinoa Marine.”

The air in the room became still as if it had stopped for a second at that one sentence.

To the point where Cho Hana’s eyes widened.

Yu Hyeon-seok blinked his eyes while being unable to hide his surprise.

“Is that true?”

William nodded.

“Yes, I have no intention of being with them anymore. We reached a conclusion after finishing the final review last night. I want to cooperate with HJ Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering again. The appearance I showed yesterday is quite shameful. There is no excuse.”

Sincerity was imbued in his voice.

However, the room was still heavily subsided.

Everyone’s gaze naturally turned toward me.

However, no trace of any emotion could be found on my face.

I picked up the coffee cup placed in front of me, took a sip, and slowly set the cup down.

“I do not know what kind of things happened overnight for your heart to change like this.”

My voice was calm, but it was full of chill inside.

“However, Representative William, I was more than a little disappointed by the attitude you showed yesterday.”

William lowered his head.

“I am truly sorry about that. It was a momentary error in judgment.”

My gaze shone sharply as if piercing through him.

“Actions taken through a momentary judgment sometimes destroy the trust built up until then. Was the trust we built up together that light?”

Even Richard and Matthew held their breath at those words.

William lowered his head and then raised it.

“Such a thing will never happen again. I swear.”

However, I shook my head without a single smile.

“I am not so sure. This is what I think. Someone who cheated once tends to cheat again. Anyone can say they regret it with words. However, broken trust does not return with a few words.”

My voice was quiet yet held a solid weight.

William’s fingertips trembled minutely.

He tried to force his expression into order, but the corners of his mouth did not rise properly.

“I see. However, I hope you will at least believe in my sincerity.”

I looked at him for a moment and then turned my gaze.

The morning sunlight of Philadelphia was shining into the drawing room, but that light was strangely cold.

“Trust…. Representative, if you want to build up the discarded trust again, you can show it through actions, not words.”

My last words spread calmly through the air of the drawing room.

No one could speak for a moment.

William clasped his fingers together with a very stiff expression.

Then he slowly raised his head.

“Representative Lim, then how can I make you believe in my sincerity?”

His voice was very cautious.

The appearance overflowing with confidence like yesterday could not be found at all.

I was lost in thought for a moment while slowly turning the coffee cup with my finger.

Then I spoke slowly.

“Well. If you want to show your sincerity, actions would come before words. We must re-examine the existing contract terms we were going to make with FMS first.”

William’s shoulders stiffened for a moment at those words.

Richard and Matthew also looked at me at the same time.

However, no one could object.

I then continued speaking calmly.

“Originally, what we discussed were 6 LNG-powered ships and 5 dual-fuel container ships. But now, we must change the conditions.”

At those words, Cho Hana raised her head with a surprised expression, and President Yu Hyeon-seok swallowed dryly and unconsciously adjusted his posture.

I continued speaking without even a single flicker in my eyes.

“I will increase the LNG-powered ships from the existing 6 to 9. And we shall increase the dual-fuel container ships from 5 to 7.”

William’s pupils shook minutely.

He swallowed his breath without a word.

My words were not finished yet.

“On top of that, I will increase the unit price by 10%.”

The air in the room subsided heavily at that one sentence.

Richard’s lips moved for a moment, but he could not say anything while blocked by William’s gaze.

Matthew appeared to be checking something with the tablet he brought.

William looked at me like a person who had lost his speech for a moment.

His lips parted as if they would move several times, but ultimately no sound came out.

In the meantime, Matthew moved his fingers quickly.

He handed the tablet he was holding to William and pointed at the screen.

After that, William returned the tablet to Matthew again.

“I will speak honestly. If it were not for Sinoa Marine, HJ Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is the most suitable partner for us. In terms of conditions, technological power, and quality.”

He met my eyes for a moment.

“Since we lost trust due to our mistake, it is natural to pay the price, so I will endure the additional orders. However, I ask for an adjustment regarding the unit price increase.”

The conditions I presented were not a simple amendment.

If the existing contract scale was about 1.85 billion dollars, it was a level slightly over 2 trillion won in our money.

However, the newly presented conditions were much larger.

The LNG-powered ships increased from 6 to 9, and the dual-fuel container ships increased from 5 to 7, plus the unit price per ship was increased by 10%.

If all these changes were summed up, the total contract amount expanded to about 2.9 billion dollars.

It became a contract that exceeded 3 trillion won in Korean currency.

In other words, in just a single day, it became a contract where an amount exceeding 1 trillion won was added.

At this level, it was not simply that the conditions were changed, but that the price for regaining trust became enormous.

Richard and Matthew were to the point of holding their breath after seeing the numbers.

William was the same.

Because of that, it was difficult to decide easily.

Just by simple calculation, it meant an amount exceeding 1 trillion won more than before was added, so it was a burdensome condition to that extent.

Silence flowed for a moment.

I slowly took a sip of coffee and then opened my mouth with a firm voice.

“An adjustment is unavoidable.”

William snapped his head up.

There was not even a single inch of hesitation in my eyes.

I said nonchalantly.

“I changed my mind. I will increase it by 12% instead of 10%.”

At that moment, William’s expression stiffened.

He jumped up from his seat and shouted.

“What? Are you joking right now! This is already a contract where 1.1 billion dollars more goes in than the existing one. You are adding 2% more on top of that?”

He could not hold back and got angry.

Richard and Matthew tried to stop him while making surprised expressions, but William’s face was already flushed red.

Richard also said.

“This is going too far.”

At those words, I slowly raised my head and looked straight at William.

From me, speaking with a calm voice, a hardness like steel was felt.

“Representative, you know well too, do you not? If it is our technological power, even this level of condition is not bad at all when contracting with other companies.”

I folded my hands and leaned my chin on them while continuing to speak.

“I am not threatening you right now. I merely presented a price worthy of the value. If you do not like it, you may do it with another place.”

The atmosphere of the drawing room turned chilly at that one sentence.

Even General Hong, who was listening quietly, was to the point of making a somewhat surprised expression.

William could not continue speaking for a while.

His jaw muscles stiffened.

He clenched his fists to the point where the veins stood out on the backs of his hands.

However, whether he had calmed his mind after a moment, the anger slowly disappeared and he sat down slowly in his seat.

He said in a low voice.

“Good. However, I ask for a 10% increase. 12% is a bit difficult even for us.”

At those words, my expression softened smoothly.

I looked at William and said in a gentle voice.

“Fine. Let us do that.”

William’s expression changed at once.

I shrugged my shoulders slightly and continued speaking.

“Since you say so, Representative, I will go with the 10% increase plan.”

My tone was as if I would let that much slide.

“Instead, I will promise you one thing.”

I stood up from my seat and moved my steps.

The sound of my shoes echoed calmly on the floor of the quiet drawing room.

Stopping in front of William, I reached out my hand with a brighter expression than anyone else.

“I will make sure you do not regret it, Representative. We will both be able to produce good synergy in the future.”

At that moment, William’s shoulders, which had been stiffened with tension, slowly relaxed.

He took a deep breath and then slowly let it out.

He raised his body from the seat and then nodded with a face full of fatigue while firmly grabbing my hand.

“Let us do it properly this time.”

The moment the two people’s hands touched, warmth spread in the room as if the cold air that had been frozen all this time was melting.

The morning sunlight of Philadelphia brushed the window and brightly illuminated the inside of the drawing room.

That light flickered softly as if blessing the start of a new cooperation.