Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

It was the first day of work for Gun-Ho’s new employees.

The name of the man who used to work in a bank, and who would work in the real estate planning and development was Seong-Il Kang; the female bookkeeper’s name was Ji-Young Jeong.

Gun-Ho decided to give Seong-Il a job title of manager with a monthly salary of 2.2 million won.

“Your pay will gradually increase as you work hard.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho decided to pay 1.85 million for the female bookkeeper.

“Same rules apply to you, Ms. Ji-Young Jeong. Your pay will increase as you work hard.”

“Thank you.”

Gun-Ho’s office looked like a real company once three people were sitting at their desk and working.

“I love my desk and computer.”

Ji-Young seemed to be excited about working at a new desk with a new computer.

“Could you file the Four Major Public Insurance for three of us here? Also, here is the Shinhan Bank bankbook; you can use the funds there for the operating expenses. Take this OTP card as well. Please apply for the Internet Banking Service Certificate. I will keep the major bank bankbook with me.”

Ji-Young already placed a copy of business registration under the glass top of her desk. She definitely had work experience in the field.

“I have the major bank business card with me, so if you need to use a large amount of money, just let me know.”

“Okay.”

“This business card from Shinhan Bank has a balance of only 500,000 won. I will buy office supplies with it, such as A4 copy papers, cash payment recording forms, etc. I will also get us coffee.”

“Sounds good.”

Seong-Il who was listening to the conversation between Gun-Ho and Ji-Young asked,

“What should I do?”

“You need to come with me, Manager Kang. We have a OneRoomTel that was acquired under the company’s name around here, let me show you where, and then you can visit the other OneRoomtTels nearby that came on the market for sale.”

“Whew,” Manager Kang sighed.

“What’s the matter?”

“I knew this company does real estate planning and development and operates a few OneRoomTels. So I believed it is a financially strong company. I will work hard, sir.”

Gun-Ho took Manager Kang to the OneRoomTel in Seocho Town.

The residential manager was taking a nap at the counter and woke up in surprise when Gun-Ho and Manager Kang entered the OneRoomTel.

“You must be very tired.”

The residential manager scratched his head in embarrassment.

“This is Manager Kang from our company. He will come by here once a day. If you have any questions or concerns, you can talk to him.”

“Okay. And here is…”

“What is this?”

“We have a new resident from yesterday. This is his one month rent in cash, 400,000 won. He didn’t use his credit card.”

“Please deposit it to the company’s bank account.”

“And…, we need to buy trash bags.”

“Get the trash bags, keep the receipt, and give it to Manager Kang next time when he visits here”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Gun-Ho then came back to the office with Manager Kang.

“Manager Kang, after lunch, why don’t you go visit other OneRoomTels on the market? Since you have to go to the OneRoomTel to manage it every day, start from the area close to our office; Seocho District and Gangnam District would be good. Also, I saw two OneRoomTels on the market; one in Yangjae Town and one in Yeoksam Town. Please go see those too.”

“What’s the price range that we’re looking for?”

“I won’t set a limit on price. As long as it is a good property, we will take it.”

“Okay. I had bought a OneRoomTel for one of my clients before when I had my realtor’s office, so I know what to look for.”

“Oh, really? I’m counting on you then.”

Gun-Ho, Manager Kang and Jin-Young walked out of the office for lunch. They went to a restaurant close to the office. It was crowded since it was lunchtime.

They ordered a seafood soup.

“Since this is our first day, let’s eat together. However, from tomorrow we might not be able to get together every lunch, so I will provide the lunch pay—120,000 won per month. You can take the amount from the bank account where the monthly rent of the OneRoomTel is deposited.”

“Thank you.”

Manager Kang and Ji-Young looked satisfied as this was their first job in a long time.

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, did you bring the Shinhan Bank business card?”

“Yes.”

“Then pay for lunch with it today.”

“Okay, sir.”

Since two employees joined the company, Gun-Ho felt relaxed; it was comfortable and convenient.

Gun-Ho’s daily routine was now reading a daily newspaper and an economic newspaper in the morning, and then he went to a fitness center in the afternoon. Manager Kang stayed in the office in the morning and went out in the afternoon to visit OneRoomTels placed on the market for sale.

“You don’t have to rush, Manager Kang. When you see a good OneRoomTel, find one with good resale value. Also, check if it has a proper fire-fighting system.”

“Okay, I will keep that in mind.”

Gun-Ho felt good when he came to the office in the morning. Ji-Young always kept the office clean and organized. She already made friends with other female workers next door—the design company. Gun-Ho saw her having fun talking and laughing with the neighbor female workers. She also seemed to be having lunch with them all the time.

Manager Kang gave a report to Gun-Ho on the OneRoomTels he visited so far.

“Hmm, you made a chart for it. You already visited five OneRoomTels?”

“Yes, I’ve taken pictures of the inside and outside of those OneRoomTels as well.”

“Did you find a good one?”

“The one in Yangjae Town is too old and shabby, but the Bangbae Town OneRoomTel seemed to be a good one. It came on the market for a quick sale so the price is low enough, and it was recently renovated.”

“How much do they ask?”

“They were asking 300 million, and I negotiated down to 280 million won. Why don’t we go see it tomorrow?”

“Anything else?”

“There is another good one in Daechi Town. That one is mostly occupied by office workers working in either Samsung Town or Teheran Road, rather than students.”

“Okay, let’s visit the one in Bangbae Town and the one in Daechi Town tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho called for Ji-Young.

“Ms. Ji-Young Jeong, here is my business card. Place an order for a business card for yourself and Manager Kang with the same design.”

Ji-Young stared at the business card for quite a while before saying something,

“Umm… Sir, is it okay if I pick a new design?”

“Why? Is this not good?”

“Yes, a little…”

“Haha, do what you want to do with it.”

Gun-Ho and Manager Kang walked out of the office to see the OneRoomTels that Manager Kang recommended.

“Manager Kang, why don’t you wait for me at the office-tel’s main entrance? I will bring my car there; it’s in the underground parking lot.”

“Okay.”

Gun-Ho brought his Land Rover Discovery to the main entrance, and Manager Kang seemed to be surprised to see an expensive car.

“Let’s go to Bangbae Town first.”

“Sir, this car is very expensive, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I paid about 100 million won for it.”

“Whoa! 100 million!”

Gun-Ho liked the OneRoomTel in Bangbae Town, and he made a purchase and sales contract for it under the company name.

The seller was an overweight woman in her 50s.

“We didn’t use residential managers in running this OneRoomTel. My husband and I directly operated it. So, you probably want to look for a residential manager because someone has to manage the residents and clean the trash and etc.”

“Manager Kang, why don’t you look for a residential manager? Oh, hold on. I might have someone for the position.”

Gun-Ho thought of Min-Hyeok he ran across in front of the National Assembly Library the other day.

He made a call to Min-Hyeok.

“Hey, it’s me, Gun-Ho.”

“Hey, Gun-Ho! Good to hear from you, but I am not in Yeongdeungpo any longer. I quit the residential manager position after having a bad argument with the owner.”

“Oh, really?”

“I couldn’t stand his constant nagging on every small thing. Moreover, weird old men and perverts were living there since it was a cheap OneRoom. I am currently with my parents in Incheon. This is another kind of hell, man.”

“Are you still interested in a residential manager position in OneRoomTel?”

“I am of course, but I haven’t seen any opening position lately.”

“I know one. It’s located in Bangbae Town. Why don’t you come to the Bangbae subway station by noon tomorrow?”

“Are you serious? I will, I will be there. Thank you, man.”