CH55 - Campfire

"Drink! Drink!"

"Waaaa!"

The soldiers gathered on Beach Zone B were having a party.

They raided the PX, grilled ribs over a charcoal fire, and brought a truckload of beer.

With the bonfire lit on the beach, it was hard to tell if this was Vietnam or Hawaii.

"CS, I got a commendation. I might get promoted to sergeant next week. It's all thanks to you, CS."

"Congratulations, Sergeant Mark!"

"Yeah! Turn up the music! Louder!"

"Come over here, Sergeant Mark."

"Hehehehe!"

Mark danced, shaking his large belly.

Watching him, the soldiers raised their beer cans and cheered.

They were lining up to toast with Mark.

Our employees were also drinking beer all around.

"Excuse me, Mr. Woo."

"Come on in, Phil. Want some beer?"

Yes, I was wondering when he'd show up.

"Sorry to interrupt your fun. Could you spare some time?"

Of course, I should.

I've been waiting a long time.

"Sure. Let's go somewhere quiet."

I grabbed a cola instead of a beer and led the way.

We headed to the store in Zone B.

Phil Knights and I sat across from each other at a table in the store.

The campfire's red glow in the distance added to the mysterious atmosphere under the table lamp.

Where had I felt this atmosphere before?

It reminded me of enjoying hookah under a parasol on a beach, with an Indian waiter in British servant attire serving well-prepared seafood dishes on the Indian Ocean coast.

I found it ridiculous to see colonial times recreated at a tourist spot.

Looking back, I've travelled the world under the pretext of building oil plants.

"I hope this contract satisfies you."

Phil Knights handed me the contract.

"....."

It was a bit surprising.

The contract was just one page.

And it had only one line.

"The joint venture between Daese and BRS will be 70:30."

"What is this?"

"I wrote countless contract clauses, but in the end, this is what matters. Daese holds the power, and we are the ones in need."

An accurate assessment.

There are many marketing companies to help us enter the U.S. market, but none possess the unique technology that Daese has.

Was Phil Knights always this straightforward?

Acknowledging that his only asset is marketing capability?

No... that's not it. This is only natural.

'No, I was projecting a brand that doesn't exist yet, Nike, onto Phil Knights.'

Without my partnership, Phil Knights would end up with nothing in this history.

No matter which company I support, it will surpass Nike in the 21st century.

Before Nike grows, I'll fly directly to the U.S. with the finished product. I need to notarize the partnership, create various legal safety clauses, and more.

"Are you saying I should handle the remaining contract clauses?"

"Don't you want trust? Is there any better way to show trust? And I believe Mr. Woo will set appropriate conditions for this trust."

"You increased the proposed share by 10%."

"It's not surrendering, just making the best choice. That's the basics of a marketer."

Increasing the proposed share by 10% to maintain pride...

No, it's showing me that he can secure a 10% margin even in a disadvantageous situation.

A shrewd man. He passes as a marketer.

"Alright. Let me write down my conditions."

"Daese will handle research, development, production, and manufacturing. BRS will handle marketing, securing investors, and market expansion."

"Daese and BRS will make decisions based on the principles of good faith."

"If the joint venture ends by mutual agreement, all patent technology and trademarks will belong to Daese."

"Even the trademarks?"

Phil Knights seemed to have expected everything else.

Well, if you switch positions, it's not unexpected.

"It's a trademark created by Daese. We can't use an existing trademark for this joint venture, can we? I've saved a trademark for this moment."

"A saved trademark?"

"Let's call the trademark Nike for now. I took the N from Knights and K from Korea. And this is the logo."

I wrote Nike on the contract and drew the 21st-century Nike logo.

The swoosh resembles the front tip of a ski.

"... It's impressive... Like an athlete racing down a slope."

"Look forward to it. We will dominate not only the U.S. market but also the global sports goods market with this trademark."

Phil Knights' face flushed with excitement at my words.

Greed overflowed in our hearts.

An elite marketer like Phil Knights excels at reading situations.

He must have seen Nike's future.

Selling branded clothes is a different dimension from selling fabrics.

Selling as a mid-priced brand can yield three times the profit of selling fabrics, and selling as a high-end brand in department stores can increase profits by ten to twenty times.

Future Nike will be that kind of brand.

The power of greed is very strong.

"I want to believe. Let's do this together."

Phil Knights and I signed the contract side by side.

It will be a contract that lays golden eggs.

"Now, let's have a drink. I have some people to introduce to you."

"Introduce people?"

"You'd be lonely going to America alone, wouldn't you? There are seven people going with you, so meet them."

"Hahaha, are you already sending delegates from Daese?"

"It's unrelated to Nike. Just accompany them until they arrive."

"!!! How much work do you do?"

"Daese's business isn't just textiles. Textiles are also a kind of petrochemical business."

That's true.

I intended to work on petrochemical plants, but I got more involved in the textile industry than I expected.

"Petrochemical... I see."

When you have unique technology, you can afford to be relaxed.

Honestly, I had enough time to find another partner before the next Olympics, even without Nike.

I was just lucky that the first card I got was the ace card I wanted, so I didn't wait for another card.

"Enough business talk, let's enjoy the party. We don't get to have parties like this often."

"Sounds good. I want to brag to my friends that I partied on the battlefield."

"Let's go!"

Phil Knights and I started with a Jack and Coke.

Just like the first drink of a company dinner is always soju and beer, the first drink of a party is a Jack and Coke.

"Where did you go, CS?"

"Drink, drink, Mark."

"Who's this?"

"This is Phil, my business partner."

"Oh, really? Phil, you're going to be rich soon."

"Hahaha, is that so?"

"Haha, does it sound like a joke? Anyone near CS is blessed with luck."

"!!!!"

That's true.

Mark also got a special promotion because of me.

"By the way, Mark. What about the scrap heavy equipment?"

I immediately started pitching.

I couldn't miss the good atmosphere from the promotion.

"Scrap heavy equipment?"

"You know, the heavy equipment from Thailand. It's hard to use even after repairs, right?"

"Indeed, even after repairs, only about two out of ten are salvageable."

"Send them to the U.S. military in Korea. I'll get them through disposal and use them."

"Can you even use them?"

"In Korea, we're grateful if they even barely function."

"Really?"

"I'll make sure you're not disappointed with the intermediary fee, so send whatever you can. It should improve your personnel evaluation too."

"Hahaha. CS, you're a genius."

Mark began spinning around the campfire with Phil Knights and me under his arms.

It was a fantastic party.

****

At the same time, in the JPA building in Japan.

"Is this even possible?"

"This is insane."

The department heads of the five JPA member trading companies were appalled as they read the reports.

The military supply performance of Japanese trading companies in the Vietnam War, which had been holding up fairly well, hit rock bottom this month.

"Even the previously thriving machine parts are bottoming out. What's going on?"

Machine parts were a crucial item for the trading companies' revenue.

"Those Koreans... they're really... detestable."

The department head of Toyota Trading Company gritted his teeth.

"Stop grinding your teeth and explain what's going on."

Another department head pressed the Toyota department head.

Machine parts were Toyota's main business.

After all, machine parts were mainly repair parts for jeeps and trucks.

"Everything is unexpected. Supplies are flooding to Quy Nhon due to port construction, and supply transportation to the combat areas is also proceeding smoothly."

"How is that possible? Didn't the transportation units get attacked several times?"

"Recently, the situation has changed dramatically. They built a runway near Quy Nhon. With bombers taking off and landing there, the Viet Cong are terrified and running away."

The Toyota Trading Company department head pounded his chest in frustration.

To boost sales, Quy Nhon needed to be damaged so supplies would flow to Saigon.

The Japanese trading companies, which had heavily invested in the Saigon logistics base, were in dire straits.

"A runway in the jungle? How does that make sense?"

"The Koreans did the crazy thing of paving a runway with cement. It was so successful that even the U.S. engineering corps were impressed."

"... Crazy... Where did these people come from..."

"And that's not all. They're even sourcing parts at a heavy equipment repair base."

"Sourcing parts?"

Only then did they understand why machine parts exports had plummeted.

"The Koreans are machining and heat-treating parts in Quy Nhon. Even the headquarters found it unbelievable."

"Has the U.S. military gone mad? Trusting Koreans to make parts? Everything they make is trash!"

Though he said that, cold sweat trickled down his back.

The U.S. Engineering Corps was known for following strict standards.

No matter how locally sourced, it meant they passed all the tests set by the U.S. military.

Dimensions, strength, and quality reproducibility, everything.

"No matter what the Koreans do, the point is our machine parts stockpile is piling up. They're U.S. military-specific specifications, so there's nowhere else to sell them."

"What are we going to do? Just sit back and take it?"

"We can't stay like this. We need to act immediately."

"We spent over $3 million on lobbying in Washington. If things continue like this, we're all doomed."

The lobbying funds the five trading companies spent in the U.S. political circles weren't free.

If they didn't prove their worth, the five department heads would have to resign.

"The losses aren't just that. This month, our sales in Singapore are barely $20,000. At this rate, Daese Industries will take over the Southeast Asian textile market."

"Do you know what happened to our military uniforms? They were returned. The U.S. soldiers refused to wear them."

The businesses each of them managed were a mess.

They had worked so hard to climb to their current positions, but they couldn't be ousted because of Koreans.

"What is Mitsubishi Trading Company doing?"

"Ahem..."

"We need a solution now that things have come this far. A solution!"

The department head of Mitsubishi Trading Company, who had been leading them, couldn't help but frown.

"There is a plan... but it's a double-edged sword..."

"What is it?"

"Whatever it is, we have to use it."

"Yes, whatever it is, we have to use it."

"Are we just going to resign? We have to try something."

The shouting voices grew more intense.

"Saigon... Let's target Saigon."

"What are you talking about? Target Saigon? Saigon is our stronghold."

The other department heads flushed with anger at Mitsubishi's words. They thought he was crazy.

"That's why I called it a double-edged sword. But there's a good chance of success. The Saigon command is already simmering with anger."

"Simmering with anger?"

"With Quy Nhon growing and being elevated to a military aid office, the command is furious."

"Gasp! Is there such information?"

"Quy Nhon becoming No. 2?"

As expected, Mitsubishi had the best information network.

"Yes. What do you think will happen? The senior officers who supported the command will all be humiliated. The Quy Nhon camp chief, who was like an outcast, will become No. 2."

"Cough! I see."

"We need to direct that anger towards that Korean guy. Let them know that Woo Chan-soo from Daese is the root of all problems."

"Yes. I see!"

The other department heads applauded Mitsubishi's words.

"There's a perfect incident in Saigon right now. Let's use it."

The department head of Itochu Trading Company, who had been complaining all along, raised his hand.

"An incident?"

"You all know the Mekong Delta, right?"

"What about it? What happened there?"

The department heads of the five trading companies gathered their heads again.