Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 196

Becoming Siha’s ‘Hyung’ [older brother or male friend] continued at home, and it was much more involved than I had imagined.

I have a habit of neatly arranging my shoes when I take them off at the entrance.

It just looks better than leaving them scattered.

Siha also wiggles his little feet, takes off his shoes, and carefully places them next to mine.

“Hyung.”

“Yes, Siha is doing great.”

“Siha is Hyung.”

“Yes, you are acting like Hyung.”

Surprisingly, the teacher’s lessons are actually working.

I don’t know how long it will last, but for now, he seems determined to copy everything I do.

I head to the bathroom to wash my hands, then go to the kitchen to figure out what to make for lunch.

“Hyung. Siha too. Siha too. Cook.”

“Huh? It’s still too dangerous for Siha to cook, right? The stove gets very hot, you know.”

“Hyung, not hot?”

“No, Hyung is an adult, so it’s not hot for me. But we’re making rolled omelet today, so can Siha help a little?”

“Ah! Siha do!”

“Hyung will handle the fire, okay?”

“Ah ah.”

I took five eggs out of the refrigerator and gave Siha a bowl.

“Okay, watch closely. Crack the egg like this and put it in here. Put the broken shell pieces in this container.”

“Ah ah.”

“Can you do it?”

“Can do!”

“Okay. I’m counting on you.”

I watched Siha, feeling a little nervous.

His hands holding the egg looked so tiny.

He hugged the bowl tightly and tapped the egg on the edge.

“Ah?”

No crack appeared, and he looked confused, as if to say, ‘Why isn’t this working?’

He tried again, using a little more force, and this time a small crack appeared.

The egg white slowly leaked out.

Drip. Drip.

Siha looked like he was thinking, ‘This isn’t right?’ and put his finger on the cracked spot.

It slowly broke open, and the yolk ran out onto his hand.

“Ah ah! Hyung!”

“Yes, good job. Now, crack the remaining three.”

“Ah ah.”

Again, one egg, two eggs, three eggs.

He repeated the process, holding the bowl with a happy expression.

His face, so proud of his accomplishment, was incredibly cute.

But Siha, how did you get egg all over your hands?

“Hyung! All done! Siha did it!”

“Wow, Siha is amazing. Let’s see.”

Looking inside the bowl, it was full of eggshells.

Oh, boy. It’s going to be a pain to pick out all these eggshells.

I carefully removed the fragments with wooden chopsticks and gave them back to Siha.

“Ah?”

“Okay. Now, stir it around like this. Make it all yellow. You know the rolled omelet is very yellow, right?”

“Siha know.”

“Then try stirring it.”

“Ah ah.”

Siha hugged the bowl again and stirred diligently with a wooden spatula.

Normally, I would just quickly stir it with chopsticks, but Siha hasn’t learned how to do that yet.

He watched as the yolk colored the egg white, stirring with all his might.

“Tell me when you’re done, okay?”

“Ah ah.”

While I was lightly heating a greased frying pan over low heat, Siha brought the bowl to me.

“Hyung. All done.”

“Oh! Really? Then, shall we see how the rolled omelet is made?”

“Ah ah.”

I poured in the egg mixture.

I quickly rolled it, poured more egg into the empty spaces, and rolled it up again.

“Tada! The rolled omelet made by Siha is complete.”

“Ah ah!”

“Would you like to put ketchup on top of this too, Siha?”

“Siha do!”

“Okay, then.”

I put the rolled omelet on a plate on the table and handed Siha the ketchup.

I thought Siha would drizzle it in a zigzag pattern, but instead, he drew a consonant.

[ㅇㅅㅎ – The consonants of Siha’s name in Korean]

Siha said in a bright voice.

“Hyung. Siha.”

“Hyung and Siha made it together?”

“Ah ah.”

I thought Siha was so adorable that I stroked his head.

“But Siha, are you going to keep doing it? Being Hyung.”

“Ah ah.”

“Ah, I see.”

We finished our meal like that and did the dishes together.

The problem is that Siha’s top was completely soaked.

I couldn’t tell if he was washing dishes or doing laundry.

Siha’s journey to becoming ‘Hyung’ was certainly eventful today.

***

-The next day. Jeong Yong-soo’s lab in the Chemistry Department.

Specific plans and methods are essential.

This isn’t just important for children; adults need to think strategically and remember details.

You can never succeed if you approach things with a casual attitude, especially when dealing with goods exported to Vietnam or other overseas markets.

A common mistake made by many young startups is a lack of understanding of the local market.

“Vietnam doesn’t have the same well-developed internet infrastructure as Korea.”

“??”

“Of course, it’s not that it doesn’t exist, and the online market is gradually growing, but understanding the nuances of the local market is crucial.”

Professor Jeong Yong-soo nodded in agreement.

“I see. I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Typically, you need to conduct thorough research for over a year before entering a new market. You’ll face significant challenges if you go in unprepared.”

“So, should we begin researching the local market now? Perhaps by visiting Vietnam directly?”

I smiled.

That would be ideal, but we needed to expedite the process.

“It’s alright. We’re going to significantly shorten that timeframe.”

I took out some documents from my bag.

It was the result of my overnight research after speaking with Professor Jeong Yong-soo.

I even contacted someone in Vietnam at 7 a.m. this morning.

In the process, I utilized some of Steve Baek’s contacts in the United States.

“Vietnam is a hot country, so many people start their day early, around 5 a.m.”

“I suppose so.”

“I leveraged some existing connections in Vietnam. You can find the data in these documents. We already have a product developed, and we also have a hair product that shows potential for marketability.”

“Hmm. This will definitely save time.”

“Yes, exactly. I’m unsure about distributors until we make contact, but if things go well, we might be able to reach an agreement. Professor, you need to prepare all the necessary certified documents.”

“Documents?”

“Quality certificates.”

“That’s already taken care of.”

“You’ll need a CFF [Compensatory Financing Facility] export certificate and various other certifications. Ensuring reliability is paramount.”

“Ah…. Hmm. There’s a lot to do.”

“That’s right. However, possessing the CFF is considered advantageous when companies are being selected.”

“Anyway, since you already have some certified documents prepared, you only need to obtain the ones specifically related to export.”

“Um. Thank you.”

With that settled, we moved on to discussing the next steps.

Everyone involved in the project needed to be informed to ensure we could accomplish everything within the tight timeframe.

We needed to engage in extensive discussions to save time.

“If the product performs well locally, we should also prepare for online sales. Start planning that in advance.”

“Hmm. To that extent?”

“Yes. Eventually, the infrastructure will need to be built. Just look at Korea.”

“That’s true.”

“Of course, this assumes that the product is successful in the local market.”

At that moment, one of the graduate students tilted his head.

“Isn’t that something we can discuss later?”

I stared at him silently.

He looked like he was wondering why I was being so serious.

“How can we convince anyone if we’re not even confident in the product’s success? No one will be persuaded by that kind of uncertainty. At the very least, I expect us to believe that we have the best product, especially since you all created it.”

“Huh? I didn’t say that we weren’t the best.”

“The question implied a lack of confidence. ‘Will this really sell well?’ I hope you don’t make such a mistake in front of a client. That’s why I’m saying this.”

“Ah…. I see.”

The graduate student’s eyes widened as if he had a sudden realization.

The professor, agreeing with my point, reprimanded the graduate student.

“You! Of course, our product is the best! We’re doing this to sell it well, why are you even considering the possibility of it not selling!”

“Ahem. I’m a realist.”

“Or a pessimist?”

A slight smile appeared on my face.

“Wouldn’t it be better to set goals with a bit of optimism? Of course, the process of achieving those goals should be meticulously and rigorously planned.”

We had a productive meeting.

I don’t know what goals we will ultimately achieve, but the journey itself will be enjoyable and a valuable learning experience.

The lesson Siha taught me.

Shouldn’t I also set a good example?

Even if you’re not consciously aware of every step, it becomes ingrained in your behavior.

Just like the graduate student’s underlying doubts manifested as a question without him realizing it.

***

Time passed.

We diligently prepared the necessary documents while also learning basic business etiquette.

The professor’s experience proved invaluable, and he brought in a salon professional distributor.

The distributor was importing and selling French goods and expressed a strong interest in Korean products.

I wondered if we should arrange a meeting in Vietnam, but they decided to fly in directly to personally select which Korean products to import.

Salons need more than just hairspray.

I looked at the professor.

“How did you manage to get them here?”

“Um. Actually, I have a friend in France. I happened to connect with them and learned about this opportunity. I thought, ‘This is it,’ and I considered introducing them alongside the larger company that was initially going to invest in the product.”

“Why involve the large company?”

“I need to maintain close relationships to help my students find jobs. I’m leveraging this opportunity for their benefit.”

“Ah ha. But that doesn’t guarantee they’ll offer jobs, right?”

“That’s true, but they sometimes offer collaborative research opportunities, which significantly boosts the careers of my students. It’s not for nothing that they consider it a valuable asset when pursuing a master’s degree.”

“I see.”

Professor Oh Sang-hwan and Professor Jeong Yong-soo – it seems professors also need to be skilled salespeople.

If you’re considering graduate school, you should definitely research the professor’s research interests…

‘Popular professors are successful in everything they do.’

I doubt there are many professors like this across the country.

A truly capable individual.

“But if a research project arises, do they ever falsify the results?”

“Yes. Want me to tell you something interesting?”

“What is it?”

“There’s a professor at a certain university who researches radiation, and a foreign research institute sent him a substance. When you conduct an experiment, that substance is supposed to glow.”

“Yes.”

“But guess what? When he actually experimented, it didn’t glow. So, do you know what he did?”

“What did he do?”

“He shined a cell phone flashlight on the substance and recorded a video of it glowing, claiming the experiment was successful.”

“What?!”

“He’s a complete fraud.”

“Is that even allowed?”

“Of course not, but he hasn’t been caught yet.”

I didn’t want to know this reality.

Does that mean there are many lies in academic papers?

Ah, well, there are many things that don’t quite fit in science.

Like the geocentric and heliocentric theories.

But isn’t that a scam? No, it’s true that it should glow…

“If he gets caught someday, he’ll be in big trouble. Definitely.”

“Haha. Will he really get caught?”

“Well. I don’t know.”

“What if the professor reports it?”

“I don’t really want to do that. To be exact, I don’t want to get involved in the first place, regardless of right or wrong. It’s exhausting.”

“I guess so.”

“We’ve arrived.”

Before I knew it, we had arrived at a quiet cafe.

When we entered, a woman with exotic features was sitting there.

I recognized her immediately.

This woman was the buyer we were meeting with.

“Professor, you should shake hands if a woman extends her hand first. If they bow first, you should respond with a bow.”

“Ahem. I know that. How many times have I heard that since I arrived?”

“Of course. Of course.”

We approached her and greeted her.

「Nice to meet you. This is Professor Jeong Yong-soo. My name is Lee Si-hyuk, and I’m here as an interpreter.」

「Yes. My name is Nguyen Thi Haing. Please call me Haing.」

「Yes. Ms. Haing. You specialize in importing salon products, so your hairstyle is very sophisticated.」

「Hehe. Thank you.」

It’s better to build rapport before diving into business matters.

I winked at the professor.

“Ahem. You are really beautiful.”

Ah, professor. That’s a bit much…

Even if you can’t think of anything else to say, why the sudden, direct compliment?

I had no choice but to rephrase it.

Since it was short.

「Have you had a meal?」

That’s how the contract negotiations began.