Chapter 27 Crock of Shit #2
“Our teams have gone over a lot of what this could look like, but I’d like to start finalizing some details to get us on the same page and see if we can move forward,” Andrew
started. His voice low, commanding.
Julia was ready for this meeting mentally, and she so rarely found herself feeling intimidated by anyone when it came to business.
But her emotions had been fragile as of late, and, well, she needed this to work. It was Hansuk Holdings and Andrew Lim that
held all the cards. She didn’t feel in a position of power right now. And that worried her.
Starlight was Julia’s brainchild, and she was proud of what they’d managed to build.
But there had always been the Korean factor in her mind. Would Korea, with their fickle and demanding consumers, their insular
businesses and industries, take Starlight seriously? And there had always been the feeling of not being good enough until
the Korean market told her she was. She wanted that validation. But did she need it?
Maybe that was exactly what had happened in that disastrous plan for being setup by her family on dates. Besides doing it
for her grandma’s dying wish, she couldn’t deny wanting validation that she was dateable. But honestly, did she ever really
need it?
And had she done it all differently, would she and Tae have found their way to each other? Would it have been any less of
a mess than it was now?
Get ahold of yourself, Julia.
“I’ve appreciated the time and effort your team has put toward this proposal, working in tandem with our Starlight team. It
has been an incredible honor and a great learning experience for so many of us.”
“The enthusiasm of your team and their loyalty to the brand is refreshing, Julia. You’ve built a great company. We’d really like to step in and take it to the next level for you.”
Step in. Take it to the next level.
This was where Julia wavered. Was Hansuk Holdings trying to acquire Starlight at the end of the day?
“I think there could be a strong partnership here. I wanted to discuss the business side of the proposal. You’d mentioned
we’d discuss this one-on-one when we met. It’s unclear to me what Hansuk’s ultimate goal is here. Are they trying to help
launch Starlight globally and, in turn, become profitable from its success, or—”
“Julia, at the risk of sounding overly arrogant, Starlight is a very small fish, and Hansuk owns the pond. We don’t need Starlight
for any profit they could earn us. Our intention is to acquire the company at some point, obviously, with your blessing. We
would keep the brand as is, but we’d definitely need to look at a larger scale and more profitable production model, distribution
model, marketing model, staffing model,” Andrew Lim explained.
“Starlight isn’t on the market for acquisition. I tried to make that clear from the start,” Julia said.
“We’re not offering to buy right now anyways. I’ve heard you loud and clear. It’s impossible not to take you seriously, Julia.
You are an impressive business leader.”
Julia begged her neck not to turn red at the compliment.
“Thank you. That’s appreciated,” she said.
“Look, I’ll be completely honest here. Hansuk Holdings wants you, Julia. We want you working for us. We want your mind helping
us expand, infusing new energy into what we’re trying to do in the market. It’s not about Starlight in the long run.”
Julia straightened her back a little further and let out a quick breath.
It was incredibly flattering. She didn’t know how to even wrap her head around what Andrew was saying.
She was the one they wanted. This was Julia’s playground, where she could feel the most confident. And she was desirable here.
She might be undateable in her personal life, but in her professional one, she was the prize.
“Of course, it would require you to relocate to Korea at some point soon,” Andrew added.
“I’m sorry?” Had she heard it right? Korea?
“You’ve mentioned how you wanted the Korean market. You need to understand it first. You need to live it. Otherwise, how authentic
would it actually be?” The reality of what Andrew was saying, and the matter-of-factness with how he said it, hit Julia. Hard.
He was right. How authentic could it be without having ever lived it, without knowing the market? Julia’s mind was being blown.
“And we, in turn, want some of your expertise in the Korean American market. It’s a really new frontier for us. Focusing specifically
on a diaspora consumer.”
Julia was trying to keep up with everything Andrew was saying. Had she been wrong all along? Maybe she didn’t need Korea.
She had the diaspora consumer base. Maybe what she was doing had been the right path all along.
Julia was torn.
She’d be a fool to pass up the massive opportunity that was being offered her. A huge job at an industry-leading company . . .
in Korea. Leaving her family and friends behind. The thought pained her, if she were honest with herself.
Or . . . staying here, continuing as is, family, Starlight . . . the possibility of running into Tae.
But maybe she needed to find a new start where that wouldn’t be the case.
It might not be what she wanted, but Julia couldn’t help but wonder if Korea could be exactly what she needed right now.