Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Hyunwoo aggressively started working on claiming the refund. However, the process was more important than the outcome. He could get something big in that process.

That was to network with other people.

If he had to deal with the business of the purchasing team, he would need a lot of information about import and export customs clearance, let alone an increase in the work related to the customs brokerage office and the customs.

In that respect, Hyunwoo felt it necessary to network with the customs.

Suddenly, Lee Yuri and Kwak Junho’s faces came to his mind. Even though they might have expressed annoyance at his sudden appearance, they did their best to be kind to him. In some way, he could make a good relationship with them.

Given the choice, it would be better for me to get along with them.

The best way to get close to somebody was to run into him or her often. Meeting face to face would be much more effective than mere text messages or calls. Plus, some gifts would work wonders.

What kind of gift would be good?

4 pm that day.

Hyunwoo visited the local customs office. Lee Yuri and Kwak Junho’s faces got a bit rigid when they saw him. But they immediately smiled broadly at him in a show of artificial kindness.

“How are you? You’re back again.”

“Thanks so much for your help the other day. You must be hungry, right? Please help yourselves to this treat. I wonder if you like it”

Hyunwoo presented two plates of pizza to Kwak. The pizza was of the best brand, of course. Because there were a total of nine employees at the office, two plates of pizza would suffice as a snack.

Kwak’s face brightened a lot.

“Oh, you don’t have to buy this.”

“Don’t feel burdensome at all because I’m not here to ask you for anything. I just wanted to repay your help from last time.”

“Thanks. By the way, how about your refund application process? Is it going well?”

Actually, Hyunwoo was going to bring up the issue first. He thanked Kwak for mentioning it first in his heart.

“Well, I’m going to apply tomorrow. All I have to do is just apply for it through Unipass, right?”

“Oh, you have to create a refund account first. If we know your account, we can send the money.”

Come to think of it, Kwak was right.

“This is the paper for the refund account application. You need to have it stamped with the company’s official seal, and the attached document is…”

Kwak gave him a detailed explanation along with some tips that could help him finish it conveniently.

“Because this is the first time you are applying for the refund, you’ll see a request for the submission of certain papers. Don’t do it all at once. Just apply for one export declaration paper according to the item, and it will then be processed in P/L.”

“What is P/L?”

“No submission of papers. In other words, you can claim the refund through an electronic application without visiting the customs office.”

Hyunwoo understood it easily.

If he applied for the refund of every item, that would mean the submission of all the papers. In that case, he had to print out all the export declaration papers and submit them to the customs office.

“Thanks. Let me come back with a completed application paper.”

Hyunwoo didn’t hurry. He needed to drag his feet on it so that they would be able to recognize that he claimed the refund after trying really hard.

He applied for the refund account three days later, and four days later he applied for the refund through Unipass. Though he didn’t know much about the process of exports and imports, application for the refund was too easy. Just one application letter and one certificate of export declaration were more than enough. He didn’t need to print out a single piece of paper.

The refund was wired into the company’s account on the day he applied for it. There was a big fuss within the finance department because they didn’t know the source of the unexpected refund.

The president gathered all the employees. He then presented the award money and praised the purchasing team and Yonggu. Yonggu was promoted one more step. All of the employees clapped their hands out of envy, and the purchasing team burst with joy.

The president’s praise made the purchasing team dance with joy. The purchasing team’s team manager didn’t lose his smile all day long, and his team members were lively and spirited as well.

Especially, their attitude toward Hyunwoo was different.

When he got hired, they tended to despise him because he was a high school graduate. Though the team members tried to hide it, Hyunwoo could clearly notice it from their eyes.

When he came up big with the refund matter on the heels of his successful completion of the profit and loss statement, their prejudice instantly disappeared.

On the contrary, they recognized Hyunwoo’s capabilities. When Yonggu was absent due to his work, they even approached him for his help.

Hyunwoo was satisfied. Though he yielded everything to Yonggu, he could gain much more thanks to that.

At that moment, he had a call from Kwak, the customs officer. However, it was something like a bolt out of the blue.

“What did you say? Collecting the refund?”

“Yes, Aurum isn’t eligible for the simplified refund requirement. You claimed the refund, but you’re not qualified.”

“What should we do now? Do we have to return the refund? All of it?”

“Not all the refund. The refund for the exports two years ago was legitimate. There is no additional fee, fortunately, because we found it early.”

Hyunwoo felt like he had been struck by lightning.

Everybody, including the team manager, gathered around Hyunwoo. However, he was just absent-minded and couldn’t see anything before him.

Only after he heard Kwak’s voice did he come back to his senses.

“If we collect the refund, the additional fee will be large, so you had better report it on your own.”

“May I ask you why?”

“The simplified refund is only applicable to small and medium-sized companies.”

Hyunwoo knew about this, of course, because Kwak had explained it in his video lecture.

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Aurum was a small and medium-sized company, but Kwak was explaining it differently.

“Aurm is outside the boundary of a small and medium-sized company according to the relevant law. So, it’s not eligible for the refund for them.”

“We’re a small and medium-sized company.”

“Yes, it was until two years ago. But because your company took over the equities of Hansup last year, it’s beyond the category of a small or medium-sized company. So, it is no more in that category since last year.”

Hyunwoo was aware that Aurum took over Hansup, but Hansup was a very small company. How could Aurum turn into a large company with the takeover of such a small company?

“If you give me your fax number, I can send you an official notice on this. You will understand it better if you read it.”

Hyunwoo gave Kwak his fax number, and he soon received the official letter. It was composed by the Korea Customs Office, where there was a list of companies that were classified outside the category of small and medium-sized companies.

Among them was Aurum.

“What? What happened? Just explain it to us,” the team manager demanded.

Hyunwoo didn’t have the heart to open his mouth. How could he say that they had to return the refund?

However, he had no other choice but to tell the truth in the presence of the tense team members.

“Well, the customs officer says we claimed the refund that we’re not eligible for.”

“Returning it? All 24 million won?”

“Excluding the portion two years ago. Actually, it was only 1.6 million won at that time. So, we have to return 22.4 million won. According to the regulation, we have no other choice.”

“What’s the difference between 24 million won and 22.4 million won? What the heck is that kind of regulation? What is it?”

Hyunwoo showed him the official letter from the customs office.

Suddenly, the team manager grabbed the back of his neck.

“Ooops, my neck aches! What should we do now?”

Yonggu was more surprised than him. What the team manager got from the president was just his praise, but Yonggu was the biggest recipient of the refund credit.

Yonggu was restless. It was clear that he was doing his best to find some sort of breakthrough. However, there was no good trick he could use to get out of this trouble.

Suddenly, Yonggo stared at Hyunwoo with glittering eyes like an eagle’s that had found its prey.

“You have to take responsibility, Hyunwoo,” Yonggu said.

“What did you say?” Hyunwoo asked back with a blank face.

How could he take responsibility for that? If he knew how to avoid it, he would have gladly taken care of it. However, there was no way whatsoever that he could find a way to get around the refund regulation.

“This is something you suggested, Hyunwoo. And it is you who took the trouble to apply for the refund and claim it. Also, you received twice the award money given to other team members.”

So what? He should definitely give back the award money he received. Not only Hyunwoo but also the other members.

But that wasn’t the end of the story.

“You should report directly to the president that you planned this, that you took the initiative to carry this out, and that you brought about the mistake by yourself,” Yonggu said.

Hyunwoo smiled sarcastically. Yonggu might be able to figure out why.

Yonggu didn’t intend to resolve the problem. He was only concerned with avoiding any possible backlash against him.

“Got it,” Hyunwoo said.

The team manager added, “You have to be responsible for the dinner cost, too.”

He suddenly felt a pain in the back of his neck at that.

The purchasing team received a total of 6 million won in award money. Out of that, they used 500,000 won for the dinner, and each member of the team was given 500,000 won, but Hyunwoo received one million won. The team manager donated 500,000 won for the dinner as an incentive for them to do better. In other words, he was telling Hyunwoo to return two million won.

The return amount wasn’t small but not big enough to take him down.

“Okay, will do,” Hyunwoo said.

He didn’t hesitate at all to accept the manager’s order. His expression seemed to mock the manager, suggesting ‘I’m not the kind of guy who gets scared by such a small sum.’

Hyunwoo handled the matter quickly thanks to the pressing demands by the team manager and Yonggu.

Hyunwoo compiled the report that day and went into the president’s room with the manager.

Though the manager had a grim expression, Hyunwoo straightened his shoulders when he entered the president’s office.

I did my best. Anybody can make a mistake. I don’t have to feel ashamed or ask for forgiveness.

The president greeted them with broad smile, but his facial expression changed when he looked at the nervous team manager.

“What’s the matter?”

The manager nudged him in the ribs, and Hyunwoo then walked to the president and presented the report.

“We were contacted by the customs. They asked to collect the refund because we claimed it when we weren’t eligible for it.”

“Collecting the refund?”

The president stared daggers at him and snatched the report from Hyunwoo.

He read it and then looked squarely at Hyunwoo, now turning his eyes to the manager.

“What the heck is this about?”

“Hyunwoo didn’t review that part of the refund regulation enough. We feel so sorry about that.”

The manager was grovelling at his feet.

However, the president shook his head and asked,

“I mean, why did you change the person in charge so suddenly? When you reported to me first, you said Yonggu took the initiative, didn’t you?”