The Art of Negotiation: Episodes 1-2 » Dramabeans Kdrama recaps
The Art of Negotiation: Episodes 1-2
by lovepark
One seat, two sides, and an outsider wielding a knife – as a company faces bankruptcy, the only way to save the head is to sacrifice a limb or two. Tasked with the enormous burden of choosing what stays and goes is our exiled hero, but with thousands of lives at stake, will he be their savior or their demise?
EPISODES 1-2
A war without weapons and a battle with no deaths, this is the world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and YOON JU-NO (Lee Je-hoon) is the silver-hair grim reaper. In contrast to its premise, The Art of Negotiation is a tense and politically rife boardroom drama with a cast of colorful characters and witty banter. The first two episodes waste no time establishing relationships, and before our hero can even adjust to the timezone difference, allegiances are forged and traps laid.
On the chopping block is Sanin Group. A high debt rate and increasing bank pressure has them scrambling to pay off a 11 trillion won debt, but the caveat is that the company must maintain stock prices or else Samoel Fund will take over the majority of stocks, essentially wresting control away from the current CHAIRMAN SONG JAE-SHIK (Sung Dong-il). In other words, the situation is dire, and CFO HA TAE-SOO (Jang Hyun-sung) takes the reins as the second-in-command and aspiring CEO of Sanin.
During the board meeting, CFO Ha makes his plan clear: sell all the affiliate companies besides Sanin Construction to pay off the debt. His bold statement naturally ruffles feathers, especially since the CEOs of those aforementioned affiliates are firmly on team CCO LEE DONG-JIN (Oh Man-seok) – the other faction in this political fight. Unlike his counterpart, CCO Lee appears mild-mannered and holds no ambitions for the open CEO seat. He does, however, have a close bond with Chairman Song, and as a last request before his retirement, he calls back Ju-no to save the company.
Once called CFO Ha’s son, Ju-no returns to Sanin as his former mentor’s opponent, and the implications of his reappearance is not lost on the CFO. After a cursory introduction at the board meeting, our M&A expert leaves to gather his new team, and the first on his list is chief KWAK MIN-JUNG (Ahn Hyun-ho). She used to work with Ju-no before he was relegated to the sidelines, and despite her skills with numbers, her association with a company pariah left her demoted in an unfulfilling position with a toxic manager. Thus, Min-jung is more than thrilled to see Ju-no back and joins him without any hesitation.
Next on Ju-no’s list is attorney OH SOON-YOUNG (Kim Dae-myung). Contrary to his outer appearance, Soon-young is an affable attorney who mediates reconciliations to the detriment of his business, and though he has the skills and connections, his personality doesn’t quite fit with the typical image of a once-prosecutor. Much like Min-jung, Soon-young lights up when he sees his old team back together and hops on the Ju-no train without a second thought.
The team of three is now ready to tackle this impossible task, but before they can start, intern CHOI JIN-SOO (Cha Kang-yoon) waits in their office as the sole applicant to join the newly formed department. Ju-no intends to dismiss him at first , but during the interview, Jin-soo admits that he thinks the team will fail but still applied in order to learn from the best. His answer convinces Ju-no, and the trio becomes a quartet: Min-jung as the cool and calculating finance chief, Soon-young as the smiley and well-informed legal consultant, Jin-soo as the eager and receptive newbie, and Ju-no as the clear-headed and resolute leader.
As the M&A team discusses strategies, they agree that the CFO’s plan could net them 11 trillion won if they sold all subsidiaries, but given the nature of their business, putting up a company in the red would mean underselling. Therefore, at this juncture, rather than struggle to sell a suboptimal product, Ju-no suggests the exact opposite: keep all the affiliates besides Sanin Construction.
His announcement at the next board meeting is seen as a direct attack against CFO Ha, and the latter asks how he will keep their stocks from plummeting after losing their biggest profit center. As voices are raised, Chairman Song enters and quiets the arguments with a single command: Ju-no can sell his baby if he can get double digits. The chairman’s request is three trillion above estimates, and when Ju-no counters, the chairman essentially asks him if he’s too chicken to try.
It’s the perfect ending to their intense encounter, and Sung Dong-il’s characteristic levity and gravitas creates a layered performance that is somehow both serious and funny. It’s also indicative of the show as a whole with its intense atmosphere punctured with nuanced performances that add a bit of humor to scenes in unexpected ways. With a wonderful cast from supporting to leads, the energy is crackling at times which isn’t what you would normally expect from people in business suits giving the stink eye to each other.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Ju-no pushes forward with his plans to sell Sanin Construction and meets up with the president of the company. The M&A team offers to negotiate terms so that everyone on board would keep their jobs, but the president is one of CFO Ha’s underlings and adds unrealistic conditions to derail the conversation. As the meeting devolves into rude comments, Jin-soo loses his cool and cusses him out. Though Soon-young points out that their youngest didn’t actually finish calling him a “bastard,” the damage is done, and the president kicks them out while putting on a big show for his employees to watch.
At a glance, this seems like a loss for Ju-no’s team, but our leader uses this as a teachable moment for Jin-soo. He tells their intern that emotions have no place in M&A since they narrow one’s vision and distort the truth, which is exactly what happens to CFO Ha’s side. They believe Ju-no fled with his tail between his legs, but in reality, our M&A expert looks into the dip in sales at Sanin Construction and discovers a stalled redevelopment plan.
At the redevelopment site, Ju-no and his team run into the vice-president who is the complete opposite of his direct superior. Soft-spoken and respectful, the vice-president informs the group about the current situation, yet Ju-no notices that he seems to deliberately leave out details but doesn’t press him. While Soon-young and Min-jung investigate this issue more, Ju-no sets the date for the upcoming bid and has two companies in mind: Chamok and Bium D&I. The former is a construction company that feels too similar to Sanin while the latter is a real estate company that comes across as too different.
As the bidding date approaches, CFO Ha puts his own plans into motion and meets up with the CEO of Sanin’s retail company. Though originally part of CCO Lee’s side, the retail CEO jumps ship and sends some of his employees to ransack the M&A office during the night. The next morning, the place is a mess, but the team ignores the CFO’s underhanded tricks and turns their attention to the upcoming bid.
With Chamok and Bium D&I both in contention for the company, it’s ultimately up to Ju-no to get one side to bid above the estimated price. In the end, he chooses Bium and convinces the CEO to write down an amount that not only reflects the current state of the company but the one he will personally package to suit her taste. His speech works since the CEO offers nearly 8 trillion won, and though it is one trillion above predicted, it is still two trillion short of the chairman’s demand.
Knowing when to seek help, Ju-no turns to CCO Lee, and the latter meets up with the chairman to get the deal approved. While the chairman still holds reservations about Ju-no, he trusts his longtime friend and agrees to sell as long as the CCO takes responsibility for the M&A team. With that, everything seems to be in order for our heroes, except it wouldn’t be like CFO Ha to take the loss without a fight. The president of Sanin Construction meets up with the CEO of Bium D&I and reveals the stalled redevelopment plan, jeopardizing the sale.
In light of this new information, the Bium CEO asks for a discount, but Ju-no came prepared with a counter. He asks if she would be willing to add the discounted amount to the final price if they could turn those risks into guarantees, and the CEO agrees if he can accomplish that before she signs the papers. On cue, Ju-no gets a notification from the vice-president that the last resident agreed, allowing the redevelopment plans to move forward. Hence, the final sale price of Sanin Construction turns out to be 8.5 trillion won.
As an added bonus, Ju-no gives the Bium CEO a chance to increase their brand image and explains how the last resident was an elderly lady who didn’t want to leave behind her husband’s gravesite. It’s a win-win for everyone involved – well, besides the president of Sanin Construction who gets replaced by his VP – and even CFO Ha reaps the benefits as he takes credit for the sale publicly.
At the closing day celebration, Chairman Song appears and half-heartedly congratulates Ju-no. He asks if he is finished now, but our M&A expert reminds him that they are still 2.5 trillion won short. The chairman bristles at his response and wonders what else the white snake has his eyes set on. To everyone’s surprise, Ju-no answers, “This time, we’re buying.”
With one large task complete, it’s time for Ju-no and his team to handle the next obstacle, and I’m sure the path forward will not be easy. Seeing how CFO Ha calls Samoel (the investment company trying to take over Sanin) after hearing Ju-no’s plans, I suspect our CFO might start cutting off more than flesh in his attempts to become CEO. For the most part, I find CFO Ha an interesting character who is clearly trying to play king, yet lacks the power to own the crown. There’s a reason why Chairman Song hasn’t announced his successor, and it’s almost funny how hard the CFO tries to emulate the chairman but fails to command the same level of respect. It’s also the fact that these grown (technically successful) adults are acting like playground school kids fighting over the swings that makes me chuckle, and this odd sense of humor weaved throughout the show breaks up the monotony and makes the overall watching experience more enjoyable.
If I had a complaint, though, it would be the music. Maybe it’s a personal issue rather than a universal experience, but sometimes the background music feels too intense and loud. It overpowers scenes, and while I think the actual scores fit the atmosphere, the sound mixing is all over the place. I get that the scene is supposed to be dramatic without a full orchestra blowing out of my speakers! On the other hand, the best thing about the show so far are the actors who are doing a splendid job. The characters are drawn in broad, colorful strokes, which make them interesting in and of themselves, but the performances add another layer of nuance that makes the banter, colluding, and unspoken tensions that much more engaging. I especially like the group dynamic within the M&A team so far because they all fit into unexpected roles and aren’t boxed into stereotypes. All of them are competent in their own way (even Jin-soo who is still learning on the job), and I’m glad the focus isn’t only on Ju-no being some genius but rather a good leader who trusts his team.
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