Chapter 11:The Necessary Network (4)

Jeon Sung-ryeol received a call from an unknown number.

“Hello, sir. May I speak with President Jeon Sung-ryeol?”

“Yes, that’s correct, but who is this?”

“This is Kim Hyosan, the head chef of West Sea Hotel.”

Upon hearing those words, Jeon Sung-ryeol put down the documents he was holding and took a seat. His expression instantly changed. The employees, previously engrossed in their work amidst a bustling atmosphere, quickly quietened down upon noticing his serious demeanor.

“Oh, it’s you, Chef Kim. But how did you get my number…?”

**“I have urgent matters to discuss with you.”

The president of a food supply company conversing directly with the head chef of a luxury hotel—while they had professional connections, such direct communication between them was unusual. After all, Jeon Sung-ryeol’s company wasn’t the official supplier for the West Sea Hotel.

Although they were professionally connected, it wasn’t customary for them to directly communicate like this. Jeon Sung-ryeol’s company wasn’t an official supplier for West Sea Hotel. Whenever he delivered songi mushrooms, payment was made instantly via wire transfer along with issuing tax invoices on the spot. It wasn’t settled through monthly settlements.

This implied that his business could be easily replaced or dismissed by the West Sea Hotel at any time.

“The shortage of songi mushrooms supplied from your company is causing issues. Do you happen to know when more will arrive?”

“Oh, so that’s why you called.” Jeon Sung-ryeol leaned back, propping up his legs on the desk. “Apologies, but we’re currently out of stock as well. It might take some time until our next supply arrives.”

“We are currently very desperate. We need those songi mushrooms within this week. The hotel’s VIPs are all requesting them.”

“Haha, our Songyi mushrooms are indeed of exceptional quality.”

“They truly are top-notch. It’s amazing to find such high-quality mushrooms outside their season. By any chance, are they frozen?”

“They’re not frozen. Thawing frozen mushrooms wouldn’t yield that texture.”

“I suspected as much since it’s not the right season for domestically grown varieties. Despite being non-seasonal, I thought they might still be frozen imports, but you confirm they’re fresh.”

“I understand your predicament well, Chef Kim. Although we aren’t officially contracted with the West Sea Hotel, I’ll do my best to expedite the supply of Songyi mushrooms once available.”

Kim Hyosan fell silent for a moment, picking up on Jeon Sung-ryeol’s deliberate emphasis on “not our official supplier.”

“-Is there anything I can assist you with?”

“No, not at all. Why would someone like you concern yourself with small-time distributors like us? Don’t worry about it. If by any chance we find Songyi, I’ll contact you using this number.”

This time, Kim Hyosan intentionally stressed the phrase “by any chance,” and Jeon Sung-ryeol noticed the discomfort in her tone.

“-If it’s okay with you, would you care to join me for a cup of coffee? My treat.”

“Oh, what an honor! Where should we meet?”

-“Where would be convenient for you? I’m currently at the hotel.”

Although she asked where it was most comfortable for him, her intention was clear: to meet at the hotel. Despite Songyi’s insistence on urgency earlier, she now subtly maneuvered things to her advantage. Of course, Jeon Sung-ryeol wasn’t bothered by this; it made sense for him to go to her. If everything went well, he’d frequent the West Sea Hotel like his second home, so stopping by for a coffee wouldn’t be a big deal.

“I’ll head to the hotel. What time should we meet? I can leave right away if that’s okay; it will take about an hour to get there.”

-“Let’s meet in one hour.”

Ha So-young straightened his back and proudly surveyed his mushroom farm. Watching the songi mushrooms flourish made him feel as if she owned the world.

“I already feel like a landlord of Cheongdam-dong. Oh my, these adorable little ones.”

With the elixir supply increasing tenfold, the expected monthly production of mushrooms also rose to 500 kg. This meant his monthly income would now be over 225 million won.

“At this rate, I’ll make around 2.7 billion won per year… Perfect! Just one step closer to owning that building in Cheongdam-dong.”

However, Ha So-young’s pride quickly turned into a sigh.

“Dad, though, couldn’t he just give me a hundred drops—no, even a thousand drops daily instead? At 2.7 billion won a year, how long will it take to become the landlord of Cheongdam-dong?”

Just moments ago, he had been thrilled at taking a big step forward, but now his excitement faded quickly.

“If we assume there’s no VAT, production costs including wages and miscellaneous expenses would be roughly 1.9 billion won, generously estimating additional deductions at around one hundred million won. That leaves us with taxable income of approximately seven billion won? Considering annual pension insurance contributions of about 35 million won and paying roughly 2.8 billion won for income tax, I’d end up with around 23 billion won in hand.” Ha So-young quietly murmured to herself.

“A net profit of 23 billion won per year… It sounds substantial, but it’s far from enough to become a Cheongdam-dong property owner. With living expenses, car maintenance, fuel costs, and home upkeep factored in…” Deep in thought, Ha So-young clenched his fists tightly.

“At this rate, it will take at least fifteen years. Meanwhile, property values will continue to rise, and currency value will decrease further. This can’t go on like this. I need to find a way to make more money.”

Firstly, Ha So-young finished collecting 125 kg of songi mushrooms and neatly stacked them in a temporary storage unit outside his home. Then he immediately contacted Jeon Sung-ryeol.

“Mr. President, it’s me.”

“Oh, President Ha.”

Jeon Sung-ryeol sounded unusually cheerful compared to his usual demeanor. Had something good happened?

“I’ve prepared the Songyi mushrooms, but there’s too much for me to transport alone. Could you please bring your staff from now on?”

-“That many already?”

“Yes, it’s 125 kg. Weight isn’t an issue, but as you know, Songyi mushrooms have quite a large volume.”

”…! 125 kg? Did you collect that much within just one week?”

“I believe I can consistently supply about 500 kg per month going forward.”

”…Wow.”

His laughter sounded both amazed and incredulous. Jeon Sung-ryeol didn’t probe further despite the sudden increase of songi mushroom supply to 500 kg monthly, even though it was out of season. This restraint pleased Ha So-young, as he only asked essential questions like this:

**“-So, you’re confident in supplying 500 kg every month without fail?”

“Yes, absolutely. If there’s any disruption to the plan, I’ll provide at least four months’ notice beforehand.”

“-It’s a completely different story compared to when it was just 50 kg. Five hundred kilograms, five hundred…!”

With this new trump card, Jeon Sung-ryeol had a clear vision of how he would utilize it.

“-Actually, I met with the head chef from West Sea Hotel today.”

“With the head chef?”

“-There seems to be some conflict between him and the procurement team. He complained to me about it. He urgently needs songi mushrooms but is going crazy as they can’t secure any supply.”

“For the head chef to contact suppliers directly, there must be chaos within their procurement system.”

“-The foreman has been working at the West Sea Hotel for quite some time and appears to have received substantial kickbacks from the current supplier. That’s why he doesn’t want to switch vendors,”

“You weren’t aware of this, sir?”

“I already caught on to it. I’ve been running my business this way for some time now.”

“So what do you plan to do?”

“If we push just a little more, we might be able to take over their entire supply chain, but that ‘little’ bit is proving quite difficult. For now, they agreed to provide the required quantity of songi mushrooms immediately. It’s probably due to the head chef’s influence.”

“Don’t trust him too much. He may help you temporarily, though.”

“Don’t worry. Would the head chef side with the purchasing foreman or me? That guy only cares about securing the songi mushrooms; everything else is secondary.”

“What’s your next move then?”

“With our songi mushroom supply increasing tenfold, it’s time to play a card I’ve been holding back.”

The jovial tone vanished from Jeon Sung-ryeol’s voice.

“Is West Sea Hotel the only one deserving special treatment? It’s high time we really strike at others as well.”