Chapter 13: The Necessary Network (6)

Franchise God Chapter 13: Part 6 - Is Networking Necessary?

Kim Hyosan was feeling anxious.

“Songyi, did you hear anything?”

“Yes, I received a call from the procurement team. They said ten kilograms arrived today.”

“Ten kilograms… It’s not ideal, but it is better than nothing.”

Although this amount wasn’t satisfactory, Kim Hyosan felt relieved knowing that President Jeon Sung-ryeol was keeping his promise.

“You’re aware of Mr. Makemira’s reservation for today, right? Ensure everything proceeds smoothly without any hiccups.”

“Yes, Head Chef.”

The kitchen atmosphere was akin to a battlefield. Upon hearing about President Makemira’s arrival, Kim Hyosan hastily went out to greet him and returned promptly.

“How is President Makemira doing today?”

“He seems particularly cheerful today.”

“I’m glad. I thought he would be downcast due to his illness acting up again.”

“He is used to dealing with big business matters. He doesn’t dwell on negative emotions for too long. Now now, let’s hurry and prepare the dishes.”

On this day, President Makemira praised the songi mushroom dish more effusively than usual.

He wasn’t alone. The VIPs visiting the restaurant were thoroughly captivated by the exquisite taste of the premium wild-grown songi mushroom dishes.

“Chef Kim, I’ve always liked songi mushrooms, but these from your hotel are different somehow.”

“The texture and aroma…there’s a subtle superiority that’s hard to describe. I’ve tasted various high-quality songi mushrooms before, but these go beyond ‘special.’ They’re almost unique, aren’t they? Anyway, there’s definitely something exceptional about them.”

“I won’t be able to eat songi mushroom dishes anywhere else now.”

“Where do these songi mushrooms come from? It’s not even their season right now! And frozen ones couldn’t possibly taste this good…”

“Thank you very much.”

Kim Hyosan was thrilled by his customers’ praise. Before long, the off-season specialty dish of Songyi mushrooms became the signature offering at West Sea Hotel’s Korean restaurant. The French restaurant within the hotel even requested some for themselves, but Kim Hyosan promptly rejected their demand.

“How dare they ask when we don’t have enough supply ourselves!”

He sternly warned the procurement team leader with a mix of insistence and caution.

“I personally persuaded President Jeon Sung-ryeol to secure this supply line, so I can’t let you divert it elsewhere. This isn’t just about our hotel’s French restaurant. It applies to all other establishments within the hotel, including any places known by the foreman outside of West Sea Hotel.”

He ended with a subtle warning.

“I don’t want to overhaul the entire food procurement process either. Let’s keep things comfortable between us, okay?”

Hyosan knew that the foreman was receiving kickbacks from their current supplier. If anyone tampered with the songi mushroom supply, Hyosan would expose everything and replace the supplier network. The foreman clearly understood the implications.

As Songyi mushroom dishes gained popularity amongst their high-end clientele, reservations started pouring in at West Sea Hotel’s Korean restaurant, causing them to rejoice.

However, it didn’t take long for their joyous cries to turn into agonized screams.

“Head Chef! We don’t have much of the Songyi left! At this rate, we won’t be able to honor all these reservations!”

“What happened to the last batch?”

“The dining hall has been packed all week. Naturally, we used up everything.”

“Chef, the amount supplied by Sungyul Logistics is gradually decreasing. It was already insufficient, but now there is even less.”

“This isn’t good. I need to make a call.”

He knew that Songyi mushrooms were not currently in season. He wasn’t sure how Sungyel Logistics had procured them, but it must have been quite challenging. Despite this, he couldn’t simply sit idle. He needed to call and plead his case.

“Ah, we’re having difficulties too, as you know. Songyi mushrooms aren’t in season right now. We’ve been struggling to secure even small quantities.”

“I understand, I understand. But our situation is extremely urgent. Once word spread about these prized mushrooms, reservations skyrocketed. Is there any way you can get us even just a little more?”

“Sigh… Let me try my best. I’ll contact you as soon as we secure additional supplies.”

“When you do, thank you so much. Please make every effort for us.”

President Jeon Sung-ryeol listened patiently without showing any irritation. Kim Hyosan sensed hope from this demeanor. However, shocking news awaited him.

“Chef, did you hear about it?”

“What now?” Seeing his junior colleague Jung Seokwoo’s hesitant expression, Kim Hyosan felt a sense of foreboding.

“I just got word from my friend at Baekdu Hotel.”

“What is it? Spit it out before I suffocate!”

“They received 100 kilograms of premium wild songi mushrooms all at once and served dishes with them to every customer visiting their restaurant.”

“What?!” Kim Hyosan felt disheartened.

A competitor hotel acquired 100 kilograms of premium wild songi mushrooms?

If it were peak season for songi mushrooms, he wouldn’t have thought much about it. However, outside of frozen varieties, one couldn’t buy them during this off-season period even if they had money to spare. Naturally, Kim Hyosan immediately suspected Sungyel Logistics.

“Do you happen to know where they sourced those mushrooms from?”

“I haven’t heard that part yet. I’ll discreetly ask my friend later.”

“Can’t you ask right now?”

“My friend mentioned receiving 100 kg of songi mushrooms in our group chat and has been offline since then. They’re probably busy as they still don’t get many breaks due to their junior position.”

“Let me know immediately when you hear anything.”

“Yes, understood, sir.”

Kim Hyosan’s anxiety made it difficult for him to focus on his work.

He resisted the urge to immediately call Jeon Sung-ryeol and inquire about it.

What’s the point of asking him now?

The Korean restaurant at Baekdu Hotel was their fiercest rival. Ever since Jungwon received three Michelin stars last year while Baekdu earned two, the competition between them had intensified even further. Being recognized as the best Korean restaurant within South Korea’s top hotels was a pride they wouldn’t trade for anything.

However, if Jungwon couldn’t secure songi mushrooms yet Baekdu managed to acquire 100 kg…

I hope not, but please let them be frozen. It has to be frozen, without a doubt. How could they possibly obtain fresh, wild songi mushrooms during this season?

For Jung Seokwoo, the wait until his friend responded felt incredibly long.

Finally, he received an answer.

“Sir, it seems like we have been deceived.”

“What do you mean?”

“They were indeed supplied by Sungyel Logistics. The president’s name is Jeon Sung-ryeol as well.”

Kim Hyosan felt utterly defeated.

He recalled Jeon Sung-ryeol’s cheerful laughter earlier.

“I’ll be right back. Please watch over things here while I make a call about some ingredients.”

“Yes, sir. Take care.”

Kim Hyosan hastily left the kitchen and called Jeon Sung-ryeol. He worried what would happen if Sung-ryeol didn’t pick up, but fortunately, the call connected after just a few rings.

“Hello, this is Head Chef Kim Hyosan speaking. It’s Jeon Sung-ryeol.”

“Good day, Mr. President. This is Kim Hyosan.”

“Ah, how may I assist you?”

Jeon Sung-ryeol’s voice was still bright and cheerful. Based on his tone alone, Kim Hyosan wondered if he had misjudged the situation. He decided to get straight to the point.

“Well…I wanted to know when we could expect our delivery of songi mushrooms.”

“Oh, my apologies. Currently, there is insufficient stock. I’ll supply them as soon as they become available.”

“I heard that Baekdu Hotel received a 100kg shipment of Songyi today. By any chance, do you have information about this?”

Kim Hyosan awaited Jeon Sung-ryeol’s reaction. Would he hesitate, panic, or feign ignorance?

However, none of these reactions materialized from Jeon Sung-ryeol.

“Oh, yes, we supplied those mushrooms. At this time, no other company can source natural songi mushrooms except ours.”

“Huh? How is that possible…?”

Kim Hyosan was momentarily speechless at Jeon Sung-ryeol’s cheerful agreement. He hadn’t anticipated this reaction.

“We have a supply contract with Baekdu Hotel. Starting from this month, we agreed to provide all ingredients except for songi mushrooms. Ha ha.”