Chapter 14: The Necessary Network (7)

After ending the call, Kim Hyosan held his smartphone absentmindedly, feeling disoriented.

Jeon Sung-ryeol had skillfully steered the conversation. He neither displayed any disappointment nor showed arrogance as if he had won. Instead, he subtly emphasized that the situation unfolded inevitably due to circumstances beyond his control.

-“A great opportunity arose with Baekdu Hotel, and naturally, we had to accept it.”

-“In truth, we never officially signed a supply contract with West Sea Hotel, which caused us some uncertainty. Despite our repeated requests, their procurement department was hesitant to switch suppliers easily. Of course, I understand why.”

-“Songyi supplies? We’re currently struggling to meet the demand for Baekdu Hotel, ha-ha.”

It wasn’t like Jeon Sung-ryeol had deliberately stabbed them in the back. The situation had simply unfolded this way beyond anyone’s control. He made that point clear, and Kim Hyosan couldn’t refute it. All he could do was plead earnestly based on their relationship.

“We have a very important reservation. Could you at least supply us with 20 kg? This guest is a long-time regular who matters greatly to our restaurant.”

“I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll try my best,” Jeon Sung-ryeol replied weakly.

Kim Hyosan muttered under his breath, “Dammit… That procurement foreman screwed everything up.”

He couldn’t entirely escape feelings of guilt. Should he have taken a more proactive role and tried harder to persuade the procurement foreman? Or perhaps he should have informed the executive manager earlier and requested intervention?

He had naively thought that as long as Songyi was supplied to him, everything else outside his kitchen wasn’t his concern. This mindset now led to painful consequences.

Two days passed without any contact from Jeon Sung-ryeol, and for Kim Hyosan, these two days felt like hell on earth. He wanted to call Sung-ryeol to hurry things along but resisted doing so, knowing it would likely have the opposite effect. Instead, he ended up having a heated argument with the procurement team leader, nearly coming to blows.

As a result, even the assistant manager became aware of the situation.

“We lost our entire supply line because of you! Do you know how much our VIP customers love Songyi dishes?”

“It’s just some fancy mushrooms! Give me a few months, and I can easily source them!”

“Talk sense! It’s a huge advantage to have fresh Songyi mushrooms during the off-season!”

“Now, now, both of you stop this nonsense.” The assistant manager struggled to separate them as they grabbed each other by the collar like children squabbling on a playground.

Kim Hyosan had reached his breaking point.

It’s because you took bribes from suppliers that we lost our Songyi connection!

He refrained from saying those words in front of the assistant manager. If he did, it would cross a line and jeopardize everything, potentially leading to an ethics disciplinary committee investigation.

Later, the assistant manager called Kim Hyosan aside privately.

“I know President Makemira enjoys Songyi dishes, but is the situation truly that dire?”

“It’s not just that he enjoys Songyi; President Makemira is a true aficionado. He would have been thrilled to indulge in premium-quality Songyi dishes out of season. If he finds out about Songyi being supplied to Baekdu Hotel, he might switch his preferred hotel.”

“Hmm, that would be problematic.” The assistant manager felt extremely troubled.

President Makemira wasn’t merely a wealthy VIP. Although the revenue from his patronage at the Korean restaurant was significant—generating tens of millions of won monthly and leaving equally generous tips—the most crucial aspect was the various events he hosted by booking the grand ballroom. As part of his business dealings, he frequently reserved the space for important functions. Additionally, he regularly utilized the hotel’s catering buffet services at least once a month.

Additionally, many wealthy individuals from Makemira President’s network became regular customers at the hotel, spending lavishly on events and utilizing the banquet facilities for business trips. If Mr. Makemira switched to Baekdu Hotel, all those connections would follow suit.

President Makemira’s mere mention of using a branch location instead of the flagship West Sea Hotel Seoul had prompted Kim Hyosan himself to travel there personally.

As the assistant manager sighed, Kim Hyosan checked his smartphone message and jumped up excitedly.

“Yes! Thank goodness! Sungyel Logistics will deliver ten kilograms of Songyi mushrooms today!”

“Really? That’s a relief, at least temporarily.”

“But we can’t let our guard down yet, Assistant Manager. We need to quickly sign an official supply contract with Sungyel Logistics.”

“What about Hanjin Distribution? They’ve been our supplier for over ten years! Are we cutting ties with them just because of some mushrooms?”

“Just because of some mushrooms? President Makemira at Baekdu Hotel—”

“I get it, I get it. Let me talk to the head manager first, and you stop arguing with this foreman.”

Kim Hyosan anxiously awaited Sungyel Logistics’ truck, personally greeting the driver as soon as it arrived.

“My apologies. This is all I could manage. We tried our best to meet your requested twenty kilograms, but since they’re out of season, it was quite challenging to source them.”

“That’s alright. I truly appreciate what you were able to bring.”

Although not enough, Kim Hyosan felt hopeful that Sungyel had managed to deliver within three days.

However, his hopes were shattered as soon as he returned to his office alone.

“Sir, my friend mentioned that Baekdu Hotel just received an additional hundred kilograms of Songyi mushrooms about an hour ago.”

“What…?!” Kim Hyosan nearly collapsed but managed to catch himself by grabbing onto his desk.

“Only ten kilograms? Won’t West Sea Hotel think we’re neglecting them?”

“That’s precisely why I only gave them ten kilograms. We originally promised twenty,” Jeon Sung-ryeol casually explained. “It’s important to set clear boundaries from the start. If you bow too low initially, it’ll only lead to exhaustion down the line.”

“But sir, haven’t you already bowed quite low before…?”

“That was before securing Baekdu Hotel. Although not as prestigious as West Sea Hotel, Baekdu is still highly regarded. In fact, knowing our interest in West Sea Hotel spurred them to be even more proactive.”

“It’s fascinating that even outside its season, Songyi mushrooms have sparked a competition between two luxury hotels.”

“You know what they say? There’s this Japanese real estate tycoon who is obsessed with Songyi and frequents the West Sea Hotel. Indeed, Japanese businessmen can’t get enough of Songyi.”

“What will you do about the West Sea Hotel now?”

“We’ll see how things unfold. We still need to secure their business, but I don’t plan to be as deferential as before. After all, we have Baekdu Hotel backing us up.”

“Sir, actually, I had an idea myself.”

“Oh?” Jeon Sung-ryeol eagerly awaited her suggestion.

Ha So-young nonchalantly responded, “What if we sell some of our Songyi supply to Japan through an auction? It could bring in significant profits.”

”…To Japan?” Jeon Sung-ryeol paused momentarily, feeling uncertain.

As someone who had only dealt with domestic distribution, exporting was as foreign to him as Andromeda. The term itself sounded unfamiliar.

“It’s too valuable to limit it just to our market. It wouldn’t matter if quantities were low, but now we can produce 500 kg per month. If we export some during this season via auction to Japan, we could make significant profits.”

The potential earnings from exports far surpassed what they could achieve domestically.

However, Jeon Sung-ryeol couldn’t shake off his unease.

‘Exporting to Japan? Is there even a place for me in that? Is he trying to take control and handle things himself…?’

“I understand you don’t have experience with exporting, sir. But think of it as a great opportunity to gain knowledge. No matter how I look at it, limiting Songyi solely to the domestic market would be a waste.”