Chapter 17: Exporting Exploitation II

“What? One tonne? Exports to Japan?”

“That’s what I heard. It isn’t even the season for Songyi. Where would they get one tonne of Songyi at this time? Moreover, frozen Songyi won’t sell well in Japan.”

Initially, all premium-quality pine mushrooms were sold fresh during their respective seasons, leaving none available for freezing. The mushrooms stored long-term as frozen produce were typically graded medium or lower. However, despite being lower grades, their aroma remained intact. The grading system for pine mushrooms was based on how perfectly they had grown in shape.

“Where did you hear about this? Tell me more details.”

Jung Jaemin found his friend’s urgency puzzling but provided the information he knew.

“So there’s this small agricultural distribution company called Sungyel Logistics…”

Upon hearing the full story, Makemira raised his voice incredulously.

“Why are you just watching without taking action?”

“Why would I buy one ton of Songyi?”

“Why? You own a restaurant chain.”

“Dude, we don’t need premium-quality Songyi. For dishes requiring Songyi, it is sufficient to use mid-grade frozen ones.”

“That mindset is why you will be selling instant food for your entire life. No ambition, no ambition at all.”

“If Japan buys just one ton of Songyi from us, our revenue could reach ten billion won? Shouldn’t we pursue this opportunity? Our company’s annual turnover already exceeds 1 trillion won.”

“Forget it. Can you give me the contact information for Sungyel Logistics or whatever their name is?”

“What do you plan on doing with that?”

“I have something to take care of, so just give it to me.”

Jung Jaemin contacted his subordinate to obtain the phone number for Sungyel Logistics. Makemira quietly muttered while saving the number into his phone, ensuring his friend couldn’t hear:

“They’re making my elixir here, right?”

“Thank you! You will be blessed, father!”

-The Franchise God exists to distribute blessings throughout the universe, not receive them.

“It is merely my expression of gratitude and filial piety. Please don’t read too much into it.”

-Well, this is also for your benefit.

In any case, I must never exceed one drop per day. Otherwise, there could be fatal consequences.

“Yes, Father.”

After several days of tedious negotiations, Ha So-young achieved a remarkable breakthrough. Instead of being limited to ten drops daily, he was granted permission to take as much elixir as needed whenever required.

The reason behind Silver Ash Tree’s eventual agreement was straightforward:

-I examined the conditions set forth, and it appears that you need at least thirty years of continuous consumption before advancing to the next stage. Ten drops a day won’t suffice. Therefore, we have no choice but to extract as much elixir as possible in advance.

It was due to the restriction placed by his true self on the avatar. The next educational course would only be unlocked after consistently consuming the elixir for about 30 years.

“Why can’t I extract enough for 30 years all at once now?”

-Do you think there wouldn’t be such safety measures? Naturally, my true self will detect something strange and immediately rush back to Earth.

“That’s fine, isn’t it? You’ll get to see your father too.”

-Son, do you really want me…

“Well then, I should properly negotiate with my father to acquire several buildings in Cheongdam-dong. He must have hidden money stashed away somewhere.”

-…For a moment, I was touched, but now I feel pathetic.

“Now, please give me the elixir.”

-Bring a large container.

“Yes, here it is.”

Ha So-young respectfully held out a large water container with both hands. he bowed deeply, his attitude filled with infinite obedience, like a slave receiving a gift from their master. One of my branches trembled as it extended towards the water container. Did I feel contempt for his attitude?

–Are you seeking forgiveness? Why doesn’t this guy have any self-respect when he will be the future franchise god?

“F-Father, how can such a humble child overcome a one-in-ten-trillion chance?”

–It is only one in ten trillion!

“I am just observing etiquette before the most noble father in the universe. Now, please give me the elixir.”

The swaying branch momentarily faltered like someone taking a deep breath before filling the empty container with elixir.

“Well then, father, have a peaceful day.”

With that, Ha So-young left, feeling overjoyed. After some silence, the Silver Ash Tree quietly sighed.

“Since when did property prices skyrocket in Cheongdam-dong…?”

The tree had hoped its son would show more enthusiasm for his studies once he became the landlord of Cheongdam-dong. Thus, it pretended to be unaware and increased the daily dose of elixir from five drops to ten. However, even this wasn’t enough, so after much deliberation, the tree resorted to lying while dispensing additional doses.

“I wonder if he’s still consuming at least one drop per week despite all I’ve given him?”

Raising a single child was truly challenging.

Jeon Sung-ryeol was diligently researching various options for exporting to Japan.

Ha So-young had assured him that he could consistently supply more than 500 kilograms per month. Therefore, securing a distribution network for continuous sales was crucial. Fortunately, songi mushrooms were highly popular among Japanese gourmands, making it relatively easy to establish a market.

“These highway robbers!”

Every single distributor tried to exploit them. Initially, they approached domestic distributors already exporting food products to Japan. These distributors knew about Baekdu Hotel’s steady demand for songi mushrooms and condescendingly offered their services as a favor.

“How can they ask for a 30% commission on profits? Is this even reasonable?”

At this time, they could easily get more than 1,500,000 won per kilogram from Japan. The domestic exporter wanted to take 30 percent of the profits instead of using their Japanese distribution network. They claimed it would be too much work for them due to the small volume being exported.

Their claim wasn’t entirely wrong. This particular distributor had annual transactions exceeding 100 billion won with Japanese companies.

“I’ve never heard of auction fees as high as 30%. How dare they insult us with such ridiculous terms…”

“They’re doing this because they know we have no other way to sell Songyi mushrooms in Japan without them,” Park Kisoo chimed in, grinding his teeth slightly.

“Honestly, it’s true. We don’t have any connections with Japanese companies, no one who speaks Japanese fluently, and we lack knowledge about the Japanese market. Plus, since we’ve never exported before, navigating customs procedures for shipping would be a nightmare.”

“Kisoo, he’s right, but his words still sting somehow.”

“Well, sir, you’re just being realistic. It’s clear that blindly venturing into this venture could lead to significant complications, so partnering with an experienced company seems like the prudent choice.”

The problem was, our counterpart knew this too well, allowing them to make such unreasonable demands.

“Those damn conglomerates! With all their money from selling DRAM worldwide, why do they need to exploit small farmers by entering the agricultural distribution sector?”

“Sir, West Sea Food has nothing to do with West Sea Electronics. They share only the name ‘West Sea Group’, but they are completely unrelated entities. In fact, far from being a top-tier company, it barely scrapes by as a third-rate one.”

“In any case, let’s hear what everyone thinks we should do.”

“We can barely make ends meet selling rice and potatoes domestically. How could we possibly advise on this matter?”

“Rice and potatoes?! Barely making ends meet?!” Jeon Sung-ryeol fumed while Park Kisoo cautiously spoke up.

“Sir, our opponent is a large corporation. They wouldn’t even consider us comparable to their own hole-in-the-wall shops. How can we negotiate effectively under these circumstances?”

“So you’re suggesting we give them 30% of the auction proceeds? If we sell 400 kg per month, that’s at least 600 million won. And you want me to just watch while they pocket 180 million won without lifting a finger? If I fail to handle this and get taken advantage of, how will President Ha view me?”