Chapter 18: Exporting Exploitation III
The monthly supply was set at 500kg, but since they had to provide for Baekdu Hotel as well, only about 400kg could be exported to Japan. Maintaining their domestic distribution network was very important to Jeon Sung-ryeol, so he wasn’t willing to reduce it any further.
On the other hand, his employees were slightly surprised by this turn of events.
‘What will President Ha think of me now?’
‘If anyone heard our conversation, they would think our president is being submissive towards him.’
‘Is he really being submissive? Songyi has a monopoly on supplying the product.’
‘Yes, that’s true. That friend holds all the power.’
While everyone cautiously observed each other’s reactions, Park Kisoo spoke up again.
“Should I meet with West Sea Foods?”
“Kisoo, you?” Jeon Sung-ryeol responded hesitantly, implying clear skepticism.
His question clearly implied that nothing would change even if Kisu met with them.
“In truth, I haven’t mentioned this before… One of my friends works at West Sea Food’s Export Management Department.”
“Really? Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
“My friend hasn’t been there for long, and until now, we’ve had no dealings with West Sea Foods.”
“But will meeting your friend solve anything?”
“Honestly, our president won’t accept these terms. It’d be better to explore other companies or try negotiating directly ourselves.”
“You’re right.”
“We’ll show them how well-connected we are without making it too obvious, so as not to offend such a large corporation. Using my friend allows us to approach things smoothly.”
“Alright, then go ahead and meet with him, Kisu.”
Park Kisoo promptly visited the headquarters of West Sea Foods.
His friend from the export team, who had been informed beforehand, warmly greeted him. After pouring coffee and sitting down, his friend asked with anticipation:
“So, how did it go?”
“The president seems half-convinced. If we play our cards right with Songyi, I think we can seal the deal.”
“She’s only twenty, right? Just offer her favorable terms and leverage our company’s reputation; it should be a piece of cake.”
“We need to handle this carefully.”
“But about Ha So-young, where exactly is he sourcing these Songyi mushrooms from?”
“It appears he has access to mountains where Songyi grows abundantly, regardless of the season. Can’t your company investigate further?”
“For such information, it would require involvement from our headquarters. Our subsidiary lacks the capability as we’re quite far removed within the group structure.”
Lee Wonjae, his friend, interlocked his fingers excitedly, his eyes gleaming.
“If we sell 500 kg of Songyi on the moon to Japan via auction, it should fetch at least 7 billion won. After deducting your friend’s share and other expenses, we’d be left with around 2 billion won per month.”
“At first, I suggested only 50 kg, but our president increased it to 500 kg because he trusts you. In my opinion, even that isn’t the limit. We can aim higher.”
“Kisoo, can I really trust you and proceed with this plan?”
“Dude, think about it—what do you have to lose? The risk is much greater for me.”
“You know what, man? Don’t worry. If this works out well, I’ll step aside and ensure you get a position in our company.”
“It has to succeed, seriously.”
Park Kisoo smiled faintly. He had been suspicious all along, wondering where Ha So-young was sourcing the Songyi from. Eventually, he realized something crucial: instead of doubting him, he needed to seize the opportunity.
Instead of being suspicious, he needed to seize this opportunity. Depending on how he utilized it, it could be his chance for a major career turnaround.
Yes, I can’t rot away forever working at this small company. If I work at West Sea Foods as a manager for about ten years and build up my network, then later, when I go independent…
A rosy future danced before his eyes.
Park Kisoo thought about his newborn son and remembered his wife sighing while checking their household budget.
“Kisoo, we got approval from the department head. Let’s negotiate with Ha So-young today.”
“Don’t make it too obvious. We don’t know how others might react if they find out our involvement. It should appear that he made his choice driven by his own ambition.”
“Don’t worry. Despite what you see here, I’m still a deputy manager at a large corporation.”
Ha So-young stared intently at his mobile account balance:
[219,873,992 won]
Just shy of 220 million won. It was all money earned from selling songi mushrooms.
“I should register as a business soon. To avoid a tax bomb, I need to invest this quickly and consider forming a corporation rather than being a sole proprietor.”
In just a few months, she had made over 200 million won. However, it still seemed far-fetched to achieve his dream of becoming a landlord in Cheongdam-dong.
“We need to use this capital to expand into other ventures.” Ha So-young didn’t intend to rely solely on selling songi mushrooms forever. “We’ll sell not only songi but also golden silk parasols and explore other products too. Digging one well won’t make me the queen of Cheongdam-dong anytime soon.”
The well of songi mushrooms had now established itself to some extent. It was time for Ha So-young to prepare his second well, and she chose the golden silk umbrella mushroom as that item.
“If I have to climb a mountain anyway, it’s better to aim for a big one, right?”
With his resolve strengthened, Ha So-young promptly made a phone call—to a real estate broker.
“Oh my, Ms. President.”
“Yes, it’s me. Did you find anything regarding my previous request?”
“There are several good listings on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do. They’re located quite remotely, but someone who moved there wanting to return to nature couldn’t adjust to rural life and is selling everything cheaply before moving back to Seoul.”
“Really?”
“Yes, there’s a mountain spanning around 100,000 square meters available for just over 910 million won.”
Wow! Over 900 million won?!
“-It’s priced at slightly less than 30,000 won per pyeong, which is quite reasonable for such a property. It’s also conveniently located near a major road. Normally, similar mountains cost around 40,000 won per pyeong, and some can even go up to 50,000 won.”
“910 million won…”
“-There’s also a newly built three-story standalone house at the entrance of the mountain. It’s constructed just two years ago with a spacious garden, resembling a luxurious vacation home fit for a wealthy chairman.”
The utilities were well-established as well.
“The property sounds great, but unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of budget…”
“-May I ask how much you can afford?”
“I currently have about 220 million won available.”
The real estate agent fell silent momentarily.
‘I suppose it was unrealistic, even by my standards.’
Naturally, Ha So-young didn’t want to be silently judged as an inexperienced young person who couldn’t grasp reality.
“That’s immediately available right now, and I should be able to comfortably pay the remaining balance within three or four months without any issues.”
“Oh, really?”
Finally, enthusiasm returned to the real estate agent’s voice.
“-Wow, it seems your business has excellent cash flow, Mr. President. You should have mentioned this earlier.”
“I’m involved in some farming, growing high-quality crops that generate good monthly income.”
“Aha, hence why you’re interested in buying land.”
“So, is there room for negotiation on the price?”
“Uh… That might be difficult since it’s already listed at a very competitive rate.”
“What can’t be negotiated in this world? Transactions involving large properties like this don’t happen often anyway. Sure, I can look for another mountain, but it would be challenging for the current owner too. By the way, do they have any plans for development?”
“Hold on, please. I’ll talk to the landowner.”
The call ended, and about twenty minutes later, the real estate agent contacted So-young again.
“I think they can go as low as eight hundred eighty million won.”
“Hmm, well, I’ve also had some time to think things over. How about this?”
“Yes?” The agent sounded uneasy, worried that So-young might have changed his mind.
“I’ll pay nine billion one hundred million won for the mountain, but I’d like immediate access once we sign the contract.”
“That’s—”
“The crops I plan to grow there will be out of season in three or four months, so I need to start now. In exchange, I’ll double your commission fee to two hundred million won, keep the purchase price at nine billion one hundred million won, and guarantee payment within four months.”
–I will talk to you once more.
This time, I received a reply within five minutes. The voice sounded very bright.
-The landowner agrees with it. He asks when we should sign the contract?
“I’m fine with signing right away.”
-Ah, then I’ll come immediately. The landowner is currently in Seoul so he can arrive soon.
“We’re quite far from Seoul.”
-No problem. We will depart straight away.
I put down my phone feeling relieved, but it rang again instantly. The caller ID was unknown.
“Yes, this is Ha So-young.”
-Hello, President Ha So-young. This is Lee Wonjae of West Sea Foods. I contacted you because I heard that you were preparing to export songi mushrooms to Japan. Do you have some time?
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