Chapter 4: Off-season Mushrooms (1)

Jeon Sung-ryeol worked in agricultural distribution. His main job involved procuring high-end ingredients from various regions and supplying them to hotels, department stores, and upscale restaurants on a regular basis. He did not deal with common staples like rice or potatoes.

As usual, he woke up early that day and headed towards his recently purchased mid-sized car for work. Although he had transport trucks available, he preferred having employees drive them instead of doing it himself.

Just as he was about to start the engine…

“By any chance, aren’t you President Jeon Sung-ryeol from Sung-ryeol Distribution?”

“Who is this?” The slightly nervous tone prompted Jeon Sung-ryeol to turn around cautiously.

It appeared to be a young man, perhaps around twenty years old. With a friendly demeanor, barely out of adolescence, he flashed a bright smile and extended his hand.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Ha So-young.”

“I think this is our first meeting…?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I found out about you through some connections. You deal with high-quality food supplies, right?”

When work was mentioned, Jeon Sung-ryeol’s expression brightened slightly, and his responses became more concise.

“Who introduced you? Are you interested in working for me?”

“Someday, maybe.”

“You’re ambitious. Do you have a business card? Oh wait, you probably don’t at your age. Contact me later. I need to get to work now. But who referred you?”

“It wasn’t a referral; I have something to show you. Could you spare a moment? It’s over there.”

When Ha So-young pointed to a vehicle parked at one side of the lot, Jeon Sung-ryeol felt slightly uneasy. Despite his being young, he hesitated to follow someone blindly upon their first meeting.

“I anticipated this reaction, so I brought samples with me.”

“Samples?”

“Please take a look.” Ha So-young removed the cover from the box he was holding. Inside was a white styrofoam container. When Jeon Sung-ryeol saw its contents after lifting the lid, his eyes widened in surprise.

“T-these are…!”

“As you can see, these are premium songi mushrooms.”

“You’re showing me these?” Jeon Sung-ryeol’s voice trembled in shock as Ha So-young grinned and gestured towards the truck with his thumb.

“Do you want to see them now?”

The small truck was filled with identical styrofoam boxes containing meticulously arranged songi mushrooms.

After inspecting nearly one-third of the boxes, Jeon Sung-ryeol muttered dejectedly:

”…They’re all premium quality.”

“Do you like them?”

“I more than like them. These are truly precious songis. Where did you find such mushrooms? It’s not currently their season…”

Ha So-young just smiled brightly without revealing any details. Jeon Sung-ryeol instinctively sensed his reluctance to disclose the source. The astonishment faded from his eyes as he reverted to being an experienced distributor who had seen it all.

“You want to sell these songis to me, right?”

“That’s why I brought them here.”

Jeon Sung-ryeol inspected the mushrooms once more.

Songi mushrooms were considered gourmet ingredients across Korea, Japan, and China. Their texture was unremarkable, but their distinct aroma appealed to most food connoisseurs.

In particular, premium-quality ones like these weren’t consumed domestically very often. It would be more profitable to supply them exclusively to luxury hotels or high-end restaurants within Korea or export them abroad to countries such as Japan or China.

“These can definitely be classified as top-grade songis. As you know, they’re quite pricey.”

“Oh really?” Based on his tone, it wasn’t because he didn’t already know. Rather, it felt like he was testing him despite being fully aware of their value.

Jeon Sung-ryeol’s eyes narrowed as he fiddled with one of the songi mushrooms, feeling suspicious.

It’s not mushroom season, so where did these come from?

Songi mushrooms couldn’t be harvested yet; it had to at least be September before they were ready. Moreover, it was illegal to pick them without proper permits. Breaking this law could result in imprisonment or hefty fines.

No matter how he looked at it, Jeon Sung-ryeol didn’t think this young man had obtained the necessary license for harvesting songi mushrooms. His intuition, honed over years in the business, warned him against believing otherwise.

“Do you have a permit for picking songi mushrooms? Or rather, were these gathered legally?”

“They’re not illegal.”

“I find that hard to believe. Would you trust me if our roles were reversed?”

“If you’re not interested, I’ll be on my way. I don’t like wasting time either.”

“Wait!” Jeon Sung-ryeol quickly called out as Ha So-young turned to leave. It was almost instinctual.

“What would you do if I didn’t buy them?”

“I’d find someone else who is willing. Fortunately, there are other potential buyers.” Ha So-young waved a piece of paper demonstratively. Jeon Sung-ryeol caught a glimpse of a familiar name on it—it belonged to both a friend and competitor in his line of work.

His eyes narrowed sharply.

Right, whether they were illegally harvested or not doesn’t matter now.

“How much for everything?”

“It’s fifty kilograms. When I weighed them, it was exactly fifty point three-two kilograms, so there might be a slight difference.”

“How much do you want to sell them for?”

“How much can you pay me?”

“With this quality, Japan would easily pay four hundred thousand won per kilo. Even domestically, they’d fetch at least three hundred thousand won per kilo. Of course, these prices are wholesale, not retail.”

“But it’s not the season for matsutake mushrooms here yet. There shouldn’t be any available on the market except frozen ones.”

“Who freezes premium-grade matsutakes like these? They’re sold immediately upon harvest.”

“I see you understand the situation well. You should know how much you need to offer.”

Jeon Sung-ryeol rapidly calculated various figures in his head. Once done, he looked Ha So-young straight in the eye.

“I still find your source of these songi mushrooms suspicious. If we want to buy and distribute them, we need to fabricate a legitimate procurement channel. It’ll involve lots of headaches with accountants involved. Just thinking about it gives me a migraine.”

“I understand that concern.”

“And you, do you prefer cash transactions? Does that mean no receipts or tax invoices?”

“Well, this time, I suppose…”

“This time?” Jeon Sung-ryeol didn’t miss the peculiar nuance in his words.

“How about 450,000 won per kilogram? I also need to make a profit, and there’s always some risk involved when disposing of such goods.”

“Fine.”

Unexpectedly, Ha So-young readily agreed. Jeon Sung-ryeol felt somewhat deflated as he had anticipated more back-and-forth negotiations.

‘he’s not someone who lets his personal preferences dictate business deals.’

In truth, the price of 450,000 won per kilogram was carefully calculated to ensure neither party would feel disadvantaged. If he understood this and accepted it, it indicated that he wasn’t an ordinary negotiator. he possessed above-average bargaining skills.

“May I inspect all the goods then? It’ll give me peace of mind.”

“Of course. Please take your time.”

After sending a text message to his staff, Jeon Sung-ryeol proceeded to check each remaining unopened box individually.

He examined each mushroom’s shape and scent by holding them in his hands.

Every single one is top-notch.

As Jeon Sung-ryeol meticulously inspected the goods, he occasionally glanced at Ha So-young. he was playing games on his smartphone with occasional yawns, looking like any ordinary young woman of his age. But where had he managed to procure this many songi mushrooms?

‘he seems more city-bred than someone from a rural area… Could he be selling these for someone else?’

That didn’t make sense either. If it were him, he wouldn’t entrust such valuable and expensive items to a young acquaintance like Ha So-young to sell alone.

“All right, since you have 50 kg, that comes out to 22,500,000 won. Should I transfer it to your account or give you cash?”

“I’d appreciate it if you pay me in cash.”

“Wait here. I’ll withdraw the money shortly.”

“Don’t you need to weigh them first?”