Chapter 79
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“No. I’m really fine. I’m really okay. And please tell Chairman Kang Su-ho to seriously consider the business plan I proposed. Yes. Please go in.”
After hanging up the phone, I let out a short sigh.
“What. Don’t tell me it’s Chairman Kang Seong-ho again?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t he just call apologizing earlier too?”
“Yes. Even though I said I’m fine, he keeps doing this.”
It’s been like this for days, not just a day or two.
“Keke. That man, his heart is surprisingly soft.. Ahhh!”
“..Hyung-nim?”
I quietly stared at hyung-nim whose screen went black.
“I didn’t die because my concentration broke while talking to you!”
“No. You could have dodged that pattern with your eyes closed!”
Since it was a raid where we had to immediately retry if one person died, I had no choice but to press restart.
Guild Master?
Ugh
Let’s remake the party?
Died again?
Aging curve lol
The chat window with guild members also became chaotic.
“Hyung-nim. Please just change your class now.”
“Hmm. That was just a mistake because I was briefly talking to you!”
Our hyung-nim isn’t someone who usually has useless pride.
Should I say he’s someone who knows how to be humble in all things, someone with much to learn from in terms of character?
But strangely, he’s different in games.
He firmly believes his control is far better than young people’s.
But it wasn’t just hyung-nim like this.
All our guild members boast they have golden hands.
“Then what about you? You’re a fumble-fingers too.”
“What are you saying? I’m the best golden hands in our guild though.”
“That guy who ran raids 5 times last week and cleared while lying down all 5 times?”
“Th-that was because the patterns were unfair..”
The problem is I do that too.
When playing games, all men are like this.
Strange game pride I guess.
While I can just endure insults to my person.
I absolutely cannot tolerate disparaging my game skills.
“By the way, isn’t the vice president coming over?”
“I tried tempting him a few times, and he’s wavering like he might or might not come. RPGs are really hard to start. Even after starting, they quit if stuck at certain points.”
“Plus they require a lot of time.”
“Right. But if we support him, he’ll climb quickly, right? Game companies are working hard to support growth to prevent newbies from quitting these days.”
Since there were some empty spots in the guild, we tried pulling in the vice president who occasionally plays games.
Still, hearing what hyung-nim says, there’s some interest, so maybe we’ll hear good news soon.
“But I wish one more person would come. Is there a good prospect somewhere?”
“Right. Then the numbers would be perfect so we could go to bigger raids.”
“…”
I thought he was focusing on the game again, but that wasn’t it.
“Doesn’t Chairman Kang Seong-ho play games?”
“What?”
“No. That man also wants to rest when his head gets hot, right? Then he could play games lightly.”
“Since he’s the richest person in our country, once he starts I don’t think he’d do it lightly.”
I naturally thought hyung-nim was joking. So I just brushed it off.
“Right. So ask casually once. Who knows? Maybe a big newcomer will join our guild.”
But after talking, hyung-nim wasn’t joking.
I turned my head to hyung-nim who was diligently controlling next to me.
“..Are you serious?”
***
“No. Hyung. Are you really telling me to do this?”
“President Jeong said to do it together.”
“Even so. Really cooperate with them to establish a joint company? Why would we? And that meeting was actually to connect two people, not to really discuss business.”
That’s correct.
It wasn’t a meeting arranged for the two companies to join hands and work together.
“But oppa. Ji-su said it really wasn’t happening?”
“There’s something called women’s intuition. Ji-su says Jeong Jin-ho already has feelings for someone else. Seems like he’s in that kind of relationship with that manager person he works with.”
“That’s unfortunate. Hyung really wanted to pull that person Jeong Jin-ho into our family.”
“Then doesn’t it not have to be Jeong Jin-ho necessarily?”
“Hmm?”
At Kang Mi-ra’s words, Kang Seong-ho’s ears perked up.
“What do you mean?”
“I told oppa last time. President Jeong Jin-ho’s younger sister works at our company. Her face is decent, she works very sharply. She’s also perceptive.”
Eureka seemed to burst in his mind at that moment.
“Right. There was a younger sister!”
Jeong Jin-ho doesn’t necessarily need to connect with Kangsung’s people.
If his sister connects with Kangsung, Jeong Jin-ho naturally becomes family too.
“You’re treating that sister well, right?”
“Geez. Of course. I even promoted her this time. Not a forced promotion, but after evaluation. To make it look as natural as possible.”
Indeed Kang Mi-ra does this kind of work very well.
In contrast, this youngest..
“Why are you suddenly sighing looking at me?”
“You do what President Jeong says.”
“No. Are you really telling me to do it?”
“In my experience, there’s no loss listening to Jeong Jin-ho. He’s someone who makes rice cakes appear even while sleeping. If you co-found, he at least doesn’t do thuggish things. He only does things that benefit everyone.”
Cooperating with other companies to establish a new company is more complicated than one thinks.
Kang Su-ho wants to wield full authority like he does at Kangsung Mart, but he can’t do that at this new company.
That’s what displeased him.
“He might become family. Treat him well in advance.”
“Hmm. Hyung isn’t favoring President Jeong Jin-ho too much?”
“One thing certain is that thanks to Jeong Jin-ho, Kangsung Electronics escaped a great crisis and could completely dominate the semiconductor market. Do you know how much that’s worth? Even if you sell everything you’ve operated Kangsung Mart for your whole life..”
“Argh. Okay. I can just do it, right? At least he’s not a thug?”
“Right. He’s a reliable person, so you can trust that.”
If eldest hyung guarantees someone like that.
Plus he says he provided crucial help to Kangsung Electronics, and above all, it might become future in-law family.
Kang Su-ho had no choice.
Right. Even so, it’s Kangsung, so he won’t do unconscionable things.
***
Thanks to the US government stepping in due to semiconductor supply difficulties and server expansion problems, things were being resolved to some degree. But there were still places screaming.
Exactly SNS.
Currently many SNS exist in the world.
Famous places and not-so-famous places.
However, everyone had no problems with operation.
Until now that is.
As large SNS apps crashed due to server issues, they flocked to small-scale SNS that had no particular issues being small, and as a result small SNS also burst in sequence.
Like masses of refugees moving between SNS apps one by one bursting servers and moving elsewhere.
Large SNS couldn’t handle the overflowing traffic either.
And at that decisive timing, PicPic launched by our Gwangwoon.
“Kangsung deliberately blocked semiconductor supply going to each SNS company.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Since they knew we’re launching PicPic, we should see they deliberately helped.”
Thanks to that, tremendous new subscribers flocked from launch day.
“But didn’t we prepare tremendous servers? Even preparing this much, the servers shake to this degree.”
Before launching PicPic, we first set about preparing servers.
We made servers with maximum help from Kangsung, AMC, and Amvidia, absorbed all servers of closed companies, and went in after thoroughly preparing perhaps excessively.
Yet the servers were visibly shaking slightly.
“Large SNS burst due to server problems so customers flocked to us. But above all, PicPic’s UI and provided services seem to be hitting big.”
ByteDance’s judgment was right.
They cooperated with Musical.ly to make all the UI and system methods our PicPic is using now.
If only server problems were solved, the ones opening PicPic would’ve been ByteDance, not us.
“I also initially thought people wouldn’t watch because of insufficient content. But wow. Thousands of videos are uploading per second..”
Average 5-15 seconds.
At most 1 minute.
Really quickly viewable video lengths, and above all, even if many people upload videos, it’s a size not greatly burdening servers.
And because video length is short, you can just blankly watch while continuously hitting dopamine, which was the biggest advantage.
“But it’s a structure difficult to generate immediate profit, right?”
“Yes. But this many members flocked, so we should insert ads like other SNS. I hear ad inquiries are already coming in globally.”
It’s not yet time to make money with PicPic.
First we must increase servers more and firmly hold the members who came in.
Then insert ads and other profit-generating elements to recoup funds.
“And this is the proposal from G-Mart’s side. Seems they took seriously what you mentioned last time, President.”
Chairman Kang Seong-ho apologized to me many times, but actually the apologetic one was my side. Because intuition tormented me from hearing to smell then, making me want to quickly leave that place.
Content I learned through phone call later, but Chairman Kang wanted to connect me with his family people by arranging this business meeting.
Still, the one thing salvaged then was exactly this.
“To check the currently growing Lupang as Korea’s largest e-commerce, they’re launching a new platform, and they’re asking to tell them in detail what equity ratio to set, and also how to adjust management rights and personnel rights.”
Kangsung Mart and Gwangwoon’s cooperation.
Honestly a combination I never thought of at all.
And naturally had no interest.
But through the deliberate business meeting that day, I obtained an idea my intuition struck on, which was exactly Kangsung Mart and Gwangwoon establishing a new cooperative company.
“They say they can just take our Yashik’s Nation app UI and use it, and fast delivery of food using delivery drivers is also a sufficiently reviewable matter. But frankly speaking, I wonder why they came to us to request cooperation even now.”
“…”
I knew the answer to that.
That day it wasn’t a business meeting but actually a blind date.
But I didn’t bother bringing that fact out.
Plus it’s not something to think badly of, as thanks to that meeting I found an idea my intuition reacted to.
“We provide the app UI currently working well for people and other systems. They provide logistics, right?”
“Yes. I know Kangsung Mart has warehouses inside marts, but also quite a few external logistics warehouses. They also have self-brand production systems.”
Then I must decide how to split equity first.
I tried writing 50-50.
“…”
Not much reaction.
Should I lower mine?
Because if we do this cooperative business, G-Mart’s side will have to do far more work than us.
So I tried lowering my equity.
“Ah.”
“Are you okay?”
“Ah. I’m fine. Suddenly static electricity.”
An unpleasant reaction.
That means not lowering my equity but lowering the other side?
This time I tried lowering G-Mart’s equity.
Then a smooth feeling flowed in through the pen.
‘Oh. Then decide as is..’
As I tried deciding equity there, large static occurred once more.
Could it mean lower more?
I tried continuously lowering Kangsung Mart’s equity.
But no matter how much I lowered, intuition kept giving feedback.
‘How much do you want me to take?’
After deciding the equity ratio like that, I tilted my head.
Will G-Mart’s side really accept this?..Doesn’t seem like they will?
***
“No. Hyung. You said it’s certain. That he’s not someone who does thuggish things! But what the hell is this!”
“…”
Seeing his younger brother who stormed into headquarters from morning, Kang Seong-ho loosened his tie slightly.
“75%! They’ll take it themselves, not give it to our Kangsung. If it was 50-50 I wouldn’t say anything. But 75%! A whole 75%! They even want to use all our logistics centers, and convert all closing marts to logistics warehouses. While taking 75% equity!”
Even Kang Seong-ho found this somewhat difficult to cover.
Not splitting half and half but 75%.
Anyone can see the one who must work most through this cooperation is Kangsung Mart.
“Could he be doing this because we forced a blind date last time? No. No matter what, how much did he look down on me to propose such ridiculous equity ratio..! Plus they’ll take all personnel rights too!”
His younger brother has enough reason to come out emotionally.
However, Kang Seong-ho thought coldly.
Until now, Jeong Jin-ho’s work always had logic.
He’s not someone who handles work thoughtlessly or emotionally.
“Manager Kim. Did you look into it?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“How is it?”
“This is.. Quite subtle. Giving only 25% to Kangsung Mart might actually be the equity pulled up with maximum consideration.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“Because of the Distribution Industry Act revised by the government.”
Distribution Industry Act.
For Kang Su-ho, it was legislation that made his teeth grind just hearing it.
It’s a law forcibly preventing large marts from working from 00:00 to 10 AM, and also requiring mandatory rest twice monthly.
Saying they’ll make them compete equally with central market merchants, but actually it’s a law producing only side effects rather than effects.
“The problem is because of the Distribution Industry Act, not only Kangsung Mart but all marts currently in Korea cannot do dawn delivery or fast delivery. But Lupang can. Because they’re not a mart.”
“So?”
“Even cooperating with Gwangwoon to establish a new company, that company also cannot do dawn delivery.”
“No. Why not?”
“That also gets caught by the Distribution Industry Act. The moment Kangsung Mart’s equity enters, they can be legally restrained.”
If Kangsung Mart’s equity enters the new company, it’s also affected by the Distribution Industry Act.
“Then only Lupang is happy alone?”
“Yes. But looking at the proposal from Gwangwoon’s side, clearly they were mindful of this too. At 25% equity ratio, if Gwangwoon takes all management and personnel rights, they barely avoid getting caught in the legal net.”
“Wait. How does that work?”
“Yes. Plus bringing the system in Yashik’s Nation wholesale to introduce a new distribution system is also a clever move. If you order fresh products from Lupang, you must wait a day, but if you order through Yashik’s Nation, delivery drivers receive items from nearby marts and deliver immediately.”
Hearing that far, the picture was roughly being drawn in his mind.
“Isn’t bullet delivery still only active in Seoul? Even that’s trial operation now. But Yashik’s Nation delivers to places nationwide. Through explosive growth they have many delivery drivers too.”
“Plus Kangsung Marts exist at least one each in provinces?”
“Yes. If places are closing, use them as logistics warehouses, and if not, just deliver goods in real time through delivery drivers. By linking with Yashik’s Nation. The government can’t regulate this either.”
In other words, before Lupang introduces dawn delivery nationwide.
It’s the last chance to strike first.
“Wa-wait.”
Then Kang Su-ho interrupted his hyung and secretary’s conversation.
“So you’re saying our Kangsung Mart should join hands with Gwangwoon now? With this seemingly unfair equity structure?”
“Though it may seem unfair. It might be a golden opportunity to press down frighteningly rising Lupang. We can also be free from legal regulations.”
Seeing his younger brother blinking stupidly, Kang Seong-ho burst into a chuckle.
“I always said right. Don’t judge business emotionally. If you looked into it a bit, you wouldn’t have needed to come running to me like this. Plus I said several times President Jeong isn’t someone who does harsh things.”
“…”
His younger brother still had a dumbfounded face.
“Now that you know, go work. You need to proceed with business, right?”
“Hyung. But isn’t this a bit strange?”
“What is?”
“You also said so. That Jeong Jin-ho suddenly acquiring Yashik’s Nation was strange.”
Kang Seong-ho nodded reluctantly.
“I did.”
“But thanks to Gwangwoon eating up Yashik’s Nation in advance, if we cooperate with our Kangsung Mart, the board becomes tremendously bigger.”
Come to think of it, that was true.
Didn’t even Kang Seong-ho express doubts why Jeong Jin-ho suddenly acquired Yashik’s Nation? But looking at it now, that place became exactly the puzzle piece Kangsung Mart needed.
“Could President Jeong have acquired there thinking to merge with Kangsung Mart?”
“No. Things are falling exactly into place now. As if planned in advance. Deciding equity ratios too. Can these figures come out in a day? At this level it’s prepared in advance. Actually, could he have known all along we’d deliberately arrange such a meeting?”
“!?”
Chairman Kang Seong-ho faltered but forcibly regained composure.
“Hey. If you’re going to say useless things, go work.”
“No matter how I think it’s strange..”
“Hmm. Hurry up. Your hyung has lots to do today.”
Giving him one frown, his younger brother finally went outside.
Kang Seong-ho was processing documents pretending nothing happened.
“…”
But he can’t concentrate.
Because his younger brother’s words kept muddling his mind.
‘Could he really have known everything?’
If that’s true, exactly how far ahead is he looking?
Chairman Kang Seong-ho’s hand checking documents was trembling finely.