We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 116

116

Chicken Game (2)

“What is it?”

“It’s about GK Retail.”

“Ah, GK Retail.”

I already had an alternative.

It was by chance that enlightenment came to me. I never thought I could reach the 6th Circle, but I did.

As a result, I was able to summon 10,000 undead.

This was possible because my mana sensitivity was superior to others. That meant I could summon 10,000 androids.

I gave the order casually.

“Decline.”

“Refusing could lead to a war.”

“A chicken game?”

“If things go wrong, maybe. That’s how it is in this industry. They want CL Retail to disappear anyway. Since we’re bringing in androids, they might think it’s better to crush us.”

“And the lunch boxes and kimchi are delicious?”

“Yes. They’re excellent for attracting customers. Sales are bound to increase…”

“So, they might try to crush us?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, I see. What does Vice think?”

“In the worst case, M Group can provide funding. No worries.”

“Did you hear that?”

“Um… so, we’re really declining?”

“I told you, I have alternatives.”

“Okay.”

I had finalized war preparations.

I had plenty of ammunition (money) and the backing of H Group. And I was the de facto ruler of M Group.

If they wanted to play a chicken game in this situation, I had no reason to refuse.

“Let them do as they please.”

“Oh, and Mr. President?”

“Yeah?”

“What about these guys?”

“The kids, you mean.”

He was referring to the Darkmoon Ten.

“They’re geniuses, so make good use of them.”

“Heh. Really?”

“Really.”

Starting with Vice, the ten people shuddered.

CL Retail’s Director Lee Tae-gon couldn’t believe the news he had just received.

“What did you say?”

“The president rejected GK’s offer.”

“Wow, he rejected that? Why?”

“To differentiate themselves, I guess.”

“Who cares about differentiation? We need to survive first!”

Lee Tae-gon confirmed that his feeling was right.

The current CEO was definitely talented and had backing. He acquired Haejin Lunch Box and launched a kimchi company.

Now, they were about to establish a group name and move towards becoming a mid-sized enterprise.

He certainly acknowledged his talent, but GK saw CL Retail as a thorn in their side.

If things went wrong, they would collude with Nine Convenience Store to crush CL Retail. He couldn’t let that happen.

“We’re going to fail at this rate.”

“We’re going to fail anyway, shouldn’t we transfer?”

“Transfer?”

“Moving to another company.”

“How?”

“For example, by passing company secrets to them?”

“Company secrets, like…”

“Access to recipes is restricted, but we can tamper with new product release dates or accounting.”

It was a plan from Oh Dal-soo, Director Lee Tae-gon’s closest aide.

They didn’t think CL Retail would last long.

The company was already operating on debt, and if the top three companies started a chicken game, one of them would have to fail.

If that was the case, they had to transfer.

“Okay. Let’s negotiate with the president of GK.”

GK Retail Headquarters.

President Lee Jung-man couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“What?”

“Haejin Lunch Box has refused to supply us.”

“Refused to supply us? Why?”

“They say they’re too busy supplying lunch boxes to CL Retail…”

“Ha! Who doesn’t know that?”

“It seems they don’t want to get along with us, Mr. President.”

Director Oh Yoo-chan said with a sour look.

Until recently, CL Retail was barely surviving. Then, CL Group gave up on it, and a scientist acquired the company.

He was famous nationwide, CEO Lee Yoo-sung, who succeeded with the Yi Sun-shin Project [a famous naval project, likely referencing historical figure Yi Sun-shin].

He ran a cleaning company, succeeded in several projects, acquired CL Retail, and aggressively managed it.

He revised the monthly fees, suppressed the protesting store owners, and launched the Wife’s Taste brand, threatening GK Convenience Store and Nine Convenience Store.

Soon, androids would replace cashiers.

If that happened, they wouldn’t be able to compete.

But what about now?

“It will be dangerous if more time passes.”

“Of course.”

“Convenience store sales will drop due to the loss of loss leader products [products sold at a loss to attract customers], and store owners will switch sides.”

“If that starts to happen, the company won’t be able to survive.”

They could prevent that worst-case scenario, but he had always thought that the Korean convenience store industry was too competitive.

It was a three-way battle, and other companies were constantly challenging the convenience store business.

Now, they needed an overwhelming market share.

If CL Convenience Store disappeared, Nine Convenience Store and they could split 10,000 stores.

“Pressure them first.”

“In what way?”

“Tell them we’ll lower the selling price by 10% if they refuse.”

“Hmph. If we do that…”

“We can endure it. But can they?”

“Impossible.”

“So, we have to make them surrender or let them fail. Otherwise, they will be a threat to us in the future.”

“I’ll execute it immediately.”

Haejin Lunch Box Headquarters, Research Lab.

My wife has been coming to the headquarters research lab frequently these days to pass on new recipes.

My wife, who is well-versed in Korean cuisine, is also quite good at Western cuisine, and she creates recipes that encompass Korean, Western, and fusion styles.

Thanks to that, recipes were being passed on every three days.

“Today, I made a chicken lunch box.”

“Ooh!”

The researchers’ eyes lit up.

In particular, Director Lee Seok-joon was looking forward to seeing what kind of taste would be created this time.

Each convenience store was releasing many lunch boxes, but chicken lunch boxes were quite popular among them.

But there were clear limitations.

They were releasing boneless soy sauce chicken and seasoned chicken, adding some side dishes to create the taste, but they couldn’t escape the limitations of the taste we commonly eat.

But my wife made the seasoning spicy and savory, not the taste we commonly eat. The same was true for the soy sauce.

It was unique but delicious.

“Wow!”

People were exclaiming.

I ate my wife’s cooking every day, but it wasn’t the same for other people.

It was definitely refreshing.

“What on earth is this…”

“I flavored it with cinnamon, but it’s easy to ruin if you do it wrong. I brought the recipe.”

Director Lee Seok-joon received the recipe in a very respectful manner.

He received the recipe with both hands and put it in his arms as if it were his lifeline.

“This lunch box is sure to be a success!”

“Director. Make sure to deliver it well to Haejin Lunch Box. And our company must also produce as many lunch boxes as possible. In the future, Haejin Lunch Box and our company must supply all the lunch boxes for CL Convenience Store.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Let’s release today’s recipe starting tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

People were confident.

They thought it was a recipe that could never fail.

In fact, convenience store sales had increased by 15% since my wife became involved in management.

The lunch boxes were always sold out, but people would buy something else just in case. That’s how people’s psychology works.

They would come to the convenience store and leave without buying anything, but if they needed something, they would buy it while they were there. That was connected to sales.

My wife and I finish our work and leave the research lab.

Now, I will take my wife home. She provides recipes for the company, so this much service is natural.

“You worked hard.”

“No, I’m glad I can be of help.”

“Hahaha! I really married well.”

My wife just smiled subtly.

Lee Seul-gi looked at me with a slightly annoyed face, sighed, and said.

“Mr. President. You need to acquire a trading company soon, so I’ve been looking into it.”

“Oh, really?”

It was welcome news.

Whether it’s convenience stores, lunch boxes, or kimchi companies, a trading company is needed to procure materials.

If I own a trading company, I can reduce costs.

Reducing costs will lead to company profits, creating a win-win effect.

“Okay. Where would be a good fit?”

“How about Cheonwoo Trading?”

“Cheonwoo Trading?”

I thought Lee Seul-gi would put forward a company that was falling apart.

Companies with a significant debt ratio.

Lee Seul-gi noticed my intention.

“You have the financial resources now, Mr. President.”

“Hmm. I can’t freely move funds from M Group, and android sales are slowly coming to an end, right?”

“But you still have considerable funds.”

“I can’t deny that.”

I had about 3 trillion won in funds.

I had raised a tremendous amount of money through android sales. An amount that I couldn’t have imagined in the past was moving through my hands.

“If you have the funds, I think it would be better to acquire a decent company through a big deal.”

“Hmm.”

“Convenience stores are also a distribution business in a way, right?”

“It’s a distribution business.”

“All the items that go into convenience stores can be imported, and all the ingredients that go into lunch boxes can be imported by the trading company. If you’re thinking about expanding overseas, I thought it would be good to acquire a large-scale trading company through a big deal.”

She was right.

If it were the old me, I would never have made that decision, but now I had considerable power.

It was almost difficult to ruin a business with this much power.

Then, it was best to do as she said.

“What do you think?”

“Me?”

When my wife was nominated, she smiled.

“I support your decision.”

“Okay. Let’s proceed immediately. Has the amount been determined?”

“I think we can acquire it for around 1 trillion won.”

“Around 1 trillion won.”

“You’ll have to take on some debt. Or you can consolidate your control with BW shares [Bonds with Warrants, a type of corporate bond].”

So, what she meant was that I should acquire Cheonwoo Trading, pay off the bonds they have, and issue BW shares in return to consolidate my control.

I had no reason to refuse.

The businesses I’m doing now will eventually expand greatly. If that happens, the stock price will soar, and eventually, it will become my flesh and blood.