We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 117

117

Full Betting (1)

Mid-April.

For the past month, I had been incredibly busy.

GK Retail eventually implemented a 10% price reduction on their goods. Nine Convenience Store and CL Convenience Store strongly protested, but GK remained firm.

Amid rumors that GK and Nine Convenience Store were attempting collusion, CL Convenience Store also initiated a 10% price reduction on their goods.

As expected, this resulted in significant losses.

“…The average monthly sales of a convenience store are about 50 million won [approximately $37,000 USD], and we have about 23,000 convenience stores. That’s roughly 1.15 trillion won [approximately $850 million USD] in sales. If the price of goods is reduced by 10%, a loss of approximately 100 billion won [approximately $74 million USD] or more occurs. This loss is shared between the store owners and the company… The situation is becoming serious.”

“It’s not that significant.”

“When can the Androids be deployed?”

“Soon.”

The Androids were currently undergoing training. Even though we were talking about 10,000 units, it would inevitably take a considerable amount of time to train them all.

It had been a month since the company started incurring losses.

These losses were being covered by issuing BW [Bond with Warrant] shares, which I then purchased.

Ultimately, my shareholding was increasing, so it didn’t matter much. Although the shareholders and executives were protesting, there was ultimately no alternative.

Since GK had initiated a chicken game [a strategy where two parties escalate a conflict until one backs down to avoid disaster], all available methods had to be mobilized to survive.

“Assuming 10,000 Androids are deployed and working, what happens to the losses?”

“Assuming a minimum wage of 10,000 won [approximately $7.40 USD] per hour, it’s 240,000 won [approximately $178 USD] per day and 7.2 million won [approximately $5,300 USD] per month. For 10,000 units, that’s about 72 billion won [approximately $53 million USD] per month.”

“The losses can be offset to some extent then?”

“That’s right.”

“How are the store owners and the company currently sharing the loss?”

“The company is bearing 20%.”

“What about GK’s side?”

“They’re the same.”

“What are the store owners doing?”

“They’re on the verge of protesting. Saying it’s 10% is one thing, but with that level of loss, it should be considered a deficit.”

Complaints were piling up.

Still, my promise to supply Androids and the recent improvement in the quality of lunch boxes had increased convenience store sales by about 15%, which was offsetting the losses to some extent. If that hadn’t been the case, they would have come to the headquarters to protest long ago.

“Hmm.”

It was time to deploy the Androids.

However, it had to be done conditionally.

“Have them deployed conditionally.”

“Conditionally, you say?”

“Yes. Attach the following conditions.”

CL Convenience Store Jongno Branch.

The average daily sales here were about 5 million won [approximately $3,700 USD], and the monthly sales were at the level of 150 million won [approximately $111,000 USD].

It seemed enormous, but the profits of a convenience store vary depending on the contract with the company and the monthly fee.

In other words, the rate of return varies greatly depending on how much initial cost was invested. It seemed like a lot, but after excluding facility costs, labor costs, monthly fees, and the price of goods, the profit was not that great.

Usually, convenience stores take a margin of about 1% to 20%.

It varied each month, but the store owner took about 10% to 15%, and after deducting facility costs and labor costs from this amount, the money the store owner took was not that great.

Because of the location, it was better than being a salaried worker, and it was common to operate several convenience stores together.

Lee Seo-bok, who operated five convenience stores in Jongno, Gangnam, Gangbuk, and Gangseo, was in charge of representing the convenience store owners when protests broke out.

Recently, as GK started the chicken game, the profit margin plummeted.

The company was taking responsibility for 20%, but protests continued, saying this was absurd.

If it weren’t for the improvement in the quality of the bait product, lunch boxes, the complaints would have already exploded.

“I don’t know if we’re going to go bankrupt like this.”

“Pardon?”

The part-time worker tilted his head at the owner’s sigh.

Well, there were many short-term part-time workers, and the store owners’ difficulties were irrelevant to them. As long as they were paid well, that was the end of it.

If the wages were delayed even a little, they would immediately report it to the labor office, and the procedure was described in detail on the Internet, so the store owners were suffering from a double burden of being pressured from above and below.

“If one goes bankrupt, they’ll all go bankrupt in a row.”

“Hang in there, boss.”

Clang, clang!

It was when he was hardening his heart like that.

“Welcome!”

Lee Seo-bok’s face slightly hardened as he greeted almost instinctively.

Chief Secretary Lee Seul-gi, CEO Lee Yu-seong’s closest aide, had come to visit.

Recently, there were rumors that she would bundle several businesses together to launch a corporate family [a business structure where a parent company controls multiple subsidiaries] and become the head of the restructuring headquarters.

Why would such a woman be here?

“How have you been?”

“Ha! I’m living because I can’t die.”

“Still, I think the losses are being offset to some extent.”

“I don’t know how long it will last.”

“Mr. Lee. Can we talk at a nearby coffee shop?”

“Why don’t you just drink here?”

“I’ll pay.”

“Well, let’s do that.”

There was no reason for Lee Seo-bok to refuse free coffee.

Nearby coffee shop.

Lee Seo-bok was quite sulky.

Lee Seul-gi understood CEO Lee Seo-bok’s feelings.

Sales had soared due to the lunch boxes, but GK Retail was eating away at those soaring sales.

As the chicken game began, the repercussions were spreading throughout the industry.

Lee Seo-bok was the representative of the store owners, and she had to persuade him to manage the business smoothly. Persuading him was Lee Seul-gi’s job.

“Mr. Lee. Do you know what the situation is now?”

“GK started a fight and lowered the margin by 10%. The store owner is bearing 80% of it.”

“In the end, you’re bearing 8%, right? Sales have increased by 15%.”

“What good is that? The money we actually bring in is less than before.”

“I understand.”

“The fact that you came all the way here means that the president has come up with some countermeasures, right?”

“Sigh. The reason this situation started is because of the lunch boxes. Haejin’s lunch boxes were requested for supply by GK, and our president refused. If the supply was given to them, the lunch boxes going into the convenience stores would naturally decrease, and that would lead to a decrease in sales. Of course, GK had been aiming to ruin CL before that, too.”

“Hmm. So we have to keep bearing that risk?”

“No. When you held a street demonstration before, our president said that Androids would be released.”

“He did.”

“This time, 10,000 Androids are scheduled to be deployed. If you deposit the cost to the headquarters, we can share the burden 5:5.”

“Can the Androids be trusted?”

“They’re better than people. They’re kind and beautiful. They can’t be distinguished from people. Only the president knows that they’re Androids. It’s still confidential.”

“You mean they’re that similar to people?”

“Yes. I’m sure of it. I’ll send you one tonight.”

“If that’s the case.”

Lee Seo-bok’s face relaxed a little.

It wasn’t perfect, but if the company took on more of the risk, they could recover the previous level of profit.

Considering that they were in the middle of a chicken game, he didn’t think there would be any backlash from the store owners.

A war that ends only when one side is ruined.

They can see the same level of profit in the midst of that war. It would be stranger to protest here.

“What happens if GK lowers the price of goods even more?”

“Then we’ll have to adjust the part-time wages.”

“It sounds like you can adjust the risk with the entire part-time wage in the worst case scenario?”

“That could be the case in the worst case scenario.”

“Okay.”

“Then you’ll quell the store owners’ complaints, Mr. Lee?”

“I probably won’t even have to step in. Unless they’re crazy, it doesn’t make sense to protest here.”

“You’re very wise.”

“Then I’ll ask for a pretty Android tonight.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll bring you a stunning beauty, so to speak.”

“Heh. I’m looking forward to this.”

Lee Seul-gi was confident of success.

Women don’t care who works part-time, but men naturally flock to places with pretty part-timers.

Why are there so few pretty people in convenience stores?

If a part-timer is as good as a model, they would have already gone in that direction or found a place with higher pay.

In the midst of all this, a stunning Western beauty is working part-time.

In that case, the increase in sales was as good as scheduled. If sales increase, the company’s stamina to withstand the chicken game increases, and some of the risks can be tolerated.

That night.

The Undead, who had entered the training center before leaving work, arrived.

It was called an Undead, but there was no difference compared to a human. As it rose to the 6th Circle [a level of magical ability], it became more sophisticated than before.

There was no smell, its skin was better than a human’s, and it spoke fluently. There was no stuttering at all.

That Undead was trained.

It took quite a while, but in the end, it was able to complete the training safely.

“Hello! Mr. Lee, I’m Luna!”

It was an Undead greeting with a bright face.

Who would think this was an Undead?

They wouldn’t even think it was an Android. It was not only similar to a human, but even better than a human part-timer.

On top of that, she was a stunning beauty.

“Turn around once.”

“Yes!”

It was an Undead wearing clothes that showed off her figure well.

This is a type of zombie. I can’t believe it.

I went closer and poked the Undead’s cheek.

The Undead just stood there with a bright smile.

“Okay. You can greet customers, calculate, and fill the shelves, right?”

“Of course.”

“How should I do it?”

“First of all…”

The Undead began to explain in fluent Korean.

There were 10,000 of these Undeads, so the greatness of black magic was beyond words.

Undeads of this level will be coming out of the training center soon.

A part-timer who works without eating or sleeping is born.

People could be suspicious, so it wasn’t a 24-hour part-time job, and after 12 hours, they would leave work and go somewhere else.

There was also a reserve force to fill that gap.

Mix Dummies and Undeads.

Since I rose to the 6th Circle, I could produce at least a hundred Dummies a day. This should be seen as a factory.

If there were high-grade magic stones, more Dummies could be produced.

“Okay. Go to the Jongno branch for now.”

“Yes! I won’t let you down!”

The Undead disappeared with a transportation card.

Lee Seul-gi clicked her tongue as she watched the Undead disappear outside.

“Is that really an Android?”

“Should I have cut open her skin?”

“No! There’s no need to do that.”

“It’s an Android.”

“Androids don’t have fake IDs, so is it okay?”

“It’s not against the law, is it?”

“Well, it is.”

“If we get caught, we can’t help it. The reason I’m delaying the announcement is because of ethical responsibility. I received 200 million dollars for selling Androids to the 3rd Group to research, but it would be a bit difficult if they were commercialized already, right?”

“It’s better to delay it if you can.”

“Let’s wait and see for a few days.”

“I think sales will increase.”