108: Chapter 108 New Product Launch in Seoul

Seoul in December was so cold that even breathing produced white mist. A long queue formed at the check-in desk outside the Grand Hotel ballroom; reporters rubbed their hands and stamped their feet, their down jackets draped over their arms to reveal the suits and shirts underneath.

The spots closest to the check-in desk had been claimed in advance. TV station cameramen squatted on the ground adjusting their equipment, their viewfinders repeatedly framing the large characters on the stage backdrop:

"Sunyi Foods Hot Pot Flavor fire chicken noodles · Chongqing Noodles Flavor fire chicken noodles New Product Launch."

The characters were gold against a red background; under the lights, it looked as festive as the Lunar New Year.

Kim Young-jun was backstage going over the schedule, flipping through the printed sheets in his hand an untold number of times. Lee Jung-hoon stood at the wing of the stage, checking the microphone for the third time, giving a few test calls that bounced back from the speakers with a muffled thud.

He gestured to the sound engineer, who lowered the low-frequency settings by two notches. He tested it again—perfect.

Chairman Wang Shunyi stood in the innermost dressing room, facing a vanity mirror framed with light bulbs. The ring of bulbs lit up, illuminating every line of his face clearly.

The jawline, brow bone, bridge of the nose—not a single feature was soft. Im Nayeon, Yoo Jeong-yeon, and Minatozaki Sana were in the next dressing room changing clothes. The door was closed, but occasional laughter leaked through the gap—soft, like the sound of bubbles popping.

The manager stood at the door holding three neatly folded scripts. They didn't actually need them; the schedule had been finalized last night, and today was just a formality.

At exactly ten o'clock, the ballroom lights dimmed. The large screen lit up, pushing a close-up shot of red oil roiling in a pot from the depths of the screen, the steam seemingly about to spill out of the frame. Sichuan peppercorns danced on the oil's surface; star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves swept past in bowls and plates before the camera finally froze on a bowl of freshly mixed fire chicken noodles, the strands coated in deep red sauce, topped with crushed peanuts and chopped green onions.

The background music playing through the speakers had heavy drumbeats and a fast tempo. This opening video had cost a lot of money; Chairman Wang Shunyi had seen the rough cut and told the editor to trim the hot pot footage from three seconds to two, and stretch the noodle close-up from one second to two and a half. They were selling noodles, not pots; the consumers just needed to remember the noodles.

As the video ended, Chairman Wang Shunyi walked out from the wings. His leather shoes clicked against the floor, the sound picked up by the microphone and echoing through the ballroom. He reached the center of the stage, the spotlight hitting the top of his head and casting a sharp line of light along the shoulder of his dark gray custom suit.

"Friends from the media, distinguished guests, welcome to the Sunyi Foods new product launch."

His voice lacked the high pitch of a professional host, but it had weight; every word landed solidly.

"Hot Pot Flavor fire chicken noodles and Chongqing Noodles Flavor fire chicken noodles. These are the second batch of products in Sunyi Foods' 'China Limited Edition Flavor' series. The first batch was Malah and Sour & Spicy; after six months on the market, Chinese consumers said it wasn't enough and wanted more. Hot pot and Chongqing Noodles are two culinary calling cards of China. We've packed those flavors into these bags so that Korean consumers can enjoy them without going abroad."

People in the audience raised their cameras. Flashes crackled for several rounds. He paused, waiting for the lights to dim before continuing. The angle of his microphone never wavered.

"The Hot Pot Flavor fire chicken noodles use Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves—numb, spicy, fresh, and fragrant, with 'numb' leading the way. The Chongqing Noodles Flavor fire chicken noodles use red oil chili, Sichuan peppercorn powder, minced garlic, and crushed peanuts—numb, spicy, and refreshing, with the peanuts being the highlight."

He turned slightly as the large screen synchronized to show close-ups of the ingredient lists for both products in large text.

"What is written on the ingredient list is what is in the noodles. These are not hot pot flavors created with artificial essences; they are made with real ingredients. The Sichuan peppercorns come from Hanyuan, Sichuan, and the star anise from Guangxi. We do not make synthesized flavors."

The reporters below scribbled furiously in their notebooks.

During the tasting session, staff pushed carts between the rows of seats. White porcelain bowls held freshly mixed noodles, steam rising from the rims and condensing into a thin white mist in the air-conditioned ballroom.

A food blogger in the front row leaned down to sniff the aroma, then lifted a chopstick-full of noodles to show the camera. In the rows behind, people were filming short videos with selfie sticks held over their heads.

Chairman Wang Shunyi stood on stage looking at the glowing phone screens, which looked like fireflies in the night. He remembered when he used to have a street stall, cooking instant noodles for people to sample; the pot was tiny, the bowls were disposable, and they were thrown away after eating.

Now the bowls were porcelain. Even the chopsticks were custom-made, printed with the Sunyi Foods logo.

When TWICE appeared, the atmosphere in the ballroom changed. It didn't get colder; it became restless. Im Nayeon led the way in a white T-shirt and dark blue jeans, with the Sunyi Foods × TWICE collaboration logo printed on her left chest, positioned perfectly.

Yoo Jeong-yeon followed behind her. Her hair had been dyed back to a dark shade, and her makeup was lighter than usual, but this made the lines of her features even clearer.

Minatozaki Sana came last, smiling sweetly. When she reached the center of the stage, she made a finger heart toward the audience. Screams erupted from the fan section in the back rows, drowning out the background music.

While the three members spoke, Chairman Wang Shunyi stood at the wing of the stage and did not join them. He heard what Im Nayeon said and what Minatozaki Sana said, but he didn't really process it. Their words were similar—how honored they were to be spokespersons, how good the taste was.

It wasn't that it wasn't important; it was just that Chairman Wang Shunyi didn't care. What he cared about was how they looked on stage: the clothes, the people, the product—whether the three formed a visual unity.

White T-shirts and red packaging, dark blue jeans and black lettering, Minatozaki Sana's long brown hair and the gold logo. He felt it looked fine; they could wrap up.

During the Q&A session, questions were thrown at him one after another. A reporter from KBS asked, "Why create Hot Pot and Chongqing Noodles flavors?"

"I saw the potential of the Chinese market."

An MBC reporter asked, "How do you view the competition with Nongshim?"

He paused and said, "Hot Pot Flavor fire chicken noodles were pioneered by Sunyi; Nongshim is a follower."

A reporter from an unnamed tabloid asked an off-topic question: "Will Sunyi Foods consider signing TWICE as official brand ambassadors?"

He didn't answer directly, only saying, "Today's collaboration is the first step. There will be more opportunities in the future; please stay tuned."

It was corporate speak, but it sounded good. Kim Young-jun stood by recording with his phone, terrified of missing a single word.

After the launch event ended, Chairman Wang Shunyi stood at the ballroom entrance to see the guests off.

Im Nayeon, Yoo Jeong-yeon, and Minatozaki Sana stood beside him for photos. Yoo Jeong-yeon stood closest to him, her shoulder brushing his arm, catching the scent of his hairspray.

He didn't move, and neither did she. When the photographer pressed the shutter, Im Nayeon made a V-sign on his right. The flash went off several times, making him blink. Minatozaki Sana whispered:

"Chairman, thank you for your hard work!"

He gave a small nod.

Back at the company, Kim Young-jun followed behind him, reading out data from the Chinese market. The cumulative number of viewers for the launch livestream had exceeded five million. The pre-sale links for the new products on the Tmall flagship store had been released, with about eighty thousand packs reserved in one hour.

Lee Jung-hoon added the cumulative shipment data for the Korean market today; nearly 1.2 million packs of the two new products had already left the warehouse. Chairman Wang Shunyi sat down in his office, where the documents on his desk had yet to be signed.

Kim Young-jun placed the design drafts for the TWICE collaboration edition on top for him to review. He flipped through them for a few seconds and said, "The 'Sunyi Foods' logo is one size smaller than the 'TWICE' font. Adjust it to be larger."

Kim Young-jun quickly noted it down. Outside the window, the sky was already dark. Chairman Wang Shunyi stood up with his car keys. Kim Young-jun asked if he should prepare a car, but he said no, he would drive himself.

The December night wind blew in through the gap in the car window, making him shrink his neck from the cold. A scarf lay on the passenger seat—the dark gray cashmere scarf he had brought back from her house last week. It had been washed and no longer smelled like her, but he put it on anyway.

When the car stopped downstairs at her place, the lights were on, and she hadn't sent a message to rush him. He turned off the engine and went up. He went upstairs and rang the doorbell; the door opened a crack, and the army stew on the dining table was bubbling away.

Sister Lee had already left, and two sets of bowls and chopsticks were laid out. He looked at the two sets for a few seconds before changing his shoes and walking to the table. She served him a bowl of soup and said, "Sister Lee put in an extra can of luncheon meat today, fearing you wouldn't have enough to eat."

He took two sips; the soup was very hot. She asked, "How was the launch today?"

He described the audience's reaction when TWICE took the stage, briefly touched upon the reporters' questions, and mentioned Nongshim. She placed a piece of kimchi on the side of his bowl and told him that whether Nongshim followed suit was their business; Sunyi just needed to do its own thing well.

"When the data from China comes out tomorrow, have Kim Young-jun compile a report and send it to me. Don't wait for the weekly report."

She put down her chopsticks and looked at him.

"Talk about work after you finish eating. Drink your soup first."

Outside the window, Namsan Tower glittered in the night. The steam from the army stew blurred the air between the two of them.

He picked up the bowl and took a large gulp; it was scalding, but he didn't frown. The luncheon meat in the pot had cooked soft, and she scooped some into his bowl.

He lowered his head to eat, and she continued drinking her soup. No one spoke in the dining room; the television was on at a very low volume, playing a movie from a long time ago.

When they finished eating, he stood up to clear the bowls. She told Chairman Wang Shunyi to leave them; Sister Lee would clear them tomorrow.

She leaned against the kitchen doorway watching him wash the dishes. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, and dish soap bubbles splashed onto the back of his hands. His movements were slow, not like someone in the food business, but like someone not used to housework who was afraid of breaking the dishes.

She didn't help him, just watched. When he finished and turned around, he found her still leaning against the doorframe, her scarf still tied and unremoved, with mist on her glasses.

"You should get anti-fog lenses."

"No need. It'll dissipate after being inside for a while."

He didn't move, and neither did she. They stood half a kitchen apart, locking eyes for three seconds. He was the first to look away, picking up his coat draped over the back of the chair.

"I'm leaving. Get to sleep early."

"Mhm."

She saw him to the door. The door opened, the sensor light in the hallway lit up, then went out. He stepped into the elevator without looking back. The moment the elevator doors closed, she leaned against the doorframe and tugged at her scarf.

He started the car and sat in the driver's seat for a while. In the rearview mirror, the light in her window was still on. He shifted into gear and drove out of the complex, merging into the flow of traffic. The radio was on at a low volume, playing an old song. He listened to a few lines; it was an English song, and he didn't understand the lyrics, but the melody was slow. He didn't turn it off.