19: Chapter 19 Team Expansion

The day the factory started production, the assembly line ran for eight hours and produced two thousand packets of noodles. Chairman Wang Shunyi stood at the shipping dock, watching box after box of fire chicken noodles being loaded onto Kim Dong-xu's truck. His heart felt settled, but a new problem surfaced—they didn't have enough people.

On the production line, Jun-ho was the only one keeping watch, standing from morning till night until his legs were swollen. In the warehouse, goods were constantly moving in and out. The person had to manage both the online store and inventory, running back and forth between tasks until her voice was hoarse by the end of the day. Kim Dong-xu made deliveries until midnight, only to return and sort out the next day's orders himself. As for Chairman Wang Shunyi, he spent his days handling miscellaneous tasks and his nights back in the office sifting through resumes—the job postings had been up for days, and they'd received a mountain of applications, far more than he could possibly review.

One noon, a few of them were eating boxed lunches in the office. Jun-ho scooped a couple mouthfuls of rice, looked up, and said, 'Sunyi, we need to hire people. If we keep going like this, we'll collapse before the business does.'

Chairman Wang Shunyi's chopsticks paused mid-air as he picked up some food. He nodded.

Lee Eun-bi was the administrative assistant. She didn't talk much, but she worked efficiently. Chairman Wang Shunyi had her post job listings on JobKorea and Saramin. They listed five or six positions: five production line operators, two warehouse managers, three logistics and delivery personnel, three sales representatives, and one brand designer. The compensation wasn't flashy, but it wasn't low either—production line workers got a monthly salary of 1.2 million won plus overtime pay, while sales got 1.2 million plus commission.

In the first three days after the posts went up, the inbox was flooded with over two hundred resumes. Chairman Wang Shunyi and Jun-ho sat in the office every night screening them on the computer until their eyes ached. Some resumes were written extravagantly, but one phone call would reveal the applicant couldn't even explain basic things. Others looked average on paper, but a brief chat showed they were solid and down-to-earth.

Interviews were scheduled for the afternoons over the next two weeks, held in the company's small meeting room. The room wasn't big—just a table, a few chairs, a La Ziyou poster on the wall, and a few sample packets of noodles with a bottle of mineral water on the table.

The first candidate for the production line operator position was a thirty-four-year-old man named Park Jung-hoon. He wore a faded work jacket and had his hair cropped short. When he sat down, his back was straight, and his hands rested properly on his knees.

'Where have you worked before?' Chairman Wang Shunyi asked.

'At a food factory for eight years, making instant noodles,' Park Jung-hoon replied, his voice soft but steady. 'I've worked every station, from ingredients to packaging. The factory went under later, the boss ran off, and they still owe me three months' wages.'

'So you're very familiar with production lines?'

'Yes,' Park Jung-hoon said. 'If you're using a semi-automated line, I can monitor three stations by myself. I can also fix minor equipment issues.'

Chairman Wang Shunyi glanced at Jun-ho, who gave a slight nod.

'Alright. We're just starting out here, conditions are basic, but we pay on time.'

The corner of Park Jung-hoon's mouth twitched. 'Paying on time is enough.'

Over the next few days, they interviewed several candidates for sales and warehouse positions. Most were average; some were clearly unsuitable after just a couple of sentences—not because they lacked ability, but because their eyes were bigger than their stomachs, asking when they could become section chiefs right off the bat.

Then came Kim Mi-young's interview.

She was twenty-eight, wearing a dark blue coat and a tightly wrapped scarf. When she entered, she scanned the office briefly before taking a seat. Her movements were subtle but carried an air of efficiency.

'Where have you worked before?' Zhang Junhao asked.

'Lotte Chilsung, beverage sales, for three years,' she said, her pace measured but each word clear. 'I was responsible for the Dongdaemun and Myeong-dong districts. At my peak, monthly sales exceeded two hundred million won.'

'Why did you leave?' Chairman Wang Shunyi asked.

Kim Mi-young paused. 'I wanted a change of environment. After being in a big company for so long, there were too many rules, and everything required layers of approval. I wanted to find a place where I could have more say.'

'Here, it's not just about having a say—you'll have to roll up your sleeves too,' Chairman Wang Shunyi said. 'Sometimes, one person has to do the work of three.'

Kim Mi-young smiled. Her smile held a hint of dismissal, but not arrogance—more like the certainty of someone who knew she could handle it. 'When I was in sales, I dragged a box of samples onto the subway by myself, visited thirty stores in a day, and came back to the dorm with blisters all over my feet. I never complained about being tired.'

Chairman Wang Shunyi looked at Jun-ho, who nodded twice this time.

'Alright, start next Monday.'

The last interview was for the brand designer. A recent graduate from the Korea National University of Arts, a twenty-six-year-old woman named Lee Ji-eun. She wore her hair in a ponytail, a loose gray sweatshirt, and carried a thick portfolio.

She seemed nervous when she sat down, her hands trembling slightly as she flipped through her portfolio. But the work itself didn't tremble—the packaging designs were clean and sharp, with bold color schemes and comfortable layouts. One design for rice wine featured a white background with nothing but a plum blossom branch, and the label had a texture resembling traditional Korean paper, making you want to reach out and touch it.

'Are these works from your time in school?' Lee Soo-yeon asked.

'Some are school assignments, others are just things I tinkered with on my own,' Lee Ji-eun said softly. 'I know I don't have work experience, but... I learn quickly.'

Chairman Wang Shunyi flipped through the portfolio, then looked at her. 'What software do you use for packaging design?'

'Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign. I know a bit of modeling too.'

'Good. You'll work under Xiuyan, starting with assistant tasks and gradually working independently.'

Lee Ji-eun's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.

After two weeks, they hired fourteen new people—five for production, two for the warehouse, three for logistics, three for sales, and one designer. Added to the original five, the company suddenly had nineteen employees.

On the morning of their first day, Chairman Wang Shunyi stood at the front of the meeting room, looking at the packed crowd. Some faces were already familiar, like Park Jung-hoon and Kim Mi-young; others were still strangers, their names not even memorized. The meeting room was too small, with not enough chairs, so a few people stood in the back, leaning against the wall.

Chairman Wang Shunyi didn't use notes or a PowerPoint. He just stood in front of the whiteboard and spoke briefly.

'Everyone, welcome to La Ziyou. We're now nineteen people, and our main products are fire chicken noodles and river snail rice noodles. Our goal is simple—to become the most influential food brand in Korea.'

He paused, looking at the people in front of him.

'A startup means lots of work, not much pay, and few rules. You probably looked into this before coming. All I can guarantee is that we pay on time, no delays. The rest—overtime, running errands, one person doing the work of three—that's the norm. If you can't accept it, you can leave now.'

No one moved.

'Good. Since you're all staying, we're family from now on. Look out for each other when working. If there's a problem, say it to our faces, don't gossip behind backs. I don't like beating around the bush—if you have something to say, come straight to me.'

After speaking, he stepped aside and let Jun-ho explain the specific division of labor.

After the meeting, Chairman Wang Shunyi and Jun-ho mapped out the organizational structure in the small meeting room. On the whiteboard, they drew a tree diagram, writing department names and heads in separate boxes.

Production Line: Park Jung-hoon as team leader, managing five operators. Jun-ho oversaw it overall but left daily supervision to Park Jung-hoon.

Sales Department: Kim Mi-young in charge, leading three salespeople. The goal was clear—break into GS25 within three months.

Warehouse: The person managed it alongside two warehouse staff. Logistics remained under Kim Dong-xu, leading three delivery personnel.

Brand Marketing: Lee Soo-yeon handled planning and social media, Lee Ji-eun handled visual design, with the two coordinating.

Chairman Wang Shunyi oversaw overall strategy and major decisions, while Jun-ho handled daily operations and finances.

The whiteboard was filled with boxes, looking quite official. But Chairman Wang Shunyi knew that what was drawn on the board and how things actually worked were two different things.

Sure enough, as the team grew, problems followed.

Before, with just five or six people, any issue could be resolved with a shout. Now, with over a dozen departments, communication relied entirely on meetings and group chats. If the production line needed a part, Park Jung-hoon would go to Jun-ho, who would go to procurement, who would say they hadn't found a supplier yet—two days would pass just like that. In sales, when Kim Mi-young secured a new store and needed delivery arranged, Kim Dong-xu would say the order queue was too full, and the two nearly got into an argument. The person was also swamped, managing both the online store and the warehouse. One afternoon, she shipped the wrong batch, and the customer left three angry messages in the backend.

One night, Chairman Wang Shunyi worked overtime until eleven. He was the only one left in the office. The sound of traffic drifted in from outside the window. Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the ceiling, his mind buzzing.

Starting a business—watching others do it seems simple, but when it's your turn, you realize every stage has its own pitfalls. When you're short on people, you worry about not having enough hands; when you have more people, you worry about how to manage them well.

His phone vibrated. A message from Park Min-ji.

'Sunyi, still working overtime?'

He smiled wryly and replied, 'Yeah, lots going on lately.'

'Take care of yourself. Don't burn out.'

'Thanks. How have you been?'

'Not bad. By the way, I have a friend at GS25 headquarters who works in procurement, responsible for developing new suppliers. Would you be interested in meeting them?'

Chairman Wang Shunyi sat up straight immediately.

GS25. Thousands of stores across Korea. If they could get in, it wouldn't be a matter of visiting small shops one by one anymore.

'Of course I'm interested! When would be convenient?'

'Tomorrow night. I'll treat you both to dinner.'

'Great. Thank you, Minji.'

He set his phone down, staring at the message on the screen for a few seconds. The weariness suddenly felt a little lighter.

Maybe this was a turning point. He stood up, turned off the lights. The motion-sensor light in the hallway flickered on, then off. The sound of footsteps echoed in the empty corridor for a moment before fading away.