20: Chapter 20 Channel Breakthrough

Chapter 20: Channel Breakthrough

The following evening, Chairman Wang Shunyi arrived at the barbecue restaurant Minji had mentioned half an hour early.

In Gangnam District, deep in an alley, the storefront wasn't large, with "Tanhuo Pavilion" written on its wooden sign. He pushed open the sliding door, and the scent of grilled meat and soy sauce wafted out. A staff member led him to a corner table, and just as he sat down, Minji walked in.

She was wearing an off-white sweater today, her hair loose, looking a bit less professional and more casual than usual. Seeing Chairman Wang Shunyi already there, she smiled, "You're here so early?"

"I was afraid of traffic, so I left early," Chairman Wang Shunyi said, standing up to pull out a chair for her.

"Don't be nervous. Min-ho is a good guy; he's my senior from university, and we've known each other for nearly ten years," Minji said, placing her bag on an empty chair nearby. "He looks serious, but he's actually quite easygoing."

Just as she finished speaking, a man walked in. He was in his early thirties, wearing a dark gray coat with a scarf draped over his shoulders, and his hair was neatly combed. He scanned the restaurant, saw Minji, and raised a hand in greeting.

"Minji, long time no see," the man said as he walked over, his voice neither too high nor too low.

"Min-ho Hyung, have a seat." Minji stood up and pointed to the seat opposite her. "This is Chairman Wang Shunyi, the representative of La Ziyou."

"Hello, I'm Kim Min-ho." The man reached out and gave a firm handshake.

"Hello, I'm Chairman Wang Shunyi." The two of them sat down.

The waiter brought over charcoal and beef. Kim Min-ho took the tongs and personally laid the meat onto the grill. A sizzling sound erupted as fat dripped onto the coals, sending up small bursts of flame.

"I've heard of your company, Sunyi," Kim Min-ho said while flipping the meat. "fire chicken noodles have been quite popular among young people lately. A kid working under me eats them in the office every day, sweating buckets from the spice but unable to stop."

Chairman Wang Shunyi smiled. "Thank you. We're still in the early stages; we're far from being comparable to GS25."

"That's different." Kim Min-ho placed the grilled meat onto their plates. "GS25 is large, but being large has its own difficulties. There's serious homogenization, and the shelves are full of similar products. We've been looking for innovative products that can attract young people."

Minji picked up a piece of meat and dipped it in sauce, but she didn't eat it, instead listening as she kept it on her plate.

"Then do you think fire chicken noodles have a chance to enter GS25?" Chairman Wang Shunyi asked.

Kim Min-ho put down the tongs and took a sip of barley tea.

"To be honest, the threshold isn't low. GS25 has hard requirements for suppliers—formal factories, stable production capacity, and food safety certifications; those are the basics. Additionally, the price needs to be competitive, and you'll need to cooperate with our promotions."

"We've already built the factory and obtained the certifications," Chairman Wang Shunyi said. "Our current daily capacity is two thousand packs. If needed, we can expand."

"Two thousand packs?" Kim Min-ho thought for a moment. "That volume is enough for a pilot program in fifty stores. But to roll it out widely, it's far from enough."

Chairman Wang Shunyi nodded. "That's why we want to start with a pilot first and expand production if the results are good."

Kim Min-ho didn't respond immediately, chewing another piece of meat slowly. Minji ate quietly beside them, occasionally glancing at the two of them.

"What about the price?" Kim Min-ho asked. "Your current retail price is two thousand won, but convenience store channels usually require it to be lower."

Chairman Wang Shunyi did a quick calculation in his head. "A wholesale price of 1,400 won and a suggested retail price of 1,800 won."

"canhe spicy chicken noodles wholesale price is 1,200 won, and the retail is 1,500," Kim Min-ho said. His tone wasn't heavy, but the meaning was clear.

"Our quality is better than theirs," Chairman Wang Shunyi said. "The texture, ingredients, and overall experience are on a different level. Consumers will know after eating it once."

Kim Min-ho glanced at him and nodded. "The quality is good, I'll give you that. But many convenience store customers are just looking for convenience; they'll grab a pack on their way and won't care too much about subtle differences. A 300-won price difference is the deciding factor for some people."

Chairman Wang Shunyi fell silent for two seconds. "If the purchase volume is large enough, I can lower it to 1,350 won. Any lower, and we'll have no profit."

Kim Min-ho thought about it again and took a sip of tea. "Alright, keep that price in mind for now; I'll check with the procurement department later. One more thing—promotional cooperation. GS25 has monthly themed events, like 'Spicy Month' or 'Snack Awards,' can you cooperate? For example, buy one get the second at half price, or buy noodles and get a free drink."

"Yes. We can provide specific plans, and the budget can be discussed."

"Good." A slight smile appeared on Kim Min-ho's face. "One last question—supply. If the pilot is successful and we expand to two hundred or five hundred stores, can you stock all locations within three days?"

Chairman Wang Shunyi took a deep breath. "For five hundred stores, assuming each store moves thirty packs a week, that's sixty thousand packs a month. Our production line's current monthly capacity is sixty thousand packs, which is right on the limit. If we want to expand further, we'll need to add equipment."

"Then let's start with a pilot in fifty stores." Kim Min-ho finished the last piece of meat and wiped his hands. "I'll have the procurement department contact you when I get back to go through the formal process. Have your materials ready—company qualifications, product test reports, price lists, and promotional plans. Everything that should be there must be there."

"Understood." Chairman Wang Shunyi picked up his cup, using tea instead of wine. "Thank you, Min-ho Hyung."

"Don't thank me, thank Minji." Kim Min-ho glanced at Minji. "If she hadn't called me twice, I wouldn't be sitting here today."

Minji smiled and waved her hand. "You two talk business; don't bring me into it."

The three of them sat for a while longer, chatting. Kim Min-ho mentioned that GS25 was currently promoting a "Local Small Brand Support Program," specifically opening channels for promising new brands, provided the products were differentiated and of high quality. Chairman Wang Shunyi listened intently, silently noting this information.

Leaving the barbecue restaurant, a cold wind hit them. Kim Min-ho said his goodbyes and left first, while Chairman Wang Shunyi and Minji walked down the street side by side for a bit.

The streetlights stretched their shadows long, overlapping and then separating.

"Thank you, Minji," Chairman Wang Shunyi spoke first.

"You've said that several times today." Minji tucked her hands into her coat pockets, her pace neither fast nor slow.

"I'm truly grateful. Without you, I wouldn't even know where the door to GS25 was."

Minji didn't respond. After a few steps, she suddenly asked, "Do you know why I'm helping you?"

Chairman Wang Shunyi looked at her sideways.

"Because you're different from others." Minji's voice wasn't loud, slightly scattered by the wind. "I've seen many entrepreneurs at the e-commerce company—some are silver-tongued, some have vast resources, and some are technically brilliant. But you're different. You're the type... who clearly has nothing, yet dares to move forward."

Chairman Wang Shunyi's pace slowed slightly.

"And," Minji paused, "you don't put on an act."

Under the streetlights, her profile was gilded with a warm yellow light. Chairman Wang Shunyi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but felt that anything he said would be too light.

"Minji, I—"

"Don't say it." Minji turned to look at him and smiled. There was a bit of seriousness in that smile, but also a bit of reservation. "The most important thing for you right now is to run your company well. Other things can be discussed later."

Chairman Wang Shunyi was silent for a few seconds and then nodded.

"Alright."

The two of them parted at the intersection. Minji got into a taxi and waved to him through the window. Chairman Wang Shunyi stood there, watching the taxi's taillights disappear around the corner, before turning to walk toward the subway station.

It was nearly eleven when he returned to the office. Jun-ho was still there, hunched over his laptop. Beside him sat a bowl of instant noodles that had already gone soggy, looking as if it had been left untouched for a long time.

"You're back?" Jun-ho looked up and rubbed his eyes.

"GS25 is willing to let us start with a pilot in fifty stores." Chairman Wang Shunyi took off his coat, threw it on a chair, and sat across from Jun-ho.

Jun-ho froze for a second, then slapped the table and stood up. "Really?"

"Really. The conditions are a wholesale price of 1,350 won and a retail price of 1,800. We need to cooperate with promotions and guarantee supply."

Jun-ho picked up his phone and started tapping on the calculator. "1,350 won, fifty stores... assuming thirty packs per store per week, that's sixty thousand packs a month, with a wholesale turnover of 81 million..."

"Stop calculating." Chairman Wang Shunyi smiled and pushed his hand down. "First, get the entry materials ready. Company qualifications, test reports, price lists, and promotional plans. Start working on them tomorrow."

"Understood!" Jun-ho pushed the instant noodles aside, opened a blank document, and began clattering away on the keyboard.

Chairman Wang Shunyi stood up to pour a cup of water and stood by the window. Outside was the night view of Seoul, with office building lights glowing grid by grid and the distant lights of Namsan Tower flashing.

He took a sip of water; it was on the cool side, just right.

Two weeks later, the formal notice from GS25's procurement department arrived—the La Ziyou brand was entering fifty stores in the Seoul area. The shelf position was in the middle of the instant noodle section—not the most prominent spot, but not a corner either.

On the day of the launch, Chairman Wang Shunyi didn't go to the office but took the subway to visit two stores himself. The first was in Jung-gu; the store wasn't large, and the fire chicken noodles were neatly stacked on the shelf right next to the canhe spicy chicken noodles. He crouched down to look, then stood up and took a photo, pretending to be an ordinary customer. The second was in Mapo District. When he walked in, he happened to see a high school student grab a pack of fire chicken noodles from the shelf and say something to the clerk while checking out. He couldn't hear clearly, but his heart skipped a beat.

When the first month's sales data came out, Chairman Wang Shunyi was at the factory keeping an eye on the production line. Jun-ho called, his voice suppressed with excitement. "Sunyi, fifty stores, over sixty thousand packs sold in a month, with sales exceeding ten million won."

Chairman Wang Shunyi held the phone, watching the packs of fire chicken noodles slide past on the conveyor belt, his lips slowly curving into a smile.

"What did Kim Min-ho say?"

"He said the performance exceeded expectations and he's preparing to help us apply for an expansion to two hundred stores."

Chairman Wang Shunyi took a deep breath and said into the phone, "Good."

Hanging up, he turned and shouted to Park Jung-hoon on the production line, "Jung-hoon Hyung, we need to increase production capacity again this month."

Park Jung-hoon poked his head out from behind a machine, his face dusted with flour, and grinned. "Increase it by how much?"

"Double it."