22: Chapter 22 Competition Escalates

The news that GS25 had expanded to five hundred stores reached Canhe Foods within a few days.

Park Chan-hyeok sat in his office, twirling a pen between his fingers as he listened to Kim Sung-min's report. This was a habit he had whenever he was annoyed, one that had stayed with him for over twenty years. Kim Sung-min, who had been with him for fifteen years, knew the President was unhappy the moment he saw this movement.

"La Ziyou entered GS25? Five hundred stores?" Park Chan-hyeok's voice wasn't loud, but every word sounded like it was squeezed through his teeth.

"Yes, President." Kim Sung-min stood in front of the desk, bowing slightly with his hands folded in front of him. "Last month, their sales at GS25 exceeded one hundred million."

Park Chan-hyeok didn't respond. He twirled the pen twice more before pressing it onto the desk with a snap. "A small company established less than a year ago can achieve this scale?"

"Their products are very popular among young people," Kim Sung-min said, choosing his words carefully. "Especially those fire chicken noodles; they're very spicy and have a unique texture. Many young people treat it as a challenge and upload videos of it online."

"A challenge?" Park Chan-hyeok stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside were the densely packed high-rises of Seoul, but his gaze didn't land on any of them. Instead, he stared at the hazy gray skyline in the distance. "What about our canhe spicy chicken noodles?"

"Sales at CU and 7-Eleven are okay, about three hundred million per month. As for GS25... we haven't entered yet."

"Why haven't we entered?"

"GS25's purchasing department believes that canhe spicy chicken noodles and fire chicken noodles are positioned too similarly. They only intend to keep one brand."

Park Chan-hyeok turned around, his gaze falling on Kim Sung-min's face. His look wasn't fierce, but Kim Sung-min felt as if his face were being pressed down by something.

"They think canhe spicy chicken noodles are inferior to fire chicken noodles?"

Kim Sung-min hesitated. Having followed Park Chan-hyeok for fifteen years, he knew what the President didn't like to hear, but some things had to be said. "The people in the purchasing department said that fire chicken noodles have a richer flavor profile and a younger brand image. Our product... in their eyes, looks like an imitation."

"An imitation?" Park Chan-hyeok's voice suddenly rose half a pitch, but he quickly suppressed it. He didn't lose his temper; he just remained silent for a long time. The office was so quiet that the ticking of the clock on the wall could be heard.

"Since GS25 chose fire chicken noodles," Park Chan-hyeok finally spoke, his voice returning to a calm state, but that calmness made Kim Sung-min feel more uneasy than an outburst would have. "Then we will strike from somewhere else."

"What do you plan to do, President?"

"First, increase the marketing efforts for canhe spicy chicken noodles. Contact outside advertising agencies and film new commercials. Put them everywhere—TV, the internet, outdoors."

"Understood."

"Second, lower the price. From 1,500 down to 1,200."

Kim Sung-min was stunned for a moment. "1,200? President, this price..."

"Lower it even if it means a loss." Park Chan-hyeok's tone left no room for negotiation. "Grab the market share first. Once consumers get used to buying our products, we'll slowly raise the price."

Kim Sung-min opened his mouth and then closed it. He had worked at Chan-hyeok for fifteen years and had seen all the decisions the President had made; most were correct, but some were later proven wrong. He didn't dare say this was wrong, but he just didn't feel right about it.

"Third," Park Chan-hyeok's voice dropped another pitch, as if he were saying something not meant for others to hear. "Look into La Ziyou. Where's their factory, what's their production capacity, what's their supply chain like? The more detail, the better."

Kim Sung-min looked up at Park Chan-hyeok and then quickly looked down again. "Understood."

"Go on."

When Kim Sung-min left, he closed the door behind him. The lock clicked shut, leaving Park Chan-hyeok alone in the office. He sat back in his chair, picked up the pen on the desk, and started twirling it between his fingers again.

He remembered when he first started his business thirty years ago; it had also begun in a small workshop. Back then, the market wasn't as crowded as it was now, and he could sell whatever he made. It was different now; the large conglomerates held a tight grip on the channels. For a small company to emerge, it had to rely on luck. And La Ziyou clearly didn't rely on luck alone.

Meanwhile, Chairman Wang Shunyi was also in his office, flipping through the materials Jun-ho had just brought.

"Chan-hyeok is going to lower their price to 1,200." Jun-ho placed a market research report on the desk. "They're also going to increase their advertising. They're playing for real this time."

Chairman Wang Shunyi flipped through the report without saying a word. Someone honked a horn outside the window, and the sound of an ambulance came from afar, getting closer before gradually fading away.

"Brother Jun-ho, what do you think?"

Jun-ho pulled up a chair and sat down. "A price war. They want to squeeze us out with low prices. If we follow suit and lower ours, we'll be falling into a trap. Chan-hyeok has been around for decades and has deeper pockets than us; we can't win a price war."

"Then let's not compete on price." Chairman Wang Shunyi closed the report and pushed it aside.

"What do we compete on?"

"Quality and brand. Let consumers know that fire chicken noodles and canhe spicy chicken noodles are two different things. We are the original; they are the copycats. Our flavor is rich, while theirs is one-dimensional. Once consumers have tasted both, they'll know which one is better."

Jun-ho thought for a moment and nodded. "Specifically, how do we do that?"

"Continue with the comparison reviews and find more bloggers. Don't stop the word-of-mouth marketing. Also—" Chairman Wang Shunyi paused, tapping his finger on the desk. "Release a limited edition."

"A limited edition?"

"Make the packaging more exquisite, with a black and gold color scheme so it looks expensive. Price it at 3,000 and limit it to ten thousand packs. We don't expect to make money from this; it's just to make consumers feel that buying fire chicken noodles isn't just buying instant noodles, but buying an experience."

Jun-ho laughed. "You rascal, you really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve."

"Can't help it, I'm being forced into it."

Over the next few weeks, the two sides fought tooth and nail.

Chan-hyeok moved quickly. A new commercial was filmed, showing a young person eating canhe spicy chicken noodles in large mouthfuls, sweating profusely from the heat, and shouting at the camera, "This is Korea's real spicy flavor." The ad was aired everywhere—on TV, YouTube, and in subway stations. The price was dropped to 1,200, six hundred won cheaper than fire chicken noodles. At CU and 7-Eleven, sales of canhe spicy chicken noodles clearly surged.

Chairman Wang Shunyi wasn't idle either. Xiuyan contacted over a dozen food bloggers to do blind taste tests comparing fire chicken noodles and canhe spicy chicken noodles. The videos were released one by one, and the conclusions were almost all the same—fire chicken noodles had layers of spiciness with a sweet aftertaste, while canhe spicy chicken noodles were just dry heat, leaving nothing but a burning sensation. The combined views of these videos exceeded a million, and the comments sections were in an uproar, with some saying the bloggers were paid and others saying they were telling the truth.

The second season of the "Fire Chicken Noodle Challenge" also went live, with prizes double those of the first season, and the number of applicants crashed the backend. Xiuyan was working around the clock, even sleeping on the office sofa for two days, waking up with messy hair to start her computer.

On the day the limited edition "Flame Black Gold" was launched, Chairman Wang Shunyi personally supervised the production line. With black packaging and gold-leaf lettering, it felt heavy in the hand and certainly had more texture than the regular version. Priced at 3,000, it was a full thousand won more expensive than the regular version. Jun-ho was worried it wouldn't sell, saying, "Who would buy a pack of instant noodles for 3,000 won?"

As it turned out, it sold out on the day of its launch.

It didn't sell out slowly; it went on sale at 10 AM, and by 4 PM, all ten thousand packs were gone. The order notification sound on the online store's backend rang all day long. Lee Eun-bi eventually turned it off, saying her ears would go deaf if she kept listening to it.

Social media was filled with posts showing off the "Flame Black Gold." Some filmed unboxing videos, some placed the noodles in exquisite bowls for photos, and some said, "These are the most expensive instant noodles I've ever eaten, but they were worth it." That sense of scarcity and premium quality instantly boosted the brand image of fire chicken noodles by a large margin.

When the sales data came out a month later, both sides were watching closely.

Sales of canhe spicy chicken noodles did indeed rise, but not by much. The price drop attracted a group of people looking for a bargain, but after buying once, the repeat purchase rate was low. Someone wrote in the comments: "It's cheap, but the taste is average; fire chicken noodles are still better."

Sales of fire chicken noodles continued to climb steadily. Seeing the data, GS25 proactively expanded their distribution from five hundred stores to eight hundred. The purchasing departments of CU and 7-Eleven also called, saying they wanted to discuss stocking the product.

When Chairman Wang Shunyi hung up the phone, Jun-ho was nearby eating a boxed lunch. He looked at Jun-ho and said, "CU and 7-Eleven reached out."

Jun-ho, his mouth stuffed with food, mumbled something and then gave a thumbs up.

But the happy days didn't last long.

That afternoon, while Chairman Wang Shunyi was in the workshop looking at the production line, Lee Eun-bi walked over quickly with a letter, her expression not quite right.

"President, this... please take a look."

The Canhe Foods logo was printed on the envelope, and the sender was the legal department. Chairman Wang Shunyi opened it and read a few lines, and his face changed. He handed the letter to Jun-ho beside him.

Jun-ho took it, his brow furrowing deeper as he read.

"Trademark infringement? They registered the trademark for 'Spicy Chicken Noodles' and claim that 'fire chicken noodles' and 'Spicy Chicken Noodles' are similar, which easily confuses consumers. They're demanding we stop using the name 'fire chicken noodles' and pay five hundred million in compensation?"

"Absurd." Chairman Wang Shunyi took the letter back from Jun-ho and read it again. "How are fire chicken noodles and spicy chicken noodles similar?"

Jun-ho didn't speak but started scrolling through his phone. After a while, he looked up: "They registered the trademark for 'Spicy Chicken Noodles' later than when we started using 'fire chicken noodles'."

"Then that's easy," Chairman Wang Shunyi said. "Find a lawyer."

They went to a law firm in Jongno District that specialized in intellectual property cases. The lawyer who received them was named Jiang, in his early fifties, with graying hair and gold-rimmed glasses, speaking in a slow and measured way. Lawyer Jiang read the lawyer's letter twice and then asked a few questions, such as when the name "fire chicken noodles" was first used and if there was evidence to prove the usage predated Chan-hyeok's trademark registration date.

Chairman Wang Shunyi had Lee Eun-bi pull up the online store's listing records, and the timing was clear as day.

After reading them, Lawyer Jiang nodded. "They won't win this case."

"Are you sure?" Chairman Wang Shunyi asked.

"Certain. First, although 'fire chicken noodles' and 'Spicy Chicken Noodles' share similarities, the meanings and pronunciations of 'Fire' and 'Spicy' are different, making it unlikely for consumers to be confused. Second, and most importantly—your usage predates their registration. This is called 'prior use right' in legal terms; they can't sue you."

When they came out of the law firm, the Seoul sunset happened to fall between the high-rises to the west, dyeing the entire street orange. Jun-ho stood at the entrance, stretched, and let out a long breath.

"Sunyi, what do you think they'll try next?"

Chairman Wang Shunyi didn't answer. He stood on the steps, watching the flow of people coming and going on the street, thinking for a moment before saying, "I don't know. But they certainly won't let it go at this."

Sure enough, over the next few months, Canhe Foods' tactics were endless.

They reported to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, claiming that La Ziyou's products didn't meet hygiene standards. When the regulatory department came to the factory for a surprise inspection, Chairman Wang Shunyi was in the workshop discussing equipment debugging with Park Jung-hoon. The inspectors shone flashlights everywhere and flipped through all the production records and testing reports, finally writing four words in the logbook: "No abnormalities found."

They also bribed some minor media outlets online to publish negative reports, calling fire chicken noodles "unlicensed products" and "knock-offs." But consumers didn't buy it; someone in the comments section directly retorted: "I've eaten them, they're delicious. How much were you paid to write this kind of article?"

The most outrageous time, Chan-hyeok actually sent two people to the factory gate with cameras to take pictures everywhere and stop the workers leaving after their shift to ask questions. Kim Dong-xu happened to be returning from a delivery and, seeing these two acting suspiciously, called the police without a word. When the police arrived and checked, the two stammered and couldn't explain their purpose, eventually being taken away.

That night, Chairman Wang Shunyi sat alone in his office, going through everything Canhe Foods had done during this period. Price cuts, seizing channels, advertising blitzes, trademark lawsuits, malicious reporting, negative news, sending people to cause trouble—they had used almost every tactic available.

He remembered something Lawyer Jiang had said: "A small company's survival doesn't depend on not making mistakes, but on being able to stand up again after making them."

Chairman Wang Shunyi leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment. Seoul was still bright outside, and Namsan Tower was flashing in the distance. He opened his eyes, picked up his phone, and sent a message to his mother.

"Mom, the company has run into some issues lately, but they can all be resolved. Don't worry."

His mother replied quickly: "Sunyi, I believe in you. Get some rest early."

He placed his phone face down on the desk, stood up, and turned off the light. The motion-sensor lights in the hallway turned on and then off. The sound of footsteps echoed in the empty corridor for a while before disappearing into the night.