44: Chapter 44 The Counterattack Begins

Chapter 44: The Counterattack Begins

The news of Lee Chang-ho's resignation exploded inside Jins Foods.

During the first week, people in the R&D department walked with their heads down, afraid of running into Kim Dong-hyun.

The discussions in the breakroom were louder than the sound of the coffee machine—

"Dr. Li has already left, how much longer can we stay?"

"I heard the compensation at Sunyi is double. Is that true or false?"

"It's not about the money. He argued with the vice president more than once."

It wasn't that Kim Dong-hyun didn't know about these discussions.

His office was on the twelfth floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Han River and an expansive view, but that afternoon he couldn't take any of it in.

There were three stacks of documents on his desk. The one on top was Lee Chang-ho's resignation letter; the paper was very white, the words were few, and the reason written was "personal career development needs."

He read it three times, crumpled the letter into a ball, and threw it into the trash can. After thinking for a moment, he picked it back up, flattened it out, and pressed it under a paperweight.

The head of the Human Resources Department stood in front of the desk, his waist bent very low.

His surname was Choi. He had worked at Jins Foods for eight years and had seen all kinds of resignations, but this was the first time an R&D director had left and taken three people with him.

"Director Choi, did you know nothing about Lee Chang-ho's situation beforehand?"

Kim Dong-hyun's voice wasn't loud, but the way he spoke through gritted teeth was more uncomfortable than shouting.

"Chairman, Dr. Li's performance has been very normal over the past few months, and his performance review was also excellent. He never mentioned wanting to resign, nor did he reveal his intentions to anyone."

Director Choi's voice became quieter and quieter. "We only found out the day we received the resignation letter..."

"Normal? Would he jump ship to Sunyi if it were normal? Would he take three people with him if it were normal?"

Kim Dong-hyun picked up the paperweight and put it back down. It was solid wood, and it made a dull thud when it hit the desk. "You tell me, what part of this is normal?"

Director Choi didn't dare to respond.

Kim Dong-hyun took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. "Notify the Legal Department; I want to sue Lee Chang-ho. The non-compete agreement isn't a joke. He can leave, but he cannot join a competitor's company for two years."

"Chairman, we have never paid the compensation for the non-compete agreement. If we sue, the court might rule the agreement invalid..." Director Choi reminded him cautiously.

"Then pay it now!" Kim Dong-hyun slammed the table again. "In any case, I want Lee Chang-ho to know that leaving Jins Foods is not without a price."

Director Choi nodded and backed out.

The news of the lawsuit appeared in the papers the next day.

The headline wasn't big, but it spread quickly within the food industry circles— "Jins Foods Sues Former R&D Director for Violating Non-Compete Agreement."

Chairman Wang Shunyi saw this news on his phone. At the time, he was at the factory watching the trial production of new products, and Park Jung-hoon was adjusting the machines nearby, with oil stains smeared all over his sleeve.

After reading the news, he didn't say anything, put his phone back in his pocket, and continued to stare at the conveyor belt.

After the trial production ended and he returned to his office, he called Lee Chang-ho.

"Dr. Li, I saw the news."

"I saw it." Lee Chang-ho's voice was very calm, as if he were talking about the weather. "President, don't worry. Jins Foods has never paid the non-compete compensation, so the court won't uphold it. My lawyer is already preparing to respond to the lawsuit."

"Does the company need to do anything?"

"Not for now. If there is a need, I will tell you."

"Good. Focus on your work, and leave the lawsuit to the lawyers."

Chairman Wang Shunyi hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair.

This move by Kim Dong-hyun was not unexpected.

Big companies only have a few ways to deal with employees who jump ship—non-compete agreements, lawsuits, and stalling. It's not to win; it's to scare those who might want to leave later.

Zhang Junhao knocked on the door and entered, holding a printed press release in his hand.

"You saw it too?" Chairman Wang Shunyi asked.

"I just saw it." Zhang Junhao placed the press release on the desk. "This move by Kim Dong-hyun is quite disgusting, but it's useless. What did Dr. Li say?"

"He said it's fine."

"That's good." Zhang Junhao pulled up a chair and sat down. "However, Kim Dong-hyun won't just fight a lawsuit. The price war is still ongoing; although the intensity has decreased, it hasn't stopped. The cash flow won't last long; he is desperate."

"If he's desperate, we need to be even steadier." Chairman Wang Shunyi picked up the water glass on the desk and took a sip; the water had already gone cold. "Since Dr. Li arrived, what progress has been made in R&D?"

"He reorganized the testing process. Previously, it took about six weeks for a new product to go from R&D to market; now it takes eight weeks. But the quality is more stable. In-pyo said that some problems were only discovered after products hit the market, but now they can be caught during the internal testing phase."

"Eight weeks it is. Slower and steadier is better than crashing after launch."

In the following weeks, Lee Chang-ho almost lived in the R&D kitchen.

He arrived at the company at seven every morning and didn't leave until ten at night, spending the time between meals adjusting recipes.

In-pyo followed him. At first, he wasn't quite used to it and felt that this new boss was too meticulous—he would adjust a seasoning packet seven or eight times before being satisfied, and the thickness of a noodle cake had to be precise to the millimeter.

But after two weeks, even In-pyo felt that the products were indeed much better than before.

At the end of March, the three new products led by Lee Chang-ho launched simultaneously.

The first was Korean-style Jajangmyeon. The sauce packet used a chunjang base, added minced pork and chopped onions, and was simmered for two hours, with a consistency that could perfectly coat the noodles.

It was priced at 2,800, a bit more expensive than regular instant noodles, but during tastings, eight out of ten people said, "This sauce is really fragrant."

The second was seafood noodle soup. The broth was made by simmering dried clams, shrimp powder, and kelp, with no MSG used.

It was priced at 3,000, making it the most expensive bagged noodles currently offered by Shunyi Foods.

In-pyo was worried it wouldn't sell, but Lee Chang-ho said, "People who can afford 3,000-won instant noodles don't care about spending an extra 500."

The third was kimchi noodle soup. The kimchi powder was made from freeze-dried kimchi fermented by farmers in Jeonju for six months; the sourness was authentic, and the spiciness wasn't overwhelming.

It was priced at 2,500, more expensive than regular spicy noodles, but cheaper than the first two.

On the day the three new products launched, Chairman Wang Shunyi didn't go to the office; he went to three convenience stores himself.

The first one was in Jung-gu. On the shelves, the new products were placed on the middle layer, which wasn't a good spot.

He stood there for ten minutes; three people bought the Korean-style Jajangmyeon, and two bought the seafood noodle soup.

The second was in Mapo District. When he walked in, he happened to see a college student standing in front of the shelf, picking up the seafood noodle soup, checking the price, hesitating for a moment, and then putting it into the basket.

The third was in Hongdae, where it was most crowded. The new products on the shelf had already been restocked once. Park Jung-hoon later told him that the store in Hongdae had sold over eighty packs that day.

The reaction on social media was faster than expected. That same evening, a food blogger posted a review video with the title, "Three New Products from Shunyi Foods, Which One is Worth Buying?"

The blogger first ate the Jajangmyeon, saying the sauce was rich and two tiers better than the instant Jajangmyeon sold in supermarkets;

Then they ate the seafood noodle soup, saying the broth was so fresh it didn't seem like an instant product, and wondered if real seafood had been added;

Finally, they ate the kimchi noodle soup, saying it was sour, spicy, and appetizing, and they wanted to drink the soup after finishing the noodles.

In the comments section, some said, "I bought the Jajangmyeon, it's really delicious."

Some said, "The seafood noodle soup is too expensive, 3,000 won a pack."

Others said, "The kimchi noodle soup tastes just like what I ate in Jeonju." With all the arguing back and forth, the popularity went up.

Kim Dong-hyun also saw these things. His assistant would organize industry trends every day into a briefing and place it on his desk.

In the last week of March, content about Shunyi Foods took up half a page in the briefing—three new product launches, social media buzz, and a rise in convenience store sales rankings.

After reading it, Kim Dong-hyun threw the briefing on the desk and picked up the internal phone to call the Marketing Department.

"The price war has been going on until now; has Shunyi's sales volume dropped?"

The Marketing Department head hesitated on the other end of the line. "Chairman, Shunyi's sales... haven't dropped significantly. Their new products are performing very well, and many consumers are going for the new products."

"Then I ask you, when can our price war end?"

"This... Finance says the cash flow can only last another two months."

"Two months?" Kim Dong-hyun's voice rose. "What about after two months? If Shunyi hasn't collapsed yet, do we just admit defeat?"

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds. "Chairman, I don't think the price war is a long-term solution. Shunyi's products are differentiated from ours; they are doing high-end, we are doing low-price, and our target customer groups don't completely overlap. When we lower prices, we are snatching the low-end market from Nongshim and Samyang, not Shunyi's."

Kim Dong-hyun didn't respond. He knew the Marketing Department head was right, but he couldn't bring himself to admit failure.

In early April, an unexpected call came to Chairman Wang Shunyi's mobile phone. He didn't recognize the number, but he hesitated and then answered it.

"President Wang, hello. I am the vice president of Jins Foods, Park Yun-jeong."

Chairman Wang Shunyi was stunned. The vice president of Jins Foods? He put down the pen in his hand and leaned back in his chair.

"Vice President Park, hello. Is there something you need?"

The other end of the line was silent for a second. "There are some things I would like to discuss with you in person. I'm going to Seoul next week; would that be convenient for you?"

Chairman Wang Shunyi thought for a moment. "Convenient. You set the location."

"No, you are the host; you set it. I will come to find you."

"Then let's do it at our company. Next Wednesday at three in the afternoon."

"Good. See you next Wednesday."

After hanging up the phone, Chairman Wang Shunyi called Zhang Junhao over.

"Park Yun-jeong, the vice president of Jins Foods, wants to see me."

Zhang Junhao frowned. "Park Yun-jeong? Isn't he Kim Dong-hyun's right-hand man? Why does he suddenly want to see you?"

"I don't know." Chairman Wang Shunyi put the phone on the desk. "But since he is taking the initiative to come, let's hear what he has to say."

"Could it be that Kim Dong-hyun sent him to test our actual strength?"

"It's possible. It's also possible—" Chairman Wang Shunyi paused, "that there is a problem within Jins Foods..."