9: Chapter 9 Shortage of Manpower

The business was moving even faster than Chairman Wang Shunyi had anticipated.

Once the offline channels were established, orders started pouring in like snowflakes.

Zhang Junhao had to visit over a dozen stores every day, delivering goods, restocking, and negotiating with new shops; his rear end barely touched a chair. Not to mention Chairman Wang Shunyi, who spent six or seven hours straight at the night market, then had to return to monitor the online store, reply to messages, and pack shipments. Lee Soo-yeon was just as busy, filming videos, editing, posting, and running ads, working as if she were two people.

All three were so busy their feet were practically kicking the backs of their heads, yet the work remained unfinished.

One evening, Chairman Wang Shunyi and Zhang Junhao were taking inventory in the semi-basement.

"Three hundred packs of fire chicken noodles left, two hundred packs of river snail rice noodles, and one hundred boxes of self-heating hot pots," Jun-ho noted in his ledger as he counted.

"It's not enough," Chairman Wang Shunyi frowned. "At the current rate, we'll be out of stock in three days. I'll have to restock a batch tomorrow."

"It's not just the stock," Jun-ho put down his pen and rubbed his temples. "We're short-handed. I'm running to over a dozen stores a day, my legs are about to break, and several more are calling to rush restocks. I simply can't fit them into the schedule."

Chairman Wang Shunyi didn't reply immediately, looking down at the ledger on his phone.

"Last month's net profit was 2.3 million, and this month is estimated to reach 3 million. With the current liquid capital plus what we've saved over the past few months, we have about 15 million."

He paused.

"Let's hire someone."

"Hire someone?" Jun-ho was a bit surprised. "With our situation, can we afford it?"

"We'll hire one delivery person and one online store customer service representative. The combined monthly salary will be around 2 million. We can manage it."

Jun-ho thought about it and nodded. But looking around, he gave a bitter smile.

The semi-basement was damp, dark, and cramped. In such a dump, who would want to come?

"Let's post the information first and see if anyone applies," Chairman Wang Shunyi said. "We'll worry if no one shows up."

The next day, he posted two job listings on JobKorea.

Delivery Driver: Monthly salary of 1.2 million plus commission, requires a motorcycle license, must be able to handle hard work. Online Store Customer Service: Monthly salary of 1 million, requires familiarity with e-commerce platforms, experience preferred.

After the information was posted, he felt uncertain.

The company had no reputation, the office was a semi-basement, and the pay was just average. Could they really recruit anyone?

Three days later, he received several resumes.

Three for the delivery position: Kim Dong-xu, thirty-two years old, worked in logistics for three years, seemed reliable; Park Jeongmin, twenty-six years old, had been doing odd jobs since being discharged from the military, has a license; Lee Seungjun, twenty-nine years old, had opened his own shop which failed, now desperate for work.

Two for the customer service position: Choi Eun-ji, twenty-four years old, recent graduate, marketing major, no experience; person, twenty-eight years old, had worked as an e-commerce customer service rep for two years.

Chairman Wang Shunyi and Jun-ho discussed it and decided to schedule interviews.

The interview location was a cafe near Dongdaemun.

The first to arrive was Kim Dong-xu. He wasn't tall, had dark skin, and looked sturdy.

"Hello, I am Kim Dong-xu."

"Hello, I'm Chairman Wang Shunyi, and this is my partner Zhang Junhao." Chairman Wang Shunyi reached out to shake hands.

Kim Dong-xu sat down, his back straight.

"Your resume says you have three years of delivery experience?"

"Yes. Previously at a logistics company, delivering to supermarkets and convenience stores. The company went under later, so I left. When I saw your recruitment ad, I thought it was a good fit."

"Do you know about our company?" Jun-ho interjected.

"I looked it up before coming," Kim Dong-xu said. "You sell fire chicken noodles and river snail rice noodles, and you have about twenty partner stores in Seongdong-gu."

Chairman Wang Shunyi glanced at him, a bit surprised.

"You even did your homework?"

"Since I'm applying, I should at least know what the other party does," Kim Dong-xu smiled.

Chairman Wang Shunyi nodded.

"One last question. Our working conditions aren't great; it's a semi-basement, and the work is tiring. Can you accept that?"

"I can," Kim Dong-xu answered bluntly. "When I delivered before, my skin would peel in the summer and my hands would freeze and crack in the winter. I've endured all kinds of hardships. A semi-basement is nothing."

Chairman Wang Shunyi and Jun-ho looked at each other, both having reached a decision in their hearts.

"Alright, go back and wait for our notice."

Afterwards, they interviewed Park Jeongmin and Lee Seungjun. Park Jeongmin was young and energetic but didn't know the roads well; Lee Seungjun understood retail but talked too little, like a silent gourd.

The two of them conferred and decided on Kim Dong-xu.

The interviews for the customer service position were on the same day.

Choi Eun-ji was a fresh graduate who knew nothing but had a good attitude and learned quickly. person had two years of experience, was familiar with platform operations, and answered questions efficiently.

Both had their pros and cons.

"What do you think?" Chairman Wang Shunyi asked Jun-ho.

"Let's go with person; she can start immediately. We're too busy right now and don't have time to teach someone slowly."

Chairman Wang Shunyi nodded.

A week later, Kim Dong-xu and person started work.

Chairman Wang Shunyi briefly explained the workflow and divided the tasks. Kim Dong-xu took over Jun-ho's store visits and deliveries, while person managed the online store's customer service and orders.

With two more people, Chairman Wang Shunyi and Jun-ho finally caught their breath.

But a new problem followed—the semi-basement was too small. With four people squeezed inside, they would bump into each other just by turning around.

"We need to move," Chairman Wang Shunyi said during a temporary meeting.

"Agreed," Jun-ho raised his hand. "There's barely even room to stand here."

"I've looked at two places," Chairman Wang Shunyi pulled out his phone to show photos. "One is thirty square meters with a monthly rent of 500,000; the other is fifty square meters with a monthly rent of 800,000, located in Seongdong-gu."

"How about the fifty-square-meter one?" Jun-ho asked.

"The location is okay, transportation is convenient, and it comes with a small warehouse. It's just that the rent is a bit expensive."

"We're making over 3 million a month now; we can handle 800,000," Jun-ho said.

Chairman Wang Shunyi turned to Kim Dong-xu and person.

"What about you two?"

"No objections," Kim Dong-xu shrugged. "As long as it's not a semi-basement, it's fine."

"Me too," person nodded.

The next day, Chairman Wang Shunyi and Jun-ho went to see the fifty-square-meter office.

It was on the second floor of a commercial building, right next to a subway station, with plenty of food and drink nearby. The interior was simple but clean. It had an open office area, a small meeting room, and a separate warehouse.

The landlord was a middle-aged man who said with a smile, "For this location and size, 800,000 is really a bargain."

Chairman Wang Shunyi walked around inside and out, then nodded.

"Alright. Let's sign the contract."

A week later, the team moved in.

The space still wasn't huge, but it was much better than the semi-basement. Chairman Wang Shunyi set up a few desks in the open area where person sat processing orders and Jun-ho worked on data nearby. The small warehouse was for stacking goods, and the small meeting room was used for meetings.

Kim Dong-xu was out running around every day, only returning in the evening. Lee Soo-yeon worked from home and only came by when products needed to be filmed.

Everything was slowly getting on track.

On the first night after moving into the new office, Chairman Wang Shunyi stood by the window, watching the traffic on the street outside.

A few months ago, he was still huddled in a semi-basement, worrying about finding a job.

Now, he had his own team, a proper office, and a steady income.

It wasn't much, but at least he had started.

He took a deep breath and turned back to his desk.

There was still plenty of work to do; no time for sentimentality!