93: Chapter 93 Continued Growth

In the final week of September, the mornings and evenings in Seoul grew increasingly chilly.

In the conference room of the International Business Department at Shunyi Foods' headquarters, Kim Sang-woo divided a thick stack of sales reports into three piles on the table, their covers printed with sales charts for "Mala fire chicken noodles," "hot and sour fire chicken noodles," and "Classic fire chicken noodles."

Chairman Wang Shunyi sat at the head of the table; he didn't flip through the reports, only looking at the numbers on the covers.

Two weeks after the launch of Mala fire chicken noodles, cumulative sales reached 18.5 million RMB, equivalent to 2.96 billion KRW.

The average daily sales were 925,000 RMB, a drop from the 1.37 million on the first day of launch, but there was no precipitous decline.

Mala noodles accounted for 62%, while Hot and Sour noodles made up 38%.

"Sang-woo-xi, what about consumer feedback?"

Chairman Wang Shunyi looked away from the reports and fixed his gaze on Kim Sang-woo.

Kim Sang-woo opened another document, speaking significantly faster than usual.

"The positive rating is at 95%. Positive feedback is concentrated in three areas: authentic taste, excellent quality, and exquisite packaging."

"Negative reviews are focused on logistics and price. Delivery to remote areas still takes four to five days, and some people still complain about the price. Regarding logistics, we are already discussing a cooperation plan with SF Express, which will be implemented next month. As for the price issue, promotions are already being scheduled, and there will be a big sale on Double Eleven."

"What about the stock preparation for Double Eleven?"

"We've prepared 500,000 packs each for Mala and Hot and Sour flavors. The Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu warehouses are already established. We're still negotiating for the Wuhan warehouse and should sign it next month. Once the Wuhan warehouse is operational, delivery times in Central China can be reduced to within two days."

Chairman Wang Shunyi nodded, closed the report, and leaned back in his chair.

"I want to see the data for Double Eleven in real-time. Report it every hour."

Kim Sang-woo made a note in his notebook, the pen tip scratching against the paper. Lee Jung-hoon, flipping through a market research report nearby, added:

"In the consumer reviews, the name 'Kim Ye-rin' appears even more frequently than 'delicious.' According to our statistics, 18% of comments mention Kim Ye-rin, while 15% mention the taste."

"Ah, that's what building brand advantage looks like."

His gaze drifted from Lee Jung-hoon's face to the window.

The sky outside was gray, and sunlight filtered through the blinds, slicing long, thin bands of light across the conference table.

The views for VIVID's endorsement video have already surpassed eight million, and Kim Ye-rin's individual fancam data is more than double that of the other members.

These numbers automatically converted into advertising value in his head. He didn't say it out loud, but Kim Young-jun had already read "keep pushing" from his expression.

Shortly after 3:00 PM, Chairman Wang Shunyi leaned back in his office chair. On the computer screen before him was a newly received internal email from Kim Young-jun, with an attachment containing an analysis report on JYP Entertainment's shareholding structure.

He opened the attachment and scanned the figures.

Founder Park Jin-young holds 18%, Kakao Entertainment holds 10%, institutional investors hold 40%, and retail investors hold 32%.

The financial situation was good, with a low debt ratio and stable cash flow. Kim Young-jun added a sentence at the end of the email: "Chairman, Park Jin-young will be in Seoul next week; we can schedule a meeting."

Chairman Wang Shunyi picked up the desk phone and dialed the extension.

"Hey, Team Leader Kim, schedule it for next Tuesday afternoon. Set the location at JYP headquarters. I'll go there."

Kim Young-jun acknowledged on the other end, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Chairman, should I bring Director Park along?"

"No need. She doesn't attend entertainment company events. Just come with me."

After hanging up, he picked up the glass on the table and took a sip. The water was cold and a bit astringent. He stood up, walked to the window, and lit a cigarette.

Outside, traffic flowed endlessly through the streets of Seongdong-gu. The fish cake cart downstairs was still in its usual spot, the owner's shouts muffled by the glass.

He thought back to his days of street vending; back then, he felt his greatest achievement in life was no longer having to push a cart to dodge urban management officers.

Now, he was about to sit at a table with Park Jin-young to discuss an investment. Ash fell to the floor, unnoticed.

At 6:00 PM, Chairman Wang Shunyi didn't work overtime. He changed into a light jacket and drove as usual to Park Min-ji's apartment building in Gangnam District. That morning, Chairman Wang Shunyi had asked Kim Young-jun to hire a housekeeper—a woman surnamed Lee in her early fifties who cooked well and was hardworking.

Today, Sister Lee had prepared Ginseng chicken soup, Japchae, Pan-fried yellow croaker, and a dish of Radish kimchi.

Chairman Wang Shunyi took off his jacket and hung it on the rack in the entryway. Park Min-ji came out of the bedroom wearing gray loungewear, her hair untied.

She walked to the dining table, sat down, and ladled a bowl of soup for him.

"How was the data from China today?"

"The Mala noodles are selling the best. We've prepared 500,000 packs for Double Eleven."

She nodded and pushed the soup bowl in front of him. "Will you be able to sell them all on Double Eleven?"

"It's not enough. 500,000 packs probably won't last two days. Kim Sang-woo is still placing more orders."

"Then tell him to add more. Didn't you say the Chinese market has great growth potential? If you run out of stock on Double Eleven, consumers won't wait; they'll just buy from someone else."

She picked up a piece of kimchi, chewed it slowly, swallowed, and set down her chopsticks.

"Your supply chain is still too slow. Shipping from Korea to China, plus customs clearance, takes ten to fifteen days. You've set up a warehouse in Chengdu and are negotiating for one in Wuhan. But what about your production line? The Mala and Hot and Sour flavors are still produced in and shipped from Korea. Can't you manufacture them in China?"

Chairman Wang Shunyi put down his soup bowl and looked at her.

"Building a factory in China takes time. Site selection, approvals, constructing the plant, bringing in equipment, hiring workers—it won't take less than a year."

"A year is a year. If you don't do it now, you still won't have a factory in a year. If you do it, you'll have one in a year."

He didn't respond. Sister Lee brought out a plate of fruit from the kitchen; the apples were cut into the shape of rabbits and arranged neatly.

Park Min-ji speared a piece of apple and put it in her mouth, chewed twice, then speared another piece and handed it to him. He took it but didn't eat it, placing it on his plate.

"I'm going to China in October; come with me. Help me look into the factory site selection."

Her hand, which was pouring water, paused. "I didn't study that in university, and I don't know anything about factories..."

"You understand numbers. You can figure out where labor costs are lower and where tax incentives are greater."

She picked up her water glass and took a sip, not refusing.

After dinner, he sat on the sofa looking at his phone while she leaned against his shoulder. Neither of them spoke.

The TV was on at a low volume, showing a variety show where people were laughing loudly. Kim Ye-rin was on it too; Chairman Wang Shunyi had arranged it to increase her exposure, gaining fans while also driving sales for Shunyi Video.

Chairman Wang Shunyi turned the volume down a notch. She didn't react, her breathing gradually becoming steady.

He glanced down; her eyes were closed, and her eyelashes were trembling slightly.

He pulled a blanket from the sofa and covered her with it, not moving, just sitting there.

Outside the window, the night view of Seoul unfolded, with dense clusters of lights stretching out until they disappeared from sight.