Chapter 79
Chapter 79
Translation: Godtl
"No, really, it's fine. I'm completely okay. And please just ask Chairman Kang Su-ho to seriously consider the business proposal I suggested. Yes. Please go ahead."
After hanging up, I let out a short sigh.
"What? Don't tell me it was Chairman Kang Sung-ho again?"
"Yes."
"Didn't he just call earlier saying how sorry he was?"
"Yes. Even though I said it's fine, he keeps doing this."
It wasn't just a day or two—this had been going on for several days now.
"Heh heh. That guy's surprisingly soft-hearted, huh— Uwaaah!"
"...Bro?"
I quietly stared at my brother, whose screen had just turned black.
"You didn't just die because you lost focus while talking to me, did you?!"
"No! That pattern was something you could dodge with your eyes closed!"
Since this was a raid where you had to immediately retry if even one person died, I had no choice but to hit the restart button.
-Uuu
-Should we reorganize the party?
-Died again?
-Aging curve is no joke ㄷㄷㄷ
The chat with the guild members erupted into chaos.
"Bro, seriously, just switch classes already, will you?"
"Huff. That was just a mistake because I was talking to you, okay?!"
My brother isn't usually the type to cling to pointless pride.
He's someone who knows how to stay humble in all things—a person with so much to teach when it comes to character.
But strangely, it's different when it comes to games.
He firmly believes his control is far better than the younger players'.
And it's not just him.
All our guild members boast about being "golden hands."
"What about you? You're all thumbs too."
"What are you talking about? I'm still the best golden hand in our guild."
"Is that why you wiped five times in five raids last week?"
"Th-that was just the patterns being unfair...!"
The problem was, I was the same.
It seems all men turn out like this when it comes to games.
Some weird gaming pride, I guess.
I can let personal insults slide, but I absolutely cannot tolerate anyone belittling my gaming skills.
"By the way, isn't the Vice President joining us?"
"I've tried coaxing him a few times, but he keeps hesitating. Starting an RPG is tough, you know. Even after starting, if you hit a wall at certain points, you just quit."
"Plus, it takes a lot of time."
"Right. But if we support him, he'd level up in no time, right? Game companies these days are actively helping newbies to prevent them from quitting early."
We had a few spots open in the guild, so we'd been trying to recruit the Vice President, who occasionally played games in his free time.
Listening to my brother, it seemed like he was genuinely tempted, so maybe we'd hear good news soon.
"But I'd like one more. Any good candidates?"
"Same here. Then we'd have just the right number to tackle bigger raids."
"..."
I thought he'd gone back to focusing on the game, but no.
"Doesn't Chairman Kang Sung-ho play games?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, that guy must want to cool off when his head gets too hot. He could play games casually."
"Given that he's the wealthiest person in the country, I doubt he'd do anything 'casually' once he starts."
I naturally assumed my brother was joking, so I brushed it off casually.
"Right. So just ask him casually. Who knows? We might get a big-shot newbie in our guild."
But as we talked, I realized he wasn't joking.
I turned my head toward my brother, who was still focused on controlling his character.
"...Are you serious?"
＊＊＊
"No, bro. Are you seriously telling me to do this?"
"Chairman Jeong said he wants to do it together."
"Even so, this is too much. You're really suggesting we collaborate and establish a joint venture with them? Why would we? And that meeting was supposed to introduce those two, not actually discuss business."
That much was true.
It wasn't a meeting meant for the two companies to join hands and work together.
"By the way, oppa, so it's really not happening with Ji-soo?"
"A woman's intuition, you know? Ji-soo said Jeong Jin-ho already has feelings for someone else. Apparently, he's got something going on with that Section Chief he works with."
"What a shame. You really wanted to bring that Jeong Jin-ho guy into our family, didn't you?"
"Then does it have to be Jeong Jin-ho?"
"Huh?"
At Kang Mi-ra's words, Kang Sung-ho's ears perked up.
"What do you mean?"
"I told you before, didn't I? Jeong Jin-ho's younger sister works at our company. She's good-looking, sharp at her job, and perceptive."
It felt like a eureka moment had just exploded in his head.
"Right! He has a younger sister!"
It wasn't absolutely necessary for Jeong Jin-ho to be directly tied to Kangsung's side.
If his younger sister formed a connection with Kangsung, Jeong Jin-ho would naturally become family by extension.
"You've been treating that younger sister well, haven't you?"
"Ugh, obviously. I even got her promoted this time. Not a forced promotion, but a proper evaluation. Made sure it looked as natural as possible."
As expected, Kang Mi-ra was exceptionally skilled in these matters.
In stark contrast, this youngest brother of theirs...
"Why are you suddenly sighing while looking at me?"
"Just do whatever Chairman Jeong says."
"Wait, seriously? You mean it?"
"From my experience, you never lose by listening to Jeong Jin-ho. That guy could make rice cakes fall from the sky while you're sleeping. If he's co-founding a company, at least you know he won't pull any shady tricks. He only does things that benefit everyone involved."
Collaborating with another company to establish a new venture was far more complicated than one might think.
Kang Su-ho wanted to wield absolute authority like he did at Kangsung Mart, but that wouldn't be possible in this new company.
That was what irked him.
"He could become family. Treat him well in advance."
"Sigh. Aren't you favoring Chairman Jeong a bit too much?"
"One thing's for certain—it's thanks to Jeong Jin-ho that Kangsung Electronics escaped a major crisis and completely dominated the semiconductor market. Do you even realize the value of that? Even if you sold everything you'd earn from running Kangsung Mart for the rest of your life—"
"Alright, alright! I get it. I'll do it. At least he's not some shady punk, right?"
"Right. He's a reliable guy, so you can trust him on that."
If the eldest brother was vouching for him like this...
Not to mention, he'd apparently provided crucial help to Kangsung Electronics, and above all, there was a chance their families might become in-laws someday.
Kang Su-ho had no choice.
Fine. Even so, this was Kangsung—they wouldn't do anything outright unscrupulous.
＊＊＊
Thanks to the U.S. government stepping in to help with the semiconductor supply crisis and server expansion issues, the situation was gradually stabilizing.
But there was still one sector screaming in agony.
Social media.
Countless social media platforms existed in the world today.
Some were famous; others weren't.
But none had ever faced operational issues.
At least, not until now.
As major SNS apps crashed due to server problems, users flocked to smaller platforms that had previously flown under the radar—only for those to buckle under the pressure one after another.
It was like watching a massive wave of refugees overwhelm one SNS app after another, crashing each server before moving on to the next.
Even the biggest SNS platforms couldn't handle the overwhelming traffic.
And at that critical moment, our Gwangun launched PicPic.
"They say Kangsung deliberately blocked semiconductor supplies to other SNS companies."
"Really?"
"Yes. I suppose they knew we were launching PicPic and decided to lend a hand."
As a result, an enormous influx of new users flooded in from day one.
"But didn't we prepare a massive number of servers? Even with this much preparation, the servers are shaking?"
Before launching PicPic, we had prioritized securing servers.
With maximum support from Kangsung, AMC, and Nvidia, we'd built up our server capacity and even absorbed servers from defunct companies—preparing so thoroughly it almost seemed excessive.
Yet the servers were still showing signs of strain.
"It's not just that users are flocking to us because major SNS platforms crashed. I think PicPic's UI and the services we offer are really hitting the mark."
ByteDance's judgment had been correct.
They'd collaborated with Musical.ly to create the very UI and system framework that our PicPic now used.
If not for the server issues, it would've been ByteDance launching PicPic, not us.
"I initially worried the lack of content might drive users away, but... wow. This is insane—thousands of videos are being uploaded every second..."
An average of 5-15 seconds.
At most, a minute.
The videos were short enough to watch in a flash, and their small size meant they didn't overload the servers even with massive upload volumes.
And because they were so brief, the biggest advantage was that users could mindlessly binge them, constantly feeding their dopamine hits.
"But the current structure isn't profitable yet, right?"
"No. But with this many users pouring in, we'll need to incorporate ads like other SNS platforms. Rumor has it we're already getting ad inquiries from all over the world."
Now is not the time to make money from PicPic.
First, we need to expand the servers and firmly retain the current influx of users.
Only after that should we introduce advertisements and other revenue-generating elements to recoup our investment.
"And here's the proposal from Kangsung Mart. It seems they've taken your previous suggestion seriously, sir."
Chairman Kangsung had apologized to me several times, but honestly, I was the one who should've been sorry. Back then, my senses—from hearing to smell—were overwhelmed by my intuition, making me desperate to escape that situation.
Later, I found out through a phone call that Chairman Kang had arranged that business meeting to set me up with someone from his family.
Still, the one thing I gained from that meeting was this.
"They're launching a new platform to counter Lupin, which has grown into Korea's largest e-commerce player. They're asking us to specify our desired stake ratio and how we'd adjust management and personnel rights."
A collaboration between Kangsung Mart and Gwangun.
Honestly, it was a combination I'd never even considered.
And naturally, I had no interest in it.
But that intentional business meeting led to an idea that resonated with my intuition—Kangsung Mart and Gwangun establishing a new joint venture.
"They suggest using our Nation of Late-night Snacks app UI as-is and even propose leveraging our delivery riders for rapid grocery deliveries. But frankly, I'm puzzled why they're coming to us for collaboration in the first place."
"..."
I knew the answer.
Because that hadn't been a business meeting—it was a blind date.
But I didn't voice that fact.
Besides, it wasn't something to resent. Thanks to that encounter, I'd stumbled upon an idea that triggered my intuition.
"So, we provide the app UI and systems that are already well-received by users, while they handle logistics, right?"
"Yes. Kangsung Mart has warehouses inside their stores, but they also have a considerable number of external logistics centers. They even have their own in-house production system."
Then we'd need to decide how to split the shares.
I tentatively wrote down a 50-50 split.
"..."
No reaction.
Should I lower my stake?
After all, if this collaboration goes through, Kangsung Mart would have to contribute far more than us.
So I reduced my share.
"Ah!"
"Are you alright?"
"Ah, yeah. Just static shock."
An unpleasant reaction.
That probably meant I shouldn't lower my stake—but theirs.
This time, I reduced Kangsung Mart's share.
Immediately, a smooth sensation flowed through the pen.
Oh. So this is the way...
Just as I was about to finalize the ratio, another strong static shock hit.
...Surely it's not telling me to push it even lower?
I kept reducing Kangsung Mart's stake.
But no matter how much I lowered it, my intuition kept giving feedback.
Hah, just how much are you trying to take from them?
After settling on the final ratio, I tilted my head in doubt.
Would Kangsung Mart really accept this?
...I doubt it.
＊＊＊
"Hyung, you said he was reliable! That he wasn't some swindler! Then what the hell is this?!"
"..."
From early morning, Kangsung Chairman loosened his tie slightly as he faced his younger brother, who had stormed into headquarters.
"75%! They're not giving that to us—they're keeping it for themselves! I wouldn't have said a word if it were 50-50! But 75%! A whopping 75%! On top of that, they want full access to our logistics centers and to convert all the marts we're shutting down into warehouses! All while taking 75% of the shares!!"
Even Kangsung had to admit this was a bit much.
Not a 50-50 split, but 75%?
Anyone could see Kangsung Mart would be doing the lion's share of the work in this collaboration.
"Is this payback for forcing that blind date on him? No, how little must he think of me to propose such an absurd ratio?! And they want full personnel rights too!"
His brother had every right to be emotional.
But Kangsung thought coldly.
Everything Jeong Jin-ho had done so far had followed logic.
He wasn't the type to act impulsively or emotionally.
"Manager Kim. Did you find anything out?"
"Yes, Chairman."
"How is it?"
"Well... it's quite intriguing. The fact that they're only giving Kangsung Mart 25% might actually be the maximum stake they could offer while still being considerate."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"It's because of the revised Distribution Industry Act."
The Distribution Industry Act.
Just hearing the name made Kang Su-ho's teeth grind.
It was a law that forcibly prohibited large supermarkets from operating between midnight and 10 a.m., while also mandating they close twice a month.
The intention was to level the playing field with traditional market vendors, but in reality, the law had only produced side effects without any meaningful impact.
"The problem is, due to the Distribution Industry Act, Kangsung Mart—along with every other supermarket in South Korea—can't offer early morning deliveries, let alone express deliveries. But Lupin can. Because they're not classified as a supermarket."
"So?"
"Even if we collaborate with Gwangun to establish a new company, that company still wouldn't be able to provide early morning deliveries."
"What? Why not?"
"Because it would also fall under the Distribution Industry Act. The moment Kangsung Mart holds a stake in the new company, it would be legally restricted."
If Kangsung Mart's shares were involved in the new company, it too would be subject to the Distribution Industry Act.
"So Lupin gets to have all the fun alone?"
"Yes. But judging by the proposal Gwangun submitted, it seems they've been considering this carefully. If the stake is kept at 25%, with Gwangun retaining all management and personnel rights, they can just barely avoid being caught in the legal net."
"Wait. So that's how it works?"
"Yes. Moreover, their plan to fully integrate the system from Nation of Late-night Snacks into a new distribution model is another masterstroke. If you order fresh products from Lupin, you have to wait a day, but with Nation of Late-night Snacks, delivery drivers pick up the goods from nearby supermarkets and deliver them immediately."
Hearing this far, a rough picture was forming in his mind.
"Express bullet delivery is only operational in Seoul right now, isn't it? And even that's still in trial phase. But Nation of Late-night Snacks delivers nationwide. Their explosive growth has also led to a vast network of delivery drivers."
"And there's at least one Kangsung Mart in every regional area, right?"
"Exactly. Locations that have shut down can be repurposed as logistics warehouses, while the remaining ones can simply provide real-time deliveries through the drivers—linked with Nation of Late-night Snacks. The government wouldn't be able to regulate this either."
In other words, this was the last chance to strike before Lupin rolled out nationwide early morning deliveries.
"W-wait a second."
At that moment, Kang Su-ho cut off the conversation between his brother and the managing director.
"So you're saying Kangsung Mart has to partner with Gwangun now? With this seemingly unfair share structure?"
"Even if it looks unfair at first glance, this could be the perfect opportunity to crush Lupin as it surges forward. We'd also be free from legal restrictions."
Watching his younger brother blink stupidly, Kang Sung-ho let out a dry chuckle.
"Haven't I always told you? Don't judge business decisions emotionally. If you'd done even a little research, you wouldn't have come running to me like this. And how many times have I said Chairman Jeong isn't the type to pull dirty tricks?"
"..."
His brother still looked dazed.
"Now that you understand, go back to work. We have a business to run, don't we?"
"Hyung. But isn't this a little weird?"
"What is?"
"You said it yourself. It was strange that Jeong Jin-ho suddenly acquired Nation of Late-night Snacks."
Kang Sung-ho nodded reluctantly.
"I did."
"But now, because Gwangun had already secured Nation of Late-night Snacks, partnering with Kangsung Mart would massively expand the playing field."
Come to think of it, that was true.
Hadn't Kang Sung-ho himself questioned why Jeong Jin-ho had abruptly acquired Nation of Late-night Snacks? Yet now, it turned out to be the exact puzzle piece Kangsung Mart needed.
"Are you saying Chairman Jeong acquired it with the intention of merging with Kangsung Mart?"
"No. But everything's falling into place too perfectly. As if it was all planned in advance. Even the share ratio—do you think that's something they came up with in a day? This level of preparation? Hell, they probably even knew we'd set up that meeting on purpose, didn't they?"
"!?"
Chairman Kang Sung-ho faltered for a moment but quickly regained his composure.
"Hey. If you're just going to spout nonsense, go do some actual work."
"No matter how I think about it, it's weird..."
"Sigh. Get out. Your hyung has a lot to do today."
Only after he scowled did his brother finally leave.
Kang Sung-ho pretended to be unfazed as he went through the documents.
"..."
But he couldn't focus.
His brother's words kept churning in his mind.
'Could he really have known everything from the start?'
"If that's really the case... just how far ahead has he been seeing?"
Kang Sung-ho's hand trembled faintly as he checked the documents.