Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Hyunmu's Second Acquisition Offer
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I flung open the door, and the office was already buzzing with frantic energy. The employees who'd been hustling about froze the moment I stepped in, all of them stealing wary glances at me.
I moved as quickly as I could. Along the way, I casually tossed a comment toward Team Leader Jo.
"Team Leader Jo, come to my office."
"Yes."
Team Leader Jo fell in behind me like he'd seen it coming. We entered the CEO's office side by side, and he naturally lowered the blinds as if it were routine.
I shrugged off my jacket, hung it on the chair, and got straight to it.
"Where did that email start circulating from?"
"It came through the official company email account, so..."
Team Leader Jo trailed off, but I got the gist.
"So basically, everyone from the grunts on up has seen it."
"Yes. Exactly."
"This is something. Wonder if they knew what they were doing."
Of course they knew. The blatant scheming behind it only made my blood boil more. I let out a deep sigh before asking the next thing.
"Let's check the full email first."
"Yes. I've got it ready."
Team Leader Jo smoothly handed over a folder of printouts. I flipped to the first page, where a tidy greeting was followed by the decidedly untidy proposal.
From: Hwang Tae-in (Hyunmu Co., Ltd. M&A Executive Director)
To: The Song
Email: [email protected]
Subject: Discussion on Strategic Partnership and Acquisition Proposal with The Song
Dear Song CEO,
Hello, Song CEO. I am Hwang Tae-in, in charge of M&A at Hyunmu Co., Ltd.
First, I sincerely applaud The Song's outstanding performance and the achievements you've accomplished through your own passion and dedication, Song CEO. Through the cooking program you recently appeared on, I gained a deeper understanding of The Song's brand value and philosophy. I was greatly impressed by the innovative and creative future of the food service industry that The Song is pioneering.
…(omitted)…
Hyunmu has grown alongside various brands in the food service industry for many years. With the infrastructure and expertise we've built up, we believe we can create even greater value through collaboration with innovative companies like The Song. To that end, we would like to propose an acquisition to promote mutual growth via a strategic partnership between The Song and Hyunmu.
This acquisition proposal goes beyond a mere investment. We're suggesting a cooperation model that leverages both companies' strengths to support expansion into broader markets and brand scaling. By combining The Song's originality with Hyunmu's resources, we hope to become partners who reshape the food service landscape.
…(omitted)…
If you're interested in this proposal, Song CEO, we'd like to meet in person for deeper discussions. Please let us know a time and place that's convenient for you, and we'll prepare accordingly on our end.
We sincerely look forward to the opportunity to join forces with The Song and await your positive response.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Hwang Tae-in
Hyunmu Co., Ltd. M&A Executive Director
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 010-XXXX-XXXX
The content was long, but in short, it boiled down to this.
"It's an acquisition proposal."
"Yes. That's right."
Hyunmu had made it clear they wanted to acquire The Song.
Just seeing the name 'Hyunmu' triggered an instinctive surge of revulsion that I struggled to tamp down, forcing myself to think calmly.
'It's not an unreasonable offer.'
Right now, The Song was playing the role of game-changer in the food service industry. The successive successes of our franchise brands were drawing widespread attention, and my personal brand value as Song Woo-yeon was on the rise too.
Any major corporation would eye it as a prime acquisition target. The proposal itself wasn't all that surprising.
But this single 'acquisition email' had turned the company upside down, and the reason was right here.
"Didn't we already turn them down last time?"
"Yes. Correct."
It was the second acquisition proposal. That was the problem.
'Haa...'
I swallowed the sigh rising in my gut.
Before my regression, we hadn't gotten any acquisition offers. Collaboration proposals, maybe, but not buyouts.
Probably because the pre-regression Song wasn't appetizing enough to swallow whole. Back then, The Song had a mix of hits and misses in its franchise brands—very different from now.
Unlike the current The Song, which had grown into a solid newcomer by relentlessly deploying proven winning strategies, the old one was a mid-tier player with a haphazard blend of tasty and tasteless brands.
'They probably wanted to cherry-pick the key tech and brands instead of a full acquisition.'
And that's exactly what happened. Even thinking about it now just brought a bitter smile.
Anyway.
The current The Song must look so enticing they wanted to devour it from head to toe.
Which meant...
"What do you plan to do? If we reject a second acquisition proposal, they might hit us with outright retaliation."
...we were also a threatening competitor in their eyes. And Hyunmu never hesitated to crush rivals like that.
'Once is one thing. But a second time? That's pretty blatant.'
Had we risen too fast? Even so, I hadn't expected Hyunmu to step in directly.
"This is tricky."
Considering that the pre-regression Song only faced Hyunmu's pressure far in the distant future, this was a swift response.
'Or maybe...'
I glanced beyond the blinds. I could vaguely make out Hyun Ye-won's silhouette.
'No. Don't go there.'
It didn't matter much either way. Right now, it wasn't about 'why'—it was about how we'd respond going forward.
"The lifeblood of the food service industry is distribution, after all. How much damage do you anticipate?"
"If Hyunmu jumps in full force, we'll see major disruptions in our supply chain."
The Song had weathered vegetable price spikes through long-term contracts in the past, but as time passed and our scale grew, we were dealing with multiple suppliers.
'I knew something like this would happen eventually. That's why I tried to pick partners beyond Hyunmu's reach, but...'
Hyunmu was the big player looming over the entire food service sector. Nowhere was truly free of their influence.
I rattled off the expected scenario.
"Hyunmu will identify our suppliers, offer them more money, and lure them into exclusive contracts."
"......!"
"Hyunmu's a giant with stable business. Almost no one would say no. And we can't offer better terms than they can."
That was the power of economies of scale. I continued, looking at Team Leader Jo's stunned face.
"That'll make it hard to supply ingredients to our franchises. Franchisees will scramble to buy from retailers, working harder for slimmer margins."
"I see."
"For a thin-margin, high-volume franchise like ours, that's fatal. Even a slight cost increase can turn sales into losses."
My head throbbed, so I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Naturally, customer satisfaction drops, franchisee satisfaction drops. With Hyunmu openly sabotaging us, no one will want to risk dealing with us to stay in their good graces. Things will just get worse."
"......"
"Of course, this is the worst-case scenario."
I gave a wry chuckle and shrugged.
"Hyunmu's huge. That means a lot of eyes on them. They won't get this overt unless it's serious."
"I see."
"I don't know how much effort they're putting into acquiring The Song. But logically, we're not yet big enough to warrant their full might."
That was the silver lining.
"Is that... so?"
"We'll have to gauge the mood. Set up a meeting table with Hyunmu. They want to discuss here too, so they won't refuse a sit-down."
"Yes. Understood."
I'd know once we met. How much was this 'Executive Director Hwang Tae-in' really gunning for The Song.
That was the key.
'Is this your personal call, Director Hwang? Or...'
A shadowy figure flickered in my mind. A face that came into sharp focus even with my eyes closed.
'...Hyun Jeong-hu. Is this your order?'
The outcome would differ wildly depending on which.
But The Song was still too small a fish to hook someone like Hyun Jeong-hu. More likely Hwang Tae-in's initiative.
"We should prepare for the worst anyway. Diversify the supply chain as much as possible, build trust with reliable partners. Oh, and prep a list of backup suppliers ahead of time."
"Yes. I'll get on it right away."
Team Leader Jo bowed briskly and headed out.
Click.
The door shut, filling the room with silence. Only then did I let out that deep sigh.
'Maybe I'm overreacting because of the Hyunmu name. Could just be a feeler they sent to a hot mid-sized player.'
'My chest feels tight. Like fog in my head.'
Calm down.
I tamped down my heightened nerves and muttered inwardly.
It's fine. It'll be fine. Hyun Jeong-hu doesn't even know my name or face yet...
I unclenched my fist and raised the blinds again.
Click.
With the short sound, the view of the office came into focus, the chaos settling. Team Leader Jo and No Se-hee seemed to be reining in the bustling employees.
Amid them, I spotted Hyun Ye-won, looking like she was sitting on pins and needles.
"......"
Hyun Ye-won rolled her eyes like someone who'd committed a crime. Then her gaze flicked toward me, meeting mine.
The face that always softened into a warm smile when our eyes met was stiff and rigid today.
Snap.
With a single beckoning gesture, I summoned Hyun Ye-won to the CEO's office.
Instinct told me.
She knew something about this mess.