Chapter 217
Chapter 217
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: Strategic Price Adjustments
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"I hope so."
Je Yoon-jae buttoned his suit jacket and rose from his seat. Quite some time had passed, so it was about time to head out.
For someone of Je Yoon-jae's stature, every minute and second was as good as money.
I stood up to see him off, but he waved me off as if it was no big deal.
"Please make sure to entertain me well."
He flashed a bright smile and gave a light wave.
His face was so radiant it almost blinded me for a moment. Before I could even respond, the door clicked shut.
From outside, I heard the other employees jumping to their feet in surprise, greeting him.
"......Haa."
I let out a sigh and flopped back into my chair.
'I survived.'
That had been really close. If I hadn't bought some grace time from Je Yoon-jae, The Song could have crumbled right then and there.
Of course, I would have resisted with everything I had. But I doubted a head-on clash with JC would end well for us.
'What would have happened without my pre-regression knowledge.'
The tension drained away all at once, leaving my body limp. Maybe it was because I'd pulled all-nighters all weekend, but the fatigue felt twice as bad.
Slumped there like a wet sponge, I heard a knock at the CEO office door.
"Yes."
"I'll come in."
It was Jo Yi-ruk who opened the door and entered. Through the gap, I could hear familiar voices bickering.
"Ye-won and Jae-ha fighting again?"
"Please don't worry about it."
Jo Yi-ruk brushed it off curtly.
Something about a graduation photo? Was that my imagination?
I tilted my head, then looked at Jo Yi-ruk.
"Is it urgent? I'm pretty wiped out right now."
I wanted to handle just enough paperwork and take the afternoon off if possible. As I pressed down on my eyelids, Jo Yi-ruk added briefly.
"What did you discuss with Executive Director Je?"
"Hm."
I gave Jo Yi-ruk's face a quick once-over. The undisputed number two at The Song, juggling secretary duties on top—he was stretched so thin even two of him wouldn't be enough.
I'd brought him on board back when I knew nothing, and I'd been making good use of him ever since. I felt grateful, but sorry too.
'Jo Team Leader needs to have a rough idea of how things are going.'
The other employees probably couldn't even guess why Je Yoon-jae had shown up here.
"Sorry, it's tough to even get up right now. I'll just tell you like this."
"Yes."
I gave him a quick summary of my conversation with Je Yoon-jae—from using JC as a shield during the last Hyunmu negotiations, to how the rumors had snowballed from there until Je Yoon-jae came to confirm things himself.
"......So that's what happened?"
Jo Yi-ruk muttered softly. He seemed pretty shocked.
"I did find it odd that there was no real pressure after rejecting Hyunmu's offer... but I never imagined this was the backstory."
Fair enough. It must be surprising to learn that their boss, who they'd pegged as just tinkering with recipes, had been balancing a power struggle between two giants behind the scenes.
Until the company grew big enough, the reality was we'd have to pour everything into making sure we didn't end up with our backs broken in the crossfire between those two whales.
"For now, no need to worry about it. Executive Director Je said he'd lend us his name for the time being."
"......"
"Thanks to him, we've bought some time. We'll just have to scale up to the size JC wants within five years."
That was the plan all along anyway—no big issue there.
"I had no idea."
Jo Yi-ruk said in a somewhat downcast tone.
"I'm sorry, President."
"Yes?"
Jo Yi-ruk bowed deeply. I couldn't hide my bewilderment as I asked again.
Sorry? For what?
What had Jo Yi-ruk done wrong to apologize to me?
"Until now, I haven't properly grasped something this major."
"Ah, no. That's not it at all."
It was only natural—I hadn't said a word about it.
Besides, this wasn't something Jo Yi-ruk could've handled even if he'd stepped in. The solution relied heavily on my memories from before the regression. I had no choice but to deal with it myself.
From Jo Yi-ruk's perspective, though, things looked different.
"I thought I was managing things well enough that you didn't have to worry, President. Guess it was all in my head."
"Hey. How much do you do for us, Jo Team Leader."
I make sure to give generous incentives as thanks.
The truth was, I could focus on my recipe research precisely because Jo Yi-ruk had my back.
"Thanks to you, I can concentrate on my own work without a care."
So don't sweat it. That's exactly why the CEO position exists.
Clap!
I clapped my hands to refocus attention.
"Shall we talk about something else, then?"
"Something else?"
There was a reason I'd stubbornly dragged myself into work today.
'Complaints must be piling up to the breaking point by now.'
I needed to give them a gentle press before they exploded.
"Our franchise brands. It's time for a price adjustment."
"......!"
"Aren't complaints flooding in from all over? The franchise owners must be up in arms wanting to raise prices."
"Y-Yes, exactly."
He clearly hadn't expected me to bring this up.
And why would he? I'd always hammered home thin margins with high volume, stressing that we needed to keep the entry barrier low.
'But if we're selling at margins that don't leave enough profit, the franchise owners' motivation will tank.'
It was HQ's job to find the sweet spot between market demands and the owners' hoped-for prices.
"Requests for price increases have been steadily climbing. But since you've stayed silent on it, President, we all assumed we'd just freeze prices indefinitely."
"It's time for a readjustment."
I'd heard as much from Kim Jong-chun last time. The franchise owners' patience was right on the verge of snapping.
If it erupted like a volcano, it'd be hard to contain—so showing a negotiation gesture right about now was the smart move.
"It's our first time adjusting prices, so let me walk you through it in detail."
"Yes. Understood. ......Have you done this before, President?"
Oops.
"Hahaha. N-No, I've just heard the process explained in detail once."
Too much insider knowledge. I glossed over it awkwardly, but Jo Yi-ruk nodded with full trust, not a hint of suspicion.
"I see."
As if just hearing about it was enough to handle it. Price adjustments weren't that simple.
......I wanted to call him out on it, but that would just dig my own grave, so I kept my mouth shut.
Instead, I dangled a carrot on a stick.
"You might have to handle it yourself when I'm away, Jo Team Leader. Might as well learn it properly now."
"......! Yes. I'll keep that in mind."
Jo Yi-ruk's eyes lit up in an instant.
Nothing like the guy who'd just been bowing his head in apology for not being helpful—his gaze sparkled anew.
'It's endearing how his eyes light up at the chance to be useful to me.'
I was much younger physically, but I couldn't help the thought.
I chuckled softly and continued.
"First, analyze the cost increase factors and put together a report. We have quantified recipes for each store. Base it on those and investigate how much the ingredient prices have risen."
The foundation of pricing is calculating material costs.
It's the same when considering increases. You have to scrutinize exactly how much raw materials have gone up to justify a reasonable hike.
"You'll need to predict consumer reactions too, so run a market survey. Oh, and a report analyzing competitors' price ranges and consumer responses."
"Yes. Got it."
Up to this point, it was all mechanical analysis. Pure number crunching.
"Will that cover it?"
Jo Yi-ruk asked, as if there was nothing else to consider.
But business doesn't always break down so neatly.
"Run a full survey of all franchise owners to gauge their hoped-for prices."
That's why this step was necessary.
'The market's cold, hard inflation rate and people's felt inflation rate are always different.'
Franchise owners would likely want a much bigger increase than the market could bear.
If HQ pretended not to notice the gap and kept dictating prices unilaterally, resentment was inevitable.
"I'll get that prepared."
I tacked on one more thing for Jo Yi-ruk.
"The franchise owners might demand a negotiation table."
"!"
"The association could send a rep, or they might elect regional reps."
Either way, they'd want a direct line to HQ.
"If they do, have it ready within two weeks."
"Yes."
Jo Yi-ruk nodded briskly as he jotted down notes.
His face always came alive like this with a fresh mission.
"And that's not all."
"There's more?"
"How much we raise prices matters, but what's more important is what we do afterward."
Jo Yi-ruk tilted his head, not quite getting it. I followed up with an example.
"After the increase, soften the psychological blow to consumers with extra promotions or discounts."
Like issuing discount coupons for the first month post-hike, or deeper discounts on set menus.
That would dull a lot of the price resistance.
Jo Yi-ruk looked surprised for a moment, then nodded.
"We'll collect customer feedback and might need further tweaks, so tell the monitoring team to brace for a busy stretch."
"Yes. I'll make sure it goes off without a hitch."
Once he'd finished his notes, Jo Yi-ruk gave me an odd look and asked.
"......You heard all this from someone?"
"Ahaha."
I laughed awkwardly.