Full-Power Pursuit (2)
“What? What did you say?”
Executive Director Yoon Hak-su was so thunderstruck that he couldn't speak for a moment.
“Hansung released a bibim-myeon?”
“W-well...”
“What the hell kind of job are you doing? You think it's okay to report something like this now?!”
There was no way that could have happened. The concept of cold ramen had been Daehan Yakult's core project, managed with ironclad secrecy. There shouldn't have been even the slightest leak. Moreover, all the researchers involved in development had been completely isolated, focused solely on their work. They couldn't even go home, and their phone lines had been cut off.
“So this is Hansung Bibim-myeon? The same kind of cold ramen as ours.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Open it.”
As his secretary tore open the Hansung Bibim-myeon packet, Yoon Hak-su's pupils trembled violently. The contents inside were eerily similar to the Paldong Bibim-myeon that Daehan Yakult had developed.
“...They replicated our Paldong Bibim-myeon to this degree?”
He picked up the small packet containing the liquid sauce. Tearing it open, he cautiously tasted the contents.
“Isn't this the liquid sauce we were developing?”
The flavor was astonishingly similar to the sauce for the Paldong Bibim-myeon he had planned to launch—down to the blending ratios, viscosity, and emulsification. It was beyond identical to the blueprints; it was perfect. What shocked him most was that it tasted even better than the Paldong version he was about to release.
The balance of subtle acidity and umami is even more refined. How is this possible?
The initial taste spread softly across the tongue, only for a crisp sourness to follow, cleansing the palate. The lingering sweetness and umami left a long, satisfying aftertaste. The stable emulsification made the sauce's texture incredibly smooth, with excellent adhesion to the noodles that prevented it from sliding off easily. Thanks to the near-perfect blend of oil and water-soluble components, every bite burst with distinct layers of flavor.
“Call the executives right now. We're holding a meeting.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And mix samples of Hansung's bibim-myeon with ours randomly, then ask the executives which one tastes better.”
“Understood, Director!”
“What are you waiting for? Go!”
“Eek! Yes, sir!”
Once the secretary left, Yoon Hak-su stood silently for a long while, unable to say a word. The Hansung bibim-myeon he had tasted—it was undoubtedly far superior.
If... if the executives picked the Hansung product from the randomized samples...
Regrettably, he'd have to scrap the entire project. Releasing Paldong Bibim-myeon as is might even earn Daehan Yakult the stigma of ripping off Hansung.
“Damn it! What kind of monster does Hansung have that can make ramen like this?!”
If such a talent existed, he'd pay a fortune to hire them. For cold ramen—from the pioneering sour flavors to the hot new contender Hansung—no one he knew could achieve this level of perfection.
Come to think of it...
Only then did he recall what Seo Ji-eun had said. Hansung's monster. Nongwon had held out this long against that impossible freak.
At his secretary's report that the meeting was ready, he straightened his collar and steadied his ragged breathing. Absurdly, Daehan Yakult's meticulously prepared new venture—right on the verge of launch—was now facing total reevaluation.
Yoon Hak-su clenched his fists, muttering bitterly at the fact that their item had been stolen.
“Who the hell are you, the one who stole our bibim-myeon?”
＊ Nongwon headquarters.
Seo Ji-eun pressed a hand to her forehead, swallowing a groan. Her worst fears had come true. Hansung had launched Hansung Bibim-myeon, a cold ramen, onto the market.
“Uncle, how could this happen? I suspected, but Hansung actually released a cold ramen.”
“Tell me about it. I can't tell if this is a dream or reality anymore.”
The marketing department recited the current domestic ramen market shares. Hansung's bibim-myeon had undisputedly claimed the top spot.
Truth be told, she hadn't even imagined cold ramen would take the form of bibim-myeon.
“In the end, bibim-myeon was the cold ramen. Just like you said, Uncle—boil the noodles in hot water and rinse with cold.”
The two examined the cooking instructions on the back of the packet in detail. Suddenly, her eyes sparkled.
Now that Hansung had developed cold ramen, the one in a panic was Executive Director Yoon Hak-su—and by extension, Daehan Yakult.
“This means Yoon Hak-su will have to review the entire project. We've learned one thing competing with Hansung.”
Division Head Jang Se-hoon nodded.
“Right. You can never win if your concept overlaps with theirs. We learned that the hard way with Ansim-tang-myeon.”
“Yes. Still, it's amazing. How does Hansung's monster time their releases so perfectly? It's like they know the future.”
Seo Ji-eun traced back from the moment Hansung developed jjajang ramen. Even then, Jang Se-hoon had been secretly developing it. Without Hansung, Nongwon would have claimed the title of Korea's first jjajang ramen maker.
Hansung's ramen lineup: Hansung Jjapaghetti, Sichuan Hansung Jjapaghetti, Haeguri, Chilgyejang, Hansung Cheong-myeon. Weren't they all on Nongwon's development list?
Once might be coincidence, but twice? No way. A chilling certainty gripped her: Hansung's monster had the ramen market completely figured out. As if peering in real-time at Nongwon's internal research.
“Uncle, we have no choice. We need to meet them ASAP.”
“Huh? Who?”
“Hansung's monster.”
“How? We've tried everything to meet them. Even investigating Baseball Association Chairman Choi Young-seok didn't reveal their identity.”
“We'll have to go undercover.”
“What? Undercover? You a detective now?”
“What else can we do? If this continues, Nongwon might have to abandon the ramen business altogether...”
Abandoning ramen meant Jang Se-hoon stepping down. And for Nongwon's chairman's youngest daughter, Seo Ji-eun, it would shrink her position just as much.
Jang Se-hoon pressed his throbbing temples.
“Sigh, fine. I'll help out too.”
“Really?”
“I was the one pushing to contact Hansung from the start. Ji-eun... you're right. If we keep going like this, we'll end up with nothing.”
The two let out heavy sighs. Only one option remained: confront Hansung's monster head-on.
“Let's start today!”
For some time now, I'd felt secretive gazes watching me. On the way to school. Coming home after classes. Even going back and forth between Seongbuk-dong and Bukchang-dong with Jeong Hae-won.
The sensation of someone holding their breath behind me grew sharper.
Eek! This could be those kidnappers from the stories who snatch chaebol kids for ransom.
The news has been full of missing persons cases lately...
I ran to Woo Manager with a scared face. If anyone in the mansion could deliver justice against kidnappers, it was him.
“You've been feeling strange gazes?”
“Yeah. I've been getting chills like crazy lately.”
“Hah, which bold bastard dares target the Hansung family...”
Hansung Group had kept my existence a strict secret. While other affiliates struggled with sales, Hansung Food had turned profitable long ago. This year's revenue was projected to be several times higher than last year's. And the one who delivered that jackpot to Hansung Food? Me.
No wonder jokes floated around about Hansung's shadow power broker being the family's only daughter. All Hansung products are made by Baby Lady. Hansung's IPO depends on Baby Lady. Reports said my ramen sales alone exceeded 400 billion won, circulating from internal docs to external audits.
Hwahhh! Goosebumps erupted all over my body. To kidnappers, I was prey tossed to a predator.
“G-Go, Woo Manager Uncle! F-Fighting!”
“Leave it to me. I'll resolve it within an hour.”
A short while later, Woo Manager returned, smacking his lips with a regretful tone.
“They scampered off like rats. I spoke directly to the National Police Agency Director, so this won't happen again. Rest easy.”
Oooh! As expected of a chaebol— even the person I confided in was extraordinary. The National Police Agency Director, no less...
In my past life, that was the police chief equivalent. In 1983, the director commanded the entire police force instead.
Well, that should end any kidnapping nonsense. Grandpa was furious too, ranting about sly foxes targeting his granddaughter. He might even go straight to the president if things escalated.
“Grandpa, you're the best!”
At my words, Grandpa stroked my hair gently, reassuring me.
“Heh heh heh, don't worry. No one in this Korea can touch my granddaughter now.”
Meanwhile, far from the Han family mansion, two men and women with scarves wrapped around their faces stumbled out of an alley, tripping over each other.
“Kyaa!”
“Oof!”
The woman with the scarf, Seo Ji-eun, fought back tears at the blood on her knee. And they thought she was a kidnapper? When did the chairman's youngest daughter become a criminal?
A massive bear possessed by a demon had charged at them full speed—better to face the grim reaper itself.
“I-I can't do this. We need to make a formal request to Hansung.”
“...You think Hansung will agree?”
Jang Se-hoon pulled off his scarf, panting heavily. It was the first time in his life he'd run like a fugitive.
“We have to meet them, no matter what. If not, we'll use newspaper articles.”
“Newspaper articles?”
“Yes. I hear Hansung's in hot water lately. Supply can't keep up with demand, and complaints are piling up everywhere.”
“Ho, that's good news.”
“So if we offer to help Hansung, maybe their hidden monster will agree to meet us?”
She revised the plan on the spot—from pursuit to persuasion.
“Uncle, if teeth won't work, we'll use gums. We have to meet them to survive.”