Underwater Negotiations
“M-Me? I've been played by a mere kid like that all this time? Our Nongwon...?”
Ah... It looked like the woman named Seo Ji-eun had completely lost her spirit. Drool trickled from her mouth as she stared blankly into empty space with hollow eyes.
“This must be quite the shock. I had my suspicions...”
I glanced sideways at the man I'd just mentioned, Jang Se-hoon. Jang Se-hoon of Nongwon. He was probably the division head. And the zombie-like Seo Ji-eun drooling beside him? She was the youngest daughter of Nongwon's chairman, quite famous in her own right.
“Shall we sit, then? It's nearly mealtime, so you must be getting hungry.”
Woo Manager subtly tried to shift the mood. A server entered and began deftly setting dishes on the table. Warm steam rose gently, filling the room with savory aromas in no time—but no one readily picked up their chopsticks.
Seo Ji-eun, still dazed and sitting blankly. Jang Se-hoon, the division head, stealing glances at her and gauging her mood.
Whatever they said, the food at this famous Western-style restaurant was top-notch, as expected.
Nom nom—!
“It's astonishing. We heard Hansung had a granddaughter born, but we never imagined she'd be so deeply involved in the group's affairs. Honestly, it was beyond our expectations.”
Jang Se-hoon trailed off, staring straight at me.
“Age and gender don't matter in business. All that counts is whether it brings profit or loss. That's the only difference.”
“Ha! Quite bold for your age. When you should be playing with dolls.”
Was this their petty revenge against Hansung's little monster that had tormented Nongwon? The two from Nongwon still couldn't quite believe it, their eyes lingering.
“Then let's get down to business. But first, I have a question. Is that alright?”
“Yes, go ahead. As long as I can answer it.”
“Very well. If you put it that way, I won't hold back.”
Jang Se-hoon took a breath, then sharpened his gaze.
“Did... did Han Seoyeon herself really develop Hansung's ramen?”
“Yes.”
“Unbelievable. Ramen isn't something you whip up on a whim.”
“True. Ramen can't be made from thought alone. The noodle texture, sauce blend, and countless processes... It takes endless failures to create one product.”
“Yet Hansung released hit after hit without a single flop.”
That was because...
“It's a matter of perspective.”
“...Pardon?”
“Different viewpoints.”
“...!”
In my past life, I was a legend in Korea's ramen industry—not just in research and development, but in reading market trends and designing the next big thing. I predicted shifts in demand, foresaw where consumer tastes were headed, analyzed hit products' core structures on launch, and made them my own. No wonder major ramen companies came to me before releasing their own goods.
Ramen isn't complete just knowing the recipe. Take the jjajang ramen that birthed Hansung Jjapaghetti as an example. Product viability isn't determined by recipe perfection alone. Timing of market entry is key—the development must align with precise trend analysis and branding, intertwined with distribution. Even the tastiest product flops if timed wrong or against demand curves. Conversely, a slightly imperfect one can skyrocket if it seizes the right moment.
Ultimately, success hinges on quality, timing, market fit, and a dash of luck.
Why did I start a YouTube channel while researching ramen? Sure, for money, but mainly to gauge diverse tastes and reactions in real-time.
Jang Se-hoon was sorely mistaken. My string of hits wasn't from memorized recipes alone. The entire history of ramen was etched in my mind—from the 1950s to 2026.
“It's possible because I already know the answers.”
“The answers?”
“Yes. What trends people want, and where they'll flow next. I design products by deducing start to finish.”
“What does that...?”
“Simple. When developing ramen, I set the ending first. How many it'll sell, how loved it'll be at that time.”
“That means... you know the future?”
“Something like that, but not quite.”
“Pardon?”
Hmm, how to explain? Ah!
“Think of it as reading people's choices before they make them.”
“!”
I approached ramen from a different angle. My wallet was thin. I lacked money for proper meals. My stomach growled for food, but prices made even one meal a stretch. Naturally, I turned to ramen to survive.
1,500 won per meal. Nutrition a bit unbalanced? Toss in fridge leftovers to fill gaps, and you've got a feast fit for kings. No money meant maximizing cost-performance and versatility.
I've developed and eaten ramen to survive all these years. Our attitudes toward it are worlds apart from the start.
Nongwon's Jang Se-hoon and Seo Ji-eun, still reeling before me. They saw ramen as a mere money-maker, a disposable product.
Jang Se-hoon might not get it, but Seo Ji-eun seemed to grasp something from my words. Her wits were finally returning.
“I can't believe it.”
“Ji-eun?”
“Uncle, if Seoyeon is telling the truth, we'll never beat Hansung, not even in death.”
“!”
“Our starting lines are different. Know why?”
Her eyes trembled as she continued.
“We treated ramen as just a product. Something to discard or swap anytime. But Seoyeon treats it not as a product, but...”
I finished for her.
“...as part of my own life.”
“Life? Treating food as your life?”
“Yes.”
Seo Ji-eun met my eyes squarely. Her lips twitched differently now.
“To Seoyeon, ramen is more important than family. Without it, she couldn't prove herself so extremely. Like Beethoven being a music genius because he was obsessed.”
“!”
“Exactly. Beethoven wove music into his life; Seoyeon weaves ramen into hers. Same product, but treating it as merchandise versus life—worlds apart. Like how our Ansim Tang-myeon and Hansung's Hansung Cheong-myeon turned out so differently.”
Spot on. The secret to beating Ansim Tang-myeon, with its 15 billion sales over decades? They fixated on miso alone. My Hansung Cheong-myeon balanced miso with supporting elements.
Surprisingly many hate miso. Ansim's pungent miso stench repelled them. Hansung Cheong-myeon used the same miso but minimized its strong aroma and bite—retaining nutrition while curbing polarization.
Thus, Ansim lost. Even miso-haters could eat Hansung Cheong-myeon.
“Impressive. Who knew Hansung had someone like this? Age aside, I can't help but respect you.”
“Hehe~ Really?”
“At times like this, you look just like a six-year-old kid. Hohoho~”
Seo Ji-eun straightened up. Now with a serious face, she made a proposal.
“I know my place best. I don't chase impossibles. But lingering regrets? I want to erase those.”
“One last showdown?”
“Not for nothing called Hansung's little monster.”
“That 'monster' word stings a bit... But why should I entertain it? Sounds desperate if you're proposing this.”
“...Frankly, you're right on everything. Time drags on, and we'll have to withdraw from ramen entirely.”
As she said, no reason to indulge them. Just keep developing as usual, and Nongwon crumbles alone.
Still, Seo Ji-eun intrigues me.
First since rebirth to pierce my heart. Nongwon's Seo Ji-eun. From past-life memory, she was...
“Fine. One fair fight, ramen only.”
“R-Really?”
“But I've conceded this much, so Nongwon concedes too.”
“...Concede what?”
“If Hansung wins, hand over Nongwon's ramen division to me for free. Including you, Ji-eun sister, of course.”
I stared at Jang Se-hoon.
“And you too, Uncle Jang Se-hoon.”
“W-What?”
“Not interested? Then no deal today.”
“N-No, wait...”
A bet? Defeat wasn't even on my radar. Dozens of killer moves remained. Even if they brought 1986's Maeul Sin, my options outnumbered fingers and toes.
Plus, my head brimmed with recipes far richer than the original Maeul Sin.
I smiled brightly at her.
“Ji-eun sister? What do you say? Accept my offer?”
Han Sung-cheol neatly folded his newspaper at the knock on his study door.
“Chairman, it's me.”
“Come in.”
The entrant was Woo Manager, strategic planning director—Hansung's closest aide, handling group affairs in the chairman's stead.
“How'd it go with Nongwon?”
“In the end, we made a bet.”
“A bet?”
“Yes. Right after the next Olympics. Ramen-only, product free choice.”
“Heh, corporations playing house? Like it's a go-stop game in the living room?”
“But if they lose, the young miss takes Nongwon's ramen division. Plus, their youngest daughter Seo Ji-eun and the chairman's brother-in-law Jang Se-hoon.”
“What? Their direct line?”
Even Han Sung-cheol couldn't ignore that. Not just the division, but subjugating their core bloodline to Hansung.
“Kuhahat! My granddaughter isn't after the division—she wants all of Nongwon!”
“Pardon? The whole company?”
“If Seoyeon set it, we trust and follow. Done right, Hansung Food triples in size.”
“...!”
Hansung swallowing Nongwon? They'd claim Korea's top food giant undisputed.
Han Sung-cheol finally relaxed. His granddaughter, he trusted implicitly.
“Woo Manager.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“The transfer I mentioned—is it progressing?”
“Yes. On the young miss's adulthood, she'll inherit an affiliate immediately. All prepared.”
“Good. This grandpa must help her spread her wings. Lucky we have a chance to prove her talent.”
Han Sung-cheol planned to reward securing Nongwon's ramen division with an affiliate for his granddaughter.