The Explosive Counterattack (4)
"What? What are you talking about?" Ma Seok-il, currently serving as the Operations Manager for YK Department Store, asked in shock at the report that had come in first thing in the morning.
"Half of our logistics drivers didn't show up for work. We can't reach them, and the few we managed to contact have expressed their intent to resign, saying they've started working elsewhere as of today. If this keeps up, we're in big trouble."
At his subordinate's report, Ma Seok-il felt his head spin. "No, how could half of the drivers just stop showing up at the same time? Does that even make sense logically?"
"I find it strange too. That's why I'm trying to contact them somehow, but..."
"Hey! Why are you asking the drivers who already left? You should be asking the ones who are still here if anything strange happened!"
"Oh, I understand!"
Only then realizing his mistake, the employee ran out. Ma Seok-il tried his best to endure the throbbing in his head and rushed to the President's office.
"Is the President inside?"
"Yes, he is."
As soon as he confirmed with the secretary outside that Ryu Geun-tae was in, Ma Seok-il knocked urgently. "President! President!"
Because Ma Seok-il and Ryu Geun-tae were quite close, Ryu assumed something urgent had come up and shouted from behind the door, "Come in."
The door swung open. Ma Seok-il, unable to even catch his breath, shouted, "We're in big trouble! We can't reach half of our logistics drivers!"
"What, what?" Ryu Geun-tae, who was just about to take a bite of the sandwich his wife Jung Hana had packed for him, dropped it in surprise. But he didn't even pay attention to the sandwich, instead asking Ma Seok-il, "What does that mean? Why aren't the drivers showing up?"
"I've ordered staff to find out if anything happened to the drivers who did show up. But no matter how I think about it, there's external interference involved. Half of them can't just stop showing up for no reason. We've had cases where a few couldn't make it due to hangovers or emergencies, but this is truly the first time something like this has happened."
"What about the cargo stuck at the port?"
"That's why I'm here for instructions. Should we prioritize receiving the cargo from the port, or transporting the cargo from the warehouse to the department stores?"
"This is driving me crazy. Do we have the capacity to do both at the same time?"
"It's not impossible, but it's tight."
"We can't just do one. For now, even if efficiency is low, do both!"
"Understood. But the cargo is also split between the main department store and the two mini department stores..."
For a moment, Ryu Geun-tae began calculating which side would suffer more damage. 'On the surface, I should concentrate the cargo on the main department store. But if I do that, some powerful people will be displeased. In that case...'
Having finished his thought, Ryu Geun-tae spoke again. "Manager Ma, you remember the mini department store branches that we absolutely cannot neglect, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"Prioritize those branches, and divert the rest of the cargo to the main department store."
"Understood! Then, I'll head back, give the orders, find out why the drivers didn't show up, and return."
"Right. As fast as you can! When something like this happens, if you don't solve it quickly, even bigger problems arise."
"Understood!"
Twenty minutes after Ma Seok-il ran out, the reason for the drivers' absence was finally revealed.
"Shin-sang Group bribed the drivers?"
At Ryu Geun-tae's incredulous expression, Ma Seok-il added an explanation. "Yes. They say Shin-sang Group has been consistently offering them better conditions than what we provide for the past week, telling them to come over to their side."
"No, why would Shin-sang Group do that? They don't even operate department stores! Where are they going to use that many logistics drivers?"
"Honestly, if they want to use them, there's no place they can't. But what I don't understand is that they even offered preferential conditions to take them. Honestly, even if our compensation isn't the absolute best, it's definitely high-tier when you consider the benefits, yet they kicked that away to leave."
"Wait, then the drivers who quit, by any chance...?"
Ma Seok-il nodded. "Yes. They were the drivers who chose to receive cash instead of benefits like housing support."
YK Department Store had a policy of supporting extensive benefits while paying around the industry average or slightly below, rather than paying a high base salary. Of course, it wasn't mandatory, so they could choose to receive cash instead of these benefits, which would bring their compensation to the middle level of the industry. As a result, the drivers who left this time were all those who weren't receiving housing support.
"Haa." Ryu Geun-tae sighed, and Ma Seok-il asked for further instructions. "President. If we don't replenish our manpower quickly, I think our logistics will eventually hit a wall. Should we urgently hire new staff?"
Ryu Geun-tae shook his head. "Due to the nature of our logistics, we can't just hire new drivers suddenly. You know that, right?"
"Hmm..."
Most of YK Department Store's cargo was luxury goods. Since the value of even a single truckload was immense, the drivers had to be people who could be trusted. Furthermore, at a time when Shin-sang Group was openly attacking, it would be a very dangerous choice to hire new drivers recklessly, as the opponent could send spy drivers to sow discord.
"For now, you soothe the other drivers and prevent any further departures. I'll come up with my own countermeasures. I'll have a temporary solution by tomorrow at the latest, so just hang in there."
"Understood."
After Ma Seok-il left, Ryu Geun-tae immediately called Yoon-gi.
After receiving the report from Ryu Geun-tae, Yoon-gi went straight to the study with his grandfather, Choi Ki-hyun. And then, he explained the situation.
"What is that crazy nonsense?" Choi Ki-hyun's assessment was very simple, but he had hit the nail on the head.
"You think so too, Grandfather?"
"Of course. If YK Department Store were just a standalone company, it might be a viable method, but they're doing that when Samwoo is standing right behind it?"
The reason Choi Ki-hyun evaluated it this way was that even if they poached YK's logistics drivers, they could still receive support through the Samwoo Group. It was a stupid move that anyone could see with just a little thought. That was why Choi Ki-hyun was actually suspicious.
"Did some problem occur within Shin-sang Group? Their eldest son is sharp enough that he wouldn't do something like this."
"Ah... there's a reason for that."
"What is it?"
To the curious Choi Ki-hyun, Yoon-gi spoke the truth with an awkward expression.
"What? That happened?"
"Yes. I handled it quietly, so I didn't tell you... I'm sorry."
"Hmm, I think you were wrong there." Choi Ki-hyun's words continued immediately. "Honestly, stepping up for a friend was the right thing to do, but not informing the people around you about the situation that could arise from it was a mistake. Imagine if we were the target right now. I would have been very flustered, wouldn't I?"
Choi Ki-hyun didn't blame Yoon-gi at all for hitting Kim Jong-su. From Choi's perspective, Jin-su was Yoon-gi's very close childhood friend. Moreover, since he stepped in because Jin-su was a victim, not because Jin-su was in the wrong, he had no intention of reprimanding his grandson.
"I'm sorry. It seems like I caused trouble for Samwoo for no reason."
Choi Ki-hyun shook his head. "No, no. Thanks to you, we got Daehan Electronics' technology for free last time, so I can endure this much. Honestly, it's not good to be too cold-blooded. You should be able to get angry for the sake of precious people. Don't you think?"
"Somehow, it feels like your words are a bit different from before."
At Yoon-gi's smiling face, Choi Ki-hyun smiled back and replied, "Isn't this all part of what they call social skills?"
Laughter erupted in the study for a moment, and then Choi Ki-hyun patted his chest. "Don't worry, I will take responsibility and select reliable drivers from the group to send to you."
"Thank you."
"However, it doesn't seem like Shin-sang Group will end here. If your deduction that Shin-sang Group's Chairman Kang Jang-hwan and National Assembly member Kim Seong-pil are childhood friends is correct, there will definitely be further attacks."
"Yes, I'm already anticipating that."
"Anyway, I will help you as much as I can. It's highly likely that Shin-sang Group's ultimate goal isn't just to stop at YK, but Samwoo itself."
"I'll do my best to stop them before it gets that far."
"Whenever things are tough, rely on me. Isn't that what family is for?"
"Yes."
At his grandfather's reassuring words, Yoon-gi smiled, and unlike the Chairman's office at Shin-sang Group, a warm atmosphere filled the study.
Numerous logistics drivers were supplied from Samwoo. Thanks to this, Shin-sang Group's attack on YK Department Store's logistics seemed to end as nothing more than a daydream.
"Manager Ma, give a 10 percent raise to the salaries of the drivers who didn't leave this time."
"10 percent? Wouldn't 5 percent be enough?"
"Just give them the raise. They showed their loyalty just by not leaving, didn't they?"
"Understood."
Manager Ma Seok-il, who nodded, immediately informed the drivers of the salary increase, and the drivers who stayed felt a sense of happiness. Of course, even with a 10 percent raise, it was lower than the salary offered by Shin-sang Group, but the very fact that they were shown a reason to stay was a great source of strength for the drivers.
However, an even greater trial befell these drivers. It was none other than Shin-sang Group's second offensive. Shin-sang Group began to target the logistics drivers by offering even bigger conditions than before, and this time, even the remaining drivers began to waver.
A whopping double. Due to the unconventional offer of providing double the current monthly salary they were receiving at YK, a small number of drivers began to leave, and this was the same for the drivers who had come to support from Samwoo.
"President. Should I just tell Commissioner Seo to send those guys all to Namyeong-dong?"
At Ma Seok-il's words, Ryu Geun-tae looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Manager Ma. Are you crazy?"
"I said that because I was so frustrated. Isn't Shin-sang Group crazy? If they pay double the driver's salary, the losses will be immense, so what on earth are they trying to do?"
Ryu Geun-tae knew what Yoon-gi had done, but Ma Seok-il didn't. Therefore, Ryu understood Ma's frustration, but since it was a remark that crossed the line, he began to reprimand him appropriately.
"Manager Ma. Logically, using Commissioner Seo to send people to Namyeong-dong for something like this is just a way to rot our corporate image. You shouldn't do such things even as a joke. Unless it's the leadership of Shin-sang Group who is openly attacking us, the drivers were just swayed by temptation."
"I'm sorry... I was just so frustrated..."
"I know how you feel, Manager Ma. But you must never say such things anywhere else. You are no longer an Operations Manager who just gives lip service, but an Operations Manager whose every word stimulates your subordinates."
"I will keep that in mind. Honestly, if I weren't in front of you, President, I wouldn't have even brought it up."
"I know. But I'm warning you. It's that important."
"Yes."
Ma Seok-il, who was nodding, spoke to Ryu Geun-tae with a slightly hesitant expression. "Um... I know this is a useless suggestion, but is there any other way besides raising our salaries? Honestly... I'm thinking that we should at least pay short-term bonuses."
"Just hang in there a little longer. In two to three weeks, new reinforcements will arrive."
"Yes? Reinforcements? Samwoo probably doesn't have any spare logistics drivers anymore either...?"
"Don't worry. There are more reinforcements."
There was a reason why Ryu Geun-tae had been maintaining a more stable expression than Ma Seok-il until now.