The Explosion
The three-week deadline Ryu Geun-tae had mentioned was now just four days away. Throughout this period, YK Department Store’s logistics drivers had continued to defect in droves. A double salary—it was, frankly, an irresistible offer, and with more than half the staff gone, it had finally put the brakes on YK Department Store’s logistics operations. Sales had immediately plummeted by 60 percent. It wasn't as if the idea of grabbing just anyone to drive hadn't been floated, but given the nature of the goods being handled, that was impossible, and the proposal was immediately shot down.
“Ha, half the staff is gone, but sales have dropped even more than that.” One of the warehouse employees sighed, sipping coffee from a paper cup.
“What can you do? With the staff gone, we’re constantly hitting snags here and there, so the remaining people have to be mobilized more, and that’s causing people to burn out.”
“Damn it, should I just move over there too?”
“Hey, you’re just a warehouse organizer. It’s the cargo truck drivers that the Shinsang Group is taking.”
“I can just get a license, can’t I? Damn it.”
“You crazy bastard, do you really think this situation will last until then?”
“What do you mean by that?” At the question from the employee thinking of jumping ship, the employee who seemed to have a bit more foresight gave a bitter smile.
“They’re luring us with double the salary now, but do you think that’ll last? It’s obvious the Shinsang Group is doing this just to screw over our YK Department Store. The moment this is over, it’s finished. You think they’re crazy enough to keep paying that salary?”
“Is that so…?”
“You’ve got a place to sleep since you joined here, and you’re getting good advice on savings and such. Do you think you’ll have that if you go to the Shinsang Group? Even if the visible paycheck is smaller, I think there’s a future here.”
“Still, it’s double….”
“Ugh, do whatever you want. I’m going back to work.”
“Hey, wait for me!”
Still, among those remaining at YK Department Store, there were some as sharp as the one who had just spoken. Of course, it was also true that there were some lukewarm ones who couldn't make up their minds. And finally, four days later, the reinforcements Ryu Geun-tae had promised arrived.
***
Dawn at YK Department Store. Manager Ma Seok-il was clicking his tongue in the logistics warehouse near the main store.
“Wow, I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d be giving orders to white and black people.”
A significant number of white and black people stood before him. There were a few Asians mixed in, but most were black and white.
“They’ve already received basic training, so you just need to give them instructions on what to do.” At the words of the white guide who spoke Korean, Ma Seok-il nodded. A moment later, they each climbed into their assigned trucks and headed toward the ports and their designated branches. Watching them, Ma Seok-il headed to the President’s office just in time for Ryu Geun-tae’s arrival.
“I truly never imagined the U.S. military would support us.”
At Ma Seok-il’s exclamation, Ryu Geun-tae grinned.
“To be precise, they are former U.S. military.”
“Ah, right.” Ma Seok-il nodded. In fact, all the reinforcements who had arrived were former U.S. military personnel. And not just any—they were vehicle-specialized personnel who had worked in the U.S. Forces Korea. Some had been close to their discharge date as of three weeks ago, some had stayed in Korea for a while to settle their affairs, and others had already returned to the U.S. However, they had all welcomed Colonel Colson’s proposal with open arms and were hired by YK Department Store. To be precise, they were hired for the farm Yoon-gi operated in the U.S. However, before starting their jobs at the farm, they were to work in the transportation industry at YK Department Store for a while.
“I understand now why the President didn’t accept the unreasonable bonus.”
“Exactly. If we had raised the bonus immediately, we might have put out the fire, but in the end, it’s a chicken game. If we raise it by two times, they’ll raise it by three. Even if you win a chicken game, it’s a pyrrhic victory. You can’t really call it a victory.”
“I was in a hurry at the time, so I think I made a short-sighted judgment. I apologize.”
“No. Honestly, it wasn't that we had a choice, and it wasn't an entirely senseless option.”
At Ryu Geun-tae’s considerate words, Ma Seok-il smiled, but then put on a troubled expression.
“President. What should we do if the opponent tries to use their financial power against those U.S. military personnel as well?”
“That won’t be easy.”
“Pardon?”
Ryu Geun-tae wore a confident smile.
“Those former U.S. military personnel are being paid based on American standards.”
“Yes. I understood that much. If we raise wages to hire Koreans, we have to maintain high wages consistently, but if we use Americans in a dispatch format and send them to the U.S. later, there will be less friction.”
“You understood well. Then the next step isn’t very difficult either. Those U.S. military personnel basically have respect for Colonel Colson.”
“Ah!”
“People with loyalty cannot be taken away simply by offering a little more money. To take them away, they would have to set a much higher remuneration than now, but our hiring of former U.S. military personnel and the Shinsang Group hiring them are completely different things. If they take the U.S. military personnel with five times the salary? Then, will the truck drivers they’ve already taken just sit still?”
“I understand perfectly now.”
“Of course, we also have to consider the morale of our other drivers. Let’s say we pay a monthly bonus equivalent to half the salary of the newly arrived former U.S. military personnel to our current drivers. Most of them will probably be satisfied with that.”
“That’s a brilliant idea. It’s not that there won’t be any bleeding, but at least you’ve succeeded in minimizing the damage.”
“That’s right.”
Indeed, after the deployment of the former U.S. military personnel, the stabilization of YK Department Store’s logistics happened quickly, which made Kang Jang-hwan and Kim Seong-pil desperate.
***
“Damn it!” At Kang Jang-hwan’s words, Kim Seong-pil also spat out a curse.
“Damn it, what do we do? It’s not working.”
“I really didn’t know they would mobilize not only the Samwoo Group but even discharged U.S. military personnel. Moreover, those guys don’t even respond to appeasement, that’s the biggest problem.”
At Kang Jang-hwan’s dilemma, Kim Seong-pil asked, frowning.
“Is there perhaps another way?”
“If there isn’t, we have to make one. It’s already impossible to pressure YK through logistics. Even if we poach other logistics drivers, YK will probably fill those vacancies with U.S. military personnel. There are plenty of U.S. military-origin Americans on the U.S. mainland anyway.”
In fact, because YK Department Store airlifted former U.S. military personnel who were in the U.S. via U.S. military aircraft, it cost them virtually nothing. At most, they just offered a slightly generous reward to the U.S. military official in charge of transporting them? Therefore, from a long-term perspective, YK Department Store had a very high chance of winning the chicken race through securing logistics drivers.
“Then, what are you planning to do now?”
“There’s only one way left. Originally, I intended to pull that guy Yoon-gi down through this logistics driver competition.”
“Ah, was that what you were thinking?”
What Kim Seong-pil had thought of was the destruction of YK Department Store through the Samwoo Group. On the other hand, what Kang Jang-hwan had thought of was pressuring YK Department Store, hoping Yoon-gi would come out of his protective shell himself. It was faster for the opponent to surrender than to engage in a long, drawn-out chicken race. Especially if, in the process, that guy Yoon-gi offered a sincere apology and accepted some physical penalty himself, that would be the best. However, the situation did not flow as Kang Jang-hwan had thought.
“Since gentlemanly methods don’t work, I have no choice. From now on, I’m going all out.”
From Kim Seong-pil’s perspective, Kang Jang-hwan was as reliable as could be, but from the perspective of his family and aides, it was a nightmare.
***
“No, Chairman. What on earth are you talking about?” At Kang Jang-hwan’s bombshell announcement in a meeting of only his closest aides, everyone looked flustered.
“Why are you all so surprised? Is it really that strange that I want to build two department stores?”
Director Jo Yoon-tae, who had served the Shinsang Group since Kang Jang-hwan’s father’s generation, shook his head. He was quite old, and frost was beginning to settle in his hair. In particular, the lines around his mouth were deepening, expressing his rebuttal to Kang Jang-hwan’s words through his expression.
“Honestly, I’d understand if the location were at least decent. But to build them right next to YK Department Store’s main branch and the planned second branch? This is truly insane.”
“What? Insane? Have you said all you have to say?!” In front of Kang Jang-hwan, whose economic sense had been paralyzed by the thought that he had to help his friend and savior, economic logic didn’t work at all. However, it worked for the other directors, so they began to provide supporting fire for Director Jo Yoon-tae.
“That’s right. This is unreasonable.”
“Chairman, please reconsider. Our Shinsang Group does not have the ability to procure luxury goods like YK.”
“If we build department stores, there is a possibility that we will be hated by those in power. We must avoid this.”
But it didn’t work on Kang Jang-hwan.
“When did these people become such cowards? Are we really going to lose to a single YK Department Store?”
“It’s not just YK Department Store. Behind YK Department Store stands the Samwoo Group.”
At Director Jo Yoon-tae’s words, Kang Jang-hwan just snorted.
“Hmph! That Samwoo Group, if you consider the difference in scale between us, they shouldn’t even be able to compete!”
“You must consider the retained earnings. If we clash head-on with the Samwoo Group, we will inevitably suffer damage as well.”
“I am the one who decides the direction of that investment. How dare you talk back to what I’m trying to do?”
“I’m not talking back; I’m speaking to you sincerely. Right now, Chairman, you are not making rational investment judgments.”
“Shut up! If I say I’m going to do it, I’m doing it! How are we going to move forward if we can’t even beat a YK Department Store?”
“Chairman! Please think again. If the young master were here, he would have opposed this too!”
The directors didn’t know that Kang Seok-ho was currently confined, so they tried to persuade the Chairman by using Kang Seok-ho as an example. However, this only fueled Kang Jang-hwan’s stubbornness. Because it was Kang Jang-hwan himself who had confined Kang Seok-ho.
“You son of a bitch. How dare you try to teach me? Are you saying I’m worse than my own son?”
“That’s not it….”
“Shut up! If I say I’m building it, I’m building it! Don’t talk back anymore!”
A unilateral declaration. However, at this point, there was virtually no way for his aides to stop Kang Jang-hwan’s stubbornness.
***
An article plastered in large letters across numerous newspapers. Yoon-gi felt a headache coming on at the Shinsang Group’s declaration of war, which openly showed they would use their money power. ‘If they come out this way, the Shinsang Group’s ranking in the business world will drop 100 percent. They’re willing to risk that just to help a friend?’ Yoon-gi, who felt the friendship between Kang Jang-hwan and Kim Seong-pil anew, clicked his tongue in many ways. Of course, he himself would easily pull off such an extreme move if a precious person were harmed. However, it was true that he was surprised that someone other than himself would make such an extreme move.
‘What should I do now… The future I have to abandon is too great to sell Microsoft stock, and if I sell Sega stock, the Genesis Project will hit a snag.’
Besides this, he had thought about selling YK Samgang or YK Hotel, but Yoon-gi started to ponder deeply, thinking that raising funds that way would be like throwing an egg at a rock.
‘Should I make a deal with my grandfather to entrust the fate of the Samwoo Group to me?’
No matter how much it was the Shinsang Group, they wouldn’t push forward by selling off healthy subsidiaries. If it was to that extent, he thought that if the Samwoo Group put all their efforts into it, they could somehow cope.
‘Yes, let’s call my grandfather. It’s better to talk to him than to think about it alone.’
At that moment. As the phone in the room suddenly rang, Yoon-gi instinctively picked up the receiver.
“Yes, hello?”
[Yoon-gi, it’s exploded!]
It was his grandfather, but a slightly different one. His maternal grandfather, Colson, informed him that something had suddenly exploded.