Chapter 1574. Ardent (4)

“Sir, we should start prepping for the launch of the second franchise.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded while listening to Hwang Min-Su’s report. “Yes, you’re right. It’s about time.”

“Considering the length of prep time, we can form a task force right now, and it’ll still be late. It couldn’t be helped, considering all the events that had happened to us. Before we face more delays to our preparations, we need to start right away.”

“Got it. You have my permission. Get moving immediately.”

“Thank you, sir.” Hwang Min-Su nodded. “As for the pizzeria we’d be using as our template... Have you spoken to the proprietor yet?”

“Oh, you mean Ju Yeong-Gi’s store?”

“Yes, that one. I went there not too long ago for inspection purposes, and the pizza there was actually pretty good, I must say. I’m not exactly a pizza lover, but even I finished the whole thing in one sitting, you see? It’s just that the interior décor of the place was...”

“...Yeah. We need to do something about that, don’t we?” Kang Jin-Ho groaned deeply. Oh, Yeong-Gi. Yeong-Gi, you dumbass!

“But the customer service there was exemplary, sir. The proprietor was very friendly, too.”

That made sense, though. Even when he was getting this whole pizzeria business thing off the ground, Ju Yeong-Gi treated customers like kings and queens, after all. Although, he poured all sorts of insults on his friends and co-workers for not moving their asses fast enough, didn’t he?

He was like a monster born from the greed of Capitalism, wasn’t he!

“Have you finished discussing the matter with the proprietor?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Mm, yeah, I have. But is it really okay with that pizzeria?”

Hwang Min-Su grinned deeply. “It’s always hard to trust a store run by the people you’re close with, Chairman. For instance... You were also unconvinced by the idea of turning your father’s cafe into a franchise, weren’t you?”

“...? Nope. I was fine with that one.”

“...”

“...?”

Hwang Min-Su quietly fake-coughed. “In any case... Yes, it’ll be okay, sir. More than you can imagine. Besides, that pizzeria even appeared in a few TV shows thanks to how delicious its pizzas are, too.”

“Huh? Really?”

Hwang Min-Su’s jaw dropped slightly. “...Chairman, you should pay a little more attention to your friend’s store. Yes, it’s one of the hottest pizzerias in town.”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t help but chuckle just then. Ju Yeong-Gi swore to turn the pizzeria into a success story, and from the sound of it, he seemed to have succeeded in his quest.

He’s right, though. I haven’t been paying attention on that side.

This situation wasn’t the result of Kang Jin-Ho’s general lack of interest, though. No, it’d be more correct to say he didn’t see the need to pay attention. Whether it was Park Yu-Min or Ju Yeong-Gi, they handled their businesses admirably well on their own, after all. There was no need for Kang Jin-Ho to butt in.

All they had to do was get together every once in a while and drink and chat, that was all. ℯℯ𝘭.

Besides, even when they got together, the trio tacitly agreed not to talk about their work, anyway. Such conversations weren’t really necessary on such occasions, after all.

“Once the franchising business gets going, various reforms will take place, sir,” said Hwang Min-Su. “The original pizzeria will serve as the template for our future direction. There aren’t all that many pizza franchises relying on actual fire pits to bake pizzas, so we believe we can use that to our advantage over the competition. Although, that presents a rather prickly issue with training the employees...”

“Oh, that? Don’t worry about it. The pizzas will taste even better from now on.”

“I’m sorry?”

Kang Jin-Ho scratched his cheek. “The thing is, those pizzas? I was the one who came up with them...”

“Oh? Really?”

“Mm!”

That brought back memories for Kang Jin-Ho.

A lot of fond memories were tied to that pizzeria, which was a store Kang Jin-Ho had opened after thinking long and hard about what to do with the money Hwang Jeong-Hu had given him. And he used qi to bake the pizzas crisply without ruining them.

Since Ju Yeong-Gi was not a cultivator, and therefore couldn’t use qi, the pizzas’ taste got slightly nerfed, but those nerfed pizzas were still good enough to turn the pizzeria into a famous eatery. In that case, the business should boom even more when the stores were run by martial artists who had mastered the recipes.

Hwang Min-Su slowly nodded. “I was wondering how we should go about training the franchisees, but it seems we’ve got our solution now. Although the idea of our chairman personally training them feels a little off...”

“No, it’s fine,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“If you say so, it’s all good, sir.”

Hwang Min-Su grinned in satisfaction. Unfortunately, it was still unknown whether or not the prospective franchisees on standby would smile like him after hearing this news.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Hwang Min-Su. “Then I’ll leave this part to you, President Hwang. You don’t have to report everything to me. Just let me know the most important issues.”

“Understood.”

When Hwang Min-Su ended his briefing, Lee Hyeon-Ju raised her head next.

“Sir. Our chronic shortage of coffee beans has been largely resolved now. The production volume has finally caught up with the demand. Almost.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Good. But I’m guessing this state of things won’t be permanent, right?”

“Yes, sir. Even then, it should be fine. Our sky-high revenue should start to decline gradually soon. Once the decline stops, and everything stabilizes, the supply should outpace the demand.”

“I see. Everyone must’ve worked hard in the factory, then.”

Roasting coffee beans when the weather was this toasty couldn’t have been easy, even for martial artists.

“The factory manager went through a lot to get this far, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju.

“Yeah... He’s been giving me a hard time at home because of it.”

Having said that, Kang Jin-Ho had to concede that his father’s complaints had lessened in intensity and frequency lately.

That was because the martial artists working in the factory had finally gotten the hang of their jobs, which led to higher quality coffee beans. Kang Yu-Hwan’s source of stress until now had been the lackluster quality of roasted beans, so this improvement had finally satisfied him somewhat.

“The cafe franchise is now firmly on the path to stabilization, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju. “Once everything has stabilized a little more, we’ll focus on increasing the number of stores next.”

“Mm...”

“Our current goal is to open twenty additional stores in Seoul and another thirty around the rest of the country.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. He figured that others would do a fine job without him butting in.

No, wait. Things will get worse if I get involved.

These executives were at least one hundred times better at this kind of work than he was. Running his mouth while pretending to know what he was doing would only increase the workload for everybody else.

Indeed, it was always better to be honest about a field you were not familiar with and let others carry you to the destination.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the others in the office. “Any other issues I should be aware of?”

Lee Hyeon-Ju nodded. “You should have a meeting with the accounting department soon, sir.”

“Mm?”

“At the moment, all of our business ventures are like pouring water into a bottomless barrel, sir. We use our funds to finance our ventures and recoup the investment later. That is our business model. For now, we have more than enough funds to sustain this model, but there could be problems in the future if you remain uninterested in the flow of funds.”

“I will. Actually, I’m confident about this. That’s the subject I studied, after all.”

And Kang Jin-Ho even received extra lessons in accounting, didn’t he? Of course, theories and the real thing were two different things, but still!

Lee Hyeon-Ju grinned brightly at how confident Kang Jin-Ho sounded. “That’s great, sir! Other than that, we don’t have any major issues to worry about.”

“Mm, I see.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded briefly, then glanced at everyone in the office with a somber expression. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you all about this situation, but I realized that you should at least be aware of it.”

Hwang Min-Su asked, “What is it, sir?”

“We might have further trouble with Taegwang,” said Kang Jin-Ho while scratching the back of his head.

“Oh, that. It seems that matter has snowballed even more?”

“Mm.”

For obvious reasons, Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t reveal all the details to Hwang Min-Su and his subordinates. Of course, they already knew that the culprit behind the sabotage attempt was Jeong Myeong-Cheol.

Hwang Min-Su frowned. “I see. Then, should we assume this matter isn’t resolved yet?”

“Mm, yeah. Looks like the Taegwang Group itself is getting ready to move against us.”

Hwang Min-Su groaned loudly. “Really? Chairman Jeong is infamous for being hardcore, sir. He is one hell of a terrifying man.”

“Yeah, so I’ve heard.”

Much to Hwang Min-Su’s confusion, though, Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Ju looked unflustered by the news.

Lee Hyeon-Ju even said, “Things might get a little bothersome, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho casually replied, “Yeah. A little.”

Hwang Min-Su frowned deeply. This matter definitely was not minor enough to be categorized as “a little bothersome”, though?

Trouble was brewing between MK and one of South Korea’s top ten corporations, yet these two people sounded far too lackadaisical.

Such a thing could be possible if they lacked a grasp on reality or didn’t know who they were dealing with, but that couldn’t be right. As far as Hwang Min-Su could tell, Lee Hyeon-Ju was not a dullard like that. However, not only Kang Jin-Ho, but even she was behaving strangely now.

Kang Jin-Ho scanned the people in the office once more. “Keep that in mind, everyone. If something strange happens to our operations, or if we encounter potential problems, let me know right away.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju smartly replied, “Understood. We won’t be able to prevent every little trick they resort to, though.”

“Yeah. But we only have to deal with them appropriately when the time comes.”

“Then, I’ll make preparations so that you’ll be informed right away if something happens, sir.”

“Mm, do that.”

Hwang Min-Su grinned brightly while listening to Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Ju banter away.

Yup, I don’t know anymore.

These two should take good care of it by themselves. It wasn’t as if this was their first time, anyway!

“Then, let’s wrap the meeting up here,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Hwang Min-Su’s expression brightened. “Oh! Good timing, sir. It’s lunch time, so how about having lunch with us?”

“Mm?”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head to look at the wall-mounted clock. It said half-past twelve, which was just about perfect for having a lunch break.

He didn’t particularly feel hungry, though. And he certainly didn’t need to eat at predetermined times, but having meals in the company of his subordinates was part of his work life, wasn’t it?

“Got it. Let’s do that, then.”

Hwang Min-Su grinned. “There’s a Chinese restaurant nearby that opened its doors recently. Their traditional Chinese cuisine is really great. I heard you enjoyed Chinese food.”

Kang Jin-Ho grinned back while rising from his seat. Lee Hyeon-Ju and the rest of the executives also got up to leave.

Gu Jeong-Beom took out his phone and reserved seats for the group even though no one had told him to. Judging from that alone, Kang Jin-Ho could tell that there was an appreciable difference between an MK employee and those who came from Jaegyeong.

“It’s been a while since we had a meal together,” said Kang Jin-Ho as the group stepped into the elevator.

Hwang Min-Su replied with a chuckle. “Indeed. You’ve been very busy, after all.”

“I’m not the only one who’s been busy, though.”

“That’s true, too. But we finally have some breathing space, sir. It feels like we had to deal with so many events one after the other, doesn’t it?”

“Hahah...”

“Oh, and by the way? We need your permission for another promotional event we’d like to launch soon. How about...”

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly grew somber. “No.”

“...”

“Never again in my life.”

“W-wait, sir. Don’t be like that, and...”

“I’m telling you, hell no!”

Kang Jin-Ho shot a sharp glare at Hwang Min-Su.

Judging from how sneaky this approach was, Kang Jin-Ho could guess without hearing the rest. Once was enough already. He’d not fall for the same trick twice!

Lee Hyeon-Ju grinned brightly and addressed Hwang Min-Su. “Sir, you should just go ahead and do it.”

Hwang Min-Su tilted his head. “Huh?”

“You can always worry about getting sued afterward, you know? Don’t worry, the company will pay for the settlement. Besides, the compensation for violating the portrait rights isn’t all that much, anyway.”

“...”

Would that really be okay?

Before Kang Jin-Ho could say something, he was interrupted by the elevator doors sliding open. However, when he stepped outside, he couldn’t help but frown deeply.

“What’s going on here?”

He could see that security guards were crowding near the foyer. What was strange about that scene was that they weren’t shouting loudly or trying to stop someone from entering the building. If anything, they seemed to be sweating buckets from not knowing what to do, as if they knew they had to block the intruder but couldn’t.

“Who could it be?”

Lee Hyeon-Ju tilted her head. “I’m not sure, sir. I can’t see anything from here.”

Hwang Min-Su frowned. “Maybe we should take a closer look?”

Kang Jin-Ho’s group approached the crowd of security guards. And when they confirmed who the intruder could be, it was Hwang Min-Su, not Kang Jin-Ho, who let out a stunned gasp.

“Huh? Ehhh?”

Hwang Min-Su even flinched nastily, too.

“C-Chairman Jeong?”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. “Say what?”

That was when the security guards discovered Kang Jin-Ho’s group and sheepishly parted to their left and right. One of the security guards hurriedly approached Kang Jin-Ho and bowed deeply.

“My apologies, Assem... I mean, Chairman. This gentleman insisted on entering the building, you see? Even though we’ve clarified that outsiders aren’t allowed without an appointment. He said he was the Taegwang Group’s chairman, and that was why we couldn’t be more forceful, sir.”

“Mm...”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded briefly, then studied the old gentleman standing before him. His facial features, such as his jawline, all implied how obstinate and uptight he was. Even at a casual glance, it was easy enough to tell that this old man was one tough customer.

Chairman Jeong, is it...?

That meant this old man was Jeong Hong-Geun, the Taegwang Group’s chairman. And he had actually come here on his own.

Kang Jin-Ho started first. “Chairman Jeong. This is not how things are done.”

Jeong Hong-Geun calmly replied, “Would you have said yes even if I tried to set up an appointment with you?”

“Mm, good point.”

Kang Jin-Ho probably would’ve said no. He had no reason to meet Jeong Hong-Geun, after all. This way of doing things might be seen as discourteous, but one couldn’t deny that it was effective.

If Jeong Hong-Geun’s goal was to speak to Kang Jin-Ho, this would’ve been the fastest way.

Kang Jin-Ho studied Jeong Hong-Geun and his surroundings. The Taegwang Group chairman hadn’t come with an entourage. A bigshot like him had waltzed in here all by himself.

This was an extraordinary situation indeed. That left Kang Jin-Ho with no choice but to ask.

“What can I do for you, Chairman?”

Jeong Hong-Geun slowly took off the fedora perched on his head before placing it against his chest. But then, he bowed ninety degrees to Kang Jin-Ho next.

“I’ve come to apologize for the recent events, as well as to offer my greeting to you, Chairman Kang. I know you are furious, but I implore you to be considerate toward this old man and not lash out immediately.”

Hwang Min-Su’s jaw fell to the floor. It wasn’t only him, however, but also his subordinates, too. Even Lee Hyeon-Ju freaked out at this sight.

W-what the hell is happening this time?!

What’s gotten into Jeong Hong-Geun?

Holy sh*t!

As for the recipient of this apology, Kang Jin-Ho, his jaw fell in stupefaction.

“...Excuse me?”

What kind of underhanded scheme was it this time?