Chapter 11

Chapter 11

“Sir! Sir!”

A man came running toward us.

Judging by his work clothes, he seemed to be one of the employees working at the construction site.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Sir, I fixed the part you mentioned earlier, but...”

At his words, the owner smiled and glanced around.

“Hey, Hyeonsik. I told you to just call me hyung when it’s only us.”

“Come on. How could I call you hyung? You’re still the CEO.”

The two of them seemed quite close.

Had they known each other before?

I stood a step behind them and quietly listened.

The owner had been talking to me first, but their work obviously took priority.

“It’s fine. We were born and raised in the same area. Who’s going to complain?”

“Haha. Well, if we’re both from Yeosu, I guess you really are my hyung.”

“That’s right, Hyeonsik. Next time it rains and you can’t work, let’s have a drink.”

“Yes, sir... I mean, hyung.”

“I have a guest right now, so I’ll talk with him first and then come to the site. Let’s check that part again later.”

“Yes!”

The employee named Hyeonsik bowed to both of us and hurried back toward the construction site.

I tilted my head as I watched him leave.

So they had not known each other for a long time?

From their conversation, the only connection between them seemed to be that they were both from Yeosu.

“Where were we?”

The owner’s smile disappeared as he turned back toward me.

“I’ve always thought this would be a good place for a food-supply mart.”

He tilted his head, looking surprised.

“Excuse me?”

“The largest food-supply mart in Gwangju right now is the one in front of City Hall, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And everyone knows that place has huge sales, even people who don’t work in this industry.”

The owner naturally nodded.

“Well, yes. It’s the biggest one, so of course it gets a lot of customers.”

I continued immediately.

“Until now, there really hasn’t been a place that could be called the largest food-supply mart in Honam. I also didn’t think there was a suitable site for one.”

One corner of his mouth rose.

“So when you saw this land, that’s what you thought?”

“Yes. Then I passed by recently and saw construction going on.”

“And that alone convinced you?”

“No. There wasn’t anything around the construction site saying it was related to a food-supply mart.”

He nodded.

“That’s right. We’ve been keeping it quiet because someone else might hear about it and open an even bigger food-supply mart somewhere else.”

I let out a small sound of understanding.

So that was why they had been keeping it secret.

Sometimes, when people saw a business concept doing well, they copied it and opened something similar nearby.

“I see. So when I noticed the construction, I asked the real-estate office nearby about it. If you were uncomfortable that I found out through them, I apologize.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

The moment I saw it, I finally relaxed a little.

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”

He stepped closer to me.

“What matters more is this. As someone who works in the food industry, you really thought a food-supply mart would do well here?”

His voice sounded strangely excited, as though my opinion had encouraged him.

“Yes. The site is large, and I thought this area could really use a food-supply mart.”

He nodded with satisfaction.

I quickly continued.

“From what I can tell, with a site this large, it should become the largest food-supply mart in all of Honam. Am I right?”

Only then did he burst into hearty laughter.

“That’s right. Wow, maybe it’s because you’re an expert in the industry, but you really do have a sharp eye. Haha.”

“Thank you.”

“And if you were trying that hard to confirm whether this was a food-supply mart... that means you came here to sell something, right?”

He glanced at the bag in my hand.

I quickly moved into the real topic.

“Have you already decided what products you plan to stock?”

He answered without hesitation.

“Yes. I’m planning to fill most of the store with products from large corporations.”

His very first answer shut me down.

In other words, there was no place for WG Food, a smaller company.

But I could not turn around and leave after coming this far.

“Of course. Products from major companies are well known, so naturally you’ll stock them. But shouldn’t you have at least one or two small-to-medium-sized companies too?”

“Hmm...”

“I don’t think our products are inferior in quality compared to products from large corporations. In some cases, I believe our products are actually better. The price difference mostly comes from brand image.”

I began explaining the differences between products from major corporations and smaller companies.

The owner listened and nodded.

“That is true. Big companies have their brand names behind them, so their prices are pretty high.”

“Exactly. If this is going to be the largest food-supply mart in Honam, I think stocking only large-company products would actually reduce your competitiveness. If you also carry products from smaller companies, customers will have more choices.”

The owner crossed his arms and thought for a moment.

“I suppose I should carry products from one or two smaller companies too.”

“We have many different products, so I brought separate catalogs for each category.”

I took the catalog files from my bag and handed them to him.

“If we sign a contract, a food-supply mart usually places a large first order, so I’ll do my best to adjust the prices. The prices written here are based on the minimum order quantity, so if you look at the table...”

Before I could finish, he stared at the price sheet and spoke.

“These are definitely cheaper than products from the big companies.”

“That’s right. The price changes depending on the order quantity, so if you tell me what amount you’re considering, I’ll adjust it accordingly.”

He tilted his head while studying the prices.

“It isn’t bad. But at this price, couldn’t I ask another small company and probably get a similar deal?”

He tapped the price sheet with his finger.

I quickly replied.

“If you compare our products with other companies, for example, with fish cake, the fish content is...”

I continued explaining the products and prices for quite a while.

But gradually, he seemed to lose interest.

“I understand. I’ll think about it and contact you.”

“Yes. I’ll also speak with my company and see whether we can adjust the order quantities and prices further.”

“All right.”

I had waited so long for this meeting.

Yet I could already tell it would not be easy.

A sigh nearly escaped me.

Still, I could not give up.

This was information I had received through a message from the future.

I could not let this opportunity slip right through my fingers.

I had to secure this contract.

No matter what.

Several days passed after I visited the food-supply mart site.

But I received no meaningful contact from the owner.

He did send one text asking about a product.

However, there was nothing about a contract.

Not even the slightest hint that he wanted to sign one.

“Going to the site again today might actually hurt my chances.”

Sitting at my desk, I pulled out paper and a pen.

I started writing.

[Food-supply mart]

[Late forties to early fifties]

[Yeosu]

That was basically all I knew about the owner.

I could not find any point of connection between us.

The most important thing in sales was the product itself.

Was the product I sold something the customer actually needed?

Was it being sold at an appropriate price?

Normally, sales should be simple.

Find someone who needs the product.

Introduce it.

Sell it.

But once you actually worked as a salesperson, things were never that simple.

There were far too many products and companies in the world.

Clients could choose from countless options.

Naturally, product quality and price had to be attractive.

But the world did not always move according to those simple rules.

The person selling the product was human.

The person buying it was human too.

Sometimes, the final decision was made through person-to-person relationships.

In other words...

You had to win the person’s heart.

How could I win the heart of the owner of that food-supply mart?

The best way to become close to someone you had just met was simple.

First, find something you had in common.

To have a conversation with a stranger, you needed a topic.

And if that topic was something both sides shared, their guard would naturally come down.

Conversation would continue.

Feelings would build.

Eventually, familiarity and trust would follow.

“That employee I saw at the construction site... other than Yeosu, I don’t think they talked about anything else.”

I scribbled with my pen while remembering their conversation.

No matter how much the world changed, there were certain connections people never completely escaped.

School ties.

Regional ties.

Family ties.

If you gathered a group of strangers in one place and discovered someone had gone to the same school, came from the same hometown, or belonged to the same family line...

You would naturally feel closer to them.

“So that man became that close to him just because they were both from Yeosu?”

“From Yeosu?”

Someone suddenly responded to my muttering.

Of course.

It was Assistant Manager Im Sanghyeon.

Whenever he came into the office, he always ended up wandering near my desk.

By now, his sudden appearances did not surprise me anymore.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Some client owner is from Yeosu?”

He understood immediately.

Im Sanghyeon pulled over the chair beside me and sat down.

“People who care a lot about being from the same hometown... they go crazy over things like that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Not just hometowns. They’ll make a big deal out of almost any connection.”

I nodded.

“I guess so.”

“You know that client owner I have in Damyang?”

“Ah, the company that supplies meals there?”

“Yeah. That owner seriously cares about school ties, hometown ties, and family ties. Every company he works with has some kind of connection to him.”

Im Sanghyeon laughed.

“He started dealing with a seafood company recently. Apparently, the connection is... I think the owner used to work with his wife at her old company.”

“Wow. If it’s his wife’s former coworker, isn’t that basically a stranger?”

“Not basically. Completely.”

He chuckled, then suddenly snapped his fingers.

“Oh, right. Damyang!”

“What about Damyang?”

He quickly looked around and lowered his voice.

“You know how I told you Lee Sejun has been going around doing sales lately?”

“Yeah.”

“Turns out it was for a food-supply mart opening in Damyang.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He landed one contract and immediately reported it to the managers and department heads.”

I frowned.

“Is the place big?”

Im Sanghyeon immediately waved his hand.

“No. It’s just a neighborhood mart.”

“And he reported it that proudly?”

“Exactly. It’s not like he landed the first account of his career. He was making such a huge deal out of it.”

I looked at Im Sanghyeon and muttered.

“What is it? Does he know something special about that place?”

“What special thing could there be about a tiny food-supply mart? Even if every product in the store came from us, the order volume wouldn’t be that big.”

I stared into empty space while thinking.

Then Im Sanghyeon’s phone rang.

He stood.

“A client’s calling me.”

“Yeah, go.”

After he left, I bit my lip and sank into thought.

It was not really Lee Sejun’s new food-supply mart that filled my mind.

All I could think about was...

The largest food-supply mart in Honam.

I had to find a point of connection with its owner.

I needed to get one step closer to his heart.

“What would work...?”

I rubbed my chin.

Then...

Ding-dong.

That notification sound came from my phone again.