Chapter 13
The photo in the article about the food-supply mart opening had shown countless congratulatory flower stands.
And on those ribbons, two names had especially caught my attention.
[CEO Jeong Seonghan, WG Food]
[Choi Inwoo, WG Food]
It was not unusual for the company to send flowers when a client opened a new store or held an event.
But sending one from the company and another under my personal name was not common.
Did that mean...
I had successfully landed the contract with the largest food-supply mart in Honam?
Or...
Had I still failed to secure the account and sent flowers just to stay on CEO Ma Juncheol’s good side?
Messages from the future.
By now, I could trust both their words and their photos.
The things they showed always unfolded before my eyes.
But that did not mean I could sit still and assume the same future would happen automatically.
I had to use the clues inside those messages and work toward them.
If the future message showed that I sent flowers to the food-supply mart’s grand opening...
Then that flower stand could not simply mean negotiations were still ongoing.
I wanted it to mean I had successfully secured the contract.
And for that to happen...
I had to succeed in sales.
“...Orchids!”
The message was already gone.
But among the ribbons in the photo, one repeated word had stayed in my mind.
Orchids.
Orchid clubs.
Orchid associations.
That told me Ma Juncheol was likely a member of several orchid groups.
I scribbled on paper and tilted my head.
“CEO Ma Juncheol... I thought he’d be into sports or something energetic. Orchids? That’s really unexpected.”
Of course, you could not judge someone by appearance.
Still, Ma Juncheol was over 180 centimeters tall and heavily built with muscles.
I never would have imagined orchids were his hobby.
“Is this why the future sent me that information?”
It was a hobby I could never have guessed on my own.
I smiled and nodded.
Ma Juncheol seemed to enjoy discovering things he had in common with people, whether through school ties, regional connections, or family relations.
So I immediately began researching orchids.
Before this, almost all I knew about orchids was that people sometimes gave them as promotion gifts.
My grandmother had also grown a few orchids when she was alive.
That was about it.
“Oriental orchids... Western orchids... There are seriously this many kinds?”
The computer screen was filled with orchid varieties.
I had only planned to study enough to talk with Ma Juncheol.
But the amount of information was overwhelming.
Then...
“Assistant Manager Choi.”
Someone called me.
I stood.
Manager Kwon Seunghun was waving from a distance.
“Yes, Manager.”
I quickly walked over.
His expression was serious, and he seemed hesitant to speak.
“Manager Kwon, you called me?”
“Yeah. About what we discussed on the rooftop yesterday...”
Yesterday, after checking the future message, I had asked Manager Kwon for one favor.
I wanted the supply prices for the food-supply mart lowered significantly.
Even if I found a common interest with Ma Juncheol...
That would only help me build a relationship with him.
It would not automatically win the contract.
If I wanted him to choose WG Food out of countless smaller food companies, I needed to compete with both quality and price.
“Yes. Is it possible?”
Instead of answering, Manager Kwon made a thoughtful sound.
“Do you really think you can win that account?”
I nodded immediately.
“You told me when I was a new employee that nothing in sales is ever certain.”
The moment I finished, he frowned.
“Hey, you punk. When I said that...”
Before his voice could rise, I quickly continued.
“Manager Kwon. I can’t guarantee it, but I’ll do everything I can to secure the contract.”
“You really think you can?”
“Yes. I’ll do my absolute best to make sure we get it. But for that to happen, I think we need to match the price.”
Manager Kwon rubbed his chin and thought.
I watched his expression carefully.
“If we secure this account, the sales volume will definitely be huge. Please trust me.”
He stared silently into my eyes.
A few seconds passed.
Then he nodded.
“All right. Assistant Manager Choi, let’s push ahead with the prices you asked for.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’ll take responsibility. So you... make sure you bring back that contract.”
I bowed deeply.
“Thank you. I’ll make it happen. No, I’ll keep pushing until I do.”
Only then did he smile.
Manager Kwon opened the pricing table on his computer.
“If we want to go with the prices you requested...”
The screen displayed prices I had never been allowed to offer before.
Of course, that did not mean the company would lose money compared to the production cost.
Not every client received the same price.
Even for the same product, the price changed depending on how many units they ordered.
It also depended on how much they were expected to continue ordering in the future.
When signing a new client, we always considered future volume.
As an assistant manager, most of my accounts were smaller than the accounts handled by managers or department heads.
Their experience was completely different from mine.
Naturally, so was the scale of the clients they dealt with.
“Manager Kwon, do many of your clients receive prices this low?”
I stared at the table.
He shook his head firmly.
“No. I only have one account that gets these prices.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. One catering company.”
