Chapter 17
The message from the future.
I thought about it again and again.
“It couldn't have come for no reason...”
The messages had not been appearing for very long.
But every single one had helped me.
And I had always tried to find a way to turn that information into something useful for my sales work.
“K-POP... boycott of Chinese and Japanese products...”
There had to be something inside that article.
Something that could help me.
Would these keywords help me in my life?
“No. It'll probably be faster to ask how they can help my sales.”
I wrote the keywords in large letters on a sheet of paper.
Next to it, I placed several major-company instant rice products I had bought from a supermarket.
OI Food.
Uttuk Food.
Rohan Food.
The three giants of the food industry.
Naturally, all three sold instant rice.
OI Food's product used a flashy design that immediately caught the eye.
Its bright red package made people instinctively reach for it.
“They did a really good job with this design. It's bright red, but it doesn't feel tacky at all.”
Next was Uttuk Food.
As if competing with OI Food, its package was a vivid yellow.
Even the package design made it obvious why major companies dominated.
Rohan Food was not as flashy as the other two.
Instead, it had a simple and clean design that created a sense of trust.
It consistently ranked near the top of the instant rice market.
OI Food and Uttuk Food usually fought for first and second place.
“Yeah. Compared to these... WG Instant Rice is way too plain.”
Even from the package alone, I could guess why WG Instant Rice ranked so low.
There were no bright colors.
The entire design looked as white as steamed rice itself.
Still, there was one thing emphasized.
“Do we really need to push the fact that we use domestic rice this hard?”
A map of Korea was printed on the package.
And beside it was a small phrase.
[100% Domestic Rice]
I stared at it and sighed.
“Of course the rice is domestic. Who would bother importing rice just to make instant rice?”
The phrase took up valuable space on the main design.
I picked up the product and waved it in the air.
“This is why WG Instant Rice is about to be discontinued. It's not like the other companies are using imported rice... Wait.”
The future article flashed through my mind.
“China... Japan...”
Tap.
I quickly dropped the WG Instant Rice onto the desk.
Then I stared at the packages from OI Food, Uttuk Food, and Rohan Food.
I read every word.
Large print.
Tiny print.
Everything.
What mattered most was the country of origin.
And every ingredient inside the instant rice.
Tap, tap, tap.
I opened each company's website and began searching through detailed product information.
“Maybe there's something connected to China or Japan.”
I searched everything I could find.
“Why didn't I think of this sooner?”
Growl.
My stomach begged for food.
I ignored it.
For some reason, I had a strong feeling.
Time passed.
Then...
“...Found it!”
I stared at the information on the website.
Part of the ingredients used in OI Food's instant rice came from Japan.
Uttuk Food also used mostly domestic rice, but some components came from Japan.
“Wow... They really do use Japanese ingredients.”
I immediately checked Rohan Food next.
But Rohan Food did not appear to use anything from Japan.
“Not even a tiny amount?”
I picked up Rohan Food's instant rice and examined it.
“If the boycott begins but Rohan's product is completely domestic, this won't help us much...”
Then something caught my eye.
“Huh? Why is Rohan Food's container shaped differently?”
Most instant rice containers were round.
Rohan Food's was rectangular, with a slightly recessed bottom.
“The container is different.”
Large-scale food packaging was usually supplied by a limited number of factories.
I tilted my head and searched for the container manufacturer.
“Strange. With this shape, it looks like it would hold less rice too.”
I searched with one hand while holding the product in the other.
“Which factory makes this...? No way.”
Then I found the manufacturer.
“This factory... is in China.”
I stared at the country of origin.
A slow grin appeared on my face.
“...This is it.”
“Good morning.”
“Ah, Assistant Manager Choi. You're here?”
“Yes.”
I bowed and entered the office.
The atmosphere on Monday morning was darker than usual.
It was 8:25 a.m.
There was still some time before official work hours began.
Employees were slowly arriving.
The entire WG Food office felt heavy.
It was probably because of the upcoming meeting.
Mondays were always busy.
We reported what had happened during the previous week.
Then we received feedback.
After that, we presented our plans and expected sales for the coming week.
For office workers...
Meetings rarely brought happiness.
Usually, they brought anxiety and stress.
Of course, if you brought amazing results every single week, you'd probably feel confident.
But most people did not have results impressive enough to satisfy their bosses.
In that sense...
I had no reason to feel nervous about today's meeting.
If anything, I could almost look forward to it.
I had secured the largest food-supply mart in Honam.
What result could beat that?
