Chapter 23
“CEO Jeong, let's replace the entire WG Instant Rice package.”
CEO Jeong's eyes shook.
The air inside his office turned cold.
He had been looking out over the city.
Slowly, he turned toward me.
A sample of WG Instant Rice was in his hand.
“Replace the entire package...”
He stared at me.
“Assistant Manager Choi.”
“Do you understand that what you just suggested could shake half of our second-half budget?”
His voice was low.
But it carried enormous weight.
I met his eyes without moving.
The future message had shown me the first sparks of a huge boycott movement.
I needed to bring those sparks into this room.
“Yes, CEO.”
He exhaled sharply.
“This isn't an emotional suggestion about making the design prettier.”
“I believe this is the only shield and spear we can carry into the coming fight for survival.”
I immediately placed three major-company instant rice products on his desk.
Three packages side by side.
Strong primary colors.
Famous celebrity faces.
[Freshly Cooked Rice]
[A Warm Meal]
Advertising phrases filled the packages.
Then I placed WG Instant Rice beside them.
The difference was obvious.
WG Instant Rice looked painfully plain.
A dull white background.
A map of Korea.
And small letters that you almost needed a magnifying glass to read.
[100% Domestic Rice]
“CEO, look.”
“The major companies overwhelm the customer's eyes with strong colors like red and yellow.”
He looked down at the products.
“Behind that flashy design, the origin information is hidden in tiny print around the nutrition label.”
“Compared to them... what do we have?”
I quickly picked up WG Instant Rice.
“We possess an enormous weapon called '100% domestic,' yet we've pushed it into the corner like an embarrassing secret.”
“That isn't humility.”
“It's neglect.”
CEO Jeong's eyebrow moved.
He touched the plastic rice bowl.
“I already know this package looks outdated.”
He made a thoughtful sound.
“But Assistant Manager Choi.”
“Let's say you're right and the major corporations use a tiny amount of imported materials.”
“Do you really think that is serious enough to change consumer choices?”
I nodded immediately.
But CEO Jeong waved his hand.
“No.”
“People will still buy the cheaper product from the famous brand.”
I answered the moment he finished.
“Normally, yes.”
“But I'm certain a moment will come when things are no longer normal.”
“A moment that isn't normal?”
He looked at me.
I immediately pulled out my tablet.
I had spent the entire weekend preparing the new package concept.
It was an extremely restrained design that broke almost every common rule in the food industry.
“I want to remove almost all the color.”
CEO Jeong tilted his head.
“Didn't you just say our current package looks weak?”
“If we remove even more color, what would that accomplish?”
“I want to push even the logo into the corner.”
“Keep going.”
I stepped closer.
“Instead, I want only two numbers printed huge on the front.”
The package on the screen was shocking in its simplicity.
White and black.
Extreme contrast.
And two huge numbers.
[0% / 100%]
CEO Jeong narrowed his eyes.
“What do they mean?”
“Zero percent.”
“Imported ingredients.”
“Imported containers.”
“Imported additives.”
I pointed toward the other number.
“One hundred percent.”
“Korean rice.”
“Korean production.”
“Korean materials.”
“No complicated explanation is necessary.”
CEO Jeong slowly nodded.
“When a customer walks past a supermarket shelf, we have a fraction of a second.”
“In that moment, they need to understand our product's purity immediately.”
By now, he was fully focused.
“Public sentiment is approaching a breaking point.”
“The world is celebrating K-food.”
“But underneath that pride, there is also anxiety.”
“People may start asking whether even a simple bowl of rice is truly Korean.”
“So?”
“If imported components used by the major corporations become a public issue for any reason...”
“Whether it's one percent or zero-point-one percent...”
“Consumers may see that number as betrayal.”
CEO Jeong crossed his arms.
“So you're saying we should prepare before imported materials become an issue?”
“Exactly.”
“If we start preparing after the controversy begins, we'll already be too late.”
He fell into thought.
I needed to push his wavering heart.
“We need to build our territory in advance.”
“The major companies gave up this space to save a fraction of a percent in cost.”
“We should claim it first.”
I enlarged the [0%] on the screen.
“The package itself should prove that WG Instant Rice never allowed even 0.1% imported material.”
“When the controversy comes, one clear package will speak louder than pages of explanations.”
Instead of answering, CEO Jeong placed an unlit cigarette between his lips and chewed the filter.
He could not smoke inside his office.
But the habit showed how deeply he was thinking.
Silence filled the room.
I knew exactly what he was considering.
Changing the package was not as simple as printing new plastic.
Existing printing plates had to be discarded.
New ones had to be produced.
Current packaged inventory had to be handled.
Marketing strategy had to be rebuilt from the ground up.
It was a huge gamble.
