Chapter 27
“Choi Inwoo, have you completely lost your mind?”
Manager Jang Woojin stared at the paper on the table.
[We Have Nothing to Explain. We Never Mixed in Even 0.1% From the Beginning.]
“What kind of advertisement is this?”
He looked between the shocking phrase and the [0% / 100%] design.
“Do you think marketing is some childish neighborhood argument?”
His shout froze the room.
Joo Narae flinched and pulled her shoulders inward.
Choi Inwoo did not move.
He looked directly at Manager Jang.
Lee Sejun, standing behind him, joined in with a mocking smile.
“Assistant Manager Choi.”
“You got lucky with Shinwoo Department Store.”
“Then the instant rice issue happened at exactly the right time.”
“Looks like you've completely lost perspective.”
“What?”
“The major companies haven't even released their explanations yet.”
“And even if they release statements exactly like you expect...”
“Directly attacking them like this is provocation.”
“It makes you look arrogant.”
Lee Sejun picked up the paper and waved it.
“Do you think consumers are stupid?”
“Right now, they're emotionally talking about boycotting the major companies.”
“But aggressive advertising like this could easily create backlash.”
“You think so?”
Choi Inwoo smiled slightly.
“Yeah. I do.”
Lee Sejun nodded confidently.
“People might say, 'A tiny company sees the major corporations struggling and suddenly gets arrogant enough to ignore business ethics.'”
“How are you going to handle that risk?”
“Business ethics...”
Choi Inwoo narrowed his eyes.
“Assistant Manager Lee.”
“Do you believe the major corporations were following business ethics when they hid imported ingredients and used Chinese-made containers?”
“Don't play word games.”
“This isn't an attack.”
“It's a statement of fact.”
Sparks flew between them.
Bang!
Manager Jang slammed the table.
“Assistant Manager Choi, are you joking?”
“...”
“You think companies like OI Food, Uttuk Food, and Rohan Food are going to see this and stay quiet?”
“We haven't named any of those companies.”
“So legally, I don't see a problem.”
“We aren't directly attacking anyone.”
“What if they hire top law firms and come after us for defamation or interference with business?”
“A smaller company like ours could be crushed by legal costs alone.”
He continued angrily.
“The CEO gave you authority over the instant rice.”
“That doesn't mean he gave you the right to gamble the entire company's survival.”
“As the person responsible for sales, I refuse to approve this reckless and provocative advertisement.”
The pressure from Manager Jang and Lee Sejun filled the room.
They clearly wanted to stop Choi Inwoo's momentum.
Then...
A heavy voice came from outside the meeting room.
“Who gave you the right to reject it?”
Everyone turned toward the open door.
CEO Jeong Seonghan stood there.
His tie was missing.
His sleeves were rolled up.
Manager Jang and Lee Sejun immediately bowed.
“CEO.”
Manager Jang quickly approached.
“CEO, perfect timing.”
“Please look at the marketing concept Assistant Manager Choi brought.”
“He's openly provoking the major corporations.”
“It's too dangerous.”
CEO Jeong said nothing.
He only stared at the document.
Manager Jang continued.
“If one of the major corporations decides to retaliate with a lawsuit, WG Food won't be able to withstand it.”
He carefully watched CEO Jeong's expression.
“We finally caught this incredible opportunity and public support.”
“One wrong move could destroy everything.”
“Please look at it carefully.”
CEO Jeong continued staring at the advertisement.
The meeting room became completely silent.
Lee Sejun slowly smiled.
He looked convinced Choi Inwoo was finally finished.
Manager Jang also looked proudly toward Choi Inwoo.
But...
CEO Jeong's answer destroyed their expectations.
“No.”
“What?”
“The dangerous thing here isn't Assistant Manager Choi's advertisement.”
“Then...?”
Manager Jang looked confused.
CEO Jeong's voice filled with anger.
“The dangerous thing is your rotten small-company mindset.”
“What? CEO, what do you mean...?”
Manager Jang's eyebrows jumped.
“Manager Jang.”
“Assistant Manager Lee.”
“Yes, CEO.”
“Are you planning to spend your entire careers watching the major corporations' faces and surviving on whatever scraps they leave behind?”
“...”
“What?”
“You're afraid they'll sue us?”
CEO Jeong laughed coldly.
“Let them.”
“There isn't even one percent false information in this advertisement.”
“What are we supposed to be afraid of?”
“But this...”
“What consumers want right now is this kind of confidence.”
“They want unquestionable purity that drives a nail through the excuses of the major corporations.”
CEO Jeong patted Choi Inwoo's shoulder.
Then raised his voice so the entire office outside could hear.
“I believe I made myself clear.”
“Starting today, all authority regarding WG Instant Rice belongs to Assistant Manager Choi Inwoo.”
“...”
“So Manager Jang.”
“Assistant Manager Lee.”
“Stop interfering.”
“Focus on supporting logistics and sales according to Assistant Manager Choi's directions.”
“...Yes.”
“This is my company.”
“My employee wants to fight using facts.”
“Why are you the ones lowering your tails?”
Manager Jang and Lee Sejun went silent.
Their faces changed.
Neither could say another word.
“Assistant Manager Choi.”
“Yes, CEO.”
“Proceed exactly as you suggested.”
“Don't change a single word.”
“Use this concept exactly as it is.”
“The company budget and any legal responsibility will be mine.”
“You only need to move forward.”
Choi Inwoo bowed deeply.
“Thank you, CEO.”
“I'll move forward without hesitation.”
There was no tremble in his voice.
Manager Jang and Lee Sejun left the meeting room.
Their petty attempts to block Choi Inwoo had failed.
With CEO Jeong behind him...
They could not stand in his way.
Choi Inwoo immediately called the manager of WG Food's manufacturing plant.
“Plant Manager, this is Assistant Manager Choi Inwoo.”
“I'm issuing an official order under the CEO's approval.”
“Starting today, please switch the instant rice production line to full operation.”
The plant manager sounded shocked.
“Assistant Manager Choi, even with all the orders... running every line through the weekend requires coordination.”
“There are also night and weekend overtime payments for the factory employees.”
Choi Inwoo answered immediately.
“You don't need to worry about that.”
“The CEO already approved double the normal overtime pay.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Plant Manager, logistics trucks from all over the country are already heading toward the factory.”
“They're already lined up outside.”
“More are coming.”
“More than this?”
The plant manager almost shouted.
“We're in a situation where we can't sell because we don't have enough product.”
“You remember they were talking about discontinuing the instant rice only a short time ago.”
“Of course.”
“This is WG Food's chance to rise.”
“Do not stop the line.”
The confidence in his voice made the plant manager swallow.
“Understood.”
“You've already created this huge opportunity for WG Food.”
“We can't stop now.”
“Forget the weekend.”
“Starting today, we'll run the factory until the smokestacks explode.”
“Thank you.”
Only after ending the call did a real smile appear on Choi Inwoo's face.
Every phone in the office continued ringing.
Employees ran around covered in sweat.
Among them...
Choi Inwoo's presence already felt larger than that of an ordinary assistant manager.
He glanced toward Lee Sejun, who was sitting pale-faced in front of his monitor.
Then toward Manager Jang, who barely seemed capable of picking up the phone.
Choi Inwoo simply shook his head.
[Official Statement From OI Food]
[The rice bran extract used in our instant rice products is an essential additive for maintaining freshness.]
[Less than 0.1% of the total ingredient composition is used.]
[The material has passed strict radiation safety testing and has been verified as completely safe.]
[Immediate replacement of the ingredient is impossible under the current manufacturing process.]
[However, we will review gradual conversion to domestic alternatives.]
[Customer Notice From Uttuk Food]
[We sincerely apologize for causing concern to customers who have always loved Uttuk Food.]
[The Japanese additive currently under discussion is used only in extremely small quantities to maintain consistent taste.]
[Its complete safety has been verified through strict testing.]
[Our company has always worked hard to support domestic rice consumption.]
[There is no issue with the safety of our products currently in distribution, so customers may consume them with confidence.]
[Explanation From Rohan Food]
[Our instant rice containers are safely manufactured in accordance with food hygiene regulations.]
[Although manufactured in China, they have passed strict environmental hormone testing.]
[Due to limitations in domestic container-manufacturing infrastructure, imported containers are currently unavoidable.]
[However, we once again emphasize that the rice inside is made from 100% domestic Korean rice.]
The moment the three major companies released their explanations...
Public anger became even worse.
Consumers were not asking whether the products technically met legal safety standards.
They were demanding moral purity.
But the large corporations responded with defensive legal language.
That touched a nerve.
Their repeated phrase...
"Below legal limits."
...became gasoline poured into public anger.
The boycott spread beyond instant rice to other products from the same corporations.
And while those giants were still passing documents through internal approval chains...
WG Food released one advertisement.
[We Have Nothing to Explain. We Never Mixed in Even 0.1% From the Beginning.]
Just like that...
WG Food ripped open the market.
It declared that it had never allowed even 0.1% contamination from imported materials.
And instantly became a brand with no substitute.
The slow, defensive response typical of major corporations became their own trap.
Their rushed explanations ironically became the perfect stepping stones...
Helping the previously unknown WG Food climb higher.
