Chapter 46
Tap, tap, tap!
The sharp sound of dress shoes striking the hotel's marble floor echoed through the hallway.
The dazzling spotlights inside the banquet hall.
The grand classical music.
The farther those sounds faded behind me, the deeper my frown became.
A few moments ago...
I had received a message from the owner of the Bongau-tang Sangmu Branch.
[Headquarters gathered only the franchise owners a little while ago and passed around a strange written pledge.
Something about it feels wrong.
I'd like to talk to you for a moment.
Can you come now?]
The moment I read it, my expression hardened.
The message smelled ominous.
Extremely ominous.
There was no reason to think about it for long.
I needed to meet the Sangmu Branch owner as quickly as possible.
So I hurried toward the location he had mentioned.
Click.
The moment I pushed open the heavy fire door, the sounds of the banquet hall disappeared as if they had never existed.
A cool, musty concrete smell brushed against my nose.
The stairwell was dark, lit only by dim emergency lights.
The Sangmu Branch owner was already there, waiting anxiously.
“Assistant Manager Choi! Over here!”
I immediately waved when I heard his trembling voice.
“Yes, sir.”
“You came quickly.”
“Yes. I saw your message and came straight here. What did you mean by a written pledge?”
At my question, he steadied his rough breathing and pulled a neatly folded sheet of paper from inside his jacket.
“Assistant Manager Choi, this is it.”
I looked at the paper in his hand.
“This is the pledge?”
“Yes. In the middle of the launch event, headquarters secretly gathered only the franchise owners in one corner of the hallway and handed this out.”
“What exactly does it say...?”
I quickly unfolded the document.
But before I could even start reading...
The Sangmu Branch owner summarized it for me.
“All the Bongau-tang branches are opening nationwide soon, right?”
“Yes.”
“Headquarters says that as soon as the stores open in early September, every branch has to deposit fifty million won by the end of that first weekend.”
I tilted my head.
“Fifty million won?”
“Yes.”
“They're calling it a special initial logistics security deposit.”
“Every franchise owner has to pay fifty million won.”
“...”
Han Danghyun's intention was painfully obvious.
The Sangmu Branch owner sighed heavily.
“If they don't confirm the payment before the first week of business ends, they said they won't send a single sauce delivery truck to the store starting the following week.”
“Can I look through the document for a moment?”
“Of course.”
I quickly scanned the page.
On the surface, it was disguised as a special agreement for stabilizing logistics.
But in reality...
It was just the final missing piece in Han Danghyun's massive exit scam.
One last attempt to squeeze more money out of the franchise owners before running away.
The Sangmu Branch owner sighed again.
“Looking at today's launch event, there were wreaths from politicians and businesspeople everywhere.”
“The brand really does look like it's going to be a massive success.”
“If business goes well, of course I want to trust headquarters and follow them.”
That extravagant launch event.
It seemed countless people had fallen under Han Danghyun's spell after seeing it.
That was understandable.
Anyone who saw how much money had clearly been poured into this event would naturally think Han Danghyun and Bongau-tang were operating on an incredible scale.
If I had never received the message from the future...
I might have felt the same way.
“But how am I supposed to come up with another fifty million won immediately after opening?”
“I already scraped together everything I had for the franchise fee and interior costs.”
“That's true. Fifty million won isn't a small amount.”
“Exactly.”
“Even if the store does well, there's no way I can suddenly create that much money.”
“I feel like I'm suffocating.”
He held his head and shook it repeatedly.
He had no idea Han Danghyun was a scammer.
This was simply the honest frustration of a small business owner being crushed under another sudden financial demand.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
After talking with other franchise owners in the same situation...
He had apparently come to me out of desperation.
Since headquarters was threatening to cut off the sauce supply, it made sense that he would seek out the person connected to the manufacturer.
I slowly folded the ridiculous Bongau-tang pledge in half.
Then I looked directly into his eyes.
Part of me wanted to tell him everything.
That Bongau-tang was a scam.
That Han Danghyun was a fraud.
That even this launch event was part of the con.
That he absolutely must not send them another won.
But...
This was not yet the time to reveal that headquarters was fraudulent.
If I wanted to legally lock down the scammers' money flow...
I needed the timing to be perfect.
“Sir.”
“First of all, do not take out any more debt just to pay this immediately.”
“Then where am I supposed to get the money...?”
I spoke before he could finish.
“Hold out as long as possible without sending them anything.”
“What?”
“But Assistant Manager Choi, if headquarters stops sending sauce starting the following week, won't my business collapse?”
His eyes widened in shock.
“The brand looks like it's going to be a huge hit.”
“What if I refuse to pay and headquarters marks me as a problem store?”
As expected...
He looked at me with anxious eyes.
I hurriedly gave him a reassuring smile and lowered my voice.
“Franchise headquarters sometimes send threatening notices like this early on to establish control.”
“But legally, there's no reason for you to take on debt right now.”
“How...?”
“Until headquarters issues the final official logistics supply guarantee, franchise owners have the legal right to defer payment.”
“If headquarters pressures you while ignoring that process, they're the ones violating proper procedure.”
The moment I mentioned legal protections...
His eyes lit up.
“So first...”
“Open the store.”
“See the first week's sales with your own eyes.”
“And when customers are pouring in and your account actually has money in it, pay them at the final deadline using the money you've earned.”
“Can I really do that...?”
“Of course.”
“I'm the manufacturer supplying the kitchen sauce.”
“I'll take responsibility for finding a way to keep the supply moving in the meantime.”
“Don't worry.”
“And please tell the other franchise owners exactly what I just told you.”
The owner wrinkled his nose and nodded.
“So we should all avoid paying immediately.”
“Keep earning money first.”
“And only pay at the last possible deadline.”
“Exactly.”
“Please make sure everyone hears that.”
I had given him a legal shield.
And he seemed to understand that I was sincerely trying to protect him.
From the franchise owner's perspective...
Headquarters was pressuring him.
