NOVEL NEXT 86
Hyun Jung-hu paused while reviewing the report. His subordinate, Seo Si-hwan, visibly tensed, his body rigid with nervousness.
“…….”
A familiar name.
Hyun Jung-hu stared intently at an item in the “2013 Trend Report.” After a moment, he tapped a spot with his fingertip.
“This name has been appearing frequently lately.”
“Pardon? Oh, Song Woo-yeon.”
Seo Si-hwan confirmed where Hyun Jung-hu’s finger was pointing. He remembered it clearly, as it was a part he had paid particular attention to.
Hyun Jung-hu nodded.
“The CEO of
“Yes, that’s correct. However, this ‘Song Woo-yeon’ has been raising her profile by appearing on various broadcasts like ‘Raid the Refrigerator’ and ‘Infinite Challenge’. The recognition of ‘Song Woo-yeon’ as an individual brand is even higher than that of
“Interesting.”
A novel approach.
Usually, polishing the brand image would be the priority.
“Of course, there’s also the success of
“Oh ho.”
“Even when the plagiarism controversy arose, she resolved it well, and even turned crisis into opportunity by appearing on ‘Raid the Refrigerator’, making an impression not only on young people but also on various age groups.”
This is truly a movement that could be called today’s ‘trend’.
“She even made a brief guest appearance on the national prime-time show ‘Infinite Challenge’, drawing a great response. Her current influence is impressive, but her future potential seems limitless.”
“That’s quite a generous evaluation.”
“In my personal opinion, she seems to know how to get along with the media, and is unusually shrewd for her age.”
Seo Si-hwan carefully concluded his report.
Tap tap.
Hyun Jung-hu kept tapping the report with his fingertip.
Song Woo-yeon. Those three syllables really irked him.
“Limitless future potential… In other words, she’s someone who will be vying with our Hyeonmu Group for market share in the future. Isn’t that right?”
“Pardon?”
Seo Si-hwan was taken aback by the sudden statement. He belatedly realized he had made the mistake of questioning Hyun Jung-hu’s words, and his face turned pale.
Seo Si-hwan quickly lowered his gaze and continued.
“Ah, she’s not quite at that level yet. It’s just a company that’s barely starting to grow. There are many areas where it falls short compared to our Hyeonmu Group.”
“Of course. Didn’t you say it’s just a starting company?”
Seo Si-hwan desperately suppressed the urge to ask, ‘If you know that, why are you saying such things?’
No, The Song was still a fledgling company that hadn’t even properly established its corporate structure.
Of course, the exponential speed at which their brand branches were increasing was astonishing. But to Seo Si-hwan, it was like a poisoned chalice.
‘Rushing like that is bound to lead to mistakes.’
Especially for a young CEO of a newly established company. It goes without saying.
She will eventually trip over her own feet. Seo Si-hwan could clearly envision that scene.
‘It’s obvious. They’ll either fail to manage properly and have poor profitability, or they’ll become complacent after growing to a certain size, thinking it’s enough, and fall behind latecomers.’
The possibilities for problems were endless. Conversely, the chance of growing safely to threaten Hyeonmu converged to nearly 0%.
‘The opponent is just a novice without proper corporate management experience.’
She might have an aptitude for broadcasting, so she probably won’t starve to death anywhere, but that’s about it. Growing a company requires not only skill but also a lot of luck, and in Seo Si-hwan’s view, this ‘Song Woo-yeon’ had missed many such opportunities.
If she had been a figure from the 1990s or early 2000s, she might have built a huge company by now. But coming in 2014 is too late.
In other words,
“She’s not worth Chairman’s attention.”
That’s about it.
It’s enough to keep an eye on her and see how much more she grows. There are plenty of ‘rookies’ in this world, after all.
But Hyun Jung-hu doesn’t seem to see it that way.
“Investigate her background.”
“…….”
Is he serious? Seo Si-hwan studied Hyun Jung-hu’s expression.
‘Investigate the background of someone who’s barely weaned? Well, maybe her university will come up at most.’
No, wait. She dropped out of high school, so that’s where it ends. What, should I find out which kindergarten she attended?
‘Has he lost his edge with age?’
Seo Si-hwan looked at Hyun Jung-hu with suspicious eyes.
The successor who inherited this Hyeonmu at a young age was still called a ‘young entrepreneur’ even in his forties.
He was indeed praiseworthy for innovating Hyeonmu and becoming a new driving force for growth.
‘They say every product he launched in his youth was a hit. Well, that’s ancient history now that he’s stepped back from the front lines. But at least he’s an expert at picking out products that seem likely to fail.’
And Seo Si-hwan was well aware of Hyun Jung-hu’s other ‘ability’.
Cutting off any sprouts that might threaten Hyeonmu before they grow.
That was one of Hyun Jung-hu’s winning strategies. Well, thanks to that, Hyeonmu was still going strong as the industry leader, so it was quite an effective strategy.
It wasn’t the first time Hyun Jung-hu had ordered the destruction of a young entrepreneur.
‘Even so, how are we supposed to touch such a young kid?’
It didn’t seem likely she’d have any scandalous relationships at that age. An illegitimate child was even more absurd.
As if he had read Seo Si-hwan’s thoughts clearly, Hyun Jung-hu added:
“Even a minor weakness will do. Something that could ruin the image of a diligent, self-made young entrepreneur she’s built up so far.”
“!”
Seo Si-hwan’s eyes widened in surprise.
Ah. So there’s this method too.
Seo Si-hwan had only been thinking of digging into The Song’s tax records or so. He would have looked for anything that could be legally problematic.
But what Hyun Jung-hu ordered was beyond that.
‘Song Woo-yeon’s success largely depends on that clean and solid image. But what if a controversy about her character were to break out?’
Seo Si-hwan imagined the comment section of an internet news article. It would probably be filled with unimaginable criticism and insults.
It doesn’t matter if the content isn’t that significant.
Even if it doesn’t violate the law.
The standards of ‘morality’ are much stricter, and the public doesn’t tolerate even the slightest gap.
“Yes. Understood.”
Seo Si-hwan bowed his head and inwardly muttered an apology to Song Woo-yeon.
‘Sorry, Song Woo-yeon. It’s not like I want to do this. But I have to make a living, you know? If the boss says to dig, I have to dig.’
In that sense, Song Woo-yeon was truly unlucky.
To think she’d catch Hyun Jung-hu’s eye, of all people.
‘That man never lets go once he bites.’
Seo Si-hwan clicked his tongue.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
I put down the report and said,
“Shanghai Restaurant’s sales are steadily trending upwards.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Jo I-ruk nodded.
“Chef Jang Ha-neul and Chef An Derek, whom you became friendly with on ‘Raid the Refrigerator’, visited in turn to try the Junghwa-jeyuk-myeon. Thanks to them posting proof shots, we’ve seen an increase in customers.”
“Oh my, I just called to thank them earlier.”
“Given that expectations for the Junghwa-jeyuk-myeon had already spread through the broadcast, we anticipate a boom for a while. It seems we can proceed as planned with the other branch openings we had scheduled.”
“Please do so.”
As I was nodding, Jo I-ruk said “Oh right” and shared one more piece of good news.
“I heard that ‘Raid the Refrigerator’ is ranking first among cable variety shows. Many people around me say they’re watching it.”
“Haha. No wonder PD Kim’s smile seems about to split her face these days. She said the viewership ratings are setting new records daily. Though I’m not well-versed in the details.”
Anyway, it seems she received a hefty incentive. I should tell her to treat us to a meal.
“How’s the management of the franchises these days?”
“We recently conducted another undercover inspection, and except for a few stores, everything was fine. Those stores have been given warnings and are undergoing retraining.”
“With Team Leader Jo being so reliable, there’s nothing left for me to do.”
I said with a grin, and Jo I-ruk cleared his throat repeatedly. That guy, he pretends not to, but he really loves compliments.
“It’s nice to hear good news one after another. I’ve never felt so at ease as I do these days. Ah, except for wanting to stop seeing that ‘can’t sell toast’ or whatever photo on the internet.”
“My nephew uses that meme too.”
“Please, no.”
As I recoiled, Jo I-ruk chuckled. I really don’t understand what’s so funny about it.
Maybe it’s because my mind has aged even if my body hasn’t, but I just don’t get it.
“Whatever the reason, we’re naturally benefiting from the promotional effect.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Think of it as a good thing.”
Hmm. I guess I can’t argue with that. As I was exchanging such trivial conversation and bantering with Jo I-ruk…
Bang!
“?”
Suddenly, the door burst open and Roh Se-hee came in.
Since she’s not the type to barge in without knocking like this usually, rather than pointing out her rudeness, I wondered what could be the matter.
“Team Leader Roh. Is something wrong?”
“Um, CEO.”
Roh Se-hee looked at me with a rigid expression. It seemed something ominous was happening.
“I think you need to see this.”
What Roh Se-hee handed over was a printout of an internet article.
[Chef Song Woo-yeon of ‘Raid the Refrigerator’, is her self-made success story all lies? …Alleged collusion with major construction company]