“What? One ton? Exporting to Japan?”
“That’s what I heard. It’s not even the right season, so where are they getting a ton of matsutake mushrooms from? Frozen ones don’t sell well in Japan either.”
In the first place, all the premium matsutake mushrooms that could be sold to Japan were already sold out for the year, leaving nothing to store frozen.
The ones stored frozen for long-term were of medium grade or lower.
However, a lower grade didn’t mean they lacked aroma.
The grade of matsutake was determined by how perfectly they had grown in shape.
“Where did you hear that story? Tell me more.”
Jeong Jaemin, puzzled by his friend’s urgent demeanor, explained what he knew.
“So, there’s a small agricultural distribution company called Seongryeol Distribution.”
After hearing the whole story, Makimiya raised his voice unnecessarily.
“Why are you just standing by and watching?”
“What am I supposed to do with a ton of matsutake?”
“What do you mean? You’re a restaurant owner, aren’t you?”
“My friend, we don’t need premium matsutake. For the foods that require matsutake, we just use ground medium-grade frozen ones.”
“With that mindset, you’ll be stuck making instant food for life. No ambition, no ambition.”
“Even if you sell a ton of matsutake to Japan, would it even make 1 billion won in sales? Do we need to get involved just for that? Our company’s sales exceed 1 trillion won. 1 trillion!”
“Fine, just give me the contact information for that Seongryeol Distribution place.”
“What do you need it for?”
“I have something to do, so just give it to me.”
Jeong Jaemin contacted a subordinate to find out the phone number for Seongryeol Distribution Co., Ltd.
Makimiya saved the number on his phone, muttering quietly so his friend couldn’t hear.
“They say they make my medicine here?”
* * *
“Thank you! You’ll be blessed, Father!”
– “Franchise God is a being that spreads blessings throughout the universe, not one that receives them.”
“It’s merely an expression filled with my gratitude and filial piety. Let’s not get too caught up in the details.”
– “Well, it’s also for your sake. In any case, no more than one drop a day. You could die if you’re not careful.”
“Of course, Father.”
After a tedious second negotiation that lasted several days, Ha Suyoung achieved victory.
Instead of being limited to ten drops a day, he could now receive the elixir as needed.
The reason the Galaxy Sacred Tree finally agreed after much deliberation was simple.
– “After reviewing the conditions for unlocking, I found that you need to consume it for at least 30 years to move to the next stage. Ten drops a day won’t cut it. So, I had no choice but to extract as much elixir as possible.”
It was due to the restrictions placed by the main body on the avatar.
The next educational course, which was locked, could only be unlocked after consistently consuming the elixir for about 30 years.
“Can’t we just extract all 30 years’ worth at once now?”
– “Do you think there wouldn’t be any safety measures for that? My main body would find it strange and rush to Earth immediately.”
“That sounds good, though. I could see your face, Father.”
– “You rascal, to think I would…”
“Then I should strike a proper deal with you, Father—maybe get a few buildings in Cheongdam-dong. I’m sure there’s some hidden money.”
– “…I’m pathetic for even being moved for a moment.”
“Now, please give me the elixir.”
– “Bring a water container.”
“Yes, here it is.”
Ha Suyoung respectfully held out a large water container with both hands, his head bowed deeply.
His posture was filled with infinite obedience, like a slave receiving a gift from his master.
A branch, stretched out like a hand toward the container, trembled slightly.
Perhaps it found his son’s attitude pathetic.
– “Are you receiving a pardon or something? Why does someone who will become the Franchise God have no pride at all?”
“Father, how could your humble son possibly overcome a one-in-ten-trillion chance?”
– “It’s only one-in-ten-trillion!”
“I am merely maintaining decorum in front of the most noble Father in the universe. Now, please bestow the elixir.”
The branch, which seemed to stagger as if sighing, soon filled the empty container with elixir.
“Then, Father, have a peaceful day.”
Ha Suyoung left, delighted.
After a long silence, the Galaxy Sacred Tree let out a quiet sigh.
– “When did the real estate prices in Cheongdam-dong rise so much…?”
He thought that if his son became a building owner in Cheongdam-dong, he would be more enthusiastic about the divine learning.
So, he pretended not to know and increased the elixir to ten drops a day.
But he realized that wasn’t nearly enough, and after much thought, he even added a lie to give more elixir.
– “That rascal, even with this much, surely he’s taking at least one drop a week?”
Raising a son well was really difficult.
* * *
Jeon Seongryeol was diligently researching how to sell through Japan’s auction system.
Ha Suyoung assured him that he could consistently supply at least 500kg per month.
In that case, securing a distribution network for continuous sales was essential.
Fortunately, matsutake mushrooms were highly popular among gourmets in Japan, so developing sales channels was not a challenge.
“Those robbers!”
But they all just wanted to rip him off.
At first, he looked into domestic distribution companies that exported food ingredients to Japan.
The distribution company already knew that they were steadily supplying matsutake mushrooms to Baekdu Hotel and offered a deal as if doing them a favor.
“Asking for 30% of the profit as a commission, does that even make sense?”
At this time, they could easily get at least 1.5 million won per kilogram in Japan.
The domestic export company demanded 30% of the profit in exchange for using their Japanese distribution network.
They claimed that the export volume was too small, requiring a lot of effort on their part.
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
The scale of transactions that the distribution company had with Japanese companies exceeded 100 billion won annually.
“Still, asking for a 30% auction commission, I’ve never heard of such terms. Ha, how much do they look down on us to make such ridiculous demands…”
“They know that without them, we have no way to sell matsutake in Japan.”
Employee Park Gisu chimed in, gritting his teeth slightly.
“Honestly, isn’t that true? Do we have any contacts in Japan, anyone who speaks Japanese, any knowledge of the Japanese market? We have no export experience, so even if we try to use shipping, we have no idea what to do.”
“Gisu, you’re right, but it still stings a bit, doesn’t it?”
“Well, President, we’re just being realistic. If we recklessly charge ahead, things will get tangled up, so you’re trying to go in with an experienced company.”
The problem was that the other party knew this and was making unreasonable demands.
“These big corporations’ tyranny! I mean, they already make so much money selling DRAM worldwide. Why do they have to get into the agricultural and fishery distribution and squeeze the common people out?”
“President, West Sea Foods has nothing to do with West Sea Electronics. They just share the same group name but are completely unrelated, not even close to being part of the main branch.”
“Anyway, enough of that, what should we do? Everyone, give me some ideas.”
“How can we, who barely sell rice and potatoes domestically to make ends meet, make such a judgment?”
“Rice and potatoes! Barely making ends meet!”
Jeon Seongryeol fumed, and Park Gisu cautiously said,
“President, they’re a big corporation. They don’t even want to sit at the same table with a small shop like us. How can negotiations go well?”
“So, are we just going to give up 30% of the auction profit? With 400kg a month, that’s at least 600 million won. Are we really going to sit back and let them take 180 million won? If we can’t fix this and end up getting taken advantage of, what will President Ha think of us?”
