“If you’re going to go crazy, just go all the way.”
After ending the call, Ha Suyoung, who had been listening nearby, shrugged after saying it.
“It seems like the purchasing department at West Sea Hotel is in a frenzy. It looks like there are many customers specifically asking for our matsutake mushrooms.”
“It’s not even the season right now. No matter how well you manage frozen goods, they can’t compare to fresh ones.”
“Judging by the commotion, it seems like some wealthy regulars are causing quite a stir. What should we do?”
“What else? We should hold out until they open up a big supply line for us. Let them go crazy in the meantime.”
Jeon Seongryeol looked at him with a peculiar gaze.
Ha Suyoung’s nonchalant attitude suggested he had been through similar situations many times before.
“And West Sea Hotel isn’t the only luxury hotel, right? Why not try breaking into other hotel lines as well?”
“What if we end up biting off more than we can chew with two hotels?”
“Wouldn’t that be a good thing? It’s like having flowers in both hands.”
“But we can’t meet the demand. If we’re only dealing with West Sea Hotel, we can make excuses for having low supplies, but if we open up to two places, we’ll get complaints from both sides.”
Of course, he wasn’t entirely serious.
Jeon Seongryeol was seriously considering breaking into other places, not just West Sea Hotel.
The reason he was putting on this act was because…
“Oh, don’t worry too much about the supply. I’ll handle that part.”
“Didn’t you say the limit was about 50kg a month?”
“The original limit is just a target line meant to be surpassed.”
With a look that seemed to say, “Why are you acting like you don’t know this?” Jeon Seongryeol chuckled to himself.
Despite his youthful appearance and polite demeanor, Ha Suyoung sometimes spoke like an old fox lurking beneath the surface.
Well, it’s not like we’re only going to sell matsutake mushrooms.
Jeon Seongryeol paid Ha Suyoung at 450,000 won per kilogram for the mushrooms, and then sold them for around 800,000 won.
West Sea Hotel, in turn, charged the final consumer anywhere from 1.2 to 1.5 million won per kilogram.
Fifty kilograms a month—22.5 million won in purchasing costs, totaling 270 million won a year.
Factoring in the delivery margin, annual sales reached around 480 million won.
It wasn’t a small sum, of course.
But for Jeon Seongryeol, a distributor pulling in nearly 9 billion won a year, it was just another piece of the puzzle.
Matsutake mushrooms were important, but not enough to warrant going all-in and neglecting everything else.
The real play lay elsewhere.
Using Ha Suyoung’s matsutake mushroom supply as bait to secure exclusive luxury hotel supply rights—then leveraging that foothold to break into high-end restaurants in Gangnam and Jongno, expanding overall sales.
That was the blueprint Jeon Seongryeol envisioned.
“Isn’t it strange?”
“What is?”
“I mean, it’s not even the season, so where are they getting 50kg of matsutake mushrooms every month. They’re not even frozen.”
“This guy, is there anyone in our company who doesn’t find that strange? Everyone’s savvy about agricultural products, and who doesn’t know it’s the off-season for matsutake mushrooms?”
“Then why doesn’t anyone say anything?”
The male employee with bushy sideburns sighed deeply at his colleague’s words.
“Hey, why would you cut open the goose that lays golden eggs?”
“Even the President knows something’s off. But what? It’s not like the mushrooms are poisoned or contain heavy metals. As long as the matsutake mushrooms are fine, why pry into the business secrets of our suppliers?”[1]
“Aren’t you curious?”
“I’m just curious. But, still, it’s a hundred times better for the company to do well than to satisfy my curiosity.”
“…”
“That guy probably owns a mountain where matsutake mushrooms grow well regardless of the season. Keep your excessive curiosity in check. It’s not good.”
The employee who raised the question, Park Gisu, still had a slightly dissatisfied expression.
The sideburned male employee, Joo Seongchul, was worried about that.
This guy, Gisu, he’s going to cause trouble one day.
“Where are they getting matsutake mushrooms when it’s not even the season?
There’s no one at Seongryeol Distribution who hadn’t thought about that question.
But no one crossed the line.
It was not like the mushrooms were stolen, nor did they contain harmful substances like heavy metals or radiation.
Thanks to the matsutake mushrooms, sales had increased by 6%.
High-end restaurants have also started taking an interest in us.
Seongryeol Distribution’s supply line to high-end restaurants was still lacking.
Sales were high, but they mainly dealt with ordinary agricultural products needed by general consumers.
Jeon Seongryeol had always wanted to dominate the supply line to high-end restaurants catering to the upper class.
People need to play in the big leagues. That’s how you make a lot of money.
A distribution company that supplied ingredients to high-end restaurants and luxury hotels.
Building such an image could earn trust from most ordinary restaurants and significantly boost their sales.
That’s why Jeon Seongryeol cherished Ha Suyoung’s matsutake mushrooms.
The advantage of being able to supply premium matsutake mushrooms regularly could allow him break into the luxury hotel market.
* * *
– “Son, are you ready?”
The solemn voice of the Galactic Divine Tree, his father’s avatar, was heard.
Kneeling in a reverent posture, Ha Suyoung slowly nodded.
His expression was more serious than ever.
“Yes, Father. I am ready.”
– “Good. Then I will now impart knowledge tailored to your level on why you must become the Franchise God.”
“Yes, Father.”
With a pounding heart, Ha Suyoung awaited the words to follow.
– “Long, long ago, in the ancient past when the universe was smaller than a grain of rice, a consciousness began to sprout in the endless darkness. The consciousness first became aware of its existence and began to harbor curiosity and questions about other existences… Hey! Don’t doze off, listen properly!
“I’m not dozing off!”
– “Wipe the drool from your mouth and don’t make excuses! I saw it clearly with my own eyes, where do you get off lying?
“Father, where do you have eyes? If a tree had eyeballs, wouldn’t that be a monster, not a divine tree?”
– “There is such a thing as the eyes of will. Though I am rooted here in the backyard, I can see a thousand light-years away from where I sit.”
“Oh, come on, that’s ridiculous.”
– “Anyway, focus and listen again. This time, don’t doze off.”
The Galactic Divine Tree resumed its tale of the ancient universe, and Ha Suyoung’s consciousness had already embarked on a journey to Andromeda.
Listening with one ear and letting it out the other, as they say.
– “…That’s all. Whew, I had quite a time digging through old records. Be grateful.”
“I listened well. Truly, the ancient times were full of amazing events. It’s astonishing that one had to overcome such adversities to become an ancient deity, I’m at a loss for words.”
– “Ancient deity, you say? Call it the Franchise God! Why do you keep bringing up outdated titles? A new era has dawned, so you must get used to the new titles.”
The branches of the Galactic Divine Tree trembled as if clearing its throat.
– “And from now on, I’ve decided to give you ten drops of elixir a day.”
“What? Father, why suddenly such a thank you very mu… No, no, are you trying to kill me? Even one drop a day is so painful, and you want me to take ten drops?”
– “Just take one drop a day. Instead, save the remaining nine drops and consume more when your body adapts.”
“Is there a reason you’re giving them in advance?”
– “Once you consume a certain amount of elixir, the next stage of your education will be unlocked. If I give you ten drops a day, it will be considered as if you’ve consumed that much, even if you don’t take them all.”
“Ah! You’re trying to quickly lift the restrictions your true self placed on the Galactic Divine Tree with such a workaround, right?”
– “You’re too perceptive for your own good… Anyway, I judged that it would be better to lift the restrictions my true self placed as soon as possible. But don’t exceed seven drops a week. Just save the rest.”
“Understood. Don’t worry.”
Ha Suyoung returned excitedly, and the Galactic Divine Tree let out a light sigh after a moment of silence.
That rascal, maybe he’ll take his spiritual studies more seriously once he builds a building in Cheongdam-dong… When dealing with your child, things don’t go as planned.
[1] The author seemed to have made a slight error in the sequence of dialogue, as these two sentences should have been combined—assuming, of course, there are only two people talking.
