Chapter 11: Preparing for War

The sun had risen.

After agonizing all night, I’d reached a conclusion.

Whether Jung-nam Park was a villain or a righteous man didn’t matter.

‘Instead of wasting time worrying and sighing, let’s create a weapon unique to our shop.’

The knowledge and skills I possessed.

The thirty years of trust my father and mother had built.

And sincerity.

I got up and stretched.

My body was tired, but my heart felt light.

‘It’s not like I haven’t lost everything once already—what is there to fear now?’

*****

I met my father at the breakfast table.

“Did you sleep at all?”

“No… I had a lot on my mind.”

“Is it because of Mega Meat?”

I nodded.

“Dad, let’s do something only we can do. Something Mega Meat can’t.”

Father smiled.

“Yeah. I think that’s the right answer too.”

The morning sunlight streamed long across the kitchen.

A new day had begun.

Jung-nam Park would go his way.

We would go ours.

Everyone had their own path.

After arriving at the shop, I was sweeping the entrance when the owner of the neighboring dry cleaners approached.

“Hey, Junho, the Mega Meat construction looks serious, huh?”

“Sure does…”

“But yesterday, someone from the Mega Meat site came to our shop to get some clothes altered.”

“A Mega Meat employee?”

“Yeah. Said he was the head of interior at HQ? Very chatty fellow.”

The dry cleaner’s owner lowered his voice.

“They say the first six months after they open is make-or-break. If they don’t push out the local butcher shops in that time, HQ goes nuts.”

“Really?”

“And selling pork belly below cost price? They say even that can only last for about six to twelve months. Any longer and even HQ can’t handle the losses.”

It sounded plausible.

Even big companies couldn’t run at a loss forever.

“And…”

The dry cleaner’s owner glanced around.

“I heard there’s a butcher shop in Incheon that stood up to Mega Meat and lasted to the end. They were right across the street, just like you guys.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know the details, but I heard they’re still doing well.”

It was hopeful news.

“Thank you. That’s good information.”

“Hey, we’re neighbors, right? We’ve seen each other every morning for over twenty years… If Boss Jeong’s shop stays open, that’s good for us too.”

After the dry cleaner’s owner left, I found myself curious about that butcher shop in Incheon.

‘How did they survive?’

I searched online, but couldn’t find any solid information.

Maybe it was just a rumor passed by word of mouth.

But what was certain was…

‘It’s possible. Surviving is possible.’

Six months.

We had to firmly establish our own color in that time.

I went inside and told Father everything.

The testimonies from the internet, what the dry cleaner’s owner had heard.

Father’s eyes grew determined.

“Junho, that personalized customer service you’ve been planning—let’s really make it great.”

“Dad, I thought about it all night.”

I took a sip of coffee before I continued.

“So? What is it?”

“We need a detailed plan.”

Father put down his coffee cup and looked at me.

“Remember what Mom left behind? The regulars’ log and the ledger.”

Father’s expression softened.

He always did when Mom was mentioned.

“What do you want to do with it?”

“Let’s organize it and build a database. Mrs. Kim comes every Thursday for 500g of bulgogi beef, Manager Park comes Fridays for 1kg of pork belly…”

Father chuckled in disbelief.

“Hey! I remember all that already. It’s all in my head.”

“Dad, you’ll forget as you get older. I’ll digitize it for you.”

“What? Are you saying I’m already getting forgetful?”

Father playfully pretended to be offended.

“No, that’s not it… I mean, let’s manage it in more detail. Preferred thickness, marbling, even family anniversaries.”

Father nodded.

“Hm… sounds reasonable.”

“Mega Meat could never do this. They’re basically a factory.”

“You’re right.”

Now it was time for the bombshell.

“And secondly…”

I paused for a moment.

“When Mega Meat opens, let’s not sell pork belly for a while.”

“What?!”

Father almost choked on his coffee.

“Hey! What kind of nonsense is that?!”

“Just hear me out! If Mega Meat sells pork belly at 1,980 won, can we compete?”

“So, you’re saying we shouldn’t sell it at all?”

“Yes! Let’s acknowledge it coolly. ‘Ah, Mega Meat really is king of pork belly.’”

Father looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“Junho, pork belly is thirty percent of our sales…”

“It’s a strategic retreat.”

Father clutched his head.

“Hah… What if customers come asking for pork belly?”

“Then smile brightly and say, ‘Oh, you can get pork belly really cheap across the street at Mega Meat! Buy it there! But we have some special cuts you can’t get at Mega Meat—would you like to take a look?’ Like that.”

Father let out a hollow laugh.

“A butcher shop advertising the competition?”

“It’s thinking outside the box! Isn’t it actually refreshing?”

“More than refreshing… it sounds crazy.”

I laughed along.

“Dad, there’s no way we can win on price. So let’s acknowledge that and compete on something else.”

“And what would that be?”

“Specialty cuts. Pork jowl, skirt meat, cheek meat, pork neck… Mega Meat can’t handle those in bulk!”

Father stroked his chin.

“Hm… That makes sense. Only about 250g of pork jowl comes from one pig, after all.”

“Exactly! And things like spare ribs, chuck flap tail, cartilage belly… Only those in the know look for these cuts.”

“Definitely, mass distributors can’t handle these well, even if they sell them…”

“And we just have to last six months. Mega Meat can’t keep running at a loss forever.”

“How do we hold out for six months…”

“We can do it! You’ve got me.”

Father sighed and laughed.

“You really… you’ve become a gambler, huh?”

“It’s not gambling—it’s strategy, Dad. Strategy.”

After a long pause, Father said,

“Alright, let’s try it your way.”

“Oh! Really?”

“But only for three months. If it doesn’t work, we bring pork belly back, okay?”

“Deal! Three months is plenty!”

Father shook his head, laughing.

“Haha! I must be crazy… not selling pork belly just because my son said so.”

“Dad, you really are bold.”

“More like I’ve been completely taken in by you…”

Still, Father looked cheerful.

The new challenge seemed to have given him energy.

“And one more thing.”

“What now?”

“I realized something looking through Mom’s ledger… Regular customers are moved by trust more than price.”

Father took out Mom’s old, worn notebook.

On its faded pages were tiny, meticulous notes.

[Kim Young-sook – 2kg Hanwoo for mother-in-law’s 70th birthday, very satisfied]

[Park Chul-soo – 5kg pork for son’s first birthday, will order here again]

“These records are our weapons.”

“But Junho, what about people who only care about Mega Meat’s prices?”

“Let them go. For now.”

Father looked at me with wide eyes.

“Really?”

“Yes, we can’t force them to stay. But in six months, things will be different.”

Father gave a bitter smile.

“If your mom were alive, I wonder what she’d say… Probably, ‘Honey, I think Junho’s right.’ She always thought you could turn anything into gold…”

Outside, I could see the Mega Meat construction site.

The drill noise was deafening.

But strangely, I wasn’t scared.

“And one last thing…”

I pulled out a calculator.

“We need to secure as much capital as possible.”

“Capital?”

“Once the competition starts, sales will drop. We need money to endure.”

Father nodded.

“So?”

“We’ll need to go to Majang-dong often. To hunt for hidden gems.”

“Grade 1 aged beef?”

“Yes! Last time we sold out in a day. Cost was 3.27 million won, sales were 4.9 million, net profit 1.63 million.”

I showed him the calculations on my fingers.

“If we just do one deal like that a week… that’s about 6 million won net profit per month.”

“It’s not that easy to find those, though.”

“Dad, you have me.”

I hinted at my abilities.

“And word’s already gotten out in Majang-dong. They say the butcher shop in Gayong-dong is looking for unusual cuts.”

Father chuckled.

“Already?”

“Yes, last time I called President Choi and Foreman Song too. I asked them to call me first if something good comes in.”

“Ho…”

“The month before Mega Meat opens—this is our golden time.”

I tapped at the calculator.

“We have to make twice as many trips as usual. Even if it means leaving at two in the morning.”

“Geez, you’ll wear yourself out…”

“It’s fine. To endure six months against Mega Meat, we need at least three months of operating funds.”

There wasn’t much time.

“And one more thing.”

“What?”

“We only tell our regulars about the hidden gems we find.”

“You mean, treat customers differently?”

“Of course not. It’s a VIP service. ‘We got something special this time, and we’re letting our regulars know first’—like that.”

Father’s eyes sparkled.

“Oh… that’s good.”

“Mega Meat could never do that. They don’t even know phone numbers or who their regulars are.”

“Right!”

“That’s why Mom’s ledger is so important. All the numbers and purchase histories are there.”

Father stood up.

“Alright. We’re heading to Majang-dong again starting tomorrow.”

“Leaving at 2 a.m.!”

“Got it. And Junho.”

“Yes?”

“This time, you take the lead. From picking the meat to haggling over the price.”

My heart thudded.

“M-me? Me?”

“Yeah. You’ve got the better eye. I’ll just help out from the side.”

The construction noise outside grew louder.

Mega Meat was taking shape day by day.

But so were we.

“Dad, do you think we can win?”

Father patted my shoulder.

“It’s not about winning or losing. Surviving comes first.”

“……”

Honestly, though, I wanted to win.

“But, Junho, sometimes a little stone can take down a giant.”

*****

“Junho, over here.”

Father pointed to the corner of President Choi’s shop.

Unlike last time, it was quiet.

“Hey there, Boss Jeong!”

“Sorry for coming so early.”

“What’s there to apologize for? You’re here to make money!”

President Choi led us inside.

“Today’s goods are a little tricky.”

He opened the fridge, and half a Hanwoo carcass hung there.

“It’s grade 2, re-shipped cattle.”

Father shook his head.

“Re-shipped cattle? Eh, that’s a bit…”

“Right? That’s why I left it in the corner.”

“What’s re-shipped cattle?”

I asked.

President Choi explained.

“When it was first shipped, it was too fat and didn’t make the grade. So they sent it back to the farm to lose weight, then shipped it again.”

“So isn’t that even better?”

Father shook his head.

“Not really. Re-shipped cattle are a real gamble.”

“Why?”

“The problem’s the diet process. If they lose weight under too much stress, they lose muscle and the meat gets tough.”

President Choi added,

“That’s right. If you’re lucky, it tastes like grade 1. If you’re not, it’s worse than grade 3.”

While the two of them talked, I quietly laid my hand on the meat.

[Hanwoo sirloin – grade 2]

Time since slaughter: 48 hours

Current freshness: 91/100

Marbling: ★★☆☆☆

Juiciness: ★★★★☆

Tenderness: ★★★☆☆

Meat aroma: ★★★★☆

Aging forecast

After 24 hours: improves

After 72 hours: greatly improves

Optimal aging: 7 days

Expected change: 40%

Special note: Hidden marbling detected beneath the surface

‘Huh? This is way too good for grade 2.’