Chapter 21: The Whale Bites the Bait

Yuha waved the contract I brought and let out a wry laugh.  

“Boss, isn’t this kind of overstepping?”  

“Overstepping? It’s a fair request.”  

With wheat prices skyrocketing, this kind of deal is perfectly reasonable.  

Of course, President Yoo Hani was a bit taken aback.  

But after hearing me out, he understood.  

“It wasn’t a bad deal for President Yoo either. You know what kind of impact a loose-lipped employee could have on Yuseong Milling.”  

“That’s true. But is this really okay?”  

“What do you mean?”  

“If Gangi Milling refused to renew the contract, it’s obvious what they’ll do next.”  

Both milling companies secured priority purchase rights for wheat when we signed the contracts.  

It was a clause to ensure they got their share and to prevent us from selling to others at better prices.  

Now that Gangi Milling has turned their back on us, it’s clear how they’ll use that clause.  

“The moment they see the purchase order, they’ll lose it, right?”  

“Obviously.”  

“But there’s a way to block that.”  

“…How?”  

“Yuseong Milling has the same clause. Just say we sold it all to them.”  

On paper, it’ll look like we have no wheat left.  

Sure, it’s a flimsy cover, and it’s obviously a move to screw over Gangi Milling.  

But what can you do?  

They started it.  

I’m not some saint who’ll sit still after being provoked.  

No matter how much I say people come first, I don’t let those who cross me off easy.  

That’s my philosophy moving forward.  

“Handle Gangi Milling like that. But only for excessive orders. If they let it slide, we let it slide too.”  

“You never know how things turn out with people.”  

“Exactly. Who knows, maybe Gangi Milling will come crawling back to us later.”  

No idea when that might happen.  

But there’s no need to cut them off completely.  

“That’s enough about this. Are the materials ready?”  

“Yup. Just need to leak them now.”  

“The countdown’s officially started.”  

The fuse on the bomb has been lit.  

Now it’s just a matter of seeing when and in whose hands it’ll explode.  

 ***

[Former Spectrum CEO Ventures into New Business. But…]  

[Kang Jisung: Was His Business Legend Just a Bubble?]  

[From Success to Failure, He’s Tasted Both.]  

Articles about Ribbon Corporation flooded the news one after another.  

Filled with sensational wording, it was exactly the kind of stuff reporters love.  

People remember the failures of the successful more than their successes.  

“From rags to riches” pales in comparison to “The dragon turned into a snake” when it comes to gossip fodder.  

When this story leaks out,  

I’m looking forward to seeing how our enemies react.  

Of course, Han Yeri promised to keep tabs on that.  

Since we’re allies, I’ll make full use of her in this.  

I slipped my phone into my pocket and adjusted my tie.  

After checking my appearance in the mirror, I stepped out of the elevator.  

As I walked forward, a wry laugh escaped me.  

Completely empty.  

A hotel restaurant at lunchtime should be bustling.  

But today, it was deserted.  

All because of the preferences of the one guest here.  

I strode toward that table.  

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Jisung, CEO of Ribbon Corporation.”  

“…Yeah. No need for introductions on my end, right?”  

“No, I already know who you are.”  

Han Yeri’s cousin, the eldest grandson of the Kangseong Group, and current director of Kangseong Steel.  

Practically the next in line to run Kangseong Steel—Han Daehyuk.  

He nodded toward the seat across from him.  

“Sit.”  

I took the seat as requested, and he looked me over with indifference.  

No, there was a hint of interest.  

The problem was, that interest felt pretty unpleasant.  

“My cute little cousin said there’s someone she wanted me to meet, and you’re better-looking than I expected. Ever thought about being a celebrity?”  

“Thank you for the compliment, but I’m not interested in that field.”  

“Really? You should give it a shot sometime. Might make you more money.”  

Look at this guy.  

Saying in a roundabout way that my business is doomed to fail.  

What a slimy character.  

Guess I’ll have to play the same game.  

“It’d only be pocket change at best. What I’m doing now will make me more.”  

“Is that so?”  

“And it could make you some money too, Director Han.”  

Money.  

At that word, Han Daehyuk scoffed.  

“Your current business is just wheat distribution. At most, a franchise, right?”  

“I’m preparing to expand the business foundation.”  

“I don’t see how a company like that could make me money.”  

“As I just said, I’m preparing to expand the business foundation. Like Kangseong Group did.”  

The corner of Han Daehyuk’s eye twitched.  

Kangseong Group went from selling rice to selling everything in Korea.  

I’m saying I’m following the same path as Kangseong Group.  

And that was enough to get under his skin, which is exactly what I wanted.  

You can tell Han Daehyuk’s character with just a glance.  

A man overflowing with pride in Kangseong Group.  

A man who sees himself as royalty or nobility.  

Arrogance doesn’t even begin to cover it.  

By emphasizing that he and I are on the same level, his pride is bound to be wounded.  

“…Go on, speak.”  

That wounded pride will try to resolve itself by crushing me.  

But that means he’ll have to listen to my business proposal.  

Hostile, but if I’ve dragged him to the negotiation table, that’s enough.  

He won’t be able to just brush off my proposal now.  

“I recently acquired a decent iron ore mine. A valuable one, bought with hard-earned money.”  

Through the system, I confirmed that 40% of the Bloodkin dimension is made up of mines.  

Of that, over 30% is iron ore.  

The reserves? Hundreds of billions of tons.  

“The mine has substantial iron ore reserves, but I don’t have a way to sell it.”  

“So you want to sell it to Kangseong Steel?”  

“Yes.”  

“Tch.”  

He scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.  

“We have established import routes for most of our iron ore. No need to find a new supplier here.”  

“I understand.”  

“Then you must also know your proposal is garbage.”  

“Well, not quite.”  

I grinned and clasped my hands together.  

“When you consider the global situation, it might look a bit different.”  

“What are you getting at?”  

“The war in Ukraine. You know it’ll drag on for over a year, right?”  

“There’s no place that uses more steel than a war.”  

The fact that major military contractors are involved in this war means the demand for iron ore is skyrocketing.  

And to put it another way?  

It’s not just wheat prices rising globally.  

“When raw material prices go up, every cost inevitably rises.”  

“…And what’s your point?”  

“I’m saying I can provide it at a low price.”  

What’s the benefit of dimension monopoly?  

It means I control the resources of that dimension, that world.  

“I’ll supply it at $100 per ton.”  

The current price of iron ore is $114 per ton.  

If prices rise in the future, it could hit $150 per ton.  

That’s 60% of that price.  

Considering the amount of iron ore Kangseong Steel consumes, that’s $4.38 million in savings per month.  

No matter how much he dislikes me, if he kicks this proposal away,  

he’s got no business sense.  

Han Daehyuk stared at me, maintaining his poker face.  

It looked like he wasn’t thrilled with my proposal, but I could practically hear the gears turning in his head from here.  

Those gears stopped when he called for the restaurant manager.  

“Bring the food.”  

“Understood.”  

While the pre-prepared course meal was laid out on the table, Han Daehyuk didn’t mention the deal.  

So I just ate.  

Not bad.  

I’d never been to this place since it’s hard to get a reservation, but the meal itself was clean and decent.  

It wasn’t until we finished the course and were sipping our final coffee that Han Daehyuk spoke.  

“Any interest in selling the mine?”  

“No, not at all.”  

“Even if we calculate the reserves and make you an offer?”  

Hah, this is why businessmen are the way they are.  

Give them an inch, and they’ll try to take three.  

Making all that money, and still acting like bandits.  

“Why would I, when the future profits are so much bigger?”  

“That sounds like you’re planning to enter the steel business later.”  

“Probably.”  

Becoming a conglomerate by selling raw materials?  

Not a bad idea.  

There are plenty of companies overseas that became giants that way.  

But that’s not my goal.  

“I’ve got things to do.”  

To take down Spectrum, that global behemoth, I need to scale up even more.  

Confirming my ambitions, Han Daehyuk said, clearly displeased,  

“I’m not sure why we should nurture a potential competitor.”  

“That sounds like you’re turning down profit.”  

“Well, if I had my way, I’d crush your company and take that mine.”  

“Haha, I won’t go down that easily.”  

“I figured. Your eyes aren’t the ordinary kind.”  

He clicked his tongue and said,  

“How much can you supply?”  

Say what you will, he’s still a businessman.  

Even if he’s in a foul mood, the fact that he’s not rejecting the proposal outright shows it.  

Maybe the internal situation is helping me out too.  

Using even that situation—that’s business.  

“As I mentioned, I don’t have advanced mining tech, so I can’t extract much right now.”  

“Just give me the bottom line.”  

“Next month, I can secure 8,500 tons.”  

“Hah, what am I supposed to do with that?”  

“Yes, it’s small for now. But it’s only limited by technical issues.”  

The mining output will increase.  

And quickly.  

“The month after, it could double. The month after that, triple.”  

“Are you sure?”  

“Yes.”  

“Hmm.”  

Han Daehyuk weighed whether to bet on this or not.  

After mulling it over a few times, he spoke.  

“I’ll give you the contact for our manager. If you can reach 30,000 tons a month within three months, we’ll sign a contract.”  

“No interest in a deal before then?”  

“That kind of small-time supply isn’t worth the cost of expanding our pipeline.”  

“Guess that’s the scale of your factory.”  

“Alright, that’s enough about this. Let’s talk about something else.”  

Han Daehyuk took a sip of coffee and said,  

“You wouldn’t offer that price knowing iron ore prices are rising without wanting something else. What else do you want?”  

True to someone who values face and honor, he saw through that I wouldn’t make this offer for nothing.  

“Let me be clear, this will benefit you too, Director Han.”  

“I’ll decide that after hearing it.”  

I made an offer he couldn’t refuse.  

“I hear other companies are trying to gobble up my business. That’s not exactly pleasant for me.”  

“And?”  

“I’d like you to stop them.”  

Han Daehyuk showed a brief moment of consideration.  

I see right through you.  

Pretending to think it over when he’s already decided to take it—it’s laughable.  

And sure enough,  

“Fine. I’ll help you.”  

The whale bit the bait.