“Hmm… well, it’s not that there’s absolutely nothing.”
“I think it would be best if you keep it at this level of intensity next time as well. If it’s too aggressive, it might have the opposite effect. The viewers might find it burdensome, and it would make managing the channel difficult for me.”
Choi Jin-woo gave this advice with a serious expression.
“Of course, things might change later, but for now, I think this is just right. It’s good for drawing interest from the viewers, and I can operate the channel safely.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And having someone like you, President, appear on the show really boosts credibility. It’s an actual industry professional speaking based on facts. But… I’m asking this since it’s just us and not for the broadcast, but earlier, it seemed like you had a specific company in mind when you were speaking…”
I replied with a smile.
“It’s not like that. It was just a general observation.”
“Ayy… I don’t think so. You know something or have something, don’t you, President?”
“Haha, won’t you find out in due time? Depending on how the situation turns out.”
Choi Jin-woo’s eyes flashed. He seemed to have caught onto something.
“If there’s really some big supply chain corruption or origin fraud, please let me know. I really want to do a proper broadcast on that.”
“You just told me to tone it down.”
Choi Jin-woo waved his hand and laughed.
“Ah, no, if there are solid facts, that’s a different story. Not just speculative talk or hearsay.”
“I’ll think about it if a situation arises where we need to broadcast it.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Min-jae and Ji-eun quietly approached.
“Brother, that was amazing. You sounded like a total expert.”
“You were really cool, Representative. There were many things I didn’t know, but from now on, I’ll have to look more closely when I buy meat.”
Choi Jin-woo said as he slung his camera bag over his shoulder.
“I’ll edit this and post it tomorrow morning. I’ll work on it tonight and upload it with the first train tomorrow.”
“Alright, I’ll check the video tomorrow and get in touch.”
“I’ll see you next week. Please think of another interesting topic by then.”
After Choi Jin-woo left, we returned to packing. The work we had set aside for the filming was still piled up like a mountain.
“Alright, let’s actually get to work now.”
Min-jae rolled up his sleeves.
“I counted earlier, and there are about forty more left.”
“Forty?”
Ji-eun checked the pile of boxes again.
“You’re right. Then, I think we can finish by 6:00 PM.”
“I’ll go and take over for my father for a bit, so you two finish up the rest.”
“Yes, sir!”
***
When I returned, Ji-eun was standing up after taping the last box.
“There, finished!”
Min-jae also stretched his arms out wide.
“Finally done. Today was really busy.”
“Good job, both of you. Let’s have that pork belly party as promised.”
“Really? Yes!”
Ji-eun’s eyes sparkled.
“But what about your father?”
“He said he’s going to have a drink at Uncle Seong-jin’s place after work today. It’s just us today.”
7:00 PM.
We set up a temporary table near the entrance of the shop. We placed a grill on a portable gas burner and took out some pork belly from the refrigerator. With the lettuce Ji-eun washed and the soju Min-jae bought, the preparations for a decent party were complete.
“Wow, this meat is really high quality.”
Ji-eun marveled as she picked up a piece of pork belly. She must have developed a decent eye for meat after working at the butcher shop for a few days.
“Of course. It’s what we sell.”
The meat sizzled on the grill as it cooked. The fatigue from the entire day seemed to drift away with the smell of the roasting meat. Ji-eun tried a piece, her eyes widening as she gave a thumbs-up.
“Amazing! This meat is so delicious. It’s the best pork belly I’ve ever had.”
“Right? The meat from Brothers’ Clean Farm is truly different.”
“Yeah, what have I even been eating until now?”
Just then, the shop door opened and Tae-hoon walked in. His appearance in a suit while carrying a briefcase contrasted strangely with the space filled with the smell of pork belly.
“Oh? Tae-hoon!”
Min-jae greeted him warmly.
“Hello, you’ve already started the staff dinner?”
“Brother Tae-hoon, you’re off early today? Come eat with us.”
“Eh? Brother?”
Min-jae glared at Ji-eun.
“Wow… you work together for one day and Tae-hoon is already ‘Brother’?”
“Ah, I… I came because of work… This is the final draft of the complaint. I plan to file it tomorrow, so I wanted to get a final confirmation.”
Tae-hoon opened his briefcase and pulled out a thick file. The atmosphere instantly turned serious. Min-jae and Ji-eun stopped grilling and looked at Tae-hoon. Min-jae said to Tae-hoon:
“But why are you standing? Let’s sit down and talk first.”
Tae-hoon sat down and spread out the documents.
“Brother, I’ve organized the defamation part almost perfectly.”
I skimmed through the papers. They were quite thick.
“However, there’s one thing I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Are you really planning to go all the way? Without settling in the middle? The opponent is Mega Meat. They might offer a settlement amount and ask to move on quietly.”
“There is no settlement.”
I answered firmly.
“We’re going to the end. This isn’t a matter of money; it’s a matter of survival.”
“Yes, Brother. In that case, we will file a criminal complaint for defamation and business interference, and simultaneously proceed with a civil claim for damages.”
Tae-hoon explained as he showed me the documents.
“The criminal side will involve an investigation to decide whether to prosecute, and the civil side will have the court calculate the amount of damages.”
“Are the criminal and civil cases handled at the same time?” Min-jae asked.
“Yes, even if done at the same time, they proceed separately. Criminal is for punishment, and civil is for compensation.”
“But Brother, the opponent is Mega Meat. They’ll probably file a counter-suit.”
“A counter-suit?”
“Yes, for business interference or spreading false information. It’s a common tactic used by large companies.”
Min-jae looked worried.
“Then, could we end up being the ones at a disadvantage?”
“That’s why we have to be even more careful.”
***
After checking the documents for a long time, Tae-hoon put them back in his bag. The atmosphere had grown heavy. However, it was something I had already prepared for.
“Yeah, it’s still something that must be done…”
I muttered to myself as I put a piece of meat in my mouth.
“Nothing changes if you don’t even start because you’re scared.”
“Then, I will file it tomorrow. I’ll keep you updated on the progress.”
“Are you just going to leave? Why not have a piece of meat before you go?”
“No, it’s okay, since the three of you are having a staff dinner…”
When Tae-hoon tried to decline, Min-jae jumped up.
“Hey, what are you talking about! Aren’t you off the clock anyway?”
“He’s right! If we worked together for even a day, we’re family. Please sit down, Brother Tae-hoon.”
Ji-eun nodded in agreement. I pulled Tae-hoon by the arm.
“Come on, eat before you go. Min-jae wouldn’t have been able to handle it alone back then; you don’t know how much of a help you were.”
“Still…”
“Ayy, why be so formal? It’s just us.”
Min-jae snatched Tae-hoon’s briefcase and set it aside.
“Just have one glass of soju. Relax a bit.”
Ji-eun grabbed a new pair of chopsticks and pushed them toward Tae-hoon. Tae-hoon eventually laughed and surrendered.
“Alright, alright. I’ll stay for just a bit.”
“That’s it!”
Min-jae said as he placed a soju glass in front of Tae-hoon.
“Now it finally feels like a real staff dinner. Four of us is just right. Don’t you think so, Brother?”
Tae-hoon loosened his tie slightly and sat down. Everyone chatted excitedly about what had happened today. After a while, after Tae-hoon had a few more glasses of soju, his face turned slightly red.
“Brother!”
Tae-hoon suddenly said as he set his soju glass down.
“I think you can start speaking more comfortably to me now.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Min-jae and I are friends. But you use informal speech with Min-jae and formal speech with me… It’s really awkward every time I’m with Min-jae.”
Min-jae nodded in agreement.
“He’s right, Brother. I thought that was a bit awkward too.”
Tae-hoon continued after taking a sip of soju.
“Since we’ve seen each other a few times now… please just be comfortable.”
“Ah… is that so? Well, sure. Haha.”
The atmosphere lightened up considerably. Glasses were exchanged once again in a boisterous mood.
However, a moment later, Tae-hoon’s expression suddenly turned serious. He hesitated for a long time, fiddling with his soju glass, before speaking.
“Brother… honestly, there’s one thing I want to tell you.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Thank you so much… for entrusting this case to me.”
Tae-hoon’s voice grew softer.
“To be honest, there aren’t many people who would entrust this kind of work to a rookie lawyer like me. Everyone looks for lawyers with experience…”
Min-jae and Ji-eun listened quietly.
“A case against a large corporation like Mega Meat is… usually something handled by large law firms. I’ve actually been anxious about whether someone like me could handle it.”
Tae-hoon lowered his head and continued.
“It hasn’t been long since I became a lawyer, and I don’t have much experience with big cases like this… I was worried I might just end up disappointing you, Brother…”
I listened to Tae-hoon for a moment and then spoke in a calm voice.
“Tae-hoon.”
“Yes, Brother.”
“To be honest, it didn’t matter to me what kind of lawyer you are.”
Tae-hoon raised his head and looked at me. He had a surprised expression.
“What do you mean by that?”
“If I hire a 10-million-won lawyer, Mega Meat will hire a 100-million-won one. If I hire a 100-million-won one, those bastards will hire a one-billion-won one.”
I took a sip of soju and continued.
“If this was a battle decided by a lawyer’s price tag from the start, I was doomed to lose. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have even started.”
Tae-hoon listened in silence.
“To be honest, I didn’t start this fight thinking I would definitely win.”
Ji-eun asked with a surprised look.
“Then, why are you doing it?”
“Confronting Mega Meat in the first place…”
I gulped down a glass of cold water all at once.
“If I just let them walk over me, I would dry up and die. If I charge at Mega Meat, I might get beaten to death. Either way, it was a fight where I was supposed to die. Given that, I chose to be the one who gets beaten to death while fighting back.”
The shop became quiet. Only the faint sound of cars passing by outside could be heard.
“But it’s a bit different now. I think there might be a chance of winning.”
I looked straight at Tae-hoon and spoke.
“So don’t be intimidated.”
I put strength into my voice.
“The only thing I have more of than those bastards is the will to survive.”
Tae-hoon’s eyes began to shine little by little.
“Even predators fear prey that charges at them with the intent to live. Even a large tiger will think twice before a wild boar that’s prepared to die.”
I set down my soju glass.
“Mega Meat won’t collapse even if they lose here. But I’m different. If I don’t win, I really die.”
Min-jae nodded as he listened.
“Do you know how much power that is? Do you know how scary a person with no path of retreat is? Because there’s nowhere to run, you have no choice but to move forward. But what about Mega Meat? Even if they lose this fight, they can just move to another region.”
Tae-hoon continued to listen quietly.
“But for me, this place is everything. This shop, this neighborhood, this business is my entire life. Those bastards won’t know how strong people like that can be.”
Perhaps due to the alcohol, my voice became even more forceful.
“So don’t be afraid. Don’t lose heart because you lack experience or because you’re a beginner.”
I raised my soju glass and said one last thing.
“Let’s think about losing only after we’ve actually lost. For now, let’s only think about winning.”
Tae-hoon nodded and raised his glass.
“Yes, Brother. I’ll do my very best.”
“Right, that’s the spirit.”
The four of us clinked our glasses together.
“Cheers!”
***
Lunchtime.
Now that the family had grown, the four of us were eating jajangmyeon side by side. My father had become a completely different person since Ji-eun arrived. I quietly ate my noodles while listening to the conversation between the three of them.
“Ji-eun, is the jajangmyeon good?”
“Yes, it’s really delicious.”
“Is it? Eat more. A young thing like you looks far too thin.”
Father pushed the sweet and sour pork toward Ji-eun. Min-jae, who was about to grab a piece, looked at me with an aggrieved expression. However, I was busy with other thoughts and pretended not to notice.
“Ji-eun, where did you say your home was?”
“It’s Hongcheon, Gangwon Province.”
“Oh my, you’ve come from far away. Your parents must miss you a lot.”
Father looked at Ji-eun with a warm smile.
“It’s okay. I can visit during the holidays.”
“Still, call your parents often. That’s how a parent’s heart works.”
Min-jae muttered in a jealous voice beside him.
“Father, you never say things like that to me…”
“Hey, you rascal! Your parents’ house is only 30 minutes away from here. What is there to worry about?”
Father chuckled and tapped Min-jae on the shoulder.
“I feel like I’ve gained a pretty daughter after only ever eating with these gloomy men.”
That was when I made my decision. I set my chopsticks down with a clack and spoke.
“Father.”
All three of them looked at me.
“What about Choe Dae-gam’s butcher shop in the market? Has it been leased out yet?”
Father froze with his chopsticks mid-air.
“Huh? Uh… I don’t think it’s gone yet. Why?”
“Let’s lease it.”
“What?”
Father’s voice went up an octave.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Brother, what do you mean all of a sudden?”
Min-jae asked with a look of surprise as he slurped his noodles. Ji-eun looked back and forth between Father’s and Min-jae’s reactions with a confused expression, not understanding what was going on.
“Um… is this… something important?”
I began to explain step by step.
“First, let’s talk about the reality. We have a contract with Chef Kang Min-seok from Busan, and online sales have increased three times over.”
Min-jae nodded. Ji-eun was still blinking her large eyes, seemingly not yet grasping the situation.
“If orders increase any further, we won’t have a proper place to store the meat soon. The volume is constantly increasing, and our refrigerator has its limits.”
Father listened with a serious expression. He rested his chin on his hand, his eyes looking as if he were calculating something.
“But if we hire a rental warehouse or outsource just because the business has grown a bit, what do you think will happen to the quality of the meat?”
“That is… a concern, indeed.”
Father answered cautiously. It was the answer of a man who had been running a butcher shop for over thirty years and knew the importance of quality control to his very core.
“The aging room is a place I have to check several times a day. Temperature, humidity, air circulation… if even one thing goes wrong, the meat we’ve carefully aged for days is ruined.”
Ji-eun also seemed to start understanding the situation. Having stayed at Hidden Gem, she must have caught a glimpse of the importance of the aging room.
“But there’s something more important.”
I paused for a moment and then put strength into my voice.
“This is an opportunity to cut off the air supply to the Mega Meat Gayeong-dong branch!”
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