“Yes, and online, names with a personal touch perform better. It feels like a shop run by a real person. Hidden Gem feels a bit too commercial.”
Father suddenly spoke with a bright expression. Now that reinforcements had arrived to flip the situation…
“I think the kids are right. Junho, why don’t we just unify everything under Junho’s? People already call it that anyway.”
“…”
A smile spread across my father’s face.
“Then should we unify it as Junho’s Butcher Shop?”
“Yes! I think that would be much better.”
Ji-eun spoke excitedly.
“Then there will be multiple Junho’s in the future!”
“That’s the goal. For now, we’re going to make all of Gayeong-dong the trade area for Junho’s.”
Min-jae clenched his fist and shook it.
“Brother, I love just imagining it. We’re going to completely drive Mega Meat out.”
Father spoke cautiously.
“But Junho, don’t overdo it.”
“Father, even if we stay still, Mega Meat isn’t going to leave us alone. In that case, it’s better to strike first.”
The four of us fell into a brief silence. It seemed everyone was thinking about the work ahead. I continued explaining while writing numbers on the notepad.
“To be specific, Shop 1 will be the current Junho’s Butcher Shop. Shop 2 will be the current Hidden Gem, and Shop 3 will be the new shop we’re opening in President Choi’s old spot.”
Min-jae nodded and asked, “Shop 2 will keep its role in online sales, right?”
“Right. But Shop 2 has a special role.”
I explained while drawing a simple diagram on the notepad. In this operation, Shop 2’s role was more important than anything else if we wanted to completely cut off Mega Meat’s breath.
“Shop 2 will still be used primarily for online orders, but as I said before, we’re going to install a simple showcase at the front where people pass by.”
Ji-eun’s eyes sparkled as she asked, “Since it’s a showcase, we’ll be doing offline sales too?”
“Exactly. But we’ll only stock and sell the parts people buy the most. Just the basics.”
I didn’t actually expect Shop 2’s showcase to contribute significantly to sales. The real purpose was something else.
“Then will we not sell the other cuts?” Min-jae asked curiously.
“No, we’ll direct them to Shop 3 for other cuts or bulk purchases. We’ll have a sign saying, ‘Check out Junho’s Shop 3 on the other side of the market for more variety.’ The distance from there to Shop 3 is much shorter than the distance to Mega Meat.”
Father nodded and said, “Ah, so Shop 2 acts as a sort of information center.”
“Exactly, Father. More accurately, it’s a billboard.”
I explained while drawing arrows on the notepad.
“When customers who were headed toward Mega Meat pass Shop 2, they’ll think, ‘Oh? There’s a butcher shop here too?’ and it will pique their interest. And once they taste our meat, they’ll naturally be guided to Shop 3.”
Ji-eun said in admiration, “That’s so systematic. So, do I have to manage the showcase at Shop 2 as well?”
“That’s right. You’ll replenish the showcase between online packaging tasks and attend to customers passing by. Can you handle it?”
“Of course! This sounds like it’ll be more fun. It won’t be boring. Just doing packaging is a bit dull.”
Father spoke with a worried expression.
“But can she really do both online and offline at the same time?”
“Don’t worry. The showcase will be very simple. Just pork belly, neck meat, ribs, sirloin, tenderloin, and bulgogi meat. And we’ll only sell what’s already been packaged.”
Min-jae nodded.
“Ah, if it’s like that, it’s definitely doable.”
“And the most important thing is the real purpose of Shop 2. We need to block as many customers as possible from entering Mega Meat. Redirecting customers who use the side roads to Shop 3 is important, but the core is making sure they don’t go to Mega Meat at all.”
Min-jae put on a grim expression as if he understood.
“So… Shop 2 is like the final line of defense?”
“It’s the final gate in the siege of Mega Meat.”
Ji-eun said ambitiously, “Then I’ll completely steal all of Mega Meat’s customers!”
“Right, but don’t overdo it. You have to do it naturally. If it’s too blatant, it might have the opposite effect.”
“Yes.”
“Once this operation succeeds and the workload increases, I’ll immediately hire new part-timers or staff, so please bear with it for a bit. Sorry for making things hard on everyone.”
“Hey, why are you talking like we’re strangers?”
When Min-jae sounded offended, Ji-eun chimed in too.
“Exactly. You aren’t going to ignore us once things go well, right?”
“Of course not.”
“I’ll have to work a lot of overtime and earn a lot of money so I can buy my parents a gift this Chuseok. Hehe.”
If the plan succeeded, the sales of the Gayeong-dong branch of Mega Meat would definitely take a hit. But they wouldn’t just sit there and take it. I had to prepare for their counterattack.
***
A short while later, the sign replacement work was completed.
All three stores now had signs with dark red letters on a light gray background that read ‘Junho’s Butcher Shop.’ LED lights were placed behind the letters, making them glow softly. Small markers for Shop 1, Shop 2, and Shop 3 were added, making it look like a famous franchise.
However, it was the banners, rather than the signs, that became the talk of the town. Eye-catching banners were hung at each store, and the content grabbed everyone’s attention.
[Supplier for Michelin Two-Star Chef Park Seong-ho]
[Exclusive Supplier for Busan Premium Dining Chef Kang Min-seok]
[Direct Trade with Brothers Clean Farm — Minimal Use of Antibiotics]
[Direct Sourcing of Top-Grade Hanwoo from Majang-dong]
[National Online Delivery Service — Same-Day Shipping]
[Featured on Famous YouTube Channel — Choi Jin-woo’s ‘Savory Reviews’]
It was a clunky design that threw in everything we could possibly brag about. Honestly, it was embarrassing to even call it a design. Along the edges of the banners, strings of light bulbs that looked like they belonged on a Christmas tree flickered in rhythm.
But that was part of the plan. It looked a bit cheap, but the concept was definitely eye-catching. The reaction was exactly as expected.
Specifically, the phrase mentioning Chef Park Seong-ho triggered an explosive reaction. I had asked both Park Seong-ho and Kang Min-seok for permission beforehand, and they had actually cheered me on enthusiastically. They believed it was something that helped everyone.
The locals couldn’t help but take a look, wondering if these guys were running some kind of scam.
“Huh? Park Seong-ho buys meat from here? I’ve never seen him.”
“A Michelin restaurant uses meat from here? Why would they?”
“No way… from a local butcher shop like this?”
“Wait, we had a place like this in our neighborhood?”
The front of Shop 1 was crowded with people all day. A thirty-year-old local butcher shop had become the center of attention overnight.
Shop 2 was an even more interesting sight. It was originally a quiet back alley, but now, people heading toward the food alley were stopping one by one to look into the showcase.
“Was this always a butcher shop?”
“When did this open? I’ve passed by here so many times and never saw it.”
“The shop in this back alley is the one that supplies Park Seong-ho?”
“Why are there only boxes and no meat in the butcher shop?”
“How could a place like this sell meat to Park Seong-ho?”
Ji-eun found these reactions fascinating and felt a sense of pride.
“This is Shop 2, which is for online orders only. If you go to Shop 1 or Shop 3, you can find a much larger variety.”
“Ah, that’s why the display is so small. Got it. I should head toward the main road then.”
Even while packing online orders, she responded kindly whenever a customer came by and naturally introduced them to Shop 3.
But the most dramatic change occurred at Shop 3. Located in the heart of the market, right on the path to Mega Meat, Shop 3 literally became a mandatory stop for everyone. Residents coming from the apartment complex naturally had to pass by here, and the moment they saw the banners, they stopped in their tracks.
From the very first day, a line formed in front of Shop 3.
“Is it true that Park Seong-ho uses the meat here?”
“I’m curious to see how meat from a Michelin restaurant is different.”
“Where is Brothers Clean Farm? What do you mean by not using antibiotics?”
“Does that mean Mega Meat uses antibiotics?”
The questions were endless, and I was busy explaining all day long. How was the Gayeong-dong branch of Mega Meat taking this situation?
I grew curious about the expressions on Manager Kim Jin-su and Park Jung-nam’s faces.
***
As the stores became fully operational, the manpower shortage hit sooner than expected. My father was so overwhelmed with customers at Shop 1 that he could barely handle it alone, and I had to spend all day at Shop 3 explaining and attending to customers. Min-jae helped out by moving between the two stores, but there was a limit.
‘I need to hire more staff.’
At that moment, a certain person came to mind. The first victim of Mega Meat.
It was President Park.
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