NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 423 – Location Hunting (3)
The place the group arrived at after receiving Seo Young-seon's dinner invitation was a hotel located right next to the department store.
“Ah, this is a place I’ve always wanted to visit.”
Everyone's eyes turned to the words of the Shop Fandom representative.
“Is it a famous place?”
"This fine dining restaurant is famous for its Japanese teppanyaki. It has received two Michelin stars."
“Oh, right. Here it is.”
Pugmalion pointed to the identification badge next to the entrance. Lee Kyung-bok smiled.
"The beef restaurant you showed me in Japan was also a two-star restaurant, wasn't it? I can look forward to the taste. Now, let's go in."
As he opened the door, a staff member waiting immediately guided us into the private room. Entering the room, I saw a "ㄷ" shaped table and a griddle.
“Oh, come in.”
Among them, Seo Young-seon greeted the group with a smile.
‘Oh, this person…?’
‘President Seo Young-seon in person…!’
'Could it be that we're late?'
Unlike the three people who were very nervous, Lee Gyeong-bok greeted them leisurely.
“Thank you for the dinner invitation. It’s nice to see you again sooner than I expected.”
“Yes, it is. It is definitely unexpected.”
The CEO, who had been watching, found courage at the gentle tone. He took a step closer and politely took out his business card.
"Hello, Mr. Seo. This is my first time greeting you in person. I'm Kwon Seong-min from Shop Fandom."
“Ah, it was Representative Kwon.”
Seo Young-sun smiled and replied, but didn't take the business card. While everyone was wondering what was going on, the secretary, who had been quietly waiting in the corner, approached.
“Thank you. Your meal has been prepared elsewhere, so I will direct you there.”
The secretary instead took their business cards and led the three out the door with a smile.
“Oh, then I’ll see you later.”
“I will eat it gratefully.”
“Oh, that, I’ll eat well…”
As I had already heard before, they obediently gave up their seats.
As the door closed and only the two of us were left, Seo Young-seon lightly knocked on the seat next to me.
“Sit down.”
As Lee Kyung-bok sat down next to him, the door opened again. A chef in neat attire and a chef's hat entered.
“Mr. Seo, it’s been a while since you’ve visited.”
“That’s right. I kept saying I was coming, and now I’m so late.”
“Haha, no. You’re just so busy.”
The chef took his seat right behind the griddle. Seo Young-seon pointed at him with her chin and spoke to Lee Kyung-bok.
“Have you seen this person? He often appears on TV.”
"Unfortunately, I don't have much knowledge about the restaurant industry. I don't watch TV much, so I don't know much."
Lee Kyung-bok answered him honestly. The chef whined at this.
"Oh, it's okay if you don't know. In fact, there are more people who come without knowing. I like that, too, because it feels like they're being recognized for their true skills."
"That's why I'm saying you should do YouTube, Chef. Young people don't watch TV much anymore."
“Haha, I should seriously consider this.”
He briefly changed the mood and politely handed me a sign with the menu on it.
"These are the dishes we'll be serving today. If there's any ingredient you can't eat, please let us know first."
“Oh, yes. Thank you.”
Lee Kyung-bok scanned the menu. The names of the dishes were unfamiliar, but the ingredients were listed below, so there was no major problem.
'Hey, lunch costs 300,000 won.'
Lee Kyung-bok's eyebrows rose slightly at the price listed below. But soon he answered in a cheerful voice.
"Actually, I don't have any intention of doing so, but I was curious so I looked into it. Thank you for your consideration."
“Really? That’s good.”
“Then I will prepare it right away.”
The chef immediately began cooking. He skillfully prepared appetizers for the two.
It was a dish made with asparagus and truffle mushrooms. Lee Kyung-bok exclaimed in admiration as soon as he tasted it.
“Oh…! This is really delicious.”
"I'm glad you like it. Let's start by filling our stomachs before we talk. People become more sensitive when they're hungry."
Seo Young-seon looked at Lee Gyeong-bok with a pleased expression, then added.
“That’s why it’s better to do business after dinner.”
After all, the main point was separate.
* * *
The dishes that came out as courses were already finished, including the main course. The chef bowed politely after serving the final dessert.
“I don’t know if you were satisfied with the meal.”
“Oh, it was really delicious.”
Lee Kyung-bok answered him with a bright smile.
“The food was delicious, but watching the chef cook it was another pleasure.”
"That's the beauty of iron plate cooking. Mr. Gyeongbok, you know a thing or two about food."
Seo Young-seon smiled from the side and nodded at the chef. The chef bowed his head again.
“Then I will leave now.”
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As the chef left the room, silence fell. Seo Young-seon cleared her throat and took out her paper.
“Business is about content, but ultimately, it’s about people, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Lee Kyung-bok straightened his posture and answered. From now on, this wasn't just a simple meal, it was a business meeting.
"One thing I've prided myself on since I came here is my eye for people. The reason I decided to open a pop-up store with Kyungbok was because I trusted my own vision."
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“But now that I think about it, I was a bit wrong about Kyungbok.”
Seo Young-seon said this and studied Lee Gyeong-bok's expression. But he still had a relaxed smile on his face.
The energy I felt from her was still positive. No, it was even stronger than before.
“I wonder what you saw wrong.”
"It's so strange. If it were anyone else, it would seem arrogant, but why does it suit you so well?"
Seo Young-seon smiled at his confident attitude.
“I underestimated Kyungbok so much.”
“Underestimated?”
"That's right. I didn't know the evaluation would change so much overnight. Oh, of course, not in a negative way. I've seen that happen quite a few times."
“I have no idea. I didn’t do anything else.”
When Lee Kyung-bok looked puzzled, her smile grew deeper.
"Strictly speaking, it was my fault. I met Kyungbok the day after the vlog was released. As a result, I was late in getting the latest information."
“Is this a vlog?”
"Yes. Now that I think about it, Kyungbok, you're pretty good not only in Korea but also in Japan. I don't know much about games, but I heard you even reached number one in the world."
Seo Young-sun didn't realize the impact of her vlogging. It wasn't until later that she realized the impact, and even the world's #1 record for "PPL" came into the spotlight.
She immediately revised her assessment of Lee Kyung-bok.
“Thank you. Now you really listen to everything I’ve been up to.”
"I felt it was worth it. That's why I called you this time, hoping we could work together more closely."
“Closely?”
"That's right. In this situation, it feels like a waste to simply open a pop-up store."
As she spoke, Seo Young-seon lightly squeezed the red sauce onto the iron plate. As a result, a small red circle was drawn on the plate.
“Mr. Kyungbok is a character that can appeal to Japanese tourists in and of itself.”
The red sauce was bubbling because the iron plate was still hot.
“And tourists tend to spend quite a lot.”
“Does this mean that Japanese fans are coming to Korea specifically for my pop-up store?”
“That could very well be the case.”
Lee Kyung-bok recalled Genome's words. It was the same thing he had said half-jokingly during the dinner he'd prepared with the gift.
But Seo Young-seon's words didn't sound like a joke at all.
“I heard that they are filming a making-of film for this pop-up store.”
“Yes. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll actually make it public.”
"Okay. Well, that's not my place. What I'd like to suggest is a promotional video."
Seo Young-seon spoke seriously, clasping her hands together.
"Make a video to share the news with your fans, and let us use that video. Of course, this is separate from the current pop-up store contract. If it's acceptable, we'll pursue a separate contract."
“I’ll have to hear the conditions to see if it’s okay.”
"Of course. But we haven't decided yet. I'd like you to make the choice, Kyungbok."
“Choice?”
Seo Young-seon opened her mouth, observing Lee Gyeong-bok's expression with clear eyes.
"I'll pay you 50 million won in promotional fees or set a 5% pop-up store commission. Choose one."
“50 million won and 5%…?”
"Yes. Instead, we need to finalize the decision here and now. Without consulting anyone else, please make your own judgment and speak for yourself, Kyungbok."
She said that and tried to savor the dessert. He probably needed time to make a decision.
But soon Seo Young-seon opened her eyes wide.
“Would you like to finish your dessert and then listen?”
Lee Kyung-bok's worries did not last long.
* * *
Meanwhile, in another room.
The group, having finished their meal, were chatting while waiting.
“Ha… I was hoping for a chance, and it was as expected. I was wondering how I could get the boss’s business card.”
The representative didn't hide his disappointment. He soon expressed his admiration again.
"In that respect, I'm really jealous of you, Purple. You even get to talk directly to CEO Seo Young-sun…"
"Well, that's true. And besides, you have something else to talk about…"
Pugmalion rolled his eyes in agreement.
“But it seems like the story is getting a bit longer than I thought… I hope that’s not a bad thing.”
“I don’t know for sure, but if you wanted to see it in person, it must be something pretty important.”
At Park Joo-ho's answer, the other two people rolled their eyes with a look of disbelief.
The representative quickly waved his hand as if trying to shake off his worries.
“Hey, no. How could anyone say anything bad when you’re feeding me such expensive food?”
"Bad story? What's going on?"
All three of them flinched at the sudden voice from behind them. Lee Kyung-bok was opening the door and coming inside.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Are you done talking?”
“That CEO Seo Young-seon…?”
At the same time, Lee Kyung-bok calmly answered the voice that returned.
"I just finished. The boss passed away. But he said I can take it easy, so there's no need to rush."
All three of them let out a short breath, as if the tension had eased. Soon, Park Joo-ho, speaking for the others, asked.
"So what was the story? Is it something we shouldn't know?"
Lee Kyung-bok laughed at the sight of the two people looking at each other.
“We work together, so what kind of stories are there that we shouldn’t know?”
Soon, Lee Kyung-bok explained the proposal he had received from Seo Young-sun. The three men's eyes widened.
“A promotional video contract!?”
"We can just make a video, upload it to YouTube, and post it on the Stellagram website operated by the department store. Is there anything else we can do?"
“Oh. He said he wouldn’t interfere and would leave it entirely up to us.”
The representative took a deep breath at Lee Kyung-bok's confirmation.
“No, how much does President Seo Young-seon trust Purple?”
"yes?"
"Usually, pop-up stores just announce it on social media with a card, right? This is our first collaboration, and we're uploading a video. And to top it all off, we're outsourcing the production to you…!"
The representative trailed off, his face aching with incomprehension. He then summed up the situation in one word.
“Wow, this is a real game-changing situation.”
Everyone laughed at that, but then Park Joo-ho asked with a look of surprise.
"Wait a minute, if it's an additional contract, what do we get? Is that a decision for you too?"
“Oh, that was a rather peculiar way of saying it.”
Lee Kyung-bok quickly explained the two conditions Seo Young-sun had proposed. The three people's eyes quickly rolled upon hearing this.
“If it’s 50 million won or a fixed 5% commission…”
"All four branches gave a 10% discount. They said the Sinchon branch was supposed to get a 15% discount."
"Well, it's definitely not a bad deal. Since I don't own the video copyright, I can monetize it on YouTube, and I only get 50 million won for posting on Stellagram."
“Wow, congratulations on this!”
The representative applauded him. He assumed Lee Kyung-bok would have chosen the 50 million won.
'It would be nice if you could give us a fee reduction, but…'
If fees were reduced, ShopFandom would also benefit. However, ShopFandom wouldn't have anything to contribute to the production of promotional videos.
“Haha, it’s weird that I’m the only one receiving congratulations. It’s all good.”
However, the representative felt uncomfortable with Lee Kyung-bok's subsequent reaction.
“…Is it all good?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be better for you if the commissions were reduced?”
“Huh? No, then…”
"Oh, it was a conditional fee reduction. It's better for everyone."
The CEO's jaw dropped at Lee Kyung-bok's words. He was so moved he was at a loss for words to express his gratitude.
“And this is better in terms of profit as well.”
“In terms of profit?”
“To cover 50 million won in profits with a 10% discount… sales must be over 500 million won?”
As soon as Park Joo-ho finished calculating, both men's eyes widened. But Lee Kyung-bok nodded as if it were obvious.
“500 million won in sales isn’t that big of a number, right?”
“500 million?”
“No… That’s right! Someone like Purple would definitely…!”
Pugmalion was surprised, but the representative continued speaking in an excited voice.
"If 10,000 fans come and spend just 50,000 won, that's 500 million won in sales! But how many of you, Purple, have only that many fans? And do you think they'd only buy 50,000 won worth of merchandise? I'm confident this pop-up store will be even more than that!"
“Yes, I think so too.”
Lee Kyung-bok smiled and agreed, and the others nodded as well.
"Oh, right! I spent a lot of money on goods…"
“I know because I’ve been a fan myself, but 50,000 won is ridiculous.”
Looking at the group who were so happy, Lee Gyeong-bok turned to look at Seo Yeong-seon's face.
It couldn't be that she couldn't decide because she didn't know the difference between the two options.
'I guess you asked because you wanted to know what kind of person I am.'
If I had been dazzled by the absolute amount, Seo Young-seon's evaluation would have been different.
Isn't it enough to judge that they are people who only pursue immediate profits, pursue their own interests rather than those of their partners, or are people with small distribution?
“Then there should be no problem.”
Lee Kyung-bok nodded at Park Joo-ho's words.
He is not wrong.