Chapter 1393: Side Story 2
Chapter 1393 - Side Story 2
In a game, the influx of new players would gradually slow down, and the number of current players would decrease over time. It was often said that games that were extremely popular back in the day would be a thing of the past in ten years. Somehow, the virtual reality game Athenae completely ignored these things.
Of course, the influx of new players had gradually shown trends of slowing down. Six months ago, the influx of new players began to increase again after news of Minhyuk’s complete cure of eating addiction was released.
That was not all. Even the old players, who were now referred to as ancient artifacts, continued to be immersed in the world of the game Athenae. Meanwhile, the holiest and most omnipotent being in the world of Athenae, the being loved the most in this world, God of Origin Athenae, continued to have a profound influence on the people. Every little thing that she did would always result in a giant ripple.
Minhyuk smiled brightly as he brought out a packet of Ilhwa Ramyeon and met up with Athenae.
‘I saved this secret weapon just for today.’
He was fully aware of the effect that he could gain from Athenae, who had become his great-grandmother. That was why he deliberately hid the fact that she had become his great-grandmother.
‘Only through this will it be able to create an even bigger ripple and an even greater impact.’
The moment Athenae appeared, the number of viewers in Minhyuk’s live broadcast increased rapidly. Then, Athenae said…
[If it’s ramyeon, then… isn’t it bad for our health?]
‘It’s here! My great-grandma is reacting just like I expected!’
“That’s right, Grandma. Ramyeon is not good for our health. That’s why Ilhwa Ramyeon removed MSG from their ingredients. Because they wanted to make it healthier for the people.”
[Healthier? But ramyeon is the kind of food that’s meant to be enjoyed and savored, no? It’s not something that should be healthy.]
“Correct. And it’s precisely because they removed the MSG that the people left the product behind. So, Ilhwa Ramyeon decided to put the MSG back in. Now, it’s just like before. It’s back to being veeeeeeeeery delicious ramyeon again.”
[The product placement is truly mind-blowing. Lololololol.]
[What? Ilhwa Ramyeon started adding MSG again? I dumped the brand when they changed it before.]
[OMG? They changed the taste again? If it’s Ilhwa Ramyeon, then… I won’t be able to resist buying. Lol.]
Of course, Minhyuk’s live broadcast was not exclusive to South Korea. It was being watched by viewers from all over the world.
[Ramyeon…? Ilhwa Ramyeon? Is it the representative ramyeon in South Korea?]
[Yep, yep. It used to be the best. But they changed the flavor once, so many people dumped the brand. Well, we should all try it!]
The first thing that Minhyuk wanted to let the people in the world know was that Ilhwa Ramyeon’s taste had reverted and had become delicious again. The conversation that he had with Athenae just now had made the world as a whole fully aware of that fact.
‘Well then. It’s time to make the sales explode!’
“Ah, come to think of it. Grandma, you’re immortal, right?”
Athenae nodded.
“Even though ramyeon is not good for the body, it’s very delicious. Don’t you think that exchanging a thousand gold for a brief moment of happiness is worth it? Besides, you’re immortal, so it wouldn’t really change anything.”
Athenae laughed graciously. It was as if she were saying that paying such a small amount for happiness was truly worth it.
Just like that, Minhyuk started to boil ramyeon. He did not put anything in the ramyeon; he just placed the pot between him and Athenae and waited for it to finish cooking.
[Crazy.]
[He’s doing a ramyeon mukbang while sitting in front of Athenae…]
[Is he really eating ramyeon in Athenae’s audience hall…?]
Minhyuk opened the lid of the pot. Finally, the steaming and glistening ramyeon appeared.
[Ho.]
Athenae exclaimed lightly as Minhyuk gestured for her to take some ramyeon first. She promptly scooped a serving of ramyeon into her bowl. Then, she gently blew on the steam that wafted out of her bowl.
[Hoo… hoo…]
Athenae took a small bite of the noodles.
[Oh?]
Athenae exclaimed lightly. This time, she took a huge mouthful of noodles and pushed it into her mouth.
[Sluuuuuuuuuurp!]
She gently closed her eyes and savored the texture and flavor of the noodles. Her expression of delight looked just like the expression that a noble lady would have when she was slowly savoring a precious dish.
[This is delicious.]
[Sluuuuuuuuuuuurp!]
This single remark was more than enough to describe what she ate. Just like that, she began to devour the ramyeon in her bowl.
Minhyuk also took a huge bite of the ramyeon in his bowl. Of course, he did not forget to eat some well-ripened kimchi.
Crunch, crunch!
The combination of flavors was divine! Then, Minhyuk took out a different kind of kimchi.
[What’s this?]
“It’s scallion kimchi, grandma.”
[Scallion kimchi?]
Scallion kimchi was Minhyuk’s personal favorite among the side dishes usually served when eating. Scallion kimchi actually tasted best when paired with ramyeon, chapagetti, or any soup ramyeon.
[Oh… That’s tingly.]
Nevertheless, a smile of delight was plastered on Athenae’s face. Of course, Minhyuk also ate some scallion kimchi after eating ramyeon.
Crunch, crunch!
The spicy and tingly scallion kimchi left both of them feeling good. When they finished the ramyeon, Athenae looked disappointed.
[So… so cute…]
[Lady Athenae is so adorable…]
When Minhyuk saw the expression on her face, he immediately took something out and said, “Tada! We still have some cold leftover rice. Ah! When it comes to ramyeon best paired with cold leftover rice, Ilhwa Ramyeon is the best!”
[Ilhwa Ramyeon… I’ll definitely remember that.]
Minhyuk was extremely delighted. He knew what kind of effect Athenae’s single word would have.
He mixed the cold leftover rice in the ramyeon, which still had enough noodles left. Then, he scooped a spoonful and put it in his mouth.
‘Kghhk!’
It really tasted amazing! As expected, the most delicious thing in the world was carbohydrates.
Athenae, who finished her meal, smiled in satisfaction. Seeing this, Minhyuk carefully and cautiously induced her toward the direction he wanted this to end. He asked, “So… how’s Ilhwa Ramyeon?”
[It’s the best food among the ones that I have eaten recently!]
Done! It was over.
***
Park Jae-Sok bit his nails.
‘No. No, no, no. Even if Athenae ate our ramyeon, it doesn’t make sense! There’s no way that doing something so simple like that will be able to increase our affiliated company’s sales by 10%, right?’
That should be impossible. Of course, he was aware of the ripples that Athenae’s declaration of the Ilhwa Ramyeon being the best would bring. Nonetheless, for the increase in sales to reach the bet’s target, Ilhwa Ramyeon should be sold out, and they should experience a shortage of supply.
Park Jae-Sok came to a convenience store to buy a pack of cigarettes. He went to the shelf of ramyeon just in case to check.
“...?”
Park Jae-Sok was confused. This was because the shelf dedicated to Ilhwa Ramyeon was empty. Despite the glaring evidence, he still decided to ask one of the part-timers. He said, “Excuse me, do you have any Ilhwa Ramyeon?”
“So, you’re one of those who came to buy Ilhwa Ramyeon? It sold out twenty minutes ago. The people went into a buying frenzy after watching Minhyuk and Athenae’s mukbang earlier. You’re the eighth person who asked that question.”
Clang!
Park Jae-Sok’s gaze turned toward the door.
The customer, who entered, immediately asked, “Do you have Ilhwa Ramyeon?”
“You’re the ninth person to ask that question.”
“Ah. Shit. It’s sold out here, too.” The customer complained.
“I visited all of the convenience stores in the area just in case, but it’s sold out everywhere.”
The convenience store employee asked, “Even in the supermarkets?”
“When people buy ramyeon, they often buy it in bulk. So… it's sold out in the supermarkets too.”
Park Jae-Sok’s pupils trembled. He rushed back to the company. While he was sitting in the lounge room with the cigarette dangling in his mouth, a member from another team appeared and told him another story.
“Have you heard? They said that the Ilhwa Ramyeon has been sold out in all convenience stores, supermarkets, and even the local markets. I think they said that it’s at the same level as when the Honey, Honey Hot Butter Chips got sold out in the past?”
“OMG… then we’ll probably experience a shortage in supply soon?”
“I think so too. I heard that they have already given the order to triple the production order of Ilhwa Ramyeon.”
“Team Leader Park!”
At that moment, someone called out to Park Jae-Sok. It was one of the members of the Foreign Business Team.
“Right now, Vietnam, America, Taiwan, and France have contacted us. They said that they are running out of Ilhwa Ramyeon stocks!”
Park Jae-Sok could not bring himself to believe what was happening.
When Minhyuk first created the Athenae Cooperation Team, he laughed at him. No, it was not just him. Many people in the company laughed at him. Anyone who saw someone create a team who wanted to increase their company’s sales through their connections in a game would feel the same way. To top it all off, Minhyuk was the greatest nepo-baby out of all the nepo-babies. He was the chairman’s son and was only in his early twenties.
Alas, the reality was different. Park Jae-Sok was frozen in place. He could not take a single step forward. When he looked around, he saw that the other team leaders and department heads who had laughed at and mocked Minhyuk in the conference room before were also frozen. They all looked like deer caught in headlights.
At that moment, another employee rushed in and said, “Right now, Minhyuk has visited Battle God Brod and is making tuna kimchijjigae with Ilhwa Tuna to eat with him.”
On this day, Park Jae-Sok heard many stories.
“This time, they said that he’s going to do a mukbang with Absolute Saintess Loyna with our low-calorie mayonnaise!”
“They said that he’s going to eat Ilhwa Ham with The Teacher and the Jack-of-all-Trades in the Land of the Leaders!”
“Team Leader!?”
“Team Leader!”
“Team Leader!”
“Team Leader Park! We’re receiving a huge influx of calls from overseas…!”
Team Leader Park Jae-Sok was left flustered and panicked.
Swoosh!
At that moment, someone passed by him. They seemed to be in a hurry. Furthermore, it was not just one; many other people rushed past him, too.
Swoosh!
Fwoosh!
Fwoosh!
The members of the Foreign Business Team stood right next to their team leader, Park Jae-Sok, and stared at the people.
“Am I hearing that the Athenae Cooperation Team is very busy right now?”
“Yeah. From what I heard, they’re going to work overtime today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow.”
“But… why do they look so happy…?”
On the other hand, Park Jae-Sok looked like he was about to cry.
***
A week passed by.
[Ilhwa Ramyeon is still in short supply. Compared to a week ago, their sales have increased significantly. According to reports, their sales increased by 431%...]
[Ilhwa Groceries’ mayonnaise, tuna, ham, and even baby food sales have increased a lot in the past week.]
[Ilhwa Groceries’ sales have gone up by 400% in just one week. It is expected to be the highest sales ever recorded for this month.]
Han Ji-Won, one of the members of the Athenae Cooperation Team, checked the articles posted on the internet as he rested with the other team members on the company’s rooftop.
‘My god… So this is the true power of the Athenae Cooperation Team…’
It was just a week. Yet, a lot had happened in that short amount of time.
“I heard that we’ll be able to get a bonus at the end of the year?”
“For real?”
The atmosphere around the members of the Athenae Cooperation Team was peaceful and harmonious. Of course, they had all been very busy and had been staying up all night for an entire week. In fact, they were only able to enjoy this ten-minute break today. After this, they have to return to work. Regardless, they were all happy.
The look in the eyes of each team member had changed entirely now. From being regarded as a nepotistic team, they were now hailed as an ace team.
At that moment, Minhyuk came up to the rooftop and joined them in their break. When he saw his team members’ gazes filled with affection, he said, “How is it? Have I shown you what kind of rope you’ve clung to?”
All of them were thrilled. This was not a rotten rope from a nepo-baby; it was a golden rope!
Then, Minhyuk turned to Kim Ji-Seok, the employee who had been slapped by Park Jae-Sok earlier. He said, “From now on, please report to me right away if you experience something like that.”
Kim Ji-Seok smiled wryly. “Ah, you knew…”
“Yes. I knew. That’s why I prepared in advance.”
‘Prepared?’
The members looked at Minhyuk in confusion, unable to understand the meaning of his words.
At that moment, Park Jae-Sok sneaked up to the rooftop. With an awkward smile on his face, he gestured to the team and said, “A- Athenae Cooperation Team! You did great! That was really amazing! I believed that you, the Athenae Cooperation Team, would be able to do it!”
“Please stop the bullshit.”
“...”
Park Jae-Sok’s mouth snapped shut when he heard Minhyuk’s cold and sharp words.
“Do you remember what we discussed the other day? When the target sales have been achieved, someone will have to leave this company.”
“Ah… that?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s just a joke. I was just playing around. Let me buy you a drink instead.”
“A joke? I was being serious.”
Park Jae-Sok was left dumbfounded. He had worked extremely hard and even struggled desperately just to secure a position at this company. He worked tirelessly to achieve results, and this eventually led to his appointment as the leader of the Foreign Business Team. But… this man wanted him to take what they “joked” about before seriously?
“Team Leader Park Jae-Sok, I heard that you slapped my team member, Kim Ji-Seok?”
Park Jae-Sok found it even more absurd. Was he doing this just for something like that? Was he telling him to leave his position as the team leader just for such a petty reason?
“A superior merely slapped his subordinate…”
“That’s right. It’s just a superior slapping a subordinate on the cheek, no?” Minhyuk stood in front of him and laughed. “If we’re going to follow that logic, then let’s turn this into me, the successor of Ilhwa Group, firing you.”
A tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye.
“It’s just me doing my job and firing you, right?”