Episode 24. The Big Picture (6)
After the Etoile incident heated up South Korea once.
As time passed, people gradually started to show interest in what would happen to the company Etoile. This was because discussions about whether Etoile would be sold or not were slowly emerging as CEO Kim Cheong-san faced the brink of arrest. There were also a few companies interested in this discussion.
Nevertheless.
Kang Dae-oh, who returned home from work, showed no signs of anxiety on his face. Even though no one knew whether companies would emerge to jump into the acquisition battle for Etoile.
Kang Yeyoung seemed to roughly know why Kang Dae-oh was acting this way.
“It seems things went well.”
Kang Dae-oh nodded vigorously and said.
“Yeah. I officially signed the contract today.”
“So Amare has confirmed the acquisition of Etoile, right?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
When news of Etoile’s sale came out in the articles.
Kang Dae-oh had already confirmed Etoile’s acquisition through Amare. Because of this, Kang Dae-oh was not greatly agitated even when articles related to Etoile were published.
“Thanks to Executive Director Yoo In-seok’s great help, things proceeded very smoothly.”
Thanks to Executive Director Yoo In-seok stepping forward and diligently persuading Etoile’s executives and employees, as well as the general managers who held real power, they were able to quickly find a point of agreement.
In conclusion.
A contract was completed that was not a significant loss for Amare.
When articles related to this pour out soon.
Kang Dae-oh seemed to know what the article headlines would be.
A shrimp swallowing a whale.
‘Wouldn’t it probably come out like this?’
The fact that Amare, which started as a small neighborhood cafe, acquired Etoile, a promising bakery company, would become a big topic in the food service industry.
However, only positive effects could not be expected. There are certainly also adverse reactions to this. Kang Yeyoung, who was fluent in the flow of money, directly mentioned the expected adverse reactions.
“From now on, other coffee brands will start to keep Amare in check a lot. Competition in the coffee industry is already very fierce. If Amare even enters here, the area they can occupy will decrease that much.”
“I know.”
Even knowing that, Kang Dae-oh wasn’t particularly worried. Because he was confident he could win even if he clashed with them.
It wasn’t because he absolutely believed in his own abilities.
Because he had his family.
Because he had his daughters.
Kang Dae-oh could find the courage to move forward.
“Sometime this month, I’m going to inspect all the existing stores Etoile is operating. I’ll also check the sales records. So, we’ll organize what needs to be organized and save what needs to be saved. We’ll try to set the direction in this way. Together with Executive Director Yoo In-seok.”
Kang Yeyoung nodded, showing her active support for her dad’s judgment.
“Executive Director Yoo In-seok is a very capable person. He’ll support dad well.”
Kang Dae-oh nodded vigorously at his youngest daughter’s words.
Kang Yera, who had been making a pained expression while listening to their conversation, raised her hand.
“Um, not those complicated things. I have something I’m curious about.”
“Tell me.”
If it was his daughter’s words, Kang Dae-oh was willing to answer anything.
The question that popped out of Kang Yera’s mouth was enough to momentarily leave Kang Dae-oh dumbfounded.
“What are you going to do about the Choco Soboro? Can we keep eating it?”
The decision-making power regarding whether to keep the Choco Soboro now shifted to Kang Dae-oh. That’s why she brought up this question to her dad.
Min Seung-yeon, who was preparing dinner for the family nearby, perked up her ears upon hearing Kang Yera’s question. This was because it was a question Min Seung-yeon also wanted to ask.
Kang Yebin, who had not yet noticed her mom’s reaction, opened her mouth with an incredulous expression.
“Dad is telling us important things about the company’s management rights. And in the middle of that, unnie, all you can think about is Choco Soboro?”
“No, but I’m still curious.”
“Even at her age, she’s still a child, a child.”
At those words, not only Kang Yera but also Min Seung-yeon, who had been quiet, looked downcast. Kang Dae-oh, the only one who noticed his wife’s change, swallowed a laugh inwardly. Both his daughter and his wife. Both were so cute and lovely in Kang Dae-oh’s eyes.
Min Seung-yeon also liked the Choco Soboro sold at Etoile, just like Kang Yera, so she couldn’t help but be concerned. A mother and daughter’s tastes are bound to be similar. Knowing this well, Kang Dae-oh informed his eldest daughter and his wife about the fate of the Choco Soboro, which they were curious about.
“If my daughter wants it. I’ll find a way to keep selling it.”
Because he’s a dad.
He can naturally grant this much wish.
To have full-fledged M&A discussions, Amare and Etoile continuously held meetings.
Lee Seo-jun, who attended the meeting with Kang Dae-oh, showed a hundred times the burden through his facial expression.
“I don’t know if it’s okay for someone like me to attend such an important meeting.”
“‘Someone like me,’ you say. You’re Amare’s first official employee. So, have some pride.”
Kang Dae-oh strongly patted Lee Seo-jun’s broad back with a Pang! sound. Although it was a bit rough, thanks to Kang Dae-oh, Lee Seo-jun’s hunched shoulders instantly straightened.
As if he had heard the conversation between Kang Dae-oh and Lee Seo-jun, Executive Director Yoo In-seok used a short break to approach them and speak first.
“So this is Amare’s first full-time employee. I didn’t know.”
Lee Seo-jun, tense at Executive Director Yoo In-seok’s appearance, raised his voice.
“M-my name is Lee Seo-jun! P-please take good care of me!”
“No, I should be asking you. I saw you during the meeting earlier, you speak very articulately. And perhaps because you’re young, you seem spirited. To me, you looked very good.”
Lee Seo-jun’s lips curved upwards, revealing his uncontrollable joy. Lee Seo-jun had diligently prepared the presentation for today. He felt as if this effort had returned as ample reward with just a few words from Executive Director Yoo In-seok.
Executive Director Yoo In-seok turned his head towards Kang Dae-oh and said.
“Fortunately, it seems like discussions are going well today.”
“Yes. It seems they are also showing signs of yielding a lot to us. I can assume this is all thanks to Executive Director, right?”
“What power do I have? Haha.”
Even though he said that, Kang Dae-oh knew.
That while CEO Kim Cheong-san and other executives were going back and forth to the prosecution, Executive Director Yoo In-seok’s influence within the company had grown even stronger. Now, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he was the one with real power. As evidence, many Etoile officials attending the meeting were observed to be subtly watching Executive Director Yoo In-seok. It couldn’t be helped, as Executive Director Yoo In-seok was the one who maintained a deep relationship with Amare, which would soon become Etoile’s new owner.
If Executive Director Yoo were to just subtly hint to Kang Dae-oh about which branches to keep, which stores to close, or who to lay off, it would likely be immediately reflected in the outcome. As a result, Etoile officials could never ignore Executive Director Yoo In-seok’s presence.
Thanks to Executive Director Yoo In-seok, Kang Dae-oh was able to proceed with discussions in their favor. They were helping each other. This situation continued.
Executive Director Yoo In-seok openly said to Kang Dae-oh.
“If the CEO… no, if the Representative Director says a word, most things will be reflected. So, if you have any questions, you can just say them right away during the meeting.”
Kang Dae-oh was the actual protagonist of the meeting. Executive Director Yoo In-seok wanted to emphasize this point to Kang Dae-oh again.
A meaningful smile spread across Kang Dae-oh’s face.
“Is it okay even for minor things?”
“Yes, of course. What is it? If it’s difficult for you to say it directly, I’ll mention it instead.”
“Hmm, in that case……”
Kang Dae-oh recalled the conversation he had with his family last time. There was a word stuck in his head.
“Shall we discuss what form of Choco Soboro would be good to re-sell?”
Executive Director Yoo In-seok and Lee Seo-jun, who had been momentarily speechless, soon regained their composure and chuckled simultaneously.
Choco Soboro.
This was expected to be today’s main topic.
Due to the M&A with Etoile, the number of stores Amare owned instantly increased to 8. However, since all of them were concentrated only in Seoul, the task of gradually expanding stores to other regions, starting with the metropolitan area, was given. They decided not to rush this point.
‘Because strengthening internal capabilities is the priority right now.’
As the company’s scale grew, Kang Dae-oh decided to set up a separate head office. The task of finding a place to use as office space was surprisingly simple. The upper floor of the main branch happened to be vacant, so they decided to make it their control tower. If the office was in the same building as the main branch, it would also be convenient for Kang Dae-oh to go back and forth.
Originally, he wanted to open the office space after decorating it a bit more.
‘There’s too little time.’
Since office tasks that needed immediate handling were piling up, Kang Dae-oh decided to first bring in only the minimum necessities like desks, chairs, and other items required for work.
When Kang Dae-oh first came to work at the office, not a store, Managing Director Yoo In-seok and other employees all stood up and greeted him.
“Hello, Representative Director!”
“Good morning!”
Kang Dae-oh gave an awkward smile and waved his hand slightly at them. This scene was very unfamiliar to him.
Managing Director Yoo In-seok approached Kang Dae-oh, pointed towards the Representative Director’s office, and said.
“I will give you today’s work report. Please move to your office.”
“Yes, please, Managing Director. No, wait. We agreed to call you Managing Director, right? My apologies.”
“Haha. It’s alright.”
Managing Director Yoo In-seok, moving to Amare as his new home, also received a one-step promotion in his rank. Though he was called Managing Director, he was virtually Kang Dae-oh’s right-hand man.
Managing Director Yoo In-seok handed Kang Dae-oh a thick stack of documents.
“These are the approval documents you need to review by today.”
“……There’s quite a lot.”
“Of course there’s a lot. And in the afternoon, you can start by visiting and checking the Sillim branch and Nonhyeon branch. And then……”
Before Managing Director Yoo’s words could continue.
Kang Dae-oh’s smartphone rang first.
“Just a moment.”
It was a text message from Kang Yera. Kang Dae-oh, who checked the content, tilted his head once.
At his ambiguous reaction, Managing Director Yoo In-seok cautiously asked.
“Did something urgent come up?”
“Yes. It seems the schedule to visit the stores will have to be postponed until tomorrow.”
At his eldest daughter’s text message asking if she could see her dad in the afternoon because she had something important to talk about, Kang Dae-oh immediately decided to adjust his schedule. This was because the position of father to his three daughters was more important to Kang Dae-oh than the position of Representative Director.
