OWWHM 08
The Office Worker Who Hears Memories – Episode 8
9. How Did She Know?
Market Fresh Open D-3.
I finished lunch and sat down at my desk.
Leaning back in my chair, I felt the warm sunlight streaming through the window.
My eyes involuntarily closed in the warmth.
Just then.
“Um… Team Leader.”
Ha Yeon-doo, who had approached without me noticing, called me cautiously.
“Yes?”
“They’re asking you to check your messenger.”
I pulled my chair forward and wiggled the mouse.
The monitor came back to life, and I saw the internal messenger was on fire.
[Team Leader. Executive Director Kim is looking for you.]
[Team Leader Won! You are being summoned by Executive Director Kim.]
[Team Leader Won!]
The messages sent from Executive Director Kim Ji-young’s secretariat were numerous. I replied that I would be there shortly and got up from my seat.
.
“You must have been busy.”
Executive Director Kim Ji-young, who had cut her long hair short, looked different than before.
She looked younger and more innocent.
“Not me, but my team members were busy. But Executive Director, did you get a haircut?”
“My hair? Ah… Thank you for noticing. The male staff in the secretariat didn’t notice.”
“No way. They must have been speechless because you look so beautiful.”
“Is that so?”
“This is truly not a joke or flattery. It suits you much better than before.”
“Hahaha, right. I feel like crying because of how grateful I am.”
Executive Director Kim Ji-young laughed loudly and walked to her desk. She picked up some documents from the desk and placed them on the table.
“You heard about the executive meeting at 3 o’clock, right?”
“Yes.”
At BO Commerce, there are about 20 directors, department managers, and assistant managers who are called executives.
Below them are about 30 team leaders and 200 other employees.
Today’s 3 o’clock meeting was the final check before the launch, and all executives and team leaders were scheduled to attend.
“Page 17, take a look at the time event products. Did your team prepare all of these?”
I flipped through the documents and opened the page the Executive Director mentioned.
A total of 12 products.
Department Manager Cha and his followers brought products that were launched within the last six months. I initially objected, but I couldn’t stop them from overpowering us with sheer numbers and authority.
Their logic was simple: although it’s only been six months, aggressive marketing built the brand image, and the high sales numbers on the display shelves over those six months were everything.
I shook my head and placed the document back on the table.
“No. Only seven of them.”
“Silky Fire Makchang, Cherry Sparkling Water, and Bent Shrimp Skewers—these weren’t brought in by your team, were they?”
Like a ghost, Executive Director Kim pinpointed three out of the five products.
“How did you know?”
“What are the other two?”
“Grilled squid and a camping sausage assortment. These were brought in by Department Manager Cha’s people.”
“Cha Gi-young… Hmm. Okay, I’ll take note of that for now.”
“Is there a problem?”
“No. Let’s just see at the meeting later.”
What was she thinking?
Curious, I reached out and lightly touched the teacup she had been holding.
<Cha Gi-young… I can’t just let him be.>
<Ji-hoon wouldn’t be involved, would he?>
In a short amount of time, Executive Director Kim thought about me and Department Manager Cha.
What did this mean?
Was there a problem with the five products Department Manager Cha brought in?
I thought they lacked competitiveness, but they weren’t products with obvious defects…
I stood up, bowed my head, and reached for the doorknob.
Then, Executive Director Kim Ji-young called out again.
“Ji-hoon!”
I raised my head and looked at her.
The sunlight streaming through the window made her bright expression shine even more.
“Yes?”
“What are you doing this weekend?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?”
A mistake.
Why did that pop out?
Was it because of that innocent and elegant expression?
Or was it because of the natural lighting coming through the window?
Executive Director Kim Ji-young hesitated for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha.”
“I apologize. It was a joke.”
“No. I don’t mind at all. Let’s just pretend it was a date request. The truth is, I can’t drive, but I need a car, so I bought a new one this time. If you have time, can you teach me to drive?”
“Me?”
“Yes. They say you shouldn’t learn to drive from someone you’re close to.”
“So you chose me because we’re not close?”
“Is that what it sounds like? Hahaha. Still, will you teach me?”
“Yes. Just don’t regret it. I’m completely Spartan in my teaching style.”
“Alright. I look forward to your Spartan training.”
Executive Director Kim Ji-young smiled, showing her white teeth.
.
3:00 PM Final Review Meeting.
Chairs were set up around the large conference table for about 20 directors, department managers, and assistant managers.
The team leaders, who were suddenly included, were seated on temporary chairs lined up along both walls.
As I took the last seat, Kim Tae-ha quickly walked over and sat right next to me. He covered his mouth with one hand and whispered quietly.
“If they turn off the lights, I’m going to get sleepy.”
“It’s cramped! Move over a bit!”
“I like being close, that’s why. What? You don’t like me? Did you stop liking me, babe?”
“No. I like you so much I want to kill you.”
Kim Tae-ha leaned his head on my shoulder and chuckled.
A little later.
The executives entered the conference room.
The lights were dimmed, and the Presentation by the Design Department Manager began.
“The main color is Purple. We decided on purple after trying to find a color different from other portals.”
The first screen of Market Fresh appeared on the large display.
I really liked the clean and highly readable page.
“It’s better than I expected.”
“I agree… Why did they only reveal this great page now?”
Kim Tae-ha echoed my muttered thought.
The reaction of the other attendees was the same. Everyone couldn’t take their eyes off the first screen of Market Fresh.
“For the BI (Brand Identity), we emphasized a luxurious and nature-friendly image. We believed this was the most important point to differentiate ourselves from open markets that focus on low prices. We also decided to distribute our self-developed ‘Fresh Font’ for free so it can be used on many websites.”
After the explanations from the Design and Development Teams, the Marketing Department Manager walked up to the screen. He plugged a USB into his laptop and spent a long time explaining the marketing strategy.
“The estimated Impression (ad exposure) for the time event will be 1.2 billion views. And the CTR (Click-Through Rate) is expected to be about 0.15%. Due to the nature of mobile DA (Display Ad), we anticipate some fake traffic, but we don’t think it will be a major concern.”
Just then, Executive Director Choi Gu-yeol, who had been silent, leaned forward and spoke into the microphone.
“The CTR is a bit high. Are there any issues with the servers or equipment?”
“Yes. The Marketing Division has already completed predictions for the maximum number of simultaneous users on that day with the Development Team, and we have finished the simulation.”
“I believe something has been missed.”
“Pardon?”
“If the event is this attractive, it will definitely be exposed as a real-time search term on all portals. Have you predicted the traffic for that?”
The Marketing Department Manager hesitated for a moment and then replied with a reddened face.
“We have prepared based on the initial predicted data, but we have not yet finalized the variables.”
“Korea has too many unpredictable variables, unlike the US. Increase the L4 switch capacity, and distribute the DB servers as much as possible in the remaining time. If the master server dies, no matter how good the event is, it’s game over.”
“Understood. We will prepare with the Development Team again.”
The Marketing Department Manager bowed his head.
Then, Executive Director Kim Ji-young, who had been quiet, tapped the microphone with her finger and spoke.
“Department Manager. Could you show us the product list for the time event?”
“Yes, understood.”
The neatly organized products for each time slot appeared on the large screen.
Executive Director Kim Ji-young stared intently at Department Manager Cha Gi-young and spoke into the microphone again.
“It seems Department Manager Cha of the MD Division should explain this.”
“Yes. I will explain.”
Department Manager Cha Gi-young walked forward with a confident expression.
He systematically explained the specs, consumer price, and supply price of each product. After he finished, Executive Director Kim Ji-young spoke into the microphone again.
“It’s wonderful to think we’ll be seeing the legendary Kim Ok-soon Kimchi again. Is all the production finished?”
“Yes. They are currently doing individual packaging and are scheduled to arrive at our warehouse tomorrow.”
“The delivery app is an SMS coupon, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Our MD Division has very high expectations for this coupon as well.”
Up to this point were the products prepared by our team.
I was satisfied and truly proud of this part.
Executive Director Kim Ji-young lowered her eyes, glanced at the document in front of her, and then stared intently at Department Manager Cha.
“Department Manager Cha. Let’s get to the main point now. First, I heard that Cherry Sparkling Water sold quite well in offline marts. However, it seems the Cheongjin Group drove the initial buzz through total hoarding. Were you aware of this?”
“Ho-hoarding?”
“Furthermore, Fire Makchang and Shrimp Skewers are also products from the Cheongjin Group. They are using the exact same marketing method; did you not know this either?”
“No. Fire Makchang and Shrimp Skewers are products from different small to medium-sized enterprises, respectively.”
“It seems you didn’t investigate the company ownership structures at all. Or did you know and pretend you didn’t? In the case of Silky, 46% of the total shares belong to Yang Ji-young, the second son of the Cheongjin Group Chairman, and Bent has a seven-year-old grandson as the major shareholder. These are all tricks to sell off old stock by simply changing the packaging. Did you really not know?”
The conference room instantly fell silent.
And the sound of Department Manager Cha swallowing was clearly audible through the microphone.
Gulp…
“I was not aware. They were items primarily sold offline, so I couldn’t find separate reviews or research results.”
Executive Director Kim Ji-young stared intently at Department Manager Cha and spoke again.
“Department Manager Cha. I’m going to be more direct this time. Was there any solicitation during the product sourcing process?”
These were products mainly sold offline.
The only data available was the sales count and the list of suppliers.
Also, these products were launched in such a short period that there was little consumer feedback.
But how did Executive Director Kim Ji-young know all this?
My eyes widened as I looked at her. And our eyes met exactly.
“Team Leader Won Ji-hoon!”
“Yes.”
“I heard the Special Sales Team raised an issue with these products. Did you prepare any backup items?”
Executive Director Kim Ji-young gave me an intense look, urging me to answer quickly.
This was for me.
It was to make me, Won Ji-hoon, stand out in a meeting attended by the CEO and all the company’s executives.
I nodded, stood up from my seat, and walked to the front of the screen.
I took out the USB from my pocket and connected it to the laptop.
A table I had prepared appeared on the screen, and I checked it before speaking into the microphone.
“We have prepared a total of 13 backup products. The items on this list have had no incidents in the last three years, and sales have been consistent.”
The attendees started whispering.
Executive Director Choi Gu-yeol leaned forward and asked a question.
“The Gold Kiwi seems to be an import. Did you check the product quality?”
“Yes. Instead of relying on samples provided by the importer, our staff went directly into the containers and completed random inspections.”
“The Gamja-tang (Pork Bone Soup) Package seems like a brand I haven’t seen before?”
“The Cheongji Gamja-tang Package was a PB (Private Brand) product for a large mart, but the contract renewal was canceled. Although the brand awareness is low, we believe this single image on the screen will be enough for consumers to recognize it.”
“Ah… It’s the No-Mart PB product, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. Other consumers will be able to recognize it just from this image, like you, Executive Director.”
“These are better than the previous products.”
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