Chapter 126: As Long As It Tastes Good
All the major supermarkets in Seoul.
The meat section, which was usually quiet, became bustling as soon as it was 10 a.m.
People flocked to the rumor that domestic pork had arrived today.
The purchase limit was 1kg per person, and it was strictly restricted to one part.
Those who came late saw the sold-out flags and stomped their feet.
“What do we do? We came here because there’s nowhere else.”
“Hey, is there anything left in the warehouse?”
“I’m sorry. We ran out of all the prepared supplies.”
The staff kept apologizing and the people kept grumbling.
“What kind of supermarket doesn’t have pork?”
“It’s not just this supermarket, it’s everywhere these days. The domestic supply is dried up.”
“What’s the point of having androids roaming around, or going on space tourism? The most important thing is feeding people.”
It was a situation where one would naturally wonder what the president was doing.
But the announcement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs had some effect, and people who knew the truth began to appear.
“What was it? It’s not that there’s no supply at all, but some distributors are not releasing it from their warehouses.”
“Why are they doing that?”
“They’re hiding it to auction it off later when the price goes up. They have over 10,000 tons of supply, how much money is that?”
“I saw on the news that there’s a problem with the auctioneer association leader and some others at the auction house. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs staff went there, but they came out saying what are you going to do about it.”
“I wish they would send them all to Terra Island. It’s not just about money, they shouldn’t harm the citizens.”
“It would be nice if the president said something at a time like this.”
“They said they had a meeting with the related ministries, but I don’t know when the measures will come out.”
“He was so smart and good, but I guess he can’t help it in this crisis.”
These complaints poured out from not only Seoul but also supermarkets across the country, and Arma compiled and reported them.
“They don’t say it, but they’re curious why you’re not taking a strong stance.”
“What do you expect from a dictator? There’s nothing I can’t do, but I chose a different method for this case. How’s the smart farm operation going?”
“We’re currently producing cultured meat by converting the line. We’re starting with 500 tons and gradually increasing the supply.”
“We should be able to bring it into the country in about a week. Have you talked to the dealers?”
“They said they would give us everything if we gave them 13,000 won per 100 grams.”
He clicked his tongue at their greed.
“They want more than 10,000 won? They’re nothing but robbers.”
“If we wait for a week or so, it might really go up to that price. The supply is cut off because there’s not enough pigs.”
“There might be riots by then. Contact the supermarkets and processing companies and tell them to get ready to receive the supply.”
“What about the auction house?”
Normally, when producers ship live pigs, traders receive them and send them to slaughterhouses, where they go through several processes and most of the supply is taken by auctioneers.
They were the core of distribution, but since the cause of this situation was on the auction house side, there was no reason to give them any supply.
“Exclude them all. No need to contact the Pig Farmers Association either.”
If Arma’s Russian subsidiary solved the situation, the domestic pig industry, including the Pig Farmers Association, would suffer a huge blow.
The scale had already shrunk so much that many workers had left, and it was certain that even the remaining foundation would be shattered.
He planned to move Arma’s subsidiary to Korea in that gap.
The smart farm plan to feed 1.5 billion people was starting.
“Keep producing and importing until pork belly drops below 3,000 won per 100 grams.”
“Understood.”
He wondered if the auctioneers who locked their warehouse doors tightly could hold out.
***
It had been two weeks since domestic pork disappeared.
Pork dishes had disappeared from the tables of the people, and only beef and chicken took their place.
Especially, a lot of American beef was imported.
—It’s not a joke that we eat beef because we can’t afford pork.
—How can the president not say anything to the nation in this situation?
—He can’t do anything anyway, since there’s no import.
—You know what Yu Ji-ha is good at. He should hold a press conference and announce that he’s producing cultured meat.
—If he could do that, he wouldn’t be getting scolded like this.
—How can Koreans not eat pork belly? If he’s a dictator, he should act like one and do something!
It was the moment when the dissatisfaction of the whole nation was about to explode.
People with pork flags started marching in various places in Seoul.
“Pork belly, neck, trotter, front leg~ There’s plenty of meat but none for us~”
The atmosphere was generally peaceful, but anyone could tell that it would flare up in an instant if a spark occurred.
The media called it an unprecedented meat crisis and bashed Yu Ji-ha every day, and other countries reported it in great detail.
—North Korean dictator or South Korean dictator, they’re the same in not feeding their people meat.
—What’s the point of breaking 40,000 dollars in GDP, if they can’t even eat pork properly?
—Korea might secretly ask Germany for export, so we have to check the pig population of the whole island.
Amidst the mockery, tasting and promotion events for pork belly were held at large supermarkets in metropolitan cities including Seoul and Busan.
Normally, they wouldn’t have received much attention, but since the situation was what it was, they attracted a lot of eyes.
—They said there’s no pork supply. Where did they get it from?
—It must be from Russia. He’s close with the president.
—But it says it’s domestic.
—I haven’t eaten pork belly for a long time. Should I go?
—They probably lined up from the day before and sold out in five minutes.
As negative outlooks continued, the day of the event came and people lined up to flock to the supermarket.
The event was held in part of the meat section, but unlike what one would expect, it was not a person but an android.
Wearing an apron and grilling meat, it drew people’s attention.
“Pork belly that tastes good and is nutritious~ Come and try it~”
“We’ll give you a chance to buy pork at a low price if you participate in the tasting~”
The smell of protein and fat sizzling tempted people.
But there was something unusual written on the sign.
—Warning: All pork sold at this event is not from real pigs, but cultured meat. Please note that.
A man asked the android conducting the event.
“Cultured meat? You mean this is not real meat?”
It looked no different from pork belly on the outside.
“Why don’t you try it yourself and see?”
At the android’s suggestion, he slowly chewed on a cube of pork belly skewered on a toothpick.
“Huh?”
He was confused.
Is this cultured meat?
He took another bite, but it tasted just like real meat.
“Isn’t this just meat? I’ve tried cultured meat before, but it didn’t taste like this.”
“Well, these days, technology is good. This is cultured meat made at a smart farm in Kamchatka Peninsula.”
“Kam… what?”
“No, that’s not Korea. This is wrong. It says domestic.”
When people pointed out, the android slowly shook its head.
“Kamchatka Peninsula is a proud Korean land. Why else would our company explore oil nearby?”
“And on paper, it’s also Korean territory. It just hasn’t been made public to civilians yet.”
“Oh, really?”
Well, there was only one person who knew exactly what Korea’s territory was…
A woman who was waiting for her turn behind him spoke rudely.
“It’s from the same sea anyway. If China catches it, it’s Chinese. If our fishing boat catches it, it’s Korean. Move aside and let me try.”
Many people tasted it one by one and couldn’t help but admire.
“It tastes better when I think of it as cultured meat.”
“They make pork belly like this and technology is so good these days.”
“I’d buy and eat this enough if it wasn’t expensive…”
“Pork prices are over 100,000 won per kilogram these days. It’s like beef prices.”
Then the price that was turned back was revealed.
—Price per 100 grams: 4,000 won.
People’s eyes popped out at the incredibly low price.
“What? Why is it so cheap?”
“It must be for promotion. Only those who lined up first will get to eat pork belly after a long time.”
But the meat kept coming out of the warehouse.
There was a limit of 2kg per person, but judging by the hundreds of people who lined up, the supply was serious.
And these events were happening not only at large supermarkets but also in various places across the country.
—I only thought of liver meat when I heard cultured meat, but I tried it yesterday and it was no different from what we ate.
—It’s been a long time since I ate pork belly, and it melted in my mouth.
―This is not ordinary pork belly. It has a rich flavor from the fat.
―How did they make this? Did we have a cultured meat factory in Kamchatka?
The media investigated and revealed that the source of the cultured meat was a Russian company.
The problem was that the CEO of that company was Arma.
―If Arma is the CEO, then the real owner is the president, right?
―Ah… We were cursing him so much, but now we feel embarrassed.
―But this is a one-time event. They can’t keep supplying this much meat forever.
―The refrigerated trucks are still coming into the national markets. It’s a huge amount.
As someone said, pork was being supplied to every corner of the country.
The variety was also quite diverse, except for trotters and hocks, which were less popular.
The public sentiment, which was about to explode, calmed down a bit as hundreds of tons of meat were supplied in a day.
―We were bashing the president for doing nothing, but he was preparing this.
―You guys were wrong to doubt Yu Ji-ha. He has a plan for everything.
―It would be great if the supply continues like this…
―Hey, the supply is not the problem right now. The foreign media are going crazy about how they made the cultured meat. They say it can’t be done with electrical stimulation.
―If they refine the process, they can make it similar to the texture, but the cost doesn’t match. There’s a reason why cultured meat is sold as minced meat.
―Then how does Yu Ji-ha produce cultured meat?
―The scale of the smart farm in Kamchatka looks like he prepared it for a long time…
There was only one person who could answer that question.
Anyway, even after a few days since the cultured meat was introduced, the supply was uninterrupted.
The price also kept dropping and stabilized at 3,000 won per 100 grams. Now, people could buy it without any special events or reservations at the market.
As the situation progressed like this, countries like France and Japan, which had mocked Korea, stopped mentioning it altogether.
It was unusual considering that they had featured special articles on Korea’s pork shortage on their media websites.
Especially, the Japanese government had manually checked the number of pigs raised and sent staff to monitor the importers.
They were worried that Korea might import pigs from other countries.
Of course, that didn’t happen and the Japanese media criticized them for wasting administrative resources, but it was soon buried.
―How incompetent can you be to lose 6 million pigs in the country? Matsuda!
―It’s no joke to waste administrative resources. Hundreds of agricultural officials traveled around the country for days.
―And Korea didn’t even ask us for anything.
They cut off contact and interest after that.
On the other hand, Yu Ji-ha appeared in a national address after stabilizing the supply.
***
“My beloved citizens, I know how much you have been worried about the lack of pork. But you don’t have to worry anymore. As I speak to you right now, a ship full of cultured meat is leaving from the smart farm in Kamchatka.”
An image played behind Yu Ji-ha.
It was an image of a cargo ship loaded with luggage leaving from a small port at the southernmost tip of Kamchatka.
The screen switched and showed the cargo ship crossing the Sea of Okhotsk and approaching the East Sea in real time.
“The cargo ship will cover a distance of about 2,600 km in less than 3 hours and unload the cultured meat. It is domestic product, but we are doing our best to quarantine it in case of any unforeseen situations. You can eat it with confidence.”
“Lastly, I know there are some suspicions that the price might go up. I will confirm it here. From now on, we will freeze the price of 100 grams of pork belly at 3,000 won. The deadline is 3 years. There may be some adjustments if there are equipment investments or other factors. Thank you.”
With this, Korea’s pork shortage crisis came to an end.
Some people looked down on cultured meat because it was not real pork, but most citizens didn’t care about that issue.
―As long as it tastes good, what does it matter?
―I couldn’t tell the difference when I ate it. Some columns even said it was better than average pork.
―They brought people who said the texture was weird and did a blind test. They couldn’t get any right. They’re all liars.
―Anyway, I thought he would be crushed this time, but he managed to escape.
―This is not over… Yu Ji-ha is not satisfied with just supplying pork. He must have finished selecting sites for smart farms by now.
―Does that mean smart farms will come to Korea too?
―We felt the effect clearly this time. We can’t resist.
―Well, that’s only for pork.
―Don’t you know Yu Ji-ha after all this? He’s the kind of person who will supply all the meat we eat from smart farms.
―No matter what… Ah, I don’t know.
He was the kind of person who would come up with a contingency plan as soon as a crisis situation hit.
It was hard to guess what he would do.
No one believed that cultured meat would be supplied before the shortage crisis hit.
Anyway, the people expressed great satisfaction with Yu Ji-ha’s measures.
But not everyone was like that.
The fire fell on the feet of the brokers who hoarded pork and refused to release it.
“Fuck, how can it drop to 3,000 won in a week? Find a market quickly!”
The workers at the auction house moved hastily at the scolding of Lee Geumhwan, the head of the broker association.
The low-temperature warehouse, which had been tightly closed, opened and the forklifts loaded pallets of pork onto the trucks.
But the trucks had nowhere to go.
They sent messages to all the retailers, but only cold answers came back.
“We’re good. We have enough supply.”
“How can you sell that old meat? I’m not buying it.”
“I’m very disappointed in you, Mr. Lee. That’s not how a human being should act.”
Lee Geumhwan tried to hide his red face in his office and muttered to himself.
“What’s wrong with me investing my money and making some profit?”
There was nothing wrong.
And it was not a problem that Yu Ji-ha used the smart farm to pour out the supply.
But as a result, the price of pork belly stabilized at 3,000 won and he had nowhere to sell ten thousand tons of meat.
One of his employees barely found a buyer, but he offered a ridiculous price.
“What? 1,500 won? Are you trying to kill me? How much did I pay for that?”
Depending on the part, it was at least 4,000 won or more. If he continued like this, bankruptcy was certain and he would be buried in debt.
He and his ten colleagues and fifty employees had borrowed almost 40 billion won.
But the seller had no reason to care about his situation.
“I don’t care how much you paid for it. The market price is what matters.”
“Are you kidding me? Is that what you call meat? It’s just a lump of protein that mimics meat!”
“Lower your voice, I can hear you. And you haven’t tried that meat, have you? I did, and it was sweet and savory.”
“That’s not meat!”
“Who cares as long as it tastes good? Hahaha.”
It felt like he was mocking him, and it was not an illusion.
Lee Geumhwan felt suffocated and slumped on the sofa in his office.
“Fuck… this is not right…”
He felt empty.
He originally planned to negotiate with Yu Ji-ha or his cronies and open the warehouse when they came.
Of course, he was not comfortable with dealing with a dictator.
If he felt pressured, he would compromise by lowering the price a bit and taking charge of the production and distribution network.
―Korean pig farming is doomed anyway. The association is too big, so we can take over and make money.
In fact, the pig farming association was useless and got a lot of criticism, and Yu Ji-ha was no exception.
Lee Geumhwan got a lot of abuse, but he thought it would be solved if he endured a little.
But then… the cultured meat appeared and ruined everything.
This fake meat strangely captured people’s taste buds and the real meat had nowhere to go.
It was partly because the expiration date was approaching, but the main reason was that people hated him.
―You didn’t give it up even when we asked nicely. Serves you right.
―You should have been moderate. Who would like you holding ten thousand tons of meat?
―You have nowhere to dispose of it? We’ll take it all if you give it cheap. How about 500 won per 100 grams?
The average price was 4,000 won, and he wanted him to give it up for 500 won?
He shouted at him to stop talking nonsense, but the processor laughed at him instead.
―Then why don’t you just throw away ten thousand tons? It will cost you a lot to deal with it anyway. Good luck with that.
It was really a dilemma.
Lee Geumhwan, who was tearing his hair out, heard a commotion in his ears.
He opened the door nervously and saw a woman who looked like a doll, no, an android standing there.
The distinctive blue uniform was very familiar to Lee Geumhwan.
She was a national inspector.
In the military, they were almost known as grim reapers.
It was an unwritten rule that when someone in a blue uniform appeared, they were dragged to Terra Island.
But he had never heard of them monitoring civilians.
His lips trembled with tension and the android opened her mouth with an emotionless attitude.
“I am a national inspector. Based on the Special Economic Crime Punishment Act, I am arresting you, Mr. Lee Geumhwan, on suspicion of providing money and goods to a branch manager of Nonghyup and receiving illegal loans.”
His face turned to stone.
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