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CH98 | DI
🕑 Added 2025-05-06 13:44:23 +0000 UTCOnly 27 days left until the shareholders’ meeting.
Once again, we gathered in one place for a strategic meeting. As usual, the campaign strategist was the first to stand and summarize the current situation.
“First, let me update you on the status of institutional investors. Shark Capital currently holds 40% support, while we have secured 31%.”
We were still at a disadvantage.
Well, it wasn’t surprising.
Most major shareholders had taken Shark’s side.
The reason was simple.
Shark had boldly pledged the separation of Toscana Garden’s real estate as one of their commitments.
The fact that we had managed to secure even 31% support was thanks to Epicura’s rebuttal report and the unlimited bread-and-sandwich service.
“The biggest variable now is individual investors.”
Individual investors accounted for a whopping 17% of Epicura’s shareholders.
The gap between Shark and Epicura was just 9%.
Victory or defeat could hinge on the choice of these retail investors.
“It’s hard to predict which side individual investors will take. Online reactions show a deadlock, but…”
It was dangerous to rely solely on online sentiment.
Those who raised their voices on various online communities might find voting cumbersome and abstain.
Conversely, voters who barely expressed opinions online might actually exercise their voting rights.
As a result, no one could be sure about the individual investors’ moves.
The only fact we could ascertain was this:
“Neither side has an overwhelming advantage. Although it’s hard to gauge the exact support gap, it’s clear that public opinion is divided. It’s time for us to deliver a decisive blow that will definitely tip the scales in our favor.”
We needed a game-changing move to settle the score.
One that even Shark’s supporters would recognize as Epicura’s advantage.
But…
“……”
The meeting room fell into silence.
This was already the third day of such discussions.
Ideas had run dry after countless debates.
“Winning over individual investors is not easy. We need an idea that is both groundbreaking and innovative…”
At that moment, all eyes turned to me simultaneously.
Groundbreaking and innovative.
As if I were the only one qualified to present such a solution.
“Do you have any ideas? They don’t have to be fully fleshed out.”
Whitmer looked at me with eager anticipation.
Of course, I had one.
But bringing it up lightly was another matter.
“I do have a proposal, but it’s a rather unconventional strategy. The risks are significant. However, if it succeeds… we could secure an overwhelming victory. It’s a classic high-risk, high-return strategy.”
“That’s fine. We’re just here to hear you out.”
I had given my warning in advance, but Whitmer barely seemed to register it.
I turned to meet Pierce’s gaze.
“Shall I proceed?”
Pierce’s recent behavior had been peculiar.
The man who had been notably friendly toward me for a while now displayed blatant wariness.
He even strongly opposed Whitmer assigning me presentations.
‘Well, I get it. It must feel burdensome.’
I understood Pierce’s concerns.
Pushing a rookie into the spotlight on a national issue was understandably stressful.
Especially since I wasn’t the most obedient or mild-mannered individual.
I had already anticipated he’d apply some brakes.
But what was strange was that his resistance was fiercer than expected.
‘Almost as if he knows what I’m planning…?’
Honestly, no matter what Pierce said, I could push through with my idea.
Thanks to my track record, Whitmer had unshakable trust in me.
But…
‘There’s no need to create unnecessary animosity.’
Pierce was a candidate for Goldman’s next executive and an expert in hostile M&A and gray areas.
It was more advantageous to have him as an ally than an adversary.
That’s why I had willingly ceded the unlimited bread rebuttal report to him.
And why I was now politely asking for his permission.
Pierce continued to stare at me silently.
He seemed deeply troubled.
But eventually, he spoke.
“Go ahead.”
I concealed a smile as I glanced around.
From the campaign strategist to Whitmer, Pierce, Jeff, Chris, and even Dobby—everyone’s attention was focused on me.
Confirming their interest, I finally spoke.
“Use the time bomb.”
For a moment, the air froze.
They hadn’t expected me to say something like this.
Well, of course.
The “time bomb” referred to the secret that CEO Whitmer had desperately tried to hide—the real reason behind the forced sale of Harbor Lobster.
That is, the fact that they decided to cut ties with an unprofitable brand because its main customer base, African Americans, was deemed not lucrative.
“What are you saying…”
Whitmer couldn’t even finish his sentence.
I smiled and calmly continued.
“A time bomb isn’t something you bury or pass on. If you do, it might explode later, still causing damage.”
While unlikely, such an outcome would be troublesome for me as well.
What if someone later dug up this incident to corner me, framing me as a racist?
It might seem far-fetched, but…
Looking no further than Shark Capital, it wasn’t impossible.
A renowned hedge fund manager losing to a rookie in front of the entire nation?
They’d have every reason to keep digging into Harbor Lobster’s story.
Retaliation like this wasn’t uncommon in the hedge fund world.
In this industry, if you’re attacked, you repay the favor.
Otherwise, you’d be seen as weak.
At any rate, there was no reason to leave such a risk hanging.
Given that we needed a significant move right now, it was like killing two birds with one stone.
“The safest way to handle a bomb is to detonate it and eliminate it entirely. Leave no room for future trouble.”
I looked Whitmer straight in the eye and said firmly.
“And if we’re going to detonate it, it’s better to do it ourselves at a time favorable to us. That time is now. Detonate the time bomb. And…”
I paused for a moment before continuing.
“Leverage the explosion.”
***
D-25 to the Shareholders’ Meeting
I was once again buried in endless tasks.
This time, it was to carry out the bomb-disposal operation.
The persuasion process had been draining, but ultimately, my proposal was approved.
Well, it was inevitable.
This was practically a guaranteed winning strategy.
But there wasn’t much time.
Early in the morning, we started the day with a video meeting with the marketing team.
It was rare for investment banks like ours to get involved in a company’s marketing, but this time was an exception.
This marketing effort was directly tied to securing Epicura’s management rights.
“Our focus should be on noise marketing.”
My goal was noise marketing—deliberately stirring controversy to draw attention.
“We’ll approach it similarly to the Toscana Garden incident.”
“Ah!”
I noticed heads nodding around the room.
They immediately grasped the concept.
The recent unlimited bread controversy at Toscana Garden had not only rocked Wall Street but also gripped the entire United States.
Taking advantage of the uproar, we had launched the new unlimited bread sandwich menu, turning everyone caught up in the controversy into customers.
“From the Toscana Garden case, we saw how the public directly expressed outrage, creating countless memes that spread across social media. This was a perfect opportunity for free viral marketing.”
Why not make use of such an opportunity again?
“We can harness that momentum to amplify our brand name.”
“While that sounds great, what kind of controversy are you suggesting we leverage?”
“The truth about Harbor Lobster’s sale. That Epicura decided that the African American customer base wasn’t profitable and let go of Harbor Lobster.”
The meeting room instantly froze over.
It was the same reaction as yesterday.
“This level of controversy should set things ablaze, don’t you think?”
“……”
“……”
“The biggest challenge for new brands is a lack of awareness, isn’t it? Stirring up this controversy will certainly make an impression.”
Most brands don’t fail because of incompetence or poor products.
The biggest problem is that people don’t even know the brand exists.
As I emphasized this, the frozen expressions around me began to thaw, and people hesitantly started to speak.
“But still, a controversy like this…?”
“They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but this might be…”
Everyone was looking at me as if I were crazy.
It was the same reaction as in yesterday’s meeting.
That’s how people are.
They instinctively avoid anything that seems risky.
But—
You can’t make money by walking the safe path.
Everyone else is already walking it.
The important thing isn’t to avoid risks but to control them within manageable levels.
That’s what high-risk, high-return is about.
I already had measures in place to manage the risks; now, all that remained was to reap the returns.
“I’m not suggesting we shout it from the rooftops. This operation has a clear sequence of steps…”
With that, the first video meeting concluded, and I immediately dove into the second.
This time, Whitmer and Pierce, who were on business trips, joined the call.
We planned to reveal the truth that Epicura sold Harbor Lobster because it deemed African American customers unprofitable.
But the key question was—how do we reveal it?
“The approach boils down to two options: we say it ourselves, or we let someone else say it for us. But saying it ourselves isn’t very wise.”
If we were to confess directly, we’d first need to admit fault and apologize.
But if the apologizing party suddenly turned around to add, “But actually…,” and started justifying themselves?
Our sincerity would be doubted.
“That’s why this needs to be a ‘leak’ from someone else. That way, whatever explanations we offer will seem more natural. And there’s only one perfect candidate for leaking this truth right now.”
Shark Capital.
We needed to make Shark reveal this truth.
“Do we have the evidence prepared?”
“Yes. I had commissioned a research firm under an alias a while back…”
According to Whitmer, he had previously requested a research firm to investigate the spending habits of African American households.
This would be our bait.
I planned to attach this data to an email and dangle it in front of Shark.
“But… do you really think Shark will take the bait?”
Whitmer expressed his doubts.
Anonymously dropping evidence like this—wouldn’t Shark be suspicious?
But there was no need to worry.
Normally, Pierce would have stepped in by now to explain things to Whitmer…
“What’s with him now?”
Instead, Pierce just sat there silently, staring at me through the screen.
Since I revealed my bomb-defusal plan, Pierce’s behavior had been odd.
While he seemed to acknowledge that this strategy would work, he kept looking at me with strange eyes.
Still, he wasn’t trying to stop me, so I couldn’t fathom what was on his mind.
Not that I had the bandwidth to concern myself with Pierce’s psychology right now.
“If the opponent realizes it’s a trap from the start, wouldn’t that diminish its effectiveness?”
“It’s fine. Even if they suspect it’s a trap, they’ll jump in. It’s Shark Capital, after all.”
Avoiding traps altogether is the behavior of amateurs.
A figure like Shark would instead try to exploit the trap for their own gain.
“The key is what kind of trap it is.”
For instance, if they think it’s a Trojan horse and decide to burn it to kill any soldiers hiding inside, only to find out it contained a bomb instead—then they’d still fall victim, even knowing it’s a trap.
“It’s fine. It’ll work.”
Have I mentioned this before?
A shark is just a big fish.
And catching sharks isn’t much different from fishing for other fish.
You cast the bait and wait.
The email was successfully sent.
Now, there was only one thing left to do.
Wait for the opponent to take the bait.
