Keesokan harinya, Gaon bergerak cepat. Bersama Yangga Shipping dan aliansi penerusan Rebellish, ia mulai memuat udang ke kapal dengan kecepatan kilat. Di saat yang sama, ia memesan impor ke Xiaochan Retail di China. Li Shaoxiong terdengar bingung. — Kamu mau… mengimpor udang? Bukankah tadi kamu bilang mau mengekspor? “Aku bilang begitu. Tapi aku sadar lebih cerdik mengimpor dulu sebelum mengekspor.” — Ee… dan sebenarnya kamu mau mengekspor ke mana? “Jepang Timur.” “Di dekat Tokyo?” “Ya. Kota-kota di sekitar Tokyo.” Gaon punya jaringan luas. Di antara mereka ada partner yang mempercayanya buta—salah satunya adalah Yamaki Trading dari Jepang. “Tolong ekspor udang itu ke Yamaki Trading. Aku akan memberimu 14 dolar per kotak 1,8 kilogram.” — Itu lebih tinggi dari harga yang kamu tawarkan ke kami sebelumnya. Kamu akan buntung kalau begitu… “Tidak. Aku tak akan rugi satu won pun.” Meski Gaon menyatakan dengan penuh keyakinan, Li Shaoxiong tetap tak bisa membuat akal atas semuanya. Tapi kepercayaan tetap kepercayaan. Ia mengikuti arahan Gaon tanpa banyak pertanyaan. “Baiklah, pasti kamu punya alasan. Jadi, berapa banyak yang mau kamu kirim ke Jepang?” “Tiga ratus ton.” “Kapan?” “Sekarang juga.” “Tentu saja. Udg sedang melimpah ruah saat ini.” Sampai saat itu, udang di pasar terbuka praktis telah lenyap. Penolakan pengiriman dari Thailand telah menyebabkan kelangkaan besar di Korea dan Jepang. Permintaan melonjak semalaman. Dan akibatnya, pasokan udang domestik China juga mengering. Tapi itu hanya berlaku untuk barang yang beredar di pasar. Persediaan Gaon saja cukup untuk memberi makan seluruh wilayah metropolitan. Dan di situlah inti strateginya. “Semua orang kesulitan karena pasokan rendah, sementara gudang kita penuh. Rasanya… aneh.” “Kamu akan terus merasakan keanehan itu untuk beberapa waktu.” Dari Thailand, Gaon terbang langsung ke Jepang. Yuya langsung melompat ke pelukannya begitu ia tiba. “Gaon! Aku kangen padamu!” “Bagaimana kabarmu?” “Kenapa belakangan kamu tak datang? Kamu tak kangen lagi padaku?” “Haha, aku selalu kangen padamu, temanku.” Perjalanan dinas ke Jepang tak pernah membuatnya lelah—karena dia selalu ada di sana, menyambutnya dengan hangat. Keduanya memasuki kantor pusat Yamaki Trading untuk membahas ekspor yang akan datang. Para karyawan membungkuk saat mereka lewat. “Selamat pagi, Asakura-kaichō.” “Hmm. Selamat pagi.” “Laporan yang Anda minta sudah ada di web drive.” “Cetak dan bawa nanti. Aku tak sempat meninjau semuanya hari ini.” “Baik, Nona!” Bawahannya memperlakukannya dengan penghormatan yang hampir setara militer. Kontras tajam dengan wanita ceria yang dikenal Gaon di luar kantor. “Kamu luar biasa.” “Hehe, tidak kok…” Dia membawanya ke sebuah ruang rapat kecil—kedap suara, terisolasi, dan aman. Yuya memeriksa sekeliling, menutup pintu, dan menurunkan tirai. Apa pun yang akan mereka bicarakan memerlukan kerahasiaan absolut. Dari tasnya, ia mengeluarkan laporan tebal berjudul “Ringkasan Sengketa Dagang Jepang–China.” “Ini belum dipublikasikan. Perlakukan seperti nyawamu bergantung padanya.” “Tentu.” Jepang dan China terlibat persaingan dagang sengit atas produk pertanian dan kelautan. Setelah bencana Fukushima, seafood dari seluruh pantai timur telah kehilangan kepercayaan publik. Permintaan runtuh. Sementara itu, China mengimpor bahan pangan dalam jumlah besar, mendorong harga naik dan memperkeruh ketegangan. Hambatan tarif naik, dan situasi menjadi sangat memanas. “Bagaimana kamu bisa tahu soal ini? Hanya pejabat tinggi di Kementerian Luar Negeri yang punya akses.” “Aku membaca situasi global. Sedikit riset. Sedikit naluri. Tak ada yang memberitahuku secara langsung.” Gaon sudah tahu bahwa persepsi Jepang terhadap udang Thailand akan segera pulih. Dari masa depan yang ia tinggalkan, pergeseran ini sudah menjadi pengetahuan umum. Tapi bagi Yuya, itu pasti terlihat luar biasa. “Ada rumor di perusahaan, kamu tahu. Beberapa orang bilang kamu terhubung dengan CIA karena kamu selalu selangkah di depan.” “Bagus. Artinya lebih banyak orang akan mempercayai kata-kataku.” “Yah… mungkin. Yang jelas, kamu mengimpor 300 ton dari China. Sekarang bagaimana? Kamu tidak berencana menumpahkannya ke pasar, kan?” Strategi penjualan itu penting. Melepas 300 ton begitu saja tak akan memancing para penimbun. Rencana balik Gaon adalah strategi loss leader—khususnya 5,4 ton udang “gratis.” “Aku akan melepas 5,4 ton secara gratis. Bisakah kamu menawarkan promo beli satu gratis satu?” “Itu artinya kita rugi sekitar 4 juta yen untuk promosi. Apakah itu perlu?” “Kita butuh persaingan. Itu akan mempercepat penjualan.” Loss leader: produk murah, di bawah harga wajar untuk menarik perhatian—seperti promo beli satu gratis satu di supermarket atau paket setengah harga. Bedanya, Gaon tidak menyasar konsumen. Ia menyasar para penimbun. “Aku akan membayarmu komisi 5% untuk operasi ini. Guncang pasar itu sekeras mungkin.” “Serahkan padaku.” Yamaki Trading berakar kuat di kalangan distributor regional. Mereka memulai sebagai toko kecil, lalu supermarket, lalu rumah dagang—sehingga jaringannya sangat luas. Gaon yakin dalam seminggu, baik Jepang maupun China akan mengalami gempa besar. Jika strateginya berhasil, jackpot akan mengalir sendiri. Dalam hitungan hari, kegilaan tak terduga meletus di seluruh Jepang Timur. Promo loss leader dimulai. Lebih dari 5 ton udang promo beli satu gratis satu terjual habis dalam sepuluh menit . Yamazaki Fisheries panik. Tim penjualan mereka berpindah dari supermarket ke supermarket, mengeluh. “Ini apa? Bagaimana bisa kamu menawarkan beli satu gratis satu?!” “Kebijakan hadiah itu urusan kami. Bukan urusanmu.” Bagi pengecer, pelanggan lebih banyak berarti untung lebih banyak. Mereka tak punya alasan mengeluh soal promosi. Ketika protes mereka gagal, Yamazaki Fisheries menempuh jalan kasar: mereka menaikkan harga udang di Tokyo. Tiga hari kemudian, mereka menyapu bersih setiap kotak udang dari pasar, mendorong harga grosir ke 15 dolar per kotak . Kenaikan satu dolar dalam tiga hari berarti mereka kemungkinan telah membakar hampir sepuluh juta dolar. Perusahaan lain tergagap. Tapi loss leader Gaon terus berlanjut. Kali ini, 10 ton dilepas. Bukan hanya beli satu gratis satu—beli satu gratis satu plus diskon tambahan 5%. “Baru saja beli satu gratis satu, sekarang diskon lagi?! Kamu mau menghancurkan pasar?!” “Yah, penjual bebas melakukan apa pun yang mereka suka.” Para pengecer mengangkat bahu. Mereka tak punya alasan mengeluh soal stok murah. Ini bukan dumping ilegal—barang berharga normal yang dipakai untuk strategi promosi jangka pendek. Udang milik Yamazaki Fisheries sendiri dibiarkan tak tersentuh di rak. Mereka kalap. Mereka mulai menimbun secara agresif, bertekad menguasai pasar. Beberapa hari kemudian— Yamaki Trading mulai menjual udang Thailand yang diimpor melalui Bahatt. Dan tiba-tiba: “…Berapa?” “Mereka menawarkan 16 dolar per kotak.” Perilaku penimbun klasik. Yuya menerima pesanan—tapi hanya sebagian. “Jual. Tapi hanya setengah.” “Setengah? Kenapa?” “Tidak perlu terburu-buru. Kita punya banyak pembeli selain Yamazaki.” Dia ingin membereskan kebiasaan buruk Yamazaki selamanya. Sementara itu di China— Dalian, inti dari sabuk industri timur, sedang mengalami badai udangnya sendiri. Xiaochan Retail dan anak perusahaan Rebellish mulai menyebarkan udang ke seluruh kota. Dalam satu hari, mereka membagikan 50 ton secara gratis. Longfang Retail tersentak bangun. “Direktur, udang menghilang dari pasar dengan kecepatan yang mengkhawatirkan!” “Harga sekarang berapa?” “Turun ke 13 dolar per kotak… tiba-tiba melonjak ke 14… Ah! Baru diperbarui—15 dolar!” Fluktuasi harga waktu nyata berarti satu hal: seseorang menimbun dengan kecepatan gila. Li Shaoxiong tak bisa menahan kekagumannya pada strategi Gaon. “Dia bermain dengan psikologi mereka sempurna. Pria itu lebih jago perang psikologis dari yang kuduga.” “Ada pengiriman besar yang mendekati Pelabuhan Dalian. Haruskah kita lepas ke pasar?” “Tidak perlu.” “Tapi Longfang terus mengirim pesanan pembelian besar.” “Ku tahu. abaikan mereka. Tak ada alasan mempermudah hidup para penimbun.” Tugas mereka adalah mengakali penimbun, bukan memberi makan mereka. Li memantau harga pasokan dari Thailand. “Apa yang Bahatt tawarkan sekarang?” “Mereka masih memasok dengan harga kontrak 13 dolar.” “…Tidak mungkin. Im Gaon pasti mengendalikan harga.” Penjual normal mana pun sudah menaikkan harga sejak lama. Satu-satunya penjelasan adalah intervensi Gaon. Dua hari kemudian— “Direktur! Pengiriman awal yang dibawa Gaon Trading—habis terjual semua!” “Jepang juga?” “Jepang sudah lama habis.” “Dan harga jual terakhir?” “Tujuh belas dolar per kotak.” Tanpa ragu—kemenangan sempurna Gaon Trading.
Bab 34
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The next day, Gaon moved fast. Together with Yangga Shipping and the Rebellish forwarding alliance, he began loading shrimp onto vessels at lightning speed. At the same time, he placed an import order with Xiaochan Retail in China. Li Shaoxiong sounded confused. — You want to… import shrimp? But didn’t you say earlier you were exporting? “I did. But I realized it’s smarter to import before exporting.” — Uh… and where exactly do you plan to export it? “Eastern Japan.” — Near Tokyo? “Yes. The cities surrounding Tokyo.” Gaon had wide connections. Among them were partners who trusted him blindly—one being Yamaki Trading of Japan. “Please export the shrimp to Yamaki Trading. I’ll give you 14 dollars per 1.8-kg box.” — That’s higher than the price you offered us before. You’ll take a loss at that rate… “No. I won’t lose a single won.” Even with Gaon’s confident declaration, Li Shaoxiong still couldn’t make sense of it. But trust was trust. He followed Gaon’s lead without question. — I suppose you have your reasons. So, how much do you want to send to Japan? “Three hundred tons.” — When? “Right now.” — Of course. Shrimp is overflowing at the moment. By now, shrimp in the open market had practically vanished. The refusal of Thai shipments had caused massive shortages in Korea and Japan. Demand skyrocketed overnight. And as a result, China’s domestic shrimp supply was also drying up. But that was only about market-circulating goods. Gaon’s stockpile was enough to feed an entire metropolitan region by itself. And that was the heart of his strategy. — Everyone else is struggling because supply is low, yet our warehouse is full. It feels… strange. “You’ll keep feeling that strange sensation for a while.”
From Thailand, Gaon flew straight to Japan. Yuya launched into his arms the moment he arrived. “Gaon! I missed you!” “How have you been?” “Why haven’t you come lately? Do you not miss me anymore?” “Haha, I always miss you, my friend.” Working trips to Japan were never tiring for him—because she was always there, greeting him with warmth. The two entered the Yamaki Trading headquarters to discuss the upcoming exports. Employees bowed as they passed. “Good morning, Asakura-kaichō.” “Mhm. Good morning.” “The report you requested is already on the web drive.” “Print it and bring it later. I won’t have time to review everything today.” “Yes, ma’am!” Her subordinates treated her with an almost military level of respect. It was a stark contrast to the playful woman Gaon knew outside the office. “You’re impressive.” “Hehe, no I’m not…” She led him into a small conference room—soundproofed, isolated, and secure. Yuya checked the surroundings, closed the door, and pulled down the blinds. Whatever they were about to discuss required absolute confidentiality. From her bag, she retrieved a thick report titled “Japan–China Trade Dispute Briefing.” “This isn’t public yet. Treat it like your life depends on it.” “Of course.” Japan and China were locked in a fierce trade confrontation over agricultural and marine products. After the Fukushima disaster, the entire eastern coastline’s seafood had lost the public’s trust. Demand collapsed. Meanwhile, China had been mass-importing food supplies, driving up prices and intensifying tensions. Tariff barriers rose, and the situation became explosive. “How did you even know about this? Only top-level officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have access.” “I read the global situation. Did some research. Some intuition. Nobody told me directly.” Gaon already knew Japan’s perception of Thai shrimp would soon recover. In the future he came from, this shift was common knowledge. But to Yuya, it must have looked uncanny. “There are rumors in the company, you know. Some people say you’re connected to the CIA because you’re always one step ahead.” “Great. That means more people will trust what I say.” “Well… maybe. Anyway, you imported 300 tons from China. What now? You’re not just planning to dump it into the market, right?” Selling strategy mattered. Simply releasing 300 tons wouldn’t trigger the hoarders. Gaon’s counterplan was a loss leader strategy —specifically 5.4 tons of “free” shrimp. “I’ll release 5.4 tons for free. Can you offer buy-one-get-one deals?” “That means we lose about 4 million yen on the promotion. Do we need to?” “We need competition. It will accelerate sell-through.” Loss leaders: cheap, underpriced products used to draw attention—like supermarket BOGO deals or half-price bundles. Except Gaon wasn’t targeting consumers . He was targeting hoarders . “I’ll pay you a 5% commission on the operation. Just shake the market hard.” “Leave it to me.” Yamaki Trading had deep roots among regional distributors. They had started as a small shop, then a supermarket, then a trading house—so their network was enormous. Gaon was certain that in a week, both Japan and China would experience a seismic shift. If the strategy works, the jackpot will come rolling in on its own.
Within days, an unexpected frenzy erupted across eastern Japan. The loss-leader sale began. Over 5 tons of BOGO shrimp sold out in just ten minutes . Yamazaki Fisheries panicked. Their sales teams went from supermarket to supermarket, complaining. “What is this? How can you offer buy-one-get-one-free?!” “The gift policy is our decision. Not yours.” To retailers, more customers meant more profit. They had no reason to complain about promotions. When their protests failed, Yamazaki Fisheries resorted to brute force: They jacked up shrimp prices in Tokyo. Three days later, they had scraped every shrimp box off the market, pushing the wholesale price up to 15 dollars per box . A one-dollar increase in three days meant they likely burned through nearly ten million dollars. Other companies were stunned. But Gaon’s loss leader continued. This time, 10 tons were released. Not just BOGO— BOGO plus an additional 5% discount. “First buy-one-get-one, now discount too?! Are you trying to destroy the market?!” “Well, sellers are free to do as they like.” Retailers shrugged. They had no reason to complain about cheap inventory. This wasn’t illegal dumping—it was standard-price goods being used for short-term promotional strategy. Yamazaki Fisheries’ own shrimp sat untouched on shelves. They snapped. They began hoarding aggressively, determined to corner the market. A few days later— Yamaki Trading began selling the Thai shrimp imported through Bahatt. And suddenly: “…How much?” “They’re offering 16 dollars per box.” Classic hoarder behavior. Yuya accepted the order—but only partially. “Sell. But only half.” “Half? Why?” “There’s no need to rush. We have plenty of buyers besides Yamazaki.” She wanted to fix Yamazaki’s bad habits once and for all.
Meanwhile in China— Dalian, the core of the eastern industrial belt, was experiencing its own shrimp storm. Xiaochan Retail and Rebellish subsidiaries began scattering shrimp across the city. In just one day, they handed out 50 tons for free. Longfang Retail jolted awake. “Director, shrimp is disappearing from the market at an alarming rate!” “What’s the price now?” “It dropped to 13 dollars per box… suddenly spiked to 14… Ah! Just updated—15 dollars!” Real-time price fluctuation meant one thing: Someone was hoarding at insane speed. Li Shaoxiong couldn’t help admiring Gaon’s strategy. “He’s playing their psychology perfectly. The man’s better at psychological warfare than I expected.” “There’s a large shipment nearing Dalian Port. Should we release it to the market?” “No need.” “But Longfang keeps placing large purchase orders.” “I know. Ignore them. There’s no reason to make life easy for hoarders.” Their job was to outmaneuver hoarders, not feed them. Li monitored the supply price from Thailand. “What’s Bahatt offering now?” “They’re still supplying at the contracted 13 dollars.” “…Impossible. Im Gaon must be controlling the price.” Any normal seller would’ve raised prices by now. The only explanation was Gaon’s intervention. Two days later— “Director! The initial shipment Gaon Trading brought in—it’s fully sold out!” “Japan too?” “Japan sold out long ago.” “And the final selling price?” “Seventeen dollars per box.” It was, without question— Gaon Trading’s flawless victory.
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