The next morning, I checked social dia on my smartphone.
It was to gauge the impact of last night’s broadcast.
‘This is… way bigger than I expected.’
Overnight, the internet had exploded with an overwhelming number of s, spreading at an incredible speed.
And all those s converged on a single the—the unique sense of guilt that white people feel, known as "white guilt."
Images of my face combined with the great white shark’s were dominating social dia.
While my expression radiated confidence, the shark’s face was visibly flustered.
And to emphasize this contrast, nurous captions were stamped across the images.
-The Day the Great White Shark Got Eaten by an Orca
-Ha Si-heon: ‘I will compete with the taste of ‘Black'!
Great White Shark: Hey, don’t say that…'
In another , the great white shark’s bewildered eyes were overlaid with a ssage:
-White Privilege.exe has stopped working.
So s depicted the great white shark frantically typing in a Google search bar:
-How White People Should Talk About Black Issues
Another image parodied a credit card decline notice:
-The Great White Shark’s White Privilege Card Has Been Declined.
Countless other unique s were being created and actively shared.
I couldn't help but smirk.
‘This is working well.’
I reminded myself.
My goal wasn’t just to win this debate.
The real objective was to raise my public profile.
From that perspective, last night’s broadcast was a resounding success.
Every few minutes, dozens of s featuring my face were flooding social dia.
My face was now imprinted in the public's mind as "the Asian comntator who shut down the great white shark."
Of course, it wasn’t as if I had defeated him with sheer debating skill.
I had simply weaponized the sensitive issue of racial inequality to put him on the defensive.
But—
‘This actually works even better.’
From the perspective of fa and influence, being "the skilled newcor" was nowhere near as powerful as being "the Asian who schooled a white guy."
Raising issues about racism and white privilege was the perfect way to draw public attention and sympathy.
Right now, my top priority was to make my face as widely recognized as possible.
That goal had already been exceeded.
"Sothing wrong?"
Beside , Whitr asked.
I turned off the screen I had been monitoring and smiled.
"Of course not. Everything is going according to plan."
But this was only the beginning.
The broadcast was rely a light jab.
The real knockout punch was coming next.
"Are you ready?"
At my question, Whitr nodded resolutely.
It was his turn to step into the ring.
***
The afternoon after the broadcast.
Epicura’s CEO, Whitr, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
[Yes, the claims made on the broadcast are true.]
Whitr acknowledged everything Ha Si-heon had asserted.
[In fact, we wanted to grow a brand that embodies Black culture and flavors into a national chain. But we feared that if we disclosed this openly, our sincere intentions might be misinterpreted. Our only goal was to prove the true value of these flavors, which is why we remained silent until now. However, my actions ended up causing even greater misunderstandings. I sincerely apologize for the concerns I have caused to the public.]
After his apology, Whitr revealed the hidden story behind the acquisition of Double Crab House.
[Watching how Black communities were disproportionately affected by the financial crisis, I couldn’t just stand by. After all, I co from a working-class background myself. I was raised by a single mother, and we always struggled financially. When I was in elentary school, we even lost our ho and had to move from one relative’s or friend’s house to another.]
A distant look crossed Whitr’s eyes as he recalled his past.
He continued in a heavy voice.
[That made think—could my family back then have ever afforded a place like Harbor Lobster? No way. For us, spending $30 or $40 per al at a restaurant was a luxury beyond reach. But still, we went out to eat sotis. As a kid, those rare outings felt like birthday presents. That’s why I wanted to create a restaurant chain that families going through tough tis could still visit. That’s how I discovered Double Crab House.]
His teary eyes and trembling voice touched the hearts of viewers.
After sharing his personal history and the reasons behind the acquisition, Whitr made a firm declaration.
[Double Crab House will be reborn as a place that brings joy to people of all inco levels—especially those facing hardships.]
With that, the brand’s identity was solidified.
Double Crab House was more than just a restaurant chain—it was a brand that existed to provide comfort and hope to people of all inco levels, especially those facing financial hardship.
Then, Whitr followed up with an announcent that shocked everyone.
[Double Crab House will provide a free al once a day for a year to all custors who lost their hos due to the financial crisis.]
By offering warm als to those who had gone through difficult tis, he aid to establish the brand as a "restaurant for everyone."
But that wasn’t the end of it.
That evening, major news outlets ran bold headlines:
Epicura had made a massive donation to the Black Lives Matter movent.
With this, the company didn’t just talk about justice and equality—it proved its commitnt through action.
However, this turn of events left the online community in an awkward position.
Many of those who had fiercely condemned Epicura as a racist corporation were now forced to reconsider their hasty judgnts.
They had assud the company had abandoned Black communities because they weren’t profitable…
But now, they realized it had all been a misunderstanding.
As a result, social dia tilines were flooded with posts of apologies and self-reflection.
-I was too quick to judge Epicura. I sincerely apologize. #SorryEpicura
-Now I finally understand what Double Crab House truly stands for. I’m ashad of myself for criticizing without checking the facts. I apologize and will support them moving forward. #SupportEpicura
-I teared up listening to CEO Whitr’s heartfelt story. I’m sorry for misunderstanding his good intentions. Wishing Double Crab House great success! #SupportEpicura
-I apologize. Supporting Black-owned businesses is a responsibility we all share. #StandWithEpicura
Their posts overflowed with regret, guilt, and a newfound enthusiasm for Epicura.
After a brief period of self-reflection, public attention quickly shifted to a new topic—Epicura’s ambitious new brand launch.
-Honestly, I’ve never really thought about Black issues separately from racial conflicts before.
-Just the idea of tasting ‘Black flavors'… That really caught my attention.
-A seafood barbecue in Black style? I NEED to try this!
Curiosity about Double Crab House surged, with people flooding online forums with inquiries.
Most reactions expressed a strong desire to visit at least once.
But—
-I searched for Double Crab House and found out it only has locations in Chicago… Any plans to expand? New Yorkers feel left out! 😦
-I’m going on a business trip to Chicago next week. Can soone recomnd the best nu items?
The brand was still a regional chain headquartered in the Midwest.
While Epicura’s acquisition sparked hopes of nationwide expansion, that process could take years.
Just as people in other cities began expressing disappointnt—
A welco news alert appeared.
The highly sought-after brand was set to open pop-up stores in major cities for a limited ti!
Since Double Crab House was already a trending topic, this news spread like wildfire across social dia.
And then, finally—on opening day.
A massive crowd sward the stores.
The turnout far exceeded expectations.
Lines stretched for five blocks around the pop-up locations, causing such severe traffic congestion that the police had to intervene.
The overwhelming demand forced stores to close early after selling out all inventory within just five hours.
Calling it "popular" would be an understatent.
But instead of dying down, the craze only intensified.
Custors who had visited Double Crab House eagerly posted their experience on social dia, complete with photo proof—accompanied by hashtags like:
#SupportEpicura #BLM #TasteOfBlackCulture
#PreservingBlackCulture #SupportEpicura #BLM
-Black lives matter. But so does Black flavor. #SupportEpicura #BLM
Before anyone realized it, Epicura had beco inseparably linked to the BLM movent.
It was now part of a broader social cause—fighting for Black equality while promoting and uplifting Black-owned businesses.
On top of that, Whitr boldly declared his vision of growing this Black-owned brand into "the next Chipotle, the next major powerhouse in the restaurant industry."
At this point, supporting the brand felt inevitable.
From BLM supporters to self-proclaid "woke" individuals, everyone was rushing to share the news.
It was none other than the #BLM hashtag.
And those who saw that tag found themselves heading to the nearest pop-up store the next day.
This wasn’t just about eating good food.
If one truly supported the spread of Black culture and racial equality, this was the right thing to do.
This surge in socially motivated action poured fuel on the already skyrocketing demand, causing even greater chaos.
But then, a few days later—
A bigger event exploded.
Nurous A-list celebrities who supported the BLM movent were spotted visiting the pop-up stores.
And what’s more, they didn’t receive any special treatnt—they stood in line for hours, just like the general public.
But it wasn’t just one or two stars.
A wave of celebrities, eager to demonstrate their sincerity toward BLM through action, began flooding the stores.
Reports of people spotting major celebrities while waiting in line spread like wildfire.
Before long, Double Crab House beca the hotspot for celebrities.
The rumors only brought in more people, and the already long queues continued the next day, and the day after that.
Eventually, custors began lining up at dawn, and soon, the stores were packed even during late-night hours.
The situation escalated to the point where city officials had to intervene due to safety concerns.
Even with police and city workers deployed to maintain order, it wasn’t enough.
Ultimately, this asure was announced:
Epicura had no choice but to introduce a reservation system and launch an online booking site.
But as soon as reservations opened, they were instantly sold out—
And then, scalpers erged.
Seats at the pop-up stores started being resold for exorbitant prices, turning the situation into a full-blown economic phenonon.
News outlets pounced on the chaos, further amplifying the social significance of the movent.
At this point, Epicura and Double Crab House were no longer just popular brands.
They had beco a social phenonon—a full-fledged cultural movent.
Typically, such excessive hype would invite criticism about being a public nuisance.
But not this ti.
—This isn't just a restaurant. This is the beginning of the change we are building together. #SupportEpicura #BLM
—Double Crab House isn’t just serving food. We are making history.#SupportEpicura #BLM
This was no longer just about food.
Dining at Double Crab House had beco a symbolic act of supporting Black culture and fighting for racial equality.
People felt a sense of pride in taking part in the movent—
And those witnessing the spectacle felt it too.
Of course, all of this had been ticulously planned by Ha Si-heon.
—Detonate the ti bomb. And then—use the explosion to your advantage.
‘As expected, nothing ignites public fervor like racial issues.’
The impact of BLM was imnse, just as he had anticipated.
By leveraging that power, Epicura and Double Crab House had ascended beyond being just restaurant brands.
They had beco symbols of social change and solidarity.
Everything was unfolding exactly as planned.
But this was still just the process.
Very soon—
The real outco would be revealed.
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