God-Given Business Genius

Tragedy often comes disguised as opportunity.

“Boss, let’s pull off something big.”

Those words rang true. When I grasped the hand extended along with the name of a major corporation, I thought a rosy future was finally unfolding before me.

“I’m looking forward to working with you! I’ve got lots of business ideas I’ve been planning. Oh, why don’t we start with this one first? To begin with…”

As I chattered away excitedly, what expression did he wear? It was unmistakably the look of a predator about to swallow its prey whole.

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Ring, ring, ring.

The dial tone droned on before abruptly cutting off.

“Hello?”

“Attorney Kim? It’s me.”

-Ah, CEO Song…

Attorney Kim Young-jun’s voice was heavy with concern. Without him saying a word, I could guess the outcome of the trial.

Still, I had to ask.

“How did it go?”

-Well… I’m sorry. We tried our best, but it seems we weren’t able to overturn the result.

Though I had anticipated this outcome, hearing it directly made my chest tighten with anxiety.

I closed my eyes slowly, then opened them, taking a deep breath.

-The opponent is such a large corporation, and they registered the trademark first. It was extremely difficult to prove we were the originators.

“I see.”

-It’s all due to my inadequacy.

“No, it’s not. I know how hard you’ve worked for me in many ways. …I should have paid you a more substantial fee. I’m sorry I couldn’t afford to.”

-About that fee…

Attorney Kim cautiously broached the subject.

-The opposing side will likely demand we pay their legal costs since we lost. It’ll be hard to reduce it to zero, but I’ll do my best to minimize it as much as possible…

“Attorney Kim.”

I barely managed to suppress a bitter laugh.

“You know I’m broke now. They’ve stolen all my ideas, and I’ve poured everything I had into this trial. I don’t have much money left. Even my house is mortgaged.”

-…

“I know that struggling any further… won’t change much.”

The cold night air brushed against my cheek. But the chill in my heart was even more severe, leaving no room to feel the outside temperature.

My fingertips had turned red and were involuntarily curling, but I couldn’t feel the pain.

“Thank you for everything up until now.”

The grueling trial was finally over. I felt both dejected and slightly liberated.

It felt like I had finally witnessed the end of a long, dark tunnel. Even though it marked my utter defeat, it was oddly satisfying.

Right.

I’ve done all I could.

I was about to take the phone away from my ear when Attorney Kim’s voice faintly reached me.

-CEO Song. I’ve been a lawyer for a long time, and I pride myself on my ability to read people.

His sincerity was palpable, so I couldn’t bring myself to end the call.

-This might sound far-fetched, but… CEO Song, in my opinion, you’re not the type to crumble like this.

“I didn’t know you were also good at saying nice things. During the trial preparations, all you said was that things wouldn’t work out and were difficult.”

-If I had such a talent, I wouldn’t have left a successful law firm to struggle on my own like this.

“You’re good at jokes too.”

-I’m being completely serious.

I closed my eyes tightly. The sound of the wind whispered past my ears.

-CEO Song. I’m sure you’ll have another opportunity. So please don’t be too discouraged…

“…”

As I took the phone away from my ear, Attorney Kim’s voice became distant.

-…EO? …ere are you…!

I deliberately ignored the faint voice. I filled my lungs with the predawn air and opened my eyes wide.

“Hyeonmu”

“Hah.”

The name of the group I had such mixed feelings about was emblazoned on a huge billboard. I stared endlessly at that name—once considered my greatest business partner, then suddenly transformed into the entity that took everything from me.

Leaning on the railing that came up to my waist, I hung my head. Pitch darkness filled my vision, and a dizzying sensation welled up from below.

A shiver ran down my spine.

“Another opportunity…”

I quietly muttered the words Attorney Kim had said.

“That would be nice.”

I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head.

As much as I wanted to let go of life right then and there, there were still things I needed to wrap up.

“I can’t die alone like this.”

I tightly gripped the small USB in my hand. It contained various pieces of information I had collected while working with Hyeonmu.

I had kept quiet until now due to the non-disclosure agreement I signed, but being pushed into a corner like this, I couldn’t stay silent any longer.

If this information were to be made public, even Hyeonmu wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed.

“I wonder if Reporter Choi is still awake. He’d be thrilled to get such a big scoop after so long…”

Just as I was about to turn around and leave the rooftop.

Whoosh!

“Huh?”

Someone pushed me from behind. As a result, my body, which had been leaning on the railing, lost balance and toppled forward.

Wheeee!

The harsh sound of wind tore through my eardrums.

The light from the “Hyeonmu” sign flashed across my falling vision.

That was my last memory.

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“…! …Woo-yeon! Hey, Song Woo-yeon!”

“?!”

I jerked my head up in surprise. What? Who was calling my name so casually?

Before my confused eyes appeared the familiar face of the boss.

“Hey, you. Didn’t I tell you to wipe down all the tables here? Why are you spacing out when you’re usually so quick?”

“Huh?”

“I said wipe this down!”

I stared at the face of the boss who was yelling at me.

Boss Lee In-cheol. How could I forget him? He was the starting point of all my business ventures.

Although when I fell, Lee In-cheol had closed his business and retired right away…

More surprising than why Lee In-cheol, with whom I’d lost contact long ago, was here, was something else.

“Boss, when did you get so young?”

He looked at least twenty years younger! He should be approaching his late 60s, but now he looked no older than his late 40s.

Yes. Just like when I first met him.

As young as he was when Lee In-cheol was the owner of a small soup restaurant and I was working under him as a part-timer.

“What?”

Lee In-cheol looked at me incredulously.

“Am I your friend? Why are you speaking to me so casually?”

“But between us, that kind of…”

“Right. Well said. What kind of relationship do we have, huh?”

Lee In-cheol pointed at the table in front of me and shouted once more.

“I’m the boss and you’re the part-timer! Are you trying to rebel against me now? I’m already upset because we have no customers, and now you’re acting like this?!”

Boss and part-timer. Lee In-cheol looking at least 20 years younger. And the shop layout exactly the same as before the expansion.

A large calendar on the wall boldly displayed ‘2014’.

2014?

With these few keywords, my mind suddenly cleared as if struck by lightning.

‘Wait a minute. Could this be…?’

I hurriedly looked into the mirror hanging on one side of the shop. I could hear Lee In-cheol shouting something again from the side, but it didn’t register.

“Wow.”

I stared intently at my face reflected in the mirror. It wasn’t just Lee In-cheol who had gotten younger. I too had become at least 20 years younger.

No, to be precise, I looked exactly as I did when I started my first part-time job at the neighborhood soup restaurant. Perfectly!

“This can’t be…”

I muttered softly while touching my face. Wondering if I might be dreaming, I pinched my cheek, but it hurt sharply.

It was real.

‘I’ve come back.’

Only then did I grasp the situation. I didn’t know what to call this movie-like occurrence.

-CEO Song. I’m sure you’ll have another opportunity.

Attorney Kim’s voice seemed to echo in my ears.

Yes. This was an opportunity.

‘A chance not to repeat the same mistakes.’

As I clenched my fist tightly, I finally felt a sense of reality.

“Aren’t you going to work?!”

“Yes, sir! I’ll clean the tables right away…!”

I’d better get to work first!

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“Heh. Song Woo-yeon. Looks like you feel bad about your insubordination earlier, huh? Seeing you work so hard now.”

Lee In-cheol joked as he looked at the sparkling kitchen. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve and barely managed to straighten my back.

Ow, my back. Maybe it’s because I’m not just young, but actually young. My muscles are really lacking.

“I’m sorry about earlier when I misspoke for a moment…!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m letting it slide because you’ve been working so well for the past week!”

Though he said that, his face was full of smiles. Despite his rough words, he was always tender-hearted and full of affection.

It was a strange feeling to be face to face with the young Boss Lee In-cheol.

“You can go home now.”

“I’ll finish up here and then leave.”

“Forget it. Just go.”

Lee In-cheol waved his hand dismissively and pulled up a nearby chair to sit down heavily.

“What’s the point of cleaning so hard? When there are no customers…”

Hearing his self-deprecating mutter, I quietly put down the cleaning cloth. I had been wanting to talk about that anyway.

“Woo-yeon. Do you know how much I earned from today’s business? Exactly 100,000 won. 100,000 won.”

Hmm. That’s serious.

A daily revenue of 100,000 won means a monthly revenue of about 3 million won, even working without days off.

After subtracting rent, ingredient costs, and other expenses, there’s practically nothing left.

“You’re taking home the most in this shop!”

A boss earning less than his part-timer. It was a scenario I had seen countless times even before my regression.

“Sigh. I really don’t understand why. Huh? The soup is delicious, the price is cheap, and we serve generous portions~ What exactly is the problem?”

What’s the problem, you ask?

I scanned the shop. Every single thing that caught my eye was a problem.

There were countless points that made me think, if only this were fixed, if only that were adjusted, it would be so much better.

Of course, to my past self’s eyes at this time, it would have looked like an ordinary shop interior…

But I’m different now.

The experience I’ve accumulated over decades in the food service industry has completely transformed me.

I want to say that not knowing what the real problems are is the problem, but for now, I bit my lip and held back.

“I’ve grown so attached to this shop… It breaks my heart to think about quitting and leaving, you know.”

Lee In-cheol clicked his tongue.

Many small business owners dream of hitting it big when they start, but the harsh reality is that most can’t even survive five years before closing down.

Lee In-cheol’s soup restaurant, “Jeongseong Hall,” was one of those many shops headed for closure.

The only difference was,

“Um, Boss. I have something I’d like to say.”

This place had me, Song Woo-yeon.

“What would you say if I told you I have a way to increase the shop’s revenue by 3 times, no, 10 times?”

And not just any Song Woo-yeon, but one with over 20 years of experience in the food service industry.