God-Given Business Genius

The bustling interior of the shop was filled with noise.

Not only were all the tables occupied, but voices calling for Kim Jong-chun could be heard from various corners.

“Hey, it’s Manager Kim now! Boss Kim!”

Some exaggeratedly called out to Kim Jong-chun with booming voices,

“Wow, Deputy Kim… no, Boss Kim! The meal was delicious today!”

A pale-faced office worker smiled brightly and bowed to Kim Jong-chun,

“Hey you. When you said you were opening a soup rice shop, I was shocked. Who knew you had this talent?”

Others playfully put their arms around his shoulders with casual familiarity.

‘They’re all former colleagues.’

Isn’t it common for acquaintances to come and support a new business when it opens? I recall that Kim Jong-chun’s former company was about a 15-minute drive from here.

Several people had taken time out of their precious lunch break to come.

Moreover, wasn’t Kim Jong-chun highly praised even by Lee In-cheol, who had resigned early? It seemed his former coworkers, with whom he had shared many years and built relationships, were just as supportive, if not more so.

‘While it’s normal for acquaintances to come for an opening, this turnout is truly impressive.’

It was evident that Kim Jong-chun had built up a lot of goodwill over the years.

This is something to be grateful for. On the first day of opening, it’s good to have a bustling crowd to attract attention and curiosity from passersby.

After all, the best interior design is a shop full of customers. No matter how stylishly decorated a place is, if it’s empty inside, people hesitate to enter. Conversely, even a rundown eatery will make people think, “This must be a good place,” if it’s packed with customers.

Even so, I generally don’t recommend inviting acquaintances to the shop.

Because…

“But is this Hapjae soup rice the only menu item?”

I turned my head slightly at the voice from the neighboring table. It was someone who had been making a fuss while greeting Kim Jong-chun.

His well-tailored suit caught my eye first. Loosening his tie with one hand, a man who looked about Kim Jong-chun’s age pouted his lips.

“We had a company dinner yesterday, so I wanted something for a hangover. I was hoping for something spicy~ Don’t you have hangover soup?”

This is the kind of situation that’s likely to arise, which is the problem.

Kim Jong-chun’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly smiled and continued,

“Right now we only have this Hapjae soup rice, but if you want it spicier, we can add some radish kimchi juice, or there’s seasoning sauce here that you can use…”

“No, what kind of soup rice shop only has one menu item? Huh? You should sell regular soup rice, blood sausage soup rice, offal soup, bone hangover soup, things like that too.”

The man clicked his tongue and blurted out. Kim Jong-chun stood there dumbfounded for a moment.

A strange anxiety flickered across his face.

Oh dear.

“Excuse me for interrupting your conversation, sir.”

Pretending not to know anything, I approached Kim Jong-chun’s side and called out to him. I deliberately emphasized the word “sir” loud enough for others to hear.

“Oh, Woo-yeon. What is it?”

“I think you need to go over there for a moment. They’ve been looking for you for a while. I’ll take the order here.”

“Really?”

I pointed to another table where people who seemed close to Kim Jong-chun were sitting. He hurriedly wrapped up the conversation.

“I’m busy, so I have to go now. I’ll contact you when I’m done. Thanks for coming today!”

“Hey, wait…!”

The man looked deflated as he watched Kim Jong-chun’s retreating back. I smiled brightly and continued,

“May I take your order?”

“…Three Hapjae soup rice, please.”

“Certainly, I’ve taken your order for three Hapjae soup rice~.”

I smiled as I took the order, but as soon as I turned around, my expression hardened. This was at least the fifth time I’d seen this happen.

People commenting on the menu, that is.

‘They might think they’re giving advice for his sake, but for a novice owner, it’s actually counterproductive.’

While it would be a problem to completely ignore customer reactions, it’s also a major issue to be swayed this way and that in the early stages of establishing the business.

When inviting acquaintances like this, there’s a high chance that everyone will add their well-intentioned comments.

‘Wouldn’t brighter colored tables make the place more cheerful?’

‘The chairs seem a bit low.’

‘I think you could raise the price by 1000 won and it would still be fine.’

‘If you sold things like rolled omelettes, they’d make great drinking snacks.’

…Such comments only serve to confuse a novice owner more.

If it were complete strangers, it would be easier to dismiss it as ‘Oh, it’s just this customer’s opinion.’ But when it’s someone you know saying these things, you start to think they might have a point.

If you know you’re easily swayed, it’s best to nip this in the bud.

Most customers quietly eat their meals without mentioning specific likes or dislikes. They express their evaluation of the restaurant through repeat visits.

Ignoring this fact and being swayed by the loud voices of a few acquaintances is a surefire way to run the business into the ground.

‘I hope he doesn’t waver, though.’

I glanced at Kim Jong-chun’s profile, then resumed my busy movements.

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“Whew~! Finally finished!”

Kim Jong-chun exclaimed, half-collapsing into a chair after seeing off the last customer.

“Woo-yeon. We had a lot of customers today, didn’t we?”

“We did. Many were your former coworkers, right?”

“Yeah. Coworkers, and a former neighbor who lives nearby now. Then there were some business partners I used to meet often, the owner of my regular cafe, the owner of the sauna near my house, and…”

How does he know so many people?

Feeling like we’d be here until dawn if I listened to the full list of today’s visitors, I cut him off mid-sentence.

“As I’ve mentioned before, there’s always an initial boost when you first open. What did I say was the most important thing?”

“Repeat customers!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I gave him a thumbs up for getting it right, and Kim Jong-chun chuckled.

“Woo-yeon. Even though my body is tired, the business is doing well, so it doesn’t feel like hard work at all. You know? If every day could be like this, I’d have no complaints!”

“Just from this much?”

I snorted, and Kim Jong-chun’s eyes widened.

“Don’t you know that at Lee In-cheol’s place, people are taking numbers and waiting? It’s just because word hasn’t spread that we’ve opened yet. Soon, it’ll be like that here too.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So more than anything else, you need to reduce order mistakes first. Just today, I caught five or six mistakes you made.”

“Ugh. It’s so hectic, what can I do? I can’t even remember what I’ve made and what I haven’t…”

Kim Jong-chun muttered with a gloomy face. The fact that he treats me so casually despite our age difference might be the secret to his networking skills.

I urged the groaning Kim Jong-chun to start cleaning up the kitchen. He trudged to the kitchen, dragging his tired body.

‘That’s unexpected.’

I tilted my head as I watched his retreating figure.

‘I thought he’d talk about adding menu items.’

He must have heard it all day long, until his ears were ringing. That a soup rice shop can’t survive with just one menu item, what about people who want a spicier taste, shouldn’t there at least be some side dishes… Yet he’s carrying on with his work without showing any reaction.

As we were finishing up cleaning the dining area and kitchen, I couldn’t contain my curiosity any longer and asked:

“Ahjussi. Don’t you want to add more menu items?”

“Hmm?”

“A lot of customers asked about it today.”

“Ah, that.”

Kim Jong-chun smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well, you know more about that than I do. You’ve already explained the concept of our soup rice shop. What was it… a specialty restaurant?”

“Even with that explanation, it’s natural to have doubts when you see customer reactions.”

“That’s true. But still…”

Kim Jong-chun looked at me as he continued.

“You know what you’re doing, don’t you, Woo-yeon?”

“……”

This would be the moment to scold him, saying that as an owner, he shouldn’t think so carelessly.

But faced with eyes full of pure trust, I found myself at a loss for words.

“And thank you for earlier. For calling me ‘sir.’ You did that on purpose, didn’t you? I appreciate it. It helped me save face.”

His hearty laugh was incredibly endearing.

How long had it been since I felt this kind of warmth between people?

Even before my regression, I had been too busy to properly keep in touch with Kim Jong-chun or Lee In-cheol for years.

I struggled to suppress a sudden surge of emotion.

“…Let’s clean the front of the shop together. Your friends left a lot of cigarette butts.”

Deliberately speaking in a dry voice about the task at hand, Kim Jong-chun playfully responded with an “Aye aye~.”

We both grabbed cleaning supplies and headed outside side by side.

Just then, someone was passing by the front of the shop, so I bowed deeply and greeted them.

“Hello!”

“Ah, hello~”

Kim Jong-chun followed suit and bowed along with me. The passerby returned a slight bow with a face full of ‘Why me…?’ confusion.

“Do you know them?” Kim Jong-chun whispered to me.

“No. Didn’t I tell you earlier to greet everyone who passes by?”

“Ah! That’s right. But did you mean greeting just anyone like this? That person just now didn’t seem to be a local merchant, just someone passing by…?”

Kim Jong-chun looked perplexed. Why is he acting like this when I explained everything earlier?

“Ahjussi. It all comes back around, so just greet people when they pass by. Don’t worry about whether they return the greeting or not.”

“Umm….”

Kim Jong-chun couldn’t bring himself to say anything to my face. He just stared at me with an expression of utter incomprehension.

Ah, I keep telling him there’s something to this.

Trying to explain it verbally probably won’t make much of an impact anyway. Thinking it would be better for him to experience it firsthand soon, I just kept my mouth shut.

And not long after, an incident occurred.

During the busy lunch hour,

Someone, clearly agitated, flung open the restaurant door.

Looking around with bloodshot eyes as if searching for their parents’ murderer, they took a deep breath and then roared:

“Move! Your! Car!”